#christmas cards are great because I come up with one(1) thing and then just sign it 50 times and blast it out into the universe

[blujayonthewing]

I think the reason I like doing christmas cards so much is that I get the euphoria of sending my friends something in the mail without the ordeal of having to actually think of something to send

[stardustizuku]

So, Gushing Over Magical Girls Is The Best Thing To Happen to Magical Girls

Gushing Over Magical Girls get this bad rep. For all the wrong reasons. I’ve seen it be called an insult to Magical Girls, I’ve seen it be called “gooner bait” a term I absolutely despise but that’s a thing for another day. I’ve seen it insulted for everything and anything under the sun.

I first got acquainted with it when I was scrolling through Twitter and I saw someone complain about the PV. However, as an avid Magical Girl Fan, I wasn’t disgusted. I was intrigued.

I decided to read the manga, and oh god.

This is one of the best things I’ve read.

The story follows Utena, a shy girl that loves Magical Girls, tricked to become the evil general that will defeat the Magical Girl team “Tres Magia”.

And it’s a delight.

I binged all the episodes available to me in the manga, and had fun in each and every chapter.

The same, however, couldn’t be said by half the people who watched the anime. And I was extremely baffled. As a queer woman, this was the first time in my life, in which I had seen something so deliberately catered towards me. I saw tell-tale signs of someone who genuinely admires the genre, and is simply using it as an outlet for exploring deeper and more interesting topics that a SFW version of it would not be able to.

Yet, I turn around and I see people calling it the most horrendous stuff, and accusing everyone who likes it of being monsters or men.

Genuinely, I’ve had enough.

Gushing Over Magical Girl is not the Devil. In fact, I think it’s the best thing to come don’t even like Magical Girls AND IT SHOWS.

PART 1: “Magical girls are for little girls!”.

The first criticism you’ll see aimed at “Gushing over Magical girl” is the amount of sexually charged content it has. And it is true. It borders on straight up porn in many instances and it just gets wilder as you go on. By chapter 30, we’re way past PantyShots. Like, I’ve seen some of these girls’ vaginas, and I’m not joking.

Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with it, but there’s people who might disagree.

“Magical Girls are for little girls” some people say “and you’re corrupting it!”

Which genuinely makes me laugh.

This is because this type of argument could only be done by someone with no real concept of Magical Girls aside from maybe Sailor Moon and Sakura Card Captor.

out of the Magical Girl genre in a WHILE (Ignoring Precure, because they just gave us a magical boy and that’s my win of the decade).

People are just, you know, stupid. And reactionary. Enough that they see a boob and lose their minds like a Karen at a Christmas Eve Mall.

My point is, I love this manga. And I’m willing to risk my reputation to defend it. Cause genuinely, half the people who are clutching their pearls over this show - Magical Girl Anime haven’t always been PG, or aimed at girls.

Cutie Honey is a great example. It’s one of the most famous Magical Girl Anime you will find - and it’s a shonen. With the protagonist, Honey, being constantly naked, groped, put in suggestive situations and have outfits that show her cleavage.

And it’s one of the most famous, most popular takes on Magical Girl there is. Yet, I never see any amount of outrage towards it. (Part of me wonders if it’s because the fan service is aimed at men, rather than involving yuri).

There’s also Lyrical Nanoha, one of the most popular serial franchises there is. It spans several seasons and spinoffs, and it’s beloved by many.

And it’s aimed at older men. Yes, it’s a Seinen.

In fact, its origins are far from PG. It’s actually a Spin-off of an erotic game named “Triangle Heart”. It was most definitely not created with little girls in mind, and themes it tackles reflect as much.

There’s Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya too, a spinoff of the Fate/Stay Night VN, very obviously aimed at older men, it’s a Seinen. It has a lot of fanservice and scenes where the characters are half naked.

Day Break Illusion is also a Shonen.

And as much as I adora Madoka - I’ve been stating for years now that it isn’t a show meant for little girls. You could argue it’s for everyone, regardless of gender, who’s a little older. But it most definitely wasn’t for little girls.

So, no. This was never an “only girls” club. Trying to paint it as such, is not only wrong but ignorant.

Magical Girl shows can be for anyone. Men, boys, girls, women and I find it infantilizing to consider it “only for little girls”.

No one says “super heroes are ONLY for little boys”

Well, some do. But they’re, you know, bigots. Who don’t want girls playing or adults o have fun.

So no, Gushing Over Magical Girls being a sexually charged anime in the Seinen category isn’t “corrupting the genre”. In fact, I would argue it’s doing exactly what the genre has done in the OVA shadows for a while.

Not to mention, many people have screamed from the rooftop how they want “more mature Magical Girl shows” referring to the success of Madoka. But as soon as an actually mature take on Magical Girls shows up, tackling issues of sexuality and love, you all don’t want it anymore.

(We all know why, though. Americans, and western culture in general, considers mature themes, only that which involves violence. Anything close to discussing issues of sex is no longer “mature” but “Pornographic” and deserving of being shoved into a corner. With all queer themes, gender studies, and any nuance that could be had regarding these issues).

And speaking of sexually charged, have you watched so called “wholesome” magical girls? They’re still very much sexy. Not in the “on the nose” ecchi way Seinen and Shonen are - but they still are.

You’ll find transformations were the girls are naked, zoom in to their breasts, you’ll have panty shots every now and then. Even themes of growing up, having crushes, and innuendos about sex. Inappropriate relationships, taboo romance, and the likes.

Sakura had Rita and a professor’s relationship (mutual in the manga), Sailor Moon had Chibiusa and Elliot’s romance, Sugar Sugar Rune even having an element for ‘lust’ and other different types of love, and let’s not forget Mermaid Melody which has several instances of the girls naked, in compromising positions with other men. And I’m pretty sure Tokyo Mew Mew likely opened a whole bunch of doors for girls to be into CNC.

This is, by the way, normal.

Completely so.

These stories often talk about the girlhood experience. And girls and teenage girls are interested in all of these things. They’re interested in sex, romance, their bodies growing up, their own sexuality and the likes. It’s no wonder same-sex relationships and romance get included, they’re part of what experiencing the world through the eyes of a young girl is like.

And subsequently, it stands to reason that as people who engaged with MG grow up - they find comfort in exploring their sexuality through Magical Girl themselves. There’s a reason why there’s a growing section of “Magical Girl” in your local hentai site.

“Men get off on corrupting this wholesome girl targeted genre” is actually TERF rhetoric sneaking through the mainstream. It ignores AFAB ppl and gender nonconforming people, who grew up with Magical Girls, simply using a medium that originally started their journey of sexual identity, to explore more “grown up” aspects of that same identity.

In particular, I’m a Cis AroAce Woman. I wrote a lot of Magical Girl NSFW when I first started writing NSFW Twitter threads. They’re bad and they’re cringey. But it was something I needed.

Magical Girls were a huge part of my childhood and early teens. When I was mentally in the space to want to engage with NSFW content: it was obvious I would turn to what first sparked excitement.

So this idea that “men are corrupting Magical Girls with their sick fantasies” is nothing more than TERF-lite propaganda. People, including women and men, have been doing this for ages; for a variety of reasons. And doing so, doesn’t rob children of their spaces - but the gentrification of the internet is a story of another day.

The other argument I have heard is that GOMG is a mockery of the genre. Which is even more laughable in my opinion.

PART 2: Parodies and why I hate Earth Defender’s Club.

Gushing Over Magical Girls loves Magical Girls. It’s a parody, in a way, but it knows very well what it parodies. It’s not surface level in the slightest. And it absolutely is not mean spirited about it.

A lot of the time, shows that reference and parody the Magical Girl genre, do so in ways that feel like they view it as a lesser genre. They take generic images of cute girls in frilly outfits, swap the colors around, and have them chant over-the-top spells. You’re meant to laugh, not only at how silly they look, but people who would love it. Especially if they’re grown ups.

I do not like “Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!” For this exact reason - even tho many people praise it to all heavens.

Because

1) It feels surface level in its commentary and depiction of Magical Girls and

2) More mocking towards the genre than paying homage or doing anything with it.

The continuous use of the word “Love” is a very obvious jab at Magical Girls using these words, which feels mean spirited just for the sake of it. Their outfits are almost exactly the same, save for the colors. And they all use the same sticks as weapon, with no thematic link for the shapes of the scepters. The mascot too (a wombat for god knows what reason), I think it’s meant to be a joke of some sort for how ridiculous some of the mascots for the girls get, which rubs me the wrong way.

In general, it feels shallow and mean spirited. But no one calls this an insult to Magical Girls. Because people who like it don't actually care about Magical Girls. They see cute boys doing silly things and love it. Which is kinda sad.

Now, Gushing Over Magical girls has sort of that same problem on the Tres Magias…But they’re not the protagonists. And even then, in later chapters, they get power ups that are different in design, and thematically linked.

The protagonist, and the ones we follow, are Utena and the girls. And they all have very distinct outfits, all with motifs that are tangentially thematically linked, and speak of each character’s personalities in interesting ways.

Utena in particular has THIS outfit. Which a lot of people don’t like, but I actually do.

It’s very obvious it’s taking inspo from other iconic Bad Girls in the genre. Namely, Utau, Kraehe and Devil Homura. All “Enemy characters” that have unhealthy obsessions with other characters. In particular, I think the wings and the feathers resemble Homura - THE character known to have a massive obsession with a Magical Girl (Madoka), to the point of insanity.

There’s also Magia Azure. Who’s a clear reference to the Mean Tsundere girl that is iconic to the genre. She’s also a Miko. Which is a callback to Sailor Mars, arguably THE girl who popularized this archetype.

I also love what they do with the mascots. Unlike Earth Defenders, where the mascot is you know, a mockery of the archetype of a mascot - useless, only there to give power ups, and obsessed with food - the mascots of GOMG is taking a book from Madoka.

It considers the mascots both all-too-powerful and yet limited in their reach. Which is exactly what the mascots have always been in Magical Girls. Beings so powerful they can give mythical powers to girls, yet helpless to do anything on their own. So, they use magical girls as a vehicle to achieve their goals. Most Magical girls try to paint this as a good thing, but newer genres shine light on how dangerous that can be too.

Madoka tackles it with Kyubey as the main initial mascot, only later to turn out to be the villain of the series.

And in a Post-Madoka world, trusting the mascots is just the slightest bit more difficult. That’s why, from the get go, GOMG portrays their mascots as morally corrupt. He’s not a good character, he’s malicious and doing more harm than good. But for the majority of the series, he’s painted more as a useless harmless evil than anything genuinely terrifying or worthy of concern. The attention is focused on other things.

But I love the way that it’s heavily implied that they’re not good. It’s a very interesting take on the mascot and it helps with the themes of the series. Which yes, by the way. Gushing Over Magical Girls has themes.

Which lead me to-

Part 3: Yeah, uhm, Gushing Over Magical Girl has themes.

There’s this idea that Sex is an inherently violent act. In which a man humiliates and sodomizes a woman, and therefore the woman is exploited in some way. And 10x worse is any act that involves BDSM. It’s violence; born out of hatred.

This is TERF rhetoric. I’m not joking. This line of thought leads directly to TERF ideas.

Many on the internet have pointed out as much, and BDSM members have gone to be very vocal about it. In particular, people on the role of the submissive (or the bottoms) are loudly trying to explain the contrary. How they like the act of sex, like the idea of being vulnerable, or being humiliated. There’s also plenty of LGBT+ stories that talk about it, both in western and eastern spaces. Just jump into the section of dom/sub verse at your local manga browsing website, and you’ll find something.

That said, the same is not as common for people who like to “dominate”.

I can only think of two pieces of media that argue that, whoever is the dominant or the sadist, is also a human being. That whatever they’re doing is done, not out of hatred for the submissive or an act of violence, but love.

One, is the husky and the white cat. In which Mo Ran, among other things, has to come to terms that his love isn’t “pure”. That he cannot love someone without the want to have sex, and to completely dominate that someone.

The second one is Gushing Over Magical Girls.

It’s very clear to me that Utena’s sadism isn’t a violent act. It’s an act born out of love. She genuinely loves the Magical Girls, and most girls for that matter, and whenever she is inflicting pain and fighting with them - what she wants is to ultimately help them in some way.

She wants them to “be the cutest version they can be” and wants them to shine brighter than ever.

There’s this one scene I love, around chapter 20, in which Baiser (Utena) is fighting Magia Azura. And due to Baiser going a bit too far, Azura ends up being Mind-broken. She crawls towards her, calls her “mistress” and begs to become her servant.

In any normal Hentai you’ll find, this is a good thing. This would be the ideal outcome. A character being turned into nothing but a sex slave for the enjoyment of the dominant.

Which is why I found it breathtaking when that didn’t happen.

Baiser is horrified by this. She does not want to break the girls, she wants them to be powerful. She wants them to win. With her, the evil one, being nothing more than a vehicle for them to be even stronger than before.

This is the first time I’ve ever seen dominant or sadist characters being presented both sexually, and in such a positive light. Much less a queer woman in the same position.

It doesn’t treat BDSM sex as a disgusting taboo act, but something born out of genuine love - and a want to see the other person be or feel better.

This is reinforced around chapter 25 where Leberblume and Loco Mùsica are fighting Baiser. For context, Loco Musica wanted to be an Idol, but had terrible singing. She uses her evil power to basically force everyone to listen to her sing (which is so reminiscent of Mermaid Melody btw). When they fight, Baiser wins, and is then set to use her new found power to “punish” Loco Musica.

Originally, Loco Musica points out how Baiser’s sadistic tendencies are “the same” as Lord Enorme, who we’ve seen uses sadism as a genuine form of punishment. Something to avoid. You behave well, because you don’t want to get hurt or humiliated by her.

However, when Baiser uses her own unique type of sadism on Loco Musica, something happens. Instead of causing her physical pain by beating her or using violence, she forces her to get naked and perform her idol song like that. This causes her to get extremely embarrassed. And in the process, she actually starts to sing really well.

This is important for two reasons

1) Baiser is actually taking into account who Musica is. It’s later revealed that Musica wanted a more frilly idol-like outfit but Lord Enorme shut it down, for the sake of a more ‘unified’ aesthetic. Baiser is not just throwing around the same treatment and punishment for all girls - what one might like, the other might hate.

2) At the end of the day, while she did the punishment, it was both embarrassing, but ultimately something that helped Musica and made her feel better.

And that’s really the key here, and why I love the series.

Sadism, sex and kinks in general are not tools of degeneracy. They’re treated as part of our experience.

Also, it’s just fun?

Part 4: Gushing Over Magical Girls is just extremely fun when you don’t have a dumb bitch yapping abt how unholy it is to see tiddies on a screen

Yeah, GOMG just has one of the most creative depictions of the most insane of kinks you’ll see - I could spent hour gushing over Nero Alice.

Seeing all these different kinks being depicted as powers and abilities that these characters have - and seeing how they interact with other people is just interesting.

The sex scenes are both hilarious and kinda sexy. Specially if you do like to see women all hot and bothered. Personally I’m not into girls (or anyone for that matter) but I have to admit the scenes were pretty hot. And there is no shame in admitting as much. No matter what the puritanical Christian on Twitter crying abt “god honoring lesbian sex” Will tell you.

I cannot begin to explain just how hype and relatable it was to see Magia Baiser defeat Lord Enorme with the power of straight up delusion, we STAN.

So, yeah.

It’s been a while since I last saw a Magical Girl Show so unashamed of being a Magical Girl Show. Unashamed of being weird, of praising the genre and just enjoying it.

My essay is titled, in part, as a joking reference to my much more popular series “MLB is the worst thing to happen to the magical girl series”. Which I still think is true.

And while, yeah, maybe GOMG isn’t the best thing to come out of the genre…I still think it’s good that it came out.

A lot of people say they want a more “mature” take on Magical Girls but - this proved to me that just isn’t the case.

Gushing over magical girls proves that the Magical Girl Genre Can Be so much more than what people think. More than glitter and sparkles, more than vapid action scenes, or what little girls want.

Much like any other genre, it can be raunchy, it can be messy, it can explore things outside of the status quo. But it can still deeply respect the source material, and the origins of it.

GOMG proves Magical Girls can be fun. Just. Straight up fun. Regardless of your age. They can serve and connect you to parts of yourself you didn’t realize you could connect to.

I hope it proves to more people that the genre can be so much more than “just for little girls” that parodies can be more than pointing and laughing, and that it can have themes beyond just, “friendship”.

Magical Girls can be so much more. You just, have to have an open mind about it.

[lovebvni]

" ITS BRUTAL OUT HERE " - pick a pile

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[ 🖊 ] created ⋮ 14.8.22

[  ] published ⋮  14.8.22

˚₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳❥ ꒰ ⌨ ✰ Arsyn   ⋆  ⁱˢ ᵗʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ··· ꒱ | ೃ࿔₊•

┊       ⋆     welcome to my blog !

┊     °

hey loves, so because i 1, got new tarot decks, and 2 want to call you guys out, im doing this. also - heads up before i even start - spirit said there's gonna be a pile where there are little/no callouts bc they're actually doing great. just some advice/motivation to keep them going

Hello! Welcome to a pick a pile. This is a general reading, everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Hundreds of people may read this, everything I say in your pile(s) may NOT resonate. Today we don't have questions. we're just going callouts. so prepare yourself, i know some of yall are soft.

along with these questions i will give things that may draw you to your pile. the alice in wonderland tarot has different cards but pretty much the same meaning. dont be shocked if instead of the hanged man i say suspention or something like that. i will be using tarot and oracle cards.

now please take everything with a grain of salt!

breathe in, now out, now pick a pile or two.

pile 1 ; pile 2 ; pile 3

hi pile 1!

confirmation for your pile: lowkey funny, life 'falling apart', consequences for your actions, business man/woman, equality, cycles, bakugou, passion, 'im always right, i know what im saying'

oracle: you are good enough - full moon in virgo

tarot: the hierophant, temptation, 7 of flowers, 5 of spears reversed, 9 of flowers

alright bros, the first thing i have to say is 1, you're not always the cause. bad things happen to good people and i know it sucks but it helps you grow. if only good things happened then you'd probably be boring as hell. i hear some of you guys can be because you cant keep a conversation going. the thing is, you may be a victim MOST OF THE TIME but that doesnt mean ALL THE TIME!! you can be wrong in an argument, you can be right in an argument. but it changes. you're a very driven, smart, confident person in most areas but that doesnt mean because you're the right person to be a firefighter but not a baker. 7 of flowers is saying dont back down from the things you KNOW you are right in, but when someone makes a valid point. take it, it can help you. being passionate is a good thing, but dont be ignorant.

temptation is something thats drawing you in, that one day will be negative. maybe its joining the football team but you'll get a serious injury. do not let anyone or anything tempt you that has high risks for pain in the long run. im not saying dont join that football team, but dont put yourself into situations that wont benifit you in the long run. there's a good and bad to everything. do not fall into or back into negative energies/things that didnt help you before. they sure as hell wont help you now

ngl i have no idea what this pile means during the second part

pile 2

alright so confirmation: tired, faking happiness, evolution, "PUT THOSE GRIPPERS AWAY", hawks, manifestation, abuse, Christmas, MHA, movies, memories, nsfw content, love desire, caring heart, makeup, procrastination, seven deadly sins

oracle: a time for healing - balsamic moon, expect powerful chance - new moon eclipse

tarot: 10 of spears, 7 of flowers, 3 of hedgehogs

so this is the pile whos done mostly nothing wrong. when i say mostly, i mean bc everyones made at least one mistake in their life. ofc theres still a callout. STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP! STOP BELITTLING YOUR PAIN, YOUR TRAUMA, THE THINGS THAT HURT YOU MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY EVERY SINGLE DAY!! let go of the past, its gone. its ending. get over it. that friend isnt coming back, they weren't right for you. let go of the past, accept it, and move forward. thats just some advice.

pile 3

hey pile 3

confirmation: false/negative manifestations, intrusive thoughts, self destructive behavior, gay, peaches (that one song omg), yung gravy, emotions, love, communication or lack of communication, birthdays, parties, celebrations

oracle: believe in the impossible - blue moon

tarot: 2 of cups, 4 of flowers, knight of teacups reversed

okay i got flowers in every pile, anyways this piles energy is of a pair.. two people or two piles? maybe you picked another pile. but its a harmonious pair. you guys may be for a long time, maybe shifting together, maybe you work on a lot of projects together? i heard you guys dont talk much but when you do its fun. you guys are a great pair. hold on to each other. i feel like once this pile overcomes toxic/negative behaviors they will shift. it depends on how fast you get rid of them/start manifesting positively.

change the way you see things, the emotions and reactions you have to things that happen. if you wake up in your cr and not your dr say something like "bro what?? why am i in my cr? thats odd, hasnt been like this before." see everything that happens in a different light. if you think that you saw something that was a sign btw, it was. take it and use it how you think its fit. use your talents, you know you can! practice the fun things you want to do one day. practive makes perfect!! get off your ass and do something. vent through an art form. you dont have to use words. you're doing nothing right now. you NEED to do something, but take a break from stressing yourself. its not helping anything

[leslie057]

rating things owned by nancy elizabeth wheeler

because she’s got a lot of little things. mostly they are very cute and strange little things.

starting off strong we have the prettiest tissue box in the world. 9/10, i think if i were sick it would make me feel better to have such a nice tissue box.

i’m fairly certain this is her diary beside it because her diary looks pink in the upside down version of her bedroom. so this is probably it? 11/10, i want to read it so bad. and very sweet pic with mom—7.5/10.

next up these pinstripe pants !! 10/10 i love them so much. oh and the index finger ring is there obviously, 8/10, such a consistent piece of her character.

a ribbon for being the bestest girl ever in the world. 10/10. also the card of cardinals: 6/10, probably just a christmas card or something rather than a symbol of her love for birds. but i still like it.

mr rabbit gets 11/10 for the name alone. and why does he look dead. i love him. he’s me.

descent from xanadu: QUITE LITERALLY 0/10. at first i was SO excited to cheer her on for reading a sex and drugs book at school but as it turns out? bizarre and gross. seems to go heavy on nonconsensual stuff. i snagged a free pdf and command f’d for whore and bitch. lots of results obviously (one use of c*ck crazy bitch…lovely). it seems men in this book say a lot of sexist stuff that the women pretend to hate but love which i can’t imagine is great for a teenage girl to consume. also just not sexy at all.

literally so bad, and this is not the worst of it.

sooo bad. the author was what 70 (??) writing that his female character got clinically DIAGNOSED with being a slut for every guy she comes in contact with. i know options for sexy literature were probably limited at this time but…please go check out something else. i wanna bonk her on the head with this book (paperback) and hug her. you don’t need to read this to be cool and sexually aware. moving on.

on the other side of that, the blondie calendar gives us a sense of the GOOD media she’s consuming!! a 10/10 no questions asked. we don't really get to see many of her hobbies or interests outside of investigation so this is a much appreciated detail.

of course like all good things in life the blondie calendar does get replaced. its replacement is what i will call Weird Antinaturalist Art Piece #1 seen in her room in s4. i give it a 4/10 because idk what’s going on really.

and here is a very crunchy screencap of Weird Antinaturalist Art Piece #2 from s4 which i will give a 5/10. note the boyfriend typical photography above it, for sure a 10/10.

there is also Weird Antinaturalist Art Piece #3 which gets an 8/10 because i like the composition and the piano player. where did she get this and why. interior decoration is her passion.

the sleeping bag and crochet pillow setup. 7/10. would take a cat nap here.

pluto!! 15/10, the best mickey mouse character i would say. i hope her cousin is taking good care of him.

bulletin board 10/10. i love how obvious it is that she has had this up for forever. probably a nice constant in her life.

and my favorite pic up there is this precious one. look at herrr. 5000/10.

her floral weekender bag. 6/10, i like it, but not as much as i like the speedwalk and the toss into the backseat. she was SO ready for her lab takedown road trip.

trapper keeper is a 9/10 because they probably put anything and everything on trapper keepers back in the day and yet still she chose this lovely understated hot air balloon. elegant.

tom cruise poster is 1000000/10 actually. she is so loyal to that man. actually though not a great pic of him all things considered so maybe i give it a 999999/10. (i love it so much because i know for a fact that jonathan byers works proactively to never acknowledge this poster, because he is more mature than that.) (he is not more mature than that, in fact he is a little pouty about mr cruise.)

KITTY FIGURINE. 10/10. i thought it was just in s4 but i found it on her other nightstand in s1. very very adorable. i imagine it is now one of the first things she sees in the morning (well that and her blue telephone: 8/10) which is bizarre and cute. the mixtape drawer gets a 10/10 for reasons that i don’t think i need to get into.

white fingerless gloves! 10/10. so chic for monster hunting.

black fingerless gloves from s4. hmmm 3/10, they're cool i guess but they don’t feel very nancy and the white ones are so much better. especially because you may get the splatter effect of monster blood on them in a battle scenario, which would be badass.

piggybank (with her name on the side). 2/10 unfortunately i don’t like him. he looks at me like i took out his whole pig village and i just need some quarters. also did she paint this herself? in that case, 3/10 for customization lol.

pastel underwear drawer: 10/10. her committment to the hollistic aesthetic and color palette of her room is impressive here. it was a good idea to use this drawer as a deterrence against her little brother and a money hiding place but clearly he has no manners and is a THIEF.

STRIPED SOCKS. 10/10. i realize it's hard to see because she's moving so fast (slow down he is not going anywhere) but they are indeed stripey even though i would have guessed solid white. and wow what good sleeping socks. stripes are just cozier. hope she got lots of sleep in those.

[lucerocosplay]

Shohki Mask Cover

construction notes & photos under the cut

This has been a long time coming! I'm glad she's a costume I can work a mask into without it breaking the design of the character. I feel like people would be less inclined to ask that you remove it for photos this way ^^;

I went with a very thin cotton gauze fabric (#9 "coffee" if you're wondering), think a slightly thicker cheese cloth. It's very breathable as a single layer and seemed the best choice for an N95 cover. The shape was really only achievable with this fabric because of the shape of my mask underneath, and some strategically placed 1/2" wide horsehair braid tubing from the dollar tree. I usually stock up around halloween but they stock around christmas too!

Process is very straight forward, just traced my mask on the fold and made some rough adjustments for a card stock mock up. I like 90-110 lbs for this sort of thing but construction paper can work in a pinch too. Cut that out and fit to my face, tweaked the placement on the nose bridge and added a 1/4" allowance for bias tape/facing, and appropriate allowance for flat felled seams.

The ear tab was extended to cover the mask underneath, and included allowance for support fabric (denim scrap in my case) to support two eyelets intended to thread the elastic of my mask through. Then it was just patterning out the rest of the mask elements and making note of seam allowance and how to cut each piece. I trimmed the tape holding together the card stock mask apart and finally got to cutting out the fabric once that was done.

There isn't anything fancy going on, the hardest part was just the inset mesh panel over the weirdly shaped keyhole cut outs on the mouth piece. It's just black nylon mesh typically used for interfacing bras sewn on after making the keyholes.

This fabric is like if toilet paper were a textile, which is great for breatheability and weight but absolutely hell for machine work like this. It's not for a competition so for me, hiding messy stitching with weathering later was ok.

The portion of the mask running from the underside of each ear tab was finished with homemade bias tape. The same method was used for finishing the top portion that runs over the bridge of my nose. The ends were simply folded and sewn down at the ear tabs for a clean finish.

The side "filters" have an extra 1/2" long extension so I can tack in the ends of some horse hair tubing, then double fold the fabric back into itself before hand tacking with tiny stitches from the outside. That helps the light fabric balloon out into that shape, along with another layer of that same mesh interfacing.

They are really fun actually, very floppy with great movement. Though they stick out a tad too much so I did add one small french tack to the center of each to help them point downwards but retain that movement. The "filter" took the most hand finishing out of the whole thing, but that was to be expected.

Once the little side "filters" were sewn in, there was just light weathering to do. I wanted to add some shadows and potential "mold spores" to certain areas to really make the texture pop and hide some messy stitching. Light passes with a dry brush and some acrylic helped a lot, so did referencing photos of mold growth on clothes.

It was a pass of burnt sienna along all seams and large patches where high humidity would accumulate. Then another lighter pass of burnt umber to deepen up areas, and some very sparse areas of white. Finally I wanted to give it the "blue cheese special" and mixed a little viridian green and that same white and hit the white areas first then dry brushed the spaces between mold patches. I'm trying to replicate active mold colonies so reference photos came in handy here. I also used some nail polish to match the grommets to fabric.

Maybe when I am not crunched for time I will get around to digitizing the pattern, but for now I hope the photos help anyone else trying to plan out a mask. Obviously the shape will change a lot depending on the sort of fabric and mask you have on under it, not to mention face shape. I would imagine bifolds would give you more her classic feed bag profile than an origami style mask, however.

[vitaminseetarot]

PAC: Messages From Your Spirit Guides 🌬🌨🛎

Sup y'all, I'm back for another reading on what your spirit guides have to say! We are approaching a powerful micromoon on Friday night into Saturday morning, and I hope these piles will help you with whatever you're manifesting or clearing out of your life.

Sidenote: I have been in the background trying to get my Paypal account working so I can have the chance to finally offer paid readings. I know some of you have been asking me about when I'll be doing private readings! Long story short, Paypal thought I was a bot and locked me out of my account. (They won't even tell you it's locked, it'll just act like your password isn't working, lol) After struggling for a while, I had to actually call for support. 😅

It's all fixed (for) now! I'm now going over some ideas for what readings I will offer. They will likely be basic 1 and 3 card type spreads for starters. I'll fill you in when more details are hashed out. I'm still also planning another game in March, so stay tuned.

So let's dive into your readings! You can either pick your pile option through the palette cards or the corresponding pictures below for your quick message.

Pile 1 - Lavender Sky Pile 2 - Air Blue Pile 3 - Snowfall Pile 4 - Rainwater

Pile 1

Lavender Sky, Sweetness, Lava; V Hierophant, Queen of Wands, 3 of Cups, 10 of Cups

Pile 1, the guide (or guides) contacting you is the type to play it by the book. They know how to fill your cup because they've gone through it too. This is likely a passed ancestor in your family, though it doesn't have to be. Just someone who's really gone through it thick and thin while living on Earth, experiencing the highs and lows of existence. They're guiding you because they've been in your shoes. Their message is simple. They want offer you a cup of cheer. Although that's traditionally a Christmas saying, I picture of cup of healing tonic being passed to you. It's rich and warm, like a cappuccino or spiced chai. They invite you to sit down and relax with a similar soothing beverage.

I heard lyrics from the Evanescence song "Imaginary" while pulling out the palette card. "In my field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby, I lie inside myself for hours and watch my purple sky fly over me." I'm sensing some detachment. They say you've been spending a lot of time closed off into your own inner world and not communicating as much as you'd like to, but not out of loneliness. In fact, this time alone may have revitalized you, or you may consider it a comfort zone to be in. You could have been laying dormant, working on yourself, wondering when it's finally time to stretch.

But the Queen of Wands, as confident as she is (and you are), truly enjoys being around others. It's where her light shines. If she wants to perform, she wants to do it with a crowd. If she speaks, she wants it to be with another. She knows her light, but it's not enough; the light must expand outward and be shared. Imagine that, instead of shining only in your mind, your creative abilities and unique personality can stand out in the real world to be seen and heard. For your unique truth to be recognized and lauded.

Your guides would gently like you to get out of your head a little. You have a bright mind and a caring disposition. There is no reason to hold yourself back from healthy communities. Your affirmation card says, "My truth flows through me gracefully." Holding your emotions and true self back is useless, anyway. The lava will come spilling out one way or another. Use that strong confident energy you have when alone, and channel it to reach out and connect with other people. Things likely will turn out better than you could have imagined. This could be your year for forming great new friendships that may even stand the test of time, if you're up for it.

I'm getting a lot of people in this pile may identify as shy or socially awkward. Your guides see your struggle and know this isn't an overnight event, it can a long haul process to come out of one's shell. And if reaching out to people in real life is still too difficult, please know that your guides are with you. They are available to talk whenever you need them. I suggest working with candles (safely!) or water scrying as possible methods for communication.

Pile 2

Air Blue, Ghost, Bee; 0 Fool, 9 of Cups, 5 of Wands, 7 of Swords

You received two affirmation cards in this reading because the yellow rose fell out almost immediately: it says "I am at peace in my life. I am at peace in the world. I'm getting some strong anxiety with this pile. It feels like the anxiety experienced on a regular basis. It's a strong contrast to your guide's energy, which is carefree and lackadaisical. I hear they can be a bit of a prankster with you? I'm seeing someone getting frustrated with computer equipment or some other machinery like a cash register. Really riding on that Mercury retrograde energy when it's there, they're opportunists. This could be your guide's primary way of talking with you, by causing strange and chaotic things to happen that put a brief halt in your day-to-day life.

It may seem somewhat cruel that a guide would 'tease' like this, but they keep pointing at the yellow rose, which symbolizes friendship. They have reached out and offered support in the normal, usual ways, but there's a sense of denying and not returning in the interaction? Have you ever met them? If you want to connect with your guides, the first step is to acknowledge that they're there and that they're reaching out to you. Otherwise they'll start to act like cats who sit on books and knock glasses over just to get your attention, if they want it badly enough. They can get even urgent about speaking at times, I heard the song "Urgent" by Foreigner.

They want you to see that things aren't as bad as they seem to be in the present, though. They disrupt your day precisely to get across that somewhere, you're getting yourself stuck in a rut. They're there to help you break bad cycles of thought that aren't helping you. It's an odd way of doing it, but if you can reach out to them and learn from them, they won't always be like this. It's only because they want you to embrace life like every day is a new beginning. Allowing yourself to get worked up in fear sets up the day for exactly that. They see your capacity for joyful and successful working and living and want to bring that out in you.

You may have times where you have very high hopes for something to happen in your favor, only to burst into panic when one little thing falls out of place or goes wrong, even if it gets resolved. Your guides aren't trying to work you into a tizzy; they want to teach you how to handle the day's hiccups with more ease instead of relying on control all the time. They want you to speak positive affirmations to yourself on a regular basis with the idea that peace and ease are available to you. Your other card says, "I can speak powerfully with ease." Your words are strong, especially what you say to yourself in earnest. Speak your wishes out and your guide will listen. Bottle it up too much, and your guide will find a way to pour it out for you. Focus on the BEST outcomes!

And if your anxiety still feels like it's getting debilitating, your guide will support you in getting you any outside help that you need. Ultimately, they want to see you thrive, both inside and outside chaos, even if their methods are unconventional.

Pile 3

Falling Snow, Fear, Swan; 9 of Cups, 3 of Swords, Page of Coins, 5 of Wands, VII Chariot

Pile 3, your guide is a colorful and gentle being, I'm picturing someone childlike here with the Page of Coins. This guide flourishes in nature and the innocently playing with their creations. Perhaps you're an artist or someone devoted to a craft that brings out your inner child, your unique joy? This being wants to guide you in these endeavors. Your guide embodies a playful spirituality, far from religious status and regulations. They enjoy seeing ideas come to life.

It seems like you've been calling out for help in dealing with relationships in your life, or lack thereof. If it isn't to do with love or people, the Swan card could suggest a creative passion that you already have in mind. You see this person or passion as the "One" you've been praying for, the "One" to forever come or stay in your life. Your guide wants you to begin by seeing that you are the "One" you've been looking for. See that there are two swans in the card. One of them is you, seeking the kind of beauty that's already blossoming atop your head.

I'm drawn in by the purple flowers. If you work with chakras, your crown chakra is calling for your attention. Your affirmation card says, "I am connected to the wisdom of the universe." You may have recently been hurt from a relationship, or you've been worried that dating seems far away from you. The kind of school to help you hone your talent may feel at a distance. I'm getting 5 of pentacle vibes with the Falling Snow card, like the opportunity is "snowed in". But it's an illusion; you're moving faster and more suddenly through life than you may believe, though there are times when relationships don't work out, or we get turned down from an opportunity that looked to be beneficial to us.

It's okay to be honest about how sucky rejections feels. Your guide, as playful and rambunctious as they are, wants to hold your hand with a compassionate smile. They can see the flowers blooming beneath the snow, but understand that you have a right to process how you feel. Their main encouragement to you is to give yourself the time, just as spring has time to thaw from winter. In due time, you'll be feeling better again once you've given yourself the chance to mend your heart. I shuffled an extra card for 5 of Wands, which gave me Chariot. You will be able to move on, through the fearsome fire and smoke, to the other side. Allow yourself to heal, then allow yourself to proceed, knowing you won't be burned like that again.

If pile 2 resonates with you in any way, I recommend checking it out. There are messages there about dealing with fear and speaking out kinder thoughts to yourself. See yourself and your creations as the beautiful swan, even if circumstances leave you feeling like the ugly duckling. Your guide only sees the beauty and laughter in you.

Pile 4

Rainwater, Sadness, Ladybug; 3 of Cups, 4 of Cups, X Wheel of Fortune, 10 of Wands

It seems clear to me that your guide is heavily connected to water in some way, be it the rain or the ocean (it all runs together any way). They appear to me as very old and wise, like an ancient sea spirit. Far from hermitage, they are connected to all life underwater, as well as the water that flows through us. They're pointing out to me the way everything in life follows a cycle. The powers of the water and the moon demonstrate this on a regular basis, showing how the essential patterns of water can be found in other parts of life as well, even if abstractly. See, for example, how cats can squeeze themselves into jars like liquid, or how crowds of people can flow like streams. When we talk about rain, we can think of either abundance or loss. Rain can represent the release of powerful emotions, or it can bring life to withering crops. To understand water magic is to see how versatile the power is.

Your guide wants to let you know that your life follows an ebb and flow like the tides of the sea. There may come times when it floods over and all feels hopeless. There may also come days when the cool rain shower comes as a welcome on dry and dreary days. Your guide says there is nothing inherently wrong with you, if you are feeling a bad streak of luck. They (though I'm feeling a strong feminine energy here) want to help you with your perspective on life. You are not 'deserving' of bad things to happen, they say, as it's an unhelpful belief to deal with troubling situations. Life happens around us, and many times we get caught in hurricanes caused by others, or by our own actions. These ebbs and flows stop for absolutely no one.

We, as people, should be more drawn to compassion towards each other because of this. I'm getting worldly energy when I channel the guide's connection to you, like your guide is a deity like figure or you are highly attuned to the earth in some way. You may feel drawn towards this need for giving and receiving compassion. Though what I sense your guide is pointing at refers to boundaries. It's dear to them that you feel connected to the world's energy, or to the pain that mother nature and her people feel, but please practice boundaries so you can give yourself a chance to breathe and live your own life instead of letting psychic woes eat at you.

Your guide wants to assure you that luckier times are ahead. The Wheel of Fortune combined with the Ladybug shows that you have the chance to count the blessings in your life to attract more of the same. To attract good luck and abundance for you is to do the same for others. Imagine if emotions were contagious, and you had the chance to spread good luck around by changing your perspective? Your affirmation card says, "I am able to let go of all sadness and negative emotions that don't serve me." There are times when things get turbulent, but don't let it stop you from getting ahead.

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 ™

[ladykailitha]

A Valentine’s Day to Remember Eddie’s POV Part 3

The last part. Thank everyone so much for the support for these two little fun stories. It’s been so long since I’ve done a fun holiday story (that isn’t Christmas).

Again this part is SPICY and it will start under the cut. You’ve been warned.

Steve’s POV Part 1| Eddie’s POV Part 1 Part 2

*

Eddie had very deliberately decided to be out of the house when Steve was showering. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure that he could have keep his lust contained long enough to go on their date.

But when he walked back through his front door to see Steve standing in his front room, looking for all the world like sin itself...Eddie was done for. That last little remaining doubt he had about today vanished.

Eddie barely noticed the little card sticking out of the bouquet in time. He objectively knew that Steve would be thrilled to read the note before their date, but wanted to save the best part for last.

They chatted happily as they drove to the Quarry to the best vantage point in the place. It looked out over the Quarry and you could see for miles. He quickly got to work setting up his picnic on the roof of his van. The blanket and basket went up first. And then the beer and candles. He was grateful there wasn’t any wind.

But if there had been, he had a backup plan. They would just have their picnic in the van. He had cleaned out the back for just such an emergency but it was looking like it wasn’t needed.

Once everything was fully set up, he set the ladder against the back of the van. Because even though Eddie was well versed in the art of van climbing, Steve most certainly was not.

He slid on his stomach to look into the windshield hanging upside down. “Come on!”

Steve laughed and then joined him on the roof.

Eddie had set out to be as romantic as possible, but somehow Steve had found a way to make it even more romantic by pressing into Eddie’s side while they ate. And then Steve laid his head on Eddie’s shoulder and Eddie knew there was no coming back from that. He would love this boy the rest of his life.

They got everything cleared up and back into the van to go to their next stop on their most awesome date ever.

“Bowling or mini-golf?” he asked. He figured Steve would go for the mini-gulf because of the flashing lights of the bowling alley might trigger a migraine, especially since Steve had one yesterday.

He was super pleased to be right.

*

Things were going great until the sixth hole. Eddie had gone first having won at rock, paper, scissors. And had lined up the perfect shot to get his ball into the hole his next turn.

And then Steve teed up and hit his ball. Directly into Eddie’s, knocking it straight into the little sand trap.

“Avast, ye fiend!” Eddie cried, brandishing his putter like a sword.

“En guard!” Steve replied defending himself from Eddie’s attack.

They dueled right there on the sixth hole, the other patrons looking at them strangely.

The duel ended when Steve ‘pierced’ Eddie’s side and he sank to the astro-turf.

“You killed me!” Eddie gasped as Steve laughed.

But while Steve was laughing so hard, Eddie sprang up and grabbed his ball from the sand trap and dropped into the hole.

“Hey!” Steve protested.

But the rest of the game passed without incident.

*

Eddie watched Steve grab his duffel bag with a pang of longing. He didn’t want the night to end yet. It was too early.

So he suggested a movie and breathed a sigh of relief when Steve readily agreed.

Steve laughed when Eddie complained about how much his cheeks hurt from all the smiling they had been doing all day. “Me either. I wonder what that says about us.”

And Eddie couldn’t help but whisper, “That we’re perfect for each other.” He couldn’t look at Steve directly, afraid that he might have heard, but when he glanced out the corner of his eye...Steve looked more than a little pleased.  

Eddie pulled out 13 Ghosts and put it on. It had a great plot, but holy hell the special effects were terrible.

But then the movie was over and Eddie couldn’t think of another reason for Steve to stay so with a heavy heart they packed up and Eddie drove him home.

He was grateful Steve remembered the card, because he had completely forgot about it. He watched as Steve read the card over and over, something like hope on the younger man’s face.

And then they kissed. Oh god, did they kiss. It was like lightning and sunshine and fireworks all at once. And then Steve was begging him to stay. And just like that Steve had solved Eddie’s problem about how to make the night last longer.

Just stay.

As simple and as easy as falling in love with this boy. So of course he said yes.

But behind that closed door, Eddie found out why, those girls kept trying for Steve despite his constant failing to figure out what they wanted.

Steve’s playful mask dropped and Eddie caught a glimpse of King Steve. That boy with all the right moves.

Eddie finally got his hands on Steve’s ass and pulled their hips flush against each other. “You keep that up, pretty boy and I’ll make a mess out of you.”

Eddie could feel Steve’s breath catch in his chest. “You promise?”

Eddie opened the door behind him and slowly made his way to the bed, beckoning Steve to follow.

And wasn’t that just a kick when Steve did just that. When they made it to the bed, Eddie kissed him, hands working their way under Steve’s sweater.

Steve moaned as he threw off the jacket and got his hands into Eddie’s hair again.

“Oh sweetheart,” Eddie breathed. “I want to see all of you.”

Steve pulled off the sweater and toed off his shoes, before his hands found his way back to Eddie.

Eddie kissed the scars on Steve’s neck as he ran his hands gently over the large scars on Steve’s side and upper chest.

Steve whined. “Please, Eddie. I need to see you, too. Please!”

Eddie straightened back up and removed the vest and shirt as quickly as possible.

Steve ran his hands down Eddie’s waist down to his thighs. “As much as I appreciate your ass in these things, they are going to be a bitch to come off.”

“Don’t worry, darlin’,” Eddie murmured. “There’s a trick to it.” And he slid them right off his legs like it was nothing at all.

Steve looked down at him in amusement and desire. “How the hell did you manage that?”

Eddie flopped onto the bed, now completely naked as he really couldn’t wear underwear with those pants, not unless he wanted everyone to see the lines underneath them. “The trick getting in and out of them without a shit ton of effort is baby powder.”

Steve licked his lips. “Duly noted.”

Eddie laughed. “Come on, big boy. Don’t leave me hanging.” He grabbed his cock and waved it around.

Steve scoffed and rolled his eyes, but did as he was bid. His underwear came next and he was standing over Eddie, completely blown away that this was his life now.

He straddled Eddie’s hips and kissed him, hot and searing. Eddie moaned and then gently pushed Steve away.

“Let me get better situated on the bed, sweetheart.”

Steve whined about the lost of connection, but when he saw Eddie stretched out on his bed, he decided it was worth it.

He straddled Eddie’s hips again, seeking out his lips for another kiss.

Eddie was reduced to a mess just at the sheer sight of Steve over him. Wanting him. Needing him. His hands couldn’t stop mapping every inch of Steve’s skin.

Steve slid his knees out from under him, bringing their bodies flush together. And if the feel of Steve against him at the front door was good, this was exquisite.

“You’re so beautiful, Eds,” Steve whispered into Eddie’s neck.

Eddie pushed his head as far back as it would go to give Steve better access. “I love you, I love you, I love you!”

Steve kissed him, tasting the words on his lips, as he began to slide their hips together, seeking friction.

“You got anything to make this go a little smoother, big boy?” Eddie breathed.

Steve let out a low whine, but leveraged himself up on one arm as the other dug around in his nightstand. Finally he pulled out a bottle and placed in Eddie’s hand, their fingers intertwining.

Eddie smiled up at him, just absolutely smitten. He leaned up to place a kiss on Steve’s nose, causing the other man to blush.

Steve reluctantly let go of Eddie’s hand so that he could open the bottle. Eddie squeezed a bit into his palm and then reached between them, lathering them up.

Steve gasped when Eddie touched him. “I’m so close. God, Eddie. Please.”

“I’ve got you, Stevie,” Eddie murmured and he gently pushed Steve down on the bed, bringing their bodies together again.

“I trust you,” Steve said softly.

Eddie had to close his eyes and let that sink in for moment. He opened his eyes and grabbed both of Steve’s hands. He started off slow, letting the heat build back up. Steve’s words began to trip over his tongue as he devolved into helpless whimpers.

Oh the power Eddie felt as he began to speed up and Steve was gone. He threw his head back as he panted for breath.

Eddie wanted to kiss that throat, but he was too far gone himself to do anything but seek his release.

Steve came first with Eddie following shortly after.

Eddie rolled off of Steve, panting for breath. “Jesus Christ.”

Steve giggled. “Sorry, just Steve.”

Eddie laughed. “I’m going to go get a towel to clean off, pretty boy.”

Once they were cleaned off and snuggling under Steve’s blankets, Eddie turned to Steve.

“I’ve got a small confession to make,” he murmured into Steve’s chest.

Steve kissed the top of his head. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“I did all this because I wanted to ask you out but didn’t know how,” Eddie admitted shyly.

“And I wanted it to be real and not just a friend thing,” Steve replied.

Eddie looked up at Steve with a tender smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“We really are perfect for each other,” Steve said.

Eddie grinned. He couldn’t help but agree.

Tag List: @zerokrox-blog @bidisastersworld @swimmingbirdrunningrock @madamonsieur-silvrene @artiststarme @samcoxramblings @maya-custodios-dionach @bejeweledbaby @spreckle  @a-little-unsteddie @krazyperson @princess-josephina @wonderland-girl143-blog @plutoshelm @newtstabber @bookbinderbitch @darkwitchoferie @abstractnaturaldisaster @scheodingers-muppet @phingybohnez @spectrum-spectre @heaven428 @fanshipgirl88 @stardust-era @estrellami-1 @thelittleclare @feelinhellabi @commonxsenss @awkwardgravity1 

[the-zapped-part-timer]

Penn Zerothon Day 1

North Pole Down🎄

My Ramblings: Hey, this all looks familiar! Anyways, I like sword gag. Obviously guys it was in a couch, open your minds. It's also interesting to see Sashi not having wings like in the Pilot, I guess now we can infer what happened because we know she has them the next time they're in the Knight World.

I like to smash bits of the Pilot in this episode in my head, with the Boone being exception of course... and also the other stuff going in Zap One.

Ok, the zapping. They still do come out of a static background, but the Pilot's just looks so different.

Get the banging intro we all love and the iconic title cards!

Zooming on the family picture doesn't hurt at all. Nope, not all. It's interesting to show no snow on Christmas Eve, but that can happen in a lot of places, I really like that decision. Sashi beating the fake reindeer making look like snow? Gold.

But I've got to say, starting with a holiday episode is... unusual. I personally wouldn't have, but I'm not saying it had to be Zap One. It's just that not everyone likes holiday or Christmas episodes. I'm also upset we never got a Halloween episode.

I wonder why we didn't see the MUHU used in the Pilot, perhaps it wasn't a thing? I doubt it. I enjoy Brock and Vonnie every time they're on screen, funny and such great parents, even from afar! Like that they left a record video. Poor Penn, just wants see his parents so bad on Christmas, they're first Christmas apart. Also for a quick second we see that the MUHU charging deck thingy is broken. I wonder why? Genuinely, why? Was it The Chinchilla?

Our first introduction to Aunt Rise and Uncle Chuck (and of course The Chinchilla). I don't mind them, not my favorites. But don't mind. They're quirky.

I love the Trio so much! Boone and Sashi trying to cheer up Penn is so sweet.

First time we see Old Man Middleburg.

Not even having to exchange words to show how much Rippen hates Penn and Larry's over the topness.

Phyllis is queen. She's slaying in that candy cane costume. And she's already being supportive with Penn. You need a prom date? Phyllis has got you. MUHU broken beyond repair? She tried.

I would have a mental breakdown if I tried avoiding Christmas like the plague only to be zapped into Santa of all people! Like what are the odds? It's like the universe knows or something.

I just realized we never got a "check the specs" in the Pilot! Dang. Also, you can hear bells when her specs are displaying the mission.

Penn helping Boone calm down is sweet. Also, the "Okay, I'm gonna pet you now, but not in a weird way." Line will never not be funny, so many quotable lines in this show. I'm like a parrot.

Also, was the head in a box a reference to the movie Seven? If so, it's a very interesting pick for a reference for a kids' show.

Did they get Adam Levine for his screaming? I think that's a possibility.

Mr. Snowman...

I do like the rogue gingerbread men, but I wonder if Rippen being Krampus was at least considered. It always bugged me when I first watched this. Goat Rippen would have been too much for anyone to handle, I suppose.

The candy and Christmas weaponry is fun and creative. Larry cannibalizing himself is very Larry. I, too, would have a nibble on at least one of my fingers.

I like that Mr. Snowman just assumed the MUHU was broken. He doesn't know a damn thing about it and yet already being manipulative. I like that Penn is allowed to be a bit selfish. It makes sense, most of the time, it's because of his parents. He desperately wants them back or at least able to see and talk to them. Love me some good character flaws!

Surprise! The snowman with an ominous voice was bad! Although, it is surprising that Rippen decided to team up with anyone. I guess he probably sees Mr. Snowman as easy to take out, it's not that hard as we see later on. (Snow) Man literally took his whole heart out and almost died for a bit.

The face Penn makes when he says the whole ruining Christmas for eternity is gonna bother him for awhile is great. So many great faces on this show.

The first song of the show! Also forgot the Pilot didn't have a song... good. I don't wanna hear that Boone sing. He's not an angel like ours. I used don't not like his singing, but it grew on me. Pretty good song. Everyone is good at singing. I like that the breakout fails, like you really thought a candy cane would work as a key? Jokes land so much better than the Pilot (sorry I keep bringing that up).

So there's just one gingerbread woman? Like a smurfette? Also, Rippen, my goodness! One (gingerbread) woman and already be acting up. It's just a tiny bit but still funny, I like the idea that he can't keep it in his pants sometimes. He's gotta come off as suave to anyone watching.

Also weird that gingerbread people just eat steak and mashed potatoes... not very Christmas-like, guys, and woman.

"You've looked cooler." Sashi delivers that in such a way that it can be such a low blow to whoever she's saying it to (Penn).

Would've loved to see a drama class. That would've been a Boone episode, a Boone-isode!

Creative way to escape, using Santa lore. I wonder what it felt like to be tube-shaped for a few seconds. I'm sure that would feel good on my back until I cry from pain.

First instance of Arnold Schwarzenegger voice Boone.

"Man, that guy can talk." Sashi, that man is your principal. Your lucky he ain't evil.

Yep, he's a snowman... what was he gonna do? Snowball them? Man them- nevermind.

AAHHH! Rippen jumpscare! Oh no- is his bowtie made of anything? Like licorice or something? Or is it just a bowtie?

I'll never find it funny that in some Santa media set in modern times, they're still making older toys like made out of wood and stuff. Anyways, love the fight between Penn and Rippen using the toys as weapons. Very fun and creative.

I love it when Rippen tries to use Penn's interest against him, the MUHU in this case. But no, Penn is better than that.

Did Rippen feel anything when he broke or does it not hurt? Either way, falling down at that velocity must have been terrifying. First instance of Larry eating Rippen... yep, not the first!

Also, the first use of the Wilhelm Scream! They love that scream.

He made a hard choice, but thankfully, it paid off in two ways. Completing the mission and getting your MUHU fixed by Santa because of it. What was that one quote? "A true act of goodwill always sparks another." (Whoever gets that, have a cookie)

Also like that it implies Santa doesn't like gingerbread, perhaps because gingerbread people work for him?

An all around good Christmas episode, usually my least favorite kind.

~The Characters~

Penn Zero: This Penn and Pilot Penn while similar, feel very different in delivery.

Like I said already, I like Penn feeding into his self-interest. We always understand why he does and acts like he does, he's a good person with flaws. Flaws that are so human.

Boone Wiseman: Oh Boone, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I can't believe we almost didn't have this you! So much more funnier and nicer. Our lovable buffoon. Even going out to make skateboard sleds for his friends! And a failed roller-skate skis that he actually never made, but it's the thought that counts.

He's funny but still takes some seriousness with his job. Especially at the end.

Sashi Kobayashi: Violent as ever! But cares deeply about Penn's troubles. I also enjoyed when she just conked Larry and that elf in the head.

Rippen: Not a whole lot to say for him in this episode. He was funny and growly as usual. It's still interesting that he teamed up with someone as we'll see in Number One Number Two. Yes, I know, I'm Still Super. But that's different as we'll also see

Larry: He really doesn't have much to do besides eating himself. Which, good for him, he makes a good point, they'll never be that delicious again.

Dimension(s): I like the look of the mountaintop north pole base, which is a very cool take on Santa's workshop. It's more like a military base than anything.

Forms: Reindeer Boone is the best, sorry. He's adorable, I like his physicality. Everyone else did good, but they'll never be Reindeer Boone.

[love-now-cry-later]

the importance of change

"nothing lasts forever, nothing stays the same"

september 3, 2023

I'm at a point in life where everything is changing and for the first time… I'm ok with it. I just turned 18 (woo!) and for the first year since i was 12 i didn't have a breakdown on my birthday. i graduated just before that and now i'm off. in 1 month i'll be in maine for a concert with my best friend, then i'll be in GA with my mom and then i'll be back in jersey until christmas where i’ll then go to nebraska for a bit and then costa rica from january to july, and when we come back my friend Abbi will be graduating and we all will have had enough saved up to rent a house together. And My dad asked me this morning if I was scared and I've just sat here thinking. What do I feel?

i'm about to spend the next year of my life traveling and seeing the world. having opportunities, that i'm eternally grateful for, that many people don't have and my family never had. I have a chance of moving out and getting my own home and for my family, generations in one home, that's really big. I'm young and free and I'm grateful to have friends who give me opportunities that I would never have otherwise.

But It's terrifying. I'm gonna be far from home for a long time and when i'm finally back it won't be for long, but you know what's scarier? everything staying the same.

my life has gotten easier these last few months. my senior year, I graduated because I have connections with teachers and principals and people like me. my 'charisma' as Camdyn puts it. I have opportunities like Costa Rica because friends and their families like me. My life has gotten easier and I don't take that for granted. In some ways I believe the easy, go-with-the-flow, handouts and kindness that I've been receiving is an apology from the universe. An apology for having to be strong and grow up at a very young age. An apology for all that i had to deal with very young, and a reward for not letting it turn me into a person i would be ashamed of. Coming out of it a better person.

I believe that I was meant to break generational cycles. The cycles of poverty- the cycles of teen pregnancy- the cycles of throwing your life away. The cycles of dead end office jobs, janitorial positions- of deciding between a meal for you or your kids tonight. The grab the wic approved!- dirty looks in the grocery line because of the ebt card. I believe it’s gotten easier because I deserve an easier life than my mother and my father. Not that they dont deserve it either, But i can tell they’re happy that i have better, i think thats what they've always wanted for me. Even though they didn’t necessarily provide it, they're happy for me. I can tell.

My point- or the point of this ramble at least is that change is scary but you know what- that's good. Fear is good sometimes! It’s like when you first start highschool and you're scared, there's a new building and its so big and there's so many people you’ve never met and people you never will, but after a couple weeks freshman year is easy- then it’s winter break and spring break, and then- you're a sophomore. I was terrified to graduate, but I'm so grateful and happy I did. Because you know what's more scary and embarrassing than standing in front of hundreds of people that dont like you, and an ex and their new gf in a stupid cap and gown, and possibly falling on your face walking off the stage? Not doing it. Letting yourself give up and fail out of fear. The great thing about life is that you can change at any point. Anything you're unhappy with you can change, And isn't that beautiful?

The thing is that, I've really looked at my life and gotten more perspective and I need more change. “The way im living is a temper tantrum” and not in the way it was before, where i was drinking myself into oblivion for some nihilistic ‘fuck you’ to the man or god or whatver. But in the way that i’ve kept myself in a box so to be what others want me to be. I’m done with the edgy-tryhard - anti feminine hard ass-intimidating bullshit image i’ve tried to spin my whole life. I'm surrendering. Surrendering to the divine feminine, to the easy, happy, beautiful universe. I'm ready to begin the easiest, happiest era of my life. An era of receiving.

Anyway, I hope to all that read this that you will experience freedom, and happiness as we’re all entitled to. Asé

[its-your-girl-geekerella]

Dark Cupid--Happy Valentines' Day!

I know I'm a bit late, but suffice it to say that I had a lot going on. Just wanted to pop in, say hi, and give you a mini-recap on one of my favorite episodes in Season 1 of Miraculous, Dark Cupid!

Because most of you Miraculers who follow me are in season 5 by now, and have probably watched this episode as many times as I have, I'll make this quick.

So basically, we start with Miss Bustier's class, talking about fairytales. Adrien is writing a love poem, and when called out, gets savage toward his teacher, yadda yadda yadda...

Adrien then throws out his poem, thinking it not good enough for Ladybug. Sabrina and Chloe make him sign his autograph, even though he hates it, by telling him it's for a good cause.

After class, Marinette goes digging in the trash to see what it is that Adrien was writing. She finds what she was looking for, but not before Chloe and Sabrina imply that she's poor and homeless. (I guess they were feeling good about themselves after getting Adrien to sign that poster)

Marinette reads Adrien's poem, assumes it was about her (thanks to Tikki), and celebrates.

Marinette meets up with Alya, and they see Max and Kim talking about a ~mystery girl~ Kim wants to ask to be his Valentine. Like the great friends they are, they encourage and support him. Then Kim becomes a runner and a trackstar.

And can I say that the look Max gives as Kim leaves? Like a proud dad. This was definitely one of Max's best episodes.

So Marinette is encouraged by Kim's situation (and Alya) and decides to write Adrien a poem. We then see an amazing BFF handshake we NEVER. SEE. AGAIN.

We skip to Chloe and her lackey torturing Adrien's fanclub with the signed poster of Adrien. We get the infamous "she's not crying hard enough" scene, and that's that.

Marinette is working hard to write a poem for Adrien, and Alya nags. She finally gains inspiration, and they head to mail it off.

Meanwhile, Kim catches up with Chloe. Of course he would like Chloe. Man, I am so glad he gets Ondine later. Anyway, Chloe acts like a total jerk, so nothing new there. He gets akumatized, surprise, surprise, and turns into *GASP* Dark Cupid!

Dark Cupid makes people hate each other. So yeah. If you needed a comic relief, there's this guy shouting, "STUPID FLOWERS!"

Chloe gets what's coming to her, as Sabrina gets hit and does to her exactly what she did to Kim. So yay.

Chat Noir tries to confess his love to Ladybug, but instead protects her from getting hit by Dark Cupid, where we get this famous sequence:

(Funny how even then, he would sacrifice himself to save her) So anyway, a whole battle goes down and Ladybug realizes that she has to kiss Chat. Obviously, the "Get back, you savage!" had to be put in here.

So Chat Noir (even more Noir than before!) and Dark Cupid are working together, and can I say that they become bros so quick?!

Anyway, you all know what happens next: Chat foreshadows Chat Blanc, as well as Destruction by saying that he wanted to cataclysm a person. Then, Ladynoir's famous first kiss. And Evil Chat is enjoying EVERY SECOND of it.

And then Ladybug yeets Chat at Dark Cupid.

And then the good guys win, as per usual. Chloe gets what she deserved; her poster of Adrien is ruined by Sabrina (even though it should've been reversed by the magical ladybugs).

Adrien gets Marinette's Valentines card, but it isn't signed, so he thinks it's from Ladybug for some reason. Like, what?! And then he doesn't put two and two together until Season 3, episode: Stormy Weather 2. Um, excuse you?!

Calm down, simpy boy.

Personally, I think because we've had a couple of Christmas episodes, we can probably have another Valentines' episode. There is so much you can do with Valentine's day, and I feel like they cramped a lot of really good ideas into one episode. Oh, well...

So yeah, that's my recap of one of the best episodes in Season 1. I love this episode, and it mostly serves as a comfort episode when things are too serious.

Any commentary I made in this post is purely opinion, and it's not meant to be taken seriously. Love you guys, byeeeeee

[tiredgremlintime]

Arc-v Month Day 3: Duetto of Duelist and Spirit

@arcvmonth

ok so I’m going to talk about three decks! Performapals, melodious, and lyrilusc!!

So performapals! The first arc-v deck I wanted to play

As the zexal era in duel links was drawing closer to its end, I knew arc-v world was next, and I was excited, I was super excited to play Yuya and try out Zuzu, I knew I wanted my first deck to be Yuya’s, especially the performapals focus one, with odd eyes and some magicans of course since Yuya is one of my favorite characters, I tried to study his deck by watching the anime, yes, I was and still am unhinged thank you. So when arc-v world dropped, I couldn’t really play Yuya’s deck. See the problem with duel links is that when new decks come in, some of the cards from said deck is from older boxes, which meant spending a bunch of gems, until last month I couldn’t have Yuya’s deck, considering how EXPENSIVE he was, thankfully I could still play his deck, I just couldn’t bring it online. it was performapal focus! Just like I wanted! Sure it probably wasn’t THAT good but it was fun :). Thankfully, thanks to the campaign that happened last month I can now FINALLY play his deck and main Yuya! Fully compatible, fun to play, AND can be brought online, yippee!!! Even though I have to play with LESS performapals, I still get to play with some! So there’s that atleast! I’m just happy I can finally play my boy :)

Now with that knowledge, you may be wondering, since I been struggling to actually play as Yuya this past year, who else did I play in arc-v world? Who’s deck did I fully have? All the cards and such? Well that’s a pretty easy answer, which leads us to our next point!

Melodious! The deck that gave me confidence again

Now, I really like Zuzu! She’s one of my favorite arc-v characters! Back then though since I was still watching arc-v season 1, she was just a character I liked. Now when arc-v world dropped and the new tier list dropped melodious was actually tier 1! Unfortunately I missed that era cause it lasted like 2 months and it took me 3 months to get Zuzu, but when I DID get her my brother encouraged me to built her deck! I did and she became one of my dl mains! Melodious might have been tier 3 but I was playing GREAT with it online, this deck actually helped me re-gain the confidence to duel online! I’m forever thankful to this deck for helping me gain pvp courage, even if the deck isn’t consider powerful anymore. And this deck also made me love Zuzu even more! So another great thing this deck did for me!

so those are my two arc-v decks in duel links! How about tcg wise? Well this leads to the next and last deck I’m going to talk about in this post

Lyrilusc, baby’s first irl deck

SO, I’m going to talk about this more later, but spring last year I started to really like Lulu, like she was becoming a fav of mine, to the point where I made a daily doodle blog for her, but during this stage where I started to really like her, my brother got the synchro storm box, the newest Yugo box! So we opened it up together, and as a result I got a LOT of lyrilusc support from it, I actually got almost all the cards I needed for the base deck! Because of this my brother suggested that my tcg deck should be lyrilusc, I was a little nervous but also excited about this, so I agreed! It took a long time for the deck to be built however, because believe it or not playing Yugioh actually cause a LOT of money!!!! I didn’t really think I get to actually play the deck, but then Christmas approached, and one of my brother’s gifts for me was the rest of the cards I needed for lyrilusc tri-birgade!!! One of the best versions of the lyrilusc deck is to play it with tri-brigade, so that’s the deck I now own!! Now that it’s officially summer I can finally take the time to learn the deck, I been wanting to play with this deck for awhile so now I’m really excited to learn! I can’t wait to see how far I can go with this deck I was gifted!

So yeah that’s it for my arc-v decks! Thank you to anyone who read this far!!

[wilbur-gh0styr4t]

All I wanted was you

Pt 1: Little did you know

Dsmp x marvel

Disclaimer: cursing (literally just one little f-bomb), also if this story seems familiar like you’ve read it on Wattpad it’s because I also posted it on there but I changed it here, also it’s my first time writing so please be nice.

I take a few breaths from this world for a minute as I look around the foresty biome.

I hear a branch snap and draw out my sword. “Who is that?” I yell. It takes a moment but soon a familiar voice answers, “sorry, sorry it’s just me.” The voice comes out of the trees, where it was hidden, and reveals a tall slender man. It was Wilbur, my brother.

Well, not technically. His father, who is known as a once great man who goes by the name Philza Minecraft, took me in as a kid or, that’s what I was always meant to believe. I’ve always had my suspicions but could never find out why.

Anyways, Wilbur was always my big brother figure despite the fact that at times it seemed he didn’t want to be.

“Wil’..?” I asked? “Is that actually you?”

“Y-yes… uhm- Do you mind if I come inside,” he asked quite awkwardly. I shook myself out of my surprised trance and welcomed him in.

I brought him inside and poured him some coffee. Wilbur sat down and started to speak, “So um…” He started. It was almost like he didn’t want to say it but, the way he did almost made it like I was a last resort and he didn't want to have to come to me. “I don’t know how to say this but me and Tommy started something.”

I froze. “L-listen i-it’s nothing bad, we’re not trying to cause a war but, it seems like we have caused something…” I nodded along trying to follow and process all of this but it was.. a lot. “S-so you came here, why?”

“Because, you’re the only one who knows how to do things right, you’re the only one who knows how to put things where they belong…. Please Y/N…”

I thought about it for a moment. If it was so special that Wilbur, who has never once in his life showed any special interest towards me what-so-ever, came all the way to find me, it must mean something. Right?

“I’m in,” I responded. “Y-you are?” He asked as if he was more prepared to leave empty handed then for me to say yes.

“Yeah! I mean as long as we play our cards right and don’t cause too much trouble we’ll be fine.”

“Y-yeah! Great,” Wilbur replied, his face looking like he just got his dream pony on Christmas day. “And one last thing, you’re not American, right?” For some reason this question made me freeze up. What kind of fucking question is that? I didn’t know how to respond. “No…?” “How do I know you’re not lying,” he asked. “Because I’m not…?” I said hesitantly. “Good enough alright see you there!”

And that was it.

The last bit of normal in my life gone in a single conversation. If only I knew what laid before me.

—-------------------------

Shout out to @agardenofideas @baggedfish and so many others for giving me the courage to post this on here! It means a lot and I hope it was good!

[francesderwent]

I posted 5,391 times in 2022

That's 542 more posts than 2021!

1,125 posts created (21%)

4,266 posts reblogged (79%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@blushingallthewayhome

@imissthembutitwasntadisaster

@starryeyesxx

@madamescarlette

@reputayswift

I tagged 5,316 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#taylor swift - 427 posts

#tvd - 376 posts

#text - 320 posts

#in which cate tells stories - 316 posts

#cate liveblogs! - 214 posts

#btvs - 150 posts

#batfam brainrot - 135 posts

#teen wolf - 131 posts

#stranger things - 120 posts

#this is me admitting i need a music tag - 113 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#(& she’d be like ‘i don’t even remember doing this where did you find it’ or ‘i was like wow that’s so sad! then i remembered i wrote it)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that the first thing that moved Shia wasn’t studying Padre Pio himself, who probably would have been absolutely incomprehensible as an inroads to faith for someone lacking any sense of it, it wasn’t the liturgy, it wasn’t any of the books that he would eventually become so versed in. it was people letting him eat their ice cream and pet their cats, people telling him jokes, people who weren’t demanding anything of him. and then, it was the Gospels.

237 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

#4

twosday is definitely a holiday specifically from the hundred acre wood

780 notes - Posted February 22, 2022

#3

oh my gosh you guys I think “screaming, crying, throwing up” has the same usage and meaning as “wailing and gnashing of teeth”

2,743 notes - Posted October 15, 2022

#2

reblog this and tag with a food you no longer have access to (closed restaurant, state you moved away from, ex’s mom’s cooking, etc) that will haunt you until your dying day, mine are the spicy chicken sandwich on the employee menu at the fine dining restaurant I was a prep cook at, and the onion bagel from the kosher place down the street from my house when I lived in the city

50,089 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

wish list for people who don’t want anything

aka possessions which are just possessions, but which have noticeably improved my quality of life: for when people ask you “what do you want for your birthday/Christmas/graduation” and you instantly transform into St Francis and pledge fealty to Lady Poverty because your mind went blank

nice. new. sheets. I cannot emphasize this one enough. if you’re still using the same sheets you had in college, you should probably get new ones. get yourself some 100% bamboo rayon sheets—they're silky and perfect for summer and great for sensitive skin! or, if you’re cold all the time, flannel sheets!

kitchen knives. or even just one really good kitchen knife.

new curtains—blackout if you are a creature of the night like I am

fleece lined anything, but especially sweatpants and hoodies. wool lined socks are also good. if you don’t have the option of coming home after work and putting on an entire outfit that is loose and fuzzy, you should change that, because you deserve that option.

cookie sheets with a layer of air between the top and the bottom. the bottoms of your cookies will never burn again.

kitchen scale!!! no more leveling off flour with a knife and getting it all over the table!! now all your measuring is just shoveling stuff in and out of bowls like you’re at the beach. baking is both more accurate and also way more fun.

coffee bean grinder. if you want to upgrade your coffee experience, this is a great one-time purchase. just-ground beans have a much better flavor than pre-ground.

CDs!! ask for a gift card and expand your physical music collection! or a collection of the DVDs for your favorite show!

72,082 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[smiegrin]

Growing up Mormon was uh... a lot. One good thing I do think I got out of it though was a perspective that "going on a date" didn't have to be a huge thing.

My dad in particular has a saying: "There are 3 P's for what makes a date: Paired off, Planned ahead, and Paid for." I'll break these down because they do have the assumptions of a cis white middle-class monogamous dude born before the internet baked in.

Paired off: I interpret this not to mean "Dates can only be between two people" but rather the sense that you have chosen what (group of) people you want to go with you on this date. It's not going to a party and seeing who shows up, but it is going to a party and telling someone "I want you, specifically, to be with me. Do you want to go with me too?"

Planned ahead: This one I think is straightforward, but easy to make incorrect assumptions about. It's not "Planned weeks ahead" or "Planned days ahead" or even "planned hours/minutes ahead." I further don't think this means you have to nail it down to a particular minute of the day. The point is that there's some agreed-upon time involved. One may notice this is really broad. (though a good date-mate will be considerate of making sure you have time to prepare if that's needed). Bumping into each other by happenstance at the library? Cute, but not really a date. Sending a message on discord like "hey, I'm stuck on my homework, do you have time to swing by and give me some pointers?" Now it's date-shaped.

Paid for: This is... I think the one I would almost throw out entirely. Or change for a different P? "Paid for" is such a charged idea when even getting necessities is uh... nontrivial for a lot of people in the world. This is something even my dad understood on some level (especially because this "3 P's" talk was usually given to teenagers) when he said "going to get some $1 ice cream from a road stand counts." I'd extend this further and say it's not even that something has to be bought during the date. If you're playing a game you bought on sale 5 years ago using Christmas gift cards with someone, that's paid for. If it took 30 minutes of figuring out how to set up an emulator to run it ('cause uh... your cartridge doesn't work great anymore. right?), then you've paid with your time.

With all these laid out, you'll probably notice this is pretty broad! Sure, writing a hand written letter to your lady of interest urging her to RSVP to your formal invitation to enjoy a meal at Red Lobster next Friday at 6:07 PM "ticks all the boxes," but that doesn't change if you just say "Friday evening," or extend the invitation on a phone call or tumblr DM, or if you invite two people, or if you're asking the day before, or if you're going to just get a nice cheap burger to eat in the car together.

Is it fun to give and receive fancy things? Sure! One of my strongest love languages (or whatever they're called) is giving gifts. Feeling valued comes in all shapes and sizes! A drive to replace capitalism with a more equitable system so people aren't limited to getting McDonalds is fine and dandy! When so much of my memories of spending time with people I love are memories of doing small, simple things together, though... I just don't see how anyone could think sharing burgers in the car isn't a date!

(PS: I leave it as an exercise for the reader to consider what goes into playing a TTRPG with a group of friends in the context of all this)

[fakevariety]

soft asks to get to know people

what song makes you feel better?

lucy dacus' cover of dancing in the dark by bruce springsteen i love to spin around in my room to that shit

what’s your feel-good movie?

spider-man across the spider verse uggghhhh love that movie sm

what’s your favorite candle scent?

um to be honest i have no idea i think most candle scents are great

what flower would you like to be given?

i should know the answer to this because my godmother is a florist and i spend a lot of time with her but tbh idk much, any flowers make me feel so special

who do you feel most you around?

my best friend, especially on our walks home

say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

oh dear ok this is sweet but hard

1 (physical) - my hair! it's at a great length and a cool color

2 (physical) - um. my calves? LMAO, idk, i have big calves and they make me feel strong?

3 (physical) - i asked my brother because i had no idea and he said my eyes, said they're very noticeable which is very sweet of him and i kind of agree, they are a very pretty brown and they are just like my dad's (i look exactly like my dad fyi)

1 (non-physical) - i am super super loyal, which is good but also sometimes not good because i will stick by someone and put so much effort into a friendship and then i get super hurt when they don't do the same

2 (non-physical) - i am very good at comforting people i think, it's probably because i have therapists for parents but yeah i think i am good at making people feel better

3 (non-physical) - i love that i'm good at writing, it's like my thing and i love it

what color brings you peace?

gray, i love it, it's just a peaceful color

tag someone who make you feel good. 

@enchanting-grom-fright

what calms you down?

music, checking in with my surroundings, just getting in touch with what is actually happening around me so i don't get swept up in my thoughts

what’s something you’re excited for?

the day after christmas because that's when the next percy jackson episode comes out!

what’s your ideal date?

hmm idk. i think it would depend on the person, but for the person i currently like? going to the aquarium and then going home and getting pizza and then watching a movie and having a sleepover. not really a date ig, that's just my fav thing to do with her

how are you?

it's been a rough few weeks, but i think things are getting a bit better again

what’s your comfort food?

matza ball soup, i don't have it often at all but it makes me feel so cozy

favorite feel-good show?

idrk know if this counts as a feel good show, it's just a comedy, but PARKS AND REC!!!! it is so amazing and always make me feel better

for every emoji you get, tag someone and describe them in one word.

idrk what this means so i'm just going to describe my friends in one word (i also only have two of my irl friends on tumblr so not everyone has a tag, just nicknames)

@enchanting-grom-fright - thoughtful

@squ1shydy1ngbubbl3s - inteligent

walk home friend - crazy

chipotle bud - bubbly

baking friend - hilarious

fairy lights or LED lights?

fairy obviously

do you still love stuffed animals?

YES I LOVE THEM SM

most important thing in your life?

my friends

what do you want most in the world right now?

i'm not sure, but the first thing that came to my mind was to get into my dream high school

if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

pay attention to which of your friends actually makes you feel good

what would you say to your future self?

what color is your hair now?

favorite piece of clothing?

my boygenius $20 t-shirt, followed closely by my black jeans

what’s something you do to de-stress?

watch parks and rec

what’s the best personal gift someone could give you (playlist, homemade card, etc.)

customized cd i would love that sm

what movie would you want to live in?

I have no fucking idea

which character would you want to be?

i'm sorry i have no idea ugh

hugs or hand-holding?

both!

morning, afternoon or night?

night

what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

listening to the evening radio

[crazyblondelife]

Supporting a Small Local Business - Piedmont Pennies

I am so excited to introduce you all to a small business that started right here in North Carolina…Piedmont Pennies! Rebecca Jordan (Becca), the founder of Piedmont Pennies went to high school with my daughter Rebecca and was (and still is) one of my favorite girls! To this day, she has a smile that lights up a room and is the sweetest!

Becca learned to make Southern cheese straws from her grandmother years ago and during the pandemic, she put that knowledge to work because she wanted the world to “stay cheesin”! Piedmont Pennies was her MBA class project and what a project it was! Today, Piedmont Pennies are made in Charlotte, North Carolina, but they ship all over the world! These little cheese straws are so delicious and absolutely addictive! I love to serve them on a charcuterie board, or just eat them as a snack!

Becca is a smart cookie because, she came up with the idea of creating a Piedmont Pennies Panko and since I love to use panko on everything from my delicious Caesar Salad to pasta, I think it’s just genius!

Today, I’m sharing a ridiculously easy holiday recipe that you’ll want to make all season long and beyond…Boursin Cheese with Panko and Cranberry Preserves! This hors d’oeuvre is mouthwatering, gorgeous and when I say easy I mean easy! If you need something quick to serve for unexpected guests, this is just the thing and it’s also so good as part of a holiday buffet!

This recipe is truly so easy that I’m not even going to make a recipe card…no real proportions are necessary!

In three separate bowls, place about 1/2 cup flour, 1 beaten egg, and about 1/2 - 3/4 cup Piedmont Pennies Panko (any panko will do)! First, coat your Boursin Cheese (cold) with the flour to coat, then coat with the egg, and finally, coat with the panko. Place in an ovenproof dish and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until the panko is brown and crispy. Top with chopped fresh rosemary and a spoonful of your favorite preserves (I used cranberry). Serve warm with toasted baguette slices. I think this would be absolutely divine with a drizzle of hot honey in addition to the preserves!

Be sure to check out my Instagram video of this easy-to-make hors d’oeuvre but whatever you do, be sure to try it! This is one to make all year long, just switch out the preserves for the season!

I have updated my Amazon Shop to include all kinds of last minute gifts and stocking stuffers that will come before Christmas because if you’re anything like me, you still have some shopping to do! I’m also including a small boutique of favorite things for the holidays below! All of the items are things that I have purchased or things I would like to purchase (I have a list haha!). Enjoy!

This month is going by so quickly it’s almost hard to believe! I hope you’re enjoying my posts and I would love to know what you want to see for the coming year! I’m working on a little survey that I'll hopefully have ready to post next week and I would love to have your input!

I’m off to do ten thousand things! Have a great day!