Part 1 of big "how to chibi-fy this flower????" guide is here!!! 🥰
Okay I’m currently furious that migraines are often so blindly easy to treat and I had to find this out myself at the age of 26 when I’ve been to a neurologist since I was 11 lol so I’m about to teach you two neat and fast little tricks to deal with pain!
The first is the sternocleidomastoid muscle, or the SCM muscle.
This big red section is responsible for pain around the eye, cheekbone, and jaw, as well as some temple pain. Literally all you have to do is angle your head down a little, angle it away from the side that hurts, and then you can gently pinch and rub that muscle. I find it best to start at the bottom and travel upwards. The relief is so immediate! You can increase pressure as you feel comfortable doing so.
The second is a fast and easy stretch that soothes your vagus nerve, which is the nerve responsible for calming you down. The vagus nerve, for those unfamiliar, is stimulated by deep breathing such as yawning, sighing, singing, or taking a deep breath to calm your anger in a tense situation.
You can stretch this out by sitting up as straight as possible (this does not have to be perfect to work) and interlacing your fingers. Put your hands on the back of your head with your thumbs going down the sides of your neck and, while keeping your face forward, look all the way to one side with just your eyes. Hold that until you feel the urge to breathe deeply or yawn, or until you can tell there’s a change. Then do the same thing on the other side. When you put your arms down, you should clearly be able to turn your head farther in both directions. If the first session doesn’t get rid of your migraine, rest and repeat as many times as necessary. I even get a little fancy with it and roll my eyes up and down along the outer edge sometimes to stretch as much as I can.
If you need a visual here’s a good video on it. I know some of the language they use seems questionable but this is real and simple science and should not be discarded because it’s been adopted by the trendy wellness crowd!
I seriously cannot believe I didn’t hear a word of this from any doctor in my life. Additionally, if you get frequent recurring migraines, you may want to see a dietician. Migraines can be caused by foods containing histamines, lectin, etc. and can also be caused by high blood pressure in specific situations such as exercise, stress, and even sex.
If any of this information helps you I’d love to hear it btw! It’s so so fast and easy to do. Good luck!
Me: oh yeah, if you think school photography is hard now, try imagining doing this with film.
The new girl: what’s film?
Me: … film. Like… film that goes in a film camera.
New girl: what’s that mean?
Me: … before cameras were digital.
New girl: how did you do it before digital?
Me:… with film? I haven’t had enough coffee for this conversation
New girl: I need you to show me how to format the usb.
Me: format?
New girl: yeah what do I do?
Me: you… put the usb in. Then you make a new folder on it and rename it with (name, date, location)
New girl: but how do I do that?
Me: … they dont… teach you this anymore, do they?
The lack of computer skills is becoming a problem. Like there was a period of time where the older workers in office jobs had to be brought up to speed on computers, but now a lot of the newer workers have the issue too.
There’s a lot of assumed technical literacy because we had a whole generation brought up on desktop computers, but now it’s one that was brought up on phones, tablets, and chromebooks. Phones are easier to use, but that means the users have never had to work around the daily problems presented by most desktop environments.
But our systems are still set up assuming the kids are “digital natives” who just already know this stuff. So no one teaches them. So a new employee walks into the office… and they just don’t.
30-something here. And this is frightening for a few reasons.
Much of the back-end architecture will soon be more difficult to maintain, as those with the expertise retire or when the one guy volunteering to update a niche corner of some minute software function that holds up ¼ of the computer world dies.
While products are made to be “easier to use” now, which has made them more accessible, they aren’t made to last, contributing to tech pollution / e-waste. Many consumers don’t know how to upgrade or repair their own tech…if they are upgradeable.
Which brings me to my next point.
I bought a new low end laptop recently. Not chrome book, but actual Windows PC laptop. I haven’t had a personal computer for a while and with a lot of expectation to “return to the office” because COVID’s over, right? *heavy eye roll*, I wanted something cheap and portable. I found a deal because a lot of low end laptops are being discounted because school children aren’t remote now. I was actually looking for refurbished but found what I wanted cheaper new, sadly.
Finding one that I knew would run the software I needed or that wouldn’t be bogged down just with Windows? A challenge. You’ve got to know what RAM, HDD vs eMMC vs SSD, cores, age of processors, and all those specs mean.
Finding one that wasn’t Windows in “S mode,” a bullshit mode that locks you into the Windows app / store for ALL software (where they take a cut of each purchase)? Even more challenging.
When I booted it up…I imagine most people just click yes through things because why not, just want to get right to it, right?
The amount of privileges I had to decline because of targeted data collection, for ad preferences and other nefarious reasons; the number of easy-to-miss “no thanks” options to decline enrollment in bloatware; the number of things that wanted me to launch the free trial, where they could automatically enroll me into a monthly PAID subscription and could report failure to add a credit card to pay for it to credit agencies (!); many of these presented as the “recommended” or default option… ASTOUNDING.
And then I still had to go into system settings and turn off additional data tracking that they didn’t even present during set-up, along with bloatware bullshit programs they wanted to always run at start-up. Because I knew where to go and find that stuff. Don’t even get me starting on fucking Cortana.
Technology has gotten bad. Even 10 years ago, it was a couple simple agreements not to pirate, using software at your own risk, etc. and that was it.
Now? Waiving rights, arbitration, hidden terms that could leave you owing money if you don’t uninstall it, data collection to link accounts and literally track every move / your exact location / your usage, attempts to personalize ads through your specific searches, inability to block cookies unless you download a Google app!?, four pop ups for every website, as the default?
It is scary how much tech that was designed to increase productivity and make life easier has become yet another way for corporations to track us, sell to us, and sell their data on us, even potentially incriminating us.
Oh, and heaven forbid you know what you’re doing and try to upgrade or repair your equipment yourself. Warranty voiding? Should be illegal, may be illegal in some areas, but they still tell you it’ll void your warranty. Good luck finding the parts. Using non-OEM parts will void the warranty too…by design.
I did not survive Windows Vista era to deal with this bullshit.
I did not survive
Windows Vista era to
deal with this bullshit.
Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.
Anyone have any resources for technology literacy for beginners?
Yes! @aquadraco20
General basic safety
How to avoid ransomware, malware, hacks, and how to maintain good data privacy.
^ this has intermediate information (as well as beginner info) that I think people who grew up on the internet benefit most from (so it won’t tell you what a phone is, or how to press the power button to turn on a computer). I recommend all sections the personal section under the top drop down (except the one aimed at children).
Same deal as above, with quizzes and additional topics.
^ this one is mostly video and audio which some people might helpful
HTML
W3schools is a well known free resource for coding. I recommend HTML because it gives basic website building capabilities, so you can create a neocities website for example or even edit your Tumblr theme. You can also learn CSS (used with HTML to make prettier websites) and Python (used to make programs).
Touch typing
Touch typing is using the home row on keyboards. It allows people to type faster than pressing individual keys one at a time, like on a smart phone.
This site has lessons, and honestly looks much nicer than the program I learned to use touch typing with.
This site has lessons and practice tests and speed tests to measure progress. In middle school I was taking a practice test about three times a week and a speed test once a week for about fifteen minutes each time, if that helps.
—
These three areas are the main things people were taught in computer literacy courses.
I also recommend checking your local library or other educational resources (like local colleges, your current college/highschool/middle school etc, the college you graduated from). These can have in person instructors which can be super helpful. Feel free to send me any questions and stuff, if I don’t already know I’ll try to find out and share where I found it!
Helpful things I’ve done with my windows computer to make it safer/more efficient:
- Installing Malwarebytes/enabling windows defender
- Creating a backup of my computer on a hard drive
- Setting permissions for apps to start on startup
- Getting a password manager
- Installing a web browser that isn’t chrome
- Changing old passwords into better, more secure passwords- especially websites that have debit card info
I hope this helps :D
the ayleids apparently used flesh sculpting and flesh magic prolifically and what im saying here by bringing this up is i think they should be more like the tzimisce from vtm
ayleids are described in some lore as being “alien” and i think that should be played up more. them using flesh sculpting to hell and back. trans people are not only accepted but common. they have genders and gender presentation you wouldnt be able to conceive of. they will make it look like they are growing flowers out of their skin. or feathers. or even leaves. a few tried to fuck around with multiple limbs.
they’re also said to use it on the men they kept as slaves so nedic slaves being done up in bizarre weird ways. also growing flowers or changing their faces daily. the horror of your family members not even being able to recognize you after so many changes.
oh and also one of the ayleid kings getting so offended during a meeting with an altmer king they flesh sculpt their genitals off and throw it in the altmer king’s face
fuck it im gonna doodle some
idea i have is the higher the nobility the weirder/more alien they look
example of a noble, the petals are part of the skin with hair behind
more middle class feathered ayleid
an altmer sees this ayleid walk in for negotiations and feels physically ill
not all ayleids go as extreme as possible with flesh sculpting and instead choose to go buck wild with their clothes
@dimiclaudeblaigan asked for a tutorial on how to begin drawing. Good news! If you can draw a funky looking stick man, you have already started!
I think that stick people are a great starting point for artists because of the things you can learn from them that will be important later on.
If you are able to draw a circle and a couple of lines, you can easily put together a stick person.
Congratulations! You have started to draw. :)
A stick person is a very minimal artistic representation of a real life person. It is simple yet recognizable, and is widely used in art, media, and signage.
But what can a stick person teach us about drawing people that look more like… well, people? Lets have a look!
for the love of god unmute
Muted it took me 6 seconds to figure out what was going on. Unmuted I had tears in my eyes 3 seconds in
With TSS coming up I thought it was the perfect excuse to make myself a new character so here’s Alvah! She’s a reborn tiefling grave cleric who strives to work against the natural order, trying to achieve eternity for all 👁️⚰️🤍
It’s been a while since I made myself a character and I've had my eye on grave cleric for some time now, plus don’t have many tieflings so this was the perfect opportunity to finally make a character that was both!
I just saw someone say the words "jokingly gaslight" this might be a good time to reintroduce the internet to the terms "lying" or perhaps "pranking" or even just "joking" on it's own
Okay, say it with me guys…
If you are giving someone wrong information in the hopes that they'll believe that it's true, then that's lying.
If you are giving someone wrong information under the assumption that they'll ultimately realise that it's false, and that they will find this funny, then that's joking.
If you are giving someone wrong information in the hopes that they'll believe that it's true and that their response will be funny, then that's a prank.
If you are giving someone wrong information in the hopes that they will notice the differences between your presentation of reality and their perception of it, and come to doubt their ability to judge what is and is not real, then that's gaslighting.
now dont leave this in the tags
If you are giving someone wrong information and you assume they will know it is wrong, in hopes that they will play along, then that’s a bit.
I wish they taught a class on what being a normal human is like
Like, the normal amount of pain is zero. The normal amount of wishing you weren’t ever born is zero. Food isn’t supposed to itch or hurt*. Going numb (any time outside sitting in one position too long) isn’t normal. Passing out isn’t normal. Normal people take like 10-20 minutes to fall asleep, and sleep like 6-9 hours. You’re supposed to get one period a month, which is manageable with a few tampons or pads a day and lasts 3-6 days.
These are all things I had to find out later, like a moron.
(fibromyalgia, depression, allergies, cataplexy, narcolepsy, PCOS and endometriosis)
*spicy food is supposed to hurt?
Sneezing when you see bright light? Normal.
Sneezing hurting your ribs so bad it makes breathing hard? Not normal.
It’s normal to hear a fluttering in your ears when you yawn. It’s not normal for your ears to hurt so much your teeth hurt too.
It’s normal to sleep badly and wake up sore every now and then. It’s not normal to lay awake because pain is keeping you up.
It’s normal to be nervous to see a doctor. It’s not normal to put off care because of your anxitey
So many times I’ve realized something about my body is super messed up when I’m like “you know how when X, Y?” And all my friends are like…no. I don’t experience X.
A couple good additions from the notes:
(image description: screenshot of a reply to this post from fiddlysticks that says “Took me up until very recently to learn headaches aren’t supposed to feel heavy and fuzzy, make you extra sensitive to light and sound, be debilitating, and last about 3 days lol)
(image description: screenshot of a reply to this post from raw-squid that says “Also like period cramps arent supposed to literally wake you up, even with the strongest over the counter painkillers :) )
Some additions from my own experience:
-Crunchy foods like toast or pizza are apparently not supposed to cut up the inside of your mouth and make you bleed- that’s unusually fragile skin and might indicate a connective tissue disorder
-Wearing jeans or bulky jackets isn’t supposed to make you feel like you’re dying- that’s a sensory processing difference, more specifically tactile defensiveness
-Ribs are not supposed to dislocate when you laugh too hard (connective tissue disorder again)
-Waking up exhausted every single day isn’t supposed to happen- could be any number of underlying conditions
-Standing up is not supposed to cause your heart rate to skyrocket and you to get super dizzy- that’s dysautonomia, anemia, or something similar
-Constantly sitting like a pretzel as a teen or adult mean nothing, but if other people are baffled by how you’re comfortable in those positions, you might be hypermobile or neurodivergent or both!
-The normal amount of seeing double is almost none! And even if you’ve seen double your whole life, the eye doctor can still prescribe you glasses that fix it
-Have a few “floaters” in your vision is normal, having constant showers of them that interfere with your vision is not
Basically, just because everyone in your family experiences something doesn’t mean it’s normal, it might mean there’s something genetic going on and you should ask a “control group” friend
• Food isn’t supposed to make your mouth itch. That’s an allergy
• Coffee isn’t supposed to put you to sleep
• Your period is not supposed to be more painful than labor (found that out with child #2)
• Your friends do not hate you. Yes, even when they’re too busy to answer your text. That’s RSD
• 100 and 1000 are not the same number. Most people don’t transpose numbers regularly. Most people do not find Algebra easier than arithmetic because variables mean less numbers to accidentally mix up. That’s dyscalculia
• Lights in the distance should be round. If they stretch like stars have your eyes checked for astigmatism
Everyone always talked about halos and I didn’t realize until I saw a picture of normal vs astigmatism to realize how much it affects me. The points take up my whole field of vision, top to bottom.
most people cant hear the buzz/hum of large household appliances or lights being on, thats autism
if it takes you an hour or more to fall asleep on average thats probably either autism or adhd, but could be other stuff, if meds dont improve it go to a sleep specialist to see
some people simply do not have 24 hour circadian rhythms. if you find the time you are asleep vs awake every day slowly crawls forward until for some periods you are nocturnal and then after another while you are diurnal again, this is probably you
spicy food causes your mouth to be more sensitive to heat, so if youre feeling pain/discomfort thats not heat related while eating it youre probably allergic to something in the meal
if you find yourself wishing you could be a different gender you can just try that to see if you like it
most people can just do things. if you feel completely unable to do something even if you want/need to and have to trick yourself into it, thats executive dysfunction. could be adhd could be some other mental illness
if caffeine puts you to sleep thats also adhd
if you regularly completely forget the plots things you saw/read/played a year or more ago/have similar memory loss issues with other things in your life, that too is almost definitely adhd (but if your memory loss is more extensive there could be other factors too)
The normal odds of making it through any given meal without vomiting immediately afterwards are 100%.
If your sinuses are always partly blocked, whether or not there’s anything in there, it’s hayfever, even if it’s year round (@past me). And if your sinuses are always swollen, you’re more likely to have mucus blocking them too. You don’t necessarily have a cold.
Also, if you have year-round hayfever, go read up about Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. ESPECIALLY if you also have things like ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, because they seem to often be comorbid. The Swiss Interest Group for Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) has info on their website, including the long list of other symptoms that can be caused by high histamine. Histamine is a signalling chemical, and annoyingly turns up pretty much everywhere in the body.
You might find changing your diet settles more than your hayfever. I found that my recent and inexplicable reflux suddenly stopped after I dropped my histamine levels. (Also the bioflavonoid quercetin was more effective at letting me breathe properly than every other over the counter antihistamine I’ve tried 🥲)
This is a chart that explains poop that is normal and poop that is not. It is not normal to bleed when you defecate, it is not normal to take more than a few minutes to move your bowels, it is not normal to defecate only once or twice a week. It is also not normal for stool to be primarily liquid, or to need to defecate more than a couple times a day. If you are experiencing abnormal defecation for a long period of time talk to your doctor about gastrointestinal issues like IBS, Crohn’s, and Celiac.
Trying to draw buildings
cynellis
yo here’s a useful tip from your fellow art ho cynellis… use google sketchup to create a model of the room/building/town you’re trying to draw… then take a screenshot & use it as a reference! It’s simple & fun!
smachajewski
Sketchup is incredibly helpful. I can’t recommend it enough.
There’s a 3D model warehouse where you can download all kinds of stuff so you don’t have to build everything from scratch.
the-quick-one
reblog to save a life
This is an incomplete tutorial, and it drives me crazy every time I see it come around.
We live in a pretty great digital age and we have access to a ton of amazing tools that artists in past generations couldn’t even dream of, but a lot of people look at a cool trick and only learn half of the process of using it.
Here’s the missing part of this tutorial:
How do you populate your backgrounds?
Well, here’s the answer:
If the focus is the environment, you must show a person in relation to that environment.
The examples above are great because they show how to use the software itself, but each one just kind of “plops” the character in front of their finished product with no regard of the person’s relation to their environment.
How do you fix this?
Well, here’s the simplest solution:
This is a popular trick used by professional storyboard and comic artists alike when they’re quickly planning compositions. It’s simple and it requires you to do some planning before you sit down to crank out that polished, final version of your work, but it will be the difference between a background and an environment.
From Blacksad (artist: Juanjo Guarnido)
From Hellboy (Mike Mignola)
Even if your draftsmanship isn’t that great (like mine), people can be more immersed in the story you tell if you just make it feel like there is a world that exists completely separate from the one in which they currently reside – not just making a backdrop the characters stand in front of.
Your creations live in a unique world, and it is as much a character as any other member of the cast. Make it as believable as they are.
Great comments and tutorials!
I’m a 3d artist and have been exploring the possibilities of using 3d as reference for 2d poses. I want to add a couple of tips and things!
Sketchup is very useful for environment references, and I assume it’s reasonably easy to learn. If you’re interested in going above and beyond, I highly recommend learning a proper 3d modeling program to help with art, especially because you can very easily populate a scene or location with characters!
Using 3ds Max I can pretty quickly construct an environment for reference. But going beyond that, I can also pose a pretty simple ‘CAT’ armature (known in 3d as a rig) straight into the scene, which can be totally customized, from various limbs, tails, wings, whatever, to proportions, and also can be modeled onto and expanded upon (for an example, you could 3d sculpt a head reference for your character and then attach it to the CAT rig, so you have a reference for complex face angles!)
The armature can also be posed incredibly easily. I know programs exist for stuff like this - Manga Studio, Design Doll - but posing characters in these programs is always an exercise in frustration and very fiddly imo. A simple 3d rig is impossibly easy to pose.
By creating an environment and dropping my character rig into it, I have an excellent point of reference when it comes to drawing the scene!
Not only that, but I can also view the scene from whatever angle I could ever want or need, including the character and their pose/position relative to the environment.
We can even quickly and easily expand this scene to include more characters!
Proper 3d modeling software is immensely powerful, and if you wanted to, you could model a complex environment that occurs regularly in your comic or illustration work (say, a castle interior, or an outdoor forest environment) and populate the scene with as many perspective-grounded characters as you need!
reblogging to save a life
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Look at this amazing addition! This is fantastic!
Please watch. Ronald Reagan malware alert!
it’s crazy how much diversity there can be in one species…these are all pictures of the same bird species (red-tailed hawk)
what they all have in common:
why aren't there more mysteries that take place in nursing homes & retirement communities. i want to watch a group of deranged retirees-cum-amateur-detectives combine their powers of:
- decades of life experience
- boredom-fueled busybody shamelessness
- access to the most gossipy next-door-neighbors in existence
- "I am too old to be arrested and/or give a shit" attitude
and solve crimes. this should be an enormous subgenre.
flattered that my tags passed peer review:
#their sidekick/Watson/pet hacker is a 15 year old grandkid who hangs out with gram gram on the weekends. her only power is that she has above average search engine skills and flexible knees--which is completely sufficient to round out the group's skill set.
#they involve her in heist style operations. on the rare occasion she gets caught housebreaking she explains her grandma locked herself out of the condo and asked for help getting in. then this sweet slightly addled old lady shows up and explains she got the address mixed up, it's so confusing when you're old & all the houses look alike and oh she's so sorry to have caused so much trouble!......and meanwhile the teenager is rolling her eyes bc she's aware gram gram was a highly successful career criminal & con artist for 50 years.
ANYway gimme a 80+-year-old con-artist-turned-amateur-sleuth who loves getting older because people are less suspicious of little old ladies (#this all takes place in florida naturally)
because of the many, many comments, i have now read all of the Thursday Murder Club books. I am pleased to report they are DELIGHTFUL.
if you like charming/stubborn old ladies and grumpy/shy old men who solve (and commit) crimes for fun--here you go!
(this series is also fun and poignant and contains senior citizens embracing modern values & the changing world & and basically living their best lives at 70/80+. and it's great.)
Larian studios: "Haha yeah isn't it funny that you can sleep with a druid in bear form? That's so--Look at me, look me in the eyes. there is no such thing as an "evil race". the players handbook is full of shit. personality traits based on race and species are bullshit. Every individual has the capacity for good an evil based on circumstances" *wizards of the coast security tries to drag them off stage*
Larian, clinging to the microphone: "DRAGONBORN HAVE TAILS! TIEFLINGS CAN BE PURPLE! QUEER CHARACTERS HAVE EVERY PLACE IN FANTASY MEDIA! YOU CAN AND SHOULD ROMANCE MIND FLAYERS NO! NO! LOOK AT ME! DRINKING POTIONS IS A BONUS ACTION! DON'T BELIEVE THEIR LIES!"
We will make this game better not only despite Wotc but to spite Wotc
Okay but honestly with the death of forums and blogs and Yahoo Answers. And the rise of discord. Reddit is the last refuge to get any kind of information about anything whatsoever.
Source: tiktok.com
okay but this is a power move above any other
hoseph-christiansen
It gets even better, because he was doing all of this on a pitch black night. This dude swam towards a lure, slapped at it with his glove, and when it got caught; he let himself float and tugged on the line so the fisherman thought he had hooked a 100+ pound salmon. Once he was finally up to the shore, he turned a flashlight on in the guy’s face and walked out of the water, saying “good morning, gentlemen. State fish and game warden, you’re under arrest.“
At this point, the guy who had reeled him in had literally fallen over in shock, and the other people with him were scared shitless. The warden whipped some citations out of a plastic bag in his wetsuit, made the trespassers sign them, asked if they had any questions, and then gathered all of their fishing gear. And he just. Walked back into the river. And quietly swam away, without another word.
This man is a legend.
warden coming out of his river to shame fishermankind