#really been feeling the smudge tool recently guys

[hwsforeignrelations]

Al’s all-American pic for these spicy otp facts

[hollycircling]

would you consider dropping some tips on how you color? your art always has such a nice feeling to it

Thank you so much, and yes, absolutely! 

So... I have been agonizing over how to answer this question for over a week because I tend to make a lot of my major decisions based on what looks and feels good to me in the moment. It’s sort of hard to explain. Then I started getting philosophical with it (“how does one color? How do I explain aesthetic?”), and I started rambling, and had to cut the answer way, way, way down lol.

But here’s what I can help with right now. I think the most important part of how I color is my tools and what they allow me to do. These are currently my favorite brushes to use: 

From top to bottom, I use Kyle T’s Gouache for just about everything. A lot of my recent pieces are done entirely in that– I love the chunky texture and how the pressure mimics traditional gouache. It’s great for children’s book illustrations, and filling linework, and realistic portraits. She is my soft wife and I love her. 

I practically never use the default hard round. Ignore that. 

The roller brush is another one I use for painting. It was my go-to before KT’s gouache, so you’ll find it a lot in my older work (and as a big texture thing in my current works). The “Sampled Tip” below that one I usually use for children’s book styled illustrations. It’s like a really dense, waxy crayon, so it’s fun for textured lines and details.

I always paint in my own shadows and highlights, but I like to use the soft round if I want to blow the shadow or highlight out. It’s for extra large areas.

And finally my pencil. I use it for sketching as well as linework, if I plan on doing a linework-centric piece. I don’t think there’s much of a difference between the two there… one is probably smoother than the other. 

______________

The reason why I like textured, pressure-sensitive brushes so much is because they’re important to how I paint. When I blend, I don’t use a blender brush or a smudge tool. What I do is layer two colors– lightly– then use the eyedropper to select the color between them and continue painting with it. That’s probably the key to most of my work. I’ve gotten pretty fast at it, so I’m constantly selecting colors from the painting and reusing it throughout my painting. 

I still use the color-wheel to hand-pick what I think will look best, though. This is probably going to be a really frustrating answer, but I choose color palettes based on basic color/lighting theory combined with personal aesthetic preference. It can take some studying (of both theory and other artists’ work). If you’re ever looking for a really great reference on the former subjects, I highly recommend Color and Light by James Gurny. Even if you’re not into watercolor or dinosaurs or realism, the guy is a master at explaining all that different stuff in depth. 

Shape and negative space are also pretty important to me, but that's a whole other thing. And as a side-note, I recommend following more children’s book illustrators. Their work may look simple, but a lot of intention goes into how they use color, shape, space, and texture. 

Also, on texture, I hand-draw most of mine. I love to add little scratches and drops and splashes when the painting is almost over. It's one of my favorite things to do :')

____

Now, the other most important tip:

Once I’m happy with the sketch/linework, and once I’ve laid down the basic colors of my piece, I do a Really Terrible Thing. I become a graphic designer’s worst nightmare and collapse everything onto one layer. 

Then I paint directly on top of it, linework and all.

I do this for a lot of reasons, but mostly because 1) my tiny brain is overwhelmed by the clutter of too many layers, and 2) it forces me to approach a piece as if it was traditional media– a process which I find a lot more comfortable and rewarding. I paint right on top of the base colors, and right on top of the linework, effectively redoing and cleaning up what I already have there. Even if I'm working with a blank background, I'll paint a new blank one on top because it gives the feeling of a more unified piece, if that makes sense.

Basically, I approach my drawings as if I’m using traditional media. I like chunky brushes, utilizing (what I personally think are) interesting color combinations and textures, and smashing everything down onto one page so I can just paint. 

Anyway, please let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like me to go into detail on, any pieces of mine you’d like to know how exactly I went about it, etc etc etc. I’m happy to answer ^^

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

So I watched 10.09 recently, and it has that part where Dean tells a story about him basically being almost roofied as a teen, but somehow it ends up framed as the funny joke and yet another proof that John "did what he could", and I kind of hate this? And it's the same episode in which MoC!Dean killed guys that kidnapped and tried to rape Claire, and you'd think writers would've addressed the parallels and acknowledge that Dean could've been triggered by this situation. 1/2

2/2 But in the end, it's never addressed, and the whole situation is framed as the proof that Dean is evil now. And I'm not even sure what I am trying to say, but with that being the show's approach back in s10, I'm not surprised about the finale anymore. Guess we should've known?

That’s an excellent angle to look at the issue because the Mark of Cain arc is a clear example of how people with different experiences will see the same thing in wildly different ways. There’s this phase of season 10 where everyone is like “oh no Dean is Getting Worse” and when you look at what Dean is doing... you actually go “...good for him”.

Let’s give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. It’s not “the writers” in this case, it’s Dabb. Plenty of other writers don’t fall into this John apologism thing. Just look at how the episode before Lebanon, written by Buckner and Ross Leming, says that sometimes John would temporarily kick Dean out because he was “pissed at him” despite Dean always taking his side to mantain the peace. It almost seems like a statement to sprinkle some salt given what Dabb does in Lebanon, you know? Maybe not, but there is a tension between “John was shitty” writers and “John did his best” writers.

In hindsight, we gave Dabb too much of the benefit of the doubt. We were like, weeell, that’s supposed to be way the characters perceive the truth, which is distorted by the trauma... But now it’s obvious that he truly believed in the John-did-his-best version. He brought him back and got Mary back with him. No matter what happened to the finale, the network didn’t print those pictures of John and Mary to hang on Sam’s wall. He never took Dean’s abuse seriously and it shows.

The “anedocte” of Dean getting drugged and “saved” by John from being raped is obviously there to parallel him with Claire. Which works! It’s so weird because it’s like. You are soooo close to getting the point. Younger Dean was assaulted just like this teenage girl is assaulted and Dean saves her... but apparently John yelling at those people is a good way of dealing with the issue, while murdering child traffickers is an overraction thus bad.

That’s the problem, isn’t it? That Dean’s murder spree is framed as an overreaction. Sam is like “tell me you had to do this! tell me it was you or them!” - the answer to which (by the narrative) is obviously no, it wasn’t self defense, he just killed them because he could. He just murdered those men for no reason except he felt like being murdery. And the audience is supposed to be like “oh no! Dean is murdery for no reason except for murderiness! That’s bad!”.

But it’s a power fantasy, isn’t it? Going on a murder spree on rapists and traffickers. I bet any people who’s been violated like that has fantasized of doing the exact thing Dean does here. Killing them all.

Dean had the physical strength and skill to kill them all, why shouldn’t he kill them? (I mean, in real life I’m against private justice because I’m a fan of the state of law, but the Supernatural universe obviously works on different principles than the state of law. Again, it’s a fictional narrative that plays out as a fantasy for the audience, so.)

So what was Dabb’s intention? I’m afraid it’s the worst one. “John Winchester���s not going to win any Number One Dad awards, you know? But, you know, damn if he wasn’t there when we needed him”. What the fuck, Dabb? It’s been established since season 1 that John WASN’T there when they needed him. Which... I’m afraid... leads us to the Cas-Claire plot in the episode. Cas has fucked off with Jimmy’s body leaving Claire on her own. Parallels how John wasn’t going to win wny Number One Dad awards. But! Cas is there when Claire Really Needs Him i.e. when she’s about to be raped by older men. Parallels how John was there when Dean Really Needed Him i.e. when he was about to be raped by older men.

I think the point is to say, Cas kinda sucked because he took Claire’s dad away but hey! He’s actually a good figure for Claire because he gets there in time to prevent her from being raped. Just like (ew) John kinda sucked as a father because hunting and stuff, but hey! He’s actually a good figure for Dean because he got there in time to prevent him from being raped.

It’s pretty yucky. Literally NOBODY wanted a parallel between Cas and John. But he made one. And he made one to absolve Cas from the guilt he carried for what he did to Claire (Claire’s mother is a mother so who fucking cares about her. She’s basically a Blurry Wife(TM), she’s only a tool for Claire’s arc, Cas apparently only cares about the harm he did the child, not the wife, for some reason.) and to absolve Cas from his guilt it absolves John too. Don’t worry, being a parent is hard. You often screw up. But you can *looks at smudged writing on hand* prevent the kid from being raped by predatory adults and everything’s fine now.

It’s not really important if the child suffered hunger or whatever, the only important thing is that they don’t get raped, because that’s bad, everything else is just a little detail.

All Dabb got with that scene was to paint Sam as extremely unsympathetic because he’s no longer a child, he’s a full adult now and still thinks of that episode at the CBGB as a funny story. That’s not a good look. It almost makes you think that the writer himself saw it as a funny story. Lol teenage boy biting more than he can chew. But then why the Claire parallel? The Claire scene onviously is not supposed to be anything but horrific. I'll give Dabb the benefit of the doubt on this specific thing.

It’s weird, yes, because Dabb wrote Dark Side of the Moon where he establishes that John was a bad husband/father even before tragedy hit the family. But apparently that’s the “not going to win any Number One Dad awards” part, I suppose? I guess he intended to write John as this flawed, ~complex~ figure who was imperfect but still brave and whatever blah blah did his best blah blah. I’m all for flawed complicated characters but a horrible father is a horrible father. A rose by any other name... parental abuse is still parental abuse even if the poor guy was complicated and traumatized and did what he thought he had to do to prepare his sons for a violent world.

Also, the story frames Dean’s escapade as a teenager being stupid. “You know what he got for that? Me whining about how much he embarrassed me. Me telling him that I hated him. But then he stopped and turned around looked at me and said, Son, you don’t like me? That’s fine. It’s not my job to be liked.” “It’s my job to raise you right.” This seems straight from a novel about teenagers doing something stupid that they’re too young to realize that their parents are right to be against them doing. But this isn’t just... a parent walking into a bar to stop their child to drink alcohol. Dean literally describes feeling sick from something that was inside the alcohol.

Sure, it makes sense that he’d lash out to John because of the shame and shock. But the scene is... off. Are we supposed to see this as a typical teenage mistake? Are we supposed to read it as something as horrific as what happened to Claire, literally sold into rape? Or, worse, are we supposed to see what happened to Claire as a teenage mistake, ah silly teenager, blindly trusting shady people, no wonder you end up in a situation where you’d get raped if a father figure didn’t sweep in and save you. I hope that wasn’t the intent.

To get back to Dean’s Mark-of-Cain violence, the writers clearly didn’t intend it to come from the Darkness up to a certain point. It was supposed to an arc about your own inner darkness (consider the Charlie episode, a couple episodes later). Then they came up with the idea of The(TM) Darkness, the suppressed cosmic feminine. While it caused a bit of dissonance in the subtext, it doesn’t really change Dean’s narrative, because his inner darkness is the trauma, and his trauma is inherebtly tied to the “feminine” i.e. the parts of him that don’t fit seamlessly into the scheme of toxic masculinity values. That the violence that comes from the Mark of Cain comes from Dean himself and that’s it, or is connected to the Darkness, it doesn’t change what it means for Dean. Dean and Amara have parallel histories, the feminine principle locked away, the trauma the anger stems from.

In 10x09 we’re still in the Before The (TM) Darkness era, before the suppressed cosmic feminine. The Mark of Cain arc is still about... well, Cain. But the shift is the signal that someone looked at Dean’s arc and said... you know what? “Lucifer gave me this curse so now I’m demonic and murdery” is meh. “Toxic masculinity suppresses the feminine and it creates trauma which rage and violence comes from” is more interesting. I don’t know whose idea it was, but it was a good idea, and surely the idea came from seeing how Dean’s MoC narrative was unfolding.

Dean’s MoC narrative was unfolding in a certain way, in fact, because of a pretty simple reason. There’s a fundamental tension in Dean’s MoC arc. We want him to go murdery, but it’s also our main character, so we don’t want him to do really horrible things because he still needs to be relatable. The audience cannot hate him, so he must NOT do something entirely unforgivable. He still needs to be somewhat relatable, even when demonic or demonic-adjacent.

So he goes on a murder spree... but it’s rapists and child traffickers. He’s demon, but he kills a misogynistic dude that wanted his wife dead for cheating on him. He’s a demon, but beats up dudes that harass women. He does a slaughter, but they’re nazi. He’s off the deep end, but works a case of kidnapped and abused young women...

Speaking of which. 10x23, written by Jeremy Carver. Dean works a case where a girl was killed while dressed scantily and Dean makes some slut-shaming remarks, and we’re supposed to think “whoa Dean, that’s bad”. But later he confronts the girl’s father and what does he say?

I’m just doing my job, Mr. McKinley.

By suggesting my daughter was a slut?

I’ll admit that thought crossed my mind. Then I came here, and I smelled the deceit and the beatings and the shame that pervade this home.

You shut your face right now.

And you know what? I don’t blame Rose anymore. No wonder she put on that skank outfit and went out there looking for validation, right into the arms of the monster that killed her.

Back then the episode was super controversial and everyone hated the case because of the apparent slut-shaming but I loved it! Because it’s not about the girl. It’s about Dean. Dean doesn’t think that a girl gets killed because she dresses in a miniskirt so it’s her fault. Dean is projecting on himself and he’s not actually victim blaming the girl, he’s victim blaming himself. And when he absolves the girl by putting the blame on the father... well, subtextually he’s absolving himself by putting the blame on his father. On the deceit and the beatings and the shame that pervaded his own home. He’s textually not ready to absolve himself, of course, he summons Death to ask him to kill him later, but subtextually he’s on the right path.

Rose McKinley basically did the same mistake Dean did at the CBGB when he trusted some older people who offered him drinks and the same mistake Claire did when she trusted a man who sold her for money because he offered him a place and stability. She trusted the wrong people (in this case, vampires, which adds the whole subtext of vampires and sexuality) who took advantage of her. Except Rose had no one to save her. (Her friend, Crystal, gets rescued by Dean, even if he causes the other hunter Rudy to die in the process.)

Carver’s writing is pretty brutal. The girl made that mistake because was abused at home, so she was desperate for validation and that desperation drove her into the wrong hands. (Rose even has a brother who blames himself for bringing her sister to her future murderers, destructive sibling relationship check.) It doesn’t actually even matter if Dean guessed right about Rose’s family situation, because what matters is what it tells us about Dean. He basically relates to a dead abused girl. Actually all through the season Dean is paralleled to “skanks” “sluts” and sex workers. Obviously this happens kinda all through the show, the whole “the business is based on absent fathers” thing happened much earlier in the story, so it’s not new. But s10 draws a picture of female suffering - abuse, manipulation and death. Season 10 was difficult to go through. In hindsight, it was probably on purpose because it was supposed to be darkest hour of the feminine. Summed with some good old fashioned misogyny, but hey.

The Carver era was wonky but Carver wanted to free the feminine. (I believe that Mary’s comeback, while written by Dabb because of the showrunner shift, was planned before the showrunner shift.) We thought the Dabb era wanted the same, with Mary choosing life and Amara being independent and so on, but it evidently wasn’t the case. Not a single woman arrives at end of the story. It’s hardly ~Bucklemming or ~the network or ~covid because it starts before the very end.

I’m not saying that dead sluts are more feminist than living women, but if the women die or disappear anyway (and they did) I’d rather have an exploration of trauma than nothing. And I definitely prefer a dead slut narrative that calls out parental abuse than a narrative where women live but abuse gets the you-did-your-best treatment.

Whoops! I digressed! But feel free to ask for any clarification or send me any observation or thought.

[l-sincline]

Cybernetics - Cyberpunk!Sonic AU

Amy Rose has been working tirelessly at her broken down booth for as long as she can imagine. Ever since Tails left their work to join forces with the revered hero of Mobius, 'The Blue Blur', she's grown lonely and desperate to make her life exciting. A strange customer comes in one day asking her to fix his cyborg arm, what she didn't know was that he would be the catalyst for a brand new life.

AO3 Tags:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik, Rouge the Bat, Whisper the Wolf, Cream the Rabbit, Knuckles the Echidna, Badnik (Sonic the Hedgehog), E-123 Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Angst, Slow Burn, Partners in Crime

AO3 Link

Next

Amy reached up and wiped the sweat off her brow harshly with her hand that held the wrench. At the beginning of the day, she may have worried about getting grease or even Thuluhide on her forehead, but it was getting late, and she already had dozens of grease smudges all over her, and a few splotches of Thuluhide on her cargo pants and crop top. Grease, of course, came with the job description. She was a mechanic, fixing robot parts and hover cars and other things of the sort caused her to get pretty messy. Thuluhide, however, was something she hadn’t been aware she’d have to deal with until after her friend Tails had taught her to fix even more advanced things, like cyborg parts and androids.The world they lived in was teeming with them, it only made sense that she learned how to fix them to make more money, she already charged low for her services as it was, she didn’t exactly live in a rich town, it felt like a crime to try and sell her time for more than the people she serviced could afford, so the more she could do, the more money she could make. 

Anyways, Thuluhide had proved itself hard to remove from clothing, as her pants had many other stains that had refused to come out other the years. Thuluhide was the blood of those advanced cybernetics, cyborgs had Thuluhide integrated into their own body along with their blood in order to properly control and maintain function in their robot parts, Androids were simply filled with Thuluhide. As she tightened the last screw on the oldish radio that sat in front of her, on her desk at the very front of her shop, she became aware of a presence standing just ahead of her, on the other side of her booth. Amy looked up, slightly startled that she hadn’t heard them. Even though the street filled with various booths and shops like hers she worked on was often bustling with noise, she usually hear someone at least a few moments before they arrived. 

“You service cyborgs?” They asked- sounded male. 

“Yes-“ she replied “is that what I can help you with today?” 

He wore a cloak that covered most of his body, even the hood cast too much of a shadow on his face for her to see much else other than the fact that he had some pretty sizable fangs for a Mobian that didn’t seem to be some sort of lizard or lion. He responded by tossing an arm up onto her table- it was unlike one she had ever seen before, she usually saw cyborg parts that were steel or black, and if they weren’t their pain job was usually pretty shabby. This arm, however, was sleek white with two red stripes, one running down the outer of the the arm, the other down the inner. The joints were covered in well serviced black rubber- the entire thing was well serviced save for sizable dents made to the forearm. 

“I couldn’t move it at the elbow anymore, fingers and wrist wasn’t working either.” He said, gently using his other hand to push aside the cloak ever so slightly, all she could really see was the matching port on his shoulder where the arm connected, even his other arm stayed hidden by the cloak. 

“Well, I would’ve preferred if you’d let me remove it myself...” she started, picking up the arm to get a closer look at it. The stripes she observed earlier now seemed to just be lights that weren’t turned on. She frowned. 

“You know, I’ve never seen any arm, any cyborg part at all for that matter, that looks like this.” She commented as she continued to turn it over in her hands. 

“It was custom made.” He responded simply. 

“Shouldn’t you bring it back to whoever made it then? They’d have less of a chance of messing up on it than I do.” Amy placed the arm back down on the table and looked up to where she thought she could see the smallest gleam of light off the mans eyes. 

“Can’t. We’re not on speaking terms anymore.” He responded shortly, making it clear that would be all she was getting on that subject. 

“Shame.” She responded simply, putting her hands up in defeat to reassure him she would press no further. “Well, I’ll see what I can do then. I estimate it’ll be done by-“

“Can I have it by tomorrow night?” He interrupted. Her disbelieving look must have made him realize he sounded like an asshole, because he quickly followed up with; “I’ll pay more for it to be done faster.” She let out the breath she had been holding and slumped tiredly. 

“Yes, that will be forty units added on to the down payment then.”

“How much is the down payment?” 

“Twenty units.”

It was his turn to look at her like she was crazy, or at least, it felt like he was looking at her like she was crazy.  “That cheap?”

“Yeah, well, if I just have to tighten a screw then you’ll get money back instead, it’s just easier this way, I don’t know how much servicing this arm will cost until I actually do it. I could give you an estimate if you want, but you’ll have to stick around for another ten minutes.” 

“I just thought it would cost more.” He defended his reaction. 

“Closer to the middle of the city, sure. But out here people don’t have much, and I don’t want to take what little they have away from them.” She responded with a shrug, leaning back on her stool and crossing her arms over her chest. He seemed like he wanted to keep arguing, but kept his mouth shut as he dug around under his cloak a bit before his other arm snaked out and dropped her units on the table. 

She tried her hardest to hide her surprise, but clearly it hadn’t worked well, because his arm shot back into the abyss of the cloak as soon as she had noticed his other arm was also robotic. It was pretty rare to find someone with more than five percent of their makeup being robotic. With one full arm he’d already slightly over come that, but with two full arms he had officially gone pretty wildly over. 

“I’ll be back this time tomorrow.” He said suddenly before turning and walking quickly into the crowd. Amy tried to follow where he was going, but just as suddenly as he had appeared, he disappeared. She swiped the units into her hand and dumped them into a jar that sat below the table before picking up the arm again. 

There was something about it that made her feel as if no one else should see it, as if it was specifically given to her to be in her hands only- maybe the mystery guy had known her mechanic partner had moved on to bigger things and she was the only one in the shop now- either way, she tucked the arm under her own pink arm, which was quite dusty this late in the day making her seem almost purple, and reached up to close the screen in front of her booth to signal she was closed to the market that was still teeming with mobians even after dark. 

Soon she was left in the dim light of her lanterns that hung from either side of the buildings that surrounded the booth. The roof had been constructed out of old tarps and dingy blankets nailed to the walls (with permission from the building owners) and some burlap hung down over the back entrance that lead to the back alleyway to create sort of a tent like entry way. Wires zig zagged across the floor, all leading to different tools and one leading to a lamp on her work desk that all converged at one very over worked extension cord. Amy set the arm down on her work desk and dragged the stool from the front of her booth over to it so she could sit, turning on the lamp once she had. 

She stared blankly at the arm in front of her- perhaps the thing that made it strangest was it’s resemblance to something most mobians lived in fear of; the evil robots sent from the mad doctor, Robotnik, who came from a planet they had strained relations with: Earth. 

Earth and Mobius had only become known to each other in more recent years, after Earth ravaged the land in a war that the Mobians just barely managed to finish off. That was half a millennium ago, so perhaps not as recent as one may think, but still recent enough to keep sour tensions. Both planets leaders were constantly back and forth, looking to negotiate a peace treaty, but nothing had come yet. Constant changes of power on both planets lead to constant changing of peace treaties, it was a turbulent activity. 

But that was besides the point, the arm that sat in front of her resembled some of the most evil robots known to mobians, killing machines set upon them by a man who had made it his goal to take over their planet. 

Trying not to dwell on its resemblance to the doctor’s robots too much, Amy finally chose a tool (a flat head screw driver) and dragged the arm closer to her. She gripped it tightly and popped off the outside panel of the forearm where the flurry of dents were. She held up the gleaming white panel in one hand, and in the light it appeared that the dents had come from kicks, very strong ones to be able to dent this kind of foreign metal. She placed it back down on the table- she’d push the dents up and repaint the panel later, for now she wanted to get an idea of what it looked like inside the arm. 

Inside the arm looked somewhat similar to typical Mobian cyborg limbs, the Thuluhide sat dormant in the tube structures that resembled veins, and sure enough the red stripes she’d spotted earlier were lights, but it seemed that somehow they were activated by the Thuluhide. All the mechanisms on the inside were black, making it rather hard to tell anything apart. Even the wires were black instead of their usual mess of primaries, and she began to wish she still had Tails in the shop to lend a hand. Amy bit her lip as she leaned closer to the arm. She could call him, but he also seemed to be infinitely busier than normal these days. Tails was lucky, extremely lucky. She would probably envy him for the rest of her days. 

With the appearance of the robots that this arm reminded her of many years ago now, had come a vigilante of sorts to save the people from untimely demise. Super fast thanks to his Cyborg legs, sickeningly badass, and supposedly pretty handsome, the Blue Blur had become a household name. He never asked for payment, he never left anyone behind, he just did what was right- absolutely admirable! Amy still remembered the feeling of shock when she had come to the booth one morning and Tails was jittering around excitedly with a smile that looked like it could’ve torn his face in half. Apparently the Blue Blur himself had come by early that morning for maintenance on his legs, and a few days later, had asked Tails to come on board as his official mechanic. 

Amy was so happy for him when he’d told her, but the twinge of jealousy always sat not too far behind. She missed the life Tails brought to the shop, she missed his stories and his expertise, but she supposed it was his expertise that got him such a spectacular opportunity. 

She stared blankly at the ProjScreen she had taken out of her pocket, finger hovering over the call button before finally giving in and tapping it, setting down the screen so the hologram could pop up. 

It rang a few times, and then just as she was sure that Tails’ smiling face would pop up, it was instead the typical camera icon followed by the robotic woman’s voice telling her: “Miles Prower is not available at this moment, please leave a message at the sound of recording, thank you.” Amy managed a quick sigh before straightening back up when the beep sounded and slapping a strained smile on her face. 

“Hi Tails... I was hoping you wouldn’t be busy but... I guess you do have a lot more going on these days.” She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “I have something pretty interesting here that I thought you might want to take a stab at, but it’s due tomorrow night so I guess I’ll just try to figure it out on my own... have a good night- miss you!” She tried to end enthusiastically as she grabbed the ProjScreen to get it to stop recording. Amy threw the screen down on the table and grumbled as she leaned foreword and thumped her forehead down on the table. 

“I guess I’m just gonna have to sleep on it.” She spoke aloud to herself, voice muffled by the dirty pink fur of her arms. 

She would have to work on the arm all day tomorrow trying to figure it out, so that meant she’d have to keep the booth closed for the majority of the day, or at least only keep it open to simple fixes, but hopefully this client would pay good. After all, they’d been willing to spend extra money to get it custom originally and pay her extra to get it done fast- so they wouldn’t haggle... hopefully. 

Amy stood from the desk and popped the front panel back on to the arm before placing it gently in her satchel and slinging the bag around her shoulder. After turning off all her lights, she slid through the burlap curtains and headed out into the back ally, ready to go home and take a cold shower. 

[blehbleehhhh]

Bubble Gum ft. EreMika❣️

A lovely reader requested a super sweet fluffy modern childhood fic that I'm really excited to share! Hope you'll enjoy. ❤️

ps: my mom calls me ladybug, just humor me.

The sun was a blazing fiery ball, twinkling its peak midday golden rays over a small sleepy town and the playground where local children congregate when their parents send them out to play. Titan's Fury Park happens to be one little girl's favorite place of solitude where she can steal away if only for a moment to add drawings to her sketchbook since there are many beautiful places to sit that never fail to inspire a doodle or two. Somewhere in a small group of boys are her two best friends playing a very competitive game of football. Mikasa has witnessed it herself many times, where Eren will rub it in Jean's face that his team had won the game by aggressively throwing the ball into the grass, while Armin sits on the sidelines feeling uninterested in the sport, but he'll keep score as he reads one of the many books off his shelf that's most likely already been read.

The precocious, green eyed boy was instructed by his mother to keep watch over Mikasa, who later stubbornly insisted that Armin and Eren do their own thing since she fully intends to work on filling her sketchbook instead of playing. But one of the local girls who only recently started to pick on her had other plans. "Where's your cute friend?" Annie inquires, blowing a small bubble with pink gum as she stands confidently before the girl sitting cross legged on a bench. Mikasa sighs with irritation, deepening the shading on her closeup tree bark sketch. "Hey, I asked you a question. Look up from your stupid scribble book." But the girl remained strong and ignored how demanding and harsh these words were being spoken to her by such a blunt person, carefully smudging a spot on her sketch with the pad of her pinky. "Excuse you," Annie hisses under her breath obviously feeling impatient as she suddenly grabs Mikasa's long hair with a truly evil grin. "You know, you really have such beautiful hair. It would be a shame if you had to cut it." Her victim frowned and reached for her hair only to have it painfully tugged in retaliation, making her whine in discomfort as she holds her scalp protectively.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that, because I'm not cutting it."

"Uh-huh, where's Eren?"

"I don't know!" Mikasa rushes to say as her hair is tugged once more. "Why?!"

"Because I think he's cute and I want you to talk to him. Aren't you his sister or something?"

"Not by blood..."

"Tell him that Annie thinks he's cute."

"Can't you do that yourself?!"

"It would be so much more fun to see you do it. And if you don't, I'll destroy your sketchbook."

"Fine..." Mikasa reluctantly agrees, shyly darting her eyes from Annie's stoic expression. "I'll talk to him later."

"Thanks." Annie smiles as she spits her gum out on her hand and smushed it with raven hair, rolling the wad around between her hands to mix everything together. She snickers to herself as she walks away, leaving Mikasa with stinging eyes and a quivering bottom lip already feeling humiliated to the point where her cheeks and the tips of her ears felt hot. It was with a heavy heart that she gathers her belongings and holds them to her chest as she takes off running in search of Eren, the one who she always has and always will turn to in stressful situations.

Eren was found playing football with his friends like she anticipated, but he's currently on the ground after being tackled aggressively by Reiner and Jean for the ball. Armin cheers for his friend from the sidelines while Bertolt, Marco, and Connie watch intently to learn the final score of their fourth game. "HA! I GOT THE BALL! CONNIE! CATCH!" Jean roars with laughter, cackling triumphantly as he rushes to throw the ball at Marco not far away to finish the game in their favor.

Until they heard truly hysterical crying.

"ERENN!" Mikasa cries, her voice wailing his name at the top of her lungs as tears streamed down her face. He immediately sits up from where he was laying in the grass recovering after being tackled so aggressively and his heart sunk to see her so distraught.

"What?! What?!" Eren hurried to his feet and stumbled a step as he runs to embrace her. "What happened?! Why are you crying?!" She looks up to meet his concerned and inquiring gaze with watery eyes, her tears making him cloudy until she blinks them away.

"Someone was mean to me and and -" She coughs suddenly from crying, making her cheeks even hotter with embarrassment. I don't want all this attention! Her foot stomps angrily. "She put gum in my hair!" Dreading the consequences of Annie's actions, Mikasa bursts into tears because she knows that she needs to have this obnoxiously large wad of gum cut from her hair, when she happens to love how long it's grown to barely above the waistline of her long skirt. Eren's blood boils with anger and the look in his eyes is one that only someone close to him would recognize. It somehow made her cry even more to feel validated that what happened was indeed a horrible thing. He sighs deeply to keep his cool and studies at the wad of gum in her hair, holding it carefully in his hand.

"Who did this do you?"

"It-" She sniffles and takes in a few involuntary breaths as her body tries to settle itself, his fingers releasing her gummy hair. "It was Annie. She was telling me to tell you that she thinks you're cute, when she just squished her gum in my hair!" The embarrassed little girl sighed with sorrow as her best friend wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gently brought her in for a hug, letting her cry into his shirt. He glanced up at Jean, who just gave an understanding nod to let him know that it was more than okay for him to skip out.

"Figures," Eren sighed as he rests a hand on the top of her head the way his mother comforts them at home. "Annie asked me the other day if I liked her and I think she meant the like like way, so now she won't leave me alone," He maintains an arm around her shoulder and gives a small wave at his friends while they go over the score together and rehydrate. "Come on, Mika, I'll take you home."

"But I want you to stay here. I can walk home by myself..."

"I know you can, but I want to be there for you when you're, like, sad and bummed out. Those guys understand."

"But why?" Mikasa's voice was soft and her breathing has already begun to settle much to his relief.

"Because you're my best friend and I really really hate seeing you anything but smiling. It's beautiful," Eren smiles at first until he realized what he said, and it make him chuckle awkwardly. "I mean you're beautiful. I-I mean.." But it was too late. His slip of the tongue has already made her giggle amidst her soft sniffling as she wipes the tears staining  her cheeks with her fingers. He swallows hard and his face grows hot, but her laugh always makes him smile. No matter what. "Never mind." She tucks her hair behind her ear and plays with her fingers anxiously.

"You're so funny, Eren.."

"I wasn't really trying to be funny, but thank you." He chuckled as they came up behind his mother outside while she was gardening, who did a double take and immediately dropped her tools in the flowerbed, running over to Mikasa terribly concerned. "Hi, Momma, someone was mean to Miki and put gum in her hair."

"This will never come out!" Mikasa whines, stomping her feet in the grass as she looks down at the wad of gum and hair, trying desperately to untangle the gooey mess with her little fingers to no avail. Carla frowns as she carefully takes the girl's hands in hers and holds them while Eren wipes tears from beneath her eyes. "Aunt Carla, I don't wanna cut it!"

"Mikasa, I'm so sorry.." Carla opens her arms to offer a hug that was happily taken. "This does need to be cut out, ladybug, but it'll be alright. Your hair will grow out before you know it, I promise." She gently pats the little girl's back before pulling away to stand up, offering her hands for both children to take as they followed her inside the house. "Why don't you two wait for me by the sink so I can find a pair of scissors?" She says as they enter the kitchen, their little hands departing from hers while they run to the sink together and little sneakers squeak on the hardwoods. Carla soon comes over with scissors in her hand and a sad look on her face because she has to cut these beautiful raven locks. Mikasa sighs softly as the scissors were positioned to cut above the gummy mush. "Hold still, okay?" Raven hair drops silently on the kitchen floor as the scissors slowly work their way around her head, leaving her with just as luscious shoulder length hair. "You cutie pie, look at you!" Carla smiles as she sets the scissors on the counter and carefully runs her fingers through Mikasa's hair to make certain all of the gum has been removed. The little girl offers a small smile in return as she wipes her tears from beneath her eyes.

"It actually feels good to have my hair cut.."

"I'm so glad that you like it."

"Thank you for fixing my hair. Eren was right, you do have super powers."

"Mikasa!"

"Oh, my sweet baby boy," Carla laughs and brings the embarrassed child in to plant a kiss on his forehead and ruffle his hair. "You’re in desperate need of a haircut as well, but I can take care of that later. Why don't you take Mikasa back to the playground?"

"Will you take me?" The little girl turns to her friend with a hopeful look and he simply grins.

"Will you smile for me?"

"Okay.." Mikasa smiles and found her cheeks to be hot when his face immediately lights up in response. Before she knew it, his hand was in hers and they were well on their way back to the park. It was still hot outside from the midday sun, its blinding rays invading their vision frequently, but Eren still manages to spot blue wildflowers growing along the sidewalk. He stops and his heart races as he picks the flower for her while she's far enough ahead not to notice. "Eren? Where are you?" She hollers, turning in a slow circle to see him running up to her.

"Sorry! I'm right here!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Eren smiles as his ears grew hot, twisting the tiny flower stem with his fingers behind his back. "I'm great. Are you okay?" He asks as they start walking once more, the park in clear distance.

"I'm..I'm good. Your momma is so nice."

"She's pretty cool, but so is your momma. And your dad is so funny."

"Yeah, he is. Your dad is silly, too." Mikasa giggles, her sneaker kicking a rock out from her path. "I know you're angry at yourself for not being there and I just wanted to say that you don't need to be so hard on yourself. It makes me sad."

"Yeah, well, it's true. I'm sorry Annie is so mean to you now."

"I think she's jealous that you and I are so close."

"Probably, but who needs her? You're way cooler than Annie anyway." Eren smiles, her giggle gracing his ears once more as they make their way to the swing set. She sits gracefully on a swing and he takes the one beside her, still twirling the blue flower he picked for her between his fingers. "Mikasa?" He turns to look at her and swallows hard to gather his nerve.

"Hm?"

"I...I like your hair short," He smiles shyly and they both blush as he scoots his swing closer to hers. "I mean, I like it long, too, but you look really pretty with it short." She grins, his hand raising hesitantly to push hair behind her ear and gently tucked the flower in that gap. But then, Mikasa did something he hadn't ever anticipated her doing and leaned in, clearly feeling slightly unsure as she kisses his blushing cheek.

"Thank you, Eren.."

"You're welcome," He smiles as their swings separate and stands up so he can be behind her. "Can I give you a push?"

"Yeah!" She says excitedly as her legs kick the air.

"Okay," Eren laughs in amusement as he pulls her swing back and pushes her forward. "Here we go!" She giggles as she's pushed, and he can't help but think about how cute she is no matter how hard he tries to fight it.

"Push me higher, Eren! Push me higher!"

"Anything to hear your laugh again." And with that he gives a harder push to her lower back, making the swing soar even higher. She cheers in excitement and giggles as her short raven hair blows in the breeze, holding the blue wildflower safely in her hand against the swing chain so it doesn't get lost. They remained this way for a while, just enjoying each other's company and sharing many laughs knowing that there will be more in the future.

[godknowsqueen]

punch you, love you ; ben hardy x reader

Summary: Recently, you and Ben get on each other’s nerves like there is no tomorrow, but there’s a little something hidden underneath all that bitterness.

Warnings: Swear words, angst, flufffffffff. I also have zero knowledge in makeup so pls forgive me.

Word Count: 2,293 words.

A/N: This is my second attempt at writing a Ben Hardy x Reader oneshot. Do let me know if you have any comments or feedback in mind! Hope you enjoy this :’)

Being the makeup artist on the Bohemian Rhapsody movie set was like a dream come true to you. Queen has been your all-time favorite band, so getting to have a job were you see Brian May and Roger Taylor on almost a daily basis was like a blessing. What made it even better is that you get to transform four amazing actors into that brilliant band with the power of your makeup tools. 

There was only one problem: one of them has been lately irritating the hell out of you. Ben Hardy. 

It was another day at work, and you were prepping the boys for their “I Want to Break Free” scene.

“Oh, look at those eyelashes, darling. They make my eye colour truly pop!” Rami said in a bit of a high-pitched voice.

“Rami, you are turning to Freddie,” you chuckled as you carefully put the finishing touches on the left eyelashes. 

“That is the plan,” he gave you a wink, attempting to show off his new eyelashes. 

“Now, Bri- I mean Gwilym, I’ll just apply some spray to keep that makeup in place, so keep your eyes closed,” you dictated, shaking a bottle of spray.

“Do I really look that much like Brian? I feel like I look more like Aunt Petunia from Harry Potter at the moment,” Gwilym said, squeezing his eyes shut, and making you laugh with his horrifyingly accurate statement.

“Lord, you made me laugh and some of that nasty spray got in my mouth, Gwilym!” your face scrunched up in disgust, but you managed to keep laughing. “Or should I say Aunt Petunia?” 

With that, you scurried away to where Joe was sitting, trying to escape the wrath of Gwilym trying to hit you with a towel. 

“Well, hello grandma Joe,” you took a little brush and dipped it in a brown powder. “I’ll just adjust some of your wrinkles and you are free to go,” you started slowly brushing along the corners of Joe’s eyes and lips. 

“Thank you, young lady! Maybe after this scene you can give me some anti-aging creams to get rid of them?” Joe tried to pull off his best grandma voice, and you tried your best to not laugh and mess up the makeup you have previously spent nearly 2 hours on.

“Grandma Joe, stop being a jerk by trying to make me laugh.”

“Oh, now dear that is not a way to talk to your elders! Where are the manners of these kids nowadays!?” he raised his voice and rolled his eyes to Gwilym, who shook his head in agreement.

“Shut it, you two,” you removed your brush-handling hand off of Joe’s face, proceeding to lightly punch the two guys on their arms. They started snickering like little boys as they got off their seats. 

“Kids, you need to calm down,” Rami chimed in as he wore his pink earrings, channeling his inner Mercury yet again. A few seconds later, he walked over to where you stood, and gave your arm a light squeeze, “Thank you, (Y/N), you did a wonderful job with our makeup for that scene!”

“Yeah, you rock, even when you make fun of us,” Joe muttered in a joking tone.

“And even when we give you a hard time,” Gwilym agreed, twirling around a little in his nightgown.

You heart warmed at their sudden gratefulness, and a genuine smile formed on your lips, “You guys! Thank you so much, it makes me happy to be working with you. Now, enough with the cheesiness and go shoot your scene!” you hurried them off, but you felt like you were forgetting something.

“Um, speaking of giving me a hard time, actually, where the hell is Ben?” you place your knuckles on your hips, an apparent angry look taking over your features. 

“I’m literally right here,” a cold, deep voice arose behind you. You took a deep breath, trying to contain your anger before turning around to look at him. With that, the three other guys awkwardly left the room. They knew it wasn’t going to go well.

There he was, Ben Hardy, with his lipstick faded and one side of his cheek lacking the proper amount of foundation. The sight of the makeup you worked hard on being smudged got on your nerves. Or maybe because it was the sight of Ben that made you angry.

“What happened to the makeup?” 

“I went out for a quick smoke,” Ben avoided your gaze, feeling a little bit guilty.

“Okay, the lipstick fading from the cigarette I understand, but what about the foundation?” you turned around, preparing again the tools you’ll use to fix this.

“One of the girls cast as the groupies gave me a kiss on the cheek and I had to rub her lipstick off of my face,” he squared his arm, “anymore questions, officer?”

You closed your eyes, placing a brush a little bit too strongly on the counter. You felt super irritated, but what made you angrier was that tug at your heart when he said that one of the girls kissed him on the cheek. 

(Y/N), he is an asshole. You are NOT jealous. Just get this over and done with. It is your job, after all. 

Turning back to him, you point the swivel chair in his direction, and you motion  for him to take a seat. His eyes, which were previously avoiding you, were now lingering on you as he strutted to the chair in his little black Rogerina skirt. You started working on his face, fixing every mishap that messed up the makeup.

What if he wasn’t just smoking? What if he was hooking up with that girl? Whatever, I don’t care.

You both sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Ben starts speaking again, “So, it’s either you interrogate me or you’re awfully silent? Is there no in-between?” 

At that moment, you were perfecting a bit of his eyeliner, and you summoned all of the power within you to stop yourself from poking his eyes out. If only they weren’t so damn beautiful.

“Ben, if I were you, I would be scared of pissing off someone who is working so closely to my face.”

“What can you even do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, punch you in the goddamn face? But instead I’m here trying to be a good person and do my job correctly,” you replied rather harshly, his cold tone irritating you with every word he spoke. “And I’m also not going around kissing guys on the cheek and ruining their makeup,” you said in a very low voice as you turned away from him, grabbing the makeup setting spray. 

“Excuse me?”

“What?”

“I heard that, don’t act stupid, (Y/N).”

“Oh, you’ve got some nerve calling me stupid.”

Ben was now out of his chair, standing firmly right in front of you with his arms squared. Although he was trying to be intimidating, his current outfit, wig, and makeup were not helping him. 

You stood there, raising your eyebrows at him, your hands placed on your sides. You were silently thanking God that no one was in the room to witness this fight.

“I didn’t call you stupid, I was precisely saying do not act stupid. There is a difference.”

“Oh, wow, there is?” you replied sarcastically.

“Yes, and it looks like you need to learn it,” he snapped back.

“And you need to learn to be nicer!” you started shouting a little.

“I am nice, it’s not my fault that you don’t see it! You only notice how funny Joe, Gwilym, and Rami are. But no, I’M the asshole,” Ben’s deep voice was getting louder.

“What? You know that I’ve always loved you all equally. You are the one who started getting weird and annoying a couple of months back. You’re off, you’re cold, and just plain annoying. You are always nitpicking at anything I do, and it definitely takes its toll on me. So don’t be fucking surprised when I’m being bitchy all of a sudden because of the way YOU have been acting, Benjamin,” you ended your rant, calling him Benjamin for the first time in the entirety of the past year you have worked on set.

Ben looked a bit taken aback, his eyes widened at the sudden anger that has erupted from you. You were usually a person that kept her peace, so this was so new for him to witness. 

And just like word vomit, Ben uttered, “You are so hot when you are mad.” 

The look on your faces made it evident that even he can’t believe that he actually just said that. 

“W-what?” you felt yourself blushing, but a puzzled look remained on your face as you took a little step back away from him. 

My heart is beating so fast, what the hell is this?

“S-sorry, forget I said anything, it’s been a tiring day. Just-”

Word vomit, again. This time, it’s you: “Just shut up and kiss me.”

With the swiftest move possible, Ben’s hands cup either sides of your face as his lips crash onto yours. His right hand slowly lets go of your cheek only to embrace your waist, pulling your body closer to his. Your hands were resting on his hard chest. As your lips move in sync with each other, you start tugging at his pink and yellow tie, deepening the kiss. For people that irritated each other 99% of the time, it felt like you guys have been kissing each other for years. 

Ben breaks the kiss for a few seconds, opening his eyes to take a good look at your pretty ones. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips, and he utters a few words, “you also look so hot with your cheeks firing up like that, too.” His thick accent manages to turn your insides into mush, making you uncontrollably smile despite trying to keep your calm poise. 

“And you look very fine with that skirt, I must say,” you let out a small giggle, gathering up the courage to plant a sweet kiss on his pink lips. As soon as you break it, Ben sends another small kiss, making you feel like he just couldn’t get enough of you.

His hands leave the side of your face and waist to tuck a stranded lock of hair behind your ears.

“So, why was all of that affection buried behind this bitterness?” you asked, holding one of his hands as you innocently looked at the floor under your feet. 

“I was confused as hell, (Y/N). I promised myself that I will give my all to this movie, and that I wouldn’t let any kind of emotions or relationships distract me,” his serious voice suddenly gave out a chuckle, “but then you came into our lives and I had to deal with you every day. In the beginning, it was easy to handle, but as the days went by, I couldn’t help but admit to myself the feelings I have been denying for months. These feelings just kept on growing like crazy.”

“And not knowing what do with these feelings, you decided that the best thing you could do is self-preserve by being distant and acting completely opposite to the way you felt, yeah?” you completed, earning a startled look from him.

“Exactly! How did you know?” Ben questioned, his hands softly squeezing yours.

“Been there,” you laughed and carried on, “with you. Funny enough, I had the same mindset you had. I guess that’s why we were so extra with our bitterness, we didn’t know that we were fighting the same battle,” you ended your words with a shrug. A couple of seconds later, you noticed Ben’s eyes giving you a very tender look. 

“What?” you spoke softly, admiring the features of his face.

“I really like you, (Y/N),” Ben uttered, a little color rising on his cheeks despite the foundation covering it.

“I really like you, too, Ben,” you shyly said, “but I think I really like Rogerina, too, so I don’t know where my feelings are exactly,” you teased him, your fingers ruffling the hem of his skirt. 

“Oh, shut it, love,” he gave you a cheeky grin, his hands moving to tickle your waist a little. 

“Why is Ben’s makeup taking forever? We need him on set right now, (Y/N)!” you heard the director shout from outside.

“Shit, your makeup is ruined again because of the kiss!” you squeezed the bridge of your nose with one hand, pushing Ben with the other onto the chair again.

“He’ll be ready in five!” you shouted back, scurrying to fix the mess you’ve made. Ben kept cheekily chuckling at your worried state, his eyes lingering on your every move.

“Do you think they killed each other?” you heard Joe whisper as he, Gwilym, and Rami walked into the room. 

“Hey guys, is everything alright?” Gwilym worryingly stated, the other two guys appearing next to him. 

Both you and Ben quickly turned to look at them and spoke in unison, “Everything's fine!”

Rami’s lips twisted into a sneaky smirk, “Judging by the absolutely messed up lipstick on Ben’s lips and the smudges of, coincidentally, pink lipstick on (Y/N)’s lips, I think they were far, far from killing each other.” 

You and Ben froze as the three other guys burst out laughing at your expressions. Although they were shocked at how things turned out to be between the two of you, they still couldn’t stop their laughter.

"So, you guys are a thing now?” Rami continued, standing smugly in his high heels.

“God knows!” Ben winked at you, earning a smile from you that made his heart skip a beat.

[stephdrawsjohnlock]

Hi:) I’m new to digital art, and I just purchased a Wacom tablet (the intuous draw because I’m just a beginner!) and I’m kind of hesitant. What if I completely suck at this?? What if this is going to end up being 10X worse than what I imagined it being?😓 I’m a traditional artist, and I’ve never been so good w tech, but everyone in my family has been telling me to try digital art out, and honestly... I’m really nervous:/ I’m scared my tablet will end up being a waste of money bc of my skills🙃

Hi Nonny! *hugs*

Firstly, CONGRATS! Getting a new toy is so much fun, especially when we are venturing on something new!

Secondly, Hi hello, traditional artist here!!

And therein lied my big problem: Digital is a COMPLETELY different medium with its own rules and the only limit is your imagination. Once I clued into this, It became a bit easier, but I still struggle with settling on a style I like, because it’s just like learning how to draw all over again.

How did you become good at traditional art, at being able to pump out art without thinking? PRACTICE. And this sounds counter-productive, but hear me out: STOP THINKING TOO HARD. This is my biggest problem, because I find I’m frustrated because I’m NOT good right away, that stuff isn’t going to turn out on the first, second, or one hundredth try. It’s going to take time, and THAT’S OKAY. You’re allowed to experiment and play with your tablet. I’ve actually learned, once I have finally just allowed myself to enjoy my art regardless of how shitty it looks, that I always want to keep practicing and trying out a new pic! I’m not fast and constant envy people who can get stuff done quickly and make it look amazing, but I also need to realise that I’m starting new, and that once I become comfortable with the tools, only THEN can I finally develop a style.

I’ve been trying digital work for 2 years. I’ve only recently finally found the will to “let go” and just “ink” my art and stop trying to make it look like my traditional stuff. It’s not going to look like it. But I’m experimenting every time I draw with new brushes and styles and pen pressures, and somehow I come up with something I’m satisfied with. And it keeps my art fresh and new; I’ve had a few people come to me privately and tell me that they love watching my art grow and change as I learn how to do digital work, and it means SO MUCH to me. Encouragement goes a long way into helping us grow. 

So Nonny, DON’T think you wasted your money. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! You didn’t become a traditional artist in one day, just as you won’t become a digital one. I KNOW it’s frustrating, I feel you, but it will click and you will find something you like. Try experimenting with brushes and pen pressures (there are LOADS of free brushes online), and you will soon find The Set that works for you! Watch tutorials on how to use the features of your program, and read how other artists do their work. It’s immensely helpful, and you learn things about the programs you didn’t know about. 

Wacom also has an app that comes with it when you install the drivers that allow you to change the mapping, pen pressures, handedness, touch capabilities, and all the shortcut keys on it, so make sure you familiarize yourself with your tablet. It is going to be your best friend in your digital art toolbox, and you should learn how it reacts to how you draw. ALSO, a tablet is NOT a piece of paper; be GENTLE with it. This was another thing that I had to learn, because I was wearing out my nibs monthly. Experiment with the nibs on your pen, and DON’T push hard or you will cause damage to the both the tablet and nib. AND nibs DO need to be changed, just if you’re going through them monthly, you’re pushing too hard. These are my favourite nibs, and think they work the best AND I like the rubber tips on them. The spring in them helped me with my pressure issue and helped me learn to be gentler with the pen, and now I don’t push so hard and scratch the shit out of my tablet. These ones are my next favourite. I love the rubber tips on them. Just make sure when you purchase nibs they are FOR YOUR TABLET. As far as I know, all Wacoms come with extra nibs, you just have to find out where they are. Mine’s a Intuos Pro, and they’re in the base of the pen stand. The tablet I have at work is just a standard small Intuos, and I found the nibs hidden in a compartment on the back of the tablet (right at the top, there’s a cover you can pull off, they’re in there). ANYWAY, try out different nibs and you will find one you like too! The felt ones were great too!

Also learn the basics of the programs you are using: LAYERS ARE YOUR FRIENDS. What I love about digital art is that I can forever try out different “blueline” layers and keep them all to maybe refine later or just delete it! Layer Groups are the BEST thing ever, and learn to use them. I always have my layers grouped into “bluelines”, “sketch”, “lineart” and “colours”, all with groups under those (I should seriously show you guys one of my pieces’ layers palette) and sorted and named so that I can find what I need. Learn about Layer Masks; they’re EXTREMELY helpful in colouring. And play with the brush stroke features. It’s so daunting when you first start, but you’ll figure it out!!

I BELIEVE IN YOU NONNY! You and I can learn together, and watch our art change and develop into something beautiful. And yeah, it would be nice if it were sooner than later, but we can’t win them all!! Practice every day so you can get used to the paper-to-screen aspect of it (it weirded me out for awhile) and so you can get used to judging distances and how your pen reacts to your touches. STOP THINKING, and just do it, Lovely!!

Good luck, Nonny!!

[kuriquinn]

Underneath the Underneath [3/?]

Temporary Blanket Disclaimer

First Chapter

AN: Not edited yet. But it’s been written, which is half the battle :D 

Manako Inuzuka sits cross-legged on the glass counter of the surplus shop, scowling down at the week’s ledger. She’s not a fan of numbers or mathematics at all, but even she can see that something is not quite adding up.

Which is bad, because when the numbers don’t add up, she gets the blame for it and ends up taking a pay cut somewhere.

And I already practically live on cup-ramen. If I eat any more of it, I’m gonna turn into that Uzumaki kid...

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing?!” a familiar voice demands, and Saburō Izumo hobbles in from the backroom, wrinkled face pulled tight in disapproval. Manako’s boss is a short, skinny old man with threadbare, iron grey hair that sticks out in every direction, and hands permanently stained and scarred from making explosives.

His favourite pastime is the glare at potential customers who linger in the shop without buying anything. When he’s in a particularly overbearing mood, he puts on a set of thick, round pince-nez glasses to magnify his unimpressed stare.

Since he’s not wearing them now, Manako decides he’s just in a complaining mood and not actually angry. She returns her attention to the ledger.

“How many times do I say? I don’t want your backside smudging up the display!” he scolds. “And what happens when you break the glass? You’re gonna die a horrible, agonizing death from blood loss, then I have to find replacement. The paperwork!”

“Relax, old man, I’ve got enough training to know how to channel chakra to my ass, it won’t break the glass,” Manako retorts, not looking up.

“Ungrateful whelp…No respect for your elders…”

She notices something out of the corner of her eye, and upon re-reading a line of numbers, smirks in triumph—she’s figured out why the numbers don’t look right.

“You’ve overpriced the gunpowder again,” Manako points out. “No one’s going to buy it here when down the street they’re practically giving it away.”

“They’re practically giving it away because it is cheap imitation,” Saburō harrumphs, striding over to tap the book in her hand. “This? This is secret recipe. Passed down to me by my father, who got it from his father, and so on for many generations of—”

“Important people who did important things and had no fun,” Manako cuts him off. “You say this every time, but I’m the one who has to look at the books, and the profit margin ain’t ever as high as you think it is.”

“Profit is profit. And if it’s more than what that old fishwife across town is making, that’s enough.”

“That…isn’t she your wife?”

“And I love her dearly,” Saburō says, tapping his heart with his fist. “But home is home and business is business and I will blow her quaint little stall out of the water.”

“Freaky old fool,” Manako says, unable to hold back a smile. “Fine. But you’re still getting ripped off by the guys selling you the powder. I can hook you up with better quality stuff, for much cheaper, if you’d just—”

“Oi!” he scowls at her over his glasses. “This legitimate business. None of your questionable connections here! At least wait until I’m dead and gone and with a nice memorial stone. Then you can run this place like the black market for all I care. But until then—” he shakes a finger at her, “—we are wholesome, family store!”

“Whose financial model is built around selling tools that kill people, with a side goal of destroying your wife’s business,” Manako deadpans.

“Exactly.”

She sighs and returns her attention to the books. “We’re out of the specialty metsubushi. Really popular with all those new Academy students that figure they should whip out the weapons for every little schoolyard fight. We should restock and raise the price. Ten percent?”

“Fifteen. Once the injuries start, sales will go down. Strike while the iron’s hot,” Saburō says gleefully.

And people say I’m devious, Manako thinks with a snort.  “There were a bunch of kids eyeing the Exploding Spheres, too. We should institute a strict ‘chūnin and older’ policy, or we’re going to have Old Man Third after us about responsible selling.”

“Hmph. We’ll put up a sign. When you’re done with those, come in back, we can get started on the orders for tomorrow.”

“You said I could take the afternoon off,” Manako reminds him.

“Why?”

“Because I asked for it?”

“That doesn’t sound like me.”

“I know. That’s why when you said it, I checked to make sure you weren’t an imposter using Henge and then made you sign a release form?” she prompts, producing a small, crinkled paper written on the back of a receipt.

Saburō leans in and studies it, as if trying to detect a forgery. “I…suppose this seems in order.”

“Oh, shut up, you know you said I could. You complained all day about it,” Manako rolls her eyes.

“Well, I don’t see why you need to go early. What’s more important than making sure you’re well prepared for tomorrow’s business?”

“I have a date.”

“So?”

“So, I haven’t been out in a while and need a break.”

“Why?”

Manako rolls her eyes. “Because young people—which, I’m pretty sure you used to be a long, long, long—”

“Oi!”

“—time ago, like to go out and have fun sometimes.”

“Young people didn’t have fun when I was your age. They were too busy fighting. And working. And being respectful.”

“Good thing we live now, and not then.”

“Hmph. It’s not that grocery boy again?” Saburō wants to know. “He’s not good enough for you.”

“Thanks, and no,” Manako retorts with false modesty. “It’s the girl at the bakery.”

He blinks. “The one who looks like Princess Gale?”

“Exactly.”

“Feh. That won’t end well,” Saburō shakes his head.

Manako crosses her arms and juts her chin out in challenge. “Are you saying she’s out of my league?”

“I say she’s the sort to make noise and get a person in trouble. And you—you’re the type that gets in trouble.” He pauses. “And yes. She’s out of your league.”

“Gee, thanks…”

“Maybe if you were more respectful girl…”

“Wrong Inuzuka.”

“You should ask that girl at that ramen stand. She’s much politer. Or one of those boys who guard the city gate.”

“Pretty sure those two are spoken for,” Manako replies, amused. “And Ayame doesn’t like girls.”

“Pity. She could bring us lunch if she visited you.”

“I love how my dating life is all about what you can get out of it…”

“I’m old. All that’s left is to live life vicariously through you. Even though you have terrible judgement.”

“Says the man getting ready to start a price war with his wife. I hope she makes you sleep on the couch.”

Saburō waves that off.

“Very well. Finish the books and you can go. I will go and prepare for tomorrow. All alone. Even though I have such terrible arthritis in my fingers these days,” he sighs loudly, heading into the back room.

“You’re not guilting me out of the first afternoon off I’ve had in a month,” Manako calls after him.

“You’ll feel bad when my hands cramp up and I can’t work anymore, and we lose the store,” he calls back. “Or at least when it turns out I’m right about that girl. Then you’ll say, ‘oh, I wish I had listened to Uncle Saburō, and stayed to do my work, because now I still have money and my heart isn’t broken’.”

“Try not to inhale anymore of the ingredients back there!” Manako shouts back, but he either doesn’t hear it or chooses to ignore it.

Crotchety old bugger, she thinks fondly as she goes back to the finances. It doesn’t take her long to finish checking the last tallies up, but just as she makes the final calculations, the door opens and closes.  A beat later, her nose twitches at a familiar scent garlic, toad oil and sake—all barely hidden under a layer of artificial fragrance.

Someone’s been to an onsen recently, she thinks as a figure takes up residence in front of her. Closing the store ledgers, Manako leans forward, propping her chin on her palm to regard the tall, white-haired man before her.

“Hey there, Manako,” he drawls, the smile on his face sly despite how he shows all his teeth. “Have you turned eighteen yet?”

“Hey, Jiraiya,” she replies with an equally sly smile. “Have you contracted syphilis yet?”

The sage’s expression falls flat and he pouts at her. “You are a very unpleasant young woman.”

“And you’re a pervert who should be sterilized for the good of womankind.” She swivels around, hopping behind the counter.  “And yet you’re a legend. The universe is funny like that. Nice sunglasses, by the way. Is that really how you sneak around the continent?”

“Hmph. Sunglasses are inconspicuous.”

“You can tuck your hair into your belt. Inconspicuous left the equation about thirty years ago.”

“Well, inconspicuous is overrated anyway. How else would I attract the attention of lovely ladies looking for love?” he smarms.

Manako wrinkles her nose.

“Gross, but points for the alliteration,” she says. “Are all the legendary Sannin as messed up as you?”

“Trust me, I have the least baggage,” Jiraiya grins, pretending to shoot two ‘finger guns’ at her.

“I don’t think you should sound so proud of that.”

“Well, you’re charming as ever,” he sighs. “Is your boss in?”

“I might be convinced to go find him for you if you offered the right incentive.”

“How about because it’s your job?”

“My job is to mind the front counter. If I go in back, how do I know you won’t steal something?”

Jiraiya frowns. “Would you just go and get the old man?”

“In a minute. You owe me something first.”

“Yeah, yeah…” he digs into his pocket and brings out a thick scroll. “Here are all my recommendations. Your devices work surprisingly well, and I’d be keen to bring a few more out with me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. The problem is there’s still no market for them in the big cities. The population in outskirts villages and the farmlands think they’re great, though. The farther out of the way, the more they like them.”

“Really?” Manako asks, brightening.

“Problem is, they can’t afford your asking price. So, unless you’re willing to donate a bunch just for exposure…”

“I can’t,” she protests. “They cost most of my paycheck to make!”

“Eh.” Jiraiya shrugs.

“Wait a minute—you mean you didn’t sell any? I didn’t give those to you for charity, you old badger!”

“Hey, watch the name calling! And what are you getting your nose all bent out of joint? You’re really angry I’m offering your product to people in need?”

“Well—no, but—I still gotta eat!”

“Then figure out a solution. Find a way to make them out of cheaper materials or something,” Jiraiya shrugs.

“Or people could just stop being terrible,” Manako grumbles.

“Then we’d all be out of a job,” Jiraiya says sagely, still digging into his pack. “But, failed business ventures aside, I’m not coming to you empty handed.” He drags out half a dozen paperbacks with lurid covers. “Here! The latest wonders from the distant lands.”

Manako lets out an undignified squeal that turns into rather maniacal laughter; luckily, no one is there to hear except Jiraiya. “Gimme!”

“Two of those are signed. I met the authors at a writer’s retreat in Kumo. Both ladies were…heh…more than happy to personalise those.”

Manako shoots him a suspicious look. “There aren’t any…stains I need to worry about on these, are there?”

“Don’t be crude, they’re in their original packaging!” Jiraiya yelps.

“Well, I just want to be sure,” Manako replies. “I’m not the only one reading this stuff, you know. I’ve got a friend who might want to read them after me, and I don’t want to explain why he might want to use gloves while handling them... He’s reading your latest now, though it’s taking him forever.”

“Hey, that was just for you,” Jiraiya complains. “If my publisher finds out your sharing my work before it’s even published yet…”

“Relax—the guy’s a jōnin. If he can be trusted with Konoha’s secrets, I doubt he’ll spill the ending of the latest Icha Icha,” she dismisses.

“Better not,” Jiraiya mutters.

“I’ve got a few things to say about that ending, though,” Manako goes on.

“Later. I’m on official business, which means your constructive criticism will have to wait.”

There’s something in his tone that informs her the time for joking is past. While Manako has never been one for blind respect, she also knows when it’s best to let a joke go.

“He’s in the back room.”

Jiraiya salutes and heads in back.  “Stay weird, kid.”

“Not a problem,” Manako says, studying her stack of new books.

She suddenly has a dilemma in front of her.

Kimiko wouldn’t be that angry if I cancelled, right?

つづく

I had fun with this chapter. It’s been a while since I got to write snappy dialogue, and writing Manako I felt like I was channelling myself. I wish I had a boss like her, though…but hey, we got to see her at work, which is always fun ^_^

And yes, in case you missed the obvious, Manako is bisexual. Always has been, from when I first created her ( I have put hints about that in a few other fics...though I don’t know if anyone caught them ^_^)

Anyhow, hopefully this was a nice, lite bit of reading for you guys. It’s been so long since I had a moment to write anything, so I figured I’d start with light and humorous before I get back into the serious stuff. Next chapter we’ll see Kakashi again 😊 and get a little more Kakashi/Manako action. I just wanted to establish that they have entire lives without the other one in it before getting them into an acquaintanceship/friendship/romance. 

Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated! You can also find my tip jar here.

Next Chapter

栗

[beedalee]

Bee’s Modest Art Arsenal

I made a comprehensive list of all the stuff I typically use to make art as of right now. It’s not meant to be an end-all-be-all for art supplies by any means, just... stuff I like! And it’s largely affordable whenever possible, yay!!! Some of my favorite art products I find completely on accident or in unlikely places so never be afraid to give it a shot if it calls to you! My list is under the cut, and ofc, all photos are not mine and used purely for educational purposes.

Paper & Sketchbooks

Printer paper (the cheapest kind anyway) is absolutely fine if it’s what’s accessible and convenient, especially if you’re just doing warmups and concepts! I like to keep paper and recycle it in some way too- and some printer/junkmail paper is REALLY nice!! Typically though I prefer bound sketchbooks to keep track of my growth better. I seek specific textures and weights that are better suited to more aggressive mediums, like watercolor and marker. Printer paper is flimsy and really only for dry media!

So for more experimental mixed medium drawing, like markers, paint, watercolor, heavy inks, scrap-booking and collage stuff, I own these:

Shown above are: Strathmore Mixed Media 400 series, Canson XL watercolor paper, Canson XL mixed media paper. Each pad was between 5-9 dollars depending on the size you want, and you can find these at many stores; Joann’s, Micheal’s, Walmart, Staples, etc.

As for sketchbooks- I don’t swear by a brand but here’s what I look for: I prefer wire bound or coptic binding, because both allow the book to lay flat (unlike classic “book” case binding) Also, texture is veeeery important to me! I like very smooth bright white paper that isn’t too thin for sketching and inking. It’s a small personal thing, but because I’m left handed, the more textured paper is the more I smudge it to hell and back. (;￣ー￣川

Pencils & Erasers

For general sketching, I prefer mechanical pencils (but I always keep some wooden pencils around too just in case I need something softer) I’ll use just about any brand or size lead, but my personal favorite is 0.5mm lead, and comfort grips are essential for your artist’s finger bump!!! The two pencils I use the most are a Bic Velocity and Pentel whose label has been smudged off... but again, ANY brand is seriously fine. Some people like standard .7 or even .9 could be good for you if you’re prone to breaking lead!

(Disclaimer: I have virtually no experience with those fancy different lead size HB wood pencils because it smudges so i don’t want it.... (ʘ‿ʘ);;; )

Red and blue sketching pencils are useful because when you scan it, you have the option of editing out JUST the blue or red channel in your art program, leaving only the refined sketch or inks. If you don’t have easy access to an art store that carries these kinds (or just love rainbows like me) use erasable colored pencils for more or less the same effect.

95% of the time, I don’t trust erasers on the tip of any pencil. Ever. My family has a bad habit of hoarding pencils for years or buying cheap ones with cute prints, so the erasers ALWAYS suck. Instead, I use an entirely separate selection of erasers. 

Shown above are Faber-Castell eraser 3pack, Prismacolor kneaded rubber, and Pentel’s hi-polymer eraser. They’re relatively easy to find, though Pentel’s may be the easiest in a pinch, and you get a bunch for a low price!  Those pointy pencil topper erasers work as well if you want something smaller tho!

Kneaded rubber is really useful if not making a eraser crumb mess is very important to you or your work, effective and very gentle. (and gross looking after a while... like a grey poo... but it’s fun to play with?) I always have a big fat eraser like these around for erasing large areas- I prefer them a LOT over pink erasers, which occasionally do the dreaded smudge or dry out. and then smudge. HHNGGH

Pictured above are Papermate TUFF STUFF eraser stick (and a refill), Pentel’s Clic Eraser, and Clic Eraser refills. The refills are almost always exactly next to the product itself.

So you have a big eraser! But for detail work and hard to reach spaces, that fat nub might make you want to pull your hair out as you accidentally erase the face you spent 15 minutes perfecting. These are probably one of my favorite tools, and I’ve used them since I was 14! Pentel’s eraser is great for moderate to fine detailing, and then I recently found Papermate’s at a Dick Blick. It may be the most elusive (I mean.. we have the internet now so...) but it’s INCREDIBLE for detail erasing. I’m super finicky about precision, so these are heavenly for me.

Pens & Markers

For inking and lining, I turn to these! They’re pretty accessible in many stores now-a-days (Sakura used to be so hard to find). Shown here are Sakura Micron Pigma 8 pack and Staedtler Pigment Liner 4pack. Staedler was my first baby-bee brand and the quality is still good, even if I prefer Sakura now because of the wide variety of nib sizes. You can also find Sakura in singles in art stores like DickBlick or Jerry’s Artarama probably! Liners are waterproof and archival, and take a lot of punishment under wet media or on top (though I’d always encourage letting it dry first.)

Shown above are Sakura Micron Gelly Roll Metallic and Classic White Gel Pens! Gel pens were a super cool fad back in the 2000s for me but now they actually serve a REALLY handy purpose. You could use them to highlight or detail just about anything, but I especially find the metalic and white gelpens very useful. The metals are great to add a bit of bling to a drawing, shine your rendered metal, or just add sparkles. ✧☆✧ (و｡･｀ω´･｡)و  The white is GREAT for tan, gray, or black paper- or to highlight areas in hair or eyes- AND to white out small oopsies without having to use actual white out. I highly recommend getting a 3 pack of these guys!

I also recommend ballpoint pens. Yes, those random ones all over your house, given out for free at banks or offices- any old ballpoint pen (that isn’t on the verge of dying.) The difference between sketching in pencil, inking art, and using pen is that ballpoint pen is all the permanence without the refinement of inking. I looove using ballpoint to sketch messy stuff, to mess up and start over. plus, it also comes in a billion colors, and you don’t feel bad writing with them normally or losing them when you travel. It isn’t waterproof so it will bleed if you put marker or watercolor on it, but... sometimes i do it anyway! 8) 

I currently use Spectrum Noir and Prismacolor Alcohol markers. SN are in packs of 6 for 14.99, but if you’re like me, a joann’s 50% off coupon can net these sets for 7.50 apiece. I got the prismacolor 12 pack for my birthday, and I like to collect a few certain colors on occasion, but the money saved on the SN makes that splurge possible. I think the quality is really great for the price, even if I am still pretty novice at marker coloring. I write a bit more about these here!

Digital Art Tools

10x6.25 in Monoprice Tablet (and some AAA batteries) (You can probably find bigger or more updated models for the same price by now, as well.)

Love this tablet! REALLY affordable (70-80) and such a trooper- I’ve battered this thing with water and heat and cold and it’s still as resilient as ever. I think I’ve changed the single AAA battery in my pen like... 3 times max in the 4-5 years I’ve owned it. I’ve disabled the “close window” hotkey (bc I’m LEFT HANDED AND HIT IT ALL THE TIME) but otherwise it’s a really great tablet, does exactly what it should. Works with windows 7 well, but I can’t give a review of it on any other OS.  More about it here.

I use Easy Paint Tool Sai and Photoshop 7 for text/editing (though I’d like to upgrade to CS2 in the future), but free/purchased art programs are vast and endless, so it’s really up to your personal taste... and this post is already long enough!

So, that’s about it for now! Those are all the essentials I like at the moment- everything else is experimental, which is always encouraged!!! Expand your horizons!! Have fun!! Go draw a thing!

[cordpolo6-blog]

Off Topic: Thermoworks Father's Day 2014 Giveaway!

The nice guys over at Thermoworks have put together a great giveaway for Father's Day 2014 for Cooking For Engineers readers. This time around I'll be raffling off three items together as a bundle worth over $100 - Thermowork's

.

First off, an apology to long time readers and new visitors. I haven't been writing much for Cooking For Engineers lately because of work demands and having my first child (Emma is almost 11 months old now - time flies!). Cooking and helping others cook is still a primary passion of mine, so I'm both sorry to my readers and sorry for myself that I haven't been able to continue to build Cooking For Engineers over the last couple years as much as I wished I could. I still take notes whenever I get a chance to cook and have a bunch of stuff filed away as potential articles, but finding the time to write has been difficult. I'll do my best to get some new articles in the pipeline and hopefully get some new content up during the second half of the year. (I'm assuming new content is more important than a site redesign, but if not, let me know.)

Having said that... on to what the raffle is for. Instead of a Thermapen which I've raved enough about in previous raffles and articles, they're giving me a few of their newer products to give away. I actually use all of these items regularly, so I feel entirely comfortable that whoever wins this set will be happy with these tools. The first item is the ChefAlarm which is Thermowork's professional level oven probe thermometer. I still have my trusty Polder Oven Probe Thermometer (which apparently is no longer being made by Polder - instead they have this "Original" Cooking All-In-One Timer/Thermometer which looks similar enough and has the same specifications) stuck to the side of my fridge, but I also have the ChefAlarm there now. Because of the number of years I've been using the Polder, I still reach for it to set a countdown timer, but the buttons require some mashing these days for them to register. I really ought to switch to the ChefAlarm, but for some reason I haven't yet. What I have noticed that I've done, without thinking about it, is switch over to the Thermoworks ChefAlarm whenever I'm actually using the thermometer and want an alarm to sound when what I'm cooking reaches a certain temperature. This is because I find the ChefAlarm easier to set the alarm points, easier to read, and, most importantly, the probe is sturdier than the probe on the Polder. It can handle temperatures up to 700°F and I'm not afraid of killing the probe if it gets wet (compared to the Polder probes which in some conditions can be easily broken due to moisture or overheating). (Although the probe and cable can survive at temperatures up to 700°F [370°C], the ChefAlarm can only read temperatures from -58°F to 572°F [-50°C to 300°C].) In fact, the entire unit is splash-proof. It's well constructed and not flimsy at all. The alarms work well when I'm cooking a roast in the oven and trying to reach a target temperature (I usually set it a little under my target temperature so I can make a decision to turn off the oven or not depending on how fast it got there - the faster the temperature rise in the roast the larger the carryover temperature rise will be) as well as when I'm shocking down a stockpot of soup and want to be reminded when it's reached a reasonably cool temperature. I think it's a great product and with the addition of a $15 Pro-Series Needle Probe, you can use the ChefAlarm to assist in sous vide cooking (without introducing a large hole to the bag) or simply use it for extremely thin items. Although I use it regularly, the ChefAlarm is the least used item out of the three that I'm raffling off. The next most used item for me is the TimeStick. I use this a couple times a week for all sorts of activities. I most recently used mine yesterday to set an alarm to go back inside after 15 minutes while working in the garage. I could have just used my phone, but somehow I've never gotten in the habit of using the clock features of my phone (except for the wake up alarm). Instead, I found it easier to just grab the TimeStick off my desk, set it for 15 minutes, and then slip it in my pocket. It's small, so it's easy to carry around when you need it, but it's not so small it's difficult to work with. Instead of up and down buttons to program in the time, it has a number pad which I greatly prefer. It's also splash-proof and easy to clean (which is another reason I don't reach for my cell phone - sometimes my hands aren't clean and I don't want to smudge stuff all over my screen). When I first got my TimeStick last year, I thought I would never use it, but I left it on my desk and since I see it all the time, I just grab it and set it whenever I need a timer of any sort and I'm not in my kitchen (or plan on walking away from the kitchen). (In the kitchen, I have a number of timers available to me, so I'll just set one of those unless I know I'm leaving the room and unlikely to hear the alarm. Then I'll use the TimeStick because when it goes off, it'll be going off near me and not in my kitchen.) The last item is Thermowork's new low-cost digital instant read thermometer - the ThermoPop. I own a bunch of Thermapens and an IR thermometer, so I never thought I'd have much use for the ThermoPop, but I use it every single day... just not in the kitchen. Currently, I use it to measure Emma's bath water temperature (I use a thermometer since water can feel cool, warm, or hot to my skin even though it's the same temperature. It basically depends on if I've eaten recently, feel cold or hot, have exercised, or a bunch of other variables. So, I use a thermometer.) I used to use a Thermapen, but the ThermaPop is even more convenient. It's almost ideal for what I'm using it for (and I can only imagine how useful it would be in someone's kitchen) because I can rotate the display so the numbers are oriented properly when held left-handed or right-handed or even upside-down. It's got a big easy to read backlit display and is splash-proof. It very fast for an instant read thermometer (that isn't a Thermapen) with an accurate reading in less than 6 seconds. Although I'm not using it in a large temperature range, the ThermoPop is able to take readings in a range greater than most instant read thermometers (from -50°C to 300°C [-58°F to 572°F]) which should encompass all possible needs for a handy pocket thermometer.?>

Of course, these any one of these will make a great Father's Day present, so if you feel like buying one of them to send to your Father and then enter the raffle to win a prize for yourself, I have no problems with that.

Everytime we've run one of these giveaways, I've come up with something for you to comment on (favorite article or who you would gift a Thermapen to) and the responses have been a lot of fun. This time, I'm going to stretch a little and hope I don't overstep. I'd like to ask each participant to send someone else a link to Cooking For Engineers or an article you like on Cooking For Engineers (or a link to this giveaway). It can be an email to your sibling or friend, a Facebook post, a tweet, a blog post, or whatever. I'm hoping most of my readers have been meaning to tell someone about something they found on Cooking For Engineers, and this is just a friendly request (or rather a plea) to go ahead and do it. In any case, I don't need or even want proof that you've told someone, I just ask that you help us out and let some more people know about the site. The second part is that everyone entering the giveaway should register on the forums (so I'll have an email address to contact you with if you win) and leave a comment. The comment that I'd like people to leave is this: Tell me what article or subject or recipe you'd like to see me write about in the future on Cooking For Engineers. Both of these things will help me out a lot!

Now, the detailed instructions:

You need to be in the United States or Canada to qualify for this giveaway (Thermowork's shipping requirements).

Send someone (or a lot of people) a link to Cooking For Engineers or an article / recipe on Cooking For Engineers.

Join Cooking For Engineers (through the forums) and post a comment telling me what articles or recipes you'd like to see me write about on Cooking For Engineers. I need you to join so, if you win, I'll have an email address to contact you with to get your mailing info so Thermoworks can send you the thermometers. I won't have contact information for guest/anonymous posts so I can't include your entry unless you are logged in. (If you are an existing member, be sure to double check your email address on file to make sure it's accurate.)

On June 6, 2014, I'll post a comment signifying the end of the contest. All entries (where I have contact info) above my comment will be eligible to win. (I don't know what time I'll be making the post, so it's best just to enter early.)

I'll number the participants and generate a random number which will determine the winner and post the winner as well as contact them via email. If there is no response within 24 hours of my email, then I'll pick another number and winner (and so on).

?>The three items will be shipped out on or before June 10, 2014 so they should arrive before Father's Day. Good luck everyone!?>

Source: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/336/Thermoworks-Fathers-Day-2014-Giveaway

[carrotlunch07-blog]

Off Topic: Thermoworks Father's Day 2014 Giveaway!

The nice guys over at Thermoworks have put together a great giveaway for Father's Day 2014 for Cooking For Engineers readers. This time around I'll be raffling off three items together as a bundle worth over $100 - Thermowork's

.

First off, an apology to long time readers and new visitors. I haven't been writing much for Cooking For Engineers lately because of work demands and having my first child (Emma is almost 11 months old now - time flies!). Cooking and helping others cook is still a primary passion of mine, so I'm both sorry to my readers and sorry for myself that I haven't been able to continue to build Cooking For Engineers over the last couple years as much as I wished I could. I still take notes whenever I get a chance to cook and have a bunch of stuff filed away as potential articles, but finding the time to write has been difficult. I'll do my best to get some new articles in the pipeline and hopefully get some new content up during the second half of the year. (I'm assuming new content is more important than a site redesign, but if not, let me know.)

Having said that... on to what the raffle is for. Instead of a Thermapen which I've raved enough about in previous raffles and articles, they're giving me a few of their newer products to give away. I actually use all of these items regularly, so I feel entirely comfortable that whoever wins this set will be happy with these tools. The first item is the ChefAlarm which is Thermowork's professional level oven probe thermometer. I still have my trusty Polder Oven Probe Thermometer (which apparently is no longer being made by Polder - instead they have this "Original" Cooking All-In-One Timer/Thermometer which looks similar enough and has the same specifications) stuck to the side of my fridge, but I also have the ChefAlarm there now. Because of the number of years I've been using the Polder, I still reach for it to set a countdown timer, but the buttons require some mashing these days for them to register. I really ought to switch to the ChefAlarm, but for some reason I haven't yet. What I have noticed that I've done, without thinking about it, is switch over to the Thermoworks ChefAlarm whenever I'm actually using the thermometer and want an alarm to sound when what I'm cooking reaches a certain temperature. This is because I find the ChefAlarm easier to set the alarm points, easier to read, and, most importantly, the probe is sturdier than the probe on the Polder. It can handle temperatures up to 700°F and I'm not afraid of killing the probe if it gets wet (compared to the Polder probes which in some conditions can be easily broken due to moisture or overheating). (Although the probe and cable can survive at temperatures up to 700°F [370°C], the ChefAlarm can only read temperatures from -58°F to 572°F [-50°C to 300°C].) In fact, the entire unit is splash-proof. It's well constructed and not flimsy at all. The alarms work well when I'm cooking a roast in the oven and trying to reach a target temperature (I usually set it a little under my target temperature so I can make a decision to turn off the oven or not depending on how fast it got there - the faster the temperature rise in the roast the larger the carryover temperature rise will be) as well as when I'm shocking down a stockpot of soup and want to be reminded when it's reached a reasonably cool temperature. I think it's a great product and with the addition of a $15 Pro-Series Needle Probe, you can use the ChefAlarm to assist in sous vide cooking (without introducing a large hole to the bag) or simply use it for extremely thin items. Although I use it regularly, the ChefAlarm is the least used item out of the three that I'm raffling off. The next most used item for me is the TimeStick. I use this a couple times a week for all sorts of activities. I most recently used mine yesterday to set an alarm to go back inside after 15 minutes while working in the garage. I could have just used my phone, but somehow I've never gotten in the habit of using the clock features of my phone (except for the wake up alarm). Instead, I found it easier to just grab the TimeStick off my desk, set it for 15 minutes, and then slip it in my pocket. It's small, so it's easy to carry around when you need it, but it's not so small it's difficult to work with. Instead of up and down buttons to program in the time, it has a number pad which I greatly prefer. It's also splash-proof and easy to clean (which is another reason I don't reach for my cell phone - sometimes my hands aren't clean and I don't want to smudge stuff all over my screen). When I first got my TimeStick last year, I thought I would never use it, but I left it on my desk and since I see it all the time, I just grab it and set it whenever I need a timer of any sort and I'm not in my kitchen (or plan on walking away from the kitchen). (In the kitchen, I have a number of timers available to me, so I'll just set one of those unless I know I'm leaving the room and unlikely to hear the alarm. Then I'll use the TimeStick because when it goes off, it'll be going off near me and not in my kitchen.) The last item is Thermowork's new low-cost digital instant read thermometer - the ThermoPop. I own a bunch of Thermapens and an IR thermometer, so I never thought I'd have much use for the ThermoPop, but I use it every single day... just not in the kitchen. Currently, I use it to measure Emma's bath water temperature (I use a thermometer since water can feel cool, warm, or hot to my skin even though it's the same temperature. It basically depends on if I've eaten recently, feel cold or hot, have exercised, or a bunch of other variables. So, I use a thermometer.) I used to use a Thermapen, but the ThermaPop is even more convenient. It's almost ideal for what I'm using it for (and I can only imagine how useful it would be in someone's kitchen) because I can rotate the display so the numbers are oriented properly when held left-handed or right-handed or even upside-down. It's got a big easy to read backlit display and is splash-proof. It very fast for an instant read thermometer (that isn't a Thermapen) with an accurate reading in less than 6 seconds. Although I'm not using it in a large temperature range, the ThermoPop is able to take readings in a range greater than most instant read thermometers (from -50°C to 300°C [-58°F to 572°F]) which should encompass all possible needs for a handy pocket thermometer.?>

Of course, these any one of these will make a great Father's Day present, so if you feel like buying one of them to send to your Father and then enter the raffle to win a prize for yourself, I have no problems with that.

Everytime we've run one of these giveaways, I've come up with something for you to comment on (favorite article or who you would gift a Thermapen to) and the responses have been a lot of fun. This time, I'm going to stretch a little and hope I don't overstep. I'd like to ask each participant to send someone else a link to Cooking For Engineers or an article you like on Cooking For Engineers (or a link to this giveaway). It can be an email to your sibling or friend, a Facebook post, a tweet, a blog post, or whatever. I'm hoping most of my readers have been meaning to tell someone about something they found on Cooking For Engineers, and this is just a friendly request (or rather a plea) to go ahead and do it. In any case, I don't need or even want proof that you've told someone, I just ask that you help us out and let some more people know about the site. The second part is that everyone entering the giveaway should register on the forums (so I'll have an email address to contact you with if you win) and leave a comment. The comment that I'd like people to leave is this: Tell me what article or subject or recipe you'd like to see me write about in the future on Cooking For Engineers. Both of these things will help me out a lot!

Now, the detailed instructions:

You need to be in the United States or Canada to qualify for this giveaway (Thermowork's shipping requirements).

Send someone (or a lot of people) a link to Cooking For Engineers or an article / recipe on Cooking For Engineers.

Join Cooking For Engineers (through the forums) and post a comment telling me what articles or recipes you'd like to see me write about on Cooking For Engineers. I need you to join so, if you win, I'll have an email address to contact you with to get your mailing info so Thermoworks can send you the thermometers. I won't have contact information for guest/anonymous posts so I can't include your entry unless you are logged in. (If you are an existing member, be sure to double check your email address on file to make sure it's accurate.)

On June 6, 2014, I'll post a comment signifying the end of the contest. All entries (where I have contact info) above my comment will be eligible to win. (I don't know what time I'll be making the post, so it's best just to enter early.)

I'll number the participants and generate a random number which will determine the winner and post the winner as well as contact them via email. If there is no response within 24 hours of my email, then I'll pick another number and winner (and so on).

?>The three items will be shipped out on or before June 10, 2014 so they should arrive before Father's Day. Good luck everyone!?>

Source: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/336/Thermoworks-Fathers-Day-2014-Giveaway

[garnetsingingwriter-blog]

As you probably know from my ‘Birthday Tag’ post three weeks ago, it was my birthday recently. On Saturday 21st January, the day after my birthday,  I celebrated my sixteenth by having a birthday meal at a local Tex-Mex with my best friends. It was a really great night, where I was surrounded by friends, food and lots of fun! <3

My outfit for my birthday meal (c) Grace Galvin

I’m just going to touch on all of the wonderful gifts I was given for my 16th birthday from friends and family members, considering they were all so lovely and thoughtful! To me, pricing doesn’t really matter when it comes to gifts. As long as some thought was put into it, that’s all that matters! :D I am not in anyway boasting or bragging about my birthday presents, simply thanking those who gave me them and showing you guys, so maybe you can be inspired.

I am not, in any way, trying to boast or brag about my birthday presents, simply thanking those who gave me them and showing you guys, so maybe you can be inspired.

Family

This year, my mum and dad surprised me by buying me an Amazon Echo Dot! This thing is literally one of coolest presents I have ever received. I’m planning on doing a review and walkthrough on how it works, but essentially you can ask this little device questions, get it to play music, tell you the weather, set alarms, play games, such as 20 Questions, or purchase items from your Amazon account. You can even connect it to the lighting and heating in your house for convenience, and simply tell the device to switch your lights on and off for you. It is simply controlled by your voice, where you say the command word (Alexa, Amazon or Echo) followed by your command. I can’t wait to see what other stuff I can do with my Alexa app and this device! :D One feature I particularly love is the ‘Inspire Me’ feature. If you say ‘Alexa, Inspire Me’ then she will play you one of a selection of inspirational speeches by famous celebrities. It’s honestly great if you’re like me and need a motivation boost to enable you to do tasks such as revision.

They also gave me a tote bag that I asked for from a shop called BookwormBoutique on the Society6 website. It has a galaxy background and white text that says ‘I’m going on an adventure’ with a white book graphic outline. In fact, the whole BookwormBoutique Site (as well as others, of course, this is just my favourite) has loads of gorgeous designs that can be transferred onto throw pillows, tote bags in a variety of sizes, mugs, t-shirts, purses and even shower curtains, just to mention a few! The products are not too expensive, and they are also of a very high quality which I am so pleased about! I have these adorable book-themed badges that I’m going to pin on the bag (which I have talked about before) and I’m also looking to get some Coldplay band badges to pin on there too! <3 <3 <3

My mum gave me a gorgeous pair of light-blue droplet earrings from H Samuel! <3 They are so beautiful and glint in the sunlight! 😍

My sister bought me a giant 90 by 60 cm corkboard, so I could pin my world map up on my wall, and be able to stick push pins in the places where I have been and where I want to go. I’m so happy with how it looks and I can pin all of my important school things and weekly timetables on there (and the actual GCSEs exam timetable I just got 😁) too :) She also bought me a massive ’16’ badge for me to wear into school! :D Thank you, Cecilia! <3 <3

Friends

My friends bought me some very thoughtful, fun and useful gifts for my 16th, which I opened the majority of on the 21st at my meal :) Two of my friends, Jazmin and Myah, gave me my presents in school on my actual birthday. As you may well work out, I have consumed some of the food items before they ever got to the photography stage! 😂😂 They were delicious, though :)

Jaz gave me a gorgeous poetry book by this person called Tyler Knott Gregson who found a typewriter in an antique shop in Helena, and ever since, he has written poetry on random scraps of paper with it. The poetry book is a compilation of these poems and as a poetry lover and amateur poet/writer, I can completely relate to his poems on a deep emotional level. He is also a very talented photographer and big on social media, so do look him up :) This present has got to be one of the most beautiful and heartful gifts I think I’ve ever received! Thank you so much, Jaz! <3 <3

Myah gave me a selection of little gifts – she gave me a set of Primark Gold, Silver and Pearl Earrings; a silver photo frame with a picture of both of us in it, some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups;  and an ‘H’ mug which I now use every morning for my orange juice at breakfast :) Thank you very much, Myah for such personal and tasty gifts ;) <3

The rest of my friends gave me my presents at my birthday meal, which was absolutely wonderful. I don’t think I could ask for more thoughtful and caring friends :D

  My lovely friend Chloe bought me a Love and Friendship Colouring book that is filled with gorgeous designs and quotes which I am in love with! To go with that, she also bought me a beautiful set of 36 wooden colouring pencils! I personally have a thing for collecting adult colouring books, so I was delighted to see that she had given me this! I’m going to spend my time winding down and colouring these in! Thank you so much, Chloe <3 :)

  Then, Sanjana gave me, firstly, a stunning square photo album/scrapbook where I can stash all of my photos and ticket stubs etc. I am in love with the vintage world map cover that it has! <3  The other gifts she gave me were:

A Packet of Strawberry Bon Bons (yum! :) )

A Flower Print Passport Cover and Luggage Tag (Wanderlust <3)

A book called ‘Girl, Missing’ by Sophie Mckenzie – from the blurb it seems like such an interesting premise and I personally cannot wait to read it!

Thank you so much, chum, for these gorgeous gifts! I’m obsessed with them all and they have really got me feeling wanderlusty! 😍🌍

Mollie gave me the softest pillow I think I’ve ever possessed – it’s a gorgeous rectangular blue Reblog (!!!) pillow :D I doubt I’ve ever been more excited about a cushion in my life <3 <3 She also gave me a HUGE Galaxy Chocolate bar – and I mean MASSIVE! 🍫 I’m surprised I have been able to save it this long without eating any of it! Finally, she got me a fab set of Avon Eyeshadows – the colours are so vibrant and shimmery and they are just perfect! Thank you so much, Mollie – you know me too well! ;) <3<3

Now onto Maddie <3. Maddie gave me these beautiful blue faux flowers in a pretty jar, a £10 gift card to WHSmith and two gorgeous cupcakes although they aren’t pictured below because I ate them! 😂 One was chocolate and one was vanilla but they both tasted absolutely amazing and I was so grateful for them! Thank you very much, Maddie – the flowers look fab in my room! Plus, I used some of the money on the WHSmith card to buy myself something I’ve needed for so long – a light-blue box file! 😍 To me, my box file is the ultimate organising tool for all of my pens, highlighters, notepads and pieces of paper. It is waterproof and has so much capacity :) I honestly can’t leave my house without my box file anymore and I thoroughly recommend them to everyone, especially students!

Ruby gave me a gorgeous set of crystal droplet earrings and a necklace to match! They are both absolutely stunning and sparkle in the sunlight which I love! :) <3 She also gave me a bath gift set which comes with a black and gold (I am obsessed with black/white and gold!) cosmetic bag, two bath oils/bubble baths and a lotion! I personally can’t wait to relax in a lovely hot bath with these as they smell so amazing and look fab too! Thank you so much, Ruby, for the gorgeous jewellery and the bath gift set! I’m going to have such a relaxing time with them! <3 <3

And last, but not least, Freya gave me a lovely selection of presents, not all of which I was able to picture below but I still will mention! The highlight (in my opinion) of these presents was a planner! :D  I had been looking at this planner for a while so it was honestly amazing that Freya gave it to me! <3 It has a weekly planner, shopping list/budgeting section, packing list for travel, decisions (pros and cons) section and some blank pages for notes. It even comes with a transparent zip lock wallet for little pictures and documents in the back! :) I use it so much and it is so helpful for organising my life! She also bought me a pink heart plaque which says ‘There is no such thing as perfect. Remember: your flaws are beautiful’ <3 This is one of the things I have got to remember as I strive for perfection – that it is okay for things not to be completely alright and that vulnerability and fragility can be beautiful. As well as a ’16’ badge for me to wear at my birthday meal, the last two gifts she gave me were an Essence Clear Mascara for me to use during shows and other situations where real mascara may easily smudge and a hairbrush that says ‘I use this as a microphone!’ That is so me!  😂 Thank you, Freya, your presents are so sweet and thoughtful and I am definitely using them in my daily life <3 <3

The Meal 

Woo! We’re on this section finally! The meal was absolutely fantastic – we went to a local Tex-Mex which has the most amazing food :p For the sake of this not dragging on, I’m going to include a couple of my favourite pics from the meal, followed by a slideshow of the rest of the pictures :) <3

Chloe and I decided to share two starters between us, so we got mozzarella sticks (my fave!) with salsa and a plate of nachos with melted cheese, guac, sour cream and salsa.

This was my main meal – the Classic Burger which had Jack Cheese and was served with curly fries. It was simply delicious!

Toffee Fudge Sundae (c) Freya Beecham

Freya and I decided to get one Toffee Fudge Sundae with two spoons as we were so full up after our huge meals! It tasted absolutely divine and it was a great dessert for sharing!

We got some mocktails to finish up on a wonderful evening. Chloe and Ruby got Pomegranate mocktails and the rest of us got one called ‘Designated Driver’ which is basically lemonade, pineapple juice, orange juice and cranberry juice! They tasted absolutely amazing <3 <3

The Birthday Girl (c) Mollie Cronin

And this last one is me at the start of the night, in my birthday dress. I am completely obsessed with this dress, it has bell sleeves and is shoulderless! <3 <3

Here is a slideshow of some of the night’s best pictures:

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I hope you’re all well and having a lovely week! Have you been up to anything fun recently? Let me know in the comments below :)

xoxo

Hannah

  What I got for my 16th Birthday + Meal Highlights As you probably know from my 'Birthday Tag' post three weeks ago, it was my birthday recently.