#Inspired by Real Simple Magazine

[k-slla]

With You At Last

A/N: so I wrote this last night after work. I just had one song on repeat for the whole day and for some reason it made me think of Ben.

Song used for inspiration

Word Count : ~690

Pairing : Soldier Boy x Supe!Reader

Warnings: angst, language

All mistakes are mine. Feedback is appreciated 🤍

My Masterlist

You were there in Nicaragua, in 1984. You were there when Ben was taken from you. You were there when he was betrayed by your own team.

Actually, you couldn't say that they were your team, considering how Edgar kept you fighting from the sidelines, not putting you on the team. He did admit that you were and had always been very useful to them; you just didn't have…a certain appearance to be part of the official Payback team.

Those were his words to Ben, when he tried to get you on the team, to fight beside him. And as answer to Ben's boldness to question him and threaten to bring you to limelight, he spitefully coerced him to date the Countess for the tabloids. For showing his attitude.

And that fucking hurt. Seeing him with her on the covers of every magazine. Knowing that behind the closed doors he was yours, didn't help at all.

You knew that simple bullets couldn’t hurt him, but then again you didn’t know what could. So when you saw Ben being dragged away from the field, you assumed the absolute worst.

Everything around you collapsed. You were kneeling on the ground, completely shattered as you saw the rest of the team fleeing from the scene, clearly unbothered by the loss of their leader. All but Swatto, but even his death meant nothing to them, as long as they got rid of Soldier Boy. Or so at least it seemed to you.

Ben always hated the fact that you were kept in secrecy. He hated that you couldn't get the recognition that you deserved, just based on your looks.

"Who the fuck cares about our looks? " He had tried to reason with Edgar, who still wouldn’t budge, even after admitting your value to the team.

You had the power to manipulate people's perception. You were present on every battlefield beside Payback, helping them in the most useful ways with your ability. While Payback attacked, you deprived them from their physical awareness, so Ben and others could fight them without getting injured. To him, you were the one who made Payback’s conquests possible.

Ben honestly didn’t know what the fuck had happened that day. Everything went to shit in a split second. Mallory’s base was under attack and you were nowhere to be seen. And then there was nothing.

Until he woke up, restrained to some table, and about to be experimented on. For almost 40 years they held him there.

And all that kept him borderline sane during that time was you. And planning the payback for his former team. But all that was secondary next to you.

He had never thought that he’d ever find someone who would make him want to have something meaningful in his life. Something real. Something that no one would be able to take away from him. He just wanted you.

He wasn't even sure how he was capable of loving you as much as he did. He never received any love or affection from his father. Ben was abandoned, and had been alone since childhood. But he knew he loved you, otherwise he would have forgotten you. Otherwise he would’ve already given up on everything.

He waited for the day he’d finally be free. He knew it was coming and he’d be ready for that.

Still, his hope had started to waver, and he lost himself to loneliness. Hopelessness of seeing you ever again started to take power over his love for you in his mind. And he couldn't fight back to it.

After years of imprisonment and torture, Ben was certain that they had managed to kill him somehow. Or that he’d finally lost his sanity. He wasn't even sure which he would've preferred.

The air was knocked out of him when he saw you standing there in front of him. Even when you held him in your arms after all the years of being separated, he had a hard time believing that it was real. One kiss from you was all it took to convince him. It was real. You were real.

Finally, you had found him and he was not alone.

Taglist: @jackles010378 @cevansbaby-dove @deanwinchestersgirl87 @il0vebeingdelulu @alternativeprincess94

[asksythe]

MXTX Interview with Risa Wataya for Subaru Magazine P.1

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR MOXIANG TONGXIU IN JAPAN ON May 6th 2023 ABOUT INSPIRATIONS for MDZS (P1)

(Risa Wataya is a very famous novelist in Japan)

Risa Wataya: "Mo Dao Zu Shi" is very famous in Japan. When the Japanese version of the novel came out, I was so excited that I waited in line before the bookstore opened. This work is a "Chinese-based fantasy novel", so there are also some settings that I am not familiar with, but by consulting the material, I feel I gained a deeper understanding of the work. This makes me feel very happy. In addition, because Japan also uses Chinese-like characters, the image of places and names can be communicated directly, making the worldview easy to understand.

Ms. Mo Xiang, when this work also became popular abroad, how do you feel?

Mo Xiang: I never thought my work would be well received by foreign readers. I was very happy and also very surprised. I was also surprised to hear my friends say that Wataya likes it. Thank you very much.

Risa Wataya: For Japanese readers, the fantasy world of China is refreshing, with long-haired characters hovering in the air by manipulating celestial arts, sometimes displaying stunning moves or engaging in fierce power struggles. Environments like hidden lands, dignified palaces, and haunted houses all make people excited. Why did you choose such a fictitious setup?

Mo Xiang: Because I love traditional Chinese culture very much. If I have to describe it, I prefer old palace gardens, natural mountains, and river scenery to modern high-rise buildings. Compared to modern costumes, I also prefer the character in Hanfu with flowing hair.

Risa Wataya: Is there anything that’s exclusive to the fantasy genre?

Mo Xiang: This classification is very liberal. Anything can be written. For example, a beautiful woman that does not age for a hundred years, does not die in a hundred years. Or a monster that cannot die for a few hundred years. Imaginations that cannot be exercised in the real world can be used here.

 Risa Wataya: So it turns out. What is special about Chinese fantasy novels, compared to other countries' fantasy novels?

Mo Xiang: It can feel different to describe traditional emotions (*) that only Chinese people can understand. For example, other countries may have different views on blood relations between family members.

(*: can be understood as intrinsic social and cultural values and customs)

Risa Wataya: Indeed, it is rare for Japan to feel such deep house/clan ties through novels, so this work of Magic gives people a very refreshing feeling. On the contrary, what do you think is the reason why this novel is also famous abroad?

Mo Xiang: Maybe because everyone focuses on the characters and their feelings, not the setting and value system of the work.

Risa Wataya: I understand. The character concept here is great.

Mo Xiang: It could also be because my own setting is relatively simple and easy to accept. For example, when I was writing, I was obsessed with the southern and northern Wei Jin dynasties.

Therefore, I have read a lot of related literature, and the power structure mentioned in the work also mentions some Wei and Jin regimes. But when it comes to actually adding these elements to the story, I need to make it shorter and easier to understand. I didn't want the context to be too complicated, because I basically just wanted to describe the story of great Houses, so I thought of using a context like "The Hundred Cultivator Houses". For example, if you are familiar with magicians riding on flying brooms, understanding the setting of flying swords should not be difficult.

Risa Wataya: This is the first time I read the scene of exchanging jindan (golden core) and flying swords. Both are very cleverly interspersed in the story, which is a great setup indeed.

Mo Xiang: The concept of jindan can be a bit confusing for people from other countries. The jindans that appear in my works are a little different from the jindans that appear in other Chinese works. Readers consider it to be "exchange of spiritual energy in the body". In the novel there is also "The so-called jin dan is a ball of qi that forms in a cultivator's body after cultivating to a certain level. It is used to store and circulate spiritual energy." This kind of description, my friends told me: "Treating spiritual cores like an organ transplant. I have never seen such a ridiculous setting."

To Be Continued (The article is quite long) 

Translation by me: Sythe / NPD Khanh

[littledemondani]

Oh my god you're gonna regret giving me permission to share more fuckboy!Eddie thoughts 😫 That man is gonna be the death of my coochie!

But anyways here you go! I hope this inspires you to write more about him because MISS MAAM U R SO INSANELY TALENTED LIKE??? HOW R U EVEN REAL OMG THIS APP SO BLESSED TO HAVE YOU IN IT

• when you compliment fuckboy!Eddie he's a fucking GONER. It could be something as simple as "oh that shirt looks good on you" and his cheeks will just FLARE UP but of course he has to maintain that grouchy image so he'll be like "shut up >:(" but his flushed face and soft bambi eyes will beg for you to compliment him more <3

• one time when he's jerking off, he's trying so hard to really focus on the dirty magazines or the actual porn in front of him but he just won't GET THERE. Like he'll try different positions and even consider calling up one of his girls that he can get a quickie with BUT THEN he thinks of you and he comes HARD AND FAST LOL <3

• he's so fucking smooth with all the other people, like he can easily flirt and throw somebody a wink but when it comes to you he's a helpless stuttering mess!!! Which frustrates him to no end because he's like "what the fuck is going on with me" but then again he's also an idiot who won't admit that he's catching feelings <3

• he starts to associate things with you even without him trying or noticing. Like let's say he's out having lunch with his friends and somebody orders the same thing that you'd usually order, he'll be like "oh I know someone who also always goes for that" or when he hears your favorite song or favorite artist on the radio he'll smile and chuckle and HE'LL EVEN TURN IT UP EVEN IF HE HATES THE SOUND OF IT BECAUSE IT REMINDS HIM OF YOU <3

• i guess his last straw is when your ex comes back and somehow tries to win you back. JEALOUS FUCKBOY!EDDIE HERE WE GO <3 i think that's when he'll realize it's time to actually take shit seriously or else he'll lose you forever.

ANYWAY THAT IS ALL 🫡 IM GLAD TO HAVE BEEN OF SERVICE

OH MY GOD!!!! GORL PUH LEASE!!!!!!!

listen— i have always hc that fuckboy eddie is in hella denial about his feelings. i may, at some point, write a little blurb about his backstory and how he met reader.

(also, you are too sweet to me. 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 ily) BUT!!

i love the idea that he can’t cum while reading his dirty mags or watching porn. i think at some point, he also starts to do this while with other girls.

he starts comparing them to you. they don’t touch him the same way, kiss him the same way, suck his cock the way you do, moan the way you do, pull on his hair the same way, or whisper the nastiest filth while he’s balls deep inside of them.

[nuzzle]

Hi~

I saw your post about how lolita fashion (and ads for it) have changed in the last few years, especially for Angelic Pretty, and I agree completely!

I think the lack of creative ads these days might be b/c Gothic & Lolita Bible isn't around anymore? (cries) and Kera went purely digital ages ago, I don't know if it's even still around (I should have kept my old Kera magazines). But I remember how I always used to look forward to seeing the clothes and layouts that were featured in the new issues of each magazine.

My favorite when I first got into lolita was from the Wedding issue of the English edition of GLB; a model for Baby was wearing a lovely, tulip print skirt (or was it the jsk?) in blue, holding a parasol and sitting at a cafe table. Something about her looked so sweet and simple; I wanted to be a lolita just like that!

The models in the magazines always looked like they were happy or having fun, which I think is part of what made me want certain dresses or blouses. In AP's current ads, the model just looks... kinda sad and pouty and bored. I've noticed that for a lot of their dresses, they've been skimping on the lace, frills, and ribbons, and there's no more cute hair styles either! Meanwhile, wasn't it AP that brought lolita from old school to New School / OTT sweet when they had models wearing pastel pink / blue wigs for their Mermaid Symphony (iirc) photoshoot back in 2007?

On a different, but kinda related note, I've noticed that in the past 5 years or so AP has been making a lot of dresses with ridiculously high waists.... also so many sack dresses (I know they started doing this back in like 2012 or so with that polka-dot M&M print dress)

Sorry for the long rant, I just really miss the old days of lolita fashion

hello there!

i'm always glad to have some feedback when i post rambles and thoughts on things. i never expect it, so thank you for your input! it's also comforting to know others feel the same way.

i agree that without as many publications in general (especially physical) there's less of a reason to put as much effort into details, like the magazine spreads that were commonly done for example. most people get information on releases online these days, making physical catalogs a bit obsolete.. aside from collectors. i greatly miss all of the graphics and how inspirational everything felt back then, especially the little PNG pictures of items in catalogs.

you're completely right about pictures from GLB's and other magazines looking generally "happier" and more like daily life sort of pictures, like the one in the cafe you mention. that aspect of it appealed greatly to lifestyle lolitas! seeing a dress pictured in a "real life" situation rather than just a plain white background photoshoot picture makes a huge difference. it brings it to life, and makes it a lot easier to see yourself wearing it.

i think a big change in marketing is that AP doesn't cater as much to lifestylers.. and lolitas who are very much interested in the fashion beyond a surface level and see them as more than just clothes. all of the photos now actually feel like advertisements, when they used to also be appealing from a photography perspective. like they're only trying to sell you a product and not an experience, even if only visual. for me, that takes away from it a lot.. it almost feels as though that sense of community, and the acknowledgement that lolita is a subculture, is dwindling.

plus, it's definitely more than just presentation that's changed as you said. i feel as though the designs AP offers have been super uninspired compared to old releases. not as many details, not as much custom lace, and the general silhouettes becoming a bit lazy.. tons more, but i could go on for days. even the revamp and progression of the lyrical bunny mascot has felt a bit soulless. very sad to see, because i do agree that they were the brand to introduce OTT sweet in a revolutionary way.

as much as i gripe about old vs new AP changes, the positive side is that we can still look back fondly on the old era!

and no problem at all! it was nice to hear another perspective on this. ^^

[sabinemorans]

Roll for Initiative

Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader 

Word Count: 2k+

NSFW Warnings 18+ ONLY: Pussy eating, lowkey public, fingering, praise kink,

Note:Eddie is only on his second redo of senior year so he’s only a year above Reader😇

Some elements Inspired by the lovely Eddie Cultists on Tik Tok who only fuel my obsession further

Three…two…one. It was exactly 12:15 and Eddie had places to be. He’d been trying to subtly but carefully watch the clock ever since lunch had started all while entertaining his friends by reading the articles that damned their favorite hobby. 

“It’s just ridiculous!” Mike said, chewing on his roll. “No one cares to see what we actually do so of course they think it’s demonic when it’s just a game.” 

“Curse of living in a small town,” agreed Dustin with a shake of his head. 

 Eddie chuckled and tossed the magazine back onto the table. “Don’t be discouraged young friends, one day everyone will see the complexity and depth of Dungeons and Dragons. Now!” He slaps his hands on the table then grabs his soda, draining it quickly and tossing it into a nearby can. 

“If you gentlemen will excuse me, I gotta go have my real lunch.” Eddie stands and grabs his lunchbox. It was time to see his favorite person in the whole world-you.

The older boys at the table chuckle and shake their heads, knowing exactly where Eddie is headed now but not wanting to be too crass in front of the younger ones. Plus only a small circle of people even knew about the two of you in the first place and no offense to the freshmen, but they were not in that circle. Eddie often left lunch early after chatting for a little bit but he’d never given anything close to a hint as to why before now, always saying it was just important and something only for him to worry about. At Mike and Dustin’s confused faces he just waves it off, heading out towards the back of the cafeteria while flipping the bird at them affectionately.

“What does he mean by ‘real lunch?’” He hears Dustin ask, and Eddie smirks to himself as he walks out of earshot. Only the best thing in this damn school, he thinks to himself as he makes his way down the nearest hallway, down more stairs and another hallway. He reaches his destination of a seldom used classroom after only a few minutes and after checking that the hall was empty, knocks lightly in a specific pattern. The door opens and as soon as he slips inside he’s enveloped in the familiar scent of you. 

You’ve wrapped around him so suddenly and with such force you’ve pinned him to the door, causing it to close much louder than normal. It echoes in the hall and you both freeze for a moment-waiting for someone to investigate. When no one does, you giggle to yourselves and lean even closer into each other’s space.

“Hey there honey bunch, didja miss me or what?” Eddie was grinning and he knew how his stupidly big brown eyes made you feel inside so of course he flashed those proudly. When you melted visibly the grin got bigger. His arms were tightly wrapped around your waist in a hug that left little room between your bodies, which is how you liked it. “Could’ve gotten us caught, you naughty little thing.” 

Eddie dips his nose to your neck and inhales deeply, moaning as your natural scent and your perfume flooded his senses. He was a sensory guy, always needing you close in a way that would remind him of you when you weren’t within sight or on the phone with him. Your smell on his clothes, the taste of that stupid new coke you liked on his tongue, an article of clothing he could stash in his pockets and touch whenever he wanted. He always called himself a simple man but really Eddie was demanding in his need for you. You wouldn’t have it any other way. 

You hum in response to the sweet touches and light teasing, running your hands up and under his shirt to be skin to skin with him. “Buuuuut we didn’t get caught! So maybe you should just kiss me and we can get you fed properly.” 

Deciding to be evil (in his opinion at least) you lick his lower lip slowly, your hands moving from his back to his ass which you grab firmly. He groans as he complies, kissing you deeply and slipping his tongue into your mouth with ease. He’s fumbling with the door lock behind him for a moment before he’s leading you further into the room without once stopping the kiss. When your back hits the teacher’s desk you smile against his mouth and finally pull away. 

“Someone’s hungry today huh?” You say as he helps you up onto the desk. His hands are sliding up your thighs to push up your skirt and his eyes are zeroed in on his meal but at your tease he flicks those brown eyes back to you and winks. 

“Oh you’ve got no idea gorgeous…if I don’t get a taste I might go crazy, and you don’t want that do you? Plus,” Eddie grips your panties suddenly and starts to remove them, helped by you when needed all without looking away from your eyes. The goosebumps forming on your skin were a sign he was doing something right. “If I wanna graduate with you I’ve gotta get to class on time. Can’t be late.”

You wanted to say something snappy he could tell, your mouth opened but after he slid your panties down your legs and completely off he tucked them neatly into his back pocket; effectively reducing you to just a nod of acknowledgment. Eddie grinned as he lowered himself between your knees.

“Eyes on me babe,” he purrs up to you, a distinct tone of need in his voice. He kisses the inside of your thighs softly, massages the outside with his hands and by the time he makes his way to your center he can tell you’re becoming desperate. He hums as he pulls you closer to the edge and slides his hand up your body to encourage you to angle yourself back a little. He pulls his hand back down your front slowly, enjoying the feel of you on his palm before fully burying his face between your legs with a deep inhale. 

“Fuck you always smell so good…” he moans, nuzzling his nose above you and then letting his tongue flick out to your clit while his thumbs pull your lips apart. Eddie smiles up at you as you shiver, his hands sliding around to grip your ass. “Cmere baby…”

He could feel you watching as he spelled promises out along your pussy, making you moan and grab his hair for leverage at how voracious he was. Eddie didn’t do anything half assed except homework, and least of all you. He moaned in response to your hand coming to grip his dark curls tightly. One ringed hand was placed on yours not to stop you, just to hold you there. When you opened your legs wider and pressed his face further in a full body shiver overtook him. 

Fuck you were so good! Eddie’s tongue fucked your pussy for as long as he could, before finally pulling back to breathe with his lips and chin wet with your slick. He was so hard for you now, the grip on his hair that you refused to relinquish had his cock pulsing. Unconsciously he rubbed the heel of his hand against the bulge in his jeans, looking for any kind of relief he could get in the short amount of time you two had.

You noticed the movement and grinned, sitting up a little and tugging on his hair in a way that just made his cock need you more. His mouth opened slightly and his brown eyes were almost glazed as he looked at you. The tugging of his hair always made him want to whimper and do anything you asked but there wasn’t time to fuck you properly before you both had to be in class. His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall to check the time-ten more minutes, that should be enough to get you over the edge and get you both through the day until you could be truly alone. He swallowed the water that suddenly filled his mouth as he thought about drinking you down, tasting you for the rest of the day and his cock throbbed. 

 “All worked up just because of my taste? Look at you Munson, if anyone saw they’d call you whipped,” you purred, a mischievous grin spreading on your face. 

Making direct eye contact with you with those big brown eyes of his, Eddie slowly wets two of his fingers, sucking them into his mouth down to his rings. You visibly swallow as you watch him pull them out soaking wet, your eyes going from his to his rings and back. He leans forward and strokes his spit slicked fingers along your folds casually, up…and down, pressing in lightly on your clit before dragging back down to slowly press them inside you. You gasp as your body opens for him and he stands, towering over you now with his lips brushing your ear. He chuckles hearing the shaky breaths and stifled moans as he finally sinks both fingers down to the hilt, your pussy walls fluttering deliciously around him. 

“I prefer the term pussy drunk sweetheart. Here, why don’t you taste for yourself?” Eddie drags his lips over yours at the same time that his fingers begin to curl inside you, making you gasp loudly with need. Then his tongue is back in your mouth and you groan desperately, clinging to his battle vest as your breathing becomes more labored. 

“F-fuck,” you whimper. Smirking against your lips Eddie gives you one last kiss before pulling his face back just enough to see you clearly. 

“That’s it sweetheart…I can feel you tightening around my fingers like such a good girl,” Eddie praises, his fingers speeding up and he takes extra care to make sure he brushes against that extra sensitive spot inside you. You’re breathing heavy, suppressing moans now and your hands are fisted in his vest so hard your knuckles are white and he just cannot get enough. You’re so fucking beautiful to him he can’t stand it and even though he doesn’t have time to fuck you properly he makes a vow to himself as your walls start to clench hard that by the end of the day it’ll happen. 

Your eyes are threatening to close as you get closer but just before the wave hits Eddie whispers, “fuck, can you look at me? Open your eyes sweetheart, lemme see your eyes when you cum all over my fingers. For me baby, please?” 

When your eyes flutter open and meet his he feels like he almost cums with you. The sight of you falling apart under his hand makes him mutter fuck with an air of triumph and need. You squeaked loudly when the pleasure finally became too much and Eddie’s other hand slaps over your mouth to keep you quiet while he wrings every last bit of cum from you that he can. 

Putting on what you called his “melted chocolate voice” he speaks directly into your ear, his fingers finally slowing to help you come down from your high.  “Shhhh shhhh…I got you sweetheart, that’s it, that’s my good little girl. Cumming so good for me baby doll-I fuckin’ love it.” 

When your body finally relaxes, exhausted, he pulls his fingers from you and tips your chin up with the hand that had kept you quiet.

 “I love you sweetheart. You’re the only girl for me, you know that?” When you nod with a glazed look in your eyes Eddie chuckles and gives you a sweet little kiss, just gently pressing your lips together. He checks the time then and mutters a curse, pulling away from you.

“I gotta get-I’ll see you later yeah? You’re coming over tonight.” Eddie quickly sucks his soaked fingers clean and grabs his lunchbox, ready to leave when you call him back. 

“Huh…huh? I am?? Wait-Eddie you-you have my panties!” You were too weak to chase him down and he knew it, but your eyes seemed clearer. You were still on the desk with your legs open, skirt down hiding your pussy from him (which was probably a good thing or else he may have just come back to you for more). 

As it was he really was trying to graduate with you which meant getting to class on time this year so he just smiled at you and winked. “Gotta come over if you want them back right? Be careful to smooth your skirt down before you sit anywhere.” 

His hand on the door Eddie stops himself and then looks back at you one last time. “You know what-just be careful in general. I don’t want anyone else seeing what’s mine. I don’t share food with anyone but you.” He blows you a kiss. “My place after dark. I’ll see you then, my good girl.” 

And then he’s gone, practically skipping to his next class and thinking of what else he can do to you. People are looking at him a bit funny in the halls but there’s not a damn thing on his mind besides you, and what he’s going to do to you once you’re in his bed. 

You both might be skipping school the next day from sheer exhaustion.

Part 2-lemme know if you want to be tagged!

@ohdeargodnotyouagaintyouagain @manyimaginativemuses @labyrinth-runner @emilykjh @vunoirien @rexsjaigeyes @labyrinth-runner @juniebugg @dreymabees

[netherworldpost]

@thatdarnyeti /

The current (emphasis: current, I'm still chomping numbers and capability) plan is there are going to be 3 monthly zines.

Each zine is 1 sheet of paper folded in half, to make a tiny booklet.

Monsters / the Netherworld / fun stories or poems etc

Real world post office letter mail inspiration stuff

Real world Halloween (spooky, not scary, in line with everything else we do) essay

Each zine is $1 each + postage (in the USA, about $0.70). You're only charged once for postage, so your total will be $1.70 or $2.70 or $3.70 depending on if you subscribe to one, two, or three zines.

Each zine is going to be about a blog-post in length... because a few months after they mail out (probably 3 or 4 months), they become blog posts.

At that point, the PDF of that zine will be "pay if you want" to download, or you can buy a copy in the shop as a normal product, for $1 (then we'll fire up the printing presses and mail it to you).

The advantage of us printing and mailing -- we use commercial printing presses that have really great colors. The advantage of "pay if you want" is you can get it immediately and (if you want) free.

On social media, for the last few years, I've balanced

"here is monster stuff in a fun dimension, sometimes there is smooching"

"here is a love letter to the postal system, yes, a love letter... to.. the postal... system"

"Here is fanfic about Scooby-Doo, or a very specific Halloween commercial from the 1980s, or a love letter to Dunkin' Donuts Halloween donuts"

By splitting the zine into three options, people can focus on "I like THIS part of your work, but am less interested in THAT part of your work."

I want to serve people exactly what they are most interested in. I love making all three lines of stuff pretty much equally, and having 3 focuses to bounce between keeps me in a great flow state.

It works out great.

I am extremely pro-social media, it has given me an inordinate amount of advantages and benefits for many years.

And.

I'm in the classic business scenario of "what got you to where you are won't get you to where you want to go."

The above zine project is explicitly designed around "Hey. Like our stuff? Here is a physical copy priced as affordably as possible. You're getting a blog post / social media post, but in the mail. Enjoy!"

Each zine is going to be wildly experimental.

I look at them as a box.

"I have 1 sheet of paper, folded in half, so a booklet of 4 pages. What can I do this month with it?"

FOR THE MONSTER ZINE, I'm thinking "Okay. One month it is a love story (obviously). The next month it is a series of sketches of slime candy. The next month it is a day-in-the-life of a dragon."

FOR THE MAILING ZINE, one month it is going to be "You should write a postcard to your favorite independent restaurant and tell them exactly how you feel about them. You should share why you order what you order and how happy it makes you. Maybe you went there on a date and it went great, maybe you went there after a really hard day and their food made it a little bit better."

FOR THE REAL WORLD SPOOKY ZINE, I'll do a deep dive into my fan theories about magic in Hocus Pocus.

In the 80s and 90s there were tons of super cheap magazines and comics that were constantly shifting and experimenting and I love that.

It's the energy I'm bringing back.

I've spent too many words on this really simple response, I'm sorry, I'm full of words today.

There will be a giant post on the blog "this is how I'm doing it because I have access to commercial printers, if you do too, here is what i recommend. If you don't, check out how to print it at an office supply store, here are details. If you don't want to do that, here is what you can do at home with a cheap desktop printer."

Wow I am WAY over my word budget (laugh)

thank you sorry getting back to work

[musingmixtape]

plots inspired by taylor swift’s music, enjoy! (& hmu if u want to write any of them!):

hits different: ‘you were the one that I loved, don't need another metaphor, it's simple enough’. muse a and muse b were everything, their first real love and now that they’ve broken up neither of them are dealing with it like they should. i just want to see messy exes who truly adored each other, getting drunk on the weekends and showing up at doorsteps, not dealing with jealousy, always ending up tangled together even when it just makes everything worse. just angst and pining and desperation.

glitch: muse a and muse b are insanely different, so people are constantly shocked when they find out they’ve been friends for a long time. no one who imagine that’s not all they are, because they’ve been friends with benefits for a long time now, self-sabotaging their own relationships at times and swearing it’s just some fun until they find someone permanent. but of course feelings start to get involved and neither of them is willing to admit it because that would just fuck up what they have, right?

the last great american dynasty: this is the entire vibe. basically muse a is a wild girl, she’s always down to any last minute plans and her life is a constant party. muse b on the other hand carries with all their families expectations, they’re expected to behave, don’t get their name on the magazines and eventually take over their parents role (bonus points for royalty but honestly any old money kinda business works perfectly). of course, muse a turns muse b’s world upside down. i wanna see them sneaking around trying to avoid rumors and muse a taking muse b to every party they shouldn’t be at, and muse b just throwing around their money and being happy and just letting go for the first time in their life.

illicit affairs: ‘look at this godforsaken mess that you made me, you showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else’ if you ask me, there’s nothing like a good infidelity plot. the plot could begin when the affair is brand new or when it’s been going on for some time but every time muse a tries to break it, muse b just gets them right back on the palm of their hand. i want to see the heartbreak of desperately wishing for someone who can never be yours and having to settle with anything they can offer. bonus points if muse a is somehow related or has a relationship with muse b's partner, it can be siblings, best friends, anything, it's just way more sad that way and i love angst.

i'm too lazy to write these ones but i've also thought abt ideas for 'tis the damn season, ...question?, miss americana & the heartbreak prince, august and cowboy like me because they're so good?? so anyway if u want to hear abt either of those just lmk lol.

[foxes-that-run]

Reputation has 2 parts

With the release of Reputation Taylor provided a Parody Tabloid which included a prolog letter:

"When this album comes out, gossip blogs will scour the lyrics for the men they can attribute to each song, as if the inspiration for music is as simple and basic as a paternity test," 

See also: Reputation timeline

Reputation Magazines has 2 volumes

Reputation was released with two variants of TS Parody Tabloids, with different backcovers. Taylor discussed the album having two sides in her Lover interview with Zane Lowe (at 4:30 in). There she said one half was weaponized and the other was the real story about love and friendship.

One refers to this awful real piece of journalism about Haylor and this one. The paternity test in the letter, 'who is Olivia's real father' and references to pregnancy rumours in tabloids are interesting. It's possible Bigger than the Whole Sky was from the Rep vault. :( which sadly tracks with disappearing for a year and the more serious things covered in Miss Americana.

There are you tube videos that go through every page of them both magazine.

They had the lyrics for different songs, which was a hint that the album covered more than one phase, ta(y)ble of contents didn't follow the track listing:

Vol 1 "Who is Olivia's real father?"

Harry Styles is Olivia's real father, and most of this first part relates to Haylor and the events in the first half of 2016 before she disappeared.

Gorgeous is the most obvious clue of this split, it is track 8 so if that was the order it would be in Vol 2, but it's in the Vol 1 Magazine because it is part of the April 29 story. LAWYMMD is in both, it's the point of change and retreating.

Based on her hair in the Making of Reputation clips you can see her hair in these songs was before she bleached it. Most of these songs were all recorded before she met Joe or Tom H at the Met.

Ready for it

End Game

I did something bad

Gorgeous

Don't blame me

Delicate

So it goes, and

Look at what you made me do

Vol 2: Why she disappeared

The second half is about Taylor retreating and healing after she disappeared. The songs about Joe are here, though not all relate to Joe. Miss Americana continues from this volume, and was filmed during the Rep Tour.

This is why we can't have nice things

Look at what you made me do

Getaway Car

King of my Heart

Dress

Dancing with our hands tied

Call it what you want, and

New Years Day

The volumes also had different paintings and an 'is this the end of all the endings poster' The paintings were the same, but they each had a lyrics and different poems:

Vol 1 - who is meredith's real father, has these New Years Day lyrics.

Don't read the last page

... but I stay. and,

Why she disappeared Poem

New Years Day is in the Vol 2 book because it is about being settled, but it was possibly cut from 1989.

Vol 2 - why she disappeared, has lyrics from Call it what you want which was in Vol 2.

All the liars are calling me one, nobody's heard from me for months..

I'm doing better than I ever was. and,

If your anything like me Poem

[canvas-cat]

Aight, here it is. The big question.

What's up with Tank Girl?

HO BOY!!!!

Okay okay okay, so-

"Tank Girl" was a comic character that was in an old magazine called "Deadline" in the 80s, and was created by Jamie Hewlett (guy who creates the art for Gorillaz) and his pal Alan Martin.

The premise is basically this surrealist humour comic following her shenanigans in a post-apocalptic wasteland, with her....anthro kangaroo boyfriend? (yeah you heard that right).

She also lives in a tank. That's why she's called Tank Girl.

Honestly the art of Tank Girl has been a massive inspiration to me since I first discovered it, and Jamie Hewlett's art style in general, and imma break down the reasons why for you real quick!

In relation to Tank Girl, I've always been a fan of off-the-wall characters, and she's definitely one of those. Her fashion sense is especially eccentric and unique, and very punk, with a ton of detail in her outfits in every major illustration she's in.

To this day, I still find small details in Tank Girl covers that I've seen a thousand times, which is unbelievable to me.

The comic itself is also... extremely bizarre-

(If you don't believe me, literally just take a glance at the wiki, you'll soon learn)

I adore how absolutely unpredictable it is, which is especially refreshing as it's a post apocalyptic setting, which are often depicted in a gritty, realistic fashion. It's a chaotic deviation from the norm!

As for Jamie Hewlett, I'm a huge fan of his art style, to keep it simple.

His character designs, the expressions in his artwork, the poses...his art is always chock full of personality and I love it.

I especially love the hands, which you've probably already guessed by now. I'm just a sucker for hands drawn in an angular style, it's very aesthetically pleasing to me

(Jamie Hewlett, Egon Shiele, etc!)

So yeah! Thanks for asking that question!

It made me very happy to discuss Tank Girl on my blog, and hopefully it'll inspire some of y'all to check it out!

(The art book is also amazing, "The Cream of Tank Girl", which I HIGHLY recommend for those who are interested)

...

[strawberrynida]

Presenting the NANA collection and my influence: [Now Sold Out]

A few months back, I created the NANA collection based on the anime/manga "NANA." As I was reading the manga and watching the anime, I found myself entranced by the contrast between punk/pretty, black/pink, their fashion, and jewelry. I knew I HAD to create a jewelry collection that was inspired by the characters!!!

─── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ─────

This necklace was inspired by Nana Osaki's spiked black choker, her wear of paperclip chains (in other magazine publications, pictured below with an orange scarf), and the roses that surround her on stage. I knew I had to find a way to make a rose blend into an otherwise very punk choker! I could picture Osaki wearing these on stage or with a beautiful red gown. I added black onyx crystal within the paperclip chain to make it cohesive and mix the punk style with elegance.

─── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ─────

These three necklaces were heavily inspired by the key/lock chains that Osaki and Ren wear, and by the key to their respective homes. Nana, Hachi, and Ren share a deep bond that is reflected by lock and key; e.g., even when Ren and Nana depart, Ren continues to wear his lock chain. However, I wanted to make necklaces that were a little more intricate than a simple lock/key on a chain, so I added other little concepts into the necklaces such as roses, black and red beads, and even crystals.

The Amethyst key was inspired by Nana Osaki wearing purple (occasionally) and the sewing pin attached to her chain (seen above). Below, I provided pictures of Ren wearing his chain, and an example of the significance that a key holds in both Nana's Osaki's and Hachi's lives (the key to their apartment)!

─── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ─────

And of course, I can't mention Nana without talking about Nana Komatsu aka HACHI. These three necklaces reflect Hachi's bubbly style!!! Hachi didn't always wear pink, but I felt like I had to make them pale pink. I knew that these necklaces needed a white beaded base as Hachi usually wore a very simple necklace with white beads and a flower in the middle. But, for my collection, I decided to add real roses, to match Nana Osaki's rose necklace in my collection. I could have added daisies, as Hachi is drawn with yellow flowers, but I felt that as she matured in the manga, those flowers didn't represent her very much.

Obviously, I added a strawberry as a center charm for the third necklace, but I included rose Quartz to represent Hachi's sweet nature, desire for love (romantic and platonic), and hopefulness.

─── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ─────

And finally, this Viviane Westwood-inspired necklace! I had a hard time remembering if Hachi ever wore a Vivienne Westwood necklace, but this necklace did represent both Nana's. Nana Osaki for her love of the brand, and Hachi for her love of white pearls.

─── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅🍓⋅⋆ ─────

Well, folks, that's it. Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoyed the necklaces and the inspiration behind each piece! Sadly, these necklaces sold out. I am a one-person-owned shop, so I do not have the means to produce these on a larger scale or recreate them. However, I do commissions (and you could ask me to recreate them as closely as possible) or simply wait for another drop (which I may do in the near future). Bye bye <333 love yew <333

[puffywiz]

Hi! I am absolutely obsessed with your art; it's vibrant and expressive and just all around stunning. I have always wanted to be able to draw and make fanart, but every time I try it ends up a hot mess express. Do you have any tips/resources for learning? Do you think it's something that you can get good at, even if you don't have any real natural ability?

Aaaa thank you for your kind words! I'll do my best to offer some tips that have helped me over the years:

Create some mood boards

This is one of my fav things to do. It's different from gathering reference images, which you use to draw from specifically like when you want to get a certain pose right. Mood boards are more about finding images that invoke a certain feeling you're trying to express. Here's an example from a project I did a while back:

These are essentially ways to gather inspiration. You can look at the similarities between each of the images you chose and see if there are any connections you can draw. This gives your work a good starting line to come back to if you start to feel lost.

This can also be a great way to determine what types of art styles speak to you, and how you might like to emulate certain features in your own work. I grew up watching anime and would try to emulate the styles of Rumiko Takahashi and Hiromu Arakawa for example. Don't worry about being derivative at first. You'll eventually find your own voice through a variety of influences.

Start by working on understanding shapes

Drawing gets much less overwhelming as you learn to break things down into basic shapes. My one friend suggests drawing Pokemon as an exercise in determining how simple shapes build form. When you try to go right into drawing lineart first you start focusing on the details way too early and you can get into a stop-and-start that seems to go nowhere. People will also talk about the importance of silhouette. This essentially means you want your character to be recognizable by their shape alone. Cartoon styles particularly excel at this (Steven Universe is a really good example) but different art styles will adapt to this with varying success. This is still something I've been working on even after all these years and it's tricky, but it helps you think about diversity when you're drawing.

(These are some old examples from art school I did. They aren't great but they give you the idea lmao)

Keep a sketchbook and draw big

Keeping a sketchbook is the best. Put everything in your sketchbook and absolutely don't be precious about it. Blank pages are intimidating I know, so if that's stopping you one thing I do sometimes is start by drawing on sticky notes and pasting them in. Add anything you think is interesting - quotes, cutouts from magazines or fliers, cute snack packaging, etc. Anything that you like!

My friend also suggests taking up space in your sketchbook by drawing big. A lot of artists start small little sketches and get caught up in details. They start pages they don't like and move on without adding anything else in because they feel insecure. Don't worry about that, details can come later. And you can always draw over stuff you really don't like. You can paste stuff over it and draw on it again. You can use tracing paper to draw over something 5 times. There's lots of options to try before discarding a page all together. I find this helps combat feelings of discouragement when you're paging through your book. If all you see are abandoned sketches it can get you down. So don't give up!

Don't allow yourself to get precious about your sketchbook, no matter how many aesthetic sketchbook tiktoks you're forced to endure lmao. Sketchbooks are places for failure and experimentation. Let it be ugly. There's value in that too.

Draw both eyes at the same time

I still forget to do this but it really helps cut down on fucked-up-other-eye syndrome. Try not to fully draw one eye before you start the other one. Determine in your sketch phase where the character is looking and try to build on that, going back and forth between each eye until you're satisfied with them both.

Here is a comprehensive list of tips and tutorials my friend found here on tumblr too. I took a look through them and I think there's a ton of great stuff here.

Anyone can start to draw at any age for any reason. I think some people develop a knack for things not out of some inherent skill, but by taking an interest in the subject. I started drawing very young but I just stuck with it over the years because I liked it. There's no reason why starting later in life has to mean you can't get good at it. In fact, since your brain is more developed you might pick it up much quicker than you'd expect. Lord knows I've had to un-learn a ton of garbage over the years lmao. Habits die hard right?

I believe in you! Keep drawing! Have fun!

[fourseasonsfigs]

Many Seeds Many Blessings

There's a lot of reasons I like this set, not the least because we have Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun in their bright blue and red Wenzhou colors.

I also like figs that have a leg kicked up, like Zhehan does here in his inspiration photo:

I love active poses from Zhehan, he's always so athletic and graceful looking in motion.

Here's the inspiration for Gong Jun's outfit and pose:

What an absolutely beautiful smile from Junjun. I wouldn't think a Safeguard soap ad would feature one of my favorite smiles of his, but here we are.

I really, really love the bandana on his wrist - not only does it highlight the strength of his arm and the beauty of his hand and fingers, but it also has the pop of bright blue. Which I know is for Safeguard's logo, not the Wenzhou blue, but the associations are still really nice for me!

Before we get started, with fig pics, I just wanted to say I'm DISAPPOINTED in these figs. Well, not the figs, they're innocent. The FIG MAKER. She posted a pic of the figs looking like this:

Notice the smooch on Zhehan's sliver of chest and of course right there under Gong Jun's beauty mark. I was so charmed! Then I got these figs, and saw the kiss on Gong Jun's face, but where is the kiss on Zhehan?!? NOT there in the final product!

I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of equal smooch time, and I have a feeling some of you may be too. More to come on that.

These two arrived safely! They were part of the experimental batch I didn't air column wrap, so thankfully they were not victims of my own hubris.

Zhehan looks a little woeful here, no doubt because he's lacking a good solid smooch. It's OK honey, we'll see what we can do about that.

I'm just tickled that these figs can actually stand. They're pretty heavy, so I was a bit worried to experiment with them, but they stand beautifully. AND, not only can they stand, but Zhehan can stand on either foot!

Actually, the fact that he can stand on either foot proved difficult (for me) as I very carefully noted that he was standing on his right leg in the magazine picture, and mentally chanted, right leg right leg right leg as I was taking pictures. And then promptly managed to take a pic of him on his left leg.

Ahh it's been a while, but we're back to the typical JZP fig maker fig silhouettes. We've got Junjun's very slim runway model proportions, and Zhehan's lusher frame.

Both of their sets of legs are cute! I like we've got a little bit of movement for Junjun too.

This is such a cute angle on Junjun! Adorable.

Even a cuter angle! Good shot of the silhouettes too.

I wish we had gotten the scarf around Junjun's wrist, but that would likely have been quite difficult.

Well, since I took the photo anyway, here's how he stands on the other leg!

Nice and clean paint. The clothes are simple but executed quite well.

The pants aren't as shiny as they look, I just have late afternoon sun pouring in through my window and lighting up the figs!

Oops. I got here and realized I had not taken a top down picture! I had already finished up and put the figs on stands and away on my fig display. Alright, they came back for a photo encore.

I had been so focused on poor smooch-less Zhehan, and making sure he got all the kisses he so rightfully deserves!

I had this water sticker pack that was part of the Zhongpei fig set, and as you can see it had quite a few little lip stickers.

As you can see, the little lip print is quite a bit bigger than the one on Junjun, and a little bit darker. I don't mind the darker color, since Junjun's eating a pomegranate, after all, but the fact that it's bigger is problematic. There's very little real estate there on Zhehan's chest.

You can see there's definitely no room on his chest for the entire print without it looking strange, so I trimmed it to have just enough peeking out.

Well, I'll cut to the chase...somehow I bungled the first couple tries. The first time I have no idea what happened, the kiss like smeared into a little red ball before I even was able to try to apply it. The second time I don't know what happened either, but the sticker would not stick for anything, no matter how much water or what I tried to do, either side. The third time I realized that the sticker is the opposite side, so I could only stick it on his right side.

The third time was the charm! There's a little bit of a line where I wasn't able to get it snug enough against the lapel, but honestly it was a miracle I even got it on. I'll get a little bit of acrylic paint and paint in the little bit of the line so it looks like it's under the lapel. I still have one kiss sticker left, but I didn't dare take this off and try to reapply - it was very difficult to get on as it is! It also bunched up, but I ran my finger over it and it stretched out somehow. I'm not rolling the dice that I'll be able to do any better!

This also came with a magnet as a free gift. And look! They put the kiss on the same side I did! Looks like that worked out.

Material: Resin...and some smooches!

Fig Count: 423

Scene Count: 29

Rating: 💋💋

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[oscar-fastri]

🏎️💨 THE FORMULA 1 TAG GAME! 🏎️💨:

tagged by @lestappenforever (i'm also very late to this oops?)

1. Who or what got you into F1?

simple answer: ao3

long answer: football summer break in the summer of '23 left me bored and bereft of entertainment. i was browsing on ao3 for stuff to read and somehow landed in f1 rpf and that was the beginning of the end for me

2. Who was the very first F1 driver you supported? Do you support them now? Have your opinions on them differed or stayed the same since then?

lewis hamilton :3 i knew of his existence before i got into f1 because of a feature he did with time magazine so i think i always felt a bit of loyalty to him? also because he advocates for causes i'm passionate about. he's still one of my favorites and i have a lot more context and knowledge about him/his career now!

3. Who’s your current favourite F1 driver?

it's a four-way tie between max, charles, oscar, and lewis. i never said i could choose for shit 🤷

4. Is there a driver pairing or pairings you support? What made you attracted to that pairing in the first place?

*climbs onto a table* LESTAPPEN MY BELOVEDS <33

i came for the enemies to lovers and stayed for the lore, poeticism, and homoeroticism 😌

ok but like actual driver pairing-wise... i'd say charles and lewis or max and oscar. i think it would be interesting to see some of the biggest talents on the current grid (and my favorites) match up against each other!

5. Do your parents, siblings or relatives have a favourite driver?

no one i'm close irl with watches f1 :( i do have a baby brother that i'm slowly brainwashing into the sport though!! his current favorite would probably be max (i'm guessing cause he's a toddler and i have no clue what he's saying half the time) but he loves ferrari in general. (really proving seb right here oof)

6. Do you have any favourite races? Are there any that stand out to you the most?

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH tbh idk :( none of them from this year really stand out and since i'm a new fan i haven't watched any other year!! from 2023 though i really liked interlagos :3

7. Do you have a favourite circuit? Can be from the past or from the current calendar.

also have no clue because i haven't seen all of the circuits. will get back to you later.

8. Have you ever been to an F1 race in real life? Feel free to tell us your experience going to one if you like.

not yet :3 but hopefully i'll be able to go to one of the european races this year!!

9. Have you ever met an F1 driver in real life?

n o p e. though fun fact if i ever did i would be able to talk to 15/20 of the current drivers in their native language hehe

10. Do you have a favourite F1 car? If so, what is it?

rb19 or w11 ✨

11. Do you have a favourite one win wonder?

blerf idk. i would say oscar except i don't think (and i hope) he won't be a one hit wonder, but at this point in time he's only won one sprint, so i'll still say oscar on a technicality?

also i'm not well-versed in f1 history so i don't even know that many one win wonders lmao

12. Do you have any favourite quotes from the F1 world? This can either be inspirational or hilarious.

so. fucking. many.

"i don't want to mature, i'm happy where i am" - lando norris

"just leave me alone, i know what i'm doing" - kimi raikkonen

"i am stupid, i am stupid" - charles leclerc

"i have it printed out" - torger wolff

"i don't think anymore, i stopped thinking a long time ago" - charles leclerc

"yeah it's on purpose" - carlos sainz jr

okay yeah! that's it *fingerguns* tagging @solaireverie @rinador @scientistsinistral and anyone else who wants to do it!! i'm late af so. have fun lmao

[steampaul]

i've started a little series of weekly posts documenting every MoC i made (digitally) over the last few years:

Week 3: the first part of 2019:

a movie reference, francis of the filth, that robot dog and set MoCups of The Forest and Satisfactory

making apocalypseburg Mod inspired me to make a Mod based on the thing it was referencing.

i also tried out the gif-maker for Stud.io at that time and even though i liked the result, i nevere really used it again because rendering took waaaaay too long.

i still like and use the rockwork in this, because its simple and effective.

ah yes. Boston dynamics' Spot. i had seen those first few videos and i liked the concept and almost immediately built a minifig-scale version of that adorable little robot dog. (i never anticipated that it would be used as a weapon.) we will revisit this one in the 2020 post.

these two are the SunCorp laboratory in Okinawa (based on absolutely nothing) and the sea of the wretched how i imagined it (featuring the basic rockwork i like so much)

i've never posted these anywhere. which is because they're pretty bad. i built them a bit after finishing Francis of the FIlth, the Book George Miller, aka Filthy Frank wrote before becoming Joji. it wasn't that well written, but i was a biiig fan and i loved it anyway.

here is wave 1 of the set MoCups i made for The Forest

i really wanted to make these feel like real lego sets. that's why i built the Trees a lot simpler and rendered the MoCs as PNGs and added a background based on a random screenshot from the game. i quickly realised that this was a bad idea and i only used it in wave 2 of this series.

this was also the first time where i built a whole series and posted those builds over a few weeks.

wave 2 of the Forest. i built these later on because the first series turned out to be really popular on reddit (and a lot of new episodes of the let's play i've been watching had come out)

i still like some of the ideas i had with these sets, but i think the idea of more simplistic builds = more realistic as a lego set is really stupid by todays standarts.

Satisfactory is a pretty cool game. still really like the way these turned out, especially the way i made the conveyor belts. i had to redo the cables for some of the machines in Paint.net, because some flexible parts had a rendering problem it that version of Stud.io.

this series was so popular that i got asked to give an interview for some french (or canadian?) magazine over discord.

i also got really salty when a similar but better version of the fabricator turned up on lego ideas, even though i had planned to post some of these over there myself. but whatever.

after the forest, SCP should technically be next. but i'll post those Sets next week because of tumblr's 30 images per post limit.

last week first week next week

[notacoolgir1]

Romanticise Your Life!

Find the beauty in the little things...

(but only if you look good while doing it)

Social media has exploded in popularity over the last fifteen years, becoming more complex and intelligent every day. This social networking surge has affected the very core of how we function as a society and will probably continue to do so for years to come. Though we might think that technology evolves with us, the rise of social media has led me to believe that we are the ones who have adapted and will continue to do so. Diving deeper into this, the people who have had their perceptions of themselves and the world around them changed and distorted by social media the most are women.

Over the years, women have slowly become accustomed to the airbrushed perfection of runway models and actresses seeping into our minds while trying on an outfit or looking in the mirror. However, the clear distinction between reality and fantasy has become somewhat of a savior when desperately attempting not to slip into a pit of self-hatred as a woman. Though it still hurts deep down, we are at least aware that magazines, advertisements, and movies are touched up and perfected, and we cannot expect ourselves to replicate something that simply isn't real.

This is getting more complicated now. The lines of what is real and what is not are more blurred than ever, and the idea that to be a woman is to perform has never felt more real. Why? Where does this come from? As platforms like TikTok expand, there is a distinct rise in a particular type of content made to dress up and makeover the everyday into something glamorous and beautiful. One way of referring to this kind of content is "Romanticizing Your Life". While this idea of romanticizing your life is not harmful in itself, it has been totally warped and misconstrued when placed in the context of social media and content consumption in 2023.

I feel like there is a big difference between romanticizing your life in practice and showing other people how romanticized your life is. Practicing mindfulness to take notice of finer details, making time for yourself and enjoying self-care, and showing gratitude for the smaller things in life are all ways I believe you can romanticize your life in practice. It's about feeling content, fulfilled, and happy. This is personal to you; you know the ins and outs of your life and what makes it great better than anyone. The message gets lost once you introduce social media to the concept, and most of us don't even realize it.

Social media, especially TikTok, instills this need to perform and show off, leaving a lot of people feeling unfulfilled and unhappy with their own lives. This is a problem for anyone who uses social media, but it varies depending on the media you consume. Aesthetically pleasing, romanticizing your life content is a lot sneakier in bringing about this need to perform, and it affects women in a drastically different way. These montages of the beautiful things present in everyday life are always accompanied by a perfectly made-up woman. Shots of beautifully blown-out hair and perfect nails, coordinated outfits, and outstretched arms posing by the beach

You are no longer romanticizing your life; you are romanticizing yourself. Are the simple joys in life still simple joys if you must look good while experiencing them? These videos are often consumed for inspiration purposes, helping to show people how joyful their lives can be, but this is overshadowed by the idea that you need to look beautiful in order to experience beauty.

This feeds into issues surrounding the male gaze and self-objectification; women are already conditioned to view their bodies according to how others view them because of their exposure to objectification. Trends like this only heighten that. This idea that romanticizing your life comes with looking beautiful while doing so only increases the need to self-objectify and arguably does more harm than good.

Life is beautiful; tiny things we take for granted are beautiful, things we never normally see the beauty in. You deserve to experience the world's beauty regardless of how you happen to look; it does not devalue the experience or make your life any less romantic. Experiencing the simple joys in life, embracing the moment, and exuding gratitude is the most beautiful thing of all; how you look while doing it, frankly, does not matter.

Peace and love <3

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

I really loved your kind anon's post about solo harries not engaging with Harry's lyrics in any serious way, and your response. Engaging with Harry seriously as an artist is actually how I became a Larrie, because once I started looking at his lyrics and his themes it all felt so obvious and in your face, the shared themes, the conversation, the closeting, even the gender identity of it all.

And one thing that is, I think, 100% on Harry's team is the way that their approach to his promo completely disrespects and erases the intellectual and the artist in Harry, in ways that make me profoundly sad. Like, the RS article having throwaway lines about Haruomi Hosono and Harry's interest in architecture but devoting time instead to his personal life. Or the LNT MV having at least 3 really obvious readily identifiable art references, and the entire public narrative being "lol pillow fight orgy" (and don't say it's just because he's a pop star, the media gave Kanye credit for the Vincent Desiderio reference). Or Watermelon Sugar being constantly reduced to that one quote about "the female orgasm" and just "a book laying around" instead of any opportunity to actually talk about Richard Brautigan. I even have a pet theory that part of his inspiration for Harry's House (just based on the way he talks about it as a concept) is drawn from Klara and the Sun. But all of that is constantly erased from his art.

oooh kind anon i love this convo :') and yeah i agree. it's - as always - a multitude of reasons as to why he's reduced to bite-sized infobits, but at the core of it all is a disregard for harry's artistic measure. like yes, the media works that way so a headline can sell. yes, harry himself is terrified of looking pretentious so he sweeps his interests under the rug too. yes, they want to make him accessible to as many people as possible by oversimplifying him and his work. there are unavoidable aspects to it all, bc humans stereotype and simplify almost everything they can as a natural reflex, and you can't really write an article in a popular magazine about all possible intricacies of his lyrics and references.

BUT THEN. an article can still be simple and refreshing. bite-size and smart. informative and respectful. i think this recent article was lazy, and followed the mindless herd's feelings and opinions on harry. was it rolling stone or a tabloid bc.....?! i get it, they are instructed by harry's team to insert the stunt in there. it's all part of the intentional closeting. but talk about his private life overtook the article imo, despite his clear unwillingness to share. why isn't rolling stone interested in his writing process? in his inspirations? in his artistic rituals? in the lyrics he's most proud of? most of what was said about his art was something we already knew. you can't tell me he has questions about everything involving his art blacklisted lol.

and i know it's also me and my tested relationship with this kind of journalism. the 'observer' who goes on an adventure with harry and writes a diary entry about it. with vogue it was done right, here it went wrong. why isn't there any simple objectivity in the articles written about harry? why do i have to hear the journalist's personal reading of his outfit and character? just ask him real questions and write down the answers. and i know that even when he lies, or tries to make his way around personal question, there's still something interesting in there for us to figure out. but i'm also over it. how was that super short video interview recently where he got gifts and reacted to them the best content we've gotten from him in recent times like... yeah. i know i'm fed up and it won't lead anywhere but ig it was good to let it out