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leighsartworks216 · 8 months

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My Moonlight

Astarion x gn!Tav/Reader

This is a part 2 to My Sunshine. You'll need to read that one first for context. Tumblr link - AO3 link

I play with the headcanon that white is not Astarion's natural hair color. The general consensus was dark, possibly black hair, and brown or hazel eyes. Check out the post I got this hc from here!

I don't know if there'll be another part to this. School is kicking my ass rn

Beta read by @big-armed-mar Thank you again <333

Warnings: graphic descriptions of drinking blood from rats, grief over past friendship, anxiety and nausea mentions, descriptions of blood, drinking blood, hurt/comfort, some fluff

Word Count: 1,596

Masterlist

AO3

Astarion was cagey around you. He played nice, of course. Polite smiles, and violent tendencies disguised as friendly advice. Maybe, with his facade of sweetness, he thought you wouldn’t notice the way he stayed toward the back of the group, or set up his tent just a little further from the fire.

Part of you wishes for the simple way things were, before all this. Side by side in front of a fire, drinking wine and sketching him while he reads to you, with the sorrow of parting for the day sweetened by a kiss on your foreheads. It was so simple, then. So easy and carefree. You were young! You had the whole world ahead of you! And then…

And then he died. And so too did those times.

Maybe they came back with him, came a stray thought. It hurt to dismiss it. Those times would not be coming back soon, if they ever did.

You’re too scared to ask to draw him. The fear of being rejected outweighs the possible rewards. So at night, when everyone has settled and everything is quiet, you sit away from everyone else, you pull out your journal, and you sketch. Seeing him again has refreshed the image in your mind. It is much easier now to put a face to the sketches. You’re never happy with them - his eyes are off somehow; his mouth doesn’t hold the right expression - but you refuse to stop your tradition now.

There are little differences, you’ve noticed, from the old drawings to the newer ones. Aside from the obvious of your style and confidence improving throughout the years, there were details then that didn’t exist now.

His hair before was shaded dark, with simple highlights indicating where the light was coming from. Now, his hair was mostly white space, lightly shaded to give it volume. It had been so long - was his hair darker back then? It was hard to picture him with anything darker than his now bright-white curls, and yet…

His eyes were also different. They were still dark, but in a different way. You’ve picked up numerous ways to give off the impression of specific colors over the years - blue and green were intricate displays of mid to light tones, hazel mixed dark and medium tones, brown were deep with little-to-no variation in shading. The old sketches had his eyes closer to brown than your current ones, that mixed deep shading with lighter tones to portray their deep crimson.

Had you really forgotten so quickly what he looked like…? Your best friend?

After his death, you’d taken up sleeping. It had provided an escape, however temporary. Now, though, you didn’t want the Astarion in your dreams to hold you and comfort you - you wanted the real one to. It hurt to see one so warm and welcoming and the other so distant and reserved.

Tonight was no different. Anxiety swelled in your chest. Nausea poked at your stomach. You’re on edge, like a deer that knows it’s being stalked. Dreams and reality faded in and out, taking their turns. In one, Astarion walked beside you, playfully bumping into your shoulder as you made your way through Baldur’s Gate. In the other, Astarion leaned over you, teeth bared.

When he sees your eyes open, half-lidded, tired eyes staring up at him in a daze, he immediately backs away, caught red handed. He stands with hands outstretched to show he was unarmed and harmless. Well, mostly harmless. He’s shocked when all you do is sit up on your bedroll.

“It’s not what it looks like, I swear!”

You raise an eyebrow.

He stammers as he tries to explain himself. “I wasn’t going to hurt you! I just needed - well, blood.”

The firelight is dim, but the moon lights him up clearly. You see him, now. Pointed canines and two scarred punctures on his neck, with hollow cheeks and too-pale skin. “You’re… a vampire.” He bristles when you say it. “That’s how you’re alive.”

He barks out a mirthless, bitter laugh. “Undead, my dear,” he corrects. “But… yes.” He doesn’t let you get a word in before he launches into his next defense. “I was only going to have a nibble, I swear! I feed on animals, usually. Boars, deer, kobolds - whatever I can get. But it’s not enough. Not if I have to fight. I feel so… weak. If I just had a little blood, I could think clearer. Fight better.” He pauses for a moment, a pleading look on his face. “Please.” And you can’t tell if it’s genuine or not.

The tadpole behind your eyes wriggles. The sensation makes you shiver. You can feel hints of his mind touching yours. The hunger, the weakness. But it feels half-there. The worm says you can look deeper, know the truth behind it all. You want to ignore it, but your grief begs you to know.

You push into his mind, past the picked-out truths, to find the whole one. He’s startled by it, by you, but you can’t let this slip past your fingers. When his mind opens, you’re flooded with a barrage of memories and emotions. Fear, desperation, starvation, hatred - all surrounding a pair of dark eyes. They command him to feed, to drink from the rat squirming in his hands. You feel the gag at the back of your throat as his mouth becomes full of watery, rancid blood and fur. You can feel the rat still in his hands, drained to every last drop. It is all he will be given to eat. When you finally pull from his mind, Astarion’s face is full of disgust and hardship.

You swallow hard around the phantom feeling of wriggling in your mouth, urging it to leave. You can only imagine what it must have been like for him. It makes your heart ache.

“You ate animals because you were forced to,” you whisper. He can’t meet your eyes. “Not because you wanted to.”

“I-” He stopped. His voice became small. “Yes. Yes, I ate whatever disgusting vermin my master picked. So you can see why I’m slow to trust you.” Maybe he sees the flicker of pain in your eyes. Maybe he corrects himself for his own benefit. You can’t tell. His protective facade is back in place once more. “But I do trust you. And you can trust me.”

“I do. I trust you.”

“Thank you.” He shifts around, hesitant to ask his next question. “Do you think you could trust me just a little further? I only need a taste, I swear.”

You nodded. “Of course, Astarion. You only needed to ask.”

His eyes widened. “Really? I - of course. I’ll avoid the slinking around next time,” he chuckles. “Let’s make ourselves comfortable, shall we?”

You lay back once more. The stars are quickly hidden behind Astarion as he leans over you once more. His hands on either side of your head keep him over you. Like this, you feel small. A rabbit in the clutches of a wolf. But this is what you wanted after so long; to be close to him again.

His face softens. For a brief moment, it’s the face of the Astarion you once knew. Your heart rate spikes as he leans down, not toward your neck, but toward your forehead. A brush of a kiss, barely there at all. As he speaks, you can feel his lips moving along your skin and cold breaths of air.

“Thank you…” He sighs, finding the strength to say what was on his mind. You close your eyes, willing this moment to be implanted in your memories forever. “My dear moonlight.”

His lips brush against your neck. He can hear your heart racing, feel it just beneath your skin. Had you ever been this close before? Surely, you’d indulged in hugs and cuddling with him…right? His memory was so foggy. Trying to go back to those days hurt. But having this experience, right here, right now. He wishes he could lose himself in it.

And then there’s the frightening realization that you’re his first.

Before he can linger too long on how vulnerable that made him feel, he lined his teeth up, and bit down. You gasped in his ear. Blood rushed from the wound into his mouth. It was sweet. Sweeter than any rat or roach. And full-bodied like an exquisite wine. He wanted to drown in it - in you. Remain latched at your throat for another century, indulging and bloating himself on the saccharine ichor.

“Sunshine.”

It’s barely a whisper, but the softness of it pulls him from his feeding. He detaches his mouth from your neck and watches a few stray drops as they slide to the ground. Your face is relaxed; eyes closed and skin bathed in moonlight. Your hand detangles from his hair, and he wonders how long it had been there.

“Did I take too much?”

You shake your head and open your eyes, at last. They’re dulled and out of focus, lids fighting to close once more, but you look right at him. And you smile. “I’m okay.”

Tension leaves his shoulders. What had he been worried about?

He pushes himself up to his knees, and you roll over to face him. He thinks you might try starting a conversation, but all you do is get comfortable and give in to the exhaustion of blood loss.

“This is a gift, you know,” he says quietly. He’s not even sure if you can hear him. “I won’t forget it.”

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sparklegemstone · 1 month

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Loki at Paley Fest 2024

It was incredible! I'm so happy I got the opportunity to attend, and it uplifted my spirits so much. I really hope Paley makes the panel available for everyone to watch at some point because the questions and discussion were pithy, thoughtful, and engaging. Just a stellar panel. If it doesn't become publicly available, I'll try to circle back to post more detail of what was discussed.

Hiddleston was absolutely firing on all cylinders being his eloquent self going on long explorations of themes and the human condition. I think the most memorable was when he was exploring the relationship of Loki's line "Satisfaction is not in my nature" from a previous film to the events of the Loki series and whether that was relevant or not relevant to where the character arrived at in the series.

First of all, kudos to the host of the panel (also writer of a MCU timeline book) that came with receipts and Loki and Hiddleston quotes from over a decade ago that he used to ask really interesting questions that explored Loki's journey and highlighted the beautiful ways Hiddleston has thought about playing the role over years. He just did an excellent, excellent job, and is the one that brough up the "satisfaction is not in my nature" quote to prompt discussion.

And let's be honest, I think a lot of panelists, whose job is to sound engaging and fill up panel time, when asked to explore the relationship of that "not satisfied" quote to the most recent content they filmed, would just turn on their "I'm in English class" brain and run with the prompt and improvise some ideas of how the theme of not being satisfied is shown in the series. But rather than just running with and affirming the prompt, Hiddleston actually thought about it sincerely and turned it around answering in the negative, that he wasn't sure if that still applied in the series. So instead of just running with the prompt, he cared enough about the art to give it the most truthful answer he could. I saw that aspect of how he approaches discussion when I met him in person at a comic con a number of years ago as well, that interest in exploring something sincerely rather than doing the easier thing of just running with whatever is expedient, and I love that about him.

And then Wilson displayed great comedic sense and flow of the discussion by capping off Hiddleston's eloquent discussion by doing a sharp right turn into the absurd, pivoting into how "would my dog have any meaning in his life if he was satisfied and had everything he wanted and wasn't constantly eager for his next meal". That got a huge laugh from everyone.

Some other anecdotes from the event:

For the arc of the series, it was described as season 1 being about Loki learning to love himself and season 2 was about learning to accept connections and let the love of others in.

Hiddleston's wardrobe was lovely -- all black and dark grey, with bright red tread on the bottom of his shoes for which sitting at a panel with your legs crossed is the perfectly opportunity to show off that pop of color.

I was also digging Aaron Moorhead's style with a grey top half and orange pants and shoes with blue socks. Love this trend of men making bold color choices in their wardrobe.

Hiddleston was, unsurprisingly, very engaged with the whole discussion and it was fun to watch his reactions when other people spoke. The host asked the writers/directors if they'd created S2 with it in mind of it being Loki's last appearance or whether we might see more of Loki in the future. Wilson playfully said "he comes the tap dancing" and Hiddleston very deliberately turned towards the writers/directors with his chin on his fist like "I'm so curious to hear the answer, do tell".

Sylvie ended up in a McDonalds in S2 because when Di Martino got asked at the end of season 1 where she saw Sylvie going next, she told them "she's hungry, I bet she'd go for a burger". So Di Martino takes full responsibility for that particular decision, lol.

Because comedy films aren't my thing and Wilson hasn't crossed my personal radar much besides Zoolander, which is a delightful film, I found it very interesting and wasn't necessarily expecting just the thunderous amount of applause and huge reception that Wilson got from the audience. He's very popular.

During the panel, every so often a little piece of paper, like 2x2 inches, the kind you'd use to create the effect of dumping a bunch of confetti, would fall from the rafters above the stage and slowly float down until it landed on the stage itself in front of the panel. The first time was peculiar, but it continued to happen five distinct times throughout the panel and became a bit of a running joke.

Before the Q&A, they screened the finale episode, and they did not have their tech sorted out. The film didn't play at a consistent 24 fps and there were parts that lagged and slowed down the motion on screen. A minor thing really, but for an organization whose sole purpose and mission is media (Paley), in a venue (the Dolby Theater) that hosts the Oscars and should be technologically state of the art, you'd think they'd make sure they could play video at proper speed. I just thought it was a funny issue for a media organization to have.

Tagging @delyth88 since I know you were interested in hearing about it.

#paleyfest #loki #tom hiddleston

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bots-and-cons · 1 year

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Aye! can I request a Tfp X reader where the reader has the ability to go to other universes (like videogames, aus and other stuff) and they accidentally put team prime into the minecraft universe and has to defeat the ender dragon to get out. (also they have to fight in classic minecraft style)

I love Minecraft, it's my favorite game and I've been playing it for like ten years. I play it almost everyday if I have time, even if it's just for ten minutes between school work. This was a bit challenging to write because I had to do it from the perspective that they’re all players in a way. I only picked five bots, since it’s easier to manage and these still ended up pretty long

•You’re the minecraft pro in this situation and well the team is absolutely clueless

•Sure they’ve seen you play it on your laptop before, but to be in the game? Nononono

•It just happened by accident, and you sort of pulled the team in with you

•So you all get plunged into this darkness and before you knew it, there’s a familiar blue sky with connected cube clouds

•You look around and realize there are five other players around you and they’re all looking around, very confused

•Minecraft skins don’t have a very good resolution but you do recognize everyone, since they’ve got their colors and even though it’s a very simplistic teh designs are obvious

•Everyone is pretty much freaking out, because they have no idea what’s going on and they can’t pull out their blasters

•They can’t transform either and that’s super weird to everyone

•You’re pretty much laughing, because you’ve been in the Minecraft universe before and you know how to get out

•You start explaining how things work and everyone starts punching trees

•Bee is very excited to get a sword, even though it’s just a wooden one

•Like everyone gets all the necessary tools, but Bee is mostly focused on the sword

•Bulk really likes the pickaxe and Arcee’s swinging around a sword as well

•Optimus gets an axe and he’s very efficient at cutting down trees

•You tell him that you need to survive the night and that you need to kill some sheep so you can sleep, which everyone is appalled by

•Optimus is especially not on board with the idea, but he doesn’t protest after you explain you’re basically in a game and that they’re not actual animals

•You don’t manage to get beds for everyone so you can’t sleep the night away and have to fight the mobs and build a little wooden hut

•You build while the others try to keep the mobs away

•Bulk gets blown up by a creeper and barely survives, and Arcee gets has a bit of trouble with a skeleton

•Ratchet fights zombies and luckily no one manages to look at an enderman

•You get the tiny house built and you’re all huddled up inside of it so no one takes too much damage

•You tell them that even if they die in the game, they’re just gonna respawn and have to keep going

•You start making progress with the game and you end up in they caves to find diamonds

•You’ve instructed them all what to do and how to survive best and even though the cave adventure ends up being all mayhem

•Creepers, spiders, zombies and skeletons all around

•When you get out of the caves Bee sees a bee floating around and he’s just pointing at it and buzzing, because it’s so big

•He tries to pet it which obviously doesn’t end well and he gets super sad when it stings him and dies

•You teach them to use bows and swords and ender pearls

•You venture to the nether with the team and Ratchet falls into lava immediately

•You’ve got keep inventory on, so no stuff was lost but he screamed the whole way he fell

•He has to survive in the overworld alone while the rest of the team is in the nether with you, because he can’t find the portal

•You get the blaze rods from the fortress and the ender pearls from the warped forest and you’re out

•Optimus has just been doing what you’re telling him, because he wants out of there and you seem to know best

•You finally get to the end and you’ve assigned tasks to everyone, Bulk and Optimus are going in with the axes for the crits and Bee with the sword

•You and Arcee are going to take out the crystals with bows and shoot the dragon until it comes down

•Ratchet is on enderman watch and trying to keep you all safe from them with water buckets and by killing them

•You finally get to jump through the portal and you’re back at the base

•The little adventure feels like it was a fever dream and pretty much no time has passed in the real world

#transformers #tfp #transformers prime #autobots #arcee #bumblebee #bulkhead #optimus prime #ratchet #tfp headcanons #reader insert #platonic transformers x reader

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welcomingdisaster · 1 year

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would you maybe like to write maglor & fingon? 🥺 they do not interact in canon at all but in my head they're the bestest of friends they braid each other's hair they sing together they hold hands—

also you're very cool and you have correct takes on the silmarillion characters hope you're having a nice day!

heyy anon!! I'm so sorry it took me to long to finish this! <3 thank you for the ask & the wonderful compliment. hopefully you're still hanging around to see this! here is a little scene between them that directly contradicts canon but crawled into my brain after getting this ask and wouldn't leave.

The first thing that strikes him is just how much Makalaurë resembles his father.

Perhaps, on some level, Findekáno simply expects to see his uncle. He had not gone to treat with the Feanorian camp. Though both he and Turno had bid their father send them, speaking over each other in their conflicting haste, he had given leave to Lalwen only.

It was she, then, who had brought back the news; the father dead, the eldest son taking, and only the second son upon the throne as regent. Findekáno had scarce believed it then, and even now it feels like a strange, unpleasant dream.

So part of him, as he ducks inside the main building of the fortified campsite — an unwieldy triangular structure of logs piled against each other, clearly built with haste years ago and decorated only recently — expects to see Fëanáro.

But it is more than that. Makalaurë has, in Valinor, had not stood so; did not pull his shoulders so far back nor raise his chin proudly. He had worn his long raven hair loose, then, as in the way of poets and bards; now it is bound behind him, pulled back from his face. Findekáno had never before noticed the sharpness of his cheekbones, the severe angles of his face.

He has colored his eyes with scarlet red; he wears Feanorian colors, the dizzying array of yellow, flame-red, sky-blue so unlike his usual style. His robes, Findekáno can tell, are too large, pulled together tighter at the waist and chest by silver clips.

It is no mystery who they had once belonged to.

No stitches to pull back the fabric. No cutting. It is as though he expects his father to return and to wear them.

The men that walk on either side of him are not guards, exactly, but neither are they friendly escorts. Findekáno brings with him only his hunting bow and his lyre — nothing of war.

And yet one of the Feanorian men has already asked to take his arrows. He offers no explanation, no true justification; they will not have him meet the regent with his quiver, and that is all.

He does not argue, though some childish part of him wishes to. The sun has risen, but little darkness is lifted from their hearts.

But he does not bow to Makalaurë, the way he knows is expected of him. There is only so much of this game that he shall play.

“Cousin,” Makalaurë says, his voice grave, regal; lower in pitch than Findekáno had ever heard it, “what have you come for?”

Findekáno supposes they are not bothering with the formalities. Easier, then.

“I need a horse,” he says, “a quick one, that shall bear me from this land and into the east.”

None of the horses their camp had brought survived the journey. He prefers not to think of the fate of those fine beasts.

Makalaurë’s frown deepens. I have no time for this, it says. “Then have your father send a trade offer. Written.”

“You misunderstand,” Findekáno says, “my father does not know I am here.”

Makalaurë’s brow furrows. He blinks hard, his eyes darting towards the window, towards the lake on the horizon.

“What are you doing, cousin?” his voice is softer, higher; there is something melodious to it now.

Findekáno says nothing.

Makalaurë looks eastward, tilting his head as though listening for something. There is something about the gesture that seems practiced, something of ritual about it; he has been looking eastward for thirty years.

“Do you—” Findekáno himself has heard nothing. Felt nothing.

Makalaurë shakes his head, wincing. It is not the apologetic wince of polite conversation; it is sharp, pained. Findekáno feels as though he has accidentally elbowed open a gut wound.

“Only heartbeat, at times.” He turns away from Findekáno, striding towards the window. Leans heavily on the windowsill and raps his fingers against it, a dull noise of gloved hands against wood. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Findekáno wills himself not to be jealous of it. It is more than he has heard.

“I need a horse,” he repeats, “Káno—”

His cousin does not turn to look at him, but raises a hand, cutting him off.

“Your brother,” he says, “your sister. Your father, for the sake of all that is holy, Finyo.”

“I wrote him a letter,” Findekáno says, reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket, where papers lay folded against his heart, and holds it out, “if I do not come back...”

This has Makalaurë turning towards him again, eyebrows raised, eyes wide. With his hair pulled back from his face as it is, his chin tilted back, it gives him an odd air, as though someone has taken him by the braid and yanked him back. His hands are raised, fingers splayed out. He steps back from the papers, unwilling to touch them.

“You cannot mean to leave that with me!”

“I do not mean to give you a choice,” Findekáno says, “unless you should like the thought of my poor, bereaved father wondering what has happened to me. Thinking, perhaps, that I was overtaken by the rival camp, that Feanorian line that so wishes to undermine his power—”

Makalaurë snatches the letter from him with such force the paper crumples. For a moment Findekáno thinks he is about to hit him.

“Your brother,” he says again, a plea.

“I know,” Findekáno says, though he does not, “I know. I will return.”

Makalaurë straightens out the paper. Spares it a glance then tucks it into his own pocket, breathing hard.

“My father, wherever he may dwell now, has no more need for his horse,” he says, his voice returning to the lower pitch, “but she is fine and quick, of such hue that passes easily unnoticed in these forests. I will send word to have her ready for you.”

“Thank you,” Findekáno says.

His cousin does not meet his eye. Outside the wind whistles, and Findekáno listens for a heartbeat he does not hear.

“You may go.” The words of a king, remembered a little too late, ill-fitting in the poet’s mouth.

Findekáno inclines his head forward, a little half-bow. Listens for a heartbeat he does not hear. “Until we meet again, then.”

He turns to go, takes a two steps forward, and only then Makalaurë comes after him, a quick, half-hopping step forward to close the distance between them. Catches Findekáno’s wrist in his hand, his grip tight.

Findekáno waits for him to speak. Makalaurë says nothing. His grip loosens, and his hand shifts down; now he holds Findekáno’s hand, his thumb pressing against his palm.

“Finyo,” he says, and for a moment Findekáno thinks he will abandon it all to follow him, that they will leave together. Again his eyes drift eastward. But he only leans forward and presses his lips against Findekáno’s cheek, smelling of wine and tree-sap. “Goodbye,” he says.

And that is all.

#maglor #fingon #lena speaks #thank you for the ask!!#my fic

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lychgate · 1 year

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Oh heck, my apologies (for not proofreading and/or being specific)

I was thinking more about like how do you figure out lighting, colour picking and the methods you use to finish up a piece. I was also really curious about your favourite anatomy tips and how you do so many dynamic poses.

Uhh tl;dr

I am fuckin stupid and I'm sorry

Lighting, colour picking, methods for putting the colours down, anatomy tips, and how do you do dynamic posing so well??

I only draw busts and it's making me mad :D

HMM lets see: I don't color pick unfortunately, it's not a method I use so I can't help u there sadly. As for lighting and shading, I don't really use any tutorials but I just apply the same types of questions to it that I would to any other part of my work while drawing, which are broad question types like : - where is my light source - is this piece calling for any unique light source? (universal/generic lighting is just fine to keep using!) - how MANY light sources do i have, and what are their distances to my figure - what's the MOOD of the piece, is dramatic lighting necessary - if im just here to have a bop and do an art what light source do I want to play with for practice If it was something like a more polished and finished piece I'd definitely be thinking on these questions harder, or multiple revisions and potential references would be pulled up. But normally for references I just refer to my memory of shows that I've seen, since it's a LOT of visual library, and animated or live action, light source is heavily calculated. So you'll get a good display of these ranges you can apply. Lately I've been watching The Bad Batch and I'll always recommend that and clone wars as good examples of environmental lighting, especially given the style of animation they do with how shapely their figures are. It's a good simplified breakdown of the planes of a figure, so paired with their hard lighting choices u get an even exaggerated easier format to look at for guessing light source. (very reminiscent of comics like the more stylized/cartoon you get in art the more u can push and pull these dynamics. or like easier to spot then live action)

SO UHH, im disclaimer: not in any industry and im sure gonna be missing some terminology, but I just nabbed some random images off the google of bad batch to show case a few broad categories of lighting:

Multiple light sources are ur most common type, and to me the most fun especially when it's like Two light sources. U can often play with the fun lighting types like rim lighting, u often have a warm side and a cold side for contrast/directions sake. The distance of the light determines how sharp or broadly lit something will be, and the size of the light can determine how much of that light hits the figures. So Omega here is surrounded by the lights on their ship, there's likely a very broad top light that's gently lighting the entire area, but the reds and blues of the buttons and screens around her are what's shaping the figure more dramatically. You can see the blue is coming from the top/behind her, where the red is more in front/bottom side to her, since it's the way she's facing and looking at you/the viewer. The second one, still on their ship, features the more broad top down lighting, but the screens in front of them are more important as they're all facing it. both lights in this image are broad wide lighting, so there isn't much of a sharp focus.

COMPLEX LIGHTING to me usually just means 'there are many light sources of greatly varying distances and brightness' or that there's a lot of figures in the image so it's got a lot more to organize so that the whole image may look readable at the end. You get a lot of environmental lighting for these types, meaning like hey the SUN is one of ur major light sources. it is super fucking bright but it is also FAR away, it's lighting EVERYTHING. and closer to sunset/sunrise u get more direct, highly saturated light from it because of the angle it's often shining- there's a lot to play with for just an outdoor lighting! The three images I picked here are a more morning shot, a mid day shot, and an evening shot. Talking about the angle of the sun especially at the last image with the grookey on Omega's shoulder, which casts a shadow over her and her friend. But her friend is positioned in a way so that she's not entirely over shadowed, because we're here to look at all three figures, and their faces matter in this shot. VS the middle images which is more about the scene/setting as a whole, and the figures are all more or less equally lit/shaded according to just standing in bright daylight.

there's also this fun lighting type, singular light sources can usually add a WIDE RANGE of emotion to the piece, depending where you flash the light. You've probably seen tons of light study gifs or shots where a face is shown with one light passing around their entire face and it highlighting the different planes that illuminate based on where the light is. So the first image, the classic Morticia Addams eye drama light, is focused hard on the figures, and what they're looking at. The second image of crosshair is another type of foreboding emotion, but instead with the eyes in the dark. Singular light sources aren't always for drama or asking you to focus on one specific thing but I feel like end of the day, the sharper and closer the one light source is, the more the artist is usually asking you to focus on the scene for. There's also some examples here of multiple light sources being used for the same storytelling dramatic effect. There's crosshair's entire front lit up to focus on not just him but by extension the rifle he's holding, with a backlight to catch the edge of his helmet and the barrel, because those are where we want you to look. They're the most important parts of the image, and they wanted to make lighting appropriate for reading that. With the last image there's what's his face (bro i forget my b) looming over him in a common type of dominant lighting. With how the lighting is assigned to this scene his face is shadowed, vs crosshair's who is partially under that shadow. IDK IM RAMBLING NOW i doubt this is the concise easy to read tips anyone's asking for sorrY I am not a teacher. IN SHORT FOR LIGHTING I JUST think about shows I've watched. I won't go into anymore but I think a GREAT example of super well done lighting in all categories of art are the John Wick films. They're both lively, highly direct, and superficially colored to fit the mood of each character and scene. I'll suck these movies dicks i'm obsessed:

Anatomy I always generically recommend people continue loose study/education from skeletal and muscular anatomy cause if you can build a figure from the inside out, the surface is going to be loads easier. And then when I'm too lazy to look up any muscular break down cause I sure don't remember every part at every angle I kind of just fudge it which is super common, like how many of us draw an ear correctly to it's bends and shapes. I sure as hell don't I just like to draw them the way I'm familiar with lining it (unless it's some really polished piece) cause end of the day my ear is still getting interpreted as an ear. So If I can't recall which muscle overlaps the other given a certain angle I just take a guess and usually it's not something blaring if I threw it down confidently enough. Studying not just muscle though, but how all body types sit and tense and move is crucial. Like fat is obviously going to have a much different type of hang and sit on the body, and then there's deciding how much fat to muscle you want on a figure. There's also skin to consider- older skin is looser, scarred skin has a tighter more custom pull to the areas, skin otherwise is just a big elastic band around ur body. So when that becomes overstretched or cut in any irregular way it's going to have a much different look to the muscles and bones it wraps around. Muscle reference I don't have anything specfic to refer other then using actual anatomy charts. Some 3d modelers have made great reference to body parts with full turn arounds i'd suggest. Since big fantasy muscles can be exaggerated so much (and they should!) it's the only reason why id only Lightly suggest for observing other artists individual drawings of buff characters. cause lotta us are fudging parts and u will end up picking up an incorrect anatomical trait (we literally all do it, just a silly unlearning process once ur hand is so familiar and used to drawing something a certain way) I think something specifically that's really helped me slowly gain a very diverse understanding of the fat to muscle ratio is getting into sumo wrestling. (NOT TO PUSH MY FAVORITE SPORT BUT I HAVE SOURCES IF U WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT/FIND A SPOT TO WATCH) In sumo there's no weight division like other forms of wrestling, and because of that you can have a very diverse set of ways to go about your own style of fighting. Entirely setting aside the fighting STYLES, there's broadly the categories of how much fat do you want to put on and the advantages that has against your opponents, vs how much muscle, or where that muscle needs to build on your figure, height and the like also play into it but basically 'what is my body shape, how can i build/ play it to the advantages of how i fight my opponents'

so like terunofuji is a fucking MOUNTAIN of a man, he's the current yokozuna (top banana rank) and his sheer height and weight plays greatly into his fight style. All of them are fucking jacked and watching Sumo has been a great general visual library builder because: - its a huge sport so it has a lot of coverage and footage on high def cameras - they're mostly nude and you're getting incredible displays of muscles in slow mo as they collide, fight, and throw each other. s2g you'll have an entirely new appreciation for the human body and just how many ways it can shape itself from watching this sport.

Always a ton of fucking leg muscle but Takayasu is one of my faves i gotta show him.

with no weight limitations not only are you seeing all the different levels of weight to fat, but you're getting an excellent display of how fat builds and forms on different people. there is no one way to gain fat, its pretty cool how diverse it can form, where it prefers to store fat, how quickly someone might gain weight vs overtime, genetics, what types of fats you're storing, lots of shit to look up on! this last image is ichinojo vs enho who are like usually one of the biggest and the smallest wrestlers, and both play to their size and shape and have become very high ranked. ANYWAY THIS POST REALLY WENT PLACES HUH idek if i answered the questions right i think i gave more questions back but i tried to touch a little on my thought process and where ive specifically gone in the art study journey. For poses I really don't look up anything I just try to think of the figure and do a lot of preliminary sketches. No i don't have the 'picture a perfect apple in my head' noggin i too suffer from looking at a blurry void when i try to think of shit so yes im hitting a brick wall by not utilizing all the model posing references that are probably out there hsuogjdhk

#long post

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kozmicmizuu · 7 months

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did you know that water plays an important role for paranormal activity and is a conductor of electricity?? Which makes it easier for spirits to hang around thanks to all the energy!

sooo let’s apply that to water breathing cause i’m weird and my brain thinks of the most random things.

I’d imagine the better you’re at the breathing style, the more you are spiritually focused and open. So like giyuu can see and feel things people normally wouldn’t.

he’s also a walking EMF reader, mf can sense the energy like crazy

i’d thought i’d be like silly yet sad but he can see all the deceased relatives and friends of the Hashira and basically anyone he’s around.

what made him so sad it’s that the sheer amount of children that cling to sanemi and gyomei, he would bring it up but he thinks that’s a very touchy subject.

it’s very useful for like finding out about the demon’s abilities or what it looks like during missions, he can just sort of talk to the already dead victims for some information

it also helps him a bit, seeing his old friends and family, it’s nice seeing them every once and a while, also weird- shocking

i guess that’s why his eyes are such a bright yet dark blue, water color fr

another thing is that the hashiras parents sorta ask him to keep the others safe or to check up on them, which he does in his own way (completely face the other way from them but he’s trying y’all)

but this ability is also pretty fucking scary, you can imagine what hellish things he’s seen, like demons (spirt form) and other malevolent spirits. it’s not a fun thing. so he kinda has a lot of sage and spices and salts, along with some other crystals and stuffs. of course he prays sometimes, makes him feel safer.

he grows bamboo around his home cause a few tree species do have some history with ghosts and he ain’t about that‼️‼️ (oak, banyan idk any others)

considering he’s the water hashira, i’d guess you’d imagine how much water he’s surrounded by… so that makes the water estate haunted. he lives with dead mfs, but they are cool with him, he’s chill with em (sabito’s bitch ass is one of them)

giyuu of course was curious about like tarot cards all that kind of stuff, and he’s pretty damn good at it. he’s also kind of a psychic, a small bit

soooo yeah, medium/psychic giyuu supremacy‼️⁉️

edit: also feel free to use this headcanon!!!! i’d love to see some more content and how y’all use it!!

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princemick · 7 months

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Hi! Can you pls explain how you can do red lips on your gifs? Your colorizing is so vivid always especially on lips. I'm so impressed!

HI! yes, I for sure can explain this to you because its actually really easy. so under the cut I'll make a tutorial on how to get this lip focus effect on my gifs.

I'm going to be using oscar because he is the most naturally blushy person on the grid but I'll also quickly explain things you'll have to watch out for with different skintones.

so, the big trick to this is to make sure your lips/blush are a contrasting colour in comparison to the rest of your gif.

(think about the colour wheel, green is the opposites side of purple)

lips tend to have a more purple/red hue to them while skin tends to be more orange/yellow in undertone. so what we're gonna start with doing is adding contrast and making sure greens and blue's are heavier then the yellow/red is.

I prefer using curves and colour balance for this as you can play around a lot and use the dropper tool in curves to make your life easier

now, I like adding a few more layers of colour balance and channel mixer to try and neutralize the colour even more but this all depends on the raw footage and on the skintone.

now that we're happy with our neutralizing colour we're gonna be grabbing hue/saturation which is THE big trick to this colouring

you're gonna grab the lil hand tool at the top left and click on the darkest part of the lips

now this is what your hue/saturation should look like. we're going to focus on the little bottom part and we're going to expand the little tabs and slide it to the more puple part of the colour line.

then, we're going to slide UP the saturation so far as it looks natural, you should be able to instantly see a difference (if you dont, slide around the little tabs until you do see the lips brighten up) I like to darken the lightness too to make the colour a bit more neutral.

with this part you have to watch out with different skintones.

every person has different under tones, people with white skin tend to lean more pinkish while darker skintones especially lewis has more yellow skintones, because of this you will probably make lewis's skin FAR to yellow which is obviously NOT good.

you can still use this style with those skintones you just have to watch out more, neutralize better and get the sliders more purple as their lips also tend to have more purple tones in them.

here's a fantastic tutorial how to get rid of yellow tones in black skin if you do run into this problem with your colouring.

now, you have your basic lip blush, from this moment on you can do whatever you want with the colouring, I like to neutralize more after this, so adding another few layers of colour balance.

then I tend to go into the red and yellow of selective colour and manually play around with making the lips/blush more coherent with the rest of the lighting.

to simplify this I'm only going to show yellow and red but I normally use all colours on selective colour.

and then I just add my normal colouring which can be whatever you like to do. I like adding more contrast and highlight spaces to add more depth to his face and I almost always add one more layer of hue/saturation which will make his blush and lips pop out even more.

which makes this my final colouring result

I hope this was coherent and logical and ya'll understand what my thought process is with my colouirng. if it's not or you want some more explanation on something please dont be scared to ask!!

if yall do use this style and colouring please do tag me I'd love to see what ya'll make!!!

#kyle.answers #design.stuff #tutorial

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kittenofdoomage · 2 years

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Autumn Falls: Monday (Pt.2)

Summary: Y/N’s had a run of bad luck that’s left her miserable, so her sister and best friend surprise her with a trip to Autumn Falls, the exclusive Californian resort where your every dream comes true. Seven days of relaxation and luxury await her, but will her vacation lift her spirits or leave her longing?

Pairings (reader is female): Negan x reader, Bucky Barnes x reader, Thor Odinson x reader, Sam Winchester x reader, Negan x reader x Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester x reader, Geralt of Rivia x reader, Steve Rogers x reader

Word Count: 37041

Warnings (expect any combination): slight angst and commiseration, non-disclosure agreements, flirting, conversations about relationships, oral sex, vaginal sex, public nudity and skinny dipping, size kink, sex in a hot tub, suspension (sort of), intense sex, breeding kink, yoga, my obsession with Sam’s hands, massages, dirty talk, slight praise kink, vaginal fingering, anal fingering, and squirting, threesome, double penetration (vaginal/anal), handjobs, shower smut, sex in a kitchen, horse riding, wild nature sex, over-stimulation, excessive orgasms, comfort, companionship, aromatherapy and hot stone massages, anal sex, light BDSM, restraints, spanking/paddling, anal play, double penetration with toys, gagging, cuddling, post-vacation blues

MASTERPOST

She didn’t ask any more questions over lunch, deciding to wait and see what she could pick up for herself during her tour with Negan. He, on the other hand, was full of questions, apparently intent on getting to know her well, and at first, it was a little overwhelming. But as lunch went on, and they moved to the actual tour, she started to relax and found it a lot easier to share.

So far, he’d shown her around the stables, the outside courts, the pool, and the interior facilities - gym, sauna, sensory rooms, kitchens, and more besides. She wasn’t sure she’d remember where everything was but from what he was saying, she wouldn’t need to do much more than press “1” on the landline in her room and Negan would be there.

The first thing she’d assessed on their tour was the lack of staff, and what occasional other human being she did see was always a hot guy. Until they reached the salon, located in a separate building at the back.

“What are we doing here?” she asked, looking around in confusion.

Negan smirked just as a woman exited a door across from the entrance, freezing when she saw Y/N and her liaison. “You’re early!” she exclaimed with a smile, hurrying over to them. “Y/N, right? I’m Natalie, your stylist for today.”

Y/N forced a smile through her bewilderment as Natalie took her hand and shook it. “Hi,” she replied, glancing at Negan for an explanation.

“This is where we part ways for a few hours,” he said gently, bowing his head. “Nat here is gonna take great care of you, and I’ll meet you in the restaurant at eight.” He took hold of her other hand, bending to kiss her knuckles again like he had at their first meeting. “And I promise, all your questions will be answered.”

She nodded, the earlier tension returning now she was confronted with another stranger. Natalie didn’t seem the slightest bit phased by her apprehension, shooing Negan off before leading Y/N to a chair in front of a large mirror.

“So, hair first, or would you like to see the dresses before you decide on a style?”

“Dresses?” Y/N squeaked.

Natalie grinned. “Girl, you are in for a treat. Definitely dresses first. I need a color palette to work with.”

The confidence she’d been building around Negan withered away as the older woman ushered her into the seat. She sat nervously, watching as Natalie stepped back and clasped her hands together.

“Oh sweetie,” she cooed, “don’t look so worried.”

Y/N forced a smile, avoiding eye contact. “This is all…”

“Overwhelming?” Natalie provided, and she nodded, clamping her mouth shut. The other woman gave her a gentle look, lowering her hands. “I understand completely. But try to relax. We’re here to make sure you have a good time.”

That’s what I’m not clear on, Y/N thought, though she remained silent, lifting her gaze when Natalie turned away and disappeared through a door, returning a few seconds later pulling a rack of dresses on wheels. All of them were expensive looking, in a range of colors, and Y/N swallowed down her nerves.

“Now, we had a little information from your referee on what styles you like,” Natalie explained. “But of course, sometimes our personal style is limited by certain factors, so there might not be anything here you like. Don’t feel like you have to say yes to the first thing, or even the fifth thing. There’s more where these came from.”

As it turned out, Natalie was just as personable and likable as every other person she’d met since she got off the plane, and it wasn’t long before she genuinely began to relax and enjoy herself. She hadn’t had an opportunity to try anything new for so long, mostly due to life and or fear of moving outside of her comfort zones, and it had been even longer since she’d had the occasion to wear something so nice.

The time flew by with the stylist. She tried new hairstyles, taking the time for a trim that she’d been putting off for months, and by the time Natalie was done with her, she barely recognized herself in the mirror. Her hair was loosely curled around her shoulders, brushing the straps of the deep red dress clinging to her curves, and the makeup on her face was natural shades, minimal but flattering. She stared for a few moments when the stylist was done fixing the necklace she’d chosen around her neck, letting her hair fall back into place where she’d held it out of the way.

Natalie stepped back, clasping her hands together again. “Oh my,” she breathed. “You look stunning.”

Y/N felt heat in her face; she’d always been crap at taking compliments. “You did all the work,” she murmured, “I just sat here.”

The stylist chuckled. “Honey, I had the best subject,” she replied, coaxing her onto her feet. “Let’s see if I’ve got any shoes that will work. No heels, right?”

“Can’t walk in ‘em,” Y/N laughed, standing straight and returning her gaze to the mirror. She didn’t think she’d ever felt this glamorous in her entire life. “Wonder how Everitt would feel if he saw me now,” she whispered, eyes widening as she remembered her company. “Ex-fiance,” she explained quickly, and Natalie’s features softened with empathy.

“I can tell you right now, he’s a fool,” she hummed, bending to pick up Y/N’s sneakers. “I’ll have all of your clothes laundered and returned to your room.”

“Thanks.”

“And don’t worry about the jewelry, if you just leave it in your room, room service will get it returned to me.”

“What about the dress?” Y/N asked.

Natalie grinned. “That’s yours to keep.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped. “But this is, I mean, it’s way more than I could ever afford -”

“Sweetie,” Natalie interrupted, placing a hand on Y/N’s forearm. “There’s no small print here. There’s a reason this place only has guests by invite. The owner wants you to enjoy yourself and not worry about anything. You won’t pay a dime.”

She knew that, she’d read it in the contract she’d diligently read and digested. But life had always shown her a consequence to anything that brought joy, and it was a hard mindset to shake. Relaxing her shoulders, she nodded, and Natalie smiled, turning away to grab a shoebox from a selection on the bottom of the dress rack.

“Now,” she continued, holding the box out to Y/N, “these should go perfectly with your dress.”

The restaurant looked different now it was darker outside; the doors onto the poolside terrace were open, and the tables were scattered further apart. Y/N wasn’t surprised to see it empty of any other guests, and she spotted Tom behind the bar, dutifully polishing some glasses. Negan was already there, almost sprawled in one of the comfortable dining chairs at the table closest to the pool, still dressed in black but this time he was wearing a button down instead of a t-shirt. He rose when he saw her, a languid smile instantly putting her at ease when she drew closer.

“You look stunning,” he crooned, reaching to take her hand, then bending to delicately kiss her knuckles. She smiles shyly and lets him guide her to her seat. “How was your afternoon of pampering?”

“It was fun,” she replied as she sat, folding her hands in her lap. “Natalie’s nice.”

Negan chuckled, sitting back in the seat he’d been occupying when she walked in. “She’s a gem,” he agreed. “Would you like to see the menu? Once we’ve ordered, we can get on to all those questions you got bubblin’ outta ya.”

The menu was filled with foods she liked, and ones she’d never had the chance to try, which gave her more questions to ask. It also made choosing something to eat slightly more difficult. “This all looks so good,” she murmured, scanning the contents of the leather booklet for the third time.

“It’s the set dinner menu for the week,” Negan provided, “so you don’t gotta worry about missing out on something you wanna try.”

“How do you know I like all these things?” she wondered aloud, flicking her gaze to him as she spoke. “You gotta admit, it’s kinda creepy.”

He laughed again. “Instagram. Twitter. The only information we have is what you put publicly online or what your referee told us.”

Her cheeks filled with heat; she’d forgotten about social media and how much she used it. She forgot how public things could be, how much of a digital footprint she actually left behind. The embarrassment of his revelation made her hide her face behind the menu and she scanned the dishes again, focusing on that choice first.

Tom approached the table with a notepad in hand. “Have we made a decision?” he asked politely.

Negan nodded. “I’m gonna take the classic burger, what about you, Y/N?”

“I’ll, uh, try the pasta.”

“Good choice,” Tom nodded. “Wine?”

“A bottle of the house white will do,” Negan drawled, sitting back as Y/N agreed and handed her menu to Tom, who headed off towards what she presumed was the kitchen. She followed him with her eyes for a moment before looking back at Negan nervously. “You don’t have to be so apprehensive,” he chided gently.

“Sorry,” she apologized, out of habit more than anything. “This place just seems so… amazing. Like a fantasy.”

“That’s exactly what it’s supposed to be like, sweetheart.”

“It’s a little too good to be true.”

He smiled again, shaking his head. “You’ve just never experienced pleasure without conditions. Everything in life, you expect to pay for, you wait for a consequence.”

“I suppose,” she hesitated, making eye contact nervously. “You said I could ask questions though.”

“So long as they’re ones I wanna answer,” he shot back, his smile becoming mischievous. “There are certain things I can’t disclose but it’s nothing you need to know.”

Placing her hands on the table, she leaned forward, trying to organize her thoughts into questions that she hoped he would answer. “Do you get paid to be here?”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”

She frowned. “You want to be my personal liaison?”

He grinned, raising an eyebrow as Tom returned with the bottle of wine he’d ordered. “I volunteered, yeah,” he chuckled. “It’s a complicated procedure, finding the perfect company to inspire and fulfill each client’s desires. Lots of algorithms, shit that’d bore you. But when I saw your file, I requested the position.”

Tom filled the two glasses on the table before retreating again, and Y/N quickly reached for hers, taking a hearty gulp.

“You’re still on edge,” Negan observed. “Good thing I got plenty of activities lined up for the week.”

“Activities?” she whispered, eyes widening.

“Trust me. You’re gonna have the time of your life.”

Though she still had questions, Negan seemed to be an expert at derailing her, and by the time she thought to ask another, they’d almost finished the bottle of wine and their meals had arrived. The food was exquisite, and she easily cleaned her plate, happily mopping up leftover sauce with a bread roll at the end. The wine was going down just as easily as the food, and she found herself becoming a little more loose-lipped under the influence of the alcohol.

“Whenever you say fantasy,” she said suddenly, as she dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, “why does it sound so dirty?”

His laughter made her squirm, and he chortled for several seconds, still chewing on his last mouthful. When he was done, he looked at her, the expression on his face making her feel like she was the second course.

“Maybe it’s because you wanna hear it that way,” he replied, licking his lips. “Or maybe it’s because I mean what I say. Your fantasies are our goal here, Y/N. We aim to please. How far that goes is up to you - you’re in control.”

“I don’t feel very in control,” she muttered. “But I don’t feel like I’ve been in control of my life for a while so…” She shrugged, trailing off.

“I kinda picked up on that. To be honest, darlin’, I’m surprised a woman as beautiful as you has so little confidence in herself.”

Her head jerked up at the compliment, and she took a second to bathe in it, letting her hands slide from the table to her lap. “You think I’m beautiful?”

Negan smiled softly, leaning in. “I think you’re fuckin’ gorgeous.”

Her mumbled thanks sounded a little flat to her own ears, but he just kept smiling. She shifted, pressing her hands against her knees as she searched for a topic change that didn’t make her flush from head to toe.

“You said you had activities planned,” she stuttered out. “Aren’t spas supposed to be all massages and saunas?”

“Sometimes,” he shrugged. “Sometimes they’re just fantasy.”

She shivered, certain he was doing it on purpose now. “Is it like the menu? Or the dresses? You’ve picked things you think or know I’ll like?”

His eyes darkened a little with something that she couldn’t name but something that seemed to crawl into her belly and take up residence. Her thighs clenched automatically, and she found herself caught in his gaze.

“Somethin’ like that. The entire program is tailored to you, including your instructors, like me.”

“You’re not doing the activities with me?”

He shook his head but his smile didn’t fade. “I’ll be here for anything you need at any time but during the day, you’ll be with someone else.”

“Men like you?”

“Not exactly,” he laughed.

“What if I’m into women too?” she challenged, the wine rearing its head again, and Negan laughed. “I mean, I’m not… well, I appreciate both sexes… but you know. You can’t know everything about me.”

“Never claimed to,” he replied. “But that’s what this is all about, right? We’re getting to know each other. Almost like a date.”

“Is that what this is supposed to be?” she teased, and he snorted with amusement. “You’re not the type of guy I’d normally ask out.”

One of his eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”

“Not that I ask anyone out,” she continued, her mood souring a little. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d tried to strike up anything with another human being, dating or otherwise. The last few months, she’d sunk herself into her work, and now, being so far away from that and in the strangest circumstances, she was beginning to realize how much of herself she’d lost after Everitt left her. “Everitt always said I was a doormat.”

“You talked about him earlier,” Negan commented. “Sounds like a prize asshole.”

She shrugged. “He was nice, at first. Polite and sweet, maybe it wasn’t fireworks, but I thought it was real.” Sighing, she reached for her empty wine glass, tipping back her head to get at the last few drops. “Guess I was just an idiot.”

Negan smiled sympathetically, moving his chair to be closer to her. “Or he was a fool,” he reassured her, reaching over to put a hand on her knee. “I’ve known you less than a day, and I can already tell you, you deserve more.”

Whether it was the wine or the heady combination of his warm hand on her leg through the thin dress and his cologne, she wasn’t sure, but she was sure she wanted to kiss him. It was likely a mix of everything, including the fact that he was the first guy to treat her so sweetly in forever - either way, she leaned in, feeling her heart skip a beat when he matched her movements.

The kiss was soft, and she practically melted into him. Her whole body thrummed with the connection, and she covered the hand on her knee with her own, tugging it higher up without even thinking. Negan was just as enthusiastic as she was, lifting his free hand to cup her cheek, deepening the kiss as his other hand slipped out of her grip and underneath the fabric of her dress.

Her senses came back to her when his fingertips brushed her cotton-covered sex and she jumped back, touching her mouth as she stared at him. He pulled his hand away an inch or two, letting her absorb what was happening, waiting for her consent to continue.

“Nothing has to happen tonight,” he whispered when she didn’t speak. “Or at all.”

“Not tonight,” she replied, shaking her head, and he pulled his hand away, smiling softly at her. “I need… I need time to wrap my head around this.”

He nodded. “How about dessert?”

With the charged moment over, they returned to conversation, though she actively avoided asking more questions or anything to do with her love life. She was beginning to think that not knowing was preferable, and to be honest, she hadn’t enjoyed herself as much as she had in a long time. The thought of what was to come both thrilled her and made her nervous, but by the time Negan walked her to her room, she was ready for the experience.

“Get some rest,” he urged her at the door. “Bucky will meet you on the terrace in the morning, go over the day’s itinerary.”

“Who’s Bucky?” she asked curiously.

“Trust me, you’re gonna like him,” he chuckled. “If you need anything, just call.”

She nodded, looking up at him with one hand on the door. “Goodnight, Negan.”

He leaned in, kissing her on the corner of her mouth. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

Feedback is golden, let me know what you thought 🎃

#autumn falls series #fanfic #fanfiction #alternate universe #fantasy #negan x reader #the walking dead #negan #twd #multifandom

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saphushia · 2 years

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I love you art!! Do you have any advice for choosing colors that work well together?

thank you! colors mostly just come naturally to me (whether its actually natural or if i've just internalized color theory so strongly that it feels natural i'm not sure lol) so im not very good at actually explaining it. most of it is genuinely just what looks good to you, but looking up some basics of color theory can help a lot to narrow down options so it's easier to pin down what you want.

doing those limited palette challenges (especially when the subject matter doesn't necessarily fit the palette colors) can be good practice and i think at least a small portion of my skill in the area comes from playing those color-sorting phone games like blendoku or i love hue lol. also probably related is the year or so when i was younger where i just refused to use gradients whatsoever for some reason

that aside, here's very bare bones color theory (i wont get into it too deep, there's a billion explanations online that are leagues better than i could explain it) and some tips that might be useful?

|img source|

i tend towards 2-tone palettes when i'm doing full color n they usually end up being complimentary (purple + yellow, green + pink) or close (blue + yellow, green + purple, pink + blue). i like a good strong contrast, which i think is generally what people mean when they say my style pops- having contrast makes the colors seem even brighter and stand-outish.

| left || top || bottom || right |

maybe that ^ helps? the ratios are rough estimates of how much of each pic is each color group. some common advice in general design (it's actually used in a lot of stuff- webpages, interiors, etc) is having 60% main color 30% secondary color and 10% accent color (but like i said, i mostly work in 2 colors so i don't have a great example on hand)

as for finding colors, i'll sometimes search for photography that has the kinda vibe i want- for the kindred spirits pic i literally searched "blue and green spooky toxic photography" and i think i ended up referencing a pic of green lights reflecting off of wet pavement on a dark street.

one big thing that i hardly ever see mentioned but i personally utilize an absolute fuck ton- dulling colors makes them lie. use this to your advantage. say you're using bright green; if you use a gray-blue it can look like purple and will blend with the green instead of contrasting like an actual purple would

| right example |

of course there's lots of situations where you do want the purple (or whatever color) to be a contrast, but this is useful when you don't.

a lot of the time lately i'll color everything in a base monotone (or very slightly varying analogous colors ie teal through indigo) and then make the lighting a contrast (complimentary) color on an 'add' or 'vivid light' or other lighting layer, then sometimes color pick the contrast colors shown in the lighting n use them sparingly to fill in a few of the base colors that didn't fit well being the base color. you can see that in the drowning picture (blue is the base color with pink lighting) and the kindred spirits drawing (gray-blue base colors with green lighting).

one last thing: never be afraid to use filters. almost all of the finished art i post has at least one overlay or gradient map or tonal correction layer ontop of it all. i'm quite partial to a low-opacity gradient map layer set to whatever colors i scrolled thru in my list and liked the vibe of, a black and white gradient map layer with the layer set to brightness (also on low opacity), or messing around with a tone curve or color balance layer. if someone starts shit with you for using filters on your art fucking block them. in general if it looks good it isn't cheating (insert common sense caveat that you aren't stealing other people's art etc etc)

#tiny edit bc once again i used discord text styling outside of discord #this got kind of long woops lol #i hope this maybe helps? i'm never sure if i actually answered the original question when i get long-winded like this #talking #answers #tips

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rubixkun · 10 days

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Been looking through kazukibo art again (new fic has me hyped) and got a question. How'd you come up with the designs for the fan kids because I really like them. They have a nice mix of "clearly takes after their parents" but also enough of their own style to not make them feel like carbon copies. I usually avoid fan kid stuff because it does feel too much like carbon copies but yours are so well done so I'm curious.

kinda in a bad mood so I'm gonna ramble to help me feel better.

So the "Generation Xerox" trope is one that I never liked. To me, if you, I dunno, create a kid that's literally Makoto Naegi, except yas Kyoko's hair color, to me, that's lazy, and I don't want to be lazy with character design. That's also why you won't see me making characters with full on heterochromia. I've thought about, like, the Sondam daughter having partial heterochromia, like both eyes mostly blue but one eye has like a speck of gray in it.

Like why make a new character if they're going to be just like their parents with no change?

I also like playing around with combinations and how genetics could play into it. Though I don't strictly play by the rules of genetics. if I did, Hotaru would have black hair. And let's face it. Genetics are odd.

But then what about someone like Hikari? She has a lot of traits that look like Kyoko. I've even said as she gets older, she looks even more like Kyoko. How do I do it? Well for one I don't put a braid in her hair and call it done. Hikari's design comes from her personality. She's friendly, bubbly, and optimistic like Makoto. So I put in those details in a subtle manner through clothing, but also I make sure to draw her smile just like I draw Makoto's.

Some characters have also gone through multiple changes. Kazuki looked more like Makoto, Hikari changed like 4 times, Natsumi was a lot more boring on the design side of things. But this was when I wasn't really planning on doing anything with Kazukibou...it didn't even have that name yet. I just called it Next Gen.

But once I had their personalities figured out, it made designing easier. Natsumi being a loud in your face type helped shape the idea of the pink in her hair. Her outfit goes off the idea that she dresses nice like her father, but isn't all business like he is.

Hotaru is a tomboy who likes tinkering with stuff and low self-esteem. So play into that with baggy jeans and Kazuichi's old hat so she hides her face (in reality it's a comfort item).

Yes, Kazuki is a detective, but also leans more into being a teenager, so he's not going to wear his detective garb all the time. Okay fun fact, his vest was taken from a vest I have in real life. Only difference is his is blue and mine is gray. His old design felt plain so I wanted to add more colors.

And it's really trial and error and not being afraid to change something even if you already have a concept set in stone. People change their hair style all the time. People wear different outfits for different phases of life. Some people get glasses, some get contacts, and some even get Lasik.

It's also throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what sticks. Sometimes I look at pictures online and think "I like this and I want to use that in my work in my own way." Most of the time I don't know what I'm doing and sometimes I add things because I just like it.

For example, eventually as the new Naefiri baby grows up, he's gonna have glasses because I just want him to wear glasses.

But I dunno if any of this makes sense. I guess tldr I just want to put more effort into what I do.

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rampldgifs · 10 months

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hi! first of all, i want to say that i love your gifs so much, you always make such beautiful things. i recently started giffing, and i was wondering if you have any tips about settings or process you usually use in your coloring psds? i'm struggling on what steps i should follow :(

hello ! thank you for taking the time to say this !

i usually never know what to say off the top of my head because i am generally chaotic & do things by whim and instinct rather than any real process, but !!! luckily, i was just talking to a friend about it recently so here's what i got.

photoshop settings- i've mentioned this in my main blog before, if you're not already doing this, load all your giffing steps into an action. if you don’t know how to make an action this handy tutorial tells you how. - change your most used commands into easily reachable keyboard shortcuts on the keyboard. for example, assuming you're right handed, your right hand will be cropping and colouring so you could switch command + (w) to open file>export>save for web to see your saving settings / command + ( ` ) to select the next tab. (i'm on a mac so imagine i used windows alternatives ) by using your left hand.

gif saving settings you might have your favourite go-to settings i.e. selective/pattern & bicubic etc. but just like not all sharpenings are created equal, different gif save settings work better for different sharpening styles. try different combis, the results may surprise you. for example, i used to swear by selective pattern+bicubic sharper when saving gifs, but i switched my sharpening style, and started going for a smoother, cleaner, glowier look, and realised after a lot of trial and error that adaptive/diffusion + bicubic smoother works best for the high value sharpening+gaussian blur settings i'm using to create what i want. the big lesson here is don't be afraid to strip everything down and go back to basics sometimes, it's tedious, but it usually pays off. i tried to find the post that taught me this for you and i can't but this one is an alternative !

colouring - the main things you'll be doing to colour a gif are (i don't always follow these in order but usually i do): a) brighten ( i.e. curves, levels, brightness, i used to add a white balance filter but stopped doing that years ago ) b) deepen ( these would be your contrast/gamma correction & offset on exposure adjustment layer/left arrow thingy of the levels adjustment layer ) c) colour correct, the hardest part ! it's like doing makeup. you'll end up using probably everything, colour balance, curves in the rgb setting (i need to learn to get comfy with this bc i'm not yet, but! soon.), selective colour my bff, hue/saturation & vibrance. there are great tutorials out there, but my most recent game-changer is i've finally figured out how to use the channel mixer adjustment. it helps to focus on a neutral colour in the background of your gif when it has an awful orange/green/whatever filter when using channel mixer (like a white wall or blue sky that has turned gross looking bc of the film's base filter), then adjust and play around until it turns into the colour it's supposed to be. then it will be easier to pile on layers over to colour your fc. i am ofc still learning, i have no idea how colour lookup works (i've read tutorials and still don't understand jvhakjx). d) final adjustments. this is when after the above, you decide whether you want to stylise your colouring, make it more vibrant, less vibrant, give it a tint, brighten again or enhance certain colours before saving! - a great way i got the hang of colourings is to open up colouring psds other people have made and toggle each adjustment layer on and off to see what difference they make to the base, you'll start to understand what the purpose of each thing is and why the layers are in that specific order.

last but not least, it took me 10 years to make gifs the way i do now ! my early gifs were all experimental, i went through so many phases (some i'm quite ashamed of, like the low vibrance/high saturation + high brightness trick i used to abuse. why did i do that.), and i did in fact master each adjustment layer (by this i mean learn to use them to their best potential) one by one. don't get discouraged, be patient with yourself and don't be afraid to try things !

#answered.#rph #rpc

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marshmallowprotection · 7 months

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Hi Kait! Admittedly, I'm a little embarrassed to ask this, since I'm fairly certain you'll recognize me, but I was looking around your page and I saw that match-ups were open, and... given my intense conflict regarding who the literal fuck I'd actually work well within MysMe, I thought I'd give it a shot. It's a lot easier to talk about myself under the guise of anonymity, so I suppose I'll start there. I'm a college freshman diagnosed with anxiety and depression hoping to get my double major in Psychology and Philosophy, and an eventual PHD in Psych. I am prone to overworking myself and tend to use escapism as an outlet for the fact that I'm never particularly satisfied with my own effort. I spend most of my free time outside of class sitting in my room working on art, writing, or trying to socialize with people (be it online or offline). I play a fair amount of games, but barely have the time to do so because of my tendency to overwork myself. I did a lot of theater and performance throughout my life, so I have a passion for watching musicals and assisting in performances backstage. I like being onstage as well, but previously it's proved more trouble than it's worth, especially since I'm always the 'reliable' cast, not the 'talented' cast. I also have an interest in flower language and plants, despite the fact that I kill most every plant I touch. As for my personality... that one is a little complicated. Offline I perceive myself to be an absolute anxious wreck. I'm always tired and always running around in an attempt to keep up with my responsibilities. However, outwardly people tend to perceive me as confident and knowledgable. I do wonderful in my academics and have a love for debate and asking hard questions, even if internally I am screaming at myself for stuttering or seeming silly. Online I tend to be a lot more open about myself and my emotions, but still fairly guarded as I try my best to maintain my privacy. I try to make people happy and build connections online since I feel more 'myself' there. Once I get close to someone I tend to enjoy peaceful silence with them. I'm a very physically affectionate person as words fail me so often, and I like listening to people just not too much. Chatterboxes get on my nerves, especially when someone repeats the same phrase over and over again. I have noise sensitivity issues as well, which doesn't help things. I'm also terrified of water - specifically the ocean. Any mention of swimming and I panic. I also have slight jealousy issues due to past relationship trauma. I'm 5'7 with a brown pixie cut that's admittedly a little overgrown right now, rose gold rounded square glasses with a slight cat eye, and blue-green eyes that tend to shift colors depending on what I'm wearing. I have quite a few birthmarks littered on my skin - most importantly one above my lip and another under my right eye. My ears are pierced, and I tend to wear black hoops unless I'm dressing up. Day to day I tend to look like your typical tired college student, but if I'm going somewhere I try to dress in cottagecore style attire with lots of sparkly makeup. I'm pan, and my love languages are physical touch and quality time. Something as simple as a hug or a hand to hold can turn me from stressed and panicked to melty and calm in minutes. I value intelligence a lot in a person, which is why I tend to like the nerdy types of characters in media. I also need someone who isn't shy about reminding me to not beat myself up. I tend to spiral anxiety wise a lot, especially if I believe that I've hurt my partner. I want someone who'll be there for me despite the mistakes that we might make. Someone long term. I have two partners currently, but I don't think that I'd end up polyamorous in any other circumstance than those two. Thank you for taking the time to read this, Kait. I apologize for how lengthy it ended up being haha. Please remember that you're greatly appreciated! Have a wonderful day. — 🌸

I match you with...

Jumin!

You value quiet intimacy.

You're not looking for a relationship where you feel as though you have to fill in the silence every waking moment. You want somebody that you can be comfortable with and being comfortable means the world to you. That's what you value at the end of the day. You're not looking for something that has way more energy than you can even remotely handle, you're looking for something that is peaceful and brings you a sense of contentment with your life.

You don't want something that's overwhelmingly fraught with energy. You want to be with somebody after a long day, not saying anything, and just sharing a look that says all that needs to be said. That's your ideal relationship. Mutual understanding. No pressure. Just a silence that says, "I'm here, I'm listening, and you're safe" both ways.

Which is why I was torn between Jaehee and Jumin when I looked at your submission without bias. Ultimately, I came to this conclusion as soon as I noted how you felt as though you needed a partner who had the ability to say something when you need a reminder to be nicer to yourself. and Jumin isn't one to mince words. He'll say what needs to be said and he won't hold back.

That is because he understands that if you are close to him, you'll understand where he's coming from when he says things to you in a very matter-of-fact way. He's not the kind of person who will hold back when you need to hear something.

He understands that you're going to know what he means when he says something bluntly. That's the important thing about being in a relationship with him. He said something from the heart, and he won't hold back if you have communicated to him that you need him to be honest. He will expect the same from you because that is what a great relationship is founded on. Communication. You don't have to be afraid of holding back when you’re with him.

#ask #anon #mod kait #matchup

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ethereousdelirious · 8 months

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I'm so sick of posting these lmaaaooo honestly publishing fills consistently might be harder than actually writing the fills in the first place

Sicktember 2023 Day 26

Prompt: "I'm so sorry"

Fandom: P.okémon

Characters: L.ucian, Cy.nthia

Cynthia stretched her arm across the expanse of the mattress, frowning when nothing met her fingertips but cold, empty sheets. She blinked to full awareness and found a sea of cool blue fabric— where was Lucian?

Stretching, she sat up and looked around. Maybe he'd woken up first and gone to read on the balcony.

Wrapping herself in a knit throw blanket, Cynthia stood and ventured into the living room. On the TV, a game show aired in bright colors, the volume so low that the sound came out as a mere murmur. Lucian reclined on the couch, eyes half mast behind his glasses.

"Baby?" Cynthia said softly.

He replied with a string of coughs, answering all her unasked questions with the spasm of his chest. "Sorry," he said when he was done, leaning against the back of the couch with his eyes closed. "I woke up with a fever and I didn't want…" He trailed off with a sigh, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead. "Thought it would be better if I didn't stay."

Contagion be damned.

Cynthia stood over him and kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger on the damp, smoldering heat.

Lucian sniffled. "So much for that," he said, but with a gentle fondness buried beneath the congestion in his voice.

"Have you eaten?" Cynthia asked, pulling back. Absently, she let her hand rest on his forehead now like she could force his fever down with touch alone.

"I… haven't done much of anything, to be honest." Lucian's flush darkened, his skin heating up beneath her hand.

She smiled down at him and ruffled his hair. "That's good. You're supposed to be resting."

Leaving Lucian tucked under the throw blanket, Cynthia got busy in the kitchen. She made miso soup and coffee and arranged everything on a tray alongside a bottle of cold medicine just in case.

She found Lucian marking on a piece of paper when she returned to the living room, the irritated pink of his nose a few shades darker than it had been before.

Forgetting her self-assigned task, Cynthia stood with the tray balanced on both palms. "What's that?"

"Tallying up my winnings," Lucian said, nodding at the TV, where an old rerun of Kadrabra Kwiz was playing. "I got the Alazakam bonus t- twice—" He interrupted himself with a sneeze, jerking his head to the side with a convulsive motion that made his hair fall in his face. Sniffling, he shook away the curtain of indigo curls that had fallen into his eyes. "By my calculations, we're… Yes, filthy rich."

Cynthia set the tray down on the coffee table and sat beside Lucian so she could brush his hair back properly. He shivered a little, noticeably holding back from leaning into her. "What'll you buy, millionaire?" she asked, looking into his eyes. They both knew that either one of them had the funds to do essentially whatever they wanted, but Cynthia loved to tease.

Lucian shuddered under the gentle touch of her fingertips and pulled the blanket closer around his shoulders. "Nothing you couldn't buy for yourself."

"It means more when it's a present from you "

For a moment, the weariness disappeared from his face and he smiled warmly at her. "A villa in every region, for starters. And a swimsuit for each of them."

"What color?" she pressed, twirling one of his locks around her pointer finger.

He swept his eyes down the length of her body and she looked down at herself. Though she wore pastel sleepwear, pastel didn't really suit her. Colors like black and white were easier to style, though Lucian had admitted long ago he loved to see her in other colors, particularly red. It was clear now from the hungry look on his face that he was imagining it, though the effect was dampened by the shivering and exhaustion apparent in every line of his body. Cynthia leaned over and handed him the small bowl of miso soup.

"Red," said Lucian finally, taking it distractedly. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Ah." She hadn't thought about that. Laughing at herself, she darted to the kitchen and got herself a bowl.

In the short time that she'd been gone, Lucian seemed to have worsened. His posture had slipped a little and he shivered so hard that the broth sloshed in his untouched bowl.

Cynthia sat down again and snuggled up to him. A long time ago, she'd thought Lucian's tendency to hide and downplay his maladies was due to a strong desire to be independent, to be strong and silent. That he hated to be pitied, to be coddled.

In fact, the opposite was true. Lucian was simply stoic by nature and responded favorably to a gentle treatment. So Cynthia kissed his arm and nuzzled into the thick fabric of his hoodie like an Eevee, gazing up at him with Baby-Doll Eyes. "You'll feel better after you eat," she said. "And there's coffee so you don't get a headache."

Lucian nodded and took a sip of the broth, shifting uncomfortably between Cynthia and the armrest. "I know… I just, I—" He broke off with a shaky huff and rubbed his face with his free hand.

"I know, baby." Cynthia pulled back. Maybe she was crowding him. "Eat some of the seaweed for me and then you can have some medicine, okay?"

Lucian, for his part, was always a cooperative patient. Even now, when he clearly wasn't feeling up for much of anything, he managed to finish his miso soup. It was more than Cynthia had been expecting given his earlier reluctance.

"Do you feel any better?" she asked. He'd stopped shivering, at least."

"Not as cold," he said listlessly, looking around. "Do you know what time it is?" He ducked his head to cough into the crook of his arm, eyes up like he wasn't done talking. "I, um… We were going to go to that book signing today."

"Oh!" Cynthia had forgotten all about that. It wasn't the kind of thing she was really interested in, some meet and greet for an author Lucian liked. But it was important to him and she hadn't had plans, so she'd agreed to go. "Oh." Lucian had been so excited, too. "I'm sorry, baby." A sharp intake of breath from Lucian made her pause and she waited for him to finish sneezing before continuing, "Do you want me to go without you?"

Blinking tears out of his eyes, he raised his head to look at her. "Would you?"

"Of course I would."

#ethereous writes #sicktember 2023

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insideoutstory · 2 years

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Okay, the real question is HOW did you get the ‘Inside Out’ Title to look like the Stranger Things title???

Oh for sure! 💕 Well, the easiest way is to go to this site and type in whatever you want. This works if you just want text on a blue background, the way I have it in my chapter snippets. But you might be looking to put it over your own image or edit, like my story cover. If you're looking to do it in Photoshop, it's a little more involved.

Quick tutorial under the cut!

So this will take a couple different layers. First thing you’ll need is the Stranger Things font, which is called Benguiat. I’m pretty sure it’s free with Adobe, and they even use a Stranger Things background as one of the examples. You want the font to be black to start.

Generally, you want to put the longer text on top and then shorter text centered on the bottom. Once you’re happy with your text, you’re gonna add the two rectangles on either side, also in black.

At this point, I suggest compiling them into one group. Then you want to duplicate that group, retitle it something that will make sense to your brain, and then turn the original folder off for now. (Don’t delete it just yet.)

The next thing you want to do is add a stroke effect to the layer. (If you haven’t used it before, you’ll see this menu pop up when you click the “fx” icon under your layer column.) You’ll want to do this on each individual layer. You can adjust the stroke width and color to your liking depending on your psd. Because of the way neon lights work, I generally go for a dark, saturated pink rather than a pure saturated red, but that’s entirely up to you.

Next, go to the sidebar and bring the fill of each layer down to 0%. The fill, not the opacity. The opacity will affect the layer as a whole, while the fill will only affect the data in the layer, not the effects added to it. Once you have the fill of all layers ay 0% and your initial group turned off, you should be left with just the red outline of your graphic.

The next thing you’re going to do is rasterize each of your working layers. Basically, Photoshop is focused on the pixels inside the letters, and is adding some pixels to outline it. By rasterizing the layer, we tell Photoshop just to focus on those outlining pixels.

If you haven’t already, now is a good time to put your working layers into one folder. Once you have them all together, we’re going to to back to the layer style tab on the bottom and select outer glow.

Because we rasterized the layer, the glow will show up on both sides of the outline. If you haven’t rasterized the layer, you’ll only see the glowing effect on the outside of the letters.

This is a menu that you might just want to play around with. Photoshop has some built in color gradients to mimic neon colored lights, or you can just use one solid color like pure red. You’ll be able to set the size, spread, and opacity, and then I also suggest playing around with your blend mode. Depending on what kind of background you’re working on, different things might look best. I usually go with either “Screen” or “Hard Light” depending on how harsh I want the color to look.

So at this point, you could pretty much stop, if you’re looking for either a transparent png or a solid color background. But a lot of us are using this for story covers and edits and the like, in which case you probably have a more complicated background.

If you’re adding a photo to the back, or you already have one that’s there, I’d suggest turning on the original group of shapes that you made in black, which should be under the neon effect. Change the blend mode to Multiply and then play with the opacity until you’re happy. This will help the words pop without getting lost in the detail of your background image.

And that’s about all I’ve got! I hope this was helpful and made sense. I don’t consider myself to be a PS expert, so there might well be an easier way to do this, but this is what I’ve got haha.

#stranger things #tutorial #photoshop tutorial #stranger things tutorial #stranger things fanfiction

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