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tunastime · 6 months ago

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Recovery One

Washington undergoes experimental surgery: installing Project Freelancer's AI program into his head. Epsilon tries to break his way out of Washington's skull. Washington deals with the symptoms of a thing that wants nothing but to escape.

aeuhmmm so I got a little silly with the freelancers again and decided to write something about what wash and epsilon might've gone through before it was extracted for obvious reasons. this is chapter one! tagged this pretty heavily on ao3 but tw for blood, injury, medical procedures, emotional hurt/comfort, and trauma. (3238 words) (read it on ao3!)

The walls of the Mother of Invention seem colder tonight. It's like Washington's body is a heat source, and the hard beds of Recovery One are the sink, drawing every last shred of warmth from where his flimsy surgical clothes meet cloth. He can feel the handful of sensors stuck to his skin, along the inside of his left wrist, keeping careful track of his heart rate, his oxygen, and his blood pressure. The base of his skull is still aching, a thrum that settles equally in the channel of his spine.

Cold, shivering, curled pathetically on that hard mattress, Washington is trying to sleep. He's twitchy, stomach twisted into rough knots, and every time he shuts his eyes the spinning of the world only gets worse. The gravity on Invention is generated by a massive column of constantly pulsing electricity, but if Wash were to step foot onto the ground below him, he's certain he'd float upward far too quickly. Or fall face down. One of those would definitely happen.

He tries to breathe through the wave of nausea that passes. It's all a byproduct of the chip in his skull. The voice is quiet for now. They're fighting to use the same body—his body, with all its human joints and mostly untorn muscles and surficial bruises and just a handful of really broken bones. It hurts like something electric shudders just under the first few layers of skin, or like someone took his nerves and ran them through the shredder. He kind of feels like the paper in the shredder, or the shredder itself. Or maybe the paper when it’s half in the shredder and half out. When's the last time he held a piece of paper? Did people still shred paper? He breathes again.

He's under a 24 hour watch. Twenty four hours of this. He screws his eyes shut and the ship around him swings back and forth on a pendulum. He digs his fingers into the muscles of his shoulders and tries to breathe through it. The stars start to fade after a moment of breaths through his teeth. North used to joke about how anxious Theta made him—that swing of artificial fear through his nervous system, how he had to breathe through the waves of adrenaline to keep himself level. Little spikes happened now and then, making a purely perfunctory condition ten times worse, but North seemed to nurture himself until the feeling gave way to something productive.

Wash isn’t having that much luck.

It wasn’t something easy to pin down. He wasn’t just anxious, or sad, or angry. He wasn’t happy, or disgusted, or a middle combination of the emotions he knew how to regulate. It felt like a swirl of everything, of nothing, completely out of his grasp. The AI—Epsilon—was having a field day as he tore open the synapses of Wash’s standing memory and tried to make room. And Wash was fighting back. The lines had already begun to blur and Wash could only assume the after-effects were due to that unalignment, that unmeshed surface. Epsilon needed a blank slate. It was the only thing Wash wasn’t able to offer.

When he breathes again, his stomach turns violently. He lurches, hands grasping at the cool bedside, swallowing hard. His hands shake as they hold onto the smooth surface below him. Okay, fine—eyes open. Another breath out of his teeth. He can taste sour in the back of his mouth.

The world is foggy when he opens his eyes again. He drags himself up slowly as his head continues to spin like a wobbly top. The top sheet comes with him, wrapped over his shoulders as he drags himself into the bathroom. There’s a moment where he wobbles, stepping forward for the first time, socked foot firmly set on the floor. He can’t even think—the quiet that was there seems to settle into a background of whispers he can’t make out. He speaks out loud to himself, trying to get a word into his crowded brain, or to force himself to step forward.

“I need a drink, that’s it,” he says, in a voice he’s not sure is entirely his own anymore. He swallows again. Anything to get the taste out of his mouth. He can hear that echo of a voice bounce around inside his skull as he drags himself forward uneasily.

“Please,” Wash manages to garble out. “I can’t… I can’t help you.”

He manages to stumble to the doorway of the bathroom, sheet left crumpled at his feet as he braces hard on the edge of the sink. His breaths come fast and hard as he stands upright, fingers white-knuckled where they grip the countertop. The world tilts, and he feels his body slump into the wall beside him. The white light of the room does little to obscure the sheen of sweat on his face, or the way his hands shake as he tries to turn on the faucet. He cups his hands. The water is cold on his flushed and feverish skin. He presses his cool, damp palms to his eyes and drinks from his hands. Washington breathes. The world seems to settle as the cool air hits his skin. He’s not seeing double for now.

The moment of reprieve is short-lived. His stomach folds over itself, rolling a cold, then hot wave across his skin as he doubles over the sink. The voice inside his head is slamming against the walls of his skull like it could break through. He can’t understand the words, how they crush and morph together against the new spike of pain behind his eyes, but it sounds like screaming. Something scared, and horrified, and desperate, pleading. But maybe that’s him.

He gags. The rest of his dinner comes up in the sink. He coughs, trying to swallow it back down, nose stinging. He heaves in a breath. His eyes water and he doesn’t stop them from dripping off his cheeks.

Breathing heavily, Wash drags his hand over his face. It comes back damp, still shaking. He can taste iron in the back of his throat. When he looks in the mirror, eyes dark and sunken, it’s like he can barely recognize the face looking back at him. Wash shuts his eyes tightly. He holds to the edges of the sink, breath shuddering and whistling as he inhales. More tears fall; fear, grief, nothing actually his.

“I can’t—” he says, he sobs, as the voice—Epsilon—pleads. Pleads for him to make space, to be something other than he is, to let him out, to let him go. “They won’t—”

Across the room, there’s a quiet knock on the door. He jolts, eyes darting to the closed door. Another knock. Wash brings up a shaky hand, wiping the tears from his chin. He rinses off what he can from his hands, pulling tissues to dry his face. He can still taste the film of bile in the back of his mouth. Washington steadies, blinking his eyes fully open.

“Wash, it’s North. Came to check up on you.”

North. Oh. Wash shudders as he laughs, just a little. Sure. He leans back from the sink, lowering himself gingerly to the floor to grab the sheet. As he steps carefully to the bedside, he replaces the sheet and begs that he finds his sense of composure before he opens the door.

“Coming,” he manages, voice wavering.

He makes his way around the bed, hand braced slightly on the wall as he steps over. The door slides open as he stand in the doorway.

North is standing in his pajamas, a concerned sort of pull to his face. He smiles a little when Wash opens the door, but Wash is too busy staring at his own socked feet and North’s boots to really notice. North’s voice is soft when he speaks. It reminds Wash of the one time South blacked out during dive training and North wouldn’t leave her side.

“How’s it goin’, buddy?” North says gently.

“Best day of my life,” Wash jokes, laughing weakly. North huffs out a laugh, folding his arms.

“I know they’ve got you under watch, so you’re in good hands,” he says, inclining his head. “How’s the headache? The tingling? Anything blurry?”

Wash takes a second, sighing and shutting his eyes. It’s funny that North would say that, isn’t it. He gets the shuddering feeling of something not his own as he stands propped against the wall, trying to hold himself up.

“Still painful,” he manages, pressing his hands to his eyes. “Everything’s blurry.”

“Yeesh—” North says, sucking in a breath through his teeth. “You’re taking it slow though, right?”

Wash nods.

“I’m trying to,” he says. “Best I can given the circumstances. It’s hard to sleep with all the…” He waves his hand around listlessly around his head, as if trying to get his point across. The voice. The emotions. Whatever chugged through his memory and forced itself in. It was an almost-physical, painful sensation. North nods knowingly. Wash doubts that he knows much at all.

“I’m sorry, Wash,” North says, his concern sincere. “It’ll get better with time, though. You’ll have a few days to settle in before the Director sends you out on missions, I’m sure.”

Wash nods again. It’s the most he can really do. His head feels like it’s full of soup gone sour.

“Right,” he says slowly, the words thickening in his mouth to a paste. “Right, I hope so.”

North smiles. He can tell, all of a sudden, as he does every time North summons Theta to the front, how right he was for his AI, how much the nurturing nature he so eagerly kept hidden blossomed when it was needed, when it would be properly appreciated. That smile alone settles a warm swirl through Wash’s chest, trickling into his lungs and his heart. The same happens when North reaches out, cupping his shoulder with his broad palm and squeezing, just enough to feel the heat of his hand. He jostles Washington slightly as he does. Wash manages a smile, huffing out through his nose, his eyes falling shut again as he lets the comfort of touch sink in for just a moment. As North draws his hand away and Wash straightens, North says:

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to resting, okay Wash?”

Wash hums in response.

“You let me know if you need anything. We’re all just down a floor—I’m sure York and I wouldn’t mind stopping in.”

Wash sighs, finally pushing himself to a stand, away from the wall. He doesn’t say anything, but a creeping realization settles in the pit of his stomach, right next to the warmth that used to pervade his joints. He swallows. Instead of feeling nothing, he feels burning in the back of his throat, up his nose. He nods regardless.

“Good deal, buddy,” North smiles. He nods, just a curt bob of his head. “Alright, I’ll be seein’ you.”

“I—” And all of a sudden, the feelings pervading, the ones not his own, rear their head. He swallows roughly, trying to make out a sentence. He mumbles out his next words, vision blurring. “Please don’t—”

“Wash?” North asks, startling, the twinge of concern now laid thick in his words. Wash startles too, blinking hard. What was happening to him? He shakes his head, turning it from North for a moment as he wills himself back to the present. He isn’t leaving, North lives here. He won’t just abandon him. But he can still feel the weight of the word goodbye. The weight of see you soon.

“Sorry, I’m just…” Wash shudders out a sigh, trying to find a viable excuse. “I’m on edge I guess. Don’t worry about it.”

North’s eyes widen.

“Wash, your nose—” he says, moving forward to help him. Wash takes an instinctive step back, cupping his hand around his chin. He can feel the warm dribble of blood now, the taste of iron in the back of his mouth. He shakes his head as he keeps North at arm’s length, turning to fetch tissue from the bathroom.

“It’s fine,” he croaks out, fumbling for the sink. He runs his hands under the warming water, tipping his head forward. Blood drips into the sink but his eyes are screwed shut too tight to see it. Wash can barely hear North’s voice above the running water, but he hears the door to his room slide shut. Reaching for the tissue, Wash swabs gingerly at his nose, still tasting the metallic tang on his teeth. As he turns back to the room, North is hovering at his bedside, concern written across his whole face. Wash watches his jaw work, his upturned eyes wide and searching Wash’s expression. Washington shakes his head.

“It’s fine,” he says again, barely a sound at all. He jams part of the tissue up his nose, swallowing back whatever was left in his mouth. North gestures to the glass of water still half empty at Wash’s bedside. Wash sits, his legs giving out beneath him, and he drinks.

North takes his time getting to the space in front of him, circling the end of the Recovery Bay bed like Wash were an injured animal about to bite him. Luckily for him, Washington feels far too heavy to move any of his limbs, as if all the energy had been siphoned out of him and into the air, leaving it charged and staticky. He couldn’t find the strength to bite even if he tried. He smooths his hand over the pant leg of his hospital clothes in calculated movements. The scratchy fabric is so thin he can almost feel his body heat through it. Or lack thereof.

“I don’t know how fine it is, Wash,” North says, folding his arms. He leans against the arm of the chair across from Wash, not exactly sitting, but not really standing. “I certainly wasn’t getting nosebleeds like that with Theta.”

“Well,” Wash manages hoarsely, shutting his eyes tight again. “With all due respect, Theta was a little more… stable.”

“Epsilon’s unstable?” North asks. Wash flinches. He can feel that paper shredder sensation again as he shrinks back. “Wash?”

“It’s okay,” Wash mumbles. “It’s just—side effects.”

North’s face grows taut and stern. When Wash flicks his eyes up to read his face he’s met with a strong set to North’s jaw. North shakes his head, sounding unconvinced.

“It’s not supposed to be this bad,” he says. He drums his fingers against his arm.

Wash sighs. The sound is curt when it leaves his chest. It’s all the energy he has left to expel before it dissolves into an empty hollow in his chest.

“It’s nothing,” he says.

“Washington,” North starts, leaning off the chair and moving toward the bedside. Wash curls further over his lap, as if trying to move away from whatever suggestion North could have for him. It’s not something so easy to fix. It’s just. It’s just—

“It—” Wash takes a long, laborious breath in. He feels something very small break inside his chest as he breathes out, his exhale shuddering. His vision goes blurry in the few feet in front of him, from knees to floor, that he can see. “I don’t—”

“Hey…” North soothes. He lowers himself to Washington’s side, hand coming to cup his shoulder. Wash leans, half intentional and half not, into the touch as North squeezes his arm.

“The memories aren’t mine,” Washington babbles, unintelligible to anyone but himself. “I don’t want them in my head.”

“I know,” North placates regardless. And for a moment, it feels like he means it. It doesn’t really matter if he does or doesn’t. The arms that come around him are strong and warm and solid and friendly as Wash makes contact with the hollow of North’s shoulder. He doesn’t mean to collide and fall so easily, but the arms around him hold on, and hold firm, and he begins to think through the haze of memories not his own that he really didn’t have much say in the matter. North draws him in regardless and Wash sinks himself into his side. He cries and no sound escapes him. He squeezes his eyes shut. Faintly, he can hear North whistle out a breath, through the shff of fabric as he slowly and gently drags his palm over the line of Washington’s shoulders.

“I just need it to stop,” Washington chokes out. It doesn’t matter who’s speaking. The relentless tug of war continues on in his head, even if he can’t hear it, even if it won’t really surface. It doesn’t matter who wants their memories back. It just matters that his body feels like he’s been electrically shocked: drained, shaken out, and hurting.

“Breathe, Wash,” North soothes. Washington does as he’s told, the air scratchy in his throat. He shudders out the breath, trying to keep each stable and even. North doesn’t say anything for a while. He lets Wash breathe and lean into his shoulder, and the silence gives Wash a moment of reprieve as his mind goes quiet. He just focuses on breathing, in through his nose and out through his mouth. North leans just slightly back into him, cheek resting on the top of his head.

Wash blinks his eyes open. He stares into the middle distance with his vision still blurry, and North’s weight against him keeps him, rather than whatever threatens to invade his memory further, grounded. Wash makes an unintelligible sound as North sighs.

“Great, Wash,” North says lightly. “Doing great.”

“Well, I feel like shit,” Wash manages, almost amused.

North hums softly in agreement, but doesn’t really respond. His hold around Wash grows a little tighter, though, firmer around his shoulder and forearm as Wash sags. His eyes shut again as his breaths remain even, face pressed to North’s shoulder. He’s a bit too large for them to properly fit together, even as they sit side by side on the bed. He lets go of a long breath as the rush of previous anxiety, the new bubbling fear, and exhaustion slip out all at once. In their wake is a pit of nothing, absent of emotion, in his stomach. Tired lingers instead in the same space, around that nothing. He can feel his body grow heavy against North and he has half the mind to mention how tired he actually is. But North hasn’t moved, regardless if he’s noticed or not, and the hand on his shoulderblade, and the head resting against his, remains. The world goes blissfully soft for a moment, his body heavy and his mind quiet. It’s only when he blinks his eyes open again that he realizes he’s lying down. North is gone.

He squints at the room around him, lifting his head slightly. He’s on his back with the sheet draped over him, comfortable against the pillows. For once, his body and head don’t ache, and whatever voice that might be screaming is silent. When he lifts himself further, the room spins, tipping violently this way and that. Wash lets himself back down. For now, he decides that the comfort he has is better taken than lost, and he shuts his eyes.

The world goes muted and grey around him. His body sinks to the mattress.

He has a feeling he won’t wake again for some time.

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broodcore · 8 months ago

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s/enshi d/unmesh going through every foodborne related illness in his mind before he realizes too late that he's pregnant. luckily he's not going to be for much longer :)

#brood art #mpreg #cryptic pregnancy

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sqarletsworldlesswandering · 5 months ago

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Sqarlet, you do not have any idea on how much I love Aloysi/ The Admiral. Do you have any lore for them?

ASkjhgkj and you have no idea how much it warms my heart that you love them-!!

As for LORE, *rubs hands together*

You may have noticed, between the design itself and my hinting, that elements of The Admiral are... familiar....

Aloysi is pretty clearly another dual type - and they're... relatively balanced, but they aren't as stable as Summum or Eden. The form you're seeing is at their most stable, and at any given point, they may be more or less stable.

For them, that means that one of their two constituents is slightly farther in front or in control. They'll switch between he and she respective to who that is, while "they" is more accurate when they find equilibrium (much like Eden). Regardless, they will always refer to themselves as "we". (For context, Eden usually uses I.)

As for their origin, they came about as a strange mix of deliberate interaction over time and a series of accidents.

They owe their transcendence itself to a sequence of nearly comedic accidents - namely, getting thoroughly lost in some quarantined zones, then fleeing a very angry Paladin, trying not to get crushed by an Ophanim and soon after a Seraph, and in the process transcending in the midst of a pure adrenaline rush trying to fight said Seraph. They didn't... win, per se, but the Seraph effectively gave them a side eye and backed off enough for them to escape into the Inbetween.

Contrary to Eden, Aloysi was very much immediately disoriented and freaking out, and very nearly came from together a couple times before one half managed to calm the other. They didn't have any difficulty with movement, but they did startle when they realized they had wings. They also didn't make use of those wings any time soon (until circumstances required them to. It went... crashily). Instead, they sat down on the floor, curled up in a ball, and just... sat. They sat and conversed and got their bearings, and eventually the calmer of the two took the lead and walked them around a bit. They returned to the Amaranth Swamps and unmeshed for a bit to sort themselves out, and get a little time to themselves.

Now, for all the chaos ensuing their transcendence itself, they weren't total strangers either.

Prior to the series of accidents, the two had interacted - skittishly at first (one of them, at least), then more openly. They didn't know each other well, but they were on amiable terms, even though they only saw each other in passing.

The time after their transcendence, they spent switching between merged and unmerged - it was a rocky thing to get used to. But over time they got more and more comfortable being in the same headspace.

Of the transcendent beings, Aloysi is probably the most strategically savvy, and also employs fighting tactics much closer to the Wanderers than most of their peers.

Their default form is some version of the above, usually with different/mismatched limbs and some coloration shifted, ultimately reflecting their headspace.

#sqarlettalks #ask box shenanigans #worldless au: eclipsed #Worldless OC: Aloysi/The Admiral

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gil-shalossssss · 2 years ago

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Okay so I just has the most fun brain vacation ever thinking about the Percy Jackson demigods watching Disney's Hercules. I love Hercules, not gonna lie, but it's... less than accurate. No interpretation of the myths are 100% accurate, including Percy Jackson. It was funny because these universes are just so unmeshable.

Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Hazel, Nico, Jason, Thalia, Leo, Will, Calypso, Reyna, Piper, Apollo, and Meg are piled in Percy's living room watching this

All of them are just quiet and watching (slightly confused) until they figure out that the pink lady is supposed to be Hera. Then everyone goes BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! so loud Percy's mom comes in to check on them. Obviously Meg doesn't know Hera, but she's gonna boo anyway bc why wouldn't she.

Nobody can keep a straight face when they realize that the blue dweeb is supposed to be Hermes, especially not Apollo. And do I even need to tell you how they react to Dionysius's design?

Nico continually mutters throughout the Underworld scenes. "The Underworld doesn't look like that. What place is that supposed to be? Why Charon rowing Hades across the Styx, and why is he just a skeleton? Who are these two demony dudes? Cerebrus is a lot cuter than that. Etc. Etc. Etc." Eventually everyone just tunes him out.

Grover makes some comment about Penelope the donkey and how nice Hercules is for stepping in for her

Annabeth is also making observations and corrections throughout the movie, and they also tune her out for the most part. We got two constant commentaries going on

Thalia starts laughing SO HARD when Zeus's statue comes to life and says endearing things to Hercules and does not stop until Hercules leaves the temple bc she can't actually imagine her father saying these things to anyone. Apollo tries so hard to not laugh and fails, and Jason just sits there with his poker face

Hercules: If you're my father, then that would make me a...

Everyone in the room: A demigod.

Zeus: A god.

Everyone: ?????

Grover sees Phil and is like "Satyrs aren't that sort do I look that short?"

Everybody cracks up at Phil's impersonation of Zeus reading a bedtime story

Piper and Jason both go "Poor Achelous he's getting misrepresented he's not mean he's just sad."

Meg considers herself superior to movie Meg, but pretty much everyone likes movie Meg

Percy is far too excited during the fight with the hydra. Like he has the most dramatic reactions and everyone else is just going "wtf Percy" I haven't decided if he's rooting for the Hydra or for Hercules

Nico has finally accepted that this is just a person they decided to name Hades and has no actual resemblance to his father

Everyone yells at Hercules for giving up his strength. Then Leo starts teasing Piper about not encouraging him to do it bc it's for Meg and love and stuff and she smacks him

Everyone is extremely confused about why the Titans are under the ocean and why Hades is releasing them. Piper goes, "No don't set them free you idiot!" to which Leo says, "Why, does he have a crush on them?" and earns himself an exasperated sigh and an eye roll

Everyone laughs when the Titans are unleashed bc I mean they are moving mounds of element and don't fit any Titan at all

They've just recovered when Leo goes, "FrEeEEeeEze zuEeS" and Reyna has to pause the movie so they can laugh and not miss stuff

Nobody is happy when the pillar smushes Meg

Nico wants to know where this is that Meg is bc it doesn't look at all like Asphodel

Nobody understands how Hercules got regodded

Hercules's homecoming scene is completely drowned out by boos for Hera

However, they do catch, "I'd like to stay on earth with Meg" which gets everything from "ew why" (Meg) to "awww" (Grover) to "That's not how it went" (Annabeth) to "He did a Percy!" (Will)

Reyna, Leo, Hazel, Jason, and Meg require him to explain because whAt Percy rejected immortality?

The end. It was fun. Definitely not gonna watch it again with Annabeth or Nico, but maybe without them :)

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armed-saphire · 8 months ago

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so beautiful when there's a rare moment where two of your interests can actually have a competent crossover au that's not absolutely batshit and is only a little crazy and not entirely unmeshable ykwim

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apparently-artless · 10 months ago

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I love all your edits!

Do you have any favorite psds that you are willing to share? Or tips on how to make gif colorings looks as nice as yours? 🥹

Hi, anon! Thank you so much! I am really happy that you love my edits. I really appreciate it! (°◡°♡)

To answer your question, I only use one PSD file nowadays for all the edits I make so sharing this one PSD I got for myself would be a bit uncomfortable. I hope you understand. Hehe. (￣▽￣*)ゞ

But no worries, because I thought of sharing LUT files that you can use as a basis for your color grading. I will only share one LUT file for this post but I might try sharing other LUT files as well in the future. In that way, you can achieve coloring with your own style. I will also be sharing which adjustment layers I use and what are the typical settings I apply.

SOME REMINDERS THOUGH:

I use PS 2021 but all adjustment layers are also available on older versions.

I AM NOT A PS EXPERT. I learned to use PS by reading/watching tutorials. All the things I will include in this post are just my preferences for my coloring. Take anything I said with a grain of salt.

I applied and tested my coloring on anime edits only. You may use it for real-life GIFs/photos but you may want to reduce the opacity or use a different blending mode to make it work.

My coloring deviates a lot from the original coloring most of the time. Some people may find my coloring weird so always keep in mind that this is not the best coloring practice.

ALSO WARNING: BAD ENGLISH AND LENGTHY EXPLANATIONS XD

To start, you may download the LUT file HERE.

This file is basically a compilation of adjustment layers that you may want to apply to other images. So when you use it again on another project, you can simply load this single file instead of the multiple adjustment layers. The disadvantage of using LUT file is that there's no room for further adjustments of the colorings within that file. In my case, I used it as an advantage. You may call it my secret recipe for my coloring. LOL. You can use it but there's a limit to the modifications. Anyways, this LUT file contains multiple layers which is a product of my trials and errors for the past few years since I started editing again.

You may consider using this LUT file as your training wheels. Once you understand further the complexities of the adjustment layers, you may no longer rely on this coloring file. I also did this when I started wanting to develop my own coloring style. And once I understood the basics of the adjustment layers and how to replicate the colors that I had in mind, I got rid of the LUT files and started making my own.

Now, let's use this image for coloring sample:

You can also download the image so you can follow my steps easily. This version is already sharpened.

So when I apply the LUT file for this image, this is how it's going to appear.

This color grading has the teal & orange effect. Of course, this is not the final output. This will be the backbone of our coloring as we add more adjustment layers. In my case, I always start with cyan and orange and then make the necessary changes depending on the series and the atmosphere of the image used.

But before we proceed with the adjustment layers, I want to emphasize two things you can explore when it comes to adding adjustment layers. Being aware of these two features of PS actually expands your coloring options exponentially [don't get fooled, I may sound like an expert but this is just really based on my personal experience. XD] Anyways, below are the two:

Opacity - It doesn't have to be black and white when it comes to coloring. You may choose the grey side. If you think the adjustment layer you are trying to add is causing an unpleasant effect on your image, maybe try to lower the opacity first and see if that will help.

Blend Modes - you may want to explore blend modes other than the Normal mode. If you are not used to changing the blend modes, you can check videos posted by Unmesh Dinda on his YouTube Channel. He explains really well when it comes to Photoshop features. I learned a lot from his tutorials and I am now applying these learnings to my current coloring style. You may check this video for starters. He has other videos about blending modes, too.

ADDING ADJUSTMENT LAYERS:

Levels Adjustment Layer - this is always my first adjustment layer but I also modify this in the last part. There are presets available but I am not utilizing those. Instead, I go to Auto Options. This feature is very helpful in heavily dark or bright scenes. Depending on what color correction you used, you may have extremely varying results.

Once you click Auto Options, another dialogue box will appear:

The default option is Enhance Brightness and Contrast. We will choose that option for now then click OK. [We will go back to this layer once we are done with the other layers.]

Color Lookup Adjustment Layer - this is where the LUT file comes in. Once you add the layer, click Load 3D LUT then click Load 3D LUT again on top.

Select the LUT file I shared.

Selective Color Adjustment Layer - for this layer, I always separate my adjustments for different colors and don't do the adjustments for all colors in one layer.

First Selective Color - I will rename the layer as RED and set the following values: CYAN: -100, MAGENTA: -11, YELLOW: -32, BLACK: 15

You can explore the levels of Magenta and Yellow but ultimately, I always set Cyan to -100 and Black is +15. Of course, you are free to change these two but these are my preferred coloring for shades of red. Setting -100 for Cyan gives this warm coloring.

Second Selective Color - I will rename the layer as YELLOW and set the following values: CYAN: -100, MAGENTA: +40, YELLOW: +30, BLACK: 40

Cyan is also set to -100. This adds more warmth to the tone of the image. Then you may change the remaining sliders to your preferred values.

Third Selective Color - I will rename the layer as CYAN and set the following values: CYAN: -60, MAGENTA: +20, YELLOW: +100, BLACK: +40

I don't have a rule for CYAN. This really depends on the color I want to achieve for the shades of blue. Depending on the values, you can make your color look blue/cyan/purple. In this case, I wanted to tone down the brightness of the cyan.

Fourth Selective Color - I will rename the layer as Black and White and set the following values: BLACK: +5

This is just to slightly darken the black shades of the image. I label it Black and White because I sometimes change the value of Black for White but in this case, adjusting the white doesn't help so no changes were made.

Gradient Map Adjustment Layer - I do not use this layer all the time. It really depends on the image. When I wanted to add another shade of colors to the image, that's the time I would use this. And I use a maximum of 2 gradients only.

The image looks okay now to me but let me add some gradient just to show how I use this layer. I use Gray_10 which is one of the preset gradients available in PS. Then I check the Reverse option to emphasize the contrasts of the colors. Then I set Blend Mode to Soft Light, Opacity at 100%.

Then I add another Gradient Map Layer. I use Purple_17. In this case, I didn't check the Reverse option.

Then I set Blend Mode to Soft Light, Opacity at 35%.

Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer - this one is optional. I use this on my gifs to increase the warm tones of the image.

I only change the values of Red for additional warm tones.

At this point, I also wanted to make the cool colors lose saturation, so I added another Hue/Saturation layer. To have a grayish effect on cool colors and make the reds stand out even more.

Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer - you can use the Auto function and then just make the adjustments you want.

In my case, I set the Contrast to -50 most of the time, then the Brightness varies. For this example, I set Brightness to +8.

Then last but not least, I made some slight changes to the Levels Adjustment Layer and then adjusted Brightness to -3.

To compare, I will post the original GIF, with LUT file only, and the final GIF coloring respectively:

I hope this helps, anon!

I might create a specific tag for this kind of post and just include it on my master list pinned post so it's easy to find. Also, if you ever use this coloring style or the LUT file as part of your coloring, there is no need to credit but if possible, please tag me in your creations (#userartless) so I can see how you personalized the file and made it your own. ^^

#art answers #reply #anon #gif coloring #resources #turorial of some sort #super long post #artsresources

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i-already-know-im-going-2-hell · 2 months ago

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happy wincest wednesday! my question for this week's round table (lol) is: what's your ideal for sam and dean's "apple pie" life? would they settle down and retire with each other, or would they keep hunting? who does the cooking, who does the cleaning (do they even know how to clean?), do they hide the fact that they're brothers or are they the freaky incest bros down the street? do they have kids (mpreg or adoption)? pets? i'm curious about any and all ideas you have :) (@incesthemes)

Ciel you are quickly becoming my weekly reminder that it is Wednesday lol

Ok so I will be honest, I don't actually tend to consider the apple pie life for these two because I tend to like when they're just fucking going through it and everything is terrible including each other, but, I do think it is possible that they could've ended up somewhere in a form of an "apple pie life", pretty much only if they were made to.

So like some kind of injury that permanently disabled one or the other of them in some way that makes them unable to truly continue hunting.

I think that while Sam and Dean often grow tired of the life they live and hunting, I don't think either of them truly want to leave the life, or more so, don't know how to leave the life. So I don't see them ever truly settling down somewhere into something like a suburbs and becoming just another person, unless again they were forced to in one way or another.

So for me their apple pie life becomes something similar to the life Bobby led. I think they never really fully leave the bunker, or if they do they don't really live in something like a suburbs they live secluded in a reasonable way. They probably continue to be involved in hunting in ways they can, such as possibly starting up a phone system like Bobby had, or Sam becoming something like a straight researcher.

I don't think they ever hide the fact they're brothers. I know a lot of people like romantic Wincest, but I tend to find that I don't think Sam or Dean would really even know how to do that even if they wanted to, and I don't think they want to. I think all the romantic/sexual connotations between these two has to do with lines being crossed and intertwined with their already familial bond, and so I don't think they'd even think to change that base bond.

I don't think they're more overt about that than anything they do in the show though. I think a lot their behavior is excused away by a general public they don't really get to know anyways, hanging on each other's shoulders, speaking in hushed tones with faces turned in towards each other, even things like slapping each other's asses or whatever, as just familial in nature because a lot of those individual moments aren't enough to jump immediately to "oh yeah no those two are clearly fucking".

As for kids or pets.....god help the kid raised by those two honestly. I think one thing people confuse with Dean a lot is him being good with kids, does not translate to good at raising kids. And I don't think Sam really tends to show much interest in something like raising kids. Even when it came to Jess it's brought up that he wanted to marry her someday, and people tend to assume that means the white picket fence and a family, but it's not really explicitly stated.

So like, I don't think either of them would probably gravitate towards raising a kid with each other. At best they're some kind of uncle or more of a mentor who doesn't have to actually raise a full human.

I think especially if they step back and take on more of a research/background role they do probably get used to mentoring younger generations of hunters, but I don't think that ever goes any farther than that. And again, god help the kid that would have to be raised by these two otherwise, especially because I don't think they would ever truly unmesh from each other and I think both would get resentful of a kid "threatening" that in some way.

So yeah, basic tldr version:

- I think that Sam and Dean would only truly retire if forced to due to some disabling injury

- I think that even retired they would never truly be able to leave the life behind and that living in something like a suburbs would actually give them extreme amounts of anxiety because these two don't know how to exist in "peace"

- I don't think they'd pretend to be anything other than brother's but I don't think they'd be obviously or feel the need to be obviously something beyond brothers. I think the fact that they are never truly able to mesh with the general public would help this too as you'd really only see snapshots of their life and they'd be largely excusable snapshots of "close brothers"

- I do not think they would ever want or be good at raising kids. I think they'd continue to take on mentor roles similar to the kinds they do on the show at times, but those roles could never truly conflict with their enmeshment with each other, or one or both of them would take it as a threat

#thank you for the ask ciel!!!!!!!#wincest #ask answered

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