#not big on the texture unless they're warmed up

[randomgurustuffs]

Do you like cheese

Yes. Flashmod is my witness.

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

Yandere Brother Pt 3

Tw: suffocating unbearable love, violence, general yandere, female reader shenanigans, infantilization, and of course incest. also christmas

minors and ageless blogs dni please <3

click here for part 1 and part 2

Click here for my new oc Yves (PLEASE READ IT I LOVE YVES)

plotholes and emglish errors everywhere and i could not be bothered :100emoji: please dont point it out thanks xoxo

Caught the Covid fuk now i cant leave my bed im so damn sick and pukey all the time, i dont fuckin know where my roommate is but at least they're not here to get infected, feeling like a busted up rustbucket rn

So this was originally written last year, couldnt find what else to write but this christmas time is perfect, so like dont mind the shoehorning of Christmas somewhere in this fic

You're having your summer break and you plan to pick up on a new hobby. Crocheting, perhaps.

Fuck, your brother picked up your search history from his spyware. Now you're left to deal with $1000 worth of wonderful quality crocheting materials and your big brother being your personal crocheting mentor.

This is where it gets frustrating. Yes, if you have the resources, you would enjoy your hobbies more. But, just like... What if you didn't like crocheting in the end? You're stuck with all these.

It happens to every single potential hobby. Stamp collecting? Your big brother will bid to the death for an extremely rare stamp from the 1900. You're not even fucking collecting the stamps, the stamp book already comes arranged with all the stamps ever produced. A collection that would only give a hardcore stamp collector an instant orgasm upon sniffing it.

Nail art? Where the hell should you keep all the acrylic powders, fake nails, drills and drill bits? Not to mention the dizzying numbers of nail polishes, nail brushes, nail stickers and cuticle sticks. Of course, your big brother is going to hire a professional nail artist to make sure you're practicing your hobby safely while he's learning how to do it himself, so he could replace your mentor too. He would become so skilled that he could qualify to open up a 5 star nail salon. But he's not interested unless you are.

Painting? you absolutely do NOT need all of those tubes of paint. The difference in shades for some of them are so small that you mistook it for the same colour. You would have a headache choosing the right type of paper, right type of primer and right type of fixative to use.

Are you having troubles on painting? Let big brother teach you. You would sit on his lap as he guide your hands across the canvas. Don't you think his warm hand enveloping yours feel nice? Doesn't his free hand feels nice sensually rubbing your thigh? Don't you just feel protected in his hold?

Makeup? Same situation with your nail hobby. You're essentially being babied by him and experienced celebrity makeup artists, you would drown in a mountain of eyeshadow palettes, primers, setting sprays, skin care products, anything and everything related to makeup.

Every instrument ever? Big brother would insist lovingly providing all the music lessons you need. He is a musical prodigy after all. If it's something ridiculously obscure like a Glass Armonica or the Theremin, big brother would master it in a couple of weeks, earn a fucking pHD in it and THEN teach you. No instrument is too expensive or hard for him. Your big brother is crossing his fingers HARD for you to have this hobby.

Chess? Oh, he is also a prodigy in it. He could teach you. Your chess pieces would be custom made to your liking, by the way. It would be the perfect density, perfect size, perfect texture for you. He knows what you like and you hate that.

Sports? Take a look at his "achievement room". It's filled to the brim with golden medals and trophies of every sport competition ever. He's not leaving you alone for this one.

Pottery? Welcome to your very own personal pottery studio, furnished with all types of drying racks, ovens, kilns, turntables and equipments you have never heard of. Big brother is always there to supervise you, making sure there won't be any accidents.

Cooking and baking? You get to have an industrial sized kitchen all for yourself. Everything is decorated such that it looks like you would be on television, starring in a cooking show. You don't need to clean anything, or prep anything, or actually do anything, really. There's a team of professional chefs and assistants to do everything for you. They're paid to cheer and clap and celebrate when you pour cake batter into a pan.

Gardening? Well, there's a massive plot of fertile land for you to garden to your heart's content at the house he bought as your 18th birthday gift. If you want a big project, it will be done overnight. You wouldn't hear the gigantic machineries and vehicles tumbling about due to the soundproof walls he installed. No one would be able to hear you both either, doing god-knows-what inside.

Video games? Your big brother personally do not encourage you to pursue this. But... Nonetheless, he would spoil you rotten with all the latest gaming consoles, limited edition merchandises, pre release copies of your favorite game franchises and whatever your gamer heart desires. All at a hefty price of... Daily cuddles and kisses. And you also have to move in with him. And he gets to decide what game you're playing, if he deems it a "bad influence"? It is not staying in his house.

You rather not.

Nothing is fun because the fun parts are already done for you. You don't get to experience the highs and lows of picking up a hobby, you don't get to explore and experiment. You're literally cursed with luxury.

So imagine your boredom, stress and paranoia during summer break. All your friends are spies for your brother, your hobbies aren't even "yours", leaving your house would inevitably lead you to your brother and all digital footprints are heavily scrutinized by him too. No privacy, no autonomy, all monotony.

You juggled three smartphones at once. Throwing one up in the air, catching the other one with your dominant hand, throwing the last to your other hand. Who gives a damn if one, or all of them breaks? It's riddled with spyware and your big brother would buy you every time a new model is released anyways. Which is... A new phone, a month?

You stopped caring where he gets the money. Obviously he has an assload and can afford to wipe his ass with thousand dollar bills regularly.

It's summer break. One last resort to try and spend your time like a regular ol teenager is taking up a part time summer job. There is a wide variety of jobs to choose from with your qualification. Granted, it's minimum wage and mostly customer service.

If you work as a barista, the cafe or juice bar you'll be working at will LOVE the crap out of you.

Your older brother will visit daily and increase their sales tenfold. Of course, he would pick the drinks that you like doing. It's okay if you fucked up, its only your beloved big brother's order, you can add as much sugar, salt, pepper, cyanide as you want. He will never yell at you, never tell you that you made anything wrong or never even die.

The management will suddenly see a surge in daily customer count. Thanks to big brother's networking. And like him, they also will accept anything you make with no complaint... As per his instructions. You could go full on ridiculous and give them a cup of ice drizzled with strawberry scented dish soap and call it Tutti Frutti, they would still pay for it and take it with them. Though, you're not sure if they ever consumed anything from you.

Without fail, your brother would visit you during every break and hand you your meal along with a kiss on the forehead or the cheek. He would bring you out to eat but you would refuse everytime. You also didn't want his company, which made him pout and whine without fail. But it's nice that he would actually back off after the sixth "no".

However, you know that fucker is watching you from a hidden camera somewhere in the nooks and crannies of whatever breakroom you're resting in.

He would engulf you in a big hug when you get off work, telling you how proud he is of you for getting through another workday like a champ. Praising you for all the hard work and excellent performance, making sure to soothe and comfort you if you happen to come across a rude customer earlier in the day.

You try not to think too much about their fate.

You will be fed, bathed and loved after every shift.

Hell, he would even build up a company from scratch just to hire you. Any position you want, barista, manager, cashier, back office work, janitor- you name it, you get the "job" and get paid a pretty penny. All your other coworkers and customers are probably paid actors and actresses to simulate a "real life working experience" safely. He controls it all, making sure you have just the right amount of drama, the right amount of diplomacy and the right amount of gossiping. You're rarely pushed out of your comfort zone, though. Big brother always has your safety and best interests at heart.

Of course, he will never tell you all of this, to keep the immersion going. You're going to feel sad that you're not exactly experiencing reality. But a bastardization of it. Might as well star in a trashy reality TV show instead, at least, it's much more authentic than whatever your big brother has going on for you.

He doesn't need to even tell you though. You would pick it up easily and quickly especially if you already watched the Truman Show. Don't tell him you did, god help you if he ever gets an inkling that you knew about the existence of the Truman Show. He deemed that movie as demonic propaganda and he needs to lecture some sense into you. If you want out, just say that you're 'bored' and want to do something else. Your big brother will gladly drop everything and do anything in his power to help you "achieve" what you want.

But for the sake of "plot" in this latest installment, you agreed to work in a quaint little bubble tea stall. Where you're the only employee, making drinks for whoever is ordering in front of the shop's decorated window.

Of course, your big brother miraculously happens to work in a nearby skyscraper as one does. It's not that you didn't do your research, you were a hundred percent certain he didn't work in that building, because that fucker never goes to work... At least, physically. Perhaps he does his job, whatever that may be, through online means.

You were planning to use your bicycle to get there that you got yourself with "your" money. He never bought you a car or a bike or anything that would get you around, he saw it as something unnecessary. Why would you need it when big brother is available 24/7 to bring you anywhere?

Actually, you could have gotten yourself a car with the allowance he gives you every day for being cute and adorable, and being patient with his incessant kisses and hugs and cuddles and love and touches and his fucking insanity in general.

But you know that he's going to kick up a massive fuss about driving alone. It was hell to even get your license with him actively trying to sabotage you at every exam- which includes him stooping so low to bribe the examiner to fail you. However, you persevered, and you got that stupid license. All the while, he was lamenting about how you're going to leave him all alone, how you don't need big brother anymore, how society pressured you to grow up too fast and recklessly drive off wherever.

You knew better than to fall for that. Or even entertain it either. Eventually, he gave up trying to guilt trip you into crying, apologizing to him and sobbing in his arms, promising that you won't leave him.

It's not like he DIDN'T kick up a fuss when you said you're using a bicycle either. He began freaking out about your safety, fearing that you might get run over.

Well. You admitted defeat. He's driving you to fucking work and back. It's not worth it to fight this battle.

So you began working in the stall. You had someone train you for your first 2 weeks. Then you were on your own.

The owner, who is also the person who showed you the ropes around there, said business isn't good, but it isn't bad either. So you didn't need to worry about rush hour where hoards of thirsty, sleep deprived office workers trample over each other to get their daily boba fix. It's pretty peaceful working there.

But what you do need to worry about, is your fucking big brother.

He would come and buy a drink, whichever you like to make. It can be the most expensive one, or the cheapest one, the most elaborate one or the simplest one. It's up to you, he will pay for it and happily drink what you made.

You could make him pay for the most expensive drink there is but serve him a cup of lukewarm water, and he would still drink it with glee and fork over his money, telling you to keep the change (which is usually a hundred bucks extra).

Let's say you want to be decent and make him drink that you know he would actually like. Which is anything that tastes generally fruity. And insist that you like making it even though it actually sucks.

He knows. He can tell that you're specially making his favourite drink. And that makes him happy and more obsessed with you if that's even possible at this point.

He would leave a massive tip and a kiss on your forehead.

Although your brother is fucking gross and weird like that, you still love him. Probably a bad idea but you're working so hard, trying your best to earn money honestly just to get him a Christmas gift.

Despite the restraining order between your parents and him, your brother is still invited back home each year to be jolly together. Preparations start a few days before Christmas, where you would see an unusual sight.

All of your immediate family members in the same room, or at least in the same house together without fighting to the death. Your dad's bones are intact, your mom didn't have her insecurities jabbed on for once. They're not exactly on speaking terms, per se.

You woke up one morning to see an... appropriate sized tree for your parent's house, erected in the middle of the living room. Adorned with beautiful ornaments and... are those pictures of you on the ornaments?

Wrapped presents were patiently sitting under the tree. There was a small box with your father's name on its tag, another small one with your mother's name on it. A decent sized box was addressed to your brother, must be a combined present from your parents.

Your shoulders sagged in defeat when you saw your presents took up the perimeter of the tree and even conquered the couch, the back of the couch and under the coffee table. You lost count after gift box #27.

Since everyone is in the kitchen, you quickly place the presents you got for your parents... and your brother.

You panned to the fireplace. Your Christmas stocking is filled so much to the brim that your brother must have added 5 more next to your original one. Your parents' and your brother's stockings are relatively empty. You stuffed them with candies and nuts to make them look less embarrassing.

You straightened your back, that should do it. Your ears perked up when you heard some clamoring in the kitchen. It must be your brother.

You let out a surprised yelp when you're yanked back by a pair of arms that snuck around your waist. "Merry Christmas, my little wittle precious baby!" You squeezed your eyes shut and scrunched your face as he attacked you with a barrage of kisses.

He giggled and squealed as he held you in his arms and twirled you around in glee. You let out a scream of horror as your feet dangle off the ground. He does this every Christmas morning when you were a child to wake you up further and get you excited for the holiday. But you're not a kid anymore, and this is horrifying.

Finally, he stopped and put you down. Your hair is frazzled and the world around you is gyrating. He squeezed you in another hug and gently rocked you side to side.

He immediately unlatched when you said you're hungry. Your big brother gleefully lead you to the dining table, where he fixes up a napkin around your neck like a bib. You asked him why is he tying a ribbon on your hair, he said that you are his Christmas present and he is spoiling himself this year.

Before you could respond, he gave you a brief peck on the head before frolicking away into the kitchen.

Your parents came out of the kitchen, greeting you. They're holding a tray full of steaming hot breakfast foods, no doubt your brother forced them to make it for you. Every Christmas generated a metric ton of leftovers. It's because your brother wanted you to try all of the foods from all over the world. But don't worry though, the leftovers could be so intact that it was given out to neighbors and friends and extended families. Some didn't even need to cook after that, the sheer amount of leftovers was enough to fuel ten more Christmas gatherings.

Croissants, quiches, various types of bread, eggs, ham, bacon even panettone made from scratch. Looking at the spread in front of you is dizzying, your big brother sets down the last plate right between your hands. It's a breakfast plate your brother customized to fit your usual preference, everything is shaped into a heart. He patted your head as he took a seat next to you.

Everyone ate in silence. Everyone was focusing on their own meal except... your brother. Who else would rather stare at you adoringly instead?

He asked if you wanted to go make snowmen outside. Not without proper winter protection, that is. You shrugged, it's not like you could escape your family anyway. Your friends are all busy with their own families, and you don't even have friends. Everything is closed and if you lock yourself in your room, your brother will just pick the fucking lock and force his way in.

Your parents tried making small talk, this earned a feral glare from your brother because it interrupted the connection between the both of you. They paid him no mind and began asking about your life. You tiredly replied to their questions and asked some back yourself, to try to find any sense of normalcy. Your brother would be disengaged with the words coming out of your parents mouth, but highly interested in what you had to say.

The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. You offered to help clear the table and do the dishes. Your brother just 'aww'd at you and gave you an appreciative kiss on your forehead. That wasn't an explicit yes, he appreciated the gesture, but he wouldn't allow you to dirty your hands doing chores.

He told you to wait for him to clean up. In the mean time, he gave you permission to open some of the gifts he got you. Frankly, you don't even want to deal with it at all, it's just too much crap. You decided to go through the stockings instead and grab some snacks for yourself.

As expected, he filled it with the most expensive treats and the freshest oranges. These types of foods are usually served in a formal setting, like eating gold crusted caviar at a 10 star restaurant, all dressed up in fancy clothes. But he just... shoved it in a Christmas stocking as if they're mundane chocolates.

Whatever, you shoved some into your pockets.

You turned around to see your brother smiling lovingly at you. He wrapped a puffer jacket around you, his scarf with his cologne on it, a pair of thick mittens on your hands , a winter hat snuggly fitted to your head, and a pair of thick pants he made you wear in front of him.

He picked one of your numerous christmas presents and handed it to you. He clasped his hands together expectedly as he watches you.

Your brother urged you to open it, go wild. Rip the wrapping to shreds. You felt so bad seeing how well wrapped it is and the quality of the wrapping paper is... indescribably good. It doesn't even feel like paper, it feels like silk.

So your carefully dismantled it, trying not to tear anything. You look up to see that your brother is pointing his camera at you, capturing this very precious moment. He encouraged you to go on.

You managed to remove the packaging and revealed a box of expensive winter boots. These are high quality and you would have been the source of envy even though most of your "friends" are also from wealthy families. Not everyone gets to have these.

You appreciate it but... You already had a pair of winter boots, the ones from last year, and the year before that. And the year before that, and a week ago where your brother is freaking out about you potentially having frostbite on your toes.

"It's the latest model! It was released as a part of a Christmas special, it will keep you warm and protect your feet too. It was selling out fast, I'm so glad I managed to get a pair for you, I can't have my sweetiepie sad on Christmas day!" Gushed your brother. You slipped them on.

You can't tell the difference between the one you had last year and the one on your feet now. Maybe some minor difference in it's stylistic design but... they're equally as comfortable.

You thanked your brother and finally gave him what he actually wanted from all this: a hug. He put away his phone and returned the embrace, sinking so deep into your jacket that neither of you can move without stumbling. You know he expected you to show gratitude for all his gifts through his main love language; touch.

It is exhausting.

After that, he brought you out to his private plot of land which he made into a park, complete with swingsets, monkey bars and slides. But these aren't for the public, it's for you. All the equipment are well maintained and look brand new even though you know it's been there for years.

He's not fond of throwing snowballs because it could hurt you. But he allows you to throw as much as you want at him. Even after the stunt you pulled last year.

You packed snow around a rock and hurled at him with all your might, it went straight to his head and his right eye was busted for months. Your brother didn't see that as something wrong, though. Even if you tried to apologize, he said that it was an accident and it was alright, he still loves you dearly and you did 'nothing wrong'. The first thing he did after recovering from his injuries at the hospital is to take you out for hot chocolate and then give you a backrub back home because winter could make your muscles stiff; and hence you must feel strained and sore.

He was still mildly bleeding from his gauze at the time, it was covering at least 70% of his upper head. Your brother was clueless when you asked if he needs any painkiller for his recent injury. He claimed to not feel the pain, but his wincing tells you otherwise. He rewarded you for your concern nonetheless with hugs and kisses and another massage.

You laid yourself on the snowy ground and started making snow angels. Your brother had his camera out and began capturing every moment he has with you.

You felt uncomfortable. And the cold is nipping at your bones even though you're thoroughly insulated by the sophisticated winter gear your brother made you wear. You're ready to go home now.

It shocked your brother and made him a bit desperate. He stammered and stumbled over his words, asking you if you wanted to play on the swing, build a snow man, play on the slides, the merry go around and... throw snowballs at him. Are you cold? He was in the middle of removing his own jacket to layer it onto you, but you stopped him.

You said you're tired. You don't find this fun and you're too old for this.

Maybe you're thirsty? He packed a flask filed with steaming hot chocolate for you- no? You're not thirsty or hungry? Maybe you wanted to use the bathroom-- no? You don't have to go?

He tried listing out all the possible reasons you wanted to go home and all its' solutions. Desperately wanting you to stop growing up so fast.

You got sick and tired of this, you yelled at him at the top of your lungs that you wanted to go home. You then stormed away towards the car, leaving your brother to stand there in silence, his camera capturing your explosive outburst.

Your brother saw you slamming the door angrily as you got in.

He sighed, gulping and hovering his finger over the delete button. But he ultimately decided against erasing the footage, it's still a video of you after all. Your brother assured that he's coming to the car, he wipes a stray tear away as he heads to his vehicle.

The both of you stayed silent as he drove you home.

Once you arrived, you bolted out of the car and ran back in. Locking yourself in the bedroom and barricading the door with random furniture. Hugging your knees close to your chest as you pray that your brother does not go after you by climbing into your windows.

And... he didn't. He left you alone for once. For a few hours too. It gave you the much needed relief, you felt like you could breathe now.

You're starting to feel a bit hungry. And you're hungry enough to be willing to face your older brother. So you began unbarricading, placing your dressers to it's original place.

You carefully unlocked the door, fully expecting him to be waiting outside for you. To your surprise, no one was in the hallway. You could hear some noises downstairs, in the kitchen.

You cautiously went down, the tree is still intact. Nothing is broken and there doesn't seem to be signs of a fight. You released a breath that you didn't know that you were holding, happy to know that you don't need to spend another Christmas at the hospital visiting your badly battered parents.

You whipped your head to the sound of your brother calling your name softly. He's holding a baking tray and a bowl, you can't tell what is in there because he's too tall. He smiled at you as he set it down on the dining table. The tray contained freshly baked parts of a gingerbread house and the bowl contained vanilla frosting.

You scanned the rest of the table. There are numerous small glass bowls containing different types of candy and snacks; from pretzel sticks to colourful chocolate rocks, to real gold leaves. Piping bags with metal tips are present too next to a box of plastic gloves.

Your brother pulled your chair out and invited you to sit there. You did, and he called you a good girl. His good girl. As you put on a pair of plastic gloves, he kissed you on the temple.

You asked where your parents are. He said that they're preparing the food for dinner, which includes ham and a roast turkey. And 15 other dishes.

You quizzed on, asking if there will be more people coming in. He shook his head: no. It's only the four of you. In the meantime, you should enjoy yourself building this gingerbread house. He puts on his own pair of plastic gloves too and began filling the piping bag with icing.

The two of you worked in peace, you opting to decorate the house while he pipes the details on the gingerbread men.

There is only two, a large one and a smaller one. You can guess which represents who.

You noticed the odd choice of attaching the small one to the large one's torso. With strategic use of the candies and frosting, he made it look like the larger gingerbread man is carrying the smaller one on its hip. He piped your defining features onto the baby gingerbread, and piped his features on the larger one.

He noticed you staring, your brother asked if you had a hard time connecting the pieces with frosting and if you needed his help. You said no, you just need a spatula from the kitchen. He tried to get up from his seat, but you pushed him back down, saying that you can get it yourself. He pouted, telling you to be careful and not touch the knives or stoves. Your brother went back to obsessing over the details on his gingerbread men.

You went inside the kitchen and greeted your parents who are busy cooking. You go through the drawers to find a silicone spatula and decided to help pick up some stray food scraps on the floor, throwing them into the bin. But as soon as you step on the pedal and have the lid swing open, you saw two crushed, but perfectly edible, gingerbread men in the garbage bin.

You returned to the dining table to see that your big brother is proudly presenting his work. He said this represents you and him... as if you already haven't figured it out. He said he dreams of having you live with him in a perfect fantasy house, fantasy world where you never have to grow up. And he will always be there by your side, taking care of you till the end of time. You will be pampered and spoiled rotten, you don't have to do anything, you don't have to lift a finger. Your big brother will do everything for you. He would even breathe for you if he could.

You nodded in acknowledgement, too tired to engage with him. You sat back down, continued with the gingerbread house. You failed to notice the flicker of sadness in his eyes, your brother felt so neglected and unwanted these few years. He wished that you were a kid again so the both of you could play together and be happy. The more he tries to win your favour, the more distant you get from him. He is endlessly chasing and you are running non-stop.

The rest of the afternoon went by uneventfully, other than the fact that your big brother rests his head on your shoulder the whole time.

Now, it's time for dinner. You tried helping them bring out the dishes, your brother praised you for being a darling as usual. He lets you have the first bite of the turkey, tearing a small inconspicuous piece of flesh from the bird and hand feeding it to you. It's still warm, juicy and delicious. Maybe it's the feeling of being special that makes it even tastier.

You chew as you brought out the casserole, setting it down on the table.

You looked at the spread. It looks like a buffet at a high end hotel. So many varieties and extremely nutritious.

Your brother fixed your napkin bib for you again and took food for you. Slumping in your seat, you were thinking of protesting but you knew it's easier to just wait for him to carve the best parts of the turkey for you and let the food pile up neatly on your plate first. He returned it to you, all your favourite dishes are on it within sensible portions. But these are still a lot of food for a person.

He didn't care about praying. Your brother wanted you to eat as soon as possible because you must be hungry. And it is absolute sacrilege to let you go hungry.

You insisted that you join your parents in saying grace and you're not that hungry. Your brother looks uncomfortable, still believing in his sick mind that you're starving to the point of emaciation. But since you are adamant in doing such 'pointless' things In his mind, he agrees, only if he leads it.

Everyone bowed their head down and held each others' hands.

Your brother said the shortest, most insincere, laziest grace ever. Once he fulfilled your requirement, he urged you to eat.

You're upset, you felt really angry and you thought he was mocking you instead. So you opted to eat alone in your room, you made it clear that you didn't want anyone in. Especially not your big brother.

He cried out a desperate plea to get you to stay with him. You ignored him and took a couple more of your favourite finger foods. Predicting a fight between your brother and your parents.

You wrenched your arm away from his powerful grip and fled the scene, hurrying up the flight of stairs. Only slowing down when you're out of sight.

As you thought, sounds of verbal fighting started resonating throughout the house. You heard your brother screaming his head off at your parents for being bad influences and poisoning you to hate him. Your parents defended themselves and this only fuelled the fire. You didn't want to be around when your brother started hurling chairs, so you slammed the door as hard as you could. The sudden loud noise did stop the commotion downstairs briefly. But it continued soon after.

You ate alone, in your barricaded room. Wishing that you're born into a 'normal' family, with 'normal' trauma. To a lot of people, you are complaining about a blessing. But you are always feeling alone, the only person facing a problem which everyone sees as a solution.

You scraped the last bits of food with your spoon. Waiting for the sounds of the ambulance or at least for the fighting to quiet down.

You looked at the clock. It's 1 AM. It's been relatively quiet for a while now, they should be finishing up their fight or cleaning up. Time for you to return your plate.

You grunted as you pushed the furniture away from your door which felt like the umpteenth time. You left your room and head downstairs.

Hearing soft sobs from one person, your brother. He's sitting in front of the tree, hugging the present you left for him earlier. The presents addressed to your parents are both missing, presumably being taken back to their room. A blanket is loosely draped around his shoulders.

You took slow steps, unsure if you should comfort him or not. But before you can even decide to chicken out, he spotted you. However, to your surprise, he didn't approach you or tell you to come forward. He gave you a soft assuring smile, before returning his attention to the tree.

You set your plate aside and went by his side. Your brother watched you with puffy eyes full of love, yet it tells you that he has been irreparably hurt by something... or an accumulation of things.

"Thank you..." He whispered, refering to the gift you gave him. It isn't something particularly valuable to you. It's a picture of the entire family in a photo frame. Your brother is going to cherish it, because it is a gift from the person he loves most in the world. But deep down, he secretly wishes that it was a photo of you and him alone.

He still looks extremely upset and distraught. Almost like he is at the brink of a breakdown. Your brother usually verbalizes what he wanted, but he couldn't this time.

You wonder what your parents got for him. You peeked over his shoulder to see that an unopened box containing a plain T-shirt and a pair of socks is carelessly discarded to the corner of the room.

Then, it clicked. Just like you, he felt alone. Maybe you will never understand why he holds you so dear in his heart. Just like how no one will understand him either, his struggles are unique to him with no one to relate.

He destroyed the relationship between himself and your parents. His friends are all superficial. You're grown up and constantly rejecting his love.

Not a single one of you paid attention to him. Yes, it is hard to think of a present for someone who has everything. But they could have put in a bit more effort, the colour of the shirt and socks aren't even in his favourite colour or in the correct size. You could have removed your parents from the photo, your brother will never remove it himself. Because that would mean defacing your gift for him.

And growing up, your parents never saw him as... a person. As someone with feelings and a personality. They only saw his value as a trophy piece to show off to their friends and family. Same goes to his friends now, if it wasn't for his skills and possessions, he would be nothing to anyone.

He had to beg to be loved. Even that isn't reliable, he could give it his all and everyone around him will expect more. Your brother could never dream of being the receiving end of his own affection. It seems like an impossibility to him.

Perhaps he is doing all of these despite getting nothing but disgust and disdain from you is all to protect your innocence, to not put you through what he had to face. It's just that he went about it the wrong way. Or maybe he is just... wrong in the head. Or maybe he was hoping by loving you so much, you would give him the intense type of love he was yearning for his entire life.

Either way, he is alone.

The both of you are now seated in front of the fireplace. You didn't want to open presents, your brother is okay with that. He did not nag you to do it for once. Snuggling closer, the both of you shared a blanket. He still looks unhappy and crestfallen.

You remember you still had the ribbon bow on your head.

He hovered his arms around you as you squirm in his grip. You managed to crawl into his lap and rest your head on his chest. He lets out a chuckle and some sniffles, clamping his arms back down around you.

You reminded him of one last gift. Your brother is confused until he saw your ribbon.

From that moment on, he burst into tears of joy. He found you so unbearably adorable, so unbearably cute that his heart couldn't take it. An excited squeak escaped his lips as he held you even tighter. Peppering kisses all over your face, neck and head.

He started blabbering in baby talk, calling you every pet name and listing out everything he loved about his 'gift'. Repeating that this is the best gift he ever received and this is all he ever wanted. You are all he ever wanted. Praising that you remembered what he loves.

You hope that he could feel a little less lonely tonight. You can't peer into his head and know exactly what is going on inside. But you knew, he was happy.

Your breathing calmed him down and he closed his eyes, nuzzling against your neck. The collar of your shirt wet from his tears and your arms are secure around him. Your brother mumbled "I love you." as he adjusted you on his lap. Pressing your form against his, enjoying the heat that the both of you shared. Wishing that this moment will never end and you will never part from him.

You realized another thing too as he strokes your hair.

Your older brother is the only person in the world who harbors true, undying, unconditional love for you.

Even though he has his flaws, there will be no one else like him. Ever.

So you closed your eyes and melt into him. Just like before, you felt safe.

The both of you fell alseep in front of the hearth, surrounded by gifts, mostly unopened ones. Snowflakes floating down from the skies and landing delicately at the edge of the roof. Feeling unburdened and content in the living room.

Merry Christmas.

[pro-memoriia]

Could you do a sweet Aether/Swiss ficlet, please?

Here's Swiss and Aether being a sappy, romantic couple. This is very corny. Tooth rotting, even.

Extra stuff: Ghouls have elemental powers, crazy astro-religion stuff for quintessence ghouls

It was a cold winter night. Swiss and Aether had both found themselves unable to sleep, so they made a mutual decision to go outside for a while and stargaze. They went a little past the building and made a small campfire, laying in the snow with Swiss' fire abilities to keep them warm.

"What's with quint ghouls and stars?" Swiss asks, turning his head to look at the ghoul laying beside him.

"What, you don't like them?"

Swiss laughs. "'Course, I do. I just don't really get it, even as a multi ghoul."

"We all feel connected for different reasons," Aether said softly. "Some say the stars are the embodiment of our past lives. Some say they're portals into other lives. Some people say that we were made by the stars. Either hand crafted or birthed..."

"Hand crafted by stars?" Swiss chuckled. "You quints sure say a lot of interesting things, honey."

"Maybe, but they're meaningful, aren't they?"

Aether looks at Swiss. The two lock eyes and lay in silence for a moment before Swiss smiles.

"Such a sap," he teases.

Aether rolls his eyes and lightly smacks his partner's hand before grabbing it to hold in his own.

"I don't know... If the stars really did hand craft you, they did a damn good job."

Aether smiled proudly.

"Do you think they helped craft me?"

Swiss' curious voice was a warm sound to fill the void of silence of the outside.

"You must've been difficult to make. After all, you're so perfect. Nobody could ever get you right on the first try."

Swiss rolled closer and climbed on top of his mate to straddle him in the snow.

"Which one of us taught the other how to sweet talk, again?" Swiss teased.

"Who cares?" Aether said, sitting up. He cupped Swiss' face in his cold hands and took in the warmth of his skin.

The two shared a sweet kiss for a few good moments. Small, lovely comments were made about each other, mumbled against chapped lips.

Suddenly, during a deep lip lock, Swiss grabbed a handful of snow, putting it down the back of Aether's coat.

The quintessence gasped and shivered, shaking himself to get it out as Swiss burst out laughing.

Swiss started laughing a bit too hard, and seemed to miss his mate reaching for his own handful of snow. He forgot until the fluffy texture was shoved into his open mouth. He coughed and spit it out before reaching for another handful.

The two rolled away from each other and grabbed constant handfuls, tossing it at each other and smashing it against their face or chest when they could.

"I have better aim than you," Swiss bragged happily as a snowball launched past his head.

"Shut up unless you want snow in your mouth again!"

The two kept going until eventually, Swiss tackled Aether into the fluffy whiteness of the ground. The rolled over, switching their positions over and over again.

There was a loud yell whenever they fell down for the last time.

"Fuck, Swiss! I think there's snow in my boxers!"

Swiss only burst out laughing at his friend's comment.

"Icicle dick?" He teased.

Aether groaned and rolled his eyes. "I think it's time we go back inside, love."

Swiss got up and grapped Aether's hands, yanking the ghoul to his feet. They put out the fire and started walking back to the Ministry building.

"Will you carry me?" Aether whined.

Swiss only scoffed. "You big baby. You get snow down there one time and you can't walk?"

"Please?"

Swiss laughed and shook his head. He was a ghoul, which meant he was strong. With one movement of his arm, Aether was held against his chest.

The two went back in like that, giggling and murmuring to each other. They ended up getting some hot cocoa and going to Aether's room to get in his pajamas and get a nice, long rest in the quint's nest.

[solcorvidae]

Modern Witcher AU: My Headcanons (part 2 of ?)

Jaskier was put in a ton of winter sports as a kid. He knows how to ski and ice skate very well. He can snowboard but prefers skiing.

Geralt, on the other hand, never learned to skate. He and Eskel have not been able to find skates that fit their boot size since they were teenagers.

Geralt likes yard work more than other household chores. He likes maintaining the garden and arranging a nice living space to hangout in and Jaskier is very appreciative.

Jaskier is usually super busy in the winter months. He attends get togethers, dinners, parties, etc. Geralt does the opposite. He and his family head home for some time to relax and catch up with one another after being on the road. They don’t often do big activities or social events, mostly staying in the house with each other for the duration of their stay.

Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert shared a room until Geralt started to get into his teen years. Their childhood room had a bunk bed for the two oldest boys and a single bed for Lambert. Lambert eventually took over Vesemir’s office and it was converted to his new room. Now, they each have normal bed frames that sit on the floor.

Geralt wears a dark brown, felt, pinch front cowboy hat. He is very attuned to the etiquette and superstitious beliefs around wearing one.

Eskel and Jaskier are the same height (6’0)

Geralt is 6’3 but often people assume he’s shorter. He slouches when he sits and tries to take up as little metaphorical space in the room as he can. When he stands up, his posture is straight as a board and this adds to the surprise many people feel when they see how tall he really is.

Eskel is the opposite. He has a large but warm and inviting presence when he enters a room. He makes himself known and takes up a lot of space with his big personality. People often assume he must be taller than he really is and are often surprised when they stand next to him and see eye to eye.

Lambert is 5’11 and bitter about it.

Eskel has textured, somewhat oily skin but shockingly left his acne struggles in his teen years.

Geralt was blessed with little to no acne most of his life—including as a teenager.

Lambert hasn’t quite grown out of it and still gets the occasional (relatively mild) blemish. They usually appear when his disposable razor starts to get dull and begins to irritate the skin--Geralt tries to get him to invest in a safety razor, to no avail.

All three boys share a bathroom at Vesemir's house and Vesemir has his own tiny ensuite bathroom. He doesn't care if they trash their own space as long as it doesn't start growing mysterious molds…

Everyone having different hair colours (especially Geralt) meant that it was difficult to blame each other for hair left in the bottom of the tub/sink. But oh did Lambert try.

They are banned from using Vesemir's bathroom unless they absolutely have to. The shower however, is non negotiable. It is off limits altogether.

The only exception to this rule is when any of the boys are sick. When one of them is ill, Vesemir sets them up on the floor with blankets and a pillow so they don't have to keep running to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It also helps that he can keep an eye on them and monitor if they start getting worse or need to go to urgent care—Eskel was particularly bad for lying about not being sick for a long time.

As a child Geralt would wake up every night in the middle of the night from the dead of sleep and be afraid to fall back asleep on his own. He always climbed to the top bunk where Eskel slept and he felt safe. If Eskel wasn't there or he didn't want to wake him, Geralt would walk to Vesemir's room to fall asleep in his dads bed where he felt just as safe. It took him a long time to grow out of this habit.

Even though his boys are all grown up, Vesemir would never turn them away from any sort of "childish" comfort, especially when they're going through a particularly hard time. If they ever needed a hug or wanted to fall asleep in his room, all they had to do was ask.

[Modern AU Headcanon Masterpost]

[everybodyshusband]

I can't help but wonder, how do you imagine the other ghouls reacting to a regressed Rain, Dew and Phantom sh-ing? And if so, (specifically Dew) do they accept the help or try to fight it?

ohhhh i also have so, so many thoughts about this, thank you for the ask, dear anon !!! (although to be honest, most of my thoughts are just unintelligible mess of Thought Soup that i can't put into words but i'll do my absolute best !!)

under the cut once again. cw for blood, discussions/descriptions of self-harm (numerous methods) in relation to regressed ghouls, INCLUDING GHOULS SELF HARMING WHILE REGRESSED

as i said in my original post, i think phantom and rain are much more easily distracted from their negative thoughts once they're regressed. that's not to say that neither of them have acted on these thoughts before, but it definitely happens less often with those two than it does with dewdrop. or... maybe not less often, but definitely more subtly.

for instance, when phantom is "big" enough in their regression to be able to talk (or at least, nod and shake their head to communicate their wants and needs), they have a tendency to refuse food because they know it will make their stomach hurt after a while. this is quickly picked up by the other ghouls because phantom never usually has any issues with food, so it's a sure sign that their regressed headspace is an upset one. in these events, the pack make sure to swaddle them up nice and tightly in their favourite nicely textured blanket and cuddle them so gently, whispering words of reassurance and love as they fall asleep. they're fairly accepting of the coddling and the help provided by their pack, but that may be because they're just so little that they can't do anything about it. the pack get worried about phantom when they're like this, naturally, but they know phantom's danger levels are fairly low when regressed; there are much bigger dangers to their health when they're in a regular headspace compared to going a few hours without a snack.

(obviously their sporadic refusal of food has the potential to turn into a bigger issue than it is currently, and the pack know that and are keeping an eye out as best as they all can. at the moment though, it's never progressed to anything worse than phantom refusing the cut up fruit cirrus and mountain offer them every few hours)

rain is a little bit more obvious in their self harm than phantom is. they do their best to hide it, but their regression makes it hard to be as subtle as they'd like. don't get it twisted though, sometimes they can be quite sneaky (they're a water ghoul with a very low body temperature; if they snuggle up with dew (or swiss) long enough when he's purposefully cranking his internal body heat up to warm rain up, they can get some pretty serious burns, and they don't even have to lift a finger to cause the pain) but most of the time they're almost incapable of being subtle about it. whether its a slip of the mouth when they're chatting away to aether, telling him that "my legs really hurt from earlier," or "wow, cirrus, i really don't feel good after drinking every single drop of that funny, burning liquid from the pretty bottle." after confessing what they've done to one of the ghouls, they're instantly bundled up in someone's arm to keep them from wandering off and doing themselves any more damage. depending on what they've done, they'll be cleaned up and gently and painlessly as possible (cutting/hitting themselves), or given a somewhat stern talking to about not drinking or eating anything unless one of their pack has given it to them (alcohol/drug consumption). whether they accept the help gratefully or try to resist it depends entirely on the complexities of their headspace. some days the pain/worry/stress that self harming causes to their regressed self is enough that they'll accept any help offered to them easily, and they want nothing more than to be looked after and loved by their packmates. but some days they're very reluctant; they don't believe they deserve the help their pack wants to give them, so they do their best to hide away and isolate to avoid being taken care of (the only downside to this is that they have the same hiding place every time, so it's very easy for the other ghouls to find a freaked out regressed rain).

and dew... my favourite little guy... oh, how i love to make him suffer :) i've actually talked about little dew, his relation with self harm, and the other ghouls' reaction to it in length with @cirrus-ghoulette, so WOW, am i excited for this opportunity to spill forth my thoughts, haha !! thank you once again, anon ! (a lot of our discussions have been centred around dew being in constant residence at the abbey's infirmary due to chronic illness things, so most of my thoughts revolve around that, for some context !!)

dewdrop does his best to fumble around with his collection of blades in a coordinated enough manner to be able to carve some damage into himself while he's regressed. over his time in the infirmary under omega's watchful eye, dew gets progressively better at hiding his self harm from omega (because he knows that omega won't hesitate to place him under intense observation if he thinks dew is in serious danger, and dew Does Not Want That), and that includes when he's regressed. he's been known to mess around with his blades under the blankets while omega's been talking to him and keep a relatively neutral face, even as he cuts little slices into his skin (he can never manage to cut very deep when he's regressed), and the only thing that gives him away are the little splotches of blood that stain his sheets. eventually, omega learns dew's quirks and mannerisms that let him know that dew is self harming while regressed and he puts measures into place to stop that from happening as much as possible.

the easiest way to prevent dew from harming is to take away his blades, but he'll always question it when he's regressed. he'll ask omega in the softest, smallest, most heartbroken voice where his "sharp fings" are when the quintessence ghoul comes in to give him a checkup, insisting that his skin feels all tingly and the only way he can stop it from feeling like this is to make himself hurt. every time this happens, omega has to gently explain that he's taken the blades away to keep dew safe because he was hurting himself, which makes dew quite distressed; he knows he's hurting himself when he does this, but when he's regressed, he doesn't always acknowledge/understand the magnitude of it until someone else puts it into words for him. he asks for his blades back every single time and omega has to insist that "no, dove. he can't give them back, he's got to keep dew nice and safe, okay?"

there are absolutely times when dew refuses to accept omega's help until he's literally kicking and screaming with tears running down his cheeks as he sobs about his meggy being so mean and nasty to him. but as much as i love putting dew through pain, i also think that regressing can also have that aspect of safeness for him. if omega offers dew help, he might not accept it right away, but if omega nudges dew in the right way, he'll practically beg to sit cuddled up on omega's lap with a plushie in his arms and a pacifier in his mouth, sleepily watching an episode of a kids tv show. and because primarily, regression dew's way of keeping himself safe (despite the fact that it's not usually a conscious decision), he's able to find comfort in that safer headspace if someone else is there to help and guide him, and move away from the one that tells him he needs to self harm.

[quills-of-freedom]

Annie Leonhart Relationship, Vibe & Various

💥

💦

👊

🦵

👄

🤺

🦢

🐍

🦋

🍑

🔪

As we all know, Annie is a withdrawn and cold individual. But if you manage to carve your way into the ice-cold exterior, something warm and fuzzy may just surprise you.

Even in a modern AU Annie is a pretty sporty lady; she loves playing sports, MMA, fencing and the like. She and Mikasa actually get on pretty well once they're a little older, often doing these activities together.

Has a secret soft spot for scented candles. Her place is littered with them - won't light them though because it "only ruins them" I don't make the rules, she does.

Not huge on PDA.

Makes an effort on special occasions like birthdays etc but not overly affectionate on normal days. She enjoys a quiet cuddle with you while watching a movie but she's not going to be smooching you in the street.

Ideal dates

Annie does not enjoy being fawned over and the centre of attention, so she would prefer somewhere quiet where people you know won't bump into her and make a big deal out of the fact you're on a date.

Oh, take her to an old and forgotten thrift store or one of those weird shops every town seems to have, where they sell crystals, incense and grinders. She'd love it. Probably pick up some candles while she's there.

She's innocent though when it comes to drugs, so she'll think a grinder is a yo-yo at first.

Hiking. Rock Climbing. Camping. All of these things she adores, so huge bonus points to you if you enjoy them too and take her away for a weekend to do this.

Modern Au

Since she's a big sporty spice and a bit of a tom-boy at times, she likes a good drink in a sports bar with the boys. (And Mikasa)

When Annie is drunk she just talks a little more and has a flushed nose bridge/ tops of cheeks. She's never really been known to make an ass of herself due to alcohol. Hornier though, but we'll get to that.

Like Mikasa, will need to be dated for a little while before she'll allow you to be intimate with her.

Drives a big white car. I can just envision it.

Has a thing for Italian food and restaurants. Loves spaghetti Bolognese and parmesan.

NSFW

So first off, kitty likes to scratch. I've cannoned a few times that she has long fingernails and tens to dig those claws into your back/arms/thighs. Even when giving you oral she gets so turned on those nails will sink into your skin. If it bothers you, she'll avoid doing it unless she's orgasming - all control is gone then, sorry.

Her erogenous zone is her ass. Spank, slap, grab, massage... all will get her feral.

Annie is mostly a dom/top but she can switch and allow you to take control if she's feeling particularly soft that day.

Once she's comfortable with you, she isn't shy about letting you know she wants sex. Sometimes just rubs herself against you like a cat in heat or even grabs the top of your trousers and pulls you to the bedroom.

Her genitals are small, neat and pink. Tastes like marshmallows.

Adores riding your face.

Annie, when single, masturbates quite often. She has a lot of Cortisol built up from all of the sports / fighting she does, and it's a great way to replace that with some dopamine.

Kinks

Hair pulling. She'll tug at yours a lot. And if she's feeling submissive, loves it when you pull her hair.

Oral sex. To her, nothing beats the feeling of your warm, textured tongue encasing her most intimate area. And she gets a huge thrill out of having her lips wrapped around your sex too.

If you're wanting to have her in a softer mood, praise her. Treat her like the queen she is; compliments galore. She'll blush and shrug them off at first, saying you're being dumb; but continue while you're getting her warmed up for a good pudding pounding, then she'll be a crimson mess and allow you to ravish her to your heart's delight.

If you take this praising route, her orgasm will be earth shattering.

After a particularly stressful / hard day, loves nothing more than just hopping on your dick / strap and riding you into glory.

Deep Penetration. When she's particularly feral, loves nothing more than having her toes up by her head as you dip into her and crashing into her cervix. She'll cum multiple times doing this.

Aftercare

If she's cut you up pretty bad with those nails, she'll apologise and offer to clean them up for you - she doesn't want your pleasure wounds becoming infected.

A lot of the time she's a no-go after she's orgasmed. If you're a female who can orgasm or a man who knows what it can be like after you've satisfied a woman, then she's like that. Blank staring, ears ringing, and floating on a cloud for a few minutes after. She won't be able to walk for a little while.

Dates 10/10

Thoughtfulness 6/10

Affection 4/10

Sex 10/10

Aftercare 6/10

[cyrsed]

how do you get your colors in your art to look so good?

gonna resist the urge to say my colors aren't that great, and i'm gonna try and think about how i do color seriously.... also thank you for the compliment! i've always felt like i struggle with color but maybe i can still be helpful :B if this stuff is all super basic, apologies in advance

ig i already love bright colors, especially warm colors, but i feel like a lot of making visual art is bringing out the contrasts between colors, light and dark, textures, movement, saturation, curves and straight lines, etc., so that just means i usually try to think about the relationships between the colors a little more than the colors individually.

i also don't usually start with a solid color palette defined beforehand. i usually know the basic colors i want, but i don't typically choose them before i start bc that's too rigid for me, and i want to be able to adjust things or throw things out without worrying that i'm messing up the balance of a palette i already committed to.

so for this one

i used a lot of warm colors bc i loove earthy yellows and oranges, but i think it can make colors feel more vibrant if they're next to colors that contrast w/ it (warm and cool, or complementary colors).

the "gray" metal parts of the picture like the shelf stile coming down vertically, and the jar lids behind it, are green to contrast w the oranges and reds in particular, and there's some blue popping up in the zombie head and the shadows on the bottom shelf for the same reason, altho the blue is a touch on the greener, cooler side of blue (as opposed to the purpler, warmer side).

usually if i use a color in one place, i try to pull it into the rest of the picture for better balance unless maybe if it's the focal point. so i'm doing that with the blue, and the orange stickers to spread the bright orange from that big jar around more.

also i don't usually use straight gray/white/black, 99.9% of the time i'll use something tinted like that green metal stile, or the pinkish gray in the jar on the far right.

same here: it's mostly green and red bc i like that combo & they're complementary, but i did try to pull a little blue in as well through the shadows on the right ribcage and that one mystery organ under the green intestine, nd in the back of the leg.

that being said tho, it's not really "blue", it's more like nearly gray-purple that looks blue bc it's next to such bright warm colors. that's the magic of gray lol, it's very useful bc it's easy to make it look as if it's warm/cool depending on what colors it's surrounded with.

ig color for me is mostly about color relationships and saturation... the gray can look like blue if it needs to, and it can make the colors next to it look even more vibrant so the skin of this necromorph dude looks sickly and dead but the organs look pretty lively.

when i shade something i always try to use a color that's at least a little bit different from whatever the base color is. so in this case the base color was that kind of pale orange and the orange-ish gray, but the shadows are both super saturated & one is leaning more toward a sienna/orange (on the left side of the pic on the arm and ribs) and the other one is leaning a lil more toward a berry purple/red & i think that usually adds some nice depth to the color. also don't be afraid to add reeeally dark darks and really light lights, but imo the darks give colors the most life by contrast.

since this was a limited palette & not that detailed, i didn't worry about pulling that aquamarine anywhere else.

other than that, i just try to be bold with colors, and go for something exciting & not worry too much about whether it looks naturalistic. plus there's tons of colors you can pull out from regular objects/lighting/whatever else. this isn't specific to color, but the other thing i try to do is practice seeing what colors/forms are really there, not what i expect to be there.

a super basic example would be if i want to draw a banana, i don't want to just automatically reach for yellow bc bananas are yellow, i want to either look closely at the real banana i want to draw, and really try to see what colors are really there (which can be surprising tbqh), or if i'm not actually looking at a real one, then just try to pull in more color for the fun of it, like shading it with purple or blue maybe idk go nutso!

tl;dr i think i usually try to keep in mind

warm/cool color balance

complementary colors (altho tbh you can make any color combo look good, esp if you mess with warm/cool balance)

saturation (i keep a lot of things saturated, but also the contrast between saturation/desaturation can make the colors look more intense)

light and dark contrast

using tinted grays to imply a warmer/cooler color that contrasts with the main palette

color depth (shading with cooler and/or warmer variations of similar colors)

go nutso

[cuprohastes]

I shall now pick this object up...

Garf, Un-Named Male, Phalanges Mittens and Cat Fantastic were in theory working on part of the live ecosystem reclamation down in Sanitation.

Not an especially unusual situation, since they were after all, really high tech sanitation engineers from the future; or from their point of view, Life Support Tech.

A job's a job and people like to breathe clean air, not die of 'drinking water' or have to wade through sewage of any level.

The issue had been traced to monitoring probe that was hallucinating, and thus the apparent issue had been resolved in two minutes of work, three of swearing at a stuck bolt, and ten of getting Cat Fantastic to go get the replacement part, which had led to a long discussion between Garf and Un-Named male about how weird it was to see a Little Guy without a Big Atrix.

"Yes -- but Cat drives that tool trolley around, so it helps." Phalanges said, referring to the robotic workbench nicknamed "The Office".

The workbench was originally designed to follow a worker around, but since Phlanges didn't have a pouch for his Little Guy the way Garf did,t he and Dave had converted the thing to keep Cat warm.

Later, once they got the manual remote replaced by a unit Cat could use, they'd added a basket for snacks so Cat could do a drinks and sandwich run to the Cafeteria, and a cargo box to haul parts and tools.

Around then Dave herself showed up and took a professional look through the viewport at huge tray of essentially very wet dirt that a variety of mosses and fungi and earth plants were cohabiting on.

Dave of course was the certified expert in this system, so it behoved her to stick her snout in and take a look-see.

"Stuck gas probe?" she guessed and then rather theatrically reached in and picked up a bottle of Lychee soda from the snack storage using two claws.

Garf and the two Little Guys reacted appropriately with amazement and Phalanges who was actually Human and usually fairly good at this stuff had to say, "OK what am I missing?".

Almost everyone held up their hands.

Phalanges looked around and then held up his hand.

"Oh. Oh!" he said.

Tsin have three fingers and an opposable thumb. All of them have large, sturdy digging claws.

Atrix have two fingers and two thumbs, which have thick, conical claws.

Terrafruit Fruits of Earth (Tee Em) bottles have no claws but are very smooth and incredibly hard to hold unless one get's their palm and fingers around it... and Dave had lifted it human style.

Dave's not human. She's a Tsin. This may or may not have been mentioned before.

Phalanges, biologically human but extremely well integrated with non-human ergonomics gets it.

"OK... I can tell you're dying to show off." he said.

"You bet your sweet bippy I am!" said Dave who's mastery of colloquial English was charmingly archaic.

She held out a hand and on examination: There were silicone pads fixed in place on the inside curve of her claws - Textured pads.

"Hang on, is that...?" said Phalanges, and Dave said "Yes! Fingerprints!"

"Who's?"

"Nobody's. It's a generated, semi symmetrical pattern, and they're all the same." explained Dave. "They're called Humanfingers."

"A name that will not cause any confusion or sound weird and creepy." said Phalanges wryly. "Though I can see the use."

"Yeah. They were invented on the station." Dave said proudly. "And I think the marketing lab is working on the name. As per normal it's Eat your Own Mushrooms time so I have been Authorised to distribute everyone's test sets. Let me just reach into my pocket..."

Dave made a show of taking out individual packets with just her claw tips. Two small sets for Un-Named Male and Cat Fantastic. One for Garf, who started by helping un-named Male get his on so he could help her.

Phalanges took the hint and helped his Little Guy, and soon Cat was practicing with them on The Office's control pad, Un-Named male doing some backseat driving.

"And of course, because the computer was told to automate the manufacturing and disbursement for all non-humans based on staff profiles..." said Dave with glee.

"Oh no." said Phalanges and held out a hand.

Dave dropped the last packet into his hand. It contained ten thimble like objects with oval pads on each.

"The print team were so amused when they got the error that they didn't have the right biometric data that they whipped up a unique set for you." Dave told her buddy.

Phalanges - Priorly the other Dave of Dave The Human and Dave the Human ceremoniously put them all on and made menacing finger wiggles. "You know this means that I can no longer be identified for my many future crimes via fingerprint." he said.

Dave looked at Garf, who shrugged and said, "Don't look at me. This monster... you created."

[munro-of-europa]

Senses and other Specifics:

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE SMELL LIKE? DL smells like hairspray because the pink mohawk thingy can't keep itself upright. Nah not really, they smell like fresh laundry, ink on paper and petrichor. They do sometimes wear a fragrance but depending on what the situation may be, it's not very intense and it's quite gentle and at times metallic. The best example of this is Spacewalk by Demeter.

WHAT DO YOUR MUSE’S HANDS FEEL LIKE? Very warm unless they stick their hands in a freezer, and very dry palms. The backs of their hands however are super soft, much like the rest of their skin!

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE USUALLY EAT IN A DAY? DL is by all means, a carbohydrate fiend. They have a lot of love for bread and pasta for some reason, the former because it can be soft or crunchy and they love textures- the latter because pasta if done right can go with everything. They actually don't like to eat in front of other people, and they're very reserved about what they do eat on account of their size (they're small in height but they are what is considered plus size). Because people can be and are assholes. However, coming from a colony like Europa where everything was beige coloured, DL likes to include colours in whatever they eat.

DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE A GOOD SINGING VOICE? They trained to be a classical singer and working for [REDACTED], they were initially hired to be a singer in night clubs and bars. If I had to compare a singer to their voice now, as they're in their mid-30s, they'd sound like Alison Moyet- but they don't sing much, unless they're asked to. Nicely.

DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE ANY BAD HABITS OR NERVOUS TICKS? YES BECAUSE DL IS BY AND LARGE A NERVOUS FOOLE. Their most well known one is clearing their throat and talking with their hands. They'll also find whatever item that's in their pocket and fidget with it in their hands, it could be a golf ball- it could be a radioactive space rock- it could be anything! The crunchier sounding, the better.

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE USUALLY LOOK LIKE / WEAR? DL WEARS WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY FEEL LIKE. Actually, they wear what could be described as 'assaulted by a wardrobe' 90% of the time they're around and awake. When they're not actively doing things, it's just a big shirt, an even bigger hoodie and casual things. Usually cuddly type material.

IS YOUR MUSE AFFECTIONATE? HOW SO? They may be shy as fuck, but DL once they get comfortable around someone they can get affectionate! In fact they love it. They adore it, both giving and receiving. Their language of affection is hugs, for anyone. However because of their experiences, they force themselves to be more reserved, because they worry they're a big fuckin' weirdo or they'll creep someone out by being affectionate. So they have to get that side brought out, whether that be in a platonic or romantic context.

WHAT POSITION DOES YOUR MUSE SLEEP IN? When alone, they'll sleep like a starfish, on their back because they like space sometimes. HOWEVER, they like to cuddle up to people if it's a romantic partner- and they prefer to be the bigger spoon, the jetpack if you will.

COULD YOU HEAR YOUR MUSE IN THE HALLWAY FROM ANOTHER ROOM? Surprisingly, no! They're very quiet in how they move and speak- unless they're excited about something then you'll be able to hear them from a million-mile radius.

tagged:@strongfuck (and now you know a little bit more about them hee hee i am no crying a promise)

tagging:@the-expatriate, @raktanag, and whoever wants to do this, consider yourself tagged!

[the-firebird69]

This is an example of the stucco on the turret and it's mixed in the use of the house and it's kind of a split-faced slightly colored block that's used on the exterior as well it looks very nice. They also added some touches to use some period windows and even in the turrets they do it like that so you don't have Windows everywhere and it's a nice touch and it makes it easier and it less expensive. As you can see this look works with the current roof. Are those a bigger roof then you see here it still broken up up top with dormers those windows you see up there and the roof they have some as examples and people like it

Thor Freya

Olympus

I like this look and it's something to be looked at it's because it's a veneer and it's less expensive and because of the mix and the effect it has and you're not in this big cold dungeon building and they can fend off anybody and it's not a German type obstruction out here it looks pretty normal and the veneer is nice it's not split Rock or random and it's very neat and it's not a German look either although it's very nice to have a very sturdy house out here people take it the wrong way

Hera

We have a lot of styles that work on this on the particular house chateau nouveau and it is a very nice look that we come up with the one they have is very rudimentary and it is almost it's 100% Bavarian and they don't even do that out there anymore it's very very rustic and old fashioned. We have a lot of new looks as a builder we can make the changes actually we have an architect who does that kind of work and on the plans that you get from them. We do insist you do that because they are the ones who copied the castles and no they're not copyrighted people have done it in the past and it is a wonderful idea to put this forwards a lot of people will love it and there's exteriors like this that work they look very nice. This is a good pic for the particular Palace that they're looking at and it is a castle piece there's some others that I think are nicer but the ones that they have is examples or not that great and he has some design changes that are right but he likes the block but that's because it is bullet resistant very bullet resistant I like it too but we have different color block and texture like this that's the same bullet rating and even works a little better because you don't have a good angle all

Freya Ridings

Here's our goals we hear this stuff and get interested and we started buying stuff and then we get blown off when we want to cancel it and how you should not do it unless you're going to definitely do it if you're planning to move you should do it now if we move out west which it looks like we're going to have to with these Max breathing down our neck and taking all the stuff and it looks like we set them up we didn't do it on purpose but we did take the ships in the first place so think about it if you're planning on moving this is a great idea this color and the texture and the different materials it doesn't cost a fortune it doesn't look like you're living in a few and it stinks over here and the water stays comes up through the drain all the time it's very gross but it's everywhere along the coast but still this look is great it's not obtrusive it doesn't say that you live in a fortress and it's not foreboding and it's a warm color and it's accepted down here this is a great color selection I'm glad you put it up it's better than the last one which was not bad the last one is probably a little bit more secure and like no lead would work even right up next to it and armor piercing would not work at a distance it's not bad it does look like a lot of stone cuz it really is I would buy this as a matter of fact I might look for some like this out there in the West.

Trump

This is smaller but it's kind of the same style and people's like the colors and they like the mix just like I said so you got a little help and we'll put it up in this wonderful people like it and I would say go for it and we need people to have a life to try and defend it I'm sick of people being huge poopers plenty of that we don't need that

Thor Freya

Olympus

I like this look it's one of my favorites so I'm hoping he saves it

Hera

Olympus

[honorary-evil-genius]

hi! idk i just wanted to say hi. whats your favorite color? if you dont have one, what are your thoughts on colors?

hi thank you for the ask! you just made my night!!

however you may not realize what you have done, because I like to paint a lot, so I don't have a favorite color, but Boy do I have Opinions! rant under the cut you wonderful and incredible human being

I really like it when colors are generally consistent, but have one that really POPS!

ugh, LOOK at them go!!! I want to eat them up!

my favorite ways to do this are having mostly warm colors and a bit of cool color or vice versa (left), and having mostly dark colors with one light color or vice versa (right). it gives it enough layers to be creative with the 'base color' like fun blendy stuff and cool shading and THEN have that ONE COOL BIT of color oh my god.

I'm also a big fan of limited color pallets, with one or two colors but different shades. (this hat actually has a little green in it, but it's hard to see lol) it just looks so cool and smooth, I could drink it! especially with the smooth shading, it has such a Texture.

blockier shading has a totally different texture! limited color pallets kind of force you to experiment with stuff like that, and it can create a great mood and be used for themes! :)

color sets that are just one color and black/white can also be good, but I'm less of a fan of them unless it's really detailed, like a playing card

I also have a lot of favorite color pairings:

I'm a big fan of complimentary colors(far left) and colors with the primary color you mix to make them(the other two).

also, you can use a darker complimentary color to shade whatever original color you're using, and it SLAYS. especially in blocky shading, because complimentary colors tend to look like crap when they're mixed or blended.

I also like putting a thin layer of a slightly different shade of a color under the main color, like a more reddish purple under the main mid purple

(ignore the hat <3) it adds DEAPTH!! YUM! especially when it only has the undertone in certain lighting, like an undertone of a lighter color in the lit part and a darker on or none in the shaded part. it's so much fun to do fr.

thank you for asking about colors! this was very fun to make and talk about and you're awesome!!

[roastpotatoesinairfryer]

roast potatoes in air fryer

A well cooked roast potato is just a culinary delight - badly cooked roast potatoes in air fryer really are a disaster!

The option of potato is really as important as the cooking method when roasting potatoes and it is very important to know that. Potatoes belong to two general categories, people that have a waxy texture when cooked and people that have a floury texture. While it is not for me personally to dictate your choices, it's generally recognized that people that have a floury texture are best for roast potatoes whilst the waxy type are delicious as straight boiled potatoes or for use within a potato salad.

Select The Potatoes

Attempt to chose potatoes of roughly the exact same size. If this isn't possible, at the least have the ability to cut them into pieces of an identical size once they're peeled. Each potato should be about an inch and a half generally speaking size. Anything smaller than that can cook too soon and become dried out. Anything larger might take too long to roast and cook.

Par Boil The Potatoes

Having peeled the potatoes and cut them to the necessary size, wash them in cold water to get rid of the excess starch and then put them in a saucepan of cold water, add salt, and bring them quickly to the boil. Allow them to boil for around five full minutes or to the stage once you gently score the outer lining of a potato with a knife it's starting to crumble. Eliminate the potatoes from the heat and drain out the water, but leave the potatoes in the saucepan. Now having the potatoes in the saucepan with no water, place the lid on the saucepan, and holding the lid set up with one hand, get the saucepan and shake the pan deliberately and vigorously for around ten seconds. Whenever you eliminate the lid, the potatoes should now all have surfaces which have been roughed up, and this can create the delicious crispy exterior when roasted.

Preparing the Roasting Pan

Whilst the potatoes are now being par-boiled, place a roasting tray into a hot oven (200 degrees C / 400 degrees F), with a little dripping or oil. This may ensure that after the potatoes are prepared to be put into it everything will soon be piping hot. The roasting pan should be big enough to permit individual potatoes to sit inside it without touching one another. This is very important. When you yourself have plenty of potatoes to roast, then consider using multiple pan if necessary.

Roasting The Potatoes

Take the roasting pan from the oven and pour the shaken potatoes from the saucepan in to the roasting pan. They need to sizzle nicely as they speak to the hot fat. The pan should just have a video covering of fat, it will not be swimming in it. Spread the potatoes out so that there is space between them and with a few spoons turn every one over and over such that it occupies a thin lair of the oil or fat (goose fat makes delicious roast potatoes , but olive oil is good as well).

Place the potatoes back to the oven at the exact same temperature and cook for around 20 minutes. Remove them and turn them over with a spoon and repeat this every 20 minutes or so. The potato should take about one hour to cook and when they're done they'll be crispy on the outside and floury in the middle and utterly delicious! Should you feel they're cooking too fast reduce steadily the oven temperature a little. There will be slight variations as individual ovens vary as do potato crops.

Warnings!

Unless you want soggy roast potatoes , and I fully accept that some individuals may, never place roasted potatoes right into a warming oven to wait for anything else to complete. In that environment they'll absorb moisture and all of your good work will soon be undone. Instead, be sure that the roast potatoes in air fryer are ab muscles final thing ahead from the oven and take them to the table in each of their glory.

[inaturalist-propaganda]

Those look like opposite leaves so I'll go with C. And that was wrong. Oof.

I think it's A. They have the Zig Zag leaves, and their buds look more spherical than the Perssimon. And the leaves look really big, and I can see bubles between the veins. Ok wow I'm not good at this.

I think it's B? I can't really see the leaves well, but the fruit looks kind round and spherical, and not too large. Okay that was right. Good.

I'm pretty sure it's D. The central vain is very pronounced and the Buds look kind of sharp. And it is! Woo!

I think it's B? I don't see sharp buds, and the veins aren't that sharp. The leaves look kind of small. And they have that sharp end. And I was right.

Okay that's gotta be C right? those leaves look like compound opposite leaves. And I think they are serated but to be honest I did not understand what that meant. Please be right this time. Ok I wasn't really sure about that but yay!

I think it's B But I really don't know. The leaves look genrally small and really smooth. It looks like I was wrong.

I think I'm going to go with E. The leaves look like they're not flat and kind of falling. The colors don't look like what I'd expect so far. And the stems look really white. Oh I was right good

Okay so I got 5 right. Could have been better.

Here's a link to the quiz

5/8 is great!! Some of the pictures are harder to tell than others, and if you had the plants right in front of you you'd be able to move around and look at the details more closely.

Serrated means the edges of the leaves have teeth on them, like a saw blade:

[ID: A photo of a metal saw stuck in a piece of wood. The edge of the saw has pronounced teeth. End ID.]

Now I know to add a better explanation for that :)

Explantations:

1: The leaves do almost look opposite eachother, but they're just slightly offset. It's easy to confuse the two, a lot of the times I'll see a plant from a distance and go "!!!" only to realize once I'm peering at it that it's got the wrong leaf arrangement.

One way to tell is that the edges of these leaves are smooth, with no teeth, and there are bubbles between each vein on the leaf :)

Common pawpaw Observation by kent_ozment, September 14th

[ID: A photo of a plant with large leaves with smooth edges and a bumpy texture. End ID.]

===

2: Trust me, you're doing fine! There's no hand or anything in this picture for scale to tell how big the leaves are, but one way to tell which one it is that they're rounded on the ends, and the bubbles in the leaves aren't as pronounced as in the photo from #1, which is what common pawpaw leaves usually look like.

Small-flower pawpaw Observation by nonbinary-naturalist September 21st

[ID: A photo taken at night with flash turned on, of a plant with deep green, smooth leaves. The stem is light brown, with a slightly pointed bud at the tip, and round buds at the base of each leaf. Some small white spots dot the leaves in a few spots. End ID.]

===

3: Yes! The fruit here is still very small, and though not many of the leaves are visible in this picture, the ones we do see are small, and smooth like paper. They also have pale yellow veins in the center, which so far I have not noticed in common pawpaws :)

Another way to tell in general is how level the camera is with the fruit -- usually if a common pawpaw has fruit on it, unless it's a planted tree someone's keeping short, the fruit will be waay up in the air out of reach until if falls off.

Small-flower pawpaw Observation by elacroix-carignan, June 25th

[ID: A photo of a cluster of three fruits on a tree. The fruits are green with reddish-tinted edges, and small, with lumpy centers and pointed ends. The leaves are smooth. Part of the stem is grey with some moss on it, part is warm brown. Spanish moss hangs in the background. End ID.]

===

4: Yep! Another way to tell is the shape of the leaves, almost like a pointy oval (or teardrop shape maybe), round at the base and pointy at the top! The buds are sharply pointed, and so dark they look black, too!

This is one of the babies I grew from seed! :)

Common persimmon Observation by nonbinary-naturalist, September 25th

[ID: A photo of a plant with a white hand held behind the stem. The stem is red-brown, the leaves are smooth, and have yellow veins in the center, which turns red when it connects to the stem in long sections. The buds at the base of each leaf are dark and pointy. End ID.]

===

5: Another way to tell is that the stem in this picture is orange at the top, which is so far unique to small-flower pawpaws when they're newly growing :) The pale yellow central vein is something they share with persimmons, but you're right about the lack of sharp buds, and another thing is that on pawpaws, the little leaf-stem folds onto the main stem, while on persimmons it's like a little tube!

Small-flower pawpaw Observation by nonbinary-naturalist August 13th

[ID: A zoomed in photo of the stem of a plant. The stem is orange colored near the top, and the leaves are green, smooth, and have yellow veins in the center which turn yellow and orange when they connect to the stem in short sections. End ID.]

===

6: I picked this one specifically to show people that the size of the leaves isn't the only factor, and you got it right! These are compound leaves, with the two at the base opposite eachother, and further back the same leaf-stem you can sort of see the other two! Then on the other side of the plant there's another leaf-stem showing all five of them! It's hard to see the edges of the leaves in this picture because it's slightly blurry, but if you zoom in really far you can see they've got little teeth like a saw -- serrations! But the main thing here is that these are compound leaves rather than true leaves :) A++!

Hickory Observation by nonbinary-naturalist, April 28th

[ID: A slightly blurry photo of a white hand holding up a large, wrinkly leaf on a small sapling. The leaf is very large, and has two smaller leaves at its base pointing to the sides. The ground in the background is covered with brown dead leaves and wild muscadine grape vines. End ID.]

===

7: Don't worry, this plant confuses almost everyone on iNaturalist! This is a tupelo, which has the same general shape of leaves as small-flower pawpaws, but they're much skinnier, the buds are sort of shaped like gumdrops:

[ID: A stock photo of gumdrop candies in green, purple, and orange, dusted with sugar. End ID.]

and you can't tell from this photo, but unlike any kind of pawpaw, they form massive, massive trees. Like, taller than a two story building. But people confuse the baby plants for small-flower pawpaws all the time!

Tupelo Observation by thorlovescake, August

[ID: A photo of a hand holding the tip of a leaf from a stem. The leaf is smaller than the hand, green, smooth, and shaped like an oval. Several more leaves hang down near it, emerging from the tip of the brown stem, which has a rounded, dark bud at the top. Some small black spots are scattered on the leaves. Where the leaves connect to the stem, they are round and pale yellow. End ID.]

===

8: A++! I picked this picture because the way these leaves are hanging down is a sight familiar to people who already know common pawpaws, because this is what mature common pawpaw trees look like in the fall, even down to the shape of the leaves! But the key difference is these are actually serrated compound leaves! But unlike hickories, they all come out at the very tip of the leaf-stem in a cluster of five, rather than in pairs along it! This is a photo of a horse-chestnut tree, another one commonly mixed up with common pawpaws! I saw horse-chestnut trees before I ever saw a pawpaw, so the first time I saw a common pawpaw tree, I assume it was a horse-chestnut because standing underneath and looking up the leaves form the same shapes against the sky!

Horse-chestnut Observation by onondagaearthcorps, October 10th

[ID: A photo of a large plant with its leaves all pointing towards the ground, and changing from green to yellow with the fall. The leaves are wrinkly, serrated, and are in groups of five at the end of a long section attaching it to the stem. End ID.]

I'll add a better explanation for what serrations are, and explain the relative heights of the plants in more ways than just measuring in feet :)

[wastelesscrafts]

Hi! This isn't related to repairing clothes but rather the concept of 'slow fashion' and reduce/reuse as a whole.

I'm in need of some more clothes after gaining some weight (note: not plus-sized, just moved from Small to Medium, so it shouldn't be hard to find the right size) and I'd like to buy secondhand for sustainability reasons. The issue is, I have autism and I'm very sensitive to clothing textures - I know I prefer cotton over synthetics, but the individual feel of a cotton shirt can range from great to unbearable.

This is an issue because most thrift stores around me have closed their changing rooms/are not allowing customers to try on clothes beforehand, for sanitary reasons in the pandemic. (I'm not sure about the big chains like Goodwill and Salvation Army, because I'd rather not support them for ethical reasons.) Not to mention that buying secondhand clothes online (from sites like eBay or Mercari) might offer a greater selection but obviously can't try those on beforehand.

So my question is, is there a way to judge how a shirt might feel texture/fit-wise without needing to actually try it out?

Thanks in advance for any tips, I love your blog and all the help you provide :)

I'm autistic too, so I completely understand.

Shopping for sensory-friendly items:

Every person with sensory sensitivities is different, so I can't just tell you what to look for. A garment I find comfortable might be a sensory nightmare for you, and vice versa. What I can do is tell you how to figure out what to look for yourself.

What to look out for:

Go to your wardrobe, pull out your favourite items, and check their labels (if you've left them in). Note down two things: the brands that produced these items, and the materials they're made of.

Once you're done, take a look at the items themselves. What characteristics make them sensory-friendly? What characteristics do you dislike? Do they have elements you like to stim with?

Look at your list. Is there anything that pops up multiple times, be it a fabric, brand, or characteristic? Whatever it is, that's part of what makes that item sensory-friendly to you.

Look for items that check these boxes when shopping. Don't be afraid to look at the labels inside of second-hand clothes if you're in a physical thrift store (unless local Covid regulations say otherwise), and use the items on your list as search keywords when thrifting online. Most second-hand shopping apps have a search system that allows you to look for specific brands/sizes/materials/... If you don't know how to use these, look up a tutorial (like this Depop tutorial by Leena Norms, for example).

Once you've gotten a new item, take good care of it. Washing a garment the wrong way can alter its texture, and so can mending it.

If you still end up with a garment that doesn't feel right, check if you can make any alterations to improve it. Cut out the labels, replace itchy parts with a different fabric, wear it over a long-sleeved undershirt, remove a neckline or cuff if it makes you feel constricted,... It's your item and you can do with it whatever you want.

If all fails, you can always try reselling it and using that money to buy something else.

An example:

I know that items made of materials such as flannel, bamboo or chambray will always be sensory-friendly to me because those tend to pop up a lot in my wardrobe. Basic cotton is hit-or-miss for me depending on the way it's produced and washed, and sheep's wool is a no-go because I find it itchy. When I shop second-hand, I always keep an eye out for items made of flannel, bamboo or chambray, and when I need a warm knitted item I look for alpaca rather than sheep's wool because it's an itch-free alternative.

Going through my wardrobe, I realised there's a few brands that I wear more than others because they're always made of materials I personally find sensory-friendly, and they match my aesthetic style (Axes Femme, for example). When I need something new, I look for these specific brands on second-hand apps.

As for characteristics, I know I like loose or shirred items better than fitted items, and I hate turtlenecks because I can't stand how they cling to my throat. When shopping, I ignore anything with a turtleneck and look for loose items rather than fitted ones.

Conclusion:

It's possible to shop for sensory-friendly items without touching them, but it takes practice.

Once you've got some experience with handling fabric, you can sort of guess what an item will feel like just by looking at it. Sewing and altering clothes is a great way to develop this skill. You'll still occasionally bump into unpleasant surprises as you can never predict a 100% how something will feel, but this will happen less with time.

You can minimise the risks by getting to know both yourself and how clothes are made. I frequently thrift online and rarely run into issues any more because I know what to look for.

[bigshotspambot]

Some things about Neo! + A few imagines 💛

The metal parts of him (like his plated waist and arms) are warm, but not too hot. This makes them very cozy to lay on/cuddle up with. He can also regulate the temperature, so if you prefer something cooler, he can do that too!

He releases steam from his mouth to prevent overheating. He'll also do it when he feels relaxed or flustered, or just to look intimidating if he wants to (Cuz of course he would.)

His black hair is more like a big fluffy mane. It’s super soft and warm too, the same texture as fur. It'll also probably puff up or relax depending on his mood.

He purrs when he feels happy/relaxed. He might growl a little too. His voice is naturally a bit distorted in this form, but sometimes it becomes very clear. (like when he says "I love you" or something with equal emotional significance <3)

He'll outstretch his wings all the way to try and impress/fluster you- they make him look a lot bigger. If he were in a normal-sized room, the wingspan would probably reach both ends of the walls.

His wings are also incredibly soft. Very bird/angel like. They're practically giant blankets. The structure of the feathers also makes it so they’re very good at insulating heat. Perfect for wrapping you up into a. warm comfy wing burrito.

His wings are strong enough to fly with, but he doesn’t do it very often because it takes a lot of energy. So they’re mostly for show. (Unless you ask for him to pick you up and fly around. He can’t say no there)

His claws are metal and cold to the touch. They’re also quite sharp, but he’s always very careful with them when handling you.

He doesn't really have glasses anymore, they sorta became part of his face after becoming NEO.

[marsresident]

Quick study in risings

#8: LEO RISING ♌⬆️

A colorful bunch. Ruled by the Sun, they usually have a warm complexion, beautiful skin, cat-like eyes that are enlogated & expressive, dense hair with a shiny texture. They're are not very tall but have strong musculature & a well-defined sense of style.

No two leo risings are the same. They take pride in being unlike anybody else. Leo risings walk as if they're on stage. They are a star. They are the protagonists of their own lives.

Huge hearts – unless "bad" aspects are present, they're not the kind to tear others down in order to raise themselves up, quite the opposite. They will be your best hypeman because they believe that everybody else is a star too.

They become very hurt when they don't get the same treatment back.

Leo risings want to be loved and cherished, but contrary to to popular belief, this doesn't come from an egotistical place. There's an innocence to it.

Think of a kid who comes up to you to show you a toy or a trick they've learned. You wouldn't call them "attention-seeking", you'd think they were cute, pat them on the head and send them their merry way. That is all a leo rising needs.

They just need that pat on the head.

They're very playful, they love to entertain. But they must be careful not to turn their entire life into a performance. Leo risings are surprisingly spiritual. They have rich, dark souls.

Sometimes, it's difficult to shake off the need to put on a show or a mask every morning. As the most body conscious rising, they go through a lot of body dysmorphia.

Their 4th & 8th houses are ruled by Scorpio and Pisces, telling us that they had to deal with a lot of crap growing up – an intense home life and a lot of soul searching they'd been forced into by circumstances.

Having known such darkness, they now want to shine a light onto others. Unlike libra rising, they are not people-pleasers, but they do need good people around. An environment where they can be their authentic selves, without being judged.

And that's almost impossible because all people do is judge. If they feel undesired or threatened for some reason, they can become closed-in or biting, just like a wounded feline.

They're sensitive individuals, even if it's not very obvious. Keep in mind, a lion would never make itself vulnerable to other animals.

These people are passionate and have a "goofy" sense of humor. They're not afraid to look dumb if that means making someone smile.

They are magnetic and naturally stand out. It's a double-edged sword. They attract both positive and negative attention, including many jealous or scrutinizing looks.

Authority figures cause them problems because they are not meant to be subordinates and they don't do well in such a role. In fact, these are the people who appear larger-than-life.

They like to romanticize life and due that Pisces in the 8th, they have vivid daydreams. Ordinary life is synonymous with boring. Their tastes can be quite quirky as we have Aquarius on the axis.

Their mission is to awaken the inner child of the collective consciousness and serve as a guiding light for those in need, as well as teach people how to dream big.

Keep aiming for the stars, leos!

Celebrities who share this rising:

Tyler the Creator, Al Pacino, Frida Khalo, Maryl Streep, Marilyn Monroe, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gillian Anderson, Johnny Depp, Brittany Murphy etc.