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washipink · 9 months

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A Beginner’s Guide to Tokusatsu

Hey, I know some of you are probably wondering about all these hero shows I’m constantly posting about. Maybe you want to try watching them too, but don’t know where to start? Well, look no further. I’m here to go over some accessible, and legal, means of checking out some of my favorite things!

for the OTHER means, you’ll have to DM me or send me an ask. I’m not getting my favorite sites shut down. You know the drill.

This guide will mainly focus on the big 3 Toku franchises, Toei’s Kamen Rider and Super Sentai as well as Tsuburaya’s Ultraman.

What Is Tokusatsu?

Tokusatsu is a genre of Japanese shows and movies that literally translates to “Special Effects”. Usually using a combination of monster or hero suits, practical effects like explosions, and light CGI.

That’s a REALLY wide net, so we’re just gonna focus on 3 shows today.

Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman. Thanks to @urotandersentai for drawing this neat little guide to the Visual Design of each of these 3 shows.

With that out of the way, let’s look at some individual seasons of these shows. Each one has a link to where you can watch it!

Please remember that at the end of the day, the best way to pick a show to watch is “Whatever looks coolest to you”. As such, I’ve included pictures!!!

Super Sentai

You might be saying, “This looks like Power Rangers!” And you’d be right!

Super Sentai, created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Productions, is kinda like Power Rangers’ Dad. PR has been using suits and even fight footage from Super Sentai to tell its own stories for 30 years. All this time, though, Sentai has been creating lovable and memorable casts of colorful heroes.

Generally, Super Sentai is about a team of heroes in colorful costumes that fight monsters every week to protect people.

There’s tons of shows in this series that are available FOR FREE.

CHOUJIN SENTAI JETMAN (1991)

The Earth is under siege from the Dimensional War Party Vyram. A special squadron is selected for an experiment to turn them into Super Humans with the powers of Birds, the Birdman Squadron Jetman. Vyram interferes with the experiment and kills all but one of the Jetman recruits. Instead, civilians are transformed and tasked with defending the Earth. The surviving recruit, Ryu Tendo, must convince 4 normal people with drastically different backgrounds to fight with him.

Jetman has the typical monster of the week format for Super Sentai, but when the team isn’t battling monsters, there’s some serious drama going on. The five of them are all drastically different individuals. It can make it hard to work as a team. Especially when it comes Black Condor. Dude’s a loose canon and an absolute bastard of a man.

KYORYU SENTAI ZYURANGER (1992)

“From hundreds of millions of years ago, in the age of the dinosaurs, five warriors revive in the present time!”

When the Evil Witch Bandora awakens from her slumber, intent on terrorizing the Children of Earth, Five warriors from Dinosaur Times are unsealed to undo her schemes!

This one is where the suits for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers came from, which might tempt you to watch it first. I kinda recommend against that, though. It’s a fine show but I personally found it a bit boring. The characterization of the main cast didn’t stick out as much compared to other Sentai.

GOSEI SENTAI DAIRANGER (1993)

I haven’t seen this one, but it’s focused on martial arts and one of their mechs is a cool dragon? so uhhh? Check them out? Their theme song fucks

NINJA SENTAI KAKURANGER (1994)

Ok listen I didn’t watch this one either. HOWEVER, I know that it’s about the descendants of 5 legendary ninja who have been fighting yokai for 400 years.

CHOURIKI SENTAI OHRANGER (1995)

This is the last sentai in the “I didn’t watch it” category. uhhh, watch it if the suits look cool. Sorry.

GEKISOU SENTAI CARRANGER (1996)

Five Mechanics use the power of Car Magic to protect the earth from the Universal Reckless Driving Tribe and teach children about Traffic Safety. This one’s a tad bit goofier compared to some of the others, but it’s a good time.

Also There’s a Yoda.

DENJI SENTAI MEGARANGER (1997)

Five High School Students are friends and pals! Together they investigate the mysterious goings on of a technologically advanced evil empire. They literally surf the net in order to bring peace to their city and the world!

SEIJUU SENTAI GINGAMAN (1998)

The warriors of Ginga Forest, the Gingamen, have protected nature for 132 Generations. This series follows the 133rd Generation of Gingamen, who battle alongside Starbeasts to stop the resurrection of the Demon Beast Ditanix!

KYUKYU SENTAI GOGOFIVE (1999)

This time, the rangers are an experienced team of rescue workers given super human power! They fight back Literal Demons From Hell that endanger the public. There’s a lot of focus specifically on rescuing civilians in this one, so if you’re an especially big fan of watching heroes... SAVE people, this is a great choice.

MIRAI SENTAI TIMERANGER (2000)

In the 30th Century, a gang of super criminals escapes to the year 2000. They are tracked down by the Future Sentai Timeranger, agents of the Time Defense Force. There, they encounter the Great(s) Grandfather of their departed leader and must convince him to fight alongside them for the sake of humanity.

HYAKUJU SENTAI GAORANGER (2001)

Veterinarian Kakeru Shishi can hear the hearts of every animal! He swiftly becomes enraptured in the adventures of the Gaorangers, who battle living embodiment of pollution. Also they live on a flying turtle! How cool is that?

NINPUU SENTAI HURRICANNEGER (2002)

What if there was a polycule of ninjas SO BAD at being Ninjas, they showed up to Ninja Class Late and were the only survivors of an attack on their school? These guys are the silliest little slackers, but they’ve got hearts of gold. Check them out? For me? :)

KAMEN RIDER

If Super Sentai is Power Rangers’ Dad, Kamen Rider is Power Rangers’ Uncle.

Kamen Rider was ALSO created by Shotaro Ishinomori.

Usually focused in on a smaller cast of heroes. A common theme in Rider is that the heroes are created by their villains and choose to rebel against them for the greater good, or will use the villain’s own powers against them.

Most Riders have a signature attack where they leap into the air and do a flying kick. These get INCREDIBLY flashy over the years.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot less Kamen Rider legally available than there are of the other two shows here. Don’t fret, it’s Easy Enough To Find Anyway.

As for the shows I can link you to, there’s

KAMEN RIDER (1971)

This is the original series.

Takeshi Hongo is an augmented human being created by the evil organization Shocker. Escaping before his brainwashing can be completed, battles for humanity’s freedom as Kamen Rider.

Being such an old show, the effects can be dated and cheesy. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but if you stick with it, I’m sure you’ll love it. You can watch most of the show in almost any order. The only really confusing part is that eventually, Hongo tags out with fellow escaped cyborg Ichimonji Hayato as Kamen Rider. (This was due to a real world injury to Hongo’s actor during filming. Don’t worry, he’s still kicking and he comes back later in the show!)

It’s also the longest Kamen Rider show, so I don’t fault you if you decide not to watch ALL of it. Even I haven’t yet.

If reading is more your thing, it’s based on a manga that you can find a DELIGHTFULLY well crafted omnibus of here

KAMEN RIDER KUUGA (2000)

Kuuga was the first season of Rider after about a 5 year break on TV. It’s something of a return to form.

It follows Yusuke Godai, a world traveler with 2000 skills, visiting his home town for the first time in years. He finds himself in the middle of an ancient civilization’s ritualistic murder game. Donning the mantle of Kuuga, Godai fights to protect the smiles of the city. He has a wonderful supporting cast around him including Detective Ichijou, who he goes on to share a rather homoerotic bond with.

Kuuga was my first Rider Series and to this day, it represents the Bread and Butter of Kamen Rider to me. This one’s a bit of a slow-paced Drama, but its focus is on what it means to help others. Every episode, I felt like I was actively being encouraged to be a better person. Godai’s got this infectious positivity that can’t help but make you grin.

KAMEN RIDER RYUKI (2002)

Ryuki takes a rather different direction from the other shows on this list. Instead of being about a single hero battling monsters, it’s about Plucky Young Journalist Shinji Kido being wrapped up in an all-out war between Kamen Riders. Donning the mask of Ryuki, he seeks to put an end to the bloodshed. The other Kamen Riders aren’t nearly as cooperative, though.

Don’t think that this plot means these characters don’t get tons of humanizing moments though. They’re all delightful to watch in action and you’ll end up truly questioning who will win? Is it possible to end the Riders’ battle? Will Shinji have to take a life after all?

I cannot recommend Ryuki enough. A lot of the Rider series from the early 2000s are Dramas that feature super heroes and Ryuki takes that drama up to a 10. (Plus, if you wanna ask where to find it, there’s plentiful side content for this show.)

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE (2019)

In the far-flung year of 2019, Hiden Intelligence has revolutionized AI technology. The company manufactures Robot Assistants called Humagears. People in all walks of life and profession benefit from their aid. Unfortunately, something is causing Humagears to go berserk and attack humans.

With the death of Hiden Intelligence’s president, Failed Comedian Aruto Hiden inherits the company. He’s given the Zero-One Driver, which allows him to fight the corrupted Humagears as Kamen Rider Zero-One. With this new power in hand, Aruto seeks a way forward where Humankind and AI can exist in harmony.

Come to think of it, this one’s kinda topical. “AI” is a subject we really aren’t gonna be getting rid of any time soon. This show is one of the more recent rider productions you can find legally and it SHOWS. Every suit is sleek and clean, the visuals are striking and flashy. If nothing else, Zero-One LOOKS incredible.

KAMEN RIDER GEATS (2022)

Kamen Riders compete in a game called the Desire Grand Prix. By fighting monsters and saving people for points, the winner can have their greatest desire granted. Ukiyo Ace, the titular Kamen Rider Geats, looks to unravel the mysteries behind the Grand Prix and reunite with his long-lost mother.

Things get a bit more complicated than that, but I think you should see it for yourself. I can’t recommend Geats enough. its visual style is a direct evolution of Zero One’s sleekness and flashiness. It’s main 4 characters are some of my favorites in recent years.

SHIN KAMEN RIDER (2023) (Paid)

Takeshi Hongo is an augmented human being created by the evil organization Shocker. Escaping before his brainwashing can be completed, battles for humanity’s freedom as Kamen Rider.

Wait, that sounds really familiar. That’s because this is the latest in a series of Tokusatsu Reimaginings by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi. This is a new take on the story of Kamen Rider 1971, modernized complete with sleeker suits and stunning music all wrapped up in a 2-hour movie. It also has plenty of Easter Eggs for those of us who are fans of the 1971 series or the Manga it’s based on!

Be warned, this one’s gorier than the other stuff on the list. It’s mostly exaggerated blood splatters, though. I hate that kind of stuff and I’m able to rewatch this movie.

KAMEN RIDER AMAZONS (2016) (Paid)

Amazons is another adult reimagining of a classic Kamen Rider show, but it’s so far removed you don’t really need to know much about the original to enjoy it.

Amazons follows a group of exterminators who have been tasked with eradicating escaped cannibalistic experiments called, well, Amazons. The catch is that they work together with 2 Amazons, Momoru the Mole Amazon, and Haruka, the titular Kamen Rider Amazons. Both of them are tasked with asking themselves ethical questions. Is it so wrong for Amazons to exist? Is it possible to avoid eating people? If it isn’t, then is it WRONG to eat people to survive?

ULTRAMAN

Ok, look, I’m gonna have to make a separate post covering all the free Ultraman stuff there is. Theres SO MUCH OF IT available that I don’t know where to start. We’re about to hit the image limit. If that post is done, it will be linked HERE.

But for a basic idea, there’s tons of stuff on Tubi and the official Ultraman Youtube Channel posts new episodes of the currently airing show.

#Tokusatsu #Kamen Rider #Super Sentai #Beginners Guide #Feel Free To Reblog This #I'm gonna pin it and updating it over time

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brawn-gp · 11 months

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TENNIS: A BEGINNERS GUIDE

for @seblrina and anyone who wants to know a bit about tennis, especially now that Roland Garros finals are happening !

1. THE BASICS

The male tennis association is called ATP, and the women's counterpart is called WTA. Tennis players can play singles and/or doubles.

The most important and prestigious tournaments are called Grand Slams, which award the most points, the most money and attract the most attention. Each year there are 4 Grand Slams: the Australian Open (hardcourt), The French Open or Roland Garros (clay), Wimbledon (grass) and the US Open (harcourt).

Then, the order of importance goes like this: 1000 tournaments → 500 tournaments → 250 tournaments (first tier) → Challengers 175, 125, 100, 75 & 50 in men, 125 in women (second tier) → men's Futures and women's ITFs (third tier).

Other important tournaments are the Davis Cup (men) and the Billie Jean King Cup (women), considered the "World Cups of Tennis". All the countries are divided into different categories, the most important being the World Group, which will crown the winning country or world champion each year. Last year, Switzerland won the Billie Jean King Cup and Canada the Davis Cup. Each country usually has 5 players, playing 1 doubles match and the rest being singles. The Davis Cup has 3 stages divided into the year: the World Group Playoffs, then the Group Stage and finally the Knockout Stage. The Billie Jean King Cup has a Qualifying and a Finals Stage, also divided into two parts of the year.

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2. COURTS AND LINES

There are 3 types of tennis courts: clay (mostly played in Europe and South America) which is the slowest court, with higher bounce and usually longer points, hard court (mostly played in North America and Asia) which is faster than clay with consistent bounces and quick plays, and grass (mostly played in England and some other European countries) which is the fastest court but harder to maintain. Usually these tournaments are bundled together, so for example you'll see people speak of "European clay season".

Now the lines of each court. It's important to point out that if the ball touches even a centimeter of the line, that ball is in. The widest lines are exclusively used for doubles, while the second lines are used for singles (as shown in the figure). The other relevant lines are the service boxes. When the player serves, the ball must bounce inside the opposite and diagonal side of the service box, alternating between the left and right sides with each point.

(excuse my lines, i made this with no ruler shdf)

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3. THE GAME

A coin toss decides which player serves and who receives. The player that serves must start on one side of the court, aiming for the service box of the opposite diagonal side, as explained before. This is called the first serve. If the ball doesn't pass the net or bounces outside of the service box, that's called a foul and the player has only one other chance, called the second serve. Players typically go full force in the first serve, aiming for the ace (ball that cannot be returned), while being more cautious in the second serve. If the player makes a foul in the second serve, that's called a double fault, meaning they lose the point. If the ball touches the net and bounces on the service box, that serve is played again. This is called a let, which can happen in the first or second serve and there are no limitations on how many times it can be replayed (as long as the balls keep bouncing in the service box)

Point: each play gives a point to the winner, with the sequence being: 0 - 15 - 30 - 40 - game.

Game: The first player who makes the four points, wins the game. Unless the rival player also gets to 40, making it a 40-40 point game, which means in order to win, one of the players must make 2 consecutive points, passing from Advantage (Ad.) to the game win.

Set: Each set is won when either player gets to 6 games with at least 2 set differences with their rival. This means the set is won when the result is 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 or 6-0. An additional game is played if one player has won 6 games and the opponent 5. If the final result ends up being 7-5, then the first player wins, and if it ends up being 6-6, the players must play a tie-break. The tie-break is won when a player gets to at least 7 points with a difference of 2.

Match: Typically the match is won through a best-of-three system, except for men's matches in the Grand Slams, which are won through a best-of-five system. This means the matches are more physically and emotionally demanding, and they are usually a lot longer than regular 3-set matches.

Some terminology that's relevant to know:

0 in English is called love. I don't know why but it is. So if you see someone call "fifteen-love", that means 15-0.

A "drop shot" is when a player hits a ball over the net, and it lands in the opponent's court so short over the net that the opponent has difficulties getting there before the ball bounces twice.

The umpire is the person who sits on the tall chair at the side of the court and calls the score, as well as revising points. The other people in the court are the ball kids (or ball person) who retrieves balls, and the line judges, that help the umpire to see if the ball falls inside or outside the line.

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4. POINTS AND RANKING SYSTEM

This is by far the most complicated part of tennis, but I'm of the belief you don't actually need to know every rule to appreciate the sport. Basically, each tournament awards points for every round you win, including some of the quali rounds. Here's a chart of points awarded for each round.

— ATP:

— WTA:

For the men, the rankings are based on the total points they obtain in these next tournaments:

— The 4 Grand Slam tournaments — The 8 mandatory ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. — The best 7 results from the other tournaments.

For the women, the rankings are based on the total points they obtain in these tournaments:

— The 4 Grand Slam tournaments. — 4 mandatory WTA 1000 tournaments. — The best 8 results from the other tournaments.

Now this is where the tricky part starts. The one thing you need to know is that if you do well in one tournament, the next year you need to do equally good to not lose points. For example, if a player wins Roland Garros (and gets 2000 points), and the next year they only get to the finals losing it (which gets you 1200/1300 points), you would lose 800/700 points, which is why some players lose a lot of places in a few bad months (if they did well the previous year).

This video can explain this part far better than I could, really recommend watching this to understand this part.

The rankings get updated every Monday (ATP / WTA), but you can see the provisional rankings here: ATP / WTA. I use the provisional rankings a lot, to figure out where they would move if they win or lose a match.

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5. FAMOUS PLAYERS AND LEGENDS

On behalf of men's tennis, I think most people have heard of The Big Three: Roger Federer🇨🇭, Rafael Nadal🇪🇸 and Novak Djokovic🇷🇸. These are the legends of tennis, those who have dominated the sport for the last two decades, and a time that is (sadly) on its last legs. Roger retired last year, and without Rafa in most of this year’s clay season (especially RG), everything appears to be changing. Novak is still playing at a high level though. Special mention to feminist icon Andy Murray🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, who was once considered as one of the Big Four, but due to injuries he wasn't able to achieve quite the level of the other 3. To see how insane the stats are, only 13 Grand Slams were won by a player other than the 4 of them between 2003 and 2022, meaning they won 66/79 of the Grand Slams (that is not considering Novak's win in the Australian Open this year, or any other slam he may win this year).

On the women's side, the most prominent figure of this millennium is definitely the one, the only, Serena Williams🇺🇸. She won 23 Grand Slams in singles and another 14 Grand Slams in doubles (with an amazing record of 14/14 wins), all with her sister Venus Williams🇺🇸, also considered one of the best tennis players of the Open Era. Both sisters have also won 4 gold medals at the Olympics, one each in singles and three in doubles (all won together) the most of any tennis players. Other women worth mentioning are: Steffi Graf🇩🇪 (22 Grand Slams singles and 107 titles in the 80s and 90s, pictured), Martina Navratilova🇨🇿🇺🇸 (lesbian icon, 18 Grand Slams singles and 167 titles in the 70s and 80s), Margaret Court🇦🇺 (24 singles titles in Grand Slams in the 60s and 70s), amongst other players.

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6. CURRENT PLAYERS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

As of this week's rankings (June 4th), very young players seem to be dominating the sport. Iga Świątek🇵🇱, (22y) and Carlos Alcaraz🇪🇸, (20y) are the WTA and ATP World Number 1 respectively. Iga has won 13 singles titles, including the 2020 and 2023 French Open, and the US Open in 2022. Carlos has won 10 titles, including the US Open in 2022.

Other WTA names to watch out for are: Elena Rybakina🇰🇿 (23y, 5 singles titles including 2022 Wimbledon winner), Aryna Sabalenka🇧🇾 (25y, 13 singles titles including the 2023 Australian Open), Coco Gauff🇺🇸 (19y, 8 singles titles), and many more.

Other ATP names to watch out for are: Casper Ruud🇳🇴 (24y, 10 singles titles including 2 Grand Slams finals**), Stefanos Tsitsipas🇬🇷 (24y, 9 singles titles including two Grand Slam finals), Holger Rune🇩🇰 (20y, 4 singles titles), Andrey Rublev🇷🇺 (25y, 13 singles titles), Taylor Fritz🇺🇸 (25y, 5 singles titles), Jannik Sinner🇮🇹 (21y, 7 singles titles), Félix Auger-Aliassime🇨🇦 (22y, 4 singles titles), and many more as well.

*For this part I only added top 10s with 25 years or less, but there are a bunch of consolidated and fantastic players that have more years and who are definitely worth watching (and some of my personal favorites!). Also, tennis is ever-changing, and this list might be outdated in three months, so it's always good to keep track of who's gaining and losing positions in the rankings.

**As I'm making this post, Casper also reached another Grand Slam final, making it 3 out of the last 5 Grand Slams. Let's see how he does in this one.

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7. HOW TO PICK YOUR PLAYERS

Personally, I think the best three ways to pick your players are: by watching matches, by mutuals' transferred brainworms and by social media.

By watching matches you'll see what type of player you like. For example, there are players that do well on one court but not so well on others. Or the type of game they play varies; some prefer pure speed and hard hitters, while others prefer more "elegant" shots like drop shots and slices.

And by social media I'm talking specifically about YouTube videos. Thankfully the ATP tour channel is an expert on making silly little videos of different players, usually in their Head-to-head (H2H) videos. Here's the playlist of videos that consumed my life for a week (although you can also search for tennis H2H and they will appear). Here you can see their different personalities and how they act outside of the court, which in my opinion, is important to find the players you click with.

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7. WHERE TO WATCH

I personally watch the matches in Star+ but I think it's only for latam. If you want to pay, you can buy a Tennis TV subscription, that will allow you to watch the matches live, as well as replays and highlights. However, if you don't want to pay to watch the matches live, I recommend this site (with caution).

Challengers you can see for free in the ATP site here.

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8. A YEAR IN TENNIS: THE CALENDAR

To see the calendars of each year, here are the sites: ATP // WTA. For 2023 these are (in my opinion) the most important tournaments, as well as the seasons:

— January: Oceania (hardcourt). [Big tournaments: Australian Open].

— February: South America (clay) / Middle East, some Europe and North America (hard). [Big tournaments: Davis Cup qualifiers, WTA: Dubai 1000].

— March: USA (hard). [Big tournaments: Indian Wells and Miami 1000].

— April: Europe (clay). [Big tournaments: Monte-Carlo and Madrid 1000, Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers].

— May: Europe (clay). [Big tournaments: Rome 1000 and Roland Garros]

— June: Europe (grass).

— July: Various. [Big tournaments: Wimbledon]

— August: North America (hard). [Big tournaments: Canada and Cincinnati 1000, US Open].

— September: Asia (hard). [Big tournaments: Guadalajara 1000, Davis Cup (finals group stage) and Laver Cup (Europe vs the world)].

— October: Asia and Europe (hard). [Big tournaments: Beijing, Shanghai and Paris 1000, WTA Elite Trophy].

— November: Various. [Big tournaments: ATP Finals, and Davis Cup/Billie Jean King Cup finals].

***Hopefully I added every important tournament.

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And that's pretty much it! There are a thousand and one more things that are important in tennis, but as with every sport, it's easy to pick up once you start watching. Any questions, please feel free to ask <3 (or if you need a cheeky stream). Obligatory sorry for my English bit, and hopefully this helps to understand this sport a bit better!

#tennis #beginners guide #.mine #this took me so long but i was able to have it decent before the finals heh

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anthologiemystika · 1 year

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Weather Magic 101

One of the most common forms of magic, and the most fun, weather magic is found around the world in many forms and iterations. While not necessarily difficult, it is indeed an advanced form of magic. Here I will go over the basics of weather magic, how it works, and the difficulties surrounding it.

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Basics of Weather Magic

Weather magic is based on the principle of controlling or manipulating the weather to suit your will. This can be anything from starting a small breeze, stopping blizzard, or bringing rain. That being said, weather magic is a very powerful form of magic. You are dealing with nature directly, and it’s laws, as such it is not so much about “controlling” the weather, it is more of a request for the weather to do what you wish it to. It is also unpredictable at best. You can cast the same spell for rain, with similar weather conditions, and the first time you might get a drizzle and other times you might get a deluge.

Weather magic surprisingly falls under the left hand path or magic. As it affects multiple people and multiple environments unwillingly, it is almost considered a type of compulsion spell. While many people are a bit confused by this, it is easy to forget that just because you want rain, doesn’t mean your neighbors do. Due to this, weather magic is usually not practiced by those who practice the threefold law due to its unpredictability in nature, and the fact that there is very little you can do to control it or stop it once it is in the works.

As weather magic relies on precise circumstances to work, it is also one of the most common types of magic to fail. Since magic relies on the belief of the user that it is going to work, it is not recommended for beginners as most beginners will get dismayed when it doesn’t work which can negatively impact their practice. When something in magic fails, we tend to think “what did I do wrong” or “maybe I am just not cut out for this”, however if weather magic fails the proper question you should ask yourself is “were the circumstances correct for this to work, or was I setting myself up for failure”?

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How Weather Magic Works

The first thing to remember about weather magic is that, as all things are of nature, it follows its own laws that cannot be broken. For example, all the conditions need to be just right for it to even have a hope of succeeding. What this means is that you cannot summon snow in summer and you cannot call a wind on a calm day. That being said, if the conditions are right, nothing is more satisfying than calling up a wind or storm when it is needed. Indeed, even calling up a rain is a fun and worthwhile activity.

Almost all forms of weather magic fall under the category of sympathetic magic. Sympathetic magic is a type of magic where you use items, tools, or even movement to manipulate the energy and clearly describe how you want the energy to work and move. For example, in sympathetic magic you might take a bucket of water and dump it on the ground to help show that you want rain to fall. Sympathetic magic works by tying the energies together creating a relatable cause and effect mirroring scenario. In other words, “do what I am showing you”.

Once you have cast the spell or done the working, one of the most important things to remember is that weather is unpredictable by its very nature, as such it is not unusual to accidentally create something you did not want. Imagine that the air is a dam. One the one side you have an area of high pressure, and on the other side and area of low pressure. If you want to create a wind, you need to poke a small whole in the damn to give the air molecules a place to move from the area of high pressure to low pressure. However once you poke the whole in the damn, it could trickle out, come out in a stream, or the damn could burst. You have no control over this, for this is the way nature works, and also is what makes weather magic so unpredictable. You cannot control it, you can only start the process and let it run its course. And just like a dam, it will burst when it is good and ready, not any time sooner.

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Difficulties With Weather Magic

So weather magic is not for beginners, by any means. On top of the likelihood of the spell failing and the inability to control what you want to happen and when, weather magic is deceptively easy which makes it dangerous. Most weather spells have few ingredients or supplies, have a few words, and an action. Mostly or the rituals can be done and completed within an hour at most, as such it is an easy draw for beginner witches. Besides, what beginner witch doesn’t want to make rain? That is part of the danger, the allure.

Weather magic, like most forms of magic, can backfire and have consequences. Unlike most forms of magic, weather magic affects an entire area as such, everyone in that area has to live with the consequences of your actions. Take for example the Australian wildfires. A few years ago, there were massive wildfires in Australia, some of the worst the country had ever seen. In a moment of solidarity, witches the world over did spells for rain. And guess what? It worked! Soon the area was inundated with rain which helped to put out the fires. But the rain didn’t stop when the fires were done, it kept raining. It rained record rainfall in an area that normally doesn’t get much rain, which resulted in massive flooding and destruction that rivaled the fire itself.

That is the biggest risk for weather magic, having to think about what could happen. The question isn’t COULD you do something, but SHOULD you do it? Would it be helpful to bring rain during a drought or stop a blizzard in its tracks? Of course. However what could you be affecting or changing with those actions? Whose lives are you affecting, and what could be the blowback for that?

┈┈┈┈․° ⚡️ °․┈┈┈┈

In Conclusion

Being a storm witch, a Tempestarii, or even just playing with the weather can be a fun and rewarding experience. But it also carries with it the responsibility that you are indeed playing with magic that can affect the lives on many others. Doing your research, understanding the principles and science of weather, and asking SHOULD you versus COULD you, will help to lead to practice the best type of weather magic there is. The safe kind.

***All Images were taken from Pinterest***

#Weather #weather magic #witchcraft #witch community #witchblr #paganism #witchcore #romeoposting #beginners guide

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theonyxpath · 1 month

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Join us at 8PM EST as @awkwardgm enters the world of Dystopia Rising: Evolution with a brand new episode of The Beginner's Guide at http://twitch.tv/theonyxpath

#onyx path publishing #dystopia rising: evolution #dystopia rising #beginners guide #tabletop roleplaying #ttrpg

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shopwithmemama · 1 month

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#gardening tips #gardens #garden #gardening tip #planting #plants #planting tips #planting guide #beginners guide #how to #vegetable garden #flower garden

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h-worksrambles · 1 year

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How to get into Echo

I’ve been posting, reblogging and writing about Echo quite a lot over the past few months. I don’t think it’ll surprise anyone when I say this is one of my favourite games I played in 2022. But I’m sure some of my followers are looking at these posts and wondering what exactly Echo is. God help you, some of you may actually want to try it out. So to give myself an additional excuse to talk about this game, here’s a short spoiler-free guide to getting into Echo and its assorted spin offs.

What is Echo?

Echo is an indie horror visual novel following a group of anthropomorphic animals and former childhood friends whose reunion in the town where they all grew up quickly grows awry. You play as a 21 year old otter and college student, Chase Hunter, who returns to his old home to investigate the town’s history and reunite with his old friend group, only for things to go very wrong, very fast. The game explores a mix of psychological and supernatural horror as the characters are forced to confront their pasts, their inner demons, as well as their fractured interpersonal relationships as they attempt to unravel the truth behind the town.

The game uses a route system common in visual novels and plays with the tropes of dating sims in particular. About 2 hours in you pick a dedicated route for one of five characters, each one of Chase’s oldest friends, and follow their personal narrative making choices as you go. Each route has a pretty hefty amount of content and several have multiple endings. Depending on individual reading speed, seeing every route could take around 25 hours give or take. And it’s highly recommended to do all of them to get the full story. Very little content is repeated between them and they’re all substantial worthwhile stories.

That’s the basics of the basics in order to give you the lowdown without spoiling anything. But just know that the game is free to download, and is absolutely worth it if you’re interested in expertly written slow burn horror, intelligent character writing, and complex, flawed LGBT+ characters.

Anything I should know going in?

As much as I want to reccomend Echo there are some important qualifiers before going in.

1) This game is NOT SUITABLE for those under 18. Echo is a exceptionally dark horror game with numerous topics of adult subject matter. It is clearly marked on its download site as 18+ so pay attention to that warning.

2) Building off my last point, the thematic material of this game is heavy, and it’s important to give proper content warnings. There’s frankly a lot of ground to cover but the biggest warnings would be: Graphic depictions of violence, descriptions of sex, as well as portrayal and discussion of sensitive topics including homophobia, racism, drug addiction, mental illness, emotional abuse, sexual assault and torture.

Take the developers’ advice and be considerate of your own mental well-being before starting the game. There is no shame in deciding this isn’t for you.

Any advice on how to go about playing?

Honestly the best advice is to go blind. Make whatever choices make sense to you in the moment, and be sure to save regularly, so you can go back and try different outcomes. Several of the routes have multiple endings so keep plenty of saves handy to pick up where you left off and experiment with the game’s choice system.

There is some dispute among fans about recommended route order. I maintain that you can play the various routes in any order and enjoy the story regardless, so just go for whichever of the main characters you think is interesting to start with. By the time you play every route, you should understand everything no matter the order. The route split is very clearly signposted so you’ll know it when you see it. However, if you’re having a hard time deciding, the developers have suggested following the routes in the order they were completed back when the story was being periodically released in updates during the game’s beta. That order being:

1) Carl. 2) Leo. 3 ) TJ. 4) Flynn. 5) Jenna.

But again, feel free to divert from this order if you’d prefer.

You can download Echo at itcho.io for free.

I finished Echo. What do I look for next?

The first thing I would say is once you’ve finished all the routes, click on the image of the lake on the title screen. There’s a bonus menu there with some content that, no spoilers, you’ll probably want to check out when you’re done with the game.

After that there are three other spin offs of Echo I would suggest looking into if you’re hungry for more. And I’ll go into each of them one by one here.

It’s also worth remembering that all three of these titles are also 18+ and two of them are also full on horror titles. As such, many of the same content warnings still apply.

Route 65

This is a short prequel visual novel that shows a point in time where the main characters were all teenagers. Specifically, it follows Chase, the protagonist of Echo, over the course of the day he comes out to his friends and family as gay. This gives you a chance to see the cast at a younger age and get insight as to how their dynamics used to work compared to how fraught they are in the present day. It’s very short, only taking a couple of hours to complete, with a few minor choices to provide replay value. However, it’s really just a minor slice of more Echo content. Not particularly essential but a good way to give minor details of the main game more context.

When should I play Route 65 if it’s a prequel?

That’s really up to you. Route 65 provides enough context that you could concievably play it first, and then move onto Echo. However, I’m not sure I would advise this. You certainly can still follow the story, but Route 65 was made while Echo was still ongoing, and expects you to know these characters already. Some people suggest actually stopping midway through Echo and playing Route 65 partway through, usually before either Leo or Jenna’s routes, as it covers topics that their routes will build on.

However, if jumping between games like that sounds confusing, I would suggest simply checking it out after you finish Echo to get a little more context. There’s different ways you can go about it, and it’ll work fine whichever way. Route 65 is also free to download on itch.io.

Arches

This visual novel is a sequel to Echo, set five years later. It follows two new protagonists, young couple Cameron Wilson and Devon Ortega. They visit the now almost completely run-down town of Echo due to Devon’s interest in the paranormal. They quickly learn that the town’s reputation doesn’t even scratch the surface of what goes on there, and must come to terms with their own secrets (some of which they haven’t even told each other) if they want to get out alive. Arches is a relatively distant sequel to Echo and does not explicitly follow on from the ending of any one route so far as we know. It’s most commonly interpreted as an alternate timeline which doesn’t undo any of Echo’s possible outcomes. But it does revisit places, characters and concepts from Echo so you should still play that game first to better understand Arches.

The main difference between Echo and Arches is that Arches is much smaller and much more linear. Currently it has absolutely no choices. It has all the aesthetic elements of a visual novel but you simply read it like a book and can save to pick up wherever you let off. However, I would suggest clicking on the image of Cameron on the title screen at some point after you start. You’ll know why when you see it. Another important thing to remember is that Arches is not currently finished. The story gets periodic updates every few months with a new build. If you choose to get up to date now, be prepared to wait for the rest. I know some people prefer to wait until these kinds of stories are done and read it all at once, and others like to follow along. However, whichever choice you make, Arches is already well into its climax, so you won’t be waiting too long for the ending either way.

Regardless, this chilling sequel is there and ready on itch.io if you want to see what happens next in the town of Echo. Or if you feel like going back instead...

The Smoke Room

Last of all is this ongoing prequel visual novel. Set in 1915, 100 years before the events of Echo, the player follows Samuel Ayers, a character whose name, if you’ve played Echo, should be more than a little familiar. Sam is barely getting by as a sex worker in Echo, but one evening, sets out on what he thinks is his one chance to leave the town behind. When the plan quickly goes awry, Sam is left stranded in Echo, carrying a dark secret that could get him sent to the gallows. Sam’s only real option is to lie low with help of one of his clients, unaware that his secret is only one of many lying at the heart of Echo, which now threaten to disastrously boil over.

While still a horror game, The Smoke Room also has a much more overt romantic element, though I still wouldn’t exactly call it a dating sim per se. If Echo is a deconstructive horror game disguised as a dating sim, Smoke Room is more of a horror/romance genre hybrid. Like Echo, the game operates on a route system. After about an hour or so of gameplay, you choose one of a group of four characters, each of whom are one of Sam’s clients. They all have a fully fledged story to follow while also being very much the love interest of their respective routes. While it’s unclear how long the full game is going to be, it’s likely to be at least as long as Echo once it’s finally complete and even now there’s a decent amount of content on each route already should you wish to get caught up now. Still, even at this early stage, so far it’s offered the same mix of effective gradual horror and intelligent character writing and I would still absolutely recommend it.

Anything I should know going in?

1) Once again, this game is NOT suitable for those under 18. Much like Echo and Arches, The Smoke Room is a horror game, one just as dark, if not darker than its contemporaries and all the same content warnings apply, including graphic violence, discussions of racism and homophobia and drug addiction, as well as references to abusive relationships and sexual violence. Another thing to note is that The Smoke Room is also substantially more sexual than the previous Echo VNs. You might have guessed as much when I said the protagonist is a sex worker, but suffice to say this is a pretty major part of the story and there are multiple, very graphic sex scenes between its male characters on each route. This is hardly unprecedented in visual novels, but it is worth mentioning it as something to know going in if you plan to try it yourself.

Take all of these matters into account before playing the game yourself.

2) Much like Arches, The Smoke Room is still under development. According to the developers, each route is, at most, halfway done, and it will be a substantial amount of time before the game is complete. The development will likely be far longer than Arches, so if you want to get caught up now, you’re in for the long haul. While personally I would highly recommend it based purely on the quality of what’s already there, (similar to something like Deltarune), it’s worth keeping in mind before you start.

3) One other thing to note is that, being set 100 years prior, The Smoke Room is only a very remote prequel and can actually be played standalone. I’d certainly suggest playing this after Echo as there are certain details you’ll notice as a result, but if you want it start with Smoke Room, you can.

2) Any advice on how to go about playing?

For the most part, all the same advice as Echo applies. Go in blind, save regularly and be extra sure to save at any choices. Even at this early stage, The Smoke Room has already implemented a number of branching decisions into its routes, arguably more so than Echo. So be sure to make enough saves that you can experiment with all the different outcomes as there’s already a lot to see.

Much as with Echo, there is the question of route order. Fortunately, at this stage, that’s a pretty flexible arrangement. Since none of them are finished and are being updated concurrently, there’s no fixed order of release and none of them have really overlapped enough to make any route order really preferable. However, the developers have suggested doing William’s route last out of the four. While largely standalone, it features many of the characters from across the other routes and somewhat brings the threads of the other stories together, kind of like Flynn and Jenna’s route did in Echo. Other than that, I’d just start with whoever you find interesting. But as a possible order if you’re stuck, you may consider:

1) Nikolai 2) Murdoch 3 Clifford 4) William

Though again, this is very flexible.

3) What’s this I hear about an AU?

Ah yes, this is another aspect of The Smoke Room worth checking out. Currently, Echo Project have released two downloadable ‘special episodes’ featuring the main cast of The Smoke Room reimagined in the modern day. For as much as Smoke Room is a supernatural horror, it is also just as much a period drama, exploring how the various struggles of the characters are exacerbated by the circumstances, social climate and prejudices of the time in which they live (being queer wasn’t any easier in 1915 after all). As such, this AU places the cast in a more contemporary setting to show how a happier, more hopeful outcome for how their lives could have gone. Basically, it’s like the kind of coffee shop AUs you see all the time on AO3, except this one is made by the actual creators. As of now these are just light hearted slice of life stories with these characters, one being a Christmas special and the other a summer special and outside of strong language and suggestive themes, require no major content warnings. At present, nothing about this AU is canon or significant to the main game, you don’t have to play any AU content to understand the main story. This exists purely to have some cute fluff with these characters if you enjoyed them in the full game.

Like all other Echo Project VNs, you can download the latest build of The Smoke Room from itch.io.

And that’s all the advice I have into getting into Echo and its expanded universe. These games mean a lot to me, from their stories, to their characters and of course, their horror. They’re definitely niche experiences and I wouldn’t recommend them to everyone. But if my content about them here has peaked your interest, I hope this helps you make a start on these remarkable games for yourself.

Who knows? You may just find yourself moving in circles thinking about these game, just like the rest of us…

#echo vn #arches vn #the smoke room vn #echo project #beginners guide #welcome to the fandom

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wastelesscrafts · 2 years

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Can you make (or maybe you've already made) a post about what needles to use when? Thank you!

Sewing needles information

I've got a post on hand sewing needles that might be useful to you.

If you're looking for info on sewing machine needles, check out these articles by Sewing Machine Fun, The Spruce Crafts, and Sewing is Cool.

#wasteless crafts #ask #sewing needles #needles #sewing machine #crafts #diy #how to #beginners guide #sewing tools

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anielskaaniela · 7 months

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How to Make Your Own Custom Jeans at Home: A Fashion and DIY Beginners Guide

In this post I show you how to customize old jeans. Do you love jeans but want to give them a personal touch? Do you want to save money and be more eco-friendly by reusing your old denim? Do you enjoy expressing your creativity and style through your clothes? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this post is for you! In this post, we will show you how to make your own custom…

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#beginners guide #custom jean #custom jean diy #denim crafts #diy fashion #jeans bleaching #jeans lacing #jeans painting #jeans patching #jeans studding

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oldfacesnewdawnoffical · 1 year

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Beginner’s Guide to OFND

Look HERE for a more in-depth explanation on what OFND is and has to offer :)

[ Ignite | Exodus | Umbra | Origins ]

Basic World Introduction (A simple introduction to the world of OFND via worldbuilding questions)

Dictionary (Commonly used words and terms throughout OFND’s narrative)

The Effects of Radiation (The effects that radiation has on the world of OFND)

The Fourtrees Fealty (A break-down of each of the fealty factions)

Additional Associations (Various groups outside of the Fourtrees Fealty)

OFND Linguistics (The various languages found within OFND)

Short Stories (Various short stories for various characters)

Magic (A bit of an expansion on the status of magic within both the world and narrative of OFND)

Map + Territory Descriptions (A broad map of various spaces within OFND + territory descriptions of each of the fealty’s factions)

#if there’s anything else I should include PLEASE let me know!!#old faces new dawn #announcment #important lore alert #warrior cats rewrite #warriors rewrite #warriors cats au #warriors au #warrior cats #warriors #pinned post #beginners guide

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artesianalpondscum · 2 months

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EXHAUSTIVE POLAROID CAMERA GUIDE FOR POLAROID CAMERA NEWBIES AND THE POLAROID CURIOUS FROM SOMEONE WHO TRIALED AND ERRORED THEM SELF OUT OF NEARLY $600 TO GET A GOOD EXPIERENCE AND THINKS YOU SHOULDNT SO IM MAKING THIS OUT OF SHEER SPITE TO THE POLAROID COMMUNITY GATEKEEPERS WHO THINK YOU SHOULD

TLDR at end

ALL RIGHT FUCKING NERDS YOU WANNA BE ONE OF THOSE WEIRDOS THAT WALKS AROUND TAKING POLAROIDS IN THE 2024TH YEAR OF DIVINE ABANDONMENT BUT DONT KNOW WHERE TO START? LET ME HELP YOU NOT WASTE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN TRIAL AND ERROR LIKE I HAVE AND GIVE AN ACTUAL HELPFUL GUIDE AND WHAT TO EXPECT!

First the film

Polaroid film come in a few kinds main two are I-Type and 600 Film (SX-70 & 8x10 are for cameras were not discussing in this thread as those are for geeks not nerds), both are essentally the same except 600 film has the battery in the casette that older Polaroid cameras need to function and the I-type is the same size and shape casette sans the battery for new cameras and this is the most important note regarding film you want crystal clear sharp images and bright blues and greens like a phone pic but on a instant film get an instax why?

Polaroid 2024 is not Polaroid 1984

modern polaroid started out as a company called "the impossible project" in 2008 who purchased all the equipment to make polaroid film when Polaroid was shutting its door BUT because whofuckingknows why Polaroid said "nuh-uh" to selling the actual formulation of the film which died with the company so the Impossible Project just had to home brew it with what was available. as a end result Modern Polaroid film is thicker so a cartridge holds 8 shots now instead of 10, and is as sensitive and tempermental as a serial killer ferret, that is to say not at all and very. you can shoot a wall of blue in a blue museum with a blue filter over the lens and the film will still have a warm hue to it, and while direct light during the developing stage of Polaroid back in the day overdeveloped it jnto hell nowadays it can not be overdeveloped so easily in direct light as an extra 3 seconds in the winter sun or 10 seconds under a lamp can help it come out nicer but im jumping ahead.

Fujifilm Instax,

however has had their film in production since 1998 and is very capable of producing clear quality shots with very accurate color and a price per exposure half that of polaroids and cost for entry is far cheaper than Polaroid overall so pickup an instax mini/square (or wide if you're weird) camera while its smaller itll be that "phone pic but on film" clarity youre looking for

see the difference below and how Polaroid on the left cant do a pure white where the blues become purple because of the everpresent warm cast in polaroid whereas Instax on the right can do a pure white so the color is better with in my opinion a slight blue cast

NOW FOR THE REST OF US MASSOCHISTS WHO WANT TO GO POLAROID?

this is very important

Dont Buy one of the new ones off the shelf they are garbage look for slect retro to 2017 models!

what kind of retro camera to buy? do I need to summon Glasya-Labolas out of the Ars Goetia* going into thrift stores to find one? maybe, to that second question but let me show you the basic differences with the way-too many cameras I own first and show you with what to look for on ebay and in thrift shops. I paid no more than $45 for any one of these cameras and most were under $30 and to me that is a comfortable price that i would say is a good starting range

* please dont actually summon Glasya-Labolas just ask Lucifer its easier

BEHOLD MY COLLECTION

now these are 6 different cameras right? WRONG 2 of these are functionally identical, one is functionaly identical but tries poorly not to be one in theory works well so what youre looking at here is really 4 different types of camera of which 2 are actually worth purchasing.

Polaroids function by a series of plastic lenses* concentrating the picture to a mirror when the shutter opens and that mirror reflects onto the film which functionally classifies Polaroid as a Box Camera. what you need to focus on is one simple feature and that is the Focusing

*not all polaroids have a plastic lens there Is a series called the SX-70 and a 8x10 model that has glass lenses it's a reflex camera and other features for really sharp pics but thats for geeks not nerds we are nerds here

retro/vintage polaroids all (except exactly one unit) have a auto light meter that auto adjusts the esposure time to get the best brightness and worked reliably well on old film but on new film youre going to want to make use of the exposure compensation bar under the lens and bump it up at least half way (it even says to adjust the compensation by 1/3 up on the film box so this is a thing known by the company)

now FOCUSING is a whole mixed bag and focusing on old polaroids works in one of 4 ways (except the SX-70 and 8x10 cameras)

images to follow descriptions

1- FIXED FOCUS

the every day run of the mill Polaroid (and instax to greater extent) camera it has the sharpest clarity at 4 feet okayish up to 12 feet and 4 to 12 feet ONLY, this is 95% of what you will find in Polaroids as this was the most common way they were made and offers decent pics in the "tea steeped for one minute too short with almost enough tea leafs" type of decent, like sure maybe some people like it that way and alot of people who dont drink tea wouldnt be able to tell you the difference except that its weak and is "fine enough" but why would you if you have choices

how to identify - again its the vast majority of the 600 cameras youll see, if the face looks like some variation of these faces then its a fixed length

2- little plasitc filter shit "Close up lens"

this little fucking thing is the biggest lie ever made on any product, take the fixed focus camera that functions decently enough then add a psuedo magnfying glass wannabe filter you slide out in front of the lens that is supposed to give you a 2 to 4 feet of focus length, it doesnt, it adds a weird halo around the edges and over concentrates light onto the film bleaching out what little cool tone colors you have while adding a warped bluring to what little detail you can make out. these are somewhat common for all of the newer ones (post 1997 to closure in 2008 except the spectra and "one" which dont buy either as its not supported and lacks stuff again getting ahead of myself) as Polaroid just ended up throwing them on by default for the sake of a feature

how to identify - it has a little slider on it that shows two different focal lengths to the left of the lens

to see what i mean about destroying your photos with this camera style, that ring around the edge is the edge of the lens cover that covers your lens and in that focus area it overmagnified the available light and burnt the film

3- Sonar Autofocus

Sonar Autofocusing uses a Sound wave that humans cant hear that in nanoseconds chirps out and then guages how quick it takes for that sound to reach back to the camera and then selects one of 5 zones of focused lenses closet being shapest at 3 feet but can still pull some ok detail at 2, based on that, these can produce really sharp pics so long as

a- you're not in a room with horrifyingly loud muic

b- a room competing to be an anechoic chamber

c- not trying to shoot through a window*

these are kina iffy to find but not impossible

how to identify - it has a big-ol gold disc on the face of it cant miss it

*some models let you bypass the AF to focus on the default 4 to 12 feet focus length while allowing for the flash bypass trigger † to be used for shooting through windows or in situations where the sonar might not work for your photo

† not all models

4- IR autofocus

uses an IR beam in the flash to send a "wink" to a reciever under the viewfinder to choose one of 2 focusd lenses (think the "close up lens" but automatic and inside in the camera) the af cant be turned off nor can you bypass the flash on all models as the mechanism needs the flash bar to focus, it still cant shoot through windows since it needs flash and has three less focus ranges, and like all IR based AF on any camera it can misread very easily

somewhat hardish to find since these were made starting in 1997 and Polaroid went down hill quickly after the advent of affordable digital cameras (The last model ever made Polaroid one has an IR sensor and so do some spectras but as stated previously dont bother with them)

After digital cameras and the digital revolution in the late 90s/ early 2000s people no longer needed a polaroid camera to send pics for insurance claims or to take nudes without having to worry about a developing studio seeing them, Oh yeah outside of professional settings polaroids were mostly used to share nudes as before them you could ask your local film studio who had the biggest dick in town and get a factual answer, if you diddnt know that well now you do, so post 97 models id stay away from even though some of them are cool and futiger aero designed like the Polaroid One 600, which is the last model ever made by Polaroid before closing and selling all there stuff (except the film formulation) to The Impossible Project but due to all the cost cutting that was being done its not worth it looking for one for anything other than a collectable because its missing the most important factor needed for impossible film the exposure compensation meter despite having an improved IR AF over the 97 model

below pic left to right is a mid 90s polaroid and the last model Polaroid 600 One

What was that I said about something called the "spectra" earlier?

yes the spectra would have been the polaroid to get however the impossible project gave up on it due to spectras uniqueness and the issues that came along with it. see the spectra 1200 film was a touch wider than the regular 600 film and its rollers were very very much made for the old polaroid film that impossible's film no matter how they pinched and squeezed and forced angles and coated what have you they simply brokedown and jammed irreversibly alot so fun to collect but its truely a RIP but for me ill still pick one up one day as a show piece

GREAT SO WHAT DO YOU BUY OUT OF THESE IF I WANT TO HAVE A POLAROID EXPIERENCE ILL LOVE OR ENJOYABLY TOLERATE

answer

the ones with the Sonar auto focus

ideally modles (readable on face above where the pictures come out) Sun 660 AF, Supercolor 670 AF or, Impluse AF

Best will be the Sun 660 AFs or supercolor 670 AFs overall as they have the option to shut off the flash (by pulling the trigger behind the shutter button) and have the sonar focus overrided with a button on the lid (hold it as your taking your photo)

HOWEVER while the Impulse AF might not allow you to turn off the flash or sonar foucs it its one of the few vintage models that have a built in 10 second timer that you can still get film for, and a signifgantly better view finder

all in a slightly sleeker ever so distinctive late 80s early 90s consumer electronics vibe that no retro revival has ever been able to replicate so if that is worth the compromise get one of those (or both its nice to have options but you do not need a 660 and a 670 thats redundant) definately a solid option as well

WHY IS ONE SUN ONE SUPER COLOR SOME ARE LIGHTMIXERS SOME SAY SE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

marketing terms no functional difference otherwise.

so how big a difference does the Sonar AF make well quite a serious difference

WAIT IM AN ASPIRING GEEK NOW WHATS THE SX-70 PLEASE I NEED TO KNOW!

ugh okay

The SX-70 (this also applies to the 600 film equivalant 680) with sonar AF is arguably the best of the vintage polaroids but any SX-70s is great, glass lenses with manual focus control or on later models sonar focus, you look out the same lens thats taking the pic so you dont have to compensate at all when framing your pic like on a regular Polaroids and worst of all its the camera of choice for the "UUh Acktually" enthusiasts that gatekeep a good expierance with Polaroids away from people who just want to have a decent time without making it their personality so you know what that means!!! yep these are are so gloated and prized about these are the only style vintage polaroids that arent limited edition that frequently go well above the price of the brand new Polaroids no matter how shit the condition sometimes even tripple due to scalping thus these are expensive as all hell, awkward to hold and a pain in the ass to get meanwhile these things need to be modded to accept some modern films specialty flash packs with extra batteries and a bunch of other random little things that make it annoying to use that ill bother to learn about if i see one for under $50 and feel like buying it that day.

SWEET I GOT MY SONAR AUTOFOCUS 660/670/IMPULSE POLAROID HOW DO I GET A GOOD SHOT WITH IT

like i said at the start of this modern Polaroid film is tempermental and despite how much they tell you its light sensitive its not sensitve enough! when i said way back that there is a light meter in them, there is and there is an accompanying slide bar that makes it expose the film longer or shorter in addition to the automatic light meter

when you take a photo using the default exposure "slider in the middle" you will get a underexposed film as an end result see below

this was taken on my Sun 660 AF SE and while i got super sharp detail that made my eyes cry when i first saw it because up to this time ive only dealt with fix focused cameras. it was WAY dark so i moved the exposure compensation up a few times to

There and and the end result was

DETAIL, COLOR, EVERHING YOU COULD WANT IN A MODERN DAY POLAROID PIC and better yet entirely repeatable.

(note other pics i trialed and errored had just as good results with the adjuster sitting at the base of the arrow but not as wow as this)

IF ITS COLD/ HOT OUTSIDE DOES THAT AFFECT THE FILM

yes too cold film or too hot film will make the phots come out a pale blue if its cold or a pale magenta if its hot (which is very meta) while some people take advantage of this to make monocromatic film in an artsy way you might not want to so keep that in mind you need to keep the film in a comfortable temprature zone of

55 – 82° Freedom units

13 – 28° Complementary Healthcare units

getting a bag that has a insulated space for a cold pack can help in the heat but if its cold out you can do the same as above but with a hot pack OR when you take the photo as soon as the fiolm is finshed being ejected out take it out and put it right into your pocket or in your coat under your arm to warm it up during the development stage. really old Polaroid cameras used to come with a "cold clip" for this exact use

CAN I USE ONE FILM CASETTE FOR MORE THAN ONE CAMERA ONCE ITS BEEN PUT IN A CAMERA THIS SHITS KINDA EXPENSIVE

absolutely... not without damaging the top two sheets of film (thus 1/4 or .25% of the casette a total loss), just accept that once the film is installed its committed to that camera dont worry for the intrusive thougts I have examples of what happens the pic on the right was the exposure at the top of the casette and the left was the one after it. i swapped the casette in a fairly dark car at night and what you see on the left is a sonar auto focus camera trying to take a pic of some street lights through a window on damaged film.

ARE THERE ANY THINGS I MUST CONSIDER THAT I WOULDNT THINK ABOUT OVERTLY OTHERWISE

Yes just like being a fan of Taylor Swift there is a underlying level of ecological damage that you might be doing but is realistically negligable when compared to the environmental damage unregulated and underegulated industries produce and when compared to general overconsumption waste things like fast fashion and water bottle trends produce (and is 100% lead free).

Polaroid 600 and SX film Cassettes that Polaroid film is stored in are made of 3 main pieces, the plastic shell, metal spring piece (both parts of which can be recycled) and a lithium ion battery that is used to operate the camera, now there is a way to recycle them that involves breaking out the plastic front and seperating out the metal piece to put into the recycle and taking the battery to recycle at a place that recycles lith-ion batteries, however if you do not have such facilities available to you unfortunately it kinda becomes a chuck it in the trash thing. but keep in mind your maybe half a dozen or so film cartridges or cartridge batteries that wind up in the trash over a year or so arent going to add in any meaningful or impactful way to the the cause of global climate change or detonate thermonuclear bombs of battery acid onto baby seaturtles or anything like that even when millions of people are doing it too. so its entirely up to you to your own concious and/or ability to recycle them

HOWEVER if you want a battery free casette option so you can recycle more easily you can get one of the 2017 Polaroid OneStep 2 or One Step 2+ Cameras that use a built in rechargeable battery and you can get the I-Type film that does not have a battery in the casette keep in mind these cameras are discontinued and as a result of being one of the only good post-polaroid closure instant cameras under the Polaroid name they are being scalped online as far as prices go

I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS INFOGUIDE HELPFUL AND THANK YOU FOR READING

THE TLDR

new polaroid film wil alway be warm hued and unexposed and as for polaroid cameras available in stores new ones suck, most of the retro are meh ,to expensive for no reason. Buy a polaroid sun 660 af or supercolor 670 af but if you dont want to be able to shoot without flash or shoot through glass by turning off the auto focus and would like a 10 second timer instead get a the Impulse AF and slam up the exposure to very nearly all the way up to where the adjuster is on the arrow's middle or lower half if you want a model that has a rechargeable battery instead of a battery in the film casette to reduce e-waste and make it easier to recycle get a 2017 Polaroid Originals One Step2 or One Step2 + to use the battery free I-type film

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dailypubgdosefam · 3 months

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#cosplay #beginners guide

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missyzero · 2 years

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Some quick scribbly doos of the Narrator!

#Missys doodles #tsp #narrator #the stanley parable #the narrator #beginners guide

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doubloonsrpg · 5 months

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A booklet floats in the Aether. It looks like it has some directions inside for you to read before you participate in the adventure.

`` Hello young adventurer, there's a bit you need to know before you begin your ultimate quest.

It begins, the text appearing before your eyes as you read.

`` To begin, simply begin describing your appearance to the curator. You can be as simple or complex as you'd like. You can describe having blue/green/yellow eyes, a cat breed or custom idea, and more. This will be how you present yourself on your quest.

`` You have a few things you'll be able to do, but heed this warning: Every action has a consequence down the line. You need to collaborate with your collective conscience to ensure the safety of your avatar.

`` But I digress, that is perhaps the only thing I need to warn you of now. things that you can perform in the world are very simple. You can do things such as SHOP, which will allow you to use your doubloons to purchase items from the shop keep. You can EXPLORE, which is your main source of doubloons. But be warned, there are enemies you'll encounter that will try to hinder your progress.

`` Though, they won't be incredibly difficult in the beginning. Most enemies in the exploration areas will, of course, become stronger alongside you. But you can purchase weapons or even find them on your adventures, so don't be too alarmed. If your avatar happens to fall, you will receive compensation, and are able to begin again with a new avatar.

`` One of the other actions you can perform is INTERACT, which will tell you of things in your surroundings. More often than not you can find crafting regents by doing this. One of the other things you'll be able to do at a certain point is craft items, though you must unlock it first.

`` You gain experience as you combat the evil forces in this world, and by simply exploring. Though, fighting is the main source of both experience points and doubloons. Doubloons are this worlds currency, but I'd assume you'd figured that out so far.

`` You will build relationships with NPCs, grow as a community, and learn what works best for the group of you.Death is an essential part to this experience, as you will grow with each death and learn new tips and tricks as you go.

`` The last thing you can perform is STATS, which allows you to see how far you've come on your character card. Otherwise, there isn't much else you need to learn at this moment. So, go forth, adventurer! And claim this world as your own.

With that, the book closes. The world in your avatar's vision grows a blurring white, and you are free.

#doubloonsrpg #beginners guide #(Any and all questions are safe to be asked #I don't mind answering the thought process or mechanics with people.#I just wanna build a community out of this and revive an old trend like I said. )#0

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anthologiemystika · 1 year

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The Elements: A Beginner's Guide

Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Since the dawn of time these elements have been the driving force of our world. They have been worshipped, studied, admired, and even feared. What can be more beautiful than a snow capped peak, or a rose petal dancing in the wind? What can be as awe inspiring as a hurricane? Or as feared as a forest fire? In this lesson we will do a dive into these primal forces to help get a better understanding of their uses in magic.

Earth

Earth. The immovable object. Earth has widely been seen as the element of stability. Indeed, what is more stable than a mountain? Unshakable, it is always there, supporting us as we walk, being under our feet and helping us connect to its life force. Considered a gentle element, the element of earth can also cause upheaval in everything it does. While not fast moving or flashy, spells using the element of earth will be slow moving, yet the results will be as permanent as the mountains themselves, and will grow like the plants to become a beautiful new result. From the place of cold and the time of darkness, do not let Earth intimidate you, for she will only seek to make you stronger.

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Air

Air. The heavens caress. Air is one of the easily most volatile elements out there to work with. Who hasn’t been enjoying a nice breeze, then been almost blown away by the gales as they get stronger. Mover of obstacles and removing stagnation, Air has always been a sign dedicated to bringing about change and helping with communication. If you find yourself in a slump, needing some creativity, or wondering if the person you love is thinking of you, Air is the element to help. As a bringer of change and inspiration, it is the element that is also tied with renewal. Quick to action, yet unpredictable in nature, Air spells will make sure the job is done quickly, and will make sure to bring a new change when they are completed. From the place and time of renewal, Air can be chaotic, yet if you embrace her she will help you fly.

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Water

Direction: West, the place of peace | Time of Day: Twilight, the time of contemplation | Color: Blue | Animal: Salmon and Fish | Instrument: Strings | Moon Phase: Waning Crescent | Representation: A bowl of water, seashells, rain | Spells: Love, Truth, Harmony, Peace, Psychic Abilities, Change, Emotions, Inward Reflection, Divination, Giving Thanks, Honoring the Dead and Deities, etc.

Water. The ever changing. Water has been instrumental in the survival of everything, indeed nothing can live without water. From the dawn of time water has long been associated with being the element of care, the element of who we are and our deepest secrets. Water exists in all of us, it fills our blood and connects every living thing on this planet together. But water can also be violent, tumbling roaring, becoming hurricanes and typhoons, just like people. Water is a reflection of who we are, who we want to be, even reflecting our inner emotions. It is unforgiving with its reflection of us, yet never judges. They say a persons heart is as deep as an ocean, and they are not wrong, for it would take an entire ocean of memories and experiences to make us who we are. Water spells will probe to the deepest layer of the issue, bringing to the surface everything about the issue, and will remind you that there will always be calm after a storm. Water can be cold, yet if you embrace her, she will surround you with all the beauty in the world.

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Fire

Direction: South, the place of heat | Time of Day: The hottest part of the day | Color: Red | Animal: Salamander and Lizards | Instrument: Brass | Moon Phase: Full Moon | Representation: Candle, Wand, Athame | Spells: Passion, Romance, Prophecy, Destruction, Banishing, Endings, Energy, Awareness, Illumination, Healing, Inspiration, Victory, Rage, etc.

Fire. The one that burns. Fire is easily the most difficult element to work with, have it too low and it only sizzles, too hot and it burns. Since the dawn of man Fire has helped keep the shadows at bay, keeping us safe through the night. We light candles for the ones we love, we use heat to help our aches and pains, we use fire to cook with and to warm our homes during the cold winter months. Fire is the spark inside of us, it is the feeling of your first kiss, of getting that promotion, of finishing that painting. It is the passion that comes to light when we do something we love. It can also burn though, leading to anger and rage, thoughts of destruction and burning the world around us. Fire is tricky, yet without it, the world would be a cold and barren place, for Fire brings the light to this world. Fire spells will work quickly, burning through the darkness to illuminate everything around a situation and making sure that when it is done, there is nothing left to question, no matter the results. In the innermost part of your soul, embrace Fire, and she will bring light to your world.

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Spirit and Void

Spirit. The Void. The place of inbetweens and existences between what we know and what we do not. The element of Spirit/Void is not one I was going to include on this list initially, as it is a concept more so for theology versus practical application, yet the more I thought about it, the more it makes sense. For Spirit and Void exists everywhere and nowhere. It is found in the spaces between. It is everything and nothing at the same time. It is the primordial element that created everything, and is the end of everything as well. Much of witchcraft is focused on the wheel shape, if you look at it in that shape, the other elements are the supports, and the Spirit is the wheel itself. It is what makes up the heavens and exists in between the stars. It is the darkness where we go to hide, and also the helping hand that shows us the way. It is time, it is space, it is everything. Spirit and Void is the subconscious, it is an entity of its own, it is our fears and our joy. It is our inspiration and our blocks, it is every living thing on this planet. We are the final element. We are spirit and void. When the big bang happened, and the cosmos came into existence, all of those stars spewed out dust. Those pieces of dust came together to become the planets, and the waters, and the climate, and the fire. It came together to form us. We are all made of stardust. We are all spirit. We are all void. We can do anything.

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*All images were taken from Pinterest*

#witchcraft #elements #magik #witch community #Romeo Posting #witchblr #paganism #occult #baby witch #beginners guide

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