#but hooray 5 down 25 to go!

[thatdogmagic]

...that your audience won't hate.

This is a method I started using when NFTs were on the rise - thieves would have to put actual work into getting rid of the mark - and one that I am now grateful for with the arrival of AI. Why? Because anyone who tries to train an AI on my work will end up with random, disruptive color blobs.

I can't say for sure it'll stop theft entirely, but it WILL make your images annoying for databases to incorporate, and add an extra layer of inconvenience for thieves. So as far as I'm concerned, that's a win/win.

I'll be showing the steps in CSP, but it should all be pretty easy to replicate in Photoshop.

Now: let's use the above image as our new signature file. I set mine to be 2500 x 1000 pixels when I'm just starting out.

Note that your text should not have a lot of anti-aliasing, so using a paint brush to start isn't going to work well with this method. Just use the standard G-Pen if you're doing this by hand, or, just use the text tool and whichever font you prefer.

Once that's done, take your magic wand tool, and select all the black. Here are the magic wand settings I'm using to make the selections:

All selected?

Good.

Now, find a brush with a scattering/tone scraping effect. I use one like this.

You can theoretically use any colors you want for this next part, but I'd recommend pastels as they tend to blend better.

Either way, let's add some color to the text.

Once that's finished,

You're going to want to go to Layer Property, and Border Effect

You'll be given an option of choosing color and thickness. Choose black, and go for at least a 5 in thickness. Adjust per your own preferences.

Now create a layer beneath your sig layer, and merge the sig down onto the blank layer.

This effectively 'locks in' the border effect, which is exactly what we want.

Hooray, you've finished your watermark!

Now let's place that bad boy into your finished piece.

You'll get the best mileage out of a mark if you can place it over a spot that isn't black of white, since you'll get better blending options that way. My preference is for Overlay.

From here, I'll adjust the opacity to around 20-25, depending on the image.

If you don't have a spot to use overlay, however, there's a couple other options. For white, there's Linear Burn, which imho doesn't look as good, but it still works in a pinch.

And for lots of black, you have Linear Light

Either way, you're in business!

EDIT since this has escaped my usual circles, and folks aren't as familiar with my personal usage:

An example of one of my own finished pieces, with watermark, so you can see what I mean about 'relatively unobtrusive'-- I try to at least use them as framing devices, or let them work with the image somehow (or, at the very least, not actively against it).

I know it's a bummer for some people to "ruin" their work with watermarks, which is part of the reason I developed this mark in particular. Its disruption is about as minimal as I can make it while still letting it serve its intended purpose.

There's other methods, too, of course! But this is the one I use, and the one I can speak on. Hope it helps some of you!

[kitkatperce]

hey guys kuzaang headcanons.

(most found in my dc server........) 1; ok this MAY seem stupid though i Dont Care if anyone here thinks it is but avatars have like dreams of their memories from their past lives and can get like something close to psychosomatic pain ? The Point is aang getting these nightmares and crap at a sleepover w kuzon nd kuzon comforts him after cuz he woke kuzon up by screaming 2; kuzon would have loved the marble trick (which was replied to with 'kuzon would go beast mode over the marble trick actually' by tumblr user meeyow4419 which i think explains it very well very true.) 3; kuzon cant cook for shit 4; kuzon did NOt believe whatever sozin was sending out he gave each newspaper the stink eye. 5; kuzon taught aang all the fire nation dances and bumi cheered them on in the bg 6; bumi was definitely their wing man 7; we all know therescultural differences between the 4 nations. what i need to see is kuzon explaining things of rthe fire nation that aang doesnt understand and vice versa 8; kuzon kissing each and every one of aangs arrows. thank you 9; physical touch. slinging an arm over each others shoulder, hugging, kissing, holding hands, holding arms, laying on top of each other, putting legs over each other legs, touching knees, standing close to each other, kuzon doesn't know what personal space is!, kicking the others foot to get their attention, leaning into each others space, aang doing/playing with kuzons hair, falling asleep on each other, and more. they are really big on physical affection 10; dancing. just dancing I don't feel the need to elaborate. at festivals, in the kitchen, in the middle of a forest, wherever. just dancing 11; they frequently send letters to each other, and when they started dating there was an occasional love letter in there. 12; kuzaang kinda just happened they never actually were like. date me. they just. started dating I guess. they don't even know when it occured 13: drool when they sleep. 14; they also uh. cuddle when they sleep. kuzons woken up with a wet shirt more than once. he gets embarrassed when he realizes he drooled on his pillow the whole night. actually have an art piece 4 this! https://www.tumblr.com/kitkatperce/748416474997260288/wow-this-is-gay

15; promises that sound oddly like wedding vows. 16; hip hip hooray!!! x LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! (after their first kiss) 17; moles x freckles 18; they share their food w each other. aang splits a lot of fruits (its usually an orange because he somehow always has one on hand) 19; aang gets very giggly and avoids eye contact after like. they kiss on the lips even once. 20; they both still blush like madmen with any physical affection 21; uncontrollable laughter 22; they don't care what time it is if the other is upset they r GOING to comfort them 23; aang sending super intense vibes to kuzon so he dreams of them sharing a sandwich together (im jk) 24; devotion. yeah ur my bsf ofc im in love with you and will find you and hang out with you in every universe. lets kiss 25; they both yap a whole lot but when it comes down to it kuzon loves to listen to aang blabber about absolutely nothing and everything at the same time 26; cheesy nicknames 27; air nomads dont marry but aang doesnt actually mind if kuzon is like 'my husband' or whatever he thinks its super endearing. some ppl say they are too young for marriage and aang has to explain tho LMAO 28; idiots doing idiotic things. get down from that tall ass mountain 29; aang likes to fidget with kuzons hands. kuzon lets him

30; aang ranting to gyatso abt kuzon

31; gyatso finds it so fucking funny when aang gets jealous bcuz aang says “jealousy is not a good thing. let go of it” and he gets all pissy when hes jealous

32. aang at a sleepover with kuzon removing jewelry and stuff basically js getting ready to mimimimi time and kuzon (whos been ready for a lil bit honestly) just watching him lovingly from the bed. sighhh

33. aang saying he doesnt accept long lasting things and kuzon like. oh ok. yoi dont have to. and aangs like can u put it on 4 me….. he only takes it off for the night (and whenever he has a sleepover w kuzon kuzon unclasps it for him)

34. kuzons firebending with aang is super gentle comparitively

[ao3-anonymous]

Isn’t the data you just posted the same as the data last week?

Thank you, eagle-eyed anon! Yes, yes it was but now it has been fixed, so the newest post for 02/05/2024 is accurate.

And while I was trying to figure out why the same data showed up twice, I found a bunch of other issues in my code, so keep reading if you want to hear about the 10 other things I fixed while I was fixing that issue (thanks ADHD!)

As it turns out, it was the exact same info as last week because there was an issue in my workflow that caused it to not run properly so the data in the spreadsheet that powers the dashboard was stale.

But that prompted me to ask myself "didn't I build in a notification system that's supposed to let me know when something fails?" and when I investigated I realized they had stopped working last June and I never noticed (it sends EITHER a success or failure email every week, so I really should've noticed).

When I investigated that, I realized June was when I split the backend data sources between two Google Sheets because they were getting so big - originally I had them in separate tabs of the same sheet. However the notifications were still set up for only the original sheet, so I fixed that.

Also while I was looking at the sheets, I realized there were still a bunch of "Uncategorized" fandoms in the data, even though I removed that category from the workflow after realizing that they don't have fic counts on that Category page. So instead of pulling fic count, I was accidentally pulling a bunch of years and passing them off as fic count. I fixed that a couple weeks ago, but I didn't clear old data so I did that now.

THEN when I finally remembered the original problem I had been solving, I started trying to figure out whether the data hadn't been recorded for 2/5 at all (I save it in a JSON first) or if the sheet just hadn't been properly updated. While doing some checks, I realized that most of the categories had data for 2/5 EXCEPT Video Games & Theater?? Which honestly I still haven't fully figured out why, but I was able to manually run the size scrape for those two pages again, so at least they have data now.

Finally, while I was re-running the scripts to try to figure out why it wasn't running for Video Games, I had it start printing out various pieces in the loops and noticed it was taking forever to get through a category and seemed to go slower and slower by letter. Turns out a small error in my code had it looping through all the fandoms for a category starting with a specific letter (A) but then instead of moving on and doing B next, it was doing (A, B), then (A,B,C) etc. This wasn't actually causing errors of any kind in the results, but it was slowing the whole thing down and unnecessarily writing over the size count 25+ times for the fandoms at the beginning of the alphabet, so I've now fixed that.

The best part is even though I just wrote all of this out, I'm still not quite sure where in there I fixed the issue that caused the stale data in the first place lol. But at some point I fixed some other things, re-ran the "write_to_sheets" script (which I of course tried first thing and it didn't do anything) and this time it worked and actually updated. So hooray! And clearly this whole thing is being held together by spit & glue (it was a project I set for myself when I was learning Python) so maybe I should go back and rewrite some things now that I'm actually paid to do coding for my job and have a bit more experience. If you're still reading, KUDOS TO YOU and hope you enjoy my little project. [[Maybe leave me a heart in the comments if you do, because I accidentally spent way too long on this tonight and it's super late and I still have actual work to do (YIKES).]]

[kieraelieson]

So I’ve been talking to my husband and boyfriend recently about how much energy I have in terms of a percentage. And then I realized it might be helpful to express it with context- so I made this chart.

Energy Scale:

(This is entirely disregarding tricks such as inducing anxiety, adrenaline, or dissociation. This also disregards motivation and pain, which may affect capabilities)

5% - Put me to bed, I'm so tired. I'm swaying obviously if I stand and my limbs feel heavy.

10% I should be sitting at least. Probably swaying or trembly while standing. Mental work is possible, but only very slowly.

15% I can stand up and walk around decently. I can make myself simple food or do light cleaning that does not involve bending down or lifting anything heavy. I tend to be here a lot. Mental work is possible, and I often will do it.

20% I can do a task! Hooray! It needs to be a relatively gentle task. I tend to overdo it here and get all shaky cause I choose a task that it too intense or too lenthy.

25% I can do a task and Not collapse right after. Cooking or cleaning for half an hour is doable, though I might be panting by the end.

30% I can do something that makes me pant a little and recover from it without flopping. Could go for a walk without ulterior motivation to do so.

35% This is usually where I start planning elaborate tasks. "I'll clean the whole downstairs!" I cannot complete this. But I will make a good headway.

40% I can do things that involve a bit of exercise without feeling terrible. A treadmill walk, a cleaning that involves a lot of up and down, even that requires going up and down the stairs.

45% I might want to do some things to expend energy at this point. Wanting to go outside, to do a social and physical activity like roller skating, or to walk around a historic site or museum.

50% Oh heck, I'm doing so well! I have energy to exist with and energy to spare! I can put Two physical tasks on my list. Maybe a walk to the dog park And deep cleaning the bathrooms. And I won't have to flop for hours afterwards!

55% If I only have mental tasks to do I'll get antsy and do some physical movement spontaneously. I can do an activity that causes panting and sweating for up to half an hour without strong external motivation.

60% A task that takes multiple hours and expends low to medium variable effort won't exhaust me. I am genuinely capable of cleaning the downstairs Without it being the Only thing I do that day.

65% I might seek out physical movement and tasks that tire me out enjoyably. Trampolining, jogging, dancing, all possible intermittently for up to an hour. I'll need breaks, but I won't flop afterwards.

70% I barely know what to do with myself I'm so capable. I may pick medium-low intensity tasks, like cooking, that last 5+ hours, and pair them with a medium or high intensity physical task for a shorter period of time.

75% I don't have problems completing even a quite long task list. I can go shopping, and come home and put away groceries, then clean the kitchen while making dinner. And I'll be fine after dinner with enough left over to clean up the meal.

80% I genuinely need at least one of my tasks this day to be physically tiring. Think when I get all giggly and pace around stomping and wiggling. That is a temporary 80%.

85% Something difficult like rennovations or yard work is a welcome and very doable task, even for 4+ hours, provided I have enough water and a few lil breaks.

90% I can sprint and enjoy it. I may not be capable of sprinting far, but the wind in my face and the movement in my body is Thrilling! I may even do multiple bursts of it.

95% I can take on the world. Throw any task at me. Better yet, throw a Hard task at me. See how much of the house I can clean in an hour, see if I can do a hundred yard dash, put me on a heckin sports field and I might like it.

100% What does this even look like? Playing a physical sport for a few hours and then after a break wanting to go out and do it again? Racing a dog, skipping through a forest, thriving in the sunshine and light of the gorgeous world?

[lowcosmic]

confessing something, the truth is, and although it may sound strange, I feel proud that this quarter I didn't cry about my grades :3, and the truth is that these years of school I have been crying about my grades when my friends have told me several times that they are literally Well, I know that I don't get "bad" grades as such, currently the lowest grade I can tell you I get in something is 8 and here the highest grade is 10, but normally I just get 9- 10 although the truth is I feel like I'm always crying because my parents have told me since I was 8 -9 I have to get a 10 in everything because the educational system here is asshole so I don't even get the maximum because I'm very stupid, but if I get a 10 then I don't deserve it because I don't have the brain to get a 10, Literally about 5 years ago they forced me to tear up my diplomas because I didn't deserve them, and my mother's husband always goes around saying "10 is necessary, 9 is a failure and 8 is for stupid" So I have always been under pressure to get enough because in the end (and I do understand that) it will affect my future if I don't have enough, but the truth is that these last two years I have been very bad, because currently I was already crying for very small things, one time I got very bad for failing a point on an exam, I mean if the exam had 25 points I got 24 and that's why I ended up having to miss my biology class because I couldn't calm down when basically no one there got 25 points and the truth is that I feel that if I didn't cry this quarter it was because of my friends, because since I have known them they have helped me a lot by accepting that it is not bad not to get a ten and I'm not going to die if I don't get it, I don't need to worry so much about it because I'm not someone who has bad grades, currently I'm still envious of people who are happy with a 6 or a failing grade but At least this quarter I didn't cry because I got a nine (not like the other that I was like Four hours crying lol) but I know I can improve so that in the next one I get a ten in everything

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

-🫧

oh gosh , this is super relatable.

I grew up in a rather strict household where i’d hide all the things that had even just minus one on them such as worksheets , quizzes , and tests. it scared me to show my parents something other than a perfect score , and i’d BAWL my eyes out if i got even just one thing wrong , God forbid two things wrong.

but then they started to accept that i can’t be all perfect all the time. so , hooray?

i hope it changes for you too <3 !!

[dizzybojack]

What’s your favorite episode (or episodes, if you can’t choose one) of Bojack horseman?

oooooo this is a hard one!! I'll try to get it down to my top 5.

hmmm "Free Churro" is definitely up there, huge props to will arnett for being able to talk for 25 minutes straight without getting boring. "i was your son! you were all i had!" will always give me chills. "The View From Halfway Down" is one that is on everyone's list of favourites i think. it's honestly a masterpiece and there's so much symbolism to unpack. i love the reappearances of everyone that Bojack's lost throughout the years and the haunting performances from sarah lynn and secretariat/butterscotch. "That's Too Much, Man" oh god. this episode is horrifying. from bojack's blackouts and drug-induced haze of a bender with sarah lynn, culminating in (spoiler) her percieved death on his shoulder, it hits every string of my heart. will never forget the pain of hearing "Right, Sarah Lynn? Sarah Lynn? .......Sarah Lynn?" "The Old Sugarman Place" is an all-timer as well, i ADORE how they incorporated past and present and how they interacted with each other. eddie and honey's duet <3 Finally, "Nice While It Lasted". what a perfect bittersweet ending to a perfect bittersweet show. "Mr. Blue" ALWAYS gets me choked up now. although this episode didn't tie everything up in a happy ending, that's what i loved about it. more often than not in life, there isn't a happy ending. and i loved how the show portrayed that. bojack still has a lot of growing to do, and we don't know if he will relapse or go back to his old ways. relationships have been damaged beyond repair. bojack has lost a lot of people. but in this moment, things are good. things are happy. and it's a nice night.

honourable mentions to: The Showstopper, Stupid Piece of Shit, Hooray! Todd Episode!, and Time's Arrow.

thanks for the ask! i love receiving them!

[corruptedremnant]

…that your audience won't hate.

This is a method I started using when NFTs were on the rise - thieves would have to put actual work into getting rid of the mark - and one that I am now grateful for with the arrival of AI. Why? Because anyone who tries to train an AI on my work will end up with random, disruptive color blobs.

I can't say for sure it'll stop theft entirely, but it WILL make your images annoying for databases to incorporate, and add an extra layer of inconvenience for thieves. So as far as I'm concerned, that's a win/win.

I'll be showing the steps in CSP, but it should all be pretty easy to replicate in Photoshop.

Now: let's use the above image as our new signature file. I set mine to be 2500 x 1000 pixels when I'm just starting out.

Note that your text should not have a lot of anti-aliasing, so using a paint brush to start isn't going to work well with this method. Just use the standard G-Pen if you're doing this by hand, or, just use the text tool and whichever font you prefer.

Once that's done, take your magic wand tool, and select all the black. Here are the magic wand settings I'm using to make the selections:

All selected?

Good.

Now, find a brush with a scattering/tone scraping effect. I use one like this.

You can theoretically use any colors you want for this next part, but I'd recommend pastels as they tend to blend better.

Either way, let's add some color to the text.

Once that's finished,

You're going to want to go to Layer Property, and Border Effect

You'll be given an option of choosing color and thickness. Choose black, and go for at least a 5 in thickness. Adjust per your own preferences.

Now create a layer beneath your sig layer, and merge the sig down onto the blank layer.

This effectively 'locks in' the border effect, which is exactly what we want.

Hooray, you've finished your watermark!

Now let's place that bad boy into your finished piece.

You'll get the best mileage out of a mark if you can place it over a spot that isn't black of white, since you'll get better blending options that way. My preference is for Overlay.

From here, I'll adjust the opacity to around 20-25, depending on the image.

If you don't have a spot to use overlay, however, there's a couple other options. For white, there's Linear Burn, which imho doesn't look as good, but it still works in a pinch.

And for lots of black, you have Linear Light

Either way, you're in business!

As a note, I know it's a bummer for some people to "ruin" their work with watermarks, which is part of the reason I developed this mark in particular. Its disruption is about as minimal as I can make it while still being effective.

There's other methods, too, of course! But this is the one I use, and the one I can speak on. Hope it helps some of you!

I don't always do the border bit like I should but I learned my watermarking from [OP]. You can't stop art stealing, especially with bots that by definition lack brains, but you CAN make it so obnoxious they'll move on to someone else. If they have to retrace/repaint to get rid of your watermark then the time involved makes the theft not worth it.

Bonus points: if your work is used without your consent to train an AI then you will also pollute the knowledge pool. Depending on what parameters you put into these AI art generators you'll sometimes end up with a bunch of AI watermarks because they're pulling from artists that've tried to protect their work.

[hits1000]

Top Songs of 1979 - Hits of 1979

Top Songs of 1979 - Hits of 1979 Top Songs of 1979 including: ABBA – Chiquitita, ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), ABBA - I Have A Dream, ABBA - Voulez-Vous, AC/DC - Highway To Hell, Amii Stewart - Knock On Wood, Anita Ward - Ring My Bell, Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer - No More Tears and many more! Subscribe to our channel to see more of our content! 1. ABBA - Chiquitita 2. ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) 3. ABBA - I Have A Dream 4. ABBA - Voulez-Vous 5. AC/DC - Highway To Hell 6. Adriano Celentano - Soli 7. Alan Sorrenti - Tu Sei L'Unica Donna Per Me 8. Amii Stewart - Knock On Wood 9. Ana Belén - Agapimu 10. Anita Ward - Ring My Bell 11. Antonello Venditti - Buona domenica 12. Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer - No More Tears 13. Bee Gees - Tragedy 14. Boney M. - El Lute 15. Boney M. - Gotta Go Home 16. Boney M. - Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday 17. Captain & Tennille - Do That To Me One More Time 18. Chic - Good Times 19. Cliff Richard - We Don’t Talk Anymore 20. Dalida - Monday, Tuesday... Laissez-moi Danser 21. Donna Summer - Hot Stuff 22. Donna Summer - On The Radio 23. Dschinghis Khan - Dschinghis Khan 24. Dschinghis Khan - Moskau 25. Eagles - Heartache Tonight 26. Earth & Fire - Weekend 27. Earth, Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland 28. Electric Light Orchestra - Don't Bring Me Down 29. Electric Light Orchestra - Last Train To London 30. Electric Light Orchestra - Shine A Little Love 31. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Oliver's Army 32. Eruption - One Way Ticket 33. Françis Cabrel - Je L' aime À Mourir 34. Gal Costa - Balancê 35. Gibson Brothers - Cuba 36. Gibson Brothers - Qué Será Mi Vida (If You Should Go) 37. Howard Carpendale - Nachts, wenn alles schläft 38. Iván - Sin amor 39. J.D. Souther - You're Only Lonely 40. Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out With Him 41. Journey - Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' 42. K.C. & The Sunshine Band - Please Don't Go 43. Kenny Rogers - Coward Of The County 44. Kiss - I Was Made For Lovin' You 45. Led Zeppelin - All Of My Love 46. Madness - One Step Beyond 47. Maria Bethânia - Explode Coração (Não Dá Mais Pra Segurar) 48. Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough 49. Miguel Bosé - Super Superman 50. Milk and Honey – Hallelujah 51. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Electricity 52. Ottawan - D.I.S.C.O. 53. Patrick Hernandez - Born To Be Alive 54. Paul McCartney & Wings - Goodnight Tonight 55. Pedro Marín - Que No 56. Peter Alexander - Und manchmal weinst du sicher ein paar Tränen 57. Peter Maffay - So Bist Du 58. Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall 59. Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love 60. Roberto Carlos - Lady Laura 61. Romantics - What I Like About You 62. Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Piña Colada Song) 63. Scorpions - Always Somewhere 64. Sister Sledge - We Are Family 65. Supertramp - Breakfast in America 66. Supertramp - Goodbye Stranger 67. Supertramp - The Logical Song 68. The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays 69. The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star 70. The Clash - London Calling 71. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) 72. The Knack - My Sharona 73. The Police - Message In A Bottle 74. The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket 75. The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight 76. Thom Pace - Maybe 77. Umberto Tozzi - Gloria 78. Victor Espadinha - Recordar é Viver 79. Village People - Go West 80. Village People - In The Navy Related Searches: Greatest Hits of 1979, Best Jukebox 1979 Playlist, Late 1979 Non Stop , Top 1979 Non Stop, Mix 1979 Compilation, Best 1979 List, Late 1979 UK, Best 1979 Playlist, Best 1979 Non Stop, Best 1979 Video, Greatest 1979 Non Stop, Mix 1979 Playlist, Best Jukebox 1979 List, List of 1979 Mix, Top 1979 USA, Best Songs of 1979, Top Music 1979, Hits of 1979 Relate Hashtags: #songsof1979 #hits1979 #songs1979 #listof1979mix #hits1979 #bestsongs1979 #classic1979playlist #greatest1979nonstop #best1979list #best1979video #top1979mix #greatest1979video #mix1979playlist #top1979nonstop #mix1979compilation This Youtube channel does not receive any advertising income, we are very grateful for any Paypal donation, no matter how small, to continue making videos about the history of music. Link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HEHMNQ4E3T3ML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CZUyS1Wy30

[xyliane]

AUgust 5: post-apocalypse au

PROMPT THE FIFTH: POST-APOCALYPSE

...I know there’s a robot anime with a premise kind of like this, but I haven’t seen it. also I don’t know what’s happening here, just accept that gon’s an android, the world’s dead, but he’s tending a garden I guess.

0o0o0o0o0

There is a human hiding in the oak tree eating an apple. He’s good at it, too--there are no blaring klaxons or silent alarms buzzing in Gon’s head, so he avoided all of the garden’s built-in failsafes, and the tree barely moves as he breathes. Every bite of the greenish-white fruit is timed for the gentle breeze, the creak of rickety metal and heavy tape drowning out the quite crunch of teeth into the apple’s flesh. Gon might have missed him entirely, tending the berries as he is, if the boy’s hair wasn’t pure white.

It’s too bad, really. Gon’s programming doesn’t allow for intruders. There are too many things left, looking for false sanctuary, wanting a museum of days long gone, searching for the answer to questions no android can possibly give. But he doesn’t have to do anything about intruders he doesn’t know about.

The next time he looks up, the human is gone. Gon should wipe the shock of white hair from his memory. He is supposed to be a guardian, protecting what’s left. But somewhere in his programming, his mother slipped a glimmer of free will, and she grounded it with her own love of the garden she built out of dead soil and ash with nothing but ferocious will and grief. Gon loves two things: his mother, and his mother’s garden. And his mother wanted her garden to be used.

So Gon doesn’t forget.

-------

Today, the human has found Gon’s carrots. There aren’t many images of root vegetables left, just Gon’s mother’s old old books he has scanned into his external databases, so he isn’t sure if the roots are supposed to be stained a gentle purple. The human crunches into them all the same, hiding behind the shed for the garden’s power supply, solar panels and water mills chained together with wire and ivy. Gon had left the ground innocently loose around the carrots, hoping that today the white-haired boy would come and steal without Gon noticing.

Instead, the boy is bolder, throwing himself over the fence and snatching the entire batch from the earth with a single fluid motion. A single alarm blares behind Gon’s eyes, warning at the irritation to the earth. Gon frowns in irritation and silences the alarm. Now he has to do something.

...the next time the boy comes around, because there is no foreign pressure left in the garden. Only the weight of Gon’s chassis, and a pair of errant human footprints pressed deep into the dirt.

--------

“You’re a terrible guardian, if that’s what you’re supposed to be.”

Gon smiles up from his work, unsurprised to see the human at the base of the oak tree. The last week, he hasn’t seen the white-haired boy around the garden, but the silent alarms have taken note of his presence: reddish-blue berries falling to the ground in handfuls rather than carefully transported to compose, a strip of cloth caught on the sharpened metal fence surrounding the delicate aloe bushes, even freshly-planted sunflower seeds dug up and re-planted haphazardly along the path.

So today, tired of sensing-knowing-feeling but not seeing, Gon left a basket.

A basket that worked for the human as easily as a handful of fresh greens left out for hungry rodents nibbling on the garden’s lettuce.

The boy is rail-thin and tall, old enough to have stopped growing but young enough that he shouldn’t have cheekbones standing out so sharply against his face. His hair, although the white of nuclear fallout, is soft and curling, spreading around his face like a dandelion about to seed. And he grips the rickety old basket so tightly his knuckles turn white, bones fragile and stark beneath his scarred pale hands.

Gon leans on his spade, content that his trap worked, even if he has to keep manually shutting down the alerts, warning him against the human he invited in. “Am I a guardian?” he asks.

The white-haired boy rolls his eyes--an expression so simply human that Gon can’t help but smile a little wider. “You’re an android in one of the only spots of green left along the slurge. What else are you?”

“A gardener?”

“You’re a Freecss model. Even before the Fall, anyone with sense would have known what you were. Your creator wouldn’t waste their time on a bot running around a patch of dirt playing at flowers.”

A jolt of unfamiliar feeling--annoyance--bursts into Gon’s chest, and he frowns. “Her name was Mito, and she was my mom,” he says.

The boy shrugs, jostling the basket. “Whatever. All I’m saying, you’re not following your programming.”

Gon imitates the gesture, down to the exact degree of shoulder slump, and the human’s eyes narrow. “You’re not following yours, either,” he says.

“I’m not programmed--”

“You could have taken the basket and left, before I noticed. Or before I let myself notice. The oak tree’s not a good hiding spot with your hair.” The human continues to splutter, a flush spotting his cheeks and nose, and amusement hums along the currents in Gon’s skin. “But you didn’t! Even though I could have terminated you if you were wrong.”

The human is still red with irritation, but his expression is wary when he says, “I wasn’t wrong.”

A timer ticks, the day’s schedule flickering away second by second. Gon picks up his spade again, the ballbearings in his shoulder joints clicking a little from overuse. “You’re not right, either,” he says, and scoops a shovelful of dirt out from where one day, potatoes might grow. If Gon has time, and patience, and luck.

Androids don’t have luck. Androids have programs. Gon’s father, the man who built him, made sure that he would want nothing more than to constantly search for the true meaning of his programming. But Gon’s mom made sure he had a little luck, and a little love, and a little choice in what he wanted.

“So what are you, then?” the human asks.

Gon stabs the stave into the ground firm enough to make it stick. “I’m Gon,” he says. “What about you?”

“I’m--” The human shuffles the basket under one arm, careful to not let any of the produce fall. He sticks out his other hand. “I’m Killua.”

Gon stares at the hand. “Is that a weapon?”

Killua rolls his eyes again, and Gon deliberately saves the gesture into his onboard files for future reference. “It’s a handshake. A greeting for new friends. You can shake hands, right?” He juts his hand out insistently, elbow straight, and mutters something about how even his little sisters know this.

“Oh.” Gon gingerly wraps one hand around Killua’s pale, too-thin fingers, and lets himself be shaken up and down. “Thank you, Killua. Will you be back tomorrow?”

“Aren’t you a guardian?” Killua demands. “There’s nothing out there, not that anyone’s out there to take it anymore. I’m stealing from you.”

The alarms blare out inside Gon’s programming, and he slams up a wall. “You’re trading with me,” he says, and shakes Killua’s hand firmly. The boy stares, mouth slightly agape and hand still clasped around Gon’s. Blood pumps steadiily beneath the thin warm human skin, a gentle wave against the currents that keep Gon running. “Food for friendship. So I have nothing to guard from you.”

And a tiny, fragile smile breaks out across Killua’s face.

(AUgust prompts)

[grouptale-bits]

GROUPTALE MASTER LIST

After the last day of school, a group of friends decide to take a detour from their normal route home and decide to explore the largest mountain in town, Mout Ebott. Although things don't go to plan when two of the young friends'usual arguments go a bit too far…

—-

UPDATE SCHEDULE

EVERY OTHER MONDAY AROUND 3PM EASTERN TIME

—-

MAIN TAGS:

Comix: the connected series of comics the tell the story

Extra: fun doodles,ask,art or short comics

—-

PROLOGUE: Down the rabbit hole

7 orphan kids explore the dangerous mount ebott all for their own reasons

1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18 19-20 21-22-23 24-25 26-27END

—-

CHAPTER ONE: The plummet

after the fall the gang gets to meet their best friend

1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18

19-20 21-22 23-24-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33

34-35 36END

-

CHAPTER TWO: week in the ruins

DAY ONE: the waiting game

1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18 19-20-21 22-23END

DAY ONE CONTINUED: you can cheat death. Hooray!

24-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33END

DAY TWO: the search for answers

34-35 36-37 38-39 40-41 42-43 44-45 46-47 48-49-50 51-52 53-54 END

DAY THREE: Lets make amends

55-56 57-58 59-60 61-62 63-64

ONGOING

—-

ASK GUIDELINES

Not here to discourage and ask I just wanna set a few ground rules…

Please stay grouptale character related or at least undertale related. if you wanna ask me personal questions or hear my non grouptale opinions feel free to ask my main blog!( @strawbebe-dk) I wanna try to keep this blog a bit focused.

—

Please don’t spam the same question. Even when anonymous, I can tell when someone copy’s and paste the same question with a few word changes 😭

—

I’ll most likely add more to this these are the most common things that seem to come In my ask box

—- -

OTHER

Things that don’t fit neatly in the story ends up here!

Kids stats

Kids pronouns

GROUPTALE save system

Why are some chapters in digital and others in traditional?

Kids n Tori

[donttalkaboutmemes]

The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1977) Lyric Meme

Under the cut you will find 30+ lyrics from the 1977 version of The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh to use for your enjoyment!

Winnie The Pooh

1.      “You’ll find the enchanted neighborhood.”

2.      “Tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff.”

3.      “Willy nilly silly old bear.”

  Up, Down, Touch The Ground

4.      “When I up, down, touch the ground it puts me in the mood. For food.”

5.      “I am stout, round, and I have found speaking poundage-wise I improve my appetite when I exercise.”

6.      “I am short, fat, and proud of that.”

  Rumbly In My Tumbly

7.      “I’m so rumbly in my tumbly.”

8.      “Time to much an early luncheon.”

9.      “I wouldn’t be a bear then, so I guess I wouldn’t care then.”

10.   “So I do care. So I’ll climb there!”

11.   “Time for something sweet.”

  Little Black Raincloud

12.   “I’m just a little black raincloud hovering under the honey tree.”

13.   “Pay not attention to little me.”

14.   “Everyone knows that a rain cloud never eats honey. No, not a nip.”

  Mind Over Matter

15.   “Hooray for you!”

16.   “Hooray for me!”

17.   “Since we pledged he’d be unwedged that’s what we’re going to do.”

18.   “Think heav-ish. Think ho-ish.”

  Like A Rather Blustery Day

19.   “The wind is lashing lustily and the trees are thrashing thrustily.”

20.   “It’s rather safe to say that it seems that it may turn out to be it feels that it will undoubtedly it feels like a rather blustery day today.”

21.   “Looks like a rather blustery day today.”

  The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers

22.   “Their tops are made out of rubber.”

23.   “Their bottoms are mad out of springs.”

24.   “They’re bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy.”

25.   “I’m the only one.”

  Heffalumps and Woozles

26.   “Beware. Beware. Be a very wary bear.”

27.   “Before your eyes you’ll see them multiply.”

28.   “They’re extra-ordinary, so better be wary, because they come in every shape and size.”

29.   “If honey’s what you covet, you’ll find that they love it.”

30.   “They’re a terrible sight.”

  The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down

31.   “The rain rain rain came down down down in rushing rising rivlets.”

32.   “So, in desperation, a message he did write.”

33.   “I must rescue my supper.”

  Hip Hip Pooh-ray!

34.   “We never will forget our hero of the wet.”

35.   “They’re the heroes of the day.”

36.   “We salute you for your deeds of bravery and generosity.”

[finoalcielo]

KAI-CHAN RADIO ⑤

☆ JUL 21, 2021☆

KAI: They competed for the fun~! YOU: Leisure activities, huh? Summer is full of it. And so, KAI: Kai-chan Radio! YOU: will also include Haduki You! See in you a moment♪

☆ KAI-CHAN RADIO IS A CASUAL RADIO ☆

KAI: Let's talk tonight♪ About our summer vacation activities! YOU: I started off extremely excited for it, but, I don't think I'll be able to go to the August's activities. Like the Lantern Festival dance, mountains, swimming pool, or even a little trip to the sea. Is that all?

KAI: Ah? Really? YOU: I'll be at home. Helping my parents. KAI: Oh right. The temple. YOU: Yup. Obon is the busiest time of the year. So, I have to travel with my family. KAI: Ooh. YOU: I've never really had much complaints about it. KAI: Ah, I see. YOU: Yeah, since I understood it ever since I was a child.

YOU: It felt a bit nice to see my parents relying on me for some things. I went exploring deeper into the mountains with Tooru (2nd oldest brother) once. And, when we returned later than usual, Sou (oldest brother) scolded us. We mess around a lot every day. KAI: Oh, Haduki brothers. You guys haven't changed at all (www)

YOU: I only remembered when I started talking. Still, I travelled about 2, 3 times. Near Takachiho and Hokkaido. And my memories from that time is a bit weird. Like, I remember the soft serve ice cream being delicious or the sea urchins being terrible (I like it now though) (www) KAI: Memories from long ago are really like that. Food being more important than famous places!

KAI: I also remember the souvenirs I bought on the way rather than the destination. It was a metal keychain with a dragon entwined around a sword. YOU: I knew you'd speak about it (www). Wasn't it the one where it had a lot of crystals or stone stuck to it? (wwww) KAI: I still have it (ww)

YOU: You still have it?! Wow (www) KAI: I use it for my car key. YOU: Extremely distracting... (www) KAI: Ah, anyways, about my leisure activities! I went to a lot of places, but have I told you about the year when my father rented a minibus to go on a family vacation? YOU: Minibus?! KAI: We are a big family (6 siblings). YOU: Ah.

KAI: My father did his best to get a license to drive our big family. YOU: Fuduki papa is amazing. KAI: I got one too. Let's all go~? YOU: The Fuduki family is amazing. KAI: The destination was for Tokyo's Disneyland! It was for a day, but if we include the sightseeing at the town on the way back, then it was 5 days in total? It was awesome. YOU: Sounds fun!

KAI: Maybe I remember this because it was during the time I enjoyed travelling? But anyways, in about two years, the Fuduki family once again travelled in the minibus! At that time, we travelled to Shikoku. YOU: Oh~ It takes a while to reach there, right? KAI: It took us a week to reach. YOU: Lots of driving (www).

KAI: No, at that time, the truck driver's cousin or I sometimes took over driving. On those days, my father would drink beer with his morning, evening and night meals. YOU: Fuduki papa (www) I get your feelings (www) KAI: It's a memory of my summer vacation activity, which was more fun than the destination itself ♪

KAI: And so, that was the Kai-chan Radio "Summer Vacation Activities" Edition! YOU: And then is... ah, right. Want to take some messages from people? I know it's late in the night, but if anyone is awake and has some messages for us, we'll accept them! KAI: Questions, messages, anything is fine~!

It's so hot that I feel like melting... Please give me an idea to cool down! = = YOU: I know! Turn on the cooler. KAI: A pragmatic answer (www) YOU: It's not good to put up with the heat ~ KAI: That's true. YOU: Watch out for heat stroke!

Thank you for sharing your stories. If you could travel now, where would you go...? = = YOU: It's really hot, so I want to take a dive in the sea. KAI: I'll be next to him! YOU & KAI: We want to go to the sea~~~!!! HARU: Didn't you go there the other day? (laughs)

Kai-san, You-san, thank you...! The final exam is about to start, so please give me some encouragement... = = YOU: Studying this late? Woah! We'll be cheering for you to do well! KAI: I'll support you with (my heart's) pompoms~ Hooray~ Hooray~ Study well!! YOU: A fun summer is waiting for you after the test!

Kai-kun! I have a glittering bow keychain, so let's compete against each other!!? (laughs) = = KAI: A fellow friend!!! Then, I'll be the second player!! Bring it on!! YOU: Exactly how will you fight (www)

Hello! I'd like to hear about any recent small incidents that occurred around Procella members! = = YOU: Yoru's glasses got deformed by the heat (www) KAI: He accidentally left it on the bonnet of our travel bus, it got deformed slightly after about 2 hours. (www)

24 hours a day isn't enough. What do you think? = = KAI: I guess it's slightly not enough? If you sleep while thinking, "Stay tuned for Kai tomorrow!", then you'll be excited. YOU: Don't get excited before going to bed (ww)

You-kun! Please do something with Aoi-kun!!!!!!! (I'm greedy) = = YOU: I like your greediness~ Yosh, let's do it now. Aoi-chan. AOI: Eeh?! YOU: I caught the retreating Aoi-chan. AOI: I-I got caught! KAI: Now, how do you want to do this?! YOU: What should we do? Aoi-chan. AOI: EHHHH?!

→ AOI: L-L-Let's peel it off! T/N: Aoi was trying to say "Look that way" (あっち向いてホイで lit. atchi muite hoi de) but ended up saying "Let's peel it off" (あっち剥いてホイで lit. atchi muite hoi de). Both have the same pronunciation, just different meanings.

→ AOI: What a terrible typo!!!

→ AOI: I meant 'Look that way'!! YOU & KAI: (wwwww) AOI: I was really flustered and when I thought I deleted it, I actually sent it instead. I meant 'Look that way'!!!~~~~~ You!!! Kai-san, geez!!! YOU & KAI: (wwww)

#Aoi won by default.

This is for a questionnaire, but what was doing your homework like? Did you fill in what you knew on the day you got it and left the rest blank and asked a friend for help, or leave some empty in the first week and finish the rest later? = = KAI: I did half in the first week, and the remaining in the last week.

→ YOU: I want to say that I finished it early in August... but I ended up frantically doing it towards the end (www) KAI: I can imagine that ~~ While Yoru did his patiently, right? YOU: Yup. Isn't that right? YORU: Yes. Ah, I also did the Radio calisthenics properly! Radio Calisthenics = a short exercise routine broadcast daily on Japan's national radio, streamed on YouTube, followed in parks and schools every day – sometimes several times a day – by all generations of Japanese people

It's been hot lately, but please tell us if you have a story that chilled you to your bones. = = KAI: Shun turned bright red and got a fever. YOU: He got one after frantically trying to decide the thumbnail for his Hajime-san video collection. KAI: He looked really happy when I putting the cooling patch on. YOU: His fever also came down almost immediately. YOU & KAI: We ate curry together.

Hi!! Starting from today, we'll be having the 4 day holiday, so will you all be working??? Are there any jobs you have with other members of the agency??? = = KAI: Hi~! Tomorrow will be a visual shooting with the theme of intelligence♪ YOU: It's not a job, but the day after tomorrow, I'll talk with Takaaki-san and Roa-san about an independent dance lesson along with a few more people. The 4 day holiday they're talking about is Marine Day, which lasts from Jul 22 - Jul 25 in Japan.

Is it okay to eat ice-cream at this time?! = = KAI: We've already eaten it (sparkles) YOU: Recently, my favorite one is... the Shi●kuma ice cream KAI: The melon flavour! This year, for some reason, the melon flavor is in demand. YOU: You can buy it at a convenience store ~ He's referring to the Shirokuma Ice Cream which is a shaved ice dessert topped with ice cream and condensed milk.

Please tell us what you had for dinner today! = = KAI: Pork shogayaki​. I really like it. Especially when its with White Rice. YOU: I get you.

Have you been interacted with the Gravi members lately? Please tell us if there's anything interesting👓✨ = = KAI: Oh, that emoji means Haru! Haru~ HARU: I was waiting so long to be called. YOU: You appeared so quickly (www) HARU: Something interesting... Ah, let's play Look that way! YOU: Is it popular in Gravi? (ww)

#Haru won and was satisfied when he left.

I'm busy and tired lately, so please leave a good luck charm please!! I love you!!! = = KAI: I love you too!! YOU: Me too! The is the best good luck charm you can believe in! We love you, support you, so please do your best!! KAI: I wish you a happy summer!

It's summer!!!!!! Did you have anything of a summer vibe that you ate?? = = KAI: Corn!!!!! Grilled Corn!!! YOU: Recently, Procella has this trend of using the Bato Mayo Soy Sauce with various things.

Is Maze slowly molting??! = = YOU: ......Maze? Are you molting? I've never cleaned them up. MAGELLAN: Que! (I forgot) KAI: He's always like fluffy. Maybe it's because he's an Demon World Penguin? Next time, let us touch you~

Speaking of summer vacation, I remember watching movies at movie theaters or on TV when I was in elementary school! Do you have a favorite movie when you were little? = = KAI: Back to the Fu●re that was rebroadcasted on TV! I feel like that's a classic one. YOU: There's also Toto●. KAI: Ah, there's that too! The child in the middle has my colors! Kai is referring to Back to the Future and I believe You is referring to My Neighbor Totoro.

We can't drink outside, but have you been drinking at home?? = = YOU: The senior group sometimes drink on the balcony~ KAI: Only sometimes~ I don't drink a lot (laughs). And what about the middle group? YOU: We don't really drink much? Instead, we eat food.

KAI: That was all for the replies~! YOU: Thank you for your messages despite it being midnight! KAI: I was going to introduce the October's CD but it's so late now, so I'll do it tomorrow! YOU: If you're going to do it tomorrow, then just call in the people themselves. KAI: Ah, true. Anyways, this is all for today's corner!

KAI: It was Kai-chan Radio, Summer Vacation Activity Edition~! YOU: Thank you for listening to us! Ah, Kai, let's say that. KAI: That? YOU (whispers unintelligently to Kai) KAI: Uhhh.. KAI & YOU: Dream well? KAI: .... YOU: .... KAI: I'm kind of embarassed. YOU: Why? (www)

#Kai-chan Radio #Thank you

✧If you like my work, then please consider supporting me here. Thank you~!

[p-and-p-admin]

Prep Work 6.

So in our previous prep posts, we have covered: 1. Discovering or deciding on your premise

2. Doing a “whole story” check by writing a logline (summary sentence).

3. Deciding the shape of our story by seeing which story arc best fits.

4. We have listed our key story beats so we have the bones of our story

5. We learned about dramatic structure and how those bones fit. All previous posts can be viewed in a single document here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M63wTEt4tBvdres5bVj-ae9Vqy5Kn1NgsXKSvSbiBEs/edit?usp=sharing

This week we are going to complete our outline so we can move on to drafting. (Hooray!) From the figures we went through in the last post we are going to layout our outline. I’m using the middle set of figures (The average first novel). Obviously, you can use whichever set is most appropriate to your goal. My layout would look something like this:

Scene 1. The Set-up & Opening image. Summary (example): An unnamed female patient is found hanging in one of the wards of St Mungo’s by staff. It is revealed the woman had been a DeathEater. At the same time, Hermione is getting ready to attend the 6th Commemoration Service for The Battle of Hogwarts.

Scene 2.

Scene 3.

Scene 4.

Scene 5.

Scene 6. The Inciting Incident. Summary Sentence (example): While having lunch with Harry and Ron, Hermione learns that Professor Flitwick has been violently murdered in Hogsmeade.

Scene 7.

Scene 8.

Scene 9.

Scene 10.

Scene 11.

Scene 12. The First Act Turning Point. Summary Sentence (example): Hermione returns to Ticehurst to tell Severus about the murder of Rangurt Rowle. Concerned by this turn of events Severus agrees to help her investigate and after uncovering a clue pointing to the next potential victim they attempt to head the killer off.

Scene 13.

Scene 14.

Scene 15.

Scene 16.

Scene 17.

Scene 18. Stoke the subplot. Summary Sentence (example): Severus reveals his most precious secret to Hermione.

Scene 19.

Scene 20.

Scene 21.

Scene 22.

Scene 23.

Scene 24.

Scene 25. The plot in motion. Summary Sentence (example): Severus and Hermione attend The Masquerade Ball at Malfoy Manor certain the killer will be in attendance.

Scene 26.

Scene 27.

Scene 28.

Scene 29.

Scene 30.

Scene 31. Midpoint. Summary Sentence (example): The Prophet exposes the series of murders to the public and Kingsley is furious with Hermione, Harry and Ron over the previous night’s happenings. With Harry and Ron then threatening to reveal that Severus is alive the situation worsens still when Severus becomes angry with Hermione feeling he is being backed into a corner.

Scene 32.

Scene 33.

Scene 34.

Scene 35.

Scene 36.

Scene 37. Second Act Turning Point. Summary Sentence (example): Severus and Hermione review all the clues they have and finally a key piece of the puzzle slots into place, revealing to them who their suspect is.

Scene 38.

Scene 39.

Scene 40.

Scene 41.

Scene 42.

Scene 43.

Scene 44. Break into Act Three Summary Sentence (example): Hermione encounters the killer on the road to The Burrow and a duel ensues.

Scene 45.

Scene 46. Climax/Finale. Summary Sentence (example): Severus rushes to Godric’s Hollow trying to beat the killer there but instead finds himself reliving his worst memory.

Scene 47.

Scene 48.

Scene 49.

Scene 50. The New World/Epilogue state. Summary Sentence (example): With the killer dead and Severus’ secret still intact Hermione resolves to leave Forge Cottage to protect his new life and her heart.

As you can see, there is a lot of space between those key beats! So what I would suggest doing next is asking yourself how do I get from A to B. What needs to happen after scene 1 so the story flows logically into scene 6? What things need to happen or be shown to the audience to get you from scene 6 to scene 12? And so on. Jot those down as dot points and then arrange those dot points into the gaps. Once you are satisfied, double back and add a summary sentence, a paragraph or even a full scene breakdown, depending on the depth of outlining you are comfortable doing. Feel free to also expand your key beats summaries into full scene breakdowns and add any new shiny gems of dialogue or sparkly new details that have appeared to your mind’s eye as you have filled in the story between your key beats. Suggested tasks

Write up your layout allowing for your word goal so you can see where and how many scenes make up the gaps between beats. Compare it to your chosen arc to see if the mood/action is rising or falling for each scene.

Fill in your gaps with dot points and when happy the order makes sense expand upon them.

Once satisfied show your layout to an alpha reader or other trusted set of eyes and get a check for plot holes and consistent internal logic of the “rules” your world obeys.

Make changes as needed.

This is an old screenwriter trick from the analog days but is still so handy that I always recommend it, write each scene summary onto a coloured index card - use different colours to denote the main purpose of the scene so, one for main plot, one for subplot, one each for your main character arcs and any others you feel you need. When you have done that, put the cards in order and fan the “deck” slightly and let your eye tell you if the colours are evenly spread through the story or if they bunch up in some places and get spread thin in others. This will give you an indication of how well paced your story is and whether or not you might want to “shuffle” things about a bit to make the pace smoother.

Make changes as needed.

And that’s it. In my opinion, that’s a really solid starter outline, from here you can begin to embroider over it to create your first draft.

[calliecat93]

ST: TNG S6 Watchthrough Episodes 22-25

Suspicions: Crusher has been ousted as the CMO and doctor in general to the point that it sounds like she’s going to be court-martialed. Why? Well, the episode shows us as Crusher explains what happened to Guinan. She had been holding a scientific conference but during an experiment, a scientist dies. As more happens, Crusher decides to investigate on her own… which included performing an autopsy against orders when all else failed and against the family’s wishes. So… I love Crusher. She is nowhere near close to overthrowing McCoy as favorite CMO (or favorite ST character in general)… which since Pulaski is her only other competition ATM it’s not much, but still. She’s smart, determined, understanding, nurturing, a maternal figure, and while she may be shouty like her predecessor, she doens’t need to be to be an awesome doctor who will have her voice heard. Two people died under her watch and she will get to the bottom of it, knowing fully well that she’s risking her career by doing so. Seriously, McCoy would be proud! It’s a good episode that lets Crusher be plain awesome. She takes matters into her own hands, keeps investigating even after getting herself into hot water because it needs to be done, and she kicks the bad guys' ass and save herself at the end. Even Ogawa gets an awesome moment by giving Crusher access to autopsy files and endangering her own career to help her. Hell yeah, medical officer solidarity~! It’s not the most impactful episode, but if you love Dr. Crusher, this is absolutely an episode to check out~! 4/5.

Rightful Heir: Ever since Birthright, Worf’s been having a crisis of faith. He goes to reflect on this and has a vision of Kahless, a Klingon spiritual leader and he has returned. Yep, we have us a religious episode folks. Kahless causes Worf to find his faith again and view him as the savior that he is hailed as… too bad that Gowran isn’t convinced. Thos episode actually raises a lot of interesting questions to me. What happens when a spiritual figure returns? How do we explain things despite them making no logical sense? How can we be for sure that they are being truthful? And what happens when it all comes crashing down? Do you maintain the facade to keep up morale and allow the teachings to continue their intent? Or do you tellt he truth and cause who knows what kind of chaos? I can relate to Worf here. Especially in recent years, I’ve been having a major crisis of faith and in such a vulnerable state, it’s so easy to fall into something like this. Klingon episodes really like to delve into the complicated politics, huh? Also really liked the talk between Data and Worf near the end about faith. I agree with the sentiment that even if a claimed diety is proven a fraud or fake, the teachings still matter… but the fact that they ultimateley maintain the facade of Kahless kind of muddies it up. The Klingons get guidance… by a fake. Now to be fair the problems of this and what’ll happen if Kahless ever gets found out and Worf wants the truth known to the people, so at the very least it’s ackowledged. I feel like the realizations should have impacted Worf more than it did, but ah well. Overall it was fine. 3.5/5.

Second Chances: While on a mission led by Riker, the crew stumbles upon… Riker. Another one. Okay, long story short, Riker has stranded eight years ago, got rescued, but transporter hijinks created a clone who was left alone. I S2G, transporters are freakin’ horrifying. I actually thought that this was going to go down like TOS’ The Enemy Within, but they avoid that. This Riker, who we’ll call Thomas, has the memories of the Riker from eight years before. So he hasn’t undergone any of the six-season-long development that Riker has so he hasn’t done things such as reconcile with his father, become the First Officer, and he still has romantic feelings for Troi. Major praise to Johnathan Frakes here. Acting against yourself is never easy. We have gotten it a couple of times, Brent Spiner’s done it plenty at this point. But Frakes did a fantastic job as both Riker’s, the one we’ve come to know and the man that he used to be/would have become had he remained stranded. Thomas and Troi’s interactions are sweet and really give us a nice glimpse of what Riker and Troi’s past relationship had to be like… although it is kinda awkward considering the older Riker’s presence and all. What would it be like to interact with an alternate past version of yourself? Riker is much more collected and in charge than he was then but also plays it safe more, while Thomas has more of the cockiness and immaturity that he did back in the early days but is also far more daring. In the end, things don’t work out with Thomas and Troi as Thomas chooses his career just as he did in the past and Troi’s not willing to thro the life she has away to marry him. Poor Troi cannot catch a break. This was an interesting one. I feel like Thomas should have been more affected by the fact that he was alone for eight years, but I also like that we don’t go for the whole evil/insane plot either. It was really cool to see the older Riker against a version of himself who didn’t end up on the Enterprise, the mature take on Riker and Troi’s relationship and how we’ve avoided every standard pitfall they couldhave fallen into, and we even avoid killing anyone! Hooray~! 3.5/5.

Timescape: As Picard, Data, Geordi, and Troi are returning from a science conference… but find the Enterprise and a Romulan ship frozen in place. There are some weird time distortions going on and after rigging up some bands to keep themselves un-frozen, they try to get to the bottom of it. This was a fun one! It’s cool yet creepy to see Picard, Troi, and Data going through the Enterprise (Geordi’s manning the shuttle, he gets to go on the Romulan ship though) and seeing all the insanity that was going on, including Crusher being shot at point-blank range… okay that’s on the horrifying end of the scale, but still. Don’t worry, they avert her dying for realsies! Picard also loses it and his mental breakdown is just plain freaky. Troi was freakin’ awesome in this one, getting to do actual Starfleet officer things, be actively involved, and they bring back up Face of the Enemy and Troi’s experience with the Romulans and their tech prove very beneficial! Yes, let’s keep the awesome Troi train running! It was just a fun episode and for the penultimate one of the season, it serves its purpose well~! Also Riker does not get along with cats haha. 4/5.

Alright, one more for S6 to go and along with it we start S7. The beginning of the end is nearing folks. I’m so excited~!

[newagesispage]

                                                                        MAY                 2021

The Rib Page

*****

George Takei is sweatin’ with the oldies. He stars in a fitness app for gay seniors, Bar Belles. It was his April Fool’s day joke.

*****

Fox will bring us Crime Scene Kitchen on May 26 with host Joel McHale.

*****

Joel Hodgson has launched a new kick starter to create a new independent season of MTS3K, The goal is $2mil.

*****

Bob Odenkirk will release: Comedy, comedy, comedy, drama: A Memoir on Jan. 18 2022

*****

Leslie Jones will host the 2021 MTV Awards.

*****

$3 mil was raised for Next for Autism with help from Conan, Kimmel, Charlize, Chris Rock, Jack Black and Sarah Silverman.

*****

Have ya noticed that Gayle King looks great in yellow.

*****

Some people are not too happy that Elon Musk will host SNL on May 8. Miley Cyrus is the musical guest.** Musk tweeted: Let’s find out just how live SNL really is. Cast member Bowen Yang tweeted back, : What the Fuck does this even mean?

*****

Oh Seth Meyers: Every time I see the sea captain on your show, I miss him so much!!

*****

There is a spotlight on Foxconn which made a big splash for Trump at the start of his presidency. The company has done a lot of nothing but still gets tax cuts. Homes were demolished, roads were widened to nowhere and money was spent. Wisconsinites are upset that this big business is just folly and a big glass orb.

*****

Mike Lindell is a kook but he did try to appear to be a good sport on Kimmel.

*****

When will weed be legal on a federal level? When will drug testing for employment be illegal? We hear so much about personal rights with the gun laws and vaccines and masks. What about the right to do what we want with our bodies when we are not at work. Think of the administrative costs that could be saved if we just removed drug testing. Our experience and work ethic should mean more that what we do with our free time. This is not a problem at all companies. There are places in this country where it is near impossible anywhere in your area to get hired without a drug screening. One joint on a random Saturday night could keep someone from a great opportunity. A person in pain who reaches for an edible might miss out on the job that saves their lives.

*****

NASA sent the first flight to another planet. The Mars flight made history with the 30 sec feat.

*****

What? The Menendez brothers are popular again? From the Ramsey case to the Manson murders or Bundy, it all comes back around again.

*****

The Lizzie Borden house just sold for $2mil to Lance Zaal of U. S. Ghost Adventures.

*****

Quarantine and so much television et al proves one thing, the pharmaceutical and insurance companies have way too much $.

*****

Trump told everyone to boycott Coke and is later seen drinking diet Coke.** Trump sent out a statement about how bad the Oscars are. They threw it right back in his face. ** Federal agents have searched Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment. It stems from the 2 year investigation into activities in Ukraine.

*****

X-VP Pence is said to have pressured the Navy to reinstate former Mo. Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens was accused of tying up, blindfolding, taking explicit photos of and blackmailing a woman.

*****

There is a crisis in schools with the lack of civics and history being taught.

*****

Hulk Hogan was hit with a chorus of Boo’s at his latest event.

*****

The latest sexual harassment news: Matt Gaetz  is being looked into for sex with a minor and sex trafficking.  Bill Barr opened the investigation.** Tom Reed has been accused of sexual misconduct by former lobbyist, Nicolette Davis.** Marilyn Manson has been sued by Game of Thrones, Esme Bianco for sexual abuse.

*****

What is going on with Bank of America? I am hearing from multiple people that often they do not get their statement in the mail. Is this a bad Postal service? Is this bad business practice? How many late fees had to be paid because of this? Not everybody wants to pay their bills online.

*****

Jack Hanna has revealed that he has dementia.

*****

Tiny Tim : King for a day is a new doc I must see. The film contains footage shot from Warhol’s Factory. There are excerpts from Tim’s diary read by Weird Al Yankovic and the story of how Tiny’s friend, Bob Dylan wanted to make a film with him.

*****

Lindsay Lohan’s Father, Michael has been charged with 5 counts patient brokering and 1 count of attempted patient brokering. This is an apparent scam of steering addicts into rehab for cash.

*****

Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova are dating. Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor are dating.

*****

JB Smoove has a new podcast brought to you by TeamCoco.

*****

Hey.. People working on the new Law and Order: Organized Crime….. TOO MUCH MELONI!!

*****

*****

Zach Avery, actor, was arrested for his participation in a $690 mil Ponzi scheme.

*****

President Biden has restored aid to the Palestinians.

*****

MLB put up a wall in Georgia but the Masters stayed.

*****

Hank Azaria has brought Brockmire to a new podcast.

*****

Tommy Chong isn’t allowed on FB because of his weed posts but they allow an imposter to use his name to sell weed.

Pennsylvania is trying to push thru 14 voter suppression bills.

*****

Joe Manchin. Ugh!!** Marjorie Taylor- Greene has let go of her America First caucus.** Ted Cruz has allegedly used $154, 000 of his campaign funds to buy up copies of his book to boost sales. This is an old trick but still illegal.

*****

For the first time, The Carter Center became involved in a U.S. election. They published videos and live webcasts as well as deploying observers across Georgia.

*****

Most health programs in Uganda, Nigeria and Ethiopia have resumed after Covid.** Tom Vilsack from the Dept. of Agriculture has announced the USDA will provide assistance to 30 million kids.** It is sad to me that we have to entice people to vaccinate. Football games, Church’s and shot for shot in bars?? Really? Saving the lives of others should be enough. WTF?

*****

Alec Baldwin, Alec Mapa and Kelsey Grammer are shopping around a new comedy that ABC decided to pass on.

*****

Chauvin was found guilty.

*****

Days alert: C’mon Ben, calm the fuck down! Don’t prove how out of control you are like everybody thinks. ** Xander is so funny right now.** How many people will Kristen be and how many times can one person melt down?? **Bring Carrie back!! **Jackee’ seemed a bit nervous in the beginning but she is fitting right in. More!

*****

The SAG awards came and went. With the Trial of the Chicago 7 winning best ensemble, Michael Keaton is the first person to be in 3 best casts for SAG’s.** Other winners include Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Kaluuta, Youn Yuh-Jung, Mark Ruffalo, Anya Taylor- Joy, Jason Bateman, Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek and The Crown.

*****

The Oscars were held on April 25. It was a bit of a yawner and why would a show set themselves up for an awkward end?? There was a commercial from P&G right before the broadcast that stated, “ Widen the screen so we can widen our view.” Nice sentiment.  Mank had so many noms and only 2 wins. People looking their best to me were Leslie Odom Jr., Glenn Close, Riz Ahmed, LaKeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, John Batiste, Mia Neal, Questlove (gold crocs and a mask!), Desmond Roe, Travon Free, Trish Summerville, Marlee Matlin, The Lucas Brothers, Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Nicolette Robinson, Regina King and Margot Robbie. Laura Dern looked like Big Bird, there were just too many feathers. Tiara Thomas had feathers but they looked great.  Angela Bassett had some power sleeves and Tyer Perry looked like a little boy.  Hooray for Emerald Fennell for her win for original screenplay but not sure about the dress. And Viola Davis?? Dana Murray?? Ashley Fox?? Hmm?? Winners seemed to have trouble getting to the stage. They often refused the steps or the walkway and sort of climbed up the side. I did love the intimate setting and it did remind me of the old clips of years before. Sound of metal and Ma Rainey both won. Tyler Perry and for the first time, an organization, the motion picture and television fund, took home the humanitarian award. I was thrilled to see My Octopus Teacher win for Doc. I loved Crip Camp too, that was a hard category.  The acting winners went in all directions.  Many critics complained that the films were real downers . Nomadland won best picture. Michael Moore put it best I think. Of the films this year, he said, “They force you to look backward with 2021 eyes.”

*****

Why the Fuck do we need a militarized police force?

*****

R.I.P. victims of the multiple mass shootings, victims of police shootings, the crush in Israel, Cosette Brown, Midwin Charles, DMX, Paul Ritter, Ethel Gabriel, G. Gordon Liddy, Buddy Peppenschmidt,  Prince Philip, Anne Beatts, Diane Adler, Vartan Gregorian, Monte Hellman, Jim Steinman, Michael Collins, Michael wolf Snyder, Johnny Crawford, Eli Broad and Walter Mondale.

[chicagosfinest2021]

nosy anons let's go

(I know people are supposed to anonymously send these to people but most people usually don't bother so I'm just going to answer them myself because I can :-P )

0: Height-5'3"

1: Age-Old enough to know what a pager is but young enough to never have actually used one before X-D

2: Shoe size-9

3: Do you smoke? No

4: Do you drink? Occasionally/socially

5: Do you take drugs? Just benadryl for my allergies

6: Age you get mistaken for? Early to mid 20's

7: Have tattoos? No

8: Want any tattoos? No, I like my chocolately skin the way it is :-)

9: Got any piercings? Just my ears

10: Want any piercings? I might get one or two more

11: Best friend? My sister

12: Relationship status? Happily unattached

13: Biggest turn ons? Men who have money and spend it on me

14: Biggest turn offs? Broke men who are looking for free sex and free therapy

15: Favorite movie? An Indian movie I just watched on Netflix a few months ago called "Queen". I saw so much of myself in the main character, it was amazing.

16: I’ll love you if… For men, you consistently make the effort to make me happy and make sure I'm taken care of(which includes respecting my time and my presence in your life). For women...we just have to bond and genuinely enjoy each others company, that's really it. Women earn my love much more easily.

17: Someone you miss? My grandmother, I'd probably give up a lot of good things I have going for myself right now in exchange for having my grandmother back.

18: Most traumatic experience? (*Trigger warning*) My sexual assaults, especially the second one because it was someone I'd known since I was a kid.

19: A fact about your personality? I've been introverted since childhood. I like either small intimate settings or being alone, rarely do I enjoy being in big groups.

20: What I hate most about myself? That it took me so long to come out of my social anxiety and had low self value for so long. I think that if I had conquered all of that sooner, I'd be a lot further ahead in life.

21: What I love most about myself? I'm more secure in who I am now than ever before. There's certain things that I used to tolerate that are unthinkable to me in the present, and I don't have "haters" because anyone that might be throwing negative energy my way doesn't register.

22: What I want to be when I get older? A luxurious Black woman with my own condo and living in an upscale neighborhood. I want to be saving money, making wise investments, and spoiling myself and my niece <3 I also want to have a tight group of girl friends I spend time with regularly.

23: My relationship with my sibling(s)? I have one full sister who is like my twin and we're very close, and a younger half-sister who's 8 years my junior whom I love but don't relate to too much. We have different mothers and (through no fault of hers) we grew up in very different environments: me and my oldest sister are a lot more "bougie" as a result of our suburban upbringing, but our little sister grew up in the 'hood and applies "hood logic" to a lot of things. The type of men we're attracted to, the type of music we like, the company we keep. . .it's like trying to talk to someone who speaks a foreign language.

24: My relationship with my parent(s)? I'm a daddy's girl. Even though my dad and I don't see eye to eye on everything he's the reason why I have such high expectations from men. My mom and I only recently started getting close, she and I tend to bump heads more often than me and my dad.

25: My idea of a perfect date? I show up to a 4 star Italian restaurant and my date meets me with roses and a small gift. We sit down and he's a gentleman, we eat, chat, makes jokes, and have a few drinks. After he pays the bill but before we get up to leave he passes me an envelope under the table. I take a look and see that it has $700 in cash inside of it. I accept it and thank him. Before we part ways he requests to see me again soon and I tell him I'll have to check my schedule. My Uber ride pulls up and my date opens my door for me before taking my hand and kissing it.

26: My biggest pet peeves? Men who want maximum benefits for minimal effort and the women willing to give it to them. Also trap music, just. . .in general. Oh and Black people who still insist we're "taking the sting out of the N-word" by using it casually amongst ourselves, it's just such a problematic and counterproductive mindset and I can't even pretend to entertain it.

27: A description of the girl/boy I like? I don't currently have anyone that I like but ideally they'd be well groomed, witty, intelligent, stable mentally, emotionally and financially. Someone who likes jokes but isn't vulgar, and notices the little things about me (how I make eye contact, my natural scent, the way I carry myself when I walk, sit, stand, etc). Being physically attractive is always a plus, but things that I find physically attractive in a person is very broad.

28: A description of the person I dislike the most? Rude, unkempt, body odor, someone who doesn't respect personal boundaries, ungrateful, uninteresting, someone who talks incessantly about things they don't actually know or can't comprehend.

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend? I can't remember the last time I lied to a friend about anything.

30: What I hate the most about work/school? My current position is uninteresting, tedious and not in a field I was working in previously. Also I'm doing work that realistically should be performed by 4 or 5 people but of course they expect one person to take care of everything. It's really just a temporary gig to make money to save up for a new place, so I'm trying to suck it up because I know I won't be here long.

31: What my last text message says: My cousin said she got her 2nd covid vaccination today so I responded with "Hip Hop Hooray!" LOL

32: What words upset me the most? "I'm just looking to have fun. . ."

33: What words make me feel the best about myself? When another pretty Black girl gives me a compliment, I immediately feel invincible.

34: What I find attractive in women? High self esteem and a sense of security, not seeing other women as competition, women who are cultured and have multiple interests, and who enjoy learning new things as well as sharing her wisdom with others. I also enjoy creating bonds with women who are child-free by choice like myself.

35: What I find attractive in men? Their ability to spoil me and give me pleasure.

36: Where I would like to live? North side of Chicago maybe around Lincoln Park. Outside of the US I'd like to live in England or Ireland in the future.

37: One of my insecurities: I am a short woman with large breasts (double D's). I've been buxom since a very young age and being well endowed has made me the center of negative attention on more than a few occasions. I'm constantly battling between wanting to highlight my curves without "advertising" too much either.

38: My childhood career choice: I believe I wanted to be a writer. I'd love to be a travel blogger actually.

39: My favorite ice cream flavor: It used to be cookie dough but now it's mint chocolate chip

40: Who I wish I could be: Sade

41: Where I want to be right now: Sitting on the balcony of my luxury condo, sipping wine and watching the lights of the city while smooth jazz is playing on my record player.

42: The last thing I ate: A slice of my dad's birthday cake (red velvet)

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately: I have this picture of this male model saved on my phone who looks like a "stereotypical" sugar daddy to me: tall, caucasian male, white/silver hair, piercing blue eyes, mid to late 50's, full beard and mustache, about 6 feet tall, muscular build.

44: A random fact about anything: Countries with more irreligious people/atheists/non-believers tend to also be the most peaceful and prosperous.