#Online Course Design Best Practices

[neoiightss]

Having a separate room - NCT 127

Hii, this is my first request, so I’m really excited! Sorry for disappearing guys, I was extra busy with work, but I’m back! Please feel free to send me any requests ^ ^

pairing: y/n x johnny, taeyong, doyoung, yuta, jaehyun, jungwoo, mark, haechan. 

warnings: established relationships, pure fluff, domestic life. 

 

Johnny 

He’s understandable right off the bat. He doesn’t see a problem with it, and as soon as you mention wanting to use the extra room in your house as a personal area, he will gladly help you decorate or build the furniture. 

As you two walk through the Ikea’s aisles, picking up a desk and a chair for your space he points at a cute set of pink-colored decorative frames that would go well with the theme you wanted. 

“What do you think, babe? I could hang them right above your desk, it’ll look good, right?”

He asks excitedly, making you smile genuinely before nodding, he smiles back with your approval as he puts the products in your cart. 

Taeyong 

Another one that will be so excited, taking it as a little project of yours, helping you decorate the place (you might have to tone him down a little, or else he’ll just make it his style). 

“Look we can install a shelf right here and fill it with my Spongebob figures set” 

He points excitedly, walking around the spare room in your shared apartment, planning all the decorations and furniture’s positions as soon as you mention wanting to use it as your home office place. 

“Yeah, but that’s yours and I don’t even like Spongebob that much, maybe I can just put some candles..” 

He pouts trying to win you over with his puppy eyes. Which, unfortunately for you, it works very well, giving in as you watch him smile brightly, walking to the next wall where he wants to graffiti a cool design for you, of course. 

Doyoung 

He probably already has a room for himself, a little studio where he practices and records his songs and doubles it as storage for some of his clothes as well. So he gets it when you mention wanting to have a place for you, even though he loves living with you and enjoying your moments together he just wants some alone time to recharge and gather his thoughts. Will help you out with decoration if you ask, but mostly will just do the heavy work like bringing and building furniture, he doesn’t want to interfere much in your personal space, letting you do whatever you feel like.

“Right here?” 

He looks at you as he levels the shelf you bought, proceeding as he gets your approval, he cleans his palms in his shirt as he finishes installing the last one, internally wondering why you need so many shelves. 

“Alright I’m taking a shower, let me know if you need anything”. 

He says before leaving you to decorate the place, excited to see how it will look at the end. 

Yuta 

Will be the one to suggest you use the spare room in your apartment as he notices you working uncomfortably on the dinner table, sitting awkwardly as you type away on your laptop, he simply can’t have his baby in such situation! Will help you out with putting the place together and even suggesting you a few decorational itens he saw online to make the place more cozy. Will definitely spend an insane amount of money on an office chair just because it’s the “most comfortable on market”. 

“Are you crazy? That’s too much Yuta, besides I only work two days a week from home”. 

You scold him as soon as you see the price of the chair, watching him look unfazed as he puts it together. 

“My baby deserves the best. Besides it goes well with the new pc set I bought you, the reviews online says the keyboards are really egornomical”

“You bought me a what??”   

Jaehyun

He likes to have his alone times just as much, and even tough he’s always romantic and sweet to you he’s not the clingy type. I can see him using the dorms as his personal room, a place where he’ll work on his music or just unwind for a while, especially when he’s too tired or frustrated with life, not wanting it to affect you. He doesn’t oppose when you ask to use the spare room in your house as your little craft area, finding it so cute that you want a place for yourself as well. 

Just like Doyoung he won’t interfere, just helping with the things you ask, but will definitely want to leave one item that will remind you of him, just in case you miss him.

“It’s just missing one final touch, darling” 

He smirks, trying to contain his smile after you give him a quick tour of the room, showing the way you decorated it, you look at him confused asking what is it before he takes a small Polaroid of him blowing a kiss from his pocket, placing it on your desk. 

“So you don’t miss me too much” 

He winks watching you laugh in disbelief, later on, he’ll make you take one as well for his room. 

Jungwoo

What do you mean you want a room just for yourself? He’ll definitely whine a little as you propose it, he thought the whole idea of moving together was to be together as much as possible! It will take some explaining and pouting from you to convince him, in the end he’ll agree with you and help you organize the place, as he tries to, not so sneakily, bring his own stuff there. 

First is an extra chair in case he wants to visit, what about his music equipment? It was just laying around and won't take much space, and as soon as you realize you’re yet sharing another room with him. 

“I know what you’re doing, Woo..” 

You look at him seriously as he quietly installs his pc on the other side of the room. 

“What? You know the wifi is better here, it’s just for when I want to play with the guys, I promise baby” 

He pouts, trying to win you over this one. 

Mark 

He’ll gladly accept it with no complains, he also has his own room where he built a little studio to work on his music and have his alone time so he agrees right away when you vocalize the need to have a space of your own to work on your things and just have your alone time as well, but as soon as he has his days off at home he’ll get a little uneasy not seeing you so often around the house, doing nothing on the couch or doing your cutesy crafts on the dinner table. 

He’ll come around here and there, bringing you water or a treat, or even just to give you a kiss and when you least expect he’s laying on the little couch next to you, watching you work as he plays random songs on his guitar. 

“I thought we agreed on me having this room for just myself”

You comment after a while, your tone giving in that you weren’t even mad. More else amused to see him wanting to be there with you. 

“Ah, come on babe, I’m just giving you a little ambience song, pretend I’m not even here” 

Haechan 

Your own room? Alone time? But he barely sees you..are you mad at him? Is he annoying you? That man is going on full whiny mode as soon as you mention it. He can’t believe his baby doesn’t want to spend all their precious time together being glued into each other. 

Believe me it will take some time to convince him it’s nothing wrong with him, you just want a place to work on your hobbies in peace and have your alone times. After a while you’ll convince him, with the promise that he has a free pass to visit you whenever he’s missing you, and just like Mark he’ll make the most lame excuses to crash onto your room. 

“Seriously, what do you want now, hyuck?” 

You look back as you feel his presence, the boy looking at you with puppy eyes as he enters your room. 

“It’s just that I think I saw a spider on our room, I’m staying here just a little bit, promise”. 

You roll your eyes, not being able to contain a chuckle as he comes in, sitting next to you, snuggling onto you. 

“Baby you know the wifi is soo good in here, maybe I could bring my pc and we’ll have a cute couple’s gaming room!” 

[roo-bastmoon]

Our "Why"

If you want to manifest something, you've got to feel the feelings of it already being a reality, until it is made real.

I know why I stream and buy and share tutorials and vote like an unhinged obsessed person, even though I have crazy work and school deadlines.

It's because this very kind-hearted, highly intelligent, extremely talented, breathtakingly humble young man needs to know.

He needs to KNOW his Hot100 wasn't a fluke. It wasn't bots. It wasn't stream farms. It wasn't random luck.

He needs to know that no matter how many haters (online or in the industry) try and mess with him, we have his back. We will show up.

Next week, during that short window of time when soldiers get to look at their cell phones, he should lie down on his bed, open up that screen, check to see how things went, perhaps a little nauseated with nerves...

And see nothing but pure love and triumph! High charting. Sales that make him untouchable. Reviews that rave about his vision and his skill.

He should know in the marrow of his bones.

The thousands of hours of practice, of going back to the basics, of having a hand in every element of design, the physical and mental strain, the raw, aching fatigue--it was all worth it. He's seen. He's appreciated. He's understood.

I do all this because I want a good person to KNOW they are loved for being good. That despite all the corruption and heartache in this world, good things still happen to good people.

I don't want to brag to antis or other kpop stans. I don't want to crow about Jimin's accolades because I feel superior or more powerful. I don't want to feel like *I* accomplished something, here.

I want to be able to sleep peaceful when this done, sure that we all did our best, gave every inch, crossed every barrier, stayed the course and kept going...

All to get Jimin safely landed so securely in success that no one questions his value or his artistic choices ever again -- least of all him.

Do you know your Why?

Manifest it.

[hoe4sports]

“Take care of Clara” p1

Jessie Fleming x Reader

A/N: Mentions of car accidents and death, anxiety . P2 here.

Summary: An unplanned meeting between your daughter and Jessie ends up with your daughter as the mascot. But your daughter has anxiety, and it’s about to break lose.

“Mmm, Jess, the door” you mumbled half asleep as you and your girlfriend Jessie was snoozing in bed a lay Saturday morning. Your head was pounding from dehydration. Jessie had the weekend off, and you had decided to have a date night with a few drinks. A few being closer to 10, but that was besides the point.

*DUNK, DUNK, DUNK*

“JESSIE, the door!!” You yelled as you kicked a half asleep Jessie out of bed. It was her apartment after all, and you had only been dating for 15 months. It was a good 15 months. You had gone on a few weekend trips together doing anything from hiking to going to the beach. It was nice, it was casual which was obvious considering you had been best friends for well over 10 years. Practically growing up hand in hand until you moved away as a kid, and since the world wasn’t very online back then; you lost contact. Things had changed when you went to a friends dinner party and you had found your designated seat next to a name card that said “Jessie”. When she sat down, you couldn’t believe it. You instantly clicked as you talked all through the night, not noticing anyone else. That night you walked home together and exchanged phone numbers, immediately feeling like back in the days when you would bike around in your neighbourhood and Jessie would be giggling beside you. At first the friendship was platonic, but after a few months of talking and hanging out, you had drunkenly admitted to liking her and when she asked you about it the next morning; there was no room for refusal.

“Oh my god, hold on will ya” Jessie said under her breath as she was jumping on one leg to get her shorts on. She was about to run out to the door when you shot her a look. “Jess, look, I like your tits; they are mine and I would like it to stay that way” you said as you gestured down; she had forgotten to put on a top. She blushed to the color of a tomato and sweared under her breath as she threw on your tank top from last nights. As she walked out to sort out whatever was going on, you grabbed your phone. All out of battery, of course. Luckily Jessie had made sure to have a charger at your side of the bed so you could have access to charging whenever you needed; especially considering you would struggle with sleep from time to time. Well technically, it was her bed, but the side was also technically yours since that was where you’d sleep when you stayed over just like the right side was always her side when she was staying over at yours. You placed down your phone in exchange for the water bottle that Jessie had gotten for you after you had went to bed. The water was still somewhat cold and it felt soothing going down your sore throat. “Ehm, Y/N/N!” You heard from the front door. “This is all you babe!” You shouted back as you giggled, jumping a little when your phone was finally turning on. Her apartment, her neighbour, her issues. You suddenly stopped dead in your tracks. It was weird, you could swear that you heard a tiny voice. You shook it off and tapped in the code of your SIM card. 3-0-0-1. Then you heard the voice again, slightly concerned as you held your breath trying to figure out what was going on. “I really think this is something that you might wanna sort out, I would love to but I haven’t really met her because you wanted to make sure that we-“ Jessie rambled as you heard her footsteps closing in on the bedroom door. But she was cut off by small sobs and it struck you like lightning. You could recognise those cries a mile away, as they belonged to your daughter, Clara.

Clara was extremely shy, and was in treatment working to overcome her biggest fear before it could develop into something worse. She was only 5, but had endured enough hardship for a lifetime. The only place she didn’t feel shy was on the field with her little teammates. That was where she could let everything go and just play. You has gained guardianship over her when your sister and her husband had tragically passed away during a high speed car accident when Clara was just a baby. You had been the only motherly figure that she’d know since she was 6 months old. Your parents weren’t able to take her as they were getting older and had their own health issues, so you decided there was no other choice but to adopt her honouring your sister’s wishes. Jessie barged in and you could see the panic in her eyes. You’d probably also panic if it wasn’t for the raging headache you had going on in the background. You quickly jumped out of the bed and threw on your shorts and Jessie’s UCLA sweater before you bolted towards the door. There she was, your bestfriend with your little daughter clinging on to her leg. “Mommy” she sobbed as you reached your arms towards her while still walking towards the front door as your daughter ran into your arms clinging to you as if the world was ending. Clara wasn’t good with changes in plans, especially not when the plans was something she had looked forward to. “Hi Ella, what’s uh, sorry, why are you here again?” You asked confused as you had already planned for her and Clara to spend the weekend together while you were with Jessie. You hoisted your daughter up on your hips causing her to relax and lean into your side while placing a hand on your neck. You kissed her head as you held her tight and whispered; “Hi princess, it’s okay, mommy’s got you. You are safe.” The words causing her sobbing to soften. “Hi Y/N, I am so sorry but my brother has gotten into an accident and it’s bad so mom asked me to catch the first flight home. I tried calling you, but I could get through and you weren’t at home, so I had no option but to bring her here or take her with me to Wisconsin which I could but I don’t have her passport.” She said as she had a serious grin on her face. “Oh my god, I’m sorry for not answering. My phone was dead. It’s all good, go be with your family. Tell your mom that I’m seeing her love” you said as she nodded and handed you her little pink backpack with her pink Nike cleats in before running towards the taxi waiting to take her to the airport. You sat your daughter down in Jessie’s couch as your pulled her comfort blanket out of her bag to wrap around her before turning her favourite show on the iPad in hopes that it would distract her enough to let you pack.

Your thoughts raced in sync with your heart as you paced to the bedroom to pick up your stuff in an instant terrified of what Jessie would say. She looked terrified when she came to tell you that your daughter was there, and you knew that it wasn’t the right time. Jessie wouldn’t want to waste her weekend on a kid, let alone a kid that wasn’t hers when she only had a few limited weekends of each year. Clara was also a lot more demanding than your standard kid which meant that it was harder for others to connect with her. There was this tiny voice in your head that were trying to convince you that Jessie would think Clara was too much. This exact thing had happened before and it left both you and your daughter heartbroken when they left because Clara was too much. That day you vowed yourself to never let anyone close to your daughter again. It had worked perfectly until you met Jessie.

You grabbed your bag as you scattered around the room to find all your belongings before Jessie could come out from the en-suite. “Love, what’s going on?” A familiar voice said from behind you making you jump but immediately relax when you felt the warmth of her hands on your waist. “It’s was Ella, she had to go to Wisconsin because her brother was in an accident. So I need to take care of Clara. This has been nice and all but we shouldn’t be bothering you on your weekend off.” You mumbled as you could feel tears burning behind your eyelid while you got out of her grip to find your last missing items. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, I can pretend to be your friend if that makes it easier?” Jessie said as she pulled you into a hug and wrapped her arms around you as if she was a baby koala. “I have told you about how Clara is? She’s very shy, anxious and have big issues with talking to people. I get that she’s challenging, but she’s a good kid. I get-“ your rambling was cut off by Jessie. “If you let me, I’ll gladly spent time with the both of you today darling” she finished as you nodded and a tear rolled down your chin in relief.

“Clara?” You said carefully as you walked towards her making sure not to scare her. She looked up at you and nodded, feeling shy of the unfamiliar house around her. “Mommy, home?” She said with tears in her eyes scared of why she wasn’t home. She didn’t really feel safe in new places, let alone places you couldn’t prepare her for like the psychologist had advised you to. You sat down next to her as you tucked her long brown hair behind her ear making her little earrings show. Earrings she had begged you for since she could talk. “We are not home, that’s right. We are at Jessie’s house. Jessie is mommy’s friend.” You said as you took her into your lap while Jessie sat down next to you. “Do you wanna say hi to Jessie?” You asked as she shoved her head into your sweater and shook her head. You shot an apologetic smile to Jessie, but she mounthed “it’s okay” to you.

—

“Pass it Kiera!” Clara yelled as she ran across with the ball on the field outrunning all the other little girls. «I honestly don’t know where she gets it from, you know. She’s fast and she is very mature.” You said as your eyes watched over your daughter with the bright pink shoes and the bright pink shirt. “She’s a natural, way better than I was her age” Jessie said as she rested her hand on your thigh. In this moment, everything felt perfect. It felt like you were normal. Like any other girl with her partner and their daughter. “Hello miss Y/N, did you finally bring Clara’s mom? Gosh, they look so much alike! I could’ve spotted their bond from a mile away.” Another football mom exclaimed as she sat down. Sure, your daughter had chocolate brown hair and the same warm deep brown eyes as Jessie, but you had never considered their similarities. When you compared them, they were spitting imagine. You had blonde hair and blue eyes just like your sister, qnd none of you had anything close to athletic skills. Your little girl however? She had a gift, a talent and a drive to play. “Something like that, yes” Jessie said as you snapped out of your thoughts. You realised that you forgot to answer the other mom. Crap. Jessie squeezed your hand as you relaxed. “Well, Miss?” The mom continued. “Jessie” your girlfriend said as she smiled towards the woman. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Jessie.”

*4 months later*

You were walking along on the sidewalk with Clara in one hand as you were headed to the park to meet Jessie. She had met your daughter a bunch of times, and it was definitely a process as Clara still refused to talk to Jessie. The issue wasn’t that she didn’t like her, because she did. But she couldn’t get out a word whenever she tried. Jessie on the other hand wasn’t bothered the slightest. She’d talk to Clara, but not expected any response which was making Clara feel safe. “Look princess, it’s Jessie” you said as you pointed towards the Canadian. She looked in the direction and gripped your hand while her feet were shuffling next to you. “What’s in her hand, mom?” She said almost soundlessly as she noticed the gift in Jessie’s hand. “I don’t know, I’ll have to ask her when we get there.” A few minutes later, you were 10 steps from meeting Jessie. Jessie hunched down to be in Clara’s level as you approached. “Hi doll, I got you something!” Jessie said excitedly as Clara’s eyes widened. The box was pink and sparkling with a silver glitter bow on top. Jessie held out the box as Clara held your hand tight. “Do you want me to open the box so you can see what is inside?” Jessie continued patiently as your daughter nodded excitedly. Jessie’s hand pulled the top part of the bow towards Clara and she gestured for her to pull it. Clara’s little hand was still shaky, but she touched the bow as she pulled carefully. “Wow Clara, you are such a smart girl!” Jessie said as she removed the rest of the bow and opened the lid of the box before she held the box out in front of your daughter. Clara peeked into the box and gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand. Her face moved towards you as her eyes were sparkling. Jessie pulled out the gift revealing the tiny little Chelsea jersey with “Fleming” on the back. “See Clara, it has my last name and my number so we can match!” Jessie explained as she flipped the jersey around with a toothy grin. Clara was in awe and her eyes were lit up. It made you melt and it didn’t help when your daughter dropped your hand as she embraced Jessie into a hug. Jessie looked as surprised as you before she carefully wrapped her hand around Clara while the other hand touched her head. Clara pulled away from the hug smiling as she beamed and did a few more excited jumps. “Do you want to try it on?” Jessie asked as Clara instantly nodded. “Can I help you?” Jessie asked as bit hesitant as she feared that she had pushed her too far. Clara took a moment to make up her mind before she nodded and let go of your hand. Her arms reached out as Jessie slipped it over her head. “Maybe you can wear it when you come to see me play on Sunday?” Jessie asked as Clara’s eyes lit up. She had always talked about how she wanted to see Jessie play football on the big field, not just in your backyard. However, she made sure to only tell you. Clara’s gaze shifted towards you as she sent you her best please look without using words. “Yes Clara, we can go watch Jessie play on Sunday.” You confirmed as Clara jumped up and down once again attacking Jessie into a hug causing Jessie to lose her balance and fall to her back from the squat position she was in with Clara giggling on top of her.

*The following Sunday*

“Alright Claramell” you said as you sung her nickname. You had made it up as she loved caramels as a baby. She looked up at your from her little drawing table where she was busy drawing and colouring. “We have to put our jersey on when the timer ends” you said as you stated the timer so she could feel in control and make things easier for everyone included. “Mommy, will Jessie be there?” She asked as she looked up at your with her chocolate labrador eyes. “Yes, Jessie will definitely be there. She is gonna play, and we are gonna watch her! And if you want to, you can walk with her on the field with the other kids like we talked about. That means that you can walk out to the middle of the field with the other team and judges holding Jessie’s hand and then the teams sing. After that, you run back to the tunnel.” Clara nodded as she turned around to keep drawing again drawing as precisely as her hands would allow her. “Okay, Claramell, I’m just gonna get ready in the bathroom” you said as you pressed a kiss to her head and breathed in the balsamspray in her hair.

You got to the bathroom, and hopped in the shower. Your thoughts were quickly wandering around what would happen with Clara on the field. You had told her countless times that she didn’t have to do it, and that she could say no whenever she liked; but once she got in the field, she had to stay with Jessie. All kinds of scenarios took place in your head. The biggest worry of them all would be a full blown panic attack mid stadium in front of thousands of people not being able to get to your little girl. What would Jessie do if that were to happen? Would she leave you? Clara had yet to open up to her and hadn’t spoken a full sentence to her. The warm water washed your worries away as the damp of the water filled the room making it feel somewhat close to a tropical island. The damp hot air felt soothing in your lungs. After thinking and worrying for a bit, you hopped out and dried yourself off. You rummaged through your drawer and found your favourite mascara, some tinted sunscreen, a sheer lipstick and some blush from nars that you got as a teen. Lord knows that all girls has that one old makeup product that dosent compare, and you were no exception. The makeup made your face come alive before you glanced at the clock and realised that it was time. “Clara! It’s time!” You called out as your heard Clara’s little slippers tap on the floor in your direction. “Okay mommy, a bun with long hair” she said as she popped up into the sink in front of her, it was basically routine by now. She would come in and you would do her hair in whatever way she wanted it. Today was a half up half down kinda day, and you were softly brushing through her beautiful brown hair. “Mommy,Jess gonna be there?” She asked as she looked at herself in the mirror with her little feet in the sink. You nodded as you finished doing her hair. “Yes, Jessie will be there” you confirmed as her little brows furrowed. “Promise?” “Pinky promise.”

*2 hours later*

The stadium was huge compared to Clara. She had her little Fleming Jersey on, and she had insisted to wear her bracelet that she made at home a few weeks ago with pink beads. Clara’s hand tightened around yours as she stared at the stadium and the tons of people going in. She looked up at you with fear in her eyes and a stressed look in her little face. “Mommy, carry?” She whispered as you instantly popped her up in your hip wanting to hold her until she refused to be held anymore. People would always scold you for carrying her, but your sister would’ve carried her until she physically couldn’t and you intended to keep her wish alive. She wasn’t gonna want to be carried until she was a teen, so you wanted to make the most of the time you had with her. You followed the instructions that Jessie had given you, finding the side entrance with guards checking id’s towards a database with invited and pre-register people only. It was fairly quick as there was a significant difference in the amount of people that were at the special entrance.

When you got through the area you followed the signs until you found a room where the mascots were waiting. Clara was intimidated by the amount of children and adults and causing her to cling to you like cling wrap. “You can always say no, and nobody will be upset Claramell” you whispered as she nodded. She had insisted on bringing her pink purse in the shape of a heart with what she said was important things. Usually that would include her fake keys, a lip balm and a snack. After a few minutes, a women came to get you leading you through the big corridors of the gigantic stadium. You were looking at all the tapestry on the walls with pictures of the players in action. “Mommy, mommy, it’s Jess” your daughter whispered as she wiggled out of your arms and bolted towards Jessie. “Is it my two favourite girls coming to see me play? How lucky am I!” Jessie said picking Clara up as she spun her around and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Clara nodded and placed her hand on Jessie’s chest for safety. You greeted Jessie as you had a wide grin on your face from seeing your daughter and your girlfriend together. Jessie held Clara tight and it relaxed you knowing that she was doing what she could to make her feel safe. “Alright, walk on in 2!” A guy with a big headset yelled out in the tunnel. Clara seemed to get somewhat startled of his sudden loud voice. Her little heart beating like crazy in her chest. “Alright, Clara, we are gonna go out there in front of all those people while you hold my hand and then we will sing. Afterwards, you can run to mommy or I can carry you there.” Jessie said as she placed Clara down. Clara nodded attentively as Jessie unzipped her team jacket that Jessie had gotten for the occasion. You bent down and kissed Clara’s cheek as she smiled back at you. You had to go to the back of the line as the players were about to enter which Clara didn’t seem to mind. Her little hand held onto Jessie’s as they both turned around to wave at you. She seems excited, and she seemed like she felt safe with Jessie. Her curious eyes were wandering around the tunnel and towards the opening of it towards the cameras. The loud league music started on the field and the referees started walking on followed by the lot of the players in two lines. Just before Jessie and Clara was supposed to move out, Clara stalled. You could see Clara tensing up. Her little shoulders rising towards her ears. Her head turned towards you and you saw her eyes becoming glassy. Her lip was going from a pout to a wobble. Her eyebrows furrowed in a tense frown. Her chest moving slightly heavier than usual.

Your pulse immediately went up and you felt a need to scoop her up before this escalated. Was this gonna end in yet another breakdown? Would this trigger her anxiety? How were you gonna get a hold of her? And worst of all; was this gonna embarrass Jessie enough to want to end it with you?

[errorca-learns-norsk]

Free Norwegian Language Resources

I see many learners looking for Duolingo alternatives and realized I haven’t shared any new resources in a bit! So here are my personal favorite Norwegian learning resources that are completely free!

NTNU’s NoW (Norwegian on the Web) — Online independent learning course developed by a Norwegian university that progresses from beginner to intermediate level. Includes reading, audio, practice exercises, and grammar! [A1-B1 level]

Norskappen (App store link) — Fantastic vocab practice with real human spoken audio! There is also preposition practice, article gender practice, and verb practice. The app’s creator actively listens to and incorporates user feedback (link to Reddit post by creator asking for feedback). [A1-B1 level]

Norsklærer Karense on Youtube — Grammar and vocabulary videos produced by a Norwegian language teacher. Lots of in-depth explanations of grammar with examples, differences between similar words, and advice and information about taking the Norskprøven (Norway’s official language test). [A1-B2+ level]

If you are aiming to take the Norskprøven at B2 level, your best resources are often going to be the ones not designated as a “course” — reading articles on NRK or Store norske leksikon, watching Norwegian news/debate shows and podcasts (since B2 level involves being able to reason and defend an opinion) like Debatten or Dagsnytt 18, and lastly, producing your own language in written or spoken format. For that last one it helps to find a tutor who can practice with you and correct your writing, but besides that you can really come a long way for free!

Lykke til! 💫

[arsenicflame]

steddyhands modern au inspired by this post:

(1828 words, themes of kink but nothing explicit, established blackhands & gentlebeard-centric. Happy Pride!)

Stede picks up leatherworking in the wake of his divorce. He's not exactly sure how it ended up being such an important hobby for him, only that he had always admired the intricate designs on his horse's best bridles, and with little else to do with his time, he decides to give it a go.

It's rocky going at first, but he's having fun working with his hands for the first time in his life, and there's a sense of satisfaction in seeing the design come to life as he works. With practice, his skills improve, and he learns how to make things that are truly one of a kind.

He starts off posting his pieces online, as a way to reach fellow enthusiasts, but quickly finds himself with a rather large audience. Stede’s style is unique, and, after many requests from his followers, Lucius encourages him to make some more basic pieces he can sell. It's not about making money for Stede, but another way to meet new people who share his interests- as Lucius keeps telling him, it's sad that his personal assistant is the main person he talks to these days. 

So Stede sets out on a new adventure, and has quite the time designing a new range of patterns for the market. He makes purses, belts, bracelets, and, most importantly, dog collars- all still with his unique designs embossed into them, of course. He rents a booth at his towns monthly craft fair, and very quickly finds himself with a new group of friends in the other regulars- Pete, his usual neighbour, who sells an array of wooden figures he carves, Roach, who runs a stand for his bakery, and Frenchie, who isn't actually a stallholder, but is almost always busking near his friend Wee John’s stand of knitted goods, bringing life to the market even in the pouring rain. There's also Buttons, another regular at the market. Nobody is exactly sure what he does there- he doesn't sell things, or seem to buy anything either, but rain or shine, he's there with the birds.

Stede’s been doing this a few months by the time June rolls around. As he's setting up his stand, he notices that the area is much busier than it’d normally be at this time of morning. Lucius, who got roped into helping run Stede’s stall somewhere down the line (despite his protests that this is not what personal assistant means… But hey, he got a boyfriend out of it, at least), reminds him that there's the parade today, too- not realising that Stede had no clue there was a parade today, and especially not that it was pride. Stede immediately jumps to fretting about the amount of stock he’s brought, and Lucius takes the cue to escape, saying he’ll go and grab them coffee (but really, he's off to flirt with Pete)

Lucius is still missing when Ed stumbles across the little leather stall. Stede’s just ran back to his car to fetch his last boxes of inventory, and by the time he returns, Ed’s already begun to narrow down his choices. Stede greets him, starting to tell him that they're not actually open yet, but before he gets more than a couple of words out, Ed’s exclaiming “You're a Kiwi!!!”

The two of them smile at the shared recognition, and Stede says he’ll make an exception, just for Ed, and asks him what exactly he was interested in. Ed tells him that he's looking for a collar “for his boy”, and points out the particular design he was looking at. It happens to be one of Stede’s favourites from this latest run of work, a fact he mentions to Ed. It leads them into a discussion about Stede’s craft, and Ed’s Izzy, and then everything in between. Ed’s listening intently to the things Stede’s telling him, completely drawn in by the process, and by Stede himself. He watches as Stede stamps Izzy's name into the collar, and Stede even lets him have a go at one of the stamps. 

Lucius reappears sometime in the middle of this- only to immediately retreat again, seeing Stede engrossed with Ed. He sets up camp at Pete's booth opposite, watching this man flirt intensely with his boss- and Stede flirt back just as hard. Does Stede even realise he’s doing it? Lucius had known Stede was gay since before Stede even admitted it to himself, but this is on a whole other level.

The pair stand there so long that Izzy comes to look for Ed- the two of them are manning a float on the parade with their crew, and it's past time for them to get geared up. He's already worked up, frustrated to have been left to set up everything alone, when Ed had just gone to see if he could get them both coffee. So maybe he's a bit of a prick, approaching with a brash “where the fuck have you been, Edward”, to which Stede brings the same energy, giving a bitchy “Ed! Do you know this guy?” Izzy tenses, ready to snap, but then Ed cuts in, excitedly telling Stede that this is “his Izzy!” Which confuses the hell out of Stede. 

Forgetting his earlier attitude, he asks Ed if he “really named his dog after his friend”, only to be met with confusion right back from Ed at where the hell Stede got the idea he had a dog from. Stede gestures at the bag with the collar in it, to which Ed has to tell him, “oh, no, that's for him.” Ed tells Stede that they're here to run a float for their local leather society, and while Stede is certainly shocked by what Ed’s saying, he's not finding himself… uninterested. It's simply that he’s never even considered any of this before, especially not that people would use the things that he made for this, but Ed sounds so enthusiastic about it all. He tells him about how his friends would love to see Stede’s work, about how classic leather gear is always so fucking boring- but not Stede’s stuff, no, Stede’s stuff is “fresh” and “fascinating” and unlike anything Ed’s ever seen before. 

Ed's enthusiasm is incredibly infectious, so when he invites Stede to come back to see their float, he readily agrees. It’s a concept Izzy’s less than enthusiastic about. He doesn’t really want to bring this man who’s dressed like he just walked out of a HOA board meeting to their kinky little corner of the world, but he is having a lot of fun watching Stede squirm, so decides not to raise a protest. He does demand he gets his long-overdue coffee first, though (Stede pays for it- as “compensation for him distracting Ed from his job”, he says, not giving Izzy a second to process before he's tapping his card)

By the time they return to the float, Fang, Ivan & Jim are waiting for them, all already geared up. Stede is stunned silent at the sight for about 5 seconds, before he starts actually looking at the quality of Jim’s harness, and proceeds to go off about the poor quality of the craftsmanship, about how the hardware is tacky and completely the wrong choice with this leather, how his “ten year old daughter could do a better job!!!” 

There's complete silence from the group, until Izzy, of all people, bursts into laughter at Stede’s audacity (and, the fact he was staring at Jim's tits completely unabashedly, like he hadn't even noticed them in the first place). Izzy's laughter sets Ed off as he tells the group about Stede’s misunderstanding- “you didn't say he was a person!” “I mean, he's my dog”- and soon everyone's having a friendly giggle at Stede’s mistake.

It's somewhere in the middle of the retelling that Ed remembers that this whole thing happened because he was buying Izzy a gift. After a moments fumbling, he presents Izzy with the collar-  It's a rich, deep black, embossed with a rolling pattern that resembles waves. It’s made from a firm enough leather to take the tooling, and to remind Izzy that he’s owned while he’s wearing it, yet still soft enough for long term comfort. Izzy's eyes immediately lock on to it, an unreadable expression coming over his face, and Ed turns it; first so he can really see the design and Izzy’s name embossed into it, and then so he can see the small “Ed ♥” on the inside of the collar, right over his swallow tattoo. 

“I did the heart,” Ed says to him softly, intended only for Izzy’s ears. Izzy's eyes flick up to Ed’s, and he raises his chin to give Ed the room to put it on. Ed buckles the collar around his neck almost reverently, a test of the tightness turning into a caress of Izzy's neck. It's a perfect fit.

It's as though something comes over Izzy; so twitchy and abrasive earlier, now silent, staring at Ed with a look akin to worship in his eyes. He obediently tilts his head for a kiss as Ed's fingers move to his chin- It's a sight to behold, and one that has Stede intrigued. He wants to know more about this lifestyle, and these men in particular. He wants to be the one to put that expression on Izzy's face.

The moment breaks as Ed and Izzy pull apart, and Ed calls for the crew to finish the last bits of set up. Izzy shakes himself a little before running off to bark orders again, but even still, there remains a softness to him that wasn't there before. 

Ed turns back to Stede with an apologetic smile, already obvious that he has to get going. Before he can speak, however, Stede jumps in -“My business numbers on the card in the box… I'll be around all day”- Ed’s smile turns more genuine at that, promising to stop by if he gets a moment, and that he’ll send his friend's Stede’s way- “if he wants that kind of business.” Stede says that he does, actually- that he's seen a whole new world already today, and, while he was a little taken aback at first, he can feel the passion Ed and his friends have for this life. If there's one thing that's ever mattered to Stede, it's other people's enthusiasm. Maybe he doesn't completely understand yet, but he would like to try.

One year later, Stede’s back at the market on pride weekend again, far better stocked for the crowds this time around. Lucius is finally free to spend the day flirting with Fang & Pete to his heart's content, now that Stede’s roped his own boyfriends into helping him run the stall- and into modelling the merchandise. Ed loves that part, while Izzy needs a lot more convincing, but the puppy eyes Stede & Ed weaponise against him make a very good argument.

[modelbus]

Heyy! Could you do Wilbur x artist!reader dating hcs because a musician and an artist? I feel like Y/N like Wilbur makes so much art of him to the point she actually probably made one of their lovejoy posters!! And Wil would teach Y/N guitar and Y/N teach Wil how to draw and its so SDHDSGJ

I'm an artist and I think this would be cute! Hope you can answer this ask <3

- 🍄anon :D

I’m not an artist myself, but my two artist friends came in clutch here!

Pairing: Cc!Wilbur x Gn!Artist!Reader

Adored Artist

Idle drawings of Wilbur completely fill your sketchbook. Him playing guitar. Him sitting there. A specific doodle of him with a large forehead— for the joke.

The two of you tend to sit together without talking. You drawing, him creating Melodies and lyrics.

Getting showered in compliments.

He talked about decorating his guitar once, and you drew nothing but guitar designs for the next week.

His callouses and your graphite-stains are jokingly called “battle wounds” together.

When Wilbur buys you art supplies as gifts, he is painfully meticulous in making sure the supplies are good and ones you like.

Him peering over your shoulder to see what you’re working on, always delighted when it’s something related to him. Whether that be a simple guitar sketch for practice, or actually him.

And 100% yes he’d be yoinking your drawings to use for Lovejoy or merch reasons.

“Hey Love, remember that drawing you did the other night?” He asked, leaning against the couch where you’re curled up with a sketch pad. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that, Wil.” You had laughed, finishing part of the sketch and looking up at him. He laughs too, leaning down to kiss you. “The one with the Lovejoy mascots. And our skull.” He had elaborated for you. Your eyes had lit up, flipping to the page for him. “Yes! That one. I was thinking, maybe it’d be cool to use as a design for merch?”

You couldn’t believe it, that he actually wanted to use your drawings. But, when you realized he was serious, you jumped at the chance.

(He insisted on paying you for it, too, even though you assured him you were perfectly happy giving him the designs. For two weeks you played a game where you passed the money back and forth until you gave up and just accepted it)

He doesn’t shut up about you or your talents ever. Met someone new? He’s pulling out his phone to share your art. Saw someone online talking about art? He’s tagging you to say you’re the best artist ever.

Teaching each other <333

Wilbur had made a small comment, and you jumped on it.

”I wish I could draw like that. You’re so talented, you’re incredible.” “I can teach you.” “What?”

Did not go well at all.

“Imagine that the light is here, okay? So you have to shade where shadows would be, making it darker there.” You explained patiently, gently tapping the areas you’re talking about.

“Shadows. Darker. Shading.” Wilbur repeated, looking up at you. You were leaning on him, your head on his shoulder to see his drawing. A very… admirable attempt at you.

“Go for it.” You encouraged, and he blinked.

“What?”

“…Were you listening?”

“Of course I was, love.” But the way he had leaned in to kiss you—to distract you—certainly said otherwise.

Since you “made” him draw, he convinced you to learn how to play guitar.

You protested (secretly loving the idea of learning from him) but in the end he got you to agree.

Sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped around you to help you form the chord shapes. It’s cozy, and you’re absolutely failing.

“This is a G—“ “My fingers don’t do that, Wil!”

In the end, it turns into him playing a song for you. But only after you manage to make that G chord, finger pain be damned.

He loves putting up your art on the walls. Taped.

[therand0mwriter]

IDOL-Chapitre deux

Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir x Male!Idol!reader

When a young American idol and his band tours in France, every one in Adrien's class wants to go. Unfortunately for them, tickets sold out as soon as they were for sale. Fortunately for Adrien, his father was able to get him tickets, but with a cost. Even though theres an underlying reason on why he's going, Adrien decides to take his best friend Nino, and his other two close classmates/friends, Alya and Marinette.

When they all got to the concert and the idol started singing, it mesmerized Adrien, pulling him to the front of the stage. Seeing the idol perform made Adrien feel things he never felt before, and it didn't help when the idol lent down and kissed Adrien's hand. Now that caused quite the ruckus.

"𝐔𝐡, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭?"

[The song "Bad Habit" by Steve Lacy does not belong to me]

[Unedited]

*Time Skip, 6 Months*

*Adrien's POV*

"Are you guys excited or what?!" Alya shouted, grinning from ear to ear. Marinette enthusiastically nodded her head, "Of course! And I already have all of our outfits ready!" "Great! I can't wait see them!" Alya cheered. "Thats amazing, Marinette. It'll be cool to see what you came up with this time." I smiled at the blue eyed girl. Her cheeks turned dark and a nervous smile made its way onto her face, "Y-Yeah, h-hopefully they look good!" I laugh and smile, "It's you, I'm sure they will!"

Marinette had offer to make me and Nino outfits for Ensnare's concert, but we politely turned her down, not wanting to cause her too much trouble. Speaking of Ensnare, their concert was tonight, and it was the last one for the France tour. From the videos we've seen online, it'll be an unforgettable experience...

*Time Skip*

*Y/N's POV*

"We got two hours until showtime! Chop chop people!" I could hear Sheena practically screaming over the hoard of workers, clapping her hands, all the way to our dressing room. "Can she be any louder?" Kylian mumbled to himself. "You know she can," I chuckled. "Yeah, don't tempt her, especially tonight." Jiraiya added, rubbing his temples. Kylian mocked Jiraiya in a tiny squeaky voice, causing the ravenette to throw his water bottle at the brunette.

Kylian shot up to his feet, shoulders squared and ready for a fight. Jiraiya didn't hesitate to rise to his feet either. "Hey!" I yelled, deepening my voice and making both males immediately paused in their steps and look towards me. "Knock it off." I gritted through my teeth, no room for argument in my tone. Both males glared at each other before sitting back into their previous spots.

"Ooo, papa Y/N does not play!" Kairo laughed from his seat in the make-up chair. I rolled my eyes and chuckled, "That's enough out of you," He grinned mischievously but quieted down nonetheless.

*Time Skip, 1 hour*

*Adrien's POV*

Me and Nino were currently in Marinette's living room, waiting as she and Alya finished getting ready. Nino was dressed in a white t-shirt with a light brown button up shirt as a jacket, black jeans with a chain, black sneakers, a light brown flat cap, and his usual colorful bracelets he always wore.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for Nino's outfit.]

I was dressed in a black t-shirt, a light blue button up as a jacket, black jeans, and white sneakers.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for Adrien's outfit.]

"Would you boys like anything to drink?" Marinette's mom, Sabine Cheng, asked us from their kitchen. "No thank you, we're alright Mrs. Cheng." I answered with a smile, Nino nodding along. Just then, Marinette and Alya came downstairs. "Woah..." Nino breathlessly said as he saw his girlfriend. Alya was wearing a long sleeve, orange and brown dress that stopped at her mid thigh. The dress was almost a geometrical design, definitely making it an eye catcher. She wore brown boots and had a brown purse to match.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for Alya's outfit.]

"I decided to go out of my comfort zone this time," Alya smiled, radiating confidence. "You look amazing, babe!" Nino cheered, going and hugging his girlfriend. He kissed her cheek as I added, "Yeah! You look great!" "It's all thanks to Marinette," Alya stepped to the side to show said girl (who was hiding). Marinette was wearing a soft pink sundress that stopped at her mid thigh, a red and white flower design along the dress. She had a white cardigan on, white flats and a matching white clutch purse.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for Marinette's dress.]

"You look amazing, Marinette! Very cute!" I complimented her, making her face turn red. Marinette started to uncontrollably stutter, but Alya came to her side, "What she is trying to say, is thank you." I look back to Marinette and she rigidly nodded her head in agreement. "Alright! Let's go!" Alya cheered, grabbing Marinette's hand and pulling her along, me and Nino following behind.

*Time Skip, 30 Minutes*

*Y/N's POV*

We just finished our VIP meet and greet and got back to our dressing room, touching up our look and/or changing our outfits. Not long after, our manager came in, "Is everyone ready?" Sheena asked, looking around the room. "Yeah, Y/N just needs to get changed." Jiraiya said, motioning to me in the make-up chair. "Alright, everyone else, go get into your positions." Sheena said before quickly leaving the room, most likely to go check on multiple other things.

When the make-up artist was done, I stood up and called over my band mates, "Line up." Ever since our very first performance together, it's been tradition for them to line up and have me look them over. The twins were first, then Kylian and finally Jiraiya. The twins were wearing a white t-shirt, a tan jacket, dark green cargo pants, white sneakers and jewelry.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for Kairo's and Loyal's outfit.]

I straightened out one of Loyal's pant legs, as one cuff was risen higher than the other, and gave him a nod of approval. I move onto Kairo and straightened out his shirt and jacket, giving him the nod of approval as well. I turn to Kylian to see him wearing a white sweater with the sleeves pushed up, gray skinny jeans with material missing at his knees, white sneakers and his jewelry.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for Kylian's outfit.]

I straightened out his messy hair, getting a complaint from him. Once I was done I nodded in approval. When I finally turn to Jiraiya, he was waiting with a smile. I could tell he was nervous, so I smiled at him and wrapped my arm around his shoulders, "Relax, you'll be great, you always are!" His shoulder relaxed but his face held... disappointment? Before I could ask what's wrong, he changed the subject, "Thanks, how do I look by the way?" I pulled away and took a look at his outfit. He was wearing a clean, white button up shirt, light blue ripped jeans, white sneakers and his jewelry. "Handsome," I simply said, nodding in approval.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for Jiraiya's outfit.]

It looked like he blushed but quickly turned his head to our other band mates, "Okay, let's go. Get dressed and meet us out there." He started pushing the other three members out the door. "See you guys there!" I called out before they closed the door.

*3rd Person POV*

There was an awkward silence among the 4 band members that just left their leader. Kairo opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Jiraiya was trying hard to ignore their concerned glances, focusing on heading to their instruments. That is, until Kylian spoke up, "Y'know, he's not going to treat you any different unless you tell him how you feel."

Jiraiya made a sound of annoyance, "You don't think I know that?" Kylian rolled his eyes, "Oh my god, just tell him!" "I don't want to ruin what we have." Jiraiya said. "Well, your looks of longing and sadness towards our dear leader is making me uncomfortable. So tell him and stop with your moping!" Kylian said, exasperated. Jiraiya halted in his steps and got into Kylians face, "If I tell him how I feel and he rejects me, it's going to be extremely uncomfortable for all of us. Not just you." He pulled away and sped off towards his instrument, leaving the three boys behind.

Kylian stared off in the direction Jiraiya went with a glare, Kairo coughing uncomfortably and Loyal shifting from foot to foot. "That was awkward for us," Kairo mumble. Kylian 'tsk-ed', "Shut up."

*Time Skip*

*Adrien's POV*

After we made our way through a metal detector and the security guard scanned our tickets, we were handed some glow sticks. We cracked them as we made our way into the venue and placed them on our necks and wrists. We scanned the place and gawked, amazed at all the lights and decorations. There was a stand selling the bands merchandise and a couple stands that were selling snacks and drinks.

"Okay! Let's grab the merch now! That way we can leave immediately afterwards! The line isn't that long too!" Alya shouted over the noise of the crowd and background music. "Smart! That way we won't be late for our dinner!" I also shouted. All three of them looked at me, confused. "Uh, what do you mean: 'dinner', dude?!" Nino asked. "Um, our dinner with Ensnare? Did I not tell you we have Deluxe VIP tickets?!" I said, starting to get confused.

Everyone had blank looks on their faces before they screamed/shouted in excitement. "Why didn't you tell us we had Deluxe VIP tickets?!" Alya screamed, shaking my shoulders. "S-Sorry I-I f-forgot!" I tried to say while being violently shook. "This is so exciting! We get to meet them!" Marinette cheered, jumping in her spot, Alya joining her not long after.

"Oh, wait! Let's hurry up and get in line for the merch!" Alya paused, taking Marinette's hand and speed walking towards the line. Me and Nino looked at each other and chuckled, following after the girls.

*Time Skip*

*3rd Person POV*

The concert was about to begin, the four teens waiting with anticipation. Adrien looked down to his hands to see the shirt and magazine he bought at the merchandise stand. The shirt was a long sleeve crew neck and it was white, Ensnare's most recent album cover on the front. The magazine also had the bands album cover on the front, but when you opened it, it was pretty much a picture book. It was full of photos of the members, together and separate. Occasionally, there would be paragraphs explaining what was happening in the picture or why they were doing a that specific photo shoot.

Adrien was embarrassed to admit it, but the main reason he got the magazine was because of Y/N. The vendor for the stand had the magazine on display, and he had it opened to a picture of just Y/N. Y/N was dressed in an all red suit, his shirt slightly opened to reveal his chest a bit. The background for the picture was all red too, making Y/N's head and chest stand out the most, making him eye catching. Adrien convinced himself that he just wanted Y/N to sign the picture and that's why he got it, but deep down, he knew he just really liked that picture and wanted it in general.

Finally, a drum roll started. "It's time! The moment you've all been waiting for!" Once the announcer started, the entire venue erupted into a cheer. "Please welcome, Ensnare's favorite set of twins! Kairo and Loyal!" Said twins ran out onto stage, Kairo going to the edge and high fiving a few fans while Loyal sheepishly waved.

Once they made it to their assigned instruments, the announcer started up again, "Next, we have the bad boy, the heart breaker, Kylian!" The brunette ran out onto the stage, winking and blowing kisses to the female fans. "Second to last, we have the cool, collected, Jiraiya!" He calmly stepped out onto the stage, also waving and making his way to his instrument.

The drum roll sped up, "And finally... the leader and amazing vocalist... Y/N!" Time seemed to slow down for Adrien, the sounds of the crowd drowned out, only the sounds of his breathing, rapid heartbeat and the slow steps of Y/N walking onto the stage were present. But when Adrien saw Y/N... everything went silent, it was like he was deaf. The idol on stage was glowing, his silky hair shined, his eyes were vibrant, his skin clear and smooth... and not to mention his outfit. The male was wearing all black, except for his thin white belt. His dress shirt had the first few buttons undone and was tucked into his skinny jeans, dress shoes and silver jewelry completing his look.

[A/N: Image does not belong to me. Something like this for your (the reader) outfit.]

When Y/N made it to the microphone and greeted the crowd, it snapped Adrien out of his trance, "Bonsoir, everyone!" The blonde male realized how heavy his breathing was and how fast his heart rate was, his face felt hot and his palms sweaty. He wiped his forehead and started to control his breathing, 'What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this?' Adrien thought, genuinely confused.

If Adrien wasn't so focused on his breathing, he would have connected that his 'problem' was right on the stage in front of him.

"Thank you all so much for coming to see us tonight! We really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy the show tonight, and since it's our last one, we have something special planned for you all!" Y/N explained, a large smile on his face. The crowd screamed once again. "Now, let's get on with it!"

*Time Skip, 1 hour*

The band had just finished playing their final song off of their most recent album. The crowd was screaming, confetti was everywhere, balloons that the stage hand had threw out were bouncing around, it was a moment none of the teens would forget.

Ensnare was taking a break, wiping sweat of their foreheads and chugging water bottles. About half way through the concert the twins had taken off their jackets and Kylian had thrown his sweater into the crowd, a lucky female fan catching it. The male only had an undershirt on now, his bicep tattoo of his guitar with music notes showing.

Y/N took a deep breath before grabbing the microphone again, "Y'all enjoying the concert?!" He got excited screams in return. He laughed into the microphone, causing Adrien's heart rate to spike up once more. "Well, we have something special planned for you all. Since this is the last concert of our first out of country tour, we are going to play a couple of our most favored covers!" The venue erupted.

Y/N laughed once again, and turned to Jiraiya, nodding to start. Said male then started to strum an American pop tune. The band played two covers of songs, but before they played their third, Y/N spoke into the microphone again, "This is our last song for the night! We all really appreciate you coming out here to support us tonight... Y'know, when we started this band, we never thought we would be popular enough to tour across the world. We wouldn't be here without you! WE LOVE YOU, FRANCE!" The crowd went wild, a quarter of the fans even started crying.

Y/N looked to his bandmates and they nodded. He turned back to the microphone and took a deep breath.

"I wish I knew you wanted me." The band started playing and Y/N continued to sing. "I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me. I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me. What you, ooh, uh, what you do? Made a move, coulda made a move. If I knew I'd be with you. Is it too late to pursue?"

Adrien didn't know what came over him. He mindlessly started to move through the crowd.

"I bite my tongue, it's a bad habit. Kinda mad that I didn't take a stab at it. Thought you were too good for me, my dear. Never gave me time of day, my dear. It's okay, things happen for, Reasons that I think are sure, yeah." Y/N continued to sing and dance. Whenever there was an opening, Adrien moved in, still moving forward.

"I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me. I wish I knew (oh), I wish I knew you wanted me. I wish I knew (yeah), I wish I knew you wanted me (oh). I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me." Adrien made it, he was at the front of the stage, so close to the siren known as Y/N.

Y/N saw something catch his eye, a mop of golden blond hair. He saw it belonged to a boy around his age, green starstruck eyes, tan skin with rosy cheeks... he was cute. The singer made his way to the boy, still singing. "Say to me (please just say to me), If this could wind up. I wish you wouldn't play with me. I wanna know (oh no),"

Y/N got right in front of Adrien and held out his hand. Adriens eyes were still wide with wonder as he placed his hand in Y/N's, still not fully processing the situation. No one knew what was going to happen next, except for Y/N. He lent down and kissed the back of Adriens hand, "Uh, can I bite your tongue like my bad habit?" Adriens face, ears and neck flushed red as Y/N winked and pulled away. The fans that were around them screamed in excitement, not ready for what just happened.

"Would you mind if I tried to make a pass at it? Were you not too good for me, my dear?Funny you come back to me, my dear. It's okay, things happen for, Reasons that I can't ignore, yeah. I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me. I wish I knew (wish I knew), I wish I knew you wanted me (oh)." Y/N continued to dance and sing, oblivious to the angry/pained look Jiraiya was giving him. The other three band members were just surprised about what happened, eyes wide.

Adrien snapped out of his trance when he felt his phone buzzing. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see a couple missed calls from Nino and Alya and multiple texts asking where he was. Adrien quickly typed back that he was on his way and looked to the stage once more. He didn't want to leave, wanting to be as close to Y/N as possible, but he knew he needed to get back to his friends.

He turned to head back into the crowd, but finally left the stage after one more longing look towards Ensnare's singer. The song ended when the blond reunited with his friends. "Dude! Where did you go?!" Nino shouted over the noise of the crowd. "Uh, bathroom!" Adrien shouted back.

Ensnare waved goodbye to the crowd, Loyal tossing his drumsticks into the crowd and Kylian and Y/N high fiving a few fans. The band was finally off stage and Jiraiya immediately went to his changing room without a word. Y/N noted that he would have to talk to him about what's wrong later.

Sheena came up to the rest of them, "Amazing work once again, boys! Now, go take a shower and get changed, your dinner is in an hour." They all went off and did just that. Y/N was now wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans, white sneakers and a black jean jacket. Kylian was wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants and white sneakers. The twins were wearing a white t-shirt, dark blue jeans, white sneakers and a dark green jacket. Jiraiya wore a white button up shirt with black birds as the design, black ripped skinny jeans, and white sneakers.

The five boys met up after showering and changing (and a touch up from the make-up artists). Y/N instantly went to Jiraiya's side and whispered, "Whats wrong?" Jiraiya brushed him off, "Nothing."

Loyal cheered, "Let's go get our grub on!" At the opportunity to escape, Jiraiya left Y/N and questioned Loyal, "What dishes are you looking forward to?" He smiled. Loyal got stars in his eyes before going on a rant about certain dishes and how to make them. Before becoming a drummer, Loyal's dream job was to be a chef.

Kylian muttered to Y/N, "At least we know if the band ever breaks up Loyal has a fall back." He ended with a chuckle, Y/N joining him.

They made it to the private dining room and opened the doors. None of the band members were ready to see the people waiting for them... more accurately a specific person. Y/N halted in his step and his breath caught in his throat. In front of him was the blonde that he kissed on the back of the hand. He still had those rosy cheeks.

Y/N lightly blushed in embarrassment, 'I never thought I would see him again! Otherwise, I wouldn't have kissed his hand!' But he cleared his throat, stepped forward, and held out his hand with a kind smile, "My name is Y/N, it's a pleasure to meet you! What's your name?"

[izicodes]

Wix Learn's Free Web Accessibility Certification | Resources ✨

Hiya! 💗 Today, I stumbled upon an absolute gem that I wanted to share with all of you. If you're learning about web design and inclusivity as I am, this is something you might want to look into~!

Introducing the Web Accessibility Course by Wix Learn - a game-changer for anyone striving to create websites that cater to all users, regardless of impairments. This comprehensive course covers everything you need to know to build an inclusive online space that leaves no one behind. AND IT COMES WITH AN EXAM AND CERTIFICATE (all free too hehe).

In this course, you'll gain mastery over essential skills, including:

🌐 Creating Inclusive Sites: Learn the best practices to make your websites accessible to people with various impairments, ensuring equal access for everyone.

📚 Accessible Title Tags and Headings: Dive into the world of proper title tags and heading structures, making navigation a breeze for every visitor.

👁️‍🗨️ Crafting Alt Text and Alternative Media: Discover the art of writing meaningful alt text and incorporating alternative media, providing a seamless experience for those with visual challenges.

⚙️ Optimizing Navigation for Assisted Technology Users: Enhance site navigation for individuals relying on assisted technologies, making their browsing experience smooth and efficient.

💬 The Power of an Accessibility Statement: Learn to create a compelling accessibility statement, showcasing your dedication to inclusivity and informing visitors about your website's accessibility features.

They even have prep courses for the exam! 🤗✨

Here's the link to the course: LINK

Hope this helps someone out there, I will be trying it out and seeing how it goes! 👍🏾

[sapphicdib]

my headcanon is that nhs thinks that they are more powerful than sliver idk i just feel that they THAT full of themselves

I’m assuming this is about the rot au! I recently added SOS to it, so this was a perfect ask!!

Sliver is local group Senior of a nearby cluster of iterators, which includes Chasing Wind. She never got along with Sig in general, and Moon was on thin ice. Now? She’s fucking PISSED. More below the cut bc this is gonna get LONG (also a transcript in case my handwriting is illegible).

So because the ancients are still alive during the rot au, Sliver hasn’t died yet. She is one of the youngest local group Seniors, one of the first of the mid gen Iterators, (her arm design matches Sig and Wind’s!) so she feels like she has to prove herself to the others. She takes her purpose and duties VERY seriously, so I put Wind in her Group, because his intense personality in relation to his citizens matches more to how Sliver would mentor someone, rather than Moon or Suns. Speaking OF Moon, they have a very tense relationship. Moon is a lot more laid back with her Group because when her personality cores were still stabilizing, her citizens treated her more like an accomplishment, an amazing feat, her construction was met with jubilation! Meanwhile, by the time Sliver was built, she was just another iterator, and meant to work like she was supposed to. Of course there was celebration, but her citizens treated her more as a means to an end, so she picked up on this and integrated it into her personality. When she was first put online, she did idolize Moon quite a bit, but eventually came to see her as a kinda shitty leader and too soft on her local group, especially Sig. She refers to Moon as Sig’s “handler” because she thinks he acts incredibly immaturely, and Moon is the one who has to yank his leash any time he gets a bit too annoying (though she doesn’t do a very good job, in Sliver’s opinion).

Sliver does not like Sig. Never has, and this shit has pushed her over the edge. She is incredibly aware of the intense political ramifications Sig and Pebbles’ actions have caused, and as local group Senior, she feels it is her responsibility to calm her group down and prevent them from getting hurt. She knows certain factions of citizens want to literally kill their iterators thanks to this, and if one of her group died she would see it as a MASSIVE failure on her part. She thinks it would make everyone think that she is an incompetent leader. In terms of her relationship with Pebbles, she still didn’t like him before, but she at least respected the fact he actually had a drive to solve the great problem, unlike Sig. Now she blames him for this mess as well, and is just as pissed at him.

As the news of this unfortunate development spreads, many workgroups are created, all with different goals. Some want to find a cure for the rot, to help calm Sig and Pebbles back down and hopefully repair their relationships with their citizens. Others are considering joining them, terrified of their citizens’ reactions and confiding in one another about what they should do. Sliver wants them dead. She is in a small workgroup that is attempting to find a way to straight up deactivate Sig and Pebbles to restore order. The problem is, she is not their senior and has no seniority privileges over them, so she has to figure out a way to take matters into her own hands.

Wind…Wind is Sig’s best friend. He is barely 50 cycles older than her, and despite Sliver’s VEHEMENT disapproval, they are very close. He plays video games with Sig and rants about his citizens being annoying, he actually drops his stoic personality around him and can chill out for a little while. However, despite the fact that he demands his citizen’s respect and is practically a dictator over his city, he is terrified of them. So, he took initiative when he was put online and scared THEM into submission before they had the chance to. Now? He’s even more afraid. He thinks his citizens will take the first opportunity to deactivate him in a form of rebellion. At first, he’s part of workgroups to try to find a cure, but eventually joins a few groups that are considering joining Sig and Pebbles. As the rot gets worse and he watches Sig’s personality get more and more corrupted, he realizes there’s no way to cure this in time, and…that’s a spoiler I might keep to myself for now >:3€

Thank you for being interested in my silly au!! I’ve actually started writing it, and chapter 1 is almost done! Feel free to send more asks x3

————

TRANSCRIPT:

SOS: This idiotic stunt of yours has gone too far. I am not asking you to fix this. I am telling you to.

CW: Sig…

SOS: Quiet, Wind.

SOS: I fail to understand why your handler refuses to do anything. You take Moon’s foolish mercy for granted. I will not be so kind.

NSH: PFFT!

NSH: “Handler”? Well that’s a new one~

NSH: Unfortunately for you,

NSH: You have no power over me.

NSH: No one does anymore.

[killervelveteenrabbit]

"The Ghost and Molly McGee", Ten Years After

Molly’s ongoing work to improve the economic, cultural, and mental well-being of Brighton has earned her the love and respect of everyone in town, a few write-ups in statewide and national publications… and a full scholarship to the University of Iowa’s civil and environmental engineering program. She’s returned to Brighton, working for City Hall as assistant city planner (with her dad as her boss, which isn’t awkward at all, really) while earning her master’s online.

Molly wasn’t alone while she attended UI—Libby was her dormmate all four years that she was there. She earned a scholarship of her own, majoring in English. She also returned to Brighton after graduating, becoming a part-time reporter for the town newspaper while helping run her mother’s bookstore. All of this is in addition to her literary career. Matias, her father, took a second look at the fantasy novel she wrote and realized it was publication-worthy. It wasn’t a best seller, but the royalties from this and two other books Libby has written since let her live comfortably and pursue her passions in life. Her latest project is a series of books helping small children understand and live with the effects of divorce.

Molly and Ollie hit a rough patch after an admittedly stupid argument during their senior year of high school, and their two-month breakup proved just as hard on their respective families as it was on each other. They got back together just in time for graduation from Brighton High, only to part ways as Molly went to UI and Oliver headed for Iowa State. But they carried out a successful medium-distance relationship (it was only a two-hour drive between the two campuses).

Ollie has parlayed his experience as a researcher for his parents’ MeTube videos into a career as a freelance researcher for an assortment of psychological and medical foundations. While he travels all over the Midwest and occasionally beyond, he’s based out of Brighton… specifically, the rental house he shares with Molly. Ollie and Molly are practically married already, but their parents are eager for them to make it official. The couple are waiting a while to save enough money to stage the dream wedding and after-party they always wanted without breaking the bank.

Several years ago, an ill-advised deal involving a shipment of counterfeit designer smartwatches and the Uzbek mafia landed Darryl in hotter water than usual. He’s lucky all he got away with was lockdown in juvie until his 21st birthday… which got commuted to two hundred hours of community service and time served due to an unexpected (and slightly suspicious) governor’s pardon. At any rate, the whole debacle soured Darryl on similar schemes. He’s kept his nose clean since then, barring a few school detentions. He takes business courses at a local community college with plans to transfer to a four-year institution this fall. His current side hustle involves promotions and advertising for assorted boutiques and under-21 nightclubs that have popped up in Brighton's revitalized downtown.

June lives away from home, majoring at Drake University. But she remains Darryl’s best friend, the only person outside his family who’s consistently been there for him after his schemes blew up in his face—figuratively and almost literally; she was the one who detected that leak in the ammonium nitrate storage tank Darryl stashed out near the water tower. They even dated for a while before mutually acknowledging the situation was “weird” and deciding they were better off as friends. On a related note, maybe Esther shouldn’t have paid out all that money to have her wedding dress remade.

Pete and Sharon are still happily married. Pete takes great pride in the improvements he’s helped make for his adopted hometown of Brighton, and he’s especially flattered that his daughter is following in his footsteps. The town’s successes have become Pete’s successes—in the last ten years, he’s fixed up the family home and bought his first non-used car. He’s even dusted off his vinyl for a few gigs at some of the new clubs downtown. Meanwhile, Sharon offers painting classes at the local community center and retirement home. These days, she primarily uses her Gig Pig account to set up painting parties in and around town, sometimes as far out as Perfektborg.

The Chens’ enlightenment about the true nature of ghosts has led them to step away from their “Ghost Chaser Chens” MeTube channel. Ruben has had far more luck marketing his brand of small-batch root beer, now available in grocery and convenience stores all over the state. Recently, Esther inspired Ruben to introduce a “spiked” version flavored with Habanero peppers. Reception has been mixed.

Grandma Nin and her friend Patty are the self-described “Bad Girls of Brighton Hills”, but their adventures have proven more constructive than mischievous. They’ve organized concerts at the bandshell, joined the Senior Construction Crew on home-repair projects for needy families, and hosted a weekly potluck dinner/board game session in the home’s cafeteria. These dinners always feature Patty’s homemade gumbo—Nin helped her fine-tune the recipe so now it’s actually edible.

The McGees look forward to David and Emmie’s annual visits, a chance to catch up with family and connect with their heritage. The Thai lessons Molly took on Triolingo have helped her feel slightly more at ease when the Suksais come to call. Also, Sharon has tried practicing some Thai dishes, with Pete’s assistance and (critically) while Nin isn’t in the vicinity.

A year after Davenport’s closed its doors, the family rolled the dice and started a supermarket specializing in organic groceries, local produce, and hard-to-find foreign brands… items Bizmart couldn’t or wouldn’t accommodate. The gamble paid off, and Davenport's Turnip Patch sells and ships to customers across the region—yes, even to Perfektborg. (Sharon and Nin are frequent visitors since they carry Thai specialties like jackfruit, pandan extract, and even durian.) Andrea maintains the store’s computer systems but pointedly avoids appearing in advertising. She’s back on her socials, but not as an influencer. Her “Girl Code” series on MeTube provides tips and tricks for entry-level coding enthusiasts. The videos feature occasional cameos by her girlfriend Alina, who’s also taken an interest in the subject.

Three months after Scratch cast off his Chairman’s robes, they settled upon the recently departed spirit of a retired manager of an IRS branch office. Since then, the Ghost Council has basked in bureaucratic bliss, leaving the denizens of Ghost World alone and happy. Not long after Todd left, Molly conducted a séance and told Geoff what happened to Scratch. He realizes it will be a while before he sees his friend again, but at least he has Jeff to keep him company.

Todd and Adia have photographed wild horse herds in Montana, kayaked off the Antarctic Peninsula, biked through Croatia, snorkeled with manta rays in Hawaii, and helped refurbish a centuries-old mosque in Brunei… and that’s just in the last year! Their adventures included a meditation retreat in India where Todd astrally projected his spirit out of his body for a few minutes. He “came back” talking about a young lady back in Brighton who showed him how to live even though he was already “dead”. On their next swing back to the United States, Molly is the first person they plan to visit.

[mossyivy]

CHRIS STANS RISE!!! WE NEED TO GIVE THAT MAN MORE LOVE AND ATTENTION!!! 😤

Domestic Chris…Because that’s my specialty. 🥹

I see Chris having three kids, two boys, one girl. He’d be the type of dad to push his boys so hard, always expecting the best of the best from them. His daughter as well, but not as harsh. I see them all pretty close in age, maybe 1-2 years apart for each kid.

He’d have his boys do all sorts of sports and activities. Football, baseball, basketball, tennis, track, cross country, you name it, they do it. Chris would also help them practice, especially in football and baseball. His daughter would probably do ballet, tennis, and be in the Girl Scouts with Cecilia, and maybe do drama with Violet as well.

Also, it’s very much cannon that Chris spoils his daughter 10X more than his boys. His little girl wants to go on a Sephora shopping trip? Take his card and go crazy. His boys want to go out with their friends? Here’s $25 for the both of you.

Chris is also such a loving husband. He’d buy you gifts “Just because”. Or if you mention a new designer purse online, it would mysteriously show up on the dining table to greet you when you woke up…With a handwritten note of course. You were very much a spoiled wife, but he didn’t care, you gave him three beautiful kids for god sakes, of course he’d buy you whatever you want.

If there was ever a time any of your boys were disrespectful to you while he was gone, (Because they know better than to mess with their mother while dad’s around.) He’d give them the “You don’t disrespect MY wife.” Talk. Ugh, 😣 give me a chance Chris…☹️

- Anon! 🎀

🎀 ANON I FUCKING LOVE YOU I'VE BEEN WANTING TO TALK ABOUT HIM BUT NO ONE REALLY DOES MUCH IN THE CHRIS TAG ANYMORE AND THAT PLUMMETS MY MOTIVATION!!!

But I'll scream with you anyday bb!!!

(I'm sorry this is so long I just couldn't help myself 😭)

Okay so I've had the idea that Chris met someone with a child from a previous relationship (Your first born son, Let's name him Oliver and call him Ollie for short! He's like 2 years older than Violet. He struggles a bit in school so they're in the same grade, along with his younger brother, after he was held back in 5th and 8th grade but that's okay! Everyone struggles!)

Ollie was like 2 when they first met. Your ex-husband was a HORRIBLE MAN, absolutely terrible to you and the only good thing he ever did was bless you with Ollie. That's it.

Chris and his wife met through work (let's be honest here, how tf else would he meet a woman? Chris is very much a workaholic.) His wife is basically the lead of the BSAA's dispatch response team (Basically what Hunnigan does at the FOS but the BSAA's version) and she's good at her job. Very strong willed and mouthy as a mf. Isn't scared to go back at anyone over the radio and definitely got into it with Chris once or twice before they officially met.

(catch me posting what happened when they met in person the first chance someone asks)

Anyway!!

After y'all start dating it doesn't take long before you introduce Chris to your son and Ollie is just OBSESSED with Chris. Like you've never seen this kid so excited to see another human being until Chris shows up. You two only started dating for a few months and Ollie already calls Chris dad. You try correcting him scared AF that Chris is gonna get freaked out but he's actually super chill with it. He's use to taking care of people, he basically raised Claire after their parents died but this little guy is much younger and a lot more fun and excitable than Claire was.

A few months into the relationship you find out you're pregnant. Chris is excited but also freaking out with how often he's gone. But everything works out and you end up having your second son, Christopher Jr but CJ for short.

You and Chris end up getting married not long after your first anniversary after the babies born. Not making a big deal out of anything just getting papers signed and having a little get together celebrating everything.

2 years go by, Ollie's in Kindergarten and CJ does daycare. You start getting horribly ill out of nowhere. So you go get checked out and oh God you're pregnant again...

(This would be the point in time where Leon starts bugging for another baby with his wife)

9 months of Chris being a nervous wreck fly by and the world meets your daughter, Talulla, Lulu for short.

Chris would be adamant on sticking the kids in after school activities once they're old enough. His boys would do sports and his baby girl in softball and girl scouts so she can hangout with her pseudo cousins. (Her being 2 years younger than Violet and 2 years older than Cecilia) Until her older cousin quits cause girl scouts are for babies (🙄)

Chris and his wife would be UBER COMPETITIVE when it came to cookie selling season. It's all out war between the Redfield's and Kennedy's every year.

I feel like Ollie would also really be musically gifted and play piano for the school choir and musicals. Lulu would Ed up wanting to do drama but be a stage hand or in the costume department. She's actually very shy.

CJ is basically Chris when he was a kid. Always doing stupid shit... Getting in trouble over the dumbest of things but looking out for others. (Definitely beat up that kid who was picking on Violet when they were 7.)

You're getting calls from the school at least once a month because CJ got in trouble for either getting into an argument with a teacher over rules or another kid tried something stupid.

[xuune]

I'm a pretty young artist and I'm not sure what I need to start off with.

Anatomy or color?

tl;dr there's no correct answer for this.

but you can start off by asking yourself what do i want to draw? what do i want to draw right now? depending on your subject, what style you want to learn/do (painted, linework) then that can determine how you think while you draw.

however, you won't and never will learn one thing into completion and then move onto the next, its a continuous process of learning and relearning.

you can learn either anatomy or color one at a time, or dedicate time split for both. imo, you learn both best together. either way, you learn both continuously for the entire time that you will ever engage with drawing. there's always a lot to learn.

i feel like a lot of beginner artists get wrapped up on thinking that one should be prioritized over the other, so my answer to this question is long:

the usual route people go to for this question is to focus on fundamental studies. in the few semesters of fundamental courses i had, our structure was this:

learn solid forms, shape, lights, grayscale values, perspective AND gesture/figures

continue building on gesture/figures AND start learning color(traditional painting)

continue with gesture/figure + start learning anatomy AND continue learning color (digital painting)

we start off with many other basic building blocks first before getting to anatomy/color, but those basic blocks are essential to building up how you think when practicing both. but where do you put this in practice while drawing for fun? this is time dedicated for studying fundamentals, after all. schooling helps, but a majority of us start out as self taught, especially since there's a multitude of free learning resources online.

if your preference of learning is to do things one step at a time, then maybe dedicating your time to fundamentals is the way to go. there's lots of educational resources out there to help build these fundamentals. at the top of my head, here's a few resources for anatomy: proko, sinix design, glenn vilppu (great for gestures). if there's anything to take away from this regarding anatomy, its to practice perspective, form, gesture, and figure first and foremost. anatomy dives deeply into more complex forms. start simple before you get overwhelmed.

unfortunately, i dont have many resources to give you in terms of learning fundamentals for color. i primarily learned off of experimenting and studying off of other artworks. i've already covered a lot on my thought process behind how i think when painting, so that post might be insightful the moment you get more into using color.

now, im gonna assume that you haven't had formal schooling in art (either not yet, or won't), but you spend your time drawing for fun. and now you want to dedicate a bit more time and practice into anatomy/color. i started off self taught, so i can relate.

earlier, i mentioned this question:

where do you put [fundamentals] in practice while drawing for fun?

when looking at your question again, i think of this: do i want to practice fundamentals as i draw for fun?

there's definitely a difference and spectrum between "going balls to the wall crazy and drawing for fun" and "using my drawing time for studies/practicing fundamentals."

if your answer is yes to that question above, then you're on the right track for seeing how this works in practice the moment you participate in both "drawing for fun" and "practicing fundamentals" for self practice.

in any drawing i do, i want my subjects to be posed as [xyz], but i also want the final illustration to look like [xyz] for color.

i gather references for both posing and color, and while drawing i look to study both at the same time. with posing, im looking at refs to study anatomy as i draw. sometimes i may only use one ref photo, or multiple, but either way im checking for various information like what are the proportions, how might the skin fold, what areas of body have soft/hard edges, what might these limbs look like when foreshortened, etc. with color refs i study them to analyze how another piece of artwork is doing something that i'd like to achieve in my own art. this goes back to things i've mentioned here.

in short, the time drawing for fun is also a time to put fundamental practice in place that helps build your skills as an artist. either way, my advice is to learn as you go and have try to have fun while you practice.

in the end, this is my perspective when i look at this question. others may disagree and have a different opinion, but at the end of the day, everyone has a different process on how they practice and grow as an artist.

this was lengthy, but this is an extremely broad question that goes beyond choosing one or the other, and there's reasons why that is. i hope i explained this well enough and that it answered your question in some way!

[atlaculture]

could u make like a book about this ??

A few people have suggested this to me in the past, but I was always hesitant because my posts generally require me to use official screencaps and art from the show to get my point across. However, after looking into fair use, it seems like I'm pretty well covered as my work is quite transformative of the original copyrighted material.

Anyways, I wouldn't be opposed to releasing an ATLAculture book or even a series of books. I'd even be willing to self-publish some physical copies with professional-level graphic design and illustrations if there were a demand for it.

If anyone out there is interested in purchasing an ATLAculture e-book or physical book, please reblog this post to let me know! In particular, tell me what content you would want to see in an ATLAculture book. Would you want one book per nation? Or would you want a book focusing on one of the major tags?

Cultural Fashion

Cultural Cuisine

Cultural Weapons

Cultural Architecture

Cultural Practices

Chinese History and...

Or would you prefer a "Best of..." collection with my most popular posts? And of course, I would definitely throw in 3 to 5 never-before-seen, bonus entries into any ATLAculture book I sell.

If there's any serious interest in some published ATLAculture content, I'll even create a Kickstarter for the project. ^_^

[davekat-sucks]

I have my troll headcanons, and this is gonna be a long one, I’m doing all the Beta trolls. Also note these headcanons assume all characters survive and exist on Earth C.

Aradia Megido is trying to puck back up on the hobbies she abandoned when she became a ghost, and with her luck Earth has a vast archeological expanse of history and paleontology that Alternia destroyed to legitimize the Condesce’s rule, and to erase any mention of organized rebellion against the empire. Of course, history still existed, but is almost exclusively known by highbloods who have the class and age to study writing, own journals to write on, live long enough to document dozens of sweeps of their life history, and have less of a chance to get culled by drones controlling population growth. Reassembling Alternian history on Earth C is like finishing a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces hiding across the empty void of space. Aradia likes to search for fossils, but her interest in the dead and telekinetic connection with ghosts make her a professional paranormal investigator as well, she once snuck into a haunted house being filmed for a ghost hunters TV show, and was caught on camera. Her ripped clothes and ruffled hair from attempting a breaking and entering made her look like an undead troll.

Tavros thinks Pokémon is too simple and amateur for him, when in reality he’s mad he still loses in competitive matches in both card game and online game. He still likes the Pokémon anime! A boy who never grows up going on adventures against an organized crime syndicate trying to steal a powerful ally and nonverbal creature! Not to mention that the Ash character has friends to tag along on their perilous journey! When it comes to fighting with mythical magical monsters and complex bullshit with cards, Tavros has a soft spot for Yu-Gi-Oh, and Seto Kaiba reminds him of a troll that kept on meddling with him… and still does.

Sollux is possibly the best software technician on Earth C. He is an admin for a forum that discusses obscure desktop/master software. He obviously uses Linux and Gnu, and codes .ath viruses as practice for whitehat hackers to disarm. His Earth C hive is entirely themed by bifurcation. His curtains, his furniture, his goddamn toilet are themed by 2 colors. Karkat calls it ugly, Kanaya calls it creative. To cope with his psiionics and his loss of them, Sollux teamed up with Aradia, Karkat, and Feferi to code and design a walkie talkie that can talk to the recently deceased, this was also done so people could stop running specifically to him for predictions of armageddon.

Karkat is trying very hard to accustom himself to human culture, he has watched a lot of human film (mostly American, a few Fench and Soviet films and a bunch of Tokusatsu and Anime slop) to get why humans were like that, and if everyone was like Dave and Rose. He finds human film boring and generic, but continues to watch it anyway, to connect with the human way of life. He also follows John’s Youtube account… to leave hate comments, they don’t even attack John’s appearance or the points John makes about the film, it’s general allusions to how frustrated he gets watching John’s videos.

Nepeta has been banned from New York C’s central park zoo for scaring the bears at their enclosure and intimidating them into smashing the glass. Nepeta was allowed back in 2 years later when she promised she would not harm any animals because “it would be too easy to hunt them.” Nepeta is a professional huntress who is unique in that she doesn’t use firearms, she just catches the animal in her mouth and slices their neck if it’s big game like deer or wild boar. She meets her maximum bag capacity within a day. She is the scourge of human huntsmen and she is known as “the green lioness” to many.

Kanaya was able to pass on the duties of brooding cavern patrol once the first Jadebloods reached maturation after 9 sweeps. On Earth she was introduced to a new series of monsters and beasts after being accustomed to the animated corpses she’d hunt during the Alternian day and rainbow drinkers in her trashy teengrub erotica. Since she was always around Rose, a girlfriend and devout student of zoologically dubious, she became a cryptozoologist and eventually a bigfoot hunter. Her agility, strength, night vision, and rainbow drinker hearing made her perfect for hunting North America C’s most hidden animal. She would mostly stalk the rustling of leaves and moaning from the shadows of the forest to find it’s a human hiker or a bear, until she actually caught Bigfoot in an open Brush 30 miles West of Marquette C, Michigan C. Notably sightings were made days after Kanaya caught the creature, and after a week on news channels, talk shows, radio interviews, getting a nobel prize in biology and ecology, and getting a giant golden trophy called the “first big step” she now is treading westwards for possible other bigfoot sighted from California to Idaho. That is, when she can schedule it, she has a girlfriend she also wants to be there for. Of course, Rose has joined Kanaya on a few bigfoot searches to support her girlfriend.

Terezi IS the law. Professional trollcop and private investigator, she has her own TV show like that of Chris Hansen where she roleplays as different people, ranging from kids that pedophiles prey on to lone wolfs and depressed deadbeats that drug cartels search for to hire as peddlers and soldiers. Terezi’s strongest expertise is hunting down anti-troll hate groups, since she gets to be herself instead of roleplay as a human. She struggles the most catching anti-human troll groups and Neo-Condescites considering she has to fight against her own species, which have an easier time sniffing out if she’s faking her human archetype and some of them are super strong indigobloods.

Vriska haaaaaaaates how boring and fake human roleplaying games are. In FLARP you had real costumes, stat bats, real loot, month long continuous sessions, and dire consequences if you lose. To keep herself not bored she has become a practitioner of the extreme sport of rock climbing, since Vriska hated walking down and up all those stairs just to get to her lusus, and climbing a shear face would be more safe than slipping on those infernal steps! She also wanted one day for her lusus to watch her climb, as spidermom laud down in that pit of webs, too fat and loud to crawl up herself. Spidermom has been dead for sweeps now so Vriska still won. GET F8CKED FUSSYF8NGS!!!!!!!!

Equius was an unfortunate troll who got caught up in strange human subcultures, and that subculture was human hypermasculinity and “alpha” male mentality. He has a Youtube channel, Twitter, and Instagram dedicated to exercising routines, habits, and hobbies that make male trolls, humans, carapacians, and even denizens respected leaders in their community. Equius tried to co-opt My Little Pony as being masculine and sigma despite the protagonists being all colorful horses. Equius believes all of the protagonist ponies (the mane 6 as they’re called in fandom circles) each hold masculine traits that can correlate with the masculine archetypes in alpha men. Think how Twilight Sparkle exemplifies intelligence and planning, AppleJack has strength and stoicism, Rarity appreciates natural beauty and appearence, etc. Also they are horses, and Equius is frustrated that humans took the maned roarbeast (lions) and striped fangbeast (tigers) as the mascot of alpha males. Equius made his own personal gym in his hive because he was banned from all the gyms for excessive sweating and never cleaning up his station. He films fighting tutorials with his combat robots, but they all break in one punch, so Nepeta has to be invited for any successful demonstrations on how to demonstrate Equius’s fighting style and not break in one punch.

Gamzee is in a mental Asylum becaise of the whole murder thing and has only broken off from Lord English’s control for the first time in his life. He expresses himself by rhyming the GREGCLOUROIAN WICKED RHYTHMS for THE FROWNING MASSES to proselytize the NEW COMING OF THE DARKER CARNIVAL. After 5 sweeps in a straitjacket Gamzee was deemed sane and pacified, so he can finally start his real life. He immediately asked Tavros to start dueting some sick bars he wrote in the brig to bring forth the new prophesy of the evanjesters. Tavros agreed without hesitation. “Mike Club” and “Wild T” sell albums as the “UNHINGED PAGLIACCI TROUPE” and have gotten many a negative review as “the worst rappers in all paradox space” but in the end, built up a dedicated fanbase of clownfolk and followers of the true faith.

Eridan doesn’t go out much, if at all. He plays a lot of video games, grand strategy, roleplaying games, a few puzzle games. He feels mixed about First Person Shooters and asks for a good story in an FPS campaign. He sees himself as honorablenand only shoots with a reason, like how he killed lusii to feed G’bolg’lyb and stop the vast glub. He doesn’t want to shoot people because some authority tells him to! Honest! Ask Sollux and he’ll agree Eridan shot in self defense! And Sollux is still alive and happier that he doesn’t hear the boices ofbthe dead doesn’t he?! Maybe Sollux should THANK HIM FOR BEING CONSIDERATE. Sorry what was I talking about? Eridan does not regret a lot of things, but he will still talk about them when you bring them up to insist he does not regret anything, nope, he’s fine. He does hang around with the people, or rather, person he tolerates. Karkat. Everyone else are lowbloods that don’t like him because he’s better than them so they insult him and say he smells bad when that’s the natural smell of the ocean and they don’t understand how important he is, or Feferi who toyed with his emotions and left him for some bipolar mustardblood and avoided him after ALL HE DUD FOR HER AND WAS SO NICE TO HER AND SHE DIDN’T RECIPROCATE THOSE FEELINGS wait what was I talking about? Eridan insists he does not need help. He’s fine. He’s fine fine fine fine fin.

Feferi loves Spongebob Squarepants, it’s a match made in heaven, but she’s not obsessed with it. She still went far enough to paint her recuperacoon blue with the colorful flowers that dotted the oceans of Bikini Bottom. She is an advocate for saving all the coral reefs and has sued many companies with her nonprofit organization and vast personal wealth for spillover of hazardous chemicals into protected waters. Considering how often CrockerCorp gets into these environmentalist lawsuits, Feferi gets under Jane’s nerves. A lot.

Final thoughts. Eridan, Karkat, Nepeta, Vriska, Tavros, and Terezi (sometimes Sollux but he’s busy most of the time) all run a discord for roleplaying and video games. Eridan Karkat and Tavros like to play the Elder Scrolls series, Sollux likes to play the Fallout series, Vriska, Nepeta, and Terezi like both. Sollux tried to get Eridan to play Fallout: New Vegas once, but Eridan got bored after a few hours and thought the morality system was too simple. Between the organized disciplined and stable Caesar’s Legion or the corrupt incompetent bureaucrats of the New California Republic, or the selfish authoritarian Mr. House, or you thrusting the wasteland into chaos as you throw all 3 of the remaining lighthouses of civilization into collapse. Sollux has a let’s play channel but the only uploads on it are Nepeta’s playthrough of Postal 2 she shared on the discord server.

Karkat does a lot of human movie watchparties with his old friends to keep his trollian friends close enough that they don’t kill each other or wander off on this new weird alien world, and to his surprise they like some of the human films even though they are bottom of the barrel compared to peak alternian film. Each of the trolls favorite films are:

Aradia: Carrie (1976)

Tavros: Pokémon the First Movie (2000)

Sollux: The Matrix (1999)

Karkat: Con Air (1996)

Nepeta: The Lion King (1994)

Kanaya Maryam: Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

Terezi: Trolls (2016)

Vriska: Pirates of the Caribbean (2005)

Equius: Spirit (2003) and Fight Club (1999)

Gamzee: Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Eridan: Waterloo (1970)

Feferi: Atlantis the Lost Empire (2001)

Final fact: since films from the beta kids library still had a chronological year, the release year of films gets confusing, so to make up for it, films on Earth C are released on a separate calendar, the year on the Earth C Planetary Film Board is equal to current year (number of years after the original kids touched down on Earth C) plus 2009. Old Alternian films are hard to chronologically measure since they were made billions of years before April 2009.

This is a long one!

These are all amazing!

[wandafiction]

The Row - Just Us Chapter 52

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2888

Series List | Chapter 51 | Chapter 53

================================

I pull Wanda into the shop, her body moving closer to mine as we enter so I unlink our arms and move mine around her shoulders keeping her close to my left side. Her right hand moves up across her chest, to grab my hand that is relaxed near her left collar bone. She grabs onto it, linking our fingers together as she leans more of her body into me. 

"Do you remember where you saw the suit?" 

"I think it was called The Row." 

"Very good taste." I look down to Wanda, who is looking at the list of all the designers here. Let me tell you it's a lot. "Are you doing okay?" 

"Yeah, I feel a little out of place in my mom jeans and your shirt but I'm doing okay." 

"Well let's head to the section with The Row and we will be in and out of here as quick as you need."

"Thank you baby." 

"Of course princess."

I pull Wanda around SAKS leading us where we need to be, but also taking my time so she can have a look around and decide if she wants to look at something else. It seems like she is only here to look at the suit though, as she looks around but shows no interest letting me walk us where we need to be. When Wanda sees the sign for The Row her eyes light up and she bounces on her toes in excitement, practically pulling me into the section. I can see her eyes searching for what I can only assume to be the suit, a look of disappointment spreads across her face when she doesn't see it.

"Hi, how can I help you two lovely ladies today?" The sales assistant, a young short blonde puts on her best customer service smile as she walks over to us.

"Uh, hi. So I saw something online that I liked and hoped you would have it here but can't seem to see it." Wanda's eyes keep darting around looking at the range of clothes they have.

"That's no problem. I have some catalogues here with everything in it. Just tell me what you saw and I can sort something out for you." We follow the woman to the counter as she brings out a few small laminated clothing catalogues, one labelled dresses, on labelled suits, one labelled day wear and the final one is shoes and accessories.

"It was this red velvet suit sort of thing." 

"The jacket and pants right?" The lady flicks through the catalogue pulling up the page with the suit on, my eyes go wide already anticipating how fucking hot she is going to be wearing it.

"That's the one there yeah." 

"So we don't stock it in our shop, but if I get your measurements we can have it ready for you by Friday, as I can put a priority on this thing if you need me to." 

Wanda looks up at me then back down to the picture of the suit. I can tell she is having an internal battle with herself, I know she wants it but I also know she doesn't like the idea of me spending money on her. I lift her chin with my finger, as she bites her lip nervously but I simply use my thumb to pull it out.

"We can get it if you want it?" 

"I really want it but…"

"Then let me get it for you." From the corner of my eye, the lady silently 'ohs' in understanding leaving to tend to another shopper while me and Wanda have this conversation. "Okay I know we made a deal but what about this. You choose three outfits today of your choice, I will get them for you today and you can get measured for it all. So when I say outfit it means shoes and accessories too. Then that will be it. You will have three outfits from The Row and I never have to buy you expensive clothes again."

"I like that idea better, because it won't always be in the back of my mind that you will be spending ridiculous amounts of money one me." 

"Money comes easy to me Wanda, but we can learn and work together. You at getting better at accepting that I want to spend my money on you and I will hold back on the spending too much until you are comfortable. And if you aren't ever comfortable then that is fine too, I just want you to be comfortable with the fact that in my life right now it comes easily to me." 

"I will try."

"That's all I ask." She stands on her tiptoes to give my lips a peck. "So what do you want to do?"

"Can we do the three outfits thing?" 

"Of course we can." Wanda stands in front of me, pushing her arms under my coat as she wraps them around my body, locking her hands together at the bottom of my back. Her chin resting on my chest as she puckers her lips up at me, I bend down giving her a few gentle pecks. We break apart with a smile when the lady makes her way back to the counter, now finished with the other customer. Wanda let's go of me turning around to face the lady, her back pressed to my front and I gently rest my hands on her waist as I rest my chin on the top of her head.

"So have you ladies decided on what to go for?" Once again a winning customer service smile on her face.

"So I would like to go for the suit, then maybe look at some different things you have." 

"That's perfect, are we getting you measured today?" 

"Yes please. Am I able to browse the catalogues as you do so?" 

"Of course. Your girlfriend can join us in the back if that makes it easier for you two." She looks between me and Wanda, I'm starting to think that the smile isn't that fake.

"Yes please. Baby?" 

"Of course I will grab the catalogues while you and the lady get settled. Sorry what's your name so I don't have to keep calling you lady?" She huffs out a laugh holding her hand out which I shake.

"The names Paula. You two are."

"I'm Y/n and this my Wanda."

"Very nice to meet you both. Wanda if you would like to follow me though to the back, Y/n join us when you're ready. Also would either of you like a drink at all? Tea? Coffee?"

"I will take a tea please." Wanda says following the lady as I grab the catalogues.

"Water is fine for me thanks "

"Perfect. Why don't you two surf the catalogues while I make them for you." She disappears into another side room while me and Wanda take a seat opening up the dress catalogue first.

Wanda flicks through the pages, asking for my input on certain things as she hums a random tune out. She suddenly stops flicking her hand resting on the page, as her finger brushes over the picture of the dress she has seen. I know it's the one the moment she sets her eyes on it, a soft smile makes its way onto her lips as her eyes scan the dress up and down. Her finger traces the outline of the dress, before resting her hand flat against it.

"This one is perfect." Wanda turns to look at me, tilting the catalogue so I can see what she is one about and I bite my lip when I see the dress.

"What shoes and accessories are you going for?" 

"Just some heels and maybe earrings. Nothing too in your face." 

"Any more dresses you're looking at."

"No, I think I want to get another suit though, and er, maybe a coat?" She mumbles the last bit, but I catch it.

"So another suit, and a coat. And then just shoes and accessories to go with each." I state, so she knows I'm okay with it.

"Yeah so it would be one dress, 2 suits and a coat. Are you sure it's okay baby?" 

"I am perfectly sure princess. I want to spoil you rotten." She quickly pecks my lips and starts scanning the other catalogue as Paula returns. 

"Okay so here is the tea and the water. Wanda if you could come and stand up here. Y/n you can stand next to her, to help her browse but you might have to do some shuffling around while I measure."

"Okay. Ready princess?" 

"Ready." 

I stand up from my chair, placing the catalogues on my seat and hold out my hand palm up for Wanda to take. She gently places her palm in mine, my fingers wrap around her hand as I hoist her up from the chair. I bend down to grab the catalogues in my other hand, wrapping my arm around Wanda's shoulder while her arm remains in front of her, our hands still holding one another. We walk up to the small stand, that's about half a foot of the ground; and surrounded by 3 or 4 mirrors. I let go of Wanda's hand holding mine out palm up again. She rests her hand in mine as she steps up on the stand getting herself situated.

"Such a gentlewoman. Sometimes I wish I was gay." Me and Wanda share a confused look at Paula as we both laugh. "I just mean the most my boyfriend does is buy me flowers on my birthday." 

"Oh yeah, men are imbeciles. Been there, done that, never again though." Wanda remarks, laughing as the lady gives an impressed smile and nod. 

"So is it as good as they say? You know being with a woman compared to a man?" I try to ignore the conversation as I start looking through the suit catalogue for ideas. 

"Mhmm, one thousand percent better." I quirk a brow. "You my dear are missing out on a good time. Dump that lazy ass boyfriend of yours and get yourself a lady." 

"Maybe I will. So how long have you two been together." The lady starts up a conversation as she starts to measure Wanda's legs with a small hand held tape measure. 

"What's the date today baby?" I open my phone to double check.

"It's the 5th lyubov." 

"Okay so that puts us at 3 weeks 4 days. Okay wow, I didn't realise it hadn't been not that long. I swear it feels like we have been together for months." I quickly do the maths in my head and my jaw drops.

"Oh wow, yeah you're right." I just shrug. "We are just being your stereotypical useless lesbians."

"Wait so we said I love you to each other exactly 3 weeks into knowing each other." 

"Wait, wait, wait. You guys have already said 'I love you' to each other?" The lady stops what she is doing to look between the both of us wide eyed.

"Yeah, but I honestly thought we had been together longer. I swear it was longer." I scratch my head slightly confused at how quickly we have actually moved through this relationship.

"Nope." Wanda pops her the P. "We met on the tenth of last month."

"Well fuck me, that's kinda crazy lyubov." Wanda shrugs as she looks at me through the mirror.

"Like you said we are just some good ole useless lesbians." 

"Okay, anyway. So we have the dress, the suit you just need to choose the other suit and coat you want. Any ideas?" 

"Are there any white suits in there?" 

"There is." I start flicking the section with white dresses, while Paula moves around me. I hold the book open in one hand, and Wanda flicks through it herself, her eyes searching every page. Her eyes land on something she likes the look of, as they scan the page.

"What about this one dorogoy?" 

"Well this is for you, so it's your choice." 

"You're no help, I want your opinion. Like if I wore this would you take me to one of the Stark Gala's or not."

"I would love to show you off wearing that princess."

"Correct answer."

"So that one." I point to the suit to make sure she is happy.

"That one."

"Okay guys, as cute as this is Wanda I need your arms up and out for me so I can get those measurements."

Wanda complies, holding her arms out in the air, I move to stand in front of her, drinking her all in. I can't believe she is mine. I open up the catalogue that has the coats and hold the one with accessories in it under my arm, the rest go to the floor So I don't get in the way of Paula. I flick through them myself to gain an idea of what they do and pick out some favourites I think Wanda would like. As Paula moves to behind Wanda I turn the catalogue to face her showing her each of the ones I picked. As I flick the pages she scrunches her nose shaking her head a lot not really feeling any of them, not until the last one.

"Ooo I really like that one baby." Paula peaks out from behind Wanda.

"We keep that one in store since we don't need measurements for it really. You can try it on once I'm done here." 

"Perfect thank you Paula. Are shoes and accessories here or is it easier to order them to come with the made to measure stuff."

"Depends what you would like. We stock some stuff, but it is mostly easier to order it to arrive with the made to measure stuff." Paula finishes up wrapping the tape measure gently over her shoulders. "So what is it we are going for then ladies." 

"The red velvet suit, with a white button up. The shoulder to floor white dress with these earrings and these heels. And then this suit here, and this coat." 

"Perfect I will get it put through the till." Paula walks off to the counter to get it ready for payment as I once again hold my hand out to Wanda as she steps off the stand. She instinctively links our arms together as we both walk on time over to the counter. Paula walks back to us holding the coat in her hands, which Wanda takes putting it on herself. She double checks what she looks like in the mirror, then turns to me for my opinion but when she see my lip between my teeth she knows my answer so turns back to Paula nodding and handing the coat back.

"So which one do you want to wear this Friday princess?"

"Still the red one." I nod as I turn to Paula.

"Can we put a rush on the red suit. We need it for Friday if that's possible? I know it's Tuesday already…."

"We can put a rush on it, it will be ready for Friday morning where you can collect it from us." 

"Perfect." 

"Okay so the three outfits, accessories, shoes and coat all come to a total of…"

"I don't need to know, that's okay, just set up the card machine." Paula's eyes flick between me and Wanda and I can feel Wanda's eyes burning a hole in the side of my head.

"Okay, uh, well it should be ready for you." I swipe and sign and soon enough Paula hands over the receipt which I hand to Wanda. She immediately looks at the total price biting her lip a little. 

"See I didn't want you to know because you might have said no, so now you have 3 new outfits for plenty of occasions and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me." Wanda just nods as her eyes scan the bit of paper over each individual price, while I grab the bag with the coat in it.

"Oh so your a sugar mama. Damn I really should turn to women." Wanda smiles up at Paula and I'm thankful for the topic change.

"You definitely should. It changes everything." 

"Well you two lovely ladies enjoy the rest of your week and I will see you Friday when you come to collect the suit." She holds out her hand and we both give her a handshake before we turn to exit the shop. I wrap my arm around Wanda's sounders pulling her close to me.

"You okay princess?" I check in knowing her brain is going over the amount of money I just spent on her.

"I'm good. I'm okay. It's just something I'm going to have to get used to."

"It will take time, but like I said before you now have three new outfits and we don't have to do this again in a long while if it makes you more comfortable." 

"Thank you Y/n. I mean it. I love you"

"I love you too Princess. Anywhere else you want to go?" I look down at her smirking when I see her lip gently between her teeth her pupils dilated so I change my question. "Yours or mine?"

"Mine."

================================

[astarions-musings]

Our system spent this morning browsing some online plural communities, and it brought us down a little to hear about all the struggles and hardships that a lot of systems are going through. So I wanted to send some good vibes and positive experiences with our plurality out into the world, so a few people out there can be reassured and reminded that there's a happy life ahead of you. Being the change I want to see in the world, and all that ❤️

Our system is coming up on the third anniversary of our plural awakening, after many years of learning to support and nurture the different 'parts of ourselves' before we realised that we're actually separate people. And with every year that passes, our system becomes more comfortable, more interconnected, more mutually supportive, more welcoming for new headmates, and generally more comfortable to spend our lives together with. Our life in the external world has gradually become more peaceful and stress-free as well, so I honestly think our fourth year of plurality is gonna be our best one yet ❤️

Our system is very large (somewhere between hundreds or thousands of people), with one 'designed driver' (our less hierarchical phrase for a host) who's usually in the fronting room by default, a rotating cast of 20-50 headmates who currently feel like spending time at the front, a large number of people who want to generally vibe near the co-front and enjoy the life we're sharing together, and a very large number of anonymous headmates chilling in the background and doing their own thing. Our designated driver often ends up front-stuck in public spaces (as our form of masking), but in private and around people we feel safe around, we can switch on demand within one or two seconds. In the course of an average day, lots of us might come to the front for a while (to listen to some music, watch a fun show, spend time out in nature), then tag out for a while and enjoy the ride while our designated driver handles everyday life. Music is especially helpful for facilitating those switches, since we can either listen to our own playlists as a fronting anchor if we want to vibe at the front for a while, or put our system-wide playlist on shuffle and use that as rapid-fire fronting triggers to help a wide range of people to enjoy time near the front for a while. Honestly, music is one of the biggest things for our system's mental health ❤️

At this point in time, our system's internal community is doing pretty well. Most of us are broadly in agreement about our values and ideals, with a shared goal to live a peaceful and stress-free life where our young ones can live safely and our trauma holders can slowly unwind. Sometimes there's friction here and there about the execution of those goals (such as people who want to work hard towards building a happy life for us, clashing with people who want to slow down and rest), but I don't think intentional harm or conflict is something that really happens for us. It's sometimes tricky to navigate situations where people have clashing needs (such as spending time with our family vs. avoiding our past abusers), but every day, our system has more and more practice with navigating those situations. Most of the time, our day-to-day struggles are stuff like "There's 1000 different hobbies we could be spending time on, and different people want to enjoy different things." Living as a family unit can be tricky sometimes, but when our biggest challenges are "How do we share the front to have fun today?", it really puts things in perspective ❤️

Also, we're feeling more and more welcome in our social life with every passing day. We're out as plural around all of our friends, in our workplace (which is unusually plural-inclusive), in most of our local social groups, and with a couple of choice family members that we trust with that information. We have a whole bunch of plural friends online, and a couple of systems that we hang out with in person on a regular basis. Our system has a bunch of wonderful relationships with other plural systems, in which each of us individually can have our own wonderful relationships, as well as our system-wide connections with the people we trust. It would be nice if we had even more opportunities to front openly as ourselves, but those are slowly getting more and more common, with each passing day. It's tough sometimes, but it's also really wonderful as well ❤️

I don't have anything specific in mind for this post, and I honestly have no idea who might need to hear this right now. But I just want to share some positivity with the rest of the plural community, in case someone needs a reminder that it's not all doom-and-gloom. Y'all can have a good life together. Y'all can enjoy yourselves together. And eventually, your day-to-day challenges will be as simple as sharing the remote and agreeing as a group about how y'all want to enjoy yourselves today. There's a good life ahead of you, and I want you to remember that ❤️