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#not tumblr messing up the quality of my scan...
vooruitmariek · 1 year
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them…
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kryptiq-kreachur · 4 months
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Do you have tips on uploading trad art to tumblr and not having it look scuffed as all hell 😭😭😭 your art looks great pls share your secrets
Aaaa, thank you! I actually decided to shift my focus back to traditional art very recently and it means a lot to hear that ;; I hope this helps you and anyone else with similar questions!!
So I have two methods that I usually rely on when capturing my traditional art. The first one is kind of limited, but it is faster and more accessible. For these demonstrations, I'm going to use a colored sketch of my OC, Brinley. Step One: Taking Your Photo! All you'll need for the first method is your phone. What you want to do first is to find an area with nice, even lighting- the less warm, the less you'll have to correct later, so the closer to daylight, the better. In fact, using the light outside is a great way to capture your art! Note: If you are in a place with very cool lighting you will also have to correct the colors, but in my experience, cooler light is easier to work with. Position your artwork so it's illuminated with the light source directly in front of you. If it is behind you, it will be harder to get your shadow out of the shot. The spot I was in had my light source behind me, so my arm covered it a bit.
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I repositioned myself to a spot with the light source in front of me instead, and I was able to get a nicer shot.
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Keep your phone as level as possible over your drawing, and as close as possible without your phone going out of focus.
And now the first step is done! Step Two: Editing Your Photo! This is where everything starts to come together! Firstly, crop your drawing to your preference. I try to keep the negative space around my art as even as possible. IPhones have a handy feature where you can choose an even aspect ratio, so that will help keep things simpler if you want. Next, all you have to do is mess with the settings until you get it how you want it to look. Filters can help it to look more cohesive. I like to keep the art close by me to reference so I can get it to look as close to real life as possible. Note: black and white art is the easiest to edit due to the high contrast. Finished! Congrats! Your art is ready to post! Here's what my sketch looked like after I added a vivid filter and then messed with the settings.
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The second method can be a bit more difficult, but the results always look better than just taking a photo. What you'll need is a computer (I think you can also use an ipad- any device will work as long as it can connect to the scanner), a scanner and any art/photo editing software. Step One: Scanning! The scanner I use is technically used for office work, but can be used to scan photos, therefore the quality is very much in the middle. There are scanners that are used purely for scanning high quality images of art and photography that will produce much better results on the initial scan, but this works just fine! There are also stores and other places where you can scan your work even if you don't own a scanner. First, make sure your art is as flat as possible and in the middle of the scanning bed. It doesn't have to be perfectly straight as it can be edited later, but if it isn't flat or it's on the edge of the bed, it will end up blurry in some areas or completely cut off. After that, go to your device and set the resolution to at least 300 dpi to guarantee a high quality scan, and then begin. This is what my sketch looked like after the initial scan.
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Now we can move onto the next step! Step Two: Editing! You may have noticed that the colors are very washed out- scanners that aren't optimized for art and photos tend to do this, but with some editing, it'll look great! After opening it in CSP and selecting a canvas size, it's ready to edit! Note: Opening the image directly will automatically set the document's dpi to 72. Idk if that's a constant for other programs, but this means the overall image quality will be very low, so the picture has to be imported into a higher quality document with dpi set to 300 manually. I usually just copy and paste it into another document. Level correction is your friend! That's the correction layer I use the most when editing and it does the most heavy lifting, usually. After that, I sometimes edit the saturation. Since this is a digital method, you can edit your drawing however you want! You can fix some mistakes this way, or completely change things. There were notes and a sketch next to this drawing that i didn't want, so i painted over them with white- since i edited the level correction to up the exposure, the painted areas are indistinguishable from the background. Finally, I add either a gradient map for cohesion or fiddle with the tone curve until I'm happy with the final product. Once again, I like to keep the original art next to me while I'm editing for reference. (And then after that I might add a noise filter or some other effect, LMAO) Finished!! And now you have your scanned art!
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These are all the editing layers I used!
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Like with anything, trial and error are very important! You'll get better at editing art over time, so don't be discouraged if it doesn't look like you wanted it to the first time. Thank you for the ask, bye!!!!!!!
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tsubasaclones · 2 years
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tsubasa reservoir chronicle + xxxholic calendar 2004
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saccharineomens · 3 years
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My friend Liz said she headcanoned that Jack had a beard before he left America, so I drew what it actually looked like vs what he probably wanted it to look like. Maybe one day you’ll be able to grow something thicker than mild scruff, buddy
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msbarrybeeson · 3 years
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Comfort and Confession | Rise!Leo X F!Reader
A/N: This is my earliest one-shot on Tumblr, and I’ve decided to dedicate that to Leonardo from Rise of TMNT. He’s my favorite character due to his charismatic personality. 
Also, I included some Spanish at the end, but due to a lack of knowledge in that language, I resorted to Google Translate. Anyone with experience in Spanish please inform me if I made a mistake.
Enjoy yourself!
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Rise! Leo X Female! Reader (One-Shot)
Word Count: ~2600
You were quietly seated at your study desk, your mechanical pencil maneuvering over your sheet of algebra homework. Your senior year would soon be coming to an end, and yet, your days kept getting overfilled with responsibilities. Not to mention your scholarships and university applications.
Headphones snuggled over your ears, you sighed, holding your chin up with your hand. The shuffled playlist of songs made your silence bearable, even against the loud streets of New York City during the late evening.
Nothing changed out there.
And here you were, feeling your own life about to flip over.
You tapped your pencil rapidly. You tried to shove away those questions, but they seeped in anyway. Have you done enough? Have you made the most of everything? Have you spent enough time with your friends? Soon, your grades wouldn’t be your worry anymore, but your career.
It scared you.
How you could never relax. Let yourself vulnerable.
You were quite popular among your peers: persistent, open-minded, and had always tried to maintain top-quality work. You should be happy, but you ended up being haunted by a fear of slipping up. People say they wouldn’t care, but is it really the case? You had underclassmen looking up to you, friends who admired you, so who’s to say they wouldn’t turn you away once you disappoint them?
Oh, how you could never settle down.
The hues of your eyes gazed out the window, which perfectly hung right by your desk. Your face looked solemn, scanning over the street lights hanging around your neighborhood. Then, you shook your head and took off your headphones, worried that you might have grown distracted. Your music playlist paused.
The mechanical pencil flickered around in your hand, while you turned to read the ninth unit of your AP Chemistry textbook. 
. . .
Tap Tap.
You smiled. Must be the rain. It should’ve been hot outside. Then again, rainfall comes often when you’re by the sea and the temperature’s high.
You felt a bit glad though. Rain had a therapeutic effect on your mind.
There was a pause.
You hummed. Well, that was a quick sprinkle. 
Tap Tap.
Now, the sound puzzled you. What kind of rain paused like that? 
You turned your chair, going to check the weather. Except, your body practically jumped for a second and lost your grasp of the pencil. In that split moment, you knew exactly where– or who– the sound came from. A figure tapped onto your window, waiting to be let in. Your heart still raced under your shocked breaths.
You ran a hand through your hair, trying to laugh your way to being calm again.
“Oh my God.” 
You recognized the person– turtle– who came by occasionally to bother you out of their boredom. He wore an electric-blue mask and adorn in his iconic red markings. He rubbed his nape, cheekily smiling. 
“Leon.” You lifted your window up for an opening. “You scared me. I thought it was some random homeless guy. Or some delinquent trailing me from school. You–. Please give me a heads up next time! You literally have a phone!”
Unfazed, Leonardo waved his hands. “Okay, okay. Relax, Cariña.” He grinned. “You have nothing to worry about! Anyone who tries to come after you will have to mess with me. And who’d be dumb enough to fight a guy like me anyway– did you say someone was following you?”
“Some underclassman, but one of my guy friends usually handles him.” You shrugged.
“I can handle him, (Name)! You could’ve called me!”
“You’re forgetting something, Leo.” You pointed your finger from down to up his figure. “You’re a turtle. I don’t know how well NYC’s gonna take you. Once someone sees you, you’re plastered all over the news.”
He huffed, making himself comfortable on your bed. His katanas laid on the floor. Hands behind his head, Leonardo shut his eyes. “Y’know, having my handsome face across billboards doesn’t sound so bad.”
You snorted. “I wouldn’t exactly say you’re ‘handsome.’”
His grin faltered. Ouch.
“Say whatever you want, Cariña.” He puffed out. “So? Gonna tell me whatcha up to, (Name)? Let me guess: homework here, homework there.” He wagged his feet as he went on.
“Pretty much.” You winced, not expecting your voice to be so strained. “Nothing really changes when you’re a student about to enter the ‘adult’ world.” You curled your fingers in quotations. Leo opened one of his eyes. The lightheartedness he had dropped when he noticed you pursing your lips. You seemed out of it. “Just more responsibilities coming my way. And I thought I’m already having it hard.”
“(Name).”
Leonardo sat up. He extended his palm to yours. His scaly yet gentle touch comforted you. Low-key, he caught you off-guard by how genuine he can be instead of teasing or joking around. You returned a weak smile, rubbing his hand with your thumb.
“Hey. Y’know I’m here to listen. I’m all ears.” He immediately rubbed his nape. He averted his gaze and whistled, “Okay, Leo, weird of you to say when you don’t have any ears– but you get the point.”
You took a deep breath.
Your spare hand twiddled with the hem of your top.
“You remember how I met you and your brothers as a high-school junior, right? Like by accident. Then some time of hanging out and fighting the Foot Clan passed, you guys and April accepted me.
Even when being so different in our personalities and standards, I guess we bonded well. I’ve always appreciated our friendship, because no one there tries to expect anything out of me. Like you guys only cared if I spend time. Although, you are all really goofy to be picky about a friend anyway.”
Leo snorted.
“Except, this year, I’m a senior.” A frown tugged on your lips, and your twiddling hand crept to hold Leo’s other. “The final stage of high school before moving on to college... Even if I attend a school close to here, I’ll be so occupied with my classes, I won’t have any time to spend with you like we normally do. I’ve put in so much effort to focus on my studies. I’m scared to disappoint my family and everyone, but that means I have to give up seeing you guys too.”
Your voice began to break. Your hands retreated and buried your face. The stress of your situation dawned on you.
The thought of you leaving almost stabbed his heart. He clenched his hands. “Hey.” he shook your shoulders. “Enough of that. Don’t get yourself down in the dumps. So what if you don’t come ‘round anymore? You don’t have to be the one to visit us, (Name).” 
Leonardo pulled your hands away from your face, meeting your eyes again. 
“I mean, my brothers and I are ninja turtles, (Name)! April even handled the Foot Clan on her own. If we could do that, busy or not, you bet we’ll trespass the school for you,” he declared, standing up tall with his arms crossed over his plastron.
He seemed a bit too serious with that one.
“Woah, hold on there, Leon,” you laughed, tugging his arms to stop him from continuing. “You’re overlooking a few things, again. Roommates are a thing.” You counted on your fingers. “And would April and your brothers even agree to this? You guys are risking your identities, and April, her journalism career if an officer comes by.”
“No worries.” He tossed the ends of his mask behind, as if flipping his locks of hair. “As the ‘Face’ of Mad Dogs, with my charming personality and for the sake of you, my brothers and sister will never turn down my idea. And since we have Donnie, our plans are unstoppable. We can meet whenever, wherever, s’long as you’re up for it.”
He held his palm out, this time, asking for yours. “So what do you say?”
You stared into his eyes. His sly and devious grin, his charismatic persona, and his oddly-effective methods of reassurance. No wonder you would let yourself fall too long for him.
Your fingers wiped off the trailing tears that linger by your hues, and you leapt off of your chair to embrace Leo to your bed in a hug. Face snuggled into his shoulder while your fingers played with the ends of his blue mask. “Of course.” The red-eared slider tensed– you could tell. Though it wasn’t long until Leonardo loosened up, returning the contact by sliding his arms over your waist. It remained that way for a while, feeling each other’s body rise and fall between each breath.
“Mind if I show you something?” Leonardo whispered.
A soft chuckle left your lips. “Sure.”
“We’re probably gonna have to climb to the top of the apartment, though.”
Now, you tensed up. You could feel your palms become sweaty. You grumbled, “Leonardo–.” “Come on, I’ll hold your hand as we go; you’re not gonna fall,” he promised.
“Even with the fire escapes, you can’t expect me to trust them with how rusty they’ve gotten over the four years of living here. We’re five stories high!”
“Just trust me, (Name).”
You rubbed your palms onto your clothes, drying away the blood-rushing feeling in them. An hesitant smile appeared on your face. “All right. Fine, I’ll go.”
“You won’t regret it, Princesa.”
You shoved his shoulder lightly. Your ears flushed. 
“Please don’t.”
You and Leonardo ducked underneath the window toward the fire escape. At such a height of meters over the bustling streets, your heart rate began to speed up. But like the turtle promised, Leonardo took your hand firmly and guided you up. Your vision quickly adapted to the darkness, so you noticed there was actually– barely any rust on the escape. You could assume the metal had been galvanized. 
At least you could confirm that there’s a lower chance of the escape breaking apart. 
You narrowed your eyes. But never zero.
“All the way to the top, Leon?” Your voice held hesitation. 
“We’re close, (Name). You got this. Just keep holding onto my hand.”
The creaking of the ladder continued, until the two of you finally made it to the apartment roof. You heaved a loud sigh, relieved nothing went wrong. You dusted off your hands. “So, what exactly would this ‘something’ be, Leo?”
The red-eared slider grinned. Placing his hands on your shoulders, he turned you around to face the city. 
And your breath left. 
Your eyes practically glittered.
From that height, the city looked more enchanting. All those vehicles and voices sounded more quiet. So much so, the one thing you could hear were the cool breezes. You walked over and leaned by the edge, taking in the landscape. The mutant held his hand on your waist, making sure you won’t get caught up in the sightseeing.
“Leo.” You sighed in awe. “The view’s so beautiful.” Glancing between him and the scenery, you remarked, “You see this every night, running and hanging on those rooftops? I’ve never gone this high up during the night. And now, I wish I could do this all those nights ago.”
Leonardo only hummed. His hand held his chin, eyes closed, as if he was thinking of something else. You called to him. “Is something up? Do you have to go somewhere?” Your heart almost fell at the idea.
He opened his one eye, before huffing lightheartedly. “No, nothing’s wrong. There’s something–. I swear it should be here–.” Then, he whipped his head up. “Oh-ho! There we go! About time!”
“Huh?” Your eyes gazed up to the sky, covered in layers of clouds. From what you could tell, those clouds were heavy.
Pit. Pat.
Pit. Pat.
Pitter. Patter.
You felt something cold touch your head. It dripped down your face. “Raindrops,” you realized and faced Leonardo, strolling back to your side with a pleased smile. “You were expecting rainfall?”
The red-eared slider sat down by the edge, letting his legs dangle off. He patted the space next to him, meeting your eyes as he did. 
You remembered the height of this building. 
Being cautious, you hesitated. But after months of interaction with someone who’d helped save the city countless times– despite the idea most humans likely wouldn’t treat him back too kindly– you had always put your trust in him. 
“Sí, Cariña,” Leonardo responded. “What would be a better, relaxing day than some rain in New York City~?”
You raised an eyebrow. “I never realized you’re a rainy-day type of guy, Leon. I thought you’d prefer the sun... I mean, sunny weather feels more like your personality after all.” Your contented mood died down, when you found the turtle turning his head away. You quickly felt troubled.
“..Have I said something wrong–?”
“What? N-No, nothing like that.” Leonardo shook his head as he waved his hands. The silence caught up again, so you decided to continue speaking. “You know, Leon. Rain being part of your ‘something’ for me is really a coincidence, because–.”
“I overheard you.”
“I... I’m sorry?”
The red-eared slider felt his blood rushing and heart beating quick. He should be comfortable expressing his feelings. He was supposed to be overly confident! That daring kind of guy! That one mutant with the audacity– as Donnie often reprimanded him. But the embarrassment he felt here was high.
“When you were hanging out with April and Sunita that one time, I... might have or might-have-not overheard you say how much you like rainy weather.” Leonardo rubbed his nape with his clammy hands. His blush was becoming more apparent– even under thick clouds that covered the moonlight. 
“And since Donnie has a weather forecast that predicted a 70% chance of rain, I thought today would be a perfect day to show you the city lights.” His words slowly died into a sheepish mumble.
You were stunned. Your face couldn’t hold back the light blush either. “That was so long ago, I can’t believe you even remembered that.”
You pursed your lips and told him straight on. “I really appreciate it, Leon.”
Anything for you. Leonardo felt his heart flutter inside. “Yeah. O-Of course. I mean, you’re not wrong: I prefer the sunny days and all. Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it when I say rainy days are chill. Never thought I’d feel any more unwinded until today.” He brought his knees close to his plastron.
Soft winds blew. The sprinkling rain pitter-pattered. You could confirm: they were all reasons why you found rainfall soothing. “So,” Leon murmured, “You have any idea on where exactly you’re gonna go past graduation?”
Your face faltered, slowly looking back overhead the city. “Not sure. I could go to the one in Massachusetts to pursue my studies in a high-class school, or stay in New York. I hope to stay as close to here as I can, to be honest. Close to you and everyone: Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April; Casey and Splinter too.”
“You know Mikey’s gonna miss you treating him so well.” Leonardo rolled his eyes and scoffed. You snickered and spoke with the most annoying voice you could conjure up, “Aww. But he’s so precious, how can I not resist giving him special treatment?”
“Youngest child privilege,” he grumbled.
“Thought you love your little brother, Leon~?”
“Woah-woah. Hey now, Cariña, don’t get me wrong. I’ll always love my brothers when they’re not abusing their benefits,” he defended. “Speaking of which, how come I get any?”
You couldn’t tell if your forehead was sweating, or if they were only raindrops. Either way, you sensed some blood rushing to your face. You playfully crossed your arms. “Oh come on, I-I can’t answer that.”
“I’m being serious, (Name)! Let me count my hermanos off.” Leonardo extended all three fingers. “One, you treat Mikey like a mother to a kid. ‘He’s a teenager?’ My point’s still kind of there. Two, you buy a bunch of snacks for Raph whenever you visit. Low-key, I think he’s getting obsessed with shrimp chips. Three, you occasionally have Donnie to tutor you!”
You stopped him. “I wouldn’t even consider that last one a benefit, Leo.”
“Trust me on this one, (Name). As his brother, I know he loves it when he gets the chance to– in his words– ‘share his intellect.’” Leonardo did the bunny-quotes. “But what about me? I’m not looking for any favors– not trying to be that guy. I’m just trying to understand if I did anything wrong to be treated any differently from my brothers.”
You would have continued to tease him, thinking nothing serious of it. However, his fallen shoulders and pained expression told you otherwise.
You fell silent. 
You began, slowly moving your hand toward his, “Leo... I’m sorry, I can assure you you haven’t done anything wrong to upset me.”
“Then, what is–?”
Pit pat, pit pat, pit pat.
Plop, plop plop, plop plop plop.
As more sounds reached your ears, you cursed. “Oh my God. They’re getting heavier. I shouldn’t get sick for tomorrow’s assembly!” You leaned over the fire escape, stopped upon the height, and glanced toward the red-eared slider. 
“L-Leon–.”
“Don’t worry.. I’m here.”
The rainfall became dense. Leonardo held your hand all the way until you two reached your apartment window, where the water had condensed onto the glass, and where some of it fell into your bedroom.
You quickly grabbed two towels from the bathroom, drying any water off your head and on the floor. Walking back to the opening, where Leon waited, you picked up the turtle’s twin swords, knowing he’d have to leave soon. “I hope it won’t be too cold for you to handle out there, Leon.” You handed his weapon.
He shrugged. “Eh... What’s a bit of rain going to do to a mutant turtle living in the sewers? Don’t forget, I got Lou Jitsu’s blood in me too.” He winked. “‘The cold never bothers me anyway.’”
You huffed lightly. “Stay safe.”
“Will do.” Right as Leonardo was about to leave, by instinct, you took your chance and suddenly grabbed his hand, holding him back. The red-eared slider– with wide eyes– gazed down at you, confused yet expectantly.
“I.. I never answered that other question.”
Leonardo’s shoulders slumped. “Forget it.” He waved off. “You said you couldn’t tell me... I shouldn’t be begging you to spill anything personal.”
“No, not like–.” You sighed. “Just come here.”
Leonardo leaned down near the window, concerned. But then, your hand reached out through, fingertips tracing along his jaw, caressing his skin. Your intentionally slow pace gave him enough time to process this moment.
Your red-eared slider leaned right into your touch, and he gulped. His face bringing out a light blush. The very charismatic and overly confident mutant melted under your hold. You moved him closer and closer. Your hues locked in contact, before you both slowly shut them.
The tiny space between your lips gone as you crashed into a kiss.
“Mmm.” His shoulders visibly relaxed. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer, as he did around your waist. The heat on your face not going away. Leo’s hands trailed down and gripped your thighs, while you went on playing with the ends of his mask.
After what felt like a minute, you both broke from the kiss, panting softly. Those breaths can be seen against the cold.
“Eres buena para tu primer beso, Cariña~.”
“Como si tuvieras alguna experiencia con los besos, Cariño~.” You used your finger to close his gaping mouth. 
“H-Hold on, you speak Spanish–?”
“High school requires at least two years of a foreign language.” You kissed his neck. “Next time we get a rainy night, you wanna climb up the roof again?”
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simkhira · 5 years
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I Have 300+ Gameplay Mods?! & Yes, They All Work Together...
Yes, you read that correctly. I have over 300 gameplay mods / overrides in my game. 340 to be exact. & Yes, they all work just fine together. By that I mean hardly any last exceptions / errors. So if you are looking for ways to spice up your game - here you go, sis:
⭐ = my ultimate faves
PLEASE SEE ALL 300+ LINKS ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE! desktop tumblr won’t let us be great.
BIG DISCLAIMER: Use these mods at your own risk! Just because all 300+ of these mods work for me, does not mean they will work for you. ALSO - when patch day comes, do not refer to this list for the most up-to-date versions of mods… I will only be updating this list when I feel like I need to.
O K A Y
let’s start with... the basics:
MC Command Center ⭐
UI Cheats Extension ⭐
More Columns in CAS ⭐
No Mosaic ⭐
CAS Background
CAS Blob Remover
CAS Immersive Lighting
CAS Tidy Accessories + Details
New Loading Screens
Cube Map Remover ⭐
Into the Light (Lighting Mod)
Out of the Dark (Lighting Mod)
Twinkle Toes (Lighting Mod)
No Fade on Sims and Objects
Build/Buy Camera (Tab Mode) ⭐
Lot Trait Effects Hider
Smaller Plumbob ⭐
& then you need... realistic socialization:
Chat Pack ⭐
Whim Overhaul ⭐
Meaningful Stories ⭐
Personality Please
Better Elders
More Face to Face Conversation
Call Over Sims (Higher Distance)
Call Anytime + Chat Longer on the Phone
Unlisted Phone Numbers ⭐
Low Fun is Boring
Family Matters (Share Big News with Family Members)
Share More News ⭐
Congratulate More
Ask What Happened More
Conversation Tweaks
Chat Standing Still
No Stand Up to Greet
No Rude Intro Animation
No Flirty Animation
Apology Fix (Don’t Apologize if Your’re the Victim)
Angry Walk-style Only When VERY Angry
Less Intrusive Conversations
NPC’s Get Out of My Convo
Autonomous Parenthood Social Interactions
Autonomous Social Interactions
Reduced Idle Chatting
Know Your Coworkers / Classmates ⭐
More Away Actions
More Social Activities
Spend Weekend With
Teach Me the Rumbaism
now let’s talk about... realistic romance:
Chemistry System ⭐
Pillow Talk After Woohoo ⭐
No Shy First Kiss
No Woohoo Dance
Shower Woohoo Tweaks
No Romance for Family
Restricted Romance Interactions
Less Jealousy
Simda Dating App
Can I Come Over?
Date Night Event
Movie Night Event
Set Family Relationships ⭐
Set Extended Family Relationships ⭐
Bathroom Privacy Tweak
Bridal Shower Event
Bachelor(ette) Party Event
Auto Engagement / Wedding Ring ⭐
Vacation Weddings
Sit at Weddings
Better Wedding Presents ⭐
Honeymoon Event
Buy More Gifts from Phone
Ask for Romantic Massage
Realistic Divorce ⭐
Traumatic Divorce for Children
Improved Relationships
No Restaurant Bill When Invited ⭐
Faster Cooking at Restaurants ⭐
Better Food Quality at Restaurants
Finish Eating in Restaurants
Restaurant Guests Overhaul
Restaurant Sit Tweak
(can y’all tell that restaurants annoy me? lmao)
first comes love, then comes... pregnancy / toddler / kids / fur babies:
Ages Behavior Tweaks
Toddlers Spawn at Parks (with Parents)
More Children at Beaches
Pregnancy Overhaul
Rub Your Baby Bump (Small Pregnancy Overhaul)
Determine Baby’s Gender for All ⭐
Ultrasound Scans ⭐
Baby Shower Event
Amazing Birth (Rave About Your Delivery)
Advanced Birth Certificate ⭐
Sibling Care Tweaks
Make Less / Clean Less Mess
Auto Brush Teeth After Puking
Auto Put Activity Crafts into Inventory
Allow Toddlers to go to Services
No Call Out of High Chair
Toddler Power Nap
Better Toddler Milk
Better + Younger Nanny
Call a Babysitter ⭐
Call a Dog Walker
Shorter Dog Walks
Dog Walkers in Other Worlds
Scold All Pets
Sell Grown Up Pets
Pet Food Serving Overhaul
More Efficient Pet Brushing
Kids Can Walk Dogs
Kids Can Order Espresso
Kids Can Ride Bikes
Kids Have More Phone Interactions
Kids Can Cook
Kids Can Do Retail
Kids Can Garden
Kids Can Make Flower Arrangements
Kids Can Make Robots
Kids Can Workout
Kids Can Do Spa Activities
Kids Can Play Guitars
Kids Can Play Ping Pong
Birthday Anytime
Let Friends Age Up ⭐
No Auto Put Away Toys
No Auto Put Away Pet Toys
No Puddles Under Tubs (Toddler Bath)
Has to Pee Walk-style for Kids Only
Better Homework ⭐
Better Grade School ⭐
Better High School ⭐
Preschool for Toddlers ⭐
School Projects are Fun
More School Holidays
25 School Vacation Days
Prom Night Event ⭐
Sleepover Event
Pizza Party Event
Field Trip Event
Family Reunion Event
Pool Party Event
speaking of school... university:
Less Credits for Degree ⭐
University Costs More ⭐
University Holidays Fixed
Higher Scholarships ⭐
Rejection Letter
Harder Distinguished Degree Acceptance ⭐
Degree Required for Promotions
Faster Run to University Class
Teens Jump to University
Choose Your Helmet
Choose Your Roommates ⭐
Roommate Age-Checks
Roommate Significant Other Fix
Roommates No Random Outfit Changing
Roommates No Random Item Spawning in Dorms
Roommates No Spawning Meals
Roommates No Trash
Roommates Sleep All Night
Roommates Less Music
College Org Members Are Uni Students
Faster University Homework ⭐
Faster Tutoring Class
Copy Graduation Photos and Diploma
No Bad Microwave Buffs
No Ghosts on Campus
Sports Fixes
Game Day Event
Graduation Party Event
once you graduate... careers & aspirations:
Plan Career Outfit
Better Work Actions
Enlist in War ⭐
Live in Business
Faster Retail Actions
Faster Record / Edit Videos on Video Station⭐
Higher Acting Gig Payouts & Royalties ⭐
More Realistic Overmax Pay ⭐
Higher Payments for Paintings ⭐
Higher Royalties for Apps/Games ⭐
Higher Royalties for DJ Mixing ⭐
Higher Royalties for Lifestyle Brands ⭐
Higher Royalties for Song Lyrics ⭐
Higher Royalties for Music ⭐
Freelancer Edits are More Successful
Sketchpad No Fees
Campaign Rally Event
Visible Political Position
Watch Political Speeches at Podium
Retirement Party Event
The University Aspiration Pack ⭐
Accomplished Lady Aspiration
Family Aspiration
Grow Up Aspiration
Teacher’s Pet Aspiration
Knowledge Aspiration
Retirement Aspiration
Romance Aspiration
Famous Pastry Chef Aspiration
Twilight Years Aspiration
All-Rounder Aspiration
Programming Genius Aspiration
Travel and Culture Aspiration
Wellness Aspiration
9 to 5 Career Pack ⭐
Night Shift Career Pack ⭐
Part Time Career Pack ⭐
Fitness Career
Health and Beauty Career
Modeling Career
Journalism Career (Adult + Teen)
Trust Fund Career (Adult + Teen)
Welfare Recipient (Adult + Teen)
Saturday Jobs (Teens)
Oceanography Career (Teens)
Private Tutoring Career (Teens)
All Freelancer Careers (Teens)
Tutor (Odd Job)
Woohoo (Odd Job) - lmao
Art Show Event
hahaha... adulting sucks:
Basemental Alcohol ⭐
Happy Hour Event
SNB Realistic Bills ⭐
SNB Banking
Invest in Stocks
Lowered Thermostat Bills
Instant Thermostat ⭐
Auto Wrinkles for Adults
Life Decider 
House Warming Party (No More Fruitcake)
Door Knock Notification ⭐
Island Events Notifications ⭐
No Strangers Knocking at Your Door
Quick Showers / Baths ⭐
Shower + Bladder Reliever (don’t judge me)
Power Nap ⭐
Sleep All Night
Smarter Robot Vacuum
Functional Tide Pods
Clean Your Bedsheets
Auto Put Away Clothes
Auto Start/Dry Clothes
Laundry on Community Lots Costs
No Idle Laundry Animations / Sparkles
Don’t Prep Food Where You Angry Poop ⭐
Don’t Wash Dishes Where You Angry Poop ⭐
Eco Dishwasher
Faster Cooking ⭐
No Auto Set the Table
Ask to Cook, Bake, Grill
BBQ Event
Custom Food + Recipe’s ⭐
Custom Drinks + Recipe’s ⭐
Grannie’s Old Cookbook + Recipe’s ⭐
Bake Cupcakes in Oven
Coolers are Cooling
Advanced Fishing ⭐
Fishing Trip Event
Fish for Crabs, Lobster, & Shrimp
More Seafood Servings
More Snacks in Fridge
More Food at the Bar
More Food in the Cafe
Flea Market Every Sunday
Get to Church
just in case you... get famous:
No Fame Decay ⭐
Celebrities Never Reject Fans
Celebrities are Quarantined in Del Sol Valley ⭐
Get Famous Award Overhaul
Less Celebrity Reactions
Famous Sims Gain Followers Automatically
More Follower’s Resolution for Everyone
Free Staff (Chef, Barista, Bartender, etc.) ⭐
Gardeners and Maids on Weekends
Red Carpet Event
whatever you are... just be happy and healthy:
Fitness Controls ⭐
Balanced Calories ⭐
Go for a Walk
Hiking Increases Herbalism Skill
Power Workouts
Athletic Outfit in Winter ⭐
Healthy Drinks
Improved Meditation Stool
Improved Spa Day Tablet
Improved Yoga Mat ⭐
Craftable Pottery
Less Elder Exhaustion
Less Sickness
Longer Basketball Games
More Fun Stuff
Online Gaming with Headsets
and I can’t forget these... more gameplay mods:
NPC Controller ⭐
Improved Autonomy
Simulation Lag Fix
Simulation Timeline Unclogger
Improved Autonomy During Loading Screens ⭐
No Empty Venues When Arriving ⭐
No Temperature Deaths ⭐
No Death from Murphy Bed
No React to Stranger’s Death
Realistic Death (Mortem) ⭐
Memorial Event
Freezing Sims Don’t Turn Blue ⭐
More Club / Holiday Icons
Make Hidden Holiday Traditions Selectable
Random Holiday Traditions
Wellness Traditions
More Holiday Icons
Less Rain More Sun
Less Snow More Sun
Summer Blow-Out Event
Christmas Eve Event
New Year’s Eve Bash Event
No Ugly Rain Outfits
More Umbrella Variations in World
Open Umbrella on Rainy Days Only
No More Broken Umbrellas
Destroy Leaf Piles ⭐
Dress Code Lot Trait
Gender and More Lot Trait
Preferences Lot Trait
Add Sims to Groups During Events
No Auto Club Gathering ⭐
Flower Arrangements Slower Decay
Take Photo Overhaul (Moschino Stuff) ⭐
Snorkel Everywhere
Don’t Turn NPC’s into Spellcasters
No Role Outfits for Sages
ROM Portal Only for Spellcasters
& you also need these... much-needed overrides:
More Sponge Colors
More Sippy Cup Colors
More Dog Leash Colors
White Ice Skates
Better Food Textures (All of Them) ⭐
Hidden Bassinet ⭐
iPhone X Phone Replacement
Playing Cards Replacement
Military Salute Overhaul
Small Saucer Light ⭐
Working Medicine Cabinet ⭐
Working Alarm Clocks ⭐
Realistic Fighting Animation 
Oasis Springs + Island Living Palm Trees ⭐
special thank you to all of the wonderful mod creators! seriously, I could not play this game without you guys... (no, really.) There are way too many of you guys to name without missing someone... so if you reblog this, all I ask is that you please tag your favorite modders! (& maybe even add your favorite mods?)
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Photo
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Megaman Production Art Scan of the Day #382:
Mega Man 6 US Box Art Advertising Film Cel 
Let’s start off the new year in 2022 with something a little different from the usual settei sheets. 
As some of you may know, a bunch of film transparencies of the American Mega Man box art, originally created by Greg Winters, went up for auction last month, and I was lucky/appreciative enough to be able to purchase 3 of them: MM6, MMIV, and Wily Wars:
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Judging from the agency sticker on the protective sleeve, these were most likely just used in the creation of advertising/marketing pieces for the game. 
You also might remember I came across one for X3 a couple years ago. Only problem being I didn’t have a scanner that could scan film properly, as there needs to be a second light source, one for both sides of the film. So the quality of my scan then wasn’t all that great.
So, now that I have more of a reason for it, I bought a fancy new scanner specifically built to scan film before Christmas, and I can happily tell you I’ve been able to preserve them at high quality. How HQ? Well...after messing around with settings, and maxing out the limit of memory on my computer, I was able to get it up to 3200 DPI. So, this little 4x5 film was able to be maxed out close to 10000 x 14500 pixels. Cropped. ^^; 
Can you see that full resolution on tumblr or twitter? Certainly not. But, hopefully my solution works, keeping it at full resolution in a Google Photos album. However, due to the sheer size of the file, I’m only going to upload the crop of the main artwork in HQ, not the full film. I actually think the full film file size is too large to upload. It’s failed on me twice.
This film is interesting, because it has obvious sets of push pins holding down the main art on both the left and right side of it, which stay preserved in the image. The art itself is slightly crooked, probably due to how they captured it, as well. Only this one is weird like that.
You will see some natural flaws in these. I rescanned them a few times to make sure it really wasn’t a strand of my hair on my new scanner (it wasn’t, there really was a strand of hair forever etched onto one of these). But I have attempted to use the clone stamp tool to touch up a few glaring imperfections (like push pins) and film deterioration.
Have you ever seen Knight Man or Wind Man in this detail?
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It’s pretty doubtful any of us will be as lucky as the guy who owns all of the original paintings to ever see these in all their glory, so this is my best attempt at doing that for you. And I will bring you the other 3 over the next few days, as I try to get back on track with daily-ish posts again. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!  
Full Resolution Scan Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YpTDgUofJzeBs27TA  (be warned, image is 147.8 MB!)
[EDIT: Google Drive link if Album download does not work]
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ms-hells-bells · 3 years
Note
(Sorry if my English is bad) I'm 19 and have been a radfem for almost 3 years. Never felt pressure to begin shaving and makeup and all that b.s. But I've noticed my forehead lines are becoming VERY prominent and it's messed with my head. I cannot stop thinking about getting botox in there despite it going against everything I believe in. I'm confident in myself and this isn't regular of me. I am turning 20 in a month and I think I'm just having a getting older crisis which feels so wrong. I love my older sisters, why am I seemingly resenting this? These stupid forehead lines are tearing me apart. I think I'm just sending this so you can whack some sense into me, if that's okay. Or perhaps share an insight into experiencing these feelings even as a radfem.
P.S. my tumblr mobile is not great, please anon this if it doesn't send on anon.
you sent this to the perfect person.
my phone quality is pretty shit with overexposure and lack of detail so you can't see very clearly, they're deeper and more obvious in real life than the pics, but even with that (if you tilt the pic to angle away some of the light, it's clearer)
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i have had prominent forehead and brow wrinkles since i was about 13. i raised my eyebrows a lot, made large expressions. sometimes if i'm by myself for a while and don't express, they fade a little, if i'm around people a lot and am expressing a ton, they become a lot deeper for a long time. but they're always there and visible. i'm 22 now. i VERY briefly worried about them when i was like....17, but then just stopped thinking about them.
they're a result of me thinking, being surprised, being happy, basically living life. why would i hate them? they're just there. when you look at others, do you stare at any facial lines they have? you don't think about them at all, right? if i never think about something that others have, why would i worry about them on myself and what others think? they don't think. no one in my life has pointed them out, i don't they have even realised because people's brains naturally accept all the little details on the faces of people we're close to, every little part comes together as a whole and is how we recognise every individual as unique, our brains scan this stuff subconsciously to recognise family, friends, acquaintances, anyone we've ever meet (although not much for me as i'm pretty badly face blind). you as a twenty year old have those wrinkles not because you're old, but because you have been through a lot of brow raising experiences. everyone has different levels of skin elasticity and "memory". associate them fondly with the good brow raising experiences and be thankful that you made it through the bad brow raising experiences lol.
i always recommend thinking about the trait you don't like and how you think about it with others. "afford yourself the same kindness that you afford others". we have evolved as a species to make the most intricate and details facial expressions out of any species on earth, we even evolved out of hairy faces, exposing us to the cold, in order to better see and portray facial expressions. those lines are the consequences of millions of years of evolution to make us one of the best social species to ever exist, the fact that we can raise our foreheads to make these little wrinkles and other people can understand what we're expressing without saying a word is pretty incredible. definitely practice the mindset of body neutrality and body utility with this stuff. maybe you could read up about the biological usefulness of brows, eyebrow expressions, etc. i'm sure there's a lot of cool stuff about it.
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i8jisoo · 4 years
Text
𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 ⇉ skz with pregnant!reader
felix x reader | part six of dad!skz
↬ genre; fluff
↬ warnings; pregnancy, slight relation to sex, birth
↬ notes; this took so long lmfao i just had it sitting but i’m finishing up seungmin rnnn 🤓 i’ve been doing requests whew i just have EVERYTHING coming at once
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u guys r really surprised 
u two had been in a relationship for four years now so this was inevitable as u two were putting off the pressure of marriage for awhile now
“woah, i’m gonna be a dad!! does this mean u have to call me daddy now?”
0_0
u r s e n s i t i v e
felix first notices this when he gives u a kiss in the morning n ur crying like two seconds after
:((
“why are you crying??!”
“you just leave so early and i miss you!!”
felix skips the day, not rly caring he just wants to cuddle u 🥺
speaking of cuddling u two r so cuddly together now
u guys just cant get enough of each other
ur at practice less often just bc of media and he thinks the house is safer for u
so the boys come over a ton more to the dorm just bc they wanna see u and spend time with u
he is so cute, whenever he sees you he’ll instantly be on his knees to kiss your baby bump and leave u with a light kiss on ur lips
u guys go to ur scan at the beginning of the second trimester
its hush hush and ofc felix has u with the best doctor hes heard of 
his hands are clammy asf, hes smiling and so dazed while he stares at the ultrasound
“look at that!! baby a and baby b!!”
felix is like, 
“oh im gonna pass out”
now he gets these corny ass JOKES like
“wow lix has really GOOD swimmers!!!”
“felix knows his way around the bedroom!!!!!!!!”
poor baby jeongin :( they are POLLUTING HIS MIND
he doesnt but this boy is scared shitless now, two babies?? thats a lot to handle
he likes to shop, a lot. 
for some reason everything is dog themed, puppies on everything and he’ll come home with bags of baby stuff everyday
lix is just so in love with your body
sweaters, t-shirts, hoodies, anything he owns, he 100% wants you to wear it
he might be a little excited at the thought of u in his clothes, it was usual but now u pregnant, he was a little MORE excited
abnormally this guy worships your body 100% 
he loves how easily you can just unravel, to the point of tears and have u begging for him to stop
ok lemme not ill start writing shit type smut anyways chile yes lix loves u A LOT in and out of the bedroom
mmm he’ll always be brainstorming names
aeygo for the babies 🥺
tons of kisses he has plenty to go around
he acquires a new skill called cooking 😣
ur his new favorite taste tester
he’ll read books for them both
tons of research on expecting twins and what to do
“hey, okay.. so i bought a pregnancy pillow, and like, i wanna use it?”
felix has this smirk, holding the huge pillow that is supposed to be a maternity one, but he much prefers himself using it as a regular pillow
he actually goes public with this, knowing that the fans adored u after being his girlfriend for so long nd u soon became a favorite for them
some shit like ‘stays meet your new members’ 😣
this guy has a knack for painting, his newest canvas is your large baby bump, doodling little flowers n hearts or animals on it, sometimes painting characters on it or whatever it may be
u two have this rly cute vlive together which consists of him painting ur baby bump, plenty of fun while he asked stays to tell him what to draw on ur bump :v
“ooh!! a ladybug!!”
he posts the finished project in nice high quality on their official instagram, showing off the many things he had painted
the dreaded bed rest comes into play
u are now nearing seven months, which meant that u should be experiencing labor or maybe labor pains soon
he takes his paternal leave, now indulging in ice-cream and gummy bears with u, rather than working out and drinking nasty smoothies
guess who has that sympathy weight 
(jk he just uses it as an excuse so he can just give up on his diet)
sleep all day
sleep all night
u two are honestly so tired for WHATEVER reason
lix is there to be a cuddle bug, pulling ur back close to his body, ur legs entwined and his hand on top of ur own that was on ur bump
its rly cute just try and picture it for a moment
u guys r trying everything to hurry and get to the end of this seemingly forever pregnancy
he’ll def buy two yoga balls instead of just one for u and he’ll bounce on them with u
who cares ab trying to hurry up y’all are having so much fun regardless of the fact u have to pee every ten minutes
u both forget the thought of it and just go with the flow
making a deal to go with the names for whomever u claimed aka baby a or baby b
i see ur guys timing to be during the summer so its miserable in ur house
its hot n stuffy
u two r just lounging n u both have popsicles, then ur just like
“oh! oh.”
it was a steady gush of fluid between ur legs and that was when the nervousness set in
u two just look at each-other in shock
“oh! we’re having a baby- um.. wow!”
he is abnormally good at keeping calm, helping u keep ur breathing steady and getting everything together 
felix is a pro.
u guys r kinda chilling in the parking lot just quiet and sort of nervous that the next time ur walking out of there you both will have not one, but two babies
“i don’t know if i’m ready yet.”
felix groans, grabbing ur hand
“ur right, ur more than ready. look at us!! parents of two in at least the next twenty-four hours!!” 
his hands r around u in a second to help u up and there to help u walk in
u two honestly decide to play games on ur phone to kill time
felix crawls into ur bed, seeing as how u looked extremely lonely, letting his arms and legs wrap around u n he’s just playing with ur hair
its honestly adorable
u two are really tired for whatever reason, falling asleep like this before u would be consumed in the late nights of being parents
these nurses wake u both up and are just like
“let’s see if we’re ready to meet ur babies!!”
felix is kinda scared but nonetheless he’ll grab ur hand and hold onto it with a smile
10cm woo!
if he wasn’t hyping u up before he is hyping u up right now
ur somewhat laughing and crying while in pain
yall r so weird
felix is there to wipe ur face with the wet cloth, or to give u a sip of water, rly whatever u need he is on it
poor baby just wants to be of help
“here’s baby a! it’s a girl!”
u two have at least a moment with her, taking in her small appearance, felix holding her out for u to see
abruptly cut off by baby b needing to make an appearance
“i don’t wanna do this again.”
“it’s alright, shh. we’re going to have two babies, two perfect ones. we have one little girl, let’s get ready for the next one, yeah? our two babies, you’re doing so good.”
they take away ur little girl while felix does what he already did beforehand
“here’s your second one!! we have a pair of sisters!”
u and felix are so overjoyed at this news, literally sobbing, u two r a mess
both r brought over to u, felix taking in the fact he’s a father of two girls, such small girls
ur both smiley while u kiss them n cuddle them, getting the nurse to take a picture of u two
ur obviously tired, felix emotionally worn out but having the brightest smiles on ur faces while u hold onto ur pair of newborn girls
he’s so proud, he’s the definition of a proud father
lix is holding onto one and he comes over to you, the other one cooing
“that’s it, my three girls.”
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©️ maysdiors 2020 :: all rights reserved. do not repost my work on tumblr or other platforms.
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prfctethereal · 4 years
Text
My Everything - Tom Riddle x Reader
pairing: tom riddle x reader
word count: 3,175
a/n: uhh this is my first one shot imagine thing so i hope it doesnt stink. I’ve already posted this on ao3 but i thought i might give tumblr a try. -kennedy
***
A cold winter’s day was nothing as the potions classroom steamed up in the heat. Stressed students in their last year of school fumbled with their cauldrons, scribbling notes onto their parchment, trying to remember everything they would need for their NEWTs coming up in June. Smokey fog misted the room, suffocating the students. If only someone could crack open a window - too bad they were in the dungeons.
On today’s agenda, Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. It was only revision but since I had done so poorly on it last year, I was determined to get a higher score this year. Luckily, we could choose our potions partners in our seventh year, so I partnered up with my best friend, and exceedingly talented potions maker, Tom Riddle.
I’ve known Tom ever since year one. My nervous self lost on a train in a sea of strangers, unsure of where to go, unsure of where to step. Everyone seemed so intimidating and daunting; I struggled to even speak up and talk to anyone. Alone I sat, in an empty compartment, scanning my new textbooks so I wouldn’t seem so daft.
It was hard being muggleborn. I thought I would’ve been behind everyone academically, only just learning about the wizarding world last May when I turned eleven and got my Hogwarts letter. Of course, I was ecstatic - who wouldn’t be? The idea of magic had always fascinated me, growing up on fairytales and myths. But then, I traded in Snow White for Standard Book of Spells: Volume One.
Yet, as I saw the compartment door open and I locked eyes with a reserved, charming boy, I sat my book down and gave a small smile. He returned the smile with a wave, before turning his attention to the spell book in my lap, cocking an eyebrow up.
“Getting a head start?” The strange boy had asked. At that moment, I had to decide what to say. I could tell the truth and reveal that I was a nervous muggleborn who was afraid of knowing nothing in my classes, but I had already heard about the prejudice around muggleborns. Many people believed they were inferior to pureblood wizards and I wasn’t sure if this boy was one of those people. I was in no position to pass up a friendship. So I lied.
“I was just so happy to be going to Hogwarts that I just wanted to get right into the learning. I mean, I've been waiting to go for my entire life.” I stuttered out, praying that I had said the right thing. The strange boy’s face relaxed as he heard that and held his hand out in front of him, waiting for me to shake it. Hesitantly, I leaned over, taking his hand in mine. His fingers were cold and slender, curling around mine in a menacing manner. All my thoughts told me to get out of there, to run away before anything bad could happen, but I was so alone. I wanted a friend more than anything.
“My name is Tom Riddle.” His voice was smooth like melted silver, enchanting me. I could feel a pink tint rise on my cheeks, encapsulating my face in a blush. Looking down to avoid his piercing blue eyes, I smiled softly. I shook his hand as he wanted, pulling away. His hands were foreign and they felt strange wrapped around mine. Yet, so alluring.
“I’m [Y/N L/N].” I blurted, placing my hands in my lap nervously. Regret flushed into my veins as I watched his mind process what I had told him. Was my name too muggle-like? Had I given away my secret already? Yet, he smirked. A good sign, I had decided.
We talked casually for the rest of the train ride. Avoiding as many questions about my family as possible, I noticed Tom doing the exact same thing. So I never brought it up and he didn’t either. He seemed interesting though. Like his last name entailed, he was a riddle and I was curious to solve him. I was never going to get anywhere though with just small talk. I wanted to be closer to him.
At the sorting ceremony, I watched as he went up to the sorting hat. Immediately after the hat was placed upon his head, it exclaimed “Slytherin!” I had at least read up on the different houses at Hogwarts. I knew what Slytherins were about; their pureblood propaganda was almost impossible to avoid when reading Hogwarts: A History. As I saw the glint of passion in Tom’s eyes when he heard the house, I realised I had made the right choice to lie about my blood on the bus. He was ever so pleased to be a Slytherin.
When my name was called, I begged not to be in Slytherin. Tom would find out my secret if I was around him too much, so I asked the sorting hat not to place me in the house of serpents. The most I remember from that sorting ceremony was hearing “Ravenclaw” come out of the sorting hat’s mouth and fainting onto the cool ground.
Waking up in the hospital wing, my eyes fluttered open to see none other than Tom Riddle sitting in the chair next to me. He was looking out for me and at the moment, he became my best friend for the next seven years.
But now, we were seventeen years old, sleeves rolled up, sweat beading at our foreheads. I wiped it away panting heavily. I couldn’t mess up Amortentia for a second time; I would never hear the end of it from Tom. We were both top students in all our classes but in potions, he was definitely on top. As I shrugged my cardigan off, I heard him snigger under his breath, shaking his head while chuckling. I gave him dagger eyes before turning back to my potion. I knew he was mocking me for being stressed. Not everyone could be so calm while potion making.
“Do you need some help?” I heard Tom’s voice from behind me, as I flicked my head around, revealing his cocky grin, watching me from over my shoulder. My lips were pursed tight as I gave him a small smile, trying not to reveal that I was struggling. Yet, as I was about to add bat wings to the cauldron, Tom put his hands on mine, pulling it away from the bubbling mixture. “I think you do if you’re going to add uncut bat wings into the potion.”
Frantically, I looked over at my potions book, seeing that Tom was correct - they needed to be roughly chopped. Taking a deep breath, I listened to his laughs as I grabbed my knife out, chopping them up into big chunks before adding them into the deep, velvety mixture, and stirred it three times anti-clockwise. All I needed now was to wait for it to simmer, so I sat back in my chair, tying my hair up to get it off my face.
Joining me peacefully, Tom sat beside me, a smug look on his face. His potion was simmering now too. We were both very quick at making potions, even if his potions were of a better quality than mine. I closed my eyes, taking a whiff of the aromas in the room. Nothing distinct could be smelt by me, except for the boy sitting next to me. All I wished to do was fall asleep right now, but I knew that I couldn't do that, so I sat up to take the potion off the heat. It should be finished by now.
Tom followed me up and I looked into my cauldron, unsure if it was any good. Questionably, I turned my head over to Tom, hoping he could smell it and test if it was working right. Tom trusted me with the information that he was born out of a love potion and couldn’t love anyone, so if he couldn’t smell anything, it should be perfect. As I gestured to my finished potion, I offered him to smell it and he leaned in. When the fumes raised up to his nose, his eyes widened in shock, his pupils dilating.
“Well, I can smell something in there.” He laughed, but I just sighed, on the verge of tears. I really needed to make it correctly but I had messed up again. Tom noticed that I was about to break down and placed his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a small hug. His soft hands came to my cheeks, taking his thumb and rubbing my flushed cheekbone. “Hey, hey, hey, it's okay. Maybe we can restart it before Professor Slughorn comes to check on it?”
But, it was too late. Professor Slughorn had noticed the lack of us doing anything and had wandered over to us, excitedly. I tried to hide my scarlet cheeks from the old man, burying myself in Tom’s torso, yet Slughorn had arrived, eagerly wanting to smell my potion. Reluctantly, I took the lid off my cauldron and moved out of the way to let Professor Slughorn smell my Amortentia.
Surprisingly, Professor Slughorn smiled as he smelt my potion. Confused, I tried to study his face and find out what he was smiling about. My question was answered soon after. “It’s perfect, Miss [L/N], it’s absolutely perfect. I can smell my late wife perfectly. Outstanding work! A big improvement from last year, aye?”
I was so shocked by what Slughorn had just said that I just nodded and gulped, looking over to Tom next to me. He looked even more nervous than me, avoiding eye contact with me as Professor Slughorn walked off. “You said you could smell something,” I asked Tom, “so why did you lie?”
“I didn’t.” Tom said quietly, leaning over his own cauldron. He took his bottom lip between his teeth, chewing nervously. I wasn’t paying much attention though, as I bent down over my own cauldron, taking in the aroma of the Amortentia. Old parchment, fire, and -
Tom caught my eye. His face looked pale, as if all the colour had been drained. Shyly, I looked away, turning my attention away from Tom and towards our teacher, folding my hands awkwardly in my lap.
“So, that’s the last lesson of the term. Over the holidays, I would like two rolls of parchment on the effects of Amortentia on a person. You may go now.” Slughorn said, before dismissing us. I grabbed my book bag before heading swiftly out of the potion classroom. As I left, I was met with a great gust of wind, sending shivers down my spine, cooling me down immediately, to a point where the sweat felt like icicles. Opening my bag, I searched for my cardigan, realising I had left it in the classroom.
Clumsily, I reentered the classroom, to see that the only one left in the room was Tom. He turned to me as I walked in, so I flashed him a calm smile. Strolling back to my seat, I took my cardigan in my hands, wrapping it around my cold body. Leaving the class, Tom followed after me, catching up to me and engaging me in conversation.
“So, everyone leaves tomorrow for the holidays.” Tom started, “What do you want to do first?” A dangerous smirk raised on his face, waiting for my answer. As a tradition, every year we stayed at school together, two of the only people who stayed, and caused mayhem to all the teachers and remaining students. It was the most exciting time of year. It always ended with us falling asleep on Christmas Eve in the Astronomy Tower, watching all the stars into the night. Unfortunately, this year was different.
“I have to go home this year.” Tom’s face fell as I said these words, his eyes filling with sadness. Before he could ask why, I answered his question. “I’m going to be eighteen soon and that means I’m going to get married. My parents want me to go home and meet my new fiancé that I’m going to have to marry. I’m sorry Tom.”
“Y-you’re getting married?” Tom stuttered, and he never stuttered. I looked away from him ashamed. He looked at me like I was some foreign person, someone who he didn’t know. I couldn’t even look at me.
“I’m sorry.” I spluttered out, as I turned the corner towards the Ravenclaw tower, leaving Tom down in the dungeons. I turned back towards him before quietly saying, “goodbye Tom.”
***
Morning broke and I woke up early to pack my suitcase up. Of course, I didn't want to go home. I didn’t want to be a victim to some muggle arranged marriage. In all honesty, my parents were ashamed of me being a witch. That’s why I never returned home each winter holiday, only going back to them in the summer holidays, when I needed to. Hoping that it would squash out the magic in my blood, my parents were forcing me to marry the blandest, most normal man they could find.
I decided to skip breakfast this morning, being unable to even look at Tom. Last night at dinner had been sufficiently awkward enough, even while ignoring him as much as possible. Yet, I could feel his eyes burning the back of my head the entire time. I couldn’t handle that again so I decided I could just get something to eat on the train.
It was currently nine o’clock in the morning. The train was scheduled to leave at ten so I had to hurry up, shoving as many as my muggle clothes in my bag as possible. If this day couldn’t get any worse, outside my window I could see the clouds closing in, small raindrops falling onto my window pane. Sighing, I pulled out an old sweater that I had given to Tom to borrow earlier this term. It still smelt like him - the smell was alluring.
The plan was to get out of the castle and onto the platform as soon as possible. I could talk to Tom one on one again once I had gotten back from my trip, but I was still terrified of what would happen. He was my best friend, surely he would understand?
Taking a carriage out of Hogwarts, I arrived in Hogsmeade, ready to take the train. With my suitcase in hand, I reached up to grab onto the train, yet I was pulled back onto the platform. 9:50am. The train would leave in ten minutes and I needed to get on. Also, it was raining harder now, and I wasn’t happy about getting soaked.
I knew it was Tom who pulled me away and I couldn’t disagree with his feelings. I had left him with nothing. I had ignored him for the past sixteen hours. I was being a bad friend, I know, but I couldn’t stand to see him sad and miserable. It hurt me. It hurt him. I hated seeing him hurt
9:52am. We had finally reached our destination. A small secluded area away from the platform. It may have been quiet but I was still being pummeled by the rain, shivering in my thin sweater. I looked up through my dew-covered eyelashes up to Tom, who stood much taller than me. His normally perfect curls were damp and limp, clinging tightly to his pale face. His eyes had a look of disappointment and confusion in them. His hands were resting on the sides of my arms, not letting me go. For a few moments, we just stood there, staring at each other, breathing heavily, until Tom finally spoke.
“Don’t go.” Tom finally said. 9:54am. I couldn’t find the words to say, the only thing coming out of my mouth was incomprehensible sounds.
“I have to go. My parents-”
“I don’t care about them. Stay here. With me.”
“What about my marri-?”
Tom looked away and I stopped talking. Out of instinct, I took my rain-sodden hand up to his cheek, turning him towards me. I leaned in closer to him, trying to get him to see where I was coming from. Yet, my heart fluttered at our closeness. He no longer felt cold, like when I first met him. His hands were warm. His eyes were kind. He was different.
“You will regret it if you go.” Tom muttered. “I know you will. I know you. And no man will ever know you like I do.”
9:56am. I really had to go, but I couldn’t leave Tom here. Slowly, I released him from my grasp and went back in, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him into a warm hug. His arms fell perfectly around my waist, pulling me in tighter. I never wanted to move, but I felt his hand leave my waist. My heart fell for a moment until he reattached his hand to my chin, tilting my head upwards. That’s when his lips connected with mine.
His lips were soft, something I didn’t expect. Truthfully, I didn’t expect a kiss at all. It was innocent as small as first, slowly releasing me, but it wasn’t enough. My heart wanted more, so I cupped his cheeks with my hands and pulled him in for another kiss, more passionate than the first. Our lips were synchronised perfectly, our touch igniting each other. It was as if I had never been happy before and Tom filled me with all the joy I needed. Then, he pulled away, placing a piece of my wet hair behind my ear. “Don’t go.”
9:58am. “I have to go. I can’t stay here. I’m not enough.” I looked down but Tom’s hand pulled me upwards again so I could feel his breath on my ear.
“I love-”
I pulled away before he could finish. He was making a mistake. He had no idea who I really was and it seemed like time to finally tell him.
“Tom, I am not who you think I am.” I started, feeling Tom’s eyes watching me intently. “I’m nothing more than a muggle born witch. I’m a mudblood. I’m nothing compared to you.”
9:59am. He didn't hesitate. He didn’t say anything. I was waiting for him to say something, to end this awkward silence, but instead, he just pulled me into another kiss.
“[Y/N] [L/N], I do not care that you are muggle born. You aren’t nothing. You are my everything and I love you. I love you so much.”
For one last time, he pulled me into a tight kiss and none of us let go. The rain poured down, keeping us in a tight bubble of our own heat. I could never let go.
10:00am.
I heard the train’s horn go but I didn’t care.
I pulled away, much to Tom’s despair, but whispered something, almost inaudibly.
“I love you too.”
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genesisrose74 · 4 years
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Christmas With the Karasuno Boys (HC’s)!!
Part 2: Kageyama, Hinata, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Kinoshita, & Narita
Part 1 (Daichi, Suga, Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, & Ennoshita) here!
A/n: Tumblr said my word count was too much so I’m splitting this bad boi up into two parts :p Enjoy!!
*****
Kageyama
This boy has a secret soft side for Christmas istg
He HATES showing it to other people on his team and shit
But holy bejeezus he is mesmerized by the holiday in every way possible
Lights, sweets, snow, just like,,, the general magic of December is the most awe-inspiring thing to him
Since he is still a sporty and pretty active mofo, you decided to fuel that on your holiday-themed date as Kags had noted that he’d never gone sledding before
Your jaw was on the FLOOR when he first told you because he would 10000% enjoy the hell out of it
And so you dragged him out to this popular sledding hill that you frequented as a child and taught him what to do
Not gonna lie, he was kind of nervous
“Well you’re experienced at it. I don’t wanna mess up”
🥺🥺🥺 bubby
“You won’t, Tobio! I can already tell you’re gonna be a sledding pro”
Feels a little better after that, but he asks you to help him out for his first run down the hill
He sits behind you with his arms secured snugly around your waist and his head nestled on top of your shoulder
Which would probably seem really funny to passerby because this boy is tol and intimidating in most other situations
As soon as the sled started down, Kags tightened his grip and made this cute little yelp of surprise
But you were laughing insanely hard at the combination of going really fast downhill whilst also having your boyfriend cling to you for dear life
And then when the sled stopped safely at the bottom he started to chuckle
FULL ON, GENUINE SOUND OF ENJOYMENT
That shit is rare
Y’all stayed at that hill for half the day because it was so fun
You got him a new, very high quality athletic roller for Christmas because his old one was just not cutting it anymore
And you also gave him this really cute bracelet with a volleyball, his jersey number, and a little strawberry milk set of charms attached to it
It matched this really pretty and subtle chain he’d bought for your birthday
His blueberry eyes got all wide with affection dfjdskfjsdk—
Got super blushy and couldn’t get a handle on his speech for a fat minute
He thinks you’re the coolest person ever no I do not take criticism
Geez you’re both adorable together, ideal “stoic boy becomes warmer during the holidays around his love” movie plot and I love it
Hinata
He is all in on Christmas. Not a chance this boy doesn’t get excited as hell
Will openly go into holiday mode as soon as November is over
Was secretly already listening to his Christmas playlist before then
He is one of the sweetest gift givers, that is FACTUAL
If you want something really badly, he will take notice and get it as your present immediately
He’ll also gift you an extra thing that’s handmade 🥺
Like some pastries that his mom helped him make, or a specially made basket of soaps with your favorite scents in it
It’s absolutely adorable and you cherish those ones especially
Is happy if you simply get him something; mans doesn’t care what it is
New practice volleyball? A brand new sweatshirt? Elated either way
You had seen an advertisement for a friendly match between Japan and Poland’s men’s volleyball teams, so you waited online on the ticket sales website until the minute it opened
Spoiler alert: you got some banger seats 😌✨
Shoyo may or may not have tackled you when he read the ticket details, letting out his excited giggle (you know the one)
“I can’t believe you got these, angel! You’re coming with me, right? You’ve gotta! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Gives you sweet little kisses between each individual ‘thank you’
“Of course I’ll go with you, Sho! I’m really glad you like it!”
He will give you the brightest smile of all time — that shit makes Christmas lights pale in comparison
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
RIGHT BACK AT YOU BBY
Hold his hands to warm up together when temperatures drop pls :)))
It’s become a weekly December tradition to watch a Christmas movie with Natsu at the Hinata household
She’ll sit in your lap while the three of you are cuddled under a blanket together, and Shoyo will lace his fingers with yours all discreetly
In conclusion, I am a sucker for holiday Hinata 🥺🥺🥺
Tsukishima
His room is decorated to the very minimum simply because his mom and brother had insisted on him being festive
You know those holiday instrumentals that are really calming and jazzy and stuff? Yeah, that’s the only Christmas music he will tolerate in his house
While he’s still got his usual icy demeanor, this blond bitch does get slightly less snippy with the Karasuno boys
Is always on the nose with getting you the exact thing you wanted for a present
Like,,, TO THE SMALLEST DETAIL
You don’t even have to bring that shit up beforehand, he just KNOWS
“Tsukki, how did you—?”
“It’s pretty obvious, with the way that one ad kept showing up on your phone.”
b r u h
How does he pay such good attention without even letting on??
As for his own present, you’ll usually get him two: one gag gift and one more serious gift
His dino plush collection size is partly due to the former’s contributions this time of year
Yes the dinos have names
You exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve with all the team (you made him go) and he saved your more serious one for last
It was a scarf that you’d gotten custom made, which had a Spotify code knitted into the fabric
Scanning the code opened the app to a playlist you’d created especially for him
He got pretty quiet when figuring it out and scrolling through the playlist
Would let out a certified Tsukki Nose Exhale™ when he came across certain songs
The more subdued reaction was expected because it’s Tsukishima
His little chuckles and warmer eyes were enough of a giveaway to tell you he very much enjoyed your gift
But on the walk home, he took the scarf and wrapped it around you both, and then brought his arm around your waist
“Thank you.”
You deadass almost combusted because it was so unexpected??
“You’re welcome. Merry Christmas, Kei”
Way to respond calm and collected 😌👍
But on the inside your body was in freak out mode
He wears the scarf all the time jdfsklfjdsk
Yamaguchi
Take the most tooth rotting fluff you could imagine
And then double that and put a fucking cherry on top
That’s the equivalent of what Christmas is like with Yama Yama
Y’all are like kids in a candy store — literally
For your Christmas dates it’s all about sweets and shared giggles, so frequent trips to the candy and baking isles of the grocery store is a must
Making gingerbread houses, peppermint tasting (mostly trying those different and wild ass candy cane flavors), you name it and it’s there
Stomach aches? I don’t know her
Yeah you do but they go away with enough butterfly kisses 🥰
Tadashi is exceptionally good at decorating gingerbread houses for whatever reason
He put a poll on his instagram between yours and his final products and he won by a landslide
It’s not like yours was necessarily bad, more like he’s just an icing master
You also might have eaten too many gumdrops which left your rooftop lacking in ✨spice✨
But it’s okay because Tadashi donated some of his leftovers to you
He’s such a sweetheart uwu
Please for the love of everything get him something heartfelt as his present
You know those long distance bracelets for couples?
Basically if your s/o taps the icon on the bracelet it’ll send a little vibration to the other person’s as a notice that you’re thinking about them
This boy seeks constant reassurance, and you love to give him his deserved love and validation, so it was the perfect present
It takes a second for him to figure out what it is, but after reading the directions and testing it out, the most adorable smile erupted on his face
And then since you already had yours on, he tapped the little icon again with a giggle
“Hey there”
It becomes common habit to tap it at least once every couple hours
GOD HE IS SO CUTE
He is just so soft this time of year, give him all the love and he will return it tenfold ☺️
Kinoshita
This boy is absolutely an awkward cutie and an avid romantic
Give him the cliches and he will eat em up, no doubt
It naturally gets more apparent around the holidays
He’ll take you on pretty winter walks, give you lots of little gifts (while blushing a hell of a lot), and is just a professional at stumbling upon some mistletoe
Wow wonder how it got there, Hisashi
He’s quite a bit more confident when simply alone with you than in a crowded space
And that definitely shows when he takes you out on a secluded sleigh ride around town
Yeah you heard me
A fuckin’ sleigh ride
Horses and blankets and everything
Don’t even ask how he managed to pull it off, because he loves watching the cogs turn in your head and simply will not give you a straight answer
Of course there’s the nice driver guy who’s there, but in the back alone Kinoshita’s confidence goes 📈📈
Lots of flirting, tons of skimmed touches and shared giggles throughout the ride
I legitimately simp really hard for him
Anyways it was a gorgeous ride through town and super fun
On Christmas Eve you both exchange gifts together and tbh whatever you got him will leave him happy and flustered regardless
But when he opens the wrapping paper to find an entire set of vintage VHS tapes, he’s stunned
He owns a VHS (actually canon!) and honestly loves it to death, and the fact that you’d get him tapes of pretty high quality for his collection meant a lot
Gosh he’s so underrated but a definite sweetheart, give him all the holiday love
Narita
Another underrated bby 🥺
He’s so chill and is pretty open to anything during the holidays, so long as he gets to spend ample time with you, his friends, and his family
Definitely more of an indoor person despite being accepting of most situations
Hence why you thought a cute little indoor winter picnic would be right up his alley
Which it absolutely was 😌✨ nice work
You’d made plans while in secret communications with his family members about the whole thing
He’d been pretty stressed lately with trying to handle his schoolwork, while also helping out others with theirs
Despite being a wonderful tutor, it was clearly becoming a bit overwhelming as he tried to grapple with so much at once
So when he came home one day to find a pristine house with you settled on a blanket in his living room, he was quite surprised
There’s a cheese plate, soda cans in a cute ice box, sandwiches, snacks, a presparked fireplace — you and his family went all out
Really adorable I cannot lie
“I thought you said you were going gift shopping today?”
“I might have maybe lied :P”
So he gives the sweetest little smile and sits across from you
Y’all stay there and talk for hours
After finally getting through everything previously laid out on the blanket spread, you slid him a little rectangular box that he looked at curiously
“Already? I haven’t wrapped yours yet!”
“Mine can wait a bit! Just open yours”
And so he does, and you watch with a face-splitting grin as he looks down in awe
You got tickets to see his favorite rock band in concert while they were on tour
He sprung onto you and pulled you into the tightest hug ever
“Holy shit you’re the best I love you so much how do you get even more loveable every day—!?!l”
It’s a jumble of words but you’re able to put it together and it makes you giggle
He deadass sprints upstairs to go get your gift and make sure that you feel as equally appreciated as he does
In simple words: wholesome holiday sweetness 🥰
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aesnawan · 3 years
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More research questions about Gale. This Mandado lives in my head rent free. What does he do in his down time? When he gets to actually sleep on a comfortable bed, what sleeping position does he wind up in? What's his stance regarding when and where his helmet can come off? I'm asking on anon cause my main blog is a mess because Tumblr.
ALL RIGHT I LOVE THIS LOVING GALE MOMENT
Ive been told Gale is the starfish sleeper type and I agree. He will occupy the whole bed!
I only see him taking his helmet off when near people he trusts. He is very guarded and, as the good strategist he is, is always planning ahead. He will be talking to you and scanning the perimeter for exits and possible threats
And in his down time, as the good dad figure he is, he would try to spend time with his squad. They think he is being bossy making them clean their weapons and discuss strategy but it's just him having a quality family time
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rotationalsymmetry · 3 years
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Projection is a thing. So if you’re telling someone else to “go outside” or “touch grass”, or thinking it, maybe that’s something you know you need to do.
(People usually know what they need, on some level.)
Goodness knows I need to do that kind of thing more
How to touch grass/get outside (get out of your head and into your body) when you can’t actually get outside:
Physically touch parts of your body. Ears, arms, hands, hair, feet. Touch lightly, squeeze, rub, or pat.
Make noise (if that’s ok in the environment you’re in.) hum or sing or groan or sigh.
Move. Stretch. Walk. Do crunches. Dance slowly and gracefully. Roll your shoulders.
Mess with your senses. Cover your eyes. Pick out sounds. Seek out different textures. Name colors or shapes.
Look at or listen to or touch highly detailed things. Nature videos. Looking out a window. Wood. Stone. Nice ceramics. Fancy scarves. Art. Music that isn’t pop music (classical, world music, sea shanties, whatever.) High quality paper. A coffee table book with amazing photographs. A brick. A cup of miso soup. Bubbles. Sand. One of those desk water fountain things. Shells.
Pets are great for this. Houseplants aren’t bad.
Mess with your breathing. Deep abdominal breaths. Count of four in, count of four out. Alternate nostril breathing. Bend forwards so you’re breathing in the back of your body rather than in the front. Visualize where your breath is going.
Do things weirdly, like brushing your teeth with the wrong hand or standing on one leg.
Fidget. Rock. Tap your foot. Spin a pen around in your hand. Stretch your toes.
If you have more time or need more getting into your body, there’s guided meditations (look for body scan, progressive muscular relaxation, or something else that’s more body focused.) there’s drawing (doesn’t have to be good), hand lettering, knitting or crocheting if that’s a thing you do, paper craft, coloring, caring for houseplants or pets, preparing food, building card houses, juggling, and body movement stuff over longer periods. (Also a lot of “work” stuff has a similar effect, but if you’re doing nothing but work/study and fuck around online it’s worth carving out some offline and off work time. And I’m chronically ill, so I’m largely writing this for people in my situation.)
There’s also staying online/on your devices but in a different way, like switching to an ebook or deciding you’re done with the political shit for today and catching up on a webcomic, or deciding you need a more systematic approach to the political shit and binging a YouTube channel or podcast. Depending on what you’re trying to avoid and what you think would be better.
It’s really not unusual to get weird “internet hangover” effects from being on social media too long. Social media companies are companies, and even tumblr is trying to make money. That means they’re set up to encourage you to stay on as long as possible, whether that’s in your best interest or not and whether you want to do that or not. Use social media. If you find it’s using you, try changing things until you’ve settled somewhere you like better.
And if being present and in your body is an unpleasant place to be, you’re going to find ways to not do that. (Possibly worse ways, if you cut off your preferred ways abruptly.) So try changing things. Could be a gratitude journal. Could be the fluffy sort of self care. Could be the tough love sort of self care. Could be therapy. Could be getting someone else to clean up your mess (not to be cliche, but it’s really hard to be in your body when your home is in a state of bad chaos. But it’s also really hard to clean when you’re in a funk and things have gotten bad.) Maybe you’ll look back and realize you didn’t actually do anything that worked but life changed things for you.
This isn’t meant to be, if your life is a mess you’re doing it wrong. There’s a lot of reasons why some people have a hard time being present than, from trauma to poverty to ableism to, idk, probably genetics or something. To an active global health crisis. To capitalism and how it’s profitable to keep people tired and unsatisfied all the time. (To systems of abuse and control, and how having a population constantly desperate for basic survival needs is sometimes a feature to people who want to be able to exploit other people easily.) (also: the internet is the opiate of the masses; a population that isn’t comfortable existing in the moment is a population that cannot organize effectively, regardless of their theoretical awareness.) So this isn’t, “if you’re having trouble being present that reflects badly on you”, but it is “there might be some things you can do, even if the world is fucked up and it shouldn’t be this hard.” (And your ability to get your psychological house approximately in order is not unrelated to your ability to effect change in the world. I get it’s complicated because there’s also pressure to be psychologically healthy to be good workers. But I think there may be somewhat different definitions of psychologically healthy in play there.)
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artofmaquenda · 5 years
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Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Antyesti The scanned version of my woodburn piece :) Posted it three times because Tumblr messes up the quality because of the long size..
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boratanical · 5 years
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graphics guide
a guide filled with basic info, tips, and answers to common questions that i hope helps people who want to start making graphics
*this was made based on my experiences of making graphics and is what i thought was important to cover but everyone has different ways and approaches so dont feel the need to follow everything on here
what is a graphic?
a graphic (also known as ‘gfx’) is a image edit that incorporates various elements (textures, filters, text, etc) in order to visualize a idea or to create a aesthetic composition 
unlike making gifs, there is no right or proper way to make a graphic so dont get too caught up in the idea that a graphic should look a certain way - just stick with your style and what you think looks good 
anatomy
Tumblr media
image/subject
usually the main focus of the whole graphic
you should always try to use a sharp hd picture - getting it from the original source is always the best option 
make sure the source of the picture allows editing - pictures from public sources like a company or the news can be edited while fansite pics and scans need to have permission asked (and if they give you permission make sure you link them when you post your graphic!)
coloring 
often referred as ‘psd’ because that is the format they are in (i.e. pink psd pack)
comprise of multiple layers that can alter the images look 
a lot of people make their own colorings since the outcome of the look also depends on the image’s original coloring 
textures
smaller cut out images that are often used to decorate the graphic
can also refer to a image that can be use as a background of a graphic
can be found in the form of a png (copy + paste into graphic) or a brush (”painted” on to the graphic) 
avoid using any textures that does not state the original poster made them - you could unintentionally be using someone’s work that was not made to be used [read more about it here + resources that you can actually use]
text
text can be used to tell information or just for decoration
try to choose fonts and colors that are legible
faq 
what software can i use to make graphics
most people use some version of photoshop (i currently use photoshop cc 2018) and a lot people have it cracked but if you cant afford photoshop, find a cracked version or a patcher (i used adobe zii 3.0.4 for mac), or are uncomfortable with getting a cracked version then there are other softwares that are just as good!
i can only vouch for gimp since i used it when i first started making gfxs. it is very similar to photoshop and shares most of the same tools and has a similar look to photoshop. it is also probably the most popular photoshop alternative and would totally recommend it if you cant get photoshop!
[visit + download gimp here]
where do you get your pictures from
official sources such as teasers companies release, photos released by press, photos from idol’s instagram - basically photos that are made for the public to see are whats best to use for a gfx. you should download the photos straight from the source so you get it at its highest quality 
some phrases you can use to search for pictures on google: - [group name] photoshoot - [idol name] press  - [group name] showcase  - [idol name] teaser
remember the more specific you are in your search the better! also when you search through google make sure you check your source!
avoid getting photos from reposting websites like we heart it and pinterest  avoid using fansite pictures and scans unless you are granted permission
i don’t know where to start/i’m overwhelmed and i don’t know what to do/ where should i begin
figure out what you want to make or a theme you want to follow - do you want to make a simple graphic or a infographic? do you want it to center around a certain theme like a comeback or a photoshoot? once you determine what you want to do it becomes easier getting ideas and finding stuff you will need for the gfx
example thought process: “i want to make a loona graphic” →  do you want it to be the whole group or a certain member or unit? will it just be a simple gfx or a AU gfx or based on a event that the group is doing? “i’ve decided on doing a kim lip one” → do you want it to have a certain theme like kim lip smiling or kim lip with blonde hair? is there a certain frame of time in which you want the graphic to represent like during eclipse era or hi high era?  “i want it to be from max and match era with her teasers” → from here you can start finding pictures to use and thinking of colors and textures that would fit your theme
where do you get ideas/inspiration from
i mean it’s different for everyone but for me i literally just think of stuff and i’m like wow i want to make that happen asdfsdfj but mostly when i see pictures or watch something thats where i suddenly get a idea 
but tumblr is full of graphic makers!!! ive seen so many amazing graphics from various fandoms like kpop, anime, marvel, etc. 
some amazing graphic editors i know myself include: primirene, ireone, nctjaemin, celo-mar, 1hyungseo, jeongahn, haechxnie, sonxiumin, syua, lulumelody, dinomite, lovelyeo, joohys, whatchatalkabout, yveu, maerinah, mihyon, lorbits, cherryjennie, thatporcelain, monoka, ifbin, 7ww
some other places you can look at are behance (dont go on behance if you have a cracked ver of ps - it might trigger a ingenue software alert that is a huge pain to deal with), pinterest, deviantart, dribble, and probably any social media platform if you just look up #graphicdesign
remember if you take inspiration from someone’s work then you should cite them in your caption - if you are afraid that you might’ve accidentally copied someone when you were trying to take inspiration from them its best to either try to remake the gfx again or just to ask the creator permission if its fine if certain details are similar/same
my stuff sucks how do i get better
literally just keep on making stuff aka practice. you can’t improve if you don’t bother putting effort. 
ways i’ve forced myself into practicing making gfxs is by: 1) starting a gfxs series - its self paced and is based on what you want to make (i.e. introducing my biases gfx series, my favorite outfits gfx series, etc) 2) taking in requests - people who would request from you probably like your stuff so its a win win situation (i.e. send me a idol + era, send me your bias + palette, send me a group and i’ll make a gfx of my fav member, etc)
tips
only sharpen your pictures after you are done resizing them, if you sharpen and then resize it might result in a more blurry or grainy picture 
always save your graphic every 5-10 mins in case photoshop crashes 
 have two copies of your image cutout: one will be the original and the other one will be the one you edit with - in case you mess up like over erasing or over sharpening your image you have a back up you can use
stick with a color palette so you don’t get overwhelmed when having to color everything and it makes all the graphic panels you have look more cohesive 
on photoshop you can favorite fonts!!! take advantage of it!!! your computer has a lot of fonts saved on it and it takes forever to look through a whole list of fonts so by favoring fonts you can see all of the fonts that you like to use for graphics
combine a png pack to one psd → when you open a png pack you will probably get a lot of png files and it gets annoying having a lot of tabs open in photoshop when most of them are just textures so by putting all of those pngs into one psd you can cut down the files you open and can easily see all of your options 
make folders dedicated to colorings and textures that way you can easily access them instead of looking through your computer for a certain file
name your layers... i dont do it because its easy for me to tell what layer is what but when you are working with a lot of layers its best just to name them it’ll make life easier
lock your main image/subject so that when you play with texts’ and textures’ location you don’t accidentally move your main image
use curves to help get a photo back to its original coloring! like if you have a photo that has a weird filter on it just use curves and it’ll help the picture look more natural! [tutorial]
try warping your text to make it stand out more! you can access it by pressing the icon on the top text bar that has a T with a curved line under it. i use flag and wave the most
alter a particular color by using a selective color layer
rather than changing the actual color of an image/texture you can: create new layer → select the image/texture and color it on the new layer instead of on top of the image/texture → change the opacity or the mode of the layer so that the color is put on the image/texture while keeping its detailing and not affecting the actual image/texture
resources
colorings: can be found on deviantart or tumblr just look up ‘psd coloring’ or ‘[color] psd’ 
textures: can be found on deviantart (check to see if its og content or stolen) simply just search what you are trying to find or ‘png pack’ or ‘texture pack’ common textures you can try to find: vintage flowers, memphis shapes, organic shapes, doodles other wesbites: pngtree, creative market, lost and taken, spoongraphics
fonts: if you are looking for a certain font then you can just do a google search but if you are browsing then dafont and font squirrel are really good websites too some of my favorite fonts: abril fatface, agfatumc, antonellie calligraphy, arcadeclassic, bebas neue, century gothic, couture, daily news 1915, dark larch, hondurhas, kotori rose, krinkles, risingstar, sant joan despi, studly, zing rust
color palettes: i made one myself which you can find here, color hunt, and honestly a quick google search will give you tons of options
if you have any questions, other stuff you want me to cover, or want to add more resources and tips then please dm or send an ask! i hope this helps!
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sergeanttpoliteness · 6 years
Text
➹one make out session, please➹ (peter b. parker x reader)
The sad and divorced man who's become a regular for the past year is constantly spilling his emotions to you, his favorite bartender. This wasn't something new; you can't count with both of your hands the times you've heard someone recount the odyssey of their life. But these flutters in your stomach were definitely something you didn't experience with your customers, and you definitely did not end up making out with them at the end of the night. Maybe Peter B. was your only exception, though.
(PART II) 
word count: 7.1k (sorry)
a/n: i tried like 8484 times to add a gif but tumblr wouldn’t let me so ((:: hello @ whoever’s reading this tho!! love how i went from 2k to 7k words lol, i’m sorry about that i don’t know how it happened. feel free to help me out w ideas and send requests if you want (: hope u enjoy !! Tiresome was a massive understatement when it came to having to describe enduring the same routine most nights. Not that you slept peacefully like a newborn baby all the time before taking a job as a bartender at the bar; but once in a while, when you returned home and watched the bright red numbers of the clock switch to 5 o’clock in the morning since your brain was punishing you by not giving you your well deserved rest, you sure did miss those simpler times when you didn’t work at night. Yes, at first it may be amusing to watch a drunk customer go haywire as they try to understand the meaning of life, and it’s nice listening to the story of how someone ended up drinking five shots of tequila that evening. You relished listening to other people’s problems, their stories, their lives— perhaps because, as much as it ashamed you to admit it, you didn’t make much out of yours. However, two years of the same old passed, and soon enough, every conversation and dusk began to blur together; everything became a monotonous daze, like an old movie replaying endlessly every week. The obvious route would be to quit your job as a bartender before you lost your mind, but the old lady who owned the bar paid somewhat generously considering the career— both with affection and money— and, despite how cocky it might’ve sounded, you knew well that the customers would be lost without your glorious daiquiris and margaritas. You’d also grown fond of the few people there and the new friends you made once in a while; you didn’t have the exact explanation as to why, but whilst you were in that hazy trance, you were quite the charmer. 
Every night was just like that: nothing more than a few more hours to your life, until a man who you guessed was probably nearing his forties and with a really, really nice nose (what could you say? You had an appreciation for the art of beautiful noses), dropped on the stool directly in front of you with a heavy sigh.
“One whiskey served over ice, please.” He muttered, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. You didn’t think much about it as your hands got to work and moments later handed the man his drink. You later spent your time trying to distract yourself with the preparation of other beverages, yet your eyes were drawn to him momentarily once or twice. Even as you talked with a tourist— a woman from Croatia asking about the best restaurants and stores in the city— the image of the guy itched at the back of your head, and you couldn’t figure out why. He was attractive, you decided, in spite of his rugged looks; he honestly appeared as if a train had hit him. Whether it was a physical or emotional train, you wouldn’t be surprised if it had been both.
The tourist sadly ended your conversation, distracted by the game on the TV, but you took it as an opportunity to comply with your desires and approach the man. You see, you liked to believe you possessed powers— useless ones, to say the least: just by a quick scan, you knew if a person needed a good talk; it could’ve been after their third drink, maybe even when they’re still sober. Suddenly, though, your bartender-senses abandoned you along with your charm and you simply couldn’t find a way to spark up a conversation with the guy. Really? You thought to yourself. Right now, when a cute older dude is sitting right in front of you, probably in need of your comradeship? Yeah, he was most definitely older than you, perhaps by some ten years, but did you really care? 
You were stuck, unable to crawl out of the crater until, eventually, he asked for his third drink. Showtime, you breathed in, the confidence hugging your entire body. “Just saying, but I could already sense this third drink once you walked in through the door,” You tried to joke.
He huffed through his nose, a hint of a smile on the corner of his lips. “Do I look that bad?” He asked, a playful tone in his voice. A lopsided grin found itself onto your face and you slightly leaned over to wipe the surface next to where his hand rested.
“The opposite, actually. You’re quite the handsome guy.” Oh, there it was. He didn’t seem repulsed, which could’ve been a good sign, except that he didn’t look like anything— his expression was unreadable.
He raised his glass up to his lips. “Yeah, well, don’t really feel like it right now,” He said before taking a swig of his drink. You picked up a wet empty glass and dried it with your towel, like the true bartender you were.
“Well, do you feel like talking about it?” His eyes darted up to you and he lifted a brow. “There’s obviously a reason why you’re sitting here right now, no?”
You waited for an answer, but he swallowed his entire drink before he set the dry cup on the bar. “Maybe another time, kid.” Ouch. Kid? Really? You thought this was over once you turned twenty-three. “But I gotta get going now.”
That was the first conversation you two shared, and you bit the inside of your cheek as you watched him leave, disappointed that it also could’ve been the last one. You should’ve learned by now, though: this wasn’t the first time you made a “friend”, hoped that they would drop by again in the future, only to never see their faces again. You took in his appearance one last time then, cherishing the fleeting buzz in your head. But you were lucky when two weeks later he entered through the same door again. Nonetheless, not lucky enough, since he arrived the only day your shift ended early.
“One whiskey served over ice, please.”
You didn’t realize he was there until you heard that scratchy voice, the one you thought you’d never have the pleasure of hearing again. Your head jerked up and you didn’t miss a beat before gladly serving him— there was no way you were leaving without interacting with the older man, regardless of how small and brief the action was. It was a Greek tragedy in your eyes: saying goodbye to the back of the head of the attractive man in his thirties. You jokingly (but not really) warned your coworker to not make a move on the man; and, of course, you asked him to update you the next day if he mentioned you even just once. The next day (or rather, night), the first thing you obviously did was pester your friend to spill all the juicy, if any, details.
“I don’t know, he didn’t really say anything. He so checked you out when you left, though. Like— okay, maybe not check you out, but he definitely stared at you for a few seconds.”
You deflated. Anyone else would’ve cheered, but all you needed to hear was the first part; your friend had the poor tendency of overanalyzing and exaggerating every small detail— you learned that when, after some customers had a lousy argument, you both recounted the event to your boss during your monthly coffee session. What had probably happened was that the man merely breathed in your direction and your coworker’s eyes jumped out of their sockets. You brushed away your discontent, though, reminding yourself of your principles: you never hooked up with customers, especially since your boss was adamant about that after an incident with another bartender, and you didn’t want to endure new job interviews for as long as you could.
But the rush made you want to have fun with this guy.
Another entire month went by; no sign of mystery guy, no whiskey served over ice. No drops of your stomach, until one evening you couldn’t believe your eyes when you saw that beautiful mess of a man, a scratch on his forehead you didn’t think much about since you’d seen much weirder things, sat in front of you. “Would you look at that! We meet once again,” He smirked. You placed your hand on your hip, biting your lip.
“Thought I’d never see you again. Tell me, do you want to try out something different tonight, or your boring, usual—”
“—whiskey served over ice. Yeah, please.”
Whiskey served over ice was quickly becoming your favorite order.
You didn’t exchange any other words— you were too engulfed into the breaking news playing on the flatscreen: a poor quality clip— something that still occurred even if it wasn’t 2005 anymore— of Spider-Man stopping a truck before it crashed into a hurt kid in the middle of the street. You grabbed the remote control and boosted the volume a bit, deciding you could perhaps multitask for a while. “So,” You started while maintaining your attention on the screen, catching his own. “You ever met Spider-Man?”
An odd question which made him snort as he turned his head to watch the screen. “No, not really. Wouldn’t want to, though, he’s kinda overrated.”
Your eyes went round, and you had to unstick your view from the TV to search for any sign of playfulness in the man’s face. He seemed dead serious. “Overrated? Full offense, but I can’t let you say that about Spidey, an actual superhero.”
He rolled his eyes, amused and defensively holding up one hand. “I’m just tired after hearing about him for the last twenty years. Can’t believe he’s not going around with a walking stick yet.”
You returned to your previous position, your forearms resting on the counter as you continued to observe a recap on a football game of the night before. “Yeah, I won’t argue against you on that. I remember watching him swing on TV back when I was seven-years-old. Big part of my childhood, the guy.”
He inclined closer to you, his brows drawn together. “What’s your age?”
“Twenty-nine.”
He let out an ‘oof’. You would’ve been insulted if it weren’t for the exaggeration in his tone. “You’re getting old. Soon you’ll be complaining about how much your back hurts and wishing for the sweet release of death.”
You chuckled, eyeing his appearance. “Ah, well, too bad because I already do that. How old are you? You’re acting like you’re sixty when in reality you’re probably just like forty, or something.”
“Eh, close,” He grinned, and then took a deep breath. “I’m thirty-seven.”
“And you’re calling me old?!” You exclaimed, earning a laugh from him. “You’re basically almost on your deathbed. Age doesn’t hold me back, though.” You winked jokingly and he bit his lip, his eyebrows raised.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, you know— more experienced, sometimes wiser, sometimes more of a gentleman…” You mused, drawing patterns on the bar. You didn’t notice him giving you a once-over. Someone called for your attention, and you let out a disappointed sigh, pouting at him. “Gotta go! Duty calls.”
“Have fun,” He raised his drink, bowing his head. As you walked away, you allowed your face to pale with terror and you began to wonder if the air-conditioning suddenly malfunctioned, for you were too heated for your comfort. You took as much time as you could with the rest of the clients, too frightened to face the man after your shameless flirts, dreading the repercussions. But you were finishing the preparation of a mojito, wishing you could down it yourself, when he lifted his empty glass and whistled at you. You nervously glared at him, motioning for him to wait before you served the finished beverage to its rightful owner and you met him once again.
“Tell me,” You began as you poured the liquid in his cup, trying to change the subject and mask your trembling hands. “I’m tired of thinking of you as the whiskey man. What’s your name?”
He let out a short laugh, thanking you before he took ahold of his drink. “Peter. Peter… B… Parker,” He moved his head along to each word and you sang out an impressed ‘ooh’.
“Peter B. Parker. Catchy. Giving me some boy band vibes.”
“Boy band vibes?”
“Yeah, like, ‘pretty boy in a band who’s a total teenage heartthrob’ type of vibes. You definitely fit the description.” Goddammit, you did it again. Just this once, you wished, just this once shutting your mouth would make everything easier for you.
Peter, his face finally having a name, licked his lips after sipping the alcohol. “So you think I’m pretty?” He inquired, a crooked smile on his face. You were good at holding back the tingling that wanted to suffocate your cheeks, the way you wished you could with your words. You hummed, surveying him quickly.
"Well, I did say you were handsome last time, didn't I?"
"Yeah— yeah, I remember that," He squinted his eyes, pointing his finger at you. "And you're...”
“Y/N.”
“Well, Y/N…” He took his phone out from his back pocket and frowned down at it with concern. “Can you help me? There’s something wrong with my phone— it doesn’t have your number in it.”
Oh, my God.
You glanced down at his cracked screen and then back up at his face. Snorting so loudly it hurt your nose, your hand flew up to cover your mouth. “Oh, my God. I’m sorry, I’m just—” You pinched the bridge of your nose, wheezing. “I can’t believe you just did that. That was so cheesy, oh my God.”
“Are you gonna fix it or not, though?” He smirked, offering you his device. “‘Cause it’s a real problem.”
He got your number. After you returned his cell phone, you noticed his yet again empty glass, wondering how he downed it in just the time you were adding your phone number to his contacts. You grabbed it and poured more ice, seeing as the previous had already melted. “Since you successfully made me want to walk away from you and stroll around the place to try and heal myself after that awfully cheesy pickup line, this next round is on the house.” You declared as you opened the bottle of whiskey. He declined, emphasizing his refusal with the flutter of his hand.
“That’s not necessary.”
“Whatever, I’m gonna do it anyway,” You slid the alcoholic beverage towards him, and his eyes softened along with his entire face, too.
“Thanks.”
Your conversation continued the entire night. You talked non stop— so much that you might have forgotten about the existence of other customers. But it didn’t matter. Despite their annoyed expressions, it was worth it. You heard the story you had so desperately yearned for him to tell; he reminisced about his dead aunt and uncle— the lovely angels who raised him and the ones he looked up to the most. But your heart cried out when Peter sorrowfully stared into his whiskey, and you first heard the name. MJ. His ex-wife. The owner of his love for the longest time, the woman who crushed him a year ago. The one whose heart he broke, too, though, all because he was too terrified, too much of a wimp to take the next step, ‘not enough’, he said. You remained silent, realizing your flirtatious exchanges earlier were solely a way to muffle Mary Jane’s memory in his mind. Nevertheless, your hand reassuringly rubbed his shoulder, the action alone speaking the comfort he needed.
It wasn’t the last time it happened. After that, he began to show up at the bar more frequently, once a week. And whenever he did come, he left until your shift neared its end.
“Like, what type of father would I even be? Look at me!” Peter pointed at his head, stirring the whiskey with a finger of his other hand. “I’m a mess, I can’t even take care of myself— how could I take care of a child?! I just… I don’t have the time,” He sighed, laying his head atop the bar. You frowned as you prepared a second margarita for the mother of one of your classmates from high school, which was what initiated the conversation of parenthood and such in the first place.
You shrugged, aggressively rattling the shaker with your two hands. “I don’t know, maybe you’re underestimating yourself,” He peered up at you, doubt in his expression. “And you do have the time to come here every week, though,” You pointed out, wiggling your arms from how sore they were.
“Yeah, but you’re… this is different, this is…” He slurred, waving his hand. “Whatever. Work always ruins things for me. It has ever since I was a little tot.”
“Damn, what is your work?”
Peter began to gulp down his entire drink after your question and seconds later slammed it on the table with wide eyes, attempting to digest the liquor. He cleared his throat, rubbing his eyes. “It’s… it’s, uh, I-I work at the Daily Bugle.” You opened your mouth with astonishment, stopping in the midst of rubbing a lime on the rim of the glass.
“The Daily Bugle?” You asked incredulously. “That one newspaper with the dude who’s obsessed with Spider-Man? J-something-Jameson?”
“Yeah… yeah, that’s my boss.”
You grimaced, instantly comprehending his daily fatigue and he nodded, agreeing with you. “What do you do? Write?”
“Nah, I’m a photographer.”
“Ooh, so you’re a photographer? That’s hot,” Moments ago he’d been complaining about his marital issues yet there you were, calling Peter hot. You might have slipped the compliment right before you left to give the margarita to your ex-classmate’s mom in fear of his response, therefore missing the faint heat that overwhelmed his cheeks and ears. 
“Is… it’s nothing, really,” He dismissed your words, being all humble and shit. You placed your elbows on the counter, coming closer to him.
“Could I ever see any of your pictures?”
He threw a block of ice into his mouth. “Mm, thure,” He said, his mouth full. Your mouth twitched in amusement, and you decided to sit down considering the night was particularly slow. Your boss lectured all the time that there was never time to sit down and there was always something to do; keeping that in mind, you still ignored the four dirty glasses, instead choosing to spend time paying attention to the man with ice in his mouth. “I’m boring, though— tell me more about yourself. There’s gotta be more to the attractive barista who works at the bar near my apartment.”
You were taken aback, both by the fact that he considered you were good-looking and that he was pushing to hear about you. “Me?” You blinked. He nodded, looking at you expectantly. You lowered your head, picking at the skin around your nails— damn past you for cursing you with the habit and, consequently, terrible nails as well. “This is… weird. I don’t really talk to customers about my life. They even tell us to not do that specifically.” You laughed.
“What? Why?”
“Well, because you don’t want to hear about me: my childhood and the drama in my life, I guess,” You said with an obvious look. He scrunched his brows together.
“But I do.”
You despised the way your heart missed a beat. “Alright, well… I don’t know, what do you want to hear about?”
“Were you born here? In New York?”
You shook your head. “Nah, I moved here after finishing college. I thought I was gonna be a successful artist and stuff.”
Peter gasped with wonder. “Artist?! Cool! What, what type of artist?”
“I paint,” He whispered an adorable ‘whoaa’ and your shoulders shook with laughter. “It’s really not that cool. I do paintings once in a while. Pays well and can help with the bills if someone buys them.”
“I’d buy many if I had the money.” 
“Nah, I would paint you one for free,” You smirked, leaning closer to him.
“Oh, sweet— you can paint me naked. You know, like one of your french girls.” He hummed, a goofy grin breaking out on his face. You quirked a brow, giggling.
“That’d be interesting.”
“I know, I’d be a great muse. Tell me more, though, you got any friends? Family?”
You hesitantly nodded. “Yeah, except they’re all back home. The only people I’ve got here are at the bar, my boss basically adopted the few people who work here.”
“Wish my boss was like that,” He grumbled, grasping more ice. “Well, now you’re stuck with me too, though.”
You gripped your knee, your lips pressed together to retain the beam threatening to appear. “Is that so?” The ice he had shoved into his mouth was too big for him to speak without drooling all over his chin; so with his chipmunk cheeks, he moved his head up and down. “Is this us officially becoming friends?” You waggled your brows teasingly, your lips now stretching widely.
“I thought that happened the second you gave me a free round of drinks.”
Three more months passed by. You realized your nights weren’t a blur anymore. No— now they were Peter B. Parker, his weary brown eyes, and his whiskey served over ice. You couldn’t help the scrunch of your nose and your slight smile whenever someone else ordered whiskey, since, as ridiculous you knew it was, those words were Peter. You held yourself back each night you two shared from leaning over the bar and tasting the cold liquor in his tongue. You wondered if, perhaps, that’s what Peter Parker tasted like. But it didn’t matter how strongly you craved to find out; you couldn't be anything more than a friend to your customers, you constantly reminded yourself. Not that it even was a possibility with Peter, anyway— it was evident he still cared about Mary Jane. It was clear she lingered in the fog of his memory, despite how much he drank or how hard you attempted to take her place with every conversation. You tried to convince yourself that it was alright, and it wasn’t working, but you hoped someday it would.
It was a Saturday night— or more like the early hours of Sunday— when you went to joyfully take Peter’s order after he sat down, only to be met with an awful bruise on the bridge of his nose. You winced, unconsciously reaching out to touch his face, but drawing your hand back before he noticed. “Pete, what the fuck happened to your face?”
“That’s not a nice thing to say about someone.” He simply responded, evidently trying to disguise the swelling with his hand, but sighed after seeing your scowl. “Fine, it’s embarrassing. Like… really, really embarrassing—”
“I’m listening.”
He squirmed, his gaze moving to his right and his voice coming out high pitched as he searched for a way to explain himself. “I tripped.”
Something you’d learned throughout the past months of weekly meetings with Peter Parker was that the man was not subtle. Far from it. And this wasn’t the first time he arrived with a scratch or sort of bruise, which truly clutched at your stomach in the wrong way, but although he’d talk about anything— from what he ate for breakfast that day to confessing a pestering fear in his head, he never ever talked about how or why he got hurt. He always managed to steer away from the subject; the sneaky bastard, you’d think to yourself when minutes later you two were thoroughly discussing the best ways to eat an egg. You never budged, though, for you couldn’t bear to lose his trust or him getting mad at you; which hadn’t occurred yet, and you wished to keep it that way. You questioned your decision, however, as you grabbed the box of bandaids hiding under the counter (the bartenders there could frequently be quite clumsy), and grasped one with your fingers. You opened it, detaching the paper from it.
“It’s really nothing,” He continued insisting, trying to erase the creases between your eyebrows. “I just gave the ground a real nice smooch—” He stopped talking when you leaned over to touch his face, your hand cupping his cheek as you smoothed the plaster over his nose.
“I… what?”
“Sorry, it just looked really gross,” You lied, truthfully concerned about his well-being. “You couldn’t go around walking like that.”
“But I can go around walking with a…” He inspected his reflection on the cupboards, squinting to make out the pattern of the bandaid. “Spongebob bandaid on my face. And how is that supposed to heal a bruise?”
“I’m sorry—”
“No, it’s alright. I… I like Spongebob. One whiskey served over ice, though, please.”
You scoffed, picking up a glass from the cabinet. “I’ve held myself back from asking, but…” You shut your mouth as you continued preparing his drink, doubt winning its battle again. He tilted his head.
“But?”
“But… how come you’re always getting hurt in some way? It’s kind of concerning,” You laughed nervously, not wanting to reveal how much it truly worried you. He shrugged one shoulder.
“I guess I’m just really clumsy.”
“This isn’t clumsy, though,” You argued, your forehead furrowed. “This is… getting beat up type of stuff. Is that it? Do you get into street fights or something?”
“No! No, I, uh…” He hesitated, avoiding your gaze. “That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
Peter searched for words, his mouth ajar. He closed it and rolled his lips. “I want to tell you, I really do, but now is not the time. I promise I will in the future.”
You prepared to question him more, until a tune filled your ears. You raised your hands up to your head, your palms squeezing your temples as you gasped. Peter raised an eyebrow, entertained. “I fucking love this song,” You explained as ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ by Whitney Houston played on the TV. Peter sat still as he paid attention to the music, confusion glinting in his eyes until he recognized the melody and his body lit up.
“Wait, so do I—”
“Clock strikes upon the hour, and the sun begins to fade…” You shouted, your head jerked back. Peter put his fist against his mouth, embarrassed by your hilariously terrible singing, but at the same time holding himself back from joining you in your performance. “Still enough time to figure out how to chase my blues away!” You sang, pointing your finger at him. He muttered an ‘ohmygod’ under his breath, his face beet red.
“I’ve done enough ‘till now, it’s the light of day that shows me how!” You dramatically laid back on the counter, true singer-like style, holding an imaginary microphone up to your mouth. “And when the night falls, loneliness calls…” You turned your head to face Peter and booped his nose, an action which you would undeniably regret once the euphoria of hearing one of your favorite songs ended.
“Ah, fuck it…” He whispered, beaming at you and grabbing your fist to sing into the invisible mic as well. “Oh! I wanna dance with somebody! I wanna feel the heat with somebody!” He cried out, his eyes passionately closed and his hand pressed flat against his chest. You scream-laughed at him, holding your torso. However, you quickly rolled onto your stomach, your faces now in close proximity.
“Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody! With somebody who loves me!” You both sung into your clenched hand, incredibly out of tune. “Oh! I want to dance with somebody!”
“I wanna feel the heat with somebody...” A customer in the background yelled out. You two exploded with laughter, your head pressed against his cheek and Peter gripping your hand tight.
That night, you sang with somebody you loved.
The end of the year arrived too quickly, and you were disconnecting the plug of the Christmas lights adorning the windows of the bar as you wondered whether you should get Peter a present for the holidays or not. Some new sweatpants, you considered; they were his favorite piece of clothing, you had come to learn, and in the times that he wore a pair, you noticed it was always the same. But you also questioned if it would be bizarre to hand him a gift— you only saw each other at the bar, after all. There weren't any instances where he called you to meet up for lunch, or something similar; and once in a while, you hoped to hear your blaring ringtone and to answer your phone to him. That never happened, though; your relationship would never evolve from the occasional text throughout the week. To make matters worse, you hadn’t even seen him for three weeks, three days, and counting. And, my God, did it sadden you that you knew that. Every time you’d type a greeting along with a question about his whereabouts, you’d stare at the screen of your cell phone for far too long and eventually delete your words— the exact process repeating over and over again. Maybe he’s with his friends or remaining family, you concluded. Hanukkah did end yesterday, stop being so obsessive.
A knock on the door provoked a startled squeak out of you. You jerked your head, confused, because who in the world was knocking on the door at three o’clock in the morning? Your terror was fleeting, however, for behind the foggy glass existed Peter B. Parker’s guilty smile. You exhaled and headed to open the door to shelter him from the violent and raging winter wind outside. He barged in, the tip of his nose the color of raspberries, most likely a repercussion of his poor clothing coverage for the season. “Hey,” He greeted you, rubbing his hands together.
“Wow, I think you got here a little too late,” You teased, folding your arms across your chest. The bags under his eyes were particularly prominent that night, not that it surprised you in any shape or form. He leaned against the wall, resting the back of his head on the timber.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” He apologized and you shook your head. It was useless. You were aware that there was no chance you could be mad at him for finally visiting you; in fact, you were ridiculously elated to be seeing him at such late hours, in spite of your bed crying out for your company. “I guess I lost track of time.”
“What are you doing here, anyway? I haven’t seen you for three weeks and when you do show up, it’s at three A.M.”
“I don’t… know.” You quirked a brow, wondering if he’d had a few too many drinks. “I sort of just walked and my feet got me here.”
“Are you drunk? And did you get in a bar fight or something, because you’ve got a bruise forming under your jaw and it looks too animalistic to be a hickey,” You asked with a gesture of your hand toward his face, relieved the jealousy didn’t bleed through your voice if the latter turned out to be more than a mere speculation. The scarlet on his nose spread to his cheeks. “I hope not, because that would mean you cheated on me by going to another bar.”
He chuckled, rubbing a hand over his stubble. “Nah, I wouldn’t ever do that to you.” You walked up to him and patted his shoulder, congratulating him for his great response but also to move him away from the window to check if it was closed. “I’m just tired.”
“Long day?”
“Awfully long.”
You still didn’t get an answer to why he was out so late, but you didn’t have the energy to continue budging. “Yeah, same.” You whispered, lifting a chair to place it upside down on a table.
“Wanna talk about it?” You looked at him confused. “Your day?”
“I would, but, uh, I kinda have to close this place. Y'know, it’s the holidays, so we’re not open 24/7 because my boss likes spending time with her family,” You explained, hearing his understanding hums. “Everyone already left and I didn’t have anything to do, so I promised her I would do it for her.”
He moved to stand opposite to you and copied your actions of setting the chairs atop the table. “That’s not safe— you being here alone, I mean. I can help!” He offered, as if a random spike of energy flourished in him.
Your brows drew together. “Shouldn’t you go home?”
He paused in the midst of reversing a seat, the furniture cradled in his chest like a baby. “Yeah, but so should you. It won’t hurt to sacrifice one hour of sleep just to help a friend,” He smirked, shrugging.
You allowed him to give you a hand in arranging the place, not that you had much of a choice, anyway; he would’ve done it nonetheless despite your refusals. Thirty minutes later, you were standing outside, your body aching tremendously. Peter noticed your soreness and, before you could even react, he was lowering the roll-up gate. “I could’ve helped with that,” You mumbled as he wiped his hands on his sweatpants. “Don’t want you breaking your back, grandpa.”
He laughed, shoving his hands inside his jacket’s pockets. “I’m a cute grandpa, though, right?” He asked with a flirty smile. You rolled your eyes.
“Hm, yeah, a total gilf.”
“Gilf?”
“Yeah, you know, like a ‘dilf’ but instead of a dad it’s a grandpa.” You both giggled as you began to walk to who knows where, visible breaths leaving your mouths like small dragons puffing out smoke. 
You stopped in your tracks, gripping the straps of your backpack tightly. “Oh snap, I forgot!” He turned around with a questioning brow. “My car broke down, so I have to take the subway back home.” You explained, nudging your head back at the green stairs heading down to the metro station. He tilted his head, frowning.
“Y/N, it’s four in the morning. I don’t think going to the subway this late is such a smart idea.”
You rocked on your heels. “Yeah, but… how else am I gonna get home? You want me to sleep in the bar?”
His gaze shifted as he pondered, grunting. “Do you, uh… do you want to go to my place?”
Your stomach clenched, your heart starting a run when you heard his suggestion. He doesn’t mean it that way, you idiot,  you scolded yourself. Yet you wished he did. “...Your place?”
“Yeah, it’s just a few blocks away from here, like a ten-minute walk.” There was a prolonged silence as you entered deep in thought, making him panic and stutter. “T-that’s if you want to, though. Don’t want you to feel pressured—”
“No, Pete, I…” You stopped him, grinning. “I mean, you sure?”
“Yeah,” He clapped his hands and held them together up to his chest. “Why not?”
“I guess I��ll take you up on that offer.”
“Cool! Uh, cool.. just… c’mon,” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder and you began your trek to his apartment, your shoes thudding lightly against the concrete of the sidewalk, wet due to the rain two hours ago.
“Thanks…” You started, wiggling your fingers, numb from the bitter cold, but to wake yourself up as well. “I actually am sort of terrified of taking the train, so I’m glad you offered. I’ll sleep on the couch, don’t worry—”
“What? No! No, I’ll take the couch, you’re the guest.”
“No, no, no, I insist—”
“Y/N.” You looked up at him, a teasing smile on his face. “You keep the bed. Plus, the change of place will be nice.” You groaned, your eyes closed.
“You’re such a great dude: offering me to sleep at your place so I don’t get mugged and shit, and here I am, stealing your probably comfy bed.” You then moaned, your eyes going blank. “Bed. God, just thinking about sleeping really turns me on right now.”
He huffed softly, bumping into your side. “What… what’s happened, though? We haven’t seen each other for a hot minute.”
You looked heavenward, your mouth ajar as you tried to recall your previous three weeks. “Mm, well, I honestly can’t even remember if I had breakfast or not— oh!” You exclaimed rather sleepily. “Well, this pretty boy working at a Taco Bell I went to asked me out on a date.”
“Oh?” He scrunched his brows together and you hummed. “And what did you say?”
“No.”
“No?! Why not?”
“I just…” Your eyes darted up to his curious ones, your face softening after inspecting him for a while, but not long enough to embarrass yourself. “I don’t know. Wasn’t feeling him, y’know?” He nodded comprehensively. “What ‘bout you?”
His entire mood shifted. His shoulders slumped, and he nibbled on his bottom lip, his jaw tightened. “I… I saw MJ today.” Your heart broke.
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Wh-what, like, you two met somewhere?”
“No, more like ‘saw her coming out of the coffee shop while crossing the street and then a pedestrian yelled at me because I was standing in the way’.” He grumbled. You didn’t know what got in you, but you grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He glanced down at your linked hands and then up at you. That’s when you instantly let go, your pinkies still connected for a bit until completely detaching. You were too busy ogling the ground to see his fingers searching for yours.
“You’ll be alright one day,” You cleared your throat, a bashful smile on your face. “You’ll figure this out.”
He prevented you from continuing with your walk with a hand on your shoulder. You hesitantly turned your body to face him, gulping. Oh, no— you worried, your heart picking up its pace again— did the hand holding make him uncomfortable? Is he now gonna question me? Why am I such a damn idiot? But then you saw his dilated pupils, and your mouth went dry. “I…” He began.
“You… okay?” You questioned when his stare lingered on you. He blinked, his arm dropping by his side as he coughed.
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry, that was weird. I’m just—”
“—tired.” You finished for him and he scoffed, giving you a half-smile.
“Wow, you know me so well,” He joked, and scratched the back of his neck, pointing at the building you two stood in front of. “Uh, this is where I live.”
“Oh!” You spun around, studying the apartment complex. It appeared simple: not too big or small, modest-looking. “That was faster than I expected.”
“Yeah…” He muttered as he climbed up the stairs, holding the door open for you when he reached the top.
The man’s apartment was tiny, somewhat too messy, you decided; there was an empty pizza box on his bed, and he awkwardly dumped it in the trash can when you two walked in, apologizing for the mess. You sat on his bed and he stood at your feet, stroking his neck. "Do you want some clothes? I can give you a shirt or some—” You stopped him when he turned to go to his dresser, gently pulling his arm. “What?” You continued to wordlessly tug on his sleeve until he sat next to you, sighing deeply. Slowly, you leaned backwards until your back bounced on his mattress. Peter’s confused by your actions, but you simply patted the area behind him. He got the message and lied down on the rumpled sheets. 
You looked at each other, a few inches apart, yet for some odd reason, you felt closer to him. Perhaps you could blame the different location, or the way in which your silent gazes stayed on each other. Somehow, you were both alright with it. No discomfort took ahold of either of you as you remained like that for a while, no words or sounds other than the city outside, both later with your eyes closed. To your embarrassment, you were on the brink of dozing off, but you couldn’t help it; you drowned in tranquility, and the exhaustion of your body cooperated— it was surprising you hadn’t fallen asleep yet. You could hear Peter’s steady breathing, and his voice brought you back to consciousness when he spoke. “Y/N?” It was soft, softer than your pillows back at home. Softer than your lonesome bed. You acknowledged him with a mumble, opening one eyelid. His eyes were almost shut, but you could still see the glimmer in his dark eyes. His whiskey eyes. “You’re really nice.”
Your eyes sealed closed again. “You’re really nice too, Pete.”
“No, but…” His sentence died out and he did not continue for a long period. You believed he had fallen into a slumber until he talked again. “You’re really nice. Like that hot chocolate I had in the morning while I was freezing type of nice.”
“I… I don’t know if it’s because I’m about to pass out, but I don’t get it.” When you blinked your eyes as wide as you could, he was closer than before. Closer than ever. You took the chance to discover, note every part of his face more closely, every freckle, every lash, his growing stubble. Everything.
“What I mean is that… you really bring warmth to my life, Y/N. Not to sound too cheesy like I usually do, or anything. But everything’s a mess and you’re there, and I’m glad about that.”
“You’re just tired.”
“Yes, but a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.”
“You’re not drunk.”
“There’s really no difference.”
You could now feel his breath on your face. It was as if with every flicker of your eyelids, he had managed to inch nearer to your body. “Pete…”
“Y/N…” Your lips were roughly touching. You felt his arm slip around your waist, his fingers ghosting over your prickling back.
“We can’t do this.” You said, regardless of your hand cradling his neck. Your foreheads were now touching.
“Why not?”
“Because…” You tried to claim that he was your customer, but you truly did not care about it anymore, and you never did. “What about Mary Jane?”
He hesitated for a moment. “What about Mary Jane?”
“You still want her back.” You breathed out, your body quivering as his eyelashes tickled your cheeks.
“I can forget about her just tonight.”
You kissed. Your lips remained interlocked for a few moments, the both of you too tired to move them. It was like sixth-graders kissing for the first time— a lingering peck on the lips. But an energy sparked within you, and you moved your lips. Soon, you were on top of his body, your shirt almost completely off except for one of your arms still inside one sleeve, your fingers desperately tangled in his greying hair, his crooked nose bumping with yours. He didn’t taste like whiskey or ice, but he did taste like a year of laughing with each other in the bar, and him not noticing as you slowly fell for him.
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