#I need to get myself those like. floss pick things

[shentheauthor]

God gives his hardest battles (flossing teeth) to his most autistic soldiers (me)

[starlightsuffered]

Long Healed

Info - worker and boss relationship, worker reader, self harm scars, injury

I was racing around the Candy room. When Willy was really focused, he was like a surgeon. He’d call out for something and I’d need to grab it immediately and hand it to him.

“Maple leaf picked on the fifteenth day of fall,” he requested.

I went to the plants section and looked by day and type. When I got back the concoction was a lilac colour and the steam was coming up in cumulus looking clouds.

“Here,” I handed it to him. He grabbed it with tweezers.

It was wild because he even looked dashing in his lab coat and those ridiculous safety goggles.

“Tuft of hair from the beard of the 13th Billy goat in the flock,” Willy asked next.

I got the fluff and handed it to him. He took it and it made the candy mixture smell like spice. He was stirring carefully.

Other pipettes were boiling with other mixtures. I could hear the ticks and whirs of other devices working. Something in the corner was creating a new version of fairy floss. Taffy was being pulled by the stretching machine.

It was always so warm and cozy in here compared to the frigid outdoors. It was comfortable and homey. I was glad Willy had asked me to live here. I hadn’t had much of a place to stay before now. I also knew he lived here, and having someone else in the large factory made me happy.

I hadn’t had the most pleasant life. Things had been very hard before I’d been hired by Willy. I often thought of him as an angel. He was always so sweet and gentle with me. He forwarded my soverigns when I needed, and if I broke things he didn’t take it out or my paycheck.

“Please stir this while I prepare the dry ingredients,” Wonka requested.

“Yes sir,” I agreed readily.

I began to turn the spoon counterclockwise as he had. I hummed lightly as I did it. I looked over at the wall. I noticed the artists rendition of Willy’s mother. She had the best smile. I always wished I knew someone in my childhood who smiled that way at me. I would have liked to have met her. Willy was always saying she would have liked me. I always felt so warm and fuzzy when he said that sort of thing to me.

Suddenly, glass shattered. The noise startled me and I knocked over a pipette. The jelly like pink and white bubbles soared out of the tube and splattered on the floor. I felt a sharp pain as jagged pieces sliced into my arm.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing I thought to say. Willy had rushed over to see the mess. I was horrified by how I’d destroyed his recipe.

“No, it’s okay, I’m just worried because you’re bleeding,” Willy said anxiously.

“Oh Mr. Wonka, I'm fine really,” I replied anxiously moving to hide my wrist. He gently took it back. He smoothed his thumb over my marred skin, eyes opened wider in shock.

He must have seen the the scars that hadn’t faded very well. He didn’t say anything. He made sure to get a bandage and wet cloth along with a salve to ward off infection.

He cleaned the wound, and next he used soft movements to apply the ointment. Finally, he wrapped my arm with the bandage and tied it off. It was just right, not too loose and not too tight.

“There you are,” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He held my arm a little longer, his face getting sadder and sadder.

“You don’t have to tell me, but I’d like to know what all these other scars are from,” he murmured.

His radiant green orbs met mine. I bit the inside of my lip. I turned away from him. The intensity of his gaze was too much.

“I-I wasn’t always as happy as I was here,” I finally admitted. “I felt like the only person to take that out on…..was myself.”

“Oh, y/n,” Willy’s voice was filled with sorrow and ache.

“I haven’t done it in a while. I’m almost a year clean. I am sorry you had to see that,” I told him solemnly.

“You’ve got nothing to apologise for,” Willy told me quietly. His face dipped down and his lips touched the thicker skin. He kept his mouth there longer than I’d expected.

“I don’t want to overstep, but if you ever need a person to talk to when you feel that way; I am here,” he told me.

I finally turned back to meet his eyes. I felt full of gratitude and love. He was the kindest man I’d ever met.

“Thank you Willy, those cuts are long healed, but it feels like you just sealed them even further,” I told him tearily.

“I am glad,” he beamed.

@pmak2002 @softhecreator @plutoispurplw @sp1deyyf4ngz @seungcheol17daddy @jesschalamet @vvsdreaming

[azulcrescent]

Hi Azul! :) I started following your silly scribbles about a year ago, and seeing Cheryl model how she came out to her friends and family in the comic helped me articulate my gender experience better with my wife and even come out to my friends and family. Thanks for sharing your art! I also wanted to say that I'm sorry that you're experiencing poor sleep and burnout lately. :( Those can make you feel awful. I've had a chronic illness for the past six years -- and I'm fully aware that's something separate, nor do I want to equate it with your experiences -- but, at risk of giving any unsolicited advice, I do wish someone had said something to me about this when I first felt those as well. Because I was pushing myself to work for 2 hours a day as a special education paraprofessional in a wheelchair due to fatigue and systemic dysfunctions throughout my body -- so I had to quit my job since I was making my health even worse. When I stopped working, I was fully bed bound for a time but even still kept pushing myself to attempt grad school online despite only being able to sit up for 5-10% of the day. My point is that, even when our bodies are burnt out, we still push ourselves because that's generally just our human nature to do. And I wish that during that time someone had gently said it's okay to slow everything down and listen to what my body was telling me it needed.

With slowing down, I also get that finances are a thing, and I wouldn't have been able to recover from severe to moderate ME/CFS without my wife working her butt off for us to cover medical expenses by switching jobs and upskilling. (She jokes that she has no more butt anymore because of those years :'(... )

So, although this is stepping into unsolicited advice, but as someone who was burnt out and constantly eepy for years, I feel like it would be remiss of me to not try to say something and just give a bullet point list of free things that helped my nervous system not be so overstimulated and tired but wired that I couldn't sleep and even when I did it was unrefreshing and yucky to wake up the next day:

•Search for "ally boothroyd yoga nidra" on YouTube and pick a 10 minute video •Do belly breathing to expand the diaphragm (one of the few ways we can give input to our parasympathetic nervous systems -- the rest, digest, and heal system) •When breathing, breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4, repeat to tell your body it can be calm •Spinal flossing in bed: start from your lowest vertebrae you can, try to isolate it with your muscles, and shift it up down left and right, then go up to the next one •Listen to how your body responds to foods: maybe try cutting out gluten and refined sugars for a week to see if it helps in any way; a lot of our immune system is in the gut, and being in a stressed state can cause our immune systems to mistake food molecules for pathogens which then activates the immune system and turns off the parasympathetic nervous system •Drop your jaw fully open like you're going to yawn, then stretch your tongue upward outside your mouth as far as it can go and stretch it around. This is a stretch for the muscles near your vagus nerve near your ear/neck behind the jaw to help them relax •Plan a bedtime routine for the thirty minutes before you go to bed and be consistent •Brain retraining: When you feel stressed or anxious about sleep or being burnt out, compassionately tell yourself "Stop, stop, stop." Thank that part of you for bringing up its concern, then remind that part of yourself that it doesn't need to worry anymore because you are working on recovering and healing. And if the insomnia or fatigue do happen, you have plans for what to do and will be okay. •Remember the conclusion from the American TV show Mythbusters: https://www.tumblr.com/gretchensinister/678474387179077632/one-of-the-most-life-changing-things-i-ever You're still getting rest even if you just close your eyes. You've talked about having ADHD, and while I don't have it, I get that it messes up brain chemicals and can contribute to both insomnia and burn out. There might be a reddit discussion that speaks to you better about medications or deficiencies. I hope you get to rest. Cheering for you. It's always fun to see your art. Thanks for what you do! :) Sleepy cat tax:

Glad to hear you like my comics! And thank you for the very informative and helpful info on sleeping better! Ill try to put your advice to use!

[frogsandfries]

Was anybody going to tell me my sister is out of town for the weekend or was I just supposed to find out for myself on Friday evening.

At least she took the dog. It'll be a nice lovely weekend in the office for me, not having to let the dog have his outside time. The only bad thing being, I may not be able to get my meds or anything to supplement the food we have in the house. Like, a block of cheddar (my sister refuses to buy shredded cheese, so I have to shred all the cheese) would've helped with the final quiche that I'm going to be making for quite a while; spinach would be great as well. If I had more broccoli, I could make more chicken broccoli casserole. Sure, we have plenty of food in the house, but it means nothing if you can't prepare anything from what's left. So I guess I'm just stranded with what I have........ Most likely............ Unless I just use this little chunk of change I have left to get those couple things.... Man, I was going to use that money to get some embroidery thread.

So as she was rushing out of the house, she advised me that she's inviting the gene donors to live with us. I advised her that if she's inviting them to pay to live here, she better make them sign a contract. Honestly, I should've signed a contract with her. I wasn't expecting the move to be so difficult, and then for her to break her leg. But I am working to figure out some kind of solution. I could see at least one of the gene donors never paying rent and then wanting to hoard up the entire house with the crap they'd spend their money on instead. If my sister told me tomorrow to pick one room because she's renting out the other, and also I need to get all my crap out of the other places it is in the house, a) I could do that, b) I would. Our gene donors wouldn't be so respectful. Which is ironic because who pounded my manners people pleasing and bending over backward to accommodate others into my head?

I'm kind of cracking; I kind of can no longer resist: I need to do my New Mexico State flag wall hanging. And it is going to take unimaginable amounts of embroidery floss. I want to put together my wefts before I try to estimate the amount of embroidery thread; I'd rather order the right amount of thread or more. I'm pretty clever at blending out colorways, but I would, of course, rather not have to do that.

There's this Haku in his river spirit form wall hanging that I really want to work on, but I'm even having a bit of trouble focusing on the pattern. Speaking of patterns, I'm also having trouble with this decently sized, realistically colored Luna moth.

In addition to all that, I think I found the pattern I was going to use for this one WIP. I knew I had plans for the threads; I never put a bundle together like that till I have something planned, but I misplaced the plan for it. I need to figure out some kind of organization for that. A sketchbook would be pretty good, but printing would be a pain. On the other hand, I could try doing that digitally, since the patterns are already in my tablet. The issue is going to be "out of sight, out of mind." I could also just get better at starting my bracelets before I put them away.

By the way, there's this one blue and yellow themed chevron I also really really want to do, and actually, I could use a little more practice with chevrons. I was going to pull aside the threads for it, but I ran out of time. I still want to do this variegated chevron. Eventually I want to do a variegated bracelet with a distorted stripe......ooohhh maybe I should work harder to find some variegated threads like what I have; or maybe I could try using two different colorways..... Either way, a distorted stripe with variegated threads???!!

Well, since I'm not doing pretty much anything at all this weekend, maybe I'll try to finish those big patterns, and some bracelets. I'm thinking about taking off the weekend from gaming for money as well. Like I keep saying, if I'd known about this while I was working from home, this would've been amazing. A nearly solid eight hours with a solid handful of games to cycle through? And an extra gift card every couple weeks? But I'm just trying to earn just any functional money at all and this is just not it. Honestly, a pile of friendship bracelets has more certain earning potential, even if the profit margins are painfully, sadly similar.

[pansoph]

i feel really terrified,, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. I picked my parents up from the airport tonight and took a wrong turn and it sent me into a bit of a panic. And then we made plans for my mum to give me a lift to work tomorrow (near her work). I think the trains are cancelled. I borrowed a screwdriver and got home and fixed my saucepan and started dismantling this automatic bin before realising that wasn’t where the batteries needed to go. Started getting ready for bed and realised I ran out of floss :-( ohhhhhh I just realised why I’m anxious it’s because I was meant to do something on Friday but was doing something for uni so I didn’t get around to it and now I have to do it in the car otw to work tomorrow whilst super sleep deprived lol. That’s ok we can deal with that. That’s no reason to be so scared. It’s going to be ok. Sometimes I forget I’m just an animal and the chemicals be doing things in my brain and I forget the real reason why they are doing those things and when I walk myself back over it I realise it can actually be rationalised. Also I might feel anxious because I went on a 2nd date with a girl today and I feel like it ended in a strange mood. But that’s also no reason to feel anxious because it’s not bc of anything I did. I took half a magnesium tablet and I’m going to sleep just fine. I love u pat pat

[marthfador]

Reminder that if you can't get the energy or mindset together to do literally anything but one single thing during the day, make that thing cleaning your teeth. One way or another. Even if it's just a swish with mouthwash or a quick dry brush. Take care of your dang teeth.

Broke? Imagine how much more broke you'll be when one of your teeth snaps in half and you have to have some emergency dental work! Imagine living with teeth rotting so badly that it hurts to eat anything- do you think you can get the nutrition you need plus being able to afford being picky about what you eat? If you're too tired to brush your teeth, do you think you'll suddenly develop the energy to cook everything you ever eat down into mush you'll be able to gum down to avoid dental pain?

Not to even mention the emotional toll of just having bad teeth. If you've ever looked in a mirror and thought "um my teeth look a little yellow :/" or w/e, now imagine them rotting out of your head and looking in the mirror. Then just the emotional toll of being in constant pain, being unable to eat things and fully enjoy them, etc etc. Then of course let's not forget the perception of others. We don't want to think about how people judge on appearance, but they do! If you're applying for a job you really need, will you feel confident with rotten teeth? Do you think that will have an effect on how the hiring manager may see you? Something else to consider!

I know that upkeep of anything at all can be taxing. If you're already struggling to keep alive, it feels like such a chore to do anything else at all, but believe me that it's something that'll be better for you in the long run! Dental issues are perhaps one of the most expensive issues to have! A lot of work places offer some sort of health insurance these days, but not all include dental! Just the fact dental insurance is separate on its own should be a clue!!

Again- do what you can. Ideally? Brushing, flossing, mouthwash. Don't feel like you can manage the effort? Try at least swishing a couple times with mouthwash. Hate brushing in general for texture? I've heard others recommend a washcloth! I used to have 'travel toothbrushes' that were basically toothpasted-up sponges on a stick that were actually pretty pleasant to chew on lol. Hate the taste of toothpaste? There's plenty of other flavors out there, plus even tooth powder for those that hate the texture! (There's actually kids toothpastes with just as much fluoride and whatnot as adult toothpastes and taste much nicer! I use Mio and so far have tried their orange mint and sakura flower flavors and they help my tooth sensitivity!!) While I haven't had as much luck with adult mouthwashes that don't taste gnarly, the kids mouthwashes are just as well! Remember going for alcohol-free to reduce burn! Hate flossing? Try another way! I personally find the picks easier to use, but even then I'm not fond of flossing so I got myself a water pik. It gets gunk out from between my teeth plus massages my gums! (Actually what made me think of this post- my gums are sensitive since I've not pik'd in a while and bled some when I tried again tonight! Oop! It really is SO EASY to fall behind!)

All in all- don't skimp out on taking care of your teeth! They don't come back!! If you can, talk to your dentist about any and all reservations you may have and they'll help you try to find ways to keep your teeth healthy. If you can't, talk to friends and find forums online to see if anyone else has found solutions to similar issues! Literally, if you do only one single thing in a day, make it taking care of your teeth!!!

[rollypoliesonarock]

I have said this a thousand times and I will take this opportunity to say it again

LEARN EMBROIDERY!!!

Most of my patches on my vest, pants, bags, and the jacket I'm working on were made by myself, and they all cost me pennies to make

Assuming you are getting all your stuff legally and you don't have a family member willing to give you their unused sewing stuff (got a lot of stuff from my grandma) embroidery needles cost a few dollars for a pack (make sure to get embroidery needles, they are bigger than sewing needles, they are usually sold together, but make sure theres bigger needles in whatever you get), small embroidery hoops cost $3 and are reusable (I use 3 inch and 7 inch ones), embroidery floss is cheap as long as you don't buy the name brand stuff, and you can use fabric from old clothes (just don't use anything stretchy, that will mess with tension and make the patch all bunched up). You can sew patches onto clothes with more embroidery floss, or use the floss you use on your teeth. You also need scissors, which you probably have laying around somewhere already or know someone you can borrow from. It's also worth checking any public service areas like libraries, my library has a sewing space you can use with everything you need (mine is age restricted, so any minors might want to check the rules before relying on that)

Embroidery itself is easy to pick up, and shares a lot of similarities to hand sewing (another skill I think everyone should learn). There's plenty of YouTube tutorials out there you can learn from, and after a couple patches you will catch on and be able to make whatever your heart desires. I'd recommend starting with words or simple symbols so you get a feel for it before doing anything to complicated (I did something complicated first time and it took me 2 weeks to finish).

Only issues are that patches take a long time to make and that it can be a bit painful before your fingers get callused, but thankfully there's so few materials you need it can be brought anywhere. Do it wile watching TV, or while on the train or bus. I usually bring my stuff to class and do it there. You can also wear gloves or bandaids to help with any pain in your fingers (or a thimble, but I personally hate those things, bandaids are way better).

Anyway, there's my rambling about embroidery again, please learn. It looks cool and is way more punk than any patch you buy off Amazon or wherever else, plus people get really Impressed whenever they learn you made a patch, which is a nice confidence boost!

Also please sterilize any safety pins before shoving them into your ears, I almost gave myself an infection doing that, please stick those over a fire or in boiling water, and maybe file down the tip a bit, and then shove them into any piercing you desire. I care about your health and don't want you to deal with a piercing infection (also my mom became allergic to metal by shoving unsterile metal into her ears and it was a years long hunt for a single pair of earrings she could wear comfortably, so there is that risk too)

Actually I'll never forgive Punk Rave and Killstar and fast fashion brands for tricking people into thinking that being goth or punk or emo is expensive. Babygirl the only goth brand names you need to know are Rit, Good Will, Etsy, and Studs and Spikes, we used to shove safety pins through our ears and then they started selling earrings that look like safety pins for 15.99. We used to dye thrifted wedding dresses black and they started selling gothic gowns for 300 bucks. We used to put studs on boots we found in the back of the good will and they started making Demonias. DIY or die wasn't perfect it can be exclusionary to disabled people but whatever the fuck we've got going on right now is so much worse. It's not any more inclusive to the disabled and it is exclusionary to the people who made punk, to the people who made goth, to the people who made emo. If you've got the funds and you don't want to do diy pay someone else to do it for you but please let it be a small artist or a friend not some guy in a suit who's made it his business to gentrify punk. You can turn flats into platforms with flipflops, hotglue and gumption don't let anyone tell you different.

[themermaidsdragon]

Lestrange's Love...Good?

Warnings: Dubious Consent,Underage Drinking,Underage Sex,Consensual Underage Sex,Fluff and Smut,Romance,Yule Ball (Harry Potter),Food Kink,Rough Sex,Dom/sub,Rape

Summary:

After attempting to recover from another silent treatment, Asadel interrupts Adelia's candy trip to tell her some of what's been going on inside him, as he is inside her! (LOL)

Notes:

In this chapter of Adelia and Asadel, will Adelia ever truly forgive Asadel and how he handles his emotions, or will she need more eventually?

Chapter 4: Squashed Candy Floss and Hurting Hearts

Adelia woke up the next morning with little sleep and the messiest bed head. She was upset from the night before. How could he be so awful? I mean he never shows his emotions ever, but that was different. It was like he didn’t care how I was feeling at all, and usually he cares if I’m upset. How could he also just walk away from me instead of talking to me? Maybe I’ll go get candy to make myself feel better. Ya, some fresh air and candy will help clear my mind.

Adelia got dressed and ready for the day.

“Hey Adelia! Where are you off to?” Daisy says.

“I’m off to Honeydukes for some candy.”

“Would you like some company?”

“No, it’s okay, I’ll be fast. Maybe we can get the gang together later though for studying, since I'm still on the verge of failing.” Adelia says with a smile.

“Adelia! We told you to cut down on the candy until your grades got better. I don't want you to be kicked out!”

“It’ll be fiiiiiiine. Gotta go. Byeeeeeee.” Adelia said, running out the door before she got scolded more.

“Adelia!!” Daisy said but gave up as soon as she was out the door. As much as she wanted to stop her, that was her best friend. She knew something was up when she looked at her, and she knew candy would help her. Then like usual she would come back to Daisy later and cry, to let out everything she needed to out, and Daisy would be there like always.

Adelia made her way to Hogsmeade. It was still a little cold outside as they were slowly still nearing the end of winter. Normally she would pick up flowers she saw as she passed, but since there weren’t any growing yet she just got excited seeing the saplings starting to sprout up.

Once she got to Honeydukes she knew she needed the one thing that was going to help her the most. Candy floss. She made her way to the back wall and grabbed one bag of every flavor. She made her way up to the counter with her six bags and paid. As she gave the man the money, she heard the bell on the door jingle as someone walked in.

“Thank you!” Adelia said to the man with a huge smile on her face. Ya this is going to help.

As Adelia turned around, it felt like she hit a brick wall. Thankfully her bags of fluff took most of the impact.

“Oh sorry!” Adelia says, starting to step around the person before looking up.

“Do you need some help carrying those?” Asadel said, standing in front of her.

Anger filled her up inside as she let out a simple “No.”

“I think we need to talk about last night.”

Adelia clenched her candy floss to her stomach tight. “No. No, I don't think we do.” Adelia says with lots of sass, as she tilts her head up and to the side with her eyes shut, pretending to ignore him now.

“I have some stuff I would like to say. I think you need to hear it. I want to be with you. I just think I’ll hold you back. I’m really not the best, and I want what’s best for y-…..”

“Ya know, after yesterday I think it’s just best if we think about other stuff right now., and I’m thinking about this candy floss because that is what’s going to help me right now. Well, my crushed floss thanks to you” Adelia says pouting, cutting him off, and starting to walk away.

“FUCK! Can you just listen to me?!” Asadel says grabbing her arm before she can leave.

Adelia looks down at her arm and then back at him. “...No…,No I don’t think I want to now. Now I really just want to leave and have my candy. Plus, I need to study and I'm just going to hang out with our other fr-.” This time Asadel cuts her off from frustration on how this situation was turning out and drags her outside. Realizing they are in public he takes her and dips into the alley way right nearby. He lets go of her, and Adelia has her back against the wall looking at him.

Adelia looked up at Asadel… she looked afraid of him, remembering their last sexual encounter made her body tense up and her breathing quicken. Asadel saw her reaction and, he felt a knot twist in his stomach… she was afraid of him, and it was his fault.

Asadel reached up and gently cupped her face, gently brushing his thumb against her cheek “Adelia…I won’t hurt you.” he whispered in her ear. Adelia looked at him, she was shocked by how tender he was, even the way he looked at her was different… softer. Her lip quivered slightly, and she wrapped her arms tightly around him “I believe you” she whispered back to him.

A weight lifted off his shoulders and he pulled her in for a kiss, it was a desperate kiss, a needy kiss, he needed her… he needed her warmth, her kindness, her goofiness, he needed all of it. Picking her up, Adelia wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him back with enthusiasm and began to unbutton her top for him.

Kissing her neck, he was leaving a trail of hickeys down her neck and to her chest. Adelia ran her fingers through his hair and panted “A-Asadel…I can’t walk around with a bunch of hickeys on my neck” she whimpered, but he ignored her gently nipping her chest, opening her shirt more. He took her nipple into his mouth and gently bit it. Reaching down he started to pull her panties down and Adelia stopped him “Asadel… not here…” she gasped not really wanting to do it in public again.

Asadel put her back down on her feet and turned her around pressing her chest against the wall, he pulled down her shirt and began to kiss and bite her shoulder. Adelia became nervous again… he wasn’t listening to her…was he going to hurt her again? She tried to wiggle away “Asadel… we can’t” she whimpered and then she heard Asadel say something she never thought she’d hear from him…

Asadel gently kissed the nape of her neck to the shell of her ear “Adelia… I need you” he whispered as he massaged her hips. Adelia felt like she wanted to cry, he needed her? He was finally being vulnerable to her? She felt her heart flutter a bit and she stopped struggling. Asadel pulled down her panties completely and unzipped his pants, taking out his length he teased her entrance and reached down to rub her clit, he felt her body relax and he pushed in, making Adelia let out a soft squeak.

Asadel held her tight, one hand was rubbing her clit while the other pinched and teased her nipple. Adelia braced herself against the wall trying to stay as quiet as she could as he pounded into her, her moans and whimpers never going above a whisper. Asadel could feel himself slipping once again… something bubbling inside him, biting down on her shoulder his pace increased. His thrusts became more animalistic.

“A-Asadel… I…I can’t take much more…” she gasped, feeling her knees becoming weak. Asadel felt himself near the edge as well, taking her chin he turned her head and kissed her deeply, as he thrust a few more times before pulling out and cumming on the back of her thighs. They both stood there for a moment, catching their breath before redressing.

Adelia looked up at him and blushed and gently kissed his cheek “Asadel… whatever you are going through, whatever is bothering you, I want to be by your side… and get through it with you” she said shyly. Asadel looked at her and actually felt his face heat up and turn red. As usual he didn’t say a word, but wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him and rested his head on top of hers, maybe having someone to be by his side… wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[marvelous-harry]

what if you did a blurb where someone says something mean to the reader about her relationship with harry and floss and they comfort her

"Hey, I'm at the shops, do we need anything at home?" I asked as I plucked the Rubik's cube off the shelf and putting in my basket, definitely needing one of those.

"Hi, baby! Hold on, let me go check the fridge," Harry said as he answered the phone. "Florence! Do you need anything from the store?" he shouted up the stairs.

"Jesus, fuck, Harry! Move the phone next time," I flinched as he yelled, clearly not moving his phone away from his ear.

"Shit, sorry. Didn't mean to do that. Florence says she needs portabello mushrooms. 10ish should do," Harry opened the fridge and looked inside.

"What the fuck is a portabello mushroom?" I asked confused as I headed for the fruit and veggies section.

"Them white mushrooms she always cooks with. Think the underside of the cap is brown? Oh, we need almond milk," Harry mused as he shook the last carton that was in there.

"If I end up buying the wrong ones and they turn out to be mega poisonous, it's not my fault," I put my phone between my ear and shoulder as I grabbed a bag and shook it out before plopping some mushrooms down into it.

"Pretty sure they don't sell poisonous foods at the store, babe," Harry chuckled as he headed back to his spot on the couch.

Dropping the bag into the basket, I grabbed my phone properly again and went to get the milk. "But you're not 100% certain. I rest my case," I smiled as I grabbed three cartons of milk. "I'm just about done, so talk when I get home?" I said as I headed to grab a few bags of crisps and some chocolates.

"Yeah, alright. Drive safe," Harry told me, making me smile as always.

"Of course. Love you," I replied before hanging up. Heading to the checkout, I grabbed a magazine with Harry's face on it - very curious to read about how our relationship was doing lately.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" a young lady asked suddenly, making me jump a bit as I finished packing up the things I'd bought.

"Emm, I don't think so?" I replied and gave her a polite smile before walking towards the exit.

"No, I think I do," the lady said and followed me. "Oh wait! I know! You're that girl who's with that boy and girl! Fucking slag," she spat out, following me the whole way to the car.

I didn't say anything as I unlocked the car and put the bags in the back.

"It's so obvious you're just after their money. Let me guess? Got you this car did they? Can't even make your mind up about who you want... Greedy little gold-digging bitch,"

"Oh, fuck off," I muttered as I glared at her while going round to the drivers' side.

"You fucking swear at me?! You fucking cunt!" the lady screeched before I felt something warm splash all over front and side.

Gasping, I looked down and pulled my jumper as far away from my body as it allowed before I watched her run away. Staring at her in shock, I only looked away when I couldn't see her anymore.

Feeling my eyes welling up with tears and my bottom lip starting to tremble, I opened the car door and quickly got in - locking the car as soon as the door was shut. My hands were trembling as I grabbed the seat belt and buckled myself in. It was fine. Everything was fine.

Before I knew it I was pulling up in the driveway not really remembering anything about the drive here. Quickly wiping my face, I took a deep breath and got out of the car. Grabbing the bags from the back, I hurried inside.

"Hi, babe," Harry called out from the living room.

"Hi," I stuttered out, kicking off my shoes quickly and putting the bags down. My hands were still shaking. Hearing Harry getting up, I bolted up the stairs, hoping he wouldn't see the state of me or my jumper.

"Woah, where you going?" Harry asked as he looked up the stairs.

"Nothing!" I called back before realizing my mistake. Dashing into the bedroom, I grabbed the bottom off the jumper and took it off quickly before doing the same with my top.

"You okay?" Florence asked.

Letting out a little scream as I looked over and saw her on the bed. "Fuck. I'm fine," I replied shakily and walked towards the bathroom. "Fine, just need to clean up,"

"Wait, you sure you're okay?" Florence asked as she got off the bed, putting down the script she'd been rehearsing when Harry came in.

"I'm fine," I said just as a tear rolled down my cheek as I closed the door and locked it quickly.

"You're crying. Baby, what happened?" Florence asked as she walked over to the door quickly and tried opening it, looking confused back at Harry.

Harry just shrugged before he picked up the discarded clothing and looked at it. "There's coffee on these," he said and came up to the door too.

I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't help but check out my skin to see if it was red. It wasn't. The coffee had only been warm, not hot. Seeing a stain on my bra, I took that off too and grabbed my big, fluffy hoodie that I'd wear before bed to get cozy.

"Darling, what happened? Did someone spill their drink on you?" Florence asked, leaning against the wall.

More tears fell from my eyes. I cleared my throat. "No," I sniffled, grimacing as I saw myself. Turning away, I jumped up and sat on the bathroom counter. "Someone kind of threw it at me," I said quietly.

"What? Say again? Did you say someone threw it at you?" Harry asked, staring at the door, brows furrowed.

I clasped a hand over my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut tightly as I tried to not cry.

"Open the door. Baby, please," Florence asked, testing the handle again.

"It's okay, I just need a minute. I didn't get burned or anything," I spoke up after taking a calming breath.

Harry clenched his jaw tightly as he closed his eyes while Florence walked over to the vanity and grabbed on her big flat earrings. "Baby, unless you tell me no I'm going to open this lock from the outside," she said and listened carefully.

I wanted to tell them to just go away and leave me alone but I also wanted them to close so I said nothing.

"Okay, I'm opening it," Florence said as she wedged the earrings into the slit on the lock and twisted it to unlock. She grasped the handle and opened the door slowly.

"Hi, baby," she spoke softly as she put the earring down next to me and put her hands on my arms.

I sniffled and wiped my face with my sleeve as I glanced at them both quickly before closing my eyes again. I couldn't bear to see how angry Harry was or how worried Flossie was.

"We need you to tell us what happened, okay? Did you say someone threw coffee at you?" she asked calmly.

I nodded.

"Where did this happen? At the store? Who threw it at you?" Florence rubbed my arms gently.

"It was at the store parking lot," I cried and wiped my eyes. "There was this lady and she didn't like me very much," I whispered.

"What lady? What did she say? Why the fuck would she throw her coffee at you?" Harry asked angrily.

I whimpered and grabbed onto Flossie.

Flo glared at Harry. "Calm down," she hissed before turning back to me. "It's okay. He's not mad at you, baby. I promise. What did this woman say to you?" she said as wiped away some of my tears.

"Just the usual stuff," I shrugged. "I'm a gold-digging whore who gets everything I want and I'm using you cause I can't even decide which one of you I want," I whispered tiredly, memories of past incidents flashing through my mind. I usually didn't take these people's words to heart cause I knew they weren't true and so did Harry and Flossie.

Harry made a noise and rubbed his hands together before crossing his hands over his chest.

"I don't mind the words, I just got scared when she threw the coffee you know? That's never happened before, and I didn't even know it was coffee at first. I just felt something warm and a million things went through my mind, thinking the worst," I rambled.

"Are you sure you didn't get burned? Can I have a look?" Florence asked gently, needing to check that first before unpacking everything else that woman had said.

I nodded and pulled up my hoodie. It was all over my front and side," I told her as I sniffled.

Harry walked over, biting down on his lip as he searched my skin for any sign of irritation.

"I can't see anything so that's good," Florence said as she pulled the hoodie back down. "Come on, let's go cuddle,"

Wiping my face with my sleeve, I held her hand as I jumped down from the counter and followed her into the bedroom. Getting under the blankets I snuggled as close to her as I could, letting the scent of her perfume, her warm touch, and the sound of her breathing calm me down.

"Harry, come lie down," Florence said gently as she looked at him, watching him pace back and forth.

Harry stopped his pacing and looked at Florence. "Shouldn't we be calling the police or something? Try and figure out who this lady is?!" he asked frustrated and angry.

"I'll call our solicitor in a bit and she'll take it from there. Come lie down," Florence said a matter of factly and held out her hand. "Come on,"

Harry let out a frustrated grunt as he walked over to the bed and got in. "You know what she said isn't true right? That we don't think that?" he said as he wrapped his arms around me tightly.

Pressing a kiss to Florence's neck, I turned around so I was facing Harry. "Yeah. I know," I whispered as I nudged his nose with mine.

"I love you so much. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you, I'm sorry it happened. Never letting you out of my sight again," he said, pulling me as close as physically possible.

"I love you too," I sniffled, smiling as Florence moved in a bit closer too, trapping me in a cuddle sandwich.

She pulled the blankets up higher over me and Harry before resting her arm over us both.

"I left the almond milk in the bags in the hallway. We should put it away," I said after a bit of silence.

Harry shook his head, holding on tighter. "Fuck the almond milk,"

[rogue-durin-16]

THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED (Part V/VII)

"the perfect excuse"

Summary: After Fred's death, George and Y/n lean on each other to carry on. This wasn't the most brilliant idea, though; George was pretty much in love with the girl, and Y/n— well, she had been dating Fred prior to the Battle of Hogwarts.

Pairing: George Weasley x Reader

Genre: angst mostly

Tags:

Suggested by: @crispykittywitch

Things never go as planned: @sarcasticallywitty15 @beautyschoo1dropout @s1ut4georgeweasley @sunshineandshadowss @missmulti @weasleywh0r3s @andreaareynoso @georgeweasley19 @dianarte

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa

Warnings: language, drinking, makeout getting spicy

A/N: idk what happened here, this was not planned I'm just horny ig??? Anyway have this part that was definitely not meant to unfold like this but hey, I'm not mad, so enjoy <3

Prologue: the aftermath

Part I: sleepless nights

Part II: candy floss

Part III: shock therapy

Part IV: wrong name

Part VI: the downfall

Part VII: apart

Epilogue: I still love you

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

I checked myself in the mirror one last time before heading to the kitchen. There was no actual need of dressing up nicely, since we both would be spending New Year's Eve at the flat, but since Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione were coming, we decided to clean up for our guests.

"Hmm, smells good." I leaned on the doorframe, observing George finishing cooking.

"These past five months' messes paid off." He joked, grabbing a kitchen rag to clean his hands. "Can you keep an eye on it while I go get read..." He trailed off automatically when his gaze landed on me. "Woah— okay." He cleared his throat, eyes slightly widened at my outfit, and I couldn't help but enjoy a bit too much his attention. "You look really good— is that the new blouse?"

"Yup." I replied, a coy smile dancing on my lips as I stepped to him and picked the kitchen rag myself. "C'mon, go clean up nice for our guests."

It only took him a couple of minutes, since he might have had his suit ready.

"Mind lending a hand with the tie, love?" He requested, stepping into the kitchen with his attention on the shirt's cuffs which he was buttoning up.

Damn, he looked so good; it wasn't even fair.

"Y/n?" He chuckled, finally looking up.

"Uh— yeah! Sure." I threw the rag over the counter and led my hands to the tie, taking my time to make the knot; maybe I wanted an excuse to have my hands on him.

We stayed in silence until I was finished; it wasn't an awkward silence, but it wasn't comfortable either— it was, in fact, stifling.

"There you go." I more like whispered instead of talking, sliding my hands down his chest briefly. His eyebrows were knitted, trying to decipher my demeanor; his hands caught one of mines before they fell limply on my sides, and for a second, I thought he was about to do something really stupid —something I had wanted to do for the last three months—, but then the bell rang and we stepped away from each other, going to receive Ron and Hermione as if that moment hadn't happened at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GINNY'S P. O. V.

I took a sip of my brandy as we laughed at Ron's joke, my eyes drifting to Hermione and then to Y/n's lap, where Teddy rested, giggling and blabbering nonsense at George's hand movements and funny faces.

George had confided me quite ashamed that he fancied Y/n about two years ago, but I knew the looks he gave her were of something more than a little crush, if you may.

Had I not known Y/n, I would be worried she was projecting Fred onto the younger twin, but the girl knew better than that, so when we got to experience how their domestic life unfolded during New Year's Eve, I felt nothing but happiness at the way Y/n laughed at my brother's jokes, or how she stared at him in pure adoration as he played with Tonks's and Lupin's baby.

"You're getting him waaay too exited, mate." Harry chuckled, extending his arms for Y/n to hand him the toddler. "He needs to go to sleep."

Teddy, who we had put to sleep in Y/n's room shortly after dinner, had woken up right before the New Year came to us, and, since he refused to go back to sleep, Y/n took on the task of entertaining him. George joined as soon as he witnessed Teddy's hair going rainbow-like at Y/n's actions.

"Actually, I think we all need to go to sleep." I said, leaving the glass on the table.

"Boo, you're supposed to be the youngest!" Y/n whined, earning a laughter from the rest.

"Ginny's right, though." Ron stood up and all of us followed his lead. "It's really late and I don't want mum to see us drunk when she wakes up."

"Not a good impression to make on your future mother-in-law, oi, Granger?" George's tease made Hermione's cheeks flush, murmuring an 'idiot' before giving him a hug. "Take care, all of you." He added after he and Y/n had hugged everyone goodbye.

The five of us exited the flat and apparated in the Burrow's yard in silence until Harry asked, "are they together now?"

"We don't know." I confessed with a grimace.

"Well, together or not, they're definitely fucking."

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping her boyfriend's arm.

"I just said what everyone else's thinking." He defended himself, and none of us could deny it.

READER'S P. O. V.

We began to pick up the dirty plates, glasses and cutlery in order to take them to the sink and leave them there to wash them tomorrow.

"Oi, look what I found." George wiggled a firewhiskey bottle at me from the living room.

Without thinking twice, I grabbed the half empty ice cream tub I had just left over the counter, a couple of clean glasses, and I made my way to George.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"—and that was only in our... Third- no- fourth! year?" He finished the story, joining me in the giggling; I didn't doubt the story was funny, but I was sure it seemed ten times funnier because of the alcohol. "Wait- where were you back then?" He knitted his brows in confusion.

"A year below you." I laughed.

He snorted. "Below me," he took a look at his empty glass before reaching for the bottle with a laugh "hell, I wish."

I couldn't help but laugh too. "Sure you do." I wouldn't have laughed if I were sober, but then again I highly doubted he would have said that if he were sober. "Y'know- you can have me below you anytime you want, Georgie." I replied between lazy giggles, leaning on him so he would pour more firewhiskey into my glass too.

A loud snort left George, triggering one of my own. "Sure, darling." He loosened his tie and tossed it to the floor. "Why's it so hot in here?"

"Mmm... Must be 'cause of you." I threw my head back to stare at the ceiling. "Or... maybe's just the alcohol." I groaned at the feeling of my head spinning, and sat upright again to chunk the now full glass in one go. "I'm hot too."

"Oh darling... You can't even imagine how much— I mean... Every day— but tonight you look partic... particular...ly? Dashing." George was leaning back against the armchair's feet, his eyes closed, his cheeks flushed and an amused smile dancing on his lips. "Why must you be so bloody perfect?" I found myself staring a bit too much at the ginger. "There's still a conscious part of my brain that knows I shouldn't be saying this shit." An idle chuckle left his chest and one of his eyes peeked open. "I'm gonna blame the alcohol, aight?"

Right, the alcohol —The perfect excuse.

I laid my glass on the floor and got up, stumbling towards him. "Oi, careful— you don't wanna trip and fall." He laughed, steadying me with his hands as I plopped down on my knees besides him. "We won't make it to St. Mungo—" With one hand on his shoulder and one on his cheek, I went for it, cutting him mid-sentece in the process.

It was one hell of a sloppy kiss, and I was so concentrated on doing it right that I didn't even hear the moan I sent into his mouth.

What the hell are you doing?, My mind screamed.

I attempted to pull away, but I felt George's hands on my sides, clutching my clothes in his fists to tug me flush against him. I took the cue and did my best to climb onto his lap and straddle his legs without losing balance.

What we were doing felt terribly wrong, and, the morning after, we would regret this little slip so much, but in that exact moment I could only think that his lips tasted like fire whiskey, strawberry and chocolate, and that the quiet moans slipping through them between the kisses were loud enough to quiet down everything in my head.

I stopped to take a breath, resting my forehead against his; our eyes locked, pupils blown out.

Heavy pants left our lungs, as if we had just run a marathon. It felt like the kiss had made a bomb go off, one that we had unconsciously been building up those past months.

It took an instant of looking at each other to know we thought the same; we wouldn't get this opportunity ever again, so at that point, we might as well carry on and pray for it not to be too bad in the morning.

This time it was George who smashed his lips against mines, teeth clashing and tongues going in each other's mouths. The situation was escalating quick; a tad too quick, I daresay.

He cursed and mumbled something about too many clothes, proceeding to pull his shirt over his head with my help, given that he could only do so much with that amount of alcohol in his sistem.

I could do even less, though. It was proven when I first attempted to get rid of my blouse.

I struggled to unbutton it, an awkward, dizzy silence falling among us before his hands travelled to mines "Wait... Lemme..." He frowned, finding that simple task as frustratingly difficult as I did. "Bloody..." A browned off grunt left his swollen lips.

"Tear it." I mumbled, letting my hands roam over his chest.

"You sure?"

I hummed, somehow impatient. "We'll fix it tomorrow." I captured his lips once more.

We'd fix it tomorrow.

I felt his hands fisting my shirt by the cleavage before giving it a firm tug, making my gasp; I wasn't expecting all the buttons to come off in one go, given his drunken state.

I didn't even have time to discard the piece of clothing before his lips attacked my neck, shutting my brain off instantly due to the sensation.

"You want this?" He whispered in my ear, his hands going up from my thighs to my back until they reached the clasp of my bra.

Not trusting my voice, I nodded vigorously, making the world shake around me so hard that I had to shut my eyes.

I felt a feather kiss on my shoulder and his fingers unfastening the bra; he was doing his best to be smooth, which wasn't a lot, but I could tell he was trying hard.

"You're so sweet." I blurted out as his fingertips ghosted over my skin while he removed the top from my body.

He tried to reply something, but articulating kept getting harder and harder as we went deeper into it, so he gave up on words and so did I; at least until his fingers slid between my legs and started to tease me through the fabric of my remaining clothes.

"Bed." I whimpered, unconsciously rocking my hips against George's hand whilst my own travelled to his crotch, feeling his erection and consequently earning a moan from him.

"D'you think we'll make it?" He inquired, already retreating his hand briefly so we could stand up.

Soon enough we were stumbling to my room, hands all over each other, bumping against the furniture and walls due to not being able to stand upright.

When we fell on the bed and tossed the rest of our clothes to the floor, it began to dawn on me how bad this was going to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GEORGE'S P. O. V.

My head was pounding violently in my skull; that's most likely the reason why I woke up. It took a moment for the blurry memories of the previous night to flash into my mind.

"You feel... so good..."

"Fuck- George— faster, please..."

"Y/n— I'm-"

"No." I shoot up, not acknowledging that Y/n was still asleep by my side. "Fuck no. Nononono." I ignored the terrible headache caused by the hungover and, grabbing my clothes, I exited the room. "No fucking way." I kept mumbling to myself, stalking to my dorm to throw on some fresh clothes.

I sat on my bed, my hands running through my locks, bringing back the memories of Y/n's tugs on them in the process.

"What the fuck did I do." I almost choked on the sentence.

[lostlegendaerie]

hello let me play with you in this space! here are my thoughts!!!! especially as someone with sharp teeth (I have slightly larger canines and deeper 'pits' in my molars that make the points more prominent. yes, I have sucked a dick with this mouth. I did get in trouble about it, too.)

1) custom dentures would be expensive as hell, I'd say unless he had issues chewing they'd be normal. Nagisa helps mod them sharp later.

2) I would assume he can chew things that aren't really fibrous (no celery) without issue since those might not get snipped into short sections - he's got the bite power, probably. hmm. I need to refresh myself on tooth mechanics in the animal kingdom

3) honestly I bet flossing is horrible for him bc the stuff probably shreds and frays between those chompers but he SHOULD STILL FLOSS if for his gum health more than the enamel. SOLUTION: water pick

4) probably a lot but also ohhhhhh my god. Rin with mouth piercings. he would play with those all the time and look so good with them. god damn. I need like seven smut fics of this concept immediately.

5) I think the brush would be fine, might just look a little 'fluffy' after a lot of use. he's not chewing on it so it's not like the head or handle would be affected, just the fibers.

it's 3:26AM and my brain is riddled with the most ridiculous thoughts, but hear me out:

question #1

if rin gets really old and all his teeth fall out, what kind of dentures would his dentist recommend him? would he wear:

a) regular ass dentures with normal teeth, or;

b) some bizzaro set of dentures lined with razor-sharp canines

question #2

if rin's teeth are ALL canines (as in, he doesn't even have molars), how does he chew his food? does he just tear the living shit out of his vegetables like he's a wolf ripping meat out of a fallen deer or?

question #3

does this mean rin doesn't ever need to floss his teeth, considering how triangular his teeth are? like, there are literal gaps between all his teeth, so why would he need to floss amirite?

question #4

how many tongue piercings has rin accidentally given himself by accidentally biting his tongue?

question #5

what does rin's toothbrush look like?

i need to KNOW.

[sunnyrinusstudies]

Going FOSS: An Intro to Open-Source software for studyblr (and also some privacy related bits)

Source for Header Image

Intro & attempt at TLDR

Hey everyone! Today I’d like to tell y’all something about Open Source Software, and also Why this should matter to you! This’ll probably be the first post of a series I intend to do, because I believe the Studyblr community, even the non-nerd folks, could really benefit from switching some things out in their digital environment. Since this is a long post, I attempted to summarise it below, please do read on if you have the spoons tho!

TLDR?

FOSS stands for “Free and Open Source Software” the “free” part doesn’t necessarily mean it’s free as in free pizza, but mostly means free as in freedom.

There’s a humongous amount of variants on this concept, but the core of FOSS specifically is the four freedoms:

1. To run the program however you want and for whatever you want

2. To study how the program works and to change it in whatever way you want

3. To be able to share it with whomever you feel like

4. To be able to share your modified version with whomever you want

There’s a whole host of software licenses built around these concepts, you can check those out at the Open Source Initiative website, or at Choose A License. Both have a good summary of what they all stand for.

Open Source software is used for a lot of products, nearly every single webserver is an Apache Linux server, Google chrome is built on top of their open source chromium (google is still the devil, but y’know, it’s an example), and even deep deep down, Apple computers run on top of a Linux Kernel. Many more can be listed, but I won’t do that otherwise this isn’t a TLDR anymore.

Now, Why is this important for you? The Open Source Initiative summed it up real nicely already, but heres a short paraphrase:

Control & Security. If software is open source then you can check if it really works the way it does, and to make sure it’s not spying on you. Even if you don’t have the skills for it, someone else who does will be able to check. Also if you don’t like how something works in a program, then you’ll be able to change it or find someone else’s changed version that you like more.

Training. People who want to learn programming can use the code to see what makes programs tick, as well as use it as a guide for their own projects.

Stability. Because everything’s out in the open, that means someone else can take up maintaining a project or make a successor of it, in case the original developers suddenly quit working on it. This is especially important when it’s software that’s absolutely critical for certain tasks.

Community. It’s not just one program. It’s a lot of people working together to make, test, use, and promote a project they really love. Lots of projects end up with a dedicated fanbase that helps support the developers in continuing to work on the software.

I’d like to add one more tho: Privacy, which ties in a lot with the security part. Nowadays with protests going on and everything being online due to the pandemic, folks have been and will be confronted much more with the impact of privacy, and lack thereof. Open Source software means that if any company or group tries to spy on you, then you and anyone who feels like checking, will be able to know and take action on it. Here’s the EFF page on privacy and why it should matter to you

If that got your attention then read on past the readmore button! Or, if nothing else maybe check out the Free and Open Source Software portal on Wikipedia? Or maybe the resources page of the Open Source Initiative?

Terminology: Let’s get that out of the way first

Open Source: The source code that a program is made up of is freely accessible, anyone can look at it and check whether it works well enough or to make sure it doesn’t spy on you.

FOSS: Free and Open Source Software. This doesn’t mean that you don’t need to pay for it, it’s free as in freedom and free speech, not free pizza.

There are four freedoms associated with FOSS:

The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).

The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2).

The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3).

By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

FLOSS: Free and Libre Open Source Software. This time it is “free” as in free pizza. The “libre” is french for “free” as in freedom.

GRATIS: Sometimes people use this word to mean “free” as in free pizza. Usually alongside “FOSS”

Licenses : A license is something that tells others what they can or cannot do with your code. Licenses also apply to art and literature, those are copyright licenses. There are many different software licenses and I’m not going to be able to list them all.

The biggest players however are:

Apache License 2.0

The 3-Clause BSD License

GNU General Public License (also known as GPL)

MIT License

Mozilla Public License 2.0

There’s even more and you can find a list of them Here on the Open Source Initiative site There’s so many licenses that there’s even a Choose A License site, where you can pick a license depending on what you want it to achieve

Who and/or what even uses open source software?

You don’t need to be some nerd to benefit from Open Source software, in fact, you’re using open source software right now! The biggest example is the whole entire internet. Websites are stored on servers, and nearly every single webserver is a Linux server. The second biggest browser Firefox is open source, and even google chrome is built on top of “chromium” an open source base. If you dont use an iPhone, then you’re probably on an Android phone. Guess what? Android is part of the Android Open Source Project, which is then built upon a GNU/Linux base. All Open Source. Chromebooks? Built on top of a Linux kernel (like a non-patented engine you could put into any motor vehicle you’d like). Heck, even Apple computers are, at their core, built on top of a Linux kernel.

Neat apps you may wanna check out!

I’ve made a little list of apps that might be especially useful for studyblr folks, but depending on how well this post does I’ll probably make some more posts for specific apps.

TiddlyWiki, has a bajillion different ways to organise your thoughts, and also a lot of variant builds out there. Check out their table of contents if you feel lost! There’s versions available for most big browsers, as well as windows, linux, mac, android, and iOS.

AnyType, is an app that looks and almost exactly like notion, but is much more decentralised. They’re currently still in development but if you want to support them, sign up for early access and give them some feedback so they know what works and doesn’t! They’re still in closed alpha, but are intending to give beta access to about 100 folks at a time throughout 2021, so please sign up if this looks interesting to you!

Trilium Notes, is slightly more like a “notebook”, however you can arrange your notes in nearly infinitely deep folders. You can use things like Relation Maps & Link Maps to visualise your notes and how they go together. There’s even more they do and I just cant list it all, so go check out their stuff for a more comprehensive overview! Works on windows, linux, and (unsupported) mac

LibreOffice and ONLYOFFICE are two office suites that function just as well as micro$oft office, often Even Better in my experience. I’ve used LibreOffice for years now and honestly? never going back. OnlyOffice is technically free (as in pizza), but it’s a slight hassle to get everything set up, cause you need to set it up on a server. They have a paid and hosted version available with educational discounts, but honestly i’d go with LibreOffice.

OnePile, is an app I haven’t used myself since it only runs on Apple stuff. But I’ve heard a lot of good things about it so that’s why it’s in here. It looks like it works similar to most general “note taking notebook” apps. Looks really pretty too honestly.

EtherPad, is similar to ONLYOFFICE, however this one’s a lot more focused on specifically text documents. Works with real-time collaboration which is really neat.

Anything that FramaSoft has going on. They’re a non-profit organisation, dedicated to promoting digital freedom. A lot of open source cloud related things are not really useful to people who don’t have the time and/or money to set up a whole-ass server. That’s where FramaSoft comes in, they do it for you. Just about everything they offer (here’s a full overview) are free (as in free pizza). They also have a separate site to help you get started!

It’s not free to run it all on their side, so if you find yourself interested in using their services please try to support them any way you monetarily can! (they even have a “minetest” server (not minecraft, deeeefinitely not minecraft))

Joplin!! Which is also what I used to write this post so I wouldn’t have to use The Tumble’s post writing thing. It’s good for taking notes, has a bunch of neat plug-ins, and can also sync with a variety of cloud services!

Nextcloud For if you want to go just that little bit further on the open source and the privacy. Nextcloud has honestly way too many features for me to list, but the important parts are that it’s a nigh perfect replacement for office365, and probably even GSuite. The one caveat is that you either gotta host it yourself, or get someone else to host it for you. Framasoft (mentioned above), has a nextcloud instance. It works on just about every single platform, and can integrate with an absurd amount of services. Here’s a list of providers that work with nextcloud, and what different apps they have installed on their server.

I personally use Disroot, because they’re a local (as in, my country) non-profit that offer about 2gb of free storage, and then for about 15 cents per GB per month you can get more storage if you want. They also have an email service which is hella neat. Their one main rule is Do Not Use For Business Purposes, because they’re here to help the individual folks, not companies.

Neat Links you may also want to look at!

Here are some sources, and also resources that I used for this post. There’s also some stuff here that I think folks may be interested in in general.

General Wikipedia Article on Open Source Software

The Free and Open Source Software portal on Wikipedia

Resources page of the Open Source Initiative

Free Software Foundation definition of “free software”

itsfoss page on what FOSS means

itsfoss page on the history of FOSS

Open Source Software Foundation list of projects and apps they really like

Open Source Initiative on “the open source way”, and how it goes beyond software

Check out literally anything the Electronic Frontier Foundation has going on maybe?

TED talk on privacy and why it’s important

The Surveillance Self Defense project by the EFF

This EFF page on privacy for students

ExpressVPN article on privacy (not necessarily endorsing this company, just a good article)

What’s next?

I’ll probably make some more posts on specific kinds of software that I think folks may like. Or maybe a general overview on the more privacy forcused reasons and solutions for doing all of this.

Future post ideas, none of these are set in stone:

Open source Note taking apps

Replacements for just about Every Single google service I can think of

My personal setup

Open source / privacy conscious social media that studyblr folks may be into

Chatting, Calling, Videocalling: Discord and whatsapp alternatives etc

??? More studyblr apps that could do with a FOSS alternative??

How to support open source when you’re not a big fudgin nerd

How to be better at digital privacy and security, while still maintaining that studyblr aesthetic

Apps, software, other stuff, for specific areas of study maybe?

Feel free to suggest other ideas! Or leave feedback! This is my first big resource post so I wanna know if/how I can do better when I make another one!

[sturdy-nerdy-stitchery]

Post title: Absolutely Glowing!

Ok folks! The sturdy nerdy stitchery has been busy. (www.sturdynerdystitchery.etsy.com) Been printing 3d floss bobbins. Lots of them! The ones on the right were taken with my camera's night sight function so, they turn out a bit more blue...but the actual color is more like the ones on the left. But, I just LOOVED the way the blue turned out...SO!

GIVE-AWAY-TIME! You heard it folks!! 3 lucky winners will proudly be able to find their dropped floss bobbins on the floor in the middle of the night!

1st place: 15 floss bobbins

2nd place: 10 floss bobbins

3rd place: 5 floss bobbins

To draw up interest for these, I am holding the glowiest give-away ever! However, this doesn't come with out a cost. As the trope often is. To enter the give-a-way for these glorious glows, there are going to be some rules to get yourself entry! So, onward we go:

This give away will go on for 1 week only. one week. From now, until 11:59 on 8/7/2021 MST Colorado/Denver time!  

To get one entry into the give-a-way, you must:

Follow my blog, or already follow it.

like this post and reblog it

tag three people who need this in their lives, or heck...just 3 people who would find these awesome! Or even three people who just like glow in the dark things!

I will only accept entries that are following my blog, that reblog, that hit the like, and a tags 3 people, regardless of whether those people like or know what a floss bobbin is LOL

But wait! There's more! TWO ENTRIES!

If you would like to up your chances with TWO entries, then not only do you need to do the aforementioned list, but, go over and follow either (or both):

Instagram: @SturdyNerdyStitchery

Facebook: @ The Sturdy Nerdy Stitchery

To show me that you have completed this endevour, leave a comment here saying “Face book like!” or “Instagram follow! or “Both. Both. Both is good”

I will be making myself a spread sheet  of user names on likes, reblogs, insta, and faccebook. And I WILL be comparing number of insta/FB comments here to the number of new followers I get, so...y’all can’t pull the wool over my eyes! LOL! I don’t get that many followers per week anyway, so...give or take 2-3ish...

When the week is done, I will use a random number generator to randomly select 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place!

Once winners have been picked, I will reblog this and Tag the winners!, Winners have 3 days to message me before I move on to the next selected winner!

May the odds be ever in your favor!

In the meantime, you can check out www.sturdynerdustirchery.etsy.com for all your stitching needs. From needle minders to cross stitch patterns.

[lokilysolbitch]

fuck

i am trauma dumping to explain the context for this. don't feel obligated to read it. trauma talk is heavy also i put a tldr at the bottom of the tags

when i was like 13 and not flossing enough for various reasons, the orthodontists were like hey. floss more. its good for you. and my dad decided to address this by starting a nightly routine in which i was to lay on my back on the couch ottoman thing and he, with HIS hands, not mine, would floss MY teeth with floss dipped in hydrogen peroxide which turns out is terrible for your mouth. turns out it's not even advisable to get it on your hands in general. but this is not even the bad part yet. the way he decided to floss was so far up into my goddamn gums that it felt like a genuine knife. slicing in between my teeth. and i told him this. he did not care. he told me it was supposed to feel like that. and as it is in my household, showing fear or pain is generally unadvised ESPECIALLY if it's a parent causing such feelings. so i just had to sit quiet while feeling like a knife was slicing between my teeth slowly and thoroughly. maybe even repeated just to make sure it was flossed well. i could not even floss my own teeth with my own hands. so this was a thing that happened for a idk maybe a week to a month???? i know he eventually just kinda forgot about it. but we are not to the part that's getting me

so i was unsure but still felt i didn't need to floss so hard so once i could floss my own teeth again. i still flossed deep into my gums, like until you physically couldn't floss any further but just like. slightly gentler. and i was like yes. this is how to floss. i really should have picked up that something wasn't right when no dentist had EVER flossed my teeth like that during a cleaning. the same people poking and scratching every surface in your mouth???? flossing gently????? odd

i need you to know that as i type this, i am of drinking age at this point.

i learned. TODAY. from fucking flosspick packaging. i am supposed to floss "just below the gum line". just below the gum line. just below the gum line. i looked it up. they say 2-3 millimeters below the gum line.

this is the second time i'm learning i have been unnecessarily harsh on myself in regards to hygiene(the first is the way i shower) and that other people taught me to do it that way by forcing it on me with their own hands. this is the second time questioning if it's normal to see those memories in the back of my head every single time i practice hygiene.

i have to reevaluate how much of my childhood was tbmc again

i have to research something

[draculeo]

hi kal! you can ignore this if you want. i just need serious help and I'm writing this completely out of desperation. i have some major exams in July that are going to affect my whole life but no matter what i do i just can't bring myself to study. i keep stressing about it, i open my textbooks and even the simplest things fly over my head. I've never been this hopeless. do you have any advice?

I’m honestly still struggling with this too, but here are some things that I think can make a difference and help you out! Allison @lifeofthegrind also posted an infographic with more tips you can check out.

ENVIRONMENT

Physical Area: If you can, study in a place where you’re able to sit straight up and work on a flat surface. Organize it and clear the table to the best of your ability and set everything you will need for your study session nearby. 

Time: Note what time of day you study better and see if you’re affected by it; I tend to study best earlier in the day because my body thrives on sunlight and I either go outside or sit in a place with a lot of windows.

Noise: Some people study better in silence, some need ambient background noise, some need a certain genre of music, some need podcasts playing in the background, etc. Try a few things out and see what works best for you. Personally, I like playing coffee shop ambience in the background.

FOOD/DRINK

Water: You need it. Get a water bottle or cup or straw that doesn’t make drinking water a chore. I have a covered cup that has a straw so it’s easy to absent mindedly sip on while I work.

Coffee and Snacks: Avoid as much as possible. If you’re so inclined, make them at the beginning of your study session. After that, recognize when you’re using making another cup of coffee or grabbing a snack as a distraction. Also, for snacks, they’re more likely to waste your time since they keep your hands busy. My jaw tends to tense up and I study better when I’m chewing something, so I chew on a gum so it doesn’t distract me from my work.

Meals: They are important. Try not to skip them. Use them as breaks and remove all electronics so you don’t get sucked into your phone. Take an hour to make your food, maybe clean your area as it cooks, sit down and unwind and eat!

ORGANIZATION/STRUCTURE

Calendars: Use them. See what works best for you (Digital, Paper, etc) and stick to it. Personally, I use Google Calendar so I can put things in the minute I schedule them and it helps structure my day and gives me alarms so I don’t forget anything. Keep it simple and keep it to actual classes and appointments; if you include study time as an event, don’t break it down in the actual calendar.

Lists: Keep a scratch list of all the things you have to study/assignments you have to complete. At the beginning of your study session, take out the list and pick something to tackle, breaking it down into doable chunks. Be realistic and don’t go overboard!! It also helps to assign each chunk a time frame to keep yourself accountable and avoid spending all day on one thing. Physical to do lists usually work better for me, but you could also use digital ones if they’re easier for you.

Anchoring: Anchor your day around major tasks (waking up, taking a shower, meal times, attending class, etc.) and attach a routine to each task. For me this applies more to self care routines (attaching flossing and brushing teeth to bedtime, attaching washing my face and doing laundry to taking a shower, etc.) but it works just as well for studying. 

MINDSET

This is the hardest one, but you need to catch yourself and self-correct when you find yourself slipping into certain thought patterns. Go into study sessions thinking “I am going to come out of this better than I was” rather than “There’s no way I’m going to get all this done” because that leads to thinking that makes you feel like you might as well just quit.

If a certain question or concept isn’t clicking, make a note of it and skip it. Don’t let it frustrate you to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes I fall into the trap of “this is too important to skip” and waste time just staring at something that’s not working. Move on, do what you can do, and go back to it when you’re ready or when you can get outside help.

GENERAL TIPS

- If you’re having a hard time starting, set a timer for 5 minutes and make the commitment to actually try just for those 5 minutes, no strings attached. Sometimes this is enough to get the ball rolling.

- If you have a hard time paying attention during a video and it’s not the type of thing you take notes for or follow along as they solve a problem, do something that keeps your hands busy so your mind can concentrate. For me, this means things like knitting, crochet, folding clothes, etc.. If the lecture doesn’t have visual aspects, you could also do some mindless cleaning while listening. I swept my house during all my sociology lectures and learned more than I ever did sitting down.

- If you can’t focus on readings, try listening to them! Find audiobooks or use programs like speechify that read PDFs to you. I find following along the reading as I listen to the text makes it easier to process.

- Break things up into categories (like I did with this list!) and focus on one chunk at a time.

- Go easy on yourself <3 things are rough all over right now and the fact that you’re putting in effort at all is something to be proud of regardless of the results.

[scoot-over-yonder]

4/15/2022 - On supermarkets

I apologize for not updating in such a long time. It's hard to try and bring myself around to covering all the big things that happen - but really, I'm starting to think it might be because I'm more affected by the little moments than all the "big" things that have happened. I've been to Lotte World, I've been to Olympic Park, I've even been to a club just to see what it's like, but while those were fun in the moment the feeling slips my mind and I'm left with just the stress of not being able to talk about it like I've just been there anymore. I'll get into those things I've done eventually, even if it's after I get home and settled and de-stressed, but for now I don't have many thoughts about those things, more about the smaller things that happen in my day-to-day life. And, well, maybe that'll be more interesting to read about than how I watched a mascot parade at a theme park two months ago.

There are no Walmarts here, for better or for worse. They tried to come here, but Koreans work hard and want their free time to be filled with high-quality things, not the dime-a-dozen plastic wares you'd find around every corner back home. There are equivalents, though; more like Target than Walmart, really. Emart is one, as well as Homeplus and Lotte Mart. I've been to the former two, but I find myself in Homeplus most of the time since it's closer and simpler to get to. It's essentially a small department store with a Target in the basement, except if a Target had a huge produce section, an equally huge meat section (you can purchase most anything you'd expect in a southeast Asian country, from bacon to a whole octopus), and absolutely no crafts section to speak of. There's stationery of course, a lot of it, and they curiously sold harmonicas, recorders, and an ocarina (the second of which I got and, thankfully, the walls are thick in this dorm) in one tiny portion of an aisle near the paper and puzzles.

I had come here the other day to look for embroidery floss. I've been missing a lot of my hobbies lately, whether it be piano or crochet or painting. I had the good sense to pack my art tablet and a couple spare sketchbooks, so I'm not without my art, but I never realized how much I've filled up my life until I had to set most of it aside.

You come to miss these things, after a time. It becomes a part of you, an itch that begs to be scratched. I never sing when I think people could hear me, but I've gone so long without being able to play an instrument that it's the only way I can vent the music building up in my soul. I got so desperate to create something I can hold in my hand that I took my art knife and carved part of an old disposable chopstick into a tiny sword. My drawing's only improved from this - it's really the only outlet I have left, so I've been doing it more and more and putting in the effort to get better at it. But as time goes on, I keep noticing all the little places in my soul that the mundane parts of life back home have rubbed calluses into have started to get tender and sensitive again. I guess that's homesickness, or at least how I've experienced it.

I want to go to Walmart.

This has been the curious thing on my mind the past few days, and it could have been spurred by my desperation to find art supplies. I'm not quite sure. But I don't really want to go there to *buy* anything, or even because I particularly like Walmart, but I keep thinking about the one near campus back home that my family and I would frequent, and the thought of it is oddly comforting. I'm not quite sure what it is about it. It's somewhere I go when I need or want to get something, it's reliable, it's consistent, it's familiar. I understand the layout, I know where everything is, I can pick something up and not have to pull out my phone and open a translator app to know what it is, what it does, what it contains. I don't mind these hurdles here, it's part of the experience, and I enjoy having to problem-solve. It's fun to me, and the novelty still hasn't worn off. But there's a comfort in the familiar, a balm in a little bit of indulgence in that sort of thing while you're treading water in the unfamiliar, and in that same vein I find myself just standing and listening when I hear an English pop song on a restaurant's radio while I'm walking down the street.

There's so much here that's a paradox of the familiar and unfamiliar as well; when I'm in a supermarket or a restaurant or a cinema and I see, say, families picking out meat for dinner, an older man enjoying a bowl of soup, a couple of teen boys waiting anxiously through credits to see the stinger of a movie, I somehow feel both like an observer and like a part of the whole. People are always going to be people, no matter where they are; across even the most vastly different cultures, the differences in manner and language and tradition, there's still really no fundamental difference between us. I think that's what's made it easy for me to feel comfortable here, despite a notable lack of Walmarts, boiled peanuts, or labels written in English.

I really do want to go to Walmart. Even if I have to drive myself there when I get home in a couple months, I'm going to Walmart. But that's then, this is now.

And for now, despite the fantasies of walking down the craft aisle and picking up embroidery floss, yarn, and the tiniest canvases they have to offer... I'm content to be here and do things like eat spicy calamari stir fry and take the clean, reliable public transport here wherever I desire.

(Except Walmart, of course.)