#i have tons of thoughts on them at all points in time...

[lobautumny]

Not to mention shit like the speakers that are installed in a bunch of public spaces that play extremely loud sounds at a very high pitch that are specifically designed to not be audible to adults but to be extremely uncomfortable for children, to dissuade "dangerous antisocial behaviors" like... loitering. The horror.

A bunch of shitty adults act like it's remotely surprising that kids don't go outside and hang out with their friends anymore when, like, how and when and where are they supposed to do that? This toy knows your ass is too lazy to drive your kids anywhere that isn't on the way to somewhere that you wanted to go anyways more than once per month, and nearly a century of constant "you can't trust your neighbors" propaganda (red scare, gang fearmongering, muslim fearmongering, drug fearmongering, etc.) has left a ton of adults terrified of every unattended child they see outside, as well as being increasingly unwilling to let their own kids out of their sight for anything other than going to school. Also, when a given kid does have the means to hang out with friends on a regular basis, where do they have that they can go other than each other's houses? God knows that for the last several decades, the economy's been too shit for average working-class parents to give their kids an allowance, everything is extremely expensive, and there's never been less options for places kids can simply exist and hang out at outside.

Of fucking course kids are sitting inside on they phone all the damn time. They don't have anything else to do. Adults drove them away from everything else they could be doing because allowing children to exist anywhere is just too much of a hassle for anyone to bother dealing with. I mean, fuck, kids (especially non-white kids) can't even fucking play with toys outside anymore without running the risk of a cop shooting them in the head because they thought the bright orange Nerf blaster was a real gun (treated as a simple mistake, the cop gets suspended for a couple months and then gets to return to the force like nothing happened).

The fact of the matter is that the world in which we currently live fucking hates children. Children aren't treated as people. They're treated as political pawns, scapegoats, or property at best, and active threats at worst. Their suffering doesn't matter until they die, but then when they die, it's always "a freak tragedy that we simply could not have anticipated and cannot do anything to prevent future instances of." It's all reduced to abstract numbers that adults can shake their heads at, pretend to feel bad for a while, and then proceed to do fucking nothing about while another school gets shot up every week, and we all pretend it's normal because nobody wants to fucking address the fact that the way we treat children is beyond disgusting and unhealthy. We talk all the time about the online child grooming epidemic, cleverly point out how social media algorithms massively contribute to the problem and the platforms themselves knowingly do nothing about it, and then we all collectively shrug and look the other way. "Not my problem to deal with," everyone collectively says in unison. "It's not my kid," they say, until it is their kid, at which point it's yet another fucking "freak tragedy that could not have been prevented," and so it goes.

But god forbid a kid says they're queer and receives anything other than brutal punishment and bullying for it. Then, suddenly, by magic, everyone is an activist, everyone is a fucking expert on the online grooming problem as though they aren't so tech-illiterate that they're falling for AI boomerslop on Facebook, and everyone has a PhD in biology, and everyone has Opinions and is calling up their local legislators asking for quick, decisive action to be taken against this new social contagion corrupting our youth and for kids to be ripped away from their supportive parents and put into abusive foster programs. This toy knows that it has long since left the scope of the original point, but it's just so fucking angry. Ever since it was in middle school, it's known more people who were abused as kids or otherwise have extremely strenuous relationships with the adults in their lives than people who had what most people would try to convince you was a "normal" childhood in which they developed remotely positive relationships with the adults around them and were not abused and did not develop immense trauma as the direct result of shitty actions taken by malicious, stupid, or neglectful adults in their lives.

Children deserve far better than the world we have forced them to live in.

"kids these days don't loiter or act rebellious enough any more" kids just existing in public are more criminalized and surveilled than ever. almost every western country is running a panic about youth crime and how random teens standing awkwardly are a threat to civilization, and pushing for much more punitive laws. tons of states and powerful lobbies are pushing "parental right laws" that restrict the civil rights of minors even more. policing is first and foremost targeting youths, especially from low income and majority immigrant neighbourhoods. if a kid mildly steps out of line or says something awkward online or in a public space half a dozen people can whip up their phone and start mass harassment campaigns. and tech companies are now restricting access to the internet, the last way many teens can talk to each other freely and reach out to people outside family and school.

anyhow i think people really need to start giving kids at least a tiny bit more grace instead of making smug posts about how uncool they are compared to your youth days, you fucking twats

[luxdove]

Remember me!

(Shadow Milk Cookie x Reader)

Notes: Reader cookie is inspired by Don Quixote from the game Limbus Company and not from the actual book since I have never read the actual book

Since I’m also terrible at writing I’m mainly laying down points and not an actual story format? English is not my first language pls be kind cuz I low key got no idea how to type a story and also these characters might be OOC

Also reader is gender neutral and this is my first story I’ve ever posted 😭

This is also not even proof read and honestly I felt this went all over the place so I apologize if it doesn’t sound great😭

Cw: Hypnosis, memory loss (idk what else to say for warnings)

You don’t remember anything from your past, you kinda just grew up living inside of this tower

But you weren’t lonely! No no! Well actually you were since no one would visit you however! You had tons of books! And would often dreamt yourself to be the greatest cookie knight of all of Earthbread!

It didn’t matter if you seemingly had an endless supply of books, they just never seem to get boring no matter how many times you have reread them!

However one day a knock followed by a crash of the broken door happened, this day was special since it marked your day of freedom from the loneliness imprisonment!

“Oh sorry we knocked your door down…” the cookie with a cane said sympathetically

“It is no worries! What is thou name?!” You exclaimed happy to see more cookies in existence, Gingerbread cookie looks a bit confused as he wonders why you spoke in the old language but he shook it off and tried to understand what you said

“My name is gingerbread cookie! And these are my friends Strawberry cookie, wizard cookie, Custard cookie, Chili cookie, and Pure Vanilla cookie!” Gingerbread Cookie introduced everyone. “What is yours?”

“Thy name…?” You thought about it, you actually don’t remember your name. You looked around and noticed a mail that was addressed to this tower and it said. “Blueberry Milk Cookie…” you muttered “forsooth! Thy name is Blueberry milk cookie!” You confirmed, after all the mail seemed to be addressed to you so surely that’s your name right?

“Well Blueberry milk cookie, would you like to join us on our journey?” Gingerbread cookie asked and you started squealing in excitement. Never had your eyes had shown such bright and shiny stars within it.

“May I?” You asked to confirmed and they nodded. Indeed this was the best day ever.

It’s been a good long while ever since you joined them; you helped them build up a kingdom while meeting new cookies on your journeys. However after meeting all the Ancient cookies in Crispia you decided to hold back for a while to focus on yourself. After the group came back from meeting 2 Beast cookies you decided to take the offer and join them on their journey since you were always excited for a new adventure or journey, after all this is progress for you to become the best cookie knight in earthbread!

“Gingerbread Cookie Esquire! May I ponder where we are headed off to?” You asked

“We’re going to Beast Yeast to beat Shadow Milk Cookie once and for all!” Gingerbread cookie answered, you didn’t join them from their past journeys in beast yeast due to you signing up for random things to occupy your time in hopes it can make you stronger

“Shadow milk cookie..? Hm…where has thou heard such name…?” You muttered as you thought, somehow the name seems familiar to you yet you have never seen this cookie before. “Oh! Yes! Shadow Milk Cookie! I hath read such books and scrolls of the legends of the Beasts!” You exclaimed

“Ah…so you have heard the stories then right Blueberry Milk Cookie?” Pure Vanilla Cookie asked with his kind smile while you nodded vigorously

“Forsooth! Pure Vanilla Cookie Esquire! It ought to be foolish of me to not know such rich stories soaked in knowledge of the old!” You exclaimed “After all! Thou art wished to become the greatest cookie knight in earth bread!”

Everyone laughed while you smiled in glee, after all you sounded like you were stuck in some childhood fantasy with childlike innocence of the world even though you were already exposed to such environments and topics. It was just nice to hear such childlike dreams from the group while they adventured off into a more dark turn.

You guys were enjoying your time while walking down the path towards the Spire of Knowledge, that wasn’t until you guys heard a mischievous laughter.

“That laugh! It’s Shadow Milk Cookie!” Gingerbread Cookie exclaimed as they all went into ready to fight stances as Shadow Milk Cookie appeared.

“Oh if isn’t it my favorite audience to mess with- wait who is this newbie” Shadow Milk Cookie eyed you

“Tis is I! Blueberry Milk Cookie!” You introduced yourself “For thou wishst to become the greatest knight of all of earthbread!”

Shadow Milk Cookie stared at you for a good minute or two, ah yes now he remembered you- but how do you not remember him?

“Blueberry Milk Cookie….huh” Shadow Milk Cookie had a thinking face on as he floated in the air.

“Forsooth! However one of thy missions is to defeat thee!” You exclaimed with shining stars within your eyes as you pointed your lance towards him. Ah, how Shadow Milk Cookie missed those eyes of innocence- it seemed you kept them after all those years.

“Defeat me? HA! Sorry newbie but I! Am the star of the show! And you all are within my stage!” Shadow Milk Cookie exclaimed with a prideful grin. Suddenly a whole rush of monsters and corrupted animals started heading towards you guy’s way.

“Ooooo lookie lookie I guess times up for the next act! Welp toodles! Have fffuuuuunnn~” Shadow Milk Cookie bowed while topping his hat off while he poof-disappeared again.

“That COOKIE!” Gingerbread Cookie gritted his teeth.

“It’s alright Gingerbread Cookie, perhaps we’ll face him again sometime in the future” Pure Vanilla Cookie patted him calmly.

“Indeed Gingerbread Cookie Esquire! After all the Spire of Knowledge is not too far away! Perhaps thee villain rests thou chambers within there!” You exclaimed happily to finally meet one of the Beasts face to face

“Villain?” Pure Vanilla Cookie questioned

“Forsooth! Villain! Is thee Shadow Milk Cookie not thee villain?” You questioned

“Hmmm…maybe but there might be a reason for him to be like that” Pure Vanilla Cookie said wisely, however within your eyes the Beasts have gone far past redemption and are now marked as villains within your book. Now it is your job to defeat such villains!

Then Shadow Milk Cookie greeted you guys because otherwise he would be called a “terrible host” for not greeting his audience and actors. Then you guys just walked all over the place because the palace just seems too confusing! Left is right, right is left, up is down, down is up! There’s literally stairs that are upside down! How on earthbread would you even know where you’re going?!

However as expected you all have lost each other, surprisingly not because of the lay out of the palace no, no.

It was all because Shadow Milk Cookie didn’t think it was entertaining enough so he just decided to split up everyone just for the fun of it.

“GINGERBREAD COOKIE ESQUIRE!!!!! TO WHERE IN EARTHBREAD HAST THOU DISAPPEARED!!!” You yelled out.

“PURE VANILLA COOKIE ESQUIRE!!! TO WHERE HAST THOU-“ you were about to yell out again but a hand covered your mouth.

“By WITCHES do you ever keep your voice DOWN?” A voice that is instantly recognizable and undoubtedly was from Shadow Milk Cookie said in annoyance, however that annoyance was replaced by a smile filled with mischief. “It’s alright you silly Willy! Since it’s you I’ll not do anything”

“Ah! It is thee! Villain!” Your eyes shined with stars in them again as Shadow Milk Cookie face softened, oh boy does he feel somewhat bad for what he’s going to do soon but…he has to, to bring you towards the truth and not live in such a fake reality without knowing just…well you know just a tiny winy bit of information- nothing that would certainly hurt you of course.

“Tis is I! Blueberry Milk Cookie! For thy-“ you were introducing yourself again but suddenly got interrupted by Shadow Milk Cookie.

“Y/n cookie” Shadow Milk Cookie corrected

You looked at him in confusion “Thy name is not Y/N cookie…? Thy name is Blueberry Milk Cookie!”

Shadow Milk cookie didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry at that statement “oh you silly willy! That is my old name not yours!” Shadow Milk Cookie barked in laughter

You were in disbelief, perhaps there was more to your life than you could have thought?

“Oh the look of distraught! But who am I to blame? Of course the witches fault! After all they did remove your memories old friend!” Shadow Milk Cookie laughed

Your eyes widen at the news. Your memories were removed? And you were friends Shadow milk cookie back then?

“You villain! I shan’t hath companionship with the villain!” You shouted in disbelief, there was just no way

“Hm? Don’t believe me? Well…” suddenly your limbs get caught in strings making you unable to move any of them and making your body dangle above air. Shadow milk cookie float towards you, grabbing your chin and forcing you to look at his eyes, hypnotizing you. “Look into my eyes, breathe in calmly” Shadow milk cookie said in a calm voice

You tried resisting you really did, but when you tried to close your eyes Shadow milk cookie literally used his other hand to force your eye to look into his eyes and then your eyes started to close

“No! I shan’t fallen for the villain’s trap! I shall..! Not…! Fall…len…” then your head lowers as your eyes closed off into a festering, slothful dream controlled by Shadow milk cookie

“Hm…well hopefully this dream will make you remember and get you back into your senses dear friend” Shadow milk cookie muttered as he disappeared off to check into his audience wondering how they were doing so far

You couldn’t believe it, these memories…they must be fake

All these lies that you have fed to yourself because you couldn’t remember your past

You were friends with all the villains it seems

You were there when they were created

You were there when they all started their kingdoms

You were there when they slowly got corrupted, also dragging you to also become corrupted

You were there when they were imprisoned by the witches themselves

You tried,cried, and begged the witches to release your friends, swear to curse them somehow if they don’t

The witches being the evil that they are, removed your memories of such events

The faerie cookies grabbed your body and sealed you inside of a tower so it wouldn’t be opened by the inside however it could be opened by the outside

Did you knew too much that the witches made you to lose your memories…? You couldn’t forgive yourself after seeing memories like these, but at the same time you don’t believe it- you just couldn’t!

“Still in disbelief dear?” Shadow Milk Cookie said as he noticed your disturbed expression, you haven’t woken up too long ago “Well I’m sure this photo will help you” shadow milk cookie said as he hands you over an old picture

No…

No! This can’t be true!

The photo of you smiling along with these villains! This was your pushing point and this finally broke you and shattered the reality you thought was true

“That’s enough!” A somewhat muffled voice followed by a broken door “shadow milk cookie this ends now!” Pure vanilla cookie yelled as he pointed his staff to Shadow milk cookie and shoot, however Shadow Milk Cookie effortlessly dodged the attack

“Blueberry milk cookie!” Gingerbread cookie exclaimed “you’re safe!”

“…” you stood there in silence as your eyes were focused on the photo

“Blueberry milk cookie?” Strawberry cookie said as she carefully approaches

“My name is…Y/N cookie” your voiced sound like you went through 9 stages of grief and was broken “my name was never Blueberry milk cookie”

“Blueberry milk cookie?! What are you saying?” Gingerbread cookie “snap out of it! Shadow Milk Cookie fed you lies!”

“Ohohoho! But these are not lies you see!” Shadow milk cookie exclaimed with an uncanny grin “I just showed them the truth!” As he hugged you and rested his head at your neck from behind you while you look down in either shame or despair

“It’s true…my past…I was with them…I was one of them” you answered softly, your eyes that are now dull and seems to have swirls of blue due to the hypnosis of Shadow Milk Cookie- after all he didn’t necessarily fed you the whole truth, just enough to bring you back to his side and then fed you lies

“You cookies however….” You pointed your lance at your once comrades “have been feeding me lies!” Your face full of rage and distrust

“What are you saying?! We haven’t lied about anything!” Gingerbread cookie exclaimed

“Y/N cookie! Please I believe you can see through Shadow Milk Cookie’s deception and see the whole truth!” Pure Vanilla Cookie exclaimed in worry; hoping they can get it through your head the real truth because after all- they haven’t said one ounce of lies and have only spoken the truth so far. So why were you acting like this?

“Lies, lies, lies, lies…it’s all lies with you! You knew who I was and were sent with a mission by the witches themselves to make sure I don’t remember the past!” You roared in anger, seemingly to believe the lies that Shadow Milk Cookie planted along with those memories.

“Hahaha! Oh how this is sooooooo entertaining to watch! Look how wonderful the curtains have fallen as the truth comes out from hiding!” Shadow Milk Cookie laughed in pure entertainment. “Go on Y/N Cookie….

Kill them” he commanded

You listened as if on queue you rushed towards them with your lance, but before you managed to crack or crumble a single cookie, Pure Vanilla cookie teleported them away.

“Aw crumbs! I wanted to see them crumble! Boooooo!” Shadow Milk Cookie pouted “I guess it’s alright since I have you now!” He smiled with his unhinged smile again as he looks at you. Man you look exhausted with all this information poured upon you at once. “How about we catch up hmmmmm? Just like old times” Shadow Milk Cookie grinned.

“I suppose…that’s alright…” you muttered

“Won-der-ful! Now now where do we start?” Shadow Milk Cookie wondered

Ong I might do a part 2 but idk

But low key I started cringing cuz idk what I was doing 😭 cuz I was working on this all day but started working in different parts of the story throughout the day

But anyways I hope you like it, like I said this is NOT proof read nor do I KNOW what I’m doing

[omorithedreamermod]

FEBRUARY DEVLOG - 1

The third DEVLOG has arrived...this time spelled correctly! Lots of progress has been made since the last update!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

So, about saves! I don't know if people noticed the edited DEVLOG from last time, but...it seems that you WILL be able to use your demo saves for the prelude! Testing looks good so far, so hoping it stays this way. Thank goodness, because now all those watermelons you collected in HEADSPACE won't be for nothing! Why is that...? Well! Hehe...

PROGRESS:

Remember how last time I said majority of maps were completed? That was incorrect. NOW the majority are done and only a couple are left. I've made so many maps this week. Thumbs up (fades into dust)

NPCs got cooked up. Basically all are complete, unless a couple more are needed, but for now, basically a done task. Some character sprite art needs to be made still, but not a lot!

All battle art is complete, including enemies, and portraits. They have also been programmed in, so they are fully functional, and battles are a done task! Wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, thankfully! Battlebacks still need to be made, but those are relatively quick.

OST...I said last time it was near complete. I was wrong. NOW it's near complete. At the moment, there are currently 44 tracks for the full dreamer prelude (including the demo tracks!). There's still a couple more to be made, but definitely mostly done ^^ It's going to be a LONG compilation video!

Writing was on the back-burner while I was focusing on creating assets. That doesn't mean there wasn't progress! Still, from this point on, writing and programming will be a main focus now that majority of assets are complete.

Portraits are not all complete. SUNNY needs more hospital portraits, and BASIL also needs new real world portraits! Those will take a bit...

Currently, all the mirror locations still need to be done, which means completing the battle-backs first. There is also a new title screen art that needs to be done. Along with that...a major, drawn cutscene, and another rougher cutscene...and maybe another short one, as well as art for the credits. A lot of art to do...

NOTES:

March is looking bright! Very bright! One part of the panic now comes from hoping I can program and write everything in a speedy manner, including NPC dialogue and miscellaneous stuff. Once again, a ton of the content is optional. But, like the DEMO, you are rewarded for you investment ^^ There's also a lot of secrets, so, good luck! Badges will be even more fun this time around!

Everyone really stepped up with the NPCs and I am very thankful for the sprite teams help! The OST is also coming along so well thanks to everyone. I've also appreciated the people who have taken the time to answer questions about programming and such that I have!

Still, the biggest point of stress is that I'm doing all the art, and I don't know how quickly I can do these cutscenes. One of them is very important to look clean and beautiful, and I have to do my best to stay very on style, which isn't as easy in cutscenes as it is with portraits. Along with that, real world portraits take longer than, say, STRANGER, who is monochrome. DREAMER was pretty time consuming, but I'm not as solid on real world portrait style yet. I'll figure it out, hopefully...

I'm also concerned once again about the trailer, and making art ahead of time for it for future events. I think it'll be okay, though? I usually pull through! And if need be, I can simplify the trailer a little.

CONCLUSION:

Currently, (along with completing the remaining assets) the goal is for me to complete all the writing/programming to start playtesting before March 1st, which means the PRELUDE will be completed and playable before March. This will NOT include the final art, such as cutscenes, and trailer art that aren't required for progression. So, while playtesting is happening, I will hopefully step back and really get all that art done so the mid-March release is possible!

There's still so much to do, but so much has been done, and I'm very proud of how things are going-to the point I even find the DEMO very lacking compared to the full PRELUDE! Please look forward to the coming release, and the next DEVLOG!

[ineedmorevat7kinmylife]

Little rant about Mabel Pines.

I know people have talked about how unfairly lots of GF fans treat Mabel, and how she's just 12 and Dipper's so mature we forget and you need to cut her some slack, but I want to talk about how both of them have the same maturity level, they just show it differently. Selfishness. This is one of the main reasons people get mad at Mable, because she acts selfish, and makes Dipper sacrifice things for her. There are four episodes where this is most prominent. The Time Traveler's Pig, The Deep End, Sock Opera, and Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future. The Time Traveler's Pig In this episode, Dipper time travels to ask Wendy out before Robbie can, and only finds one universe where it happens. Only problem: in that universe Mabel doesn't get the pig she won in the original timeline. Dipper lets Mabel keep the pig, sacrificing his "date" with Wendy. My problem with people calling Mabel selfish in this episode is that Dipper is the one being selfish. He's trying to change the timeline so he can ask out a girl he's not going to have a realistic shot at at this point in time. Mabel wants to keep the pig she rightfully won in the original timeline, and keep it out of Pacifica's hands, where it clearly doesn't want to be. (Also I doubt her parents would let her keep it)

The Deep End Mabel's new pool crush is really a merman who needs help getting back to his family. Mabel agrees, but her helping his jeopardizes Dipper's lifeguard job, which he wants to keep because he can hang out with Wendy. Dipper ends up giving up his job at the pool to help Mabel save the merman. Once again, Dipper acting selfish while Mabel gets blamed. Dipper isn't even actually doing his job as a lifeguard, he doesn't care about the potential money, or responsibility. He's actually really bad at the job. He and Wendy who are lifeguards, keep sneaking off to pull pranks and steal snacks. While Mabel is trying to save someone's life.

Sock Opera Now in this one, Mabel is genuinely being selfish. She prioritizes her sock opera over the thing she promised Dipper she would help him with. I'm including this here because I think this episode is where people really got the wrong impression of Mabel. And it's because Bill tells Dipper that she's been selfish and Dipper's had to sacrifice things for her. BILL IS MANIPULATING DIPPER!!!! Making him believe things that he wouldn't have thought otherwise to get him to do what he wants!!! He's appealing to Dipper's ego, trying to drive a wedge between the twins, because they're stronger together. It's the same thing he did to Ford. Stop trusting anything Bill says, take it all with a grain of salt.

Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future Ahh, the classic, Mabel-caused-the-apocalypse debate. Again, Bill = manipulator. He knows how to get you to do what he wants. Mabel didn't cause Weirdmaggedon. Bill did. If he had seen an opportunity, he would have done the same to Dipper. Now I'm not saying Mabel isn't selfish. She is sometimes. Like in Boyz Crazy. But I'm saying that it's not just Mabel. They're both selfish because they're 12. Also, Dipper: Your crush works at your house. You already spend a ton of time together. It could be way worse.

Mabel's role in the story Mabel has a major role in Dipper's life, and it isn't just because she's his twin. She is one of the few people that can get him to calm down and act like the kid he is. Dipper tries to be too mature. He's trying to grow up too fast. Mabel calms him down and gets him acting like a normal kid for once. 

Dipper vs. Mabel smartness People have already mentioned that when Ford praises Dipper for his additions to the journal, he opens to the page with the gnomes, which is something Mabel figured out, and how that shows Ford underestimates her.

But I think Mabel is way smarter than we give her credit for. She figures things out that Dipper doesn't all the time!

"Dipper, it's the vending machine!"

Anyway: my point is that Dipper and Mabel are both 12, and are immature and mature at different times depending on the situation. They just go about it differently. Also: the story is more from Dipper's POV so it might be a little biased.

[bismuthburnsblue]

THE STAYS ARE FINISHED!!!!

I still have to bury a bunch of threads, and I might add a lining in at some point, but functionally!!! They're done!!!

I've summarised everything I did for them below the cut, but!!!!! ah I'm so happy. It's my first time making stays & I'm pretty pleased with the outcome! I'm sure ill find things I want to change some day but for now... yeah I did good

I started off with redthreaded's 1750s stays pattern, but I ended up making a variety of modifications to it, so if you follow the same pattern, yours wont look exactly like this.

from most to least drastic, here's what I did:

completely moved the seam between the side front and side back to more accurately reflect historical patterns

realigned the tabs to be even again after I changed the pattern pieces

redrew most of the boning channels- partly because of my seam change, and partly to angle the bones towards the centre more as i thought the front panel stayed too vertical

took in more on the seams around the bust to fit me better

raised the height of the back panels (for no particular reason, I just liked it)

(heres that side seam!)

I made my stays from three layers- my fashion layer, a cotton drill & a coutil to form the structure, and I used light steel bones to bone the entire thing- as I said as I was making it, I've never found synthetic options offer the support I need.

I bound the entire thing with bias binding to match the light parts of the motifs, keeping it as narrow as I felt I could get away with. The tabs were sewn entirely by hand, right and wrong side, and the top edge was hand sewn on the second side. Overall, it took me about 19 hours to do!

The eyelets are all metal except for the four for the straps, which I sewed by hand, since they're far more visible. It was my first time hand sewing eyelets, and I'm pretty happy with how I did :) The ribbon is a placeholder, but I'm not sure what colour to get for the real ones yet.

The back is spiral laced, as was the historical standard- I probably marked them a little closer than needed, but I like the look of it all the same. I've been lacing them upwards as I've found I need the tension around the waist more than the bust. It makes it harder to lace on my own (or at least securing the knot anyway) but I did manage to do it by pulling the lace firmly, then tying a knot, then loosening it back down evenly again.

The horizontal bone is removable- I made the channel by sewing a piece of twill tape (folded in half, but only because that was the width I already had. The bone sits next to the fabric) along the marked lines. The channel went right into the armpit, so I caught one end under the binding, but tucked the other side of the binding under the twill tape (I'd left it a little loose at the end to make this possible) i then hand tacked the end down, leaving open the short side so I can slot in the bone. It's kind of dirty, but I think it should function- there's enough tension through the curve of the channel that I don't think it'll slide back out, but if I have issues ill find a way to secure it in. The bone I've cut is actually a tiny bit too long, as I have to trim that down at some point, as it's almost out enough to poke me.

I think I want to make some pads to support my bust at some point. The stays fit really well after all my modifications, but I don't have a whole ton to work with, and I feel like I could do with a bit more in the front of the stays to really hold everything how I'd like it to be (at least for this costume, anyway) At the moment it almost acts like a binder on me, which whole cool, is not the look I want.

I'm just! I'm so happy with how these came out. When I bought this fabric two years ago, I knew I wanted to make a pair of stays with it, but they've come out better than I could have ever imagined. I'm so proud of myself and what I achieved here, and I'm glad I put in all the extra work into these, instead of just rushing through something to have the garment for the rest of my costume. I think I made something here that stands on its own. I'm just... really proud. I'm going to bask in the glory of these for a while, I think.

[kishiar-la-orr]

not incredibly well-thought because i'm just typing down thoughts briefly but

to me, the first timeline is the slightly less fairy tale-like version. the second timeline can be called a fix-it, an everything-goes-right, a best case scenario, which needed a grand plot device in the form of yuder regressing in order to happen at all. there must be tons and tons of different versions of first timeline where some things go right, some things also go wrong, in different ways whether miniscule or catastrophic. its not the worst though. things could go even worse, im sure.

there's a lot of takes surrounding first timeline kishiar with differing points. (also, as you know, im a glazer). and after running through a lot of them, it just makes me think that personally, a novel so nuanced and with a lot of complex interpersonal and intrapersonal happenings like turning needs to be approached with good faith and compassion. in my experience, doing that helps maximize my enjoyment of it.

second timeline kishiar is a 'green flag ML', yes, but he can only run because first timeline kishiar walked. what is turning if not about love and humanity? and the thing about loving while being human is, love doesnt stay pure all the time. sometimes its twisted, sometimes its murky. sometimes even when the love is pure, the communication gets lost in the middle. love happens even when people have a lot of difficult situations in their lives or even when they think they're not in a good place to be loving other people. first timeline yuder was also still green and less mature than second timeline yuder, a lot less equipped in many ways. second timeline yuder himself also needed to mature a lot before he could properly begin a relationship with second timeline kishiar that's grounded in trust and the expression of genuine care.

so many factors are being taken into consideration when writing turning, i think. thats why it becomes such a beautiful piece of work that can touch the hearts of many people, with characters and storylines that resonate with a lot of the fans. i find that it's turning's biggest charm. first timeline kishiar isn't a perfect victim nor a perfect 'toxic ex-boyfriend'. he tried his best and his best still had repercussions that are less than ideal for the people he loved whom he left behind. of course, there's also the fact that the story is mostly written through the main character yuder's perspective. i think i enjoy turning the most when i can see it through this type of lens, trying to keep in mind where the characters are coming from and empathize with them and taking the novel (as all fictions are) as a lesson in humanity.

[ballroomblitzzzz]

Okay I know this post is already super long but I've thought about it a ton and I feel like I didn't properly get across everything I was trying to say (even after editing the shit out of it).

So I wanna talk more about the idea that sorcery is a metaphor for goodness. And you're probably like CHRIST how many metaphors will this guy waffle on about, but hear me out okay.

So Glinda can fake being good as much as she can fake having magical powers. People will love her regardless of what's real, which is fundamentally what she wants, to be liked. But she also desperately wants sorcery AND to genuinely be good, she wants it to be real.

So Elphaba giving her the Grimerie I guess is sort of her way of telling Glinda to never stop trying to be good.

And of course (as is one of the main points of like all of the book and musical) goodness and wickedness are entirely subjective and far more about perception. So I'm in no way saying that portraying Glinda as having no powers proves that she's actually evil. Because... No.

It's all about perspective. To the rest of Oz, Glinda has magic and she is the embodiment of everything good in the world. But to Glinda herself, she's powerless without using other people and so she believes she's wicked. But she'll never stop trying to be good, for Elphaba yes, but also because that's just the person she's always wanted to be.

But speaking of, let's talk about Elphaba for a second. (And I know this started as an analysis of Glinda's character, but you really can't talk about one without the other.)

Because if we take the idea that magic is goodness, then that means a witch should be very embodiment of it. That every time Elphaba uses sorcery, it's pure and just. So it makes sense that in the scene where she's training with Morrible, she can't levitate the coin until she thinks about what happened to Dr Dillamond. Because she can only use her magic when she's fighting a cause. When she's doing good.

Which is exactly why Morrible and the Wizard can't use her. And if sorcery is goodness, then what better way to try and take away someone's power than to make them wicked.

Because of course, in a corrupt system what's more dangerous than someone good having power. And this isn't exactly a new or even particularly perceptive take, but god it makes me angry. (Especially considering recent politics)

But anyway, all this means is that No Good Deed is gonna hit a lot harder now and I truly cannot WAIT to see it performed when part two comes out.

Thanks again for listening to me waffle on about these witches with clumsy attempts at making eloquent points. And please tell me if you have any more thoughts about this, or really just any thoughts about these characters, I mean it all feeds the same obsession.

So I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, about wicked, because of course it's about wicked.

Specifically Glinda and her relationship to sorcery. (Hold tight this one's gonna be a whole ass essay) I find it interesting that the film really tries to make it clear that she has, not just little power, but none at all.

Because in the book she does have magic! Like there's this great scene where her, Nessa and Elphaba are talking about sorcery and she explodes a sandwich in their faces to prove a point.

This isn't relevant at all I just really like the scene. Point is, book Glinda's magic ain't too shabby. And in the musical (unfortunately I've only seen it once so apologies if I've read this wrong) I kinda saw it as she did have magic, but just didn't really get good at it before act 2. But in the film it's clear she doesn't have any. Like in NOMTW she pushes a pedal to make the bubble instead of using her wand, similar to how the wizard uses mechanics to fake sorcery. So why is it different? I hear you ask.

Well my curious child, I'll come to that in a minute (promise) right NOW I wanna talk about why Glinda wants magic in the first place.

And this is something that's had me stumped for a while, I mean it's not like she needs it. She can easily get whatever she wants from social manipulation, and yet it's still her heart's desire to become a sorceress.

And it's SUCH a big part of her character that couldn't just go around not being able to answer that question now could I?? And guys I think I figured it out.

So she's always been jealous of Elphaba, right? Right. And the thing about Elphaba that she envies, is that she's powerful without having to rely on other people. Glinda doesn't have that. She gets to the top because people like her. She said it herself, 'its not about aptitude it's the way you're viewed'. She knows the way to truly succeed is to make sure that you're liked. And she's very good at that, so she doesn't need sorcery, and YET she wants it. And to me this proves that Glinda hates the reason that she's liked. She wants people to love her for what she can do, not for the shallow persona she presents. She wants to have a power all to herself. She doesn't want to need people. She wants to be the kind of person who hops on a broom and overthrows the government at the drop of a hat (pun intended) but that's not who she is.

Of course she doesn't go with Elphaba. Elphaba can be strong on her own but without the public on her side Glinda is powerless.

And just think it's soooo fucking interesting how Elphaba and Glinda's different kinds of power can be seen as just another metaphor for their sense of self. Because Elphaba has had to trust herself, to have a strong enough identity to know that she's better than what people say. But Glinda's entire identity and self worth are tied to what people think of her, she's only as good as people say.

So of course she doesn't go with her.

But here's where she changes (for good hehe). And of course, it's down to Elphaba. Because Elphaba has always believed that Glinda is powerful outside of other people. And, back to sorcery now because yes that is what I started talking about, it's Elphaba who invites her to sorcery class, it's Elphaba who asks Glinda to come and meet the wizard with her, it's Elphaba who asks her to come with her in defying gravity and (SPOILERS FOR PART TWO!!) its Elphaba who gives her the Grimerie. Because Elphaba has always believed Glinda was strong even when she wasn't.

Glinda always wanted to be a sorceress but it was only Elphaba who had faith that she could do it. And this is what makes Elphaba giving her the Grimerie so symbolic and so, so fucking sad. Because Elphaba's showing her that she's better than she thinks, she just going like 'hey, you got this'. And srhstjdyfkvhlvukflyyc. And so the way Glinda's viewed doesn't change at all, but the way she sees herself does, and so don't mind me while I go cry in a corner.

And you know maybe all this was obvious to literally everybody who watched the film and I've just mansplained lesbianism to everyone but I just really needed to write this down because I've been going insane about wicked and I can't shut up about it.

Because DUDE all these characters are so COMPLEX I just wanna peel them all like ONIONS, but oh BOY does it make my eyes water.

[pirateprincessblog]

𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐄

( 𝟎.𝟐 ) 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.

!𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬! 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 or here

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: park seonghwa x oc (alice dawson) x jung wooyoung 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4.2k 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: dilf!hwa, collegestudent!wooyoung, love triangle, dilf trope, eventual smut, angst, fluff 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: yet to come

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: this series will be around 10-15 chapters :) please don't hesitate to leave feedback! thank you for reading <33

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲.

"hey, i know you've been off the phone for a few days, and that you want some time alone. i just wanted to leave you a message so that you know that i am here for you."

"hey alice, it's been a week now. just thought i'd leave another voice message to remind you that i love you."

"rae says you haven't been coming to work. i'm getting worried now."

"why aren't you answering the door? are you okay?"

"you haven't spoken to your mother, either. i'm dying of worry. please at least view the messages i sent you so i know you're alive."

the redhead lies on her stomach, laptop opened on the bed in front of her. her eyes wander the articles on it, ignoring the burn from sleep deprivation and staring at the bright screen for a long time. her bladder is killing her, threatening to burst at any moment. but alice has been too lazy to get up for almost sixteen hours now, and her kidneys are pleading for mercy. she ignores it, clenching her core in hopes of relieving the pain. wooyoung's voice mails echo in the room, and she ignores that too. the knocking, ringing, calls, messages, all of it.

she opens the tab with her account balance again. the zeros on the screen are eating her inside out. the arrow on the screen clicks a different tab, and alice sighs, dropping her head on the pillow.

the famous onlyfans. it would be the easiest, fastest way. but is alice really at that point in her life? selling herself to strangers? well, pictures of herself. but still, to her, it was below her dignity. and she still had some. she thinks. what if they were only feet pictures? who cares about that? she would surely make a ton. enough to heal her mother, find a better place, and escape her pig of a father.

sugar daddy site? how does that even work? like onlyfans, but you only have one fan? and he is disgustingly older than you? what if he asks her for favours she cannot do?

a different job? she already has her dream job, and leaving it would be a disaster. the pay is god awful, but alice has never once spent her shift in a bad mood. always surrounded by the very thing she suffers from: fiction. fiction, daydreaming, imagination, you name it. alice suffers from it all. from the most wholesome and soft ones, to the evil erotic ones.

maybe the sugar daddy site will prove itself useful. they don't all have to be old and disgusting, right? after all, she can set boundaries. no live meeting, only texts, maybe a little role playing, and the money will flow. hopefully.

sugar daddy site

find exactly what you want discreetly, safely and fast. join the other 100 million members, experience love, luxury and sexual benefits.

click here to join now

it didn't take long for alice to click on the highlighted join button. she filled out the form with a fake name and address, but a correct town. after all, if he turns out to be someone actually gorgeous and not a complete creep, she wants to be within his range.

her friend requests are already flooding, along with message requests, and she has to take a moment collect herself. she doesn't have to answer any of them, she knows that. but some of those are extremely vulgar, filthy, and some straight up demanding. only two out of twenty messages are simple greetings, leading Alice to question her decision to join the site.

yourmaster75: hello gorgeous. nice tits. would love to play with them sometimes.

so muchfor a respectful hello. what a click bait. and what a cringe name. she clicks on the next one, hoping for a more appropriate approach.

sk1993: virgin or not?

alice is disgusted. she exits the site, then shuts her laptop. with her head buried in the bed, she reaches for her phone. it pains her to even unlock it, her brain having memorized the zeroes on the screen in the bank app. but she does it, feeling bad for poor wooyoung who was desperately trying to make sure she is alright. all while she was on a sex site.

my darling: i know you hate when i offer you money, but please, at least until you get some of it back, accept my help

my darling: or at least take a look at these job applications that i found

my darling: you don't even have to quit your current one, these are all two or three hours of work a day or just few times a week

alice sighs, feeling defeated. if only she had enough courage to face her father and demand her money back. instead, she is seriously considering getting a second job. perhaps it's for the best. it would serve as a distraction, keep her from thinking about her parents, and exhaust her enough to ensure a good night's sleep. the only downside would be not seeing wooyoung as much as before. but he understands, otherwise he wouldn't have sent her all those links or even offered his help.

my darling: now this one is just outside of town, but i could drive you there and you'd just get on the bus back. and the pay looks very good!

indeed, the pay looks very good. a month of working at this place is worth three of working at the library. and only a few hours a week?

babysitter needed

working hours: 17:00 - 22:00 (mon-wed-fri-sat) negotiable paycheck flexible working hours reimbursed transportation fees experience not required

requirements:

- non-smoker - sociable and extroverted - energetic and creative - proper attire and language usage

for any additional information, please call the number below to schedule an appointment.

it does not state the age of the child, which makes alice feel somewhat uneasy. if it's a toddler, she believes she could manage him. but a baby? an infant? how could she possibly know when it's hungry or thirsty? how would she know if it's in pain, and how would she help if it is? it all seems so daunting, and it discourages her from typing in the digits on her phone.

but the pay is tempting, and the young girl finds herself dialing the number swiftly, before she can change her mind. the voice on the other line is dull and snobby, it makes alice roll her eyes with each word that is said into her ear. she just can't wait to see where and with who she would work. after all, that amount of money and that voice do not belong to a regular family.

༺═━─━────༺༻────━─━═༻

the next few days are barely manageable. despite the annoying and obnoxiously loud device being locked away in the drawer, it still manages infuriate alice on the other end of the library. countless of calls and messages from her mother, and an unknown number. she doesn't have to guess twice who that number belongs to. but she could take a guess or two about the reason of the calls.

wooyoung, on the other hand, has given her space. he lets her know that he still loves her, leaving a good morning and good night message every day, along with a flower picked just by the sidewalk near the campus and sometimes a witty hand-written note. and alice sometimes replies, guilt eating her alive, and assures him that she loves him too. she assures herself too, pushing her feelings under the rug. she would never admit it, not even in her head, that she isn't sure in her love for him recently.

the relationship has been one-sided for a while now, with wooyoung doing everything. calls, texts, dates, everything. she was just there, fulfilling the role of the girlfriend. and she was happy while with him, really. but the moment she kissed him goodbye and shut the door, her heart gets drained of those feelings. she is scared to admit even to herself, still hoping that this is just a phase and that it will pass. maybe as soon as her mother recovers, or she fixes the damage her father has done.

yet deep down, she knows that she has cooled down. she doesn't feel the butterflies like she used to, she doesn't initiate anything in the relationship, and the only thing that is keeping her emotions somewhat alive are her books. wooyoung blames it on the situation, but alice knows she is the only one to blame. maybe it's those books, setting high standards that wooyoung can't fulfill. after all, what sane man would hold a knife to her throat as he pounds into her-

"hey, aren't you done for the day?" rae calls, causing alice to twitch and grab onto the ladder. "you were supposed to be out over half an hour ago."

"i was just unpacking the last of today's delivery. suddenly every professor, student and their mothers need this stupid book."

the curly haired girl gasps, putting a hand over her mouth dramatically. "did you, alice dawson, just call a book stupid?"

alice rolls her eyes at the other girl, hiding a smile and acting annoyed. she pushes the ladder aside, picking up the empty boxes and stomping on them to make them flat and easier to dispose.

"also, didn't you have somewhere to go today?"

"yeah, but that's at five in the afternoon."

"alice?"

"yes?"

"it's four fourty-five."

the stomping on boxes is replaced by stomping down the library, legs carrying the girl to the locker with her belongings faster than ever. her hands struggle to unlock it, items falling everywhere as she reaches for her open backpack. she collects anything she can, before storming outside with a quick goodbye to her confused and worried coworker.

the bus has departed long ago, and alice can either run there, or get a taxi. the zeroes on her screen are reducing, and alice is thankful for that. but it feels so painful to spend money now, even when it's needed. having no other choice, the girl jumps into the back seat, showing the driver the address and leaning against the window, hoping to make it on time.

her gaze lingers on the buildings as the car leaves the city behind. winter days approach, with the sun setting earlier than usual and the street lamps already coming to rescue before it completely disappears and darkness swallows the city. as the buildings slowly fade and start turning into grass and trees, her eyes decide to rest for a while.

in such a short time, she dreams of a better life. she dreams of a complete, functional family, a job that she loves but pays well, a healthy relationship with wooyoung again, a house that is not only a bedroom and a bathroom. not a mansion. just a simple house or flat, much like all people her age have.

when she opens her eyes, she sees a house she only ever saw on those luxury social media pages. dark grey stone, with vines decorating it and stopping just near the dark framed windows. large windows. alice steps out of the car, mesmerized by the view that never stops. the gates are open, allowing her to take a look at the path through the greenest grass she's ever seen. fountains, statues, fruit trees, and whatnot. alice has never been a fan of fruit, rather settling for a slice of pizza or chocolate. but her hazel eyes have never seen such deep crimson apples, shining under the last golden rays of sunshine. her mouth becomes watery, and her fingers yearn to touch.

is this what hungry eyes are? she would've never touched one in a grocery store, not even think of eating it. yet there she is, trailing behind the man who introduced himself to her at the entrance and looked at her somewhat disapprovingly, her gaze fixed on the trees.

"watch it, girl." the older man in the suit warns, putting a hand in front of her.

she halts, looking down. her feet are planted at the bottom of the stairs, and had the snobby man not intervened, she might have stumbled, gracing the beautiful cobblestones with a memorable kiss, likely leaving an imprint on her nose.

"you are about to enter the park residence, and it is my duty to remind you of some rules, miss..."

"dawson." she replies, raising an eyebrow. rules?

"lovely. miss dawson, refrain from using vulgar vocabulary, do not chew any gum, candy, whatever it is that is rustling in your pockets, and last, but not least, you are to not talk to mr park."

"and..." the girl's voice comes out raspy, and she takes a moment to clear her throat before continuing, "...why is that?"

"you are here to do business with mrs park. mr park doesn't like to be disturbed, he has a tight schedule and runs on seconds. any minor distraction, his day becomes unsucessful."

"sounds like a happy man."

the older man spares her a glance, before going up the stairs and opening the big doors. she is first greeted by a grand staircase, then hit with a pleasant smell of pastries.

"please wipe your shoes before entering, the maid has mopped the floor twice today already. if she sees a speck of mud again, she will get sent into cardiac arrest."

the redhead glances at her once white sneakers, now grey and dusty, nearly falling apart. one of the shoelaces is undone, but seeing the man already continuing the journey, she simply tucks it into her sneaker and wipes the soles on the mat. she catches up to him, her gaze sweeping the marble tiles reflecting the massive chandelier. it lights up the staircase, unveiling a red rug spilling down the wooden stairs and all the way to the entrance. alice didn't have a chance to stand on it yet, because the man led her through an alternate route. possibly because of the state of her shoes.

alice suddenly feels... cheap. the odd one out. an outcast. the more she looks at her surroundings, the worse she feels. she didn't know such lifestyle exists. used to tripping over clothes and books on the way to the fridge in her own flat, alice couldn't comprehend the vastness of the newly discovered space and everything that came with it. that's why her eyes settled for looking at the man's back, the tailcoat suddenly a very interesting shade of black.

she is lead to a kitchen, equally lavish. dark wooden cupboards, a whole kitchen island, and a cook.

"jude, could you seat the girl while i go get mrs park?"

"sure thing, franklin."

the aroma of pastries intensifies as the lady opens the oven, fogging up the kitchen briefly before revealing a batch of steaming hot cupcakes. also red in colour, with specks of white in it.

"apologies, dear. i'll be with you as soon as i pop in another batch."

as she busies herself with pouring the batter in the tins, alice decides to take a good look at her. she looks younger than franklin, the butler she assumes, but not young. her face is very mature, and her body language so graceful. clean, trimmed nails, dark haired with grey strands pulled in a tight bun, and minimal makeup on her eyes and cheeks. alice decides she likes this woman, unlike franklin.

"sit down, love. would you like tea? milk? anything?"

"do you happen to have coffee?" she carefully asks, trying to sound polite and not demanding.

"oh, sorry. mrs park hates the smell of it, in any way. coffee is absolutely forbidden in my kitchen, or in the manor."

"then, tea will do. thank you."

the woman, jude, opens her cupboards, reading the flavors she can offer. alice picks one closest to her hand, not wanting to inconvenience her. as she works on the beverage, alice sits at the kitchen island and gathers everything she has heard about the mysterious mrs park. mr park sounds horrible, and mrs park doesn't seem to be a ray of sunshine either. luckily, she would soon find out.

as she blows on the hot beverage, her eyes can't help but eye the pastries that are being aligned on a three tear porcelain plate with a golden rim. her ears don't pick up the distant clicking of shoes in the hallway, too busy listening to the sound of the cupcake wraps and jude's soft humming. it isn't until the clicking is right near alice that she jolts, setting the fancy looking cup on the small plate before her lips have touched the liquid.

"oh, great. a ginger. well, good evening. glad to see you enjoy a nice cup of tea after being late." the tone sounds sincere, but smile on the woman's face gives it away. it is bitter, almost yelling at alice to leave the place right away. "but, that's alright. you don't need to get defensive."

"uh- i was just-"

"you. don't. need. to. get. defensive. clear?" the woman claps her hands after each word, before pointing both of them at alice while still together.

"clear." the redhead says, mind still lingering on the ginger comment.

"good. now, before we begin, i- jude, what is this?"

jude puts the final cupcake on the plate, looking happy with her work. "red velvet cupcakes with white chocolate bits, ma'am. like your daughter asked."

"no, no way. how much sugar is in that?"

happiness drains from her face, replaced by furrowed eyebrows and stuttering. "i- i don't know. not much, ma'am. i promise."

"she's not having that. throw it away and make her an acai bowl or something. how dare you?"

alice's heart crumbles seeing the cupcakes being removed off the plate and shoved into a paper bag, only to be handed to franklin who exits the kitchen and makes his way outside with it.

"excuse me." jude bows her head, then follows franklin's path outside.

"right, alice. how old are you?"

the girl fidgets in her seat, anger flowing in her veins. the woman in front of her is so nonchalant, as if she didn't destroy someone's hard work with a few sentences. she is furious, her hands itching to smack the smile off the woman's face. she is disgustingly pretty, which pisses alice further off. blonde haired, with ice cold grey eyes, and clear tight skin. such a horrible person, with such a nice appearance. unfair.

"twenty two." she replies, trying to remain respectful, although she lost all her respect for her.

"perfect. my daughter turns twenty two soon, so that part is good. now..." she gets a tablet from one of the drawers on the kitchen island, sharp nails clicking against the screen.

"wait, what?"

"do not interrupt me." mrs park points a finger at alice, without lifting her eyes from the device in her hands. "now, would you say that you are active? creative? what do you do in your free time?"

"i read. when i have time."

mrs park frowns, pursing her lips. "anything else? anything that is not... boring to death?"

"reading is not boring." alice defends herself, and her dear books, resulting in mrs park whipping her head at her tone. "with all due respect, ma'am, reading is not boring. but, i guess aside from that... i used to paint and play sports."

"and why don't you do that anymore?"

"i work a lot."

"fair enough. do you enjoy shopping?"

"what kind of shopping? groceries?" alice genuinely asks, making the woman laugh.

"clothes, jewelry. you know, shopping. don't tell me you don't do that?"

"not quite, no." not since every single penny went to her mother's healthcare.

"luckily, it's addictive. you won't have any trouble getting used to that. now, my daughter loves shopping, and money isn't an issue. you'll get along very well."

"i'm sorry, i'm confused."

"well, if you would let me talk, i'd explain it to you. you're not here to babysit. not exactly. you're here to be my daughter's friend."

alice doesn't know if she heard well. she swears she read the article multiple times, and it spoke of babysitting.

"i do have a little son, milo, who will need looking after from time to time. but my priority is clara. she hasn't got a friend in the world, and she is growing really desperate. naturally, i put that article out to find a match for her."

if alice thought that she is pathetic, this just made her feel better. a mother paying someone to be friends with her daughter?

"now, everything fits perfectly, and i'm going to assume that you'll change your choice of clothes the next time you're here?"

looking down at her oversized hoodie and plain black leggings, alice bites the inside of her cheek. this woman's talent is putting other's down. perhaps it's the defiance, perhaps the pay, maybe even curiosity with such a lifestyle and how luxurious it gets, alice finds herself smiling at the woman and shaking her hand either way.

"i'll see you on monday. not late, preferably."

"yes, ma'am. looking forward to it."

"likewise, alice."

leaving the woman alone in the kitchen with a warm chair and a cold, untouched beverage, alice makes her way outside. franklin waits at the top of the stone stairs, speaking to jude. once they notice alice, they stop the conversation, and he takes it upon himself to approach her and offer to walk her out.

"see that car?" the man subtly motions towards the gates, hoping that alice would equally subtly look. but she fails to do so, glancing at the shiny black suv that is driving towards them. "don't look!"

alice jolts, returning her gaze on the butler.

"that's mr park. you are not to speak to him, only bow your head respectfully and stay like that until he enters the house. then, you can go."

"why such rules? is he a nobleman?" annoyance is evident in her voice, eyes rolling at the ridiculous behaviour.

"he is our boss, the man that provides us a roof over our heads and food for our stomachs. i realize basic politeness and ability to adapt to a more sophisticated environment are close to non-existent for you, but at least try to- good evening, sir."

franklin is forced to interrupt his scolding once the doors of the vehicle open, a tall figure stepping out of it. jude, franklin, and the driver all bow their heads. except alice. her gaze is stubbornly locked on the man, jaw almost on the floor.

a gorgeous man, who walks with such grace, and has impeccable fashion sense. a long black coat hangs from his shoulders only, revealing the full outfit underneath. he wears a loose black dress shirt, tucked into flawlessly ironed black slacks, and polished pointy shoes. his dark hair reaches to his collar, curtain bangs falling gently over his eyes, which are fixed on the phone in his hand. the driver gets into the car, going back the same way he came and parking the car in front of the gates.

"evening, franklin. jude." he greets, voice dripping honey.

alice slumps her shoulders as if trying to hide, feeling even more self conscious. she wasn't sure that was possible.

mr park must've noticed a new figure in line, one that doesn't quite fit in with the black and white dress code the manor seems to be following. he looks up from his phone, dark eyes looking into alice's. she could see the statue lights in them, making them as shiny as the silver rings on his slender fingers. he tilts his head slightly, not blinking.

"and who might this be?"

"the babysitter, sir. apologies, she was just on her way." franklin speaks for alice, and she is thankful for that. she isn't sure she can form her own sentence. not while the man looks at her so intensely.

"so joanne finally approved one?"

"yes, sir. she seems like a good fit."

"good." mr park nods, locking his phone and shoving it into his pocket. he approaches alice, face so close to her it makes her audibly gulp. "well then, welcome."

he holds his hand out for her to take. she hesitates, the proximity making her knees weak and legs ice cold. he smells of lilies and sandalwood, with a trace of vanilla, and it reduces her ability to function. franklin nudges her foot with his, jolting her awake. she accepts mr park's hand, feeling a wave of relief as a genuine smile spreads across his face. her hand fits perfectly in his, as comforting as a fuzzy warm hug on a bad day.

"get home safely, miss...?"

"dawson, sir. alice dawson."

"right, miss dawson. franklin, please escort miss dawson to my car and have gulliver drive her home."

"oh, that is not necessary-" alice tries to politely decline, but gets interrupted by franklin.

"right away, sir."

"have a good night, alice."

"good night, mr park."

the butler wishes his boss a good night, then escorts alice to the gates and near the car.

"on monday, i expect you to arrive on time. in proper clothes. no crop tops, no short skirts, no cleavage. polo shirts, shirts, long skirts, long dresses, that is allowed. don't make me send you home to change. and if possible, buy new shoes. ones that aren't falling apart with each step you take. understood?"

"understood."

"good. travel safely. good night, miss dawson."

"good night, franklin."

franklin turns around, making his way to the manor. the driver patiently waits in the car, not uttering a word to alice. before entering the vehicle, her eyes notice the familiar paper bag set on the floor next to the trash bin. even their trash bin is fancy, able to open only with a chip or a password. maybe so that people like alice wouldn't go through it and enjoy their discarded possessions.

without further thinking, alice grabs the bag, the batch of cupcakes still fresh and untouched in it before hopping into the car and saying her address to the driver.

[fictionadventurer]

Playing cribbage is all like, "Two points for a pair, a point for knobs, two points because the queen is cross-eyed, and we're three days out from a full moon, which means the nine of hearts is worth a point."

[necrotic-nephilim]

I’m here to bother you again!!!

You don’t have to if you don’t want to but maybe dark ship bingo with timjay or brudick????

hELLO i love being bothered by you this is delightful omg thank you, i would love to

Here is JayTim, I can't believe I only got one bingo for them. Ironically I genuinely don't view Jason and Tim as family, even when I'm not shipping them, I think they're tentative allies at best and you can only brother-ify them if you're doing very generously OOC fluff, a la WFA-style. They're absolutely toxic and codependent on each other's existence, Tim wouldn't exist without Jason and Jason is Undeniably Weird about Tim, but not brothers so I can't check off the familial squares. Also, I have no idea if I've been blocked by 10+ people, but it'd be funny if I am. And funnily enough, I don't think Tim or Jason are vanilla in any capacity even when they're not fucking. Especially not Tim, that boy is Certified Weird.

and ofc BruDick I nearly blacked out the whole board because they absolutely are weird and unwell. Some of these only apply to certain AUs of BruDick (like an idea I have rattling in my skull rn with Talon!Dick) but most of it applies to them all the time. I really need to write some fucked up BruDick, it's tragic I haven't yet. Right now the two fics I'm working on are a weird JayDick and a more fluffy DamiDick, but I have Plans™ for BruDick too. They are the OG and deserve their flowers for being the most toxic mess you've ever seen.

[jackklinemybeloved]

went into this episode excited to see ylfa and the beast interact and crossing my fingers for a good elody and gerard union and came out with an existential crisis about these young nihilistic women running themselves into the ground and destroying everything because they don’t know what else to do

[shikai-the-storyteller]

I didn't think the first episode of Jentry Chau vs the Underworld was very strong, but I liked the premise and animation style so I kept watching while doing some craft stuff and I wound up binging the entire thing in one sitting. So yeah, solid recommendation. Really liked all the Chinese mythology / Daoist stuff in there

[sinnettini]

the REAL tragedy of having my phone stolen is that i'm gonna have to rebuild my meme folder from scratch 😔😔😔😔

[milkweedman]

Coincidentally my usable warp is like exactly as long as my dining room. Point is tho, i am finally done thank fuck

[pa-pa-plasma]

does anyone have any badger puns i'm dying over here

[overwhelmed-frog]

I had to stop taking my adhd medication a few years back because it made my sensory issues significantly worse. I finally decided to try a different one, with the idea that this particular med would help with my sleep disorder as well, and I fear the same thing is happening again. I can feel Every piece of lint and cat hair touching my skin and I’m losing my minddddd. this was one of the exact problems I had with the last one, and it let up as soon as I stopped taking it 😭 WHY am I only allowed executive function OR a manageable level of sensory sensitivity!!!!! evil!!!!