#i don't think I'm describing this well if I can find a picture I'll edit this to add one

[beziehungsstatuspizza]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers ♡

going to sign language classes

when my flatmate sings while cooking or cleaning

that the sun paints light across my walls in the morning again

the freckles are coming back (slowly and only tiny ones but they're the first messengers of spring)

when cats do the thing that's kind of a sleepy stretch where they put the paws in front of their face and then scrunch up in a tiny ball

thank you!! :)

edit: the godkitten doing the thing

[nothankyoudear]

London book shop recommendations?

Summary: A.Z. Fell and Co. is recommended as a local London bookshop on a Reddit post. Chaos ensues when someone actually takes the recommendation and goes there, only to find that: 1. They don't get to buy books 2. The gentle bookshop owner apparently owns a giant python And 3. The bookshop owner is 100% in love with his best friend with the sunglasses OR Ineffable Husbands told through Reddit posts.

stupid little fic i wrote. thought it'd be funny to post on tumblr bc its formatted like reddit... social mediaception?

anyways, also on my ao3, nothankyoudear.

Enjoy!

r/books

Posted by u/SadLittleJay 2 years ago

London book shop recommendations?

Hi everyone! Not sure if this is the right subreddit for this, but I just moved to London and I'd like to support some of the more local book shops that are around here! Any good suggestions?

EDIT: Thank you for all the suggestions! I will definitely be checking them out :)

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buttscotchzzz · 2 yrs. ago Are you looking to actually take home the books?    

       SadLittleJay OP · 2 yrs. ago        yes... I think that's the purpose of bookshops?

             buttscotchzzz · 2 yrs. ago               Yes, obviously, sorry. I just live close to this book store called A.Z. Fell & Co, and it's the loveliest place. It's very cosy and the collection of books there is honestly unbelievable (I think  there are some texts dating back to the 16th century? Not sure why those are in a book shop instead of a museum). The owner is a lovely man too, but he refuses to sell his books. Not sure why.

              Yeah so, for looking around and sitting?? Fantastic place. Actually purchasing books?? Probably not so much.

                   SadLittleJay OP · 2 yrs. ago                     No apology needed, sorry if I came off too harsh :) Sounds wonderfully strange!! I'll make sure to check it out (even if I won't get to take any of the books back home lol)

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r/London

Posted by u/SadLittleJay 2 years ago

Strange soho bookshop that doesn't sell books?

Hello! I've recently been recommended this bookshop called "A.Z. Fell & Co" in Soho. It's quite nice but also... Kinda weird? Not sure how to describe it. So I know it might be quite niche, but I just wanted to know if anyone knows anything about it? 

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DollieDollie · 2 yrs. ago Lived in Soho all my life. The shop is kinda infamous with the locals because nobody knows what the hell is going on with it. Weird as hell opening and closing hours too.

       Miriiriram · 2 yrs. ago        I live in Covent Garden and I've also heard some stuff about the bookshop. Never been able to figure out how the man keeps his shop open in central Soho since there's no way he's turning a profit - It's been here for as long as I can remember though. 

             SadLittleJay OP · 2 yrs. ago              Huh, how weird. Well, the shop owner seems nice so I'll keep digging! 

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r/London

Posted by u/SadLittleJay 2 years ago

Update on strange soho bookshop that doesn't sell books

Hi everyone! Me again. Not sure if anyone is still keeping up, but I've had a few more trips to "A.Z. Fell & Co" and here are my experiences:

- I've had some people mention weird opening and closing hours, and from what I can tell that is 100% true. The sign at the front door almost melted my brain, but I've figured out the timings pretty good by now.

- The books kept there are very very strange. From what I can tell, most of them are published before the 1930s, and I swear I've seen some ancient texts around... I did find this one book with some pictures of earth and space though, so that's pretty cool.

- Nearly no one comes into the shop! Foot traffic outside is crazy, but every time I've been inside, I'm always the only one there. I understand that bookshops aren't the most interesting things around, but it's still a shop in the smack dab middle of Soho, so the pure emptiness of it is a little weird (take a shot every time I say weird or strange in this post lol)

- Mr Fell, the shop owner, is very very lovely!! There was this one time when I just sat and read for what must be hours, and he didn't even bat an eye - even offered me tea! We sat down, had a little chat about Jane Austen, and I could really tell that he is really passionate about his books - couldn't stop smiling and everything.

He did mumble something weird about Jane Austen being a spy, however, so still quite a weird fellow.

- Mr Fell still doesn't sell books. I asked him the first time I came into the store for some books and he said no, but I just assumed it was maybe because I didn't know him well enough? Anyways I asked him again and he just stared at me like I just asked to take his firstborn. So no luck on that yet.

- I think Mr Fell has a partner but I'm not quite sure about it. There's this man called Crowley that seems to be the only other person that comes into the bookshop, and he's got what is possibly the coolest sense of fashion in the world - I'm talking full two-piece suit, sunglasses on indoors, and bright red hair. Not ginger hair, RED hair. 

Mr Fell calls Crowley "My dear" and Crowley calls him "Angel". They act like an old married couple, bickering and everything, but I really don't wanna assume so... 

That's pretty much all I can think of off the top of my head, I think. I'll keep you guys updated (if anyone is still reading lol) if I find something new!

PS. unrelated but there's this coffee shop that's really nice - "Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death", just across the street from the bookshop. Really good coffee if anyone is looking for a drink!

EDIT: Okay well, this post blew up more than I expected. Good to see that other people are also strangely obsessed with this little bookshop lol! Thanks for the awards and I'll definitely keep you guys updated!!!

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r/snakes

Posted by u/SadLittleJay 1 year ago

Does anyone know what this snake is?

Found this GIANT snake on the floor of a bookshop!!! Does anyone know the species or anything?? 

[Attachment: 1]

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SSssssBoys· 1 yr. agoOh my god that thing is huge! You found it on the floor of a BOOKSHOP?

       SadLittleJay OP · 1 yr. ago        Yes!!! Crazy right?? I think it must've snuck in or smth because I'm a regular at the shop and I've never seen it before. Is it venomous????

             liveweire837· 1 yr. ago              Purely based on the size it has to be a ball python or an anaconda - Can't really tell from the photo quality. Neither are venomous but are still dangerous. Call animal control ASAP.

                   SadLittleJay OP · 1 yr. ago                      Sorry for the quality - I was a little busy screaming lol. But the store owner just came out and told me that it's apparently his pet? I knew some people keep snakes for pets but I've never seen them in real life, so huge too! Anyways thank you for the advice! :D ---------------

r/London

Posted by u/SadLittleJay 1 year ago

Update on "A.Z. Fell & Co"

Hello, I'm back with some more news! 

- First news: Mr Fell has given me his first name! I asked him what A. Z. stood for, and he thought for a while like he doesn't know his first name? Anyways his name is Azira, which I think is quite a cool name.

I tried looking him up on Google but nothing came up, so I tried asking him for his middle name and he got this weirdly panicked look on his face. I didn't push it further because he was turning a little red trying to think. 

- Mr Fell owns a giant snake. I think he's some sort of Python? Not quite sure about it yet. His name is Crawly (ha, like Crowley) and I found him on the floor one morning - gave me the fright of my life! Anyways, he's cute but he has this weirdly human look in his eyes sometimes. He also really likes curling himself next to or just on Mr Fell - didn't know snakes could be clingy lol. Sometimes I feel like I'm intruding on the two of them, which is kinda crazy because one of them is literally a snake.

- Crowley is still coming into the shop fairly often, and he's still just as intimidating as ever. He does, however, do this thing where he kinda melts when he talks to Mr Fell. Kinda hard to explain but you can really tell the difference in his body language. I can't see his eyes because of the sunglasses, but I swear they go soft and everything.

Maybe they're dating, maybe they're not. All I know is that when I ask Mr Fell about Crowley, he talks about him like how he talks about Jane Austen books.

- I've finally managed to lend (heavy focus on the word LEND) a book!! Returned in perfect condition :)

That's all I have for now! Will continue to update if anything else interesting comes up.

EDIT 1: Some people didn't believe in the whole snake shenanigan, which I completely understand (sounds ridiculous to myself too), but I've attached a picture of Crawly just as proof. You can see him curled up next to Mr Fell, which I still think is pretty cute.

[Attachment: 1]

EDIT 2: I've asked Mr Fell (in a very awkward conversation), and Crowley is in fact not his partner. I know people have been debating in the comments but Mr Fell says they're just best friends. Will investigate further on the matter.

EDIT 3: I've asked Mr Fell and Crowley if they mind me posting about them, and I am proud to say that I now have the official go ahead from the both of them to post updates. I've also made a subreddit since I feel bad spamming r/London with nothing but A.Z. Fell & Co content lol. I'll be posting future updates at r/AZFellAndCo :)

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PollyPirate · 1 yr. agoEveryone in agreement that there's definitely some HEAVY pining going on between Mr Fell and Crowley say aye

       WonderfulWorld· 1 yr. ago        aye

             cooliosoolio23 · 1 yr. ago              AYE

                  nothankyou845 · 1 yr. ago                   aye > 56 more replies

peanutbutternnut · 1 yr. ago a bookseller named azira w/ a fucking python sounds like a video game character. badass as hell

       SadLittleJay OP · 1 yr. ago        He's actually kind of the opposite of badass - dresses like he just stepped out of the Victorian era. He's got a bowtie and everything! 

                peanutbutternnut · 1 yr. ago                  even MORE badass

                         Lilypadwfrog · 1 yr. ago                           wait so mr fell is dressed like a gentleman from the victorian era, and crowley is dressed like an 80s fashion icon??? literally the most blatant example of opposites attract i've ever seen. next thing i know you'll be telling me that they have contrasting colour palettes LMAO                                  SadLittleJay OP · 1 yr. ago                                   You're not gonna believe this lol

HmmmmMMmM· 1 yr. ago "He talks about him like how he talks about Jane Austen books." BRO ---------------

r/AZFellAndCo

Posted by u/Mimimeow 1 year ago

Has anyone actually visited A. Z. Fell & Co. ?

Basically just the title. I keep seeing posts about people trying to visit the store but always getting 'interrupted' by one thing or another. Has anyone actually managed to visit the place other than SadLittleJay?

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mirandapanda · 1 yr ago I was one of the people who got 'interrupted' on their way there. I found a little kitten on the side of the road and just couldn't leave her there, so I took her to the vet instead. Not too fussed about it though, since now it helped me meet the absolute love of my life, Luna.

[Link]

      Mimimeow OP · 1 yr ago       oh my god SHE'S SO CUTE 😭 Maybe I'll try visiting the bookshop so I can get a cat

      Edit: Holy fucking shit ---------------

r/AZFellAndCo

Posted by u/AnthonyJC 9 months ago

Why do people think they're in love It's all people are talking about. Can someone explain this. 

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Sort By: Best MillieRockers96· 9 mo ago well i mean,,, mr fell talks about crowley like he talks about books (which i think r basically his life and soul), and from the last update we got crowley was literally giving mr fell houseplants in what i can only say is domestic hell. if u see some videos of them u can also see that they look at each other like the other one's the sun when the other not watching, so yeah we're pretty sure they're in love just INCREDIBLY oblivious

                Lilypadwfrog ·9 mo ago                 100% in love. also talking about the whole "he talks about crowley like he talks about books", its lowkey crazy how much mr fell talks about crowley. like that man NEVER stops i think. but honestly just give the pinned post a look and you'll get it. 

                           AnthonyJC OP· 9 mo ago                             Oh ---------------

r/AskReddit 

Posted by u/porlrlrlr 2 months ago What are some of the weirdest things that you've seen on reddit?

Very broad and basic question, but I'm bored and need temporary fulfilment

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yeahsolikeuhh · 2 mo ago A while back there was this bookshop that blew up because of a reddit post. Apparently the shop's been around for three hundred years or something, and apparently had shit like the first edition of the Great Gatsby and stuff trailing back to the 16th century or something - But that's not even the weird part.

People tried to visit the bookshop because of the popularity obviously, but every time they try, stuff just happens at random and it never happens. Everyone knows the bookshop is there, but no one except OP for that first reddit post has ever actually managed to get in. Sometimes they find a stray cat and get distracted, sometimes a giant storm just instantaneously starts, but literally ZERO people have gotten into that book shop except for OP.

The bookshop owner is called AZIRA (not fucking kidding), with a pet python (also not fucking kidding), who is also apparently dressed like he came out of the Victorian era (still not fucking kidding). Now I'm not saying he's a wizard, but I'm pretty damn sure he's a fucking wizard.

Also apparently he's also in love with his best friend and there's this huge pining thing happening the last time I checked, but I think OP stopped updating a while back so yeah. 

        Cauliflourpanfried· 2 mo ago         Holy shit I completely forgot about that. Genuinely the weirdest shit. Hope they finally got their shit sorted and at least kissed or smth tho. ---------------

r/IAmA

Posted by u/MrAziraFell 6 days ago

I am Azira Fell, the owner of A.Z. Fell & Co. A sk Me Anything!

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well. I am Azira Fell and I happen to own A.Z. Fell & Co. I've recently been informed of just how popular my bookshop has become, so here I am! Here is a picture of me, Crawly, and this sign I made for proof.

I'm still not very good at technology, so I truly do apologise for the slow responses. I will try my best :)

- AZF

Edit: Thank you for all your questions! As much as I'd love to just sit and chat with all of you, I still have the calls of thousands of wonderful books to tend to. I hope you all have a lovely day :)

- AZF

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monsteriaLoe· 6 days ago Are you aware of the weird phenomenon where, when someone tries to come to your shop, they always seem to get distracted or pulled away by another thing? And, being completely honest, were you involved in any of these? I understand the question sounds silly, but it's just so strange that I have to ask.

        MrAziraFell OP · 6 days ago         Thank you for the question! And it's not silly at all. I actually was not aware of this until today! And if I had the ability to summon stray cats at will, my bookshop would already be overwhelmed with kittens.

        I suppose it must just simply be some sort of magic, or maybe even a miracle ;) - AZF

PollyPirate · 6 days ago Are you and Crowley finally together???? (feel free to not answer if it really is too personal or anything like that)

        MrAziraFell OP · 6 days ago         Hello, Polly! Thank you for being so considerate. In short, yes we are together now. Now looking back on it, I suppose it was a little silly that we waited that long to be together. Well, that's all over now, and Crowley and I are as happy as ever - AZF

              PollyPirate· 6 days ago              OMG

                     JooolyRancher· 6 days ago                      Congratulations! What made you guys take the last step, if I may ask?

                                MrAziraFell OP · 6 days ago                                 Well, it's actually quite funny since apparently Crowley had found the subreddit (I believe that is what it's called) that Jay had made while looking for the bookshop on the Internet, saw the posts that all of you made about us being obliviously in love with the other, and finally decided to tell me how he truly felt. So, if I have to be honest, it was all of you that helped us take the last step, and I am very grateful for that :) - AZF

                                        cooliosoolio23· 6 days ago                                        ok well now im crying

wormieboyyyyyy · 6 days ago Why don't you sell your books? Also do you have a favourite? (a favourite book I mean)         MrAziraFell OP · 6 days ago         Well those two questions actually are quite interlinked, if I do say so myself. My answer to the first is because I simply love them all too much, and can't bear to part with them. My answer to the second is also I simply love them all too much, so I cannot pick just one. I do, however, especially adore the work of Terry Pratchett. - AZF

                wormieboyyyyyy · 6 days ago                 Ain't that the truth. Have you ever thought of selling a book, tho? Like ever? You do run a bookshop.

                        MrAziraFell OP · 6 days ago                         Well.... I suppose I could sell just one. - AZF ---------------

r/AZFellAndCo

Posted by u/SadLittleJay 1 day ago

Oh my god

MR FELL SOLD ME A BOOK!!!!!!! 

[Attachment: 1]

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[blackholemojis]

u have made posts telling about your aac you use... would u b willing to share images of how you have it set up and maybe give tips for people working on making their own aac?

I would love to but I think it may give away my anonymity, since I like to share pictures of my different pages. I can share some details and organizing tips though! This isn't anything comprehensive, I think I'd need to spend a lot more time on that, but hopefully this is helpful for someone. For context, I use TD Snap Lite :)

I'll include a list of different word categories at the bottom under the cut, so if you're looking for types of words to focus on, you can skip to there!

Organization part 1

I keep all my commonly used words and folders for other words on my quickfires page, starting with basic communication words (yes/no, who/what/where, etc) and folders (conversation phrases, short responses, nouns, verbs, etc).

Then I have commonly used descriptors, connector words, actions, and nouns. All these are broad words like "thing" or "person," "and" or "because," and "go" and "fix." Even if I didn't have a button for a specific concept, I would still be able to describe it, like "the thing that is mine."

I organize the different buttons in rows on the same page, and try to group similar words together, that way I can find them easily.

I started with buttons for different bADLs (basic activities of daily living), which are bathing, dressing, grooming/hygiene, eating, toileting, and transferring/movement. Then I went to activities that I do every day, like studying, doing housework, or watching TV.

The idea is that I would be able to get through a whole day and be able to describe what I want, what I need, my activities, and what I don't want or need (the ability to say no is important, even for little things!)

Organization part 2

What words I have is important, but so is how I make sure I can find them easily. With TD Snap you can give buttons custom colors and custom border colors, so I use those to organize types of words, and types within those types (so verbs versus nouns, and then people-nouns versus object-nouns)

I also put the most commonly used words towards the right side of the screen, since I'm right handed and that means they'll be easiest to access.

I try to use pastels so I can read the labels, and I edit the text size of all buttons so I can see the symbol and label well. With descriptors, I try to group similar ones together, and group ones that have "opposites" either right next to each other or one above the other (words like up and down, or inside and outside).

Finding gaps

The easiest way for me to figure out what buttons I'm missing is by using my AAC when I'm near full spoons and can think about language well, like now. That way I know what I'm missing, and I can make a button and organize it in the moment without it taking much energy. Usually I'm missing different categories of words, like colors, or words to describe time.

Here's a bunch of word categories under the cut, starting with "essentials" and then moving on to common non-essentials! Feel free to ask me to include any other ideas

BADLs

Bathing (shower, bath, sponge bath, and related words you use for bathing)

Dressing (getting dressed, getting undressed, picking out clothes, words for different types of clothes)

Grooming/hygiene (brushing teeth, flossing teeth, brushing/combing hair, trimming hair, dyeing hair, cleaning piercings, washing face, shaving, makeup)

Eating/drinking (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, meal, types of food you eat, spoon, fork, knife, chopstick, bowl, plate, mug, water, warm beverages, napkins, and any other words you use for eating/drinking)

Toileting (bathroom, stall, toilet, sink, washing hands, soap, toilet paper, menstrual products, changing toileting equipment, and any other words)

Transferring/Movement (any mobility aids you use, transferring to/from mobility aids, terms for your aids, walk, run, jog. I included transportation words like "drive" and "car" in my section for this, but that's not necessary)

Essential communication

Yes (and variations)

No (and variations)

Maybe

Something else

I don't know

I need

I don't need

I want

I don't want

options for basic needs, so you can say "I need" and "use the bathroom" (eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, showering/bathing, using the bathroom, dental care, hair care, getting dressed, getting undressed, changing menstrual products, changing medical equipment, and transferring to/from mobility aids)

I consent

I do not consent

I revoke consent

Leave

Stay

Help

Fringe vocabulary for everyday activities and emergencies

Emergency words/phrases (I need a doctor, etc)

Personal info (name, age, etc)

Disability/mental health/medical terms that apply to you

Parts of the body

Types of injury/medical issues

Places you go

People you live with

People you interact with often

Pets names

Neighbors names

Carer or staff name(s)

Important belongings and things you use every day

Everyday hobbies (bike, watch show, etc)

Everyday to-do list activities (do laundry, shower, etc)

Action words (things one can do)

Common nouns (persons, places, things, and ideas)

Connector words (and, to, since, etc)

Feelings (positive, neutral, and negative)

Descriptor words

Colors

Direction

Size

Shape

Days of the week

Months

Seasons

Numbers

Describing amount (some, many, a little, few, all, none)

Describing time (then, now, before, after)

Temperature

Weather

Difficulty

Age

Texture

Personal opinion descriptors (nasty, beautiful, boring)

[girlwithherheadinthestars]

tips for editing novels i wrote instead of editing

these are mainly targeted to people who find it hard to focus on editing (like yours truly) but really helps for anyone.

work section by section. i started doing this and it wasn't working because i kept reading on to the section after instead of focusing on editing the one section so what i did is copy paste the section (each should be no more than like 1000 words) onto another document and work on it there. read it over and over again until it sounds the way you want it to sound that copy paste it onto the other document and move on to the next section.

sit somewhere quiet. absolutely quiet.

no music.

turn off the wifi on your phone and on your laptop.

to get the emotion right in a scene, listen to music that embodies it. can't catch me now (olivia rodrigo) and east of eden (zella day) are what i'm listening to right now. of course, i can't write and listen to music at the same time because that's the kind of person i am but before you start writing, listen to the music and really get in the feels because emotion is what drives a story forward more than plot

i actually saw an author say this, i can't remember who, but it's good to have a song that evokes emotion so you can write the emotion properly

THESAURUSES. lifesavers. i can't come up with the perfect word to describe something because i have poor memory but the thesaurus always remembers (am i even spelling it right?)

drink water. (now. stand up. if you don't istg i'll find you.)

change the cliches. don't say it was a dark and stormy night. say it was a starless night that smothered even the smallest lamp lit in the little window of a small store at the edge of the abandoned town.

don't tell me what happened, tell me how it felt. it was not cold. her nose stung and her fingernails turned blue, she stamped her feet to keep warm, she shivered despite herself, her teeth chattering.

i think the trick is to search for every time you used the word 'was' and change it to a feeling

read aloud. do impressions. make your annoying character sound like your social studies teacher from 11th grade. have fun with it. just make sure the dialogue doesn't sound stiff and make sure the sentences flow well.

as a rule, shorter sentences flow better and are easier to understand

add more internal monologue, have your character try to reason things in their heads, don't have them just observe what's happening.

this is something i struggle with but if you have a mystery with a grand reveal in the end, keep track of what your readers know and don't know. reveal tiny clues that only fit when you finally see the full picture. be as evil with it as you want.

for motivation, reread your favorite scene (mine is the mc and love interest being adorable)

also, imagine the book being published. who would you dedicate it to? how many people would make tumblr posts analyzing it, how many people would make memes, who would the fandom ship?

finally, unrelated to editing, but if you must kill off characters, don't do it just because you want something dramatic and you need the plot to move forward, only do it for two reasons:

a) it completes the character's arc (i.e. they were afraid of death but when someone they truly loved was in danger they jumped in front of a bullet to save them)

b) they're going to come back to life later as a metaphor for phoenixes rising or something

personally, my favorite thing to do is to leave the death ambiguous. no one will know if the character really died or not (not even me)

[theabyssinyourcloset]

The Goblin Shark

The goblin shark is a species of shark. It's also happens to be my absolute favourite.

The scientific name for this "little" creature is Mitsukurina owstoni. It's a rare species that lives in depths greater than 100 metres (330 feet for my American friends), although it can possibly dive up to 1 300 metres deep (4 270 feet) (according to some scientists). Adults usually find their habitat deeper than juveniles. They have been found in all of the major oceans, suggesting that the species lives pretty much all around the globe.

The goblin shark was first discovered around 1906 (although I'm not sure about this since my sources did not state the exact date) at the eastern coast of Japan. To this day, fewer than 50 goblin sharks have been spotted. Some dead specimens have been hauled up for research.

Studies show that the goblin shark is a pretty damn old species. It has been described as a "living fossil". It seems that it is the only surviving shark species of the Mitsukurindae family. Some fossils have been found, suggesting that other lines of species from the same family have once existed.

These sharks are usually a colour of pink. They have 26 sharp teeth in their upper jaw, and 24 in their lower. (Their jaw is unique, but I'll explain more later on in this post.) The goblin shark also has a long snout above its mouth.

Unlike most other deep-sea sharks, the goblin shark has a fully working iris. Its pupils can dilate and contract when the tiny amounts of lights are detected down in their habitat. This is most likely to help them locate prey.

This shark can grow to over 3,7 metres long (12 feet), with the estimated maximum around 7 metres (23 feet). Usually it stays between 3 and 4 metres.

The maximum weight recorded was 210 kilograms (460 pounds). I think it's pretty safe to say that these are not that small animals.

Now, what makes these creatures unique (and my favourite) is the goblin shark's jaw and hunting technique. The goblin shark hunts by thrusting its jaw forward with a velocity of 3,14 metres per second (I don't know how to tell the speed in any other way, sorry), the fastest recorded for any shark species (also faster than most cobra strikes). The jaw can extend to a length of up to 7,6 centimetres (3 inches) with an angle up to 111 degrees (for comparison, the average human can open their jaw to about 50 degrees). Pretty impressive, right?

In conclusion: The goblin shark is a deep-sea shark species that hunts by thrusting its jaw forward. We don't know much about them, since only a little under 50 specimens have been spotted within the 118 years after the first discovery at the coast of Japan.

Below I have provided pictures and a couple of gifs of these creatures. I own none of the pictures, and I made sure none of them are copyrighted.

(Please view pictures with your own risk, this creature isn't that nice-looking)

The goblin shark.

Goblin shark eating a fish.

Goblin shark trying to bite a human's arm.

Goblin shark head from below.

Goblin shark face from up close. Eye can be seen clearly.

This post was just a random idea that popped up in my head during the car ride to visit my grandpa. I decided to actually write it (despite having way better things to do). I think I might write about other sharks too. I kinda wanna write about the mako shark, the great white shark and the hammerhead shark as well. At least about them. Possibly about the megalodon. Feel free to ask any questions or request a post for any specific species of shark :)

I also want to share awareness about how misunderstood sharks are. I'll write a separate, short post about it sometime. Not here because this post would get way too long. I'll talk about the movies "Jaws" and "The Meg", because it's important to understand how these have affected our view on sharks.

Edit: guess who forgot to cite their sources *insert a skull emoji*

So then, SOURCES:

Goblin shark - Wikipedia (not the most reliable source, but I don't care)

Goblin Shark: Key Facts, Lifespan, Habitat and Information - Discovery UK

Goblin Shark - The Australian Museum

The goblin shark's slingshot jaws are the fastest of any shark species | How it works | Earth Touch News

All read on 21st January 2024 by me, The Abyss In Your Closet.

[flowering-thought]

I'm back~

So just out of more curiosity, heartwarming moments with Takeo? And (forgot her name) your other new OC too, that is if you want to share the divinity that is your characters.

With much love and appreciation for your work

-🍁 anon

Ooo 🍁 anon you always request such cute things it makes my heart melt! I'll go ahead and include my recent OC's that I released after you asked!

I saved this one to release after I finished up my spree of OC's cause I do enjoy 🍁 requests quite a bit 🥰 and then it took me a while to get to 😔

Not edited

WARNING - MINORS DNI

AFAB reader and reader is described as feminine and chubby/plus sized.

Yandere themes

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Mila Allen

Heartwarming Moments

I think there's one moment where Mila enjoys your presence the most. And it's when you two watch shows together. She'll invite you to her apartment and put on some show you two decided to binge-watch.

Her favorite part of watching something with you is watching your reactions. She likes seeing you respond to things. If you get scared she'll scoot a bit closer to give you some comfort and grounding. A sad moment making you cry? A part of her adores it but also lets you cry unless you cling onto her, then she pets your head and gives you a soft kiss on the cheek.

Anger, anxiety, and any emotion you show just makes her pay more attention to you rather than the show. And she loves hearing you go on about it and give your opinion during or after an episode.

She loves it when you want to watch something with her or you wait for her to watch something new you found interesting. It's just something meant for you and her, a calm moment where she can admire you and hold you close. Sometimes she'll even lay in your lap and have the biggest smile on her face while doing so.

There's something about the simple moments and how easily your expression turns that makes her so happy. Mila finds every moment with you so fulfilling. Sometimes when you two are watching something and you slowly lean forward and you find yourself on the edge of your seat for eat happens next she can't help but secretly take a picture.

She may or may not already have a secret folder on her phone only she can find, that contains all of the photos of your expressions that she finds the most adorable or beautiful.

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Takeo Kawahara

Heartwarming Moments

Takeo finds shopping with you to be very fun. He loves to go to his favorite thrift stores with you as well.

He enjoys the soft sunny days when you're both free and can wander around window shopping. He loves when you stop and look at something that you enjoy or even pull him by his hand to look inside.

And when you see something you want him to try on? Oh, he's blushing as you look through the racks and find his size for him. Takeo just nearly explodes when the clothes look good on him too. He loves knowing that you know his taste and even look forward to seeing something on him.

And he honestly enjoys your praise. When you compliment him he's absolutely head over heels.

Oh, but when he finds something for you? Or he finds shops that sell clothes that are better for your figure? He could spend hours getting you to try things on. He secretly takes pictures of the things you absolutely love but don't feel like buying so he could get them as a gift later. And he honestly takes pictures of you in all your outfits. He loves to see you in all sorts of styles.

And he endlessly showers you with all sorts of compliments. And if he sees you may not like something he of course says something along the lines of "It's nice! But maybe something a little looser? Or maybe something in another color?".

But when he sees your face visibly cheer up or get excited when he validates a certain feeling about an outfit it just makes it clear to him that you love him just as much as he loves you-

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Makoto Kawahara

Heartwarming Moments

Makoto loves coming by the bakery to see you when he's on a break or just when he misses you.

The smell of sweets and freshly baked bread that carries home with you just makes him feel so comfortable you don't even know-

So when he gets to see you baking something at home it makes him really happy. He loves watching you, the way your brows furrow together if you did something wrong or accidentally did something. Or the way your nose twitches when you smell something good. The way your lips curl into a small smile of triumph at trying out a new recipe.

He could watch you bake or cook for ages. He loves how his house fills with the smell you carry home when you bake. He always wanders around the kitchen when you do.

Sometimes he likes to sneak around and take a bit of frosting or flour and plop a bit on your nose or cheek. The simple moments of bliss where you laugh and giggle with him, flour dusting the counter.

The way you turn on some music and start to dance with him in the kitchen while something bakes in the oven. Makoto has the biggest smile in these moments, leaving soft kisses and occasionally getting raw flour on his lips and tongue, your laughter filling the room as you grab a towel and grab some water.

He can't help but love these moments the most.

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Dante Morelli

Heartwarming Moments

Dante often loves when you come over to his home. While it's in the quieter part of the city, he prefers it as it's enough space for a greenhouse where he grows all sorts of plants he adores.

And his favorite time is spent in there, caring for his plants with you.

Before he had a simple table and supplies in there but when he met you he put some furniture inside, soft plush cushions, and a nice little area shaded by large banana leaf trees and other sorts of plants that nearly reach the top of the greenhouse.

And when he would convince you to come over he would make sure you had some snacks and drinks while you sat in that space he created just for you while he trimmed certain plants or attended to other things in his safe space.

And sometimes if he took too long he would find you taking a nap. It's his favorite thing. He could watch you sit there forever, the background of different plants and the way your hair frames your face in that moment of pure bliss.

With a dangerous life like his, he loves these moments. No chaos, no stress, just you and him in a peaceful place where time feels like it's stopped.

Sometimes if he's tired enough he joins you. And sometimes if there wasn't already a blanket among the cushioned furniture he would drape one over you, being careful as he left a kiss on your forehead before attending to some things.

Of course, he has photos of you in his phone sitting there. Sometimes he considers hiring someone to paint these soft and comforting moments so he could hang them up in his home.

Just you and him in the comfort of his home is all he ever needs ♡

[alhaithamhabibi]

assign your moots as the way to protect the female lead’s older brother?

ᴍᴇᴇɴᴀ ɴᴏᴛᴇs : okay so I'm assuming this was assigning my lovely moots as twtptflob BUT i added a little twist of how the character assign to my mutuals would react to them

fl!roxana agriche — @that-one-pretty-bitch ( no it's not because of quizzes and what fl you got but the power you two radiate is there and oh another beautiful and intelligent woman just like her? she'll teach you how to kill men and get away with it. and if you already know, you already know what your bonding activities are now )

ashil agriche — @sidra-29 ( must protect. must cherish. must keep that beautiful smile on your face <33333 the days when you're at your lowest, he swears to be right by your side and help you get through these tough times whether be making you smile again or letting you all rant out lisTEN this boy wants to be right by your side don't get too attached to him tho )

jeremy agriche — @rouecentric ( jeremy sees that broken gen z humor of yours and thinks 'finally, some good fucking humor' and if you teach him the vines and memes....my god roue, what have you done?? it's only fair he teaches you how to kill and pulls you for adventures like that i'll go hide in the closest bye )

dion agriche — @d10nsaint ( he read your thirsts posts on him too so congratulate on making his now established ego even bigger. also he wants to see you cry. man gives his therapist therapists so do us a favor and make him ugly, brook, that his world wouldn't even want him back )

griselda agriche — @roseadleyn ( i just know you two would be gushing over books of any kind. so many recommendations and the way you teach her about the language of flowers, she can't help but be mesmerized by the passion in your voice when you talk about your favorite subjects )

charlotte agriche — @dion-s-lawyer ( it's like opposites attract but make it platonic/familial 🥺 the times when you feel like you might make a mistake, she'll help you out despite acting tsun tsun about it but you two could def learn a lot from each other also she loves the edited picture of dion you created )

sylvia pedelian — @lady-navier0357 ( you're so sweet, kind and she loves to converse with you. she would try to learn your home language, try to use and miserably fail but it's something won laugh over and yes she's a hardcore shipper of you and your bf <333 )

cassis pedelian — @acuriousmoon ( you're a soothing presence he can't help but fall back tbh idk how it describe it but it's like two old souls finding each other again and catching up from his crazy in laws to us mutuals with our shenanigans. hope you both enjoy the tea and enjoy the tranquillity before the mood gets ruined >:) )

maria agriche — @dxmoness ( would absolutely be interested in teaching you how to kill your subordinates with a cute umbrella uwu and oh you're writing a murder scene? well, she'll definitely help of you out by figuring the best method to kill so you can make it accurate as possible i'm scared but it's weirdly cute )

sierra agriche — @elychee ( both of you are so precious together agkjfskd it's like a double combo attack whenever you two are together and she loves hearing you simp over alberu ah young love how adorable!! a love like this makes you smile so much eases her heart to know such pure love like this can exist )

maid emily — @loekas ( having a badass maid interacting with you?? i know we all want one she'd teach you the magic from her world in return she's very interested in that story with characters resembling her mistress 👀 plsss i know she'll definitely help you write the story and give you baked goods as rewards )

og!roxana agriche — @cerisearan ( og!roxana is my baby after all she has been through, she's tired but being with you reminds her still has a life and when you talk about your ocs, you'll never have to question if she's listening because she'll ask so many questions about the characters and storyline so hope you're ready for long late night talks )

[readingrobin]

Ooof this was probably my roughest month when it came to reading, Didn't really get a lot read since my schedule was jam packed and I didn't get as much reading in as I thought I would during vacation. To top it all off, the things I did manage to read mostly fell on the meh side of things, so I can't even say it was worth it for a few good reads. Oh well. I think I'll have better luck in November.

Total Books Read: 5

Total Pages Read: 1,713

Books Read:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (2.5/5) -

This book has been collecting dust on my bookshelves since the great vampire/werewolf YA fiction boom of the early 2010s. Really the only thing that's been keeping me from reading it has been circumstance and a deluge of other things I'd rather be reading. Big note to self, if the synopsis describes one of the teenage lead characters as "sexy," there's a good chance that I, an almost thirty year old adult, will get one of those ick feelings along my spine. It's one thing if it's coming through the perspective of a teenaged character, and another when you know it's more than likely coming from some middle-aged editor in a publishing office cubicle.

Now if I had read this over a decade ago, odds are I would have loved it. Awesome werewolf mythology that seemed very unique, a badass lead character that's not here for your girly dresses or makeup, sarcasm galore, oh yeah teen me would've eaten it up. While I can still appreciate the lore aspect, there are some qualities of the book that just tire me out.

Love triangles are always going to be some dodgy ground, particularly when you don't care for them or either of the love interests. Shay seemed so irresponsible and okay with constantly putting Calla in danger, even if it had the intention of trying to get her to see the truth behind the Keepers. Rey, though slightly better, made some comments here and there that set my teeth grinding, but at least it felt like he actually respected Calla at times. Pretty sure with how the story is going that Shay is ultimately going to win out in the end, which doesn't really encourage me to read any of the sequels.

At least pour one out for the gay werewolf representation in a time where queer characters, even queer side characters, were in short supply.

While I really liked the werewolf lore, the book also reinforces my least favorite werewolf trope, which is reinforcing incorrect "facts" about actual wolf pack dynamics to explain the weird sexism of the werewolf packs. I know it's all to make the term "alpha wolf" look cool and intimidating, but they literally do not exist. Wolf packs are made up of a mated pair and their kids/extended family. There's very little dominance involved. I know bringing actual reality to this werewolf book means absolutely nothing, but they did it first.

There's also an absurd amount of sexism, misogyny, and slut-shaming going on here and yes, I know it's all for us to realize that werewolf society is corrupt and has this weird propaganda thing going on to keeps the wolves in line, but god it's overbearing at times. It's really just a me thing, but I had to visibly cringe when one of the adults told Calla to "keep her legs shut." I don't know, maybe it was too much just because all the characters are like 15-17 years old and I'm entering my "old person yells at YA for being YA" era. God help me.

So yeah, lots of emotions with this one and I'm not sure if I want to continue the series just to get closure or not.

Don't Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alan Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark edited by Jonathan Maberry (3/5) -

Seeing as I was a giant scaredy cat as a kid, I didn't really grow up with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I tried once, but Stephen Gammell's haunting illustrations proved to be too much for little me who already had an overactive imagination. Now that I have a little more stamina when it comes to horror and spooky pictures, I figured to give this collection a try to find some worthwhile middle grade horror. There are definitely strong contenders in this collection, some that'll even unnerve some adults. Others, well, they're there to give a little variety when it comes to the type and tone of the stories.

My favorites would have to be:

"The Carved Bear" "The Golden Peacock" "The Neighbor" "The Bottle Tree" "The Tall Ones"

I don't know if the collection decently balanced between the light spooky stories that were more humorous and the more traumatizing tales. There are two that sort of stick out like sore thumbs, those being R.L. Stine's and Sherrilyn Kenyon's contributions. Stine is known for his off the wall twists, but this one being a little bit more silly, yet typical for his kind of work, doesn't really make it mesh well with the majority of other stories that want to leave you with a shiver down your spine. Kenyon's poem has the same effect, having more of an innocent, playful tone that sets it apart from the other stories, but not in a memorable way. I think if the collection offered a few more stories like these it wouldn't be so noticeable. Each are completely fine on their own, but not when integrated into a collection that aims to leave lasting scares.

Also, it's REALLY noticeable that some of the writers are writing stories centered around certain cultures that aren't their own or that they have done very little research on. I may be as white as winter snow, but even I know that the Devil has nothing to do with Dia de los Muertos. 

The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife (3/5) -

I have such a great fondness for corvids, be they crows, ravens, magpies, or even blue jays, so I figured this book would be right up my alley. Skaife delves into the history behind the ravens' presence at the Towers, which I was surprised but maybe not too much that it holds a legend that may not be as old and revered as once thought.

I've been to the Tower of London, which helped me visualize some of his stories. The ravens there are definitely a quirky bunch. I remember one that graciously allowed a seagull to peck a bit at their raw chicken lunch, only to shoo them off a few seconds after. This cycle would actually repeat itself a bit, a little nibble and then a shoo, it almost seemed like a sort of game. Anyway, they are very amusing birds and Skaife really does make their personalities shine in this book.

There were moments where the book lost a little steam or included something that seemed a bit superfluous. The chapter on ghosts around the grounds seemed a little out of place in a book about the Tower ravens and the stories get a little repetitive once you edge closer to the end. But if you have an interest in the Tower and its inhabitants, I recommend picking it up.

The Oddmire: Changeling by William Ritter (2.5/5) -

I'm not sure if this is a case of me reading this book at the wrong time or I'm just getting more picky with my middle grade fantasy, but I never really felt very invested in this one. It's a great setup for a story, two brothers venture into a dark magical forest to learn which one of them is human and which is a changeling left by a goblin one long ago night. They meet various friends and threats across the way, culminating in a wonderful depiction of family bonds and loyalty. I appreciated how involved their mother was in the story, who had absolutely no qualms about going into the dangerous forest to save her kids. I love seeing more competent parents in fiction, if only just to show kids that some grownups are capable of being helpful at times.

But, other than that, I didn't really get much out of the story. The brothers seemed very interchangeable, not really having distinguishable personalities so that ultimately it doesn't really matter who is human and who is the changeling. They both have the same worries and fears, the same goals, so there's nothing really to set them apart.

The writing style didn't really pull me in either, to the point where by the last couple of chapters I was doing more skimming than actual reading.

I will say that it is a decent fantasy for younger readers looking for a bit of adventure and magic. It twists some fairy tale conventions just enough to feel fresh while holding onto a few just for good measure. I've probably just read too many at this point to really appreciate it.

Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Richard Adams, adapated by James Sturm, illustrated by Joe Sutphin (5/5) -

I stumbled upon Watership Down a little later in life, knowing full well of its status as one of those "Top 10 Films that Scarred You As A Child." At some point, I had seen the glorious intro to the film, where Frith bestows various gifts to the animals and El-Ahrairah displays his tricks and cunning, and that immediately sent me to the novel. It's a beautiful story, with lush descriptions of the downs and adventure that, while coming from so humble a place, keeps you interested from beginning to end. By some magic, James Sturm and Joe Sutphin managed to capture everything about this story that has delighted readers for decades.

Sutphin goes for a more naturalistic style, keeping the rabbits and other various animals expressive, but not too cartoony. It mostly keeps to a certain realm of reality, with colors that are more muted, but never do any sort of disservice to the setting. While I am a fan of styles that bush boundaries, this style is perfect for Watership Down that, while seemingly fantastical at times, is a very down to earth tale. There's a certain charm to it that comes from the simplicity of its setup, that is a group of animals just trying to survive.

Of course, not every plot point and character makes it through the process of adaptation. I am thankful that Sturm was able to include some of the folk tales of the rabbits, which was one of my favorite elements of the story. Naturally, to keep this story to a single volume and maintain a sense of flow, things would have to be reworked and shifted.

In my opinion, this graphic novel is an exemplary transfiguration on the original story that will please fans and hopefully entice new readers to the book.

Rating Average 3.2

[stinkywormynoob]

random late evening rambling

It seems that I got myself accustomed with the Worms franchise past its prime: their last all-new game was Rumble which got mixed reactions, and lately they released a mobile version of W.M.D and are now licensing a physical board game which is scheduled for next year. Even when I partake in a Russian Discord dedicated to the franchise, I find myself struggling to play with people other than a friend, and there are some things I want to try with others that aren't exactly newbie/casual-friendly - no one is obligated to become a pro at a videogame. Something makes me feel cautious of the Armageddon fanbase, it's probably knowing that in bigger fandoms you're more likely to stumble upon individuals you don't want to socialize with.

The idea of running a blog about Worms is kinda strange when I think about it. Many people on this site are into interesting and attractive characters, and shipping them. Worms is a game series where it's just fighting... and roping among enthusiasts. There's no plot and no actual characters aside from those in Mayhem AFAIK, and even if you look at renders for W4M you won't see story characters aside from the cyberworm, and even that one appears only in the last tutorial level. There's no shipping material in Worms, like, what can you do here? Worminkle x Queen of Sheba, just because he and his students ended up in the right place at the right time (he needs diamonds for the time machine and she had her jewels stolen, she promises to reward the one returning them), and he described her as lovely in mission briefing? Would've been intriguing to see that, but no, I don't wanna do it. Worms aren't attractive. Silly? Yes. Cute? Subjective, and depends on the game's art style. One needs to draw them with a more humanoid (naga-like) body for them to be considered "attractive". That one Armageddon wallpaper (if you know, you know)? Pretty sure that's just dark humor... what was the game's target audience again?

I'm just here ogling 3D worms, mainly Mayhem ones because the camera lets you do that and they're vastly superior to W3D ones in expression department. They've been my main art subject this year, oops. IDK how to draw most weapons though. I'm not friends with geometry. Well, I'll never do good if I don't try. The one thing stopping me from taking a bunch of pictures for reference is laziness.

I'm probably exhausted and can't think clearly because I spent the evening editing some Renewation footage where I was just failing.

[mobiused]

is there any lore about hyewon? feel free to ignore, i just have a hard time finding out if things are about lore or if people are mostly talking about the real-life relationships between the girls

This is so overdue I'm so sorry. But yes, there is. Let's do a timeline (using this term loosely because I don't trust myself enough to promise anything chronological) of Gohye (which is the shipname they picked for themselves btw cuz there's an existing Hyewon which is sometimes confusing) and I'll really try my hardest to take as few detours as possible...

The first time that Gowon & Olivia are officially associated with each other is in the Egoist MV, where Gowon appears in the same car park for a couple frames:

Doesn't this remind you of something? (And not the car park insert pictures from [#] album)

Why are all of yyxy in the car park though? Detour No. 1, but in my opinion the way the sequence is shot, and the way the [] one teaser is shot are meant to be evocative of each other, and is related to the theme of determinism, or more simply the inevitability of the girls leaving Eden and arriving on Earth. (I think the scene in Egoist was meant to suggest the other girls had already been here, on Earth, before, just like in the 'one' teaser, and Olivia was simply the last to get there.)

Next up is not a visual, but the song Rosy. This is the part that explicitly confirms romantic feelings between Gowon and Olivia Hye in canon. Originally (they neutered it after release to something less explicitly wlw) the song description in English was as follows:

Rosy is a song that talks the beautiful yet thorny emotions between 2 girls that draws them like a compass but wrecking them simultaneously without a place to escape to, in which they are being kind but chic, friendly but not close, have feelings for each other but finds it annoying to date each other.

The english is kinda scuffed and I'm mad cuz I can't find the original Korean text to translate either, but this shows that Rosy, sung by Gowon & Olivia, is describing a relationship between two girls who are romantically attracted to each other. Litell_Johnn provides his own take on the rectified/updated Korean description, though it doesn't really connect with the theme of the song at all. Notably, this doesn't suggest the two have feelings for each other.

We get more detail on what the story of Rosy actually is from the Lyricist Darly here, where Darly suggests the character of the 'Rose' is actually Olivia: "And in my mind Hyeju really seems to resemble a rose petal, so maybe for that reason, I think she really fit well with "Rosy"" You can read the full post (which also directly confirms that it's strongly related to the lore, where other b-sides might not be) but here's some edited highlights which I think expands on the nature of their relationship

The overall story is that I compared a woman to a "flower", and people get drunk on her beauty and try possess her and pluck her Towards the solitary rose, already hurt many times before, approaches yet another person The rose thinks, you're like all the others, you're just taken by how I look on the outside Looking at others, who are faking love but actually just drunk on the rose's beauty and only trying to possess it, I wonder how the rose feels? I'm sure you want me, she says, but come at me very carefully, so I won't prick you with these wounded thorns I like the way she says "It won't be that easy" too, because I think it reveals the rose's personality, alluring yet prim "I liked being alone with all my hurt, but wait, I guess I don't hate it when you come near me? What is this nervousness?" is the rose's confused monologue This person doesn't become afraid or fearful of the rose, and instead genuinely understands how the rose feels When the night falls, dangerous thorn bushes will come out of the rose to protect herself, like a habit. So she says hurry and run from me, before you get hurt, before you get lost. But the other person says "I know all of your wounds, so it's okay, I don't care if I get a little hurt". For the first time, the rose has met someone who doens't just want to possess her beauty, but truthfully loves her for who she is. In that way, the two people bloom beautifully into genuine love

That brings us to yyxy's 'love4eva'. Gowon & Olivia aren't shown to interact much, in fact, Gowon seems to find Olivia weird for unquestioningly swallowing whatever the institution is feeding her.

Also IDK if it's just Gowon's rbf but the way Gowon looks at Olivia when she walks in but that's pretty frosty (unless she's putting on airs in front of Yves?). Kind of a massive jump from the relationship that was depicted in Rosy. I guess just because Gowon takes part in ostracising Olivia, doesn't necessarily mean that Gowon doesn't like her...?

I always find the use of rose petals in love4eva interesting, because they're not the representative forbidden fruits, and rose petals are at this point associated with Olivia Hye (Lip's official flower being a rose doesn't really seem relevant in the yyxy arc and also seems like a retcon). All the three girls who leave eden partake in consuming the flower petals. Even though we see Olivia eat her forbidden fruit to leave, we never see her eat the rose petals - so what exactly are they meant to mean? Is Olivia the (nonliteral) sacrifice to leave Eden?

Then, of course, Gowon looks back at Olivia, who they're abandoning, and makes eye contact with her... but keeps running.

Ouch.

Olivia & Gowon don't seem to meet individually after this, but they have some parallels between their Butterfly Teaser arcs.

In So What era, Olivia finds herself in... somewhere that could either be Iceland (with Haseul's feather on the ground) or the Moon (which she set fire to). It's kind of vague, right? (I think it's meant to be Iceland but I'm not confident about it...) I wonder why Olivia would go to Iceland, and then wonder if she went to retrace Gowon's steps.

And then for Hula Hoop, it's just the two of them that get dressed up in their Eden clothes.

I'm wracking my brain trying to think of any more narrative interactions they have, but I really don't know how to finish this off. I might come back to this with a part 2.

[carrieleblancart]

In response to your questions about the timelapse videos, here are my two cents. Engagement doesn’t usually give you anything on tumblr other than a bump of serotonin, but it can lead to commissions or sales if you provide an easy link and are chill about it. But people are touchy about the word “engagement.” They want to feel like a community or maybe a cultural salon, rather than part of an extractive media process.

Your most successful process videos are going to show a satisfying finished piece at the end and give people time to look at it and go “wow.” So for most art some editing will be necessary to get there in a short video.

Another thing I should bring up is that the music you used for that sketch video was pretty grating. If you’re going to use music, i’d suggest finding something more relaxing. Just because the video is sped up doesn’t mean the sound has to be frantic.

Your painting process is so interesting, and your art is great! People here love cats with all their hearts and mostly really enjoy art. I wish you all the best!

Hi anon, thank you so much for your input! I really appreciate it, and I'm still getting used to actually getting responses, after trying to get it noticed for 10+ years (this isn't my first tumblr blog).

There's a lot going on with trying to share my art in the current internet ecosystem, probably something a lot of artists are dealing with. I'll try my best to describe what's going on on my end.

I don't like the term engagement either. I am trying to share my art through four main platforms at this time: Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, and of course our precious hellsite: Tumblr. So my use of the term is more from the vernacular being used on other platforms, with what seems to be a kind of agreed upon use by artists of "this is what we have to deal with, so might as well lean into it." Maybe I'm mis-interpreting that (not surprising).

So far, Instagram is where I get my art noticed the most and has lead to the most sales/commissions/financial support. I think this has to do with the cat community that has formed over there. Tumblr definitely has its cat lovers, but I think a lot of them are over on IG so that they can follow internet cat celebrities and the like (I'm one of them!). So things like engagement and trends will dictate how I share my art with at least algorithm-led platforms. Also all of the cat people and friends I've met at shows regularly have Instagrams, not that that's a reason to be on there.

I agree that I should add time of the video at the end to show the piece to give it time to be seen. This can be easily accomplished if I make sure to take a photo of the art and include it in the video. I haven't had the best record of doing this due to my own ADHD and the pace at which these sketch paintings are being made.

Most of these recent sketch paintings were made back in August during CatCon on the spot! It's a crazy thing to do and I haven't seen anyone else do something quite what I'm doing, which is I guess part of my marketing for conventions and shows. So, sometimes I forget to take a picture at the end, but I'm getting better at including it in my process. And yes I call them sketches because they're fairly quick (I aim for 30 minutes for a 6"x6") and I don't get to add all the details I would like to if time was available. (I'm currently working on a new 3"x3" fully detailed piece of a famous internet cat, I've spent an hour and a half on it, and it's not done yet!)

Part of the timelapse question is not just to see what people prefer to determine how much time I should put into editing, but also how much effort I should put into digital storage. I have a couple different ways of recording footage, and the main way I've been doing so is with my iPhone. And so when I'm at events that I fly to, like CatCon, sometimes I'm having to transfer videos from my phone to an SD card until I can get home and get the footage onto a larger storage device. This can be tricky especially if I don't make sure to clear my phone storage before going to an event (something I'm adding to my list!) However, if I use the timelapse feature already available on the iPhone, then that makes editing and storage even easier for me later. I used this a lot with my Black Cat October series. But this timelapse footage doesn't look as good (maybe) and I don't have the option to do other edits later. Which then comes to the question for myself, am I really going to go back and make another edit for these sketch paintings? Perhaps the answer is timelapses for sketches, and full videos for fully detailed paintings.

And thank you for your input on the music part! The reason for the music in the last video was because of what's trending right now. Sometimes IG will save a copy of the video I posted with whatever music, so I had reused it in today's post. I think I'll make sure to use something more soothing/calming going forward just for tumblr, because you all have a special place in my heart.

Usually I'll open TikTok and do a separate video save to have a hi-res copy with music, but since I had recently created a shop on TT I only have commercially available music. Maybe I should take the shop down anyways, I'm really not sure if it'll help my art get notice or sell more stickers. I'd rather manage sales from my website anyways, but I feel like I should at least give it a try. You're welcome to tell me your thoughts on that!

I could go more into detail about my process for just uploading videos, but I feel like this is already getting TLDR. So feel free to let me know if you want me to ramble some more! I'd love to get input on that, as well as get an idea of what other artists are doing since I have no idea what I'm doing!

[bourbon-ontherocks]

Thank you for answering the ask !

I checked out the master list it has many great gems as a matter of fact As well as sdktrs12’s own fanfic Crush is great

Do you have your recommendations too or a master list too ?

About the show….what is the smurf thing😂and why did Nick hit Rio with a stool ?

(x)

You're welcome anon!! 💕💕

Well I'm obviously too lazy to have my own masterlist lol, but I do have a few fic rec posts here and there:

Fave writers

Secret relationship

Dean being a dick

Heartbreaks

Dean's death (anon was unhinged)

New/Forgotten (don't ask me what anon meant by this 😂)

@inyoursheets masterpost (it's kinda old though but check the reblogs, there might have been updates)

And you'll find many more if you browse the #fic rec tag on my blog! Also feel free to check my bookmarks on AO3, they’re public for a reason...

Now if I have ONE rec to make when it comes to gg and brio fics, it's this one:

A Rational Choice by fireinsideforfun

This fic is everything and more, it's like the Brio Bible lol, it's literally the reason I started writing, and I think it should be an entry requirement level for anyone joining the fandom 😂😂 Obviously you'll need to like angst, but you said you read my fics, so... 👀👀

Now for your questions on the show:

The smurf thing, oh boy 😱😱 Well this can cover two different events, aka the show mentioning smurfing once as a term describing an elaborate money-laundering technique (it's a real thing, you can google it), and the fandom going wild with edits, ludicrous puns, and in my case extremely poorly tasted pictures, about it. But also you cannot tell me Rio's hat in season 4 didn't make him look like a smurf!

Nick hitting Rio with the stool, you think I remember why he did that?? 😂😂😂 From the top of my head something something reminding him who's the boss/punishing him for doing his own thing I believe... But like I said, season 4 is very blurry in my mind, I'll leave that to somebody more competent, perhaps as the founders and co-presidents of the Nick Can Choke club @riosnecktattoo and @riosnosestud have a better, more detailed answer?

Thanks for stopping by! 😘😘

[bryastar]

word salad #12

oh shoot I'm back edition!

alrighty so, hi, it's been a bit. so I guess I should explain my absence a bit but I ended up getting a certain respiratory illness which included trouble breathing, headaches, nausea, fatigue, and it was so bad that it took me out for basically an entire week.....

yeah pneumonia isn't fun

anyway......

what have I been up to that hasn't been staying in bed all day while doom scrolling way too far in TikTok...

probably a tiny thing here but I reorganized my ipad icons a bit, keeping all the drawing apps on one screen (plus the battery info for the pencil), socials on the next, and games at the end. seems less overwhelming....and cuz I like the background art ^^; (art by @wavecipher)

solar eclipse! we had to drive out an hour towards the path of totality to be able to see it, but honestly this was one of the coolest experiences I've ever got to witness! pictures don't do it full justice and it's really hard to describe the mood. just being able to witness the moon slowly creeping in front of the sun slowly while experiencing this beautiful mix of daytime and nighttime vibes simultaneously....aaaa! I was really sad before I wasn't able to see much of the 2017 eclipse previously and I wanted to make certain it worked out this year, and just so happened that everything lined up perfectly (teehee) to be able to see this! (top pic taken by amber, the others by me)

butts! I ended up using a combination of pose to pose and straight ahead animation here. I wanted to try and push myself with this and experiment, and I'm discovering a bit that I enjoy doing things like water splooshes. down the line I wanna touch on more things like water ripples or fire animation too.

all of this happened before I got sick and bedridden and I was a bit worried that I would lost the drive to anima--

nope! still got it! I'm pretty happy with how this came out! I asked for a random object and a random action at home and got "apple" and "jumping" and I decided to add the bit at the end with it bonking and bruising itself. I used a mix of drawing individual frames, but also simple subtle transforms when the change was minimal anyway to streamline the work just a bit.

I originally struggled with getting the impact to look right. adding a smoke cloud and simulating a camera shake seemed to help with that (which I struggled originally because I tried to keyframe it in capcut but because it's animated of twos that came off weird and the earthquake effect didn't satisfy me either so I had to just manually move everything in toonsquid...which ended up taking less time overall anyway) I especially like the doubling/smear frame I made right before it hits the ground.

I think improvements I wanna make is planning out the facial expressions more. there is a point where the apple realizes it loses balance but I think it happens way too fast to be properly noticible at full speed. also I did abuse the transform tool juuust a bit much at the end so maybe I'll stick with reserving that for ease in and outs.

lately I've been in a bit of a Starfox kick. I ended up finding the N64 cartridge at a game shop (only $40 USD which was definitely a bit cheaper than I was expecting for a first party title) and I'm honestly really impressed with how well it looks compared to the NSO version on switch, particularly with transparency effects, colours seem bolder (the gold rings in particular stand out more), and how smooth the game runs overall (with occasional but expected slowdowns in certain areas). also the voice samples seem to sound more accurately to a radio signal. I also wanna see if I can get the 3ds version of SF64 sometime too and compare that.

alrighty so apologies for the extra word salading this time around but there was a lot to catch up on. hopefully I can keep up a bit more as I start to get back towards 100%

🦊🐦🐰🐸

[mrbexwrites]

Happy STS!

This week I’m asking about the writing process – I’m curious to see how people do it.

Do you refer to anything as you write? E.g. pictures, calendars for the timeline, maps to measure travelling distance? Basically, what references, if any, do you keep on your desk/always open in another window while writing?

Hi Sam!

Happy STS, and thanks for the ask!

My writing process is a bit chaotic, for a self-described planner!

I have a notebook with the story outline which contains all the major scenes that I want to write to progress the story, but once I start writing, those pesky characters tend to deviate and go off on their own. So I either have to rein them back in, find a work around to get when I need them to be, or find a new path to get back on track! It's certainly taken some of WIPs in weird and wonderful directions!!

I try to do as much research as possible when it comes to the topics that I write about- I have a Google Doc for each WIP which contains all the links to webpages that I've used for research so that I can go back and check things if/when needed (mostly when!!) I add to it as I go, as I often find myself having to do some ad hoc research on the fly due to the aforementioned plot/character deviations, so those links get added to the doc.

I also like to be a bit old school and read textbooks that I pick up second hand, or that I have from my time in education (I studied forensic psychology, so have lots of old books on crime scenes, the criminal justice system, people's motives etc etc) that I like to annotate, and add sticky notes to. (Side note- I am a sucker for sticky tab page markers and a smooth highlighter pen. So satisfying!)

I like to collect all the bits and bobs in a notebook. In the past, when I was writing more High Fantasy, rather than Urban, I would doodle maps, family trees, keep a note of made-up words/slang and their meanings etc.

It's all a bit chaotic, having to jump between the different places that I keep everything, and I can get muddled at times- especially with my timelines (as well you know! Which is why I try to keep them vague, but I appreciate that this is detrimental for the reader, so it's something that I'm going to work on! I promise!)

I've seen a lot of other Writblrs mention Scrivener, and I've sort of halfheartedly looked into it. I think it's a tool that I would find useful, but given that I don't even know what I want to do with my WIPs once they're finished, at the moment I don't think it's something that I can justify spending money on. (I've seen folk mention that they often get money off vouchers after NaNo, so I'll maybe look into it more then? I tend to ignore all the NaNo emails and rewards at the end of Nov. I'm in it for the certificate, and the motivation it brings; I'm a terrible procrastinator, and struggle to carve out time to write- although, this hellsite (affectionate) and all the others writblrs on here, yourself included, have been a great source for motivating me, and making me want to write, even if it's just so that I can keep up with all the tag games- as otherwise, you'd just have the same snippets shared over and over again!!)

Once I've finshed a WIP, it just sort of languishes in Google Docs. I used to handwrite my stories, and try to edit them when I typed them up, but editing isn't my forte, as I lack the technical skills for line editing etc, and I've only just had my first beta feedback (thank you again! I will pay you back in Party Rings at some point!!) which has been a really helpful exercise for me. So still learning on the next steps on what other people do after you've actually finished a first draft!

So yeah, that's my process- if you can call it that! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[michelemoutons]

and at last, the post that maybe three people maximum have been waiting for...

em's comfort retro rally videos: a masterlist!

in a much-needed return to this blog's roots, and as an antidote to all motorsport- and life-related chaos, i now present to you: the first edition of em's favorite retro rally videos!

general disclaimer/info: these videos mainly come from the group B era of the world rally championship (wrc), which generally speaking was in the '80s. i am only human, so expect a lot of bias toward my personal favorites...which will become very apparent as you read this list hehe. also i'm not even gonna pretend to be an expert on this or anything. a lot of these are literally just based on Vibes

table of contents

i. my top 5 rally coverage videos

mainly coverage for television, recorded on VHS and uploaded to YouTube by some truly incredible people

ii. honorable mentions

not rally coverage, but retro rally videos nevertheless

often documentaries, mini-doc features, interviews

for all videos, i have indicated the language (most are in english fyi); if any links fail or videos disappear, send me an ask or DM and i'll remove the culprit/find an alternative link.

and now, onward!

(TW for occasional flash photography in many of the night sequences of the videos, as well as a gif included in this post)

i. my top 5 rally coverage videos

in which my bias toward audi sport, mouton/pons, mikkola, toivonen, and vatanen are put on blast for all to see 🥴 i am not an expert in anything i am just very good at research and a whore for aud—[SNIPED]. for the sake of brevity, i narrowed my favorites down to 5. maybe another time i will share all the rest!

also, a general note about the commentary: sometimes, the commentary around michèle and fabrizia can get... weird. keep in mind, they were the most prominent female team partnership around that time, and the first to nearly clinch a wrc wdc, and to modern ears, the commentators really didn't know how to act around them. personally, it wasn't horrible for me, i just ignored the weirder bits, but i understand if others might find it off-putting. also for the sake of your sanity don't read the comments.

5. Rally of the 1000 Lakes, 1984 | finland

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: vatanen/alén/toivonen (full final results)

comments: this was definitely a rally for most of audi sport's drivers to forget: bar stig blomqvist, who came quite close to the podium finishers with a 4:14:01 to henri toivonen's 4:12:57! both hannu mikkola and michèle mouton had to retire from the race, which may lead you to wonder: why does this rank among my favorites? well, it's always fun to watch group b rally cars sailing through the air against picturesque scenery, and this video also contains an intriguing (at least for me!) look at the scrutineering process, with drivers at their most casual.

owie :( they were fine though!

4. Lombard RAC Rally, 1981 | britain

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: mikkola/vatanen/blomqvist (full final results)

comments: hannu winning by 11 whole minutes even after rolling his car in the middle of the forest is actual legend behavior! anyway this was michèle's first wrc outing in britain, and even though she and fabrizia had to retire, they still did quite well, consistently running high in the leaderboards after the first few stages. and that's considering the fact that michèle had a bad cold for much of the rally and had to ask fabrizia to drive the car to service park for her at one point bc she was so tired. which fabrizia did... with a pencil in her mouth. lot of big names in one video—also, jean todt makes an appearance as a co-driver!

shamelessly poached off of one of my text post edits

3. Marlboro Safari Rally, 1983 | kenya

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: vatanen/mikkola/mouton (full final results)

comments: ok can i just say how stunning the video presentation is?? the opening sequence is just!!! the shots of the wildlife! the sprinting giraffes! wow! anyway the visual of drivers in deck chairs just tickles me for no reason, and michèle please tell me what you ask for at the hairdresser's and also where you got that orange blouse (this is obviously not just specific to this rally, she always eats and leaves no crumbs). this was michèle's first entry and only finish in kenya (and of course it was a podium mwah). it was also her last wrc entry in the A1 quattro, as she switched to the A2 for the rest of her program in the '83 season. also this is one of my favorite podium pictures ever.

lksdjffnnkd there's almost too much to unpack... fabrizia somehow surviving in high waist jeans in a hot car... michèle's do-it-yourself shorts... this podium picture was the subject of a very frantic video chat conversation between myself and a friend at 2am a few months ago

2. Rallye de Portugal, 1982 | portugal

links: short recap (eng) | overall coverage 1, stuck in the middle of two other rallies. timestamps in descrip. (eng) | overall coverage 2, very vibey with cool music (ita... also peep walter röhrl speaking italian)

podium: mouton/eklund/wittmann (full final results)

comments: GOD I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH AAAA! michèle's first podium of '82 being a win? this rally being the one where there's footage of her going shopping with fabrizia afterward? (more on that later) them winning by 13 whole minutes? and that's not even considering THEE most poetic victory ceremony of all time! in fact let me talk about that bc the racing and the win aside, that's why it's so high up on my list! literally poetic cinema! it's night, they're standing on top of the car and floodlit and surrounded by cheering crowds but they may as well be the only ones there in their own little world, laughing at each other and barely even having to look to each other when they're raising their hands—like god! shut up! we get it you're besties 😭

i_just_think_theyre_neat.png

and now... last but certainly never least...

1. Lombard RAC Rally, 1982 | britain

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: mikkola/mouton/toivonen (full final results)

comments: firstly, if you were to ask me about my dream podium, this would be it. hands down, across all series of motorsport, my comfort podium would be hannu, michèle, and henri in any order. (there's such a cute picture of them from this rally on pinterest, standing in order on a staircase. henri is not looking at the camera because he is laughing at something michèle is saying and it's such a Vibe but i cannot find it wah). the battle for second between michèle and henri ran down to literally the last stage, and their times are separated by seconds, which is just wild to me. the context of this rally deserves another post, which i honestly don’t have the energy to make rn, but just take my word for it that it threatens to destroy me if i think about it too hard! anyway this is just such an awesome rally and i’ve watched this video so many times haha

i love this rally so much that i actually had a character in a story i was writing attend the ceremony captured in this picture as a small child and made it a formative moment in her life. no, there is nothing wrong with me.

ii. honorable mentions

(is it obvious who my faves are? yikes)

'Group B - Avec Michele Mouton' (eng) - taken from a longer feature presentation about group b, a segment specifically about michèle. a friend once described its vibes as ‘a synth wave edit of an 80s anime set in a cyberpunk world about racing’

'1983 Audi Sport National Rally with Michele Mouton' (eng) - in which michèle takes journalist sue baker as a co-driver for a spin in an A1 and a rally win. fun behind-the-scenes video

'Intervista a Fabrizia Pons, la Regina delle Note' 1, 2, 3 (ita) - very thorough interview which is mostly fabrizia telling all sorts of stories, including the very entertaining story of how she found out she was going to be michèle’s co-driver. also what a badass title

'2008 Otago International Classic Rally' (eng) - THE BESTIES REUNITE THE BESTIES REUNITE!!! michèle and fabrizia reunite for a rally that fabrizia convinced michèle to join, they suffer some problems but there are plenty of wholesome bestie moments to be had

'Michele Mouton hurls Group B Audi Quattro up Goodwood hill' (eng) - i mean, self explanatory. the sound of the chirping tires? asmr could never. very short watch if you want a quick pick-me-up

'1990 Louise Aitken-Walker feature' (eng) - a video featuring a female rally driver from scotland and her point-scoring run at the rallye monte -carlo. i am convinced that louise was john finnemore’s inspiration or at least an influence for the character of linda fairbairn. no my hat is not made of tin foil what are you talking about

hannu rocketing around michigan back in 2017 (eng)

hannu flying around goodwood in 2015 (eng)

sometimes i listen to fabrizia's recent onboards (yes, she's still at it!) and this one is one of my favorites, from 2016 (ita)

[munsons-maiden]

Hey,

You don't know me personally, nor have we ever spoken directly, but I have been praising your writing several times over time. I can't get enough of your fabulous skillset and your original ideas. When I've stumbled upon the fact that you're also a fellow non-native speaker, I was shocked, to say the least. Not that non-native speakers can't perform on the same level as natives. I've seen non-natives deliver extraordinarily well, more so than natives at times. (Might be that we're always trying to prove something, impress everyone, etc) But I am now even more in awe of how well written your fanfics are, how well-spoken you appear and how eloquently you choose your words to describe actions, thoughts and feelings.

As a fellow non-native myself, who's still anxious to dive into writing and publishing their fic, I was wondering if you had any tips? I already highly depend on Grammarly to save my butt from appearing too german most of the time. I literally use it whenever I write something in English, no matter the occasion or length. It does help with spelling errors, synonyms and grammar mistakes. But I always find myself lacking the knowledge or, more so skillset, how to structure my sentences and which words to use to sound as eloquently well-spoken as you do. Your descriptions make stuff come to life, turning it more dimensional than it is. You convey emotions and thoughts with the uttermost perfection, wrapped with hidden meanings and more depth. I always aim for a more articulate, refined approach in writing but end up sounding too simple/basic/bland.

-Anon who's madly in love with you (and could go on for hours) but too chicken to come off anon and face your response like a normal human being

Hi nonnie!

I'm speechless, I truly am. This is one of the most beautiful compliments I ever got, and it means the world to me. Thank you so, so much 😭🖤

I've been thinking about your question for the last few hours and I narrowed it down to a few things which might help:

I read a lot, and I only read books in English, which might help vocabulary-wise - so if you don't already read books in English, it could help to do so 🥰

The stories I post go through hours and hours of editing. I start by writing the story, using the words which "come to me" right at the moment of writing. Go with the flow, you could call it. And when the story is finished, I start the editing process which consists mostly of checking for word repetitions and looking for fitting synonyms. My most valuable resource is the Merriam-Webster thesaurus (I'll put the link here), it's free and you can get the app as well.

As to the way I describe things: I always try to describe things with as much senses as possible to help paint a picture. For example: if your characters are on the beach, you can simply write that they're on the beach, or you can write that the sand is warm from the sun and coarse under their bare feet, that the breeze playing with their hair carries a tang of salt and if the waves are roaring and fierce, or if they sound gentle and calming. I try to visualize things before I write them down because if you feel it, your reader will feel it.

It's the same with emotions. They consist of three parts which I'll sum up using fear as an example: 1. how it feels (the physical reactions like sweating, shaking, clammy hands), 2. how you perceive it (you hear blood rushing in your ears, you feel your chest constricting as if an icy fist was clamped tightly around your heart etc.) and 3. which thoughts accompany the emotion/inner monologue. You don't need to use all three components, but for the reader to feel these emotions, it might be helpful to pick two of these components to describe with more detail. So, for fear, we can write something like "With every desperate beat of my heart against my ribs, every pound of it in my ears, I could hear this inner voice in my mind, begging me to run, run, run."

Another point I keep in mind is: "show, don't tell" (you probably heard of that one but while editing, that's the question I always ask myself: did I show, or did I tell?)

My last and probably most important one is: your stories are unique, as is your writing style. It's like a signature perfume, it's you, it's how you see and perceive things and nobody else will ever be able to write like you do 🖤

I hope I could be of help, but always feel free to reach out to me, dear! 🖤 And please don't worry about being shy, I'm socially anxious as hell so I totally get it 😅