#i got class in the morning

[legolasghosty]

Okayyyyyy so This Post happened earlier today, and @girlstuffnorp, @floating-in-the-blue, and @1mnobodywhoareyou got me thinking about Willex (as I often am). So here you guys go! Not edited at all, I'm sorry. It's late. Enjoy!

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Alex poofed into the museum, stumbling a little over a random plank of wood on the ground. Sure, he'd already checked here twice. But he had to find Willie somehow, and this just felt right. He hadn't found the skater on Sunset Boulevard, or at the park they'd met up at a couple of times before. And Alex knew better than to go anywhere the Ghost Club.

Now when it was too late.

But maybe there was a chance. Julie's plan might work. But they needed Willie to pull it off.

The guys had offered to help Alex look, but he'd turned them down. He had to do this on his own. And well, the last time he'd taken them to find Willie, it hadn't ended well.

So here he was, on his own, trying to follow the odd tugging in his chest that had led him to the skater in the past. But he just kept ending up here. And Willie wasn't-

"Alex?"

Alex nearly jumped out of his insubstantial skin at the voice and spun around to see Willie standing a few yards away, board clutched to his chest and a startled look on his face.

"Hey," Alex said, raising a hand awkwardly. He wasn't used to this uneasy tension between them. Willie was there, but he felt so much further away than he had before everything went down at the ghost club.

"Is everything okay?" Willie asked, taking a careful step closer.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex said quickly. "Or like... not any less okay than before."

Willie let out a relieved chuckle. Just one. Alex missed his full laugh. "That's... good. I think?"

"Yeah it is," Alex agreed, his eyes falling to the skateboard in Willie's hands, unable to meet his eyes and see the discomfort there. He hated that he'd caused that hurt, even if it wasn't on purpose. Then he remembered why he was here in the first place. "Julie sort of has a plan."

Willie's frown deepened. "What kind of plan?"

Alex took a deep breath. "A plan to play the Orpheum."

"Wait seriously?!" Willie exclaimed, the hopeful note in his voice giving Alex the courage to meet his eyes again.

There was too much happening behind the dark irises for Alex to decipher in an instant. But he knew there was hope. And worry. And sorrow. And suddenly it hit Alex square in the chest that if this worked, if they played the Orpheum and crossed over, then that would mean saying goodbye to Willie. For good.

"That's awesome, how are you pulling that off?" Willie continued. He came a step closer and the knot in Alex's chest loosened a bit.

Alex glanced around and spotted the bench they'd moved together the first time they came here. He nodded towards it, then sat down himself. Willie hesitated. Alex felt himself crack just a bit more. Willie had never put distance between them before Caleb. In fact, he'd always been crossing it, grabbing Alex's hand or bumping their knees together or shaking him by the shoulders. There wasn't any of that anymore.

But then Willie sat down, leaving a few inches of space between them, but closer nonetheless. Alex exhaled.

"So basically we're going to get the opening band to have some kind of tech issue this weekend," Alex began, "and then throw up our video in the producer's office right after they find out. No time to find a replacement? Well lucky for them, we're right there."

Willie laughed, a little closer to his normal one this time. "Julie is a genius!" he declared, pulling one knee up to his chest. Then he smirked. "What are you gonna do to the opener?"

Alex huffed out a nervous chuckle. "Therein lies the issue," he admitted. "We have yet to agree on anything that isn't going to cause physical damage to the band, will get them out enough, and we can actually do."

Willie nodded, expression turning thoughtful. He didn't say anything for a minute. Alex took the opportunity to check out the green eggs on his socks. Would it still be called sunny side up if the yolks weren't yellow?

But he also thought about what would happen to Willie, to them, if this worked. And what would happen if it didn't. Would Willie be okay without Alex? Would Caleb take his anger out on the skater over losing Sunset Curve? Would Willie miss him? Or would he forget he existed, just a tiny blip in his long afterlife? Alex knew he wouldn't be forgetting Willie any time soon, even if he ceased to exist. Maybe Reggie had a point about never forgetting your first ghost.

On the other hand, what would happen if he took Caleb's offer? If he stayed at the HGC, playing music he didn't love for someone who owned his soul for an eternity? It wouldn't be fun. But then they could stay together. Alex could keep Willie safe from the magician. They could dance together in the club and it wouldn't matter who could or couldn't see them. They could just be. Forever.

But that would mean losing Julie. And his freedom. And probably his friends, because there was no way Luke was going to take the bait. Reggie would be caught in the middle, but he'd probably stay with Luke and Julie. So Alex would have Willie, but he wouldn't have his friends, or his music, or his soul.

Was it bad that he was still tempted?

"Okay, I'm going to handle the opener," Willie announced, startling Alex from his thoughts. "Not sure how yet, but I'll get you guys on that fancy sign."

"You mean the marque?" Alex clarified.

"I thought that was a fancy French dude," Willie retorted. "Like that one guy in Hamilton."

Alex shrugged. "I have no idea what a Hamilton is, but I think it's the same word?"

Willie laughed again. "I need to teach you the ways of sneaking into Broadway shows," he teased. Then his face fell. "Or... I guess not," he added in a softer voice.

The ache in Alex's chest, almost more painful than the occasional jolts now, returned full force. "Yeah," he sighed. He bit the inside of his cheek. "Unless..."

Willie's eyes shot to his, but the severity in his gaze was an unexpected stab to Alex's soul. "No, no way," the skater said firmly. "You're not taking his deal. I promise... It's not worth it."

"But what about you," Alex burst out. "If we leave and Caleb finds out you helped us, even just a little bit, he'd destroy you! You said it yourself! But if I stay then-"

"No I'm not going to let you do that, Alex!" Willie cut him off, one hand latching onto his. "I made my choice, okay? It was a stupid one, yeah, but it's done. You haven't! You can cross over and not have to deal with any of this anymore! And if Caleb wants to destroy me for-for caring about you, then okay. I'm okay with that, I've made my peace with the fact that my afterlife is probably going to be ended because of him at some point anyways. At least you would be safe and free."

Alex wanted to cry. He wanted to pull Willie close and hide him away somewhere no one could ever hurt him again. He wanted to hold him and get as far away from him as possible and just sit here with him forever all at once.

"I just want you to be happy," Willie murmured, running out of steam. When Alex met his gaze again, there were tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "As long as you're okay, that's enough for me. I got to know you and be your... friend for a bit. I'm not going to regret that, even if it's the end for me. I'll be okay as long as you're safe."

Alex reached out with his free hand and cupped Willie's cheek. His thumb brushed away the first tear that slid from the skater's eyes. "I don't want to leave you," he admitted softly.

"Me either," Willie breathed. "But you have to."

"I know," Alex sighed. "I'm sorry."

Willie shook his head without dislodging Alex's hand. "No being sorry. It's just how life is sometimes."

"We're literally dead already," Alex pointed out wryly.

"Details details," Willie dismissed, squeezing his hand. "Just promise me that, whatever happens, you'll do everything you can to cross over."

Alex squeezed back. "I promise," he responded, his heart cracking down the middle.

And only a day later, he would be reminded of that promise as he stared across the Hollywood Ghost Club at Willie, leaning against the back wall, as he missed a beat in Caleb's song in favor of the one calling to him from outside. Willie's gaze met his and he nodded once. Go, he mouthed.

I promise, Alex mouthed back, before leaving the club behind and flying to Julie's side.

[godsrighttit]

it’s entirely too late for me to want to bake bread right now

[ihatebrainstorm]

The (Hopefully) Comprehensive Guide to Drawing Transformers! [1]

[Chapter 1/5?]

Decided to make a little quick guide to drawing transformers/humanoid mechs because some people asked! (Plus I thought it'd be fun lol) .... Hopefully it makes sense and helps some people out :'D

[Next] -> coming I dunno when, I keep adding to my WIP pile......

[bacchuschucklefuck]

forest 02

prev

[todayisafridaynight]

@passports-alt pointed out the goofiest shit to me the other day

[montrosepretty]

The smiling grinner

[buglaur]

tutorial contents:

1 ‣ gshade & photoshop actions 2 ‣ template or cropping & colouring 3 ‣ notifs & pop-ups

okay hi! i have a really old editing tutorial from back in january that i've been linking people to, but it's pretty outdated by now. i also keep getting anons asking about the same things, which is fine, but i always have to go searching for the post explaining it, so having it all in one place will be a lot more convenient lol

i use a ☠ copy of photoshop cc 2017 to edit my screenshots, however the majority of everything i'm doing also works on photopea

photopea is an online version of photoshop that's 100% free and works very well! i can't recommend it enough, it's fantastic

first things first, you're going to need some screenshots to edit. for the sake of this tutorial i'll be working with this one of raffy:

in all honesty, gshade will do most of the work for you. of course it's not needed, but i definitely don't think i could live without it! in this screenshot i used sunset n' vinyl by nesurii

when opening the screenshot, the first thing i do is run it through 2 photoshop actions:

butter action by early-grape

smooth sharp (no topaz) by poolbrop

to add actions in photoshop go:

windows > actions > the 4 lines at the upper right corner of the newly opened window > load actions > your downloads folder > open up the .atn files!

if you're using photopea, as far as i'm aware you can't use photoshop actions, but i've found that 'filter > stylize > oil paint' and 'filter > sharpen > smart sharpen' have a very similar effect when using the right settings. try these:

i like these two actions because they smooth everything out nicely, but keep it sharp at the same time! i always run butter before i run smooth sharp, however butter may leave you with 2 layers. make sure to merge these layers before running smooth sharp to achieve the full effect.

here's a before and after (of the photoshop action):

from here you can move on to step 2

before anything else i want to share the template that i use to make editing a lot faster. you don't need to use it but it's definitely made things a lot easier for me! it's a .psd file and will work perfectly in photopea

download (simfileshare)

if you're using the template you can skip right on to the next section, as it's already cropped to the right size and has the colouring folder included. just drag your screenshot into it and resize to fit the height.

if you're not using it, crop your edited screenshot to:

1707 width x 1280 height

then adjust the colours to your liking. it always varies slightly depending on the picture but my regular process for each screenshot would be:

up the saturation by 8%

up the lightness by 3%

up the contrast by 12%

all of this can be done by looking in the 'images > adjustments' tab

you should end up with something similar to this!

if you want to add a moodlet or social interaction or anything similar, it's all the same process. what you'll need is a screenshot of it straight from the game. i just press the 'c' key to capture them! i'll be working with these two:

for the blue notification i'm going to select it using the box select tool. try to get it as exact as possible. one you have it selected

for photoshop users:

click on the 'select and mask...' option located at the top

adjust the global refinements at the side as follows:

smooth: 70 feather: 0.0px contrast: 50% shift edge: 0%

for photopea users:

go to select > modify > smooth

set it to 15

select 'ok' and press 'ctrl + c' to copy it, then 'ctrl + v' to paste it into your screenshot. adjust the size and position and you should end up with something like this:

next you want to add the transparent border around the notification. if you're using my editing template, right click on the reference notif in the layers tab and select 'copy layer style' (photopea > 'layer style > copy'). from there you can paste that layer style onto your own notif through the layers tab.

if you're not using the template, here's how to set it up on photoshop:

right click your notification layer and select 'blending options'

under styles, tick the checkboxes for stroke and drop shadow

input these settings:

on photopea, it should be more or less the same. repeat the exact same process with the social menu option, but instead of selecting it with the box select tool, use the magic select tool. in the end you should end out with this!

from here you're finished! thanks for reading! go to file and export as png

if you've got questions never hesitate to ask, just make sure to read the faq in my pinned. i might edit this post soon to include the gen intro traits and aspirations bit, but this is all for now. hope it helps, my editing process post has been in need of a revamp for a very long time. i haven't proof-read this so apologies for any mistakes!

[plushievash]

SOMEONE STOLE MY WHOLE FUCKING TOMATO PLANT ??????

[frnkiebby]

today sucked. have these fucking cutie pies as an end of the day pick me up~🎃

[anna-scribbles]

h-how do you ever finish any of your work? genuine question because you seem to be productive despite your agreste syndrome and I need to learn your ways. but also how do you ever finish any of your work

unclear. last night i stayed up and finished a report worth 25% of my grade at about 5am, arrived on time for my 9am lecture, and spent about half of it zoned out while thinking about seventeen year old emilie agreste. and i was one of the most active participants in the class discussion

[chemblrish]

27 February 2024

I saw my thesis supervisor yesterday and I'm starting lab work next week!! I'm equal parts nervous and excited haha. I hope everything goes well.

Today in ochem I did distillation and extraction. People used to tell me ochem lab can be really boring bc there's a lot of waiting - I wish! In my case, "waiting" just means doing something else. 4h of walking around the lab and standing at the fume hood :')))) Sitting down for literally like five minutes to estimate the melting point of my sample turned into a blessing

[jade-of-mourning]

yanagi reiko!

[vampiricsheep]

Don't think I've seen this question make the rounds before, so:

Do any of your OCs hunt/fish/trap? Who taught them, and why do they do it? Do they have preferred gear or quarry?

[bubacorn]

hc: Vessel is bad at receiving compliments and being told that he is loved (hug inspired by this one, @ghxstly-death put it into words perfectly. thank you, Eden!🫂)

Thinking about Vessel who can't accept compliments, not because he doesn't believe them (that too), but because he'd heard them so many times in the past related to small, unimpressive things. Not 'I'm proud of you', just 'You did good', an automatic response to any and all achievements. He did good. He didn't know what 'good' meant, but apparently, he did that. He has no idea what was good about what he did, so he continues to push himself, to not be a disappointment. If he does good, then that should be enough, right?

He tries for great, for excellent, for something more, but he always gets 'good', unrelated to the effort and time he put into something. He knows he shouldn't wish for more specific compliments, or anything else, really. He should be grateful to be regarded. Everyone around him is so busy, they can't possibly have time to listen to him talk about how in reality, he has no idea what he's doing. How things sometimes just click but he can't tell if what he did is actually worth anything or it was just pure luck. How he doubts himself at every step but learned to hide it, because he has to be good. And good means coping and dealing with things by himself and quietly, because then he will be told that he did good and who wouldn't want to be good?

Vessel who hears 'I love you' for the first time (said with actual love behind it for the very first time) in a really long time from II. He wouldn't tell the other that, but it's clear from the surprise and the hopeful longing in Vessel's eyes. His friend told him he loves him and he doesn't know what to do with that, so he hesitantly steps to him and begins to lift his arms in question. II's heart squeezes at his shyness, after all, the other has spent months alone in the manor, so it's understandable that he would have grown unaccustomed to touch. But then II has to pull Vessel against him, because the man sort of hovers his arms around his frame as if he doesn't know how to approach a hug. Like he isn't sure what is expected of him and what is too much.

Vessel is surprised when II squeezes around his torso, when he brings one arm around his shoulder and the other to his neck, trying to bring Vessel down towards him, like he wants to protect and shelter him. That's strange, but Vessel finds that his arms want to stay wrapped loosely around II a bit longer and just as he starts to pull away, II again says "I love you, Vessel", and Vessel's brain freezes. II squeezes him tighter and Vessel feels so warm and strangely loose (he's afraid he will unravel if he stays too close for too long) and small even though he towers over his friend. His friend who is now holding him and who apparently loves him.

The only thing in his mind stumbles from his tongue in the form of a quiet "Why?". He didn't do anything exceptional. He was showing II an arrangement and said he wasn't sure if it was any good, letting his fingers dance over the keys, feeling like he was stumbling through music. He felt like it captured that familiar insecurity, and he liked it and hoped II would like it, too. Even if it didn't make it into a song. Then II said he did like it, that it feels like Vessel is unsure but it gives the melody a unique flavor, and that Vessel was great for translating that feeling into music.

"'Why?' ?" II's answering question is filled with such disbelief that Vessel wants to hide. He said something inappropriate, something secret that had previously only been dwelling in his mind, in a dark corner, and now he feels exposed. Why did he even open his mouth? Not good. Definitely bad.

Vessel is slumping against II a bit, like he doesn't know how to hold himself upright anymore, like he needs support. II must feel it, because he's still holding him, and it's been minutes and Vessel tries to squirm away, to save any dignity he might still possess, and II lets him slip out of the embrace, but his arms linger like he doesn't want to let go of his friend. His friend who just blurted out the worst response to a confession of gentle affection. Vessel looks so worried when he catches II's gaze and he immediately averts his eyes and takes a few small steps back, unconsciously gravitating towards his piano for protection, a sense of safety.

"You're my friend, Vessel," II tries approaching the man with soft words, "You're kind and considerate and a damn good musician," Vessel stops backing away when the back of his legs hit the edge of his piano bench, but he's still looking at the floor, "You pour your heart into writing and playing and it's amazing to see. You're committed, but patient and you help me every time I need. Even when I'm too embarrassed to ask," II tilts his head and steps a bit closer to try and catch Vessel's gaze, "I know you don't see it and I'm sorry that you can't because it's true. I would never lie to you about this, Ves. I love you, you're my best friend," Vessel presses his lips together, so II adds, "Not just because we live in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. You're the best friend I've ever had. And I'm glad Sleep led me to you."

Vessel gives him a look that shows he tries really hard to believe him, and adds in such a low voice it's almost a whisper, "I love you, too," as if he's embarrassed to admit it. But it's not embarrassment, II realizes, it's disbelief, it's some sort of deep shame about needing someone else, of relying on anyone else but himself at all times. And it makes sense, considering Vessel's nature, but II could never put it all together, since large chunks of Vessel's past were unfamiliar to him. He could have guessed based on how the man acted, but he didn't want to assume anything. It felt disrespectful. Vessel would share if he wanted.

"And I'm really glad you found me," just a beat of silence, before he adds, in an even quieter tone, if that's possible, "And that you stayed," Vessel risks a bashful glance towards II, and sees him blink rapidly, shocked by the implication of the other's words, before he shakes himself and steps closer to Vessel. He searches his face for apprehension, but doesn't find any, so he gently puts his hands on Vessel's upper arms and sits him down on his bench. Before Vessel can react, II has his arms wrapped around him, one around his shoulder, and the other's hand cupping the back of his head and cradling it to his front.

"You're important to me, Ves. You're special and precious and I love you," II's fingers caress the man's shoulder and card through his hair, "I want you to know that I'm here for you any time, okay?" Vessel is still stunned and he's sure he's going catch on fire if he gets any warmer. II twists a lock of hair around his finger, "Okay?" Words form and die in Vessel's throat so he just nods, rapidly, almost hurriedly, and II lets out a small chuckle. "You're amazing, you know that?" he nuzzles into Vessel's hair for a moment to murmur, "And adorable," II sways with the man in his arms a little and Vessel is sure he will combust. His face is flaming against II's shirt and he tries to suppress the half grimace-half grin on his face and feels unreal. "C'mon. Tea break?" II smiles down at him and offers a hand. Vessel can stand on his own, but doesn't reject the offer. He likes the warmth of II's hand and he can always use the stability and the reminder of the other's presence. II soon replaces his hand with a mug of tea, but it's considerably colder to Vessel. The contrast is especially palpable when II brushes his knuckles against Vessel's as he's handing him his tea. The mug is warm, but II's skin is burning against his. But it's not bad. It's a good burn. It makes Vessel feel alive. Seen. Loved?

Vessel learns that he doesn't have to prove himself to other people to receive love. Love is not something that has to be earned in their home. Love is not a reward, not something that Vessel has to work for, then be disappointed that in the end, it isn't actually given to him. He tried being good in the past, being silent and keeping his head down and being a good kid, but the warmth and the unconditional love didn't come. He still tried, though, he always tried his best, but apparently that wasn't enough. Or there wasn't actually love at the end of that tunnel. It was just a play of light. But that would have been cruel and Vessel would like to think that people in his past weren't intentionally unkind to him (he won't admit the truth to himself for a while).

II often tells Vessel that he's proud of him. For speaking up. For telling him when he's having a bad day. For asking for distance when he needs it and closeness when he feels like he will drift away. For admitting to messing up, when he falls back into bad habits of self-destruction and isolation. For doing a grocery run by himself even though he goes home almost shaking and has to spend the next hours under a blanket on the couch, because it was simply too much. For crying when he talks about memories that he tried his hardest to forget but he just can't. For asking for help and letting II help him, even though it's hard. It's really hard, and Vessel apologizes for it, for being fucked-up and broken and damaged goods. For wasting II's time and being a burden, a needy, greedy thing. Wretched. Minus human.

But II tells him he loves him and that he could never be a burden. That he will always be worth it, he always has been, and that he's sorry that people in Vessel's past couldn't see it. Couldn't see him for all that he is. For the friend who pays attention to little details so he can show his friend how much he values him. For the guy who bakes his friend a complicated cake for his birthday because he off-handedly told him he can't even remember what it tasted like, even though it used to be his favorite. For the amazing composer who can capture emotions one doesn't realize one has. For the hard-working, curious kid who thought that being obedient and not questioning authority was the way to earn praise and affection. For the little boy who thought something was wrong with him, that he did or didn't do something and that is why he couldn't feel loved. For the child who cried and cried, silent and under the cover of the night, hoping that no one would hear (and secretly hoping that somebody would and they would come and save him from the gaping emptiness that made its home in his chest, way too big and scary for a boy that little). For the boy and then the man who couldn't cry anymore but thought that that is more than alright, at least he can finally keep it all inside. For the partner who allowed himself to be vulnerable with someone he trusted. For the partner who made sure his other knew he was always welcome, even though his brain sometimes tried to tell him otherwise. For the partner who grew comfortable with expressing casual affection so much that terms like 'darling' became second nature to him (and for the way he blushed when II told him that). For the man who learned to accept that it's okay to admit to not being okay, to need someone, to want to not feel alone, to feel cherished, to have his feelings validated. For the man who can tell his partner anything and does, because he knows he can speak his mind and that there will be someone who listens.

II wanted to see Vessel. Vessel let him. Even before he showed the uglier and less than perfect parts of himself, II loved him all the same. It was never about being 'good' and silent and compliant. Vessel is good. Vessel is not good. He's amazing. He's perfect. He's wonderful. He's cherished. He's incredible. He's valued. He's seen. He's listened to. He's heard. He's finally, finally loved. Has been for longer than he dared to think. Will soon be by more people than he thought possible.

[incorrect-hs-quotes]

boy i accidentally clocked into work an hour early . what the fuc

[internetdruid]

I gave my three leopard geckos to a teacher, they've been promoted to class pets for a high-school class 🥲