#also yes am a neat freak when it comes to my folders

[yichens]

before & after coloring tag

tagged by the amazing @snimeat ♥ thank you so much! also have to say that i love your very dark coloring and i admire you for how well you can pull that off ^^

tagging: @luna-lina @nanons @machikeita @badprophetvx @danyokz @liyazaki @dimpledpran @patprans ♥ no pressure but i am very curious and i love this tag a lot myself so i thought maybe you all would have fun with it too ^^

some thoughts/explanations and a list of the original posts under the cut!

pictures taken from these edits:

seanwhite + lang leav’s three questions x

pride month + fave thai drama characters x

patpran +  forugh farrokhzad’s on loving x

pingxie (reboot) + olivia gatwood’s the lover as a cult x

patpran’s love through the seasons x

pingxie (ultimate note) + joan didion x

bad buddy’s main six + sun & moon signs x

this tag is always super hard for me bc a) i don’t usually keep the gimp files and b) i obsess over “cleaning” my folders so i usually delete all “used” screenshots as soon as am done with my edit. i got lucky this time when i realized i had actually kept some of the shots used in these :’D

i tried to pick different colorings i've used but with such few options, these all became kind of similar. also my basic coloring is always kind of the same. but i’ll still blabber about each of these a bit:

the seanwhite one has a lot of red/magenda bc of the color scheme i used in the edit. it’s also a lot darker than the original picture bc i wanted the layers to show up some more. i also tried bringing in more warmth by adding more of yellow to their skin etc. it’s a very basic thing i do for pictures in general. there’s also the added noise i love using for edits to bring that rougher feeling to the images.

for both of the pride month post’s pictures i tried picking one color and switching that into the color i had chosen for each character. for shin i’ve turned green into red and for khai i remember turning some of the background blue towards green. so these two show that process more than just simple coloring.

this edit’s main colors ended up being a soft coral pink and a pastel orange. in this picture i’ve tried taking away some of the green and yellow by adding more magenda, red, and blue. i don’t think i’ve done anything more complicated for this. there’s also the added noise once again to bring in more texture.

reboot is very... green originally. so i struggled a bit when i was trying to take some of that away while still trying to keep the green in the background bc i needed that. zql got more blue tones this way (his hoodie). also this pic obviously has an added texture layer which makes the colors brighter/more muted plus brings in the folded paper effect.

the seasons one is my personal favorite when i think about my patpran edits. it was so much fun to do and i love the final edit to bits. it’s very similar to the pride month edit with how i used black and white pictures plus colored pictures. in this one i just kept pran’s skin color (which i made a lot brighter and added more red and yellow) and then turned everything else towards pink.

this pingxie edit has very muted colors and i also wanted to lean more towards blue bc the second picture is Very Blue originally. so i took away most of the green and yellow, added more blue and magenda, and made the picture a lot darker. i think the color change has happened mostly through the hue and saturation options.

all the pictures in the sun & moon signs edit also follow the same pattern i’ve introduced before: make all the colors turn towards the one desired. on the left image i had to work on the background colors separately to make them red without losing wai’s skin color and on the right i got lucky with his bright blue shirt which i could easily turn red. otherwise it’s mostly just curves for brightness and darker shadows etc.

if you have any questions, feel free to ask ^^ i love sharing my editing process but i rarely feel like it’s something i am good at explaining. mostly i just throw things together and see what works. am getting better at it tho and have learned a lot during all this time i’ve been around :’D

[deadmomjokes]

First time Stormlight Archives Read-thru: The Way of Kings Part One

Since I actually somehow made it through the library’s waitlist to get my Icarusian hands on a copy of this thing, and because I am a completionist who cannot leave character arcs unfinished, I’m dragging y’all with me on this adventure that I guarantee you doesn’t need to be this long.

Yes I’m salty about it and it’s gonna take some serious literary magic to make me NOT salty about it because trying to hold this book at a decent angle activated my carpal tunnel issues and now I can’t feel my pinky finger and my thumb is tingling. So yeah. It better be worth it.

Anyway, we just finished Part One. Wait, “we” you ask? Oh yeah, my husband loves worldbuilding and hard magic systems, so we’re taking turns reading chapters aloud so that we don’t have to hold onto the book twice as long so we can both read it, and we can keep reminding each other of what’s what.

ANYWAY, we just finished Part One, so have my thoughts, positives, negatives, and overall impressions. Then get your road trip snacks because like I said, I don’t do things halfway and I already started this journey so here we mcfreakin go I guess.

The Good Stuff

There’s some pretty good lines so far.

B. Sandy actually appears to know what he’s talking about with drawing and sewing? Wild.

I’m digging how the currency system is, like, also functional. The pieces of currency act as lights and power sources and stuff. Neat.

The two main characters from this section are: depressed mom friend and his Conscience, and a snarky nerd with delusions of criminal grandeur, and between them they have exactly 0.84 brain cells. These all belong to Jiminy Cricket the literal airhead the Conscience.

Depressed softboy who just wants to be a good big brother? Well darn it, you found my weakness. I’ll pull up my “adoption papers” folder.

Each chapter from a new POV has a unique voice. Rather hard to pull off in writing, but very clearly and expertly done here.

I have some questions moving forward, which is always a plus. However...

The Bad Stuff

I really, REALLY don’t like feeling like I’m the dumbest person in the room. While he did manage to avoid infodumping, Mr. Sanderson also managed to make me feel like I’m missing vital information at basically every turn. And not in the “ooh, what a mystery” kind of way-- in the “what the freak am looking at, I have zero idea what you’re describing because you’re using in-universe jargon.” This piecemeal revelation thing works for the characters’ stories and plots; I’m all for that! I’m intrigued at what’s up with Ms. Davar, and exactly how Kal ended up where he is, what’s up with the war, etc. The problem is with handling the worldbuilding this way when you’re trying to situate these mystery plots in said world. It is not immersive for me; it is distracting, frustrating, and makes it hard for me to focus on the story. A few points handled this way would have been fine, but I lost track of how many times I had to stop and groan because yet another new term was getting lobbed at me and my comprehension of the situation depended on having an understanding of the world which he just hadn’t given us yet. I’m really over it.

I get that we were trying to establish her character, but I could have done without these lead-up chapters with Shallan. I wasn’t at all as interested in her as I was with Kaladin. We could have learned all that we needed-- her family situation, her big plan, her big mouth, her skills, her mysterious past and the weird stuff about her father that we still haven’t learned fully yet-- in media res when she’s already Jasnah’s ward. It felt kind of tire-spinny, though I admit it was fun at times.

The sentences and wording get sticky at times. Especially with reading it out loud, there are quite a few places that make my brain stumble because the words sound wrong next to each other, or the same word appears in the sentence too many times, and so on.

There’s a lot going on that just isn’t important. This ties back in to the first point, but we’re getting so much information about this world that it becomes tiring and tiresome to keep track of all the different things we’re learning about-- cultural rules around slaves, ‘safehands’, eye color, and so on; ‘fabrials’; the currency denominations; a whole religious system, some of which appears to be important but also has a bunch of tiddly little details that don’t; a caste system; a military structure; however the freak the ecosystem works and all the different animals and plants; the weather systems; etc ad nauseum. How much of this is important to know? I don’t know! That’s what’s frustrating about it! So much of it seems like by-the-way kind of stuff, but some of it could end up being important, so here I am wondering what’s gonna be on the quiz and what’s just for fun.

Impressions and Thoughts

Why must carcinization haunt me even in escapist fantasy?

Am not a fan of the phrase “skyeels” and “poisonous skyeels.” Don’t like that one bit.

Dudes are religiously required to be himbos, and girls are religiously expected to be scholars and nerds. Am love.

I’m getting increasingly concerned by the death-blood-collection ominous mystery quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

I’ve only known Sylphrena for a day and a half but if anything happens to her I would.... Not.... Not harm anyone or myself because she would be sad. 😭

I was warned about “suicidal ideation” being a thing, but I’m going to put a little brighter of a warning label on that and say that if anyone is about to read this and gets upset or triggered by suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts, be very careful and know that’s kind of all a thing. Not sure how much a thing it’ll be moving forward, I’m hoping “not”, but, yeah. That was an attempt, not just ideation, tho I’m grateful for the person who warned me because if it had come out of nowhere instead of just being a step further than what I expected, I’d be really, really not okay.

Yalb is the real MVP.

Verdict Thus Far

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is “I will actually find strength to abandon this book because I’m so done” and 10 is “I’m willing to give up sleep to read more,” I’m sitting at a 6.5 right now. Good, and I’m looking forward to continuing, but I have a little ways to go before I’m hooked. But thumbs up, thanks for convincing me! (from everyone except my tingling numb fingers, I should have tried the ebook instead -_-)

[stop-klancing-around]

Lost and Found Part 1

ANNNNND WE ARE BACK WITH ANOTHER INSTALMENT OF DAILY SHIFTS.

I'm a bit excited about some of the things that Ray and I are planning for this AU and I can't wait to share them.

Thank you @raythenerdyfangirl for being my beta once again.

You can also read it here on AO3

Enjoy :)

The room was in disarray, socks that used to be in the drawers are now all over the floor. The desk that was neat with folders and notebooks was now on the bed opened and forgotten with the papers scattered over the sheets. Lance is looking for his textbooks that he somehow misplaced in the dorm. He was now looking under the bed to see if it slide off from the edge but, got up when he discovered that they weren’t sitting on the bottom of the bed.

"Hunk?" Lance called out. There a few footsteps before someone popped their head in just to see if there was an immediate danger before walking in with an apron on and a ladle in his hand.

"What happened Lance? You know not to disturb me if I am stress cooking"

"But, you're always stress cooking though?" Lance tilts his head to the side before going back to his book bag and dumping its contents to the floor.

"That is because I, Hunk Garrett, is always stressed. With all of the work, they give me in Pre-Cal and English Comp. II. PLUS, working as a security guard for the campus, PLUS, STUDYING. I’m more stressed than I was in the Garrison." Lance looks at Hunk for a bit to see that the front of the apron had been stained with some weird orange colored goop. Lance wants to ask Hunk about the stain but refrains because it wasn’t the time to wonder about it. He was panicking himself over hardcover textbooks.

"Oh calm down Hunk. I know that you will ace all of your finals and will get all of your Gen-Ed classes done on time if that was on your mind. Plus it's a security guard job. The most they made us do is break up fights and walk people to a certain point or to their car. This is a very simple job for the most part."

"But that’s still something. What if they’re armed or something and they shank one of us and dip. I am not built for speed. I barely completed the physical test." Hunk looks away from him. Lance walks up to Hunk and places a hand on his shoulder and smiles.

"But you did it. Hunk, you were determined to work with me as a security guard because you said and I quote 'I don’t want you to come back to me and Pidge dead in Miami.' Trust me. We are both lucky to be security guards. Do you know what they make campus police do?"

"No, what do they do?"

"You don't want to know. Plus, campus police are the people who are trying to get their degree in some form of criminal arts."

"Do you mean Criminal Justice or better yet, Criminology?"

"Yeah. Yeah, same shit. Shiro doing all of that and he is in the masters program in Criminology. He asked me if I wanted to join the force. I looked him dead in his eyes and said hummus."

“Wait, where did the hummus thing come from again? I can’t remember.”

“It was when you showed me what was hummus.”

“The same day where you proceeded to spill it on Pidge and they immediately said and I quote ‘hummus?’ before chucking their phone at your head?” Lance rubs the back of his head.

“The same day Hunk. Although, I never knew that a large lifeproof phone would hurt as bad as it did.” Hunk starts to giggle for a mere second before giving out a loud laugh. It gives Lance such joy that he can calm his best friend from anything.

"Man, I forgot how funny you are. You should become a comedian"

"And talk about all of the stupid shit that I’ve done from middle school to now. Including senior year of Garrison High" Lance pauses for a good minute before shaking his head. "Besides, I don’t need any more people laughing at me for the peanut butter incident." Lance shudders at the mention of the word peanut.

"Alright comedian, although, I don’t think anyone would laugh at that one. That experience rather freaked me. You should've told me about the peanut butter thing.”

“I didn’t know it was going to be like THAT.”

“That’s understandable and its okay. So, what did you need me for anyway before we broke into some sappy conversation about my stress levels and comedic relief." Lance had almost forgotten about his problems. He clasps his hands on top of his head and looks at Hunk with wide eyes.

"I LOST THE TWO MOST EXPENSIVE BOOKS FOR MY CLASS AND I AM FREAKING THE FUCK OUT"

"Wait, which books were they before we start panicking."

"It was on Health Care Dynamics and Society and on Hole’s Human Anatomy and Physiology" Hunk winces at the titles. Those books cost actual money because of how old they were.

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's calm down for a second. Lance, where was the last time you used your textbooks?"

"I was at the library a... few... days ago... UUUUGGGH FUCK MY LIFE I LEFT THEM THERE."

"Where in the library?"

"In the study section."

"Was Keith working that day?" That was a good question. Keith was the one who would sometimes call the office to be walked from the library to his car at around 6:45 PM. Lance remembers a flick of a burgundy sweater and a ponytail that day. Lance also remembers that he was talking to Keith about something very irrelevant to his studies.

"Yes, he was working that day."

"Then you should probably hit him up about the textbooks."

"Hunk, you are a damn genius." Lance leaps towards his bed grabs his phone. He locks it to realize that he gave Keith his number but did not receive his. "Hunk, I FORGOT TO TAKE HIS NUMBER."

“Are you sure about that? After the Plastic Angels incident?” Lance thinks about it for a mere second before remembering that he had called Keith the same day he received his number.

“I have his number...”

“Then call him?”

“He’s probably working right now.”

"Well, you are looking at least two hundred dollars on each of those books. So that adds up to four hundred. That is half of your paycheck right there, that if you don’t call him." Lance eyebrows could have hit the roof and the moon if they weren't attached to his forehead.

"I need the money to pay for my classes and food."

"Sorry buddy, you are screwed at this point. I would have helped you but I'm in the same boat as you with all of the expenses." Lance sinks to the ground. He was fucked if he had to repay for those books. He could always rent those books but, they were so hard to find. Plus he had notes specifically for certain pages on those books.

“I’ll make that call right now actually.” Lance looks at his phone one last time to realize that there was a voicemail message waiting to be opened.

"Good. I meant to ask you this but did Keith call you? It could have been a 57 percent chance that he did."

"Ugh, you sound like Slav. I don't want to be reminded of him." Lance calls his voicemail number and puts in his pin. There was one new voice message from Keith.

The moment Keith’s voice begins to speak, Lance could feel both his and Keith nervous energy pouring out of the message.

‘Hey, this is Keith Kogane from the Smythe’s Library, the person that you sometimes walk to their car. This is probably weird because, why am I calling you during your working hours. You left your textbooks on Health Care Dynamics and Society and on Hole’s Human Anatomy and Physiology in the library. I don’t know where you actually live or such to drop off your books so I'll hold off your textbooks until your next visit. Thank you.’ The message ended with a click and Lance is hopping around with Hunk.

“HUNK, HE HAS THE BOOKS. HE SAVED MY ASS FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. I GOT TO CALL HIM.” Lance calls Keith immediately after to get hit with his voice mail. “I forgot he working...”

“Leave a message then. It has been three days since he called you and is probably waiting for a response.” Lance looks at Hunk and smiles.

“Hunk has anyone told you that you’re the best?”

“A couple of people, why do you ask?”

“Because you truly are the best.”

“Thank you. Now leave a message for your freckled ‘friend’” Lance wanted to ask Hunk about what he meant when he finger-quoted friend but he was mentally preparing himself to leave a message.

“THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I THOUGHT I LOST THOSE. HOLY SHIT! Those books cost too much. I’m sorry, but can you hold on for a second.”

‘Hunk, hold me really quick” Hunk looks at him for a second before speaking

“You’re getting emotional over a phone call Lance. A phone call over textbooks.”

“He just saved me money and stress Hunk, At least give me a hug and comfort please” Hunk sighs and hugs Lance. He gives a few soft taps to Lance’s back before releasing him.

“Sorry about that. I’m alright it's just that I don’t have the money to replace those. I’ll try to pick them up as soon as I can or better yet, can you drop them off? I work at the security office that’s right inside the Honvera’s Arts and Science building. Just walk in and the office is to youuuur” Lance looks at Hunk for help.

“Left, Lance”

“Left. Thanks, Hunk. Thank you, Keith!” Lance hangs up and gets up from the floor.

“Wait, I just realized, Lance you gave him the wrong building.” Lance goes a double take.

“What? Seriously!? It’s not the Lego building?” Lance rakes his hand through his hair. ‘That’s perfect’ Lance thought.

“The fact that you call it the lego building.” Hunk facepalms and shakes his head. “It’s Blaytz Hall on your right.”

“Isn’t that in front of the Lego building?”

“Yeah but it’s still a walk from the library, considering that the hall and the ‘lego building’ are located on the north campus. The library is on west campus. That’s a whole shuttle ride from west to north campus.”

“You are saying like north is further away from the west then south”

“Lance, it is. That is why they are trying to get a transit system up and running by the ending of 2018”

“Welp, hopefully, he doesn’t get lost?”

“Hopefully. Say, do you want to taste what I’m working on?”

“I thought you would never ask.” The both of them leave Lance’s room to the kitchen while talking about the goop on Hunk’s apron.

[writers-leir]

soulmate!non-idol!wonwoo

it’s been like 1287461872467124 years but i finally have an update!!!

idea credits to this post here

soulmate!non-idol!wonwoo where you’re born with a tattoo of your soulmate’s name in their handwriting on your skin

honestly you’ve checked over your entire body probably like a hundred times by the time you were ten

because your parents kept asking if you knew what your soulmate’s name was

but you????couldn’t find anything that resembled a name

you just had a really oddly shaped birthmark on your wrist where your soulmate’s name was supposed to be

and you swear that it could be their name

but even your friends are like lmao,,,,,,,,,not even a doctor’s handwriting could be that bad

so you basically went on with your life believing that you didn’t have a soulmate

your friends have tried to comfort you they really have

your best friend baked you an entire cake one time even though you knew they weren’t the best chef

and you were so,,,,,,,,,,,,touched?? it made you feel instantly better (even if the icing wasn’t spread evenly and the cake tasted saltier than necessary)

you go through high school without worrying about the whole soulmate thing because all your friends are just as alone as you (lowkey sounds mean but i say this in the most loving way)

it’s not until you enter university that things start to kinda go,,,,,downhill?

your friends start finding their soulmates and eventually they start going on like double dates and even triple dates

and you’re stuck sitting on the couch waiting for your friend and roommate to return so you two can binge watch some tv shows or something

(unfortunately they normally get back super late ):)

after your first year of university when you start looking for an apartment you decide to find someone who hasn’t found their soulmate yet (also because your roommate and their soulmate once put a sock on the door handle and you were stuck outside the dorm for the rest of the night,,,,,,,,)

your best friend though is like noOOOoO!!!!! i’ll be your roommate :)))))))))))))) and you’re like oNly if you don’t diTCH me for your soulmate and they’re like lMAo who do you think i am of cOURse not (maybe, may be  n o t)

so you and your best friend rent an apartment together and everything goes suPER smoothly for you two

wonwoo on the other hand

he’s known the name of his soulmate (you) since forever because your name is printed sO neatly onto his wrist that he swears you must have somehow typed it

when he was little he was always worried and self-conscious about his handwriting because his teachers kept trying to “correct” it

his best friend (mingyu) was always like nOooO YOU can be a doctor with that handwriting!!!! it’s a known fact that doctors have the worst handwriting

and wonwoo’s like k,,,,,,for once you actually said the right thing at the right time congrats

but wonwoo still feels bad because he knOWs his handwriting is bad so he knows that his soulmate’s gonna have a hard time deciphering it

mingyu lowkey makes it his job to find anyone with the name on wonwoo’s wrist (yours!!!)

first year university is busy so neither of them really have the time to try and find you and you don’t either

so when second year comes mingyu’s like “hey wonwoo remember in fourth grade when i promised to help you find your soulmate. yeah i’m gonna start again”

you’re actually friends with chinaline (aka xu minghao and wen junhui)

you told them about how you didn’t know the name of your soulmate because you couldn’t find it

but they were like lmao you definitely have one their handwriting just sucks

so apparently that weirdly shaped thing you thought was a birthmark was actually the name of your soulmate

the three of you spent hours trying to figure it out lmao you felt like an idiot sitting in the library holding your left arm out with two of your friends squished next to you staring intently at it

you arm was sore for the next few days from being stretched out for such a long time

but on the bright side!!!!!!!!!!you actually deciphered parts of the name (maybe, maybe not)

minghao and jun suggested that their last name could be 권 (kwon) ((my friend says that if the handwriting is rEAllY bad then jeon mIght be confused with kwon so i’m gonna go with that,,,,,,,,,,))

but like you guys aren’t 100% sure because the handwriting is just,,,,,,,,,so messy

(jun and minghao even asked their friends from the dance team aka the other 1/2 of performance team for help but not even they could help much) ((soonyoung even joked about it being him if the last name was kwon but minghao gave him the Look™))

soonyoung also joked that you should probably start wearing a shirt that has your name on it so that your soulmate will be able to find you easier but minghao was like don’t. don’t do that. that’s a BAD IDEA. and soonyoung was just like wHY are all my ideas being SHOT DOWN

tbh though rather than actually finding your soulmate you really want to find the person whose handwriting is so bad that none of your friends could decipher it

and wonwoo really wants to find you to apologize for his terrible handwriting,,,,,,,,more times than he could count he’s had teachers and friends asking him for confirmation on certain characters

and it’s not that he’s not neat, he just has too many ideas to write down to actually take time and make it eligible (as long as he can read it, it’s fine right?)

mingyu and dokyeom have talked to him a few times about making his handwriting neater so that his soulmate can actually read his name

he tried to (but then decided that if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen)

and it seems like all hope is lost until!!!!!!!!!!! mingyu literally slams into him one day screaming something about seungcheol saying something about a kid named jihoon who was in one of his classes who knows a kid named soonyoung who happens to know someone (or someones) who happen to be bffs with a person with the name of his soulmate

long story short mingyu found you

and even better apparently mingyu managed to get seungcheol to ask jihoon to tell soonyoung to tell your friends to get you to the fountain in the center of the campus at noon

if minghao and jun are 100% honest with you though,,,,,they lowkey didn’t want to take you because the entire plan just smells sketchy,,,,,,,

they agreed only because 1: it was at noon and 2: they could stay with you

and you guys get there a little bit early so you just sit there drinking coffee,,,

and wonwoo’s running late because mingyu decided to last minute ask seungcheol to ask jihoon to ask soonyoung what the plan was

everything turned out well though they ended up just barely ten minutes late

and tbh wonwoo saw you and went wow,,,,,,an ANGEL,,,, and he felt all fuzzy inside

and honestly he thought that you were just a friend of his soulmate there to tell him that his soulmate didn't want to meet him or something because???? how could you be the soulmate of someone like him

and you saw him and thought the exact same thing like HOW do i get a soulmate like that that’s impossible

but then mingyu went like “this is your soulmate!!!” and it finally sunk in for both of you like okay,,,,,i don’t know what i did in my past life but thank you,,,,,

minghao and jun leave when they notice you and wonwoo kinda in your own world

you hold up your arm and ask him if his handwriting is that bad and he’s like unfortunately,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes,,,,,,,,,i’m sorry,,,,,,,,,,,,

IT’S OKAY THOUGH because he invites you to go to a bookstore/cafe and it’s cute because you get to watch him get super excited when you ask him for book suggestions

as a significant other he probably prefers to sit on the couch reading a book with you but if you wanted to go to an amusement park he wouldn’t complain

book recommendations every week!!! and he probably acts super offended if you don’t finish that book during the week

he once gave you a list of 20 books that he liked the most and you were like wonwoo i love you but THIS IS SO MUCH

probably takes pictures of you sleeping cause he thinks you’re the cutest person alive ever but doesn't set it as his lockscreen cause he doesn't want anyone to see

probably has a folder dedicated to pictures of you sleeping

he doesn’t tell you he loves you often

like i sincerely believe that he prefers to show his affection

and in the smallest, cutest ways too

he probably puts all your misplaced things back in their places

like if you left your keys on your bedside table he’d probably move it back to the little bowl next to the door so that you don’t start freaking out right before you leave

he prefers to listen over talking so normally he sits on the couch listening to you talk about your day

and he’ll give you legit advice

like it sounds harsh at first but it works?????

“mingyu put all the cups on the top shelf today, so i had to use a stool”

“kick him in the shin next time”

(it works trust me)

he likes to joke a lot too so if you play along he’ll love you for the rest of his life (he already does but it doESn’t hUrt for some more love)

[storiesbyjes2g]

Time in Willow Creek: 1 year, 6 months, 2 weeks, 4 days

Juliana sucked in a deep breath and marched up the stairs of Community Library with her head high, new attitude and butterflies in her stomach. Steady clicking of her heels counted down to a new era. Many elements of her new charge remained to be discovered, making her uncertain, but similar to her walk into the library, she would take it one step at a time.

She didn’t arrive as early as she planned. Psyching herself up for the day took much longer than usual, but she still arrived before Trish which is what she wanted but just barely. Community Library patrons showed a sense of urgency that morning. Someone followed Juliana in, and minutes later, Trish trailed someone else. Juliana had faced the wall and attempted to have one last moment alone, but the hairs on her neck and arms stood when Ms. Henning arrived.

“Oh…good, you’re back,” Trish said.

Juliana took in a deep breath once again before turning to address her coworker. “Good morning.”

“Nice suit,” Trish said stiffly.

Juliana flashed a quick smile. “Thank you.”

The front door opened again, and a woman walked through. Juliana wondered why so many had come so early.

The woman waved. “Mornin, Juliana!”

“Good morning.” She had seen her many times but never asked for her name. Harriett knew everyone’s name, but she had nearly three decades to get to know them.

Trish walked away to begin her day, and Juliana panicked. She didn’t spend the morning psyching herself up for Trish to get away.

“Trish?”

Juliana heard a loud sigh before she faced her.

“Yeah?”

The butterflies in her stomach felt like they multiplied three times. She wiped her moist palms on her trousers and swallowed a large knot in her throat. “Uhh…”

She had an idea of what she wanted to say, but the words got stuck at the back of her dry mouth. “You are a good librarian…”

“I know you don’t care for me. But, I can’t change what happened.” Bitter bile crawled up her throat. She swallowed the sensation. “I have to learn things, and…and I need you here. We have to communicate better and work together.”

Trish grew increasingly more frustrated with every word that exited Juliana’s mouth.

She tried to calm her nerves and swallowed a few more times before saying the next part. “I know what librarians are supposed to do…” She paused to let her words sink in a bit. “I need you to do those things. I will help, but I need to be in the office more to learn how to do this.”

Trish’s chest rose and fell quickly. She looked like a growling dog. “Yeah, ok. Whatever. Are we done here?”

Juliana’s patience with her attitude wore thin. If she were bold enough, she would have given her a few pieces of her mind. But, she had to keep it professional and refrain from stooping to Trish’s level. She had a reputation to uphold, but no one but Juliana regulated what happened inside her head.

“Yes.”

Trish did an about-face and dashed away, probably fuming as she always was. Perhaps, one day–in her own way–she’d find the courage to tell Trish what for. She found the thought amusing and even looked forward to it.

To begin her morning, she retreated to the office not to hide but to embark upon a journey of epic proportions. During her time off, she made a list of questions to research. She also began going through all the papers in the drawers and folders on the wall. Surely Harriett left everything she needed to know in that room. She simply had to look for it and piece all the information together.

After a few hours, her brain was so mushy, she thought it might slide out of her ears. She took a break and walked around the library just as Harriett used to do, greeting the patrons and checking on everyone. She borrowed a bit of confidence as she smiled and spoke to people. Hillary sometimes said, “fake it ’til you make it,” she remembered. At first, she didn’t understand what that meant, but she got it. She needed to keep borrowing confidence from somewhere until it came naturally–or at least didn’t cause so much stress.

Around the corner, in the computer room, Juliana heard loud rapping of keys and laughter. The voice and noise belonged to Trish beating her Blicbloc score. Did she not hear anything Juliana said earlier? Did she really not care? Thankfully, no one needed assistance, and the books stood tall and upright in the shelves thanks to Juliana’s need for order and neatness. Everyone needed a break every now and then, but she wished Trish would have told her she was taking one. For the moment, she let the offense ride, but soon she would deal with her.

After her rounds, she manned the front desk. She was comfortable there and knew the job well. Sometimes, Trish often contradicted herself by saying Juliana didn’t need to be so visible in the library now that she was–for all intents and purposes–the manager but at the same time refused to do any of the duties Juliana, the library assistant, did. Perhaps that was her way of telling Juliana they needed to hire another person, but that should have been her decision as the librarian. Juliana couldn’t decide if she wasn’t a good librarian or she had gotten used to Harriett doing everything. Either way, she could not win with this woman. She was damned if she sat up front and damned if she hid in the office. It was a new day, however, and Juliana sat there almost daring Trish to say something. If she came at her the wrong way, Juliana would take some of that borrowed confidence and put Trish in her place.

Later on, Juliana noticed she couldn’t hear Trish’s heavy footsteps stomping around the aisles. She hadn’t gone to lunch, and she wasn’t in the bathroom. Juliana decided to go upstairs to look for her. It was rare for Trish to retreat somewhere for privacy. She found her looking out the window with her arms wrapped around herself.

“Are you ok?” Juliana asked.

Trish growled and attempted to go back downstairs.

“Trish…if something is–”

“You’re so freaking annoying! Are you my shadow? Leave me alone!”

Trish may have openly said hateful things about Juliana and didn’t hide her displeasure with her, but she never yelled at her. Something was wrong.

“Ok! I was just–”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Trish stomped down the stairs. “I’m going to lunch!”

Juliana let out a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure how to deal with her and sat in the chair behind her to recover from the explosion. Learning the ropes would have been an adventure on its own, but this? Pity mode attempted a comeback. Everything would be much easier if she claimed she couldn’t handle it and watch everything go up in flames. Going back to that dark place was not an option. Especially not while she sat on hallowed ground. Over her shoulder, she saw the desk she and Harriett used to sit for her Simlish lessons. Those times were hard, but they were good times too. A smile crept on her face as she made the connection. Times could be both hard and good, not one or the other. She didn’t have to let Trish’s antics get to her or become overwhelmed by all she needed to learn. Juliana needed to do exactly what she did with her lessons: practice, study, and never give up.

While she sat, she heard someone else coming up the stairs.

“Are you ok?” the man asked. “I don’t mean to be nosey, but heard ol girl yelling.”

She appreciated the concern. No wonder Harriett loved that community so much. They were such good people. Some of them.

“I’m fine…but, thank you.”

“Aight. Just let me know. I ain’t afraid to tell her what’s up!”

She laughed and went back downstairs with him. It was almost 3:30, and she had someone special to see.

“Hi, Miss Juliana!”

“Hello, Manu! Did you enjoy school today?”

“We had to take lots of tests. I don’t want to go to school for a long time!”

She laughed. “Awww, probrecito! I hope tomorrow is more fun.”

The little boy stared at her for a moment.

She smiled nervously. “What?”

“You’re so pretty, Miss Juliana. If I was big, I’d make you my girlfriend.”

She laughed heartily. “No girlfriends for a long time, ok?”

“Would you be my girlfriend? If I was big?”

It was the craziest day. It began tentatively with lots of tension, an explosion in the middle, and now she was being asked out by a 10-year-old. What else did this day have in store for her?

She didn’t want to crush him and side-stepped the question as best she could. “I can’t. I am the girlfriend of someone else.”

Those words felt weird coming out of her mouth. She and Kevin had only been together for a week and a half, and they hadn’t seen much of each other. During her time off, she didn’t want to see him. With Trish doing less and less work, her days stretched longer and longer. Kevin had a business trip the previous weekend. Sometimes it didn’t feel like she had a boyfriend, but she knew how loved she was. They stayed in constant communication.

“Oh.”

His little face melted her heart. Just as she attempted to comfort him and do damage control, he changed gears.

“Well, maybe when I’m big you won’t be his girlfriend anymore.”

She laughed again. He was probably right. She and Kevin would probably be married by then, but he didn’t need to know that.

“We will see. Do you want to do your homework?”

During the bad times, those short moments with Manu were the ray of sunshine in her very long, dark days. She lived for those moments and was glad he enjoyed them as well although she learned he enjoyed them a bit too much.

When his mother picked him up, and all the other kids had gone home, Juliana retreated to the office to do some last minute tasks before locking up. It had been a slow day, despite the rush in the morning, and she managed to re-shelve books throughout the day. For the first time in a long time, she would leave shortly after closing time. She had two extra hours added to her night, and she wanted to enjoy the rare gift with Kevin. To her surprise, however, as she exited the office, he entered.

“Oh! Hi!” She grinned. “I was going to call in a few minutes.”

He grinned too. “Lucky me.”

  Her new look startled him. She told him about some changes related to work, but he didn’t expect a change in wardrobe. He didn’t mind what she wore, but he loved seeing her dressed up. She looked so…grown.

“Wow. You looking amazing.”

It was hard to take his eyes off her. She looked so beautiful and confident, almost like another person yet still her. The staring probably made her uncomfortable. She kept looking at her shoes.

He cleared his throat and snapped out of it. “Umm…I’m glad you’re not working late tonight. I was hoping we could grab dinner and hang out for a bit.”

Her eyes met his again accompanied by a dazzling smile. “Of course.”

“Ok.” He grinned like a schoolboy, but he didn’t care. He was so happy to be with her again. “We can go some place close by.”

He took her to a restaurant in the Town Center area which used to be known as “downtown.” Long ago, Willow Creek was a tiny farming community. The farmers would have to go down into town to shop, be entertained, and conduct business. All the buildings in the area were the originals minus Villa Bovine, the restaurant they went to. The museum used to be a municipal building where the courthouse and police department used to be. The Blue Velvet Nightclub was a saloon, the gym was a general store, and the library had served its same purpose the entire time. Over time, the community grew and sprawled around downtown and making it the center of town. When the skyscrapers and apartment buildings came, all the official city offices moved there. The dense urban area became worthy of the title “downtown.”

“Good evening,” the cheery host said.

“Hello. A table for two, please.”

She tapped the screen a few times. “Right this way.” She led them to the first table in the dining room. “Is this ok for you?”

“Oh yes, thanks. It’s lovely.”

“Awesome. Your server will be Salim, and he will be with you shortly.”

Cooking was not Kevin’s thing, so he ate out almost exclusively. He knew almost every restaurant in Willow Creek, Oasis Springs, Newcrest and Windenburg. The man knew food and had favorite dishes he ordered from each place. He almost never looked at the menus, and tonight was no different. He knew exactly what he wanted and watched Juliana discover all the dishes he had tried eons ago. She didn’t read the menu aloud, but he could tell when she saw something that excited her. A jolt of glee made her eyebrows raise and a tiny grin pop up.

They had shared many meals together, but this was their first dinner as a couple. An official date! After all the turmoil he went through, he was dating Juliana and could not believe his luck.

Kevin didn’t know what to expect from being in a relationship with her. She was so young and inexperienced. On top of that, he knew the cultural differences might create bumps in the road as well. And then he had his own demons. To be honest, sometimes they scared him. Sometimes he felt more like a wrecking ball pummeling through Juliana’s life knocking down her hopes and dreams of whatever she wanted her life to look like. He wanted to help not hinder her. Whenever he felt those old excuses forming, he reminded himself that their situation was completely new, he wasn’t the person he used to be, and it was normal to be scared sometimes.

A man donning a smile strode to their table. “Good evening. It’s good to see you back, sir.”

Kevin smiled back. “Of course! I can’t stay away from here long.”

Remembering faces was not one of Kevin’s many strengths, and he felt bad for not remembering him. The conversation, however, was a reminder of why he loved Villa Bovine. It was a fine dining establishment, but it still had that homegrown feel. The ambiance and decor was posh enough to be special, but not stuffy and pretentious like that germ-infested health hazard in the Magnolia Promenade. He would need a very compelling reason to ever consider eating at Chez Llama again.

“Nice to see you in here with a pretty lady too.” He winked at Juliana.

Kevin almost laughed as he recalled all the past incidents when people assumed they were together and he would smash those assumptions with a quickness. Now, of course, he understood why people thought that. They were together. He just didn’t realize it.

“Yeah…it is nice to take my girlfriend out.”

It felt so strange to call her that. It had been eons since anyone held that title.

“I’m happy for you. Are you ready to order?” Salim asked.

He nodded. “Juliana?”

She nodded too.

“Cool. I’ll have a rack of lamb and a simopolitan.”

The server chuckled. “I should have known. And, for you, miss?”

“Pasta Primavera and lemonade, please.”

“What a beautiful accent! Where are you from?”

“Monte Vista.”

“Oh! Well, that’s great.” He hovered over the table and pretended to whisper. “Don’t judge us too harshly on the food.”

They all shared a laugh.

“I’ll return shortly,” he said. “Can I bring you some bread while you wait?”

“No, but thank you, Salim,” Kevin said and turned his attention back to Juliana. “So! Tell me about this transformation!”

She blushed. “Oh…” Her eyes wandered around the ceiling tiles as she considered her answer. “I got a letter from Mamá, and I thought about what you said to me…. I remember something Trish said to me too.”

“Juliana, don’t let her bully you!”

“No! Listen. I’m trying to figure out what I’m saying.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

He often interrupted her all in the name of trying to swoop in and save the day, but he did need to listen to her more. Sometimes she spoke so well he forgot she still struggled with the language. He wondered if it would help or be a hindrance for him to learn her’s. He could have learned it long time ago when he went to her country for charity work but learning foreign languages were also not on the list of his strengths.

“I need to be serious,” she said.

Kevin stifled the urge to snort. Juliana was one of the most serious people he knew even in her silly moments. Why would she think she needed to be more serious?

“I mean, I need to be important.”

His heart swelled. “You are important.”

“No! Like…” She let out a frustrated sigh.

“You mean you want to look like you’re important…so people know you’re important?”

Finishing her thought probably wasn’t a good idea, but she seemed to really struggle with it.

She looked relieved to be understood. “Yes! Like that.”

“Makes sense. People tend to respect you more simply because you’re wearing a suit. You could be, like, the janitor or something, but if you wear a suit, people will assume you’re important and know what you’re doing. That’s a good strategy…and I love your suit.”

“Alrighty…” the server said, lugging a tray of aromatic deliciousness and placing plates in front of them. “How’s it looking?”

“Everything is perfect, thank you,” Kevin said.

“Alrighty! Y’all enjoy now.”

Kevin savored a few sips of his favorite drink and the succulent meat before prodding Juliana more. “So how did it go with Trisha today?”

She rolled her eyes and continued eating. His heart sunk. He thought for sure Juliana would put her in her place and the library saga would be behind them. How could anyone dislike her?

“I can talk to her if you want.”

A sweet smile softened her face. “I need to do it.”

He returned her smile. “Of course you do.”

Salim came back and grabbed Kevin’s empty glass. “Let me take this for you. Can I bring you another?”

“No, thank you.”

They had such a good time. He didn’t want to keep her out too late, but time escaped them anyway. Most nights she went to bed very late despite having to wake up so early and endure 13+ hour days. How did she do it? Her youth probably helped.

Kevin paid the check and left a generous tip. On their way out, he asked her if she felt like going for a short walk. She agreed. She always agreed. They strolled down the alley between the restaurant and the nightclub to get to the boardwalk. She cradled his arm in hers. He loved having her so near.

Juliana gasped and broke away. “A lighthouse! Can we go down there?”

He chuckled. “Of course we can.”

They left the safety of the cobblestone sidewalk and traipsed down the dirt path toward the bank. She hurried in front of him. Her excitement tickled him although he was afraid she would stumble. She wore low, thick heels, but sometimes the path was rocky.

“Wait up!”

“Is it far?” she asked.

“Uhhh…not really. Too far to get to tonight.”

“Oh.”

A breeze blew the humid air around making it a bit more bearable. The crickets and cicadas did a duet. Or, maybe they were competing in a contest. The fireflies danced like cheerleaders but not for one side or another. Standing there, looking out over the river with his lady by his side, Kevin felt so at peace. He also felt like redeeming their last moment together.

He grabbed her hands. She smiled nervously.

“Juliana…I want to kiss you.”

She flashed that dazzling smile again. “So kiss me.”

Although he initiated the invitation, his heart pounded in his chest; he was much braver last time. Dropping her hands, he drew her into an embrace and planted a tender kiss on her soft lips. Her tentative hands found their places around his waist and behind his shoulder. Hot, electrical pulses coursed throughout his body as their lips gently massaged each other. Some called it fireworks. He was just glad it was happening. Kissing Juliana liberated his spirit and broke the remaining chains on his heart and mind. His previous fears seemed so silly. He wanted to kick himself for not realizing his feelings sooner. Juliana had already brought so much happiness into Kevin’s life, but kissing her took happiness to new heights. He was finally free! He forgot what that felt like.

He held her a bit tighter, drawing her closer. She seemed to enjoy it. Her rigid posture loosened with the deepening of the kiss. His tongue swept against her bottom lip, asking for permission to entertain hers. He probably should not have done that on the first kiss, but he couldn’t help himself. It had been ages since he kissed anyone, and even longer since kissing someone he loved. He needed this.

Juliana had always been a quick learner and he was pleased to see how well she caught on. To his surprise, she accepted his invitation and parted her lips ever so slightly. Heeding his own advice, he behaved.

She pulled away first, as he expected she would; she needed a breath. Before they separated, he held her and gazed into her beautiful brown eyes for a bit. He didn’t quite know what to say, and neither did she. His smile gave way to nervous laughter, and so did hers. This night marked a turning point in Kevin’s life. The ghosts of his past were banished, never to haunt him again. The new era belonged to Juliana, and only she could dictate what happened and where they went in the future. Not fear. Not doubt. Certainly not other people’s opinions. Only Juliana.

Juliana - Chapter 103 Dating Juliana - Juliana has a new attitude at work, and Kevin finds dating Juliana to be life changing. Time in Willow Creek: 1 year, 6 months, 2 weeks, 4 days Juliana sucked in a deep breath and marched up the stairs of Community Library with her head high, new attitude and butterflies in her stomach.

[shadowlink720]

FE: Birthright Randomised Chapter 3 and 4

(aka ‘Azura has no chill. At all. Ever.’)

It’s Time for more of this madness lol

We gon’ do at least chapter 3 this time aroooound

ah yeah we start with a really vanilla cutscene w/ Garon being like ‘hey i don’t care if i adopted ya, i’ll literally kill ya if ya step outta line, so do this thing at the Bottomless Canyon and i may forgive ya this time’ n’ all that Also Iago >:Y Did u guys know that Iago has the same English VA as Subaki? I didn’t until I looked up Jaffar’s FE Heroes va, who’s also the same guy Though nothing can compare to Hayato and Saizo having the same va tbh-

Ah yeah, there’s Hans, one of the only dudes in this game to not wear trousers :V then Xander’s like ‘nah, don’t trust them, m8′ ‘k, bruh’

Onward to the Bottomless Canyon! .... I just realised this may be a little difficult without a healer ahahah;;;; oh well >:V aaaand there’s Gunter complaining about how he doesn’t like the Bottomless Canyon well at least he won’t need to look at it for long :3c >:3ccccc

there goes Hans being a suicidal idiot Just think; literally none of this would have happened if Hans didn’t kill that generic samurai, but nah, we gotta have plot, yo

FORCED TUTORIAL ABOUT BATTLE FORMATIONS GOOOOOOO

Hans only has 1 luck as a level 2 Beserker lMAO WEAK he has the same base strength as Kaze tho;;;;

yeah just gonna.... let Hans die from those Samurai on the bridge there, while I sneak around their range

Free stuuuuuff >:3cc

aaaand there goes Hans he Ded Time to use this Dragon Vein! c:

Another level up for Corrin! Much better this time; HP, strength, magic, speed and res

.... ok I’m glad she dodged that archer, because that would have been rather troublesome seeing as I have no healers- Also I’m gonna trade Gunter’s steel lance to Kaze at least before I end the chapter and see if he still has it when he comes back later? Or maybe I should just give it to Corrin to hold on to, idk ..... wait I can’t trade items yet gdi fates

It’s only just occurred to me how many samurai are in these chapters lol

“You’re quite skilled” yeah Kaze, they’re also quite dead

aaand the reinforcements come along blech- ...... I don’t like how low Kaze’s hit rate is against Omozu- Or Corrin’s for that matter ahahah;;;

Oh... nevermind then it wasn’t a problem

yet another level for Corrin, this time HP, strength and speed

.... I think I’m gonna wait for these sky knights to come over to get Kaze some more exp, idk ... wow, he got a basically blank level up except for Defence that’s a surprise Anyway time to seize!

time to see who Azura’s retainers are >:3ccccccc

..... holy shit

... This basically sums up the entire randomiser, tbh //inhales IZANA IS SAIZO and therefore Rinkah’s brother .... well they both have white hair soooo......? Hair colour genetics-wise, it actually kinda works???

I’m sorry but look at this madness I’m

Aaaand here comes the vanilla Nohr siblings again

I wonder who Kagero is; we’ll find out very soon, at least :’’’D There they are!

.... it’s Hayato it’s hAYAT O AND I WAS JUST MENTIONING HOW HE HAS THE SAME VA AS SAIZO EARLIER-

Azura ‘No Chill’ coming to kick some Nohrian ass right here I love that she’s Ryoma tho, have I mentioned that? It’s perfect idk about you guys but I’m having a blast with this so far

Anyway time to continue the plot

I can’t believe Gunter is freaking dead bYE THEN Time for dragons I do quite like the design for Dragon Corrin tho, it looks quite different from usual dragons, and it’s pretty darn neat

welp off I go down the Canyon lol;;; aaaand there’s Lilith the fishdragon thing

off to the astral plane ayyy

with it’s explanations that we’ve already heard and whatnot and the fact that it puts the quarters right in the middle of the path -3-

Jakob ambush Jakobush ... that was terrible, sorry

Anyway that’s the end of Chapter 3! :’D Time for Chapter 4! >:3ccc

So Jakob, what are ya looking at that’s so interesting? :o

ah yeah then they talk about ‘o ur gonna execute me, aren’t ya?’ ‘nnaaaaaaah’ HOLY HECK I COULDN’T GET IT BUT LIKE His model went weird because his model doesn’t have the right animation and then he just- floated for a little bit It’s... really something you’d need to see for urself asfdauiudhusd .... Jakob what is so interesting about the roof?

ayyy there’s Rinkah again :D Oh my farore- Corrin said “We meet again. Rinkah, right?” and Rinkah’s voiceline was ‘Not even close!’ so I just imagine it’s like ‘wow ok who else could ya be then-’

Off to Castle Shirasagi we gooooo

oooo there’s Azura ‘No Chill’ (ok well she’s pretty chill now but w/e) :D

She’s a Spear Master :o wait that means she can’t use the Raijinto heck- Maybe she can heart seal into a class that can?? idk, hopefully? I mean I do love Spear Masters, but we can promote Rinkah into one soo :V

Aaaaand there’s me mum, Mikoto ... I just realised Jakob and Rinkah disappeared hahaha

wait nvm Jakob’s back, I can see his hand right in the corner

Right theeeere

There goes Azura humming again lol

Heck yeah, man Yeah I think I’m just gonna call her Azura ‘No Chill’ from now on, because she really doesn’t have any o<o;;;;

~~~Flaaaaaaashhhhhbaaaaaaaack~~~

oh hey another generic samurai, yeah sorry I kinda killed a lot of your identical twins; but it was self defence, man, they attacked first-

.... Azura, Shigure doesn’t exist yet, do you just yell that name sometimes knowing your going to give it to your future son or whuh-

Anyway time to help Mozu and Takumiiiii

oh my farore, Mozu, it’s not nice to say someone smells like a goat like that like, who are you even talking to? Takumi? those Faceless surrounding you? tbh I’d think they’s smell more like rotting flesh or just... mould and dirt, tbh, something repulsive idk

Ya know what? I like the thought of Takumi being a good older sibling to Mozu, it’s an interesting dynamic

lol, Azura’s sprite still says she’s a Swordmaster (for stability b/c she isn’t joining us yet-)

oooOOOOooo Rinkah has a Beast Killer :o that’ll come in handy I do believe, given how many mounted units are in the Nohrian army >:3ccccc And Jakob has a Brass Katana

Let’s look at Jakob’s stats and stuff, shall we?

Not bad; he’s got Pragmatic (+3 to damage dealt and -1 to damage taken against injured foes, pretty darn sweet) as a personal, and he also has Shurikenfaire which is.... kinda useless with his current class lol But a C rank is swords is pretty darn neat! :o E rank in Dragonstones not so much, but they only go up to C rank anyway, right? Nothing grinding can’t fix, if I decide to keep him this class :V His bases are pretty even which is pretty good, they aren’t exactly great but this is still early game :V He’s gonna be interesting to use, at least :’D (Growth rates are HP = 25, Str = 45, Mag = 40, Skill = 20, Spd = 45, Lck = 15, Def = 45, Res = 20, so yeah skill and luck are his weaknesses but we can work around that)

(Can’t really look at Rinkah’s stats yet b/c technically she isn’t in the army at this point since I haven’t branched off into Birthright yet hahahah;;;)

Anyway let’s go! >:D

ah yes, NOW we can trade items where were you when I wanted to give Kaze a free steel lance, bruh?

oo that Goddess Icon will be handy, either for Corrin or Jakob; given their lower luck growths

Takumi about to kick some Faceless ass lol oddly fitting for him to say something like that

obligatory auto-battle tutoriaaaalll

also Azura looks great w/ Raijinto, just saying

Rinkah levelled uuuup, she got HP, Strength and Luck c: And she learned Seal Defence awwwww yeeeeaaaah soonnnnnnnnn

Azura, please chill, that’s a little overkill, isn’t it??

all right, just one more Faceless remaining >:3 Oh hey! Corrin’s weapon level went up!

dang it, Azura got the last one >:V AND IT WAS A CRIT HOLY HECK

oooh we get to see Mozu’s class now!

... I can’t tell if it’s a Merchant or Apothecary, but we’ll find out soon! :’D

Ok but Diviner!Takumi looks pretty cool, ngl

anyway an obligatory explanation of Faceless later

oh yeah and a cutscene talking about Corrin’s old room idk

oooooh! Now we get to see who Azura is! :D Hah, because it’s not Azura there’s no song at all :p

oh my Farore-

It’s Kagero holy heck- Hopefully she’s showing up as a ninja for stability, and she’s... not actually randomised into a ninja- (Nope; glancing at the output folder she randomised into a ninja. What are the odds of that happening, am I right?? >:V Oh well, she’ll still have different heart seal options we can mess around with :3c)

it’s funny because she’s a Hoshidan ninja-

yadda yadda yadda, talking about Nohr and Hoshido and Mikoto, stuff like thaaaat

Aaaand that’s Chapter 4! :D I also think I’m gonna stop playing here so it doesn’t get too long Next time I do believe we’ll be doing chapter 5 and maybe chapter 6 as well! therefore officially branching off into Birthright, and hopefully not breaking the game! :’’’D

ahhh but this is so fun ashfudhfsuhdf I love just being able to ramble on about this tbh, hahah

[connorrenwick]

Where I Work: Zai Divecha

Zai Divecha is a Bay Area native artist based in San Francisco, California, whose creative explorations began with metal. After graduating from Yale (both undergrad and grad), the cycling enthusiast became a metalworker who just recently transitioned into working with paper. Now she’s creating small and large scale geometric works made from paper featuring repetitive pleat patterns. For this month’s Where I Work, Divecha opens the door to her shared studio space in the Dogpatch neighborhood for a look at her process.

What is your typical work style?

I’m a morning person, so I like to get my day started early. A few days a week, I get up at 5am to do a 30-mile bike ride before going into the studio. There are few things I love more than cycling. And going out at dawn — when the fog is still thick and the light is a cool, grayish blue — is the absolute best.

I usually get into the studio by 10am, and work until 7 or 8pm, taking breaks to chat with my studiomate or take Simi out for a walk. Some days end up being more computer- or admin-heavy; other days are more focused on making. Unless I’m really in the zone, my brain typically shuts off around 8pm, and I’m useless after that.

What’s your studio/work environment like?

The studio is bright, cozy, and clean. A huge skylight lets tons of light in. When we moved into this space, my studiomate and I laid the flooring ourselves, and we chose a pale gray color in order to bounce as much light as possible into the room. We mop the floors regularly to keep the dust under control. Lots of plants, candles, and furs make it feel cozy and welcoming. I’m a neat freak, so I need the surfaces around me to be clean in order to think clearly and feel creative. The less clutter I have in sight, the more focused and creative I am.

My studiomate Emi Grannis is a big part of my daily life. She’s a metalsmith who makes fine jewelry, and she’s also one of my very closest friends. Even though we each run our own separate businesses, Emi and I help each other out constantly throughout the day: she’ll take photos or videos of me working for my Instagram; I’ll help her draft tricky client emails. She’ll weigh in on my design decisions; I’ll help her triage her to-do list. We know each other’s strengths and needs, and we’re good at making the other person feel supported, focused, and happy. It’s pretty special. I don’t know where we’d be without each other.

How is your space organized/arranged?

We have a small studio space on the mezzanine level of a shared metal shop called ShopFloor. It’s located in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco, and it’s three blocks from where I live (best commute I’ve ever had). Our studio is 270 square feet, so it’s pretty compact. I have my little zone at one end of the room, Emi has her workspace in the middle, and at the back, we have a lounge area with a couch and a makeshift kitchen (mini fridge, microwave, tea kettle). The couch was a game-changer — having a soft, comfy place on which to take breaks (or naps!) means that our days can be longer, more productive, and more sustainable.

How long have you been in this space? Where did you work before that?

I’ve been working out of this building for two and a half years, but it’s only the last nine months that I’ve had this cozy studio space on the mezzanine level. Before that, I rented a bay on the ground floor, in the metal shop. I was making welded steel vessels and mosaic steel wall hangings at the time, so it afforded me easy access to the metal shop tools. But I didn’t have walls, private space, or heat, so while it was utilitarian, it was not particularly inspiring or comfortable.

But now that I’m primarily working with paper, a medium that doesn’t require any machinery at all, it’s been lovely to have a contained, quiet space away from the noise and grime of the metal shop. I have walls, heat and air conditioning, a comfy couch, and, of course, one of my best friends nearby, so I’m much happier and more productive now.

If you could change something about your workspace, what would it be?

A teeny bit more space would be nice. I routinely have to downsize my tools, prototypes, and projects in order to make space for everything.

Is there an office pet?

Yes! My dog Simi often comes with me to work. She’s a chill, low-key dog most of the time, but she’s become infamous for starting to hump her dog bed as soon as clients walk in. She can be a liability.

Do you require music in the background? If so, who are some favorites?

I tend to listen to downtempo electronic music when working. It needs to be melodic, hypnotic, and a little edgy. Nicolas Jaar, Chet Faker, Polo & Pan, Glass Animals, Zhu, and Alina Baraz come to mind. Here’s a playlist I made of my favorite songs for work. If I’m doing repetitive measuring, scoring, and folding, I’ll often put on a podcast to keep my brain engaged. The Guilty Feminist, Reply All, The Daily, and Planet Money are current favorites.

How do you record ideas?

I have all kinds of systems. I have a notebook that’s just for my daily to-do lists, I have a separate sketchbook for drawings and diagrams, and I have a series of digital notes that are synced across my devices.

Do you have an inspiration board? What’s on it right now? 

All of my inspiration boards are digital at the moment: I have dozens of Pinterest boards, and a number of Instagram collections of saved posts. Lately I’ve been saving things like 3D-printed ceramics, hand-carved wood home goods, geometric murals, blackwork tattoos, installation art, and parametric architecture.

What is your creative process and/or creative workflow like? Does it change every project or do you keep it the same?

I often start by examining prototypes and sample pleats I’ve made in the past. I hold them in my hands, and collapse and expand them. I imagine how they’d look or behave if I made changes to the pattern. What if I altered the angles or spacing of the pleats? What if I pinched it at one end, and let it fan open at the other? What if I made this out of a translucent Mylar instead of paper? What if I made a collage, where I put this pleat next to this other pleat? Then I’ll make a quick mock-up using scrap paper. I love that it’s so easy to prototype with paper. I can test out ideas quickly.

Once I have a plan, and I’ve figured out all the measurements, the execution is a series of repetitive motions: measuring out a grid, scoring lots of lines, and working with my hands to pleat the paper. I love settling into a meditative routine, and making only minor changes with each sheet of paper to optimize my efficiency and precision.

What kind of art/design/objects might you have scattered about the space?

A tiny painting of Point Reyes by Susan Hall, who’s a dear family friend. Ceramic pieces by Two Hands Full, Pinckney Clay, and ShanMan Clay Co. A half-moon shaped serving board I made out of Cocobolo wood. A concrete sculpture of hands by Rheal. Two brass Ganesh statues that my mother gave me when I was little. A sweet note that Emi left me one day. And a handful of items collected from nature: a Cholla cactus branch, an antler, and a dozen potted plants.

Are there tools and/or machinery in your space?

Now that I’m primarily working with paper, my tools have been pared down to just the most unassuming and lightweight ones: pencil, rulers, cutting mat, X-Acto knives, painter’s tape, needle and thread, and bone folder.

What tool(s) do you most enjoy using in the design process? The bone folder. It’s a bookbinding tool made out of bone that’s used to score paper. It lets me make precise, sharp folds. It feels smooth in my hand — so simple and primitive.

Let’s talk about how you’re wired. Tell us about your tech arsenal/devices.

I have an iPhone X, a MacBook Pro, and a Canon 5D Mark II with a few different lenses. I store all my notes, documents, and photos on Box, so they’re accessible from any device (I used to work at Box; old habits die hard). Instagram is my main marketing and sales tool, so I spend a fair amount of time on it.

What design software do you use, if any, and for what?

When I was doing metalworking, I used Illustrator and SketchUp to design wall hangings and prep vector files for lasercutting. Now that I’m working primarily with paper, my creative practice is blessedly analog! The less time I’m on the computer each day, the better.

Is there a favorite project/piece you’ve worked on?

I recently finished up a large hanging paper installation, and my partner Phil Reyneri added subtle light effects to it using Lightform, his company’s tool for projection-mapping. Each edge and facet was illuminated with projected light patterns.

Do you feel like you’ve “made it”? What has made you feel like you’ve become successful? At what moment/circumstances? Or what will it take to get there?

I definitely don’t feel like I’ve “made it.” I have so many things I still want to make, and so many goals I still want to hit. But I suspect I’ll always feel that way, even if I’m making a lot more money. There’s a famous cycling quote by Greg LeMond that I love: “It never gets easier, you just go faster.” I think this is true for running a business, too. I feel like I’m hustling just as much as I was three years ago, but when I compare the work I was making and the types of problems I was solving now, it’s clear that I’ve made a lot of progress.

Tell us about a current project you’re working on. What was the inspiration behind it?

I’m developing a series of smaller paper pieces with stitched red accents. The goal is to sell them framed in shadowboxes with glass fronts, so they’re ready to hang. I’m excited to offer pieces that are elegant but also accessible — at a price point that my friends could afford.

What’s on your desk right now?

I have a cutting mat, some rulers, a mug filled with pencils, pens, and X-Acto knives, a few pieces of pleated paper, my reading glasses, and my laptop. I try to keep it as bare-bones as possible.

Do you have anything in your home that you’ve designed/created?

Just a few random craft projects here and there. I have a set of ceramic fruit bowls I made in high school, and some dog beds that I sewed out of canvas drop cloth and painted (I made one for my studio and one for my home). One day, I’ll do a proper paper installation for our place!

Photos by Zai Divecha, Emi Grannis, Phil Reyneri, and Andy Wong.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/18/where-i-work-zai-divecha/