#feat. my olds cool redesign

[the-mushroom-ring]

hop on bfn

[usagifuyusummer]

Family Dinner Night!

Congrats Peri(winkle) for finally getting the Godparenting license!!! 🥳🥳🥳 - from your loving parents and godbrother 💖💖💖

More concept art and as usual my insane ramblings below.

I NEED TO GET THE CREATIVE URGES OUT OF MY HEAD!!! It has been bothering with my motivation to finish my gazillions of homeworks lmao. I have so many ideas I need to let out!!! It's suffocating. I hope this will satisfy my creative urges for a while... Or not I will yap about my FOP AU on a separate post (when I'm able).

I can't stop being sad thinking about this family lol. Timmy 😭😭😭

I am not kidding when I say that my head is just filled with so many things that I want to contribute in the FOP fanworks lol. There's a lot I want to do, but so little time...

For now, I've decided to practice my take on the FOP artstyle. I wanted to do something simple as drawing and coloring practice. That's why the coloring this time is flat with no shadings. I think the show doesn't focus on shaded colors too much (except on scenes where there's a heavy implication of day/night, for shock value, etc.).

Just wanted to draw something cute because I haven't been feeling so swell lately. Nothing too poetic or detailed this time.

Other than that, two of the outfits this time is actually inspired by @suki-na-kumo for Peri and an image I found floating around in Twitter/X (sorry I don't remember who shared it) for Timmy's design. Suki-na-kumo's FOP family redesigns are so cool and adorable! I like that they always include flowy attributes in Peri's outfits lol. It makes him look like a pampered brat (which he kinda is seeing how his family coddles him), an otherworldly prince and also a Twink TM (that is unavoidable lol). I kinda want to draw their other FOP redesigns, but I'll just go with Peri's first.

I am not sure where that 18 year old Timmy design is from, but it kinda can be his design for those who theorise him on becoming a lawyer as an adult. There's a lot of instances where Timmy is wearing a suit in the show, but this design is one of my favs due to the hairstyle change. My adult Timmy designs in the future will be influenced from this piece of official art. I wonder if there are more Timmy designs in the wild wild west out there that I haven't seen... It is certainly an interesting find (Teen AJ is also there, and his design also looks cool to me).

Cosmo and Wanda's oufits are something that I cooked up. I don't think the coloring looks good... I just did this on a whim, and for about 13 hours. Damn, I am procrastinating on my work lmao.

Still, the context this time is, that they've had a family dinner to celebrate on Peri's achievement on finally obtaining his godparenting license!!! Good for him!!!

This is an AU if Timmy somehow was able to find a loophole in the "losing your memories of your fairy godparents after you become an adult" rule. Because of that, he continued his life as normal (as Timmy's chaotic life can be), but this time he is able to keep in contact with his fairy family even if they're not contractually obligated to stick together. Timmy does live with the Fairywinkle Cosma's around his college to early work years, but he eventually was able to move out and live on his own at where he works as a lawyer after a while in his adulthood. (His birth parents eventually went on a lifetime vacation without him or just went away for too long that Timmy just lives on his own a lot after he is 18 and above...)

Despite living on his own nowadays (In a New Wish context), Timmy does keep in contact with his fairy family and visits them when he's not busy with his job. Cosmo and Wanda still took a long vacation in this AU, first due to, yeah, Timmy is no easy feat as a godchild lol, and second, they actually want to take their time to raise BOTH of their children (even if Timmy is no longer a child/godchild) and guide them until they're stable adults. Timmy during college years actually only stays with the Fairywinkle Cosma's on holidays, so when Timmy's busy with college, that is when Cosmo and Wanda take their time relaxing lmao.

Sometimes when they really want to have some time alone or when Peri wants to see his bro, they will send Peri to Timmy's college for a day or more. Timmy babysits Peri so much during his college years lol. They both had fun though! With a lot of Peri newfound nuclear fairy power shenanigans at Timmy's college lmao. Studying law and taking the bar exam has never been more chaotic with babysitting a nuclear powered fairy child.

There's a lot more on this AU that I've been thinking, but I'll stop here for now. I need to gather my AU ideas in one post sometime later.

Also, Peri and Timmy are both adults here, Peri's around his 20's here and Timmy is on his early 30's I think. Cosmo, Wanda, and Peri are in their human disguises here, because they want to learn more about human culture (A New Wish context) while also having the desire to be more in Timmy's life.

I headcannon Timmy to be kinda short in his adulthood. This is also a nod to that episode when his fairy family used imperfect human disguises, even Poof/Peri was taller than Timmy in his human baby disguise lol. And also hey, wearing braces during his teen years paid off! (his big teeth are visible only when he opens his mouth lol)

As usual, here's some concept art and a png lineart pic if you want to use it to color it better than I did lmao. (that was a long yapping session... thanks for reading)

[talonboot]

Your WOF spec evo stuff is so cool

:D thank you so much!!! I've wanted to do something like it for ages, but I always felt I wasn't ready. I'm still not ready, but if it turns out bad thats not my problem lmao

heres an old version of my redesigned skywing, feat Peregrine of the copper winglet. The new version will be much more dramatic

[kilodelart]

Presenting the redesign of Daedalus E. Lord. The most edge-lord character I've made for D&D and I love her to bits. This is for a Curse of Straad campaign, Daedalus will be my first PC, with Alternate Delnoris as my backup.

She is a young (for an elf, think of her like a 16 year old) cleric of Anubis who specializes in the undead. She wanders planes and spreads doom and gloom, but mostly just annoys people with her dark and moody attitude.

Stat wise she is a Level 1 Eladrin (fea elf) Grave Domain Cleric with the Shadow Touched feat. Fea elves have a special ability to alter their appearance/powers with their emotions and mood, this takes the form of their "season" changeling. Daedalus tries very hard to remain in their Winter season because she thinks it is more cool. Causing her to freak out when she leaves her trance in the wrong season. The seasons manifest in skin/hair colour. She also has flan earnings that change with her season. In the winter its holly.

Okay now to the fun stuff, I gave her the "Haunted One" background, so she is literally haunted by a ghost or spirits. And her class gives her the ability to see ghosts. Its all coming together, but perhaps the best part is the suggested character traits the background gives you. Here are the ones I picked for Daedalus. Keep in mind, I didn't make them up, I picked them from an official D&D list.

Personality Traits

I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me. I live for the thrill of the hunt.

Ideals

I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else that gets in my way. (Evil) I kill monsters to make the world a safer place, and to exorcise my own demons. (Good)

Bonds

There’s evil in me, I can feel it. It must never be set free. I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy.

Flaws

I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope. I talk to spirits that no one else can see.

I love this edge, I gave her a 5 in charisma to represent no one ever taking her seriously. I bet her journal reads like My Immortal.

[egg-emperor]

how do you feel when people call eggman physically weak? personally i think it's bs, they really think every body builder is a twig with a six pack. he could prob snap your back like cardboard if he wanted to, he just prefers using machines

It is absolutely total bullshit and I've always been very passionate about telling everyone the truth because he canonically has immense physical strength and it's actually so significant to his character that it's been consistent throughout various types of official media, making it canon to a bunch of different versions and universes. And it's always so sexy in every glorious instance and he'd be welcome to fuck me up and snap my back any time hehehe 😍💗💘💕

He's been classed as a power type character for good reason and I immensely prefer it for him over any other types that he's been assigned to after. He'll always be a power type character in my heart because he's a genius and knowledge is power AND he has immense physical strength too, it's so fitting. People always underestimate this old fat man when really his age makes him experienced and his weight could actually give him advantages in fights. They don't want to admit it but he could absolutely fuck up those that call him weak if he were real and they'd soon seriously regret messing with him!

It also bothers me when people slim him down and give him built muscles in redesigns to portray him as strong, as it he isn't already while fat. And people often assume that Boom Egg is stronger based off looks alone but he's actually not the one that's been shown capable of multiple impressive feats of strength over the years like modern lol. Slim ≠ strong and fat ≠ weak is a ridiculous untrue automatic assumption to make in general and it bothers me how much of the fandom does it. I love how it's actually quite the opposite officially, as the fat characters often tend to be among the strong power types.

His interest and preference in using machines doesn't signify weakness and cowardice. In fact, I imagine his mechs actually take a lot of effort and strength to use and fight with for reasons I mentioned in this post, how he seems to take physical damage from attacks in battles but shows strength and bravery when he keeps fighting and even dares to ask "is that all you've got", how some of his mechs have motion control, and how he manages to survive deadly destruction and falls. With his evident strength, his durability is part of his ability instead of mere plot convenience due to not being allowed to be permanently killed off.

He's powerful in multiple ways with his genius and his physical strength, it's so cool and I really wish it was recognized more! 💜

[booksandeverything-in-between]

My journalism journey

... has only just begun! 

This is my post for the “Life Narrative” assignment for JTC 326. I’ve added a “keep reading” tab because I hate putting extremely long posts on my dashboard! Keep in mind too, I’ve formatted this to fit the platform, so it’s not strictly professional. 

Also  — this is the first time I’ve shared my Tumblr with anyone who is not my sister, but it’s the perfect platform for this. 

** All pictures were taken by me unless otherwise specified, some taken from my old blog posts on here. 

A note before I start: When I first thought about this assignment, I had so many things I thought I could share, a lot of them deeply personal, somewhat dark and just not the right fit. I had a bit of a crisis; I cried a little. There is so much in my past that makes me, me, that I’ve only ever really shared with my therapist, but have generally wanted to write about. But it’s hard, and I don’t know how. And a whole lot of other stuff. BUT THEN

I realized I could share a story that I have always wanted to share! It perfectly relates to our class too and basically everything anyone would ever need to know about me! It’s amazing! I’m so excited! I hope you like it! 

(line break) 

It’s the summer before sixth grade. That’s how I define, or sort, my life, in my memories. It’s the year of school, or it’s the summer before/after. It’s not my age, or the calendar year; it’s school. For a long time my whole identity revolved around school, so it fits. 

Anyway, I’m bored. My older sister and I can only do so much Netflix-watching (because we didn’t have cable) on the Wii (because this was 2011), and I need something to stimulate my active mind. Here comes books! 

I’ve always, always been an avid reader. I was the first person in my first grade class to start reading chapter books  — something I liked to brag about a lot back then. But I’m about to be a middle schooler, so I need to find something a little more mature. My parents decide that I’m at an appropriate age to start reading some of my sister’s old books, which were originally marked for garage sale. 

One of these books has a long, juicy title, with a teen girl posed on the cover in a preppy school uniform, hand on her hip. I don’t have to look this up to remember; it is forever in my mind. The book is I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter. Juicy, right? AND I LOVE IT. Seriously. Love. It. 

Photo: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter. 

... And I guess I move on. That part is a little fuzzy. Enter: Back to School Night, sixth grade. I always would go with my mom, because I loved school, and nights like those I thought were super cool. So, I’m hanging out with my best friend Sydney by the stairs, and she has this book from the school library with her. 

Do you believe in fate? Was it kismet? I do not know; I will not guess. But I do know, I freaked the f*ck out. Because it was the book, by Ally Carter!! I loved that book! When I asked Sydney where she got it, she said in the library, and there were a bunch of other books like it. 

That made me pause. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. Because, what do you know, it was a series!! There were three other books to be read! How, oh how, did I not know this? It had to be fate. 

I can still picture exactly where the books are, in the Preston library. The smaller shelf, up against the wall, right by the opening into the conference/meeting room space (I don’t know what we called that room???). Bottom shelf. 

Who knew a series about teenage girls going to a spy school would set me on this path? 

Suddenly it’s the summer after sixth grade, and once again, I’m bored. But, I have access to a netbook, that my grandpa gave us. Something entices me to start Googling these books. I find Ally Carter’s website. I found out that there are going to be two more books in the series. And I stumble upon this Google search suggestion, with the word fanfiction. 

And wow. 

Stories, countless stories, about my favorite books. Eventually, I make my own account on fanfiction.net, I try my hand at some of my own stories, I get a smartphone and make this very tumblr account when I turn 13, I find a place where I can express all my nerdiness in peace and all-caps, without any sort of ridicule fear. 

But that’s not the end, nor the point, of this story. 

Photo: The first four books in the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. 

(line break) 

So here I am, spending all my free time secretly reading fanfic and trying to write it, and hating my life sometimes and thinking about what I want to study in college because that’s my best chance at escape from this life that I feel I’m stuck in. 

But I can’t think of anything to write! I love to read; I enjoy writing; I am learning more about grammar because my dad has me grading his grammar quizzes he gave his JTC 300 students; but still, something isn’t right. I viscerally hate English class. 

But! There’s a way I CAN write, without it being creative! My dad is going to school for photojournalism, my sister took a high school journalism class, and now it’s my turn to register for classes in high school. I sign up for Journalism 1, the precursor to Journalism 2, which is the class that houses the student newspaper. It’s a great plan. It was a good class.

I was looking through my old journal the other day, and I came across this line dated from September 23, 2014, just into the beginning of my freshman year of high school. “I want to be a journalist.” 

Photo: A journal entry that reads, “I want to be a journalist.” 

My sophomore year of high school, I take Journalism 2 and join the paper. I’m kind of terrified because there are a bunch of people I don’t know and now I’ll actually have to go out and report and talk to people ... but we do some really fun team-building, and people seem to like me, and I relax. I feel, just a little, like a really belong. 

And I had felt that way before, during band, and with some of my friends, but this thing, this journalism thing, I’m actually good at it. And there’s this one moment that sticks out to me still. 

It’s probably 7:20 a.m. I’m trudging up the steps to Spanish class, and I do not want to be there. It’s not that I don’t like school, or I don’t like my classes, because I do. But I’m tired, and it’s not what I want to be doing. I think, if I could spend the entirety of my day in my journalism class, I would be happy. 

To this day, as a college student, I am jealous of the people who get to spend their whole days doing journalism. 

I’ve found more than a home. I’ve found a place where, for what feels like the first time, I can speak my mind. I can be sarcastic, I can make a pun and I can also point out when there’s a bad typo somewhere and have that be appreciated. 

Halfway through my first year writing for the paper, I’m given extra responsibilities and get to start copy editing articles from the students in the J1 class, and I start to learn how to redesign/maintain our Wordpress site. I go on a class trip to Los Angeles, an amazing feat of independence for me, and I feel valued. And then, I’m award the position of Copy Editor for the next school year! It’s amazing. 

I learn my junior year that the freshmen whose articles I edited were afraid of me. Afraid, of me! (For reference, I am five feet tall). But once they met me, they were like ‘Woah, Serena’s not scary!” and now we’re good friends. I’ve since learned to be less harsh/blunt in my editing. 

My senior year, I was Editor-in-Chief. That was something I dreamed about as a freshman, but wouldn’t let myself actually fathom. And even though I felt like I could have done a much better job, and I had a lot of personal sh*t to do with too, by the end of the year, I knew that I was leaving behind a strong legacy. 

It’s really something special when people you love give you a speech, crying, telling you how much you welcomed them, how much you made them feel like they had a place to grow, to be, and how much you’ve inspired them. 

Because journalism, especially student journalism, is about so much more than the news. It’s about a community. It’s community with your fellow reporters and editors, it’s comradery while kicking ass, it’s creating a community with your readers and your peers, it’s learning about the community you live in and sharing the ups and downs of life. 

Photo: A screenshot from my Instagram account of my high school journalism family, taken at our end of the year picture my junior year of high school. We had this running joke that I was going to be a world-dominator type person (because I’m so tiny and quiet) and my teacher said, “Okay, Serena now push Katie over” because I was taking over as EIC. Photo credit goes to my teacher (not going to post his name here). 

(line break)  

I have a lot of setbacks, too. I have anxiety. Like, a lot. Of anxiety. I haven’t been formally diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, but I think I should be. 

I used to think I was just shy. And that was partially the case. But I grew from it, in large part because of journalism. I went from not sitting in my designated seat at the beginning of class because there were older kids in the way my freshman year, to leading the entire class three days a week my senior year. I liked high school journalism because I could get away with asking my friends for quotes, or just not really quoting anyone at all. 

I spent one quarter at the University of Denver last year, and it was somewhat the same thing. They didn’t have any strict standards on a number of sources, and I wrote articles that didn’t require speaking to a lot of people. But then, I took over nine months off from school in what should have been my freshman year of college, and thus took nine months off from journalism and reporting. So starting at The Collegian was a challenge. 

I am still damn proud of myself for getting up the courage, on the second day of classes at CSU, to go down to the newsroom and ask about reporting. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t, and I love where I am today. 

To think that wasn’t even a year ago ... 

Photo: Here I am, remote copy editing for The Collegian, the week after Spring Break. Photo cred to my dad. 

When I started at CSU, I felt good. I was nervous, but transferring was a really good decision, and I’m from Fort Collins, so I felt more comfortable. And at first, my reporting felt really good.

But then I got too stressed with school and work, and that stress led over to increases social anxiety when I was reporting. I went to this community meeting and tried to talk to people there, but I felt helpless and quiet and I left and cried to myself. I then conducted my interviews over the phone. 

I even had to take a break for a few months last semester, because I had a panic attack with the mere thought of approaching people I didn’t know. 

But I worked through it. Aided by Xanax and peer support, I interviewed a bunch of people at the Eva Schloss event and felt really good about it. I also saw my high school journalism advisor, because his wife works at CSU Hillel, and talking to someone who knew my struggle felt good. 

For a long time I’ve doubted if journalism, if news reporting, is something I’ll actually be able to do. It’s the only real thing that makes me feel like I have a purpose, the only thing that makes me not feel depressed about life, but I am still so worried I’ll hold myself back in some way. 

That hasn’t happened yet. 

(line break) 

It’s the summer before my junior year of high school, and I am about to go meet up with the other members of the new leadership team, Katie and Kathleen, at Starbucks. I’ve recently got my license and it feels really good to be driving myself around. 

I go to Target and buy a fancy looking notebook with the last $15 I have to my name, because I don’t have a job yet. I go to Starbucks and discover I like drinking tea. I talk with Katie and Kathleen and we brainstorm what we want the journalism class to look like next year. What we want to change, how we’re going to get students to know that we exist. 

It’s the summer before my senior year, and I bring this same notebook to a meeting at Dazbog that I have with our leadership team to get ready for the school year. I’m in charge. It’s weird, but in a good way. There are a lot more people there, and I fill pages upon pages of ideas, and agendas I want to start the first weeks with. 

So much had changed in a year. My parents got divorced, I started working a lot, I was looking more seriously into college. But so much was the same. The same people, the same work, the same purpose. It was good. 

It’s the second semester of my first year at CSU, my sophomore year of college. I’m at home, cleaning my room, procrastinating because I don’t want to write my final essay. I get a text from Laura, asking if I’ve heard back about the editorial board yet. I had shut my phone off because I was checking my email so obsessively. 

And there it is. I am going to be the 2020-2021 News Editor for The Rocky Mountain Collegian. I still don’t fully feel like I know what I’m doing, even though I have all this experience. News is happening, but it’s summer. Do I write about it? Do I ask other people to write about it? Can I express the authority and knowledge I know I have, to people who have more experience at the paper than I do? It’s still early. 

The day I get the news, I pull out an old, blue notebook that’s barely filled. It’s the perfect place to start brainstorming the things I want to change on the desk and the things I think are super important for Laura and me to talk about. 

I forgot that I had notes from my Editor-in-Chief days in there. 

Photo: The notebook!

It feels like I’ve completed a circle. Like all the highs and lows of my last few years have led me to here, right back to where I’m supposed to be. Where I’ve always known I would be. 

I know who I am; I know where I belong; I know my place and my purpose in this world. 

Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series brought me to writing, and writing brought me to journalism. In my obsession with those books, the unofficial motto of the CIA really resonated with me. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” 

Community and truth, that’s journalism. 

I want to be a journalist.

I am a student journalist.

I am a journalist. 

[alleiradayne]

New Frame of Mind

For @inquisitor-julia‘s 2,000 Follower Giveaway, @geekyblackchic won 2nd Place, which was a 2,000 word one-shot written by yours truly. Congrats to @geekyblackchic! And thank you so much, @inquisitor-julia, for allowing me to participate in your giveaway!

New Frame of Mind

Ora Lavellan receives regular letters from her closest companions, and through their friendship, she finds hope for the future after the events at the Exalted Council.

Word Count: 2,721 (whoops!) Featuring: Ora Lavellan, memories of her companions Dorian, Cassandra, Cole, and Varric. Rating: SFW (some angst, some hope, and lots of coping)

A cool breeze rippled the canvas of Ora's tent, rustling the parchment in her hands and racing gooseflesh along her arms.

Wind. Wind between feathers, lifting, soaring, flying. The horizon stretches, reaching, tilting. You love to drift among the clouds but have forgotten how.

Ora recalled the once forgotten memory with stark clarity, Cole’s words resonating in her heart. Flight. She smiled with fond reverence as she remembered their conversation; Ora had not felt the wind buffet her wings in what had to be an age, a closed chapter in her book.

Difficult enough losing an arm, Ora Lavellan had lost more than that after the events of the Exalted Council. The anchor had exacted a high price, the least of which had been her limb. Fickle thing, magic. And most of all, shapeshifting. Such an intense form of transfiguration. Mages often transformed other objects, but those that mastered the art transformed themselves.

In the weeks following the Exalted Council, Ora struggled. And that struggle stretched for months. No shapeshifting. And no hunting wild game. Unreliable, her standard magic often destroyed most creatures. And failed shapeshifting left her terribly vulnerable. That loss had seeped into the depths of her very soul, leaving her hollow and empty, a shell of her former self.

Her memory continued as her thoughts wandered, manifesting in a cool autumn day not unlike today. Cole had found her alone on the high ramparts of Skyhold. His words resonated in her mind as if she sat there with him once again.

It’s not the arm that matters. The form you take doesn’t care how many arms you have. Spiders have twice as many limbs as us, but mages mimic all sorts of spiders, big and hairy, small and spiny. I like the fluffy ones with big eyes. The Witch's spider scares me…

A full belly laugh filled her tent as she recalled Cole’s cryptic words, but he had spoken the truth. Morrigan’s spider form was the stuff of nightmares.

Another breeze snatched at her letter, and her focus returned to Cole’s most recent letter.

You can have your wings again, soaring and sailing on the currents of the sky. The Fade eats limbs, but it never devours your dreams. It breathes life into your lungs, full and free to be whatever you wish.

Cole’s letters rarely lasted more than a few thoughts, always mysterious but never without purpose. They harkened background to a time when she had needed his wisdom and his compassion most.

I died, alone, cold, and terrified. But I never wanted to die, I wanted to live, to help, to keep others from feeling what I felt as the Fade took me away. Skyhold helped. Old and powerful, sleeping, slumbering, but waking with your presence. A spirit brought me to you and here I remain. To help.

He had helped, and in ways Cole would never understand. He believed in her when few others had, when even Ora doubted herself. And after Solas, after the Viddasala and the Exalted Council, Cole had been a beacon of hope, a sheer force of willpower that pushed her to try harder every time she failed.

Ora considered her missing appendage, now replaced by an ethereal, shimmering limb. Illuminating the canvas of her tent in a faint blue glow and casting sharp shadows in the far corners, she twisted the arm as if it were her own. A marvelous feat of magic. And for the first time, it felt like hers, whole, complete.

Despite the bitter memories, her companion’s letters tugged at her heart, lifting her spirits whenever she wandered lost in a forest of guilt. She shuffled through the papers, sending Cole’s to the back and finding Cassandra’s next.

Inquisitor It will take me an eternity to get used to addressing you without your title. And a part of me will always consider you the Inquisitor, even though the Inquisition no longer exists as it once did. It still pains me to recall the Council, how Ferelden and Orlais treated you. Considering the circumstances, I’d hoped they would see reason. But I shouldn’t be surprised.

I digress. How are you fairing? Have you found anything? I miss our conversations, your company. Maker, to think, the last we saw each other, you had nearly died…

But thanks to Cassandra, she had not. With years of battle under her belt, the Seeker had leapt into action the minute Ora had returned to Halamshiral. Cut off the infection, stop it in its tracks. But that meant losing part of her arm. The alternative was anything but.

I worry about you. I know you’re doing well, but I still ask. And while least important, I know it matters to you: how is your magic behaving?

Always practical, Cassandra broached a subject with less tact than a charging druffalo. But it drew a smile from Ora despite her choice of words, selflessness beyond measure. Cassandra put the needs of others before her own, most of all her friends. And she had put Ora first, above anyone, following the Exalted Council. Though that time had not lasted long, Cassandra’s resilience in the face of defeat proved invaluable.

Think of it as an opportunity. To start over. To learn again. To learn a new way. If Varric has taught me anything these last fifteen years, it’s that there’s always a better way.

And she had been right. The loss of her arm had forced Ora to relearn everything she understood about magic. Though unpleasant, it had been worth every minute she had struggled, for now, Ora’s magic rivaled that of the most powerful mages. And she had Cassandra, as well as Cole, to thank for that.

Not to mention Dorian. The next letter in her stack bore the seal of the Tevinter magister. And to think, not five years prior, any letter with that seal would have instilled fear and panic into any recipient. But in those five years, Magister Pavus had paved the way for a new Tevinter, starting with his humble beginnings in the Inquisition.

My Dearest Ora, I hope this letter finds you, first, and if it does, it finds you well. I appreciate all your work on improving our sending crystals, and when I next see you—most likely not in Tevinter—you’ll have mine for the work it requires.

True, their sending crystals provide futile after several months of use. Ora’s initial investigation revealed attunement issues, the bond between the pair of crystals fading over time. She had made improvements to her own but required Dorian’s to finish the process, permanently linking the two for good.

Which reminds me, you might want to stay away from Tevinter for a time. Locals, including other magisters, have noticed a large grey eagle that they are claiming has graced our skies as some sort of good omen. As pleased as I am to see you back in fighting shape, I worry the magisters are getting the wrong idea. Which isn’t surprising, and it won’t be the last time they take the most far-fetched idea away from something as mundane as a fucking bird. No offense, of course, my dear.

And of course, Ora took none. How could she? Dorian’s strict retraining efforts had been as important, if not more, than his support. Though not trained in the fine art of shapeshifting, Dorian understood the mechanics of magic, the intricacies of balance between not only raw elements, but of power and control as well. Where most mages followed written formulae and studied books, Dorian concocted his own brand of magic with exquisite detail, a creativity Ora found necessary given her physical and mental state after the Exalted Council. Dorian’s words replayed in her mind as if he stood beside her.

I cannot imagine what you’re going through, Ora. Few mages ever face what are staring down at this present moment. All challenges aside, I believe that you are more than capable of relearning all you once knew, and more. But it will take time

What you now lack in physical form must be balanced with mental acuity and power. Your elements are disjointed as well and will require recalibration, but be cautious here. One miscalculation and you could find yourself completely fucked. This will not be easy, but lucky for you, I’ve been fabricating magic most of my life, and there aren’t many better at it than I, if do say so myself. I would one day see you surpass me.

Though that education had lasted only months, Ora learned everything she could. But before long, Tevinter had called and Dorian had left Skyhold. And their brief time together at the Exalted Council fell short of fulfilling by leagues. It had been his final words before departing that had meant more than she had realized in the moment.

You did the right thing, Ora. You always do. Trust yourself. Believe, as we do, in you.

Another smile lingered on her lips before Ora returned to Dorian’s letter. He wrote of change in Tevinter, of subtle plans and less than subtle scheming. And, as always, he left her with another professional piece of advice on redesigning magic for her differently-abled body.

The hand might help you feel whole again, but never forget it is not real. It may feel real, and it may even look real beneath a sleeve and glove. But it is not. And that is okay. Use that to your benefit. Imagine the look on your assailant’s face when he thinks he’s got your wrist but then poof! It’s gone and you’re sprinting down the street.

Leave it to Dorian to think of a practical benefit to lacking a wrist. But he had a point.

Don’t forget, your magic is yours alone. Use it as you see fit.

“I will, Dorian.”

His letter found the bottom of the stack as Ora moved to the next piece of parchment. There, the sigil of House Tethras bound the folded stock, red wax pressed with a neat stamp. She popped the seal free and read.

Hey, Shifty. Been a while. This Viscount nonsense keeps me busy. You knew that already. But it doesn't keep me busy enough that I couldn't write more often. Sorry about that.

He apologized in every letter, never excusing himself or asking for forgiveness. Not that he had done anything that required her forgiveness. He wrote her more often than any of her friends, and at once a week, Ora mused he wished he had the time to write her every day.

I hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary lately. Thought you might have quit searching, gave up. But a rumor cropped up this week and well… life is stranger than fiction, as they say. So, here’s me asking if you’ve been flying around Tevinter the last month or so.

Ora laughed again, relishing Varric’s surprise as another rumor of her grey eagle circling Tevinter reached his ears. Creators, but she’d never meant for the tale to grow so tall. Or long. An eagles’ penchant for circling and excellent eyesight provided the perfect cover for searching. How anyone had blown such a trivial and mundane event so out of proportion never ceased to amaze her.

If so, I’m happy to hear you’re flying again. Nothing pained me more than the months after the Exalted Council. I was of no help. Definitely not with magic. I'm handy with a quip here and there, but even my words failed me. Shit, you’d think I’d be better at it but, I’m terrible. Writing drama was never my strong suit. Forget helping a real person suffering something as difficult as you did.

“Oh, Varric,” Ora started, “you helped in ways you'll never know."

He'd been the first to console her and the last to leave Skyhold. Varric's keen sense of the mortal condition disputed his letter; while his books might contain the utmost contrived of narratives, his words and his company had lifted her from the darkest depths of her fall.

You can't keep sleeping all day, Shifty. Trust me, I've tried. The weeks after Bartrand... had it not been for Hawke, I'm not sure where I'd be right now. Probably crazy as Bartrand.

Most mornings following the Exalted Council had started the same way, Varric climbing the steps to her room and sitting on the chaise until Ora found the drive to get out of bed. Sometimes he brought breakfast, other times sweet pastries. And with each conversation—wherein Varric talked at length and Ora listened—the sun rose a little brighter each morning.

When was the last time you even tried to shapeshift? I know I'm talking out of my ass here, I know shit about magic. But seriously, when was the last time you even tried? How do you know it'll be terrible? And even if it is terrible, so what? Get back on the horse. Just because you fell off doesn't mean you can't get back on it. Granted, missing half an arm might make that a little harder. But you find a new way, right? Instead of getting on from the left side, get on from the right.

That had been the last morning Ora slept in past sunrise. With a newfound sense of determination, she had set out to relearn everything, challenges be damned.

And now, two years past, Ora sat in her tiny canvas tent, the whispering of Harvestmere crisp on the cool dawn breeze. Varric's letter meandered as it so often did, hopping from subject to story to scandal as quick as a frog leaped lily pads. And in closing, he bid her good luck in her search and, as always, to write more often.

With the final letter finished, Ora added them to the growing stack in her leather-bound folder. Secured from the elements, she cherished those messages sent from every corner of Thedas in the capable hands of Leliana's scouts. Alone, they kept her company, and on darker days when her mood sank and her magic still struggled to cooperate, she reread them. There she found courage, willpower. An unmistakable drive to carry on, however wayward she might have become.

As they days grew shorter, Ora spent as much time as possible in the sunlight. But that morning, she had burned enough time on letters she might have otherwise read by candle light. Except on days like these, when the creeping hints of malaise teased the fringe of her subconscious, her mental health took priority over all else.

Ora crawled from her tent, another day of hope and promise ahead of her. A rustle of leaves scattered across her campsite as the wind gathered momentum, building in a sudden rush of gusts and lashes that grasped at her robes. That wind encircled her, pressing closer until a tight swirl of air encased her in a protective shell.

Fear loomed. Doubt reared. Imbalance threatened. Every failed attempt, every botched shape, every crumpled figure since the Crossroads crushed her spirit in that interstitial space between thoughts. She would fail again, as she had so many times before. And she would be left vulnerable, alone with no one to defend her should she need it. The racing thumps of her heart beat a frantic rhythm against her ribs as if to escape, as if to burst from her chest and abandon the terror that pained her so. Creators, why? Why had they abandoned her with such hopelessness? What had she ever done to deserve such a fate? Her vision blurred, tears gathering from the wind or from the alarm bound so tight in her chest, Ora was unsure. Tension grasped every muscle in her body, wrenching and writhing to be free of the trepidation that plagued her. Breath sucked from her lungs in terrified gasps, too much, not enough. Dizzy, spinning, the world tilted, turned, twisted...

It had lasted but a second, the amalgamation of her fears fading to tiny specs in the distance like the trees beneath her beating wings. Higher and higher, Ora climbed for the clouds, the wind racing between her feathers once more. And in that ascent, in that effervescent transcendence, Ora soared.

Fear faded. Doubt receded. Balance restored.

And there, far off in the distance, lay Tevinter. Ready. Waiting.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to reblog!

[coppicefics]

Masked Omens: Week Two

New chapter here, or read from the start here!

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[Image Description: Image 1 - A simple rendition of the Masked Singer UK logo, a golden mask with colourful fragments flying off of it. The mask has a golden halo and a golden devil tail protruding from either side. Below, gold text reads 'Masked Omens'.

Image 2 - Twitter trending topics. For full transcription, see below the cut.

Image 3 - A hand holding a copy of News World Weekly, dated Saturday 2nd January 2021. The front page and part of the back page are visible. Full image description and transcription below the cut.]

Twitter What's Happening 1. Politics – Yesterday Former Transport Secretary Lawrence Richmond calls for end to OAP 'Freedom Passes' 2. Politics – Trending #NOT2OLD2VOTE 2,202 Tweets 3. Trending in United Kingdom The Masked Singer 2,617 Tweets 4. Trending in United Kingdom #BONFIRE 1,580 Tweets 5. Trending in United Kingdom DFS Sale 5,809 Tweets 6. Rap – Trending P-White: From CBBC to the Grammys 7. E-GATE (verified) – Last night Bagman wedding: will the striker's foodless reception set a new trend? Trending with Dr Raven Sable, Chow Show More

News World Weekly – Saturday, 2nd January 2021 Front Page [Side ad:] NOW BOOKING FOR SPRING & SUMMER 2021 “BLEW ME AWAY” CELESTIAL OBSERVER “NEVER SEEN A SHOW LIKE IT” INFERNAL TIMES “YOU HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT” TADFIELD GAZETTE THE AMAZING [obscured by thumb]-ll [obscured]-UND [obscured]-ITH [obscured]-RACULOUS FEATS OF ESCAPOLOGY HYPNOSIS CONJURING AND MANY MORE MARVELS BOOK NOW

[Masthead:] NEWS WORLD WEEKLY Mockup by DailyMockup £1.20 Saturday, 2nd January 2021

[Top bar:] DIET DOCTOR Lose weight the easy way with 10 top tips from Dr. Raven Sable - page 9 – Meal plans and more! SPORTS Esther James leads England Women to Six Nations Victory – back page – Jane Adams scores most tries MUSIC Has “Narrative Devices” made folk music cool again? - page 28 - HOROSCOPES by TV's Madame Tracy - page 12 -

[Main story:] WAR RAGES ON IN WESTERN CELESTAN Military presence increase as rebels approach university city of Ghadon [Image: Troops ride in military transport vehicle, their backs to the camera. End ID.] Photo by Diego Gonzalez on Unsplash CELESTANI ARMED FORCES “MUST ACT NOW”, SAYS TOP OFFICIAL [Image: Small close-up photo of Carmine Zugiber, a white woman with red hair and a solemn expression. End ID] War Correspondent – Carmine Zugiber It is unusual for a war correspondent to receive a telephone call on the way to the airport. As a rule, departing journalists are not favoured with exclusive information – certainly not without having to work for it. It was with some surprise and trepidation, then, that I agreed to meet a mysterious contact in the departure lounge for a brief interview about Celestan's domestic situation. For those of you who are not familiar with the conflict currently raging within the borders of this once proud nation, allow me to give you an overview. Rebels in the west of the country – particularly the Ferran Hills and Celestan's third-largest city, Nori – became unhappy with the decisions made for the country by officials in the east. After months of largely peaceful protests which fell upon deaf ears, many in the western reaches of Celestan began to call for independence – an independent state of Fernor, which would encompass most of the western half of the current nation. Peaceful protests turned into skirmishes, skirmishes became all-out guerrilla war, and now the rebel armies are sweeping through the countryside at an astonishing pace. The official who contacted me on my final day in Celestan was Gabriel Herald, a high-ranking civil servant of the variety that does not state his job title upon introduction. “It's becoming increasingly clear that the situation in Celestan is becoming untenable,” he told me, adding that I ought not to publish this article until I was back in London for my own safety. “The rebels are destroying the very land they lay claim to, and nobody in Government has the appetite for a long, drawn-out war. If there is a way to stop the fighting, naturally, we intend to take it.” When pressed on what that might mean, he explained that various options were being considered. “Our priority at the present time is to protect the eastern half of the country, where the effects of the insurgency have not yet been felt. Residents of central Celestan can expect to see an increased military presence, but I want Celestani citizens to rest assured that the Government will not permit the entire country to be laid waste to, as the western reaches have been.” Was there any truth, I asked, to the rumours that the Celestani Government were considering acquiescing to the rebels' demands and establishing an independent state of Fernor? “I can't comment on that at this time,” Herald told me, “but should Operation Lestern become necessary, citizens should take comfort in the knowledge that we are prepared for all eventualities and will protect and will protect our people from any and all consequences it is within our power to control.” Since this interview took place three weeks ago, the situation in central Celestan has developed, and it was unclear whether releasing this article was in the best interests of the people. However, it is now crucial that all parties understand the situation, and as a result the decision was taken to print it in (Continued page 2.)

[Left-hand column:] Inside your paper today... MASKED SINGER BOOSTS VETERAN YOUTUBER'S HIT COUNT It's no secret that ITV's The Masked Singer is a sensational hit, but some competitors may not be entirely prepared for its success. Week One saw an unlikely star unmasked in the form of Sergeant Shadwell, the man behind the popular YouTube channel Wytchfynder. In videos uploaded to the channel twice a week, Shadwell embarks on daring urban explorations and paranormal investigations in order to debunk all manner of conspiracy theories, urban legends, and rumours. While some videos are more dynamic than others – one features Shadwell venturing into the crypt of an old church, while another consists entirely of him sitting in his armchair at home and running through the evidence for an [sic] against his next-door neighbour being a witch – Shadwell, who retired from the army twenty years ago, says hits on all his uploads have doubled since his unmasking. “I get a lot of comments now along the lines of 'this story rings a bell',” he admitted to our reporter. “It wound me up at first, but now I'm just enjoying the surge in interest. We must always be vigilant in our fight against charlatans and misinformation.” (Continued on page 13.)

MP RICHMOND BRANDED “BUS PASS BANDIT” Lawrence Richmond, MP for Toffley South, came under renewed fire for his proposal to scrap the Freedom Pass system that allows older people and children to travel by bus or train for no charge. “We have an enormous budget deficit that needs addressing,” Richmond told the House of Commons yesterday, “if people don't want to buy tickets, they can drive their own cars instead.” Richmond, who lives in an historic 12-bedroom manor house with his wife Victoria and son Horace, has encountered staunch opposition from his political opponents, but his own (continued on page 7.)

COMPETITION: YOUR CHANCE TO WIN NEW NUTTER SET Be among the first to own a full set of the newly-redesigned Agnes Nutter books, including beloved favourites such as Picking the Winner, Time to Shine, Burn and Out with a Bang by entering our competition. Nutter herself said of the new covers, “I've always had a special place in my heart for my first novel, Picking the Winner, but this new cover is so vibrant and captures the spirit of the story so perfectly that I think I prefer it to the old one!” Agnes Nutter's new novel, Blown Out of Proportion, is due out in August and is not included in the prize. (Enter on page 22.)

Back page [Only the very edge of the page is visible.] -PORTS -VICTORY -JAMES' SIDE” -ADAMS SMASHES -APTAIN'S RECORD -hile Esther James may be the -tain of the England Women's -gby Team, her teammate and -artner Jane Adams has just -shed her record for the most -es scored in a single season. -ams' stunning performance -sterday's 36-16 victory over -nd saw her score her 11th and -try of the season – overtaking -iend James, who has no for -eleven tries for the national squad this year. -asked for comment, Adams -characteristically modest; -just an honour to be a -such a phenomenal team -score tries with that team. -team effort, definitely.” -es was more effusive; -know I think Jane's the -credible woman. Now -he stats prove it.” -DIT PULSIFER -VAR ROW -the first time, football -tor Newton Pulsifer has -d to fans after having a --air dispute with the -stant Referee during -'s Premier League -est Ham U [The rest of the article is obscured by the hand holding the paper.]

End of transcription.

[perksofwifi]

Review: The 710-HP Ferrari F8 Tributo is Smarter Than You

There’s an urban legend that states that human beings only use 10 percent of their brain’s capacity. Imagine the sheer potential that awaits if we were to harness the power of that other 90 percent. But the reality is that over the course of a normal day, the majority of us do tap into the full 100 percent of our gray matter. Just … not all at once.

The 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo, on the other hand, has absolutely no problem accomplishing this feat. Here is a supercar designed to enable its driver to operate at the fullest extent of their ability—and then some. Do those percentages add up? It’s all in how you do the math.

Building on the brilliant 488 GTB (the 2017 MotorTrend Best Driver’s Car, by the way), the F8 Tributo manages to improve on its predecessor in nearly every way. The overall chassis carries over, but Ferrari has made significant upgrades to the engine, refined the aerodynamic profile, and even managed to save some weight in the process.

Let’s start with that engine. Ferrari took the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 used in the track-focused 488 Pista and revised it even further with lessons learned from its Challenge and Formula 1 racing divisions. Improved airflow throughout the combustion process increases volumetric efficiency, and engine internals were beefed up to handle the additional pressure. Even the air intakes on either side of the rear spoiler were redesigned to better feed air to the freer-breathing engine. It’s all topped off with your choice of intake plenums: red-painted aluminum or optional carbon fiber. The result: 710 horsepower arrives at a lofty 8,000 rpm, all from an engine that is 40 pounds lighter than the one found in the 488 GTB.

The car is lighter by 48 pounds overall, thanks to the use of a carbon-fiber spoiler, a louvered rear window fashioned out of Lexan, a revised cooling system, and an optional lithium-ion starter battery sourced from the 488 Challenge. Ferrari offers a set of 20-inch carbon-fiber wheels as an option, should you wish to further lighten your wallet, as well as your unsprung corners.

While we’re using the math portion of our brain, how about a few more numbers: Thanks to the improved power and reduced weight, the F8 Tributo will rip from 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, hit 124 mph just 4.9 seconds after that, and achieve a blistering top speed of 211 mph.

Inside and out, the F8 Tributo’s styling is a further evolution of the 488 GTB. Up front, an S-duct channels air from just below the front bumper to the revised cooling system, which then exits through the center of the sunken, sculpted hood. There’s also a new headlight array, joined out back by—finally—quad taillights. Ferraris just look better with four lights in the rear. Inside the cabin, noticeable improvements include round air vents shaped like jet engine nacelles, a smaller steering wheel, and updated infotainment options.

All of these updates are most certainly welcome, but what’s it like to drive? In a word, magnificent. Out on the rough, narrow roads of rural Italy, the F8 Tributo is as comfortable as a German sedan, albeit with much better reflexes. Credit the Bumpy Road setting of the adjustable dampers. The burble of the V-8 is such an essential component of the experience that I’m actually startled out of my reverie when the stop/start system kills it at a stoplight.

I do wish, however, that the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission wasn’t so greedy to gobble up the highest gear possible during sedate driving. And when looking in the rearview mirror, the louvers in the Lexan rear window seriously distort rearward visibility. But those mere nitpicks are easily solved by looking forward and driving quickly. What’s behind you doesn’t matter, as the Grand Old Man used to say.

Despite having a 41.5/58.5 front/rear weight distribution, the F8’s Tributo high-speed stability is surprisingly impressive, thanks in part to the 15 percent increase in downforce provided by the S-duct.

Just as I merge onto the Autostrada back toward Maranello, a family in an Audi RS6 Avant (with two car seats in the back!) blows past in the left lane. I tuck in behind and give chase. Get on boost at high speed, and the F8 Tributo’s V-8 soundtrack is overlaid with blasts of high-pressure air being shoved directly into the engine. Perhaps the music isn’t classically Italian, but it’s a thrilling score nonetheless. I peel off at the exit for Modena, and the RS6 driver toots his horn in farewell.

With such staggering performance numbers, the F8 Tributo really deserves to be driven on a track. Invigorated after my drive, I join Ferrari development test driver Fabrizio Toschi for a few laps around Ferrari’s famed Pista di Fiorano test circuit.

Toschi is a man of few words, preferring instead to communicate through the language of driving. As we conclude a warm-up lap around the circuit, he eases off the F8 Tributo’s accelerator . “We wait for the first lap. Then you can push … pushpushpush.”

Decelerating near the beginning of the front straight, Toschi points to a trackside sign that reads “Gas Off.” Apparently, not everyone in town is a fan of the aria of supercars, and this brief sonic pause on the track is Ferrari’s concession to their concerns. We coast onto the straight to reveal a “Gas On” sign lurking just beyond the bridge.

As it turns out, “push” is Italian for “bury the accelerator into the floor.” A feral growl fills the cabin, and the F8 Tributo gains speed ferociously down what’s left of the straightaway. Toschi stays fully on the gas as he barrels through a negligible curve, straightens out, and continues accelerating all the way to the braking zone before Turn 1. Initial entry into this D-shaped right-hander is tight before it unfolds into a gentle arc all the way through Turn 2. Toschi cranks the wheel, and the F8 Tributo heads straight for the apex.

An apex is quite literally the pivot point for a corner. As the wheel is turned, judicious drivers patiently count down the milliseconds until the car passes the midpoint and they can begin to unwind. Adding more power before this moment—especially in a high-horsepower rear-drive car��can easily cause the rear end of the car to step out or spin.

Either Toschi has suddenly forgotten this fact, or he doesn’t care. Midcorner, he glances over at me, simply says, “Push,” and nails it. Miraculously, the F8 Tributo stays firmly planted on its initial trajectory and gains considerable momentum, as well.

This physics-taunting act is made possible by a combination of Ferrari’s Side Slip Control and Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer,  a tag team of sensors and microprocessors that can make infinitesimal adjustments to the suspension, brakes, and power delivery in a completely unobtrusive manner. If this isn’t an example of using 100 percent of your brainpower, I don’t know what is. So while Fabrizio adds power through the corner, all those systems are working in concert to find the maximum amount of grip and stability while continuing to put down as much power as possible. Unlocking this achievement is as easy as turning the manettino dial on the steering wheel to Race.

Purists may scoff, but let’s be honest: Casually exploring the slip angles and limits of adhesion in a 710-horsepower supercar without the safety net of modern technology is like giving your cat a bath. It’s highly likely one or both parties will end up hurt. Sure, these systems can make anyone look like a hero, but in the hands of drivers who genuinely want to improve their skills, this is a fantastic way to do it.

Besides, what’s the point of having a big brain if you can’t show off a little? On the next lap, Toschi twists the dial to CT-Off. “Now for some fun,” he says. Once again on the first turn, he nails it midcorner, but this time the rear end of the F8 Tributo swings out—and stays put as Fabrizio drifts around the corner. The level of precision to the drift angle is magnificent. Yes, I’m riding with one of the most skilled drivers in Italy, but it again demonstrates the F8 Tributo’s ability to find the absolute limits of power and adhesion then keep you there for as long as you can stand it.

After that, I’m granted a measly two laps to myself on the test circuit, and I have nothing exciting to share about those brief minutes. Carrying a price tag that’s about a hundred grand more than a four-year stint at an Ivy League school, the F8 Tributo is not something you wish to risk damage in: to it, your wallet, or your ego.

But I will say this: Even when driven at its most extreme, the F8 Tributo is never violent. The gearbox swaps cogs with a brisk efficiency, steering is quick yet never twitchy, and the brakes simply do what you ask of them. G-forces pin you to the seat, and the world around you rushes by in a canted, dizzying blur, yet the F8 Tributo remains fully composed and in full command of its faculties. In other words, it’s smarter than I am. And you know what? I’m OK with that.

The post Review: The 710-HP Ferrari F8 Tributo is Smarter Than You appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020-ferrari-f8-tributo-review/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

[webbygraphic001]

19 Best New Portfolio Sites, July 2017

Hello WDD Readers. It’s July, and is it hot in here, or is it just these awesome portfolios? This month, it seems that post-minimalism and brutalism are giving way to our love of things that look pretty and designery. That’s a word now.

Oh, you’ll still see a few sites that embrace the “artist” aesthetic pretty hard, but those portfolios mostly belong to artists. But many designers, it seems, have starting mixing the collage-style presentation and asymmetrical layouts with a now-classic aesthetic. Big, thick, sans-serif type. Lots of white space. The whole thing screams “designer’s portfolio”.

I’m enjoying this new mini-tend, but you should take a look on through the list for yourself.

Zurb

Well let’s get the big one out of they way. Zurb — the creators of Foundation — went and redesigned their site again. Yeah, they still do client work.

Their website loosely keeps to the sort of alien astronaut theme that they’ve developed over the years. You’ll still see their mascot hidden here and there. The header of the home page says “Greetings, Earthling.” in a typeface ripped straight from old sci-fi.

Their penchant for illustration, however, has taken a backseat to photography, and subtle animation. The rest of the site is the pure, clean simplicity we’ve come to expect from the creators of Foundation.

As a bonus, there are forty-two illustrated cows hidden throughout their site. If you click on the cow icon on the bottom of any page, you can keep track of the ones you’ve found so far.

Jacob Sutton

Jacob Sutton is a photographer, as as such, he is contractually obligated to use the now-classic post-minimalism for his portfolio. I kid. It’s just regular minimalism with a bit of asymmetry thrown in. It looks elegant and understated at the same time, which is quite a feat of design.

Use All Five

Use All Five’s website has a distinctly modern aesthetic and uses a lot of pastels. Darnit, I think I used a Morticia joke some months ago already. In any case, it’s a pretty good-looking site that definitely stands out with its own distinct personality.

L’Éloi

L’Éloi’s agency site combines the an asymmetrical layout with a kind of minimalism I’m going to start calling “design portfolio chic”. I need to start collecting these terms somewhere. Anyway, you know the drill: thick heading text, classic serif body text, a metric ton of white space.

But instead of a giant hero image and three columns outlining the services, we get the collage-style layout and asymmetrical tendencies of the post-minimalist. I actually think it’s a pretty great combo. And it’s one seen a couple of times in this list.

Oui Will

Oui WIll Has a lot going for it. First, there’s that glorious pun. Second, there’s a beautiful layout with an emphasis on great typography. They didn’t quite commit to a dark or light layout, opting to mix the two and let the contrast do a lot of the talking. They also do that thing with the overlapping elements. Overall, it’s a solid piece of web design that combines a clearly professional feel with a few artistic flourishes.

Pavel Kedzich

Pavel Kedzich has one of those websites that you’d swear is a classic case of post-minimalism… and it is… almost? I mean, yes, the images are laid out collage-style, but that’s it. There’s a floating logotype and nav-bar on the right and the rest of the site is literally single column. If anything, this is just minimalism with style.

Negative Labs

Okay, remember when a ton of minimalist websites used all sans-serif typefaces (usually just one), and used a lot of thick black borders? I don’t have a good term for it yet, but it was a sort of precursor to brutalism.

This is that, but with very minimalist WordArt. You think I’m joking? Go look at their home page. I won’t say I dislike it, but I’m not that sure I love it, either. Nonetheless, it stands out, and it might inspire you to try something new.

All Boats Rise

All Boats Rise has a fairly standard layout with decent typography, and a whole lot of personality. It’s one of the first sites I’ve seen in a while that uses this much blue, but doesn’t feel super corporate. That’s some good work.

Flavien Guilbaud

Flavien Guilbaud’s portfolio is one more that’s mixing collage-style presentation and asymmetry with a distinctly professional aesthetic. This one has an even bigger focus on animation than others on the list, and it looks fantastic.

Standing By

Standing By mostly focuses on typography and imagery, with a somewhat… eclectic grid layout. This is classic minimalism at its finest. Sticking their portfolio navigation into a dropdown in the header is an interesting choice. Not sure every new user will get it at first, but it’s cool.

Amber Eve Anderson

In another example of that minimalism with lots of borders, Amber Eve Anderson spices up a classic aesthetic with larger fonts than we used back in the early ’00s, and some subtle background imagery. I quite like the way her work is organized by year.

  The Feebles

The Feebles’s portfolio site is modern, colorful, and stylish as can be. The make excellent use of animation, minimal asymmetry, and element overlap to make as site that feels as playful as their work, while remaining quite classy.

Hype Type Studio

Hype Type Studio embraces the grid, and that classic minimalism in the sense that it’s all black and white except for the images. Nothing exotic here, just good, clean design.

Laura Makabresku

Laura Makabresku’s photography portfolio is yet one more presentation style website. It puts the work front and center, and let’s you, the user, just get to work. Yet for all that, it’s a pleasure to browse through. It’s a textbook example of how to match a website’s aesthetic to the tone of its content.

Any Studio

The single most interesting thing about Any Studio is their Tinder profile. Well, sort of. They show off ten of their projects on their home page in a little game that allows you to swipe left if you don’t like their work, or swipe right if you do. If you like most of their stuff, they suggest contacting them. If you don’t they suggest trying again.

It’s an interesting approach, to be sure, and it might actually help them find the right clients for them. My only issue is that, other than the cursor, there is little indication that anything like this is going on until you start clicking and dragging, or swiping. There is a message while the whole thing loads, but people on fast Internet (or people who open a lot of tabs at once) may never see it.

Type and Pixel

Type and Pixel present us with almost the perfect example of mixing post-minimalism and with a professional aesthetic. The layout is mostly simple, with hints of the collage style, while the graphics and colors lean to the wilder, artistic side of the spectrum. It’s all held together by simple but well-executed typography to create a site that spans the spectrum from chaos to classical minimalism.

Neutron Creative

Neutron Creative brings us a design slightly reminiscent of brutalism. It’s got the monospaced typeface and the shades of grey. But it also with good typography, and the creative use of accent colors. Oh, and white space. If anything, the entire design is meant to present them as a company of nerds, from the logo to the type, and it does that while looking professional.

Tyron Hayman

Tyron Hayman’s portfolio is as simple as they come, but that works for him. It’s spiced up with some very subtle background video, some bright gradients, and decent typography. It;s nothing revolutionary, but it looks darned pretty.

I only have one little issue. On the home page, the first words you see are these: “I am a minimalist. I believe in saying the most with the least.” As I am often one to split hairs, I am compelled to point out that he should have just used the first sentence. The second detracts from the minimalism.

He probably needed to put that in for people who are fuzzy on the concept of minimalism. But, you know, hairs. Splitting. Etc.

Activeoo Banners

Web agency Activeoo is trying something interesting by creating a separate portfolio for just one of their services. The service in question? HTML5 banner ads.

The design is crisp, clean, and professional. It’s good. But… I’m actually not interested in the design so much as the strategy. Activeoo has obviously put a lot of work into developing this sub-site, and written a lot of content about one single service that they offer.

This positions them as not just “an agency that does banner ads among other things”, but as experts in banner ads. Conceivably, you could design a separate portfolio site for each service to paint that same picture to every potential customer, no matter which of your services they need. It’s a lot more effort, but it could work.

Sci-Fi Bundle: Space Fonts, Backgrounds, Logos, UI Kit – only $17!

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The 20 Greatest Trainers Of All Time

#Quarterback", "#AssociationFootball #http://blog.hair-terminator.com Some trainers blaze a trail and burn-out. Some never go away. Take the Chuck Taylor All Star: introduced 100 years ago, in 1917, today Converse still sells around 270,000 pairs every day. So if any sneaker deserves the label

#Quarterback", "#AssociationFootball #http://blog.hair-terminator.com Some trainers blaze a trail and burn-out. Some never go away. Take the Chuck Taylor All Star: introduced 100 years ago, in 1917, today Converse still sells around 270,000 pairs every day. So if any sneaker deserves the label of a ‘classic’, it’s those, closely followed by the other 19 named here. Sure, none of these lists will ever be objectively ‘correct’, but in judging the cream of the crepes – from feats in feet-protective engineering to cultural icons – longevity, mixed with style and practicality are often the common denominators in determining the greatest trainers of all time. Oh, and a whole lot of white leather…

Nike Cortez

The first trainer ever designed by Nike and a key part of its early success, the Cortez was the brainchild of Olympic coach and sneaker demi-god Bill Bowerman. Introduced as a running shoe during the 1972 Games in Munich, the all-American colours and revolutionary construction helped the company coast to victory and into Hollywood films, most famously as the pair Tom Hanks laced up in Forrest Gump. Originally, Nike founder Phil Knight wanted to call the sneakers the Aztec, but rival Adidas (which already made the Azteca Gold spikes) threatened to sue: “Bowerman took off his cap, put it on again, rubbed his face,” wrote Knight in his book Shoe Dog. “‘Who was that guy who kicked the shit out of the Aztecs?’ he asked. ‘Cortez,’ I said. He grunted: ‘Okay. Let’s call it the Cortez.’”

New Balance 998

Introduced in 1983 as the premium edition of the market’s first $100 running shoe, the 998’s streamlined (for New Balance, anyway) shape, luxe materials and split-colour midsole made it an instant icon and brought the brand out of its trainers-for-posh-dads phase. (Related: Iconic Men’s Trainers Worth Owning)

Common Projects Achilles Low

The new classic, the Common Projects Achilles, was dreamed up on two separate continents at the same time. New York-based art director Prathan Poopat and Italian creative consultant Flavio Girolami fired design ideas back-and-forth across the Atlantic. Eventually, the pair settled on the zenith of simplicity: a solid white leather, low-top sneaker with a subtle gold serial number on the heel. (Related: The 6 Best Minimalist Trainer Brands)

Nike Huarache

Yes, they’ve since been hijacked by shuffling lads with bad haircuts, but the Nike Air Huarache was a bold, futuristic shape upon its release in 1991, and somehow hasn’t aged a minute. It looks a bit like someone stuck two trainers together, but the shoe’s water skiing-inspired fit (Tinker Hatfield was really into water sports, apparently) means it still looks like little else around. (Related: Why It’s Time To Embrace ‘Ugly’ Trainers)

Converse Jack Purcell

The most famous badminton shoe in the world, the Jack Purcell – named after the Canadian player who became world badminton champ in 1933 – is now a men’s wardrobe essential. You don’t need to bother whacking a shuttlecock around to make them work either, as many greats like Messrs Dean and McQueen proved throughout the years. Just team the signature ‘smile’ marking on the toe with a pair of chinos for a look that serves an ace every time.

Adidas Superstar

Forever linked to pioneering rap group Run D.M.C. (and the cool one million dollars they got from Adidas to wear them), the shell-toe and contrast stripes marked out the shoe as an instant hit. Originally made famous by basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Superstar became the only trainer to be seen in in the late eighties and early nineties for kids who wanted to spin around on their backs on a busted cardboard box. In 2015 Adidas claimed to be still selling 15 million pairs a year – how’s that for staying power?

Nike Air Force One

Streetball legend and chunky, all-white work of art. We’ll let Nelly’s 2002 ode, ‘Air Force One’, take over here: “I said give me two pairs, ‘cause I need two pairs. So I can get to stompin’ in my Air Force Ones, big boys stompin’ in my Air Force Ones.” Thanks, Nelly.

Vans Era

Introduced in 1975 as the Vans #95, the Era quickly became a go-to shoe for the burgeoning skate community in the brand’s home state of California. More than four decades on, the kick still offer the same much-needed grip and versatility thanks to its padded collar and signature waffle outsole.

Reebok Classic

Beloved UK Garage icon and one of the comfiest trainers ever produced, Reebok’s Classic range has kept things simple for more than 30 years. Intricate panelling, a jagged tread with gum finishing and a padded lining made the Classic a trainer for the gym that you wanted to wear outside, way before the athleisure trend.

Adidas Gazelle

The only Adidas shoe to come close to meeting Stan Smith’s ubiquity. The endless colourways and pure wearability of the Gazelle have seen it favoured by everyone from the football casuals of the eighties, to Britpop coke-heads in the nineties, to every cool, gallery-loving Instagrammer since.

Air Jordan I

In 1984, Michael Jordan’s barn-storming final year of college basketball saw him sign a bumper $2.5m (£2m) endorsement contract with Nike. Everyone thought the Oregon brand had lost its mind, but the next year he was Michael Jordan, and Nike brought out his own signature shoe. The Air Jordan I lacked the tech of Tinker Hatfield’s later models but had the instantly recognisable design of an icon ready to spill off the court and onto the street.

Chuck Taylor All Star Hi

Chuck Taylor All Stars are to sneakers what Levi’s is to denim; a bona fide icon that still shifts at a rate of roughly 100 million pairs a year. While they’re totally out of place on the basketball courts they once dominated, for fans of white T-shirts, blue jeans and classic style, the high-top version will always be a winner. (Related: 10 Iconic Men’s Shoes & Boots)

Reebok Workout

The first shoe to jump on the aerobics trend in the eighties, the Reebok Workout was the trainer that helped the Bolton-born brand overtake Nike (even if it was just for a little while). The Classic’s beefier older brother is wider and meaner, leaving dancercise classes well behind, and are now more likely found on the feet of (fairly anti-aerobic) rapper Rick Ross.

Onitsuka Tiger

The trainer favoured by The Bride in Kill Bill came to the West from Japan thanks to Nike’s Phil Knight, whose business started solely distributing Tiger sneakers to athletes on the West Coast. The shoe may never have found the ubiquity of Nike’s greatest shoes despite its vast colour selection but, having not changed much since their 1952 introduction, they still feel like a unique piece of throwback style.

Asics Gel-Lyte

Gel cushioning and shock-absorbing insoles helped make the Asics’ Gel-Lyte range an enduring favourite for fans of high performance, functionality, and an endless array of mix-and-match colours and textiles.

Vans Old Skool

The Old Skool debuted in 1977 as the catchy Style #36 and became the first skate shoe to incorporate leather into its design with the now-iconic ‘jazz stripe’, itself starting life as random doodle by founder Paul Van Doren. It’s rather less throwaway now, having successfully transitioned from skate staple to the off-duty shoe for everyone who’s ever worked in the creative industry.

Adidas Samba

Designed in 1950 with indoor football in mind, the Samba’s design has barely changed because it hasn’t needed to: leather upper, contrast accents, gum outsole, suede overlays. Along with the Stan Smith, the Samba is possibly the quintessential distillation of the Adidas design ethos – evoking hardwearing practicality and timeless style. (Related: This Year’s Biggest Men’s Trainer Trends)

Nike Air Max

When Tinker Hatfield designed the Air Max back in 1987, he was inspired by the Centre George Pompidou in Paris. “It’s almost punk,” Hatfield said of the building in the Netflix docu-series Abstract. The exposed heel-bubble (the invention of ex-aeronautical engineer M. Frank Rudy) that featured in the Air Max 1’s sole drove crazy on release – they thought it was going to explode.

Puma Clyde

It’s funny what a bit of gold-leaf lettering can do for you. Introduced in 1973 for legendary NBA player Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier, at the time they exemplified Frazier’s colourful style and quickness. Today the model is relatively low-profile (in both silhouette and attitude) in comparison to what fellow basketball shoes have become. The cursive ‘Clyde’ typography by the final eyelet will always excite fans of the original sports style icon, as will the shoe’s historic ties to the fledgling punk and hip-hop scenes. (Related: The 15 Best Trainers Of 2016)

Adidas Stan Smith

When it comes to creating sneakers that deliver on mass hype, you can always count on Adidas. Launched in 1963 as a tennis shoe, the Stan Smith was originally branded the ‘Robert Haillet’, after the French tennis player. When Haillet retired, the company replaced him with Smith. After two years off the shelf, Adidas brought back the all-white kick in 2014 and, in turn, created the ultimate fashion shoe. While you won’t find a single tour player in tennis who wears these now, the Stan Smith has been reinvented without being redesigned. The sign of a true icon. (Related: The 5 Most Versatile Leather Shoes A Man Can Own)

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