#so I'm sure I've muddled some of the details

[trekkiemage]

I've seen academic papers talking about tests they ran during WWII trying to determine if gender affected anti-aircraft drill performance. It was run by the Americans during their whole "oh no I guess we gotta let women be Involved, but I promise it'll go back to Normal after" and seeing that the women in the UK were deeply involved in the military (because, wild, but being actively bombed was a little more important than women touching ammunition). The Americans tested out a men-only team, a women-only team, and a co-ed team - pretty much expecting the men to be the top performers. Nope. It was the coed team. What did the American military do with this info? They went "ah shit the public won't like that" and buried it. Classic.

But yeah, they were getting similar answers in the 1940s too.

God I can't Stand how people (and many if not most of them women!!) will see a group of girls get together like in the context of a summer camp where most of the counselors are girls, or whatever, and be like... "oh man, the internal conflict is going to be insane this summer, you know because it's all women and no guys." I hate, hate, HATE it. Not because I think a work environment composed of all women is going to be naturally harmonious, absolutely not we're not the fairer sex and we can butt heads and be assholes and all that but like !!! I cannot believe I have to say this in 2024 but that's not an inherently feminine trait!! As if all-male workplaces don't have petty dick measuring contests and are just beacons of community. As if co-ed workplaces don't have drama. Do social constructs affect how people of different genders are bitchy to each other? Sure absolutely. But like... bitchiness is a human trait. Tired of people just treating workplace drama as normal except when it's between women then it's bc they're women

[sophieinwonderland]

If there are any sysmeds reading this, I'm curious what they think about partially traumagenic plurals?

So I have an internally plural experience that manifested due to my escapist coping mechanism from trauma and neglect, general fantasy proneness, having hyperphantasia, and even some of it intersects with my synesthesia.

It's not just me having a bunch of OCs. OCs aren't really supposed to spontaneously pop into existence and have a mind of their own, do they? Surely if they were OCs, I should be able to change anything about them at will? Yet I cannot. They exist as themselves.

Now, my internal plural experience doesn't function like a system does. There are no roles. I don't switch. What happens is that I fantasize a lot, and in my fantasies there are people who don't exist in or interact with reality. Due to my hyperphantasia they feel real and sentient. I know what kind of music and clothes each of them likes. I have little Pinterest boards for some of them. I can hear their unique voices. I can feel their feelings. All of these details are undoubtedly caused by my hyperphantasia. You might also recognize it as "immersive daydreaming" althought I'm personally not a fan of that word since I fantasize at night also. Oh did I mention I am autistic and take things literally? /lh

The Synesthesia part is that some of these people are my OLPs, from Ordinal Linguistic Personification synesthesia. So for example letters and numbers and zodiac signs and the 7 sins are people in my mind.

As a 'real person', I am definitely chronically dissociated. I don't feel real. I don't feel like a person. I don't think I ever became a person. I don't think that I was able to blossom into a person. I somehow formed internally as all of these beings in my fantasies, and continue to form new vessels. When I am in my fantasies I feel the most real and the most alive. Experiencing things from multiple perspectives like that feels the most authentic to me. Whereas when I'm yanked back to reality and stuck with only one, I feel so incomplete.

When I'm not in my fantasies, but also not fully aware of reality, I am floating thoughts interacting with the world. It is when I become aware that I have a physical body when I become distressed, disoriented, dysphoric. Also, my identity is nebulous, like what is my age, what is my gender, what is my species, it's all muddled because I'm multiple. I can answer for the body, of course, but this is not actually my full identity.

I don't identify as traumagenic or endogenic, I actually identify as something called neurogenic, which pays homage to all my funky brain stuff that's causing my experience, INCLUDING the trauma I've suffered.

It seems very strange to me, how an experience like this could be seen as fake. I know it doesn't fit any traditional depictions of systems, but that's why I find the concept of plurality so beautiful, because it broadens the amount of experiences that are plural. Unique experiences, that need to be heard instead of excluded.

Since this is mostly directed at sysmeds, I'll post of it without commentary. But I do want to point out...

There are no roles. I don't switch.

There is a CDD presentation that doesn't necessarily involve switching. This is Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder in the ICD-11.

Additionally, I don't think any real psychologists ever considered roles a requirement. They're hardly ever mentioned in academic writings that I've found.

[theoutcastrogue]

Which games/editions of games you've played have had the best stealth rules?

If you don't mind super complicated rules, Pathfinder 2e has a very detailed and cool approach. I think that within the 3.5 framework (that's still the foundation, right? despite all the changes and novelties, it's still a kind of 3rd Edition, heavy on the simulation aspect) it's a good idea to differentiate Hide (lunge under some crates! step behind a column! recede in a dark corner's shadows!) and Sneak (move from place A to place B without getting noticed). D&D 3.5 stealth was wonky precisely because these two things got muddled.

But I haven't played Pathfinder 2e yet! And I'm very far from claiming expertise in its rules, I've merely skimmed it. I don't have a clear idea how stealth interacts with other rules (there are a million, right?), or how it works out in game. So that's only an impression I got from looking here.

That said, I'm SURE there are easier ways to do all that. That's a lot of rolls required, it looks like it will bog down gameplay, it takes the fun out of rolling because apparently the GM rolls your stealth in secret, there are issues. And I don't know if "emerge from hiding and immediately attack" (different thing from "emerge while hiding, e.g. from the shadows") is supported, or how. This is important for me.

[In 3.5, you could move out in the open a limited distance before attacking, depending on your skill ranks in Hide. Not a core rule, it was in Rules Compendium. It wasn't the most elegant solution, but it did make sense.]

AD&D 2nd Edition stealth was a d100 check and all that mattered for success or failure was your Thief level, IIRC. That doesn't do it for me any more. And for reference, here's a 4E (which I haven't played) stealth handbook.

But different systems require different approaches to stealth. 5e is not Pathfinder, and needs something else. The Prowl rule is excellent for Blades in the Dark, but would be useless in D&D.

One of these weeks I'll sit down and homebrew a 5e stealth mechanic from scratch, I swear. I'm open to suggestions!

[forzafe44ari]

Lewis telling max to his face that he didn't like him gagged tf out of me. Then him threatening miles saying he bet not touch or sleep with Charles. Lewis is getting in touch with his omega nature finally so I feel like he's definitely going to be more protective of the younger omegas on the grid now, especially with what happened to him.

I just think it's something that he would do in private and it would be a mistake but he'd be like "Well, I'm just gonna follow through on that point with some supporting details."

But yeah I'm not so sure that it's just about Lewis getting in touch with his omega nature because I don't want to get too gender essentialist (though I guess there's always some part of A/B/O where that kinda gets muddled, right? Idk I have such complex feelings about the Omegaverse as a genre). Charles is a grown man here, Lewis' protective feelings are rooted PRIMARILY in his deep care for Charles as a human being outside of instinct. But, I do want to get into how he might feel about Kimi, specifically because not only is that connected to like his instincts rooted in the weirdness of being an omega and like biological brain going "That's a baby", but literally because he did in fact come out as an omega BECAUSE of Kimi. So that will be explored soon (and by soon, I mean next chapter, I've outlined it)

[barbwillbrb]

what’s mortimer’s backstory i think i missed the post about that

To be honest I am still hammering out some of the details for him/his daughter for BG3 (straight up, this game has been my first foray into DnD stuffs, so I'm still picking up the lore/trying to make sure my character ideas can work for this world, so everything is still a bit under construction). I've been tagging my thoughts with him as tav: mortimer on my blog.

Mortimer/Lucille reference sketches and headcanons

Mortimer scar/casual wear reference and more headcanons

Possible end-game ideas for Mortimer/Lucille

Some Mortimer history and how he and Lucille would handle specific scenarios in game.

Basic facts/timeline for him is as follows:

Mortimer's human, age 42 currently, and is the only child of a messy affair/sham marriage between his father (a nobleman) and mother (his father's bodyguard/assassin). The two fought tooth and nail, and separated while he was young; he was primarily raised by servants, namely his dad's primary butler, and spent a lot of time by himself when not in their company.

He showed magical talent at a fairly young age, and from his late teens/mid twenties was formally studying magic under an apprenticeship. He was considered extremely quiet/aloof, and likely came off a bit of an obnoxious snob/know it all if you did speak to him back then (he was less interested in socializing/people and more interested in examining practical uses of magic for everyday, more layman applications. He was namely interested in maximizing the potentials of cantrips and playing around with rules/constraints for smaller level spells).

At age 25, Mortimer left his apprenticeship (for what he thought was a brief time, maybe three weeks) to accept an arranged marriage set by up his father. It was not a surprise, but something he knew was coming/proposed for a few year. Unfortunately, he was left unaware of the fact the family he was marrying into was tied to the cult of Bhaal. After leaving his apprenticeship, he disappears from public view and spends the next few years imprisoned/affiliated with the cult.

Mortimer just exists/does what he needs to do to survive, accepting his place in the cult. At 26, Lucille is born (she is a traditional Bhaalspawn, not Durge). She is a particularly violent child who starts showing signs of Wild Magic sorcery while she's a toddler, so she quite literally burns through her caretakers. She is markedly calm/soothed in Mortimer's presence, however.

At 30, Mortimer gets a chance to flee from the cult and escapes with Lucille. The following two years are fraught, spent on the run-- while he knows how to fight/kill/maim/poison from his time at the cult, he can't call on his magic successfully/spells just don't come when called and he can't cast anything beyond a fucking cantrip. So he does something very desperate and very stupid (but when you feel you've already damned your soul already, what's a little more sin?). Mortimer seeks out a creature he met during his time with the cult (and this mind you is where I am really muddling my way through shit): an alhoon (mindflayer seeking lichdom). The relationship with his patron is both parasitic and symbiotic-- he regularly kills/kidnaps people to assist in extending his patron's life, seeks out/steals information dealing in necromancy, and allows his patron to use him essentially as a test subject. Calling on higher level spells/magics physically alters him; parts of his body have become swallowed in swirling, thick shadows beneath his skin.

He was in Baldur's Gate trying to get information on the Necromancy of Thay and investigate his patron's concerns revolving renewed cult involvement when he was captured on the Nautiloid.

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-05-13

Monday the 13th

Listening: I've been playing a lot of Beat Saber so my beat saber tracks have been stuck in my head, most notably Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim.

Reading: About halfway through A Memory Called Empire, which is great. I love a fucked up huge space empire. I am forcing myself to internalize the pronunciation of the Teixcalaanli words because I know otherwise I would just silently read through them.

AMCE gets into it fast and throws a lot of political machination out at you which lands well, the vicarious experience of having to think on your feet about complex social protocol is a lot of fun, it's honestly a much better fit for books than, say, swordfighting.

Didn't take my book with me this morning and while flipping through my ebooks on my phone I noticed that my Google Books copy of Nona the Ninth had an update? there's a small play at the end of the book with Palamedes and Ianthe bargaining over Naberius Tern's body. Absolutely wild. Palamedes does a Phoenix Wright OBJECTION! shout. It's great.

Watching: Avatar 2: Way of Water. Hoo boy. I am so mixed on the Avatar movies. They're not very good, from a storytelling perspective, but they're so much fun to watch. Beautiful animation, lovingly thought through world and set design, hot cat people, and some of the worst narrative you've ever heard.

They're back because in the intervening 15 years from Avatar 1 the earth is now dying and they want to colonize Pandora? Sure, okay, but that's definitely sudden and weird. They're also still harvesting a valuable resource from Pandora, because otherwise they wouldn't be able to do the metaphor, but now it's whale oil that stops ageing. Great. Also it's now proven that even as far back as Avatar 1 it was totally possible to back someone's brain up to a flash drive, and they've resurrected the evil general from there.

Okay wait. They can back up your brain and put it into a lab grown catboy hybrid but we're also harvesting immortality whale oil? Surely we have already solved immortality in this setting. Just back up your brain!

There's also... the rest of the movie. Characters have such muddled motivations, why is this kid who was raised by the Na'vi and knows the general was a murderous bastard helping the murderous bastard brainclone. Why is Neytiri written to have no more than 12 seconds of foresight.

Look, I love the idea of Avatar. There are no doubt incredible lorebooks with details on all the animals and machines and cultures out there, I remember watching the Sideways video on the original designs for Na'vi music that got scrapped because it sounded too weird, I love a crazy xenobio worldbuilding project, it's just not a very good story.

Playing: Dark Souls, made it through the Four Kings and the Bed of Chaos, now I'm into the Catacombs. I will finish my video cuts at some point.

Making: Nothing much this week, small sewing repairs. I did not see much of the aurora, just some faint red skyglow on Friday evening, so no photography.

Tools and Equipment: If you forget to do something at work surprisingly often you can just tell someone "hey sorry I lost track of that" and they will not be that mad at you. but watch out.

[macverse]

What you hope you can change

---

Chris wants you back but doesn't know if he deserves you. He sees how much he's ruined everything. He wants you to be happy, but it hurts to let you go.

---

A/N: Well, I've accidentally started a mini-series. This was all supposed to be a one-shot, lol. The series started because @shipheart commented, “I wonder what the reader will do next” and then this happened.  I had a wild thought that this Chris/Reader couple could be the couple in Mi Amante and what happens in this series is what led them to start couples therapy. Some of the details are off but I like the idea that this is the back story. This series and Mi Amante are not related, it's just my headcanon within a headcanon, haha. I wrote once on something I was writing “I feel like I'm writing something much bigger than this is". I'm getting that same feeling again with these. It might be. Who knows. Special shout out to Vicky of Chris Evans fan page UK 🇬🇧 @chrisevansfanuk twitter. Since Mr. Evans had taken some time off when I started writing this, I need a secondary resource for content and research. These pages were a big help. Several 11 pm til much, much later writing well past the point of exhaustion sessions were supported by Vicky's pages. There was a very special sleepy moment where I was just blindly scrolling through your tweets cause I knew, I KNEW you had the info I needed but it was from months ago. I found it. Thank you so much.

---

“Chris?” 

I didn't mean to be here. I did come here on purpose but I didn't think it would be that easy to find her. I'd thought maybe if I saw Y/N from far away, I could make up my mind. If she seems happy, if she seems like she’s in a good place, I could turn around and walk away. I could try to move on and let her go if she was okay.

That's not how it happened. We literally almost ran right into each other. One second I was deciding to give up, thinking it was providence that I hadn't seen her and the next I was colliding with Y/N.

“What are you doing here?”, Y/N asks after we’ve both recovered. “I’m honestly not following you. I heard from a friend that they'd seen you around here,” shit that sounds like I'm stalking her. She needs to know that I didn't mean for this to happen like this. I know I don't deserve a second of her time but if I can just get a moment then maybe things can be better. I hold my hands up, my palms forward as I continue, “I just wanna talk.” Uh, stress is cruel, fame's a lie

But you're special, on every level

Success is cool, money is fine

But you're special, another level The shock of Y/N leaving LA was like getting thrown into the deep end of a pool in the middle of winter. I realized too late that I was being an idiot. I was the reason she’d been there in the first place and I ignored her. I didn’t do it on purpose. My schedule kept filling up and my free time kept disappearing. I missed her but work was work. It couldn’t be ignored.

My assistant Josh had mentioned that he was getting a feeling that Y/N wasn't having a good time or didn't have much to do. He was the one who made sure I’d get a plus one so she could accompany me to my events. He'd even put together a list of exhibits and classes that I knew that Y/N would love, places we could go, and things we could do on dates but I kept putting it off because I was busy. 

I kept thinking later, later but she left before I could get to later.

Listen

I see the men, they wanna touch ya

That's when I tell 'em, uh huh

I guess I am a jealous lover

'Cause I ain't sharin' with another lover

Stress is cruel, fame's a lie

But you're special, on every level

Success is cool, and money is fine

But you're special, another level

I was a mess after she left. I didn't have the time to be a mess but the minute there wasn't a camera in my face I would break down, the facade I kept up would crumble away and all I could feel was heartache. I muddled my way through the rest of the projects I had in LA. I can't even remember if I did work that I was happy with or not. The ache Y/N left in my chest was irrepressible. I could barely breathe sometimes. 

The hole Y/N left in my life was tangible. You don't realize how entwined someone is into the fabric of every minute of your life until it hits you in the face. 

I didn't realize how the simple touch of her hand stopped my mind from racing. I didn't realize how seeing her and my dog safely at home brought me peace.

I didn't realize how the smell of her perfume on the sheets made me feel like I was home every night.

I didn't realize how much her smile warmed me from the inside and made my heart sing in my chest.

I just didn't realize how much I loved her in my life...

Want more? Read the rest on my AO3.

[viperwhispered]

Those fic writer asks kinda got me thinking about my fic writing process, too (as inspired by diodellet's reply).

So, ramble time.

I guess I would mostly describe my writing process as sort of top down iterative thing?

Like, I definitely do messy first (and even second) drafts. I put down general ideas, some bits of text if I do already have some ideas for a particular scene, but mostly I try to get the basic structure together. What happens next, what's happening in this scene (and what's the point of it), stuff like that.

So the first draft might have some actual prose to it, and even prose that makes it to the end of the editing process, but often the sentences are shorter, or cut off, or have like three different alternatives. But in there might be some more refined exchanges (I tend to be kinda dialogue first a lot of the time), or bits of description there. Almost like points of (relative) clarity in the mud.

Typically, if I don't know what I want to do at a spot exactly, I leave it open to figure out for later and move onto the next bit. Of course, sometimes I need to figure out a direction before I can do that - for example, whether someone would be antagonistic or amiable in the previous scene certainly can affect what would happen after, and stuff like that. But in general, I jot down what I can, and leave difficult bits to be something I come back to later.

Now, I wouldn't say there's necessarily a definite point where I could call the first draft done and perhaps move on to the second. Like I said, it's very much an iterative process, and different parts of the work tend to get worked on at different times, depending on when I find solutions to my questions.

Typically, however, when I feel like I've got the structure down, I start focusing on the parts I've marked (I do a lot of comments but also formatting etc. to note the things that still could do with some work). Basically, it's multiple passes of going through the notes, dwindling them down.

Like, for any given part of the work, the structure would be something like: what's happening here in general > alright what's being said or done here > alright how exactly are they saying or doing it > what's the best word choices here.

Of course, in practice, all these levels muddle together, and different parts of the work will be in different stages. But as I go through the passes of the work, ticking off my notes, sorting out the parts that I've identified as needing work, I usually go down more and more into detail, until the final pass(es) are about particular words, sentence flow, or things like that - things very specific to that particular location of the work, rather than the larger, more overarching things.

So, depending on the length of the work, it may be that I only read through the whole thing once I feel like the structure is down. Then I go through the pinpointed things, until I have no more notes left, and read through the whole thing when I post it.

Again, not a hard and fast rule, and of course sometimes when looking at a particular, it is helpful and important to "zoom out" and look at the whole, and remind myself of everything that's happening around the particular spot I'm at. But in general, I don't really read through the whole thing, from beginning to end, all that much. Partially because I'm trying not to tinker endlessly, partially because I'm trying to make sure I don't end up just working on the first part of the work and neglecting the end of it.

So, it's been quite some time since I did long, multipart work, but I definitely did plot things out in advance, at least to get a general idea of what was coming, then again did multiple passes, adding more and more detail, going deeper and deeper from the level of general story or themes to the level of the text itself. For a shorter work, maybe most of it comes out at once, but even then if I'm stuck on a particular point I do try to just mark it up and move forward to get back later.

Years ago, on some forum, I remember describing the writing process as finding a big bead or pearl (a central scene, motive or idea) and then working on finding the complementing things around it to turn it into a proper necklace. Lately, however, I've been more willing to allow myself to just do that one big pearl: make it a drabble, just post the concept without prose, whatever.

In a way, it's kinda freeing, not telling myself it has to be long and "proper" to be worthwhile. There's always gonna be more ideas coming than I have time to write, after all, and especially nowadays I really want to make sure I'm doing this for fun and not for any sort of must or should or have to.

I say, pretending I don't feel the impending deadline for that fic that I've been kinda thinking about writing for my birthday - I had soo much time left when I first thought of it and now there's like couple weeks until my birthday. Time sure has been sneaking past me.

ETA: oh yeah, I wanted to mention it somewhere but forgot, there have also been those times when I've kinda just splurted out fic straight onto a discord channel. Definitely less refined than what I'd consider my "proper" way of writing, but I guess this is to say that sometimes I have been known just write without the edits and revisions and stuff.

[quarra]

19 or 21 for the choose violence ask game, please?

19) Best canon example of good parenting in star wars:

Hmmmm a tough one, if only because star wars doesn't focus a lot on traditional (western) parenting. One could argue that the whole padawan-master relationship is parenting (i've certainly written fics where it is assumed that a jedi's master is their 'parent'), but i feel like that tends to ignore the critical role that crechemaster would have played in raising a kid. (A jedi master wouldn't 'get' a padawan until the kid is a tween or teen, that is HALF OF THEIR WHOLE CHILDHOOD ALREADY GONE. They are ALREADY a person! Half of their Becoming has already happened and their jedi master had little if anything to do with that!) And i also think that, from a meta standpoint, a jedi master isn't quiet the same as a parent. Nor are they quiet the same as a typical career teacher. They're a mix of family and mentor. They emotionally support each other as well as pass on their vocation. So the waters are muddled a bit.

I think the Jedi Order as a whole, in canon, does their best to support, love, and encourage growth in their children.

If we're picking *specific* good relationships... ngl as a parent i can't think of any parent/child relationship in canon that i'd hold up as perfect rolemodels, if only because a) outside of the unique and specific master/padawan relationship (which i feel has some caveats to the whole 'parent' idea) the focus of the 'verse isn't really on typical parents and their kids, or even typically 'good' parenting, (looking at you darth vader), b) everyone fucks up sometimes and the more canon their is on a character, the more opportunity there is to showcase a person's mistakes, thus favoring minor characters for "perfect" behavior over major characters, c) i think a lot of people in canon tried their best but were limited by circumstance or ability, and d) there are agents of evil in canon specifically going out of their way to fuck up how people interact in their relationships.

Hmmmmm probably Bail and Breha with Leia? I'll admit, though, I'm not super familiar with the details of their family life. (I've only seen gifs of the kenobi series, i'm sure i'll watch it one day.)

21) Best canon example of a healthy relationship in Star Wars:

Again, probably Bail and Breha.

I think both of these questions are tough because, as always, canon is a clusterfuck. Between movies, books, comics, and all other flavors of the extended universe, there are examples of the same characters having amazing relationships as well as shitty relationships (both romantic and not), contradicting directly with other sources. The whole clusterfuck that is Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's relationship is a great example. Depending on the source, you'll get wildly different answers as to how healthy of a relationship they had.

[poniesart]

hiii!! your artstyle is SO COOL to me- as in sometimes i'll just stare at some of your pieces because theyre all so great. i was wondering if you were comfortable sharing your process when it comes to art?? i'd love to see how you do things!

Hi!! I'm sorry this took so long to answer, I hope you still find it useful. It means a ton to me that you enjoy my art so much! <3 It's easy to feel discouraged by the Invisible Hand of Internet Engagement, so I really appreciate your ask.

General thoughts (NOT rules, just things I consider or do a lot):

Things that appear one solid color irl can be broken down into multiple colors through artistic interpretation. I see a lot of beginner artists paint trees as solid green, when there's a lot of yellows, blues, and browns in there! A FANTASTIC example of this is jadenvargen, whose color use is masterful and I can only aspire to emulate one day.

Base colors are not saturated; saturation is reserved for pops of color and details

Shadows are purples, blues, and greens

Reference is your best friend!!!

So the nitty gritty for those who want to see: with digital art there's two main avenues I take. The first one is lineart, and the second is painterly. All IDs are in alt text.

My process for lineart pieces:

I always start off with a sketch; for this example I'm using one of my pieces from @/mylittlefusions (that isn't actually posted yet but will be later today) - a Grogar and Trixie MLP G4 fusion. I like to fiddle with brush selections until I get the effect I want, and then go slow on the lineart to make sure it's how I want it, so this can be time consuming!

I've been trying for distinct shapes; I hate when my art gets muddled, I feel like the end piece is less impactful when I don't put in the right amount of contrast and distinctive silhouettes. Just something I've been thinking about and trying to improve.

Then I add base colors, going for slightly desaturated colors. I like to use saturated/bright tones to contrast or draw attention to something. I put the base-base colors down in one layer and then add details as a mask layer:

Then comes shading!! I'm a big fan of a multiply layer set to cool tones like blue, so I usually start there. If I think it needs to be different I can change it later. In this instance, I filled the whole canvas in the shading color as a mask over the base colors, and then erased where needed. Now that the shading is done, I often go back and color the lineart :)

Last but not least is my favorite part, painting on top! The extent to which I do this depends on what I think is needed, but I usually at least paint on top of the multiply shading to add some nuance, i.e. the greener bits on the background limbs. Here I added bright magic outlines to pop from the more desaturated character.

My more painterly style is a different story though! I use the same thoughts about color and shading, but I usually forgo multiply layers entirely and just do colors by eye. I still do a sketch, usually. Here is an example using my Lae'zel / Shadowheart piece.

The sketch is a disaster zone lol - but I painted below it using base tones, again desaturated. Once I feel I don't need the sketch anymore, I keep painting, making a new layer when I feel like being cautious about a change I'm making.

After I feel that I've got base colors down, it's time to get more contrast in using darker and/or more saturated colors! Then, like with my lineart process, I paint more details on top of everything else - reflections, jewelry, body hair, etc. I try to communicate shadow and distance with purples and blues, but I'm still working on it.

Another example real quick, where i did my typical lineart process base work and then painted on top of the shadow layer and the entire piece as a whole:

Thanks for reading if you stuck around, and thank you for the ask, friend! ^^

[theroseempress]

I got tagged by @gummybugg and possibly someone else, I feel like that happened but I couldn't find it in my notications so yeah. Thanks! Game's invented by @iloveyou-writers.

Rules: fill in the blanks with as much or little detail as you would like and tag some writer friends to play too.

Salutations! I'm Rose, you can call me whatever derivation of my account name you prefer. (or something else if you want. I'm not very picky)

I generally write some muddle of sci-fi and/or fantasy, and some of my favorite things to write are found family, very charming characters, earned happy endings, and apparently thieves and small children because they both keep slipping into my WIPs somehow. Probably my favorite part of writing is character interaction, followed by worldbuilding.

I'm assuredly SFW in the regard to smut, and I'm not entirely sure how that applies outside of that regard, so I'm probably SFW the rest of the way. I do wind up tackling heavier topics sometimes, and I try to put trigger warnings on anything I know of that applies as such. I wouldn't be caught dead putting any smut in my works, and I'm not much of a gore or horror fan. There's also very little focus on romance.

The best work I've posted... Well, admittedly, my two current favorite WIPs are The Golden City and The Fourth Wall, neither of which I've posted on here. TGC's in the scripting phase and I've talked a little about it, (tag's here) and written a few shorts, one of which is Autumn Leaves. It's a medieval-ish setting with my usual muddle of sci-fi and fantasy. While TFW's still in mental-rotisserie-chicken stage, I've been thinking about it a lot; it's more heavily fantasy in a somewhat meta manner. I like TGC because of how much work I've put into it, and I like TFW because it's a very interesting concept to me. Feel free to ask me about either of them, I will happily ramble for ages! Probably my favorite characters are Felix Rose (from TGC) and Holly Vardoter (from an older project).

Something I'd like people to know that isn't otherwise listed is; I have a Wordpress website! S'where I'm going to put my stories when I y'know, actually finish scripting them. There's a couple shorts for various WIPs on there if you're curious. I also really like tag games, though I may take a very long time to answer 'em so fair warning.

Thank y'all so much for reading! And now, @ettawritesnstudies @daisywords @elliottsbigstrongboyarms @hallwriteblr @j-1173 @ethaeriea @aalinaaaaaa I politely summon you and anyone else interested!

[lemonboi390]

The End is Never the End

Chapter 3: The Voice

Stanley Suddenly Falls ill, and the following events shake both the narrator and Stanley’s fabric of reality. Nothing is what it seems now.

A/N: This is one of my first ever fanfictions, and it was inspired by a role play so I apologize if the quality is lacking in any way. I’ll be posting sporadically as inspiration comes at random. Chapters will be uploaded to AO3 first. (Link on my blog) Sorry if there are any grammatical issues. Thank you for reading!

(It's the fluff you all need after the last chapter kind of)

TW: Surreality

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“Hello, Stanley.”

Stanley swallowed back the jumblement of words threatening to spill out of him. He knew that matter-of-fact, comforting voice all too well, of the special someone he had been devastated he destroyed to nothing a moment ago. Every fiber in his being craved to reach out and embrace him, to feel human contact again... He wanted to know that this was his narrator, his one and only, standing right in front of him. To feel him as a person for the first time, and not just a disembodied voice that followed him. To know that this was a real, tangible person, that he wasn’t just imagining the parable and living a convoluted illusion, that he could feel safe now, that he wasn’t going to die alone. Perhaps, that it was all going to be okay, but most importantly, his narrator was alive in front of him.

Stanley blinked slowly as his narrator hurriedly approached his bedside in attempted collectedness. He rubbed his eyes, mimicking the motions of someone who just woke up. He struggled to keep his gaze lowered, to not give in to the urge to look at Narry, to show him his raw, unfiltered tears, and give him the biggest bear hug imaginable. He sniffled quietly, cursing himself for letting that sound out as he buried his face in his hands.

“I’m so glad to see you awake! Oh I had been so worried about you, how are you feeling?” The narrator's words hurtled out of him as if he had just run a marathon. He placed a gentle hand on Stanley’s forehead, tutting in concern. "Oh my, that is quite serious…Stanley I-...” he broke his train of thought when he saw Stanley hiding his face, “Stanley are you alright?”

After a few moments of no answer, a smile slowly spread across Stanley's face, one of unadulterated bliss. He dropped his hands, his breath hitching a moment before he nodded.

This was his narrator.

The narrator examined him closely, his eyebrows furrowed in concern, “Have…you been crying? Are you sure you’re-”

Stanley pulled his hand into his own, squinting as he traced the patterns along Narry’s hand with his thumb. He studied it intently as he ignored his narrator's stammering, amazed by every intricate detail. His gaze traveled up to meet the narrator's eyes, and he found a comforting familiarity in them. They looked so…bright, with an emotion Stanley couldn’t quite define.

The narrators' muddled words fell into silence, pausing for a brief moment before returning a warm, tender smile. “I am human Stanley, or you could say I'm capable of taking on an exact image. Outstanding is it not? I've been working on this form for quite some time now," he held out his hand out for him demonstratively, much like an inventor reveling in their creation. "I took care to ensure every minute detail! Take all the time you need, please I insist."

Stanley rolled his eyes with an air of playfulness. He opened his mouth to say something witty but was cut off by his own wheezy coughing. He held his fist over his chest and covered his mouth with his arm, his eyes widening slightly. He was left shaking from the impact this time, but he was determined. He wasn't going to let a silly cough deter him, he decided. He wasn't going to be coddled. His mind was spinning familiar to a game show wheel with all the questions he wanted to ask, what was Narry? How did he show up? What was the parable? Why did he… it finally slowed to a stop on one.

"Why did you not come down here bef-" to his bereavement, he was yet again interrupted by his own hacking. "Dammit," he groaned between his coughing fit.

The narrator grimaced apprehensively at the sight, "Never mind that, let's have a look at you," he held out his arm to his side, and a stethoscope fell from thin air into the palm of his hand.

Stanley watched in observant silence as the narrator checked his vitals, stiffening at each touch before losing tension after a few moments. He was not used to the sensation of touch, as much as he craved it. As a matter of fact, when was the last time he had even had it…if ever? A doubtful feeling washed the background of his mind, but Narry’s presence distilled the intensity it may have held if he were in isolation. Strangely, he felt a paradoxical calmness in the midst of the narrator's anxious clamoring over him, and a small smile resided on Stanley’s face. He would worry about that later, he was simply happy he didn’t lose Narry forever. Even his pounding headache wasn’t as irritating as it would have been.

As Stanley was loosening up, the narrator’s eyes only shone in concern. “Stanley…this is very bad,” the narrator began, his voice a slight octave higher than usual, “You’re really sick, you need a hospital right away!”

Despite everything, Stanley was unconcerned with his condition, his mind airy with fluffy clouds from the attention he was receiving. His eyes drew open slowly, and he was met with the worried gaze of the narrator staring through him.

“Stanley? Stanley, are you listening to me?” Narry asked exasperatedly.

The statement that his narrator made before suddenly rushed to the forefront of his mind, and only a dazed chuckle escaped him. “There are hospitals in the parable?”

“Oh, I don’t care if there’s a hospital or not! You need medical attention immediately, this is no time for games!” The narrator shot back swiftly, his voice desperate.

Stanley smiled light-heartedly, “I’m not gonna die, Narry.”

The narrator stopped his restless rambling and returned the smile, albeit a dry one. “You still need to go, Stanley.”

Stanley shrugged airily, his eyebrows raised in thought. “I’ve always wanted to explore- ow.” He was yet again cut off by the searing pain in his throat, glowering more from annoyance than the burning sensation. “-other places.” He finished. All he knew was the parable, at least for most of his lifetime, however long that was. He had fuzzy memories of events blurred by the passage of time, but they were only vague in impression, like conversations at the water cooler. With whom or what about, it was difficult to say. He didn’t know how long ago his co-workers had disappeared, what kind of family he had, what kind of life he led. It was an empty patch in his identity, one that was difficult to fuse with the rest of his daily reality of the office building. He wasn’t sure whether or not he believed Narry when he told him in the Countdown Ending that he erased his co-workers, there was always an inkling of disbelief in his claim for some reason. It just didn’t feel right.

The narrator's smile had more of a hint of sadness than it did empty humor as it did a moment ago, “I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunity for that, but right now, we need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible.” Without further ado, the narrator scooped up Stanley in his arms effortlessly and began walking briskly out of the apartment. “You will be alright Stanley, I promise.”

Stanley's thoughts melted into a confuddled mess of unintelligible nonsense when the narrator picked him up, human contact was already foreign to him, but being carried? It was…he didn’t know how to feel.

In his floaty mess of thoughts, Stanley tensed up in remembrance of what he left behind. He glanced back at his bed and pointed towards it, the crisp shiny metal of the bucket reflecting off the lamplight.

"You can't be serious." The narrator grumbled.

Stanley gave him a look.

Needless to say, the clanking of the bucket would accompany their entire trip.

As the narrator left the apartment and winded down the halls, Stanley felt at peace watching his determined expression face onward down the maze of the office building. A warmth in his chest rose as he watched his narrator so resolute in his trajectory. It was a bit embarrassing, but he felt safe in his arms.

“So Narry…” he began cautiously, “Why did you…” He paused before the pain overtook him again, predicting the pattern of when to break his speech, “not come down here before?”

The narrator clicked his tongue as if the answer were obvious. “Well, human bodies are just so…flimsy! Inflexible! You’re so limited by the laws of physics, creation is reliant on your environment rather than your imagination. I find it to be quite boring, but I think a corporeal form would be more fitting for a visit wouldn’t you say, Stanley?”

“So you’re not human?” Stanley forced the words out, struggling with himself. He was speaking a lot more than he was usually comfortable with, and being sick was not helping.

“Well, I suppose that depends on your definition!” The narrator answered enthusiastically, like a professor answering a query from a curious student. “Don’t concern yourself with that right now, just worry about …” He trailed off, his eyes darting around the hall nervously. His speed decreased momentarily before he resumed his pace and his sunny tone, “Getting better.”

Stanley hesitated upon seeing his brief change in demeanor, it was strange. He would usually be much more detailed and intricate in his explanations, not leave him hanging on a loose thread like that. “Something wrong?”

The narrator gradually slowed to a stride again, nearly halting his walk altogether. His gaze dropped to the ground, seeming bothered by something unspoken before after a few beats, he spoke. “Stanley, do you hear that?”

Stanley looked around quizzically, “No…?”

“Nevermind then.” The narrator returned grimly, resuming his mission with an even slower pace.

“What was it?” Stanley demanded.

The narrator stopped again, this time with more permanency. He took a deep breath, collecting himself before continuing. “I think there’s something wrong with my mind.”

Stanley felt the uneasiness return to him, but he kept on a brave face. He put his hand on the narrator's shoulder in an awkward, but sincere attempt to let him know he was there. He nodded, ushering him to go on.

“Stanley…I hear voices.”

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Chapter 1: Don't Do It https://www.tumblr.com/lemonboi390/723244186206420992/the-end-is-never-the-end?source=share

Chapter 2: A Cruel Joke https://www.tumblr.com/lemonboi390/723245659991539712/the-end-is-never-the-end?source=share

[shiningforcegirlpower]

Battle #11 - Laser Eye

If the Marionette was the overwhelming Mini-Boss, the Laser Eye is a Boss that lives up to its chapter name. The third and final battle of the third chapter (making it the shortest chapter in the game), is one that is a mix of staying put and knowing when and where to bum-rush.

Here's another required character that we won't use. Now, onto the details.

Allies - Tao (Level 14), Mae (Level 12), Khris (Level 13), Anri (Level 9), Amon (Level 8), Diane (Level 8) Enemies - 5 Lizardmen, 2 Dark Priests, 3 Pegasus Knights, 3 Dark Elves, 2 Silver Knights, 1 Laser Eye

The Laser Eye seems to always go first, giving its initiating sequence. Apparently counting down from "10 9" seconds. Meaning each round of characters moving is apparently 2 seconds. The Laser Eye needs 5 rounds to complete its warm-up, then on the sixth round, it will fire.

I started my usual tactic for this battle. I would always wait to see if I could wait out one Laser Eye blast to get weakened Runefaust enemies before bumrushing in to try to get rid of them. Usually, my Birdmen would be used to lure Pegasus Knights into the fire, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that with just Amon.

I begin to set up my gals, but then a Lizardman comes up to attack Mae. Luckily, the girls such as Amon and Tao help out and the three of them destroy it.

I set up all the girls in a block and send Amon out to see if I can scout a way to attack the Dark Elves without alerting the Pegasus Knights.

One seems to already know what I'm doing.

I put Amon back into the block formation, but the Pegasus Knight immediately attacks Tao dealing a worrying amount of damage. Next who's able to move is Diane, so I have her attack it, dealing 4 damage and gaining a level.

I'm going to take a break.

...

I forgot to save. WELP LOOKS LIKE I'M STARTING FROM ATTEMPT 1.5!

Attempt 1.5 - I once again moved Mae too close, but she and Tao can handle it.

Also it seems that the Pegasus Knights will always move once someone is detected to be in the sky and not on the land tile. It tries to make a move on Mae, but is too far. So Diane readies to aim and fire.

Which misses. Thus missing her level up.

Mae hits it instead. Thus - Getting a level up.

The Pegasus Knight harms Diane, but Anri gets her revenge by freezing its wings and causing it to perish. She even gets a level up!

She learns Muddle, which I've never found a use for.

Khris heals both Mae and Diane, getting a level up to 14, which will give her enough MP to get another heal level 1 in her wheelhouse.

I moved Amon closer, which triggered a Silver Knight to stupidly move where the Laser Eye was firing.

Haha.

I thought Amon would be able to get rid of the Dark Priest, but she couldn't reach him. She couldn't kill the Lizardman either. But did get some damage in before it and a Pegasus Knight attacked her and she was unable to fight anymore.

Mae got revenge by hitting a double spear attack against the Pegasus Knight.

Tao then got her revenge for her fallen comrade by unleashing her Blaze Level 3 to damage the Lizardman and destroy the priest.

While the Pegasus Knight hit her, it couldn't even get her health down halfway, allowing Tao to unleash another Blaze Level 3 against it and the Lizardman.

Mae wanted to destroy the Pegasus Knight, but knew it was best to keep on and clear the path to the Laser Eye. She annihilated a Lizardman with a deadly attack from her power spear.

Anri instead destroyed the Pegasus Knight with a freeze spell.

The girls continued forwards, Mae launching spears behind her as she charged towards the Laser Eye. The Dark Elves began to regroup to help their allies on the other side of the bridge.

A Silver Knight tried to cut her off and attack but... TAO! The blazing woman! She didn't even have to use her magic. She struck that Silver Knight, doing 9 damage.

This allowed Mae to continue charging to the Laser Eye to begin damaging it.

But the other girls weren't so lucky to get to the Laser Eye in time. Tao and Anri hunkered down in an alcove. Anri spotted a Dark Elf and tried to freeze it but... She was struck down. Diane, on the other hand, tried to rush to start attacking the Laser Eye as well. She was too far away from the Alcove. But also to far to begin attacking. Khris tried to reach her, but things went to fast. A Dark Elf ran out and attacked Diane. And the Laser Eye... took away her last two hit points.

It was down to our original three ladies, filled with rage at their fallen comrades who they tried to do everything to make sure they would not fall victim to the weapon. And even then they couldn't manage that.

Mae's next attack on the Laser Eye gave her enough Experience to level up.

Khris healed herself, but the two remaining Dark Elves took her down. Now we were left with our original two ladies.

Mae landed the last attack on the Laser Eye, and was ready to heal herself with her items and begin to attack while she waited on Tao to join the fray.

Tao attacked the Dark Elf that DARE come close to her, destroying it and resisting its attacks against her.

When Mae attacked the Dark Elf against her, she left it with only a sliver. That was fine enough for Tao, blazing with the fury of her comrades souls who got to get the finishing blow against it, deciding not to heal herself, as she was so enraged.

They gave the Lizardman the same treatment.

Mae then destroyed the Silver Knight in one hit, and turns out he was the boss of the battle. So... not getting the EXP for fighting the Dark Priest but Mae and Tao are already SO far ahead from the other ladies...

Meet Pelle. A Centaur who can climb up 90 degrees of Rock. You'd think he'd be a niche centaur who is good at moving in the mountains like the dwarves or archers (compared to the other allies). But nope. Just... another Centaur.

Would be great for the Centaur only run, though. The third character you get.

[cubesandblobs]

flourishing peony review (spoiler-free): why I put a pause on it & why I still recommend it

i'm gonna start with the good things because I do like what the drama has done

acting, music, directing all seem solid. I like the colour scheme & costuming (again, not sure about historical accuracy but it's very pretty)

going into more details: i like the way Peony (Mu Dan) was written to be genuinely capable. a lot of dramas want the girl to have inciting events to start appreciating the guy so they always put her into situations she can't solve, and I'm happy that this drama doesn't do that. Peony gets very far based on her own capabilities despite her relatively low social status, but gets screwed over by unforseen circumstances and her lack of experience. Fair enough.

speaking of the guy, the way official jiang is written is another big plus point for this drama. the 'high status male with a mean streak' is a real hit in the historical cdrama market right now and JCY is by far the most healthy and likeable iteration because it never felt like he was punching down when he jokes with/at Mu Dan.

also, he's feminist without the drama portraying it as a big deal which is nice. like him standing up for Mu Dan against misogyny doesn't focus on how great and amazing he is but rather on how absurd the patriarchal system. he's pretty casual about it. I think this is the best way to capture that he's one of the rare few decent dudes in the story but also yes, not being sexist is only the bare minimum

I'm really interested in the princess (jùnzhǔ) (Mu Dan's husband's childhood lover). I appreciate when writers put some effort into their antagonists instead of slapping the 'screaming insane female character' archetype onto her.

Okay, here's why I still dropped it:

I just felt really bored, to be honest. Even though the drama never made me frustrated or annoyed (honestly pretty rare). I think I've watched too many dramas that're similar to this way (think of every historical cdrama featuring a woman running a business lol) so that's why i'm just like 'oh, this again' with every single plot point

Some specific gripes: i really liked it when the drama let Peony solve her own problems (this is because letting the high status male step in kills all suspense: of course the dude can get shit done when he's got the twin privilege of being a man & a high status official! i'm watching because I wanted to see how she can solve her problems in a society that treats her words like their nothing, not to watch this privileged rich boy verbally bully assholes into submission.) rant aside, the problem is that even though Peony does solve most of her issues by herself, she doesn't do it in a way that makes you think 'oh, i didn't think of that' or 'wow, that's impressive' but rather because she just...chances upon some really decent people every now and then who allows her to get her shit together just by virtual of being honest and dependable. Do I prefer this to the dude jumping in to save the day? absolutely. But it doesn't make the drama interesting to me who have watched a gazillion shows with similar plots.

Liu Chang (the neglectful controlling ex-husband) left much to be desired in terms of character writing. Basically he's both austere & highly moral/anti-corruption but also deeply f*cked up and controlling. He despises Mu Dan and doesn't want anything to do with her but also refuses to let her leave. But there's also the fact that he just hates being controlled (family trauma) and he interprets Mu Dan leaving as part of everybody thinking they can mess with his marriage however they like. Now, the idea of a moral preachy dude who's also a piece of shit but isn't even self aware about it is right up my alley but the way liu chang's written is just a muddle mess. I felt like I had to do the heavy lifting & theorising to see how his pieces fit together instead of the narrative leaving clues for me to understand him with. He ended up being less like an interesting character study but more like a stubborn stain on Mu Dan's life that refuses to be washed off. (Compare him to The Double's ex-husband, whose writers do a much cleaner job presenting his various layers, facades, and hypocrisy to the audience.)

I'll stop here for now. I definitely recommend this show despite what I've said and if you're someone who likes these historical china female-led dramas, I'd recommend this one above most of the others I've watched before. I'll be checking out Sijin to see if I'm just done with this genre for good or if it's just something about flourishing peony that isn't hitting right with me.

[blackwinged-soul]

--OH! Right! This happened... two nights ago, I think? But it was all after I had lain down to sleep, and I didn't want to get up to write it down.

As such, I've lost the details.

But... well, I should have seen it coming.

I forget how, but I rediscovered A Lot of Feelings from my Y/ugio|h lives. I browsed through relevant tags on my personal blog, and caught myself getting deeper and deeper into that muddled shift that's a little bit T|hief King and a little bit Ry/ou and... frankly, I indulged the emotions. That righteous anger. The power. I tried not to get lost in the fury and sadism, but T|hief King shifts do make me a bit giddy. That was fun. And I spent... possibly two hours just going through posts. Silly posts, and meaningful posts.

I accidentally got myself rather DEEP in a Ry/ou+T|hief King shift.

So naturally, when I closed my eyes to fall asleep, well before any sort of dreams could have kicked in, a vivid image started playing in my mind. I was looking at... something brown. There was a pattern to them, rectangles, textured, maybe woven, maybe tiles, and different colors/designs on some of them. Like they formed a design that I couldn't see, because I was trying to take it in. It felt desperate.

I suddenly emerged from it startled, and crying.

I don't really know what it was. (A tomb wall? Some fabric? A tiled floor? I'm not sure.) Even immediately upon trying to understand what I'd just seen, I had no idea what it was, but it felt like a flashback, and I was immediately hit with a sense of frustration. The Ry/ou frustration of getting T|hief King's memories again.

Sigh... The immense unpredictability and uncontrollable nature (and their vividness and distressing themes) of memories from T|hief King are why I performed spellwork to stop the memories as Ry/ou. Because as Ry/ou, I did get a lot of dreams and memories that Weren't Mine, unbidden and with frustrating frequency, affecting my sleep, my daily life, but they still distressed me to the point of blocking them with magic. Blocking out the things from T|hief King's life.

Unfortunately a theme in this life, as I am now, is Rediscovering Memories of Past Lives. I did workings to remember Pin|k in this life years ago, shortly after I kinfirmed B|ue Di/amo\nd, and I think general Memory Spells to help me remember things, and I strongly suspect those workings in THIS life are undoing the memory-blocking spells I did as RY/OU.

But not entirely, because whenever I'm in a Ry/ou shift, I get memories (from living as Ry/ou), but the moment the shift ends, or I think about something else, I forget them again. Most of them. Not all of them... but the most mundane ones are especially fleeting. That's why I scrambled to write this down as soon as I remembered it happened. I don't want to lose another memory.

(...I'm not sure if the struggle I had with dissociation as Ry/ou happened before or after I did those spells... Before, I think, though I suspect they made it worse. Maybe MUCH worse. I think that's part of why I didn't question suddenly losing memories when the Ring S|pirit took over as much as I maybe should have... And I'm not sure if I got T|hief King's memories before being given the Ring, but that happened at such a young age and my memories as Ry/ou are so fuzzy that it's impossible to say...)

I don't want to think about that though. That's another trait of my Ry/ou shifts; they're pleasant enough, as long as I don't trigger any of The Worst Memories. I get rather emotional about those in Ry/ou shifts... Not even that they scare me, exactly. They just hurt.

[himanshusharma]

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS, BLOG POST: UPDATE 4.4 UV AND TEXTURING | (DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 01)

Alright, let's be real. My latest project was starting to resemble a digital landfill more than a work of art. I had crammed EVERYTHING in there, convinced that "more is more" was the golden rule. Turns out, I was spectacularly wrong. I was knee-deep in texturing this gigantic, sprawling scene, having meticulously (and perhaps a bit mindlessly) blocked out every detail imaginable, when it hit me like a ton of bricks: I had completely lost the plot.

My mentor, Neil, a professional who's seen it all, had dropped some hints about this during one of his lectures. He talked about the importance of "intentional design" and how a cluttered scene can actually work against you, muddling the overall impact. At the time, I just nodded along, thinking, "Sure, Neil, great advice.

A few weeks later, I found myself staring at a screen overflowing with… well, stuff. Just a mountain of digital assets. I was so fixated on getting every tiny detail in during the blocking phase that I'd completely neglected the bigger picture. The composition was a train wreck, the focal point was buried somewhere beneath a pile of polygons, and the entire scene felt clunky and overwhelming.

Here's the Brutal Truth: Over-Blocking is a Creative Roadblock.

I had fallen into the classic trap of thinking that a successful scene meant jamming in as much as humanly possible. I mistakenly equated sheer detail with quality, not realizing that true artistry comes from carefully chosen details that work together to form a cohesive whole. My excessive blocking had become a crutch, hindering me from truly understanding the space and how to make the most of it.

Time for a Digital Detox (aka The Downsizing Diet):

After a minor (okay, maybe it was a full-blown) creative meltdown, I decided to finally take Neil's wisdom to heart. It was time for a radical intervention. I steeled myself (and brewed a very strong pot of coffee) and embarked on a ruthless downsizing mission.

This wasn't just about randomly deleting objects. It was a total re-evaluation of the scene's purpose and its narrative. I started asking myself some tough questions:

What's the core story I'm trying to tell here? Which elements are absolutely essential to tell that story? Where do I want to direct the viewer's eye? How can I use negative space to my advantage? By answering these, I began to carefully excise elements that were unnecessary, distracting, or simply didn't belong. It was honestly painful at first, like deleting a part of myself. But with each object removed, the scene began to breathe easier.

The Results: Less Really IS More

The transformation was honestly astonishing. Suddenly, the focal point popped out of the visual noise. The composition felt balanced and deliberate. The negative space, which I'd previously ignored, became a powerful tool for guiding the viewer's gaze.

The downsizing process didn't just make the scene look better; it dramatically improved my workflow, too. With fewer elements to wrangle, I could focus on polishing the remaining details, achieving a level of refinement I never could have managed with that initial cluttered mess.

What I Learned (the Hard Way):

My journey from a digital hoarder to a (somewhat) reformed minimalist has been a humbling but incredibly valuable experience. I've learned that true artistry isn't about the sheer quantity of detail, but the quality and purpose behind each element. And most importantly, I've learned to actually listen to my mentor! Thanks, Neil, for pulling me back from the edge of digital chaos.

So, if you're finding yourself drowning in a sea of digital clutter, take a step back, reassess what you're trying to achieve, and don't be afraid to start cutting things out. You might be surprised at how much clearer things become when you embrace the power of "less." And hey, you might even discover you function a whole lot better as an artist.