#but you can't click on the image to see it larger when I do that

[jedi-hawkins]

Callsign: Omega

post-s3 finale head cannons (spoilers, duh)

Omega, she’s become one of the most famous pilots for the rebellion.

She names her x-wing “Havoc 5” for her brothers

Of course it has their ct numbers written across the back, right behind the cockpit, for they’re always watching her six. She can't see them when she's flying, and frankly doesn't look at the worn numbers there every day, but they're there always.

The belly of her x-wing is covered in tally marks. The blue ones are for each clone she’s helped free, an ohmage to a clone her brother Echo told her about, ARC-5555. The black ones are for every other being she's helped free. And the red ones, those are for the lives that have passed on and become one with the Force.

On part of her landing gear is a blue pawprint.

On her helmet she only has five things painted, a knife, a crosshair, a tooka doll, a handprint, and a pair of goggles.

On the shoulder of her flight suit, she adds another CF 99 patch, just like the one on her jacket.

She goes by callsign “Omega” for she is the last. The end. The final thing her enemies will see, the last thing the Empire will feel as it falls. She is the being that brings an end to the suffering that so many clones have faced as wards of the Empire when she shows up to liberate them. Omega.

Bonus: The first time she returns to Pabu, Hunter immediately notices the nose art she's chosen to paint on her shuttle, the one built from the Marauder's salvage. It's a stark replica of the nose art that once adorned the original ship, back in the Clone Wars. His stomach plummets and he can't even find the words. As his daughter strolls down the ramp, she immediately bursts into laughter at the look on his face.

Her brothers, Crosshair and Wrecker stroll into the courtyard, the larger of the two asking loudly, "What's so funny, 'Meg?"

"I think that is what's so funny." The lankier one replies, gesturing to the nose of the shuttle with his left hand. He's forgone his prosthetic today. Some days he wears it, others he chooses to wear his cap with pride.

Wrecker scratches his beard and both his eyes widen, "WAIT- IS THAT?"

"So, it would seem." Crosshair says, placing a toothpick between his lips. "Breathe, Hunter." He says pointedly at his brother, who still looks like a deer caught in headlights.

"I-uhh. It's good to have you home, Omega." He finally stutters out.

He wraps his arms around her tightly as always, but his eyes are still glued to the hull of her shuttle. "Done some decorating, I see?"

"Yeah." She replies simply, giving Wrecker and Crosshair their own due hugs. "You like it?"

"It certainly is... something." Hunter gets out, stumbling over his words yet again.

"I found the image in some old Republic files we recovered, it reminded me of something I saw as a kid, but I don't remember where." She says, coming to stand beside Hunter again.

"Ehhh... Omega." Her father groans, running a hand through his greying hair. "Do you... Do you remember what the Marauder looked like when we first met?"

She turns to him. "No, why do you ask?"

Hunter finally peels his eyes away from the shuttle to face his daughter. "That picture you found... That was... That was the Marauder, that's where you know it from. You only saw it once. We scrubbed it off as soon as we decided to come back to Kamino for you."

"Really? I had no recollection." Omega tries to stop the grin from spreading across her face, but she can't help it, and Hunter, still perceptive as always scoffs at her.

"Why you little..." He growls at her, stifling his own laughter.

"I think she knows..." Crosshair chimes in, running his hand through his silver locks.

Wrecker's jaw drops, "Wait, you know where that's from?"

Omega shakes her head at her brothers. "Of course I know, I never forgot how awkward you all were when I asked about it. It didn't click exactly why until I found that old picture. Thought I'd bring it back for old time's sake, eh Hunter?"

Hunter's eyes widen as words escape him once again.

"Kidding," Omega teases. "I just wanted to see what your reaction would be."

Crosshair steps closer to the shuttle to examine the paint job. "Though this has been wildly entertaining, it might be best for you to scrub it, 'Mega."

Omega crosses her arms. "Why? You did it first little brother."

His eyes narrow at his sister, he's the only one she ever pulls that with and though he secretly loves it, she can't know that. "I mean it." He says sternly, pointing his toothpick at her. "Otherwise, Hunter is going to have an aneurysm every time you come home."

Omega looks to the clone beside her, just barely an inch shorter than her now. She places a hand on his shoulder, "Of course I'll scrub it. Echo thought the idea was hilarious. Plus, it gave me an opening to show you this."

She gently reaches into her bag and brings out a holoframe, turning it so Hunter can see. It looks just like any other quick photo taken in a Republic shipyard. Troopers are milling around in the back, by the looks of the landscape it might've been Ryloth. The focus of the photo, however, is a black Omicron-class attack shuttle and five clone commandos posed in front of it in red and black armor.

Their helmets are off, their faces young and confident, proud of their most recent mission. Though, the sniper has a rifle held in his right hand, and the one crouched in front doesn't have his goggles on. But it's clear who it is, all five of them. And on the nose of the attack shuttle behind them, is the striking portrait of the last senator of Naboo.

[sirfrogsworth]

A Scam... Tutorial?

I was watching Photoshop tutorials and YouTube recommended this video to me.

And I was already skeptical. Clarity is an extremely powerful and useful adjustment in Lightroom and Photoshop and I could not think of a reason why anyone would recommend *not* using it to the extent they were using ALL CAPS.

But I was curious if there was a new technique I was unaware of. It's impossible to know everything regarding Photoshop and I learn new stuff all the time.

So I gave the video a chance.

To quote my late father... what a crock of shit.

I have seen a few scam videos in my time, but I cannot think of ever seeing a digital art tutorial scam. I found myself angry and a strongly worded comment just flew out of my brain.

I continued...

"First, no one should use clarity and texture at 100%. And I think showing the effects at 100%, as if that is a normal workflow, is highly misleading. You are creating a problem that does not exist and then offering a solution to it. And then you are using a provocative title to attract clicks. Not to mention you may be convincing beginners to abandon clarity and texture altogether when it is one of Camera Raw/Lightroom's most powerful tools. People should absolutely use clarity and texture. That is a crazy thing to tell people.

Second, high pass sharpening is… old school. It works but it can create a lot of nasty artifacts if overdone. (Personally I find it too crunchy and prefer smart sharpen on a smart object so it is non destructive). Clarity and texture are much more modern approaches to help bring out detail and I find they actually produce *fewer* artifacts than typical sharpening filters/techniques. And if you have trouble with clarity or texture adjustments in the bokeh areas, then use a local adjustment that doesn't affect those areas. You can even do a separate clarity and texture layer and use the opacity slider and the blend if and masking just like you did with the high pass. Why are you acting like you can only make a global clarity adjustment?

Essentially you are giving a worst case scenario of a clarity/texture adjustment just so you can make your technique seem like it is orders of magnitude better.

And what is even more infuriating is that you can do clarity/texture AND you can do high pass sharpening *together*. Why are you acting like it is one or the other?

I'm so confused by your motivations. Did you invent this clarity problem just so you could make a click bait-y title so you can then sell your little panel thing? And then you used an old school sharpening technique that many have abandoned so it seems like you have secret knowledge that was lost? And I could argue it isn't even a better solution. It's just a different way to achieve similar, if not worse results.

This is like if you put a pound of sugar in lemonade and then said, "Wow, this is way too sweet! You should try my superior lemonade that has a normal amount of high fructose corn syrup."

Lastly, if clarity and texture (set at a reasonable amount) aren't enough to produce sharp, detailed results, then it might be worth considering your actual photography techniques. Modern photography with modern sensors and lenses should be able to produce extremely sharp results without having to juice the hell out of sharpening filters in software. 20% clarity and texture (if that) plus a little bit of smart sharpen is usually more than enough to bring out detail in almost all of my photos and I have never been accused of having soft images.

So, if you are getting soft results, you might need to adjust how you are capturing your images. Are you using a very small aperture like f/22 on that macro image? That could be a diffraction issue. Perhaps it would be better to use a larger aperture at the lens's sweet spot and then do a focus stack.

I mean, I can't think of any other reason a person would need to do 100% clarity and texture unless they completely bungled the actual photography or were still using a kit lens.

I'm sorry but this video is a mess."

Let's look a little closer at what he did to his example.

He started with this.

Then he applied clarity & texture to MAXIMUM. Which, again, is like adding a pound of sugar to lemonade.

And by golly, it looks pretty bad!

Then he used his secret ancient high pass technique to get this.

Which looks a hell of a lot like the unsharpened image to me. And the high pass sharpening is probably only visible when zoomed in to 100% on the full resolution image.

Which is one of the issues with this technique. It isn't even noticeable on social media—the place where the majority of photos are viewed these days.

And then after showing you this groundbreaking effect that does almost nothing, he tries to sell you his Photoshop panel.

Yes, that' looks intuitive. Just hit the blue checkmark to do... something?

And what is this green eyeball with a crescent moon inside?

Only $50!

And if you want to know what the purple X button does, you need to pay another $15 for the tutorial on how to use it.

Neat.

Just to prove this is all a scam I'd like to show you an example of my own.

Here is a picture of Otis with no clarity, texture, or sharpening applied.

And here is a reasonable amount of sugar. I set the clarity and texture to where I felt they looked best.

Wow, that looks better. Not only that, you can actually see the difference at social media resolutions!

Now let's add a pound of sugar. MAXIMUM CLARITY GO!

Yep, that looks a bit rough. Because no one does this ever.

And now let's see his high pass sharpening technique.

Barely a difference on social media.

Okay, let's try zooming in 200%. Maybe that will give the high pass sharpening the victory.

Normal...

Reasonable clarity & texture...

FULL BEANS CLARITY & TEXTURE!

High pass...

Just as I said, the high pass introduces crunchy sharpening artifacts.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I much prefer the subtle clarity and texture. Perhaps the details in the eyeballs aren't quite as crispy, but in the version that isn't zoomed in, I don't think you feel like the image is soft and the normal clarity and texture adjustment added contrast and actually noticeable detail to the image.

In the end, except for the pound of sugar, these are all subtle adjustments and other photographers might be the only ones who would ever notice. The original Otis picture was probably fine to most people. So disparaging the clarity slider was even more unnecessary.

Why does this matter?

Being a beginner at photography is frustrating. There are so many resources to choose from and it's very difficult to know who is competent and who you can trust. If someone just starting out was recommended this video they could be easily be convinced it is legit. And it could set them back in their progress because they think useful tools will actually make their photos worse. They will waste a lot of time doing a time consuming old school technique in Photoshop when they probably never needed to even leave Lightroom in the first place. They could move two sliders to get similar or better results and it would only take literal seconds.

Time is valuable to a lot of people. And he seems intent on wasting everyone's time. And what sucks is that I have no real way of exposing this dude on a scale that would do anything.

I also just really hate the idea that educational content is being used to scam people.

This is some PragerU shit right here.

[nightmaretour]

I hate to do this, and it's a long shot I know, but things are getting desperate and it seems like I'm going to be waiting WAY longer than I should be for something that's fairly urgent.

I'm a disabled trans man living in the UK. Recently I was found to have severe anemia, and came up with my FIT test (gastrointestinal cancer screening) a few months ago, and was referred for a colonoscopy to find out the cause, since it looks like I'm having a slow but constant bleed through my GI tract. However, my referral has been awaiting review for over three months now. I'm not even on the waiting list, I'm waiting for someone to decide if I need to be on the waiting list. Since then I've started having GI symptoms such as pain, intermittent loss of appetite, etc. as well as my anemia worsening significantly.

This is of course pretty urgent, but it looks like I'll be waiting months longer once I finally get on the waiting list too. I really have no choice but to get it done through a private hospital, because of the time sensitive nature of, you know, potentially having cancer. I managed to put some money away out of the backpay I got from PIP, but it's not enough.

[ID: A screenshot of an email that's says:

Dear Mr (name blocked out in red),

Thank you for your website inquiry. For your information, the cost of an initial consultation with one of our consultant gastroenterologists is £280."

It then lists the names of 3 doctors as links, all blocked out in red. The email continues,

"The guide price for a colonoscopy is £2,339. For further information, including appointment availability, please don't hesitate to contact the medical secretaries (followed by three names redacted in red) directly on (phone number redacted in red) or call the private patient team on (phone number redacted in red). End ID]

Currently I have around £1,400 stashed away from PIP backpay I got after they royally fucked things up (however I may need to dip into this at points if I find myself struggling). Together the consultation plus the colonoscopy will cost £2,619, which leaves me about £1220 behind. I know I'm most likely not going to get that much from this, but I honestly have no choice but to try my luck here. I really don't know what else I can do.

I really don't like asking for money from people for nothing, but I have a Ko-fi store where I sell handmade screen printed patches, and I'll be adding more designs to it over the coming weeks when I have the time and energy to make new screens. I'm also offering commissions for custom band patches! (Due to Kofi's TOS I can't officially offer patches for bands without their permission.). Below are a few examples of my work:

[ID: 5 images of patches printed in white on black fabric, all sewn onto a worn looking black denim jacket. All are sewn on roughly in red floss, aside from the last one. The first says "only dates I want are tour dates". The words "dates" and "tour dates" are larger than the other text. All of the letter As are replaced with spade symbols. The second is the logo of the band Cop/Out, which is the band name with rough, jagged edges. The third is the logo for The Prodigy, which is the band name in sharp. Zig-zagging letters. The fourth is the logo for the band Subhumans, a stylised skull shouting into a microphone. The fourth is the horizontal silhouette of a crutch. With the words "Talk shit" above it and "get hit" below it. Unlike the rest it is sewn on in black, and the edge of an embroidered back patch is visible just above it. End ID]

I know a lot of people aren't doing well financially right now, and that there are people in far, far more dire situations who probably need your help far more than I do, but I would appreciate any purchases of patches or help you can offer so, so much. Even just sharing the post would be enormously appreciated.

Current progress:

£115/£1220

And of course as pet tax, here's Cynder :)

[ID: A photo of a female wild type leopard gecko laying spread out on a smooth rounded rock in a glass fronted tank. Her head is sideways and raised, looking at the camera with one eye. She looks relaxed and curious. Behind her a large piece of thick tree bark and a plastic cave can be seen. End ID]

[armoricaroyalty]

how i (try to) make my text readable

so as a lifelong glasses wearer north of 25, i cannot see shit! I love the look of text on screenshots, but also i have spent a nonzero amount of time squinting at pale text on a busy background and thought "i cannot fucking read that."

there are lots of ways to do this. my method is not perfect. I am constantly tweaking things to try and make the text more readable. if you have suggestions about making the text more readable, please share!

Step One: Open the screenshot in your photo editor

I start with a screenshot and a script. I use Gimp, a free and open-source photo editor, and I pretty much only use it to put captions on my screenshots, so please do not ask me how to actually edit pictures, I do not know. also, please do not ask me how to do this in any photo editor, i prefer to use this one because it is free, ad-free one that I can own legally and download safely.

open-source software RULES, btw.

Step One: Add a text layer with your dialogue

I use the text tool to add the dialogue to the image, copying and pasting from my script. This is not legible. My eyes hurt. I cannot read that, so I can't tell if I've made any typos.

Step Two: Add a black background to the text.

In, Gimp: Right click text layer > "Alpha to Selection." In the top menu, Selection > Grow > 3 pixels. Top menu: Layer > New Layer. (I name the new layer "Text BG ##") Use the bucket tool to fill the selection on the new later.

There's probably a shortcut to doing this in other photo editors (hell, might be a shortcut in Gimp.)

Step Three: Blur the background

In Gimp: Top Menu > Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. This may be a step backward in terms of readability, but I like how it looks. Let's try a few other things to help the reader, shall we?

Step Four: Drop Shadow

In Gimp: Top Menu > Light & Shadow > Drop Shadow. Makes the text stand out a bit more. Still not particularly readable, especially the blue on blue on the left side of the image.

Step Five: Gradient layer

Create a new layer underneath the Text BG, and then add a transparent gradient over the entire image.

This is step is slightly more involved, so I'll just link you to a guide instead of explaining myself: "How to create a gradient transparency in GIMP."

Step Six: Further Tweaks

I still wasn't satisfied with the readability of the text. I duplicated the gradient layer to create a darker background underneath the text. I also repeated the drop shadow step on the Text BG layer. You could also make the text larger or bolder, change font colors, grow the selection by 4 or 5 pixels instead of 3, or skip the blurring step. I change my method frequently to try to get the best look for each individual image, and I don't always do a perfect job.

This is an area where I constantly innovate. I want people to be able to actually read my text, so I try not to let myself be satisfied with "good enough." When I take screenshots, I try to do it with an eye for compositions that give me a nice, blank space on the bottom for text, ex.

[twst-hottest-takes]

I have a hot take. I don't think Azul should be insecure about his weight. I do understand that some people are insecure about it (me being one of them), but imo it doesn't bring anything to his character.

Spoilers for book 3, book 4, and the Halloween event:

In book 3, Azul overblots because he was bullied for being overweight, and the only way he feels he can have any control in life is to make deals with others and use his magic. So when Leona destroys his contracts, it's pretty obvious Azul's losing his mind. However, Azul's weight, insecurities, and even the soft side he has doesn't really shine through.

I mean in book 4 after all of that was "resolved" he's the same person he was in book 3. He's a cunning business man, who wants the best deal possible so he can be on top. We even see this through the rest of the books.

If someone skipped book 3, they literally wouldn't have missed anything. Unless they were to play the Halloween event in which this happens:

I'm sorry if some of them are too small. If you go to the end of the first Halloween event, and click on chapter 8 (I think it's called "He'll Be All Right"), you should be able to find it.

In conclusion, though, I think Azul should have overblotted for a different reason. Like maybe he wanted to be a shady business person like his mom, and destroying his contracts means all his time and effort were wasted. Idk literally anything other than he was bullied for being fat, and he's insecure about it.

There is a reason I put Azul at the bottom of the Overblot ranking.

Forgive me though, I am going to have to push back on this one a bit, but trust the process!

Note: If this element of the character (Azul having been chubby/fat as a kid) is simply a narrative note that doesn't hit for you, there's not a problem with that and you can go about your day. You just really got me thinking and now I have to ramble out some details!

Azul wasn't just picked on for his weight. He was otherized for being an octopus as opposed to the more conventional fish-folk, and his issues with his body image reflect that. He was treated as stupid and slow and weird because he couldn't do things like all the other kids because of how his body worked. As a result, he decided to hone his magic to take advantage of others' weaknesses and distance himself from that image of his past to prove he wasn't what they said he was.

Azul Overblotted after losing the contracts because they represented (literally and metaphorically) the power and control he had over others' strengths and weaknesses. Losing that control and being overwhelmed by the fear of returning to the version of himself that was most vulnerable is why he overblotted. The connection is made clearer still when you take into account that he avoids returning to his merman form as much as possible because it is that much closer to the version of himself he can't stand the most. Likewise, he would be trying to avoid weight gain because that was a part of that version as well.

Azul's schtick was erasing the past and I think his body conscious tendencies inform his character very well.

IN CHAPTER 3!

Like a lot of things in Twisted Wonderland, Azul being body conscious is something that gets left to the wayside for pretty much the rest of the game. Unless you are an Azul fan who collects all of his cards and reads all of his vignettes you wouldn't see the other subtle nods to it like this:

Azul's Birthday Card Year 1: Screen transition line 3. (Azul justifies being able to be self-indulgent with food on his birthday.)

So in summary, I DO think that Azul's weight insecurity adds to his character and informs on the person he is in the current story. However, it has to be taken into account that it's just one small bit to a much larger and more important piece to his character. If you take it on its own, it doesn't have the kind of impact an overblot reason should, and they don't call back to it enough to remind you why it's actually important.

(There's me trying to set the record straight for maybe an oversimplified view on Azul, but I maintain his position on the ranking.)

Thank you for your take!

[that-student-that-has-homework]

Heyy, I’ve been reading your wonderful one piece works for a while — and I couldn’t stop wondering how are you actually doing those magnificent headers?

Like… hello? The great quality, with additional 3D-alike details I could catch by my eyes? I got only Ibis Paint X on mobile, since I’m only a young man that literally two months ago went on a life-time ‘adventure’ of living alone in a small apartment.

In short — I got no money to pay for additional graphics/drawing programs, not yet at least

Hello!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my writing - I'm curious to know what's your favorite piece / part? Also I'm so happy you like my headers? Makes it feel worth it to spend time on them! :D

I have excellent news for you, I used a mix of Canva and Photopea. They're both FREE!

I'll be explaining the process for making these two kinda? The full tutorial is below the cut, to be courteous to the other folks, hope you don't mind?

Though I am hearing that Canva has given people some grief. But Photopea is just *chefs kiss*

If you've ever used photoshop, Photopea is essentially a free photoshop, and it even has the automation tools! An absolute lifesaver when you have multiple layers you want to export (but that's for larger projects not this)

I'm going to assume you have basic knowledge of layers in digital drawing programs for this. If anything isn't clear: ask me, I'll clarify!

//-------------------------------------------------

My General Process is:

Search for official art / images

bring it into canva / photopea

crop / arrange images to match the dimensions

select a thematic color that is associated with the character

separate the foreground from the background

mess around and test things until they work

//--------------------------------------------------

Given "Louder than Words" is the latest one I've made, I'll start with the process for it.

Dimensions: 3000 x 1055 px dpi: 96

//-------------------------------------------

Let's Get Crackin'

Alright let's grab some official art so we're not using any fanart without the artist's permission

I try to pick images that feel relevant enough to what I'm trying to make. For example: the image for the Matching banner shows the ASCE tattoo which is super important in that fic

2. Let's arrange them onto a banner where each individual image has the same/similar dimensions to the rest

That's probably part of why you like these. To a certain extent they have similar dimensions, so they have a uniformity that's pleasing to the eye! (It's not perfect because I threw perfectionism to the wind because this is tumblr not my portfolio) Tip: if you have 3 images and only 2 that have similar dimensions, and the 3rd one can't be cropped logically: but the one that's a different aspect ratio in the middle!

3. lets arrange them in such a way that the borders all feel like they're the same/equal width/thickness

you might find that you have to shrink some images for this, that's fine.

ALTERNATIVELY: if you're going with one image crop it so it's just the relevant info and it matches the dimensions (3000 x 1055 px)

We have our base! Now let's add some color, and direct the viewer's eye together!

4. pick out a color that you think matches your character / vibe - that color is going to be your background Given I'm making an Ace banner: orange is the color I'm going with

I went and named my layers for this lol. The numbers represent the opacity, and they aren't important. I just kept changing the opacity until I liked the way things looks. But here's the secret to the 3D feel:

Motionblur (+ moving it about)

Separating the foreground and background and dulling out the background.

I'm going to show you my process so you can see the effects, but first let's give you some quick skills:

//------------------------------------

SKILLS / THINGS I THINK ARE HELPFUL

//------- Select Similar

magic wand -> select something -> right-click -> select similar This works best when you have high contrast images (like manga panels that are black and white). You can select the black or the white areas. Depending on what works better for you. TIP! Invert selections with ctrl + i Say you know that you want to select everything but Ace's face in the second panel. Select his face with the magic wand then ctrl + i, and that's the only thing NOT selected

TIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, please, please, duplicate your original image and work on the duplicate layer. This helps you SO much. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIP! Check your selection tolerance! This could be why too little, or too much is being selected.

//------- The Move Tool

Shortcut key: v While the move tool is active, you can nudge the stuff on whatever layer with your arrow keys Shift + arrow key = 10 px move (generally)

//------- Layer Locking

1- Layer Blending Mode (see Overlay vs Multiply vs Normal) for how this can affect results) 2- Opacity: how see through it is / isn't 3- Lock Transparency (it's the little checker board) 4- Lock Layer (looks like a lock) 5- Lock icon that appears when anything on the layer has been locked More on 3 Lock Transparency: You can only paint on / modify what's on that layer. You CANNOT add anything to any area that is already transparent Here's a demo of what you can do with this power:

Here's the original Image - notice how it's just the lineart with a transparent background.

It's powerful: abuse it

//------- Overlay vs Multiply vs Normal

I think seeing this is the best way to visualize how different modes can affect the color.

//--------------------------------

Back to the Tutorial

!!I IMPORTANT NOTE !!

Please play around with the opacity slider to figure out what opacity works best for you on the multiple different layers we're about to make / work with. It's up to your own style to figure this out. Next: please feel free to not follow all of it. Add more layers, add less layers, take the base principles and go wild! :D

5. Separate the lineart from the background and save it as a new layer 6. Duplicate it and set it to overlay, or set it to overlay immediately

7. Duplicate that lineart layer twice and set the blending mode to overlay 8. lock transparency on the top one and change it to be a dark grey 9. Apply motion blur to both:

Main menu bar -> Filter -> Motion Blur I made it so that the grey layer was blurrier than the black layer

10. More them around a little to give it a "3D effect" as you called it.

It creates shadows under the lines - I was aiming for an effect similar to chromatic aberration (chromatic aberration is a valid way to add punch to your stuff too!)

So this is what things look like now - painful, but let's keep going

11. Duplicate the ORIGINAL / BASE lineart layer, that you DID not apply motion blur to -> set the blend mode to multiply (reduce opacity for it to actually take effect)

okay that's less painful here's what the layers look like right now:

let's bring more focus to Ace's face, and push the background farther away:

12. Use the magic wand tool to quickly select large areas of the faces / focal area / foreground and the lasso tool to refine things

TIP! Hold shift + click -> add to selection Hold Alt + click -> subtract from selection

13. On a new layer with blending mode -> lighten, fill that selection to be white

If you look at it, you'll notice that it is ALREADY starting to draw our attention to his face, but the background is kinda aggressive, so let's dim that down

TIP! Right-click on the gradient tool to find the paint-bucket tool

TIP! Sample All Layers: Turning this option off makes it so that you only work with the content on THAT specific layer. Turning it on makes it so that it is working while taking all other layers into consideration.

14. ctrl + click on the "white foreground" layer to select the contents of that specific layer (pink thing is your mouse)

15. ctrl + i to invert selection and ON A NEW LAYER (layer mode -> multiply) fill that with a complementary color

16. I did one last thing where I took the original base (before we separated the lineart) and added it to the very top and played with the opacity to get something less in your face (layer blend mode was set to NORMAL)

And that's it!

More considerations that I take:

I want the banner to be "thin" or not square, so it doesn't take up too much screen real estate on people's devices

I don't want readers having to scroll too much to get to my writing (which is the whole point of the post, let's not waste their time making them look for things)

I want the banner content to be relevant enough?

ie: with Matching: I wanted the ASCE tattoo to be visible. With matching I wanted Ace to not look too happy in some of them.

I'm also trying to avoid spoilers, I hated getting things spoiled, so I'm trying to be careful that the images I pick don't spoil anything really.

Congrats on starting life on your own! I did that whole living by myself thing too! Tip: keep the pantry stocked with lentils, beans, pastas, baking essentials, rice. They really come in a clutch when you're hungry.

[hillbillyoracle]

The Algorithm is AI Art

Last year, I used DALL-E to create a series of images for a digital tarot card deck I was making for my personal use. When I shared some of those images here on my blog, I got a massive amount of push back and even threats in my inbox. I'm still putting my thoughts together on that experience but it did make me realize that most people don't seem to realize they're supporting the AI art they hate so much - to the tune of millions and even billions of dollars per year depending on the platform - almost everyday through the algorithms they use.

So if you genuinely hate AI art, I'm here to tell you that you've got to do what you can to get rid of and not use the algorithms in your life. That kind of support is more materially complicit with AI's intrusion on art than someone making a few images for themself ever could be.

Yes It's Possible

For many platforms, especially when they're accessed on desktop, it is possible to greatly reduce your contact with the algorithm. I use browser extensions to cut out the AI curated feeds on YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit. I mostly use Instagram on desktop to answer messages.

I generally do not use Instagram, Facebook, and other apps that do not allow users to control their feed on mobile. I know Instagram is mobile only - when I use it on mobile, I download it, upload what I want, then delete the app again.

I am considering cutting these out entirely again once this phase of my experiment for a zine I'm writing is over because honestly, they're not worth it, but that's a different post...

I also really recommend either making a separate email account or getting ruthlessly organized in your current one, so that you can sign up for artist's newsletters and other forms of human centered curation. RSS readers like Feedly can also be a good alternative.

The point here isn't perfection - the point is doing what you can. Not because it will change companies - but because it's better for you and the artists you care about.

Why?

Algorithms in these spaces determine who's work gets shown and more importantly - who gets paid enough to continue making their art.

AI has consistently been shown to reproduce and even exaggerate biases already present in society. This video by Ann Reardon of How to Cook That talks about YouTube's lack of transparency about the potential for a sexist bias in YouTube's algorithm and shows that in the top views at least, there's a clear slant toward male creators. The only woman in the top 10 does not show her face in her videos - unlike most of the men in the top 10. This discrepancy is even larger the further down the list you go.

Who gets shown is who gets paid enough to keep making their content/art. Less pay means people can afford to put out less content/art and can't scale - meaning less diversity in content/art.

What art gets shown influences what inspires new art and content to be made. You are seeing art directly shaped by AI everyday - and more than that - by continuing to click on what it serves up to you, you support it.

This AI influence on real world art has become so normalized that people consider it as natural a force of nature as wind. It's not. This was designed - and it can be redesigned.

I want to be careful not to overstate the influence of a click either - your clicking on something you choose is not a form of activism. Your clicks cannot retrain the algorithm at scale. A lot of people have the misconception that you can train "your" algorithm but what the algorithm on your feeds is doing is actually comparing your clicks to it's database of similar user profiles and their behaviors to decide what to suggest to you. Your clicks don't retrain the AI as a whole, they just match you with a different user type.

The real reason I think those concerned about AI in art need to find ways to take control of their feeds is because it ensures you're able to support a diverse array of creators through your views and it ensures that what you're taking your inspiration from isn't what the AI decides is worthy of attention.

I realize there are those who are reading this who either might not have been old enough to remember or even weren't born when YouTube basically took your Subscriptions off the front page. It used to be they would pop up at the top of the front page. Then it got knocked down on the front page. When it got shoved into it's own sidebar link and then that link progressively minimized through redesigns - there was actually an outcry about it.

People warned that this would lead to a watering down effect, where smaller channels didn't get the chance to grow like already established ones would. Creators of marginalized identities saw their views drop dramatically. Similar things happened when Facebook and Instagram fully took away a user's ability to have a chronological feed (this was possible in the early days). I know of more than a few creators who fully had to step away from their work because of the change over. I miss their art.

And then the outcry petered out. The companies didn't lose users over it so nothing changed. Eventually people got used to it and the protests went away. These companies now know they're "too big to fail" and can ignore user outcry until people acclimate the new normal that serves them. This normal serves them because it does actually increase engagement and keeps you on the platform for longer - which means less time spent on your own creative activities, yet another way they impact what art gets made.

TL;DR: if you hate AI's impact on artists and their employment opportunities, take control of your feeds. Make your own. Choose what you click. Take back your time and make more art.

[callibones]

hello! while i was looking at blaseball stuff, i came across the documents for your oc constitution. i wanted to tell you that i had a lot of fun looking through it !!! i found the mixed media elements ( like the social media posts n stuff ) really creative and nice. the only thing i wonder is ... an object camp is like a roleplaying group, right? how do you. find? object camps

i know that for some roleplaying communities, there are hubs where people post ads for their campaigns. do you know if theres a centralized community like that for object shows? i want to try making object characters of my own but i do Not know how to get into this sorry

howdy! first of all, thank you so much for checking out constitution! i had so much fun making entries for it and it absolutely touches my heart to hear someone enjoyin readin that stuff.

as for what an object camp is, it's not a roleplaying group! like. object roleplaying groups exist, i'm sure, but an object camp is very specifically a competition in which all those social media posts n written segments are entries, written for specific challenges, finished by a specific challenge, and done to be able to win advantages that allow you to stay in the competition. it's more like survivor/total drama than a roleplay, because while you're storytelling you're also voting out your fellow contestants and making alliances and playing tokens!

if that still sounds up your alley... while i'm sure there's centralized locations for object shows, that's not really where i go to find camps. i just find them through word of mouth! there's a gorgeous little tight-knit community that's part of the much larger Greater Object Community, and that's where i call home. after being invited by my friends to join one camp (the wiki camp 2), i found camp gnc 2 and other wonderful object camps through clicking on links in the ad channels and my friends telling me what they were signing up for. so you'll need one in signups to start.

fortunately... my dear friend of @ecto-hazard has one in signups right now! it's called lab camp and signups are open for like two more days so if you wanna get a character in, or just spectate one before you try one out for yourself, join there if you're 18+! (a lotta these camps are for adults, not because they're nsfw but just because it's a way of curating the space.) if you can't come up with a character before the deadline, it's still a great way to see what other people are submitting and ask them how they come up with object characters while they're fresh in everyone's memory. and it'll be a great place to meet people who might go on to host the next great object camp themself! (i'm working on one...)

finally, as for making object characters of your own, you can just do that! my little thing Stray Pixel (strixel) existed for a whole year as "object character i thought would be a fun concept" before i applied it for a camp. and then it didn't get in, and i applied it for another (blaseball-themed) camp and got in! omg you should totally join the RIV server too since you're like me- an object fan and a blaseball fan. you'll definitely meet like-minded people there. (this one's 15+!)

whether you join these or not, i'll be sure to post updates n stuff on camps i find that are public and things that get me excited. and i'm happy to answer any more questions u have about object camps or the community! i'm literally movin across the country because of someone i met in an object camp. these things rock. theyre such a great unique way to storytell on a deadline (good for adhd). i hope you either find a great camp or just have a lot of fun making object characters. and when you do, please tell me about 'em! making object characters ROCKS. any of my awesome friends or anyone else who's cool, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE show off your awesome objects, whether or not they're applied to somethin. i dont wanna say "reblog this" but like i think you cant put images in the replies... so... one way or another show anon (and me!) ur object ocs i am Begging

[team-heavenly]

Chapter 22 - Part 2

Lest you've lost your way, click here to progress (regress?) back to Part 1.

...Okay, now I'm officially worried.

Meanwhile, back in the Real World™️ (shout-out to my buddy @kantochampred!):

Alright, I'm about to go off on a small side tangent here but I promise it's worth it-

(Sorry to post your sins on main, Red 😔)

(Why Do I Climb the Mountain? is a reference btw)

LMAO OKAY thank you for bearing with me, now back to the main show:

Good job, neither of those two things is correct!

...Okay, Cherrim has replaced Drifblim, yes, but. Imagine this tiny seed holding Teresa and Andrea by their little stubby hands while riding the wind down the mountain.

I had to look up a walkthrough to identify that little Riolu to the right. Normally, that's an Exeggcute! (And the backup for Team Frontier, apparently).

The Third Station Pass was dubbed Great Turn, while the clearing was called:

Admittedly, I had no idea what an "oubliette" was, so I did a quick search and...

Wait a minute, are you freaking kidding me-

WE ARE STARRING IN A WAR DRAMA AAAAAAAAAAAA-

(Apologies for the small text at the start, let me know if I need to add an image description!)

...No >:l

The only reason I left this in is because this happened:

Oh my God yes PLEASE-

So fun fact, I actually did a dry run of the first few dungeons before doing it for real and taking photos. And the first time around, this gift was an Escape Orb? Which isn't bad, but I would 100% take the Reviver Seed over that any day.

The 4th Station Pass was named Sad Peninsula. (Florida? Dat you?) And the 4th Station Clearing? See below.

But then!

(Handsome Desolation? Is this where the handsome men in uniform... perish?! 😓)

I feel like a large, prehistoric rock dino should be enough to scare most things, but I guess taking the even larger rock snake as backup can't hurt.

So we go through the 5th Station Pass, Sandy Way... (Only one letter different from Sandy Bay.)

I. Don't remember why I took a picture of this. The downfalls of not immediately composing posts after the playthrough...

But yeah, those giant two-room dungeons with guaranteed MH's and a huge mass of enemies in the other room aside is definitely a theme and I hate it.

Andrea consumed enough Gummis to obtain this IQ skill, which is awesome since Max Elixirs are so hard to come by.

Look at this!! I'm pretty sure Blizzard only had 7 PP before! Yee haw!

I wonder which Pokémon are the ones bothering Sneasel Pichu?

OH NOOO!! I'm imagining this grisly scene where all these Combusken are just pecking Pichu to death.

Team Frontier happens to beat us to the punch:

I love that Onix is so big that she blocks Nidoran F.

Like all territorial encroachments in Mystery Dungeon, everyone just jumps right into the fray without listening to anyone 🙄

Honestly, all of Team Frontier was pretty based. Jolteon had an ability that allowed him to attack twice in a row (I think because the weather was different?) and he consistently used X-Scissor. Nidoran F had Sesimic Toss (55 damage) and Ice Beam. Deoxys had Attack Order, Seed Flare, Rock Wrecker(!), and Swift, the last hitting for 120 damage on a critical. Combined with Teresa's Chatter (when we finally got there, because you start off a ways from everyone), they didn't stay up for much longer.

Also Jolteon shielded me when Teresa got low on HP 🥺️

"SIT DOWN FOR TWO SECONDS AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, I SWEAR TO ARCEUS!"

"We owe you..." -> Yet another line from this game that never made any sense to me. (Unless it was sarcasm ig?)

💀You what

Hey, speaking of... I know Onix is huge and all, but have y'all seen Pichu since the fight started...?

(Beep boop, click here to advance to Part 3)

[tbcanary]

Hi, can I ask you how to cut different panel scenes and have them the same size without warping them? sorry if this is a stupid question but I have less knowledge of editing than my grandmother.

oh, sure! happy to explain some things. this is like, not so much a walkthru of the process as things to look for, but i'll try to provide examples.

quick note just to say: i’m focusing on a figure more than a scene in this, but the same principles apply. everything i say about sizing up/down, selecting panels, and avoiding weird ratios is just as true with a panel that has a background as it is for a silhouette, or anything you work with. it’s all just pixels!

the main tip i have is that you want to start with high quality scans of a page -- like, not a screenshot, but by right clicking and opening the image in a new tab and saving it, or by just right click-saving it when possible. that'll give you the best resolution in terms of digital scans that already exist. you want the clearest image possible to work with.

the second thing is to check the images you want to use to make sure they're at least of a similar level of detail when you select your panels. take these three kori panels, just as an example:

they're all very different sizes and levels of detail. one is a small panel in a bigger spread, one is a full-page splash panel, and the other is a brief little group shot. you can't bring the first one up to the same size as the second one, and you definitely can't bring the third one up to the same size as either of the first two. doing so would make either of them pixelated and distorted, or at the very least blur the edges. it just wouldn't look... right.

so the third one would be an automatic no for me, generally, unless for some reason i need a really tiny and cute kory emoji. (who doesn't?)

but! you can take that middle one down to the size of the first one, and it'll look pretty close. because they're both detailed, where the third one is meant to be more of a far-off view with less detailing. just tilt that middle image and crop it to be about the same as the first, then remove all the extra details and fill in the blank spots.

you end up with these:

you can see that one is fuzzier and less defined, because of the sizing differences and original quality of the panels, but like... they aren't so different that it's jarring. to get a better idea, let's look at sizing.

the first image, from the smaller panel, is currently 262 pixels wide and 368 pixels tall, and the larger is 427x632. that's a pretty big discrepancy. the key here is that you never want to make the smaller one... bigger. that'll make all the blurring worse, and ruin any definition that the image has. instead, you want to downsize the larger image to match. that way, it isn't getting pixelated -- it just translates better, generally.

you can do this by "transforming" the image and scaling it down to the same height as the other image, because they don't have identical ratios. they'll still be off in terms of width, but that's not something we'll worry about here. make sure to either "constrain proportions" or "preserve ratio," anything along those lines. that'll make sure you aren't making it too wide or too tall and skewing the thing to look like a funhouse mirror, if that makes sense. in photoshop, it's that little like... chainlink? between the width and height measurements.

here's the kory image at its new size:

again, still clear, still defined. just a little smaller now. at this point, i'd use some filters to make it better match the original image. we'll lose some clarity -- and some quality -- but it'll make it look better next to the first one in the final edit. if you fiddle with the "palette knife" filter in photoshop, you can get it closer to that old vintage fuzz sometimes. here's what we got:

so now you can take that, and you can use it to make any kind of edit you want alongside the first image -- so long as your final edit is not any bigger than either of those panels. again, sizing up will make it worse.

here you are:

hope this helps! happy editing!

[616witch]

i forgot to talk about this in the original post i made, but it's important enough that i'm going to make a separate tutorial about it.

when editing, always try to use the largest image you can find. this is kind of a pet peeve of mine when sometimes i'll notice an image has been resized in an edit and is just not as high quality as it should be so IMO always try to get the largest size for best quality. additionally, try to keep a spare when editing! paste the image twice and use the one on top, in case you need to restart, you can do this quickly by dragging the layer to the "add layer" tab at the bottom of the layers menu, it automatically makes a copy.

to find a good image, first just search for what you want. for this, i'll search "invisible woman adam hughes" to get a bunch of art. i'm going to use the cover of issue 5 of the invisible woman run. by hovering over the first image i find, i can see the image resolution. this one is 325 by 500, and is too small to properly use.

so i'm going to right click and drag it into the search bar and use the google lens function to search online for other versions of this image.

this brings me to the image, with similar visual matches and information on sue. helpful, but not what i need. i'm going to click on "find image source" above the image.

this opens a new tab, where i have found various other sizes of the same image, as well as information on who is in the image (sue, in this case). i'm going to click on large!

this brings me here, with very large resolution images! the biggest here is 1,821 by 2,800, which is much better to work with!

larger images keeps everything nice and sharp, and cutting out looks much better when it's done with a big, high quality image as opposed to a smaller one. it's not the end of the world if you can't find anything large, but i'd say don't go any smaller than 450, as eventually you'll see the pixels if you resize and that doesn't look very good.

[eruden-writes]

How did you go about publishing your own story through Amazon? I'd like pointers for future reference. If you don't mind!

Amazon offers a self-publishing option! I used it back in 2014 to make a few ebooks and, since then, they expanded to print. Which I wasn't aware of, until I started poking about in self-publishing print books.

However, to self-publish a print book, you have to wear a lot of hats. And that means...

A lot of research.

There's a lot to know to format your own books. And remember, traditional publishers have editors, cover artists, typesetters, and so much more at their disposal.

Also, you'll have to do separate formatting for a print book vs an ebook.

If you're ready for the long answer, there is a lot:

First: Plan out your sections.

There's "front matter" and "back matter" sandwiching the "text body" or the story.

Front Matter is stuff like: Title, Copyright, Dedication, Introduction, etc. (This is also where you'd add things like a Table of Contents or maybe a fantasy map.)

You can find a copyright template for self-published books easily!

Back matter is stuff like: Author's Note, Acknowledgement, Other Books by the Author. (You could also add appendices of Characters here [or in the front] or excerpts to another book.)

The text body itself will have formatting for chapter headings and scene breaks (like if you use images or * * * to break up scenes in one chapter.)

Second: Learn about paragraph styles and page styles.

A paragraph style setting makes it easier to change all of your font with one click. Especially if you get fancy with your chapters.

A page style setting will help with things like tweaking margin sizes for multiple pages.

Either find or make yourself a template in whatever processing program you use. (I used LibreOffice and I'm working on making my own template.)

idk if it's just me or what, but these things are still finicky for me. So, I'll have to do more research on how to make them behave. lol

Three: Don't be afraid to google something!

BUT double-check that the information is relatively recent. I did keep finding stuff from 2011 or 2012. The self-publishing market has changed a lot since then. (You can bypass this, usually, but adding 2022 or a similarly recent year into what you search.)

Reddit was a great source for me during this process. They literally have sub-reddits for self-publishing. So, when you put in your question in google, add "reddit" at the end. You'll often find threads filled with answers for you, whether that's one agreed-upon one or various takes.

There's a ton of stuff that's up to personal preference, but it's nice to see what your audience might take notice of.

Miscellaneous Things:

Bye bye "by:" For your covers or title pages, ditch "by" in front of the author's name. Seen as a beginner mistake.

Research widows and orphans in typesetting. This is something I still need to decide on, but for now I left them in my book unless it was a line by itself on a mostly blank page.

Larger books need larger gutter margins! (ie the part of the book, closest to the binding.)

Some people think if a self-published author's name is comparatively small on the cover or binding - compared to the title - the author doesn't have confidence. I, personally, hate when the author's name is the same size or bigger than the title, especially if the title is literally another name. Which is the author and which is the character? 😖 But that's me.

Decide if you're going to buy your own ISBN! An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. Most countries give them away for cheap or free, but the US has 1 purveyor of "legit" ISBNs and they charge $125 for one or $395 for ten. Amazon (and other self-publishing companies) can provide you with one of their free ISBNs. This just means those ISBNs can't be used outside of their services, but you can still publish elsewhere.

Don't forget your page numbers! There is an "add page number" function for the headers or footers, but if you want it on the outer sides on opposite pages, you'll have to do some finagling. (This gave me a ton of guff.) And consider if you want your name and book title in the headers. That's an easy-to-overlook detail.

Covers. Canva is what I used to piece together mine. I also used elements from Pixabay, if I couldn't find something I needed on Canva.

There's still so much I could say. I did so much googling and waffling between what I wanted to do. And, honestly, I've probably rushed the process quite a lot and have more googling and learning yet to do.

But, yeah. I hope this helps some people out there!

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#Onthisday: Sept 21st, 2014

Title: Jason's Phases

Well, I'm ran out of ideas for this day. So, you'll meet Jason's other Extreme armors (Normal & Combat Phase), someday. But now, I decided to skip, and I'll introduced to you his two Extreme armor phases. 🐶🤖

Extreme Jason type Leos Agios Phase Based on the real: Extreme Gundam type Leos Agios Phase [CLICK ME!]

Info:

• An Assault configuration developed from Strike Freedom Spot/Murumo. Equipped with this Armor Pack, the Type Leos bears a striking resemblance to Spot’s Strike Freedom armor, both in terms of its wings' structure and its remote weapons, which even mirrors the Freedom's own 8 Super DRAGOON Pods.

Armament(s):

• Beam Sabers The unit's standard close combat armaments. The beam sabers presumably have an high output, allowing them to slice a mobile suit in half. Leos has also been seen combining the two sabers together to form a larger beam sword for greater cutting power.

• Long Beam Rifle The unit's standard long ranged armament, which can hold up to several shots and can adjust its power output when necessary. At higher outputs, the rifle's beam shots produce a sparkling trail.

• Shield The unit were equipped with an standard shield and it was used to defend itself against vulcan fire and missile attacks.

• Agios Funnels Developed from Strike Freedom Spot’s/Murumo’s Super DRAGOON Pods, this remote controlled weaponry were equipped on the wings of the suit. When deployed, Leos uses his thoughts to guide the funnels to attack its opponents using specialized beam guns. In Extreme Evolution, the Agios Funnels can instantly warp in the immediate vicinity of a targeted foe when deployed, dramatically increasing their potential. They can also form a temporary barrier, group together to fire larger beams or overload circuits, momentarily stunning the target. Additionally, the funnels themselves can combine together to form a large sword called Sacred Sword and slash targets with their bladed edges.

Special Feature(s):

• Extreme Evolution A new system integrated into the Extreme Jason’s frame that draws out the true power of the phases. When used with the Agios, it causes the wings, the chest and skirt armor to glow. The wings themselves can now be deployed and give off a sparkling effect similar to the Freedom Spot's/Murumo's HiMAT wings. The beam rifle's shots also possess a similar property as well. Lastly, the Agios Funnels' power is fully developed, gaining the ability to teleport and group together for a multitude of purposes.

Extreme Jason type Leos Eclipse Phase Based on the real: Extreme Gundam Type Leos Eclipse Phase [CLICK ME!]

Info:

• Extreme Jason Type Leos Eclipse Phase was developed from the data of Wing Pocoyo. On this configuration, the shoulders of the unit were slightly modified and equipped with various long ranged weaponry. It also gained new system ability for the Extreme Jason Type Leos called Burst Mode, which allows it to amplify the weapon's firepower. The initial downside however is that the unit can't be used for close combat.

• Being a long ranged unit, the Eclipse Phase is equipped with two Variable Psycho Rifles, which can fire beam shots, two Blaster Cannons, Eclipse Clusters and Carnage Strikers, the last two of which are available in Extreme Evolution. It is also armed with a jamming system that allows it to disrupt incoming missile blasts by destroying its targeting signal.

Armament(s):

• Variable Psycho Rifle Specialized beam rifles developed for the Eclipse Phase, which is developed from the Wing Zero Pocoyo's Twin Buster Rifle. While the rifles are capable of firing regular beam shots, they can also be combined into a configuration called Cross Buster for even more power.

• Blaster Cannon Equipped on both shoulders, they are powerful beam cannons that pivot towards the front.

• Missile Pod Located just above the hips, they can be fired while the Extreme Jason's hands are still carrying the Variable Psycho Rifles, effectively functioning as the CIWS or head vulcans found in traditional. In Extreme Evolution, the machine carries an infinite supply of them.

• Carnage Striker/Eclipse Cluster The artillery pack located on the back. This multi-purpose weapon has two identical shapes, but wildly different functions and weapons. The left one, the Eclipse Cluster, can be deployed as a micro missile salvo to bombard enemies. The right one, the Carnage Striker, unfolds into an extremely powerful long range beam cannon. It can also fire off a mobile black hole sphere which discharges a large explosion, stunning any mobile suits caught in the blast. Only available in Extreme Evolution.

Special Feature(s):

• Extreme Evolution A new system integrated into the Extreme Jason's frame that draws out the full power of the phases. When used for the Eclipse Phase, the components not only glow, but it also adds new weapons, the Carnage Striker and Eclipse Cluster, onto its back which possesses many of the same weapons as the Carnage Phase.

Jason Watterson, Jr. (Gumball OC) - owned by Estar99 (dA) Armors (Gundam EXA) - Gundam Series © Bandai Namco Filmworks/SUNRISE, Sotsu

[risu5waffles]

Another 10days gone already? Alright then.

Seriously, time is kinda a jerk. Still, got another ten for a wrap up.

i hate to say a level is just, kinda, there; but this one is just kinda there. It's not not fun, and it does have its charm, but... at the same time, it kind of blends in wiv a lot of similar in theme levels. i did appreciate the credits at the end, it's always nice to see shout outs to creators that've helped out. You know... i wonder now if some of these "just there levels" are really more to give a chance to have fun wiv friends in LBP. i wonder what that was like.

i think this might be, hands down, my favourite all-around level i've played in all of LBP. Just 10 outta 10, no notes, the whole she-bang.

i need to come back to this one, 'cause i'm pretty sure Mellan updated it wiv a bit more polish on player communication, and on the main gimmick. Even in the form we have here, tho', it's a pretty solid level. Mellan's a good kid, and i'm glad to have met him. i think i can say that about most all the folx who've stuck around wiv the channel for a while. i have been exceedingly lucky in that department.

This one's a much different take on kokeshi than the previous one, but i think it mostly manages to pull things off. i can't say it's scary (that's a real hard thing to accomplish in LBP), but it is effective. The boss fight at the end is really quite neat, too. Took me forever to get the timing right on my first playthrough. i think the one we have here was my third?

i think i might actually like school a little more than carp at the end of the day. They're both masterpieces, and carp is an object lesson in level design, but this one is just so charming. The only thing i didn't quite like about it was the use of the cushion as a main building material, the corners of it always feel a little to puffy when it's used in larger constructions, but that's very much a me issue. There's one more secret area here that i wasn't able to find no matter how much i poked around, and you have no idea how much that irritates me from an archival standpoint.

i don't run into a lot of these expansive "just explore around" kind of levels it feels like. They're... honestly a bit of a mixed bag for me? i do like that there's just a lot of stuff all over, and some of the set pieces in this one were pretty cute. It's kind of cool that you could go through the level and just miss stuff if you bee-line for the exit, and that's interesting from a level design/player experience perspective. At the same time? i kind of like a little more of a throughline in level design. i want to know what i'm meant to be doing, and then i feel more comfortable going against the grain of that. i think that's part of the reason why sand-box/open-world style games don't super appeal to me. That and so much of the side-content winds up feeling like "well, i did that because it was available to do, but why?"

i really, really like this one. It clicks for me so well as the introduction to a larger whole (which we may or may not ever see. i don't know if the creator has any interest in continuing to build on the concept). This one really manages to nail that Gardens feel, while still feeling like its own thing. Also, that princess is kinda goals? Like, my self-image doesn't lean heavy towards the feminine, but even still, there was a voice in the back of my head that was, like, "oooh, but... gender?"

We talked about this not so far back, so all i'll add is the first time i played a level that had that "play chomping sfx when food item is grabbed" i thought it was kinda cool and/or neato. After a dozen times, tho', it started to get to me like the Wilhelm Scream does for film nerds.

The precursor to the level we looked at on Friday, and it's clear what a step up Aaron took between the two projects. Which sounds like i'm saying this one isn't good, and i'm very much not. This is, itself, a very impressive, and impressively presented piece of kit; and worth the 30minute playtime if you have it. i do feel like it leans more heavily on exposition to its detriment, tho'. You've got short bursts of "ok, i can do something now" between much longer cutscene sections. It doesn't help that the sfx Aaron chose for your legally-distinct Navi can get to be a bit grating after awhile.

This one's the real deal. The LeChonk. The.... umm... <checks notes> big chungus amung us? Scratch that. Don't like that. Will never say it again. i got to talk a bit wiv Aaron via 'Tube comments, and they're really quite nice. i had very much of the stress that i would be able to convey how i felt in a way that was honest. They did confirm that the level runs smooth wiv no issues on PS5, so if you've got one of those, maybe give this one a shot. If you don't, i still recommend it; but if you're worried about the level breaking, well, you do gots the video here for you (hint, hint, hint, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiint).

[iviarellereads]

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 6 The lightning with its rapid wrath

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index for the Time Quintet, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which I don't know whether to keep the same character tags on these posts, or unique ones.

Charles thanks Meg for the info, and tells Gaudior about it, and how Mrs. O'Keefe must be descended from the author. Gaudior thinks that word makes generations sound like falling.(1) Charles asks to go to 1865.

They make to travel, but there's an Echthroi attack on the wind again, but Gaudior manages to snatch Charles back after he falls off. Charles is worried they might be in the wrong time, but Gaudior says it's more important to go where they're sent on their charged mission than it is to try to control where they go just to look at the things they want to look at. He points to the fact that Charles is still himself and not Within anyone here as proof that his meddling drew the Echthroi and may have compromised the mission. Still, when Charles asks what he should do, Gaudior asks the wind, and guides Charles to where he's supposed to be.

And where Charles ends up is Within another young man, Brandon Llawcae. He's meeting with a young woman, Zylle, who is heavily pregnant. Charles resists integrating, focused too much on why they're in pilgrim times, as he can tell from their language pattern, and what they could possibly learn here, but Gaudior tells him to let go.

Zylle wants Brandon to gather some herbs that her husband fears will have her labeled a witch if found out. Zylle, however, knows that Brandon can keep a secret, since he has a gift of Seeing that the town also can't know about. Zylle knows because her brother Maddok(2) was Brandon's best friend until the settlement got larger, he felt less welcome, and he had more work to do anyway. Brandon and Maddok both miss each other, but will always be friends.

At any rate, Zylle suggests Brandon can tell her what he Sees in reflective surfaces, even as he used to tell Maddok. Brandon says Ritchie, his brother and Zylle's husband, is afraid of the images, even though back in Wales it might be seen as a gift, too.

The last vision Brandon saw was of here (the star watching rock), and a young man (Madoc) who looked a lot like Maddok, but not, somehow. Zylle recognizes her ancestor from description. They finish gathering the herbs, and she lays them out on the rock, and sings under the moonlight to imbue them to give her an easy birthing. The song tells of "blue from a distant eye" coming to save them, and is reminiscent of the song Madoc and Reschal sang.

When they're done, Zylle doesn't take the flowers, saying she wouldn't want the midwife, Goody Adams, to see them when she gives birth tomorrow. On the walk back, she and Brandon talk about how the natives are scorned in the community, and Zylle's people's legend about her ancestor from across the sea. She wonders if her son will be allowed to know her side of his heritage.(3)

They pass by a brook, and at first Brandon sees Zylle with a baby in her arms, with blue eyes with gold behind them. Then, the vision changes: a man, prideful and dark and cruel. Brandon startles out of the vision, and Zylle asks what he saw, so he tells her. She doesn't know what to make of it, but it doesn't sound good. Brandon says before his people got scared of his pictures, they were all good, and now this. Zylle asks to tell her father about this one, he's good at interpreting such things, and Brandon consents.

They get back to the family cabin at the settlement, and go to bed. When Brandon wakes, racist Goody Adams is already there, ordering Goody Llawcae (Brandon's mother) about to prepare for the birth. Goody Llawcae tells Brandon to tend his chores instead of arguing with Goody Adams. He does so, but when he's done, his mother just sends him and Ritchie to help their father instead of helping with the birth (and arguing with Goody Adams). Brandon is mad about it, but Ritchie says, despite her manner, there's been so much less death in childbirth since Goody Adams came.

Eventually they split off to finish their chores, and when Brandon returns again, he sees another vision of a mother and child, like Zylle but somehow not, in a hot country with different clothes than he's used to.(4) He hears a real cry from inside the cabin, which startles him out of the vision, and Goody Llawcae tells him to get his father, to see the child.

After Goody Adams leaves, the whole family gathers around Zylle in the bed she shares with Ritchie. She says Bran's eyes are blue, and should stay that way, if Brandon doesn't mind them using his name. He agrees, honoured. Richard prays, and says Zylle blesses their family by being in it.

As Brandon sets about his evening chores, Maddok comes to see them, and ask if it would be all right for his family to come see the baby. Brandon assures him it is, no matter what anyone else in town says. Maddok also carries a warning, that the town is brewing with talk of witchcraft, especially after Zylle shed no tears while giving birth. He simply asks Brandon to take care of Zylle and protect her and the child.

Zylle's family comes to see her, and after they leave, Brandon is restless, so he's awake to hear his parents telling Ritchie that one of the women passed along a warning, the same one we heard from Maddok. The family is already marked as different, and Zillo told them Brandon had another vision.

At this, Brandon storms out into the main space, and accuses Zylle (still sleeping) of telling them. Richard says no, Brandon said Zylle could tell Zillo, and it was Zillo who told them. Brandon is ashamed of his visions, because his parents wish he didn't have them. Richard feels bad about his son not feeling he could trust his own parents, but says Brandon can't talk about his visions with anyone outside the family right now, with the witchcraft accusations brewing. Then, Richard tells Brandon to go back to bed.

The next evening, Davey Higgins comes by to say that Pastor Mortmain told him he's no longer allowed to be Brandon's friend, because Zylle is bad luck for the village. Davey knows it's nonsense, and asks what Brandon's pictures say. Brandon, feeling guilty, tells him he's too old for such childish nonsense, and walks away.

Maddok comes around to tell Brandon Maddok has been assigned to watch over him. Brandon is afraid, and Maddok wishes it would rain. His weather sense only feels thunder, no rain.

The Llawcae evening prayers are as much about asking for rain as for their faith.

The other children in the settlement won't talk to Brandon anymore, either.

The next evening, Pastor Mortmain comes with his son Duthbert and Goodman Higgins. They ask to see Zylle, to determine if she is Christian or not, to their satisfaction. Zylle had retired, but gets up again and comes to talk to them. She says she accepted Ritchie's beliefs when she married him, but contrary to Pastor Mortmain's interjection, Christianity is not incompatible with her people's beliefs because "Jesus of Nazareth sings the true song."(5)

Pastor Mortmain is horrified at the implication that Jesus sings, but Zylle asks if they don't sing hymns at church. He says that's different, and she doesn't understand. Zylle says that the scripture says God loves everyone, so he must love her people the same as the white people.

Higgins tells her not to blaspheme, but Mortmain cuts to the chase and asks her why she's stopping the rain. She says "our"(6) crops suffer just the same as anyone else's. Duthbert asks her about the cat, but she says her cat doesn't help her fly any more than Pastor Mortmain's, though she says only the most holy of people are granted the ability to fly which undermines her case to the men.

Eventually, Pastor Mortmain says he believes her to be a witch, and that she must die for it, but they will meet in church to decide together. Richard Llawcae asks Goodman Higgins if he really thinks the PotW are evil, but Pastor Mortmain says he's been informed of the stories and finds it uncompelling to suggest they were harmless.

Soon thereafter, a baby dies in the settlement. It's a normal death, as much as any child death can be considered normal, but it's all the pastor needs to convict Zylle. He summons an expert witchfinder, and the town seems to revel in the process. It makes Brandon sick. Even Davey taunts that he could tell Pastor Mortmain that Brandon is a witch, too, if he wanted to, though he backs down when Brandon stares at him after he says it.

Richard and Ritchie refuse to mount a gallows to hang Zylle, even though it means they'll likely be accused too. Richard says another carpenter(6) would not have done it in his place, and he'll follow that one. So, without the expert, the rest of the village assemble a crude one.

Maddok comes again, to ask Brandon to go visit Zillo, who asks Brandon to look for visions about what's to come. Brandon hesitates, given his father's attitudes, but proceeds. He sees the village and the lake as it used to be, and he sees it start to rain. Zillo teaches him "some words"(7) that can be used to save Zylle.

The next day, the men bring Zylle up to be hanged, and when Maddok whispers to him, Brandon recites the rune. At the lightning line, lightning strikes the church, setting it ablaze instantly, and the natives emerge from the forest en masse. Ritchie manages to convince them that, because of Brandon's phrasing, clearly the church was hit as an act of God, because Pastor Mortmain tried to kill an innocent woman. The pastor tells them to stop the natives, and Ritchie shouts, asking why they should show more compassion than Mortmain, but Zylle asks him to remember his own compassion.

Ritchie frees Zylle and they return to Goody Llawcae, who gives Zylle back her baby. Brandon watches his family turn their backs on the church and return to their cabin. As the villagers try weakly to put out the flames, it starts to rain, saving them the trouble. The PotW stand watch as all the people of the settlement returnn to their cabins, and only then leave.

The horror was over, but nothing would ever be the same again.(8)

Brandon and Maddok return to the Llawcae cabin.(9) Ritchie is still angry, but his father hopes it doesn't turn to bitterness, as anger can be spent in time. Ritchie asks where Brandon learned those words, and Brandon admits, it was from Zillo. Zillo, for his part, just says Brandon's a good boy. Richard admits the ways of God are mysterious, but he doesn't need to understand to accept.

As Brandon tries to sleep, he hears Ritchie say he can't live in the settlement anymore, and he and Zylle and the baby will go live back in Wales. Brandon's world is bleak after they leave. One day some time after, Maddok approaches Brandon and says they should be brothers, Zillo is willing to perform the ceremony, and it would unite their peoples. Brandon likes that plan.

=====

(1) I'm sure this is just a very normal thing where, expressions get interpreted differently by people from outside your own culture, you know? But it also feels like L'Engle trying a little too hard to put some clever wordplay in unless it's setting something up specifically to do with a fall of some sort. Do you think it might be setting something up? (2) Not another one! Well, one can suppose that this one's descended from the other, given they're in the same place and later in the timeline. (3) I have some real complicated feelings about the implications of, y'know, all this and all that happens in this whole book about it. It's hard to go into detail about, but, I have Indigenous ancestry, and, literally the forced integration of my ancestors and my people was so brutally effective, families were literally torn apart between the people who wanted to fight for recognition, and the people who believed it was shameful to the family to even suggest they were native, a fight that only finally took place in my parents' and my generations. It's a whole thing and I'd forgotten how much parallel there was in this book. And seeing L'Engle write it but from such a white perspective… I'm probably not having as much grace for the story as I could give it but it also hurts to see her try so hard but still stab a painful spot. Intent only goes so far sometimes. (4) Ancestry playing such a part in the story, who and where do you think this is? (5) Aside from me getting itchy every time L'Engle puts words in the mouth of this tribe she isn't even making clear if she made up or not, framing the truth of the universe as a song and making it known that Jesus was definitely part of it… I'm sure L'Engle had the best and most Christ-like of intentions, but it's so pushy in a way I got real uncomfortable with over the years. (6) Jesus, both literally and as an expression of my frustration. I have such big complicated feelings about this whole chapter, the way it treats the witch hunt era, the way it keeps invoking Jesus, the whole Indigenous thing… This just makes me real tired. (7) The rune, clearly. (8) Isn't that ever the way. (9) And by the way, did you catch that Llawcae is nonsense Welsh and just a letter jumble of Wallace, instead of Charles this time?

[firstgenerationipadmini]

literally the worst computer yap sesh you will read dear fucking god

hey guys today I am back from twitter because OH MY GOD ITS A CESSPOOL ALL IT IS IS YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEHAS YEHAY HEAY YEHA YEHA YEHA YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH oh hey look my computers on ANYWAYS twitter is hell and Tumblr is also hell but less in a way.

with that out of the way, I am currently fiddling with my old computer from 2017. its a windows 10 dell laptop Inspiron something. all you gotta know is its older than 2017 and it has a keypad. also it sucks ass. the processor is uhhhhhh i7 7th generation which is *opens google* pretty good???? thats according to google. in my experience, it sucks. it could also be the hard drive. im 99% sure its the disk drive and sitting around collecting dust for about a year and then being crammed with windows updates did not do very good for it. so it takes about ten minutes to boot and using any application without lag is abysmal. I was hoping to get the laptop traded for a sexy MacBook or something in 2022 but my mom was all "mimimimimi you already have a laptop" my sister in christ thats exactly the problem, and to this day im typing this "essay" or whatever the fuck on an iMac. yes its an intel based yes I love it yes it just works and does Mac stuff but other than that its still a Mac at the end of the day so no 32 bit games no plugging in my Nintendo switch and extracting all of the screenshots which a lot of the features that windows can do but Mac can't I can personally live without.

I just updated the windows laptop I was talking about and by the nine its all fired up. and when I say that I mean

it sits there, calling to me.

but im writing rn so it can scream faster. also this yap sesh is sponsored by Clop. when I airdropped this image to myself, it had the .heic file type. but with clop, it was instantly converted to a jpeg and automatically spoon fed to my clipboard. get 0% off your next download if you clitoris the link! (its free)[but its Mac exclusive heheheha eat shit windows losers]

I should prolly check to see how the laptop is whirling. and yep it still takes over 10 seconds to open the settings and I tried to open google chrome (first mistake) and the window is still pure white (nvm it just came on as I wrote this but picture the time it took to write from "and yep" and "nvm" and add 20 seconds and thats how long google chrome took to open. what do I do with this computer?

I opened it in the first place to try to install linux mint. but thats hard and when I opened disk utility there were 5 partitions no larger than a gigabyte. no idea what thats all about. I goggled it and it says it partitions after every update? which is fucking stupid and all these partitons have 100% free space this is actual fucking bloatware what the fuck time to wipe

update: I can't wipe it I right click and it only shows "help" and thats it. this is only on all the portions and one of them is 15 gb holy moly! also I dont feel like writing anymore so im just gonna post this ok by