#Bob Ross was my teacher on this one

[th3-0bjectivist]

"Meridian Flux" - Acrylic paint on canvas

[kotori-mochi]

Can't afford art school?

After seeing post like this 👇

And this gem 👇

As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.

Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.

📺Here is my list:

Proko (Free, mostly teaches anatomy and how to draw people. But does have art talks and teaches the basics.)

Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard and teaches you everything)

Aaron Rutten (free, tips about art, talks about art programs and the best products for digital art)

BoroCG (free, teaches a verity of art mediums from 3D modeling to digital painting. As well as some tips that can be used across styles)

Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)

Jesus Conde (free, teaches digital painting and has classes in Spanish)

Mohammed Agbadi (free, he gives some advice in some videos and talks about art)

Ross Draws (free, he does have other classes for a good price. Mostly teaching character designs and simple backgrounds.)

SamDoesArts (free, gives good advice and critiques)

Drawfee Show (free, they do give some good advice and great inspiration)

The Art of Aaron Blaise ( useful tips for digital art and animation. Was an animator for Disney. Mostly nature art)

Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)

Sinix Design (has some tips on drawing people)

Winged canvas (art school for free on a verity of mediums)

Bob Ross (just a good time, learn how to paint, as well as how too relax when doing art. "there are no mistakes only happy accidents", this channel also provides tips from another artist)

Scott Christian Sava (Inspiration and provides tips and advice)

Pikat (art advice and critiques)

Drawbox (a suggested cheap online art school, made of a community of artist)

Skillshare (A cheap learning site that has art classes ranging from traditional to digital. As well as Animation and tutorials on art programs. All under one price, in the USA it's around $34 a month)

Human anatomy for artist (not a video or teacher but the site is full of awesome refs to practice and get better at anatomy)

Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.

📚Here is my list:

The "how to draw manga" series produced by Graphic-sha. These are for manga artist but they give great advice and information.

"Creating characters with personality" by Tom Bancroft. A great book that can help not just people who draw cartoons but also realistic ones. As it helps you with facial ques and how to make a character interesting.

"Albinus on anatomy" by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle. Great book to help someone learn basic anatomy.

"Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer and Robert Beverly Hale. A good book if you want to go further in-depth with anatomy.

"Directing the story" by Francis Glebas. A good book if you want to Story board or make comics.

"Animal Anatomy for Artists" by Eliot Goldfinger. A good book for if you want to draw animals or creatures.

"Constructive Anatomy: with almost 500 illustrations" by George B. Bridgman. A great book to help you block out shadows in your figures and see them in a more 3 diamantine way.

"Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and expand" by Burne Hogarth. A book that shows how to block out shapes and easily understand what you are looking out. When it comes to human subjects.

"An Atlas of animal anatomy for artist" by W. Ellenberger and H. Dittrich and H. Baum. This is another good one for people who want to draw animals or creatures.

Etherington Brothers, they make books and have a free blog with art tips.

📝As for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually more expensive.

For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.

💻As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.

Clip Studio paint ( you can choose to pay once or sub and get updates. Galaxy, Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Chromebook device. )

Procreate ( pay once for $9.99 usd, IPAD & IPHONE ONLY)

Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, animation and more. Free)

PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)

Krita (Free)

mypaint (free)

FireAlpaca (free)

Aseprite ($19.99 usd but has a free trail, for pixel art Windows & macOS)

Drawpile (free and for if you want to draw with others)

IbisPaint (free, phone app ONLY)

Medibang (free, IPAD, Android and PC)

NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.

So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.

I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.

Hope this was helpful and have a great day.

"also apologies for any spelling or grammar errors, I have Dyslexia and it makes my brain go XP when it comes to speech or writing"

[mrghostrat]

i bring you my one offering for every fandom: Twitch Streamer AU!

edit: there is now a fic :)

i see your "two teachers at the same school who none of their students realise are married" and raise you "two polar opposite streamers who none of their viewers realise are dating/living together" 😩🙏

i also accidentally drew these at 4k so enjoy these high res wallpapers i guess!! (1 + 2)

i have headcanons:

aziraphale is a variety IRL streamer: cooking, baking, crafts, chatting etc. he's on a bob-ross level of respect and admiration for how sweet and pleasant he is to everyone

crowley streams whatever can be a conduit for mischief: from toxic PVP gameplay, to IRL chatting streams out in public places. he's primarily a gamer, but people watch him for his horrendous personality.

they rarely hang out in each other's chats, but that's just happenstance. one is usually sleeping when the other is live, otherwise they'll have their screens open and lurk

crowley never bans trolls; they’re half his content. he enjoys backchatting and riling them up. his streams are notoriously chaotic because of little moderation and his rapidly shifting attention span

aziraphale’s mods ban trolls very efficiently, but he wouldn’t see their messages anyway, because chat always moves too fast for him. that’s not to say that he’s got a hyperactive chat; even slow mode would be too fast for him. he only ever catches every 5th message.

aziraphale is SO bad at reading chat, it's become a meme within his community that if he reads out/replies to you, you have been Chosen and need to go buy a lottery ticket asap

anathema mods for crowley, which mostly means just hanging out and insulting him when he dies in-game

newt is aziraphale's most revered mod, because whenever he tries to simply purge a mean message, he somehow accidentally IP bans the account. he's invaluable for managing troll attacks

their mods know they're together, but silently watch everyone lose their minds over the steadily growing conspiracy for their own personal entertainment

[starlight-sev]

Joy Looks Good on You (Snape x Artist!Reader)

Request: Snape with an artist reader- she makes gorgeous paintings, teaches an art class at Hogwarts (Bob Ross style, for reference). Doesn't have many students, but when he comes into her classroom its such a calming atmosphere. Maybe a short drabble about how he falls in love with her and her skill with paintings?

Requested by: anon

Warnings: none

A/N: this is more platonic than I had initially intended it to be, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Oh! Gender neutral reader as I always try my best to write 💕

Hogwarts was home to many secrets, one of them being that the school offered painting classes as an elective for those in third year or higher.

Even you were shocked when you first heard about the job posting. You always figured art would be just a hobby of yours. When it came to jobs in the wizarding world, anything to do with art and painting was quite rare to find.

So when you were finally offered the job for art teacher at Hogwarts, to say you were overjoyed would have been an understatement. You never thought you’d be able to turn your love of painting into your career.

Dumbledore had placed you in the North Tower, just below Professor Trelawney’s Divination classroom. Compared to her room, yours was rather small: you only had to walk ten steps and you’d already be at the other side of the room. A handful of round tables with matching wooden chairs had been crammed into the tiny space. There was a small desk nestled in the corner for you to work, along with a shelf against the wall to store your paints and supplies.

Your favourite feature about the room, and perhaps one of its only redeeming qualities, was the large window in the middle of the wall. It was rounded at the top, with an ornate stained glass inlay that covered almost half the window. It was the source of your inspiration on sunny days.

It certainly wasn’t the nicest classroom, and sometimes a theory crossed your mind that your classroom had once been a generously-sized storage closet, but anything was better than being down in the dungeons of the castle.

You glanced up from your own painting to quickly sweep your eyes over the paintings your students were finishing up. You never had more than ten students a year, painting certainly wasn’t a common interest for wizards (much to your disappointment), but it didn’t matter. It gave you the opportunity to grow closer to your students, to get to know everyone’s individual art style. It made you all the more proud when you were able to see how much they progressed over the course of the year.

“Professor?”

You glanced over to see Luna Lovegood, one of your students with the biggest imaginations, waving politely to catch your attention.

“Yes?” You asked softly.

“We won’t have time to finish our paintings this class. I know we’re not supposed to, but since it’s Friday, could we leave our supplies out? We’ll be back first thing on Monday.”

A few other students murmured their agreement. You smiled apologetically, silently cursing that you had given them an assignment far bigger than they had time to complete.

“Of course. That’s fine.” You dismissed everyone with a wave of your hand. “Go on. Enjoy the weekend. And don’t worry about handing in your still life sketches this week, you’ve got enough on your hands with the landscape painting I assigned.”

A handful of cheers erupted among the students, and you smiled as each one nodded and murmured their thanks before leaving.

You stood up from your desk, walking across the room to collect everyone’s paintbrushes one by one.

“Letting your students go without cleaning up after themselves?” A deep voice murmured softly from the doorway. “I’m surprised Y/N, I thought you were more disciplined than that.”

It never failed to startle you, how Severus had this uncanny ability to sneak up silently on you. Usually you’d be able to hear students’ footsteps echoing as they made their way up the stairs to your classroom, but Severus seemed to be able to glide noiselessly around the castle like a ghost.

You set your paintbrushes in the small sink that rested in the corner of your room, smiling in acknowledgement and beckoning the professor to come in.

“It’s Friday,” you answered, grabbing a paintbrush and using your fingers to work the paint out of the bristles. “They’ve got enough going on, I figured I’d give them a bit of a break.”

You heard Severus scoff as he approached you from behind.

“You’re too easy on them.”

“And you’re too hard on your own students, but you don’t see me waltzing into your classroom to nag.”

That earned a soft chuckle from the professor as he stood beside you.

“You can use magic to clean those.” Severus observed, nodding toward your fingers as you worked the leftover paint out of the brush.

“I know I can,” you shrug, watching the water beneath the brush turn a bright turquoise. “But I prefer not to. Helps me clear my mind a bit.”

“Hm.” Was the small response you got in reply. To your surprise, Severus reached into the sink and grabbed a paintbrush, mimicking your movements as he began cleaning it.

“Oh,” you exclaimed softly. “It’s okay, I can do that-”

“Too late,” Severus retorted, casting a quick glance at you out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve already started.”

The two of you scrubbed brushes in silence, and you just barely caught Severus let out a small, tired sigh. As you placed your final brush to the side to dry, you glanced at him.

“Rough day today?”

You had to hold in your giggles as he answered your question with the biggest eye roll you’d ever seen.

“That’s putting it lightly,” he muttered.

“Come,” you beckoned as you sat down in one of the empty seats in the middle of the class. You nodded for Severus to join you as you crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in your seat. “Tell me about it. What happened? Was it Potter again?

You smirked at the eye roll Severus gave you in response before tiredly making his way over to the seat across from you.

“Someone’s been stealing supplies for a Polyjuice potion,” he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I have reasons to believe it’s Potter and his dunderhead friends.”

You bit back a smile, and raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think it’s him? Do you have evidence?”

“Trouble follows him wherever he goes, isn’t that evidence enough?”

You had trouble holding in a giggle, and Severus glared at you.

“He’s brewed Polyjuice potion before.” Severus continued. “It’s the only thing he can actually do well. And those specific ingredients keep going missing.”

You frown a little and shook your head.

“Really, Severus. I don’t know what you have against that boy, but you’ve got to give him a break,” you encouraged gently. “He’s got enough on his shoulders right now, with the Triwizard Tournament going on.”

“And what if he is stealing from my supplies?” Severus retorted.

“What if he isn’t?” You challenged calmly. Severus sighed again, shaking his head as he gazed at you.

“Should we place bets on whether it’s Potter who’s stealing from you?” You asked jokingly, leaning forward in your seat with a smirk. Severus pressed his lips together in a thin line.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because every damned time we make a bet, you win.”

You snickered at Severus’ remark, before standing up from your seat and placing your hand reassuringly on the professor’s shoulder. He looked up at you with dark eyes that warmed very slightly at your touch.

“I truly do not know how you always manage to see the good in people.” He murmured, sighing tiredly. You squeezed his shoulder lightly.

“I just… see the good in everything I guess.” You shrugged. “Even things that seem terrible can be beautiful, if they’re in the right lighting.”

Severus let out a little snort at your comment, shaking his head.

“C’mon grumpypants,” you teased lightly, patting your friend on the back. “I know what’ll cheer you up.”

You walked over to your desk and opened the far left drawer. Upon hearing the dull scrape of wood as the drawer pulled open, Severus looked over at you with the tiniest smile.

“Have you added any teas to your collection?” He asked. He kept a somewhat level expression, but you couldn’t help but grin at the hint of a hopeful tone in his voice.

“I went to Hogsmeade last weekend and got a few more. Some just for you. Come over here and pick one, I’ll put the kettle on.”

Severus stood up just as you moved to the corner of the room to fill the kettle. You noticed out of the corner of your eye how shadow-like he was: the way his cloak billowed slightly as he almost seemed to glide over to your desk.

You heard a few papers rustle as you filled the kettle, and that’s when your heart stopped.

Oh no, oh god no.

You forgot to move your sketchbook, bloody hell.

Maybe Severus was looking at something else, you thought to yourself. Maybe you misheard and he was only rifling through your tea stash-

“Is this… me?”

Nope. He found it. Shit.

You set the kettle down slowly, your hands trembling as you felt a rush of heat fly up to your cheeks.

“S-Sorry?”

You kept your eyes glued to the teacups on the small wooden countertop, trying your best not to cringe as you continued to hear pages being flipped over gently.

“Y/N…” Severus murmured. “You drew these?”

You chewed your lip, just about ready to sink through the floorboards at this point.

“Y-yes.” Your voice came out as a small squeak, barely even intelligible.

You squeezed your eyes shut as you heard gentle footsteps approach you from behind.

“Turn around,” Severus encouraged softly. Clenching your jaw, you tried to ignore the burning heat in your cheeks as you shuffled around to face Severus.

His dark eyes were swirling with so many emotions, you genuinely couldn’t tell what he was thinking. It terrified you. You looked down, and saw that he was holding one of your sketches in his hand.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered. “I don’t show those to anyone, they’re just for me to practice with…”

“This is how you see me?”

You heard Severus‘ voice catch in his throat, and you looked up to see his features had softened into a gentle and almost sad expression. You lowered your gaze to his hands again, taking a closer look at the sketch he brought over.

It was from the Yule Ball a few months ago. You had sketched Severus during dinner after you saw him throw his head back in a hearty laugh, thanks to a dirty joke Professor Sprout had casually dropped at the staff table that night. You couldn’t remember the joke for the life of you, but you’d never forget the way Severus’ eyes lit up with a rare joy few ever saw. Nor would you forget the way his hair curled that night, perfectly framing his face and making him look almost angelic.

“Joy looks good on you.” You explained in the tiniest whisper, pressing your lips together nervously. “I… that was one of my first times seeing you laugh, and I just…”

You trailed off, silently cursing the fact that your face was still as red as ever. Finally, to your relief, Severus set your sketch down. But when you looked up at him, you noticed his eyes were glassy.

Was he… crying?

“Oh.” You gasp softly. “Oh no, I’m sorry. It’s a terrible drawing, I know-”

Severus shook his head. “Stop bloody apologizing. It’s beautiful. All your sketches are. I had no idea.”

“Well, you weren’t supposed to find out.” You muttered, laughing your nerves out softly. Your heart nearly stopped as Severus reached out, gently cradling your hands in his.

“Thank you.” He murmured quietly. “For… what you said.”

You frowned. “What did I say?”

“About… seeing the joy in me,” he replied. “That’s perhaps the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Your heart sank as you took in Severus’ words. You looked up, your soft eyes meeting his dark ones.

“It’s true.” You said simply. “It doesn’t take an expert to see you’ve been through some real shit, Sev. You deserve to be happy.”

Severus froze at your words, unsure of what to do or how to react. Then, to your surprise, he took one more step forward and closed the distance between the two of you. He wrapped his arms around you, and you nearly gasped at how tightly he held you to him. You returned his embrace without hesitation, finally calming after the initial scare of Severus finding your sketches. He was warm. You could get used to this feeling.

“Thank you, Y/N.” You heard Severus whisper.

“For what?” You asked back just as softly.

“Showing me how you see the world. How you see… me.”

[vitaminseetarot]

🎃Pick-a-Card: Halloween Costume Ideas 🎃

Hey y'all, I'm back around for a Halloween reading cause it's time to get a little hyped for it. I know sometimes we can feel like the season doesn't have the magic we're looking for, but a video I watched on Youtube recently reminded me that it's often we who must go out and create that magic for ourselves and others. So regardless of who arrives at my door for candy, I will dress up and decorate the living space with gourds, skeletons, and stuffed bats and scorpions.

It's not always easy to have a costume picked out, or to narrow many ideas down to one, but no fear for I have looked into the cards to see a list of costumes that could pique your interest. Each pile can contain many costume choices, but there may be an underlying theme to each one, so see if any of the costumes ring a bell to you. If not, feel free to choose another pile. The costume you like is the one that's right for you (as long as it's appropriate, of course).

Pile 1 - #20 🎨🕯 Pile 2 - #31 🌸🌈 Pile 3 - #21 🔍🌿 Pile 4 - #41 🌳🦇 Pile 5 - #04 💀🌟

Pile 1 - #20 🎨🕯

{Student, Acolyte, Sun in Pisces - Vision, Word Art, Cancer Rising - Care; 8 of Coins, 9 of Cups, VIII Strength, King of Swords, 8 of Wands, King of Wands}

Pile 1, I sense you're the group most drawn (heh) to creating your own costume. This could be something you make entirely from scratch if you have experience in working with fabrics. You could be studying in an art program or be developing some kind of skill in designing and crafting. Because of this, you may have an inclination towards student or academia related costumes. Some of you may be into My Hero Academia, it could relate to super powers or the supernatural in some way. You could also go the other direction and dress as a teacher or professor, especially one with an outfit that stands out (Miss Frizzle, anyone?) Her dress is very colorful and I see this as a pile with the taste for a wide color palette. You also have a wide imaginative scope of the possibilities, not only for what costume to narrow down to but in all the different styles and techniques you could bring to make it truly your own. I'm getting that this is what you have a talent in and perhaps picked this pile to see what kinds of styles and additions you could add to something you may already be working on, like adding charms to your witch hat. You have confidence in your abilities as an artist due to the passion and love you put into nurturing your art to life.

If you don't feel that way now, then try to experiment and see your crafts as a lion cub that needs to be watched over. The Strength and King of Wands cards inspired me to phrase it that way. There's also a lynx depicted in the Vision card. Perhaps you could be into making a cat related costume, like Black Panther, Ichigo Momomiya, Chat Noir, Catwoman, or even anthropomorphic cats like Tai Lung, Pink Panther, and Meowth. Or it could be a totally original costume you create that incorporates feline elements like a lioness warrior suit, or as Alice but with the Cheshire Cat wrapped around like a scarf. Otherwise, I'm getting a lot of ideas related to magic or supernatural school/apprentice themed shows like the Owl House, Umbrella Academy, or Ever After High. A show that you're really into now that's based on an older series or franchise like Riverdale High could also bring up ideas for you.

If you're really passionate about art in particular, you could go as a popular artist like Bob Ross. Word Art refers to expression in general but you could choose to incorporate a funny message or sign into your costume. That could be due to the overall retro feeling I'm getting with this pile. If you're crafty but still feeling casual, one idea could be to wear a retro t-shirt that just says "VHS" but add it with some matching accessories like cassette tape earrings and leg warmers. There is a large desire to get innovative and creative with this pile, even if working on a budget, even if using supplies on hand. "Try, make mistakes! Try again. Perfection does not exist." It matters less that the costume is a perfect recreation of a fictional character and more important that it fits you comfortably and reflects your authentic self. Flaunt what you got! Let the costume creation be as fun as the celebration.

Pile 2 - #31 🌸🌈

(Child: Eternal, The Assassin, Hiding in Clothing Racks, Mercury in Libra - Influence, Sagittarius Rising - Adventure; II High Priestess, XVIII The Moon, Knight of Swords, IV Emperor, Knight of Cups, X of Swords)

Hey pile 2, I'm getting a wide variety of options for you. Maybe there's a few costume choices you've been cycling through. What comes out to me is the overall dark brooding energy of your costume. With the Assassin card, I'm thinking something involving dark robes and hoods would complement a mask or a fake sword. With the Moon next to High Priestess, you may be more inclined towards a haunting feminine dress, like a wailing ghost bride or siren. The porcelain doll look, like Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas, is also another idea. Either haunting pale or shadowy black clothing may predominate the costume, though a touch of secondary color like light blue, silver, purple, or red will help it pop out more. Sadako from The Ring and Lydia from Beetlejuice also come to mind. Wednesday Addams… oh yeah, this pile is the goth pile for sure; even those of you who don't choose any costume may still find something dark and elegant to put on, like black lace up boots and eyeshadow.

There may be something you saw on social media or advertised in a store that made you inspired. A popular influencer, or just someone you follow closely online, may have put together a costume or decoration that gave you some ideas. For one example, watching crafting tutorials on how to make glittering potion bottles may spark an idea to go as an alchemist or a swamp witch. If you're looking for a way to jazz up on an old costume you've worn before, or you want to do a unique rendition of a more traditional costume choice, then it's worth peeking through Halloween tags to start brainstorming with. Want a different kind of vampire? Watch vampire media and videos discussing vampire media, but also see how combining or fusing it with another option works as well. You could go as a vampire pirate, (vampirate??) or a scaly alien vampire, or a vampire hunter like Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing.

Maybe there is a character you really want to go as but aren't sure as to how others would receive it. The costume you're thinking of could scare them, or be of an unpopular or not well known character. Some of you may want to go as a cartoon character but don't want to be seen as cartoony and silly? "What makes us happy if not how much we have, but how much we allow ourselves to enjoy." Halloween is a time to be not-yourself for a night to have childlike fun. There doesn't need to be one style each person sticks with: if you're a gothic person who wants a bright dress, or a festive person who'd rather look macabre, then what matters more is how you like your suit. Every good party leaves room for the perky goths.

Pile 3 - #21 🔍🌿

{Rebel, The Champion, Venus in Leo - Affair, Scratch-and-Sniff Stickers, Pisces Moon - Flow; 8 of Swords, 7 of Cups, Knight of Coins, XVIII The Moon, 2 of Wands, Queen of Swords}

Pile 3, you seem to be more drawn to action oriented costumes. This is the superhero pile, with the Rebel and the Champion here. Perhaps not just any superhero, but someone who doesn't like to play by the rules? I'm thinking classic comic book heroes like Spider Man, Iron Man, and Deadpool off the bat, but Nemona also comes to mind. A snarky and fun loving character who lives by their own value code. With Affair and Two of Wands, I'm reminded of Harley Quinn somehow. You may decide to dress up as one character and go with someone who matches or complements you in some way. So if you went as Harley they might go as the Joker or as Ivy, Deadpool with Wolverine, etc. I'm also reminded of swordfighting anime heroes like Kirito and Utena. I'm seeing a detective hero costume, too, with the scratch-n-sniff card? Perhaps as Sherlock, or someone from Dead Boy Detectives? Look up real investigative journalists like Nellie Bly, she might give you some ideas (like her long checkered trenchcoat).

You might go for another champion themed costume, like a knight or a boxing champion. A costume that almost makes you feel stronger for wearing it, something that makes you feel confident and look dazzling. If athletics isn't your thing, then I'm seeing the pendulum swing the other way into beauty. You may want to use Halloween as a way to put together and model a gorgeous outfit you thought of yourself. I'm seeing masquerade, so it could be a ball gown or a colorful dress that would look great in a photoshoot. Some of you may go as Chappell Roan. Even in heels and a feathery red dress, you may still feel heroic wearing it. I'm seeing Glenda the Good Witch with a sparkly dress, so you may be drawn to large dresses that have glitter or sequins in them. Your costume has a 3D effects with something like dragon wings or vines pop out as a big feature, or pleases other senses through accompanying music or perfumes.

You could be drawn to the more rebellious aspect of this pile. You could go as an activist or role model you look up to. Being a pirate might sound appealing, or a casual hippie tie-dye look. Halloween could be a chance to experiment with punk and grunge fashion. Rebellious may also refer to wanting to dress in something that's never been done before, a fully unique costume. "Everyone is on a journey unique to them. The world needs your uniqueness." Don't worry too much over whether your costume stands out or not. Once you have your costume idea narrowed down, start with one thing at a time. If you want to make interesting additions to your costume, like using lights or pulling strings, make sure to give yourself the time and space you need to bring it all together. You may find that blending different opposing elements together, or combining masculine and feminine traits to your clothes, can create something vibrant and original, like a dress/suit combo. Don't hold back your own ideas!

Pile 4 - #41 🌳🦇

{Queen, The Priest, Mars in Aries - Impulsiveness, Gazelle, Aquarius Rising - Appreciate; King of Wands, X Wheel of Fortune, 7 of Swords, I Magician, Queen of Cups, 9 of Wands}

Pile 4, this pile is most drawn to fantasy as a genre than the other four. I'm feeling the magic and myth here, fashion styles both historical and anachronistic. A mixture of baroque and steampunk? Or a 70's Rapunzel with a disco ball in her tower? Why not? Some of you could be into the more obscure animated Disney titles like Atlantis and Treasure Planet. I'm getting the movie Stardust as well. The early 00's films featured a blend of old and modern, like flying pirate ships and wizardly magic used alongside modern machines. This pile leans towards Miyazaki films, so you may be interested in going as Kiki or as Howl. With Queen of Cups and Queen, I see some might go as a royal mermaid, could be Ariel, but an extra regal version as I see decorative seashell crowns and jewelry. There could be religious or occult elements sprinkled in, like a ceremonial witch robe or a ghost nun. I'm thinking of movies like the Exorcist and the Wicker Man.

History may be big with this group, seeing as both legends and history require both consistency and great storytelling. If you decide to go as a royal figure like a queen, you may like to add different twists on the look. Like a zombified queen Victoria or a statuefied greek philosopher. With the horse in Impulsiveness and the gazelle, you might have a hobby horse, horse mask, or a centaur costume. If not horse, then a similar animal. I feel though that it's a costume that would tell a story, so a particular centaur from mythology like Chiron or a historical figure who rode on horseback like Napoleon. Your costume may feature an accessory that serves as a "companion", like a skeleton creature or eels to go with your mermaid outfit. A few of you may have been thinking about Daenerys from GoT? I've never watched it, but I imagine the dress would go well with tiny dragon figures perched on the shoulder. If you're going as an original character, you may be interested in having a backstory already in mind when people ask you who you are. If you're into DnD, I can see you going as your OC. Whatever stretches your imagination!

"We do not have nature, we are nature." I see you including a lot of natural themes into your costume. Flowers, possibly real, may be included in your dress or hair. You may decide to go as an elf or a nature spirit who is closely tied to the wooded or oceanic worlds. Characters with lots of nature power tied to them like Nashida from Genshin come to mind. I get that you already have a good idea of what you'd like to do, but feel reserved about it. In case of buyer's remorse? Maybe it's natural for you to want to wait until it's close to the holiday to completely decide on what to wear, to the point of not telling others what it's going to be up until the night of Halloween. It's for you to know, and for them to be surprised and remember.

Pile 5 - #04 💀🌟

{Destroyer, The Orator, Venus in Gemini - Flattery, Bear, Aries Rising - Act; 7 of Cups, King of Wands, Ace of Cups, II High Priestess, 10 of Swords, X Wheel of Fortune}

Hello pile 5, I'm really getting the strong feeling that your ideal costume choice for this Halloween will be a costume you already have. There may be a storage chest or closet full of dresses and props that haven't been used in a while. They are asking you to bring them out and give them a bit of a make-over. Bear strangely reminds me of "bear market", so perhaps you're trying to be frugal on spending anything this year. A costume you wore a couple years ago may have been expensive time or money wise, but that costume doesn't have to lay on a shelf forever. That Sephiroth ensemble you wore to the convention could be dismantled and reused into a new fallen angel or dark soldier uniform. The plague doctor mask can be reconfigured into an overall creepy bird monster or its robe could become a grim reaper robe. You don't have to look very far for ideas this year because it seems as though you already have plenty of supplies on hand. Additionally, there are a lot of thrift stores that offer discounted items that might be easily thrown together. Seven of Cups shows that there are many different items in your toolbox.

I really get that this pile loves the creepy, gross, and gorey aspects of Halloween, or is at least interested in incorporating these elements into a costume. I'm seeing aliens, not the friendly kind but the facesucking kind Ripley had to fight. Bugs, arachnids, and buglike cryptids also come to mind, like spiders or Mothman. You could have a dress with spider web patterns or go as a character like Miss Spider from James and the Giant Peach. If animals are more your style, I still see the costume as fierce and almost cartoonishly scary. You might choose to go as a predator like a bear or a wolf, or perhaps even a zombie deer costume. On the more animated end, you might go as Stitch or as Freddy Fazbear. I'm seeing large costumes, possibly even reused inflatable costumes.

"You already have everything you need. You are the answer." This pile reminded me of a costume rental store I once lived close to in childhood. It was so easy to stop by and say hello to the shop owner like a neighbor before renting out an Ursula or bat costume every year. You may be interested in recreating something like that, but with Act above Wheel of Fortune you will need to take action on the idea rather than wait for it to happen. For example, you could talk with your friends about making a costume swap event or a collaboration, or post something online in a local space to meet and swap with something else. Your pile card and Flattery both show that when at least two minds come together with the same idea in mind, you can create new ways to exchange and find new interesting costume choices on a budget.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2024, @VitaminseeTarot ™

[pagemasters]

Fantasies He…

BABY’S FIRST FIC!!!

Author’s notes: So after reading so many for years I thought maybe it’s my turn to take a crack at it. There’s I think 3 parts to this, with the first one having basically no smut and mostly platonic fluff between Az and Feyre, but part 3? Can’t say the same thing for the middle Archeron sister lmao

I swear this started out to be one part but the story told me otherwise, part 2 is fully drafted I’m just revising and editing

I’m a very visual person, so enjoy the floor plan of the nursery and a rough sketch of what I think her mural would be and the star! I am a painter if it wasn’t obvious so the whole portion on starfall stars is actually based on how Bob Ross paints his northern lights, just with modifications BUT I haven’t tried it myself for this specific purpose. Also the colour of Feyre and Rhys’s stars are the colours of the first ones that hit them during Starfall btw! I love the platonic relationships between the inner circle and we don’t get enough of it

If you enjoyed it I would love u forever if you let me know!! :)

Ps. Omg dialogue is so difficult to make realistic but also in character, none of that “hey big brother” etc. shit you see in tv shows where you’re like who tf says that to their sibling ?? Ps.ps. I haven’t taken an English writing class for 5 years so if punctuation was wrong let’s pretend it wasn’t LMAO

I CANT FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO AO3 LINK BUT IT’S ON THERE WITH THE SAME USERNAME LOL SORRY

Summary:

Azriel spends the day with Feyre, only to get caught in the rain on the way home. Good thing the townhouse is empty. Or is it…

CHAPTER ONE: DAYDREAMING

The rain finally decided to make its appearance as Azriel stepped out of the River house. Taking a deep breath, he let the soothing scent wash over him as he relaxed his wings. 

The meeting with Rhys was short, just a weekly update on the goings around the other courts and allies, nothing that required the full inner circle to make an appearance. Something he knew after centuries of this work should be a good thing, but it doesn’t stop the pang in his chest at the missed opportunity of seeing her. 

Not that he didn’t try to catch a glimpse of her. He did take a walk through the beautiful home his brother had built for his mate after seeing him, the smell of cedar and masonry long since faded from the construction days; replaced with flowers and candles and the dinner his shadows whispered Nuala and Cerridwen were working on. The scent of paint lingered though, and he discovered the reason why as he got to the residential wing. His High Lady wasn’t in her studio, but he found her nonetheless with a brush in her tattooed hand. 

“I think you missed a spot.” Az said from the doorway, trying to repress his smile at her startled reaction. Even though Feyre and Rhys opted for doorways fashioned with wings in mind, he kept his drawn in tight, not wanting to risk smearing her paint as he stepped inside. 

“Rhys won’t let me use the step ladder without him holding it. And me. And the bump.” Feyre twisted to look up from her spot on the floor and smiled in greeting before lowering the brush to pat her stomach in emphasis. She gave her mate’s antics an affectionate eye roll and shake of her head before releasing a heavy sigh, glancing back at her work. 

“If I remember correctly,” Az teased, “you are prone to falling quite spectacularly.”

She let out an indignat squawk so loud he had to bite his lips to prevent laughing, her body spinning so fast to face him fully that paint ended up splattering from her brush to the white drop cloth. 

Their flying lessons had ceased for the most part since the war, so watching her fly into a tree or eat rocks wasn’t as common an occurrence— but that’s not to say that still doesn’t happen. Knowledge he happens to be privy to not just as her flight teacher, but as the spymaster, something she’s very aware of if the narrowing of her eyes and mouth hanging open are any indication. 

It’s hard not to notice the similarities between the sisters, when even with your eyes closed the cadence of their speech was also similar. But it was never so apparent between youngest and oldest Archeron as when Feyre’s eyes pinned him in place, the expression of mock outrage was so much like Nesta’s it was almost comical. 

“Ruuuude,” she said, drawing the word out in a whine with pouted lips, no doubt remembering the amount of face plants he’d witnessed when she first began to fly. “I see how you treat your High Lady, Shadowsinger. Just wait, it’s not too late for me to paint a little something in your bedroom.”

“And here I thought pouting and grumbling was beneath royalty, at least you can say you’re a tree hugger.”

She gave him a gesture that was certainly beneath royalty, and he didn’t hold back his chuckle this time. 

“What gave you that idea, have you even met Rhys?” 

“Oh trust me, you should’ve seen him when we were kids.” He said, grabbing her hands to help her stand. “He discovered in a book that while bat wings look identical to ours, the anatomy of their wing is labeled similar to that of the hand. So for them, their talons are their thumbs. After that, he took it upon himself to hang upside down in silent protest whenever he was mad, but didn’t want his mother to wash his mouth out with soap for swearing.”

“He did not.”

“Mhmm, until his faced turned purple.”

“And where were you and Cass for all this?” Feyre said through her giggling, a wide grin of unrestrained joy plastered on her face. 

“He couldn’t have done it alone, a thumbs down by yourself would look stupid.”

“Ah yes, because the three of you hanging upside down like overgrown bats isn’t ridiculous.” She cackled, “How long until he gave it up?”

“A few weeks. After Cassian passed out in the middle of camp and we all got broken capillaries on our faces. Still, a better alternative than the awful tasting soap in Illyria.” 

“What, as opposed to other tasting soap?” He just shrugged, smiling. 

Rhys’s mom’s reaction to warriors dragging them across the rocky ground home was as lively in his memory as she was when she berated them when her son fessed up. She was less thrilled to hear the real reason than Devlon was having passed out children strewn about the place, but she never did call them out on the lie they fed to Devlon about it being a dare when he came banging on their door. That night though when they were more lucid, she brought them on foot to one of the mountains surrounding their outpost and stood them at the opening of a cave. He still remembers the eyes he felt on them, the warning bells ringing from his shadows as she gestures her hands out and said, “If you want to act like bats, you can join them; or you can toughen up, learn how and when to pick battles and what hills are worth to dying on. Because there will be more people who will piss you off, but this is not an option when you’re leading armies. So,” her hazel eyes meeting each of theirs, “What will it be? Do you want to stay here or take the soap and fly right on home.” Needless to say they bolted home with the taste of pine tar suds coating their mouths like a film no amount of water could rid them of the taste. He could still feel the eyes of whatever was in that cave the entire way home, but thank the cauldron he could fly at that point. His heart ached at the memory of the female, the one he knew picked a low cave for him to make her point, just in case. The one his shadows caught a few times after that upside down on the couch after a rough day when she thought she was alone. 

As Feyre’s amusement continued with eyes glazed over—no doubt having a silent conversation with Rhys—Az cleared his throat, his shadows pulling back as he gestured to their surroundings and asked, “So how’s the nursery coming along?” 

“It’s going great,” she replied after a moment, her laughter subsiding as she surveyed the mural.  “I know it’s not geographically correct, and that Starfall and the time when our courts insignia’s stars show don’t overlap, but I couldn’t not include them. I want  him and any possible future child to see the night court as I did when I first fell in love with it and their dad.” 

Indeed, while he knew Rhys was already in love with her, he got to watch Feyre love him back as much as he deserved in real time the longer she was here. And the way she captured the land they all loved so much here was… breathtaking. 

On the wall that held the doorway he just stepped through lay the mountain with the moonstone palace atop it. The first place she saw here. They both knew where the doors to Hewn city rest below, but it was covered by the landscape. As if there were no room for nightmares in this room, even if it was a court this babe may one day rule. 

“I have no idea how you made that mountain so realistic,” he said to her in awe, pointing to the painting adjacent to the wall they just looked at. 

“The crib is going to go right below it when the rooms done. I want it to watch over him.” She replied almost reverently as she looked up. 

The mountain was the tallest of the three she painted, and it looked just as it had on his trek up there with his brothers during the rite. Physically it was practically stone for stone, those three stars lines up overhead perfectly, but the energy differed. Instead of the cold and foreboding thing he remembered on the way up, it seemed almost… euphoric? As if the wild joy and love Rhysand, Cassian and he felt as they made their way to the top and won seeped its way onto the painting. Like the unyielding strength from that mountain and what it brought out of them would guide and protect him, just like it did for the three winged dots surrounding the monolith at the tip. How that was even possible was beyond him. 

He could barely tear his gaze away, but snickered as he saw the tiny but recognizable building at the base of it to the right. “The cabin, huh?”

“Of course, gotta prep him for one day kicking all of your asses during your snowball fight.” She added, blushing. “I put few snowballs flying just for good luck.”

Though he knew the other reason the cabin was significant to Feyre and Rhys, the thought of his future nephew joining their game warmed him. But It did make trying not to focus on other non-winged and winged babies that could one day join in the snowball fight impossible. Children have always been an abstract idea, a figment he knew existed but besides Rhys’s sister, he wasn’t around. And after what happened to her… He thought for a long time he would never have one of his own, but that sentiment start to change in recent years. He could avoid it most days though, but being surrounded by the baby stuff made the hypothetical harder to ignore. The thoughts on if he’d have his own little ones propped on his hip and curled into his chest with their chubby cheeks and inquisitive eyes. If they would have his hazel or her golden brown ones, or something different if they adopted. Would their little hands or clothes or hair get caught in the scales of his armour just like hers did when he took her on her first flight to the town house from the House of Wind, when he held her for the first time. Would Elain… Az paused, stopping that train of thought before it just twisted the knife even further, seeing more things he can’t have. 

His shadows began to circle him, and if Feyre noticed she politely didn’t comment on it before pointing out what she was working on when he interrupted her. 

To the right of the cabin and right were she was sat Velaris, and it really did look like a city of starlight with how she painted the glowing nightscape. He could make out the four markets that were the heart of the city, with extra emphasis on where the town house sat along with the new residence they were currently in. Bisecting through it all, the Sidra River looked so realistic he could probably skip a rock across its surface. It flowed like a living thing, reflecting the lights from the buildings on its edge and even the stars above. Two of which weren’t normal stars. 

Above the city proper and even the flat topped mountain that held the House of Wind was the beginnings of starfall. 

“How-“Azriel could barely get out, “how is this even possible?”

“Perks of now being immortal; plenty of time to practice. And having a husband with wings who takes you to get aerial views.” She simply said gesturing to their city, as if she didn’t create magic with swipes of colours. 

“The green one is mine, and the light blue one is Rhys’s. I’m planning to get everyone to add their own star to the wall.” Now looking him, she smirked. “Which means you came at a perfect time, Shadowsinger. Your turn.”

He gave her an unbelieving expression, shadows instantly vanishing. “You can’t be serious.”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, “if I trust Cassian with a paintbrush, you’ll be fine. He’s coming by in a few days when he gets a free moment, Nesta and her two friends are keeping him busy with training.” Nesta is keeping him busy with more than just that, it’s a wonder he even has energy to train them. 

But looking at Rhysand’s mate, Azriel saw her glow in a way different from her powers. Feyre radiated joy as her hand cradled her stomach despite barely showing, not caring about paint getting on her already splattered clothes. For his brother, for the friend beside him and his nephew in her womb, he removed his jacket and let out a resounding sigh in defeat. “What do you need me to do?” 

So Feyre excitedly brought him over to her pile of paint tubes on the drop cloth. She grabbed the white and as he selected the colour phthalo blue she went off to prep the clean, dry brushes and a fresh palette for him. 

“So pick the area of the sky you want your star to be, I’d like to keep the inner circle’s additions mostly above Velaris, but I’ll add tiny ones fading out once everyone is done. Amren and Mor are away, Cass is busy and who knows if or when Nesta would want to contribute. That means besides Rhys and I, you have the pick of the litter.”

“What about Elain?” He asked, trying to keep his voice and face as neutral as possible when she handed him a 3 inch brush already dipped in his blue. 

“I’ll drag her in here after dinner when she gets in from the garden. The colour of the sky is already dry which is the important part, so there’s no time constraint on when everyone adds theirs besides my due date.” She gave him a knowing smile which he dutifully ignored, along with the disappointment in his chest as she confirmed Elain wasn’t in. “Now I want you to cover a large area of where you generally want the shape of the star to go, it doesn’t have to be perfect but cover much more than you think you’d need to.”

He hesitates, “won’t this cover up your sky? It’s a dark colour.”

“Just trust me.”

He followed her instructions, cringing as his brush made contact with her beautiful wall and went over the faint background stars she had already done, but relaxed when he saw they were still partially visible. 

Az looked back at her, seeing his shadows lazily inspecting them, as if they wanted a part in the activity their master is occupied with. Feyre playfully eyed the curious one that grazed her hand as she took his current brush from his scarred hand to switch it. “Now with this fan brush, I want you to coat it in the white paint. And as you do so, get a feel for how the bristles bend and move.”

Doing as High Lady said, he got her guidance once he brought the loaded brush to the wall, being sure to dab, not swipe the white in a near full coverage circle followed by a line over the shade of blue he had no idea how to pronounce. 

“So this is where the magic begins,” she stated when he finished and passed a third brush over, a flat paddle one identical to the first and this time a cloth. “You see that perfectly clean teardrop you made? You’re gonna ruin it.”

At the alarmed look he gave her, she just cackled. “I knew you’d make that face, Rhys did the exact same. I want you to very lightly swipe the brush starting at the largest end of the teardrop and out towards the tail of the star. That’s the only motion you’ll be doing. And after each swipe you can gently wipe off the brush before starting again. You can also practice the strokes around the mountain until you feel ready like Rhys did, the sky there is also dry.”

With a deep breath, he took a step away and tried it until he felt like he got the technique she wanted down. This was for his family, he reminded himself, he will not let his nephew down. And despite getting her nod of approval, he still felt like he was going in blind as he did what she said and his jaw dropped. 

Well shit. Now he understood why she wanted him to put down the colour he chose first. 

“The blue is actually transparent; so while it looks dark in the tube, it blends out much lighter. Especially with white under or overtop. You’re doing wet-on-wet blending.” What was once just a bright blob over blue so dark you couldn’t see it on her perfect walls, he could now see how the white faded. How the light and the dark mixed until they became one. So Az wiped the excess off his brush, and continued on and on until it looked similar enough to what she and Rhys created. They fell into a rhythm, Feyre handing him back the fan brush to brighten or a new one with bristles so impossibly soft as they worked as a team. She barely had to tell him what to do now, so with next to no pressure he feathered it out vertical rather than the almost horizontal strokes from before, until only a streak of blue light remained. They could’ve been at this for minutes or hours, he had no idea. He didn’t even question her instruction to use a densely bristled tool he could’ve sworn was a toothbrush to flick on watered down white paint for the star trail. 

“This is incredible, Feyre.” He stated, stepping back at last.

“That wasn’t me, that was all you my friend.” She grinned at him. “Once everyone’s is dry, I’m adding a sheer shimmery paint to make them pop, but even without it you did a beautiful job.”

He felt heat rise to his face, and inclined his head in thanks without removing his eyes from the wall. 

“You certainly have an eye for this, Az. Care to quit and become a painter? I could use an assistant.”

A chill went through him, and he started to turn in her direction before the window caught his attention. Dusk must have fallen along with the rain who knows how long ago. About to rub his temples, Feyre squeaked out a warning before he remembered the task at hand and looked down at himself. The plain black long sleeve shirt covered in splatters didn’t matter, he goes through them like water for work but the paint coating his skin made his stomach drop the same way her jest did. Much different than the red he was used to seeing there, all the blood he still couldn’t wash away.

He can paint a picture with his knife, but nothing like Feyre’s ability of creation. Each slash he makes as delicate and precise a dance as any Nesta favours, but instead it’s to a symphony of screams. And unlike Elain… the only soil he sees is grave dirt. If the bodies make it that far. 

His work is never meant to been seen by others, it’s means to and end, a way to protect his family and his court. Unlike their work, where it would be a crime to hide it from the world.

“Tempting offer, Cursebreaker,” Az murmured, swapping the dirty cloth for a damp one his shadows brought him. Paying close attention to his siphons and not his scars, he still didn’t feel clean enough no matter how hard he wiped the paint from his skin. “Sadly, I don’t think your mate would be too thrilled to have to hire someone else to feed the creatures in Hewn City.”

She snorted, making a lighthearted comment about at least no one had to feed Byraxis, for now… The forced tease in her voice didn’t fool him as she realized she must’ve hit a nerve, but he appreciated her effort anyway.

“I do have to head out, but I’ll pop by soon to see the progress when I drop off paperwork.” He told her, his lips pressed to the top of her head and shockingly made contact with her hair in a brief farewell. Rhys must’ve lessened the shield knowing Az was with her, but not by much considering both her and the babe’s scent was still concealed. 

Feyre did invited him to stay for dinner which he politely declined. It wouldn’t be served for an hour, but he needed space and to fly to clear his head—still feeling like if he looked down he’d be dripping blood that didn’t belong to him as he made his was out. He did try not to rush out as he walk through the maze of supplies strewn about the covered floor, keeping his wings high even as his shadows tugged at him, but he had a feeling she knew his reason for leaving. Well, at least the other reason. 

Lightning cracks through the sky, snapping Azriel out of his memories. Damn, He must be more tired than he thought. If breaking one of the cardinal rules of flying—also known as “PAY ATTENTION JACKASS!” by his brothers when they taught him—wasn’t enough, he’s not even going to the right place. Despite not living there for years, he’d been heading towards the town house and not the House of Wind. 

The storm just seems to be picking up, but at least with the downpour he no longer felt the warm spray of blood coating him rather than the paint, he just felt nothing at all. Well, nothing besides wanting to get the fuck home. Az really didn’t have the energy to fly up a mountain or winnowing through this even if it wouldn’t be his first time. But considering how often lightning hits the rocks rather than the surrounding city, crashing at the town house is easiest. It’s for the best, with it sitting empty now. At least he’d be alone. 

Az pauses mid-flight though, when he notices the lights already on inside. And the smoke rising from the chimney only to dissipate in the rain.

What the hell? Who would be dumb enough to break into their high lord and inner circle’s home? It’s not like it’s broadcasted who owns the house but it’s pretty common knowledge after this long. 

At least storms can be a great tool for his field of work, it’s almost a blessing in disguise he plans to use to its full advantage. Landing atop the roof as gently as possible, he ensures his wing beat blends in with the rain like it has hundreds of times before. Using his siphons to unlock the door and slipping inside, the creak of the hinge merely just a gust of wind as he shuts it behind him. 

That’s when the smell of jasmine and honey hits him so strongly he has to bite back his moan. But it seems like he was the only one who did. 

Because mixed within that scent ingrained in his brain, is Elain’s arousal. 

And she’s…

Oh fuck. 

Fuck fuck fuck fuck

[hetalia-club]

Been fooling around with a College Professor AU

Here’s what I got tell me what you guys think. (Their name is what students call them btw)

Prof. Feliciano or just Feliciano (North Italy) Teaches: Fine Arts A really fun teacher. You’re allowed to drink, eat. He doesn’t think students should have to raise their hands to talk and encourages people to just shout answers out at him whoever can answer first will get a piece of candy or something. You can really do anything. All that he asks is you do the assignments he gives which are normally pretty fun and hands on. You will never have to write a single paper in this class mostly because he doesn’t want to grade it. He’s a very eccentric guy and there is really nothing about him to hate as a teacher unless you really like a boring class. Every time you set foot in his class something new will happen. Sometimes you will watch Bob Ross videos. Other times you will be watching him paint a master piece. Or he will have the class paint or sculpt. Regardless of what he assigns you can be that it will be a lot of fun.

Prof. Vargas (South Italy) Teaches: Art History and Architecture He has a select few people in his class he actually likes. He’s known for having a temper and hates stupid questions. You can eat in his class so long if you give him some. He has been known to assign 15 page reports and threaten that it is a “huge part of your midterm” and make students stress over it and when he grades it, it will just be participation. A lot of people don’t like him but if you’re one of his favorites then you can get away with just about anything. But if you happen to find him outside of class he will be a complete different person. He’s even been known to buy his students drinks or pay for their meals if he seems them out in a restaurant.

Professor Beilschmidt or Herr Beilschmidt (Germany) Teaches: German It is a no nonsense classroom. You don’t speak unless you are called on. You don’t ask questions until he’s done talking and you will hand in all of your assignments on time or it is a big fat 0 no exceptions. He doesn’t care if you were hit by a car. If you found the time to email him and tell him you should of had the time to do the assignment. Huge assignments ever single class. The man really likes to grade essays. He’s not a mean teacher so long as you don’t get under his skin. He is known for throwing chalk & erasers at people when they turn around in their seats. He has near perfect aim to and will always get you in the back of the head. (I gave him this trait because my German teacher in HS did this and I always thought it was funny. It didn’t hurt I want to make that clear)

Sargent Beilschmidt (Prussia) Teaches: Military Science He runs a pretty tight ship most of the time. Don’t you dare even think about eating or speaking out of turn. He will have random days where he does not feel like being a teacher and he will just put on a historical military movie or a documentary and he’ll take a nap or read a book. He doesn’t give out many assignments just some random huge ones throughout the year.

Professor Honda (Japan) Teaches: History of Asia He’s a very quiet teacher. That is very literal. The class has to be dead silent to even hear what he is saying. Taking his class requires a lot of note taking. He goes through curriculum fast. Start a chapter on Monday and taking a test on Friday fast. Granted if you do all of the many assignments he gives and take good notes which he will let you use on tests then you will pass his class with flying colors. He is good about answering questions and will even keep his door unlocked so students can come in after class to ask things. He’s got major favorite teacher vibes because he’s such a chill guy.

Mister Jones, Prof. Alfred, Doc, hey you (will respond to anything)(America) Teaches: Astronomy and Aero Space Engineering (Rocket science) If you have him as a teacher he is probably your favorite. He has a vending machine in his class room.  This may be college but you best believe he will be wheeling in the TV to watch ancient aliens where he will debunk what is being said the entire time. He gives like no homework. He has no problems getting people to attend class. He has a problem with getting people to leave his class. Students that don’t even have him as a teacher come in on their days off just to hang out with him in his class. His students are always bringing him gifts and snacks. He will organize extra credit meet ups where students can meet him somewhere to stargaze. If you don’t do an assignment you can just be honest with him and tell him “Yeah I just didn’t feel like doing it yesterday” and he’ll say something like. “Hey that’s cool just do it before the end of the week and email it to me”

Dr. Braginski or Professor Braginski (He’s not picky over the Doctor Title) (Russia) Teaches: Chemical Engineering & Chemistry He’s actually a really nice teacher. He just doesn’t do well with leveling with the students. He won’t extend deadlines on assignments. He has a really high grade curve and he expects everyone to be as smart as he is. Most of his classes consist of labs and he doesn’t really like grading papers that much so he won’t assign many but when he does they are 20 page requirements and worth over half your grade. Students who have him for a couple of years learn his personality and start to understand him and he becomes a favorite. But first and second years tend to think he’s mean and crabby. But once they grasp the dry humor and sarcasm they start to like him. Still though even if he’s your favorite teacher don’t push him and think that means that you can blow off classes with no excuse and assignments because he will make sure you have extra homework assigned and push you harder your next class.

Professor Kirkland or Sir (England) Teaches: English Language Arts He tries to make his class fun but his idea of fun is writing a 12 page analysis over Romeo and Juliet. He’s known for being very sarcastic and a bit moody. You never know how his personality will be when you walk into his class. He could be your favorite teacher that day and leave you wondering ‘Hm why do I hate him so much again?’ and then the next day you will leave his class and think ‘Oh yeah that’s why’. He is under the impression that he is the favorite teacher out of everyone on campus though for some reason. His end of the year project is legendary for being brutal. He requires each of his students to write an entire novel. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have an idea for one or don’t have the time. That is the assignment and you will do it and do it well or you will fail the entire class. His class is so difficult and stressful a lot of students drop it in the first week. But if you stick with it you’ll get a ton of learning done.

Professor Francis (France) Teaches: Cinematography and Film Studies His class involves a lot of movie watching which makes since for the classes he teaches. You have to be a major film buff to enjoy this class because everything he will want to talk about will be related to class and film. It’s clearly his passion and all he really cares about. The types of films you watch will be French independent films that make zero sense but he seems to think they make perfect sense and he will leave it up to you to figure it out. Granted if you don’t like analyzing movies you are in the wrong classes in his defense. His classes can feel repetitive since ever class is ‘watch movie, analyze, write paper’ then you just repeat that the next class. But at least students know what they are walking into. He has a reputation for flirting with his students as well so that makes him popular with some.

Professor Yao, Mr. Yao (China) Teaches: Mandarin Now here is a student favorite. He’s so popular because of how relaxed his class is. He will often make big meals and bring it in for his class to eat while they work. He will put on movies in Mandarin some days and the class can just watch and listen. The only problem with him as a teacher is he really likes grading homework so there will be a lot of it. Maybe too much for a language class. But if you pay attention to him and do all the work you will be fluent as a native speaker by the time you are out of college. He is known for having some out bursts. But that is part of what makes him so loveable. He yells at students a lot but it never feels hateful. It can be hard to get used to but once you’ve had him for a year you’ll love him. He has students hanging around his class way after it’s let out just talking about sports and anything and everything.

[peppermintquartz]

So, I don't paint, I don't understand painting, whether on canvas or digitally, and I don't draw landscapes. And my grasp of color theory is about as strong as a Post-It on a wet railing on a stormy day.

But I tried one of Bob Ross's painting tutorials and What. The fuck. Who in the world was this angel of an Art Teacher???

Like. I made that!!! Following his instructions!! I didn't even know why the fuck I was doing what I was doing half the time! I was just trying to find a decent digital analog to the flat brush or fan brush or what have you. And he led me to digitally paint THAT!!!

An angel! BEST ART TEACHER EVER!!!

[abiiors]

Jeez, pals…can’t we just move on and fucking accept that Sir Ross is not single anymore, healthy and happy with Chloe? That’s life, we fall in love, we date, we become better version of ourselves with the one we are with. She’s beautiful, perfect, successful and strongly independent. Who cares if she’s nice or not? She didn’t kill anybody. And who’s perfect anyway? (I mean look at Ross and his chubby hips. Don’t attack me, I have chubby cheeks I look like Theodore from the Chipmunks so…)

For the sake of your own sanity (and I mean it from the bottom of my heart), stop living in a parasocial utopia, enjoy his and her work as a musician and an actress, eat your vegetables, meditate and give a double middle fingers to all the real mean and immature people running around in this lunatic world.

Think of yourself first. Ross and Chloe are big grown up ass individuals in love. It is what it is. If it works, fine. If it doesn’t, c’est la vie, like we say here in France!

Don’t let delusional thoughts, sadness or jealousy take the lead of your mental health. We’re billions in this world. People like Ross are motherfucking legions in this planet. And as a proper human being with big respect in society (because we truly need a little bit of kindness and wisdom in this world, don’t we?), trying to know somebody’s background or past mistakes won’t change the course of a relationship like Ross and Chloe’s.

I mean, Ross isn’t surely a saint, is he? None of us are anyway.

And again, put yourself first because no one else will, not even Ross.

In your own life, you are the priority, never forget that. Because know that you’ve been spending your life with yourself and you are going to spend the rest of your bloody life with yourself until your very last breath in this galaxy. Not with Ross MacDonald or Bob Ross or Steven Universe or SpongeBob SquarePants Or Tom & Jerry or Gumball or Rigby and Mordecai or Sangoku.

Period.

Now, I want you to be fucking strong, have a big good cry, wipe those pearly tears of yours, get up of your chair, prove to the ones who hurt you that you’re a fucking bitchy badass and that they’re going right down to the ground!

Have a nice day my babies.

This is LR from FR on Tumblr, only there to whoop your butt and give you the positive energy you need in your life! Bisous!

OOF!!! oh this felt like being lectured by a teacher in the best way possible hehe like when a teacher's yelling at someone else and it's not your fault at all so you get to watch from the side 🤭🤭

[localcryptidsteg]

Tracing, Style Theft, and the need to be Unique

A comment chain on Instagram got me thinking about these things earlier. Someone asked what common art advice is actually bad advice, and I left a short list that Ive heard, among which is "dont trace."

Naturally, this ruffled some feathers, but heres the deal: so long as you arent line-for-line copying the majority of someone elses work and passing it off as yours? Theres absolutely nothing wrong with tracing. Copying and tracing are two different things; think back to the old "how to draw" books. How they blocked out anatomy and taught you the relative distance of things with lines and joints. Tracing... is essentially doing the same thing. As a learning tool for personal use, being able to take a picture and draw the skeletal frame over it helps you with perpesctive and anatomy immensely! It even helps in stylization. Tracing develops the skills you need in order to replicate something, replication develops the skills you need in order to stylize.

Which brings us to our next issue.... style theft isnt a thing. It doesnt exist. Unless youre forging paintings and passing them off as the real deal, there is absolutely zero reason not to look at the techniques and stylization your favorite artists use and replicate that. Again, it helps you develop skills like shading and coloring and lineart. And having your own "style"? One that has to be completely different from anyone elses? Thats bullshit! Most artists dont just have ONE style. The best artists have several and go out of their way to continue learning more!

Think of it this way: we wouldnt have 2d animation if actual artists gave a flying fuck about their "style" being copied. The Renaissance artists would never have risen to prominence if their teachers hadnt sat them down and told to paint how they did. Bob Ross would never have had a tv show if mimicking how someone else creates mattered in any way at all.

The way you develop your own style is simply this: you look at your favorite artists, you analyze what elements of their work make your brain happy and what are enjoyable for you to do, you mash them all together and voila. Your very own (not really at all) "unique" style.

I think this frankly terrible and counterintuitive art advice trend is killing artists. When you go online as an artist and preach to a bunch of younger aspiring artists that invaluable tools for growth are inherently bad and wrong and theyre evil for using them, you do three things at once:

First, you make them fear creation. "I want to draw or sculpt or knit or what have you, but what if I accidentally copy someone? Then Id be a bad person!"

Second: you kill the joy of creation. They become too focused on the end result and never really learn how to make for the sake of making.

Third: you block their avenues of progress. In order to get better at your craft, you really do have to try everything. Trying to make certain techniques into something "off limits" only serves to hinder that progression. It causes stagnation which in turn causes frustration, which leads us back to issue 2.

When I was a kid, my grandma would drive two hours to my city every year for my birthday, and every year she would take me to the art museum. My grandma loved art with every fiber of her being. She was thrilled when my mom went to art school. She was estatic when my sibling and I took up drawing. But she never, EVER tried to make anything herself. See, when she was in school, her art teacher had told her she wasnt very good. And she, being a kid, believed it. And she stopped trying. She would never color with me and my sibling, would never try drawing with us when we begged her to join in. Shed chuckle and say "oh, I couldnt draw a straight line with a ruler!" And sit and watch us work and rave over how good we were at it instead.

When she hit about 80 or so, her memory started going. But she still loved the museum and she still loved art. One of my aunts talked her into taking one of those "how to paint" classes at a little studio near her house. She painted a cake. And you know what? It was a really friggin good painting! Itd be hanging in my room right now if my aunt hadnt called dibs!

My point is this: anyone of any skill level can learn to draw or paint or whatever. Im a major proponent of this; I always have been. But shaming creatives for how they do it, for how they learn it, for what they make? That destroys the drive to create, and it can last a lifetime. Who knows what my grandma could have made if not for that teacher? Who knows how many young artists felt nothing but shame and guilt over their work and quit because of bad-faith art advice?

[wednesdaythesecond]

What Gym Class Heroes album should I listen to first, having only heard a few scattered songs before?

okay, okay. good question. personally? i would listen to them all in chronological order (The Papercut Chronicles, then As Cruel as School Children, then The Quilt, then The Papercut Chronicles II) to see the change and growth of the band as a whole cuz that's kind of what i did. but if you wanna do a vibes based approach, i'll give you the rundown on all the albums.

if i had to clearly define each album as a singular vibe i would say they are Sad, Sexy, Experimental and Cunt.

The Papercut Chronicles (February 22nd, 2005) - SAD

angst on angst on angst. there's suicide, addiction, self harm, breakups, self loathing, homophobic violence, addiction, depression, shitty relationships, addiction and did i mention addiction? you've got Cupid's Chokehold and Make Out Club to add a little fun and sexiness but it's a lottttt of heavy shit. Travie's not fucking around on this, he's getting in! to! it! my favourite song right now would probably be To Bob Ross with Love but you should listen to it straight through, in order the first time.

As Cruel as School Children (July 25th, 2006) - SEXY

in an interview, Travie was asked to describe As Cruel as School Children using one word and he picked "sexy." i agree with him, this is a sexy ass album. are you feeling sexy? would you like to feel sexier? Clothes Off! fucks severely and makes me fan myself like a victorian man seeing an ankle for the first time. you want horny romance? you got that. you want student/teacher? you got that. you want ye older internet romance? you got that. you want sex and addiction? you got that. you want sex as a metaphor for addiction? you best believe you got that!! also the sloppy love jingles? hawt <3 my fave song right now would probably be Shoot Down the Stars.

The Quilt (September 8th, 2008) - EXPERIMENTAL

there's a wide variety of genres and themes in this one. there's drunk sex, there's legal trouble, there's father-son bonding, there's a really excellent and non offensive trans joke, there's so many pop culture references, there's infidelity and there's a whole bunch of disses that i think go really hard. like i know in my heart that Travie could rip Drake a new one. the album opens up with fucking JAZZ, then there's fabulous rap and hip hop of course, with some Pumped Up Kicks kind of pop (happy music, dark lyrics) and some seriously sick ass guitar (thank you Disashi <333). my fave song right now would probably be Guilty as Charged

The Papercut Chronicles II (November 11th, 2011) - CUNT

CUNT is a mixture of confidence, sexiness, no fucks given and talent wrapped up in 11 bad bitch tracks. 14 years of Gym Class Heroes came together into this fucking beauty of an album. i'm just saying, if your fave album is so good, how come it didn't get a sequel? we've got back to back bangers that are not afraid to reference or not reference old Gym Class Heroes lore and they all do what they do fucking beautifully. there's confidence, there's vulnerability, there's religion, there's metaphors coming out of everything, there's fucking SICKENING guitar and beats, there's fight songs, there's love songs, there's grocery shopping, there's dinosaurs, there's breakups and there's dollar signs instead of S's. my fave song right now would probably be Martyrial Girl$

so yeah, that's my take on every Gym Class Heroes album <3 listen to them in order tho

[pcttrailsidereader]

Codgers and Geezers

In 2023 two fellows from Georgia hiking the PCT became You Tube sensations. David “Rumbles” Good and Joe “No Filter” Cook, known collectively as the Codgers hiked the PCT. These two guys are definitely not twenty or thirty somethings. They are two experienced hikers who previously completed the AT and decided to take on the PCT. Rumbles and No Filter, 62 and 66, were in the minority of 2023 PCT thru-hikers attempting to head straight north through the snow-covered Sierra and beyond. Many decided to leap frog these snowy parts and come back later.

No Filter, Rumbles, and their hiking partner to Kennedy Meadows, Mr. Freeze on the AT 2022

I have not watched every one of their many videos but enough to build an impression. These two fellows appear sensible in their decision making. For example, determined to not take any unnecessary chances traversing sketchy snow covered trails or crushing miles to crush miles. Even going through the Sierras they did so with caution and a no hesitation to turn around or skip over a tough/unsafe part. They are determined for sure, while appreciating their surroundings and each other. How they revel in a sunrise was something I found very easy to relate to.

Rumbles has an easy voice to listen to. At times while watching and listening to their videos Rumbles has reminded me of Bob Ross the easy speaking TV painting teacher from some years ago. No Filter adds a nice compliment to the overall commentary. These two men are clearly good friends and have spent good times together.

This all leads me to thinking about my own PCT experiences hiking with my companions Rees and Jim or as we affectionately refer to ourselves as 'Team Geezer'. We weren't always 'Team Geezer'. When we began hiking together we were in our twenties. We walked most of Washington's PCT in one stretch solidifying our desire to do more together. Most recently one of us reached their seventh decade and two of us are not far behind. Most importantly we are still hiking together. We just completed a little over 70 miles on the Colorado Trail.

Team Geezer 2023

That recent hike was a notable reminder of our shared history. It also points to the joy that we feel in each others company, not to mention the wealth of experiences we have shared over the years. We have shared tents, food, and many laughs as well as deep conversations. Another factor in all of these years of walking together is a mutual determination to continue making these times together happen for as long as we are able.

As I watch and listen to the Codgers I can relate easily. I would love to meet them as I am sure we would much in common beyond walking the PCT. It seems that the National Scenic Trail experience, i.e. the Triple Crown, or any of the other notable trails to hike in the United States can easily be assumed to be a young persons game. These two hikers and my partners and I aim to affirm that is not a 100% given. In fact there are many more middle to later aged people hiking sections or as thru hikers every year. That suggests that how Team Geezer sees itself is not to dissimilar from a bunch of other folks who have found their way to the same place.

I commend the Codgers for their achievement. I also appreciate the way they gently remind anyone who watches and listens to their stories unfold on You Tube that there is so much more to experiencing the PCT than simply making it an extreme sport. That may sound like a bitter older person's comment but honestly that is an opinion that I have held from my earliest hiking experiences. Essentially it is not the trip it is the journey. It is the journey of walking and the journey of friendship that go hand in hand and linger far longer than one might imagine.

[invisiblefoxfire]

Exploring the depths of YouTube late one drunken night, I happened to stumble upon the Trybals channel. It's a reaction channel where a group of people from Sindh, Pakistan who have had basically no exposure to the west react to western YouTube videos and culture. The man behind the camera translates the English for them and they analyze what they see the same way modern western people talk about tribal cultures and it's fucking amazing.

My favorite video is their reaction to Disturbed's cover of The Sound of Silence. Do they scoff at the strange instruments and gravely vocals and the weird angry man with all his facial piercings? No! They respect and praise his powerful voice, the emotion of the song, they find it interesting how these foreign people express themselves through jewelry, and they remark on how true the song is even in their culture (where smartphones are becoming ubiquitous even in tribal villages). They break down the meaning of the song more effectively than I've ever heard anyone do it and even brought me a deeper understanding of the lyrics. They think it's amazing that this white man in West was able to write so accurately and brilliantly about such true things even all those years ago. There are also several other videos of them reacting to different types of Metal and at no point do they have anything negative to say.

In one of the videos they react to We Are The World, and one of the reactors, a younger guy named Mukhtiar, instantly falls in love with Cindi Lauper. In another video, they try painting for the first time and he creates an abstract painting that reflects his love for her. He later sees what she looks like now as an older woman and is asked whether that changes his feelings and his response is "age doesn't affect feelings". The others agree that if she feels the same way about him, there's no issue with them getting married with such an age difference. It's fucking adorable.

They also watch Mister Rogers and Bob Ross and Steve Irwin and express their respect to these men for being such great teachers. They watch My Cat From Hell and are impressed by Jackson Galaxy's gift with cats. They try pizza for the first time and their opinions run the gamut from "oh this is delicious" to "I don't see what the big deal is, it's just bread with stuff on it".

Anyway go watch the channel. They all seem like lovely people and it's so much fun to see my own culture discussed as a strange foreign thing for a change.

[etherealcalamities]

Do all the colors except one of your choosing

Okay

Yellow: When you get older, where would you want to live?

Somewhere progressive. Mountains would be a nice bonus.

Orange: Where do you want to be right now?

In bed. Nothing's really stopping me, it's just a general, constant sentiment

Lilac: What is your dream vacation?

Would love to go to Japan sometime

Beige: What is your favorite dream?

I have a lot of not-favorite dreams. I can't think of one I particularly enjoyed. They all range from meh to horrifying.

White: Who was your first kiss?

Kevin in the fourth grade under the slide in the playground. It lasted half a second and we never spoke of it again.

Purple: Who was your last kiss?

I accidentally gave someone a kiss on my last date. Does that count?

Tangerine: Give a description of who you like.

She's small and needy and bites me a lot. (It's my cat. But, not in a romantic way)

Gray: Share a relationship story.

One time I was like "ok I'm gonna come out to this guy I'm seeing, I hope he's cool with it. We're so similar, wouldn't it be funny if he also came out to me?" AND THEN HE DID

Green: Share a family story.

When my parents first got me, I was super slow to warm up to my dad, so I made him play with me by rolling a toy across the width of the hotel bed

Gold: Share a story that makes you smile.

Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1) by Travis Baldree | Goodreads

Black: Share something you did embarrassingly.

One time I tried to kick my friend Karley and I slipped and fell on my ass in front of my whole marching band

Blue: Are you still friends with the people you met in elementary school?

No, just drifted apart

Red: What are your hobbies?

Reading, baking, and making excel sheets for my friends

Violet: What college do you plan to attend?

That Ohio State place seems cool, I'd love to spend six years of my life there.

Brown: Would you rather have a relationship or friend with benefit? Explain.

Just one benefit? It depends on the benefit I guess.

(Relationship)

Peach: Who is your favorite teacher so far?

Bob Ross

Pink: What is the meaning behind your url?

You know, at one point I wanted to choose something cool and deep and so I chose these two words. It doesn't really mean anything but I love it anyway. Find me on reddit too (same username) shouting about the Reds.

[subtextsays]

I hopped on their newsletter after seeing this vid. They posted this yesterday:

We’ve got a wild story to share, and some lessons to reflect on!

On October 23rd, we noticed things going a bit bananas. Sales were flying in, our social media channels were lighting up with new followers, and website traffic was off the charts. 

We were scratching our heads, wondering what on earth was happening.

Then, a call from our Co-Founder, Kim Beaton, connected the dots.

A lovely individual named Ruth, had shared a video of Kim presenting her famous tinfoil sculpting demonstration on the Weta Workshop stage. Kim does this talk weekly for hundreds of people, showing them how to sculpt with tinfoil, and then add Pal Tiya Premium to make weatherproof outdoor art.

People film Kim all the time because she has this magnetic, connective energy that excites and inspires. But for some reason, Ruth’s video struck a chord with TikTok and its ever-mysterious algorithm. It took off, racking up 5.1 million views, 134.8K saves, and over 4,000 comments (and counting!). We've shared it on our TikTok channel, just go to the reposts tab to view.

Here’s just a taste of the comments:

“Her presence is captivating.”

“Just listening to her feels like a treat.”

“I wanna be her.”

“This woman could teach me anything.”

“She’s my new Bob Ross.”

“I learned so much in such a short time.”

The comments confirmed what we’ve known for years: Kim is an unparalleled teacher with a rare ability to break down complex ideas into something approachable and inspiring.

This is one of the many reasons why Kim & Yvonne are creating the Artful Awareness Academy, a fusion of their combined 50 years of experience. With Sculpting the Sculpture and Sculpting the Sculptor, they’re putting their skills into one transformative place for artists and sculptors worldwide.

For Kim, this viral moment was a boost of joy and validation. Pal Tiya International has always been her proudest achievement and legacy, and seeing so many new people join the waitlist for the online course? It made her smile from ear to ear. 😊

But what did we learn from this? Here are our 5 takeaways:

You can’t control what goes viral. Algorithms are unpredictable, and sometimes, the right moment just happens.

Be ready for the spotlight. We’ve worked tirelessly for over a decade to create not just a product but a methodology. Building a foundation meant we were ready when people discovered us. This included countless hours of hard work, sweat and hot glue gun burns and yes, tears.

Believe in what you’re building. The strength and discipline to keep going comes from truly believing in your work and its potential to create change.

Passion is magnetic. When you’re genuinely passionate about what you do, it shines through and connects with people.

Keep doing the work. As Kim loves to say, quoting a Buddhist proverb:

“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

And that’s exactly what we’ll keep doing: serving, growing, and sharing. We’re here for the long haul, and we’re so grateful to have you on this journey with us.

[losver07]

hey babe wanna go to a nice cafe, order a good macchiato and listen to me talk about etymology, the ship of theseus, water lilies, federico garcía lorca, bees & the anatomy of an eyeball? all of that with a sprinkle of taylor swift, chuck palahniuk and something my arts teacher told me when i was 12. would you like a chocolate chip cookie too?

also my bag will be stained with paint and my hair might look different from what it does today but that's okay because i'll quote bob ross & you'll ask me who he is & i'll act offended while taking a sip of a coffee that tastes like conan gray and tillie walden and jane austen and sugar. that's your taste you taste like that it was a metaphor. i will make a few of those. do you like them? i can stop if you want. but i can continue too. i can say you remind me of that one movie i saw once of which i can only remember the warmth. my childhood was rough and most of it has been erased from my mind but you remind me of the warmth i regret forgetting. studio ghibli and colorful ikea bedsheets and homemade muffins and a hug. my coffee tastes like a hug. should i be concerned that it is not bitter?

maybe they gave me the wrong order

does that matter, though?