#its just a much slower and much much much less extreme process

[ovobawrites]

𝐵𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽: 𝐸𝓅𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒹𝑒 𝒮𝒾𝓍 ♡ 𝐹𝒷𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓎𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓈

disclaimer: this has already been posted on ao3 and quotev, i'm just reposting this beach episode special as a promo for the fic. after this is all my previous author notes.

this is a fem!reader and also a half chinese!reader insert.

previous ♡ next

The rest of the dinner had consisted of the group finding more and more extreme ways to remove Lilia's 'dessert' off of their plates. Malleus and Silver, experts at this craft, had simply casted spells under the table to remove spoonfuls of the 'cake' every so often while Lilia's eyes were elsewhere. Ortho helped Idia by blasting the 'food' with micro beams of technomatic energy to give off the illusion of Idia slowly eating it. Trey simply casted his unique magic and enjoyed the dessert wholeheartedly, nevermind the fact that it tasted distinctly like candied violets and not like a red velvet cake. 

You absentmindedly spinned the dainty silver spoon in your hand as you debated the merits of merely excusing yourself from dinner with 'monthly problems' as the root cause. On one hand, there'd be no need to eat the most poisonous creation you'd ever seen. On the other, having a bunch of awkward eye contact and boys trying to 'help' with offerings of chocolate and the like was not on your agenda for this vacation. You continued to spin your cutlery as you watched Trey take pity on Riddle and Cater enough to help them out, just as Jamil finished faking his test for poison and proclaimed the dessert contained a certain food dye additive that Kalim was totally allergic too. And in fealty to his master, Jamil too would not partake in the cake. 

Vil and Rook already had the excuse of watching their figures to avoid partaking in dessert, an excuse that Lilia took at face value, promising to use less oil to reduce trans fat next time he makes a cake. The question, of course, was how much oil was Lilia putting in his cakes before? From a glance at Silver's face, way too much. It does explain the yellow liquid with suspended droplets of red that flowed out of the moist yet dry mass in front of you. 

Leona had already conked out, declaring that he only eats meat and will never partake in a food that contains 'herbivore products' whatever that meant. Ruggie, meanwhile, was eating the food with gusto, gladly eating Leona's portion as well. You could guess why, starvation had a knack for making one distinctly more appreciative of food. Even if Lilia's cooking was barely edible, Ruggie would still eat and enjoy it. Tragic, was it not?

Floyd and Jade had started moving their food to Azul's plate, letting the oblivious housewarden magic away their food as well as his own. From the frustrated look on Azul's face, you could guess he hadn't figured out the ruse to the game just yet.

Lilia flourished in all of you 'enjoying' his food, flushed with pride as he described the painstaking process of making the cake. "At first," he said, "I added two drops of the food colouring. But then, I realised, it was never gonna be a 'red velvet cake' without more red! So I dumped the whole bottle in." Lilia puffed his chest out, awaiting praise for correcting this foolhardy decision.

"T-that's lovely." Silver said weakly in reply. "I'm glad you corrected your mistake early on."

"And Trey didn't say a word, that sly devil." Lilia continued, wagging his finger teasingly at his cooking partner. "You were waiting for me to learn it myself, were you not?"

Trey nodded with a smile and a twitching eye. "Yep, I figured you'd realise it eventually."

Lilia guffawed at that. "I'm glad you have such respect for your elders, boy, but next time you should keep in mind that my memory is not as pristine as your own."

Lilia really needs to stop saying such mysterious things. Even if Fae age slower than humans, shouldn't he act more his 'mental age' than his physical one? Though... with his cooking I'd gladly accept dementia as its excuse. 

You sighed quietly, as you decided to take the path of least resistance. You used your food to push the pile of ashes around your plate, giving an illusion of eating it. It seemed less like you weren't eating the food at all, merely picking at it slowly due to a lack of appetite. It really was too bad that Lilia wasn't a better cook. 

Soon enough, the conversation petered out and you stood to dump the 'rest of' your dessert in the food waste bin. Lilia never noticed, not with his distraction and the purposeful silence of your movements. As you went to wash your dishes in the sink, more and more of the boys filed in, all having made deals or negotiations for one to do their dishes for the night.

The suds and the hot water that ran over your skin was familiar as you quickly cleaned up, casting a quick spell under your breath to dry off the dishes and put them away. As you turned around, you smiled at Ruggie and Jamil, the two of them rapidly scrubbing through the plates at a practiced pace. Not too slow to be noticed, but slow enough to get away with just a few moments to themselves. But your attention was taken away by the dark sky, signaling it was about time for you to take some time to yourself. You wanted the opportunity to check up and fix up your wards, with Idia's presence, they were likely weakened a little. 

It was a habit by this point, constantly keeping an eye or two on the wards around your room. The incident was ingrained in your head, to the point where even a day where you didn't check up on them caused this debilitating feeling of fear. Another intruder in your room was something you hoped to never happen again. 

(You were resigned, of course, to the truth of the matter. That it would continue to happen for as long as you were alive. This bloodline that you were born into came cursed with the constant threat of assassins, or worse. For all you could act trusting of your friends, you were never sure when, exactly, they'd come to sell you out. You just hoped it wasn't soon. Hoped to be able to enjoy this illusion of camaraderie for a little while longer.)

You quietly walked up the steps to your room, the group already dispersing amongst themselves into groups of each dorm. A distinct feeling of loneliness overcame you as you watched them separate, yet were never alone. What you would give to have that easy friendship.

There was a knock on your door at 9 o'clock in the evening, just as you were finishing up with warding your room once more. 

"Who is it?" You called out, a pleasant lilt to your voice as you awaited an answer from behind the door. A quick brushstroke to finish off the character for 'warning' and you should be done for the day. 

"it's Trey." A familiar voice replied.

"And Cater!" Another chimed in. "We were wondering if you wanted to play a board game with the rest of us? Apparently Jade brought monopoly with him."

"Oh, sure, I'd love to play." You stood up from your desk and made way to the door, snagging your magic pen as you opened it up. "Shall we go downstairs, then?"

"Of course!" Cater perked up and dashed down immediately.

Trey smiled softly at you and offered an arm. "My lady." He said with a chuckle and a teasing look in his eye.

You giggled in reply. "How chivalrous." You took the proffered arm and walked downstairs with him at a more sedentary pace. 

"We don't have enough pieces for all of us." Jade sighed with a faked look of regret on his face, before his ever-present smile snapped back on. "It seems like we'll have to be in teams, perhaps teams of four?"

"There's eighteen of us," Riddle noted, "so teams of three would be the perfect number."

The smile on Jade's face froze over, though he continued his pleasant countenance. "Of course. I guess the dorms will be splitting up then."

"I think the dorms with three members already work out." Jamil spoke up, "So some of the groups of two will be splitting up instead."

"Rook and I claim (Y/N)." Vil said from his seat on the sofa. "Any objections?"

The glares he got from Leona and Jade were harsh enough to kill, yet they said no word in reply. Always happy to hang out with the pomefiore students, you sat sandwiched between Vil and Rook when the two shifted to make room.

"I can team up with Ruggie and Leona!" Kalim exclaimed from where he was seated, ecstatic grin on his face. "This is gonna be super fun!"

"It'd be even better with a feast..." Ruggie sighed to himself, a glint of sardonic humour in his eye.

Kalim perked up even more. "That's a great idea. Next time we have a board game night, we should make it a feast!"

Jamil sighed. "There's no way I'm making that much food for that many people in such short time Kalim."

"Great! Then I can help out!" He beamed.

"And I could as well." Lilia chimed in with a smile.

A shudder ran through the group.

"Ah... sorry Lilia..." Kalim started, "but you don't know any dishes from Scalding Sands... so..."

"I prefer to cook alone." Jamil interjected. 

Lilia drooped down with a frown. "That's too bad, then."

A clap of his hands brought all eyes to Jade. "Now that the teams are sorted, shall we start choosing our pieces?"

"Oh-oh, dibs on the money bag!" Kalim moved to grab the metal piece when Ruggie revealed it in his hand with a familiar laugh. "Good job, Ruggie!" He patted the hyena beastman on the head before moving to sit back down on the floor at the feet of his team.

"Can we have the dog?" You asked politely from your place on the sofa. Jade wordlessly passed it to you, gaining a grateful smile. You turned to your teammates, wondering quietly: "Are there any strategies for monopoly?"

"Buy everything you land on and get good roles." Vil intoned. "So we should have Rook roll, since he has the best luck of all of us."

"Ah, you flatter me dear Roi du Poison." Rook said with a hand to his chest. "I'd be glad to handle the heavy work for our team. I wouldn't want to see any calluses on either of your soft hands."

Bit weird to say but I appreciate the sentiment.

"And you will handle the money." Vil looked at you. "I'll handle the talking and negotiating. If any auctions come up, I'll bet too. Got it?"

"Roger that!"

"Of course, beautiful Vil."

"Good." He leaned forwards, a competitive gleam to his eyes, "Then shall we win this game?"

"Wait- how does one even play monopoly?" Malleus wondered from his place on the couch.

Trey sighed. "This is gonna be a long night."

"A one." Lilia sighed as he moved the top hat onto another owned property. "How much do we owe you, Azul?"

Azul cackled. "Why, not too much, only 500 dollars!"

Malleus begrudgingly handed over the note to Floyd as the Octavinelle students laughed at their growing pile of money.

"This is unfair." Riddle spoke up from where his team had been sent to the floor, where 'the bankrupt should sit, so we know they're out of the game'. "Of course the board game club members will be the winning teams. We should play a better game."

"Aww, is goldfishie upset about losing so quickly?" Floyd teased with a shark-like grin. "That's too bad... maybe if you had longer arms you'd be able to make better rolls!"

Riddle slowly went red. "Is that. Another. Short joke, Floyd?" He gritted out as Trey and Cater started to coach him into calming down. Riddle only got a laugh in reply, further fanning the flames of his anger.

"We got a two and a one." Ruggie spoke up from the 'Jail' sofa. "Guess we're stuck in here for another turn."

"Good job Ruggie." Leona grinned, "We're out of the madhouse for a little longer."

"Let me out!" Kalim wailed from besides them. "I swear I did nothing wrong! I'm innocent, I swear it!"

"Kalim, this is just a game. You're not actually in jail." Jamil spoke up from his couch, bored out of his mind when Idia and Ortho were doing all the work.

"We got a lucky three!" Rook spoke up from besides you. "We escape le Roi d'Effort's tyrannical reign once more, my dear Roi et Reine."

"Good job, Rook." Vil congratulated, "But we are not out of the woods just yet."

"We don't have enough funds to reliably survive another rent from Idia's group." You murmured worriedly to him as you handed the 'banker', Trey, enough money for another house to your pink set. 

"Trust me, dear, when have I ever lead this team astray?" Vil arched a perfect brow and stroked his hand through your hair in a comforting manner, smirk on his face.

"Uh oh, Azul, we got a five!" Floyd said worriedly as he looked between the board and the dice.

"I'm aware, Floyd." Azul pinched the bridge of his nose as he calculated the prices. "Jade, how is our bank looking?"

"We still have plenty of funds, sir." He reported with a smile.

"You owe us 2000 dollars." Vil interrupted. "We just added a house there."

Jade paled. "The status is dire, Azul."

"Do we need to mortgage?"

"I'm afraid we will."

"Then do so."

A wide grin came to Idia's face as he looked over the board while the Octavinelle group struggled to pay yours. "We have this W in the bag, Ortho!" He paused for a moment, before a squeak. "And Jamil! We couldn't have done this without you!"

"I did nothing."

"Which is what we needed! If I was paired with Azul we would've lost by now... he's way too much of a control freak."

"I see." Jamil frowned in thought. "Thank you, then."

"...What was that Idia?" A threatening smile. "I hope you're prepared to face the consequences of what you've said..." 

"My team is plenty prepared to beat yours. We're not the ones on the verge of bankruptcy after all." Jamil grinned, always pleased to go against Azul.

"And now you've even turned Jamil against me! We just cannot let this stand, right Jade and Floyd?" Azul turned to the tweels for support as he faked heartbreak from Jamil's cruel words.

"Nah. I'm bored." Floyd said, examining his nails before deciding to go back to teasing Riddle until he exploded again.

"LOL even your team doesn't want to help you!" Idia laughed, manic grin on his face. "Ortho, roll a five for us if you'd please."

"...It's a seven."

"Goddamnit."

It's been three hours since the group started playing monopoly, with no end in sight to the horrors off the game. For all you tried to end it, only one other group has gone bankrupt since. 

"Finally, we're done for!" Ruggie sighed, relieved to be done with the game and to go to bed.

"Next time you should roll better." Leona glared. "We were this close to winning."

Ruggie looked at the other four groups still in the running and back to Leona, unimpressed. 

"I think we did super well anyways! We weren't the first group out and that's all that matters!" Kalim piped in, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Eh, whatever." Leona yawned before going up the steps to his bedroom. 

"Wh- Leona, aren't you gonna help clean our stuff up?" Ruggie yelled after him, and with the lack of reply, he groaned and went to pack the group's stuff up.

"I think I'll stay up." Kalim said to him. "I wanna see Jamil win!"

"Kalim... I doubt we're gonna be the winners at this rate." Jamil shook his head, the group funds of Ignihyde + Jamil and Octavinelle being significantly diminished since they declared war on each other.

"Shut up Jamil! We're gonna beat that stupid octopus into the ground, got it?!" Idia hissed, muttering calculations and win rates to Ortho as he surveryed the board with a manic look in his eyes.

Vil rolled his eyes. "This game will be way too long. Let's just-"

"NO FORFIETS ALLOWED!" Both Azul and Idia yelled at the same time, wanting to win 'fair and square', whatever that meant.

You tapped Vil on the shoulder and whispered a question to him. "Can I nap for a bit on your shoulder? I'm very much tired but... we can't exactly go to bed now." You shrugged with a weary smile.

"Whatever." He sighed in reply, and didn't say a word as you leant your head against his shoulder and with soft breaths as you drifted off to sleep.

You were still asleep when the game ended. Idia and Azul burnt each other out of the game, both throwing fits and arguing with each other as they went back to their rooms. Kalim, who had drifted off during the long game, was carried up to their shared room by Jamil with a groan off annoyance. Diasomnia somehow ended up winning despite the team only learning the rules a few hours ago.

Rook spoke up as Jade finished packing up the pieces. "Roi du Poison, I can always carry our dear Reine des Cygnes up the stairs if you'd rather go to sleep as soon as possible."

Vil shook his head. "It's fine, I can carry (Y/N) up myself." He merely glared at Rook when his vice housewarden gave a smug smile in reply. "Don't say a word."

"I won't!" He grinned.

"And don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?"

Vil didn't deign him with a reply and instead picked you up in a bridal carry to get to your room on the second floor. Worryingly, as he did so, you started to stir. His quiet and gentle movements didn't encourage you to go back to sleep, instead it merely woke you up as the two of you reached the top step.

You jolted in his arms. "I- Vil?!"

"What." He said flatly.

"Did you-" You spoke haltingly, tired and disoriented. "carry me up the stairs?"

Vil arched a brow. "Do you have a problem with that?"

You glanced away. "It's just that... you didn't have to go through the trouble, waking me up would suffice. I'm sorry for the bother."

"It was no bother at all." Vil's eyes pierced you as he continued to hold you up steadily. "If I wanted to wake you up, I would have done so. I don't mind doing this much for you." A rare smile graced his face as he looked upon you. "You are... precious to me, after all."

And with that, he set you down gently and walked down the stairs to his room, leaving you frozen in place. As you registered his words, a bright flush marked your cheeks. You hid your face behind your hands for a moment and sighed ever so quietly. Your heart thumped and a sea of butterflies flooded your stomach. 

You wondered what that feeling was as you tucked yourself into bed for the night.

Mini Theatre Jade, packing a monopoly board in his luggage: I can't wait to be on a team with my three favorite people! I'd love to play monopoly with (Y/N)! Vil and Riddle: Allow us to introduce ourselves. Leona: I WANTED TO TEAM WITH HER DAMMIT NOW I'M WITH KALIM. Jamil: ...Finally... freedom...

and here is the sixth part of the beach ep. if you'd like to read the rest of the fic, you can read it on ao3 here, and on quotev here.

[inherlight]

Zemali / Lore / Blissful but Frail

Except for their hardened limbs and heads, Zemali are really fragile and cautious people. They live, move and think slower because their bodies can’t endure too much prolonged pressure and stress that are normal for sistren of other Tribes. Even internal bodily fluids are slow and thick.

Zemali bodies are synthesis of flesh and fungal trama – puffy parts are lightweight and squishy-soft on touch; thick skin isn’t very elastic and can be easily damaged physically (much less thermally), smooth, covered in very short and soft trichomes and weakly fluorescence; skeletal structure in their torsos is mostly made of something similar to cartilage rather than bones; even nociceptors are simplistic, to reduce plausible discomfort or pain. Muscles are stiff and tight but easy to grow and hard to lose mass (though Zemali stay relatively weak compared to other tribes), moreover their bodies are very low on any kind of fats. On a good side they have really strong immune system, and not many common viruses or parasites are interested in Zemali, as well wild animals and most of insects ignore them, which is attributed to calming earthy-tomatoe odor; they hardly susceptible to long-term low-level emissions and many toxins; can rapidly regenerate tissues in response to injury. It seems like Zemali are also never in danger of starvation: during primal aridification and consecutive famine decades Zemali were falling into hibernation, surviving for years without food, yet barely active even to think and realize when famine season ends.

Being closer to trees not just visually, but mentally too, Zemali incline to have eidetic memory and strict circadian rhythm. For unhurried nature they never had adventurous spirit, and for their vulnerabilities – they are still least dangerous warriors. They are neither in a daily chase for personal glory, nor seek great life goals to attain. Zemali take pleasure in humble life of tranquility and familiarity.

Very polite and benignant, they can easily take offense as small as at improper language, but will keep genial composure even with people they greatly hate. No matter what others do – Zemali are gentle and benevolent towards them. For aggressive tribes thy look like cowards – easily forgive old enemies, very few of them have any desires to experience anything extremal, and in general act overly-pacifistic. As Aspect of Grace teaches, Zemali too feel pity for criminals and traitors: not in desire to forgive them, but because they can’t be forgiven anymore and deserve punishment, though even more pity is shown to sistren who now must deliver these punishments.

However this fragile state don’t last forever. A process similar to transdifferentiation happens when Zemali reach elderhood: skin and bones get harder, muscles – denser; they grow bigger and heavier; mindset become belligerent, cruel and competitive. Such Elders can’t be considered weak even by standards of other tribes. Today, as the result of an all-directional progress and social stability in Meority, Zemali can live safer and therefore longer than in previous generations, thus much more of them surviving until becoming Elders. There is no strict limit on how much Zemali can grow, but eventually their bodies shut down when even Elder’s powerful immune system can’t maintain vastly progressing internal malfunctions.

Zemali don’t bury nor treat bodies of deceased with funeral rites like other tribes do, partially because decay of their flesh is odorless and drying: deceased just laid open on the ground deep in forests, head against a tree foot, to feed its growth. As a result you should be wary that some thickets you see from afar might be Zemali Cemetery Forests.

***

Elderhood of course is not the first time in Zemali’s life when they transform: when born, their leaflings look like cute leafy four-legged caterpillars. After a few months of proper feeding little body overgrow with even more leaves which start to glue to each other, forming a cocoon. Inside that cocoon for another month, through metamorphosis, little Zemali grow proper bones, limbs and heads, until old leaves fall off.

More than a half of Zemali are under condition of vocal cords being either dysfunction or don’t exist at all, but those who still can speak are perceived by sistren tribes as monotone and plane. Because Zemali learn sign and hip language first, it is now used in their culture more often than spoken language even by kin without vocal disabilities. Zemali are in general not fond of noise (and big artificial lights), so almost all of them live away from big cities and rely less on recent flashy technologies.

Zemali Biology is heavily affected by surrounding environment and growth conditions during childhood. That, horn shape and color of leaf-hair depends on a biome where Zemali grew up, as well as developed tolerance to local climate, while adults can show only slight changes in coloration after decades. Peak height as well affected by childhood’s local environment, but even more by a balance of hydration and nutrition level relatively to that environment during growth.

Surprisingly, Zemali prefer raw animal meat and insects in their died, but even more they enjoy… fish… likewise they savor for a cup of fresh animal blood instead of juice. Most of plant-based food tastes bland, they say, unless fried almost to the black. Though any heavily burned meal is appealing to Zemali tastes, its funny that they dislike fire.

Talking about fire: as all true children of Meora should, Zemali retain artistic love for gorgeous bodies and erotic poses, but sex drive is very low among them – Zemali view it only as a reproduction purpose rather than physical pleasure; yet experience of romantic love is in high regard, and mating ritual possesses great importance for them, providing mental enjoyment from the fact of doing rather than physical sensation.

***

Before Paleolithicc period begun and even First Settlements were drowned in the Sea of Birth, most of Zemali ancestors, together with the Giants, migrated to a southern Thigh region of Her Gorgeousness, more fertile and stable lands where Crumbling was less common or stressful. There they were able to save knowledge of agriculture given to us by Meora, long enough for it to survive first Crumblings, and later be perfected with a help of sistren tribes. However, for being soft in mind and body, after the Giants left to yet Cursed Islands, villages of Zemali would be very often invaded, plundered and conquered during primal wars and in continuous centuries, though during Hegemony reign Zemali were the only subdued Tribe who had at least some peace, which is ascribed to the fact that [REDACTED] didn’t even consider Zemali as living beings and therefore had no interest in their suffering as long as they kept plowing on fields and feed their Empire.

Although Zemali population now spread and live in every region of Her Gorgeousness, thousands of years later many descendants of first migrants still inhabit Thigh region, spiritually inrooted here and never thinking of leaving ancestral home. Massive farmlands and orchard of The Empire of Hips and Thighs belong to many houses of Zemali, for they are the ones who heed to needs of plants and earth unrivaled. Zemali fingers can perceive chemicals produced by vegetation – a sense through which they understand current condition of plants they care about, while feet can perceive soil amenities. Through this comprehensions Zemali can aid trees and crops with natural means in precise ways, or find better fields for young plants, hence achieving greater harvest than that by agriculturalist of other tribes. Although help of sistren tribes is still required to efficiently gather results of this work. After which Zemali assemble for Feasts of Harvest and holy celebrations they do in the name of food and fertility, always welcoming outsiders to join. They don’t speak nor laugh there of course, but soft music and reveling sounds are present. Often Zemali houses celebrate together under the nearest Temple of Fertility, where remains of previous Angels of Grace are sheltered, and on some marvelous days anew Angels of Grace would join to contemplate results of previous lives.

Because of these abilities Zemali regularly assist Remedy Forces even if not blessed with the Gift of Creation. Some are actively assigned around the Crus, where they help to heal and pacify wild vegetation of Her Plagued Wound, bringing closer a day when the Infernal Malady will be extinguished and Allmother will stop suffering pain from this ancient bite.

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

HOMESKILLET

HOMESKILLET. Another MSPFA I’ve heard a lot about, but then again, besides a couple of the MSPFAs I’ve reviewed in 2024, I’ve basically heard of all these MSPFAs? Which makes sense; again, these are the cream of the crop of 2024, if you will, the MSPFAs that were the fastest growing out of all other MSPFAs I’ve looked at because they’ve had the least amount of time to “prove” themselves or attract an audience. Not to say other MSPFAs haven’t proven themselves to me that they should be at least 200 favourites of more (to me), but these are the ones that are making waves. And since HOMESKILLET comes from the dynamic mind behind one of the BIGGEST Fanadventure ever, KARKAT GOES TO A CONVENTION, and was even purposed once upon a time as the “Act 2” of that Fanadventure…yeah, I’d say that it made some waves.

And the intro seems to set-up once again that this won’t be your regular ordinary MSPFA SBURBventure, with it being like, “what if MSPA Reader, instead of reading the epilogues, read a random Fanadventure?” Which means that the actual “real” fanadventure starts on page 69, therefore proving to me, at least that this text knows how the slower moments can build up to a reveal, and is comfortable going the slower route. Apparently, according to people “in the know” (read: have read farther than me into Karkat Goes To A Convention), this is apparently somebody’s actual in-universe MSPFA? I’d be interested to see how this maps onto their character, then, and how their view of the world changes throughout Karkat Goes To A Convention. Although, splitting it off from the main text, KGTAC, means that that kind of analysis is a lot harder to get, since I could, theoretically (and in practice) not be coming into this Fanadventure with the idea of who that character is. Anyways, much to consider already.

Okay so far, this fanadventure has been…slow? Like, not like, in an uncompelling way, like there is that sense of dread that occupies every SBURBventure when you haven’t quite had the “SBURB Meteors/Threat Dejour” show up yet, (in a similar way to how dread builds in a Murder Mystery, come to think of it), but…idk. Nothing’s gripping me, so far. It’s been rather good and consistent and competent, and some of the jokes and phrasing of things are good, like refering to closing the door of a mini-fridge as causing “The COKE BOTTLES begin to go back to their original temperature,” which is like. Yeah that’s how a mini-fridge works. But it also mechanicalizes the process of opening up the fridge and closing the fridge in a very interesting way that I thought I should note down. Although, now that I think about it, that stuff is still present in Homestuck and other MSPFAs, just. Not as apparent, I guess?

I gotta say, I feel like the story wants to present itself as more…grounded, somehow. That’s probably a combination of both the vaguely slice-of-life presentation to Fred’s bumbling around the house (there’s not really *a* goal at this stage in the story, like how John basically got a goal pretty quickly of “retrieve the Sburb Beta and play it” in OG Homestuck), to the slower pace of the story and the less…extreme reactions to things from Fred. John is disgusted at his Dad’s Fanciful Harlequins, and Fred just wants cookies and Mac and Cheese and loves his Grandma. I think the story’s doing this, again, to set-up the tension and dread; we ALL KNOW, if we’ve come from reading KGTAC, what happens in these MSPFAs, and the destruction SBURB tends to set-up, so in these low-key moments of “normalcy” (for a lack of a better term), I feel a more heightened sense of dread about proceedings.

I will say, I like how there’s been a trend lately of like, emphasizing various other forms of communication besides just pesterlogs? Like, Homestuck has the characters interact with each other through the internet, and this feels like a logical extension of that. Sburb 1996, Ever After, and now Home Skillet (and also technically DEAD MEAT with its text messages) all fit into this, I think. I don’t have like, anything further to say about that, noting that it’s occurring and it’s an interesting trend.

Okay got to the windchime flash and this is exactly what I’m talking about with regards to the slower, more grounded pacing. Instead of a flash marked entirely by the absence of other people, we have noises of children and families playing in the background. Instead of having the cool wind blowing through the streets, creating a more haunting feeling, there’s birds chirping and there’s sunny lighting everywhere. Instead of a monologue about how something feels missing, there’s a monologue about responsibility and wondering what’s next, as if to say, Fred has never wanted or considered absence in this life. It’s…grounded. Slower. Anyways yeah if that sounds like up your alley you should probably check this out, I certainly liked it better than KGTAC’s opening stretch.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Mysterious phenomenon at center of galaxy could reveal new kind of dark matter

A mysterious phenomenon at the centre of our galaxy could be the result of a different type of dark matter. 

Dark matter, the mysterious form of unobserved matter which could make up 85% of the mass of the known universe, is one of science’s biggest manhunts. 

In this first of its kind study, scientists have taken a step closer to understanding the elusive mystery matter. They believe a reimagined candidate for dark matter could be behind unexplained chemical reactions taking place in the Milky Way. 

Dr Shyam Balaji, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at King’s College London and one of the lead authors of the study explains, “At the centre of our galaxy sit huge clouds of positively charged hydrogen, a mystery to scientists for decades because normally the gas is neutral. So, what is supplying enough energy to knock the negatively charged electrons out of them? 

“The energy signatures radiating from this part of our Galaxy suggest that there is a constant, roiling source of energy doing just that, and our data says it might come from a much lighter form of dark matter than current models consider.” 

The most established theory for dark matter is that it is likely a group of particles known as ‘Weakly Interacting Massive Particles’ (WIMPs), which pass through regular matter without much interaction – making them extremely hard to detect. 

However, this study, published today in Physical Review Letters, has potentially revived another type of dark matter with much, lower mass than a WIMP. 

The researchers think that these tiny dark matter particles are crashing into each other and producing new charged particles in a process called ‘annihilation’. These newly produced charged particles can subsequently ionise the hydrogen gas. 

Previous attempts to explain this ionisation process had relied on cosmic rays, fast and energetic particles that travel throughout the universe. However, this explanation has faced some difficulties, as energy signatures recorded from observations of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) where this is happening, don’t seem to be large enough to be attributed to cosmic rays. Such a process doesn’t seem to be possible with WIMPs either. 

The research team were left with the explanation that the energy source causing the annihilation is slower than a cosmic ray and less massive than a WIMP. 

Dr Balaji said “The search for dark matter is science’s biggest manhunt, but a lot of experiments are based on Earth. By using gas at the CMZ for a different kind of observation, we can get straight to the source. The data is telling us that dark matter could potentially be a lot lighter than we thought.” 

“The search for dark matter is one of fundamental science’s most important objectives, but a lot of experiments are based on Earth, waiting with hands outstretched for the dark matter to come to them. By peering into the centre of our Milky Way, the Hydrogen gas in the CMZ is suggesting that we may be closer to identifying evidence on the possible nature of dark matter.” 

This finding may simultaneously explain wider mysteries of our Galaxy, such as a specific type of X-ray observation found at the centre of the Milky Way – known as the ‘511-keV emission line’. This specific energy signature could also be due to the same low-mass dark matter colliding and producing charged particles. 

[somer-writes]

here’s a question for you about your pestilence au! So I saw your character sheets about twilight and had a question. If some of his gloom burns go down to the bone, does that impair his movement with the damaged/torn muscles or does the healing magic somehow allow him to circumvent the consequences (or perhaps heal the muscles?)? Or perhaps it’s a consequence of the gloom itself? Given how mangled the phantoms seem to be, perhaps the gloom is allowing them to move when the damage to the body should make it impossible? I mean the gloom hands are basically just gloom with form and they can move without muscles (I’m assuming)

perhaps this question is too early on (lol don’t want to make you spoil anything), so no pressure to give an answer.

that's a good question :D

CW for gore/violence, body horror beneath the cut

so the gloom has some Weird Effects. the gloom itself causes deformity/disfiguration as it rots its host but also the host acts in extreme manners which often result in some variety of self-inflicted injury. the end stage of gloom results in a living corpse more or less and as the body breaks down, it loses natural inhibitors which result in the body becoming capable of high performance strength/speed at the cost of injury. the gloom also causes convulsions which are severe enough to result in broken bones/joints, muscle tears etc

phantoms continue to be dangerous and move after brain death as gloom uses the host for as long as it physically can

the gloom doesnt particularly care about the longevity of its host (the goal is to kill after all) but does act in ways to circumvent the destructive process in order to spread the infection

gloom can pool and stretch to act as a sort of faux muscle if needed

gloom will work a muscle until entirely disintegrated

phantoms will still move as long as they're able despite broken bones/torn muscles. they only stop when they are literally physically incapable. pain is not a limit for phantoms

gloom causes intense survival in its hosts which push them over the edge of typical human activity. if the body is technically capable of it (biting through bone, endurance, etc) the gloom will make it possible

ofc this sort of bodily destruction has its cost

broken bones

sloughing/decay/loss of limbs

torn/failing muscle

gloom also has severe effects on the brain and progresses very similarly to dementia

convulsions

delirium

fight response/extreme aggression

loss of fine motor skills

memory loss (primarily short term)

confusion

trouble speaking/comprehending speech

inability to complete tasks (mostly loss of long term focus)

poor spacial awareness

loss of logic/reasoning (including symbology)

increased hearing/smell, decreased sight

sensitivity to light

pyrophobia

so! Twi gets infected, goes through stage 1 (fever, nausea, fatigue, etc) and is cured in ordon spring during stage 2 (brain infection pre brain death)

Ordona is able to stop the gloom from spreading further which while they can't heal whats already there all the way, twi's infection stops getting worse and eventually the bleeding stops as well. twi does somewhat gain control over the gloom in his body since its *mostly* blanched by light magic and is able to use it better and better as he adapts to it

as a result:

bonus strength! when tapping into his gloom strength, twi's body naturally uses the gloom as a faux muscle but he can't do this during the day if his arm is exposed bc gloom cannot survive sunlight

is prone to damaging his own body as a result of putting too much stress on it

bleeds slower but also heals slower and has a high pain tolerance

poor fine motor skills--he needs patience in order to do things like pinch but he can grab with all five fingers

forgetfulness/struggle maintaining focus for long periods of time

struggles with spacial reasoning (distance primarily)

increased scent/hearing, decreased vision (especially in the light)

sensitivity to light. hes *fine* in the light like it wont kill him but he does get sluggish and has a hard time using the gloom in daylight

pyrophobia

phantoms and gloomhands leave him alone! hes also immune to further infection. monsters in the depths also will generally leave him be

he can sense the presence of gloom/blood moons

when twilight glooms (read becomes more phantomlike in the presence of strong gloom) he's prone to confusion, delirium, aggression, and comprehension issues. early warning signs of lots of phantoms or a blood moon include confusion, forgetfulness, and comprehension issues

he is in fact still infectious to others but only when acting as a phantom. his gloom will regain its red glow when he's contagious

this is probably a lot more info than you were asking for XD theres a lot of trade offs for the perks he gets from the gloom. most of the time they can be worked around

[gynandromorph]

You’ve mentioned before that drake would be a far better god than jessie and would deal better with absolute power than most of your other characters, I find this incredibly interesting and I wondered if you could explain why a bit more?

yeah, sure. it's probably going to be a bit incomprehensible because it's 3 am right now (it is no longer 3 am but half of it was written at 3 am and i'm still stupid). drake's ocpd has compelled xem to feel obsessively invested in moral righteousness and to want an extreme amount of control over xyr environment. it's given xem a lot of incentive to think about what they would do differently, how they would make reality better, etc.

so, the main way that drake would be better than jessie as a god is because drake would care more about being a genuinely good god. xe is also not as impulsive or emotional as jessie; xe deliberates at length even for small interactions, and, while this can be debilitating in day-to-day life, if you were an omnipotent being totally exempt from the laws of time, this would not really be an issue. this quality also makes xem more capable of accurate insight and self-judgement.

i talked about shiloh and how as a god she would probably be a nightmarish sadist -- one might see her personality as similar to drake's because she's also more mellow and pattern-oriented. the difference between shiloh and drake (as well as jessie and drake) is that what drake finds gratifying is just worlds apart. drugs, sex, violence and power are things a lot of people find gratifying, but drake is someone who finds like... organizing books by size and color on the shelf gratifying. moving at a slower pace in general, unpredictable explosive experiences that feel exciting and interesting to the two lesbians feel overwhelming and unpleasant to xem. the avoidance of possible distress from possible mistakes is often a source of the gratification, so a lack of novelty wouldn't hit xem as hard, i think. basically being an ethical being WOULD BE what drake finds gratifying as a god because it's what xe finds gratifying already, which is a huge advantage. the fact that xyr desire for control is projected onto xyr environment is just a bonus -- since xe interprets the problems as coming from outside the house, xe's less likely to focus on inner desires for decision-making.

something drake has had to ponder more than many of my other characters is the fact that no one ever asks to be born, and most aren't entirely happy with what they're born with. i think it occurs to most people at some point that no one asks to be born, but drake has spent cumulative years ruminating on this. i find xyr take on godhood and how i conceptualize it interesting based on that even on its own, because drake wants a world where every single thing chooses to be born with an adequate amount of information to make the choice.

i've spent here or there thinking about how xe would try to go about doing this, and so far it's involved some kind of AI-like network which would approximate the entire lifespan of an individual without possessing a consciousness or emotional world of its own, then relay that in a chemical format. if the projected life is suitable for this hypothetical person and they'd most likely consent to living the life, the chemical info enters a matching receptor on a zygote and it progresses. this would happen several if not thousands of times during the process of producing a conscious being, i think. this is believable enough to me w/how much info dna itself can hold, and that wasn't designed with any intelligence. that's the best way i've come up with the chicken and the egg dilemma wrt conscious choice to be born thus far. the other component i've thought about is probably making life able to move about 4-dimensionally, essentially giving conscious beings the ability to time travel as a regular form of locomotion. i gotta imagine this isn't too big a deal when you can alter the laws of physics to your liking. i know that drake would also get rid of (nonconsensual) death not just by canceling it now, but reviving every single conscious creature that has ever died. oh, earth wouldn't support infinitely multiplying life? god can fix that. death is the only thing that makes life meaningful? no it doesn't. not in drake's world. meaning is a sensation in our heads subject to alterations, just like every emotion. some things might not want to live forever? some things might want to feel sadness, pain, anger, and suffering? well, it'd be immoral for drake to decide how they should feel by getting rid of these unpleasant emotions, so xe will give them the choice to die if they want to, and the choice to undie, probably handled by the same network that estimates if they want to be born - the choice to feel sad or opt out, the choice to feel pain or opt out, etc. to drake, this would not only resolve the "suffering gives life meaning" argument, but would also functionally prevent any given subject from forcing another subject to feel anything it doesn't want to. drake would yield a lot of power to xyr subjects, because the power differential between a god and its sims in a sandbox is inherently going to be an abuse of that power in exchanges. you could argue that xe would do well with absolute power because xe would make xyr power... Not absolute relatively quickly after some things were stabilized. given the idea that maybe they could not choose anything at all, like how a fictional character can't choose anything, i think that xe would resort to breaking up xyr infinite amount of choice into tiny pieces compartmentalized away from xem, like someone dissociating but intentionally, and putting that into the subjects instead. this would be an odd limitation, though, and would preclude omnipotence. i just think the decisions xe would make based on xyr sense of ethics would be neat because of how unyielding those moral "rules" are and other elements of xyr personality.

[howtochoosetherightheattoo]

How to Choose the Right Heat Tool for Unwrinkling Leather

Leather is a symbol of timeless elegance—tough yet refined, rugged yet luxurious. But even the most exquisite leather piece is not immune to the stubborn folds and creases that life throws its way. Whether it’s your favorite leather jacket that’s been folded too long or a vintage leather bag with lines of age, wrinkles can diminish the beauty of leather. Fortunately, heat can help—but only if used with precision. Choosing the right heat tool to unwrinkle leather is crucial, and the process requires care, knowledge, and the right touch of artistry. Before this, explore best leather jackets in USA here.

Why Heat Works for Leather Wrinkles

Before diving into heat tools, let’s understand why heat is effective. Leather is a natural material made from animal hide. It’s treated, dyed, and finished to become the luxurious product we wear or use. Like our own skin, it has a memory—it can stretch, crease, and return to form with a bit of coaxing.

Heat softens the leather fibers, allowing them to loosen and settle into a flatter position. However, too much heat can burn, dry out, or crack the surface. That’s why selecting the correct heat tool is not just helpful—it’s essential.

Factors to Consider Before Using Heat

When choosing a heat tool for unwrinkling leather, consider:

Leather Type: Full-grain, top-grain, suede, nubuck, and bonded leather react differently to heat.

Thickness: Thicker leather, like on jackets or boots, needs more controlled and sustained heat.

Color and Finish: Some dyed or painted leathers can discolor under heat.

Wrinkle Depth: Surface creases need less intensity, while deep wrinkles may need steam or sustained pressure.

Now let’s explore the best heat tools to use and how to use them safely.

1. Steam Iron (with a barrier)

Best For: Garments like jackets, skirts, and pants Not Suitable For: Suede or nubuck

Using a regular household steam iron is one of the most effective ways to remove wrinkles—if used correctly. Never place the iron directly onto the leather. Instead, follow this method:

How to Use:

Set the iron to the lowest heat or "wool" setting with steam enabled.

Place a clean, damp cotton cloth (like a pillowcase or muslin) over the wrinkled area.

Gently press the iron on the cloth for 5-10 seconds—no sliding.

Lift and repeat. Let the area cool before checking the result.

Pros:

Easily accessible

Effective on deep creases

Cons:

Risk of burning if too hot or left too long

Requires extreme care and a protective barrier

2. Clothing Steamer

Best For: Jackets, coats, soft bags Not Suitable For: Structured leather items or anything suede

Steamers offer a safer alternative to irons because they never make direct contact with the leather. They're excellent for relaxing the leather fibers without the risk of scorching.

How to Use:

Hang the leather garment or item on a padded hanger.

Hold the steamer 6–8 inches away and slowly pass over the wrinkled area.

Allow the leather to dry naturally while hanging to reset its shape.

Pros:

Gentle and safe

Ideal for delicate or expensive leather items

Cons:

Doesn’t work well for deep-set wrinkles

Needs time for results to show

3. Hair Dryer (the underrated tool)

Best For: Small accessories, shoes, or quick fixes Not Suitable For: Thick garments or heavily wrinkled items

Yes, your everyday hair dryer can double as a heat tool for leather care. While not as powerful as an iron or steamer, it’s great for low-risk applications.

How to Use:

Set it to medium heat with low airflow.

Hold the dryer at least 6 inches away and move it constantly to avoid hot spots.

Massage the leather with your fingers or a smooth cloth as you heat it, shaping the area.

Pros:

Easily controlled

Safe and portable

Cons:

Slower to produce results

Doesn’t work on deeper wrinkles

4. Heat Gun (for the experienced only)

Best For: Professional leatherworkers or DIY experts Not Suitable For: Beginners or delicate leather

A heat gun is powerful—too powerful in many cases. It delivers high-temperature air, often used in crafts and auto detailing. If you’re experienced, it can be a potent wrinkle remover for thick leather items like saddles or upholstery.

How to Use:

Use the lowest heat setting and keep the gun moving constantly.

Always test on an inconspicuous area first.

Combine with leather conditioner immediately after heating to prevent dryness.

Pros:

Effective for stubborn wrinkles

Excellent for thicker materials

Cons:

High risk of damage

Not beginner-friendly

5. Heated Leather Press or Ironing Machine

Best For: Professionals, tailors, or workshops Not Suitable For: At-home casual use

If you’re working with leather often or in bulk (think designers or artisans), a heated press may be worth the investment. These machines apply even pressure and temperature over time, ideal for reshaping leather goods.

Pros:

Uniform results

Time-efficient for large batches

Cons:

Expensive

Requires technical know-how

Pro Tips for Using Heat on Leather

Always condition after heating: Heat can dry leather. Follow up with a leather conditioner to restore suppleness.

Test a small spot first: Always test your heat tool on a hidden part of the leather to ensure no damage occurs.

Avoid moisture on untreated leather: Steam can stain unfinished or porous leather types like nubuck.

Patience is key: Leather won’t unwrinkle instantly. Let it rest, hang, and reshape naturally over a few hours or overnight.

When to Avoid Heat Entirely

Some wrinkles add character—but if you're aiming for a pristine look, heat may help. Still, there are scenarios where heat should be avoided altogether:

Antique or delicate leather: Use professional restoration instead.

Suede and Nubuck: These materials are too delicate for most heat tools. Use specialty brushes or take them to a professional cleaner.

Items with embellishments or stitching details: Excessive heat can loosen glue or damage embroidery.

Conclusion: It’s All About Balance

Choosing the right heat tool for unwrinkling leather is part science, part artistry. It’s about balancing temperature, pressure, and patience. Whether you opt for the humble steam iron or a precise clothing steamer, the key lies in understanding your leather’s personality—how it bends, how it softens, and how it shines again.

Leather, like us, responds to a little warmth and care. So next time you see those creases, don’t panic. Equip yourself with the right heat tool, take it slow, and let your leather rediscover its flawless form.

[dark-rx]

Mysterious phenomenon at center of galaxy could reveal new kind of dark matter

Date: March 10, 2025 Source: King's College London Summary: A mysterious phenomenon at the center of our galaxy could be the result of a different type of dark matter.

Dark matter, the mysterious form of unobserved matter which could make up 85% of the mass of the known universe, is one of science's biggest manhunts.

In this first of its kind study, scientists have taken a step closer to understanding the elusive mystery matter. They believe a reimagined candidate for dark matter could be behind unexplained chemical reactions taking place in the Milky Way.

Dr Shyam Balaji, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at King's College London and one of the lead authors of the study explains, "At the centre of our galaxy sit huge clouds of positively charged hydrogen, a mystery to scientists for decades because normally the gas is neutral. So, what is supplying enough energy to knock the negatively charged electrons out of them?

"The energy signatures radiating from this part of our Galaxy suggest that there is a constant, roiling source of energy doing just that, and our data says it might come from a much lighter form of dark matter than current models consider."

The most established theory for dark matter is that it is likely a group of particles known as 'Weakly Interacting Massive Particles' (WIMPs), which pass through regular matter without much interaction -- making them extremely hard to detect.

However, this study, published today in Physical Review Letters, has potentially revived another type of dark matter with much, lower mass than a WIMP.

The researchers think that these tiny dark matter particles are crashing into each other and producing new charged particles in a process called 'annihilation'. These newly produced charged particles can subsequently ionise the hydrogen gas.

Previous attempts to explain this ionisation process had relied on cosmic rays, fast and energetic particles that travel throughout the universe. However, this explanation has faced some difficulties, as energy signatures recorded from observations of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) where this is happening, don't seem to be large enough to be attributed to cosmic rays. Such a process doesn't seem to be possible with WIMPs either.

The research team were left with the explanation that the energy source causing the annihilation is slower than a cosmic ray and less massive than a WIMP.

Dr Balaji said "The search for dark matter is science's biggest manhunt, but a lot of experiments are based on Earth. By using gas at the CMZ for a different kind of observation, we can get straight to the source. The data is telling us that dark matter could potentially be a lot lighter than we thought."

"The search for dark matter is one of fundamental science's most important objectives, but a lot of experiments are based on Earth, waiting with hands outstretched for the dark matter to come to them. By peering into the centre of our Milky Way, the Hydrogen gas in the CMZ is suggesting that we may be closer to identifying evidence on the possible nature of dark matter."

This finding may simultaneously explain wider mysteries of our Galaxy, such as a specific type of X-ray observation found at the centre of the Milky Way -- known as the '511-keV emission line'. This specific energy signature could also be due to the same low-mass dark matter colliding and producing charged particles.

[quincyran]

Topaz Video Enhance AI Alternative 2025

Introduction

Video content has never been more precious, whether for filmmakers, content creators, or just people who want to make more enhanced personal videos. The demand for high-quality upscaling, denoising, and frame interpolation of video has led to the creation of AI-based video enhancement software.

Topaz Video Enhance AI is among the most utilized programs for this. It's being utilized extensively to improve video quality. Nevertheless, it's extremely costly, has extremely high system requirements, and has a much too complex interface, making it difficult for most users to access and properly utilize.

If you are looking for a cheaper, easier-to-use, and more efficient alternative, you are lucky. HitPaw VikPea is a highly efficient AI video enhancer with HD video upscaling, quicker processing speed, and a user-friendly interface.

This tutorial will discuss why Topaz Video Enhance AI might not be ideal for all, how HitPaw VikPea stacks up as an alternative to Topaz, and how to use it step-by-step to upscale your videos easily.

Part 1: Why Topaz Video Enhance AI Isn't Always the Best Choice

Topaz Video Enhance AI is a widely used video enhancement software that is not without its shortcomings. Sure, it is great at upres and enhancement, but a plethora of defects render it unusable to a large number of users.

1. It’s Expensive

First of all, price is a problem. Topaz Video Enhance AI is a one-time $299 licensing fee. This would be fair if you apply video enhancement to a professional scale of work. However, this is expensive if you are a hobbyist or a small-time video material creator.

2. You Need a Powerful Computer

Topaz Video Enhance AI needs a high-spec computer to function properly. If you do not possess a high-spec NVIDIA RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 graphics card, at least 16GB RAM, or a high-spec processor, you should anticipate slower processing time and system crashes.

3. It's Not Beginner-Friendly

Despite Topaz AI's excellent capabilities, it is not easy to use. You must calibrate a set of AI models, play with processing parameters, and wait for hours of rendering time to get the desired effects.

4. Slow Processing Speed

Converting a 5-minute Full HD video to 4K in Topaz Video Enhance AI can take as long as 40 minutes—even on a high-performance computer. This can really slow you down if you are dealing with longer videos or several projects.

5. Limited Format Support

Another problem is that Topaz Video Enhance AI will not natively support all video formats. If you edit MKV, WebM, or some professional codecs, you must convert your files first, which adds an extra step to your workflow.

Part 2: Why HitPaw VikPea is the Best Alternative

Now that we've discussed Topaz Video Enhance AI's limitations, it's time to switch to a brighter, more speedy, yet affordable option: HitPaw VikPea.

1. Easy-To-Use AI-Powered UpScaling

The great aspect of working with HitPaw VikPea is that it leverages high-order AI algorithms to upscale video without making you jump between sophisticated settings. Rather than adjusting many parameters, you can get high-quality output through a few simple clicks.

2. Quicker Processing Speeds through GPU Acceleration

Unlike Topaz, which is slow in processing videos, HitPaw VikPea is designed for speed. With the help of strong GPU acceleration, it processes videos 3x quicker than Topaz. It can upscale a 5-minute Full HD video in less than 15 minutes, even on a mid-level computer.

3. Budget-friendly Price

In contrast to Topaz's single payment of $299, HitPaw VikPea comes with tiered pricing plans, making it much more affordable for anyone to use. You can choose a plan based on your needs, whether you are a weekend user or a pro editor.

4. Supported by More Devices

The other significant benefit is compatibility with devices. HitPaw VikPea operates smoothly on Windows and macOS and does not need an ultra-high-end GPU. It can even be used on mid-range and low-end computers without any performance problems.

5. Batch Processing for Maximum Efficiency

While Topaz uses each video separately, HitPaw VikPea is batch-friendly, i.e., you can process many videos simultaneously. This is a massive time saver for professionals and creators.

6. Broad File Support

Supported by MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, WebM, etc., a wide range of files, HitPaw VikPea saves you unnecessary file conversion, making it even more convenient and quick to work.

7. Other Features Like AI Denoising & Frame Interpolation

In addition to upscaling, HitPaw VikPea（Video Enhancer） also features AI-powered denoising and frame interpolation, making it an all-in-one solution for enhancing old, grainy, low-frame-rate videos.

Part 3: Topaz Video Enhance AI vs. HitPaw VikPea: Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature

Topaz Video Enhance AI

HitPaw VikPea

Price

$299 (one-time)

Affordable subscription options

Ease of Use

Complex interface

Simple & beginner-friendly

Hardware Requirements

High-end PC needed

Works on mid-range PCs

Processing Speed

Slow (40 min for a 5-min video)

Faster (15 min for a 5-min video)

Batch Processing

No

Yes

Format Support

Limited

Supports MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WebM, etc.

Extra Features

Upscaling only

Upscaling, denoising, frame interpolation

Best For

Professionals with high-end hardware

All users, from beginners to pros

As you can tell from this comparison, HitPaw VikPea is the superior option for most users, with faster speeds, broader compatibility, and more features at a lower price.

Part 4: How to Use HitPaw VikPea: Step-by-Step Guide

It is very easy to use HitPaw VikPea. Here are the steps to upscale your videos in a few minutes:

Step 1: Install and Download

Download a compatible version of HitPaw VikPea for Windows or macOS.

Please install it using the on-screen guide.

Step 2: Import Your File

Launch HitPaw VikPea and click "Import" to add your file.

Drag files to import in a one-click action.

Step 3: Select AI Enhancement Mode

Select between various AI models:

Upscale (to HD, 4K, or 8K)

Denoise (remove grainy noise)

Frame Interpolation (smoothen action & increase frames per second)

Step 4: Select Output Settings

Select desired format (MP4, AVI, MKV, etc.)

Set the resolution to export and bitrate.

Step 5: Process

Click "Export" to allow HitPaw VikPea's AI to process your video automatically.

Step 6: Save & Share

Please go ahead and preview your processed video and save it.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a robust AI video enhancer that will not deplete your hardware budget or confuse your settings, HitPaw VikPea is your best option.

With accelerated processing, more advanced format support, batch processing, and AI-enhanced capabilities, it is the most user-friendly and cost-effective alternative to Topaz Video Enhance AI.

Ready to take the plunge? Download HitPaw VikPea today and take video enhancement to new heights!

[tailwindpets]

From Injury to Recovery: How Canine Leg Braces Support Your Dog's Healing Journey

Imagine this: You’re at the park, enjoying a crisp morning walk with your dog. Suddenly, your furry friend takes a wrong step, yelps in pain, and limps back to you. It’s a moment no dog owner ever wants to face, but unfortunately, injuries like torn ligaments or joint strains happen. Thankfully, there's a tool that can be a game-changer in the healing process: the dog knee brace. While many are familiar with its role in aiding recovery, the true benefits often go underappreciated. Here’s how a Dog Knee Brace and other Dog Leg Braces can play a pivotal role in your dog’s recovery journey.

Canine Leg Braces: A Lifeline for Recovery

When it comes to injuries such as torn ACLs or joint instability, your dog’s ability to heal properly hinges on support and mobility. Leg braces act as a stabilization aid, reducing pain while helping maintain the injured joint's position. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), around 20% of dogs suffer from joint issues, with cruciate ligament injuries being one of the most common. For dogs in their prime, or those with degenerative conditions like arthritis, canine braces are essential in relieving pain and restoring mobility.

But did you know that Dog Leg Braces aren’t just for post-surgery recovery? In fact, they are recommended as preventative tools for active dogs to avoid further injury, especially when they’re involved in sports or high-energy activities. A brace allows them to move safely while maintaining their range of motion. It’s much like a support bandage for humans, but designed for the anatomical needs of dogs.

The Role of Dog Braces in Post-Surgery Recovery

Post-surgery recovery can be a challenging journey for your dog. After a major procedure like ACL surgery, your dog’s muscles, ligaments, and bones need time to heal and regain their strength. A Canine Leg Brace helps reduce strain on the injured area, allowing your dog to move without putting too much weight on the healing joint. This aids in the recovery of muscle function and prevents the development of abnormal movement patterns that can lead to further complications.

Statistics from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reveal that knee injuries are the leading cause of lameness in dogs. In particular, torn cranial cruciate ligaments (CCL) are extremely common, and knee braces have shown to reduce the need for surgery in some cases. They’re a key component in both non-surgical treatment and rehabilitation, offering an alternative or supplementary recovery solution.

Custom Fit and Comfort: Why It Matters

What many people don’t realize is that a Dog Knee Brace or Dog Leg Brace isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s crucial that these braces fit your dog perfectly. A brace that’s too loose or too tight could lead to discomfort and disrupt the healing process. Custom-made braces ensure that your dog receives the proper alignment and support, especially if your pet’s leg is slightly different in size or shape than others.

While off-the-shelf options are available, a custom Dog Brace helps target specific areas of weakness. Many companies now offer braces that are tailored to the individual needs of your dog. These devices are often made from breathable, lightweight materials that are comfortable and durable. They provide just enough compression to support joints, reduce inflammation, and even speed up recovery time.

Mental and Emotional Benefits

Beyond the physical healing, dog braces also provide emotional support. Seeing your dog struggle to walk or stand can be heartbreaking, and you may notice them becoming less active or even depressed. A Canine Leg Brace not only improves mobility but can also boost your dog’s spirits, allowing them to re-engage in activities they love, even if at a slower pace initially. Many owners have reported that after their dogs start wearing the brace, they regain confidence in movement, which in turn enhances their overall well-being.

Conclusion: The Power of Dog Braces in Healing

The journey from injury to recovery isn’t always easy, but with the right tools, it can be more manageable. A Dog Knee Brace or Canine Leg Brace isn’t just a temporary solution; it’s an essential part of a comprehensive recovery plan that supports your dog’s healing process, promotes mobility, and restores their joy. By combining medical intervention, proper rehabilitation, and the right support gear, you’re setting your dog on the road to recovery — one paw at a time.

By understanding the true benefits of Dog Braces, you ensure that your dog not only heals but thrives after an injury. So, next time your dog faces a setback, remember that a Dog Leg Brace could be the key to helping them walk tall again.

[theghostpinesmusic]

Wahtum Lake Loop (3/3)

I didn't sleep like an absolute monster on the second night like I had on the first night, but I still slept like a slightly smaller monster that had hiked sixteen miles and climbed almost 5,000 feet the day before.

I woke up early and took my time getting ready, loath to leave The Perfect Campsite behind, but also looking forward to stuffing my face with highly processed food that I paid someone else to cook for me. It's such a delicate balance between wilderness and civilization, y'know? I believe Edward Abbey called it "moderate extremism," and that feels right. I was moderately extremely ready to absolutely house a veggie burger and fries, at least.

As last-day trip report entries often are, this one is going to be a bit shorter than the previous entries in this series. Mostly because, as I've already mentioned a few times, my hike out to the car from Seven And A Half Mile Camp was literally the same hike I'd taken to get in to the campsite in the first place, just in reverse.

Same waterfalls, different day. TLC fucking warned me about this exact thing, but I didn't listen! I didn't listen!

Anyway, I passed by Twister Falls again. It was awesome, again. Especially in the morning light. You get this crazy view of it dumping down into the canyon first...

...followed by the weirdly twined fall, which gives it its name.

See? I promised I'd add in some waterfall photos when I got to this post!

I also tried to do a better job of documenting some of the more vertiginous parts of the trail on my way out, partially as a matter of historical record, but also to keep my mind occupied since it had already seen every inch of this trail less than forty-eight hours earlier and there was nobody to talk to.

In the late morning light, Tunnel Falls was looking especially...wet and hairy? I'm sorry, I mean that's sort of the only way to describe it.

I also took a picture of this weirdly uneven, rocky section of trail that, aside from a few of the blowdowns much higher up and past Tunnel Falls, was easily the sketchiest part of the trail. If these rocks had been wet, I might have been scooting over them on my butt instead of walking across them.

I didn't make this clear in my day-one post, but there were more cool bridges along the trail than just the High Bridge, including this one:

But of course I also had to cross the High Bridge again, which I did more confidently the second time than I'd done the first time.

Complaints aside, since I wasn't racing the clock to a campsite this time around, I was able to take things a bit slower in certain places, and appreciate things like this cool little section of valley more than I had the first time through.

I also stopped among the Friday morning throngs and took a picture of Punchbowl Falls, while they (I assume) looked at me askance and judged me for looking and smelling like I'd slept on the ground for two nights in a row.

Finally, when I reached this last section of (in this case mostly unnecessary) cables, I knew I was almost back.

From there, it was a short jaunt to the end of the trail proper and then an amble along the asphalt road, passing the incoming Friday afternoon traffic heading the other way, to get back to the car.

As a fun (and unplanned) side adventure: I had to drive a bit out of the way to get from the trailhead to the Mount Hood Brewing Company in Government Camp, where I went in search of the aforementioned veggie burger and fries, and on the way there I drove past the White River Sno-Park, which I hadn't previously known about. I pulled a quick turn-around on Highway 35, doubled back, and parked, and after a short, sore walk along some gravel flats, was treated to an up-close view of Mount Hood and the full path of the White River flowing down from its eponymous glacier all the way to my feet and beyond.

This was both unexpected and cool, especially considering that the White River has always had a bit of a haunted reputation in my mind ever since it almost murdered me in 2019 when Lindsey and I hiked the Timberline Trail.

I wrote about that whole episode for the book I'm working on, and if you haven't heard the story before I'll try to post a more compact, less jargon-filled version of it on here at some point.

Anyway, after taking in the view (and the surprisingly cold wind) for a few minutes, I continued on to the veggie burger and fries and home!

All in all, while not exactly being a "loop," the Wahtum Lake Loop was pretty amazing and, as I wrote before, if you're a beginning backpacker this would be an ideal early trip, especially if you live near Portland. If you wanted, you could easily camp at Seven And A Half Mile Camp for a night or two, not hike or climb any further from there, and feel like you still got a lot out of the hike.

More June adventures coming soon!

[vividverdana]

It was home.

No matter how long ago it was. The place I spent most of my younger years was a fairly poor neighborhood, toeing the line between low-class and middle-class. There were a few light posts along the street, though I don't remember where they were. The sheer mass of trees along the sidewalks and only a few light posts meant that in another sense of the term, our community was shady. The trees were extremely tall, and the branches started much lower than most varieties do. The grass was vivid green, and perhaps it's because I was young, but it was always like walking through strings of cotton. I loved picking up branches and playing with them, either twirling them around or hitting them on trees. My brother and I would duel each other a lot, and when we got hurt, would have a childish temper about the "brutal attack" we had suffered.

The house seemed so big when I was younger, but when I visited with my dad a few years back to help clean out before it sold, I realized how that was all in perspective. Being the right side of a duplex, we had very little space, and the house itself wasn't in great shape. The door was painted red by my mom after her mother died, though the new owners repainted it and did a bit of remodeling, redoing the brick gardens in front, and the bricks which came up to form the bottom of the house's front.

The streets were paved with memories. The builders chose the sort of gravel that starts incredibly loose, but over time will become packed and compressed with wear. Still, I remember the sound they made as we drove by, the plink plink plink of pebbles shooting up, aimed at the cars who would trample over them. Progressively, the sound became slower and as less gravel came up, I realized something---an epiphany of sorts. As the gravel came together over time, so did I.

In my youth, I enjoyed the pastime of biking along the street, though it took greater force when I was younger, as I was weaker, and the gravel created more friction. As time went on and I grew in strength, riding became easier and less gravel shot at me. My skills solidified, and as my strength grew, I was able to pull the pieces of my heart and identity together. In a way, the gravel went through the same process. The same roads I learned to ride a bike on, I drove on in my car. It's funny, I suppose, how when you leave a place behind, the image stays constant in your mind. Yet, when you return years later, you realize how much of its growth and progression you missed.

I remember playing with the sand and water table with my brother and our neighbors to the right. I remember running around in the grass with my brother and our neighbors to the left, playing the bad guy in the game as always. I remember being sick of being reduced to a single role, never seen as a good force but one to conquer or change or use. I remember a childhood with minimal memories. And while I can piece together how the world looked to me as a child from fragmented memories, the absence of a whole heart and presence of a troubled mind relays to me how my childhood was not as it seemed to those who lived it with me. Little issues have always stuck with me---anxiety being ever-present---and what may seem as just a disadvantaged childhood to others may have been one filled with trauma for me. As I reflected on this when we moved to my cousins' house, I tried to find meaning in anything I could. In other people, I tried to find their flaws and love them regardless. I tried my best to cater to other people's issues, but nobody returned the favor. And hence starts a journey of self-realization, through my beliefs, my Christian friends, my school friends, personality tests, mental health disorders, Autism and ADHD, and fandoms.

Through a childhood of not understanding myself and being much too altruistic, I've started myself on a journey of self-care and understanding. I know the Holy Spirit within me has helped guide me through life's troubles, including leading me to researching Neurodivergency. However, I still have a long way to go. And no matter how long ago it was, no matter how far I've come in the past 16 years, it was my home where I started my life, and I hope to one day return. Though my true home will be with Jesus, I am learning to do the best I can to cherish the years I'm on this Earth, to help others, and to grow in my relationship with God.

[scribbling-stardust]

Ooh okay this looks so interesting! This would depend on the size of the planet and its moons but I'll assume an earth-sized planet for now (I'll get to moon sizes in a second). In our solar system there's currently no asteroids big enough to break up our moon or even knock it off its orbit so it would have to be something really big like a similar size to the moon itself or even bigger really.

You could have instead that the moon drifts closer and passes the Roche limit which would cause it to break up and form rings. I think this is the process for most ring systems I know of. Unless the collision is necessary of course! Just make it something big. However if the planet and moon were the same size as earth and our moon, the moon being at its roche limit would cause immense tidal forces that would heat the earth and likely create lots of molten lava on the surface. The solution is to have the planet be significantly larger than the moon (think the ratio between Jupiter or Saturn and some of their moons).

1. It would cause A LOT of problems mostly from huge chunks of the moon hitting the planet. It's hard to know exactly how catastrophic this would be depending on the size of the debris ect. But I'm leaning towards it definitely causing a mass extinction if the moon is the size it is in the picture. A smaller moon would be less likely to cause extinctions but its definitely still a possibility. Essentially it depends but chunks of rock colliding with a planet is never a good thing for the population.

2. Okay so here's a problem: when the moon is broken up by a collision it's likely to reform itself if its further out than the Roche limit. The chunks of moon won't break themselves up, they need the tidal forces inside the Roche limit. However if the impact is strong enough to shatter the moon completely it would take a very long time to reform. You could bypass the reformation completely by saying that the other moon stabilises the rings (one of the theories for how the rings of J1407b are sustained). But outside the Roche limit the moon won't be ripped apart beyond what the collision would do to it. (Inside the Roche limit it would depend on its orbit, velocity and density -> eccentric orbit + low velocity + low density and it could get torn up in one orbit but likely it would take several orbits.)

3. Yes if its outside the Roche limit and stabilised by the other moon. But it wouldn't break down so you've kind of got a trade off here. Either huge chunk of moon in stable orbit or moon inside Roche limit with an unstable orbit and experiencing tidal forces which break it up. Orbit radius depends on the radius of the planet and the velocity of the moon chunks (faster equals smaller orbit and slower equals larger). So they would move to different orbits (some leaving and some crashing down to the planet's surface) and stabilise.

4. It might still have some effects on the tide but it would be less than the original moon due to being spread out. If the ring was around the equator it would probably change the shape of the planet to be wider over time. It would affect the planet much less than two moons would so there'd be less extreme tides and the tides would be less predictable and a bit more erratic but not as strong as there was with two moons.

5. So this is difficult and depends on the size of the debris but I doubt it would take decades. Once it's exposed to the frigid temperature of space without its layers of rock insulation it will cool very fast. Especially the outside so it wouldn't be glowing for long (maybe a few days at most but that's just a guess). The larger chunks could take many years to fully equalise with the temperature of space but it would appear cooled from the planet long before that.

6. The tides would change to be less extreme but there'd actually be less conflicting forces on the planet than when there were two moons. The planet would likely grow wider around the equator (assuming that's where the ring is) but that would take many years and wouldn't be noticeable on a human time scale. The rings would cause a shadow on the planet which would reduce the amount of light and if the planet is tilted like earth would make winters even darker and colder. Also depending on the composition of the rings it cold cool the planet (ice in the rings reflect radiation) or heat it (dust in the rings absorb the radiation from the sun). It definitely could cause geological problems depending on the size like volcanoes due to the changing forces especially when the rings are stabilising but two moons would likely cause this as well and i doubt the debris of one moon would cause catastrophic stress on the planet. And of course the risk of falling space debris would be greatly heightened for hundreds of years to come.

To conclude, I think it could be feasible for a small moon (compared to its planet) and if the population get lucky with the falling debris and survive the ensuing impact winter. There are many existing planets with this kind of view so, physically possible? Yes. Survivable? Possibly in the right conditions.

Good luck with your worldbuilding! If I'm wrong or missed something I'm super sorry but I hope this was at least a little bit helpful!

Me, preparing to theoretically go to bed (it's 9am and I got up less than 6 hours ago): I need to talk to an astrophysicist immediately. it's for worldbuilding reasons.

[kr1llz]

i dont know how to ask questions. but i now need to know everything about this au. any little scrap will do i just NEEDDDDD INFORMATIONNNNN

[sharp inhale] hi. fucking beams you

okay quick note: this is literally something thats been in my head for like 2 or 3 days if you see consistency issues ignore them bless. also for consistency purposes shadow has a higher concentration of chaos energy (bc i dont think this is ever said in any games but is just kinda implied)

the basic premise is that maria and shadow both survived the raid on the ARK and survived the fall to earth

Maria does still get injured and, in an attempt to heal her injuries, is able to use his own chaos energy to not only heal her, but more or less reverse the effects of NIDS at the cost of keeping his black arms traits completely at bay

additionally this extreme concentration effectively ruins his regulators, causing his issues with his black arms traits to be worse than they couldve been

With the reversal of her disease, Maria's lifespan and aging process is uh. kinda messed up, extending it by a pretty significant amount by making her aging process much slower

they go into hiding best they can and the 50 year timeskip that takes place in sa2 instead becomes time where they try and figure out 1. how the world works and 2. more about their past bc they were both kept in the dark about things while on the ARK (basically wtf was going on with shadows creation and why did GUN attack in the first place)

on the other hand, shadow experiences some mutations (third eye, sharper claws, increased amount of red quills/fur) and is more prone to violent episodes

these episodes are especially bad during their first few years on mobius but after awhile hes able to keep these episodes at bay much much better

i also lied when i said i wouldnt post the art this entire post is the entire au as of right now so heres their (still kinda wip) modern designs

this is where i havent thought things out as well but uhh BASICALLY maria hears about tails and how hes a genius and goes "huh. maybe this guy can help us but i have no clue on how to contact him"

this is also where things are very muddy but more or less shadow and sonic accidentally meet, maria finds them about to beat the shit out of eachother and offers sonic a meal as an apology

during this she tells shadow about tails and sonic goes "oh hey thats my brother :D" and there is no way to describe how they react in text so heres a doodle

as an agent for GUN, rouge is more or less the only true key they have to figuring everything out, so they have tails contact her (sonic and tails arent friends with her but its tails he has his ways) and she agrees to help them and uncover their past through some good ol spy work against gun, but says that theres a hefty price behind this work, that price being the chaos emeralds (this is her idea of being absurd and telling them that theres no way in hell she would do the job without being payed shittons of money) but they go "ok lol"

sonic tells tails about shadow and maria and how they want his help, and tails agrees

he does scans on the both of them and tells them exactly what happened to them all that time ago (marias disease being reversed, shadows glorified hormone imbalance) but says that he cant help with much else because he just. doesnt know enough about either of their conditions to really give any solid insight or advice but knows someone who might . this is where rouge comes in :}

this is where things kinda leave off bc like i said i thought of this like. three days ago LOL

right around this time the black arms invasion starts and through a series of events that i also havent thought out yet shadow gets like. partially assimilated into the hivemind

he still has his own conscious thoughts but cant control his actions, making him a threat

[sporesgalaxy]

What do you think adhd looks like in the game? I still gotta play it so idk if its portrayed in game

nope it hasnt been portrayed explicitly in the games!

I've been in the process of coming up with some mental manifestations of symptoms for weeks now, but I'm still not anywhere NEAR done. I've kind of got some of the major symptoms sorted into categories though?

Ok first of all I'm just going to go ahead and coin a bullshit term Ive been using for myself: mental ecology. It's exactly what it sounds like-- the interactions and interdependancies between constructs of the mindscape, and between those constructs and the mindscape environment itself, and how those things change in reaction to each other.

ADHD is definitely one of those things that would be an irregularity of nearly the entire mental ecosystem rather than any single entity or population of entities acting out of line.

mental environmental changes: (a little too nebulous to credit one symptom for these but I hope it Makes Sense)

especially nonlinear/irregular/difficult to navigate layout of mental structures and locations

overabundance of Stray Thoughts*, with overactive connections

mental entity changes:

potential for much lower, or underactive, or highly irregularly distributed Censor population (poor impulse control/ self regulation)

potential for much higher or overactive Bad Idea, Enabler, and Personal Demon populations (poor impulse control & poor emotional regulation)

commonly much higher populations of Doubts, Regrets, Judges, and Parasitic Guilt (RSD/comorbid anxiety/depressive disorders)

all populations of mental entities populate the mind with extreme irregularity. In any given area, there will most likely be either an unmanageable hoarde of entities or none whatsoever. (emotional dysregulation)

other/needs more work:

Time Bubble mechanics would play an important role in the ADHD brain. potentially time just IS slower or faster in certain areas? And to navigate them you'd use time bubble to move at normal speed. (executive dysfunction/time blindness)

the manifestation of intense emotional lows from ADHD symptoms is covered by the pre-existing mental entities/mechanics, but intense emotional highs (i.e. hyperfixation) are not. I'm working on this, but it also seems likely to vary a lot from mind-to-mind. It is also probably related to harmful mental connections reinforcing risky behavior. Like what happened to Hollis, but, yknow, less.

*Stray Thoughts continued: today I was playing around with the idea of a Brain Storm where the mental landscape is consumed by exciting new mental connections. Definitely how it feels to lose focus on what's really happening and get lost in your thoughts lol...maybe this over-the-top version of mental connections would be an ADHD symptom

this has all just been what Ive thought of from memory during class, I havent actually crossed referenced w a full list of adhd symptoms yet, which I do wanna do at some point to make sur emy bases are all covered lol

[bellamyblakru]

a very beginner’s guide to gif making (ashley’s version)

(ill be using one of my favorite merthur smiles in this example from 4x01 when they are alone together with the dorocha)

for @its-hyperfixation​ and @mykingdomcomeundone !! sorry its taken me so long to do this sigh this was my first free night lately 😭😭

download free ad blocker (i use uBlock Origin). pls dont skip this step, it protects you and your computer from the bad ads!!

go to a completely “free website” aka illegal lol. i use yes.movies because that is what im used to, but you can use whatever one you prefer. 

go to merlin bbc, click the episode you want, and record. on my “not as cool HP computer”, i have to click the windows flag button and the key “g” to record my screen, but your computer might have a button for it already to just go right to recording. if you are not sure, google your computer type and how to screen record (its fast to learn!!)

THE SHORTER THE SCENE THE BETTER! tumblr only takes up to 10mb gifs, so normally thats up to 3.5 second scenes if you color them too. however, if you are doing black and white, you can get away with longer scenes (this is what i did for my very first gifset actually LOL they were eight seconds long dude)

go to this website to convert to gif: https://ezgif.com/video-to-gif

chose the file of the video where asked, upload, then where it says: Frame rate (FPS) select 33 (max 10 seconds) for a better quality gif, and convert

WOO your first gif!! this process isnt done, but im proud you got this far!! 🥰

now, go to resize. this is important since tumblr gifs are usually up to 540 width and 330 height (these are my normal go-to proportions). lately, ive been liking the more square looks, so 540:340 or 540:440 works too! if your gif has too many movements, a square look might not be the best choice. (if you are doing two side by side gifs i recommend 268:230, and if you are doing three side by side 177:177 works best (learned from maria my beloved)). you dont need to change anything else here. (if your gif is over 10mb for some reason, you can optimize -> lossy gif and go in small units to not ruin the quality too much). 

now, i like to make my gifs a bit slower to make it more like a slow moment in time. press speed if you wanna do this and explore different settings!! i like to do 80% usually, but here i did 70%. here is what we have so far:

not too bad!! but as you can see, this scene is rather dark and gloomy and their smiles deserves something better in my opinion, so OFF TO PHOTOPEA WE GO (free photoshop my beloved)

10.  now we are at https://www.photopea.com/ and click file and open up our bad boy. DONT BE INTIMIDATED!! there are so, so many choices, but it is solely up to your preference and desired look. i like my gifs bright and saturated, but you might not, and thats okay!! you can fuck with all of these things over time (i do still LOL)

11. THE BASICS: go to layer -> new adjustment layer -> color balance. you do this layer first if you are going to use it at all. you’ll soon find that merlin has a very yellow early seasons and an extremely blue later seasons (it drives me crazy), so here is where you just mess with them til you get a baseline look you like. i start with shadows and go up from there (i dont change too intense ever. i go up or down like 6/7 the most on blue or red at any gif tbh). for this gif im working on, i want it to look less blue, so ill focus on the blue mostly.

i also put selective color as one of the first layers, and here you can fuck with all the colors if you wanna make one a different shade or hue or make something pop or darken. it is a beloved layer im ngl

12. now, remember all of these steps are optional and this is just the order i go, but that is not the only way. do what you feel makes the gif to your liking!! i then go to selective color (i like doing the contrast with the black coloring option here more than the choice later, but it up to you). i mostly make most of the colors darker here so the lightening later looks a bit cleaner.

13. next for me is the hue/saturation layer. i normally try to avoid using this, but it may be needed if you want to make the gif a bit less red or smth like that. if i want one particular to be really saturated, ill do that here at this level. its good to put this third tho if you are gonna use it.

14. vibrance layer time!! i love this bitch. i go ham with it fnesfljesfk i like my stuff really saturated (like “i went up 45″ hard). i dont usually use the actually vibrance option on top since i read in a post by the incredible maria that it makes gifs more grainy (btw @arthurpendragonns taught me like so much. her gifs are TOP TIER and literally take my breath away every time. so fucking talented man. the goddess of gifmaking, if you will).

15. then i click brightness/contrast and THROW THAT BRIGHTNESS UPPPP. here i just went up to 126 LOL. (this is where my comment about the selective color comes up. you can do contrast here, but i think it looks better if you increase the black in the black selective color option. again, up to you)

16. CURVES LAYER MY BELOVED. i literally just fuck with the curve on RGB until i like it lolol

17. im going back to the hue/saturation to make the blue pop more since it is so much in the background!! and then just fuck with them all to get something you like!! this gif is making me upset so i redid it rn lnrelkjfrmf 

18. ADD TEXT IF YOU WANT!! we can do blending two gifs together and fun text stuff next time if you want in another list (lmk!! ill do anything if u want it).

19. woo! she done now. onto the next gif to start this over, or one and done! ive never done this kind of tutorial before, in the past ive just went live on my discord and some people have sat in to watch the process, so let me know if you wanna join my server to do this, too, if you are more of a watch learner than reading!!

20: the final product (not my best work frdiusnr im sorry ive been writing this up for like three hours LOL)