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#going to point out whats probably wrong as a primer for looking at whats actually going on in there
okkalo · 11 months
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blue lock boys doing your makeup trend
characters: rin, yukimiya, shidou, isagi, chigiri
warnings: shidou 😟😟, cuss words
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rin
- he’s trying.
- his focused face makes him look like he knows what he’s doing.
- he doesn’t.
- if you record he is literally glaring at the camera the whole time.
- names products by how they look. meaning u will NOT get the actual name out of him. (he knows blush and mascara though!!)
- “this is the brown liquid” (ur getting there!!)
- skips the primer.
- if u have multiple foundation colors he gets so confused why one doesn’t match 💀
- “the hell is this?” THE FACE HE MAKES TOO??
- puts on too much blush and just stares in wonder of what he did wrong.
- that or he applies the blush as lipstick
- he applies your lipstick (or i guess blush) weird?? makes you pucker your lips to do it LOL
- forces you to do your eyeliner and mascara because he doesn’t want to hurt you </3
- probably mumbles under his breath the whole time about how stuff isn’t working how it should
- giggle at him and he will give you a look and just leave.
- the finished look was a 6/10
isagi
- he’s trying but nicer.
- i can see him having no sense of color theory whatsoever so your eyeshadow and lipstick look HORRIBLE together
- probably this bright purple eyeshadow with a bright red lipstick
- he doesn’t forget anything though!!
- puts the concealer in all the wrong spots. he thinks it should go where the contour goes
- another guy to use blush as lipstick
- “that’s not right” at least he knows
- will do your eyeliner wing (which turned out to be horrible) but completely avoids your waterline
- avoids the mascara but watches in amazement as you curl your eyelashes
- gives you so many kisses throughout
- the finished look was a 3/10 😔
yukimiya
- he’s the best out of everyone because he actually knows what he’s doing.
- he might confuse the names at some point but is quick to fix his mistake.
- sososo gentle when applying products to your face too!
- he smiles so big once he sees you close your eyes at his light touch
- probably uses the wrong brushes </3
- goes down to your neck with your foundation!!
- does your eyeliner but doesn’t do your lashes (the wing is a 8/10)
- tries so hard on the eyeshadow but it just doesn’t work
- pretty colors but horrible with knowing where to stop (he went to your brows with it </3)
- he muttered a lot of soft “oops” during this time no doubt
- also gives a lot of kisses during this time
- actually so proud once he finishes it though
- compliment his abilities!!
- 9.1/10
shidou
- idk why u wanted him to do this.
- he’s literally making you look like a clown
- makes a mess of your makeup and does not care.
- probably super good at makeup too but just wants to be an asshole
- puts SO MUCH foundation on you. you are literally caked
- puts so much bronzer on too and swipes it in all the wrong directions
- a lot of product got in your nose because he gave that area a lot of attention
- absolutely went crazy with the blush. it is everywhere on your cheek.
- the same with highlighter.
- goes crazy with the setting powder as well. you both sneezed multiple times
- picks bright blue eyeshadow and goes way too far with it
- he was fr about to do your eyeliner and lashes (don’t let him. he will twitch during this time and i know it.)
- takes SO many pictures of you
- makes a video of you with the clown music in the background 💀
- 0/10. rethink ur decisions.
chigiri
- “stay still” x10.
- is good at makeup and knows what everything is but god forbid you move an inch. he literally told you to stop breathing once like??
- if you try to be funny and move your head to the side while he’s putting stuff on he will immediately stop and just give you a stare. no words to be said. he just stares. it’s not a nice stare either </3
- if you get distracted and look away while he’s getting a product he will yank your head back to the position he so desires.
- you’re actually kinda impressed with how well the makeup turns out.
- it’s a strong 8.5/10, he messed up the eyeliner and lipstick part (“maybe stay still next time”).
- will absolutely squish your cheeks and make you pucker your lips to kiss him at the end.
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unedited thanks for reading!
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teetle-time · 2 months
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Time Is All We Have
A Doctor Who x Rise of the TMNT Xover interest check/story prologue because i'm losing all control of my life lmao
Quick mini-primer for where in both timelines we are:
Non-teetle fixaters, you can just watch the first few minutes of the Rise movie. Bad future timeline shenanigans wahoo! You should probably also get a feel for the regular present timeline from the show if you can, though we won't be directly interacting with it for a quite a bit. Because Reasons. :)
Non-Who fixaters, we're rolling with David Tennant Doctor The First and the companion named Martha Jones. The name similarity to the Casey Joneses makes me giggle, especially now that I've watched through the (REDACTED) episodes where she ends up with some more Caseys parallels. Those haven't happened yet for her though lmao. Frankly, she's only had a few episodes'-worth of adventures with the Doctor by this point. :)
anyway. shoutout to my brother purpletango for having this idea. i believe what i hurriedly jotted down in my notepad app went like this:
the rise movie begins, mikey gets ready to send junior back in time- -and something goes wrong. welp, the gateway's there now. may as well use it. junior gets yeeted through (and my brain is now adding the idea of leo realizing something's up and going with him) and junior (and maybe leo) land…in the TARDIS. now they gotta get back to earth (hoping they're at least in the right dimension) to find the key and stop the krang. NO PRESSURE LMFAO
with a lil tweaking to the premise that just sorta happened as i was writing, i'm now at 26k words of combined fic and notes. it has been 2.5 weeks. i am nowhere near done. help lmao
gonna be doing something a bit funky with the tardis here just to get the ball rolling. idk if it's a canon thing that can happen but if it's not then shshshshshshsh just pretend with me. take my hand
Almost exactly twelve hours prior to the moment he died, when the rest of what remained of the Resistance had been asleep and it had only been the turtles awake to keep watch, Michelangelo had looked to his big brother and said, "We can't beat them, can we?"
Last night, Leonardo had swallowed and given a slight shake of his head. "We can't."
"They've even stolen the night sky from us somehow," Michelangelo had said, lifting his gaze to the cloudless, crimson sky. "Look, there's no stars anymore."
"When did that happen?" Leonardo had asked under his breath. "We still had at least a handful last I checked…"
"Sometime since the last time we had enough peace and quiet at night to actually look up. I'd say…in the past few weeks?" Michelangelo had suggested.
There had been silence for a long moment after that, broken only by the quiet, deep breathing of the few who were left, as well as the shifting of Michelangelo's cloak as he scooted a bit closer to his brother.
Between the two of them, Leonardo and Michelangelo had enough organic fingers and toes to count everyone else who'd survived the past twenty-odd years. Then again, with only two toes on each foot, three fingers on each hand, and three organic hands left to use…well. Less than twenty wasn't exactly an army.
Casey had shifted in his sleep, eventually, mumbling something incoherent the way his mother always had.
Leonardo had swallowed.
Michelangelo had pulled his gaze back down to Earth and looked at him.
"The Krang won't give us the mercy of dying," Leonardo had said grimly. "Not if they can help it."
"They won't," Michelangelo had agreed.
"The others chose to fight with us. Humans, yokai, and mutants. Even Todd. Never would've expected him of all yokai to be so kickass, back in the day. But…this is all Casey's ever known," Leonardo had continued.
"It is."
There had been a shifting in the shadows off in the distance, then, and while it had turned out to be easily taken care of, it had still put a pause on the brothers' conversation for a bit.
When they'd gotten back, but before they'd woken the others and gotten moving again, Leonardo had nailed Michelangelo with a solemn look. "We can't avoid this forever, but Casey…"
"I know you're not talking about that thing we talked about never talking about," Michelangelo had said, raising the ridges of his brows for a deadpan look and a wry smile.
Leonardo had jabbed an elbow into his plastron with a thick snicker…but he hadn't denied it.
Michelangelo had sobered up, then. "Oh."
"Do you think you can do it?" Leonardo had asked as he'd knelt to shake April awake, pausing before he did to meet Michelangelo's eyes.
"I know I can," Michelangelo had said, remaining quiet about how 'it' would very likely be the end of him.
They'd both already known as much.
"When?"
"I-I don't know. When things look bleakest," Leonardo had tried. "If it comes down to us. If it's just you and somebody else. If…if it's just you."
Michelangelo had nodded, then put a hand on his brother's carapace. "The Krang'll get front-row seats to Earth's very own home-grown sun. And that's a Doctor Delicate Touch guarantee."
"Wouldn't expect anything less, little man," Leonardo had chuckled. "Give 'em a light show that'll have 'em running scared."
"I can fly, Leo. And 'little man' was always Raph's thing," Michelangelo had snickered, reaching down to wake Casey. "Hey, Casey, we gotta get moving. Mind waking up and reminding your sensei that I win all height contests forever, no take-backs?"
The noise had begun rousing the others, and Leonardo had scoffed. "Turning my own student against me, Mikey? Low blow."
"Nah," April had said from where she lay. "This is a low blow."
She had snapped an arm out to smack Leonardo's shin, and the rest of the survivors had woken to quiet laughter.
It had been nice.
The last moment of calm within the storm.
In the present, Michelangelo winced as the mystic energies swirling through him reached a crescendo, but still pushed further, digging his fingers into the fabric of reality and wrenching it apart.
With Leonardo wounded, everyone else outnumbered, and Krang closing in on all sides, it was definitely pretty bleak.
There was no better time to make a time gateway than when there was no time left, after all.
His heart pounded in his tympana, loudly enough he almost could have sworn it echoed, a thud-thud-thud-thud that wanted to shake him to the core.
For a moment, with the Krang bearing down on him, his brother, and his nephew, it felt like he was losing his grip.
Casey's voice managed to overpower the thud-thud-thud-thud: "Master Michelangelo, no! You're gonna-!"
He knew.
How could he not, with light cracking his skin and his scales into little flakes of dust on the wind?
But Casey…he was the future.
The best of all of them.
As long as Casey would be okay, Michelangelo could do anything. Would do anything.
He turned his head back over his shoulder for one last look.
Casey looked horrified.
Leonardo looked resigned.
There was no one else left.
(He didn't want to go.)
Michelangelo smiled and gave his family a cheeky little wink, then turned his attention to the time gateway in front of him, threw his arms out to his sides with one last heave-!
-and like Earth's very own home-grown supernova, like the very last star in the universe, he imploded into golden light.
Leonardo felt himself shatter inside as Mikey disintegrated and the time gate stabilized, but the Krang were still closing in.
"Casey, when you're done saving the world, do me a favor," he said, putting a hand on the kid's shoulder.
Casey looked up at him with wide eyes. "Sensei, don't-!"
Leonardo just smiled sadly and shifted his grip from comforting to more of a ready to throw.
He ignored the fire in his side and the trickle of blood down his plastron as he hurled Casey into the gateway. "Grab a slice-!"
"NO!"
Casey's scream was the only warning Leonardo had before the wrist-strapped grapple (standard issue, at least before Donnie had gone out with a bang) streaked back out of the portal, latched onto Leonardo's good shoulder, and yanked him off his feet.
"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa-!"
The deafening thrum of a Krang laser and a flash of heat at his back told Leonardo exactly how he should have died, but the sensations vanished just as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving only the golden light of Michelangelo's ninpo and the silhouette a few yards away that told Leonardo where Casey was.
Leo almost let himself go limp in the rushing mass of energy as it faded from golden-orange to something more bluish-gray.
Almost.
Instead, however, he grit his teeth against the way his wound flared up and started swimming for Casey.
The light around them grew brighter with no signs of stopping.
By the time Leo reached the kid, he had to screw his eyes shut to avoid going blind.
He managed to grab Casey's hand, then wrap himself protectively around him-
-and then some kind of metal grating slammed against his carapace, his head snapped back, and he knew only darkness.
The Doctor blinked at the sudden sound of beeping. "Oh? That doesn't sound right."
"Doctor? What is it?" asked Martha.
"I'm getting an alert," said he, darting over to one of the TARDIS' monitors for a look. "An alert that there's a lifeform catapulting through the timestream almost completely unprotected- two! Two lifeforms!"
Martha blinked. "What? How did that happen?"
"I don't know, but if we want to find out, we'd best get them onboard before whatever shielding they do have is eroded away." The Doctor studied the monitor for a moment more, then slid around the console and started throwing the appropriate levers and flicking the appropriate switches. "I need to focus on getting close- would you mind peeking out the doors to make sure my aim isn't off?"
"On it!"
The Doctor grinned, then turned his focus back to steering. "Aaalright then! They ought to be coming up just ahead, maybe a smidge to our left-!"
"I see them!" Martha called. "One of them- one looks human!"
The Doctor blinked, then looked up. "Only the one?"
Martha nodded, not tearing her eyes from the window. "The other looks almost like a turtle! Except, well, it's person-sized!"
"Curiouser and curiouser," the Doctor mused. Then, looking back down at the console, "Well, I think the simplest course of action would be to just…scoop them up!"
Martha glanced his way in confusion. "What, just open the door and grab 'em?"
"Exactly. You'll want to be quick and precise," the Doctor recommended. "Good to know we're on the same page."
After a moment to process what he'd said, Martha nodded slowly. "…right."
The Doctor carefully piloted the TARDIS close, and as he watched the energy readings of the two lifeforms get close enough, he heard Martha open the door, then yelp in surprise as something hard hit the metal flooring with a clang.
"Sensei?!" squawked the thick and emotional voice of a pubescent human boy.
"Oh, my," said the Doctor, skirting the edge of the console as he jogged over for a look.
Immediately, he could tell that whatever the circumstances were that had led to the two strangers being catapulted into the timestream, they had not been pretty. Between the apocalyptic fashion and weaponry, the fact that the turtle had seemingly been curled around the boy until losing consciousness, and the sight of tear tracks on the boy's face…well, a billboard would have been less obvious.
The boy glanced between the Doctor and Martha, wide eyes quickly shifting into suspicion as he slid off "Sensei's" plastron and placed himself between the turtle and the Doctor. "Who are you? What do you want with us? Are you with the Krang?"
Huh. He sounded American.
"Krang?" asked Martha, turning to him. "Doctor, what's a Krang?"
The Doctor frowned, mulling the word over. "Krang? Krang, Krang, KrangKrangKrang… Can't say I recognize the name. Bit of a shocker, really, and somewhat worrisome."
The boy's face spasmed, confusion clearly welling up, but the door chose to remind them all that it was still open by letting a tannish cloak drift through and land next to the two newcomers.
The sight of the cloak made the boy's eyes moisten further.
Oh, dear.
"Martha, could you get the door?" asked the Doctor, shifting his voice into something a little softer as he knelt next to the two strangers.
"Oh, uh- you got it."
As Martha did exactly that, the Doctor met the boy's eyes. "I'm the Doctor. Behind you is Martha, and this is the TARDIS. I don't know what it is you're running from, whatever this 'Krang' business is, but I promise you, you're safe here."
The boy's suspicion slowly lessened, the tension in his shoulders loosening some- though, notably, nowhere near completely. "And…what's a tardis?"
"My spaceship," said the Doctor modestly. "'S how I get around. What I want to know is, how did a humanoid teenager and a turtleman with a robotic arm end up hurtling through the timestream all on their lonesome?"
At that, the boy's gaze flickered to the cloak on the ground, and his jaw hardened in that way jaws tended to do when the only other option was to sob.
"…I see," said the Doctor quietly. "While I'd like to know the specifics, pushing this sort of thing never really seems to work out well. So I won't."
"You-" The boy's voice cracked, and he tried again. "You said you were a doctor?"
"The Doctor," corrected he.
"Though I've been training as one for quite some time, myself!" Martha reminded.
The boy visibly warred with himself for a moment, then grit his teeth and pulled slightly away from the turtle's side, revealing a nasty gash that had gone clean through his shell. "Help him. Please."
Martha gasped. "Oh, God-!"
The Doctor's eyes flew wide, but then he nodded firmly. "We'll do everything we can."
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Sorry if this ask gets broken or send more than once, tumblr likes to crash on my phone a lot oops!
Anyhoo, any advice for creating a headmate?
We're a traumagenic system, so we never had any control over when we split new headmates. But I'm a fictive of someone who's a twin and I really miss my brother and would really really love it if he could join us in the headspace, I think he would really like my headmates and they would be very receptive of him <:) I talked to the others about it and they said they think its okay for me to try as long as we do so in a healthy way.
But I dont know how to split a new headmate in a healthy way. Im obviously not going to purposely put us through stress and/or trauma to encourage a traumagenic formation, that'd be unhealthy. BUT I dont know how to help form a headmate in a non-traumagenic way... Do you have any advice or tips? I know theres lots of ways to willingly form new headmates, but I dont really know how to utilize them.
Thank you so much in advance!!
Hi! This is pretty tricky, and in general we’d advise traumagenic systems to make sure they’re in a safe place/have made significant progress towards recovery before attempting to create a headmate. There’s a lot of ways something like this could go very wrong if proper care is not taken! That being said, you do know yourself and your system better than anyone else! So if you and your system believe attempting to create a headmate is the right thing to do and the best move for your system, we’re wishing you the best of luck, and have some resources we can share.
All of the best resources we’ve found so far we’ve compiled in our resources post for questioning systems.
That post ^ has a whole section for plurality that is non-dissociative disorder specific, with tons of links to guides and resources on how to go about creating a headmate. The paromancy (called “tulpamancy” in the links) guides are probably the most comprehensive, with tons of information on creating a paro/thoughtform, which is a type of nontraumagenic headmate.
Y’all might also find it easier and less high-stakes to visualize this person as an imaginary friend or an aspect of your headspace. Lots of systems have NPCs in their headspace which have limited autonomy, but aren’t actually full-fledged system members. You can visualize an NPC in the same way you visualize a setting or object as a part of a headspace - we have a little headspace primer which we’ll link below which might help if you choose to go this route!
If you start out with this potential headmate as an imaginary friend, and they ultimately start to feel like a part of the system, there’s a term for that! It’s called imagi, and you can read a bit more about it on Pluralpedia:
Hopefully this helps at least give you somewhat of a starting point! And if we may, a final word of caution:
Creating a headmate is a big deal. Often this is something that will last forever, and cannot be easily reversed. What is so so important to understand, is that once this headmate can think for themself and are afforded some autonomy and agency, they may make decisions or choose to be something that no one in your system ever would have anticipated.
This means thy may want to separate from their source. They may not act, look, or view themselves the way the twin from your source would have. They may not arrive with source memories, and may not see themselves as your twin at all. In many systems, headmates act and function as their own individuals, and feel happiest when they have their own agency and get to make choices about how they present and interact with the world. This means, there is a chance that any headmate you create won’t live up to the standards you’ve set for them beforehand. We’re not saying this sort of thing will happen 100%! But there definitely is a chance of this occurring, so it’s best to be prepared in case it does.
In the end, this is your choice and a choice to be made by your system! We just hope y’all are understanding the consequences of doing something like this, and know that no matter how you envision your new headmate at the beginning, there’s nothing certain that will keep them that way as they grow and develop on their own. We hope your potential new headmate will be understood, valued, and respected for who they are as they are, and not who others hoped for them to be!
Sorry this got so long! Good luck with everything! We hope this process goes as smoothly for you and your system as it can!
🌸 Margo and 👻 Ghost
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argumentalist · 2 months
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Something a little different this week... The AMT Ghostbusters ECTO-1A model kit.
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I went with this kit specifically because it's advertised as being able to be built as the ECTO-1. My wife and I are huge fans of the old/original 1984 Ghostbusters movie, but don't love Ghostbusters 2. So I wanted to build the original ECTO-1
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I was once again disappointed by AMT's engineering on this kit... I guess I'm just spoiled by Bandai.
It's got a runner of chrome-plated parts that look very nice, but have horrible gate-marks and hate glue. There's a runner of clear parts that again have absolutely terrible gate-marks. There's a couple metal axles for the wheels... And some rubber tires... A sheet of decals...
And the vast majority of the kit is molded in a semi-translucent off-white. It's not a great color. I guess it's probably about right for the body color, but that's it. Everything else looks very wrong in that color. Which is fine, I'm going to paint almost everything anyway...
But the molding of these parts just isn't great. There's lots of flash on the runners to trim up. There's some sort of (mold-release?) residue on some parts. It doesn't look like any effort was made to reduce mold-lines or gate-marks. Several parts were warped or misshapen. Hell, even the part numbers on the runners were often completely illegible.
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I ran into some technical difficulties of my own during this build, too...
Somehow the only primer I had left was a nearly-empty can of Army Painter Skeleton Bone. Not really what I wanted to be using to prime an ECTO-1. Definitely didn't give the base color I wanted. And there was barely enough for the first batch of parts.
So then I had to wait around while Amazon shipped out some more primer... Because we don't have any decent hobby shops where I live.
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This is about where I realized that I wasn't actually going to be able to build the original, 1984, Ghostbusters ECTO-1.
If you look up images from that movie you'll see that the roof equipment is very different. There's less lights. There's some sort of gun turret kind of thing up there. There's a radar dome looking thing.
The roof equipment on this kit, even when you omit the big LED signs, is just completely wrong. It's clearly from Ghostbusters 2.
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Additionally - omitting the big LED signs means that you have to cut-off and sand-down their connection points on the body.
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And there's a couple hoses that would normally disappear underneath the big LED signs... But if you're building the ECTO-1 version, and don't have the signs, the hoses just end. There's no connection-point or anything on the roof, and they don't reach all the way to the equipment rack.
So I had to cobble together a connector/endpoint kind of thing out of greenstuff and left-over bits of sprue.
Obviously the folks at AMT didn't put a whole lot of thought into the ECTO-1 version of this model.
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The undercarriage is completely hand-painted.
Every time I do a large piece like this I find myself wishing I had an airbrush... But that's a whole, intimidating thing. I don't even know where I'd start.
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I'm pretty happy with the end result. I think it turned out pretty well. I'm a little annoyed that it isn't actually the ECTO-1 I wanted to build... But it still looks nice.
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theninjasanctuary · 1 year
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Well, still sick, had to cancel another workout. It's either complications from the same virus, or possibly another virus hitting before the previous one cleared up (so many people are sick rn). Basically my throat got sore again, feels all swollen up and at worst points it radiates to my ears, my voice is wrecked, small fever, nose getting blocked again, weakness, brain fog, nearly the entire buffet of potential issues. And allllll of the otc meds are not making a meaningful difference. OTL
The boyf is worse off than I am, had him call the GP again, only for them to have an argument over the phone (his voice is barely there and he is lacking in ability to get to the point at the best of times, and the GP is the most impatient listener ever + rather rude more often than not), but at least he got a blood test and chest x-ray. The GP does not get that if we could handle this shit on our own, we would not be calling her in the first place: the fact we're calling means the common sense OTC treatments are not making a difference. It's hard to get points across with her. I had to call at least 3 times back in June to get an actual appointment (required for referral to a specialist) when I had a head cold get so out of hand that I lost hearing in one ear for weeks and an initial round of antibiotics was not enough to fix it. And when she finally took a look inside with her little lamp, she was like "well, yes, this does look wrong". Which is precisely what I had been trying to tell her, she just wasn't buying it. Idk, might have to call and ask for a blood test myself, if my throat does not calm down, because it might very well be a bacterial infection at this point.
Still, work needs to get done and so do chores, so 3 hours at a seminar, pharmacy, pet shop, skincare department, groceries. Went to get Bourjois Healthy Mix blurring primer, turns out it's on sale, and the probable reason is discontinuation, so got 2 tubes, it's been my go-to base for low-to-no makeup days. And found a new Lumene azelaic acid product, much cheaper per ml than the one I was intending to repurchase from the UK, promptly bought that too, because my chin needs all the help it can get.
Waiting to get the last of my orders from there for the time being (3 pairs of second-hand Phase Eight jeans), the forwarding service closed their branch since it wasn't profitable, even though the handling fees for customs procedures were a bit much tbh. I would like another Johnstons of Elgin cardigan, because the moss green one is fantastic, but oh well. Not as if I have the money anyway, with the sums I'm spending at the pharmacy every other day. Still no article fees.
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gallusrostromegalus · 3 years
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Progress On The Garden At The End Of The Universe
So, after about a month of trying to assemble pieces, getting the wrong primer, waiting for the weather to cooperate, and general malaise, The Garden At The End Of The Universe is getting underway!
The process so far has been:
Attempt to figure out where the sprinkler heads are so you don't put a bed over them and drown your plants.
After searching for a week, call up a guy who literally calls himself "Sprinkler Dave" and have him poke the box until they all are accounted for.
While Dave is poking the box, answer his questions about mRNA vaccines and urge him to get his ASAP. Sprinkler Dave agrees this is a good idea and the next time he is back, he has his vaccine sticker in the window of his truck. We are keeping Sprinkler Dave.
Mow lawn as short as possible and spread probably too much clover seed about two weeks late but hey it's still coming up and fixing nitrogen/keeping the water needs down.
Halfway through mowing, run out of gas.
Go to gas station
Get yelled at that "THE LIL 2-GALLON AIN'T GONNA GETCHYA THROUGH WHAT'S COMIN'!" by a neighbor with the same double-digit number of guns as IQ points.
"I just want it to get the lawn done.
Notice he is filling what appears to be a 120 gallon open-topped fish tank with gas. There is a box of saran wrap in the truck bed with it.
Remember that this is the neighbor that got arrested at fourth of July, thanksgiving and a gender reveal party in his yard for having the kind of explosives you need a license for, even if we weren't under a fire ban.
For the fourth time in as many months, call the police before this damn fool kills himself and the rest of the block.
Finish mowing and sowing.
Purchase galvanized steel pieces off moderately sketchy Garden supply online store.
Be delighted when the pieces arrive and they have sent you twice as many as you thought.
Attempt to paint galvanized steel pieces.
Learn you need primer.
Order latex aluminum primer.
Latex aluminum primer gets boat stuck sideways in the Suez canal.
Well, at least the weather is still cold and occasionally blizzardy, so its not like it will hold anything up.
Primer garden beds.
Explain to dogs that they do not need to help you with this.
Paint beds.
Watch Cooper's Hawk take a squirrel right off the fence while painting and cheer, much to the horror of your neighbor whose porch the squirrel is being eaten on. Sorry Linda.
Use shovel to dig small gap in the lawn and kick bed until it is wedged in and the top is mostly level.
Take leftover pizza and moving boxes and tear them into large chunks to mostly cover the lawn inside the beds. This helps kill the grass underneath, and keeps the water from immediately draining into the ground until the plants are big enough to bust through the cardboard themselves.
Get dirt.
Realize a Honda hatchback is not really a "hauling" vehicle, then drive home with probably way too much in it anyway.
Open up compost box.
Discover that compost is not nearly as fermented as you had hoped, but still progressing and full of friends like centipedes, worms, mushrooms and mice.
Tackle a corgi to keep him from eating a centipede. Idk if they're actually dangerous for dogs but I did not want to find out.
Watch corgi eat a nightcrawler worm like a spaghetti Instead. (Vet said that was ok).
Send dogs back inside for being a little too hakuna matata with the compost pile.
Traumatize Linda again when she asks you how your garden is going by holding up and enormous earthworm and gleefully telling her to " LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS LAD!!"
Mix equal parts topsoil and compost/manure to get dirt that has both dissolved nutrients and enough grit to keep it from getting compacted.
Retreat indoors from incoming thunderstorm and shave head.
Further updates as events warrant.
(if you want to support my garden or get the dogs "sorry you can't eat centipedes" treats, please consider donating to my Ko-Fi or PayPal, or if you think I'm funny, you can pre-order my book on Patreon. Thank you so much!)
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volkswagonblues · 3 years
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a lil guide to the Fire Nation for the ATLA fic writers out there
(aka. a no means exhaustive primer on east asia by an asian person)
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This is a guide for fic writers want to write a canon-era story set in the Fire Nation, or featuring Fire Nation characters. A quick little primer on the tiny details of everyday life that you might not think about, but certainly stuff that would make me, an asian person, wince if I were to encounter it. BRUSHES, not quills. CHOPSTICKS, not forks. 
(note #1: this was partly inspired by a chat with @elilim​) 
(note: #2:  I originally intended it for zukka fic writers before realizing that other writers might find it useful. so apologies for a slight Zuko-bias for that reason)
(note #3: this is all stuff i was thinking about when writing firebender’s guide, in case anyone was wondering)
1. CLOTHING
Okay, I think the most straightforward way to describe what everyone’s wearing most of the time is “tunic”. They’re all just...tunics of different colours and varieties. Later when Zuko’s the Fire Lord he wears robes. The show provides a better visual guide than I could, here are a few notes to keep in mind:
a) Japanese people wear their collars LEFT crossed over RIGHT
I don’t think this would come up in writing as much as it would in art, but it’s considered bad luck to do it the wrong way because that’s only for dead people. Let my boy Zuko demonstrate:
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b) There are no buttons
This is picky, but Wikipedia says “Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.[6] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.” I kinda believe it. If you look closely, characters’ clothes are always tied together or wrapped in some way with a belt. If there are fasteners, they’re braided frog closures that go into a little loop, like the qipao-style dresses women wear in Ba Sing Se, or Zuko’s casual prince’s clothes in the topmost image. Anyways, I don’t think Zuko or Azula or the Gaang would technically button or unbutton anything when they’re changing clothes. Clothing is designed to be tied, not buttoned.
[so much more under cut]
c) This isn’t a real rule, but there’s something called koromogae, or the seasonal changing of clothing in Japan.
This is something I learned when I was writing firebender’s guide, and I just liked the fun detail about there being a strict calendar for when to wear something. I liked the idea of someone like Zuko, who actually spent most of his formative years outside of the Fire Nation, coming home and just suffering mutely through the summer heat because upper class etiquette says no changing into cooler clothes until August 15. 
From My Asakusa: 
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And this website:
Generally, people change from thick, heavy, dark-coloured clothes for winter to thin, lighter, bright-coloured clothes for spring and summer. In traditional Japanese culture, particularly in formal settings such as tea ceremony, it is important to acknowledge the changes of seasons—in such circumstances, not only the patterns and colours of the kimono that are worn but also the utensils and furniture that are used are required to change. By changing their clothing, people notice and appreciate the change of seasons. [Japan Foundation]
Here are some visual guides from the official creators for clothes: (notice how it’s pretty much always left over right)
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2.FOOD AND EATING
a) Traditional cuisine
It seems like the most common foods in canon are Fire Flakes and meat, to the point where poor Aang had to eat lettuce out of the garbage at some point.
HOWEVER, the Fire Nation seems to basically a big subtropical archipelago, so I would guess that seafood and rice are common. If you want to write about characters eating, a. quick google for “traditional japanese cuisine” would help you come up with a menu really quickly.
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Wikipedia says:
The traditional cuisine of Japan, washoku (和食), lit. "Japanese eating" (or kappō (ja:割烹)), is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi.
But before we get too serious, at one point the Gaang eats a “smoked sea slug” (Sokka’s Master) 
Oh ATLA, never stop being you.
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b) Utensils
One thing to keep in mind is chopstick etiquette. Someone like Zuko or Toph, for instance, would have completely internalized all of these.
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Another thing is that there are no glasses. Cups and bowls are made of ceramic or clay. Let the Gaang show you:
And another note: characters won’t eat “bread” in the European sense, ie. a baked lump of dough. Steamed buns, yes. Fried pancakes made from batter, yes. Flatbreads, okay I’ll give it a pass. Rice or noodles should be the most common carbs of choice.
3.ETIQUETTE
“In the homeland, we bow to our elders” - angry schoolmistress in The Headband.
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Japan Guide has a list of etiquette rules for visiting Japan, which is interesting but not too necessary to read. In general, based on what The Headband tells us, Fire Nation characters would have been raised with a strong nationalist curriculum that values communal contribution over individualist expression. Even someone like Zuko, who openly rebels against that, probably couldn’t help but be affected by it. In general the Fire Nation seems to have an East Asian-ish set of values. It’s patriarchal, all the positions of authority are filled by men; there seems to be a strong emphasis on patriotism; there’s a sense of diffidence and respect towards one’s elders; and finally, there’s an emphasis on “knowing” one’s place in society and fitting into what’s expected of oneself.
I don’t really know how to describe it, but in China and Japan I sometimes feel like there’s rules for everything, and even people born and raised there acknowledge it could be stifling at times. You could go down a rabbit hole researching points of etiquette (for instance, rules on who has to sit where in group dinners...), but to me the most important thing is acknowledging that Fire Nation has a rigid system of etiquette, and also, they’re an imperialist power who’s pretty prejudiced against foreigners. Poor Aang/Kuzon gets called “mannerless colony slob” just for being slow on the bowing action (!!!)
(in firebender’s guide I had a lot of fun imagining the stupid microaggressions Ambassador Sokka has to face in the Fire Nation, so obviously I’m just biased)
4.WRITING AND DESKS
Characters would probably write on paper, with a calligraphy brush. Not quills or pens -- a brush. Technically, old Japanese and Chinese texts should be written top to bottom, right to left, but the show itself doesn’t do this, so I think you’re fine. 
One fun thing about traditional calligraphy is that you don’t use bottled ink. You have something called an ink stone, and then you grind your ink yourself by rubbing the ink stone in a special little dish with a bit of water. In my (very few) encounters with this stuff in the calligraphy lessons of my youth, the ink stones can be plain or have beautiful designs on the side. It looks something like this: 
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ATLA is an East Asian-ish universe, so characters are likely to be kneeling at a table, not sitting. To demonstrate, here’s my boy Sokka doing his famous rainbow at Piandao’s:
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and here’s the war chamber meeting when Zuko speaks out against a general’s plans to sacrifice some soldiers:
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THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: This is Zuko’s cute little setup when he’s writing his goodbye letter to Mai. In this case he’s writing in a chair and table. It’s possible that some furniture items, like a sitting desk and a bed in a bedframe (not a bedroll or futon) are special royal palace features. Normally in a private setting we see characters sitting on the ground or on a slightly elevated platform with a low table. Maybe Caldera is just different? Or rich people are just different: the Bei Fongs also have a sit-down dining table + chair setup.
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(That little rectangular box is his ink dish!!)
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5.A NOTE ON GENERAL CULTURE
It’s worth talking about a few general points of East Asian culture. I can’t claim to speak for ALL of Asia, and I don’t think I should. But I do think ATLA fic writers who want to set something in the Fire Nation should take a few moments to at least skim the wiki pages for filial piety and Nihonjinron (literally, "theories/discussions about the Japanese"). There’s a certain...vibe to...asianness... that I’m not sure I can explain without like, a doctorate degree in sociology. 
It’s a bit like gender, I guess. There’s no definitive checklist to what is a woman and what is a man, and we can argue that gender is performative, that it’s a construct, but at the end of the day gender is still (tragically) real in the sense that it still shapes people and affects how we walk and talk and dress and think. Nationality is the same. Obviously, the Fire Nation is a made up place in a made up show, but out of respect to the cultures that inspired it, I do think it’s worth familiarizing yourself with some of these cultures’ codes and values.
Also, ahem, if I can direct you to war crimes in the Japan’s colonial empire. Again, worth remembering that the Fire Nation was an imperalist colonizer too.
I might do a continuation of this post and talk through my more abstract takes about Fire Nation culture - Is Zuko an example of filial piety gone right or filial piety gone wrong? Why I think Zuko’s flashbacks are like, at least part teenage melodrama bullshit (the reason is son preference), how someone like Sokka might be treated once he’s openly Water Tribe in the Fire Nation (probably with racism...), specific aspects of asian homophobia and racism, etc. We’ll see.
This is not a definitive guide. Comments and critique welcome.
If you think there’s a factual mistake, PLEASE hop in my asks and let me know. I also think there’s a huge blind spot in ATLA for South and Southeast Asian representation, so I acknowledge that I can’t speak for all Asians, and there is no such thing as a “pan-asian” identity.
If there’s something else you’re curious about, I’m not a historian or anything, but I like research. Ask me and I’ll try to answer the best I can.
And oh, one last thing, this is how I do research when I wrote firebender’s guide, in case anyone’s interested in learning more (LINK)
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thefools-journey · 3 years
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So. Some of you may be wondering why we haven’t written a whole ton about the secondaries or what have you. Here’s the reason: we were waiting for them to end before we really dug into the problems we were noticing. We felt that it was only fair to wait for the routes to finish so that we had an understanding of the writers’ vision. Who knew, we thought, maybe they would see the problems themselves and course correct, maybe they are building to something we can’t quite see yet and these issues will have actual payoff, maybe-
In light of Muriel and Lucio’s endings, and the general mess that has dominated Portia’s route for a year plus now, we are breaking our silence. We are actually going to talk about this shit show.
The fandom at large has talked about a bunch of issues with the secondaries but for me, the cardinal sin, the thing that really all the issues lead back to, is this: the writers lost sight of the tarot themes which so strongly defined and held together the primary routes. Let me explain.
The primary routes each center around three thematic cores:
The Love Interest’s Major Arcana and its Reversed/Upright meanings
The MC’s Fool’s Journey, both how it can go right and how it can go wrong
A question about the MC’s identity and their relationship to said identity
Asra’s route asks: Who was the MC? How does the MC navigate a past they cannot and will not remember? What do they owe a past they cannot remember? How do they handle the revelations of what Asra, Nadia, Julian, etc did? How do you right the past? Can you?
Nadia’s route asks: Who is the MC? The MC has no past. Are they the Fool only? Are they actually the same person they were? How can they tell? Who are they, really? Are they an imposter? No one can answer these questions for them.
Julian’s route asks: Who will the MC become? How does the MC see their future? Is there anything worth fighting for for that future? What will become of them and their loved ones? 
Now, if you notice, these themes are expertly woven throughout the primaries. Asra’s past dominates his route, Nadia is also missing memories and trying to construct her identity both with her family and with Vesuvia, and Julian’s fear of the future drives his flailing for control. Asra has to learn to take a broader view of his actions to get his Upright Ending, Nadia has to learn to trust herself and those around her for hers, and Julian has to learn how to let go for his. These lessons are the issues their cards stand for. The primaries are so dang elegant and delicate in their handlings of theme it is honestly awe-inspiring.
Thematically, the secondary routes have completely lost their hearts. First of all, the MC does not have strong, core questions which need to be answered. They just don’t. I suppose the writers did not want to retread old territory (which is weird considering how tightly bound the primaries are; it really tricks you into thinking you’re living the same events but from different angles depending on your route) but they did not replace the old with anything new. Muriel’s route is, on the surface, about discovering and owning his past, the good and the bad. Why not tie MC’s self-discovery to that story? Or they could have taken the angle that Muriel’s route is about convincing him to be present and active in the world while MC builds an identity for themself outside of Asra, the shop, and the memories they cannot retrieve. Why not tie the investigation themes running through Portia’s early route back to MC and their past? Portia has the unique angle of being as in the dark as MC about all of this, why not discover the past together? And for goodness’ sake, Lucio has no future when his route begins, why not tie that to his need for growth, responsibility, and MC’s own future between the Fool, the Devil, or something mortal and in between?
Secondly, the routes lost their tarot backbone. We have a primer on how to get specific endings for each LI and it still holds, but the writers did not follow through on the thematic coherence of each secondary. The Hermit is looking for something, be it perspective, insight, a solution to a problem, whatever. The key here is that the Hermit must find or learn what they are searching for, this thing must change their understanding of the world, and finally, they must bring this lesson back to the world from which they retreated. Can someone please enlighten me as what exactly Muriel learns then teaches the world around him? Nothing Muriel learns from Morga, MC, or even the Hermit ties back into anything. The Devil warns that you are out of control and exerting a lot of manipulative, destructive behavior on the world around you. It asks you to take responsibility for yourself and your actions. So can someone tell me why Lucio’s route actively avoids any interaction or reflection on two of Lucio’s biggest victims: Muriel and Julian? Why does the route only try to make amends with the “easier” of his victims in the cast? The Star is first and foremost the card of clarity, the light at the end of the tunnel. Perseverance, if you will. Yet Portia’s route has been the muddiest of the trio; the writers drop the investigation aspect of her route in favor just handing her and MC information they could have easily found and muddying the waters with Tasya (she blows up the palace but it’s all okay bc she has a secret daughter Julian never thought to bring up or mention) and the complete removal of the Devil as antagonist. 
So that leaves just the Fool’s Journey trying to hold this stool up with only one leg. And well...it doesn’t go well. At best, the secondary route books pay the barest surface level homage to the themes of the individual cards. At worst, they ignore the cards completely. Muriel's Moon book has nothing to do with illusions or delusions or lies or even an Alice in the Looking Glass upside down world. Portia's back half is a complete and utter mess, starting with her Temperance book being so badly mangled that Muriel's aftermath book does it better. Lucio's route too bungles the Tower and the Star. There just isn't enough here to carry the routes alone.
Add to the core loss the loss of intertextuality. The primary routes are very good, even great but they too do have their moments and mistakes. What helps strengthen them when the cores stumble is how the trio is woven together. Things you learn in Asra's route can inform the way you play Nadia's, for example. Julian's route informs what is going on in Asra's route and slots some missing puzzle pieces together. Nadia's route tells you of the power struggles she is facing and informs the other two routes' handling of Julian and his trial. On and on, the three routes support each other because they are built out of the same basic plot beats, just tackled in very different ways. Now, the writers are allowed to try and write whatever they want. They apparently wanted to be more experimental and less tied down to an overarching plot with the three secondaries. Okay, fine, they are allowed to do that. The problem is that they sacrificed one of the key strengths of the primary trio and didn't replace said strength with anything else. They also, on some level, harmed the very premise of the game, which is that only the player's choices and route selected change the overall plot. Instead of feeling like legitimate possibilities or offshoots of the same timeline/plot, the secondaries feel almost like Arcana AUs. The secondaries throw out all relations to the primaries and each other as quickly as possible and for what? 
It is probably the height of arrogance to suggest fixes for works whose behind the scenes I do not know. At the same time, some small, obvious changes could have salvaged Muriel and maybe Lucio's endings (rip Portia). Instead of having the Hermit appear as a disappointing cameo, why not have him say something cryptic to Muriel, then have MC start trying to seal the Devil. Then let Muriel use his forget me mark to cloak MC and hide them from the Devil's attacks. Protecting MC by hiding them from Lucio, keeping him focused on Muriel, seems to me a simple third solution between Muriel's desire to run and his desire to never fight again. It lets him stand up to Lucio and let him have it while holding onto who Muriel has become. The Reversed End would have MC try to draw Lucio's attention at some point, disrupting the sealing, and eventually leading to Muriel killing the Devil. With Lucio's Upright End, I just have to ask: why doesn't MC fully claim the power of the Fool instead of the Devil? We don't need the other Arcana involved in this fight; we have three routes that demonstrate that. Just have MC pull Scout into the conflict, then have Lucio tell MC he believes in them, then add his power to the mix. You got yourself a full Fool who leaves Scout guarding the realm until they and Lucio's mortal bodies fail and they return to the realm to be together forever. Boom, you're done, you can even add some ambiguous lines so that players can decide how happy their MC is with this arrangement, send me the check.
Here is the bottom line. Our group is full of aroace, and several combinations therein, individuals. We are the last group who should have gotten into a dating sim of all things. But the Arcana did something with the primaries that was special; they wrote a compelling plot with dazzling lore, complex characters, and strong themes wrapped up in a dating sim bow. The writers know better and we know they know better. I do not know what happened with the secondaries, especially around books 10-11, which is where minor issues slowly start spiraling into major ones, but it is clear that Nix Hydra needed some more planning before they released these routes. Hopefully they will learn.
TL;DR: Nix Hydra fired their tarot consultants about eighteen months ago and it has wrecked their secondary routes until they were just embarrassments. They never intended for the secondary routes to even exist and once they had to make them, they scrambled and threw out everything that made the primaries work.
- Mod Telos
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maneskinimagine · 2 years
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MAKEUP
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Warnings: None
Request: None
MASTERLIST
━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━
"Do you even know what any of this does?" I ask Ethan who is currently sat across from me.
"No, but I'll have to figure it out at some point."
"Why did I agree to this?"
"Because you love Ethan and would do anything to make him happy." Thomas says, he is sitting on my bed. I glare at him with a sarcastic smile.
"I know Thomas is right, but why can't I do it too? I think makeup is fun." Damiano complains once again.
"Because it's Ethan, he might accidentally stab me a few times, but he'll actually try make it look good, you on the other hand would make me look like a clown."
"A very pretty clown." Damiano corrects. I roll my eyes and bring my attention back to Ethan, who is staring at the makeup in front of him, with wonder and confusion.
"You start with this." I grab the primer and give it to him.
"Oh." He smiles and opens the cap, squeezing a large amount onto his hand. Rip my pores.
"You really don't need that much, even I could've told you that." Thomas comments.
"Well, you're not the one doing the makeup are you?" Thomas lowers his head, probably trying to hide his laugh, at Ethan's attempted comeback.
"What next?" He asks.
"Next you have to wipe some of this off, it is literally coating my skin."
"And that's not a good thing?" I sigh and wipe off some of the primer with a face wipe.
"Okay, now that my face isn't covered anymore, this goes on next." I hand him the foundation and he looks at me very confused.
"How do I open this?"
"It's already open just push it down." He places the tube on the floor and pushes his hand fully down onto the bottle, making the foundation spill all over my floor. "Not like that."
"I didn't know the floor wanted it's makeup done too." Thomas teases.
"Alright, that's it, out! Now!"
"What did we do?" Damiano questions.
"You're making him nervous, he obviously wants to do a good job to show you guys that he can actually do it, but you're being rude to him, so get out and I'll show you when He's done. Maybe." I slam my bedroom door in their faces and lock it.
"I'm sorry I messed." Ethan says quietly.
"It's okay, I do this a lot. I'm not exactly a clean makeup artist." I smile at him, hoping that it will calm his nerves.
"What next?"
~~~
"I now present to you, me with beautiful makeup on." I shout as I walk to Damiano and Thomas, with Ethan trailing behind me.
They both inspect my face with such confidence that they'll find something wrong, but obviously they didn't find anything.
"No ways he did that." Damiano says.
"Don't be like that dude, he obviously tried hard, well done Ethan, it looks good." Thomas compliments Him.
"Thanks Thomas but, it's not that good."
"Dude, this is better then what I've seen people do." He turns and looks at me, "I hate to admit it but Ethan does a better job at makeup then you."
"Usually I would wanna kill you right now, but right now, I fully agree with you." I say to Thomas. I walk up to him, and pinch his cheek, a little harder then I should, just so he knows I'm a little mad at him.
"Come on Ethan, lets go clean this off my face before my pores are blocked forever."
Two things that I've learnt today, 1 - Ethan is surprisingly good at makeup, and 2 - My pores will never be the same.
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princesssarcastia · 3 years
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2021 Harry Potter Fanfic Primer
im here to point fingers at the incredible authors that have enabled my new interest in HP content.  im still conflicted and upset about it, tbh, but for now we’re leaning into the curve.  we’re getting out our shovel and finding out just how deep we can make the hole we’re in.  hand in unlovable hand my beloved <3.  anyway, these fics are wonderful, their authors are wonderful, and you should go read their stuff. if there’s a star next to it that means im losing my mind over it and always will be.
Creatively Maladjusted, by elumish on AO3, 101k  (they also have a wonderful writing advice blog on tumblr, @elumish, which I recommend following if you are a writer) 
A very excellent re-telling of harry’s first year at hogwarts if he were sorted into Slytherin, plus some more not!fic or piecemeal re-tellings of his second and part of his third year.  Harry, in this, has a slightly different trauma response to growing up with the Dursley’s.  He’s a bit quieter, and the signs are a bit more obvious to the people around him, and I enjoyed that immensely. 
Honestly, if you’re going to get sucked into something you have absolutely no business getting sucked into, elumish is the way to go, their fic is incredible. their teen wolf fic is also immaculate, if you’re so inclined. 
Dissonance, by ImpishTubist on AO3, 2.5k (@impishtubist on tumblr)
Set during fifth year.  Oblivious!Harry has always been a delightful trope when well executed, and this is well executed.  Plus, some angst between Remus and Harry over what Umbridge has been doing to him.
I would certainly recommend a lot of ImpishTubist’s other hp work on AO3, like Lacuna.
blow us all away, by rexcorvidae on AO3, 23k (@rexcorvidae on tumblr)
In progress (like, updated last week in progress).  Currently in the beginning of Harry’s first year.  Fem!Harry, Indian!Harry.  Hagrid puts Harry in touch with Remus when she has questions about her parents, and they become reluctant, traumatized, angst-ridden pen pals who keep missing each other’s true intentions like ships in the night.  hot DAMN do I love this fic.  there’s hints of the way the dursley’s treat Harry peaking through in her letters, and I appreciated the attention to “hmm, her experience as a girl of indian descent in britain under the thumb of a bunch of white people who like being Normal may not have been gucci”
Definitely comb through the rest of their HP fic, too, I may or may not have gone feral over it.
Where the Heart is, by silver_fish on AO3, 15k (@kohakhearts on tumblr)
Woof.  This one said, “hey, harry was probably SUPER depressed in the summer after fifth year.  like, clinically.  maybe someone should do something about that.”  Fuck yeah.  Then this one said, “that someone was Snape.”  You all know my opinions on Snape; generally, Bad.  But damn if this fic didn’t wholly convince me by the end of it.  I thought it was a very realistic way for Snape to start seeing Harry as a person all on his own, and not a proxy for Snape’s angst over James and Lily, respectively.  The angst is wonderful, the ending is even more so.
*bernie sanders voice* I am once again asking you to read through the rest of the author’s HP fic.  a lot of them have similar themes; there’s actually a great one with Molly that i’m not reccing here, Wonder.
☆Bindings, Bindings, by Quietlemonhush on AO3, 60k (@quietlemonhush on tumblr)
WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU HOW MUCH I ENJOYED/AM ENJOYING THIS.  If I had to pick a single fic and say “you, it’s your fault I’m stuck here,” it would be this one.  Anyway Lily in the afterlife is So Very Angry about how Petunia is treating Harry, and how Sirius is rotting in Azkaban, and how Remus is alone, that she literally brings herself back to life and drags James and Regulus with her.  All three of them are there to chew bubblegum and fix everything that went wrong after they died—and would you look at that, they’re all out of bubblegum!  There’s only Fury left.  That inciting premise is very crack, but every moment after that is very much not crack.  Lily and James love harry more than anything, the way a child should be loved; James and Sirius have the epic friendship of a lifetime; Sirius and Remus have staggering amounts of resolved sexual tension and take turns keeping each other in check; Regulus, though he realized that Voldemort and his family were shit before he died, is still unlearning all his racist bullshit and, also, years of trauma.  Actually, they’re all traumatized, but hey: now they have one another again and not a damn one of them seems inclined to let go anytime soon.  Quietlemonhush went, “hey, HP has a lot of Awful people in it, and a lot of Righteous people in it, and many of them are Very, Very Powerful; also, love is the most powerful force in the universe” and i said “hell yes tell me more right now.”  And then they did!
Quietlemonhush writes Sirius/Remus in a way that makes it sooo much fun to devour, so the rest of their HP fic is most certainly worth a look, if that’s your thing.
Rebuilding, by Colubrina on AO3, 113k (@colubrina on tumblr)
Hermione/Draco (*shrug emojis into the abyss* yeah, yeah, like none of us have ever been there before).  Takes place during Hogwarts 8th year, and while the beginning is, IMO, a little unfair to Ron, it gets much better.  Tells the story of Hermione and Draco clearing the air, learning to like each other, having some hormones over each other, and then falling in love.  Also tells the story of Hermione and Theo Nott becoming friends; the story of how every single 7th and 8th year student is fucked to hell by the war and the Carrows; the story of how they start an emotional support group about it and all become friends; and the story of, what the hell do you do with yourself after that kind of trauma?
I’ve been dipping in and out of Colubrina’s HP since before I was even on tumblr; I actually found them in those dark yesteryears when the only fandom interactions I had were on fanfiction.net.  Of such fame as Green Girl, which is an HP fic staple, and has also written a lot of wackier, crackier, and darker things than that.  If you don’t take yourself too seriously, I highly recommend many of their big HP works, though I imagine it’ll press some people’s buttons.  Colubrina’s work really does take up a corner of my mind whenever I’m in an HP mood, and will take up yours if you let it.
☆ all waiting is long, by shuofthewind on AO3, 149k ( @shu-of-the-wind on tumblr)
This is so well written that I can’t stop thinking about it.  It is occupying my mind when I lie awake at night, you know?  It’s one of those.  Hermione messes with something she probably shouldn’t have in Grimmauld Place, so when Sirius is sent through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries, she gets thrust into an alternate universe...in 1975.  Instead of handwaving it away, shuofthewind actually gets into the mechanics of it in a way that makes sense, to emphasize that hermione is never going home.  ever. The world she finds herself is shifted slightly to the left, quite a bit darker, but in a “the author is treating the idea of a society-wide conflict over blood purity much more seriously than JKR ever did” way, not a sensationalist way.  Now, Hermione has to grapple with all her grief at losing everyone she’s ever loved or known, the moral/ethical/magical implications of sharing what she knows about her future in an alternate world, and, you know, a goddamn war with people who want to murder her for being who she is.  This Hermione is smart, and she’s kind, and she’s powerful, and she’s making real friends.  If you hate JKR’s guts I’d go read this right now, because it delivers in all the ways she failed us.  It’s plotty, its got great world-building, and it pulls back the white curtain on the wizarding world to show you that, like real life, it’s multicultural and full of queer people...and the discrimination that comes with both.
shuofthewind write epics, mainly for the MCU, and I’ve read some of them a looooong time ago, so this fic kinda seemed out of left field for me but im SOOOO GLAD it exists.  If you want MCU fic you can sink your teeth into, go for it, but alas, they do not have any more HP fic (.......yet?)
Speak Now [+] Listen Now, by mrsfrizzle on AO3, 33k altogether
Harry reaches out to Remus for support because Umbridge is getting to him with her literal torture.  Remus, being a former professor, former mandatory reporter, person who loves Harry and has since he was born, and all around good man, tells Harry he has to tell someone, or Remus will.  It’s everything any adult looking back on that time in HP canon ever wanted, which is for an actual adult to say “what the fuck, those are literal chidlren” and then do something about it.  Then, a far more dangerous task: Harry trusts Remus enough to go to him about the Dursleys.  Harry and Remus’ relationship develops SO WELL, and there’s a bit of exploration about how Sirius may not exactly be guardian material, because he did in fact spend 12 years of his life getting tortured instead of growing up.  I think I’m actually going to go reread this right now, because it speaks to my id.
they do have some other HP fic which did not appeal to my hyperspecific wants, but may appeal to some of yours.  I think they’re also a published author, there should be a link on their profile page.
chase the stars, by Duskglass on AO3, 101k (@felix-duskglass on tumblr)
When Harry is five years old, a picture of him ends up in the Daily Prophet, and Sirius Black, Terror of Ministry Officials Touring Azkaban everywhere, gets a hold of that issue.  He then, in order: breaks out of Azkaban; crosses the countryside to Surrey; Finds Harry: Kidnaps Harry; Breaks Into Remus’ Apartment; starts processing (or maybe just acknowledging) his trauma from Azkaban, the war, and his childhood; and pines after Remus.  It’s a little plotty, and deals a lot (sometimes through flashbacks) with the specific awful things that happened to Sirius—largely because, after years in the constant presence of Dementors, those are nearly literally the only memories he has left.  It’s a wonder he’s got the strength to love Harry and Remus at all.  But then, maybe it isn’t.
This is a Very Serious Fic, but the rest of Duskglass’s HP work is actually just cracky enough to tickle your funny-bone, while still making you think “okay but why couldn’t we have done that in the first place.”
So!  That’s it for recs, for now.  These are all things I’ve found and read in the last month; if any of y’all are interested in my old HP recs, let me know and I can make a post for that, too.  While I’m still very conflicted about my choice of current fandom, I am not in ANY way conflicted about my taste in fic and authors.  Send these guys some love, read their fic if you’re so inclined, and leave some nice comments at the end of it.
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lyrebirdswrites · 3 years
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not me drawing and interpreting proper astrological birth charts for the jjk main trio now that the official fan book finally gave us their birthplace in addition to their birthday 👀
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Explanation under the cut! (edited to be more beginner friendly)
Quick disclaimer ig: this is just my personal interpretation of these placements. If you read the way I describe something and you think to yourself “hang on, I have this placement and this doesn’t sound like me at all” that would be because a) I am an amateur astrologer and I do this for fun, I don’t know everything about every sign/planet, and b) no placement exists in isolation - it’s influenced by the house it’s in as well as any other planets aspecting it - so it’s possible that the placement manifests in a less conventional/standard way due you because of such factors.
EDIT: my first draft of this post was not super beginner friendly so here’s a quick astrology 101 to help people understand wtf I’m talking about. Skip to the next photo if you don’t need a primer.
Everyone has ten main planets in their birth chart, each of those planets will fall under a different sign depending on when and where you were born. The planet governs an area of your personality, the sign shows what that area of your personality is like. Some quick definitions of the relevant planets for this post:
Sun: the one everyone thinks of when asked ‘what’s your star sign’. Your basic personality, your core, your ego.
Moon: symbolises emotion, intuition, your private internal world, and how feelings are expressed.
Mercury: symbolises communication, intellectual reasoning, and how you learn.
Venus: symbolises romance, aesthetics, how you socialize, and pleasure-seeking behaviours like shopping or sightseeing.
Mars: the source of your passion/drive/motivation. Symbolises where and how you expend your energy.
Retrograde: not a planet, just something the planets do sometimes. At some points in the year the planets look like they’re moving ‘backwards’ through the sky, and this alters their influence on the birth chart.
I think that’s probably enough but shoot me an ask if you’re curious/confused! I’m always happy to talk astrology (clearly lol)
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Megumi... I always suspected he had scorpio influence somewhere in his chart and turns out I was right!! Not only scorpio venus but scorpio mars too?? I’m obsessed with this. Scorpio is a water sign (read: big on emotions), the embodiment of the phrase ‘still waters run deep’, and though scorpio placements are not always loud about their affection they tend to bond in a pretty intense way with their chosen people. Those venus and mars placements together really do speak of ride or die devotion - no wonder he’s Like That when it comes to Yuuji people he cares about.
His jupiter and saturn are both in retrograde; I would not have predicted it because I don’t think about natal retrograde all that much, but it actually makes a lot of sense imo. Retrograde jupiter usually indicates someone who is internally very philosophical in the sense that the person will define their own firm moral/ethical code instead of following a familial or societal belief system, which is pretty much megumi ‘I save people according to my own conscience’ fushiguro in a nutshell. While retrograde saturn is basically like. On the outside you’re stoic but on the inside you’re a worrywart, and you take responsibility Super Seriously but you also don’t like people with authority pushing you around needlessly. Which is also megumi in a nutshell lol.
His leo moon was a surprise but I honestly think it works for him because this is definitely where Unhinged Feral Megumi comes from: when he decides to go all out he gets such a flair for the dramatic. capricorn sun and capricorn mercury are pretty intuitive tbh, he really gives off capricorn vibes - practical, reserved, loyal, ambitious and tenacious, possessing a dry wit, capable of putting in steady hard work to get to where he wants to be.
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I was already aware of Nobara’s leo sun because we’ve had their birth dates for a while now (birthplace is the new info which lets me draw the whole chart). But her cancer moon is such a lovely placement under that hard outer shell of hers. Nobara seems like she does not have a nurturing bone in her body, but it’s wrong to stereotype cancers as exclusively homebody motherly types - they have deep loyalty for their chosen family/home and they’ll go to the ends of the earth for those people in their own way whatever that may be... she really is a softie deep down 🥰 she really does care 🥰 thinkin about the end of her ch 125 flashback in this context
Nobara’s virgo mercury is actually kind of funny to me because while it indicates a natural gift for intellect and a talent for sorting out the fine details, it also has the potential to make someone a harsh critic who can nitpick and be quite blunt in stating their opinions... this is very Nobara, she does Not spare the feelings of anyone she is talking to lol.
Libra venus!! She has libra venus that’s so perfect!!! this placement is sophisticated and charming and always classy, these people adore that classic chocolates-and-roses romance but they turn love of all kinds into an art form. Traditionally the placement is also associated with people who care about beauty and harmony, who will go out of their way to look good for their companions. Also her leo mars... I love that. It’s really amplifying her bold outspoken flashy self-loving take-charge nature. Queen energy right here.
She has a bunch of natal retrogrades but the one I want to talk about is retrograde uranus... this one is Very fitting and again almost funny in the context of her character. You know how she’s always convinced she’s the only sane person in the room when actually she’s the unhinged one 24/7 and not self aware about that in the slightest? Yeah. That’s big retrograde uranus vibes.
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Oh Yuuji... I could talk about your pisces sun all day 🥺 I could get Very technical and meta about the pisces association with the twelfth house and the fact that it’s ruled by neptune and what that says about his character, but I don’t have the room or the time so I’ll save that for another post. For now I’ll just say that the fact that he cares so deeply for others regardless of how well he knows them, the way he feels his feelings so intensely and is very intuituve/sensitive to others needs, him being interested in the occult before he ever found Sukuna’s fist finger, it all just seems more pisces to me than any other sign. And him having pisces mercury + pisces uranus in addition to his sun is also very sweet... our boy really thinks with his heart at all hours of the day doesn’t he?
His libra moon is such a fitting placement, too, because this moon is all about relationships - not just romance but bonds of all kinds, friends and family and companions of any sort. Yuuji as a character is so motivated by the bonds he shares with others and his desire to not be alone, especially on his deathbed. Libra moons are charming and personable and find it very easy to connect with others, they are deeply concerned with justice and will be accepting of everyone except for people who are cruel (exhibit a: just look how he responded to mahito). I think it’s a very apt moon for him to have.
Tbh if I were picking and choosing I might have loaded him up with yet more pisces energy and given him my favourite placement in the whole world, venus in pisces. But he actually has an aquarius venus and I think that’s so interesting! The part of this placement that speaks to his character for me is the way that aquarius venus love is defined by radical acceptance - there is never any judgement (I won’t judge you, Junpei!), because this venus seeks not only to see and understand but to be seen and understood in turn. Some say aquarius venus is an emotionally detached placement. I think that’s a mischaracterisation, but it is true that aquarius placements can be low key scared of intimacy and vulnerability even when they crave it lmao. An aquarius venus will sort through turmoil in their heart by retreating to think it over in isolation, rather than by submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being known and reaching out. Manga readers if u know u know
All I can say about his capricorn mars is that it definitely embodies that determined protagonist vibe. Thoughts like ‘I want to get stronger, I want to be the best, I’ll put in the work to come out on top’ are very capricorn thoughts to have, and the drive and forward momentum associated with mars really push them to the front of his character. But also, again; an underdeveloped capricorn mars under stress will shut out possibilities for connection with loved ones by dedicating themselves to their job or cause. Yuuji learn healthy coping mechanisms challenge 2k21.
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modern-inheritance · 3 years
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MIC!Arya and the Infamous Tarnag Temple Argument : Modern Inheritance’s Take on Trauma, Religion, and Arya F***ing Apologizing
Everyone gives Canon!Arya shit for the scene in the books where she gives Gannel shit in his own temple for having religion. I agree that it’s a bad moment for her character. I also feel it comes out of left field for Arya’s character up to that point but I’ll get smacked from here to the core mantle boundary for that by some of the fandom. I digress. This is very much not about my feelings on the canon version.
Let’s move on to how it might go for my Modern Inheritance!Arya and my version of events. 
Arya’s coming off from a hell of a time. You don’t exactly process deaths of loved ones very well while being tortured, and while she’s juggling all that plus two near death experiences that occurred probably within a week of each other, Eragon nearly dying and his back spasms, the guy that tortured her and killed her best friend and her mate is dead but she didn’t get to have a swing at him, mentally preparing to face her queen/mother, the ‘a whole clan now wants to murder Saphira and Eragon’ situation, civil unrest in the city they’re in, just Brom being Brom, physical stresses from the whole *waves hands at previous paragraph*, she’s suddenly reminded that hey…the dwarves and humans have something that elves don’t. 
What’s that? Religion. And what usually comes with a religion? 
The concept of an afterlife. The general idea that when someone dies they have not really left. The comfort that if you pray, meditate, visit a grave, do something special to you/your faith then you can make a connection to your lost loved ones and friends. The promise that even though they’ve left this world, they’re still looking out for you. And one day you’ll see them again. The separation is only brief. 
And damn. Right then, that hurts for Arya. It’s like being kicked while you’re down. 
Deep down, Arya sees what the dwarves have. This comfort in thinking that the dead aren’t all gone, and that all it takes is reaching out to them to share thoughts and feelings, and that you’ll see them again. 
And she wants that too. She wants it so badly. She envies their ability to think that way, to simply have faith in what they cannot see. She wants to talk to Fäolin and Glenwing (who is still alive in MIC but at this point she doesn’t know that) again, she wants to tell them that she misses them and that Eragon and Saphira exist and their deaths weren’t for nothing and tell them all the things unsaid…but no matter how much she wants to, she can’t get past everything that’s happened in the past 6+ months and her own cultural beliefs. 
It hurts. She can’t think of anything else to say past the hurt and so she lashes out. She doesn’t understand why really, but knows that religion and afterlives and all of it just make her…angry. Because what else could that cold rock in her chest be?
In MIC, Arya is not as stubborn when it comes to atheism or other cultures. Before the ambush, she frequently asked questions about the dwarvish religion, not exactly realizing that her questions could be considered more of ‘you dare question the faith’ than ‘so wait what if this happens? Do you still get to go to the afterlife? But what about when you feel a mind die? Where does it go?’ innocent type questions that come from curiosity. She still has the feeling that the money donated to religions could go to better places, but also realizes that sometimes the religions actually send said donations TO those places/the needy, and that structures/art/etc that were built long ago do kinda need upkeep. So instead of being a dick about it, when the dwarves at the temple bluntly tell her ‘would you shut up and leave already we don’t want to answer your questions’ she adds a cheeky ‘sure I’ll go as long as you donate to the Varden’s current fundraiser’ and goes on her way when they agree to donate.
But Arya still blatantly crosses a line by confronting Gannel rather sharply about her newfound feelings on religion while Eragon is there. She’s been following them as Eragon’s bodyguard (why the HELL did canon!Arya leave Eragon alone, even in a temple full of warrior monks, wheN A WHOLE CLAN WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM?!)  and she doesn’t even realize that she’s said anything until Eragon looks back at her like ‘Ooooh nooooooOO ARYA WHAT THE HELL?! WAS THAT?!’ and she sees that the back of Gannel’s head is turning purple with rage. 
Eragon manages to extricate himself from it all and meet up with Saphira, and after a rather…heated…uh…”discussion,” Gannel finally flames that while Arya’s questions before pushed the limit, this was beyond unacceptable and asks what the fuck is wrong with her. Arya just storms out.
Arya comes back to the temple later that night, asks for Gannel, and pretty much kneels down and puts her forehead on the floor in front of him (MIC elves do this only when they realize they REALLY fucked up and use this stance as an open way of saying that they fucked up, apologize, and will accept the consequences) with a sincere apology for her earlier conduct. Honestly, her ear is still red from where Brom had twisted it when he caught wind of what she had done, but she’s not apologizing just because of that. 
She wants to learn how to pray. 
Not to a god or spirit, but how to talk to the ones she’s lost. The idea of religion giving a false sense of hope still hurts and angers her…but she’s realized that maybe there’s a reason why it can bring comfort. 
Gannel awkwardly explains that a way to get started is to simply speak aloud, as if talking to someone that isn’t there. When he realizes Arya isn’t pulling his leg or going to go off on him again, he decides to give her the ‘how to talk to dead people’ primer course over some mead and does his best to keep the more hard religion stuff out of it. As a priest/monk, he’s used to consoling people who have lost family and loved ones. He can pick up the signs easily enough…when the person isn’t ready to punch a hole in his fancy history wall. 
As she leaves, Arya apologizes again. 
And prods Gannel to donate to the Varden’s current fundraiser. 
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I was wondering if you could do something with ambulon, possibly fluff? Love the imagines btw
Thank you for giving me an excuse to love on my favorite underappreciated boy. Also, thank you, I love all the inspiration!
The chipping paint was a sore point for Ambulon, like so many other things about himself, but unlike all his other unfortunate traits it was made so much worse by the simple fact that it was impossible to hide. Having an embarrassing altmode, the true reason for his name, even his past as a Decepticon... he could cover all that up no problem. But the constantly chipping paint job? No shielding that from anyone close enough to simply see him...
It was made worse by how often bots tried to offer tips; use a primer, pay for a proper redo, try some new sealant... He knows they mean well, but none of them know what they're talking about, not really. If it was that easy, did they really think he wouldn't have fixed it by now? The Decepticon purple paint underneath was just as fragmented as the medic coded red and white on top, and that wasn't going to be fixed by anything simple.
The truth was "Flaky Paint Syndrome" could have many causes despite manifesting as a single, embarrassing result, and while most bots had poor application or easily irritated mesh to blame, his problem was rooted in something far less corporeal.
He was anxious. Every hour of every day, something had him on edge, and the constant strain on his nerves resulted in chips of paint cracking away from his always agitated frame. It was lucky really, most bots as unsettled as he was developed spark static or overheated and warped joints, his constant buzz of disquiet just made him look somewhat sloppy. Such a personality probably made his occupation seem like a bad choice, but he was content to endure the struggle for the satisfaction of saving lives, and now that he was on the relatively stable Lost Light he was managing better than he had in a long time. Thus, he hadn't had any plans on changing his status quo anytime soon.
Until you had showed up.
He hadn't even met a human before you'd joined the crew, but even if he had, he never could have expected that you'd get tangled up in his life the way you did. Something about you had just... connected with him. Maybe it was the fact that you didn't make fun of him, either for his altmode or his appearance, and also hadn't judged him for his past... Not even the reason for his silly name had made you laugh! He just liked spending time with you, even if it was to do nothing in particular.
As a result of these feelings, a desire to impress you had formed, and he'd actually made an effort to keep up with his looks for a change. Granted, that meant daily repaints completely unaided and in secret, all in his room where he twisted and turned in a ridiculous effort to look good for the person who probably only saw him as a friend. Logic didn't play much of a role in feelings, however.
Of course, it was just his luck you'd walked in on him at this most embarrassing time for the kind of friendly visit he ordinarily would have been thrilled about.
The cry of surprise that had escaped him when the doors whooshed open was impressively high pitched for a bot of his size, but you'd probably been more focused on the paint his startled jump had sent spattering in all directions, though none of it had flown far enough to hit you by some miracle.
"Ambulon, are you okay?!" You shouted in alarm, seeing the flash of red but not his paintbrush and immediately thinking of blood. Though you knew bots bled glowing pink, the instinct to offer aid at the first impulse was just too hard to ignore. Without hesitation, you hurried to get to his side, only growing more concerned as he hid his hand behind his back. Even if this wasn't how you'd wanted your visit to go you cared far too much about the medic to be concerned about such petty things. "What's wrong? Where are you hurt?"
"Who? Me? Hurt?" He rushes in ongoing panic, backing up against a desk to put as much space between you and him as possible. Despite looking ridiculous backing away from someone as small as you, all he can think to do is hide his paintbrush in an effort to save his dignity. At least, what's left of his dignity as he sputters through an excuse made up on the spot. "I'm just, uh... You know..."
Painting a landscape? Applying color to his hab suite? Decorating his medical supplies!?
"Are you painting something?" You asked, moving your small body to catch a glimpse of a bot sized paintbrush in the hand he hadn't done a good enough job of hiding. You figuring out the problem actually seemed to make him panic more, and he twisted again to hide the offending object behind his back, looking down at you as if you'd just stumbled upon him burying a body.
"Of course not!" He said in a rush, lie falling apart when the thick application of bright red he'd applied to his chest dripped downwards from the force of his rapid twisting around. Cringing, he avoided your eyes like a criminal. It would be bad enough if you simply knew about his troubles in any level of detail, but to have personally seen his juvenile and ridiculous efforts to cover up his humiliating condition... Would it be too much to ask that he dissapear at this very moment?
"Ambulon, are you okay?"
Nope, he's not, he won't be ever again but it's very nice that you thought to ask-
"Seriously, look at me."
You're firm but not at all angry as you issue the command, starting to put the pieces together in a way that makes some sense. The medic has had paint troubles more or less his entire life, as you've heard, but they had started to dissapear right about when you showed up. Though you hadn't pried, it had been logical to assume he'd been fixing himself up. Regardless of the accuracy of your guess, however, you know that this bot needs help. As much as you care for him, you simply can't let him suffer needlessly. No matter how often he switches between seeking you out and avoiding you...
"I'm... I'm fine, I promise." He mumbles, feeling like a pitiful failure for not even thinking to lock his door. There's so much to be embarrassed by he doesn't even know where to begin being mortified, but it's obvious the fallout will be a spiral into further humiliation, so he still wants to stall. You'll laugh when you hear he's been fixing himself up in a ridiculous attempt to impress you, because of course it's absurd, and he'll never be able to show his face again...
"Why are you embarrassed about some paint? I figured bots touched themselves up every now and then." You said innocently, baffled as to why he'd react in such a way. Rodimus bragged about redoing his colors all the time, so you'd figured there were no issues in doing so. Was there some other reason this could be considered embarrassing? The only possible explanation required you to go on a bit of a limb, but for his sake you decided to chance it, gulping once before you hesitantly spoke up. "Did you do this for me? Have you been redoing the colors since I got here?"
Ambulon flinched, and you realized you'd hit the nail on the head.
"I'm sorry-"
"For what?" You asked incredulously, head swimming with emotions clustering to be felt first. There was surprise, giddy delight, bashfulness, and even confoundment at the idea you could be in this situation. A part of you wanted to celebrate, but there was still far too much to sort through at the moment. His look of hopelessness exemplified the problem.
"For being ridiculous! Look at me! Pretending if I touch up some rough patches, it'll actually do anything? Ha!" He said, giving voice to the unpleasant uncertainty that lurked just below the surface. Drowning in his insecurity, he frowned hard, the absurdity of what he'd been trying to do all but slapping him in the face. Forget the species difference, you were a vibrant and charming individual who deserved far better than he. What had he even been trying to do? The answer came out of him as he sunk down to the ground and let the brush fall, hugging his knees as the weight of it all pulled him down. "I wanted so badly to look good for you, I lost track of common sense..."
"But Ambulon-"
Unable to hear you, he kept right on going, lost in his own little fog of shame. "You weren't supposed to know... Nobody was supposed to know... But I blew it-"
"Ambulon!"
You couldn't take it any more. The heartbreaking sight of the bot you thought was so delightful tearing himself apart was too much. Ignoring any common sense, you put yourself out for his sake, opening up your heart in the hope that your own vulnerabilities might help him feel better. A tender hand on his own preceded a gentle expression of reasurance as you looked into his optics.
"I'm flattered you want to look your best for me, really. But it's not necessary." You said, suddenly aware that your heart was hammering as you prepared to confess. It was probably about time you cut to the chase, after spending these months bobbing along in uncertainty, but that didn't make it any less scary to be so open. Hopefully it would all end well... "I think you look fine just how you are."
Ambulon felt his processor go blank, and all that he could do was fall back on his usual attitude with a surprised retort. "But I'm a mess!"
You laughed, but not in the way he'd feared. It was a good natured, loving, laughing with him and not at him kind of sound. "I don't care about some paint chips now and then, you goof. Why do you think I'm here?" All of a sudden your fear seemed to be turning into confidence, the anxieties you'd created for yourself melting away as the truth came out. Seeing a towering alien laid low by your simple feelings definitely made it much easier to express them. "I wanted to see you, purple and red and all, because I like you."
Something clicked inside of him upon hearing those words. So much shame and fear dissolved in what felt like an instant, his optics pushing up with his cheeks as he smiled the biggest and happiest smile he could, optics brightening the whole while. It was what he'd wanted more than anything but feared he'd never receive. Unfurling his legs, he leaned down just a tad to get closer. Heedless to everything about himself that had bothered him so much, he spoke softly in return.
"I really like you too."
"I know." You replied softly, looking to the brush that had fallen to the floor and the paint still drying on his frame as an idea hatched in your head. The two of you had a lot to talk about, it seemed, and you had the perfect way to pass the time while doing so. "Now, how about I help you finish up? Don't want all this to go to waste."
Realizing what you were suggesting, he picked up a much smaller paintbrush and handed it to you, still smiling as he helped you onto his desk where the paints laid out for use.
"I'd like that."
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dramaqueeenamby · 3 years
Text
Waves: The Read
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A/N: I am a shady bitch, and I regret nothing.  Also, if ya’ll remember, Mercedes is Summer’s publicist/manager. I mentioned that in a few waves, so don’t get confused, friends!
Warnings: None. 
Word Count: 2K
Masterlist
TAGS: @notacamelthatsmywife​ @babe-im-bi​ @liquorlaughslove​ @letsshamelessqueen-m​ @missyperle​ @valkryienymph​ @tashawar​ @mani-lifes​ @missdforever​ @hello-therree​ @toni9​ @queenshikongo3​
"How many solos has my sister had?"
The room grew quiet, all eyes on the speaker. They’d just finished a number, or rather, Finn and Rachel had just finished a number. The rest of the students served more as props than singers. Ad-libs only constituted so much.
Mr. Schue’s smile dimmed. Slightly. "W—what?"
Alexus shrugged, motioning around the room. "Or any of the kids whose names aren’t Flipper or Rachel?"
"It’s Finn."
"I don’t care," she dismissed, eyes still on the instructor. "I’ve been here a whole week, and not once have I seen someone other than Cher and Sonny score solos."
Mr. Schue scoffed, crossing his arms. "Now, hold on a second, I treat all my students fairly. Any student is allowed to audition for a solo—"
"And how many who have auditioned actually received one, other than your prized pupils?"
Mercedes stood up. "Alexus—"
"No." Alexus lifted her hand and looked over at her sister. "This isn’t right, and you’re too kind and understanding to say anything, so I will."
"You’re out of line, Alexus."
She laughed, looking back at him. "Out of line? I’m not one of your little students, and you’re not going to shut me down like you do them. I’m going to say what I want and need to say, and then I’ll leave, but you’re going to catch this read, first."
"And, cut!"
Summer broke from character and offered Matthew a fake smile before turning away and catching Amber’s gaze. They shared an unspoken exchange, one that caused Amber to laugh after Summer rolled her eyes.
Summer didn’t know why she was so weary about accepting this role. Only 10% of it was acting, the rest was her actually reading the problematic cast members, which was all but a handful. But, to fulfill her petty side and get paid?
It was a double win.
Summer noticed Ryan was speaking with Lea, which ignited another eye roll. She was the guest star, not that Barbara Streisand wannabe. Still, Summer counted her blessings, because she could only take Ryan in small doses. He wasn’t as bad as his prized actress, but it was the fact that he allowed her to treat everyone like shit that made her think less of him.
Perhaps she was spoiled in the sense that every other director she’d had the privilege of working for would never tolerate such behavior. She had to accept that Hollywood was a game, and the rules changed constantly.
"Someone was having fun," Mercedes, Summer’s assistant chimed, coming to walk beside her.
Summer feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
Mercedes smirked. "Yeah, right. You weren’t acting. You were giving them all a piece of your mind."
Summer retained her smile as they reached her trailer, Summer opening the door so Mercedes could enter first. "Are you trying to insinuate that I was using my job to tell these people how I really feel?"
"I surely was."
As soon as the door closed, Summer confessed. "You know me so well."
The two laughed. "Girl, you know Lea is probably complaining to Ryan right now."
Summer sucked her teeth. "You know she is." Walking over to the kitchenette area, she turned on the Keruig and opened the drawer to select a pod. Her hand ghosted between the caramel and the dark magic, before she settled for caramel. "That black bitch—"
Mercedes snickered. "You sound just like her."
Summer frowned as she insert the pod and selected 8oz. "God, you’re right. I have to have to get out of here."
Smiling, Mercedes swiped down to refresh her emails. "Hey, look at it this way, you keep up this level of performance, and you’re a shoe-in for that Primetime Emmy.
The idea of adding another award to her resume was more than enough to keep Summer focused and dedicated. As a dark skinned black woman, she had to work ten times harder just to remain 20 steps behind. Anything she could do to push herself, she cherished.
Summer added creamer and sugar to her coffee, blowing before taking a sip. "After this, I need a quick break."
Mercedes hummed. "Umm, about that—"
"No."
"Summer—"
"No, Cedes, I’ve been working back to back since I scored 4AM, I think I’ve earned a little vacation time."
"I don’t disagree." Mercedes raised her hands in surrender.
"Thank you," Summer nodded, taking another sip of her coffee.
"But—"
"Here you go."
"I’m just saying, I’m hearing rumors about a potential role that’s gonna start casting in a couple of months."
Summer rolled her eyes and brought the mug to her mouth. "And?"
"And." Mercedes also rolled her eyes. "It’d be perfect for you."
"Mmmhmm."
"Summer," Mercedes lowered her voice. "It’s Storm."
Summer narrowed her eyes. "Storm?" Mercedes nodded. "You don’t mean—"
"X-Men Storm? I surely do."
Summer gasped and covered her mouth. "Bitch!"
"I know!" Mercedes giggled, shushing her client. "So do you see why I want you to keep your options open?"
Summer downed the remainder of her coffee and washed her mug in the sink all the while still stuck on the information she’d been told. "Do you really think I could be Storm?"
"Summer, please, you won an Oscar for your first Hollywood role. You’re a shoe-in."
"What about Shipp?"
"Shipp can skip her ass off somewhere."
The two women laughed when a knock on the trailer door prompted Summer to walk over, opening and smiling when she saw Amber. "Hey girl, come on in."
"I wish." Amber rolled her eyes. "Lea’s ready to start filming again. I mean, Ryan is ready to start filming again."
"You’ve got to be kidding me." Summer checked the watch on her wrist. "It hasn’t even been twenty minutes."
Amber sighed. "You know the saying. She says jump. We say—"
"Trip, bitch."
Amber laughed, as Summer looked back at Mercedes, pointing a finger. "This conversation isn’t over."
Mercedes winked at Summer, the two actresses sauntering back onto set.
Summer wondered if Lea had been listening outside her trailer, because it seemed as if Ms. Michele was purposely antagonizing Summer. Any scenes they had together, Lea would abruptly call cut and give Summer "pointers," all the while Ryan sat in his chair and said nothing.
Summer, forever the professional, managed to keep her composure, but there was only so much she could take.
Finally, when it came time for Summer to film her final scene, she saw an opportunity.
"Alright, and action!"
"I just want you to know that despite your distasteful behavior toward me, I hold no animosity and hope that one day you can release your unwarranted rage, and we can be cordial once I’m on Broadway."
Alexus turned to Rachel and tilted her head, crossing her arms. "I don’t like you. Never have, never will."
Rachel’s smile faltered. "Well, I-I’m sorry you feel that way, but--."
"Let me explain something to you, Berry. This is Lima, Ohio. The biggest thing we have going for us here is Breadstix, a restaurant chain that’s been on it’s last leg since that lawsuit filed by the kid who got two breadsticks stuck up her nostrils."
"I’m much better now."
Alexus ignored Britany and continued. "So, I’ll give you this, this small town notoriety and fame, because I know and you know, that once you actually make it out into the real world, reality is going to slap you so hard, you won’t need to have a nose job."
"Alexus—"
"Your stardom is limited to this pathetic town and its almost entirely pathetic population. And don’t get me wrong, you’re very good at manipulating and controlling individuals, because you can. For now. But, let’s be real, your voice isn’t anything I haven’t heard coming from street singers in NYC. Face it, you don’t have the talent nor the looks to make it into this big star you think you’re going to be. NYADA?" Alexus laughed. "Maybe you’ll make it, I doubt it, and even if you do, once you realize how utterly mediocre your narcissistic ass truly is compared to real talent, you’ll come crying back to Lima and spend the rest of your life working nights at Breadstix while watching reruns of Funny Girl on a goodwill VHS player." A beat. "Now, how’s that for raining on your parade?"
"And, cut!"
——
PRESENT TIME
"Christopher, stop!" Summer laughed as Chris came from behind and lifted her up against his solid frame. "I’m trying to do my makeup."
"You don’t need it," he murmured into her neck. "It’s going to end up all over the pillows anyw—"
"Sir!"
"Autumn."
"Would you please leave me alone?" Summer managed to wiggle herself free from her husband, flipping him off when he slapped her ass. "I am a human being."
"Allegedly."
"Alleged—lemme stop before I end up going to jail." She leaned over and examined her skin, feeling for the tackiness to see if her primer had settled. "This is why I can never do my makeup right. If it’s not him, it’s the twins."
We wanna see the babies!
I don’t get it. Why is she always so mean to him???
^^^^You must be new around here…
What makeup do you use?
Summer caught the last comment and grabbed her foundation and concealer, flashing them on the camera. "You know I have to support my girl, Ri. It’s Fenty Beauty all day everyday over here, ya’ll."
More comments came rolling in, Summer partially paying attention while she tried to do her makeup. Chris was taking her out on a date, the first they’d been on since the birth of the twins.
Summer was actually excited. She was in much need of alone time with her husband.
She grabbed the Snap shadow and blending brush when she noticed majority of the comments kept mentioning Lea Michele.
She didn’t even attempt to hide her distaste. "Why are ya’ll asking me about that girl? Did something happen?" Different stories were coming in prompting Summer to do her own research. "Baby, can I see your phone?"
Without hesitation, Christopher jogged into the bathroom, grabbing onto Summer’s hips while she typed Lea’s name into google.
Five minutes into reading, Summer slammed his phone onto the counter.
"Finally!"
"You’re paying for that," Chris muttered, grabbing his phone, thankful that it wasn’t cracked.
"Sorry, baby." She leaned up and kissed his cheek before looking into her phone. "Ya’ll, okay, most of you should remember I played Mercedes sister, Alexus, on Glee, right?" A wave of "yes" rolled in. "So, I’ve worked with the bitch, and I am not exaggerating when I say bitch. That heifer is literally the worst person I have ever had the displeasure of working with."
Summer pushed Christopher out the bathroom, in case her adding onto the Lea Michele drag train somehow ended up bad. "Now, I’d heard she was a nightmare, but I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt."
"But, literally the first time I walked onto set and introduced myself to her, she looked me up and down, turned up her nose, and walked away." Summer clapped and covered her mouth. "It took everything in me not to call her ass out, but it was my first day, and I didn’t want to cause a scene."
"Obviously, I was a recurring star on the show so I would make appearances throughout the series, and each time I was there, she treated me, and everyone around her, like trash."
"Okay, but here’s the real tea, you know that read Alexus gave Rachel in season 3? That wasn’t in the script." Summer laughed at the comments. Her fans were freaking out. "My line ended when I told her I didn’t like her or something, but it was my last day of filming, and I’d literally had enough of her."
Even more comments came rolling in of laughing, frog, and tea emojis. Summer sucked her teeth and placed her hand on her hip. "Ya’ll, her white ass thought she was gone’ be a thirty something Maria from West Side Story on broadway." A beat. "Somebody had to let her know!"
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solarsunsimagines · 2 years
Text
MAKEUP
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Pairing: Zach Herron x genderneautral!Reader
Warnings: None
Request: Nope
MASTERLIST
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"Do you even know what any of this does?" I ask Zach who is currently sat, across from me.
"No, but I'll have to figure it out at some point."
"Why did I agree to this?"
"Because you love Zach and would do anything to make him happy." Corbyn says, he is sitting on my bed. I glare at him with a sarcastic smile.
"I know Bean is right, but why can't I do it too? I think makeup is fun." Jack complains once again.
"Because it's Zach, he might accidentally stab me a few times, but he'll actually try make it look good, you on the other hand would make me look like a clown."
"A very pretty clown." Jack corrects. I roll my eyes and bring my attention back to zach, who is staring at the makeup in front of him, with wonder and confusion.
"You start with this." I grab the primer and give it to him.
"Oh." He smiles and opens the cap, squeezing a large amount onto his hand. Rip my pores.
"You really don't need that much, even I could've told you that." Corbyn comments.
"Well you're not the one doing the makeup are you?" corbyn lowers his head, probably trying to hide his laugh, at Zach's attempted comeback.
"What next?" He asks.
"Next you have to wipe some of this off, it is literally coating my skin."
"And that's not a good thing?" I sigh and wipe off some of the primer with a face wipe.
"Okay, now that my face isn't covered anymore, this goes on next." I hand him the foundation and he looks at me very confused.
"How do I open this?"
"It's already open just push it down." He places the tube on the floor and pushes his hand fully down onto the bottle, making the foundation spill all over my floor. "Not like that."
"I didn't know the floor wanted it's makeup done too." Corbyn teases.
"Alright, that's it, out! Now!"
"What did we do?" Jack questions.
"You're making him nervous, he obviously wants to do a good job to show you guys that he can actually do it, but you're being rude to him, so get out and I'll show you when He’s done. Maybe." I slam my bedroom door in their faces and lock it.
"I'm sorry I messed." Zach says quietly.
"It's okay, I do this a lot. I'm not exactly a clean makeup artist." I smile at him, hoping that it will calm his nerves.
"What next?"
~~~
"I now present to you, me with beautiful makeup on." I shout as I walk to Corbyn and Jack, with Zach trailing behind me. They inspect my face with such confidence, that they'll find something wrong, but obviously they didn't find anything.
"No ways he did that." Corbyn says.
"Don't be like that dude, he obviously tried hard, well done Zachary, it looks good." Jack compliments.
"Thanks but, it's not that good."
"Dude this is better then what I've seen people do." He turns and looks at me, "I hate to admit it but Zach does a better job at makeup then you."
"Usually I would wanna kill you right now, but, I fully agree with you." I say to Jack. I walk up to him, and pinch his cheek, a little harder then I should, just so he knows I'm a little mad at him.
"Come on Zach, lets go clean this off my face before my pores are blocked forever."
Two things that I've learnt today, 1 - Zach is surprisingly good at makeup, and 2 - My pores will never be the same.
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jatpimagines · 2 years
Text
MAKEUP // REGGIE PETERS
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Warnings: None
Request: None
MASTERLIST
━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━
"Do you even know what any of this does?" I ask Reggie who is currently sat, across from me.
"No, but I'll have to figure it out at some point."
"Why did I agree to this?"
"Because you love Reggie and would do anything to make him happy." Alex says, he is sitting on my bed. I glare at him with a sarcastic smile.
"I know Alex is right, but why can't I do it too? I think makeup is fun." Luke complains once again.
"Because it's Reggie, he might accidentally stab me a few times, but he'll actually try make it look good, you on the other hand would make me look like a clown."
"A very pretty clown." Luke corrects. I roll my eyes and bring my attention back to Reggie, who is staring at the makeup in front of him, with wonder and confusion.
"You start with this." I grab the primer and give it to him.
"Oh." He smiles and opens the cap, squeezing a large amount onto his hand. Rip my pores.
"You really don't need that much, even I could've told you that." Alex comments.
"Well you're not the one doing the makeup are you?" Alex lowers his head, probably trying to hide his laugh, at Reggie's attempted comeback.
"What next?" He asks.
"Next you have to wipe some of this off, it is literally coating my skin."
"And that's not a good thing?" I sigh and wipe off some of the primer with a face wipe.
"Okay, now that my face isn't covered anymore, this goes on next." I hand him the foundation and he looks at me very confused.
"How do I open this?"
"It's already open just push it down." He places the tube on the floor and pushes his hand fully down onto the bottle, making the foundation spill all over my floor. "Not like that."
"I didn't know the floor wanted it's makeup done too." Alex teases.
"Alright, that's it, out! Now!"
"What did we do?" Luke questions.
"You're making him nervous, he obviously wants to do a good job to show you guys that he can actually do it, but youre being rude to him, so get out and I'll show you when Hes done. Maybe." I slam my bedroom door in their faces and lock it.
"I'm sorry I messed." Reggie says quietly.
"It's okay, I do this a lot. I'm not exactly a clean makeup artist." I smile at him, hoping that it will calm his nerves.
"What next?"
~~~
"I now present to you, me with beautiful makeup on." I shout as I walk to Luke and Alex, with Reggie trailing behind me.
Alex and Luke inspect my face with such confidence, that they'll find something wrong, but obviously they didn't find anything.
"No ways he did that." Alex says.
"Don't be like that dude, he obviously tried hard, well done Reg, it looks good." Luke compliments Reggie.
"Thanks Luke but, it's not that good."
"Dude this is better then what I've seen people do." He turns and looks at me, "I hate to admit it but Reggie does a better job at makeup then you."
"Usually I would wanna kill you right now, but right now, I fully agree with you." I say to Luke. I walk up to him, and pinch his cheek, a little harder then I should, just so he knows I'm a little mad at him.
"Come on Reg, lets go clean this off my face before my pores are blocked forever."
Two things that I've learnt today, 1 - Reggie is surprisingly good at makeup, and 2 - My pores will never be the same.
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