#totally improvised so no pattern

[mrvelocipede]

My old tea cozy was falling apart, so I have knitted a new one out of cotton yarn. The glass vase used to belong to one of my great-aunts. I wish my dropcloth was less hideously wrinkled, but I do not currently have the means to iron it.

[the-fiction-will-knit-the-real]

doing the math is fun until you have to actually make your own pattern

making your own patterns is fun until you have to actually do the math

[t00thpasteface]

tell me your favorite M*A*S*H* headcanons please

aaaaaa that's so vague (" ´д`)ゞ but i do have a lot of random headcanons that are admittedly just projection from myself and my family, like...

hawkeye was a really lanky kid who knew a lot about fish anatomy and biology but couldn't actually reel anything in to save his life, and he's lost multiple big catches as a result; his dad poked fun at him for it but still invited him to every fishing trip. hawkeye also got kinda desensitized to gore pretty early on while helping his dad clean fish they caught.

part of the reason mulcahy and kathy are so close is because they were hellish to each other as kids. just full on trying-to-kill-each-other brawling. mulcahy has a small dark mark on his chest where kathy stabbed him with a pencil and the lead broke off in his skin; he thinks it's funny and will tell people about it because he can take anything in stride at this point, then gets surprised when people are appalled by it.

klinger would absolutely crush it at sewing little plushie animals and dolls, and he considers it a thrifty use of scrap materials. sometimes he looks for patterns in catalogues, other times he improvises them. he gives pretty much all the dolls away.

potter knows a bunch of lasso tricks; he can still make a big lasso loop and jump through it, and whenever there's a little kid in camp they like to try and see if he can lasso them while they're scampering around (he totally can).

Comphet Lesbian Houlihan. being surrounded by an overwhelmingly male-dominated and sexist institution from day one, and therefore constantly surrounded by obsessive and disparaging remarks about women and the attractiveness thereof, she just figures everyone is as attracted to women like that, and takes her own lesbian attraction for granted without examining it further: of course she thinks women are attractive, everyone does!

bj's nicknames for erin once he's back home are "baby erin" and "er-bear" and everything she owns (clothes, toys, room decor, etc) is either baby pink or grass green.

[igucci]

My first time making a felt doll...well, it came out OK, kinda cute...actually, i think, really cute. i did want to add stuffing, but i didnt have enough felt. T_T

I drafted the design first, put the parts on seperate layers, then assembled them like a pattern... it was easier than i expected, but still a bit of work!

I'll share the pattern and the design below, so you can try it for yourself if you like (though i did end up improvising a lot of things. I totally forgot his harness and the pants stripe, somehow!) anyway, i guess it can be considered a sort of early christmas gift to you. ^^

[hibernationfibres]

This little strawberry bag turned out adorable!! For my wonderful friend who is so gnomecore and introduced me to this song 🥺🍓✨ sorry I totally forgot to film the interesting part 😅

Pattern: for the stitch I used the YouTube video by naztazia - the rest was improvised!

Yarn: Stylecraft ReCreate recycled yarn

[dino-boyo-agere]

The blankies bear from this post is done. I'm really happy how he turned out!! <3

It's a really easy project, it only took about three and a half hours to make this cutie!

.･｡ﾟ✧Details on how I made this baby under the cut✧ﾟ｡･.

I don't really have a pattern, I just improvised the Template..

For the body/ blanket I just cut a rectangle in the size that I wanted & I drew (freehanded) the following templates in a fitting size hehe

I drew each template on the back side of the fabric with chalk, two times, one time flipped over, so it's mirrored. I use chalk because it doesn't bleed through and is easy to wash out.

Then I cut around the lines, making sure I don't cut on the lines I drew. Those lines are to guide me on where to sew. Always leave seem allowance!!

For the ears, I did 2 for each ear with one template, so 4 pieces in total.

Each two parts of the cut outs are sewn together, with the side of the fabric you want on the outside, touching. So while sewing the outside is on the inside.

It's important to leave a big enough opening to be able to flip the sewn together pieces inside out. You can close the opening by using the ladder stitch. I made a tutorial; how to do that, it's linked at the top of this post!

.ﾟ｡.･.*.ﾟ☆❗only interact if your blog is SFW❗☆ ﾟ.*.･. ｡ﾟ.

[twstmagica]

Fetch Quest part 1

From the way Crowley had hyped it up, Yuu had expected acquiring a new magic gem to be an epic quest. She envisioned delving deep into the earth, scaling treacherous caverns, and narrowly dodging ferocious beasts. What they got instead was a relatively peaceful stroll.

Yuu says relatively because her company was totally dragging down the vibes.

“Myah! Are you crazy! It’s pitch black in there!” 

Fire Catcoon, don't you have literal flames coming out your ears?

“I can't believe I’m stuck with a literal scaredy cat! This is pathetic.” 

Stop egging him on Ace. That attitude is literally how you got here in the first place. 

“You – !”

“Shut up! Both of you!” Fed up, Yuu seized them by an ear each.

“Yeouch!”

“What the fuc – !”

The brats struggle but there's no escape. “We’re here because the two of you couldn't handle one day without starting a fight that destroyed seven hallways!” Also Deuce’s shit aim but he wasn't being a problem right now.

 The duo tries to protest but Yuu digs her nails into their ears.

Deuce watches in discomfort but doesn't actually try to stop her. Good.

“From now until we get back, I’m in charge, and I won't tolerate any more arguing. Are. We. Clear.” Yuu practically hisses the last part.

“Like I'm gonna –” Yuu pinches harder and twists. “Okay!”

Satisfied that order had been restored, Yuu surveyed the trio. Grim was still nursing his sore ear, Ace had retreated a few steps, shooting daggers with his glare, and Deuce was standing ramrod straight.

“So what's the plan then O’ mighty leader.” 

Ace's sarcasm was thick, but Yuu ignored it. She had a job to do.

If she was being honest, Yuu didn't actually have much experience with leadership. Still, she could improvise. Channeling her experience teaming up against fiends, Yuu tries to imitate some of the squad leaders she's worked with. 

“We go in staggered column formation. Myself at point, Grim and Ace take left and right respectively, and Deuce at the rear.” Yuu glares at them, daring anyone to interrupt.

“In the event of a hostile encounter, I’ll engage because I’m the only one with actual combat experience,” – Fire Catcoon starts to speak up but a pointed look silences him – “while Grim acts as my backup,” thanks to that night in Ramshackle she at least has an idea how he fights. “Ace and Deuce will provide cover fire when needed. Any questions?”

Deuce nervously raises a hand. “What's a staggered column formation?” Shifting in place he follows up, “and, uh, cover fire?”

Yuu blinks. Oh, right. Despite this world's freaky magic these people are still basically civilians. Glancing at the other two Yuu suspects they didn't understand much more than Deuce, but were too proud to admit it.

Motioning them over, she kneels down and starts drawing in the dirt.

 “So we are going in with a four point zig-zag pattern,” Yuu starts, drawing four circles connected by a line.

“I’m this dot at the front, then Grim is a little behind to my left, Ace will be further back at Grims right, and we end with you at the back on Ace’s left.”

Deuce is looking avidly at her crude sketch and nods. Despite his aggression from today's earlier fiasco the blunett was being surprisingly cooperative. 

“Cover fire means that if we get in a fight, while Grim and I move forward, you and Ace will use long range spells when we knock an enemy back.” I stand up and dust off my pants.

Fists clenching in determination Deuce looks in my eyes, “Got it!” 

That's the spirit!

Too bad Ace has to speak up. “You're putting the weasel before us? What the hell?”

“Grim is my backup because we’ve fought together before and know how to avoid getting in each other's way.”

At this Grim puffs up with pride. “Yeah!”

“And I've been in combat situations since I was ten. So I’d say I'm qualified to decide this stuff.”

“Wait what?”

Ignoring Ace I summon my scepter, “Alright, nothing else? No? Great.”

“What's that about you fighting since you were ten?”

“I’ll tell you later. Now squad, get in formation.”

“Yeah!” Deuce and Grim cheer. Ace is still looking at me dubiously but he gets in position. 

“Hold still, I'm going to cast a support spell. Grim, we did this before with the dorm ghosts.”

Grim’s tail wiggles as eyes light up with recognition. “The butterfly thing that made me stronger!”

“That's the one. Now, [Dreamer’s Blessing]!”

Shimmering butterflies spiral gently from my scepter and envelop the trio in a gentle glow.

“Alright, let's go!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've got this and the end sorted but the fight scene in the middle is giving me trouble so I'm just splitting the mine into three parts. Part three is the start of where this au really diverge but it doesn't feel right to just 'yada yada' away the things that lead up to that.

[losojos-decupido]

🎄 she hasn’t quite decided on a nickname for him yet. fogeykins? gadokins? fogey? but the time to figure it out isn't afforded to her — especially not with the bough of mistletoe hanging right above their heads, vibrantly verdant and hard to miss. no matter. a lady always knows how to improvise.

"and who better to find myself under the mistletoe with than none other than prince charming himself?" dorothea teases, leaning in with a devilish grin as her finger traces a slow pattern over his chest. "you know, for all that talk about home... you’ve yet to show me how those from solm steal hearts, fogado. tsk, tsk!"

he has to be the most careful around the people he loves the most.

flirting with random passersby that he sees in the hall is easy because it's something he's done all his life. people know him as the boy with a big heart and a smooth tongue---it's so easy to adhere to an idea when nobody bothers looking past it.

but for the people that know him, even if it's just a little more than his surface, he has to be so damned careful. he can't risk mixing anything personal into what he does, especially for a day like this. he has to keep it light and fun---making sure the other person has a good time, making sure they're happy. that's all he wants.

so when dorothea approaches him under the mistletoe, the first thing fogado thinks is that he has to make this as pleasant as possible for her. the two of them are quite similar, he thinks, and for someone that has to brave the world like he does he must give her the utmost. it's what any good friend would do, right? " boy, what a coincidence, huh? " fogado hums, smile shimmering like the tinsel that decks the halls. " guess you're the luckiest gal in the whole monastery. i'm known for bein' hard to catch~ "

he flourishes his arms as dorothea pulls closer, shrugging dramatically. " all this talk about my beautiful country and i haven't even shown you how i put the moves on. shame on me, am i right? " his smile is genuine. it's rare that anyone bothers to meet his flirtatious banter and rarer that it's with someone who holds so much space in his heart. he has to be so careful.

dorothea's fingers run over his chest and fogado invites them upwards with his own hand. his fingers gently catch hers and pull, up, up to his lips where he gently crowns them with a kiss. " you'll let me make it up to you, right? " he mumbles through her skin, eyes flitting up to stare through long lashes.

he kisses her hand, then her palm, then her wrist. after intertwining their fingers, fogado closes the gap between them, totally still and totally calm. with his other hand he gently grabs her chin, tilting her head up so that he can reach. fogado comes closer, lips missing hers and pulling towards her ear, and then, in a tone sugar-sweet and syrupy---

" it's hard knowing what to do when i don't see pretty ladies like you in solm. can you blame me? "

he trails kisses along dorothea's cheek before cupping his hand over her face and finally, finally do his lips meet hers. despite all of the buildup, the actual kiss is nowhere near as fancy or full of playboy affect. it's soft and cool like an evening breeze, only daring to go as far as dorothea reciprocates. fogado's heart feels fit to burst---agh, how much he loves loving and all of the people he wants to love---but all he can think about is how dorothea feels. is she content with this? is this what she wants? has fogado given her enough chances to back out, to reconsider?

how blessed he is to have so many friends he cares for so deeply. how terrible it is that he must force himself to love them in moderation. but that is simply the way of life for the prince of solm.

when he feels the kiss has reached a natural end, fogado pulls away, winking. " so? " he whispers cheekily, eagerly. " have i stolen your heart solmic style yet? "

[pants-magic-pants]

Ahoy, loveys!

I'll be hopping around to what I feel like, so for tonight... Materials for decorating the coat! It's the main, most consistently seen pretty shiny stuff that made the coat look... just right. 👌 But not everything. Click the diagram for a better view. More information and photos of my original findings are under the cut.

This was actually the first thing I did when it was decided I'd make the coat, was scribble out a diagram like you see above and go on multiple scavenger hunts, and search online, and then fail to find stuff and realize I'd have to make it somehow. The cabochons in particular, the ones that look like blue jewels, had to be made from hot glue and nail polish and colored paper, and it was a lot of fun. There will be a separate post about how to do that.

What was also great is there was still room to improvise and find other pretty decorations that matched and looked cool. I enjoyed getting to whip out my bead collection. I also made the little gold circular pieces from scrunched up wrapping paper.

Anyway, hoping these Aria Couture pictures with corresponding letters to different pieces will be helpful in pointing out where they are seen. She has a blog post mentioning that all the tiny stuff was meticulously sewn on, while the large stuff just dropped in with glue, and it's... true. It was hours upon hours, upon days, upon weeks, sewing a pattern of seed beads onto lace pieces, but worth it. The cuff trim also had some small beads sewn in, so I wouldn't have to worry so much about them falling off from me shuffling around.

(It's like a jewel pizza, in'it?)

Everything else was either placed on top of a network of hot glue or weaved between or underneath it. I actually never got around to sewing the strings of black discs. Maybe in the future.

Besides the cabochons, a lot of this is easy to find at craft stores. The sea glass was from a $10 container of larger chunks in different colors. I put it in a pillowcase and slammed it onto the sidewalk like a totally sane person, then ended up using the different sized pieces for multiple projects, including the buttons. (Separate post for that too.)

Uhhh I feel like I'm forgetting something, so if anyone has questions just ask.

[severalpossiblemusiks]

@lightineventide and I had a short discussion about understanding how to appreciate different music genres, sports, art styles, etc., and I figured it'd be good to make a big old post about how to understand each genre in it's own right, rather than comparing it to another genre. Which kinda falls into a life motto I have been developing: "you can find something you like in anything you look at, you just have to know what you're looking at". Cause once you learn to appreciate each different thing for what it is, all of the sudden you find yourself liking way more stuff than before.

So for music:

Rock, punk, and metal tend to focus on things like tempo, riffs, and look/attitude. So when looking for what makes a band or song appealing in these genres, those are probably the major cues you're looking for: do the riffs sound cool? Is the tempo something you can headbang or mosh to? Do you like the image they present? Of course with how many subgenres of punk and metal and rock there are, you can find more specific things to look for in whichever subgenre you're being introduced to. Elitists will often argue that a certain genre of punk or metal isn't "real" punk or metal for some surface level reason often repeating to the tempo/riff/look combo, among other reasons. But ignore these people. They're the equivalent of right wingers telling you why something sucks cause it's woke.

Classical and opera focuses on the harmonics and musical framework of the piece. Classical is almost a "meta" appreciation. Rather than just liking the music cause it slaps (though this is a very valid way to enjoy classical music), I found my appreciation for classical deepened when I found myself looking for how the music was presented. Of course this meta level of appreciation requires some knowledge of music theory and classical music forms (why a sonata is different from a concerto, which is different from a symphony, etc.). You can still appreciate classical without all the music theory meta, and I actively encourage you to enjoy classical outside of the meta analysis of the music, cause it beats elitists who think you need a BA in music to like Bach when you can also just go "music go weeee".

Jazz focuses on improvisation and phrasing. Most jazz tunes have a kind of pattern: you introduce the main melody of the tune, you play a verse and chorus, then you improvise around those melodies, and eventually you return to the main melody and finish the song. The improvisation in the middle is usually where the magic happens. Experienced jazz players can change keys a lot, reference other famous tunes (I think it was Charlie "Bird" Parker was a great fan of classical composer Igor Stravinsky, and would find ways to work phrases of Stravinsky pieces into his solos). Some kinds of jazz also feature a similar vibe to rap battles, where two members of the jazz group try to outdo each other in their improv sections (very common in bebop jazz and their "cutting sessions"). So to appreciate jazz it helps to notice when they go into the improvisation sections, and see how they change and adapt the original melody.

Folk music is about as "by the people, for the people" as you can get. A lot of the tunes are simple, the words can very massively, even having two totally different songs for the same melody (for example, "Red is the Rose" and "Loch Lomond" have the exact same melody, but wildly different lyrics). Folk is probably best appreciated when you know the history behind the song, if anyone knows what the history is. Folk songs are often steeped in local culture, so understanding a Scottish folk song will be greatly assisted by understanding Scottish history and culture, similarly flamenco will be best understood when you look into Spanish culture and history, cause these different elements of history and culture will affect the musical traditions and explain why the song sounds the way it does. I found I started to appreciate rap a lot more when I thought of it as a sort of modern folk song tradition: understanding the history of black Americans and the racism and abuse they received and how they used rap to touch on those subjects.

I can't think of more musical genres and traditions to use as examples, but I think this gets the idea across (hopefully). Each music genre is very different, and so to appreciate each genre properly you have to understand where they're coming from. And of course you can skip all of that and go "I like this cause it sounds cool", but for people like me who overthink their love of music, stuff like this can be very helpful, because sometimes you do just have to recontextualize your conception of music and cultures to get an idea of why it sounds the way it does, and that recontextualization can also help you find what you like.

Hope this helps somebody, and anyone who wants can reblog with their thoughts, additions, critiques, compliments, etc.

[tweedlestrove]

Part 8 of A Treatise of Embroidery, crochet, and knitting with illustrations

By George C. Perkins, Anna Grayson Ford, and M. Heminway & Sons Silk co circa 1899

Please note, this book was written in 1899, and as such uses a racist term to refer to the dyes that were used for the thread. If you'd like to read more about this period in time, the term, and the stereotypes that the Victorians had, I've actually linked the wikipedia article here that goes more in depth. It's not the end all be all of it, but it's a good starting place for anyone wanting to educate themselves on the topic.

The alt text for the page on the left containing the actual embroidery pattern is written below:

Page 31. Lessons in Embroidery.

This is the chart for the embroider by letters/numbers diagram on this page.

La France Rose. (Pink.) Flower: 580 is shade number 1, 581 is 2, 0582 is 3, 582 is 4, 583 is 5, 584 is 6, 585 is 7, 586 is 8, 0432 is 9, and 432 is 10.

Leaves and stems.

Green:

570 is Shade letter A, 571 is B, 572 is C, 573 is D, 436 is E, 437 is H, 438 is I, 439 is K.

Old Red: 233 is M, and 234 is O.

Rose Design.

Materials. — M. Heminway & Sons' Oriental Dyes, Japan and Spanish Floss.

La France Rose. — 580 to 586, 0432, 432, a645, 0645. Leaves. — 570 to 573, or 0428 to 430, or 436 to 439 Japan Floss ; 233, 234 Japan Floss. Scallop. — 691 Spanish Floss ; also 370 Japan Floss.

Description. — Work the top petals of rose with 0582, 582, shading darker underneath where the leaf turns over with 584, 585. The turn-over leaves make of the lighter shades, 580, 581. A very little of green, 0432 and 432, can be used with effect in one of the lower petals, running the green into the light pink. Also in the fallen petals of rose use these greens with yellow, a645, 0645.

Leaves. — Shade the same as Design No. 138 on page 37, using the red-brown, 233 and 234, for thorns and stems.

Scallop. — Long and short buttonhole with 691 white Spanish Floss, shading with 370 Japan Floss.

In any La France design containing buds just bursting, use darkest shades of pink, 585, 586

There is an illustration of a doily captioned Design No. 239— Double Rose. 22 inch. It has three large roses and one small one paired with one of the larger ones flowing clockwise around the doily. there are also some petals shown scattered from one of the roses as well.

There is also a diagram for the rose captioned Spray of Design No. 239. Showing Slant of Stitches. The stitches curve in the direction of the leaves and petals. I will list off the shade letters/numbers as follows:

The stem begins in D with a thorn done in O emerging on the right, and another one a ways above it emerging on the left. A small sprig of three leaves emerge from the right.

Starting from the upmost leaf which is curled and emerges from the leftmost side of the sprig, we will go row by row.

1st Row, the furled underside of the leaf: A 2nd row onwards, the upper side of the leaf: C, B. 3rd Row: B, C. 4th Row: M, D.

Next leaf, Sprig tip leaf, rows from tip to base:

1st Row: C. 2nd Row: B, A, B. 3rd Row: B, A, A, C. 4th Row: M. 5th Row: C, D, D.

last leaf, bottom leaf but the rightmost leaf on the sprig.:

1st Row: D, A. 2nd Row: C, D, B. 3rd Row: B, B, B, A. 4th Row: A, A. 5th Row: M.

Back to the main stem, we go upwards and there is a thorn done in M just before another sprig emerges from the left. This one does not have any lettering so I would go by the previous pattern or improvise. It does show the lines of the stitches curving with the leaf.

The Stem continues in D with two more thorns on the right side done in M. The receptacle of the flower, aka the green part where the petals emerge from, starts in M and then transitions to C.

There are sepals, the tiny leaves around the flower base, with one on either side. The tips are twisted to reveal the underside and done in A, while the bases are done in B.

Onto the actual rose,

Right bottom outer petal which is opened and nearly totally sideways, done in rows working upward from the bottom to the top.

Row 1: 10, 4, 2, 2. Row 2: 9, 3, 5, 5, 3. Row 3: 5, and the curled over top part of the petal is 3.

Left Bottom outer petal:

Row 1: 2, 3, 7, 6. Row 2: 5. Row 3: 2, 4, 4, 7.

onto the next set of petals, there are three this time emerging from the bottom two:

Left outer Petal:

Row 1: 3, 7, 6. Row 2: 2, 5, 6. Row 3: 2, 4, 3. Row 4:3. Row 5: 3, 5. Row 6: 5. Row 7 has just a slight furl to it which is done in two.

Center Outer Petal:

Row 1: 3, 2, 3, 4. Row 2: 3, 4, 4, 3, 5, 6. Row 3: 5, 6. Row 4 is alternating furled and unfurled bits: 3 unfurled, 3 furled, 2 unfurled, furled and has no number but is likely 3.

Right Outer Petal:

Row 1: 7. Row 2: 5. Row 3: 4. Row 4: 3, 2. Row 5: 2.

Next row of petals, we'll be going right to left this time because the rightmost petal is actually sort of cutting in front of the previous petal and the center outer petal that we just did.

Right Center Petal, both sides furl and join at the center in a point, the left furl says 2, so I would guess the right one is also done in that as well even though it's not numbered.

Row 1: 6, 5, 7. Row 2: 5, 4. Row 3: 2.

Center Petal:

Row 1: 6, 7. Row 2: 5, 5, 4. Row 3 2 is a furled edge that goes diagonally upwards towards unfurled 3, 4, 3 is the unfurled tip of the petal, 2 furled rightmost bit diagonally upwards towards unfurled 3.

Left Center Petal. The edge of this one is completely furled and goes diagonally upwards to a point and comes down. It is done in shades 3 and 2. For the rest of the petal:

Row 1: 5, 6. Row 2: 3, 5. Row 3: 4. Row 4: 4. Row 5: 3.

Now there are three petals left to do and they emerge at a diagonal offset from the previous 3. With the next set, each petal is wider than the previous one, and the first petal is the small centermost petal of the rose while the next two are the outer petals, with the last one emerging from the center of the second to last petal and the corner of the Right Outer Petal we did earlier.

Center Petal: Row 1: 5. Row 2: 3, 4. Row 3 is furled but has no number, I'd go with either 2 or 3 judging from elsewhere in the diagram.

Center Outer Petal:

Row 1: 2, 2, 3.

Outermost petal:

Row 1: 4. Row 2: 3. There is some slight furling around the 3 which is unfurled, one of which is labelled 1. *******

The next few updates will be single page updates since the alt text is very long!

[thenarwhalgal]

Alright so this is possibly the dumbest idea I’ve ever had. But like somehow it holds together almost too well.

Stranger Things crossing over with The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee.

Please let me explain, this is a long one I’m sorry:

If you don’t know, the 25th (what I’m going to call it from now on) is about 5 strange kids from mostly broken families (and Chip) competing to win a spelling bee. It’s a great and really funny musical about trauma and innuendos and just how strange both spelling bees and the kids who compete in them are. Also it has 4 randomly chosen audience members come up to actually participate in the spelling bee itself (pretty cool).

Now here’s why the characters line up almost perfectly. (At least in my understanding of them all, if I’m wrong please argue with me lol I invite it.)

Let’s take the two main leads, Olive Ostrovsky and William Barfée. They line up stupidly well with Nancy and Jonathan. Olive is a pattern seeking brainiac whose only friend is the dictionary with incredibly negligent parents and a very strong desire to escape, which mimics Nancy’s need to hide herself in solving mysteries and finding stories to avoid her own trauma and the complete lack of anybody to ever stick up for her. They both bury themselves in gaining as much knowledge as they can because the worst thing that can happen is to be left with their own thoughts, Olive is also the emotional center of the show. Barfée is a pretty witty and weird kid who pushes everybody else away and holes up into his own little world but also has a heart of gold, mimicking Jonathan’s… well everything.

These two in the 25th end up with a really sweet friendship (and maybe romance?) by the end of the show, both finding understanding in each other for their mutual strangeness. Just like Nancy and Jonathan do. (Barfée is usually double-cast as Leaf’s dad).

Okay but what about the other 4 kids? I’m glad you asked!

Robin makes a wonderful Logainne (Schwartzy) SchwartzandGrubenierre. A very self-loathing loudmouth anxious perfectionist who is a constant disappointment to her parents but has really large dreams. Oh yeah, she also runs the gay-straight alliance at her school. She’s mocked by classmates and at one point during the show goes on a two minute (improvised?) rant about something to do with politics because she finds the bee unfair and wants to run for president one day. And she famously is the one who manages to annoy Panch enough to literally break him. Logainne really just wants happiness for the people around her, despite having a panic attack at the thought of losing she doesn’t want anybody else to lose either. I don’t know if I need to explain why Robin fits here lol but I will if pressed. (Double cast as Leaf’s mom usually.)

Steve! This one is somehow the best fit and I love them both for it. Steve makes a hilariously good Chip Tolentino. Athletic Boy Scout and the reigning champion of the spelling bee. He’s the most outgoing and social and least strange kid in the show but loses in the first act because and I’m not joking, he gets a boner. He sings a whole song about it actually. As he says, life is random and unfair. And he has a strong rivalry with Barfée (Jonathan) to the point they almost fight on stage and in most productions I’ve seen, is weirdly cordial with Leaf Coneybear. Again don’t think I need to explain this one, just change the girl he’s into from Leaf’s sister to Olive (Nancy) and we’re golden. Can’t go unmentioned that Chip’s actor is usually double-cast as Jesus fucking Christ.

Speaking of Leaf Coneybear! Who else but Eddie, like really? Who else but Eddie. Leaf is absolutely the one character confident enough in himself to jump up on a table and make a speech, he’s also totally the type to DM Dungeons and Dragons. Wears a cape he made himself, talks with a sock puppet sometimes, is friendly with everybody but also… is seen as a weird and stupid problem child by both his family and presumably everybody else at the Bee (Which I mean doesn’t fit his uncle but it does fit the town). He doesn’t win his hometown spelling bee and is only there because the two who placed above him had to go to a bat mitzvah. He worries he’s stupid and doesn’t belong there but finds peace in himself by the end. This delightfully mimics Eddie’s coward complex despite the fact he isn’t a coward??? And the fact he almost exists above social rules, uncaring of who anybody else is and usually judging them on character alone. Eddie and Leaf thrive in being strange. Leaf is also the sweetest character in the show you just can’t hate him. (Double cast usually as one of Logainne’s Dads).

This is probably the least good fit unfortunately, anybody who could fit Marcy Park fit in better elsewhere (Robin def would sing ‘I speak 6 languages’ and Nancy is very much the ‘best in everything but broken inside finding happiness in not winning’ girl). But Barb fits fine. She’s got that cold exterior somewhat disappointed in you never really happy with the fact she’s forced to fit in a box but does it anyway vibe. And would definitely purposefully lose and then celebrate like Christmas came early. Like it’s not perfect but it does work if you squint. (You could maybe cast Marcy as Chrissy Cunningham instead? They both do cry in bathrooms and feel trapped in their lives, happier letting go of expectations, Barb is just an easier character to characterize).

Now for the adults!

Best fit is definitely Mitch Mahoney and Jim Hopper. Like come on, this is the one where I was like… oh I’ve got something here. Gruff cop with rough exterior but a heart of gold who finds himself through comforting a lost kid and could easily be seen as a father figure? Please god that lines up so well with the ex-convict knows how rough the world is and wants the kids to know this isn’t that big a deal but finds being a comfort counselor actually fits him very well. Genuinely enjoying making sure these kids are alright and have a juice box. They’re both straight-up good people who just take a little bit longer than most to find their footing. Also Mitch being there for community service would line up with Hopper being there because Joyce dragged him into it. (Usually double cast as both Logainne’s other dad and as Olive’s pretend Dad).

Rona Lisa Perretti is the ‘could be seen as a mother figure’ counterpart to Mitch moderator of the Bee who sees herself in all of the kids and finds true joy in all of it. Joyce Byers might not line up perfectly but it’s such an easy placement okay? Like I mean, you can really tell she loves these kids, bending the rules for them even when she’s not supposed to. Also you cannot convince me Joyce isn’t the type of mom to sign up to run the school spelling bee her son goes to. (Usually double cast as Olive’s pretend Mom)

Vice Principle Douglass Panch is the only one I can’t figure out. It could be Murray, Bob, Clarke, Owens, Yuri, or even Ted (but please god no it’d fit but no) but none fit him well enough to make a call. Infatuated with Rona, had an incident as judge five years ago but claims to be in a better place now (he isn’t). Panch is a really fun character but he’s also the least mentally stable one. If I had to pick I think Murray would fit the established relationships in this crossover the most, and Yuri would fit his character the most. But again, I can’t make a good call on this one.

For the 4 audience members who fill in the ranks? Well, any ‘teen/young adult’ members of the show fit. Billy, Chrissy, Heather, Vickie, Argyle… take your pick.

— Additional stuff:

This could be easily played as a love triangle between Nancy (Olive), Jonathan (Barfée), and Steve (Chip) which works way too well for both sets of characters. It could also be played as Ronance (my personal pick lol) because Olive and Logainne I mean - if you don’t put Olive with Barfée that ship is like, right there. Olive helping Logainne through her panic attack it’s so sweet. And Olive x Her Dictionary hilariously lines up with Nancy x Her guns.

Again Chip and Leaf are weirdly friendly with each other and they’re also funfact the biggest ship on AO3 for this show which again is almost a perfect line up with Steve and Eddie. I have no words it’s just a funny coincidence. The gay ship between the weird stoner kid and the popular jock kid is universal I guess.

In other non-romantic funny coincidences:

Rona Lisa and Mitch Mahoney I’ve found usually play the good adults in the kids lives who step in and sometimes go as far as adopting some of the kids in many fanfics. Which I mean… yeah that sounds like Joyce and Hopper in the fandom as well.

Logainne has a very pronounced lisp and a tendency to overcomplicate which mimics Robins perpetual inability to stop rambling in front of pretty girls and in stressful situations.

Chip ends up forced to run the bake sale and complains about his ruined mojo, which again for some reason Chip and Steve just are perfect fits for no good reason. What a Little League champion.

Leaf and Marcy are the only two characters to lose and end up happy about it (Olive is a weird case), which is funny because Barb and Eddie are the only two characters here who die! Yay! ):

Nancy and Olive are both seen by everybody around them as the ‘sweet and lovely girl’, but are both intensely broken on the inside.

Marcy (Barb) is the character who gets to literally see Jesus, and Jesus is played by Chip (Steve). You could not have a funnier casting.

Like I mentioned above but it really needs to be highlighted, Chip and Barfée literally get as close to straight up fighting as possible. Chip at one point throws a bag of peanut M&Ms at him which if you don’t know, Barfée is allergic to, and Olive is the one who steps in. You couldn’t line it up better between these three.

The only relationship I can see that sadly doesn’t make it in here… is Robin and Steve . Chip and Logainne just don’t really talk much? I thought about shoving Robin in as Leaf for this reason and it’d work? But not nearly as well. I mean but like… this is my crossover damnit and if I want Chip and Logainne to somehow become absolute besties despite being complete opposites then I will make it happen. Chip really needs companionship and Logainne desperately needs at least one person in her life who supports her, and it’d be by far somehow the most perfect but completely alien from the outside friendship in the show. Which parallels Steve and Robin nicely (The added benefit that nobody would believe they weren’t dating if Robin wasn’t out as gay in this continuity).

————

So like, here’s the thing. I have spent way too long thinking about this, and I had to get it out there. Maybe it works as well as I’ve made it out to, maybe it doesn’t. The point is I think it’d be really funny, and as far as I know nobody has even brought it up so far. Which I get! Like I said, this is possibly the dumbest idea I’ve ever had. But it works way better than it should and I had to make other people understand my vision.

So thanks for reading all of this and please if you want to and have made it this far, give me your thoughts.

[itstimeforstarwars]

Writing Patterns Tag Game

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Tagged by @phoenixyfriend!!

Lava Cake (Galidraan AU, Arla Fett & Rex)

“Would you like to go shopping with me today, Rex?”

The Muddler and The Joxter (Joxter & Hodgkins & Muddler) (this isn't even star wars lol)

On the first day of spring, Hodgkins awoke from hibernation.

Cody’s Day Off (Cody/relaxation)

Cody woke up, and he didn’t have flimsiwork to do.

Three Jedi, Two Clones, and One Force Anomaly (Cody & Rex & Obi-Wan & Anakin & Ahsoka, plus ensemble platonic relationships, Galidraan AU)

When Master Dooku had landed on Galidraan, it was to stop Mandalorians from committing senseless muders.

Unusual Train Delays on the Scrapper Line (Cal Kestis & Prauf, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ezra Bridger, SpectObi AU)

When a Mandalorian fell through the roof of the train, everyone immediately decided that was not their problem.

An Ordinary Date Night (Anidala, Ahsoka & Anakin & Padmé, Ahsoka & Rex)

“Ani!”

Right off the gangplank, Anakin was almost tackled into a hug.

For Old Times' Sake (Quinlan & Obi-Wan, Quinlan/Obi-Wan, Quinlan/Ventress, Padawan At War AU)

The door slid shut behind Obi-Wan, cutting him off from Anakin and the others, and plunging him into total darkness.

Carbon Scoring and Conversation (Ezra Bridger and Obi-Wan Kenobi, SpectObi AU)

Obi-Wan Kenobi, newest member of the Spectres, stepped into the sonic fully dressed, minus weapons.

Alliances, Treaties, and Improvised Planning (Codywan, CWW Sith AU)

It had been a long day.

Blankets and Night Time Thoughts (Codywan)

It had been a long day.

You know, I was gonna make a joke about Phoenix making me realize that I start all of my fics in the exact same way, and then I got to the last two, which I LITERALLY started in the EXACT SAME way. So. Lmao. Either the first sentence gives you a character and important action, or it was a long day. Considering that one of those fics was written five years ago and only posted last month, I've clearly had this pattern for a while.

I tag @thefoundationproject, @ranger-jedi-knight, @campfire-octopus, @personontheswing, @kckenobi, @tarantula-hawk-wasp, and anyone else who wants to play!

[systemrestart]

I finally got the 1st Seihou Project game, Shuusou Gyoku, to run on my computer!! And I got my first Normal 1cc. So to celebrate I wanted to make a post discussing my feelings on it so far. (Plus links to download the game for yourself)

[NOTE: This is exclusively about gameplay, from the perspective of a Touhou enthusiast, so no lore or history, sorry!]

Seihou was meant to be a sort of "sister series" to Touhou, and it definitely shows in many of the patterns, but there are some key differences.

Seihou tends to have lower bullet density overall, but the bullets themselves are Much faster, and the enemies are much more aggressive, with little time to take a breath during bosses and midbosses. Some bosses/enemies even try to tackle you rather than shoot.

Because of this, routing and memorization are more of a factor, but, pulling off a pre-planned dodge for a pattern that would otherwise obliterate you before you even saw it coming, is very satisfying. And there are plenty of areas that can reward improvisation or quick thinking too, so it's not ALL memorization, which I like. A decent mix of both, at least for Easy-Hard difficulties.

Seihou also highly prioritizes grazing; you fill up a gauge as you graze, and this both increases the score you get from the star items, and gives you some extra powerful shots when you collect them. While figuring out Exactly where the hitboxes are can take a bit of trial and error, pulling off a long graze combo and then decimating the enemies with your extra firepower is also super satisfying, AND the benefits kick in at just 1 graze, so even in low density patterns you can milk the rewards by chasing stray bullets to keep the gauge filled.

The only downside to this system is that a lot of the best grazing is done on bosses, and since the bosses never drop star items you can never use your extra shots against them. (With the exception of when the Stage 4 boss sends out some killable enemies)

As for the general design; while the stages can be a bit simple overall, there are some segments that shake things up or try to catch you off-guard, like enemies coming in from the sides to tackle you, or a cool unusual pattern, which I appreciate. The bosses are more challenging and some of them have pretty cool attacks, but sometimes they can also be a little plain...... and sometimes they can be total BS.

Which brings me to my critiques........

There is no way to earn extra lives via good play. You get 3 extra lives at set points (Stage 2, 5, and 6), and that's it. So the only reward for excellent grazing/dodging/scoring is, well, the score itself. Not unusual but I tend to prefer games that give extra rewards for good performance

The hitboxes on the Bomb and Life items are WAY smaller than they appear, so much so you can pass straight through the left or right sides and still not collect them. This can make catching them a pain, particularly in stages where you are Instantly shot at after they drop. Come on, man, just make the hitbox the size of the sprite for vital resources........

The sound and graphic design is....... mixed. The music is pretty good, but the sound design is not as clean as I'd like (plus certain bullets/lasers being...... slightly eardrum-piercing), and the graphics can can cause visibility issues. The biggest offender is Stage 4, which has some backgrounds that make it near impossible to read the enemies flying down at you. Borderline unfair at points.

There are also some bullets that are super tiny, and they're usually used as 'spam' IN COMBINATION with either homing or complex patterns, making them a HUGE pain in the ass. Might not be a Criticism per se but I did want to complain lmao

There is no grace window when you're hit, but dying doesn't cancel out a bomb activation, so what will often happen is: you'll see you're about to get hit, press Bomb the second you do, and then you lose BOTH a life AND one of your freshly replenished bombs. Very frustrating

I think that's it for now! There are some quality of life improvements I wish it had, like item magnetizing or deathbombing, but overall I've been having a LOT of fun with this game, and I think people who love the Touhou games should give them a try!!

For anyone who wants it, here is a link to download it, as well as links and instructions for getting it to run on modern hardware. There is also apparently a fanmade patch released recently, that allows it to run without 3rd party help? Here is the page on that if you wanna check it out

[battaliaart]

Barely Late ArtFight Mass Revenge

I fully intended to have this posted at 11:59 right before the fight ended, but I got totally screwed by the file being too large and I ended up missing the submission window by what must have been no more than five seconds. I'm absolutely crushed, but that's no reason to withhold these revenges I've done for twelve different people for an entire eleven months.

I decided to do something a bit different this year: instead of digital headshots, I went with traditional, which naturally ended up evolving into fullbodies on its own. Had it successfully submitted it would have been worth 240 points towards Team Vampire, but alas.

I’m DMing this post to each of the revenge recipients. Details (from left to right) and what I would’ve written in the post body below the cut.

ShippyFishy // Mr. Capgras - I love the pile of neuroscience in this dude’s ToyHouse bio, what a great concept! I got his colour sequence slightly wrong, but sadly there’s no ctrl-z in traditional ahah

Ragpie // Ash the Hyena - Your designs are so fun despite my having a hard time with them! The colouring’s a bit off but I hope you enjoy regardless.

ArtisticDingo // Cat-Cus (Cat Cactus) - I would have this thing in my house tbh

RadiantzRain // Paige - Thanks for your interest in my characters! Your designs were a bit difficult for me but I’m glad I had the opportunity to use my neon sharpies!

M0LT3NS0LAR1X // Magmyna - I also love fire themed characters, hope i did this one justice!

Sir_Artiax // Shadowstalker - Fun fact, one of my dragon characters used to share their name with this guy! I didn’t have enough shades of gray to accurately portray this design, but I’m happy with how it turned out regardless.

ArtieMason // Queen Blue - I enjoy the lore behind your characters! This one greatly suffered from me not having the right colours, I tried to touch it up a bit in post.

SumpfDOG // Sumpfii-Dogbb - I’m honoured to be one of your first ever ArtFight targets! I hope you like my rendition of your doggo.

Taneon // Hallowmile - Our yearly battle continues! As usual I love your designs to bits. I totally messed up her tail but I tried to correct it in post.

Motz // Demeter - I tried my best to capture this character’s confident personality in their pose. I didn’t have enough shades of tan so I improvised the design a bit, hope you enjoy regardless!

3stherlvo3scats // 05/ “All or none shall perish - I adore characters with themes of duality and those who result from experiments! If I had more time I would’ve done a scene with both Blossom and Decay.

Seathea // Atrax - Hope I got this character’s personality right! The wing pattern was difficult with traditional but I’m glad it came out alright.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ATTACKING ME! You can download the file in full quality here. I’ll soon upload it to ToyHouse and attempt to tag all the relevant characters I can find, please reach out if you want it added and the profile isn’t readily available. Please let me know if you have any questions / requests regarding this attack :)

[the-90s-music-colosseum]

Happy Birthday Flea!!! Fun fact/refresher, depending on how insane you are about one of these men, that Flea, Damon Albarn and Tony Allen formed a jam band (Flea laughs at calling it a supergroup) for one album, both entitled Rocket Juice & The Moon.

Rocket Juice’s launch pad was the Albarn-helmed Africa Express touring collaboration; a 2008 Lagos date provided the initial connection between Flea and Allen, and sparked jam sessions with Albarn. These evolved into a full album, with guests including US soulstress Erykah Badu, Malian songbird Fatoumata Diawara, keyboardist Cheick Tidiane Seck, Ghanaian rapper Manifest and Chicago siblings Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

Flea: ‘Supergroup sounds pretty silly,’ giggles irreverent superstar and intrepid talent Flea. ‘Damon and Tony are two musicians I admired plenty before I worked with them. Damon’s an amazing musician, and his storytelling ability on a song like Poison seems to be in his blood. And Tony, man, he’s just a treasure. He’ll lay down this funky wicked groove and I just want to get into the middle of it. It’s like being freezing, then immersing yourself into a hot bath. (...) ‘The Rocket Juice album was made with no preconceived plan,’ adds Flea. ‘The playing never felt like a means to an end. We totally improvised over a few meetings, left it wild so it feels cosmic and loose. I love to just jam; my life mission is to play music in the moment.’ (...) ‘Damon’s very English, I’m from Hollywood, Tony’s from Nigeria… and our hearts are all in the same place,’ says Flea.

Damon: ‘You blend all of these things into your life; that’s the secret – otherwise you go stark raving mad,’ says Albarn. Despite his laddish Blur persona, he mostly seems happy being a driving force rather than commanding the spotlight: ‘I am part of a lot of things that are converging at the moment. On Rocket Juice, I’m just having a whale of a time in the background, playing, messing around on silly keyboards. It was an amazing meeting of minds with Tony and Flea, and most of these tracks were one-take wonders. We bounced all over the place.’ (...) projects such as Rocket Juice are as liable to draw as much ‘purist’ criticism as they are crossover praise. ‘I’ve always had an inquiring mind; music has been a constant search and battle with myself,’ says Albarn, smiling. ‘And it took me years not to take criticism negatively. It was strange at the Brits (where Blur won the Outstanding Contribution Award this year), being 17 years older than the other participants in the pageant. I remember what it was like originally, and there’s a marked change in my outlook now; over time you learn to create order, and not be afraid of chaos.’

Tony: ‘When Damon calls me, I might not always know what he’s aiming at, but I know it’s not bullshit,’ says Allen, with gruff fondness. The Afrobeat architect’s highly distinctive drum patterns open the Rocket Juice album; Allen was also part of another Albarn outfit, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, and he collaborates on Albarn's opera Dr Dee. ‘He feels like an inseparable music partner,’ he says. (Couldn't find a direct quote from Tony about Flea, but I'm sure the two got on great!)

This is wonderful! I now feel like there's a collaboration or at least friendship between most of our beloved 90s musicians, like you could pick two names at random and they'd have a project together. Creativity and talent everywhere.