#my amateur screenshots

[marcusrobertobaq]

Poorly Edited Low-Quality Screenshots: Connor the Suit's Doberman, Part I [of ?]

[jasontoddsguns]

do you think if the DCU has the Olympics dick grayson would be a olympic gymnast

I imagine the committee would blood test the competitors to ensure they aren’t metas or using drugs like Venom.

Unfortunately, Dicks blood is a cocktail of fear gas, barely neutralized poisons, and maybe some alien painkillers. So he gives a false positive and is banned from preforming.

[strawberryfaeri]

February photo dump

[anew-flame]

Attempting a project of drawing Dragon Age characters in the Arcana style —

First up is Solas and himb’s shiny bald head 💋🥚

[oneclickangel]

rare barbieb0y sims post

theyre boyfriends :) on the left is petal, on the right is rizwan (both he/him)

tumblr why did you ruin the quality of this. my profound writing corrupted like this (<- came up with it on the spot)

[mini-ism]

#— NAUGHTY.

pairings: lighter x afab!gn!reader [MDNI]

words: 1,630

synopsis: caesar finds some particularly compromising videos on lighter’s phone when she shouldn’t be looking.

warnings: p in v, hair pulling, accidental voyeurism, praise kink, filming, amateur porn, rough intercourse, biting, blow jobs, light degradation (he could never be unkind to u), unprotected intercourse, afab reader (gender neutral, no pronouns/feminine terms). 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

notes: crossposted to AO3. ive been procrastinating this post ha

caesar knew she shouldn’t be snooping through lighter’s phone like this.

not without his permission, of course. she was just curious, she swore, just taking a peek at whatever dumb images he saved. maybe some of cute bangboo, or screenshots of tight leather jackets he might treat himself to later.

there was the occasional obligatory photo of him and the girls they insisted he take, of course some jackets and sunglasses he was looking at in person, photos of adorable animals he encountered on the streets. one question remained persistent — where were the photos of you he had saved? she’s seen him look down at his phone to peek at your texts, saving the selfies you sent him. caesar snuck a glimpse of his phone in her peripheral, pictures of you with a treat, or holding up a peace sign with a mutual friend. she couldn’t deny the smile that spread across his face, despite whatever you and him were.

but, extraordinarily enough, his camera roll was terribly boring. her thumb scrolled further, noting the organized folders on his phone. “friends,” “cute,” and an unnamed one. if only caesar’s snooping stopped there.

mindlessly, half expecting nothing, the barrage of photos and videos loaded. so this is where he kept everything he had of you? how adorable. caesar chuckled to herself at the occasional dumb photo of either you or him, there was a striking one of him in pigtails. his face was red with embarrassment, arms crossed and pouting like a fussy child, his hair in two short and choppy pigtails on each side of his head. that was surely a look. the next picture was a selfie of you and him with ice cream, he didn’t know he had a bit on his face while taking it.

the photos ranged from photos of you beaming next to an adorable kitten, to sultry photos you sent him late at night, pictures of you on his lap, images of you kissing him. okay, now she should put his phone down and pretend she never saw anything. nope, never touched it, didn’t look at all. the nagging voice in her head demanded she keep looking, intrigue getting the best of her. it was cute, she thought, what’s the harm?

the next swipes displayed a string of lewd photos back-to-back, some of you in a suggestive pose or kissing his neck.

oh my god.

oh. my. god.

she kicked herself internally for not putting his phone down earlier, nearly choking on her own spit. there it was, on his phone screen, a video of his dick right in front of your face. thankfully the volume was lowered, she pressed the side button a few times just in case, silencing it entirely. the video continued to play, your head in his lap as he sat on the edge of his bed, your body to the side as he held the phone down to capture the lewd sight at an entirely different angle. you slapped his shaft against your cheek a few times, giggling with amusement as his heavy cock made brief contact with your skin. after a few strokes, you ran your tongue down his length, making your way back up with a kiss to the tip. your tongue jutted back out to give a few more licks to the slit, licking up as much pre-cum as you could.

lighter’s free hand cupped your cheek, stroking the jawbone on the side of your face that you previously teased him with. his thumb then pulled the fat of your lip, bringing it down with a motion before letting it go. you eagerly swallowed his cock, only managing to take in a good few inches. lighter’s arm draped around your neck and shoulders, allowing you to suck his dick with no assistance. caesar looked around a few times, ensuring she was totally alone before upping the volume enough for only her to hear.

immediately, she could hear the lewd noises of your tongue and mouth working, your dominant hand stroking the base of his shaft as your lips managed the rest. lighter gave a few gentle praises, urging you further, his low groan ringing in her ears as you gagged trying to take more than you could handle. the video ended after you came up for a breath, stroking his cock as it rested by your cheek, your gaze loving and playful. it glistened with a thick sheen of spit.

with a shaky thumb, she swiped over to the next video. this one was filmed by you, angling the camera downwards enough. it looked like you two were in missionary, lighter on top of you. his voice could be heard, hand ungloved as it snaked down to stroke his cock a few times. he didn't have his jacket on anymore, either, sporting a shirtless look. his body was incredibly scarred, but his skin carried its own handsome charm. she could decipher the last few words he said, “— relax, i’ve got you. ‘kay?”

her eyes flicked down to you, as his hand moved to pull your underwear out of the way. he didn’t even bother taking them off, tucking them in the junction of your thigh and pussy. everything from the midriff down was exposed as you kept your legs spread open for him. your breathing was labored and shallow, likely from arousal. his hand tugged you closer to him, lining himself up with you. as he slid in, he pressed his hand onto the skin over your womb, applying a firm pressure. caesar could hear your cries, whiny and needy, his thumb immediately offering a semblance of comfort by dragging along your clit. his other hand grabbed the underside of your thigh, starting to pull out. his movements were loving and deliberate, attentive to your moans and shakes. your hands struggled to keep his phone stable as he picked up the pace, “you’re doing amazing, keep taking me.”

the video after was in a different position, his phone returned back to its original owner. the other hand held your arm back as he plowed into you from behind, face down and ass up. only your sobs of pleasure and the sound of skin against skin could be heard. his camera was angled perfectly to capture the unfiltered action, his cock sliding in and out of you with ample ease. with a grunt, he pulled your arm again, fucking into you with brutal thrusts. caesar never heard lighter curse that much in a few seconds, not even when he was seething with unbridled rage or injured and battered. “fuck, yeah, you like that? i know you do. goddamn tight, can’t live without this dick.”

the next video had another angle, his phone propped up against something presumably on his nightstand. lighter had both hands on your hips now, rocking your body back and forth as he dragged his hips in and out of your cunt. she could hear the bed frame below you two creaking and thudding against the wall. he was hunched over you, muttering in your ear between breaths, some words unsavory and vulgar, others sweet and encouraging. “need me? you need me to fuck you? you’re doing so good. you won’t let go of me, even if i tried to pull out.” his chest and abs were covered in sweat, locks dampened from the intensity. his lips trailed kisses from your ear, varying in intensity as they went down your neck. he nipped the skin, sucking it with feverish passion, biting your earlobe as he tugged at the hair above the nape of your neck. lighter pulled tightly, savoring your throaty mewl, “you love me? you love it when i fuck you? come for me. show me how much you love it.”

you muttered a few unintelligible words, grabbing at the sheets beneath you as your body shook with fervor, tears welling in your eyes with each helpless moan. lighter pulled harder, fingers intertwined deeply in your hair. in an instant, you trembled harder and cried out. wiggling your hips back and forth, seeking sensation to ride out your orgasm. lighter pulled your head back by the hair, spine arching as he pulled you up, knees still on the bed. you sobbed at the loss of his length inside you, suddenly feeling empty. lighter whispered in your ear, panting and flushed, stroking himself quickly. “that’s it, let me hear you, can’t help but come on my cock.”

with a final, deep stroke, lighter came on the lower part of your back right below the arch. your shoulder blades were flush against his chest. caesar paused the video, heat much more noticeable on her face and through her body. her cheeks were burning red, heart racing at the taboo of watching two people have sex. people she would argue she knows quite well. she closed out of his camera roll and put his phone down, turning it off.

the carnal lust in those videos she saw just couldn’t leave her. should she return his phone, or take a cold shower? should she leave it be, or mention she saw them having sex on his phone? no, no, nothing! don’t say a word at all. she didn’t see anything, she didn’t look through anything compromising. caesar sat in silence for a few more moments, processing what she had just discovered, jumping in her seat as lighter returned.

“hey, did you see my phone?” he approached her as she sat, his phone still in front of her on the table, “oh, there it is. thanks, boss.” lighter didn’t seem to notice her pale and clammy complexion, easily going about his business, unlocking it to send a text.

“yup.” caesar could only muster an uncharacteristically weak thumbs up.

[teaboot]

I hope it's okay that I took a screenshot, cause I felt that this deserved it's own post.

It's a good question, and as someone with a needle phobia myself it's one I have some experience with and feel I can speak on.

It's going to sound stupid, but it's this:

First, keep facing your fear. I personally elected to start donating blood, which sucked ass, but helped me get used to the feeling of having a needle in in safe environment, and celebrating the small victory every time I finished was a good motivator to keep going back.

What I did then was focus on what my body was doing. Was I breathing fast? Tensing up? Sweating? Going cold? Was I shaking? Where? Was it better to fidget, or hold still? Did closing my eyes help? Plugging my ears? I got familiar with my own physical reactions so I could start to separate them from my mental reactions.

Now when I experience a panic response, I'm not just objectively aware that my body is doing it's own thing- I genuinely feel that my body is acting on it's own. I'm stressed, but not SCARED, because my brain doesn't just know that it's safe- it FEELS safe. I'm emotionally strung out and on edge, but I'm not totally losing myself anymore. I can have a conversation while it's happening.

Now, sometimes I can see someone use a syringe for small procedures without flinching and closing off. Not often, but it's miles ahead of where I used to be. I can hold an epipen. I can use safety gear to dispose of abandoned needles outside my work. I don't think I could give myself an injection if I needed to, because I know I still lock up, but the idea of someone else doing one on me isn't viscerally repellant.

So... not cured here yet, but better.

TLDR: Baby steps, keep trying, pay attention to your body, celebrate successes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Taking steps to confront a phobia has to be a choice. Forcing someone else to confront their phobia when they ARE NOT READY, WILLING, OR PREPARED is incredibly distressing and can make things way worse. And with how completely fucking miserable and exhausting a panic response feels, choosing not to "just confront it" is a totally valid and understandable choice. Like choosing not to run a 100 mile marathon barefoot. If you find yourself tempted to trick or pressure someone into amateur exposure therapy, don't. I'll fucking find you

Again, this is just what's been working for me, but if you wanna try it, I wish you luck! ♡

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Dazai Osamu and the Dark Era: the visual novel (a fan project)

On a whim, I've decided to finally just publicly release this project that I've had laying around for two years at this point, for Dazai's birthday today. It was originally made for my very dear friend @letmereachforthestars , when I first introduced her to the series and wanted her to be able to read my favorite BSD light novel in an easier-to-read format. You need a computer to be able to play. The details and links are under the cut:

If you've never played a visual novel before, it's basically a novel in the form of a video game. Text will appear line by line, one a time on the screen, and it will be accompanied by relevant background visuals, music, and sound effects, to make the reading experience more immersive, and more stimulating than just reading from a book. Some visual novels have actual gameplay elements to them, and some are just books and nothing else (oftentimes dating sims/choose-your-own-adventure novels), the latter of which this is. If you've played the mobile game Bungou Tales/Mayoi, the story sections of that game are basically mini visual novels.

This game was made with screenshots and music from the anime, sound effects from the anime and Bungou Tales and free sound effect online sources, as well as graphics and fonts and other assets from Bungou Tales and other official BSD art (particularly the official anime soundtrack cd covers). The script is taken entirely from the official Yen Press translation of Dark Era, with the exception of about two or three iconic lines that I used different translations of because I felt like they had more impact. Additionally, at the very, very end, I added on the original ending scene from the Dark Era stage play and wrote a few fanfic lines of my own to accompany it you can tell because they are very cringe and don't match Asagiri's writing style.

Before playing the game, there are a few very important things to keep in mind; PLEASE read all this:

I am not a professional in the slightest. I took some coding classes in high school, and have some photoshop skills (when it comes to the design elements of the menus), but for the most part the former wasn't much help here; this was my very first time ever using the Renpy engine, and I made this entirely from scratch. I used my knowledge of playing other visual novels to emulate the kinds of effects and timing that is typical for these games, and I think it turned out pretty well all things considered, but it's still very amateur. This is most evident in the sound effects. The sound effects have no volume consistency between them, and some of them, particularly the gun/battle sfx, can come on very suddenly and be loud. I highly, HIGHLY encourage going into the settings and turning down the sound effects volume (the music should be fine), so that you're not startled by certain sounds when they happen, and for a lengthy time. I wouldn't blame you if you decide to turn the sfx off entirely if's too distracting, honestly 🫠 I am no expert in sound files equalizing and making sound files loop seamlessly, so this was by far the most tedious and frustrating part of the process of making this for me. Hopefully it doesn't ruin the game or break immersion too much if you decide to leave them on (I hope you do, for the rain and clock sounds at least, but again I wouldn't blame you if you can't).

Dark Era is the most faithful light novel adaptation in the anime, but there are still a handful of scenes, mostly fight scenes, that got shaved down significantly. Because of this, there are numerous occasions where I had to simply linger on a black screen or the same screenshot for a long period of time, while tons and tons of narration happens, because there's simply nothing I can show to accompany said narration. This is not ideal, but unfortunately I didn't have much else of a choice in those instances, so I hope it's not too distracting. There are also a few instances of straight-up inconsistencies between the novel and the anime (ex. the fight between Oda and Akutagawa happens in the woods in the novel, but in the anime it's still right outside the art museum), so sometimes what you're reading won't quite match the screenshots I use. Fortunately it's never anything major, but it does happen.

There will sometimes be long, unchanging black screens. Don't worry, the game isn't broken; just wait long enough and it will continue.

Sometimes, a character will get cut off when speaking, and when that happens the dialogue will auto-force to the next line. If you didn't get a chance to see what was said before, check the text backlog/history (in the menu or the H key).

Last but not least, this game was made with the default text speed in mind. Meaning, that when it comes to certain specific scenes, the mood/tone of them, made up of the timing of music, transitions, sound effects, etc, all of it was arranged around the speed at which things progress when using the default text speed. I completely understand if you can't, but if at all possible, please try not to change the text to go too much faster or slower, especially faster, because certain scenes will lose a lot of impact otherwise. If you already know Dark Era, you probably have an idea of some of the scenes I'm referring to. At the very least, during the more high-stakes/intense scenes, please try to play through those all at once without stopping, for the greatest impact based on how I designed the game, and only pause/quit during the slower scenes. There are specific moments that I'm really proud of how they came out, and I'd like for them to have the maximum impact that I intended :') (also note that if you make the text appear instantly, the cut-off dialogue mentioned above simply will not appear at all, and you won't even know to look back for them, so please refrain from making the text instant at the very least)

Ignore the cringe sappy final message

...I think that's everything. With all that out of the way, here are the links for both PC and Mac:

Download the PC version

Download the Mac version

This was a passion project for me for a good many months back in 2022. It started out just as a gift for my friend, but in the end I was really satisfied with how it turned out, despite how tedious and frustrating it was to work on. I've been hesitant to share it with the fandom for all this time because I kinda doubt anyone would really be interested in something like this especially since it's not stormbringer or beast, but someone on discord who tried it told me that I should share it, so here it is. I'm sharing it not just because I'm proud of my work, but because Dark Era is a truly amazing light novel — underrated, in my opinion (yes, I said what I said) — and far better than the anime adaptation, as good as that is, and I want more people to read it. If reading the books is hard for you and you've never read Dark Era before, if I can help just one more person to read it with this, I'll be happy, and consider my job done. 💖

I so desperately want to make more of these visual novels for the other light novels, but sadly, some of them simply aren't possible thanks to how many scenes are missing from the anime, like with Entrance Exam in particular. I've also been waiting with vain, thin hope that Bungou Tales will eventually reach seasons 3 and 4, so I can use their Fifteen and Untold Origins title screens like I did here, if those ever exist. However, I'm also held back thinking about certain scenes that would require some redrawing/drawing additional details to match what's written in the novels. If anyone has any ideas on things I could do to possibly get around these issues, or just thoughts in general about how the other light novels might be tackled, or if you're an artist who can recreate the anime's style and takes commissions/knows someone who does, I'd absolutely love to hear from you! As well as any advice/help on how I can smooth out/improve this project here!

Anyway, sorry for the long wall of text. Thank you for reading all this, if you did, and if you do try the game, please let me know your thoughts; I crave any and all feedback. 💙✨

[marcusrobertobaq]

Poorly Edited Low-Quality Screenshots: Markus With a K, Part IV [of ?]

[onyourowndaisymae]

𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒂𝒛𝒂 - 𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒚 𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

☆☆ 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 ☆☆

hi again :) i'm joining other lovely fanfic writers with @ficsforgaza to help raise money for the folks in need in palestine. i'm proud to be banding together with the community on tumblr to help palestinians during this horrible time.

to participate, make a donation to a vetted fundraiser found on @ficsforgaza's page (aka, don't send me any money lol) and send me a screenshot (with your personal information removed) along with what you'd like to request to my ask box. please do not "double dip" aka use the same donation for several writers-- this is a fundraiser, after all! here is what a request looks like:

hello! can i sponsor your [INSERT FIC] fic? i donated $5 to gaza, here is the screenshot! thank you! [insert screenshot]

my pricing will be as follows:

★ sponsor-a-WIP: $1/100 words ★ drabbles: $2-3/100 words (elaborated below) ★ no money to contribute, but you want to support the cause? that's okay. sign a vetted petition from the @ficsforgaza page and send proof, and i'll add a sentence to a WIP of your choosing.

if you have any questions, feel free to take a look here on @ficsforgaza's page or reach out to me. be patient, i will work on these fics when i can. thank you so much for helping me raise money for a good cause ;)

☆☆ 𝐖𝐈𝐏𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫 ☆☆

★ pink pony club

on saturday nights, the lights at the fall dim as a performer takes stage. beauty, grace, taking the stage as music begins to trickle from the speakers for their performance. you're born naked, the rest is drag. how do the characters of obey me interact with this art form? are they a performer? an amateur? do they yearn for the spotlight or admire their own outfit from the shadows?

drag!au. bulleted fic/headcanons. estimated length = unknown. characters completed: none. wc: 0. current sponsors: one! sponsored word count: 0/500.

★ human!au x farming!au

a breeze travels through a small valley town. the spring is warm-- a perfect time for new beginnings. the moving truck pulls away from the small farm where you've been dropped off. this is your land now. to see it thrive, you must love and care for each inch. but first, you should probably introduce yourself to the local townspeople.

human!au and farming!au. heavily inspired by both harvest moon/stardew valley games and my mutual @misc-obeyme and their human!au. small paragraphs for each character. estimated length = unknown. characters completed: none. wc: 0. current sponsors: one! sponsored word count: 0/500.

★ obey me characters with earrings

accessories are a wonderful addition to any outfit. if the characters of obey me had their ears pierced, what sorts of earrings would they wear?

bulleted headcanons/fic. themes of x reader. estimated length = unknown. characters completed: none. wc: 0. current sponsors: none.

★ obey me demon brothers presenting you with a friendship bracelet in return

you presented the avatars of sin with a custom friendship bracelet to commemorate your growing bond. now, they're here to return the favor.

demon brothers x reader (platonic OR romantic, up to reader interpretation). revival of a long-dead series. bulleted fic. estimated length = unknown. characters completed: none. wc: 0. current sponsors: none.

★ the fall's private rooms (nsfw warning)

being a human in the devildom has left you with a certain... interest in demonkind and other fantastical creatures. but you're far too embarrassed to explore this fascination with anyone you know. the solution? an anonymous station set up in one of the fall's private rooms allowing you to fuck someone without knowing who they are, no strings attached. this set-up grows a bit more complicated, though, when word travels through the grapevine about the dirty things you're doing. the door closes to the room you're tucked away in, indicating someone is here to indulge you... but is that a familiar voice you hear on the other side of the wall?

nsfw. minors dni. obey me characters x reader smut. gloryhole dynamic. estimated length = unknown. characters completed: none. wc: 0. current sponsors: one! sponsored word count: 0/5000.

★ oc spotlight: introductions

the rules of the exchange program are simple: the celestial realm and the human realm both send three of their residents to the the devildom to experience hell's culture for an entire year. among the usual residents of purgatory hall, two new faces are seen wandering about. one, a straight-laced, fledgling sorcerer trying her best to explore the depths of the devildom's history and gain a grasp on her budding powers. the other, an angel born hard-of-hearing and further deafened by the celestial war with a penchant for beautiful artistic creations.

canon-divergent!au. x reader. introduction of two original characters. character profiles. estimated length = unknown. characters completed: none. wc: 0. current sponsors: none.

★ oc spotlight: vampire!au

vampirism is a strange affliction. it creates a recluse of the most social creature, driven from the sunlight and modern society into the shadows by bloodlust and misery. you are a human being who has recently become the source of blood for each of these two ancient vampires. how does your relationship with the evolve? do they grow to see you as more than a pet, or are you slaughtered for your insolence long before they remember your name?

vampire!au. ocs x reader (separate). full-length standalone fics. estimated length = unknown. characters completed: none. wc: 0. current sponsors: none.

☆☆ 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 ☆☆

i'll be accepting drabble requests for the seven demon brothers and the dateables. drabbles are estimated to be ~500 words. they can be sfw/nsfw, tropes, fluff, etc. please specify what you'd like to see in this drabble, whether you only have a character in mind or a very specific scenario! (note: anon MUST be off for you to request nsfw, and you must be 18+).

since requests require a bit more work, i'll be pricing them at $2 per 100 words for sfw drabbles and $3 per 100 words for nsfw drabbles.

do you want to support gaza and request fics for twisted wonderland? check out my other blog here

[herecirmsims]

I'm still puttering around with the animated version of my His Prince posepack and like... I dunno. I don't feel like it really holds up as an animation (mostly coz I'm a raging amateur). But it does give you so many more options for screenshots? And maybe that alone makes it worth sharing? My shit IS free.99 after all?! 🤷

[diana-bluewolf]

It’s this blog's first birthday! 🥳 Wanted to gather some of my fav drawings and thoughts about being in the fandom.

Being in a fandom is not always easy, but it is definitely worth it. 

1. It’s a perfect soft-skill trainer. It teaches me to focus on what I can control (like my reactions) rather than what I can’t (other people’s opinions). To be myself and not be ashamed of my interests. To stop overthinking and just enjoy the process. To accept imperfection as an inevitable part of any art…and myself. To stop comprehending the terms ‘self-indulgent’ and ‘cringe’ as synonyms. To prioritise my own well-being to avoid burn-out. And most importantly, not to cringe at my art I posted a day ago 🤣

2. It's a powerful therapy tool. I mean, have you tried to write an OC? Poor things, I don't envy them, but it turned out to be a perfect instrument to understand my own head's wiring better. It's like my subconscious is speaking to me through my OC's actions. I started this blog at one of the most challenging times in my life (let's just say that characters with external and internal scars appeal to me on a personal level. Not to be dramatic. Ok, I am, sorry, it's my only flaw), and it affected Chris severely, to the extent that I couldn't even imagine it would. But all the insights I got about myself via him are priceless. 

3. It’s the best source of inspiration. I had been in the art block for years, but seeing your guys cool art reignited my desire to draw. It was difficult (to say the least) to start posting amateur art about my MC on the blog that was followed for the screenshots of the popular characters, but I’m glad I did because, in another case, I would have never met some of my friends here. My art style is inconsistent as I keep experimenting, so some of my drawings are way better than others, but I’m still growing and proud of it. 

4. And most importantly, it's brought me together with some of the coolest people in my life. I'm so grateful to everyone who follows/followed me. Thank you so much for your support now or in the past, even if you just lurk. If you regularly appear on my notifs, I do recognise you and am very grateful. Even if I don't always respond - sorry, it's just because my social battery is often very low. I'm the most introverted introvert irl, even though I don't seem like one here. I'm training to overcome my social anxiety here, can you tell? 🤣 

Here I wanted to write something about my moots, but…Well, I have no idea how to continue whatever I had intended to write because just a thought of you all got me terribly overwhelmed with warm fuzzy feelings 😑 I blame you, guys 😤 So I will just write that I love you, but know this is an understatement.

Love this fandom, its creativity and all the incredibly talented and supportive people here. You guys are the best 🤗

[iizven]

Hello! May I ask how you take your screenshots? I have my BG3 game on the max graphics settings, and my screenshots are not this HD!

Hello anon,

thank you for your ask! I don't really feel my screenshots are super crisp since I can't take them in 4k. 😭 And I'm still very much an amateur when it comes to virtual photography. But this is what I do when taking screenshots:

I use two tools to enhance my screenshots: Otis' Freecam mod including the IGCS connector, and ReShade. Those two tools are an absolute godsend for improving screenshot quality! The additional sharpness in my shots mostly comes from slapping on about six different sharpening shaders in ReShade. 😆

Fiddling with contrast and lighting can also give a more refined look (I'm a sucker for high contrast). I can highly recommend the iMMERSE Pro and Ultimate shaders for lighting adjustments. I use the RTGI and ReLight shaders for all my screenshots. I can't live without them anymore. Like the Freecam mod, they are only available via patreon subscription though.

Here is an example:

The left screenshot is the original ingame graphics and lighting without ReShade or the IGCS connector. The right screenshot is my go-to ReShade preset with adjusted lighting using mainly the RTGI and ReLight shaders.

I usually also do some light post-editing of my shots in Adobe Lightroom which can increase the sharpness even more. So yeah, I'm doing a lot of editing. 😅

I hope that helps!

[tuulikki]

I feel like a lot of cross-stitch is very intuitive to pick up. I never took a class or read a tutorial. I started, successfully made things in all kinds of suboptimal ways, and then learned easier ways through experience and brief forays into the internet. I’m happy being an amateur, because it’s a little relaxing, almost, to choose a path of allowing mistakes to happen.

But this pin stitch tutorial blew my mind—most specifically the angled pin stitch tutorial shown beneath the normal pin stitch. It’s a brilliant alternative to burying your start/end stitch under the threads along the back (let alone knots, which I did sadly do as a noob kid).

I’m messily screenshotting the key parts here:

Me being me, I tweaked it into an extra paranoid double-reinforced thread bury but I admittedly have a Problem™️

[brian-in-finance]

Twitter

NOTE: I don’t speak or read Spanish. The following text is what Google Translate gave me… I think… Errors definitely abound. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Caitríona Balfe begins her new journey.

Enter the name of Caitríona Balfe (Dublin, 1979) in any internet search engine is to enter a universe of biographies that start with her career as a model, fans who admire her for her work in Outlander and information about the well-known series, which this year will broadcast its last season. Among the results it is also possible to find a video recorded in 2002, shortly before she participated in the parade of Victoria's Secret, in which they ask her about her acting studies and if she will resume her acting career. "I don't know, I have no plans, maybe," replies smiling and insecure a young woman who is barely over twenty. Four years later, aware of how important age is in the fashion world, the possibility became a fact.

"When you look back on your life, you realise that everything that has happened has brought you to where you are," explains the Irish actress.

"Every moment can feed your existence later on. I have been very lucky to have had an interesting life so far," she recognises.

A moment, the current one, in which the day to day that has marked her biography in the last 11 years has undergone a change, because the filming of the series that led her to world fame has ended. "I know I've been doing this for 15 years, but since I was in Outlander for so long I feel like I'm starting a journey," she confesses.

The first stop of this journey is The Amateur (April 11 in theatres), a feature film starring Rami Malek in which the actor known for playing Freddie Mer-cury in Bohemian Rhapsody, is Charlie Heller, a brilliant CIA decoder who makes revenge for the death of his wife, murdered by a terrorist group, his most personal mission. To carry out this bloody task, he will have the help of a computer hacker of Russian origin played by Balfe.

As Inquiline in The Amateur (2025). Blurry screenshot from PressReader’s presentation of the April 2025 issue of Mujerhoy (Spain)

"When I read the script I thought: "This is fun," she confesses, before adding that although "these action movies are dominated by force, because everything revolves around fights, The Amateur is a very intelligent and very funny version of the genre." Something that added to the admiration she feels for Malek - "He is a very interesting and unique actor" -, with whom she had not worked but whom she knew "socially because we coincided in the Golden Globes", made that in a break from the filming of the latest installment of Outlander changed the wardrobe of a doctor of the Century XX who travels in time 300 (stet) years through that of a woman who lives hidden today.

For the actress, the best thing about the character is that she is "A lone soul who lives in the shadows." She was inspired by Nadya Tolokonnikova, a member of the Pussy Riot, because she "tried to find someone who felt very comfortable in English but who had a Russian origin," because of the accent of her character, but also because of her motivations. "I really enjoyed finding in it a commitment to justice and integrity that is not contaminated by the influence of a regime," she acknowledges.

The revenge that moves Malek's character, and hers, is for the actress "very interesting to portray, because it is very different for each person: in some it is debilitating and paralyses them by complete; in others it drives them forward and leads them to do really incredible things. That's a point where my role and Malek's diverge, but it also gives them this place where they connect deeply," she explains.

Photo: Observer Magazine (The Guardian) 23 January 2022

A child's dream with an unexpected diversion

Fourth of five siblings and with two other foster children at home, Caitríona Balfe grew up in rural Ireland dreaming of being an actress. "It was that annoying girl," she shares smiling, "who has been doing small performances at home since she was three or four years old. My father used to do comic sketches with his friends, so I think, somehow, it was in my genes." So when the time came to choose a career, she opted for interpretation. But he didn't expect that, while helping some friends raise funds for multiple sclerosis, a man who worked for a modelling agency in Dublin would give her her card and, little later, a French agency hired him to work as a model in Paris.

She paraded for firms such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel, but she defined herself as a "blue collar model", those who live in the step before the supermodels and go unnoticed.

When in the 2000s she decided to return to the path of acting, she moved to Los Angeles and went back to classes. "I was very lucky because I met great teachers and it helped me regain confidence," she shares after recognising that "when you come from the world of fashion, you feel comfortable with rejection." After getting small roles in movies and series, in 2013 she had not worked for several months when her agent proposed to present himself to the audition of Outlander. In the absence of news, she organised a vacation that she finally had to cancel because she was asked to travel to London for the final audition. After getting the role with which she became famous, she decided that she would change Los Angeles for Scotland for a Year.

More than a decade later, she still lives in Glasgow and enjoys spending time with her son, "because it was hard not to do it in recent years." A project as long-lived as the series based on Diana Gabaldón's novels has been a "very hectic time, as if you were on a train that never stops." That unstoppable convoy took her, among other destinations, to work in Belfast, the film by Kenneth Branagh with which she got a Golden Globe nomination. "Now I enjoy the luxury of taking some time and choosing good projects," she admits, expectant of the direction taken by her new, although experienced, career.

Mujerhoy via PressReader

Remember… do you know what a foreign accent is? A sign of bravery. — Amy Chua

[aziraphales-library]

Hello dear mods! Can you give a fanfic that focuses on Crowley finding Aziraphale's (super secret) diary entries based on GOs2?

Thanks in advance and for your hard work! <3

Hi! We have an #aziraphale's diary tag with a couple of posts, so check that out. Here are some more to add...

A Dumb Screenshot of Youth by FandomStar (G)

A photograph and a diary entry hidden together for eighty years are not what Crowley anticipated finding upon his first return to the bookshop since storming out after Aziraphale's rejection.

My Dearest Diary by Caedmon (G)

While cleaning his back room, Aziraphale stumbles upon the diary he's kept for the last thousand years or so. He decides to sit down and have a little glance through it, and he can't help but be struck by the fact that there's one theme that threads through it... anticipation.

Dear Diary by The_Glacian (G)

My first baking experiment in our new home at the South Downs didn’t go quite as expected.

Empirical study on the principles of snake care by azzfell (T)

From the confidential journals of A.Z. Fell Volume 893 Do the principles of snake care apply to your local humanoid-demon-snake hybrid? It appears that not enough academic research exists on this subject. But all it takes is one brave amateur scientist. Part One of the Aziraphale's Diaries series

Epistolary by imposterssyndrome (E)

“Dear Diary, Today I encountered that most interesting phenomenon that is pornographic cinematography." Or Crowley discovers Aziraphale's personal diaries. What starts as a curious investigation about the angel's 'pornographic cinematography' experiences leads to Crowley wanting to find out about what he missed during his 14th century nap...and lots more. He discovers just how much miscommunication they had between them and how it led to so many misunderstandings. He finds out about how Aziraphale felt about him over the centuries and tries to reconcile that with his own feelings, especially now that Aziraphale is up in Heaven and not allowed to return to Earth...

Dog-Eared & Illuminated by sillyteehee (E)

"Confidential journals,” Aziraphale calls them. Well, if he’d been so concerned with keeping his precious diaries safe from prying yellow eyes, maybe he shouldn’t have abandoned said eyes alone on Earth and fucked off back to Heaven. A story about the following, in no particular order: boxing up old memories, unpacking even older ones, lots and lots of red wine, Muriel trying on sunglasses they're not supposed to, neatly looping cursive, Crowley getting his groove back, and an angel and a demon who are figuring love out.

- Mod D