#I think I used to have more blues or a different green in the solid color part of the side bar

[mariyekos]

Btw for anyone who's never visited my blog and/or doesn't use desktop, I just want you to know that it's a relic blog with an audioplayer, the old tumblr format of indented posts, and a custom floating gif that walks up the right side of the page. I put my love into this theme and I'm going to share it!

#erurandomness #erubabbles #I think I've had my theme like this since...maybe 2017ish? oh god how long has it been #The NieR image in the side is probably a 2017ish thing since that's when I played it. Maybe 2018 because I didn't lose interest right away #I also remember that the background (right side) was Tenebrae from FFXV which I was super into in 2016/17ish #so yeah I want to say the bones have been like this since 2017ish #though I've changed some things over time. #I think I used to have more blues or a different green in the solid color part of the side bar #I've also edited the fonts colors and headers #the audio player songs I've changed a few times. and need to do it again because 2 or 3 of the links are dead #and kain I added in a few months ago. it was a different gif before #but yeah! i don't know why tumblr is getting rid of people's custom blogs but for now I still have mine #I'm going to get really sad if they get rid of them entirely. i've put dozens if not hundreds of hours into customizing mine #and my side pages #over the years. both this one and side blogs. this year will make 11 years of being on tumblr man. so i've invested a lot of time into it! #i will say that this view is at 133% zoom but I don't want to make the theme itself any larger for the sake of ppl with small screens

[factual-fantasy]

(post in question) @elegysonnet

Thank you! None of my ideas are really solid yet.. but I can explain the reasoning behind their designs and tell you a bit of the back stories that I've got so far! :}} (prepare for a WALL of text-YOU ASKED FOR IT--)

First, Jevil. I pictured my Jevil being locked away in a cell for many many years. Like I think canon Jevil was. The wear and tear you see on his clothes is just wear that developed overtime from being in that cell. I might update his old outfit later.. but so far the torn gloves, missing bell and worn shoe are from the years of being locked away. Now eventually he is able to break out of his cell and escape into the multiverse. I'm not sure how, but thinking its gonna have to do with mirrors. He probably wanted to go back to his AU, but if he did he'd just wind up right back in that cell. So he.. left. And just kind'a roams the multiverse now, looking for a new home I guess.

Now during his travels he was able to find bits of clothing to replace/repair his old outfit. Replacing his shirt, finding a new cape, cutting out a corner to patch his new shirt- Finding a cheap Christmas bell to replace his old one. Using standard bandages to patch his shoe- cutting a square out of the overalls to fit his tail and patch his torn hat- <XDD stuff like that.

Now turning to Grillby.. My Grillby's AU was suddenly destroyed. And Jevil saved him from being destroyed along with it. But Grillby isn't exactly grateful.. rather he's overcome with grief over the loss of his world and family, and is actually angry with Jevil for having saved him. He would have rather just been extinguished along side his wife and daughter..

Because of this emotional turmoil, Grillby tuned blue and stayed blue. (See this post for my Grillby color headcanons-) I drew him in his bartender outfit but that wont stick. He ends up wearing what ever trash clothes he can find. His uniform is the last existing thing from his AU. And he dare not let his emotional instability burn it up. So he keeps it folded up neatly in his backpack and just tosses the backpack aside when he gets upset enough to start burning things uncontrollably..

Now for the creepy one, Spamton! He comes from an AU where things function a bit differently then our usual Deltarune. One of the big differences is the acid in the queens castle is blue instead of green. And yes! I did go with the acid lake theory :00-- but instead shrinking when falling into the acid.. my Spamton just kind'a.. fell apart. Its like the structural integrity of his body just collapsed. He kind'a got Gastered- The outer layer of his face and hands got so dry that huge splits formed all over his face and knuckles. His teeth got stuck together and became one big glob of hard mass. His hair melted together, his pants and shirt became part of him.. Its pretty yucky. He was in so much pain and he didn't know what to do.. Well, that's when Jevil showed up.

I'm thinking that taking Spamton outside of his AU didn't eliminate his pain.. rather.. being away from his world effected his body and.. changed his pain. Changed how it hurts or where it hurts. In a way, Spamton is in "less pain" when he's outside of his AU, because the pain is different and more.. tolerable..? Somewhat.?? So he chose to leave his AU and stay with Jevil. Its not like he was leaving anything behind.. the people in his AU treated him horribly. As they traveled, they got a cloak and some goggles/glasses for him. Spamton also struggled with motor function in his hands. like Gaster.. So Jevil wrapped them in bandages to keep them together and help them move more coherently.

Also Grillby kind'a envy's Spamton for having an AU to freely return to. And thinks that despite the pain and struggles, he should return. He still has the opportunity to make a life for himself there. But you cant really blame Spamton for following the only person who has ever shown him kindness and changed his blinding pain into something else..

Then there's Goner kid. I'm thinking that she is from an AU where she fell into the core perhaps? But she's not a part of Gaster. She doesn't have anything that ties herself to him. She's just, out there. All alone..

Jevil finds her and feels sorry for her.. so he helps her to get back to her AU. Only to discover that another version of her already exists and took her place. In order to bring her back to her world, you would have to destroy her other self.. But her other self is a person too.. someone who can love, who can think, its a person. Jevil wont kill her and Goner kid doesn't want him too. But she's still heart broken.

Her entire identity was stolen. She has nothing left to her name.. not ever her name. Its not hers anymore. So to cheer her up Jevil gives her a new name. One completely unique to her. Goner kid smiles, and decides to follow Jevil where ever he goes. She cant have her old life or name back, but she can live a new life, with her new name and new best friend. (I might reveal that name in a future comic👀👀)

Eventually during their travels they come across an AU where Alphys made robot arms for Monster Kid. Now MK is like a teenager in this AU so he doesn't need the other arm models that Alphys built for him. So she simply gives a pair of little arms to Goner kid! The pink bow was also a gift from Jevil so there's that XD-

Now River person.. I haven't really been able to flesh her out too much actually. But I'm thinking that River person is in a similar situation to Goner kid and Grillby. She cant go back to her AU for some reason and is heart broken. Maybe it was destroyed like Grillby's was? I imagine that she's not mad at Jevil for saving her though. And I don't think she'd be grieving her life like Grillby is. More of.. she's grieving for.. everyone else's life?? She would take people on trips down the river and hear about their life and stories. Their hopes and dreams.. Hear about what the children wanted to be when they grew up. Only to have all that snuffed out. Gone. Yet she remains? Why her? She feels that compared to the others from her world.. She was simple. Was of less value then those that she spoke to. She feels like someone, anyone should have been saved in her place. Maybe survivors guilt would be a good way to put it?

But she's not angry with Jevil for saving her. Just.. hollow. Conflicted.. appreciative..? But still conflicted-

ANYWAYS, wall of text over XDD I hope you enjoyed reading all of that and I answered all of your burning questions. :}} Feel free to send more!

#my response #deltarune #undertale #jevil #spamton #grillby #goner kid #river person

[lnmei]

Explaining some of my color thoughts and process using this piece and my other recent figure drawings, hope it’s helpful to someone!

Setting up the drawing to color

Final drawing layer breakdown from top:

Layer 37: lighten layer clipped to line art below

Inserted Image: line art set to multiply (because it’s non-transparent)

2nd Inserted Image: final drawing flattened (will explain why at last step)

Layer 35 : lighten layer to compress values for elements that receding and out of focus (back arm + leg for example) something like atmospheric perspective

Layer 41: solid color multiply for shadow

Layers 16-19: every element of the same color on it’s own layer clipped to the silhouette

Layer 6: solid fill silhouette

Color picking the base:

This is loosely what I think about rather than a hard and fast rule! This thinking helps me navigate when the colors don’t quite look right and applying a rule usually helps me work towards a direction I like.

When thinking of the light and shadow scheme:

Temperature: warm light & cool shadow or cool light & warm shadow?

Color schema: complimentary scheme? split compliment? analogous?

When picking the light color base:

Even in the light areas things have a light, medium, and dark local value

I pick colors that read as the right value of the local color at the right temperature for the light:

Coloring Shadow

1) Reflected light into the shadow areas - typically I go for a colder and slightly lighter reflected light because in natural sunlight, the main reflected light is from the blue sky. Otherwise think about what the color of the surroundings are and reflect that into the shadow.

2) If the shadow color on the skin makes it look either gray or the wrong hue, true up the color of the shadow by making it warmer and more saturated and add warm reflected light to the shadows around it, such as on the shirt collar

3) Make the shadow colorful - add bright colors that are adjacent to the main shadow colors to make the shadow overall more colorful, and add colors that are closer to the local colors of what’s in shadow (such as blues to the “black” compression sleeves)

Keep value range within the shadow relatively close - as long as the value of the shadow is approximately uniform, the shadow area will read as a shadow

Lighten-layer areas for value compression/”atmospheric perspective”: I adjust the color of the lighten areas so that local colors show through or have a bright accent - it looks nice but doesn’t detract from the focus areas with higher contrast, and gives an opportunity to introduce bright colors.

Even in low value contrast areas, the colors are legible as light vs shadow because they generally conform to the temperature of the light and shadows

Glow - I like to add a bright rim to the edge of the multiply layer in a bright color that indicates the color of the light or local color if it was more saturated i.e. red, orange, pink, gold glow for warm lights, purple, blue, green-ish glow for cool lights

I don’t add this everywhere, just in the parts that I want to stand out more

Hue Variation

On the base color layers, I add hue variations to add color variety to the lights. Usually adjacent colors but sometimes something completely different to add interest. I can also add this on the lighten layer if I want the bright accent to read as more flat (like the hair accent).

I also add a lighten layer with warm red/orange on top of the line art areas that are in the light to add more glow.

In the end, if there are certain color areas that just don’t look right, I will just paint in the exact color I want on a new layer on top.

Finalizing

I export the whole image as a jpg when I’m generally happy with it, then mess around with it using color filters like the ones in the iOS photo app edit or whatever else. They end up showing you if you can push the colors brighter, which I like (I don’t always do this but it usually shows me something interesting I can try).

I import the image over the color but under the line art and apply general adjustments to it (curves, saturation, etc). This way you can mask out different versions of the full image to combine versions with different adjustments.

I also select certain areas by themselves and adjust them manually to fine tune aka paint over if some parts don’t look right.

I like to apply a lighten layer to the line art which is on multiply, and use a neon/bright color to give the whole picture a bright rim. It just looks cool but can add a slight bit of new bright color to the drawing along the line art, which is interesting and subtle.

And that’s it so far!

#my art #process #ask questions if you have i'm happy to answer! #i like having my processes written out in detail to look at later…workflow is like it’s own art I’m saving it and moving on to new ones!

[a-998h]

Seven

Creator's POV

The floor ripples like water and is made up of the colors of every element. Above me is the blue sky I saw when I got here. It's clear I'm dreaming, but I have no idea where I am. Walking across the multicolored water like surface I end up in front of something.

The thing is made of white light. It was shaped like me... I think. What ever this is looks human shaped but moved like a fire.

"Hello, young one," This thing says.

I back away. This thing, it gets off a warm feeling but I don't trust it.

Whatever this thing is stood there, menacingly.

The figure moved closer. By now I could make out some eyes and a mouth. The figure turned from light to something more solid.

"What the hell!" I yelled in fear.

The figure recoiled on shock. It slowly became more human looking. It started with the eyes gaining color and shape. The eyes matched mine perfectly. Next was the skin that matched my shade and marks, after that the figure gained my hair texture and color, and lastly it had my proportions.

"What are you?" I asked this thing.

This thing laughed, not in a cruel way but in a patronizing way. This pissed me off becuase it's like my own mind is mocking me. So far this has been so god damn werid that this has to be a dream.

"I'm what you were," it laughs.

"What?" I question.

By now I think I've just lost my mind. There is no way any of this is really. There is silence between us. The dream version of me moves closer to me.

"You don't believe me, do you?" She says.

I nod and she sighs. She paces back and forth with a neutral expression on its face. Its expression changes into a smile before rushing back towards me. It then starts touching the green liquid, which causes plants and flowers to grow from it. It was beautiful to see, but I still think this is a dream. The dream version of me the creates ice spikes from the light blue, almost white, liquid. She keeps creating things from each color of liquid. This just makes it seem more clear that I'm dreaming. I want to tell them that I still don't believe them, but something tells me that would be a bad idea.

"Ok, ok, I believe you. I just have a lot of questions," I tell them.

"Good, so what questions do you have?" It asks me.

I ask them what she meant when she said she was what I used to be. She laughs loudly at this. I give them a confused look.

"Well, I'm a god," It states.

I just stare at them becuase this sounds completly crazy. It explains more.

"I was created by the Phanes after Teyvat was created. I befriends the remaining dragons before I was tasked to create the archons," it explains.

It can tell that I'm confused. It tells me things about the world that was never in the game. This leaves one important question left, what does any of this have to do with me.

"Where do I come in all of this?" I ask.

"Well, after my death my soul was sent to a different world to be reincarnated becuase Celestia didn't like me," it says.

It feels like my head is in pain. This was crazy, this has to be a dream.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I ask it.

It pauses and thinks. It remians in their thoughts for who knows how long. When they comes out of their thoughts, it mentions how the people were treating me and how there were statues that looked like me. When I thought back to all of it, it made sense?

I ask them why its here, and that causes its ace to become cold.

"I'm here to warn you," it mumbles.

"Warn me about what?" I ask.

"They plan to keep you here, they don't want to lose any part of me," it says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

She didn't say anything for a bit. When it does start talking again, it says that I need to get to Musk Reef as quickly as possable. Apparently, an ancient civilization created the Spiral Abyss as a way for them to explore other worlds. It writes the stuff and ritual I'll need in order to get back home, and that I have six days to do this.

"O-ok, " I mumble out.

It starts trying to talk, but I can't hear it. Its mouth is moving like it's yelling but no sound is coming out of its mouth. Everything was getting brigther and brigther until everything was covered in a white light, and then.... I wake up.

#genshin impact #sagau #cult au #genshin fanfic #creator!reader #sagau lore #sagau cult au #sagau genshin #sagau x reader #genshin cult au #genshin sagau

[hopepetal]

A little fic I wrote inspired by these two art pieces by @cherrifire! Thank you very much for creating such wonderful art for me to take inspiration from ^_^

--

Pearl was falling.

Plummeting, as Icarus once did, through endless blue and blindingly white clouds. The bright green thread that had tied her to Scott- finally visible to her eyes- was trailing behind her as a mocking reminder of what was broken; what she had broken.

Hot tears welled up in her eyes and were torn away by the wind, shining droplets of saltwater and sorrow thrown up to the stars. The wind whipped through her hair, strands falling in her face as she continued her seemingly eternal descent through the air.

It seemed the moon had a habit of falling from the sky.

Just as quickly, Pearl was swallowed by the void, all encompassing darkness surrounding her. As the cold void whistled past her, Pearl was suddenly reminded of the fight with the enderdragon years ago, long before she had joined Hermitcraft. Maybe that's what this was.

She closed her eyes. It made no difference, but at least she didn't have to keep looking at that broken soulmate string, or stare into the void that was as empty as her heart felt.

Is she awake?

Oh.

This end poem sounded a little different than what Pearl remembered.

No, not yet. Give her time. You know how hard the games are.

She kept her eyes closed. What else would there be to see beyond the void that she already knew so intimately?

She fought hard.

She had no choice.

We all did.

There was light shining on her face behind her closed eyelids, Pearl realized. With a soft gasp, feeling herself laying on solid ground, Pearl's eyes shot open. She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes as they adjusted to the light.

The first thing she noticed was Grian's concerned expression as he gazed at her from where he stood. The second was Scott, gazing at her with an unreadable face. The third was Tilly, laying on her lap, and Pearl was thankful for the familiar comfort in this strange place.

"...Pearl?" Grian asked, hesitant and sounding so, so tired. "How are you feeling?"

Pearl bit back a yawn as she instinctively stroked Tilly's fur, rubbing the dog's head with one hand as she rubbed the last bits of sleep from her eyes with her other hand. "What happened?" Her voice rasped and scratched against her throat, and Pearl winced. Glancing around, her gaze swept over the others present- Joel, Scar, Impulse, Tango, Cleo... as well as the rest of the members from the death games. "Where are we?"

Grian sighed, glancing over at Scott. "You won the game." His eyes met Pearl's again, and he offered her a tired smile. "I'd offer my congratulations, but I think we all know they're unwanted."

"Neither of us are too sure about where we are, exactly," Scott added on, "but we know we can't leave." We've tried, was left unsaid, hanging in the air.

"Are they okay?" was Pearl's next question as she glanced once more at their friends.

"They're not dead," Scott answered, and Grian shot him an annoyed look.

"They're just sleeping," he reassured Pearl, "like you were. Like we both were, before we woke up." He glanced at Scott, before his eyes drifted back out over the crowd of sleeping people. "The sleepers play the games, and the winners wake up. That's what seems to be happening. I don't know-" And he sounded so genuinely frustrated and angry for a moment, before he took a deep breath to calm himself- "I don't know how to fix it. Nothing we've tried works."

Pearl didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," she tried, continuing to pet Tilly. The small dog had begun to wake, ears and tail twitching as Pearl gently ran her hand through her fur.

Grian sighed, shaking his head. "No, I'm sorry. You just woke up, I shouldn't be putting this all on you." He gave her a smile that couldn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm glad you're awake, Pearl. Good morning."

Pearl giggled softly. "Good morning, Grian. Scott."

Scott's mouth quirked up into a small smile. "Well, good morning to the both of you, too."

#my writing #double life #fanfiction #pearlescentmoon #scott smajor #grian #life series

[mossytrashcan]

a trashcan’s guide to coloring

using @thoughtfulshepherdmongerkid beautiful ivy rose, because I’m thinking of her always and also really struggling w the comm sorry (also this is long as hell fair warning)

sketch/line-art. I suggest making it at least kinda neat so you have a solid guideline, but honestly just do whatever you gotta do. I also like to set my sketch layer to multiply so that the line art meshes w the base

2. usually I lay down one base color (in this one it’s pink), then I use a clipping mask to lay down some flat colors. the brush you use for this won’t really matter because it’s gonna get covered by rendering (merge layers when you’re done)

3. get your references!! you’ll need them for when you start painting over your base, trust me. references changed my life and saved my summer harvest

4. now, on a layer created above your sketch and base, go in w/ a mix of lasso tool/freehand brushing and start blocking in your colors. the values on our faces naturally form blocky shapes, so try to focus your energy into getting those down

I like to use the spectra brush to render because it adds a nice texture, but feel free to experiment with what you’ve got. also, I tend to go darkest -> lightest -> middle in terms of coloring order

if you struggle with value, I suggest finding any picture (make it black and white by turning saturation down) where there are 3 clear values (black, grey, and white). then with a colored brush, outline all of the different shapes those values make. kinda like this!

5. quick color theory run down before we wrap up: use a cool toned grey (red based, pink based, purple, etc) for the blue parts of the skin, a desaturated red/pink for purple, and gray yellow for green. this will give you very lively and compelling coloring without being too crazy. obviously, you can do whatever you’d like, but I’ve found that this makes my palettes more cohesive and adds depth to the skin

6. so I can’t really finish this piece because I have to start working on commissions again, but after an hour ish of blocking and blending, you should end up with this

and then if you continue and blend a whole lot more, you’ll end up having something more like this!

also, little lasso tool guide

to lay down the colors you’ve gotta click the brush, personally I like to freehand instead of color drop, but you do you

finally, if you aren’t satisfied, you can either 1) merge all of your layers and add a gradient map, or 2) merge your layers, duplicate your new layer, add a gradient map at 100%, and change your canvas blending mode to soft light + change the layer opacity. this’ll make your piece more vibrant and cohesive

#final disclaimer: you will not get these exact results if you aren’t at my skill level #art tutorial #sage’s art tag

[queenofthequillandink]

I can't remember if you've described how the Everlasting Trio looks like aged up. Or if Dannys ghostform looks different, so official petition for a short list of descriptors? Like Height, Hair, general clothing etc. Maybe Ellie and Jazz as well ❤️

Sorry to bother you!

I have to go through what I wrote to make sure I don't contradict myself lol, but here we go:

Danny: 24, 5'6. He keeps his hair a little shorter than in the show, close on the sides and longer on top. He filled out a little and is a little broader in the shoulder, but he's still skinny and years of not getting enough food for his increased caloric needs left his growth more stunted than it would have been otherwise. He tends towards looser clothing, a habit from hiding how muscular he was in high school. Plus, he just likes to be comfy. When his death injury is acting up, he wears a wrist compression brace on his left arm. His canines (top and bottom) could properly be called fangs. He gets more sleep than he used to, but has pretty permanent dark circles.

Danny's ghost form is a little more ghostly than it used to be. His teeth are sharper, his ears are longer and pointed, and his skin has a green under tint to it. I am a big fan of the "constellation freckles" fanon, so I'm keeping it.

Sam: 24, 5'3. Sam keeps her hair a little longer than in the show, down past her shoulders, though she still likes the half up, half down style. She dresses punk/goth with a little more street fashion flair than you can get in a kids tv show.

Think this:

She still likes dramatic makeup choices, like black or purple lipstick and heavy eyeliner.

Her canines are a little sharper, but not noticably inhuman. She's taken to wearing brown contacts day to day and only going out with her purple eyes (which I've decided are natural because fight me) as Aconite.

Tucker: 24, 5'10. Tuck's hair is longer and dreaded. Up until this moment, they were relatively short but then I tried to find a reference photo and found this

-and fell in love instantly so he has long dreads that he wears like this. He is the master of comfy cozy. He wears a dress shirt and slacks to work, but as soon as he's home, he is in the biggest, comfiest sweater. This man owns so many cardigans. It's about the soft 🤌. He no longer wears the beret(?) thing from canon, but does love him a good beanie. He is never seen without tech of some kind. He teeth are sharp like Sam's.

I know in canon, Tucker's eyes are blue, but I always imagine them brown anyway. Whichever direction you go, the irises have gold threaded in them now (bleedover from being Pharaoh). I am very bad at picking new glasses for people, but I think he's switched to bigger frames. Maybe something like this:

Jay: 15, 5'4. You've already nailed Jay's look in your art, but his skin is a touch darker than Danny's. They both have freckles and similar hair, though Jay's has a curl. He prefers simple, comfortable outfits: pretty much all of his wardrobe is jeans, tshirts, and sweatshirts. His eyes are teal. He doesn't (yet?) have fangs in human form.

Jazz: 26, 6'3. Jazz keeps her hair long like in canon, down to her waist. She typically dresses in business casual or equally sharp outfits. Even in her personal life, she's very well dressed. I absolutely imagine her as the kind of person who doesn't even dress down for travel, hence her wearing business casual on a plane. She usually keeps the makeup pretty light unless she's looking to be intimidating, in which case she has a special tube of maroon lipstick that Sam gave her. She has small but visible fangs in human form.

Elle: 21, 5'5. Ellie is visibly muscular, lean in the way those Super Outdoors people are. She also dresses in sturdy outdoors clothes and solid hiking boots, good for travelling, though she has some fun outfits that are a mishmash of fashion from all over the world. She has several ear piercings. Preferentially, she has long hair as an undercut, though it sometimes grows out as she travels.

She's rarely without her backpack, in which she keeps all of her essentials. She has tons of interesting scar stories and I imagine more than one spur-of-the-moment tattoo. In fact, I've just decided that she has the silhouette of a bird flying into the sunrise on her right shoulder.

These are just guidelines, so feel free to make some decisions yourself!

#dpxdc #unearthed reborn #askasaurus rex #delicatementalitydonut #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #jason todd #jazz fenton #elle phantom

[jammatown919]

Mistakes Were Made (Chapter One)

A Lightcannon fic I've been chipping away at for a while now.

Fic Description: Jinx unintentionally forces Lux to out herself as a mage.

Lux never would have thought so much good could come out of being kidnapped.

Sure, most people would be terrified to have a blue-haired stranger appear in a flash of light and whisk them away to some sort of pocket dimension for a death match with eight more strangers, but honestly... it had been really, really fun.

Once she'd gotten over the initial shock of it all, Lux didn't have as much of a problem playing along as one might think. The stranger, Jinx, had been more than happy to demonstrate to her that no one could really die in this place she called the Rift, via a swift gunshot to her own head. Lux had maybe screamed a little, but it was definitely comforting to have confirmation that a fallen player would simply reappear at one of two ends of the map, no worse for wear.

Really, it was a lot easier than it should have been to get Lux to play, and from there, everything just sort of spiraled.

Free of all consequences and a good amount of her usual inhibitions, Lux was able to really let loose with her magic for the first time. Jinx seemed to appreciate her raw power and how ever so slightly nuts she'd gone at possibly her only opportunity to do literally whatever she wanted with it. The two of them didn't even need their teammates to completely dominate the game, which they did with reckless abandon.

When it was over, Jinx returned Lux safely home as she'd promised, but not without a promise whispered in the seconds before she vanished again: "I am definitely keeping you, Blondie."

For about a month after that, Lux managed to convince herself it had been some crazy, fantastical dream brought on by her repressive environment. In a country like Demacia, with a family like the Crownguards, it was only natural her subconscious mind would invent a reality it preferred. One where she could use her magic freely, go off on an adventure, and buddy up to someone who represented all of her temptations in life, both physical and otherwise.

But then Jinx made good on her promise, and Lux instead convinced herself she'd simply received a gift from some god somewhere out there. The escape she longed for was real, and her new friend had come back for her.

They continued their games whenever they could, typically at one-to-two-month intervals because of how difficult it could be to get ten people from all over the world together. Lux noticed as time went on that there would often be changes to roster of other players, until at one point she and Jinx were the only two left from their first game.

"Ah, sometimes you just gotta swap 'em out for people who are more fun," Jinx said when Lux asked about it. "Not you, though, Blondie. You were always the most fun."

Eventually, after quite a few swaps and trial runs, Jinx managed to put a solid long-term team together. Her and Lux, of course, with the addition of a surprisingly friendly creature made entirely out of green slime, a pink-haired songbird type on an elaborate hoverboard, and a man in a mask with a very different hoverboard who absolutely refused to play until Jinx pulled him aside for a long private conversation.

Zac, Seraphine, and Ekko. All people Jinx claimed were from home. Or almost, in Sera's case. It was these three, particularly Ekko, who gave Lux some much needed insight into Jinx as a person.

Another area in which Lux differed from most people was that most people would probably feel betrayed or disgusted or afraid upon hearing that their friend had blown up a city-state's entire government. But Lux had heard a thing or two about Piltover's old Council, largely from some of the previous players Jinx had brought around, and to be honest, she considered blowing them up to be an act of community service. A little brutal, yes, but a genuine favor to the people suffering under their rule.

What got to her a little more were the personal blows Ekko had taken. The betrayal of his oldest friend, and her subsequent murders of several of his newer friends. Only the fact that she hadn't gone near him in years made it possible for him to look at her now. Only an old, barely surviving desire to see her be better compelled him to play her game. She needed it, he claimed, to get the crazy out somewhere it wouldn't really hurt anyone.

Jinx didn't seem to love being presented with this information later that day, but she engaged with it nonetheless. Admitted to everything. Agreed with Ekko's assessment. The game was fun, yes, but it was primarily an outlet. A form of therapy, almost. Lux had to respect her for that; for recognizing what she needed to keep herself in check and following through with it.

They played on for another year, mostly sticking with Jinx's favorite assortment of allies but consistently switching up the members of the enemy team to keep things interesting. Lux got more and more used to this recreational violence, but she still found it exciting every time.

Strangely, though, the most exciting part to her was always that Jinx had never lost her initial awe of Lux's performance in the games. She was consistently impressed, often staring, and always laying the praise on thick. This all came to a head after a particularly exciting match, in which Lux had stuck with Jinx in the bottom section of the map and completely destroyed their lane with her. That, according to Jinx, had been "super hot", and one thing led to another led to Lux pinned against a tree in the jungle area with Jinx's lips and hands roaming her body.

This quickly became a standard post-game ritual of theirs, and over the course of the next six months, they grew steadily more emotionally invested each other. Neither of them could say exactly when their relationship became "official", but it did at one point or another, and thinking about it got Lux through the time spent between matches with her mental health more or less intact.

Even at times like this, when she was cooped up in the Crowngaurd Estate, awaiting tomorrow's arrival of a suitor she'd been expected to entertain for at least a weekend, she could sit by her window and draw little pictures of her girlfriend. And once the man was gone, rejected at the end of his opportunity to court her like the three that had come before him, she could look forward to the next game.

She did wonder how many more suitors her parents would allow her to cycle through before they really began to insist that she settle down, but she felt safe for the moment. At least for now, her family seemed to perceive her rejection of each and every suitor as pickiness, and that was fine by them. No noble would want their daughter to settle for just anyone, after all. She could turn up her nose at prospective mates all she wanted, and they'd simply keep bringing in more for her consideration.

It would likely get worse as she aged and cut into more of her "childbearing years", as her mother liked to put it, but for now, she was twenty-three and tolerated in her role as the stuck-up young noblewoman who would settle for no less than the perfect husband.

Yeah, right, she chuckled to herself as she outlined the shape of Jinx's shoulders on her page. Like there's such a thing.

For her, at least, there would never be such a man. One day, when it all got to be too much, she would leave this place behind. Jinx would come for her and whisk her away, not for the day but forever. For all the love she held for her family and the better aspects of her country, Lux knew her future did not lie here. She would leave it all behind eventually, when she was ready to say goodbye.

Until then, she would draw and play pretend and dream and be satisfied with her brief escapes.

She smiled at Jinx's sketched face looking up at her, longing to see the real thing again. They were about due for another game, but Jinx tended to show up with absolutely no warning, so Lux could only give her best guess as to when they'd see each other.

Right now, apparently.

The window by Lux's desk flew open despite having definitely been locked a second before, and in climbed the very woman who occupied the majority of Lux's thoughts these days.

"Mornin', Sunshine," Jinx crowed, dropping from the window to her feet.

"It's nighttime," Lux corrected her gently. Jinx squinted out the open window, like she'd only just realized.

"Huh," she said under her breath. "Guess so."

"It's good to see you, but what's with the entrance tonight?" Lux inquired, recapturing Jinx's attention. "You usually just zap right into my room. And... how did you even get up to my window?"

"Ah, y'know, climbed, dodged some guards," Jinx said rather flippantly. "Had a pretty good time, I guess, but that's not the important part. It's game time, Blondie! Got everything all ready to go!"

"Tonight?" Lux asked.

"Yeah, for tonight." Jinx held out her hand, as she often did, to invite Lux into her teleporter's range.

"I'm sorry, Jinx, but I can't tonight." Honestly, it was kind of a miracle they'd gotten this far without ever having some kind of scheduling conflict. "I have to be up at dawn to greet a suitor."

"A what?" Jinx's brow furrow slightly.

"A suitor," Lux echoed. "A man my parents invited here to get to know me. He's going to spend the weekend trying to court me."

"Huh?" In an adorably canine fashion, Jinx tilted her head to the side.

"Trying to impress me so I might want to marry him," Lux explained. "And I won't, of course! I send all my suitors away. But I still have to entertain them for the time they're given."

"Ohhhh." Jinx let out a small chuckle, which was a better reaction than Lux had expected. Knowing her and her past, threatening to simply murder all of Lux's suitors had been a very real possibility. Instead, she said, "just skip it."

"What?" Like it would ever be that easy. It wasn't even an option, really.

"Skip it," Jinx persisted. "You don't wanna do it, right? And it's stopping you from doing something you do wanna do. So just don't do it. Come with me instead."

Lux would be lying if she said the idea wasn't tempting, but she knew better than to think she could accept. It was too easy to lose track of time on the Rift; too easy to have it interfere with the plans that had been made for her. She would never be able to come up with an acceptable excuse if someone came looking for her and she was nowhere to be found on such an important day.

"I'd like to, Jinx, but I really can't," Lux said as gently as she could. "I have to wait until after this weekend."

"Aw, c'mon, Blondie," Jinx pleaded. "Everyone else is ready to go. We need ya."

"Maybe you can find a substitute this time?" The suggestion almost physically pained her, but not as much as it seemed to offend Jinx.

"No way," she said stubbornly. "You're the best part. It won't be any fun without you."

"I'm flattered, but-" Lux stopped dead as someone knocked twice at her bedroom door. Her entire body stiffened, and she stood to grab Jinx as if she were going to shove her back out the window. "Shit. You have to go."

"Why?" There was a distinct whine to Jinx's voice that was entirely too loud for the situation.

"Luxanna? Are you talking to someone?" Garen called from the other side of the door. Lux supposed it was better than her parents, but still not good by any means.

"I can't let anyone see you," Lux hissed. "I can't explain this to my family."

"I ain't scared of 'em," Jinx protested, "and you shouldn't be either. They're just a bunch'a fancy dickheads with sticks up their asses. I don't get why you think you have to listen to them."

"Lux, are you alright?" The knocking grew louder and more insistent. "Who's in there?"

"Jinx, please." But it was too late.

The door wasn't locked. Lux never locked it, because why would she in a place like this, where she was always safe and disturbing her privacy was a punishable offense for anyone but the parents who rarely cared to visit her quarters? Except Garen had probable cause, hearing an unfamiliar voice in Lux's room.

He threw the door right open and walked on in. For a second, nothing happened. They were just three people staring at each other. Then, all Hell broke loose.

Garen quickly took notice of Jinx's weapons and reached for his sword. Why he had it on him right now, Lux didn't know and didn't have time to ask. Jinx, in response, removed the gun she called Zapper from its holster and pressed it to the side of Lux's head.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lux glanced back at her, bewildered but not afraid. Crazy as she was, Jinx would never pull the trigger. Not on her.

"Lux!' Garen quickly drew his blade, but the gun to her head stayed his hand. Guns weren't common weapons in Demacia, but Garen knew enough to know he would never cross the room fast enough. If Jinx actually wanted to kill Lux, she could do it in an instant. "Unhand her!"

Jinx took Lux by the arm and dragged her up from her seat. "New game, Blondie."

"What?" Oh, Lux did not like the sound of that.

"If we can't play fight, we'll play keep-away instead." Jinx secured her free arm around Lux's middle and began to back them both up toward the window.

"Jinx, wait-"

Lux didn't have time to finish her objection before Jinx, dragging her along, leaped through the open window. She didn't know which was louder; Garen's horrified cry or Jinx's shriek of delight as they plummeted toward a well-kept garden three stories below.

"Do your thing, Blondie!" she called.

Her thing? What the hell was "her thing" in a situation like this?

"Break our fall!" Jinx clarified when Lux just stared at her incredulously.

Oh! She wanted a hard light barrier, like the ones Lux often used to shield herself and her allies on the Rift. It probably wouldn't work to break a fall in the traditional sense, but Lux was no stranger to getting creative with her magic. She just had to pray nobody saw.

They both collided hard with a barely visible structure that had appeared directly beneath them, then began to slide forward at a sharp decline that gradually eased up. Lux kept her eyes closed, concentrating on the next few feet, then the next, then the next, trying to keep them at a pace that would get them to the ground quickly but not injure them on impact.

It was harder than one might think to keep up with it, even with all the magic practice she got on the Rift, and Jinx hollering excitedly in her ear didn't help.

They landed in a rosebush and seemed to take every single thorn with them as they rolled out in a tangled heap. Jinx ended up on top of Lux, staring down at her with bright eyes and a joyful grin.

"You gotta do that more often!"

"Shhh!" Lux sat up, nearly smacking her forehead against Jinx's with the speed of it, spitting out leaves as she harshly shushed her. "Someone probably heard us land. You have to get out of here."

"Aww, don't worry, Blondie," Jinx replied lightly. "I'm great at keep-away!"

"No," Lux groaned, but she didn't have time to air her frustrations. She could already hear voices and footsteps swiftly approaching.

"And that's our cue." Once more, Jinx grabbed Lux by the arm and hoisted her up, then she took off running. Lux was left with no choice but to stumble after her, mind searching desperately for a way to defuse this situation.

"Jinx, there's nowhere to go!" Lux insisted.

"That's what they think." Jinx casually raised Zapper to remind Lux she still had it, even though by all logic she really should've dropped it in the fall.

"No!" Lux pushed Jinx's arm down. She didn't know what the hell she would do if Jinx shot her guards.

"What's the matter?" Finally, Jinx seemed to realize Lux wasn't having fun.

Unfortunately, it was that exact moment that the guards started to catch up with them. Everywhere Lux looked, a different pair of patrolling guards ran toward them, swords drawn. One of them recognized her in the dark and called out to her by name, spurring the others on. 

"You have to leave!" Lux insisted, yanking her arm out of Jinx's grasp. "Zap away. I-I'll do my best to clean up this mess."

"Lux..." Jinx licked her lips, her brow furrowing as she tried to put the pieces together. She had finally clocked that Lux was upset, but not why. "It's just a game, babe. You love games."

"They're not playing!" Lux gestured with one hand at the swiftly approaching guards and used the other to lightly shove at her girlfriend. 

"The Pilties were never playing either," Jinx said. "That never stopped me. C'mon, lighten up. It'll be fun."

She raised her gun again. The guards were definitely in range, and almost close enough to reach Jinx with their swords. They were out of time. 

"STOP IT!" The scream escaped Lux before she had a chance to think about it, and so did the burst of arcane energy. 

Instantly, everyone but her and Jinx froze in their tracks, caught up in a shimmering wall of mana that she frequently used to immobilize people on the Rift. It was one of her favorite things to do; laughing while her enemies raged about being rendered defenseless. Now, though, it gave her a strong urge to throw up. 

The guards were frozen physically, but they were still aware. They would still know what Lux had done to them. That she was a mage.

She'd just outed herself in probably the worst way possible. 

Part of her expected Jinx to hoot and holler and try to drag her away again, but it seemed the scream had stunned her. Lux had never screamed at her before. 

"What's wrong?" she asked, equal parts gentle and anxiety. "We're just playin', right?"

"No!" Lux snapped, tears burning her eyes. "No one else is playing, Jinx! I'm not playing!"

Jinx shrank back with something of a kicked-puppy expression and said, "ohh, fuck... shit, Blondie, I'm sorry. I'll take ya back upstairs, I-"

"No." Lux stepped away from Jinx's outstretched hand. Upstairs wouldn't help her now. Honestly, at this point, the safest option for her would probably be to just go with Jinx after all. Now that all these people had seen her magic, suitors would be the least of her concerns. The oppressive laws of her homeland would be turned on her in full force. 

And yet... she still wasn't ready to leave. 

"Go home, Jinx," she murmured. 

"B-but you're cryin'." Jinx continued to reach for her, but Lux wouldn't have it. 

"Please." Lux met Jinx's horrified eyes and held her gaze. "Please, go."

"Okay..." Jinx replied, small and sad. "I'll see ya later, yeah?"

"Yeah." Despite the emotional turmoil, the fear and uncertainty for her immediate future, Lux managed a smile. "Yeah. Love you."

"Love you too." In a flash of electric blue light, Jinx was gone, and not a moment too soon. Lux's spell probably wouldn't have lasted much longer. 

Seeing no use in stalling, she released the guards, but refused to look at any of them. She hung her head, tears of fear and grief for the life she'd certainly just lost streaming down her face, and sank to her knees to await judgement. 

------

If you enjoy my work, please consider taking a moment to reblog it! Likes do not help posts circulate on Tumblr, so the best way to share things you like is to reblog.

Alternatively, I have a Kofi functioning as a tip jar. My fics will never be paywalled, but I do put a lot of time and effort into making content for free, so here's another option to support me.

#lightcannon #luxanna crownguard #jinx league of legends #jinx arcane #my writing #mistakes were made #tagging fic titles now for easy searching if anyone ever wants to go back to them

[twig-tea]

Get To Know Me Tag

Tagged by @telomeke @lurkingshan @my-rose-tinted-glasses @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle and @hyeoni-comb thank you all! 💕

Do you make your bed?

I like a messy bed, it feels more welcoming to me somehow. The only time I make my bed is when I'm without heat and it's winter, then you gotta do it to keep in any residual warmth! But normally I'd rather keep everything loose.

What’s your favorite number?

I....don't think I have one? Is this a thing people have, how do you choose?

What is your job?

I manage a team of Product Owners in the Operations division of a multinational company. In other words, I go to a lot of meetings.

If you could go back to school, would you?

Absolutely not. Beyond the fact that I was formerly a substantive editor of university textbooks, which included both editing the textbook content and sometimes writing their ancillaries (tests, powerpoint slides, etc.) so it feels like I took first-year Sociology at least ten times, I just don't love formalized education. I love learning but on my own terms and at my own pace.

Can you parallel park?

I can't drive at all! Technically I learned how, took lessons and everything, but never got my license.

A job you had that would surprise people?

Hmm. I was a call center person for half a day, it was terrible and I left without getting paid for the work I did because I was so eager to get out of there I didn't want to fight them for my pay (even though I needed the money which is why I was there in the first place). I hate phone calls, I can't hear well on the phone, and it was clear the call center script was designed to be exploitative. It was one of the worst jobs for me I could have taken lol

Do you think aliens are real?

I think it's extremely likely!

Can you drive a manual car?

Nope, even when I learned, it was only on an automatic.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I'm not guilty about it but I can decimate an entire family size mac and cheese when I'm feeling down.

Tattoos?

I have 3 tattoos; one on each foot and one on the back of my neck. They form a rainbow.

Favorite color?

Blue-green! The shade of preference for any given moment varies, but anything in the region from mint to aqua to teal to turquoise will do; I love them all.

Favorite type of music?

My music taste varies widely but the common denominators are 1) fast tempo or upbeat, 2) solid harmonies, and 3) if there's a tempo or key change I am doubly sold.

Do you like puzzles?

Love puzzles of all kinds. I have a collection of jigsaw puzzles I do regularly, and word puzzles, logic puzzles, sudoku type stuff is all very fun. I don't make a lot of time for them but I do them occasionally and always enjoy it.

Any phobias?

I am afraid of falling. Not heights, but falling. The difference is: I can lean over the railing at the top of a 20-storey building or walk on a glass floor over a big drop and just feel a minor thrill, but am terrified to the point of maybe crying if I have to balance on a single step of a ladder or walk across a patch of ice. I had several brushes with death related to falling when I was a kid, and a few bad falls that caused injury as an adult, so it makes sense. Luckily I am pretty tall so I rarely have to do any kind of ladder-ing!

Favorite childhood sport?

American-style tackle football. We used to play at lunch on the pavement because the soccer kids got the field; we played in all seasons including snow, and we did it for love of the sport. I loved it a lot.

Do you talk to yourself?

Occasionally I'll provide a little commentary on what's happening aloud to myself; but I don't really have fully conversations.

What movies do you adore?

I have loved a lot of movies in my time! A few random ones that come to mind right now because I've been thinking about them for whatever reason are Saving Face (2004), Monster (2023), Practical Magic (1998), Moonlight (2016), and Clue (1985).

Coffee or tea?

Despite my username being a type of tea, in this as in all things I am a perfect Kinsey 3. Love both equally and drink a ton of both (coffee more regularly, tea in greater volume).

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

Lifeguard, I think! And then when I was in elementary school I wanted to edit textbooks (I was that kid who got annoyed whenever there were mistakes), so I did actually get to do my childhood dream job.

No pressure tags just going with vibes based on who I've interacted with recently (if you've done this already tag me in the comments!): @rocketturtle4 @visualtaehyun @sollucets @troubled-mind @jimmysea @ginnymoonbeam

#tag game #thank you for tagging me #typed so that i can stop thinking it

[marlinspirkhall]

The star trek food cubes are haunting me again. I want to put them in my mouth.

So here are the theories on how to make them.

[ID] Screencap from The Conscience Of The King shows Lt. Riley uncovering a plate of food cubes [end ID]

Tofu, diced.

Marinate in liquid(s) of choice (e.g, lemon juice). Cover with cornstarch. Add red, green or yellow food colouring to blocks as required. Roast and serve.

Suggestion: marinate the cubes in different flavours to correspond to their colours.

Prototype recipe

Melon, diced.

This one is low effort: Red cubes= watermelon, other cubes= melon. Allegedly, the original on-set props *were* dyed melon (but I don't have a solid source), so this may be the best fit.

Royal icing/icing sugar.

This one is just candy: make 3 batches of royal icing, one red, one yellow, one green, dice when half-set and leave to fully set.

Cake, fondant.

Possible, if we assume Lt. Riley was drinking milk in that scene from The Conscience Of The King (Pictured above). This one is also easy to make, assuming you don't object to fondant.

Jelly, cubed.

(Jell-O). Dishonourable mention; this one is too see-through for my liking.

[ID] Screencap from Where No Man shows Kirk eating a green food cube, which looks blue here. [End ID]

Potatoes, Diced.

Roast Potatoes, Diced

This idea comes from CoolPete.com, and my first thought was "please don't put food colouring on the potatoes".

Cool Pete provided a photo of the finished results, and the natural colour of the potato offsets most of the food colouring to make them all look greener than intended. The red food colouring comes out the best. I suppose colour theory dictates that you should use blue food colouring on the potatoes in order to get green cubes, but don't quote me on that.

With this in mind, I'm going to tentatively suggest a horrible idea:

Roast Sweet Potatoes (Yams), Diced

In theory, the redness of the yams might allow the Yellow Food Dye to look more yellow, and make the red more vibrant. There's a greater chance that you will be able to use the green food colouring without it looking blue here, but use at your own caution, because the finished product may look oversaturated. Perfectly edible, but potentially unappetizing (the first bite is with the eye).

Closing Comments:

For uniformity of texture, tofu or melon seems to be the best way to go. If we are to believe that the "food cubes" in-universe are supposed to be fruit (according to that same trekbbs thread, they're placed in glasses in Journey To Babel), then watermelon and cantaloupe are begging for our attention, but we must ignore them, for melon alone does not a meal make!

“I wonder if they were actually supposed to be some kind of fruit in-universe, too? IIRC, in "Journey to Babel" the copper aliens put them in their drinks, which seems a strange thing to do if they were supposed to be the 23rd century equivalent of tofu cubes or something.”

-Avro Arrow

This isn't the end, merely the beginning. I will test out a couple of variations of these meals and report back on which one I think is best.

My current hypothesis is that the tofu will allow for the most variation, as you can marinate it in naturally-colourful liquids of various colours. If it's colourful enough you could forgo the food colouring altogether, or marinate it in something colourless (like salted water) and then add seasonings and food colouring if you wish.

I intend to start by using tofu with diced potatoes as a side, though if I test out too many cube-shaped meals at once, my household will get suspicious, so I need to space this out over the course of a few months. I'm going to use the tag #Food Cube Trek, so filter it if that's not something you'd like to see.

#Food Cube Trek #food cubes #star trek #star trek TOS #girl help I can't stop thinking about the food cubes #long post #cooking with quark

[0alanasworld0]

Celebrity Crush (Pablo Gavi x reader) *request

Request: Hii can u do gavi having a crush on actress reader and he reveals it after being asked abot his celeb crush in an interview :) ♡

A/N - I know that this request has been completed before but I've always wanted to write one of these and I think that my take is sufficiently different from the other writer's -> I feel justified in posting it. I hope that makes sense lol

Warnings: none

“The love of your life is gonna be there, eh!” Pedri pokes at his best friend’s shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Pablo scoffs, one tiktok post on his screen is all it took for his little crush to become the team’s hot gossip. And it’s been a month!

“Are we really still on this?” gavi groans, throwing a hand over his face in an attempt to cover the blush of embarrassment as his teammates cackle around him. The joys of being the youngest (!)

“Hey, it's completely natural to have feelings lik-” 

“No no no no no I can’t deal with this today!” He grabs his bag and stomps out of the locker room, shaking his head with a huff. He would never dare admit this to his friends but my god if you weren’t the most stunning woman he had ever come across. Everything about you just oozed grace and elegance. Your voice was smooth and honeyed, striking eyes and a dazzling smile. You had an aura that just drew people towards you yet a shyness: there’s a little glimpse into how nervous the attention made you but you were still an infectiously positive influence on those around you. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising knowledge to anyone that Pablo had a little crush on you, many did. BUT the idea of you ever getting an idea of those feelings from the internet just made him cringe. He didn’t want to join a roster with those creeps. He didn’t even know you!

It was all an especially sensitive topic to him since you had mentioned being a football fanatic in a recent interview and you did express admiration for a certain La Liga goalkeeper that had him slightly disgruntled. However, when you also mentioned a certain Catalonian team as a favourite, he was shocked to say the least. You spoke very highly of them and it was becoming more and more apparent that you likely knew of him. Were you a fan? Did you just think of him as some stupid kid like everyone else? Have you ever been to one of his games and if so how did he not see you??

“So, you’re pretty new and upcoming so there's an air of mystery around you. I mean, we really don’t have anything on you! For a break-out star, it's a bit weird, don’t you think?” the host says, elbow propped up on the table with her head resting on their hand. 

“Yeah, I get that but suppose I’ve been a bit of a recluse my whole life uh… I don’t know! I’m not always on social media and I haven’t really done many interviews so I guess there never really is much of an opportunity? Even with the press stuff I have done, it’s all been very much focused on the show itself so y’know…” you trail off with a bit of uncertainty, wringing your hands under the table.

“Well, I’m gonna try and change that! We’re gonna treat this kinda like a first date, just a basic get-to-know-you type scenario, you cool with that?” she asks tentatively

“Yeah that sounds pretty good!”

“Okay let's start easy uh… favourite colour?”

“I feel like the range between blue and green is pretty solid, what do you like doing outside of work?”

“I’m kind of a soccer fanatic, actually! I used to be a die-hard football fan but something about soccer just makes it feel so much more energetic y’know?” You nod in agreement, smiling at the shared interest, perking up a bit.

“I have to agree with you on that one. I used to play all the time when I was a little kid and I burned out on it as a teenager but seeing it regain that energy over recent years is something so special!”

“Exactly! I really think we’re meshing here!” you both laugh as you jokingly hold hands over the table.

“Okay okay back to the subject matter, what's your favourite league?”

“The EPL.” you say, mouth twitching as the laugh threatens to break out. The interviewer narrows her eyes and takes her hands back, cocking her head to the side. The silence only makes it harder until both of you burst out into laughter, tearing up a little bit.

“Okay no be real…” the interviewer struggles to get the words out through the giggles. You finally manage to settle down and get the words out.

“Honestly I think that La Liga has really been seeing a revival. I still love the Bundesliga and Serie A but it's been super interesting to see the quality of La Liga go up so dramatically.” The interview nods and hums in interest. She raises her eyebrow with her next question.

“Any favourite players?”

“I can’t say any names for fear of it actually reaching them but the goalkeeping last season was stellar and I think that the Zamora trophy was very well earned.” ducking your head down as a small blush appears on your face. The interviewer smirks but continues.

“Okay fine but you have to have a favourite team?”

“Within La Liga, Barcelona has been super inspiring! It was a pretty tough time losing such consistent and reliable talent especially under those circumstances where they didn’t want to leave but I would have never expected a revival like this!”

“Tell me about it, and to come from such young players too?!”

“Exactly, it’s wonderful to see them be so resourceful given their… situation and it’s clearly working so I’d say that those promotions were very wise decisions on their part!”

…..

The teasing had always been there since the team found out about it but it took an upturn after that interview. Fans were picking up on the idea given the fact that the pair of you were the same age. The edits rolled in much more quickly than what he expected: the sensual  music, the mashups of his and your best moments, the illusion of the pair of you looking at each other. He doesn’t understand how they did it and he’s angry at the fact that he isn’t more offended by people imagining you as a couple. He wasn’t overjoyed by the ones of you and Pedri or a certain Moroccan goalkeeper that you referred to in the interview but nevermind. He couldn’t help but be a little curious about whether you two would be compatible. I mean it wasn’t too outlandish of an idea was it? You’re both young, struggling with fame, passionate, who knows maybe-

“Pablo, I’m begging you: get your head out of the clouds and pull it together!” his agent yells, throwing an empty water bottle in his direction.

“When are you free for a fitting?”

“... Huh?” he breathes out deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes in annoyance. The poor man just needs this one date sorted for the gala, he just wants to go home and yet here they are. All he needs is about a minute of focus.

“Okay if I have to say this one more time, I’m throwing the whole water drum at you.” the boy gulped, eyes widening at the threat, nodding vigorously as he straightened his back. Julian was a lovely guy with the patience of a saint and Pablo was grateful to have him as a publicist but he had his limits.

“Y’know that premiere Robert was going to?”

“Vaguely” Julian raises his eyebrows at that. This show has been on everyone’s lips for a good few months and to add to that, a particular name was frequently attached that would have been very familiar. Nonetheless, he chooses not to press. He just wants to get this all over and done with.

“Right well, some idiot insisted that he needed to do some promotional stuff instead so you’re going… well if you can actually cooperate and help me sort out a fitting date, that is.” he says, eyes narrowed at Gavi. Sighing out when he realises that the message has finally been received.

“Wait wait wait, why can’t pedri go?!” Julian decides that he will, in fact, push.

“Okay, I just told you that you’re going to be able to attend a premiere for the film that the love of your life is leading and you’re asking me why someone else can’t go?” Gavi looks down and plays with his fingers. Julian shakes his head, let's get this over with.

“No, magically no one else is available. Let’s get this fitting done at 10:00pm tomorrow, yeah?” any chances of being flexible are long gone, his patience running very thin. Julian hurries out of the room, holding his hand out to prevent Pablo from saying anything that would prolong the conversation.

“You do realise that this girl literally has no reason to dislike you, right?” Pedri says, looking up from his phone to see Gavi messing around with his tie and rolling his eyes. 

“Apart from the fact that I’m largely advertised as a player with a giant ego and no anger management skills?” Gavi huffs. Sure, your comments on the team were largely positive but you had to have seen some of the famous outbursts.

“Hermano, I can assure you that the way that you play completely overshadows the angry  chihuahua behaviour. If she can’t see that, then she’s not worth your time.” he shrugs. Oh if only it were as simple as that. Pedri may have been right but the fact of the matter was that he wanted you to like him. You were ethereal and the idea of you not liking him made his chest tighten. 

“See! This is what I mean! I doubt she’d have any interest in an ‘angry chihuahua’” Gavi turns around to face his best friend, aggressively air quoting.

“C’mon man, I was only joking.” Pedri gets up to give him a reassuring hug. He can sense that his friend is still extremely nervous so he releases the hug before continuing.

“Look, she seems nice enough and she likes the team. The most you have to worry about is the great wall of Morocco sweeping her off her feet before you.” patting his cheek with a smile. Gavi looks away and huffs again but is unable to hold back the smile. Okay, that was funny. He’d never admit that, though. Thank goodness, he’s married.

“Oy, apparently that Gavi kid is gonna be there!” your ears perk up at your friend’s comment. ‘That Gavi kid’ was a phenomenal footballer and very quickly caught your attention the first time you saw him play live. The guys you’re constantly having to deal with are all the same type with very little motivation or ability to do the simplest of things. The fact that there was someone around your age having the talent, motivation and passion to play for (and help resurrect) one of the most iconic teams in the world as well as his national team was so incredibly attractive to you. His doe-eyes and fluffy, chocolate brown hair definitely helped him out in the looks area as well.

“He seems like a sweet guy, I happen to think we’d get along quite well actually!” your cheeks heat up as a shy smile makes its way onto your face.

“Oh there's no doubt about that! Being swept off your feet by Barca’s golden boy is very on-brand for you! And have you SEEN those edits, wow!” She fans herself jokingly as you throw a pillow at her head.

“Okay that's enough of that. Now I beg you just choose between one of these!” you’re holding up the two dresses you spent ages narrowing down to.

“Girl, you’re going to be the star of the show, those edits will be up and out regardless of whether your dress is cerulean blue or midnight blue.” you roll your eyes as you eye the 2 dresses once more.

“What has gotten into you? You usually have this stuff picked out weeks in advance!”

“I don’t know, just having some doubts is all.”

“Look, I promise that your lover boy is going to be blown away with either of these.”

The taxi ride feels like forever. He’s redone his tie more times than he could count. He’s been keeping a close eye on every rumoured attendee’s social media to try and up his morale but finally, they make it to the venue. It’s all glammed up with lights lining up the red carpet. It leads to the doors which are strictly guarded by 2 burly men in all black. The odd nightclub visit may have felt normal to the poor boy but not this. It's a little too much and just as he thought he had calmed down, the nerves make their unwelcome return and his hands are sweating again.

The second he opens the taxi door, the cameras start flashing and people start yelling his name. Gavi takes the time to thank his driver, passing over a generous tip before slowly exiting. Why do they have to be like this? Why do I have to be like this? He asks himself. The suit that he had made to his form by the finest tailors just days prior suddenly felt too tight. It was some of the most expensive material yet it now felt scratchy and coarse against his skin. It was all suffocating: the noise, the lights, the smell; everything. He rushes down the carpet with his head down, ignoring the requests to smile for the camera. The words were barely intelligible anyway.

The temporarily converted mall is still extremely busy and loud but the lack of paparazzi and yelling was a change he felt very grateful for. The noise is more energetic chatter and less ear-shattering screeches as the walk-in was. He sighs in relief when he sees a familiar face. 

“Ah, Gavira! You made i- what’s wrong?” his teasing smile turns into a look of concern.

“What?! Nothing! Why would you ask that?” he’s rambling, still rattled from the entrance.

“Oh hermano you look like you’re about to cry!” Julian gives him a hug which Pablo gladly accepts. It’s just a lot. He has nothing to ground him or divert his attention like the pitch does. There is probably a reason why Robert is usually the one to go to events like this.

“Look, I know that the entrance was a bit much but I promise you, that was the hard part. Now it's just gonna be a couple interviews, some less chaotic photos, try to talk to some of the actors here… you’ll have fun, okay?” Gavi nods with a semi-enthusiastic smile on his face, it probably looked more like a grimace but nevertheless.

It’s been a big improvement from the first impression and Gavi is enjoying himself. He didn’t have very many photos taken at all and it’s been a relief to see footballers other than himself dotted around. Talking to them, among some of the actors, has given him some reprieve. It isn’t so bad after all.

The first interview isn’t too much of a hassle for him either. He’s used to much less friendly people than this.

“So, it must be pretty crazy to receive such high praise from such a highly coveted actress, huh?”

“I mean, yeah! She didn’t refer to me directly but it’s awesome anyway. I’m glad our team is still inspiring so many people and that SOMEONE understands the approach Xavi is taking!” he manages to get a little chuckle out of the man which releases some tension. He continues.

“No seriously, she’s an insanely beautiful and talented person so it really is an honour to hear it from someone of her calibre.” gavi says with a wistful smile on his face, cheeks heating up at the mere thought of you being aware of his existence. The interviewer smirks but keeps things rolling, that footage was going to be golden.

“On a more personal note, thank you for what you’re doing for Barca and the national team. Absolutely phenomenal coming from someone so young and I can’t begin to describe how excited I am to see how things work out for you in the future.” Well that's very different from what he’s used to hearing from older fans. It warms his heart.

“Thanks man, that seriously means so much to hear!” They give each other a bear hug before he walks off, relaxed and confident. But the second he turns around, it all dissipates. There you are, in all your glory. You’re not even doing anything intentionally model-esque, simply looking down and readjusting your dress as you wait for the journalists and camera crew in front of you to have everything set up. It's a moment he feels guilty for intruding on but you smooth down your dress, smiling as you twirl around in it. He’s mesmerised within seconds of seeing you in person, the photos don’t do you justice. At all. 

He can’t hear what you’re saying and doesn’t dare get any closer but the second you start speaking you have everyone’s attention. He can tell whenever someone is complimenting you as your hands move to cover your cheeks as they heat up. He wonders how you feel about the small crowd gathering around you. Did you ever get as nervous as he did? Was this stressful for you too? He’s brought out of his thoughts as the crowd laughs quietly at a comment you made. Oh and she’s funny too? Of course she is!

Much to his disappointment, Julian is dragging him off to another interview before he could even muster up the courage to go and talk to you, with the crowd beginning to disperse. He stills looks back at you, heart pounding as you make eye contact. He sees you offering a little wave before he loses you among the people. Your smile was breath-taking but smiling directly at him was a whole different story. The rest of the interviews couldn’t last any longer, or at least he felt that way. He just wanted to see you again now, nothing else was on his mind. 

That idea was a lot harder in practice, he learned. You’re right there, swirling your sprite can at the drinks bar, looking up and around every now and then. He’s been dawdling for about ten minutes now, “figuring out what to say.” He looks up every once in a while, you’re playing with your dress again and you still look just as mesmerising. Julian has had enough of the situation, pushing Pablo towards you and walking off before the boy could try to hide behind him.

“Oh my gosh, hi! It’s Pablo, right?” good lord you’re somehow even more gorgeous up close and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Have you seen that interview? They posted that one clip very quickly and he’s extremely anxious at the idea of you being spammed with the clip. It’s a shame he hadn’t been paying attention to the posts other than his interview clip. Or listened when he saw you being interviewed.

“That's me!” he says, laughing nervously. 

“I’ve honestly been wanting to meet you for so long!” you say with a bright smile on your face, bouncing up and down on your toes with excitement. You can’t resist giving him a hug and he thinks his heart is going to burst out of his chest any time soon. You smell absolutely divine and he’s trying to commit the whole moment to memory. You take his hand and pull him to an area behind all of the giant posters where things are a little quieter.

“I could say the same about you, I mean you’re just…wow!” He’s properly kicking himself. One chance to look cool in front of you and he’s fucked it up.

You’re so caught up in the excitement of talking with Pablo Gavi that you forget the fact that you elicit the very same feelings in him. 

“No, seriously you’re incredible! I usually find defensive tactics more interesting but you are absolutely explosive in midfield! I haven’t seen anyone play quite like that for ages!” you gush. Pablo couldn’t be more grateful that everyone forced him to come here. You liked him! You liked him!

“It's honestly just what I love doing, I suppose the passion builds into the output…” he trails off as you nod enthusiastically, giving him a reassuring smile and eagerly waiting for him to continue. You don’t like eye contact very much but his hazel eyes are truly gorgeous and you can’t bring yourself to look away.

“Hey, enough about me, this is a big day for you! You’re finally getting the recognition you deserve!” he says, gaining a bit of his confidence back and nudging you lightly. You can feel your cheeks heat up. 

“Eh, the me-fest was fun online but holy shit am I tired of it after this!” you laugh together and simultaneously realise that you’re still holding onto each other's hands. It just feels too right to let go.

“Do you hate the noise as much as I do?” you whisper in his ear. He feels a chill run down his spine from your warm breath and goosebumps form immediately. He nods softly, confused and suspicious of the mischievous look in your eyes.

“What’s on your mind, bonita?” he narrows his eyes, squeezing your hands lightly, waiting for you to elaborate.

“There’s a park literally 2 minutes away from here! if we manage to make an escape, we can get away from all the noise, look up at the stars…” you trail off, waiting for his response. He seems to have a permanent smile etched on his face with you but it widens with your idea. He wraps an arm around your shoulder and you begin to weave in and out of the crowd which has begun to disperse a little already. 

The pair of you make it out unscathed, giggling to each other as you look back to make sure you haven’t been caught. He keeps his arm where it is, again it just feels too right. You reach one of the park benches and decide to take your seats. The dim glow of the street lamp above you illuminates your features and he can’t help but stare. Your eyes are focused on the stars, you’re holding out your hand to map out the stars you were familiar with. Your other hand is gripping the bench and he inches his own closer and closer but he has an idea of his own. He doesn’t know how but he’s thankful that his confidence resurfaces once more as he stands up, holding a hand out to you. Your focus returns to him and you cock your head to the side in confusion.

“Dance with me” the idea makes you all giddy inside but you can’t help but tease

“Without music?” He sighs in faux-annoyance as he opens his phone to play a soft tune, propping it up on the blazer he opts to take off. He’s a sight for sore eyes in the crisp, white button-up. He offers his hand to you again but you oblige this time. You squeal slightly as he unexpectedly pulls you towards his body, instinctively placing a hand on his chest while his free hand finds a place on the small of your back. His hazel eyes are so much prettier up close. He simply can’t believe that this is happening. You both fall into a rhythm together as you move to the soft melody. 

“I’m a genius.”

“Of many things” he says with a wistful sigh, smiling softly. 

The butterflies in your tummy grow more and more restless as your faces grow closer together. You can feel his warm breath on your face and you can see the little scars that adorn his face. The hand that rested on his chest slides up towards his face to cup his cheek and his eyes flutter to a close for a second as he relishes the warmth. You’re both breathing heavier, almost panting, even though nothing has happened yet. Your eyes are frantically flickering over each other's features, desperately trying to commit even the most minute detail to memory. Your gaze lingers on his pretty pink lips for a second too long and like that: you’re the first to give in. you pull him towards you, finally capturing his lips in a soft kiss. He tenses for a moment, mind completely blanking as he attempts to process what is happening. Just as quickly, he relaxes and pulls you even closer to him, if that were even possible. The taste of your watermelon flavoured lip gloss was borderline addictive and the softness of his lips had you feeling dizzy. You part slowly and reluctantly for breath, your hands stay in each other's hair as you stare into each other’s eyes.

“Promise you’ll call?” you say as the taxi pulls up at your place. You really have no idea just how infatuated he was with you.

“I swear on my life, bonita. I’ll call the second I get home!” he smiles, pulling you in for the final kiss of the night before you open the car door and leave. Before entering your place, you turn around to give him a wave, smiling widely as he waves back. You kick off your heels and flop onto the couch, a wide smile plastered on your face as you recall the events of the night: he, Pablo Gavi, really liked you.

Pablo tries to close the door quietly behind him, finally returning home after going rogue at the premier with you. The lamp in the corner of the living room flickers on, spooking him as he sees Pedri sitting there, wide awake and waiting. 

“Look, I know I should have called about where I was but I swear I know how to handle myself I just-”

“Yeah yeah whatever, I couldn’t care less about that Gavira. You owe me something.” Pablo is stumped, his tired mind can’t wrap around what his friend is trying to get at.

“An apology? I was trying before I got rudely interru-” Pedri turns the laptop around so the screen is facing his best friend. 

Oh god no, this was all much quicker than anticipated. No words can be heard and the camera quality is rather shaky but the faces are obviously you and him. The camera has captured the moment where you drag him to behind the posters to talk privately, your hands resting in his, and they capture the pair of you walking off back into the crowd together in the middle of the escape. 

Pedri gets up, places the laptop on the table and goes to ruffle Pablo’s hair and then shakes him by the shoulders.

“I told you she was into you! I told you! You’re such an idiot I swear!” Gavi rolls his eyes, mouth twitching as he tries to hold off a smile. He doesn’t want to reveal all the details yet but it was a magical night, to say the least.

“C’mon you have to tell me something!” Gavi looks down as a blush dusts his cheeks.

“She said she wants to see me again,” he says, stretching the back of his neck. Pedri wraps him in a tight hug.

“I’m always right, see?” 

“Whatever!” Gavi retorts with a smile, jogging up to his room. He’s itching to call you. Pedri lets him go in peace, oh he’s going to be relentlessly teasing the poor man in the morning.

Once Pablo reaches his room, he quickly unbuttons the shirt, throwing it to the side before falling onto the bed, sighing in relief as the cool and crisp sheets felt like heaven against his burning hot skin. The effect you had on him clearly hasn’t worn off just yet. He opens his phone and immediately goes to call you. A smile immediately makes its way onto his face as he hears your voice.

“Did you make it home safely?”

“As per instruction, bonita.” he thinks he can hear your smile over the line. Oh this was the start of something beautiful.

I’m sorry this has taken so long, lovelies. I have a lot on my plate and have been feeling a little demotivated but I've been feeling a lot better recently so hopefully I can start posting more often again! I hope you enjoy this one xxx

#pablo gavi #gavi #gavi imagine #gavi x reader #pablo gavi imagine #footballer fic #footballer imagine

[jitterysims]

LOADING SCREEN - SOLID NEUTRALS

Hey hey! I've seen some absolutely BEAUTIFUL loading screens out there, but it also made me think that I haven't seen many that are just solid colors. So here I am! Starting with 10 neutrals, I'll be releasing 7 more loading screen sets in reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, and pinks! So keep an eye out if you're wanting a different color 👀 ❥ Remember to only have one loading screen in your mods folder at a time ❥ Check patreon to see each loading screen in use! ❥ Do not claim as your own, and please give credit! ♡

patreon download (free) | simfileshare

#the sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 cc #my cc #the sims 4 loading screen #myls #the sims 4 loading screens #sims 4 loading screen #mine #sims4cc #sims 4 loading screens #ts4 loading screens #thesims4cc #solids

[miracles-and-butterflies]

I need more of the Steven Universe AU purely to see what everyone's fusions would be like. The triplet's fusion would be so freaking awesome, any of the sibling trio fusions would be a terrifying powerhouse, I want the sibling fusions, I need to know what the fusion of Luisa and Mirabel would be like, the fusion of Mirabel and Antonio would be so adorable, and I want to find out which Isabela fusion would be the most chaotic/destructive/unhinged, heck, give us the fusions of Alma with each of her kids and grandkids, it would be a great opportunity for visual representation of how her pressure and expectations negatively impact each of them. I bet it would take people a solid minute to realize Julieta and Mirabel had fused, Mirabel is so much her mama's clone you don't notice the difference unless you're paying close attention or know them really well. Please, PLEASE give us more, I even have ideas for the rest of the Madrigals gem types. Pedro would be another Diamond, if Alma's a Diamond then it would make the most sense if Pedro was one too, he's likely been shattered. Pyrope definitely fits Dolores and Camilo is absolutely an Orange Spinel, Antonio should be Tiger's Eye. I think Lapis Lazuli is best suited for Isabela, beautiful and upper class yet extremely powerful, and Mirabel could be a defective Bismuth that doesn't have the muscle of a normal Bismuth and can't build to save her life, expressing the natural creativity of her gem type through unconventional means and making up for her lack of brawn with brain

I’m so glad you’re enjoying this AU!

Firstly, I should say that not everyone fuses. I have to vaguely follow SU’s plot, but…

The triplets (or, well, mainly Pepa and Bruno) did secretly fuse when they were first made. They frequently caused chaos and got intro trouble, partially why it then became so taboo. It was already viewed as bad, but knowing what damage could be caused to the perfect empire… it became a lot more of a serious offence.

Some of the siblings/cousins haven’t fused together, so I’d need to know who you wanted to know about specifically.

And none of the parents have fused with the children.

Luisa and Mirabel are oddly enough quite like Sardonyx as a fusion. Luisa shares a lot of traits with both Garnet and Pearl, and then combined with Mirabel, I’d be lying if they weren’t oddly close to Sardonyx. In saying that, they could also be Garnet herself - a lot of Luisa and Mirabel’s interactions are akin to Ruby and Sapphire respectively. However, they are also very anxious together, so take that as you will for their fusion.

About the Madrigals’ gems, here is the updated list:

Antonio - Tiger’s Eye (I absolutely love this idea! It fits so well)

Isabela - no idea

Dolores - Rutile

Luisa - Amethyst

Camilo - Yellow Spinel

Mirabel - Sapphire

Julieta - Blue Diamond

Pepa - Orange Diamond

Bruno - Green Diamond

Alma - Pink Diamond

Pedro - Botswana Agate

I’ll happily give information for whatever people ask for!

#encanto #ask me anything #encanto steven universe au #isabela madrigal #mirabel madrigal #luisa madrigal #dolores madrigal #camilo madrigal #antonio madrigal #pepa madrigal #julieta madrigal #bruno madrigal #pedro madrigal #alma madrigal

[jeonwonwoo]

hi! again. 😊 Please excuse my bad explanation; I'm new to PS and still learning what things are called. My question was about how you manage to combine pngs images with gifs in such a cool way. As seen in this beautiful HOTD edit, for example. /post/698703305504882688/i-should-not-be-left-to-my-own-devices-anti-hero It would be awesome if you have time to explain how you do this for all of us newbies, but if not, I am thankful that you took the time to answer my ask. Best wishes. 😊

— hii no omg thanku for being so nice with your ask </333333 and i'm more than happy to share how i did it (that set was so long ago 😭 i don't have my hotd files rn but i'll just make do with an example)

this effect technically can be very simple to-do and all you need is a base background and a png to go on top! but if you want to recreate that effect exactly as it was in this set then prior to the png you need:

— two gifs, ready and coloured + blended together — a transparent png with a clean outline — basic knowledge of overlays (but really it's more of a learn-as-you-go thing so its fine 😭)

#1 — so first i wanted to find the png i was going to use. just search up ____ (whatever you're looking for) png transparent online and you should be able to find heaps of good, and free to use options! my go to site is nicepng but there are sooo many places you can look!!

what's important to remember is that for a cleaner result, you want to find a png with smooth outlines - aka nothing that is really rough or jagged in its edges.

so i chose this sun png and it has plenty of black space in it (as this will play a key role in how the colour shows through the png later) but it isn't a solid block of black either!

#2 — so i have my two gifs ready, coloured and blended with each other. remember that the gif choice underneath will also affect how the png's colours show through [whether the gif has a lot of pure white/black can really change the effect!]

#3 — so now i've just inserted the png onto the gif and you can position it anywhere you want on the canvas!

#4 — i'm not sure on the technicalities on why you need to do this (😭) but the png typically is black right, but you want to make it white so make sure to invert the png so it shows up white!! you can invert through adjustments or by pressing command + i or ctrl + i to do this!

#5 — now go to the blending mode of the png and set it to EXCLUSION. i think you can set it to difference as well but i'm no expert in that and i think they give the same result. your white png should turn sort of blue-ish translucent!! now we're ready to add colour <3

#6 — now right click/double click etc on the png and go to blending options here!

#7 — this is an optional step but if you want the outline of your png to appear a little more against the gif (say as the majority of the background in mine is mostly dark) then you can add a shadow to your liking! these are just my typical settings nowadays :D

#8 — head over to gradient overlay and choose a colour gradient that you would like! there are heaps of easy presets that i often default to (like plenty of blue/green/purple options) <3 and make SURE you set the blend mode of the gradient overlay to EITHER: — multiply (shows up pretty dark which can be useful at times!) — hard light (which shows up pretty bright, i'm going to use that in this gif because bright is what i need!) — colour (shows up more light/white and works well on lighter backgrounds imo)

#9 — finish up by adding your typography however you would like! i added the same gradient effect to 'SEVENTEEN' at the bottom of the text for a little more pop of colour!

and there you have it!!! that's your finished gif (or at least the same principle behind the hotd/anti hero set!) and here's the finished result <3 i hope this helps!!

i've gone through these similar steps in this tutorial as well! i learnt this from this great tutorial by @anya-chalotra 🧡

#hope that helps :D thanku for being so kind! #ps help #anyway i hope people don't mind the tag 😭 so this doesnt flop #tuserose #isaishi #userfran #userjoanna #heavensyun #cheytermelon #annietrack #hanatonin #userngocchi #uservince #tuseral #userchoi #answered #shuaria

[doom-nerdo-666]

Most of my thoughts/observations on The Dark Ages' trailer

It's long and copypasted but

"BEFORE HE BECAME A HERO", He always was, though this unintentionally gives a point to people who think Slayer could've been a seperate character from Doomguy

Sentinel Prime on fire, i see floating rocks and castles. Could be Sentinel related like the Fortress in DE and we also see a pentagram in the sky

Sentinel ship hits a building, i also think that ship shooting stuff is demonic

Giant demonic castle with skull. Hope that thing is both a location and "alive"

Floating place reminds me of 2016 MP Empyrian. Maybe the Sentinels either build it as a tribute to or got it from the Maykrs

Slayer has a fur cape. Always expected this to happen, whether it's a superhero thing or even a Berserk reference

The new base also has Maykr tech

SSG has no meathook

Maykr ship attacking, seems to be demons/possessed and Imps it's targetting

I LIKE that Doomguy has gray colors in the helmet. Also almost thought some details resembled a crown

Helmet has no Slayer mark this time

Mancubi shoot 2 fireballs per cannon, which is an ability i always thought they deserve (It's like a mix of both modern Mancs shooting the cannons individually and the classics shooting 2 fireballs at once)

Fireballs look solid, like magma. Possible D64 homage

Their design has differences from Eternal, like a different species of fat humanoid beings

Their tech has an HR Giger look, as if they're biological: Possibly a middleground between 2016 and Eternal

It looks cool but still comes from a place of "Hell had no metallic tech until the UAC"

SSG seems lever based, probably because of the shield

New weapon crushes skulls so it shoots bits of them. Maybe skulls will be an ammo pickup

Hell factory place?

I wonder if the Possessed Soldiers, no longer being UAC, are either Sentinel or still Hell related. Maybe they're based on that 2016 concept art of the Hell razer, who knows

Shield = chainsaw

Sentinel Plasma Rifle, i knew they'd get an equivalent

Revenant looks like a grim reaper. clever

Its multi skull attack is also cool

A pink demon with horns shooting verticle stuff. Is it Pinky related? Those are usually melee

There's also someone riding them

Arachnotrons look more twisted even if their model is still Eternal inspired

Flying brain creatures. Reminds me of Duke's Octobrains and D3 Cacos. And of course, those things from Valiant (Likewise, the Mancs reminded me of Hellforged)

Shield used to block attacks (hope it can reflect them too)

Boomerang shield. Always said Doom could use a boomerang item and even be it Sentinel related

Classic imp? Is cool but i like when demons get new looks and abilities. Maybe this imp has something more going on

A weapon that shoots nails? Doom's Nail Gun?

Shield dash

The Imp fireball being charged looked green. Could mean they have a new attack type. Maybe a poison projectile, inspired by the Cursed Prowler

Said Imp is literally "nailed" to the wall

Hellknight looks like it has new details on their skin, like a bit of Giger

Demonic cyberknight, probably to keep up with Marauders and the Gladiator

Insert Castlevania reference here

You can kick too

Seems melee is reworked, so maybe no Glory Kills. I guess that would happen since you need to think of like 5 animations for each demon and maybe design them around that mechanic

A tiny thing on this demon knight's chest looks like an eye. Remember the lore for the Gladiator saying his shield had the soul of his master?

Cable connected to red part of Doomguy's armor. Different from Eternal having it light blue to open that thing in Exultia

Mech finally pilotable

Titan with melee weapon, gets punched

This location looks different, is it even the same Sentinel planet? Could be that one city on Mars before it vanished and became Mars Core's final area

Mech Dragon, background looks like a giant ribcage

Insert Panzer Dragoon reference

Also, is the thing shooting purple orbs a demonic ship?

This section also makes me wonder how much vehicle stuff will be in game or in the series in general

Wonder if this "kiss of death" is a reference to that 2014 Godzilla scene

Regardless, lots of good stuff.

It will obviously have that prequel issue of "cool new stuff that will not be addressed in the follow ups that came later" but Doom is also a series i think is fun because the setting is a mess, so at that point you start to think more of "is cool" than "is logical".

The game seems solid and it shows they did suddenly start making it after being done with TAG2, even if i still worry about the dev cycicles and think the release of a new Doom should be special. So after this game, id should calm down.

It's also lot more Sentinel focused, probably the least UAC presence in a Doom game.

A weird idea i had was if they could still use the name "Year Zero" for a small campaign with an ARC guy during Hell's invasion on Earth.

Basically, if id makes a campaign that is like half the lenght of Dark Ages (If the main game itself is also like 13 chapters) but about a UAC soldier with new weapons and cool locations on Earth, maybe that could balance the Sentinel focus due to the UAC always being more prominent.

Some say the gameplay could be closer to classic Doom, which can mean a lot because personally, i associate some of old Doom's traits with even engine stuff and also on why the new games play differently.

What matters is that the new stuff is good.

extra:

maybe the shield really is Captain America inspired

wonder if "taking inspiration from classic Doom" could mean stuff like a different working armor, since it'd suit the lore behind the Praetor suit

going back to the ARC soldier expansion idea, imagine riding a helicopter because the Slayer can ride a dragon or fighting zombie soldiers piloting tanks or mechs because you can fight zombies riding Pinkies

going back to the Manc, hope they at some point use both cannons at the same time to shoot 4 fireballs.

after an interview video from gamestop, i hope the level design really is Hexen-like

Almost forgot the zombies with shields, presumably based off the Possessed Security

The Maykr ship shooting from the sky could be Doomguy's new hub

And maybe that factory was making Atlans

#doom #doom the dark ages #doom eternal #doom 2016 #id software #opinions #long post

[tiikerikani]

Throwback Not-Thursday (2012 v 2024)

Gerrin Goblinkicker, Dwarf Hero (sculpted by Bob Olley)

This was the last figure I painted before starting up again in 2020.

I'm known to be insufferably/irredeemably stuck in the past, so unlike normal people who might strip and repaint their earlier figures, I painted a whole other copy. This dwarf figure is still in production, so I didn't need to wrangle one from eBay at stupid prices. I even happened to have a matching base (they had come in a 3-pack and I still had the other 2—these are discontinued).

On the old version the middle of the shield is just off-center if you look at the model from that corner and it just feels like something is wrong. For the new version I decided to place him along the diagonal of the base instead of the side. I think this way it is clearer which direction he's facing—though it's actually the feet that are aligned to the diagonal and not his face, so it's still kind of off.

I considered painting a whole pattern onto the shield instead of leaving it plain wood, but I didn't want it to be too different from the old version, so I just changed the shield boss to brass/bronze for contrast.

I had placed him too far forward too; I think I was trying to center the feet on the base instead of the figure overall.

I used the same static grass from a plastic film container of it that I got from somebody. I have no memory of where it's from and this is the only figure I have that uses it. I wonder if it's from 2000/1 when I'd just learned to paint, since a pinch of grass on the base appears to have been typical on Warhammer figures from that era. Maybe I used it on Battletech figures I painted for my classmates at $5 a pop. Anyway, it sits on a bed of green stuff instead of a thick layer of PVA glue (which shrinks so you'd need a lot of it to fill up the hollow base, but that's how I did things back then. didn't know any better).

Recipes

The base blue paint on the old model was Ral Partha's Dragon Blue (highlights in Sky Blue). I still have the Dragon Blue pot and wanted to use it but the paint doesn't stick to the primer anymore so I guess it's dead. It's a bit drowned in black wash on the 2012 model, and here's what I did on the new one:

Speedpaint Beowulf Blue (as you do because, you know, vikings). I didn't shake it enough so it came out a bit purple

Thin layer of Ultramarine Blue

Wet blend Wolf Grey into Ultramarine for first highlight

Gorgon Hide for second highlight

The green base was a bit trickier since the Army Painter Warpaints do not have a match for it (maybe the new Fanatic line does, dunno). But I made it work with a solid coat of Greenskin and then Speedpaint Shamrock Green (the latter of which is a decent match).

P.S. The old Ral Partha Bronze paint is really more of a brassy color. It's not orange-ish at all.

Bonus: Super-black background tutorial (kind of)

When you take the photos, use a sheet of black velour / flocking as the backdrop; Green Stuff World sells these in various sizes but the material is originally used in other things that need to be super dark, like telescopes, so you can probably find it in places where astronomy stuff is sold.

You'll never get all the dust and speckles out of it with a tape roller so just remove as much as you can.

Editing the pictures—I use GIMP:

(Optional) Crop your image. You can do it now, or at the end like I do.

Adjust levels and do color corrections as needed.

Fuzzy select the black area around the figures. 10% tolerance worked for me, but go lower if the figures are dark. You want to avoid picking up parts of the miniatures.

Invert the selection.

Copy and paste to a new layer and put it at the top. This layer will be transparent and contain just the figures and a lot of dust speckles.

Create a new white layer and put it under the transparent layer. Now you can see all the speckles against the white background.

Clean up background with eraser tool.

Hide the white layer and create a black layer. (Or just put the black layer above the white one.)

Clean up any stray dust with eraser tool.

If fuzzy select was overzealous and took out too much (you can flip the solid layers on and off to check), copy/paste those areas back in from the original picture.

#miniatures #fantasy miniatures #reaper miniatures #miniature painting #dwarf #photo editing