#best nail art 2018

[erikahenningsen]

more prompts because i am eating up every single thing you write i love making it 2018 again: 10 or 31

10. “Teach me how to play?”

Regina hasn't been in Janis's garage in years.

It's almost exactly how she remembers it: the worn couch, the art supplies strewn everywhere, their organization a method known only to Janis.

And, on a stool next to an easel, Janis—strumming on her guitar.

"Hey," Regina says, stepping over a box of what looks like dolls and stuffed animals.

Janis looks up, her fingers stilling. "Hey?" she says, looking a little confused.

"You left your jacket at Gretchen's house last night," Regina says, holding up the denim jacket with the elaborately painted back, which she had found thrown across a couch while helping Gretchen clean up after yesterday's party.

Nobody needs to know that, in the privacy of her room, Regina had slipped her arms into the sleeves and admired the jacket, taking secret thrill in how it smelled like Janis's perfume.

"Oh," Janis says, looking surprised. "Thanks. I forgot about that."

"I figured," Regina says, "since, you know. I have it and you don't."

Internally, Regina cringes a little, but Janis just looks amused. She starts strumming the guitar again, and jerks her chin in the direction of a chair a few feet away. "You can leave it there. Thanks."

Regina slides the jacket over the back of the chair and lingers, a little awkwardly, not sure if she should leave now that she's accomplished her task.

"What are you playing?" Regina asks.

"Just some song Damian and I were writing for fun," Janis says, smiling a little. "Tentatively titled 'A Cautionary Tale.'"

"It's catchy," Regina offers.

"Thanks."

Regina remembers weekends in middle school spent in this garage, Janis's fingers clumsily feeling out chords on the guitar she had just been gifted for her birthday. Regina had always wanted to learn, but she didn't want to break her nails.

Today, Regina can't believe how silly some of her priorities were when she was younger. What else had her insecurities caused her to miss out on?

"Teach me how to play?" Regina asks, the words leaving her mouth before she can think too hard about them.

Janis's fingers still. "Really?"

"Um," Regina says, "yes?"

"Well... okay," Janis says, gesturing for Regina to sit, and then handing her the guitar. "I'll teach you a couple chords."

Regina settles her arms around the instrument, letting Janis move the fingers on her left hand on the right strings. She's so close Regina can hear her breathing, smell the same perfume that had lingered on the jacket, can see where Janis's eyeliner has smudged a little in the corner of her left eye.

"And then you..." Janis lifts Regina's right wrist, dragging her fingers across the strings. The guitar sings the opening strains of the song Janis had just been playing, and Regina tries to ignore how it feels like sparks are zipping up her arm from where Janis is touching her.

"There you go," Janis says, looking pleased, and Regina reflexively smiles back, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

"Stay tuned for my EP," Regina jokes, and when Janis laughs, it's the best sound she's heard in a long time.

Regina almost doesn't notice when the nail on her right middle finger breaks.

Almost.

[kylesplayhouse]

So since my South Park fixation is back in full swing, I figured it was time to properly introduce my New Kid oc, Flava!

This little guy means everything to me, I know that sounds really cheesy to say, but this goofball has genuinely changed my life for the better.

Unfortunately I had never really delved into what all my OC is about until now, so strap in y’all because I have a LOT so say & share about this guy!

Preamble

Flava was created waaaay back in 2018 by my old friend @shin-holly after they whipped up a design in TFBW’s character creation, he looked MUCH different than he does now, as was his lore (which is a whole different thing entirely)

Throughout the years Flava underwent many different design changes as I got better with my art when I transitioned to using MediBang Paint around late 2020. His main idea however stayed relatively the same; A kid who had an interest for Outer Space and the unknown.

Since then i’ve been workshopping what his relationships are with the canon cast as well as his personality, which to be honest I hadn’t even BEGUN to think about thoroughly until 2022.

I’m happy to announce that now, I am fully confident in what this guy’s character is like and what kind of friendships he has with everybody!

Some Info about The Boy™️

10-11 years old

He’s transgender, primarily using He/Him (he also uses they/them occasionally). As a younger kid Flava had always known he was a bit…different from the other kids, and strangely felt unhappy about himself for reasons he couldn’t figure out. Then one day, during a library trip, Flava stumbled into the health section and discovered a book about Transgender youth, then everything made sense to him. Flava wouldn’t tell his mom about how he felt until he had just turned 10 years old

Has an older brother named Niiko. He’s 18 and still in his sophomore year of high school, having been held back due to doing really stupid shit, he loves Flava to death & tries to get him involved in his schemes. He loves grunge culture and frequently binges nu-metal and rock music, his favorite bands are Primus and Nine Inch Nails.

Flava’s friend circle is nerdy at best, with his best friend being Clyde. The duo end up goofing around often, Clyde being the prime instigator 99% of the time. Some other notable pals of his are Kevin, Scott, Kyle(?), Red, Pip, and Gregory. (Last two are important)

Personality is varied, at best Flava can be described as soft due to having such a calm nature to him. Growing up, Flava never had any friends so he is largely an outsider, most people who do talk to him leave after 5 minutes of him infodumping. Other than that, Flava is a very chill person to be around and is more than willing to talk to anyone he deems friendly enough.

He has two pets: Shadow🚺 and Sparky🚹 (Not to be confused with THE Sparky). Shadow is a two year old leucistic Reticulated Python who originally belonged to Niiko, but was moved to Flava’s room due to its bigger size, while Sparky is a 4 month old mixed breed (border collie/husky/german shepherd?). He was given to Flava as a Christmas present by Niiko, he’s extremely playful & loves belly rubs.

Interests

Space

As implied by his alternate costume, Flava loves outer space and all of its planets, his favorites are Neptune and Saturn. It’s probably the one thing everyone knows him for, as Flava talks about it almost every day, he can and will infodump about all the facts he knows about it and the latest news from NASA as he follows their website closely. You might even catch this guy stargazing late at night with his telescope, looking at the sky for hours.

Herpetology (Study of Reptiles and Amphibians)

Flava’s also engaged in learning about reptiles, this stemmed from falling down a rabbit hole while trying to read about snake care when Shadow was moved to his room, lately he’s into dragons, having now read all of Wings of Fire MULTIPLE times.

Art

Flava is a pretty doodle-y guy, he’s especially crafty with scrapbooks and notes. He’ll draw whatever comes to mind really, sometimes its his friends doing epic stunts (Clyde sometimes pays Flava 3 dollars to draw him.), other time its abstract shapes, Flava’s favorite thing to draw though is what the surface of planets look like up close. He considers himself a professional artist, and hopes to one day get his art featured in a museum.

As for hobbies outside of stargazing, Flava takes an interest in hockey, he often trains with Niiko at home, although Niiko is a bit aggressive with his techniques as he’s more experienced with it, Flava actually does use this aggressive himself in full games, this leads to his team getting shockingly good scoring and sometimes even winning.

If it sounds like Flava is absolutely perfect and is a “Mary Sue”, don’t worry because this fella has a few issues, most notably is his anger problem. If you push him enough, Flava will snap and punch you with as much force as a 10 year old boy possibly can. He tends to lash out at people who piss him off or think know better, Kyle being a prime example of this, as the two squabble a lot and appear to have a rivalry of sorts.

Flava also has a tendency to be pretty bad at reading the room, not understanding the context of the situation at hand.

Alter Egos

Kid Dragon

Our kickass “Warrior of the Skies”, Kid Dragon! (Also called KD by his friends)

He’s a brutalist class fighter who uses close proximity attacks with his fists and teeth, in his Ultimate Attack “Dragon Lord Flame Fist” KD is possessed with the full power of The Lord of Dragons and is able to completely K.O one enemy at the cost of losing a lot of health, surrounding enemies are slowed down for 2 turns.

KD is a loner, meaning he doesn’t belong to the Freedom Pals or Coon & Friends, in his words he “doesn’t want to deal with squabbling.” He does team up missions with Mosquito though.

Finnizaar of the 7 Forests

Finnizaar is a hulder/snow elf hybrid, a species of his own creation. Considered the last of his kind, Finnizaar wanders the woods as he awaits to find his true calling.

He’s a fighter that primarily uses animals to attack as he claims to communicate with them, one such being his trusty “heavenly snake familiar.” In one of his attacks Finnizaar reveals his back, a hole filled with gems (which is definitely not a shitty tattoo Niiko gave him that may or may not have been put there permanently…oops), the sight of such hypnotizes enemies and causes them to hurt themselves.

He seems rather fond of Princess Kenny for some reason..

Relationships

Now we’re getting to my favorite part of this post, the relationships!!!

As mentioned previously, Flava had no friends before his family moved to South Park as he’d been homeschooled for 3 grades before starting public at South Park Elementary in 3rd grade. He’s a very isolated kid in his first few months there as he doesn’t know anybody & also is trying to come off as more masculine as a boy so if he slips something up there’s a chance he might be made fun of.

He slowly but surely finds his friends, though he also ends up finding enemies there too.

Clyde

Flava’s first and probably closest friend, they met on the playground at school one day and kind of clicked from there. They build off each other due to their general awkwardness to others and inability to look cooler than they actually are. Clyde tends to gossip to Flava a lot and since he can’t keep quiet on things he kinda spills it to the people Clyde’s talking about, never really ends well for either of them.

Scott

Same reason as Clyde for why they became friends, they just kinda met each other and eventually hit things off. Scott often invites him for sleepovers, which Flava immediately accepts every time because he knows Scott has the best snacks at his house.

Red

These two weren’t actually friends originally, they met in Drama Club and were always partnered up as stagehands, Red was always mildly annoyed with Flava but she never said anything, much like Clyde she eventually came around to gossiping to Flava about girl drama & such. Flava would get closer since he liked her apparent edginesses and not a complete “girly girl.”

Kevin

It’s kind of obvious as to why these guys are friends. Kevin has infodumped all of Star Wars lore to Flava a lot, he doesn’t want him to watch the newer movies though. They also tend to argue about whether Pluto is a planet or not.

Kyle

This one’s a little complicated so here we go.

Flava shares the same classroom as Kyle as well as his other friends, and it seems like he and Kyle would be friends too, and they are…kind of.

Flava is actually extremely jealous of Kyle, as he represents all of the things Flava wants to be but feels he can’t: Smart, reliable, and cohesive, all things that Flava can’t 100% do because of things out of his control. It’s frustrating for him to see Kyle or even hear him out because it feels as though Kyle is just saying words and wonders if he means what he actually says. They argue a lot due to conflicting differences of opinions and Kyle’s tendency to think better of himself.

Despite this, Flava does respect Kyle in a lot of ways and will stand up for him, if just because he knows at the end of the day Kyle is right about a lot of things, even if those things do hurt.

Pip & Gregory (AKA the part I know some of you might be here for.)

Long ramble so here we go.

Pip (or Philly as Flava calls him) met Flava shortly after a pretty bad bullying incident, having been actually shoved in Flava’s locker of all places. Flava was very sympathetic to Pip and spent the rest of the school day talking to him, including eating lunch with him, he was one of the few kids to not actually mind Pip’s voice or his proper grammar. They’re besties now, about the same as Clyde, who begrudgingly accepts Pip as not to destroy the friendship he has with Flava, its a point of contention for the two.

Gregory is complicated, but in a much different way than Kyle is.

Flava cannot help but feel..weirdly enamored by Gregory? He’s got this charm to him that Flava hasn’t ever felt with anyone else before, not even his Mom. He feels really close to Gregory in a way he can’t describe except for just…love. The two are also best friends, though Gregory is completely unaware of Flava’s true feelings for him. Flava wants to do something to make Gregory notice him, but he hasn’t exactly figured out what to do yet.

Fun facts!!

Flava’s mother, Freya, is part Scandanavian since her grandparents grew up in Europe. She’s a pharmacist and works at a drug store part time, her main job is selling herbal remedies online, she makes bank doing so. She’s declined Randy’s offer to collaborate on selling weed infusion medicine multiple times.

It’s actually kind of rare to see Flava without his big fluffy hat on his head, he uses it primarily to hide his hair which he feels extremely self conscious about, he doesn’t want to cut it but he worries people will make fun of him for how long it is, the hat does a good job at hiding it.

Flava’s nickname doesn’t mean anything, its just a goofy word he thought fit his real name Finnegan pretty well. (It’s pronounced Flah-Vuh, not Flay-Vah if anyone was curious)

He’s a very tactile dude, he often stims with his hands and likes feeling soft & silky textures. Things like Gregory’s button up when he holds his arm help Flava focus.

They actually designed their costumes themselves!

He can memorize the entire script of his favorite movie ever: 2001 A Space Odyssey

His original full name was “Flava Lavalamp Fluff”

Flava was also originally shipped with Connor, a very minor character from the episode “South Park is Gay.” I have no idea why i got so attached to him 😭

Although some elements of Flava are based on me, he is NOT a self insert!

Hey!! If you made it this far, thanks so so so so soooooo much for reading this! I had a blast explaining this guy out & drawing him some new references, this is probably the most definitive description you’ll see of Flava so I doubt much will change for him in the future.

And i already said it but I’ll say it again: This guy literally changed my life for the better.

Doing everything that i’ve done with Flava thus far has taught me one thing: Cringe Culture, or being “Mary Sue” or having “overpowered” characters don’t really matter because at the end of the day, they are YOURS and yours alone. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, its your world and you get to make your little guys and do whatever the hell you want with them

Basically, do what you want and don’t let anyone try to tell you what’s right or wrong with making an OC, you’ll feel much better when you just do what you want, regardless of what fandom you’re in.

[oddygaul]

Arcane, S2

I feel the same way about Arcane’s second season as I did about its first: absolutely gorgeous, groundbreaking animation and art, hand-in-hand with incredibly uneven pacing & character writing. But I want to be absolutely clear, here, because sometimes I think I tend to emphasize the negative: Arcane is so consistently and gobsmackingly visually stunning that it’s a treat to watch, no matter my misgivings about its other aspects.

Seriously, it’s still hard for me to fathom that this show looks this good, and is this consistent. To produce 8 feature films worth of animation, and look better than nearly every feature film, is a staggering feat. Given that Arcane S1 dropped in 2021, it’d be easy to peg it as another work inspired by 2018’s breakout Into the Spider-Verse – it certainly shares a lot of visual similarities with that style. But while it’s definitely a part of this movement, and has similar aesthetic goals to the Spider-verse films or Alberto Mielgo’s work, Fortiche has been honing in on this style for nearly a decade.

2013’s Get Jinxed already features Fortiche’s trademark heavy 2D effects animation, as well as matte painted environments; the biggest difference is that the models are rendered in a more traditional 3D style, with more realistic soft lighting and less stylized texturing. Their Rocket & Groot shows experimentation with a more saturated palette and flat lighting, while 2018’s Pop/Stars short applies those same efforts to character models more in line with their current style. The music video for Rise, released later that year, stylistically, might as well be from Arcane: the 2D FX take center stage, the cinematography employs a much more dramatic approach, and the compositing work that manages to corral Fortiche’s 3D models, flat environment painting, modeled backgrounds, and effects into one cohesive look has reached its apex. Right on time for production of Arcane to get fully underway!

Anyway, I just think it’s neat that the two titans of this emerging school of 3D animation seem to be a case of convergent evolution, rather than chasing each other's success.

Is there any point to enumerating why Arcane's visuals are so amazing? I can give it a shot, I guess.

All of the models are great, and the flat textures + lighting trick is still unmatched. The layouts are incredibly clean – even in the midst of the thickest action, what’s going on is never unclear. The background work is drop-dead gorgeous, whether it’s the frequent, lavish matte paintings or the 3D environments with some of the best damn compositing I’ve ever seen. The action animation is kinetic as hell, with energetic, exaggerated keyframes and creative choreography; these are further bolstered by Fortiche’s stellar 2D effects work, which is omnipresent and adds a fluid, organic touch to the aesthetic. The impressive action sequences are not done at the expense of the rest of the show, though, as even the most staid dialogue scenes are filled with interesting camerawork and emotive character acting. And as if nailing their own incredible house style wasn’t enough, in S2 the team has decided to take on a whole litany of alternate styles and techniques, from charcoal and watercolor montages, to the duplication realspace glitching of anomaly-afflicted hextech, to the wild galactic vistas and monolithic demon fortresses of Viktor’s subconscious.

This season also really makes me appreciate how much leeway Fortiche was given with the character designs. Viktor, for example, is almost early-2000s-comic-adaptation level different from his source material, but he now fits into the world more seamlessly, both visually and narratively, than the half-baked cyborg mad scientist ever did. Outside of Vander, whose transformation into a pseudo-Warwick feels incredibly forced, all the character designs feel more cohesive and mature than they ever did in the game. Plus, it’s wild to see women from League of Legends that actually have distinct, recognizable faces. Turns out all Riot needed to do to get rid of sameface once and for all was produce a multimillion dollar animated series.

even the background characters are cool as hell! look at this smoldering bat man!

it's unconscionable how hot they made Viktor this season btw. I think it's all the emotional availability that really does it for me

As for the rest, well… as before, it’s a mixed bag. The characterization is better than it was in the back half of season one, at least, in that each character’s motivations don’t wildly vacillate from scene to scene. The dialogue, while not particularly memorable outside of occasional quips like “bitchmittens”, is decent enough. The pacing and plotting in this season, though, holy shit… it’s absolutely lightning-fast, and rarely does any narrative development feel like it’s given the time it needs to make sense.

Entire plotlines are wrapped up without much ado so that new ones can be started. After Jinx and Vi’s big confrontation in Act 1, they more or less make up over the course of an in-universe hour the very next time they run into each other. The pivot from Viktor as wizard Jesus to Viktor as world-ending villain is not sold well at all – this is the sort of shift that, in a typical story, would have an inciting incident or tragedy to prove to all involved parties that he must be taken seriously. Instead, Jayce holds one council meeting and tells the gathered citizens that he was attacked by a single robot; after hearing this, everyone collectively agrees the threat is so dire, they’ll need to forget Piltover and Zaun’s long-bubbling enmity and impending war, and band together. Arcane is simply trying to fit too many characters and too many arcs into too little time; characters like Singed and Vanderwick, in particular, feel like they were included as a reference to fans rather than to serve the narrative.

The wild thing is, despite such slapdash plotting, the big emotional beats almost always land. Even if there isn’t appropriate build-up, even if what’s going on doesn’t make much sense, the story’s most climactic moments are always girded by such strong animation, impactful cinematography, and vibey music that you feel what they wanted you to feel anyway. It’s funny; much has been said about the comical lack of subtlety in Arcane’s music sequences, and while these complaints are totally valid, the simple fact is that often Arcane is at its best when it drops the melodramatic dialogue scenes and just decides to be a music video for five minutes.

Somewhat gallingly, Fortiche also proves that they know exactly how to fix these storytelling issues, if only they had the time to do so: in Pretend Like It’s the First Time, the season’s stellar seventh episode, the pace is slowed way down, the scope is narrowed to just two points of view, and the characters and narrative are given much-needed room to breathe. This is what Arcane is missing, I think. The big moments always land, but it’s the small moments in between, the moments that let us take it easy and get to know the characters during their day-to-day lives, that Arcane could use more of.

Anyway, this show is a visual feast, and I appreciate the obsessive levels of care and craft put into it by the creators. As far as I’m concerned, League’s lore, concept art, and worldbuilding have always been more interesting than the game itself ever was, so it’s nice to see a project that’s finally leveraging those strengths.

[moonshinemusings]

Random TF 141 + friends headcanons (Pt.4)

Warnings: mentions of drinking

• Rodolfo was that one kid who thought chocolate milk came from brown cows. Alejandro constantly teased him about it for years

• You know those protein bars you can buy at like every corner store? Yeah, Gaz hates them with passion and would rather starve than eat one

• As a kid, König only ate apples if they were cut into slices

• Soap particularly loved painting when he was a kid, the passion for arts has always been present in his life

• If Farah didn't do what she does as a living, she'd love to have her nails done professionally. She's always loved the idea of low-key but well-made and beautiful pieces, but never had the chance to wear them

• Valeria only uses one specific brand of nail polish. That's the only one she trusts and knows won't get ruined, even when doing stuff she usually does (running errands etc)

• The iPhone morning alarm sound gives Gaz heart attacks no matter how many times he hears it. It's literally the flashback meme for him

• Laswell doesn't like driving. She does travel by car to work and usually she's the one behind the wheel when going somewhere with her wife (she's an acts of service type of person), but she doesn't particularly enjoy it

• Rodolfo hates strong smells like gasoline or bleach. Naturally he got used to them fast, but that doesn't mean they don't bother his nose

• König has the full collection of those colorful McDonald's glasses (the Fifa World Cup 2018 ones)

• Ghost rarely drinks to begin with, but he has a specific dislike for beer. Don't know where it came from, he just doesn't like the taste

• Nikolai has such a high alcohol tolerance there isn't anyone who comes near his level on the team. The closest anyone has ever been to beating him was when Price and Laswell managed to keep up with him for a while, but then both of them ended up knocked out on the counter. Nik had to take them home and the next day he didn't stop teasing them about it

• Back to my Hay Day dumbassery for a second - somehow Valeria's level passed everyone in a couple of weeks and you better believe Alejandro was super jealous. Unsurprisingly, Soap and Gaz also argued about it

• Horangi didn't even know the game until he saw König play one day. The latter finds it quite relaxing, especially because of the animals and chance to decorate. He's that one player who has a bunch of decorations all over his farm, somehow looking horribly out of place yet put together at the same time. He's also the friend who helps with requests and does the best he can at Valley season. He feels bad every time he can't feed his animals, so he always makes sure he has every crop and component needed for stuff he has to make. Sometimes the game stresses him out like that, but it's mostly to help his mind relax

• Horangi forgets to play a lot to be honest. He only started because König begged him until he gave in, but he can't be bothered enough to play all the time when off duty. Even then, his farm is simple but effective: buys only the stuff he needs and doesn't really care about additional details (yes, König takes offense to how plain his game looks)

[my-taelicious-kookie]

(ch.4) NORMALITY | jjk high school AU

preview: jungkook did not join the dance club.

"Why?? What's so important that you'd rather do something else on Tuesday evening?" Maria asked, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and disappointment.

"Taekwondo," he replied simply. "I gotta do it, man. I need to learn how to defend myself." Jungkook's tone was matter-of-fact, and there was a determination in his eyes that Maria couldn't argue with.

She was disappointed but managed a small nod. Self-defense indeed was more important than dancing. Perhaps she should try it, too? The idea flashed through her mind, but she dismissed it just as quickly. Nah, she was hardly built for martial arts, and the thought of kicking and punching wasn't nearly as appealing as dance.

"Don't be sad," he said, noticing her expression. "I'd still love to dance with you sometime! Just... maybe not every week."

Maria brightened up at this, however still disappointed . She let out a faked excited "Okay!" before they parted ways. She walked to her assigned seat, casting a glance back at him. Assigned seats in high school? Yeah right, she literally had more freedom in junior high. But here she was, seated in the back corner of the class as the tallest girl in 10D, with Jungkook, being the tallest guy, sadly on the opposite side of the room, also at the back.

"It's fine," she thought optimistically. "I'll still get a chance to dance with him sometime."

October 2018

Semester 1 came and went, and Maria still hadn't danced with Jungkook. She was frustrated, but over time, that frustration faded, and she refocused on her own dance team. She was no longer holding out for that one magical moment with him and had invested her energy in her team instead. Jayda, Brenda, Delilah, and Dina made up her core group—some of her now closest friends. Some, however, was a different story - like Angela.

From day one, she seemed cold toward Maria, and no amount of friendliness could break through. Was it Maria's loud personality? The fact that she was considered second-best next to Jayda? Or maybe Angela's short-bitch-syndrome had something to do with it? Maria had no clue—and frankly, she didn't care. She put her energy where it mattered: toward the people she actually cared about.

During one rehearsal, Coach Carlo clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone, listen up! We're in a bit of a time crunch here," he began. "We've got just three weeks left of rehearsals. Then it's finals week. And then comes the performance."

The class nodded, some looking more anxious than others.

"So, realistically, you've got two weeks of rehearsal," Carlo continued. "I expect you all to use that third week to prepare for exams."

Maria knew she should have cared more about exams—her grades were important, and her mom, Ana, certainly wouldn't let her forget that. But, honestly, it was hard to focus on studying. All she wanted was to nail her performance, to make an impression on Jungkook, that is if he decided to show up. Her motivation for academics was sinking fast, a fact that would definitely not sit well with Ana. Still, she pushed those thoughts aside, driven by the anticipation of the performance.

November 2018

The day of the Myshuno Showcase, part of the school's open day activities, arrived. The school was buzzing with energy and everyone seemed so excited, excited to have no class for the day—except Maria. She couldn't shake the feeling that the team's piece was outdated. A Michael Jackson medley? Sure, he was a legend, but would a crowd of teenagers and young kids even appreciate it, let alone convince them to choose to study here? She bit her lip, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as the MC took the stage.

"Give it up for Myshuno High's own dance team, The Floor Breakers!"

"Eugh, cringe," Brenda muttered under her breath, standing just behind Maria.

"I know, right? I hate the Michael Jackson concept," Maria whispered back.

"Oh, that too. But I was talking about our team name."

Maria's eyes widened. "What? You little shit, I picked that-!"

"MARIA! BRENDA! FOCUS!" Carlo's voice boomed from behind the curtains, and the girls stifled their giggles, glancing at each other sheepishly.

Brenda had little to no love for Carlo, finding him pompous and snobbish—his teaching style full of contradictions that drove her nuts. He was basically a little bratty boy trapped in a man's body in Brenda's eyes. Maria, though, was more neutral. Sure, Carlo could be a little... odd. Like the time he'd wrapped his arm around her waist while they walked to the principal's office to get some paperwork approved for the showcase. At first, she'd thought it was a little strange, but he'd treated her like a favorite student, so she brushed it off as a harmless fatherly gesture... right? She was his favourite after all.

Finally, the music started. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough blared from the speakers, and Maria did what she did best: she danced her heart out. She didn't love the piece, but she was a performer, and no matter what, she'd put in her full effort. As she moved through the choreography, though, she couldn't help but feel let down by her teammates. The energy was low, their movements sluggish, and the overall vibe was flat. She knew she was giving it her all, but she felt like she was carrying the whole team.

And the crowd is... confused? Mixed expressions and mild claps followed each move, and Maria felt the weight of her disappointment settle heavier with each step. Her mind flicked back to Jungkook—whether he was watching or not—and her motivation faltered.

As the piece came to a close, Maria forced herself to finish strong, holding her final pose with a bright smile, even if her spirit wasn't in it. She glanced around the crowd, but to her relief—and her disappointment—she couldn't spot Jungkook. In a way, she was grateful he hadn't seen the lackluster performance. At least she'd been spared the embarrassment. Still, the whole experience left a sour taste in her mouth.

Backstage, as they came off, Maria turned to Brenda. "Well, that was... something."

Brenda rolled her eyes. "Literally, I'm gonna pretend this shit never happened."

"So real," Maria said, nodding as she mentally ticked off the performance from her list of "most awkward experiences."

Brenda couldn't help but notice that Maria's expression wasn't just disappointment—it was closer to devastation. She leaned in, her voice softer than usual.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Maria snapped out of her daze, pretending she hadn't heard her.

"I don't know, you look sad," Brenda pressed.

"Oh, yeah, no... it's just the dance," Maria muttered, her voice unconvincing.

"Don't lie to me. I saw you—your eyes were wandering just now." Brenda gave her a look, and Maria sighed.

"It's just... Jungkook," Maria admitted, her voice barely audible.

Brenda raised an eyebrow. "Oh my god, you're still hung up on that? It's been months, Maria. He's not joining the team."

Maria stared blankly, unable to hide her sadness. She didn't want to admit it, but Brenda's words hit a nerve.

Brenda smirked. "Erm... have you got a thing for him or something?"

Maria's eyes widened. She quickly shushed her, glancing around to make sure no one else could hear. It wasn't like she was ashamed, but she preferred to keep it quiet, to play things cool.

"Tch, should've known you love going outside your league," came a familiar, bitter voice. Angela. She'd been standing close enough to catch the last part of their conversation, her arms crossed and her expression smug. "Jungkook's dating a senior in my class, by the way. 11A. That's why he wasn't in the audience today. He's busy taking care of someone that actually matters to him."

"Bugger off, dickhead!"

With that, Angela spun on her heel and walked away, leaving Maria feeling like she'd just been punched in the stomach. She wished she was less of a people pleaser to speak up for herself more often.

"Could that be true?" Maria whispered to Brenda, her face etched with disbelief.

Brenda shrugged. "I dunno, I'm not exactly social enough to know that stuff."

"Yeah, but... who could it be? And why does it have to be one of our seniors?" Maria let out an annoyed sigh.

"Who cares, bruh. He's not all that," Brenda replied, trying to brush it off.

"Not all that?" Maria raised an eyebrow. "Who would you even prefer to go after?"

"Easy. Chris Hemsworth."

Maria laughed. "Uh-huh, you do realize he's, like, 35?"

"So?" Brenda grinned, completely unbothered.

"So... not very attainable."

Brenda shot her a mischievous look. "Pfft, like you didn't attain Carlo just fine."

Maria's eyes went wide as she realized what Brenda was referring to. That one time Carlo had wrapped his arm around her waist on the way to the principal's office had apparently not gone unnoticed. Brenda definitely didn't know the context.

"Oh my god, Brenda, no! You don't get it, that was nothing!"

"Uh-huh," Brenda teased, nudging her... not so playfully.

Maria let out an exasperated sigh, but she couldn't help laughing. The whole situation with Jungkook, the weirdness of Carlo, even Angela's sharp remarks—it all felt a little less heavy when she had Brenda by her side, at least Maria thought. Maybe she should let go of some of the things she couldn't control.

"No seriously, it's hella creepy. You need to stop that man-child before he does anything worse." Brenda sternly said, gasping on Maria's shoulders firmly.

Maria laughed it off, not realising how manipulated she had been. And unfortunately for her, this is enough information for Angela.

< prev chapter

next chapter >

[vodid]

my toxic trait is looking at your art and thinking that i could do that too. everytime i try drawing Transformers it ends up lookin like a pile of metal that got ran over by two semi trucks blasted to cybertron and back then got the shit beaten out of it by Optimus Prime himself 😭

but fr though, how do you do it? like what kinds of shapes are they made of? how do all their weird alien metal parts move?

what may work for my style might not for you, as i've unfortunately learned through my years of yearning for/trying out another artist's skill, and that's okay. but i am very honored to be that kind of artist to you 💗 beating yourself up for not being like me won't help you, though 🥹 your art is great, regardless of if it looks like mine or not. i'm going on 7 years of doing this after all! (also i started with bayverse of all things 😵)

and honestly, a lot of it is just experimenting and finding what's right for you, what you need to improve/improvise on, and what you want out of your art. for me, i found that i have a very difficult time actually getting that sharp, blocky industrial style of robots down and eventually opted for a more organic, squishier look. but i do maintain their proportions as they're wildly different from a human's ghsdfsjs

you're already off to a great start doing exactly what i did to learn: redrawing screenshots from the shows. i learned most of what i know from tfp, with a lot of bayverse and g1 mixed in there. it took me about two years of that before i felt confident enough to start making original art consistently. it takes time (and tbf, i was still learning how to art in general when i started. so you really are off to a great start)

this is the kind of art i made in 2017:

massively different from my art now, right? through all these screenshots, i'd test out new ways to draw and color. at one point, every piece i made was trying something new. and it was okay if it didn't work out. means i know what not to do next time lol generally though, i'd NEVER do lineart. i mostly focused on building up my sketching and coloring skills, as seen here in my 2018 art:

and that kind of fucked me over for life so now i am left with painting over the sketch 😂 i digress though

in all honesty i've spent my entire art career figuring out how the fuck all their weird alien metal parts move 💀 a lot of it is BSing, some is recycling the same poses to make things easier on yourself and the rest is studying studying studying. cannot tell you the amount of times i've rewatched certain bayverse scenes frame by frame to figure out how all their parts move in tandem — i still don't know! 😅 g1 was a nightmare to figure out because of its blocky simplicity and limited range of motion. it's still a struggle to this day haha

it's really difficult how to explain how exactly i draw transformers, as it's just... something i do nowadays. there's not a ridiculous amount of thought put into it since i've built up my skill. but here's generally how i sketch their bodies and what shapes i use:

the first is slightly different as its a more detailed approach than g1 so just imagine the arms are a little rounder — "marshmallow," as my brother would call it — like the sketches in the second (even if those are a little more advanced in the process than the first)

my best advice to you is to learn their proportions and articulation via redrawing screenshots — various ones! i chose the most dynamic poses for my megatron practices in 2018 to nail it in my head lol but yes shows like tfp and earthspark are great for that (you could probably even do with looking at the storyboard animations for earthspark to help!)

and remember, i'm still learning too! i'm not gonna pretend like i know what i'm doing. but i'm glad i inspire you :)

[sunriseverse]

💚 Green and 🖤 Black and 🤎 Brown

💚 Green: Do you ever feel inspired by and/or jealous of other people's writing?

inspired, yes; jealous, no. maybe when i was younger, and my technical skills were more lacking—my writing isn't the best thing in the world, but what i have now makes me happy. i've had a lot of opportunities to grow and improve, and i've come to a place that i am content with. sometimes i see other people being really, really good at something (comedy, for one) and wish idly that i were better in that way, but mostly it just encourages me to hone my own skills, because maybe someday someone will look at my writing and go, oh, i want to be like that.

🖤 Black: Do you think about your story when you're not physically writing it? Does it help with plotting scenes, character arcs, etc.?

a better question is "when am i ever not thinking about my writing?" which has a very clear answer: never. there is not a single moment in my life that i'm not thinking about my writing—in part because it's a special interest of mine, and thus underpines my very existence, and part because, well, it's what i spend most of my free time doing. it pervades my every waking moment—even those that aren't "nice"; i've had more than one breakdown and had an analytic part of me go, oh, i know how to nail that emotional beat in my project now! it permeates beyond that, too—i dream about my writing, and even though this isn't very conducive to, well, actually making progress on things since i rarely remember the exact details of my dreams, but it certainly adds to the "living, breathing writing" mindset i've unintentionally tricked myself into. if i'm not writing, i'm thinking about writing, or drawing art for my writing, or talking to my friends about my writing, or, or, or. you get the picture.

🤎 Brown: How did you decide to write (or why are you writing) a certain fanfic?

going to take this as a moment to be wildly self-indulgent and talk about sunrise—my darling, my heart, my reason for existence, if we want to be sentimental. what initially started off as a silly pacrim fusion (as i am wont to do—show me a fandom i've been in post-2018 that i haven't written a pacrim au for, i dare you) accidentally gained, uh, 10k+ in lore, 14k+ in actual established canon, and an uncountable amount more to be written as i have the time. it is the pinnacle of self-indulgence, combining half a dozen of my interests—pacific rim, the yuan and ming dynasties, especially the wanli era, science fiction, eldritch somethings, the horrifying exploration of autonomy, control, love, political strata upon political strata, tragic sibling dynamics, weird as fuck biological mutations in the vein of annihilation (terrible film, wonderful visuals), character design, love and trust as the only thing that can save the world, and more! i write this verse because it lives, quite literally, in a penthouse suite in my mind, and it's not leaving any time soon, and it's fun. also, because i can canonically say shit like "well, yes, they can tear you apart and rebuild you with massive amounts of futuristic tech, but no, there aren't any smartphones. also the ottoman empire took over most of europe"

thanks for the ask!

[rhenvs3000w23]

Unit 10: My Beliefs and Responsibilities as a Nature Interpreter

Hey everyone! Congratulations to us all on making it to our final discussion post :)

Though I have thought deeply about this throughout the course when reflecting on who I am as an interpreter, it is still hard to convey exactly what I would outline my personal ethics as.

To make it easier I wrote out some of my core beliefs and responsibilities in terms of what I would like to prioritize as an interpreter:

Respecting the natural world on both a large and small scale is absolutely vital, as a nature interpreter I shall practice and promote sustainability and love for all beings.

Acknowledging Indigenous practices on a local and national level, as reinforcing their influence on nature interpretation and environmental sciences is necessary to be an ethical, educated interpreter.

Connecting marginalized communities with opportunities in nature should be a priority of modern interpreters and thus cultivate a space where the nature interpretation community can become more accessible and diverse.

All of these ideas circle back to creating a space in nature that is filled with love, acceptance, and a constant willingness to learn and grow. I still have a long way to go in terms of education, and this course taught me many things about how to reflect on my own experiences. However, it is time for me to broaden my horizons in terms of what I know and don't know.

I believe the first point speaks for itself. Respect for all beings is something I am sure everyone reading this post understands. It is sometimes a barrier for nature interpreters to teach this gift without becoming frustrated as it seems to be such a clear concept. I haven’t yet cracked the code as to how to express how it feels to love all beings, but I will leave this point with an excerpt from a poem written by Mary Oliver. 

“May I be the tiniest nail in the house of the universe, tiny but useful. May I stay forever in the stream. May I look down upon the windflower and the bull thistle and the coreopsis with the greatest respect. [...] Stand [children] in the stream, head them upstream, rejoice as they learn to love this green space they live in, its sticks and leaves and then the silent, beautiful blossoms.

Attention is the beginning of devotion.” - Mary Oliver, Upstream

From here, I plan on seeking out educational work made by Indigenous people and broadening my knowledge. This is not only to ensure I understand the work done to tend the land I settle on, but Indigenous work is often the best way to learn. Our textbook preaches art and storytelling as a vital form of learning, and I think that it is important to note that this is best done through the stories passed through generations of Indigenous people as they have a connection to the land that is not easily understood by settlers. I hope to become a great storyteller, someone who can reflect on circumstances I have been through and use them to educate those around me. In doing so, I hope to learn more about myself, my journey in nature, and where I have yet to go.

A source I have found extraordinarily helpful in this journey has been Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings by Mary Siisip Geniusz. This is a wonderful, educational, and deeply connected book that not only teaches you how to identify some common plants but expands by telling you their uses and history through storytelling and the personal experiences of the author and her mentor. I cannot recommend this enough to those looking for inspired nature interpretation work based on plants!

The textbook provided me with many tools on how to approach interpreting Indigenous stories. Some recommendations that stuck with me include reapproaching the tense in which we discuss Indigenous people, history, and teachings (Beck et al. 2018). They are not a figment of history and their work is not primitive, it is vital that I keep this front of mind and actively change how I have learned to speak (Beck et al. 2018). 

The textbook describes a variety of barriers that factor into a lack of minority accessibility to outdoor spaces. These include economic, cultural, and communication-based barriers (Beck et al. 2018).  I think the textbook does a good job of introducing these concepts, however, I think it lacks an emphasis on doing research about your own community. The recommendations they provide are helpful as a general guideline but should include sourcing organizations in your area run by marginalized communities who can provide what you are looking for. For example, if I was looking to be a nature interpreter in Guelph, I could reach out to or direct prospective audiences to the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library. This is a library of resources and gear available to the BIPOC community in Guelph at no cost, the inventory they have covers camping, winterwear, and safety equipment. They also provide a series of workshops and community-based events at no cost to allow marginalized communities to learn natural skills like wildlife identification, camping 101, and guided hiking. 

If this interests any of you check them out here: https://www.bipocoutdoorgearlibrary.com/

Overall, I believe my beliefs and responsibilities will stay with me throughout my journey as a nature interpreter. There is always room to grow, stories to tell, and more importantly, stories to be heard. This course has provided me the foundation I need to become a better interpreter and hopefully a better person. I know I likely should have referenced more in this post, however I felt a strong call to just share how I felt and really recollect the textbook readings that stood out to me (I hope that is okay haha). 

Anyways, thank you all for a lovely semester! I wish you all the best. 

Rachel 

Reference

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018) Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Sagamore Venture.

[fettesans]

Left, photograph by Toby Coulson, Joan Jonas for Tate Magazine, 2018. Via. Right, photograph by Lukas Städler, editorial for (La) Horde, Age of Content, 2023. Via. Watch.

--

The girls never talk, preferring to let the diegetic sounds of their chosen fast-food joint fill the silence. But over the duration of each aesthetically riveting TikTok, anything can happen. Mangoes filled with ice cream grow on cactuses, whipped cream is plucked off the top of a drink and magicked away. With something for everyone (escapism meets foodie inspo meets cosplay meets mukbang meets ASMR meets comedy), they’re addictive. The girls are the best friends you wish you had. But are they mates or are they siblings? Are they family or are they dating? You want that drink, you want to know what the fuck is going on, you have to watch till the end. And then you watch another. (...)

It’s a bizarrely soothing experience, like watching someone divining the future from chicken bones in an internet age. For another video, they go pastoral. Munchie grinds an Oreo in a pestle and mortar then sprinkles the dust into a medium-sized pot of what appears to be dirt. Daintily, she digs into the biscuit-dust and pseudo-soil, then eats it. It has the same appeal as being a child and creating a potion, or actually eating earth in your garden.

Since starting 2girls1bottl3 on 15th September 2022, the props have gotten more elaborate: taller glasses, pinker drinks, the goops somehow goopier, the slimes and salts more involved, the themes campier, the nail art more intricate, more talon-like. While the cocktail assembly is still treated with blank-faced seriousness, there’s more surrounding slapstick. Munchie’s in the back going into mannequin mode. Munchie’s doggy paddling in a pool using a pink floaty. Munchie’s in a chicken shop wearing a chicken costume. Munchie’s wrapped in Christmas paper, emerging as a present. Like the work of any creative mavericks, M&M’s content has an instantly identifiable gloss.

Separately, the actions they do are nonsense, but together they become a pastiche of nonsense. What becomes clear in their symbolism is that we’re not in this world anymore. In our world, dirt isn’t edible. Entering Mixie and Munchie’s realm, you have the haunting sense of witnessing something important, peering through the veil and accidentally glimpsing something you’re too un-special to understand. (...)

They’re most comfortable defining themselves through their references. In the funniest 2girls1bottl3 video so far, the girls wear full black bodysuits in an homage to Kim and Kanye’s 2021 Met Gala Balenciaga moment (Munchie sniffs a fry through the suit). Paris and Nicole’s fingerprints are everywhere, from their velour hoodies to their fast food filming locations. The references keep coming: lifestyle content creator Avani Reyes is an inspiration, as is Euphoria, the Twilight saga, gyaru and other global subcultures, generally. ​“Japanese street style mag-azines like Fruits,” says Munchie.

If they ever filmed a movie, Munchie tells me it would be inspired by ​“this Japanese porn studio that gets all their girls dressed up in schoolgirl outfits. They do all these silent videos of them playing Jenga and doing yoga together. The way it’s shot is really creepy. It would be us doing mundane activities silently.”

Nicolaia Rips, from Who the hell are 2girls1bottl3?, for The Face, September 18, 2023.

[r0ttensunf]

ive heard closer when i was 10 years old, i wanted to sing it with my best friends in a school talent show... that was the first time that ive decided to take a "professional" take on an art project. some time later ive listened to eastside and that song caried me through 2018 wich was one of the most traumatic years of my life, i was fouding out about my bisexuality in a toxic household and toxic classroom in school had no one there for me but then i found out about you for real. Ive listened to strangers cause i knew lauren jauregui but something about you were diferent. I saw some videos about you instantly feel for your beauty (like a 12 yearold who just undertood she liked girls would) and as time passed your music stuck with me more and more. in 2019 i created fan accounts to post edits fanarts all of that for you i developed so much of my editting and desing and ilustration skills consuming your music. In the pandemic your album Manic changed everything for me. i was in my most depressive fase, stuck in my home with a mother who didnt knew how to deal with her daughters feelings and a dad who seam to not care. my mom would scream at me for crying to loud and for not beeing able to get out of bed to shower but hearing your music made me wipe my tears and smile. ive always had a troubled relationship with the idea of motherhood, i kinda still do, but when you annouced that you were pregnant it was the start of a change of vision for me making me see how trully beautiful beeing a mother can be. then iichliwp came out and what a piece of masterpiece that album is. within your whole discography every word you say seems to echo inside my chest following each beat. your lyrics been nailed in my bones since that first time i heard your voice in closer when i was 10. eventho i became a fan in 2018, those almost 6 years having you as a part of my life were lifechangimg. after my parents divorced i became closer to my dad because he would ask to listen to your songs with me in the car, last year he took me to your concert in sao paulo. Because of you im able now to see that motherhood doesnt have to be exaustimg and clonficted. because of you ive learned to not listen to shit about my gender, my sexuality and mostly about how i decide i want to be. Now, youre back realeasing the most vulnerable songs in your career and all i wanted more then ever was to give you the tightest hug. ive went to sleep hugging my pillow so many times wishing one day id be able to feel your arms around me to comfort me. But eventho my life is a mess now with the transition from adolence and adulthood with me becoming 18 this year, right now all i wanted was to give you a hug so i could confort you. i know i dont know you, but thats one of the prettiest parts, how youre able to make me the happiest girl in the world without even trading words with me. how youre able to get this part of me that no one else in the world can. ive liked other artists before, but as ive been growing up none of them stayed as strong as you do. when the end came out i skip school cause i couldnt stop crying. i was so scared of losing you. i cried the whole day and guess what? my dad was the first person to confort me, the same that who seemed to not care before you. im still so scared of losing you. Not just for me, but you have such a beautiful son, friends who love you and other fans who also care so deeply for you. ive cryied not only cause youre halsey, but also just as a person who has been through such a dificult battle all those years. we still know so little, but i cant express to you enough how deeply i care about you. im sorry if there were people who made you not belive in those words anymore, but for me i can asure you ill be here for your music, your art, your truth. youre so strong please know that there are milions of people out there who are proud of you. i cant even imagine how hard it must be not only to deal with health issues like this but also now publically. gosh i just wished i could do something.

My own fans are hands down meaner to me than any other people on the planet. Not speaking for all of you, of course. But it used to be just a minority that were awful to me and now it seems like a majority have only stuck around to chime in occasionally with their opinion of how much they hate me or how awful I am. it’s hard to want to engage in a space that is completely devoid of any kindness, sympathy, patience; or to be honest human decency. Especially after years of hiding from the interactions for fear that this EXACT thing would happen. I don’t know man. I almost lost my life. I am not gonna do anything that doesn’t make me happy anymore. I can’t spiritually afford it.

When I got sick all I could think about was getting better so I could come back and be a part of THIS again, but I don’t even know what *this* is anymore and I want to crawl in a hole and I regret coming back.

[leechongimages]

Best Nail Spa in Chinatown

Are you looking for the Best Nail Spa in Chinatown? Then contact them at Chio Studio, an esteemed nail salon established in 2018, nestled in the vibrant neighborhood of Chinatown. With a passion for creativity, they specialize in delivering unique and exquisite nail art that reflects your individual style.

[skillzme]

Problems with Smart Solutions [Infographic]

Facts and figures on smart cities efforts in the U.S. and the Infographic summarizing the status of smart in cities. This infographic points out the problems with Smart Solutions.

I found an infographic on Govtech which I thought we should take a look at. Back in 2018, they summarized the problems which are behind smart solutions for smart cities. The question I asked myself was, is this still the same in 2023? Well, let us look through the findings of 2018. The mentioned infographic, "The Status of Smart" focused on the 7 US cities and named also the 10 players in the field. Smart city solutions are typically designed to solve a host of issues common in urban areas across the U.S. From intelligent streetlights that monitor traffic from pedestrians, bicycles, cars, and more to sensors that monitor air quality, smart city leaders are using IoT (Internet of things) to make their communities more efficient and improve the value of personal life for residents.

Problems in Smart Solutions

To summarize the main problems which had been identified: - 83% of North Americans currently live in urban areas. - The typical job is accessible to only 27 percent of its workforce by transit in 90 minutes or less - 10% outdated traffic signal timing causes more than 10 percent of all traffic delays on major urban routes - Truck platooning using automated and connected vehicles could reduce truck CO2 emissions by 7 percent -  Trucks held up my metro area traffic and cost shippers $ 28 million each year in operating costs and fuel waste Rolling the clock forward into the year 2023, do these challenges and problems still exist? Reading across multiple sources we can nail it down to 3 big areas of improvement which are required. - Large project durations are set to 36 months which is too long to reach the state of efficiency - Budgets are exploding and targets get missed, setting budgets beyond $ 1.5 million is common - Benefits are not tangible for citizens, governments, researchers, or developers while using technology that may be outdated over 36 months Is there a solution on the way? Can we see a way to cut costs, cut time in delivery, or improve the use cases?

Smart Solutions by TR1ton

The company TR1ton developed over 7 years a wireless smart sensor technology which is tackling this area. No expensive wiring is required and the components are state of the art. 

By delivering smart sensors which can already execute decisions at the point of measurement, and combining sensors' signals decisions can be made smarter.

For example: If you want to see if the weather change affects commute travel time and motorists are at higher risk with the road condition we can combine sensor signal data to get more precise results. If the temperature sensors deliver a result of a 30% drop in temperature in one hour the wind speed increases by 10km/h over 1 hour, and air humidity indicates that ice formation is possible on the road you can take precise action. Now traffic telematic road signs can warn motorists about new weather conditions and road conditions. Let us take the sample from 2018 of outdated traffic signal timing: Since TR1ton smart endpoints (TR1ton endpoints combine 10 sensors and a smart intelligence unit in a single 40 mm x 40mm x 10 mm housing) can be programmed in a smart way to adjust and control a traffic light timing unit based on the volume of traffic participants, weather condition and maybe coming up traffic congestion, the result will be a better traffic flow. Traffic delays on urban routes can be avoided to the best, and CO2 can be reduced by keeping motorists in motion, reducing their waiting time. In our upcoming blog article we will take a closer look at TR1ton technology and point out in which areas saving potential will be in money and time.Skillz Middle East makes Digital Transformation happening for your company. We focus on the quick win to ensure Digital Marketing, e-learning, Web Meeting, Web Conferencing, Digital Signature, Digital Asset Management are ready to enhance your organization. Digital Marketing shall save money and bring a more efficient conversion for your brand and products. Read the full article

[beromtr]

How to Clean below Your Nails??

Our hands bear loads each day, and that we inevitably devour dirt and scrap below the nails. In a very 2018 study printed by the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical biology, it absolutely was found that an oversized proportion of individuals have coccus and Acinetobacter bacterium below their nails. If this isn’t a reason to travel urgh, we have a tendency to don’t apprehend what is! 

Improvement below our nails, then, is very important, however it must be done fastidiously as any injury to the skin may result in a very nasty infection. with the exception of the infection half, beautiful, looked-after hands and nails square measure the staple of a woman’s charm and magnificence and therefore the inspiration behind several poems concerning beauty. After all, Petrarca has ne'er written a piece of art galvanized by a woman’s dirty unkempt fingernails.

The simplest methodology to scrub below your nails is to use the tip of the decide on a try of nail clippers once your nails square measure dry. Removing dry scrap is way easier than once it’s wet. Then, employing a gentle soap and heat water, wash your hands totally. It’s perpetually best to avoid harsh paraben primarily based soaps as they will leave your nails brittle and dry.

Follow this by soaking your nails in a very bowl of heat, saponaceous water for one or two of minutes to melt them, then employing a nail brush, provide them a decent scrub. Dry them totally and apply some moisturizer.

There square measure one or two of particular hacks to stay your nails trying, and feeling, great.

Once every week, for superbly clean nails, false impression a paste of oxide and saleratus. Use concerning a pair of ½ tablespoons of leaven to one tablespoon of oxide and unfold the paste on high of, and beneath, your nails. Leave it on for one or two of minutes, then rinse and dry totally. lightening dentifrice will an equivalent job and is simpler, departure your nails smelling minty fresh!

If your nails look yellow, rub 0.5 a lemon over them once each few days. instead, use a pipette and place a drop of pure tea tree volatile oil on every nail, departure it in situ for some minutes, before removal.

Soaking your nails in a very bowl of apple acetum for concerning 5 minutes can even facilitate to get rid of stubborn stains.

Dental appliance improvement solutions square measure a astonishingly smart nail hack, and a soak in a very bowl with one or two of tablets dissolved in heat water will extremely pack up stained nails.

There square measure millions of nice ways in which to stay your nails prosperous, and frequently improving your nails prevents infections, reduces crispiness, and will increase the longevity of any polish you utilize.

[beromtcosmetics]

Cleaning below Your Nails – Keep Nails lovely & Healthy!

How to Clean below Your Nails??

Our hands bear loads each day, and that we inevitably devour dirt and scrap below the nails. In a very 2018 study printed by the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical biology, it absolutely was found that an oversized proportion of individuals have coccus and Acinetobacter bacterium below their nails. If this isn’t a reason to travel urgh, we have a tendency to don’t apprehend what is! 

Improvement below our nails, then, is very important, however it must be done fastidiously as any injury to the skin may result in a very nasty infection. with the exception of the infection half, beautiful, looked-after hands and nails square measure the staple of a woman’s charm and magnificence and therefore the inspiration behind several poems concerning beauty. After all, Petrarca has ne'er written a piece of art galvanized by a woman’s dirty unkempt fingernails.

The simplest methodology to scrub below your nails is to use the tip of the decide on a try of nail clippers once your nails square measure dry. Removing dry scrap is way easier than once it’s wet. Then, employing a gentle soap and heat water, wash your hands totally. It’s perpetually best to avoid harsh paraben primarily based soaps as they will leave your nails brittle and dry.

Follow this by soaking your nails in a very bowl of heat, saponaceous water for one or two of minutes to melt them, then employing a nail brush, provide them a decent scrub. Dry them totally and apply some moisturizer.

There square measure one or two of particular hacks to stay your nails trying, and feeling, great.

Once every week, for superbly clean nails, false impression a paste of oxide and saleratus. Use concerning a pair of ½ tablespoons of leaven to one tablespoon of oxide and unfold the paste on high of, and beneath, your nails. Leave it on for one or two of minutes, then rinse and dry totally. lightening dentifrice will an equivalent job and is simpler, departure your nails smelling minty fresh!

If your nails look yellow, rub 0.5 a lemon over them once each few days. instead, use a pipette and place a drop of pure tea tree volatile oil on every nail, departure it in situ for some minutes, before removal.

Soaking your nails in a very bowl of apple acetum for concerning 5 minutes can even facilitate to get rid of stubborn stains.

Dental appliance improvement solutions square measure a astonishingly smart nail hack, and a soak in a very bowl with one or two of tablets dissolved in heat water will extremely pack up stained nails.

There square measure millions of nice ways in which to stay your nails prosperous, and frequently improving your nails prevents infections, reduces crispiness, and will increase the longevity of any polish you utilize.

[amoveablejake]

Album of The Week: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (Original Score) By Daniel Pemberton

Stand out song: ‘Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy)’.

2018′s ‘Into The Spider-Verse’ became an instant classic among its fan base and what that fan base is, is quite hard to describe. It is hard to describe because it is by no means limited to one section of fans or people. There were lifelong Spider-Man fans who fell for it head over heels alongside people brand new to the character to rather characters. There were then fans of superhero movies or just admirers of films in general who due to the heart, storytelling and design choices of the film because rather mesmerised by it. And, rightly so. ‘Into The Spider-Verse’ was a breath of fresh air and showed not only what super hero films can be but also what animated films, hell, what films can be in general. One of the elements that really stuck around in the years following its release, was its soundtrack. The songs that were written for it graduated from being on the film’s soundtrack to being regular radio hits and rightly so as the tracks deserved to exist in their own right. It was therefore, the licensed songs that took centre stage for the first films musical scene however, Daniel Pemberton at the second time around has produced a score that by far eclipses the songs that were written for the film and ‘Across The Spider-Verse’s key player is its original score which is nothing short of perfect. Then again, the rest of the film is too. 

The opening of ‘Across The Spider-Verse’, don’t worry I am not going to spoil anything here, is very heavily reliant on music. It uses the music to drive its opening gambit forward and to build momentum that really, never lets up. Its also more than that. The music is a reference to the source material for the character in question, see no spoilers here, and by using it it is not only demonstrating a key awareness of the character and their origin from the comic book world but is also tipping its hat to those readers of the comic books who have been with the character from their inception. Because ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ is at its core, a comic book film rather than a super hero film and its art style is one clear example of that. It is also shown through again, this relentless score that is repeatedly throwing in tracks that quickly pick up speed and make you lean forward in your seat. By their nature, comic books are read quickly and they do, for the most part, have a dynamic perspective attached to them with their formatting so there is an inherent momentum built into their very design. This design work for the art form is reflected through the musical choices for the film here and it is a masterstroke and one that surely cements Daniel Pemberton’s place among the most thoughtful and considered composers on the scene at the moment. 

Within the opening few minutes of ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ I felt like I was going to cry and that feeling didn’t go away fro the rest of the film. That feeling was there because for me, they nailed the tone of Spider-Man and the heart of it. All of the things that have made me a lifelong Spidey fan were there and seeing him or rather them have that portrayal or portrayals was very special and did mean a lot. And as an extension from that, giving the characters associated tracks that feel perfectly in tune with their core identities only elevated the viewing experience even more. Some of the character tracks are very similar, but there are slight variations on them which works brilliantly considering the film is a multiversal one looking at the same character, well, the same but different. ‘Across the Spider-Verse is going to stick with me (I didn’t plan that but you best believe I am oh so happy with it) for quite some time. It, like its predecessor, was a breath of fresh air and one that I didn’t realise I needed so much. But perhaps more than the film itself, what will become an even more key part of my day to day for the foreseeable future will be its score. In an age where film soundtracks are the stand outs and perfectly worked scores whilst still out there, don’t take centre stage quite as often as they once did, it is fitting that a film as original and noteworthy as ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ features a score that matches its brilliance. Perfection doesn’t do the film or its score justice. As a certain man would say, ‘Nuff Said. 

-Jake, a man always ready for his call up to be Spidey, 12/06/2023

[seoberomt]

Cleaning below Your Nails – Keep Nails lovely & Healthy!

How to Clean below Your Nails??

Our hands bear loads each day, and that we inevitably devour dirt and scrap below the nails. In a very 2018 study printed by the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical biology, it absolutely was found that an oversized proportion of individuals have coccus and Acinetobacter bacterium below their nails. If this isn’t a reason to travel urgh, we have a tendency to don’t apprehend what is! 

Improvement below our nails, then, is very important, however it must be done fastidiously as any injury to the skin may result in a very nasty infection. with the exception of the infection half, beautiful, looked-after hands and nails square measure the staple of a woman’s charm and magnificence and therefore the inspiration behind several poems concerning beauty. After all, Petrarca has ne'er written a piece of art galvanized by a woman’s dirty unkempt fingernails.

The simplest methodology to scrub below your nails is to use the tip of the decide on a try of nail clippers once your nails square measure dry. Removing dry scrap is way easier than once it’s wet. Then, employing a gentle soap and heat water, wash your hands totally. It’s perpetually best to avoid harsh paraben primarily based soaps as they will leave your nails brittle and dry.

Follow this by soaking your nails in a very bowl of heat, saponaceous water for one or two of minutes to melt them, then employing a nail brush, provide them a decent scrub. Dry them totally and apply some moisturizer.

There square measure one or two of particular hacks to stay your nails trying, and feeling, great.

Once every week, for superbly clean nails, false impression a paste of oxide and saleratus. Use concerning a pair of ½ tablespoons of leaven to one tablespoon of oxide and unfold the paste on high of, and beneath, your nails. Leave it on for one or two of minutes, then rinse and dry totally. lightening dentifrice will an equivalent job and is simpler, departure your nails smelling minty fresh!

If your nails look yellow, rub 0.5 a lemon over them once each few days. instead, use a pipette and place a drop of pure tea tree volatile oil on every nail, departure it in situ for some minutes, before removal.

Soaking your nails in a very bowl of apple acetum for concerning 5 minutes can even facilitate to get rid of stubborn stains.

Dental appliance improvement solutions square measure a astonishingly smart nail hack, and a soak in a very bowl with one or two of tablets dissolved in heat water will extremely pack up stained nails.

There square measure millions of nice ways in which to stay your nails prosperous, and frequently improving your nails prevents infections, reduces crispiness, and will increase the longevity of any polish you utilize.