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khaotunq · 11 months

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GGWM - Get Giffy With Me

I am not professing to be anything even remotely resembling good at giffing, but I got a little message from @thisautistic (hope you don't mind the @, bb! I'll remove if you prefer) asking about how I did my Jay Does Corporate Pride bold gays Ayan set. We quickly realised I can't do anything concisely, and so was born this idea.

All my secrets laid bare. Not that I consider anything here a secret. Go ahead and steal my methods. Steal them. Run with them. They're yours now.

Specifically, I'm going to talk about background isolation and boosting, here, but I'm gonna start a new gif from scratch and show the steps to getting there.

So, I have Photoshop 2020. Or 21. I don't really know. That's the only tool I'll be using, other than the empty cereal box I call a brain.

We're going from this to this. (These are very, very quick and dirty, but they're for demonstrative purposes.)

And this to this.

Annoyingly, I think I prefer the "bad" example, but anyway.

Fair warning: this post is exactly as chaotic as you'd expect it to be, considering it's me writing it and I wrote it in an hour... which includes the time spent making the gifs.

Are there easier ways? Probably.

Let's go!

1. CAP SELECTION.

I have the entirety of The Eclipse capped already, but you'll want to cap your scenes if you haven't already. I prefer working with caps rather than video clips - they both have pros and cons, and I can talk about that some other time if anyone wants me to.

I'm doing two gifs for this little tutorial-turned-dissertation - one that's easy peasy to colour for the purposes of Corporate Pride, and one that makes me want to consume my own elbows. For comparison, or something.

First thing to consider, is if the background is a feature, you want your subject to stay fucking still Kanaphan I swear to god.

You also want to pick something with fairly good contrast. I hate black/white and otherwise relatively neutral backgrounds because they're so difficult to make look natural, but something already predominantly coloured? Lemon squeezy, baby.

2. IDENTIFY COLOURS.

I've taken the easy route and picked green, which is almost always going to contrast nicely with skin tones and makes my life easier, and purple which I have many many issues with, but also contrasts.

Also, this step isn't massively important, it just helps. For example, I didn't know I was going to use green for the First gif until I boosted a bunch of colours and realised how green that rock face behind him is.

I tend to use my beloveds Selective Colour and Colour Balance rather than curves. I don't understand curves. I only use it if I have to lighten something.

3. QUICK AND DIRTY BASIC GIF TUTORIAL ft. my boy Pawin:

Timeline> Video Timeline> Add Media> put in your frames, change your frame delay. Boom, basic gif. Or, to get particularly meta... gif gif tutorial!

What a babe. 🥰

And no, I can't explain why he's here. I have two perfectly fucked up gifs to fuck up, but I chose to spend 60 seconds of my life making a Pawin gif just for this.

4. COLOURING!!!

Go nuts. But here's my process for the Akk gif in specific.

This tells you precisely nothing, but it was fun to make.

I have no idea how to share the specific settings other than to give you the .psd. So as soon as I figure that out, you can have it. I don't recommend using the psd for any and all gifs, because my approach to colouring is interpretive at best, but I really don't care all that much so. Do what you like. S'what I do.

Not included in this: cropping/resizing, my sharpening action, swearing about First, apologising to First, laughing at the fact I changed his shirt colour entirely, swearing at First some more, shrugging and saying, "That'll do."

5. COLOUR FILL / BRUSH / OVERLAY

So, all of this is for this one step.

Here I will demonstrate why white/neutral backgrounds can suck unless you're looking for that particular effect.

For something like the gifset I made, I wanted to punch people in the face with colour, so I had to use scenes with backgrounds I could lean on. In the Akk gif, I noticed the green after fucking around with the colour balance (I tend to boost shadows blue or red, then highlights cyans, but I've been known to go wacky. I leave mid tones alone... for the most part.) so that's what I decided to lean into. When I started this little ramble 500 years ago, I was originally planning on orange. How fickle fate is.

Anyway! I prefer using brushes rather than a full colour-fill layer, because I feel like it gives me greater control. I also prefer adding colour gradually rather than starting with a block. So, I use either a large soft brush at 50% opacity, or a watercolour brush at 100% because it's semi transparent anyway.

I'll use broad strokes - I ain't here for detail work. Set it to Overlay or Soft Light, whichever floats ya boat. And then rather than erase anything, I'll create a layer mask and, using the same brush, splodge it around til nobody's face is green.

And then on the off chance things are eye-burningly saturated by the time I finish other colouring things, I'll just go kill the opacity on the overall colour layer. Like seu~

You have no idea the strength it's taking to not go back and redo this entire tutorial because I've taken too much yellow out of his skin and it's bugging the shit out of me.

This is a fake tutorial, Jay. Breathe.

TO KHAOTUNG!

I am man enough to admit I stole my own damn .psd for the other gif. I literally used the same settings other than futzing about with the neutral balance to try and get some kind of colour undertone.

This is the second gif with just the colouring, no additional fill or overlay:

Isn't he pretty? Don't we love him? I love him. He's so asjdkfhg. Ugh.

Anyway. I figured there was sort of a blue/purple tone. Knowing what I do, I know it's gonna be way too pale for what I want, and he also moves quite far across the frame, so it's gonna be a pain in the arse if I want to go SUPER saturated with any colour background,but this is a demonstration and nothing more.

I could use Linear Burn instead of Overlay but I always get annoyed at it. Because I am a deeply rational person.

Anyway, the point of the above is to kind of show that sometimes u just gotta leave a massive puddle of colourlessness around someone's head if they're moving a lot. I've gotten away with it in this case because it's pale, but if I tried to put any further boost to the saturation, it'd look insane:

I HOPE THIS HELPS

I apologise for my incoherence. It makes sense to me. Which should worry us all.

Anyway, final gifs:

Rejects of my War On Purple, because I promised those. Notice how they're all white, black or neutral (dark brown/red) backgrounds? Rage.

#i had far too much fun making this #it's entirely possible i'm slightly manic #i have no idea how to tag this #my gifs #i guess? i'm going to hate coming across this later but lmao #trust the process #even if the process is screaming and sliding sliders around til someone looks human again #adventures in gifmaking

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cmdonovann · 11 months

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Accomplishments! Quantum Break fansite in progress!

(originally posted June 8th, 2023; crossposted from dreamwidth.)

Well, I removed Tumblr from my phone to prevent me from wasting so much time there, which means I now have nowhere to easily and quickly post my inane thoughts (at least not without feeling like I'm bothering people on Discord or in direct messages, though perhaps that's something I should work on). You know what that means! It means I'm probably going to try posting them here instead. Thing I want to post about: I'm making a Quantum Break fansite! I've been wanting to do this for ages, and actually started putting together a couple of little graphics for it during the "Quantum Break Appreciation Month" event I ran on Tumblr in April, but I hadn't made much progress on the project since then... until the past few days, anyway, when I started brainstorming what I actually want to do with the site, how I want to lay it out, and so on. Yesterday I put together some CSS for the site, and today I did The Hard Part: I set up a git/GitHub repo for the site, and got the "deploy to neocities" script working for it, so I can easily and quickly make updates to the site in VSCode, then push from there to GitHub to neocities all at once, like I do with my personal site. Was this an absolute pain to set up? Yes! Somehow, it took me even longer to do it a second time than it did the first! But I did it myself, with a lot of encouragement and rubber duck-ing from a few very helpful people in the Fandom Coders chat. Can't say I'm not proud of myself for that. I would not have had the skill or confidence a year ago to do something like this, especially not all the mucking about I did in the terminal trying to set up the git repo in the first place. Anyway, I am, to put it mildly, extremely fucking excited to continue working on this site. I've got big plans: first order of business is to get an archive set up of all the Quantum Break fanfic I can get my hands on (and get permission from the authors for). After that, I'm probably going to do the same for fanart and image edits like photosets and gifsets from Tumblr, since the CSS page styling for those will likely be similar (though I expect to run into some attribution problems with older Tumblr posts, what with so many deactivated or moved blogs post-2018). Once that's sorted out, I'm considering looking into the best way to archive fanvids, but honestly that might be put off for a while longer, as video hosting and video players are way out of my skill level currently. Maybe I'll import some of my Quantum Break playlists from my personal site, too? Oh yeah, and at some point down the line, I want to make a searchable wiki with transcripts of all the in-game narrative objects. But "searchable" is probably going to be a stumbling point there, and transcribing takes ages, so this will be last priority, I think. Wow, that's... a lot, actually! Damn! This is gonna take a while. Not that I mind spending a couple of years poking at a project, obviously. *Gestures at my longfic that took four years to finish...* I've been neck deep in this fandom for over seven years, what's another five or ten? XP

btw, since it's fairly easy to post images on tumblr (compared to dreamwidth, anyway), here's a screenshot of the section that's currently in progress: the fic archive index!

(ignore my filler text... i usually use karkalicious as my lorem ipsum, so at least i'm not committing THAT particular crime here.)

i'm still futzing around a little with the styling (negative margin my beloathed) but it's coming along pretty well! i've already got a branch where i've started... you know, actually adding fic to the site, but i won't merge that into the main and add a link to the front page until the style problems have been fixed (or at least, fixed enough to be easily navigable on mobile, which... is not the case right now, lolrip).

#quantum break #coding #fansite #dreamwidth #cmdonovann #well that was surprisingly easy! i didn't expect copypaste to preserve the formatting...#also added some commentary #because it's been a couple days since the dreamwidth post #and i've been working on the site since then lol

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carmenlire · 1 year

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hi!! i just read your flex on me fic and saw your jaeyoung tags on a semantic error gifset and can i just say i love your perspective on these characters. the fic made my heart so warm and i love you write jaeyoung and sangwoo so lovingly. i especially love how you write how much jaeyoung spoils sangwoo. i was wondering what your pov would be of jaeyoung if sangwoo ever got sick or hurt. id love to know <3 again ty for the amazing fic!!

Hi!! omg this is such a lovely message!! first of all, thank you so much for reading Flex on Me and sending a really nice message :') I'm so happy that you enjoyed that fic. i love semantic error So Much and it was so fun to write jaeyoung and sangwoo in an established relationship!!

I am such a sucker for the way that Jaeyoung cares for Sangwoo. In the show we see that, even when they aren't together yet-- even when Jaeyoung isn't completely sold on if he even likes Sangwoo-- he still tells on himself. Half the times he was "annoying" Sangwoo, it was just him flirting/taking care of him!!! And as we know Sangwoo's reactions might not be as overt but he still falls so deep and his love for Jaeyoung shines through in the quiet moments. These two play so well together and I love that they're both idiots in love but as individuals, they're strong and capable and independent.

Which brings us to this LOVELY scenario you sent me! Honestly, this entire message made me so happy but then you asked for me to talk about these two even more?? I'm like a kid in a candy store right now.

So, as previously established Jaeyoung is 1) exceedingly smart/capable 2) hopelessly in love with Sangwoo and 3) loves to spoil his boyfriend. So what happens if Sangwoo is injured/sick? Jaeyoung turns into the Ultimate Boyfriend, of course!

I'm putting the rest under a read more because i lowkey wrote a whole fic-- I hope you like it!!

Let's say that Sangwoo gets a horrendous cold every fall. He can feel it coming a few days before, the first warning signs.-- a tickle in his throat, a vague ache in his joints. He's been dating Jaeyoung for awhile now and he's so happy he didn't think it was possible to feel this much-- and as much as it pains him, he knows the next week isn't gong to be very fun so he starts pulling back a little from Jaeyoung. Sangwoo doesn't want him to get sick-- he has a important deadline coming up-- and, well, he also doesn't want Jaeyoung to see him like that. Gross and snotty and even more easily irritable than usual (forget that now that they're together, while Sangwoo can be prickly and exacting, Jaeyoung is rarely treated to the full Sangwoo Effect anymore. Yuna thinks it's disgusting how soft they are on each other, especially considering their origin story).

So, knowing what's coming, Sangwoo starts coming up with excuses for why he can't see Jaeyoung. Oh, he has to meet a professor during lunch. Sorry hyung, I have to get this project done tonight you can't come over. The first time it happens, Jaeyoung pouts for a second but goes ahead and meets Yuna and Hyeongtak for lunch. When Sangwoo avoids him that night, however, his suspicions rise but he still easily accepts it, working halfheartedly on his own stuff for a minute before quickly growing bored without Sangwoo there to ground him (he’s really gotten so used to working next to his boyfriend at night) and putting on a show on Netflix while sending Sangwoo a truly alarming number of messages that are both cute and annoying!

Sangwoo responds to them later that night after he finishes his homework and Jaeyoung is treated to a goodnight selfie that makes his heart warm and his cheeks ache with how much he loves his boy. Sangwoo is wearing one of Jaeyoung’s hoodies, hair messy like it only is right before or after bed, and there’s a hint of a smile on his face. The message is short and sweet. Goodnight, hyung. I love you. Don’t forget to set an alarm.

And part of Jaeyoung wants to scoff because they’ve been dating less than a year but a much bigger part of him just wiggles in delight because Sangwoo has memorized his schedule and cares enough to send these little reminders. It makes something soft and warm curl up and flutter in his stomach anytime he stops to think about it.

Still, he thinks he sees a hint of red lining Sangwoo’s eyes, touching the tip of his nose. Goodness knows that Jaeyoung stares at the picture long enough to memorize it but he tells himself it was just the lighting and goes to sleep– but not before sending his own selfie and message with way too many emojis.

All of which to say, Sangwoo is able to dodge Jaeyoung for another day before his careful plans melt into disarray. By this time, his throat hurts and he accidentally-on-purpose snapped at an upperclassman who tried to wheedle for the answers to this afternoon’s homework. It’s Thursday and he already knows that his plans for the weekend will consist of nothing but being lonely and miserable with nothing but a box of Kleenex for company.

Because that’s another thing. It’s been less than 48 hours since he saw Jaeyoung and he’s going half crazy with it. Knowing that Jaeyoung is so close but that he can’t see him is affecting Sangwoo more than he thought it would. Especially when he’s so miserable and feels like shit and knows that it’ll get worse before it gets better.

He catches himself wanting to text Jaeyoung every hour– sometimes just to talk but a lot of the time he has to stop himself from asking his boyfriend to come over. God, he wants nothing more than to lay down on his boyfriend’s chest. He’s been sleeping in one of Jaeyoung’s hoodies for the past couple of days but it’s a sad imitation of the real thing.

But no, he tells himself firmly for the hundredth time. He doesn’t want to get his boyfriend sick. Jaeyoung has so much going on and it would be selfish and unfair of him to not only impose but impose knowing that Jaeyoung could get sick.

Saying it doesn’t help the way he wants, though. He’s always been a little needy, a bit clingy when he’s not feeling well. When it’s happened at university, he’s powered through knowing that there was no one to take care of him but himself. Knowing that Jaeyoung is just a call away is bittersweet.

Jaeyoung, for his part, knows by this point that something is up and that Sangwoo is definitely avoiding him. What he doesn’t know is why. Sangwoo’s replies are still as understatedly loving as ever. He still sent a goodnight selca last night. But besides his time in France, this is the longest they’ve gone without seeing each other in person and it’s kinda driving Jaeyoung crazy.

Deciding enough is enough and that Sangwoo can damn well tell him to his face why he’s avoiding him, Jaeyoung decides to meet Sangwoo after his coding class that afternoon. It’s Thursday and Thursdays are always their movie nights and Sangwoo hasn’t ghosted him yet but Jaeyoung can see it coming and he wants to know why.

After his consulting meeting is done, Jaeyoung heads over to campus. Looking down at his watch, he sees that Sangwoo’s class should be letting out in ten minutes, so he heads over to the computer science building to wait. He replies to Yuna’s texts in the meantime and looks up just as a dozen or so students pour out the doors.

He scans their faces but none of them are Sangwoo, which is unusual. His boyfriend is usually the first one out. Jaeyoung’s just getting ready to text him, see if he missed him after all, when Sangwoo finally exits the building.

Before he even quite knows what he’s seeing, something in Jaeyoung’s heart just melts. It’s a cold November day, the sky dark and gloomy, the air frigid. And there Sangwoo is, bundled in one of his hoodies– a red one, to Jaeyoung’s surprise– face mask and hat all but completely obscuring his face. Over the hoodie, is one of Jaeyoung’s jackets that he’d thought he’d lost last time he did laundry.

His mouth curls at the corner in delight. He’s such a little thief, Jaeyoung thinks absolutely besotted.

“Sangwoo-ah,” Jaeyoung calls out.

Sangwoo jerks to a standstill, looking up. Even though most of his face is covered, Jaeyoung sees well enough that Sangwoo feels caught.

“Hyung?” Sangwoo asks, not stepping any closer. “What are you doing here?”

Well, fine then. Jaeyoung takes it upon himself to close the distance between them. He doesn’t stop until he’s standing right in front of Sangwoo and then he leans down until he’s in his space. “Can’t a boyfriend surprise his boyfriend after class?” He raises an eyebrow, knowing he’s definitely annoying Sangwoo.

And there’s the spark in Sangwoo’s eyes that’s always a dead giveaway that he’s about to get huffy. Something in Jaeyoung hums in satisfaction– he loves getting a reaction out of Sangwoo.

In the next moment, he’s frowning, though. Because sure there’s a spark now but Sangwoo’s eyes look a little dull, the shadows underneath them pronounced. His forehead is a little sweaty and that doesn’t make sense at all– sure, Sangwoo is wearing a hoodie and jacket but it is November and it is freezing. He’s dressed appropriately.

“Baby,” Jaeyoung asks, voice dropping to something low and warm. Sangwoo had said once, half delirious with sleep deprivation, that he loves Jaeyoung’s voice always but especially when it takes on this cadence. Makes me feel taken cared of, feels like it wraps around me, makes me feel warm, he’d said.

The admission had ruined Jaeyoung in a way that made him want to use the voice all the time, just to see the way tension melted off Sangwoo’s shoulders. He’d made a study of it– using the voice during sex was a given but slipping into it when Sangwoo was stressed, when he wanted to tease in a way that made both of them turn into each other, when it was just the two of them and Jaeyoung just wanted Sangwoo to know he was there– the feeling is indescribable, knowing the power Sangwoo lets him wield.

Now, when there’s just a few other students rushing around, when it’s like the two of them are in their own bubble on campus, using that tone stills something deep in both of them.

Jaeyoung reaches a hand up, trails a finger over the shell of Sangwoo’s ear.

He wasn’t really worried that something was wrong. Most of Jaeyoung just missed Sangwoo and wanted to see him and maybe tease him about how could school be more important than spending quality time with his perfect boyfriend.

Now, though– well, he’s still not worried but he knows something is up and he knows they aren’t leaving this spot until Sangwoo tells him.

Sangwoo is staring straight ahead at his chin, not making eye contact. Jaeyoung leans even further down, until he’s almost touching the fabric of Sangwoo’s face mask, until his boyfriend has no choice but to meet his gaze.

“Baby,” he murmurs, watching as something shifts behind those beautiful eyes– even when he’s not at his best, Sangwoo still takes his breath away. “Tell hyung what’s wrong, hm?”

He hears Sangwoo suck in a breath before he’s leaning back, holding a hand to Jaeyoung’s chest to keep the space between them.

“I told you that I need to focus on school for the next few days,” Sangwoo says. The words words feel stiff, like he’s rehearsed them too much to ring true.

Jaeyoung reaches up for the hand staying him, links their fingers before bringing them right back together. Sangwoo doesn’t protest.

Time to play a little dirty, then. Jaeyoung smiles, something small that curves the edge of his eyes. Sangwoo’s own narrow in warning but Jaeyoung doesn’t pay him any mind.

He squeezes the hand still in his, wraps his other arm around Sangwoo until it rests low on his back. He pulls him forward into an embrace close to a hug as he whispers in his ear, “Come on, baby. You know I can tell when you’re lying.”

To his surprise, Sangwoo doesn’t immediately pull back and get defensive. Sangwoo doesn’t deflect or start arguing. There’s no quip on his tongue, eager to spill out and start a round of bickering that’s usually fun and engaging.

No, instead his cute little boyfriend just snuggles into him?

Jaeyoung can’t help the shiver that snakes up his spine as Sangwoo noses along the column of his throat. His face mask is scratchy against his skin but his boyfriend doesn’t seem to mind the barrier between them.

“Sangwoo?”

Sangwoo’s arms come up to wrap around his waist, squeezing him closer. He lays his head against Jaeyoung’s shoulder, seems to settle in, humming contentedly.

Tightening his grip, Jaeyoung starts swaying them back and forth a little. Resting his head on top of Sangwoo’s, Jaeyoung can’t help his smile. He squeezes a little. “Sangwoo-ah, baby, can you answer me?”

Something in Jaeyoung– definitely his heart– absolutely melts at the way Sangwoo relaxes against him. This isn’t anything new, Sangwoo has a tendency to slip like this when it’s just them, but it is unexpected for it to happen in public. And while Jaeyoung still doesn’t think anything is dangerously wrong, he needs to find out what’s going on.

Finally, Sangwoo sighs. His voice is low and hoarse and rough at the edges. His tone is petulant as he reluctantly says, “I don’t feel good, hyung.”

Jaeyoung’s heart squeezes painfully before tumbling at Sangwoo’s feet. He lays a soft edge to the shell of Sangwoo’s ear. “What’s wrong, baby?”

It’s silent for a long moment that fills with the sounds of birds in the distance, the chatter of a group of students several yards away talking about the midterm they all just failed. Internally, Jaeyoung starts compiling a list of things he might need in the immediate future, from medicine to Sangwoo’s favorite ghibli film to that chicken congee recipe he had his eomma email him during his freshman year.

Sangwoo eventually pulls back enough to meet Jaeyoung’s eyes. His own are red and a little hazy. He stares at Jaeyoung for a long moment and Jaeyoung lets himself look back. The truth is, Sangwoo looks a little miserable and things are coming together but he needs Sangwoo to just tell him so that Jaeyoung can do what he wants to– what, suddenly, he has a burning need to do.

“I’m in the midst of an annual cold,” Sangwoo finally says, sounding extremely disgruntled. Jaeyoung bites his cheek so he doesn’t smile– God, Sangwoo is so cute like this.

Jaeyoung leans a little closer, narrowing his eyes in the way that’s mostly teasing but still has a kernel of seriousness. “And why didn’t you tell me? Me, your boyfriend, whose job is to take care of his boyfriend when he’s not feeling well?” He pouts exaggeratedly. “I can’t take care of you if you avoid me, Jagiya.”

Studiously avoiding his gaze, Sangwoo takes a shuddering breath before he mutters, “You shouldn’t have to take care of me, especially not when you have so much on your plate right now.”

Jaeyoung immediately shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter,” he says firmly.

Even under the mask, Jaeyoung can see Sangwoo’s mouth turn down. “I could get you sick.”

Jaeyoung reaches a hand up to flick against the brim of Sangwoo’s hat just to see the mulish set of his brows better. “Doesn’t matter,” he repeats.

“But–”

“Sangwoo-ah,” Jaeyoung cuts him off, leaning down until he’s back in his space. He gentles his voice. “Baby, I love you and I love taking care of you.” And oh, here he gets to see the quiet happiness well in Sangwoo’s eyes, the easing of tension along his brow.

“I want to be there when you’re happy and feeling good but I also want to be there when you feel like shit and not you best. Don’t you want that, too?”

“It’s not fair,” Sangwoo offers weakly, closely his eyes against the onslaught that is a pouting Jaeyoung.

Jaeyoung hums in thought. “What’s not fair, my stubborn boyfriend, is you trying to hide this from me. Do you know how amazing I am at playing nursemaid? You haven’t even tasted my congee!”

Sangwoo leans forward until he can rest his forehead against Jaeyoung’s chest. “I’m probably going to be an ass when I’m sick.”

He feels Jaeyoung laugh before his hands come up to rub soothingly down Sangwoo’s back. It feels amazing, exactly what he’d been imagining over the past few days when he desperately wanted to call Jaeyoung for the comfort only his boyfriend could provide– he feels warm and cared for and it’s so good he feels tears sting his eyes.

Now that he’s caught, he doesn’t really want to argue and belabor his point. No, he knows what he wants– what he’s wanted since he first started coming down with this hellish cold– and he just doesn’t have it in himself to deny him– them both, apparently– of this.

His voice is tired but any remaining tension drains out of him as Sangwoo finally accepts that he does have someone he can lean on and that the person is not only willing but eager to do so.

“Please take care of me, Jaeyoungie-hyung.”

Jaeyoung’s heart stills at the request, soft spoken but aching with want. His chest feels too small to contain this feeling, the sheer desire to care for the man in front of him in any way he needs, in every way he can. “Of course, baby. Of course.”

Jaeyoung kisses the top of Sangwoo’s hair before letting go just to immediately hold his hand. “Let’s go home.”

Over the next three days, Sangwoo’s cold does indeed gets worse. He loses his voice almost completely, his coughing annoying him so much that he can only wonder at how Jaeyoung seems unbothered and he goes through enough tissues that he should’ve bought stock in Kleenex.

Through it all, Jaeyoung takes care of him. That first night, they went back to Sangwoo’s apartment together and while Sangwoo took a shower, Jaeyoung ran to the corner mart to pick up anything he might need, including groceries for his eomma's congee.

When he gets back to the apartment, Sangwoo is in a clean Sweatshirt of Jaeyoung’s and a pair of leggings, hair hanging in his eyes. Jaeyoung urges him to rest on the couch while he sets about making dinner. He hasn’t been sick in a while, though, and so when he gets to step seven he calls his eomma just to make sure he’s making it the best way possible.

His mom is endeared– Jaeyoung has talked extensively about Sangwoo– and Jaeyoung keeps his voice low as he finishes cooking in the kitchen.

Sangwoo actually does cry, just a little, when Jaeyoung wakes him up with a bowl later in the evening. Jaeyoung doesn’t tease, doesn’t show just how he’s melted into a puddle at seeing his boyfriend’s wide eyes upon seeing dinner after his nap, at the way Sangwoo tears up because it’s so good and Jaeyoung is taking care of him so well even though it’s only been two hours and he loves this man so much, he’s so lucky–

Jaeyoung cuts his rambling off with a kiss, looking pleased with himself when he pulls back.

Sangwoo, for his part, is horrified. “You’re going to get sick,” he hisses, covering his mouth, scandalized.

Jaeyoung just shrugs and winks at him. “Guess you’ll have to take care of me, then, huh?”

Sangwoo does his best to glower but it quickly morphs into a sneeze and Jaeyoung laughs softly, way too fucking endeared as Sangwoo just looks like a sad kitten and really, he wonders, the heart can’t be meant to hold all of this feeling.

Most of the weekend is spent with Sangwoo cuddled up to Jaeyoung, resting his absolutely aching head against his boyfriend’s chest and using Jaeyoung as his own space heater. Jaeyoung keeps a strict schedule with the medicine and fluids and they spend the entire weekend watching movies or resting. Jaeyoung, for his part, spends a lot of the time that Sangwoo is asleep watching his boyfriend. It’s a quiet but no less striking contentment.

Even though Sangwoo’s hair is sweaty and Jaeyoung definitely knows he’s going to be sick by this time next week, it’s more than worth it to him. And contrary to Sangwoo’s warning, he’s not an asshole at all– he’s pliant and soft around the edges, clingy in a way Jaeyoung will never admit he loves.

And sure enough, ten days later it’s Sangwoo’s chance to return the favor as Jaeyoung proves to be a dramatic– but not difficult, not at all if you know him, if you love him, if you treasure any and all chance to show him and care for him– patient himself.

#ahhhh thank you again for this lovely LOVELY message!! it totally made my day!#also i hope you like this fic i wrote??? i definitely didn't mean to get so taken away but i couldn't help myself!#i may just have to edit this a little and post it to ao3 :')#i'm always here to talk about anything and everything semantic error related #and i hope i did your idea justice!!!#asked #answered #anon #semantic error #my writing tag #semantic error fic #se anon

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butchniqabi · 2 years

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Favorite reads of 2021! Baya @brownpaperhag tagged me in this, I didn’t read as much as I wanted to this year, but I got a decent chunk in! These aren’t in any order lmao, but here we goooo

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin. I technically started this in 2020, but my family book club didn’t finish it until January-ish of 2021 so I’m including it! It is a collection of short stories, so some are better than others but oh my god....when I tell you I ADORE this book. It was inspiring, it was groundbreaking, it was beautiful. Something Jemisin is very good at doing is establishing a setting very quickly and immersing you in the weirdness. LOVED it.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Wow. That’s all I can say. There’s not much I can think to say other than *incoherent shrieking*. The whole time I just could feel all the tension and UGH, Mr. Graham Jones is a WRITER....he is someone who WRITES.

Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica. ASDFGFDSFGFRFGFG????? This book made me INSANE. I already knew how it was going to end because Yah Yah called me screaming when fae finished it, AND YET??? AND FUCKING YET??? Somehow the ending was such a shock to me like...good GAWD. This book is brutal and gross and made me consider going vegan like...it was So good.

The Collected Schizophrenias by Esme Weijun Wang. I read this in maybe 5 days instead of 1 because I didn’t want it to end. Weijun Wang is so, impeccably good at writing narrative nonfiction and she just explains things so, so beautifully. Reading this book was like being enveloped in a hug, even when she talked about difficult things. Her book is full of such lush detail. Miss Weijun Wang I love you...

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. How on Earth did the book and the movie get so lost from one another? The book has beautiful prose, speculative technology, and wonderful insights to the human experience. The movie was just so. fucking boring. I’ve waxed lyrical about this book enough, but know its one of my faves. :)

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. ANNIHILATION! ANNIHILATION! It’s just me, the biologist. Just you? Just YOU? This book peeled me open like a clementine and put me into a juicer. I watched the movie first because I had seen a some gifsets of it, but oh man. The BOOK? I read it in one day. For the first time in YEARS, I read a book in one day. It was an experience. But I immediately fell in love with the story and all the secrets it held. It was beautiful and haunting. I will look for my lover in a dolphin’s eye.

For the game I tag: @fluoresensitive @ohevoyev @bagofbonesmp3 @vympr @filmnoirsbian @divinecruelty

#asks #books #this took a minute. whew

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heymacy · 3 years

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@heymrspatel‘s tags on my recent gifset had me all moon-eyed and inspired, so i wrote a little something featuring a grumpy Mickey, a spooky movie night, and floofy hair. i don’t know how it happened either, but it did, so please enjoy about 1.2k words of Soft Husbands 🥺🥰🖤🎃

“i love you, jerkface” - dani dennison, hocus pocus

Mickey had been in a bad mood all day.

Ian suggested ice cream and a movie, and Mickey agreed, albeit reluctantly, grumbling something about bribery under his breath as he walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room.

He flopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote where it lay beside him, turning on the TV. It opened to the Amazon account they shared with the rest of the Gallaghers, their yearly subscription a gift from Tami last Christmas.

Someone, probably Debbie and Franny, had recently watched “Hocus Pocus” and Mickey snorted softly, remembering how much Mandy loved that movie when they were kids. She watched it almost every day for the whole month of October every year, sometimes randomly in July or December, and Mickey had the whole thing memorized by proxy.

“What d’you wanna watch?” he shouted towards the kitchen where Ian stood, spooning out two bowls of mint chocolate chip. He felt a little bit guilty using the fancy metal ice cream scooper, considering Mickey had snagged it from Debbie’s place a month ago in yet another round of their spiteful kitchen-utensil-abductions. All over a fucking potato masher. They really were a couple of children.

Ian shoved two spoons into each bowl and stuck the ice cream back in the fridge.

“I dunno,” he said as he walked into the living room, shrugging as he passed his husband, whose eyes remained fixed on the TV. “What do you wanna watch?” he asked, and Mickey groaned.

“Don’t do that shit.”

Ian handed him one of the bowls of ice cream.

“What ‘shit?’”

“You know what shit,” Mickey said, distorting his voice a bit in mockery. “Oh I dunno, whatever you wanna watch, baby.” He made a face, scrunching up his nose in feigned disgust.

Ian snorted.

“S’bullshit,” Mickey grumbled, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth as he settled in, pouty as hell. Ian knew that in about 20 minutes, he’d be back to normal. He just needed to get it out of his system.

“Alright, alright,” Ian said, fighting a grin. “How about Hocus Pocus? It’s already up there.” He gestured to the screen with his spoon and Mickey sniffed, shrugging.

“Fine,” he said, knowing that Ian was at least half aware of his history with the film, and avoided eye contact as he slid onto the floor, sitting with his back against the couch.

“Really?” Ian said, smirking, and Mickey just shrugged, swallowing his ice cream.

Ian’s smirk widened.

He slid across the couch to where Mickey sat and threw one of his legs on either side of his husband, capturing his shoulders between his thighs.

“The fuck’re you doin’?” Mickey protested through another mouthful, and Ian just settled in, pressing play on the remote. He listened as his husband mumbled some semblance of a protest before giving up, knowing Mickey didn’t totally hate it when they sat like this.

About thirty minutes into the movie, ice cream long gone, Ian started feeling fidgety.

Mickey chuckled quietly as Sarah reached up into the ceiling, pulling out her “lucky rat’s tail,” and Ian found his hands absentmindedly carding themselves into Mickey’s hair. There was a distinct but soft crunching sound as his fingers ran through Mickey’s hair, breaking through the gel-like product Mickey had used to style it that morning.

“Ow,” he protested, giving his head a little shake. Ian dropped his hands onto his legs.

“Sorry,” he said, refocusing on the movie. He felt Mickey’s hand on his own, moving it back to his head.

“I didn’t say stop,” he mumbled, and Ian was helpless not to grin, thankful that Mickey was turned away from him facing the TV.

He leaned forward a bit, resting his elbows on his thighs, the strands breaking apart quickly as his husband’s hair returned to its usual soft, fluffy form.

“Your hair is getting kinda long,” Ian mused, only half-thinking as they remained focused on the movie, Dani leaping out from behind the counter with a scream.

Mickey turned his head back around and glared at his husband.

“You gonna get on my ass about my hair, too?” Mickey snapped, irritated, referencing one of the could-go-wrong, did-go-wrongs from earlier in the day. What was supposed to be their attempt at helping Lip and Tami out with the new baby had turned into an impromptu roast session at Mickey’s expense, Lip making some smart-ass remark about Mickey going for the “boyband look” as Debbie egged him on, asking him when he was “going on tour”.

Mickey had just about heard enough and stormed out, already pissed off after dealing with a rude, cheap-ass supplier earlier that morning. Ian had followed, shooting annoyed looks at his siblings before he left, both of them riding home in the ambulance in silence.

Ian realized immediately how his comment probably came off, and he rushed to correct himself.

“It’s not a bad thing,” he said. “I like your hair longer sometimes,” he mumbled, leaning forward and planting a kiss on the top of his husband’s head. Mickey huffed and rolled his eyes, all in show, realizing too late that Ian couldn’t actually see his face.

“Well I’m cutting it off tomorrow, so.” Mickey shrugged. “Won’t have to use that shit anymore,” he said, referring to what he had once called hair gunk.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t wanna do,” Ian said, and it was quiet for a minute while Max stole Winifred Sanderson’s spell book.

“Yeah, well,” Mickey said, shrugging, apparently choosing to remain vague and unelaborated.

Ian sighed and continued combing his fingers through Mickey’s hair, picking up the smaller pieces and lifting them, watching as they fell against the rest of the dark mess he’d created.

“You know I like your hair all the time,” Ian said, and Mickey was quiet. “Right?” he asked again, and Mickey just sat there, the very last bit of his resolve slipping away.

Ian slid his fingers into Mickey’s hair and grasped at the strands, yanking his head back so they were looking directly at each other.

“Right?” Ian said, and Mickey finally grinned, just a small curve of his lips that gave way to a lip-bite and a soft chuckle.

“Right, asshole,” he said, grinning, and Ian leaned down, Spiderman kissing his husband softly before leaning back up and pressing one more kiss to the tip of his nose, finally releasing his grip on his hair. Mickey giggled as he settled back in for the rest of the movie.

When the firefighters left the Sanderson house, Mickey climbed up from where he sat on the floor, crawling into the spot beside Ian. His husband welcomed him in with his arms spread, both of them settling in comfortably to their regular position, Mickey leaning against Ian’s chest, head resting on his shoulder, fingers laced together where their hands rested on Ian’s thigh.

A few minutes later, Mickey turned his face up towards Ian, who looked down at him with happy, tired eyes.

“I love you,” he said, his face apologetic, regretting wasting thirty minutes on the floor instead of in his husband’s arms.

Ian smiled.

“I love you, too, you grumpy bitch,” he teased, and Mickey snorted, grinning, tilting his face up for another kiss that Ian met with a smile.

#me? writing post-finale canon-compliant content? writing something that isn't an AU? i can't believe it either #i have no idea what this is but inspiration struck #also yes i'm working on TLO too so i'm in the grumpy mickey zone i'm SORRY #ficlet #things i wrote #one shot #under 2k #soft husbands

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pumpkinpaix · 3 years

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Hello! Feel free not to answer this question if it is in any way too much, but I've been wondering about something concerning the "western" mdzs fandom. Lately, i have seen multiple pieces of fanart that use what is clearly Christian symbolism and sometimes downright iconography in depicting the characters. I'm a european fan, but it still makes me vaguely uneasy. I know that these things are rarely easy to judge. I'm definitely not qualified to do so and was wondering if you have an opinion

Hi there! thank you for your patience and for the interesting question! I’ve been thinking about this since i received this ask because it?? idk, it’s difficult to answer, but it also touches on a a few things that I find really interesting.

the short answer: it’s complicated, and I also don’t know what I feel!

the longer answer:

i think that this question is particularly difficult to answer because of how deeply christianity is tied to the western art and literary canon. so much of what is considered great european art is christian art! If you just take a quick glance at wiki’s page on european art, you can see how inextricable christianity is, and how integral christian iconography has been in the history of european art. If you study western art history, you must study christian imagery and christian canon because it’s just impossible to engage with a lot of the work in a meaningful way without it. that’s just the reality of it.

Christianity, of course, also has a strong presence in european colonial and imperialist history and has been used as a tool of oppression against many peoples and nations, including China. I would be lying if I said I had a good relationship with Christianity--I have always faced it with a deep suspicion because I think it did some very, very real damage, not just to chinese people, but to many cultures and peoples around the world, and that’s not a trauma that can be easily brushed aside or reconciled with.

here is what is also true: my maternal grandmother was devoutly christian. my aunt is devoutly christian. my uncle’s family is devoutly christian. my favorite cousin is devoutly christian. when I attended my cousin’s wedding, he had both a traditional chinese ceremony (tea-serving, bride-fetching, ABSURDLY long reception), and also a christian ceremony in a church. christianity is a really important part of his life, just as it’s important to my uncle’s family, and as it was important to my grandmother. I don’t think it’s my right or place to label them as simply victims of a colonialist past--they’re real people with real agency and choice and beliefs. I think it would be disrespectful to act otherwise.

that doesn’t negate the harm that christianity has done--but it does complicate things. is it inherently a bad thing that they’re christian, due to the political history of the religion and their heritage? that’s... not a question I’m really interested in debating. the fact remains that they are christian, that they are chinese, and that they chose their religion.

so! now here we are with mdzs, a chinese piece of media that is clearly Not christian, but is quickly gaining popularity in euroamerican spaces. people are making fanart! people are making A LOT of fanart! and art is, by nature, intertextual. a lot of the most interesting art (imo) makes deliberate use of that! for example (cyan art nerdery time let’s go), Nikolai Ge’s What is Truth?

I love this painting! it’s notable for its unusual depiction of christ: shabby, unkempt, slouched, in shadow. if you look for other paintings of this scene, christ is usually dignified, elegant, beautiful, melancholy -- there’s something very humanizing and humbling about this depiction, specifically because of the way it contrasts the standard. it’s powerful because we as the audience are expected to be familiar with the iconography of this scene, the story behind it, and its place in the christian canon.

you can make similar comments about Gentileschi’s Judith vs Caravaggio’s, or Manet’s Olympia vs Ingres’ Grande Odalisque -- all of these paintings exist in relation to one another and also to the larger canon (i’m simplifying: you can’t just compare one to another directly in isolation etc etc.) Gauguin’s Jacob Wrestling the Angel is also especially interesting because of how its portrayal of its content contrasts to its predecessors!

or! because i’m really In It now, one of my favorite paintings in the world, Joan of Arc by Bastien-Lepage:

I just!!! gosh, idk, what’s most interesting to me in this painting is the way it seems to hover between movements: the hyperrealistic, neoclassical-esque take on the figure, but the impressionistic brushstrokes of the background AAA gosh i love it so much. it’s really beautiful if you ever get a chance to see it in person at the Met. i’m putting this here both because i personally just really like it and also as an example of how intertextuality isn’t just about content, but also about visual elements.

anyways, sorry most of this is 19thc, that was what i studied the most lol.

(a final note: if you want to read about a really interesting painting that sits in the midst of just a Lot of different works, check out the wiki page on Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa, specifically under “Interpretation and Legacy”)

this is all a really long-winded way of getting to this point: if you want to make allusory fanart of mdzs with regards to western art canon, you kind of have to go out of your way to avoid christian imagery/iconography, especially when that’s the lens through which a lot of really intensely emotional art was created. many of my favorite paintings are christian: Vrubel’s Demon, Seated, Perov’s Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Ge’s Conscience, Judas, Bastien-Lepage’s Joan of Arc, as shown above. that’s not to say there ISN’T plenty of non-christian art -- but christian art is very prominent and impossible to ignore.

so here are a few pieces of fanwork that I’ve seen that are very clearly making allusions to christian imagery:

1. this beautiful pietà nielan by tinynarwhals on twitter

2. a lovely jiang yanli as our lady of tears by @satuwilhelmiina

3. my second gif in this set here, which I will also show below:

i’m only going to talk about mine in depth because well, i know exactly what i was thinking when I put this gif together while I can’t speak for anyone else.

first: the two lines of the song that I wanted to use for lan xichen were “baby, I’m a fighter//in the robes of a saint” because i felt that they fit him very well. of course, just the word “saint” evokes catholicism, even if it’s become so entwined in the english language that it’s taken on a secular meaning as well.

second: when I saw this scene, my immediate thought was just “PIETÀ!!” because LOOK at that composition! lan xichen’s lap! nie mingjue lying perpendicular to it! the light blue/white/silver of lan xichen in contrast to the darker robes of both nie mingjue and meng yao! not just that, but the very cool triangular structure of the image is intensely striking, and Yes, i Do love that it simultaneously ALSO evokes deposition of christ vibes. (baxia as the cross.... god..... is that not the Tightest Shit) does this make meng yao joseph of arimathea? does it make him john the evangelist? both options are equally interesting, I think when viewed in relation to his roles in the story: as a spy in qishan and as nmj’s deputy. maybe he’s both.

anyways, did I do this intentionally? yes, though a lot of it is happy accident/discovered after the fact since I’m relying on CQL to have provided the image. i wanted to draw attention to all of that by superimposing that line over that image! (to be clear: I didn’t expect it to all come through because like. that’s ridiculous. the layers you’d have to go through to get from “pretty lxc gifset” --> “if we cast nie mingjue as a christ figure, what is the interesting commentary we could do on meng yao by casting him as either joseph of arimathea or john the evangelist” are like. ok ur gonna need to work a little harder than slapping a song lyric over an image to achieve an effect like that.)

the point of this is: yes, it’s intentionally christian, yes I did this, yes I am casting these very much non-christian characters into christian roles for this specific visual work -- is this okay?

I obviously thought it was because I made it. but would I feel the same about a work that was written doing something similar? probably not. I think that would make me quite uncomfortable in most situations. but there’s something about visual art that makes it slightly different that I have trouble articulating -- something about how the visual often seeks to illustrate parallels or ideas, whereas writing characters as a different religion can fundamentally change who those characters are, the world they inhabit, etc. in a more... invasive?? way. that’s still not quite right, but I genuinely am not sure how to explain what i mean! I hope the general idea comes across. ><

something else to think about is like, what are pieces I find acceptable and why?

what makes the pieces above that reference christian imagery different than this stunning nieyao piece by @cyandemise after klimt’s kiss? (warnings for like, dead bodies and vague body horror) like i ADORE this piece (PLEASE click for fullview it’s worth it for the quality). it’s incredibly beautiful and evocative and very obviously references a piece of european art. I have no problem with it. why? because it isn’t explicitly christian? it’s still deeply entrenched in western canon. klimt certainly made other pieces that were explicit christian references.

another piece I’d like to invite you all to consider is this incredible naruto fanart of sakura and ino beheading sasuke after caravaggio’s judith. (warnings for beheading, blood, etc. you know.) i also adore this piece! i think it’s very good both technically and conceptually. the reference that it makes has a real power when viewed in relation to the roles of the characters in their original story -- seeing the women that sasuke fucked over and treated so disrespectfully collaborating in his demise Says Something. this is also!! an explicitly christian reference made with non-christian japanese characters. is this okay? does it evoke the same discomfort as seeing mdzs characters being drawn with christian iconography? why or why not?

the point is, I don’t think there’s a neat answer, but I do think there are a lot of interesting issues surrounding cultural erasure/hegemony that are raised by this question. i don’t think there are easy resolutions to any of them either, but I think that it’s a good opportunity to reexamine our own discomfort and try and see where it comes from. all emotions are valid but not all are justified etc. so I try to ask, is it fair? do i apply my criticisms and standards equally? why or why not? does it do real harm, or do i just not like it? what makes one work okay and another not?

i’ve felt that there’s a real danger with the kind of like, deep moral scrutiny of recent years in quashing interesting work in the name of fear. this morality tends to be expressed in black and white, good and bad dichotomies that i really do think stymies meaningful conversation and progress. you’ll often see angry takes that boil down to things like, “POC good, queer people good, white people bad, christianity bad” etc. without a serious critical examination of the actual issues at hand. I feel that these are extraordinarily harmful simplifications that can lead to an increased insularity that isn’t necessarily good for anyone. there’s a fine line between asking people to stay in their lane and cultural gatekeeping sometimes, and I think that it’s something we should be mindful of when we’re engaging in conversations about cultural erasure, appropriation etc.

PERHAPS IT IS OBVIOUS that I have no idea where that line falls LMAO since after all that rambling I have given you basically nothing. but! I hope that you found it interesting at least, and that it gives you a bit more material to think on while you figure out where you stand ahaha.

was this just an excuse to show off cool (fan)art i like? maybe ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(ko-fi)

#Anonymous #asks and replies #art #fanart #art history #christianity #mdzs #mdzs meta #meta #mine #mymeta #cyan gets too deep in the weeds #lmfao this post is a mess ive been staring at it for like a week and at this point im just gonna post it to the wall and keep moving asldfj #hope you enjoyed

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illfoandillfie · 3 years

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Impersonal

As promised, here’s the smutty followup to yesterday’s blurb! This is the fifth post of seven in my Platonically themed event. Again, it’s not really been edited because it’s late and I’m very tired but alas, thats how it goes.

Words: 2,278

Warning: some vague dom/sub dynamic stuff with a more dom Ben, spanking, it’s P in V sex but theres a lot of talk about butts. Also they’re still dorks.

It had been a nice day. You and Ben had gone out with a few friends, just a little picnic in the park to catch up with everyone. If you’d been at all worried about publicly being together on a no romo day, then it was for nothing. As much as everyone there considered you and Ben to be an item, it mostly went ignored, aside from a couple of questions about how you’d gone living together so far. But having such a big lunch, everyone having brought something to share, neither of you were especially hungry at dinner time. Ben whipped up a pot of butted noodles for you to pick at as you watched TV but it was soon set aside as you shifted to lean against the arm rest with your legs stretched out to lay over Ben’s thighs. Each of you were engrossed in your phones more than the quiz show he’d flicked on, occasionally sharing something you saw or read.

You had opened tumblr and were scrolling through your dash, pausing to read longer bits here and there but mostly just liking images and reblogging memes. Until you hit a patch of not safe for work content. One of the porn blogs you’d long since forgotten you’d followed had hit a rare patch of activity, every second post one of theirs. Those posts you paid a little more attention to, especially when videos and explicit images were involved since you knew they were likely to be taken down soon and you didn’t want to miss out on seeing something hot. Unfortunately your headphones were in another room so you weren’t game to turn the sound on for any of the videos but the visuals and erotic comments below were enough to make you feel as if the room as heated up. You could feel yourself getting wetter at each new post but couldn’t seem to stop looking at them.

A particularly good video of a sloppy blowjob made you clench your thighs together, your foot rubbing against Ben’s thigh as a result. His palm came to rest on the top of your foot, rubbing it soothingly, though his attention was still elsewhere. In fact, his gaze didn’t shift until a little later when you were looking at a very hot gifset of a woman on all fours, crying as she was pounded from behind. He cleared his throat. You jolted a little at the sound and tried not to look too guilty as you met his eye. “You okay?” “Mmhmm,” His eyes travelled over you from the lip between your teeth to your tightly pressed thighs and your fingers wrapped firmly around the phone. “I don’t mean to interrupt,” he said, clearly meaning to do exactly that, “but ummmm, are you watching porn right now?” “No,” you answered too quickly. “Hey, you don’t have to hide it if you are, go nuts. I’m just a little curious about what’s turned you on so much you’re practically panting. And can I help?” “I’m not watching anything. It’s just some gifs I saw.” “Well I think QPR law states you have to show me or you’d be a big meanie.” You chuckled and handed the phone to Ben, a little curious about how he’d react. Ben watched the gifs through a couple of times before nodding, “Yeah, that’s uhhh, that’s pretty hot,” he rubbed your foot again as he kept watching the looped footage. “Are you turned on?” “Yeah, a bit,” “Hmmm, same.” “Should we-” “Do you wanna-” You spoke at the same time and then both laughed a little as you simultaneously agreed, “Yeah.” Immediately you swung your legs around intending to walk towards the bedroom and Ben followed for about two steps before he stopped suddenly, “Wait. This is a no romo day, right? Do you still feel anti-romance?” “Yes and yeah I think so. Why?” Ben shrugged, “I don’t think we’ve ever had sex on a no romo day so...how does it work?” “Oh, good point. Well.” you wanted to keep it brief, already worked up and wanting to move to the fun part, “I think it’s probably best if we keep it on kind of the rougher side, a little impersonal even. Could you maybe hit it from behind? I’m not really sure eye contact and all that stuff would be as fun for me right now.” “No need to ask twice. My hot partner wants me to look at her gorgeous arse while I fuck her? Yeah definitely into that.” “Jesus I’d forgotten you’re an arse man.” It was true too. As much as Ben might prefer ass to tits he also enjoyed the visual stimulation of watching you – seeing the pleasure on your face, watching your body react to his. So, while doggy style was a regular position for you, variations of missionary and cowgirl were probably a little more frequent. Which was wonderful, except not what you needed right then. Ben responded by poking his tongue out you but he seemed quite as eager to move things along, “So rough doggy then? Can I spank you?” “You’d be into that?” He shrugged, “I know we haven’t really done anything kinky yet but yeah, I enjoy spanking. I mean...watching an arse jiggle after it’s hit is incredibly hot.” You giggled, “spanking is very okay then. You could be a little mean too if you wanted, maybe calling me a degrading name to get at that impersonal thing. Slut maybe.” He hummed uncertainly, “I can try it if you really want but I gotta admit I’m not as into degrading stuff as I am spanking.” “It’s fine if you don’t, whatever works. Honestly, I’m already super horny so just do whatever you’re comfortable with and don’t get too gentle or loving with it, and I’ll be happy.” “I can definitely do rough for you. For instance,” You gasped as Ben grasped your hips and turned you around, positioning you in front of the arm of the couch before he pushed you to bend over it. It was a surprise considering Ben’s typical nature. He had his controlling or domineering moments but generally seemed happiest when he was showering you in affection or letting you take charge. Adding to the surprise was the way he tugged your pants down to your knees and began to touch you through your underwear. It made you squirm, trying to find a little more friction, but he only gave you a quick spank. Not overly hard but it didn’t have to be to make you feel tingly. Just knowing Ben was capable of an action like that was hot enough. All the same he pulled your knickers down too and ran his fingers through your folds. “Wow, okay. You meant it when you said you were horny. Pretty wet already.” “No shit Sherlock. You know I don’t need lines like that that get you interested in fucking me.” He gave you another slap for your insolence. “Better get you stretched out then, hadn’t we?” You felt two of Ben’s fingers rest against your entrance and expected to feel them sink into you too. But it didn’t happen. “What’s the hold up, Tiger? Ow,” the spank had been a little harder than the last. “If you want them so bad, do it yourself.” Your breath caught as you realised what he meant and you shifted your hips back, levering yourself against the arm of the couch, until you felt his fingers penetrate you. “That’s it Kitten. You’re too horny to wait, aren’t you? God you’ve got such a pretty arse. Giving me the best view right now. Your needy cunt soaking my fingers while your arse,” he hit you again, “jiggles. It’s making me so hard.” You whined, unable to find a better response, and rocked back against his fingers, slowly fucking yourself on them. He let you go on like that for a little while, happy to listen to your hitched breaths and needy sighs as you got a little of what you needed. But then he pulled his fingers from you. You let out a disappointed whimper, “Ben, c’mon,” “I’m so hard from watching you be so desperate. Just gotta get my pants off. But you can play with yourself for me, can’t you?” You nodded and shifted so you could drop your fingers to your pussy. Ben gave your arse another slap, “Not what I meant Kitten. Play with your arse.” Startled by the low growl in his voice you quickly complied, leaning on the couch as your brought both hands up to grab your arse cheeks, squeezing them and pulling them apart to better show off your holes.” “That’s very good, Kitten. Spank yourself.” It wasn’t the same as when Ben spanked you since you knew what was coming and the position didn’t allow you to get as much force into your hits as he could. But it was definitely arousing and it definitely seemed to work for Ben. You’d barely registered the sound of his pants dropping before he was sliding into your wet and waiting cunt. “I can take it from here,” Ben’s hands replaced yours, groping your arse as you dropped your arms back to the couch, though you felt it was useless to try and prop yourself up on them. It would only be a matter of time before you collapsed entirely.

At first he kept the pace slower, letting you adjust to him, though each thrust was forceful, just as you’d asked it to be. But gradually Ben sped up, hands still playing with your cheeks, sometimes grabbing and sometimes spanking them. He tried to say more about how hot it was to take you like that but his own breath was escaping him as the words seemed to be. So he let his body talk for him as he pounded your cunt and dug his fingers into your flesh. And then he pulled out. You were on the verge of asking him who the fuck he thought he was when he said, “one second. Just want to try something.” and then, remembering he was meant to be acting mean, added, “And you just want me to keep fucking you, so you’re not going to complain.” In a disgruntled daze you let Ben help you up onto the back of the couch so that one leg was bent to lean against the arm he’d just had you bent over and the other dangled towards the floor. It took a little more adjustment before Ben was happy. First pulling you back towards him and the corner of the couch, and then pressing you to lean forward so your hips were raised and he could better access your pussy. You had to grab onto the back of the couch for support, digging your fingertips into the leather as Ben resumed fucking you. The angle had changed a little and the position was slightly more awkward to maintain but it was worth it for the way your clit rubbed against the smooth leather, leaving a trail of wetness behind. Each thrust rocked your hips in such a way that you quickly found yourself getting close to release.

That, however, seemed to be Ben’s plan as he began telling you how good you were going to make him feel when he made you cum. “I know you’re close Kitten. So just cum. I want to feel your cunt on me when you do.” He lay another few spanks to your arse cheeks and that tipped you over into your orgasm. But Ben didn’t stop. “I th-think you can do bett-er than that,” he grit out as you clenched around him and he seemed to thrust twice as hard as he had before, “You were so,” You grunted as he plowed into you. “So desperate before. So you can cum better than that. Right kitten?” You nodded and gasped out a, “Yes” as your arms shook with how hard Ben was fucking you. But he didn’t relent. He kept going until he felt you tighten again and heard you moan, nearly sobbing as relief flooded your system. That seemed to be enough for Ben and he let himself go too, holding your hip tightly as he pressed deep into you.

Ben leaned his forehead against your back as he tried to regain his regular breathing rate and gave you a quick kiss there before he righted himself and helped you to dismount the couch. The evidence of your orgasms was still smeared across the leather but neither of you paid it any attention. “Sorry I never called you a slut or anything,” Ben said with a slightly self-conscious chuckle, avoiding your eye as he hitched his pants back into place. “I just like Kitten better.” “Don’t be,” you said mirroring his actions to looking at him, “Kitten worked perfectly. Also, that was really good. Maybe you could be rough and mean more often?” “The double orgasm was a pretty good indication that it worked for you,” “Of shut up, I was being serious. It was really hot.” “Yes but I like teasing you, remember,” “Prick.” “That hurts,” he said with a fake gasp and a hand against his chest, “Keep talking like that and I’ll have to spank you again,” “Ha ha, very funny. Tease me all you want but we both you enjoyed it as much as I did.” “Maybe I did.” he conceded, “but I wasn’t going to hate it when I was watching your arse.” “Alright, you perv. Was there any leftover noodles? Bit peckish now.” “Yeah, in the fridge. Grab me some too would you?”

#my writing #my blurbs #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy smut #ben hardy imagine #does this make sense? who knows!#am i turned on from thinking about it? absolutely!#am i also literally about to fall asleep? yes!#its after midnight and this has been a long week!#g'night!!#platonically event

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addictedtostorytelling · 3 years

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comprehensive addictedtostorytelling csi meta and fic archive (current as of 07.20.21): part ii

_____

here is an archive of all of the csi meta posts, replies, and fics i’ve written since i first began posting commentary on and creative work for the show in 2014.

the archive is divided by subject, and each item is listed with the date on which it was originally published.

unfortunately, tumblr only allows 100 links per post, so i’m going to have to divide the archive up to make it functional.

the other parts of the archive can be found here.

there are currently 403 meta and fic items in the archive in total.

please note that some of these items were composed while the show was still airing and have since been contradicted or made irrelevant by show canon. please also note that all of the views expressed here are my own and should not be taken as authoritative.

some of the views i express in my writings have evolved over time, so generally speaking if there are multiple posts on the same subject, whichever one is most current will be most reflective of my present stances.

items marked with the ☆ symbol are ones i frequently cite, would consider my “cornerstone posts,” and/or are personal favorites of mine.

the symbol is mostly to help me find them quickly when i need them, ngl.

i will periodically update this post in the future as i write more metas and fics.

please feel welcome to send requests any time!

note: even if i have written on a particular character, pairing, episode, season, arc, or theme before, i am always happy to revisit the same topic, go into more depth, touch on another angle, or further explain as needed.

_____

EPISODE QUESTIONS

01x03 “crate n’ burial”

“why does sara react in the way that she does to grissom touching her cheek in this episode? if she’s in love with him, shouldn’t her reaction be stronger?” (01.15.16)

01x16 “too tough to die”

gifset meta: “grissom watches sara in the doorway to the hospital room” (09.21.19)

“why does grissom call eddie willows ‘ed’ in this episode? do you think they were ever friends with each other?” (11.11.15)

01x23 “strip strangler”

“why doesn’t grissom protect sara before she goes in the supermarket?” (10.25.15)

02x04 “bully for you”

“is there gsr significance to the fact that sara takes grissom’s advice to shower with lemon juice?” (09.10.15)

02x05 “scuba doobie-doo”

“what’s going through grissom’s mind when sara touches his cheek?” (09.23.20)

“how does the chalk scene in this episode compare to the ‘gray hair’ scene from episode 06x13 ‘kiss-kiss, bye-bye’?” (11.09.15) [also pertains to episode 06x13 “kiss-kiss, bye-bye”]

02x06 “alter boys”

short answer: “can you talk about the scene where grissom touches sara’s arm as he leaves the room?” (10.09.15)

02x08 “slaves of las vegas”

“what does it mean when heather asks grissom if he wants to be her boss and he says they ‘both might learn something’?” (09.12.15)

02x15 “burden of proof”

“how does catherine find out about the tension between grissom and sara? does sara tell her about it directly?” (05.04.21)

“why isn’t grissom wary of sending sara’s plant to the lab? does he not think that people will notice?” (05.03.21)

“what does catherine mean when she asks grissom if he’s in denial?” (11.21.18)

“what is the meaning of the scene where catherine is at grissom’s apartment? what does her advice to him mean? is she telling him that he should pursue sara?” (01.27.16)

“can you deconstruct the scene between grissom and catherine at the end of the episode? what does their conversation mean?” (06.27.15)

“when catherine asks grissom if he’s in denial, is she referring to his feelings for sara?” (05.18.15)

03x01 “revenge is best served cold”

gifset meta: “grissom listens to pagliacci” (12.09.20)

03x02 “the accused is entitled”

“why is sara the only team member who seems to react knowingly when grissom mentions phillip gerard? why does she already seem to know who he is?” (10.24.15)

“why does sara roll her eyes when grissom compliments her appearance and tells her she deserves to have a life with hank peddigrew?” (10.10.15)

03x09 “blood lust”

“who is grissom on a date with before getting called in to work? could it possibly be heather?” (02.25.17)

03x15 “lady heather’s box”

“what is your interpretation of the infamous ‘you can always say stop’ scene between grissom and heather?” (01.27.21)

03x17 “crash & burn”

“does grissom remove himself from the mva case because he wants to avoid being around sara and hank peddigrew? is he jealous of their relationship at this point?” (12.17.20)

03x19 “a night at the movies”

“what do you make of grissom seemingly ogling showgirls in this episode?” (10.26.15) [also pertains to episode 01x15 “table stakes”]

03x22 “play with fire”

“does grissom reject sara because he believes she’s asking him out on a reckless whim after her near-death experience?” (10.31.20)

“why does grissom decline sara’s dinner invitation? and why is he so harsh in doing so? also, why do they never talk about this exchange again after the fact?” (05.23.19)

“why do grissom and sara act the way they do in this episode? why does sara stare at her id badge in the locker room?” (10.28.15)

03x23 “inside the box”

gifset meta: “sara reacts to grissom having her work with him at the bank” (12.08.19)

04x01 “assume nothing”

“what do you make of grissom gawking at the stripper in this episode?” (10.26.15)

04x07 “invisible evidence”

“why does sara ask grissom to pin her down, and why does he choose to do so? aren’t they both trying to ‘move on’ from each other?” (04.11.21)

“why does grissom snap at sara in this episode?” (04.11.21)

“why does no one at the lab seem to notice grissom and sara’s activities during the famous ‘pin me down’ scene?” (01.31.21)

“can you discuss grissom’s attitude toward sara in this episode?” (10.02.15)

“can you talk about the differences between the ‘tie me up’ scene from episode 01x03 ‘crate n’ burial’ and the ‘pin me down’ scene from episode 04x07 ‘invisible evidence’?” (09.16.15) [also pertains to episode 01x03 “crate n’ burial”]

04x08 “after the show”

“why does grissom take catherine’s side over sara’s in their dispute?” (06.11.21)

“what is the source of sara’s upset in this episode? is she just offended on a professional level or are things more personal where grissom is concerned?” (06.08.21)

04x12 “butterflied”

“whom does brass think grissom is talking about in his monologue: heather or sara?” (04.26.21)

“does sara ever tell grissom she overhears his confession to dr. lurie?” (03.26.21)

“what is your opinion on the originally scripted version of grissom’s monlogue?” (06.11.18) ☆

“can you deconstruct the scene where catherine and sara talk in the locker room? why does catherine seem confused and sara sad?” (11.19.15)

“does grissom discover his love for sara in this episode?” (11.19.15)

“what are your thoughts on the original version of grissom’s monologue?” (10.27.15)

04x13 “suckers”

“how can we account for grissom and sara’s behavior in this episode? don’t they seem too comfortable with each other, given the events of episode 04x12 ‘butterflied’”? (04.15.21)

04x16 “getting off”

“what is the meaning of the ‘i haven’t seen you in a while, have i?’ scene in this episode? what does grissom mean there?” (05.01.19)

short answer: “can you deconstruct the scene where grissom first asks sara to help process the female suspect?” (11.21.15)

04x19 “bad words”

gifset meta: “sara spells out ‘vixens’ with the tiles” (08.19.20)

“what is the joke when sara spells out ‘vixens’ with the letter tiles?” (02.07.18)

04x22 “no more bets”

“what is the real reason why grissom recommends nick over sara?” (04.26.16)

short answer: “why does grissom never promote sara?” (11.29.15)

05x02 “down the drain”

“what is the meaning of the ‘i’m not worried; i’m concerned’ scene?” (12.03.15)

05x03 “harvest”

“what is grissom thinking about when he’s in the church, sitting on the pew, looking up at the cross?” (04.09.16)

05x05 “swap meet”

gifset meta: “on grissom and ‘wife swapping’” (05.13.20)

“why do you think they cut the last line from the original gsr ‘you think they’re happy?’ scene?” (10.29.15)

“on episode 05x05 ‘swap meet’ and gilbert grissom’s ‘wife’” (09.15.15)

05x10 “no humans involved”

short answer: “is sara jealous when she sees sofia in grissom’s office at the end of the episode?” (09.30.15)

05x12 “snakes”

“sara basically tells grissom she’s in love with him in this episode (‘you’ve always been a little more than a boss to me’). how come he doesn’t respond?” (10.03.15)

05x13 “nesting dolls”

“why does catherine shut greg down when he wants to help sara in this episode? what is catherine and sara’s relationship dynamic in general?” (06.07.21)

“can you deconstruct the scene at the end of the episode where grissom confronts ecklie and catherine and tells them he’s not going to fire sara? also, what do you think is said between grissom and catherine once ecklie leaves the room?” (01.27.16)

“what does sara mean when she tells grissom she chooses men who are ‘emotionally unavailable’? is she referring to him?” (09.12.15)

05x14 “unbearable”

“how does sara react to seeing grissom with sofia in this episode? how would she react to finding out about grissom and sofia’s dinner date?” (10.26.19)

“why does grissom ask sofia to dinner in this episode when he refuses to go out to dinner with sara in episode 03x22 ‘play with fire’? does he have a ‘thing’ for sofia?” (10.04.15)

05x15 “king baby”

“why does grissom make the ‘i even missed your tush’ comment to catherine? is he attracted to her?” (12.22.20)

“was the ‘missed your tush’ line billy improv? also, why can grissom be so forward with catherine but not with sara?” (10.13.15)

05x16 “big middle”

“is grissom talking about sara when he answers greg’s question about ‘what gets his juices flowing’?” (04.15.21)

05x21 “committed”

gifset meta: “as a child, sara draws a harpooned whale” (08.16.19)

“is grissom jealous when greg shakes the pillow at sara in his office? also, does he ever get jealous of super dave’s crush on sara?” (03.22.16)

06x03 “bite me”

short answer: “what is the nature of grissom and sara’s conversation in the victim’s bedroom? are they mad at each other?” (10.24.15) [also pertains to episodes 06x12 “daddy’s little girl” and 06x20 “poppin’ tags”]

06x05 “gum drops”

“is the original script for this episode available anywhere? what was the original plot of the episode like before the changes?” (01.20.20)

gifset meta: “the original script for episode 06x05 ‘gum drops’” (10.03.17)

short answer: “what is the nature of the original (unaired) gsr material from this episode?” (10.27.15)

06x07 and 06x08 “a bullet runs through it” pts. i and ii

short answer: “what do you make of the deleted gsr scene from episode 06x08 ‘a bullet runs through it’ pt. ii?” (10.31.15)

06x12 “daddy’s little girl”

“what does sara mean when she says some people just aren’t meant to be together while looking right at grissom?” (10.31.15)

06x20 “poppin’ tags”

“what does grissom’s ‘mouth to mouth’ quip mean? is he flirting with sara?” (03.09.16)

06x19 “spellbound”

short answer: “do you think grissom told people about his ear surgery or does greg know about it by other means?” (10.31.15)

06x21 “rashomama”

“an ode to episode 06x21 ‘rashomama’” (08.29.14)

06x22 “time of your death”

“what is the meaning of grissom’s expression while he’s looking at sara in the final scene?” (03.31.21) [also pertains to episode 07x15 “law of gravity”]

gifset meta: “grissom mulls giving sara a ring” (08.22.19)

“what is the in-universe date for this episode? are grissom and sara already together by this point?” (08.24.18)

“what’s going on with grissom and sara’s facial expressions in the ‘beautiful woman in distress’ scene? what is the meaning of this exchange?” (02.11.16)

short answer: “what do you make of the scene where nick comes in with the bracelet and grissom is staring at sara?” (10.24.15)

06x24 “way to go”

“are grissom and sara just newly together when this episode takes place? if not, when do they become a couple?” (05.16.19)

“why does grissom claim that he and brass ‘don’t hang out’ when greg asks about their friendship, even though they often drink bourbon in brass’s office and talk through rough cases together?” (10.20.15)

07x02 “built to kill” pt. ii

“when sara says she agrees with grissom and ecklie responds ‘of course you do’ do you think that means that ecklie knows about gsr?” (09.16.15)

07x03 “toe tags”

“what is the meaning of doc’s question when he asks catherine when she last took a nap in grissom’s tub? does his asking imply that grissom and catherine are ‘involved’?” (07.30.18)

short answer: “what is the meaning of doc’s ‘when was the last time you took a nap in grissom’s tub?’ question to catherine? is he making a joke or being serious?” (11.18.15)

07x08 “happenstance”

“what is that look on grissom’s face when sara solves his crossword puzzle and tells him she won’t wait up? is he confused?” (10.29.15)

07x11 “leaving las vegas”

“does sara know beforehand that grissom is going on sabbatical? what are her feelings when he leaves?” (03.15.21)

“does grissom talk his decision to go on sabbatical through with sara before he makes it? does he even know why he wants to go in the first place?” (03.16.16)

“can you talk about the locker room scene before grissom leaves? why does he decide to go?” (09.15.15)

“is the reason why grissom’s departure is so awkward because he didn’t talk to sara about his decision to leave in advance?” (01.22.15)

07x13 “redrum”

“what happens with the cocoon in this episode?” (11.30.15) [also pertains to episode 07x14 “meet market”]

07x14 “meet market”

“does the case with jesse bring up sara’s old trauma about her family and/or influence her decision to leave vegas to patch things up with her mother come s8?” (05.27.21)

07x17 “fallen idols”

short answer: “what is the point of the shaving scene?” (11.29.15)

“does grissom grumbling about getting called into work on a saturday have gsr significance? also, who is hank the dog named after?” (11.23.15) [also pertains to episode 03x02 “the accused is entitled”]

07x18 “empty eyes”

“is the custodial worker visible in the hallway at the end of the episode natalie davis?” (12.04.19)

gifset meta: “on gsr and the invisible cleaning woman” (05.01.17)

07x20 “lab rats”

short answer: “why does sara say ‘how would i know?’ when wendy asks her if the miniature cases are keeping grissom up at night? aren’t grissom and sara living together at this point? shouldn’t she therefore know?” (11.21.15)

07x21 “ending happy”

“can you deconstruct the ‘you make me happy’ scene?” (10.20.15)

07x22 “leapin’ lizards”

short answer: “can you deconstruct the bedroom scene?” (11.29.15)

“what do you think happens after sara reads grissom’s letter? does she confront him about it?” (10.21.15)

07x23 “the good, the bad, and the dominatrix”

short answer: “how do grissom and sara feel in this episode? how do they get back on good terms afterward?” (04.16.21)

“how do grissom and sara resolve the tension between them after the events of the episode?” (09.14.20)

“what’s going on with grissom and heather in this episode? what is their dynamic in general?” (11.16.19)

“what is brass about to tell catherine when he says he knows something ‘a lot juicier’ than gossip about grissom and heather? does he know about gsr?” (03.05.18)

“what does brass know that’s ‘a lot juicier’ than gossip about grissom and heather?” (06.16.16)

08x01 “dead doll”

“what is the significance of nick finding sara rather than grissom?” (11.25.15)

“sara sidle: the damsel in distress who saves herself” (07.10.14)

08x02 “a la cart”

“in this episode, greg indicates that he already knows about gsr prior to the events of episode 07x24 ‘living doll.’ is he telling the truth? who else on the team might have known about gsr prior to the big reveal?” (06.27.16)

“can you deconstruct the car and go-kart track scenes at the end of the episode? also, what is the significance of the use of the song ‘running up that hill’ (cover) by placebo?” (12.05.15)

08x04 “the case of the cross-dressing carp”

“do you think grissom and sara discuss wanting to get married prior to the proposal or is it just a ‘spur of the moment’ type thing?” (10.30.15)

08x06 “who & what”

“how come jack malone is able to figure out that grissom and sara are a couple immediately when for years their teammates (who know them better) remain oblivious?” (05.24.21)

08x07 “goodbye & good luck”

“why is grissom so oblivious to sara’s upset before she leaves the lab and flees vegas?” (01.08.21)

“what is the last straw that causes sara to leave las vegas in this episode?” (11.20.20)

08x08 “you kill me”

“is it possible that, despite what grissom reports in-episode, sara isn’t actually in san francisco at this point?” (06.19.18)

08x12 “grissom’s divine comedy”

“why does catherine seem so surprised when she finds the photo of grissom and sara at their condo [in the deleted scene]? doesn’t she already know they are together?” (10.20.15)

09x01 “for warrick”

“how does sara know that warrick died in episode 09x01 ‘for warrick’? who calls her to give her the news? is it grissom?” (05.31.16)

“how does sara know about warrick’s death? where does she catch the ‘first flight out’ from?” (12.03.15)

09x02 “the happy place”

“what are grissom’s thoughts when he’s interrogating scott bonfilio? can he relate to what scott’s saying on a personal level?” (03.29.16)

“when grissom talks about relationships in stasis withering, is he talking about his and sara’s relationship? if so, does he really mean what he says?” (03.12.16)

“what happens between grissom and sara in this episode?” (12.01.15)

09x05 “leave out all the rest”

“are grissom and sara actually broken up in this episode? and have any csi directors or producers ever clarified if grissom and heather sleep together here?” (09.26.20)

“is heather’s ‘schism between the lovers’ monologue an analogy for grissom and sara?” (05.02.18)

“what is grissom’s ‘agenda’ for going to see heather in this episode? what is her ‘agenda’ in dealing with him? is she flirting with him?” (12.10.15) ☆

“does grissom start crying during the morgue scene?” (11.19.15)

short answer: “is this episode gsr-heavy?” (10.25.15)

“do you think grissom and sara actually break up in this episode?” (09.10.15)

09x07 “woulda, coulda, shoulda”

“does encountering natalie davis again contribute to grissom’s decision to leave vegas later in the season? also, why does grissom refer to sara as his ‘colleague’ (rather than as his ‘girlfriend’ or ‘fiancée’) in this episode?” (04.25.16)

10x04 “coup de grace”

“why does sara refer to grissom as ‘dr. grissom’ when talking to ecklie?” (11.04.20)

10x12 “long ball”

“when greg asks sara if she’s married, why does she say ‘well, now that you mention it—’ and then trail off? aren’t she and grissom married at this point?” (11.12.15)

13x10 “risky business class”

“why did the writers choose to parallel the famous ‘pin me down’ scene from episode 04x07 ‘invisible evidence’ with the scene in this episode where sara and doug are in the mock-plane cabin?” (03.15.18)

14x05 “frame by frame”

“why did the producers choose to make the last image of the episode grissom and sara’s signatures together? were they trying to imply that gsr won’t be forgotten?” (09.14.15)

“what does the signature of custody with both grissom and sara’s names on it mean?” (09.10.15)

14x10 “girls gone wild”

short answer: “can you deconstruct the scene where brass debriefs sara after the shooting and talk about their relationship in general?” (12.10.15)

14x12 “keep calm and carry on”

“why does sara react in the way she does in this episode?” (12.08.15)

15x12 “dead woods”

“some thoughts on sara’s storyline in episode 15x12 ‘dead woods’” (12.30.14)

#csi #csi cbs #gsr #gil grissom #sara sidle #sara x grissom #otp: gsr #**#my meta #meta: csi #meta: gsr #my archive #csiverse

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desertno3 · 3 years

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Violet – Chapter Three (4/7)

When Sean finally meets his daughter, you wonder why you ever left him in the first place.

Sean Wallace x fem!reader Chapter Three: 1540 words

Prologue // Chapter One // Chapter Two

A/N: Me? Taking time out of my day to create an entirely new gif to fit the vibe of this chapter? It’s more likely than you think. I have been wanting to make a gifset of Sean + smiling lmfaooo so hey it works out.

Taglist: @ysmmsy @prettyinpayne @the-a-word-2214 @peakywitch Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist for this series!

“Mum, where’s Sean?”

“I told you, he’s working.”

“But where?”

“I don’t know, Vi.”

Your daughter makes an unsatisfied noise. “When will he come back?”

“I don’t know the answer to that either, love.”

And you really didn’t. Before he left, Sean had told you that they’d finally got a hold of the people responsible and that he was going to go and deal with them personally. You didn’t press him for any more details than what he’d offered. Just because you had reevaluated your stance on his lifestyle did not mean you were ready to know the ins and outs of it. It already unnerved you enough that these were actual people who more than likely wanted you or Violet harmed and knowing anything more than that would do a greater number on your psyche, that much you knew. The only thing you wanted to know was that they would never get a chance to come for you or Violet ever again. How that would be guaranteed you left up to Sean to figure out - and judging by the look on his face before he left, you were sure he already had.

“Do you think that he’ll like this?” Violet asks you, holding up the little picture she’d been working on.

You give her an assuring smile, “He’ll love it.”

Since their little colouring-in session, your daughter had decided that Sean was her favourite member of the Wallace household and had made it a mission to try and spend every possible moment with him - even when he was busy. There was one afternoon where you couldn’t find her anywhere, only for Marian to tell you she was in Sean’s office. You’d sworn under your breath when she’d told you that, knowing how relentless Violet could be if she wanted someone’s attention, and having to deal with an irritated Sean was the last thing you wanted on your plate. However, when you appeared at the open doorway, you found Violet contentedly sitting on the sofa reading one of her picture books while Sean was at his desk tapping away at his laptop. Neither of them paid any mind to you, so you’d backed away slowly and left them to it, your heart warm.

Things had been less tense between you and Sean ever since your conversation about Violet. The resentment and cold shoulder you had anticipated from him afterwards never came and, much to your surprise, you instead got a Sean that was amicable and - dare you say - almost caring. He’d become more open to updating you on the progress he was making with tracking down the culprits and in turn, you were more than willing to answer all his questions about Violet. He would often ask you things nonchalantly and in passing and you knew it was his way of trying to catch up on what he’d missed without coming across as being overly invested. You understood his approach, considering there was still so much you hadn’t spoken about regarding this new dynamic between you, him, and Violet, but you quietly adored the fact that he cared to know more about her and glad that he hadn’t shut you out the way you thought he might.

A couple of days later, when you peer out of the guest bedroom window, you’re just in time to see a glimpse of Sean walking up the path to the front door. Marian had told you he would be back today but she didn’t say whether or not he had been successful in dealing with the culprits.

“Shall we go down and get breakfast?” You ask your daughter, turning from the window to face her.

She nods sleepily and you chuckle, picking her up in your arms before heading downstairs.

“Hey, Vi,” You murmur to the child languidly resting her head on your collarbone. “Guess what?”

She perks up a bit, looking at you curiously. “What?”

You reach the bottom landing of the stairs and nod your head towards the front door. And then you almost regret doing it.

“Sean!” Violet squeals the moment she turns and spots him.

“Ow, Violet,” You complain as she squirms in your arms in an attempt to reach him, roughly elbowing you in the process. “Ease up.”

“I can take her,” Sean chuckles, seeing as Violet was nearly half out of your hold anyway.

You nod and hand her over, your heart fluttering slightly as he takes her in his arms, feeling like this was a glimpse into what life would've been like for the three of you if you had never left Sean.

“Hello Violet,” He says to her, a finger lightly tickling her side and making her giggle.

"Hi Sean,” She replies, looking up at him as she rests her head on his shoulder (and you think jesus christ your heart could burst at the sight). “Where have you been?"

“I had to take a trip,” He explains, craning his neck a little to meet her gaze.

“Why?”

“I needed to talk to some people.”

“About what?”

“Vi,” You cut in, saving Sean from having to come up with a kid-friendly explanation of what he’d been up to. “Let’s have breakfast, yeah? Sean just got home.”

Violet pouts at you for interrupting before turning her attention back to the man in question. “Will you have breakfast with us, Sean?”

You look on in amusement, knowing not even he would be able to resist her pleading eyes.

“Of course,” He tells her with a smile. “I’m starving.”

“How did it go?” You ask Sean after Violet had run upstairs to get the drawing she had made for him.

You seemed to be doing this a lot, you realise, fitting in as much serious conversation as the two of you could in the rare times Violet wasn’t around. Maybe it was an instinctual parent thing. Or maybe Sean’s lifestyle just called for it. You didn’t really know.

“Good,” He replies, stirring a cup of tea. “Everything’s been taken care of.”

You raise an eyebrow, “Taken care of?”

He hums, “They won’t bother you again.”

You stare at him blankly as you process what he’d just said. Even though you knew the amount of effort Sean had put into essentially hunting them down, you didn’t realise it would all be done and dusted quite this quickly. A part of you had mentally prepared yourself to have to live with this looming threat for a while - imagined that you’d probably have to get Sean to beef up the security when you finally found a new place to live, thinking it was going to be that much of a long-term problem. But here he was telling you it was all over.

“How… how did you manage to find them so fast?”

“It wasn’t hard once we got people to talk,” He explains, sliding the freshly made tea over to you.

You mumble your thanks as you take it in your hands, the heat of the ceramic bringing you back to reality somewhat.

“And you’re sure they won’t… retaliate?”

“Positive.”

You eye him curiously, watching as he goes to make his own cup of tea, and you clock, for the first time, the small gash above his brow.

“What did you do?”

The question leaves your mouth before you could even think about whether or not you actually wanted to know the answer to it and the corner of Sean’s lip lifts slightly in response.

"I know you’ve changed your mind about a lot of the things I do but it’s probably still best if I don’t tell you that part of it.”

“You don't think I can’t handle it?"

There’s no attitude behind the way you asked the question, just honest curiosity.

Sean shakes his head, “There's just no benefit to knowing.”

“Right,” You nod, agreeing, but then you can’t help yourself and you look up at him sheepishly. “But I’m curious, though.”

“Well, you’re going to have to stay curious,” He tells you, his lip lifting again in amusement.

You make a face at his evasive snark and he chuckles a little, continuing to go about making breakfast and ignoring the way your eyes are following him.

“What happened there?” You ask, gesturing to his forehead.

Sean lets out an amused exhale and leans back against the sink, “Vi definitely gets her inquisitiveness from you.”

“And she definitely got her stubbornness from you,” You fire back, picking up on the way he had dodged your question again.

He smiles at that and so do you, delighting a little in your childish back and forth. You couldn’t help but offhandedly think that, without Violet in the room, it almost felt like old times. In the same vein of thought, you realise that there are about a million things that need to be addressed between you and Sean, the most pressing of which was what your lives were going to look like going forward, especially now that this problem had been dealt with. Things weren’t going to go back to how they were before, that much was for sure. Neither of you get to say anything more, though, because Violet’s back with the drawing, eyes alight and eager to show it to him.

#you'd think I'd have made enough sean gifs on my main for every occasion but I guess not yet lol #sean wallace x reader #sean wallace imagine #sean wallace fanfic #gangs of london fanfiction #*writing #violet series #sean wallace

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theyilinglaozus · 3 years

Photo

For @lan-xichens march gif challenge. This is a very different set than what I original envisioned making for this. But isn’t that how it always goes? As this challenge was based more on the typography, I wanted to make the make the text the main focus point as well as show how differently it can be used. I struggle a lot with picking text for gifsets, mostly because I feel they add to the tone of a set. The font and the colours used can tell a lot about the set itself, so I try to make sure they compliment what I’m trying to portray. For the first image, I wanted to portray Jiang Cheng’s conflicting emotions over his own brothers sacrifice in gifting him his golden core. The scene itself really illustrates how much Wei Wuxian loves and will sacrifice for him, and Jiang Cheng - having had the time to let the truth settle - truly realises that in a way that’s almost horrific to him. Yet Wei Wuxian’s love for him comes so easily and without any expectations, that the thought of gifting a part of himself which is so essentially who is isn’t even a problem for Wei Wuxian. It’s selfless love in its purest form, and as much as Jiang Cheng throws back vile words of how his brother is selfish and has a hero complex, deep down he understands the selflessness in the act: because he does it himself in saving Wei Wuxian. I wanted to make the you bright and vibrant in colour - because it represents the golden core that’s been exchanged between them. Which brings me to the second image. In this one there’s a quick flash of a decision in Jiang Cheng’s mind as he sees the threat surrounding his brother, and he has to quickly choose between the future of his sect or the loss of yet another member of his family. To Jiang Cheng it’s a decision he makes easily - the Yunmeng siblings love each other wholeheartedly that all three of them would sacrifice anything for one another. So, I sort of wanted to mirror the grief of not only Jiang Cheng’s parents, but the grief as he understands that his death in order to save Wei Wuxian could potentially bring down the Jiang sect too, as without him there’s no one else to lead it (Yanli I don’t think would, and I doubt Wei Wuxian would even be accepted in such a position. Sure, they might take over together in the face of loosing Jiang Cheng, but the sect’s standing would be very different because of it). The purples in this gif are a mirror to the Jiang sect.

As this is the last challenge week, I would like to also say a massive thank you to @lan-xichens for all their hard work in putting this event together for the fandom. You’ve done such an amazing job and I’ve honestly loved all your challenges, and I’m sure many others will agree with me in that you pushed us out of our comfort zones and got us experimenting in areas we maybe might not have considered playing around with in photoshop before 💖 I’d also like to say to all the people that have taken part - there have been some absolutely fantastic designs shared around and once again, I am in awe with all of your talents! You’ve all definitely inspired me and made me want to try new and different styles in the future! 💖

#marchgifchallenges #jiang cheng #the untamed #my graphics #i weep that last gif took forever for tumblr to accept #would you guys believe the original copy of it was like 11m???#i don't get it either!

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cillianmurphy · 4 years

Photo

GIFFING 101 - YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE ON HOW TO GIF

I have gotten many, many asks before about how I gif and I finally decided to make a tutorial. This is going to be very long, very image heavy and with a lot of details and examples. I mean it, I’m going through every, single aspect of giffing that I can possibly think of. From start to finish. And please read the disclaimer at the very start.

* I use a macbook pro but this should probably work on windows too!

I hate doing this but if this helped and you want to, please consider donating to my ko-fi or if you want, commission a theme or page from me at @amaanat <3

tutorial under cut, I hope it helps!

★★★★★

- CONTENTS

disclaimer

what will you need to create gifs?

how to download videos?

extracting your scene from handbrake using VLC / built in video player

opening in photoshop

trimming, cropping and resizing videos

sharpening

colouring and psds

masks

adding subtitles

editing frames / timeline speed

multiple gifs in one grid.

actions

exporting the gif

last minute tips and extra links.

★★★★★

- DISCLAIMER

First off, this is not meant as a post where I am saying look here, this is the only and perfect way of giffing. Not at all. When I started out, there were many tutorials available that helped me figure out how to gif, and I slowly developed my own style and I would like to create an in depth tutorial that helps you grasp the basics. Heck, make your gifs whatever way you want, go absolutely crazy on colours or whatever, this tutorial is just here to guide you through the process of gifmaking, because I know it can be very intimidating to people who are just getting into it. That is why I made this and why I spent 8 hours writing this, because I want others to know too and this is the kind of in depth tutorial I needed when I was starting out 4 years ago. Thanks for reading, hope it helps and go crazy ahhh go stupid.

★★★★★

- what will you need to create gifs?

photoshop. I use photoshop CC 2020 on a mac and I pay monthly bc of student discount. There are many, many links you can find on @completeresources for downloads. You can use any photoshop you like, as long as you have the timeline option.

Handbrake. This nifty program is used mostly to convert MKV files to MP4, but I also use it to quickly extract the part of the video I want, because opening an entire movie in photoshop can quickly clog up space bc of cache and it’s a pain to find that one second scene you want with that tiny scrollbar. Download it from here.

your video (downloading explained down below)

extras: VLC, just to find how many seconds the scene is at, so we can input the time in Handbrake. You can use any other player though for that step, I use VLC or Quicktime. Download VLC from here.

★★★★★

- how to download videos

Ok so I will quickly go through a few methods here for getting your clips.

1. t*rrenting.

This is the most popular method for getting your film or tv episode. I personally get my t/rrents from rarbg dot to or if I am having trouble finding one, I go to 1337x dot to, because they compile them from different sites. I copy the magnet link and go to the qbittorrent application, import magnet link, choose the files I want and it downloads. Remember, the higher the seeder leecher ratio, the quicker it will download.

But which file should I choose?? there’s so many? Well yes there are many many files for different movies. On RAR, I found more than 40 t/rrent files for Endgame. I think that generally, the 4/5 GB 1080p copies are just fine. I have compared giffing with a 60GB Interstellar Remux (which is directly ripped from bluray) file to giffing from a 4GB 1080 file, it literally gave me the same quality and the 1080 looked crisper. So yeah don’t kill your computers space, just go for those 3/4/5GB files.

hot tip - don’t download from yify, the quality is way worse.

2. movies from twitter accounts such as logolessHD.

these accounts post MEGA links to movies and shows, but you will have to request to follow them to be able to get the links. Then you can download the movie from there. The accounts you can get these links from are here: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4. The quality can be a bit less though compared to t/rrents. Here is a link to a tumblr blog with these kinds of downloads too.

3. downloading from youtube.

ok, use 4kvideodownloader for this. It is incredibly easy to use, you just need the youtube link. Always Always go for 1080p, if you can’t then 720 at the most because otherwise quality gets really bad really fast.

4. netflix / screenrecording

If you don’t want to download / can’t find something, try using netflix and screen recording. In my experience, SC only works on google chrome and not safari so jsyk!! Here is a tutorial on how to screen record on mac (or for quick access, click command+shift+5) and windows.

NOTE: quicktime screen records at 60fps, which is nearly thrice the frame rate of movies and shows, so at the end you may end up with duplicate frames in the timeline of photoshop, so you will have to delete those frames one by one sorry.

★★★★★

- extracting your scene from handbrake using VLC / built in video player

muahaha here’s where the magic starts to happen. Open handbrake and import your video. For this part I am going to use a scene of Keanu Reeves from the 2019 movie Always be my Maybe. I will demonstrate with that scene up until colouring, because then I will show how I colour different scenes!

So when you have opened the image in HB, you get this layout. (link to imgur)

it is a bit intimidating, I know. So basically, first, click on where it says chapters near the top right and click seconds. then, input the time you want to extract from the entire video. For the Keanu scene, that scene starts at 00:57:18 and ends at 00:57:21. These are not exact timings, I usually add an extra second so the entire scene is captured and I heavily recommend you do the same.

Now down below, you can click browse and edit where your new video will be saved and you can also change the name of the new clip. Always ALWAYS remember to keep the .mp4 ending do not cut that part out!!! If the ending says .m4v change it to mp4!!

Ok then I undertake the following steps to ensure the video that will be exported is of the highest quality possible:

Firstly, I uncheck all these three boxes:

Then you see this bar here right? Well I will edit the dimensions, filters and video now. You don’t have to do anything for audio, subtitles or chapters so leaving that alone is best. Lets go to dimensions first.

Here are my settings for dimensions:

The storage size depends on if your file is 1080p or 720p. Most movies are shot in a ratio of 2.35:1, so if it does not say 1920x1080 like a 1080 file should be, don’t fret. The cut off parts are just the black bars you see when watching the movie. Handbrake doesn’t recognise nor convert them so that’s one less thing we have to worry about.

Now onto filters. Literally do NOT change anything there. Leave the settings as they are, which is like this:

Finally, go to video. You will see this kind of window and these are my settings (imgur)

Firstly, leave video encoder at H264 or 265 depending on how your video is encoded. For the FPS, choose same as source for the framerate and click constant instead of variable!!! This will ensure your video is smooth. For quality, bring the slider all the way to the right. RF0 means it will be at the best quality possible. I didn’t edit the settings at the bottom at all so just leave them be.

Now click this green icon (imgur) at the top and your video will start encoding! It does not take long at all and then your video is ready to made into a nice lil gif!

★★★★★

- opening in photoshop

woohooo we got our video!! Ok now open photoshop. Click on file -> open:

now search for the file you extracted from VLC and import it! Now your screen will look like this (imgur). With a different video, of course lol.

★★★★★

- trimming, cropping and resizing videos

ok so firstly, we will trim the video. As you can see in the image I linked in the step before, the screencap you see is of someone else in ABMM, not Keanu, like I want. So use this slider:

and click and drag it to where your scene begins and shows up in the window. Then, click the following button to split at playhead.

This will split the clip and so the timeline and layers section will look like this (imgur) (mine has three sections because there was space before and after the keanu scene so I cut two parts which made three clips)

so now all there is left in trimming is delete the layers of the video you do not need! For me in that image it was layer 1 and 3!

cropping and resizing

This depends on the kind of gifset you want to make. This picture is a handy guide for resizing:

This post is also very very useful for resizing info

Ok now I will crop my gif. Click on this tool:

and now my interface looks like this. I am using the ratio 6 by 4 but you can use whatever you want.

Ok now you may need to crop some black bars but since I don’t have to, I just moved the crop area around a bit and clicked enter to crop it. Just play around with sizes and whatnot, and get a feel of what you like!!

cropping tip: crop as close as you can to the edges. The more you zoom in, the more pixels that will be visible and it will make your gif extremely grainy!!

So now for resizing, go to image -> image size or click command-shift-i

and you will get this window.

A LITTLE NOTE - I personally do not use automatic but a friend who shared her sharpening psd would prefer if I kept it secret, but automatic is what most people use and it is what I used up until november 2019 and it worked just fine.

Ok anyway now I want to make my gif 268px wide so I will input that as width and make sure you click this!! It makes sure your height and width are proportional!

ok now we have this. After you’ve done that, click ok!

congrats, you just resized a gif!! Your gif probably looks smaller now in the main window once you click ok, just zoom in to it! don’t worry about it looking bad quality, sharpening is next!

This is how my gif looks with trimming, cropping and resizing (with 0.05 speed)

★★★★★

- sharpening

Now we sharpen! Make sure your layer is selected Go to filter -> sharpen -> smart sharpen and this window will pop up:

These are my settings which most people use. Just remove gaussian blur

I have more accurate and use legacy checked too!

click ok! Now ... your gif might look a bit oversharpened. That’s why we use a bit of gaussian blur. Go to filter -> blur -> gaussian blur.

now I think most people also use a 1.0 radius so set that and click ok.

But now your gif looks too blurry. Lets fix that. Double click the icon below in the layers panel

and adjust the opacity! My go to is between 25 to 35, just so the gif looks smooth!

Now we’re done with sharpening! This is how our gif looks with sharpening with 0.05 speed:

sweet right? Now .... the best and hardest part ... colouring!!!!

★★★★★

- colouring and psds

First I will shortly talk about psds. They are photoshop files, that save the entire document which means you can share it with someone after uploading it and when they download and open it, they can edit the layers, tweak things just like they made the file in the first place. Many people upload psds of gifs with colouring so others can use that colouring. You can find so many psds on completeresources (I only linked gif psds but they have psds for icons and headers too) or allresources. I do not use psds but colour from scratch every time so I will not be explaining them further, sorry.

So for colouring, I will go very in depth into different styles. Here are the main types of colouring I have noticed people use on here:

simple - I normally use this for scenes with people in it

vibrant, bright - I use this for scenes with lots of colours in them

pale

black and white

gradients - I use this to spice scenes up a bit

colour palette

I only go for simple, vibrant and gradients and never do cp, pale or black and white, but I will link a few tutorials by talented creators who do and after that I will explain the three ways I colour by showing you three different examples :)

Some useful tutorials I have found for pale/bw/cp colouring are:

this pale tutorial by @samecoin. Especially useful read because Tippy explains how to avoid whitewashing in pale edits.

this pale tutorial by @kateausten. Very easy to read and to follow.

this colour palette tutorial by @freddyfreemen. They explain the basics and provide a psd too.

this colour palette tutorial by @stenbranlons. Very image heavy which guides you through every step of the way.

A blog dedicated to pale resources is @finesources and is definitely worth checking out!

this tutorials page by completeresources has many many tutorials on how to do different kinds of styles

Btw, this is a useful website that explains all the different adjustment layers in photoshop if you’re still getting the hang of them

ok now onto my examples for the colouring. I will first do simple colouring for which I will use the keanu gif. For vibrant and gradient I will use two different gifs. I usually put my colouring into a group so first, close the video group layer and click this to make a new group which will contain the adjustment layers for our colouring:

SIMPLE COLOURING

First I will brighten the gif up with some curves. That is this tool:

Then you get this window:

As you see, I have selected that white eyedropper tool. Using that I will brighten the image. Basically, you want to click on the whitest part of the gif using that tool. This is because wherever you click, the eyedropper will turn that part into white and adjust the entire gif that way so if you click somewhere dark, you’ll get this white bright fuzzy mess. So I clicked on the lightest place which imo is the white specks near the glass in front of his hand and now my gif looks like this:

Ok now if you look at the above image, there is a black eyedropper two steps above the white one. You want to use that to click on the darkest place of the gif bc it’ll turn that to pure black. Here is my gif when I did that:

not a massive difference but it balances things out. Now I will add some saturation. Click this icon:

which brings up this window. I have already set saturation to around 15 to make it a bit warmer:

and the gif looks like this now:

I think it looks nice, but I would like to add something extra. That is why I am going to play around with selective colour to make the background pop a bit and make the black colour more dark. So click this icon:

and you get this window and these colours (imgur). You can play around a lot with selective colour and manipulate colours! So if I turned the black dial on reds to +100, they would become wayyyy darker. However because I want the background to pop, I would use the colours magenta and blue (and black for the final touch). For those my settings are this: 1 - 2 - 3 (imgur). So now my gif looks like this:

And now i think we are done! For comparison, this is what the gif looked like with absolutely no colouring or sharpening:

And that was all for simple colouring!! Lets move on to vibrant colours!!

VIBRANT COLOURING

For this I will use an example from Thor: Ragnarok bc thor is my soft bb. I did not do much for this first example except play around a lot with selective colour and I used the exact way of adding saturation and curves as shown before. Honestly just playing around with selective is the best bet to get vibrant colouring. The gif without sharpening etc was this:

the gif after colouring and sharpening is this:

pretty sweet huh? Just play a lot with saturation, hue and selective colour and channel mixer and you can create a lot of styles that way!

GRADIENT

for this I will use another clip from Thor, but from The Dark World. It is a bare clip where it is raining and I will add a gradient on it. This is the gif without colouring nor sharpening:

now we will do the sharpening and colouring. I already applied a basic curves and saturation layer so now it looks like this:

It looks a bit better right? Ok lets get that gradient applied. Click here:

and click on gradient, NOT gradient maps bc those are different things and I honestly dont know how maps work.

now this is what will appear, I haven’t changed anything to this yet:

What style, colours, angle you choose is up to you. I personally am going for 0 angle because I want it going right. Now, to choose colours, double click on the colour shown next to the word gradient. This window will show up:

The fun part is you can do what you want here. Just experiment, click the buttons, adjust opacity etc. When you click at the bottom of the bar somewhere another stop marker appears meaning you can have even more colours! Just click on the bottom markers and edit to your hearts content! Use the top button to adjust opacities. Personally I went for this gradient:

Ok but now we have a problem because our gradient is fully covering the image and you can’t see anything. That is where blending modes come in. Right click on the gradient layer and click blending options. This window will pop up (ingur). When you click blending mode, these options appear (imgur).

Here is a good guide explaining the blending modes

I just recommend playing around seeing which one suits you. I went for overlay, which makes my final gif look like this:

and that was that on colouring!! Let me know if u have questions about it! Onto the next part, masks!

★★★★★

- masks

I will not go in depth here, but instead I will link some tutorials but the amazing @thepunisher who has explained it much better than I ever will be able to. The tutorials are all in this link. If you have any questions do lmk but idk how I could explain it.

★★★★★

- adding subtitles

although we wish we could, we can’t all lip read so we need subtitles also I’m hard of hearing and need them anyway but yeah, I will quickly highlight how I add subs! I use the font Arial Rounded MT Bold Regular.

I will first link to this post because it helped me a lot and may explain stuff better than I do.

Lets take the keanu gif we had earlier. In it, he says ‘fish flakes’. Now what I do is this. Click on this icon:

and drag a box around the gif fully. Add your text. Mine looks like this now:

Well that ... does not look like a subtitle. BTW my settings are:

*when there are two people speaking I change the colour of the second person to #ffff00 - also for 540px gifs I usually use 12/13px text.

Ok now I will add the stroke and drop shadow. Right click on the layer of text, click blending options and change your stroke and drop shadow settings to this and this (imgur). Now just click the move tool or hit V on keyboard to select it and drag the gif down wherever you want. Now my final gif looks like this:

Ok, now if you have two gifs and you want them to be the same distance from the bottom, right click the text layer of the first gif document, click duplicate layer and you will get this window:

now click on destination and depending on what files you have open in PS, you will get this window:

now just choose where you want the text to go and if the gifs are the same sizes itll appear exactly where it did in the first one and you can edit the text for the second. You can do this with adjustment layers, groups etc too!!

Now text is done! Off to the next part!

★★★★★

- editing frames / timeline speed

We are done editing, now time to convert to frame animation and edit the speed!

Ok click on the four bars on the right side of the video timeline. It will bring up a menu. From there, select this:

This will make individual layers of every frame into clips. Now, click this at the bottom left side of the video timeline:

This will convert your video timeline to a frame animation timeline. Now it looks like this (imgur). you’re probably wondering wait where the heck did my layers go well don’t fret, lets click the four bars on the right side again and click this:

now look! We have got all our frames into the timeline! Just delete the excessive frames at the front. Now click the four bars again, select all frames and then click the number at the bottom and change it to 0.05 or 0.06 or whatever speed you want:

Now we are done with this step!

★★★★★

- multiple gifs in one grid

I myself am not going to explain this, instead here are links to a few amazing tutorials that will help you further

this tut by @brolinjosh

this tut by @futurist

★★★★★

- actions

Now actions ... man they make everything so much easier. Basically actions are a sequence of steps you undertake in photoshop that are recorded which you can then save and use on multiple files. This makes the giffing process much much faster!!! For instance, these are the actions I have saved (mind the doubles lol I am experimenting a bit!)

As you can see, I have one for undertaking the entire video timeline to frame animation process and one for sharpening and the subtitles. It has saved me around 75% of the original time I put into creating sets before which is a lifesaver.

I cannot explain how to make actions bc I am really bad at explaining stuff, but here are some tutorials:

- https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/creating-actions.html

- https://completeresources.tumblr.com/post/66560261468/how-make-action-%D0%B7

- https://completeresources.tumblr.com/post/50583786863/how-to-use-an-action

- https://completeresources.tumblr.com/post/50362731526/how-to-use-actions-on-gifs

https://www.creativebloq.com/adobe/create-own-photoshop-actions-61411918

★★★★★

- exporting the gif

now we’re at the final stage! When you have your gif ready, go to file -> export -> save for web legacy

ok now the next window is this which looks intimidating I know

Well basically, those are my settings above. Make sure the looping option is set at forever. Also on the left size you see how big your gif is, make sure it is under 8mb but tumblr is unstable so keep it under 5MB and it should be fine.

I use different exporting types at times. Sometimes I use selective and pattern, sometimes diffusion or adaptive+dif. Just remember that the gif size depends on which you choose so keep that in mind. Here’s the difference (if u can even spot it).

selective + pattern

selective + diffusion

adaptive + diffusion

Personally I mostly only use selective + pattern!

btw make sure your matte is at NONE!!! This is because otherwise you have those whitish transparent borders on your gif, esp noticable on dark gifs, like shown in this tutorial by the talented @joewright !

And congrats, you have officially made a gif! Now go experiment, have the time of your life and do whatever the heck u want with your gifs. And if you want me to see them, tag me!! I track #usernums !!!

★★★★★

- last minute tips and extra links

man idk what to say here really but here goes:

@completeresources and @allresources are amazing places to learn more about gifmaking, pls take advantage of the opportunity

reminder: quicktime records at 60FPS, so unless you want a laggy gif delete the extra duplicate frames in the frame animation timeline!!

When opening import video frames to layers, do not click skip every second frame!! do not!!!!

Do not steal gifs. Try making them. I know it takes time and it can get frustrating but don’t post someone elses gifs as your own. Even the ugliest gifset in existence made originally by someone is better than a stunning set put together full of stolen gifs from various users. Don’t be that person

Don’t be afraid to ask for help pls just go on anon if u want!!

use the tumblr dimensions!!! I cannot stress enough how important this is because if you don’t, your gifs will look stretched af and lose quality so like .. don’t do that

#completeresources #itsphotoshop #tutorial #resources #gif tutorial #allresources #my tutorials

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