#not like it's going bad. just wished this year was a bit more optimistic. Last year was rough & i'm afraid this year will be another repeat

[dadbots]

August… time to get spooky.

#dadbots.txt #this has been in my draft for... almost a month. Yikes. #I’ve been dissociating hella hard these past months or something. swear I don’t remember time moving this fast. maybe it’s just me tbh. #idk what to say about July other than… boring? not much happened and I don’t really remember it if I’m honest. just. mm. shrugs. #best way to describe it LOL #been sleeping a LOT lately and I think it’s fatigue again. was it like anything before? no. not at that rate (yet) but just. #where you wanna sleep and sleep and sleep type of fatigue. you never feel rested and just gotta sleep it off kinda. #just one of those moments yknow. #it sucks. all I’m doing is letting the days pass me by and ‘missing out’ on living life when I could be enjoying it. but I lost interest - #- in doing so for months - years now due to personal health matters. And whaddya know - it came back again. after months of healing. #I'm pretty pissed as it does feel like a slap in the face. but you win some - you lose some. Gonna try and fight through it. #I wrote something at the beginning of august but that got deleted. Had a breakdown and thought huh. what a great way to start the month - #and now it's almost september. Just like that. What a month it's been. Stuck on what else to say but that really. #don't want to keep talking about depressing stuff as that's what i used to do and realized hey. maybe you should stop doing that so often #and not use it so casually in humor and/or stuff. Even though I reblog vents here n' all. but yknow. #maybe it is hypocritical. but that's not the point. Just want to reflect and see if i've changed since coming back to the web after a year. #not like it's going bad. just wished this year was a bit more optimistic. Last year was rough & i'm afraid this year will be another repeat #though I did come out to a family member this month and that was like a punch to the gut. Considering my status with them and all. #won't get into that. for now let's just say i'm not too close with them. An impulsive choice on my end but hey. it went well. #and that's what matters tbh. My younger self would've thought i was actually insane. like to even DO that? really? #shocking. I'm still not over that moment. Probably one of my biggest achievements this year. #I'll update this if anything else comes to mind. none of this make sense and that's ok. clearing my mind right now. #let's see what september has in store for me. Hopefully it'll get better as things slow down w/ winter on its way. #hope y'all enjoyed your summer. 🖤🤘🏽

[kneelingshadowsalome]

I know you’re on a König streak but I just wanted to bring it back to Simon and Sarah for a bit… esp the little detail about them having a baby?????… how did Simon handle the pregnancy????

Tbh haha I feel a bit bad for people who follow this blog for other than König related content 🧍‍♀️ And I wish to remind you dear souls that you can always hide and filter the yandere König tag!

As for Sarah & Simon ❤️❤️‍🩹❤️

CW: miscarriage, hurt/comfort, fluff

It takes a while for Sarah to get pregnant. Almost six months – which is not unheard of because most couples their age have to try at least one year before any fertility treatments would even be considered. It’s still a blow for Sarah, who is far too optimistic with their chances. She’s a healthy, athletic woman and eats her greens, and anyone can see Simon is virile like a bull, right?

So when her period still arrives month after month, Simon has to give her a reality check. And then when she does get pregnant, there’s a miscarriage almost right away.

It devastates her. It happens at home, and happens at such an early stage that some people wouldn’t even notice it. But for Sarah, it’s the end of the world momentarily. She has waited for so long, she has done everything right. There’s no reason for this to happen, so now she’s sure it’s her fault simply because she stressed too much about getting pregnant.

Simon finds her sobbing on the shower floor, leaning against the wall, head between her hands, water and tears and hollow pain circling down the drain. He doesn’t even take his clothes off as he walks there under the shower to be with her. He knows Sarah is not like him at all when it comes to pain: she doesn’t want to be alone even if she crawls some place quiet to lick her wounds.

She has a good cry there in his arms, and of course he’s sad too. But he knew it wouldn’t be easy – nothing in life is, and even if he would never blame Sarah for having hope, Simon doesn’t trust life all that much… which is why he actually stays strong when things fall to ruin.

To him, the situation is not even remotely close to a ruin, however. It’s a minor setback at best.

"I know you don’t feel like it right now, but we’ll get past this. We’ll try again," he says to her while cradling her in his arms. "We’ll try again, dove."

And Simon has an amazing talent for setting things right even if everything’s gone straight to hell. He sees what’s still left, even if it’s the last bullet in the barrel. In this case, they have a lot more than that: they have a hundred new chances, a thousand new tomorrows.

Sarah's optimism is gone the second time she gets pregnant, which is perhaps a good thing in the end because this time, she doesn’t stress so much. Everything goes nice and well, and they go to their first ultrasound. That’s the first spark of hope reborn, and when another month passes by and everything still goes smoothly, Simon feels brave enough to buy some supplies.

It’s a surprise for Sarah when he comes home with a pram and a few other things. The realization starts to sink in – they’re having a baby.

"Is this really happening?" She whispers to him while running a hand over the freshly bought baby carriage. “Sure looks like it,” he says, watching Sarah caress what he just brought home. He's having so many mixed feelings.

Simon carries the emotional weight of Sarah’s worries during the pregnancy, so much so that he has no time to even think about the swell of emotion that’s roiling inside him.

He's decided he’ll deal with every issue as they arise. There’s no time to stop and feel emotions. In some way, he even thinks there’s no need to feel them. The decision has already been made: they’re going to have a baby and he’s going to be a father. End of story.

(In truth, he’s feeling like he’s doing a bungee jump that never ends.)

Besides, he’s having it easy here: it’s Sarah who has to carry the child for nine months and suffer all the things that come with it. He can’t even think about the baby yet, all he can think about is how to soothe Sarah.

"Will I still be your dove after this?" Sarah asks one night when neither of them can sleep because the pains in her back keep her up all night. For her, it's quite annoying because she was supposed to be in a good shape.

Simon treats these occasions as "free training" of what’s about to come: that is, sleepless nights and a person demanding his attention and devotion. (He, all in all, takes a soldier's attitude to the pregnancy: it’s a mission he has to accomplish with tact and grace.)

"You’ll always be my dove," he assures. He gives her gentle back rubs, rubs her feet, too. Brings her whatever she wants, whether it be pickles or croissants or banana yogurt (Sarah’s food cravings are rich and various)

Toward the end of the pregnancy, they get into an argument about the name. Sarah already decided it long ago, but she’s having second thoughts about it and wants Simon to pick a name. (Oh and btw it’s a girl they’re having!)

Simon is a bit confused – first, he has barely any say in the name and now she’s not having it that he won’t pick one. He doesn’t understand why Sarah gets so riled up when he doesn’t have a name to give right off the top of his head. They’ve never had an argument this bad save for the time when they were still dating and he left during a fight. Sarah accuses him of not even wanting the baby because it will tie him down even more. It turns out she has had this fear ever since they started trying to conceive.

"Hey. Hey." He comes to hug her as she’s on the verge of tears. It’s kind of a talent really, for Sarah to be able to disguise her true feelings and fears from him, even after all these years. "You really think I’m scared of a baby?"

"Yes?" She answers, lower lip quivering, eyes betraying a long-ago distrust. "Isn’t that what you fear the most?"

"No. What I fear is you pushing me away and trying to survive all alone."

"I miss sex," she sighs and tries to have a laugh about it. The pregnancy is getting on her nerves, and at times, she just wants things to go back to the way they were.

Another good cry will fix the issue because deep down Sarah knows he isn't going anywhere. They're in this now, for life. They end up in bed, trying to have a good, nice cuddle, but it's a bit challenging because Sarah is in her last weeks.

"Yeah. Me too," he says while laying next to her, soothing her nerves with his touch like he always does. The weight of his palm caressing her shoulder or simply coming to rest there on her hip always grounds her to the present moment.

"Tell you what," he rumbles in her ear, this time raising his hand to brush away an escaped strand of hair from her face. "You give me another sweet girl, and I'll make you feel better than ever. Deal?"

"Deal."

She immediately breaks into a soft but bright smile. Simon has always called her sweet –the sweetest girl there is to be exact – and if he's not afraid, then there's no need for her to get cold feet either. After all, they both agreed they would live their life to the full, come what may.

#answered #sarah & simon #simon riley fluff

[tamelee]

Hi, I recently followed like in the last week or smth. I wanted to comment on that post that you just made-- I'm sorry people aren't spending there energy in more constructive manners and that you had that garbage in your inbox.

I understand why comments would be restricted. I gotta say, I truly love your art. I've been on/off tumblr for years (diff accts over time) and your art & reblogs are legit a big reason why I check my dash daily. (Even if I've been lurking more than interacting rn)

ik we don't know each other, but SasuNaru (whichever order it is, i tbh dont get the variation.. ;u; ) was my very first ship so long ago. Given my early life their relationship (fanon/canon) gave me hope and helped me push through and ultimately heal some abandonment wounds. These two have been thru hell and back and give me the audacity to believe I and my loved ones can make it back too.

That all being said, Ik it is easier to say "don't let them get under your skin" and all, and that you didn't talk about quitting. But I hope you don't. You're wildly talented. Thank you for sharing what you choose to.

Hi~ @theskinofawriterbella ! Ah dw, it’s usually easy to ignore certain asks and I mostly do, but sometimes I feel like responding when it’s part of a bigger thing/issue. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I stopped doing what I do, especially because other people say I should… I’m ultimately doing this because I love creating. (Oh yes, the comments are restricted! I forgot about that, but it should be temporarily! ^^) 

And whoaaa really!?! That is so kind of you, thank you so much ;-;💕!!! 

I’m sorry to hear you’ve being going through bad times, though I’m very happy that you were able to connect with something and find hope/strength that way. I’d wish’ that for anyone. Naruto’ truly is such a story, don’t you think? As idealistic and flawed (through demographic limitation) it may seem now, its messages are inspiring and Kishimoto truly has a gift that lets you connect with the characters on an emotional level. Especially Naruto and Sasuke and their bond, naturally.

Ahhh I completely missed those glory SNS days. I hear about them frequently from my friend in Japan. Unfortunately I’m a bit late with being an SNS-fan xD and I couldn’t watch everything the first time, but I did see a few episodes and I don’t think there was anything else that lifted my spirits like Naruto’s attitude had. I had my books and my movies which always helped me escape, but I think I could write my own book about all the times Naruto inspired some action I took, because I too grew up in a village that absolutely hated me. Not for the same reason of course, lol, I was just a weird outsider and all, but I did think “well, if Naruto can smile through his pain and still go after his dream then I can as well.” A bit optimistic I’d say, but still. I have no idea what you went through, but on some level I’m sure, I can relate to what you say. I understand. 

Thank you for sharing this with me and taking your time to write and send it 🥰 I really appreciate it ^^! 

#asktamelee #theskinofawriterbella #🧡 #naruto talk #personal

[stormyoceans]

Monica I'm really scared. It's ep 11 next week. We haven't got Mork crying. (Sam mentioned to me that we haven't even gotten the day bawling scene from the trailer?) This eye donation thing seems a little bit too happy and hopeful for an ep 11.

I know this sounds bad but I really hope day doesn't regain his sight. Because everything the series built up about how blind people also are able to experience this world will all go down the drain. And some part of me knows p'aof will not do that. But then. It's so cruel. To give Day the eyes, the hope of vision just to yank it back so heartlessly. It's so mean. I am scared for next Friday monica.

i feel like i should probably wait to answer you because rn the episode is still too fresh in my mind and i don't have the emotional detachment necessary to be, if not positive, at least not utterly and embarrassingly overdramatic about this but. my mood really flipped a whole 180 degrees because of that ending and ngl. im not doing too well ;;;;;;;

FAIR AMOUNT OF NEGATIVITY UNDER THE CUT I ALREADY APOLOGIZE FOR IT

the thing is. i don't think the surgery next episode is gonna be successful, but i still so deeply dislike this eye donation plotline regardless of how it's gonna end because what's the point of it? if the surgery is successful and day gets his sight back, then it's gonna defeat the entire message of the show. if the surgery fails and day remains blind, then it just feels completely purposeless since he didn't need this to accept his disability and learn that he can still have a fulfilling life: he had already accepted this at songkhla, and it was perfect. honestly the only reason i can think of for them to go down this road is to have the surgery be unsuccessful now, only to end the series with day getting it again after some years and this time working out to show that 'you should never give up hope'. and i can't even begin to explain just how much that wouldn't sit right with me. and i mean i don't have a disability so i obviously don't have any right to say this, but still

not to mention that i actually still feel like those two moments with day and mork crying that we have yet to see are both related to the two of them breaking up because mork doesn't feel like he can take care of day, so they're gonna make him leave until he can prove to day's mom that he can provide for day. which is another thing i would hate

i just don't understand why would they choose all of this when, instead, p'aof could have had mork and day figuring out their future TOGETHER and BOTH trying to prove to day's mom that they can take care of EACH OTHER. like the show made such a point of making day become more independent and empowered but now they're not allowing him to be. i wanna see him walking outside alone with a cane, i wanna see him go back to school and finish his studies, i wanna see him open up his little bookstore while mork works as a cook. it can still happen, i guess, but i still wish it would have been given more focus

im also the kind of dramatic person who can't be like 'at least we have the first 9 episodes, they were perfect and nothing can ruin them'. unfortunately that's not enough for me. unfortunately i need them to stick the landing or it WOULD ruin the entire show for me. and not being able to get back to it and find comfort in morkday would honestly be heartbreaking for me. and you know, obviously the message and the representation of the show is the most important part in this, but also i would be lying if i said i didn't want to have a damn DVD box set of a jimmysea series to actually hold and enjoy since we won't ever have one for vice versa, but what would be the point of buying the last twilight one if i dislike the ending

ANYWAY. im really sorry ismay, i ended up ranting because i needed to vent but im afraid im only making you feel worse with this ;;;;;;; maybe after i sleep on it i will be a bit more optimistic about this but. im really scared too ;;;;;;; for what is worth im holding your hand and im here for you whatever is gonna happen

#none of this is gonna change my love for jimmysea but it still making me feel like such a bad nomnom #sorry again for the negativity i guess i should probably leave for a while ;;;;;; #ismay 🤍 #m: ask

[tokkishouse]

3 - 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓗𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓜𝓮!

It's the last day of leadership camp. Everyone has spent the past week practicing for hours in the sun, learning effective methods to guide the members of their sections, and overall getting closer as a team.

For you, this past week has been...interesting to say the least. On the first day, you ended up being paired with Diluc for trust falls. That ended up with you being unable to catch him and falling to the ground. It was embarrassing to have everyone's eyes on you as he hovered over your frame. Strong hands planted on either side of your head and eyes that were like flames bore into yours. He was the first to make a movement and help you stand up, leaving you with your cheeks warm and your brain unable to form words.

Mid-week you were practicing your baton twirling to help with warm-ups and accidentally flung your baton right at Diluc as he was passing by. You apologized profusely, assuring him that it was not intentional. He believed you-- he had no reason to not believe you. He returned the baton and wished you luck on warmups.

And now it was the end of the week-- the final day of having each other's company to yourselves before you were in charge of a 300+ marching band. The director had you all gather on the field for a special announcement. The energy behind his actions and words let you all know he seemed particularly excited. When everyone was settled, he began speaking.

"Let me just praise you all for your hard work. You've come together and made yourselves better leaders who have faith in each other. You've improved your skill and shown more confidence!" His eyes slid to Venti. "And you've become more on time."

Everyone breaks out into laughter as Venti shrugs, grinning.

"Hey, you elected me director!" The director shakes his head before continuing.

"The last thing I want us to do is to promote sportsmanship. While yes, competitions are competitive and we want to go to Nationals, I think it's important for us to remind ourselves and the band that rivalries are nothing to be causing fights for. All marching bands are filled with performers. We're all going for the same goal. So, I decided to invite the leadership members from Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru over so we can all meet each other!"

Noises of confusion and complaint spread across the field, with many members looking utterly confused.

"I'm sorry, you invited our rival schools?" Kaeya questioned, raising an eyebrow. "How did you pull that off?"

"Oh, this has been in discussion for months. After that last incident where Liyue and Inazuma band members got into a fight, I've been talking with the principals and directors of each respective school about coming together to assuage any tensions. It luckily worked out and they'll be all here soon," the director explained. He seemed oblivious as to why many of the students were opposed to this idea.

"It's a bit inconvenient to make a lot of the students of different regions travel all the way here for one day," Albedo comments, and many other members nod their heads in agreement.

More and more of the students started shouting out their concerns as they grew agitated. Director Jose is quick to calm everyone down, offering a sheepish smile.

"I hear your concerns but please try to take this in stride. We're trying to combat these agitations so we don't have a repeat of last year. Not to mention, it will be insightful to see how the other schools approach guiding a band-- it will be beneficial for all of us!"

Although most were still skeptical, everyone seems to calm down and accept it. Pleased, the director sends everyone off. You walk over to your friends, who all have mixed feelings about the situation. Amber is the only one who is optimistic.

"It won't be that bad guys! A lot of the members of these bands are super nice. And it'll be sweet to talk to everyone when we're not all in competition mode," she explains.

"I just think it's weird to do it in general. You've heard of any other schools doing this?" You ask, unscrewing the cap of your water bottle off. "It just feels unnecessary."

"W-well the director said it should be fun. And it would be nice to see how Inazuma does things. They continue to be top performers every year and no one knows how they do it," Sucrose pipes in. You shrug and turn your attention to your phone, trying to pass the time.

✦✧✦✧

"Look! The buses are piling in!" One of the members yells, pointing to the trail of buses that pull into the parking lot near the field. Everyone, including the director, rushes over to greet the incoming guests. The bus doors open on all three and the crowd of students backs up as the members from Liyue, Inazuma and Sumeru step down. The skeptic vibes from earlier disappear as familiar faces are seen.

Friends meet up and gush about the summer and their camps while others get reacquainted and friendly. You peek over everyone's heads, looking for the familiar blue hair of your friend from Sumeru.

"Y/N, over here!" You whip your head around and see Candace waving at you. You smile and raise your hand to wave, but stop in your place. Standing next to Candace was an all-too-familiar face.

"Amber, hide me!" You quickly duck behind your friend, who looks at you confused.

"What, why? What's going on?"

"I didn't realize Al-Haitham was going to be here!" Amber, gasps in surprise. She gets on her toes to see above the crowd, freezing when she recognizes the familiar gray-haired man.

"Your ex?!"

:)

Synopsis: It’s your senior year of college-- 4 years of slaving away during the summer heat in Mondstadt and practicing with the marching band, winning awards after awards, but never making it to championships. But this year was different! You were going to make Lead Majorette and bring your school to victory with...Diluc?! The Ragvindr recluse who’s been giving you the stink eye since freshman year? As fellow drum major? Just your luck!

𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤 | 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 | 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥

Taglist; Open ❤️ ~ Submit an ask OR reply to this post to be added

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

@sugakookiessss​, @shayewrites, @lez-zuha, @baelloraa, @monaypo1, @n-i-f-y, @aixaingela, @jiminscarmex, @giggles8899, @simp4bakuh03, @deartoru, @kadorinn

#genshin impact x reader #genshin impact smau #diluc x reader #diluc smau #genshin smau #genshin impact diluc #genshin impact diluc x reader #tokki writes

[juyeoniemyhoney]

magic shop

Taehyun doesn't have any superpowers. But when it comes to you, he'd stop time and so much more.

pairing: kang taehyun x reader

genre: fluff, angst (i guess), hurt/comfort

warnings: y/n is just a tad bit depressed

word count: 1740 words

A/N: ah yes an extremely self-indulgent fic while i blatantly ignore my ongoing series that has been un-updated for more than two months. anyways, please enjoy this fic that i wrote after i lost my mind because of good boy gone bad. stream thurday's child everyone.

--------

It's three in the morning when Taehyun joins you on the couch.

He doesn't seem too happy to be awake, nor does he seem particularly happy about having to get out of bed to coax you back into it. But Taehyun is patient and kind, so he quietly takes his seat beside you and waits.

As the silence stretches on, Taehyun grows more impatient, wondering what is weighing so heavy on your mind that you refuse to tell him. But he remains as patient as he can, knowing full well that forcing you to tell him would only keep you out of your shared bed longer. So, he waits.

He waits as the clock continues to tick, he waits with your head against his shoulder, he waits with you wrapped snugly around his arm. He waits until it is nearly four in the morning and Taehyun's eyes cannot bear to keep awake any longer. Waits until he is falling closer and closer to the edge of unconciousness before you finally speak.

"I wish I could go back," you finally say, much to Taehyun's surprise. Your words jolt him awake and his mind, too tired to work, doesn't even bother to think about why.

"Go back to when?"

You pause and ponder your answer.

"To when I was happy," you finally confess, holding Taehyun's arm closer to your torso. Taehyun takes a deep breath and leans his head on top of yours, sure yet so unsure of how he should respond.

"I don't even know how to explain it," you start again, not leaving Taehyun enough time to process his own reply. "It's not like I'm not happy. I mean I have you—" Taehyun can't help but smile when you mention him as one of your sources of happiness.

"—but I still feel so..." you pause, not quite knowing what word would best describe how you feel in this moment.

"Empty?" Taehyun offers, taking your hand in his and tenderly rubbing his thumb along your knuckles.

"It's like I don't look forward to anything anymore. I just want to stay in this moment. I don't want to have to go to school anymore, I don't want you to have to go to school either. I just want time to stop and for us to live in our house and be with each other and for the future to never come."

Taehyun remains quiet. He wants time to stop too, desperately so. He loves you and the beautiful relationship, home and life he has built with you over the past two years. He loves waking up and seeing you the first thing in the morning, loves coming home together with you from your university campus and making hot tea for two in your shared kitchen. He loves snuggling up next to you while the two of you watch a movie in between your hectic schedules, even though both of you know that the movie will most likely remain unfinished for the next month. If he could, he would take that nasty ticking clock off that wall and take out the batteries, stopping time because he is with you and you are with him and there is nothing else in this world that he needs.

But Taehyun has always been the more optimistic one in your relationship. Because then, he is thinking about your future, one where there is a ring on your finger and people call you by his last name. One where smaller, tinnier versions of the both of you bound around a family home, giggles and laughs and happiness surrounding the two of you in such a thick haze, Taehyun almost thinks it's real.

And suddenly, he's shoving the batteries back into that battered clock and he's willing time on, desperately willing every day to go faster so that he can finally get down on one knee, so that he can see you swollen with his child, so that he can have a future with you where the two of you are so beyond joy that neither of you can barely believe any of it is real.

Taehyun doesn't know how to tell you that. But he tries anyway.

"Y/N?" he finally speaks for the first time since he'd been rudely awakened by the absence of your warmth. His voice comes out gruffer and more hoarse than the both of you anticipate and Taehyun finds himself swallowing his saliva before he continues softly.

"You know, happiness isn't only in the past."

Taehyun, though he is beyond exhausted lifts his head from yours and gently pulls you off his arm, turning his body to face you as he takes your hands in his and gazes so lovingly and patiently into your eyes you wonder what wars you must have stopped to deserve a man like him.

"You can find happiness in the future too," Taehyun finishes and levels you with a sweet smile, eyes unsure if his words have had the desired effect on you.

"I know," you sigh, moving back into your previous position, with your head on Taehyun's shoulder and his fingers intertwined with yours.

Silence surrounds the two of you once again, the both of you too tired and unsure to say anything next. But you like it. Taehyun is warm and every breath he takes in and every breath he breathes out calms you down, reminds you to breathe with him. Somehow, in this moment, it feels as if time as stopped. You wish it has, you wish you could stay like this with Taehyun for eternity. The clock opposite you continues to tick, its hands mocking you with every movement they make.

Maybe you can't stop time, but Taehyun loves you and he is willing to do whatever he can to make you feel better. If that means he has to stay up way beyond his bedtime and pretend, so be it.

Abruptly, Taehyun moves to stand from the couch, gently prying you from his side as he wordlessly walks to the kitchen and puts the kettle on. Then, he disappears into the bedroom.

At first, you think you've done it. You've finally driven Taehyun to the edge of his patience. He's done dealing with your moods and your emotions and your refusal to sleep and he's going to sleep it off and break up with you in the morning. Taehyun, the most patient person you've ever met has run completely out of it and it's all because of you.

Your tears stop before they can spill over your waterline, however, Taehyun reappears with your blanket and a screwdriver. Without any explanantion whatsoever, he turns the loveseat so it is facing the window, drapes the blanket over your shoulders, wraps you all up in the blanket like a burrito then picks you up from the couch and places you gently on the loveseat, then he takes the screwdriver and heads straight for the clock.

As the kettle comes to a boil, Taehyun unscrews the back of the clock, takes out the batteries and leaves it face down on the floor. He draws open the curtains and takes all the throwpillows from their respective places on the couch and surrounds you with them. Then, he proceeds to the kitchen, fiddles around with a few things and comes back with two steaming cups of tea.

"Just for today," he says sternly before handing you your cup, carefully slotting himself between all the pillows and you, so that his arm is draped across your shoulders, your head against his shoulder once more as the two of you watch the sky.

"Just for today we'll pretend time has stopped, okay?" Taehyun says, this time gently, pressing his lips to the crown of your head as you blow the hot tea, the aroma so alluring and calming you almost fall asleep.

"Just for today?" you ask, disappointment seeping into the tone of your voice. Why can't it be everyday? Why can't the two of you just be caught in a time loop? Where the two of you just continue to repeat this lazy sunday, in each others arms, where not one second are you not skin to skin.

Taehyun puts his mug down and turns to you, his free hand coming up to tuck wisps of your hair behind your ear, thumb stroking at your cheek tenderly. His smile is small but Taehyun's eyes twinkle when he's happy and right in this moment, Taehyun's eyes are glittering so prettily you want to lean over and kiss his eyes.

"I want to marry you some day." Taehyun's confession comes out in a whisper, one almost timid in nature. "But I can't do that if we're just stuck in today, can I?"

You remain silent.

"I know it's hard, my love. But baby steps, okay?" he pauses and just continues to stare at you lovingly, thumb continuing to stroke the soft skin of your cheek. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

"I love you," you tell Taehyun, the words coming out rough and choked, your throat constricting as tears brim in your eyes. Taehyun doesn't have to deal with this. He shouldn't have to deal with your negativity and your emotions at the ass-crack of dawn. He shouldn't have to convince you to continue living your life every single time. He shouldn't have to constantly hide you away from the world. But he does anyway, holds you close to him, warm palms the epitome of comfort, softly humming a tune as time takes a backseat.

There is this idea of a mystical haven, the entrance of which is nestled against the muscles of your heart. A door only you can open, wonders inside only available to who you so choose. When you'd first heard the idea, it sounded like a panic room of sorts, a place you'd go to scream and shout and cry and sob. But now, that door looks a lot like your apartment door. And you like to think if you'd opened the door to your heart, it'd look a lot like this: A warm cup of tea, cozy blankets and soft moonlight. But most importantly, Taehyun. In all of your imagined versions of this magical place, Taehyun is always there. And as Taehyun slowly begins to fall asleep, his head against yours, you begin to think that door against your heart is already open, its magic spilling out and coating your life in illuminant gold, bit by bit.

#taehyun #txt #txt taehyun #taehyun fluff #hurt/comfort #bro this damn bad #tomorrow x together angst #tomorrow x together scenarios #tomorrow x together fanfic #tomorrow x together #tomorrow x together taehyun #taehyun fic #kang taehyun #tyun #taehyun angst??? #fanfic

[nickmaghighlights]

NMH Side Issues - Rugrats Comic Adventures

Welcome back to Nick Mag Highlights! And by extension: Welcome back to Nick Mag Highlights Side Issues, the series on this blog where I check out other magazines or comic books that are notably not Nickelodeon Magazine, but still scratch a similar itch. Today we’re taking a look at the very first issue of Rugrats Comic Adventures, based on the iconic Nickelodeon show.

But first, let’s run down the history checklist. This series ran for about three years, from 1997 to 2000, spanning a total of thirty issues housed in three ten-issue volumes. That would put the release of this first issue around the time of the fourth season of the show. In that case, sorry to any Dil fans, as you won’t be seeing him in this issue.

The history and creation of this series is a bit interesting, and although the information available to me disposal is a little scarce, this is my best understanding: you see, Rugrats Comic Adventures was released in America, but it seems like most if not all of its actual content was sourced from an official Rugrats comic book released exclusively for the UK in 1996 (a year earlier than Rugrats Comic Adventures’ release). Said comic was simply titled Rugrats and published by Marvel Comics (yes, that Marvel Comics).

The cover page of issue #1 of Rugrats, published in the UK by Marvel Comics. Credit to Boys Adventure Comics on Blogspot for the image and the information!

As you’ll soon see, the first story in this issue I’m talking about today is the same as the one visible on this cover of UK Rugrats (do all UK comics print the first page on the front cover?) And according to the aforementioned Blogspot source, there were allegedly thirty issues released of this UK comic, which conveniently lines up with the thirty issues released of Rugrats Comic Adventures. A conspiracy? Maybe… 

The only problem is I don’t have a scan of any of the Rugrats UK comics at my disposal, so I can’t confirm if the contents between the issues of the UK and US series are the same, unfortunately. So hey, if we’re lucky, there may be content in store for us that was made specifically for Comic Adventures that those British-types just wish they could have gotten. Maybe.

But I digress. As some of you may know, this wouldn’t be the last time Rugrats would enter the world of comics. In 1998 a daily newspaper strip based on the show was launched, lasting until 2003 and outliving Comic Adventures by three years. The show’s sequel series All Grown Up also had multiple comic outings made specially for Nickelodeon Magazine, and in 2017, Boom! Studios began publishing a new Rugrats comic series which totaled to eight issues and three longer special issues. But how did these characters fare in their first foray into comic stardom? Let’s check it out!

Oh, and before we dive in, I’d like to make one thing clear: I am not a Rugrats superfan. I’ve seen my fair share of episodes of course (with how constantly Nickelodeon played it, how could I not?) But I'm just saying I may not catch specific references if there are any, or like if a comic here reuses a plot from an episode of the show, for instance. Though if anyone reading does catch a cool detail I miss, I'd love to hear about it! 

You can read the full issue here.

So it looks like it’s five comics on the agenda today, along with two extra pages all about Chuckie and Angelica. That’s not a bad deal! It’s more material than I bargained for, that’s for sure.

I’m pretty optimistic going into this one. I mean, check out that art! It looks just like the show. And while I can't find any credits in the book, Think some employees of Klasky Csupo had a hand in the material here?

So the story goes, Angelica sort of gets left in charge of the babies, thanks to Tommy's mom. And naturally Angelica's quick to abuse her miniscule ounce of power and starts running the backyard like a military academy. A fine premise, and a pretty low-stakes story befitting a quick comic (well, lower than the stakes a show about babies can usually have, anyway).

There are two details that kind of throw me off though, namely being: the dialogue and… Angelica, I guess?

Dialogue-wise, everybody's pretty talkative here and that's okay. Angelica's on point, barking orders in her usual bratty way. But all the babies are rather verbose today, aren't they? I think one of the most memorable details of Rugrats personally is the characters' loose grip on language. Pretty much every line from one of the babies in the show has at least one grammatical error or made-up word, and it's charming! Here though, all the dialogue is written in perfect English, and once you notice it, you can’t forget it.

You'd think Tommy's newfound eloquence would have Chuckie trust his plan a bit more.

Now, onto Angelica. Simply put: they made her look insane in this comic! I mean just take a look at the two pages I posted prior and see what I mean. Orrrr… I suppose you could look a this collage I made for the same result:

Yes, these are all from the same comic. Even Tommy’s scared.

This may be my lack of Rugrats knowledge shining through again but I really don’t remember her being portrayed with a huge bulbous overbite like that. Or with that many teeth. Don’t get me wrong though, I can totally get behind some funny off-model art that I bet the artist had fun drawing. That’s what they refer to in the industry as a “win-win”.

But yeah, overall a pretty solid first story, which is either elevated or dishonored by taking certain artistic liberties. Depends on who you ask. I’m on Team Elevated.

Next up is a bio on Chuckie. I didn’t think there was much to share regarding the personal intricacies of a literal two-year-old, and apparently the writers here agreed, seeing as how they had to resort to doxxing the poor kid just to fill their fact quota for this page. 446 “Braintree” Lane? Weird name, but I guess it’s pretty befitting considering Chuckie’s hair looks like his brain sprouted out of his head. 

Another cool thing of note here is that all the Chuckie facts listed here are actually references to episodes of the show. As a kid it was always an awesome feeling whenever I understood a reference. It simultaneously made me feel smart and seemingly validated my choice to engage in a piece of media. Thumbs ups all around! Thanks, Chuckie.

Second comic of the evening, and actually I found myself really enjoying this one! The gripes I had from the previous comic have been ironed out, and the setting of the story is pretty interesting and leads to a lot of fun and creative moments. The short and long of it is Tommy and the other babies accidentally end up riding on the baggage carousel of an airport and getting mixed up with all of the machinery. Naturally, instead of getting smushed and ripped apart by the gears and mechanisms like boring real babies would, the gang ends up having the time of their lives, all the while believing they’re actually at a carnival.

Fun it is, indeed! As I said, my issues with the last comic have been effectively taken care of. All the characters are speaking as they should, dropping some funny misspellings for words like “skelitom” for skeleton and “loudsneaker” for loudspeaker. The art here is way less unhinged as well, probably because there’s no Angelica in it. There’s still some funky shots though, like long-arm Tommy here:

A fine addition to the issue in my opinion, and it even comes with cameos from Tommy’s maternal grandparents, Boris and Minka. Boris doesn’t speak a word, but he is sporting his original design that features small dot-eyes, which is a detail that would be dropped later on in the series.

I guess my only question is: why are Chuckie, Phil and Lil here? The obvious answer is because they’re main characters, but they’re not Stu and Didi’s kids, and none of their parents are to be found. I guess the Pickles got stuck babysitting on top of having to pick up the grandparents from the airport. Poor saps.

Oh god, Angelica’s back. At least she’s seemingly sorted out her inflated lip issue from the first story. No, I won't let it go.

Today’s adventure follows the babies as they’re getting their first ever professional photos done. Angelica is there too. These premises have been fine so far, lots of episodes of Rugrats feature the characters tackling normal everyday places they’ve never seen before and don’t understand. A large aspect about the show I also remember however is the extensive imagination sequences. Y’know, where Tommy and the gang imagine the situation they’re in as being way more fantastical than it really is, and their setting and outfits change accordingly? That was always my favorite part of the show and it’s a little weird to see that concept not having made any appearance thus far. I know not every episode had those though, and maybe those imagination sequences were more common in later seasons of the show? I’m not sure. Regardless, that doesn’t degrade the quality of the material, of course. It’s just a thought that came to mind as I was reading. 

Like the others I found this comic to be a pretty good time, although the story’s a little all over the place. The art’s nice as well. I actually found some of the art of the characters here to look somewhat cute, surprisingly. That’s not exactly the kind of term I’d usually use to describe the show’s visuals. Not sure what the artist here did differently specifically, but I did notice that Phil and Lil’s gross crooked baby teeth don’t make an appearance, so that probably helps their easiness on the eyes.

One highlight of this comic is this small moment of divine intervention where Angelica gets attacked by a bird that comes in through an open window. She didn’t really do anything bad this time to deserve it but, eh.

And of course, the gang manages to pull themselves together to finally get that one perfect picture. I appreciate they saved two pages to make this ending shot so big. It’s a really nice way to end things. Another quality story done! Honestly at this point, the issue’s fitted out a pretty positive track record. I’ll be surprised if we see any stinkers in the second half.

Oh and before we move on, I just want to bring up this small interaction from the beginning of the comic. It might be just me, but this moment just strikes me as odd. I probably won’t be able to explain this properly, but just hear me out: It’s a little weird to see Tommy and Chuckie acknowledge they’re not really talking, right? Like, yeah it’s always been established in the show that the babies are not actually speaking real language ‘cause the parents never hear them, but it’s not something you ever see them bring up and reference. Acknowledging that their form of communication is basically fake… Also the fact that they comprehend what speech is and are aware that what they’re doing isn’t that? I dunno, I might just be overthinking this. It’s too meta!

And up next, it’s what I think miiiiiiight be my favorite comic of the issue? Not entirely sure, it’s a toss up between either this one or the airport one. 

The story is as follows: The Pickles are having their whole house repainted. As usual, the kids just can’t bear to keep their noses out whatever is currently going on in their immediate area. So, Tommy enlists the help of the gang to use all the excess paint cans to repaint his entire room with an extravagant picture.

Like the airport comic this one has lots of dialogue between the four kids, and everyone gets their fair share of good lines. Chuckie does kind of come across as a little more whiny than usual here if only for the fact he never actually helps at all, outside of helping Phil and Lil save Tommy from smashing his head on the floor with a blanket.

”We- We’ve been… Greened!” might be my favorite line of the whole issue.

And as one could expect, the group made up of 0-to-2-year olds don’t exactly succeed in professionally painting the entire room. However, they instead manage to mess up in just the perfect way to still achieve the result they wanted. Being serious, this is genuinely a pretty wholesome ending and Tommy’s parents also being happy with the result is equally humorous and sweet. 

Yeah, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure this is my favorite story of the issue. Tons of great lines and gags, a sweet ending, and a major appearance of my favorite character from the show, Grandpa Lou. A good show all around!

Well, after my high praise of the previous post, I guess that means this last comic has something to live up to. And yeah, under that lens, this comic isn’t going to be usurping my #1 favorite spot. Viewed on its own, however, and… eh, still doesn’t really do anything for me.

This one has Tommy accidentally getting stuck on top of his dad’s new custom stunt kite as it gets blown away by a gust of wind, flying him through town. Already that plot is kinda off, to me at least. I know it’s a show about talking babies and everything but the show never really got that cartoonish in its logic, at least to my recollection. Tommy must have to be basically hollow on the inside for the kite to get that kind of air with him sitting on top of it.

On the positive side of things: the art is really good! Each panel sports its own unique camera angle which gives the comic some nice visual variety. The coloring and details on all the backgrounds, likewise, are lovely to look at. Overall this presentation makes for a very extravagant ending for the comic, at least in the art department. And to top it all off, it's even got the return of long arm Tommy:

But again, in regards to the story… Even if you’re willing to accept the weird logic of it all, the actual plot isn’t super entertaining. Tommy flies around a bit, some people see him and are surprised, while Angelica’s down below using Stu’s radio trying to order Tommy to land. It’s just a bit lacking in substance compared to the other stories we’ve looked at. If you’re going to do a story like this, you might as well go all in. Like, have all the babies on the kite and pretend they’re a flight crew. Y'know, some real Snoopy-type stuff.

And of course, Tommy makes it back down to the ground just in time before his Dad can notice a thing (although it’s not like he really had control of the kite anyway, I think?)

But that’s about all I’ve got to say on this one. Not the great ending one would have hoped for, but it looks nice at least. Come to think of it, Stu could make a killing off that kite considering the amount of weight it can hold. If only he knew…

And last but… not least? It’s a guide from Angelica on how to play house. I was kind of hoping for another character bio like what Chuckie had, since then we’d at least be able to learn her weaknesses and have a chance of vanquishing her evil once and for all. But alas, this is cool too, and it has a mention of her friend Susie, who had been a character in the show for a couple years now by this point but didn’t manage to make an actual physical appearance in the issue.

Bit of an odd way to end the issue, being honest, but eh, it’s a little funny.

And before we wrap it up I’d like to bring up the little legal disclaimer here on the final page, confirming that all these comics were indeed sourced from the origins Marvel-published UK Rugrats issues.

Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? I was a little skeptical going into it, but I think this turned out to be a pretty good choice for another installment of Side Issues. It had a history lesson opportunity, some great art, and a lot to talk about. Everything you could want, at least if you write blog posts about old Nickelodeon-related publications in your spare time, anyway. 

And hey, there’s more to this series than what I’ve shown you today, too. Did you know the last issue featured a crossover between Rugrats and Rocket Power, another one of Klasky Csupo’s shows?

That’s pretty cool! And also a little odd ‘cause I thought Rocket Power took place in Hawaii. This also means the only Nickelodeon-owned Klasky Csupo show that Rugrats didn’t cross over with is As Told by Ginger, and to be fair I’m not sure how you could’ve made that work, so I’ll let it pass.

But yeah, if I check out this comic series again, I think I’ll take a look at this issue. Well, actually if I do check out this series again it’ll have to be this issue, since it’s the only other issue on the Internet Archive I could find. That’s a bummer! Hopefully people’ll find and scan more copies sooner rather than later. The internet will only be around for so long, after all.

This would be where I end things, but while I was working on this post, Nickelodeon announced a new Rugrats game of all things.

It’s a bit of a shock, but I think what’s more shocking is that it looks pretty good! The NES graphics mode does, anyway. The HD drawn graphics you can optionally switch to leave something to be desired. It seems fun! I’ll be keeping an eye on this one.  And apparently Nickelodeon’s got a couple more retro-styled games in the works, so I’m excited to see where this goes.

That about does it for this episode of Nick Mag Highlights! I’ll see you all next time, where I’ll most certainly be checking out another issue of the actual magazine this blog is named after. Probably. See you later, and have a good one!

#nmh side issue #90s #1997 #nickelodeon #magazine #rugrats

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Over the last year or so, a few of my favourite singers have released new albums, and I’ve been really excited about it, and thought I’ll listen to it and then write a post about it. But every time, I found the albums just a bit disappointing. Not bad or anything – some of them have had great songs on them. But all of them have made me think, this is fun but not as good as some previous stuff they’ve done. I didn’t post about any of them because I don’t need to write a post about an album that’s pretty good. I write about things when I get so excited about them that I just have to share it with someone.

That is some context to keep in mind when I say: holy fuck, the new Grace Petrie album.

It came out two days ago, and I've already listened to it all the way through twice. I try to do that at least once with new albums, as I don't like that the album is becoming a dying art, now that we can just pick and choose the tracks. I mean, 95% of my music listening is done by just picking the tracks I like, but every once in a while I try to listen to an album from start to finish like it's 2004 again, because some albums are meant to be listened to that way, and sometimes you get more out of it in context. I try to, at the very least, do it once when a new album comes out.

This one I did twice in a row, because it felt so much like a coherent album that it seemed worth doing again. The track order seems intentional, starting angry and cynical and political, moving into more personal but depression-based, then into hopeful optimistic cynicism-free love songs, then circling back to the political stuff but this time from a more hopeful perspective. It works so well as an album, and the songs are lovely, and it's been a long time since I've been this excited about a new album.

If you want to listen to the whole album in a row, you can do it here:

But if you're interested in that, you really should buy it on Bandcamp at the link I posted above, it doesn't cost that much and it's a way to support this kind of music, both directly with your money, and she sends things to her mailing list about how this affects chart position and that affects other things, I don't know how it all works, but I do know that if I like something that's available on Bandcamp I try to buy it on Bandcamp because that supports artists. I mean, I take media for free all the time, I don't pay for any streaming services (besides NextUp) because they're largely shit for both the artist and the consumer, but Bandcamp is actually good for both sides, it's great for the consumer too because they let you download correctly labeled DRM-free MP3s of all the tracks and it's really easy to use. No annoying extra stuff, just a folder with the 11 songs and a JPG of the cover image, which is also the thumbnail of the above YouTube video, which is. I mean. I don't wish to objectify Grace Petrie in a post about her feminist album that was released on International Women's Day, but Jesus Christ.

Anyway. The actual songs are so very good. I think her voice must have gotten even better in recent years, it's always been good but I don't remember being struck this hard, when listening to her previous stuff, by the power of her vocal range. There's also so much going on instrumentally in most songs, but then a couple of lovely stripped back ones near the end, and I like the combination.

I always say with my very favourite music and comedy things, they feel like the person wrote and performed this because they had something they really cared about saying, and not just because it's a new year or a new cycle and they're supposed to be put something out. This feels so much like the former. All these expressions of love and anger and engagement.

Meanwhile in Texas is the song that I've been waiting for someone to release for nearly two years. There was so much anger when Roe v Wade was overturned, but I remember at the time, reading all the stuff and taking in all the ways that artists reacted via some form of art, and none of it felt like it captured the situation enough to give me the vicarious catharsis I was looking for. Grace Petrie's written one that does.

The album starts on a ridiculously high note, I think the first track is probably the one I'll end up listening to on repeat the most times, though it's always hard to tell that when an album is so new. The Best Country in the World, just a classic anti-Tory protest song, where her vocals get to soar in this trademark way that Grace Petrie does so well, but I think it might reach higher heights than ever in this one. It builds and builds into a perfectly placed swear word at the end and I assume this is her new live show closer, right? It has to be. God, I'd love to see another Grace Petrie concert.

I could go through every song and explain why it's so great, but I'll cut the post off here and just say: it's not a long album, it's 11 songs and about 42 minutes in total. Do yourself a favour this International Women's Weekend and listen to it all in one go, it really rewards that. Also buy it on Bandcamp. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.

#Bandcamp

[owlbearwrites]

WtW Ghost Gala - Day 10: Witch

Write or brainstorm the opening paragraph

As luck would have it, I already have it...

The story will be told in a few different POVs, including selected excerpts from one of the protagonists' chronicle of apocalypse survival, that the other protagonist will find in the world 200 years later.

CW: language, nuclear apocalypse, insufferable-snark-as-defense mechanism, a bit of a nervous breakdown on page,

To whoever finds this: hope humans still know how to read

October 23, 2077 (wait, is it 24th already? hard to keep track of time here; nah, couldn’t have been here more than ten hours)

Personal panic room of the Triumvirate Inc. CEO (wow, no, that’s so douchey)

ground zero, day one

Are you fucking kidding me?

Yeah, how’s that for a first line? Well, it was gonna be my last. Not bad as famous last words go, but there wasn’t anyone nearby to take it down, so I figured I’d stick around. Shame to die without an audience and let a good line go to waste. 

The mushroom cloud in my window made for one hell of a backdrop, though. The oranges and the blacks, all swirling together, like a sunrise, but more badass. Except, you know, sunrises usually signify beginnings, whereas this one… yeah. Still pretty, though. And you thought there were no upsides to being in the office at 6 a.m. 

It wasn’t a total surprise. Like, I couldn’t actually believe it till I saw it—hell, I don’t think I believe it now, even. But I knew it was coming. Got a 30-minute warning like the rest of the city. Didn’t run for the hills like the rest of the city, though. ‘Cause there weren’t any hills I cared to run for. None I could reach in half an hour, anyway.

Okay, whoever’s reading this, I don’t expect you’ll ever get a say in designing a nuclear strike early warning system, but I’m gonna tell you this anyway. 30 minutes is a really, really shitty warning period. Not enough time to get anywhere you might wanna get to, and way too much time to think. To wish you were somewhere else. Like, say, a suburban two-bedroom with a Vac-Evac link. 30 minutes to really appreciate what an idiot you were to stay at the office, stay in the city, stay optimistic, stay hopeful, stay invested in the idea that there was a shred of reason left in the collective humanity ‘cause c’mon, it’s all just talk, they’re not actually gonna do it, humans have scraps, always have done, always will have, but they’re NOT actually gonna blow up the fucking world, c’mon, what kind of FUCKING IDIOTS would actually, ACTUALLY do something like that??

Anyway. 30-minute warning is bullshit. Put that into your feedback form and smoke it.

More about this WIP

#wtwevent #wtwcommunity #wtw ghost gala #writeblr #preptober #50% fate: snippet #fate is just the half of it

[gregorvorbarra]

I just realized I never gave you all a Lee Update

So,

Lee tore is Cranial Cruciate Ligament in his right knee. The vet thinks it’s been torn for a while because he has some mild arthritis in the knee now, but we noticed him limping in mid-October. It didn’t stop him from trying to be insane though.

He had Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy this past Tuesday to fix it. I know not everyone wants to read surgical stuff so details on that and how it went under the cut, but Lee is doing well so far!

Enjoy this picture of Lee in jammies:

So the TPLO involves cutting the tibia and rotating it and reattaching it with a metal plate, to stabilize the knee joint. The torn ligament is removed completely. It has a really good success rate, with no post-op complications or need for long term pain management. Which is great!

Bad news is that it’s a 12-week recovery process, and Lee is going to be on “crate” rest through most of that. We don’t have a crate for him anymore, so… he’s confined to the guest room when we’re not home.

Sad!

Lee was apparently very very good at the vet the whole time. Here’s a pic the vet sent us:

Good job Lee! Best Boy.

He’s been doing well since he got home! He was Very High when he got home on Tuesday, and cried a lot, but he’s been okay since then. He’s been trying to get up and follow people around the house, which he CANNOT be doing, so we’ve had to sedate him to make sure he’s resting as he should. I’m amazed by how well he’s moving just a few days post-surgery, but I know that he needs to just SIT so that his leg actually heals. Just because he’s trying to walk doesn’t mean he actually should be. (Had an argument with my dad over this, but I won’t go into that.)

I got a pet camera so that we could check up on him while we’re not home. Best decision, no regrets, and I got a great deal on it, too.

Check out this picture from last night:

Lee, please sleep on your bed, thanks.

He’s also been reluctant to eat, so I’m having to add chicken broth to his meals. THANKS LEE!

It is EXTREMELY common for dogs with one CCL tear to blow their other knee within a year or so. So we will likely have to do this again, but I am looking up ways to try to prevent (or at least delay) it. What I’ve learned so far:

- Steps/staircases for getting onto high surfaces (beds, furniture, etc, stuff they use frequently) helps a lot.

- Rugs on hardwood/tile/slippery floors is also helpful. Gives them more traction and prevents them from slipping. (Especially when they’re going to be jumping onto something, like furniture.)

- Keeping nails short, again to prevent slipping.

I already have steps for the bed from when Lee was refusing to jump, and I’m getting some rugs. Lee usually keeps his nails very short, but I think being on crate rest for 8 weeks will lead to some long nails, so nail clipping time.

Overall, I’m very optimistic about the outcomes of this, but the recovery period’s going to suck a bit.

Anyways, thats the update on Lee! Thanks for reading, pls wish Lee the best right now. And if you have any advice, I’D LOVE TO HEAR IT!!!

#alba :v #lee tag

[daydream-x-reality]

Sweets Groovy - Shinkai Kanata FS 4*

Season: Autumn

Kanata: hum hum hu~m♪

mix everything together well, then draw circles like blue-ringed octopus spots~ draw~ round and round and round♪

–hmm? who is it. it’s noisy out there~ i’m having fun “cooking”, i wish they’d keep it down

Niki: W, what in the world is going on here!? The smell—it STINKS!?

Kanata: ah. so the footsteps were you, niki. hello~☆

Niki: –Gya!? What’s with this brutal accident scene!?

Lined up on the table are... things with fish impaled in them… This looks like a painting of hell! The fishy smell is awful too!

Hm…? Sniff sniff… Mixed in with the smell of death is… a hint of butter and chocolate and milk…?

Uh… This trapezoidal thing with a bunch of shishamo sticking out of it… what the heck is this?

Kanata: yep, that’s “anemone chocolate”

Niki: A, anemone chocolate!?

Kanata: yes. precisely speaking, it’s chocolate cupcakes decorated with shishamo. and i just made cookies~♪

Niki: Chocolate, cupcakes, cookies? N, no way… It can’t be…

You mean these things are food? You weren't torturing the fish!?

Kanata: how rude~ hmph. i would never do that to the fishies. i’m making some yummy sweets

Niki: I don’t believe you! If you were cooking, there's no way it would've turned out this horrific though?

Or rather. Shinkai-kun, during the Old-Fashioned Sports Festival, you were in the dormitory kitchen making bentos, right? If that’s the case, then how–

(Hm? Wait a minute… If I give it a real good think again…)

(At the time, Shinkai-kun and Tenshouin-kun were there, but they were more like assistants, and the actual food prep was done by Kazehaya-kun…)

(Could it be that Kazehaya-kun anticipated a disaster and protected the peace of the kitchen!? He really is an immovable guardian deity...!)

Kanata: mm, i did make bentos for everyone during the “old-fashioned sports festival”

i made "chocolates" at the chocolat fes last year, and that got me interested in cooking

today i decided to “challenge” myself and make "sweets" all by myself

the "mackerel chocolates" i made during chocolat fes weren’t very well liked. strange, isn’t it?

but it can’t be helped. we can’t change the results.

that’s why this time i’ll make sure my “sweets” are received "well". it's "revenge", so to speak

but. i don't have anyone to help me “taste test”, so i’m in a bit of a “pickle”. there's no point if i make and eat them myself

so you came at the right time. niki, would you be my “taste tester”~?

Niki: T, taste test!? You want me to eat that!? No no no no! I’ll pass on this one!

Kanata: eh~ why not? i did my “best” making all these “sweets”. they’re definitely delicious~

Niki: No, no! You're kidding, right!? No matter how I look at it, they definitely taste terrible! You can’t call this cooking. This is blasphemous to the ingredients–

(......Hm? Wait a minute.)

(If… if I don’t taste test these… then what’ll happen to the poor ingredients? They might just get thrown into the garbage…!?)

N…n…Nnnnnnnn!

Aghhhhh! I’d rather commit seppuku than abandon the ingredients and let them go to waste!

Fine! I’ll be your taste tester!

Kanata: yay♪ thank you very much~ i “made” a lot, so “eat” up~ here, go ahead☆

Niki: Gh… This smells crazy. It feels like my saliva is retracting and my mouth has completely dried up!? It was made with foodstuffs so there's no way it's inedible, but I’m still hesitant…!

No no, Shiina Niki! This is the time to man up… there’s nothing in this world that isn’t edible☆ Let’s have a taste!

……

Kanata: poke… poke. he~y, niki~?

h~m. his “face” turned “deathly pale”

he did eat everything though. looking at him, it seems like the sweets weren’t a “success”. that’s “too bad”

but i won’t give up

even small droplets of water can hollow out a stone if they keep dripping in the same place☆

time to begin my “revenge” again. it's “challenge time”☆

Niki: Please, just surrender gracefully..!!! How can you be so optimistic even when you’re looking right at this tragedy?

Kanata: ah. you opened your “eyes”. i’m glad that you’re so full of spirit

Niki: I dreamed that I was about to cross a beautiful river to the other side, but an insanely strong sense of responsibility brought me back

At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before someone here falls victim to your cooking… As a chef, I can’t let that happen

The kitchen is supposed to be for making tasty dishes, not a murder site

That’s why I’m going to be your assistant and help you make those sweets, Shinkai-kun!

Kanata: h~m? for some reason it “feels” like you said a bunch of “rude” things?

well, it’s fine. it’s good to have more “friends”

i learned a phrase from “ohisama”-san that’s perfect for right now: this is “ii hiyori”♪

clap clap clap☆ niki, you’re amazing~

tuna “cutlet sandwich”, sea bream “pie”, “senbei” made from ground fish powder. and, "cookies" made using sardine paste

all of them were really delicious~♪

Niki: Nahaha. If you’re satisfied, then it’s all good~♪

But you helped out too, Shinkai-kun. Having you to mix the ingredients and knead things together was a great help

Kanata: fufu. they were rather “small” tasks, but i’m “happy” that you said that

—now☆

Niki: Hm? Shinkai-kun, why are you rolling up your sleeves…?

Kanata: i wasn’t able to demonstrate my “ability” just by mixing and kneading together the “ingredients”

Niki: Um……?

Kanata: besides, after watching you “cook”, i thought of a lot of great “ideas”~

as “thanks” for making so many delicious “sweets”, it’s my turn to show off what i can "do"

Niki: Even after all that, you’re still not satisfied!? Ah, wait... STOOOOOOP!!

#ensemble stars #shinkai kanata #shiina niki #idol story #happy birthday niki!

[reptah]

Unnerving AI App Lets you Chat with Anyone

In a recent article, I stated that these were exciting times for Artificial Intelligence. I looked forward to seeing what new developments would bring and how Ai capabilities could streamline our workflows. I may have to retract my enthusiasm.

EmbodyMe’s Xpression chat combines ChatGPT with a library of 50 voices, allowing you to converse with anyone you choose. Simply upload a photo, select your preferred voice, and watch as your unsettling abomination springs to life. It’s like talking to the real thing! Er… sort of.

The main selling point behind the app is that you can, quite literally, talk to anyone you choose, dead or alive: Family, friends, celebrities, the one that got away, fictional characters, and, even more unnervingly, pets. 

The technology behind EmbodyMe is the pre-existing Xpression Camera app, which animates photos to make it look like they’re talking. ChatGPT’s human-like responses add another ingredient to the mix. Fifty unique voices take the chaos to another level.

EmbodyMe believes the app will primarily serve as a way for businesses to make customer-chatbot interactions more personal. I think this is wishful thinking. If anything, the program makes talking to a chatbot feel even more unnatural. 

Chatting in an AI-generated text chat is terrible enough on its own. Add in an unnerving, smiling creature that stares into your soul while delivering auto-generated responses with unnatural intonation, and you’ve just had a run-in with the creepiest sales rep of all time. It’s all a bit uncanny valley.

Let’s be honest. EmbodyMe will primarily be used as a roleplay simulator for people looking to chat with their crushes. Even the app’s description supports this, proudly announcing that you can ​“build the courage to declare your feelings to your secret love by practicing with their interactive image”. Unnerving, for sure, and probably bad advice, especially when your crush doesn’t offer up exactly the same responses as an AI chatbot. 

The AI revolution is entering full swing, and I already wish we could turn back time. But let’s remain optimistic. Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to find out what’s really going on in Elon Musk’s head.

You can try EmbodyMe’s Xpression Chat today by visiting the website. Users can chat with default images for free up to five times daily. To unlock custom photos and unlimited chats, you’ll need to pay $7.99 per week or $79.99 per year. Or, if you’re feeling inclined, you can buy a lifetime subscription for $249.99. Hey, I won’t judge.

Max Walton

Born in Cardiff Wales, Max relocated to Brisbane when he was 12. He’s spent the last five years developing expertise in the Fintech industry. When he’s not posting about Web3, you’ll find him on a paddleboard.

Read more here https://www.vingle.net/d5media

#web design #web designer #wordpress

[eerna]

Sorry if this is a bit long but I do really like coming here to talk about our latest fiction gripes lol. Ok so I totally agree with you about tdp and now s5. It's definitely something that started back in s4 but I was still trying to be optimistic. The show is as wide as an ocean but about as deep as a puddle recently. Pick a lane on how mature you want the show to be writers? I love kids shows i do (I loved Nimona), and I love adult fantasy animation as well (Vox Machina). And yes no show is without flaws, but guess what, the thing that they both have in common is GOOD emotional writing and choices that don't make the audience feel stupid when watching it. The dragon prince would have been amazing if it started out as a darker more mature adult show like vox machina. But it instead WAS written with the emotional stability and thought provoking messages of being for all ages that Nimona has (seasons 1-3)! I think the time jump kinda screwed with the pacing and the writers thought older characters must mean a little less fart jokes, more horses getting eviscerated (that was something I was THROWN with lol). But writing depth is not that simple obviously, I do like the more mature fight scenes and villains(the sea captain was actually pretty cool and I wish we could've gotten more of him) but just constantly jumping back and forth between the childish schneagains of claudia and her boyfriend and then back to something more dangerous and "scary" is not a good way to try to bring in every audience age group. I'm kinda tired of the 3D art too? Imagine if the characters were animated in 2D just like all of the fantastic 2D backdrops and end credit art. Oh well i guess. I am curious what their "hard hitting" writing will turn into (even though I think you're right in that it alienates the very young audience that made the show successful?). I just wish I could go back to feeling the show gave me back in the first 3 seasons, because I still love the characters themselves.

I forgot to add cause I just thought more about it lmao. The overall Satisfaction is what is missing from tdp in these past two seasons. In seasons 1-3 what was really fun to watch was the character growth, Rayla and the boys learning to trust one another and what got everyone into this situation in the first place. Now its kinda stalled and it sorta feels like its more filler than giving us the meat we so desperately want. Like what happened in the two years Rayla was away? What are aaravos's more grand scale plans? Why do they refuse to touch more on Raylas parents and Runaan in the coins?Etc Etc Etc But nooo give us another season of slow filler and fart jokes just to get to one goal (that they honestly could have done by the middle of the season) and than we're just left with a WELP SEE YOU NEXT YEAR. Ummmm yeah thats about it off the top of my head lol

No worries, my asks are always open to ppl ranting about fiction~~

Awwww I am so so sorry you were disappointed, but yeah your gripes are valid! I have it way easier, I realized I was just charmed by the setting and none of the seasons were for me actually, but I can imagine how it must feel to want more of something you've enjoyed and only keep getting bad versions of it. You're so right that the plotline of arc 2 feels like filler- we cut back to the characters and they are STILL in some random woods STILL talking about the same stuff STILL being boring and then we do it for 18 episodes. This is where I think the show would profit fantastically from "monster of the week" format, where yeah we spend 18 episodes traveling but every episode or two delivers SOME form of a narrative conclusion. It doesn't even have to be literal monsters if they think that's too childish, it could be any kind of short, self contained stories that add up to a larger story, kind of like how a proper cartoon aimed at all ages should be lololol. Your last bit of ask 1 depicts how I feel perfectly - "I wish I could go back in time and feel the way I did during the first few seasons, also I wanna see what is soooo dark and mature that kids can't be exposed to it".

#eernask #grilledpasta #eernask talk tdp #tdp dunking

[chrysolipsist]

I think I might have the beginnings of a cold. I was working with someone who had a cold and now my nose is slightly runny and I have that feeling like I'm on the start of the rising edge of having a cold. I have a 7 hour flight, followed by another short flight, to get to my next destination. I guess if you don't hear from me again and there were any flight disasters today you can figure out real easy the general direction I was going. Whenever I am about ready to get on a plane, I like to look around the airport and think, "surely God wouldn't murder all these nice people just to get at me, would He?" Listen, if writing about this stuff in jest is bad luck, then how do I know not a single one of the other 300 people on the plane isn't trying to will the plane into crashing just to see if they can make it happen with their mind? It, naturally, makes no difference what I write down right this moment as to whether my flight is uneventful, any more than it affects any other flight. But to be honest, I wish I was going back home. I feel like I'd much rather take a week honest-to-goodness "off" than attend a conference.

I had to consume the last few gummies I had before leaving the country so they're running their course while I wait on the plane. I am having to shape the mood by switching music to something a little more optimistic. Somewhere else, I mentioned that I listen to the studio recording of "Chameleon" (with the extended 2nd half) enough that I can measure time in units of listenings of that recording. That's a good one to listen to because the first half and second half each have a very distinct feeling. The first one is just sort of like, here I am, don't we feel cool right now, and the second one gives a feeling of motion. It is a nice song to be listening to around the time you feel the plane making the turn onto the runway. That, or something that suggests the feeling of gliding.

Actually I wish I were 39,000 ft above sea level right now (in a plane, of course) just about the time they serve dinner. That would be a pretty choice situation to be in right as the thing has shifted gears on me. I note that it shifted gears right about the same time that the recording of "Chameleon" (which I'm listening to) shifted gears. I had been feeling a little more negative but now feel more positive again.

******

After having gotten up extra early for the third night in a row (that is completely miserable) -- the one fault I have in these research partners is that I am definitely not a morning person by any means. I can do it but I find it grueling, and such days are usually minimally productive for me. The creative juices are simply not flowing. I get most of my work done late at night. When there are fewer distractions and I can actually think. I worked regular hours for a number of years but that position gave me plenty of time that could be spent actually working, as opposed to sitting in meetings, few of which are of any consequence whatever. On top of getting up early I basically fast forwarded through the night by flying east. So I was up for about 24 hours I finally got to the room about mid-morning local time and snoozed for a bit. Then I got cleaned up. Now, I think after dinner, I have to do a little work. You can't get weed easily in this country and I could actually use a break. I was fine in the airport, but the novelty of experiencing the world through that lens is kind of wearing off from overuse.

The cold symptoms I was having seem to have abated at some point while I was flying. I don't know why that would be the case. I ate an entire package of Halls cough drops that alleged to have some immune boosting crap in it. Maybe it will come back later, or maybe I never actually had the cold.

[manebioniclegali]

What are your thoughts on tRoS

Okay so this has been in my askbox for four years geez I'm sorry. I apparently wrote something that I'll go ahead and paste it in below. The thoughts I had are similar to how I feel now: It could have been a much better film, but Abrams has a tendency to make mystery boxes and not plan out the ending, so the prior film threw a wrench in an already uncertain conclusion. Anyway here's the whole thing:

TROS...is a movie. Idk, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. JJ Abrams did what he could with what Ep 8 left him with, but also it's his fault that Ep 8 happened cuz of lack of planning, so he kinda dug himself in his hole. It's kinda gonna be difficult to talk about because I've only seen the movie once and I don't usually go back to theaters to rewatch films so I'm just gonna struggle; also I purposefully waited cuz I had no thoughts, but really I should have taken that as a sign that it was overall mediocre, because generally I have thoughts about a film right away if I liked it or disliked it. I did get spoiled on Ren, Leia, and Palpatine dying, but the only surprise out of the three was Ren. And even then it was like an "oh, okay then." I thought he was dead when Palpatine flung him, and I thought that was very unceremonious of the film to do that, but then he died a more noble way, so yay! I guess. Still weird he had to die, seemed kinda forced just so they could have a major character die. Which leads me to circle 'round to Chewy (we'll come back to the kiss later). I thought that was, once again, very cheap and quite unceremonious; my first thought was "Really? They're really going to kill off all the original trilogy characters?" (in this case meaning Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewy). And then they didn't let the characters mourn properly. And then they negated the anguish by having him be alive. How?! There was only one transport ship! I liked the festival planet as a concept. Ultimately the fact that a festival was happening meant nothing, though. OH, the kiss. Hooray, Reylo shippers got their wish although technically it was Ben not Ren but shshshshsh don't burst their bubble. I mean the whole scene after he crawled back up was leading up to it, and the scene earlier where she heals him had the same energy, so I'm not mad about it. [edit: still almost a bit odd though.] Her taking the last name Skywalker was so cheesy. I know cheesy things happen in Star Wars, but rarely does it ever feel so predictable [edit: in a bad way] (my reaction being "of course! of course she would"). It should have been she just...continues going by Rey. IDK, her taking the name Skywalker seems like something JJ thought was a cool idea and wasn't budging from.

The sequel trilogy is honestly kinda a bust for me. TFA is the only one that has the potential for substantial rewatchability, although even then that's dubious. (I remember going into the film thinking Finn was going to be the Jedi...)

Anyway I put the tl,dr above. Subsequent Star Wars media has been hit or miss, but I've heard good things about Andor and I still need to watch it. I'm not super optimistic about most of these other projects. The Mandalorian should have ended with season 2 and Grogu should not have returned (or the very least should have had Din go off on his own), but they don't know when to end a story I guess.

#star wars legends > modern star wars projects after swtcw (and even then that had some flaws but not quite the same as other projects) #(there were a few good things in rebels too but not the same) #i still have yet to watch the anime star wars stuff and I'm so curious to see how that turned out absjdkskj #sab answers #youvegotnomeansforwanderlust #bet you weren't expecting this ask to be answered after all this time huh lol #sorry it was kinda long that's how it was always gonna be though

[no-gays-in-russia]

Melodifestivalen final tops: 2003

10. TKO (Knock You Out)- Bubbles: who leaked the tape of my best friends and I putting on a show for our moms in the early 2010s?

9. Bye Bye- Barbados: if there is two things I like about Barbados, that’s that they sing in Swedish, and Magnus Carlsson. This song has neither.

8. Genom Eld Och Vatten- Sarek: I know this is a big fan favourite, but it just sounds really chaotic to me. I will be honest- I could find positive things about it, but it sounds so cacophonous that I cannot focus on anything else. 

7. Crazy In Love- Jill Johnson: honestly this song is not even that bad, it’s quite solid and was clearly written by someone who knows what they’re doing, and it’s enjoyable too... But you know when there are certain things that make you so angry for no reason at all? Like, they just make your blood fucking boil? This is it. 

6. Aqua Playa- Afro-Dite: this is really good- they’re always charismatic and so entertaining to watch, perfect vocals and amazing harmonies, catchy and fun song. The issue is that this came directly the year after they won with Never Let It Go- and damn, that song is AMAZING. It’s inevitable to compare the two and it’s inevitable that this one will lose. 

5. Maria- Östen Med Resten: when I tell you I am obsessed with this? They sing in Spanish and Swedish, are dressed like mariachi, and have this incredibly fun song that has absolutely no reason to exist but to be entertaining? Bye this is everything I love about Melodifestivalen. 

4. Hela Världen För Mig- Sanna Nielsen: I never cared for this until I actually sat down and took some time to listen to the whole song and actually focus on it. Nice, very optimistic sounding ballad, definitely sounds like something out of a Disney movie. I always found it a bit basic and repetitive, and thought that despite the nice melody and good structure it doesn’t really have anything setting it apart- but I’ve started thinking Sanna’s stunning vocals almost (almost) make up for it. Her crystalline voice and clean technique fit a song like this perfectly, and her runs and variations actually add something interesting and captivating to it. 

3. Let Your Spirit Fly- Pernilla Wahlgren & Jan Johansen: I find this song very similar to Hela Världen För Mig, in the sense that with the simple and positive lyrics, clean vocals and sweet melody it feels like something you could find in a Disney movie. I think what makes me like this one a bit better is mostly the fact that it is a duet- I think duets, especially male-female, are almost always a winning choice because having two people singing instead of one is the simplest way to introduce variation and prevent the song from being plain and boring. Here, in particular, the contrast between Pernilla’s light and soft voice, and Jan’s more low and raspy one, works really well in making the song dynamic. 

2. Give Me Your Love- Fame: I don’t know what to tell you other than this is a bop. 

1. Not A Sinner Nor A Saint- Alcazar: I-C-O-N-I-C. No bye this is perfect and the fact that it didn’t win makes me absolutely LIVID. First of all, so iconic that Magnus Carlsson just ditched his former band and competed straight against them, coming in third while they got last? Shit that only happens in Sweden and that’s why I love this country. Brilliant structure with the piano intro and soft harmonised vocals, then more upbeat instrumental intro, I love the alternation in the verses with Andreas’s part/Magnus’s part/Tess and Annika’s part. If I have one complaint, it would be that I wish Tess and Annika harmonised their part, like they did in later concerts after Lina replaced Annika- with them both singing the melody it sounds a little flat. But this song is so well-written and exciting, with overall great vocals and harmony, amazing structure and it is just so iconic, 10/10 should have gone to Eurovision. 

#eurovision #esc #eurovision 2003 #esc 2003 #esc sweden #eurovision sweden #eurovision swe #esc swe #eurovision sverige #esc sverige #melodifestivalen #mello #melfest #melodifestivalen 2003 #melfest 2003 #mello 2003