#this is a huge topic and can't be condensed easily

[grisailledreams]

Please put the beauty industry on blast for often treating chronic incurable skin conditions and even stuff like mild temporary acne as things you can just ~solve~ by buying expensive creams/treatments, “drinking more water,” or “not being fat/dirty.” 🙃

OOOOOOOHHHHH MY GOD I WILL BLAST THEM ALL DAY FOR THIS.

Also Christ, I went through so many drafts of this because I just kept rambling because there is SO MUCH to say about this, way more than what I have here. Kristin and I have talked about this kind of thing S O much. Under a cut because it is LONG.

First and foremost: There are no skin conditions that come to mind that involve being fat or dirty. N O N E. As my instructor likes to say, "Did you rub dirt on your face? Then you're not dirty." I won't even elaborate on the fat thing because that's just ridiculous and honestly boils down to the same thing (because of course "Fat People are Dirty Sweaty Grease-Soaked Slobs"). Y'all wanna know what causes most of the common disorders?

Acne - Genetics/hormones, friction, or skin sensitivities. Congrats, you're really good at producing sebum, a vital component of your skin's protective barrier!

Keratosis Pilaris - Genetics, occasionally made worse by harsh exfoliation. Congrats, you're really good at producing keratin, the building block protein that makes up skin, hair, and nails!

Rosacea - Who the Fuck Knows, but the National Rosacea Society hypothesizes that it's either down to the way your immune and neurovascular systems function, serious systemic diseases (none of which are Obesity), or a species of mite that everyone has on their skin already.

Psoriasis - Immune disorder.

Eczema - Who the Fuck Knows, probably a combo of genetics and environmental factors.

HS - Who the Fuck Knows, but probably genetics/hormones.

All of these things have flare-ups or cyclic behavior, btw. Flareups can have a hundred causes, it just depends on the individual! Stress is common across the board, but it's far from the only one. What doesn't happen? Get breakouts or flare-ups by being Dirty or Fat or Eating Poorly. Your skin just Does Stuff. So many genetic disorders come down to "My skin makes More or Less of something than is ideal for my body" or "My body is Very Protective of me." Literally, every disorder pretty much comes down to genetics, illness, or Who the Fuck Knows (because there is not enough research being done on way too many disorders). And none of this is simply "fixed" or "cured" by throwing money at the problem, regardless of what anyone tells you.

Does a skincare routine make your skin feel good? Sure! Soft skin feels nice and might give your mental health a boost because you're doing something nice for yourself most days. Also you do a lot of blood flow stimulation in the process and that might make you feel a bit more energized. But if you have a disorder and you feel like you've Tried Everything to no avail, it is not your fault, either. Skin, entire functioning organ that it is, is so much more complex than a skincare routine makes it seem.

My biggest takeaway from this education has just been Bodies Do Stuff and Everyone's Skin is Different. If you have a skin disorder, including all the hundreds of disorders I didn't mention, you are not dirty or bad or gross. Your skin just Does Stuff and the Beauty and Wellness industries are really bad at saying, accepting, and teaching this - it doesn't make money, after all.

[ocean-waters]

The brainrot took over me again.

I have a bit more to share about my free! Steven Universe AU. Particularly about the rin & haru fusion Rhodochrosite, because yeah.

Just a bit of the backstory of when it first happened and why:

It was because of a race, because of course it was. The first time it happened, it was because Rin challenged Haru to a long-distance race.

At first, Haru wasn't really interested in indulging him, so he just ignored him and started flying away. But Rin (who can also fly using fire jets for propulsion like that firebending move in ATLA), wouldn't give up that easily, so he starts flying slightly faster, taunting Haru a bit, which aggravates Haru's competitive tendencies, and so he speeds up, too. And so they actually begin racing.

Things get heated, they start doing fancy maneuvers and showing off (they're trying to impress each other, and in doing so they're kind of dancing in the sky in a way, so they're synchronizing). Then, they nearly run into a huge rock formation obstacle and swerve around it in opposite, then converging directions, and they collide. And it happens. Rodochrosite comes to be.

He marvels at what just happened and his new existence for a second, but then immideately unfuses. Still though, the thought about what happened lingers in Rin and Haru's minds (kind of like it was when Ruby and Sapphire first fused into garnet, and then kept thinking about it once they ran away together).

Rin eventually gets curious and is eager to try again. He insists he felt something special and that together, they could probably achieve great things. Haru is unsure at first but did also feel that spark, so eventually, he agrees.

They have no clue how to do it the second time, though lmao. Rin suggests dancing, but they're terrible at it. They simply can't synchronize that way and keep getting frustrated with each other. Eventually, they start getting heated again, but then Rin remembers the circumstances of how the fusion first happened and suggests they try racing again. Haru thinks that's stupid, but after Rin teases him about being scared of losing this time, he sets off, and Rin follows. Things play out the same, and they're about to reach the finish, then they both reach for it at the same time. And so it happens again.

After the shock and wonder wears off again, Rhodochrosite starts to have fun and discover just how much he enjoys flying around and how strong his powers actually are.

On the topic of his powers: They were kind of hard to come up with because water and fire are completely opposite and impossible to blend. However, I think I figured out how I wanted them to work. He can control a sort of plasma, one that grows bright, with a soft pink hue. He can manipulate it, stretch, and bend it like a fluid, or he can condense it into bullets of energy. The substance itself is pretty volatile. It can cut cleanly through anything and also explode. It's pretty versatile and also very deadly.

I actually did a few silly tiny sketches of the event as well as how the first-time/cotton candy version of rhodochrosite looked like: