#I should do anatomy studies again so I don't struggle this much :(

[bluastro-yellow]

everyone Noticed but nobody dares to speak because this might actually keep him in check

[kakusu-shipping]

Moominvalley (2019) self insert because I need to uncle over Snufkin so badly my dear Autistic little nephew.

Learned Medicine under MoominGrandma before wandering to learn more

Came back around the same time Snufkin first appeared and set up shop in Moominvalley

Snufkin’s source for HRT and anxiety meds

Has a handful of tiny weird pets the wander both the shop and the surrounding forest 

“Good friends” with The Hobgoblin

Tends to avoid a direct answer if it’d be more fun to let someone (usually Snufkin) figure it out on their own

Every once and a while will just vanish from Moominvalley without telling anyone. The shop has a note saying when he’ll be back when he does

Always comes back with a ridiculous amount of souvenirs, gifts, and food

Always has chocolate on his person

[meltypancake]

hellooo!! i love your art sm!! do you have any tips on how to study something effectively? 🤔 how do you approach studying something for your art?

hi anon!! thank you so much 🥹and that's a really good question!

there's a lot of things that can go into it, since it will depend on what kind of artist you are - but here are some general things i look out for.

make sure the study somehow ties back into your personal work. for example, while drawing a character i'll notice that i'm struggling with a certain hand pose, so afterwards i will look up the same or similiar hand refs and do a couple studies of them. i'd approach the study like this: draw a hand based on the reference, then see if there's anything off about it. draw it again with the new knowledge you've gained. try to be careful and put your lines down accurately, since it's less about speed but about understanding the structure. finally, apply it to your personal work. this method works best for me, since it stops me from thinking "i should learn anatomy" which isn't that helpful, but lets me pinpoint something specific i'd like to learn about.

ultimately, it's about keeping the practice sustainable. it can be easy to lose your way when remembering all the things you have yet to learn (perspective, figures, muscles, colors etc.) and you end up frantically studying and studying without a clear goal except "getting good". i know the sentence "you need to practice" gets thrown around a lot, and i get where it's coming from, but i don't find it very helpful. art can be anything you want it to be, and for me, having fun with it and finding joy is a huge part of it. so if you're studying and dreading every second of it, it'll be hard to keep it up in the long term and it might even sour your relationship with your art. so a couple things you could do to study, but also have fun: - figure out what kind of art you want to do. legit, write it down somewhere and think about it. do you prefer more graphic art? more painterly and textured? bold lines, thin lines, lineless? what kinds of artists do you admire (though loving a certain art style doesn't automatically mean you would enjoy their process either!) do you prefer monochrome or greyscale or color? - depending on what kind of art you want to create, choose what you want your studies to focus on. if you just wanna draw everyone in super big poofy dresses, you don't need anatomy nearly as much as someone who's into drawing buff ladies in tanktops! - instead of thinking "i will get good at perspective and then i get to have fun drawing my blorbos", just draw your blorbos in an environment with perspective! you don't need to separate your studies from your personal art at all - you can combine them, having fun and learning from them at the same time. if it doesn't work out the way you wanted it to, set it aside, let it marinate, and try again if you like.

and if something is really hard to do, it just means your brain is changing, growing, adapting, OVERCOMING!! and it'll be a little easier the next time around :]

i hope this helped a little! feel free to hop into my inbox again if anything was unclear. hope you have a great weekend! <3

[hazwqste]

Hi!!

I'm trying to draw for the past two months and I've mostly just looked up at yt tutorials etc, I got a basic face and hair and it's pretty impressive. But atm I'm just drawing some manga panels and the same prototypes for faces. Somehow i don't seem to get any creativity in terms of expressions or not being able to draw my favs looking at a reference:') ik it's a long process to get there but if you could give some tips

....hope this doesn't sound annoying😅

Thank you for your time. I love your art sm💖

omg ok so i've been thinking about this question ever since you've sent me.. i'm sorry it took so long but i didn't really know how to reply ;---; i'm awful with advice bc my process has been so long and i struggle with analyzing it.... anyway luckily i've stumbled upon this live with loish specifically about stylization and gotten some great insight about this, if you're interested i recommend you check it out she's an awesome character artist and has precious tips!!!

but basically i think it heavily depends on what you feel comfortable with and what works for you! to develop your own way of drawing, instead of fitting your notion of drawing into what someone else draws like, you should do some self reflection, identify your strengths and the things you have fun with and expand on them; what you lack will come around naturally with practice. specifically about facial expressions (and also other things), the main tip would be to use references to first get familiar with what you want to portray and then move away from them in your own way, in order for it to be stylized - be it studies from other ppls work or from real life. and then also to think of the context your character is in, how they feel, their personality, and finally how they would emote. for me drawing from life was essential because i'm a very anatomy oriented person, so getting the foundation of how faces work straight from the source helped me immensely! as a child i used to copy things straight from manga/comics/cartoons but i couldn't absorb much knowledge because i was simply placing the lines without understanding them, i was doing what i thought i was supposed to. i think drawing from pictures of irl people gives you a better feel for muscles movements, therefore you know how to better mold your lines into certain facial expressions and you build a mental library to choose from. on top of that, if i was stumped on how to draw something, i would study my favorite artists' styles and intently analyze how they solved the problem i was facing, adapting their technique to my own way of solving it. for example: an expression i have trouble with big time is smiles. if i were to push myself to get better at it (i should lol) i would look at artists that i think express that characteristic well and think abt how they make it work and why it works, taking that and applying it to my drawing.

a good exercise loish recommended in the live (i'm gonna try to incorporate it into my study routine) is to draw the same thing a few times, first from reference, then again from memory to see what sticks to your brain and how you interpret that on your own! finally, don't rush it! your process and progress is your own :^)

[theunconcernedembalmer]

*holds up nerf gun* mun how r u so talented gib secrets

The tl dr of all this is really just because I like to draw a lot XD I love to draw, so I wanted to get better at it, and I just kept going at it. I think that’s a pretty good summary of me being a self taught artist. 

More details under the cut because as usual I can’t shut up enough XD also posting this cos I haven’t had the energy to get to replies yet oops

1. Find a thing you really like and draw it for the next uhhhhh 3 years or so of your life. Rinse and repeat. (I hopped from OCs to Undertale and now to IDV over the span of like. idk a decade or so, so whatever that catches your fancy, really. You have to enjoy it, first and foremost XD)

2. Study basic theory, like very basic (as much as you’re willing to learn, or as much as it helps make your stuff look better). Anatomy, composition, colours, maybe even a bit of perspective, depends on what you want to focus on (eg. if you want to draw characters, focus on anatomy. Items and background? Composition and perspective will help greatly).

This is a step that I know most of us hate, because we're lazy like that, but after a while you can only get so far without knowing basic anatomy and the like. There are tons of tutorials floating around, especially on tumblr, so dig up those that you want to learn and spend some time on them. Look at the different tutorials on the same topic and have a look at the different ways of approaching them. Pick the one you like the most/ works the best, stick with it and have fun XD

Also I feel like this step helps whenever you’re feeling incredibly frustrated with your own art. It happens a lot, it happens to me, and usually what fixes that is really figuring out what can be improved. Feeling unsatisfied with your art means you’re ready to improve, but most of the time you don’t know how to, so doing a bit of studying might help, especially in areas you know you need help in.

Again, you don't have to do all of them, just the ones you're interested in/ currently struggling with. I’m just a little hobby artist, I prefer to do things at my own pace, and more importantly I have to like what I do.

I only had the chance to go to a couple of formal classes in university, but I knew that if I had taken these classes any earlier, I would have hated them, and I don't think I would have learnt as much as I have. That's mostly because I used to be lazy and didn't see the need for formal art theory, but now I know I should have a little bit if I want my art to be looking better, so now I’m interested in all the boring stuff. Especially since this is more out of interest than anything, I don't want to do anything to kill it.

3. Study other ppl's art, especially from artists you adore. This is the next best alternative to studying actual theory since it's less technical, but it's more experimental (cos what works for others doesn’t always work for you). Personally I learnt a lot from doing this on my own. Figure out what you like about you favourite artist's art (is it the way they draw a particular part of the body? Backgrounds? Colours, lineart?), and copy it. Like really just try to imitate it to the best of your ability, you will learn what works and what doesn't work for you when you slowly try it out. Steal it, it’s yours now. As long as you don't trace it and post it as your own, you should be fine. 

I should also mention that whenever you see art that you really like, it's easy to feel jealous and inferior. But I think instead of that, you should take the opportunity to learn from them to do something about your own skills. It's okay to feel like that, because everyone does at one point, but it's really whether you want to do anything about it that can help you, or at least that's what I believe XD

Eg. I found an artist that drew hands very very well, so I took some time to copy the way they drew hands for a bit and started incorporating that into my drawing (specifically the way they tend to angle fingers). Another example is that I saw an artist adding insane eyebags to their characters and I decided I wanted that too. So here we are with my signature eyebagsop XD

I haven't found the time to do a painting study yet, so my colours and paintings aren't as nice as I'd like them to be XD

4. Use references when you're unsure. Drawing is difficult, and no one will know if you've cheated to make things easy for yourself (unless it's a trace, which at that point it can hardly count as reference), so just go ahead and use it. I go to the mirror to check angles and positions sometimes, and I use my own hands as references a lot more than you think. (my tip for using hands as a reference: knowing where the thumb is helps a lot)

5. Fuck around and find out. There’s no one fixed rule for drawing, so if you so happen to make your own and you like it and it works, just go for it man. I have some techniques come about very accidentally, like that one time I found out one particular brand of ink wasn’t waterproof, so I ended up using it as watercolour instead. Others times it’s just finding the best way to do things in your style, like how I prevent myself from drawing on the wrong layer by bringing the opacity of my sketch layer down real low, so it’s obvious when I’m drawing on the wrong layer.

Fucking around also means trying new things when your art feels a bit boring XD change up some brushes (for me I gradually started to use thinner brushes for my art XD), try out some tools on your program, switch art styles. Or maybe try something else entirely, like making gifs/ animations, or even comics (winks). If you manage to find something you like, great! If not, at least you’ve tried it, and you know what you don’t like, which is actually just as important as knowing what you like to do uwu

6. Keep going. The art you're seeing now is the result of uhhhhhhhh more than a decades worth of drawing. Every single drawing is valuable exp that helps you level up. The shitty doodles during boring classes, the badly drawn other eye, even the hands hidden behind backs. I promise all these will help, even if it doesn't feel like it, so keep drawing. 

If you prefer to burn your old works because of how bad they are, I’m not gonna stop you because I totally understand the second hand embarrassment, but personally I’d like to keep them as a record of the progress you’ve made. It’s a very nice feeling seeing how far you’ve come.

There was a period of time I stopped drawing for like a year because I had close to 0 inspiration, but I don't regret that at all. Because I'm here now, enjoying myself as much as I used to, and I think it's worth it. So if there's a period you just can't draw, don't stress yourself too much over it, I’m sure you will eventually find the strength and passion to draw again sometime in the future.

And that’s all for now XD if you have any art questions on anything specific, I’ll try my best to help with it XD 

[solaeter]

Hi :D can I request a Jujutsu Kaisen matchup? 👑

Appearance: I have dark brown eyes and hair, I wear glasses and have a long curly mohawk haircut. I'm 1.64 cm tall and have a slim body type but I would love to gain more muscle!

Love language: I think my love language would be Quality time and Acts of service.

Personality: I'm often quiet but when I'm comfortable enough I love to make others laugh and can be sassy and sarcastic. I'm often told I have a resting b!tch face but when I talk to someone I tend to smile a lot. I also take my studies really seriously so I'm often stressed and in a bad mood because of not sleeping well so I prefer to avoid others so I don't end up being mean.

Sexual preference: I'm a straight girl! :3 so a male matchup please.

Interests: I'm studying animation so I'm into any type of art and my dream is to become a writer and create my own characters and stories. Right now I'm learning how to draw anatomy correctly but I also enjoy drawing flowers! I also love dancing, superhero movies, playing videogames and love learning languages, whenever I hear someone speaking another language I get super excited and love learning the meaning of interesting words.

Dislikes: I dislike those type of relationships that are too clingy or overly sweet.

What I look for: I like some romance but I would also like someone that I can joke around with and annoy them like we're best friends. I would also appreciate someone that helps me relax more often and enjoy life and helps me be more independent (for example I would love to learn how to drive but I still get scared of crashing again).

Confidence and insecurities: My main insecurity was how my nose looks, for many years I've been told I should change it to look better but I honestly have heard enough and have decided to accept how I look and what I love, I was also insecure for loving anime but I'm also over that fear, sometimes this insecurities come back but now I remind myself that I shouldn't care what others say or think about them.

Right now I'm only insecure about my artistic abilities but that's why I'm studying so hard to be better!

Sorry for any grammar mistakes and Thanks! :D

Jujutsu Kaisen Matchup Event | OPEN

Thank you so much for participating! I’m sure your art is amazing! Keep up the work, I believe in you ( •⌄• ू )✧. I hope you enjoy these, I’m such a noob with matchups heh ^^;; Thank you so much again!!

Out of everyone in Jujutsu Kaisen, I pair you with…

Megumi is the type of man that would look at someone for who they are, not what they look like. He isn’t picky, but for the love of god, you are the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. He thinks your glasses make you look sophisticated and your hair is just the cutest! Will definitely enjoy playing with it in his down time as a means to relax. When it comes to your body type, Megumi doesn’t have any comments aside from wanting what makes you happy. Supportive boyfriend 101. 

In the beginning of your relationship, it’s safe to say things were awkward. You were quiet, he was quiet so opening up took some time. But once that happened, the pieces fell together and Megumi was sure he found his one. His potential best friend that would be able to handle him even at his worst. Your resting bitch face didn’t bother or deter him, if anything he could resonate because of what and who he deals with daily. Honestly how you guys even got close was due to him helping you study one day. You guys are precious, I will admit that. 

Megumi would definitely fit in the same categories of your love languages. He’ll cover you up if you end up falling asleep at your desk one night, or even going as far to put you to bed if he happens to stay the night. He can cook! So expect some type of dish in the morning before he has to leave and if he’s passing by, he’ll bring you something. It’s the little things and plus seeing you always makes his day a million times better. Quality time for you two is simply being in the same room. You don’t have to be huddled together even though that is nice, but just the presence alone is enough. You can do your own thing while he does his, idle chatter and peaceful silence follows depending and it’s just so so amazing.

One the days you avoid others due to your mood, Megumi respects that and gives you the space you need. Though he will message you throughout the day, just to check on you like the good boyfriend he is 🥺

Megumi isn't the type to be clingy. He values his space as much as you and admires that you don't expect him to be too sweet. He can be himself and that's enough for him to say he loves you dearly. And it goes both ways, he wouldn't expect you to be anything other than yourself. Independence is something Megumi has been familiar with for a long time, so he doesn't push but rather encourages when you need it. If you're scared, he's the one to attempt uttering reassuring words. Megumi struggles sometimes so be patient 😌 but he's by your side for any support you need until you feel confident. [As someone who is 24 and still doesn't drive, I can relate with the fears lemme send you all the hugs 🤗]. 

When it comes to your insecurities and how you got past them, Megumi is very proud even if he doesn't directly say it. If someone offends you though, he's quick to defend. He's good at being a bully if needed hehe so he'll protect you from anyone that tries to bring you down. I'm not sure if Megumi would be a fan of anime, but you will definitely catch him paying more attention if you're watching it one night. If you call him out, he'll just shrug you off and say something dismissive but..You'll catch him again later for sure. 

You're an artist? Holy hell Megumi is amazed. Like his girlfriend can make beautiful pieces and they're just so good?? Will praise you anytime he sees something new and will brag in his own way to his friends. When you're feeling down about your abilities, Megumi will reassure you and say that it takes time and not to give up. A typical response yes, but he has so much faith in you to succeed and achieve your dreams it's unreal. 

[ask-impure-vessel]

I don't know if this will reach you at the right moment in time Vessel but, peace friend, The Wyrm has already shown he cares for you greatly and you have done him no disservice or wrong. This may simply a matter too important to discuss elsewhere and His Majesty may be too caught up in his own troubles to understand the affect he has on you.

[Note: Frank discussion of anatomy, anxiety/panic attacks, unreality, post-traumatic stress, past abuse, suicide, disordered eating, self-harm, stuff about the Abyss with all that entails and other such unpleasantries. Strap in, folks!]

The vessel felt like their body was somewhere a few steps to the right and back of them. Their father said nothing as he led them down to the workshop.

You don’t understand. You don’t-

There’s a distant panic in Vessel’s voice. They still keep walking, they must. The order was given. Despite what happened in the Abyss, control still belongs to the Pale King.

It was as if nothing had changed at all.

For the first time, they begin to resent that. The workshop is the last place they want to be, for multiple reasons besides the temple that was to become their agonizing grave. This is not a place that holds any good memories for them, not a single one. 

They arrive in that darkened place, the birthplace of moulds, all thousand of them-700 kingsmoulds, 300 wingsmoulds-where Wyrm's research led to the vessels that rested in the infirmary and that walked into the room. The king shrugged off his silken robe, leaving on a shirt that still covered what was considered a decent amount in Hallownest, showing off the truth of his form; it had been a while and Vessel Hallow was shocked by the changes to his father's form.

He was a being of pure white carapace, plates with softer flesh between, especially around the joints; his skin was sunken, his belly not just thin but almost concave instead of convex. He looked a bit muscular, but mostly because he appeared to be starving. He was dull in color, the white often not as bright as it could be, looking almost dirty with a lack of nutrients to look glossy and nice. 

Wyrm could subsist on soul like a vessel, but that didn't mean it was pleasant for him to do so. He was much like other bugs in physicality, fueled by food, water and having to use the toilet to flush out what his body didn't use of those things. His genitals were internal, just like any bug, his shirt covered where that was hidden. 

His secondary set of arms were more visible now, as was the lower half he usually ambled upon: multiple legs and a long tail that terminated in a pointed end. His tail was thin, almost collapsed with the lack of care.

What was more alarming were the splotches of black. His hands were absolutely covered in it, just beyond the wrists but the lines that raced upwards were far more concerning. Void taint was a part of Hallow's body but for a pale being, such a sight promised long, lingering agony. The absolute rigid calm their father practiced suddenly became a lot more impressive.

It left Hallow in minor shock.

Father, are you dying? Have you already assured your death? Was it on purpose that you inflicted starvation and void poisoning upon yourself? I can think of few less painful, lingering deaths.

"Come. Please kneel so that I can more easily examine you and the changes to you." He activated the door seals and waited in a clear space.

<Father, I-> The vessel walked and knelt, words cutting off with anxiety.

Wyrm activated and checked on the seal on Hallow's mask. "Interesting, joining with the Lord of Shades didn't disengage this? I hadn't expected that. It must have been greatly weakened over the course of my rule and being forgotten. I had thought them already dead." He muttered and began to ghost fingers over the notches Hallow had. "Where did the Kingsoul go?"

That had been a question Hallow had been dreading.

A hand touched upon Hallow's chest. "There it is, if changed greatly at your breast. It became your core? Brace."

It was more warning than Hallow usually got; sharp pain radiated through their being, as something touched their heart.

<Father, it. It hurts.> The vessel gasped out. They were not words sufficient, but they were descriptive enough for their use.

"Please bear it a little longer. This is a very beautiful charm that has become your heart even if it is taboo to my being." 

The pain grew to shocking agony, then to a fading sensation, Hallow felt like their body was a distant, cut off thing.

<Father, please. Stop!> The vessel spoke in growing horror, fear and concern.

The Pale King was faced with a decision then-and let go of the charm. Sensation slowly returned and the vessel gasped on the floor, curling in on themself on the floor as mind and body reconnected. It was painful as the disruption the Pale King had inflicted and the vessel would have gagged if they could on the feelings of revulsion they now felt.

They instead wept on the floor, black tears falling onto the ground as they shivered and their mind turned to things they did there, the pale Wyrm unheeding to a child's pain in the terrible silence; the screams that echoed only through the void, the vessel capable only of displaying stiff trembling to their master. 

They recall the efforts to ensure they could learn magic. The painful process of 'installation' over being taught the theory that took place here. The studies that involved dying here and their shade. When the various seals were made on their shell and mask, the burning magic that had kept burning on their mask for days from them. They had done nothing but suffer in this room and this day had proven no different.

"Vessel, I. I'm sorry, that went too far." The king stroked their mask, making a soothing sound, a purr that Hallow hadn't heard before.

Hallow felt the dam burst and sat as they cried, for all the things they'd wanted and had never had. That Wyrm was holding them now, comforting them now, touching with loving intention rather than with cold intent of science or with violence. The feelings were somewhat positive, but many were bitter, some even bordered on hate and disgust that they didn't know what to do with. They had so many things to say, for themself, for the things that had been done to them and the things they'd missed out on. For the way their father had run away the moment their emotions had become known like a damnable coward. That had been a choice Hallow had been denied, they couldn't say no-yet this day, for the first time, they had asked for their father to stop.

And he had listened.

The Pale King let Hallow get out everything they'd needed to, to calm down and recover from… whatever it was that he'd been doing to them. <This one doesn't want to be experimented on again, or studied. This place, it brings back bad memories for it.> Hallow spoke, in a shaking mental voice. <It is painful for this vessel to be here.>

"Oh, Vessel. I had no idea it was that upsetting. Let's go to my study, then so you don't have to be here. You never have to come in here again." The King promised and led the shaking knight from that terrible place.

They settled down in a chair this time, the king likewise going seated. "I will apologize. That was too far, I needed to explain what I was doing and why-to ask for your permission. It's not easy to break old habits. I noticed you dropped first-person pronouns in your stress." He spoke frankly with sadness.

<This one supposes not. It felt like it was… dying.> Hallow shuddered. <Did you pull this vessel away to speak, or was it to satisfy that curiosity?> They asked tiredly.

"A bit of both, admittedly. To ask you how you're feeling, but that's… obvious, right now and is very much my doing." He sighed and leaned forward. "I'll have to be invasive one more time, I'm afraid but perhaps not this day, to let you recover. I need to set you free and I intend to."

<You'll… free this one from its bondage?> Hallow rephrased in mild disbelief. 

"Yes. As my final order in that bondage, for the rest of your life should something happen and I am unable to undo that binding-I order you to act of your own free will and feelings, as you see fit and judge is right. I relinquish control over your will and mind. There will need to be magic done to completely remove the binding, but it will no longer function."

<It will thank you, father once this one is wholly free.> Hallow spoke diplomatically. They couldn't exactly forgive him entirely yet if the harm was still there.

"I understand. You are a higher being now, truly. While you could read the language of the gods and make things function that are for gods, you didn't have a few aspects that would elevate you from a child of higher beings to purely one yourself. However, you do not have worshippers and as much distaste as I have for the god that was, that will need to change for your own health."

<That must be why the Lord of Shades said they were very, very starved. Speaking of, father. Why are you starved?> The vessel spoke pointedly. <This one believes they can ask some pointed questions and get answers in return. You owe it at least that much.>

"I. Eating is a currently disgusting endeavor to me. Certainly, I did like it once and ate but. Since the vessel project started, my. My enjoyment became nil." He replied honestly. "My shame steals the joy out of anything I do."

<You regret the choices you made?> 

"I do not regret having you for a child. I regret that I killed so many and the crimes committed against the siblings who didn't make it. I regret how I've treated you. I don't know if I could make it up to the survivors but I will at the least try for the time I have and make sure your siblings do not go through the struggles you did." The king chose his words carefully. "I believed I had no other recourse. No other choice that wouldn't see my people dead or entirely enslaved to the Old Light-but I do not think I deserve forgiveness for being a kinslayer, for my mistreatment of you. I have been something to you for sixteen years. Would have been that for two years more, so you could have your final moulting and complete your training. I would have nailed that armor to your carapace and left you to her tender mercies. In that, I was wrong. I intended to kill myself once I was sure my people were safe and could carry on in my absence."

<It knows. It realized that when it went down into the Abyss before becoming the Shade Lord.> The vessel spoke, voice thick with pain. <You're dying, aren't you father. That's why you don't mind sacrificing yourself to the Grimm Troupe either. You are dying and you want to die.>

"I've done too much to live or to allow myself the pleasures in living. The situation in Hallownest is my fault. Your pain is my fault. The many, many broken masks in the Abyss are my fault. I am a kinslayer, who committed infanticide of his own children. Even a god doesn't get forgiveness for those kinds of horrible actions. I deserve the suffering you children experienced. I deserve the deaths I visited upon the children I deemed not good enough. Yes. I am suffering void poisoning, it is an agony I bear constantly. My light holds it at bay enough that I can live five more years without drastic actions." He spoke bluntly.

<Did you poison yourself deliberately?>

"Exposure to void with proper protections isn't deadly. A bug can be scarred by void without dying, in fact the exposure can have beneficial effects such as on the ageless mask maker. Void poisoning in mild cases caught early enough is treatable. So I suppose yes. I did that to myself deliberately." He spoke numbly. "It's… actually a relief to admit that. I wasn't expecting that."

<It's not treatable now. You're dying. How long do you have left?> Hallow felt like the ground was opening beneath their feet.

"No, even I will succumb to a case this severe having gone on this long. Five to seven years, depending." Wyrm spoke clinically. "Your mother doesn't know, but she's not very curious and finds my company odious these days. I don't want her to know."

<You aren't the only one. Would you die as a member of the Grimm Troupe?> Hallow pondered.

"No, time is frozen in a sense for a member of the Troupe. As a sacrifice, my original body would likely be immolated, the presence of void cast out as anathema to it as well. It's not got a will of its own so expelling it for the Nightmare Heart would be doable. It's just not for me between having a corpus much closer to mortal form and my diminishment as a god." 

Hallow rubbed a hand over their chest. <Father, please free this vessel today. Now.> It was firm. <This vessel just wants to love you as themself. Not as your property, as your child. Whatever you have done, it does not know if it can forgive, but love. Love is something this vessel has always been able to give.>

The first time Hallow had ever demanded anything for themself and only themself.

Tears came from the king's eyes. "As you wish, Lord of Shades my child."

The bindings lit up as the king touched, claws digging into the mask with a strange sensation that felt like it should hurt but didn't. The light burned, the mark burned. But the claws were quick, chanting even and fast. Soul pooled around the king's hands. 

The chains broke and Hallow felt a weight come off, something they hadn't realized had been there for a very long time. The remnants would be there, like an invisible scar until they moulted, but then-then it would be gone.

It would take time for them to understand what they'd gained and lost at once. <Today I learned that this one's father is not brave. Please. Please live. Even if your crimes are too much for your heart to bear. Stop running away. Please. Face what you have done, face us who you have wronged. It's not too late.>

 "...I can try. I love you, my child." He touched foreheads with Hallow, a familial kiss. "For all you vessels, I will try. I don't know how anymore, but I can still learn."

Hallow is not an adult. They are, however, now free of their father's chains.

[xxkellsvixen19xx]

Notice Chapter 15.5

Warning: Child Birth

“Michael," she says faintly, “Michael, since the doctor's coming here, take off my knickers. I don't want to have to do it when he gets here."

He starts by taking off her low heels, setting them out of the way under the sofa, before reaching under her skirt. He takes the time to run his hands over her thighs, but again the moment is interrupted by a contraction. When it passes, he takes off her underwear matter-of-factly and stuffs the garment into his coat pocket.

"I'm not exactly going to leave that lying around," he says with a smirk, and she lets out a breathy laugh. It feels almost like their wedding night again.

"Leave the skirt." She doesn't want Dr Aredeane  or any other servants seeing… that.

But once again, she doesn't have time to even think about being embarrassed. She grips the edge of the sofa cushions so hard her knuckles turn white, and she's out of breath by the time the contraction ends.

As the pain ebbs and flows, she waits to hear a car outside or a knock on the door, but the Dr's voice does not come from the hall. She's lost count of how many contractions she's had. Y/N is in so much torment she barely notices the storm outside, but the few times she does, it seems to be only getting worse.

But then after an eternity, she feels the urge to push.

But even though her body knows what to do, this scenario could not be more different. A hundred disasters flash behind her eyes. She shifts closer to the edge of the sofa, now barely remaining sitting on the cushion, and spreads her legs wide.

“Y/N?"

"I have to push," she says tightly.

He raises an eyebrow. "Isn't that what you've been doing this whole time?"

Her frayed nerves go haywire. "No, I wasn't. Now just help me!" she snaps, and immediately regrets it. "Sorry."

"Yell at me all you like," he says easily, the corner of his mouth turns up. "What do you want me to do?"

"Wash your hands," she blurts out, mentally kicking herself for forgetting.

It's his turn to look at her nervously. "Are you sure you want me to leave right now?"

"Go! And hurry!"

He leaves, glancing back at her, and she remains behind alone in the study. Silently begging God for help, she takes a deep breath and pushes for the first time.

She can't hold back her guttural groan as the baby descends into the birth canal, and Michael sprints back through the door.

When she bears down again, tears leak out of the corner of her eyes. The next time, she lets out a noise somewhere between a sob and a scream, and Michael looks terrified. She almost asks to hold his hand, but she needs his hands whole and able catch the baby, not broken by her grip.

So she remains on the sofa. She's in so much agony that it doesn't even register that Michael is kneeling before her. Y/N has never been much a crier, but she openly weeps now, and screams aloud when the top of the baby's head leaves her body ever so slightly.

"Get ready to catch the baby," she rasps through her flood of tears.

Michael looks under her skirt. "I can sort of see the head, but-"

"Just do it!" she screeches, past caring about apologies, and gathers what little strength she has left to deliver the baby's head.

She officially enters the ring of fire stage as the head descends. She can't even think straight as she struggles to push the head out, but through her tears, she sees her husband's expression. He stares at the top of the baby's head in awe, and for a split second she can almost forget the pain.

"I've seen a lot in my time," he breathes, "but this beats all."

A scream is torn from her throat as the baby's head finally passes through, and she allows her body a moment to rest. But she has to force her mind to think coherently.

"Is the cord around the neck?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"The cord?"

"It looks like an intestine," she says, about to curse everyone who says men should be taught nothing about female anatomy or childbirth. Society might still be prudish, but Michael being innocently unaware of what an umbilical cord looks like could mean their child's life or death.

"There's nothing around the neck," he assures her. "It looks normal."

A contraction decides her rest is over, and she starts to deliver the shoulders. He reaches under her skirt to cradle the baby's head, and all she can do is weep as she pushes.

"Use," she gasps, "use your coat to catch the baby."

He obediently removes his raincoat, but sets it aside to peel off his softer blue sweater. He quickly rolls up his shirtsleeves and reaches under her skirt again with the sweater. "I have the baby."

But she can't answer. Her entire world, her whole existence, her everything is pain and the baby's torso between her legs. There is nothing but those two sensations. All she can do is push and cry and scream as the torso slides out so slowly she thinks it might kill her.

Then, in a gush of fluids, the baby falls into Michael's hands. Y/N collapses.

Their child's first cries fill the room as she drags air into her lungs. When she has enough strength to lift her head, she sees Michael cradling their newborn – a girl, they have a baby girl – to his chest. His hands and arms and shirt might be covered in blood and mucus now, and the infant is still attached to his mother by a pulsing umbilical cord. Nevertheless, an enraptured Michael gazes down at their child. When her husband looks at her with a smile, she can see tears in his eyes.

As their daughter quiets, there's a rumble of something outside, and she initially thinks it's just more thunder. But she realizes it's an engine just before car doors are heard slamming shut, and then footsteps race to the cottage. The front door bangs open without a knock, and she hears the Drl's voice.

“Mr Langdon?"

"In the bedroom," Michael calls, his back still to the  door as it flies open a moment later. The Dr and a woman Y/N  assumes is a nurse burst in.

“Mr Langdon?" The Dr repeats, and she sees his expression turn from terror to relief when he realizes she isn't dead. And then the newborn prince cries, and the Dr  puts a hand over his heart.

"Tha' must be ye new wee bairn," the Dr says in a Scottish accent so thick he probably bleeds Loch Lomond lakewater. He's got bushy red hair and is wearing an honest-to-goodness kilt, but he carries a medical bag, and that's all that matters.

"Looks like ye did me job for me, Your Royal Highness," Dr. Aredeane  says with a grin.

"I'm glad to let you take over," Michael admits with a shaky laugh.

"My sincerest apologies for the delay," Aredeane adds. "It took time to locate my nurse and a tree had fallen and blocked the road, and then we got lost on the round a bout-" He clears his throat. "Very sorry, ma'am."

"You did your best," Y/N says, voice hoarse. "And Michael did an excellent job." When she smiles at her husband, she sees the blood on his hands that had soaked through the sweater. “Nurse, would you find some towels?"

"Of course, ma'am." She nods, as if bowing more than necessary will make up for being late, and leaves.

Dr. Aredeane looks under her skirt. "Looks like ye haven't delivered the placenta, mam."

She shakes her head. "Not yet."

When Michael carefully places the infant in her arms, Y/N starts crying all over again. She can't remember the last time she cried tears of happiness, but it's a welcome change.

The nurse returns with what is likely every towel in the entire main floor, and Michael wipes as much blood as he can from his skin. Dr. Aredeane steps aside as Michael goes to his wife's side, and he bends down. The doctor and the nurse look away when Michael drops a kiss to their daughter's head and another to Y/N's temple.

"You did it, Y/N," he says against her hair. "And so well, too."

"We did it," she corrects when he pulls away. "I could never have done this without you."

He rolls his eyes good-naturedly. "The most significant thing I did was catch her."

"Which was vitally important," she insists.

"You did everything else," he counters lightly.

"Of course I'm glad Dr. Aredeane is here," she begins, "but I could have been in the world's finest hospital surrounded by fifty doctors, and all I would have truly wanted was you."

He hasn't looked at her this tenderly since their wedding day. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, then."

She smiles. "You're all I need."

The infant gurgles, and his father looks down at him in wonder. Michael smiles at Y/N, truly smiles, and she reaches for his hand. He grasps hers, and she knows somehow, some way, that they will be alright. He is all she ever needs, all she has ever needed now and forever.

[minybangy]

EXO reaction : Their S/O is a medical student/intern...

[Sorry if there’s any typos or mistakes]

Kim Junmyeon — Suho

A 24h shift is hard and very tiring, you ran in the ER all night, prepared an operation with your chief and took care of ungrateful patients who had dared to tell you you weren't doing your job correctly. What did they know about your job? So when you came home and the delicious scent of your favorite dish came to you, you felt truly happy. You quickly went to your kitchen, finding your boyfriend cooking, you couldn't help but come behind him and wrap your arms around him.

“Jagi, I missed you.”

You and Junmyeon had your habits, he was busy most of the time and so were you, but whenever you could, you always made sure to be there and to make time for each other.

Sometime you would run a hot bath for him to relax after rehearsals, sometimes he would give you a massage to help you recover from constantly running and walking in the hallways. Each of you always made sure the other was okay. And your relationship was working perfectly, sure there were occasional tensions but both of you were understanding and mature enough to make it work well.

Kim Minseok — Xiumin

You had a big exam coming up soon, and you weren't ready, really NOT ready. You worked, you really did but it was simply not enough and now you wanted to cry, frustration taking over, fearing to fail and to lose your chance to be a surgeon. Minseok was working out not far from you, but when he looked up and saw your eyes watering, he stopped, got up and came to you, asking what was wrong, so when you told him about fearing to fail, he sighed a bit, not really knowing what to do. He was covered in sweat, and you were sad, so the only solution he thought of was to take a long, warm shower.

After your shared shower, you were relaxed, wearing fresh comfy clothes, your boyfriend behind you, gently stroking your arms. He then took your flashcards, bribing you for motivation.

"Okay jagi, for every correct answer, I'll give you one kiss, stay focused."

Zhang Yixing — Lay

Exhausted was not a word strong enough to describe the state you were in. You wanted to fall and sleep for at least five days. Your back ached, and you could barely tell if you could feel your legs. The shower relaxed you though, maybe a bit too much as you were almost falling asleep while standing. You lazily placed your toothbrush in its cup, rinsing your mouth and quickly brushing your hair. You came out of the bathroom, wearing something comfy to sleep, and joined Yixing in your shared bed, clinging to him as he embraced you tightly. You both talked about your respective days, nothing special about it but it felt great to finally be with him and to be able to really relax. He played with your fingers for a little while, occasionally taking a strand of your hair between his fingers, not even knowing what to do with it, but he talked, his voice was low, almost a whisper, making you doze off easily. So when he asked you something, and you didn't answer, he looked down at you, a chuckle left his mouth when he saw your eyes tightly closed.

"You worked hard Y/N, I'm proud of you."

Byun Baekhyun — Baekhyun

Baekhyun, being the cutie that he is, would want to make sure that you were taking breaks, so as soon as he saw you rubbing your eyes or temples, he would get up, close your laptop and take your hand.

"C’mon, time for some fresh air!”

It could be simple things like just the two of you walking down the street for a bit or sometimes it could be little dates, far away from your books and headaches. He was proud, don't get him wrong, he was so proud of you and knew that you still had to work for a while before to go to bed, but your health is important to him so by making sure that you were stopping for a while, he felt better. And you were grateful, he was saving your head from exploding and your legs from stopping to correctly function due to the amount of time you were sitting.

Kim Jongdae — Chen

You were confident, there were really no reasons for you not to be. You worked so well and reviewed everything you had to. Your boyfriend had helped you as well and gosh, he saved you. Last month, you had an important exam to pass, well, important? More like decisive. Make it or break it, there was no way back.

Jongdae had accompanied you to get your results, but as you approached the place, you started to stress more and more. You somehow managed to calm down and enter the building, coming out with an envelope. You both sat on a bench nearby, your fingers playing with the sides of the brown paper, not daring to open it and reveal the final results. Your future was in there, written on a document. One word could literally change your whole life right now. Accepted or Rejected.

“Fighting Y/N, You can do it”

"I can't do it Jongdae, do it for me please."

So he did, he took the brown envelope, carefully opening it and took a paper out of it. There was no need to read everything. The most important was written in bold. He didn't say anything though, and you thought it was over until he took your hand in his, making you look up, seeing a wide smile spread on his face. He presented you the paper. Accepted. And at this moment, you thought your heart has stopped.

"Congrats Doctor. May I take you out on a date tonight or are you too busy for me now? Don't abandon me when you accomplish miracles and become famous."

Park Chanyeol — Chanyeol

Sometimes, mostly at the end of the week, you were struggling to keep everything in your head, too tired to be able to stay fully focused, you were frustrated, sighing and growling, throwing your book on your desk and dramatically plopping yourself on your bed, at least five times in the pasr hour. Chanyeol wanted to laugh at first, but when he saw how desperate and tired you were, he somehow had an idea. So one day, you saw him enter your living room, wearing some kind of human's anatomy printed clothes. Giggling, he planted himself in front of you.

"Jagi, let's make this fun! I'll be your model.”

He got up on the coffee table, facing you, he pointed at some muscles, asking you to tell him everything you knew about it. At the end of the day, you had learned everything you needed to know, and your boyfriend couldn't be prouder, knowing he had been a great help to you.

Do Kyungsoo — D.O

You were often coming home late, sometimes you would even forget to eat, going to bed as soon as you could and hiding in your man's arms, almost immediately falling asleep. Studies and work taking too much time and you being too unorganized, this mix not giving anything great for you and your health. Kyungsoo wouldn't say a lot, but he knew, he saw, you and your bad habits, so he would've created this little routine for you to follow, it was a pretty simple routine, but it was efficient: Water bottle to empty before a certain hour, not skipping any meals even if you really didn't have any correct schedule due to the hospital being an unstoppable rollercoaster, and finally, a good amount of sleep. 

So when he saw you getting up on your own to cook, he felt proud, knowing that you were taking his words seriously. Yes it wasn't a lot, but it meant a lot to him, firstly because you were listening to him, but mostly because you were taking care of yourself. 

“Eat well jagi”

Kim Jongin — Kai

You watched your timer for the fourth time, sighing, grabbing your pen again and writing down as fast as you could. You were testing yourself for an upcoming & very important exam, willing to do anything in your power to make as little mistakes as possible. So when your alarm went off, you stopped breathing for a microsecond, hoping you had it all correct. You took the paper with all the answers written onto it and proceeded to correct your test.

You jumped from your chair when you re-checked every answer for at least three times, everything was correct, you didn't expect to do this well, so you felt all the chains tightly wrapped around your lungs, fall, letting you breathe normally again. The little victory dance you were doing since a good minute made Jongin laugh, but it didn't stop him from joining you, taking your hands in his and dancing like two crazy kids for a little while.

"I knew you were smart baby! Now you deserve a long night of sleep and cuddles, come here."

Oh Sehun — Sehun

As per usual, you were working when Sehun came back from rehearsals, you were memorizing tons of information and medical stuff, just like every other day, and you were not closing your books until late every night. Sehun was proud, and very understanding, knowing that to succeed, you needed to give your all, but he was also worried, always making sure you were still going to bed and you were getting a reasonable amount of sleep before going back to your revisions. He would watch you work sometimes, but of course, you wouldn't know that; this man wouldn't let you catch him observing you lovingly while you were so focused. 

But as much as he would understand and accept the fact that you are as busy as him, he would still want some of your time, and if you ever forget him, don’t worry, he’ll make sure to remind you to pay attention to him.

One last thing, this guy would brag about you at any given opportunity.

"Sehun, we haven't seen Y/N for a while, you should bring her someday, we miss her!”

"Sorry hyung, you know doctors are busy. She's performing her first operation today!"

[katzmintz]

Starting an art blog...

Yo, time for my first post on this blog. How to start this... well maybe by writing down the reason behind it. This evening I once again tried to draw a character from reference and it was painfully obvious that I again had no idea what I was doing. I can't construct figures properly, I only have a very limited understanding of anatomy, perspective and every other art fundamental out there. Usually I would just slide back into drawing something very simple that doesn't need much understanding of any of it to look somewhat decent but here is the thing: I'm endlessly tired of doing that, I am not improving by doing that and I never will. Most people would say I'm a loser. My family only consists of my father and grandma. I'm single after I got dumped by my boyfriend in early 2020 after 10 years and I do not have a career in a field that makes me feel fulfilled. My hobbies used to be Video Games and Anime but both industries are in an absolutely terrible state these days that I can barely find anything in it that gives me enjoyment anymore. You might say my life crumbled apart everywhere. Well... maybe but I don't feel like that is the case, I still feel optimistic that I can turn things around. To some extend I was always interested in drawing, it's just that there have always been things in the way so I couldn't really dedicate myself to it but since there isn't much else left maybe now the time has finally come to get serious and learn art properly. I can't say I have an endgoal. I don't know if I would want to keep it a hobby or go professional. All I know is that I want to be good at it and that I want to spent me life doing art. I've been wanting to do it for a long time now but I can't push it aside any longer. I often think I should give up on it. Today was one of these moments when I completly failed to nail the anatomy of the character I wanted to draw, but whenever I think I should just give up a certain feeling will follow right away: "If I give up on art I am basically already dead." There isn't really anything else in life I want to focus on. I have no interest in building a family. I have equally little interest in dedicating myself to any soulless career field out there. Other hobbies don't sound attractive either. So no matter how I look at it, I have to sit down and spend a very long time in agony learning those art fundamentals until I have gotten somewhat decent and start making the art that I want to make. Only to never be satisfied with my skill level and contine to learn until my last breath. Funny isn't it? Well this might sound a little negative but I wouldn't be here if I didn't enjoy creating art. It's just the part where I have to do studies instead of just drawing what I enjoy that's seriously painful. So this is me, a 29 year old woman who just wants to become a decent digital artist, nothing more. I won't post daily. I have no interest in pressuring myself. I also don't care if this blog gets follows or not. This is basically just for me to keep track of my long journey. If there is something to post I will do just that. May it be my drawings, studies or just thoughts and struggles. It all goes here. Well that's it for my first post. I will now proceed to doodle something into my untouched sketchbook before I go to sleep, maybe some hands I think.

[sextoyorgasm]

Masturbation Relieves Anxiety, Helps You Sleep, and Boosts Your Sex Life. So Why Don&#039;t More Women Do It?

New Post has been published on http://www.sextoyorgasm.com/wp/masturbation-relieves-anxiety-helps-you-sleep-and-boosts-your-sex-life-so-why-dont-more-women-do-it/

Masturbation Relieves Anxiety, Helps You Sleep, and Boosts Your Sex Life. So Why Don't More Women Do It?

[brightcove:5542924479001 default]

After centuries of being treated as the act that shall not be spoken of, female masturbation is finally shaking off some of its cultural baggage.

Broad City’s Ilana Glazer and Insecure’s Issa Rae have casually sought out ménage à moi on screen. Actress-turned-singer Hailee Steinfeld praises solo sex in her breakup ballad “Love Myself.” And in this month’s Bust magazine, Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez publicly laments that she once felt guilty about self-love. The message is clear: Everybody’s doing it. Right? Well, not everybody.

RELATED: The Better Sex Workout

In a new national survey, roughly one in five women say they have never masturbated in their lifetime. Never ever. Which is notable, given that masturbation is not only the safest kind of sex, but it also promises health benefits from better sleep to less painful menstrual cramps—and it can empower women to better understand their sexuality. So, why aren’t more women lending themselves a hand?

For the survey, titled Sexual Diversity in the United States, researchers at Indiana University polled 2,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 91 about their interest and participation in more than 50 sexual behaviors, from anal sex to public sex to spanking. The survey was conducted anonymously and confidentially. While about 64% of men and 40.8% of women reported masturbating in the last month, 8.2% of men and 21.8% of women said they’d never done it. And these numbers jibe with previous research.

“The majority of women have done it,” the report’s lead author, Debby Herbenick, PhD, tells Health. But “a lot of women are still raised with the idea that it makes you ‘slutty’ or ‘oversexed’ in some way to be interested in sexual pleasure.”

RELATED: 8 Ways Sex Affects Your Brain

The survey didn’t ask participants to qualify their responses, but sexual health professionals have a few theories about why many women have never gone (down) there—and practical advice for women interested in making a maiden voyage.

First, there’s the stigma. Broad City’s Glazer may luxuriate in an evening of solo sex—lighting a candle, shucking an oyster, turning on a slow jam—but pop-culture depictions of women masturbating just because are still relatively new.

Until recently, even acknowledging that some women masturbate as an ordinary self-care ritual akin to, say, going to the gym or treating themselves to a manicure has felt transgressive. In a 2002 study exploring how college students talk with their friends about sex, female students “reported more communication overall than did males on all topics, except for masturbation.”

And as recently as 2013, the writer Ann Friedman suggested in New York’s The Cut that masturbation is the last sex taboo for women, pointing out that in too many popular portrayals (think: this scene in 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin), “It’s something bad girls do, not something every girl does.”

RELATED: How Often Should You Be Masturbating? We Asked a Sex Expert

Women’s perceptions of masturbation vary across the country, too. “Some women think that pretty much every woman masturbates, and others who are in more conservative friend groups would think that far fewer women masturbate,” says Herbenick. “So a lot of it depends on where you live and who you’re friends with.”

Considering these reasons, it’s no surprise some women feel hesitant—or ashamed—to masturbate. Especially older women. After the actress Beth Grant was asked to deliver a joke on The Mindy Project about self-love ("I masturbate all the time," her character, Nurse Beverly, tells her coworkers. "I did during this discussion!"), the then-65-year-old told Cosmopolitan, "I'm from a generation where you don't talk about masturbating. . . . Certainly you don't do it, or if you do, it is a deep, dark secret.” Speaking openly about it, she said, felt liberating.

For many religious women (and men), masturbation isn’t just stigmatized—it’s forbidden. Conservative Christian denominations, Catholicism, some Muslim communities, and other religious groups consider masturbation a sin, teaching that sexual pleasure should only exist between a husband and a wife. “Generally, people who go to religious services more than once a week tend to be less likely to masturbate, less likely to use vibrators,” says Herbenick.

RELATED: This Is How Masturbating Can Transform Your Sex Life

When devout members of religions that ban masturbation do engage in it, they often suffer from feelings of intense shame, Karen Beale, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Maryville College who studies the relationship between religion, sex, and guilt, tells Health in an email.

Perhaps more than anything, though, women are simply under-educated about masturbation. High school sex ed classes very rarely teach students about the anatomy of the vagina—or clitoris—or even mention pleasure. Parents, too, have a tough time navigating the how-tos of self-love with their daughters. “Most women don’t recall any conversation between themselves and their parents about female masturbation,” says Herbenick.

This lack of dialogue leaves many women feeling clueless. “These really smart, successful, super-accomplished women would come into my office and say, ‘I’ve never really masturbated, and I feel very embarrassed. I should have figured it out, but I haven’t.’ I saw this over and over again in my practice,” said Vanessa Marin, a sex therapist based in Los Angeles. “We need to create more resources for women who are struggling in this area. The main reason women give for not doing it is, I don’t know how.”

Marin stresses that learning how to masturbate can have a real, positive impact on women’s lives. “There are so, so many different benefits of masturbation for women,” she said, from decreased anxiety levels to increased immune response. It helps you learn what you want from a partner—and means you don’t need a partner. “I also think the process of learning how to bring your body pleasure is one of the most empowering experiences you can have,” adds Marin.

RELATED: Science Says Men Should Be Masturbating 21 Times a Month—Here's Why

To help women who no longer want to be the “one in five,” Marin created an online course wryly called Finishing School, through which she helps women all over the country learn how to masturbate and orgasm. Bottom line, she says? You’re never too old to try your hand. And don’t worry about whether you’re doing it the “right way”—start by just doing what feels good and adjust from there. (For more guidance, you can check out her free orgasm workshop.)

The dearth of resources also inspired sex-positivity activist and photographer Lydia Daniller to co-create OMGYes, an award-winning interactive site where real women demonstrate—on themselves—various paths to orgasm. Since Daniller and her team of researchers, filmmakers, engineers, designers, educators, and sexologists launched the platform in 2015, it’s been embraced as revolutionary. (Herbenick is one of her collaborators.)

“Female pleasure has carried a stigma for a long time—but what's exciting is that things are shifting,” Daniller said in an email. “People are hungry for more factual and realistic information about sexual pleasure.”

Masturbation isn’t for everybody, and not every woman who tries it will be into it. But it’s worth remembering: Our culture has a long history of struggling to accept the reality that women enjoy sex as much as men do—and that women can satisfy their desire on their own. The more our culture encourages women to enjoy the pleasure of their own company, the more attitudes will change. As Daniller put it, “We think the current taboo around women's sexual pleasure will seem absurd to people in the future.”

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