helium-rambles - Tumblr blog

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Got home from work so here's my ramble about this amazing seller!!

So I was out of town the week this was delivered. I actually had a couple packages arrive while I was gone, but my roommate was there and brought them inside so it wasn't something I was worried about.

When I got home and opened up all my packages I found that there was a hair stuck under the glitter on this pin (which is soooo glittery and gorgeous btw). I looked up their return policy and it said to contact them within 3 days, but I figured well it's worth a shot to ask if they'll do something, right?

So I contacted them and one of the other shops (who had sent me completely the wrong order). The other shop (NOT associated with euniysu in anyway) called me a scammer and I as told I was banned from buying from them ever again.

I went into a bit of a panic and reached out to euniysu worried that they would also ban me from their shop over a $6 item. Rushed to explain it was my fault for being past the deadline and that I would simply buy another one.

They reached out to me apologizing for the delay in response (but I had contacted them over the weekend so their response time was definitely within respectable contact time. It was only like 1 business day of a wait.) and then gave me a refund for the pin (since I had already bought another). Just. THANK You! They were so kind and respectful (especially in contrast to that other seller) and again, I had offered to pay for the pin! I wasn't complaining! I had already left them a good review! But they reached out to me anyway

So yeah, I can't recommend them enough! Great customer service and their products are amazing <3

@euniysu's Vampire Nightwing Pin

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I've been liking/commenting on a lot of art/writing on my other blog and they keep following me back and i'm just like 🫣 what are you doing here? i have nothing to offer you

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I wrote some more! It was a different fanfic from the one I drafted, but it was only one chapter (I might add more to it, but stands alone just fine) so I published it on ao3. And now I just get random emails throughout the day saying that I have kudos <3

There's a part of me that still feels like my writing isn't good enough and that I should have edited it more. But I told myself that since it was a fanfic, something I was writing and posting for free, that it didn't need to be perfect and at least 70 people agree, because they left kudos! I genuinely didn't think 70 people would read it, wow. It is for a popular ship for a popular fandom which I'm sure helped, but wow. 70 people stuck around to the end to give me a kudos.

I'm just...Shock.

Really happy, of course!! But also feeling shock. And!!! Someone even left a comment! Someone took the time to tell me they liked the way I wrote one of the characters <3

I have another fic I'm writing already (again, different from the one I drafted, cuz focus is not my strong suit) and I'm tempted to post the first scene now. I won't, because I'm writing it for an event which is coming up. and because technically the first scene isn't the first chapter.

Though if the second scene ends up too long, I might split it into two chapters.

Anyway, I'm excited. And I think I might actually be able to finish this multi-chapter fic. It's only 3 chapters in my outline, and probably will be under 5k (splitting it into smaller chapters cuz of pov shifts) so in theory it should be easy.

Anyway, no real point to this. Just happiness. Shout out to everyone that leaves kudos on fanfics :)

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One of my favorite things about reading Golden Age comics is learning about the different way society worked back then.

Some of it's hard to tell, of course. Is this just made up for comic plot purposes? Is this exaggerated for comedic purposes or did people genuinely think magnets worked like that?

But some of slips in so naturally.

Like my favorite example is in a Batman comic (forgot which one, sorry) where the Joker manages to kill Robin. But no worries! Batman knows this amazing little-known technique called CPR! But also he will need a doctor so better call the police!

And sure, CPR has been around since 1891 (according to a quick google search, don't quote me) but comic book writers didn't think it was common enough for their audience to know and explained what was happening. Whether it's because their audience was kids or if it wasn't familiar to the general populace, I don't know, but it's interested regardless.

And the fact that ambulances also weren't common and people called the police instead? According to another quick google search, ambulances were first used in the US in 1865, but apparently they weren't common, because comics don't seem to use them until the World War I era of comics (which let me tell you, that was a shift)

It's just fun to read comics and get a glimpse of a different time

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Cherry-ka's Trunk's Scents

that I'm thinking of full-sizing (with bonus thoughts from my mother)

1. The Butler (tea, cedar, gunpowder, greasepaint)

A very sophisticated scent. This starts of with that waxy greasepaint smell, then blooms into something clean. Reminds me of wood polish with a hint of a black tea. I wear this when I dress up to add that extra layer of sophistication. (Bonus: my mom says this smells like lemon bathroom cleaner)

2. Spoiler Warning (lilac, vanilla, spice, honey, hot cocoa)

This starts off with a strong cocoa note, and as it dries down, the honey starts to warm it up. I don't like most cocoa notes, but this one works for me with the powdery lilac softening it. (Bonus: my mom says this smells like poop)

3. The Steward (earl grey, lavender, cucumber, cream)

It's earl grey lavender tea, what more do you want me to say? Okay, I actually don't get a lot of bergamot (what gives earl grey that bitter citrus smell) in this. It's mostly creamy lavender, with a hint of a fresh green quality. It's very soothing and I like to wear it when I go to bed, but I don't wear it a lot during the daytime, so I'm not sure I'll end up full-sizing (Bonus: my mom says this makes her hungry)

4. Harlequin (mint, citrus, florals, evergreen)

This seems like it would be very similar to Flying (mint, florals, fir),but the citrus makes it a whole other thing. Plus, I feel like the evergreen in Harlequin isn't fir, but I'm not sure what it is. Anyway, the citrus makes this bright and bouncy and I wore the sample a lot during the summer, because the citrus/mint combo reminds me of lemonade w/mint which I love. (Bonus: my mom says this smells like toothpaste)

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Maybe it's just cuz I haven't made gifs in awhile, but the last couple of sets I made are just sooooo stimmy I want to eat them

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my c2e2 catalog is up! well I still need to list a few things, but for the most part this is it!

I'll be at artist alley U-03

if you're going please swing by and say hi!! i'll have lil freebies too if you want. If you like batman am i the table for you........ LMAO it's like 80% bat and 20% ff14 xD

See you there!!! Any shares would be great! (Everything is in my shop as well if you can't go!)

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So after watching three seasons of Teen Wolf, I just wanted to comment on something they do well with their mysteries.

Most of the time when I come across supernatural mysteries, the mystery is 'what?' and 'how?' "What kind of monster is it?" "How did they do that?" and it can feel like a cheat to the audience when the answer is some supernatural creature or magical event that the audience would have to be very lucky to guess.

But Teen Wolf prompts the question 'who?' You know you're looking for an Alpha werewolf, but who is the Alpha werewolf? Who is the kanima? Who is killing people as human sacrifices?

Now don't get me wrong, Teen Wolf still throws out bullshit explanations that you had no way of previously figuring out, but this is the first time I've been able to see how it could work. I've wanted to write supernatural mysteries before, but didn't know how to balance the suspense with the payoff. Do I explain the entire magic system and make the answer obvious, or only explain parts and leave the audience feeling cheated? But it doesn't need to be about the what or the how. It can be about the who. Give the audience a full cast of characters and let them guess who.

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I wrote something today and I'm so proud of myself! I made an outline for a short fanfic and even wrote a rough draft for the first chapter. It's been so long since I've written anything and had fun. There was a lot of external pressure about my writing for a long time and I eventually I quit writing for 4 years.

But lately I've been seeing a lot of posts on tumblr about the joy of writing. It made me remember that before it turned into an expectation, it was fun. And I do miss that feeling. So I've been flirting with the idea of picking writing back up. I kept coming up with ideas but then changing my mind. Had a hard time writing anything concrete because "what if I want to change it later." And every time I started feeling frustrated over this I'd walk away because this was supposed to be *fun* and if I wasn't having fun, there was no point in doing it.

And it worked! I wrote! I had fun! I made an outline which is something I never was able to do in the past and I'm so excited!!!

I don't know if I'll stick with it, but it's nice that I'll be able to look back on what I wrote and remember the fun I had ☺️

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Fun little behind the scenes of running a stim blog

I put a lot of effort into putting my queue in a specific order, though what that means changes constantly. Currently it means trying to space out the types of gifs so i'm not posting the same thing 20 days in a row. (The above photo is my list of all my sets, that I crossed off as I put them in order)

It's getting a little tricky for the month of May, though. With my current system of one reblog and one new set a day, I ended up with a lot of reblogs of paint mixing for May. Meanwhile, for my new sets, I have a lot of rock/mineral that need to go out before June so I can link them on some of my pride boards.

For April, I have a rock/mineral set every three days, but for May I had to up it to every other day.

I also had to change my system for May, as I've been trying to have one set/board of 4 or more gifs, and one set of 2 or 3 gifs a day, but the reblogs weren't in my favor this time. I've been reblogging things mostly in order from when I first started my blog, and I used to have a lot of mass posting which consisted of only the smaller sets. I used to just keep the smaller sets in my drafts until I had a bigger set to go with it, but I don't like when it gets too cluttered and difficult to find things (hence the mass posting I used to do)

My drafts are actually pretty cluttered right now with rock/mineral sets that didn't need to go out before Pride month + all the Pride boards that I will put in my queue once it clears out a little. But I'm managing so far, though it is a slight deterrent from making new gifs. Still, I'm getting excited about running my stim blog again! So much so that I had to have a little ramble about it 😊

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A Riddle and an Enigma

This is another fragrance by Cherry-ka's Trunk with notes of violet, green tea, fern, ozone, metal, almonds, & suede. I saw reviews for this when it was discontinued and was disappointed I'd never get to try it. Luckily they brought it back!!

This smells exactly the way I imagine a "mad scientist" would smell. It's powdery violet plus the "zingyness" of ozone and brightened by the fresh, green fern. As it dries down, the suede and almonds come through which I'm not the biggest fan of, but that's just a personal preference. It fits the fragrance very well. Honestly, I'm a bit obsessed with this scent as an art piece. It presents such a strong image and vibe. It so perfectly encapsulates what it was going for.

I tried Cherry-ka's "Coils" (Victorian violet, copper, electricity, ozone) to see if I liked it better without the almond note, but I find it a lot softer without the fern. Part of me wishes I could find A Riddle and an Enigma without the dry-down of almonds, perhaps substituting the delicious musk I love so much, but part of me wonders if it would ruin the scent.

And another part of me says, even if it weren't for the almond would it really "fit" me? Am I really a "mad scientist" type of person? I think it would be fun to try and bend myself in that direction. I like using fragrances to highlight different aspects of myself. To try out different "characters" almost. Some fragrances fit naturally with no effort on my part, while others require a little bit of bending. A Riddle and an Enigma would be a bit of a stretch. Just a little bit further from my comfort zone than I usually go.

I finished up my sample and decided this wasn't the right time for this fragrance. As much as I love it (even with the almond note!), it's bold and bright and radiant and I am...very tired. But. I am slowly working to a future where this could possibly fit me, so I may revisit the scent then. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the habit of depriving myself of things I love for a future that might not happen, but I have a lot of scents I'm enjoying more than this one that doesn't quite fit.

Still, I highly recommend this to anyone that wants to smell like they belong in a lab cackling over their new invention

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hey friends. i have been having a really rough time recently. if it’s no trouble, could y’all let me know about some positive things that have happened to you recently on this post? or if you want to send one anonymously, feel free to send an ask. also, pet photos are always welcome and even encouraged, especially kitties, bunnies, aquatic animals, bugs, etc. i love and miss you all and it feels like i haven’t interacted with you as much recently.

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One of the hardest parts about running a stim blog is tagging. I wish I could add a mod that would just tag posts for me

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one of these i'll actually finish one of the rambles in my drafts and post them

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My new G'raha bag is up for preorders! It's a backpack that can change into a shoulder/crossbody bag :)

The black variant is a patreon exclusive (and the larder black version too - the large version can carry an ipad 12.9)

Preorders end Apr 15th! More details on the product page!

Go preorder one now while you can! I am NOT remaking these.

Any shares would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

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(For everyone saying Found Family doesn't fit in the nuclear family structure, I urge you to read the tvtropes page. It gives other names for the bonds people create that aren't family structured.)

More Importantly, I think we should be approaching this poll with an eye to what is the funniest possibly outcome. Sure, we could vote "logically" and end up deciding whether tropes founded in misogyny or homophobia are worse in the finale, or we could just choose what is funniest. And wouldn't it be funny if Found Family won both best AND worst trope?

Wouldn't that be a great commentary on fandom? On how everyone has different tastes. On how things can be both good and bad depending on how they're written? Please! Let's make a really cool statement here and vote for Found Family

The Worst Trope Ever Showdown: Round 1, Side B

Stalker with a Crush

A character stalks the person they're attracted to.

Propaganda:

Rarely done with class. Usually done with creeps.

Found Family

Characters who are not related consider each other to be like family.

Propaganda:

Not everything has to be a structural family. There are other tropes like True Companions and Band of Brothers to explain deep bonds, but instead any woman gets forced into the mother role and friends with complicated feelings toward each other that they should be able to explore gets brushed off as "their siblings. siblings fight sometimes" without addressing any underlying issues.

Idk how to put it exactly, but I think that found family has done irreparable damage to the way people view character relationships. How if two characters aren’t dating, then they MUST view each other as siblings or one views the other as a parent or something similar and thus, make even the idea of them being in a relationship morally unjust and reason for complaints and harassment. How some people seem to just actively ignore existing dynamics just to slot them into a label that’s easier to digest. Sometimes characters are just friends! Sometimes they are just co-workers! Sometimes they are just enemies! Sometimes they are just an infinitely possible amount of relationships that aren’t either ‘dating’ or ‘family’! All in all, I’m just kinda tired of characters being shoved into being family without consideration on whether or not it actually Fits.

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Somebody on Twitter pointed out that almost all of the netflix Avatar show was filmed so that the focus of the action would be at the center, so it could be viewed vertically, like on tiktok