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book-o-scams · 3 years

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'Sorry Wrong Ed' Alternate Ending Storyboard Sequence

Check out Al Kang's Ed, Edd n Eddy portfolio!

Al Kang worked on the show during seasons 3-4 and had roles on the storyboard and prop teams apparently. (IMDb says he was credited as Al Choi at the time, but it also says he worked on season 1 episodes, which doesn't line up with the timeline he mentioned.. anyway.)

I discovered his portfolio a few months ago after seeing fandom discussion of the alternate 'Sorry Wrong Ed' ending. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few other treats as well! But yes, I even sorta liked what I learned about 'Sorry Wrong Ed' in the process... (I threw in a little analysis comparing the two endings at the bottom)

I noticed Al seemed to mix up the order on these, so I thought I'd try my best to figure out the right order. This was the most confusing one for me to try and figure out the order of since almost all 8 pages were out of order. I think I finally figured out what's going on in the original ending.

So this alternate ending starts at an unknown point with Eddy flat on the ground, presumably injured, picking himself back up. At this point in the final cut of the episode, Eddy has just been squashed by a tree, but this seems more like a different injury, and he's not even retaining his injuries from the truck scene... The scenes with Jonny and Plank from the final cut of the episode seem to not exist at all here, Jonny and Plank don't appear in this sequence.

Anyway, Eddy picks himself up in the middle of an on-going scene, sees Jimmy drop a coin in a jar for Ed, who has inexplicably turned the cursed phone into a scam on his own. Edd is glaring at the off-screen kids, who have somehow learned about this phone and are excited to kill Eddy with it.

Eddy: "Jimmy! No!"

Jimmy answers the phone: "Hello?"

Ed: "HA HA HA"

Edd: "You people don't seriously believe--"

Then we sync up with gags that did happen in the ending of Sorry Wrong Ed, with context that makes its tone a little more sadistic than random. Jimmy's paid phonecall drops the sandbox on Eddy.

This page has the most skeletal dialogue...

Kev: "Yes." (I think he's meant to be fist pumping because Eddy got hurt, more of a "Yes!")

Jimmy: "BAD LUCK EDDY PHONE." (this dialogue must have been a placeholder)

Edd: "HA HA" (sarcastic ha-ha or did Al mean to write "Ed" for this?)

Jimmy seems to offer the phone to Edd.

We sync up again with Edd's denial from the final cut of this episode, except now it actually makes sense that he's so one-track-minded, because there are people actively arguing with him and keeping him disengaged from the victim.

Edd: "There must be a cargo plane overfilled with playground supplies..."

Sarah interrupts him.

RING RING

Sarah: "Oh, that's for me."

Eddy at this point holds Ed responsible, as he should, and starts running to stop Ed or Sarah. Ed offers no explanation for his betrayal.

Eddy: "Ed! What are you doing!?"

Sarah: "Hello?"

Sarah's paid phonecall summons the hippos, the most random moment in the final cut of the episode. Note how both of these slapstick gags were storyboarded on the same generic background, seems like the lane or an empty lot, but clearly a different location than Eddy's front yard from the aired ending.

And that's all we have to go off of!

I'll put my updated opinions below the cut, but suffice it to say, I like the episode a little better now! Knowing what the ending was going to be and trying to figure out the choices that led to the ending we got, I feel more appreciative that it didn't end up a lost episode or something and less annoyed that it was 11 minutes of one joke.

I know I have a reputation for not finding slapstick funny and disliking this episode, but violence was never my only issue. Lots of episodes have lackluster slapstick that I just let wash over me. My point that never gets as much focus is that this episode never felt FINISHED to begin with. It's just a slapstick vacuum with no ending and no point, and it used to be frustrating to me not knowing for sure if my hunch was right or not that it felt like the episode just wasn't working and they had to cobble it together from the scenes that almost worked.

I am surprised to say I like the episode more now that I know that is pretty close to the truth. Judging from this peek into the episode's development, this episode seems to have reached Danny Antonucci's and/or Wootie's (the episode's lead board artist) limit for being mean-spirited with the characters without a reason. I'll still probably avoid rewatching it, but knowing the episode has no ending specifically because it's been trimmed to bare bones is somehow reassuring.

The most obvious flaw to this original ending is the lack of motivation for Ed's or the kids' actions. The kids presumably still weren't in the rest of the episode, so there's really no reason for them to be here other than reiterating the same idea from 'Your Ed Here' and 'The Good Ole Ed' that the neighborhood kids are always looking for a reason to gang up on Eddy, something that isn't really true of those characters in earlier seasons.

I think I can imagine how, on paper (in the writers' outline), this episode sounded funnier. Trying to imagine this ending as part of the whole episode, I think the script's idea of the final joke is that Ed is not satisfied with ending the tests at the point where they tried to return the phone to Rolf. I think Ed converts the curse-testing process to a scam at that point, building off of how Ed already wasn't processing Eddy's safety in anything so far, and is probably more focused on proving to Edd that curses are real (as Ed was previously in league with Evil Tim). The addition of Ed running his own tests and the kids arguing Eddy's point against Edd's while Eddy's busy, does sound more like a complete manic cartoon boiling point than the way the finished episode just petered out with Edd as the sole antagonist. But unfortunately, in visual execution, suddenly piling in so many aggressive characters and so much random violence at once, would only really result in it petering out at a higher volume.

Meanwhile Edd's characterization is made much more structurally sound in the original ending. He's annoyed FOR Eddy's sake, and the only reason he's not actively helping Eddy is because like 3 other characters were supposed to be arguing with him while this was happening. It seems extremely apparent to me that the cuts made to this ending were for the sake of mitigating Ed's reputation in the fandom, as well as the kids', and I think it's really unfortunate that Edd's characterization was the cost for salvaging everyone else's. I'm glad I already considered his behavior in 'Sorry Wrong Ed' non-canon, because now it feels like the reason the aired ending is so out-of-character is just because Edd is basically arguing with the ghost of the original scene. I formally forgive 'Sorry Wrong Ed'. Production turnarounds are tough and AKA did their best to not turn this into another forgotten 'Special Ed' episode that simply wasn't working.

I think ditching the original ending was ultimately the right call. It was not an exemplary episode, but I can admit it's less out of place to have a pure "vacuum of violence" story than it would've been to essentially give the kids a supernatural revenge plot like this. That would've been really weird to have to accept-- Eddy definitely wouldn't want to be friends with anyone at the end of the movie if THIS was their past. Changing it to an unaware Jonny and a questionably aware Plank being responsible, indeed, was a vibe that landed much more like standard EEnE fare. It was weird enough that the kids all saw Santa in JJJ, can you imagine if they all knew curses were real AND participated in attacking a neighbor with one??

If there was a silver lining for me the first time I saw this episode, it was that none of the kids were directly involved in Eddy's suffering. It made the questionable reality of the cursed device slightly more acceptable that only the Eds and Rolf know about the curse. If this ending had happened, I would've reacted the same, but I would've rejected its continuity even more than I do now, because it would just feel like they animated one of the DC Comics (where the kids can blow the Eds up with fireworks at the end or the Eds can randomly be crushed under an avalanche of anvils)-- the art could end up gorgeous but the characterizations don't exactly land as real human beings, the balance this show strives for typically.

And I think that's all I wanted to say! In the end, I found myself liking 'Sorry Wrong Ed' slightly more than I used to, all thanks to this glimpse into how the animation production system morphs the outcome of a cartoon. Thanks so much to Al Kang, for sharing your art and this insight into the industry! I don't know whether he did both the gesture drawings and the revised art, but judging from his other boards I think the cleaned up art is his, and I liked seeing the poses that almost were!

#ed edd n eddy #sorry wrong ed #al kang #storyboard #concept art #alternate ending #deleted ending #alternate sequence #analysis

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mcrmadness · 3 years

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Madness draws: Behind the Scenes of the latest Farin&Bela pencil drawing.

Aka the one that’s also my icon, even when that was a big risk to take because normally I start hating the photos I have once drawn, especially if I have failed miserably. This is how the drawing itself turned out:

ATTENTION: The original post about that drawing, with better image, behind this link.

This post is solely about the process itself with lots of pictures and also plenty of gifs, because I promised to do one if people would like to see that and I got some comments saying that they’re looking forward for that. So, here’s now that post!

For starters I have to apologize for the terrible quality that is the photos. I used my phone camera only and never thought about posting them, I just took them as a reference for myself and to show the progress to a friend and only after finishing the drawing I noticed that the angle of the camera causes a huge impact on the perspective of the drawing, so I sometimes might have done useless work when I thought some perspective was wrong when it was actually the photo that was wrong and not my work! I mean, take a look at these photos of the finished piece:

You see that? I realized this when I took maybe the second photo of the Farin sheet and looked at it and couldn’t believe my eyes because I didn’t remember drawing his torsto THAT small! And then I looked at the drawing and was like “wtf???” because it looked nothing like in the photo and then it hit me...

Also, another thing that I learn was that I might need to pay more attention to the perspective of the whole thing also because when I draw, I sit at the table so I am constantly seeing the drawing from my perspective instead of looking at it from above so that’s probably also going to affect the way I draw. I try to keep that in mind in the future so I can avoid redrawing things again and again just because my perspective is different than the reference photo’s.

Also the giant forehead of Farin’s in the photo on the right might have caused me to laugh a bit too much but anyway, let’s continue~ Or more like: let’s start for real this time.

Here’s the reference photo to y’all:

What I did in photoshop was to draw a line between them to see how I can divide the photo on two A4 papers. I had been thinking about this photo for some time already because it’s one of my favorites (but now I just feel cringy looking at it after I have drawn it... goddamnit!), and I got this idea that I could try drawing it on two papers in case I fuck up so I can start over or try again without having to do twice the work! Which was actually a good decision because this was the first version of Farin:

And it was awful. I also realized I had never drawn Farin’s face from he front. I have drawn him before from the side a few times but maybe once it came out actually good so that was why I decided to do the 2 paper method - because I knew it was not going to be an easy job! Bela is relatively easy to draw so I knew already that I would not have too many problems with that one.

I struggled with Farin’s eyes the most, at first.

It took me a while to figure out how to do that white line in his lower lid. Keep in mind that this was my first face portrait in over 10 years so I was very, very rusty and I just didn’t remember how to draw like anything anymore. (The photo is tilted because Bela’s face is a bit tilted and my hand can’t draw anything that is not straight [lol] so I have to rotate the photo in order to even draw the sketch of Bela’s eyes.)

So I took my sketchbook and tried to do some eyes...

I was still struggling so much here until I remembered about blending. And I didn’t have my hopes high but grabbed the eyeshadow applicators (my fave tool for blending) anyway, and switched to my other sketchbook in case the paper was the issue and:

Blending. It was all about blending! So with that in mind, I realized I can continue and I don’t need to do these in my old way, everything doesn’t have to have a lineart done but some of the job is done not with the pencils but with the eraser.

Anyhow, the previous Farin looked really bad and was too big as well so I just discarded that and started a new sheet because the old lines were not coming off properly anymore. I don’t remember if this is the old face or new but I think this might still be the old one:

Yes it definitely is the old because look at those lines! This is the new sheet:

And in the photo you can see one of my pencils - I use Derwent Graphic pencils, it’s a 12 pencil set with very soft pencils, starting with H, F and HB and ending to 9B. With this one I used F, HB, B, 2B, 5B, 7B and 9B. The white pencil is actually my new love aka the eraser pencil Koh-I-Noor Hardmuth. It’s amazing, I recommend! I just didn’t order 10 new ones this other day. I actually used about 1,5 full eraser pencils on this drawing alone so that’s why 10.

Here’s a “little” gif of the process on Farin:

I felt crazy when I went for the shirt, and I felt like I was going crazy MEANWHILE drawing it but in the end I did it and I’m super proud of it!

Below is the reference photo, it was pain in the ass to follow all those lines with my eyes and try to find what was I drawing and where was I but I think I did good. That was a fun challenge.

Okay so, when I was done with the new lineart, I decided to go for the shading and blending because that’s what really makes the drawings to pop. I started with the left (his right, my left) side of Farin’s face because I’m right-handed, and in the first photo I had done just the left (right) eye and mouth and nose, but in the second there’s also the other eye done already:

Keep in mind this was not the last time I drew the eyes. Not even close.

Something was off with the right (left) eye so I had to do that one again and I noticed that when you blend but haven’t erased and cleaned it yet, it looks like a black eye :DDD So here’s the before and after images of that cleaning. (Cleaning = I draw, blend, erase, draw and blend more when needed and then erase again, and repeat this as many times as I need until it starts to look ready to my eye.)

So here Farin was “finished” but if you still remember the final piece or compare it to it, you might notice it looks quite different. And you’re right. But more about that later, because at this point I started to work on Bela.

It actually started really well - I also had to do the whole lineart again because it did not match the size of “finished” Farin. I don’t remember if this is the first or second eye but when I had drawn his eye for the first time, I noticed it was not in line with Farin so I had to redraw it. A gif of the progress:

What’s that brown paper I’m using, you may ask? Well I noticed that people have some sort of paper on top of their art to keep it from smudging and I have no clue what that is so here’s my poor artist recommendation: baking paper! I tested it and it works (if you just remember to keep it under your hand, that is...) so that is, in fact, baking paper! :DD

I have drawn Bela’s face a few times before and he’s just so much easier to draw. In fact I used 4-5 days on Farin but I managed to start and finish (this version of) Bela just in one day. And that means that out of 12 hours (because I literally used the whole day for drawing) I used maybe like... 5h or something on Bela. That’s how much easier he really is to draw.

I don’t know wtf is wrong with Farin’s face but he’s extremely difficult to draw and I’m not the only one who has been saying this. I guess he just looks so regular but still unique enough to be difficult to draw. Bela then again has features that are very unique and very... caricature-like? I mean that just by drawing his nose or chin you can make a comic book Bela look exactly like himself, and with more realistic style his eyes already do a lot, but Farin’s really the opposite. My comic book version of Farin is literally the most basic version I can draw, it’s how I draw those characters and the only thing that makes him look himself is the hair, and his nose in a side profile. So I think that’s why it’s so difficult to draw him because he doesn’t look too regular but still regular enough to make is a very challenging task to do properly.

So yeah, the same day as I started working on Bela, I was also “finished” with the drawing:

Also look at how different it looks like from this perspective:

With the reference photo open in photoshop and I don’t understand how Bela looks more like himself in my drawing than in the photo. Also when I showed the WIP to my brother, he said that I somehow had succeeded at making Farin look more like Farin than what he does in the photo even. It’s weird.

But we were still far from finished. I was going to use the fixative on this soon but it just kept snowing the whole week so I couldn’t so every time I walked past the drawings, I stopped to fix this and that. For days I kept telling myself “I’m done, I can’t do more than this, I can’t do better than this.” and considered the drawing finished but still kept fixing things. Every time I was “done” with the other drawing, I saw something to fix in the other one and once that was done, I felt like the first one wasn’t as good and had to fix something from it too. And that led to a cycle where the other drawing was always better than the other and the worse one needed to be fixed. In the end I was hating the whole process and myself and my skills and I was already ready to abandon this whole thing and call it a day and never ever show it to anyone “because I cannot draw”. The photo above, here’s a list of things I redrew after that:

Bela’s eyes, the right (left) one at least twice.

Bela’s nose.

Bela’s mouth a couple of times.

Farin’s eyes x588045028520

And a list of things I kept fixing and fixing:

Bela’s chin.

Bela’s neck shadows.

Bela’s hairline.

Farin’s whole face was tilted so I tried to fix that.

Farin’s face was too wide, which meant also partially redrawing the ear.

Farin’s hair was too long and wide too.

Farin’s nose.

Farin’s mouth might be the only thing I drew only once and I’m actually still extremely proud of how it came to be. I did the lips solely with blending so that was super exciting to notice how I can use it for drawing and don’t need the pencils for everything!

During Bela’s eyes and nose and mouth especially I was hating myself so much and I felt like I was taking the risk of ruining the whole thing and a few times I was certain that was what I had just done too, until I somehow was able to save it again. But because of that, I wasn’t able to make Bela’s mouth any lighter anymore, the color wasn’t just coming off the paper so had to use what was there and make it look like it’s how it’s supposed to be, too.

Here’s a gif about those changes on Bela - the first one has the old eyes and nose, the others have minor changed on the nose and mouth:

(The blacks probably don’t get any blacker in reality, I did add more color to it all the time but mainly it’s just the lighting and my phone camera changing the brightness.)

I did the final details on his nose without even using the reference photo anymore. The photo didn’t seem to make any sense anymore at all so I was just using my mechanical pencil and the blending tool and eraser to make is look better. To my eye it looked more like a very flat nose with a big tip of the nose and he doesn’t have a flat nose and I tried to get rid of that illusion. I still feel like it makes him look bit weird but I’m not entirely sure how. Maybe it was because of my improvisation, idk...

So, Bela was then finally finished for the last time. In the Farin piece his left (right) eye had been bugging me the whole time and I didn’t want to touch it but still I felt like I have to do something about it because it was bugging me way too much. I then figured I could draw the eye line by line and take a photo of it each time to see if it looks right already or not, maybe I could then avoid doing all the phases before I was sure what to think about it. I mean, now the only way to see if it was correct was to draw e.g. an eye from start to finish, I couldn’t see from just the lineart or unblended eye if it was in the right spot etc. And here’s that progress on a gif:

The gif about only the eye would look so nice if Tumblr didn’t make the gifs so HUGE - this one is actually only 300px or 400px or something:

Apparently I also wasn’t happy with the other eye because:

But good thing is: I really enjoy drawing eyes. I love seeing them to “come alive”, my favorite part was to eraser a bit of the color on the iris to make them look like they are actually shiny! It feels like something so small to do and yet it makes a huge impact on the drawing!

And here’s yet another gif of the whole Farin sheet with all of the changes, including the last changes that made his head narrower, and less tilted and more in line. Look at the left side of his head especially to see that:

I can also see his nose changing between the first few photos. I keep forgetting about that but yeah, I also fixed that a little at some point.

And last but not least, the whole drawing in some sort of a timelapse gif:

Last two are the same but just a photo and the scan of the finished drawing. I still keep seeing things I would do differently but no can do, I already used fixative on it, also to keep myself from obsessing with it any more :D And to use it as a study of some sort. I have never been able to draw a perfect pencil drawing and this isn’t one either. I probably never can draw perfect drawings from references.

I do enjoy the whole shading and blending process, so much so that when I was editing these photos, I just wanted to start drawing something so bad but I also figured that I start to lose motivation when I get to the point where everything should be finished but I just can’t make it perfect. Like the current WIP I have, all I should do is to get the proportions and perspective and the lines of their faces correctly and I would be ready but it feels more like a superpower some people possess and I’m not one of those. I don’t know what is it but I just feel that I cannot see. I don’t know how to explain it, but I can’t see what I try to do and somehow keep drawing everything the wrong way. Just like in this post’s drawing too. There’s still things that are wrong and I know what it is but I don’t know how to solve it. My hands just don’t listen to me and they can’t do what I think they should. I also think the reason I cannot draw perfect copies of photos is because you can always see my “handprint” in them. If I copy a photo, it will look like a photo and not like a drawing made by me. So I believe that in my drawing there’s always a part of me visible and I’m not entirely sure if it’s a good thing or not. On bad days it’s not a good thing, obviously. On good days? Well I guess it’s good then because it just means I have my own style which I really should appreciate. But I wish I had my style only when I want it to be visible, but I can’t control it. Just like I cannot write text by hand that would look like it was written with a computer, so I guess I should just try to get used to it, no matter how much it’d bug me sometimes.

#mcrmadness draws #mcrmadness draws: behind the scenes #dä fanart #die ärzte

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ooak-tree-dolls · 5 years

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What materials do I use? What to avoid? And some basic rules.

In this post I will show you which materials I use, which are good for dolls & which you should avoid (and why). There will also be some basic rules about how to use each medium. If you want to check on how to cut costs on basic materials and what to get to start your first repaint – check my previous post here. OK, so let’s get started…

SEALANTS

Sealants are a must! You need a layer of something “toothy” over vinyl (or plastic or resin) for your watercolor pencils and pastel dust to stick to. Sealants used as last layer also make your work waterproof & permanent.

Basic rules of working with sealant

ALWAYS and I mean it – always – use vapor mask! Even when working with an airbrush. Other options? You’ll die. Or get cancer. Or asthma. Just wear the goddamn’ mask! You need a good vapor mask with disposable filters, that are meant for lacquer and chemical vapors. Mine uses A1P2 filter type. Most popular and good brand? 3M. Those cheap paper masks that make you look like a Dr. house? It’s shit. It doesn’t even protect you from a flu. Buy a good mask. You either spend like $15 on a mask… or $5000 on a coffin – the choice is yours. Just be warned.

you need at least 2-3 layers of sealant as a base before you even start to work with your doll. Just think about it as creating a paper from scratch – you need some thickness to it or you’ll just punch a hole in the layer with your sharp pencils. If you start with basic shading – 2 layers is enough. If you start with drawing some basic lines & shapes – I would recommend 3 layers.

each sealant layer needs time to dry – usually it is 15-30 minutes per layer. What means you spray the doll – you leave it to dry – you spray the doll – you leave it to dry. There is no safe way to make it faster and working. Sealant compounds must dry and cure properly. Heating it will cause the sealant to get sticky and gooey – you don’t want that. Some things just need time – this is one of those.

always spray in a ventilated area: either it will be a garage, a basement, your kitchen with kitchen vent/ hood working, or even a room you don’t sleep in, that have more than one window and great air flow. Spray residue can harm your lungs. Why? Not because it’s radioactive shit that will make you glow in the dark… geez. Because tiny sealant particles can get to your lungs, stay there, harden, and lesser your lung capacity. It can give you headache and asthma in best case scenario, or evolve into cancer in the worst scenario. Therefore you always spray in a ventilated area and wear a mask.

spray with good weather. Heat and high humidity can affect how sealant layers dry and cure over time. If it’s too hot – sealant won’t cure. Too cold – it cannot evaporate. Too humid – it cannot dry. It seems like a lot, but besides extreme weather, you can spray almost any day. If it’s not super hot, no snow blizzards or heavy rains – you’re good to go. Or you can always spray indoors 🙂

spray from at least one feet /30-40cm distance, in short series. You rather want to dust your doll in a delicate sealant cloud, than pour it in a heavy rain of sealant. Thin layers. Proper distance. And you’ll be good.

give your can a good shake. Best way is to warm the can in your hands for several minutes and then vigorously shake up and down for 1-2 minutes. The better you shake your sealant – the thinner and smoother layer you’ll get. Shaking helps all ingredients to mix well, warm up, and makes pressure inside can higher. If you learn all the basics of how to properly use sealant – you can be sure no matter what brand you’ll choose – it will always give you great results.

Sealant brands – pros and cons of each

MSC

Most popular among doll artists is MSC aka Mr. Super Clear, but it is also really expensive, sold in tiny cans and really hard to get in some areas. Why it’s so pricey? Because it’s good. Obviously. But also because it is produced and imported from Japan – a small country, located on several bigger and smaller islands – so shipping anything from there costs tons of money!

MSC pros: – creates good tooth to surface – usually 2 layers are enough as a base – widely known & tested – waterproof MSC cons: – pricey! – hard to find in some areas – sold in small cans – very vulnerable to air humidity and temperature – tends to lighten surface – new Matt version tends to crack over time

See the problem? If you want your doll’s head to perfectly match the body – you must either spray both with MSC or constantly checking shade of the head and blush it with pastels.

CITADEL Munitorum Varnish aka Purity Seal It’s basically MSC in bigger can 😀 Made in UK. Widely popular among miniature artists and board game players. If you have a nerd friend playing miniature games – he’ll know how to help you get this one! My sealant of choice ❤ Munitorum Varnish pros: – big can! – fair price – creates good tooth – less vulnerable to weather conditions – waterproof – a bit elastic – won’t crack Munitorum Varnish cons: – mostly available in boardgame stores or online – must be sprayed from a proper distance, or it will tend to cure into a satin finish – usually needs 3 layers as a base for watercolor pencils Most of my repaints were made with Munitorum Varnish spray 🙂 Army Painter and Vallejo Spray Matte Sealant

Those are meant to be used with wargame miniatures. They are less popular than other brands. They both give a nice surface to work with watercolor pencils, but colors on them aren’t as bold as with MSC or CITADEL. The biggest con I have with these two is the packaging – both Army Painter;s and Vallejo’s Sealant cans ended up with broken nozzle just after few uses. I have no idea what causes it – but the nozzle tends to crack or getting clogged easily. You can buy spare ones, but I just let them go for other, easier to use for me, media. Tamiya C matte sealant

It’s also Japanese sealant, same as MSC. Sold in tiny cans [is everything in Japan tiny? Why? ] and meant to be used with wargame minis. I used only one can of it, because of it’s horrible smell. Even tho it gave me a good surface to work with, and can was easy to operate – I felt the smell even in my pro mask with filters. And even after 4 hours with wide opened windows in my apartment. If you have a basement or a garage – you can probably use it with more success.

Hint for drying a doll in humid climate!

For those who are afraid of air humidity in their region, or have a sneaky furry friend as a part of their family – there is a trick to help you save your dolls and let them dry safely! It’s a drying chamber / dry box. Basically a plastic box, filled with silica gel packets [those do-not-eat baggies you can find in new pair of shoes or newly bought bag] and some tiny holes poked in a lid. You can put the doll there and leave it to fully dry in most clean and dry conditions you can get at home. Also – without any fluff particles, fur or dust bunnies that could be stuck to a wet sealant layer.

PAINTS

When it comes to paints I always recommend miniature painting brands. Why? Because they are meant to be used with tiny surfaces! Miniature paints have the smallest pigment particles you can get – it helps you get smoother layers and better coverage than any art grade paint. These paints are also a bit elastic after fully dry so they won’t chip off easily, even from squishy vinyl heads. They’ve meant to be used with resin wargame and boardgame miniatures – tiny objects that are often used, moved around and thrown to a box without air pillows. They can really withstand a lot more than your usual acrylics. The only con I can find is that they need a lot more practice than pencils to achieve same results. You need to learn how to control your paint thickness and train a steady hand to achieve clean lines and smooth layers.

ALWAYS thin your paints before use! Either with water or paint thinner. – you need it to get smooth layers without gritty or lumpy texture and to avoid future chipping. Paints are not meant to give full coverage in one layer, so don’t try to achieve that. As with any other medium on a tiny surface – work with thin layers, patiently building up color and coverage.

What people usually are afraid of is that paints are sold in small bottles so they won’t last long. But it’s not true! Thanks to great coverage and small scale we work with you really don’t need much at a time. You also usually use paint thinned down with water or dedicated thinner in 50/50 ratio.

Paint brands – pros and cons of each

CITADEL [ sometimes called Games Workshop]

It’s a brand of paints that was created for Warhammer miniatures. It’s probably the most popular brand in the miniature artists world. CITADEL pros: – variety of colors – different lines for different special effects, eg. drybrushing, layering etc. – easy to find both in stores and online – good coverage CITADEL cons: – poor package – it makes paints dry out faster – thick – it needs acrylic thinner to work properly – you can feel overwhelmed with how many lines they have for different things [mostly unnecessary ones, like Dry line for example]

Vallejo

It’s a Spanish brand, very popular among pro painters. My personal choice ❤ I love all their series, they have clear descriptions, lots of additional mediums, and what’s great – they last forever! Vallejo pros: – great package! It’s almost impossible for these to dry out or spill, or use too much of it – variety of colors – from vibrant Game Color series, Metallic mediums in all colors to Model Color in more toned down shades – lots of different mediums: metallizers, thinners, shading media etc. – great quality and coverage Vallejo cons: – they are a bit harder to find outside EU, most often available online – outside of EU they can cost a bit more than Citadel

Army Painter This is typically a wargame miniature designed brand. Their colors are more earthy and calm, more toned down – meant to be used for skin tones and army uniforms. If you’re looking something super vibrant – that’s not your type. They have similar packages to Vallejo –a tiny bottle with dropper.

Tamiya Japanese brand of paints. Sold in tiny jars. I must say I don’t like these packages neither working with a bit jelly consistency of these paints. Big pros of these is their long tradition on market – probably any miniature model store will have Tamiya paints – from wargame stores to these for car or train lovers. If you want to try these – you aim for Tamiya C series – acrylic based paints. P3 and Pactra Similar to Army Painter – these are more into natural shades. I worked with them shortly, because they’re less available where I live. Their coverage isn’t as good as other brands. Still – they give great smooth layers when dry.

What else do I need to start with paints?

paintbrushes – duuuh! 😉 I recommend getting tiny paintbrushes, often referred to as miniature brushes, in sizes of 1,2, 0, 00, and 000. Preferably sable bristles or nylon. Nylon brushes are cheaper but last shorter. Sable ones are pricey but properly cleaned will last for years.

paint thinner – I use Vallejo Airbrush Thinner. Thinner changes surface tension of the paint, which allows you to dilute paint without losing as much coverage as it is when diluting with water. Diluted paint gives you a smoother layer and thinner, sharper lines – eg. when you want to paint eyelashes.

brush cleaner – I use 2in1 hair shampoo with conditioner because it cleans brushes without damaging sable bristles. Remember to always use lukewarm water for your brushes, never too hot! Hot water will damage your paintbrushes and make paint harden around bristles.

WATERCOLOR PENCILS

You can only use watercolor pencils – normal colored pencils are your worst enemy! Why? Usually colored pencil core is a mix of pigments, mineral oils and binder – they are meant to be used on paper and sip into it thanks to addition of mineral oils. Sadly that’s the main villain – mineral oil, or basically any other oil, will destroy sealant layers. It will make layers sticky and fragile. It will prevent sealant from curing and your work won’t be permanent or waterproof.

On the other hand – watercolor pencils are made from tightly compressed, clean, water-soluble pigments. Nothing more. Just pigments that can be dissolved by using water. They are dry, and allow sealant to cure properly. They will also give you clean, sharp lines.

Please remember, that if you want colors to stand out – you will work with layers over layers over layers. First layer won’t be super-saturated in color, since there isn’t too much pigment yet. You need to seal your work several times and re-draw any details you want to be more saturated. But thanks to working with pencils – it’s an easy and fast process – just remember to always leave sealant layer for recommended time to dry 🙂

Do I need to wet my pencils?

– no, you don’t. But you can. If you want sharp lines, tiny details and great control over the final result – use your pencils dry. If you’ll need a bigger surface to be covered in one color, or maybe a smooth transition between colors – use dry pencils on the doll, and then damp brush to smooth em’ out.

Never ever dip pencil core in water cup! It will make the core soft, mushy and fragile. And you won’t be able to properly sharpen it for days, before all the moisture evaporates.

Watercolor Pencil brands – pros and cons of each

What brands I recommend? What I use? – I worked with Derwent Watercolor, Derwent Inktense, Kooh-i-Noor Mondeluz and Faber Castel. Derwent Watercolor It’s most recommended brand. Easily available online and in stores worldwide. Derwent offers soft core with great saturation. It is also easy to sharpen. Derwent Watercolor pros: – widely available – great quality – great saturation – lots of colors to choose from – can be bought per piece and in sets – easy to sharpen

Derwent Watercolor cons: – fragile core – they sometimes tend to break on the tip if sharpened too much – high price – colors on outer shell are often different than what you get when drawing – make sure to have your own swatches on paper!

Derwent Inktense

Those are basically Chinese inks in form of a pencil. They are meant to be used on silk and cotton fabrics wet and are waterproof when dry. They have great color saturation but give slightly translucent layers. White is their weakest point – you’ll prefer to get it from other brand.

Derwent Inktense pros: – vivid colors – easy to sharpen – can be bought by piece – widely available – tougher core

Derwent Inktense cons: – white gives almost no coverage – any lighter color will be semi translucent – pricey – sadly the outer shell does not match inner core colors as well

Kooh-i-Noor Mondeluz This is a Czech brand with great tradition [they were funded in 1790] and are probably the cheapest watercolor pencils you can get with one of the best quality pigments. They offer big palette of colors in very reasonable prices.

Kooh-i-Noor Mondeluz pros: – they are cheap – lots of colors to choose from – very good saturation – give smooth layers – white offers great coverage – outside shell exactly match core color you’ll get

Kooh-i-Noor Mondeluz cons: – outside of EU mostly available online – they can only be bought in sets – from 12 to 72 colors – they are a bit harder to sharpen – you’ll need new, good quality sharpener because of their smooth inner core

Faber-Castel Albrecht Durer Watercolor pencils

Those are thicker than any other pencils you’ll find. They are easy to grip and offer bold colors. And they cost a ton of gold!

Faber-Castel Albrecht Durer pros: – thick, easy to grip pencils – bold colors – easy to dissolve with water if you want smooth color transitions – can be used with a paintbrush instead of paint

Faber-Castel Albrecht Durer cons: – thick core won’t give you tiniest details – very soft – hard to sharpen – very pricey – hard to find – available only in sets – lesser choice of colors – dry and wet color will look totally different

Best thing about making repaint with watercolor pencils is that you don’t need nothing more to start – no paintbrushes, thinners, cups with water etc. Just the pencils and a sharpener and you’re ready to go! It’s also the most popular artistic medium – we all had pencils as kids, so we all know how to handle them. There is less space for an error than with paints.

Soft Pastels

– soft pastels, or something else?

Pastels are used for blushing and shading. With bigger than 1:6 dolls or for more advanced artists – pastels are often skipped for an airbrush, but they give this soft, natural look that cannot be achieved by anything else. Think of them like a girl’s make up 😉

As any other medium pastels need a basic layer of sealant to grip to. You can use them with normal paintbrushes, Q-tips, cotton swabs or new, unused makeup brushes. I prefer the last option because makeup brushes offer softer bristles than other brushes – that will result in a smooth shading.

You can use the cheapest brushes you’ll find in your local beauty store – they don’t need to be clinically tested or gentle for skin – you’ll use them for dolls only! Why you need a new set of makeup brushes instead of using your old ones? Because human skin is oily. Always. Any type of human skin will be covered in natural sebum, that will over time sip into makeup brush and no washing session can fully clean it from bristles. And as I mentioned before – you need to avoid any oil near your dolls.

You can use soft pastels sold in blocks, or already ground into dust [eg. Pan Pastel]. You can even get pure mineral pigments.

What brands I recommend? What I use? – I mostly use Kooh-i-Noor, Stabilo and mineral pigments. Recommended brands will be same as for watercolor pencils: Derwent, Faber Castel, Prismacolor. You aim for good quality pastels – soft, highly packed with pigments, with small % of binders and fillers.

How to use soft pastels?

you can use them as they are – simply dab your makeup brush over pastel block to get some pigment

you can grind it on sandpaper – 400 or finer grit is best

you can scratch some dust with craft knife over a paper

you can be lazy and buy already ground pastels or pigments 😀

Mineral pigments instead of soft pastels?

I often use pure mineral pigments, that I got for cheap in local eco beauty store. If you want ever to use a human make up product on dolls – you must always check if what you get is a pure mineral product without silicones, parabens or any kind of oils.

Because otherwise – as you already know – you will destroy your doll.

No, Rhonda, your eye shadow set won’t work! No, they are no good, I don’t care how much you’ve paid for them.

Pure mineral pigments are often offered by brands that specialize in mineral make up, like Annabelle Minerals etc. They can also be bought on Etsy from small manufacturers or in local eco beauty stores. They are already finely ground, with no additional fillers, so they offer bold vivid colors with great coverage and smooth layering. You will also often get mineral shimmers and glitters, that are fine enough to be used on doll eye make up. Read the labels, ask seller about full list of ingredients – and you’ll be good 🙂 And those are mineral pigments I have from my local store:

OTHER GOODIES

– what you can use, and what should be avoided at any cost? What else you can use for doll faceup? – any kind of textile glue to attach eyelashes – human grade eyelashes – any craft glitters – 3D paints – any acrylic based inks and contour paints – POSCA acrylic markers – nail art stickers, rhinestones or coloring dust – decals –but you’ll need to seal them at least 2 times after they are dry! What to avoid? – anything with oils – either mineral or natural – human makeup products: powders, eye shadows, eyeliners, body shimmers etc. – normal colored pencils – oil pastels – alcohol-based inks – they will sip into vinyl and destroy it – Sharpies!!! no, they are not good, neither for faces or for hair – they will bleed over time – permanent markers – Mod Podge instead of gloss or varnish – it will get sticky and yellow over time. And no amount of sealant will save it. – nail polish – yes, it will hold to sealed vinyl head, but it’s too stiff when dry and will chip off easily – gouache paints or caulk paints – they will chip off – any cheap art grade spray sealant / fixative – they will get sticky on vinyl and provide no tooth

If you are interested on my notes about dyeing doll hair – check this note here.

Doll LAB: recommended materials. Tips & tricks. What materials do I use? What to avoid? And some basic rules. In this post I will show you which materials I use, which are good for dolls & which you should avoid (and why).

#acrylic paints #derwent #doll repaint #doll sealant #MSC #Munitorum Varnish #Purity Seal #recommended sealant #sealant #watercolor pencils #what sealant #what sealant to use on doll

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markoftheasphodel · 5 years

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Thoughts on the Jagen Club (FEH-centric)

So I drafted this last year, when I started playing with “Depression Meals” and then “This Could Be Us,” then sat on it for about a year. The rundown on Gharnefs compiled by @airlock inspired me to finish this up and get it out because it ain’t doing me any good sitting in my drafts, is it? This basically just served as my initial round of impressions on how FE Heroes was treating my beloved class of “veteran horsey-type knights” aka Jagens and why the Heroes representation inspired me to write crack ‘fic and less cracky explorations of the gang.

So, here goes...

Jagen: Good Grandpa

Jagen rocks. No, seriously, I love this guy and I love what Heroes did with him visually and character-wise (unit-wise... well, none of these are top-tier units and we will leave it at that). See, one gets the feeling Jagen's had a really good life up to at least late middle age. He came from a small but prosperous kingdom where life was good, he served a worthy king, and basically he's got joie de vivre animating him even in his obvious old age.

(This is one reason I kind of view Jagen as the actual ideal knight in FE. If you're a young knight and you end up like him, good on you. You end up like some of these others, my condolences. Kids like Roderick and Silas should take note.)

He's not that complex-- just a good-hearted old warhorse stomping around to prove he can keep up with the colts. My favorite line is probably the one he uses for a bad level-up, though-- a bracing shot of self-contempt: “I have dishonored my rank and my country.”

Gunther: Bad Grandpa

He looks like Axe Jagen. Past middle age, thinks himself as a parent-figure to his liege Corrin, offers to chat over tea. But unlike Jagen, his kingdom's a mess, his life is shot through with tragedy (the scar on his face is, as usual, representative of more than skin damage), and Gunther lets it all hang out during one of his specials quotes: “I will have my revenge!” That and the line “My armor has known...so much blood” hints that there’s more to this guy than tea parties. So what’s the deal with Gunther? Uh... depends on which route(s) of Fates you played. Heroes doesn’t really pick a “side” as far as Gunther goes so IDK look up Revelation on a wiki I guess. It’s wild.

But the way he presents himself is quite engaging! Would have tea with, etc.

Titania: Team Mom

Confident and chatty Titania is the resident ray of sunshine among veteran horsey-riders. She’s happy to take up menial tasks because they gotta be done, but she’s definitely working for a cause on a level beyond “money talks” or even abstract honor. She’s into training, but for the stated reason that practice and being on top of one’s game keeps one alive, and Titania is very, very invested in everyone staying alive. Training isn’t a quirk so much as it is part of her overall practical and constructive approach to life and duty... though there are a couple of hints that Titania’s beginning to feel her age (she’s like, 30!).

And then we get her Valentine’s alt, Warm Knight Titania, who keeps the practical “money can’t buy happiness” approach to life but is very obviously all wrapped up in the feelings for her Commander that went unspoken during his lifetime... and the prospect of a second chance thanks to all these alternate timelines colliding.

Overall just as Jagen IMO represents a damn good representation of an ideal knight at the end of the road, Titania-- despite or perhaps because she quit being an actual knight-- is a beautiful integration of Duty and Training and Covert Romantic Feelings and Familial Affection without coming down too hard on any one element.

Frederick: Wacky Uncle

As a 3DS-era character there's not much surprising about Frederick for anyone who's played Awakening. Endearingly voiced by Kyle Hebert, Freddy adores his lord Chrom and hates disorder and bear meat. He’s got an alt, summoned from a beach vacation, who is obsessively cleaning up seashells and confessions to “sinning” by which he apparently means taking a break.

I admit to holding a subversive view of Frederick in that his zeal to be a great knight is undermined by all of his tics and quirks and that's part of why he and everyone else ended up dead in the original timeline-- and Heroes doesn't change my mind on that point. His fixation on clearing the garden weeds and rising early to pick up pebbles sound less like doing the menial tasks that somebody’s gotta do and more like make-work that Frederick does because something compels him to. Still, Frederick's rocking so much joie de vivre of his own that it's impossible to not like the guy. The man likes what he does, what can I say?

Still should’ve had “Pick a god and pray” in his arsenal of voiced lines somewhere.

Finn: Hot Mess #1

When Finn-- the only member of this crew whose home games never came out worldwide-- hit FEH I remember one Redditor snarking that they didn’t understand why other fans were so excited about another Frederick-style “lapdog” character. Finn indeed presents as the latest model number of “stoic and dutiful knight” on the surface... and then the trauma, debilitating melancholy, and lack of self-preservation leaks out line by line (and given two of these tell-tale lines are at 1* rarity, it’s meant to be obvious).

His identity is all wrapped up not just in some conception of being a knight but in his lance (a gift from his late lord Quan, of course)-- an object, a tool. He's at least two decades younger than Jagen (and Gunter), but whereas the old guys are determined to prove they've got life in them yet, Finn's past caring if he survives the next battle. Unlike Titania, he’s not fondly reminiscing about the happy little moments raising his adolescent liege Leif or his “daughter”/ ward Nanna. He’s not interested in pulling weeds or doing the laundry-- he’s anxious to know the layout of the castle in case it gets torched... when he’s not obsessively repairing that lance, that is. He’s got zero quotes on the value of training compared to least three indicating he's fine with ending up dead. So yeah, Finn’s basically Antimatter Titania. Meanwhile he’s voiced to sound about twenty years older than he looks, which seems to be deliberate for both NoJ and NoA.

Finn’s more like a cautionary tale to the Rodericks and Silases of the world-- sure, you can be this guy, but who’d want to be? He sure looks pretty in his attack art though...

Seth: Hot Mess #2

Ooh, boy. Seth has what's arguably the greatest storyline scene FEH has afforded a supporting character in all of Book I... possibly in all the mainline Heroes chapters. It evokes his rebuke to Ephraim in Eph's version of Ruled By Madness and it's awesome. But the Seth we get in Heroes is a very... intriguing... look at what's underneath the shiny surface of the Silver Knight. There’s some Training stuff, a sense the man has Opinions but is struggling to stay in his place, a reference to the wound he got from Valter and an admission he’s not fun to be around. And then it gets a bit weird.

“Do not trouble yourself over my well- being. I would play the pawn gladly, would it bring us victory.“

He isn't just unattached to his own survival the way Finn is, Seth is actively advising the Summoner to keep enough distance to make it easier for them to send Seth to die. Repeatedly. Maybe the pain of his half-healed wound is driving him mad, maybe he's afraid unspoken feelings for Eirika will turn him to the dark side, but Seth is kinda messed up. And whereas honestly every iffy thing about Finn was already there in the Jugdral games and their side materials, Seth’s FEH presentation came as a shock to me and I’ve seen it flat-out called “Out of Character” elsewhere. The hint of a playful side from his support chain with Natasha, for instance, is nowhere to be found here. It’s odd and kind of compelling and yet not terribly likable, in my opinion. Frederick needs to chill and Finn needs a hug (and probably some anti-depressants), but Seth... I dunno. He needs friends, maybe? Cormag when.

“I answer destiny's call!” is a damn good line, though.

Bonus Clive and Mathilda (The Lovebirds):

The Legendary Knight and her Idealistic boyfriend are not technically Jagens (that’s Mycen, subverting the archetype almost as soon as it was established), but they’re veteran cavalier/paladin types in their late 20s, likely of an age with Seth and Frederick at least and not many years younger than Titania and Finn. So, how do they measure up personality-wise?

Clive and Mathilda have the advantage that their Heroes incarnations hit at virtually the same time their FE15 selves did, so there's not as much revelatory about them. Same VAs (Grant George is fantastic), consistent designs, consistent personalities. Clive struggles a bit with his dilemmas from FE15 and has a hilarious line where he’s taking care of his own horse because the Order of Heroes apparently has no staff (for the record, he says he enjoys caring for the horse). Mathilda meanwhile has a couple of quotes about her love for Clive and quite a bit about her concerns regarding Clive’s sister Clair. They’re not very extreme personalities-- even Titania, well-rounded as she is, comes across as more extreme than Clive & Mathilda thanks to her open zeal for life. I’m not quite sure how they’d come across to someone who hadn’t played FE15, as the nature of Clive’s doubts in particular are merely hinted at here.

They’re good supporting characters but there’s a reason my Jagen-club stories don’t use them as focal points.

Not available: Mycen, Arran, Oifey, Marcus... after two damn years.

#fire emblem meta #all sorts of emblems #the jagen club #fire emblem ficcing #text post #long post

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i-guess-i-make-edits · 5 years

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A sprite editing tutorial? You bet!

Tumblr decided to update midway through this so I have to rewrite this all. Rip all my witty jokes.

Aaaaanyways! You guys want to learn how to make sprites...? You want to learn from someone who isn't even that good? Alright. This is gonna be LONG.

Step 1: So here's the most painfully obvious and easiest step, pick the sprite. (Well, it's the easiest, unless you're like me and spend a good 5 minutes picking the perfect sprite). Here, we're using Togs, for my Swordsman Togami edit!

And then, you lower the opacity. This is important, if you're doing any kind of edit that changes something in the appearence that isn't the color! It'll be so much easier to be able to work. I'd reccomend 50% at first, and lower it for later rennovations.

Step 2: Sketchy! Sketch sketch. This is where you spend forever finding out what you're gonna do to the sprite, and sketch it over the sprite. If you're changing the eyes, I'd reccomend sketching it too! Even if it's a small edit, like making the eyelashes longer. Also, don't worry too much about making it super clean! As long as you're able to line it cleanly later, make it as messy as you want!

Step 3: Linework! Aka, the most hellish part of this, in my own opinion! It's a pain in the ass to get the linework done, especially since danganronpa has a lot of folds in it's style, and folds. suck.

If you wanna try and do the sprite's body freehanded, without the original sprite underneath, I'd highly reccomend doing this vv

It makes it a lot easier to be able to sketch it freehand. Without it... you're essentially sketching without a sketch. Of course, it does require you to sketch what the body below the clothes would look. And of course, if you're keeping the sprite visible (still at lower opacity) underneath, than this is unecessary.

Step 4: begin coloring. This one is a sort of a relaxing point after the linework, and yet it's still painful. Colorpicking is probably the easiest way to get accurate colors for hair and skin, if you want that.

Once you complete coloring, I'd reccomend some overlays! It helps replicate the look of a sprite a little more, and it makes the sprite look a little more appealing (at least in my opinion). Plus, I usually use the eyes from the original sprite in the coloring. It's the only thing I keep from the original sprite anymore.

Step 5: this is where more suffering begins. But first, we do something extremely simple! Set your light source: though it is simple, it is important! It'll make shading way easier. Usually I'll draw a little sun, with the rays pointing in the direction of the source.

And then you shade! Sadly, I couldn't get any process pieces, but then again, it would clutter this up even more, and it's lont enough as is. Anyways! Basically, you just need to follow the lightsource. Remember that anything blocking the source will also make a shadow! Obvious art tips are obvious.

I'd also like to point out that normally, shading on the face is done with an airbrush-like tool, with the only parts that are done with a normal pen tool are with shadows created by a normal pen tool, as well as any other shading.

Step 6: Realize you forgot some details and cry! This is where you can add on any extra details you forgot (I had forgotten his sword when I first made the sprite).

You also add the texture! A good texture was made by @/photoshopronpa ! Make sure to play with overlays and possibly turn the saturation all the way down when you're adding the texture, to get it back to the original color of the sprite (since the texture will make it brighter and warmer in color).

This is where I ran out of room for images, buut! This is also the end of the tutorial! Once you add the texture, you're done, other than little bits of cleaning.

And don't feel bad if you don't think it turned out perfect on your first or second try! Remember that all editors started somewhere, and not everyone is extremely good on their first few tries!

Love y'all, mwah.

#sprite edit tutorial #danganronpa sprite edit #this took way too long to write #but i do hope you enjoy!#and i hope it helps!

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artnerd1123 · 5 years

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Roo’s Character Sheet

I started this a good long while ago, but finally finished it!!! Here’s all the deets on everyone’s favorite lil paint kitty :D (and apologies to those the cut doesn’t work for lskdjfs)

Character Chart Character’s full name: Roo Pingere Reason or meaning of name: “Roo” is what happens when you mash “red” and “hue” together; aiden’s not the best at names, and named the lil guy after a red paint splotch the kitten took an interest in. Fitting, seeing as Roo himself was made out of spilled paint. Pingere is latin for paint. Character’s nickname: Roodle, Roodle doodle, paint spot, honey bun, bud/buddy, doughball Reason for nickname: Roodle/Roodle doodle are Aiden’s nicknames for Roo, on account of him looking like a doodle of a cat. Also, rhymes. Aiden also calls him bud/buddy sometimes jus bc it’s an affectionate nickname for a son. Journal will occasionally call Roo “paint spot” as a kinda older-brother giving younger-brother that he likes a nickname type deal. Honey bun is a term of endearment seraph uses for him, as is doughball Birth date: October 13th Sexuality: biromantic Gender/pronouns: ???, he/him

Physical appearance Age: 10 (note: familiars are “mature” at 3yrs of age) How old do they appear: depends how mature he’s acting. some people would say he’s baby, but he normally acts around 17-19 tbh Weight: he’s made of paint. Maybe somewhere around 50-60 pounds tho? Height: 2’9’’ Body build: he is a Literal Bean™ with noodly arms n legs Shape of face: cat Eye color: black scleras, his irises are white with a black ring inside it, but his iris turns orange w/black slit in feral form Glasses or contacts: none Skin tone: pale indigo with darker indigo fur, and lavender cheeks Distinguishing marks: his cheeks each have two horizontal purple lines on them, and he also has freckles *shrugs* Predominant features: his big ol ears n fluffy tail, as well as dripping paint Hair color: technically fur, but indigo Type of hair: fur :V Hairstyle: none Voice: his vc is over here! Overall attractiveness: jus an adorkable lil bean Physical disabilities: none (unless not being able to touch water is one :V) Usual fashion of dress: doesn’t tend to wear anything but cloaks Favorite outfit: his classic brown cloak w/ many layered patches added over the years, held together with his indigo gem/silver cloak clasp Jewelry or accessories: has a silver cloak clasp with a circular indigo gem inlaid

Personality Good personality traits: good natured, wants to help, good listener, gives good advice, easy to make himself and others laugh, loyal, bubbly once you get to know him, dedicated, supportive, extremely loving/affectionate, does his best, very slow to anger, good secret keeper, will let loved ones know how he feels regardless of the emotion Bad personality traits: frightfully shy, indecisive in times of stress, easily scared, easily stressed, social and regular anxiety, very emotional, has a tendency to beat himself up over mistakes/things he did wrong, scares himself sometimes, if you actually somehow manage to make him mad he gets vicious, needs gentle handling if he’s overwhelmed or he’ll have a meltdown Mood character is most often in: a toss up between anxious and content Sense of humor: wordplay and making stupid faces are his go to. Puns are his favorite! These, likewise, will pretty much never fail to make him smile or laugh. Corny jokes are another failsafe that’ll cheer him up/make him laugh easily Character’s greatest joy in life: being able to paint on just about anything with his tail, and sitting in the sun/other warm places near people he loves Character’s greatest fear: being separated from Aiden unwillingly (aka getting lost) and blood Why: blood just… freaks him out. It always has. Whether it’s the implication of violence or just the sight of the bodily fluid, it will never fail to distress him. Aiden is also his originator, and the one person he relies on most. Without him, Roo wouldn’t know what to do with himself What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? Losing Aiden. Character is most at ease when: with aiden, especially in places that they stop to rest in towns. If aiden’s not around, he’s most at ease with good friends or staying in the place they’ve found to live in. If there’s a windowsill or armchair to curl up in, then that’s even better! He’s almost always calm when he’s curled up somewhere comfy, with people he knows well close by. Most ill at ease when: aiden’s away, he’s on his own, during thunderstorms, or they’re right in the middle of somewhere really dangerous. Foggy/dark forests, old abandoned ruins, and anywhere wet/damp are all fair game. But he has to be alone to be truly ill at ease. He really doesn’t like being all alone. Enraged when: you manage to push all his buttons and break through his anxiety to tick him off. This barely ever happens, but it can if you continuously harass his friends/family. The moment he stops being scared of you, he’ll fight you himself. Angery Kitty™ Depressed or sad when: he messes up, he feels like he’s failed, he’s been anxious too long, [redacted] happens, they’re out of his favorite food/paint/etc at home, it’s been raining for awhile Priorities: helping/hanging out with aiden, tryna keep him safe, doing the same for all his friends, trying to do his best in any situation, and taking time to himself to recuperate if he needs it Life philosophy: treat others how you want to be treated, always be kind and respectful, and give plenty of chances. But when it comes down to it, know when to put your foot down, and know when things are out of your hands. Just do what you can while you can. Do the best you can do. If granted one wish, it would be: to have a safe home where he and aiden can settle down… (particularly with a partner of his own~) Why? As much as Roo likes exploring new places with Aiden, he misses the days when they were happily settled in a questor village, with friends and familiar surroundings that never changed. He wants to find a place in the world and settle there, away from danger and scary things where they can jus hang out together. He’s also always been a bit of a romantic, and he’d really like a partner one day. Jus someone to lov on and to lov him back, y’kno? Character’s soft spot: shiny/colorful things, friends, and scritches behind his ears Is this soft spot obvious to others? Yep. Completely. Spend a little time around him and present one of these things to him, and you’ll def be able to see him light up :D Greatest strength: he’s really observant of others/his surroundings, and thus very introspective. This allows him to offer good advice and insight on any given situation that he’s a part of. Also, his feral form def packs a punch >:V Greatest vulnerability or weakness: he’s scared of a lotta things, and his anxiety also super sucks. if he’s in a stressful situation, these tend to lock him into a state of horrible indecision. Not to mention his feral form is kinda out of control. He gets really anxious/self conscious about it. Biggest regret: not being able to control himself in his feral form Minor regret: being so shy around new people Biggest accomplishment: he doesn’t quite have a crowning achievement, but he’s helped aiden outta plenty of dangerous situations while questing. Minor accomplishment: he’s found a way to sleep on literally any windowsill, no matter how small. Magic kitty :D Past failures they would be embarrassed to have people know about: back when he was still learning how to clean up properly, he used to get the places objects went confused. Clothes would end up in the kitchen, paints in aiden’s dresser, and pots n pans would end up wedged in with the art supplies. It was a fun time. Why? Roo likes to think he’s helpful n organized… this is certainly a big spot on his record XD Character’s darkest secret: he’s actually terrified of himself/his feral form. Like. Pure, unbridled fear. He gets really bad nightmares about it hurting people he cares about sometimes. Does anyone else know? Ye, aiden does. Aiden tries to help Roo get past this fear.

Goals Drives and motivations: maintaining safety during quests is a big one, as well as finding time to himself/to rest from being around people. If he can avoid crowds in general, he’ll do jus about anything to make sure it happens. He also wants to help his friends n family stay happy, or at least give them good support. He’s driven by a sense of responsibility, as well as knowing how bad it is to feel horrid, and jus wantin to stop people from feelin that way. Immediate goals: make sure the house stays relatively clean/organized, help where needed, find a warm place to nap, find some sort of scrap/etc to play with, try and get into the cookies (again) or jus get his paws on som sort of sweets. Long term goals: help out on any and all quests, protect aiden, and find somewhere they can properly put down some roots How the character plans to accomplish these goals: attentiveness, working through his fear/anxiety, and trying his best How other characters will be affected: positively! He jus wanna have a safe place with his originator n friends ;w;

Past Hometown: the town aiden had settled in before taking up his questor career Type of childhood: happy and untroubled! He had a few major run ins with fear, but aiden was always there for him. It was pretty perfect as far as a familiar’s “childhood” can get. Pets: none First memory: seeing aiden in his living room Most important childhood memory: his first thunderstorm; namely, what happened during it. Why: It was the first time Aiden had left the house without him, and he wasn’t able to follow. The fear he felt from all the thunderous crashing and rain ended up pushing him far enough to turn into his feral form-- also a first. However, Aiden came home as soon as he’d found out about his familiar’s troubles, and spent the whole rest of the night with him. It taught him that Aiden was a constant, and would always be there to comfort and take care of him. It was also his introduction to his feral form-- something that definitely still impacts him to this day. Childhood hero: aiden!!! Dream job: he’d like to go into design tbh. He enjoys drawing patterns, and likes decorating things. If he could do that for a living, he’d be gold! Education: plenty of book knowledge, taught by aiden, and plenty of world experience too. He’s pretty well rounded in all aspects (tho he’s skewed in the direction of observation/working out solutions to actual situations rather than anythin else) Religion: n/a Finances: aiden takes care of that

Present (for all intents and purposes, present counts as mid-story. Makes things easier to answer.) Current location: an apartment in a bustling town surrounded by forests. (town still needs a name) Currently living with: Aiden and Journal Pets: none Religion: n/a Occupation: familiar (doesn’t really have a job, but cleans around the house and such) Finances: aiden still takes care of this

Family Mother: Relationship with her: Father: Aiden Relationship with him: loving and caring, lossa respect and trust! There’s nothing Aiden wouldn’t do for em, and the reverse is true. Siblings: Relationship with them: Spouse: Relationship with them: Children: Relationship with them: Other important family members: Journal, ruffy (in the future), seraph (also in the future, becomes spouse)

Favorites Color: dark blue! Least favorite color: that kinda pukey looking brownish green color. When it gets later in the story, he absolutely hates the color of blood (both dried and still wet) Music: anything kinda jaunty and upbeat! Pop and carnival music are some he likes a lot. He’s also got a soft spot for lullabies and anything played by a music box. Food: biscuits!!!!!!!!!! Literature: loves fairytales, particularly ones with cute romance plots. He’s a sucker for mushy gushy cute stuff, happy endings, and magical expeditions. Form of entertainment: fireside storytelling!!! Or regular storytelling. That’s fine too. The more hand motions, voices, and possible magic visual aids, the better. Expressions: that shouty, loud, bubbly excitement that happens when you put someone in front of their favorite things. Mode of transportation: riding on someone’s shoulders, or otherwise being carried Most prized possession: his cloak. It’s patched up and well loved, since he’s had it so long!

Habits Hobbies: painting, watching birds, dancing, reading, climbing on things, finding out new ways to get into the cookie jar Plays a musical instrument? nope Plays a sport? If parkour across the apartment at 3am counts, then yep How they would spend a rainy day: inside, curled up somewhere warm. Preferably as far from windows as possible, with a cup of hot cocoa and a ball of yarn to paw at. Spending habits: doesn’t tend to buy much of anything. He buys hot cocoa packets, biscuit mix, paper, and new patches for his cloak every so often tho Smokes: no Drinks: the only thing he consistently drinks is hot cocoa Other drugs: nooooooope What do they do too much of? Worrying about things and what strangers he’s interacted with are thinking of him What do they do too little of? Letting go of situations that went horribly wrong in the past. Extremely skilled at: organizing, picking apart a situation or how people are feeling to give good feedback/advice, sleeping on windowsills Extremely unskilled at: tasks that require you to do a whole lotta things at once, interacting with a lot of people at once, coping on his own in a really stressful situation Nervous tics: fidgeting with paws, quiet meowing, constant glancing around, flicking his ears back and tucking his tail between his legs Usual body posture: kinda slouched, ears perked, and tail either resting on the ground or up in a loose “S” shape Mannerisms: around strangers he’s very soft spoken and timid, hides behind things a lot, and sticks close to places/people he knows. If you manage to get him out of his shell, he’s easily excitable and very bubbly. Likes to ask questions, play with scraps and trash, and clean things up so it looks nice. He’s kindhearted and sweet to everyone, and will occasionally rub up against things or people he really likes. Easily startled. Avoids water/damp things. Doesn’t tend to spend much time in crowded areas, or enjoy it at all. Peculiarities: if he gets too overwhelmed by negative emotions (mostly fear), he can only meow instead of speak. He’ll also drip paint at different rates depending on his mood (the faster it drips, the more distressed and/or angry he is)

Traits Optimist or pessimist? Tries his best to be optimistic, but can sometimes break down and turn into a kinda paranoid pessimist (thank u anxiety) Introvert or extrovert? Biiiiig introvert, but needs close friends somewhere he can reach to feel secure. Daredevil or cautious? Def errs on the side of caution! He can be reckless if distressed tho Logical or emotional? V emotional. Trusts his gut on things. Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? Methodical ftw! He likes his space at least mostly clean! Prefers working or relaxing? He’s alright as long as he’s enjoying himself, but relaxing wins out. Confident or unsure of themself? Yes. (depends on the situation lol) Animal lover? Yea!!! Dogs and other canines make him nervous, and bugs kinda freak him out, but he likes jus about everything else :0

Self-perception How they feel about themself: he thinks he’s timid, a little too anxious, and a little too easily scared, but a good, kind familiar who’s doing his best to improve himself n live a good life!!! He’s absolutely terrified of his feral form. One word the character would use to describe self: sheepish One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: “My name’s Roo, an’ I’m a twelve yeah old cat familieh. I’m kind of a nervous mess sometimes, b-but I’m doin my best to fix that! Or at least teh cope! I’ve been told I’m a sweetheart, and that i’m really easy to excite ‘n make laugh. I’m always tryna be kind an’ understandin! I’ll lend yeh my ear, if yeh need someone to listen, an’ I’m really good at giving advice.” “Um… about my hobbies… I like to organize things, paint, an’ dance! Oh, and watch birds!!! They’re really really cool… Just like my friends! I love them a whole lot, and there’s nothin I wouldn’t do for em!!!” “... One last thing…? Mnn… um… I’m… I’m not all too fond of my feral form. And I see it a lot more ‘n i’d like to. I-I’m way more emotional ‘n easily stressed than I’d like s-sometimes…” What does the character consider their best personality trait? His excited nature and/or ability to give quiet support What does the character consider their worst personality trait? His fear/anxiety What does the character consider their best physical characteristic? His freckles!!! He likes his lil spattering of spots across his snoot. His fluffy fur is another good contender. What does the character consider their worst physical characteristic? How he drips paint, tbh. It can make quite a mess if it gets out of hand. How does the character think others perceive them: helpful, kind and sweet, but a little childish (that last part kinda bugs him sometimes) What would the character most like to change about themself: his anxiety and feral form. Anxiety has always been something he struggles with, and he’d really like to downsize it to at least a more manageable level. As for feral form, he absolutely hates that he turns into a giant violent panther when he gets too stressed-- especially since it’s hurt people before.

Relationships with others Opinion of other people in general: people are mostly good, even with the few rotten apples that pop up from time to time. Large amounts of em are exhausting to be around a lot tho. Does the character hide their true opinions and emotions from others? Not often. Roo’s pretty much an open book. If he does hide something, he’s got a good reason for it, or you’re someone he doesn’t know well at all. Person character most hates: nobody, really. (this does change as the story goes on tho. Ho boi) Best friend(s): Aiden, Journal, Ruffy and Seraph (both in the future) Love interest(s): Seraph~ Person character goes to for advice: Aiden Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: also Aiden, Journal sometimes, and Seraph/ruffy in the future Person character feels shy or awkward around: any new person ever. Feels awkward around Seraph until crushes are admitted. Person character openly admires: all his friends!!! Person character secretly admires: Seraph (for a bit, anyway ;3) Most important person in character’s life before story starts: Aiden After story starts: Seraph, Journal, Ruffy, and still Aiden

#roo pingere #afw #a familiar world #sldkfjslkfjs this took so long--#i'm gonna end up sayin that about all of these character sheets XD #but i'm glad it's done!!!#tis fun to do n all important stuff to think about :0 #hope y'all enjoy the roo infodump #arty writes

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niktizzy · 5 years

Text

*~feeling nostalgic for myspace surveys~*

1) Sexuality?

Straight

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

This is probably a lame answer but, I think Gronk would be cool to hang with

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

So this is embarrassing, I don’t have any books upstairs yet

4) What do you think about most?

Work, money, why do people make noise when their running away from a killer in a horror movie or run upstairs

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?

“Aye can you order me 2 chicken tacos “

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Depends on my mood and what season it is lol

7) What’s your strangest talent?

I have a rather good green thumb

8) Girls…. (finish the sentence); Boys…. (finish the sentence)

Girls are beautiful

Boys are back in town

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Not that I know of

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Probably a year or so, I really want to dive back into it though

11) Do you have any strange phobias?

I just like to have things clean and not cluttered but my car and room are a bit messy lol

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

I have a hoop in my nose

13) What’s your religion?

I guess like a Christian? Idk, I have my own beliefs

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Working

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Behind it 100%

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Oof, at the moment, either Belmont or Trash Boat. All time has to be either Neck Deep or Blink

17) What was the last lie you told?

I’m fine

18) Do you believe in karma?

A B S O L U T L E Y

19) What does your URL mean?

Nothing really, just my screen name, which is my wanna be rap name lol

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Very trusting is my weakness. My greatest strength is honestly keeping up walls and head strong

21) Who is your celebrity crush?

Michael B. Jordan

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

Lol a lonnnnng time ago

23) How do you vent your anger?

I usually just bottle it up or I talk to my dad

24) Do you have a collection of anything?

I use to collect snow globs but now I seem to just collect house stuff lol. I want to start collecting dvds or like plants? Idk lol

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

I love talking on the phone tbh

26) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

So far, yes. I am proud of the person I have become but I’m still growing

27) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

VELCRO I HATE THAT SOUND. Waves crashing and thunderstorms are my go to sounds

28) What’s your biggest “what if”?

What if I never went to college and just got experience

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

Spirits and yes, absolutely

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

My coffee and nothing I’m on my couch haha

31) Smell the air. What do you smell?

This amazing candle from yankee candle

32) What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

Toledo lol nah but really

33) Choose East Coast or West Coast?

West Coast

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Thousand Below’s singer is hot af

35) To you, what is the meaning of life?

I have a multiple of ideals, we are born to die is one. The other is to go through life and learning and developing different ways to survive so in the next life, you have a better transition. But again, who knows

36) Define Art.

Something you feel

37) Do you believe in luck?

Yes

38) What’s the weather like right now?

FREEZING COLD

39) What time is it?

12:40pm

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

I do, when I was like 17. I was going 5mph, women ran a red light, boom

41) What was the last book you read?

The Amityville Horror

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Love it

43) Do you have any nicknames?

Nik

44) What was the last movie you saw?

Halloweentown

45) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Any of my broken bones lol

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Not really

47) Do you have any obsessions right now?

Finding horror movie posters lol

48) What’s your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?

Oh yeah lol

50) Do you believe in magic?

I honestly do

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

Sadly I do

52) What is your astrological sign?

Libra

53) Do you save money or spend it?

Save it, I only go to work and pay bills and get food

54) What’s the last thing you purchased?

Groceries

55) Love or lust?

We are all hoping for love and we usually get lust lol

56) In a relationship?

Nah

57) How many relationships have you had?

Real ones? A handful

58) Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Nope lol

59) Where were you yesterday?

I was at work all day

60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Nope

61) Are you wearing socks right now?

62) What’s your favorite animal?

The hammer head shark

63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

I tried flirting, but I think just being relatable or being myself

64) Where is your best friend?

Lauren

65) Spit or swallow?(;

Neither

66) What is your heritage?

Native American and Irish

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Sleeping, I was OUT

68) What do you think is Satan’s last name?

I feel like he doesn’t have one, it’s kind of like Cher

69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

No one else is going to do it lol

70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

I mean yeah, I think I’m pretty cool

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Grab the dog and take him to work with me, it’s like a doctors slip but you know, it’s a dog

72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) I wouldn’t tell anyone

b) I would continue living but spend more time with people that matter and just make sure everything and everyone is taken care of

73) You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Love

74) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Gold Steps- Neck Deep or Faithfully- Journey

75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

****

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

What makes things work is having similar interest. Most of my relationships were just awful because they were either wayyy into left field with my interest or didn’t even have the same ones all together. I think you need to be each others best friends, be able to be comfortable with each others company

77) How can I win your heart?

Tacos, beer, horror movies, sports

78) Can insanity bring on more creativity?

All signs point to yes

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Putting myself before anyone else

80) What size shoes do you wear?

Depends on the shoe, most of the time 9.5

81) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

Believe with UFO’s on it

82) What is your favorite word?

Cowabunga

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

A bloody mess that keeps you alive in your chest cavity

84) What is a saying you say a lot?

Honestly, literally, fook, fuck, dude

85) What’s the last song you listened to?

I was listening to this playlist https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX3MU5XUozve7?si=SS24TA9sTG6L5bFZ8W_feQ

86) Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?

If you look in my closet it’s mostly black, gray, and maroon. I’m trying to like mustard but eh

87) What is your current desktop picture?

Desert

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Someone from my past

89) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

Why do you were a mask every time you step out of your house?

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Keep the light on because it’s obviously a full moon and they live from the moon light and try to find an exit quietly

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Jumper aka teleportation

92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

Warped tour 2011

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

No comment

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

OOOOF probably Winston McCall

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Australia

96) Do you have any relatives in jail?

Not that I know of

97) Have you ever thrown up in the car?

Not that I remember

98) Ever been on a plane?

Yes only 2 times

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

STOP GIVING A FUCK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, MIND YA BUSINESS AND GRIND

#myspace survey #survey #truths

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ethereal-pluto-blog · 6 years

Text

I feel like shit today

I'm lethargic, slow, crying, and insecure. So yep ~depression~ has come to rear its ugly head once again.

But since I'm not into the whole anti-recovery thing, I'll give you some useful tips on how to maybe help YOUR depression that doesn't seem like a generic twitter self help thread. (Though I'll mention some things I found helpful and give explainations as to why.)

Talk to your therapist/counselor/mental health expert if available. Not everyone has the luxury of seeking professional help, but if you have the opportunity, PLEASE go to a professional. However be noted that it's often an experience to go through many different experts to find the one that matches your specific needs/ you like the most. Also keep in mind there are also online therapists ready to help if you're not big on one-on-one contact like myself, though often insurance is tricky. I put this one first because it might be the most beneficial for some, though not readily available for others.

If you have the strength, shower. Showering/cleaning yourself is a blessing in itself as it gives you a sense of detox. Though if you don’t have the strength or motivation, try some of this instead-

Utilize facewash and lotion. Particularly facewash that makes your face feel all chill and tingly, it makes you feel more refreshed. Lotions and cream will help you keep skin smooth.

Simply get wet with water, a quick 5 minute rinse in hot water is less of a chore than a full shower.

Dry shampoo will help with hair oiliness. Though if you don't have access just brush your hair and pull it/part it so it's out of your face.

Baby wipes. Baby wipes will cure yo soul. But seriously use baby wipes and rub them on your face, underarms, and genitals. A good rub down will help prevent you from feeling gross.

Splashing your face with cold water, it makes your pores tighten up and as a bonus it'll wake you up.

Utilize deodorant and vaseline. I haven't tried it out for myself, though if you put down deodorant and then vaseline on top it should trap the nice fragrant smell. And while you're at it you can put on cologne / perfume if you think you're getting a lil ripe, but if you want to smell like a fresh shower use ones that are labeled "shower fresh" or "baby powder."

If your lips are chapped, put on some balm shisters. (I don't trust the brand chapstick, I'm a conspiracy theorist okay I'm soRRy)

Change into some cleaner clothes. They don't have to be normal everyday clothes but at least change into new clothes, especially underwear.

Clean your fingernails/toenails. Clean under them, since random junk can get stuck up in there. Also clip them if they're too long for your liking.

Brush your teeth. But if you can't, use mints, gum, mouthwash, mouthspray, etc, or a combination of those. Anything minty will make your mouth tingle and feel fresh and clean.

Clean yo ears! Since probably nobody uses an ear vacuum (like you're supposedly supposed to idk I'm too broke for that shit anyways) just be careful using Q-tips.

If you don’t have any deodorant, try hand sanitizer! I'm not kidding. Put a dollop under each underarm, and let dry. Smells are caused by bacteria, so if you get hand sanitizer, it should greatly reduce smell.

Try to get some sun. Using the natural sunlight will help you absorb vitamin D. So open up the blinds and photosynthesize binches. Though it also helps to open up the window if you can, a breeze/fresh air blowing in with the smell of outside might even raise your mood. Though if it's currently shitty weather outside, try turning on your lights to match your circadian rhythm, so keep lights on during the day and dim it at night so it'll help with letting you be on a decent sleep schedule.

Feeling like there's no hope or that your future is going to be shit? Highkey me too, but here's what I do to combat that feeling.

It's corny, but I write a whole idealized future for myself. I write about my dream job, I write about my dream s/o, I even imagine the type of house I want to live in, the kids I'll have, what kind of pets I want to own. Etc. Although the economy is shit and no future is guaranteed, it's nice to put some positivity into light and show what I really want in life. I don't want to be some millionaire, I just want to be comfortably well off with a family and people that love me. And in all honesty a future like that isn't hard to obtain.

Even if you can't imagine a good future for yourself, imagine being a part of your friends or loved one's futures. For example, you know your friend who's dating this really cute person that you totally ship them with? Imagine being a part of the bridesmaids/groomsmen for their wedding when they tie the knot! Imagine your really smart friend finally graduating from college and you're at their graduation party giving them a speech! For me this really helps since I aspire to be drinking buddies with my best friend's future husband. (I'm rlly goofy ik lmao)

Feeling stressed about not doing anything? We've all been there. Try:

Doing work if you're due for assignments, though don't do it alone, if you can, arrange a group text/tutoring session/Skype call. If everyone is focused on getting something done then you'll be motivated to do it with them.

Though if you don’t absolutely have to do anything but want to do ~s o m e t h i n g~ I also got your back on this too.

Organize your inbox for your email. (Ik I'm lame)

Tidy/clean your room/any room if that gives you something to do.

Make your bed.

Cuddle someone/something.

Rearranging your stuff in your room, makes it feel like a whole remodel tbh.

Burn candles/incense. Don't ask just...trust me on this it can change the aura.

If you're religious, practice!

Take aesthetic photos of things in your room. Download VSCO and experiment with it. I also recommend Huji Cam and Afterlight. All are available for IOS and Android.

If you appreciate music- use YouTube and find some Playlists, or if you can, spotify premium will save yo mortal soul.

Like video games? Play some! Or if you're a brokeass like me, let's plays and walk throughs work well too.

If you got pets, pet them. Do it. Snuggle. Or if you love animals in general go and watch some vids on YouTube.

Build a fort.

If you're an artist or appreciate art- draw! Or you can watch animatics, animation memes, art channels, or follow artists on here or on Instagram and Twitter if you want to be inspired, or just observe.

Have a certain series you keep putting off? Watch! It! Netflix/Hulu that shit. Or cable TV works too.

Go on Wikipedia and just go on an adventure. Click from link to link and see where it takes you. Learn some weird new facts!

Read a new book.

Read the news/watch the news.

Write about a certain topic that you're absolutely fascinated about.

Watch movies!

Join a club/interest group. You can do this online too and it'll help meet people with similar interests as you. You can make new friends this way.

Give your friends a call/text. Having conversations will keep you occupied.

Self love aka masturbate. Or have (safe) sex with someone you trust!

Workout

Do some makeup/skincare routine. Even if you think you look bad just commit to practicing.

Sometimes it's just funny to go through and read some Reddit threads so be safe when surfing on there.

Stretch and move around! Dance if you wanna!

Do your hair/experiment in some new styles, maybe even dye it if you feel daring.

Have an icon you stan? Stan HARDER.

Watch iconic vine/rare vine compilations until you can memorize them.

Clean out your phone contacts of people that are irrelevant/toxic!! Out of sight out of mind! Don't hang on to them if they did you wrong. All the text conversations will just make you feel worse!

Actually cook your favorite food, cooking it will make you more dedicated to eating it and give you more of an appreciation for it.

Organize your closet.

Organize anything in your room/closet. Throw away things that you don't need or are too old to use.

Start collecting things, stuffed animals, pins, snowglobes, you name it.

Pinterest is addictive lowkey so try that if you're into that kind of stuff.

Write! Write a new story, write poetry, write about your feelings, write a letter, write fanfiction, express yourself.

Use Duolingo to try and study a new language to learn. (The owl will harass tf outta your email though but as long as you do like 5 minutes a day he won't bother.)

That's about all I can think of but feel free to add more for activities to dedicate your time to.

If you need to, because of your self image, don't go and stand in front of mirrors. If I stand in front of a mirror too long I'll end up scrutinizing myself and find a flaw after flaw. If you are specifically insecure about something with your body, look up models who have the same thing! Like if you're insecure about having vitiligo, look up Winnie Harlow! She's gorgeous! If you're insecure about being chubby, look up plus sized models! If you have a tooth gap, there's plenty of people like you! You don't have to feel ugly because of that when you have these awesome models rocking what they got.

Vent. You can vent to your friends, family, or even online. There are apps that allow you to vent anonymously to others without the fear of judgement. But if you can't do that, take a pen/pencil and write something down in your notebook. Though don't reread it to keep drowning in the negativity, once you write it, shut it. You can do the same on Google Docs online, once you write down everything, delete it. Don't keep trying to fuel your negative thoughts and bitterness, get your rant over with and be done. It's like a fresh start. (Plus on my Instagram spam account I always feel really silly looking at my old rant posts, so I usually delete stuff afterwards when I'm not feeling so in my feelings).

Don't expect recovery to be in a straight line. You'll have amazing days and also have extremely shitty days. Recovery isn't hoping to never experience shitty days, recovery is being able to feel the strength on those shitty days and know that they'll pass, and with each storm you'll be stronger than before. Don't push yourself to be flawless, because shit happens. But you'll make it through. And that's what matters.

And last but not least, seek emergency help if you feel like you're dangerously close to ending your life due to pain. Call the suicide hotline for support, because the pain can ease soon if you ask for the help that you need and deserve.

Not everyone that reads this is going to be like "wow this really helped me cope with my depression/mental illness!" But my goal was to at least try. It may not work for everyone unfortunately, but I hope that anyone dealing with a mental illness is on the road to recovering. Because I know how it feels. It feels sucky as fuck. But if this helps even just one person, then that's enough. I hope everyone has at least a decent day, and I hope that everyone's pain eases soon.

#depression #mental health #mental disorder #positive mental attitude #mentally ill #trigger warning #tw #anxitey #strategies & tips #tips #self love #self care #personal growth and development #road to recovery #recovery #remission #illness #i love you

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the-mythical-norm · 6 years

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Responding to Varun

@varun-krishnan

Great post Varun, thank you for making disagreeing so enjoyable. I mean that sincerely. Its the things that keep you up at night that are worth doing. And its 4:30 AM!

Anyways, I see you’re point. When people are giving to chance to choose, they usually choose wrong. But I wouldn’t be so quick to say we’d all spindle into a grand canyon of ineptitude. If no one is “working” then who would supply us with our phones anyways? The entertainment industry would most likely dwindle because, like we both agreed, it is only able to thrive because we need it to distract us. But if we didn’t need to quench this thirst that was deprived from work and dread, we might go mad. Those friends you spoke with who were bored over spring break probably had copious amounts of entertainment, and it still wasn’t enough anyways. What if having nothing to do, because work and progress were thrown out the window, is enough to force us to be cool. The struggle is what births cool after all. We’d be so bored to death that we’d be forced to improvise. I think the reason people rely on Netflix and iPhones so much is because they don’t know what else to do. Without work they probably wouldn’t be able to have them anyways. People I’ve talked to have no idea what they’d be doing if not what they are now. You’re right when you say that they want the easiest route, but thats a byproduct of a society obsessed with progress. We need fast food, fast cars, and lame jobs to progress our society. In order for maximum efficiency and growth. The question then becomes, how beneficial is this growth? How far do we want to get? 90% of the worlds waste comes from 10% of the worlds population..or something like that. So how much longer will this last? How much more do we want? What will we tell our great great grandchildren when they’re living in a glass bubble on mars only dreaming of being able to look at a lake…or a tree? Obviously sacrifices need to be made in order for a society to progress, but at the end of the day, whats the point of this progress? How many of us will actually reap its benefits? 10%? 20%? And the ones who do, hate their jobs most of the time anyways. And its all worth it so we can squeeze some art through the cracks and take bike rides when we aren’t busy? What a silly way to live. Our society will eventually collapse if we continue to advance. Progress progress progress. At some point its got to give. The term worker bee was born for a reason. The focus of their existence is to work, work, and more work. They also suffer from colony collapse disorder. Theres no scientific explanation for it, entire bee colonies just vanish into thin air, with no trace of struggle..maybe its because they work too much. Or the collapse of Easter Islands society, progress is great when you’re progressing, but how “sustainable” is it anyways. Theres only so much resource. You seem to suggest that what we are doing now works, does it? Will any form of society actually work? Everyone relies on being told what to do because, like we talked about in class, its hard to think for yourself, its hard to get control over your body/mind, its hard to DO things that you aren’t told to do. Like post to this Tumblr.

Im not sure if people would turn to cool if they no longer had to work or go to college, but most people I ask usually say “I don’t know,” or that they would travel.

Im also not sure that art only existed after humans had civilized and advanced utility. Archeologists have discovered Paleolithic cave art dating 40,000 years back, in Indonesia. It’s pretty amazing too. The time spent looking for your next meal in 10,000 BCE is directly replace with time spent looking for your next pay check, and because of the efficiency we’ve “mastered,” excess has been born. Pablo Picasso was cool, but he was doing the best with what he had. He wasn’t making art to progress society, he was just putting it out there. We are obsessed with extremes, manic or depressed. Wealth or poverty. Cool trys to show us a middle ground, a constant hum rather than shouts and whispers.

You say that “..societal progress is critical not because it helps alleviate human suffering, but because it allows more people to be Cool..” But I disagree. Societal progress doesn’t alleviate any suffering, thats just part of the human condition. To rid ourselves of suffering would be to rid ourselves of our humanity. Which is exactly what we are on track of doing, becoming robots whose only purpose is to progress. On the contrary, In order for our society to advance, AKA produce more shit for the rich to buy, there has to be suffering. Most of these consumer products which blossomed from “societal progression,” have been tainted in blood. The invention of the iPhone has provided millions of sweatshop workers with 40 hour shifts and zero time to be cool..the only progression there is suicide rates. That sounds a lot like slavery, which still exists by the way, in India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, the list goes on. As for the starvation, theres plenty of that too. And way more people to endure its wrath, possibly because of societies advancements, what happened to Darwins theory of evolution, survival of the fittest? Are we cheating a bit? Even people who have access to food, still starve themselves. Eating disorders may have even stemmed from technological advancements (social media) too.

You say cool won’t progress society, whys that such a bad thing? It is true that the sophisticated and advanced society that James Dean or The Beatles could enjoy being cool in would seize to exist, but ultimately cool is a battle stance. What if there was no battle? What if we were so cool we didn’t even need I️t. I️ also agree that In order for cool to exist, there needs to be uncool. But does the uncool world depend on the cool one to exist? Its possible that we could become so dictated by success that we become like the worker bees. You could argue both sides. When people don’t have food, they are starving, but when people do have food, they are still starving. Of course cool needs the uncool and there will always be duality, Yin and Yang. There has to be, or else meaningfulness would be lost. If you just love everything and everyone, loves power sort of looses its meaning and just dilutes in its ubiquity. So I️ agree that cool has a relationship with the uncool, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that its intimate. Im not arguing for a utopian society, where we live in tribes and sing kumbuya by the campfire, hunt our own food and refuse to advance. Because that didn’t work either, someone eventually decided to make things easier, and advance. Maybe that was a mistake. It’s worth thinking about, and free too. Im not really sure what im arguing. We can learn from all of these different forms of society. Maybe not eradicating the workforce but promoting genuinely passionate career paths. I’d be lying if a little part of me didn’t scream fuck that, advancement is only creating more suffering to the unlucky ones. As you said, slaves cant be cool. But Slavery exists on both sides of the spectrum. On the far end, we could become so obsessed with advancement that we become slaves of money and material pursuit, and on the other end(living in tribes), slaves of famine and lack of clean water. Maybe theres a healthy middle ground. Perhaps nothing works, not even cool. As we learned in class, cool cracked up in 1968. Revolution swept the streets. Those streets have since been paved, where did the rebellion go? We live in a whole new world now, Lester Young and Andy Warhol didn’t have iPhones or Netflix, and Im sure it would have negatively effected their coolness if they did. But their art wouldn’t have existed if society didn’t advance in the first place, so is there a line? There must be. Any form of suffering, to a certain extent, would allow cool to exist. Its not necessarily the marketplace because that was the bane of cools existence in the first place, I think. You don’t necessarily have to be cool to enjoy the sunset either, so cheering for the hamsters on the wheel to run faster, just so the barrier to cool is a little easier to hop, isn’t the best idea. That perpetuating wheel has A LOT of side effects and cool is just one, if it even exists. I️m not sure it’s enough to outweigh the rest. I think cool should view the culture industry as an enemy, and there will never be a cool that isn’t thrust upon you through hardship, theres no escaping that. Even purchasing your cool requires some suffering, as we can all agree that making money isn’t all that fun. Unless you love what you do. I think the real question we should be asking is, how can we learn from all of this? How should we be? to be continued in paper 3...

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megabadbunny · 6 years

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The Great Cookie Exchange 2k17: White Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes!

(lightly sweet with a delightful burst of tart, surprisingly easy to make! feat. Oreo cookie crust, stabilized whipped cream frosting, sugared cranberries, and white chocolate Christmas trees covered in edible glitter!)

Thanks to @chocolatequeennk for coming up with the cookie exchange idea, and thanks to @goingtothetardis for convincing me I could try my hand at cheesecake and it wouldn’t be a horrible disaster! :D To be fair, though, one of my favorite things about this dessert is that, while it is time-consuming and dirties a fair number of dishes, the steps themselves are actually pretty darn easy! I cobbled the dessert together out of several recipes I found online (sources below) for the sake of bringing something a lil different to my office holiday party yesterday; they were super effing popular and I received a truckload of nice comments. So if you a) are picky about sweets b) like cheesecake c) are interested in making seasonal/holiday treats that are pleasantly nondenominational (not into Christmas? Then those are wintery holiday trees!) and d) want for people to heap compliments on you, make this recipe, my buddies, my guys. <3 <3 <3

I would highly recommend making them with a friend, mostly because baking is so much fun when you do it with company. :D

The Recipes (AKA What is, How do???)

I would recommend starting with the sugared cranberries (source recipe here), and I would recommend making them a day in advance. Here’s my altered version of the aforementioned recipe:

4.5 cups sugar (3 for simple syrup, 1.5 for coating (or more if needed)) 1.5 cups water 2 cups fresh cranberries

First, make a simple syrup by stirring together your water and 4 c. of sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and the water comes to a boil. Keep stirring and boiling until the mixture goes from opaque to transparent and has a slightly thicker texture when you lift your spoon out--like a thin syrup.

Remove the syrup from heat and let cool for a few minutes, then pour over cranberries in a bowl. The cranberries need to sit in the simple syrup for a minimum of 4 hours, but I would recommend letting them sit overnight, stirring occasionally.

4 hours later/the next day, drain the cranberries from the simple syrup, pour your remaining 1.5 c of sugar into a bowl, and coat the berries in handful-sized batches, rolling them around in the sugar-bowl with a fork until they’re evenly coated all over. (You might end up needing more sugar, since it starts to stick together and refuses to get coat-y after a while.) Place sugared cranberries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper and let dry for at least two more hours, and, voila! You’ve got lovely sugared cranberries!

Next up--or perhaps more accurately, simultaneously up--is the white chocolate Christmas trees, if such a thing interests you! The cupcakes are just as good with or without, tbh. I would recommend using Ghirardelli’s white chocolate melting wafers--they melt more evenly than white chocolate chips (significantly less risk of scalding), they hold their shape better than the chips, and they’re just so much effing tastier than any other candymaking chocolate I’ve had. The total amount you need depends on how many trees you want to make, but I can tell you off the bat that a 10 oz pkg of the Ghirardelli will make about 20-24 of the trees I made. (Srsly the Ghir’s are just so yummy, especially tasty while melted--dip some pretzels in the leftover melty goo, nom nom nom such a good treat!!!)

You can use pretty much any Christmas tree candymaking mold of your choice; I used this one. I also recommend using disco dust if you’re in an edible glitter mood. (I would ONLY buy either the original Disco Dust or the Sunflower Sugar Art variety--others will claim to be the same but many of them are actually regular craft glitter repackaged as “technically nontoxic glitter” for cake-PROP-decorating purposes. Boo!!!)

While your simple syrup for the cranberries is cooling, sprinkle a little bit of your edible glitter in the cavities of your candymaking molds by dipping a (clean, dry) index fingertip in the glitter and rubbing your thumb and forefinger together over the cavities so the glitter falls in. (You’re gonna get glitter everywhere no matter what; I’m sorry in advance.) Melt a handful or two of your white chocolate wafers in a microwave-safe bowl, in intervals of 30 seconds at 50% power, stirring between each session. When the white chocolate is smooth and liquidy enough to pour (no more chunks!!!), pour it into the molds, doing your best not to overflow. When each cavity is filled, gently tap and wriggle the mold--this distributes the chocolate more smoothly and also helps to eliminate pesky air bubbles. Stick the mold in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. When removing, check to make sure the chocolate is pulling away from the edges of the mold--that means it’s ready to come out. Turn the mold over on a plate or piece of wax paper and gently shake and tap the mold until the chocolate falls out.

If your chocolate overflowed out of the mold, it might be a little more difficult to get out, and you might have to trim it with a sharp knife afterward. Just use extreme caution, puhleeeeze

And now it’s time for the big to-do: the cheesecake cupcakes! You can also make these a day or two in advance, if you like--they refrigerate quite well! The recipe makes about 16 regular-size cupcakes, or at least that’s how it turned out for me.

The original recipe is here (just disregard the section on the raspberry stuff); my personal tips follow:

- DON’T OVERBEAT THE CUSTARD. Only beat it until it is just blended. Aka, use a hand- or stand-mixer, but with extreme prejudice. Over-beating makes the custard more likely to crack in the oven. Not that that happened to me, or anything... 0:) (Don’t worry tho, even if they do crack, you can just hide it with delicious toppings! They’re still tasty!)

- I would almost always recommend buying store brand cream cheese over Philadelphia. The flavor is richer and they’re easier to soften.

- A quick and fairly easy way to soften the cream cheese? Stick the still-wrapped blocks in your bra/cami/back pants pockets while you’re working on the other stuff. #noshame

- When crushing the Oreos, definitely remove the filling, like the recipe suggests. You might be tempted not to, for the sake of saving time, but since I tried it both ways, I now know that the filling makes the Oreos more difficult to crush, since it makes the cookie bits stick together more. Additionally, if you don’t have a food processor and need to crush the cookies the manual way (it meeeeee), put the cookies in a baggie (be sure to squish out all the air before sealing!!!), lay them down on an old towel, place another towel over the baggie, and go to town with a rolling pin. The towels protect your surfaces from getting bashed and make the sounds a lot easier on the ear!

- If you’re making regular-sized cupcakes (as opposed to minis, like the recipe indicates), you’ll want to scoop a tablespoon of cookie crust into each cup and pack it down; on top of that, spoon custard into each cup until it’s about 3/4 full. (The cakes will puff up while baking and then sink after, or at least, that’s my experience.) I had the best luck baking the cupcakes on a lower shelf in the oven, at 325 degrees, for 15-20 minutes. They’re done when the outsides are set and the middle is still a little jiggly, or when you touch them and the batter no longer sticks to your fingers (they’ll be just a lil springy to the touch).

I don’t have pictures of the baked cupcakes, for reasons...? But hey this is what the batter looks like! :’D

While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the stabilized whipped cream!

It so tastyyyyyyyyyyy, sigh. And unlike regular whipped cream, which collapses on itself like a delicious but dying star after a couple hours, this shit holds the fuck up! Like seriously I made it days ago and it’s still truckin’. Find the recipe here!

Once everything is set/cooled/etc. (i.e., the candy is out of the molds, the cranberries have formed a semihard sugar shell, and the cupcakes are cool to the touch), it’s time to start pipin’ and decoratin’! I used a small open-star frosting tip to pipe the whipped cream onto my cupcakes, making a small swirly circle in the middle and then little dollop stars around the outside.

Then I dropped several sugared cranberries on some of the cupcakes (in the center, atop the nice lower swirly bit), and for others, I nestled a tree right smack dab in the middle, using cranberries in the front and back to prop it up (and add that delightful little burst of color/flavor!).

Anyway, that’s about it! Just make sure you have a tall enough container to store the tree-cupcakes in, keep them all refrigerated while you’re not eating, and voila! Delicious fancy fairly-easy-if-a-bit-time-consuming cheesecake cupcakes are yours to share as you please! Or don’t. They are shockingly easy to eat.

Thanks and have a happy holiday!!! <3 <3 <3

#great cookie exchange #with cupcakes!!!#cheesecake cupcakes #white chocolate cupcakes #christmas cupcakes #mbb bakes #cuppitycakes #kitchen witchery

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gloieee · 4 years

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Limbo

Started this post sometime early July and could not finish in classic fashion because the heaviness weighed me down TOO much for me to continue writing. Usually for me writing is catharsis, but this time it felt laborious because it meant I had to sit with my emotions even more so than during my day-to-day (which was already too much to handle). It was hard for me to even listen to these songs then because it made my entire being ache. Yet, of course, cause I loved the pain, I did and anguished in it to paralysis. Most of these thoughts no longer resonate with me, to a surprising extent, but am attempting to pay respects to the pinnacle and hopefully, the conclusion of a long year+ of distress. Here goes, Limbo.

8/12/2020

_______________________________________________________________________

Good News – Mac Miller

I spent the whole day in my head Do a little spring cleanin' I'm always too busy dreamin' Well, maybe I should wake up instead A lot of things I regret, but I just say I forget Why can't it just be easy?

I think this sums up my days better than any of my own words can. These couple of weeks have been exactly this—spending whole days in my head (doing little else sometimes gleefully, sometimes woefully) attempting some “spring cleaning,” then going on some tangent on things I should fix in my life, attempting to constructively go down memory lane, then things getting too much and wondering the forever questions, “why can’t it just be easy?”

Regret has become a salient gateway word into my life these past two years, not always consistently, but at least with some regularity. It feels especially shocking cause it really had so little presence prior to this. I suppose, some may say that before a certain age, there are no real consequences to one’s actions, hence, no need for regret. But under that logic, I don’t think at 26, I’m that old either, so I wonder what happened at 24 that began this trajectory. It seems extremely fitting that I couldn’t finish the blog post for ��Mistakes” in May 2018, because to be frank, since then, a tinge (or more) of regret has persisted in my days. There have been some lateral moves for sure, but never a vertical move past the regret. Continuing on this thread of analyzing my own past actions, it also appears fitting that I started that 2018 playlist with Unhappy by Outkast/ Big Boi because regret rings profoundly (maybe only) when you’re unhappy with your current state. You don’t see a happy woman ruminating on a thought exercise of what could’ve been. At the time, I included the song based on feeling, (as with everything on this blog), but never really discussed it.

Might as well have fun 'cause your happiness is done When your goose is cooked

I suppose this was pretty much how I lived my life this past year. I’m trying not to say it as a bad thing, cause it isn’t necessarily, and I have a tendency to romanticize tribulations. I had a lot of fun, even though at moments I got pretty millennial REKT in the process. It’s less the fact that I had fun (and was very healthy (physically)! Which I am grateful for), but that I had little else. I didn’t feel very fulfilled or feel like I knew myself, or my values, or even what I wanted. I lived nonchalantly, maybe even a little numbed, and got wrapped up in a LOT of distractions. Admittedly, it was nice in the moment to care about such light things, to not have to deal with so much heaviness. I remember reveling in it, in my personal conversations and on this blog as well.

Yeah Right by Joji is my past year in LA told from the perspectives of cynics (aka Me). It’s a simple, almost grossly millennial song. Despite the extremely self deprecative lyrics, I love how the melody feels like a calming, boppy afterthought. There are moments in the track where you’re just super down in the dumps, but also moments when you’re singing with a lopsided, wry, self-taunting smile on your face.

Yeah Right – Joji

Imma fuck up my life We gon party all night She don’t care if I die Yeah I bet you won’t try But you know I don’t mind

I don’t think my motives were ever as extreme or bleak as “imma fuck up my life” but the general sentiment rings true. There was definitely a pervasive detachedness to my days, and a total lack of “trying”. And a lack of minding over that fact.

Yeah, you know I feel right Yeah, you living right now She don't ever pick sides

I unfortunately discovered Joji during the small insanity of quarantine, and of course blazed through all his interviews. I hadn’t fully realized how not picking sides in my life and going along with the flow belied a sense of numbness or ambivalence. This is so how I’ve been feeling/ felt about so many aspects of my life—career, relationships, values, lifestyle. I couldn’t choose anything because nothing pulled at me. I remember telling a friend that I’m at a point of ambivalence where if I had two research projects I would not be able to pick which one to pursue because they would feel all the same to me. I feel almost no sense of what interests me.

Yeah, you bet I go to see you when I'm feeling like a drum without a beat Yeah, you dance so good And I think that's kinda neat

I am/was truly a drum without a beat, just noticing some insignificant thing of slight interest and noting “that’s kinda neat.” Really not a reason to go after a girl/ relationship in the slightest, but I get how it’s all that could be mustered at the moment. And then you shrug and run with it.

Another millennial moment of wisdom from Joji about this song:

It’s not productive but it’s not destructive. And that’s how a lot of people get stuck, in relationships and in life in general.

This was exactly what was happening during the year. I was not productive AT ALL, but I was still passing, still technically going through the motions, going through the hoops. Life was happening. And I was stuck.

What you know about love? What you know about life? What you know about blood? Bitch, you ain't even my type

Honestly not super sure how it relates, but to these lines. Joji explains:

I mean, the way I see life is like, no-one’s special. You’re not born special, if you’re lucky you’re given a certain set of skills and a certain set of resources and you run with them, and then everyone dies. So as long as they know that, and they’re not thinking in a God’s plan sort of way... So just stuff like that

This was interesting as this summer as I was trying to figure out my path and my direction, and grappling with whether I wanted to try to pursue things that I thought I should/ kinda wanted for extraneous reasons/ seemed practical and logical and well desired vs. what I may be better at/ what I knew I wanted before. And there was definitely this idea of a (lost) calling, a larger cosmic reason that I had blindly chosen this much harder and guilt-inducing path. Something that may make it all make sense. I was extensively looking back on my past self and aspirations. I felt like I had forcibly given up things that made me me without gaining the practical traits I had so envied in others; I had become a boring medical student who wasn’t even super productive nor good at medicine. I was obsessed with this idea of a passion, this abstract thing that I seemed to have perhaps had the inklings of at a certain point, but seemed to have lost entirely, all after having sacrificed much to pursue it. It was refreshing to see someone who is an artiste (hohoho) saying these things, since (successful) artists seemed to be the only people who were truly special or passionate enough in what they did, in that they had risked so much stability, and had made it.

Returning to the song, I love how all these serious questions are raised only to be followed up by a super petty “bitch you ain’t even my type.” And indeed, my many deep queries have no conclusions and I find myself returning to the minutiae of daily life.

Back to Good News. The utter exhaustion and endless circle of rumination on past days, a desire to fix the pattern, slight hope, and inevitable resignation Mac sings of make me close my eyes to take a deep breath. His tracks from Circle capture so well the fluctuating inner thought processes of those who are struggling to dig themselves out of something beyond their control:

When it ain't that bad It could always be worse I'm running out of gas, hardly anything left Hope I make it home from work Well, so tired of being so tired Why I gotta build something beautiful just to go set it on fire? I'm no liar, but Sometimes the truth don't sound like the truth Maybe 'cause it ain't I just love the way it sound when I say it But I heard that the sky's still blue, yeah I heard they don't talk about me too much no more And that's a problem with a closed door Then I'll finally discover That it ain't that bad, ain't so bad

The coexistence of heaviness and hope is what I’ve always loved about Mac. I’m obsessed with duality, contradictions, and being conflicted because I think it’s what I have so struggled with for my young adult life (Joji also mentions this is a driving force behind his songs). Also, I think inconsistencies are just something that is so humanizing about people. It’s no wonder that my favorite works of art attempt to dissect or observe dualities—The Unbearable Lightness of Being; the esoteric song by the lead singer of a small Korean indie band that I had to pay 50 cents to download and save on my desktop cause it wasn’t on youtube (it is now huzzah). A minor tangent, in the aforementioned song Jo Woong implores someone to tell him what he did wrong because he sure as hell can’t figure it out. And a line that has stayed with me for years: Aren’t people’s fronts and backs inherently different? Or is it just me that’s lacking something... It’s a play on a Korean saying, but it points out the inconsistencies in people in an aching plea for understanding and sympathy. It’s what too many plagued, conflicted individuals are hoping for.

내가 뭘 그렇게 잘못했는지 모르겠어요 누가 내 잘못 안다면 얘기 좀 해줘요 사람이 원래 앞뒤가 맞지가 않잖아요? 아니면 나만 이렇게 모자란가요

When I listen to Mac with a clear head, aka not in the throes of depression, I hear the hope in his voice and lyrics. It strikes me and warms my heart even more because I know that the hope has shined through despite the darkness. But when I’m on the other side of the equation, I hear how deep the sadness and pain is, and how the hope is not enough to overcome that. It’s almost worse because I know the hope exists, and yet I can’t get there. It feels like a failure.

Everybody- Mac Miller

Everybody's gotta live And everybody's gonna die Everybody just wanna have a good, good time I think you know the reason why Yeah, sometimes the goin' gets so good Yeah, but then again, it get pretty rough

The fatalism of this song coupled with Mac’s slight falsetto embodies a type of pain that is ineffable. The back and forth of things being good and rough reminds me of an addled and empty-eyed shrug.

Surf – Mac Miller

And the days, they go by Until we get old There's water in the flowers, let's grow People, they lie But hey, so do I Until it gets old There's water in the flowers, let's grow Yeah, well Sometimes I get lonely Not when I'm alone But it's more when I'm standin' in crowds That I'm feelin' the most on my own And I know that somebody knows me I know somewhere there's home I'm startin' to see that all I have to do is get up and go

Surf speaks more quietly of possibility even during dark times. The faint sense of having known at a certain point that someone knows you and gets it, and that you could feel at peace again, like in a home of sorts. The desire to grow, the slight feeling that maybe, it we let go (of societal perceptions, of greed, expectations?), something could change. But in the here and now, it’s just a sense and not a reality. A hypothetical thought that has not yet passed the threshold for action:

Gotta get goin', goin', goin' before I'm gone

A break from the melancholy for a throwback to myself, which made me chuckle as well as feel a sense of wistful nostalgia. This short and sweet track seems like the perfect modern-day ode to me. My conflicted state of being in awe of and yearning after impractical aestheticism but simultaneously being terrified of and slightly disgusted by the indulgence and recklessness of art and its values has led me to eschew it as a profession but try to implicate myself in it in other ways. I think one of the slightly problematic ways this has manifested is not pursuing art in my own life, but seeking to be a muse in other’s’ artful endeavors. I’ve definitely probably contributed to the problematic male gaze I’ve written papers on, but in all vulnerable honesty, that is how I’ve been in the past. The redeeming qualities of Kota’s muse reminded me of the past, some of the qualities that I had prided in myself. I woefully feel as though I have lost all these qualities--Doing my own thing, riding my own wave, not being affected by others’ values, particularly the more superficial ones, being grounded, reading (hah, but never self help), low-key taking care of my life, knowing what I want.

She – KOTA the friend

She do her own thing, she ride her own wave Only twenty people on the 'Gram that she followin' Only post work, she ain't tryna be a model chick She believe in white wine, feet up on the ottoman Low-key, got her own business and she mindin' it If she get your number, you'll be lucky if she lock it in She hella grounded, but the plane trips to BnB stay booked Told me I should read the Four Agreements, it's a great book Cracked a little smile and she threw me back the same look, yea

Slowing it down, this song sounds like a warm afternoon sunset on a lake in New Hampshire that’s not even sad. Which is rare for me since I find sunsets heart-wrenchingly empty most days.

Hand Me Downs – Mac Miller

Get away to a place where the lakes such a great view Leave the bank, couple hunnid thou' I made it, but I hate once I build it I break it down Might just break me down And all I ever needed was somebody with some reason who can keep me sane Ever since I can remember I've been keeping it together but I'm feeling strange

As long as I could remember, this is what I wanted. Yet in recent months, I’ve felt so confused about what I want. I’ve been feeling strange, and things don’t seem right, with no proper conclusion:

Get away when it ain't really safe and it don't seem right But what's new? You get used to the bullshit, the screws they go missing It's likely they might be but...

I almost wish that there was something I distinctly missed, since that would at least show that I cared about something. But to be fair, wanting the wrong things have led me down many wrong turns in the past, so maybe this blank slate is not so bad. I’m so very unsure of what I want, but I suppose I just need to keep it up and act like I do* want something. That’s been the conclusion for this past year. It’s sometimes nice and fine, sometimes so difficult, and I’m in the latter end of the spectrum now, but perhaps it’ll click eventually. In the meantime, the detached voice of Giveon soothes me that I’m not only lost soul goin back and forth on the lost young adult pendulum:

Like I Want You – Giveon

I guess I'll just pretend until it all makes sense Like I want you You, ooh, ooh Even if it's true, ooh (Even if it's true)

Early-ish July 2020

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collaborativedocumenteditingsoft · 4 years

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The Lost Secret to Post Production Workflow Found

Panel or drag an asset to a monitor from the MediaCentral

Every video engineer has his or her own preferred method for navigating this stage, but it’s important to hit a few key steps. When it comes to creating video and audio content, there are three key production phases. To really understand how post-production works, here’s a closer look at each phase. This is more important if you’re an amateur or independent filmmaker and you partner with a video production company to help manage your post-production needs.

What is the final stage for picture editing in the post production workflow process?

Introduction (with title, release date, background information) Summary of the story. Analysis of the plot elements (rising action, climax) Creative elements (dialogues, characters, use of colors, camera techniques, mood, tone, symbols, costumes or anything that contributes or takes away from the overall plot)

According to Doug Mountain, Supervising Sound Editor for Warner Brothers Post Production Services, he can spend as much as 20 hours just scrubbing unwanted noise from dialogue recordings for every episode of a show like Walking Dead. If you had a plan of editing your film on your laptop forget about it. The post-production workflow for the RED Dragon 6K is a beast and you would not be able to edit at home. You would then need to hire an editor who can handle that workflow and understands where his work is going to next, color grading.

THINGS: on Demystifying Video Codecs

As part of the apps suite, Google Docs is a word processing app for teams and it allows you to create and manage documents online very easily. Let’s look at the first insight that’ll allow us to make a collaborative text editor.

Streaming MediaMagazine

Audacity is my go-to recommendation for free audio editors, and it's the only one I've used, even if it was long ago. As I said, there are other free options and there are your paid options, but I'm not really familiar with them because I use Vegas Pro for my audio mixing (Vegas was a mulitrack audio editor before it was an NLE, and it's fantastic). So I'm not really up on the pros/cons of other editors because, well, I don't use them.

Post Production Scripts (Pps)

That article ended just shy of delivering the finished edit to Roush Media, the Digital Intermediate https://www.toodledo.com company tasked with the final delivery for the theatrical screening. Remote video editing is a great way to leverage talent globally. With robust online collaboration tools available for video and film post production workflows, producer, director and film editor can all be in different locations and work together efficiently. One of my favorite online collaboration tools is Frame.IOI can share a rough cut with producers and directors with realtime feedback, markers and comments. All members of the team can view the cut at the same time in any web browser, tablet or phone.

Can 7zip open BIN files?

Click the "Tools" button on the menu, and then select the "Convert Image File Format" option. The "convert" dialogue will be pop-up. Press the “Browse” then choose a BIN/CUE file you wish to convert and choose the “ISO files(*. iso)” option.

How do I convert a BIN file to ISO?

A BAT file is a DOS batch file used to execute commands with the Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe). The danger: A BAT file contains a series of line commands that will run if it is opened, which makes it a good option for malicious programmers.

Cloud UX web client to work with these same assets without opening Media Composer.

Are movies getting longer?

Part (but not all) of the reason why top-grossing movies have a longer average run time is that there is a great number of extremely long outliers. 10% of top-grossing movies are longer than 140 minutes, compared with just 96% of all movies in cinemas.

Counting the hours until #nab2019 starts. See us at SL14813 and let Strawberry’s new features knock your socks off. #knocktheirsocksoff Book a meeting: https://t.co/XLxjkJ0oI4 pic.twitter.com/PWVDY8B5pb

— Projective Technology (@ProjectiveTech) April 7, 2019

Distributors routinely require filmmakers to warrant certain facts, and indemnify the distributor for any loses or legal fees incurred from a breach. Since the distributor was not present when the script was written, or the movie produced, the distributor doesn't know whether the filmmaker secured all the rights needed to exploit the film. The distributor wants to ensure that the filmmaker has a clean "chain of title" to his work. The distributor will also ask the filmmaker to warrant that the film doesn't violate any third party rights, including actions for copyright or trademark infringement, invasion of rights of privacy and publicity, and defamation.

The program did find and identify objects in my videos (even faces), but the People view didn't offer any face tagging from my video clips, which were rife with smiles. The separate Organizer app is where you import, rate, keyword tag, and share media online. It's also where you output your work to DVDs and other project formats.

Unless the film is a part of a major franchise (AKA a Disney Movie), or is an expensive action flick, chances are there’s less than 500 people working on it. These jobs are much more varied than the average moviegoer might expect. It’s obvious that there are people operating the camera, setting up the lights, decorating the set, making the costumes, and recording the sound. Here’s a brief list and summary of a few departments you might not be aware of if you’ve never stepped on a film set. Matt teaches Filmmaking at City Academy - having worked in the Film industry for over 14 years, he has worked on a range of projects from feature films to commercial videos, as well as running Filmmaking sessions for the BBC and ITV.

ART OF THE CUT with editors of “Ford v. Ferrari”

Is it safe to delete mysql bin files?

Delete Files Permanently from your Computer. When you delete a file from your computer, it moves to the Windows Recycle Bin. You empty the Recycle Bin and the file is permanently erased from the hard drive. When you delete files or folders, the data is not initially removed from the hard disk.

Include mages, videos, animations, interactivity, audio narrations, and quizzes. We are an one-stop digital agency that has delivered over 600+ live projects including mobile apps and websites. We have a highly trained team of 50+ professionals’ expert at developing E-commerce solutions, Web Applications, Mobile Apps, SEO, SMO and Digital Marketing. I am completing an internship at the UN, focusing on French/English translations, Web Content production and Social Media management.

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disneydreamlights · 7 years

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For Skylar: A5-A7, A13, A19, B8, B9, the C section, D5, E2, E6, F1-F4, F10, G7.

So what I’m gathering from both you and Zoe sending Sky is she’s a popular OC, cool.

Are they good at handling change in their life?

She’s not really that great at it. She can adapt to smaller changes, but when it comes to larger changes she starts getting very quickly overwhelmed with them. When her Keyblade Master died, even after she’d started moving on, it took a lot of time to adapt to her new Master because she had no idea how to adjust.

Does your OC tend to assume their interpretation of events and reality is correct, or do they question it? I.e., “I’m sure that’s what you said” versus “It’s possible I misheard you.”

Haha, no. She’ll act like it at times she does but god does she question her interpretation of events all the time. She’s not very confident in her world view unfortunately. In DR rps, whenever she messes up in a trial it tends to not help that either.

Is your OC confident in their reactions to life in general, or do they get embarrassed or easily shamed for it? I.e., if something startles them, do they insist it WAS scary? When they cry, do they feel like they overreacted?

She’s more likely to admit that she overreacted to something than excuse it. So if she gets angry she’ll be like “Yeah I was angry but maybe I could’ve approached that calmer” once she knows the full story. It also depends on the reaction though too, it’s very often things that push her out of her comfort zones that give her extreme reactions in the first place.

Does your OC have any phobias? If so, where did they come from?

No, surprisingly. She can be afraid but she doesn’t have anything that she’s just crazy afraid of and is scared of running into. Like she’s scared of losing her friends but that’s not really a phobia.

What instantly irritates them or puts them in a bad mood?

Betrayal, that’s about it. If she trusts you and you kick that trust to the curve, she will not take it well. Besides that, for the most part she doesn’t have too many issues with things putting her in a bad mood for no reason. Unless you count like anxiety and stuff, then her social anxiety does a pretty decent job of that.

Is your OC considered funny? Do they believe they’re funny?

Overall no, she’s a pretty serious oc but she has her moments where she can have good lines, especially in some of the early Skyuuya interactions. Fun fact, this is still one of my favorite lines I’ve written: Can't say I disagree because she is pretty but I'm also sure he'd flirt with a tree if I put a skirt on it...

Anyways, outside of her rare moments of humor, I’d say probably not, especially in universe since most of it is in her thoughts anyways.

What kind of humor does your OC like the most? Slapstick, ironic, funny sounds, scare pranks, xD sO rAnDoM…

Sarcastic humor. She’s sarcastic and a bit mean with her humor, but still.

Does your OC have a moral code? If not, how do they base their actions? If so, where does it come from, and how seriously do they take it?

Oh god...very, very strong moral code to go with her strong sense of judgement. She follows her moral code to the best of her abilities, but literally the best way to describe her would be she’s like lawful good on D&D alignments because she follows the rules as they should be to do good.

Now granted, there are things she’s flexible on, but they’re very few and far between and self-defense is the only reason she’ll accept for violating them.

Would your OC feel bad if they acted against their morals? If not, would they find a way to excuse themselves for it?

Sky killed somebody once. She is still beating herself for it however many years later the rp takes place. It could be like forty years later and she could be happily married and she’s still beating herself up over it.

Is it important for them to be with people (socially, intimately, whatever) whose major ideological tenets align with their own?

She does, I’m having difficulties explaining why but when it comes to any of her particularly important ideologies, they have to match. She won’t start fights over it in most cases, but she’ll definitely make a note to avoid those people who collide with hers.

Do they consider themselves superior or more important than anyone else? Lesser?

Lesser, but more important. She understands her role as a Keyblade Master, even if it’s in a time where there are a lot more Keyblade Wielders, makes her important, but she’s kinda very upset with herself so she thinks a lot of people are better people than her.

Do your OC’s morals and rules of common decency go out the window when it comes to those they don’t like, or when it’s inconvenient? Aka, are their morals situational?

Her morals went out the windows in a life or death situation with her best friend so I don’t think either are the case. XD

What do they do when they see someone asking for money or food? If they ignore them, why? If they help, how so?

She’s got more than enough munny to occasionally spare some to those who need it, but she’s more likely to do it with food. She feels bad leaving them to starve, so she’ll make an effort to help them, especially since as a Keyblade Wielder she views it as her duty to help anyone who needs her.

That being said she’ll only do it if she has the ability to. If she’s put in a situation (like post PoD) where her own survival has to come first, she’ll prioritize that instead.

Do they believe people change over time? If so, is it a natural process or does it take effort?

People change, she’s seen it in both her best friends and her sister, but she doesn’t believe it just happens, she believes change needs a catalyst. Landon changed because he fell to darkness, Serafine became less bubbly because she became blind in one eye, Marina started to have temper issues because of the stress of everything that happened. Nobody changes without a catalyst, those are just inevitable.

Is your OC more practical or ideal morally? I.e., do they hold people to high expectations of behavior even if it’s not realistic for the situation, or do they have a more realistic approach and adapt their morality to be more practical?

Having been in a situation where she had to violate her own moral code, she has to have a more realistic and practical view to morality, but that doesn’t mean she’ll approve of her own actions.

Do they believe in ghosts? If not, why? If so, do they think they’re magical/tie into their religion, or are they scientifically plausible?

...I feel the need to point out she’s a KH oc and they have both the Underworld and Halloweentown in canon. She believes in ghosts.

Which of the nine types of intelligence is your OC strongest in? Weakest? (Linguistic, existential, naturalist, et cetera)

Strongest: Body-Kinesthetic (She has a very good sense of her body due to her combat training, and it continues to get better as she trains more.)

Weakest: Linguistic (She’s just...really not a language person. At all.)

Do they enjoy learning? Do they actively seek out sources of self-education?

Yes and yes, she very frequently tries to learn more about the worlds she visits for her training on a regular basis, even if she knows she’ll never have any practical use for the knowledge.

What sort of home do they live in now, if at all? How did they end up there?

It depends on the universe and my denial levels.

In regular universes, she lives in a one bedroom apartment in Daybreak Town.

In my version of post PoD, she does her best to find a home with Yuuya in the falling apart despair world.

In post PoD, she’s dead.

What’s their ideal home look like? Where is it?

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum...to be honest it probably wouldn’t be a permanent home, because in no matter what universe she’s always on the move, trying to make the world(s) a better place, so I actually wouldn’t be surprised if she always stayed based in a small apartment. Maybe if she moved in with people it’d be different, but she wouldn’t want something big.

Could they ever live in a “tiny home”?

Yeah, definitely.

How clean are they overall with home upkeep?

She keeps it clean enough where if somebody besides like Marina or Sera were to stop by she wouldn’t be embarrassed but besides that...she really only does the bare minimum.

Do they engage in any of the arts? How good do you intend them to be? Would they agree they are?

All my ocs have some kind of artistic skill, but hers is a bit lacking compared to most of my ocs. She can play piano, but she’s only an average pianist, which is about where she assesses her skills too.

Do they have any childhood memories they’d rather forget or be less affected by?

If thirteen counts as childhood, then she’d really like to forget the sight of the Keyblade Master who decided that she was worth training get killed by Heartless while trying to save her sister while remembering that those Heartless were summoned by a mistake her best friend.

That’s always a wonderful memory I could see her wanting to forget.

#Heather RPs #luigiman21 #Heather Answers

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jodybouchard9 · 6 years

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What Is Shaker Furniture? The Minimalist Design Aesthetic We Can’t Get Enough Of

Photo by Carl Wycoff/Flickr.com/CC

What is Shaker furniture? The short answer: beautiful wooden pieces made in a timeless style that suits just about any design aesthetic from modern minimalism to old-school traditional.

The secret to the furniture’s versatility is in the clean, simple lines. But simple doesn’t mean boring. In fact, Shaker furniture is quite sophisticated. What’s more, it has a rich history that dates back 200 years.

Read on for more about this distinctly American style of furniture.

Who were the Shakers?

The Shakers, aka the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, were a small group that splintered off from a branch of English Quakers in the 18th century. Their beliefs centered around hard work and a practical way of life devoid of excess.

The sect eventually migrated to Colonial America and became commonly known as the “Shaking Quakers,” or Shakers, because their religious services included ritualistic expressions of shaking, shouting, and whirling, says Julie Muñiz, an independent curator and art consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Though strict in some ways, the Shakers could be considered progressive even by today’s standards. They lived in a communal society and believed in equality of the sexes, with women and men both holding important leadership roles. However, their religion didn’t last long as celibacy was one of their tenets and adopting children was forbidden. The Shakers eventually all but died out.

What is Shaker furniture?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdtGUfflSpT/?taken-by=remodelista

The Shakers’ belief in attention to detail extended into all aspects of their life, including their furniture-making. The careful construction of each piece of furniture was considered a form of worship and prayer.

“As a result, minimalist handmade pieces combining form and function in beautiful harmony became the hallmark of Shaker furniture,” says Beverly Solomon, creative director of Beverly Solomon Design in Texas. “The furniture tends to have a presence that radiates this balance of love and skill.”

Shaker furniture is a physical representation of their no-nonsense beliefs. Designs were practical, functional, and utilitarian—without unnecessary curves, adornments, or decorative elements.

The allure of Shaker pieces lies in its spare delicacy, giving the furniture—which the group began to make commercially in the 19th century—a straightforward elegance.

“In many ways, the Shakers’ purity of design paved the way for modernists and the arts and crafts movement a century later,” says Muñiz.

The finishes on the pieces also reflected the religion’s modesty. For instance, only moveable furniture could be varnished. Painted furniture was either a shade of dark red or green since those colors hide dirt. Sometimes yellow and orange were used. Blue, the color the Shakers assigned to the virtue of purity, was used solely for elders and chapel furniture.

It all started with chairs

Early Shaker chair now available at LA Vintage Design. Many consider the Shakers the first modernists. • • • • • #lavintagedesign #design #chairs #classicmodern #midcenturymodern #midcentury #love #losangeles #ladesign #red #interiors #interiordesign #store #shop #shopping #home #shaker #shakerchair #shakerfurniture #antiques

A post shared by L.A. Vintage Design (@lavintagedesign) on Jun 20, 2017 at 12:34pm PDT

The piece of furniture most commonly associated with Shakers is their light yet sturdy ladder-back chairs, which often have woven seats, says Solomon.

Shakers kept their communal homes extremely clean, installing pegs on the walls of their rooms so they could hang up the chairs when it came time to sweep. The Shakers were also the first people in the United States to manufacture rocking chairs on a large scale. (Yes, we checked.)

In addition, the group used advanced woodworking techniques such as dovetailed joinery and through-mortise—both are ways to join wood pieces—to produce tables with tapered legs, cabinets with recessed panel doors, and round bentwood boxes. Master woodworkers still emulate these techniques today.

What was Shaker furniture made with?

The modest Shakers generally used inexpensive, local woods such as cherry, pine, or maple, says Muñiz. Like other early American woodworkers, the Shakers also had a profound understanding of the various properties of different woods—tensile strength, compressive strength, ability to be bent with steam, when to harvest, and how long to cure the wood.

The types of furniture ran the gamut from chairs and tables to dressers and even large clocks. A Shaker stool will often have a seat made of elm, which is hard to split, and legs made of an exceptionally sturdy wood such as hickory, says Solomon.

Where can you find Shaker furniture today?

Only one Shaker community with only a few members still exists today, and it doesn’t make furniture. But Shaker style was not a fleeting trend, and the look lives on. Original furniture from centuries ago are largely found on display in museums or for sale in antiques stores, where pieces can run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousands. One trestle dining table sold at auction in 2009 for $117,000.

For those of us who don’t have that type of dough to spend on furniture but want to bring Shaker style home, more affordable reproductions of Shaker furniture are made by fine craftsman around the country.

“Shaker furniture’s enduring popularity lies in that it’s a quintessential American style,” says Muñiz.

A little addition to our home and also our upcoming exhibition #shaker #shakerchair #mtlebanon

A post shared by John Baker (@john_at_mjolk) on Dec 28, 2016 at 12:16pm PST

The post What Is Shaker Furniture? The Minimalist Design Aesthetic We Can’t Get Enough Of appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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