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#and anything i could have done to get myself out of it required energy i didn't have
pigeonenjoyer · 2 years
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FAT PIGEON HAS RETURNED I MISSED HIM SO MUCH 🥺
#fat pigeon tag#wood pigeon#columba palumbus#for weeks he was just fighting that other pigeon constantly and rarely did anything else#so he never visited and i got increasingly worried abt him#feathers were flying everywhere and even here you can see he's missing a lot of feathers and is much skinnier#i wish males weren't so territorial :(#ik it's the circle of life and natural selection and shit but i was worried fat pigeon was gonna be bullied out of his home#and it's not safe out there there are so many cattis that are excellent hunters and my dogs scare them away from here so it's safer#but he's back now and im so glad bc first of all im lov him and second of all i needed this#i've been in kind of a slump lately bc im just really burned out#existence itself is tiring for me and owl city wasn't lying when he said ''im far too tired to fall asleep''#bc my insomnia ironically gets worse when im burned out and need more sleep and i get endlessly frustrated with it#and i've just been so. not knowing what to do with myself?? bc like i have adhd so i can't do nothing that's torture#but everything else just compounded my fatigue and when you mix that with depression you get everything that usually chers you up just#not being fun anymore. and being just another Thing that tires you out even more#it's so hard to get out of those slumps bc it's not just mental it's physical. i've been physically exhausted#and anything i could have done to get myself out of it required energy i didn't have#but then i saw fat pigeon and just. my mood did a complete 180#i have been so happy and energetic today and obviously all my problems aren't magically solved but that's what it feels like#like i feel like im top of the world rn?? there is a reason this blog is titled ''antidepressants with wings'' bc that's what pigeons are#to me at least. i love them sm 🥹#i wish there was a way i could tell fat pigeon that i would literally die for him and he's changed my life#ok so i MAY have bipolar disorder. but idc im gonna ride this high as long as i can
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thebubblemaster · 1 year
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#i need to like vent somewhere and this is as good a place as any bc tumblr hides long tags so pple can just scross past but#having chronic fatigue is so frustrating because im either asleep or exhausted and basic tasks feel impossible#during a fatigue spell i just cant function and i lose track of the time and the day and the world feels like it just moves around me#i have to save the little energy i have for feeding myself and maintaining my hygiene so sometimes i just lay in bed half asleep#i can either scroll through my phone or watch a video or something else that requires little movement or thought#bc if im not i might cry from how frustrated i am and how heavy my body feels and how sluggish my brain is and how slow my words are#and i just#comparing the really bad days to the really good ones brings a lot of melancholy bc the difference is so stark#on my best days i wake up early and clean my room and work out and get my hw done and go to every class and walk on campus#ill keep up with my laundry and dishes and ill go out with my roommates or meet with a friend or make it through a work shift#these are all such ordinary things that i take for granted when im well that i wish i could do at least one of when im unwell#i used to think it was laziness or stress or lack of sleep#i used to push myself to the point of feeling faint and get mad at myself for not being able to handle everyday life#i used to have breakdowns over my inability to function and have my parents list off all the things i was doing wrong that made me tired#i asked my mom if maybe i should go to the doctor and get some tests and she would tell me that theres no magical cure#that if my tests came back with nothing wrong then what would i do#even now knowing im developing a thyroid issue i find myself angry that there are days i cant do anything because of my fatigue#i would give anything to be functional even 80% of the time#ive never known what its like to not be slightly tired and unfocused and uncomfortable#its depressing
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paper-mario-wiki · 2 months
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hi, i'm not the person who asked you about the life update, but could you elaborate on how being a creator means to live in a world of ideas instead of the real world? i'm just really curious about your reasons for quitting, specially because i want to create things in the future (not necessarily streaming, but anyways), hope you have a good day!
i'll be talking mostly about streaming for the sake of this answer, but this is similarly applicable across a wide range of platforms:
the job of the streamer is, effectively, to be the life of the party every single day. your goal is to be the person that has something interesting to talk about, and is quick with a joke, and has nuanced understandings of certain things, without actually obtaining any sort of "expertise" in anything lest you alienate viewers. short of having a stated goal for a stream, the only goal of the streamer is to let people relax with a voice they enjoy, saying things they like hearing. you can become very strong in different aspects of streaming, like in the production, or as someone who focuses more on a skill they've honed like art or speedrunning, but the demographic of streamers which pulls, by far, the most significant viewership, is personality based streamers.
this becomes more complicated when, for example, you are very interactive with chat, or you stream with multiple people at once. now, to maintain this charismatic sway you have (the one that got you the job in the first place), you must be able to adapt to and bounce off of other people, as you are now no longer performing alone. naturally, there's a need to not only manage your own flow of consciousness, but also to be at least partially in sync with someone else's.
beyond these complications, you must also consider drawing in new viewership. when i was a streamer, i was quite successful, relatively speaking. pulling 300 viewers consistently is something a very slim amount of streamers can actually do, and even then i was still making under 50k a year, which is not bad, but also not good. in paying for my apartment, my insurance, my travel fare, and all the other stuff that living independently draws money out of you with, i was more often in the red than i was in the green. hence, the need to draw in new viewers, which cannot be done without something eye-catching.
think about this: there are, at any given time, TENS OF THOUSANDS of streamers live in your native language on twitch, and they are all FREE TO WATCH. the attention market is sparse because the streamer market is oversaturated. and considering all of THEM want new viewers too, everyone is constantly refining and improving their craft, which requires everyone to move creatively in tandem with each other lest they get left behind.
if you are a streamer making ass-dollars and ass-cents, it becomes easy to begin resenting people like jerma, solely because everything he touches seems to turn to gold. i personally found it easy to feel very disappointed in myself when peoples projects that seemed so simple would take off. it was a constant "why didn't i think of that!" situation, at least for me. and when you don't have the energy to keep that up, or the social stamina necessary to figure that all out while also being upbeat and happy in front of people near daily, it can become very draining.
what i mean specifically when i say the "world of ideas", is like. there would be times where i could schedule out my failures weeks in advance. i'd be so in my own head about the process, i could see the exact path i could see myself taking that would lead me directly to ruin. how playing games i actually enjoyed would steadily drop viewership, or how focusing on my studies would make people forget about me. and of course this is augmented by my anxiety, i know this is absolutely not the case for every streamer, but that overwhelming feeling of needing to find a new game to play, or a new gimmick to use, or a new ploy to get money that doesn't make you feel guilty even though your source of income is mostly queer and mostly poor young adults and your rent is coming up and you're $200 short but you also just had a fundraiser last month about a DIFFERENT emergency but you cant make it a bummer or else people wont want to tune in so you have to make it something fun like "you laugh you lose!" or "$1 art request streams!" while feeling nothing but anxiety while youre trying to sound like youre enjoying yourself even when youre asking 250 people to donate every 30 minutes or so and nobody seems to want to and chat is moving slowly and. and and.
well, it starts to eat away at you.
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cats-artbag · 12 days
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SwapOut/Webcomic/Twitch PSA!
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Hi everyone 👋🏻 Zk here >< or Cats, for older followers
So I've been getting back into doing SwapOut again, but I would like to appeal to everyone who reads and loves the comic. Much love to all of you who's still sticking around 🙏🏻💙 But something has also always been bothering me throughout this journey.
As many of us know, we artists do these comics for free (especially fan comics), starting them out of love and taking a LOT of time and energy out of our lives to continue making them.
And it's amazing how many of you come from translations or comic dubs on Youtube, which are also very well-done and take a lot of effort to make, much love to them too. There is a difference, however.
Monetization.
And I'm not asking for pity! I'm appealing for understanding.
Because some comic dubbers on Youtube are able to earn ad revenue from the videos they upload. From the beginning, we artists have given them the permission to dub our works. But we don't receive anything from it, nor do we usually charge them for using our art (against our better judgement).
We let them use our comic pages in their monetized videos for free. And occasionally these videos receive thousands and millions of views, which I imagine gives a decent amount of ad revenue, while the artists themselves don't usually earn anything from their own artwork, nor do we ever want to put it behind a paywall of any kind. (we like reading free comics too so don't worry x|)
... But doing full-colored comic pages for free eventually gets hard to sustain without any income from it, even more so when we need to give our time and energy to other jobs to earn money for a living instead. We legitimately keep going on our comics purely out of love. Truly, we would LOVE to do our own art for a living. There's things like Patreon but it's only feasible if we're also able to produce bonus content or show BTS, and only people willing to spend money for them can help us, and not readers who aren't able to.
And we understand that not everyone can afford to support us monetarily. And that's okay!
But if you love these comics and want to really help us to keep going, there ARE ways you can easily support us for free!
For example, affiliates on Twitch (like myself) are able to earn ad revenue very early on (they must have at least 50 followers, quite a requirement, but still easier to obtain than Youtube's 1000 subscribers).
(my Youtube, btw. not much rn but drop a subscribe?)
But simply put, if the vast majority of readers from the yt numbers visit and stay for ads on the artists' Twitch streams (remember to have adblocker disabled for the site, if any), they'll be making an actual, physical contribution to the artist themselves, at no cost whatsoever. We earn up to 55% from any ads that run on our stream, so the more viewers, the better!
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(this is my twitch on average 8 viewers, with a 3 hour stream. again, the more the better!)
(ofc you can also buy subs to watch ad-free and supports me directly, but i'm typing all this to share the free ways people can support their fave creators ✨)
And even if that doesn't work out, I'd be happy enough to see most of you there 🙏🏻💙 I've been treating my streams as work, so I'm striving not to break the streak.
So drop a follow on my Twitch, and catch the streams when you can! They're great if you need company or background noise, and also great for co-working~
Currently streaming WEEKLY, Mondays, Wednesdays (SwapOut) and Saturdays, 10.30AM EST
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(art by @cupcakepaints)
>> twitch.tv/zkcats <<
Anyway thanks for listening to my Ted talk, please share this around for others as well >< 🙏🏻 Artists, make this a reblog chain or something! Promo your stuff!
And apologies for the essay, I wasn't expecting to type this much sdghsgh this itself is not an ad for Twitch or whatev, I'm just a little frustrated with needing to juggle all this.
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I was also considering hosting SwapOut somewhere that could get ad revenue, but I wasn't sure where until I realized I can probably earn that from my Tapas now (i think?? sdfhgh up to 70% ad revenue there but i haven't seen any yet) So maybe I'll post there a day earlier than here or something? We'll see. Go subscribe there! Check it out! Reread it! Help ME help YOU!
... Much appreciated ><
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drferox · 9 months
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Updates…
So the pretty good news is that my child custody case is pretty much sorted, and I have functionally sole custody of Honey Bee, with the ex only having supervised visitation unless he puts in more than minimum effort. Feeling reasonably secure on that front.
Going through family court is definitely an unpleasant experience though. It is definitely not set up to favor mothers, and it was both infuriating and distressing to watch him submit quote cruel lies to the court, to which I find that get to reply. While I could have proved a lot of his lies to be lies, the amount of evidence required, the number of pages to look through, was just not going to be considered by a court system that is so short on time. Fortunately for me, he kept making really dumb decisions, and that’s what decided the outcome more than anything else, I think.
It’s a rough experience because while you think the other side is making outlandish claims and bad decisions, you have no indication as to whether the courts view their actions in the same way until the end. There is zero feedback as you go along.
But it’s done for now, and from here on in I can only hope that he either improves himself as a human being and father… or gets bored and wanders off to let us get on with life.
In the petty adequate news, my Multiple Sclerosis seems fairly stable. It’s coming up to two years and I don’t think there are any major new symptoms, and I am better able to know what my physical limits are. Every now and then I’ll think I want to give surgery a go, but am only really good for 10 minutes or so, so that’s not something I can realistically do any more. It’s enough to help a new graduate get out of a disaster, but I can’t take over for them if they’re struggling. I miss surgery very badly.
The Kesimpta is getting easier to manage, side effects are still very random but significantly milder than when I started. Mostly any pain gets managed with stretches and osteopathy. The fatigue is frustrating but I’m getting better at knowing how much I can actually push myself, because if I go over that level I will be wiped out for a few days. I can tell you about that journey if you want to know. Overall it’s not terrible, but it is frequently frustrating.
So now I’m feeling safer and more stable, I will try to get back to irregular posting. But no promises, the energy isn’t what it used to be.
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I often walk the neighbour's dog in the evenings and as spring turns to summer she's started getting apologetic about it - she doesn't need someone to do the evening walk for her, since the ground isn't frozen and the nights aren't dark - and I've done my best to reassure her that it's not a chore, but a welcome part of my daily routine. She's gotten other people to do the evening walk more regularly now nonetheless, since her son lives close by and her granddaughter can pop in for a visit with her motorbike now.
Today she texted me that there's no need for an evening walk today. I got that bored-but-don't-want-to-pick-up-anything-that-I-could-do feeling again, sitting here being the kind of mildly agitated, high-energy bored when I realised that wait. Shit. I can literally just take myself for a walk. This activity does not require a dog. I can just go out to do a little round around the neighbourhood and look at the way the gradually setting sun touches grass and makes it glow in golden green stripes between the shadows of trees.
I think the key to being the kind of person whose regular everyday problems can be magically fixed with Just One Simple Trick is having the kind of stupid-ass problems that most people would know how to avoid intuitively.
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gamebunny-advance · 3 months
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Let's Just Rip Off This Band-Aid (Kliff Doll Repaint)
I still haven't finished adding the fringe to his scarf, but at this point, I don't think y'all will actually care that much. It's a personal project anyway, so I'll just finish it on my own time. Right now, I want to be released from the shackles of this project.
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Once again, my poor camera and lack of editing do him no favors (he's got a real bad case of jaundice in that first pic. I PROMISE he's not that yellow-orange IRL ;o;), but he is (mostly) done.
Well, he was (mostly) done like a week ago, but just yesterday I decided to redo a few things to try and "fix" what was really bothering me about him, so I really made recursive progress. That said, I do like him more now than I did a week ago, so I'm not mad about it.
A little backstory: Alongside Kun3h0, I've been working on him for the past month, so I've been pretty occupied with this project for a while. Now, I do wonder to myself why exactly I thought making this would be a good idea. All I can really say is that my impulsive tendencies drive me to do things against my better judgement.
But, I will still give y'all my documentation and thoughts on the process + more pictures.
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(I'll talk a little more about it later, but for those of you that aren't going to go through the long-ass readmore, the Neon J. mask is a reference to an old comic I drew.)
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(It's so old, I was still writing everything by hand~)
So, the "real" answer to "why" I made this is really as simple as "because I could." As I said in the Kun3h0 post, I've been wanting to repaint dolls for a long time, years even, so in the back of my mind, I'm always thinking of ways I could finally start one.
Well, recently I just finally put together the ideas and motivation I needed to start. And of course, that was with Kliff.
I don't remember *exactly* how I stumbled across everything, but I do recall looking at doll clothes online and stumbling across this trench coat (pictured with the other clothes for this project).
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(I took this pic mostly because I thought I was going to take pics of every major step of the process, but that didn't end up happening).
I thought it was pretty darn close to Kliff's coat, and I got the horrible idea that, "I could def make a Kliff doll to go with this coat as long as I can repaint it."
I feel like usually people would think the other way around, but that is basically the truth of this project: I didn't find clothes to fit the doll, I made the doll to fit into the clothes. Because for me, customizing the doll wasn't really the intimidating part: it's making the clothes. I don't know how to use a sewing machine, and currently lack the patience to learn (and due to some personal trauma that I don't really want to get into), but I can hand-sew, so starting any project that involves it requires me to be willing to set aside a lot of energy for me to do it, which I don't often have.
But, if I could find ways to cut down on the sewing, then I'd be more willing to start. And somehow, I was able to find just about everything I would need for a potential Kliff doll without having to sew anything. In the end, I only sewed together one thing, and it's the one thing that isn't actually finished: the scarf.
So, I blame the trench coat for the entirety of this project: if I'd never seen it, I would have never made a Kliff doll. In fact, I got the clothes before I even had the doll.
Since I was brainstorming this project, one of the most important parts is of course the base doll, which was tricky. Male doll repaints are fairly uncommon, especially of older men, so there weren't a lot of resources or places to get inspiration for this project.
From what I found, most male (fashion) dolls were very youthful, and the ones that weren't usually took heavy modifications to achieve, which was out of the question. Kliff was supposed to be an "easy" project, so on top of not wanting to sew any clothes for him, I also didn't want to have to alter the doll that much to make it look like him. This was a lot to ask for without putting in any personal work, but in a way, this goal was supposed to keep me from actually starting this project: really this whole thing was supposed to just live in my head as a fantasy as most things do, but then I just stumbled into the right set of things, so I couldn't stop myself from going through with it.
The doll I landed on was a BTS Mattel doll. Now I've said before that I know basically nothing about BTS, and that is still true, but that's beside the point. In my research for finding a suitable doll to work with, I found out that a popular base were these BTS dolls. At first, I wasn't into it because I was still running into the "youthful face" problem that I was with other brands: most of them had pillowy lips and nice soft faces, but I did eventually find one that I thought was close enough: J-Hope.
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(It's not the worst match up.)
I don't have pics of my doll before I started working on him, but it was pretty close to the stock photo. He has much thinner lips than the others, and a taller, more angular head shape that I thought would work best for Kliff. I did worry a bit that the nose wasn't "strong" enough to really be Kliff (and IMO, it wasn't XP), but it was the closest I found yet, so I decided to bite the bullet and get one, and if I had one, that meant I needed to start gathering everything I would need for this project.
So, no backing out now.
Now, actually acquiring this doll was a whole other song and dance, but here's the part that's important for how the process went:
Due to a miscommunication with the seller I eventually got him from, there was a delay with shipping, so I didn't actually get him until weeks after "officially" starting this project. In the meantime, the clothes and things for Kun3h0 (who I started as an impulse project within the impulse project) had already been gathered.
The original plan was that I was going to work on and subsequently post about Kliff first since he was a comparatively simpler project. All the things I was avoiding for Kliff: sewing clothes and making modifications to the doll, were all going to be incorporated into Kun3h0, so she was theorhetically going to take longer and be posted later, thus telling a small story of "starting simple, ending complex." But since I didn't have his doll, but didn't want to delay working on Kun3h0 just to wait on him, I started on her and repainting his clothes anyway.
So, I don't have any pics of the doll or his clothes from when I was working on them, unlike the sparse ones I had for Kun3h0, I only have pics from after he was finished.
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But I'll still tell y'all what I can to at least preserve the story.
For starters, repainting this coat was probably the most time-consuming part of this process.
I really thought that it would take one or two days maximum to turn this coat bright yellow, but I think it actually took over a week. And I really should have known; the coat was a medium tone, and I know that yellow takes a while to build up on anything that isn't light. I lost count at some point, but I swear that thing has over 20 coats of paint on it. Mind you, the first 10 or so coats were watered down with the textile medium, which also contributed to how long it was taking for the coat to take color, but at some point I just got so frustrated that I stopped mixing in the medium and painting directly onto the coat to get the color to layer faster. This is a huge no-no for painting acrylics onto fabric, lest the paint crack from creasing the fabric, but I just couldn't be bothered anymore. I needed this thing to be dandelion yellow NOW or I was gonna lose it.
There were consequences for taking that shortcut, such as the paint cracking in high motion areas and the coat getting stiff, but it's not terrible. In the end, I accepted the trade-offs or else I might still be painting the coat. Perhaps one day I'll reverse engineer the pattern for the coat and make him a new one, but I wouldn't count on it. In retrospect, I wonder if I would have had an easier time if I had thought to bleach the coat first?
As you might notice, I contoured/shaded part of the coat in orange. That's something that I actually *just* added yesterday and added another couple of hours to the work time. It was just bothering me that the doll was essentially a giant slab of yellow, and was part of the reason I didn't like it very much. But I got inspired by this repaint to try contouring the coat to give it more depth.
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(I also used this person's videos to modify the hands. He has one deidcated to just reshaping the BTS hands.)
In the end, I'm pretty happy with the results.
The rest of the clothes weren't as difficult to deal with.
The pants took the paint a lot better, likely due to being dark paint on a light surface. Since I used less paint, it's not as stiff as the coat and still go on very easily. Though, they are VERY high waisted, and I'm not sure if that's normal XP
The shoes are also painted (and slightly modified), though I had to paint them twice because the first time, the paint got stretched off when I tried to put them on the doll's feet: the shoes were just *slightly* too small for the feet of the doll, so they really get stretched to fit his feet, and his heels don't actually go in all the way XP.
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He's still capable of standing on his own, but I try not to remove the shoes, so I can avoid having them crack again.
In my "initial clothes" pic, I put down a different shirt than the one he's wearing. The original plan was to repaint the shirt black, but my work space is very limited, so I couldn't really repaint three pieces of clothes at once without significantly risking that I would stain other things. In the end, after getting scarred by how long it was taking for the coat to take color, I decided to just give him one of the black shirts that came with the coat. This does make him somewhat inaccurate since the current shirt has flowers/plants on it, but I'm gonna say that they make up for the lack of flowers on his scarf. Maybe someday I'll make him a new shirt from an old sock or something, but for now, I don't think it's a bad look.
Other clothing of note is the scarf, but since it's not technically finished I didn't take any close pics of it. It's actually made of an old headband of mine that I just cut and painted to look like his scarf.
Originally, I had actually glued on ribbon to it for the stripes, which took a couple days for the drying, but because I couldn't flatten out the scarf to easily glue the ribbon, it turned into a mess and bulked it out too much: since the scale of the doll is already small, I really needed to keep the fabrics thin. This was especially important for the scarf since it was going to wrap around his neck: if it were any thicker, it was going to practically eat up his face, which it still does, just less so.
Speaking of face...
When I finally got the doll in the mail, I started working on him right away, so I don't have any "before" pics of the doll.
After I did the usual "wiping off the face and pulling out his hair," I started with repainting the entire body and head.
Despite Kliff being ambigously "WHITE 🫵," Kliff isn't as pale as the original doll. I'd say even the stock picture I posted above has more warmth than the actual doll did. So, I got the base to be "coral" all over, dusted him in light orange chalk pastels for contouring, and most of his details are outlined in shades of burgandy. I didn't take any nude pics of this doll, but he is countoured all over his body and you can rest easy knowing I gave him some nips XP. But maybe someday I'll show y'all doll!Kliff's washboard abs XP.
TBH, I did want to detail some tattoos and some body hair too, but I just didn't trust myself to do either of those well with the tools I have (my brushes aren't thin enough, and my hand not steady enough for those kind of intricate details). Maybe someday I'll at least get his tattoos in (and after I've actually designed them XP), but we'll see. I don't plan on having the doll in short sleeved clothes very often, so details like that are the least of my concerns.
TBH, I was pretty proud of how the face paint originally went on. I really took my time to make sure it went down flat. It really was beautifully smooth~
But disaster struck.
I had painted the head while it was still separated from the body, and when it finally came time to reunite them, the paint on the head cracked and peeled when I shoved it back on. And, foolish fool that I am, instead of accepting my losses and starting over from a perfectly clean head, I just peeled the lose ends and repainted the exposed parts, which of course made the paint uneven. I somewhat justified this with the idea that most of it would be covered by other details, but in retrospect, I really should have just started over properly.
But, after that ordeal was over with, it was time to actually work on the face.
I can't clearly remember if I worked on Kun3h0 or Kliff's face first. I think I worked on them simultaneously because it took me a LONG time to actually get the courage to work on Kun3h0's face.
I thought I did a decent job on Kun3h0 since I really only had the 1 eye to repaint (the hidden eye is painted, but it's basically just a void with no details), and it was a bigger "canvas", so it was easier to paint. Besides having 2 eyes that I would need to make nearly identical, they were also a lot smaller, so it took a lot longer to paint them in a way that satisfied me (and since it's not easy to "redo" acrylic paint, his eyes lost a lot of smoothness too).
Again, I don't have any "before" pics, so it won't be easy for me to convey my troubles about it, but I do want to say that I think Kliff with a closed mouth is very cursed.
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:I
He just looks like he's itching to say something heinous and that is no different for the doll.
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It was so difficult for me both match his expression on a face that wasn't *completely* his and still look like him. Although I chose this doll because he most resembled Kliff, he was never gonna be a perfect likeness of him, but despite knowing this, it still bothered me that the face was still just very "young" looking.
Granted, I don't think the original Kliff looks *that* old either (if I didn't know any better, I would assume he was in his 30s, not his 50s, especially compared to other characters around the same age), but still not as *smooth* as the doll is (even with my paint mishaps).
If you can believe it, the face actually used be worse. I don't have pics of it, but like the coat, I actually repainted his face yesterday to again try and fix what was making me dislike it before. I think the problem is that I didn't outline the eyes as much as the final one (like, I don't think I lined his undereye at all), so he was lacking depth. The mouth was also a little more off. Instead of being like "<--->" it was more like "|-|"
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(A rough illustration of what I'm trying to describe.)
So, while it's still not perfect, I do like him more today than I did a week ago.
I think the only things left to talk about are his accessories, starting with his wig:
I'm not actually a big fan of the color. When I started this project, I wanted to try and make him as accurate as possible, and the original Kliff design has a very "cherry jolly rancher" hair color.
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However, how I draw him and how he appears in Encore Edition gives his hair a more red-orange tone which isn't as intense. In the end, I opted for accuracy towards his first design since that's the one I was technically most familiar with and wanted to replicate, but in retrospect, I should have realized that I was never gonna be able to seperate my personal quirks from this personal project, so I should have gone with a color that was more accurate to how I interpret him. (I dunno if I would have gone as far as to give him triangular eyes, but one of my biggest takeaways from this project has been that I should have just allowed this to be "my take" on the character instead of trying to be "accurate," meeting in the middle, and satisfying neither condition.)
I don't think I really got across how much I HATED brushing out yarn for the wigs when I posted Kun3h0. It was just such a tedidus process, from brushing it out, to straightening it, to gluing it down. It was such a mess. I'm still finding loose wisps of yarn hair floating around my home since I made them.
Since I had more than had my fill from making Kun3h0's wig, I once again started taking shortcuts when it came to Kliff: I really should have made more wefts for him. I figured since his hair was (compartively) shorter, that I wouldn't need to make as many, but in the end his wig turned out both too thin and too thick.
Since his hair is so messy, I didn't follow any kind of guide for his hair like I did Kun3h0. I basically just glued around the perimeter of the cap, horizontally on the inside, and made sure it would fold over in the front.
Part of the problem is that I made the wefts too thick: instead of just gluing down what could actually touch the surface of the work area, I wound up gluing layers on top of each other, so the wefts would be like a mm thick when they should have been less than half of that. So, I barely got enough coverage for the scalp, and the parts that I did get down are very thick. I think it makes his head look bigger than it should which kinda adds to the uncanniness of him.
I did try to style it as close to canon as possible, but there are some things that just aren't (easily) possible in certain mediums, and Kliff's wild hair is one of them.
In retrospect, I probably should have just sculpted his hair with clay or something: it probably would have been more accurate, but I don't have much confidence in my sculpting ability, and again, I didn't want to modify the doll that much, so I stuck with the yarn.
I might suck it up and try and make him a new wig, I still have a LOT of red yarn left over, so maybe I can make him some new styles too. But the tedium of going through with it makes it very unlikely that I'll follow through~
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(The wig from other angles.)
Since the beard is made from the same yarn, I'll lightly talk about that. There aren't too many resources about bearded dolls, but I've seen people root it, glue it, and even just paint it if they weren't supposed to be thick. In the end I used this repaint for reference (suggestive content warning) and glued it on.
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The scarf covers most of it, but I think it turned out okay. I need to add just a *little* more to his left cheek, but otherwise I feel like I was successful.
Next, it's usually hidden due to all the crap that's on his head, but I did give him an earring.
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I didn't think about it until way too late in the process, and I tried to poke a hole through his ear so he could actually wear it. However, when I tried to do so, I almost ruined his head paint a second time. Saying, "fuck that," I decided to just glue it on.
If I had been more brave with modifying this doll, I might have just resculpted his ears entirely, because, being based on a real life human being, the doll's ears don't flare out that much, so they're easily covered by other things.
His glasses are just a piece of painted plastic that hold to his face using some plastic cord. They fit well while his wig is off, but putting them on with everything else is a goddamn nightmare.
Since his ears are so small, and his hair is so short, there's nothing for the glasses to "grab" onto without the cord, but the cord is too short to fit around the wig once it's on, but I can't make the cord longer to sit over the wig, because the glasses need to go over the headband, and it's a pain in the ass trying to layer everything like that.
So, I have to put the glasses in place first, TAPE the cord to his scalp so they don't move, put on the wig, then put on the headband. It's really such a hassle, but I don't think I can truly convey the annoyance of having to do it all without showing you. So, unless I absolutely have to, I'm never taking any of those things off him again.
I think the last things are the headband, mask, and tablet.
The headband is just a spare scrunchy that I have. I don't have one in the *exact* same color as the real one, so I went with the closest one I had, which was this teal color.
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I didn't feel comfortable repainting one since it's essentially an elastic band, I don't think the paint, even with the textitle medium, would be able to hold up to all the stretching I have to do to even get it on his head.
If I happen to find a white one somewhere in my stash, then I might try dyeing it using water and acrylic paints to see if I can get it green, but for now, I think this works. A little thick, but it works.
The tablet is just a piece of foam painted with paint markers and the mask is a piece of cardboard. I wasn't planning on really recreating any scenes with this doll, but since I remembered that comic, and thought it would be easy enough to make, I went ahead and made it as an in-joke to myself.
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Honestly, I think it's the most charming piece of the entire ensemble. Plus, he can wear it without me having undo/redo any of his other head accessories, so it's easy to make him wear it whenever.
My final comments about the doll itself are that he's fucking huge. I should have taken a pic of him next to Kun3h0, but he is too tall to even fit on my display shelf without sitting.
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(Please ignore any mess you might see in the reflection. This is just one of the only flat pieces of furniture he can stand on without me standing on something to take a pic.)
Despite my interests, I don't actually collect dolls (I'm more into figures and plushies), so I wasn't expecting him to be so big. In fact, Kun3h0, who would be considered a small to medium doll in collector's spaces, was also bigger than I thought she'd be, so you can imagine my surprise when I got my hands on him.
So... I don't really know where I can put him. He obviously can't live in front of my TV, but beyond being too big for my shelf, he also doesn't fit in with any of my other collectibles. And I'll be honest, the contrast of him "clearly not belonging" among my more "kawaii" items was a motivator in starting this project, I live for the gap moe after all, but in practice he really just sticks out like a sore thumb. (This is also why his first pics are in a slightly different location without many props. I just couldn't put together anything from my collection or find a spot among my things to take a good thematic pic with. The magazines/CDs he's with are from my dad's collection.)
I do have space at higher elevations in my room, but it's kinda off putting to have him staring down my room, looking like he's plotting something (my space is too small to ignore it). So I dunno what I'm gonna do with him. I did have plans to make him some... cuter outfits so he wouldn't stick out as much, but that requires sewing, and I'm kinda worn out from this project.
In conclusion, despite my troubles with this project, I'm not entirely displeased with the results. At the very least, it was an experience, and one that I might even be willing to do a third time 👀...?
But for now, I'd like to rest and maybe go back to drawing again. I feel like I haven't drawn anything "real" for a while now. We're inching closer and closer to the next follower milestone (4 digit number BA-BY!), so I'd like to at least get back to being good enough to sketch some stuff for y'all soon~
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musings-of-a-rose · 10 months
Text
It's Miller Time
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Original ask from @boogerpresleyonthemeanguitar84: would you, could you, write some smut with benny and will ofc not incest i mean with a female reader (me lol)? I love your work and like i mentioned in the comment i just found your work! Impressive!
It’s Miller Time
Pairing: Benny Miller, Will Miller x f!reader
Word Count: 2400+
Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!
Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 
Notes: Thanks to @mermaidxatxheart for reading this over!!
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**Reader is not described
Main Masterlist
Benny Masterlist
Will Masterlist
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"I never do anything like this!" I'm nervous, excited energy rushing through my body, my fingers tingling and shaking slightly. 
"Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll take good care of you."
I went out to the bar tonight, intending on having a quick drink at the end of a long work week. But instead I found myself the center of attention for not one but two incredibly hot men, Benny and Will, who happen to be brothers. And here I am, following them inside their shared home, giddy with the prospect of having these 2 touch me.
Will takes my coat and bag, hanging them on the coat rack by the door as Benny guides me to the living room, gesturing towards the couch for me to sit. I do, smoothing my dress down my thighs and he sits next to me, extending his arm behind me, settling it on the top of the couch. He cups my face with his other hand, his warmth burning my cheek as he turns me to face him, his bright blue eyes staring into me. 
“Are you sure, sweetheart? Things can get a little rough. You can say no and there’s no hard feelings.”
“N-no, I’m sure. I just…I’ve never…” I gesture between the two of them. “...done this before?”
Benny smiles and it calms me. “Don’t worry about that. You just feel good. We can guide you.”
I nod, my nerves emboldening me as I kiss Benny. He responds immediately, the hand on my face sliding around the back of my head and holding me to him. His lips are soft and warm, inviting me to part mine and I do, moaning a little when he slides his tongue into my mouth. He kisses me for a few moments, my head feeling light when he slides his thumb under my chin and breaks the kiss, tipping my head back and gently sucking on my neck. I left out a gasp and his hand settles on my hip, gently sliding up to reach into my dress, grabbing my boob and squeezing a little, thumb brushing over my nipple. God does this feel good. So good, I nearly forget about Will, sitting somewhere behind me just watching. 
I push him back slightly and straddle his hips, his concern vanishing from his face when I start to grind on him, fingers tangled in his hair as he buries his face in my chest, pulling down the top of my dress to suck a nipple in his mouth.
“Oh God that feels good,” I pant, rocking my hips a little faster. 
“Arms up.”
I comply, my arms raising as he grips my dress, pulling it over my head and tossing it across the room. He quickly undoes my bra, tossing it in the same direction as my dress as I toss my panties somewhere in that same area. Benny’s eyes rake over me, drinking me in as I straddle his hips again, whimpering when his clothed erection rubs at me. I start to kiss Benny again when I feel a different set of hands on my hips, fingers digging into the skin to pull my hips up. I don’t stop kissing Benny until Will’s finger slides through me, groaning at how wet I am. He says nothing, swirling that same finger around my entrance and pushing it in. 
“Fuck,” I whisper into Benny’s mouth as Will adds another finger, slowly fucking me with them. Will pulls his fingers from me and I whine, frustrated at the lack of contact. There’s some shuffling behind me, Benny shifting under me and then Will’s fingers grip my hips again, angling them a certain way. But before I can ask if he needs me to move, his tongue is there, licking at me like his life depends on it. I cry out, Benny’s hands finding my boobs and pinching my nipples as he watches my face, loving the way it changes expression when Will pushes his tongue inside of me for a moment. A particularly hard flick over my nipple pushes me over the edge, heat and pleasure rolling over me as I cum, Will moaning into my cunt, which makes my orgasm last longer. 
“You taste amazing, darlin,” Will stands from behind me, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. I sit up, legs shaking slightly as I turn around to face him. “I wonder if you taste just as amazing.” I reach for his pants, undoing his button but he grips my chin and turns my head up to his. “Not yet, pretty girl. I'll watch you a bit first.”
Benny’s hands are on my hips, pulling me back on his lap, his hard dick pushing against the top of my ass, which is when I realize he had gotten undressed, clothes tossed somewhere in the room. And the fact that he’s long, or longer than I’ve ever had at least. He pulls my back against his chest, his hands hooking under my knees and spreading my legs wide. He shifts his hips, pushing himself through my wet folds and I whimper. He feels so fucking good like this. After a few moments of this, he sits me up, pushing himself slowly into me and I look down, watching him disappear inside of me. 
“Fuck! You feel so..ugh!” Once he’s fully inside, he pulls my back down on his chest again, hoisting my legs up and wide, on full display for Will, who was seated in a chair across from us, stroking himself. Benny starts at a slower pace, gliding lazily against my g spot before he growls in my ear. “Hold your legs.” I do as he says, his fingers immediately moving between my legs, rubbing circles where I need him most, his other hand pinching a nipple as he quickens his pace, fucking me as fast and hard as he can from this angle, launching me over the edge, screaming his name as he continues to rail into me, chasing his own high. He cums, biting my shoulder as he fills me, still stroking me as my thighs twitch. We stay like that for a moment, heavy breathing, sweat sticking to our skin as Benny nibbles on my earlobe, his dick twitching slightly inside of me. 
Will crosses the room and extends a hand to me, helping me up when I accept it, Benny grunting when he slides from me. What do I do now? Surely I have to clean up or something? But Will gives me no time to think about that as he bends me over the side of the chair he was sitting on, his pants hitting the floor as he brings a hand down to smack on my ass, watching it jiggle as I cry, a smile at the corner of my lips. I didn’t know I liked that but I also have no time to linger on it as Will thrusts into me fairly rough, fingers digging into my hips, pulling me back on him. My hands scramble for purchase as I cry his name, Will setting a rough pace as he winds his fingers into my hair, gripping it tight and holding me down. Damn he fucks so good, my toes slipping slightly on the floor from the height difference. 
“Yeah you like that? You good little slut? Lettin’ me fuck you like this?” Will’s voice is strained, like he’s trying to last. His hand reaches around between my legs, gently rubbing me in stark contrast to the way he’s fucking me and I come without warning, crying his name into the chair as I squeeze him, my fingers digging into the fabric as Will snaps his hips impossibly harder, finally coming himself as he grunts into me, leaking down my legs. He pulls himself from me with a hiss, helping me up and turning me to look at him, all trace of the moment on pause.
“Are you ok, darlin’? I know I can be rough and I know you didn’t use the safe word-”
I have no words. Instead, I pull him to me, kissing him finally, his beard scratching at my skin. He holds me to him, fingers light on my skin, like he’s cherishing me. He cups my face and pulls back, looking into my eyes like he’s making sure I’m really ok. I smile. I know I have to look fucked out by this point, but somehow, I’m not done. 
“Can I have a minute?” I ask. Will nods and points to the bathroom. I take a few moments to clean myself out, drying off before finally getting a good look in the mirror. I was right - I do look fucked out of my mind, a small smile playing on my lips. I return to the living room and they look at me, both of their eyes scanning my body, eyes darkening with every second. 
“You doin’ ok, sweetheart?” Benny asks, his eyebrows pinching together and making him look like a damn puppy. 
“So fucking good.”
They smile and Benny stands, already hard again as he takes my hand. “Good. Follow me.”
He guides me to his bedroom, spinning me around with a smile and motioning for me to lay down. I do, scooting up the bed, which is apparently not where he wanted me, as he grips my ankles and pulls me down to the edge fo the bed in one swift movement, my boobs bouncing as I giggle. He kneels between my legs, pushing them apart as he stares down at me, already wet for more. 
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous. I didn’t get to look before.” He lowers his head and darts his tongue out, a quick little tap at my clit and my legs jerk. He does this a few more times, chuckling darkly when my legs continue to twitch before he finally licks up the center of me, sucking lightly on my clit. My chest is heaving, my fingers fly to his hair, gripping his golden locks as he slides his nose through me, fucking me on his tongue. 
“Oh God, Benny!” My thighs slam against his head as I cum, gripping his hair tightly, holding him to me as I chant his name. While I come down, he softly turns my body so my head is now at the edge. He moves back between my thighs, sliding his dick through me again, watching me twich and moan under him. He pushes in slowly, watching me for any sign of discomfort. My mouth flies open, breathing heavily as he bottoms out. He pulls one of my legs up onto his hip before gripping my wrists and pushing them into the bed on either side of my head. He slowly pulls out and pushes in, loving the way I contort under him. 
I feel movement behind my head and that’s when I notice Will, standing off to the side of the room, watching Benny fuck me. On his next thrust, my head moves a little off the edge of the bed and suddenly Will is there, holding my head as he stands over me, his dick hard again. I know what he wants and I want to give it to him, immediately opening my mouth. He looks at my eyes, like he’s waiting for a final consent. “I want to taste you, Will.”
That’s all the permission he needs. He pushes in, much slower than he did before, making sure to stop when I can’t take anymore. I lick and suck as he guides me, his little moans and affirmations spurring me on, my own moans from Benny sliding in and out of me muffled by Will. Benny releases my wrists, taking a boob in each hand and squeezing them, pinching my nipples as Will leans over, rubbing circles into my clit. The overstimulation of everything, the idea that these 2 gorgeous men are not only turned on by me, but also doing everything they can to make sure I feel fucking orgasmically blissful. My thighs shake, my body tensing as I start to come, Benny’s voice muffled by the ringing in my ear, Will quickly pulling from my mouth to let me cry out their names, my eyes watering from all the stimulation. I can feel Benny holding back, trying to give me a moment. 
“Fuck me, Benny!”
“Yes, ma’am.” His hips snap against mine, hitting deeper than he’s done so far. My mouth hangs open and I gesture at Will, who pushes himself into my mouth, holding onto my head as he fucks into me, matching Benny’s thrusts. Benny takes one of my hands, lacing his fingers with mine as I reach behind my head with the other, fingers digging into Will’s thigh. He pants my name, cumming down my throat as Benny grunts out my name, hips sputtering into mine. Will comes to first, quickly pulling himself out of my mouth, a trail of spit still connecting us. He dabs at my mouth, moving towards the bathroom, the sound of running water a few moments later. Benny is still inside of me, his head on my chest as his breath finally levels out, humming as I card my fingers through his hair. 
Will comes back into the room and like teamwork, they take care of me, helping me into the bathtub, washing me up and making me feel clean and cared for. After, they offer me some soft boxers and a shirt, in case I didn’t feel like putting on my dress. They help me into it, bringing me a glass of water and finally listening when I turn down their offer of food for the 5th time. I sit on the bed for a moment, looking between them both. 
“This…this was…well…fucking amazing. I’ve never…I’m not the one who…just… thank you. For a fucking good time.”
They smile at me. “It doesn’t have to end, darlin’.”
“I-what?”
Benny takes my hand, rubbing little circles into the back of it. “Do you wanna stay for the weekend?”
I have never agreed to anything so fast in my life.
—----
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pillsandumbrellas · 3 months
Note
Could you extend on the fat/water for fuel thing you said while fasting please?? Also, some tips? Like you've done this for such a long time it's so impressive
I'm not 100% sure what you're referring to. I'm assuming you're asking about what your body requires to function while still fasting. I'll go into a lot of detail regarding this since I feel like it's important. First of all I'd like to preface this by stating that everyone is different. Some people have deficiencies or immune issues or blood pressure.. the list goes on issues. Before even considering a fast, know your body and it's requirements. I would hate for someone to read anything I write and take my word for it and do something that harms them. I couldn't live that, so please do your research. Regarding what your body needs; if you're already a very thin person, don't fast. You have to understand that when you're eating, your body is burning calories for fuel. When you're not eating, it switches to burning fat. This is ketosis. A lot of the goal of a ketogenic diet is to switch the body over to burning fat for fuel. This is the biggest reason for why people have a really goddamn hard time the first few days of fasting or even starting keto. What people refer to as "keto-flu." It's your body protesting against your switching over to burning fat, when burning calories is so much easier and it's instant energy. Burning fat is a lot more work. So, if you're already thin, your body won't have much fat to burn through. What your body will do instead if burn through muscle and organ tissue. You REALLY do not want that. Bear in mind that even if you have fat deposits, muscle loss is likely to occur anyway, as your body may burn through muscle it thinks you don't necessarily have use for. If you go past a 36h fast, autophagy also begins to occur where your body starts to heal itself. I personally love this and have healed my acne scars through this. I had really bad acne scars and now I have maybe a couple I can see if I look reaaally closely. Putting that aside. You need hydration A LOT of water, and you need fasting minerals (electrolytes). These are mainly sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Now I personally just make snake juice at home, because I like control over what I put inside myself. Water=2L | Potassium chloride =1 tsp | Sodium chloride = 1/2 tsp | Sodium Bicarbonate = 1 tsp Magnesium Sulphate = 1/2 tsp Now it's up to a person to know how long they can fast and how long they should fast, however if you're planning an extended fast. I cannot stress enough to get a general check-up, get professional help during your fast if you can, and monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Some things I experienced through my many fasts has been throwing up by the way. Usually around day 7-14. I was able to fix this with a mixture of a table spoon of apple cider vinegar and pickle juice. I couldn't drink snake juice anymore, because it was too concentrated it made me feel ill. However the pickle juice had enough minerals to keep me satiated without being overwhelming and the apple cider vinegar balanced me out. No these do not break the fast. This is medically proven to aid with fasting, I didn't just come up with this btw. Also you may find yourself bloated with water as you lose weight and your body decides that it wants to fill the fat you lost with water. Potassium supplements can help with this. Just be careful with your dosage. Little goes a long way. You will pee A LOT. This is normal. You'll pee a lot in the beginning of your fast, as you drop water weight, especially when you got to bed. It slows down towards the middle when your body starts packing on the water. Potassium makes you start the hose again though. Anyway I hope this helps some people, gives some insight. Be careful. Take care of your bodies. Don't be stupid. I can do stupid things, but I try to be a self-aware and well informed idiot. That way I don't have anyone but myself to blame, because I know better.
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breelandwalker · 11 months
Note
not sure if anyone else has asked this recently but my internet is too slow to do a deep dive in the archives rn so - do you have any advice for avoiding/preventing/dealing with a lot of 'backsnap' from spells? i.e. the wave of exhaustion/general physical and emotional crumminess after doing some heavy work. it's entirely possible that this specific instance i'm experiencing could be allergies or an oncoming cold, but since it hit me right after i spent an evening doing the first serious amount of spell-casting i've expended effort on in months, i'm inclined to connect it at least a little bit. now i'm wondering how best to bounce back or prevent it from hitting so hard in the future (aside from obvious health-boosting things like rest, water, vitamin c, etc). is it just a matter of exercise makes the muscle stronger or should i really not be neglecting to ward up first in my impatience to get to the fun part?
Good question!
This is something I hear about frequently enough that I feel comfortable calling it a common occurrence. Doing heavy, involved, or prolonged spellwork is taxing in the same way that any other task requiring a lot of focus or mental or emotional energy might be. I don't know that there's a way of wholesale avoiding it, per se, but you can mitigate it in a few ways with a little bit of preparation. You've got the right idea here, so allow me to offer just a few additional tips.
Set up your workspace ahead of time and make sure you have all your materials ready to go and within easy reach. Try to eliminate distractions and as many potentials for interruption as you can. The less frustration, distractions, or derailment you have during a casting, the easier it is and the less exhausted you'll be afterward.
Make sure you're rested, hydrated, and not running on empty or heading for a caffeine crash or the tail end of a medication cycle if you take dailies. Take a few minutes to calm yourself and focus on the task at hand before you begin. If you have any preferred grounding and centering techniques, definitely employ those. I've found that just taking a moment to bring myself into the present and sort of zoom in on what I'm doing has helped more than casting extra wards just for the sake of one spell.
If you're feeling ill or overtired or like you're on your last spoon, maybe do your spell another day. I know magical timing is a thing some witches rely upon, but there's almost always a way to spin timing to your benefit, and spellcasting should NEVER take precedence over your health.
Keep in mind, all of this is to MITIGATE the post-casting crash, not prevent it. It's still a good idea to rest afterward, maybe have a snack and hydrate again. Just make sure you clean up anything that needs cleaning, extinguish all fire hazards, and put up any materials that you don't want kids or pets getting into or that might be a trip hazard. (You do NOT want to skip this step and end up cracking a toe on your cauldron the next morning, TRUST ME.)
It does get easier as you go on. There's a reason we call witchcraft a practice - it takes PRACTICE. Doing small-to-medium spells and periodic exercises may help things go more smoothly, since you don't have to think about it as much once you've got the hang of things. (I try to do a little something every day and I have easy charms built into my schedule for this purpose.) Large, involved castings will still wear you out, not much to be done about that.
I have some other tips for battling inspirational slumps and blockages and helpful hints for your spellwork here:
My Intuitive Spark Feels Low - How Do I Get It Back?
I’m In A Slump - How Do I Get Out Of It?
I’ve Reached A Stopping Point - What Do I Do Next?
How Do I Make A Magic Circle For Spellcasting?
What Happens If I Get Interrupted While Casting A Spell?
Do I Need To Maintain Positive Vibes For My Spells To Work?
Hope this helps! 😊
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flannelepicurean · 9 months
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Yo, hey, also, if you're an anxious and/or stressed LGBTQ+ person like myself, and like little games about tasks, like Stardew Valley or My Time at Portia or stuff like that, check out Hokko Life.
It's one of those cute little "do things" games, and there are some things about it that I really, really love:
In a lot of these games, there's a set town structure and cast of characters. In Hokko, there are some keystone elements. But each save file has a different "town area" map that you get to build and expand your little town into. There are two residents to begin with, other than you and the shopkeepers in the main town area (separate), and THOSE COULD BE DIFFERENT. From what I can tell, there are at least 4 possible starter residents, and you can get different combinations per save file.
The days are looooooooooong. This is different from Stardew, for example, where you can feel really pressed to "get everything done" in one day. In Hokko, you have PLENTY of time. And you have the option to take a li'l nap at your house if you want to, so you can skip 2 hours or 6 hours without losing the whole damn day. Or just...take a lil nap.
There are NO GENDER OPTIONS in character creator. You start with the same starter outfit, and have 100% of the starter customization options. Everyone calls you "they/them." A good number of the residents are "they/them." You are just...nonbinary/gender neutral/agender. Periodt.
You are the only humanoid. Everyone else is basically stuffed animals. The first folks you meet are a pink elephant who looks like she maybe has vitiligo and a giraffe with a general store who has extremely Dad Jokes Energy. There are all kinds of other interesting animal folks with different personalities. My game has a green emo/skater pig who seems like they might be a stoner and possibly vegan. Definitely cares about their carbon footprint.
Everything is SO CHILL. There's not really energy to manage or anything, you don't get hungry, you don't have to run around making sure you talk to everybody enough so you don't get less popular. Even if you fail a task for a resident...nothing bad happens. Or at least, that I can tell so far. Just like, whoops. Couldn't find that fish. Oh well. I can make you that paint, though. No worries. All good.
When you DO complete tasks, you get clothing items. And like...the first one I got was a "striped skirt" or something. And I was like, "Oh, that looks kinda-sorta-almost like a nonbinary pride flag. Cool." And then I got some yellow shoes, and a red jacket. And then a "Happy Knit Sweater," which was DEFINITELY ABSOLUTELY a trans pride flag pattern! And then a tee shirt with rainbow sleeves and a rainbow pocket? So like...THEY GIVE YOU LGBTQ+ PRIDE MERCH FOR YOUR LI'L NONBINARY PAL. And then I realized I very much had trans flag wallpaper in my house. 😂 I freaking love this.
You can MAKE YOUR OWN FURNITURE. There's a whole subset of customization and item creation where you can just...design your own furniture and decorative items from almost scratch. You unlock sets of shapes for the crafting & design table, and then you can go into a 3D design space and just...put some wooden spheres together however you want! Add a leaf shape! Put a brass "7" on it! Go crazy! And then you get to save your design and you can craft it again later if you want to make more, or sell them. It just...becomes an item in your game.
The music is super chill. Because of course.
The fishing system is good, for the way I like to play. It's very easy to see the fish, it's very easy to know when you need to "hook/catch," and following the system to reel in is easy to understand. It requires a little effort, it's not an auto-catch, but it's not stressful. It's a TASK, but not a HEADACHE. And you can do it without bait and still be fine.
There's a whole entire thing around catching butterflies. You can just frolic around all day in your pride-wear catching butterflies if you want. It's lovely.
You can save and exit at any point. SUPER IMPORTANT. Can't tell you how many times I've felt some stress about like, "AAAARRRGGGHHH, I have to get to a good spot to stop this Stardew day, or just start over again..." Nah. Hokko, you just hit escape, "Save & Exit." When you load up again, you'll be in your house, with the same stuff on hand/in your backpack.
I actually kinda also like that there doesn't seem to be a romance component? Like, that's neat and all when it is available, but I don't always want the townsfolk coming onto me just because I've given them sufficient eggs or whatever. I might have needed to do those quests to advance the plot, or get a new shovel or something. And maybe I'm not actually down to clown, homie.
Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying this game. Got it in the Steam Sale. I think it's not crazy expensive even regular price? My one issue that I'm running into is that the wiki for it is like...zero content. Or just not much in-depth stuff beyond the very bare basics for some of it. So when I want info or hit a snag, I been using Duck Duck Go on that biz, or hitting the Steam Forums. Not the worst thing in the world.
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tuesday again 10/17/2023
started explaining why this one is a little lighter than last week's gallery wall behemoth bc of a uhhhh kind of dire week, personally and professionally speaking, but then realized when fic authors do that in front of chapters i don't actually care or require an excuse from them, im just delighted to have a new chapter.
listening
this is a deeply cheesy little folk song but the lyrics "man you name it and if we ain’t got it: we’ll get it" gave me a sensible chuckle.
youtube
now for a moment to expound upon houston: they truly have imported every possible food service establishment. the two chains i miss most from jersey, jersey mikes submarine sandwiches and 7-11 gas stations, are both here. i get that this is the fifth largest metro area in the US or whatever but both of these companies are SO niche. absolutely bonkers. spotify.
i think this started autoplaying after a playlist inspired by f/allout: new v/egas came on??
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reading
i originally had a very mean-spirited graf about the utility of a pool in northwestern massachusetts and the kind of person who can comfortably lose $31k, but it is genuinely awful that there are no rules around zelle. that money goes into a black fucking hole and there's no way to get it back, which is not the case for any other kind of recognized money except cryptocurrency
Did we confront Gary Kruglitz [the pool contractor]? Yes we did. We marched right into his office and grilled him hard until he defeated us with a simple and probing question: What's a zelle? It defied belief, we quickly realized, that a man who had been trapped in technological amber since the Nixon era was running a cyberscam designed to come between us and our money out of an AOL account.
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watching
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Van Helsing (2004, dir. Sommers). this movie is horrible. this movie is terrific. i don't have anything to say about this movie bc i was distracted by equal opportunity tits and asses the entire time. the time of the “Kate Beckinsale in a corset” movie genre is long over but GOD. watched with my sister bc it's leaving tubi soon
playing
one week i will have the energy to try New Thing but until i do it’s genshin. there's a poetry event that has terribly boring minigames, but the story quest has finally tied a bow on a piece of folkore we came across in the very first release so that was fun!
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wrapping up some stuff in sumeru bc im running out of map pins, this game has done one of the things i hate most: progress-locking one extremely long and tedious collectible hunt (the music gates) behind another extremely long and tedious collectible hunt (the robots locked in the vines). the next time i see one of those little fucking budget koroks i am going to drop kick it into the sun. what the fuck is the circumference of teyvat anyway. it feels like we have explored so little of this planet's surface
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i have graphics turned down pretty low bc of performance issues on my elderly laptop and this is still such a remarkably pretty game. look at this big estuary leading off into the distance
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making
i wildly overextended myself this week, partially bc im trying to take advantage of this brief post-covid heightened immunity. lot of dinners. lot of late nights. on top of that BOTH of my siblings were in town for unrelated professional reasons this week :) no overlap so we did not have a nice fambly dinner :( but did have pretty okay separate dinners :) if they could learn to fucking communicate their trave plans and the number of peope that will be showing up at my home that would also be pretty okay >:(
one of the party games i played this week asked the question “what could you give a 40-minute PowerPoint presentation on” and i started saying facts about the downfall of the penn central railroad and they very nicely let me continue saying facts about the downfall of the penn central railroad, the largest bankruptcy in US history until ENRON, until the round timer went off.
i have some thoughts about Train Guys and how it's very easy to fall into being a Train Guy, bc there's a very easy template to follow, and there's a lot of Train Guy content, and have i been doing this bc i actually like trains, or bc it's easy to listen to Well There's Your Problem on repeat bc it's familiar and comforting, or do i just really really really fucking hate flying?
who could possibly say.
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mackintosh update: allowed herself to be scooped up by my brother (who she met at christmas and loves) but did NOT allow herself to be pet by the strangers in his company. did hang out in the middle of the floor observing tho. a regular little extroverted socialite!
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anonymousfoz · 7 months
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The Earth, Stars and Moon (Part 7)
Taglist: @quinnharperwrites, @holdmyteaplease, @yesireadbooks, @teacupsandstarlight, @vite-poh, @theoracleofgiana, @writeblr-of-my-own
Part 6 | Part 8
"Marekh?" The sounds of soft sobbing as a female remained at the remains of a burnt village, the crack of thunder matching with her frustration and grief. "Mars!" The female looked up as quickly a golden deer came running before transforming into their human-like appearance.
"They are all gone… The chil- I- I couldn't save them. Midnight was-My tribes is gone"
"There is time for grief, now is not the time."
"Aeliu-"
"My job is to get you to safety." Aelius grabbed Marekh and began to descend into deep parts of the earth until it was fully pitch black before light began to arise. "This is a place she will never come to, because it is also the Land of the Dead."
"Dead? I'-"
"You don't have to do anything with the bodies." The two kept descending until landing at what appeared to be a dungeon. Marekh had never seen one, but Aelius told her about the ones he had built before. "Just stay quiet for a minute while I talk things out with-"
"Who?" A voice rang from the entrance and a body came down a set of stairs. "Who did you bring here? It better had not be that wife of yours."
"Look, Stolas. I would never do this unless something truly happened."
"I'm not babysitting anything. Last time it nearly ruined my home. Do you know how hard it is to manage the souls of the dead and send them back with a giant bird in your castle?" Aelius took Stolas into one of the dungeon cells leaving Marekh alone. The sun god picked up Stolas and pushed him against the wall.
"My wife just murdered my sibling tribes and wants her dead due to a prophecy one of your oracles made. I want Mars to remain safe and you are going to take care of her until I can find a safe way for her to be up at the surface or else when the moon cracks, Midnight will come for you and I won't stop her."
"We-"
"If Mars dies, you're next on her list. You know her as well as I do since you're her fucking brother. Either do this or I will murder you myself."
"If you didn't interrupt me; I was going to say since she's down here, I can just train her to take Midnight down. I'm not dumb Aelius, but you keep doing this shit and not giving me a heads up. Send a messager!"
"Are you two done?" Aelius stood nearby the gate and Aelius put Stolas down before walking out towards Marekh and hugging her. Mars hugged back before walking with Stolas up the stairs. Aelius remained standing in the dungeon until ascending through the Earth and back to the surface. He would have to see her in secret. Only time could tell until Marekh could be safe around him on the surface. Until then, there was nothing he could do. He set the sun and went into the clouds where his wife was waiting.
"What's wrong?" He looked over at his once loving wife. Midnight sat down and gestured her hand for the moon to starting rising.
"I found out what you did." His wife went quiet before hugging him almost as if she was trying to soothe him, Aelius moved out of the hug not wanting his wife touching him at the moment.
"Sometimes, sacrifices are made and people betray one another. All that matters is that we are together under the sky." Aelius refused to look Midnight in her eyes and eventually headed out in frustration. He was truly upset about the entire event, but what was more upsetting was she wasn't trying to hide what she did but instead excuse and lie about Marekh. While heading out, Aelius hoped Stolas was a good teacher; if this prophecy was going to come true, Marekh would need to be ready to take down Midnight.
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Sapphire sat exhausted watching the sun rise. She had completed the task which she was given which required a lot of digging and transporting of sand before creating new sand to replace the old one. The task itself wasn't difficult but the way to create new sand is what took the most energy out of her.
"If I needed sand this badly, I would had done it myself." A deep dark voice called from behind before picking up Sapphire. "You poor kid, left alone to do the dirty work."
"That's what I always do, Stolas." Sapphire responded as the two began to descend down to the Land of the Dead where a messager was waiting. Stolas ignored the messager knowing it was one of Midnight's but assigned one of his guard's to deal with the problem.
"Remember, don't call Mother. She tracks the usage of that name." The guard nodded before going to talk to the messager.
"How does that work?" Sapphire looked up at the large man who continued to carry her around his castle like structure.
"Every time you go by a tribal name or any of your friends, she can see where you are based on if you say or think it." Stolas responded. "It's how she figured out Aelius had a child, the woman called him by his tribal name, but she never tracks Neptune because Neptune doesn't call him that dumb tribal name of his." Sapphire would have to note this later but for now she was taken to Stolas' office and allowed to help with his numerous jobs as Death. It was less killing and a lot of paperwork. Sapphire was reorganizing Stolas' files based on alphabetical order by last name. Each filing cabinet was the different locations the souls were, in the Land of the Dead, and which were ready for rebirth. It was monotonous but it was better than anything Moth- Midnight would force Sapphire to do. Yet all the work made her wonder what Beary was doing at the moment. She would have to find out later as she was still sorting by last name, the files were long and cabinets were even longer. Once she finished, she reunited with Stolas who was fixing some food, he could go without food but did miss the taste of food.
"Could you inform me of the prophecy again?" Stolas went quiet before handing Sapphire a plate of dumplings.
"It was stated long ago that the earth and stars would turn against the moon. A new person would take her place and the old moon would be sent to the depths of the hell. An illegitimate child, generations of livestock on the hill of trauma and fear and a sacrifice of true love... a chaotic list of events that leads to the downfall and cracking of the older moon." Sapphire sat listening while eating a few dumplings. She had enough time now to fully figure things out. She wrote down a few notes and had more questions than answers but it was better than nothing. "Don't think about it too hard, you will figure it out eventually. If anyone can, you can." A small smile creeped onto Sapphire's face before Stolas gave her the rest of his dumplings before he returned to work. Sapphire sat in the kitchen alone in silence yet felt more safe than she had been in years. Taking another bite of the dumplings, she took in the silence as things would never be peaceful like this again. She eventually sent a messager raven to Wolfie. She would be able to figure out the rest of the prophecy and answer her questions. It was still only a matter of time before they would have to start unwinding the prophecy.
"¡Adelita! Ven aquí, ¡te necesito!" Sist- Adelita quickly rose from her room as that was her mother's voice. She wasn't sure what her mother really needed, it could be anything from needing to know the English's translation to a horrible beast in the house.
"¡Ya voy!" Sister Wolf ran to her mother who was in the kitchen cooking dinner for the familia. "¿Qué necesitas mamá?" Adelita was getting used to the no tribal name rule but she was less used to her mother screaming her name throughout the casa. Her mother stood cooking empanadas while Adelita's oldest brother Joaquín stood at the counter cutting fish.
"There is a raven outside from Sapphire." Her brother responded. "Also Mamá wants to know if the new one eats empanadas."
"Neptune will eat anything you give her, she's not a picky eater." Adeltia opened the door and headed on the porch. "¡Muchas gracias Joaquín!"
"¡De nada Addie!" The raven sat on the porch holding an letter from Sapphire. The raven cawed before being pet by Adelita and feed a piece of fish that Adelita had swiped away from Joaquín during lunch. The raven exchanged the letter for the fish before walking inside to play with the family's dog. The letter was nothing new, Sapphire and Adelita always sent letters back and fourth using the raven and Land of the Dead. Adelita went to her room where she opened the letter. She read the letter quickly before she was needed to help with dinner.
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mbti-notes · 5 months
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Anon wrote: Hi mbti-notes, an INTP here. Lately I have encountered a situation which I couldn’t determine whether it is Ne indulgence and I lose track of my introverted functions or if there are other issues behind the surface. I think it would be better to receive some comment on it and I wish you could help.
I have been concentrating myself on academic results more than I used to, I think it is partly out of the urge to strive for a better future, another part of it is that I feel like I cannot fall behind my classmates as I don’t want to seem incompetent to the people around me. This idea grew stronger after my mother claimed that I would end up being a useless member of society because I didn’t have a “proper” attitude towards my academic results. I could be taking her words too seriously but I keep thinking I should prove her wrong. When there’s a task I could mimic an unhealthy ENTJ unconsciously and temporarily. I become hasty, impatient, judgemental, I overlook details so I can get thing done within the least possible amount of time, shut away the monologue I always have in my mind to focus on what I’m doing, disregard others’ opinion because I think my idea is the best. I read theories that a person could act like their shadow when they are stressful, it seems like what I experienced.
At the same time, I spent a lot of energy on socialising with my classmates. I enjoy it at some point, they are interesting people and I think I should pay more attention to them, but when I got time to reflect alone afterwards, I feel fatigued by all the social interactions. After I returned home, all that I am left with is tiredness and I don’t want to speak with anyone anymore, every single sound I hear could frustrate me even if they are simply words of care. I feel a need for rest, but when I do rest I binge watch repetitive Mary Sue stories that pop up on my social media feeds. I know they do not convey deeper meanings, but I am becoming addicted to these meaningless stories that do not require any true thoughts to process and I could shut down my mind.
I believed I maintained a good work-life balance, and this is a good way of life I should continue, but now as I took advice from my friend and spend time on long novels I could truly enter a flow state within, I think I actually overemphasised on external validation and failed to see what I really needed. Returning to the original question, it seemed like I was escaping reality with unhealthy Ne that keeps me wasting time on unproductive things, exploiting my energy to seek out ‘new’ information that are actually repetitive and superficial, forcing myself to open up Fe even when I actually wanted space for myself; but I am not entirely sure about my statement. Thanks for your time and effort, any insights that could be drawn from it are appreciated.
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Generally speaking, if you believe you're experiencing Fe grip in part because of misusing Ne, then you ought to develop Ne and learn to use it more appropriately, consult the Type Dev Guide.
It seems you are always being pulled around by things outside you, such as your mother, your friends, or those mary sue stories. What does that mean? Perhaps it means you have little substance and you use those things as a poor substitute. You are like a leaf being blown around by the wind, with no control over where you go.
The remedy to being driven only by extrinsic factors is to nurture intrinsic motivation. Who are you really? What do you really want out of life? What are your values? What do you stand for? What do you have to offer? What about you matters? What greater aspirations or ideals do you commit yourself to? If you can't answer any of these questions, it means you haven't gotten very far in development and, as a result, don't have any meaningful direction or purpose in life. When you have no real identity as a person, how can you be anything but an easy victim of circumstance?
If you want to take more control over life and have a better sense of direction, then start by committing yourself to more meaningful activities, especially activities that would allow you to make the best use of the gifts you've been granted. Yes, there is a difference between "rest" and "escape". You speak as though you have no control over those repetitive activities, but you made the choice to do them, and you're now starting to realize that the "reward" is actually harmful to you. You could choose better activities instead. To realize more of your potential and grow as a person often involves giving up immediate gratification for a greater goal and making tough decisions about how best to spend your time.
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plscallmeeren · 6 months
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C I T I Z E N S O F W E S T V I E W P T 2
Wanda Maximoff x Reader
Request: yep
Summary: part 2 lol (btw I added some things to the request hope you don't mind)
Warnings: absolutely none
Word Count: 1.6K+
Wanda peered through the heavy oak door leading to your apartment, gaze flicking tiredly from one unusual carpet to another Eastern lamp. And yet, as she observed every object and decoration in the place, she realised there really wasn't that much around - less, at least, than in an average home.
"You don't have very much," she said simply, the Sokovian accent she harboured thickening as an urge for sleep faded the edges of her vision. Any energy she usually held for advanced English had already laid down beside her end of the conversation.
"It's all good quality. You'll never believe where I got this light," you replied proudly, gesturing at an orange paper hanging lamp.
"I suppose I wouldn't," she murmured, running smooth hands over the even smoother wood of an old armchair.
Her sight lingered on a rack to her left, standing out with shining blades against the cream of the wall. The longest in the stack of three emanated the unmistakeable atmosphere of magic.
"It's overwhelming, isn't it?" you said softly, sensing her thoughts. "Look, we'll talk more in the morning, I promise, but you're obviously exhausted and I can't say I'm feeling too chirpy myself. It's late. Get some rest first. We'll worry about magic swords in the morning. I promise."
Wanda hesitated, glancing at the sharpened and likely deadly weapons on your wall, but was overcome with a wave of drowsiness so strong she wondered if maybe you were toying with her mind. If so, you had done a mighty good job; making her feel safe, luring her into your home, into vulnerability. But she doubted it - and even if she was wrong, she was sure she could take you.
Then the stroke of genius occurred to her - why not just read your mind? It might tickle, but otherwise people didn't tend to notice if she didn't want them to.
She attempted, slithering past some initial mental barriers every brain requires for sanity's sake, diving deeper-
"I'd be impressed if you could see anything against my will," your voice filled her head, and although your back was turned, she could feel the grin on your face. "You're welcome to try."
"And you think you could get past me?" she challenged, vanity seeping through her as a last resort.
"Yes."
"Try."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Try your hardest."
A flash of images and pasts and thoughts and nightmares flashed beneath Wanda's lids, an array of concepts that made up Plato's idea of her. She had had no idea how powerful the feeling was if a mind-reader allowed their victim to see what they were doing. Nevertheless, although proving how old and deeper knowledge you could dig up, she noticed how it was never anything vulnerable, anything that could hurt. She still couldn't stop you.
You were avoiding them for her sake, even though she had provoked you.
You stopped. You had made your point and that was enough. She stared, but didn't say anything. You had half-expected the unjustified upset and anger of doing what she had said you should, but it never came. She seemed lost for words.
"That was incredible," she projected the thought into your mind, making you smile.
"Come on, I have a spare room."
You led her around the corner of the kitchen and up some stairs, holding the painted door open chivalrously. She curtsied in good humour, passing through.
You handed her a towel silently, refusing her help in making the bed, letting her watch from the desk chair instead. When she thought you weren't looking, you noticed - or maybe you sensed - how much she appreciated someone doing something as simple as making a bed for her.
"Good night," you murmured once she returned from washing up, already folded up underneath the copious covers. You would have offered her clothes, but her breathing had already evened.
It would have been so easy to intrude just a little, just enough to see why she was feeling so unwell. She would never know. But you didn't ever seriously consider it. You couldn't imagine the guilt of breaching her privacy that way.
You closed the door behind you, leaving the small reddened lamp on in case she didn't like the dark.
•••
Wanda awoke with a start.
She had slept peacefully until the nightmares had crept in along the edges, stains of blood and madness dismissing her simple dreams of life as she knew it or other cleansing of the mind. She forgot it all the moment her eyes opened, only Vision's mangled body still imprinted on the inside of her lids when she attempted rest.
She sat up. At the edge of the bed, two folded piles of clothes awaited her. One of them consisted of a red shirt and blue pants (she ignored her thoughts when they wondered which woman you had them from) and the other of a comfy flannelette shirt, sweatpants and woollen socks. She opted for the second.
A part of her was disturbed by the concept of someone being in the room while she was asleep and her not noticing, but still that nonsensical trust and arrogance overruled all else.
The scent of coffee invaded her senses as she grew more aware of her surroundings. It smelled delicious and perfect in that moment.
She wandered downstairs tentatively, stepping lightly in some childish attempt to sneak up on you.
By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was sure she had the element of surprise under control.
"Morning, darling," you greeted smugly, smirking as you briskly turned around, presenting her with a cup of coffee. "Sugar? Milk?"
"Oh, yes, um, both," she muttered, feeling slightly insulted at how she had been noticed.
You nodded, placing the cup on the counter and pulling out all she required. You stepped back so that she could add as much as she wanted herself.
Wanda looked you once up and down, taking note of your black shirt and black sweatpants, the way the melted together at every languid motion you made. You looked like you were dancing as you crossed the kitchen, back and forth, mixing together the batter for pancakes.
"Pancakes? How did you know-" She interrupted herself upon realisation. "You remembered what you saw last night, didn't you? Me eating with my family?" She thought she might cry at the memory of them all, but other than the salty taste of saliva it just felt like a problem of the past.
She couldn't believe how good she felt all things considered. Neither could you.
"Wait- Did you read my mind again before? Is that how you knew I was there?"
"No, love. I don't need telepathy to sense your presence," you humoured, winking at her playfully. She scoffed, but the smile on her face was undeniable.
"And... here," you said after a few minutes of comfortable silence, throwing the last pancake onto the plate and flicking the stove off. "Let's sit down, shall we?"
Wanda nodded, taking a seat across from you and snatching two pancakes at once. She could think of at least a hundred questions to ask you, but none of them felt like good opening lines.
Finally, she decided. "Are the decorations Japanese? They look sort of... well, not Western. And you. You look... I'm not sure how you look, but judging by your home, I'm wondering whether you're Japanese also?"
"Yeah. My mother's Japanese, and she raised me, so I'm more used to eastern places and behaviour. By the way, you don't have to hide your accent. I love hearing it."
You had picked up on how her accent had lessened by a mile that morning, feeling a little sad to see it go. She smiled.
"Okay." You could immediately hear the difference.
"Thanks. Anyway, yeah, it's a bit hard implementing paper walls, but otherwise..." She giggled, surprising both of you.
"Do you speak Japanese?"
"Yeah. Kesa wa kireidesu ne / 今朝は綺麗ですね." (You look beautiful this morning.)
"And what does that mean?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly.
"あなたには決して分からないかもしれません," you replied smoothly, taking a bite off your pancake. (You may never know.)
"Звучи лепо, згодно, али волео бих да знам шта говориш," she countered in her own Native tongue, sipping at her coffee, grinning. You looked back at her, impressed. (It sounds nice, handsome one, but I'd love to know what you're saying.)
"それはあなたから魔法のように聞こえます。" (That sounds magical coming from you.)
You both smirked, tucking into your breakfast instead of talking for a moment, occasionally making a comment on the food in your own languages. You both loved the sound of the other talking, no matter what they were saying.
Eventually, you decided on successful communication, and in English, Wanda asked at least half the questions she wanted answers to. You replied to every one. Neither of you held back in your accents and only at three in the afternoon did you realise how long ago you had finished eating.
——————-
So much fluff
Fun fact I've actually learned a bit of Japanese over the years and about one and a half of those sentences was my own....... I know, I know, I'm incredible, right? Anyways looking at foreign typography always makes me happy tbh
I'm snowed into my friends' house and can't keep reading my exciting book at home how's your day? It's kinda a vibe tho I've never been snowed in before
Have a great day lovelies
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djemsostylist · 23 days
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I've been really offline this year, and it's due almost entirely to my work. I'm mostly just venting now, but this year has been the hardest I've had since Covid, and I fear a future where it doesn't get any better.
This year, I have not one, but TWO students who go off at nothing. And by go off I mean I have to evacuate my room and just hope they don't break anything or throw anything at me that I can't dodge. And this happens for no reason--a simple direction, passing out a piece of paper, giving a direction I've given 100 times could result in a tantrum that clears my classroom for over an hour as a bunch of adults stand around watching, because restraining a kid now requires at least five adults and a mountain of paperwork. So instead, I'm forced to watch as a 7 year old destroys my room and their mom tells me "at least it's not as bad as they were in kindergarten" or blames me for not calling them in the middle of class when they first started throwing things.
Beyond my two, I have another 4-6 who are simply obnoxious. I'm often loathe to call kids obnoxious, but these students are rude, inappropriate, refuse to follow basic directions, and generally make my every day horrible. They fight and bicker and argue and then get mad and rude when I ask them to please stay seated and follow basic directions.
The others aren't bad, but they laugh and encourage the bad behavior, talk incessantly, and basically need constant supervision and stimulation. Law now states I'm not allowed to discipline kids--no missing recess, no writing lines, no missing resource, no anything I used to be able to do to make an impact. Students are mandated to attend quarterly parties that we can't take away because every students has the right to attend.
I get no breaks during the day--I'm required to watch them at lunch because half of them are incapable of sitting still for a half an hour to eat food, and many of my resource class breaks (while the kids are at gym or art) are taken up with meetings.
And that doesn't even address staff shortages. Today a teacher on my hall called out, and there was no one to take her class, so we were all saddled with 4-5 extra kids. I ended my day with 27, and with no music teacher, I also had to watch them during resource, so I got no moment to myself between the hours of 9-4:30.
I've also had two teachers on my hall quit this year, which means I've been responsible for writing plans and grading papers for three classes, getting two long term subs set up in a classroom that has been left in a lurch, and also becoming a surrogate teacher for 46 extra students (on top of my 23).
I sit in on every IEP meeting for the grade level, which sometimes means 4+ a week.
I'm tired. In my bones, in my soul. I come home tired every day, and some days its all I can do to lay on my sofa and scroll through youtube or reddit. I don't even have the energy for tumblr, because liking something means the likes will pile up or I'll need to comment on something a mutual had posted and it feels overwhelming. I'm back playing Destiny because it's the sort of mindless thing I can do almost without thinking. The Horus Heresy is done but 40k feels lifeless by comparison so I'm sort of slow in getting into new things. Last weekend I painted a little, and that feels productive at least.
I just don't know if it's going to get better. This year, the students seem to not care, about school or about their behavior, and the parents know they're awful (I've had parents openly admit their child hurts them or their siblings at home) but yet seem to have little desire to make any changes to try and curtail the behavior.
I don't really know what I'm trying to say I guess. Just that I feel like we are genuinely raising a generation who doesn't understand consequences, that we are not allowed to discipline because parents refuse to allow their child to be held accountable for their actions.
I'm tired. And I genuinely don't know if it will get better.
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