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foone · 2 years

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After pulling my hair out getting a VM of Win95 running, only to forget to install the graphics drivers and wonder why the colours of my game were all wrong, i can only marvel at your soft-hardware necromancy. How do you learn this stuff? What do you do when you encounter a filetype you've never seen before? (What do i even do with the file CD_AUDIO.kpx?) Can you download all your knowledge into my brain?

I mainly learned this stuff by just fucking around with computers for a long time (I think I got my first computer in 1993, so I'm coming up on my 30th anniversary of being a Big Nerd). You pick up stuff eventually.

Also yes. Setting up Win95 VMs is hard (real hardware is also hard, for the record) . The bearsoftware VBE drivers seem to have some glitches but they work well enough, and the scitech display doctor drivers work better... If they work. Sometimes they are a nightmare to get working. My advice is start your win95 VM setup, immediately work on getting everything working (graphics/sound/networking drivers), then clone or savestate that shit. Then you have a working base to build on. Don't dirty your clean base, just clone it when you need to start fresh because you've messed it up somehow.

As for an unknown file, my first approach is usually a hex editor. Look for signature info towards the top of the file, Google that. I find that's more useful than searching on the extension, because extensions are reused too often. Sometimes you can search the full filename or game name plus extension and hit gold, but sometimes you just get nothing, and then it's up to you to figure it out.

So the first step is make sure you have a hex editor that can do integer decoding. I usually use HxD. See the data inspector on the right?

It's decoding the value of the number at the position of the cursor. This is very handy. File formats tend to have commonalities, like a count of how many sub-files there are, either right up front or at the end. (up front is more common these days, but in the Old Times it was easier to put them at the end, because of RAM limitations. That's why Zip has the index at the end)

That's a good place to start, because once you know how many subfiles are in there, you can figure out where they are, and deal with them separately. Often you only care about one part, so this lets you ignore most of the bits.

The other big tip I can give you for figuring out files is to be hands on. You don't have to just stare at a file and go WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!

Change the file. Make a backup and then edit parts of it. See what changes in the program when you do that. Or if it's something the program writes out, save a basic file, than change something minor, then save it out again to a different file. Now you can compare the two and see what changed!

The next step up for figuring out an unknown file format is to reverse engineer the program that reads/writes them. Use a tool like Ghidra/Ida Pro, and disassemble the EXE. Figure out where it reads and writes the datafiles. This is often easy to find, you can look for imports on CreateFile/OpenFile or search for strings like the filename.

Another option is to hybridize your tools: use a debugger (I use OllyDbg usually, but it is getting long in the tooth sadly) and set a breakpoint on file opening. Run the program and step through all the files it opens and then you'll find the time it opens the file you care about. Now that you know where it is, you can locate that same function in the disassembler/decompiler.

Anyway. There's a bunch of tools and they all can help with different parts of this sort of reverse engineering, and it's often just about collecting as much info as you can, and then trying to compile it together. I usually have a text editor open on another monitor, and just keep a sort of running journal of anything I learn, so I can easily refer back and cross-reference things.

Also keep in mind that even if you can't solve the whole problem, you can learn some things, and it's useful to share that with the world. Sometimes just getting part of the solution means it'll inspire others to help finish the work, or point out stuff you missed.

#Reverse engineering

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secretgamergirl · 9 months

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Wire Witch Hex - Wearing Many Hats (Font Design)

Lately most of the traffic I'm getting on this blog has been people stumbling onto my multipart series on how a computer works. Glad people are enjoying that as much as they seem to be. My reason for teaching myself all of that (besides just the joy of learning) is I'm very slowly working on designing a new video game console that anyone sufficiently motivated can build for themselves as a neat little DIY project. There are so many moving parts to this project that for now I'm focusing mainly on just the controller and its unique features. To avoid having to make a whole working console, with software, to test it, and make sure I have something to show for all this if the rest doesn't pan out, I'm designing the controller to also be more or less compatible with the NES and SNES (which secretly use the same input standard, just differently shaped plugs at the end of the cord).

This means all I'll need to test and demo my controller is an SNES ROM that knows what to do with my scroll-wheel outputs, a setup where an emulator accurately handles those signals, and later a cart I can slap a couple EEPROMs into and test on real hardware. Oh and I also need to teach myself enough about SNES development to actually create every demo I want to run, do all the art, code it up, and compile it. This is a big job, and I'm not getting paid, so maybe consider throwing me a little money before we dig into this?

Since... really the last time I reported in on this, I've been studying away trying to learn all this, and hey, have a compiled ROM image that'll display a blank screen in any color I want, and a third party program that IN THEORY with a bit of massaging will convert a 256x256 image into an SNES character ROM image. AKA the file with all the graphics. My ultimate goal for this demo cart is to cycle through several very simple games, showcasing how my controller works with each. So I need to cram every image any of these are going to need into my one big image file, which I'm slowly picking away at, but the one thing I knew from the start that I'd definitely need is to throw some text on screen explaining the controls for each demo. And since it's not like there's a built in font in in the system, I had to make my own.

This is not my first font-making rodeo. For this one, my thinking was, I'm going to be in a fixed 16x16 resolution per character (because I forgot the specifics of how the SNES actually tiles graphics), some built in spacing so I can slap them all right up against each other or some border and still be readable, and I wanted a nice little shadow built into every character in case they end up on a low contrast background. Let's zoom in on what I have here so far, in case you don't feel like downloading the file and blowing it up to something more readable.

The first thing I want to note is that after finishing the first 4 rows of characters here, I double checked, and while the SNES CAN break backgrounds into 16x16 tiles, the absolute minimum is 8x8. If I were really trying to be space efficient, I should have designed around that. Several of these characters would easily fit into a 16x8 space, that level of compression would also let me have just the period and comma and be able to build a colon, semicolon, or apostrophe from those, and most importantly, I rendered this with all of the lowercase letters exactly 1 pixel too tall to fit into a 16x8 space and let me double up there. Since I'm rather happy with this font so far and I'd eventually like to make some version of it available for, if nothing else, other people writing software for my eventual console here, I will likely, at some point, make a more space-optimized variation. I'd also like to cover a wider range of characters. At the very least, have some accent marks, wouldn't be too hard to add support for Cyrillic. Pretty sure I can get Japanese and Korean text in keeping with this look. Maybe some other languages. Anyway though, let's talk about what I've got.

My general design rule here was, where possible, make lines 2 pixels thick, and have each white pixel cast a black pixel shadow immediately below, to the right, and the diagonal between them. This gives a pretty convincing relief effect in my opinion, and keeping the shadows this thick keeps a nice firm edge there so it's even generally readable on a pure white background. Within each 16x16 tile, I was extremely strict about keeping a 1 pixel margin clear at the top and bottom of each image, and 2 or 3 on the sides (often 3 on the left, 2 on the right. With capital letters, I went with a generally rigid and blocky style, trying to stretch things to my arbitrary margins. Lowercase letters I restricted to just 8 pixels tall, and those featuring tails are given special permission to drop down an extra pixel, leaving the shadow right on the edge of their true bounding box.

While it wasn't an intentional move at first, several lowercase letters ended up with a decidedly rounded, squashed look, particularly g and q. I found that to be both kind of cute, giving the whole font a real unique character, and eventually started to actively lean into it (which may not be super obvious, I started with W as it's kinda the letter than needs the most breathing room and worked outward from there), and did my best to distort all the rounder shapes and in particular the highly mirrorable b d p q set, as I seem to recall once reading the more you avoid identical shapes with those, the more legible the font becomes for people with dyslexia. Similarly, I made a point of distinguishing the shapes of the Ms and Ws, and added a little whimsy to the numerals. Overall I'm super happy with all the lowercase letters (except for e and s being too thin, but that was an inevitable compromise), and if I ever have the time to kill it's very likely I'll revisit this someday and apply this squishy rounded aesthetic to the capitals too.

Your eyes were probably drawn really quickly to the parentheses here, where for at least the moment I'm breaking my rules about blank space and shifting them inward quite a bit rather than centering them. That's going to look really bad if I use them in a sentence (like this), but the main reason I'm including them right now is so I can list button prompts with both the icons representing what's actually going to be on my controller, and the SNES buttons sharing the same signals. So something like: "GO (A) Jump" and I think the half-spacing and closeness to what they enclose will look pretty nice in this one specific case.

As a final note, the particular hardware I'm working with absolutely supports the ability to mirror any image horizontally or vertically, as well as change the palette. If I truly wanted to cram letters in as efficiently as possible at this font size, I could, for instance, have an 8x8 right-angle segment, build a whole H just from mirroring that, also use it for the legs of the A, P, F, the left side of the D, etc. This however is incompatible with the shadows I'm using for extra readability. And of course for other projects I HAVE made a perfectly legible 8x8 font before.

I'm pointing this out because hey, if you do the math, JUST these characters I've set aside for having arbitrary on-screen text, as is, are consuming 5/16ths of my total graphical memory, and I'm probably never even going to display most of these anywhere. Again, not a huge problem for the simple demo pack I'm making, and that 256x256 drawing space isn't a hard limit. Spending an extra processor cycle to change an index value and access a whole other page of image data is a pretty common practice on the hardware, but especially with older computers and racing to get things ready to draw before a screen refreshes, it's good to at least be mindful of the tradeoffs with that sort of thing.

And again, my sole source of income at the moment is patreon donations, so if you're excited about seeing updates to this weird project of mine or you're learning useful things from any of it, maybe consider throwing me a little support?

#wire witch hex #console design #programming #fonts #art #tutorial #SNES

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lulu2992 · 8 months

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Is there anyway you could send the files of the game?

To be honest, I’m uncomfortable with doing this for two reasons.

The first one is that the game is huge and that sending all the files would be difficult. When I bought Far Cry 5 several years ago on PC, I think it was around 70 GB, and they’ve since added more downloadable content so the whole game must be even bigger now!

The second reason is that sharing what is essentially a full, dematerialized version of a game is basically piracy, and I don’t want to do that. However, I remember seeing modders in the Ubisoft Star Program, so they don’t seem to have a problem with modding. Even if you don’t necessarily want to make or install mods, it’s totally possible to use modding tools to simply see what’s in the files. If you want more information on the tools, there are online tutorials, and I know the modding community has a Discord.

There are Far Cry 5 sound files on @voices-of-hope-county, and you can find many links to other audio compilations or useful files (such as transcripts of all in-game dialog) in the pinned post. Sometimes, there are Ubisoft+ free trials, so if you don’t already own Far Cry 5, you can download the full game (and many others) for free and keep all the files even when the trial is over. From time to time, the game also becomes temporarily free, so that’s another way you can get all the files (legally) and keep them forever!

So, I’m sorry, but I won’t send hundreds of thousands of game files... But as I said, there are tools (one of them is even mentioned on the Wiki) to help you easily extract them yourself. If I managed to do that despite having zero experience in modding or coding and not knowing anything about game files in general, I believe everyone can :)

#maybe there are people who would be okay with doing that but I’m not #sorry it just feels wrong to me #I hope you understand #far cry 5 #FCBConverter works really well and is easy to use in my opinion #I also used other programs (for the same results) but this one is good #I learned literally everything as I went along #it was intimidating at first but I loved it!#and all the questions I had had already been asked (and answered) on forums so that was cool too #thank you modders for all the tools and tutorials #as I’ve said before you’re the real MVPs

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write-lets-do-this · 2 years

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When it comes to planning a story, designing well-rounded, realistic characters is often simultaneously the most appealing and most daunting part of the process.

Even something as simple as coming up with a name for your character can become an ordeal. Should the name be a symbol of the character’s personality? Does the one I’ve picked out sound too modern or too archaic or ridiculously made up? These questions are all ones I have asked myself before, and I’m sure you’ve thought them in one way or another yourself too.

And then there’s the issue of all those other little details that need to be consistent and recognisable in order for your characters to seem distinct and interesting to the reader. Gosh, it all is really so much effort.

But, to save you from spending hours trawling the web for the perfect template to use to build each of your main characters, I have compiled a selection of the ones I have found most useful so far:

Jerry Jenkins’ ‘How to Create a Character Profile: A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners’

The link itself provides a useful list of all the details you need to consider, and if you choose to put your email in, you’ll get sent a free PDF that allows you to fill in details on the basic character traits as well as their significance in the novel as a whole, which is helpful if you have more minor characters that you don’t need quite as much detail for.

This template is ideal if you want to focus on the aspects most relevant to your writing: your character’s development and significance in the story, rather than the smaller details that may or may not squeeze their way into your writing, though by all means it does provide a decent amount of those too!

Graphic Mama’s ‘How to Create a Character Profile for Your Brand Mascot [+ Free Character Design Template]’

This one is less geared towards the writer and more towards brands. But, if you want to focus on the more visual aspects of your character, or are writing for, say, a children’s novel, its inclusion of criteria such as likes and dislikes, gestures, and catch phrase can make for an easily memorable character.

The sheet provided is a pretty simple one, but it covers all the details mentioned on the site post, and can be accessed without the need to supply an email.

Max Benz’s ‘Character Bio Template – How to Create A Character Bio’

What sets this template apart from the ones above is its more open-ended questions. These can inspire more of an idea of how the character might answer questions about themself, on top of providing the bare bones of who they are and what they add to the story.

The template that you can download requires an email like the first one, but is in an excel spreadsheet format as opposed to a PDF, which gives you more room to personalise what details you want to add.

Writers Online’s ‘Character profile: A guide and template’

The post linked to here provides more of an overview of the importance of creating a character profile, as well as a thinking exercise to consider how characters have been presented in media you’ve already read.

The template is a three-stage sheet with an open-ended answer format similar to the previous entry, and gives more focus to the details you are most likely to include in your story than the holistic list of criteria that features in most of the other templates.

The National Centre for Writing’s ‘Download free character templates’ by Simon K Jones

The actual templates provided in this post are much more limited than some of the previous ones here, but the one thing that is especially useful is the final point Jones comments on. The ‘behaviour matrix’ is a tool that allows you to create distinct voices for your characters depending on their defining characteristics, and is definitely a good tool for any writer who might want to branch away from these set templates and create their own character profiles from scratch.

In a way, it somewhat mimics the MBTI personality type format, in which two opposing traits are weighed up, though with much more detail as it can cover as many facets of a personality as you like! In the ideal world, it could even be a useful way to prepare official personality types for your characters when your novel becomes successful enough to garner a place on the Personality Database.

This list of different resources should provide you with a good format to base your character profiles on, whether you are planning to write your first novel, wanting to boost your character-writing skills, or simply wanting a nice easy way to begin designing your OCs. Whichever of these you choose to use, may your characters reveal to you all their deepest secrets and fit flawlessly into your plots!

-Olive Tree

#my blog #writing #character design #writing tips #book planning

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archivingdanganronpa · 1 year

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hi everyone! here’s my first big update post, where i’m gonna show off everything that i have so far! i also added a theme to my blog, so it should be easier to navigate now.

so! let’s take a look in there.

the very first thing i did was download as many old videos from 10 years ago as i could find. thankfully, there were some compiled playlists which made things easier, and i’ve found a lot of the others myself. here’s... well, just take a look for yourself.

there’s still more beyond that, too... there’s a lot of stuff here . i haven’t even seen a fair amount of these! a lot of classics.

then i realised, hey, i should branch out beyond just videos... so i did! after that, i went and archived a lot of the official novels/text-based content that either hasn’t been released in english officially, or isn’t easily accessible. here’s what i got on that front so far! there’s still more i’m looking at.

some of these aren’t too hard to find out there already if you want to get them yourself.

beyond that, i got all the ripped assets from the psp version of dr1. that’s where we got all the sprites back in the day... i’m not gonna screenshot those, because you guys know what dr1 looks like. i hope.

in addition to the fandom-based videos, i also downloaded multiple fan-translated playthroughs of the games. in particular, a no-commentary LP of the original Project Zetsubou translation with all of the free-time events, a translated-text edited to be on the gameplay for sdr2, and multiple ‘live translation’ playthroughs of ndrv3. i feel these are worth archival, as they offer a look into how we used to have to experience these games...

and i prefer the fan-translations to the official ones...

anyway! after that, i really liked the idea of finding a bunch of the old fangames for danganronpa and saving those. i was actually able to find a fair amount!

there are a few still eluding me, unfortunately. i’ll make a post about those ‘lost’ games at some point in the future... but trust me, i spent around four hours looking for all of these games last night. it was really hard to find them!!! there are so many dead links out there now!

hey, who remembers danganronpa the animation? you might be thinking ‘surely that can’t be hard to find’, and you’re right... it’s not! if you’re looking for the official release. back in 2013, a translation group called unlimited translation works released fansubs of drta. i was able to find a single torrent with one person seeding it of their copies. thanks so much to whoever that was, out there!

and finally, i made some progress in saving various text-based lets plays of super danganronpa 2. i’m still working on that, and that will be likely what i do the most of today... but i do have some other things lined up...

thanks for tuning in! keep on hoping... or despairing, if that’s more your thing...

farewell, despair archivists...

#the danganronpa archive project #danganronpa #long post #sorry for how long this one is! future posts will be shorter.#however i wanted to talk about the stuff i have so far which unfortunately will take up a lot of space... sorry!

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seijohsremade · 4 years

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ways to help protestors if you are unable to protest

everybody has to do their part. as a reference, this was posted on 1 june 2020. if any links are broken or direct to a place they should not, please feel free to add on with corrections. if there is new information with better knowledge, please feel free to share. thank you.

1. donate

do not donate to shaun king. he has repeatedly collected money to “support” black people, but no one knows where the money is.

BAIL FUNDS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST)

note: washington dc and new jersey have cashless bail systems.

bail fund google doc (also includes lawyers for protestors)

national bail fund network (directory of community bail funds)

community bail funds masterpost by @keplercryptids

resistance funds (google sheets; lists bail funds around the country)

nationwide bail funds (split a donation to the bail funds listed on the linked page with a single transaction)

atlanta bail fund

brooklyn bail fund

colorado freedom fund

columbus freedom fund

houston chapter of black lives matter

liberty fund (nyc based; focuses services on people from low-income communities)

los angeles freedom fund

louisville community fund

massachusetts bail fund

minnesota freedom fund (as of may 30, 2020, they are encouraging people to donate elsewhere since they have raised enough money; as of may 29, 2020, they do not have a venmo, as some fraudulent accounts have been claiming, source)

philadelphia bail out fund

richmond bail fund

MORE PLACES TO DONATE

note: more links are listed in the masterposts below.

northstar health collective (healthcare and medical aid for people on the front lines)

reclaim the block (aims to redistribute police funding to help the minneapolis community)

twin cities dsa (provides fresh groceries and hot meals to people in minneapolis)

2. educate yourself

it isn’t enough to sign petitions and reblog/retweet/etc. nonblack people, including people of color, owe it to black people to educate themselves and correct themselves and the people around them on anti-blackness.

note: more links are in the masterposts linked below.

resources and tools regarding racism and anti-blackness (google sheets compilation)

readings on society, racism, the prison system, etc. (twitter thread)

“where do we go after ferguson?” by michael eric dyson

official black lives matter website

3. give out supplies to protestors

people need supplies to protest safely, and even if they bring supplies with them, they can often run out. if you’re able, stock up and hand them out to people protesting. for more supplies to donate, see the “george floyd action” google docs link in section 5.

water bottles (dehydration and heatstroke are not things people should have to deal with alongside bastard cops. if the police in your area are particularly violent or known to use tear gas, get the ones with the sports cap/suction-thing/etc so people can use them as emergency eye-flushes.)

snacks (make sure to take into account that people have allergies of all sorts. foods will have a little label that says “may contain” and then list any potential allergens. write the allergens on the ziploc (or any container you use) in permanent marker, or better yet, write the snacks included in the pack.)

masks (don’t forget there’s still a pandemic going on. also it will aid in deterring facial recognition when the police try to track down protestors, also part two, if the cops use tear gas, wearing a mask (with the combination of a scarf or bandana) will lessen the adverse effects. lessen, not stop.)

bandanas, scarves, etc. and goggles (ski goggles, swimming goggles, etc.) (see above for explanation on the scarves. same goes for the goggles. anti–tear gas and anti–facial recognition.)

clean shirts (for people who are heavily gassed. also helps deter recognition through clothing.)

wound care supplies (band-aids, packets of neosporin packets or a similar antibiotic, alcohol wipes, etc.; if you can, decant bactine into those little travel bottles.)

a sharpie or another type of marker (for writing bail numbers or emergency contacts on arms, hands, etc. it’s not enough to have your city’s bail fund number stored on your phone; the police won’t give it to you to look it up. give people a marker so they can write it down, preferably not washable so it isn’t easily removed.)

IMPORTANT: KNOWING FIRST AID

tear gas: if you’re hit, get out as fast and as soon as you can. take anyone you can with you. the longer you’re in the gas, the harder it will be for you to see, and it can irritate your airways, making it hard to breathe. if you’re hit, don’t run; it’ll only make things worse on your lungs. when you leave the area, take a cold shower. don’t use hot water (it will only reactivate the agent); don’t bathe (it will only spread the CS around). (source 1) (source 2) (cdc fact sheet on tear gas)

move them to a clean and ventilated area where it’s as safe as possible.

ask them if they’re wearing contact lenses. have them remove it. if they’re wearing glasses, rinse it with water.

solution of half liquid antacid, half water. spray from the inside going out, with the head tilted back and slightly towards the side being rinsed. if they say it’s okay, open the eye slightly while doing this. (source)

bullet wounds: the most important thing is to stop the bleeding. be sure to check for an exit wound and cover that as well. treat both wounds, but treat the worse one first.

stop the bleed (youtube video by uc san diego health)

first aid in active shooting scenarios

making a tourniquet (a commercial tourniquet is best, but improvised ones can work as well if done properly; the most important things to remember is that tourniquets are for limb injuries and are not meant for the head or torso and that they have to be very tightly wound on the injury.)

how to apply pressure dressings

miscellaneous

adult cpr tutorial (youtube video by cincinnati children’s; think of “staying alive” by the beegees or “uptown funk”)

4. be a source of information

be responsible with this. people’s lives are at stake. that being said, the media is a fucking joke and the best way to get accurate information in a grassroots rebellion is amongst ourselves. record everything, but if you are going to share any information at all, be sure to blur people’s faces.

signal (encrypted messenger app; messages delete after x amount of time): app store | google play

tool for scrubbing metadata from images and selectively blurring identifiable features

tech tips to protect yourself while protesting (by rey.nbows on tiktok, via vicent_efl on twitter)

cop spotting 101 (google docs)

know your rights (by personachuu on twitter)

NUMBERS TO CALL FOR ARRESTED PROTESTORS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; SOURCES LINKED TO THE NUMBER)

remember to keep phones OFF unless absolutely necessary. cell phone towers, stingrays, location notifs can all be used to track you and other protestors. don’t fuck around. if your phone must be on, keep it on airplane mode as often as possible and only communicate using encrypted methods. no, snapchat doesn’t count. (a twitter thread on stingrays, for those interested)

lawyers assisting protestors pro-bono (by riyakatariax on twitter)

atlanta: 404-689-1519

chicago: 773-309-1198

minneapolis: 612-444-2654

5. miscellaneous links and links for protestors

masterpost of petitions to sign, numbers to call, places to donate, and more (carrd by dehyedration on twitter)

#blacklivesmatter (google docs by ambivaIcnt on twitter; includes information on relevant events, other masterposts, lists of petitions and donation links, how to protest safely and protests to go to, and more)

george floyd action (google docs; includes information on apps to download, supplies to buy and donate, places to donate to, protest safety, resources on unlearning racial bias, and more)

how to get out of ziptie “handcuffs” (by finnianj on tiktok, via katzerax on twitter)

how can i help? by @abbiheartstaylor

how to make a signal-blocking cell phone pouch

tips for protestors by @aurora00boredealis

twitter thread for protestors (by vantaemuseum on twitter)

also, if you’re protesting, change your passcode. make it at least 11 characters long and don’t use facial/thumb recognition.

#black lives matter #blm #george floyd

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owl-with-a-pen · 2 years

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If you’re still interested in taking requests, I think it would literally the best thing ever if you could possibly incorporate the previously discussed Naltorian affection headcanons into a fluffy lil piece.

So, this is obviously - very - late, but on the bright side it meant I was able to include a variety of the aforementioned headcanons! I hope you enjoy. 😊

Brainy hadn’t intended on expending quite so much of his focus on a singular task, but then Alex had asked for his assistance.

He’d been assigned with the duty of cleaning up an alien transmission from a ship that had been discovered in low-orbit earlier that day. Once the Super Friends were able to unscramble and translate the message, they would be better placed to understand whether the signal’s originator was friend, foe or – quite possibly – in need of their help.

The simulations Brainy had run confirmed his initial hypothesis that the threat-level of the entity was negligible, but Alex was nothing if not thorough. The Tower’s database was hindered by the limitations of its time period, and with a mind and speed that far outshone the storage of any high-grade twenty-first century computer, it had been clear that Brainy was the most efficient candidate for the job.

Unfortunately, this had led to him becoming somewhat inattentive to other obligations he’d had that day.

Namely, the movie marathon he and Nia had been planning.

It had been intended as a day of relaxation, for the two of them to enjoy a series of hand-picked classics they’d spent the better part of a week compiling. Why, Lena had caught them bickering just the other day about which decade's hits should make the list. Alex had even thrown in a couple of her own suggestions in an effort to defuse the situation. As a result, Terminator 2 had been begrudgingly accepted as a last-minute addition.

When the first movie began to play, however, Brainy had made certain that his task would not distract him. He’d kept his audio processing at full capacity to capture every second of dialogue expressed in the film. His hand remained an inch above his tablet, downloading the data he required for the transmission directly into his thought tracks so that he wouldn’t need to sacrifice his visuals of the movie as well.

His focus level had started within acceptable parameters, but as the transmission took up more and more of his required attention, he found that he was unable to delegate certain tasks to his background functions quite so easily.

Soon, he was receiving a real-time feedback lag from all sensory inputs, long enough that his reactions to the movie’s various twists and turns were delayed by almost 2 and a half seconds. Something he was certain that Nia was beginning to pick up on, especially when he flinched three seconds too late at Indiana Jones’ famous encounter with a pit of snakes.

Frustration knotted itself inside of Brainy’s chest. This should not have been as hard as it was. Uninhibited, and thereby unencumbered by previous mental restraints, refining the transmission from a ship that was well within Earth’s own atmosphere at the time of its detection should have been – as Nia would put it – a piece of cake.

Brainy had never fully understood that particular idiomatic expression, but he enjoyed the phrasing all the same, even if it did only serve in making him feel hungry.

Brainy frowned, blinking out from the surface-level code that had been running through his thought tracks like white noise. He was getting distracted again, his mind branching off into far too many directions to keep track of. And yet, no matter how many branches he seemed to create, they all spiralled back to one thought in particular.

Nia.

By losing himself to his work, ruining the day they’d had planned in the process, he would surely disappoint her.

After everything that had happened, he had promised to devote himself to her. That he would never leave her again. Whether that was for a self-proclaimed mission, another time period, or, in this case, a task that could have been completed at a far more beneficial time for them both. He had wanted to be there for her, to enjoy every uninterrupted moment they could share together and together alone, to- to—

Brainy stilled suddenly when he felt Nia shift towards him on the couch, pressing herself up against his shoulder. She’d been watching the movie quietly up until then, politely ignoring the fact that Brainy’s mind had been galaxies away.

He felt the soft tickle of her hair as she inclined her head towards him, bumping her forehead inquisitively against his temple. It was a gentle but adamant tap, one that asked nothing of him, but communicated her feelings quite clearly all the same.

Brainy sighed evenly through his nose, letting his eyes flicker shut as the knot in his chest began to unfurl.

This, Brainy had learned, was a very specific form of Naltorian affection - something he had at first been subject to by Nura years ago when she’d used to joke around with him in his lab.

And, had it stayed as just an insistent little bump of the forehead, perhaps the tone of Nia’s message would have been solely construed as a playful one.

Naltorian affection was both immensely complex and also an endless source of intrigue to study. So much of a Naltorian’s power was based in the dreamscape, which required a level of vulnerability to the waking world that many species never willingly showed. It often meant that a Naltorian was guarded around acquaintances, friends, even people in their social circle that they had known for quite some time.

But, when they found someone they trusted…

Nia nuzzled her face into Brainy’s jaw, obstructing any chance he had at a coherent train of thought – not that he minded in the slightest.

The flutter of her lashes tickled against his cheek as she buried herself into his side. Brainy smiled, severing his connection with his tablet the moment the warmth of Nia’s lips brushed along his face, followed by the insistent friction of her cheek and temple as they grazed at his jaw with more fervour than before.

When she pulled away, Brainy opened his eyes to find Nia’s, bright with mischief, just inches from his own. She was knelt up on the couch now, one knee resting atop his leg. Her hands, he realised belatedly, had been exploring along the neckline of his t-shirt. She curled her fingers into the fabric there, her knuckles pressing playfully against his collar bone.

“Hey,” Nia murmured.

Brainy’s smile widened. He leant forward, prodding his nose gently against her cheek. “Hey,” he echoed.

Nia grinned back, elated by his open reciprocation. Her gaze wandered over to the tablet balanced precariously on the sofa’s arm, her expression beginning to sober. “Want me to take a look at that transmission?” she asked seriously. “A fresh set of eyes might help.”

Ah, so she had noticed. Brainy’s smile softened, and he bumped his forehead into hers to convey his gratitude. “I would like that,” he said earnestly. “Just… not right now.”

Nia chuckled, nodding her understanding. “Want to give our movie marathon another shot?”

“I should have been giving it my complete attention from the start,” Brainy admitted, regret catching in his voice. “Nia, I’m so sorry—"

“Hey,” Nia said quickly, pressing her forehead into his. She held herself there for a while, long enough that Brainy felt the heat of her skin spread down across the bridge of his nose, warming his cheeks. Brainy sighed out, relaxing into her touch.

“It’s okay,” Nia said. “Brainy, you’re here with me in every way that matters. Besides,” she huffed out a short laugh, “you’re doing your job. It might suck, but we can’t just stop being heroes because we have other plans.”

“Perhaps,” Brainy conceded, a conspiratorial smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. “Although, I don’t calculate any calamities occurring if this particular task of Alex’s is… postponed for the time being.”

Nia leaned back, raising her brow in approval. “Oh, well, in that case.” She reached out for the remote, rewinding the movie back by fifteen minutes as she leant her weight fully into his chest, curling onto his lap. She pecked his cheek, winking up at him with feigned seriousness. “I expect your complete and undivided attention.”

Brainy grinned, eagerly wrapping his arms around his girlfriend’s waist. “Duly noted.”

--- --- ---

It was half an hour later when Brainy heard it.

They’d since manoeuvred themselves so that they could lie against each other on the couch. Nia was snuggled into Brainy’s shoulder, her eyes half lidded, lips parted, soft breaths warming the side of his face in gentle staggered puffs.

It was through those parted lips that Brainy could detect a soft rumble, issuing from somewhere deep within Nia’s chest.

The sound alone was enough to make Brainy smile. In tone, it wasn’t far off from the purr of an Earth-born feline. It was a rare sound in of itself, one that only occurred when a Naltorian was succumbing to a totally unguarded sleep state.

When Brainy had first heard Nia make that sound some months ago, the intensity of his emotional reaction had been enough to bring tears to his eyes. There was a certain level of trust that came with the physical way in which Naltorians communicated their care for others, but none was stronger than when they entrusted a person they loved to see them at their most vulnerable.

Brainy had vowed on that day that he would never fall short of that trust.

Movie all but forgotten, Brainy watched on fondly as Nia dozed, carding his fingers gently through her hair. Impulsively, he bumped his forehead against hers, swallowing down a laugh when her lashes fluttered and she tipped her head up to nuzzle her nose half-consciously into his jaw, a dream-weary sigh catching against the corner of Brainy’s mouth. Brainy listened intently as the purrs inside her chest rumbled louder still, thrilling at the added layer of contact he had instigated.

Brainy let Nia latch to his side, her face resting against the crook of his throat as she continued to purr.

A giddiness swarmed inside of Brainy’s stomach, urging him to express his own feelings in some way. He had been reminded time and time again not to shy away from the emotions his uninhibited mind had unleashed, and while purring was not precisely a Coluan reaction to excitement or joy, under the circumstances, it felt perfect.

Replicating frequencies was the first step in mimicking most languages or voices. Brainy only needed a moment to memorise a brief snippet of recorded audio before running it through his voice modulator, making the necessary adjustments.

When he had, Brainy breathed in deeply before popping the proverbial lid to his emotions, releasing the sound from deep within his centre. It was a modified replication, a rumble that echoed with its own mechanised undertone, but was still unmistakably gentle in intention. After his first meet with Kara, Brainy had taken great interest in studying the healing qualities of feline purring, and had even gone as far as recreating certain frequencies to output when Nia had been sick or injured.

Now, though, the sound was of no one’s benefit but his own. A simple way to express how content he felt in that moment, and how grateful and jubilantt he was that Nia had found that same contentment with him.

He was rewarded a second later when Nia relaxed totally in his arms, her purrs continuing to beat against his throat in unbroken strings of sound.

And so, Brainy purred on in kind, enough that the sound of the TV soon faded out completely, replaced in totality by the ever calming symphony of synchronised hums.

#supergirl #brainia #nia nal #brainiac 5 #supergirl fanfiction #my writing #my asks #jammatown919 #yes i did the Purring Headcanon i HAD to sneak it in at the end it's too adorable not to #forgive me if this reads as rushed i didn't have much time to refine it but i hope you like nonetheless!#a lil bit of brainia to start off the week 😂

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beepuyo · 3 years

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How do you think the Puyos would play Minecraft, if they do? (Ignoring that Primp probably doesn’t have computers)

I think Sig would live in a flower forest and take care of bees+occasionally farm while letting everyone else fight monsters and stuff. He occasionally goes spelunking but it’s just to get a bit of coal and iron before coming back up, though he occasionally has accidentally gone down to diamond-level and has easily found a few exposed diamond veins

minecraft................................ hm

your ideas abt sig are so incredibly true. i think sometimes while mining he'd grab some lapis because 'aha funneye' but otherwise wold just get coal and iron- rest of the hcs are under the cut because H

compile kids:

schezo refuses to leave the nether. it's his HOME arle you will never understand

arle just. plays the game normally.

..for the most part

she's also a parkour master and spends literal hours perfecting her times on the hypixel lobby parkours

doppel is not jealous of this at all no siree

serilly does the same but she's constantly clingig to arle or draco

rulue refuses to use anything except for her fists to fight things. she doesn't actually die that much surprisingly

lidelle goes and cries whenever she saw an unexpected mob

draco and witch are power couple of all time. witch throws potions onto draco and draco burns every burnable mob in sight and slashes the rest. love fucking wins

i don't really remember any other compile-eras other than like. specter. and suketoudara. and the goddess but i don't think she would ever play minecraft

i think suke would just be in the ocean forever and not leave

suzuran gang:

all of them played minecraft while they were younger (not counting ecolo but he definitely played it with ringo at some point)

ecolo lives on one of the end islands and made a large (if kinda shitty) house that is from the very bottom to the very top of the end

maguro likes roleplaying in the end and converted the main island into a space station to act out roleplay moments in

risukuma is the alchemist, making all the potions that anyone could ever want or need (and then five more just for fun).

..also ris probably would download a couple mods to add even more potions and chemicals

ringo spends most of her time working on redstone stuff and has successfully made both a calculator and a working computer in mc. soon she will begin playing doom

primp kids:

[AU] no computers in primp until the SS Tetra's route was established and a couple kids snuck the technology into their homes. queue ringo helping everyone illegally download mc

LOTS of LAN worlds, nobody ever plays alone (except maybe feli or sig)

amitie has about 70 different animals scattered around the "main" world (a minecraft server run mostly by maguro and klug) and if they ever get hurt even once he builds large mansions around them to keep them safe

on the main world sig has a large house with a huge 'basement' area spanning across thousands of miles. he mostly just uses his 'basement' to escape phantoms or avoid the aftermaths of raffina and klug's many fights

lidelle and sig have a sort of symbiotic relationship. sig lets her go into the mine (filled with torches so no mobs) and lidelle gets him tons of materials when he's too tired to mine

speaking of klug and raffina's fights, the two have summoned the wither to attack each other on many occasions (although each and every time it ends up backfiring horribly on them both)

other:

'tetra twins killing and exploding everyone in minecraft (gone right)' videos ended up filling most of youtube's minecraft section after the two got access to the internet and the needed game

squares plays minecraft but only in creative and he just stares at the blocks and makes lines of mobs for fun

marle once made a perfect circle in minecraft and squares nearly started crying because of it

ex doesn't know what a minecraft is but is very proud of his sons (tee, ai and ess) for being so good at it. he is not proud of the tetra twins for exploding everything in their private world on a biweekly basis though

satan once invaded the compile server and filled it with carbuncle and lilith shrines. nobody was happy about this

rafisol doesn't know what a minecraft is and neither does ally. nobody bothered to tell them so they may never know

wacht wants to play minecraft but whenever he joins he's swarmed by 75 phantoms

#minecraft #puyo puyo #puyo puyo headcanon #headcanons #slice of life headcanon #mod klug #requested #please send in more hc requests we Love talking abt our stupid ideas /pos/gen

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howtolongfurb · 4 years

Text

How to Long Furb

For whatever reason, furbies have taken over the internet. It’s beautiful and terrifying and I desperately want one. Original 1998 furbies are hard to acquire but that doesn’t mean you can’t make one of your own. Imagine the potential for neck pillows with long furbies! I’m going to walk you through step-by-step how I acquired the supplies and compiled these monstrosities. Note, this is not by any means a comprehensive guide, just my personal experience. I am an ameteur. There is a huge community of furby fans online with tips and tricks on executing a variety of furby modifications. Read more below!

I will start off by saying there were many points throughout this whole process where I got frustrated and set the project aside for weeks at a time. I initially started hand-sewing long furbs but was disappointed with the poor craftsmanship. That’s when I impulse bought a cheap Singer over the 2020 holidays and retaught myself how to use the machine. The point I want to make here is to persevere. Every furby is beautiful! Crooked faceplates and chunky bellies just give a furby more personality. They say practice makes perfect, right? So let’s get started. The main components of a furby are:

1) The faceplate: unless you can get your hands on an original furby, finding a faceplate for your project can be tricky. There are a variety of people online selling furby faceplates. You can also 3D print faceplates using files from thingiverse. I’ve even seen faceplates pressed in resin. My favorite faceplate is from MrDsPrintedCreations on Etsy. The iris of the eyes are recessed so you can easily insert glass eye chips. The first thing I do with my faceplate is glue a piece of fabric behind it so it’s easier to sew into the head. I paint my faceplate with acrylic craft paint and top it off with a clear gloss coat. 2) The spine: for a poseable long furb, there needs to be a flexible inner piece. I thought thin wire from Menards would do the job, but once it’s in the plush it doesn’t hold it’s shape. I found plastic doll armature works well as a spine. It even creaks when bent for that extra spritz of cursed, spooky energy! You can also use a flexible coolant hose as a spine. I’ve ordered doll armature online from CR’s Crafts: the 1/8th and 1/4th size works well. The 1/2th inch armature is hard to stuff around. 3) Fabric! Fur and belly piece: In order to make furbs, I knew I first needed a sewing pattern. Tumblr user Cavity Sam created a template based on the 1998 furby and I used this to make my first furb with my new machine and scrap fabric lying around. My friend Gunnar 3D printed a rudimentary faceplate to use. After using Cavity Sam’s sewing template, I modified the pattern to use for long furbs specifically. You can download that sewing pattern here.

You’ll need the following supplies per one 3-foot long furby:

quarter of a yard faux fur fabric (9 inches x 44 inches)

patterned fabric for belly, ears, feet (~3 inches x 44 inches)

sewing machine (thread, needle, scissors, pins)

faceplate, 14mm eye chips, eyelashes

E600 glue, scrap fabric

paint (acrylic or nail polish), paintbrushes, clear top coat

spine (plastic doll armature)

cotton stuffing (I cut open cheap pillows from Walmart)

Step one: Use the sewing pattern to cut fabric pieces for the head and body. When cutting on fur, make sure to trace the pattern on the flat backside of the fabric with the fur flattened in the right direction. For example, the hair on the Y-mane piece (back of the head) should be pointed downwards. I made notes on the paper pattern pieces where you can eyeball more or less space. The mane piece should have more rounded corners, for example. I made my furbies 3 feet long, so the front belly piece was 2 inches wide by 3 feet long. The back fur was 6.5 inches wide by 3 feet long.

Step two, feet and ears: Depending on how small you cut your fabric, it can be really hard to combine two separate pieces. For the feet I folded a piece of fabric in half and sewed the C-shapes before cutting them out. Using tweezers made it much easier to turn them back right-side-out. After cutting the ear pieces (making sure the hair on the fur was pointed in the right direction, inside out) I pinned them together before sewing. Turn back right-side-out.

Step three, head: Line the pattern pieces up so the Y-mane is in the middle. Sew the sides of the head to the mane first. Once that is one solid piece, fold it in half to sew the top curve of the head. I have pinned these pieces to ensure they don’t slip when going through the machine. Slow and steady wins the race; make sure to turn the fabric as you’re curving the top of the head. Finally you can sew the piece under the ear together, leaving a gap for the ear to go in.

Step four, ears: Everything up to this point has been done on the machine. I haven’t figured out a way to attach the ears with the machine, so this step was done by hand. With the ear facing right side out, pin the ear to the inside-out head. Make sure the patterned part of the ear is facing outwards (where the faceplate goes). By hand, sew the ear to the hole in the head. After the ear is secured, turn the head right side out and voila!

Step five, body: Lining up these pieces is important and a little tricky. You’ll want some excess belly fabric on the top to merge with the bottom of the beak on the faceplate. See the diagram; rotate everything 180 degrees to begin sewing. The fur hair needs to be pointed upwards and the belly fabric pattern is facing down on top of that. After sewing the belly fabric to the fur, fold it over to sew the other side. The fur should be on the inside of the sausage/ body piece. Once you’re finished sewing, the finished piece needs to be turned fur side out.

Step six: Faceplate break time! This step can be done at any point in the process, up until you hand sew the faceplate into the head. To start, glue a piece of fabric behind the faceplate. The faceplate itself should just be the eyes and the beak, making it easier to sew into the head of the furb. You don’t need that extra plastic around the bottom of the beak (or at least I haven’t figured out how to sew that in convincingly). I used grey scrap fabric and E6000 glue to adhere the faceplate. Then you need to paint the faceplates. In earlier furbs I used acrylic paint topped with clear DecoArt gloss varnish on top. You can also use colored nail polish with a clear coat on top. In the pictured furbs I tried sealing the faceplates with mod podge but it dried tacky/ uneven. Optional: you can accessorize your furb with jewelry!

Step seven, inserting the faceplate: You need to sew this part into the head by hand as well. Start from the top center (head inside out, faceplate facing into head) and work your way down the right. Make sure to use a thicker needle and poke the needle through as close as you can get to the faceplate to ensure the fabric fur is flush to the face. The needle may be stubborn (poking through the hardened glue) so use a thimble or bottle cap to help push the needle. When you get to the bottom corner of the eye, the fabric may not line up perfectly. Use excess fabric to sew a seam, effectively acting like a cheek. This part takes a little finessing. Finish attaching the fur fabric one third of the way down the beak. This is where the belly piece will connect to. The final step (later) will be to put the eye + glass chip in.

Step eight, attaching the head to body: I was able to use the machine for this part. Turning the head inside out, pin the head to the outside of the back fur. The head and back should line up so a gap is left for connecting the patterned belly to the bottom of the beak (that step comes later). After the head is connected to the back, I do a second pass to make sure there isn’t any gap in the seam. When turned right side out, you’ll see that excess patterned belly spills out the top. Keep the furb inside out to connect under the beak.

Step nine, connecting the belly to the beak: On the excess patterned fabric sticking out the top of the body, trace the shape of the “M” to cut out. See the highlighted yellow portion in the picture, as well as the printed sewing pattern piece. The piece directly below the beak needs to be done by hand. If you can manage it, you can sew a diagonal line with your machine before trimming the patterned belly. I found it easiest to start from the right and work my way to the left. The acute angle under the cheek will need finessing, but with small and tight enough stitches the end result is good. Turn the furb inside out to see your long sausage of a creation!

Step ten, spine insertion and stuffing: Now THIS is where I may have messed up (i.e. got frustrated multiple times) and need feedback from the furby community. The furby is essentially complete, it just needs the butt and feet attached to seal it off. Because of this long sausage of a furb, it was hard to push stuffing all the way up into the head/ ears, even using a yard stick. Maybe if I printed my original sewing pattern at 115% or 130% size, the completed project wouldn’t have been so narrow. (The ears are a perfect size now that I think about it, so maybe just the head pieces need to be bigger.) This resizing would make for a larger in diameter, plushier furby too. I thought I could insert the spine after stuffing, but the opposite is true. Insert your wire or doll armature after the ears and head are stuffed but before you begin stuffing below the beak. Alternatively, you can fasten the top of the spine behind the faceplate before stuffing. I taped a cup to the end of a yard stick and that helped push handfuls of stuffing into the furb at a time. Leave 2 to 4 inches of the bottom unstuffed so it’s easier to sew on the bottom circle. We will leave a small gap for the rest to be stuffed before totally sealing it off.

Step eleven, connecting the feet and bottom: Stuff the feet and seal them off with a couple stitches. Don’t stuff the feet completely full, the top seam should lay flat. Place the two feet on the bottom of the belly, pointing upwards. Sew the feet onto the belly in a straight line. Now comes the part that takes more finessing, the bottom. When you line up the bottom circle, make sure the hairs of the fabric are pointed backwards. If you can manage it with the machine, sew the bottom circle to the bottom of your furby where the feet connect to the belly, about a third of the way around the full circle. The fur of the circle should be facing down, touching the belly of the furb. Once you’ve attached the circle to the feet, you can fold the circle back to see the butt starting to take shape! You can give it another pass on the machine, sewing the opposite side/ flip the furby so you can see the backside of the belly. Leave enough room to stuff the rest of the cotton and close the gap by hand sewing. Now that your furby is essentially complete, you can add the finishing touches! I always leave the eye chips for last so I don’t scratch them in the process of turning my furb inside out. You can print or paint the eye designs to place behind the glass chip. Use clear glue like superglue or E600 for the best results. Gluing eyelashes on with superglue is an optional last step.

Aaaaaaand the furbies are done! Again, I’m an ameteur sewer who’s learning as I go. I’m always open to suggestions and feedback; if there’s a way to revise this process to make more efficient and better quality furbs, I’d love to know. Thanks yall and enjoy making these cursed friends!

#furby #long furby #long furb #furby community #furby sewing pattern #sewing guide

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kbsd · 4 years

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not sure if you’ve answered this before, but what’s your process look like when you make an amv? i’m just curious and in constant awe of ppl who can make videos like you do :)

hello all!!! i have answered this before and i have a vid help tag with other asks i’ve gotten about stuff like this! but i’ve gotten several more messages along these lines so i’m just going to answer a bunch of them together (under a cut since i love to ramble about editing lol). i do just wanna say i’m definitely not the authority on video editing and obv everyone has their own techniques!

edit: i just finished typing all this up and it’s SO long so sorry in advance LMAO god bless anyone who reads this entire thing

so i work in news tv and we have a very specific workflow for writing scripts, sourcing video, producing, and editing. i’ve just applied that to making amvs! for every video i make, i copy the song lyrics into a google doc and adjust them to match the song i’ve cut (i often will trim songs for time and/or content purposes). then i start planning! i’ll mark down what clip i want to use for each lyric next to that line, and any sound bites i want to use (with episode numbers!). i’ll color code between video and sound bites and lyrics, so my scripts end up looking something like this (for my honeybee amv):

doing the planning ahead of time makes everything much easier when it’s a video that spans the whole show or involves a lot of sourcing, like honeybee or sports analogies. that way when i get to the actual editing process, i already know what i’m going to do and have a game plan. for videos like happy ending or believe it or not, where i’m mainly just pulling from a few episodes, i can just plan it in my head as opposed to writing it all down, and produce as i edit. obviously i do make in-the-moment decisions while editing—sometimes a shot doesn’t work the way i thought it would, or i go where the video takes me—but planning ahead definitely helps. i know some people use spreadsheets as well, with columns for lyrics, video clips, and sound bites if applicable. once you find a system that works, it actually goes pretty quickly.

as for sourcing clips themselves/finding clips within episodes, i talked about that here and kind of here. the short version is that transcripts are a must, and the supernatural wiki is hugely helpful by cataloguing all the hugs, prayers, phone calls, etc. in the show. gifmakers that tag episode numbers on their posts are your friends. it gets easier the more video you make—that’s another huge reason i make the google docs for each video (even the ones i plan in my head, i end up going back and making a loose script with episode notes just for reference). if i can’t remember where something is but i know i used it in another video, i can easily reference past scripts!

i also cut all my videos in the same project in premiere pro, so i can flip between them easily. instead of checking a past script, i can just go to the video sequence itself and copy the clip i’m looking for! this was especially helpful when i match cut together the 5x18 and 4x22 wall slam shots for my bestie video, and then stole it from myself for honeybee hahaha. at any given time i have at least 8 sequences open:

because of the sheer volume of videos i make, it’s worth it for me to download the entire show—i have all 327 episodes in HD, plus deleted scenes. if you think you’re only going to make a few videos, i’d start with scene packs. you can usually just google “destiel [or whatever ship/character you’re looking for] scene packs” and there will be any number of ones you can download. if you need other specific scenes, you can always download/torrent individual episodes or screen record netflix (that’s what i did before i got HD download links). i’m happy to share my links if you DM, but be warned it’s a lot of disk space (about 500GB on my hard drive). someone also compiled every destiel scene, downloadable here.

having every episode already loaded in premiere for all my projects also makes it a lot easier to source clips. once i use a clip in a video, i’ll put a marker on the episode file, so that after a while i have most of the important scenes/lines marked to easily find them. to give you an idea, this is my episode file in premiere for 12x10 lily sunder has some regrets (markers at destiel scenes, the car fight, hot girl cas, etc.). markers are the green tabs along the bottom:

premiere also lets you color code and name markers, so ONE DAY i will go back and color code them all. the ones above are all the same color, but in a perfect world, i’d have a myraid—for destiel shots like hugs, touches, looks; for important pieces of dialogue; for action shots; etc. but for now this works ok for me, so that’s a project for another time!

between detailed scripts, one giant premiere project, markers, the wiki, and my own memory, i have so many points of reference that i can usually find any clip i need in about 2 minutes max. sound bites are often harder to start out, or tiny specific shots i haven’t used before, and that’s when i turn to tumblr gifsets or beloved mutuals to crowdsource. but if you’re as obsessive about marking/keeping neat scripts as i am, it gets easier and easier with every video you make. that’s part of why i’m able to cut videos together so quickly. (also i want to stress i do this for a living and have to produce/edit a new piece for my show every day so i’m used to it. and compared to constantly updating content/sources and news that changes every day, 327 highly documented episodes that never change are much easier to handle hahaha)

this is all great for me since i make so many videos and plan to continue doing so, but if you’re only making a few, this level of work isn’t worth it imo. really it’s all about developing a system that works for you. whatever you do with episodes/sourcing, though, i cannot recommend planning things out in a script ahead of time enough.

everything i just mentioned is producing, though. for the editing process, i usually do it in this order:

music first. any parts i want to cut, i make sure it all sounds smooth

then soundbites. i usually try to weave them into the lyrics—i have characters talk in breaks between lines or instrumental sections as much as possible. i’ll sometimes go so far as looped/extending an intsrumental part to make room for the soundbite i want there lol. if i do have dialogue over a line, i do the sound mixing/levels at this point as well to make sure everything is audible/one doesn’t overpower the other. (also i always include the video that goes with these bites when i drop them in, and decide later if i want to show the character speaking or have other clips cover the dialogue)

once i have all the audio locked in, then i bring in all my other video clips. sometimes i edit completely chronologically, sometimes jumping from section to section—it depends on the song or how i’m feeling

double check sound mixing. i usually listen to my videos through a few times, with headphones and without to make sure it’ll sound good no matter how people watch it

once i have picture and audio lock, i go through and color correct my clips. i’m basic and just use lumetri color in premiere, and usually just play with brightness, saturation, temperature, and tint until i like it

render and export! :)

i always have several audio tracks, but i try to keep my video tracks condensed. i’ll drop clips on a V2 level, and edit a section there, and drop the whole chunk down to V1 so i know it’s finished. that way when i leave and come back i can know where i left off/what’s done/etc. to give you an idea, this is the timeline for my what the hell video:

i always render as H.264 with high bitrate, and make sure to check “render at maximum depth” and “use maximum render quality” for the best quality. i’m sorry, but i don’t know what the equivalent options are in final cut, imovie, kdenlive, etc. i post on youtube mostly so i don’t have to sacrifice quality, but usually just using a lower bitrate will get you under the tumblr file size limit and it’ll still look good.

as for the anon who asked about “polishing”: first of all, thank you!! second of all, it’s in the details. all of this is a matter of taste and my own insanity, but here are some little things i always try to do:

after i color correct, i blur out any credits from the starts of episodes. i use gaussian blur for this, but really any blur tool works

as much as possible, i avoid clips where we see a character’s mouth move but don’t hear the words. in tv/film we call it “lip flap” and i just think it looks messy. also i’m trained to avoid it at all costs at work hahaha. it’s more for serious videos that this matters a lot to me (e.g. i think i did a really good job eliminating lip flap in my happy ending amv)—for comedy videos i don’t sweat it as much

i put audio fades on the start and end of every single audio clip i use, even if i don’t think i need it, to make sure everything sounds smooth

i use markers for timing, especially in action-y videos like what the hell. i’ll put a marker on the clip i’m using at the exact moment a punch lands, and in the song on the beat. if i have the magnet/snap in timeline tool on i can just easily snap them together instead of having to spend time finagling it

this is such a small thing but i dip/cut to black for a tiny bit at the start and end of every video. this way if i post with tumblr video player, there’s black between the loops, and it gives you a beat before the video restarts. i do this even on videos i post on youtube, just because i think it looks nicer/more professional

this is 1,500 words so i’m going to stop myself before i pull something. if you have follow-up questions feel free to ask and i’ll continue to add them to the vid help tag, but any more questions about sourcing clips or my process in general i’ll just link this post going forward. anyone who made it this far, i am sending to a telepathic kiss. thank you for reading and happy editing!

#i typed this all up at 4am so i'm just scheduling it to post sometime today #ask #vid help

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abbzeh · 3 years

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my ao3 extension/plugin/downloady thing recs:

as i use ao3 primarily on my laptop, i have a number of super helpful things installed to make life easier. some of them are about accessibility, but most of them are just for making my reading and writing experience smoother

1. ao3 enhancements:

this one is an absolute must have for me. it combines a lot of the userscripts you can find on greasyfork and the like. unlike those scripts, though, this is a chrome extension, so it's easier to install (and can also be installed in opera gx!!). it allows you to set a reading speed (which is very handy when you're trying to find a quick fic to read before sleeping at 2am), hide works with too many fandoms, input tags so that works containing those tags are automatically hidden, and decrease the width of the work (which is great on larger screens). there's other things, as well, that it does!!

2. coloured tags

i have a lot of Issues with my eyes and chronic migraines so ao3's normal tags are a nightmare for me. the coloured tags are an absolute godsend though. the script also changes the fonts so everything's a bit nicer and easier to look at. there are two scripts to install: the original one, and the one that allows it to work on dark themes. they both need to be installed together for the dark mode one to work

note: these scripts are a few years old now so they can be a bit finicky. however, just install the two into tampermonkey, and then install the one for lightmode into stylus. that fixed any problems for me

light mode | dark mode

me, using my own fic as an example? it's more likely than you think

3. other userscripts:

note: these all require tampermonkey or something similar to work

tracking: lets you track specific tags and collections and whatever else

clone subscribe button: just adds an extra subscribe button at the end of a work. it doesn't work on fics that you're looking at in a collection, but you can easily just alter the url

download buttons: adds download buttons to works on index pages

links to first and last chapter: adds an extra button on works that takes to straight to the aforementioned chapters. very handy for quick navigation

hide images: hides images in a work. i don't always have this one active, but if a fic is already long and taking 1000 years to load, hiding any images can speed things up

4. extension of our own:

this one is more of an honourable mention, because using it too often breaks the website. it basically sorts out your subscriptions and orders them by update date. unfortunately, using it and clicking on more than one work upsets the site and locks you out for a few mins, so it's usually not worth it. if anyone knows of any other extensions or scripts that deal with subscriptions, pls tell me!!

5. offline reading:

i like to download fics to read offline, either for convenience or for travel purposes. for this, i have a couple of apps:

freda: this is the best ebook reader i've come across. it has a lot of customisation options and you can sync your library with onedrive so you can have it on multiple devices. there's technically a free version and a paid version, but there's absolutely no difference between them other than a banner ad on the free one on the library screen. when reading, the screen is clear of ads, and the only extra thing you get by paying is removing the ads. everything else is available in the free version

calibre: this is technically another ebook reader, but i like to use it for its library management and plugins, particularly fanficfare (which lets you download fics straight into calibre) and epubmerge (which lets you merge multiple works into a single ebook - handy for an ao3 series that you want to compile or smth). at first it wants to automatically open all ebooks in its own reader, but you can change that setting in the preferences. you can also save the calibre library to onedrive, so it syncs across multiple devices

#ao3 #archive of our own #archiveofourown #ao3 stuff #ao3 extensions #ao3 plugins #fanfiction #fanfiction stuff

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stanzoeywade · 4 years

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Poppy x MC Tinder AU

Summary: based off that one tumblr post about a girl who never experienced an orgasm and their friend hooks them up with their lesbian friend. aka, the au that no one asked for.

in which Veronica and Chloe find out that Poppy's never experienced an orgasm and they decide to help her out by creating a tinder account for her, cue MC finding her account and shenanigans happen.

Warnings: swear words maybe some smut but nothing too graphic. (OWO)

If anyone wants to be added to taglist please reply. As always these are only my headcanons so enjoy my take on that tinder au anon asked @somewillwin about. Your brain anon omg.

Taglist: @somewillwin @belvoiresqueenbee @origmansello @clownery-is-a-new-personality @kamilahtrash @poppysminion @poppysimp @captain-hanadeleine @poppysmc @iiizdumb @uselesslesbianfr @scattered-to-the-winds @idiot-justidiot @toyhenoctus

First of all this discussion happens one night where Poppy, Chloe and Veronica get their asses drunk at a frat party. Believe or not the top 3 girls of Belvoire actually care about each other, they just have a really weird way of showing it.

A heart to heart talk starts and the three of them start to confess things that they would never talk about when sober. Cue Poppy saying "I've never experienced an orgasm in my whole life."

Chloe and Veronica just look at Poppy shocked and their jaws drop. Veronica just looks at Poppy with a weird look of pity, whilst Chloe just stares.

After realising what she said Poppy quickly sobers up and clams her mouth shut. "What do you mean you've never had an orgasm before?!" Veronica all but yells. "Gee V, couldn't you have said that any louder, I don't think the whole school heard you." Poppy replies sarcastically.

Veronica just rolls her eyes and says "Girl, you're not getting out of this convo that easily. Now spill the tea sis." Chloe and Veronica look at Poppy expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate. Poppy just sighs and looks away cheeks flushed, as if embarrassed.

The two don't stop pestering her, so Poppy has no choice but to raise her hands in mock surrender. "Fine, I'll tell you" she says as her eyes narrow dangerously. "But if you tell anyone about this, I will actually erase the both of you from planet earth."

Poppy begins to explain that none of her exes made her feel good, and that whenever she had sex with any of them she always had to fake it, so much so that she's started to find sex boring.

Veronica and Chloe share a look and nod at each other. The both of them say "We're gonna set up a tinder account for you to find a good lay (basically the british version of saying good fuck), because that's just pretty fucking sad. Why didn't you tell us sooner, like bruhhh??."

Poppy just looks away and says "Its not like I can just go up to you guys and say 'I've never orgasmed before'". The two just nod their head in understanding before taking Poppy's phone and installing tinder.

They spend some time taking and choosing the best photos for Poppy to use on her tinder profile. (If anyone has seen Euphoria, you know that scene where Rue helps Jules take nudes, it's like that but PG-13) Considering that the three of them were pretty drunk, it was surprising to see how well it turned out.

Feeling sleepy, both Veronica and Chloe retreat back to their room, and Poppy just feels so tired that she falls asleep as soon as the other girls leave.

Waking up the next morning Poppy wakes up to the sound of her phone beeping numerous times and annoyed by the constant ping, she picks it up to see that almost all the notifications were from tinder.

Poppy is confused because wtf? When did she download tinder??? And then it hits her like a truck, 'Oh shit, we were all drunk as fuck last night, I thought that was some bizarre lucid dream but I actually have a tinder account. Fuck.' - she thinks to herself, embarrassed that Veronica and Chloe know her secret.

She sees a few messages from the group chat. Veronica sent her a message. "Poppy, istg if you delete tinder after all the time we spent making your profile look cute, I will post the ugliest picture I have of you on my insta." it reads. What surprised her is that Chloe actually backs Veronica up by saying "Yeah Poppy, it took our three collective brain cells to curate that account so you better use it."

Poppy giggles a little amused by her friends' reaction and she messages them back by saying "Fine, but if it doesn't work out you guys have to pay for my next shopping spree." Chloe and Veronica just agrees albeit unwillingly, but they know not to argue back.

Poppy decides to check the messages and matches that she got on tinder, disappointed but not surprised, most messages say "Send nudes" or a nude pic is attached to their messages. Poppy just rolls her eyes as she immediately unmatches them.

You were looking on tinder for your latest hook-up with no strings attached because ewww commitment and no one really caught your eye, except Poppy. Imagine your surprise when you find Poppy's profile on tinder, deciding that it was a troll account you decide to message them saying "Wow, of all the people you could choose to pretend to be, you choose the HBIC of Belvoire. Stop trying to catfish people, that's just shitty."

Poppy shocked at the sudden message that she gets from you scoffs and replies back "I'm not pretending to be anyone, Farmsville, in case you didn't know even I'm allowed to use tinder."

You just roll your eyes and text back "If you really are Poppy Min-Sinclair, prove it. I might hate Poppy's guts but trying to ruin her reputation by doing shit like this isn't funny."

This catches Poppy's attention, and suddenly she's curious. 'Why would she even stand up for me?' she can't help but wonder.

Poppy screenshots your conversation and sends it to Chloe and Veronica who have vastly different reactions. Veronica's response compiles of this emoji 👀, and the words "Farmsville likes girls, we been knew." and Chloe's response is more of a "WTF, I thought she was dating that Zoey girl."

The girls tell her that it would be fun to mess with you, and they tell her that she should prove that the profile is hers. Veronica also messages her privately saying "girl, her bio legit says 'not looking for commitment' this is like your chance to sleep with her and if you don't, I will." Poppy just grunts in annoyance and decides that fine, she supposed that you were attractive enough for a hook-up.

When you don't get a reply within the next ten minutes you scoff and roll your eyes. 'Damn, people really stoop so low huh.' - you think to yourself. There's a slight disappointment that crosses your mind once the account stopped replying to your messages. You were kind of hoping that it was the real Poppy after all.

Against her better judgement (gay denial right here folks, you're the first to see it), she decides to take a selfie and sends it to you.

Right as you're about to unmatch to what most likely seems to be a fake account, you're surprised to see a message from Poppy's supposed account. It was a selfie of Poppy, where instead of her usual pink fur coat, she's wearing something casual, and to be fair it's a really nice mirror selfie. (This is what I imagine) (I still stand by my headcanon of Poppy looking like Chungha but I couldn't find a good photo lolol)

Doubting that it's really Poppy, you decide to check your socials to see if she's uploaded any new images, and so far you haven't found anything. However you're nothing if not stubborn. You ask if she could prove that she's real and not some weirdo.

Poppy just rolls her eyes annoyed that she's being questioned, as a last ditch effort to gain your trust she sends another selfie, which is a bit more revealing than the last and once you see it your brain stops functioning.

Regaining your composure, you message her saying "I thought you had a boyfriend? What the fuck?" The only response you get is a reaction gif of some girl rolling their eyes. Being the little shit you are you decide to annoy her by sending selfies back, each photo more provocative than the last.

Poppy amused by the photos decides to get you back and it becomes a game of one-upping each other to see who takes better thirst traps. This continues on for an entire week (It's such a stupid competion and both of you know but you're both competitive af so yeah.) until Poppy snaps and contacts you using her actual phone number instead of the app.

Poppy's already frustrated and she's annoyed because she can't stop thinking about you and your stupidly hot, gorgeous body - oh my god I'm going insane she thinks to herself. She decides enough is enough and messages you. "FUCK YOU FARMSVILLE! BACK DOWN ALREADY!"

You wouldn't be yourself if you didn't have a sassy comeback ready so you reply with "FUCK ME YOURSELF YOU COWARD!" sending her yet another thirst trap, this one more revealing than the others.

Poppy snaps when she sees the message and she's quick to make a reservation to her favourite hotel in NYC, because as if she'd be seen taking you to her room. She gets the biggest room because she's extra like that and she knows she deserves the best.

The only response you get is a pinned location on the map, aptly captioned, "Meet me here Farmsville and I'll make you eat your words."

Still feeling feisty you reply with "Is that a threat or is that a promise? 😘😜" and Poppy just tells you to hurry up.

This is a really stupid idea - you think to yourself. You can't help but be suspicious of Poppy wanting to meet up, after all she can use this information against you. However none of that matters to your lust riddled brain, considering the last hook-up you've had was with Professor Kingsley and that was quite some time ago and you're really horny for some action.

You quickly dress in your best underwear, and choose something fashionable yet casual to wear because let's face it even if you hate Poppy, you don't want to look like a loser if you're gonna hook up.

Once you get there, you quickly make your way to the designated room that Poppy told you to go to. Knocking on the door, you're lowkey expecting Belvoire students to berate you, but once the door opens all you can see is Poppy.

Poppy is dressed in nothing but her underwear as she pulls you into the room. Feeling a bit awkward, you decide to break the ice by saying "I lowkey expected this to be some weird plan where you embarass me in front of your clique."

Poppy just looks at you and she scoffs as she says "As much as I hate you Farmsville, even I wouldn't stoop that low. Plus it's a crime to share nudes without a person's permission." You just look at her in disbelief jaw dropping as you take all of her in. I mean if you thought she looked good in the photos, then damn seeing it in real life was a different experience entirely

She notices that you're staring and she just flashes you a smirk and says "See something you like?" and all you want to do is wipe the smirk off her perfect face.

Stepping closer to Poppy, you make the first move and kiss her roughly, each kiss longer than the last and you can feel your heart pound as your nervousness dissipates and all you can focus on is the smell of Poppy's perfume and how it drives you wild. As well as how soft her skin feels against your hands and it's enough to drive you over the edge.

Poppy pulls away and you follow after her, annoyed by the fact that the kisses stopped. You can hear her pant as she struggles to breathe.

As soon as Poppy catches her breath, she says "I'm starting to feel under dressed so let's fix that shall we?" She pulls you towards the bed and she strips your clothing off, and you can't help but stare because holy shit this is actually happening. You start to wonder if you're dreaming until you feel Poppy kiss you again, this time slower and softer and you can't help the wistful sigh that escapes your lips.

You decide to take the lead until you hear Poppy say something. "Wait a minute Farmsville." You stop and listen because no matter how sexually frustrated you might be at the moment, consent is always important.

You wait patiently for her to start talking and she says "Don't make fun of me, but I've never known what an orgasm feels like." You can tell that she's flustered by the way she looks away and refuses to make eye contact.

Your eyes soften up and you kiss her gently on the neck and whisper "I guess that's something we can improve after tonight, but if you feel uncomfortable at any moment in time just tell me to stop." Surprised that you even cared about how she felt Poppy just nods her head softly at you.

"I'm gonna start touching you, okay Poppy?" you say your voice gentle, as you hope that it soothes her nerves. "Just relax and let me do the work, alright, I promise I won't hurt you." Poppy just shoots you a shy smile and your heart pounds because fuck that's the cutest fucking thing you've ever seen.

Kissing your way to her inner thighs, you can hear and feel her squirm against your touch. In order to keep her still, you place her hands on your hair and assure her that it's okay if she tugs on it. You place your hands on her hips to keep her steady as you tease and suck on her clit.

Poppy's small moans of contentment makes you want to do more, so you try extra hard because you want to hear more. You can feel Poppy's body begin to shudder and you can tell that she's close and spurred on by that you insert your fingers into her core and thrust until you can hear scream in pleasure.

You can't help but stare as her body starts to spasm and you let her grind so that she can climax again and it's the most erotic moment of your life.

Poppy feels her whole vision turn white for a moment and she feels euphoric once she realises that she came.

As soon as she regains her bearings, she turns to you, who looks very satisfied, and omg did she just see you lick her juices off your finger. That sends a wave of arousal straight to her core and she looks away embarrassed from being turned on again just a few seconds after coming.

You put your hand on her chin and turn her face towards you forcing her to make eye contact. "It's not over yet, Princess. I'm pretty sure that we can wriggle more of those out of you and the night is young." you say your voice dropping an octave.

By the time that you've finished, Poppy's mind has gone blank and she feels so tired that she doesn't think she can move. She's got to give you props though, because goddamn that was the first time she actually enjoyed sex and she actually got to cum too.

Noticing that Poppy's too tired to move, you decide to lift her up in a princess carry and surprised by your sudden action Poppy's about to protest until you just tell her to be quiet.

Placing Poppy in the bath tub, you turn on the faucet and makes sure that the water isn't too hot or cold as it fills up. After the bath has been filled you slip into the bathtub behind Poppy as you help her clean up.

'Okay now she's just being unfair, why is she being so nice.' Poppy thinks to herself. Trying to make conversation Poppy says "Why are you taking care of me, I half expected you to leave after we fucked." You rest you chin on her shoulder and say "I didn't want you to catch a cold, and besides what kind of a person would I be if I just left you on your own? I like to think of myself as a gentlewoman." You start to place soft kisses on her shoulders and Poppy just sighs wistfully, feeling at peace as she leans back against you. "Don't tell anyone but this was actually the most fun I've had. Hell I don't think any of my exes would have compared against you." Poppy says shyly.

You can't help the smile that creeps it's way to your face. "You can't say shit like that Poppy, I'm pretty sure you're gonna give me a heart attack if you act this soft." you say teasing lilt in your voice and you can hear Poppy giggle. It sounds so soft and you realise that it's a sound that you want to hear.

Your relationship as enemies with benefits start and the both of you can't really keep your hands off each other, God forbid if you're in the same room.

Intense stares from across the room that everyone assumes to be glares, but little do they know that it's your own way of communicating.

One day Poppy calls you up and tells you that you're going shopping, but in reality it was just an excuse to spend more time with you. On the way to the mall, you guys get frisky in the car and before you can stop yourself you say "Babe" and you can't help but think that you've fucked up.

Poppy doesn't say anything but she likes the new pet name and can't wait to hear you say it again.

You guys go to a high end designer store and one of the staff approaches you and says "You guys look good together." While you're quick to deny it, Poppy just thanks them, but as she hears you deny it her eyes widen and you can see her heart break in front of your eyes. Poppy runs off and you're confused.

The employee looks at you and says "I probably shouldn't say anything else today but you should go after her. It's obvious that you both like each other."

Searching the mall, you're relieved once you see Poppy sitting down on a bench, and you approach her carefully. You see that her eyes are red and you feel shitty because you're the reason why she's crying.

Poppy notices you and she's about to run off again until you catch her wrist in your hand. "Poppy please look at me." you plead and she doesn't budge as she tries to get away from your grip.

Seeing that she can't outrun you considering you're holding onto her she just sighs and looks at you. Her face is covered in tears and you use your other hand to wipe them away.

"You know after you called me babe in the car, I was so happy because I thought that it meant that we were dating, but I guess I was just another girl for you to fuck." Poppy says and your heart breaks.

"I thought that you didn't like me that way, so I quickly denied that we were dating. I do like you Poppy, but you never made it clear that we were in a relationship. Though to be fair I should have tried to clear things up too. I guess we're both idiots huh?" You say as you hold her face between your hands.

Leaning in you capture Poppy's lips and she eagerly kisses you back, happy to resolve the misunderstanding.

Unbeknownst to the both of you a Belvoire student caught everything on camera and by the next day everyone on campus knows that you guys are dating.

No one dares to say anything because uhhh POWER COUPLE and they're highly scared of Poppy killing them lol.

Long story short Poppy sees your tinder account and you compete for better thirst traps and well you start fucking and it ends up with you two dating.

Well that was long, hope you guys enjoy, don't forget to like or reblog if you like it.

#playchoices #poppy min sinclair #queen b #poppy x mc #poppydailychallenge #choices #makepoppyali2020 #queen b poppy #choices stories you play #tinder au #veronica lombardi #chloe st. james #headcanons #choices fic #i hope y'all enjoy reading #these is just my take on the Poppy tinder au that anon asked @somewillwin #squint squint #veronica x mc but its one sided bc mc is only interested in poppy

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