#changing invisible string to the 1 is still so iconic but at the time we were really bamboozled | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mediocre-writerr · 3 years

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invisible string [quinn fabray]

quinn fabray x reader

requested by anon: Hey, I love your writing and I loved Quinn Fabray's miniseries. Could you do a sequel to "Betty", maybe Quinn and the reader meeting in episode 100 and giving them a second chance? I would love :)

pt.1 pt.2 pt.3

*not my gif*

There was once a old folklore. It once said that everyone had an invisible string tying one to their soulmate.

A simpler term for it would be fate.

That everyone decision, good or bad, would lead you to that one person.

The invisible gold string would drag you out of the wrong arms, wrapped all of your past mistakes, and chained your demons back. The one single thread would lead them to you, no matter how far you’ve strayed.

Not many people believe in it anymore because of the time. The time that it takes for the invisible string to tie one another together took far too long, maybe that’s why you didn’t believe anymore.

There you were back at McKinley High School. When Mr. Shue told you that the glee club was shutting down and you were having one last hoorah, you did not hesitate to book a first flight home.

Walking down the hallway with your classic olive green cardigan that made you feel like you seventeen again and straight back into the classroom that made you feel like home.

And there she was the beautiful blonde who held your heart and dropped it all at once, “Y/N,” she let out a breath as her eyes caught on yours.

“Hey Quinn,” you told her with a shy smile, “Long time no see,”

“Yeah, how has college at Penn State?” she asked as the two of you made small conversation in the middle of the choir room.

You shrugged, “It’s been nice, I don’t know if it’s everything I’ve dreamed it would be, but it’s good. How’s Yale?”

The two of you didn’t live far, it wasn’t all the way across the country. It was driving across a few state lines, but you never hung out. In fact, you barely talked after the two of you had broken up.

“Good, good. It uh feels like I’m missing something, but I don’t think I would change my decision,” she told you and you nodded.

She was about to say something else when you heard someone scream your name, “Y/N!” Sam yelled as he rushed over towards you.

You broke out into a big smile as he picked you up from off the ground, spinning you around and around. You let out a hearty laugh as he set you down.

“I’ve missed you!” he told you as he let go.

You smiled, “I’ve missed you too, bud. I wish our third musketeer was still here with us,” you said with a sad smile.

He let out a sigh, “I know, me too,” he turned to Quinn who looked hurt and jealous at the same time. Do you know why? No, but she always has been hard to read.

“Hey Quinn,” he said, giving her a tight hug.

She hugged him back with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Hey Sam, I’m gonna go catch up with Mercedes. I’ll catch the two of you later,”

You and Sam looked at each other with furrowed brows before eventually shrugging it off.

You thought that coming back here would bring back loads of bad memories from the cheating to the heartbreak to losing Finn, but it didn’t. As the day went on you remembered why you fell in love with her in the first place.

The way she sang, so full of heart. When she crinkled her nose as she smiled. Or how big her heart is for people she actually lets in.

And at first you weren’t too sure, but when the nostalgia of the club forced you guys to sing your iconic duet, it just hit you harder than before.

“I think we need the iconic rendition of Everything Has Changed from Quinn and Y/N,” Mercedes admitted and your heart immediately stopped.

You looked at Quinn who was already staring at you, like she was seeking approval, “Let’s give the people what they want,”

You grabbed your guitar playing the soft acoustic intro, as she stood on the opposite side of the room, both of you unable to look away from the other.

“All I knew, this morning when I woke is I know something now, know something now, I didn’t before. And all I’ve seen since eighteen hours ago is green eyes and freckles in your smile in the back of my mind, making me feel like,” she began to sing and you forgot how soothing her voice was. Like everything in the world kind of faded away at the sound of her voice.

As the song went on the two of you closed the gap between you until you were face to face. The only thing separating the two of you was the guitar that was wrapped across your body.

“All I know is we said ‘hello’ and your eyes look like coming home. All I know is a simple name and everything has changed. All I know is you held the door, you’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. All I know since yesterday is everything has changed,” the two of you sang.

You couldn’t tear your eyes away from her only doing so when they averted to her lips. Like two puzzle pieces that were supposed to fit together, you were about to connect when the sound of clapping tore you from each other. And with one last lingering look, you broke the gaze as everyone was clapping and smiling like we were all seventeen again.

You didn’t know what to do though. Finn was usually the one to give you advice, but he wasn’t here, so you did the second best thing. The boys locker room was empty as his football jersey hung proudly on the wall. The big number five just staring back at you.

“Hey buddy, I’m in kind of a dilemma right now,” you told him honestly, “And I really wish you were actually here to tell me what to do. You were always good at that,”

He probably would’ve chuckled at what you said, recalling the time where he told you to not eat that funnel cake on senior ditch day before the rollercoaster, but you did anyway and puked all over his shoes.

“I think I’m still in love with Quinn and that absolutely terrifies me. I don’t want to get hurt again,” you whispered, tears staring to sting your eyes when you realize he’s not gonna be there to hug you.

“I’ve been so scared to put myself back out there and when I do it just feels like no one compares to him. And God I wish you could be here right now to tell me what to do because you would know, you always did,”

That’s when you heard someone clear their throat. You looked to find the source of the noise, seeing Coach Beiste standing there next to the office door.

“Hey pumpkin, do you mind if I sit here?” she asked as she pointed to the empty seat on the bleacher.

All you did was nod, before wiping your eyes, “I’m sorry, I know I’m not supposed to be here,”

“Eh it’s okay. You aren’t the first girl who’s come in here to talk to him,” she told you with a shrug.

“Rachel come in here too?” you asked.

She shook her head, “Nope,” she popped the ‘p’ in the word, “Quinn, turns out she needed advice of her own and she asked him a question,”

“About?” you asked, curiously.

“I can’t tell you that,” she confessed.

“Hey Finn,” Quinn told him, staring at the jersey that was hanging on the wall, “God I don’t think I ever stopped loving her. Actually I know I never stopped loving her, but I’m so scared Finn. I don’t know if she’ll give me a shot or anything, but I don’t want to hurt her,” she confessed.

There was a moment of silence, before she continued on again.

“I’m so scared that I’m gonna hurt her again and she doesn’t deserve that. But if I don’t tell her how I feel then she’s gonna be the one who got away,” she contemplated it for herself for a second, “Do I have your blessing to love her again? I know how much she meant to you. If you do give me a sign, anything,”

She sat there on the bench for a moment before something fell off the shelf. She let our a teary laugh, “Thank you,”

After a little more time she left the room as Coach Beiste left her office to pick up the towel that she dropped.

“I know I’m not Finn, but do you mind if I give you some advice?”

“Please, I really need it right now,”

She smiled, rubbing your back, “Go for it. If Finn was here he’d tell you something like ‘don’t give up on something that would be good for you’. And I bet if he could come down here right now and tell you one piece of advice it would be dont take life for granted. Don’t let the love of your life slip away like he did. I think that was his one big regret, not being with Rachel before he passed. I think he wants you to be happy,”

“And my advice the two of you are mature now. All of the negative emotions and feelings are easier to talk out now. So talk and just go for it, life’s too short to waste another second,” she told you and you smiled at her with teary eyed.

“I miss him,” I whispered, staring back at the jersey on the wall.

“Me too, pumpkin, me too,”

After a few more minutes, you hopped back onto your feet and went to find Quinn. You searched every hallway and every classroom for Quinn, but came up empty. Until you found her outside by the football field. There was a little tree made out in his honor, she was looking at it, just staring, contemplating everything.

“Quinn!” you shouted and her head shot up to the name of her voice.

You were making a bee-line straight for her, “Y/N are you-” but you cut her off and kissed her. Your hands grasping her cheeks and pulling her towards you.

The two of you pulled away and looked at each other, “Everyone deserves a second chance,”

“Are you sure?” she asked you, a small smile on her face.

“Very, very sure,”

The invisible string tied her to you.

#quinn fabray #quinn fabray imagine #quinn fabray imagines #quinn fabray x reader #glee #glee imagines

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jazziehart · 3 years

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Taylor Swift Albums Reviews

Hello my lovely blog readers,

I want to thank those of you who stick around through all my crazy rants and long Glee posts. You guys are the real MVPs and I will always appreciate you.

Anyway onto why we're here, in the wake of Taylor rereleasing her albums I found it fitting to take a look back at her discorgaphy so far! Thanks to my good friend Aly, I decided to relisten to all of her albums which the order was randomly decided. I will be talking about the deluxe editions so enjoy!

Let's start off with the first album that was drawn first which was Red.

One of my favorite albums right off the bat with probably her best album cover. I remember how excited I was for 22, mostly because my girl Dianna Agron's name was in the liner notes. Let's dive into what I thought now about 9 years later!

Favorite Track: Begin Again Least Favorite Track: The Last Time (featuring Gary Lightbody) Bonus Track I Wish was on the main album: All of them!!! Favorite Bonus Track: The Moment I Knew Album Ranking: 6th/9

Overall I adore this album so so much. The only track I didn't care for in the least was The Last Time. I think you'll find a trend with me that my least favorite Tayor tracks tend to be her duets (the exception being Everything Has Changed which is also on this album and is the purest of all). The album has held up and even moreso I love it than the first time I listened. Crazy. Anyway onto the rankings of each song. DISCLAIMER: These are just my opinions and you can disagree with them but please be respectful.

1) Begin Again 2) The Moment I Knew 3) State of Grace (Acoustic Version) 4) I Almost Do 5) Stay Stay Stay 6) All Too Well 7) Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran) 8) 22 9) Come Back...Be Here 10) Red 11) I Knew You Were Trouble 12) The Lucky One 13) We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 14) Starlight 15) Girl at Home 16) Sad Beautiful Tragic 17) State of Grace 18) Holy Ground 19) Treacherous 20) The Last Time (featuring Gary Lightbody)

Honestly I adore this album so much as a whole and ranking every song was so hard. Holy Ground honestly had a lot of potiental I hated the arrangement but if I heard an acoustic version I would be sold, much like State of Grace which I wasn't huge on the original but the acoustic I'm obsessed with. Moving onto our second album which is one of Taylor's newest.

folklore! Funny enough on first listen I wasn't as into it as everyone else was but trust me, the relisten definitely helped me change my mind. I also heard the lakes for the first time which I loved. Since it's the only bonus track I'm going to say I definitely wished it had made the main album over some of the other songs on it. Let's dive into my thoughts and rankings.

Favorite Track: mad woman Least Favorite Track: invisible string Album Ranking: 9th/9

1) mad woman 2) the 1 3) the last great american dynasty 4) mirrorball 5) hoax 6) peace 7) seven 8) august 9) my tears richocet 10) the lakes 11) cardigan 12) betty 13) illicit affairs 14) epiphany 15) this is me trying 16) exile (featuring Bon Iver) 17) invisible string

Okay I know cardigan and betty being so low is going make people unhappy but honestly I just loved the other songs better listed above it. So many gorgeous songs and a great era for Taylor. It's not my favorite era and still falls in my lower half of her albums but I can appreciate the tracks on it more than I did before with the relisten.

Now onto Taylor's most recent album which came up next in our randomization in evermore

Unlike folklore on original listen I absolutely adored this album and had it in my top tier Taylor albums but will that opinion hold up? Let's find out.

Favorite Track: no body, no crime (featuring HAIM) Least Favorite Track: gold rush Favorite Bonus Track: it's time to go Album Ranking: 7th/9

1) no body, no crime (featuring HAIM) 2) happiness 3) champagne problems 4) willow 5) cowboy like me 6) dorothea 7) majorie 8) evermore (featuring Bon Iver) 9) closure 10) long story short 11) ‘tis the damn season 12) ivy 13) it’s time to go 14) coney island (featuring The National) 15) right where you left me 16) tolerate it 17) gold rush Okay let's talk about the relisten, it still held up but to me the one thing I didn't love about the album was the bonus tracks didn't add much to the original album so I kind of see why they were bonus tracks. I enjoyed the album none the less and I do think that most of my opinions are somewhat popular. I only see people being mad about 'tis the damn season being so low but honestly 1-11, I loved all the tracks so.

Up next is the rerelease that started it all, Fearless!

Now let's see after 13 years (hey Taylor's lucky number) if my opinion of this iconic album changed. Back in the day I was so obsessed with this album so let's see how I feel now!

Favorite Track: You're Not Sorry Least Favorite Track: The Way I Loved You Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: Forever and Always (Piano Verison) and Come in with the Rain Favorite Bonus Track: Forever and Always (Piano Version) Album Ranking: 4th/9

1) You’re Not Sorry 2) White Horse 3) Love Story 4) You Belong with Me 5) Change 6) Forever and Always (Piano Version) 7) Fifteen 8) Hey Stephen 9) Come in with the Rain 10) Jump Then Fall 11) Fearless 12) Forever and Always 13) The Best Day 14) The Other Side of the Door 15) Breathe (featuring Colbie Cailaitt) 16) Untouchable 17) SuperStar 18) Tell Me Why 19) The Way I Loved You

I still remember when this album was first coming out how jazzed and excited I was for it. It was highly anticipated for me being that I had fallen in love with Taylor from her debut album and listening back it still holds up as one of my favorite albums. The only two tracks I wasn't into back then and still am not into are Tell Me Why and The Way I Loved You. Other than those two tracks the entire album is incredible to listen to. I'm so excited to hear Taylor's versions of all these songs and who knows maybe my mind will change on some of them.

Moving onto the next album to be randomly selected which is almost every Swiftie's favorite 1989.

Funny enough, originally this album isn't in my top favorites so who knows if my opinion will change on a relisten. Let's find out!

Favorite Track: Clean Least Favorite Track: I Wish You Would Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: All of them?! Come on Taylor what's up with 1989 and Red having like some of their best tracks as bonus tracks. I'm mad haha. Favorite Bonus Track: Wonderland (gee I wonder why) Album Ranking: 5th/9

1) Clean 2) Wonderland 3) Wildest Dreams 4) This Love 5) You are in Love 6) Welcome to New York 7) Shake It Off 8) Blank Space 9) Bad Blood 10) Style 11) How You Get the Girl 12) Out of the Woods 13) New Romantics 14) I Know Places 15) All You Had to Do was Stay 16) I Wish You Would

Okay listening back. I now get the hype behind it. Listening to it with bonus tracks honestly makes all the difference. No joke. It's a much better album with the bonus tracks added. Honestly if Wonderland and You are in Love were on the main album it would've been top tier to me. Thank God for the deluxe version but team Taylor what is up with you hiding some of her best tracks and only releasing them on the bonus tracks? I'm mad. Also speaking on Wonderland, I adore the song even without the rumours of it being about my favorite celebrity Dianna Agron. Had the bonus tracks been on the main album it would higher but as a whole I love the album.

And now for our next album, which is reputation!

This is probably Taylor's most controversial albums, some love it and some hate it. I actually am somewhere in the middle. I love some of the tracks while others I could've done without. Let's see where it goes for me listening back.

Favorite Song: New Year's Day Least Favorite: Dancing with Our Hands Tied Album Ranking: 8th/9

1) New Year's Day 2) Gorgeous 3) Don’t Blame Me 4) This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things 5) I Did Something Bad 6) Dress 7) Delicate 8) Call It What You Want To 9) ...Ready for It? 10) Look What You Made Me Do 11) King of my Heart 12) Getaway Car 13) So It Goes... 14) End Game (featuring Ed Sheeran and Future) 15) Dancing with Our Hands Tied

Okay I feel like my choices here are controversal especially Getaway Car being pretty low on the album. Honestly I liked the song just wasn't into the hype that everyone else said about it, sorry you guys. Also Dancing with Our Hands Tied on the ALBUM is my least favorie song. I absolutely adored Taylor's acoustic version that was in the rep Tour. Had she released that on the album it would be after Look What You Made Me Do. The arrangement on the album I just didn't care for and I prefer acoustic Taylor which I think a lot of you gather from my top picks.

Anyway moving onto to our next album that was randomized which is...Taylor Swift!

Ah yes the album that started it all. 15 years ago I discovered Taylor Swift via this album thanks to CMT. I was a huge country music stan back in the day who knew how this one album would lead to a career I've been following for 15 years. Now how does this album hold up? Let's find out!

Favorite Song: Should've Said No Least Favorite Song: A Perfectly Good Heart Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: Invisible and I'm Only Me When I'm with You Favorite Bonus Track: Invisible Album Ranking: 3rd/9

1) Should’ve Said No 2) Invisible 3) Cold as You 4) Picture to Burn 5) Our Song 6) The Outside 7) A Place in This World 8) Teardrops on My Guitar 9) Stay Beautiful 10) Tim McGraw 11) I’m Only Me When I’m with You 12) Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) 13) Tied Together with a Smile 14) A Perfectly Good Heart

This album still holds up 15 years later and made me so nostalgic. This had to be the hardest album for songs to rank thus far. Taylor hit it out of the park on her very first album crazy. She set the bar very high, funny enough it's the first album that a bonus track is my least favorite track but the entire album is a great listen, especially if you love country. It's very different from anything else Taylor did but that's what's so charming about it.

And now onto our second to last album which is another one of my favorites and the only album Taylor wrote fully on her own, Speak Now.

The album cover is up there with Red as my favorite and I'm excited to listen back to this album. I remember how much I enjoyed it when it was first released. Excited to see what I think 11 years later. Let's find out.

Favorite Track: Haunted (Acoustic Version) Least Favorite Track: Last Kiss Bonus Tracks I Wish was on the main album: All of them. Dang it Taylor they deserved to be on the main album. Favorite Bonus Track: Haunted (Acoustic Version) Album Ranking: 2nd/9

1) Haunted (Acoustic Version) 2) Long Live 3) Haunted 4) Better Than Revenge 5) Back to December (Acoustic Version) 6) Mine 7) Back to December 8) Mean 9) If This Was a Movie 10) Innocent 11) Dear John 12) Speak Now 13) Ours 14) Never Grow Up 15) The Story of Us 16) Superman 17) Enchanted 18) Sparks Fly 19) Last Kiss

One of Taylor's absolute best albms and it was incredibly hard to rank these songs. I know people are going to be mad about Enchanted being low but I just didn't love it as much as the other tracks on the album, this after all is one of the best albums she ever released so it's incredibly hard to make the call.

Moving onto our final album which I've called my absolute favorite, Lover.

It's only been an year since its release but will it hold up as my favorite album? Let's find out!

Favorite Track: Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince Least Favorite Track: It’s Nice to Have a Friend Album Ranking: 1st/9

1) Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince 2) Paper Rings 3) Lover 4) Soon You’ll Get Better (featuring The Chicks) 5) You Need to Calm Down 6) The Archer 7) The Man 8) Daylight 9) Afterglow 10) I Think He Knows 11) False God 12) Death by a Thousand Cuts 13) Cruel Summer 14) Cornelia Street 15) I Forgot That You Existed 16) ME! (featuring Brendan Urie from Panic! at the Disco) 17) London Boy 18) It’s Nice to Have a Friend

Yep it held up. This album is my favorite thing Taylor ever released. It was a tough call because I loved all of her top albums so much. Miss Americana still is my favorite performance which is no surprise, I was obsessed when this song came out 2 years ago. It's Nice to Have a Friend is the weakest track on the album but by no means is it a bad track. The entire album is a great listen all the way through, the only song that's hard to listen to especially if you have a sick parent "Soon You'll Get Better" I literally bawled after I finished it. So if you don't want an emotional song that might make you sad, it's best to skip it even though it's one of favorite tracks.

And that does it for us here. Hope you enjoyed my album reviews! Just to recap here's the rankings of all of Taylor's Albums:

1) Lover 2) Speak Now 3) Taylor Swift 4) Fearless 5) 1989 6) Red 7) evermore 8) reputation 9) folklore

Excited to see what's to come with the rerelease of Fearless and to hear the songs released from the vault. I've heard a few of her unreleased songs and honestly there are quite a few that I'm hoping are released. Thanks for enjoying us on this journey as always be kind and always spread love <3

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la-paritalienne · 4 years

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Eve!!!! Need your thoughts about Taylor's album!!!! 💓💓💓💓💓💓

i love getting asked :”(((((( :”))))))) thank uuuuuuuu. let’s get to it. as usual, it’s an almost-first impression (normally i write my basic thoughts during the first listen – yeah i’d started doing it before getting this, you know, just in case – and then i review them w a second one, where i also select my favourite passage). sooo, let’s go

♡♡♡♡

the 1 — such sweet yet heartbreaking lyrics... very soft sound, if it sets the mood for the album im 100 per cent in! This one didn’t stick w me after one listen, but after the second i was like wooow! I love how she says waking up alone ughhh. 8

fave lyrics: persist and resist the temptation to ask you / if one thing had been different / would everything be different today?

cardigan — !!!!!!! the sound has that bittersweet something that gets under your skin and makes you nostalgic for something you can’t even pinpoint. it reminds me of the softest lana, especially in nfr (eg bartender!!). i’m in awe. instant obsession!!!! the ending takes you to another plane of existence – ‘cause i knew everything when i was young... i knew you’d miss me... you’d come back to me. also i’m crying. 10+

[it’s hard to choose bc the whole song reads like poetry but i’m especially obsessed w] giving me your weekends; once in twenty lifetimes; tried to change the ending / peter losing wendy; you drew stars around my scars

the last great american dynasty — storytelling on pointttt and sound, too! telling the story of someone she bought her house from?? the genius jumped out. she paints it like a romantic portrait, mad woman pacing on the shore, but then also gatsbian, the crazy parties, dali... and then takes it back to today w the key lime green dog, idk, iconic. i want to know this woman. this song truly takes you somewhere else, i thought it was a bit repetitive but then the bridge came in and the final vocals plus i had a marvelous time ruining everything, i have to stan! 8+

there goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / she had a marvelous time ruining everything

exile — ok wow, bon iver’s voice is something else!!!! i was kind of ignorant when it came to him, i admit. his depth and rasp paired with how angelic she sounds... heavenly. sound-wise, but also thematically, this vaguely reminds me of tomorrow never came w lana and sean ono lennon. (one of my fave songs of all time maybe?). the way they enunciate i think i’ve seen this film before is literally a work of art all in itself, not to mention – well i’m mentioning it bc it’s worth it! – the you never gave a warning sign vs the way she goes over it w i gave so many signs. god this makes me feel sooooo sad and like, involved. it’s so beautiful. 10

you’re not my homeland anymore / so what am i defending now?

my tears ricochet — ok wtfffff??? everything about this speaks to my soul. the airy voice, the way she sets the scene... sunlit room, the funeral metaphor, you turned into your worst fears. i didn’t have it in myself to go with grace speaks to me more than anything, but just, everything about the lyrics. truly something else, cursing my name / wishing i stayed gives me chills everytime she says it. the beat that gets more insistent towards the end, with the bridge....... the high notes that then fade..... just wow. 10

and i can go anywhere i want / anywhere i want, just not home / and you can aim for my heart, go for blood / but you would still miss me in your bones / and i still talk to you when i’m screaming at the sky / and when you can’t sleep at night you hear my stolen lullabies

mirrorball — love the lyrics, maybe a bit less the sound? i mean i do love the sound, so far i’m loving how softly produced and coherent this album is, but this one i wouldn’t listen to on repeat and maybe there’s something a bit whiny that i don’t love. powerful meaning tho, and who’d use a mirrorball as a metaphor for feeling like you’re fragile, trying too hard to be a people-pleaser and no one sees the real you? 7

i’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me

seven — ah........ i started crying as soon as this one started, pleeease picture me in the trees, i hit my peak at seven....... like ok there’s no need to go that hard??? it’s so dreamy and like... naïf? in a perfect way. the way she says i still got love for you...... and everything else... she mentions folk songs... the purest love described in the purest way. i don’t think i have enough words to descrive the way this song moves me. like i want to listen to it again and again, to be able to feel like that again, but also i’m almost scared to listen bc it touches me too deeply. i still will tho hehe. 10+ (also just realised this is track 7 ok makes sense but my mind is blown. 100)

[this is literally deeper than a shakespeare sonnet so everything literally is my fave but, having to choose] and i’ve been meaning to tell you / i think your house is haunted / your dad is always mad and that must be why / and i think you should come live with me / and we can be pirates / then you won’t have to cry / or hide in the closet / and just like a folk song / our love will be passed on

august — i love the contrast between the lighthearted, happy singing and guitars and the sad lyrics. the story it tells is so simple and yet there’s so much poetry in that... plus it reminds me of fearless or even speak now?? which are like. the taylor that gets to my heart, tbh. the bridge and the outro made the song for me. 8,5

for me, it was enough / to live for the hope of it all / canceled plans just in case you’d call

this is me trying — oh god... lyrically this song is so raw and honest, it gives me chills! i do have to say, i don’t love how she says i just wanted to know (like metrically?? idk, im weird) but these are really just small comments on amazing songs, bc i feel like all i’m saying is wow this is great, lyrics and sound, but it truly is a complete and consistent work of art, easily listened to top to bottom each time. 8-

they told me all of my cages were mental / so got wasted like all my potential / and my words shoot to kill when i’m mad / i have a lot of regrets about that

illicit affairs — ok this goes without saying but i love storyteller taylor, it’s the taylor i grew up loving and singing to in my room. the thing about most of these songs, this one included, is that they probably grow on you after a few listens, bc they’re not made to be catchy, the production and backgrounds are always very soft and some i love more than others. this one musically maybe isn’t my fave but the narration is on point, and the bridge?? the fuckkkk. plus it has one of mt favourite themes ever which is so rarely spoken about, which is the fact that language you only speak w a particular someone you love, makes you miss them even more when they’re gone. or well not exactly this but i can’t put it into words, she did tho. 8+

you taught me a secret language i can’t speak with anyone else / and you know damn well / for you, i would ruin myself / a million little times

invisible string — the color theme!!! the guitar strumming!!! and the idea of an invisible tie w someone special... i do think she outdid herself w this album. again, not my fave soundwise, maybe slightly whiny when she goes meEeeEee? but, lyrically adorable and moving. 7,5

one single thread of gold / tied me to you

mad woman — maam...... this is iconic shit........ how could she say stuff like this w such a dreamy, breathy voice. musically i get huuuge lana’a nfr vibes again (which i mean. goals) but i also adore that lyrically it’s so taylor, no one would say this shit the way she does. adore how she sings to wrap your news around and bonus for women like hunting witches too, i do love me a nod to the fact that some women are so deeply filled w machism that they’re basically men in disguise. 8,5

every time you call me crazy, i get more crazy / what about that? / and when you say i seem angry, i get more angry [isn’t this just womanhood condensed in a few lines]

epiphany — aw! it sounds like a lullaby, maybe it’s slightly ‘boring’ for my taste? meaning i get distracted which is surely a shame bc the words seem beautiful, but it’s so soft i just drift off? but reading the lyrics – for focus hehe – i’m moved. 7+

only twenty minutes to sleep / but you dream of some epiphany / just one single glimpse of relief / to make some sense of what you’ve seen

betty — okay byeeeeeeeeee. this is taylor at her finest! countryyyyyyyy, storytelling, lesbian jdjdfk no yeah I know I knowww, romance went sour. gut wrenching and beautiful, this feels like... watching a sad teen movie but w a sepia filter, idk. i dreamt of you all summer long oh my......... it’s like og taylor from her iconic first couple of albums came back but w all her baggage and growth and experience and better than ever. also why does taylor sing so wel about being in love w a woman????? well. 10+

betty, right now is the last time / i can dream about what happens when / you see my face again

peace — ..........yes yes yes. the high notes, the honesty, the syncopated parts where she says so much so quick and yet it still hits you. it’s not even a short song but it ends too soon, it goes by like that..... a poem. omg it just hit me this has flo vibes! especially from high as hope, for example grace or south london forever?? i mean... taylor doing alt folk country pop...... queen. give you my wild, give you a child?? ok ok. 10

all these people think love’s for show / but i would die for you in secret

hoax — weeeell the lana inspo jumped out w that piano!!!!! and like. mood. and lyrics...... this reminds me of wuthering heights or of lana’s tormented love stories (shades of blue.....). a powerful closer. poetry. 9

i am ash from your fire

♡♡♡♡

okkkkk this was a flattering review, very well deserved imo since the review is mine gjgjhkhk i agree w myself. thank you again and as i always say, feel free to come back w your comments! and have a great dayyyyy! much love

#taylor swift #folklore #also bonus points for the title #fave ever from her #10 #should i tag my reviews #(i think this has now become the tag)

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tabletoptrinketsbyjj · 6 years

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Trinkets, Necklaces, 1: Whether they're pendants, amulets, periapts, chokers, beaded strings, chains, charms, lockets or torques, “Neck Slot” type jewelry is a very common item in fiction and roleplaying. These ornaments give an immediate glance into the bearer's personality, wealth, rank or social class and often serves as an iconic part of that character's look. Ranging in obviousness from a soldiers dog tags, cleric's holy symbol or police detectives badges worn front and center over clothing, immediately visible on their chest as a clear indication of who they are, to the cliché locket containing pictures of family or lost lovers that's worn against the skin, just over the heart. Outgoing character's such as Phoebe Bouffette compliment their natural charisma with loud colorful costume jewelry while more reserved examples often go without, though what little ornamentation they do have is meaningful or of good quality like Katara's heirloom choker or Annie's half-a-locket. A locked metal torque can instantly mark the bearer a penniless slave, while a string of lustrous pearls mark their owner a flauntingly wealthy noble. Magical necklaces in fiction are powerful and mysterious from Inuyasha's Beads of Subjugation, Dr Strange's Eye of Agamotto or Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. None of these necklaces are intensely magical in their own right but can serve as basis for a magical or plot relevant amulet. When a DM rolls a d100, the bog standard amulet of protection +1 they were going to give out now has a unique look and personality rather than just a mechanical benefit.

A chain of heavy steel links meant to be worn around the neck. When worn, the bearer can recall the chain's firsthand experience of being forged as if it was a personal experience. The cooling and hardening of the cherry red metal, the hammering of steel, and the rough grip of the blacksmith moving it about. The chain's memories of it's fiery birth are fond and pleasant.

A moonstone pendant that make small laughing noises when misplaced or lost.

A coal medallion that allows its bearer to hear the voices of winter spirits on the wind.

A pendant carved from translucent blue stone that resembles vines or tentacles wrapped around an unseen object. Creatures who stare at it for an extended period of time feel vaguely uncomfortable in a way they cannot properly describe.

A glass pendant filled with water that stays still, churns, freezes or boils to match its bearer's mood.

A simple rounded, pendant on a brass chain that has no effect when worn. Even so, pleasant memories are crucial to survival on arduous journeys.

An old, worn strip of deer hide fashioned into a short necklace. On it hangs a small piece of rock hard, stale bread. If the bearer takes a sniff of the bread, they are momentarily flooded with fond memories of home.

A brass locket containing a portrait of man with fire for hair and smoke emerging from his mouth.

A brass pendant with a jet center. The pendant has different symbols on either side. One is a symbol of a white dove, while the other is that of a birdcage. If the pendant is spun quickly the two images become superimposed on each other so that the bird is both caged and uncaged.

A steel torc engraved with the image of wild boars charging.

—Keep reading for 90 more necklaces.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A moonstone pendant that make small laughing noises when misplaced or lost.

A coal medallion that allows its bearer to hear the voices of winter spirits on the wind.

A glass pendant filled with water that stays still, churns, freezes or boils to match its bearer's mood.

A simple rounded, pendant on a brass chain that has no effect when worn. Even so, pleasant memories are crucial to survival on arduous journeys.

A brass locket containing a portrait of man with fire for hair and smoke emerging from his mouth.

A steel torc engraved with the image of wild boars charging.

A thick lanyard made of soft doeskin from which hangs a pendant of golden amber with hairs of an unknown creature trapped within it.

A rope-like necklace made of coiled dire wolf fur that's coarse to the touch.

A fine gold chain necklace made of delicate links that never break but can be melted down.

A plain silver chain with a large, stunning, heart shaped silver locket on it. Inside is the image of a ghastly looking, snaggle toothed woman and an inscription that says “Together forever, my love.”

A thin, light brown leather cord with a tarnished brass cockroach pendant hanging from it.

A thin white cord with four driftwood beads, surrounding a large, green, sea glass pendant.

A lover's token made entirely of hair, woven into a necklace.

A pewter locket containing a faded portrait of a pale, middle-aged woman.

A long necklace made from colourful glass beads.

An uncomfortable necklace made of gears and other machine parts.

A necklace bearing a dozen glass eyes, no two of which are the same colour.

A multi-layered necklace bearing dozens of small glass beads that change colour with the mood of the bearer.

A necklace made of thin strips of braided sailcloth bearing a miniature, rusted iron anchor.

A ruby pendant that pulses with red light that syncs with the bearer's heartbeat when worn.

A silver pendant depicting an eye contained within an eight-pointed star.

A silver pendant depicting the runic symbol of illusionary magic, strung on an invisible steel chain.

An imposing torque made from an animal's jawbone.

A six-inch elongated teardrop pendant made of glowing crystal that seems to have no weight and very little physical substance.

A small bronze torc engraved on which is a scene depicting five people gathering around a mountain with lightning coming from the summit.

A steel amulet bearing the seal of an order of paladins that were excommunicated under suspicious circumstances years ago.

An amulet depicting the image of Orc god Gruumsh, anyone who wears it finds themselves unconsciously keeping one of their eyes closed at all times.

An iron holy symbol of a God of a Random Evil Domain that has a well hidden secret compartment. It contains a single blood stained gold piece wrapped in scraps of cloth so that it does not rattle.

One half of a white gold, heart necklace. Inscribed on the back are the words “Till next we meet”.

An asymmetrical piece of sparkling red crystal on a simple leather necklace.

A broken pendent in the shape of a silver dragon that’s always cold to the touch.

A braided hemp cord on which is strung a gemstone pendant that changes color every morning.

A necklace formed of the interlinked holy symbols of a dozen deities.

A necklace bearing the fossilized stinger of a giant insect creature that's long been extinct.

A choker necklace made of copper wire and the finger bones of dozens of rats.

A gruesome necklace of humanoid finger bones strung on braided sinew cord.

A necklace of varying spherical and odd-shaped shimmering stones that grants a sleeping bearer vaguely prophetic dreams.

A necklace with a beautiful green-blue gem that, if inspected closely contain the spiraling arms of a galaxy.

A pendant of blue crystalline material from which tiny wisps of blue smoke constantly unfurl.

A huge sinew cord necklace with smooth stones marked with frost giant runes. The necklace carries 17 dried, shrunken, human, right hands in-between the runes.

A silver, drow house-medallion bearing the image of a crimson scorpion. The house name “Ulrather” is inscribed on the back in the drow tongue.

An expertly beaten copper amulet displaying a starburst design.

A necklace bearing a complete set of human teeth strung on a chain of silver wire.

A small, white jade pendant that depicts a galloping unicorn with a cracked back leg.

A silver pendant shaped like a curled-up cat.

A thick rectangular copper necklace set with a small rounded aquamarine.

A pendant in the shape of a candle-flame made of red glass and strung on a chain. The area around the glass is as warm as a candle’s flame but cannot ignite or damage objects. If a creature makes skin contact with the glass itself, they stop feeling the heat. Instead the glass flame feels as though it’s made entirely of ice.

A thin, plain silver chain with a broken clasp.

A clear crystal pendant strung on a fine chain. The entire crystal is small enough to lie upon the outstretched finger of a halfling child and glows softly, and pulses whenever a red object is brought near it.

A prismatic crystal pendant strung on a steel chain, which echoes back (In a deep, melodious voice) every word spoken within earshot two seconds after it has been said.

Nymph's Tear: A teardrop shaped crystal on a fine silver chain. Legend holds that Nymphs who die of a broken heart shed crystal tears. This rare gem is as hauntingly beautiful as its name, and lends credence to the folklore by evoking sorrow and longing in all who view its solitary perfection.

A pewter pendant in the shape of a blooming rose with petals that are soft to the touch

A necklace made from a length of sinew and seven owl feathers.

A broken half of a medallion that emanates dark power untold by mortals. It’s power and true function is inaccessible without its other half.

A slender chain that bears a pendant of rough polished agate that comes from the halfling homeland, Lurien.

A black circular amulet that when closely examined reveals a dark moving swirl of colour at its center.

A gold, seven-pointed star pendant that symbolized an ancient religion that has since died out.

A ceremonial necklace made of desert shells, rumored to be owned only by those marked by fate.

A cold iron amulet stamped with geometric designs not attributable to any current culture. Anyone who wears the amulet does not dream.

A copper torc depicting a raven in flight.

A ceramic pendant displaying a smiling face that speaks in a friendly voice whenever it's bearer is in trouble. The language it speaks seems to be unique, and no one is able to quite understand it but it seems like it's trying to help.

A crystal pendant that shakes violently when wet.

A feather necklace that seems to attract small birds to the general area of the bearer.

A circular glass pendant with a hole in the center that a mild breeze always blows out of.

A golden locket containing a heart shaped black stone that occasionally cries tears of blood.

A small pouch on a braided hemp cord meant to be worn tightly around the neck. It is filled with sacred herbs and fragments of ancestral bones that supposedly attracts the attention of helpful spirits while in battle.

A necklace made from the onyx teeth of an earth elemental.

A hexagonal amber necklace that hums slightly. The intensity of the humming increases substantially when bees are nearby.

A necklace made from leather cord, with six ceramic beads, each one is painted a different Random Colour.

A lace choker with a light jewel in the center. Wearing it to sleep gives the bearer terrible nightmares.

A counterfeit gold necklace. The charm strung on it is a glass pendulum filled with murky ink.

A hemp cord on which is strung an ankh made of desert sand that was turned to glass by magical fire.

A twine necklace with six small bottle corks hanging off of it. When removed and used as a stopper, each of the corks will take on the size and shape needed for the container, expanding up to a maximum six inches wide and four inches tall. They can preform this ability only once each.

A stunningly maroon crystal pendant cut to look like a grape strung on a necklace of braided vines. When worn, the bearer craves red wine and if any other type of alcohol is consumed, the bearer becomes queasy and throw up.

A single ivory piano key hanging from a silver chain. When worn, the bearer believes that they are expert pianists, whether they are or not, and feel compelled to play any pianos available to them.

A hempen necklace strung through a bundle of tree nuts, that clack and clatter around when jostled.

A simple iron amulet in the shape of an eye within a helm.

A silver medallion in the shape of a rose.

A small iron pendant of a demon's face, which chuckles quietly whenever its bearer or any of his nearby allies critically fails at a task.

A necklace made of a shard of purple crystal on a leather thong. The crystal vibrates when the bearer thinks about his past.

A wooden medallion depicting the universal symbol of theater, the opposing twin masks of comedy and tragedy which have been painted white and black respectively.

A beautiful necklace encrusted with a dozen green jewels, each of which causes the bearer to experience a different horrific vision of an apocalyptic war when they are touched directly.

An oval pendant made of polished fine-flecked gray and white stone. When the bearer takes magical damage, the gray flecks grow and the white flecks shrink and vice-versa for physical damage.

An irregularly shaped, chunk of crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow, strung on a braided hemp rope.

A small polished piece of amber with a spider trapped inside, held in a silver web pendant.

A dozen ant queens perfectly preserved and encased in small, clear glass cubes, strung on a necklace of steel links

A single dragon hatching tooth encased in a rectangular block of clear glass, strung on a necklace of polished steel links

A thumb sized teardrop of magically preserved blood, encased in a rectangular block of clear glass, strung on a necklace of silver links.

A perfectly preserved, Randomly Coloured eyeball, encased in a small cube of clear glass, strung on a necklace of gold links

A macabre collection of two dozen perfectly preserved, human ears, each encased in clear glass and strung on a necklace of tarnished bronze links. Perceptive PC's will notice that they are all left ears, meaning there must have been two dozen “donors”.

A single perfect teardrop, encased in a glass cube, strung on a necklace of silver links

A large black iron amulet of the Unholy Star, the symbol of the God of the Black Sky. Knowledgeable PC's will know that the amulet is used in dark rituals, where it is heated until glowing red and placed around a sacrifice’s neck so that the heat and shock trauma slows kills them.

A long necklace filled with large, turquoise beads that when submerged in water, glow an eerie blue. Fish are attracted to it and will attempt and always fail to eat the beads, reacting as if burned and swim away unharmed.

An iron pendant adorned with a devil’s face. Inscribed on the back of this strange pendant is the name “Acererak”. The devil face has a large gaping mouth inside of which swirls a strange black energy.

A small sealed glass pendant containing a single grain of sand. Staring deeply into the pendant will grant the creature fleeting, rapidly shifting visions of the entire world bursting forth from the sand. The viewer cannot control the visions but can choose to look away at any time.

A golden honeycomb pendant that smells like honey and is warm to the touch, it brings fond memories of home and hearth. While wearing the pendant all food and drink the bearer imbibes tastes just a little bit sweeter and better.

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musicmapglobal · 6 years

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The 5 most mind-altering performances at CTM Festival

Immerse me in turmoil!

Berlin’s CTM festival is a gamble if you’re going for the music. One moment, laser beams shoot around you in a multidimensional performance while otherworldly music guides you to unknown pleasures. The next, a guy on acid strums a single guitar cord for 30 minutes and makes mind altering substances sound like a really bad idea. And that’s exactly what CTM festival’s 2018 theme of “Turmoil” was all about – unnerving you to the point of near-madness, getting you in a state of confusion and feeling that occasional bliss.

Thus, the artists at CTM transform, dismember, recreate and transcend the normal. “Turmoil” aims to express our world’s state of unrest and anxiety, of technical progress and futuristic dreams.

So what is the sound of turmoil then and how does it feel? I was there to find out.

Here are CTM festival’s 5 most immersive performances – from slight uneasiness to total fucking oblivion. A countdown:

5. Transcend the Turmoil – NOQTURNL – Florence To & John Connell

Did you ever practice lucid dreaming in a room full of strangers to access your inner consciousness? For CTM festival, artists Florence To & John Connell invited 70 strangers to experience the collaborative “hyperlucid” in the middle of a 4DSOUND system. In short: Falling asleep to soft sounds for seven hours. Suffice to say, my memories of the night aren’t very tangible. I recall lying there, listening to the noises coming from the speakers left, right and above of me while hazy blue and red lights flash up here and there. No escape from the sound, anxious for something to happen. Until I only hear laughing children and falling raindrops. Their laughter turns into images of children playing in the soft summer rain.

I am pushed into an in-between – a space between waking and sleeping – drifting off only to be pulled back again by some obscure noise. The sense of comfort is constantly jarred. My mind no longer knows whether it is awake or asleep. Then – suddenly – it is day outside. Confused, tired, cranky. Something had been missing. When I regain consciousness, everything is still the same.

4. SKALAR Live – Christopher Bauder & Kangding Ray

It is almost pitch-black. Quiet music starts to play and a night sky reveals itself. As the music grows louder, a row of round objects descends. Glowing, their mirror-surface reflects back bright red, yellow, blue and green beams of light. Stars and planets are circling over our heads, light and darkness interchange. Simultaneously, psychedelic sounds announce an arrival. Everybody stands entranced in a joint consciousness – one focused entity.

Suddenly the room spins around as lights hit the darkness from all sides. Loud techno music plays and disorientation settles in. Then, lights and music come to an abrupt halt. And to the electronic composition of hope, the sun comes up with beaming golden rays.

For CTM Festival, light artist Christoph Bauder had teamed up with electro experimentalist Kanding Ray to explore the tension between natural and artificial, body and mind. Here, in the massive empty space of Berlin’s “Kraftwerk”, we meet our eternal cosmos, our mystic solar system.

3. Transcend the Turmoil – Pan Daijing

Pan Daijing stands next to a 4DSOUND speaker. Photo by Becca Crawford.

A strange twilight – only every now and then, weak lights in the dim room. Soft sounds close in from all sides, above and below in 4DSOUND. “And now, start walking”, a friendly female voice orders. We are sent on a path. Slowly, we obey. Memories of Brave New World. A journey into the unconsciousness has begun, deeper and deeper we go. Resistance impossible.

There is meaning in the flow of sounds and words. They provide a script for a story into otherworld that isn’t our own. I fall further and further, completely weightless, into darkness. Yet I am not afraid. On the contrary, I feel free from this burdening world. Falling, falling, further and further. Until, abruptly, the voice calls fiendishly, “how foolish you are. I told you to bargain.” But it isn’t addressing me; I AM the voice, a devilish creature laughing at the world and its feeble humans. The music ends, the story is over, the voice says “goodbye”. The images of the places I have been are starting to fade, and yet remain. My self is still one with an endlessly powerful force.

2. Tipping Point – Medusa’s Bed

©David Visnjic

“Society is not a disease, it’s a fucking disaster”, screams singer Lydia Lunch into the microphone. Her words are underlined with psycho-ambient sounds. Like in Alan Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’, Lunch leads into the dystopian nightmare that is our reality.

Mia Zahlbeka’s violin screeches while Lydia Lunch goes on: “No easy way out. No escape. From yourself. You had to LEARN to DEAL with the cards you were dealt.”

This multilayered performance is the result of female power trio, no-wave icon Lydia Lunch, experimental violinist Mia Zalbeka and sound artist Zahra Mani. Images on a screen reveal the ruins of civilisation, full of debris – a dirty mattress in the corner of an abandoned building, a broken mirror on the wall, distorted faces of children.

And yet, there is beauty in the grotesque. In Lunch’s words, we hear Sartre and Baudelaire, Alan Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs – every dystopian book ever written, hell as we created it. And Mani and Zalbeka provide the haunting soundtrack, a discordant melody of Lunch’s “godforsaken terrain where lost souls find even less mercy”, inhabited by the “fucking beast”, which is always the self.

1. Caustic – Boys Noize

Berghain, sometime around 5am. But in that exact moment, I have already lost all track of time and space. I am completely immersed in the vibrating beats and swirling lights around me – in the music of Alexander Ridha, aka Boys Noize. Swift changes and a strange mix of breakbeat, hip-hop, dubstep, techno and something undefinable have smothered my thoughts to pieces. No longer able to form sentences. Peace in my mind. All feelings replaced by music.

An invisible string pulls me rhythmically through the room, makes me raise my arms and shake my head. Lights speed over our heads and through our bodies. It is like a collective ritual, a state of trance. The stroboscopic light recreate an LSD experience, all spatial awareness gone, a state of utter confusion, of bliss, of otherness. Sucked into the void, we are dancing, dancing, dancing to the primal dumph dumph dumph of techno-drums into the non-existence of excess.

Words and pictures: Manon Steiner (except Pan Daijing and Boys Noize press shots)

#berlin #Boys Noize #Christopher Bauder #CTM Festival #Florence To #John Connell #Kangding Ray #Lydia Lunch #Medusa's Bed #Mia Zalbeka #Pan Daijing #SKALAR #Zahra Mani

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webbygraphic001 · 7 years

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12 Essential Free Sketch Plugins

As Sketch 44 exits beta, we take a look at one of Sketch’s best features: the huge selection of open source plugins.

The Sketch community is wildly supportive and you can find tons of amazing plugins that’ll radically improve your workflow. In this post I’ll cover the 12 best Sketch plugins that every designer should have.

1. Sketch Measure

Sketch Measure helps designers organize and outline their work for developers, project managers, and other team members.

But this is also incredibly useful to lone wolves who design & code all of their projects. With the Measure plugin you can outline elements showing specific width/height dimensions to get proper measurements at a glance.

This includes all page elements like buttons, text, icons, and even major parts of the artboard.

With Sketch Measure you can even export pages into HTML/CSS with page styles in-tact. Granted there are Adobe tools that can do this too. But having all this functionality right in Sketch makes your job that much easier.

2. InVision Craft

A while back the InVision team announced a new plugin Craft. But this is more like a suite of plugins where you get tons of extra features and shortcuts.

One example is the Data plugin which lets designers pull text/data straight from public APIs on the web. This way you can auto populate your app with real content & images on the fly.

InVision developers are constantly updating Craft with new plugin features to make this even more valuable to designers. And did I mention this is totally free?

So far Craft has 6 major plugin features, all of which are worth adding into your design workflow.

Freehand – realtime collaboration in Sketch

Prototype – dynamic high-fidelity prototyping

Sync – instant syncing between InVision prototypes & Sketch

Data – pull real data from the web into your Sketch mockup

Library – design assets in the cloud shareable with your entire team

Duplicate – lightning-fast UI cloning

Take a look at the Craft homepage and see what you think. Once you try it you’ll never want to go back.

3. Sketch Toolbox

Every Sketch user should know about the Sketch Toolbox. It’s an exquisite plugin manager that just makes installing/customizing your plugins a lot easier.

With this Toolbox you can browse through hundreds of Sketch plugins and choose which ones you want to install. You just click what you want and it’ll automatically download to your computer, ready to use.

And the Sketch Toolbox auto-updates plugins to keep them running smoothly.

Technically this is still in beta and it’s always receiving new updates on GitHub. But I think it’s solid enough to use in a production workflow. In fact, I’d argue a good Sketch workflow wouldn’t be complete without this incredible plugin manager.

4. Export Assets

One of the most detailed tasks of a designer is allocating resources and sharing them with developers. All the little icons, graphics, background patterns, these all need to be exported (usually by hand).

The Export Assets plugin makes this process a breeze. Just note this plug is made specifically for mobile apps where designers need to export Android/iOS interface assets. This includes retina assets for @2x and @3x screen sizes.

I haven’t seen any features related to retina web design, but you can check out the Sketch Exporter plugin too. It’s currently in beta and it’s meant to be an improved version of the original.

5. Content Generator

The Craft plugin I mentioned earlier offers content generation. But you may want something a bit simpler like this Content Generator by Timur Carpeev.

With this installed you can auto-populate multiple Sketch elements at once with related data such as:

User avatars

First & last names

Dummy paragraph text

Custom strings(geos, prices, CC card numbers, etc)

All content is pulled from open source databases like Unsplash and Uinames so you can use this on multiple projects, commercial or otherwise.

6. Looper

Photoshop has its own Actions panel where you can automate repeated actions. Sketch doesn’t have a panel like this but it does have the Looper plugin which is completely free and super easy to learn.

This is most useful for creating repeating patterns that take over the entire page. Graphic designers may find more use for this plugin than web designers, but it can save a lot of time looping through repetitive scaling/duplication tasks.

Take a peek at the Looper homepage to see what it can do. It may not be useful for everyone, but for those who can use it you’ll find yourself saving a lot of time.

7. Sketch Iconfont

Web designers love icon fonts. Great icons make UI design a lot easier and font files are generally smaller than images.

The Sketch Iconfont plugin is a complete management suite for storing, sorting, and pulling icon fonts right into Sketch. By default the plugin comes empty so you’ll need to download icon fonts locally to use them.

But this grants you complete access to work with any icon fonts you find online. There’s actually a font bundle pack made specifically for this plugin if you’re looking to fill up your iconfont folder quickly. And you can always scour the web for more as time goes on.

I absolutely recommend grabbing a copy of this plugin. Icon fonts are here to stay and they’re invaluable to modern websites.

8. Style Inventory

Whenever you start a new Sketch file you either have to re-make styles from scratch, or you need to copy/paste styles from previous mockups.

With the Style Inventory plugin you can bypass all this extra work. Just a few clicks imports all your previous styles right into your new Sketch document for easy access.

These styles include colors, text styles, and symbols, along with layer styles for certain elements.

This plugin is rarely updated but I do recommend it for merging similar mockups. You might also try the Sketch Palettes plugin for saving & importing color schemes.

9. Pixel Perfecter

Every digital designer prides themselves on pixel-perfect mockups. This task isn’t hard but it does require every design element to be perfectly aligned with the grid leaving no overlaps or imperfections.

If you ever want to check your work before exporting you can run Pixel Perfecter. This very small plugin checks all your file assets to see if any pixels overflow the traditional X/Y coordinate positions creating imperfect pixels.

Note this won’t automatically fix these offset pixel values. It’ll just find the layer(s) causing issues and highlight them so you can go in and fix them yourself. Still it saves a lot of time checking each layer manually.

10. Dynamic Button

The original dynamic button plugin was somewhat abandoned in 2015, but the newer Dynamic Button plugin is even better and compatible with Sketch 3.5+.

It automatically adds padding and button styles onto any text layer you create, and the padding is dynamic so it updates regardless of text size. This is wildly helpful for UI designers who are constantly making changes to their mockups.

This can also be used for mobile apps where buttons generally follow a fixed size/ratio. It’s not the most glamorous Sketch plugin but it does its task well.

11. Compo

If you want a button generator along with some extra features then the Compo plugin is worth testing.

Compo’s creator got the idea after using the Dynamic Button plugin for a while, eventually wanting something a little quicker. Compo auto-generates the proper button size and text size to match your exact specifications. One click and you have a working Sketch component that’s automatically sized & positioned properly.

Normally when you create a button and change the text it’ll only affect the text layer. So the underlying button would be too small. Compo automatically resizes the button and the text as if they’re one element.

You can find tons of demos on the GitHub repo along with some user guides for getting started.

12. CSSketch

Last but certainly not least is the CSSketch plugin. This is most useful for designer+developer combos who want direct access to CSS code for all the styles they create.

Any page you design can be run through this plugin to export a full stylesheet with all assets accounted for. But since this is automated you can’t expect A++ quality code.

I still prefer to code my CSS by hand, but this plugin at least offers a starting point for non-technical designers or developers who want to save a bit of time.

540+ High-Quality Vintage Illustrations – Flowers, Nautical, and More! – only $24!

Source from Webdesigner Depot http://ift.tt/2qrvCTL from Blogger http://ift.tt/2pKVA60

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blackcrowww · 7 years

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Tabor “The Balancer”

Name: Tabor “The Balancer”

Appearance: A clown holding a thin pole meant for balancing. Some loose strings attached to his body, frizzy hairstyle, youthful looking

Age: 27

Background: Tabor understands the nature of people and their actions. He was taught from young, by his father, to always see a scenario through different lenses. He knows that one perspective alone is not enough to judge a person, and therefore must listen to every side of the story. People always known him for being the mediator in conversations and being the kind and compassionate person that he is. As for acrobatics, his father was a circus acrobat, and Tabor always admired his father from a very young age. His position grew really quickly and he was able to have the chance to perform on stage at a very young age. Years later, when he was old enough to venture by himself, he founded his group and they started performing around the world. Their stage name was iconic and famous throughout the world, but little is known of the performers, because they choose not to identify themselves.

Attributes: Uses the wind around him to move faster than his friends and opponents. Has a 10% extra movement speed added to his base speed. Furthermore, he has the ability to self-heal. (Like mercy)

Health: 200

Type: Support

Left Click: Tabor uses his stick to sweep the ground in front of him, creating strong winds that heals his opponents and damages his enemy. No ammo involved, and every swing is on a 0.5s interval. The radius of the swing will be around half of roadhog’s hook, in a 140 degree arch. His allies will receive 40hp and get a temporary 5 health per second healing for 5 seconds. His enemy will be dealt 30 damage and get 2 damage over time for 5 seconds. Barriers and shields will be able to block this, but not D’va’s defence matrix. Healing and damage over time effects are non-stackable.

*note that enemies or allies outside the radius will not receive any healing or damage. Tabor can also sweep towards the air to potentially heal flying team mates.

Right Click: Tabor conjures a spear, and throws it at a target. If the target is an ally, he will move 20% faster and get a 20% reduction in damage received. They will temporarily learn to levitate, by holding space. If the target is an enemy, he will get a mini-stun of 0.5 seconds before being crippled by 50% while slowly regaining speed in the span of 3 seconds. Effect lasts for 3 seconds, and cooldown time is 8 seconds, and cooldown time only starts after the effect ends

E: Tabor slams his weapon down, creating a mini fissure that restricts the path of the opponent. It deals 50 damage to the enemy, and at the same time releases the path of wind from two sides. The wind will have the same effect as one of Tabor’s left click. Cooldown time is 8 seconds. The fissure is the length of roadhog’s hook. The path can be woven through by pressing jump, but skills like tracer’s shift or McCree shift will be blocked.

Shift (only available in spawn): Tabor strategizes his movement according to the wind, utilising his vision of the map. Before the game starts, Tabor is given the chance to map out the areas in which he wants his friends to move faster. He will be given some 50 meters of rope to be placed around the map before the game starts. The rope has a diameter of Reinhardt, and when his friends step on the rope, they will move 30% faster. The rope will be invisible to the enemy, and he can change his placement at any time, provided he is in the spawn.

Ultimate: Tabor maintains his composure as he prepares for his balancing act. When activated, Tabor assume his stance, holding his weapon perpendicular to him. His concentration is massively increased, giving his teammate 2 seconds of invulnerability and subsequently a speed increase of 30% for 7 seconds. During this time, wind circulates around Tabor, giving those ally within his radius a 100 shield boost that wears off after the effect is over. Enemies caught in the vortex will experience 20 damage over time. During this time, Tabor movement is slowed by 50% (final reduction speed). In the case that Tabor dies before the 7 seconds, all the effects wears off.

*The speed boost stacks with his own skill and other speed increasing skills. Final reduction speed means that every speed boost is already taken into account and Tabor’s maximum speed during the ultimate will be half of his base movement speed

Some Voice Lines:

“Can you ever hear the sounds of the crippling wind?”

“The wind enables victory”

“My job is to heal, and your job is to kill”

“The movement of the wind creates the vortex of trepidation” – when E is pressed

“I will, in all my ability, fight till we win” – when ultimate is pressed

When I was creating this character, the hardest part was thinking of a new way to heal. Healing itself is fundamental and arbitrary, there is no other meaning for healing. So, I decided to manoeuvre in the methods of healing, and that’s when I came up with this idea of the combination with healing and healing over time. He has the capacity to heal his whole team, and that means that the healing itself must not be too overwhelming. He also have some form of defence through his fissure attack and his right click.

His right click makes his teammates levitate, (or fly), but it is not very impactful because it only lasts for 3 seconds. At the most, this skill can help his ally pass over a small gap. However, when used correctly, it can add an element of surprise when the character the enemy did not expect passes through an impassable terrain and attacks them from behind. When used on an enemy, it cripples them for a bit, not too strong, but not too shabby also.

His E ability is rather special, because at first glance, it is a rather useless ability. However, with further inspection, his mini fissure (that can be jumped over), becomes a little nuisance to the opponent. This fissure blocks the pathway in front by levelling the ground beneath, essentially able to block any effects that requires a clear, flat ground (like mccree’s rolling ability). It’s just a tiny crevice, it’s also annoying. The more important part is the healing and damaging, because in the case when genji spams “I need healing”, you can just hit that button and press left click at the same time, doubling the healing effect.

His Shift is a new element to the game, in which I’m going to coin the term “strategy”. This fresh mechanic will be further improvised when creating my other characters, but for now, I’ll just make a “spoiler”. What this ability do is to enable communication with his team, talking about the best places to put it or where to advance the attack from. Before the game starts, when the team communicates and therefore cooperates, it will make for a good game ahead. The user of the character has to carefully plan out and meticulously use his 50 meters to give a good advantage to his team mates, otherwise it will just be an obsolete skill. There can be many strategies, like drawing 3 lines at a certain choke to advance faster, or drawing just 1 straight line to the capture point so that someone can reach the point ahead of time.

Tabor’s ultimate is what makes him unique. It adds a variance to the game, and introduces a new mechanic “invulnerability”. 2 seconds may not be a lot, but it should not be underestimated at the right time. This ensures that Tabor users have to be very mindful of when they should be pressing the skill, and not waste it anyhow. Concurrently, the movement speed increase and the shield boost also adds to the meaning of the word “ultimate”, thereby increasing its capability. The downside to this massive boost is his inability to move. He is an easy target to kill, so flankers and the rest of the team has to learn to prioritize him in order to break the advantage given by Tabor to his team.

In terms of skill choices, it does not really compliments, but the overarching idea of “utilizing the wind” still lingers onto Tabor, which indicates that every of his skill will be able to complement one another in one way or another.

#overwatch #character #creation #tags

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