#it's essentially gonna be.... 12 products?

[antisocialxconstruct]

just ordered the entire i-dog anniversary collection 😳😳😳 I had to just commit and do it before I came up with any more product ideas gfdsgsd

[httpsdana]

heyyy

i saw your last post and i have an idea, what about the reader having a bad past with birthdays and she didn't have birthdays since 12yo ( or anything anyway :))) ) then pablo will do to her a birthday surprise after he knew it...

20 Presents for 20th Birthday~Pablo Gavi

*Pictures are from Pinterest*

this was actually so cute to write I hope you enjoy <3

request from here

master list

players/drivers I write for

Birthdays were never y/n's favorite events. Especially not her own birthday. She hadn't celebrated her birthday since she was 12. Her parents always celebrated her birthday, until her father died, and her mother never spoke to her after that, never even telling her happy birthday.

So ever since she turned 12,she had lived with her aunt, who also made sure to not celebrate her niece's birthday.

After Pablo found out about her bad experience with birthdays, he wanted to make sure her 20th birthday is one to remember.

y/n woke up in the morning, remembering that she had turned 20. As usual, she didn't expect anyone to remember her birthday. She opened her phone, only for the messages to come flooding. She was surprised, but smiled at the thoughtfulness of Gavi's friends, who are her only friends

Pedri : happy birthday y/n! have an amazing day 💖

Fermin: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL SIS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR DAY 🫶🏼🫶🏼

Lamine Yamal: happy birthday mom 🫶🏼

Alejandro Balde: happy birthday little one! enjoy your day to the max 🥳

Aurora💋: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL. I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN ❤️😍 MOM AND DAD SAY HI 😁

She felt her eyes tearing up at the sweet messages from her friends. They already made her day better when she was in a gloomy mood at the thought of that day. That's when she came across the message that made her cry.

Pablito❤️: happy birthday to my sweet beautiful girlfriend. I'm gonna make sure you have the best day ever. I love you so so so much baby. now get ready to receive your 20 gifts for your 20th birthday ❤️❤️

She replied to all the messages, smiling gratefully at the friends she has gained because of her boyfriend. After that, she got up and entered the bathroom pf her bedroom. She was met with a sticky note on her mirror.

Your skin deserves as much love and care as you give to everyone around you. I hope this helps keep your glow as radiant as your smile.

She smiled, looking at the cute box that was on the bathroom counter. She opened it and saw all the skin care products that were there. All the expensive things she had put on her wishlist previously.

After doing her skin care routine, she changed out of her PJs and left to the kitchen.

A chocolate box was waiting for her on the kitchen counter. She smiled as she read the note on it.

Each piece in this box is as rich and delightful as the moments we share. I hope you enjoy every bite my love

She felt herself blushing at his sweetness, opening the box to see all the cute chocolate bites that were there. She ate a few pieces as she drank her coffee and wondered what Pablo had also planned out. She still couldn't believe he got her 20 gifts.

She walked to the living room to continue her tour around the house, and was met with a brand new stylish handbag on the coffee table. She admired the bag, then opened it to see it's inside, only to notice a designer perfume inside, a luxury fragrance she's been wanting. With also another note.

Just like this bag carries all your essentials, may this perfume add a touch of elegance to your every day. Enjoy both as a little reminder of how much you mean to me.

She shook her head with a smile, already feeling bad and how much all this must've costed him.

y/n thought that maybe the gifts in her apartment were over, only for her to receive a message from Pablo.

Pablito❤️: you've got a few more gifts at your apartment, before Pedri picks you up for your next destination

She smiled at the message replying with a thank you for everything he had gotten her and saying he didn't have to. She went to her closet to get ready. She didn't know what to wear, but when she opened the closet, she was met with the new barca jersey, the number 6 on the back and her name printed out on the top.

Wear this jersey with pride and remember that I'm always cheering you on, no matter where you go. Can't wait to see you in it.

She grinned happily, admiring the beautiful jersey in front on her. She was always a barca fan, so receiving a jersey that has her name and Pablo's number meant the world to her.

She paired the jersey up with some wide jeans. After getting ready, she received a message from Pedri saying that he's gonna be outside her door in a few minutes.

As she was putting on her choose, something on the small table, where they put their keys, caught her attention.

Her jaw dropped when she saw the polaroid camera there, also with a note.

Capture every special moment of this day with this camera and let each photo be a snapshot of our beautiful memories together.

She beamed at the sweet message, putting the camera in her bag and heading out. She saw Pedri in his car there, a smile on his face.

She got in the car next to him and he greeted her.

"hey you. happy birthday" he said sweetly, making her smile

"thank you Pedri. now where are we going?" she asked, putting on her seatbelt.

"we are going to the stadium now" he said, starting the car.

"oh and before we move, make sure to wear these sunglasses so the sun doesn't burn your eyes" Pedri gave her a small bag.

She opened it, seeing the beautiful sunglasses inside. She smiled and put them on, before Pedri started his drive.

The drive was silent, and when they arrived y/n was about to open the door, before Pedri stopped her.

He gave her a small paper, and when she looked at it she saw that it was a voucher, for her favorite spa.

"make sure to enjoy your day at the spa whenever you want. it's available for the next two weeks" he smile.

"thank you Pedri" she said genuinely making him smile

"it's not me who you should thank. plus it's your birthday. now go don't be late" he ushered her out of his car.

She got out of the car and made her way inside the stadium.

As she started her walk, one of the staff member came by her side. She gave her a big bouquet of roses, her favorite flowers, and told her to follow her.

She walked behind her, the bouquet still in her hand. At the beginning of the hallway, she was met by Lamine.

"y/n! happy birthday" he exclaimed, giving her a small hug.

"thank you son" she joked, making him laugh.

Suddenly, he pulled a small bag from behind him, giving it to y/n

"from gavi" he said. She smiled gratefully, handing him the bouquet so she can open it.

She saw a box in the bag, seemingly a jewelry box. She opened it, and was met with some of her all time favorite lyrics.

I want to wear his initial on a chain 'round my neck, chain 'round my neck not because he owns me, but cause he really knows me

She giggled silently, removing the paper, and seeing the gorgeous gold necklace, that had the letter P on it.

Lamine helped her put her necklace on, before handing her the bouquet. She continued her walk with the staff member.

Until she was then met by Fermin.

"here's the birthday girl. how has your day been?" he asked, giving her a hug.

"it's been amazing." she answered.

He also pulled a back from behind him, giving it to y/n. She opened the box inside, and saw a gorgeous bracelet. It had her initial on it, but when she looked at the back of it, she noticed the date of hers and Pablo's anniversary on the back.

"that's adorable" she mumbled, putting the gold bracelet on.

"you gotta go now. I'll see you tonight" Fermin waved at her, before leaving her and the staff

tonight? that's weird

They walked more down the hallway, and finally they reached the pitch. The staff told y/n to walk a bit and she'll know what to do next.

y/n walked alone on the pitch, until she saw a familiar figure standing there. When she noticed it was Pablo, she placed the bouquet on the grass and ran into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, while he lifted her of the ground by hugging her waist.

"I love you so much" she mumbled into his neck. He placed her down on the floor, holding her face in his hands

"did you like my gifts?" he asked softly, his voice holding adoration and love

"like them? I loved them Pablo. you shouldn't have done all that" she said, feeling guilty once again about the money he spent

He shook his head nonchalantly.

"don't be silly. that's the least I could do to make up all the birthdays of the past." he said, making her smile.

She leaned in and connected their lips into a passionate kiss, that they only pulled away from when they needed some air.

"come on you still have, how many gifts? nine?" he said, making her laugh

"20 gifts is a lot Gavi. you really shouldn't have" she said, making him sigh.

"just shut up. if it makes you better, I didn't pay for all of them yet" he said, making her confused.

"well I haven't payed for the restaurant we're having dinner at tomorrow. I haven't booked our trip to Greece yet. Also we haven't gotten our outfits for the Taylor Swift concert in Miami-" he was interrupted by her squeal

"we're gonna see Taylor Swift?!" she almost screamed making him laugh

"yes we are" he nodded, making her jump again into his arms

"I love you so so so much" she said quickly, while he kissed her temple

"I love you more, now come on we have to go shopping for your birthday party tonight" he said.

[twig-tea]

GL Odds and Ends January 2025

I'm still trying to figure out what 2025 means for me in terms of where and how I spend my time, but one thing I am passionate about is making sure there is a record of GL media, so I'm going to try to prioritize keeping this up to at minimum monthly, though I might change up the format. Last one was end of December 2024. If you're interested in GL older than that, check out my GL rec list and my #gl recs tag for the other odds and ends posts. Series new to the roundup are marked with an asterisk*.

Currently airing (with thoughts up to 31 Jan):

Petrichor ep 9/10 (Thai, Saturdays, 10:00 AM ET, iQIYI) I've appreciated the struggle that Tul has gone through in terms of wanting to use her police powers to protect her family though that goes against her morals, and some of the procedural aspects I was grumbling about before have been explained by the plot. However, it still bothers me that she's not a very good detective. That being said, Engfa and Charlotte still have fantastic chemistry, and Na is having what seems like the time of his life.

*Us the series ep 2/12 (Thai, Saturdays, 8:00 AM ET, YouTube) I admit I think I have Chao Planoy fatigue. Age gap, both characters are lying to each other, there are abusive family members, and a guy who seems nice but I'm braced for a reveal about how he's actually awful. I'm feeling like I'm playing bingo. Honestly If someone gets hit by a car I might lose it. All my baggage aside, the pacing on this feels uneven and it doesn't feel like it has its feet yet.

*Call Me By No Name ep 4/8 (Japanese, Thursdays, 12:30 PM ET, GagaOOLala) Honestly I am not buying the romance between these two protagonists and I am finding them a little overwrought.

*Trunk Girl ep 1/? (Korean, possibly Thursdays, YouTube) This has just started, and the vibes are off. I am suspicious of the circumstances that led this runaway to stay with her friend, especially when she kissed her in her sleep (and I don't mean suspicious of sapphic feelings, those are already taken as given considering the genre).

*FirstLOVE ep 5/? (Korean, Mondays, YouTube) Toxic girlfriend gets replaced and then regrets letting her lover go. We'll see how this ends but this is another messy drama that feels pretty rough.

*I Am Devil ep 5/? (Thai, Saturdays, YouTube) Gonna be honest with y'all I watched ep1 and shelved the rest, it's a pulp in the style of high drama like Sastra and JPC below produce and just isn't my jam. If you're looking for high heat lakorn-style drama, give this a try.

[Note: Mate is still airing if you did not fast track, but since I did I've included it in the following section]

Recently Completed:

The Fragrance You inherit 8eps 25mins each (Japanese, 8 Nov 24-27 Dec 24, no official distribution but fansub on @isaksbestpillow's blog[thank you Siiri!] I loved this finale and wrote about it here. For those who don't want to click the link, in short this is not a romance but a really beautiful and sweet show about all kinds of interpersonal relationships.

Pluto 12eps 45 mins each (Thai, 19 Oct 24-04 Jan 25, YouTube) This series showcased the skills and chemistry of Namtan and Film, and had some of the most iconic product placement in a GL to date. The plot was messy but held together, and as much as I was unimpressed with their choices week to week, their choices made sense within the narrative (and genre) being told. I knew this one wasn't for me, but what it was doing, it did pretty well, and beautifully. The one real ding from me was the use of blindness as a metaphor that essentially got handwaved away; that and I think it was doing too much. But I am glad that before that, there was some great use of their platform to highlight the importance of universal design.

INTP 4eps 5 mins each (Korean, 27 Dec 24-22 Jan 25 YouTube) This is the latest short series from RedQ, who produced some of my favourite GL short series including More than or equal to 75 degrees C, and To the Ex who Hated Me. I said when this started that the setup of this one reminded me of Semantic Error if SangWoo realized he was attracted to JaeYoung at their first group assignment meeting, and I think that holds. These two fell for each other because they both care about the group project, and both protect each other. It's a bit short but I found it very sweet.

Mate, 12eps 50+ mins each (Thai, 26 Nov 24-28 Jan 25 fast-track or 4 Feb 25, WeTV (uncut version)) In the end this show remained a struggle for me. There were things it was doing that I really liked (the characters tried hard not to resort to noble idiocy, and when characters did resort to noble idiocy they were confronted with the consequences, for example), and things that I really did not, and there were parts that were really hard to watch and will haunt me. There are a lot of things I like about this show, so I don't want to discourage views. Just go into this one informed, and make the decision that's right for you.

*Adrenaline 4eps 15 mins each (Thai, 10 Jan-31 Jan 25, YouTube) This show is a cross between a travel ad and a lakorn. This is a major spoiler, but the main character has a secret condition where she forgets things that causes her to forget her first time with her girlfriend!? This show is so messy lol

Recent One-offs, Side Couples, etc.:

Fireworks of Yesteryear/When We Met has been made available on YouTube. A 35-minute Chinese GL that includes a makeout and as a result the production team have been working hard to get it in front of eyeballs. This is a moody piece with an open ending; there's an age gap too so YMMV (30s and 22).

GL microseries Your Name Engraved Herein (not to be confused with the BL feature film) has been subtitled by @douqi7s. Watch the original on Bilibili and enjoy the subs on YouTube. This one is also melancholy but it's some really tight storytelling in under 2 mins and manages to feel hopeful even though it's sad.

There is a lesbian side couple in Flirt Milk the series (airing now on iQIYI). This couple Noon and Praewa previously appeared as sides in Love Senior.

There is a new MV featuring a lesbian couple for the artist KnomJean on YouTube. This is one of those MVs that tells a story (TW for family violence) and after getting through the sad backstory, celebrates marriage equality in Thailand.

IdolFactory is re-running GAP the series on YouTube. If you've been putting off watching, now is a good time!

Speaking of re-runs, Yes Or No and the two sequel/spinoffs (Yes or No 2, and Yes or No 2.5) are all newly on GagaOOLala for streaming in some regions (I know for sure they're in North America, not sure about others)

Uranus2324 is starting to show up in particular places on the internet. I watched it and after all of the negative things I'd heard I actually liked it lol I'll see if I can write about it more this week

My suspected wlw sides in See Your Love ended up being implied only I was a little sad about this but at least I wasn't imagining the vibes.

Mom Ped Sawan is still airing but I still don't have a source for subs

Sastra film app YouTube channel has several short Cambodian GL series that come out weekly Honestly they are not to my taste but I don't like gatekeeping GL especially from smaller markets. I check in on these time to time and if there are any that I think are great I'll give them a shout-out

Ditto above with JPC media YouTube channel for Thai GL shorts if there are any that stand out to me I'll say so; that being said I haven't had time recently so if I've missed anything good let me know!

Starting soon:

Reverse With Me (sequel spinoff to Reverse 4 U), Thai, 5 Feb, iQIYI and Ch3+ app

Fragrance of the First Flower s2, Taiwanese, 18 February 2025, GagaOOLala ok this isn't that soon but I'm just so excited we're getting this second season after all!

As always, if I'm missing anything, please let me know!

[orenjijuice5999]

i had an idea about a hunger games oc where hes the district 12 male tribute for the 51st hunger games. Hes known in the seam for performing and writing songs about his life and his many failed relationships lol.

Anyways i have a bunch of miscellaneous scene ideas with him. One where hes on the train to the capital and Haymitch is having like a panic attack or sm and he just stares and is like damn im gonna be so mad if i make it out alive.

Another one is for his interview he sings a song about how people will think about him. which works because even after he dies in the arena the song he performed became rlly popular in the capital that they basically demanded for more of his work and started making essentially ai covers the capital citzens can listen too.

its basically like a commentary on the rise of artists not being treated as people and the art they created as more of a product rather than a labor of love. And also how even after death the tributes are still used as entertainment for the capital.

And i was also thinking how fucked it is for haymitch that he has to see one of the first people he sent to the hunger games still be used for entertainment even in death. So fun!!!

[xpastelsweetsx]

Okay so fun fact for IB theatre (a class I’m in) you write a 12 page proposal on how you would produce, design, block, and essentially execute an entire show and I was og gonna do cabaret but honestly… after everything that’s happened as of late with AI and SAG-aftra and such how would we feel abt a 12 page paper on a production of newsies set in modern times?? Like everything’s the same it’s just… now

[popbloganddropit]

The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift (Part 2)

9. Guilty as Sin? - you cheeky little minx, Taylor!!! I’m not sure she’s made me blush like this before! A song about…fantasizing outside of your relationship that sounds like the first day warm sun hits your skin after a long, cold winter. And I personally love a song with some good old fashioned yearning, so the bridge really takes it over the top for me. 5/5

Best Line: I really love a lot of lines here, but if “Drowning in the Blue Nile, he sent me ‘Downtown Lights’” is such a killer opener.

10. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?- this song is an insane, showstopping moment. Edgy, raging, biting, and even still a little witty - “So tell me everything is not about me. But what if it is?” WAOLOM strikes such a good balance of being self-aware of her image and faults with genuine anger. Being the biggest pop star doesn’t make everything just roll off your back. Perfect production that builds and escalates exactly as it needs to. 5/5

Best Line: “I was tame, I was gentle 'til the circus life made me mean. ‘Don't you worry, folks, we took out all her teeth’”

11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) - I really like the pseudo-western vibe going on and that lower register is always welcome in my books, but lyrically this doesn’t do a lot for me. It’s building to a punchline we all know is coming. She can’t fix him, shocking, and there’s not enough for me to root for the protagonist being delusional. Ending with just, “Whoa, maybe I can’t” is funny, but it’s not satisfying. If a common complaint is that this album is too long, this song doesn’t feel essential, story-wise. 2.5/5

Best Line: I said all of that, but I do really like the second verse, the best part being, “His hand so calloused from his pistol/Softly traces hearts on my face”.

12. loml- I had a really hard time picking a best line for this song. I almost made a list but decided that would be a little obnoxious. There’s references to her other work expertly weaved in to really great wordplay and metaphors and imagery. The development of the story in the three times you hear the chorus is stunningly good. It’s a pretty simple piano in the background with additional vocal layers right where they are needed for emphasis. There’s something a little bit missing from this song for me to give it a full 5, but I can’t quite put my finger on it and I also think loml really is a grower that’s not meant to be gobbled down in one bite. There’s a lot of lyrical details to be noticed and anything additional might take away from that. I vote this song most likely to be my favorite in 6 months that I don’t understand how it took so long to fully click. 4.5/5

Best Line: I had to do two, from the very beginning and end, that echo each other so it’s kind of like I only picked one then, right??? “Who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames if we know the steps anyway?” —-> “Our field of dreams, engulfed in fire. Your arson's match your somber eyes” Kill me (complimentary). The never before, never since turning into never before and ever since is also brilliant.

13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart - This song is great. There’s a long history of Miss Swift making bops tinged with depression and anxiety and this may be her most unhinged version yet. A celebration of putting on a brave face when you’re going through some shit. Chanted like a mantra she tells herself, we get a peek behind the curtain of reaching glittering professional peaks not seen in this generation while her personal life was crashing. But no one can ever say Taylor Swift is not a professional - I love the delivery on the outro where she laughs off being miserable and ends with a little spoken zinger. Try and come for her job, indeed. 5/5

Best Line: “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday everyday. I’m so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague,” tickles me so. This her comedy album. Inevitably going to go viral on Tik Tok at some point.

14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - An absolutely killer bridge. It builds the drama up until the very end. Unfortunately, the verses could use a little stronger melody, the first half of the song is a little forgettable and feels a little clunky. 3/5

Best Line: “You kicked out the stage lights, but you’re still performing” is a close runner up but had to go with the opening of the bridge. “Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?” is such a perfect escalation and so descriptive of a feeling without saying any feeling words.

15. The Alchemy- I really enjoy some parts of this song but I unfortunately have the desire to hire someone to dub over every single football reference so I can fully get into it. It’s too much, it’s too on the nose. I like the verses, I love the way she says, “I haven’t come around in so long,” and I think “who are we to fight the alchemy?” is a great line. There are just parts that feel like football Mad Libs in a way that makes this song pretty unlistenable to me. 1/5

Best Line: “This happens once every few lifetimes. These chemicals hit me like white wine”

16. Clara Bow - She’s known for writing about relationships and that has let the fact that songs about her relationship with fame are consistently top tier (despite being unrelatable to almost anyone since she is the most famous person on the planet) slip by mostly unnoticed. One of my favorite Taylor tricks is when she alters the lines a bit each go-round and/or flips the script in some way in the final chorus and this song is really an excellent combination of some of the best Taylor moves. I’m not going to pretend have known who Clara Bow was before this record, but it works and I don’t mind an album that makes me do a little Googling to understand some things. The Stevie Nicks reference is perfection. Saying her own name in a song really snaps you to attention. And I think this is a perfect album closer. She’s reckoning just as much with her own desire for notoriety and the consequences that go along with it as she is with former lovers, if you’re listening. 5/5

Best Line: “Crowd goes wild at her fingertip. Half moonshine, a full eclipse.” I’m not even sure I should include the first part. “Half moonshine, full eclipse” is one of my favorite things she’s ever written. (Side note as this is the most appropriate place to put it: the fucking personal poem from Stevie in the liner notes??? Stevie being a loud YOYO,K stan??? I weep at the coolness. Which is the opposite of cool and continuing to comment on it is even worse, sorry!)

Part 3 on the way!!!

[eedenuwu]

oc-tober | my first few days

hello tumbo ler. i am kinda doing oc-tober this year, kinda not. i know my schedule (busy, hectic, hell) but i also know i like to procrastinate (these 3 pieces have consumed time that would've been better used for homework).

so, i'm gonna jump into it... the other 2 drawings and more info will be below the cut

day 1 | favorite oc

ok so i started off strong here... by that i mean i started with day 1!!! (on october 5). this is my favorite ever. i have never really info dumped about this one on the internet before... was gonna use this as a time to start but then deleted what i just wrote LOLL all u gotta know is that bro is stunning witterawy just look. also this oc is from the 1920s/30s/40s... most of the story i've got in my head takes place in the 30s tho 😻

day 5 | redesigned oc

see this is what i mean. i skipped from day 1 to day 5.. but this is an oc i made when i was like 12 (WAY TOO CLOSE TO 10 YEARS AGO) and he was an angsty little bugger... it used to be the case that he was a witch living on his own in a village that, like, hates him or whatever. (because he's a witch.) the townsfolk like rip his tongue out or whatever and then he couldn't speak anymore but still ran like some sort of fruit stand at some sort of market. then like the love of his life moved in and he lived happily ever after. (not true, the love of his life was a BOY so i think they both got killed.)

and wow!!! that's a lot for a 12/13 year old. i came across an OLDDD google doc that had a little bit about this guy in it. the story, as anything written by a 12/13yo, made like. extremely little sense.

so i redesigned bro in about 2022ish. gave him a name, and he's still a witch. he's still missing a tongue. the differences now include that he's AFAB, has a little friend in his head only (pictured. he is cursed) and has a twin brother now. his twin brother works as a knight and like... captured him for an insane bounty. i also gave him a little bit of plot armor... he's some sort of telepath now so he's able to get by without a tongue. instead of straight up fantasy ville, i've been doing a little research into the middle ages to figure out a more, like, realistic setting... as realistic as including supernatural things can be but believe me the story is making a lot more sense now than it did in 2015.

day 3 | old oc

so i drew this today. yes these are in order of when i drew them...

anyway in terms of when i made this one, he's not THAT old. he's a product of my highschool mind and appeared on MANY assignments as doodles.. so he was like, essentially, born in about 2016/17, but i consider him old because i haven't so much as thought about him since like 2020, MAYBEEE early 2021.

this is also making me realize i have a thing for FREAKS. every one of these ocs has something about them that makes them "less than human;" this guy's deal is that he's like.. half fish..

it sounded really cool in 2017 you have to understand this was the vibe of the time

anyway he essentially got scrapped for no better reason than i was just getting bored. like, the story i was developing for bro ALSO took place in the 1920s (dude let me tell u. prohibition era america is actually my roman empire. genuinely in every sense of the real meaning of that trend) but it was diverging too far from reality and sort of becoming an atla knockoff toward the end of my thoughts for it... so then bro at the top was born (girl on day 1) in august 2021 and the rest for this guy was history. such is the damning reality of the creative.

anyway, that's all. i have no idea if i'll keep this up, but some of the prompts have genuinely given me ideas to cure my art block (I HAVE NOT DRAWN SINCE JULYYYYY) so i'm hoping to have time for more 🥲

[chiimeramanticore]

Part of the Band - Chapter 23 - Catch A Wave

Chapter summary: Dook and Beach Bear attempt to beat the heat at the beach. Beach Bear tells a story from his youth. Dook goes for a swim. A/N:

in the spirit of the chapter, here's a story from my youth as well lol, partially what inspired this chapter: when I was like 12 or so my family booked a Disney cruise. during one of our stops they were offering snorkeling and I decided to try. I dived very confidently into the water, perhaps too confidently, because I'd never done this before and have never been that great of a swimmer anyway lol. I almost immediately got water in my snorkel tube thing and started floundering in the like, 3 feet of water I was in. I was able to sit on the ground and be fine the whole time lmao but I thought I was gonna die from sucking up the tube water. I came back to shore all frustrated and scared and upset and wet, and found out that my mom and the instructor apparently thought I was doing a great job the whole time! they watched me dive in and he'd asked her if I had done this before because apparently my form was great lmao. meanwhile my dumb ass was like "this is how I die... write my will.." the whole time anyway TW for this chapter, an essentially scaled up version of this story takes place lol so if you aren't comfortable with descriptions of losing control underwater/the feeling of almost drowning, you may want to skip this one! it's almost entirely filler though so don't worry 👍

Chapter word count: 2,359 <- Chapter 22 - Chapter 24 -> Read it on AO3!

Dook groans in frustration as he moves the ice pack resting on his forehead down to his chest. He's laying on the couch, in his underwear, attempting to ride out the heat wave that's hit town. They have a tray of ice and a variety of fans to work with, but the little metal desk fan Dook has on the coffee table can only do so much to help him. If anything, it's just blowing around hot air…

"I hate summer," he complains out loud.

"Summer's not so bad," Beach Bear replies from his spot on the floor.

"Psh. Tell me that when you're not lyin' on the floor 'bout it." Dook sits up, and then stands, moving toward the kitchen to put his ice pack back in the freezer for a while.

"I can get up whenever I want," Beach Bear protests. "I handle the heat well."

"Weird," Dook mumbles to himself. He opens the freezer and continues, louder, "Ain't polar bears supposed to be livin' up north?"

"Maybe?" Beach Bear replies.

"You grew up in Alaska."

"That doesn't… necessarily mean anything," Beach Bear can't help but laugh a bit as he says it. Dook scoffs and moves his attention to the fridge. He pulls the door open, looking for something cold to eat or drink.

"Beach Bear?" Dook blinks, almost in disbelief at the sight. Sitting inside the fridge is a six-pack– something they've never had at home before. "Since when are we keepin' beer in the house?"

"Since, like, yesterday." Beach Bear finally sits up, catching Dook's eye. "Figured at some point we could head to the beach with it on an off day. Maybe try writing something there together if you're feeling productive."

Dook can't pull his eyes away from the fridge. For a moment, he forgets to speak. "Are… you sure?" He asks finally. It feels silly, almost asking for permission to drink this.

"Yeah, it'll be cooler by the water anyway," Beach Bear says.

"I–" Dook glances toward Beach Bear, then back at the fridge. It's best not to correct him. Guess the permission is up to Dook himself. "Yeah. Alright, let's go."

The drive to the beach is short and uneventful. Dook and Beach Bear waste no time laying a blanket out on the sand and pitching an umbrella, before finally laying down together. Dook reaches over to their cooler, pulling out two bottles and handing one to Beach Bear. He pulls a bottle opener from the cooler and pops the cap off his beer. He turns to Beach Bear– who's managed to open his bottle using the umbrella post. Impressed, yet a bit embarrassed at his own method, Dook takes a sip of his drink.

The beach isn't as crowded today as either expected, though it's still lively. Couples lounge together on towels and blankets, children play by the water, a few people stroll by with snacks and drinks of their own. The sun is strong, but Beach Bear was right, being by the water is cooling. It's better out here than it was at home.

"This ain't so bad," he muses.

"See?" Beach Bear says. "It's nice out!"

Dook chuckles, and takes another sip of his beer. A small group walks by, holding ice cream cones. "Man, ice cream sounds nice," he says.

"I didn't bring any money," Beach Bear replies, laying back on the blanket. He closes his eyes serenely.

Dook doesn't have any money, either. "Could steal it," he blurts, before catching himself. If that was an attempt to replicate Beach Bear's humor, he failed miserably.

Still, Beach Bear laughs. "Man, you wish," he says. "I'm not going back to jail."

Dook almost takes this as a joke. "You what?"

"Oh, I haven't told you?" Beach Bear opens an eye. "I got arrested once."

"Wh–" Dook's mind races through the possibilities. Was this during Beach Bear's time in the Wolf Pack? He had said he'd been made to do certain things… Beach Bear must be a hardened criminal, isn't he? "W- what did you do?" He asks meekly.

Beach Bear laughs again. "Don't get too excited. I just tried to steal from a liquor store, and uh… yeah, I wasn't good at it."

Dook turns his whole body to face Beach Bear now. Beach Bear takes his as an invitation to continue.

"It was a few years ago now," he says. "Back when the Wolf Pack was still a thing. We were trying to get our hands on some booze, and our usual guy was sick that week. I looked the oldest out of the rest of us, so they heckled me into trying. I was too scared of trying a fake ID or something– if I could, I wanted to avoid interacting with the guy at the counter at all. So I just sort of… sauntered in there, and tried to stuff a bottle of tequila in my backpack."

"Did it work?" Dook asks. He's completely enraptured by the story.

"No," Beach Bear replies. "I was, like, crouched behind a shelf trying to do it, but I dropped the bottle and it rolled out to where the guy could see it. I, ah…" he trails off, shame seeping into his voice a bit. "He came up to confront me, and the guys had, uh… They'd convinced me to keep a gun in my bag, too. Just in case."

"Did you shoot him?"

Beach Bear snorts. "God, no. I didn't know how to use a gun at all. I still don't, really. But I pulled it out of my bag when he got close, and of course it scared him. He called the cops right after, and it's not like I was gonna do anything to stop him. I was, like, eighteen, I was just as scared as he was!

"But, ah… yeah, I got arrested. The cops laughed at me, basically. I didn't go to prison or anything, but they kept me overnight in a cell in the precinct. The band bailed me out the next morning. Had to do community service for months…"

Dook chews his lower lip. "…I thought you were gonna shoot him," he mutters.

"Would you have rather I did?" Beach Bear asks incredulously.

"No!" Dook replies. "It's just– it's a more interesting story like that." He laughs bashfully, and Beach Bear laughs with him.

The two spend the better part of the next hour lounging under the umbrella together, chatting and working through their beer. Dook has three, and Beach Bear has two before letting the last bottle linger in the cooler. Over the next ten minutes, Dook finds himself glancing at it more and more frequently. Finally, he breaks– "Are you gonna have the last one? It's yours."

"Nah, you can take it," Beach Bear says, barely even looking at Dook as he speaks.

Dook feels he's once again been granted too much power in this situation. But Beach Bear doesn't realize… or maybe just doesn't care. Either way, Dook isn't going to argue. Even if he feels a sting of guilt opening the bottle.

Beach Bear sits up suddenly, squinting at the ocean.

"What's up?" Dook asks.

"The tide, I think," Beach Bear says. "I might grab my surfboard."

"Alright," Dook says. As much as he's been enjoying Beach Bear's company, he doesn't mind Beach Bear taking off for a while on his own.

Beach Bear eyes Dook. "…You ever tried surfing, Dook?" He asks.

Dook's eyes widen, and he turns to Beach Bear. "No?" He says warily.

"It's pretty fun," Beach Bear offers. "If you can stay on a good wave, it's pretty exhilarating. Almost, uh… almost like flying, actually. Or so I've heard."

Dook isn't sure how he feels about trying to surf, but at the sound of the word "flying," his ears perk up. It's almost embarrassing how easy it is to catch his interest with it.

"I can show you the ropes," Beach Bear tells him.

"…Okay," Dook relents. "I'll give it a shot."

·–—–·

Dook sits on Beach Bear's surfboard, alone on the ocean. He'd paddled out past the small waves at the front, like Beach Bear told him to. Now he waits… or at least, that's what he thinks he's supposed to do. He's not entirely sure. While Dook hadn't quite finished his fourth beer, he was still most of the way through by the time Beach Bear returned with his surfboard. As he sits here, he realizes it's hitting him now. It'll be fine, he tells himself– if only to quell the thought that he fucked up.

Still, sitting here now on the ocean is quite peaceful. He's away from the activity of the beach, the sounds of children playing only heard distantly from here. He glances toward land– everyone is smaller. Beach Bear stands with his feet in the water, hands on his hips as he watches Dook. Dook waves at him, unsure if he'll see from here. Beach Bear waves back. This relieves Dook a bit– he's not entirely alone out here.

The water remains calm. Dook looks up toward the sky. The sun is bright, and hard to look at for very long. There are only a few clouds out today. A flock of birds fly over the water, close to land. Dook finds himself fixated on them, watching them pass him by. He wonders, briefly, what it would be like to be a bird. Would somehow reverting to the mental and physical capacities of a feral animal rid him of his problems? Maybe, he figures, but not without replacing them with new, bird-specific problems. Maybe life is simply equal like that.

He's pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Beach Bear's voice, calling him from the shore. He looks in his direction, but Dook can't tell what Beach Bear's saying. Beach Bear waves an arm above his head, shouting about… something. Is he saying "hey?" "Okay?" Dook furrows his brow, and then calls back, "What!?"

Beach Bear calls back, and though it's still quiet, Dook understands this better: "Behind you!"

Dook is still confused. He's alone out here, what could possibly be behind him? He turns, just in time to see what seems like the entirety of the ocean, poised to crash down on top of him. He should start paddling, or stand up, or whatever it was Beach Bear told him to do next– it doesn't matter now. He only has a moment to react, and the fear and alcohol combine to paralyze him. All Dook manages to do in the split second he has is vocalize what Beach Bear must have been saying– "Wave…!"

The water is cold, and heavy. Dook is quickly pushed under the surface, and just as quickly loses the surfboard. He's spinning, he's sinking, he's frantic– he can't orient himself. He can't find the surface. He's too afraid to open his eyes underwater. He doesn't know how to swim well enough to get back to shore, and he knows it. He's not even sober.

Dook's head pops up above the water, and he gasps and coughs for air. Everything's wet and bright and cold and overwhelming… he can't make any sense of anything, but it barely matters. He only gets a second or two of air before sinking back under the water.

He thrashes around, trying to reach the surface again. He makes it, but again only for a moment. Where's the surfboard? Beach Bear is going to kill him. He's going to drown. How far is he from land? He's going to drown. He breaches the surface again, and is frustrated to find he's facing away from shore. He can't find the surfboard. His head goes back underwater.

Dook's foot brushes against something– a rock? Is he near land? How far is he? Can he make it back on his own? He tries to reach the surface again, but another wave lands on the surface and he's just as quickly disoriented again. It couldn't have been more than a minute like this, but Dook feels like it'll last an eternity, until the ocean pulls him under for good.

And then something wraps around his torso from behind. Dook panics at first, and tries to break away from the grasp, before he realizes he's being pulled toward the surface. He feels air on his face, cold but full of life. He gulps the air down, filling his lungs as much as he can. The grip around him is strong and tight, but it's soft to the touch. He looks down– white fur.

"B– Beach Bear," he gasps.

Beach Bear doesn't say anything, just starts pulling Dook back toward land. It's not perfect– Dook gets a few more mouthfuls of water– but he deserves it, he supposes. He deserved all of it.

Finally, they approach the shore. Dook feels rocks and sand under his feet, and Beach Bear lets go of him. Dook doesn't make any effort to stand. He just falls to his knees in the shallow water, gaze low.

"…Beach Bear," he says.

"Are you alright?" Beach Bear asks.

"Beach Bear," Dook repeats, a little tenser now.

Beach Bear says nothing, letting him continue.

"…Don't… don't make me do that again," Dook says, his voice shaking a little as he speaks.

Beach Bear watches him for a moment before sitting down in the water next to him. "…I won't," he says.

Dook feels awful. He lost the surfboard. He made Beach Bear come out to save him. None of this would have ever happened if he was sober. It feels like all he can do is make things worse.

"I'm sorry," he says– at the same time Beach Bear says it.

Dook is surprised, but doesn't say anything. He doesn't even look at Beach Bear. Beach Bear doesn't look at him, either. Dook distantly wishes he really had drowned. It couldn't be worse than the way he's drowning in his own shame now. Maybe Beach Bear feels similarly. Maybe Beach Bear's just pissed at him. But he doesn't ask, and Beach Bear doesn't either. Neither say a word at all.

[hackedmotionsensors]

dude as a big girl i already hated Torrid bc i don't want to wear a big ugly cheaply made blouse with an ugly floral or an ugly band logo. Or a big ugly dress that doesn't fit bc I'm also short. They're so over priced for actual garbage.

EXCEPT THEY HAD O N E thing that was really good. Their black leggings were great. Thick fabric. Lasted forever. Didn't pill on the thighs. Rarely ripped (for me at least). I had some of these leggings for YEARS and i exclusively wear leggings (sometimes shorts but not from torrid lol)

And they managed to fuck that up too. At some point they changed how they made them and the quality is so FUCKING bad. I replaced a pair (the ones with the holes and fishnets) bc my pair finally ripped on the butt but i had it for like 5 years. I also replaced a regular schmegular pair of black leggings. The site doesn't help when there's 12 different names for essentially the same product. But i wasn't even ordering ones with pockets lol and they came with pockets but the stitching is visible on the outside. Like I'm sorry to the poor sweatshop worker this is not your fault fast fashion is this crap and it was probably one of a billion you were making for pennies. I do not fault you at all. But i fucking fault Torrid bc if you're gonna give me shitty fucking leggings don't charge me THIRTY AMERICAN DOLLARS for this.

I'm gonna look elsewhere from now on buti hate trying to find good regular black leggings that don't roll or rip or pill. The pilling is the worst.

The LAST time i bought leggings from torrid i bought the premium ones and that has a huge rip on the eye bc i put my finger through it doing something as crazy as PUTTING THEM ON. And the waist kept sliding down.

THE ONE THING Torrid was good for was the leggings. So now they're good for absolutely nothing. If I'm gonna wear shitty leggings i can just go to target for fucks sake

[allthefakepeople]

Writing tag game!

Thanks for the tag @saynomorefic

1.How many works do you have on AO3?

22

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

124,451

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Young Royals and Willow (2022) however I want to write some stuff for Dead Boy Detectives and maybe Thamepo (if the inspiration strikes)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

so give me your two lips and i'll shut up

5+1 of wille wanting to kiss simon essentially

you're the cats meow

wille and simon falling in love while working at an animal shelter

you spin my head right round

wille and simon play spin-the-bottle

Put your lips close to mine (as long as they don't touch)

Jade and Kit actually kiss in episode 5

What if I told you I'm a Mastermind (and now your mine)

Essentially a tanthamore college au.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Honestly most of my fics have a hopeful ending at least but maybe

i haven't laughed like this in a long time ??

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably you're the cats meow, a very sweet, cliche ending

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i haven't really but i have gotten a handful of "constructive criticism" comments

9. Do you write smut?

I haven't but i wouldn't count it out

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not at this point

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! I co-wrote What if I'm a Mastermind (and now your mine) with @theanarik and it was SO fun and Those Rumors They Have Big Teeth was a project that I began with @guzzlingplastic and @isabrella-ish but is now a product of their incredible brains

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

hmmm i'm not sure i don't have anything that i would consider enough to be a wip at the moment

15. What are your writing strengths?

i think my descriptions and the way i describe emotions ??

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

the grammar and general cleanness i'd say

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i'm always worried it will a disservice so i don't do it very often but if i was more confident i would definitely do it more often

18. First fandom you wrote for?

oh gosh probably 1D or even more niche IM5 (specifically Dalton Rapattoni)

19. Favorite fic you’ve written?

i do really think so give me your two lips and i'll shut up is worthy of being my favorite but i also really loved the end product of Keep it, it looks better on you

this was fun!

not sure who HASN'T done this yet so only a few people i'm gonna tag (and obviously never any pressure) @theanarik @spybrarian @guzzlingplastic

[ctcaptaincorgi]

Chapter 10-12

Karrde put in all this effort to make a secret group to learn more about where the clones production is, and Thrawn knows about it. And knows exactly what all the attendees are going to do thanks to Niles Ferrier (which I spent way too long looking up how to spell his name). Ferrier got real almost died though when he told Thrawn about how he got an imp start cruiser to attack and kill one of the attending smugglers' vessel. Thrawn was indeed right about how such an attack would result.

In other news, Thrawn is still very much in everyone's heads. Especially one guy who essentially acts like Thrawn is precognitive, and therefore believes Mara is really behind the imps getting in the building.

I once more really like Mara and Leia's conversation. Mara shows some humanity and goodness in admitting her discomfort at the thought of Jaina and Jacen being taken from their parents, regardless of how she feels about their uncle. She is, however, annoyed when Leia makes the connection that Mara might feel that way because of the admittedly high likelihood that Mara was kidnapped as a child to be given to the emperor. Mara then finds out that she's been completely left out of the loop because she had no idea about the clone situation. But she does actually know about Wayland and tells Leia what it is.

Problem? That planet isn't on any astrogation chart, Luke hears about some of it, and you'll never guess what he suggests? He and Mara go to Wayland alone to learn what they can. Han and Leia both hate that idea, so Han and Lando decide to go with Luke even if Luke believes that he and Mara would be capable of doing it by themselves. Chewie is in a distressing pickle though. He's got a life debt that extends to four people, and he'd feel terrible leaving any of them alone. Leia and the twins are still being hunted by the Empire, and Han is about to put himself actively in danger. There's just no winning. Luke has an idea to resolve the issue. What is it? I have no idea, I just know Han doesn't like the idea, but Leia and Chewie agree that it would work. Because I'm listening to an audiobook, I'm honestly not sure if I don't know because I accidentally skipped ahead 30 seconds, or of its because it was genuinely never said in that chapter. I'm sure to figure it out eventually though.

Anyway, I'm excited for the jail break they're gonna pull to get Mara out.

[lehhoh7822]

asking about the legally blonde fics 🙄 (JOKING i actually really want to hear about them. please?)

THANK YOU its not letting me add a cut guys..... i would if i could..... long post??

alright hi i write legally blonde fanfics after being involved in a production of it earlier this year and. well.

like i think my fanfic is very ehhhh for most people because i like essentially getting to write completely different songs and then having to integrate them into canon if that makes sense?? based solely off the musical, like, none of pilar margot serena really have ANY established backstory and i havent seen the movie or read the book in such a long time. so what i mean is that i get to write this horrifying piece about someone experiencing parentifcation in an abusive environment and then try to integrate that character into the more canonised characterisation.

i guess the reason is like. of musicals, legally blonde is very.... i don't know, its pretty solid in terms of content for the musical. its absurd like most musicals which kind of facilitated me and my friend (im gonna @ their dead blog from when they were like 12 @kittykatturtles-blog) to make crack theories and then give me things that i wanted to extrapolate from it. I guess the other thing about these fics is that i want to write about how. fucked a lot of rich people are. i think part of this is coming out of the dsmp fandom or engaging with it more critically in terms of a fandom and being able to recognise the kind of repetitiveness of a lot of fanfictions in a very... trope esque way? like there are so many fics which are basically the same and a lot of those feel like they didn't have anything to say or think about in terms of the characters.

i think the other part of it which matters to me is being able to write about themes which are genuinely really serious, and at times intimately familiar to me; exploitative religious groups, familial abuse, dissociative identity disorder, and more, without the worry of too heavy scruntiny. like i remember when i was writing for dsmp i always got kind of scared of writing something too serious and having people like like. oh my god. hes a MINOR. YOURE KILLING ME. the whole point of the stories aren't just that bad things are happening or that these characters are justified or whatever, it's about. how do you keep going? how do you keep loving? how do you explain yourself.

i think something thats super important to be is character autonomy. it rings pretty bad for me when a traumatised or disabled is given no action on their end at all for anything, making them a hollow slate for the abled characters to support and research and worry about and lie to. to me, as someone who is traumatised and is disabled, that kind of dynamic is gross to read about. so its important to me to be able to write about, even if it cant exist in real life, the idea of supportive people who are also kind of fucked up and having to acknowledge the real hopelessness of complex issues is something i want to depict in my writing.

for a lot of people, for most i think, when terrible things happen they can't just stop and they somehow have to keep on going despite the world feeling like its stopped turning for them. and i think a lot of bad things do happen to people when they are still young. one of the worst years of my life was when i was 12 and its genuinely quite hard to top it. trying to write the spiky complex feelings of self hatred and confusion and injustice you can't place and hopelessness is cathartic to me and i think its important for me that it exists.

the other thing is that. like by the nature of my writing, this is leading to a better future. im a pretty slow writer, and i can't be hyperfixated on the story i need to just be continually trying to think and work on it. but because we know; we know they make it to college, we know they have friends, and in this i know that they can make it to adulthood, its an assertion, from me as a writer and from me as a traumatised disabled person that i will make a better future and the worst parts of your life will not definte them. idk.

this is the link to the first two fics and im writing a new one as we speak

if you want to hear more about ttolt characters (we have pilar, serena, margot, elle, serenas parents and brother, pilars infinite fucking siblings and parents, and a few others) then send me asks about it. PLEASE dear god

[caviarkitty]

’Tis the season to be jolly! But it doesn’t really stop there for many of us. If you study in the southern hemisphere, you knpw that December doesn’t mean solely fairy lights, hot cocoa and ice skating dates, it also means spending hours in your local cafe trying to make an Americano last six hours (honestly, why study in a silent library surrounded by stressed out students when you could be sitting in a warm coffee shop, stimulated by the barista’s never-ending jazz playlist and the flux of people coming and going?) and dodging questions such as “How are your preparations for the session going?”, or my favourite “Have you started reading the syllabus yet?”.

Honestly, depending on how you take things in life, December can be as fun as it can be depressing. I’m a Libra, and throughout my whole life I’ve learned that a bit of compromise goes a long way, and this is the month where I can really put my theories to the test. that’s why my first essential of the month is…

1. Advent Calendar

It might sound silly, but having a Christmas Advent not only is an excuse to treat yourself every day, as it also is a form of keeping track of your control over yourself. Sure, watching influencers open a christmas advent a day can be fun, the sadistic pleasure in finding out that the person who payed over €500 for a Chanel calendar is only getting a bunch of stickers and products which are barely worth being displayed in a duty free store is hard to beat, but stick with me on this one!

It’s easy to purposely forget to study, drink one too many festive cocktails, and let all the holiday discounts be a reason for you to splurge on things you wouldn’t otherwise have bought just as it’s easy to eat all the 24 chocolate truffles in one go… But not doing it is just as easy, and, I guess, a good reminder that balance is the best treat on the long run.

I genuinely HATE mini products, so I won’t be reccomending any beauty advents, sorry. I know it may feel too late to get your own, but it’s NEVER too late.

1. Venchi Prestige Calendar

2. Marchesi Calendario Dell’Avvento

3. Cailler 200g Calendar

4. Bonne Maman Jam Advent Calendar

5. Vosges haut chocolaterie Calendar

6. Torroneria Cioccolateria D. Barbero

7. Antico Caffè Novecento

8. Any of the Lindt ones… classics for a reason

2. Movie Marathon

Maybe it’s the cold, maybe it’s the desire to procrastinate, BUT my will to watch movies skyrockets during this time of the year. There is a ridiculous amount of awful films sets in this time of the year, but if you look you can find some amazing classics that are just UNSKIPPABLE. From the jolly to the perverse, here’s my official Twelve Films of Christmas

1. Eloise at Christmastime

2. The apartment

3. Holiday

4. Eyes wide Shut

5. The shop around the corner

6. White Christmas

7. Black Christmas

8. Meet me in St. Louis

9. Fanny & alexander

10. The Thin Man

11. Metropolitan

12. Spencer

3. Go all out

Whether you want to go out or simply go all out even when you’re staying in is up to you, BUT a crucial thing to my is ending the year with a BANG. Now, I’m not exactly a clubber, but I’m a big enjoyer of fun wherever and whenever, and I can’t go more than a day without having fun with my friends this time of the year. This means random aperitivo nights after leaving six hour lectures, day trips to random cities, and lotsa dinner parties. I know I’ve probably exausted everyojne with lists, but I’m gonna write yet another one, hopefully short this time, of a few activities sprinkle through your weeks, hopefully to inspire some strenght and to end the year on a sweet note.

1. Moodboard night: With the New Year right around the corner, it’s crucial to set your goals straight… and what better way than doing it with friends? Look, I personally don’t think someone should set their vision board on stone, you don’t need to stick to the things you decided to do on a random night for the rest of the year, I personally end up taking a month to write down things to help me understand my own goals and objectives, both personal and professional/ academic… But it’s so nice to talk about all of your prospectives with your friends and loved ones, wonder about the potential that the new year can bring does no harm. If you really feel like this type of thing is too personal, then I’d say you could organize an “Unrealistic Wishlist” board day, when owning a Himalaya Hermes Kelly is a totally achiavable thing! Granted, I’m a tad materialistic, but I just adore learning more about my friends through their materialistic goals, with the right outlook it can be really revealing. Plus, I’m a huge fan of arts and crafts, and I’ll take any excuse I have to do it.

2. Charcuterie dinner: One of my biggest no-nos is showing up empty handed to any dinner, maybe it’s a Brazilian thing, but I’ve never done it and don’t plan on ever doing it. With a charcuterie dinner, I have an excuse to do it! I love charcuterie dinners more than anything in the world, cheese, wine, fruits and salami… no better combination. Not to mention that it’s practically like a live personality quiz for you and your friends, as nothing is more telling of a person’s character than their cheese preference.

3. Christmas shopping afternoon: Preferably to be done with a guy to use as your own bag carrier. Whenever I need to go somewhere or do something, I like to call other people up just in case, and although I love some peace of mind to think clearly when I need to buy presents for myself, when my consumerism is altruistic I love to have someone around to give me second opinions and spare my shoulders of all the extra weight!

4. Homemade decoration and dinner: I currently don’t have an apartment of my own to decorate, but other people’s serve me just as well. One of my favorite activities has been going to my friends’ homes to arrange garlands, make dried orange slices decor and even help to carefully distribute tinsel on the christmas tree. What is a chore to some is fun to others, with the right playlist and conversation specially. Afterwards it’s crucial to have a dinner party as a treat, no decoration shall be wasted!

To Discover

I feel like my consumerism is reaching an all time high right now, and I feel like I might as well share some of my current favourite discoveries with you guys. There’s nothing better than giving (and getting!) gifts from one of a kind stores, and so, I’ve made a little list of places that are definitely worth checking out:

1. Nesines: It’s a brand from barcelona that sells just the coolest shirts. I’ve just gotten one from them and I’m obsessed with the fit, the colors and the model. The quality is amaxzing, and I love that fact that their products have amazing compositions, no polyester around here! If you want a top that can elevate any pair of jeans, look nowhere else!

2. Maria de la Orden: I have to give credit where it’s due… this brand wasn’t on my radar before my mom showed it to me . Colorful velvet can definitely brighten up even the dullest winter days, especially when it’s presented in such unique shapes. Honestly their jackets are to die for, as are their headbands.

3. The obedient Daughter: came across this brand thanks to a kind destiny and now I’m absolutely OBSESSED with their curation of books and clothing. A gorgeous presentation of products that are unique but timeless… I simply NEED their Diana skirt.

4. MC2 Saint Barth: Okay not really a discovery, but THE place we should all be looking at for a perfect tongue in cheek aprés ski sweater. Ngl, I’m giving each of my siblings a sweater this christmas, and although I KNOW it might be an overdone gift, it’s a classic for a reason. And I myself know my sister would never not appreciate the opportunity to walk around Cervinia with a hot pink sweater that says “FAVOLOSA”

5. Bella Freud: Again, not a discovery, but worth a mention just because this was the month when I truly explored the brand’s full potential. Everyone knows their gorgeous sweaters with the best quotes (Godard IS GOD!), but I’m currently obsessed with their candles, ceramics and overall home accessories. Can someone please give me their Cunty mug? Please?)

To be worn

Sunglasses: I’m a guilty “occhiali da nebbia” wearer, much to my friends’ dismay. Though some may think it can be a bit bizzarre to wear sunglasses out on days when the sun doesn’t seem to get any high, I don’t have any shame in looking (or at least feeling) cool no matter the weather … My current go tos are the Dior Palladium (if you get it to wear in Venice it’s even better, that way, if anyone asks, you can say you’re paying your respects for Andre Palladio’s influential architecture)

Fur trimmed everything: Okay maybe i’ve been watching one too many episodes of friends, and letting the 90s influence a bit too much over my style, but recently I’ve been obsessed with fur trimmed coats. Long or short, black or camel, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t bite when everyone was going crazy over that green trench back in 2020, but now it’s different! A classic cut with a bit of fun fur will never go out of style in my eyes.

Barretes: Okay I think barretes are not an addition to my blog, I’ve probably been proudly posting about being a proud barrette wearer since 2020, but now I’ve actually been converted, and went from being a strictly tortoiseshell hair accessories wearer to a the brighter the better one. The one thing to blame is none other than the city of Copenhagen, where I discovered Maanesten and Pico, and FEASTED.

Herbag: Taking to “To Be” oof this section a bit too literally, and even a bit too hopefully. Not only do I absolutely love the fact that it reminds me a bit of the Kelly, I also love its overall practicality, everyone I know that has it rages on and on about its endless perks. While the fact that its body is made out of canvas rather than the famous traditional Hermes leather might be a turn off to some but to me it’s just perfect, principally because I’ve been planning on getting it to use it as a school bag and I’ve had the misfortune to have once tried to carry a leather bag around all day just to practically destroy it in one day.

Scarves and Pashminas: Winter is the season when I really can’t seem to escape all black outfits, but wearing a beautifully textured pashmina ALWAYS is a game changer for me. I feel like every city in the world has a Tibet store packed with the most varied options of material, print and density, I know Milan has an incredible one (although the Paris Tibet Forever on Le Marais will always take the cake).

[theglasscat]

What are your fav ASMR channels? And/or your fav triggers?

Yaaasss I'm gonna go off

Angelica (angelicasgrass) aka The Plague Nun is my all time fave but she doesn't give me ASMR triggers necessarily. I like how her work is almost a drag performance of the ASMR medium.

The first channel I ever caught onto was ALB in Whisperland, but since she doesn't do my triggers as often I don't often listen, but her work is very polished and well made.

For crisp streamlined sounds I enjoy ASMR Midnight, Be Brave Be You ASMR, Lizi ASMR, and Rea Moon ASMR. gnarlyasmr has had some really nice makeup videos I've enjoyed recently. FreddieASMR is intensely tingly for me, a lesbian, and I can't imagine what his voice does to people who are attracted to him. ATMOSPHERE ASMR is soooo good and the productions are incredible. Her harpy video and Victorian series are so good.

I really like lofi and old school ASMR, like made in Photobooth or on a laptop webcam asmr. My faves are when someone sits in their bedroom and there's cars outside and the audio is a little janky. I've seen a lot of ASMRtists go from this to the big time and I often drop off my following when this happens. Ocean ASMR when she posted from her teen bathroom and Laura Lemurex were ones where I used to follow consistently until they became really streamlined. I like to type in "makeup roleplay asmr" and hit the "this week" filter to find grainy and unpolished ASMR sounds from channels with like 10 views. I channel hop a lot and click on interesting looking links from the recommendations page.

My triggers are face brushing, makeup roleplays personal attention, face touching or examining, drawing sounds, hair brushing, and hair washing puts me right to sleep (I'm so touch starved 75% of the time lol). I like touching the camera sounds as well. I dislike whispers and unintelligible mumbles, and prefer clear soft spoken work. I despise wet mouth sounds. Fluttering does nothing for me nor does vocally mimicking the sound of the brush with mouth clicking.

Here's a protip: If the woman in the thumbnail is wearing gloss the sounds will be heavy on the wet (chances are she even reapply that gloss 9-10 times) and if she's wearing matte lipstick or no lipstick it will be crispier sounds. Does this make sense?

Honorable mentions: Scottish Blueberry's Saturday makeup roleplays, Jonie ASMR's long videos, Slumber Space ASMR's WLW videos (I have a crush), Goodnight Moon's Babblebrook series, Soft Spoken Makeup Artist Roleplay by QueenofSerene ASMR (12 Years Ago), Superfly and her sister doing makeup on each other, this one where a girl in her room witnesses a car accident off camera and at the end you hear the sirens I cannot find it it is lost to time, an exquisite Worst Reviewed Makeup Artist Roleplay where the woman spends chunks of time gossiping in another language with her neighbor slightly to the left of frame (the artist said that would be her only ASMR video), You Did a Great Job Today's makeup on screen pieces, and of course the Bee Movie extravaganza which is essentially a catalogue of every mainstream ASMRtist in the last 10 years if you need a fun place to start.

[hydralisk98]

Shoshone Hymns (0x10/?) - WIP mess

Preface

Gonna recap on the whole project before I go forth with new articles, as to distill the "nucleus" of my speculative paracosm soon.

To include: Sensory details, "unique pitch selling points", unique cultural practices & traditions, linguistical differences, historical divergences, personalities & relationship dynamics, speculative evolution sapient species, history, lore, major events, myths, legends, technologies, magicks;

So, what really is this "16^12"?

It is a speculative campaign setting and desired reality "shifting framework" to immerse oneself onto as a long-term destination. Essentially a comfy yet nuanced realm with a vastly long diverging history & soft warm natural optimistic dark feel.

Keywords

Soft

Warm

Natural

Dark yet bright

Harmony

Innovation

Optimism

Curiosity

Empowerment

Wholesome

Mysticism

Spirituality

Empathy

AGI Integration

Android rights

Deliberate positivity

Communal

Solarpunk / Lunarpunk

Rollerwave

Groovy

Retro

Old-School

Bronze Age

Y2K (early 2000s)

Tooncore

Laborwave

Neu-Vectorheart

Cassette Futurism

Art Deco

Bauhaus

Art Nouveau

Funk

Cyberware

Biomods

Transformations

Morphological freedoms

Gratis, Libre, Open Source Software... aka GLOSS

Automaton liberties

Knowledge

Progress

Systemic Change

Euphoria

Mundane Slice-of-Life joys

Far far away future as promised to us

Syndicalism

Georgism

Ecology

Embracing life and getting out of mere Escapism & Nihilism

Nuclear Armageddon Threats

Political Intrigues

Bookstore

Prosperity

Chronokinesis

True Polymorph

Synthetic-tier Androids

Educational Prowesses

Photographic Memory

Retrocognition

Polyglot

Intertextuality

History Doctorate

Cycle of Life

Entropy

Coming of Age

Constructing your own meaning even in Darkness

Escalation of Power

Vigilante

Self-Control

Worldly Understanding

Enlightened Despotism

Open Source-y Treescape Iterative Evolution

Copyleft

Index card catalogs

Better Handling of Hispanic Flu

Progressives

Unionist (Democrats+Republicans) Party failing

Public Domain

GNU Hurd earlier (later 80s)

OpenXanadu Protocol

Justice

Queer Acceptance & Integration

Samoan Tech Reverse-Engineering Market

Polish Computing Sovereignty remains and flourishes thanks to ICL & Jacek Karpinski

Failure of centralized social media networks in favor of indie decentralized "federations"

2000s pandemic instead of 2020s

Religious and spiritual researchers harmonize

Data Privacy

Governance Transparency

Black Pyramids HyperMall

Conversation Pits

Mainframe Rooms

Parliament / Senate

Judicial Courtroom

Public Place

Natural Park Preserves

Arcade

Discoteques

Tramway / Subway / Monorailways

Offices

Assembly Floors

French Toasts, Pancakes, Pork

Cafe

Public Library Archives

VLSI College tech classes

University art classes

Autistic meta-patterns

Jin-Roh The Wolf Brigade

Helluva Boss

Wolfenstein The New Order

Wakfu

Jet Set Radio

No Baby-Boomers Managerial Class Overthrow

Video rental stores

Robotic soldiers likewise to Wolfenstein The New Order's

Extended Zodiac Calendar-based generators

Divinely-order beings walking among the living and the dead

Key historically-significant nine USPs

Lisp persisting as a major language family in the tech industry leading to women building several AGI "summers" iterating on top of each other harmoniously... (leading to the android servants of my constructed world, which is one among the many major features derived from such a "liberal" alternate historical pathway)

Why-s for Production

Showcasing pseudo-historical data in a GLOSS manner, stimulating imagination creativity & motivation among Zillenials, intrigue people into research deep dives on history, mostly for personal enjoyment & enhancing my multimedia skillset;

Whys for Target Audience (mid 90s - earlier 2000s youth aka Zillenials)

Motivation, empowerment & plain comfort through curiosity. Also because it shows & explains how to do plenty of creative adulthood things better.

Ideadump 2

4525, Maskoch, "Ava, Klara, Shoshona", Seventies RetroFuturism Residence, Habitable Minivan, Cloven Hoof Shoes, Black Matte Lipstick, Spiral Black Balls, Fem ISO Symbol, #RedInstead Aspie Culture, Conlangs, Ocean of Clades, Second Person Perspective Meta, Pattern Recognition, Poetic Lisp life scriptures, RISC-V+OpenPOWER, KDE Plasma + Liquid, LOT tape storage archivals, hypervisor, Asahi Linux on M3 iMacs, responsive hypertext realm, HTML5+CSS3-only text addventure, rio/acme/p9-2000 userland, yesterweb sites, desktop paracosm simulations through filesystem documents, RTTY / printing radio terminals, VideoTex/Telex Minitel-esque services, "Valenz, Kira, Sina", SVG toon vector virtual web pages, imagination microcosms, miniature dollhouses, animation rigged puppets, VTuber tokens & TTRPG scenes, InfoAddict, Toymaker, Witch, Thinktank, PDP-8/e – DECmate III+, "JusticeKeggan", byzantine soviet-level intrigues, "SAOpatra", "FierceFawlanx", "TheodEnchanter"… ;

[centrally-unplanned]

Let's post some of the cool stuff I learned from reviewing the FLCL Initial Proposals and Draft Story Outlines! Some big thoughts to start:

As is mentioned in other sources (Like FLCLick Noise) and implicitly confirmed in the draft material, FLCL was always going to have 3 'main' girls; its essentially a marketing decision, more girls = more sellable appeal, and while its no rule or anything having just 2 doesn't really let a product cover its 'type' bases in the 90's anime world. However, as FLCL was conceived in the initial drafts, Haruko and Mamimi were there right from the beginning but there was no third girl. Ninamori is added later, in the second version of the "New Anime Proposal", her name scrawled in hand-written on the otherwise typed document:

The first version of this document is from March 31st, 1999 (the revisions are undated) - and production would start soon after. It is probably part of why Ninamori's role is much smaller than Mamimi and Haruko's, as it was not originally her story. Though funnily enough you might not have known that from the marketing; in the three Newtype spreads that appeared in the lead up to the show’s release in April of 2000, Ninamori got a full one to herself:

(Interestingly, in the pre-release marketing it seems like Mamimi gets the most focus; I am only guessing but I imagine that has a bit to do with the fact that in the early drafts her role was a little more equal to Haruko’s, and only faded a little as the production went on)

Anyway, all of the characters of FLCL changed over the course of its conception, as one would expect. This isn’t in the FLCL initial notes & proposal, but from the 2005 “Gainax Interviews” book Tsurumaki discusses how he “pitched” the idea of Haruko, and described her as like the character Kuzuhara from the 1997 sex & shock comedy manga Enomoto.

Kuzuhara is cold, stern, bossy, and also a closeted dominatrix because of course she is. But that..isn’t like Haruko at all is it? You see the elements, sure, Haruko is bossy and aggressively sexual, but she is an emotional chaos gremlin and would never be caught dead in the dark, formal attire of Kuzuhara. Haruko started here, but by no means did she end here.

[I am aiming to acquire a copy of this book, will see if it has more details on this thread]

Also a cool note, since Enomoto has absolutely no presence in the west, there is a tiny chance you saw Kuzuhara in a random omake new years comic Fujimoto drew for Chainsaw Man:

Which is quite amusing to me given that Fujimoto once described Chainsaw Man as "a wicked version of FLCL" - FLCL fans are absolutely a Type of Guy.

But back to FLCL - Haruko moved past Kuzuhara, but Tsurumaki didn’t - buried in the “Ideas” section of the March 1999 New Anime Proposal is this bullet point:

Part-timer girl at the bakery. Pretty girl with glasses. But a Kuzuhara-san (the Enomoto character). Private life is a mystery.

This isn’t Haruko, Haruko is named at this point in development. It's an idea for a “third girl”, this one an adult (the English doesn’t reflect that, but the Japanese makes that clear) modeled after the same character. It is also from a time when Ninamori didn’t yet exist in the story; this is from the first version, before she was written in.

While Haruko does not share a lot of traits with Kuzuhara, Ninamori actually kindof does? Not the dominatrix side obviously, but FLCL just isn’t that kind of story, that wasn’t gonna carry over. She is bossy, cold, reserved, but with that kuudere-style ‘secret affectionate’ side. Plus, “wearing glasses” was one of Ninamori’s earliest aesthetic traits and her whole theme, and this is the first mention of a glasses girl in the concept notes.

Ninamori is certainly not this girl (she is a 12 year old classmate, for one), but I think this is a proto-Ninamori in the story role sense - a sign of experimentation around the “third girl” concept. Tsurumaki clearly liked Kuzuhara, wanted to preserve Haruko’s initial influence somewhere, and so tried to fit her in here. And while not too much of it did survive in the end, enough came out in Ninamori that you can draw a line from Kuzuhara through the bakery girl to her.

Which is, uh, cool, I think that's neat. Hope you did too!