#he put primer on it all and sketched out the design

[hicup]

Witness.

[therealraeweber]

Hey Tumblr! It's been a hot minute, but I wanted to hop on today and share a project I just finished for my digital media class!

Keep reading to see my process of making this dagger!

Our assignment was super open ended, with the prompt just being "Make a project that involves Blender in some way", so I thought doing something mixed media would be a lot of fun. I'm on a mission this semester to start making art for classes that I WANT TO MAKE, and not just tailor to what I think will get me a good grade and what my profs would like. Honestly, could make a whole post about that mission as it is actually more challenging than I had anticipated, but I digress.

For my dagger, I started by making a quick sketch in Procreate to get an idea of what I wanted my model to look like. I got some inspo off of Pinterest, but tired to make the design my own, and something I could feasibly make.

Since I was making this project for a digital media class, and the assignment was supposed to revolve around using Blender, I made a base 3D model for the dagger, which I would then send off to get printed.

I originally tried to model the vines and leaves in Blender, but I had a really hard time with it, since I am still re-learning how to use Blender (haven't used it since high school). So I decided to make it a mixed media project, since the prof said this assignment was very open ended. Plus, doing mixed media would give me a chance to try out foam clay, which I've been wanting to experiment with for a while.

I then sent my 3D model off to my good friend David, who 3D printed it for me. He was even kind enough to send me a time lapse of it printing!

After printing, David also assembled the base for me, but I put glue in all the seams, followed by filler once that dried, and sanded the whole thing down. It definitely could have used more sanding since you can still see print lines in some places, but I was on a strict time crunch to get this assignment in on time.

Then I went in with my foam clay and started adding the leaves and vines on the handle, as well as the leaf details on the cross-guard. I had never used foam clay before (I know... what kind of cosplayer am I?), but I really enjoyed working with it. I had a bit of a hard time getting it to stick to the plastic, but I found that wetting it and then letting it get a bit tacky really helped with that.

The foam clay I bought was from Michaels, and was technically labeled "Modelling Foam", so I have no idea how it compares to the nice foam clay that most cosplayers use. I would have ordered that, but I decided to do the modelling by hand rather last minute, so I needed to buy what was available in store. Overall I enjoyed working with it, but I would still be interested to try the real stuff some time (assuming it's actually different from this).

After letting the foam clay dry overnight, I started painting it. I primed everything with a silver spray primer, then went over just the blade, pommel, and cross-guard with a more metallic silver spray paint. Thankfully, I had enough paint and primer left over from the two angel blades I made in the summer, so I didn't need to buy more paint for this project. I then painted the handle by hand, which was one of the most tedious paint processes I've ever done, but I'm quite happy with the results.

Last up was some clear coat, as I didn't want to risk any of the paint chipping off. I'm also hoping the clear coat will help seal the foam a bit, as I have no idea how foam clay holds up when used on props. I let the sealant dry overnight last night and this morning it was done! And today I took some pictures of it outside to submit to my prof for grading, and to use during our class critique tonight. Considering I was rushing these last steps after 3D printing, it is a miracle I got it done by the deadline. I'm quite happy with how it turned out!!!

Now I'm just hoping that crit goes well tonight! We'll see if my prof thinks this is too much mixed media for a digital media class...

Anyways, hope you enjoyed seeing my process! I know I haven't posted in ages... I have done and made so many cool things this past month, but I've been too stressed and busy to make posts about them. Hopefully I'll have more time to share stuff with you guys soon!

[sunnysviolin]

basil: nah, kel and sunny don't like me

kel and sunny: bro we are literally planting flowers that represent our love for you

aubrey in the corner: *silently dies inside over the fact that basil is a silly goose*

Ahhh flowers or consequences my beloved....yes let’s continue this. Also don’t come after me I know that the three plants I chose don’t actually get planted at the same time and they require different kind of light BUT THIS IS FANFIC OKAY SO

They make Basil’s raised flower beds fairly quickly, mostly because Sunny and Kel spend almost all of their time over at Basil’s. Kel designs them as a raised steppe and starts hauling lumber from the junkyard where he can and Fix It’s where he can’t. 

Basil and Sunny offer to help, but Kel says it’ll be faster if he does it on his own, so they watch wide eyed as Kel carries giant pieces of wood effortlessly into Basil’s backyard. Sometimes they make side eyes at one another as they watch Kel create the wood boxes, but they usually end up blushing and looking away. 

Once Kel is finished with creating the boxes, then it’s time for Sunny’s part. He goes to Angel’s sister and explains his ideas, and she is totally into it. She lets him borrow as much paint as he wants, and he comes back with a design and a plan. 

Sunny carefully lays down a primer coat and then begins to sketch out the designs he wants for the sides of the steppes. 

He uses soft mints and dark emeralds in large swirls and whirls. He puts in complimentary shades of blue and lays out creeping gold vines. There is no form or shape to it, but it still feels familiar. The abstractness of it is hiding something within.When they ask, Sunny calls it a Vast Forest

Basil thinks his part is next, that he will be the one to place the flowers, but Kel and Sunny ask if they can do it instead. They want to really make it up to Basil, and part of that is finishing up the job by adding the flowers. 

They come back with oodles of red in every shade. Kel made three steps and in the middle step they put red tulips, and on both sides they put magnificently large dahlias that are so dark red they’re almost black. Basil loves their striking colors and often runs his fingers down the thousands of petals. The bushes are red camellias, their evergreen leaves offsetting the red well and matching to the painting on the boards. 

Aubrey comes to see the final result and they all have lemonade and sandwiches by the flower beds. She says how pretty they are in a very suggestive tone, and compliments Kel on his work in a rare show of comraderie.

Then she asks Basil why he chose those flowers, and he tells her that Sunny and Kel chose them. She begins to laugh, a deep belly laugh with tears in her eyes, and Basil is confused. She looks at the two boys who have turned the same shade of red as the flowers they planted, and then she turns to Basil who still looks totally perplexed.

Basil asks why on earth she is laughing and she gives him a look and then explodes into giggles again. She leaves quickly after with a lot of eyebrow raises and winks towards all three (which only makes Kel and Sunny blush harder and Basil even more confused) and then it’s just them

Basil begins to feel wistful. The beds are gorgeous and the flowers are perfect, but the project is over. Before he can even settle into the gloomy feeling of being alone, Sunny coughs and Kel clears his throat. 

Kel says he noticed how the rock wall in the back is starting to crumble and some of the stones almost fell into the beds. He asks if Basil might want help fixing that up

Basil agrees before Kel can even finish his sentence. 

[thewebcomicsreview]

RE: The character design primer from October 11th. What's a good way to convey a character who's insecure/low sense of self-worth and putting on a facade of confidence? How would I get that across in a way different from a character who's merely egotistic or showy?

Well, I’m not an artist, and I’m certainly not a character designer. I have absolutely no relevant skillset to answer this question, but I am mediocre, white, and male, so I’m gonna answer this question with the confidence of Leo Da Vinci, hoo-rah! 

So, we got two character traits we want to establish: 1. Deeply insecure/scared/shy, 2. Trying to fake it ‘til they make it. There’s a lot of other stuff that needs to inform the character’s appearance, such as time period, genre, age, gender, and wealth. Let’s go with a male character in high school or early college, modern setting, well-off enough to make fashion choices but not like the 1% or anything. Bit of a stock webcomic character, but that’s okay. 

So, this character wants to look cool, and is actively working on it. So his clothing and accessories can be the “confident stuff”. What do cool dudes look like?

Sunglasses, apparently. But what kind of sunglasses? Is this secretly insecure coolkid wearing generic shades?

Or is he trying a little harder and springing for fancy reflective shades?

Of course, if you push it too hard he starts to look like a total douchebag

Which may be what you’re looking for, but it sounds like you want this guy to be sympathetic, so let’s pick some shades that aren’t quite so aggressively kewl. How about something like this

Cool blue reflective shades. Cool-looking, but they also hide his expression. Thanks to the magic of comic books, you can cheat on these by having the reflectiness be inconsistent: The more he’s trying to look cool, the more reflective his shades are, but if the facade comes down you can start to see his eyes in those moments of honesty. 

Kind of like how normal glasses in anime are opaque sometimes when it fits the moment, but without the need for dramatic lighting.

Cool. Okay, what else….

So, the stereotypical “shy” signifies is long hair that can cover the face, but we decided to make a dude and shoulder-length hair isn’t part of the cool dude aesthetic he’s going for. What’s something that cool dudes wear, but can also be used to cover the face like that.

How about the Scumbag Steve hoodie with the big furry collar? A little oversized, so that he can retreat into it. 

Hm, and then there aren’t a lot of options for trendy young men’s clothes to be worn from the waist down (it’s basically just jeans), so let’s stick a pin in this idea for now and take it to the whiteboard for a quick two-minute sketch.

I warned you I wasn’t an artist.

Hm, that’s maybe a little too coolkid. Some of that’s the line and posture, but the hands in the jeans jacket pockets both makes him look casual while giving him something to do with his hands. But what if we showed him in a vulnerable moment?

Okay this post is starting to fly off the rails let’s wrap it up

Obviously, these are silly examples, but we’re starting to see that the glasses can do double-duty relatively easily, so I think that idea might have promise. Less sold on the hoodie, but if I could draw, like, poses, we could have the hood be further down his face as needed, and obviously his body language matters a lot. I think I’m starting to run out of my reserves of entitled confidence and will soon have to admit I have no idea what the fuck I’m on about, but I hope that even as all my answers prove to be completely fucking worthless, you at least take away the value of asking the questions.

[thelonguepuree]

Dickinson’s “items” have been successively and carefully framed to give the impression that something, or someone, is missing. While the recovery of Dickinson’s manuscripts may be supposed to have depended on the death of the subject, on the person who had, by accident or design, composed the scene, the repeated belated “discovery” that her work is yet in need of sorting (and of reading) may also depend upon the absence of the objects that composed it. These objects themselves mark not only the absence of the person who touched them but the presence of what touched that person: of the stationer that made the paper, of the manufacturer and printer and corporation that issued guarantees and advertisements and of the money that changed hands, of the butcher who wrapped the parcel, of the manuals and primers and copybooks that composed individual literacy, of the expanding postal service, of the modern railroad, of modern journalism, of the nineteenth-century taste for continental literary imports. All of these things are the sorts of things left out of a book, since the stories to be told about them open out away from [a] narrative of individual creation or individual reception … This is to say that what is so often said of the grammatical and rhetorical structure of Dickinson’s poems—that, as critics have variously put it, the poetry is “sceneless,” is “a set of riddles” revolving around an “omitted center,” is a poetry of “revoked . . . referentiality”—can more aptly be said of the representation of the poems as such. Once gathered as the previously ungathered, reclaimed as the abandoned, given the recognition they so long awaited, the poems in bound volumes appear both redeemed and revoked from their scenes or referents, from the history that the book, as book, omits. … The argument of Dickinson’s Misery is that the century and a half that spans the circulation of Dickinson’s work as poetry chronicles rather exactly the emergence of the lyric genre as a modern mode of literary interpretation. To put briefly what I will unfold at length in the pages that follow: from the mid-nineteenth through the beginning of the twenty-first century, to be lyric is to be read as lyric—and to be read as a lyric is to be printed and framed as a lyric. While it is beyond the scope of this book to trace the lyricization of poetry that began in the eighteenth century, the exemplary story of the composition, recovery, and publication of Dickinson’s writing begins one chapter, at least, in what is so far a largely unwritten history. As we have already begun to see, Dickinson’s enduring role in that history depends on the ephemeral quality of the texts she left behind. By a modern lyric logic that will become familiar in the pages that follow, the (only) apparently contextless or sceneless, even evanescent nature of Dickinson’s writing attracted an increasingly professionalized attempt to secure and contextualize it as a certain kind (or genre) of literature—as what we might call, after Charles Taylor, a lyric social imaginary. Think of the modern imaginary construction of the lyric as what allows the term to move from adjectival to nominal status and back again. Whereas other poetic genres (epic, poems on affairs of state, georgic, pastoral, verse epistle, epitaph, elegy, satire) may remain embedded in specific historical occasions or narratives, and thus depend upon some description of those occasions and narratives for their interpretation (it is hard to understand “The Dunciad,” for example, if one does not know the characters involved or have access to lots of handy footnotes), the poetry that comes to be understood as lyric after the eighteenth century is thought to require as its context only the occasion of its reading. This is not to say that there were not ancient Greek and Roman, Anglo-Saxon, medieval, Provençal, Renaissance, metaphysical, Colonial, Republican, Augustan—even romantic and modern!—lyrics. It is simply to propose that the riddles, papyrae, epigrams, songs, sonnets, blasons, Lieder, elegies, dialogues, conceits, ballads, hymns and odes considered lyrical in the Western tradition before the early nineteenth century were lyric in a very different sense than was or will be the poetry that the mediating hands of editors, reviewers, critics, teachers, and poets have rendered as lyric in the last century and a half. As my syntax indicates, that shift in genre definition is primarily a shift in temporality; as variously mimetic poetic subgenres collapsed into the expressive romantic lyric of the nineteenth century, the various modes of poetic circulation—scrolls, manuscript books, song cycles, miscellanies, broadsides, hornbooks, libretti, quartos, chapbooks, recitation manuals, annuals, gift books, newspapers, anthologies—tended to disappear behind an idealized scene of reading progressively identified with an idealized moment of expression. While other modes—dramatic genres, the essay, the novel—may have been seen to be historically contingent, the lyric emerged as the one genre indisputably literary and independent of social contingency, perhaps not intended for public reading at all. By the early nineteenth century, poetry had never before been so dependent on the mediating hands of the editors and reviewers who managed the print public sphere, yet in this period an idea of the lyric as ideally unmediated by those hands or those readers began to emerge and is still very much with us. Susan Stewart has dubbed the late eighteenth century’s highly mediated manufacture of the illusion of unmediated genres a case of “distressed genres,” or “new antiques.” Her terms allude to modern print culture’s attempts “to author a context as well as an artifact,” and thus to imitate older forms—such as the epic, the fable, the proverb, the ballad—while creating the impression that our access to those forms is as immediate as it was in the imaginary modern versions of oral and collective culture to which those forms originally belonged. Stewart does not include the lyric as a “distressed genre,” but her suggestion that old genres were made in new ways could be extended to include the idea that the lyric is— or was—a genre in the first place. As Gérard Genette has argued, “the relatively recent theory of the ‘three major genres’ not only lays claim to ancientness, and thus to an appearance or presumption of being eternal and therefore self-evident,” but is itself the effect of “projecting onto the founding text of classical poetics a fundamental tenet of ‘modern’ poetics (which actually . . . means romantic poetics).” Yet even if the lyric (especially in its broadly defined difference from narrative and drama) is a larger version of the new antique, a retroprojection of modernity, a new concept artificially treated to appear old, the fact that it is a figment of modern poetics does not prevent it from becoming a creature of modern poetry. The interesting part of the story lies in the twists and turns of the plot through which the lyric imaginary takes historical form. But what plot is that? My argument here is that the lyric takes form through the development of reading practices in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that become the practice of literary criticism. As Mark Jeffreys eloquently describes the process I am calling lyricization, “lyric did not conquer poetry: poetry was reduced to lyric. Lyric became the dominant form of poetry only as poetry’s authority was reduced to the cramped margins of culture.” This is to say that the notion of lyric enlarged in direct proportion to the diminution of the varieties of poetry—or at least that became the ratio as the idea of the lyric was itself produced by a critical culture that imagined itself on the definitive margins of culture. Thus by the early twenty-first century it became possible for Mary Poovey to describe “the lyricization of literary criticism” as the dependence of all postromantic professional literary reading on “the genre of the romantic lyric.” The conceptual problem is that if the lyric is the creation of print and critical mediation, and if that creation then produces the very versions of interpretive mediation that in turn produce it, any attempt to trace the historical situation of the lyric will end in tautology. Or that might be the critical predicament if the retrospective definition and inflation of the lyric were either as historically linear or as hermeneutically circular as much recent criticism, whether historicist or formalist, would lead us to believe. What has been left out of most thinking about the process of lyricization is that it is an uneven series of negotiations of many different forms of circulation and address. To take one prominent example, the preface to Thomas Percy’s Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765) describes the “ancient foliums in the Editor’s possession,” claims to have subjected the excerpts from these manuscripts to the judgment of “several learned and ingenious friends” as well as to the approval of “the author of The Rambler and the late Mr. Shenstone,” and concludes that “the names of so many men of learning and character the Editor hopes will serve as amulet, to guard him from every unfavourable censure for having bestowed any attention on a parcel of Old Ballads.” Not only does Percy not claim that historical genres of verse are directly addressed to contemporary readers (and each of his “relics” is prefaced by a historical sketch and description of its manuscript context in order to emphasize the excerpt’s distance from the reader), but he also acknowledges the role of the critical climate to which the poems in his edition were addressed. Yet by 1833, John Stuart Mill, in what has become the most influentially misread essay in the history of Anglo-American poetics, could write that “the peculiarity of poetry appears to us to lie in the poet’s utter unconsciousness of a listener. Poetry is feeling confessing itself to itself, in moments of solitude.” As Anne Janowitz has written, “in Mill’s theory . . . the social setting is benignly severed from poetic intentions.” What happened between 1765 and 1833 was not that editors and printers and critics lost influence over how poetry was presented to the public; on the contrary, as Matthew Rowlinson has remarked, in the nineteenth century “lyric appears as a genre newly totalized in print.” And it is also not true that the social setting of the lyric is less important in the nineteenth than it was in the eighteenth century. On the contrary, because of the explosion of popular print, by the early nineteenth century in England, as Stuart Curran has put it, “the most eccentric feature of [the] entire culture [was] that it was simply mad for poetry”—and as Janowitz has trenchantly argued, such madness extended from the public poetry of the eighteenth century through an enormously popular range of individualist, socialist, and variously political and personal poems. In nineteenth-century U.S. culture, the circulation of many poetic genres in newspapers and the popular press and the crucial significance of political and public poetry to the culture as a whole is yet to be appreciated in later criticism (or, if it is, it is likely to be given as the reason that so little enduring poetry was produced in the United States in the nineteenth century, with the routine exception of Whitman and Dickinson, who are also routinely mischaracterized as unrecognized by their own century). At the risk of making a long story short, it is fair to say that the progressive idealization of what was a much livelier, more explicitly mediated, historically contingent and public context for many varieties of poetry had culminated by the middle of the twentieth century (around the time Dickinson began to be published in “complete” editions) in an idea of the lyric as temporally self-present or unmediated. This is the idea aptly expressed in the first edition of Brooks and Warren’s Understanding Poetry in 1938: “classifications such as ‘lyrics of meditation,’ and ‘religious lyrics,’ and ‘poems of patriotism,’ or ‘the sonnet,’ ‘the Ode,’ ‘the song,’ etc.” are, according to the editors, “arbitrary and irrational classifications” that should give way to a present-tense presentation of “poetry as a thing in itself worthy of study.” Not accidentally, as we shall see, the shift in definition accompanied the migration of lyric from the popular press to the classroom—but for now we should note that by the time that Emily Dickinson’s poetry became available in scholarly editions and university anthologies, the history of various genres of poetry was read as simply lyric, and lyrics were read as poems one could understand without reference to that history or those genres.

Virginia Jackson, Dickinson’s Misery: A Theory of Lyric Reading (2005)

[this-lioness]

Just a little nonsense update, but mostly about cats.

I can’t remember now if I mentioned, but we did a final measure of all the cabinet doors, drawer-fronts and drawer boxes and placed the order.  It’s in production now, so as soon as we know when it’s all going to arrive we can sort out what we need in terms of primer, sanding, etc.

On Sunday we (mostly Marc, but I helped a little!) disassembled the treadmill, moved it from the studio into the cat room, and then reassembled it.  We would probably like to never have to do that again, because it was a huge pain in the ass.

The balance of Sunday and most of Monday I puttered around the studio, organized a bit and put some more stuff up on the Marketplace.  Marc tore through all his comic trades in the attic and made huge piles of ones to keep and ones to sell.  I feel like he’s really getting motivated to condense his collections overall; it’s easy to get into a groove of feeling like, “I have all this stuff,” but then it just sort of sits there.  Funko keeps coming out with all these wonderful Pop figurines, but then I’m like, “...and?”  I’m going to spend $12 on it, put it on a shelf and look at it once or twice a year while it collects dust.

I’m working remotely today, so aside from the real work that needs to be done I’m hoping to get some digital sketching done as well.  I finished the digital linework for the “Born Lucky” print so now I can start on colors; I want to knock out 4-5 sample cartoon animals in the hopes I can start selling custom sketches of people’s pets; I have to design a t-shirt decal for a concert that we’re going to in a couple weeks; I wouldn’t mind doing some sketches for a character idea I had.

I also need to clean, which is the next thing I’m going to do. Rosie has her appointment at 3:10 today, but I’m contemplating cancelling it... I’ll probably decide by noon.  For the past two days she hasn’t felt unusually warm, and she already has an appointment next Wednesday, but we’ll see.  It would be an understatement to say she’s acting normally, which I’m hoping is the best indicator of her health.  She is, as I’m typing this, rocketing from toy to toy to toy like a cooing little black and white wrecking ball. Also, if you reach your hands down towards her and she wants to be picked up -- which is usually -- she will rear up and gently batbat at your fingers, and it fucking destroys me I am literally a walking pile of tiny little pieces. But we’ll see.  I hate to stress her out with another vet visit so soon, especially as I think they’ll still want to see her next Wednesday, but I also feel like I am in Overprotective Cat Mom mode with her, and I will cold-blooded murder anything or anyone that endangers her, so. Even if Bones and Spencer won’t accept her (Spencer is a pushover, let’s be honest, Bones is going to be the hard sell), I think she’ll be fine to cohabitate with Maggie.  Maggie is and always has been such an odd bird.  She was such a happy little kitten, and then she kind of decided she didn’t want fuckall to do with anyone but her brother... and then he died, and I think that kind of changed her whole world view.

It’s always so hard to explain Maggie to people, because we have created this “character” for her like she’s a simmering ball of hate, but really she is super gentle and sweet?  Never aggressive, never mean.  When she wants attention she will be ALL up in your business.  But when she doesn’t? She’s good.  She’ll just be chilling in some remote part of the house.

We always say, “Maggie is her own cat.” I think it’s just that, in contrast to the boys (who need to be WITH YOU, IN YOUR FACE 24/7) that she seems more aloof and removed.  But she’s just an introvert, and we love her for that. You can also tell she’s getting older.  She turned 13 this year.  If Rosie keeps to herself I think Maggie frankly won’t give a shit about her... Maggie just doesn’t want to be fussed with anyone.

Fidget keeps visiting at the patio door, and you can tell he’s genuinely curious about Rosie.  Initially Rosie growled at him whenever she saw him, but since they’ve spent so much time together on opposite sides of the door she’s completely chilled out, and will happily either ignore him and play nearby.  Fidget watches her with utmost fascination.

I think Fidget gets lonely, sometimes.  We haven’t seen he and Walter pal around together in quite awhile, and since we have Rosie in the kitchen we can’t exactly let Fidget inside.  Licorice (the big black feral that terrorizes our neighborhood) still tries to throw down with him every now and then, and last night we interrupted a near-fight wherein Fidget was about to take on that scarce orange cat we call “Ghost”.

By winter Rosie should be integrated into the pride, and we won’t need to keep her cooped up in the kitchen anymore, which means Fidget can come inside again, and we’ll be able to put him in the mud room during storms.

Alright, time to get some actual work done.  I hope you all have a nice day.

[mokkri-valandiel]

Tinkers at Heart

Mokkri blinks again and frowns, disappointed that she hadn't actually been original. "So how did they make it so the aether didn't just dissipate or explode?"

"I'm not /sure/," Eru said, looking down at the blueprint and scratching at his chin with one hand. "No one I asked really had a deep technical knowledge of the thing. And no one /had/ one I could look at it. But..." He placed a finger on the Garlean gunblade drawing. A firearm, in principle, works rather simply. A hammer strikes the primer of a catridge when the trigger is pulled, which ignites the powder charge inside. That explodes and propels the bullet from the casing, and out the barrel. So fundamentally, the principle of an aether-charged gunblade should be the same. Except it doesn't fire a /projectile/."

G'mokkri Dajha nods, "So we need a way to move the aether without dispersing it into the ambient area, and to make sure that it actually shoots, right? I think a casing is still the answer. Just one that does something. On impact maybe? More than just explode. Or like maybe it -does- explode," she says, flapping her hands excitedly. "But the explosion is beneficial to your blade portion. A gun that fires magic is a -thing-, right? They have that in Ishgard. But we have to remember we aren't just making a sharp gun, we are making a -gunblade-."

Eru nodded. "Just so. So the question is - what could we do with the aether to benefit the blade? Using aether cartridges to increase cutting power right upon impact for example, or using the explosive power of detonating aether to propel yourself by means of the gunblade..." Eru looked at the blueprints. "So, maybe...the uses should be myriad? We would have to make cartridges designed for different purposes...and still build a barrel into the gunblade...but also channels for aether to run..." He frowned in thought.

Mokkri shrugs, "It would need enchanted channels for the aether to bleed off or to focus it and make sure it goes where it ought to, anyways. I was looking at goldsmithing. Maybe if we looked into what kind of metal conducts different aether best, we can make matching cartridges and channels so that when you put in a cartridge A, thing A happens. And so on." She taps her chin. "Depending on what you want it to do, it would be more like a mass of wires encased in a form to keep them solid more than a -gun- gun. But as long as it didn't overheat or shatter, that's okay? Who cares what the wrong side of a sweater looks like so long as the colorwork is on point, right?" She grins, despite the knitting nonsense spouting from her mouth. "We should take a trip to Ishgard when you feel better so we can see how they put the magic in -their- guns."

"To make the most effective aether channel, you carve a channel into the metal you are shaping, pour aethersand into it, and seal it with aether-conductive liquid, the richer the better," Eru lectured. "Hmmm...wires. I don't think wires would survive the blasting process. It would be better if the channeling medium was a /part/ of the gun body itself." He looked sternly at Mokkri. "True artisanship shows itself when you examine the inside /and/ outside of a work," he said reprovingly. Look at the wrong side of a sweater, as you say, made by the most skilled weavers, and still you will find no flaws, only skill." He shook his head. "Machinists from Ishgard utilize different methods. They would be of no use to us. Never mind that we have to consider the cartridges."

Mokkri takes a breath and rebutts, "I'm not saying to leave wires hanging on the inside of the gun portion or under it. Rather, I think that the wires that lead the gun to perform the function you want it to should be woven into a gunblade shape and the metal of the weapon itself should be cast around it, once the channels are set. Like when healing, you build from the inside out. Bones and organs and nerves and muscles and tendons all before the dermis." She lets out her deep breath after defending her take on the building. By her design, it would be more like a circuit board than a gun, but in her mind at least, it had the potential to work. She folds her arms across her chest, "Why, what is your solution to the gunblade having multiple functions?"

Eru smiled wryly. "A better description," he approved, head tilting. "I think the solution lies in the cartridges or have the gunblade serve as an amplifier," Eru said. "It could act much like a focus, could it not? At the moment you pull the trigger, you inject aether into the cartridge. Your will shapes the result, the supply of detonating aether in the cartridge serves to amplify your initial aether injection. That's one way."

"Hm...but what about for people who can't use the aether around them naturally?" Mokkri asked for a friend. "Morgan has trouble even attuning to aetherytes, how with this weapon help people like him if it's a focusing of your will and your injection of aether? Shouldn't it be a self contained weapon so more people can defend themselves with it?"

Eru tilted his head. "Hm. You could say the same of any weapon that requires a user to have robust aether," Eru said. "But, theoretically, you could make a gunblade that depends entirely upon aether-infused cartridges." He shrugged. "But that type of weapon is limiting. You'd have to depend on the strength and aetherpool of whomever was doing the infusing. And I don't need that sort of weak weapon."

"I wouldn't make a weak weapon!" Mokkri protests, reaching to scribble her notes on some blank paper. She was still dead set on this wired gun idea and it showed as she began sketching her own model on an extra page Eru had brought. "I'm gonna show you. I've got an offer to teach me enchanted goldsmithing maybe. I'll make this while you are still on bedrest and show you it works -well-."

[her-world-on-fire]

Safety {Tim Drake x Reader}

MASTERLIST REQUEST HERE

Prompts: 01. Or else what? 

Word Count: 2841

“Get to bed, now.” Bruce had just come in from a long night. He stepped into the mansion and did a sweep of it. He approached Tim’s room his door was close but a sliver of light shone through, Tim was working himself to death, again. He opened the door and watched Tim as he sat hunched over his desk, vigorously sketching, his room was dark. Only the work light illuminated his desk, he seemed to want to forget about everything besides his work. His room reeked of coffee, a thermos of Iced black coffee was beside him. He seemed to have not heard Bruce, no signs of comprehension made Bruce repeat himself. This time Tim stopped for a moment, “ Or else what?” He teased, he didn’t really want to back talk, Bruce. He was just stalling, he wanted a few more minutes, he needed to pitch his designs to Lucius soon. He insisted his tech needed to be upgraded, Bruce chuckled. Tim was unaware of the cards he could play. He decided to be cheeky. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood in the doorway amused, Tim still didn’t dare to face him. “Maybe I’ll give a call to your special friend's parents? I’m sure they don’t know about-”

In an instant, Tim slammed his book shut, and turned to Bruce. He nodded quickly, “Okay okay I get it.” After all, it was a school night. He didn’t want Tim to miss again. Sometimes, he forgot to sleep somehow and would sleep through his alarms. By the time he woke up, school was almost out. Then he had to play catch up. Add on patrol, Tim was drowning in responsibility. He refused to accept that he couldn’t do it all himself. He shut off his work lamp and stumbled to his bed. Satisfied, Bruce shut his door. Almost instantaneously Tim felt like, he needed to go to school. It didn‘t feel like hours, it felt like seconds, He regretted staying up so late. He pulled himself together and grabbed his thermos. He shook it and was glad he still heard ice. He took a sip while he grabbed his backpack. 

He didn’t flinch at the bitterness, not anymore. There was a time when Tim Drake wouldn’t be caught dead drinking black coffee. That was before junior year. SAT, ASVAB, CAASP they wrecked him, and he never looked back. Now a senior, he was immune. College applications had taken him by surprise, now it was getting later. He pushed them away 1st semester, now he needed to finish them up. He went to the library, he had a lot of free time since he has exceeded his credits. The librarian greeted him as he walked in, he gave her a tired smile. The Hispanic woman shook her head at him, “Please get more sleep mijo.” He chuckled and nodded. He looked up and met eyes with her assistant. 

I met eyes with Tim and turned away. He stood me up again, he was supposed to tutor me and kept me waiting at a coffee shop for an hour. I pushed my cart, and he jogged up to me. “I’m sorry about last night. Family emergency.” He said and I bit my lip, how could I be mad at that? Still, he could’ve told me. I nodded, not looking at him. I knew I would give in again. This wasn’t the first reschedule. He seemed to have an excuse every time. “If you don’t want to hang out just tell me, please. I waited an hour yesterday like an idiot-”

“Please. I’m sorry, I didn’t have a choice. How can I make it up to you?” I looked at him in search of sincerity. Instead, I saw a bruise across his face. My eyes widened in concern and he quickly looked away. I followed him and faced him, looking at him once again. “Jesus, Tim. Bruised again? What do you do punch yourself in your sleep?” I commented, he rolled his eyes. I reached for his face and held it up to the light studying it closely. I took my hand back and sighed, “Take care of yourself.” 

He took a few books from the cart and looked at the spine. He began putting it back in place, he reached for another, “I am. It’s nothing to worry about. Really.” I wasn’t convinced but I didn’t argue. “Are you still mad?” He asked and I sighed, he had come all this way. If he wasn’t sorry he wouldn’t apologize. He wouldn’t reschedule in the first place, it must’ve been a coincidence. I shook my head, “That was more important.”

Then I turned to him swiftly, he seemed unfazed and gave me a look. I brought my hand over my mouth, he waited for me to speak. “What’s going on?” I rubbed the back of my neck, “Senior pictures,” His eyes went wide, he did not need his senior photos to show evidence of his nightly activities. He had the appointment scheduled for the next day. How could he have forgotten? “It’s fine I can fix it. Afterschool we can pick up some concealer. You’ll be good as new.” 

Afterschool Tim found me. I took him to the mall, and we found him the right shade. I drove us to his house, Alfred greeted us as we walked in. We went to his room, he shut the door as I got on his bed. “Can you open your curtains for light?” I asked and began taking primer and concealer. He opened them and joined me. “Sit facing me,” I told him, and he obeyed, however, height difference proved a problem. He wasn't close enough. “This is unfortunate,” I said and he gave me a look. “What’s wrong?” He asked concerned, I scratched my eyebrow, “Could I- Do you mind if?” I stuttered and he smiled, “Just spit it out.” He laughed.

“Can I sit on your lap?” 

He was surprised, a blush crept on his cheeks. “It’ll just be for a moment to-” He shook his head and held out his hands. “It’s fine.” I looked at him for a moment and scooted closer. He put his arms around my waist and guided me onto his lap. Once we were situated I began, “So, how did you get this?” His response came almost rapidly. “Jason. He got a little carried away teaching me to box.” His breathing was even, so he was either an expert liar or he was telling the truth. I looked him in the eyes and he held his ground. I coked my head to the side, “So if it was anything else you’d tell me right?” I tried to guilt him, he chuckled before he could reply his door swung open. He let out a deep breath like he was relieved. I didn’t get to think about it further because Jason began talking.

“I’m not even going to ask.” It was Tim’s older brother Jason. Out of context, we were in an intimate position. The makeup was on the other side of me out of his line of sight. Tim only had primer on, so it didn’t seem like I was doing his makeup. I went to move off his lap but he put his hand on the small of my back, “What do you want Jason?” Jason smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against Tim’s door frame. “Well actually, I was going to ask for my hoodie back.” Tim rolled his eyes and then removed his hand, and began bringing it to the hem of the sweater. My heart rate increased, I soon realized he was wearing nothing under. It took everything in me not to gape at him. He tossed it to Jason and caught it and shot a wink my way making my face feel hot. Jason shut the door and I looked down. 

Once again I brought my hand to my mouth. All across his chest, there were scars. I reached out they were deep and scattered. I looked at Tim perplexed and his face gave way. That’s why he took it off. He wanted me to see his scars. “If it was anything else, I would tell you if I could.” From what I gathered, he wanted to tell me but couldn’t. I began recalling the incidents of his bruised face, and then I thought of Jason. His older brother Dick. I remembered bringing up the vigilantes I had seen in the news and Tim brushing it off. “I did get this bruise from Jason. He’s not very forgiving. I am, I think everyone can change.” He always carried a backpack, or case which I always chalked up to his laptop. I climbed off of him and went to his backpack, it was sitting under his desk. I pulled it out and unzipped it. Inside was a black and red armored tunic along with a utility belt. 

“You’re Robin.” I put his bag back down and walked to him again, “Jason is Red Hood. He got carried away and you tried to stop him.” He bowed his head, “I couldn’t tell you. Bruce swears us to secrecy. But I also knew I couldn’t keep lying to you. I don’t want to lose you.” I set his bag down and sat on his bed. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. His childhood had been taken away and he was shoved into secrecy. He had to protect everyone else that's why he dosen’t know how to take care of himself. “What if Bruce finds out?”

“I am willing to deal with those consequences. You’re more important than all of this.” 

“Thank you.” Tim cocked his head to the side and waited for me to elaborate. My heart broke, it was like he had never been appreciated. His mother died, and then his father was paralyzed, not to mention the resentment he felt. Bruce and Tim had become so close it was hard for him. I had heard little bits of what it was like living with Bruce. Tim was left to fend for himself. Bruce was gone by day at Wayne Enterprises, and he was left to do whatever he wanted. If he wasn’t reminded of the time of day he would forget to eat and just work. 

As soon as he got from school he would usually work on a project or school work until nightfall. Once he got back he would tend to any wounds and clean up then get back to work. Jason had given him a mini fridge which made Dick furious. It was filled with energy drinks and he didn’t even have to leave his room. “You go out there every night to keep everyone safe.” 

He made it seem like it didn’t matter that he was risking his life every night. He couldn’t imagine not patrolling every night. There was a knock on the door and Tim knew it was Alfred “Come in Alfred.”Dick had the decency to knock. Although Dick would knock then enter. Alfred waited until he was given permission. “Master Tim, Bruce would like to see you downstairs. I can see your friend out.” Tim stood up and I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. “Actually, can you tell Bruce I’ll be down in a second? I think it’s only fair I walk Y/N out.” The corner of Alfred’s lips turned up, “Very well Mr. Drake.” 

Tim kept to his word and walked me out I got in my car and heard a motorcycle. Jason, sure enough, he pulled up next to me. I turned on the car and rolled down the window. He pulled his helmet off, and his piercing blue eyes looked into mine. “Leaving so soon?” He teased, “Did we scare you off?” I shook my head, “Bruce wanted to talk to Tim.” He hummed and put his helmet in his lap amused. “I presume I’ll be seeing you around a lot more.” He winked and I looked away, “It was nice meeting you, Jason.” He nodded, and put his helmet and sped off.  

He disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Just as I was about to pull out of the manor my sister called. “Hey what’s up?” I asked as I began to back out. There was loud music and I sighed. I already knew where this was going. “How hammered are you?” I heard giggling on the line, “What? I’m fine I just need a nap and some coffee.” 

“Do not move, I’ll be there in a few.” I hated when she pulled this on me. She was an adult for god sakes. Still, I was always there for her because I knew she would do the same. On a normal day, it would be a 30-minute drive I was going to cut it down to 10. She always made me nervous, she was so venerable. She was just like how I imagined her. She was sitting on the curb still clutching a drink. I turned off the car and rushed out. A man was talking to her, I glared at him and he seemed to get the message. I tossed her drink and helped her to the car. I put her in the back seat and she began mumbling. “I left my purse!” She exclaimed and moved to get up. I pushed her down, “I’ll get it, stay here.” I locked the car and went into the bar. It was almost empty considering it was a Wednesday night. 

I searched and couldn't find it. She’ll be too drunk to care to check. I walked back to the car and bumped into someone. I mumbled a quick apology and pushed past him. Before getting in the car I looked in the back seat again to make sure my sister didn’t wander off. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found her still passes out in the backseat. I looked in the window and saw the same man from earlier. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled. I ducked down as he reached for me, I tried to get to the driver door but he wrapped his arms around my waist. I struggled and dug my elbows into his ribs and stomped on his feet. He let me go and I sprinted, He banged on the car doors and I quickly locked them. I drove off as fast as I could. I couldn’t help but look in the mirror. I saw nothing and tried to calm my breathing down. Did he really want my sister that badly?  

I almost ran a red light, honking snapped me back into my thoughts. I looked back and my sister was still out. The rest of the way home was calm. The struggle began when I had to get her in her room. I threw myself onto my bed, and sighed. I sat up and went to get in the shower. I lifted up my shirt and saw a few bruises around my arms. I didn’t want to think about it anymore so I just finished my shower and got dressed. I heard a knock on my window. t began opening, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh my god it’s you.” Tim cocked his head to the side, “Are you okay?” I nodded and closed my eyes, “I’m fine.” He came closer shaking his head. “No you’re not.”

He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a hug. I looked at at him, he pulled back and took his hands in mine. He looked down and pulled my arm closer, “What happened here?” His eyes showed genuine concern, and I told him the story. “God I’m sorry. I should’ve-” He bowed his head and I grabbed his chin and made him look into my eyes. “Tim, I’m fine. I promise.” He stood up abprutly, “Where was this?” I grabbed his arm and stood in front of him. “Please, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want to be alone right now.” He sighed, and pulled me back into a hug. He kissed the top of my head, and stroked my hair. “I’ll tell Demon spawn to cover for me.” He sat on my bed and pulled out his phone and typed a quick text. He gestured for me to come and I stood in front of him. He chuckled and grabbed my waist and pulled me into his lap. “This feels famillar.” He leaned in and kissed me. “I’ll always be here for you.” 

I smiled, “Thank you, Tim.” He pulled me into bed, and we got comfotable. I cured up and put my head on his chest. He put his arm around me and stroked my hair. The last thing I remember was his soft humming.

[condensed-theorem-shop]

Correspondence

My 13-year-old sister has a ... unique ... writing style.

It’s hard to describe. Really, really hard. She speaks in it, too, when she’s just around our family -- and then switches back into fluent English when she’s around friends, or writing for a school assignment.

I honestly can’t put words to how surreal it is to have a sibling who codeswitches between English and her own private language. It’s even weirder to be able to do the same thing oneself.

For your bewilderment, I now transcribe in full, verbatim, her latest letter to me. I have not put in any [sic]s because I would need to do it at the end of every single sentence. (I have not actually explicitly asked her permission for this but she would not mind, there’s nothing personal in it.)

August 27, 2017

Dear [Mori],

I hope you enjoy my Elegant Monographed Stationary. It is still raining, it rains and rains and where is Daddy? He runs in the rain Around and Around [local landmark] [drawing] like so. We do not know Why and Wherefore he runs in the rain after all is he a fish? No, he is Not. It is Awfully Elegant isn’t it. Just like me.

We went to see [local body of water] if it was flooding and was it? How would I know you say, I was not there. I will tell you, it was not, lots of water but not SO much.

Now this will be the letter of Painting my Room, like a story. The first part will count for a Preface, it is Setting the Scene we say. First we went to Lowes and got lots of things, we were very efficient, like soldiers, I wanted to say Present Arms About Face Forward March and sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing for a marching song but Daddy said No No No, I do not know why, awfully cruel and repressive. He only said No No No, I said the rest. Then I spackled everything CUCUMBER* that is what it is called, spackle. It means fill up the nail holes with white, like printing you know. [drawing] if you see what I mean. Next I took off the outlet for the Long Wall that one is the one I am starting with Awfully Sorry [drawing] that is me being sorry. Also I took off the light switch but Mommy said no no 1 wall at a time so I must now put it back. Then is the most exciting part of all. We moved the fish tank table, me and Daddy I mean Daddy and I we picked it up, and OFF came the leg. [drawing] You see I am still in Contrite Black. Then I put plastic all along part of the wall and taped it to the wall 1 more picture so you see Very well: [drawing] And Mommy says we can paint the primer the first no rain day, because the windows must be open so I do not perish of the poison. Speaking of poison I ate a peach and the kernel was split open and there was the poisonous part, [Littlest Sister] and I are going to make poison out of it to dip our arrows in.

Also you must tell me All about the teachings and what sorts of things you teach them and teach them to me too. Do you use a “Chalkboard” so to speak? And send their jigs.** You can do it by Skype if that is easier. Mommy is going to get me a silent clock for less tickings when I sleep. Also less tickings in the day. And I am going to write a precis of the homily next week well next time Father [LastName] does it because it is hard to tell what Father [OtherLastName] says and is that fair? It is not. I miss you Elot you must Much tell me all about everything and also you must send me hugs. [Cat] loves you too, send her pettings.

Love,

[Middle Sister]

P. S. I am sending you Tesselating Kitty to be a pet for you.***

* “Cucumber” is the family safeword. (Well, not actually “Cucumber,” but something equally random and silly.)

This developed as a practice when the teenager was a toddler: she liked to play games where people would chase her and tickle her and she would scramble away giggling going “no no no!!”, and would get frustrated if you stopped whenever she said “no,” but would also end up bursting into tears at some point because that time she really meant “no.” So we coined “cucumber” to mean “actually really stop.”

This promptly spread in usage to mean “actually really I promise” in other contexts, used as an adjective or adverb, with an absolute taboo on lying in response. (For instance: “Are you cucumber not upset with me, though?” “Will my nose cucumber get longer if I tell lies?” “Cucumber I do not mind where we go for dinner, so you should pick.”)

The usage here, therefore, means “it really is called ‘spackle,’ I’m not just making up that word (for once).”

** The teenager likes summing up people’s personalities by means of a sort of interpretive dance. (Actually, she’ll describe absolutely anything like that, but people’s personalities especially.) She calls this dance “their jig,” and it’s apparently a sort of Platonic essence of the person. She’ll meet someone and later describe them to me as “her jig was very menacing!”

So when she says “send me their jigs,” she wants me to do interpretive dances to describe my students to her. (She is aware that I will not do this.) Hence the offer of Skype. The fact that Skype is only an option isn’t just her being silly, either -- she’s invented a writing system for jigs, and would also accept my transcribing them in that and sending them in my next letter.

*** She’s been designing a name-sign for my desk, featuring a tessellating pattern of cats. She enclosed the stiff card template she made for tracing the cats from, with catlike features sketched onto it.

[mika-pirkaf]

Miley Cyrus And Concrete Patios With Fire Pits: 10 Surprising Things They Have In Common

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"Very patient enterprise with my design and needs. Also once they say they are going to accomplish a thing they do it to that caliber. If for virtually any purpose it’s not to their significant standard they don’t enable it to be your problem.

To whom it may well issue, I just lately had the chance to perform with Emil from Pure Home Transforming. We fulfilled with multiple Job Supervisors to secure a estimate over a patio demo. None of these experienced the oversight and information Emil introduced on the table. On Emil’s initially check out to our household I could inform there was a little something Particular about him. He promptly expressed his authentic fascination to the effectively-getting of our family and home in place of just seeking to make a sale and obtain The work. Emil was able to see matters other couldn't about all aspects and scope of the perform we needed accomplished. There were a lot of oversights by other contractors who experienced appear out to our dwelling in advance of him. By Emil catching these things right before we obtained the operate we wanted performed on our dwelling this saved us lots of head aches and 1000s of dollars. He was able to find out and detect a slew of other problems associated with preventative maintenance and future issues prior to commencing any function we needed done likewise.

A corrugated plastic roof provides rain safety and permits normal daylight to filter as a result of. The house is constructed around a grain silo, providing it a "present day industrial" sensibility.

[lemon-drop-soda]

Hey there! I was wondering if you have any tips on drawing double chins? I'm having trouble drawing them and my boy just looks incomplete. I really enjoy your art so I was hoping you'd have some advice. Thank you!

I do actually! Which means it’s time for another tutorial with Lemon!

Now, if you haven’t read either of my previous tutorials about how I draw fat in general, I suggest you head on over here and here for a primer. The artwork for the first one is outdated by a long shot, but I still use those same principles and references to this day.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get started on the chins!

It’s important to know that the thought process I use can be broken down into separate steps.  As I’m designing a character’s face, I tend to think of the shape of their skull before I settle on how the fat’s gonna... well, settle.

For instance, Morpheus has one of the best examples of a double chin among my characters (others include Yasuhiro, Taranis, Viggo, Bren, and the newly added Adonis). His face was designed with the extra fat around his face and neck in mind. But here’s what the under structure I have in mind when sketching Morpheus and figuring out where an accurate place to put his fat might be:

Now, when starting out with designing fat characters, it can be difficult to wrap your head around how and where to place fat on the face, since it is true that there are places on the face that don’t tend to accumulate fat. As with most tutorials I do, I recommend using references as often as possible!

If you yourself have a double chin, first of all ADORABLE! Second of all, you have the best point of reference possible! I tend to reference myself when it comes to hands and general poses/expressions, but I have to use other people’s photos and faces to get an understanding of how a double chin works.

It’s worth pointing out now that there’s no wrong way to approach drawing a double chin, this is more or less a place I start when figuring out a character in the first place. I feel that it could be helpful practice for those just starting out with drawing fat characters in general. 

This is a basic profile for a thin person that I just scribbled out. Let’s call him Ron. He’s gonna gain some weight in a second.

The places where Ron gained the most weight in his face would be the cheeks and his whole neck. Note how he lost the definition in his jaw with the addition of fat underneath it. The curvature of his neck has swelled outward and deposited underneath his first chin, causing a crease that results in the much sought after second chin. How about that!

Now we see Ron in one of the most commonly utilized profile poses, the 3/4 view. A fat face results in the face flowing into the neck itself from this angle. This is yet again something that contributes to the general softening of features like jaw and neck lines. 

And you definitely don’t need to stop here! (as if my entire blog weren’t proof of that already)

And that’s all I have for ya :U I realize that I tend to exaggerate certain features, such as cheek and neck size, and I by no means view my words and work as the One True Way in drawing double chins. If you find another way to do it and find out it works, do that too!

Happy drawing~

[awkwardspiritanimals]

be ready and be brave (keyleth and the mountain goats)

i’m doing a set of meta pieces where i take a critical role character and pick five mountain goats songs that i think they would like and that i associate with them, and then writing meta posts of varying middle lengths about them in my college!au. you can read the longer explanation on the project here, and here’s the mountain goats wikipedia page if you’re unfamiliar. this is also a decent quick primer on them. i’ll link my favorite version of each song i use so you can listen along.

without further ado, this is the first part, which belongs to keyleth.

i. be ready and be brave

keyleth listens to the mountain goats for a long time before she really gets the mountain goats.

of their group, percy in particular listens to them a bunch, and they spend a lot of time together, just the two of them, so that’s where she hears them the most. the animal shelter she volunteers at is over near victor’s, so she catches a ride with him pretty often, when he’s got afternoon or evening shifts, and they usually take his truck (he likes driving more than she does and is more likely to need his vehicle while working than she is and also quite frankly he just doesn’t fit into her car very well).

(when she’d bought the little green vw bug years ago, there was no way she could have possibly predicted that she would someday go off to college and befriend a bunch of giants. grog and the de rolos like to swap exaggerated horror stories about trying to fit themselves inside the tiny car without dislocating anything. pike and scanlan laugh at them about it a lot.)

percy defaults to the mountain goats most of the time when they’re driving, and keyleth doesn’t mind them, so she doesn’t complain. she thinks they’re fine pretty much from the beginning, especially once she’s gotten used to jd’s voice, to the songs that percy plays most often, but none of them ever particularly reach out to her, not until magpie.

it’s spring, some day in that last little lull of the semester before finals kick into full gear, warm enough that they’ve got the windows rolled down, and the song catches her right from the beginning as percy pulls up to a stop sign. there are a lot of different kinds of mountain goats songs, but this one is gentle, reaches out and touches some bit of her that still feels lost and vulnerable in emon, away from home and her father and the familiarity of the greenhouse, tugs and pulls at it, opens up some hidden, scared part of her in a way that makes her breath catch for just a moment before it shakes its way out of her chest.

(try hard to do your best. be ready and be brave.)

percy doesn’t say anything when she skips back to listen to it again.

ii. i will get lonely/and gasp for air

the second time this happens they’re in the library.

it’s that stage of finals where she’s legitimately wondering if giving up and going off to just live in a forest a long ways away is the better option, and percy’s sharing his headphones with her because she forgot hers, which is something she does a lot. the stuff he listens to while they’re working is more varied than when they’re driving, because percy doesn’t have to worry about distracting himself from the road and can skip around and choose new stuff whenever he wants, so get lonely catches her even more off-guard than magpie had.

it’s the same thing though, the gentle sound of jd’s voice on i will get lonely/and gasp for air reaching in and tugging at something in her chest, something hidden there from everyone else and from herself. the song sounds lonely, sounds how lonely feels, and keyleth is very familiar with it all. not so much these days, but there are still moments of it, cold, sharp pinpricks of it when everyone gets busy and they don’t see each other for a few days, little stinging bits of hurt reaching back to a time when she was so often lonely that she can only really understand the entirety of it now, removed from it a bit by time and place. the song pulls at the edges of this place inside her, both old and new, her breath catching to the rhythm of the string part at the chorus.

and then percy leans into her just a bit, his shoulder pressed warmly against hers and one eyebrow raised in question. the song ends, and percy’s still there, not saying anything but there. she nods, and he leans into her a little more for just a second before going back to his own notes, connected to her by his earbuds.

iii. the sun’ll come out tomorrow

when she finds this song, she is not expecting it to be one she already knows, because of course everyone knows tomorrow, and at this stage in her knowledge of the mountain goats it is not a song she would have ever imagined they might cover.

everyone knows tomorrow, but not this tomorrow, not this soft and gentle thing that john darnielle makes it. the original is bright and hopeful and just on the edge of triumphant, and this is those things too but something different also, all those things pulled down, tight and close, a tiny little ember of something, smaller and softer but still bright, still burning.

(keyleth can’t get over the volume of the piano in comparison to jd’s vocals.)

if magpie and get lonely had pulled things apart in her, tugged at hidden bits of her in a startling and sort of frightening way but also a good way, a way that had exposed them to light and air, had allowed her to learn the shape of them within her and the space they occupy there, then tomorrow puts something back together, smooths out rough edges and unjumbles things she hadn’t even noticed.

she wants to share it with someone, because it seems like the kind of song you should give to someone else once you’ve found it. keyleth thinks vex might appreciate it, in those moments where she’s less brash and sure of herself than usual, but in the end it’s pike who she shares it with first, because she thinks that pike will understand, understand it in the very specific way that keyleth needs someone else to understand it.

pike’s quiet for a little while after they listen to it, and keyleth is sure she’s made a mistake, that pike actually doesn’t understand, is about to say something nice just because pike is usually nice, especially if she thinks she’s disappointing you, but then she just puts a hand on hers and says ‘oh.’

it’s exactly the reaction keyleth needed.

iv. i’m gonna make it through this year if it kills me

there is a momentum to this year that always gets caught up in keyleth’s bones.

most of her favorites in the mountain goats discography are the gentler, softer songs, because those are the ones she needs most often, to pull at the ragged edges of things and to smooth them back into place. but there are also days she just needs to shout i’m gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

there are those days when she thinks it might, maybe not literally, but days where life leaves her feeling jagged and incomplete and like she has no fucking idea what she’s doing. and those are the days when she needs to sing very, very, very loudly that she is going to make it through this, that it (it being at that moment the entirety of the cold and unfeeling universe) should do it’s worst and prepare for disappointment, because at the end of it all she was going to still be there, shouting along until her chest aches with the joy of it, of that defiance and that spite and that brightness.

the momentum of it all gets her every time.

v. you can’t tell me what my spirit tells me isn’t true

keyleth doesn’t have any tattoos. it’s not that she has any problem with them, or even that she doesn’t want any, it’s just that… it seems like an important decision to her. the others tease her sometimes, about how seriously she takes the whole process, but she won’t be rushed.

she has a notebook where she keeps all her ideas. she’s had it for years, adding new things in whenever something inspires her. vax and vex are fond of half-stealing it, adding their own doodles in the margins and starring the ideas that are their favorites. there’s an entire page where she let grog design some for her, big, bright shapes that morph into vines and flowers when you look at them for long enough. percy has a page of his own too, his drawings more traditional and measured than grog’s, and her favorite is a sunflower that takes up most of one corner, realistic enough that she swears it moves sometimes, turning towards the sun.

the page dedicated to the mountain goats had mostly happened on accident. she’d written down one line she’d liked (be ready and be brave) and then another (i’m gonna make it through this year if it kills me) and then once she’d really started listening to them there’d been a bit of a deluge and now there’s a page full of them (i have no fear of anyone, i am young and wild and free. you were brave, you are splendid, and we will never be alone in this world. we held on to hope of better days coming, and when we did, we were right. no matter what they say, it’s gonna be okay. and look about, all the stars are coming out.) most of them are written as tightly as possible, in every inch of available space, because there’s a lot of them and keyleth assumes there will always be more.

there’s one, though, that’s bigger than the others, written in the top margin of the page so she would have enough room. she doesn’t think it will be the first one she gets, because there’s percy’s sunflower and grog’s vines and kerrek, well, kerr had done this amazing sketch one day, when she’d been curled up in his and grog’s little studio space on campus, wondering what the fuck she was doing with her life and trying to escape from everything for a little bit, i have passed through fire, curling and dark and perfect.

but she thinks someday, maybe, a few tattoos down the road, it would be right, that it’s something she’d like to have with her always.

(i don’t have to be afraid. i don’t want to be afraid. you can’t tell me what my spirit tells me isn’t true.)

(she honestly wishes there was someway to tattoo the horn part. it feels important somehow, to the whole thing.)

[componentplanet]

Tesla Cybertruck Took in $20M Over the Weekend. How’d the Windows Scammers Do?

PT Barnum never had a better day. Nor the callers who can hardly pronounce Windows and say you have malware on your PC. Elon Musk Sunday night tweeted he’s lured in deposits on 200,000 Tesla Cybertrucks … that may or may not ship a year from now. That’s 200K deposits, $20 million in just three days. If it does ship on time, that, too, would be some kind of Tesla record.

But then it’s not every day you can put down $100 — “fully refundable” — on a car with unbreakable windows that the designer tosses a ball at, and it shatters. Twice. And you don’t know — pardon us for being skeptics — what colors it comes in, in case you or your partner care about that. Two hundred thousand is almost as many points as San Francisco put up on visiting Green Bay on Sunday Night Football around when the Elon tweet came rolling in:

200k

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2019

Saturday afternoon, a day and a half after the launch, Tesla had almost hit 150,000 reservations.

146k Cybertruck orders so far, with 42% choosing dual, 41% tri & 17% single motor

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2019

The Rules of Making a Deposit0

If you want to order a Cybertruck, you have to choose the performance/price level, and whether to get the IOU for self-driving, which may or may not work when your car ships. Translation: The sensors and cameras will all be there but maybe not the software. That comes as an over-the-air update. The prices are:

Single motor, rear drive, $39,900 (chosen by 17 percent of early customers)

Dual motor, all-wheel-drive, $49,900 (42 percent)

Tri motor, all-wheel-drive, $69,900 (41 percent, and it won’t ship until 2022)

Tesla adds this footnote about the pre-order:

Due today, $100. Fully refundable. You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in late 2021. Tri Motor AWD production is expected to begin in late 2022.

By placing this order you agree to allow Tesla to save your credit card to pay for future services as described in the payment terms.

By clicking “Place Order” I agree to the Cybertruck Pre-Order Agreement, Supercharger Fair Use Policy, the Customer Privacy Agreement, and consent to be contacted at the number provided with more information or offers about Tesla products. I understand these calls or texts may use automated dialing or pre-recorded messages. I understand my consent to be contacted is not a condition of purchase.

The fine print does confirm you can cancel at almost any time before taking delivery.

At this point, Tesla does not give buyers much idea what kind of options are available, or things like, “Will it come in colors – can stainless steel be painted?” Answer (ours, not Tesla’s): Yes, stainless steel can be if the surface is scuffed/sanded/sandblasted and/or chemically cleaned with a degreaser, and if you use a high-quality primer. We wonder: Will any paint color be an upcharge?

Nor is there much information on when self-driving will be available, or what level it will be at, 2, 3, 4 or 5, and if Tesla’s description matches one of the SAE recognized levels. L2 is what some cars have now: basically lane-centering plus adaptive cruise control plus keep your hands on the wheel. L3 is essentially hands-off driving on limited-access roads, but you need to keep your hands on the wheel in case you need to take over like, right now. Stuff like this really confuses people who think self-driving means self-driving. L4 is hands-off, pay no attention driving … on limited-access roads, and L5 is hands-off self-driving anywhere.

When Tesla unveiled the affordable $35,000 (at one time) Tesla Model 3, the deposit was $1,000, refundable, and Tesla eventually had about 400,000 deposits. More buyers wanted the $35,000 base version than Tesla wanted to sell. (The base version is now $39,490, or what Tesla likes to call “$33,315 … after potential savings.”) Later reports said as many as a quarter of intenders dropped out of the waiting line. Tesla also at one point made the deposit non-refundable. Now deposits on all cars are down to $100, but non-refundable on cars that are actually shipping.

Tesla doesn’t cite tax savings with the Cybertruck because it will ship nearly a year after Tesla’s federal tax credit expires. Once $7,500, it’s now down to $1,875 and falls to zero on Jan. 1, 2020. Tesla was the first automaker to sell 200,000 EVs and now it’s the first with (in five weeks) no tax credits.

A Tesla rendering of a Cybertruck with a camping rig. Critics of the Pontiac Aztek said its camper module was the one thing that made the back end attractive.

No, Really, What Else Does Cybertruck Look Like?

Meanwhile, Cybertruck has been a godsend for comics, meme-posters, and others who say “the Cybertruck looks exactly like ____.” The Pontiac Aztek came up a few times.

For starters, it bears a strong resemblance to the F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter. (Stealth doesn’t apply when you’re flying a couple of hundred yards in front of it during the daytime.)

US Air Force F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter.

Cybertruck’s strong body lines with severe changes of direction might also conjure up the Lamborghini Countach, the epitome of Italian wedge design from the era when boomers were reconsidering their platform shoes and Qiana fiber bell bottoms. A 1985 model cost about $100,000, or about $240,000 now. Where Tesla rang up 200K orders in three days, Lamborghini sold 2,000 from 1974 to 1990.

Lamborghini Countach.

Auto and business writers turned movie critics for a day, such as Faiz Siddiqui of the Washington Post:

The design elicited a mixture of awe and scorn, and very little in between. To one faction, it looked as if it had been designed on Microsoft Paint or an old-school video game. To another, it was a revelation, a raw demonstration of the utilitarian needs of a sustainable future.

Paul Eisenstein of The Detroit Bureau wrote in Tesla’s New Cybertruck Makes the Long-Derided Pontiac Aztek Look Good in Comparison:

But what can one say about the Tesla Cybertruck…That it may be the single worst automotive design since the Pontiac Aztek? [See, nobody likes Aztek. – Ed] That it looks like something out of a bad 1980s sci-fi movie?…That it could have been the ‘Homer-mobile,’ the horribly wrong design sketched out by patriarch Homer in the long-running TV series, the Simpsons?

Lauren Fix, the Car Coach, posted a YouTube video and said:

Elon Musk is a disrupter, this is not disruption. This is a joke on purpose. Is it Cybertruck or Cyber Truck? Does it matter? Musk needed to do something to get the press talking about him and everyone fell for it. He’s a snake oil salesman and this is a gigaflop! The results of blending a Pontiac Atzek, El Camino and a Delorean. This is hideous. The final version will never look like this, listen to why there are some serious issues.

The Lauren Fix Cybertruck video:

Apropos of Franz the Destroyer (Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla head of design), there’s the TV reporter who walks up to a car with a hammer and warns, “All it takes is a matter of seconds for someone [thief] to get into your car. All he needs is a hammer, an empty parking lot and [hammer glances off window, nothing breaks].”

Tesla fanboys have shown their loyalty and critics their lack of same:

They tried that line of thought with the Aztek. pic.twitter.com/p2Ow6jJgMA

— Ott (@Ottstorage) November 22, 2019

Now read:

Tesla Unveils the Stoner Truck. Sorry, Cybertruck. It’s as Big as an F-150.

Best Cars of the 2019 LA Auto Show

Ford Took Over Tesla’s Electric Avenue for Mustang Mach-E Introduction

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/302595-tesla-cybertruck-took-in-20m-over-the-weekend from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2019/11/tesla-cybertruck-took-in-20m-over.html

[c-ontredire]

Where To Find The Best Plants For Your Landscaping

What can you do to fix a visually uninteresting garden space? What is a good way to build an attractive outdoor design that impresses everyone who visits? You can have a yard to be proud of. Follow the tips in this article to get a jump-start on projects to improve your yard and your life.

Choose appropriate plants for your climate zone, and learn which plants are perennial and which only last for a single year. Keeping seasonal changes in mind is also important. You must be aware of this information to ensure that you get the results that you want.

TIP! Create a sketch of what you want your finished product to look like before starting a project. A sketch can give you an idea of what you’ll need and let you visualize the new project.

Designing a garden that will look beautiful in all seasons will ensure that your hard work is enjoyed year round. Do your research, and put together a variety of plant species that are capable of thriving and blooming in the appropriate climate of each season in your region. You can also use trees with interesting foliage or evergreens to keep your yard looking lively all year long.

Do you plan on selling your home soon? In contrast with other projects, landscaping creates huge returns in home value. Pay significant attention to the front yard in order to increase curb appeal, and also work to define an inviting outdoor space in the rear yard.

Landscaping an entire residence at the same time can be difficult. It’s good to divide projects into various phases to save money. If any changes in your design come up as you landscape, this also makes it easier to implement those changes.

TIP! Using native plants for your landscaping plan will make it easier to maintain your yard. Native plants require less maintenance as they are already in their ideal climate.

Make sure to wisely choose the plants you will include in your yard, as it is an important part of how your landscape turns out. You don’t need plants that will needs tons of sun in the shade. Trees, while small when initially planted, require considerable room when they mature. Proper planning will ensure that your landscape is successful.

Be creative and use several plant types in your landscape design. This is an important step to take to protect your yard in case an insect or disease invades. If you use all the same plants, they will all be attacked and lost. In order to keep a landscape healthy, choosing a wide variety of species is extremely important.

After mowing your yard, consider leaving some of the grass clippings around. As the clippings decompose, their nutrients will seep back into the ground, rendering fertilizer unnecessary.

TIP! Don’t try to accomplish all of your landscaping projects at the same time. If you split your project into segments, it will be much kinder on your wallet.

For some items, you can use a cheaper product. The cheaper versions of items like containers and mulch are just as good. Be sure to examine your plants very carefully, however. The cheaper the plants are, the more closely you will probably have to inspect them to find ones that are in good condition.

Keep all four seasons in mind as you design your landscaping. Choose a variety of plants that will provide blossoms in each season of the year. Remember to add some evergreens to help your yard maintain a festive appearance throughout the winter. The key to having great looking land all year around is to research your plants.

When landscaping the yard, create curvy borders around your flower beds. The rounded, flowing shapes are more aesthetically pleasing than straight line borders. When people see your house from a distance, the curved lines will create a better look for your home.

TIP! Pick out products that are made well and avoid cheap ones. It’s not uncommon to find that many products at chain stores are inexpensive, but are of cheap quality.

When hiring a professional ask for references. Price is very important, but before hiring any landscaper, be sure to take a look at the past work that he or she has done.

If you wish to add privacy by planting trees in your front yard, buy species that grow quickly and have bushy foliage. As the name suggests, these trees grow at an accelerated rate compared to normal trees. One of the more popular types of these kinds of trees are weeping cherry trees.

All homeowners can benefit from reading the landscaping primer from this article. Whether you’re planning to start in the front or back yard, you wish to plant more or remove what you have, or even want to build a structure like a pool house, you’re now ready to tackle your project with ease!

http://tttlawncare.com/where-to-find-the-best-plants-for-your-landscaping-2/

[stjosephmoresidentiallawnse-blog]

Where To Find The Best Plants For Your Landscaping

What can you do to fix a visually uninteresting garden space? What is a good way to build an attractive outdoor design that impresses everyone who visits? You can have a yard to be proud of. Follow the tips in this article to get a jump-start on projects to improve your yard and your life.

Choose appropriate plants for your climate zone, and learn which plants are perennial and which only last for a single year. Keeping seasonal changes in mind is also important. You must be aware of this information to ensure that you get the results that you want.

TIP! Create a sketch of what you want your finished product to look like before starting a project. A sketch can give you an idea of what you’ll need and let you visualize the new project.

Designing a garden that will look beautiful in all seasons will ensure that your hard work is enjoyed year round. Do your research, and put together a variety of plant species that are capable of thriving and blooming in the appropriate climate of each season in your region. You can also use trees with interesting foliage or evergreens to keep your yard looking lively all year long.

Do you plan on selling your home soon? In contrast with other projects, landscaping creates huge returns in home value. Pay significant attention to the front yard in order to increase curb appeal, and also work to define an inviting outdoor space in the rear yard.

Landscaping an entire residence at the same time can be difficult. It’s good to divide projects into various phases to save money. If any changes in your design come up as you landscape, this also makes it easier to implement those changes.

TIP! Using native plants for your landscaping plan will make it easier to maintain your yard. Native plants require less maintenance as they are already in their ideal climate.

Make sure to wisely choose the plants you will include in your yard, as it is an important part of how your landscape turns out. You don’t need plants that will needs tons of sun in the shade. Trees, while small when initially planted, require considerable room when they mature. Proper planning will ensure that your landscape is successful.

Be creative and use several plant types in your landscape design. This is an important step to take to protect your yard in case an insect or disease invades. If you use all the same plants, they will all be attacked and lost. In order to keep a landscape healthy, choosing a wide variety of species is extremely important.

After mowing your yard, consider leaving some of the grass clippings around. As the clippings decompose, their nutrients will seep back into the ground, rendering fertilizer unnecessary.

TIP! Don’t try to accomplish all of your landscaping projects at the same time. If you split your project into segments, it will be much kinder on your wallet.

For some items, you can use a cheaper product. The cheaper versions of items like containers and mulch are just as good. Be sure to examine your plants very carefully, however. The cheaper the plants are, the more closely you will probably have to inspect them to find ones that are in good condition.

Keep all four seasons in mind as you design your landscaping. Choose a variety of plants that will provide blossoms in each season of the year. Remember to add some evergreens to help your yard maintain a festive appearance throughout the winter. The key to having great looking land all year around is to research your plants.

When landscaping the yard, create curvy borders around your flower beds. The rounded, flowing shapes are more aesthetically pleasing than straight line borders. When people see your house from a distance, the curved lines will create a better look for your home.

TIP! Pick out products that are made well and avoid cheap ones. It’s not uncommon to find that many products at chain stores are inexpensive, but are of cheap quality.

When hiring a professional ask for references. Price is very important, but before hiring any landscaper, be sure to take a look at the past work that he or she has done.

If you wish to add privacy by planting trees in your front yard, buy species that grow quickly and have bushy foliage. As the name suggests, these trees grow at an accelerated rate compared to normal trees. One of the more popular types of these kinds of trees are weeping cherry trees.

All homeowners can benefit from reading the landscaping primer from this article. Whether you’re planning to start in the front or back yard, you wish to plant more or remove what you have, or even want to build a structure like a pool house, you’re now ready to tackle your project with ease!

http://tttlawncare.com/where-to-find-the-best-plants-for-your-landscaping-2/

[yardmaintenanceplansstjosep-blog]

Where To Find The Best Plants For Your Landscaping

What can you do to fix a visually uninteresting garden space? What is a good way to build an attractive outdoor design that impresses everyone who visits? You can have a yard to be proud of. Follow the tips in this article to get a jump-start on projects to improve your yard and your life.

Choose appropriate plants for your climate zone, and learn which plants are perennial and which only last for a single year. Keeping seasonal changes in mind is also important. You must be aware of this information to ensure that you get the results that you want.

TIP! Create a sketch of what you want your finished product to look like before starting a project. A sketch can give you an idea of what you’ll need and let you visualize the new project.

Designing a garden that will look beautiful in all seasons will ensure that your hard work is enjoyed year round. Do your research, and put together a variety of plant species that are capable of thriving and blooming in the appropriate climate of each season in your region. You can also use trees with interesting foliage or evergreens to keep your yard looking lively all year long.

Do you plan on selling your home soon? In contrast with other projects, landscaping creates huge returns in home value. Pay significant attention to the front yard in order to increase curb appeal, and also work to define an inviting outdoor space in the rear yard.

Landscaping an entire residence at the same time can be difficult. It’s good to divide projects into various phases to save money. If any changes in your design come up as you landscape, this also makes it easier to implement those changes.

TIP! Using native plants for your landscaping plan will make it easier to maintain your yard. Native plants require less maintenance as they are already in their ideal climate.

Make sure to wisely choose the plants you will include in your yard, as it is an important part of how your landscape turns out. You don’t need plants that will needs tons of sun in the shade. Trees, while small when initially planted, require considerable room when they mature. Proper planning will ensure that your landscape is successful.

Be creative and use several plant types in your landscape design. This is an important step to take to protect your yard in case an insect or disease invades. If you use all the same plants, they will all be attacked and lost. In order to keep a landscape healthy, choosing a wide variety of species is extremely important.

After mowing your yard, consider leaving some of the grass clippings around. As the clippings decompose, their nutrients will seep back into the ground, rendering fertilizer unnecessary.

TIP! Don’t try to accomplish all of your landscaping projects at the same time. If you split your project into segments, it will be much kinder on your wallet.

For some items, you can use a cheaper product. The cheaper versions of items like containers and mulch are just as good. Be sure to examine your plants very carefully, however. The cheaper the plants are, the more closely you will probably have to inspect them to find ones that are in good condition.

Keep all four seasons in mind as you design your landscaping. Choose a variety of plants that will provide blossoms in each season of the year. Remember to add some evergreens to help your yard maintain a festive appearance throughout the winter. The key to having great looking land all year around is to research your plants.

When landscaping the yard, create curvy borders around your flower beds. The rounded, flowing shapes are more aesthetically pleasing than straight line borders. When people see your house from a distance, the curved lines will create a better look for your home.

TIP! Pick out products that are made well and avoid cheap ones. It’s not uncommon to find that many products at chain stores are inexpensive, but are of cheap quality.

When hiring a professional ask for references. Price is very important, but before hiring any landscaper, be sure to take a look at the past work that he or she has done.

If you wish to add privacy by planting trees in your front yard, buy species that grow quickly and have bushy foliage. As the name suggests, these trees grow at an accelerated rate compared to normal trees. One of the more popular types of these kinds of trees are weeping cherry trees.

All homeowners can benefit from reading the landscaping primer from this article. Whether you’re planning to start in the front or back yard, you wish to plant more or remove what you have, or even want to build a structure like a pool house, you’re now ready to tackle your project with ease!

http://tttlawncare.com/where-to-find-the-best-plants-for-your-landscaping-2/