#and this is extremely fast way to explain basic principles
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howtofightwrite · 2 years ago
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Hello! I hope you're doing well. May I ask how easy/successful would it be for someone with a sword to attempt to disarm someone with a dagger? (Or otherwise prevent the dagger-wielder from causing harm while minimizing the harm done to the dagger-wielder.) Thanks in advance!
The short answer is you don’t use a sword to disarm someone with a knife because you don’t need to. The match up of sword versus knife is the original, “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.” Outside of use as an offhand parrying tool, we don’t bring knives to sword fights either.
The reason why is range. The average longsword is thirty-six to forty-eight inches. If that’s the type of sword you envision your character fighting with then that’s the distance the dagger wielder would need to travel just to break past their guard, during which time the dagger wielder would not be in a position where they could reasonably hit anything. Daggers are short-range melee weapons used to enhance hand to hand combat. The sword is a mid-range weapon. So long as the character with the sword keeps their opponent at blade point and possesses reasonable skill in keeping their guard up, the one with the dagger can’t do anything. The sword character is in more danger of the character with the dagger impaling themselves on the blade in an attempt to reach them.
Let me explain.
Despite what most fantasy literature or video games tell us, knives necessitate a very aggressive fighting style. The goal isn’t pinpoint targeting of vital organs because it isn’t necessary. The goal of knife combat is to land as many lacerations or stab your opponent many times as possible within a short time frame while, reasonably, maintaining your own safety. Why? Because it works. In the real world, it doesn’t matter so much where they’re hit so long as they’re bleeding. The more blood the better. At the end of the day, twenty stabs to the stomach is just as good as tearing through the carotid artery. Less fancy, maybe, but the stomach is a simple, easy target that can be struck with a basic bullrush. This is what makes knives such effective weapons in their home range. They’re simple to use, easy to learn, and, because the expectation is fighting unarmored opponents, every landed strike, stab, and laceration builds into deadly. Once fighters see their openings and move into range, combat is lightning fast, and the fight is over very quickly. Strikes should flow like hand to hand, moving in combinations from one to the next.
Now, let’s talk about disarms.
There’s a lot of misunderstanding of disarms by those who don’t practice martial arts. Disarms get treated like a magical panacea to end a fight. And I get it, they’re really cool to watch.
So, what are disarms?
The answer is pretty simple. Physics. They’re an extension of grappling and joint locks with the same principles applied. The body’s muscle system works on a system of pulleys. When the pulleys are disrupted, the body stops working. The goal of a disarm is to get the enemy’s wrist, fingers, arm, legs, whatever rotated on an unnatural angle and apply the right amount of leverage that forces them to let go of their weapon. Or, breaks their joint. Simple in concept, difficult in practice. And, in point of fact, it’s extremely difficult in practice.
Knife disarms in self-defense are taught under the expectation that your opponent is armed and you are not. They are extremely risky. They’re done in the hand to hand range. The catch points are in the moments before or after your opponent’s arm reaches full extension. Fail to get out of the way in time and get slashed or stabbed. Fail to move at the right moment before the elbow fully extends and get slashed or stabbed. For reference, there are variants practiced in the military that involve sacrificing body parts to the effort. When the hand with the knife is captured, the way to take it is by rotating the knife’s grip against their thumb rather than against the other four fingers. As pain is applied with the unnatural angle, the body’s sense of self-preservation kicks in to prevent dislocation and they let go.
Swords cannot conventionally disarm knives the way we’d disarm an opponent with a sword, outside of attacking the hand that holds the weapon. The knife/dagger is too short for the blades to get into a rotational lock, so it can’t be popped out of the hand in the same fencing trick we see on the Mask of Zorro, Highlander, or other swashbuckling films/shows. Besides, someone with a knife isn’t going to be fencing a swordsman.
The goal of the disarm is the negation of your opponent’s ability to fight. For those who don’t practice, it’s a nice dream. The belief that the fight ends when the weapon is removed. Unfortunately, life isn’t usually that clean.
Let’s move on to range.
In the years Starke and I have spent running this blog, I’ve noticed that one of the most difficult concepts for writers lacking in experience with weapon handling to grasp is range and its importance in combat when it comes to mixed weapons. Video games are a partial contributor here, I think, along with television. Neither handle the disparate difficulty created weapon length with any particular accuracy. And, honestly? It can be difficult to wrap your brain around the concept without visual representation or learning to gauge distance to hit.
Your swordsman is in a position to completely control the fight and negate their opponent without taking their weapon away. So long as they maintain their distance and keep their weapon in its effective range, they can wait them out if that’s their preference. They don’t need to be the more skilled fighter. The range difference provided by their sword makes up for it. That’s the difference between four to ten inches of steel and thirty-six.
Your character with the dagger isn’t completely down and out, but, regardless of their skill level, this is a situation where they are an extreme underdog. At least, if they have no special powers or abilities granted by your setting to give them an edge. They’ve also chosen not to fight on a field which benefits their weapon and fighting style.
It’s important not to internalize the idea that the sword is the better or superior weapon. It’s not. The sword has the same issue as the dagger against polearms. The sword can be undone by a wooden staff. Every weapon has situations where they shine and situations where they don’t. Weapons are situational in their use. Each one serves its own purpose on the battlefield, regardless of whether that use is more general or more specialized. They require their wielders to engineer situations or choose battlefields where they have an advantage. That’s why hyperspecialization is bad. Anime has its characters hyper specialize in order to force visual variety and, often, especially in shounen, to force its characters to fight creatively. This is a huge factor in their character arcs and evolution. It’s a useful technique to learn, just remember that visual mediums don’t translate to written with the same effect.
Michi
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disease · 9 months ago
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Hi, I know you’re not a therapist or anything so you can absolutely ignore this but idk where else to put it… I feel like you are somebody who would understand.
I’m a young woman who found out about Gen January last year. I have never, ever felt more connected with a person. I can’t even listen to their music without feeling physically ill, when I look at a photograph of them it’s like looking at an old lover who’s died (I apologise if I’m using wrong pronouns by the way I’m just not sure which to use so I usually use they)
It was okayish, just an admiration until I had a manic episode (I’m bipolar) and subsequent depressive episode where I became convinced they were literally living in my body. Like I could feel their presence 24/7, everything I did was to do with them, I couldn’t read anything that wasn’t read by or related to Gen in some way. I couldn’t even look in the mirror because I would see Jackie. I became so jealous of her I couldn’t listen to any of Gen’s music past 1990 because the specific way that they loved with pandrogyny was everything I had ever wanted - Genesis was everything I had ever wanted. Genesis was the love of my life I thought.
It felt like all the confusing feelings and emotions and authors I have liked and poets and painters I’ve admired and just EVERYTHING was shared by them when I never even knew it. The more I learnt the more I felt connected. I couldn’t sleep at night because all I could do was just think about Genesis, and Neil, and all the versions of who they were in their lifetime. It felt like being reborn in a way… I felt like a prophet for them. I’ve never related to anybody more in my entire life. It’s like I found my twin flame but I know so many other people think that about Genesis as well. But I can’t explain it, this just feels different.
It subsided a bit when I got a boyfriend but Genesis is always in the back of my mind even now. Even after being medicated, I still feel like we are connected somehow and I feel this sorrow for them almost 24/7. It feels like I have lost a child. Like some sort of grief. I’m not the best at putting my thoughts into words, but I just can’t handle this. I love Genesis so, so much. More than I can write down or explain. I get this stomachache when I think about their life and how beautiful they were.
Do you have any advice or any helpful words? I’m really struggling. I feel so crazy. Sorry that this is so out of the blue. Sending love! ���️
this message is extremely touching—and you shouldn’t feel ashamed by the intensity of your emotions toward Gen! however, i’m glad to hear medication helped to some degree, as these situations can prove to be very exhausting.
regarding Gen—as last i knew ‘they’ sufficiently addressed the Pandrogyne—they certainly had an incalculable influence on countless many during their lifespan on this realm. speaking for myself, i’ve worn a psychick cross pendant for years, along with it having been my first tattoo. Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth was/is yet another brilliant idea of Gen’s… but, as we know, Gen disbanded from the concept upon feeling that it had shifted into somewhat of a religious cult. its intention was always to be an influence for artistic expression and self-empowerment—sort of an evolution from COUM Transmissions—but nothing beyond those basic principles alone.
fast-forwarding to more current times, i felt it to be such a privilege that they utilized contemporary media (notably Instagram) to remain virtually connected and provide further documentation. in one of their conversations with Carl Abrahamsson, i recall them accurately predicting the potential significance of technology, and what it could/would become. [i highly recommend obtaining a copy of this book: Sacred Intent.]
when Gen eventually did transcend beyond their mortal vessel, i recall this same feeling as you’ve noted… somewhat of a ‘unity’ between them & self. unselfishly, it was a relief to know they no longer had to suffer from ongoing cancer. but, beyond that, there was purely this feeling of their presence still being here… perhaps a universal feeling which then manifested into S/he Is (Still) Her/e.
the only advice i could provide given the circumstances are essentially the root of what you’ve already been doing: learning about, discussing, and manifesting the lessons & artistic creations they provided to the universe. if you’re an avid lover of music, do recall the role they played in pioneering both the Industrial and Acid House genres. if Gen desires anything from you, it’d likely be at the core of their teachings in TOPY, which was recognizing and seizing your unlocked potential as a Human Be-ing. forgive yourself for your behavior in the matter; then continue to be influenced by the infinite wisdom of their words and actions.
S/he Is Still Her/e. 丰
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scribby-wibby · 1 year ago
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I just completed The Talos Principle 2 100%, so it's time for an unsolicited review of the game. Bottom line(s) up front: I enjoyed this game and some of the narrative features that could be seen as "flaws" really helped characterize the world. There are a few things that I would nitpick though, given that it's a more character-driven game than its predecessor yet there are inconsistencies and a lot of moments that made me roll my eyes or dislike a character outside of the game's intentions.
More thoughts under the cut.
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Starting with the good stuff:
The puzzles were far more streamlined than Talos 1, and while the difficulty was lowered, the learning curve was far smoother. Talos 1 started with very basic puzzles and then very quickly ramped up the difficulty and stayed like that for the rest of the game. Talos 2's puzzle progression was wonderfully linear (except for a few puzzles here and there which would be stupidly easy), with the first area having simple puzzles that can be solved in under 30 seconds, to the golden puzzles being the hardest in the game. I never used the flame mechanic (though heavily considered for one of the gold puzzles, Thrust Vector, which I had to redo three times because I couldn't run fast enough), but I think it is a good addition. It takes away some of the frustration for people who might be able to solve all the puzzles but are particularly struggling with just a few. 
The plot line felt complete and complex, with meaningful endings. I read another review here that mentioned that the dialogue fell flat as if the authors were trying to tell you their viewpoints rather than letting you figure out your own, as there weren't dialogue options to argue against ideologies. While I am a radical humanist, and enjoy a lot of Jonas Kyratzes' work, there were still some viewpoints (Miranda's in particular, which I found extremely childish and benign) I disagreed with. Unlike the first game, where you could argue and present evidence for and against claims with Milton, this game only lets you agree or disengage. It might come off as ostensibly lazy writing, but the fact that you can't argue with some of the characters helps characterize the functions of this new society. There is a terminal you can access in the interactive fiction exhibit called "Argument Simulator" that explains this exact thing. The simulator is an endless loop of "you're wrong because x" and the only way to escape is by selecting "let's find something we can agree on". The citizens of New Jerusalem have founded their society on the tenants of respect. Even characters with different views like Byron and Al are close friends because disagreement is not arguing against an idea, but choosing not to further it. I do wish there were more dialogue options for exploring character's viewpoints though (especially Yaqut, whose character I didn't fully understand except as someone confused about different ideologies and in staunch agreement with Miranda).
The small things in this game really made it stand out. The cat photos in Milton's rest, the text adventures in the Interactive Fiction exhibit, and especially the somnodrome plot line. The concept of the robots not being able to access their source code and creating a machine to circumvent said blackbox makes for a good side quest, even if it has little impact on the main story. Tom Jubert wrote the dialogue for Milton in the first game, and seeing a similar dialogue style in your chat with MILTOHIM was a cool throwback to the first game.
Now for the things I didn't enjoy:
The Theory of Everything plot point had no foreshadowing or lead-in, making it very difficult to conflate three-fourths of the way through the game. Let me clarify that I don't mean that it felt like a cop-out or retconned, just poorly introduced. In the lost labs, you can view updates on the experiment, but these are useless since they don't explain anything. Just "lack of power" or "unstable infrastructure". There isn't anything substantial that clues the player into the fact that what Athena is trying to solve is basically the universal equation. So when the game reveals The Theory of Everything, the player has to suspend a lot of disbelief. Furthermore, none of the other characters seem shocked enough by this, and you cannot engage them in conversation beyond their initial thoughts. Putting in a few extra files that show some preliminary research or philosophical texts on the "theory of everything" would have helped relieve this issue. 
The maps. Holy fucking shit why were they so large. I can understand that the developers wanted to create vivid landscapes and give the game an open-world feel, but there was just way too much running around. It quickly became annoying. The Prometheus stars (and really all the stars, to be honest) were more exhausting and tedious than challenging. At least this is consistent with the insanity of stars in Talos 1, where some of the stars were nearly impossible unless employing sheer luck or trial and error. 
The whole Athena, Miranda, and Cornelius storyline was just weird. I mean, Athena gets tired of people treating her like a prophet and the citizen's self-hatred, so instead of dealing with it naturally or listening to Byron (who warns her of the citizens' nihilism in a memory), she runs away to start a nuclear family? She then has a daughter (which I will discuss later in my confusion about why the robots have gender, or at least conform to some aspects of it without any explanation.) who Cornelius and her infantilize (even though we know that the concept of "children '' doesn't exist in New Jerusalem, as per a conversation with Yaqut, which makes sense given you are born with the same capacities as everyone else). She then acts surprised when the person she treated like her child, acts childish and blows herself up. This is never elaborated on, instead, Cornelius theorizes that Miranda thought herself above death as she perceived some special purpose in her design, likely a symptom of not being raised in society. Again, this might be nitpicky, but I was weirded out by the whole thing. 
This segues into my next nitpicky point: the robots are somewhat gendered, and it's never shown how or why? I get it, you're going, "Oh boy, another trans person is complaining about an innocuous detail in a game because it didn't match their viewpoint", but it's just strange that the game goes into detail about menial things like Atal and his cat, or the dome, or even Helga's whole shop for which she re-invented the concept of money, but doesn't explain this one reoccurring detail? We know that the robots can choose their name (shown when Byron explains that he named himself after Robert Byron, not Lord Byron), and their voice pack (shown when Ovis mentions that they can switch to Alexanda's voice and say whatever), but not this? Most likely their pronouns just come with their voice pack, and can be changed at will, but it would be cool to have some confirmation or discussion. The player character is also referred to as he/him and with the name 1k throughout the game, and you never get a chance to ask why. I know, I know, this is not a very salient point of dislike. It's just odd that the game discusses so many aspects of what makes society, but doesn't explain an extremely benign factor that heavily dichotomized the preceding society. But whatever, this didn't hinder my enjoyment of the game. 
Overall, Talos 2 was an amazing game and a worthy sequel to the first game. It has its shortcomings, but I was blown away by the game's ingenuity, both from a writing and design perspective. If anyone else has any other insights or opinions on the gameplay and storyline, I would love to hear them. Great game, 9.8/10. 
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inquisitiveshashank · 2 years ago
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#7
Summary Of Meditation and it's method
According to swami Ji the first major sign of you becoming religious is that you are cheerful no matter whatever happens to you . He talks about the signs of yogi that how the yogi should follow the middle path and not  go for the extreme in words of swamiji " A Yogi must avoid the two extremes of luxury and austerity He must not fast, nor torture his flesh.He who does so, says the Gita, cannot be a Yogi He who fasts, he who keeps awake, he who sleeps much, he who works too much, he who does no work, none of these can be a Yogi"
He further comments that the greatest help to the spiritual life is meditation he says that " the touch of the soul can paint the brightest colour even in the dingiest place" and to get such touch one must look inside through the method of meditation.
 In the next few pages swamiji explains the basic nature of humans, how they(people) will surround you and love you when you have something for them but will leave you when you are broke. In his words "there is none who will share in your evil but will all share in your good " and here he introduces the concept of god ( to be precise soul or atman for him) the reason why I said this will get clear as we will proceed further in the summary .
He then goes on further elaborating the  three stages of meditation which are 1)Dharana concentrating the mind upon an object. I try to concentrate my mind upon this glass, excluding every other object from my mind except this glass.
But the mind is wavering... When it has become strong and does not waver so much, it is called 2)Dhyana meditation.And then there is a still higher state when the differentiation between the glass and myself is lost 3) Samadhi or absorptionThe mind and the glass are identical. I do not see any difference. All the senses stop and all powers that have been working through other channels of other senses are focused in the mind.
Speaking about rest he says something amazing he says that we all think that sleeping provides rest to our brain but it's not the case because the brain doesn't  rest even while we are asleep (   During most stages of sleep, the thalamus becomes quiet, letting you tune out the external world. But during REM sleep, the thalamus is active, sending the cortex images, sounds, and other sensations that fill our dreams) and here he goes on to says that when we do meditation its the best sleep or the best rest brain gains in whole of his life time 'in his word " when you come out of it after the hour you have had the most beautiful rest you ever had in your life"  
He says that  everything we do is affected by nature. He says that even the slightest movement in this world has the contribution of nature in it. Hence if one says that one won the game all by himself he's pretty wrong because there he undermines the factor that the nature(eg;- the wind , pitch ,air resistance weather etc) played making him lift the winner's trophy .  
             
                    MAJOR TEACHINGS
 The whole concept of the book is about meditation and how can we practice it but the book somewhere tells us a lot about the views of swamij on Science and Vedanta .  Swamji vivekananda rejected the idea of idol worship.... This might be due to two reasons 1) due to his belief in "jnana yoga" ( where one uses the path of knowledge to reach the god ) 2) his belief in the soul . In the first point he says that he is more a follower of jnana yoga than bhakti yoga for him meditation is a science or  a way to reach god (although his concept of god is completely different ) and in the second reason as we saw that he believes more in soul he says that the soul is the most powerful element and is the source of everything that we are seeing today.
He says to turn the mind inwards during the meditation because for him god is cosmic intelligence he says that god is a principle and not a person he further elaborates that you and I are personal god  the absolute god is nowhere in the idols but inside us. He says that if you want to worship the personal god first worship yourself ,he says that you are his incarnation. He then says that we all are brahman (great sage) . It's just ignorance because of which we are not able to use the power of being brahman. The ignorance according to him is not realizing that we are brahman and thinking one self to be someone else.
Hence he continuously says to look inside to find god and not outside. He elaborates that we are not this body we are just pure energy consciousness or what he calls as the soul and all this can only be understood once we start looking inwards and not outwards. He says that it's a practical joke for him when people say that someone from heaven is seeing you continuously he says that there is no one except you it's you your atman that is constantly watching you keeping counts of the good and evil deeds that you did .
In case of knowledge he points out that there is no exterior knowledge all that you are seeking is inside, it's just that you have forgotten them and hence go to the exterior source for learning it again he says that the best way is to look inwards .
 According to him the only god to worship is the human soul in the human body .
In one of the chapters we can see his strong disagreement with Gautam Buddha and his method of leaving his house, parents,wife and child. He says that if you have to leave them to attain god then you are doing it wrong and have still not understood god.He says that the person who see god in every being his wife his child his parents is a true yogi and has completely understood the concept of god   because according to him the god is within us and not anywhere else ... and hence he says that the lord is equally present in happiness, misery, success ,failure . In an example he points out that humans(parents) from the start have told their child that they are weak and try to scare them with the concept of god and making a negative image of god life long for him... But as we come to the end of the book we find that he kind of gives acceptance to idols of god which  according to him  is a way to teach common masses  meditation as they need something exterior to focus ... For temples from the beginning he says that they are pious places that contain a burst of spiritual energy and one should go and meditate there more often . In one of the lines we can see that he believes in Manifestation as he says that what "we think we become"  . Hence according to him thinking is very important but he doesn't elaborate on the topic and leaves it there . So we cannot conclude something from this ... Vivekananda points out the law of working. He says that to get the grace of god one should always strive and do something and should not sit ideal  as even god overlooks those people who cannot help themselves..... Everymind is connected and the mind is the part of a universal mind swamiji is seen as a believer of this theory. Swamiji says that we all are part of this universal mind and also states that we can connect and communicate with each other through this method ....
THE CONCEPT OF PRANA AND AKASHA
 There is nothing occult in the air that we take in with our breath and assimilaté to purify the blood, the action is merely a motion. This motion can be reduced to the unit movement we call Prâna, and everywhere, all movements are the various manifestations of this Prana. This Prana is electricity, it is magnetism, it is thrown out by the brain as thought. Everything is Prana, it is moving the sun, the moon, and the stars.We say, whatever is in this universe has been projected by the vibration of the Prana. The highest result of vibration is thought. If there be any higher, we cannot conceive of it. The nerves, Ida and Pingala, work through the Prana. It is the Prana that is moving every part of the body, becoming the different forces Give up that old idea that God is something that produces the effect and sits on a throne dispensing justice In working we become exhausted because we use up so much Prana The breathing exercises, called Prânâyâma, bring about regulation of the breathing, rhythmic action of the Prana When the Prana is working rhythmically, everything works- properly When the Yogis get control over their own bodies, if there is any disease in any part, they know that the Prana is not rhythmic there and they direct the Prana to the affected part until the rhythm is re-established
Just as you can control the Prana in your own body, so if you are powerful enough, you can control, even from here another man's Prana in India. It is all one There is no break unity is the law Physically psychically, mentally morally metaphysically, it is all one. Life is only a vibration. That which vibrates this ocean of ether, vibrates you. Just as in a lake, various strata of ice of various degrees of solidity are formed. or as in an ocean of vapour there are various degrees of density, so is this universe an ocean of matter This is an ocean of ether in which we find the sun, moon, stars, and ourselves in different states of solidity, but the continuity is not broken, it is the same throughout Now, when we study metaphysics, we come to know the world is one, not that the spiritual, the material, the mental. and the world of energies are separate. It is all one, but seen from different planes of vision When you think of yourself as a body, you forget that you are a mind, and when you think of yourself as a mind, you will forget the body There is only one thing, that you are, you can see it either as matter or body or you can see it as mind or spirit. Birth, life, and death are but old superstition
Just now, to us, this universe is a unit of Prana and Akâsha, force and matter. And mind you, like all other basic principles, this is also self-contradictory. For what is force? that which moves matter. And what is matter? - - that which is moved by force. It is a seesaw! Some of the fundamentals of our reasoning are most curious, in spite of our boast of science and knowledge. "It is a headache without a head", as the Sanskrit proverb says. This state of things has been called Maya. It has neither existence nor non-existence. You cannot call it existence, because that only exists which is beyond time and space, which is self- existence. Yet this world satisfies to a certain degree our idea of existence Therefore it has an apparent existence
Man is an infinite circle whose circumference is nowhere, but the centre is located in one spot, and God is an infinite circle whose circumference is nowhere, but whose centre is everywhere. He works through all hands sees through all eyes, walks on all feet, breathes through all bodies, lives in all life, speaks through every mouth. and thinks through every brain. Man can become like God and acquire control over the whole universe if he multiplies infinitely his centre of self consciousness.
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bifacialler · 5 years ago
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This is maybe weird question, but. I'm strugling with drawing faces. My problem is, that any method of admeasuring face can't help me .Is there anything you can recommend me to do it better?
…this is a first art ask I ever got, this is exciting! =))
You wanted an essay. Here is an essay.
Let me start with a preface:
Faces are complicated. They are formed not only by bone and muscle, aka the ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE, but the also exist as parts of HEADS, that are parts of BODIES, and out bodies are basically objects like any other that exist within the multi-dimentional space of perceived reality, aka SPACIAL POSITIONING.
Sounds terrifying, I know.
Good thing about it is - we all are unique, therefore all faces are unique! Before starting with anatomy and such, I think it is important to welcome this idea that this Uniqueness IS Beauty. Therefore every face, no matter the proportion, racial features, anything else, is BY DEFAULT beautiful.
Basically, when drawing a face, the artist’s job (especially if this artist is of academic school, or focused on realism) is to detach from personal perception of aesthetical, and focus on studying the beauty of nature’s design. There will be time for personal taste and creative decisions.
To break the rules you need to know what rules there are.
How to Draw a HEAD
(Mostly because you can draw a disambullated head with some of that shoulder action and get away with it. When you draw just a face - it’s… well it can serve a purpose, but there will be questions. It’s generally better to think of a face as part of a head, it makes life a lot easier.)
As it is customary, the process of drawing an object starts with understanding two basic concepts:
The base shape: if you simplify the object to it’s most basic 3-dimentional shape, what shape would it be (a box, and elongated box, a sphere, a pyramid and so on.) Out of which comes the next one-
Where that object exists in relation to you, aka the Artist, since you are the one who will be drawing it. You have the power. The Power of Perspective.
A head is an object like any other. And a head, as an object, is A BOX.
The basic proportions of the box - and I’m talking the commonly art teacher accepted medium - are:
4 units tall : 2 units wide : 3 units deep
What is a unit, you ask? Will come to that, when talking about points and proportions.
So we have a box, and it’s something like this. 
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(Picture belongs to Stan Prokopenko, who is a remarkable artist of anatomical drawing, and generally a professional art teacher. I suggest watch everything he ever made, he has ton of stuff on anatomy. http://www.stanprokopenko.com/)
The grey line in the middle signifies the line of symmetry of the face. It’s on the front plane of box, in the middle. The box is much easier understand that a head with a face. 
What we do with the box? We rotate it in any possible we can come up with, while keeping in mind the proportions. It’s important to always keep those proportions in the back of your mind. 
Why we do this? Because this box will tell us about about the lines of perspective that will interact with our portrait’s features. As you can see on Stan’s picture, the yellow lines indicate which way perspective goes.
(Perspective is a whole another topic altogether that would require a separate tl;dr post, so I’m going to step over it in this essay.)
I took the liberty to use one of your pictures to illustrate, especially since you asked for some feedback. 
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Overall this is a good drawing, but see how the orange lines start to stray away from the perspective the box exists in? By sticking to the directions the box helps us with, we can get rid of that feeling of something being crooked - becasue all the facial features will exist in the same architecture as the rest of the head.
Second reason why the box is our friend is becasue on the box we can clearly understand: okay, this side is facing the light, and this is the side is in the shadow. This is the break line between the planes of the object. 
But Ler, you may say, the face is curvier than a box.  
Yes, young padavan. Here is a trade secret: first we tackle the overall, and then we go into details. (then we come back to overall, then back to details, and so on, until you can’t find anything sticking out of the unity of the piece, and you can decide that your job here is done. [it is never done, but perfect is an enemy of good, and sometimes good is “good enough” and “as good as I can do at the moment which is still good”)
This may sound familiar, because it is - it’s a lot like the Loomis method, which is, in it’s essence, your good old illustrative version of academic portrait, but without the hassle of learning all skull bones and facial muscles and crying yourself to sleep.
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See how he clearly identifies here the border between the frontal planes of the faces and the side ones? Look how is is not afraid of laying that tone on the sides? This is what I’m talking about. He got it from The Box. 
(I would suggest reading Loomis’s books in general, and especially “Drawing the Head and Hands”, where the illustration above is from. His method of drawing heads is quite good, and he explains it in a very approachable way.)
Now that we sorta figured out the head in space, and the box the head truly is, lets figure out 
Where Do We Put The FACIAL FEATURES
There are a few different school of thought on “where the features are” and “what are the proportions”, so I’m going to share with you how I work around them.
My personal approach is a mix of different methods, and years of life studies - as I explained in the beginning every face is unique and has different proportions, and the more “cartoony” and “caricaturistic” (is this a word?) the style is, the more those proportions are exaggerated. 
My approach to placement of features goes like this [unless I got a life model before me, then I measure with my pencil, old school style.] It’s pretty math intense, so buckle up.
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1) [Purple] Cranium is a SPHERE. The axis of the sphere is your friend. Cut it in 3 equal parts. Add one part down - hey presto, this is the height of your head. [Remember the thing about the proportions of the box? These are the units I was talking about. It’s all coming together now.] 
2) [Purple] Eyes exist in the middle of the axis. 
3) [Orange] The protrusion of the face is *design* and may vary. Rule of the thumb: make it an arc, similar to what I did. The lower jaw corner falls into the same cathegory, but I prefer it to be on the same level as the corners of the mouth.
4) [Magenta] Mark 1/7th of the height from the top - that’s your hairline. 
5) [Red] After you mark the hairline, divide the remaining part of the height in 3 equal parts. Lower part is chin to root of the nose, the middle one is root of the nose to eyebrows (actually to the glabella, but let’s call it eyebrows), the upper - from eyebrow to hairline. this is the Rule of Thirds. In reality nothing is perfect.
6) [Yellow] This is the tricky part. This is where I personally mark the border between the frontal facial planes and the side ones. There is a general guideline on how it’s done, but it does require understanding the skull and the subplanes of the frontal plane of the face. In layman’s terms, go from the hills of the forehead down to the middle of the brow, around the eye socket, over the cheek bone, through the middle of the cheek (preferably on an arc) to the chin bone, not foregetting the chind also has upper plane and lower plain and yes, there is a break between them, rounded as it is. 
7) [Dark green] Back to eyes. They are also spheres. In the drawing above I marked them as “width of 1 eye = 1/5th of the face’s width”. This is my design (and also the “fashion portrait design”, but don’t get me started) . What is not my design is that the distance between eyes is about the width of one eye, very convenient. The distance between the ear and the outer corner of the eye is 1 third of the rule of thirds. (see point 5) Don’t forget: eyelids cover the eyeball like peel covers the orange. It has thickness.
8) [bright blue] EAR! Love ears. Their traditional space is snuggly in the middle third. Also their angle usually follows the angle of the nose. 
9) [light green] Nose and Mouth. 
Nose.Take your middle third. Divide it by three (approximately). The top part is where the dip of the nose is. For reference is about the same level as the eyes, maybe a bit higher. The nose itself is a trapezoid. The general width of it - the space between the eyes. There is a shadow under it, in most cases. When drawing from reference, pay attention is the root of the nose goes lower than the edges of the nostrils. It’s important. That’s where character hides.
Mouth. Take your lower third. Divide it by two. That’s - no, it’s not the slit of the mouth. That’s the dip under the lower lip. Take the distance between the eyebrows and the eyes, measure it, and apply from the root of the nose down. That’s where the upper edge of the upper lip is. The width of the mouth is very different, but I prefer somewhere between the irises. 
Oof, that’s about it.
If you are looking into indepth anatomy, I’m going to recommend the bible of all anatomy artists, Mr Gottfried Bammes, and “The Complete guide to human anatomy for artists and illustrators”. No better book was ever assembled. I wouldn’t suggest “reading” it, it’s dry as stale bread, but it has hundreds of illustrations that are pretty self-explanatory.
How to combine this whole knowledge together?
By drawing. Honestly, the rest comes with practice. Lots and lot’s of it. 
I would personally suggest downloading a million photos of faces, plugging them into photoshop and studying then step by step as per process above. 
Second, I would suggest making studies of separate parts of the face: mouth, ear, eye and nose. Break them down into basic shapes. Look at what covers what. There things do in, where they come out. 
Third. After you do your studies on photos, draw the faces you studied. But don’t draw them to minute details. Be as constructive as possible. Basic shape - ok. Hairline - ok. Thirds in proper perspective! - ok. Border of light and dark sides - ok. And so on. 
First hundred many look like crap. It’s okay. You are learning. Then things will get better. The more you draw - the better it goes. The more your drawing chakras open. 
I hope this was helpful. Have fun. Do art. Post art. 
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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years ago
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The Voyage So Far: Whole Cake Island
east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano
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sanji is such a self-sacrificial idiot. and i know that’s not exactly a ground-breaking statement, but it does define the entire first half of whole cake island, so it may as well be reiterated here: sanji does not value his own life as much as he should, and fails to grasp that other people care about him outside of what he can offer them, which is why he’s so surprised when luffy later comes charging headlong into big mom’s territory.
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zou is a really good little arc, and it also mirrors the themes of whole cake island in miniature. the minks collectively make a massive sacrifice and risk absolutely everything to protect raizou, and wci is essentially all about loyalty and sacrifice, whether its sanji giving himself up to protect the strawhats and zeff or luffy and the strawhats facing impossible odds to rescue him to pedro giving up his life to get them all out of there safe.
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huge fan of this panel partly just because it’s cute and partly because it’s a great visualization of just how dysfunctional the heights are in one piece.
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zou is one of my favorite settings in one piece just for the sheer creativity of it. zunesha is so massive and so mysterious and so strange. and she really looks unspeakably old just from how she’s drawn, looming over everyone and everything, eyes hollow and empty, an entire forest and an entire people growing on her back that have been there for thousands of years. it’s just so neat and so wildly inventive.
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this applies to zou as a whole, but i think it’s really cool how all the little threads that will become important during wano are set up so effectively even before whole cake island starts. we get this shot here of kidd beat to shit and then forget it because so much happens between here and when he shows up again in wano, but then oda punks us into caring about him and killer so much and this retroactively becomes very important.
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ever since his introduction sanji’s always been a character basically defined by his adherence to his principles: always feeding the hungry, never wasting food, never hurting women, never using his hands in combat. he’s probably the most firmly principled person on the crew, and that’s more obvious in whole cake island than in any other arc except maybe baratie.
sanji is very stubbornly good, which puts him in acute contrast to his siblings and their general cruel apathy. it’s something i really like about him.
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i’m a huge fan of big mom’s introduction, which is also our introduction to tottoland in general. it’s cutesy and colorful and musical while simultaneously being deeply creepy, with lyrics about killing people for ingredients and making jam out of blood, which is a great summary of the core of big mom’s character. she’s an old lady all in pink who lives in a cartoon fairy-tale land- but she’s also a deranged cannibal, and all those singing trees and flowers are animated by the life she steals from her citizens as tax.
whole cake island draws on a lot of fairy tale motifs (especially with brulee), and the contrast that saccharine appearance creates with how fucked up the actual content is is super effective and memorable, i think.
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honestly i find most of the content of sanji with the vinsmokes just plain upsetting, which i’m sure is intentional, so i’m not going to go into it a lot here, but i am including this panel of him kicking niji in the face.
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sad as this scene turns out, luffy’s absolute thrill at finding sanji and the corresponding bafflement of the vinsmokes as to how the fuck he even got there always kinda makes me grin.
i always love seeing people’s underestimations about luffy get thrown right the hell out the window- because let’s be honest, he’s easy to underestimate, he’s like a five and a half foot tall rubber teenager and not very physically intimidating and all, and then he goes and pulls off the impossible without blinking.
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the thing that makes luffy unique as a captain has always been his willingness to rely on his crew, and his willingness to openly admit that reliance, like he did all the way back in arlong park. most of the other contenders for the pirate king’s crown we’ve seen- big mom, kaidou, crocodile once upon a time- have been stubbornly individualistic people who explicitly shown not to care for their crew and allies, generally seeing them as disposable.
luffy is the opposite of all of them, because his crew are everything to him, to the point of being willing to sacrifice his dream for them. and the loyalty he wins from them in return is unmatched, as opposed to big mom and kaidou, who both get cheerfully betrayed not just by their own crewmates but by their own children.
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brook is really cool in whole cake island, and honestly it comes at just the right time for him as a character. ever since his introductory arc in thriller bark until this point he hasn’t gotten a ton of focus, so it’s great that he gets to be the mvp here and demonstrate exactly why he’s a strawhat pirate and how much he’s grown over the timeskip.
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oda is generally really good at introducing and handling characters contained to a single arc/saga, but i do think he absolutely knocked it out of the park with pedro. he has an interesting backstory, compelling motivations, and basically an entire sub-arc ending in his death that never distracts from the main plot, but only ever adds to it.
pedro really feels like a fully realized character who’s had a whole life offscreen, who we just happened to catch at the very end of his story. i think that’s super impressive.
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i really love this moment, because for me, this is the moment where whole cake island becomes a tremendous arc, and where the tides begin to turn and the dominoes begin to fall, one after the other. this is sanji hitting absolute rock bottom. the one ray of light he pinned all his hopes on was a lie, and he can’t even light a fucking cigarette.
but one piece is, very often, a story about picking yourself up even when you feel like you can’t.
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i think there’s something lovely about how much one piece emphasizes the value of honestly asking for help. luffy waits for nami to ask for help, and for robin to say she wants to live, and for sanji to admit he just wants to go home, and then says, “okay, i’ll make that happen.”
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it just makes me so happy how happy the stawhats are to know sanji’s back with them. it reminds me a lot of how they all brush off robin’s thanks after enies lobby. sure, they’re going to have to crash the wedding and confront big mom directly and might all die, but who cares? they’ve got sanji back. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, i love how much they love each other.
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i think the gangster outfits are super fun, and i love that oda is committed enough to his aesthetics to come up with an excuse to put them all in formalwear. it pays off, they all look extremely snappy.
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i know i just said it in the dressrosa posts but i’m reiterating it here because this is my favorite example of it by far: i love when oda does this split-screen thing with his panels. the contrast between the two halves of pudding is so severe and yet they’re so clearly the same person i honestly just find this pair of panels fascinating to look at.
this panel also kind of gets at my favorite thing about pudding as a character, really. i know she’s a little controversial in fandom, but i’ve always found her entertaining (at least post-reveal), especially in the contrast between her unhinged evil side and her genuinely sweet romantic side and her post-wedding tendency to randomly ping-pong between the two.
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i just always like reminding people that sanji is fast enough and his observation haki good enough to dodge a surprise attack, while thoroughly distracted, from katakuri.
sanji in this arc tends to get shit from a certain side of fandom for being ‘useless’ since he doesn’t have a big climactic fight despite being the focus of the arc, which i think is thoroughly missing the point. sanji is still plenty capable in combat, as demonstrated both here and later, with chiffon and oven. it just happens that his strength isn’t what saves the day ultimately, because combat ability isn’t everything, which is the entire point of the vinsmoke backstory/subplot. sanji saves the day just by being kind.
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i’ll admit big mom’s flashback isn’t one of my favorites, taken in isolation- there are some parts of it that kind of unresolved (at least as of now- i still suspect they’ll be followed up eventually), and in general, although there is a tragedy to it, it doesn’t quite hit the way many of the other more effective flashbacks do. that said, i do think it does a really good job of succinctly explaining why big mom is the way she is in the present: she’s a child who was never told no, who never grew or matured past the disappearance of her adopted mother. that’s it, and that’s enough.
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i’ve always been a little bit in love with how seriously and consistently one piece handles its themes of found family, and sanji outright disowning judge in whole cake island is maybe the most outright they ever get: family is found, not made. you owe nothing to your blood and are never beholden to your abusers.
and i just like that a whole lot.
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i do think the tamatebako is one of the best uses of chekov’s gun i’ve ever seen. we’re first shown it at the end of fishman island, it’s revealed it got sent off to big mom rigged with explosives which is a minor “oh fuck” moment, and then it gets forgotten about, because the entirety of punk hazard and dressrosa happens in between! which is a lot!
i remember when i reached the moment in whole cake island where we’re reminded that that bomb still exists and is still waiting to explode, i just started laughing hysterically out loud, because i’d completely forgotten, and now that i remembered i was just delighted to know it was going to definitely go off at some point, almost certainly in a very satisfying way.
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pedro is, if i remember right, the first time the imagery of the coming dawn that will become quite important in wano really has attention drawn to it in-text- the recurring motif is there before this, of course, dating all the way back to the names of the first chapter (romance dawn) and first island (dawn island), but this is the first time it’s actively addressed in-story.
in doing so, oda essentially presents a fresh mystery for us, but one that has been set up so consistently ever since chapter one that it feels like it fits perfectly into the world and story.
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luffy’s been punching way above his weight class ever since crocodile all the way back in alabasta, fighting enemies who clearly outmatch him but always managing to win anyways, but his fight with katakuri is maybe the clearest the sheer differential in strength ever gets, because katakuri’s powers are similar enough to luffy’s that he can pull off pretty much all of luffy’s techniques, but better. so luffy has to fall back on the two things that have always been his greatest strengths, again all the way back to crocodile in alabasta: innovation and sheer fucking stubbornness.
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one thing i love about one piece is how no character is immune to being clowned on. absolutely nobody. everybody looks like an idiot sometimes, and it makes everything so much more fun than if the series took itself more seriously. katakuri basically actively tries to avert this by building up a fearsome, flawless, and utterly no-nonsense persona, but it winds up failing hard because it actually only makes the contrast and surprise of his actual personality and vices that much funnier.
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i’ve always loved this one panel of carrot going sulong, because she just looks so monstrous, like a true werewolf. the same goes for the shift in big mom’s design when she starts going truly mad with starvation and gets even more threatening-looking (below). i just think oda should let women be monstrously scary more often.
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i do really love that the entire climax of whole cake island hinges on the degree of trust and faith the strawhats, and sanji and luffy specifically, have in each other. they’re all facing massive challenges that would seem insurmountable to an outsider- luffy facing down a yonkou’s commander with a bounty of over a billion and sanji remaking a massive cake that took months to plan and make in just a few hours, the others evading big mom’s full forces and big mom herself for a full night- but none of them have even a shred of doubt that the others can manage it.
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i wrote a meta post awhile back about one piece’s concept of ‘honor in a pirates’ fight, and what it came down to is this: honor can never be expected between pirates, but the best of them will show it anyways, and it can be a very telling judge of character. nobody would expect katakuri to do this, and luffy even calls him an idiot for it, but he has enough respect for luffy as a strong opponent to do it anyways, and that’s how we know for absolute certain that even though he’s an antagonist, he’s also a good, honorable person.
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i really like the gesture of luffy leaving his hat over katakuri’s mouth, especially because until this point, we’re never even given any indication that he’s really noticed it, let alone that katakuri is insecure about it. he never reacts to or comments on it (which is in itself kind of unusual from someone who tends to nickname opponents by their appearances as often as luffy does) one way or another.
and then he does this, confirming all at once that he did fully notice and understand, he just doesn’t care. which i think sums up one of the more under-appreciated aspects of luffy’s character- he’s generally way more observant than people give him credit for, especially when it comes to people, it’s just that he has a very different sense of what’s important and what’s not than your average person.
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i love the sheer contrast between big mom’s delighted, rapturous singing as she devours the wedding cake against the violence taking place on screen as her army rains fire and hell down on the thousand sunny. it parallels her initial introduction at the start of the arc perfectly, and is just an excellent way to close out the arc with a bang.
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i said it earlier but it bears repeating here, for a different reason: luffy is not very physically intimidating. he’s shorter than most of the other main characters, he’s a lanky teenager, he dresses casually and his most identifiable accessory is a farm hat.
but then there are times when he looks like a captain, like a future pirate king, and it just looks so natural on him. i can never get over it.
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i really like that, after spending a whole arc demonstrating just how different (and how much better) sanji is than the vinsmokes, it ends like this- showing us just how similar he’s grown up to the man he’s chosen as his real family, and just how proud zeff would be of him.
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ibijau · 3 years ago
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Xue Yang’s master pt 4 / on AO3
While in need of money, Xue Yang and his master are offered a job
Wen Chao remained a better and a worse teacher than Xue Yang had expected. 
Worse, because he really sucked at cultivation.
Better, because in spite of his own weakness, he had good knowledge of basic principles, and knew how to explain them in different manners until Xue Yang understood what he had to do. Wen Chao freely admitted that he had been a rather poor student himself, and had gone through so many lessons that even he couldn't have avoided picking up a thing or two. His own teachers had also been quite strict, making him work and work until there were results, which he admitted must have helped. 
And that was where Wen Chao's easy going personality became a problem, Xue Yang thought. Out of laziness, out of fear also, Wen Chao was reluctant to push Xue Yang past his limits. It took Xue Yang a good month to realise that his master was going too easy on him, something Wen Chao admitted when confronted about it.
"I'm just not sure how useful it really is to repeat the same exercises two or three hundred times every day," he said, fanning himself in that languid, annoying manner he had. "Great cultivators and poor ones often train the same amount, and yet get different results. Those that are skilled will be skilled no matter what, those who are weak can't change their fate."
"So I should repeat the exercises that much?" Xue Yang asked. "Three hundred a day, that's the normal number?" 
Wen Chao froze, and grimaced the way he did every time he tried to remember something too personal. 
"I… I think one hundred repeats every day until the skill is understood," he said, closing his eyes. "And then.. . Twenty times thrice a week, for a year, so it cannot be forgotten. Then only once a week for the next five years. And… ah, and then it doesn't matter. In six years you'll surely have moved on to a better master for sure."
One hundred was a lot for any exercise to be repeated, and Xue Yang would have suspected his master of lying, if not for that serious grimace. But he wanted this, wanted the power and security that came with being a cultivator, and he'd get it. 
After some weeks, Xue Yang's efforts started paying off. He couldn't do great magic like cultivators in stories, but he was capable of feeling the energy inside his own body more accurately, and he also became more sensitive to other energies around him. 
It was pretty weird, especially because it made him realise just how many ghosts and spirits were around, all the time. Wen Chao promised that after a while more, he'd tune out most of that. 
That new sensitivity was also taken as a sign that he could learn other skills, such as using talismans. Making talismans wouldn't come for a good while longer, especially since Xue Yang could barely read and wrote even less, but Wen Chao himself was skilled in that particular field, and could make all the talismans they needed. 
At least, if they had money for paper and ink. 
Money was a bit of an issue. By Xue Yang's usual standards, the two of them were extremely well-off. But as he was learning, a lot of basic cultivation tools cost a lot. They needed talisman materials, and Xue Yang was progressing fast enough that he should get his own blade soon, and… 
If they hadn't needed money, they wouldn't have taken that job.
From the start Xue Yang felt there was something off about that man who called himself Hao Siyun. They'd met him at an inn, where they'd taken the cheapest bed and him the most expensive one. They'd been wondering whether they wanted to buy food from the inn or grab something cheaper outside when Hao Siyun had come to sit at their table. 
"Am I right to guess you two are cultivators?" he asked, pointing at Wen Chao's sword.
"We are," Wen Chao confirmed. 
"Lucky me! I've been looking for an immortal to help me for weeks now! Esteemed master, would you listen to my tale of woe?" 
"I would, but we were about to head out for dinner," Wen Chao innocently remarked. 
Hao Siyun immediately ordered food for all three of them. There was an eagerness and will to please at any cost in his manner that Xue Yang didn't like, and apparently neither did Wen Chao. 
"My name is Wei Wuxian," he boldly lied when Hao Siyun asked for their names. "And this is Nie Huaisang." 
"The Wei Wuxian?" 
"Maybe there are others, but that has been my name all my life." 
"And Nie Huaisang… surely not the Nie Huaisang of Qinghe Nie?" 
"Why not?" 
"People say the Wens murdered him and destroyed his body," Hao Siyun said, finally showing some suspicion toward the odd duo. 
Hearing that, Wen Chao went pale and couldn't find anything to say. He seemed so distressed that Xue Yang had to jump in. 
"What would you know about who's dead and who's not?" he exclaimed. "You think cultivators just expose all their plans for everyone to know? We had business to deal with, and there's some rumours that we allowed to spread ‘cause it served us well, that's all!" 
"Of course, I didn't mean to offend you!" Hao Siyun cried out, showing proper worry at the thought of having angered Xue Yang.
"Good! 'Cause if you don't listen to us about our own names, I don't see why we should listen about whatever bullshit you want to dump on us!" 
Hao Siyun apologised, and Wen Chao calmed down enough to retake control of the conversation. 
The situation was as followed: Hao Siyun and his sons had bought a farm very recently, only to discover upon arriving there that it was haunted. It was impossible for them to move out, having used a lifetime of savings to make that purchase. Reselling the farm was equally impossible, since it was now widely known to be haunted. What they needed, then, was to see an exorcism conducted. The closest sect, an ally of the Wens, had been slaughtered. Hao Siyun had gone to a taoist temple further away to beg for help, only to be denied because they couldn't believe he was the rightful owner of that farm. 
"I was despairing, when I saw you and thought you might be cultivators," he concluded. 
Xue Yang nodded. It was Wen Chao's mask. Put a mask on a man, and he instantly looked cooler than he was.
Still, there was something a little off about Hao Siyun . Xue Yang had been in his line of business long enough that he knew how to assess a man’s occupation in a glance, a skill useful to avoid stealing an empty purse. Hao Siyun didn’t have the hands of a farmer. He dressed more like a merchant, but although the clothes’ fabric was pretty good, the fit was a little off. And after hanging out with Wen Chao this long, Xue Yang knew that a taoist temple wouldn’t have refused their services without better reason than what Hao Siyun had said.
It was all highly suspicious.
That it paid very well made it all the more suspicious, especially when Hao Siyun had just said he didn’t have anything left after buying his farm.
In a surprising demonstration of good sense, Wen Chao asked to be given a little time before deciding whether to take the case or not. He made it sound very polite, bullshitting something about star position and needing to check auspicious days so Hao Siyun wouldn’t realise his suspicious behaviour had been noticed, and then Xue Yang and him retired to the little room they’d rented for the night.
“That man is a farmer about as much as I am,” Wen Chao said when they were alone. “The exorcism thing might be real though. And it does sound like good money.”
“If he pays us,” Xue Yang retorted. “He doesn’t look like the paying sort.”
“But he has the money, you saw his purse too. If he doesn’t pay us, I can count on my crafty student to ensure the money still finds its way to us.”
That was a lot more straightforward than Xue Yang would have expected, coming from someone a little posh like Wen Chao.
“Aren’t there rules against stealing and stuff?”
“There are also many great discussions to be had on whether it is a crime or not to steal money ill-acquired, and I’m ready to bet our new friend didn’t earn any of his.” Wen Chao paused, his expression turning serious. “I want to take the job. But I’m aware I’m not exactly in the best state of mind right now. I think I used to be pretty spoiled, before, and I don’t know a lot about the world. You do. If you say we shouldn’t do this, then we won’t.”
Xue Yang stared at him, stunned into silence. It was things like that which showed that Wen Chao had probably never been in charge of anything in his life, or else he wouldn’t be asking for the opinion of an inferior. In Xue Yang’s understanding of the world, people on top gave orders, and people on the bottom obeyed those orders, or pretended to obey them but did something else if they were asked something too stupid.
Wen Chao probably didn’t realise that asking for Xue Yang’s opinion made it look like they were equals. Xue Yang enjoyed that too much to correct him.
“I think it’s worth the risk,” he decided. “He doesn’t look that dangerous, and then maybe we’ll have enough to buy me a sword.”
“Sabre,” Wen Chao distractedly corrected.
“I thought Cultivators used swords?” Xue Yang protested. “You have a sword! Why would I have to use a stupid sabre?”
Wen Chao fell silent and gritted his teeth, tearing away his mask and pressing both hands against his eyes as if struck with intense pain.
“It’s… it’s not… sabres are… they’re not… I can’t, mine is… he took it, he took it and...”
He gasped for breath, long enough that Xue Yang started getting worried. When Wen Chao lowered his hands, his palms were wet with tears. He managed to make himself smile, as if nothing had happened.
“You’re right, a sword would be better,” he said with forced cheer. “Very few sects use sabres, so that would limit your options too much. I’m not that great, so I can’t teach you a lot but… you’re really clever, and soon enough you’ll have a real master to teach you what I can’t, so it’s fine. I just need to show you the basics.”
That sounded about as honest as Hao Siyun's story about being a farmer, but Xue Yang didn’t care enough to insist. Or at least, he told himself he didn’t care. Not caring was better than the weird, painful little thing in his chest that sometimes happened when his master thought about his forgotten past and started panicking.
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genderhoax · 4 years ago
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I used to want to be an artist but then i stopped drawing for like 7 years. I want to go back but i'm scared and dont know where to start. So yes, i am interested in those drawing videos can you post them if you dont mind? ^_^
Of course!! I am in the same situation as you actually. I used to draw a lot in middle school (2010-2012) but my depression worsened during high school and in college, I’d only draw as a distraction, never seeking to study or improve. I decided to get back this year, since I decided drawing was the only thing I could see myself doing professionally. I felt very lost, because how do you get back? How do you know what’s your actual, current, art skill? What are your weaknesses? Your strong points?
That’s how I learned to study the fundmentals of art. Because visual art is not a skill. It is a set of skills, if you are very good at anatomy but not really when coming to painting your art is going to look differently than someone who learned anatomy in how to draw manga books but paint like a pro. I am going to divide this post in categories, Also, all the videos I link I also recommend all the channels they are from! My favorites are The Drawing Database, Sycra and Ganev, Sycra and The Drawing Databse have a little of everything and are great at explaining. Ganev is a bit sarcastic but I like the way he teaches. I took some parts of the text of this post from here.
How do I begin? How do you even get back at art? What tips should you use? These are general tips videos, usually nice to draw along. /the fundmentals and how to get started/ /5 tips for better drawing/ /perfect pratice/  /beginner’s guide/ /5 tips for digital art/ /10 tips to improve/ /why your drawings are stiff/ /what level is your art/ /improve your art fast/ /drawing basics/ /how to hold and control your pencil/ /intuitive drawing method/ /iterative drawing/
The Fundamentals: Proportion & Placement Proportion is relationship between one element and another. In the visual arts proportion relates most importantly to the abstract quality of scale and placement. You know how stereotypically an artists puts a pencil to their eye when looking at an object? They’re mesuring the proportion of the object in question and how to represent it corectly in the drawing. /principles of proportion/ /ways to create illusion of space/ /drawing the human figure/ /how to draw proportions playlist/ /how to use proportion in character design/ /basic anatomy and proportions part one/ /part two/ /part three/ /part four/ /proportion basics/
Form & Construction The idea of form is how we see the 3D objects in or world and transform them into 2D in the paper/canvas. It’s understading that eveyrthing is made up of basic forms. /dynamic sketching part one/ /part two/ /how to draw forms/ /structure/ /building form/ /another how to draw forms/ /how to visualize 3D forms/ /form study process/
Perspective & Depth Perspective is knowing that as things move away from the viewer’s eye, things seem to get smaller. Get familiarized with terms like horizon line and vanishing point. This is the basic that must be understood to learn perspective. Here’s a good article about this. /an intro video on the subject/ /step by step tutorial/ /perspective basics part one/ /part two/ /part three/ /part four/ part five /part six/  /another basics video/ /20 perspective lessons/ /eye level tip/  /linear perspective/  /simple form perspective/ /drawing the figure in perspective/
Anatomy Anatomy is something I think it’s one the most crucials things to learn in order to make your drawing look good. Once you understand how joints work you’ll be able to see how bones and muscles move. And this goes for anything with a skeleton. It’s one of those things of you learn the rules before breaking them. I am linking different playlists, since linking different videos on various parts of anatomy would take forever. Just study a body part at time: head, eyes, nose, lips, ears, shoulders, neck, hairline, breats, torso, hands, feet etc. /how to do an anatomy tracing/  /playlist 1 /  /draw the head from any angle/  /anatomy for artists/ /draw facial features/ /how to draw and paint/ /playlist 2/ /draw 3/4 head with loomis method/ /playlist 3/ /drawing a head in 3 hours (this one is great to draw along with the artist)/ /how to draw a body/ draw a head with loomis method part 1/  /part 2/ /part 3/ /decipgering bridgman’s anatomy/ /anatomy quick tips/
Gesture Gesture drawing is a method of capturing figures in exaggerated poses, usually drawn quickly. It is important to undersand that the goal of all gesture is to study the figure and see how it moves. I like looking at poses and copying them. Here’s a good article. /how to draw gesture/  /how to draw any pose/ /draw interesting poses/ /a guide on gesture drawing/  /tips for expressive dynamic poses/  /figure drawing tips/
Composition The overall layout of a piece is very important. Artists often consider things like the rule of thirds or the infamous golden ratio. Neither truly defines a composition, but they can both go into your decision making. /composition in art/  /understanding composition/ /10 composition tips/ /beginner’s guide to composition/ /art fundamental: composition/
Value Studying value is very much the study of light and shadow. But there is a technical side of light that you’ll want to pay attention to if you’re going for technical rendering. /guide on rendering/  /seeing light and shadows in daily life/  /10 minutes to a better painting/ /understaing colors and values/ /shading basics/ /ambient occlusion/ /shadow colors/ /tips on how to shade/ /draw shadows on objects and people/ /lighting tutorial/
Color Theory Color theory is understanding which colors go good with eachother, and knowing the pyschology behind it. (what are cool colors? what colors make someone feel comfortable?) It is fundamental in art for you to understand the relationship between colors and what makes them look good. Best color theory books. A comprehensive guide to color theory. /hue value saturation in photoshop/ /color theory for noobs/ /understanding color/ /what you should know about colors/  /warm and cool colors/  /the basic elements/ /choose colors that work/
Traditional Media If you draw in traditional media, all videos above can be used easily. These are just videos for general tips in traditional media, there isn’t many since my focus is digtal ^^’ /watercolor tips/ /draw with colored pencils/ /blending colored pencils/ /4 how to draw lessons/ /Block in colors/ /holding the brush/ /
Digital Media Digital art is how everyone’s been doing art these days. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing with your phone or your computer. I don’t do art on my phone, I know the most used app is mediabang for android and procreate for apple, and I think anyone who is able to do art with their finger is very skilled. If you are like me and prefer doing art on your computer, you probably have your tablet. If not, well you should have. Not having a tablet is not an option if you want to get better at art ^^’ Best tablet for beginners in 2020. Or you can just buy an old used one, if it still works, and you are a beginner, a small intuos is all you need. When talking about softwares, the three big ones I see people using are: Photoshop, Clip Paint Studio and Paint Tool Sai. The best one is CPS, but I find Sai easier to navigate, but CPS is extremely complete and I hope to be able to master it someday. CPS Tutorials. I don’t have much to say about photoshop, people use it mostly because they’ve been using it forever lol I divide my digital painting process in steps: Sketch/Lineart/Color Blocking/Shading/Blending/Color correction. Sketch is the basics, draw your idea. Lineart is to clean your sketch. Color Blocking is to color your drawing one color, so it’s easier to work in it. Shading is to understand where the lighting sources are coming from and apply them. Blending is to blend the colors of your drawing with brushes. Color correction is when I use filters of hue/saturation and others to make the drawing more appealing. These require understadings of the software of your choice which I am not very good at the moment so I can’t give you more tips than that ^^’ Hopefully these videos can help. /perspective grid/ /clean line art/  /coloring process/ /make lineart interesting/ /best brushes for digital painting/ /skin shading tutorial/  /lineart vs painting/ /art in clip studio paint/ /hair tutorial/ /3 tips for improving/ /10 digital art mistakes/ /color block tutorial/ /shading skin/ /from lineart to painting/ /cleaner lineart/ /add texture to your art/ /improve your art with better shadows/ /the importance of brushes/ /use layer modes/ /improve your lines/ /how to blend colors/ /another blending tutorial/  /color blocking/
Exercises It’s no secret that to improve on art, you must pratice. Everyday, even if it’s just a little! A great way to pratice is make use of youtube picture in picture function to draw along in your software of choice. /pratice drawing forms/ /proportion exercises/ /perspective exercises/ /value studies/ /creative drawing exercises/  /simple drawing esercises/
Resources Senshi stocks, a deviantart page full of poses photos. Quick poses,  pictures of models, contains nudes. Character design references DesignDoll, create a personalized sketch doll and make it pose.
Phew!!! This took forever to make and is way more than you asked for, but I decided to go all in so I can have a masterpost for me too and for anyone else interested in art. As soon you can understand the fundamentals, you can do your own research and study, youtube is really great for this. I hope this helps, let’s get better at drawing together!!! Ganbarimashou (ง •̀_•́)ง
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thebrownssociety · 3 years ago
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Hi, so I was wondering about the toons getting an education. You said that they didn't know how to read or write at the begining. First of all, when did they learn to read and write? And second of all, when they started learning those things, how did they do it? Did all of the toons go to school, you know, like kids do? Did they have classes and classmates, different subjects, different teachers? Or did they have private tutours?
So, first things first, thank you Ana for giving me one of my most complicated asks yet! That's why it's taken me so long to answer, I need to first of all sort through the strands of my brain in order to find the answer, and then translate it so it can be understood by normal people.
This headcanon is LONG, I hope you lot enjoy.
the majority of the toons [about 90 percent] are NOT created with the ability to read and write. In the olden days it was generally assumed that they didn't have the ability to learn either.
The other ten percent DID. They tended to be toons that were created to be doctors, lawyers or other professions that need the ability to read and write. Or members of royalty because the creators made the decision that royals would have been taught to read and write and so incorporated that into there designs. This is why Porky Pig is unusual, because he has the ability read and write, but he's not royalty and he doesn't have an official profession. Technically Porky is an anomality, it just happens that his anomality has helped him more than hindered him.
Moving onto the villains, it tends to follow the same rules as above. Grimhilde [wicked stepmother] has the ability to read and write because the creators assumed that as the now queen she had to be a princess before, therefore fit the rules.
Maleficent however, couldn't read or write [much to her frustration] because she was a villainous fairy and although she was [I think?] royalty of some sort within the fairy world the creators decided she didn't need the ability.
You might be getting an idea of the timeline from the movies I mentioned. I headcanon that the toon began campaigning to get an education during the 60's. They did this largely via peaceful means [mainly because one thing that has always been acknowledged by humans is that Toons are quite powerful and they aren't to keen to annoy them massively. The toons for their part don't want to cause massive distress to humans - they want to make them laugh! - so it actually works to a degree. During the 60's though the Toons decided something needed to be done.
The directors and other higher-ups had been promising to change the rights for the last decade and it hadn't happened. In 1965 the Toons decided enough was enough, they would start peacefully protesting. They adhered to the riles of there contracts to the letter. The LT's contract for instance says they have to arrive at least five minutes before filming starts, so they arrived five minutes before filming started when previously they'd been arriving half an hour so the director could run through everything with them.
They also left straight after seeing as there contract said they were free to go after the filming ended.
The LT's were also contracted to be available should WB ask them to do anything like help in the kitchens, but they only gave to do that for a set amount of hours each week. They worked those hours to the letter and went straight after. A few of the more devious toons even reasoned the contract just says they have to show up, not do any work, so they didn't. At first the studio got round that by asking toons who they knew would do the work properly, but it didn't take the toons long to figure out that was happening and then the 'good' toons wondered why they should bother when the 'bad' toons were being allowed to get off scot-free?
Eventually no toons was doing any work to help the general running of WB at all.
The above, I should mention, did not happen overnight. It took around 18 months, and it wasn't just happen at WB. Although Disney didn't have the exact same contract, they ran on the general principle of arriving at a set time and leaving straight after, so the toons just adhered to there contracted times.
18 months later and the companies decided enough was enough. They were having to go overtime to film the cartoons/movies now the toons weren't doing extra [previously unpaid] hours. [Which they did because the majority of them are perfectionist when it comes to the cartoons and wanted them to be the best they could be.] They were also having to pay the Human employees extra to cover the hours, often at extremely short notice. And unlike the toons they weren't contracted to come in just because the company wanted them to.
So anyway, the point of me detailing this is to explain the circumstances that meant that the companies were at there wits end and ended up petitioning the president to give the toons rights. Mickey Mouse also helped out enormously here as well. Walt Disney had died a few months earlier and Mickey was now running Disney. Which also meant control of the theme parks. Mickey decided that seeing as Toons clearly weren't valued enough to bother educating [despite being proven as intelligent] they shouldn't bother providing entertainment at the parks either.
The Disney toons also had it worked into there contracts that they had to make periodic appearances at Disney's parks [kinds like the people dressing up as the characters do now, except it's the actual toons] and are on a rota basis. Unless they're doing an events [like Halloween for the villains or valentines day for the princes and princesses] then each toon does at least one 12-hour day at Disney per year. It was this bit that Mickey was putting a stop to.
It had a real knock-on effect as, as well as the rides, most people went there hoping for a glimpse of there favourite toon. Without that...
As much of an absolute business-killer as this idea was, Mickey was more than happy to explain to anyone who would listen [read: most of the world news] exactly WHY he was doing it. With all this pressure it was really just a matter of time until the laws changed and the toons were able to gain an education. This was in 1968.
Now as fast as things work in Toontown, this was such a complicated area that it took a full 2 years for the various schools to be built, staffed and a curriculum drawn up (which followed the same basic guide as human education, but with some added stuff and some stuff taken out. It basically followed a 'would a toon actually need this in future life?' and went from there.
Here's were it gets slightly complicated. Because I mentioned before that toons age in a weird way. But the main thing is they go up and down in there age on a day to day basis until they are about 20. This makes educating them quite difficult, to say the least.
The studios solution to this was to bring in Human teachers to teach them at the grades human children would go through. So Kindergarten, Grade 1 ext. The thing was that a lot of the toons had learn some of th education already, like identifying shapes and coulors and things. And of course the ones who were professionals [Like Ludwig Von Drake and Gus Goose] already had a college-level of education, they just needed to prove it to the teachers.
The end result of this was that it wasn't unusual for a toon to be in a class for only a few months at a time while they did the work [don't forget, they only need 4 hours of sleep as well, so they could study for longer if they wanted]
It did eventually even up though and the toons ended up spending 9 months if the right class. For example, Porky Pig aced Kindergarten all the way up till 4th grade and then found he was struggling with 5th grade. This was a shock to him after spending 21 months in education [excluding holidays], to suddenly need help. Porky was forced to realise that he had centred a lot of his identity around being 'the one who can help his friends/family read.' and hadn't expanded his personality much beyond that.
So yeah, as an average most toons took about ten years to complete Kindergarten - end of high school.
Then a few of them took college courses, which lead to them getting degrees, which led to a couple of them getting teaching degrees. The majority of the LT's you see in Tiny Toons [excluding Foghorn, who decided he didn't want to be a teacher, and Elmer who took a undergraduate degree in law until 1992] did their teaching degrees from 1988 - 1992.
There's a couple of you who might had realised that they were filing Tiny Toons at the times and learning how to be parents at the same time. That was partly why they wanted to do it then, they realised that after Tiny Toons had finished the kid would need educating. Although the human teachers had been alright, they'd found it slightly difficult to cope and the LT's didn't want their kids to go through that particularly. Also, what's the point of building a school just to got rid of it after?
So here's the main schools: (After the toons gained teaching degrees)
Disney Elementary - Kindergarten- Grade 5.
Hanna-Barbara Middle School - Grade 6_8.
The Looniversity (the name stuck after the TV show) Grades 9-12.
So the Tiny Toons finished filming in 1992 and had it promptly explained to them that they would be attending school the next August [Tiny Toons were created in 1987, so were 6 by the end of filming.]
Toons don't do pre-school because there doesn't seem to be any point. Loads of Toons have coped without preschool for decades now, why would they start now?
So the TT's started Kindergarten at Disney Kindergarten, run by Snow White and helped out by Cinderella and Fairy Godmother. Kindergarten is the only school year where the toons have to do an entire year in it, the logic being they'll have longer to get adjusted to school if they're there for a year as opposed to three months.
Then it was decided which was the toon would go. Would they move upwards into Disney Elementary school, run by the Three Good Fairies? Or would they be taught by human professors? Or - the final option - they could be privately educated. [It's mainly royalty or the children of famous toons like Micky and Minnie that go down this option. The TT's were unusual in that all the LT's opted to send there kids to Disney Elementary with the hope it would help them make friends with other toons outside the LT bubble. Whether it did or not remains up for debate.
Anyway, they then go to Hanna-Barbera Middle School, which is then followed by the Looniversity. Now, despite what was shown in Tiny Toons, The Looniversity does not focus solely on Toon Physics and the like, the kids have to study the curriculum. They have options to take Toon Physics class if they wanted to, but they don't have to.
The Toons technically don't HAVE to finish High School, but they're strongly encouraged to. College is another matter, it's quite hard so only Toons who the adults know will stand a chance of passing are encouraged to do it.
Toontown University focuses primarily on The Performing Arts and Toon Physics. As well as those subjects, it offers Art, Physical Education, separate courses of Dance, Drama and Music and LAMDA.
If a Toon wants to study the likes of Maths, English and Science they can either be privately educated [A lot of the adult toons have ridiculous amounts of money due to there cartoons and the fact that until the 50's Toontown didn't exist and all there expenses were being covered by there respective directors/studios] or they could join one of the smaller colleges that specialised in what they want to do.
Push comes to shove, they find a Adult toon [over the actual age of 25] with a degree and try to mentor under them. This happens a lot.
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moons-and-stars-and-shit · 4 years ago
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It worked! Sorry to bug you with a message! But I'd like to request a cake now!
So, about me. I have an actual name but I don't think I've heard it in months😃, instead I have a bunch of nicknames! (Rion, ri, oreo, onion, o, etc), I'm actually nb so I chose that name, however I 100% consider naming myself Arson💀My pronouns are they/them and I'm about 5'5, I have short, fluffy brown hair that I usually dye the front blue. I'm Asian hispanic, but I really don't look like either- my favorite foods are either really spicy and salty or sweet. Not the overwhelming chemical sweet tho, like a natural sweet flavor. My personality type is infp, and ig when I first meet people I can be shy (that's an understatement, I was mute for the first week of school🕳🏃‍♂️) but once I get to know people I can be pretty chaotic (once again, arson). I'm not a 100% demon spawn though, I don't really like making scenes in public and I probably will cry if I do- but I still have fun lol. I'm also the person who copes with severe mental health issues using humor, to an alarming degree 😔 I'm the therapist friend when really I'm the one who needs therapy. I also have a social battery that can die at random times, so I really like/need friends who can handle random mood changes of me going from energetic to silent in seconds. Academically, I'm really book smart, I'm a tutor, but my grades don't reflect it. I tend to procrastinate a lot and avoid studying, usually I catch myself last minute or trust memory on tests, but every now and then there's something that tanks my grades. I'm not very athletic, but I still try to play sports. I enjoy the feeling when I do something right, but the rest of the time I usually beat myself up for messing up.
And now just random facts 😃👍
My favorite color is yellow, not the bright eye sore shade that makes you want to throw up, but the nice softer, light shade. And I like anything that comes with that color! (Sunflowers, flowy sundresses and flip flops, summer activities, burning concrete, warm rain, etc). Nobody knows my music taste, it changes weekly, however I usually come back to mitski/cavetown or summer themed songs a lot! I enjoy playing music, but I have the curse of being a fast learner so that usually leads to be being bored and learning a new instrument at any given chance. And my birthday is a weird date that fucks with zodiacs so I can be considered either a leo or cancer, my personality changes a bunch, so take your pick lol. (Though emotionally I tend to be cancerous, I just express it and show it in a way a leo would) And someday I wanna be a long term traveler, or a florist. Just a job that makes me happy :). And I guess if I had to classify my aesthetic it would be bloomcore or soft grunge. I like wearing big sweaters and if I could I would wear a bunch of butterfly clips in my hair and wear mom jeans. (I would also wear man crushers, I mean, platforms if I was confident)
Aaaannnnd that was really long sorry!
To sum up, I'm just a bipolar bitch with depression and anxiety 👍
Thanks a bunch for just taking the time to read this!
@oririon
Romantic Matchup
Bokuto Koutarou
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How Y’all Met
IERJNDJS
I’m getting a classic summer love vibe from this matchup 👀
Ok so I just Hc that Bokuto LOVES flowers
So he would always just go to the local flower shop to look at them
Pls hes to precious I cant-
But anyways you we’re working a summer job at the flower shop
And you grew fond of our little owl boy
You would always talk to him whenever he visited
He just made your job that much more enjoyable :)
So one day you stopped him right before he left and told him he could pick a bouquet of flowers if he wanted
He BEAMED at you and picked a bouquet of flowers he always looked at whenever he came
But what shocked you was instead of walking out with them
He gave them to you!
He then went on talking about how he really liked you but didn’t know how to tell you
At this point he was just rambling
So you laughed and asked him if he would like to go to the ocean with you after your shift
He agreed and you swear you saw stars in his eyes
After your shift you met up with Bokuto and went to the beach
You guys literally spent ALL day there!
And even some of the night 👀
Being the gentleman he is offered to walk you home
And when you two got to your house he asked you to be his s/o
What They Love About You
Ok starting off with a strange one
He loves the fact that your favorite color is yellow 💛
He just thinks it fits you so well 😊
He loves that you have to ability to turn your trauma into humor
Now I’m ngl...
Ye found it extremely concerning at first 🥲
But once you explained it was like a coping mechanism for you
He was super supportive!
AAAAAAAA
He LOVES your aesthetic!
He thinks it’s so cute
And once again he thinks it fits you 👀
He appreciates the fact that your smart
If he doesn’t understand something in class
He’ll just go to you!
And honesty going over the material with him has helped your understanding as well 👀
Bokuto s grades:📈
Your grades: 📈
Favorite Things To Do Together
Oml he loves summers with you
Any summer activity
Beaches
Ice cream
Flower meadows 👀
Summer night drives
The whole shtick
But when it’s not summer
He loves doing classic seasonal activities
Examples:
Fall - Jumping in leaf piles, coffee dates, preparing for Halloween, etc
Winter - Snowball fights/Making Snowmen, Christmas movie marathons, hot cocoa/ baking, etc
Spring - Dancing in the rain, picnics, gardening etc
It’s a vibe year round with bf Bokuto
Random Hc
His favorite season is summer
And his second is winter
Ik...polar opposites
Oof
He TOTALLY gets your mood swings
Although they may not be the same as his
He still understands them and respects them
Every year on your anniversary he buys you the exact same bouquet he gave you at the flower shop
Speaking of the flower shop 👀
He got a job there with you the following summer
So you guys basically spent most of your days together
Bokuto is REALLY bad at dark humor
But for some reason he still tries 😭
It’s either TOO dark
Or not dark at all 💀
Astrology
(We’re gonna go with your cancer zodiac 😂)
When Cancer and Virgo make a love match, a strong, down-to-earth relationship with staying power is the happy result.
This is a relationship with great potential to get better and better over the passing years.
Both Cancer and Virgo are goal-oriented and disciplined.
They are sincere and devoted to one another and share a strong sense of purpose.
No lightweight love here: These two were not really built for flings!
Cancer and Virgo deeply admire one another: Virgo respects Cancer’s quiet strength and dedication while Cancer appreciates Virgo’s keen adaptability and intelligence.
These lovers may get off to a slow start, but over time, bonds will only grow stronger.
The Cancer-Virgo love match prides itself on common sense and strong principles over fluff and inconsequential or fleeting connections.
They enjoy the material comforts of life, but they will only feel good about their bounty if it has come as a result of honest hard work.
There could be tiffs if Virgo becomes too critical for Cancer’s easily bruised feelings; Cancer needs to understand that it’s just Virgo’s nature to point out what they observe, that it’s not a personal attack.
A Virgo may bristle at their Cancer mate’s stubborn streak, but it’s a trait that a patient and understanding love partner like Virgo could come to appreciate.
Also, Virgo’s urge to serve suits Cancer’s affectionate, nurturing nature well.
Their dedication to working toward the same goals.
Both partners in this love match enjoy a stable home life and nice things, and Virgo truly enjoys helping Cancer along the way to achieving their goals.
Their shared goals and desires make theirs a highly compatible love match.
Overall Aesthetic
Bloomcore 🌸
Bloom - Jesse
This Side of Paradise - Coyote Theory
Flaming Hot Cheetos - Claire
Mystery of Love - Sufjan Stevens
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anaisonfire · 5 years ago
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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mace Windu & Padmé Amidala Characters: Mace Windu, Padmé Amidala Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Sheev Palpatine Dies Off Screen, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Mentioned Anakin Skywalker/Padmé Amidala - Freeform, Mentioned CC-5052 | Bly/Aayla Secura, The Jedi Knew About Padme/Anakin All Along, don’t ask me to explain what happens in the background of this idk either, mace&padme probably end up friends after this (much to anakin's horror), ft. some Excellent tea, Mace Windu Appreciation Day 2020 Summary:
Mace Windu is not having a good day. He’s not been having a good day this entire week, month, year - the whole war, truly. And now the Chancellor is dead.
[full text under the cut if you wanna read this on here, since it’s a tumblr event]
Mace Windu is not having a good day.
He’s not been having a good day this entire week, month, year - the whole war, truly.
And now the Chancellor is dead. The Chancellor who just so turned out to be the Sith Lord who has been playing them all for fools. Who the entire Order has been searching for since Qui-Gon died. Who would’ve continued to evade them if he hadn’t been revealed by Darth Maul, of all people, in a series of events that Mace refuses to think about unless absolutely necessary.
He’s going to have a headache again.
And now this.
“Senator Amidala,” he says, politely, to the woman who is for some inexplicable reason cornering him in a surprisingly empty Senate corridor instead of off dealing with the political nightmare that Palpatine’s death kicked off.
“What can I do for you?”
“Master Windu,” she replies, also politely, instantly putting him on guard. “Do you have a minute? This won’t take long.”
Force, there better not be yet another new problem.
“Of course.”
“This way, please.”
Oh no, she is smiling her Smile. People tell horror stories of the things Padme Amidala gets up to while smiling like that.
They walk in silence to her office, Mace trying to beat off an incoming migraine all the while. Likely pointless but one must have hope.
“Please, sit,” she says when the door’s been closed and they are alone.
He finds two cups of still-steaming tea on the little table she gestures to instead of her desk. He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment on the blatant contradiction with her words outside. Tea is tea, and Amidala is highly likely to be serving the good stuff. Manners are important, even when one is clearly setting up a trap.
No wonder Obi-Wan likes her, Mace thinks, amused somewhere under the exhaustion and exasperation.
He picks up his cup and stays silent.
And so does she.
They drink the tea - yes, it is the good kind - and don’t say anything, and stare at each other politely.
And stare. And stare.
Really, she’s not going to win this. At any other time she might because he is usually a very busy person and doesn’t have time for this but not now. Now, as much as he doesn’t want to deal with whatever this is, sitting here and drinking good tea in silence is much more preferable than trying to reason with yet more hysterical Senators who refuse to be sensible or even uphold the basic principles of the Republic and pass the vote to give the clones citizenship already.
Eventually, when almost all of the tea is gone and it’s become lukewarm, the senator speaks.
“Master Windu, I must say, I have a great deal of respect for you,” she begins.
Mace is lost. He has no idea what this could possibly be about, since it’s clearly not some kind of emergency. He is however certain that Skywalker is responsible, somehow.
“The sentiment is mutual, Senator. Your work is an example for us all,” he replies and doesn’t tense when The Smile returns.
“I try, Master.” She sets her cup down on the table and- there. “It has come to my attention that the Council is aware of my and Anakin’s marriage.”
“As is anyone who has been around Skywalker for any amount of time in the past two years,” he replies dryly because really. Subtlety is not a trait Anakin Skywalker possesses. “I fail to see how that led to me being here, however.”
Amidala doesn’t respond for a second and he sees a flicker of emotion pass over her face, too quick to tell what it is.
“Am I to assume, then, that the Jedi will not… object? To our relationship?”
He gives in to the urge to rise an eyebrow at her.
“Is there a reason we should be objecting?”
This makes her pause. She narrows her eyes at him.
“Isn’t this kind of attachment forbidden for Jedi?”
“Attachment is forbidden,” he retorts. “A Jedi’s commitment must always be to the protection of life and the Force first and foremost. Attachments - for example, a typical marriage - go against that and so it is heavily discouraged. But there are no rules that explicitly forbid it, no.”
He doesn’t mention the exceptions to this non-rule, such as Ki-Adi-Mundi, since she must be aware of them already.
Amidala is almost obviously frowning now. As she takes a moment to think his words over, Mace takes another sip of his tea. She seems to come to some kind of conclusion because her expression smooths out and she looks him dead in the eyes.
“Master Windu, so there are no misunderstandings between us, what I am asking is this: if we publicly announce our marriage, will you or will you not expel Anakin from the Order?”
Now he rises both of his eyebrows at her. “I will be doing nothing. If the Council is given reason to think that Knight Skywalker is not doing his duty as a Jedi, he will be asked to make a choice to either recommit to the Jedi or to leave. Forcefully expelling people from the Order is a rare measure, Senator, and one only used in truly extreme cases.” And because he can already see the next question and it has been on his mind a lot lately, he continues in a slightly less rigid tone. “While it’s true that such an announcement will not make either you or him friends among the more traditionally inclined parts of the Order, it’s hardly like there aren’t other Jedi in relationships. I’m sure you are aware of Master Secura and Commander Bly’s announcement?”
Amidala looks amused at his description of the event. It is probably stretching it to call Aayla and Bly making out obviously and loudly in front of the Senate building in view of over a dozen reporters an ‘announcement’ but it’s not like he can say it like that; he has a reputation to preserve.
“I have, yes, and I see your point,” she says and smiles a more true smile. “Thank you for your time, Master.”
He nods gravely and sets his empty teacup on the table. “Thank you for the excellent tea, Senator.”
And because he just might be a bit of a bastard, he adds as he’s leaving:
“Do tell Skywalker that if he’s going to attempt to keep a secret, he should be less obvious about having a secret to hide. And to talk to Kenobi already, he’s going to wear a hole in the floor if he keeps pacing.”
The door closes behind him but not fast enough to cut off Amidala’s laugh.
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azenta · 4 years ago
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Can you explain more what the reaction formation thing is like?
Reaction formation is that weird ass bitch defense mechanism that makes you react the opposite of how you feel. Very basically described, that's it. But it doesn't tell much on it's own why it acts this way.
Reaction formation happens when what you feel goes againt your beliefs or even values, especially in relation to yourself. Simply put, it's like emotion vs mind. When this happens, your ego is fast to pick up there is a contradiction in what you are feeling and what you believe is right. Your ego's job tho, is to protect your sense of self, and it does so by assuring coherence and logic with what youthink is right and true (core beliefs, fears, etc.). So, for that, it will thus make you act in a way to be coherent with your belief/value, to kinda balance out that wild "incorrect" emotion.
Example: Karen is a woman who always valued children and desired one. She always has been extremely caring and mothering with children or even with her closed one, as being caring is central value for her. If you love your closed one, then you'll care for them no matter what, is what she believes. So come the day where she finally got a child. Proud and happy, she is convinced she'll love her child like no other mother does. But as some may sometimes forget, it's not easy to take care of someone who entirely depends on you and do require you to make some sacrifice. 
It's been 6 months, it's 3 am, wednesday, it's the second week baby John keeps waking up at those impossible hours and won't shut until 4:30 am. Of course, Karen takes care of baby John. She is a good mother, and her husband needs sleep, because he works tomorrow while she doesn't. But Karen is exhausted. She barely have slept since those last couple of weeks, when she usually have a strict sleep schedule since years. It has been totally overthrown since Jonh is born. Actually, Karen feels angry, she is pissed and surprise herself swearing and getting mad at her baby. She wakes up her husband and ask him to take care of the baby or she "will throw him up the fucking wall". Karen's husband is not a selfish manchild retard and willingly offer help (🙃)
Morning comes and Karen is filled up with guilt. How could she, the most loveful mother of the whole planet, could not succeed to take care of her precious child?? How could she even dare think to throw her child on the wall??? This is where Reaction Formation happens. This thought is "Unforgivable" in Karen's view, even tho it totally speaks of how much her limits were crossed and how much she needed rest. The thought was extreme, but so were the urgency of her needs. It was a desperate way for her brain to tell her to STOP. But, Ego had another opinion, and Reaction Formation makes her do the complete goddamn opposite.
The next few days, Karen fully take responsibilty over the child, barely allow her "poor" husband that still works to get burdened with the child's "caprices", and even go as far as losing all remaining of sleep she had. She dedicates herself twice as more as she did. She totally sacrifice herself in other words. Because, "if you love your closed one, you'll care for them, no matter what". This includes her husband. She makes him breakfast, diner and supper, all while dedicating her whole self to the baby. Her husband is concerned and tries many time to offer help, or at the very least, to make the meals for them. But Karen strictly refuses, because she is a caring loving mother and wife. Karen keeps having more and more outburst of emotions and the cycles go downhill. She ends up suffering from depression which lead her to be incapacitated in taking care properly of baby John. Exactly because her beliefs are this much devastating, she ends up fulfilling her fear of being a bad mother ; uncaring for her loved one. 
She totally went against her feelings, even went against all her needs to an harmful extent, but respected what she believed right. This is what Formation Reaction can make someone do. The exact opposite of what they need.
This example is extreme and formation reaction can happen for more minor things or doesn't become always that destructive. But in 1s, 2s and 6s (superego type), this mechanism gets the most destructive, especially 2w1s and 1s overall (because of their overlap). As a fix, they'll also tax you and incline you more to this mechanism.
To make it much more simple, here is the list of the most to least likely to use Reaction Formation, regularly and at great length:
2w1 (image core kills you on sight)
1w2
1w9
2w3 
6w7
9w1
6w5
3w2
3w4
9w8
5w6
5w4
4w3
4w5
7w6
8w9
7w8
8w7
Tho, take this list as approximative, your fixes will make it vary considerably. An 8w7 with a 2w1 6w7 fix will be prone to formation reaction despite having a core that goes against the Formation Reaction principle.
A more minor example could be this: Elsa values harmony and tend to avoid conflict the most possible. She tends to dismiss things that can irritate her since she thinks she should "pick her fights" and so, not get reactive over everything she finds inappropriate. However, what she defines as conflict is more "disagreemets" than actual conflict, so she avoids disagreement the most possible. She believes staying unaffected and neutral is one of the best way to avoid any disagreement and that in general, when her needs cause those disagreement, it's basically wrong, since she should know "better" in how to manage her needs. But, she also highly care about her integrity and would not tolerate anyone disrespecting her. 
Andrew, her friend's roomate, noticed her coming out of her room and found her very beautiful, but he is socially awkward and therefore catcall her while winking clumsily at her as a way to make her know he finds her gorgeous. She gets extremely mad, even disgusted. She decides to remain cold, but make a weird smile at him even if uncomfortable as she doesn't want to make things too "conflicting", and also because "it's wrong to get mad over something so "minor" ", she is someone "calm and wiser than that". Therefore she represses her feelings of anger. She does something totally against her feeling, but that totally fulfill her beliefs.
Some of you can tell me all they want that: "Isn't that normal to dismiss some things like that?"
My answer is: If you dismiss your feelings and act at the opposite of it, like Elsa or Karen, then grats, you use reaction formation my dude. If you feel uncomfortable, you should communicate your discomfort. What matter is *HOW* you share it. The problem is never about "what" need or emotion you share, but rather how and when, because the other person might not be receptive. What tells you use reaction formation is the fact of doing something exactly the opposite of what you need, when you actually felt it. Like, Elsa smiling despite actually feeling uncomfortable. Or Karen needing rest but stubbornly denying it and doing twice as more. Because your beliefs tell you that the way to go is opposite to that feeling of yours.
The solution on the last example could be as simple as to ask Andrew wtf he is trying to do, because she is uneased, even mad by that. It would 1. tell Andrew his message really doesn't went through 2. It would therefore allow Andrew to know this wasn't socially wise and allow him the opportunity (that he might or might not seize) to learn a more appropriate way to communicate his own feelings (so more social skills) 3. And allow Elsa to respect her feelings(/herself) and so, her boundaries, all while remaining calm, without actually picking up a fight. 
Also, one of the insidious consequences of this mechanism is that your feeling is still quite loud and will come back at you even louder, as briefly mentioned in Karen's example. Therefore, it will reinforce the cycle in a negative way, like for Karen making her crash. While for Elsa, it is far less worse and she might draw a line more so in those cases because she also holds a belief about respect. But, Elsa might start thinking men are even more gross instead of actually taking up her space, and Karen that she is a failure for being unable to do anything anymore.
This mechanism is easier to understand when you experimented it, and if your type is low into the list mentioned above, it might still be confusing or eluding you. Tho, know that horrid shit exist and if you know someone with those types, then keep it in mind and validate their feelings and needs. And if you noticed that shit in you, then the key to it is to go against what you believe is right, because if it requires you to go against your needs, then it is FALSE AND WRONG.
Last thing at my @id type, your desires and your needs are two different things, learn the difference because that's why you acting on your """needs""" always end up wrong. Because it was a mere fucking desire.
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fedeipox · 4 years ago
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The Way of Time (Rdr2 fanfic) - Chapter 6 (3/3)
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Part 1 here: https://fedeipox.tumblr.com/post/640021017292636160/the-way-of-time-rdr2-fanfic-chapter-6-13
Part 2 here: https://fedeipox.tumblr.com/post/640495394492710912/the-way-of-time-rdr2-fanfic-chapter-6-23
Chapter 6 (3/3) - Gifts
Words: 3k
Molly was probably able to hide all those bad feelings from the other people in camp, but she couldn’t hide them from Emily: she was good with emotions, and in reading poetry. However, she had talked too much, again, and she felt mortified for how Molly had treated her. Walking around with the weight of regret on her chest, she ended up in front of her tent where Mary-Beth was still reading and Tilly was washing some clothes.
“Hello, girls. Do you need help, Tilly?”
“No, I’m almost done.”
“Is it still that book? The one with the man who wants to visit the moon?” she asked to Mary-Beth.
“Ah-ah” she affirmed. 
Emily had soon found out that her books were boring and foolish, but she tried not to point it out to avoid insulting Mary-Beth. Besides, she had only three and she kept reading them again and again.
“How did the job go?” she asked to Emily.
“Good, I’ve made some money, so now I can buy you some other book. Something more interesting.”
“This one is not so bad. You have never wondered what goes on, on the moon?” “What should go on, on the moon? It’s a big cold rock.”
Mary-Beth widened her eyes.
“How do you know? You’ve been there?”
“No, of course not, but other people have.”
“You mean there’s folks living up there?”
Emily laughed, but then she saw Mary-Beth’s half hurt half curious face and decided to explain to her what apparently she didn’t know, that the moon couldn’t be colonized because there was no air and that men could only go up there with spaceships and space suits that allowed them to breathe.
“I’ve never heard of any of that” said Tilly.
“That’s because you have to wait until 1969 for that to happen.”
“So much time? We’ll probably never see that” replied a disconsolate Mary-Beth.
“But I can tell you everything about that, so it’s like you’ve lived that” Emily tried to cheer her up.
“Hey, what are you talking about?” asked Karen walking closer.
“The moon!” exclaimed Mary-Beth.
“Puff, again with your stupid fantasies?”
“It’s not a fantasy. Emily says we will walk on the moon one day.”
“Is that so? And how you expect to reach it? Riding a winged unicorn?”
Emily summoned all her patience and started explaining how Armstrong had been the first man to ever walk on the moon, how space rockets worked - without going into details that even she didn’t know, of course - and especially what gravity was, a new bizarre concept for the three girls.
“How the hell can you know all these things?” asked Karen who in spite of herself had started to get interested in what she was saying. 
“I learned them, at school.”
“Are girls allowed to learn these things at school?” asked Tilly.
“Of course. We learn everything.”
“That sounds great. Can you bring me with you when you go back? The future looks so much better than now” said Mary-Beth.
Emily giggled but almost immediately she turned serious. 
“If I’ll ever go back.”
...
The next morning Emily had an insistent itch on her head, and she perfectly knew the reason for that: a week, a week without a shower, a week without touching water. As she walked across the camp to reach Mr. Pearson’s kitchen and take some biscuits, scratching her head vigorously, she wondered how could those people live without washing everyday. It was humanly impossible. 
“Morning, Miss Emily!” thundered Pearson with his big scratchy voice. Emily was getting used to it, he was a sort of morning alarm clock for her.
“Morning.”
“Some big plan for today?”
“Yes, washing” she murmured.
“Aah nothing better than a good bath.”
She couldn’t but agree, the only problem was: who she might have asked for a ride in town? Taking a couple of biscuits and with that question buzzing in her head she started walking around camp. Charles was her first choice, he was the one she trusted most there, so she went looking for him. Only after a couple of minutes of empty roaming she learned that he was out hunting, so her choice moved on Lenny.
“I’m on guard duty. I can’t leave my place.”
“Never mind, I’ll ask someone else.”
Javier? He was still asleep. He had had the guard turn that night. Uncle? He found an excuse not to lift his ass from the piece of shadow under which he was seated, drinking from his bottle. Dutch? Never. Bill? Emily wanted to bath in water, not in blood. In the end, she thought about Hosea. The last thing she wanted to do was disturb him, but she had no other choice, that was becoming a matter of life or death and she couldn’t delay it anymore.
“Morning, my dear” the man said when she reached him.
“Morning, Hosea” she murmured and left a slight kiss on his cheek, a habit she had taken in those days and to which Hosea still hadn’t become accustomed. 
“How are you?” he asked a little embarrassed.
“Fine. I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
“What do you need?”
“I…” “Gentlemen, I’m going to Valentine for a little business.”
Emily turned around when she recognized Mr. Strauss’ voice and she fixed her eyes on the little man with the tiny glasses, walking quickly with his back bent and his ledger tightened to his chest.
She hadn’t even taken him in consideration, but after all, she didn’t mind with whom she was riding, she just needed someone who brought her to town and then back to camp. She turned again to look at Hosea and said a hasted “never mind” before she ran to Mr. Strauss.
“Good Morning, Mr. Strauss.”
“Morning, Miss Richardson.”
“You said you’re going to town. Do you mind taking me with you?”
“No, if you can keep the pace.”
“The pace? Y-you don’t… I thought you were taking a horse.” “I don’t ride horses, Miss, I walk. If that is a problem for you, you can go with someone else.”
“N-no no, it’s not a problem. I can walk.” “Good. Keep up the pace.” Without a wagon nor a horse, the little path that leaded out of the wood and on the main road seemed endless. Besides, Emily couldn’t fill the time with words because, let’s be honest, what kind of conversation could she have with Strauss? And only when they emerged from the trees she found the courage to ask him something.
“So, why don’t you ride horses?” 
“I don’t like them.”
Emily raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had just found something in common with the person she thought to be the most different from her. 
“Oh, well, you know, I don’t like horses, either. I can’t understand why they find them so interesting.”
“They’re easy and fast transportation.”
“Yes.”
Silence fell as they kept walking. Mr. Strauss had spoken the truth, he really had a fast pace, he almost ran with those short and skinny legs and Emily found it really difficult to keep up. For a second she wondered what was he going to do in town, but then she glanced at that ledger he tightened to his chest like a new born and realized that probably he was going there for some debts.
“Are you going to Valentine to recollect some money?”
“Lending.” “To whom?”
“I reckon you’re asking just to make conversation, but if you don’t mind I’d rather keep the names of my clients for myself.”
“Alright” Emily whispered and lowered her head. She was starting to regret her choice. Hosea would nave been a far better conversation partner.
“I know what you all think of me” said Mr. Strauss suddenly.
“Excuse me?”
“You think that what I do is disgusting, but if you think about it, compared to what other people do, my job is not so terrible. After all I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t do anything which is not inside the limits of the law.”
Emily kept looking at him with wide eyes asking herself where all that was coming from. She had never questioned his “profession”, she had never spoken about it, nor expressed a judgement to his person. How could she express a judgement on a money lender in a camp of criminals? And, how could the others in camp express a judgement on him? After all, Mr. Strauss was right, they were thieves and murderers, and if they really despised him for the usury, they were a bunch of hypocrites. 
“I don’t think you do anything wrong Mr. Strauss. You lend people money and then ask it back with interests. You’re like a private bank.”
“I’m glad you are such an open minded type, Miss.”
“Who knows, maybe with your job you also help some people. If someone is in extreme need of money and you lend them some, you might save their lives.”
Mr. Strauss looked at her for a moment, a second really, before he fixed his eyes again on the road.
“I don’t understand you, Miss. You look perfectly sane but at the same time you insist on that deluded story of the time travel.”
Emily huffed. It was time to try and convince him too. And she tried, for all the way to Valentine she tried convincing Strauss that she wasn’t crazy, but she couldn’t. That man was so firm and attached to his principles that she had to give up. 
They parted when they reached town, with the promise to meet again in front of the general store when they had finished to do what they had to do. Strauss walked down the main road while Emily aimed for the Hotel. Mary-Beth had told her she had to go there for a bath. She climbed the four steps of the porch and walked inside.
“Morning, Miss. How can I help you?” asked the man behind the counter.
“I’m here for a bath” she said with insecurity. 
“I’ll have it arranged for you” he said and walked down the corridor to his right. 
Emily took the opportunity to look around: the room was rather basic with no paintings on the walls nor carpets on the floor. After all, in a town like that, what kind of luxury could they have?
“They’re warming the water, Miss. If you want to sit down while you wait” said the man coming back from the corridor and pointing to a chair.
Emily sat on the green worn out cushion and waited patiently for the water to be warmed and in the mean time she wondered how they were doing it. Maybe making it boil on the fire before pouring it inside the bathtub, just like she had seen many times in the movies?
It was exactly what they were doing and she found it out only when they let her inside the candle lit room with no windows. The average large bathtub was in the centre, a sort of basin with a mirror stood right beside the door while on the back of the room there was a partition panel for clothes changing. On a little table beside the tub there was a big bar of creamy soap and a brownish sponge, which she was sure she wasn’t going to touch. 
Emily looked around her carefully and then fixed her eyes on the piping hot water. For her all that was awful: wash in a copper bathtub, with a piece of soap that God knows how many people had touched, no towels, no carpets. But she had to do it or she was sure that in a couple of days she would have got fleas. 
Slowly and unsurely she undressed herself and dipped in the water. The lack of other kinds of soaps made her understand that in 1899 people made no distinction between shampoo and body soap, so she took the bar on the table and melted it in the water and, in the end, the general feeling wasn’t as bad as she expected. 
She made sure to wash her hair carefully, who knew when she had had the chance to wash them again, but she tried not to spend too much time just in case Strauss had got bored of waiting for her and had chosen to go away and leave her there. But when she finished, dressed up again in a hurry, quickly gave a look at herself in the mirror, ran outside the room, paid the man his twenty-five cents and walked out of the Hotel, she didn’t find him waiting out of the general store, and that meant he wasn’t done yet. She decided to cross the street and enter the store to have a look and maybe find something interesting. Now that she had her money, she could buy anything she wanted.
“Hello there. Nice to see you again, Miss” said the owner when he recognized her.
“And you too, Mister. Do you have any books?”
“On the top shelf, up there” he said pointing a finger to the corner of the room.
He really hadn’t a big selection of books and most of them were unknown for Emily, but eventually she found what she was looking for.
“I’ll take this” she said leaving the little red book on the counter together with a couple of chocolate bars.
“Tess of the d’Ubervilles. What is this? Some kind of silly romantic novel?”
“No, it’s the story of a fallen woman who commits murder and in the end she’s hanged” she replied with a little annoyance. Did she look like someone who liked silly romantic novels?
“Well, not exactly the kind of reading for a lady” he laughed.
“But it perfectly represents the patriarchal repression that 19th century society had on women and the wrongs of a hierarchical mindset.” The man’s eyes widened and an imperceptible “oh” left his lips, but he hadn’t understood a word she had said.
“I-is that all?” he asked pointing at her purchases. 
“Yes.” 
She paid for the book and the chocolate and left the store. Right when she stepped outside she saw Mr. Strauss walking down the muddy street with a man following him and gesturing widely with his arms. Emily left the porch and reached the two of them, being careful not to walk too closer: the last thing she wanted was to stick her nose in Strauss’ affairs, but the two of them were talking so loudly she could perfectly hear them even if she had waited on the other side of the street.
“I have already told you Mr. Downes: you have a week.”
“B-but Mr. Strauss I have a family, I’m about to lose my house a-and…”
The man stopped to cough, bending on his knees and grasping Strauss’ arm who withdrew with a disgusted face. 
“P-please, Mr. Strauss. I need some more time. Kindness… kindness will always be repaid. Be kind to me, please.” Strauss tightened his ledger to his chest and looked at the man with no trace of mercy on his face.
“You have one week” he repeated before he walked away. 
With a sorry glance at the poor man, Emily reached Strauss and the two of them took the road back to camp. 
“These cheap do-gooders are the worst. They believe that because they are benevolent with their neighbor everything is due to them. I have rules in my job, I expect everybody to follow them, with no exceptions.”
“Aren’t people who do good usually selfless?” asked Emily.
“I don’t get involved in matters of good and evil. That is a job for priests. All I care about is feed the mouths in camp, and the only thing I’m good at are numbers.”
Emily thought that he was a little harsh and insensible, but she couldn’t say he was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t the goal the problem, but the means. 
“You could try and… give him some more time. He looked kind of desperate.”
“I can’t delay a payment. If something happens and we are forced to flee, I won’t be able to recollect the money. And two weeks are more than an appropriate amount of time to collect thirty-four dollars.”
Just like it had happened with Javier and Dutch, Emily couldn’t find anything to reply. That man had his way of doing things, all the reasons to do so and no intention to change his mind, which meant that argue with him was impossible. 
The road back was made of scattered questions and long silences, but Emily didn’t mind too much. She was clean, she was smelling of soap, she had brought chocolate and she was in a great mood. Now, following Strauss’ fast pace wasn’t a problem anymore, on the contrary, it was Strauss turn to follow the girl, who was almost running. 
“Alright, thank you for bringing me with you Mr. Strauss” she said when they got to camp.
“No trouble.”
Emily ran to her tent where Mary-Beth was reading, as always. Anyway, Emily was surprised to find Tilly reading too. Not that Tilly didn’t like reading, but she preferred to avoid Mary-Beth’s silly stories.
“You can put down that thing, my friend. I bought you this” said Emily showing her the new book.
“What is it about?” asked a surprised Mary-Beth taking the book and reading the title.
“Just read it. It’s a little different from what you’re used to, but it will make you understand some things. And there is a love story in the middle.”
“Have you read it?” 
“A long time ago.”
“What do you mean ‘a little different’?” asked Tilly.
“It’s a little… dark sometimes.”
“Good, I like dark things. Can I read it too?”
“Sure, you can all read it. I reckon Karen will also like it” replied Emily opening one of the chocolate bars to take a piece.
“Karen doesn’t like romantic stories” said Mary-Beth.
“Who said it’s a romantic story? Chocolate?”
“Yeah, I’ll take some” replied Tilly stretching out a hand.
“You said there is a love story in the middle” stated Mary-Beth frowning.
“Ah-ah.”
“How… how can love not be romantic?”
“You’ll be surprised.”
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laetro · 3 years ago
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Brie Schmida: Visual Storytelling Through her Illustrations
Visual Storytelling is an art on its own. Several factors determine the effectiveness of the narration of an artwork, such as composition, lighting and colours. And narrating a story solely through a character is even more challenging. Brie Schmida, a visual storyteller, character designer and illustrator, reveals essential factors that aid in successful visual narration and brilliant character design.
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Based in California, United States, Brie Schmida is an illustrator, visual storyteller and character designer. Her immense love for storytelling and ardent passion for art can be witnessed through her colourful, quirky and jovial artworks. Graduate from Academy of Art University in B. A Illustration, Brie is currently working as a freelance illustrator.
ORDER A CUSTOM ILLUSTRATION
Q. What inspired you to embark on this journey to become an illustrator?
Brie Schmida: I probably wouldn’t have become an illustrator if I hadn’t been in a horseback riding accident in my early teens. The resulting spinal condition took eight years to cure, and I turned to one of the only non-active things I could do, art. It kept me sane. This is such an enjoyable process that now that I am well, I never want to stop.
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Q. What are some of the highs and lows that you’ve faced as an illustrator and visual development artist?
Brie Schmida: Health issues were undoubtedly a significant hurdle. On bad days, I remember laying on the bed, trying to draw. Apart from this, I believe that I am way too hard on myself. I constantly remind myself that others are not privy to my thoughts and might not view my work with similar criticisms. One of the best moments so far has been attending my first Lightbox Expo. I had the opportunity to meet several renowned artists and even made some fast friends there. The artist community is so welcoming and supportive.
Q. What does your daily routine look like?
Brie Schmida: I live on a farm, and so, there’s always something different going on in every season! I work for six to eight hours every day, with occasional snuggle breaks with baby goats or my cat Pickle. Since leaving pieces unfinished irks me, I sometimes spend a little longer on my work. I am not a night owl at all! Once 5 pm rolls around, I go for a walk, enjoy dinner with my family, an episode of a BBC drama and a nice book before bed. On weekends I work in the garden, visit my grandparents, and do various farm activities, namely, snuggling baby goats.
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Q. What are some of the critical factors in visual storytelling through illustrations?
Brie Schmida: Outside of critical things like composition, colour, character design, emotion and such, it is essential to have either a bit of whimsy or a bit of nostalgia in the piece. People are drawn to the artworks that they can relate to or those that capture their imagination. Visual storytelling is about creating an entire narrative that can stand on its own without a description. It is about capturing a single moment. An illustration must make the audience wonder about the character and story. Storytelling is all about the anticipation of what’s to come.
Q. The characters that you design portray fascinating personalities and narrate a story on their own. How do you achieve this? How can one subtly portray a character’s personality through design?
Brie Schmida:A character’s personality is a complex combination of their inner thoughts and feelings. This is portrayed through the character’s expression, body language and clothes. If a character is shy, they might not adorn bright, vibrant, attention-grabbing garments. If a character is grouchy, they won’t be sketched with a warm, inviting smile. These can often be understood through keen observation of people around us. There’s a lot you can tell about a person without speaking to them at all.
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Q. How vital is a composition in a visual narrative? Could you kindly share a few techniques to improve composition?
Brie Schmida: Composition is extremely important. This is a vast field with an ocean of knowledge, and therefore, I cannot claim to be an expert since I am yet to explore all of its immense depth. However, I often emphasise the importance of ‘value to create a focal point’, ‘contrast’, ‘line of action’ and ‘use of colour’ to my students. These are a few basic techniques to improve composition. I recently learned about the W Composition used since the Renaissance, and it blew my mind! I also explored the aesthetic principles of Shape Composition, which was equally exhilarating.
Q. What kind of story do you like the most?
Brie Schmida:I love stories which sport solid character development and storyline. Pretty visuals are only secondary. One of my recent favourite animated films that sported excellent character development, storyline and stunning visuals was Klaus. I also enjoy stories with historical elements where I can learn about a new culture or historical event. And, of course, those stories that completely surprise you with their ingenuity. Inception is probably that film for me.
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Q. What is the one thing that you really look forward to doing someday in your career?
Brie Schmida:Apart from always drawing and designing, I would really like to direct one film. Just one. I know exactly which film it will be, and I really hope that day comes. Since I began my career during the pandemic, I am also looking forward to interacting with a team in person.
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Q. According to you, what are the key features of an ideal client?
Brie Schmida: In my opinion, an ideal client can either explain clearly what they want or is willing to brainstorm with me to get there. It is difficult when the clients are vague about their preferences and get frustrated when the end product doesn’t turn out as they envision. An ideal client is someone who is excited about the project and open to suggestions. It is fun to work with a passionate person.
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beevean · 5 years ago
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Sonic and speed: are we misunderstanding them?
This article was originally written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik​ on his blog - you can read it here!
Today on SHP, I’d like to bring attention to a topic that I keep noticing being discussed everywhere (especially now during quarantine), and that somehow worries me: are we misunderstanding Sonic and his characteristic speed?
During these last few weeks there has been a new, relatively unusual explosion of videos and comments on the Internet regarding Sonic and, relevant for today, what is the best game or the best level. The simplest reason has to be the lockdown we’re going through, and which is leaving us with more time to play or think about those games we want to play, or never will. On the other hand, the most cynical side of me believes that this boom of Sonic-related content is because Game Apologist’s video about S3&K and Sonic in general was so popular, it sparked the “interest” of other creators (the video itself is great, and I elaborated my opinions on it here). Whatever the case, there is a greater discussion about Sonic going on right now, and I feel like it’s not directed where it should be.
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Before starting: there are a bunch of videos that helped me shape a good part of the opinions I’m going to explain today. You don’t need to watch all of them, and they’re not mandatory to fully understand this article, but if after reading it you’re left wanting for more, or you’d like to hear different options, I’d recommend you watch these:
1.     Sonic and Speed (Errant Signal)
2.     The First Levels of Sonic Games (Super Bunnyhop)
3.     SONIC the HEDGEHOG: How Level Design Can Break a Game (Broken Base Gaming)
4.     How Sonic Mania Makes a Level (RelaxAlax)
5.     City Escape is Peak Sonic Game Design (ZoomZike)
6.     Lost Valley Is Not Peak Sonic Game Design (ZoomZike)
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What is the problem?
In a series as big and ever-changing as Sonic’s, there is a wide repertory of formulas and possible answers to the question “how to design a game?”. In some cases we’re still looking for an answer, in others we’re looking for alternatives (I talked not too long ago about the accessibility of Sonic Mania and 2D Sonic in general – Spanish only!), and most of the time, the answer has already been given in the past.
This looking for answers in the past has taken us in many directions, like constantly looking back to Sonic Adventure to solve the great enigma that is 3D Sonic; but I’d add that the recent retrospectives about Sonic and its first 2D games have raised some criticism and questions that, while valid, end up muddling a formula that has proven itself to be effective and crucial in the design of everything related to Sonic.
What really worried me is the criticism about Sonic’s speed and the levels that are considered “slow”, and we’re going to delve into this.
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The basic Principles of Sonic
Speed. Platforming. Exploration. These are Sonic’s basic Principles and have always been, from its beginning until today. These three concepts are at the core of not just the level design, but the games themselves as well. The best levels in the series know how to balance these aspects, and the best games are those that can keep a balanced flow, preventing the game from going too fast, and losing its exciting component along the way, or from going too slow and becoming boring, causing the player to lose interest. Naturally, in these games there have to be all sorts  of levels: faster, more relaxed, more open and more labyrinthine, all coexisting in harmony and without going too far in one direction. Ignoring these Principles puts the quality of the levels at risk, and even our understanding of the character.
I would have put my own examples here, but just before starting to write this section I got some wonderful ones from Beevean. If you don’t remember her, she helped a lot with the article about the music of Classic Sonic, and I already warned her that if she kept posting examples this good, I would have had no choice but to feature her again. The discussion started from this post, and she says:
If you approach Sonic thinking its only characteristic is “gotta go fast”, the game you’re gonna get is Advance 2. The very flat, boring, “there’s no way to put normal obstacles in these levels so we’re gonna throw bottomless pits at the player until they get sick of them” Advance 2.
Some fast levels can be awful - Stardust Speedway is a disaster from a level design standpoint and the whole level seems to work against you. Some slow levels can be super fun - you rarely run in Lava Reef and you spend most of the time dodging obstables, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most beloved levels in S3&K. There’s no arbitrary reason that separates “good” levels from “bad” levels, it’s an amalgamation of many factors - plus of course your personal enjoyment.
And in her tags (because we both include more information in our tags than in our posts) she adds:
The levels that are widely considered bad usually put too much focus on one of the factors you mentioned.
Marble Zone is too slow and linear.
Luminous Forest is too fast and linear.
The Doom and Lost Impact are too labyrinthine.
And so on.
My personal example is Sonic Mania and its progression during the mid-game, from Flying Battery to Mirage Saloon:
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Flying Battery is a long level, filled to the brim with speed and emotions, especially during Act 2. After beating the boss, the player is likely going to feeling exhausted after being thrown left and right, and so…
The following level is Press Garden. Act 1 is a relatively closed and relaxed level, but still moving at a reasonable pace. If the player is familiar with the level they can finish it quickly, but they still can take their time appreciating the view of the printing and the machinery of the zone. Act 2 enhances this, with an absolutely lovely view and an active but still relaxed flow…
Then there’s Stardust Speedway, which is divided into two completely opposite acts. Act 1 is a relatively fast level, but very relaxed and almost a Zen-like experience when the player lets himself be carried away by the starry night sky, and with a relative absence of lights or discomfort on the screen (enemies and obstacles aside). Act 2 is the other way around, a largely colorful, explosive, fast level (to the point that I, anything but a speedrunner, managed to finish the level in 31 seconds, 2:10 minutes if you include the fight with Metal Sonic), culminating in one of the longest, most intense bosses in the game that marks the halfway point of the adventure…
After such an exciting journey, the next level is Hydrocity, once again split in half with a calmer, more exploration-oriented Act 1, and an Act 2 that, similarly to the original level, is one of the most adrenaline-filled water levels in the series. The boss is intense as well, but verging on being tedious and not nearly as fast as the level itself…
And finally, Mirage Saloon. Every version of Act 1, regardless of the quality, are there to set up Act 2, a largely open, fast-paced level.
In short, the Mania experience is made of peaks and valleys of emotions and adrenaline, keeping the game to a reasonable pace and with a good dose of speed, exploration and platforming. The player can break the flow anytime to look for Giant Rings and other hidden goodies, and that doesn’t ruin the charm of the level. In the same way, the faster levels require the player to be familiar with them and to know how to platform to get the best results, without giving you free speed like it’s not worth it (looking at you, Advance 2).
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Even the worst levels have the chance to redeem themselves, like for example Labyrinth Zone in the “Misfit Pack” Mania mod.
 Breaking the Principles.
When a level or a game breaks the balance for too long, it might become too easy (the infamous “hold right to win”), too boring (the most common argument against Sonic 1 because of levels like Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone), or too obtuse (the criticism against Sonic CD). The key word is “for too long”, as Beevean already explained how levels that prioritize one thing over the others can still be considered good stages by the majority of the fandom (example: Lava Reef, and I’d add Spring Yard and Final Egg).
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As I said before, Mania shows us how there are levels that prioritize certain aspects, but only for a few minutes at a time. Mirage Saloon Act 1 for Sonic and Tails may be a slow, boring level, but it’s only 3 minutes long in a game that lasts 2-4 hours. Same goes for Carnival Night Act 2, a long, tedious level, but that is still a 4-9 minutes long interval before getting back on track with Ice Cap and Launch Base.
3D Sonic is a much more complicated situation, as every game has its pros and cons. Adventure 1 is one of the games that experiments the most with the Principles in a 3D plane, but it breaks the flow of the stages with the plot and hubs worlds to explore (which are pretty divisive even to this day; for the record, on this blog we’re pro hubs). Adventure 2 gets rid of the time-wasting hubs but each character focuses on one Principle at the time: Sonic and Shadow focus almost exclusively on speed with some platforming, Tails and Eggman on action and platforming, and Knuckles and Rouge are all about exploration (and RNG…). Sonic Unleashed does pretty much the same, just reintroducing the hub worlds, while Sonic Generations is at its core a balanced mix of speed, platforming and exploring (plus a much smaller hub between levels), and… well, I think I made myself clear. 3D Sonic is a mess of ideas that orbit around the fundamental Principles, but that for some reason are never kept consistent between games.
Going back to utterly breaking the Principles, there’s one level above all that destroys every one of those extremes, never taking the middle road and without worrying at all about what players might think of it. This level is…
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Eggmanland
If Sonic Mania is a clear example of a relatively balanced flow, in its mid-game at least, Eggmanland may be the biggest example of what happens when each and every one of the Principles is taken to its extremes. Let me explain:
Speed: Eggmanland can be both too fast for the player to react, between QTE and super quick jumps that may lead to your death if you’re not fast enough (and you rarely will), or too slow of a slog to navigate (the long Werehog sections).
Platforming: Eggmanland can have too much tricky precision platforming, made even harder due to a lack of a drop shade (the second Werehog section is infamous for this), or it can throw stretches where you do almost nothing but hold X and maybe go through a QTE, which if failed lead to your death once again; at worst you have to wait, which sends us back to our previous point.
Exploration: Eggmanland can be a giant, confusing labyrinth (there is no shortage of stories of player getting lost in this behemoth of a level), and at the same time it can have some long linear room to room progression, separated by doors about as fast as Big the Cat.
I should say that, despite all of this, I love Eggmanland a lot, and same goes for Beevean; but this is something that has to do with what we mentioned before, personal preference. From a technical standpoint, and according to many players, Eggmanland is an absolute nightmare.
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Are we misunderstanding Sonic?
Going back to the central topic of this article, I believe that I put enough emphasis on the importance of balance in Sonic, so let’s go back to the previous question: what is the problem?
In short, I disagree with the voices that call for redirecting Sonic towards “fast”, adrenaline-filled stages. These people, with their own retrospective, are doing some sort of revisionism with Sonic levels, automatically branding levels that aren’t as fast as others as “bad”. We’re ignoring the true value of platforming and exploring the levels, and the perception of the character is at risk.
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Like Beevean said, looking at Sonic just as “gotta go fast” is, plain and simple, absurd. Sonic is much more than this restless teenager that, just like that movie with the bus, if he doesn’t run at speeds higher than 90 mph his heart will stop. Yes, going fast is a big part of his initial appealing and his way of life (“My stories only end when I stop running”); but when Sonic’s speed is brought up in these discussions, the rest of what makes the character is left outside: how much he admires nature and how much he likes to take a rest every now and then before the next adventure. Sonic OVA, Sonic Adventure, Sonic X and even Sonic Lost World’s ending show that Sonic is not just speed, but also rest, curiosity, exploration. There are even cases where the journey and the friends and memories made along the way are much more important than the destiny itself (Sonic Heroes, Sonic Unleashed), and on several occasions it’s been shown as an actual weakness of the character the fact that he would act recklessly and under the influence of the fateful “gotta go fast”. This aspect of Sonic’s attitude might probably be product of the aggressive marketing campaigns this character endured (ever since the Genesis “Blast Processing”), but it doesn’t tell the whole story, and it’s unacceptable to enforce this line of thought over everything we know about the character.
And to end this long section where I was hinting at one of the most important points of one of the most thoughtful games of the series, let’s not forget that Sonic is pretty aware that everything has a beginning and an end, because that’s the Nature’s way of things and we have to live life at its fullest, for it is finite. Running at top speed is just one of many ways Sonic lives his life, and his eyes will forever be filled, not so much with speed, but with curiosity.
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Conclusions
To recap this long article, let’s remember that
Speed, Platforming and Exploration are the three basic Sonic Principles. The momentum in the games comes from the interaction between these elements.
Speed is not something that’s delivered for the sake of being delivered: it usually is a reward or an incentive to keep the player interested, engaged and excited for what’s to come.
Breaking the Principles impacts the experience of the game in many aspects… unless you’re Eggmanland and you’re breaking every single Principle in one level anyway.
To narrow Sonic down to just “speed” is to ignore everything else that this character represents. “Gotta go fast” is a facet of his design and personality, but not the only one.
Starting from this, we can sit down and discuss about “good” and “bad” levels in the series all day long, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Now that we’re about to discover what’s next for the series, I believe it’s important to clarify what Sonic represents in every stage, so that with some luck we can see better consistency and quality in his future adventures.
Speaking of this last point, I just remembered The Geek Critique’s series of Sonic retrospectives, another series of videos that inspired me and I found enlightening. Do you guys remember the videos I linked to at the beginning? Well, it’s time for you to watch them :P (if you want to, of course)
(I’d like to thank Beevean again for suggesting the best examples I could have needed. Seriously, she helped much more than it looks)
What do you guys think? What is the ideal Sonic level, and why? Do you agree that Sonic is much more than a speedy blue hedgehog? In the meantime, we’re hopefully going to see each other very soon. See you next time!
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I feel this theme is strangely fitting to conclude this article, lol
~
After the Spanish article was posted, I reblogged with this:
To add something more, I was chatting with a friend of mine who pointed out that, for all the talk in the fandom that we want to see less linear levels, most of the fan favorites are pretty linear - Ice Cap, Speed Highway, City Escape, Rooftop Run… I told him that yeah, linearity isn’t a synonym of bad level design because linear levels can still be enjoyable: with these particular cases, what makes them different from a random Lost Valley is that they have other elements that make them stand out (snowboarding, running down a skyscraper, skateboarding through San Francisco, climbing the Big Ben…). Plus they have something to compensate for the linearity, like fluid platforming.
In the case of Ice Cap and Speed Highway, there’s also a contrast between their halves: IC Act 1 is cramped and heavy on platforming, while Act 2 is much faster and without many obstacles, almost as a reward; Speed Highway starts out as fast and exhiliarating, with little platforming getting in the way of running, but the At Dawn section is a short open space, to let the player catch their breath, to the point that even the music and the aesthetic are much more relaxed. So, as you said, the balance is kept, and when you add a memorable setting and music, you have a great level in your hands.
Thank you @latin-dr-robotnik​ for giving me the permission to post this! I just had to translate this fascinating article to share it with everyone :>
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leahlikesbread · 4 years ago
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