#trying to get in the print zone. i want to make art that you might want on your wall

[chalkrub]

unholy night!!

[saekkas]

𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐒

summary: romantically cliche things the boys do when they're in love with you.

includes: isagi, nagi, reo, yukimiya, rin, sae, kunigami, kaiser, karasu, bachira, aiku.

notes: this might just be the most lovey-dovey thing i've ever written in my life.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍: goes out of his comfort zone, does anything he can so that you're always smiling when with him, makes butterflies erupt every single time he opens his mouth.

kaiser, sae, isagi, karasu

"can't you let me see? we've been doing this for hours!"

his hands are around your face, shielding your vision. you can see nothing but darkness, only small spots of light from the gaps of his fingers. he's been nothing but romantic for the whole day, eager to celebrate your anniversary on a day off. he's taken you to a popular italian place, which he's booked under your name from two months ago, and brought you to a science and art museum that's produced more than a hundred lock screen worthy photos.

all the while keeping his hands around your eyes every time you move onto a new spot. he's determined to make this the best day of your life, and with the way it's going, he's gotten his wish.

"calm down, we're almost there." his voice is right by your ear, tone completely warm as he chuckles at the shiver it brings. "since when were you the impatient one in the relationship?"

"can you blame me? how am i supposed to know you aren't leading me into a trench in the middle of nowhere?" there's only silence, and you can only assume he's grown tired of your whining. "it's a perfectly plausible scenario and you know that. what if-"

"we're here," he says, this time whispering lowly as he stops your movements, placing his chin on your shoulder. "i hope you like it. it's my last present for today."

you blink your eyes when he finally takes away his hand, trying to get used to the onslaught of brightness. you gasp, realizing belatedly that he's taken you to the canopy of your joined apartment. he's taken two chairs from your kitchen, along with a high desk from your work room, and transformed the space into a private space for two.

"this is beautiful. i can't believe you did this for me."

his hands are warm as they trail down your waist, wrapping you snugly against his chest. you can feel the soft breath coming from his mouth, and the telltale signs of a five o'clock shadow as he nuzzles into your neck. "do you like it?"

"i love it. i love you." you stand in silence for a while, taking the time to take everything in. you snap out of your trance like state when he takes your hand, pulling you towards the seats. "thank you. you've completely made my present for you look like trash."

there's a shadow of a smile on his face, bright even under the darkness of the ink blue sky. you'd print it if you could. you'd freeze this moment, this day, so you'll get to experience it forever, in a never-ending loop, if you could.

"two tickets to meet my favorite team is far from trash, but i'll accept the compliment."

that shadow of a smile turns into a grin, and you realize you never want to experience a day without his smile for the rest of your life if you could.

the lights from nearby buildings look and feel as if fireflies, surrounding you in a peaceful hue. his eyes are a different shade today, far brighter than they usually are. his embrace far warmer.

you suppose love does that to the best of people. and you suppose you're lucky to be able to get to experience it with him.

"i have something for you."

you quirk an eyebrow as he leans down to reach for something under his seat. it's rectangular, medium-sized, nothing special looking, and yet your heart's beating against your ribcage, threatening to let loose and engulf him whole.

"i thought this whole set up was supposed to be the last?"

"i lied," he chuckles, handing the object to you with soft eyes. "open it."

the wrapping is shabby at best, and you bite your lip, both endeared and amused by his actions. you tear it gently, gasping when the cover of your favorite book looks back at you. "i..."

the cover feels smooth under your fingers, and you can only choke back a sob when you flip onto the first page, finding his scribbled writing right under the author's autograph. the next pages are similar in different ways, filled with little notes and highlighted words at the edges. his thoughts immortalized for you to read.

"you annotated a book for me?" you sniffle, wiping away the tears before they fall onto the pages. "and got the author to sign it?"

"why are you crying?" he asks out of pure sweetness, nothing but love looking back at you from his eyes. "isn't that what a guy does when he's in love with a girl?"

you only nod, still at a loss of words as he leans down another time, this time placing a cool box on the desk. "gelato?" he asks with a laugh as he places two of your favorite flavored dessert in between you. "can't have my love crying on our special day, can we?"

you learn that the gelato isn't the last surprise either. his last present comes in the form of a ring and a promise made under the night sky.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍: holds every single one of your things, will not let you move a single finger, proudly shows you off as his.

aiku, nagi, kunigami

"i have two hands too, you know?" you laugh, your shoulders shaking as you lean against the apartment door's entrance. "i can bring my own things."

you watch with thinly veiled amusement as he shakes his head with a stubborn frown. his footsteps are heavy, the added weight of all your shopping bags dragging him down slightly. you move slightly to the left, pushing the door open wider so he could enter.

"i'll get you something to drink. hold on," you say with a pointed look before making your way to the kitchen to fetch a water bottle. walking back, you giggle at the sight of him peeking into the paper bags. "here."

the palm of his hands are slightly calloused against the skin of your thighs as he all but drags you onto his lap. the couch sinks under your joined form and you raise an eyebrow when he looks up at you with puppy eyes.

"what?" you ask, slightly suspicious of the pout on his face after the few seconds of silence. "you want something don't you?"

"show me?" his tone is dripping in honey and his hands rub circles on your back as he tries to persuade you. "wanna see my girl all dolled up and pretty."

you sigh at his request, your heart weak at his show of affection. "fine. you better pay attention though."

he hums, nodding his head excitedly as you take the bags and bring them into the bedroom with you, ready for a fashion show.

"i'm not wearing every single one so i'll show you my favorites." the dress you have on is innocent, fun. one you've picked exactly for picnic dates and ice cream runs. it's a baby blue color, white lace trimming your waist with a bow to match. "what do you think?"

his eyes roam from your head down to your feet, and you blink at the silence that coats his answer. "do you not like it?"

he blinks back, as if breaking out of a gaze before he stands, leaning down to press three pecks onto your lips. you watch as he walks back to the couch, tilting your head at the coy smirk on his face. you feel dumbfounded when he waves a hand, motioning for you to try the next one.

the second outfit is far simpler. white top matched with a leather jacket and boots. there's no other sound besides the fan by the edge of the kitchen and his footsteps as he leans in to press another kiss. only two this time.

you snort when you realize when he's doing. if there's anything your boyfriend will do, it's charm you with whatever weird stunt he has up his sleeve. "you are impossible. what is this? your version of america's top model?"

"i don't hear you complaining." he walks back to his seat, watching you with lidded eyes and a small smirk filling his expression. "next one?"

you snort, changing into the last outfit for him to see. this one's far more intimate as you've bought it for special occasions. the dress is a dark maroon, it sinks down to the floor with a plunging neckline that is a wonder to the eyes. you watch as he stiffens, becking you forward with a come-hither motion on his finger.

you sway your hips as you walk, looking at him with a coy smile that he most certainly loves. before you have the chance to lean down, he shoots up, pressing three kisses on your lips, and another on your exposed chest.

his hands wrap around your waist, tilting your chin so that you meet his eyes. "next one."

"that was the last one." you quirk an eyebrow, squinting when he grins. "what?"

"try my clothes. i'll give you full scores for every outfit."

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒: gets you anything and everything that reminds him of you, reminds you of your worth every day, charming to the point that your mother wants you to marry him asap.

rin, yukimiya, bachira, reo

"hey, i know you're a big-time pro-athlete now but that doesn't mean you need to spend all your money on me."

your boyfriend has a thing for splurging. he buys things that are almost always useless and insists on gifting them to you with a big shiny bow wrapped around it. he isn't much of a spender for himself, insists on wearing his clothes until they're somehow falling off his body but with you? his pockets are loose, wallet seemingly always filled with credit cards.

an investment for the future, he calls it.

you don't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of his words or cry because this handsomely talented individual actually sees you as part of his future. he's calling you as his future. talk about sweeping a girl off her feet.

"they're pretty. i thought you'd want to see them."

the bouquet that he sent is nothing if not pretty. it's a stunning piece of work, an arrangement of many different kinds of vividly colored flowers wrapped into a huge bundle. it's hefty in your hand and you'd be lying of you said that it isn't a treat for the eyes.

"you could have taken a picture and showed it to me through text, eh?" you walk forward, smelling the flowers in your hand, and carefully place them on the desk to put in a vase later. "you didn't need to ship it all the way from paris."

you watch as the pixelated version boyfriend shrugs, a sweet smile forming on his lips at your words. it's nighttime where he's at, and it shows through the darkness of the hotel window he currently resides in. the video shakes as he holds his phone, moving away from the window and onto a bed.

"do you like it?" he asks, propping a hand behind his head and on a pillow. "the florist recommended that one for you. she said it had a special meaning."

"yeah? tell her she has amazing taste and is very kind if you ever meet her again."

he hums, eyes hazy and laced with sleep. you smile when he tries to stifle a yawn. "you should go to sleep. it's late there, isn't it?"

"it's fine." he yawns like a puppy is your first thought when he does let it out. there's an air of tiredness around him, clearly drained from practice and a match. you giggle when he yawns again, this time stretching his hands above his head like a cat. adorable. "i wanna talk to you for a bit more. i miss you."

you soften at that. "i miss you too. just three more days, right?"

he nods at that, the smile never leaving his face. the smile, you've come to realize, is reserved especially for you. "i told the florist to write a note for you too. is it there?"

you hum, placing the phone against your mug to look for it. you've been too distracted by its beauty that you never noticed the small piece of white paper that's attached to one of the flowers' stems. the first thing that catches your eye is the list of flowers the bouquet is made from and their meaning.

roses; love, warmth. dahlia; eternal love, appreciation, commitment. chrysanthemums; loyalty, happiness, joy. ranunculus; charm and attractiveness. anemones; anticipation.

the second, is the beautiful cursive handwriting that details, "i'll love you until the last one withers."

you look back to your phone, smiling brightly at him. "thank you. this means everything to me." there's an air of happiness that surrounds him at your words, his smile brightening along with yours. there's a glint in his eye that you're suspicious of, yet you don't get to call him out for it.

"i'm glad you like it. i'm gonna head in now. i'll text you in the morning, okay?" he hums, padding from his bed and turning the light off, bathing him in a moonlit glow. "call me when you wake up."

"okay." there's always a bittersweet feeling in saying good night to him, in saying temporary farewells. your shoulders slump slightly and you nod, blowing him a kiss. "night. sweet dreams. i love you."

"i love you too, angel."

the line disconnects after a few minutes of silent staring and you sigh, turning away to find a vase for your newly bought gift. it's only when you're gently placing the flowers in that you realize one's different from the others. you chuckle, holding the fake flower to your chest. picking up your phone, your fingers glide across the screen, sending him a text you hope he'll see when he wakes.

you: who knew you were such a romantic

you: i'll love you forever. thank you. you mean the world to me.

your fingers stop as you take in the flower once more, every single one of its petals has been painted a different color. it's smooth against your hand, and you grin when you lift it to your nose to sniff. it smells like him.

you: send me your hotel address. i'm sending you a gift.

you: me.

[swordsmans]

oh shit! i made a book.

remember back in september when i said i was going to learn bookbinding. well! weeks of trial and error later, i've finally finished my very first bind! as some of you might have seen in past posts, i decided to focus on my 90k zolu mermaid/mafia au the sea makes bones of bodies and now here we are!

the bind itself is a relatively simple 320 page cased-in flatback with a fabric spine and lotka paper covers and endsheets, but i decided to use it as a "test book" to learn a little bit of everything. so! it features hand-traced gold foil on the cover and spine, a hand-beaded bookmark tipped with a genuine shark tooth (iykyk), and what im calling "cookies and cream" speckled edges (lol)

ive posted some screenshots of the typeset already so i wont go too crazy, but im actually pretty happy with how it looked all put together!! i sewed my signatures together too tightly, i think, so it kind of wants to flop closed (rip) but i tried to take some pictures of how it turned out!

i have a ton of pictures of the text body itself (and fun things like the playlist page, the title pages, etc) but this post is already long enough, haha.

the absolute best, best, best part of this whole project was a huge, wonderful, amazing surprise from @fluffyartbl0g that brought the whole project together!!! they were sweet enough to send some incredible art (!!!!) that i sewed into the front and back!!!

!!! AAA!!!!

overall, i learned so much and i took a ton of notes so i'll (hopefully) avoid some of my beginner mistakes when i do this again. i already have three more versions of the text block printed out and pressing right now! >:3c im going to keep practicing with this story for at least three more binds (because i want to get my technique down and i have some new ideas i want to try), and then switch to typsetting ocean theology and attempt a thinner 40k bind.

shoutout to renegade publishing for their wealth of technical help, and a big huge thank you to the dumbass zone for watching blurry videos of me flipping through printer paper at 3AM and just generally being so, so supportive while i learned all these new skills. you guys are the best!!

now... on to the next one!

EDIT: i've been asked for the typeset, so if you are interested in binding this yourself, you can find all the files here!! :D if you do make your own copy, i would love to see!!! PLEASE TAG MEEE!!!! :DDD

[steve-rambo-leaks]

ＺＩＮＥ　ＣＯＮＴＥＳＴ　（ｗｉｔｈ　ｐｒｉｚｅ）（≧▽≦）

Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　Ｚｉｎｅ　ｃｏｎｔｅｓｔ　ｆｒｏｍ　ＮＯＷ　ｕｎｔｉｌ　Ｆｅｂ　２４ｔｈ　（ａｕｔｉｓｍ　ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ）．　Ｐｌｓ　ｒｅａｄ　ｍｏｒｅ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｓｕｂｍｉｔ，　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｉｚｅｓ　ａｎｄ　ｗｈｙ　Ｉ＇ｍ　ｓｏ　ｈｙｐｅｄ．　

This is for BOTH people who consider themselves artists and those who don't. It doesn't have to be a comic. A ZINE CAN BE ANYTHING :D It can be a tech tutorial, it can be a comic, it can be flash fiction, it can be a local history guide, it can be Street Fighter II Turbo strategies printed out to be left in arcades, it can be anything!

The video below explains the process better than I could probably in text (I suck at conveying thing through text). My video also has a tl;dr that I would appreciate everyone read before submitting.

There's some other stuff below, but if you're more visual, like not the reading type (like me) then feel free to skip and just head to the video description to jump in.

Also, you may know me for my "Raspberry Pis are for paypigs" video where I try to advocate for the upcycling for ewasted Chromebooks.

I've been into the idea of leaving around Zines for a while. Every time I walk into a coffee shop or local business, I think "wow, I really would wish there was something cool to read." So I started making things to put there: 8 small 2.5 inch panels, folded into one 2.5 inch square for those interested to unravel. I put them inside of these origami boxes that a learned how to make, ones with a logo printed on them.

So far I've made: a zine template (I call it a dog ear zine for some reason), a template for the box to put them in, a zine about using yt-dlp, a zine about a reindeer working IT (along with a collaborator) and (coming soon) a zine about a monster in a cave doing stuff. All of the odg LibreOffice Draw template files to make your own zines or print out mine are on my archive.org page (linked at top of my Tumblr). I'd really like other people to try this 8 panel 2.5 inch zine format, and I'm willing to bribe people with sweet, sweet Gabe Newell bucks to do it. You can submit as many zines in this format as you want. Just make sure they're printed out and have pictures of both the front and back (plus other pictures if you want) . In the video I mentioned you can use my submit page, which is probably the easiest for me to keep track of. You can also use the #dogearzine hashtag to enter. Please read the video description before entering, though (which includes Youtube's and Tumblr's terms of service, though this is more of a youtube thing).

Also, and this is completely unrelated, there's a lot more to me than just the faux-clickbait Wojak thumbnails. I like doing tech, wrestling, japanese, vidya and other videos, but I love to throw art in whenever I can shoehorn it in. Like, the video where I go over inchworm, butterfly, colors 3D and flipnote sudomemo - colors 3D on a hacked 3DS was my sister's first experience with digital at (she's moved up to an iPad and Procreate). So, it hold a special place in might heart, as a lot of the things I talk about do. I made a Whomp video because I miss Ronnie. I made a Rockbox video because I wished more people used dedicated MP3 players and knew where and how to download music. I want to help people do interesting things. And I also want to thank anyone who read all of this. You are cool. I hope everyone who's able to can compete in this contest and challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone, to try something new! Also, also, thanks for liking these posts, people on Tumblr. You all have cool blogs. (^o^)丿

[ask-obt]

What steps do you usually have for creating each page, and how long does each one usually take you? Do you do stuff like thumbnail entire chapters in advance, etc?

I don't know how big your page buffer is, but you seem to get pages done at a really impressive rate, especially considering every page is clean and colored, so I'd love to know how you manage it :)

// this is a long ask, so buckle up!

all of my pages start with an outline, which is then fleshed out into a script- over time I've found that having an entire chapter done before starting any other step cuts out unnecessary fat that comes with editing. if there's one thing I learned from preboot OBT, trying to figure out what exactly happens on a page as you're drawing it can lead to a lot of heartbreak if you decide to change it (a lot of preboot OBT's chapter 4 was subject to this- I have a million drafts of rune and fienne in the market because I didn't know what I wanted them to do there). my scripting program is actually the beta version of a program one of my classmates in college made, and if it ever goes public I'd be happy to pop a link since I believe they want to make it open source eventually. on average my scripts are about 5000-6000 words long, and are written (casually) like film scripts since that's the format I was trained on as a film student.

my outlines are a bit sloppy because it's just like a stream of consciousness flowing out while I try getting ideas slapped down as quickly as possible. I try not to worry too much about details unless I have a clear vision in mind because I think writing the plot out in one go flows the most smoothly.

and then from there, I expand that outline into a script.

after the script is completed, and assuming I have enough buffer, I thumbnail the entire next chapter- or at least as much as I can stand in one go. I'll usually either be working on rendering the previous chapter during this step, or I'll have the previous chapter completed so I can devote my attention to it. either way, I try and give myself room to do a variety of tasks depending on my mood. thumbnails are easy to work on while on-the-go for example, but they require a lot of thought to put together. coloring can be tedious, but it's great to do while multitasking of on lunch at one of my jobs.

part of the thumbnailing process for me includes putting down text bubbles. surprisingly, this is a very tedious task, so I try to get it all done in one go so I don't have to agonize over it. and this is where my process gets a bit convoluted, so bear with me.

to do this, I take a look at my script and break all the dialogue into different text bubbles. I've gotten to the point where I think I do pretty well naturally finding breaks in pages, and I just go in chronological order putting text down. for this step I have page templates prepped, which show the safety margins that I need to follow to prevent text from getting stuck in the binding when printing into books. I make sure all the text is safe, and then move onto the next step.

after that, I copy the page with text bubbles, and then shrink it really small into thumbnail size. on a layer above this screenshot I trace the text bubbles, and then treat those bubbles as "dead zones" to draw around while working on the thumbnails. this might be an unnecessary step if you have a good grasp on how much text takes up a panel, but I am historically awful at judging that so knowing the exact text bubble size when thumbnailing helps prevent my bubbles from getting in the way after the art is already rendered. then, rinse and repeat for the rest of the chapter!

some chapters I'm quicker at thumbing than others- on the low end we've got chapter 5, which I wrapped up in 2 months (I did roughly 1 thumb per day)

and then chapter 6 which I dragged my feet on a little bit, at around 6 months

(and chapter 7, which is twice the length of a normal chapter for me, took 4 months!)

after that is sketching, the part I dread most when working on a chapter. it's the part that requires the most thinking on my part, and I did away with sketching completely for most of chapter 3- but I've been trying to make my lines thinner lately, and until I build up the confidence to work without sketches, I'm afraid I'm stuck with them. I try to do 1-2 sketches per day, but some days I just don't do them if I'm not feeling up to it.

(I'm actually avoiding sketching while I work on this ask)

while most of OBT is done in CSP, the one thing I don't do there is lines- for that I use Autodesk Sketchbook. sketchbook has a pretty incredible predictive stroke tool that adjusts your strokes after you make them. it takes a bit of time to get used to, but with it I can draw much faster than any other program or with any other stabilization tool. I gave CSP an honest shot with lining by trying to use it for 6 months, but sketchbook was just too powerful so I live the multiprogram life. I try my best to keep all my lines closed during this process because it'll make coloring WAY easier. like I think coloring used to take me an hour, now it takes me 20 minutes tops.

then I flip off the visibility on all layers except the lineart layer, save as a PNG (saving a working file as well if I'm feeling spicy), and then import to CSP! where the most fun part begins.

to start, to do that colored lineart thing where the lines on my characters are darker on the outside than the inside, I start by coloring characters their inside color first (using the "lock transparent pixels" layer option). for comics this is reduced to a simple "warm palette" color and "cool palette" color, which are brown and blue respectively. it's subtle, but you can see it in action with rune and eilwyn here.

then I use the magic wand tool, my best friend. I select the negative space around the characters, invert it, and then with the dark color selected in my palette (for me it's a dark brown approaching black) and the transparent pixels still locked, I use the "outline selection" option to outline the characters. I usually outline them by 6 px, but it'll depend on what looks best.

then for coloring, with the characters still selected, I use the "shrink selection" option to shrink it by 1 pixel. this helps prevent aliasing when I use the fill bucket to fill characters in with a base color! after that I pick them out by character and manually add their main color by hand, so they look something like this.

and here's the part where I impart upon ye, dear reader, with the forbidden knowledge I learned while doing the Monster House Marathon this month. see, I really like doing these daily events because they push me to my limit. a page a day is the most comfortable fast pace I can work on the comic, but it can still be a bit of a strain to get a page done before my bedtime, so I'm much more willing to learn shortcuts in order to get a nice juicy 6 hours of sleep instead of 4.

if you do a closed lineart method like me for most of your character's markings, the "Set Reference Layer" tool is going to become your new best friend. using this, I set the lineart layer as the reference layer (and only the lineart layer), move over to my coloring layer, grab my fill bucket tool, and then I can just start literally filling in characters within seconds. some characters have unclosed markings that I'll have to do by hand, but this is extremely quick and I love it so much.

finally I add a multiply layer where I do some light shading. this step used to be full cel shading, though over time I've found that my art reads a little more clearly without it. and shading also used to be miserable because it was another 30 minutes to an hour of rendering that kept me from completing a page, so it sometimes got a little miserable.

and finally, I add backgrounds and lighting effects. I have a pretty decent library of pre-rendered backgrounds I've made that I can just plop in a scene, but sometimes for new or one-time locations I'll make a new one by hand.

and that's a completed page! it's a bit hard to calculate how long a singular page takes start to finish since I try doing everything before the lineart in batch style, but I'd say it all roughly evens out to 2-4 hours. breaking it down, it looks something like:

Thumbnail - 10-20 minutes Sketch - 30 minutes - 1 hour Lineart - 30 minutes - 1 hour Coloring - 10-20 minutes Rendering - 10-20 minutes Background - 20 minutes - 1 hour

so pages are pretty quick for me to make! this helps me build a pretty sizeable buffer, I think my previous record was somewhere around 40 pages? maybe 70 if I included dielle's wish. though I will admit during this Monster House Marathon, I actually ran out of buffer on day 7, and I'd been laying the tracks in front of the train until, uh, checks watch, the 27th! as of writing this I finished the buffer through the MHM, so I can rest easy. this ask probably won't queue until after the MHM has ended so this probably sounds a little comedic. the main reason I was able to manage these daily updates without a buffer was because of an art high I was experiencing this month, which is also why I did a marathon in the first place.

though usually, I really am an advocate for buffers. having a buffer of at least 3 months means I can hop around with different processes as my interest in them flips around. my brain usually likes to focus on one task at a time, and a lot of it, so having that freedom is great for me. and sometimes, I just wanna take a month off to play a new game or hyperfixate on stardew valley once again! it all comes down to practice and developing a workflow and schedule that works for you.

[bitbybitwrites]

If I Can Make Your Heart My Home - Recipe and Song list - Chp 4, 5 and 6

Here is the music/recipe wrap-up for chapters 4, 5, and 6.

You can see the info under the cover art by @datshitrandom

Some spoilers are below, so if you'd like to read the fic first, click here

For Chapters 1, 2, and 3 songs and recipes, click here

To see the YouTube playlist for the fic, click here.

Chapter 4

The song playing as Kurt enters the tea salon:

The ridiculously long list of sweets that Chef Sylvester orders Kurt to make when he gets into work:

"Three dozen petits gateaux napolitaines, three dozen lunettes, four dozen croissants de lune, four dozen petits provençaux , five dozen tuiles aux noisettes, six dozen galette bretonne, six dozen petits palmiers and seven dozen macarons chocolate   to be completed before you leave in addition to your usual duties today.” Chef Sylvester barked out with military precision.

Petits gateaux napolitaines: Click here for Recipe 1 or Recipe 2 or Recipe 3: (pg 1) (pg2)

Lunettes: Click here for Recipe 1 or Recipe 2: (pg 1) (pg 2)

Croissants de lune: Click here for the recipe

Petits provençaux :

OK, fessing up. I couldn't find an actual photo of this online and I actually substituted it with photos of mini Gâteau Nantais (French almond rum cake) instead. Actual provençaux are made with anisette and almonds and are mixed with a madeleine batter (which are small sponge cakes baked into shell-shaped pans), so I thought it was an ok substitution. Bakers, don't kill me! I have the recipes for both below

Recipe 1 or Recipe 2 (Gâteau Nantais)

or

Recipe 2: (pg 1) (pg 2) (Petits provençaux)

Tuiles aux noisettes: Click here for Recipe 1 or Recipe 2

Galette bretonne: Click here for the recipe (I've made these, and they are soooooo good!)

Petits palmiers:

Many of these recipes call for frozen, pre-made puff pastry dough. But since Kurt is who he is in the fic, you know he's making that from scratch, so I'll include the recipe for that as well.

Click here for puff pastry recipe

Click here for palmier Recipe 1. or Recipe 2 : (pg1) (pg2)

Macarons chocolate :

Click here for Recipe 1 or Recipe 2: (pg1) (pg2)

*As a side note, the recipes listed above that are photographs from a cookbook come from: The French Cookie Book by Bruce Healy /Paul Bugat. It's out of print, but you can find used copies if you look online.

**********

The head chef let out a sound of disapproval.  "You might want to slice those cucumbers again, Salsa Verde." Chef Sylvester said, poking a finger at the pile Santana had growing on the cutting board in front of her."I think we will need paper-thin rounds rather than julienne today.  Can't have those old rich biddies choking on their cucumber sandwiches with their tea, can we?"

Cucumber sandwiches:

There were a couple of recipes shared in the 1st recipe/song round-up post, but here's another for you!

Click here: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Herby Cream Cheese

*******

The head chef's eyes looked around before she then zoned in on her next victim.  Her eyes narrowed as she observed Trent, who was working on yet another batch of bread dough.  It was Brioche pur Buerre to be exact.  

 Brioche pur Buerre : Click here for the recipe

*******

Are the croissants proofing?" Chef Sylvester asked as she watched Trent try to maintain his composure while paying attention to his work.  She snapped her fingers in his face when he did not respond quickly enough.  "Hey, Cream Puff, I'm talking to you."

Croissants: Click here for recipes and how to guide for making croissants.

********

Chapter 5

The song Kurt hears as he's walking through the Ramble in Central Park.

The 1st song Kurt sees Blaine play while at Belvedere Castle.

The songs Blaine plays while Kurt is up exploring Belvedere Castle.

Cinnamon scones: - for the recipe, see Chapter 6 below

*******

Chapter 6

She was on my case about putting too much grain in my multi-grain bread," Trent told Mike.  "I don't know how that is even a thing.  My sourdough was also too sour, and my quiche was as she put it . .  and I quote: 'as bland and unappealing as your own sad pasty face’  . . unquote."  

Multigrain bread: Click here for Recipe 1 or Recipe 2

Sourdough bread: Click here for Recipe 1. Recipe 2

Quiche: Click here for the recipe.

*******

"She had the gall to tear apart a croquembouche I had made for a bridal shower," Kurt said, the indignity of it all still simmering under the surface.  "As if I can't make flawless choux pastry in my sleep.  And then she had the audacity to say the cream puffs weren't filled with enough cream.  . ."

Croquembouche: Click here for the recipe.

Choux pastry: Click here for the recipe.

Cream puffs: Click here for the recipe.

******

“Your cinnamon scones - meaning your mother’s recipe?" Mike chimed in, now more interested.  "I've heard about these. They were the stuff of legend in the dorms."

Cinnamon scones: Recipe 1 or Recipe 2

******

"Seriously, I tried once to tempt him with some pan dulce in exchange . . even my mother's conchas and my tia's marranitos . . but was shot down right away," Santana told Mike.  "We're not wrong . . those are the ones you're talking about?"

Conchas: Click here for the recipe.

Marranitos: Click here for the recipe.

The song the young chefs here from Kurt's phone (one of Blaine's performances).

Whew! That was a lot of recipes and songs for those 3 chapters. If I missed anything you may be interested in, let me know!

Chapter 7 will be posted soon!

Thanks for reading!

[jackie-mae]

Intro Post/ FAQ

Name: Jackie, Mae,  or anything in-between!

Pronouns: Mostly She/Her but do whatever the hell you want/pos :p 

Time zone: Canadian and live at eastern standard time (EST) but I used to live on the west coast (PST) so my post time can fluctuate if I wanna get some of my friends attention lol

Blurb: I’m a Illustrator/Animator drawing for a variety of fandoms while also trying to expand my skills in original art while also slowly developing a Webcomic with fellow mutual @catzgam3rz!

I post mainly art here (I have a terrible habit of not reblogging things xp) But if you're only here for one thing (IE. My 1tau for Zelda) please be aware I’ll post other fandom art and a string of non-fandom centric pieces doesn’t mean I’ve dropped the fandom entirely.

LINKTREE: Found here! Where to find me elsewhere (But Tumblr is where I’m most responsive lol)

COMMISSIONS: Currently CLOSED But hoping to open up at the end of April

ETSY: I have an Etsy! Found here! Mostly a few stickers and Prints of fandom works but planning to have more prints available soon!

ART PERMISSIONS/ART FAQ/ LEGEND OF ZELDA SPECIFIC FAQ BELOW

ART PERMISSIONS / ART FAQ

Can I use your art as a pfp? - So long as it’s with credit absolutely! 

Can I make dubs/ readings of your fan comics? - Again, So long as you credit me I’m totally down! I’d love to see anything made with my art but that’s not a requirement!

Can I make art with your designs? - Yes! I would love to see it if you do!

What programs do you use? – For illustrations I use Clip Studio Paint EX. And if you see any animations most likely I’ll have used Toon Boom Harmony Advanced 21

Your art looks familiar, have you done work for other fandoms? – Most art I do can be found on this blog but I have also done art and had a sideblog for the Warrior cats series. And I also have a tiktok where I post mostly Genshin Impact related comics. On this blog specifically you’ll find old Dream smp/ Philza, Pokemon, and Zelda art!

I’m happy to answer any other questions! feel free to shoot me an ask whenever!

LEGEND OF ZELDA FAQ: As the one timeline AU as I’ve named it has gained a fair amount of popularity heres a few questions I’ve been asked about it

What is the 1tau?: The 1Tau (One timeline AU) Is a legend of Zelda alternate universe I made where the timeline of the Zelda universe has been molded to fit into one line instead of the branching routes of canon. It’s also a Links Meet AU because those are cool!

Where can I read it?: Unfortunately this is the only place you’ll find material for this Au, FOR NOW AT LEAST! I have been known to dabble in fanfiction so it’s not out of the question some stories might pop up.

Do you have a story planned for this AU?: Kinda? But mostly it’s just character-focused interactions. I’m not a fan of writing super dark or introspective Zelda, *I lean more toward Hurt/Comfort, found family vibes in these parts~

Is there a Sideblog for this AU?: Not at the moment but that might b e something I'll look into if it becomes hard to navigate within my main blog

Can I use your character designs: Please do with credit! And optimally with me tagged so I can see your work~

Can I send you art of this AU: PLEASE PLEASE DO I’D LOVE TO SEE IT!!!

[krn-art]

✦ I do indeed do commissions~ ✦ Don’t be afraid to inquire about different things ^^ This is just my basic chart for them cause people always want something specific so that's why I encourage you to inquire.

Please reblog, (don't like this), as it helps artists spread the word and afford rent~

Links Page. Terms and conditions below ---->

Terms and conditions are the typical ones you see from artists. Check em out->

✦ “Will/Can you draw this?” 100%, I have a degree in Fine Art and use this account for FanArt cause it makes people happy, you name the art medium and style and I can do it. I ask for reference, but I can also provide it if you can not, things like posing, backgrounds, character turnarounds, etc.

✦ Feel free to let me know if you are new to hiring artists as I will try to explain terminology and media descriptions. Hand paintings, 3d printing, etc.

✦  Stay in contact, I will reach out either through email, discord, or gumroad to finalize your piece through paypal. You will receive numerous updates in regards to sketches, color pallets, and choices. You have to be able to reply and maintain contact until finalization; if not we can discuss time zones and when we both are preoccupied.   

✦ The commissioned artwork is for personal use only. If there's plans for commercial usage, let me know, we will discuss it and the pricing. Like book covers, game art, etc. Unless agreed upon beforehand, the commissioned artwork is NOT to be used for commercial purposes, reproduction, NFTs, or monetary gain.

✦ I might upload the final drawing to social media, however if you don't want me to upload it anywhere, let me know.

✦ You may upload the art and use it for whatever you please (again only for personal use though), but I do ask that you credit me and tell others if they inquire about it.

✦ Cancelling the commission after the sketch stage is fine, sketches are the first step after the down payment. Refunds are not allowed after the art is finalized. Revisions, if you are not pleased, can be discussed. I won't charge extra for edits at the end of the work unless they are major and numerous, like wanting a background or extra details that you weren't originally quoted for.

✦ If I am unable to finish the commission for any reason, I will let you know and you will get a refund. I usually take under 2 weeks to complete any piece you may desire. This is why contact is important.

✦ Things to understand: What is art theft? Its when you take someone else’s work and make money off it or rob them of their audience (very common on Instagram and Pinterest) (examples include reposting without permission or saying ‘credit to the artist’). Whats a commission? Its when you pay a contractor for a service. Whats a request? Its when you polity suggest a piece but have no guarantee of seeing it completed.

✦ I have the right to refuse service~ If you ask me to draw you something illegal I will block you on the spot. If you don’t see it on my page, good chance I won’t draw it for you. Ships welcome and I love drawing kissy stuff! I love drawing cars and detailed pieces as well~ ✦

Thanks for reading and supporting artists! Feel free to ask about charity and donation commissions!

[cassatine]

[...] seeing the story of the Sex Pistols rendered in the form of a streaming TV series makes me want to throw my laptop out the window. I imagine it plummeting in slow motion, with the actor playing Johnny Rotten (Anson Boon) miming ‘No Fun’ on the screen as it falls. The streaming TV series is now the Rick Wakeman of commercial entertainment. It hovers uncomfortably between some pretense to be an art form and desperately trying to hold our attention. 

There’s an inevitability to it all. It is particularly those attempts to interrupt the form of popular media with some startling noise that get rendered back into banality. Sometimes, as with Netflix’s The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022), there will be some attempt to think through how the formal inventions of the source material can inform at least a minimum of play within its recapitulation in streamed form. Pistol is having none of that. We’re back in the comfort-food zone of narrative conventions. 

Commercial media is all about extracting value at the intersection of intellectual property, on the one hand, and the distributed value that property has in the wet flesh of human memory, on the other. With Pistol, the intellectual property comes from guitarist Steve Jones’s memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol (2016), to which the show’s producers have secured the rights. The value of that work lies largely in the commons of memory, particularly that of my generation, for whom the Sex Pistols were a lightning flash interrupting the conventionally programmed world. 

The wager of the producers is that since people like me are now on the far side of middle age, we will have given up any search for new media pleasures, and will gladly settle for a palimpsest of past feelings. Or, for younger viewers who missed the punk moment, that this simulation of it will substitute. It’s a simulation of a simulation, as punk was already a simulation that satisfied a craving to burn the whole rotten world to ashes. 

You could also read Pistol as a cautionary tale. The Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood characters are trading on different versions of the old avant-garde tactics of shock and transgression. They are trying it on in the now-defunct world of broadcast media and mass print journalism, where the conventions of ‘common sense’ were tightly controlled by a handful of media gatekeepers. It works like a charm. They leverage shock into denunciation into fame – although it’s the band themselves who are most at risk of getting their heads caved in for it. 

In our post-broadcast age, transgression has become a standard leverage technique, used mainly by media fascists to create their own little outrage machines. To do interesting work on the edges of art and media now calls for a deeper and more nuanced knowledge of the avant-gardes. Particularly of their lesser-known tactics for hiding in plain sight, egressing and digressing, creating our own little worlds out of the media stormfront. In these times, not being in the glare of the mass media might be a mark of artful success. 

[inspired-creative-ordinary]

Mindful Creativity Week 13: Put Your Hands In Paint!

Our fingerprints are totally unique to us, which means they’re a one-of-a-kind tool that only YOU will ever have…

ACTION STEP This week I want you to really connect with your creative instincts. 👉 It’s time to fingerpaint! What kind of art would you create if you only had your hands, some paint, and a blank canvas? Allow your intuition to guide you.

Ready to get your hands in some paint?

Mindful Creativity Week 14: Get Outside

From the way light falls on a tree trunk to the intricate patterns of a butterfly's wings, there's no shortage of beauty and wonder to be found when we step outside our front doors! Spend some time outside this week to observe the world around you… You might find more inspiration than you know what to do with!

ACTION STEP 👉 Bring the paint to the patio! Whether you set up a canvas en plein air or you redecorate your porch, a little fresh air can totally re-energize your creative instincts! If you’re on Pinterest a lot like I am (follow me!) then you know that porch decor and painted patios are everywhere. Folks are starting to realize that the spaces we create outside of our homes are just as important as the spaces we create inside!

Mindful Creativity Week 12: Break the mold!

I remember the first time that I painted a piece of furniture that truly took my breath away. It was when I stopped trying to paint pieces that I thought other people would like and started painting things that got me excited! I took myself from one or two or three colors to six or seven or eight. I blended, I added layers, I added texture.

And then I added water.

And the paint started to drip.

And I knew that I was onto something.

Because breaking that mold and doing something I’d never seen before made my heart soar and it caught some attention.

ACTION STEP This week, your job is to break the mold and do something you’ve never seen done before. In honor of March Mixed Media Mayhem (this month’s challenge in my Creative Connection group!), your action step this week is to 👉 combine three (or more) of your favorite things into one creative work. Maybe you like embroidery, painting, and sunsets. How could you put those three things together into one piece of art? What would that look like?

Allow yourself to imagine the possibilities and see where it takes you.

Mindful Creativity Week 11: Get Outside Your Bubble

The Adventure volume (print copies on sale now!) of The Turquoise Iris Journal left me with one very important takeaway that can be summed up by a quote from Max de Pree:

📝📚 “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”

Despite how comfortable it is in the comfort zone, I am rewarded by an abundance of blessings every time I step outside my bubble and meet new people. No matter where I go or who I meet, I am left feeling better for it! Just last week I picked up a new settee…

…And found out that the seller works in publishing!!! And I happened to have a copy of The Turquoise Iris Journal to share with her!!! She was over-the-moon excited to see a creative Journal produced by someone in OKC just like her. All it took was a little bravery and a willingness to start a conversation and I managed to create a powerful connection with a total stranger.

Maybe it’s a coincidence… or maybe it’s a reminder that being open to new experiences and new people will enrich our lives.

ACTION STEP 👉 Make some new friends. It’s incredible what a fresh perspective can do for our hearts, minds, and creativity! This week, your challenge is to connect with a new person or group. Take a class with a teacher you’ve never met, visit a shop in your city that you’ve never visited, or find a group of beginners to join and pick up a new hobby. Be intentional about connecting with other people in a meaningful way…

I think you’ll be surprised how much it improves your week and inspires you!

Happy Creating!

[zeondraws]

I must say I had alot of fun drawing this one a couple of days ago!

dunno if I print this out for diary

I often scroll through tumblr to look through the art tips tag and honestly it's so fun finding neat little art hacks and colour theory tips that I always want to try out when I can hop on my laptop!

Even if I might feel a bit like "ooh damn when will I become as good?" But I also want to try and channel my feelings into motivation, to continue to have fun and try out new things and develop through this.

This whole art path is so scary to me at times, because there is this? Responsibility I feel like, that I have when I post my bus art online, how would people react? Did I have fun drawing this? How will I continue my goals?

Since I want to try and shake up the whole bus community in some way, not like in a bad way but to perhaps make it feel more interesting. I feel like there is a lack of creativity or a lack of artists compared to the amount of bus manufacturers and bus companies you have who try and sell busses, make them interesting to people etc, but how do you reach people? For me it feels like it mostly just reaches people who are already interested in busses and the bus companies always feel sterile or very cooperate (I think I have already mentioned this in a previous post, I often repeat myself)

I am already seeming to have small success, I don't know how to call it or how to feel because this is a very new territory for me.

In my discord server some of my active members started drawing much more, which makes me feel very honored that they're inspired to do so because of me. Some even made bus animations or silly bus drawings or comics. Heck when setra announced their new bus we had some fun talking about it, and one of my members drew fanart of it which is amazing.

Like they're probably the first and only person who made fanart of this setra bus, okay there is official artworks (somewhere), but I'd like to point out that bus fanart is waaay more rare than your usual plane/train or idk fanart of animated shows.

I can't stress enough how busses don't get enough love, there is this universal thing of people unaware of them.

So it's obviously one of the reasons I started my tumblr and Instagram account, hopefully after my apprenticeship I will start my youtube stuff which seems way more scary. Because at the end of the day I am a nobody, who is dreaming of changing something. But of course I don't want to forget to have fun and enjoy what I do, there are so many silly bus stories I want to share.

Tho it feels somewhat scary to do the first step, because I didn't think that I'd be standing here doing this myself. But who else is gonna draw busses? I can't wait years until someone random appears to draw what I want to see. So I'll do it myself (still scary tho, getting outside your comfort zone LOL)

Because I feel like there is something that those bus manufacturers/companies are not acknowledging over the potential . And I am here to change that, however I can with my silly and messed up ideas. haha

I am currently taking a week break from discord so that I can collect myself again and focus on other things. And also to draw BUS

Bro I have sooooo many bus ideas on my trello the list will never get lower.

I shall end this post with a meme

I love Mushroom Bus very much

[polarbu]

All nexus expansions download google drive

How to Add Presets to Lightroomįeatures of Refx Nexus 2. Double-click on the icon that corresponds to the anti-virus program that is showing the alerts. Slick and inspiring, Nexus2 definitely stands out. Here you can freeload refx nexus 2 mac osx shared files. Slick and inspirational, Nexus2 certainly stands out. Nearly all from the seems you might get using Nexus are fantastic until naturally you head simply making use of the presets. It will let you access hundreds of sounds for your electronic music. Mon premier blog - page 7 - freeloads-home. Presets can be substituted with a selection of sound-shaping tools, along with the arpeggiator and trance gate are remarkable. An anti-virus scan will detect malicious programs like Trojans and viruses. You will find here plenty of software, plugins, cracks, samples, presets and many more. It has a user-friendly graphical interface. You will find iron deposits all along the edges of the zone, where the relatively flat land turns into a mountain chain.

That way, we could quickly create custom profiles for different uses like online albums, posting on sites like Flickr, or printing. How To Install Serum Presets on Mac & WindowsĬatch these new sounds to place dancing basses, singing leads, playable Korean outspoken pop characters, tight drums, plus exotic arpeggios and microwaves using distinct, brain-melting chords and scales to your next strike! It does provide you with some easy options to manage the tip end result, the fundamental ideas simply p like a filter, reverb coupled with preserve off. In next page click regular or freeload and wait certain amount of time usually around 30 seconds until download button will appead. There are no bugs in this tool and is always remain up to date to use. Users are free here to compete for the sound quality with others. The program has a fairly low requirements for iron and a lot of libraries of presets for all occasion. Nexus features a step arpeggiator with note-transposition, a step trance gate, reverb licensed from Arts Acoustic, and a sophisticated modulation-matrix that will help you sculpt the sound. Come with us and become a professional musician. Um seine Klange zu erzeugen benutzt der Nexus Samples und eine Reihe an. Have a trip of excellent Nexus presets which have rolling basslines, evolving arpeggios, ultra-fat contributes, epic pads, mad results and risers, and much more. Start by using the drawing tools to create the shapes you want. Everything for your music production: synthesizer patches, samples, the Nexus vsti and other plugins. Our packs contains all the instructions you need to install. Individual cells, entire rows or columns can be highlighted to make them stand out on the spreadsheet. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Manually collected Nexus banks from different places. Torrent file of Nexus 2 is fantastic until naturally to make the use of preset. If there is an explanation or solution to this asking kindly please help,? ALOT of these presets kick back no.This is an easiest way to send files to someone who cannot accept them live. But theres lots of them where i have to skip on to the next sound and the more i have to do that then nexus would have to be reloaded because sounds no longer play it be on mute. Seriously sounds are nice just wish all of them would play. Why is not the case in the Nexus Content folder does not work. I have extracted all the presets i have downloaded and pastedcthem into nexus preset folder but still i cant see them when i load nexus on fl studio Any help pls. Nexus2 in all my presets some work some dont.Īll files are downloading as Cubase files, giving me invalid format message when trying to link to nexus. Can you kindly help us out with that? Thanks in advance. I need helpe to all dj healp me to all trubls. We have been teaching music production to producers since We create articles on making music, promotion, and software. New freeloads added weekly: Sign Up for Our Newsletter. This free nexus expansion pack has about 12 dope sounds. Special shout out to TrackMakaz Productions for giving out this pack of his top-secret Nexus expansion presets. This one has a lot of sounds that remind me of London on the track. Another dope free nexus expansion pack filled with tons of dirty south sounds. This kit contains 24 brand new sounds for producers to use when making beats. Over 40 presets for nexus handmade.Ī few dope sounds in this expansion. In Google Drive right-click the folder, and select download to download the folder of presets. This inspiring Nexus preset library is perfect for trap producers and is sure to enhance your sound capabilities. Instructions: Click each link below and look around each website for the download link or button.

[inventors-fair]

A Sense of Belonging

Flavor is hard to set parameters for, and it seems that things get muddled up when I try to set boundaries that only make sense to me with these contests. So, I figured: why not look for something with a clearer pattern that’s not quite as enigmatic, something with which people are familiar? But unfamiliarity is how we learn. Sometimes. The deep end can be scary.

Still, I assume that at least ten, maybe twenty people here are familiar with what a legendary creature or planeswalker is. Even in-story, it makes sense, these folks differentiated by a Name and Title and what have you. If we get to know them well enough, sometimes we’ll even get to hear them speak! Assuming they have mouths and are able to, anyway. Humanoids are popular for that reason. And that’s why they’re popular to hear. The only question is: who’s unheard thus far?

Design a “____’s ____” card, belonging to a character who has never been quoted in flavor text before outside their own card, with a quote from them in the flavor text.

Printed examples* include:

Ajani’s Welcome

Ixidor’s Will

Gisa’s Bidding

Chandra’s Spitfire

Multani’s Harmony

*These are examples of the naming conventions. I can’t give examples of cards that haven’t had quotes printed, because, well, they’ve never been printed. We’ll get to examples later this week.

Questions:

“Can I do a card that’s got their name in the title, but mixed around, like ‘Oath of Jace’ or ‘In Bolas’s Clutches?’“

Yes. Again, do what’s best for the card primarily.

“I noticed that none of your examples have flavor text attribution, except In Bolas’s Clutches. Is that an expectation?”

Not an expectation, but preferred. If you have a strong enough card, then it won’t really matter, but context is key.

“Because this is based around legendary creatures, should the power level be around Commander, or more draft-ish?”

I’d say start with a story focus in mind, actually, so standard-level of power. The aim of this contest, and the strongest cards imo, will come from a place of showing how this character interacts with the world, what their goals or ideals might be, a new angle that sets them apart.

“Can I design a new legendary card for this character?”

No. That’s sort of implied, but I realize now that it’s not explicitly stated. Offspring, followers, and whatever are fine, but not a new legend FOR that character specifically.

“I reeeeally want to do my favorite character, but they already have a quote on a card. May I do it anyway?”

Not for this one, no. I encourage you to write and design from an angle that’ll help you perhaps see from a different perspective. Sticking within your comfort zone is fine, but the parameters aren’t budging.

Addendum re:feedback—if a character has had a saying, but it’s only on their own card (ex: Captain Vargus Wrath, or Alela, Artful Provocateur), then you’re fine to explore these characters on a _’s _ card.

~Submission’s Box is HERE ~Server’s Link HERE

~ @abelzumi​

[destiny-islanders]

I'm about to participate in my first zine which is making me nervous/excited. Do you have any advice about composition and colors? I definitely want to make sure the image doesn't appear too dark in print form and my contrast in my shading is visible.

Yooo congratulations!!! :D :D :D That’s so exciting! 

And ahh sure I can offer some advice! :>

I wish I could break this up in smaller chunks but this hellsite’s bullet point system is GARBAGE so sorry in advance for the giant blocks of text

Pay attention to bleed guidelines! Let’s say you’re in a zine and one of the mods shares the dimensions of the book with you. For example, “2550 px x 3300 px at 300dpi, plus a 4mm bleed.” You probably know this, but the bleed of a page is sort of like the “danger zone” lmao. The bleed may end up being cropped in order to fit your piece into the book. You basically don’t want to put anything important in the bleed area. You should still absolutely fill the areas-- most zines expect pieces that utilize the entire page-- but don’t stick anything important there, like text in a comic, or half of someone’s face, or details that you really want to see. (Some zines provide contributors with templates that not only let you immediately access a document of the correct dimensions for the zine, but also include the bleed! Never take these mods for granted, they’re very awesome to do that hahaha) ;;

Color’s a bit trickier since, if you’re working digitally, every monitor can show you something different and it can be hard to tell if something looks right. :/ But don’t worry!

Printed media is done in CMYK color! Digital media is typically done in RBG color! You’ll notice that CMYK is... much duller than RGB haha. Certain programs like Photoshop will let you switch between RGB and CMYK on the fly as you’re working, which is pretty useful. While you’re coloring, most art programs will let you know if you’re using a color in RGB that won’t be supported in CMYK, so try to adjust if you find yourself dabbling too much in unsupported palettes. Most zines offer physical and digital versions and will ask you to submit RGB and CMYK versions of your piece. Once you finish your work in one color mode, save it, then switch to the other color mode and make adjustments as necessary. 

Be wary of working with too much dark color. That’s not to say you should steer clear of dark pieces-- you just need to be mindful of how dark your piece gets. Because in CMYK, colors tend to darken and smooth out, so if you submit something too dark, your piece might not look as awesome as it does on your screen :( I’m not one of those artists who’d tell you to never color with black, but I would suggest avoiding trying to blend with black and, say, dark blue or dark purple in print. I feel like that would run a huge risk of being too dark in print. If you have the means to access a color printer, you can try printing your zine piece to see if it turns out okay! :D I understand this can be a costly and wasteful use of a printer if it’s just for testing purposes-- I only have a black and white printer at home myself-- but if you’re really worried and you have a color printer... *shrugs*

Communicate. Most zines will use a Discord server to stay in touch with everyone. If you don’t have a Discord and don’t want to make one, make sure you are constantly checking your e-mail or social media DMs for updates and requests from your mod team. It can be very hard as a mod if you spend weeks and weeks trying to get a hold of a contributor that’s suddenly gone ghost ;___;

Don’t be afraid to ask the mods questions! Your mods are there to help you. They know the ins and outs of the zine-- what the dimensions are, how the zine will be formatted, submission folders, etc. (They should also be able to help advise you if you should make any color adjustments to your piece, to tie into my last point!) If you need an extension for a check-in, don’t hesitate to do so, but DO try to ask in advance instead of on check-in day. As someone who’s experienced a string of emergencies this year that caused me to request last-minute extensions on deadlines, I know that this isn’t always possible. But let’s say you’re swamped with school or you have a very important work event near a deadline that’s taking up much of your free time and energy. Let the mods know you’re swamped. If they’re good mods (which I’m sure they are), they will be understanding and happy to work with you by offering an extension that will help suit your needs. Of course, there are hard deadlines in every project with expectations from manufacturers and promised release dates, so if you find yourself overwhelmed or unable to submit your piece for the zine by a certain point, you may not be able to submit a piece. But life happens. Be kind to yourself <3

Don’t be shy to interact with other contributors too! :> (Hypocritical of me since I’m very shy and don’t talk very much in the zine servers I’m in except for Sora Zine but I was a mod for that zine so I had to be more present lmao) But here is a group of awesome creators who share a passion with you! :> Share memes, talk about your faves, share WIPs, ask for advice! :D You might leave a zine with some new friends :3

Have fun! I remember how nervous I was when I worked on my first zine piece, but try to remember to have fun when you work on it! Pick a concept that you’ll enjoy working on that will challenge your creativity but not overwhelm you. Try to work on your piece from check-in to check-in, gradually over time, instead of just cramming everything into the night before a deadline. Your piece will come out better for it, and you’ll save yourself a lot of stress and late nights. :>

Again, congrats on getting into your first zine-- many happy returns, if you’re so inclined to join more <3

[chysgoda]

Marketing

Fun with @scrollsfromarebornrealm featuring Augustine Seymour

Art’imis tapped the edge of the folder in her hand on the corner of the table as she walked up to where Augustine was sitting at The Last Stand. “And how is Ul’dah’s favorite Ishgardian pretty boy this evening?”

The Ishgardian paladin jerked just a bit startled by the sharp sound. He frowned for just a breath at the Raen woman before giving her a warm smile, “I could ask the same of Ishgard’s favorite Ul’dahn export.”

Art’imis laughed, an easy sound that rolled out of her throat and sounded like it should come from someone much larger. “Only in some areas, there’s a few clergy who would dearly like to see me banned for how I handle being a champion in the tribunal.”

“If they worked with Aymeric on Justice reform they wouldn’t need to keep suffering that embarrassment would they?” Augustine smirked. He waved a waitress over to take their orders. “It is good to see you somewhere that we aren’t shouting behind shields.” 

Art’imis slid the folder she’d brought across the table to Augustine and then braced a hand on the back of her bench. “X’rhun found those while attempting to bring order to my desk at home.” 

Curious, and with a bit of trepidation Augustine opened the folder. His face flushed red when he saw the prints that had been used as the base for posters in the coliseum. And a few that had not made the cut. “Fury save me, I thought these had all been lost.”

“Now don’t be like that. Once you relaxed there are some excellent shots in there.” 

Art’imis laughed as the younger man thumbed through the photos getting progressively redder. “You remembered what we talked about that second morning in Costa del Sol?”

Augustine set the photos down and gave a fond half smile, “I remember contract negotiations beforehand and how you drug me over the coals getting me comfortable with haggling.”

Art’imis snorted and glanced down at the photos remembering the morning herself…

“Augustine are you actually willing to get out of your comfort zone and commit to this or am I going to bill you for dragging me out here for no reason?” Art’imis huffed as she sat on the down on the beach next to where the Ishgardian was standing. 

Augustine looked down at his hands and then at the rising sun. “I just don’t get how this is supposed to help my performance in the ring.”

Art’imis sighed, absently she picked up a handful of sand and let it fall through her fingers before absently repeating the process. “Why are you looking for the prize money from blood sands fights?”

“Pardon?” Augustine blinked and looked down to the mismatched gold and silver eyes that met his. 

“You're Ishgardian, so what is it? Getting together a sister’s dowry? Paying off a debt to some soft handed noble? Or trying to get back into someone’s good graces?” Art’s tone was matter of fact and she snorted at the startled look. “Your not the first one to come down from on high to fight in the sands. Everyone has a reason for coming down to the sands.”

“Something like that.” Augustine looked away again. Something about how blunt the other gladiator was made him want to squirm with more discomfort than his embarrassment. 

“Any road you're here to make gil, and possibly a name for yourself in the bargain. The sands isn’t soldiering, or adventuring, or trial by combat. Think like that and you aren’t going to get what you’re after. We’re entertainers, circus acts, skill in ring might keep butts in seats but it doesn’t get them there in the first place.” Art’imis looked back to the sea herself. “Stuff like this, posters and appearances and stories, gets people excited, gets them to buy tickets. Which means you get more off the gate. And well there’s no rush quite like a couple thousand people chanting your name to get the blood pumping… or knock another fighter off their game. It’s your choice how you want to go about things, but if you’re not committed I’m going back to the main complex and getting myself a liquid breakfast.”

Augustine pressed his lips into a thin line. He took a long breath in through his nose. It was just another kind of duel, if he kept telling himself that maybe he could get through this. “Let’s get this done.”

Art’imis gave him the grin he’d seen on the sands, all teeth and cheeks. She jumped to her feet and brushed sand off her pants, “To work then! We do this right, we'll have ladies throwing their smalls at you on the sands.”

“WHAT?!”

“Fury be good, I didn’t think you were serious about lady’s smalls at the time.” Augustine shook his head and took a long pull on his drink. 

Art’imis flashed that familiar grin that was all teeth and cheeks. “Franz the Fabulous was so damn jealous, it was great”

Augustine chuckled as he handed the folder back to his friend. The thick card folding over the photos made the time since then feel heavier. They’d both changed since than, new scars, new hopes, the crows feet that were just beginning to show at the corners of Art’imis’s eyes. He’d become the confident knight he’d dreamed of, and she no longer had the sense of barely contained madness that had dogged her steps when he had first met her. The waitress brought their meals and they settled into gossip and catching up. 

Art stretched when she stood up many hours later, “best get going so the staff can get cleaned up and go home.”

Augustine stood himself. He paused thinking of something, “Art has Mathye seen these?”

“See you around Seymour,” Art’imis grinned, once again all teeth and cheeks. As she walked off she waved the folder in a lazy goodbye. 

Augustine felt blood drain from his face, “Art’imis wait?!”

[lee-aveyourmark]

excerpts of a mingyu work.

playlist: 

> ‘sunkissed’ by khai dreams > ‘nervous’ by shawn mendes  > ‘like me’ by pH-1 > ‘you’re the reason why i love’ by redpestbeats

wordcount: 2.7k+

“Heads up!” 

The words are shouted all too late as a football makes contact with your head, leaving you momentarily shaken as your vision flashes white. You stop in your tracks, hands immediately dropping the stack of notebooks and loose-leaf papers and flying up to clutch at the zone of impact. A wince forms on your face as you will yourself not to cry, fingers digging at your scalp. 

“Shit, I’m so so sorry.” 

The voice is laced with worry as a larger, sweatier pair of hands cover yours. Looking up, you make eye contact with a tall muscular boy adorned in sweaty football gear. His eyebrows are furrowed and is biting his lower lip in nervousness at your state of distress: injured in a messy sea of probably very important papers. The athlete quickly lets go of your head to bend down and pick up the excerpts of research papers you had printed out for your new assignment, apologising profusely all the while. 

“I really am sorry, I didn’t think it would hit you that hard. Or on the head for that matter.” 

You blink, trying to smooth your unkempt hair. 

“Wait, what?” 

The tree of a male stands back up and hands back your papers that he recollected into a neat pile with both hands and bashful eyes that are unwilling to linger on yours for too long. 

“You...hit me on purpose?” 

He scratches the back of his head, now definitely too afraid to look at you. 

“Um, yeah...I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you though!” 

You fold your arms across your chest, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment. 

“Then what exactly were you trying to do?” 

He takes a deep breath before lifting his head up, sticking out a hand. 

“I’m Mingyu. Kim Mingyu. Arts major. Star of the college football team.”

- - - 

The next time you bump into the attacking midfielder, he’s still a little sweaty. Only now, it’s just his hands that are perspiring out of anticipation. 

You’re relaxing on the couch when he catches sight of you: hair splayed out on the back pillows, hands resting comfortably on top of your stomach and eyes tracing the imaginary lines of your apartment ceiling. Mingyu takes a moment to quietly appreciate the lilac of your sundress, the glow of your collarbones and cheekbones in the dim lighting of your apartment and the pink peach painted upon your lips. 

His breath hitches in his throat when you look at him after he calls out your name, the Arts student quickly feeling himself blush under your gaze and perspire even more in his subsequent efforts to look presentable. He doesn’t think he could feel any warmer than at that very moment, holding himself back from reaching up to wipe possible beads of sweat forming on his forehead, until he hears his name escape from your lips. 

“Mingyu.” 

Your tone is soft, albeit surprised - so soft that he’s certain his heart is melting inside its chest. Mingyu wants nothing more than to run out of your apartment screaming in joy at how adorable every part of you is, arriving at his own dorm before violently shaking Seungcheol by the shoulders and furiously - but very gently, rubbing noses with his older friend’s blue British shorthair kitten Mia. Oh, and he definitely has to thank Seokmin profusely for inviting him to the party with his treat to barbecue at the grill house doted by college students placed on a week-long waiting list. 

That fantasy will just have to wait until he finishes this conversation with you. 

“I wanted to talk to you.” 

That is, if he even manages to make it out alive. 

- - -

Warm. That’s the only thing your mind can comprehend when he’s around you. Every detail of him, from his golden skin to his saccharine smooth talk, sends heat coursing throughout your body. The scene is so new yet so familiar: Mingyu dressed in charcoal slacks and a Prussian blue short-sleeve button up sitting opposite of you at a small round table for two in a cozy Italian restaurant nearby campus, delicately sipping on a glass of cheap, bright red wine with one hand and softly holding yours with the other. 

You hang onto his every word as he admires the mellow spring breeze and the bright starry night sky, stopping yourself from telling him how you think that they couldn’t compare to his wide and curious eyes. However, the glint in his eyes as he shifts his gaze back to you from the restaurant balcony that is fenced by chipping wood coated in a messy layer of white paint tells you that he’s already picked up on your thoughts. Embarrassment rises to your cheeks as you look down at your bowl and continue to eat your pasta, being careful to not let the sauce smear to prevent the dream of Mingyu touching your lips being fulfilled. 

Although, when Mingyu tries his best to not whine about you not giving him a chance to be romantic while walking back to your dorm but ends his complaint with a pout and the swinging of his arms, you stutter to him out of sheer amazement at his brazenness that you’ll try to be more open next time. Excitement lights up Mingyu’s face at the thought of going on another date with you, prompting him to hold you firmly by the shoulders and swoop in for a kiss on your temple. His uncontrollable giggles afterwards is like music to your ears, and you wish you didn’t reciprocate the gesture of affection so quickly that you might’ve been able to listen to his audible enjoyment just a little longer. But his agape jaw and clasping of his left cheek with both hands is more than gratifying enough. 

He scoffs with a roll of his eyes, tongue poking his cheek, and your heart stops. 

“Wow, I really I can’t believe that I like you this much.”

- - -

One of your many other meet-ups with Mingyu later is at one of his football training sessions. His face is gleaming and his team jersey is clinging to his defined body like a second skin, the neon green of his bib fluttering against the wind as he dribbles the ball with ease across the vast green field. You’re waiting on the benches, watching him finish up the last of his practice. The mock match ends with campus heartthrob Jeonghan kicking the final goal before shooting finger guns and winks at a group of girls seated at the adjacent section, the shrill blowing of the whistle bringing some players to collapse onto the soft grass beneath in relief. You rise to your feet and send a few claps the team’s way in acknowledgement of their hard work, eyes immediately locking with Mingyu’s at your show of support. 

Despite the strenuous exercise, you still manage to pick on up his cologne - the same one at the party and during dinner, when he runs over and greets you with a kiss on your cheek that lingers. His action brings on a cacophony of cheers from his teammates, the captain Seungcheol patting him on the back with a dimply smile while jogging by.

“Let me get washed up, and then we can go to that new dog cafe on the corner.” The suggestion is mumbled in a smile against the warmth of your cheek, ending with another kiss before Mingyu pulls away and rushes off to take the quickest shower of his life.

As the two of you walk in the spring breeze, you can’t help but think that the world is on your side when watching the cherry blossoms fall. The feeling of his calloused hand tightly holding yours and his attempts to close as much distance between as possible by pressing his side to yours brings butterflies to your stomach, the nervousness and excitement persisting whenever you’re with Mingyu. 

And when he leans in to plant a sweet kiss on your cheek just before taking a picture of you two crouched on the floor of a dog cafe cuddling a lovable Samoyed smothering kisses on your other cheek, you hope that the butterflies never leave.

- - - 

“I think Wonwoo likes you.” 

Your head snaps up from your notebook towards your study partner with wide eyes, your pen stopping its writing mid-word. 

“Wonwoo? My Wonwoo?” 

Mingyu doesn’t reply, just stares at you with an unknown expression clouding his face. 

“Come on Mingyu, if you’re jealous, you can just tell me. And besides, you know that there isn’t anything between us.” You laugh, refocusing on your notes with a light shake of your head. 

“That’s want I want to believe as well, but I don’t think that’s true. I think he does have feelings for you.” 

Mingyu thinks back to all those times he’s seen you with your best friend, the way that Wonwoo looked at you, his eyes all too similar to how his own shone when catching sight of you. He thinks of Wonwoo, the best friend who doesn’t bat an eyelash when insulting any person on earth but doesn’t make a single judgmental comment about you, even when you do need the discipline. Wonwoo, who tries so hard to be physically and intimately close to you as possible without being rejected, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder during lectures and sharing his drink without a second thought. Wonwoo, who Mingyu has made attempts to befriend, but can never find himself to be successful at doing so for vague reasons. Vague reasons that he now has come to understand. 

You notice Mingyu being caught up in a trance, thoughts plaguing his mind as he chews on his bottom lip. With a stroke of his cheek and a mention of his name, you bring him back. 

“What about you?” 

“What about me?” 

“How do you feel?” 

He breaks gaze with you to look at the chipping of the table, the chewing of his lip highlighting the distress that whirls inside his mind. 

“I...I don’t know. I want you. But, I don’t want to take you away from your best friend.” 

- - - 

You see him everywhere. 

Running across the football pitch, hanging out with Seungcheol and Jeonghan at the campus cafe, in deep conversation with Minghao at the library. You don’t look for very long, afraid of what might happen if he caught you staring, but your memory captures his figure quite vividly. His slowly growing fringe covering his eyes that still manage to shine through, his golden cheeks that radiate the early sunset glow, his lips that trapped between his teeth when he stumbles across an obstacle. The details appear in your dreams. 

Your subconscious thinks back to how you used to run your fingers through his hair, sweeping that fringe back so that you could gaze into his loving eyes better, how you used to place lip gloss stained marks on those cheeks which would shine on summer nights as he smiled in contentment, how you used to catch his bottom lip between your teeth on a slow Friday night. Even when you close your eyes, you still remember the darkness of his hair and the tan of skin as clear as day. 

But as you continue to walk past the football team in practice, as you decide to hang out with Seokmin at a cafe off campus, as you choose to move your Thursday study session to your dorm, the fear of forgetting such beauties grows within. 

Slugging back to the dorm after a long day of classes and grueling part-time work, the cycle continues as you toss your bag to one side of the couch and meet Seokmin’s arms at the other where he places slow, comforting pats on your head and back.

“Mingyu, huh?”

- - -

The coolness of the window does little to alleviate the blazing heat flaming your entire body as the taxi drives you to the campus dorms. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath and try to relax yourself against the oddly slippery seat of the car, your mind drifting to the events which occurred just before. 

“Fuck, I can’t give you the love you want from me. You know I can’t.” 

You stare at the blue ocean breeze candle decorating the console table in the entrance of your dorm, it’s flickering flame barely illuminating the eyebags sunken into both yours and Wonwoo’s faces. 

Your best friend doesn’t respond, instead he just fixes his gaze on the same light.

You wish he would say something. Anything. Anything to help let you know where his mind is right now, because you’ve grown weary of trying to read Wonwoo over the past few weeks. You can’t seem to understand Wonwoo anymore, especially when he refrains from sharing his feelings with you. 

The thought of the change in your relationship with him brings tears to slip out, streaming down your cheeks. Your hands quickly lift to wipe away the hot streams, nose sniffling from what you wish was the cold of winter season. 

Wonwoo doesn’t move. Just stares. His fingers tremble slightly, and his eyes glisten, but he doesn’t reach out towards you. 

So you take a deep breath. 

“You should go back to Hayoung. She’s probably waiting for you.” 

Wonwoo clenches his jaw, then unhinges. Closes his eyes, then opens them. Takes a slow breath. In and out. 

Seokmin comes around the corner, the couple of drinks in his system bringing rose to tint his caramel visage. He catches you slipping on your shoes and putting on your coat, and moves forward past Wonwoo to wraps his arms around you. 

“Where are you going?” His question is muffled into your neck. 

You return the auburn-haired boy’s hug, planting a firm kiss on his cheek before stepping back to take hold of his hands. 

“I’ll be back, okay? Don’t wait up. And make sure that Woozi eats something, he can’t drink on a handful of Flamin Hot Cheetos.” 

Seokmin nods with a pout, embracing you tightly once more. Walking back to the party in the living room, he stops to give a consoling pat on Wonwoo’s shoulder then continues on towards the said Music major reaching for his fourth shot of soju for the night. 

You clear your throat, partially due to the lack of liquid consumed in the past half hour, and also in attempt to rid the fear lurking in the pit of your stomach. With your eyes trained on the floorboards beneath, you step closer to Wonwoo and reach out to grab his forearm. 

With another clear of your throat, you look up at him. Tears gloss over his eyes, threatening to spill, but never falling. You see the miniscule quiver of his chin, a sight only beheld when being at such a proximity; a sight that you don’t think you will really ever be able to see again in all its vulnerability. 

“Goodbye Wonwoo.” 

- - -

He looks so out of place, sitting in the small retro diner wearing a grey taupe two-piece and shiny black dress shoes with his hair slicked back accessorised with a pair of tired eyes as he stuffs four fries into his mouth and sighs. You hear parts of the conversation they’re having, mainly of Seungcheol trying to cheer him up by praising him for doing well in the interview, but the arch of his spine renders the older friend’s attempts obsolete.

“Mingyu.” 

Your voice is quiet but he catches on, blinking in bewilderment before sighing loudly once more. 

“Hyung, I think I’m going-” 

“Mingyu.” 

You’re moving towards him this time, the sound of your shoes against the tiled floor bringing him to perk his head up and look around the diner with frantic eyes. 

His gaze falls on you, and your feet stop its movement. 

As he stands up and walks over, you notice that attached to his navy tie is the silver tie clip engraved with the initials kmg that you bought for his birthday, and that as he wraps his arms around your beneath your coat to sweep you off your feet, he still wears the cologne you bought as an accompanying gift. 

You also notice, as you bury your head in his neck, that tears are dampening the shoulder of your thin wool coat and his body is shaking with each sob that he racks out. 

"Oh, Mingyu.”

Thank you for reading this! I hope you’ve enjoyed it, even though it’s at its bare bones. I don’t think I ever will rewrite this the future to fill in the gaps, so I’ll leave it to your imagination. Thank you again. 

Also, stay tuned for the version of this more focused on Wonwoo’s relationship.