#'can you look if they have this book in the store?' - sends me the link that literally shows if that book is in the store

[zarafey]

My mom: do NOT bother your sister with unimportant things right now bc she has a school exam tomorrow!

Also my mom: calls ME 3 times because of highly unimportant stuff and then starts venting to me about whatever 2 days before i have a big uni exam.

[magalhaessims]

DEL SOL BOULEVARD - MAXIS-MATCH CC BUILD

NOT CC FREE 

Lot Type: Thrift And Bubble Tea Store | Retail

Size: 30x30

World: Del Sol Valley

Enable bb.moveobjects before placing in your game!

📺 WATCH THE SPEED BUILD HERE ✨

Origin ID: MagalhaesSims (remember to enable custom content on!) DOWNLOAD

CC USED IN THIS BUILD:

NOTE: For convenience, some of the CC is included in the Download Folder. Please put it in your Mods Folder along with the CC linked below.

Charly Pancakes: Lavish | Miscellanea | Modish | Munch 01 & 02 | Soak | The Lighthouse Collection || TheClutterCat: Baby Boo | Dandy Diary | Mermaid Mansion | On The Edge | Snuggle Set | Sunny Sundae || Felixandre: Berlin | Chateau | Grove Set | Shop The Look 01 - 03 | Soho || Harrie: Brownstone | Brutalist Bathroom | Halcyon Kitchen | Klean | Kwatei | Octave | Shop The Look 02 & 03 | Spoons || House Of Harlix: Baysic Collection & Bathroom | Harluxe | Kichen 2 Point 1 | Livin'Rum | Orjanic | The Bafroom | The Kichen || KKB-MM: My Cherish Things: Kitchen || LittleDica: Arcane | Chic Bathroom | Delicious Kitchen | Greasy Goods | H&B Store | Rise&Grind | Sleek Slumber || Max20: Cozy Bathroom Kit | Poolside Lounge (Plants) || MLys: Pufferhead Stuff Pack || Peacemaker-ic: Bowed Bedroom | Bowed Living | Creta Kitchen | Furrowed Plaster Wall | Geometric Mural Wall || Pierisim: Auntie Vera Bathroom | Calderone | Coldbrew Coffee Shop | Combles | David Apartment | MCM House | Oak House | Pantry Party | Stefan | Tilable Kitchen | Woodland Ranch || S-imagination: Nota Living Room | Rutland Kitchen || Sixam-CC: Home Office (Printer) | Hotel Bedroom (Hair Brush) | Private School (Water Fountain) || Someone-Elsa: Passion By Judith Ward Collection || Surely-Sims: Kitchen Of Tomorrow (Nuka Cola) || Syboulette: Fabulous | Happy Stairways | Love Is In The Air | Neighborly | Nothing To Wear | Pavilion || Taurus Design: Judith Living Room || Tuds: Beam Living | Ema Living

The CC Sets above are the main ones I used to decorate this specific building and you can find all the links to the creators’ sites on my Resource Page. However, if you can’t find something specific, you can send me a WCIF and I’ll try to help you find it!

HOW TO MAKE THIS LOT FUNCTIONAL:

For the Boba Tea Store, I've added the ThriftTea Bubble Tea Counter created by @srslysims. It features the same animation and interactions as the vanilla version but without the bulky counter it comes with.

For the Clothing Store, I recommend using the Fashion Store Mod by Nando. I've placed interactive mirrors in the changing cabins so your Sims can actually buy clothes from them.

For the Sephora Store, I'm utilizing the Functional Perfumes by @aroundthesims along with the Saleabration Store Mod by @ravasheencc, allowing your Sims to buy and use them! Additionally, I've included the New Styling Station (Chair) by @aroundthesims so your Sims can enjoy a little makeover at the store.

For the Bookstore, I'm incorporating both the Retail Therapy Mod by @ravasheencc and the Self-Service Kiosk by @aroundthesims, enabling your Sims to purchase books within the store. You don't have to have both mods installed if you don't want to; either one will suffice!

For a more immersive experience with this lot, I highly suggest downloading LittleMsSam’s Auto Employees Mod. With this mod, NPCs will automatically work at the lot once you place the correct object for them to appear.

Make sure to read all the information available on the mods' pages in order to ensure they work properly in your game!

My content will always be free and right away available to everyone, but if you want to, you can show your support through my Ko-Fi Page. Your donation will always be much appreciated!

Thank you for reblogging: @maxismatchccworld @mmoutfitters @mmfinds @s4realtor @coffee-houses-finds and everyone else for helping me boost this post!

[absfawn]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤcamgirl!ellie headcanons ! 𝟏𝟖+

a/n: hihi! this is something that me and @coeurify have been working on for like the past week or more. this is just a small first installment to our camgirl!ellie. we’ve spent a while sending ideas back and forth, sharing as we go and this is what we came up with. sooo, i hope that you enjoy our little camgirl!ellie headcanons. ilysm, thank you for creating this lil universe with me ♡

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who you’ve been dating for almost a year and you were always under the impression she worked at a local music store or simply at a comic book store when that was far from the truth. And she genuinely can’t help but get shy and nervous when you finally figure out what she actually does, on a day when you accidentally walk into her bedroom after a quick shift at work to find her sprawled out on your shared bed, hair messy, perky nipples hard, hips stuttering with each movement and her fingers buried in her cunt. The sounds of her pussy and soft yet gentle whimpers filled the silence of the bedroom while she looked at you with wide, doe eyes.

“well aren’t you just a sight, baby? If me coming home from work every day means i get to see you being a needy little slut, i’m definitely not complaining”

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who one night decides to sit down with you after you shockingly walked in on her during one of her live streams on one evening after a long day of work, and dinner that she felt that it was the right time to explain to you what she really did as her job. The whole time she was watching you nervously as she explained, her fingers twitching and cheeks flushed the longer you just nodded along to her words, not really replying with anything of your own, but clearly paying attention to what she was saying.

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who sometimes, on ‘certain’ nights that she knows you won’t be home from work at your usual time because you pick up extra shifts, will set up her camera in the bedroom, computer left untouched beside her, the donations already flowing the second she goes live but barely noticing what any of them say while she shamelessly scrolls through her phone, most likely looking through the pictures you’ve taken for her and only her, as she works her fingers in and out of her cunt, the soft whimpers and the sound of her pussy quickly filling the bedroom and that breathless chuckle she lets out when she’s found herself on your text messages and can barely stop herself from being a brat and sending you the link to her stream. Knowing damn well you’ll be trying to keep yourself together while at work the second you open it.

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who can’t help but clench her thighs tightly around her hand when hearing the certain donation sound going off on her computer that she almost dropped the phone onto her face when she turns just slightly to notice your high amount donation for the night. You were always donating to her, and telling her what to do, and she loved it. Some nights you were ruthless with your demands but other times you were so gentle with them. just loving the she sounds lets out when her fingers would reach that spongey spot inside her that has her eyes rolling back and thighs shaking and the way her face contorts in pleasure would have you losing your mind. Ellie loved all the donations and love she was given from the people who enjoyed what she made and what she did, but she adored and cherished yours the most.

☆ “There you go baby, spread your legs wider, wanna see all of you”

☆ “I bet you wish those were my fingers, don’t you baby? riding my fingers until you can barely think straight huh? Just need to be taken care of and fucked until you only know my name”

☆ “Oh, you’re doing so well, such a good pup”

☆ “Don’t be shy now baby, rub your pretty little clit for me while you fuck yourself, i know you can take it”

☆ “You’re so wet, been thinkin’ about me huh?”

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who definitely gets really shy when you do join one of her cam streams. You usually sit on the chair behind the camera, leaning back against the soft cushion while your eyes trail slowly between her shaking thighs, watching how she fucks her fingers in and out of her cunt at your demanded pace. Your own wetness no doubt pooling between your own thighs at the sounds of her needy whines, the slick sounds coming from her pussy, and the pathetic yet adorable pleas coming from her lips for you to touch her, always has you throwing any sense out the window as you always gave into her. “so pretty like this, baby” you coo, chuckling under your breath when her hips buck up into you when your fingers graze her thigh. “need my fingers don’t you, sweet girl? how about you use your words for me, hm? wouldn’t wanna disappoint all your viewers now would you? or disobey me by not using your words”

“n-no mommy” she whimpers, face flushed, tears stained on her cheeks and thighs twitching as your fingers slide down her stomach. “want your fingers— need them, please”

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who once she started letting you in on her… peculiar job.. just can't stop. She’s addicted. Addicted to the sight of your eyes behind the camera. Addicted to how you lounge on the couch and lick over your lips, nodding her on to that beautiful spacey feeling that takes over when she’s under your gaze. So addicted that she’s needy for you to be there when she films. She whines and begs for you to be there. Whether behind the little camera she’d saved up for, or planted right on the bed with her, face between her plush thighs— for all her viewers to watch, to see while she gets ruined.

“Where are you?” She’d huff over the phone, chewing on her cracked lip. “ ‘M at work baby, told you it’d be a late day.” Your fingers swirling around the phone cord in your office, smiling at the barely there whine in her voice. 

“But i want to film,” she would complain, squeezing her heated thighs together at the chuckle you responded with. “So film?” 

“Never cum as hard when you aren’t here.” 

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who has the idea one day to fuck you on camera. she’s shifting around on the scratchy green couch in your shared apartment, her head in your lap, fingers running through the auburn locks of hair. She’s so fidgety about it, kicking her feet, playing with her fingers, shivering too hard when you scratch at her scalp. just the thought of being on top of you has her stomach all tight, cheeks all flushed.

“why are you moving around so much?” 

“I- uh, nothing.” 

“spit it out, el.” 

“I have an idea.”

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who you actually let wear the strap, laying back on the white sheets of the bed, head tilted as you watch her shaking hands tighten the harness over her plaid boxers, a little smile on your lips when she stumbles toward you. “Gonna be good for me, make me feel good?” you coo as she pulls your hips flat against the bed, her heartbeat almost loud enough for you to hear. her fingers playing over your black panties. “mhm mommy, please let me.” she would beg, voice loud enough for the camera to hear. the minute she spoke, the minute her calloused hands spread your thighs, hooked around your panties, the donations start pouring in.

“can i go faster?” in a sweet little beg. 

“p-please, please need—need to make you cum.” 

“fuck— mommy you’re so wet. feel s’good.”

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie whose viewers are just obsessed with you as she is. The views are always doubled, the chimes of the donations always steadfast when you join the auburn haired girl behind the screen, or when your voice fills the dimmed bedroom. So what’s better than a stream where they get to donate to you? Your fingers running over Ellie’s sticky and swollen folds, humming as you wait for the next donation to come in, to help you decide what to do to the squirming girl under you, begging for anything more than the slow and steady rub you give her throbbing core. Her soft cries do nothing but build up that blazing power that settles over your flesh when you see her like this. So desperate for you. 

“please put ‘em in, pl-please pleaseplease.” 

“its not me you’ve gotta beg baby, your viewers like teasing just as much as me.”

“what should i do next?” ding “ahh, see that baby? they’re finally letting me put a finger in that sweet pussy of yours.” 

꒰ ♡ ꒱ camgirl!ellie who wants nothing more than to just crawl under the covers and sleep after the camera flicks off. But you always press kisses to her cheek, murmuring soft praises against her sweaty skin as you clean off her thighs and pinch her cheeks open so she will drink the water you press against her lips. “You’re my perfect girl,” you tell her as you press new boxers up and over her shaky legs. “Did so good for me today, get some rest.” But she always pulls you right in with her, tattooed arm flexing as she tugs you against the comforter and presses her red cheek against your skin, seeking the comfort of you.

tags; @fleshunger @baumbii

[kirkscarr]

ok so i just finished my book cover for First, Best Destiny - Part 1 by the amazing @ophelia-j !!

admittedly i was going to wait until i actually attached the text block to the cover before i posted this haha, but i was SO excited after making this cover that i decided to just post it and then update with the finished product later!!

this book is absolutely embedded in my soul, and words cannot even describe how gorgeously it’s written. it’s a book that made me realize - hey, the adventure doesn’t end as you grow old.

you can read it here. i promise you won’t regret it!!!

anyways!!! here’s all of my other bookbinding steps for anyone interested.

cam’s somewhat incomplete bookbinding guide

please note that i am an AMATEUR hobbyist. please do not actually use this as a tutorial.

oh also!! bookbinding terminology will have a * by it which will be explained at the end in order to make this flow better. i’ll also link the tutorials i used at the end of this for anyone interested.

1) Formatting the document! I downloaded the original text as a PDF, and then designed a cover page, grabbed some art from the internet (i know, frowned upon, but this is just a personal copy so it is what it is), and then designed a table of contents and chapter icons!!

*side note! i added which episodes each chapter follows to the table of contents (pictured below) as this book was written as an accompaniment to TOS and the movies.

2) Next, I printed out all NINE HUNDRED PAGES??? admittedly i could have done it in less if I’d used a bigger page size, but sending things out to be printed is expensive so we made do. after printing, i folded them into signatures*.

*there’s an additional note about the paper i used at the end

3) punching out holes in all the signatures! although not technically necessary, I honestly don’t think i would’ve been able to sew this behemoth without doing it.

4) sewing the pages into a real!! actual!! book!! this was the part i was most nervous about. i’ve NEVER attempted to sew anywhere near this large of a book before, so i tried out a new method of sewing in hopes of making it a bit more sturdy. we won’t know if it worked until this book endures some wear and tear, but i’m pretty optimistic!

5) next up is glueing the spine! this is where it really hit me that a lot of bookbinding is just…glueing shit together. later i also added cardstock to the spine in hopes of helping it adhere to the cover better, and a book headband* for decoration.

5) now we’re onto the book cover!! they only sell bookboard in minor bulk around here, so we’re not even gonna discuss how much bookboard i now own… anyways! i glued the faux leather onto the bookboard and then let that dry.

6) last up! off to the cricket! a huge thank you to my friend for letting me borrow her cricket AND supplies! anywho, this is where i designed my cover art. i then adhered the design to the cover. after this step, i realized i…definitely need some kind of sealant - so, if any more seasoned bookbinders have suggestions for this i am all ears!!

all in all, this was a super fun project, and a great way to kill some time while i recover from surgery! i absolutely plan to bind the sequel at some point, but that may be a…ways away. i’m a STEM major and school starts back up soon so…time will be in short supply lol!

To be continued...

Terminology

*signature: group of sheets folded in half, to be worked into the binding as a unit.

*book headband: just look up a picture if you’re curious because tumblr says i can't add any more pictures lol.

*about the paper!! i actually got it from a local specialty paper store, but if you want something similar i've heard amazon has some good bookbinding alternatives!

Tutorials

please PLEASE go check out Jess Less on youtube. she's phenomenal. here are her vids and what i used them for.

don't laugh!! i actually stole MOST of my techniques straight from this video.

i used this one to help me format the book correctly! although i still ended up with some goofs haha (see: any pages on the left side have the page number in the margin LMAO).

[jmtorres]

Hi, this is random, but would you mind sharing more about your gut issues/long covid? (I.e. diagnosis, treatment). I have chronic fatigue, and gut issues that are definitely linked to that, but all of my doctors are being extremely useless about it. (No worries if this is not the kind of info you want to share with a total stranger on the internet)

(This is in reference to my comment on this post)

@reptilerex I appreciate you recognizing the sensitivity of this ask, I am going to go ahead and answer it because I feel like the likelihood that you or someone you know (or even others of my readers) are struggling with long covid and finding adequate medical help vastly outweighs the minuscule probability that you've hacked into HIPAA records and are planning to dox me lol

so in the immediate aftermath of my first bout of covid (despite vaxxing and masking regularly, I'm up to two now 😭) my obvious symptoms were fatigue – going to the grocery store would wear me out for 2+ days – and a 20 year-old scar from a car accident reopened, which sounds like some scurvy ass bullshit, and I do wonder if the fact that my friend @niqaeli, who knew that long covid symptoms are highly correlated with MCAS symptoms and was encouraging me to start MCAS otc treatments like vitamin C supplements, helped. (worth noting that while I didn't hear anything about old scars reopening as a covid/post covid thing before it happened to me, but when I told people about it, they were like "oh yeah, that happened to me or someone I know" SO often) My doctor sent me to a wound specialist for that, and they kept poking it trying to figure out if there was some embedded shrapnel that they hadn't realized was in there originally, but ultimately it just healed back over much redder and angrier than the first time.

so then, the fatigue. My doctor had me wait three months because it wasn't officially long covid until three months. obnoxious as hell. I found out the DMV accepts long covid for a disability placard reason and got my doctor to write me a DMV form about how I couldn't walk hardly any distance. she was willing to do that before the three month mark.

I was Johnny on the spot coming back three months after, the first thing she did was send me for a chest x-ray because the obvious/expected reason for fatigue is you're not getting enough O2 in your blood. There was nothing wrong with my lungs and we were kind of at a dead end until I presented my doctor with more options.

I mean, I was kind of like, my PCP is being useless, I have a PPO, why can't I just go directly to a specialist, but it turns out specialist won't take you without a referral because reasons. I had heard rheumatologist is as good at figuring out weird vague shit so I tried to book there but when I told them long covid, they said that wasn't their department. They said I needed to go see an immunologist which sounded wrong to me, but there was a pretty good HIV specialist immunologist in the area that I tried to book with who said no that's not what long covid is. someone recommended a Long Covid Specialty clinic in a city that is 2 to 5 hours away depending on traffic and I knew I wasn't making that drive in my current condition so was like somebody local gotta help me.

so I went back to my PCP and said to her that I had learned from disability communities online that sometimes a rheumatologist can be helpful. And she said OK we can do some blood tests for inflammation markers to see if I can justify a referral to a rheumatologist. (and I thought of my weird scar issue and thought gee I better have some weird inflammation markers)

So I had some inflammation markers pop and I got a referral to a rheumatologist, and they were actually willing to see me. The rheumatologist ordered so many tests, like an unbelievable number of tests. I think they drew like eight vials of blood. Plus other samples. The rheumatologist was basically like let's look for anything and everything.

I had a borderline response on Calprotectin. To quote from the explainer in the test notes:

Calprotectin in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis can be five to several thousand times above the reference population (50 mcg/g or less). Levels are usually 50 mcg/g or less in healthy patients and with irritable bowel syndrome.

so I wasn't high enough to qualify for IBD outright from that test results, but I was high enough that it flagged to the rheumatologist, and I had reported a family history (brother has IBD), so he said that was enough to diagnose and started prescribing me for that.

The thing is, rheumatology is an ass backwards way to get an IBD diagnosis and I was having another symptom that I hadn't reported because I was a dumbass and this is the apocryphal frog boiling slowly thing. I was having fairly regular loose stool/diarrhea. if I had told my PCP that could I have gotten a referral to a gastroenterologist and gotten a less ass backwards diagnosis?

I hadn't told my PCP about loose stools for two reasons:

I didn't think it was relevant to the fatigue, and in fact, I still didn't think it was relevant when the rheumatologist called it, and I was really surprised when taking medication for IBD did actually turn out to help the fatigue

I knew I was lactose intolerant, so I thought it was already explained. However, the rheumatologist and I had this exchange:

Him: so do you still drink regular milk or just Lactaid?

Me: Lactaid

Him: then you shouldn't still be having diarrhea

Me:…

I can't remember the first med he started me on because I was only on it for a couple of weeks before we had to switch. (it helped a lot when I could tolerate it but about every three days I had to throw up and then I felt awful and didn't take the med for a couple of days and you can guess how that went.) the one that I went on long-term that actually worked without side effects for me was mesalamine/lialda. I also started experimenting with some dietary changes, the low FODMAP diet is intended for IBS not IBD, but you are still expected to have IBD triggers so I was playing around with that.

for a few weeks, I had incredible improving energy. It was crazy.

then I made what I can only now think of as a mistake in trying to be proactive about my care. because I had stumbled ass backwards into an IBD diagnosis and I felt like I should have gastroenterologist confirm it, and I went to go see my brother's gastroenterologist. he wanted to do a colonoscopy and he asked me to go off the mesalamine for six weeks so that he could see what my colon was like without treatment and it was the worst fucking six weeks of my life. Hated it. colonoscopy results: he didn't see anything fucking wrong and would not diagnose IBD or prescribe mesalamine based on what he found. I said, but the mesalamine improves my symptoms, what does that mean? He said, it means keep seeing your rheumatologist.

I went back to the rheumatologist and told him about the whole debacle with the gastroenterologist and he was like "so how did he explain your inflammation readings?" like CHECKMATE. And he concluded that any lesions I had must be in the small intestine, not the large intestine and so were not seen by colonoscopy.

I kept taking mesalamine. My improvement was slower after the break from it which sucks but I did get back to normal lab work within six months, hallelujah.

Follow up: MORE stuff that might have been avoided if I had gastroenterologist regularly, had gotten an IBD diagnosis from a gastroenterologist, or had mentioned my shitty symptoms in the immediate: the gallbladder bullshit this summer

I had my second round of covid in May and I didn't notice a lot of fatigue coming out of it, though I was more cautious with myself the second time around, but I was sort of holding my breath for what horrible nonsense is going to come out of this now? so then I had what I thought was a really bad case of Gerd that didn't go away for two weeks even though my Gerd usually resolves in like a day. I went to my PCP twice during this period and then ultimately ended up at the ER when I realized my pain was in my side not central anymore and I was worried about appendicitis. It wasn't appendicitis. It was my gallbladder. and it came out that night. overall, I am very happy with how the hospital handled the emergency for instance, I didn't realize until two weeks later that I seriously could've died because they were so calm about it the whole time but like they don't do same-day surgery unless death is on the line, let's be real.

but here's things that could have been helped if I had better gastroenterology care:

I didn't find this out until I was researching gallstones after the fact, and I would like to think a gastroenterologist would have warned me whereas the rheumatologist wasn't super aware of it but: IBD can lead to gallstones because one of the ways a cholesterol gallstone forms is, if you get an imbalance of bile and cholesterol in your gallbladder; your body wants to recycle bile by reabsorbing it at the end of your small intestine, but if you have IBD, sometimes it loses the bile instead of reabsorbing it, and then you get an overabundance of cholesterol, turning into a gallstone the size of a golf ball

I told my PCP it was a case of Gerd that wouldn't go away, but I didn't tell her I was also having diarrhea. Diarrhea is not a Gerd symptom. Maybe if I had just fucking told her she might've recognized or could've sent me to somebody who would have recognized it as a gallbladder symptom before it turned into an immediate emergency

tl;dr don't hide your gut symptoms from your doctor because you "think" you know what's wrong with your guts or that it's not related to your other problems or you're embarrassed or what the fuck ever just tell them that you're shitting yourself because it might turn out to be important

[see-arcane]

Happy Friday the 13th!

Time for some updates.

Plushies

I promise I have not forgotten the little guys-in-potentia. I’ve just been going through many circles of Hell trying to find a decent manufacturer that isn’t operating on some secret ‘Sorry, We Only Work with Brands ™ and Influencers ©, Enjoy Sending Half a Dozen Queries to Our Inbox-Void, You Little Nobody~ <3’ rule. So that was fun. But, finally, I think I’ve found a prospective maker. The issue?

The smallest bulk order is a 50-count. $30 each, roughly. Just for one. 30 x 50 = at least $1,500. If I try to do Mina and Jonathan (DO NOT SEPARATE), that’s 100 plushies. $3,000.

And that’s without dealing with the logistics of storing all the dang things, figuring out shipping costs depending on where I’d be mailing them (not including the packaging), and figuring out how to fairly price them without also gutting everyone’s wallets while we’re all broke.

Fundraising options like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Backerkit all look like the only solid way to go here, but they come with their own caveats.

I need some kind of prototype to have on display, not just the concept. The manufacturer I have in mind does provide a physical prototype prior to going to work on bulk orders, but I’d need to talk with them about the what-ifs involved if a fundraiser fails to drop enough cash to afford the full order.

I still need to figure out what a fair funding target would be that would cover cost of manufacturing/shipping/etc and I do not know that magic number.

Tiers? Do I do tiers with this? If so, how do I portion those out dollar-wise? What goodies can I throw in that would sweeten the deal? At the moment all I have is my writing.

Argh.

Really, 4) kind of sums up the whole thing at the moment. I really, really want to make all my assorted little guys come to cuddly life, but the numbers involved are looking more complicated than pi, especially when I—(frankly, all of us)—have Zero Money to gamble away. If I’m off by one (1) digit that means the difference between ‘Yes, I can pay for manufacturing and shipping and et ceteras no problem!’ and ‘WHOOPS SURPRISE YOU’RE PAYING AN EXTRA FEE OUT OF POCKET NOW BECAUSE YOU DID NUMBER WRONG, HA HA.’ Add that to the fact that I really don’t have anything tangible to pin to hypothetical tiers just now?

I’m afraid the plush Harkers (along with Quinn Morse and his new accessory) have to go on a back shelf for the time being.

But, for a more positive note…

October Scares and Scribbles

I plan to have a Substack in place sometime within October. It will include not just Harker’s current helping of chapters, but…

A new Harker teaser

Backups of some older stuff

[REDACTED] as a little Halloween treat

A generally tidier domain to keep my scattered scrawling in order

As it stands, I don’t feel comfortable turning it into a paid subscription Substack. I won’t be doing clockwork updates and what I will have up won’t be worth a routine fee. I’ll likely have a Ko-Fi link up as a sort of tip jar, but that’ll be that.

Speaking of money…

Maybe Making Merch?

Turns out the options for making less complicated bric-a-brac than stuffed animals are…less complicated. Imagine that. I’ve also been poking around looking at possibilities for stationery, bookmarks, cups, assorted bits and bobs. You know the Dracula Cast(ula) was made for journals and coffee mugs. However, I need to know what kind of designs folks would want to see. So:

The prospects here are much less stressful as far as puzzling out details goes, so I feel a little better about chewing on this. Still need to settle on Official Designs, but I’d wave those around for folks to see first.

All that said?

Argh

Because it bears repeating.

You’ll notice I haven’t laid out exact dates or timeframes for any of this stuff. That’s because I’m still neck-deep in the job hunt, along with grappling with the possibility of having to burn more money on new courses to enter a field I hate, but looks to be one of few career paths that will actually pay me more than pocket change. Said positions not even being guaranteed to still be in the same shape once I’m out of class. Same as my last job.

In four months, I’ll have been applying for a solid year. Every day. All to positions that either send copy-paste rejections, ghost outright, turn out to be thin veils for scams, or, most fun prospect, aren’t even real, because companies keep putting up false job openings to look like they’re expanding. My time has alternated between this and writing and trying not to look at my bank account. Between that and anxiety bordering on nausea concerning the upcoming election, my Halloween vibes are pretty bruised too.

It has. Not been the best time.

But the best part of it is still going on. Because that part is you guys. The people who’ve enjoyed my nonsense. The people who’ve actually dropped some bucks my way on Ko-Fi or bought my book! The people who’ve encouraged me for ages and have turned out to be some of the coolest folks a fellow bookworm could hope for. Thank you.

I hope you’ll cross your fingers for me going forward.

Postscript

I’m also working on the rough draft for this thing. Whether I can get it up on the platform I’d like or not, it will see daylight even if I have to drag it outside myself.

Living’s not cheap, but complaining is free. >:}

[maleficentmrsofallevil]

ADHSquirrel project time

In true disorganized jumping-bean-brain fashion, I've got multiple projects going at once. I prefer this, actually - I like to cycle through things when brain screams "No more focus on this!"

In no apparent order:

Dollhouse nostalgia: this is a cheap, bad kit from the 90s alternately known as the Greenleaf Allison or the Whitney Cambridge dollhouse. It's made of balsa wood, and the wood warps if you look at it sideways.

I put one together when I was (much, much) younger, and then we threw it away when it started to fall apart. Now I want it back - but this time, I want to put it together so it's a lot more stable.

Plans: reinforce exterior load-bearing walls by creating faux clapboard siding and quoins (the corner pieces) like this:

I found craft wood sheets that are 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick, and I'll be cutting them in 1/2 to 1-inch strips and gluing them to the exterior walls. Then paint and seal. I also like the raised decorations on the window sills and shutters. Hopefully, I have enough craft sheets to do that, too. I got the kind of sheets that are thin enough to cut with a craft knife, and I've got rulers for days. Dreading the sanding, though. So much sanding. Also, I've been researching putting together dollhouses, and I learned that it's better to dry fit the whole thing, secure in place with masking tape, and then glue stuff together. This is - very smart.

Sewing: continues apace. Pattern pieces are cut out for this Requiem Art Design Renaissance gown.

I'll be doing the long, fitted sleeves. The pattern is made for knit fabric, but I'm using a woven fabric (silk dupioni I've been told, but I am not entirely certain what that is), so I incorporated the seam/hem allowances into the edges. I'm not linking to this pattern again, because it has... issues. Let's call them issues. (I'll be sending a write-up of my feedback to the designer once I've finished.)

I've cut out the pattern pieces. Now I'm tracing them onto cereal box cardboard to make pattern "blocks" - then I'll trace them onto yet more paper after I add 1/4-inch seam/hem allowances. I'm also planning to use washable markers to trace the actual patterns onto the fabric. I want to see if the marker actually washes out.

Next up: cutting cheap fabric for a toile/muslin, aka a practice run. Sewing machine has been cleaned and is in good operating condition.

Dress fabric:

I'm using the one on the right for the dress, and the one in the middle (a gorgeous copper in person) for the arm bands and sleeve linings. It's going to be for my Feeple60 girls.

Poor Ria.

Face-ups/blushing: every time I'm in the mood to go downstairs and work on face-ups and blushing, my ankle decides to be a little diva and inform me that under no circumstances will I be able to take the stairs today. This is exceptionally frustrating, but such are the joys of aging, I suppose.

Craftorama room: even more stuff has been cleared out of the master bedroom in preparation for upcoming staycation, when we'll move into the MBR and create Craftorama room. My office has been totally taken over by dolls, and I love it. I walk into the office to work, and all my lovely girls are here to keep me company. Cleaning books off bookshelves and filling a box to donate to the local library/thrift store, so I'll have shelf space for my dolls. Cuz priorities.

I am so excited for Craftorama room; I will not shut up about it. No more ankle-diva-no-stairs. I can close the door and work - no worries about cats trying to play with (and possibly get injured by) sewing notions. And I can finally, FINALLY, restring in peace.

[snek-panini]

Today is a day for books. Or one book, anyway. This is Close to Home, So Far Away, a Good Omens fic by Mercury Starlight. It's a memory loss/alteration fic with a lot of angst (for real, mind the tags if you decide to give this one a try) but oh my gosh, it's wonderful. Tasty tasty angst. It is unfinished but don't let that deter you, the biggest angstiest plotline is resolved enough to be satisfying. The last update was in 2021, so it's a pre-season 2 kind of angst instead of the new canon flavor.

I love the way the cover came out on this one. It's gold HTV on dark green book cloth and I'm in love with the simplicity. It reminds me of the very pretty books I find in used book stores sometimes, that have enchanting covers but are often either impenetrable to read, very fragile, or out of my budget. But this one is none of those things, it's exactly as compelling as its cover makes it seem. There were originally supposed to be more gold swirly bits in the corners but I made the lines too thin and my cricut ate them. I thought about re-cutting them but I liked the way it looked without them so much I just left them off.

More pics under the cut!

This is a coptic binding, which is my preferred style for unfinished fics. The spine has no covering and no glue, so technically if the author decides to update it again I can cut the stitching, add more pages, and re-stitch for an updated book without having to make an entirely new one. The downside is that glue can help mitigate swell at the spine, and without it I had issues. I squished this thing for days, it got very flat, and it fluffed right back up again after stitching. The book is about 250 pages and I think that's the upper limit using the methods and materials I have. I want to try it again with short grain paper and see if that helps.

Downside to coptic binds: you can see right through them in between signatures, and when you're used to other types of books it sends a panicked "my book is broken!" signal to the brain.

Upside to coptic binds: pretty colorful stitches down the center of each signature. I love how the bronze looks with the green cover and the shiny cover lining. Because there's no glue in the text block you can't do regular endpapers here. I think this is called a doublure.

Title page, first chapter, and a new thing I tried. All the art assets came from rawpixel. The thing on the first chapter page is the extra swirly bit that was supposed to go on the cover. I think I made it too big here? I'm not sure. Graphic design is not my passion and I am learning it only reluctantly XD The last image is unique to this fic. There's a reference to a specific form in the story, which the author created and linked as a PDF, and I really wanted to include it, so I put it in an appendix at the end. I really like having it there and plan to incorporate more stuff like it in future binds, if I can.

I think that's it for this bind! I hope you like it, @yeswevegotavideo!

[aspens-apothecary]

Burnout and Witchcraft

Hey all! So I don't know about you, but recently I've been having a rough time keeping up with my craft. From medical issues, to work schedules, to trying to balance work/life, making room for your craft can be super difficult. Especially when you're neurodivergent.

These are a few things I've been doing to help!

Limiting Screentime

Alot of my books that I use for my craft I have downloaded in my phone. Usually, it makes it difficult to stay on task, but I've been using an app that let's me pick specific apps that I can use and essentially locks the rest of them. It's very helpful with keeping me focused!(it's called minimalist phone!)

I hope that's helpful!

Watching witchtok or my favorite YouTube practitioners

I've found that it's very helpful to look around and find some practitioners online that you relate too or maybe practice in the same area you do/want too! My personal faves are The Norse Witch on YouTube and Rosemary (rosemaryswitchery) on tiktok(Rosemary also has an amazing discord server with tons of resources and other witches, along with weekly events and things, you can find the link on their tiktok!)

Browsing at my local Metaphysical Store

It's a great way to find new books, ingredients, tools and meet new and like-minded people! It always motivates me to jump back in!

Feel free to add more tips and tricks in the tags!

I'm always looking for more friends to practice/learn with! Send me a dm!

[loopholes-and-wishes]

that's so cool that you study sex + psychology!! i think that stuff is sooo interesting, esp as an ace person - i joke that sex and especially kink are one of my special interests. at the very least it's a lens through which i love exploring my other interests! i don't suppose you have any recs for like interesting books or articles that are suitable for an amateur in the field? learning some actual theory seems super fun!

Oooohhh my god you have activated my trap card. I get to talk about some of my favourite documentaries. So!! So!! Most of the time I can't rec books as they tend to be very specific to subsections in fields such as shibari, BDSM, Dark Triads, taboo subject matters (Philias), and similar subject! But for an over view, I can recommend Psychology of Human Sexuality by Justin J. Lehmiller which is the textbook I used for my own classes as it gives an overview of every general field of sexuality.

But! But! I can give some specific documentaries as suggestions! First, I would suggest the video "The wheel of consent" by betty martin on youtube! It has a very interesting perspective on consent and how the different variations of it can play out in sexual scenes as well as platonic scenes. IIRC she has a longer version of this video, but the one I used for studies was this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auokDp_EA80

Another documentary is!!! Sex on Wheels! Which is an interesting documentary on sexuality and disabilities, and how people view it. There are a lot of variation in disabilities present, how long the individual has lived with it, and their opinions on their own autonomy as a person, and how that interacts with their sex lives versus romantic lives. I can't seem to find it on Youtube even though thats where I watched it ;-; it might have gotten deleted? So I'll add a link to the wiki instead https://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Sex_on_Wheels

As for articles, my professor suggested a sex shops blog! If you have a local adult store, or sex dungeon, they will most likely have classes or a blog that will discuss overviews on toys, lubes/and other lubricants, bondage, Dom/subbing, and how sexuality may impact lives. While I do have one on the ready, I dont feel comfortable sharing it due to the fact it would expose where I live, sorry!!! ;-;

Now! Now! If you have specific kinks or subjects you want articles on, Im happy to look them up and see if I can find ones that you dont need access to databases for or books on the subject matter. I dont want to accidentally send one you might get triggered by ;;;;;;;; so it might be easier if you asked for specifics instead of me just suggesting random subjects ;;;;; (sorry if this is less than what you wanted!!! I have a few things I keep close to my chest just in case it triggers people because as I do study psychology alongside sex I tend to read about INCREDIBLY TRAUMATIC STUDIES AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS (like the first vibrators and their history))

[torreshalstead]

On a crowded street in 1944

Summary - The four walls of Upton’s General Store were all Hailey knew although she longed to see what else life had to offer. When a handsome soldier walks through the door, she thinks he might just be the answer to the life she wants to have. But it was 1944 and the country was at war. Would fate smile on her or would her heart be another casualty of the war?

Chapters - 2/15

Notes - hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, just a note to say there won’t be an update next week as I’m moving but chapter 3 should be up on the 27th ❤️ AO3 Link

The rest of the day passed in a daze for Hailey with any free moment being taken up with images of Jay, his smile or his beautiful green eyes. They would float through her mind and she’d lose any coherent sense of what she had been working on. As a result she had almost double charged a young boy for his bag of liquorice, she’d given Mrs Fitzpatrick the order that was meant for Mr Williams and she’d knocked over the box of dressmakers pins that was kept behind the till and had to spend the next 20 minutes on her hands and knees picking up the little blighters.

‘You can close up now Hailey,’ her father’s voice echoed from the doorway behind her. He was pulling on his smartest jacket, although the elbows still had uneven hand sewn patches on them. ‘I’m meeting Mr Jones for dinner to discuss business, hopefully get a good deal when the next shipment of cigarettes comes in. With all the boys off to war, their mothers are going to want to send them off with some and if Upton’s can supply them then all the better for our bottom line.’

‘Have a good meeting father,’ Hailey called back. Her father out for dinner meant it would just be her and her mother, a much more peaceful evening and she might be able to sneak off to bed early to read too. Her mother was usually content to spend some time by herself - she too enjoyed the peace and quiet that filled the apartment when her father wasn’t present.

She heard the back door open and close with a soft thud, it was always the entrance they used as a family, apparently it wasn’t done to walk through the shop even though everyone knew they lived above it - it was no secret.

Hailey set about tidying the counter and was just about to lock the front door when she heard the bell tinkle.

‘Sorry, we’re just closing,’ she called out before looking up and meeting Jay’s gaze with her own. ‘Jay- I mean Mr Halstead, did you forget something earlier?’ She stammered, silently kicking herself for calling him Jay out loud.

‘I just wanted to say sorry again if I got you in trouble with your father,’ Jay said, smiling softly at her as he approached the counter.

‘He was okay, I think this meeting has got him so riled up he barely acknowledged me for the rest of the day. He’s not here by the way,’ Hailey added, not quite sure why she had.

‘I know,’ Jay said bashfully. ‘Don’t think me odd but I waited for him to leave before coming in again.’

‘Oh’, Hailey was taken aback at his candour.

‘I wanted to ask if you’d allow me to take you for a walk this evening? I know we’ve just met but I leave tomorrow and-’

‘Yes’, Hailey said quickly, not allowing him the chance to finish. Her heart was beating at a gallop.

His eyes grew wide and his smile shone, ‘really?’

Hailey nodded, ‘I can tell my mother I’m going over to the bookstore to see if they’ve got anything that came in damaged.’

‘Damaged?’ Jay asked, cocking his head in intrigue.

‘Mrs Smith will sell them to me for cheap if they have a rip or get water damaged,’ Hailey said quickly, the colour rising in her cheeks. She might as well have just admitted to him that she had no money and could only buy books if they already had the corner dog eared and the spine broken right down the middle.

‘That’s nice of her,’ Jay said with a sincere smile and Hailey suddenly felt more comfortable again. There wasn’t a touch of judgement in his voice.

‘I’ll be 10 minutes? I can meet you outside once I’ve locked up?’ She said, almost giddy at the thought of spending some more time with the handsome soldier. The fact that he had said he was leaving tomorrow had barely registered.

‘I’ll be waiting patiently,’ Jay said, bowing his head so dramatically that Hailey let out a girlish giggle before locking the door behind him and scurrying up the stairs to speak to her mother, excitement coursing through her as she took the steps two at a time.

——————————————————————————-

Luckily Hailey’s mother didn’t question her too much when she said she was popping out, Hailey guessed being 17 had its benefits although she’s not sure she’d have had that easy of a time if she had asked her father.

Debating for a moment whether to take her cardigan she decided against it, it was still so warm and didn’t show any sign of letting up. A quick glance in the mirror and a pinch to her cheeks, she all but ran down the stairs and out the back door of their store. Walking around to the front, she took a second before turning the corner to take a deep breath. Come on Hailey, she said to herself.

‘Your mother was okay with it?’ Jay said with a smile when he spotted her.

‘I think she was quite pleased to get some time to herself,’ Hailey said.

‘Shall we?’ Jay gestured to the street and Hailey fell easily into step beside him. Although she was almost a foot shorter than her dark haired walking partner, he shortened his stride so they could stroll together side by side.

The street was crowded, the warm air driving the inhabitants out of their homes to enjoy the sun on their skin. Mothers were pushing babies in large strollers, children kicking cans down the street, teenagers not yet old enough to sign up to the war effort smoked on the corners. Hailey loved it when it was like this, it was like the city was alive. She normally only got a chance to experience it through the windows of the store and through the stories of her regulars - her father preferring the family spend the time indoors, cleaning and preparing the goods when they weren’t busy selling them.

The conversation with Jay was easy, his voice was smooth and soft and Hailey thought she could listen to him talk for hours. He clearly felt similar though, asking her questions about her life, her hopes and dreams. No one had ever taken so much interest in her before, it felt nice for someone to want to know the innermost workings of her mind.

‘So have you always wanted to work in the store?’ Jay asked.

‘Not at all, I wanted to go to college, get my typing tests done and become a secretary, maybe as a legal secretary for one of the local solicitors firms,’ Hailey’s gaze flicked over to Jay as she spoke and she realised his eyes hadn’t left her since she had started talking.

‘Can I ask why you didn’t? If you don’t want to answer…’ Jay tailed off, clearly worried he had over stepped but Hailey shook her head.

‘No, I don’t mind you asking. My father said he had no need of a secretary and I couldn’t afford to sign up for the classes without him,’ Hailey admitted with a small shrug. She didn’t usually like to admit to anyone that that was the reason behind why she wasn’t doing what she wanted with her life, it felt like a poor excuse, literally.

‘But if you’ve been working at the store for years, surely you had some put aside?’ Jay questioned.

‘I don’t get paid, father takes the money I would get as my keep, food and board and the like,’ Hailey said with a small shrug. She knew with the hours she worked she should have a nice pot of savings to fall back into, but she had barely two cents to rub together.

‘I’m sorry,’ Jay said, ‘I hope someday you get to take those courses if you really want to, Hailey.’

‘What about you?’ Hailey asked, trying to turn the topic away from money. Her mother always said it wasn’t a polite conversation topic for people like them. She had never really understood what she meant by people like them but she heeded her advice nevertheless.

‘Well I turned 18 last month so I went and signed up on the day, my brother is already in the forces in the Medic Corp and it was the right thing to do. I finished basic training yesterday and we ship out tomorrow so we were allowed to visit family as long as we are there at 7am on the dot,’ Jay said and Hailey could hear both the pride in his voice that he was going to fight for his country but also the undercurrent of fear, the nerves at what the war would hold for him.

‘Your family is here?’ Hailey asked, silently wondering why, if he had family in the city, he wasn’t spending his last few hours with them rather than her, a stranger.

‘Will, my brother, is the only family I’ve got left and he’s in Europe somewhere, he writes when he can but, it’s just me now,’ Jay said sadly.

‘Oh,’ Hailey was shocked by his honesty. It was a rarity these days, people seemed to prefer to sugarcoat things rather than say what they truly meant. Hearing Jay speak so openly was a refreshing change.

‘My mother died having me. Will tells me stories about her although I’m not sure what is true and what he is making up. I don’t mind though, it’s nice to hear about her, even if some of it’s fiction,’ Jay paused on the side of the street, just a block from the end of Main Street and fishing out his wallet, pulled out a worn picture, the corners fraying and the colours starting to fade.

‘She’s beautiful, Jay. I’m sure she’d be proud of you,’ Hailey said, gazing down at the woman sitting for her formal portrait in the black and white image. Her dark hair was pulled off her face into an intricate design on top of her head, she was wearing a pale coloured dress, Hailey imagined it in a pastel pink, and her smile was identical to that of the man who was holding the photograph.

‘My father drank himself to death after that, so it was just Will and I. As soon as he could, he signed up. Said he didn’t want to wait until they called him up, wanted to go on his own terms. I never understood it then, but I do now,’ Jay spoke with such clarity for someone who had only just turned 18. Hailey wondered how difficult that time had been when it was just him and his brother, they were just children and had been left all alone.

‘But you came back here anyway?’ Hailey questioned.

‘It’s the only home I’ve ever known I guess,’ Jay said and then added with a smile, ‘and spending time with you has certainly made it worth it.’ Hailey blushed at his words, he was more forward than anyone she had ever met and she didn’t know how to respond. Jay clearly sensed her lack of words and filled the silence. ‘So you like to read?’

Hailey giggled softly, ‘I do like to read. It’s my favourite thing to do. Father says it’s not ladylike but he doesn’t know I have a pile of books in the bottom of my closet hidden under the floorboards.’ She chuckled again. ‘Like I said earlier, Mrs Smith will put them aside if she can’t sell them and then she’ll give them to me for a penny or so.’

‘I like to read too, perfect way to escape,’ Jay agreed with her as they fell back into step and made their way into the park by the waterfront. The crowds they had encountered outside the store were less here, it was calmer, more peaceful.

‘That’s exactly it, I can float away and be somewhere else when I’m reading those words on the page,’ Hailey said excitedly. No one else in her life understood the pleasure that reading brought, but in Jay she seemed to have found a kindred spirit. ‘Sometimes I wish I could write like some of those authors, like the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen…’ Hailey drifted off letting her mind wander.

‘You could practise by writing to me?’ Jay said after a moment of silence.

Hailey stopped walking and turned to look at him, ‘you want me to write to you?’ She asked, her voice suddenly softer than it had been previously.

‘Well I’d like to write to you if you agree, and it would be grand if you could write back,’ Jay said, his cheeky smile appearing back on his face again. But when she took a second to respond, she saw it falter. ‘Of course, if you don’t want me to-’

‘No, no,’ Hailey shook her head quickly. ‘I’d love to write to you,’ she smiled warmly at him.

‘That’s settled then,’ he nodded and she chuckled. ‘There’s a bench over there, shall we sit? Unless you need to get back.’

‘Sitting sounds delightful,’ Hailey smiled, the blush threatening to make a reappearance as they made their way towards the empty bench and took a seat, the city air feeling slightly warmer than it had done a moment ago.

[softsnzstuff]

Sicktember Day 2 - Quest for a Cure

Fandom: House MD; Chase

Summary: I took a different spin on this and made chase feel like he needs to go on a physical quest to get his cure from the store

Word Count: 550

Yesterday had to have been one of the worst days in the books for Chase. He’s been working his ass off for two years working for House and trying to earn respect. That was hard to do, however, when you were fainting on the job.

He’d felt bad for a few days - swollen lymph nodes, congestion, headache - but he’d be damned if he was going to let that stand in the way. He’d volunteered to do lab work, but House wasn’t having any of it.

“Cameron can do lab work. I want you on clinic duty.”

“But there’s no reason Chase can’t-” Cameron started.

“GEEZ! Well we all know now that you’re sleeping together.” House scoffed.

Foreman snorted back a laugh. Chase started at his boss, pale and sweaty, “We’re not…. That’s not relevant. I’ll do the clinic duty.”

The Aussie sounded absolutely sapped of energy, not up for witty banter today.

“While you’re down there, ask Cuddy if I can cut this kid’s head open!!”

He’d only been in the clinic for two hours before he started feeling hot and lightheaded. His hands and feet felt like lead and his vision was spotted. Next thing he knew, he was laying on a gurney, staring at Cuddy and House.

“Chase? Can you hear me?” Cuddy asked gently. “You fainted. You’ve got a fever of 103. I’m sending you home after some IV fluids.”

“Who had the bet on Chase being the weakest link on the team?”

Cuddy slapped his arm, “House! Go work on your case.”

---

Today he was at home, laid up in bed with a fever, pale and clammy. This had to be the worst he’d felt in a long time, especially since he was way more sneezy today. It’s like his nose got inflamed and sensitive overnight.

The grey T shirt clung to his skin as the blonde rubbed at his eyes with his forefinger and thumb.

“H’TSCHiew! huh- ihh’TSZIEW!”

The blonde groaned and reached for a tissue off his nightstand as he propped himself up on an elbow. He was certain he had an upper respiratory tract infection. Despite being a doctor, he had a criminal lack of medicine in his apartment.

After a few chesty coughs, he finally peeled back the blankets and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, waiting for the dizzy spell to pass before standing up.

He switched his sweaty shirt for a clean one and slipped on a jacket to match his navy blue sweatpants. The thought of hauling himself to the store made him want to die. His head was throbbing, his sinuses ached, and he could barely talk.

He trudged to the kitchen to get a glass of water, stopping halfway to pinch some sneezes back.

“H’xTCH! Eh’xchu!! Snff N’xxT!! Guhhhhh”

A knock on the door was the last thing he wanted, but he sighed and answered it anyways. He locked eyes with Cameron before letting his eyes wander down to the small basket she was holding that was full of NyQuil, lozenges, and decongestant.

“You look awful.” She frowned at his general sickly appearance.

“Gee thanks. Aren’t you working today?” He snuggled into his jacket sleeve.

“Lunch break.” She shrugged, “I gotta run, but I heard about what happened in the clinic yesterday and I just… I know your apartment is barren so. I just brought this.”

She handed the basket of meds and other goodies to Chase before quickly planting a kiss on his cheek and stepping back out. “See you soon?”

He rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand, “Yeah. Hoping to be back soon. This should help.”

He awkwardly held up the basket, smiling weakly before closing the door and sighing. Than god he didn’t have to leave the apartment.

[runfromreality]

산하엽 [diphylleia grayi]: things that have been released and set free

for my last little fanart project of the year, i designed a dust jacket for jonghyun's novel. one of my favourite things to do in korea is browse the shelves of book stores and look at all the pretty cover designs, so this dust jacket is inspired by many hours spent at kyobo, yes24 and yp books.

if you happen to have a physical copy of jonghyun's book at home and like the design, you can download it right here (includes both colours):

letter version (for us and canada)

din a4 version (for the rest of the world)

both of these are wetransfer links so they'll only work for the next 7 days. but you're welcome to message me after the links expire and i'll be happy to send you a new one^^ i split the spread into two parts so it's easy for everybody to simply print out at home on standard sized copy paper and i included a little "how to" just in case anybody needs help figuring out how to print and assemble the whole thing.

anyway, hope you'll like it and see you all in 2024~

please credit when using and don’t repost.

///

etsy I redbubble

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #260

Today, M, J and I went together to a place called Samascott's Garden Market. We went there because yesterday, I tried looking up when concord grapes would be available for picking at Samascott Orchards. They don't have dates for the grapes yet. But!! They did have a link to their garden market! And while I was there, I discovered that they have weirdly flavored ice cream!!!

M and J both LOVE ice cream. I don't like normal ice cream flavors so much, simply because my body interprets cold as intense physical pain. But I do like weird ice cream flavors!! So today, we decided to go!

And, indeed, they had some weird flavors available!!! Check 'em out!!!

I decided to get their 6-flavor flight! It was 6 slightly-smaller-than-normal scoops of ice cream in a little boat-shaped dish! The flavors I selected were, in order from top to bottom, left to right - black raspberry, queen of hearts, strawberry, banana, pumpkin chip, and lavender!

Naturally, I shared some of these with J. I didn't share it with M because he only likes normal ice cream flavors that aren't fruity; he only likes mint, chocolate, peanut butter, or pastry-flavored ice cream, and none of these fit the bill. In fact, he vehemently dislikes flavors such as banana, pumpkin, and lavender. But that's okay! All's it means is that if someone tries to foist pumpkin ice cream upon him, I get to save him from it!! Ahahaha~!

...Hey, Sephiroth? I know you were really sad that one time about not getting to have pumpkin soup. Do you like pumpkin-flavored things in general? Or do you only like pumpkin soup? I'm curious. Pumpkin is one of my favorite foods; I like it in just about anything, because it's one of the most versatile squashes there is. So I wondered if this is something we have in common. If it's something we have in common, maybe I'll send along some of my favorite pumpkin teas, if I ever meet any of those very important people again. Maybe I'll even remember to grab up a Japanese copy of a book called The Neverending Story for you, too, and send that along...

Well anyway. This "garden market" had a whole lot more than just ice cream, so... as I'm sure you expected, I took a lot of pictures for you! Here!

Of course, there was more than just super fancy pretty bowls! There were also snacks!

...AND THERE WERE ALSO TEAS!!!!

...And I WANTED them!!!!!!!

...But like I said last time I got a new tea against my better judgment (because I am running out of counter and cabinet space to store them...), I need a new tea like I need an additional hole in my skull. But that's okay!!! I can try one of these once I run out of a few boxes of what I already have!! It'll be good!!

The garden market also had a greenhouse! I took pictures there, too:

Their store had a few other odds and ends, too:

...And I found two black feathers. One of them has a slightly blue iridescent tinge to it:

...You can bet that these ended up in my box of feathers. I have... goodness... A LOT of pretty black feathers now. I seem to find them everywhere.

I also got a couple nice pictures of the landscape on the way home, and a picture of a bird-of-prey, too:

...And that's all I have for you for today. In part because I ran out of things to tell you about, and in part because I have to be in bed within the next 20 minutes; tomorrow, I'm getting up at 5:15am to bring J to Great Barrington once more. Maybe I'll try to find my GoPro so I can strap it to my forehead... get a video for you and stick it on YouTube so you can see how beautiful the drive is, in real time...

...I haven't... I haven't used my GoPro since the rib injury prevented me from doing my mermaid training; I'm not entirely sure where in the house it even is, anymore. Or whether or not it's charged, sheesh. But, you know! I still have all the footage I did take, back when I could still do that. You'll find it over here; maybe you'll like it...

https://www.instagram.com/merrowauryn

I love you - lots and lots. So please stay safe out there as you do whatever over at the Edge of Creation, okay? Hopefully my voice reaches you and makes it so you're a little less lonely out there.

I'll write again tomorrow. Be good. Don't get killed. Promise me.

Your friend, Lumine

[hermitw]

Seeing the new theories on Yuuji's domain is driving me feral bc

Once again idk what Gege is doing!!

Points are being made and it's so weird bc

My interpretation of the 1st anime opening and my prediction for Yuuji's domain are so different (and I think mine have more evidence but I also spent months collecting that so I'm biased).

Also my interpretation for the false memories around Yuuji is different (kenjaku is also Todo's parent, specifically that Coach Takagi is his other parent).

But memories being involved in Yuuji's domain along w my cryogenic prediction could fit together. It feels like the photography in Link Click, now that I think about it...?

Idk man I stand by what I said before.

But if I have to read into what happened in 264, this is my take on it [spoilers ahead]

The train station's significance....

I think of the train car with transfigured humans.

The way that Yuuji and Mahito loathed each other, and the way that Yuuji said "I'm you."

The train cars being the cryogenic chambers makes so much sense to me. He would be sending off people in the opposite way. To undo the disfigurement.

The train station was significant, it was a place of intense trauma. But I think it could also be a place of redemption. Idk if it's modeled after a specific location. BUT I know that Sukuna's domain can be translated as the place where meals are prepared for the emperor (a reference to his time spent as a slave), or as a small Buddhist shed for storing tools (I'm not sure of the way Sukuna spent his life, but considering the way that he died and some potential irl lore, I believe that Buddhism was a helpful thing for him). I think the duality of his domain is intentional, and it might be similar for Yuuji.

There's also the hand sign for Yuuji's domain, and the prioritizing others' wellbeing over his own.

Anyway, in the opening, the train seemed to he taking Yuuji to someplace he was unfamiliar with. The fish represents Junpei, the water is up to his knees but not in the palm of his hand. He's taking it too easy, u bothered and clueless. I made a post before explaining that I think water in JJK is used to represent the world of jujutsu (it's hard to put into words).

So it makes me wonder if now, this train is taking someone out of the world of jujutsu. Whether as a type of protection, or if he could pull something like Aang in ATLA stealing fire.

I've also talked & reblogged a lot about Sukuna... I really, really want him to just have his own body and autonomy and be able to live a chill life, and not be bothered by anyone as a deity or a monster to hunt or as someone to control.

Maybe we'll get a talk-no-jutsu moment and Yuuji will realize that his body was crafted to be a cage for Sukuna, that he never bothered to listen to Sukuna of all people, and maybe they can work something out. Idk what was in that book of soul stuff that he read. Idk what would happen to Sukuna without a body (maybe he'd just go back into the fingies).

To be clear I do love Yuuji and Megumi and almost all of the characters, but God, killing Sukuna isn't the answer. And to kill him would mean killing Yuuji or Megumi, anyway, (unless Yuuji's CT is going to eliminate Sukuna's life).

Idk what's going on or how coherent this is, I just needed to ramble, I'll update w links later but lmk if you're looking for anything specific and I'll prioritize it.

[tls123]

never been this embarrassed in my lifeeeee

my parents just came back from a thing and they were able to meet up with my aunts/uncles these past few days and apparently my aunt wanted to get me something for my bday and they somehow went from sending me links for rings and necklaces to buying books. which, great, i love books! i struggle to think of stuff to add to my wishlist that isn't books but i open up this gift and it has a tied up guy???? on the cover????? some half dressed dude on the back cover???

and i'm like, oh, interesting, mh and my mom is on the side like "if you don't like it we can change it the young lady at the store heard of that other manga we got you** and she said you might like this, she said she LOVED it, she said it's a love story" and i'm still just holding this huge ass book in my hands, absolutely baffled but hey, surely this 'young lady at the store' didn't suggest an 18+ book as a gift to my mother and my aunt, surely. and as i start flipping pages casually my mom's still going, "we only noticed it's a little out there when we got back home but the young lady really recommended it and you're 26 so.." and she just keeps going and at this point there's no denying what i am holding but mom clearly needs something from me so i try to give her anything lmao

(**the ONLY manga i have btw, that is about shit like, revenge and samurai and family and shit so i'm baffled)

"oh, this is...." i say, but there's no defining the emotion i'm feeling so i skip it, "of course i'll read it, i'm just a little surprised you think this might be something i'll read. but i will! read it!"

and she keeps reassuring me we can change it it's fine and so i look it up and storygraph doesn't even have it listed so i go back to flipping pages and yeah, yeah that sure is sex. which is fine we're not prudes but again. my mother. and my aunt. but also. ALSO that's not just sex that's obviously something fucked up, and not nice and nasty fucked up this is more, pretty sure that's sexual assault fucked up so i have to bite the bullet. i google the thing and yeah, yeah this is apparently a story full to the brim with rape! mhh and oh, the tied up guy on the cover is 16/17 because of course. and what's that? the other guy is in his mid-twenties? sure. of course!!!!

don't know if i mentioned this but,

my MOTHER and my AUNT.

anyway i put my phone down i say, "i'm sorry i don't think i actually do want to read this" (because i was trying to be nice and i kept saying "i haven't heard of it but i'll read it and see what's up, i was just surprised") and mom is like, that's fine don't worry you don't have to be sorry

but i do feel a little guilty because again this thing is huge and the paper and the art are objectively very nice so it must have cost quite a lot so i keep going "it's just I don't think i want this kind of thing on my bookshelves.... the art looked really pretty! though! and, and of course it's not the sex stuff (i am now reassuring my mother that i am Cool with my relatives buying me 18+ stuff, apparently) it's just the subject matter is putting me off, not the sex! just, the category..... of sex...."

and she's very nice and reassures me that i dont have to apologize and we can go change it and in the meantime there's this huge book on the table between us with a tied up half dressed 16yo on the cover and

that lady got told one (1) manga title and thought i would want my AUNT to get me a manga with explicitly drawn rape scenes as a gift. for my birthday.

on god where is rod sterling......

my AUNT. MY.AUNT.

i

i just

my sister got a lego set. it's nowhere near her birthday.