#^^^ all of this while also having work done at our place. end of semester in college

[bigboobshaunt]

Feeling very "droopy cartoon eyeballs after a character got blown tf up" on this wednesday.

[regnumveritatis]

Films made to praise Arsinoe/Perseleia in the Athenide verse

2) Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame part 2

Apologies for the long wait to those of you who were excited for this compilation. Had a lot of work to be done, and now the semester is ending, so I'm using my newly found free time to catch up on backlogged ideas. That being said, I hope everyone enjoys the lore building.

1) The lie of Arsinoe 'simply fading'

On the day where the golden Athenide 'faded' away from our mortal plane despite her cult having enormous success all through the Aegean and Adriatic coasts, the farmers of Athens coincidentally write on how they witnessed large eagles attack then proceed to eat the golden orioles hiding in their olive groves. Athenians of the time took it as a sign of tyrannical delights soon to be defeated at the hands of mighty Zeus. The high priestess of Corinth, however, took this news on an entirely different way and proclaimed,'Reason has been murdered by the State!' For which she was punished and declared insane as no one would believe Zeus capable of murdering the child of his favored daughter Athena. Here, the writers are giving the winning argument to that Cassandra-like woman as Zeus/Jupiter clearly chases and kills his own granddaughter and then attempts to apply roman law to her last kit. Her death also mirrors the historical murder of Princess Arsinoe of Ptolemaic Egypt as she is killed on the steps of Holy Ground by someone who deems her a threat.

2) Styx always takes her due:

Contrary to what the ego of Olympus's king would believe, even Zeus can not break his word or violate the sanctuary of another deity without consequences. The movie chooses to represent Styx as the archdeacon of the cathedral in a historical nod to how places granting asylum to slaves (the real reason the Romani went in large waves to France during this period was escaping chattel slavery in balto slavic countries) to be broken under pain of death shifted from the temple of Hermes and the Athenides to the statue of the Emperor then finally to the catholic cathedral where any who murdered within its halls were doomed to eternal perdition. While Styx can't prove Zeus's role in the murder of their friend, they can force him to uphold the promise not to directly harm his granddaughter's wards unless provoked since doing so will condemn him to Tartarus per his own agreement centuries ago. By this fear, Frollo claims Quasimodo (a name that in this universe is a taunt to Arsinoe as she has left her work unfinished so her son is half-formed) to raise though not without embedding the child with a lie that will falsely indebt him to his supposed benevolence

3) The Roman Mutilation:

The 'future' scenes from the beginning are done from an entirely roman standpoint as far as Frollo/Zeus is concerned. He fully endorses the false tale of Pietas Securitas as it suits his needs perfectly, spreading the word of her cruelty both to eliminate anything corrupt in his eyes and to create belief in his virtue for the mortals. Fides Nerio is also brought low as she is no savior, merely a minor goddess collecting the spoils of war. Jupiter is not the cruel god calling for these barbaric games of slaughter. How can he when he did not even approve of Dionysius's barbaric revelry? By reminding the mortals/demigods still believing in him of the atrocities committed by Rome and comparing them to his care, he causes them to feel guilt over doubting him and thus easily manipulates the situation to his control. Despite all this, people long for something more than what Zeus offers even if they don't know what exactly this entails which brings us to the part you've all been waiting for: the Perpollo shipping.

4) The introduction of Phoebus

Any hardcore greek mythology fan knows what the name of this character references. Shining Phoebus arrives at the city bearing the name of that loathed Trojan Prince humbly, his desire to be part of the people a stark contrast to the previous behavior of other authority figures. His cloak is Athenide blue in deference to his unyielding devotion to Lady Loyalty and his horse is named Achilles in yet another attempt to besmirch the reputation of the demigod who trampled upon Perseleia's blessing with his cruelty as he proves that Achilles makes a better horse than a human. Due to his departure from Galia and anything remotely Roman till after the fall of the Empire, Phoebus does not recognize the layout of the now medieval city. He appeals to the previous rule of xenia by kindly asking the city guards for directions and taking their indifference to him calmly. Their lack of respect is forgotten instantly as Truth's eyes gaze at long last Loyalty, here named Esmeralda.

4) The reclaiming of the name Esmeralda

In the Ancient Greek era, emeralds were sacred to Artemis, the lady of the hunt and twin to Apollo. The connection was done because they were the same color as the woods she so loved. As such, emeralds were traditionally believed to provide protection in the woods, which is why Cleopatra purposefully gifted her most esteemed guests with them to show her sincere hospitality as well as her wealth. The Romans, however, did not wish for Diana to share anything with 'the seductress of Egypt', so they changed the stone's patronage from her to Venus. In Roman mythology, emeralds are then said to bolster fertility and were gifted as tokens of affection and/or fiery passion that could help couples conceive. Even so, a connection to Artemis remained by way of her twin Phoebus as emeralds were also believed to have healing properties (emphasized on the eyes as proven by the emerald lenses created to improve sight) and mystical properties that would aid clairvoyance. By the middle ages, it's romantic symbolism had shifted from Venus' fertility and passion to Apollo even further as mystics like Saint Hildegard commented how they were believed to provide truth among lovers as one could not lie about infidelity whilst holding an emerald per popular belief. By doing so the Christian population unknowingly removed themselves from the grasps of Love in favor of Truth and Loyalty together as they always should have been. The new meaning is reaffirmed in the character who is inspired by Perseleia. We see a further rejection of Roman times in her beautiful dark skin that Ovid considered 'the mark of the poor' and her healthy curves with voluminous black hair that are a far cry from the thin, blonde aesthetic considered a pillar of beauty by the Empire. Esmeralda is loyalty free from the shackles of Fides Nerio as she dances with her sisters' outcasts. Immediately, she is drawn to Phoebus and nods in harmless flirtation that she dare not allow to go farther knowing fully the nature of men.

[inmyheaddd]

gold rush - grayson hawthorne x reader

warnings: academic rivals not really to lovers/ friends to lovers, kissing, very fluffy wc: 1.7k masterlist

grayson hawthorne sat across from you in your biology class in your senior year. you’d known him—or of him—all the way through high school.

you two were practically the two top scorers in everything. 

you two would always cross paths; in class, award ceremonies, extracurriculars, anything academic-related, honestly.

but you two never really spoke though, up until now.

you always sort of hoped you’d be partnered up with him for something: an excuse to talk because you knew neither of you would speak to the other first. 

the opportunity finally arose when your biology teacher put you together for your end of semester project. 

you can’t lie, the first time you met in the library to do work was awkward. 

something about him always intrigued you, so you bit the bullet and tried to start a conversation.

his “strictly work” mode was boring, but once you two got into a flowing conversation, he quickly warmed up, and his eyes looked much more inviting than they did 20 minutes ago.

“sometimes i geniuenly can’t understand what he’s saying with that accent of his, i think we need a scottish translator in the class,” you said with a soft laugh. 

you two had been sitting in the library for around 30 minutes now, with no work done. 

you didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone by talking, it was just you two in the whole place.

he chuckled at what you said and you felt your stomach do a backflip when you saw dimples flash for a split second. 

he had dimples. god, could he get any cuter? 

“i much preferred our teacher last year, miss hawkins”

a smile found your face, “oh my god, yes, she was the sweetest!” you put a hand on your chest, almost in awe, thinking one of the best teachers you had. 

“she’d always round up my scores and talk about students and teachers with me when i’d finish my work.” you couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of gossiping with your 30-year-old biology teacher at her desk.

“so that's what you two were always doing.” a smile stretched across his face, then he continued, tilting his head to the side slightly and furrowing his brows, “isn’t that… somewhat illegal?” 

“hey, it gave me motivation to finish early. let me live.” 

he shrugged, “i’m not telling.” he made that sound like a challenge.

“so you won’t let any underlying jealousy from me being biology student of the year get in the way?” you teased him right back.

“oh i’m not jealous, believe me.” you raised your eyebrows at that, and he spoke again with a grin. “you just told me half of it was because miss hawkins would round your grades.” 

your mouth fell open. “okay, yeah by like one percent!” you crossed your arms over your chest. “there’s no need to be rude here.” you leaned back in your chair, like you were truly appalled. 

grayson saw right through you, and after 2 seconds of staring at each other in silence with your lips twitching upwards, you two fell into a fit of laughter. 

when you two recovered, he spoke again, “you did deserve it, though. you’d be the only one answering questions in class half the time.” he said, looking in your eyes deeply, reminiscing on times that seemed so far away now. 

“don’t count yourself out, hawthorne. you were like the only person who took that class seriously.” 

“apart from you?” he finished your unsaid thought with a tiny grin on his face.

“yeah,” a smile formed on your face, “apart from me.” 

an hour later, still, with no work done, you were talking about books.

he was a nonfiction and classics reader. and you, well, you were definitely not. 

“okay, why don’t you read little women then? it’s also a classic, but it's not boring.” 

“actually, now that you mention it, i have had my eye on it for a while.” 

he said that so calmly, if only he knew how much his rating just went up in your head.

“well if you want, i could lend it to you, i have an extra copy.” you both knew he was very capable of getting his own copy, but this way, it felt like you were actually building some sort of relationship together.

“that would be nice, thankyou.” he smiled once again, and it was like your face mirrored everything he did.

you glanced down from your notebook to him and, then back to your empty notebook and laptop that was now turned off in realization.

you two hadn’t written a single word down.

he was watching you, and you tilted your head back up. “oh my god, we haven’t done a single thing.” 

it was honestly kind of funny, or maybe, everything seemed to be funny right now with grayson. you had that, airy, light, and giddy feeling. 

you were surprised you weren’t giggling at every word he said like a mad woman. 

he shrugged, humming slightly in disagreement before speaking. “i’ve gotten to know you, that’s more important to me.” 

oh. 

okay. just act normal. be chill about it.

“oh, yeah, it’s nice to get to know you too.” 

you were 99% sure your face was the colour of your red school tie.

he smiled at you, and his dimples you saw flash earlier were on full display now.

“we should get some work done, then?” he suggested, after a beat of silence and ever so slightly awkward eye contact, putting you out of your misery. 

“yeah, we probably should.” you let out a nervous chuckle.

grayson thought he made you uncomfortable with that. he’s actually known you for less than a day; how did he even let that thought slip out? he was never like this.

the next time you met in the same library, you brought your little women copy. you honestly forgot about it because you fell into conversation so quickly, but soon enough it was pinging in the back of your mind, and you told grayson.

“you really didn’t have to, thankyou.” you heard the smile in his voice as you looked through your bag to get the book. “i wanted to,” you replied, as you handed him the book. 

his gaze caught yours with a smile, and then he was flicking through the book. 

‘you annotate?” his eyes sparked with interest, and he was hoping the way he was so totally enamored with you wasn’t so obvious on the outside.

“oh,” how did you forget that you wrote inside of that copy? “yeah, nothing really special, just thoughts or whatever.” 

“that’s good, it’ll be like you’re there reading with me.” 

“yeah,” your cheeks were heating up, and then he looked down at the book in his hand before looking up and asking another question. “would you mind if i wrote in it as well?” 

oh my god. 

“no, no, of course not!” good thing you didn’t sound too eager… 

“i mean, i’d love to see what you think about it.” and if it was possible, he smiled deeper, flashing his dimples that you’ve quickly grown to love. 

once you both handed in your project, he decided to ask you out on a “celebration” date. just two friends hanging out. nothing special!

you arrived at the coffee shop 15 minutes early, only to find grayson already sitting there. 

your heart fluttered as he looked up and caught your eyes. he did a small wave, and smiled at you.

“hey,” you said as you sat down, scooting in your chair closer to the table.

“hi,” he did a once-over on you, and he realized this was the first time he was really seeing you outside of anything school related. “you look lovely,” he spoke his thoughts out loud.

“thank you,” you added, “you don’t look too bad yourself.”

he chuckled, “thank you.” 

you fell into comfortable conversation, and 20 minutes later, you were both done with your drinks. iced coffee for you, black coffee for grayson. the weather was perfect, and he suggested a little walk, you couldn’t think of a better idea. 

a waiter came to your table for the tab, and you reached in your bag. “please, let me,” grayson interjected, and gave you a look that left no room for argument.

you thanked him and smiled, leaning back into your seat as he paid, knowing damn well the only things you brought with you were your phone, gum, and lipgloss. 

as you both stepped outside, the warm sunlight bathed the streets in a golden hue. you and grayson strolled down the sidewalk, making light conversation and sharing stories. you found yourself leaning into his side, subconsciously wanting to be closer to him.

“i have to admit, i’m really enjoying little women,” he said, glancing at you with a smile. “your annotations make it even better.”

“i’m glad you like it, it’s one of my favorites.” you replied, feeling your cheeks warm again.

after a few moments of comfortable silence, grayson turned to you, looking thoughtful. “you know, i’ve really enjoyed getting to know you these past few weeks. i wish we had done this sooner.”

“yeah, me too, i've been having a lot of fun." you said softly, meeting his gaze.

grayson smiled, and his hand brushed against yours. “i’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he began, coming off as hesitant for the first time in his life. “would you like to go out on a proper date sometime?”

you heart skipped a beat, and a smile spread across your face. “i’d love that.”

relief washed over his features, and his dimples were starting to make an appearance again. “are you available this saturday?”

you felt as if your words would fail you with the excitement you felt bubbling up in your stomach, so you simply nodded, mutters a small, “yeah, i am.” with a nod.

grayson was already thinking about all the places he’d take you and what you’d enjoy; he was going to make the most out of it. 

as you continued your walk, he reached for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. the simple gesture alone made your heart soar.

“you know,” grayson said with a playful glint in his eye, “i never got to tell you my favorite part of the book.”

“oh?” you asked, slightly curious.

“it’s the little hearts you draw next to your favorite quotes,” he confessed, a hint of a blush on his cheeks. “i think it’s endearing.”

you laughed softly. “i didn’t realize you’d notice that.”

grayson slowed down his walking, coming to a stop and looking at you. “ i notice a lot of things about you.”

you felt your heart drop, like there was a whole zoo in your stomach. you felt yourself lean in, but you barely even registered it. you hesitated, unsure of how to respond, and he gently closed the distance and kissed you, his touch soft and unexpected. it was a brief, sweet kiss that made you feel like you were floating. 

when he pulled away, you both were smiling. 

you’d never get tired of those goddamn dimples.

[pomegranate-fawn]

Weekly Update: W O W

Hello…as mentioned last week I decided to wait until Monday to write and post this as yesterday as my graduation ceremony! I have a lot of big feelings about this week, while I always attempt to find the perfect word to use when it comes to explaining my emotions, I am at a loss for words this time. Nothing more than WOW works, just wow. Let’s start from the beginning of the week though! The build up if you will!

First…I figured out Rainmeter! Kinda! I wanna play around with it more so I can make my own theme, the current one I’m using is by heavenaid on Deviantart! I wanna make my own themes soon like a Black Butler one or a Wolf’s Rain one! That would be so much fun! I also added all my music to my media player so I just listen to that when I’m on the computer instead of streaming, I know it might sound weird to not want technological distractions while I’m on the computer but I just want to go with the flow of music more rather than scrolling until I find the one song I want! Plus I mainly just write on the computer now since I’m done with my bachelors program.

Recently I’ve been replaying Fire Emblem: Awakening! While this game is very nostalgic and fun my biggest critique will always be its length. It’s so fucking short 😭. Like I understand they believed this would be the last fire emblem game so they were on a bit of a tight schedule but it makes me so sad that it’s such a short game especially in comparison to other fire emblem games that would come after. I love Awakening cause of the gameplay and characters, while Fates has similar gameplay I’m not nearly as attached to the characters there! Shadows of Valentia is incredible and I adore the characters but it’s marginally more complex than either game so it’s not something I can casually play like awakening. I also think a longer game could have made the story far more engaging but I am very happy Awakening exists in any capacity…

Tuesday was my final day of class and it was very emotional. It was my queer studies class and everyone was really sad it was over…while I was emotional I was a bit relieved. I loved the class but I always felt like I was out of place there. I don’t know, I put a lot of work into making connections with others even if they’ll only last a semester but I feel like people look at me like I’m a freak. Like yeah I am really weird but I don’t walk up to people and start infodumping about yaoi!!! I swear it!!! But anyways since it was my last day of class my mom and I went to a bakery we like called 85 degrees. She got a Vietnamese coffee and I got a matcha latte…we ended up trading our drinks since I didn’t like the matcha and she didn’t like the Vietnamese coffee.

But even more importantly, on my final day on campus as a student, I ran into one of my best friends…EINSTEIN!!! CSUN has a feral cat colony, all the cats are TNR (trap, neutered/spayed, released) and most of them are incredible friendly. Einstein was my favorite and he’d always greet me after every class. But this semester I hadn’t seen him once and most people I mentioned him to either didn’t know him or said he may have passed on. Einstein is an older cat so I wasn’t surprised if he did pass on…but as I was exiting Maple Hall, there he was. Sitting there and receiving tons of attention from my classmates only to immediately move from them and come over to me when he saw me. It breaks my heart that I’ll never see him again, I gave him a ton of pets and hugged him, then when I said goodbye and started walking back to my car…HE STARTED FOLLOWING ME! I was a bit surprised so I stopped walking, thinking that he was just walking in the same direction. But nope! He was escorting me back to my car! I legit started crying over that, while it was beyond tempting to grab him and take him home I held myself back. Einstein is feral, while he’s super friendly he wouldn’t enjoy living inside, he’s taken care of wonderfully by the CSUN staff and students alike. He’s ten years old but I know that old timer has a lot more life in him. Thank you for giving me such a send off, Einstein!

Now let’s jump from Tuesday to the weekend…it was my third year anniversary with @diced-sugar this Saturday…she’s incredible, everything about her makes my heart skip, I cry when I can’t be around her because she makes my life so much better just by existing in it. I love her with my entire soul, I’m not really religious but I know we’ve met before, in another lifetime, since the beginning of time we’ve been interlinked. We were the two atoms that made contact and started this whole mess, we were once Indohyus’s together, deciding that land was too scary and returning to the sea together. We’ve been cats sunning under the pantheon and wolves running through the Sequoias and now we exist as two girls who love using tumblr and talking about yaoi. I wouldn’t want any other partner in this lifetime or the next. Thank you for being my girl, Miranda. We got these cutesy ass boba drinks together…look at em…

Literally the day after my incredible anniversary was my graduation. Oh my god it was a lot, very stressful…but I did it. I’m officially a CSUN graduate and I have a BA in English Literature!!! When I first got to campus I was not feeling well and honestly I wouldn’t be for the entire day until after the grad ceremony. It wasn’t even nerves I was just starting my period and hadn’t had any water since 12 and the last food I ate in the morning was a croissant. It wasn’t even like those huge ones that Costco sells it was an average sized croissant. But I ran into my friend Megan at the ceremony so we sat together! And before I met up with my gf and her mom I saw this critter! So cute!

They tried to take a cute drone video of the graduates but they fucking flew the drone into a tree. It wasn’t even windy, I have no idea how they managed to do that but they did. It felt very on brand. CSUN is an incredible institution but little mishaps like that are always fucking happening, everyone in my row was having a great time laughing at the drone, myself included. I don’t have any photos of myself in my cap and gown but I already know I didn’t look good! And that’s okay, I practically tore that stuff off when I got to the car. My girlfriend and her mom immediately went home since they were tired but my mom, my godmother, and I went out to Korean bbq. It was delicious and I ate way more than I normally ever do at KBBQ. But at one point they brought us out a frozen steak and I was so tired that I just started laughing at the absurdity of it. They did come back and apologized about the frozen steak and offered us free alcohol so we now have a bottle of peach soju in the house lol.

On the drive home I was so exhausted and cramps were starting up so I coped in the only way I knew how, music. Wolf’s Rain isn’t on my iPod yet so I’ll be adding it today actually! I love the OST so much…but instead I just kept listening to Are One until I felt sickkkkkkk. Then I kept scrolling through songs, determined to not fall asleep in the car! And I succeeded! I didn’t want to fall asleep since I had contacts in 🥲

This week has been a lot, I’m typing this in bed while drinking green tea, I’m gonna brew myself another cup of it in just a minute since green tea and raspberry tea help with cramps, but I don’t want raspberry tea yet. My cat Sasha has cuddled me a bunch this morning and I’m holding onto my Chococat plush while I lay here…it feels so surreal that I’m a graduate now. I’ve suffered from BPD my whole life and it’s often been the cause of my depression, my depression has been so bad at times that I never thought I’d make it to this day, I have passed so many milestones I thought I’d never reach because I planned to be dead by the time they rolled around. I’m not going to act like I’m healed or no longer feel miserable, but I feel slightly better each time I pass such a big event in my life. Later this year I’ll be reaching another incredible milestone, making it to 23 years old, yaoi Jesus’s age! In all seriousness I didn’t think I’d make it past 18, let alone to 23. It’s scary when you’ve lived like this, you feel lost when you do make it to the next milestone, but I know I’ll be okay. I have a good feeling about it.

Now…let’s talk music and videos! YEAAAAAAAAH!

I have been obsessed with the Wolf’s Rain OST ever since I started rewatching the show with my girlfriend. It’s fucking incredible. While I listen to all the songs a lot and I rlly love the intro song, Stray, I wanted to highlight the second track in Wolf’s Rain, Rakuen. It’s so cute and romantic and hopeful, it’s actually fantastic.

Next is another track from Wolf’s Rain…my little flower. So because I’m a NERD I told my gf I want at least one silly nerdy song played at our wedding, while I think we both still want Crystalline by Kanako Itou, I’d be really happy with my little flower as a song to play for a slow dance or waltz…it’s so cute and romantic and it reminds me of Miranda cause she’s a pretty little flower I want to protect.

Three songs cause it’s been a big week! I have fully returned to loving Black Butler even if it means sighing or rubbing my head every time something stupid or really weird happens. I think Yana Toboso is such an interesting lady…but I really love the newest intro for the Emerald Witch Arc! It’s really addicting but imo it’s the type of song that grows on you. The first time I heard it I was like “eh it’s fine” and now I’m like “this is the best song ever!”

I watched so many videos this week but this one by Broey Deschanel stood out to me. I really didn’t like Saltburn and felt like it was more style over substance but even then that’s a generous statement. It’s style looks catered towards Pinterest boards and while of course some of my favorite films are heavily aesthetic (Moulin Rouge is literally a feast for the eyes and one of the most aesthetically pleasing movies I’ve ever seen but I feel that it’s so aesthetic that it becomes campy), but Saltburn felt like it saw stills from Euphoria and decided it wanted to be plastered on a teenagers wall next to an image of Jules and Rue in bisexual lighting. But most people I’ve talked to regarding the film really liked it, I felt a bit like I was being a Debby downer but seeing others critique it did make me feel less insane about thinking it was mid! This video by Deschanel not only goes into why the aesthetics of the movie fail but also how the “homoerotism” is surface level and nothing more, done for aesthetics rather than meaningful commentary.

[magnus-sm-writes]

WIP Re-Intro: Lessons in Humanity from a Future Physicist

Genre: Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age | Status: Rewriting | Playlist | Pinterest

Way back in the day—I think on my old account, which I lost the password and the email for—, I wrote a WIP intro for Lessons in Humanity from a Future Physicist. Looking back, it’s not up to the standards that I hold now, which is a sign that things have changed for the better. Things have also changed since then. 

Lessons in Humanity is my oldest work. This year, it turns ten years old. That’s older than 3/4 of my sister’s kids, older than my relationship, and older than even my own name. It’s crazy to think that I’ve been writing this book for almost half of my life, and crazier still that I keep changing things about it. These are characters I made when I was a lonely, angsty tweenager who was feeling weird things about my gender and place in the world.

The first draft of Lessons in Humanity, which was called We’re All Dead After All, was a disaster of depression that honestly concerns me, looking back at it. I was deeply sad at this time. Things have vastly improved since then, though I still do like a tragic story every now and then.

It’s no longer a story drenched in my own pre-teen depression; it’s a story about growing up and changing. I think that’s what makes it so personal to me; that I’ve been changing things about it as I’ve grown up and changed.

Lessons in Humanity is about Kam Suzuki and his best friend Zach Amsel as they begin their first semester at Miami University (in Oxford, Ohio). While there, Kam has a difficult time adjusting to the change and finds himself crumbling under the weight of some issues he has yet to deal with. 

A more literal way to put it is: Kam experiences the absolute Hell I went through (mentally) when I graduated university.

It’s more of a literary fiction character study than something with a big, overarching plot. Think My Year of Rest and Relaxation literary fiction versus The Secret History literary fiction. Nothing big and grand happens in it. It’s a quiet story about a guy slowly wearing himself into nothing and then building himself back up (with the help of his friends). There’s a romantic subplot that I only ended up adding because it felt natural.

I think what makes Lessons in Humanity so important to me isn’t just that I’ve been working on it for almost half my life. It’s also that, whenever I go through a difficult time of change, I come back to it. Case in point: I’m writing this update right now because, in six weeks, the American branch of my company will lay us all off. Lessons in Humanity brings me comfort when I feel directionless because Kam feels the same way. Dare I call it my comfort work.

As a (likely-autistic) trans guy myself, Kam was me before I was even me. For all the time I’ve been writing him, Kam has been a way to understand myself and the things I felt. Of course he’s like me. 

My biggest hope with this book is that it does for others what it’s been doing for me. I love Lessons in Humanity when I’m feeling unsure and afraid of change. If it can comfort other people in those times—or any other time—, then I consider it to be a success, no matter what. The idea of Lessons in Humanity from a Future Physicist being someone’s comfort book makes me want to cry.

I haven’t done a full rewrite of Lessons in Humanity since 2020. Since then, I’ve gone to university and gotten (part) of the full experience, and I’m going to add quite a bit of realism to what wasn’t accurate before.

(My husband and I are going to go on a small trip to Oxford, Ohio in October once the layoffs are finished so I can get a little bit of a refresher on the town. I haven’t been in two years, and that was back when I was doing Doordash.)

Kam Suzuki

One of my first ever queer characters, Kam will always hold a dear place in my heart. It’s not that much of a joke when I say that Kam is my self-insert character. When you list out our traits, we look almost the same. And yet, I do take some steps to make Kam a little different from me. I take aspects of people in my life that I love (which I do for all of my characters) that are far different from me and put them in him.

Despite being obsessed with his physical fitness, Kam is someone who doesn’t deal with his problems. He locks them in his chest and lets them claw away at him until he can’t stand it anymore. Unfortunately, that happens to him during the events of Lessons in Humanity. There’s some stuff he’s been holding in for far too long, like his trauma from walking in on his twin brother’s suicide attempt, along with his general hatred of things changing and fear of abandonment. 

Kam’s lifelong dream is to work for NASA. He’s been obsessed with space and science since he was a small child, so of course, he’s a Physics major. He’s also the type of person who works himself to the bone for success. (In this way, we are the same.)

Zach Amsel

Something I love about Zach is that it feels like he’s the other part of me. What Kam didn’t get, it seems like Zach got. Zamsel is the type of indie soft boy that I easily catch crushes for, with my “anxious but slutty bisexual” energy and unruly curly hair.

When it comes to Zamsel, I would just like to say: his playlist is composed of a lot of The Front Bottoms. He’s a sad boy who gets into a lot of bad situations with toxic romantic partners that take advantage of him. While I’ve changed the timeline of a couple relationships of his, the fact that he’s willing to get with almost anyone who shows interest in him is equal parts depressing and frustrating. For both everyone in the novel and myself. 

Bad taste aside, Zamsel is a sweet guy with an incredible competitive streak. He and Kam have been competing with each other for years now, and they still push each other towards success.

Nikki Espinosa-Jasso

Nikki is a Mechanical Engineering student who shares an art class with Kam and Zamsel. She’s a year older and wiser, a bit jaded, and overall, a little abrasive on the surface, but she has a heart of gold. I think we’ve all met a person like her. Her main love languages are acts of service and getting food together.

She’s receiving what is pretty much a total overhaul. Where she used to be a quasi-mother figure to Kam and Zach, I’ve decided to make her a little more feral and a lot less maternal. Nikki needs to be a more interesting person outside of the boys.

Vic Suzuki

Kam’s brother who is still in high school since he didn’t skip a grade when Kam did. When I first created him, he was your typical 2014-era emo, which has now become a 2024 Tiktok alt boy, I guess. Blue hair, lots of piercings, black hoodies under leather jackets, bold tattoos, bisexuality. He was my gender goal when I created him, and honestly, I’m pretty damn close to it right now.

In the past, Vic was depressed to the point of attempting suicide, which Kam walked in on and was traumatized by. Vic doesn’t know this. He’s gotten better since then, and has far better coping mechanisms. Honestly, he has some of the best mental health in the book, which is a huge change from how he was in WADAA. 

He has goals now (that don’t include being dead). Vic is trying to line up a tattoo apprenticeship when he graduates high school. 

Gerard Shimmish

Kicked out of his parent’s house for being gay, Gerard has been living with the Suzuki family for about a year and a half. He’s Vic’s boyfriend and best friend, and a general ray of sunshine. We don’t see as much of Gerard as we did in WADAA, which is a shame. Gerard is a character I pour a lot of my optimism into.

His big thing is helping people. He wants to be a social worker or a psychiatrist. Something where he works with LGBT youth like himself. 

He’s getting some minor character edits to make him a little more interesting, but overall, I think Gerard’s a sweetheart. I might borrow some traits from my husband to give him some more depth.

Tag List

@aritany, @reininginthefirewriting

Ask to be added to the tag list!

[theycallmebun]

kuroo the kemist

alternative title: to question or not to question

kuroo tetsuro x fem! reader

w/c: 1570+

genre: fluff

warnings: none:)

summary: kuroo is a scientist and he questions everything. y/n comes along and he thinks he's found the one thing he doesn't need to question.

as a self-proclaimed scientist, it is only second nature that kuroo questions absolutely everything. when he was a kid, his parents would never hear the end of it, him always asking what’s this or what’s that. and why was that that and why was this this. 

when he grew older, his consistent questioning was passed on to his teachers and professors. he was dying to get to the very core of amphoterism– “reactivity of a substance with both acids and bases, acting as an acid in the presence of a base and as a base in the presence of an acid” (Britanicca). As the courses he was taking advanced, his questioning became more intense as there were so many more things being covered.

kuroo’s passion for the subject is one of the many things that led you to fall for him. you also knew it was a great excuse to get to spend time with him, asking him to tutor you and help you study for the next midterm! 

when you first worked up the courage to ask him to help you with the prelab assignment, he was elated to work on it with you, because it wouldn’t really be work for him now would it? kuroo was also excited to help the cute girl who sat behind him… 

he remembers how it happened like it was yesterday. 

.•° ✿ °•.

you tapped on his shoulder after the professor dismissed you guys after lecture, and when he turned around to face you, your eyes were filled with determination. 

“excuse me, kuroo-san, but i was wondering if you could help me with the prelab assignment before our next class? if you can’t–”

“i would love to, y/n!” he answers immediately. “are you free right now? i’m done with all my classes for today and i was on my way to the library.”

“yes, now is perfect,” you respond. 

you were only shy for a short while because he was that easy to be around. he never made you feel bad about not knowing certain things, and was able to explain them to you in ways that were never demeaning. when the assignment was finished and it was time to wait until the next class to see him, he asked you for your number. 

“if you’re comfortable, i would love to exchange numbers. i had a lot of fun doing this and i would love to help you with more chemistry assignments if you ever need,” he whispered to you.  

you hastily pulled out your phone from your back pocket to hand to him to put in his number. he typed in his contact information and shot himself a text so he could save your number in his phone. 

from: maybe y/n

-this is y/n!

“got it,” he announced. then he saved your number from there. 

after your session in the library, he was nice enough to walk you home after, considering it had gotten so dark and he didn’t want anything bad happening to you. it made the butterflies in your stomach go off like crazy. on the walk back to your place, the two of you were able to get to know each other more, asking the questions you do when you want to get to know someone. from what you learned, he also has a deep affinity for volleyball, dare i say deeper than his affinity for chemistry. you also learn about the friends he has made through volleyball, his favorite color, his favorite animal, and probably a lot of his other favorite things. he could say that he learned a lot about you, too. about how you had to talk chemistry this semester to fulfill a general requirement which is why you struggle the most in that class out of all of them. some other things to list that he’d learned about you were your passion for music even though you weren’t pursuing it, your favorite color, animal, and more of your favorite things. 

the both of you found yourselves sad when the walk to your house was over and wished it could have been a little longer. 

“thank you so much for your help today, kuroo-san. i really appreciate it,” you told him with utmost sincerity. 

“any time, y/n. let me know if you ever need help with anything else and i’ll be glad to.”

once you bid your ‘goodbye’s, you hoped and prayed you would need help with next week’s prelab assignment.   

lo and behold, not only the prelab assignment was a challenge, but the weekly writing assignment almost felt foreign to you. there was no way you could do this without kuroo’s help. 

to: kuroo tetsuro

-so sorry to bother you but can you help me with the prelab assignment again? 

from: kuroo tetsuro

-of course! how’s tuesday from 4pm-6pm?

to: kuroo tetsuro

-sounds good!

it kind of just took off from there. 

.•° ✿ °•.

over time, these study sessions became a weekly routine. every tuesday and thursday from four to six o’clock were dedicated hours to the two of you chalking it up about chemistry and whatever else came up. you became comfortable enough to give him updates about what was going on in your life and he did the same. like kuroo did everything, he questioned you. you liked being questioned because you felt like it meant that he cared. which wasn’t wrong. he really did care. 

why did you buy your chem notebook in red when science is the color green? what are you having for dinner later? do you have any more homework to do? how did you pick your major?... what are your plans this weekend? 

he would always ask that last question with hope, hoping you would say you had nothing to do and would die of boredom so then he could come rescue you from said boredom, because he knows you enjoy his company as much as he does yours. kuroo knew he was down bad when you told him you were busy, going out and doing all the other things college students do on weekends, and that response made him sad. made his tummy curl up in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable way. you are just so pretty, he knew for a fact that you could be swept up at any moment. and who knows, maybe you thought him a nerd for being so passionate about mostly chemistry. 

one faithful day, however, when he asked you what your plans were for the weekend, you gave the greatest answer of telling him you were doing absolutely nothing. not letting the opportunity pass itself by, he looks at you with determination, much like you did that one day you asked him for help, and said, 

“y/n.” 

“yes?”

“would you like to go out with me this weekend?” 

you could not believe your ears. mouth open, jaw on floor. 

“are you being serious,” you deadpanned. 

“the most serious i have ever been in my entire life, y/n.”

still shocked, jaw still on floor, you couldn’t help but stare at him for a minute or two… or five. 

“y/n?”

after blinking back into what’s the reality of kuroo tetsuro asking you out on a date, you give your answer.

“i would love to go out with you this weekend, kuroo-san.” 

now his mouth is open. jaw on floor because he cannot believe that you agreed to go out with him. after kind of just staring at each other for a little bit, he cleared his throat and was ready to speak again. 

“oh wow, ok, i did not prepare for this scenario to come this far,” curse him! “i can pick you up at your place on saturday at 5? does that sound good?” 

“ok,” you blush the tiniest bit, but kuroo picks up on the cutest shade of pink that lightly dusts your face. 

.•° ✿ °•.

after many a date, kuroo has come to learn many more things about you. he learns that your favorite flower changes with your mood– when you’re sad, you seek cosmos, when you’re happy, you seek dahlias, when you’re stressed, you seek poppies. he also learns that your favorite food changes with the weather, you’re always cold so he always carries another jacket, and a lot of other things that can’t bother to be listed by the author right now. 

when you guys had been dating for a few months, he learned that he loves you. probably always has and always will. after observing, he thinks you have learned to love him, too. he can feel it the way you gently caress the hand you’re holding on the walk back to your home. the way you text him “good morning” and “good night.” the way you still ask about chemistry even though you passed the godforsaken class and are not obligated to ever deal with it again. 

stopping in front of your door to drop you off, he guides your hand so that your bodies are facing one another and plants the softest kiss on your plush lips. the feeling still has you in shambles even though you guys have been kissing for almost as long as you have been dating. 

“i love you,” he confessed. 

“and i love you, tetsu’ ,” you return with ease. 

and that is the one thing kuroo will never need to question.

a/n: this spiraled so far, i am so sorry 💀

[therealvinelle]

trick or treat :3

You get a trick!

Behold, the original outline for the fic that @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin have been working on for the past three months, that has consumed our entire existence and made us cast aside all our other fics:

Start of the semester, Dippet gets up to introduce the new exchange student: Asgeir Thorstensen!

“He’s in Slytherin, but not because Slytherin’s for evil people. So he’s in Hufflepuff, where the socialists are. But he’s your roommate.” 

“What?”

“Have you heard of planned economy, Tom?”

“Well, Asgeir, let’s take a tour. Oh, you’re in every OWL class. That’s nice. Not sure how it’s possible, but that’s nice.”

No, no, he’s TA-ing because he’s actually done with the curriculum in every class.

“Then why are you here?”

Tom’s friends suddenly like Asgeir better

Tom loses standing in the Slug club, he’s just there to look beautiful now. No networking for you, Tom.

“Oh Tom, we made you a prefect before we knew Asgeir would be attending the school. Terribly sorry, but we can only have so many and would you mind handing over the badge?” “We’re not even in the same house!”

Asgeir introduces skiing to Hogwarts, they stop the Quidditch tournament and replace it with a ski race. Tom has to participate. Everybody laughs when he falls on his face.

Tom comes across a giant dead snake in the hallway. Myrtle’s dead body is next to it. It’s gross. On the wall is “Tom Riddle left this here and I am Tom Riddle”. Tom has to get rid of the evidence.

Asgeir comes to gloat. SO, CAN’T KILL MYRTLE NOW CAN YOU BECAUSE SHE’S ALREADY DEAD.

“The fuck is wrong with you”, Tom is convinced this guy is a Nazi 

Tom tries to tell his friends first, doesn’t work out. He then goes to Dumbledore, doesn’t work out

Lily point of view: her son Harry is terrible at school and it’s getting embarrassing

Lily ends up having to take care of the acromantula which, sadly, also eats Myrtle. Somehow. Some bloke named Tom Riddle is blamed for this. 

An American auror comes in, “I have a gun.” His name: John Magnum.

The Tom Riddle guy makes a scene when Magnum shows up, “you’re a fucking nazi, aren’t you? I know it!”

“No… but my gun eats nazis” the American says this while pulling out another gun from his coat. With each line delievery, he pulls out a new gun from an increasingly unlikely place (we’re at nostril holster by the end of this)

(Accidentally shoots Myrtle when the gun goes off during this conversation)

Lily decides to talk to this Tom Riddle guy, since the Myrtle Warren thing has been bothering her, can’t put her finger on why

“Have you ever tried leaving Hogwarts?”

They walk off the edge of the world and fall, until they land in the 21st century and in the middle of a wizardy lab.

The fic is called Asgeirs eventyr, which translates to Asgeir's Adventure. We have written 329707 words, and it's not done.

(And no, The Man Who Would Be King will not be updated until after Asgeir is done because the fics are now compliant with each other. We're playing with the idea of a crossover.)

[oopsiedaisiesbaby]

Very into the idea of sugar daddy/sugar baby au for either clegan or Curt/Ken.

Both intentional or unintentional. Like I think maybe John is younger, going to school, family can't help him pay for university and Gale has money due to his blue collar job, maybe they meet at a car or coffee shop or something and after a while John realizes that Gale has been paying for everything but when he tries to protest Gale insists that he wants to. That he would happily take care of the bills and John could read and paint and write all day to his heart's content

Or maybe more intentional. Maybe Ken seems out a sugar daddy through a service to pay for his mechanics training and that's how he meets Curt. He ends up being very, very attracted to his curt but they break it off after his schooling is done because there's no "reason" to keep it going and he doesn't think curt likes him back.

His first day working as a chief engineer for the air force this major walks in. It's Mr. Biddick, who saw him name on the sheet and was curious to see if it was the same Ken Lemmons from over a year ago

You have come to the right place 😈🤣

First thought… sugar baby!John and sugar daddy!Gale.

So, people can make stupid money in the oil field depending on the job and if I remember correctly Gale worked on rigs. So, Gale’s out here making more money than he ever thought possible with no one to spend it on because it’s just been him since he and Marge got divorced (amicably, we love Marge in this house).

They run into each other at a coffee shop and John is short on money for his so Gale pays and they get to talking and it’s like puzzle pieces fitting together instantly so John asks him out before he runs off to class and it’s like they’ve been married for 10 years on their first date, it feels so familiar.

Gale insists on paying for everything, will even subtly pay the bill when John’s gone to the bathroom at restaurants. Then after they’ve been dating for awhile, something like John’s car breaking down or something equally as expensive happens and John has to ask Gale for a loan but Gale insists he doesn’t have to pay him back, it was a gift.

John’s super uncomfortable at first and then he looks around his shitty little apartment at all of the clothes and items Gale has bought for him. Even his textbooks one semester because Gale went and looked at his book list and bought all of them for him. John realizes he’s been snipe sugar babied. He’s more okay with it than he expected because he knows Gale and knows it’s born from Gale just caring about him.

Gale is slightly horrified when John points out he’s essentially been a sugar daddy and has to sit in silence for a very long time and think about his life choices lol John cheers him up by telling him all the throngs he’s gonna buy Gale when he’s finally earning money after college.

Side note to all of this, John would be absolutely feral over Gale’s rough hands and terribly turned on (in theory) by Gale coming home filthy from the field. Until Gale finally lets him try something before he showers and John learns just how disgusting Gale actually gets at work… he still thinks it hot though, it’ll just have to stay a fantasy though 🤣 Also… imagine John convincing rough neck Gale to roleplay as a professor “because our age gap is perfect for it Buck” and Gale gives in because he always does but it’s so awkward they end up crying laughing. John definitely calls him daddy when he wants a reaction out of him at any given time.

Second thought… sugar baby!Ken with sugar daddy!Curt.

They absolutely start off as an arrangement that they both enjoy. John knew Curt needed arm candy for events and we’ll say Gale, the unintentional sugar baby for John this round, nominates his friend Ken as tribute in exchange for getting his school paid for.

Ken and Curt have zero qualms because they both find each other attractive, funny, and good company all around. They are both devastated when Ken graduates because they’ve both fallen in love by that point but refuse to believe the other loves them back despite John and Gale’s insistence.

I’m imagining Curt showing up at his graduation with farewell flowers and a gift and just 😭😭😭

So, when Ken shows up for his first day of work at his big boy job and sees Curt is his boss. He nearly faints because there’s no fucking way??? Later, when he can get a second of Curt’s time he makes a joke about HR and dicking down the boss. Without hesitation, Curt says he’ll convince HR to change the rules so that they can and they’re both just kind of eying each other like “are you saying what I think I want you to be saying?” until Ken admits it always meant more to him than a sugar arrangement and Curt agrees and resolves to get that rule changed by HR asap 😉

[reds-skull]

Hi I’m the work anon from earlier

Wow your revenant fic was amazing! I’m so glad I got to read it from start to finish and watch as your story grew and took shape

I adored Soap and Gaz’s friendship but I also adored how Ghost trusted and was friends with him too especially when he asked him for advice! 😭 (there’s so little of their friendship the fandom and it sucks ) Price was best dad and deserves all the hugs (and cigars for dealing with his sons squad every day) Rudy and Alejandro (and the vaqueros) were adorable and had the 141 backs from the start, they were ready to throw down! Grave’s got what he deserved I hated him in this fic so much (great job) he was such a smug smarmy bastard until the end. Farah and Alex were so sweet they were like the favourite cousins that got roped into the family drama (I still want Fahra to BITE shepherd you know as a treat!) Laswell knows things and is scary she will happily help people reach the find out portion of their fucking around.

The reapers were so cool!!!! Especially with how they combined I was not expecting that, was legit shooketh (I now imagine limbo as a pitch black ocean full of burning stars (I also have a couple questions regarding it I would like to asked later please?)) Soap’s reaper was warm and kind Ghost’s was cold and clinical together they’re so much more?!?! Like it’s poetic there the best version of themselves together (like ghoap)

Speaking of ghoap they’re so in love it’s sickening all I could imagine during the vows was Price “listening in” and then getting Laswell to hand the boys a bloody wedding certificate so sweet 😭

Thank you for putting in the time and effort to create something so beautiful for so many people have a lovely day or night you deserve a break after all of that hard work!

And with all my admiration fuck you for making me cry (again)

Hello work anon! Hope it went easy haha

I feel like there's a few versions of Ghost headcannons floating out there, one is basically "the man believes he's broken beyond repair, he doesn't think he's human, all he does is focus on work" and the other is "yeah he went through really fucked up shit, but he holds himself together pretty well, and while it's hard for him to find someone he trusts, the people close to him are priceless."

I like both versions, but this time I went for the latter. I love love love Ghost and Gaz as friends (mw4 please give me them interacting), and you can see that in my comics as well lol.

I made Graves such a little bitch that everyone hates from the start lmao.

I didn't plan for Rudy and Ghost to interact that much if I'm honest, but because Soap wasn't the POV and I wanted to have the Vaqueros more prominently in the story (it does take place mostly in Las Almas after all), Rudy's initial reaction to Ghost's mask was the perfect opening for a deeper friendship.

Farah and Alex weren't too active, if I make a sequel, I think I'll make it focused on the situation in Urzikstan. Farah deserves to take her own revenge and get her happy ending...

I love your description of Limbo, especially because I mentioned in the fic that Ghost loves seeing the stars, because it's the first thing he saw after he was Reaped (and now Soap created stars for him in the void).

I'd love to hear your questions!

Ghost and Soap, like someone else commented, are practically married on all levels beside legal lmao. I never planned for them to be so fuckin' whipped for each other tbh, like the vows at the start were not planned at all. I just looked up Celtic wedding vows, and it was literally so perfect for them ("I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One./I give ye my Spirit, ’til our Life shall be Done."? Couldn't fit more to their story), I just had to add it.

Thank you for reading and commenting! I wish this break was voluntary, but my semester is ending in 3 weeks and I have many projects to finish, so I have to prioritize that for a while T_T

[remimibanana]

OZ Comic Con Adelaide 2024 Report!

I had the wonderful opportunity of attending OZ Comic Con in Adelaide for the whole weekend with my good friend Pie (@piedivide!)!

It was a very fun weekend filled with so many things across both days that I have to write down before I forget!

I cosplayed Herta and Pie cosplayed Welt Yang, both from Honkai: Star Rail! These are our first cosplays for the year and we put in a lot of work into our wig styling, makeup and more!

All under the cut!

Day 1: Saturday

I woke up at 7am, ready to start preparing for the convention! I wanted to get there by 11am!

Admittedly, I struggled a lot more than I should have while doing so, which caused me to come around 12pm instead...

I was really busy throughout the whole week prior to the con trying to finish my assignments since it’s the end of the semester and uh…I didn’t have a chance to practice putting on the cosplay or my makeup before Day 1.

Not good, I know.

To make matters worse, a safety pin holding up the chain decided to break randomly behind the lock. I had to fix that somehow while trying to get everything to look right…

I managed at the end!

My mum helped me out with my makeup and putting on things! I couldn't have done it all without her.

Herta’s shoes were not comfortable at all to walk in since they have heels, but I decided to wear them until I arrived at the convention since it was a part of the cosplay! I wanted to show off the whole look to all!

(I paid a lot of money for them as well aha)

I slightly regretted that decision, since I wore the sneakers I brought with me for the whole entire con and the fact that my feet were hurting after walking for less than ten minutes. I think shoes are great for photos but some aren't practical to wear around all day....

Anyway!

I got to the station first and waited around for Pie to arrive once I gave them the signal...after I fixed my hat that fell off randomly that may or may not have taken 15 minutes….

Don’t ask. I’m sorry ;;

We decided that I would wait for him to come to the station since last time, they arrived at the same time as me. We also decided to wait until the con to see each other’s cosplays for the first time!

I remember seeing from afar the outline of Welt Yang on top of the escalators coming down towards me and immediately, I was filled with a sense of excitement! They kept coming closer and closer to me and I kept smiling like an absolute idiot.

Pie’s cosplay was so good, as I proceeded to say multiple times to his face! I especially loved the wig, they put a lot of effort into making it look amazing!

He totally blew my mind, in a good way! They were slaying Welt Yang and I hope he knows that!

To my surprise, Pie had not one but TWO things for me which made me very happy! I didn’t expect anything from them!

A Dan Heng headband and a Herta pin?! Thank you once again, Pie!!!

We headed to the convention via a train that takes us to the Adelaide Showgrounds directly! We didn’t see any cosplayers on the train, but we did see some as soon as we arrived!

In fact, a car stopped in the middle of driving as we were walking to the entrance and the people inside complimented our cosplays! It was the first time that sort of situation ever happened to us!

It felt so cool.

There were these Goddess Madoka and Demon Homura cosplayers that made me freak out so much upon seeing them in the distance since I'm a huge fan of PMMM.

Pie and I originally bought only Saturday passes since we initially were going to only attend Day 1 and then use Sunday as the day we took pictures and videos together. This changed when we saw that there was a Star Rail cosplay meetup at 11am on Day 2.

Of course, it was on the Sunday that we weren’t going to at an early time…I informed Pie of this as soon as I mentioned that the schedule was out for the convention.

If we knew beforehand, we would have bought a weekend pass in the first place. Unfortunately, the schedule came out with about a week until the con.

We were also worried we wouldn’t be able to buy tickets at the early bird prices if we waited. Perhaps, buying early isn’t a good idea at times...

After some quick deliberation on our parts, we decided to upgrade to Weekend passes! We couldn’t miss this chance to meet other cosplayers who also like HSR! We read online that we could do so at the front desk upon arriving at the convention on the FAQ.

That was our plan upon getting there, but it didn’t go as smoothly as we thought. The Help Desk was where we were directed to when we asked about upgrading them, but none of the people at the desk were able to help us.

We had to wait until another person came from their lunch break who knew how to do it. We wandered around for a little bit, coming back a few times to see the same people still at the desk. The person we needed came eventually and helped us both out without any trouble!

With our Weekend passes and the bands on us nice and secure, we could finally start our Day 1…once I went to the bathroom.

I had to take off my large black coat my mum kindly gave me and pack things away. I wanted a mirror so I could see how my wig was fairing and remove those Herta shoes.

It was a lovely thought from my mum, but I shouldn’t have brought it with me. It was so thick that it took all the space in my Fuwamoco tote bag I had with me despite how warm it was.

I also regretted bringing my backpack, especially with Herta’s long hair. It was such a hassle pulling it off and putting it on….I didn't even start the day and I already had so many regrets slowly piling up behind me.

We could NOW start our day!

We walked around mostly for Day 1, seeing what the convention had and admiring cosplays!

There were a lot of people everywhere!

There were scribble walls you could draw on freely and people truly did draw some amazing things….Dio Brando face Peppa wasn’t what I expected at all.

People complemented our cosplays and asked for photos! It made me so happy, it meant we were doing something right with them! We were going to buy prints for each other and take professional photos, but we decided to leave that for Day 2.

I saw this Void Drifter Kiana Kaslana figure and immediately freaked out since it was the first Honkai Impact 3rd related thing I ever saw!

It cost like $300 bucks, which I so would have bought if I didn't have to buy my next cosplay. The first photos I took of it were so shaky because I was too excited lol

I just was happy to see anything HI3.

Time to showcase all the amazing cosplayers I got photos with for Day 1! Thank you for taking a photo with me!

Wriothesley (@cypher_cosplay on Instagram) and Neuvillette (@edenzcosplay on Instagram)!!!!

Me looking like some kind of NPC because I didn’t know what pose to do 🧍‍♂️

Both of their cosplays look amazing! I was the first to notice Neuvillette, and then Pie noticed Wriothesley! Pie sort of walked straight up to them wanting a photo and I just followed along like a lost puppy haha

They were both very kind!

Kafka (@s.jn_jack on Instagram)!!!

It was them who came up to us first, saying how he liked our cosplay! Pie and I saw their cosplay while walking around and I remember being really happy seeing a Kafka cosplayer!

This was his first cosplay as they told us and they did amazing for their first time!!

Sparkle (@_.emmet._t on Instagram)!!!

I remember seeing her while walking and being happy that there was a Sparkle cosplayer here! There were many HSR cosplayers on Day 1 including us, much to my surprise!

Such a pretty cosplay, I absolutely love it! I feel like they captured the personality and idea of Sparkle so well!

Madoka and Homura (@sonickyx on Instagram)!!!!

These are the ones I saw when I got to the convention!

I wanted to take a photo with them but I was such a sissy that it took me forever to do so. I’ve never been good at asking for any photos since I'm a little shy, but I wanted to try!

Every time I attempted to, they seemed busy and I’d hate to interrupt anyone if they're doing something. It took way longer than it should have, but I did it at the end!

Their cosplays are so pretty!

...

If you can tell throughout these pictures…my wig was slowly falling off throughout the day. I didn’t even notice until I realised when we took some of the photos together with the cosplayers and I uh...couldn't really do anything about it then.

I was stupid and didn’t properly secure the wig cap or my wig, even though I was going to with bobby pins in the first place. Don’t be like me.

I thought it was going to stay in place ;;

It was one of the reasons why we left certain things like the photography to Day 2, although I felt bad because Pie seemed to really want to take photos, despite them reassuring me that it was okay.

Another was that I was a little unsatisfied with my makeup because I was too afraid of using my eyeliner I bought. I’ve never used it before that point and didn’t want to poke my eyes out before the convention. I wanted to take nice professional photos I could be proud of, you know?

Don't worry, I learnt my lesson for Day 2. Day 1 was like a trial day for me, which I wished wasn't the case but you live and learn! I was still happy with my cosplay overall!

After some more walking around, we felt like we did everything we could do and see for Day 1! We left at around 3:30pm and headed back to the city since we planned to do Karaoke at 6pm for two hours!

There was this little place I mentioned to Pie that I saw on Friday where they sold Katsudon that we could go to for food if they were open! It was in the station, in the underground pass that I always have walked through since I was a kid.

Pie and I went to check it out, but it was closed…Google said it would open at 5pm, so we wandered around Rundle Mall to pass the time in our wonderful cosplays. Walking around in cosplay while not at a convention is a scary experience.

People always stare at you no matter what and are probably silently judging you from afar. It wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be though, but that’s because I had the Welt Yang by my side. It's always better when you have a friend!

On the way to Rundle Mall, we got stopped by these two people who complemented our cosplays! It was sort of out of the blue, but it was very welcomed! Pie was the one who mostly talked to the both of them, I was sort of just there smiling and nodding.

We came back at 5pm….only to realise that Google is a liar and the restaurant is only open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We missed one of the signs literally in front of us that told us this fact….

At this point, everything was pretty much closed or about to close as well since it was the weekend. Why didn't they update Google with this vital piece of information?!

I blame Google for this mishap.

We headed back to Rundle Mall in defeat, and decided upon a place that sold sushi and various other foods! It was one of the places that were still open. I got Takoyaki, a Karrage Chicken Skewer and a Prawn Katsu Skewer! It was pretty good, although I wish there was more of it.

Pie got the same, but instead of the prawn he got a salt and pepper skewer. The person who served us was very kind and complemented our cosplays in fact!

So many complements, and it was only Day 1!

Once we ate, we had to wait around until the Karaoke place was open in the cold for a while. I was freezing since I didn’t put on my coat and Herta's outfit isn't that warm. I know I should have, but it would have been such a pain taking it out of the tote bag.

The Karaoke place opened earlier than expected actually once we started heading down there, so we went right in! We sang many songs, and it was loads of fun!

I had a whole list of songs that I prepared for this day, but I still struggled to choose what to sing....

If you ever sing karaoke with me, it will always take me forever to actually choose something as a warning. I feel like I don't know too many songs fully that well, so I always mess up aha

I think my favourite song I sang was Cyberangel! I love Bronya a lot and the song is an absolute banger!

I took off my wig and my wig cap in the middle of it all because it was about to fall off completely and I couldn’t handle it anymore. Once 8pm hit, that was it!

The whole time, I was holding a wig in my hands as I headed back home on the train. I took everything immediately off without even batting an eye as soon as I came home, brushing out my wig that became super messy.

I didn’t go to sleep until after midnight.

Day 2: Sunday

I woke up at 5:30am because of the meetup….the things we do for cosplay.

This time around, I knew what I was doing and was able to be ready by 9am!

Unlike Day 1, I did my makeup all by myself!

I managed to put on the eyeliner without getting any into my eye somehow and look decent! For someone who’s never done it before…it’s kind of incredible.

The whole time I was doing it, I called myself a tensai (genius) for being able to do this lmao

My mum told me how she managed to get eyeliner in her eye when she first started but it really wasn’t that hard…I think she tried to scare me off from doing this my whole life. Actually….my right eye is thicker than my left eye, but you can’t tell with my glasses for the most part.

For my wig, I pinned the absolute crap out of the wig cap and the wig itself. It may have been a bit overkill using every single bobby pin I had, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! It worked pretty well, if I do say so myself. It didn’t move at all, not once during the entire day even while I was outside.

Instead of packing my backpack like Day 1, I just packed everything into my tote bag! It was much easier to manage! I also wore a thinner jacket and put on my sneakers first! This whole setup worked way better for me.

This time around, Pie came to the station right away since we had to take a train that was about 10 minutes after when I would arrive in order to get to the convention by the time the meetup started. For the whole time, I was convinced that the train was coming at 10:27am and I wasn’t going to make it, but I was looking at the wrong schedule….

And then we were at the wrong platform too once I got there…

Point is, we found where we were meant to go and got onto the train when it came!

The train had some cosplayers this time around, so we felt right at home! It seemed like Sunday was the more popular day for the convention, which makes sense with more people being potentially free on this day.

Getting into the convention was easy since we had our weekend passes, one simple flash of our bands and we could waltz right in without any trouble!

We headed straight for the meetup area! It was at the very back of the convention area, near the bathrooms and food area filled with loads of tables and chairs.

To our surprise and confusion, there was no one really there for what was meant to be the HSR meetup. It was oddly empty, spare for a few random cosplayers. I saw a Silver Wolf cosplayer nearby, but that was the only other HSR cosplayer around. We definitely didn’t go to the wrong place since there was a whole sign there with the schedule…

We took a seat at a table, deciding to wait for more people to show up hopefully. I took off my jacket and Pie kindly put it in their tote bag since I had no space in mine…thank you again, Pie!

The Silver Wolf cosplayer ran straight up to us and asked for a photo right after we finished with all that!

I was so surprised, I didn’t expect for them to come to us so quickly wanting a photo!

They were so nice and kind! Their wig was amazing, it looked so accurate from the back!

And then an Aventurine cosplayer (@myki.cosplay on Instagram) came up to us as well, and we all took photos together! He looked amazing as well!

Me again with my NPC pose 🧍‍♂️

One of the staff members informed us that there was no meetup in fact, there were some others here earlier but they left for some reason. It was a bit disappointing to hear.

They then asked if they could take a photo of all of us for the convention, and we obliged of course! I think I stood like an NPC again because I had no pose ideas…I have no clue how it came out.

I suppose we shall find out!

Pie and I waited for a bit longer after that, to see if anyone else would appear. It sucked because we were excited for the meetup and the idea of meeting new people!

Alas…there was no more HSR cosplayers.

People kept coming and going, but we knew that it was all done. It felt like we got up early and came all this way for nothing. It was the only reason we came on Day 2…but we didn’t let that dampen anything!

After a while, we decided to continue our journey around the convention. Our main agenda was getting some food since we both skipped breakfast in favor of getting ready.

We passed by the Just Dance area, and I literally stopped in place at the sight in front of me. It took me less than a second to see them.

THERE WAS BRONYA AND SEELE COSPLAYERS RIGHT THERE. HONKAI IMPACT 3RD COSPLAYERS AT MY CONVENTION HUH??????????

ESPECIALLY TWO OF MY FAVOURITE OUTFITS FOR THEM????????

BRONSEELE?????

I didn’t expect to see any HI3 cosplayers since it isn’t as popular as Genshin or HSR unfortunately, so I freaked the heck out!

Pie freaked out too, more so for the Johnny and Gyro cosplayers from JoJo Part 7! They looked very cool, even though I only recognize them vaguely since I’ve seen them before online. They were waiting in line to do Just Dance, while the two of us just stared in awe while trying to process these sheer facts.

We decided to wait for them to finish, and then ask for a photo!

I know I’m not good at asking for them, but there was no way I could miss this chance. It was very fun watching Seele dance! Bronya was recording it all!

Seele (@vinfartsanji on Instagram) and Bronya (@s7kun4 on Instagram)!!!!

Johnny and Gyro (@sonickyx on Instagram) were the same cosplayers who did Madoka and Homura on Day 1!!!!

Pie was the one who asked for a photo of them all together first, then I asked for a picture with Bronya and Seele while Pie asked for Johnny and Gyro! I never felt so confident in my life, although I did stutter a bit.

I mentioned how I loved their Bronya and Seele cosplays and they were happy that I was a HI3 fan and that we needed more HI3 recognition and cosplays at conventions!

I absolutely agree with them! I’m going to cosplay HI3 at some point in the near future! If you can’t tell, I’m a bit of a HI3 fanatic who likes the game a little too much.

They were all very lovely and kind! I’m so glad they were here, and that we were able to see them!

I was over the moon, completely all because of their presence! Day 2 became my favourite day. And it kept only getting better!

We continued our walk around the convention, until we looped back around to the back where the meetup area was once more. There was a scribble wall nearby, where there were many people drawing whatever they wanted.

I saw a very familiar behind at the wall drawing, and I literally blurted out of nowhere:

“Is that…Elysia????”

She turned towards us a bit and I freaked out so much, it really was a Elysia cosplayer in her Flamechaser outfit! I already was so happy with Bronya and Seele, so I could have died there and then for real. I was winning so hard!!!

ELYSIA COSPLAYER AS WELL????? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS TREAT???????

ELYSIA AT MY ANIME CONVENTION RIGHT HERE????

My freaking out was cut a little short when a staff member, a lovely older lady, came up to us informing that we can take a marker and draw something as well. I took a purple one since I was Herta and purple is sort of her colour.

I continued my freaking out after she left, still in utter disbelief that there were THREE HI3 cosplayers here in this convention on this one day. I had to get a photo. It’s Elysia after all! One of my absolute favourites!

We waited until she finished her drawing, trying not to stare directly at her too weirdly. There was a short moment when we were just staring at each other after she finished, and I went up to her bravely since I had her attention.

I asked for a photo, and I told them her how much I Ioved her Elysia cosplay. That’s when she ran to her friend in utter happiness, so glad that someone recognized her!

I found it very adorable. I think it must feel amazing for someone to recognize who you are, especially if you're cosplaying from a fandom that isn't as popular (but it should be!!!).

Elysia (@_lumistar.cos on Instagram)!!!

I got a photo with her, copying the classic Elysia pose because I had no ideas for myself. Pie also got a photo as well! After that, I was so giddy that I couldn't stop thinking about it all! I felt like my life was complete, you know?

We went up to the scribble wall since we had those markers still in hand, and left a little doodle! I didn’t take any pictures of it, but I drew a small Herta!

Pie then found the lovely older lady who gave us the markers to return them, and we had a lovely conversation about how her daughter loves HSR and how even she was interested in playing the game!

She even asked for photos of us for her daughter when we told her who we were cosplaying! I remember she wanted just Pie at first since he was talking mostly with her but when I told her who I was cosplaying, she wanted a photo of me too!

Such a nice person, I hope her daughter likes the picture! I love kind people like this, it's always so nice to talk to them!

Finally, we went to get some food after a few little detours that were very welcomed.

We bought Chips on a Stick!

I’ve never actually had it before, someone let me try a little one time back in 2016 I think…?

It was very tasty, but very filling and it took a while to eat on my part because I'm a slow eater. Pie and I sat down in a little corner and talked while we ate about many things. We had a wonderful discussion about Welt Yang himself and how Pie was the reason I like Welt so much!

I think the way they liked Welt made me starting liking him too, especially since I had him in HSR from the Departure Warp back when I first played!

I think I liked him even more once I started diving into his HI3 lore while playing the game and the fact that he's the Herrscher of Reason! The Second Eruption and Alien Space manga are my favourite ones that HI3 has made because Welt is such a focus in both of them!

Welt is just...so cool.

We were near one of the entrances in fact, which gave us the chance to admire all the cosplayers that came by! Everyone looked amazing, it's impressive how much effort everyone goes to!

(Photography: @steamkittens)

Pie and I went for our professional photoshoot when I finished eating! There was a very long wait as there were many before us who were all in groups and all had to have individual shoots as well…

The cosplayers who did Wriothesley and Neuvillette on Day 1 came up to us during our time waiting and talked to us! I was so happy to see them again!

I put on my Herta shoes for this immediately, but my feet hurt by the time I finally got my photos after 30+ minutes of waiting…

Pain.

One of the main issues I had was that I simply had no clue about the poses or expressions I would do for the shoot. We had to do three of them as I learnt rather quickly, and I couldn’t even think of one real pose!

I’ve never been very good when other people take my photos I’ve noticed, I feel like I look so stupid sometimes aha…

NPC style….🧍‍♂️

It was a cool experience regardless! I’m glad I did try it out! It’s so cool how instant the photos are, they give you a QR code to scan to see all your photos!

I only liked two of the photographs at the end once I scanned the code after. I’ll definitely practice my poses and expressions for my next cosplay so I don’t run into this issue again!

(Photography: @steamkittens)

Pie’s photos came out amazing though! Their poses and expressions are so good, I don’t know how he does it.

Teach me, please.

We then went to buy prints for each other at the Artist Alley! It’s a tradition we always do for every convention! Pie went to the very back, while I started from the front of the alley. I walked through it all and stared at all the pretty art in an attempt to see which print I would buy them.

I knew I wanted something either from the Legend of Zelda, Persona or Welt Yang himself since he likes all of those! Fun fact, I literally was right next to Pie at one point, I saw them and immediately tried to lean in and blend in with the crowd lmao

I actually ran into the Aventurine cosplayer from earlier at one of the stands! I thought they were selling, but in fact they were helping out and there was a lot of cool art there! We had a little chat before I awkwardly walked away like I always do in these situations, I'm no good at these sorts of things aha

I saw a perfect Welt Yang print, but it didn’t come in A3 unfortunately……..I was even waiting around for the artist to come back from their break…….

We usually get A3 prints for one another, so I didn’t know if Pie would be okay with it or not. I probably should have asked but I didn’t think I’d run into such a situation….

But I did find a really pretty Link print! That's what I bought for them at the end! Pie really liked it, so I’m really happy!!!

They bought me a Pearlina print with their Final Fest outfits and I absolutely love it, you have no idea! Thank you again, Pie!!!!

I already put it up on my wall, hehe.

The only issue with all this was that none of us had a bag for our posters, the stands we went to ran out of them.

Pie was able to roll it up and put it in his tote bag, but I didn’t have that luxury without bending the print. I was going to carry it around and hope for the best, but they said we should try asking for a bag from another stand.

We waited around at one, but I decided to buy myself a print so I could get a bag. It was easier than waiting around, and there was always the possibility that any artist wouldn’t want to give one away since it was theirs.

I got a Gawr Gura print! It’s so cute!!

I was going to do Just Dance, but I didn’t feel like doing it by the end, nor was I as thrilled about the fact that there would be so many people watching you dance and that they don’t even give you a Joy-Con so you can actually play the game properly.

How will anyone see the 5 stars I can get easily because I’ve played too much Just Dance in my lifetime?

I decided that I’d dance next time!

With that, we decided that it was time to leave. We did everything we wanted at the convention for Day 2, but it wasn’t over just yet! As we were about to leave through the gate, a cosplayer rushed after us wanting a photo. We could hear footsteps behind us, and we turned back to see them!

Pie managed to convince this old guy to go to the convention actually as we were walking back to the station lol

Heading back to the city, we went to Rundle Mall once again! This time around, we didn't even care that we were in cosplay. We became totally desensitized to it all.

We entered the Adelaide Arcade since we were looking for some food to eat, but we actually took some photos from one of the bridges on the second floor! It was Pie’s idea, and it was pretty fun! I don’t usually go up there so it’s a fun excuse to.

We also went to the Million-Life Arcade and took some pictures there!

Once again, curtesy of Pie. I like their picture because it looks like Welt is really going through it for this one plushie lol

At the end, we decided to have some Hungry Jacks (Burger King as others may know it as) to eat since we wanted something on the cheaper side. We wrote our character names for the order since we were in cosplay, but I forgot to take a photo of mine...

Seeing Joachim and Herta on the order screen was such an amazing sight, although no one probably knew who were were. They actually called out Herta's name, which was so cool. I wonder if any of the employees knew who we were.

I got a Whopper, it was so worth the $11 in my opinion (although it is a lot).

We headed to the Botanic Gardens to take some photos and videos!

It’s a huge garden that has so many places you can walk to and get lost in all the nature! Pie thought it would be the best place since we couldn't bother anyone there with our pictures. I don't get to go there very often, so I was happy we were!

That was the issue, however.

We wanted to find a secluded place with some solid ground where we could set up my tripod and record some short videos, which was way easier said than done aha

There were always people or something that ruined perfect spots for us, which only caused us to waste precious time since the Botanic Gardens were closing in about an hour and a half-ish....?

We actually entered a building that was apparently closed but we were able to enter regardless because someone else entered before us and we assumed we could go in as well...there was this lady who told us something in regards to leaving as we walked but we didn’t really hear her aha

We're breaking the rules in cosplay. Hell yeah.

Eventually, we settled on a place right in front of this greenhouse and we recorded some fun videos! We had a whole list, but we weren't able to get through them all unfortunately. I got to hit Pie with the Star of Eden actually, that was pretty fun! I was afraid of hitting him too hard but they said it was fine.

I also kept messing up this one sound that it was unfunny, I think we did it about four times before we got a decent one aha

Next time, we are taking way more videos! I guarantee we will for our next cosplays!

Pie and I packed up the tripod once we were told the Botanic Gardens were about to close by one of the workers and headed back to where the karaoke place was, since we were going to do karaoke again! We were debating if we should or not, but ultimately decided to!

There was a photo studio we were thinking of going to before karaoke, but it was closed when we got there…they weren't open on Sundays...

Once again, we didn’t read the sign in front of us. How did we manage to do this twice?!

Straight to Karaoke it was! It was harder this time around to choose a song since we did all the songs we wanted on Day 1. We even had to settle on doing anime openings at one point which was fun!

Especially for my case. It took me an embarrassingly long time to decide my final song…Sorry, Pie!

We wore the Dan Heng headbands and I set up my tripod once again to record some of the songs we sang for the memories! Pie told me that they didn't want to see the videos after, but one day in the far future I shall show them for fun muhahaha.

I think my favourite song that I did was Moon Halo for this day! I accidently spoilt an animation for Pie though in doing so...the video I used showed the full Everlasting Flames animation aha

I need to learn some more Japanese songs fully. I vow to learn at least two songs before the next convention! I want to impress Pie with my awesome Japanese hehe

Once 8pm hit...that was it! Our two hours were up and the wonderful weekend was over.

I headed back home, recording some TikTok’s for myself before ripping off my wig with adequate pain from all those bobby pins and taking off my cosplay.

I had so much fun this weekend! I won’t ever forget the experiences I had!

I saw so many amazing cosplayers! I was able to take photos with them and even talk to them! It makes me very happy that I was confident enough do this!

Thank you for coming with me, Pie! Once again, you slayed Welt Yang! I can’t wait until AVCon!

- Miku

[therealraeweber]

Hey Tumblr! It's been a hot minute, but I wanted to hop on today and share a project I just finished for my digital media class!

Keep reading to see my process of making this dagger!

Our assignment was super open ended, with the prompt just being "Make a project that involves Blender in some way", so I thought doing something mixed media would be a lot of fun. I'm on a mission this semester to start making art for classes that I WANT TO MAKE, and not just tailor to what I think will get me a good grade and what my profs would like. Honestly, could make a whole post about that mission as it is actually more challenging than I had anticipated, but I digress.

For my dagger, I started by making a quick sketch in Procreate to get an idea of what I wanted my model to look like. I got some inspo off of Pinterest, but tired to make the design my own, and something I could feasibly make.

Since I was making this project for a digital media class, and the assignment was supposed to revolve around using Blender, I made a base 3D model for the dagger, which I would then send off to get printed.

I originally tried to model the vines and leaves in Blender, but I had a really hard time with it, since I am still re-learning how to use Blender (haven't used it since high school). So I decided to make it a mixed media project, since the prof said this assignment was very open ended. Plus, doing mixed media would give me a chance to try out foam clay, which I've been wanting to experiment with for a while.

I then sent my 3D model off to my good friend David, who 3D printed it for me. He was even kind enough to send me a time lapse of it printing!

After printing, David also assembled the base for me, but I put glue in all the seams, followed by filler once that dried, and sanded the whole thing down. It definitely could have used more sanding since you can still see print lines in some places, but I was on a strict time crunch to get this assignment in on time.

Then I went in with my foam clay and started adding the leaves and vines on the handle, as well as the leaf details on the cross-guard. I had never used foam clay before (I know... what kind of cosplayer am I?), but I really enjoyed working with it. I had a bit of a hard time getting it to stick to the plastic, but I found that wetting it and then letting it get a bit tacky really helped with that.

The foam clay I bought was from Michaels, and was technically labeled "Modelling Foam", so I have no idea how it compares to the nice foam clay that most cosplayers use. I would have ordered that, but I decided to do the modelling by hand rather last minute, so I needed to buy what was available in store. Overall I enjoyed working with it, but I would still be interested to try the real stuff some time (assuming it's actually different from this).

After letting the foam clay dry overnight, I started painting it. I primed everything with a silver spray primer, then went over just the blade, pommel, and cross-guard with a more metallic silver spray paint. Thankfully, I had enough paint and primer left over from the two angel blades I made in the summer, so I didn't need to buy more paint for this project. I then painted the handle by hand, which was one of the most tedious paint processes I've ever done, but I'm quite happy with the results.

Last up was some clear coat, as I didn't want to risk any of the paint chipping off. I'm also hoping the clear coat will help seal the foam a bit, as I have no idea how foam clay holds up when used on props. I let the sealant dry overnight last night and this morning it was done! And today I took some pictures of it outside to submit to my prof for grading, and to use during our class critique tonight. Considering I was rushing these last steps after 3D printing, it is a miracle I got it done by the deadline. I'm quite happy with how it turned out!!!

Now I'm just hoping that crit goes well tonight! We'll see if my prof thinks this is too much mixed media for a digital media class...

Anyways, hope you enjoyed seeing my process! I know I haven't posted in ages... I have done and made so many cool things this past month, but I've been too stressed and busy to make posts about them. Hopefully I'll have more time to share stuff with you guys soon!

[lacenvs3000w24]

ENVS*3000 season finale - the sunset post🌤

a sunset pic I took during some sacred cottage time on West Lake near Picton, ON

As the course and the semester come to a close, it feels entirely appropriate that we finish this journey off with some mildly existential thoughts about our ethics as interpreters. I think the fact that I’m also in the process of finishing up my degree has me squirreling out a bit as the cherry on top of this introspection.

While we’ve done a lot of soul-searching over this semester, I think one thing has remained, one thing is evergreen — when I think about nature, I think about serenity, peace, sanctuary. I believe that time in nature has the power and (as fantastical as it sounds) the energy to offer healing. It gives space for a quieter mind, a more peaceful soul. Even as I write these words, the stem student in me is cringing a bit - I have no concrete sources to back up these claims!!

But that points to something invaluable that this course has given me — the leeway to not focus solely on the data and the quantitative and the cold-hard-ness of science, and to instead lean into the interpretation, to focus on the feelings and think about what they mean.

I mean, yeah, I believe in science, I believe in its place, and I love what it’s given me: the knowledge and means with which to explore questions and attain answers. But in interpretation, science can’t stand alone.

I believe in art. Interpretation needs art the same way humans do. Not for some absolutely practical or functional purpose, but for an added layer, added interest, added connection to the natural wonders around us. I believe in the duality of nature and think that the point of interpretation should be to explore that push-and-pull relationship between science and art.

Now as for my responsibilities as an interpreter. I thought a lot about this question early in the course. In the beginning, I think I was intimidated by the idea that everyone must be pleased, must be included. And I know that dismissing the idea that “everyone should be included” can come across as harsh. But I think that I landed on the idea that it’s important to strike a balance between doing everything you can AND “staying in your lane”, as it were.

It’s hard to be everything all at once, and we can’t be. It’s valid to have the desire to accommodate every single person, but what is the cost there? What is the end product once you’ve spread yourself so thin? It doesn't mean giving up, in any sense, but instead highlighting your own abilities and lifting up others who fill in those gaps. It's about the net result, it's about interpretation as a community.

But to be an interpreter inherently puts you in a position of authority, of leadership - and that can be daunting.

So I approach this question a little differently now. Yes, I have the responsibility of providing valuable content to people in a way that respects their stories and their backpacks. I have the responsibility of putting out work that I am proud of, as to not take peoples' attention for granted. But up front, I have a responsibility that harkens back to acknowledging myself, my strengths and individuality as an interpreter.

This line of thought sparked questions not like

“how do I make my content valuable to every person?” or “how do I make sure everyone is happy and accommodated?”

but instead

“what can I realistically provide in a valuable way? which is the audience that will truly benefit from what I can offer, and how can I make sure that I am putting my focus there?”

The answers to these questions are still being sorted out, I think.

Still, I do know that I am more inclined to cater to the artistic- and abstract- inclined. I don’t necessarily see myself on the cold-hard-science side of academia. As a science student, I’ve pushed a passion for art aside in a lot of ways.

And it’s a tad cheesy, I’d admit, but this course has pushed me to think about why that is, and to imagine reintegrating art. Everything is still a little foggy, but there is a semblance of a clear path, or a few of them. Something in the realm of the visual arts, or even an increased focus on less technical writing feels like my fit.

silly little doodle i did

Thinking about how I could approach nature interpretation, I’m brought back to the ideas about learning styles that we touched on earlier in the course. I mulled it over and landed on the fact that I like working alone, and need it to some extent, and I’m coming to terms with the fact that that doesn’t have to be forever. This stage is about self-discovery, for the purposes that I’ve mentioned – offering true value to the audience that would benefit the most. It’s about exploring myself as an interpreter, the things I have to offer, and giving myself time and space to do so.

But I am passionate about the intimate link between people and nature, and I care about sharing this passion with other people. And again, I think that art is a perfect realm for this sort of work. Building community is part of the art world, but so is introspection and individuality. It offers both sides of the coin: time spent alone with the craft, the creation, and time spent sharing what you discovered and made in that time.

While I’d love to have shared some really confident and concrete answers to these questions, I think the best thing I can do right now is be honest about the uncertainty, about the possibilities, and the little bits of self-assuredness that I do hold with me right now, and carrying on this journey of discovery in spite of it.

If you’ve made it this far into this post (by choice or obligation), I really truly want to say THANK YOU. This was a pretty self-centered entry and sharing all these thoughts has been cathartic, to say the least.

[hanakogames]

I don't really know how I feel about this concept (not that it matters since I am FAR, FAR removed from my college years).

When I first arrived at Duke, it was a familiar location (because I'd done summer programs there) but a very different lifestyle since I came out of a tiny private school that I'd attended my entire life where I knew everyone (see Black Closet). As such, my first semester freshman year my mom suggested I sign up for a special program that meant being clustered with a group of students that would take ALL our classes together that semester, meaning I'd be seeing all the same faces and would have more chance to get to know people. (Sadly, though, I cannot remember almost anything about any of my classmates, so it didn't stick. I remember my professors much better! I did NOT make bosom buddies here. It was still a fun program though, it was art-and-drama focused, we did a trip to NYC and saw my only first run Broadway show).

I also lived in a dorm on East and I did in fact make a couple of friends there that I stayed friends with throughout my four years and still would be happy to have lunch with today if I could find them.

The living situation thing was TERRIFYING. I had people I was friendly with, but not anyone that I had bonded with enough to pick as my roommate! (Well, one, but he was a guy, so that wasn't allowed). I certainly couldn't join any sort of greek life thing, not in a million years. I did one year attempt to get into a living group themed around nonconformist artist types but THEY didn't accept me! (I'm bad at being social.)

So on the one hand, it could have been a relief to just stay around the people I knew. On the other it sounds like I'd still have the roommate problem, only worse as I'd now have a much smaller pool of rejects to get lumped with. And while it was a stress on me, my living situation actually DID work out - I went for the campus apartments because I wanted a kitchen and bathroom rather than dorm life, and I managed to find people who were also at loose ends and pair up with them, and we managed okay. I even had the luck one semester of having a roommate who was lying to campus housing and had no intention of living on campus at all, so I got the place to myself!

[ginhawatranslations]

The Story of Unit 24-C - Chapter 20

Chapter List | Follow us on Novel Updates

**********

TAGUAN BY JOHN ROA

I didn’t pay attention to whatever I was feeling toward Noah. Maybe I was just overthinking things since we’re always together. I mean, we’ve been living under the same roof for a year now. Most of our activities are done together like jogging, working out, watching movies, hanging out at cafés, and he even spent his summer vacation in our place.

Maybe that’s the only reason I sometimes get devilish thoughts running in my head. We’re just way too close in everything.

"Hey," I snapped back to reality when Noah waved his hand in front of my face. "I thought you were gonna be late for your first subject. And yet, here you are...staring blankly at my face. You think I’m handsome, huh?" He chuckled.

"You’re full of yourself. You look like a burden in my life." I shook my head and took a bite of my egg sandwich.

"Ouch. So grumpy this early." Noah doesn’t take what I say to heart because he knows I just talk that way - blunt. But I don’t mean it.

He took a bite of his egg sandwich and looked at me directly. I frowned in confusion.

"What’s your problem?" I asked.

"Did I do something off these past days? Is this about the glass of ice cream I left on the table that got swarmed by ants?" he asked curiously. Wow, he still remembers that while I already forgot about it.

"There’s no problem. You’re just going crazy." I replied.

"No. There really is something off. You’ve been aloof these past few days." He looked at me like he was analyzing my behavior.

I avoided his gaze and looked toward the living room. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You’ve turned down movie night for two days now," he said.

"I had a quiz. You even saw me reviewing at my study table." I defended myself.

"How about when I invited you to that new café I discovered in QC? You declined."

"We had group work that day and we had to buy ingredients. Why would I come with you when the semester just started?" I defended myself again. Then I looked at him. "Wait, why are you making it sound like I’m avoiding you?"

"That’s how it felt to me. I’m just being honest," he said.

Well, it’s slightly true that I haven’t been joining him in his activities lately. It’s just that I don’t want those weird thoughts popping up again like wanting to kiss him or feeling giddy over the simple things he says. Damn it, that’s not normal between friends.

"You’re just being paranoid. When I have free time, I’ll come with you. I’m not going to deprive you of my time. It’s just a busy semester." I looked at the clock. "I’m going to be late. I need to shower."

I finished my sandwich and rushed into the room to grab clothes and take a shower.

**********

After the day ended, I made it up to Noah. I brought him macaroons that we made that day and agreed to watch a movie. He might start crying from sulking. He was nagging me nonstop earlier in our chat. I almost blocked him out of annoyance.

"What do you think about the movie we watched?" he asked while we were sitting down, finishing the leftover snacks. We watched a Filipino movie titled Dead Kids.

"Well, acting-wise, they were all good. The casting was nice and the dialogue delivery was smooth," I answered because there wasn’t a moment I got bored or sleepy throughout the film. "You? What did you think of the ending? Are you satisfied with it? The main character died, right?"

"Definitely not a happy ending. But it was the appropriate one, and it sends a strong message. The rich get away with their crap while the poor either get jailed or worse...die." This is what I like about Noah. He reflects on what we watch. He’s a substantial conversationalist after a movie.

He also told me that he low-key wants to major in film but still prefers engineering. If given the chance, he said he might take a film-related course after engineering. Well, he’s got so many dreams in life.

I started cleaning up our mess. "By the way, we’ll be baking a lot next week for our Bread and Pastry subject. I’ll often come home late. If I’m not around yet, just buy your food downstairs." I sounded like an older brother giving reminders to his clingy younger sibling.

"I was about to say the same," he chuckled while washing dishes. Yes, finally! He’s doing chores. "I’ll be busy the next couple of weeks since it’s UAAP season. We’re deep in training."

"Then don’t start sulking again in the coming days. Being joined at the hip with you won’t help me pass." He just laughed.

It’s actually good that I’ll be busy. Maybe I’ll snap out of these thoughts that keep popping into my head from time to time.

**********

I spent the weekend at Tito Vince and Tito Drew’s place. They were having a mini celebration for their dog Hershey’s fifth birthday.

"How are things with your roommate? Still bickering?" asked Tito Vince since I often vent to him. Especially when I want to talk about something without worrying Mama.

"It’s toned down lately. He’s helping with the chores now," I said while petting Hershey.

"At least there’s character development, right? Why didn’t you invite him to Hershey’s birthday today?" Tito Vince asked.

"He’s busy too." But the truth is, I didn’t invite him. And besides, he’s so busy with UAAP that even this weekend he’s at school. I even feel sorry for him sometimes because he comes home with Salonpas all over his legs and shoulders. "But I’ll invite him when he has time."

"Drew and I would love to meet him. He seems like an intriguing guy based on your stories," Tito Vince said with a smile.

We just ate cake and spaghetti cooked by Tito Vince. We talked and they told me they’re planning to get married this year. They want it to be as private as possible, but they just wanted me to know because I’m their favorite nephew.

In the afternoon, I received a message from our baking group chat.

B and P grouping

Valeen: Kelviiiiinnnn

Kelvin: That’s a long name to read. What’s up? Haha

Valeen: For our baking, we’re short of two more types of bread. We’re also missing some ingredients. Can you drop by the mall since you’re nearby?

Kelvin: I’m not at the condo right now.

But I’m near MOA. I can stop by before heading home.

Valeen: Thank you, Lord! @ Althea, just send Kelvin the list of missing ingredients.

Althea: Sure thing! I’ll PM you in a minute. Still listing them.

Dominic: I’m also in MOA right now. I can come with you, Kelvin.

Valeen: Go with him, Dom, so our friend won’t look too pitiful. I’ll just send the money to your gcash, Kelvin.

Kelvin: Alright.

Dominic is an irregular student who occasionally joins us. Since we’re grouped into fives for this subject, we included Dom. He dropped out last year because he said he got lazy. He’s a bit of a clown too.

Around 4 PM, I left Tito Vince’s place and took a jeep to MOA. Dom and I agreed to meet in front of a bookstore. I immediately saw him wearing a blue polo and khaki shorts.

His hair was side-parted, he wore glasses, and he was pale, like he never leaves his air-conditioned room. He smiled and waved when he saw me.

"Been waiting long?" I asked.

"Not really. I hung out at Starbucks to kill time," he explained. He even spent money just to wait. I didn’t leave right away because I was still on a video call with Mama and lost track of time.

We headed to the baking supplies section. I checked the list while Dom carried the basket.

"You know what, it’s amazing that you’re from El Nido. That place is a paradise." I sighed and shook my head. Not the first time I’ve heard that. Typical Manila folks who are fascinated by people from islands.

"Not the first time I’ve heard that." Dom laughed. I grabbed all-purpose flour, baking soda, chocolate bars, and other stuff.

At the counter, I opened my GCash app. My eyes widened at the notification. "Maintenance," I muttered. Seriously? Of all times to have maintenance, now?

"That’s 1,352 pesos total, sir," said the cashier.

"What happened?" Dom asked.

I showed him my phone. "GCash is under maintenance."

"It’s on me." He took out his credit card and handed it to the cashier.

"You sure? I’ll pay you back once the app’s working." I told him. Damn, if I came alone I would’ve been so embarrassed.

"You can pay me next month. My card’s due next month anyway," he said with a smile.

"No, I’ll pay right away," I replied.

Dom offered to drop me off since he’d pass by Espana anyway. Who was I to refuse? I’d save money. Grab and Angkas are too expensive these days.

We stopped by Fully Booked because he needed to buy something.

"Finally, they have stock," he said with a smile, holding a small box.

I frowned in curiosity. "What’s that?"

"Hirono," he answered. "Mystery box."

He handed it to me. "Oh, a toy," I said. Fancy name, but it’s just a toy.

"It’s not just a toy, Kelvin. It’s a collectible."

"Okay, if you say so." Why do I care? It’s his money.

While walking to his car, he told me about his collections like Hirono, Labubu, and some other names. I pretended to be interested.

"Where do you live?"

"Sun Residence. Tower 3," I answered.

"You have your own pad?" he asked while pulling the car out of the parking lot. A white Hilux. Nice.

"Condo sharing. I have a roommate," I explained. "You, do you have a pad?"

"It’s from my dad, actually." So, still theirs. "At Manhattan Tower in Cubao."

"That’s far. Don’t you get late?"

"Just a 45-minute drive. And I don’t experience the hassle of commuting, so who am I to complain?" He chuckled. "Why’d you choose to study at Ardano?"

"Quality education and connections," I answered.

"Connections?"

"It’s easier to build connections here than if I stayed in Palawan. Like Eya, whose family owns a popular samgyupsal chain. You also have franchises in your family business. It’s nice to connect with people who already have established careers in the paths we’re taking," I explained.

"Point taken."

Since it was Sunday, the ride went quickly. We were near Tower 3 when Dom spoke up.

"Kelvin, can I use your bathroom? I’ve been holding it in."

"No problem. Just park on the side. We’ll inform the guard." I said. He gave me a free ride to the condo. I’d be a jerk to say no.

I carried the paper bag with our purchases. In the elevator, I could see Dominic sweating from trying to hold it in. Legit. We went up to the 24th floor and found unit C.

"Hold this," I handed the bag to Dom and took the key from my wallet. I was about to open the door, but it opened on its own.

Noah’s face appeared. "Welcome home—"

He looked surprised seeing someone with me. "Who’s he?"

"Can I pee now?" Dom asked.

From that day on, everything got more complicated with what I was feeling.

Translator's Notes

The Tagalog word for hide-and-seek is tagu-taguan.

Salonpas is a Japanese brand of pain relief patches, pasted on sore body parts like the back and shoulders.

Colleges in the Philippines have "block schedules" where students take the same classes with the same group of people until they graduate. Being irregular is a hassle as the student needs to find a schedule that suits them, not to mention the feeling of being left out of the rest of the class.

GCash is a mobile payment app where people can pay stores by scanning a QR code.

Credit cards are rare in the Philippines. A college student that has one might be mooching off by having an extension card paid by their parents.

Angkas is a ride-hailing app that has motorcycles for hire instead of taxis.

Fully Booked is a popular bookstore chain that's known for their English-language selections as well as popular novelties.

[andersonpress]

Girl, what the fuck was that? #DEEPTHOTS

(Feb 6, 2025)

What in the FUCK was 2024?

I vividly remember the end of 2023. I was in the midst of a deep depression surrounding the decisions I’ve made in life. Before the end of 2023 (specifically the Summer of 23’)my wife and I had planned a move from Pittsburgh to Detroit. This was done for  a few reasons. Mainly we had experienced far too much adolescence in Pittsburgh. 

{Pittsburgh: The personification of ‘hate the place, love the people.’ 

- Taylor Waits}

In addition to the geographically specific trauma pushing us out, the gentrification our community was experiencing was the boot that kicked us out the door. In the five years I had lived in Pittsburgh I was thankful to have cultivated a large queer community, acquired a real big girl job, and had the opportunity to organize amazing events. And yet - it was time to go. On one condition: I couldn’t let my committee find out I left.

So by December 2023 my wife and I had been in Detroit for six months. I had quit my job before the move and hadn’t had any luck securing anything that matched what I made in Pittsburgh. My wife had just left their job so money was extremely tight. Not to mention I had previously promised my lil sis a trip too NYC and had already paid for the tickets.

We were also facing eviction. I had applied everywhere I was qualified to. To no avail. I was working full time as a DoorDasher (derogatory) when I got an interview to be a 10tth grade English teacher. On one hand I love highschool aged students and have dreams of opening my own high school for Black girls in the future. But in the other hand you have admin, parents, and teachers to deal with. But I wasn’t in a position to be stingy. 

It’s a week before the trip and the week of THE interview. I dressed the part, I brought my lesson plans, and I was prepared for all the questions. The interview was swift. So swift that I totally misread the principals feelings about me. I took everything they said as sarcasm instead of sincerity. “I fucking blew it.” I cried and doordashed the rest of the day. Not one day later - hired! Not to mention the trip to NYC was fun but challenging. We were navigating with a teenager with no money. But she had fun. We all did. The new year was spent with friends watching the ball drop on TV. 

New job, new start, and a Phd. 

What the FUCK happened?

In short: My dreams were crushed and I was upset about it. While my new job brought us the money we needed to stay a float it was breaking my psyche going everyday. I still worked for my university as a graduate assistant. My planning periods and lunches were often filled with meetings from Pittsburgh or training. Just my luck, my dissertation chair had spent half of 2023 and a good portion of 2024 completely offline and of no help to me as my last semester approached. In all aspects oof my life I felt alone. And I had done it to myself. 

I was hiding the fact that I moved away from my committee fearing that they (the white ones) would rat on me. I  was hiding my depressive thoughts from my friends and my wife - everybody had enough going on. By the end of the school year I had a teaching gig lined up at a local university, a dissertation defense date, and a trip to Belize upcoming. 

Now, the dream crushing part. 

My career at the high school was full of busted balloons. My students and teachers I looked up to really loved my teaching methods. But basically everyone else was vehemently against anything I had to say. Not only as a teacher but as a student, I was failed. I found respite on reddit amongst teachers who had been in the field for one up to thirty years. All of us complaining about the stagnant pay, abysmal benefits, and the continuous responsibilities that piled on your desk.

It was nice to be affirmed by other queer and trans instructors who experienced bullying and hazing at their schools. They all encouraged me to apply for adjuncting positions and work with high school aged students in a different way. When I got my adjuncting gig they all congratulated me. It felt good not being alone for once.

Just as the school year was ending my funding stopped. I had expected to graduate in August since I was pushed a semester due to my chair’s absence. Not only was I staying in a program I didn’t like for an extra semester - now my Black ass has to pay for it. The week we flew to Belize we started a mutual aid campaign. We were behind because more than three checks had been unpaid by my past university for DJ gigs. $1350. That’s what they owed me. After months. I’ll be finishing the dissertation with no money, no resources, and an eviction notice. Lovely. 

Well, that FUCKING happened.

After my wife and I work at a grocery store for a few months they land a job. I started teaching and kept my part time job in produce. We got a roommate. We battled (and still battle) more eviction notices. We scrape, we make due, we make community. 

Thankfully our community had lead us out of every single notice and onwards to joy and freedom. For 2025 I’m back to filmmaking, scrip writing, organizing, creating, and thriving. I’m a Phd weilder now (thoughts on this coming within a memoir soon)and that’s weird. I’m really excited to write. And I’m happy where I am. 

My new university is great. I started my production company, black. In this space I’ll be releasing my own projects but also those of other Black creatives needing a space to share their work. 

I also have a new website - if you have made it to my tumblr you probably stopped there first. I’m planning some good shit.

And that’s what FUCKING happened.

2024 was the definition of a fever dream. I was tested as an instructor, a partner, a friend, and a business woman. Being 27 was not for the faint of heart. But I’m back for now. 

You’re welcome!

[engbergsinfinland]

Hello everyone ☺️

It is now Wednesday and I will be going to teach in a few hours. Because Eric and I are not enrolled in a Finnish class this semester, because there wasn't an option for us to take one at the Red Cross and all the other ones we looked into were full already, I have an extra 4 and 1/2 hours on my hands each week, and it's made a huge difference. I was already prepped for my class by yesterday afternoon so I'm not racing to finish off a PowerPoint this morning before I go over to teach. I realized though that I may need to trim down the amount of reading that I am asking the students to do because the slides for today ended up being very dense and there are some really big ideas I want to explore with them. We'll see what happens!

About Finnish, I definitely want to continue to develop my skills, but it's such a difficult trade-off. My goal, the whole point of the Fulbright, is to complete some research projects and collaborate with my Finnish colleagues, but Fulbright simultaneously wants cultural immersion and for the Fulbrighters to serve as cultural ambassadors. I loved taking the Finnish class, though it was very frustrating and is such a difficult language, but I am uncertain that enrolling in another one in a few weeks, when Eric is back from the US, would be a good idea. I'll have to continue thinking about it. I definitely do find myself using the Finnish I do already have when I'm out and about in the world. Particularly, people want to talk to me when I'm out and about walking Alex!

The early part of this week has been a little bit rocky. Given that I have a lot of writing projects that really aren't seeming to propel themselves to completion, I've been trying to motivate myself to really work on them, and I guess there are three principal ones right now. I've done some good reading and research this week but have not actually written that much. Also, not having Eric here to share the load with has been pretty exhausting, especially with managing all of the running around that I need to do with the kids, even though they mostly take themselves places. But, with Cece's gymnastics being so far away, that really requires me to be out of the house for quite some time 3 days a week with her and then Rowan stays here by himself and I don't love that. Though, he has a phone to reach me and is pretty contented to do his homework, have snacks, read, or --gasp-- watch TV ;)

Yesterday, I went with Cece to ice skating, the farthest away rink, and then we had to take the tram and then the train and then a bus to get out to her gymnastics and we were there for about 3 hours, and then we had a 40-minute commute back home, during which time I had to join a Zoom meeting and just listen in until I got home and could actually properly participate. By the time both kids were in bed, I still hadn't eaten dinner, and I had tons of work emails that had piled up, since nighttime here, say around 10:00 p.m., is peak email time in the US. I'm still running the Technical and Professional Communication program at UNM and managing a few undergraduate and graduate students on internships and advising on various issues with their progress towards the GCERT, so I always have lots of meetings to arrange and messages to answer. Not to mention that I'm still the Instructor of Record for the writing class in Biology that I teach, even though my TA is actually teaching it, but I have to do all of the course overrides for students who want in.

Suffice to say, I had about an hour and a half of emailing to do last night after I finally ate dinner. Alex and I didn't go out for our nightly walk until about 11:15!

Alex has been rather needy in the last few days! I may have mentioned that historically he has slept in a crate overnight and during the day if we're out of the house. I think while we were away over the holidays, not a lot of crate-sleeping happened. So, night before last, & about four nights before that, he cried and wimpered in his crate overnight, and I already wasn't feeling well, with a lot of congestion and a sore throat, so the disruption of him being so discontented made for a horrible night of sleep. So last night, and one additional night a few nights ago, I just let him sleep on the couch. I'm usually very strict about these things, but I just had to give in because I'd been getting such bad sleep, and Cece has been sick too; so, I just had to give in. We all slept very well last night and she is feeling better.

Cece insisted on going to skating and gymnastics yesterday, even though she said she didn't feel that well. She seemed perky and engaged in ice skating, but by the time she got to gymnastics I could just tell from her body language that she just wasn't havin' it and was not able to give it her all. And I wished she just would have come over to me and said, "mom, I don't feel well, so let's go home." But she pushed through the whole session, and then we went home. She was clearly just so ready to go to bed. But a good night's sleep can perform excellent, restorative work. I thought she'd be staying home from school today, but, nope. She was up and at 'em this morning and was skipping out the door to go to her short day of school on Wednesday, which includes two things: art and craft.

The weather here has been rather mild the last 2 days, above freezing, so all of the snow is getting very slushy and that does also create some ice patches. I've been grateful to have my grippy contraptions that I attach to my shoes. Also, I'd say that daylight is getting discernibly more present. I think it was starting to get light by 8:20 this morning!

I guess I don't have a ton more to report and I feel badly that this post was just a catalog of my complaints and activities rather than a showcase of some interesting things we've done or the peaks into the Finnish lifestyle ;) This weekend my colleague, who lives just out of town in Orivesi, has invited the kids and I over for dinner on Sunday. I'm also starting to think about whether we should try to go somewhere in Finland over the kids' winter break in a few weeks. We thought we might have some US friends coming over at that point, but we're going to have to start trying to really persuade them that that is a brilliant idea and they should do it!

Take care, everyone, and I do hope that my next post will be more interesting!