#and realized I'd have to redo some of the lighting

[arandomnerd5896]

I drew Lethica as a cat bc apparently Lethica is the only character I'm capable of finishing art of atm.

Here

I don't really have many progress shots because I wasn't really thinking about it but here's what I do have

So yeah Catthica.

[lemon-wedges]

Hello!!! I love your art and your style. I'd love to hear your inspirations behind how you draw and, in addition, hear a bit about your painting process (I love the impressionistic look your paintings have)

ahh!!! thank you so much ;u;

Ill tried my best to break down my thought process behind my drawing, so i hope this all makes sense aahaha

undercut cause it came out real long

SO Karl Gnass is an instructor that i took an anatomy class with. and who broke down anatomy in a way that really helped me grasp space. like space a figure occupies. and from that i think my characters feel a bit more...grounded? im not sure what the right word would be but tangible is something people sometimes say about my art.

And i do think when youre able to make a figure look like its really wrapping its hands around something it makes character interactions a lot more intimate.

heres a few under sketches i do when i start a drawing (i am trying REALLY hard not to use my nsfw ones tho those are pretty perfect when it comes to showing u anatomy RIP)

after i got the poses done ill turn down the opacity and rough sketch out details on top of these. and once THATS done i move onto lineart. and the most important aspect of this step is NOT TO TRACE YOUR UNDER DRAWING!!!! thats what sucks the life out of your work!!!!

instead you use your undersketch as a guide. ilI actually redraw the simple anatomy underneath very lightly, erase where they over lap and then add line weight variety + darken up the details.

examples of this are gonna look a little messy but. Left is the original pose i drew out with rough details. right is the drawing i do on top of it. you'll see theyre not one to one and theres some lines i didnt fully erase out when redoing the anatomy. i find my clean up has a lot more energy when i do this.

the thing about my style is that you'll notice i never actually do actual clean smooth lineart. and thats because i HATE DOING THAT SHIT. like i did learn how to do it and consistently forced myself to do it for over a year. and while i do think i learned a lot about line weight and drawing clearer. i realized? its just not for me. I like a textured brush and i like being able to see those small lines i didnt get to fully erase out because i think they look cool lol and thats ok!! do what you want forever man!!! its your art!!!

Also before i move onto painting ill show you this neat little trick. you know those more "loose" drawings of mine that feel more gestural? the begining process is exactly the same. the difference is i use a chunkier pen and try to see how much i can simplify details + just feel out the energy of lines

NOW PAINTING.

man. where to even start.

the thing about painting is that its an entire different set of skills that need to each be honed on their own and will slowly build up together. ill break it down like this.

VALUE, COLOR, and TECHNIQUE

I've said this on another ask before but you'll notice ill do a lot of black and white sketches. and i do that to practice choosing how to group values.

like this example. how light is laios' wolf coat compared to his skin? or kabrus skin color compard to laios coat. when do you want to really push the contrast of light and dark and when do you let values be closer to each other when you DONT want attention

the next step from this is adding a light source.

and when you're working in black and white its a lot easier to pay more attention where you want your light/how its gonna look like hitting youre characters and how far youre gonna push your shadows.

and you know if you get good at this you can play with limited color palletes

this is literally just be picking out blues and hitting the bottom with the gradient tool to light it up

NOW COLOR

is a lot harder and also very subjective. I do a ton of impressionist studies where i just color pick the fuck out of a piece to see what colors masters used + knowing the history of paint and what colors were available during that time period. +knowing what colors = what mood + knowing what colors to use when you want to be more realistic vs when you want to lean into more stylized+ what colors YOU specially incline towards + AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

its a lot and im actually still learning myself

But when i do a painting i collect a LOT of refrences of the kind of mood i want my own painting to feeling like. I've show the first example in another ask before but heres one from my latest labru too

WHen i actually start a painting tho they look like this. The top drawings are just flat colors with a simple outline of where i want the light to be hitting. like in my value studies im just trying to get the idea down, seeing what values need to be darker vs what is lighter. and how the light source covers the character.

figuring this out in the begining makes the rest of the painting so much easier because youve essentially made all the big compostion decisions NOW. from here you can start playing with colors.

my second stage, youll see with drawings at the bottom, is when i start using my texture brush to lay in extra shadows and just play with variety.

and then? i start rendering

that would be TECHNIQUE

And well....thats also something thats gonna be very subjective.

With my own style im not interested in rendering everything to perfection. Im trying to figure out how to texture hair/skin/clothes in ways that make them feel like the materials they are while also showing the energy of my brushstrokes.

I dont zoom in while i paint btw. everything i do is zoomed out so i can see the entire drawing. it helps me not tight up my strokes while also letting me build up all areas of the painting equally. the only time i zoom in is when im lining out the eyes/mouth of a character. and yeah. it drives me insane doing this because ITS SOOOOO Tempting to obsess over paint 1 area forever then zoom out and see that nothing matches lol

The other thing about my style of painting. Is that im not gonna use the exact same formula for every piece. like this isnt cell shading. you can have an idea of how to texture skin/clothes/hair and sometimes it looks great and beautiful in one painting and then it looks like shit in another. ive overhauled a lot of paintings multiple times because what i thought would work doesnt and ive had to force myself to explore and play with my brushstrokes. and you know? i wouldnt have it any other way. it means none of my paintings are gonna look alike! and i think thats pretty cool :D

ill leave you with this in the end. a painting im in the middle of doing and debating to overhaul cause im just not feeling the strokes. who knows what ill look like in the end

anyways i hope this helped a little? even if you look at all this and go. IM NEVER GONNA DRAW LIKE THIS BOZO ahahah

BUT I WISH YOU LUCK ON YOUR OWN ARTS :DDDD

[kabira]

a much-needed update.

hiiii so i realize i've pretty much left everyone here hanging for the past year, almost? and mentioned reposting on ao3 about a billion times but haven't really followed up on it. i've toyed with multiple ideas, like reposting, rewriting, deleting this blog off the face of the earth to disappear forever (jk), etc but! i've done some soul-searching in the sweltering summer and finally come to a decision.

there isn't a lot keeping me in this community now, but writing - for fun - isn't something i want to stop doing, because it's really important to me even outside the context of a fandom. i've become pretty rusty lately, though, owing to the fact that my last stint with writing a full-length piece was over a year ago, and i haven't really had the time or brainpower to chase down those plot bunnies (though they remain persistent). however, there's nothing that makes me want to write more than going through my old fics and being horrified by my many mistakes <3 so <3 i will instead be slowly rewriting and reposting my old fics.

does this mean i'll delete the old versions? probably not, because i like to see my own growth. i'll leave them unlinked on the masterlist and floating around on my blog in case anyone wants to revisit them. can't say i'm going to fix every single fic, but i'll try to do most of them. might even combine a couple of them into a single continuity (looking at you, spider-vernon).

i know i'm the prime example of all talk and no anything else, but i swear i'm going to try my best this time. hell, i opened my original draft of bhobc last night and redid the whole last scene on a whim, so i'd say the process is already in swing. if i can't bring myself to commit to something completely new, i'm at least going to try and redo what i already have. until then, i have some new ideas brewing that i'll probably end up either posting on ao3 (here) or my genshin blog (here) because i don't think i can fully come back to writing for kpop anymore. there's a million reasons for this, but the one that stands out the most is the way this community has responded to the events of the past few months.

despite all the atrocities being committed in gaza, i haven't seen most people even deem to comment on the state of affairs or use their accounts to bring light to them (some have talked it about their mains and not their kpop sideblogs with a SIGNIFICANTLY larger following - i wonder why!). even if you say it's for the sake of keeping content apart, why does this divide exist to you, truly?

it's disgusting to see that even some of the people here i used to respect haven't mentioned it, instead choosing to talk about their favorite kpop boy or, i don't know, what sonic character they'd be. even if something happens within the fandom, the outrage seems to be only momentary, a couple untagged posts expressing disappointment here, a two-week break there, and then they're right back to writing egregious smut as if nothing ever happened. where's your anger? where's your fucking humanity?

anyway, tldr, i'll be rewriting a big chunk of my fics and reposting the older versions anyway. also, fuck you to everyone who's been silent about the ongoing genocide.

[trojanteapot]

Cosplay Fixin' Time: Infinity Train

So a while back I made posts about some props I'd created for my Simon Laurent cosplay. There was the harpoon pack, and the boots.

Pictured: An embarrassing idiot cosplaying an embarrassing idiot.

So at the time I was a cheapass, and just used whatever I could find that was left over from a bunch of other stuff, or the cheapest materials from my local craft store, even stuff from the dollar store!

I'm not really going to make any huge modifications, but after wearing it a few times there were some signs of wear and tear. I'm going to show you how I fixed it, and suggestions for substitute materials you can use so that yours will be sturdier and less prone to breaking!

NOTE: These tips are going to involve TOXIC SUBSTANCES. But for safety reasons, I will also give substitutions for non-toxic replacements.

The Boots

The first thing I found out was that after a weekend of walking around in them, the toe caps had large cracks in them!

[I forgot to take pics of the cracks, but you can see from the images below how extensive they were. ]

This is because I had used Model Magic to fill in the gaps initially, instead of a stronger air dry clay. So in order to fix it, I knew what I needed to do.

First I glued down the cracks with superglue so it's nice and solid, and won't crack more. Then, I used... Milliput!

It comes in a variety of colours: white, black, turquoise blue, sad puke-brown, I went with the last one because it was on sale.

This is an epoxy putty, which means that it has two parts you need to mix equal portions of together in order for it to cure. Otherwise it stays malleable.

Now, because it is an EPOXY PUTTY, it is therefore TOXIC, and you must wear gloves while handling it!!!! But once it dries, it takes on a hard, smooth, plastic-like texture! And it isn't brittle and flaky like Model Magic.

For a non-toxic substitute, you could go with traditional air dry clays, but just not Model Magic, or anything as light and fluffy. I would recommend something like Paperclay.

I've used Paperclay before to make stuff like horns, and even details on Pearl's staff! It definitely dries into more of a clay texture than Milliput though. (Yes I have cosplayed Pearl from Steven Universe before. No, I will not be posting pictures. They are embarrassing.)

Here's how the boots looked after the Milliput dried, and I sanded and repainted the boots. Pretty good! Well okay I know that it still looks like blobs of stuff but hey, for me, pretty good is it'll look good in photos, not in extreme closeups.

Another thing I did for the paint was that I noticed glossy Mod Podge is kind of sticky even when dry? So I sprayed everything with Mr. Super Clear Gloss Varnish.

This sealant is HIGHLY TOXIC so I had to spray it in a well-ventilated area with a vapour respirator!!!! No joke, you need to be extremely cautious with spray sealants. But the result was amazing. The glossy parts of the boots are smooth and slick and not weirdly sticky!!!

Non-toxic alternative: Liquitex Gloss Varnish should also work. I used that on the repaint of the harpoon pack's front panel.

Also, you may be wondering, did I add the extra strap that Simon has on his boots? No. Because it looks uggo. And I want my boots to look nice, and not uggo.

But if you want to, just do this:

graphic-design-is-my-passion.jpeg

The Harpoon Pack

The first thing I did was improve the hinges:

Hey guess what nuts and bolts are really sturdy who knew? Yeah the hinge still works and yes my old backpack is still inside.

Next were more drastic changes. What I realized was that my initial design had stressed out the front panel way too much, and it was just two flimsy pieces of 2mm thick craft foam held together with snap buttons!

This is the face of sadness...

So I needed to do 2 things:

Make the front panel sturdier

Redo the backpack straps to better resemble how the harpoon pack straps are worn in the show.

Panels

For the first part it was very simple: buy thicker craft foam, stick the old panels onto the new panels.

I even did a fancy new paint job because the old one was honestly, not it. I painted the Apex logo on too thick at first. But now, it is sized correctly!!!

The Backpack Straps

This took me a while to figure out, but it's not too hard once you get the hang of it.

What you'll need:

3 backpack snap buckles

2 to 4 ladder locks for strap length adjustment (depending on if your original backpack has ladder locks included on its shoulder straps)

Utility strap/Webbing rope (you can buy them in brown if you want a more show-accurate look. I had some black just lying around at home so i went with that.)

Now let's take a closer look at how it all comes together:

So I undid the utility straps from the bottom of my backpack. This may require a seam ripper if the ends of the straps were sewn in place. This left me with 4 separate pieces connected to my backpack: two shoulder straps, and two waist straps.

I used this tutorial to learn the proper way to thread ladder locks.

I placed one set of plastic buckles on the waist straps so they can clip together. Then, to make sure that the straps are adjustable and well-fitted to my tiny-ass torso, I also threaded the ladder locks into the waist straps.

You need to cut out two new strips of webbing rope in order to both thread in the buckles and the ladder locks.

After that, it gets trickier.

Thread one half of the buckle closure through a piece of webbing that wraps around the waist strap. Do this on both sides.

Then, on your shoulder straps, if you already have a ladder lock, thread a long piece of new webbing through the bottom hole. Attach the other half of the plastic buckle to it, but make sure it's through the BOTTOM HOLE of your buckle.

Then, take the other end of the long webbing, and thread it through the SECOND HOLE on the TOP of your plastic buckle! This is to ensure that the top straps remain adjustable.

The layout should look a bit like this:

It's not perfect, but it's much better than before.

[adr-n-sketchy]

I caught you burning photographs Like that could save you from your past History is like gravity It holds you down away from me

I saw @muzarry’s Huntlow Wedding Waltz art challenge and I wanted a piece of the action. I hope this wasn’t too far off from the initial prompt of a ballroom waltz but I imagined them having and outdoor cottagecore-esc celebration.

Some of my reference materials are below the cut along with me rambling way too much about what I’m nitpicking about the piece now that it's posted and all my mistakes are glaringly obvious (ah the power of publishing your art).

Thanks again for the fun prompt!! I already have ideas of how I’d like to redo this bc they’re just so fun to draw

Materials/references - Willow’s dress was a combination of many many Pinterest searches of embroidered flowers and about three dress ideas smushed together

First things first how obvious is it that I hate drawing shoes? Lol if I’d planned this better, I probably would’ve just cropped the pose around their calves but then I was too far in to fix it.

This piece was really fun!! I’ve been on the procreate tutorial side of tiktok while I’m still figuring it out and I actually got to try out some lighting tips on this. Idk if I did them right but it was fun to try. I fish I'd gotten the colors a little warmer like the initial prompt image. Also still figuring out different shading techniques and styles I like. I'd like to title this piece's strategy "slap on a shading layer and then smudge the shit out of it until you get something passable."

I definitely did not draw enough flowers as a child and was running out of ways to draw leaves and petals lol. Phew that dress was a slog, but also so so fun. I have a little headcanon that it was embroidered by Darius and Camila. I've never illustrated any sheer fabrics, so this was me BSing myself throughout the entire thing, but I can't say I'm mad at the response. Clothing folds are still a headache for me, but somehow this is, better?

Also, Willow’s flower crown is made up of the red grass and flowers that Willow first greets when they get back to the demon realm — y’know, the adorable gesture that squeezes the first smile out of Hunter post Flapjack. Also, Flapjack-red tie for Hunter because obvi.

I'm afraid I made Hunter's outfit a little too close to Caleb's, but from the references of outfits and background, we ended here. So maybe his ability to wear things this close is proof of therapy and progress? y'know, if you squint past my blatant art and fashion block. I also just realized I think I was supposed to color the buttons on Hunter's vest but now I'm pretending that was purposeful

Another thing I'm weirdly nitpicky about it Hunter's hair noodle. Idk there's been something that's bothered me about it throughout the entire process but could never quite put my finger on it/fix it.

I had the idea that Willow and Hunter's rings would look like elongated versions of each other's palismen. Kind of like those little dragon rings that look like they're clinging to your finger, but I couldn't get the shape right, and Willow's ring isn't visible anyway. So maybe next time.

That may be it. Might add more as I find more and more things that annoy me. If you made it to the end of my perfectionist rambling, congratulations!! Your service and sacrifice is noted lol.

Don't forget to hydrate yourselves and have a lovely day!!

[sarahdawnsdesigns]

Hello, and welcome back to WIP Wednesday.  This week, I come back to a languishing project - redoing the Christmas Tam. 

I decided that, rather than sewing in an elastic, I'd attempt surgery on the hat.  That is, I'd cut the ribbing out and work the hat down from the brim with a smaller number of stitches, turning what had been an increase round into a decrease round.

Then, I realized that given how much I will -hate- picking up 168 stitches in a cable pattern, making sure all of them are not twisted, and, the potential for utter disaster if this goes wrong. . . . I'm just re-knitting it.  Considering that I eventually want to sell the hat pattern, anyway, it's best if I do, in fact, just have a working pattern right from the start, rather then a pattern I've cludged together. 

So welcome back to cast on number two of the Christmas Tam!  I've dropped the number of stitches in the brim by 20%, to 104 stitches for the Adult Small size, and, here's hoping this fits my giftee better (it should!)  She's been exceptionally patient in waiting for the Fire and Light Shawl to be done (it is, it's currently drying after being blocked!) and, this is the next project that should hopefully not take too long. Given that I know the rest of the cable pattern works just fine, I expect to knit this up pretty quickly, despite me being just on the ribbing. 

Yarn is Fleece Artist's 2/6 Merino in "Spruce", which is quite discontinued - this yarn was reclaimed from a previous hat project, so it's quite old now.  Needles are my Knit Picks Nickle-plated 2.25 mm circulars (heads up; this is an affiliate link, meaning I get a small commission if you make a purchase through the link!), and I think I've gushed about them enough in the previous posts!

Right now I just have my dolphin stitch marker from NotionsEmporium (another affiliate link, same note as the first!) to mark the beginning/end of round.  They were right on my desk as I'd just finished casting off the Fire and Light Shawl Monday night. So, they were convenient!  

My giftee has been making polite noises about wanting the hat done for Fall so it can actually be worn - and, hopefully, I can oblige!  Wish me luck in that I can finish this quickly!  I have a two-hour train ride to Barrie Fibre Spirit since I'm teaching there this weekend (August 24, 2024), so, I'll have lots of time to get some progress done!

[strawberryhierophant]

On the Ceiling

It's amazing how almost nobody looks up. And why would they? Really. I mean, they're so wrapped up in their own bullshit.

I always see them come in, lugging books or bags, or both. First thing they do when they enter, all of them, is search the place with their eyes.

Is my favorite table taken? Is there a place with an outlet? I need my computer charged to 100% at all times. I want the window seat.

Most of them need it to be quiet. Students, mainly, but you get the occasional suit taking a break from the office, coming out to enjoy the crowd. But all of them, whoever they are, come to do work. So if it's too packed, too noisy, usually they'll leave without even bothering for a to-go coffee.

The rest stay. They claim real estate, spreading their belongings as widely as they can. In one chair, they'll drop their bag. In another, a jacket. They buy not just coffee but snacks, and they spread everything all over their tables just like you'd spread food on a blanket at a picnic, all over the damn place. I wonder how filthy their homes look, some of them, they leave behind such a god damn mess. I'm glad I don't have to clean it up. I just watch from up here.

Now, I said almost nobody looks up. Some do. But even then, you'd be surprised. They actually look away.

First time it happened I was new to it all. I'd just moved here. I'm sure you don't even notice it anymore, being from here and all, but to me, i thought it was funny. Everything's a repurposed warehouse, even the apartments. Maybe it's a city thing, I don't know. Either way, when I got here, the thing that got me was, why would you spend so much time renovating an old warehouse and just leave the ceiling like that? All beams and ductwork, iron and sheet metal, just hanging overhead. Looks dangerous, if you think about it, like the whole thing could collapse on you.

I mean, you clear out this big space, fill it with new furniture and redo all the brick. You install some new lights. Then you go and name the place some shit like Bodega Noir Coffee and Workspace to attract the hip clientele. But you never bother to change the old warehouse ceiling. You just slap a coat of black paint on the the overhang like you ran out of money at the last minute and you're hoping nobody looks up. Which, like I said, mostly they don't.

The first time someone noticed me, I was new, like I said. To be honest, I don't know what put the idea in my head. Mainly, I guess I just wanted to see if I could do it. I'd done some urbex before. I had some friends who'd done a little phrogging. You never heard of that? Look it up. It's wild. Anyway, I guess the idea just popped into my head thinking about all this stuff. I guess really I should tell you about how it happened the first time.

It was that big coffee shop by the railroad tracks. You know the big one with the small shops in the back? The one with the really high ceiling? Well I ended up there randomly. Turned out I'd shown up on a day when the shops were all closed. That whole back area was dark. Nobody around. I was about to head back to the counter and grab a cup of coffee when I realized how nobody was even looking up. Everyone had a laptop open looking so damned absorbed.

So I scaled the wall. Easy as shit. I had a little experience climbing. Like I said, urbex.

Anyway, I'm expecting someone to say something. I get all the way to the crossbeams and sit my happy ass down. Look down. Everyone's still got their faces in a computer screen. Not even the baristas noticed me. I sat there for a good while before I decided to hop down. Laughed it off. But the next day i went back and did it again. This time the shops were open. But the workers were all on their phones, or counting registers, or doing inventory. None of them noticed me.

Before long I realized that, so long as I found a good spot and didn't move too much, I could stay up in the ceiling pretty much all day, just sitting on the crossbeams, Indian Style as we used to say.

Now, I've always been quick. I saw the possibilities right away. I applied at a few of these coffee shops, stayed just long enough to learn the entry codes, or to make copies of the keys, then made up some excuse about a "big job" that I had to take, and split. From there, it was just a matter of showing up after everyone had left and I'd stay overnight in the place. In the morning, I'd watch the place fill up, then hop down and make friendly with the staff. I'm good with people. Most of them liked me. I got some free drinks out of that.

Anyway, the point is this: the first time someone actually saw me. That shit scared me, if I'm honest. But in a good way. Exhilarating, I guess, like skydiving. I've never been, but I can imagine.

So this place is like all the rest. Hip decor, big empty space, and those ugly warehouse ceilings with all the sheet metal ductwork and iron crossbeams. I'm up in the ceiling. I'm looking at this guy for some reason. He reminded me of someone. Suddenly, he looks up. We make eye contact. He sees me. I mean, no doubt in my mind he sees me. I freeze. I feel scared. Exhilarating. I think something's about to happen, right? He's gonna tell the baristas. Maybe he's gonna scream. Shit, maybe he'll pull out a gun, I don't know.

You know what he did? I mean I already spoiled it already, telling you earlier, but he didn't do anything. He just looked away. He pretended he didn't see me. I watched him first look out the window, then look back at his computer. He pretended to work for a few minutes. I didn't take my eyes off him. I couldn't. Finally, this guy looks around the shop. He gets up, stuffs his laptop into his bag, and gives me one last look. A quick one. Then he skedaddles. I mean, he knows I'm there and he doesn't even tell anyone.

What did I feel? Confused, yeah. But more, I was angry. I mean, that sorta person is just a liar, aren't they? He saw me, I know he did, and he told himself he didn't. He lied. I was so damn mad. I knew people were self-absorbed. But that shit really was another level.

Well, he never came back. I only ever saw him once more. And he saw me. And he couldn't pretend anymore. I made sure of it that time.

From then on, I found myself hoping that someone to look at me. I waited and waited for it to happen again. Sometimes I was sure someone was, but then I'd look and the person's eyes would be fixed on the computer screen. You can feel when someone's eyes touch you, you know. They've actually done studies. It's a real thing. I began to feel it, but I could never catch the person in the act. I realized after a while, that if I closed my eyes and paid real hard attention I could tell where the eyes were, the ones that were looking at me.

And so I began to pick them out, one by one. I'd wait for them to leave. They'd still be pretending not to see me. Just like I said before. Liars, all of them.

Most of them lived near the coffee shops they visited. They walked. I followed. I found where they lived. These old warehouses provide lots of cover. I came back after dark. You pick up a lot of little tricks for sneaking into places doing urbex.

And the rest you know. I plucked out the eyes. For lying. Because they looked right at me and looked away.

But what you want to know is where they are. You found the eyes. Where are the bodies? Haven't you been listening? God damn it. It's funny. People are a fucking joke.

Nobody ever looks up.

- Writing Practice 3/16

[kaiowut99]

GX Finalized-Subs!90 (WIP): The State of GeneX Medal Play [UPDATE!]

Spent the past week getting work on finalized 89 and 90 going, and since I only had one quick animation fix to work on for 89, I'm onto prepping 90--as part of that, I'm getting to redo one of my first on-screen translation edits, done way back in 2012-ish when I first subbed 90 using only Sony Vegas and Aegisub, iirc. It's neat to take another crack at it using Photoshop, though I also necessarily had to redo it due to the differences in video quality (I did also use a DVDRip back then, but it was a more manual encode from a different source, iirc, hence the black bars on the side) and the fact that somehow I thought to encode a hardsub into the raw clip... which I wouldn't have done now, lol.

So, this is Samejima's computer screen as he looks over GeneX's progression with our main crew early into the episode; in Photoshop, I first stitched together the screen he scrolls through (on the left), then worked to blank it, painting over the Japanese for most of it. When it came to the DA circle in the middle with the dorm names, I tried to apply a render off DeviantArt, but between the border on each letter and the text not quite matching up, I opted to instead redo some of the letters (mainly the "ISK" in "Obelisk," done with Times New Roman, and painting over the bottom of the "B" in Blue, while I copy/pasted part of the "R" in "Ra" over the "R" in "Osiris" to cover up the end of the "count" kanji). Got it fully blank by about Wednesday night.

Then, yesterday, I started adding in the English text and got that knocked out easily (final product on the right, with my last go at it in the middle for comparison); I don't have the original sub file I used for the text here way back (thanks, failing drive in October), but I did remember using the Corbel font for the header there, then also used it for the "Duel Count," "Medals Won," and "Primary Cards Used" text, while I used Arial here for the names. I also lengthened the boxes under the latter to fit "Monster/Magic/Trap Cards" to match the original text. Applied a light blur and some noise on the text, as well as a light drop shadow, and voila. Overall, I think it looks much cleaner than the 2012 attempt, though I wish I could figure out how to make the drop shadow a smidge less blurry, but it'll do.

So, next steps for this is to throw it into Sony Vegas and redo the scrolling, while applying a light screen flicker (which I'll do using a solid blue every couple frames with a screen blend).

The kicker is trying to make this work in the follow-up scene after the OP with Samejima on top as he scrolls from Misawa to Saiou (which I managed to; see the update reblog linked above!]:

I was originally thinking of also stitching together the scrolling here, then redrawing Samejima as needed on top of the text I'm covering up, and I did stitch it together, but I'm realizing I'll have to make the edits frame-by-frame to account for him and three of his lip-flap frames that I can just loop as needed once it stops on Saiou.

So--and thinking out loud--I'm thinking I'd redraw more of Samejima and then save and mask him out to use later and keep him looking consistent, while I use that stitch I've done to redraw the screen to just leave the text, recycling the text edits for the Duel Count/Medals Won/Primary Cards sections from earlier on Saiou's side; once I redo the text, I'll put Samejima back and make him more transparent where he's on top of the new text. Then, when I throw the frames back into Sony Vegas, I'll take the original video and mask Samejima back on to the parts without text in each. I think... that'd work... Hmm. (EDIT: Funny, that's exactly how it went; see the update link above to my reblog, lol.)

Seems I did go frame-by-frame in my last try too, though not as clean as I'd have liked now:

I can see why 4Kids opted to just cut the Misawa-scrolling part of this scene and just keep the Saiou part for the dub (though I would've thought they'd have access to the files used for this at least lol)

[briannas-casebook]

ANIMATION 102: Animation Tests

As part of my work for Animation 102, I completed my four outstanding animation test exercises over the course of three days. Using my free time during the Easter holidays to rent a space in the university campus's stop-motion animation studio and a stop-motion armature to complete the animations. I also utilized the stop-motion program DragonFrame for the animation process.

The first animation I started was the animation for lifting a heavy object. Using some footage, I had been able to have filmed by a colleague at the uni of myself lifting a box as a reference for the character's performance. I chose a discarded Post-it note in the other room as the heavy object. One difficulty with this was when the character had to lift the paper, as the hands of my armature didn't have fingers to grab the sides of the paper. I borrowed some white tac from the receptionist and used it to stick the paper to the armature's hands.

The next day, I worked on the animation for the light lift. I thought, in a similar vein to using the paper as the heavy object in the light lift animation, I'd use a heavy-looking object as a light one to subvert expectation in a comical way. Although I couldn't find a weight or any other heavy-looking object on the campus for me to use, I was able to construct a convincing-looking weight using the spare magnets used for keeping the metal armatures feet in place.

Another problem I ran into was the armature not being able to lift the weight in the air properly and hold a pose with it, which made these portions of the animation frustrating. Eventually, I realized the problem was the joints were too loose to hold a pose with the weight. So I used the joint adjuster tools that came with the armature to tighten the joints of the figure.

The next day, I filmed the live-action reference, this time pulling a wheely bin outside my home and pushing a wall for reference in the final two animations, I'd be animating. For the pulling animation, I used some wooden blocks held together with white tac as a stand-in for the bin, using a tiny bit of white tac to keep the hands on the blocks.

For the push animation, I decided to not use a prop and instead have the shape of a wall be implied through the armature's performance, similar to a classic mime routine.

During the filming of the pull sequence, I realized at some point, the camera had zoomed in randomly in between frames. I figured this must've been because, at some point when I was walking between taking the pictures and checking the computer monitor with the sequence playing, I might've grazed against the camera shaft, making the camera zoom in slightly. It was too late for me to fix the camera and redo the frames. next time I will try to be more aware of my surroundings, especially around the camera.

Finally, after I saved my animations onto a USB to bring home, I uploaded the tests to my Vimeo page and edited together a showreel using Adobe Premiere Pro. Of which I also uploaded to Vimeo.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the work I produced from this part of the Animation 101/102 course. I feel my skills with stop motion, particularly with the software DragonFrame, have greatly improved. It's been really interesting working through practical issues and problem-solving to achieve my desired shots. I hope to create and produce more work with the program and other industry-standard stop-motion software in the future.

[fandomohana]

I did it! I did it! I finally did it! The yard is as complete as I can get it at this point. 🥹

I've been dealing with the odyssey that is the missing tethers for my big ghost inflatable for Halloween, and the Santa in the outhouse inflatable for Christmas. I hunted, searched, couldn't find them, my mom remembered picking them up off the kitchen table, and put them somewhere that she couldn't remember.

Yesterday she told me she knew she had put them with Christmas things in a box, today she said it was a laundry basket of Christmas things that went to the basement. I went through the baskets I could find, went to the laundry area to look for other baskets, and saw a cardboard box in one corner that was open. I glanced at it, saw the string light holder I bought last year, looked a little closer, and there they were, a bag of tethers. 🥹 I almost cried I was so happy!

Last night I discovered half of a string of lights over one of the front windows was out. Cue eye twitch. So I decided today I'd go out and get a fresh strand, and just wrap them around the dead parts because my string lights are wrapped around garland, and I wasn't redoing the entire strand. I found some matching lights in the basement, thought, hey, I don't need to get replacements for that if these work! I checked, half of them were out, so off to find fresh I went.

I came home with everything, started wrapping the new lights around the old and realized the cord was just a little too short. Then I remembered I had that other set of identical string lights, used those to connect the strands, and now all of our lights are working. Santa is up, Jack and Sally have extra tethers to help steady them, the lanterns have their new lights, the pathway lights are up on both sides. Literally the only thing is the little lights on top of the outhouse that are out, which isn't a huge deal. I'm so freaking excited! 🥹

[keefwho]

January 28 - 2024

10:54pm

5/10

I haven't journaled this weekend because each night I was intoxicated and having too much fun/too tired to do it. But it's been a very average weekend. A lot of watching stuff/ working on stuff. Today I made stew with ramen noodle and invented something new to experiment with. I also had ideas about how I could start recycling. I watched more Band of Brothers and then drew something for Daisy which took exactly 1 hour. Then I worked on my project some more before lunch. I took a very light hit of my pen. Lunch was a little pizza I put together with my own toppings. I watched some Bojack. In the afternoon I chilled watching XQC on the side while I worked on my project some more. I decided to redo a big part of it again but it was worth it and I think I actually have what Im going to stick with now. This whole process could have used more planning from the start. When Daisy was free she told me how she broke her mom's very expensive coffee maker and was upset about it. I felt bad and always wish I could help in some way but straight up giving money is not really fair to me or welcome in general so I thought up that she could do YCH doodles that I finish and we split the profit for a tiny bit of income. We watched an episode of Bojack and She Ra which was fun, then got in VR and played Wii Tennis for a little bit. D2 joined and some stranger. We got off so she could play Zelda but we didn't find Gorons like we are looking for. In bed I continued Kingdom Hearts after a few day hiatus.

The weekend was very average which I'd consider to be a good thing since weekends for the past while have been something I dread. I still need to figure out how to have fun by myself or get out of my comfort zone a bit. I spent a good chunk of the weekend stressing out over this project of mine and it's all I wanted to work on so I could stop thinking about it. I think I put too much effort into trying to make it perfect from the start, I really think it should have been done by now and without so many issues. But I learned about refining my process.

Ive also been realizing how samey my life is, I really don't leave this room or my desk. Mostly because of a lack of things to do outside. My parents have to take me everywhere and they are dreadful to work with. I really am banking on my friend Jared coming home so I can get out in a way that is actually nice for once.

[unlikelychaoscreature]

I'm looking for roleplay partners!

my idea is very thought out. It's a completely fantasy world. With no cars, they have bikes, and wagons, and some have magical creatures they fly on. They don't have cell phones, no tvs, no laptops or computers.

There is a major kingdom that dose run good portion of the land. The kingdom uses a magical alternative for electricity. For lights, stoves, telephones (only in rich houses). There's no tvs but theirs radios. The rich family's are very hostile towards each other in private. But in public they will get along so that they can try and win the kings favor. The higher houses have a much better education, have stronger mythical creatures as pets, and are more safe especially if they manage to get a talisman from a god. They have rare magic (usually lightning or fire related but some can be different!!) But it's not as powerful as it could be (Think like how you'd see royalty in webtoons or animes)

The middle class dose very well for themselves. Some are seen as favored by the royal family or a higher house they usually send their children to go work for a higher house or they run big shops! Or they are in charge of taking care of the temples for Gods. They do have magic! (Usually healing, or water related) which is stronger than those who live in the higher class but since it's not as brutal their not seen as a threat(as appointed by the king!)

  The lower class is very dirty their the ones that get sick easily. They live more than one family to a house usually. Children can be seen fighting each other for food or random items that they can sell to pawn Shops so they can get food. They do posses magic but due to their living situation they don't get to actually use it. It's pretty much locked deep inside of them because of malnourished (think kinda like the underground from arcane series)

But despite it all there are some places that don't answer to the king. They don't have electricity because they chose not to. They are more in tune with nature and the gods. These are the people who have some of the rarest mythical creatures, they actually get to meet some gods and talk to them and do the work for them. These people usually are outcast from the kingdom for one reason or another or they think the kingdom system is corrupt, or things like that. Their magic is much stronger than those who live within the kingdom and there's a much wider variation of types!

-

A group of teens all from different backgrounds end. (Some poor, some rich, some commoner's some royalty, some just being exiled) all running from their own demons (parents, bullies, actual demons?) After running as far and as fast as they can they pass out, or find themselves settling down in a area that they aren't aware is dangerous. But when they wake up they end up finding themselves in an unfamiliar house run by a young woman (she seems no older than they are.) But really they have been saved by a minor goddess who has yet to build a temple so she's staying in a house she managed to clean up and redo. After several weeks of the group making friends with one another and the goddess one of them eventually realize she's not mortal like they are, but that she is in fact a goddess. But since she's enjoyed their company she lets them stay. She shows the group the village she lives near which isn't connected to the kingdom and the people on the village help the group grow with their powers and knowledge of the older ways of living. (Both the good, and also the dark creatures that crawl in their lands!)

I don't have rules posted on my page but I'd prefer you to be advanced to novella as i usually write past the see all and can do up to 3 messages. I prefer human face claims.

I WILL NOT RESPOND TO LIKES!

so please feel free to comment or message me!

[cherokeegal1975]

Another old artwork. This one was an experiment with drawing different creatures and cutting them out and pasting them to the backdrop. Never did get very far with it. I always found ways to hide the faces of anything human or human like. I couldn't draw them very well, so I found ways to avoid that. Stupid scanner chopped off part of my artwork on the top. Whenever I had something colored really light, or in plain pencil sketch I learned to place dark dots on the paper so the scanner would do the whole thing without chopping off bits of drawing. I hope to get a new scanner someday that won't do that and redo all the scans. Didn't help that it always made the colors even lighter than they actually were. I didn't really start to improve my artwork too much until I was in my early twenties and I could afford some art books. I used about one percent of the information from each of my books in the beginning, but that little bit did help a lot. Later, I read over the books again more carefully and improved some more. For me, it's been a very slow process. I keep my old works to see my progress and to help other artists realize that we don't all start out making masterpieces right away. I've been drawing since I was five years old and didn't seriously get hooked on drawing until I was seven. I was an artist for life after that.

This is how I can draw now:

I still have a long way to go before I get closer to my goals. I used to try only for hyper realistic, but now I'm also trying for semi realistic and cartoon. Manga and anime mostly. I also have my own personal style I've been working on for years that I want to refine. I used to think it was falling short of my personal goal improving my work, but later decided that it was very good for nonsense mythical creatures that I still liked, even though biologically they made no sense. I wish I had more time to practice. I'm not as prolific an artist as I'd like to be. I have artworks from about the mid 1980's to last year's half-done work on file. Dream logic you see. Well, what I call dream logic is basically defined as something that makes sense on the surface until you try to pick it apart with pure logic and then it stops making sense. You see it all the time in cartoons. The number of files is 329 and some of that is sketches, a couple of references and what I'd call art scraps. A lifetime's worth of work and there's only 329 of them. I think there should be more than that. Hopefully someday I can find the time to remedy that problem and finally be able to make that thick art journal though Blub I want to do. Their print quality could be better for digital artwork, but it's not terrible either. Book quality is very good. Worth the pretty penny it'll cost if I can pull it off.

[velvetcloxds]

Ohh ohh I’ve literally wanted to read some sweet tired cuddles with Aaron Hotchner! Like something where you’re both so tired that your conversation isn’t really making sense, but you’re forcing yourself to be awake to enjoy the cuddles

SELFISH | A.H.

word count: 1.5k

warnings: idk how but somehow I missed the cuddles part because I got too excited but I'd be happy to redo it with the cuddles I'm so sorry sdcs

Aaron was tired, exhausted, to be frank, with the whole team around him already asleep, he was confused why he couldn't convince his mind to rest, to give in. With his head laid back against the jet, he watched the ceiling, counting the lights, sighing in frustration, and once again when his phone vibrated on the table daring to disturb his already fleeting peace, that was until he saw your name pop up on the screen and it was shameful how quickly in prompted a smile.

"Hi, bear," you breathed as soon as he picked up, your voice was sleepy, quiet, yet laced with the same level of excitement it usually held when you spoke to him, and his heart soared.

"Hi, honey," his voice mimicked yours, although you were sure it had a completely different reaction than it did for him, a shiver running down your spine. He checked his watch, a brow furrowing when he saw the time. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" it was a familiar reprimand, one he'd give you a thousand times over but you could hardly be blamed for your own insomnia. "Is everything okay?"

You were at his place, habitually stopping by Jack's room to check on him after walking down to grab a glass of water, you paused at his door, smiling as he clutched a stuffed animal- yours, actually, he'd stolen it a few months after you'd moved in but you weren't all that bothered by the crime.

"We're fine, I just can't sleep," you were whispering, he knew why, another smile finding his lips at the thought, he could picture it so clearly. "That bed is awfully big without you," you yawned, padding back to the very bed you were dreading to be in, the covers a right mess from all the twisting and turning you'd been doing while trying to fall asleep.

"I'm sorry," and he was, terribly so, you were always eager to cuddle, a sort of fiend for it, much more since you began living together so he could only imagine how unhappy a big lonely bed made you feel. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm having terrible luck trying to sleep without you too."

"I can tell, can hear it in your voice," you pulled his pillow against you, breathing in his scent, letting it surround you, careful with the phone still against your ear. "And it doesn't help, at all," he scoffed, it was a soft sound and you wouldn't know but he could feel himself growing even more tired as if the very sound of your voice was lulling him to sleep, and now, despite himself, he had to will himself to stay awake.

"You can hear it, huh?" he was teasing, sinking back even further against the seat, looking over to find the blanket you'd insisted he take along on every trip, just in case.

"I can," you nuzzled further into his pillow, balling up around it, looking out at the window through the curtain which you'd left open despite his constant reminder not to. "Your voice gets so low, it's always low, but when you're tired it's slow too like you're taking a little breath between each word- and your lips drag a little, can't hear that but I know it's happening."

"Smart girl,” he breathed and then he heard it, your little profile of him being far too on point. He pulled the blanket onto his lap, hesitantly, but he then realized why you were so persistent to have him take it, you'd sprayed it with your perfume, very generously, not enough to overwhelm him but just enough to trick his mind into thinking you were there next to him. Not next to him, no, if you were with him you'd have already maneuvered yourself onto his lap, as impossible as the act might seem with the little space provided, you'd find a way.

"You still there?" you were whispering again, for his benefit this time, though you'd very selfishly prefer that he stay up talking you to sleep, you knew he needed the rest probably more than you did but just maybe he needed to hear your voice more- you definitely needed his.

"Always," he didn't sound very convincing, but you grasped at the reply, smiling into his pillowcase as you checked the time on the clock next to his bed. "Did you have dinner?" silly question, of course, you did, Jack needed to eat so you would too, he checked anyway.

"We did," he was right. "We had some pasta concoction Jack helped me make- I saved you a plate, didn't even realize until I put it into the microwave."

"Oh, you did? Did I get a note too?"

"Obviously," you giggled, maybe you hadn't realized how hopelessly you'd been missing him until the little admission. "We miss you, you know," you informed him and his heart soared again, we miss you, his people, his family, it was enough to make an overtired man wish he could make time fly faster just so he could get to you sooner. "Oh, I bought you a shirt," you backpedaled, shy at the comment, very lovesick of you to tell him that in the middle of the night, sickeningly sweet- he lived for it. "Maroon, think it'll look very handsome, very dreamy," you were digging your grave deeper, his little laugh made it worth it.

"I'm not usually handsome, am I?" another stupid question, you scoffed at him. "Was that a scoff?"

"A small one. You know you're very handsome, always," you were getting drowsy, wiping at your eyes, begging them to not betray you now, you had more to say, you hoped he had too. "Don't let me fall asleep," you begged him.

"You should fall asleep, it's late," hypocrite, he couldn't lie to himself, he wanted you to stay awake too, talking with you was comfort, a guilty pleasure, he'd never get enough, always greedy. "You'll be tired tomorrow if you don't."

"It'll be worth it," you quipped and he couldn't agree more. "Did I tell you that I miss you?"

"You did. I miss you too," a second passed, and you yawned, it somehow broke through the phone to him, he brought his hand up to hide it, smiling as Spencer rolled over in his sleep, nearly falling off the couch. "Why maroon?"

"It'll make your eyes pop and it'll make it impossible not to stare at you," you knew what he'd say, thought you'd beat him to it. "I always do that anyway."

"I haven't noticed," he definitely did, his smile gave him away, you could hear it, knew it well enough to picture it. "Bet it'll look good on you too," he conjured the idea, he was very right.

"You think?" your cheeks burned, very rude of him to be charming you all the way from another city, over the phone no less. "Because it's maroon?'

"Because it's you," you giggled again, he was drowning in the sound, and he subtly brought the blanket higher, breathing you in, heaven, he thought. "We're talking in circles," he informed you, but you knew, couldn't care less because at least you were talking.

"I don't care," you paused, another yawn and you could tell you weren't going to be able to keep up this fight for much longer. "I love you- in case I fall asleep, I wanted to tell you."

"I love you too," he decided to be selfish, he'd make up for it tomorrow. "But I'm not going to let you fall asleep."

[bugmari]

new simblr take 2

hi! I already posted a new simblr announcement, but I did so on a sideblog not realizing that they have limited interaction capabilities. thus, I'm restarting on this main blog, and reposting my announcement (plus more pictures!).

the original text and content is under the cut if you're interested in reading. ^^'

hi there! my name's mari (she/her) and i've been wanting to start a simblr for about four months now. i struggle with introductions, so i decided to keep it simple with the face your sims challenge by @samsimss (like 53 years late! oops). i've been playing on and off since 2018. i actually tragically lost my save file two separate times after big game updates corrupted my cc. back then, i was too dumb to make save backups 😭 so i lost everything both times. unfortunately i really enjoy playing this game and i keep coming back despite the pain.

i'm obsessed with cas and build buy and... uh... i'm sorely lacking in actual gameplay. i have this unattainable goal of beautifying every building and customizing every sim in my save before i start a legacy challenge. i'll probably never get there because i keep on redoing the things i've already redone, but i enjoy it!

as you can probably tell, my style is mostly maxis match with some light alpha cc mixed in. i'm indecisive and can't choose one default eye and skin, so many of my sims look wildly different.

this blog will likely consist of basic cas and build buy screenshots. i don't expect to do anything visionary or even cool, but i hope that i can look back at everything i post and smile about it. ideally, this will become a photo album that shows my progress in creating characters and settings that i love.

i'd love to connect if you're interested! my origin ID is @anaspisatrata, though i never post on there because i use too much cc. thanks for reading! ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ♡

[managedmischiefs]

sweatpants//spencer reid

genre: fluff

warnings: nothing really. sad spencer for about two seconds.

word count: 2.7k

i have plenty more one shots on my wattpad so let me know if any of you want to see more of this type of writing :) make sure to reblog and comment :))

i fell in love with spencer reid the moment i met him. i fell in love with absolutely everything about him. his smile lit up the little bookstore as his glasses drifted further and further down his nose, and his hair hung over his forehead in messy, unbrushed curls. from the first time we locked eyes after he got a book down from the top shelf for me, i envisioned our whole future together.

we saw each other casually after our first meeting despite how badly i wanted more. we quickly realized that we frequented the little bookstore at the same time on saturdays and we just began to "accidentally" run into each other over and over at the same exact day and time. of course, i made sure to be there every saturday for the next three months just for the chance of seeing him.

i finally got the balls to ask him out after the fifth month of these meetups. he seems surprised and he blushed, then tugged on his tie to loosen it around his neck. he accepted quickly and we went bowling the next week. we were both horrible and eventually asked to put the bumpers up because the amount of gutter balls we were throwing were astronomical. but that "first" date was the first time i noticed something very important about spencer reid.

he wears a variation of the same outfit every single day, no matter what he's doing.

sweater vests, button ups, slacks, ties, and converse. sometimes a cardigan. these items get mixed and matched everyday and sometimes don't match, but the chaos of his outfit colors just suits him. and it suits his penchant for wearing mismatched socks. but i continued to realize more and more about his wardrobe as we spent more time together.

if we went out: slacks, button up, tie, converse.

if we had dinner at his apartment: slacks, button up, sweater vest, tie, converse.

if we cuddle on the couch: pajamas.

there's no in-between with him and it took me a while to decide if i loved this or thought it was odd. i landed somewhere in the middle. he would sometimes start to squirm in the middle of dinner and go to change into pajamas to be more comfortable.

i never commented on this because i knew he liked the way he dressed and i didn't want him to think i hated it. he's already an insecure person, despite me loving him with my whole heart and soul, and i'd feel so horrible if i added onto that. so i would sit through the squirming and the tie-tugging and the quick unlacing of shoes after a long day of converse wearing. i grinned and gave him lots of kisses because i love him regardless of his fashion choices. or lack there of.

but spencer continues to grow and thankfully, i grow with him. i start a new job and spencer continues to thrive at the bau. i move into his apartment and he decides that this is the perfect time for a change. a new haircut. super short on the sides and long on the top. i nearly keeled when i saw how utterly handsome he was with his new haircut. i jumped his bones immediately.

but the sweater vests and same brown cardigan didn't quite hit the spot anymore. i would find spencer standing in front of the mirror before work, silently wondering if the black or brown cardigan would look better with his gray sweater vest. still, it was endearing but eventually it becomes too much.

i pass a department store everyday on my way home from work and it started to pique my interest. one day when i got off work early and knew spencer wouldn't be home, i stopped off. the store was huge and had a humongous selection of styles and brands to choose from. i knew i had to bring spencer.

when i told him i wanted to take him shopping, he tilted his head in confusion like an adorable puppy. "what do you need? new sweaters? it is almost winter and i know you got rid of most of your winter clothes when the summer came. did you—"

"no, honey," i laughed, silencing his confused, off-topic rant. "i'm taking you shopping. for you."

another head tilt. "for me? i don't need anything."

"i know you don't need anything," i clarified, running my hands through his freshly cut hair, "but i want to treat you. and besides, i think you've outgrown some of your wardrobe and it's time to get some new items."

so that leaves us now, walking hand in hand into the department store. he's holding me tighter than usual as i lead him to the men's section, but i don't complain. i know he gets nervous in public places and i have no problem with a bit of coddling.

"so, i was thinking," i say as i flip through a rack of undershirts, "you could get some new dress pants. maybe a pair of jeans. maybe some blazers or just suit jackets. that way your style can grow but you can also wear your trusty button ups and ties underneath."

spencer pouts. "i like it better when we shop for you."

i stifle a laugh as i find an appealing gray blazer and search for spencer's size. "and why's that, bub?"

"because then you get to pick out cute clothes and i can watch you try them on."

"well, this time, i'll get to watch you try them on," i wink and hand the blazer over to him. "hold that. please and thank you."

spencer huffs and drops my hand so he can hold the hanger of the blazer. i continue walking through the racks and in my peripherals, i can see spencer glancing around the store and at the racks surrounding us. he follows behind me like a lost puppy, the amount of items in his hands growing as i pass every rack.

"how would you feel about," i pick out a set of matching maroon pants and a maroon blazer, "this color?" i told it up to spencer's chest. he looks down at the garment and scrunches up his nose. "no? that's okay. i think navy's suit you better anyway. no pun intended."

"babe?" he wonders softly as i move over to a rack of ties. "why are you doing this?"

"doing what?" i pick up a tie that is blue with pink flamingoes on it and drape it over his shoulder.

"taking me shopping. wanting to redo my wardrobe or something."

"well," a new tie on his shoulder- a yellow base with blue whales, "you have had the same wardrobe since i met you, and that was many years ago. you've grown up, spencer. maybe some new clothes could reflect that."

i watch a pout come to his face and his shoulders deflate. "you don't like the way i dress?"

i pout right back at him, trying to not seem so mocking in my expression. "i love the way you dress. but i think it might be time to replace that same brown sweater vest you've had since college. that's what i'm talking about. we don't have to do this if you don't want. we can go home."

spencer thinks for a second. he adjusts his hold on the handful of blazers and trousers in his arms and takes another glance at them. "i'll give these a try."

the pride swells in my chest and nearly bursts out. it's no secret that spencer hates change. he would rather his life stays exactly the same all the time. meals, furniture arrangement, train schedule, his wardrobe. clearly, he would rather wear the same clothes for the rest of his life than branch out a bit. so him agreeing to do just that nearly makes me cry right in the middle of the department store.

we push on and spencer continues to trail behind me and hold the clothes i pick. once his knees are practically buckling under the weight of the chosen clothes, i agree to let him start part two. the fitting room.

he disappears into a room and i sit across from the door in a fluffy armchair that probably has more germs on it than a public bathroom. okay, maybe that's just dramatic. but it has enough germs that i'm sure spencer would refuse to sit here, or maybe even get grossed out that i'm sitting on it.

"uh," i hear my boyfriends voice from behind the door, "i think i did it."

i hold in my giggle. "you think?"

"i mean, i put together an outfit. don't know if it's any good. it's definitely not as good as the things you put together."

"just let me see."

the door pops open and my jaw nearly hits the floor. my spencer is standing there in navy slacks, a navy blazer, a vest, button up, and a tie. he looks exactly like i expected him too. my same loving, quiet, genius boyfriend but much older and mature. he looks phenomenal.

but spencer scrunches up his nose and turns on his toes to look in the full length mirror. "i feel like all of this is too busy. there's too much happening."

"no, baby, not at all," i come up behind him and slide my hands across his back and then around his waist. "it's such a good look on you. it's spencer reid but as an adult."

he furrows his eyebrows and looks at me through the mirror. "are you implying i dressed like a child before?"

"no, no, not at all," i nudge his waist and he spins back to me. "it's a perfect outfit. you put it together perfectly. the colors, the different pieces."

spencer's face lights up as he watches me adjust the lapel of his jacket. "really?"

"yes!" i smooth down the shoulders and then tug on the cuff links. "it's perfectly your style. you don't think so?"

"mm," he looks back down at his own body and shakes out his arms a little. "i guess it is. it's just...different."

"it is different but it's a good different. you're still the same old genius who could go on for hours about mushrooms or doctor who or whatever. so you," i pat his shoulder and go up on my toes to kiss his cheek, "get into a new outfit and show me again, okay?"

spencer agrees and closes the fitting room door. we stay at the store for nearly two hours, picking out and trying on potential outfits. spencer even starts picking items on his own, but he comes to me in the cutest way to ask if i like the things he's picked out. i always do. and even if it's not my favorite piece, he obviously likes it so i tell him i love it.

we spend hundreds and split the bill. i insisted i pay because i was the one who brought him here, but he insisted he pay because the clothes are for him. we found a happy medium.

i don't know what i thought was going to happen after we basically replaced his wardrobe. apparently, i didn't think about what the next work day would be like. because i wake up before spencer and go to make breakfast and only listen to him shower and get dressed.

"good morning!" spencer chirps, practically skipping into the kitchen.

"morning!" i say back, putting pancakes on a plate for him. "here's your—" and i absolutely freeze in my spot at the sight of him in a dark tan jacket and slacks, a purple button up, and a matching gray tie. his hair is perfectly swooped across his forehead and he's grinning, practically glowing in his new outfit. "holy shit."

"you like it?" he holds up his arms a bit as if to gesture to his appearance.

i just stand and stare at him for another minute, clutching the plate in my hand so tightly that i fear i might break it. but spencer chuckles, taking it from me and placing it in front of the chair he always has breakfast in.

"i might not let you out of the house looking this good," i finally manage to say. "you'll come home with a new girl on your arm and forget all about me."

spencer pouts. "i'd never do that to you."

i grab onto his cheeks and lay a huge kiss on his lips. "i know you wouldn't. you look amazing, spence. even better than yesterday."

spencer comes home that night and beams about the compliments he got from his coworkers today and thanks me for encouraging him to expand his wardrobe. i don't accept his thanks because i'm just happy to see him feeling more confident in himself than ever.

however, my job is not done yet.

as much as he loves his new clothes, i give him a few weeks to adjust to his new normal. i let him get used to needing a few extra minutes in the morning to arrange an outfit and to the washing process before i spring something new on him. but once i can tell he's completely comfortable with his new wardrobe, i stop at the department store after work again.

"spence?" i call into the apartment as i kick my shoes off, clutching the paper bag in my hand.

"hi!" he calls back, emerging from the study with a book in his hand. "you're late."

i hold up the bag for proof. "i stopped at the store again." spencer follows me into the bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed in anticipation. "well, first, i saw a couple more ties that i liked," i take those out of the bag and throw them over his shoulder. "but i got these!"

i pull out three perfectly folded pairs of sweatpants and four plain colored tee shirts. spencer unravels each item and then looks up with his eyebrows furrowed. "i don't get it."

"okay," i giggle, placing my hands on his shoulders, "when i go to work, i wear my skirts and blouses and heels, right?"

like the puppy he is, he tilts his head to the side in confusion. "right."

"and when i got to sleep, i wear pajamas. but between the blouse and the pajamas, i wear sweats. you, my love," i boop his nose and instantly, an adorable pink hue paints his cheeks, "don't own sweats. you go from suits to pajamas. and again, i'm not saying that i don't love the way you dress. i'm just looking out for your comfort. if you hate them, i'll return them. simple as that."

he runs his hands over the tee shirts and runs it between his fingers. "they are really soft."

"i got the ones that are 100% cotton because i know you like how it feels."

"i'll try it," he concedes, smiling up at me. "thank you. you're too good to me."

"you deserve the world, angel face."

the next day, he gets called away for a case and i don't see him for almost two weeks. we call and text as much as possible, but we both get so busy that it's nearly impossible. so i stick to sending him good morning and goodnight texts and praying that he comes home in one piece.

after nearly two and a half weeks without him, i come home and see his car in the parking garage where it always is. i squeal, running all the way to the apartment and bursting through the door.

spencer is lounging on the couch, thankfully in one piece, and reading a book, dressed in gray sweatpants and a white tee shirt. he looks up and grins when i enter, standing up and pulling me into his arms.

"i can't believe you're sitting here," i mumble into his neck, "and looking so good when i'm not around."

spencer laughs into my shoulder, kissing my small bit of exposed skin. "well, you're here now so you can enjoy it."

"you look so fucking hot," i blurt out, grabbing a handful of his cotton shirt and tugging him towards the bedroom. "let me show you just how hot i think you are."

"god, i love this new wardrobe."