Latest Posts by crazyturtletree - Page 2

Hii so I have a question (again)

Do people get a noification on Ao3 if I change something in an already existing chapter? Like I edit it? Or should I just take down the fic and reupload it

⭐ So you want to learn pixel art? ⭐

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

🔹 Do I need money?

NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.

I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.

Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.

✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!

🔹 What software should I use?

Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using. Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐

💰 Paid options:

⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99

This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.

Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.

If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!

⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$

A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.

Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!

⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00

An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.

⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99

Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.

Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.

One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.

⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99

If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.

🆓 Free options:

⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)

Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.

⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)

A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.

⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)

Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'? Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.

🔹 So I got my software, now what?

◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.

❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.

The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍

◽Phew! With that out of the way...

🔸"The Rules"

There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.

🔹Scaling method

There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.

Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?

On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor. 

(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)

🔹Mixels

Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.

Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!

As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!

Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.

Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.

🔹Saving Your Files

We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.

For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!

Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.

🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon

❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗

As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!

🔸How To Learn

Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.

⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10 A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.

⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.

⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.

⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional) Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials. He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.

⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones. My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!

🔸Where To Post

Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.

⭐ Lospec Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.

⭐⭐ Pixilart Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.

⭐⭐ Pixeljoint Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer. It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history. The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.

⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵 It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity. The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people. Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!

⭐⭐/r/pixelart The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking. However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol

🔸 Where To Find Work

You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:

Put your email / portfolio in your bio Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!

Clean up your profile If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.

Post regularly, and repost Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby

Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.

/r/INAT INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.

/r/GameDevClassifieds Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.

Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.

VGen VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends. Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.

The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least). Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...

🔸 Community

I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!

Discord servers Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.

Twitch Streams Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects! Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.

🔸 Other Helpful Websites

Palettes Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun. Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.

The Spriters Resource TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.

VGMaps Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.

Game UI Database Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!

Retronator A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!

Itch.io A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike. A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite

🔸 The End?

This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!

I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!

This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.

And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕

Heeey, so I'm back and I'm doing better since that incident.

If you guys remember I originally posted to this account about my Star Wars fic. I'm actually going to rewrite it! It has four usable chapters and a lot of random posts so I'm thnking about creating another account to post for that! It will be linked to my main, but things are going to be easier to find. So yeah

And if I'm being honest I don't remember many things I wrote down here and I'm going to put more thught into my chapters. So yeah, thats it.

Have a great day/night

Okay so, i need advice. something happened to me yesterday that im still in shock about

TW.: talk about raping somebody, ignore if it triggers you. Your mental health matters

So, I was walking home from school and when i got down from the bus that is a few streets away from us three teenage boys started walking behind me. Im always very aware of my surrundings so i took out one of my earbuds. They were talking about probably a girl so disgustingly and some of the descriptors fit me (I did not know them. They where probably in highschool and older than me but i did not seen their faces.). I was already so disgusted, and one gone down from the sidewalk and the other two came after me and they where talking about quote: "What if we rape (probably) her." "I bet she would even enjoy it." But they did not follow me to my street so I gues they weren't talking about me but I'm still in shock and somehow feel guilty? Like for not being able to tak to that girl and warn her. I already told my mother and will start carrying my knife again. Do you guys have any advice how to deal with this? One girl from my school goes the same way home like those dudes and I already told her to have sometype of self defence tool on her.

Sorry for this, I may even delete this post after a while, I just can't really do anything about it and I need some advice

Pregnancy runs in my family. Over half of my ancestors had it at some point.

Keep in mind that I only drew the basics - modern and non cultural ways to veil, and did not include traditional folk clothes of muslim ethnicities or other regional veils like the burqa or chador. Feel free to add them!

THESE SOUND AMAZING. LETS GOOOOOO

My Favorites of Jedi Appreciation

So, I've been thinking about Jedi positivity a lot lately. So, I decided to make a masterpost. Someone's definitely done this before and better, but I feel like I should throw my hat in the ring.

Fics

These fics might not be completely focused on the Jedi Order but they are portrayed positively, or they expand on their culture. Either way, I love them.

Knightrise by deviantaccumulation: In which a new Jedi Order is founded on Mandalore after Order 66.

not the place i was born in (doesn't mean it's not the place where I belong) by ghostwriterofthemachine: Jedi worldbuilding and Young Anakin and Obi-Wan being sweet.

How a Handful of Droid Poppers Save the Galaxy by Zarz: In which Appo is the hero the galaxy needs and Anakin meets consequences.

Yeet or be Yeeted by virdant: In which the Jedi tendency to jump off tall places becomes a competitive sport.

THE FORCE WILLS DOCUMENTARY by js71: Told as a documentary about the Jedi Order, there's a lot of worldbuilding and other things that make my heart happy.

Pragmatics of the Jedi by aroacejoot, ghostwriterofthemachine, loosingletters: A series that created a language for the Jedi, Dai Bendu, which is absolutely fascinating.

On Meditation by virdant: A short fic about meditation. It makes me happy.

Interviews by BloodyDevil: Interviews with members of the Jedi Order.

In which we burn bodies as bridges by GraceEliz: Jedi mourning in a bittersweet fic.

Anakin Skywalker's Guide to Jedi Traditions by loosingletters: A young Anakin's journal about his new life in the Jedi Order.

The Droid Wars by Crystalshard: R2 learns about the future and drags 3PO along with him to stop it.

Why We Did Nothing by BairnSidhe: Do you like the Mandalorians as well as the Jedi? In which the Mandalorians learn about the Jedi Order's perspective on things and Jaster gets rightfully mad. Warning: It has dark themes (among them, discussions of the murder of children, generational trauma, and Montross-related fuckery).

spilled red wine by scrapheap_redux: I was debating whether or not to add this one, but I really liked the portrayal of the Jedi when they show up. However, it has the aftermath and results of rape (not onscreen) as the inciting incident, which is why I was wondering if I should add it; I want this list to be enjoyable and I don't want to upset anyone.

Unsolicited PR From A Pirate by Everything_or_Anything, lastbattlecry, RogueLadyVader (LaylaYuy), TessaDoesThings, wanderingjedihistorian (RangerJedi67): Hondo is a menace. Also, action figures.

Stolen Choices by softmoonlight: Cal, Fox, and the possibility of a happy ending.

free to find my calling by Papook: Jocasta Nu gets a squad of clones.

Always in Motion by virdant: I never knew I needed a Chewbacca time-travel fic so much.

remember me, fondly by ace_din_djarin: Crafts, Jedi, and bittersweetness.

The Bust Busting by virdant: Yoda is a troll. Dooku is done.

Proper Attire by LacieFuyu: Why Jedi don't wear armor.

Out with Lanterns by SkyeBean: Ahsoka is Mace's Padawan.

Lessons of Peace by virdant: Cody embracing Jedi culture and making dumplings.

Memories of Peace by Margan: Obi-Wan teaches the clones to make dumplings.

Home-onym by virdant: Wordplay and Jedi younglings.

In the Shadows (of Taxes) by virdant: Quinlan Vos specializes in tax law. If that one sentence doesn't make your heart jump a little, I weep for you.

hi, i'm with public relations by lastbattlecry: The Jedi need better PR. Bail Organa knows somebody.

In Which Boba Fett Becomes the Jedi Order's Feral Tooka by Zarz: The title explains the beautiful, beautiful plot.

May the Force be Taxed by ReconstructWriter: Palpatine and the IRS do not respect Jedi culture.

aphelion by Kemmasandi: Plo Koon dies, wakes up decades prior, and fixes things.

Protect That Which You Love by certifiedspacewitch: Mace takes one look at the weird old man asking for private access to a young Padawan and gets his hackles up.

jedi shaming by braigwen_s, evaceratops: Short but hilarious.

The Chess Match Begins by SilverWingedWolf: The relationships between Jedi and clones.

Five Jedi Who Signed the Wall on Mapuzo, and Two that Honored Them by TheSecondBatgirl: The title explains the premise in the best way.

You're Not Flawed Darling (You're just a Little Under Rehearsed) by CombatBootsandDreams: To quote the tags, the Jedi diplomatic corps is intense.

Blogs

There are only so many times I can say "I love this so much, it makes me happy, please know you have filled my head with knowledge and my heart with joy" before it gets repetitive.

gffa: FILLED WITH WONDERFUL THINGS. I would marry this blog if I could. (I'm joking...mostly.)

projediagenda: All kinds of thought-provoking stuff that makes me happy.

ensomniaa: As they put it, nothing but love for the Jedi.

the-jedi-love: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

do you think the birth families of the jedi mourned when they heard the news about order 66. do you think they worried and that they weeped when the clone wars began and they heard that their children were going off to fight in it. do you think they looked at their calendars and kept track of how old their children had become every birthday. do you think they knew that their child was only 10 when they were murdered during order 66. do you think any jedi went out to find their birth parents after losing the only family they really knew. do you think any families sheltered other escaping jedi, knowing what likely happened to their own. do you think the families cried. do you think they mourned. do you think, even though they hadn't seen their children in years... they still weeped?

OMG. Thank you! I too tought about the Order doing humanitarian work. And there is the agricultural corp to. They may get food for planets in need

Star Wars fans. Do you think the Jedi Order functioned as a galactical Red Cross/Red Crescend? That would make very much sense.

Star Wars fans. Do you think the Jedi Order functioned as a galactical Red Cross/Red Crescend? That would make very much sense.

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU

reblog to put buccal fat back into the clone wars series clones

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

WIP

Sorry for the Danish writing on the wall. It was translated with Google translate :3

WIP

Sorry for the Danish writing on the wall. It was translated with Google translate :3

reblog to pet the sad cat 　　　　　　 ＿＿ 　　　　　／＞　　フ 　　　　　|  　_　 _ l 　 　　　／` ミ＿xノ 　　 　 /　　　 　 | 　　　 /　 ヽ　　 ﾉ 　 　 │　　|　|　| 　／￣|　　 |　|　| 　| (￣ヽ＿_ヽ_)__) 　＼二つ

popular holotuber spacebomberguy has uploaded a new five hour video essay! it starts as a critique of the new “dress like a senator” fashion line and it’s place in pro-republic clone wars propaganda, before spiraling into a discovery that chancellor palpatine is a sith lord!! reactions on the holonet are mixed, with macewinduofficial declaring the video “necessary viewing for all of coruscant” while anakinskyyyy3534 replied to a link with “TLDW”

Soooo I have a question for people who had seen the new episode of the Apothecary diaries

Where did you watch it? Or better question, does anybody know a site where i can watch it for free and don’t get a virus?

I tried crunchyroll but i don’t really have the money to pay for a subscription and the site where i watched it with subs in my language are still work on it.

Anybody has any tips?

“Dave he’s at it again”

'Desert hermit Ben Kenobi develops a reputation as a crazy wizard because he keeps talking to thin air.'

No. This is Tatooine, talking to yourself is hardly the weirdest thing they've seen. Ben Kenobi, however, keeps having full on fucking screaming rows with thin air and seemingly gets replies back, which is decidedly a step up.

(They've managed to piece together that a major point of contention is the acquisition and raising of a child? Clearly Ben is a wizard that had a bitter divorce with a desert spirit and is working through a custody dispute)

It's important to drink a lot of fluids when you're sick so that your body has the raw materials to generate gallons of snot.

Cyare

Mando’a: beloved,loved.

Rated: Teen

Genre: romance, family, drama, some adventure.

(cross posted on Ao3)

—–

It is a truth universally believed that all Mandalorians really hate Jedi and marrying outside their creed.

And yet, Ruusaan would happily tell her father, the Death Watch and all those who held on to such beliefs to go fuck themselves. 

Keep reading

The thing is that I don't want to be employed but I also don't want to be unemployed. I actually want our entire economic system to explode but that's not really a feasible option right now

@clonehub this is the post!

The Islamic Origins of the Jedi

Ramadan starts in a few days so I figured that now was a great time to talk about this!

(Disclaimer: My point here isn’t to detract from other sources of inspiration that GL used to create the Jedi, but simply to point out another, lesser known one that many often overlook or intentionally refuse to acknowledge.)

I’m Muslim. My family follows the Hanafi madhab, and the guidance of the Naqshbandi order of Sufi masters, mystics, and teachers. I’m by no means an expert or a scholar, but the Sufi theology and view of the Divine is so clearly prevalent as one of the many inspirations for the Force and the Jedi, that it’s hard to get ignore - and it’s hard to watch while people choose to ignore it.

For starters, we know that during his research for the films, George Lucas met and consulted with the Habibiyyah Sufi order in California. He asked questions and learned what they believed.

Something else that’s hard to ignore is the robes that the Jedi wear! I know they’re commonly thought to be inspired by other origins, but I’d like to point out that the traditional Sufi robes look similar to the Jedi as well.

Still not convinced?

Let’s look at the origins of the word ‘Jedi’. While most believe that it comes from the word ‘jidaigeki’, as GL has mentioned in passing, there is an Arabic equivalent that’s translated to fit the meaning of the Jedi Order with surprising accuracy.

The word is Al-Jeddi, which translates to ‘master of the mystic warrior way’.

In an article released by a prominent Sufi Muslim order, ‘jeddi’ is mentioned by name and a definition that looks and sounds familiar to the Jedi Order of Star Wars and how the Force is viewed by them:

“We are, at our core, a Movement of Jeddi; Sufi masters of Futuwwat ("the Way of the mystic-warrior"). We encourage adherents to train both physically AND spiritually, for their own personal edification and to enhance their knowledge and abilities in the Struggle. The Balance does not lie alone in contemplation, prayer and meditation; nor does it lie alone in action and revolution.”

At the end of the day, we know that Star Wars appropriated from many, many sources that went mostly uncredited and ignored - in ways that had lasting and negative impacts on the peoples and cultures that served as inspiration - and this was one of them.

One of my biggest complaints about the appropriation present here is that it is an opportunity missed - a big one. There was an opportunity to educate, to help others understand what is often misunderstood, simply by being transparent about what you took, from whom, and most importantly, why.

So I’m sharing this with you now, because education is everything, and it is so, so important to be aware of examples of things like this in the media we consume!

Fic recs - oneshots (part 4)

I'm currently in like, a lot of pain (...don't ask), so what better way to distract myself than cataloging some fics!

Last time I said I'll do a list of writers, but I noticed that so much time has passed that I've collected enough oneshots for another post like this, so I'm doing this first.

A couple of ones here are from shadowforest-wolf's lists, go check these posts out if you want more recs!

As always, sfw oneshots, if there are any dead links you need fixing let me know!

Sea of Love by MiddlemistsRed (chiakashie) - Soap keeps dying in Al Mazrah and Ghost reincarnates each time to save him.

Offhand Remarks by bisexual_werewolf - Ghost doesn’t think Soap is a good enough soldier. Soap tries his best to fix that. (Spoilers: It doesn’t work)

You'd Be the Mercy Under My Cruelty by ajax_in_agony - Ghost takes care of Soap in the aftermath of "Alone".

TV. by Kodalax - Ghost thinks Soaps mad at him so he distances himself as much as possible and clams up like he’s a child again. [this is a series with a second work from Soap's POV]

where the nightmares end by oh_ellie - Soap is sitting up in his bed, the sheets shoved off of his body and sweat beading on his forehead and running down his temple. It's dark in his room and far too quiet.

taken a shine to me? by oh_ellie - Soap is captured by Graves during alone [this has a second work which is nsfw]

Eleven by VibeDemon - Ghoap get stuck in an elevator. [this is just a little funny one :)]

He's The Gift That Just Keeps Giving! by StrixDaddy - some hurt/comfort featuring Christmas fluff.

Hold On To Me by iamtheidiot - That's when he saw it. A goddamn fucking knife sticking out of the man's right side, his arm at an angle like he was trying to conceal the thing from Soap.

Ghostly Music by oh_heccity - A 5+1 where Soap helps Ghost learn to have a healthy relationship with music, it, of course, has its ups and downs.

My heart in your hands keeps going on by FetteEule - 5 times Ghost is forced to go on leave and 1 time he takes leave on purpose.

Bleeding Sands by Islenthatur - What if Soap was one of the 15 who survived Operation Sand Viper [COD Ghosts Soap]

notre dame by merikai - Soap is stuck under rubble, but it takes a while until someone comes to the rescue.

heaven help the fool who falls in love by merikai - Soap has a "girl". Ghost tries to find out more.

leave it to the land by merikai - “Hypothermic,” Ghost mutters, more to himself as a note than to Soap. “You're delirious. Need to get you warmed up.”

no shortage of sordid by merikai - Hassan's men have taken Soap hostage—but there are things worse than this.

Dehiscence (Opening of a Wound) by made1for1life1 - Johnny knows his mind doesn't work the same as other people's. Maybe he just needs to try harder. Trying harder is a lot harder than he thought.

A quick game of chess by cheersyaslag - when Ghost tells him to shut up, he doesn't exactly know why it hurts so damn much. Maybe he's being too sensitive. But he does shut up. He will do as he's told for once.

Observations and Ink by Fearless_leaderr - He shifts nervously as the other man flips through the pages, and Soap can feel sweat begin to collect on his brow. "Didn't know you could draw like this, Johnny."

Still got like 3 days until I finish the semester, but I already got so many ideas for comics and drawings and fics it's not even funny. I'm gonna have so much fun once I'm finally done with my work T_T

Mare Ditat, Rosa Decorat

Hellooo ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ !! This is the second chapter. English is not my first language. Sorry for mistakes, it's not beta read. Here is the Ao3 link

Omne initium difficile est

“Walon…” a sweet voice called out for him. It was familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

“Walon…” Soft hands touched his face. He slowly opened his eyes. Everything around him was orange and red. He could taste the saltwater on his mouth. ‘Where am I?” Vaus hands gone too his neck to touch the gills. ‘They are here… I must be on Irmenu’

He begone swimming upwards. Not so long after he arrived to the surfice. He looked around. A battle must have taken place not so long ago.

Vau hisses and looks down to his hand, where he sees a wound. But when he looks the hands something is wrong. They look… younger? ‘What the Kark is happening?”

He looks around and sees a small island with a small orange dott. ‘I don’t have time for thinking.’ He decides and swims to the closest plank.

Then he waddles in the direction of the island and starts swimming. He does not know, how long would he be able to swim without the plank, but he is confident that he will make it to the island before sunrise.

Vau underestimated himself. ‘Maybe I got younger’ He smiles and shakes his head. He walks out to the island.

He turns back and kneels next to the water. Under the moonlight he could see himself pretty clearly and when he looked he was shocked. He aged back fifthy years. He now remembers where he is. Close to the Kaalan Islands. Close to home… No. That place is not his home. He stoped thinking about it and went back to look into the water again. But when he kneeled down the first light of the sun hit the water and that sweet voice called out to him. “Walon… Help us…”

Then everything went black.

The sun shone through the window straight into Vau’s eyes.

The old man rose from the bed to get dressed and wash his face Mird following into the fresher. Before Vau washes his face he looks into the mirror. Dry tears adorn his face. He quickly washes them of and gets ready.

He walks down on the stairs and heads straight to the kitchen. There he finds Besany working on something.

“Good morning miss Wennen.” He calls out.

“Good morning Seargent.”

Vau walked to the cupboard to make his morning tea. He feels the womans stare. He clears his throath “Miss Wennen. Can I help you with something?”

“I was just wandering. Etain told me what happend yesterday night.” Vau turns around and raises an eyebrow “When are the guest getting here?”

“As soon as I can get somebody to take me to Oyu’baat.” He sighs. “They don’t have some money with them.”

“Hm. Will you pack food for them?” The woman asks looking for a box he can put food into. She takes out two Hydro flasks and a bigger box. “If yes then here are containers. And I will ask if somebody will take you there.” Wennen leaves the containers on the table.

Vau thanks her and she leaves the room. Mird goes over to the counter and sniffs the food

Walon packs from breakfast and starts boiling tea. ‘What type of tea they would like?… Fruit. They are kids, they must like that. Or maybe herb…’ Somebody was stomping in the direction of the kitchen. It must be one of the nulls.

“Seargent Vau. When are we going?” Mereel calls out.

“As soon as I finished the tea.” He turns around and crosses his arms, staring at the young man. “Do you have any questions?”

“What did you do to Kal buir last night?” Suprisingly there is no anger in his voice, just curiosness.

Vau sighed. “I will explain it after the guests arrived. I will make an educated guess and state that you are comming with me. No?” The old man offerd this question.

“Somebody needs to do it. Can I ask something else?” Mereel raises his eyebrow.

“Go. Ask.”

“Who are these people?”

“Mereel I’m not sure. But if you want to ask are they trustworthy people, then I think yes. They are from Irmenu, so they are not correlated with the Empire. And the person who sent them was my par… friend.” He does not finish that word. The young man has no need to know this information. “And if they are from a resistance then they probably don’t want my head.”

Mereel snorts “Especially because they are children.”

“Don’t under estimate them. I have a feeling we will be suprised by them.” Vau mused

“You just said you trust them…” Vau turned away and put the tea inside the Hydro flasks. He handed one to Mereel and grabbed the container on the table.

“Let’s get going if you want to get answers quicker.”

Both man walked out of the kitchen and Mereel went to the karyai. Vau quessed that he went to say goodbye. If he went for that then it was fast. Both of them fastened their boots and went out to the speeders.

“Are you not bringig Mird?” Mereel asked suprised

“No. I don’t want to scare the kids.” Mereel mumbels under his breath ‘That never stopped you before.’ Vau smirked. Mereel turned to him.

“How many of them are?” Mereel asked.

“I think two. But expect packages.” Mereel shook his head in understance and went to chose a speeder. Vau haven’t seen this vehicle before. It seats five people and has a closed roof. It is perfect for this trip.

“This one is not the fastest speeder, but it is private.” Mereel explains.

“Thats perfect. I hope you had eaten breakfast, because I wont rush to get back.” Vau proclaims and gets into the front.

“I was not planning to…” The young man gets into the drivers seat. Walon looks at him and notices that he does not want to elaborate. They leave it at that.

They drive was silent but not uncomfortable. After an hour they arrived at Keldabe when Vau gets a Holocall. The old man looks at the Comlink and sees that Fenn Shysa is calling. He takes the call and puts it on speaker.

“Vau speaking. We are already in Keldabe.”

“Good. But we have a small problem.”

Vau sighs. “What is it?

“The kids. They speak an older type of common. There are some things I don’t even understand.” Walon can hear chatter from the background.

“It’s okay. I can.” Vau looks around “We are almost there.”

“Got it. Shysa out.”

“That will cause some problems. Wont it?” Mereel asks.

“Some, yes. But not much. Many things are relatively easy to figure out.” Vau asks. “We are here.”

Mereel stops and both of them get out of the car. The Oyu’baat is pretty run down. One of the walls had a hole in it that was freshly taken care of. When they arrived to the main door Fenn Shysa was already standing in the door. The man looked interested. The three of them walked in and greated the bartender. The woman smiled at them and told them where the guests room is.

The walk upstairs was silent. The three man even rushed a bit. When they arrived to the door Fenn Shysa knocked. The door opened and a tall teen was standing in the door. Their gold eyes locked in instantly on Walon Vau. They quickly bowed and turned back to the room.

“Kaalom.” They called out. A boy around 12 runned out of the Refresher.

“Yaa!”

“Gar to Oulom!” They called out. Walon needed a little thinking to translate ‘It’s draak.’ He smirks to himself. It was so long ago since he heard it.

The two other man look at him, not understanding what the kids are saying.

“The boy was sent to get the flowers. It’s costumary to give flower.” Mereel raises his eyebrows. “Every flover has it’s own meaning. It’s almost a diplomatic message.”

“So that’s why I got them.” Fenn proclaims. Vau shakes his head in agreement.

The teen gathers their younger brother and tells him to stand in the door next to them. The older one steps forward and puts their hand with the flowers. Vau studies them for a bit.

Vau takes the flowers while the two children bow deeply. He bows too and starts putting the flowers meaning together.

“Shress is for good wishes,” He turns to the other two mandalorians and starts explaining “Ophiannas are for humility” He points at blue flowers that are shaped like bells “Doil’s are powerful against evil. They are said to protect from evil spirits.” He turns them a little bit “Ice Feverfew. They are hard to come by. These little ones only grow in the cold mountains. They represent courage” He point at little white flowers “Daydream Spoolwoods. They are for wishing good fortune.” He brings it closer to the two men. “And lastly, Zine. They represent Faith, Hope or Trust.” He looks at Mereel. “What do you think Mereel. Is this code for something?”

The young man studies the flowers. He knows Vau is testing him.

“Maybe something to do with warding evil away? Because The most of it is that type of flower.” Mereel wonders. Vau raises his hand up for a handshake

“Good job.” Mereel varily shakes hand with Vau.

The old man bows again. “Hrala niu”

The two children straighten up.

“Yer name is Walon Vau richt?” The young boy asks.

“Kaalom” His older sibling shushes him “Ber min potar”

“Kaaah” the boy sighs.

“I am sorry for his manners. Mine name is Miine and this is mine brother Kaalom.” The older one bows first then pushes their brother into a bow too. “It is most nice to meet thou Count Vau.”

Vau shakes his head “Nice to meet you too. But I’m not a count.”

“Ach, i am sorry, our grandmother told us this. I do forget it.”

Vau raises his eyebrows. “May I ask who is your grandmother”

The young boy looks exited “She is the crimson captain. Cordelia, the lost dauchter o the count o Malli” The older one chuckles.

Vau is suprised. Cordelia? A captain? Well she kept herself buisy all this time. Vau clears his throat “And who is your grandfather” He crunches down onto the level of the boy

“Y-” Miine suddenly puts their hand onto Kaaloms mouth. “We are not sure. He ne'r very came up.”

Vau raises his eyebrow in supprise. He almost forgot that there are two other people that need to be introduced. He stands up and clears his throat. “You have already met Fenn Shysa right?” The children shake their head in syncron. “This young man is Mereel” He points at him.

“Nice to meet thou Mereel.” Miine turns to him and bows.

He smiles and bows too “Pleasure too meet you two.” He looks at Vau and turns back “Are you packed up? We soon should get going.” He looks at his Chronometer. “Its almost mid-day.”

Vau shakes his head in agreement. The two kids run back and bring out their bags.

The five of them go downstairs and say their goodyes to Fenn Shysa. When they get out the kids are a little bit wary of getting inside the speeder, but after a little convincing they where back on their way to Kyromout

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Thank you for reading. Here is the explanation of flowers and the draak words

Flowers: Shress - Good wishes (Basil) Ophianna - Humility (Bluebell) Doil - Powerful against evil (Dill) Ice Feverfew - Courage, Devotion (Edelweiss) Daydream Spoolwood - Encouragement, Good fortune (Goldenrod) Zine - Faith, trust, Wisdom, Hope, Valor (Iris)

And this is the translation for the Draak words: Gar to Oulom - Get the flowers Hrala niu - Thank you very much Ber min potar - Be more polite Yaa - yes, yeah. Impolite kah - okay

I don't really know how to put all of the chapters into one place. I will try to do something abot it. Till then sorry for the inconvinience!!

Thank you! I will try that too

Heey!

So this is for Type 1 diabetics.

I have been type one Diabetic for 13 years and not so long ago i developed a fear of needles. But not in the way that i universaly hate them. I had given infusions and i plan to be a veterarian. But in a way that when i want to change my infusion set (90 degrees type) my fingers block down and i can't press those buttons.

Does anybody have any ideas how to stop it from happening? I went to a psychologyst but it did not help. Maybe someone had this problem