#but this place is really interesting there's a lot of cool vintage stuff

[star-snapped]

[drdemonprince]

do u know of any good thrift stores in Chicago

Elliott Consignment on Broadway in Lakeview is fantastic for fancier pieces -- good shoes, button-up shirts you can wear to a job interview, a nice peacoat, a fisherman's sweater, leather pieces, etc.

Just down the street one block is The Xchange, which is the radical opposite: super-cheap t-shirts and sneakers, tank tops, windbreakers, sporty comfy stuff in a lot of colors and truly affordable.

Brown Elephant on Belmont is a treasure trove of gorgeous furniture and some really interesting, trendy clothing finds. Here you can get a desk, a couch, a chain bracelet, a funky vintage t-shirt, and maybe some sunglasses.

Salvation Army Family Store on Clyborn is truly massive, filled to the gills with all kinds of clothing, accessories, media, and home goods and is deliciously easy to steal from. Take the second fitting room from the front window and shove your tags in the hole in the wall. Wearing some cute denim shorts and a snakeskin print belt I stole from them right now.

Buffalo Exchange on Clark in Andersonville has your cool reliable pieces: colorful Chuck Taylors, white Doc Martens, bags, accessories, joggers, eternally youthful stuff.

Brown Elephant on Clark (two blocks up from Buffalo Exchange) is your place for picture frames, pots and pans, art supplies, and it has a room of selected fancier clothing and jewelry pieces that can be a great deal too.

Salvation Army on Broadway and Montrose is the spot for home appliances (I got a $250 stick vaccuum there for $40!) and simple staples: flannels, jeans, sweatshirts, your everyday basics. They have no fitting room so just steal.

[monsterblogging]

Fuck JKR: How To Create A Harry Potter-Esque Aesthetic Without Any Harry Potter In It

So I saw a few posts from people mentioning that a reason people might be into Harry Potter is because of the aesthetic or atmosphere, and ya know what? I can't even argue that, because if there's one thing about HP, it's that it Sure Does Have Aesthetic And Atmosphere.

So! I'm gonna tell you how to STEAL ITS LOOK! Because:

JK Rowling considers ANY support of her work to be support of her politics.

Fan content/fan merch is still free advertisement for Rowling's work. YOU might not choose to give her money, but you can't be sure you won't pull people into the fandom who will.

Everyone should create more things that aren't tied to corporate-owned IP, period.

So. Most things in these films have an aged, antique look. You'll see a lot of brown hues, both on sets and on people's clothes. There's a lot of near-blacks (especially charcoals and walnuts) and lighter grays on the sets, especially from the third film onwards. (Wood is more often than not stained dark, while lighter hues are often provided by bricks or plaster.) The last two films use a lot of stormy blues and grays. Prisoner of Azkaban also emphasizes contrast between tones, which heightens a sense of texture. True black also appears throughout the films, such as on students' uniforms and many Death Eaters' outfits, and on the chairs in Malfoy Manor. White appears occasionally, especially on Hedwig, students' shirts, or during winter scenes, but pure white isn't otherwise really common. Paper or parchment is usually warm beige. There's also a lot of silver, gold, and brass, often appearing on things like dishware, tools, trinkets, Christmas baubles, and so forth. Bronze also comes up occasionally.

Reds, yellows, blues, and greens are pretty common throughout the films, even outside of Hogwarts, though you'll see just about every color somewhere. For example, orange is often found around the Weasleys, and orange, maroon, and purple feature in the divination classroom. Teal features prominently in Grimmauld Place (contrasted with saffron yellows).

Most colors aren't really super bright; a lot of the time they look a little faded, or like they're colored with natural dyes. If you use medieval illustrations to source your colors, or aim for earth tones and jewel tones, you'll be about right for a lot of what you see in the films. Bright colors are pretty rare; some of the brights we do see are in Honeydukes, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, and certain magical effects, such as Floo fire.

A lot of light is provided by candles, torches, or fireplaces, which cast a warm yellow/orange light. Moonlight is represented by blue light in the first and second films. Blue light is also used for the Goblet of Fire and the penseive.

Another thing you gotta have in there is clutter. It should look kinda antique and give off a kind of magical or mystical atmosphere. Think books, storage jars, orreries, crystal balls, old lamps, antique clocks, vintage glassware, antique mirrors, old teapots, and little metal trinkets. (If you're trying to decorate a physical room, your stuff doesn't have to actually be antique, of course; antique-styled is fine.)

Texture is also very important, which can be represented with full or top grain leather book covers, stone walls, dents and scratches, cracks, embellishments, and embossing. Additionally, all damage and wear gives a sense of oldness to things. Stains and variegated colors also add interest. (If you're decorating a physical space, you might look into aging/distressing/antiquing techniques.)

If you want a space to look cozy, you don't really want bare or blank walls. Shelves, paintings, tapestries, and wallpaper can all help with that. Again, use brown, rather than black. Warm, yellow lighting will also help. If you lean toward blacks and cool lighting, you're going to have a colder-looking space.

Fashion in the wizarding world is extremely all over the place, ranging from stereotypical fantasy witch and wizard clothing, to pretty normal vintage clothing, to some wacky vintage-inspired looks, to the kind of fashion that would be put under the cozycore umbrella, to ordinary modern clothing. One thing that's absent is subculture fashion as we know it. (Bellatrix Lestrange does look kinda goth, but it's less a subculture thing, and more a "yeah we're putting our bad guys in fancy black stuff" thing.)

If you're trying to lean into the whole quirky/eccentric/old-fashioned kinda thing, you'll want to pass over the more modern and obviously synthetic type stuff. Also, patterns, textured fabrics, knits, mixed colors, lace, and other embellishments can add interest to outfits.

Architecture is also all over the place. Hogwarts is pretty medieval, while places like Diagon Alley give more Victorian vibe. The main thing is looking old fashioned and quaint.

To try and summarize all of that:

Browns. Lots and lots and lots of browns. Blacks and grays, too. Contrast between light and dark browns and blacks/grays.

More beige and gray than pure white; more charcoal gray and dark walnut brown than true black.

Among other colors, mostly earth tones and jewel tones. Very limited brights.

Polished metal and glass also add shininess.

Old-fashioned. Vintage. Antique.

Clutter, texture, patterns, variegation. Minimalist/clean aesthetic avoided.

Aged and distressed.

Lighting often yellow/orange due to coming from fire. Blue/teal light often coming from moonlight and certain magical light sources.

Now, here are some things we actually don't see. I'm not mentioning them to discourage you from using them if they're what you really want, but to inform you about them so you can consider whether they might throw off the vibe for you:

Green/purple/black combos.

Purple/silver/black combos. Pink/purple/teal combos.

Pink/black combos.

Orange/black combos.

Green/orange/purple combos.

Red/black combos.

Basically a lot of combos commonly associated with Halloween, witches, or vampires.

Big raw crystals. We see crystal balls now and then, but that's it.

Other natural items used as decorations - feathers, pinecones, sticks, etc. The one exception I can think of are the shells embedded in the walls of Shell Cottage.

Crushed velvet. Lots of fantasy uses this, HP films don't.

If you need inspiration, go look up medieval and renaissance diagrams and illustrations of stuff like the four elements, the zodiac, the solar system, and all that. Go look up alchemical symbols and emblems. Search up pre-WWII vintage ephemera. Go look up Victorian clipart. Look up stuff like botanical, zoological, and astronomical books and art from the 17th-19th centuries. Look up vintage wallpaper and fabric patterns. Look at vintage-style crafts. Research period architecture and fashion. Research European heraldry.

If you're wondering what exactly you're going to design around without Hogwarts and the Four Houses, here are some suggestions:

The four classical elements (earth, air, fire, and water)

The four seasons

Card suits - Tarot, French, whatever you want

Holidays - Halloween, Christmas, whatever

Fairy tales

Flowers

Mythical creatures

Bugs

Birds

Any other animals you like

Ecosystems

Your own original worldbuilding

So yeah, there ya go. You don't need to keep participating in HP to indulge in the aesthetic.

[NOTICE: Anybody who clowns on this post by making this about them and their childhood, patting themselves on the back about their chosen means of "ethical" participation, praising the fandom, or adding any other form of irrelevant bullshit is getting blocked. Also, I don't want to hear about PJO or Earthsea again for the millionth time, either.]

[lou-struck]

Haunted or Creepy?

Reo Mikage x reader

Flufftober Day 5: Little Doll

~ After wandering into an antique shop, Your boyfriend notices a strange doll has caught your attention. . 

All of the well-kept trees in the plaza are adorned with the most breathtaking collage of leaves. They rustle slightly in the wind, still too stubborn to fall. It’s beautiful, but you know that Reo Mikage has them all beat. 

Your soccer star boyfriend has elected to forgo his training clothes in favor of something a bit more his style for your date today. You are sure that his plain yet perfectly fitted sweater costs more than your entire wardrobe, but judging by the way he hurries over to you with the two full cups of hot apple cider in his hands, he doesn’t care in the slightest about getting dirty. 

Especially if it’s for you.

“Here, for your hands.” He smiles, holding out one of the cups for you to take. Wisps of his rich purple hair fall delicately onto his face, somehow making him look even more handsome.

“Thank you,” you say gratefully, taking the paper cup. Its spiced warmth helps you realize just how chilly your fingers have gotten in this wind. 

“Is it just me, or has it gotten a lot colder since we started walking out here?” He asks, looking up at the deceptively sunny sky. As if hearing his words, Mother Nature sends a bone-chilling gust of wind your way. The cold air penetrates through your light sweater and sends teeth-chattering shivers down your spine.

You tense up and place the paper cup up to your cheek in an attempt to warm yourself up. “D-definitely n-not j-just y-you.”

His eyes widen in concern as he pulls you closer to him. “Let’s head inside one of the shops where it’s warm. I’ll call my driver to come pick us up.”

“You’ll call your driver?” you giggle, leaning into his warmth, “You really are a pretty rich boy.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” he coos, placing his chin on top of your head. Would you rather walk?” 

“Nope,” you say quickly, not wanting to be out here freezing your ass off. “D-drivings good.”

An amused chuckle slips past his lips as his hand slides securely on your lower back, guiding you towards a weathered wooden door. “This place looks open; let’s check it out.”

You nod and glance down at the simply drawn chalkboard sign that rests on the pavement. “It looks like an antique shop.”

“Interesting,” he hums, reaching towards the faded brass knobs. “I don’t think I have ever been in one of these.”

You snort and shake your head in amusement. Of course, he had never been in an antique store before. You have only met his parents a few times, but they don’t seem to be the type of people who are interested in buying someone’s old wedding china or vintage bedroom furniture.

“Well then, I’m glad that I get to be here for your first time.” you wink, bumping into his cashmere-coated chest. 

“I feel so supported,” he laughs, playing along with your antics. His arm stretches over your head to hold the door open for you. 

The shop is dimly lit by rustic floor lamps. The light reflecting off of the blown glass shades creating patterns on the thickly carpeted flooring. Gone is the harsh chill of the wind as it is replaced by the heavy scent of dust. It surrounds you, and you can’t help but feel in your gut that something is off about this place.

“Woah, look at these lunch boxes,” Reo says, looking over at a glass display case filled with printed metal lunch boxes with various cartoon and comic book characters posing on the front. He puts his hands up on the glass and peers in closer to get a better view. “I saw one like this at a charity auction a few years back, and they made a killing. I wonder if these are the same kind?”

“That’s so cool.” you grin, trying to focus on just how adorably excited your boyfriend is and not on the strange feeling of dread that has clung to you ever since you have walked into the store. 

“I wonder what other cool stuff they have in here?” he grins, taking your hand and pulling you deeper into the shop. 

“I wonder,” you hum, playing with the tassels on a beaded lampshade as you are guided deeper into the store. You pass the checkout counter and a rather distracted employee who is tapping furiously on their iPad. The unmistakable sounds of Candy Crush playing through the muffled speakers. 

Turning the corner, you notice a tall glass display case sitting on a polished wood dresser. Your stomach seems to be tying itself in knots as you continue to take step after apprehensive step. If Reo feels the same way, he does not show it. 

Have you ever looked at something and said, ‘Yeah, that is totally haunted?” 

The porcelain-faced doll in the display case just screams it. It’s deep dark eyes glimmer with sinister intent and makes your skin crawl. You want to leave, you want to be as far away from this toy as possible, screw it if it’s cold outside you don’t want to be here another minute. But you feel that if you take your eyes off this thing even for a second, it’s gonna get you. 

“Woah, cool doll.” Reo says innocently, tossing an arm over your shoulder. “You’ve been looking at it for a while; let me get it for you.”

“No!” you say much louder than you initially meant to. Your eyes grow wider and wider in fear as you imagine what it would be like to take that creepy thing home, hiding it away in some far-off closet or crawlspace only for it to find you in your room when you least expect it.

Reo looks concerned at your outburst and takes a step back, raising his hands up in the air innocently. “Woah, I guess not.” he chuckles. 

“Do you not see how creepy that thing is?” you huff pointing at the case. “There is no way it’s getting anywhere near my place or yours.”

“What?” he asks, his lips twitching as he tries and fails to keep from laughing. “It’s a bit creepy, but it’s got some charm to it.”

“Charming? That doll is one hundred percent cursed, or possessed, or whatever.” you say seriously. Making the mistake of taking your attention off the doll to watch the wonderful way Reo’s amethyst-colored eyes twinkle as he laughs. 

“Oh come on, it’s not that…” he turns to look at the doll, and all the color drains from his face. “It just moved.”

“Stop messing with me.”

“It. Just. Moved.” he repeats again with a deadly serious tone.

You look back at the case and want to hurl. Just seconds ago, the doll was staring blankly ahead, but now her head has twisted to the side, exposing her copper-colored ringlets and staring right at you. Those dark eyes boring into your soul. “It moved.”

“We gotta go now,” he says worriedly, taking your hand and pulling you away from the item. His strong legs lead you out of the store and down the walkway for your lives. 

“W-wait.” you pant, lungs burning as you dig your heels in. As a professional athlete, his stamina is much better than yours, so he probably could’ve dashed the two of you all the way home. 

“Yeah, that thing was definitely haunted.”

[self-spaghettification]

ok so i accidentally deleted the draft but a while back an anon asked me basically saying they had read Gone (are the Days) and wanted other good fanfic recs. and this was my response LMAO

hmm !! this may surprise you but i actually don’t consume that much fanfic. partially because i’m picky, partially bc i tend to consume content slowly or bounce around a lot, etc

i will say a general tip is to sort by bookmarks or kudos to get the good stuff and filter by specific tags as well! like i just read mage pride which is the top bookmarked item in the viravos tag and it was definitely worth the hype!!

if you enjoyed gone are the days,

you’d probably like the Professor Next Door by detectiphoenix (also a professor au but high school teachers!) besides that, here are some viravos fanfic i’ve enjoyed, off the top of my head:

(for context i’m not hyper into smut personally or try to find variety/creativity and i’m biased towards certain things lol but)

VIRAVOS FICS I LOVED <3

Mage Pride by luminiex - This is the top bookmarked fic in the viravos tag, and for good reason! While it is written after S2 and has more sympathetic Aaravos than in canon, it is still very well done in my opinion. I also love whatever it takes by them, it’s great if you don’t like smut too! Aaravos and Viren living together in this plane together lives rent free in my head 😭 I also love their fic where Aaravos gets to meet Viren’s family :)

Recidivism by indefensibleselfindulgence/ @iamalivenow - the viren characterization is everything, it takes place in s2 prison era, and it’s very humorous!

The Sound of His Voice by portmanteau_press - very very cool setup/worldbuilding concept i think

Constellation of the Heart by @yurayuramiharin - This fic is one of my absolute favorites and has inspired some of the art I’ve done as well! As someone who loves vintage & goth subculture & IS a baby bat in college I feel like I resonate with it really well! I love the taking of the worldbuilding of the dragon prince recontextualized in a college setting and the way Aaravos was actually an inspiration for Bowie & caused Viren to question his sexuality!! It’s so deliciously perfect but sadly unfinished, but I would say it’s still definitely worth the read! It doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger either, just one of the best burns ever 😁

Touch of a Star by @detectiphoenix - really unique take on what it’s like to touch Aaravos, I adore it sm and think about it everyday too. Fluffy S5 extrapolation/continuation

To Serve or Slaughter by beastlybrooke - viravos recontextualized as vampires like castlevania my other recent fixation? sign me up. it’s interesting how viren’s prejudice towards elves is recast as a prejudice towards vampires, and aaravos’s fight towards the elves and view towards humans i love it everything

honorary mention ficlets:

the stars they lie by rikku - this is short but i really like the way they incorporate virrow and mindgames, as well as enby aaravos :)

Checkmate by @thrandilf is also short and sweet but i adore it, i think about the alternate versions of the s5 trailer sm and even tried writing my own a few times but they never went that far but yeah i love it and they have other fics that are great too

respect his decision by @vestaldestroyer because aaravos didn’t have to revive viren s4 but he did and ughgghhghh while i don’t think he cares that much cause he might have just been using the revival as a way in with claudia and continuation of all that, there’s always that off chance and he doesn’t even realize how attached he is and love is just that huge when you’re that old and powerful, large enough to move mountains and yeah </3

i’d put my own can you stay by @self-spaghettification but that’d seem a bit unfair lol

—

there’s probably others i’ve yet to read or that are cool but i don’t remember or that have some good parts but are kind of iffy imo but those are the only ones i can think of off the top of my head i’m sorry </3

but i’ve also have been compiling a list of fic ratings on a google doc and uhh its not really sharable in any way, but a while ago I also had a website concept where people could share fic ratings like goodreads but for ao3 with some other site inspo in the mix that i spent a few hours sketching out the concept of but idk if i should share but yeah :)

[phantomrose96]

I’d love to hear about your fucked up subway, as best as you can express. Love love love hearing about weird dreams!

In exchange I’ll tell you about my recurring Bad Mall— I’m not on any meds my brain is just like this— usually I’m at the mall looking for someone. Usually it’s a friend, sometimes it’s All Might (??? Also haven’t seen BNHA in years why he there), and in one notable instance, it was a blue sock puppet who everyone loved.

I don’t know why I hate this mall so much. If I could I would never have another mall dream again. It is, technically, a very nice mall. The employees are nice. Usually I have a friend there. The shops are interesting and fairly priced. But something about the atmosphere is just… *grey*. Sapped. It’s a big loop of a building, sized such that there should be a courtyard in the middle— there is not.

The main entrance borders a clothing store that also sell luxury nail polish (like… made of velvet) and a decadent chocolate shop that gives out really nice free samples. Across the way there’s a couple jewellery stores I’ve never been in, and then you make a sharp left and you’re into the mall proper. To your right, the food court. I’ve only stopped there maybe ever twice, and the food is really good. The second time I accidentally put someone else’s fried chicken order into an incinerator so we got married about it.

On the other side, there is GameStop. This store is the bane of my being. It always has the *coolest* stuff but if I dare set foot inside the dream will start looping around it— genuinely, one time I tried to escape by running to the other side of the mall, and I ended up in a secret passageway that led me right back to GameStop. The worst part is that it’s all dream stuff. I don’t get to take any purchases home.

Past that, on the right there’s kind of a weird store that sells vintage stuff, old video games, and tshirts. On the left is a shop that sells gnomes. Directly ahead is a Walmart, and, in the middle of the like. Mall hallway. a free floating hot drink store that also sells wooden cutouts of deer, and kickass hot chocolate. Turn left.

I haven’t been in any of these shops. The only one I recall clearly is a big, outdoorsy-themed sportswear shop to the left. It has a full sized pool in it. I’ve never been inside, only pressed my face to the glass. It also seems to have some sort of scavenger hunt happening with bits of shredded paper. Usually I hurry through the rest of the hallway, not sure why. Turn left.

On the corner to your left, there’s the shop where one of my friends works. The only thing I remember about it is a wind-chime made of dvds. To your right is a large store that takes up the entire stretch of building— it’s one of those, like, VR experience places. Past that, on the left, there is a cinema. Turn left.

You’re back where you started, now. You can go outside. The parking lot is huge, and there’s a MASSIVE textiles store you can only access from out here. Don’t go to the stuffing area, bad vibes. There’s also a handful of gacha machines. One is easily lockpicked, and has cool Pokémon stuff inside. Another has little historical artifact recreations that are all slightly wrong. The Mona Lisa but her hair is blue. The Statue of Liberty, but the torch is a bundle of snakes.

There’s another bundle of disconnected shops. One of them sells pizza? And also it always wakes me up instantly so I don’t know what the pizza is like. The mall doesn’t always spit me out into the parking lot, either. That’s just part of the mall experience I guess one second you’re walking away with your shopping the next you’re running for your life in a dream video game c’est la vie

Hey anon I fucking LOVE your nightmare fucked-up dream mall. If this was the setting of a 16-year-old forum post creepypasta that only exists in reposts and screenshots I'd read the hell out of it.

To your right, the food court. I’ve only stopped there maybe ever twice, and the food is really good. The second time I accidentally put someone else’s fried chicken order into an incinerator so we got married about it.

^Highlighting this because it's doing a lot for me.

My fucked-up subway does not have nearly as much lore as your fucked up mall, and most of my feelings about the fucked-up subway are rooted in the heightened emotional ether of dreams where everything is slightly wrong, but I'll take a shot at capturing the vibes.

The first hallmark of fucked-up subway stations is that they are deep and they are vast--and by vast I mean there's often endless dead-space fanning out from the platform. The stairs descending to the platform are often unrailed and give you a wide view of the endless black-void expanse that stretches beyond the platforms.

The structure of the tracks and the trains is a lot more like a rollercoaster than a real subway. The tracks are bare and exposed and peter off into the dead-space distance. The cars are small and often roofless. They're often some combination of cold and wet and exposed. When there's no roof, there's usually the latent understanding that if you fall out you'll fall far.

The fucked-up subway trains run very infrequently. Usually when you get to the fucked-up station, the train in your desired direction is just about to depart, and if you miss this one, the next one will not be for a long time.

The fucked-up subway trains go to stations that do not exist. They're always modeled off the subway routes in my home city, which I've lived in for close to 5 years now and whose subway system I know like the back of my hand. This means you'll always know where you're trying to go, and be confident in how you're getting there, until you realize the subway is headed to the stations that do not exist.

The stations that do not exist often have transfers with other subway lines, which you can take in an attempt to get back on track. These transfers follow the same rules as the infrequent trains--the train and direction you need will always be just arriving when you are, and if you miss it you'll be stuck waiting a long time. Usually to transfer you have to descend to a deeper level, which brings you to more of these vast and dark and precarious platforms hanging over the abyss, with exposed traintracks running on either side. Sometimes you'll accidentally descend the wrong side--inbound instead of outbound, or vice versa, and need to hastily backpedal (or come up with some way to get across to the other side of the chasm).

One dream with the fucked up subway system had the deep, deep subway system. This station goes all the way down. No clue at all how deep but I'll call it 30 floors, at least, into this dead and lifeless, lightless trough at the bottom. The very bottom has no train, it's just the very bottom of everything. It's a bit like being at the bottom of the ocean, or the bottom of an almost pitch-black cellar--if that cellar's walls were hundreds and hundreds of feet above your head. There is a shop down here! It sells frozen meats that are kept very well preserved down here due to the cold and lifeless nature of the trench's pit.

It's not really a shop, per se. There's no staff or anything. It's more like you've discovered the abandoned contents of this cellar. Things are just stacked around, and very very hard to find with so little light. I don't remember how paying works.

Sometimes, you'll go to a station that exists, but it'll be wrong. You're at the correct station but nothing about it or its surroundings is correct. Nothing looks right. You recognize nothing. But it is the correct station. Sometimes this is nice. One time it let me out into this very pretty street with a nice red brick church whose yard and stone wall were surrounded by beautiful flowers. I met a friend here and she disappeared.

The fucked-up bus lines exist, and they go south. I've only ever ridden them at night and in the pitch black, and they run to places that aren't safe. This is a problem because they run infrequently, and you have to wait for them outside in the dark. I took the fucked-up bus line to a church way south of the city, where I was helping a nice couple set things up in the church. They were never there while I was. The church was always dark.

On the way back taking the fucked-up bus, there was a stop in the middle for the driver to rest. I talked with the other riders while we waited. The bus driver had a medical episode and drove the bus over the side of a nearby cliff. I don't remember what happened when we tried to get help.

[mhalachai]

more thoughts on vacation planning

thanks to everyone for your vacation suggestions! I have some plans now… lots to do :D

I thought I'd share the suggestions here compiled for your reading pleasure - might be some ideas in here if you're looking for a bit of a break this summer (amid the heat, forest fires, and other climate disasters):

First, some ideas if you're local to the Vancouver area (or planning on a visit)

Vancouver

Day trip! If you want a quick ferry ride, try Bowen Island or Salt Spring Island, or if you want to stay on the mainland, try Sasamat Lake

Maple Ridge tree walk or zip line (or axe-throwing!)

White Rock beach and pier (bonus - taking a double-decker bus from Vancouver down)

Lonsdale Quay (featuring the ever-popular ride on the seabus)

Honey's Donuts in Deep Cove

Granville Island before 12pm on a weekday

Fireworks! But make friends with someone who lives in the West End who will put you up

Lynn Valley suspension bridge (and the local trails – very nice, very free) (and honestly, you can skip the Capilano Suspension Bridge theme park - it's super expensive and not really worth it)

Try the new Michelin star restaurants in Vancouver and then go to the other restaurants you know that are better and enjoy those too

Lastly, if you want some more organized nature, try the Van Dusen Botanical Garden

Now, onto general suggestions!

Self-care

Sleep for a day or three

Do all the hard stuff that a 9-5 gets in the way of - go to the bank, book that eye exam, etc.

go get that warning light in your car looked at, i mean it mhal

Do as much gentle housecleaning as interests you

Spa experience - massage, mani-pedi, other spa things

Bubble bath/hair mask/other home spa pieces

Do a thing

local zoo or aquarium

Art galleries, science centres, and museums

Botanical gardens

Events hosted your local library

Local events/fairs

Trip around to the vintage/antique/flea shops

Check out local second-hand record stores and/or bookstores

Do a thing (+ Effort)

Touch grass/sand/water/trees/flowers. Bring a book and read in nature

Hiking

local walking tours

Kite flying

Activities(tm) - such as paddle board, horseback riding class, go-carting and so on

Maker space - pottery or print making or woodwork

Eating

Every restaurant you haven't tried but want to

Local breweries/wineries

Hit up the local city page on reddit and see if there are any restaurant rec places - they can be hit or miss but sometimes there are some gems.

And this one from @krchov is so cool I'll paste it here in its entirely:

Dedicate time to making a map of the food carts/cheese shops/etc in a specific area of your city. Compare the quality of similar wares in each one. Collect data. In the end you will have a cool map/dataset, new favorite food place and on your wandering you will probably happen upon some before unknown interesting places.

happy vacationing!

[witnesstheabsurd]

I'm vacationing in London, do you have recommendations for restaurants or clubs or shops or holes in the wall you like? Interested particularly in any alt fashion shops you might now.

Oh man! I can't speak to having an encyclopedic knowledge or anything, but I definitely have a few recs - I don't really do clubs, but I definitely hit up a lot of clothing spots etc.

Gong Nong Bing Vintage in Soho is a good place for odd finds like this one cool skirt I have now and like half my gold chain jewellery. It's not quite alt, but anywhere that stocks enormous amts of weird old 80s surplus and such is a good place to source stuff and the lady who runs it is super nice

The entirety of Camden Lock and the markets associated with it -- pretty much the center for alt fashion in London, the closest thing we have to Tokyo's Harajuku. The stalls are overflowing with weird shit, but don't skip out on the stores on the high street proper bc a lot of folks do and they've got a lot to offer

Good eats in London - I recommend this one taiwanese fried chicken place in Chinatown called Good Friend Chicken, and more specifically I recommend anything from them with their plum powder - you can ask for diff seasonings on everything you order from them, but the plum powder is the one you want imho. Vegan options there are slim depending on yr preference (I usually get the chicken gizzards myself) but their lotus root chips are extremely good as well

Chinatown in general has like scores of holes in the wall that do great bao buns and etc. There WAS a really good one named the Baozi Inn but they moved elsewhere.... While yr there pop into the Loon Fung supermarket and you can get some great import ingredients if you're game to do some home cooking or at the very least grab some import sodas - continuing the plum theming, the Arctic Ocean Plum Soda is real nice

I could go on but honestly you kind of can't go wrong just wandering Soho, it's my go to place for food/clothes/nice walks lol

[taavisplushies]

You asked for plushies I give you plushies, part 1: Big Plushies

Kirby (video game Character) and Tian Tian (Dragon)

I use Kirby as my primary pillow because of his nice shape(although they looks mighty lumpy in this pic), they are very squishy and have a really soft and stretchy fabric.

Tian Tian I received earlier this year as a part of a Fluffnest kickstarter, he is huge like length of my torso the little loop in his body makes a perfect airplane style pillow huge. I adore his design and his fuzzy texture with lots of embroidered details is nice. Also his antlers flop around and I think it’s cute :)

Bobo (Toucan) and Rockefeller (Moth)

Bobo was the first plush I got from fluffnest and he is still one of my faves to this day, he’s perfect for hugging and I love stimming by flapping his little tail back and forth. Also the fabric they used for his body is ultra soft.

Rockefeller was another kickstarter exclusive that came this year and although their body is a teeny meatball, their wing span is like the length of my arm. I love wrapping them up like a little burrito and Like with Tian Tian their embroidery work is just stunning.

Pompompurin and Froop Hopkins

Pompompurin is flat as Stanley /reference, and made with a nice vintage fabric that reminds me of carpets and an old sweater I had, however the way it’s styled or something keeps it from being too itchy and is a surprisingly nice texture to pet. They come with a cute hat and removable cape that come in a more traditional plushie fabric that is very nice as well.

Froop Hopkins or just Froop is a build a bear I customized to give more eyes and a zippy pocket on his back which is hidden by his cute bandanna halter top. He is messed up a bit from my dry as it had an accident we’re it burns my plushies unless they’re in a bag or pillow case so you can see some melted bits on his face and feet. Another perfect hugging size though, he reminds me of a small baby and I take him with me to stressful places like Exams for comfort.

If you find this interesting I’ll share more tomorrow or something, get well soon

whoa kirby looks like such a comfy pillow!!! and tian tian looks so cool, lots of unique features on him!!!!!

bobo!!! he looks sooo cute!!! i love him so much…. and omg rockefeller!!! i’ve never seen a moth plush before… this is so cool!!!

pompompurin looks so cute!! and the way you describe their texture makes it sound so interesting….! i wanna give them a hug! froop is so cool, i think you did a great job customizing him!! he looks very fancy with his top and bracelet too!!! very cool how you bring him to exams and stuff! i hope he continues to bring you lots of comfort!!!

thank you so so much for showing me all these fellas!!! i really appreciate it <3 if you ever wanna share more i’d love to see! :3

[pbjplatypus]

Alright here's a place to ramble so let's ramble

I've recently decided I want some tattoos, and here's what I've got so far:

Ursa Minor

I want an Ursa Minor tattoo, following three moles on my chest that are similar to the "tail" of the constellation. I've always been a space bitch!! I have a GREAT interest in stars and space and the physics going on up there. Also it's cool because the last mole is nearly over my heart, and it would be Polaris, the Pole Star, as if to say my heart is North - my heart is my home.

A Fascinus

I just love depictions of the phallus, and a fascinus is an excellent version of that. I really enjoy the protection it's seen as, the verile & regenerative symbolism it has, and the genuinely goofy nature of a dick with wings! Plus, there's something appealing to me, as someone who has an interest in vintage gay eroticism, about an ancient phallic symbol of protection. Probably going on my hip or thigh... Not something I want to show at work, sadly.

An Oak Tree

I'm a nature bitch. I love the woods! And I love the way that oak trees are protective, how they can provide sturdy material, how they can be a clear landmark and reference... Oak trees have great symbolic meaning, and combined with the fascinus, do a lot of work to build my naturism & nudism into my tattoos. I'm not sure where to put this one, tho - I'd want it on the opposite side of my body from the fascinus. I'm thinking maybe on the right side of my chest? Or, potentially even connected to the Ursa Minor, symbolizing the world tree connecting the sky to the ground 👀

Chauvet Cave Bear

One of the earliest depictions of one of my favorite animals and their cute little ears!! Plus, representative of my journey discovering the bear subculture, which deeply changed my personal view of my body, from something disgusting and unlovable to something wonderful and comfortable. Again, not sure where I want this one!

Jazz Cup Design

This kind of style means so much to me. I love the way this visual language became almost THE definitive design of a decade, and it represents a lot of my fashion choices and ways in which I express myself. Definitely an arm band tat

AtLA Elemental Symbols

AtLA is one of my favorite shows! I love elemental stuff generally, and the way the elements also represent the seasons fucking rules. I'm a seasonal bitch and it just works so well

Steven's Gem

I'm a Steven Universe bitch and I identify a lot with Steven and his struggles! That's it

MTG Mana Symbols

This one doesn't really have a deeper meaning, I just really like MTG,

[pbandjesse]

I did a really really bad job sleeping last night. After being so exhausted all day I was hoping I could go to sleep at a normal time but not. 3am. It was not a fun night. I had a horribly runny nose and a burning throat and I was just so uncomfortable. I could only breathe if I was sitting up. I was just having a pretty bad time. I tried reading for a while. And that helped a little but I was just not having fun. I did get to sleep eventually but it was a horrible struggle.

I woke up at 9 and felt. Fine. Not amazing. It felt like I was swallowing glass but mentally I was alright. I was looking forward to hanging out with Jess.

She was having a tough morning and thought she might be running late. But that was fine with me. I got washed and dressed and then wasn't sure what to do because I didn't know if she was ready to go yet.

So I made the decision to go wait on the car for a minute. And then I left. She would only be s few minutes behind me and it all worked out.

It was a pretty nice drive to Havre De Grace. I thought I hadn't been there before but it turned out it was near the decoy duck museum James took me to years ago. But this town was so cute.

I parked and read an article and then Jess was pulling in a few cars away from me. I was so happy to see her.

We would go to the vintage cafe. And at first it was nice and quiet but it would pretty quickly get incredibly loud for such a small space. I still really enjoyed our conversations and it was fun.

She got an omelet and I got a grilled cheese. We shared our potatoes (home fries and french fries). And it was a nice cheap little meal.

When we finished we would head down the street to one of the antique malls. There were a handful in this town which is very cool and gives us a good reason to come back.

This place was huge. And I had so much fun looking around. It is always interesting seeing how many of the same thing you fine, and how many weird things you find.

We also just had good funds today. Jess collects a specific type of basket. Or rather a specific brand. And she was looking for a larger one. She would find it, plus two medium sized ones. She also got a very cool candle holder. I would find some presious lilly of the valley wall hooks that will be perfect for the bathroom in the new house.

I would also find a little Boyd's bear panda. And a beautiful pressed flower bracelet. I wasn't sure I was going to actually get the bracelet but me and Jess were being really good about checking comp prices for everything on eBay and this bracelet was going to $110 so I was getting an amazing deal. And I love it. It's the state flower too so I love that.

We were having a lot of fun. Laughing at weird stuff. Like the double toilet bathroom. And just being silly and having a good time.

Once we were done there we paid and went to drop the bags off at the car. Then across the street to a retro reproduction and dead stock/pyrex store. She got a very cool pyrex shirt and I liked that people are using circuit machines to put Pyrex patterns on cups. I didn't find one I love but it's going on the wishlist for sure.

We decided we were antiqued out but we wanted to go to good will still. We would have to drive 15 minutes to go there. Which was fine except a big truck was parked behind me unloaded and I was kind of trapped. I was able to maneuver out, with no thanks to some guy making illegal moves to get the parking spot next to me. But I got out and was able to follow Jess to Aberdeen .

This wasn't an amazing goodwill. But Jess found a sweet jacket. I was a little horrified by some of the prices. Like $50 for a shitty scratched up skateboard. But it was still fun to look around.

We saw there was a restore across the street so we went to look there next. A very good selection but mostly just for ideas for us. Jess says she has most of the furniture she needs now. So it will be me searching for things once we move.

We didn't find the accordion wall hooks she was looking for but that's alright. She would find some online later.

We hugged and said goodbye. And we both headed home. I was getting tired.

The drive home kind of sucked. Some traffic but I just started feeling very very bad. Like head cold bad. Like I'm feeling very sick bad. It was kind I got hit with a brick wall. I desperately wanted to be home.

When I got back here I was excited to see I had a package. I had ordered new Minnetonka boots. And they are great and will keep my feet nice and warm.

After putting things away I got changed into my sweatsuit and laid down. I did not let myself sleep. I want to sleep tonight at a normal time. So I kept myself awake. And was just kind of miserable and not feeling well.

I waited for James to come home.

When they got back they babied me a bit. And would make sure I was alright before doing their short podcast episode for the night. And then they went to go and get us pizza. I got mine with broccoli. We don't really want to be eating out so much but we have no oven and no stove and it's very annoying. We have reached out to Tina and hopefully she solves this quick.

I had a few documents I had to send to the mortgage people. So that took some of my focus. And eventually I took a bath and scrolled on my phone which is not the safest but I was careful.

And now I am just. So tired. And very uncomfortable. I'm going to take a NyQuil and hopefully I can sleep and be well tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath because I think I have a cold. But I will try my best to take care of myself.

I hope you all sleep well tonight. I love you all. Goodnight!

[aquabuggy]

hiii!!! i love your blog and typeing style so much, i hope you're haveing a great day. your blog introduced me to aqua, and aqua mouses by extension, and i was so obsessed i went and ordered one right away, a crayola one!! i'll update you when i get it if ya want. but anyway, i'm new to the aqua interest/collecting and i was wondering where you recommend i start? if you don't mind, what are some nice aqua things to have/hunt for, or places to look for them, or blogs/imageboards/anything of the sort ? tysm Bug!!! <333

Hello there!

So SO happy I could introduce you to all this, and you have no idea how giddy this question makes me! Let’s see now, where to begin?

I suppose a good place to start would be figuring out what kinds of Aquatic media you’re really into, as Aqua as an aesthetic genre can actually be somewhat vast! If you haven’t already, I would recommend taking a glance over at my “What is Aqua?” post to get a good idea of just what all may be included under the label. Who knows, you may just realize something I don’t have listed fits the definition!

If you like Aqua Mouses though, I think I may have a decent idea as to what else you may like.

Aqua Mouses are most known for their tanks full of alcohol and colored oil which creates a 2 layer liquid appearance, most often with a charm floating on top, riding the wave so to speak.

If that’s peak Aqua appeal for you, you may also take interest in Liquid Wave Paperweights, Liquid Motion Timers, and Floater Keychains!

For the purpose of collecting, some of my personal favorite buy & sell sites have been Mercari, eBay, Etsy, Amazon, and AliExpress. Mercari is great for buying lots of items, and if you’re buying multiple things from one seller, they will often be open to bundling to save on shipping, sometimes quite uncommon items will pop up as well! eBay is great for less common and vintage items, I’ve gotten most of my best scores from there. Etsy is also good for the same reasons as eBay. Amazon can have a decent selection, including bulk items! AliExpress often has lots of cheaper items, but be warned, sometimes items will be of inferior quality, definitely check reviews! With the first 3 you can save searches and set it up so you receive notifications if a new item matching the keywords you saved is listed, this is my go-to method usually. If you have the chance though, check out some touristy locations and look for souvenir shops! They’ll very often have some Aqua items, at least from my experience. Found some myself just today!

USEFUL SEARCH KEYWORDS: [ Paperweight, Timer, Keychain, Desk, Desk Toy, Cube, Cubic, Acrylic, Liquid, Liquid Motion, Oil, Quicksand, Float, Floating, Floater, Wave, Waving, Surf, Moving, Motion, Rocking, Rocker, Bubbler, Hourglass, Souvenir, Animal ]

Try out as many combinations of the above keywords as you like until you find some that suit your needs. I do not recommend adding the word “Sensory” to your search unless you are just looking for images, as items advertised as Sensory have notoriously been raised in price.

Now as for my particular favorites, I’m rather fond of Water Games! Specifically vintage, bizarre, and or tech-mimicking (Faux Tech) kinds! Water Games are the bulk of my collection really, as they’re usually on the cheaper side, and are simple nostalgic fun!

[ photo 2 credit- heirloomboy on eBay ]

As for blogs and image boards, there sadly aren’t many out there about the broad idea of Aqua that I’m currently aware of, that’s part of why I started this blog actually! However, I’ve recommended them before and I’ll do so again; @bootlegpals and @oceantoyz are great blogs that also post occasional Aqua content! Real cool people, check ‘em out for sure.

Pinterest can also sometimes be a decent source for Aqua images you haven’t already seen, though I’ll warn you, it can take a little while of searching and training the algorithm through what you view and save to really start showing you some neat stuff. Just be aware: a lot of images that aren’t uploaded directly from source links are not credited at all, but a bit of reverse image searching can remedy this if you intend on sharing the images yourself.

Sorry this answer became so long, do feel free to submit some photos once you get your mouse! Let me know if you have further questions, and have fun :]!

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I like going back to old pages on comedy message boards, as part of my general obsession with the idea that everything is better and makes more sense if understood in its full context. Also, I find it a combination of interesting, enlightening, and straight-up funny to read early reactions to comedy things that we’d now think of as classics. Look at something that now is a cool vintage thing where knowing about it means you understand this influential piece of comedy history, and see that when it first came out, it was dismissed as newfangled nonsense that doesn’t have any of the heart or talent behind earlier stuff and comedy isn’t what it used to be.

It's not just comedy, this applies to everything. The Beatles were dismissed by many Serious Music Critics, in their day, as shallow teen heartthrob pop music (as opposed to what they were, which were perpetrators and enablers of domestic violence). Bob Dylan was famously dismissed as a sellout in 1965 by some Mancunians who, when I listen to the kind of shit that’s come from a revolution that began by plugging in guitars, I sometimes think may have had a point. I am now just barely old enough to hear some music getting called cool “classic”, when I can remember that music being new and considered shitty pop music that will never be as good as classic rock.

I think I like those in particular for all the above reasons, but also because there is something comforting in seeing someone say something that made total sense given the information they had at the time, and turn out to be wildly wrong. Makes me think about all the things that seem obvious and definitely correct to me now, given all the information I have, and maybe someday, it’ll turn out to all be wrong. Most of the things I think are true now are pretty depressing, so it’s nice to think maybe no one’s ever really right about everything.

There are a lot of comments along these lines in old comedy forum archives, but my favourite by far of all the lines to have not aged well is the person who said in June 2005 that: “Comedians often seem to be of the ‘world owes me a living’ type - no matter how many times they fail, they'll never jack it in and work in an office. Yes, I’m looking at you, John Oliver.” Honestly, doesn’t that give you hope for the future? If you ever feel like you’re so bad at something there’s no point in carrying on and you should give it all up, remember that person who said that in June 2005. If you just keep working at it for another year or so, you too could have Ricky Gervais mention your name to Jon Stewart one time and get to leave everyone who didn’t like you behind.

Anyway, I came across something today that I’d not seen before, which is an article in The Daily Telegraph from August 2005. This is different from other stuff because it’s not just comments from random people in a place where anyone can post, it’s an actual publication. A shit publication, but still, people get paid to write for it. And in 2005, they wrote an article called “Politics kills off comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe”.

The judges have been lamenting the "soul-destroying" lack of humour at this year's award, the comic centrepiece of the Edinburgh Festival which, over its 25-year history, has previously uncovered talent such as Hugh Laurie, Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, Jimmy Carr, Frank Skinner, The League of Gentleman and Graham Norton.

When judges meet for the first time today to draw up a long-list for the £7,500 prize, they are expected to be "hard pressed" to find acts to fill all 30 spaces.

Yesterday, they described this year's shows as "silly", "flat" and "of the level of fifth-form humour", and complained that they concentrated too much on politics, particularly on Tony Blair, George W Bush and weapons of mass destruction.

John Pidgeon, the head of entertainment at BBC Radio and chairman of the judges, lamented the "remarkable overuse of the 'C' word".

In 2005, comedy had gotten too political, too sweary, had run out of steam, would never again be great like it was when it was bringing in giants of hard-hitting, seriously talented stand-up like Graham Norton; epitomes of comedy with a real heart and soul like Jimmy Carr; and noted guy who married a teenage student at the place where he was teaching, Frank Skinner. That list of white men is the greatest comedy ever got, and now all this new stuff is just kids trying to be cool with their c-words and their political material but it will never measure up.

I really enjoy this bit from later in the article:

The judges were at a loss to explain why 2005 was so short on talent. Graham Smith, Channel Five's commissioning editor for comedy, last judged the competition in 2003. "You could say there was a surfeit of rich comedy that year. The winner was Daniel Kitson and - just to illustrate how strong it was - Jimmy Carr came second. Any other year the runners-up would have been winners."

I like that paragraph because:

1) Apparently the decline of comedy took exactly two years; it was at the top of its game back in the glory days of 2003, and was dead by 2005.

2) Apparently the likes of Jimmy Carr only coming second is a sign of the incredibly deep talent pool in a comedy competition, that’s how strong the field was back then!

3) They’re talking about the Perrier Award, which Daniel Kitson won in 2002, over fellow nominee Jimmy Carr. In 2003, Demitri Martin won it. I should know, there’s a video on YouTube from 2003 of Adam Hills yelling about Demitri Martin beating him for the Perrier Award while they destroy a cow. Get your facts straight, people.

That aside, I was amazingly not at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival, so I guess I can’t really say whether it was any good. I’ve seen/heard a number of shows that were done there (Tim Minchin’s Darkside, bits of the Zaltzman and Oliver Show, two Daniel Kitson shows, I’ve seen some of what Flight of the Conchords did there that year, Phil Nichol’s Nearly Gay, I’ve seen Dara O’Briain’s 2006 DVD and I’m pretty sure that’s mainly taken from his 2005 Edinburgh show, I've seen shows by Demitri Martin and Flight of the Conchords that would have also been taken from 2005, 2005 had a Mark Watson 24-hour show), and have enjoyed all of them. But also, the ones I’ve seen/heard are the ones that were good enough for someone to still have heard about and bothered to seek out in 2022/2023, I’m sure there was a lot of shit going on in that year too.

So if anyone ever tries to tell you that comedy, or for that matter anything else, had “classic” years and they just don’t make the great stuff the way they used to anymore, remember that people were already complaining about comedy “getting too political these days” by 2005. I’m continually amazed by how often you can go back years, and find the complaints about “look at the problem with [anything] these days, it’s not great the way it used to be” stays exactly the same.

[lakesbian]

iota hiii - hibaris trans girl swag has pulled me in is the anime adaption of that series good !!

okay so look. i love stop hibari-kun. this is also a thing in my stop hibari-kun tag:

here is the thing. it's fucking terrible. it fucking sucks. it's bad. but also it's good. it's goodbad. it's bad good. it's almost good. it's not good. it's good. it's bad. but good. et cetera. there are 50 caveats i want to give anyone before they watch it, because i am a Thorough Bitch. so pull up a chair

it has a canonically trans girl as the titular character. it's also a comedy anime made in the '80s. which is to say: it's a really neat piece of LGBT history that many trans women have legitimately praised, but it's still got Comedy Anime From The '80s Disease.

the first thing i'd say if you want to watch it is, read a couple short essays first to get an idea of why people give a shit about it in the first place.

(there was also a really good video essay on it but it got privated :( tragic)

the second thing to be aware of is that, again, it's an '80s comedy anime. there's antiblack racism. there's uncomfortable sexualization of teenage girls. there's transmisogynistic treatment towards hibari. even the non-offensive jokes might not be your style of humor. how much you enjoy the anime depends on your tolerance for anime bullshit. really the only way to measure how much it bothers you is by watching. do keep in mind that some episodes are far better or far worse than others, and you can always skip around/skip scenes if you're not liking the vibes. it is chronological, and there is very slight character development, but skipping shitty scenes in episodes won't ruin anything.

the third thing to be aware of is that the only subtitled version available anywhere online for it does not translate LGBT terms properly. the most glaring issue is this:

('newhalf,' a word which explicitly meant 'trans woman' at the time and would best be translated as 'transsexual,' was mistranslated as 'crossdresser.' anytime you hear a character say 'newhalf' and see it translated as 'crossdresser,' keep in mind that the character is actually saying 'trans woman.')

the second translation issue is with the word 'hentai,' which is vaguely translated as 'pervert.' but in the context of '80s japanese LGBT terms, it actually means something much more like 'queer.' anytime you hear the word 'hentai' used and see it subbed as 'pervert,' keep in mind that it would be better translated as 'queer.' sexually derogatory terms for LGBT people are nothing new, so it makes some sense that it's just translated as 'pervert,' but if my research is accurate then something along the lines of 'queer/degenerate' would be the closest english approximation. (this is obviously used as an insult towards hibari many times, but she also jokingly uses it herself in a way that reads very much as charming reclamation.)

anyway, as for the actual content of the fucking anime. there's no real resolution because it got cancelled. there's never a full "ohh i see now you are a Real Girl and i love you hibari :)" arc for kosaku. it frankly sucks at times. a lot of the time even. there are also scenes that made me go Aough... Augh.... and write little sniffling essays. there's some legitimately good stuff in there. it is really just about whether or not it balances out the bad for you. it did for me because i like vintage animation and LGBT history and i am entranced by hibari's cool and cute swag and her insistence on adoring some random shitty 'if a heterosexual guy was a tsundere' teen boy. (kosaku is forgiven for his crimes due to the "oh lovely girl i love you" lyric in the full OST version of strange love.) it might not balance out for you. but now that i've given you the full mandatory pre-watch reading, i will cautiously say "sure, if you still want to give it a shot go ahead, but if you fucking hate it don't say i didn't warn you."

...if it has nothing else going for it, i maintain that it has one of the top all time obscure vintage anime ending songs.

[fyodior]

Helloooo! This is my entry for the matchup event! <3

- I'm fine with it being both sfw and nsfw

- You can call me Amy

- I'm currently a student at university and I'm studying japanese because I've been obsessed with japan ever since I was a child thanks to all the videogames I played and anime I watched

- My hair is very long (it reaches my butt), wavy and brown. My eyes are also brown. I'm around the same height as chuuya, perhaps just a little taller, and my weight is the same as atsushi's

- I'm a very introverted person, I don't like socializing that much and I have a very limited social battery that dies immediately when I spend time with people I don't consider friends (so crowded places like parties, clubs, concerts are a big no no for me). But when I'm with my few close friends I open up a lot more and I'd do anything for them. Online I'm usually more friendly and chatty, while irl I'm more distant and quiet, basically I like observing people and listening to conversations without actively participating in them. I tend not to voice my thoughts or opinions out loud (because of anxiety), and I tend to overthink a bit too much. I'm also a huge daydreamer, I can go entire days simply sitting there in silence thinking of the most random things and scenarios. People usually describe me as kind and patient and I've been told that my eyes look mysterious so it's hard to understand what I'm thinking about (which is cool tbh). When I move I'm also very quiet because I'm always deep in thought and I walk very silently, my family calls me a ghost because I never make any kind of noise and they can never hear me coming lol

- I tried taking the enneagram test many times before but I kept getting different results (either 4 or 5 or 6) so idk what my type is. However I do know that my mbti is infj and that I perfectly fit that description

- I love videogames, especially pokémon and other nintendo things. My room is literally full of retro videogames and pokémon merch, I'm a big nerd. I've always been interested in foreign languages and cultures so I love learning new things from other countries (I can fluently speak 4 languages) and lately, thanks to bsd, I picked up a new hobby which is reading literature classics and I'm loving it a lot so far! I don't really do it much anymore but I also love drawing and doodling things, mainly on my desk at school lol. Ofc anime and manga in general are also part of my hobbies. Also idk if it counts but since I like observing people I tend to understand how they behave and their quirks and then I like to try and put myself in their shoes to understand what they might be thinking about in certain situations (very psychological stuff oof)

- I love nature, plants and observing bugs, all kinds of animals (especially cats), dresses, cottagecore and vintage stuff, plushies, and the colour pink! I particularly enjoy sitting at home in silence by myself, drinking tea, either playing videogames, browsing social media, reading fanfics or daydreaming. I dislike smoke and alcohol, crowded places, noisy people, people who don't respect boundaries and people who don't like animals (I kinda dislike people in general djsjdj except for my friends ofc)

- You can match me up with anyone, it's ok for me

- Despite disliking people and hating being touched I am very touch starved, but I'm also incredibly ticklish so it does not help at all lmao. Also if I like someone I'll be very loyal to them, but once my trust gets broken they cannot get it back

I think this is it, if there's something wrong or missing then feel free to tell me and I'll send a new request! And thank you so much for your match up event and good luck with everything! <3

amy x fyodor

❊ ta-daaaa i match u with the one true rat himself, fyodor dostoevsky

❊ if there's one thing i know about u, is that you are a researcher. you love learning and dive head first into any new subject that piques your interest. it truly just speaks to your passion for knowledge and for learning, and this is something fyodor would really respect and admire. you fascinate him with your fascinations, and he would gladly listen to you ramble all day long about what ever new rabbit hole you fell down that week. fyodor values knowledge and the truth, and admires your never-ending search for it

❊ you have passion and you are very committed, you seem to me like the type of person that has to finish anything they start. again -> fyodor shares this value and admires it in you greatly

❊ he also dislikes most people. you guys will bond over discussing whatever and whoever annoyed you that day

❊ you are someone who chooses to be a wallflower, and is okay with people watching, and fyodor is the same. he keeps quiet and lays low, watching others, as do you

❊ he would completely and totally see you as his equal and have immense respect for you. you match, if not exceed, his intelligence level, and that is what fyodor wants. as fun as it is to write fyodor as a psycho with a god complex who wants an inferior SO, thats just not the truth, he wants an equal. he wants someone who can keep up with him in conversation, will listen to what he has to say, and can truly engage with him. you fulfill this completely for him

❊ your loyalty is something that keeps him feeling safe in your relationship, as he knows he can trust you, and how important trust is to you. you both are the same in that once trust is broken, it cannot be regained. you both feel comfortable with this shared ideal (kunikida coughs in the corner) and that you would never betray each other. with what fedya chooses to do with his life that is very important to him fkldsjkfdkjfkjf

❊ your family calling you a ghost bc of how quietly you move reminds me so much of fyodor pls he moves, acts, thinks in silence and only actually wants others around him who are the same

❊ you and him would definitely bond over classic literature, it seems like something he is passionate about and would enjoy discussing in detail

❊ also you as an observer. i mean this in the nicest way possible bc he truly does respect you as an equal but he also finds you very beneficial jdffjdj two things can be true at once. he greatly values your ability to read and understand others, and can count on you to pick up on the little things he might miss.

❊ fedya relates completely to being touch-starved while also hating being touched fjkdlaklj he needs his space and hates anyone too near him, but having someone like you around who he can place his trust in to fulfill his clingy needs makes him incredibly happy

❊ tldr: your calm and quiet demeanor, passion for learning and knowledge, empathic tendencies, and respectable presence makes you out to be the perfect partner in crime (literally and figuratively) for our fave slutty rat

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Okay! That’s really kind of you! Take your time - you can even just do this whenever you next open up ship requests, I’m in no hurry 😊 Can I request a Stranger Things ship? 💗

I’m 5’2 with wavy ombré hair, blue eyes. I’ve always loved vintage/1920s avante garde style. I never got into makeup personally but I love doing hair, especially my Gran’s hair (usually too lazy to do my own hair, though, lol).. 

My pronouns; She/Her, I’m straight and I’m 19.

My personality is pretty relaxed. Somewhere between an introvert and extrovert cause while I like to be alone, I can rant and tell stories for hours. 

Hotheaded but I sometimes deny it, and pretty tough, adaptable. Fiery.

While I can talk about stuff I heard about/saw for hours, I’m pretty private when it comes to myself and don’t open up unless I’m comfortable with the person. 

I’ve never been academic and prefer to do things with my hands. 

Love spending time with my family and friends. Love music, especially rhythmic music. I like to just relax and eat good food, and I cook a ton.

My love languages probably acts of service and gift-giving from me but I love physical touch, and I’m a big hugger.  I’ve no idea what kinda vibe I give off or who I’ll be shipped with, lol.

No rush at all 💛 I love your writing sm, btw! So many cool fandoms!

Thank you so much for requesting the matchup! Haven't done a Stranger Things one in a long while! I hope you enjoy it! <3333

Stranger Things;

Steve Harrington:

🍦 You met Steve when you were wondering the StarCourt Mall after doing some shopping for new cassettes, but now you were hungry and that's when you spotted Scoops Ahoy

🍦 Looking at the menu above the counter of ice cream, you didn't notice Steve until he turned around and said his line, "Ahoy there, my lady, what can I get ya?"; all you could think about was how cute the guy in front of you was

🍦 You ordered your favorite flavor, trying not to stare too long at Steve, finding him pretty attractive, and funny, as he skillfully scooped the ice cream in a cone for you; you tried to pay but Steve said it was on the house

🍦 For the next couple of weeks, you went over and got your usual at Scoops, chatting with Steve before having to leave because you were holding up the line; after a while of visiting and getting to know each other slightly, Steve asked for your number

🍦 And that's how you met Steve, now a year into your friendship/relationship, you and Steve are attached to the hip; your first date with Steve 'The Hair' Harrington, was actually during his break at Scoops, where the two of you ate ice cream and sat in a booth in the corner, just chatting and enjoy each other's company

🍦 Steve really, really liked you, a lot really, he hadn't felt like this since Nancy, so that's saying something; though, Steve made a promise to himself, that he'd make the relationship with you work, he didn't want to lose you

🍦 Steve found you brilliant, funny, strong, a bit hot-headed (but you deny it), and he really likes you, he might even love you; you always bring a smile to his face, not matter how he's feeling, you really changed him and his life for the better

🍦 You found Steve incredibly handsome, funny, charming, smart, and such a gentleman, him always opening doors for you and offering his jacket to you if it's cold out; he never even stopped your ranting when you did rant, he didn't seemed bored when you spoke of your many interests, and seemed like he was really paying attention and listening; it made your heart swoon

🍦 Once the two of you got more used to each other and more comfortable, the two of you would do anything and everything together, going to places to eat good foods, listening and dancing to music together, cooking together, cuddling while watching a movie, and Steve even let you do his hair one time, which says a lot

🍦 You and Steve are certainly the most perfect match, you both bring out the best in one another, and not even the Upside Down can tear the two of you apart