#this is something i'd have photoshopped 2 years ago

[hils79]

4 years ago today my dear friend @kpopingenue and I were talking and she sent me the MV for Wonderland because she liked it and thought I would too.

And, thus, my Ateez journey began.

I jokingly call it a slow burn relationship. I loved their music from the first time I listened to Wonderland but it took a few months before I checked out their albums and listened to their b-sides.

Even after that I still didn't know all their names (which is nothing against them, I'm the same with a lot of kpop groups I've been listening to for ages. I've been listening to Stray Kids for almost as long as I've been listening to Ateez and I still only know half the members).

Eventually, and I remember this clearly, in December 2021 I had a very vivid dream about buying Zero Fever Part 2 and I took that as a sign and ordered it as soon as I woke up.

It was funny because I knew some of the members at this point but not all of them and I had to text a photo of my photocards to a friend because I knew one of them was San, but I had no idea who the other one was (it was Yeosang).

After that, it became a pay day treat. Every month when I got paid, I'd treat myself to an Ateez album until I had them all. I now have at least one version of every album including all the Japanese ones.

And I finally sat down and watched a guide because if I was going to start collecting albums I should probably learn who everyone was.

Even after that I still struggled telling Yunho and Jongho apart for the longest time, and I have no idea why because now that I know them well I can see that they don't look anything like each other.

So, this carried on for a couple more years. I was happily collecting my albums and watching new MVs when they came out, but I still, for whatever reason, hadn't crossed the bridge into the fandom side of things. I was just quietly enjoying them by myself.

Then Will came out, and I don't know why, but that album rewired something in my brain. Suddenly I was fully obsessed. I watched Hongjoong's behind the scenes of Matz vlog, and suddenly I wanted to make gifs, but proper gifs not just a using a screen recorder which was all I'd ever done before.

I had an ancient version of Photoshop (which I have now upgraded) so I found a gif making tutorial for beginners. The gifs I made were very basic, but I had made them, and I was proud of myself for learning a thing.

Then I decided that to practice and learn new colouring styles, it would be fun to make gifs of all the Ateez MVs. So I did! It took a good few weeks of making a new set every evening, but I did it, and I can definitely see how I've improved as I've gone along.

And there we have it. 4 years from watching an MV to collecting albums to learning how to make gifs. And along the way I've reconnected with some old friends who love Ateez, and made some amazing new friends too. I went to my first ever cupsleeve in May, and I've been to a couple more since then, with another one on the calendar for later this month (happy birthday Mingi). And next time they come to the UK I am definitely going to try and get tickets, which will also make them my first kpop concert.

It's taken me a long time to get here, but the important thing is I made it.

Happy Ateez-versary to me!

[intramoon]

hi, idk if you've been asked but how do you make/edit skin overlays like Wednesday's? thank you in advanced

Hello! I think years ago but I'll give an updated answer!

I make skin blends for my sims because I want to use more skin details than there are slots in CAS, so I layer all the details together on one skin. I use alpha skins so I can't use most overlay skin details but I can if I add them to a skin blend! Remember that the ones you make are for personal use because they are primarily just a culmination of other custom content. It's really easy! First, you'll need to grab the package files for all the CCs you want. Make sure you make a note of which swatch you want to use. I have a Discord server I use for myself and I just send screenshots of the thumbnail and swatch to myself there.

Next, you'll need Sims4Studio. After you've installed Sims4Studio, open your Documents folder, go to Sims4Studio, and then the Mods folder. Drop all the package files you'd like to use there. Next, you'll go to CAS, and Create CAS Standalone.

From there you'll sort the Content by Custom. This is the tedious part. You'll want to go through and open each of the skin details you'd like to use by clicking on it (use Shift-Click to open the item with all the swatches, I recommend doing this) and clicking next. You'll need to save the new package file, you'll have a lot of them over time so I recommend making a folder for skin blending and labeling everything accurately, it will save you a headache later. Once the skin detail is open, find the swatch you want to use and Export the texture. Save and label the textures.

Here comes the blending part! You'll start with the skin or overlay you want to use. Open it in Photoshop, and start to layer the other skin details you'd like to use on top of it.

Just make sure they are aligned correctly! You can even take aspects of different skin details and blend them into others by using a soft eraser brush or layer mask. If you have elements that aren't skin details you've found but want to make something of your own, I'd recommend using the same soft brush method and playing around with placement. Here are just a couple tips of mine:

Tip #1: Skin overlays are black and white if you want to use them you'll want to set them to Multiply. They can be very dark on top of alpha skins so lowering the opacity or lifting the top end of its curves with a curve adjustment can help soften it.

Tip #2: I don't recommend this method as much with making an overlay, if you did want to use just overlay elements I would recommend exporting the skin tone you'd like to use and using that as a base and then doing the aforementioned tip.

Tip #3: If you're using an alpha skin or skin mask, you can adjust the color match by changing the saturation and/or the hue. You can use color balance to shift the undertones and levels/curves to deepen it. Tip #4: Adding tattoos is so much easier because you don't need to remove them from the background if they are on a flash sheet for example. You'll just place them on the skin and set them to Screen.

To test and/or finish up your skin blend you'll open the base skin you're using again (you can find it in My Projects), import the skin blend PNG you made as a swatch, add a custom thumbnail if you'd like, save, add the package to your game and you're all done!

Hopefully, this helps! If you have any other questions along the way I can try my best to help!

Oh, and I'd make note of everything you use for WCIFs/resource pages/questions since you won't be able to easily look it up after you blend everything together.

[tls123]

Sorry if I bother you, but I really love your gif sets! Do you know some tutorials or, app, or anything, to learn how to make good gif? I am learning and I feel very stupid because all my gifs are shit. (if my ask is inappropriate or anything, please ignore me)

you're not bothering and none of this is inappropriate, you're more than welcome in my inbox! as for your questions, let's see what i can do.

1) tutorials — i've been doing this for long enough that i don't really have much to recommend here, the only tutorials i use nowadays are all about specific things and not how to make gifs as a whole. that being said i've linked this one before, i personally do some things differently but it's a very good tutorial, well-received by gifmakers who are just starting and well written, from what i've skimmed through.

another good post to look through is this one, not a gifmaking tutorial per se but it goes into sizes, sharpening, and how to get neat & clear gifs. two of the main points are A) while you can get away with making gifs out of a 720p quality video, 1080p is what is usually recommended. you could use 4k as well, but a 1080p video is usually easier to find, will take less space in your storage, and will give you really good results already. no need for overkill <3 as for B) size matters here on tumblr dot com, mostly width. the op of the post linked in this paragraph has included a nice graphic for the size limits for gifs, you can refer to it as you make your gifs so that whatever you make won't turn out pixelated once you upload it to tumblr.

if you're curious, i've been asked about my sharpening settings here and i spoke before on tumblr sizing here

2) software — you mentioned app, if by app you mean mobile stuff then i'm sorry, i can't help you! i've never made gifs through mobile and i wouldn't even know which direction to point towards for you to find more information. as for computers, if you mean programs then these are what i use to make my gifs: potplayer (for taking screencaps) and photoshop cc 2020 (for making the actual gifs, this is the post i used but here's one with more links)

now i'd like to mention something my grandma always used to say: no one is born learned. you're not stupid just because it's taking you a while to do something, learning is a process and everyone has their own pace. i've been making gifs for a decade now and i know there are things i could do better! i'm also still learning, i make plenty of "shit" gifs before stumbling my way to something i am okay with posting, and sometimes i'm really proud of what i've made and other times i think it's just "good enough". i understand feeling disheartened but please do not feel stupid about any of this!

no use in putting yourself down, now hold my hand and let's add the finishing touches on this long ass reply <3

3) tips — we've mentioned video quality, sharpening, and sizing. what else, what else. personally i would start simple (and i did, way back when, and still do!! most of my gifs are quite simple). so: cropping/resizing + coloring + sharpening. it'll help get the basics down and then you'll have a good foundation for everything else you might want to learn. i mentioned in another ask, almost two years ago now lmao, that i used to download other people's free psds (that is, pre-made settings and layers to color your gifs) and instead of using them i would open them up and pick them apart to see how people were coloring things, which layers they used, in which order, stuff like that.

remember: there is no right or wrong to do this! you could ask ten different people how they make their gifs, and their preferences for any specific part of the process, and you'd get ten different answers. if you find a tutorial and don't vibe with it, throw that aside and look for another. pick and choose, find what works for you and what doesn't! and that means do not be afraid to experiment and try things out.

also, don't like photoshop? no problem! i started with gimp, now personally i wouldn't recommend it over ps but it's a good program, it taught me a lot, and there's really nothing to hate about it. it might have less functions than ps though, and already a decade ago there weren't that many tutorials/resources for it.

don't like photoshop AND don't want to download a program? try photopea, i haven't used it but it works directly from your browser and it should do everything photoshop does!

let me know if there's anything else i can help with <3

[youremyheaven]

i am so here for the mercurial slander omg. i had the displeasure of being friends with a mercury-ketu girl who was genuinely unhinged and extremely immature. like i'd say something completely innocuous and she'd sit on it for like two days and then i'd receive like 4 paragraphs of her chewing me out just because she misunderstood something i said

the other two mercurials i know (free me) are the biggest yappers i've ever met. one of them would literally send upwards of 150 messages to our group chat daily of just a never ending stream of thoughts, which was annoying in and of itself, but the real issue was that she'd yap endlessly and never read any of our messages or ask how we were doing. i've noticed this theme a lot with mercurials where they just use people as a sounding board and forget to even ask how your day was before the yap fest begins

😭😭😭😭 sister,, I can tell the pain is fresh because you did not hold back 💀🫡

Using other people as a sounding board is soooo TRUEEE OMG 😭😭ILL SCREAM

my former friend, Revati Moon who ghosted me for 3yrs came back into my life last year and from the way she spoke about her circumstances I knew that she was alone and just wanted company lmao but I thought I'd give her the benefit of the doubt anyway and what followed was a huge lesson in trusting my gut and not giving anyone the benefit of the doubt 😮‍💨💀🤡 I was her unpaid therapist and soundboard for several months. The conversations were often too long for comfort or she'd go on one of her rampages about how awful people are (Mercurials are unfairly critical of others, have you noticed?) and she frequently took digs at me and was one of those people who make jokes at the expense of others. I had to reallyyyy hold my tongue bc she was clearly at fault in half of the situations she's describing and i couldn't stand how she was always putting down absolutely everybody she spoke about.

I'd have to come up with lies or sometimes I'd pretend the call dropped or something bc 😭 7hrs is too many hrs to be talking to someone night after night (and the conversations are majorly heavy or unpleasant) i felt like she thought I owed her my time unless I had a "valid excuse"

during these months, she'd go on trips and I'd be as good as dead to her in this period. Once she was home and bored again, the calls would restart.

she said something awful to me and I stopped talking to her and maybe a month later after she said some other awful thing, i confronted her and she started shouting at me saying she's been mad at me all along for not talking to her 💀💀💀💀 which

a) isn't true (I texted her like 2 days after the first incident and she didn't respond to it --- she shouted at me saying she wanted me to call her???)

b) she literally said something godawful to me which made me want to not talk to her???

Needless to say, that "confrontation" was a spectacular display of Mercurial manipulation. I asked her why she was so goddamn mean to me and she said "I don't think this conversation is helping either of us, I'm sorry, now let's move on"

🤡😭😭 and I asked her about incident 2 and she said she's used to being around people (read: men) who bully each other playfully and that she wasn't used to my "sensitivity" (for context: I sent her a semi nude picture and she told me my shorts looked too tight around the waist and that looking at my "realistic" body helped her feel seen bc she's used to seeing photoshopped women and went on to compare both herself and me to our friends who are more petite 🤡)

After almost a year of being her unpaid therapist, she once interrupted me telling her something and told me to "wrap it up quickly" 😭😭😭 (the audacity) like she didn't gaf about what I had to say unless it soothed her ego somehow lol

As if all of this wasn't enough, I decided to call her a month ago, even though by this point we hadn't talked for over 2 ish months and she ended the convo 2 mins in saying she'll call me back and never did.

The way Mercurials exploit others to just bitch and whine and yap needs to be studied

Everything you said about your friend, I can also relate to (unfortunately)

Most Mercurials are friendless or have superficial friendships and tbh it makes sense bc they make it really hard for others to stay friends with them 😭 sorry to say it

[marshallpupfan]

Marshall Merchandise Update!

Update #37... or whatever number I'm up to now. Either way, I've got a few new items to show off today! Some new, some old, and some I didn't expect to find!

First off, this Jumbo Gummy Easter candy, from "Galerie"! I just happened to stumble upon it while helping my mother with her grocery shopping. I was in kind of a rush, so I didn't have time to check if they made any of the other pups. I have to imagine they have some of at least Chase and/or Skye. It cost $5 (a little pricey, imo).

To tell you the truth, I don't know if I want to eat this. I might try to preserve it... if possible, anyway. It wouldn't be the first editable piece of merchandise that's sitting among my collection. Probably won't be the last, either. It's a good thing my folks never bought me a Marshall cake for my birthday, otherwise I'd probably try to save that, too. 😂

Next up... this plush! I actually found it while browsing around a Goodwill for something. Before I left, I figured I'd take a quick peek at the toy section, since they tend to have a few PAW Patrol dolls from time to time. I only seen a few of Chase at first, but then out of the corner of my eye, I seen this thing, somewhat buried under a bunch of other dolls. It was only $2, so... sold! :)

Funnily enough, it's actually quite similar to another plush doll I bought a few years back, only smaller. Now that I think about it, these aren't the only dolls I own that have a bigger and little version. I wonder why they do that sometimes? Hm...

Moving on, here's yet another plush doll I found! It's by TY, unless I'm mistaken. This one was found at a flea market, although it was a tad more expensive ($5). However, what's funny is that...

...it, too has a bigger version! And a smaller one, as well (I feel like these are the most common). It's like we've got the eldest brother, the middle child, and the younger sibling. An interesting set!

I was tempted to move the bigger plush for a better side-by-side comparison, but with so many dolls around it, I figured it was best I just keep things where they're at. Otherwise, moving it might give us something akin to a Marshall wipeout, and I don't want to pick them all up from the floor right now. lol

Last, and a rather unexpected find, I must say... a Marshall "Born Brave" ceramic coffee cup! To be honest, I had no idea this even existed until I seen it on Mercari about a week ago. Despite my best efforts, I can't find any indication of where this came from, who sells it, if it belongs in a set, if they made some of the other pups... nothing!

I believe it's official, since most knock-off or home-made products don't include stuff like this on the bottom. It says it was made in 2023, so that tells me it's not too old. Have any of you seen these in stores?

In any case, it's pretty cool coffee cup! I believe it can hold 11oz, which is pretty standard for these things. The picture, itself isn't the highest of quality, but that's no biggie. I actually wouldn't mind using it, since I still drink a lot of tea (and cappuccinos... too many cappuccinos...), but I hate the thought of it getting damaged, so it's going up on my shelf for now. Maybe if I can find another one someday, then I'll use it.

...again, IF I can find another. 😅

That's all for now! I apologize for the inconsistent quality and brightness of some of the pics. I forgot to turn the flash on for the first pic, no flash made everything pink around the gummy, and the flash made the dolls look too dark so I had to adjust the brightness in Photoshop. My TracFone camera just doesn't cut it sometimes... maybe I should invest in something better someday.

[platinumaspiration]

well, @brandinotbroke just gave my ego the hugest boost with this tag game! I really shouldn't play this while in a bad mood tho :p

What’s your favourite sims death? I would have to say...probably flies. Never had it happen in my game (naturally), tho

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? 4t2 maxis match conversions, because it's gross and ugly :p No, but for real, I like all cc. People put a lot of time and love into what they create/convert/retexture/recolor. I think that should be recognized.

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? No...who does that?

4. Do you use move objects? Yes, kind of have to sometimes!

5. Favorite mod? I had to go into my main save for this one haha. I'd say...all the anti-corruption mods. And to piggy back off of brandinotbroke, ACR! The rest I could probably live without if I could ever sort my folder. Oh, also, one mod I'd really like to give a try is Story Progression by LazyDuchess.

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? First purchased was Christmas 2005. My parents gifted me Sims 2 and then my birthday a month later I got University, I believe. I should show you all the video of me opening it and running off to play haha. First played was, I wanna say Urbz! and Bustin' Out. We would rent those from the video store.

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? Alive. I recently found out my IRL BFF pronounces it as Living. I've known her almost 20 years and feel like I don't know her anymore 😅

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? Rhiannon, one of my model sims, but all 4 of my models are my favorite. I really should put Rhiannon as a townie in my uberhood. She deserves a life outside of posing.

9. Have you made a simself? Yes, like 18 years ago lol. Ended up corrupting the hood trying to move me with my 10 same face kids to a new neighborhood. I've really enjoyed the premade sims ever since.

10. What sim traits do you give yourself? of sims 3 traits: absent-minded, light sleeper, brooding, over-emotional, nurturing, workaholic, frugal

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color? TS4's #13 - Honey Blond

12. Favorite EA hair? probably aflongsimple or affuzzylongep

13. Favorite life stage? oh gosh... probably adult in any game lol

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? gameplay, I'll let @plumbtales and @kestrelteens do the building and inspo!

15. Are you a CC creator? I don't think I've created anything myself. I've converted a ton of stuff tho! I'd love to create something, but textures are so difficult for my brain to understand. I commend those who retexture!

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? Yeah! Baby Gang! lol, not like we do anything other than play online pvp games and share cc wips

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4) 2 is my ultimate, though I'd love to dive back into Sims 3

18. Do you have any sims merch? Maybe someday @microscotch and I can make something palpable

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims? Not gameplay (yet).

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? Well, I had dial up internet until about 2010 so... figure that one out haha. But yeah, I was a semi-realistic kind of girl up until about... 2020? 2021? when i made the switch to 4t2. Still working on becoming completely 4t2.

21. What’s your Origin ID? n/a lmao

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator? Oh gosh, there's too many. All my mutuals, I love ya and your cc! Even some people who are not mutuals with me are my absolute favorite. I could never choose haha.

23. How long have you had a simblr? I think I just had my 2 year anniversary.

24. How do you edit your pictures? I recently commissioned the Queen of Renders ™ @microscotch to take preview pics for me while i was out of town lol. She also made me a photoshop template as well. (Go get a commission, she's having a sale right now 😉) For gameplay, I let reshade do the work for me and crop/size it to 700x934

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? Brandinotbroke gave the best answer haha. I honestly don't know what kit EA can come up with next

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? For Sims 2, probably Nightlife. The first 3 EPs, honestly. Sims 3 has to be Ambitions and Generations. Idk about Sims 4 as most I've played is about 2 hours in Strangerville as the Beakers.

Gonna tag baby gang, feel free to ignore! @microscotch @tvickiesims @lordcrumps @simsisit

thank you again to brandinotbroke for making my day, my week, my month and maybe even my year.

[panelshowsource]

do you have any favorite gif sets of yours from throughout the years?

i mean not really non they're all shit 🧍‍♀️

there are, i would say, three reasons people make gifs: to participate in the community, to keep a visual archive of their hobbies, and for the satisfaction of gifs coming out super prettily and lovely to the eyes. when it comes to giffing this kind of tv content, it's easy to nail the first two but the third? half of the shows are low quality "hd" ripped from youtube, not 1080p hdtv blah blah, so it's so hard to make anything that actually, truly looks spectacular, so you have to have other motivations apart from the satisfaction of decent photoshop skills to keep going (and i only became about 40% decent maybe 5 minutes ago anyways) >.<

that's why anything i'd say i like is probably not even a standout set but just something that's in really lovely quality, like this?

BUT FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING A FUN THROWBACK and you being so kind to ask such a nice question(!!) let me think about it for a moment...

the 2019 female top 5 poll was soooooo fun and i think the gif sets came out decently! i wanna do another poll super super soon

i always love this one of david and love how much everyone else loves this one from my fave series of taskmaster (everyone also seemed to like the latest sean set which was very kind)

for no reason other than having a lot of time on my hands and loving him i did this extra ass response to this anon and i still think it's funny heh

also my david x victoria sets are fun ALWAYS and actually i have another one coming up hehehe

from recently? kayvan turned out sexy (ugh speaking of handsome devils i always love f.05 alan) and also the s16e01 sue set hahahaha she is sooo funnyyyy

often the ideas, parallels, throwbacks, whatever i come up with are pretty good but the gifs themselves aren't anything special or even decent at all — which is why sometimes i remake the same moments a couple times over, thinking i'll immortalise it better each time (and never really do lol)

i'm glad you guys accept 1) that i'm not a world class gif maker and 2) we're dealing with so much low quality video that it wouldn't matter either way ↁ_ↁ

feel free to send a request any time!! i promise i will try for u :") (joe x roisin anon i'm working on yours, it's just a fatty so i need more time; also i see u guz anon)

[lonelyghosts-stuff]

I need motivation and tips for continuing art. I used it do it so much as a kid but stopped doing it as much for a stupid reason. Someone who I became friends with was a better artist. I was never popular but I had used to kind of be a smidge known in my classes for decent art until she came along and everyone admired her more. Now obvs that wasn't her fault and we actually became friends for a while (until she changed and pushed me away down the line in middle school and high school, but that's neither here nor there). Either way, I didn't do it as much and only did it here and there.

I never really had my own consistent style either. It was all just kind doodles and some full sized drawings. I never did well with humans but did decently with like animals and objects. This was all in a traditional sketchbook too. I eventually started some digital art too as my friend did and she had a natural affinity for it. Once again, seeing myself get outdone. I have a bad habit of feeling like a failure when I am not immediately good at something I try, especially when it is something I really really want to do. Over the years I would have random surges of doing art again but would often get distracted by other things and feel too overwhelmed to pursue the hobbies I like, especially in high school and me now at 21 in college.

I am pursing a degree in animation but haven't even started the actual animation class itself, mostly just the general education requirements and then some other art classes. I finished 2D design, 3D design, drawing, and life art. I feel like my art has gotten decent for objects and animals still, but I struggle with humans. And unfortunately my life art class was pretty awful with the teacher mostly focusing on a few things regarding the body (which don't get me wrong, was helpful at first) and just assigned busy work like 20 skeleton sketches or 10 skulls and 5 full skeletons or whatever and every single class was gesture drawing of the nude models we had and progressing to shading. Again, don't get me wrong, those are definitely important and helped me with improving my skills, but what bugged me was not only how repetitive it was (it felt like my progress plateaued very early into the class as it just became the same thing every time with the teacher not being super engaging), but the fact we never got into the main thing I struggled with when drawing people; the human face.

I am trying to reteach myself how to draw now, having done that life art class like 2 years ago now. I am watching tutorials which have helped a bit, but I think my main issue is not practicing as consistently. A huge factor being motivation. I often get busy so when I have down time, I'd rather do something mindless instead of intentional work like practicing art that I am not gonna like. And when I do draw, even the things I used to think I was decent at like animals and objects and sceneries, I hate them. They look so flat and lifeless and they look super inconsistent style wise when you compare the different aspects of the drawing. It makes me feel unmotivated and scared about my future.

How can I be an animator when I can't even be happy with a still drawing I have made? I adore 2D animation. I adore art. I have so many ideas I can fully visualize in my brain but as soon as pencil touches paper or stylus to tablet, it's like I am a toddler learning how to write. Especially on digital art because I always feel like I am doing something wrong or in the most inefficient way possible. Don't even get me started on the fill bucket tool on drawing programs never actually filling in the full space I want them too and lines never being fully solid and having weird fuzzy edges that make coloring in weird. Even when I try to look up fixes for this it never seems to work (I swap back and forth between drawing in the free program Krita and Adobe Photoshop I have temporarily while in college).

There is the part of me that wants to give up, but then the strong part of me that refuses to because I know this isn't just some random ADHD hyper-fixation I have gotten. It has been a consistent interest of mine since I was in elementary school, fluctuating based on motivation and other external factors, but never something I stopped being interested in. I dunno. I guess I just needed to rant. I need to keep practicing, I know, but I wish I had someone directly next to me at all times giving me the perfect advice and helping me immediately see where I am messing something up or whatever so my improvement can be faster lol. Idk who will even read this. But oh well.

[joanna-lannister]

Hi! I'm a bit embarrassed to send you this but…😳I love this type of games! 🥰

2, 14 🌻🤍

Hi! Don't be embarrassed, always feel free to send an ask 🥰❤️ And I love those ask games too, thank you so much for your ask! ☺️🌻

2. what was your first tattoo?

Cersei's quote "I'm a lioness. I will not cringe for them." on my left forearm 5 years ago, but this baby is a bit fading away 🥲 Here's a picture of it:

14. do all of your tattoos have meaning?

Well, I guess yes. My first one is for Cersei and to remind me to not give up. And the second one, a crown with a hand, is for Jaime and Cersei with Jaime's last words because they inspire me a lot, like I gained so much knowledge on Photoshop because of them but also and mostly, I started writing in a foreign language. I've spent time writing long answers to people on here but I also wrote full and fleshed out fics, something I never thought I'd be capable of (I'm not saying they are the best tho lmao but my anxiety about my writing has dwindled a lot). And I also made some of the best of friends. Some might find it absurd to have a tattoo for a ship, but this fandom is a part of me so I wanted it on my skin.

[aceofwhump]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

Thanks for the tag @hold-him-down!!!

1. Are you named for anyone?: I am actually! My real first name is the feminized version of my fathers.

2. When was the last time you cried?: The day I watched The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies I sobbed my heart out. That was, what, 4 days ago I think? I'm now about to watch LOTR: Return of the King and I suspect I'll be crying then too. Nearly cried multiple times two days while watching Fellowship and any allusion and mention to the events of the hobbit gave me feels. BUT! I did not cry. I'm quite proud of myself for that. Oh wait. No I lied. I definitely cried when they found Balin's tomb in Moria and Oris skeleton was there next to the tomb.

3. Do you have kids?: Nope. Not at all and I don't want kids. I'm never going to have children. I've got my cat: Sable. She's my baby. For now and forever all my children will be cats.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?: Lol yeah I do. Far too often. I need to tune it down sometimes lol.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?: Oh interesting. Umm... I guess either their tone of voice is they speak first. I'm very conscious of people's tone of voice. If they don't speak I'm usually noticing style of clothing.

6. What’s your eye color?: Blue

7. Scary movies or happy endings?: Happy endings definitely. But I love scary movies and so many of them don't necessarily end happily. Although now that I think of it a lot of my favorite scary movies do end on a positive/happy note (as happy as a horror movie can be lol). So yeah happy ending. I love me a happy ending. Don't enjoy movies that end sadly.

8. Any special talents?: Uhhh yes? Let me see...I can play the trumpet and the bugle (pretty much the same instrument just a bugle has no valves). I can crochet. I can pick a padlock. I can operate a 1940s era switchboard and field phones. I can untie any knot you give me no matter how complicated (my sister uses this weird super power of mine all the time when her box of necklaces get tangled together. I've never not been able to untie a knot). Do photoshop skills count as special talents?

9. Where were you born?: Ohio in the USA. Not getting more specific than that sorry.

10. What are your hobbies?: My main hobbies are crocheting and historical reenacting. That's where I put all my time and money. Some other things I enjoy as a hobby are photoshop editing, writing, reading fanfic, watch tv/movies, and seeing musicals at the theater.

11. Have you any pets?: Yup! Got a cat named Sable, my weird little rescue baby. And I've got a dachshund/jack russell mix named Penny. She's 13 years old and still a spitfire.

12. What sports do you play/have played?: I don't play anything now because I'm super lazy and poor and all the leagues around me cost like $200 to play but I played softball and volleyball in high school. Volleyball is my favorite sport. I miss it terribly. I was a libero. Did basketball for a year but ended up hating it. And on occasion I'd play touch football with the neighborhood guys. I couldn't pass for shit but I'd catch anything thrown at me. Also, and I'll fight you on this, but marching is a sport and I was in marching band all throughout high school and college. I consider that my main sport.

13. How tall are you?: 5′7″

14. Favorite subject in school?: History!!! I loved that subject so much I took two history classes at once in senior year and then went on to get two degrees in it.

15. Dream job?: I'm gonna be really borng here for a second but I don't think I have a dream job anymore. Mainly cause I really don't want to work. I want to have enough money in my life to never have to work at all. But since that's not the case, my dream job is something related to history. Something where I can sit all day surrounded by historical objects. Spending the day by myself, only having to talk to someone on occasion, where I just get to sit at a desk and look at historical stuff. My dream job is quiet and peaceful but has fun times with a few coworkers. I get to do something that gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. And pays really well so I can afford to travel and buy all the stuff I don't need but so desperately want.

tagging: Anyone who wants to do it!!!!

[andthebubbles]

info to myself: i've been using the logitech g300s for a while now; i wish i knew when exactly i started using it. the last time i complained about a mouse was on jan 19 2022, so i would've started using the g300s sometime after that

a couple of weeks ago the LMB started to not hold down for as long as i was holding it down with my finger (it'd let up after 1 sec or something). nooot so much a problem because i haven't been gaming lately, or doing anything finicky on photoshop

yesterday the downscroll (haha; i mean, the scroll wheel, when you scroll it down) started acting up, and today it doesn't scroll down like 90% of the time. VERY annoying. i've bought another g300s.

but over 2 years of no problems is better than what i got with the razer basilisk ultimate (my last mouse), which was VERY expensive, and i think it was only just a bit over 1 year when the scroll wheel started fucking up.

the g300s is like a fifth of the price or something. and i like the shape much much more, and many other things. the only two things i liked better on the razer basilisk is the click latency and the non-kink wire (and the thumb buttons i suppose), but re the first one, as i'm no longer playing world of tanks, click latency doesn't matter

sooo what do i like about the g300s?

the fact that it has a thumb AND pinky grip. my prev-prev (even cheaper) mouse had this too, but it was wireless, and i had to change the batteries way too fucking often

the price!

and what i don't like:

the wire (the fact that it can catch on things). but whatever

i miss the thumb buttons actually. i prefer it over what this one has, which is two narrow buttons to either side of the LMB and RMB, and re the ones on the left of the LMB, you have to use your index finger to press them. i'd rather those buttons be for the thumb

the fact that it's dying after about 2.5 years haha

click latency is good btw, 3.1ms apparently, i had no idea till now.

[nullshocked]

@orlesianapologist Been busy this morning but now I can sit down and talk about this aaaaaaa!

I'm putting it under a cut to spare my dash. But:

My Process(TM) for Getting That Shit Edited

Step 1: Write the Draft

Like obviously you need a base to work from. I won't tell you how to draft your stuff, because everyone approaches it differently. I try not to focus too much on how something looks or sounds when I am writing a rough draft because fixing it and making it nice is what revisions are for. Sometimes when I write drafts I skip over details and just try to get the action down on paper.

I also have a habit of outlining SECOND rather than outlining first because that's what works for me: I write drafts in what I've seen Chuck Wendig describe as the bring your flashlight method of plotting a story, where I have a vague idea, kinda sketch it out either in the document or in my head, and write from there. (I found this post from him like ten years ago and have found it to be very valuable. Your mileage may vary of course, and what works for one person may not work for someone else.)

Step 2: Rewrites

You have a draft! I'm so proud of you! Now write it again. Writing is rewriting is rewriting. We know the saying.

I focus on fleshing out parts of the story I didn't flesh out the first time around, or adding in details that I didn't think of the first time. Sometimes there's a lot of me planting in FORESHADOWING(tm) that I didn't do the first time because I hadn't thought of it yet. This necessarily tends to balloon my wordcount because of how I tend to write, but it's fine.

I do at this point also take into account what I'm going to call Structural Edits. (I think that's a film term? idk someone probably uses this. Or I might sound insane.) That's the part where I move chunks of the story around for better narrative flow, or remove superfluous chunks that don't fit in. At this stage I am not concerned with how it reads, I am concerned with the plot beats and getting as much detail in as I think is important.

Step 3: Scribble All Over That Shit

It's a little bit of a running joke that I do this stage of editing like a total weirdo. I prefer to print things out because working with paper is easier for me, but you can do this however you want: comments in googledocs/word/etc, make it a pdf and write highlights, etc. Recently when I did this I made the file into a PDF, then turned THAT into image files and draw all over them in photoshop because physical notes help me. Yeah idk either.

This is the stage where I go line by line and pick things apart. I'll list what I look for and why, but this is by no means a hard and fast rule and please do not take my preferences as the arbiter of what makes good fiction. If I made good fiction, I'd be published in something non-academic.

╰┈➤ Paragraph Construction: Everything I talk about after this will largely feed into constructing paragraphs, so I'm gunna start with it. Words matter, as so does the word order. Sentence order also matters. I have a habit sometimes of placing just whatever details I think of down, and it doesn't always flow with the rest of the paragraph it's in. Take it out, rearrange it, use it in a new paragraph. I underline stuff like this to rearrange as needed.

╰┈➤ Sentence Structure As Mood Music: Now into the nitty gritty! How you structure sentences is SUPER helpful for conveying emotion. A lot of the last piece I wrote had structures where Jack is feeling extremely anxious, so there are parts where I let sentences run on and into each other to help convey his anxious mental state. Shorter sentences can hit harder and faster. Longer ones can feel meandering or dreamlike. It's all in the language and the structure. If you wanna be seriously annoying about it, there are entire courses on syntax you can look into.

╰┈➤ Sublimation vs. In Your Face: So the whole "show don't tell" argument is fucking annoying and I don't really pay much attention to it anymore. So my rule for stuff is this: what is a character trying to hide, versus what are they more obvious about? If someone is manipulative and cruel, I'm not going to fucking point that out in the text. I try to work that into how they move, speak, and react to a situation. Body language and expression. All of that. If something is more obvious, then I make it more obvious. I might have the POV character outright state that they think someone is acting manipulatively if they think that's what's happening. I think that's far more useful as a storytelling tool personally and also lets a clever reader piece together little details as they go, which is frankly more engaging.

╰┈➤ Adverbs (-ly) words: This is preference and there's lots of arguments for why it's fine to keep these in. For me, I find that I tend to rely on adverbs in spaces where I can stand to be more descriptive. I usually circle the ones I find on the page and then in the next step I'll look at them and see how I feel. If the adverb feels like the best choice for that moment, I leave it. If I feel like I can use a better word or description, I change it. That's entirely up to you and what you prefer!

╰┈➤ Commas, commas, commas: I tend to learn toward a LOT of comma splices when I write drafts, which leads to a lot of long and confusing sentences. I do try to eliminate some of these if I feel like a passage is harder to follow. Others I leave if they suit the mood.

╰┈➤ The rest of it: Lastly, I just look for how things are worded. Sometimes I see a sentence and I just hate how it reads, so I underline it to see if I can do something better with it. Sometimes I don't like how a scene is flowing so I make a note of it. I also make what I will call "stage notes" in the margins for things I am trying to convey, like "Jack in this scene is feeling very anxious because of x thing" or "this is a tense situation" etc. This is for me to remember when I go to do the next step so I can make sure I am getting across the information I am trying to get across.

Woof, that's a lot. Okay so...

Step 4: Rewrites Two: The Rewritening

WRITING IS REWRITING IS REWRITING— anyway.

So this is the full revision process. Take your notes (however you decided to compile them) and get through and make those changes. Sometimes you will come across other things to fix in the process and that's perfectly fine. Sometimes you may decide not to go with something you made a note of before and that's also fine. But this is where you are making your little tweaks and making it better. There's not a lot to this phase.

Step 5: Optional Beta

I don't tend to ask people to beta read my stuff because I am an impatient asshole and just want to finish it. Don't be me. Find a trusted friend and ask them to read over your work. They don't need to dig into huge details at this stage unless something is just really not coming together for whatever reason. Getting another pair of eyes to make sure something is flowing the way it should is very helpful. A scene may make sense in your head, but another person may have difficult parsing what you're trying to say.

Also my dumbass ADHD brain has a problem with things like missing typos when I go to correct, or leaving out entire words because my brain mentally skips over them, so someone who can find those for me and point it out is helpful.

Step 6: Final Tweaks

Find your typos and missing words. Make sure your punctuation is in the right places. Make any final adjustments you want. You've got this I'm so proud of you. It's not a big thing, mainly just combing to be thorough.

And that's it! You're done! Go forth.

Additional Notes

╰┈➤ Take your time with a piece. I know it's extremely tempting to put something up as soon as it's done. I've speedran finishing fics for a laugh. But between each of these steps, it's a good idea to let the draft sit for a day or two before returning to it with fresh eyes. It's good for your brain and also it'll help you find shit you may otherwise miss because you're too close to it.

╰┈➤ Rough drafts are rough drafts. They're allowed to suck. The entire point of editing and revision is to make it not suck. This was a lesson I really had to beat into my skull so I wouldn't get discouraged from finishing anything.

╰┈➤ Writing is not one size fits all. I do all these steps because that is what personally works for me. I look for the things I do in my nitty-gritty editing because those are personal preferences. Do not take any of this as a hard and fast rule, but rather as insight for how to develop your own process.

╰┈➤ Like a hypocrite, I did not edit any of this post. That's not really important, I just thought it was funny and you should know that.

╰┈➤ I've said this elsewhere, but READ!! Read lots of books! Read different eras and genres of books! Reading will teach you how to be a better writer. Reading theory is also nice if you like, but really just read a bunch of authors and think on their stories. Learn from how they write, and apply those lessons.

THAT'S IT SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG.

My writing advice is to learn how to self-edit your work. It's a skill that takes time and practice to develop but it helps so fucking much. I probably edit way more than is necessary for my fanfic but tbh it's also my practice for learning how to edit my other writing.

[clouds-of-wings]

I reiterate: she’s such a style icon! Look at that headdress! I’d get a headache from the weight after 0.000001 seconds, but not her.

Source: rafabasa.com/2019/06/21/cronica-y-fotos-del-z-live-rock-fest-kamelot-therion-primal-fear-zenobia-etc-sabado-15-de-junio/

[codebread]

what's one thing you wish you could say to your 16 yr. old self?

if i could go back in time, i'd tell myself to take up compsci instead of a medical-allied degree~

i remember how much i used to enjoy making themes for blogskins and xanga back when i was in 5th grade until high school lol i'd spend hours studying other people's codes and then writing my own, and i layout the themes i wanted to make in photoshop so i can see how certain elements go together. it was fun! it was my favorite past time! up until now, i still remember those days fondly and i kept thing 'if only i pursued a degree that actually aligned with my interests and basic skillset'. but as these things usually go, we always end up taking something more "practical". i come from a family of healthcare workers (aunts, cousins, etc...though not my mom and dad) and my parents always wanted me to become a doctor. i didn't really know much back then, there was no social media to expose us to a different kind of life other than the one we're living in. so i thought i wanted that for myself too. almost everyone i know is pursuing a medical career and so i just went with it.

fast forward to where i am now, i'm holding a bachelor's degree that i don't know what to do with. i did work for 2 years as a medical technologist and went to vet med school (well they did want me to become a doctor but i knew for certain that if i want to be a doctor it wouldn't be for humans lol) for another 3 years but there's always this nagging feeling in the back of my head that keeps telling me that this is not me. this is not how i want to grow old. not like this. i guess i could confidently say that is my biggest regret in life.

and so last year in nov 2021, i quit med school. a lot of my friends, family, and even faculty were surprised because i always had a good standing, the top of my class at that. it's so ironic it's almost funny. it wasn't an easy decision to give up halfway especially when i had already achieved so much. i spent many sleepless nights thinking about it. it almost felt like i lost my direction in life. i went into a depressive spiral for most of 2020-2021 and i sank into my old bad habits again. i seriously thought i wasn't going to make it out of 2021 alive. i was a complete mess. i was struggling. struggling so bad...but i was also very stubborn. stubborn enough to claw my way out of the hellhole i threw myself in. thinking about it right now, i still don't know how i did it but i somehow managed to crawl my way back into the light. i guess i was lucky idk. whatever it was, i'm just incredibly grateful.

funny how fast things change. a year ago today, i was a walking void. but here i am a year after, sitting by the window with sunbeams dancing on my keyboard, and coffee in hand, writing about it and feeling at peace. i still think a lot about the 'what could have been's'. but i know for certain that i have already come to terms with most of them.

[thefairefolk-rp]

Do you have any advice for someone trying to start their own literate/semi-literate roleplay? (I know yours is fully literate but I'd like to allow short replies sometimes in mine) It's my first time

Hi there! Oh gosh I have so many things I wish I could have told myself seven years ago when this all began. I’ll try to boil it down to some things I think are most important. But, I already know this is going to be a novel lol. So, sorry in advance. 

1. Don’t be too overzealous with the amount of characters, factions and locations in the game: When I first started, I set out to make this massive sprawling faerie world with a choose-your-own-adventure feel to it. I wrote new bios alllll the time, and added new interesting groups and organizations whenever they came to mind. We had everything from barmaids in the distant slums, to wild fae youth living in the woods, to princesses living in the capitol. What this turned into was an rp that had literally over 100 (?!?!) characters to choose from, from pretty much everywhere on this huge map. I got to write all these super fun characters and people seemed really intrigued by the variety. In theory this was great. However, I started to realize that it made it more difficult for our members to come up with storylines long-term. Sometimes it was hard to even come up with how to get two characters with vastly different backstories could be in the same place. In 2018 I did a complete revamp that largely involved finding a more central theme for the rp, and cutting a huge number of bios and groups out. What I landed on was a concept that was a fae royal court drama, instead of a story about an entire faerie world.  So, now most characters are nobility, or involved with royals. There is now also a central theme of these warring old fae families, and an established history of backstabbing and scandal. It has helped a lot because now characters have tons of parties, royal events, etc. that they can plausibly meet at and even old beefs between families to stir things up. I could have saved so.much.time if I had really tasked myself in the beginning with deciding exactly what I wanted this story to be about and stopping myself when I started over-designing. 

2. Find a really solid admin team that you trust: I think in the beginning I felt like this was rp was my baby, and felt like things needed to be done a specific way. I was more resistant to changing things, even when they needed to be. But, over the years I have gotten to work with so many talented people with skills and ideas I could never have dreamed up. The more open I was to other ideas, the better this rp became. To this day some of my favorite things in the rp were not made by me! Also, find people with strengths you don’t have. For example: I find it really difficult to come up with new events, while the other two admins here are very good at them.

3. Make sure maintaining diversity is a constant goal. Many people are tired of seeing white-washed, straight, cis, non-disabled characters over and over. I think it’s our responsibility as rp admins to make sure our characters reflect the true diversity of the world around us. Add diverse faceclaims, and do your research on any group you are trying to represent that you are not very familiar with to make sure it is done with respect. This includes race, gender, sexuality and body diversity (quite honestly, we are still not where I want us to be with every category yet). We somewhat recently made the choice to disallowing people to change the race of a character because of how often people wanted to swap out a POC for a white faceclaim to make sure our diverse choices stay diverse. On a side note, there are a lot of rph’s (roleplay helpers) who will not promote or shoutout your group if your diversity is lacking. So it’s just beneficial all-around to make sure you’re doing it right.

4. Make sure your roleplay feels unpretentious and un-intimidating even for those who may not have participated in a literate rp before, or never rp’d at all. I think literate roleplays can have a (sometimes earned) reputation for being a bit elitist and intimidating. It can feel like a lot, especially when for so many of these roleplays such a large writing sample is asked for. We made an Application Guide that boils down our most important information, and a description of what is expected of an applicant so that people feel like they have a solid jumping off point. We also send a “How to Get Started” guide to all new members that includes a list of which blogs to follow, the link to our member list, and the link to our rp’s discord channel. If someone tells you they are new to this, really go the extra mile to make sure they are settled and comfortable.

5. Promote your rp effectively: Make sure your theme is easy to navigate, your color scheme is easy on the eyes and fits the vibe of the roleplay, and that a navigation page is easily accessible. Try to make your navigation page as intuitive as possible. If you have lots of lore like we do, making sure people can easily find the article that will answer their question. Also make sure a link to the plot, and characters is visible on the main page.

I recommend making sure your rp’s page really matches your setting and story so that it’s immediately apparent what some of the themes of the plot are. We use lots of royal imagery, fantasy imagery and nature imagery for ours. I know obtaining pretty graphics, especially if you may not be as well acquainted with with photoshop, can be difficult. Do the best you can, with what you have and don’t sweat it too much if it doesn’t start out how you want it to. I taught myself photoshop for this roleplay, and made many of my own graphics at first. They weren’t perfect, but I was able to get the idea across. I found the person who made my current graphics through a roleplay that I loved the aesthetic of. There are definitely some rp helpers on here who accept commissions to design graphics. Some charge, others don’t. Decide what works best for you! Also, make sure that the small 

I’m not sure if you know about about making a promo blog, and how to use the tags to promote. Let me know if you don’t, and I can PM you way more info on that because there definitely is a bit of a science to it. 

6. Don’t get too let down by slow periods: Obviously I am very very stubborn because this rp is old af. But, just know ALL roleplays have slow periods. I have had apps dry up for weeks or even months sometimes. I have had the dash entirely stop moving before, and activity 99.9% die. This used to absolutely panic me. But, now I get that this is just the inevitability of a long-term roleplay sometimes. It is often an indicator that something needs to change. Adding a fun event, or a new plot drop can make all the difference.  We recently did an Avatar: The Last Airbender AU that really boosted activity! If that doesn’t help, troubleshoot by messaging rph’s who offer opinions or rp help, or straight up asking your members what they’d like. Both can have great insight on what you can improve. But, be ready to not always hear what you want to. 

I hope this was helpful! If you come off anon and send me a message, I would be more than happy to chat with you further in private messages and answer more questions. I am genuinely so jazzed to see new literate/semi-literate roleplays pop up!

- Admin L

[ispywithmythirdeyeofficialbct]

Welcome all, and Goodbye Sun! Spent all day on uni today. So here's a reeeeeally long post. A lot to reflect on. My writing style may seem odd to some, but its how I retain a good memory of it all, by putting a lot of words on paper. So here's my paper of reflections on my first day back in #ctec502 with Roy and our korero.

Also my paint arrived. Hell YES. MORE PAINTING.

Carol Dweck on The Power of Yet,

I like that there is this method of teaching, how we think at a very young age, the power of critical and developing thought. It is innately in built into us from a time perhaps before birth, since it is consciousness that we are transforming and interpreting here, using our capacity to think, but CONSCIOUSLY.

There has been a book available in a well voice acted audio version on YouTube called The Tao of Pooh. This insightful little story teaches us the way of the Tao, as in the perspective of Lao Tzu, a particularly old and equanimous monk.

In the famous Winnie the Pooh by A.A.Milne, the archetypal too-busy-working, close/fixed-mindset, is played by the character Rabbit, a woodland creature that is so caught up in their mind they don't actually interpret what they experience or can learn from others or themselves.

In relevance to Carol Dweck's studies into 'the power of yet', it really is all about culture, ethics, opportunities and social conditioning. Childrens minds are like sponges were told, and we see it everyday, even in ourselves. We understand that yes, there is a need for workers and people who can do repetitive tasks, as how it is taught in a modern conventional schooling system, BUT THE ACTUALITY IS to any student where they are given the opportunity to choose what they want to learn, are made aware of how they can learn and evolve when given a certain challenge, in a non judgemental and constructive environment, we can drastically enhance the collective intellect of our whole interlinked social network within the short span of a year as claimed by Carol Dweck.

Here is some art that was created by myself during a 4 day Stay at Home MURAL Festival that had the theme of bringing light to issues of the world but in a positive and beautiful way.

With over 700 artists in 50 or more countries... even this simple idea to bring intelligent and simple, beautiful, artistic, childish action, that's bold for its first year running!! All from Covid-19.

Casey Reas on Digital Algorithm Art

In the first online lecture given by Roy, I was surprised we would be using algorithms so quickly in our physical work, and it took me back to my day of using procedure based processing to create scenes in a program made to generate 3D environments, this program was called Terragen 2.

Using the software called Context Free to render simple shapes and sophisticated 'real' clouds in a 2D representation even if it is generated in 3 dimensions if programmed, (and 4 dimensions if animated) it was interesting to understand why my PC I used up to 10 years ago clogged with animal fur, would die on me when I left it to render a scene in ridiculously high quality over a period of multiple hours. It was because of the amount of shapes I'd set my PC to fully render without understanding that the picture is more sophisticated than a simple blink and reality is made, it is GROWN AS A SERIES OF INTERCONNECTED OBJECTS and it adapts to or from the environment with the interconnectedness that is afforded by their state of consciousness (programming) and the matrix of energy they take form as in this sedimentary moment in reality.

The past affects the future render layer in a moment of rendering. Also the future affects the past layer by building or deleting or transforming itself, this seed from moment to moment. This Animation. To give an object a code or seed to existence, even if you can't control all of its inputs, simplicity can create diversity and complexity and vice versa.

The amount of revelation I can place in rendering in procedural matrix or lattice realities...I would love to see that in my work on mixed media and mixed reality assignments or projects I endeavour to entertain or seek out.

But this in itself is a paradox. Am I pulled to this future by my simple minded flow toward this source, as is entropy, as is the movement of all things. ..There is more than black and white to all situations. Usually it's black and white or white and black. Lighter darks or darker lights.

I wouldn't be at university because I didn't have a revelation to attend it last year. I wouldn't be at university if I felt so depressed I needed to leave. I wouldn't be at university if I wasn't allowed to attend. Nevertheless I know. I know that I am pulled forward to where I'm meant to be, as much as I am falling into old habits, they're not old, they're new, but its my consciousness that calls them old and tries to outdo the habit one moment, while another moment were relieved we didn't listen to the critical mind saying we shouldn't do what we don't want to do. Everything has a cause and effect like the render in window. Like my life on pen and paper. Like my mind engaged in its word spinning and weaving.

I digress back to my art in context of the Casey Rea's YouTube video.

A fun aspect of my art is it would look amazing even in a quick render with plenty of visual noise, but I love the simplicity of procedural based virtual world and object creation and the layers it can develop or devolve into.

Another thing is using Photoshop to apply visual post production enhancements was also something I really enjoyed as a part of the iterative process, and this has been reaffirmed in a book I have just picked up called Photoshop for 3D artists V1 by 3dtotal Publishing.

I watched all the videos recommended by Roy in his pdf today from the lecture and I can summarise my views on them:

Carol Dweck: This type of learning should be more widespread in our culture. Only way it will change is if we change, and teach others the same way. It begins with us. I enjoy the way Roy engages with us in our lectures like we're human beings and not students. I think this is the most important thing about his teaching that enthuses me, and the themes of his classes are quite informative.

Casey Reas: I like his work, I'm not new to this idea of art, but I did like to see his process. I wouldn't certainly seek out a video like that one given but it definitely was insightful into his particular environment and methods of producing ideas.

John Maeda: Wow this guy really looks like he's on the guide for dummies, and he definitely could write a few of them. Was a great insight into his perception of reality and how he expressed his ideas and himself was also simplified complex ideas and that they are readily available to see or interact with including his book. Simple. It's right there in front of you. All it takes is a shift in perception to discover what was currently scanned over as unimportant details by our consciousness. It's all right there in front of us, or if we feel something, from within us.

Warren Berger: Well to be honest, he didn't excite me as many of the other videos because his idea was so simple and not really that much of a paradigm shift within myself. It always can come down to refinement of an unwanted edge. Does one see a wave as something that can be answered? Can you answer that question? How about the question preceding this one? Can a bird fly as well as a fly can bird? Why is a raven like a writing desk? Why do we play 20 questions? We are always in an iterative process of rendering our existence and our legacy in this reality by the choice we have when faced with a question. Depending on its complexity or cryptically contrived hindrances, we will always be faced making a choice, or answer the question of our existence, with our consciousness in this moment. And can we use that moment to ask something we have never thought we had an idea about before...like why isn't my skin purple? Where did my consciousness come from and why is it specifically in belief that I am me, every time I get up at 8 am, but not while I am in the throes of a dream?

Riddle me that and I'll ask you why

Cottleston, cottleston, cottleston pie.

I have seen my lives

In my eye

Simply put, I never die

It's not a riddle, it's who am i

Cottleston, cottleston, cottleston pie.