#i just tend to be pretty late to the news since i don't use instagram

[butchsophiewalten]

oh hey btw some unedited visuals from "spectacle" have been released. news credit to @/waltenews on inst lol but the images are really really interesting!

Oh, woah! Yeah, here are the images we got a second look at:

(Notably, the mysterious white figure behind Bon's Burgers is now way more obviously NOT "Bon" like was thought previously. It's the same image of Rosemary that flashes up on screen just a few moments later.

[cryptidsurveys]

Thursday, October 17th, 2024.

Do you know anybody who is ambidextrous? My sibling was somewhat ambidextrous when it came to sports, but I think they were otherwise predominantly lefthanded.

Have you ever been 4-wheeling? I haven't, but it sounds like a fun time.

What’s the weather been like today? Cloudy and breezy and currently 75*F. Ideal weather for hiking at the Mountain Park. The leaves are really starting to change now, and I felt fully immersed in the autumn spirit.

What was the last exam you sat for? I'm not sure.

Will you be attending any weddings in the near future? No.

Do you currently have any unread text messages, and who from? I have a technically unread message from Oliver on Instagram, but I already know what it says because it popped up on my phone notifications.

Speaking of text messages, what colour is your cell phone? Black.

Do you live anywhere near the woods? We live a couple of blocks away from the Fountain Creek, which does have some woodsy areas, but I don't think I would call it "the woods."

Would you ever consider a career in the tourism industry? No.

Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? There aren't any that I celebrate, but speaking of anniversaries, today marks one year since I started driving again.

When was the last time you used q-tips? I have no idea.

How does your hair react to humid weather or rain? It doesn't. Even when I had longer hair, I didn't notice any reaction.

What’s your favourite flavour of iced tea? Just plain ol' regular iced tea is fine with me.

Do you understand music theory? No. Well, that is to say, I've never learned about it. I might understand it just fine if I cared to.

How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Somewhere between 8-9 hours.

Are you expected to act professionally at your job? I'm not employed at the animal shelter, but I am "basically staff" at this point. I'm not expected to behave super professionally around my immediate coworkers (in fact, there are times when we can get downright ridiculous), but with most of the rest of the staff/management, I try to maintain a fairly professional standard.

Infomercials: entertaining or stupid? They were my source of late-night sanity during my late teens/very early 20s when I couldn't sleep and nothing else was on TV.

What’s your favourite brand of energy drink? I don't have one.

Do you have (or have you ever had) acne? Yeah. My skin is looking pretty good lately, though. I swear it's that new lotion I bought. It's made a remarkable difference in such a short time span.

When was the last time you got pins-and-needles? A few weeks ago, I noticed that my hands were ever so slightly tingly. At the time, for lack of a better explanation, I figured it could be anxiety-related. However, things have calmed down significantly since then, yet the feeling still persists. Now my best guess is the way I rest my forearms on the edge of the computer desk while typing - which I just noticed thanks to this question. So, thank you, lmao. You may have just solved this mystery. ;D

Why did you click to take this survey? It's one I haven't taken before, and the questions looked interesting enough. It's also a good length; something I can finish before having my afternoon snack.

If you have glasses, have you ever smashed them? No.

How do you get new music? Buy or download or what? I don't buy or download music. If I want to listen to something, then I just use YouTube.

Have you ever sent someone an abusive text message? Yeah.

Do you require a lot of time to do things or are you quick? It depends on what it is. It takes me a while to read a book or fill out surveys (always pondering/getting nostalgic/etc), but I'm fairly quick when it comes to housecleaning or tasks at the animal shelter (unless we have more than adequate staff - then I tend to replace efficiency with attention to detail because I know I have the extra time to do so).

What will be the next concert you attend? Concerts aren't really my thing.

Turn the nearest television on, what’s on? I doubt the nearest television even works anymore. It's the one in the living room and it hasn't been turned on for years now.

How often do you “wake up on the wrong side of the bed”? As in grumpy? Almost never. But exhausted and a bit sad? Almost always.

Can you rap? Naw.

What do you usually order when you’re at McDonald’s? I don't have a usual order, but if I was to order something now, it would most likely be something Halloween-themed.

Are there any textbooks near where you are right now? No.

What’s the time? 2:43pm.

Do you know how to use a DSLR camera? I've never used one before.

How’s your body temperature right now? My hands are a bit cold, but the rest of me is comfortable.

Do you use Celsius or Fahrenheit? Fahrenheit.

What was the last thing you got a really good deal on? I'm not sure.

Have you ever studied any ancient societies? Not seriously, like not on a scholarly level or anything like that, but I love learning about ancient history, so…!

Do you like to wear long, dangling earrings? No. My ears aren't pierced.

What was the last reason you took medicine? Oncoming migraine.

Do you exercise regularly? I get a fair bit of exercise at the shelter because I'm on my feet for most of the day, but as for deliberate/specific exercise, no.

What is your coffee of choice? (flat white, cappuccino, etc.) If I'm ordering it from somewhere, then probably a cappuccino or macchiato. At home, either black or with almond milk + creamer.

Do you pay any attention to your country’s politics? A bit.

Are you feeling worried about anything right now? I'm not worried about anything related to the near future.

Are you a gossipy type of person? Sometimes.

When will your next meal be, and do you know what it will consist of? Dinner, and it will most likely be a chicken salad.

Tell me about the sickest you’ve ever felt. Probably the flu I had in late 2016.

What’s your opinion on your in-laws, if you have any? I don't have any in-laws. My sibling does have a partner (not married), but I've never met them.

Do you make excuses often, or do you just get things done? I've started making more excuses when it comes to housecleaning. I'm tired. I'm busy. If I do that, then I won't have time to do this, etc. Aside from that, I tend to just get things done.

Have you seen your best friend today? We chatted briefly over IG.

What can you smell right now? Nothing in particular.

Any important birthdays coming up? No.

Fireworks: yay or nay? I am fully aware of the reasons why they're awful, but since I can't stop them, I just enjoy them.

Do you have any plans for the rest of the day? Nothing much. Just the usual activities, plus finishing up the rest of the most recent Belief Hole podcast.

How about tomorrow? Any plans? I'll be at the animal shelter all day.

Do you know how to do your own laundry or does someone else do it? I do it.

If you could eat or drink anything right now, what would it be? I'm going to make a fruit and yogurt bowl after I finish with this survey.

What colour are your headphones? Black.

Think of the last long car trip you had, where did you go? I'm not sure.

Do you have a Twitter account that you use regularly? No.

Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab? They’re scary, right?! Only in pictures/videos.

What was the last movie you saw at the theatres? Wild Robot.

Are there any new movies that you’d really like to see? Wicked.

If you could play one instrument flawlessly, what would it be? Guitar or harp.

Do you overthink a lot of things? Unfortunately. I wonder what it's like to not overthink everything to death.

Is there anybody you miss but can’t see again? Yeah.

[musicarenagh]

Unveiling 'She's in Parties': Destar Conteh's Story of Escape Alrighty, so, there's this new artist, Destar Conteh, who's just dropped a track called "She's in Parties." It's pretty heavy stuff, talking about people using parties and drugs to escape their problems. The song's got two different viewpoints - someone who cares and someone who's just there for the fun. Destar's got an interesting backstory. He didn't have much guidance growing up, so music became his thing. Started with heavy metal, then got into hip hop and R&B. You can hear a bit of The Weeknd's influence in his style. His music's got this sinking feeling to it - kinda dark, you know? He's juggling music with other stuff in his life, but he's really into telling stories through his songs. Sounds like he's got more singles coming and he's working on an EP too. Definitely one to watch. Listen to She's in Parties https://open.spotify.com/track/45Yg44K83HT4xOfFTYwGDc Follow Destar Conteh on Spotify Soundcloud Youtube Instagram What is your stage name? I go by the name Destar Conteh. Is there a story behind your stage name? I never really liked my full birth name so when I first started making music, me and my best friend came up with the name. Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration in the experiences from my past and people I know. I tend to blend the stories together to create the narrative I want to portray. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Growing up, I didn't have much guidance. I had to learn and experience a lot on my own and it made me feel alone. After a while I started to listening to music, mainly heavy metal since that's what I grew up round because my mom. Then I found hip hop and R&B and I started to kinda put myself into the lives of these artists I was listening to so that I didn't have to deal with my own life. Music was one of the main things that gave me an escape. Are you from a musical or artistic family? I'm not Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? My friend. He had been making beats for a few years, releasing music and one day we just started talking about making music together since we both wanted to but didn't have the support on it. https://on.soundcloud.com/NZAqrxnN1DgTY7H7A How did you learn to sing/write/to play? I learned to sing in high school I was in choir for half a year and just ran with that. I didn't learn how to produce my own songs till a few months after I graduated school and that took me about 7 or 8 months to teach myself. What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? First concert I ever went to was a Korn concert it was cool. How could you describe your music? I'd want to describe my music as sinking. I want the beat in combination with my vocals to give this feeling of dread in a way that reflects the lyrics and tone I want to set Describe your creative process. I don't really think I have one. I can go weeks without having any ideas or creativity till it randomly hits me usually late at night. What is your main inspiration? My main inspiration would be that darkness of some peoples life. The pain and struggles and the vices that help with those pain and struggles What musician do you admire most and why? A artist I find myself admiring the most would be The Weeknd. unlike other artists where I would put myself into their life, I felt like I was more so sharing experiences with him in a way as if we were noth talking about our pain and what helps. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? I would say my style did evolve and will continue to evolve for as long as I'm making music. I started out on typical hip hop beats not knowing exactly where I was going until I was able to find myself and my style. Who do you see as your main competitor? I don't really think about what can be competition at the moment. What are your interests outside of music? I really like movies. I love watching old horror movies on youtube and like new horror movies on netflix or something.

If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I'd want a job in education but specifically somewhere in my community. Maybe even start a program for some of the's kids who's parents can't always be around to teach them what they need. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? My biggest problem I want to say is the balancing of life and music. At this time I still have to focus on jobs and life stuff but that moment when I finally get a leveled head and inspiration is what reminds me that I can't give up. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Probably the appreciation. A lot of artists I think don't get enough appreciation when it comes to their accomplishments. https://open.spotify.com/artist/24UOlbEa48t7ZOJbiaIYEb Why did you choose this as the title of this project? I chose the title "She's in Parties" because I was telling the story of a girl who can't live without partying. What are your plans for the coming months? My plans coming up are to release about four more singles and then start working on my concept EP Do you have any artistic collaboration plans Right now, my artistic vision for my music is pretty solo right now but plans can change. What message would you like to give to your fans? I know everyone says this but I appreciate all my fans. Everyone who interacts with me on my social or in general, listens to my music, or even just acknowledges me, nothings too small.

[thelastonewastaken]

Unsocial Media

The first social media platform I joined was hi5. It was a cute little platform where you could change the skins of your profile page to any colour or template. Most of my friends from high secondary school also joined at the same time (I guess that's why I signed up, peer pressure being what it is) and it was good to view people's profiles and leave funny, little comments.

A year or so later, everyone moved over to Facebook. It was pretty much the same idea, but since I went to university soon after I also started connecting with people that saw in class or in school. The fundamental idea of these platforms was that you could connect with anyone and build a network of people with shared interests. I posted a lot on Facebook then, posts that I see now when I get memory notifications. I even wrote a few poems on Facebook Notes.

Mid-way through university, in late 2010 or early 2011, I joined Twitter. Twitter was really fun. It used to be that you tweeted into the ether and sometimes you got a sign that the ether heard you. I met a lot of people on Twitter, made friends and blocked a lot more. At some point though, I think Twitter became a little mean. People formed cliques and every tweet became some kind of argument. You could say "X makes me feel good" and someone would reply "So you're saying Y is trash?" No sir, those are different points. I started tweeting less and less until Meta released Threads and I mostly moved there.

Instagram is peak social media. If I could give up social media, I think I'll quit Instagram last. Originally, I used it to post photos I thought were funny or photos from trips I went on, but then I started to explore amateur photography more. With Stories, I started to engage with more people and actually gained a lot of friends on the platform (of course, I've blocked people too).

My problem with the current state of social media (and this includes LinkedIn) is that it is now a marketplace. On one side, you have creators of content, who work quite hard at generating (and 'adapting') photo, video, and/or text content for the enjoyment of the other side, the consumers of content. These platforms have developed complex algorithms to make the distinction between both sides appear latent, while encouraging creators to post more content and consumers to scroll more.

As I write this, I realize that I will probably post this online so I'm obviously consumed by this system too.

This system has benefited a lot of people. Creating content now provides sufficient income for many people, and brands employ creators in selling their goods to more people. Consumers now know of brands and influencers that address their needs more directly than they would know using other media platforms. The main negative of this system is that creators have to post engaging content very frequently, which tend to be incendiary and typically post about subjects within their niche.

This might sound weird, but when I follow people on social media I expect to see different sides of them. Like, you talked about a book you read yesterday but you're talking about car exhaust pipes today. That's range, human beings are supposed to have range. Don't talk about personal finance everyday, dawg.

For people who simply want to connect with others, it's become quite hard to do so. I would not have met my wife without social media or the last friend I hung out with in Toronto. And that's quite sad. Now when I follow new people, I take their follower count into consideration because if they have a large following they're less likely to engage with new people.

Where does that leave me? I don't know. I'm just a guy who likes to meet new people without leaving my house.

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

424 of 2023

lets-make-surveys posted this

1 - Surveys aside, do you use Tumblr for any other reason?

I have a personal blog and another side blog I run together with my sister, dedicated to our OCs.

2 - Do you have a lot of social media accounts? Do you update them all regularly?

I have a YouTube channel and an Instagram account, both updated fairly often. My Instagram is dedicated only to my photography.

3 - Does it bother you when your socks don’t match? What about your underwear?

How can I have "matching underwear"? Matching to socks or what? Anyway, I like my socks in pairs, and for the rest I don't care, as long as it's clean.

4 - How many times a year do you go on vacation? Do you tend to go to the same places each time?

zAt least once a year, this time we went three times. We alays go to the same place in Poland.

5 - How many times did it take you to pass your driving test?

I don't have a licence due to chronic neurological issues.

6 - When you’re in trouble, do your parents ever “middle name” you?

What? I don't understand this question.

7 - Which family member do you look like the most? Which one do you resemble the most in terms of personality?

I look like my dad with my mum's nose (we both have a little bump on our noses), and my personality is a bit like my dad and paternal grandpa, but mostly like my late paternal grandma.

8 - Have you ever been arrested?

No, I haven't.

9 - Do you prefer Apple or Android?

Android all the way.

10 - Does getting sweaty or dirty bother you at all? If so, has it ever put you off doing exercise?

Dirty doesn't that much, but being sweaty and stinky is a nightmare to me. No, iot doesn't put me off exercising.

11 - Have you ever broken a bone? What were the circumstances that led to this happening?

No, I haven't. My bones are ridiculously strong.

12 - If you could change one thing about your appearance, what would it be?

Everything. Does it count as one thing?

13 - When was the last time your computer crashed or froze? is this something that happens often?

Two days ago and no, it doesn't happen often.

14 - Do you ever have problems with your sleep?

Sometimes, but this has improved since I started taking antidepressants again.

15 - What was the last thing you ate for breakfast? Is this a normal breakfast meal for you?

Rice pudding and no, it's usually oatmeal or cereals.

16 - Have you ever thought about how you want to spend your retirement?

If I ever make it to that point lol. I'd love to travel more.

17 - When was the last time you got a new tattoo or piercing? Do you have any plans to get either in the future?

Last tattoo I got in January this year and yes, I have plans for several tattoos already. For piercings, I want more ear piercings, and the last one I got was having my eyebrow redone.

18 - How would you describe your personality?

Hardworking, ambitious, funny, friendly, anxious.

19 - Have you ever heard of “hygge”? is this something you enjoy or participate in at all?

I have heard it, but I still didn't grasp the whole concept of it.

20 - What colour was the last vehicle you travelled in? Does this vehicle belong to you or someone else?

Black, and it legally belongs to my husband.

21 - Would you describe yourself as healthy? Why or why not?

I have chronic neurological issues and a physical disability, it speaks for itself.

22 - Would you describe yourself as messy or organised? Is this something you would like to change?

It depends on whichg area we're talking about. In general, I tend to be pretty messy, but at work, I'm definitely organised. The apps in my phone are organised, too.

23 - Do you miss anything about being a teenager? If you are a teenager, what’s your favourite thing about it?

I miss having better health and not having real problems. Even more so, being a child.

24 - Are you patriotic at all? Why/why not?

I am, but I can't exactly pinpoint why. I just love my weird little country.

25 - Have you ever had to wear a white lab coat before? Was this in school or for a job?

No, I haven't. I haven't had the chance.

26 - Would you ever want to do the same career(s) as your parents?

Lol my mum doesn't even have a career XD my dad was first NMBS- and then Infrabel worker, so he's been always tied to trains. I work in Alstom, which is a rolling stock company, so I kinda "continue the tradition", just from another perspective. TO clarify, NMBS is Belgian Railways, Infrabel is a railway maintenance company, and Alstom... I just said what it is. :P

27 - Do you believe in aliens? Is there a reason why (or why not)?

It's hard for me to believe we're all alone in the universe, because the universe is just too big.

28 - Which animated film would you most like to live in?

None, I'm not interested in any movies.

29 - When was the last time you got into an argument? Have you made up with that person yet?

Yesterday with my husband and yes, we made up.

30 - What are you going to do now this survey is over?

Probably another one, but I'm gonna go to the shower first.

[theotherdeskofsam]

Sigh-lence

I am writing this stream-of-consciousness post with a dizzy head, a sore throat, and a mind fresh from a panic attack.

Earlier, I did a little catching up with a good friend. It's been a while since we got to talk because I've been very quiet lately since I started working here at my new job. We've been friends since elementary school and it just amazes me to think that we were not close with each other as before, they laugh pretty well whenever I make a joke around our other friends but we do not talk that much on a "personal" scale, like one-on-one levels. Until we started to watch Drag Race Philippines together in the past year. Going back to earlier, it fascinates me how that small conversation we had gave a temporary fix to what is happening to me. It's like things remained the same, nothing changed, and no one's mad. Maybe because they are used to me disappearing and reappearing, maybe because they understand, or maybe because we are now in the process of being responsible people.

I know that, at times, all 6 of my dearest friends get tired of me, being loud, overly dramatic, and spammy. And in that overthinking phase, I tend to detach. But one thing is for sure - they're always there when I come back because they understand. I know they don't tolerate me and that unhealthy attitude. But they give me time to heal and process things when I feel overwhelmed. You won't see them calling me toxic on Twitter because they know they can say it to me directly when the time is right. I am fortunate enough to have them see the bigger picture of me, the other side behind my abrasiveness (which I am now trying to fix).

But this silence and peace I am working on and trying to conceal myself in came with a price, I've cut off people who made me feel unwanted and I am now facing the wrath of their Twitter accounts, and I've severed ties with toxic family members who smile at you only when you're facing them. And now, I'm seen as the villain with no communication skills for choosing the quiet path. This will probably be the last time you'll hear me talk about this, I'm done and craving for a donut.

Right now, I'm learning to protect myself from thinking again, only focusing on doing what I love. I want to preach about protecting your peace and being kind, but it seems hypocritical at the time being. I'm working on that. I'm rebranding my mindset, I'm guarding my heart, and I'm learning to value my safe spaces - to never again be the sponge soaked by the business and problems of others.

---

Also, there's this blank profile on Instagram that has been watching my stories for a while. They don't follow me or anyone. They just pop into my story viewers consistently. And while it does make me a little anxious, I want them to enjoy the show.

I'm also listening to BLU EYES lately. It's all Tiktok's fault. They make great songs!!! Perfect for the currently unstable me.

Good night.

[lesbiancarat]

since i've gotten a lot of new followers from the whole twitter debacle, i wanted to make a post to introduce myself and let y'all know how i run my blog. and it gave me an excuse to finally write some kind of faq, which i've been meaning to for a while. whether you're a new tumblr user or not and you have any questions about this post or anything else related to my blog, feel free to shoot me an ask! :3

below the cut since it's a long post

about me

hi, my name is melia! i've been listening to kpop since 2016 and a carat since 2017, i stanned right around clap era. i listen to a bunch of other groups but i don't stan anyone except svt. and as you might have been able to tell from my blog header, i am, in fact, a huihui :')

my main blog is @corvid-lesbian. you can follow me there if you want, but it's a mess of untagged reblogs, so it may not be that interesting. but i mainly wanted to bring it up since you may see the username in replies and i want y'all to know that's also me!

about this blog

this is a sideblog that was originally just for reblogs of svt/kpop stuff but i started running it as an update blog in late 2019. caratblr and kpop tumblr in general used to be really active when i first got into kpop, but over the years more and more people left for twitter or became inactive in general due to life stuff. when all the general svt update blogs became inactive i didn't want to see caratblr die, so i thought, fine, i'll do it myself >:3

unfortunately i can't speak korean so i'm not a translator, and i live on almost the exact opposite side of the world from korea so i'm not in an ideal timezone for updates. but i'm dedicated to what i do and i like to think i've gotten pretty good at scoping out information and resources about seventeen and conveying it to the tumblr sphere over the last few years :')

what i post

my rule of thumb is i try to post updates within 24 hours. on the rare occasion i can't meet that, i'll make a post notifying that updates will be late

if there's something you expected to see that i didn't post within 24 hours, you're welcome to send me an ask about it :3 occasionally i will just miss something or there may be a reason i didn't post it which i'll be happy to explain, but there are some kinds of content i just generally don't post (as specified below)

most of my posts are updates from twitter, instagram, and tiktok

i don't currently post instagram stories

i do post youtube links for certain things like teasers, mvs, and appearances on channels other than the official seventeen/hybe channels. i don't tend to post youtube links for regular content like gose or inside seventeen, etc. though i will occasionally

i do post links for article interviews (i don't post articles that are about seventeen but are not interview based/contain original content from svt)

i don't usually post anything related to merch

i also primarily stick to official seventeen channels (so for things like magazine shoots, i do post any promo shots uploaded to svt's twitter or instagrams, but i don't post any additional promo shots posted to the magazine's social media)

theoretically i also post weibo updates, but a lot of the stuff jun and minghao + pledis post these days are also cross posted on twitter or instagram so i haven't been as good at checking it recently

i don't post event information that is region specific (to korea, japan, etc.) i do post general event announcements (tours, online concerts, etc.)

i'll also post random information/updates that may be of particular interest or significance, even if it doesn't fit within the categories i normally post (there may also be other categories i could add to this list that i'm forgetting)

for all the things i say i don't post, there are always exceptions. but those categories are usually one's that i have posted in the past and have learned people don't have an interest in, or (like ig stories) are too intensive to always post even though i know people would appreciate seeing them

i am one person, and i've learned to limit myself so as to not experience burnout, and because i've been suffering from wrist pain since summer of 2021 or so TT so please be understanding that i can't post everything ;-;

as i said before though, if there's something you expected to see and haven't, or you're looking for information or have a question about something, you're welcome to send an ask about it. I love being helpful and i love answering questions about seventeen! i don't have the answer to everything 100% of the time, but i do know quite a lot :3

tags i use

common tags

all update posts are tagged with the date in YYMMDD format

p: p stands for platform! it indicates where the post/update originated from, be it twitter, instagram, tiktok, weibo, etc. i also use "p: article" for article interviews

t: t stands for translator! all translators are twitter handles unless otherwise specified. translators are also credited within the body of posts themselves after "trans cr."

melia.txt used for all non-update posts, though they can sometimes be unofficial updates if you want to call it that? sometimes it's info about svt, sometimes it's a rant or joke, sometimes it's about a different group or kpop in general, sometimes it's about my personal life. really just a catch all tag for my ramblings. if you're here only for updates, feel free to block it!

melia.ask ask tag, older asks previously tagged as ask. asks from anons will be tagged anon, otherwise tagged with the asker's username

less common tags

ad: for advertisement, it's a tag i started using in the latter half of 2022. i usually delete hashtags for aesthetic purposes since they don't translate well to tumblr. but sponsored posts are typically indicated in the hashtags, and it felt wrong to erase that information, so i tag sponsored posts as ad: [name of sponsored brand]

tw: hello this is pledis for any official announcement from pledis entertainment. i know the tag sounds a bit funny, but i do know some people who get genuinely stressed by these types of announcements as they can bear bad news. so it's available for people to block as needed

not svt used for reblogs related to other groups that are not svt. i don't use the not svt tag for melia.txt posts

gfx, gif, meme, fanart used for reblogs of graphics edits, gifs, memes, and fanart respectively

melia.spo general spoiler tag, i honestly don't use this too much but you may see it occasionally if i want to talk about a particularly plotty gose without spoiling it

s: stands for source. used to indicate information that came from an unofficial channel (ie. a fan's username) but that is not a translation. it's been a long time since i've used this since i mostly stick to official channels, but you may see it on an old post

mutuals for reblogs from mutuals

ok to rb and don't rb/d0n't rb stands for ok to reblog and don't reblog respectively. since tumblr introduced the feature of turning off reblogs you probably won't see these, but they show up on old posts

htr.cw content warnings for each episode of hit the road

melia.pd101 liveblog tag from me watching produce 101 season 1 (finished, though my liveblogs trailed off toward the end)

melia liveblogs ip2 liveblog tag from me watching idol producer season 2 (finished, liveblogs also trailed off toward the end of this one)

melia.eft liveblog tag for exclusive fairy tale

queue for queued posts, rarely used anymore

who i block/behavior expectations

i like to think i'm pretty lenient with people i block, but i do have some expectations

bots there are a lot of bots on tumblr, which is why i always check new follower's blogs. if your blog looks too much like a bot, you may end up getting blocked. i try to give some benefit of the doubt for this one, but i do advise new users to change their pfp and header image to avoid being mistaken for a bot :3

being shippy in the tags or reblogs of my posts i don't care what people get up to on their own blog, but shipping real people personally makes me uncomfortable. and if you're in the tags of my post making shippy comments or writing explicit self-insert fanfiction (yes this has happened) i'm going to block you. just make a separate post so i don't have to see it and we'll all be happy

being antagonistic in my inbox or on my posts the inevitability of posting on the internet is that sometimes people don't agree with you. i've had a lot of healthy discourse on this blog and i don't mind engaging with people who disagree with me on things. but if i feel like you're coming at the conversation in bad faith/being overly antagonistic or trying to argue with me over something i didn't even say, i won't entertain it. luckily this doesn't happen often, but it has happened

also want to put it out there that blocking isn't personal, i just want to curate my tumblr to be a pleasant experience so i can continue to enjoy running this blog for a long time :3

welcome!

finally, welcome to my blog, and, if it applies, welcome to tumblr! i'm always open to asks and questions and i love talking about seventeen!

you can also check out my carat-resources carrd (linked in my bio and pinned post) for links to various official and fanmade resources that i've come across in my years of being a carat! i continuously update it and am open to suggestions of resources to add :3

[giuliadrawsstuff]

Hi Giulia! I hope you're doing okay! I just wanna say that you have a very solid art style--I can definitely distinguish it whenever it appears on my dashboard. Do you have artists or references that influence your very own art? I guess I just wanna ask, what's your artistic process? Thanks and take care!

Hi RK! Aww thanks you're so kind 💜💜 it really means a lot 💜

Mmm I think my greatest influence was Disney, the cartoons obviously but also some Italian comics, in particular W.I.T.C.H. (five highschool girls that obtain superpowers and can communicate with the four elements) and Topolino (various stories of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and all their friends) and I used to copy every possible drawing available hahha All the various issues are drawn by different artists, so I got to see a lot of variety of styles and pick the ones I preferred or better even pick the bits of each I liked and make them mine. Topolino in particular has multiple stories in a single issue and comes out weekly, so I had lots and lots of material to look at. I had my subscription until 2 years ago honestly hahah but I stopped for lack of shelves in my room 😂

And then during university so like 4/5 years ago I bought some video tutorials by Disney artist Aaron Blaise (he's the director of Brother Bear but he worked on Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and other movies) and those really were a booster because I got to study anatomy and character design and drawing lots of animals. I still buy his stuff whenever he adds something interesting, he's an excellent teacher. And I get to watch them all the times I want so I can review weak spots or more difficult points.

As for the drawing process, well first I try and find a pose, I collect everything available that inspires me from stars Instagram posts or tweets, to drawings of other artists (obviously if the pose I finally make is identical to the original I add the reference to the post) to movie GIFs on Tumblr or official art. Oh and Pinterest too, that’s a goldmine, but I always end up finding new stuff that distracts me and not what I was originally looking for haha

Then I sketch on paper or on Photoshop depending on the mood and time, lately I can't even watch a movie in peace because my hands itch because I need to draw. So in this case I use paper.

Like these new ones look what a mess they are and very unfinished. It mostly to just jot down the idea so I don't forget it.

And since I always make a mess of it, Photoshop is a blessing. I allows me to change stuff how many times I want, for ex if the head is too big I can select it and make it smaller, it allows me to flip the drawing which is one of the most useful things ever because watching your drawing mirrored makes all the horrors pop up, I've lost count of how many wrong eyes or super long arms I had to correct. Plus I can work on different layers so I usually have one layer for the head (even 2 or 3 like for Hange because they have bangs and ponytail that are tough and glasses) then one torso, two for the arms and so on. I only merge all layers into one lineart when I'm sure it's good to go.

And then I add flat colours and logos and stuff if needed (like the wings of freedom patches or blood).

Like this is flat colours (I know you know Bojack from your Diane profile pic, which I've always loved from the first moment I saw it btw 💜 I love that show). This one stays like this because Bojack has a very simple line and pretty much no shadows unless needed. But otherwise I always add them.

But before making the shadows I tend to decide a background if needed or if I hadn't already one in mind. And the shadows colour tends to pair with the BG, but the general one is brownish (I use the same colour I use for Levi's bags under his eyes 😂 but set it to multiply so it gets darker but you can still see what's beneath).

Like this below.

I don't do many backgrounds by hand, i made one for my Secret Santa but usually I use photos or pictures (AOT is perfect for example because being a cartoon it fits with my style, with real photos I have to be more careful because it might collide instead of becoming part of the drawing) unless there's an object in real interaction with the characters.

For example this one below. The tree on which they sit was already in the frame (that's actually what gave me the idea of putting them on the branches) I tried using it like that but there was too much difference so I drew the tree myself. The rest is the real shot but blurred. Helps focusing on the characters.

Puff I think I'm done hahha sorry it came out longer that expected 😂😂 I hope the drawings make it less boring hahhaha

Anyway thanks for asking 💜💜 and if you have suggestions be sure to drop them by 💜

[purity-town]

Little late getting to these -- that's fully the fault of a class project I spent all of Monday/Tuesday and most of Wednesday working on -- but I finished my project and wrote up some long replies to these!

(Apologies for any funny formatting -- I'm trying out the beta for the new post editor!)

Absolutely not.

Nope! There are a few people who do know (other guides Andrew's met before, the Dryad, and I'd imagine the Witch Doctor knows something's up even if he doesn't know why), but none of them live in Purity Town proper, and the Dryad and Witch Doctor aren't the kind to participate in rumors or spread what isn't theirs to share. The old man is also aware just because he and Andrew have talked about their curses, but he's 1) not currently in town and 2) not going to share even if he were.

Most folks don't know much about Andrew in general; Becca probably knows the most out of the townsfolk, knowing a little bit about his family and where he's from (he has some pretty specific skills as a hunter that betray this, but he doesn't talk about his exact town of birth), but no specifics and certainly not time periods.

Andrew is good at keeping things quiet; he has to be.

I would actually appreciate if you didn't post to Pinterest -- usually I'm fine with people reposting with credit (several of the things I've posted to my DeviantArt have found their way to Instagram, for example) but Pinterest has something of a reputation for stolen art (things being reposted from another Pinterest post without credit this time, or credit being hard to view for users not logged in or just viewing through Google). So reposting elsewhere is fine (though if you repost to Reddit or Instagram, tag me at u/Ariibees or @Ariibees)! I'd just prefer my works stay off of Pinterest.

The terminology related to The Guide/Andrew/The Guardian/The World’s Core/The WoF is all confusing because on some level, they’re all the same being. Kind of like trying to talk about Jekyll and Hyde -- same guy, different looks/actions, haha.

For all intents and purposes, references to the WoF being the barrier/core/whatever behind or within which the spirits of light and dark are contained is equivalent to saying “these spirits are held trapped by the magic of the Guardian, who when summoned appears as the WoF.” I do break slightly from the official lore in how the WoF/Guardian/thing holding back these spirits works (mostly because I don’t really like the idea that the Hallow is a “temporary guardian” or whatever), but the basic concept of “these are trapped by [thing that makes up the WoF]” remains unchanged.

If “loony cultist” is a reference to something, I’m so sorry, but I’m lost on it. If you’re just talking about the lunatic cultist in a funny way, then yes, they’re in here as a very plot-significant character!

I had to google what meme you were talking about, but it did make me laugh.

Andrew’s most annoyed by the nickname because people do like to call him Guide, and for someone who’s dedicated his whole life to his role, it can get tiring. He doesn’t really *mind* being called Guide -- it’s fine, that’s what he is and as long as people are respectful of his job he’ll take what he can get -- but at the same time, he’d like for people to stop thinking “Aah! Monster!” or “Weird academic know-it-all” and just...treat him like a normal person sometimes. So he fights to be called Andrew. And...Malik comes along and gives him a nickname that he doesn’t like and doesn’t allow others to use, save for maybe a small group of people of which Malik is not a part. So, not cool, man!

People love to overcomplicate explaining shading/lighting, and if you wanted to you could certainly go on and on about reflections of light off the ground and shading colors and all sorts of things, but as I’m writing this at 1 AM I don’t really care to.

If you really want to get into shading, I see nice ones on DeviantArt or Tumblr from time to time, or you can always watch a YouTube video on it. Really, though, just keep at it, think about how the shadows should look and work, and you'll get better at it eventually and pick up new ideas on how it all works. (And this is coming from someone who is new to making comics and actually started as a painter.)

Purity Town’s shading comes down to this: simplicity. As much as I’d love to spend hours and hours redrawing the panels I don’t like and carefully shading every fold of fabric and painting detailed backgrounds, I’m a full-time college student and will be working full-time over the summer -- I don’t have the time. So, I cut corners: I reuse backgrounds or use brushes (see: bricks, trees, clouds) that make certain details easier, and I try not to obsess too much over panels I’m not fully happy with. Shadows go where they feel right, and light on the opposite side.

For shading, this comes down to making things quick and easy. For these last few pages, character shading/lighting has only been five layers. One hard light layer for the bluer soft shadows, one overlay layer for darker soft shadows, one linear burn layer for hard shadows, one soft light layer for soft lighting, and one overlay layer for hard lighting. I’ll often also make use of glow dodge layers for lighting, or change the color balance or add more hard/soft light layers if there’s a very heavy color filter on the scene (such as a celestial event, blood moon, or outdoors at night).

Using all the different layer types is essentially a cheat code to fancier lighting -- don’t want to use flat black? Boom, hard light or overlay or burn will give you colored shadows. Want to make your light brighter? Glow dodge will make it burn your retinas.

Sorry that this isn’t a very comprehensive guide, but in my mind, shading and lighting is really something that you pick up over time and it’s hard to sit down and write a guide for it without making it into a massive essay on art theory that I don't even know proper terminology for because I'm not an art student. Of course with some googling you’ll find *proper* guides for this sort of thing from art majors and the likes, and those can be super helpful and technical! But for Purity Town, I just sort of go with what feels right and what's easy to replicate.

Firstly, I’m happy to hear you’re liking the comic!

Secondly, those buttons are actually there due to the theme! (For those on mobile who can’t see it, I have the theme set to only display on desktop as I prefer the current mobile layout on phone.) I’m using the simple webcomic theme (a quick Google should tell you how to install it for yourself) -- except I’m not actually using it for the webcomic features; rather, it’s a case of “this is the most simple, nice-looking non-default theme I could find.”

The previous/next buttons are added by the theme with the intent that the blog is being used as a typical webcomic website, with nothing but comic pages being posted. However, I post asks and other art here too, and I do so with the intent that people looking at #Terraria or their dashboards in general will see it. So...I use html formatting to make the first/previous/next/last links, along with an index and chapter-by-chapter viewing (using /tagged/chapter##/chrono) so that no matter where you’re coming from, you can still navigate just the pages!

If you want to add just the previous/next buttons, I can’t really help you -- web development is not my area of study in the slightest. But you can check out the theme that they come from and if you want to install only them, you can surely find a tutorial on it somewhere!

(As a side note, the comments section is not from the theme, it’s from a site called Disqus. I don’t expect many people, if anyone, to leave comments, but since I link back to this site a lot and many folks don’t have Tumblr accounts, it’s an option I like to make available.)

Hiya! My hike was pretty nice; it was a short and easy one, but that was quite appreciated as the trail is unmaintained from November to April, and the trail was covered in fallen trees and quite rocky. Still had fun, though!

And for backgrounds, it depends! For indoors scenes (or outdoors scenes with buildings) I don’t tend to use references, outside of looking up things like “which side of a door is the handle on.” I will, however, integrate real-life textures (see: the quilt and rug in Guide’s house, the wood walls on the building in the background of this week’s page), and paint over paintings from the Terraria wiki.

For outdoors scenes, for simple backgrounds (such as foliage-heavy) ones, I typically don’t need references. I like the difference between detailed, lined indoor/man-made object scenes vs. painted, messy outdoor scenes. But for things like mountains, I do sometimes look up references to help with color choices and the likes.

The town’s layout is a bit strange in that depending on the scene, the background could be drastically different. One side of town faces more mountainside, one side faces the orchards/open hillside, and the other two sides face various degrees of open space and more mountainside/forest. References taken on top of mountains are helpful to get an idea of what degree of foliage I should include between the characters and the sky.

Though this is very specific to the town of Purity -- other towns/villages will have significantly different-looking backgrounds, even the foliage-heavy ones.

That said, what's even more helpful than looking at photos is looking at paintings. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is really good for getting an idea of how to draw grasslands and distant mountains, plus Studio Ghibli movies in general!

[jenniferlovesthebeatles]

I was tagged by @rainbowdelicsunshine to answer these questions. Thank you! Apologies for being over a month late. :P I might have been tagged in something like this before, but it was years ago, so it's nice to revisit these questions!

Why did you choose your URL? The origin of my URL isn't particularly awe-inspiring, but it's a name that I've stuck with for a long time. I came up with it back in 2008 or 2009, when I used to be on a (now defunct) virtual pet/social networking app called iPet Pets (there were two other versions called iPet Cats and iPet Dogs, which I also had). It seems like not many people talk about it anymore, but it used to be fairly popular back in the day. I had to come up with a username, and I originally just went with Jennifer. But I thought I'd try to make it a little more personal by adding something about myself to it, and I decided to add "Loves The Beatles" because they're my favorite band. :) Since then, I've used it for almost all of my accounts (some sites don't allow it because of the character limit).

Any side blogs? I have a few, but I've been pretty bad about keeping up with them these days. I'm trying to be a little more active, but life tends to get in the way. I have a Christopher Walken blog, a My Life as a Teenage Robot blog, and a second personal blog that's a little more organized than my main blog.

How long have you been on Tumblr? I've been here since August 2011, I believe, so that's over a decade!

Why did you originally start your blog? I used to be on another defunct social networking app called Big Canvas PhotoShare. As its name suggests, it was exclusively for sharing pictures, kind of like Instagram (though it preceded it by a few years). Some friends on there told me they were on Tumblr and that I should make a blog and follow them, so I did! I remember initially being confused on how to use it, but I eventually got the hang of it.

Why did you choose your icon? Well, I know I recently changed my icon to Patrick, but when I was tagged for this I was Yuu. I'll give my answers for both of them! My icon was Yuu for a while because I've really been getting into retro anime lately, especially magical girl-themed ones. I really like Creamy Mami, so I thought I'd make my icon the protagonist of the show. :) Her hair reminds me a little of my own hairstyle. I'm actually only about halfway through the show, but I want to finish it sometime. And my current icon is Patrick because I just think it's a funny screenshot (it's from "Bubblestand," when he and SpongeBob are dancing and chanting "Squid's got genes!").

Why did you choose your header? I also changed this recently! It used to be David Bowie because well, I'm a huge fan of his music. But right now it's a screenshot from this Pandadog video. I stumbled upon it recently and was shocked by how high quality it was! I used to watch these Pandadog episodes a lot many years ago, but the uploads weren't the best quality. Apparently this new upload was actually posted by someone who worked on the cartoons! Unfortunately he said that these were the only episodes that he was able to recover.

What's your post with the most notes? I think it might be this picture of The Who! It has over 1,100 notes. There's also this post of some of my Taxi Driver screenshots that has over 800 notes. I had another one that had more notes than that, but I think Tumblr flagged it because Robert De Niro was shirtless in it. :0 A few of my MLAATR posts have also gotten a fair bit of attention, like this one with 700 notes and this one with 630 notes.

How many mutuals do you have? I'm admittedly not sure if there's a way to check how many mutuals I have here on Tumblr. Hopefully it's a decent amount! I know I've lost a lot of followers over the years with my blog's varied content, which is honestly understandable. But I sincerely appreciate everyone who's stuck around! :)

How many followers do you have? 3,063! I know some of those followers might be bots, so it's probably not completely accurate, but I'm surprised at how many followers I've accumulated over the years.

How many blogs do you have? Including this main blog, I have four! This question is a little similar to question #2, where I talk in more detail about my side blogs.

Have you ever made a shitpost? Hmm, I don't think so. P: I guess it's not my usual type of humor.

How many times do you use Tumblr a day? Back when I had more free time, I'd be on Tumblr constantly and hit post limit almost daily! Nowadays it varies how often I'm able to check on the site, but I try to log in whenever I can (at least once a day).

Have you ever fought another blog? Not really, though there was one instance I recall from many years ago (like, when I was in high school) where I did try having a debate with a white nationalist blog through anonymous asks. Unsurprisingly I was unable to change their mind. I still stand by what I said, but in hindsight I probably shouldn't have bothered trying to argue with them. Not to say that there's no hope at all in them changing their opinion, but from my experience people like that are pretty stubborn and set in their ways. I won't go into too much detail about what happened, since it's probably best to not dwell on it, and I try to keep my blog a positive place. I think they deactivated their blog at some point anyway.

How do you feel about "need to reblog" posts? I don't think anyone should ever feel forced to put something on their blog if they don't want to.

Do you like tag games? Yeah, I think they're fun! I always appreciate people who tag me in these because it shows that they (hopefully) think of me as a friend. :) I just apologize for being so bad about answering them in a timely manner.

Do you like ask games? Yeah, those are fun too! I actually don't think I've done one of those in a while. That's probably my own fault for not reblogging any ask game prompts lately.

Which of your mutuals do you think are Tumblr famous? I suppose it's subjective. I've been involved in many fandoms on Tumblr over the years, some bigger than others. Within those communities, I have mutuals who I'd say are well-known in the fandom. But I don't know if any of them would mind being tagged here. :P

Do you have a crush on a mutual? If it counts, @gumpeiyokoi is a mutual. ;o But we didn't meet here on Tumblr. We've been dating for nearly five years now!

Tags? Not sure who to tag! I'm also unsure if anyone I might tag has already done this before. :P But anyone who's interested is free to!

[xxredwineandambiencexx]

kc + “It’s our mutual friend’s wedding and they keep shoving us into each other because we’re the only ones at the ceremony who are single, but I lowkey don't mind though because you're really hot” AU.

Haven’t forgotten about these, I promise!

She can’t help but stare at her silver watch as she emerges from her chauffeur driven car and onto he sidewalk near the coach. She was a little early, but that was fine. Stefan wouldn’t murder her for turning up late to his big day with Elena, and she wouldn’t have to put up with his guilt trip.

She mentally calculated how long she would have to stay before beating a hasty retreat without seeming rude. Truth is, as happy as she was for Stefan and Elena, she hated weddings with a burning passion.

This tended to surprise people who knew her. And normally she’d be all over weddings, because it was an event and she loved events. But not weddings.

Maybe it was the fact that the day was riddled with cliches, or the fact that it was a celebration of two people in love, and everyone else had to watch the sickly sweet display, the simpering family members jostling for seniority in the wedding shots outside the church, the one grandma who always got really drunk and embarrassed herself on the dance floor.

But mostly, it was the fact that she never made it to her own wedding day, and it’s always a bitter reminder of the failure of her only long term relationship.

She thought that Tyler Lockwood had been it, that they’d be happy together and they’d raise a family of 2.5 kids with a white picket fence and a dog called Rover. Then of course, Tyler had been caught screwing the secretary at his office, and that had been that.

She’d been mostly single since that night three years ago, occasionally broken up by the odd fling and periods of time when she’d gone on dates with guys more than once. Nothing ever seemed to stick though, and she was fine with that, really.

It meant more time with Katherine, who she was sure was sequestered away inside the church now, a fixed smile on her face and a scandalous dress that she still looked gorgeous in. Katherine despite her beauty and her charms also had a tendency to remain single for some time, when she wasn’t fucking Elijah Mikaelson in a weird on off relationship. She’d given up trying to figure out how to define Katherine and Elijah, you just couldn’t.

“Excuse me, am I in the right place?”

It’s the British accent that captures her attention first as she turns her head towards the source of the voice, but it’s the gorgeous features of the man that has her lingering despite her heels already beginning to punish her feet.  

He’s tall and broad shouldered, and the dark suit that he’s wearing is tailored to perfection, lovingly outlining his muscular form. There’s day old stubble lingering along his jawlines and his eyes are a bright, crystalline blue.

She’s a little taken aback at this gorgeous specimen of a man, and any attempts at charm and flirtation are well and truly out the window when he prompts her silently with a quick smile.

“Well that depends. I’m assuming that you’re here for Stefan and Elena?” She asks politely, tucking her clutch under her arm and mentally high fiving herself for wearing the blue dress that makes her boobs look amazing and her legs look like those of a supermodel.

Hot British guy smiles to himself, and she doesn’t miss him trying to be subtle as he checks her out, eyes lingering on the curve of her arse in her dress for a moment. She files that away for future reference but doesn’t call him out on it.

“I guess that was a rather stupid question, wasn’t it? I’m Klaus. Are you here for the bride or the groom?” He asks, holding out his hand for politely.

She steps forward and takes his proffered hand and shakes, flashing him a bright smile.

“Both. I grew up with Stefan and Elena in Mystic Falls. I’m Caroline.” She supplies before dropping his hand and tilting her head towards the church. “We should probably get inside before Elena arrives. Wouldn’t want to ruin her big moment.”

“Indeed not.” Klaus agrees, turning towards the flight of steps leading up to the church and offering her his arm without a second thought, like the gesture is something he does regularly.

Hot and a gentlemen. This is definitely something she could roll with.

She doesn’t miss the significant look Katherine gives her when she slides into one of the back pews next to her, Klaus settling in next to them and turning his gaze towards the front of the church.

She’s waiting for Katherine to say something, the other girl leaning in, but instead Katherine leans past her, touching Klaus gently on the shoulder to get his attention.

Klaus’ face lights up in recognition as he spots Katherine and smiles at her.

“Fancy seeing you here love. Didn’t manage to get Elijah to come along?” Klaus asks with a chuckle.

“Tried and failed.” Katherine admits with a quick grin. “You know what he’s like with unnecessary social occasions. It’s good to see you, I didn’t know you knew Caroline.”

“Oh I don’t.” Klaus replies. “We just met outside the church.”

The music swells suddenly before she can formulate any sort of response and as one the crowd turns to face the back of the church.

Stefan and Elena’s wedding is as predictably sickening as she thought it would be. They’d been madly in love for years despite all the ups and downs that life decided to throw at them, and even she can’t help but smile when the two take their vows and seal it with a kiss.

Once the ceremony is over Katherine stretches her arms over her head with a relieved sigh.

“Well thank god that’s over. I could do with a stiff drink right about now.”

She can’t help but laugh to herself, because at least she’s not a stone cold bitch like Katherine is.

As she very quickly discovers at the reception, Klaus is fun.

She never would have expected it coming from him, so polite and charming, but she knew that once he called for a line of shots from the open bar that this was going to be good.

Even Katherine is charmed by Klaus, and that in and of itself is a hard thing to do. They’re seated together, and she doesn’t miss Katherine quickly swapping their name cards around so she’s seated next to Klaus, doesn’t miss the significant look that Katherine gives her, the way she leans in and whispers ‘he’s single’ into her ear.

Well then.

Stefan is slightly less obvious than Katherine, but she doesn’t miss the delighted smile on his face when he approaches the two of them, interrupting their conversation to say hello.

“Good, I see the two of you have met.”

Klaus smiles pleasantly up at Stefan as the two of them exchange greetings and shake hands. And then Klaus is turning his gaze back to her, staring at her with an odd look on his face.

She’s a little self conscious at the intensity of his gaze.

“Yes, a little earlier.” Klaus finally turns his gaze back towards Stefan, clapping him on the shoulder once before Stefan is moving on.

“How do you know Stefan?” She asks curiously as Klaus takes a sip of his drink.

“What makes you think I’m here for Stefan?” He replies with an amused smile on his lips.

“Because I’m pretty sure Elena would mention you.”

She knew she was right, Elena definitely wouldn’t hesitate to mention if Klaus was single and available. Her oldest friend did have an annoying quirk of setting her up with the most unsuitable guys possible.

“I’m an old friend of Stefan’s from college. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him- I was surprised to get his invitation in the mail.”

“And what is it that you do?” She continues her line of questioning, because Klaus is being surprisingly tight lipped about anything to do with his personal life.

“I’m a photographer. I shoot weddings mostly, other occasions as well. I’m located in New Orleans currently but I have lived elsewhere. And you sweetheart?”

His question mostly went unanswered, because she had already opened Instagram, putting in a search for his name. His profile picture is a broody black and white photo of him laying in the grass, squinting up at the sky.

Oh and there was just the small fact that he had-

“500,000 followers? You seriously have 500,000 followers on Instagram?” She blurts out as she continues to scroll through his feed. His work, to say the least, is absolutely amazing. Each shot perfectly staged, and he had a certain knack for capturing emotions of his subjects beautifully.

“It’s not something I typically broadcast to people upon first meeting them.” Klaus replies a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. But yes, I’m never really short of work.”

She stares at him for a long moment, before nodding to herself and getting to her feet.

“I think this calls for another round of shots.”

“3, 2, 1, go!” Katherine calls as they all reach for the shots, slamming back the straight vodka.

Klaus, who can seemingly unhinge his jaw like a snake, and looks perfectly fine despite the amount of alcohol he’s consumed, grins when he realises that he’s come out victorious again.

“No fair.” Katherine whines, a lock of hair coming undone from her otherwise elegant up do. It was odd seeing Katherine like this, loose limbed and pliant when she’s usually so rigid and so well put together.

“I won’t tell anyone, promise.” Klaus pats her on the shoulder companionably, eyes dancing with mirth as he turns that gaze on her. “Would you like to dance sweetheart?”

Miraculously, she doesn’t fall flat onto her face as Klaus pulls her onto the wooden dance floor. She’s far too buzzed to actually keep up with the rhythm of the jazzy song that the live band is playing, but Klaus is of course, unfairly good at dancing. She’s content to be steered around the floor by him.

“If you even think of dipping me, I will murder you.” She hisses at him as he twirls her away from him before pulling her back into his chest.

Klaus looks close to bursting into laughter, but keeps himself in check.

“I promise I’ll do nothing of the sort.”

Klaus is confident in a way that a lot of other men aren’t on the dance floor. The movements are almost automatic to him, and she suspects he’s had some sort of training prior to this occasion. That, or he has a really good natural rhythm.

“Of course you’d be good at this as well.” She says with a sigh as she sways in his arms. Klaus looks down at her, bemused by her sudden outburst.

“My mother made all of my siblings take dance lessons when we were older. Elijah in particular excelled at it. I enjoyed it, but not enough to continue on with it. Although it has helped me out on more than a few occasions, so I’m grateful.”

The party begins winding down shortly afterwards, and soon enough she, Klaus, and Katherine find themselves out in the cool night air. She can’t help but shiver at the sudden change in temperature now that she’s not packed into the same room with fifty or so other bodies.

“Oh great, Elijah’s here. I’ll talk to you tomorrow once I’ve slept off the vodka. Klaus, you’re a demon in disguise I swear.” Katherine says with a laugh as she brushes her lips first against Klaus’ cheek, then hers.

Klaus lets out an amused chuckle as Katherine lifts an elegant hand in a wave as she makes her way towards the black BMW idling by the kerb.

“Are you okay to get home sweetheart?” Klaus asks as they both watch Katherine pull away.

“Yeah.” She answers, jumping slightly as Klaus settles his jacket around her shoulders. “I have a car coming for me soon. Don’t wait around on my account.” She tells Klaus, who shakes his head as a way of reply.

“And leave you here by yourself? Absolutely not. I’ll head off once you’re taken care of.”

She can’t help but smile to herself at his kindness, at his chivalry. Men like Klaus were a rare breed to come by. She kind of wondered why he was still single.

“Why are you still single?” She asks suddenly, mentally cursing herself for not being able to hold her tongue.

Klaus looks surprised by her question, tongue darting out to wet his lips as he considers her question.

“My work keeps me busy. I’ve not yet been able to find someone who understands that. Who is okay with that. I’m not a complete monk.” He remarks with a wink.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” She responds feebly, waving a hand towards him. “It’s just… well you seem like quite the catch. Surely you’d have women lining up around the block to be with you.”

“Surprisingly no. And while the casual hookup thing suited me just fine when I was younger, now I find myself looking for something more substantial. More…”

“Meaningful?” She supplies, watches as his face lights up, happy that they’re on the same page.

“Exactly love. It seems like you’re looking for the same.”

“Something like that.” She trails off, glancing over his shoulder as her driver pulls up to the kerb. “This is me.” She tilts her head towards the car, Klaus following her line of gaze.

“I’ll let you get home then. It was a pleasure to meet you Caroline.” Klaus remarks sincerely, bending down to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Even if all of your friends were trying to set us up for the entire night.”

Instead of being mortified like she usually would, she instead laughs.

“Yeah they’re not exactly subtle are they? They only have my best interests at heart. It’s kind of sweet, if not a little misguided at times.”

“I suppose we’re lucky, to have people in our lives that care so much about us.” Klaus muses out loud as she begins her progress towards the car. Klaus leans forward, opening the door for her, resting his arms across the top of it.

She pauses, unsure as to whether or not she should ask Klaus for his number, if he was even interested in her in that way. She knew that she wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea.

She remembers then, that she’s still got Klaus’ jacket around her shoulders. She begins to remove it, to hand it back to him.

“Here. I don’t want to make off with this. It would be rude of me.” She tells him, holding out the garment for him to take.

She’s surprised then when Klaus’s fingers close gently around hers, pressing it back towards her body.

“Keep it. It’s cold out. And it gives me an excuse to see you again.”

“Yeah?” She asks him, a beaming smile creeping across her face.

“Yeah.” Klaus agrees, a teasing smile of his own. “I don’t normally do this, but I’d love to get your number?” He asks it like a question, still giving her a chance to back out if she really wants to.

“On one condition.” She replies, pausing, unsure how to phrase what she wants to say next. “That you actually do call me. So many guys have asked me for my number, but they never follow through.”

“Well that’s rather foolish, isn’t it?”

He hands over his phone, and she types her name and number into it, handing it back to him once she’s hit save.

“Thanks for keeping me sane tonight. I actually had fun.” She remarks with a quick smile, Klaus raising an eyebrow in surprise. “I usually hate weddings.” She clarifies.

“I think that’s a conversation for another day.” Klaus says gently, squeezing her hand. “Good night Caroline. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

This time it’s her turn to press a quick kiss to the corner of his lips before she’s sinking down into the backseat of the car.

“I’d really like that Klaus.”

[taesthetes]

(1/?) Travel-anon-hi! Sorry for the late reply, I've been feeling a bit under the weather D: But wow! That's so sweet of you for what you did for your mom! My family's not big on celebrating parent days, but we do go out for dinners - my mom's bday is a couple days before, so we merge the two ;u;~ Thank you! I'll probably come back with a pile of photos, and be super picky which to instagram, haha. Oh! Good idea with the perfume! I normally don't carry any, but this sounds like a good reason to.

(2/?) Aw, you had to give up your internship? I’m sorry D: but on the bright side, vacation? Would you be able to do the internship another time? In terms of expensiveness, I think HK topped it for me. The livelihood there is super high end and overpriced to me :/ And ikr! I wish it were like that here too, but North America’s just too big and spread out for that unless you lived downtown, but that’s expensive D: In December, one Japan night was 24 degrees celsius ouo;; that’s pretty much summer

(3/?) But it does depend where you’re at in Japan! That night I was in Tokyo! It’ll be colder if you’re farther north~ I don’t know if the magikarp promo is still going D: but if it is, you definitely have to try it! I actually like the “crispy sandwich caramel” haagen dazs! I can’t get it where I’m from ;u; so depriveeeed. Your convenience stores sound so much better than mine! All mine have are dollar store things and candy OTL? Usually super grungy looking too. Aw, that’s cute! Do you visit?

(4/?) For the cat, not your sister (well, I guess her too), haha. I don’t remember, did you say you’d try to get a pet in the future for yourself, maybe? Yep! Certain holidays or popular events cause tickets to be more expensive to those countries during those times~ It’s still modern art?! Why isn’t there any traditional ones D:?! I actually prefer modern art, haha; mostly the interactive type ones! I don’t particularly have a favourite artist; I appreciate based on how interesting their-

(5/?) concepts are and how well they executed it. I mean, we did drop a lot of cash on the machines (and won nothing a lot of times), so I’m pretty sure that’s why they took pity on us, haha! I hope you’re lucky enough to either win it yourself, or find someone to help you! I also wish for you to be good at those games ;D! Have you had any more ramen since I last spoke to you? You’re still making me crave for it, and I can’t have any right now ;u; Oo, barely any jet lag can be a good thing!

(6/?) I don’t jet lag much when I travel, but the bits that I do, I accounted for, and used it for long-term traveling within the country! Oo, I hope I get to try a vietnamese hot pot some time then :D! If we ever manage to meet up in another country, let’s hit up vietnamese hot pot, haha. Omg, both of those movies were so good!! Infinity war, I really hope you do get to see it soon D: There’s so many spoilers out already, and it would suck if you got completely ruined to it beforehand!

(7/?) I preordered all 4 albums when they first opened it :D;; If I was only getting 1 of them though, I’d have gotten O! What about you? Did you preorder, or are you going to hit up a store when it’s released where you are? Which is your favourite concept? And, omg, yes. Jimin’s pretty hardcore when it comes to going 0 to 100, so I tend to die fairly often, haha. How do you manage to keep up with Tae?! He’s just as bad, if not worse, than Jimin’s 0-100?! He’s too pretty and amazing as a person!

(8/8) I was going to end this at 7, but well, here’s 8, haha. I follow on yt, and when a notice pops up, I listen and fav the song if it matches my tastes :D NCT is going haaard right now, like wow, almost every other week or two OTL I’ve been into kpop for so long that I like a lot of groups, so it’s hard to recount all of them, haha. What about you? Who else do you listen to? How long have you been into kpop? How was the Tswift concert?! Did you have an amazing time?? How early did you lineup?

hello, m’love!! oh noo, i’m so sorry to hear that ): are you feeling better now? make sure to drink lots of fluids and rest up! and thank you :’) i hope you had a good dinner with your family!! and happy belated birthday to your mom 💕 oh gosh, my instagram is a mess, i just post sporadically and nothing matches. but i think i’ll start trying to make a nicer instagram page though haha. yeah, it’s pretty helpful with the perfume because you can’t bring pepper spray onto planes or anything for travel, so i just pack a small perfume bottle instead!

yeah, i’m excited for the vacation!! i won’t be able to do an internship until next summer then unfortunately. oooh, i heard kong kong is really nice! but i’ll make sure not to go there until i have money lmao. yeah, the only way walking is fine in north america is if i live in one of the big cities, like nyc. oh my god, in december??? it’s going to be even worse since i’m going in the summer D: i think overall it’s going to be very hot in japan because it’s summer when i’ll be there. 

ahhh, even if there’s no magikarp, i’m still excited to eat taiyaki!! omg ok, i’ll make sure to get that ice cream flavor when i’m there :o and that really sucks ): hopefully, you’ll get to come back to japan soon and then you can get the ice cream :D ah yeah, there’s a lot of dollar store items and travel items too and candy. i think most convenience stores are pretty grungy tbh. i visited her last year! but that was before she got a cat sadly ):

and yes!! i want to get a dog and a cat in the future! i suppose there are a few traditional art pieces on display? but i think most people here enjoy modernized art more, like even the buildings and such in the usa are much more modern compared to europe. i guess it’s because the usa hasn’t been a country for as long as european countries, so everything is newer looking. oooh nice!! interactive art is always fun! :D modern art is really beautiful too, but sometimes, i see something like the entire canvas is painted one color with only one stripe down it and i’m like ??? how is this worth 91283472319 dollars???

asdfjkads that’s going to be me. i’m going to spend all my money on the crane machines and win nothing, so let’s hope someone will help me ahah and thank you!! fingers crossed! :’)  and i haven’t had any ramen since ): ramen isn’t the healthiest, so i try not to eat it often. ajsdhfalks but you can’t have any right now? D: did you run out? oooh, and that’s smart! i really hope the jet lag won’t hit so hard because i want to explore everything, but there’s never enough time. and yes!! we’ll definitely get vietnamese hot pot, and then you’ll have to show me all your favorite food places too :D ahhh, i want to see both of them soon! i took my last midterm yesterday, but i still have papers and several projects to do ): and my weekends are packed since i have some things to go to for my friends’ birthdays and i think we might do a road trip for the upcoming memorial weekend since we get monday off.

and omg so lucky!! all four wow :o well, i didn’t preorder it, but i don’t know which album i want either. maybe R or O? because they all look good in denim, but tae had that lip ring.. and unfortunately, they don’t sell kpop merch in stores anywhere near me /: so i’ll have to order it from amazon if i do buy it! honestly all the concepts are pretty though. jimin’s stage presence vs real life is mind blowing with how he can switch so fast. askdlhfjaj i barely keep up with tae, he’s too perfect and he’s such a sweetheart pluS HIS DOGS AND CAT ARE SO CUTE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

asdf,nasd oh my god i love nct so so so much, like nct dream is my ult boy group favorite, and i’m so sad mark is graduating from the dreamies after this year ): did you see their chain mv? who’s your bias? oh my gosh i’m so excited to hear you like nct alskdjfhalew i really, really, really love taeyeon, like she’s my ult bias, but i also love shinee and blackpink (when will they release a new song)!!! i follow up with those three and nct the most. but i also listen to red velvet, gfriend, twice, kard, day6, wanna one, monsta x, infinite, vixx, astro, and f(x) like when are they coming back ): oh and (g)i-dle!!! i pretty much listen to whatever group that currently makes a comeback, so i know the title songs of most of the kpop groups, but i don’t know each of the members’ names. and i’ve been into kpop since early 2014 :’)

ooooh my god, the taylor swift concert marks the best night of my life, likE I LOVE HER SO MUCH I’VE BEEN A FAN SINCE 2006 AND I CAN’T BELIEVE I FINALLY GOT TO GO TO HER CONCERT!!!! but i got there two hours early for the lineup, and when it started, i sang along for every single song, and when she sang a mashup with long live included, i was over the moon, plus before the concert, i was like oh hey what if she sings the best day because it’s mother’s day tomorrow anD SHE ACTUALLY DID AND I CRIED OMG I GOT SO EMO i was shaking like i tried to get good videos on my phone, but my phone also died and the video will show you how shaky i actually was and wow i just– best experience, i will definitely go to her concerts over and over again and i just loved it so much. so yeah i was pretty excited and super happy overall :’) and how is your week going? 💗