#the level of exposure with this hehe

[filurig]

a guy ive had in mind for a whileee its a crime i havent actually made an oc of my faeries yet so this guy!! this guy is actually the faerie that provides folke with funky fantasy hrt. more on them (and a bit about faeries) under the cut...

krillimir, or as they're known to many non-faeries, (spider's web) glasswing, is a rather newly adult faerie, having emerged about 3 years ago from their pupae. a bit of a free spirit in comparison to other faeries, they hail from the Hemarikkit Till colony to the south of vätterunda, perhaps the largest colony in the area with its main structures occupying a sunlit forest grove. due to the size and relatively stable nature of the colony, there was not a lot of pressure/demand on newly emerged faeries to take up a specific role, and krillimir preferred to keep their options open and thus chose to identify as a generalist.

generalist faeries can kind of take on less specific work than other faerie genders usually do, and especially work which involves collaboration with other species, and curious about the world outside of the colony, krillimir applied to be a participant in the colony's medical program - basically all faerie colonies have a medical program which involves a collaboration with the area's local tomtar, who will provide them with illusory magic to maintain their settlements and keep them hidden/protected. in return, the faeries offer their faerie dust, which can be finely tuned to affect an organism's hormone levels (as well as some other biochemicals) - this of course can be used to treat certain conditions, or as a way to alleviate pain, etc.

gullmar, who is folke's "tomte uncle" in a way, ended up visiting the Hemarikkit Till colony in search of a faerie that could help with folke's Trans Gender Blues (aka: provide him with hrt, after gullmar realised that folke was trans) and the freshly emerged krillimir would be assigned to him. due to the nature of the assignment, krillimir would just be permanently assigned to gullmar and comes by the granholm residence once every few months to readjust folke's hormone levels to the proper ones when the T levels start to fall off. while gullmar can find the faerie a bit neurotic and too energetic, their relationship grows to become amicable - a part of gullmar probably feels a fatherly instinct towards them hehe.

some extra faerie stuff i thought about making this guy so ill include:

faeries do not have a directly "spoken" language like we do, and communicate mostly through pheromones, body gestures and sounds like squeaking, trilling and hissing. they can communicate with other species through their pheromones, but as they communicate with said species in the target's language, things like names are often just directly translated. "krillimir" means "spider's web glass wing". how do we have the "romanization" of their name then? Well through some convoluted shenanigans. basically - tomtar have an anda-powered ability to learn the language of other species. with enough exposure and socialisation they will just naturally begin to gain an understanding of that language, and their ability has led them to be able to learn faerie language, especially helped by it also existing in a written form. while faeries don't speak this written language, it is how they conceptualise more complex ideas internally (the internal voice so to speak) - with the tomte ability, they can somewhat approximate what the language would sound like if spoken - at least filtered through the tomte brain. its most definitely not 100% accurate to what it would sound like though but most faeries accept it as close enough. this probably makes no sense but erm it sorta makes sense to me. LOL. but it means that most species that haven't learn to read faerie will only hear the literal translation when a faerie introduces themself, and thus many call krillimir by glasswing for short.

krillimir is a "generalist", which is one of many faerie genders. i made a post about it a while back! they go by they/them but generally doesn't mind he/she either.

faerie clothing is generally made of a fabric woven together by silk produced by them themselves - this silk is mainly produced by broodtenders or generalists. they also have a special way of "tanning" leaves, ending up with them having leather-like properties, which is part of what krillimir's outfit is made out of there! very popular reccuring symbols in their fabric design are "eye" "mimicry" and sometimes patterns which mimic some other animal/creature.

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Ep. 16: The Happily Ever After

Hello! =D

I can't believe this is my last We Are post wow- It feels like just yesterday I was here typing out my first one because I had one too many Thoughts about it. Anyways, not to get too sentimental on main, here you go:

Warning: not a very long post, actually 😊😅

The result of long-term exposure to his boyfriend and his extreme levels of cheesiness hehe

Seriously though, I love how Fang is slowly but surely opening up to loud gestures of love (I think previously, he just wasn't used to loving loudly, he was used to loving with his whole heart but keeping it to himself because he never felt safe enough to express it).

I love how they're from absolutely different faculties and are still studying together like yess go besties who are in love with each other but are too oblivious to realise it!

Peem with Phum usually: *swats at Phum at the slightest sign of PDA even though he really enjoys it*

Peem when others say something about their relationship: So, Phum, what do you say, want me to kiss you senseless right here right now?

(And we all know what Phum's answer is gonna be hehe)

Hasn't even been two minutes in the room and they're already breaking into the bed 😭😭

(I really love this scene btw, the simple fun of it, and even though it's not sensual, it's intimate and very them.)

This pair of besties is gonna kill me istg

They keep hitting me with banger after banger of emotional lines and my heart is already weak don't do this to me 😭😭

Frankly though, I like this scene very much, the "I loved you no matter who i knew you as" and "I have always loved you" of it all really got to me.

Poor Tan 😭

That's why you never brag about something before it gets over Tan-

I love how Fang not only lets him lie on his lap but also scratches his hair hehe

And how Peem doesn't hesitate one bit to give Tan a good smack upside the head 😭

AND THE SCENE WITH TAN "ACCIDENTALLY" LETTING OUT THAT CHAIN HAS A CRUSH ON PUN AND PUN STILL BEING SO DAMN OBLIVIOUS I'M DYING 😭😂😭

I adore this scene a ridiculous amount, but I love even more that it was Phum who planned it like yess he's been wingman-ing his phi and friend since Day 1 and he never stopped.

Others have gaydars, PhumPeem have faen-dars: they know when their faen is looking at them or coming towards them.

Not a bad power to have, honestly. I approve.

THIS SCENE.

THE FRIENDSHIP. THE PAST, PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF IT.

THE OG 5 (note how Peem is sitting at the centre? It's indicative of how he's the centre of the group and if I had to make an educational guess, probably the reason why they're all together in the first place).

This made me cry.

I have nothing else to say about this except this is one of the best damn shots of this show, which is saying something cause the cinemtaography up till this has been ridiculously good.

Of course. <33

And I'll be writing about how they spill the tea about their respective faens

😳

Tan: *tries to be slow and sexy*

Fang: no. We're doing this now.

Honestly though, this kiss was amazing, as were all their other kisses. Hats off to AouBoom, they absolutely slayed.

Et tu, Toey? T~T

Also another very nice scene.

I knew where this was going (how could anyone not after all those 15 eps) and I think Phum would have definitely gone over to sit on Peem's lap (@Peach thank you for that mental image btw 😭) if not for the structural instability of boats on land (I did sit on once with and trust me, those things maybe super sturdy or whatever in water, but they do NOT belong on land, especially not on the beach).

I-

I'll be right there in the corner sobbing my eyes out if you need me.

The way he kept saying his name, like he was actually tasting it, trying out all the different tones, and the way Phum kept replying, all smiles and soft voice, I-

I can't with these two. They're too damn much for my poor heart.

This also inspired another smut fic but SHUSH

No, nope, not doing this-

SIGH.

Okay, so see how Phum says "Thank you for being a good story in my life?" For Phum, having Peem in his life really does feel like a story, something out of the books he read (headcanon) and something too good to be true. But he's starting to realize that this is true, that Peem is here to stay.

Peem says "Thank you for letting me step into your life" because he knows all the issues Phum has, that it's hard for him to really let people in. But he let Peem in to love him, and Peem is grateful because it gave him someone to love and be the comfort zone for, but also gave him someone who loved him.

In this essay, I will-

BROTHERS-IN-LAW.

Also, no kidding, I got a mental image of Fang and Peem sitting and sipping at their drinks while Phum and Tan argue and compete like children, and when they go too far, Fang and Peem let out this long suffering sigh while they try to pull apart their husbands.

Did I say husbands? Oops-

HEHEHE

I didn't see you denying anything, Fang~

got another fic idea but we don't talk about those

🥺🥺🫶🏼

Okay, about that dinner scene. I actually kinda liked it. The awkwardness of it, the halted conversation, the prompted actions. As with the rest of the series, they kept it real, and I'm glad for it.

A lot of BLs, especially Thai BLs forgive the parents too soon too fast, and I really like they did not do that here.

Phum just (sorta) started on this path of being on talking terms with his dad (not forgiveness, or forgetting what he's done, mind you) and I'm going to be carefully neutral about it. If Phum likes it, well and good. If the father does something Phum doesn't like well *looks at two of my wips specifically* I always keep back-ups.

Peem is never letting that go hehe

(I don't think Phum minds all that much now, because he did end up with Peem, fuck you Kluen)

Also I'm two eps behind on Wandee Goodday and I hear Title finally got a nice boyfriend role? Good for him!

FOREHEAD KISS MY BELOVED.

(...should I change my header again? Nah, I'm happy with what it is rn)

I love how even if it was never explicitly shown beyond Tan, literally everyone and their pets know about Chain and Pun except Chain and Pun 😭😭👍🏼

We Are probably has the most kisses out of all the BLs I've watched and somehow the very last kiss gets the Best Kiss award. Surprising, but well-deserved. The kissed like they were dying and Chain tried to climb Pun like a tree, and I was gleefully watching and cheering them on.

You're covering his eyes, when you've literally made out with him naked, that's some hypocrisy there, Q *raises eyebrows*

One word: roses.

(Did Peem ever tell him? Did Phum figure it out? Does Phum give him roses for every single occasion now? Hm... guess we'll never know... Fic writers, this is your cue-)

'HAPPY' has it's special place 🥺🥺

I now know for sure that the simplicity and boldness of this painting was absolutely on purpose. The other paintings in the gallery are stunning.

Friends. <33

Also, due to Tumblr's restrictions, I couldn't add the last pic, but Peem's/Phuwin's face looks hilarious in the very last shot 😭😂

That's all! See you ne- oh, right. Well, see you the next time I get brainrot so bad about a BL I have to write smut about it hehe.

If you got this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have 🍛 (imagine it's your favourite dish)

All my We Are posts.

[shawnflowers]

shawn michaels headcannons <3

gonna get my writing game up 😤 so this is how you and shawn meet (this was an idea i had for a long one shot but i turned it into this instead (if you want a full story i always can do that hehe))

: ̗̀➛ warnings: fluff! hint of smut!

*ahem* so, i’d say this starts with you being a new photographer for the wwf

yknow you’re around the ring, capturing all of the exciting shots but you also dabble in backstage activities and snapping candids of the wrestlers

welllllll shawn spots you in your second week there. you’re walking around backstage with your camera, readjusting the shutter speed and the exposure levels you would need once you head out to the ring. you hardly notice anyone blatantly staring at you as you’re stuck in your own little world.

he’s perhaps a little starstruck

he wonders why he hasn’t seen you around before. because fuck fuck fuck that body of yours is absurd (and you’re also gorgeous)

he happens to spot you with hunter right next to him so he asks him, “who’s she?”

hunter turns to see who he’s talking about, spotting you in the distance as you’re making your way to gorilla. “oh that’s y/n i believe, she’s new. a photographer.”

and that’s all it took before he went sailing over to you, one thing set on his mind. i gotta make her mine

the rest was history as they say

you were completely smitten by him

you saw through his heartbreaker persona almost immediately, instead falling for the man that would hug you from behind and place his chin on top of your head

shawn most certainly would open every door for you, and makes sure to open your car door every time as well

you were really timid when you first started working there — feeling completely out of place with all of these incredible athletes that were also incredibly intimidating. but he was your gateway into a great experience at the company.

once he took you under his wing and introduced you to the rest of his little goon squad, everyone wanted to get to know you better and wanted you to get great pictures of them.

but of course shawn wanted you to get the best photos of him while he was wrestling which wasn’t hard to do because he’s incredibly photogenic

“when I jump off the top rope, can you make sure you’re on my right? I think that’s my good side.”

“every side is your good side, shawn.”

“even my backside?” *smirk*

“especially.”

and i mean, do we even have to talk about the sex? yes

he loves loves loves when you praise him. “no one touches me like you, baby.” “god, shawn, you’re stretching me so good.” “you looked so hot tonight. it took everything in me not to jump you in the ring.”

and in turn, you love love love a little degradation. “you’re my slutty baby girl. isn’t that right?” “look at you, crying those pathetic little tears. i know you can take more.” “does my baby want her release? gonna have to try a little harder than that.”

also. yeah. the camera is definitely involved. sometimes you get pictures of him, but shawn is adamant on taking your photo too. both in cute ways and in incredibly intimate ways. there was almost a mixup of those photos and work photos once

and so on and so forth 😮‍💨

but love is in the air nonetheless. you’re the best thing to happen to each other.

that kinda scared shawn at first ngl. he wanted to make you his yet he wasn’t exactly ready for full commitment. but once he got to know you he realized he never wanted to separate from you again. he couldn’t possibly think of you spending time with another man without getting all sorts of jealous. so, he decided he was yours as much as you were his and that was the best decision he ever made

he broke you out of your shell while you managed to keep him under control. it was the perfect balance

: ̗̀➛ nose boops to you

[thehollowwriter]

📚🔺🐉💚🍔🤒

All for Silas!

(Still not done sending these 😈)

I'm excited to see more!

📚 BOOKS — What level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)?

Absolutely none. At all. Ever. At least not "formally" or "officially." He grew up in the Abyss, and there certainly aren't school down there.

Lady Rhoda taught him how to read, write and do math as well history and biology (sex ed at 20 something is better late than never,right?), but he already had steady income, so there was no need for trying "formal" education. He does research things on his own since he doesn't like not knowing things and having that used against him, though.

🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — Does your oc know how to use any weapons?

Silas most certainly does! While he mainly uses magic as his weapon, he knows how to use spears, harpoons, knives, and probably swords if you give him one. I feel if guns could actually work under the sea, he'll be able to use one. Also, a fun fact from Silas: seaweed can, in fact, be used to strangle if you use it right.

🐉 DRAGON — What is your oc's favourite mythical creature?

I'd say Sirens from Greek Mythos. He finds them fascinating. It does annoy him that so many think these half bird half women creatures look like merpeople, including the mer people. It's probably the first thing he'll infodump about. Finn has heard his rants about the many misconceptions about Sirens hundreds of times.

🍔 HAMBURGER — Is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

Silas is good at cooking! Though he technically can't "cook" anything since they're underwater? But I like to imagine there are heated air vents on his property he can go to cook something, though usually it's just not worth the trip when there are many raw dishes like stuffed crab, seaweed wraps, etc that he can make.

Baking involves cooking in dry heat without exposure to flame, usually in an oven (hah! I learned that in Hospitality), so I guess he could do it in those air pockets and mini volcanoes? But it's far from house and not worth the trip, though maybe he will "bake" on special occasions. He likes it and is good it at it. He prefers cooking, though.

🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — Does your oc get sick easily?

Okie angst time

Hah! Nope! He used to get sick a lot as a child, then (and kinda now too, actually...) he was just sickly because of how malnourished he was. His immune system is something else, truly, as he's been exposed to so many sicknesses and infections it'll leave doctors confounded. It's difficult for him to get sick. Well... though it wasn't necessarily an illness, he gave himself "refeeding syndrome" by trying to make up for what he was lacking when he finally had steady access to food.

Refeeding syndrome is when someone malnourished or starved suddenly begins eating again, and the quick introduction of foods can cause problems and even be fatal. This is why it's best to have the process of healing from starvation overseen by a qualified medical professionals.

Now Silas didn't trust doctors at the time, so he never went to one, but what he did do was simply go back to eating the same amount of food he used to so he didn't keep throwing up and getting sick. Morrigan eventually forced him to go to a hospital. (Silas was horrified when he learned what a feeding tube was)

Tagging: @distant-velleity @kitwasnothere @the-banana-0verlord @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @jovieinramshackle @skrimpyskimpy for Silas lore hehe

[languajix]

Regarding Hold every memory au!

Since Ghost in this au is shown to have mystic powers and can actively harness it (ie: the geometric shapes on his arms in the first fic and the threads of his bros) what else can he do aside from threads? Can he do smth similar to Donnie’s Ninpo if he pushed himself ? And how did he get that mystic stuff? Did he always have it but never manifested as strongly due to the nature of the 2003 verse (like the dragon thing ) or is this current mystic power a result of his long term exposure in the 2018 verse? Also how do you think his bros will react to their bro’s Mystic powers that he definitely didn’t have before?

Ps: I love your AU so much. Your fics are so well written and characterisation is so good. Ghost in the shell is such a well written story but it’s so, so very sad 😭 its makes me so happy to see a world where is Ghost happier out there. Also sorry for the long ask I’m just extra curious, Ghost being actively aware and sorta using the mystic energy inside him is so interesting and has so much potential hehe. Like imagine a scenario where Ghost/Don in a fit of protective rage either cuz of the tots or his bros or both does a boom of mystic and everyone goes HUH??

Hello!!

I want to start by saying the usual disclaimer that anything I'm about to say applies solely to Hold Every Memory, because the more this AU grows, the more of my own ideas and wishes and things get fed into it.

Also, very little is set into absolute stone until it appears in a HEM story for sure - a lot of the time, as I'm writing, things will spin a little differently than I expect because they need to for character or plot reasons, or words will randomly appear on the screen and I'll learn how things work directly from my subconscious, which is exciting. But still! I have been thinking about this stuff, so I'm really happy to have the opportunity to ramble :D

And don't apologize for the long ask! I loved it! I just hope you don't mind a looooong reply. Lots of stuff in here that some might consider spoilery, as a heads up!

--

I think Don had a groundwork of some different type of mystic potential from his own universe, but environmental exposure to empyrean/mystics over the years, maybe more direct exposure courtesy of Big Mama?, brought it from a latent capability to something much closer to the surface, significantly strengthened it, and shaped it a little to fit his new universe. Connecting to his brothers in the Battle Nexus, that rush of soul energy and powerful love, unlocked it! Battle Nexus went boom.

I think at a base level, he's capable of doing standard mystic stuff - activating and using mystic weapons and devices, like how Splinter could use the ōdachi in "Battle Nexus New York," for example. Casting some spells, too, and using common mystic techniques. If he were to practice or be trained specifically in the use of mystics in battle, he could use it to boost his speed and strength. He'll never be as powerful as a Hamato, though, with that well of ninpō power at their disposal.

Creating the threads wasn't any sort of innate, specialized ability at the time. It was an act of desperation. Don's burst of incredible willpower in that moment shaped his soul and his suddenly active mystic powers in ways they weren't originally made to be used. Over time, though, like stretching a muscle, the threads become central to his mystic 'specialization,' as it were. So if Leo = portals, Raph = energy projections of himself, Don =… connection? Possibly?

(In SAINW, there's a moment where Michelangelo mentions that "without you, it just didn't work," framing Donny as the lynchpin keeping his family together. (I do think it could have happened if any of them had disappeared, but let's focus on Donny for the angst and the parallels here.) And in HEM, Don is the one tying together his old family and his new family. Always at the center.)

If he wasn't constantly stretched between realities and everyone was in the same universe, he'd always know where they were, instinctively. They could be across town or half a world away, but if Don thought about them, his head would turn unerringly in that precise direction. It might include some amount of empathy/telepathy too.

One thing I'm solid on is that he has to come into contact, spiritually or physically, to someone to develop a connection, a thread. It might happen quite quickly and almost thoughtlessly with the counterparts of all his old family and friends upon meeting them, and for any new friends he meets it might happen once he truly considers them family.

(Which makes me think of how funny it would be if he met Foot Recruit and found himself with a spontaneous thread to her, too - who the heck is she supposed to be??? Too late now, though, she's family, whether anybody including her wants her to be or not. Assigned Splinterson-Hamato At First Contact.)

Can he use powers similar to Donnie? He might be a teeny tiny bit of a technopath! I'd like to think that was one of the potential directions his mystic powers could have headed before the threads threw them out of wack. Infusing portals with mystic energy, a little boost when hacking the EPF's bank accounts, etc. Very little things, but enough that he and Donnie can have a little similarity to bond over as a treat.

As for surprising his brothers with his mystic powers, finding out that he had landed in a universe with witches and yokai and superpowers blew their minds, but it was all wrapped up in the overwhelming difficulty of processing that he was alive at all. They know he's been using mystics in the development of his more recent portal attempts, vaguely, but they for sure don't realize/understand the extent of what he can do. There's really no reason for him to use mystic powers in the astral plane, nothing for him to do with them and the real risk of unbalancing the delicate threads, so he just doesn't. I think seeing him use mystic powers for real would delight Mike to no end, all surface-level envy and deep excitement, Raph would think them awesome and possibly want to spar while Don is mystic boosted to see what he can do, and Leo might be proud and fascinated and maybe a little quietly jealous. If - and this is really just something I'm tossing around for fun - if Don could actually pool and distribute mystic energy through his threads, those soul-to-soul connections, then they could all benefit and get a level-up, so no jealousy for long. Honestly I think all the brothers would be super cool with Rise style mystic powers but Mike would make me a little nervous, haha

---

When I was originally starting to bounce this whole thing around in my head, I ended up with a little example snippet of what his powers could look like in practice. The telepathy/empathy bits, at least.

P.S. Thank you so much!!! It sends me over the moon, like full on walking on air for days, to hear when people like my writing style and characterization. I'm still new to putting myself out there in this way, so I stress out over it all way more than I should, and getting this kind of message makes it all worth it :D

I love GitS to death and this AU is born out of the most incredible affection for it. I wouldn't change a single thing about any of it even if I could, all those aching bruises and all, but writing an alternate universe branch where Everything's Beautiful and Very Little Hurts is just cathartic as heck. I'm just glad reading this AU is scratching the same itch for some people that writing it has been!! Because it really is a joy to write.

[additiva]

I was rereading your amazing fic and I just wondered, did frechheit charles start realising he is in fact into max after their dinner with seb in japan??? how is it for him realising that? bc clearly in miami I feel like he was like damn maybe I am into max??? also when he goes to maxs room in zandvoort was he hoping something happened or wanted to terrorize him yet again??

also really really love your commentary!

Hellooo 🤍🤍

Thank you!!

Esay here as usual ->

Charles doesn't quite realise in Japan. In Japan, he realises that he likes terrorising Max on a personal level, not just on track, and wants to be around him more. But at this stage, he's still just considering it a game that helps him in the championship, and is fun. I've mentioned before in another ask how he's never had anyone treat him the way Max does (essentially without caution), and he finds it really interesting and entertaining. Like, as an analogy, it's much more fun to play tennis against someone who actually hits the ball back, and maybe you start trying to hit each other with it.

He spends a lot of time staring at Max etc even before that, but before that, he attributes it to just observing (know thine enemy etc), and the obsession is also mutual in this sense (they're both oblivious to the attraction, though Max obviously recognises that Charles is objectively good looking).

It's in Miami that he realises he's attracted to Max. Specifically, Max sees videos of Charles after Japan, and starts to wonder in Miami if Charles could be attracted to him. Then they end up very close together in the club, and Max decides to test his theory, by seeing how he reacts to his touch.

Charles is AFFECTED by it, like 😳, then freaks out and runs because he realises that he is attracted to Max, AND that he's just given away that he's attracted to Max. Which, double disaster for Charles. Weakness, and exposure of weakness. Catastrophic. Also, minor crisis of sexuality, and this does NOT fit into his plans.

Max is obviously thrilled, and decides to weaponise it, then Charles decides he'll weaponise it back (his favourite thing), etc.

In Zandvoort, he's acknowledged that he's attracted to Max, and knows Max is very much attracted to him, but he still thinks he can come out on top (in the non-literal sense). He thinks he can manipulate Max into getting angry and putting his hands on him.

He wants that for several reasons:

1. Because the sexual tension is REAL for him and he wants it.

2. Because he thinks that in addition to enjoying it, it'll be a good way to get in Max's head and continue their little psychosexual warfare.

3. Because that way, he'll still be in control of the situation. Max will have lost his temper, and lost control.

4. He doesn't have the experience to just straight up seduce Max, and retain control that way.

So he wants to push Max into taking physical control of the situation, so that his own inexperience will be hidden. And, he'd still be emotionally in control of things, or at least, he'd still feel that way.

So in answer to your question, all of the above. It was a 2 birds with one stone situation for Charles. But obviously it didn't go the way he expected hehe, and it was a bit of a point of no return for both of them.

Between it and Singapore, they're probably the point at which Max becomes Charles' equal.

Hope that makes sense 🤍

[gemsstudy]

So I am learning Korean as well, I am able to read and write...I understand the Hangul chart fully I mean and I have studied most of the grammar as well...and I am a bit confused on how I should move forward...Do you have any Ideas? Since you are a b1 in Korean...hehe

first i wanna say my b1 level is self-assessed. i mean, i feel pretty confident about this assesment, but i havent taken an official test or the topik yet.

i feel like moving between levels is the hardest part tbh...i felt like i hit a wall when transitioning to intermediate..but what i found helped me the most was really figuring out where i was lacking and working on that. just doing random lessons isn't helpful and i think you really need to structure your learning in a way that's super personal to you.

-for me, i know listening and speaking are my hardest areas..so i put a lot of focus on listening by listening to podcasts and watching youtube videos about things i like (makeup, skincare, kpop content with my fav groups) and use active listening..i usually watch these videos more than once too, one time without eng subs and then with to gage my initial understanding. i also take note of new vocab or grammar points. make sure with content like this though that it's just above your level. listening to things where you don't understand literally anything is not helpful. you need to be able to get the jist of what is going on even if you don't understand every single word/grammar.

-i also do tutoring once a week (sometimes twice if i have the time. i use the website preply) and we focus on my speaking and comphrension. she gives me sentence building and dictation hw too. i also ask her for regular assessments and what she thinks i can improve on. i just joined my korean language club at school so that's another way ive been exposing myself to korean and working on my speaking. i alsoooo speak out loud..anything i'd think or say to myself in english, i try to say in korean. not only does it help me get comfortable forming sentences, but it's a good way to pinpoint vocab/grammar i may not know.

-i try to make time each week to write in a diary (i used to post on here but not as often recently lol) and i also read in korean on different news sources. im slowly working my way thru 죽고 싶지만 떡볶이는 먹고 싶어 as well.

i guess tdlr; assess via a tutor, teacher, or just yourself and figure out what areas you're lacking in and build a plan around that. if you feel like you've progressed outside of just relying on textbooks, find other ways to supplement your learning like tutoring, language club, youtube/netflix, etc. exposure/immersion is key.

this was so long im so sorry but i hope this helped!!! you can message me too if you'd like!

[brainpal-gachapon]

I saw the other mods doing this, so here's my (hopefully fully done) "media mod-madoka knows" list!! (disclaimer i genuinely forget what i like. a lot. its the cisaudhd im so sorry gang.) REGARDLESS HERE IT IS !!!!! -🍓

ALTER EGO (v good game)

Cookie Run

General Lunime Titles (gacha world, gacha life 1&2, gacha club, etc.)

Genshin Impact

Pokemon

Muse Dash

Project Sekai

Monster Prom/Camp/Roadtrip

Blush Blush (im so sorry)

Crush Crush (im so sorry again)

Doki Doki Literature Club

OMORI (very vaguely. i still have yet to actually get further than meeting sweetheart)

Slime Rancher (1 & 2)

The Stanley Parable

Changed

FNaF (literally any character not exclusive to the books; ive never read any of the books)

Fran Bow

Little Misfortune

Shelter / Shelter 2 / Meadow

Our Life; Beginning And Always

The Sims

BNHA / MHA

Little Witch Academia

Ouran High School Host Club

Aggretsuko (never finished season 1)

Bojack Horseman (never finished season 1)

Vocal Synths (mostly VOCALOID and UTAU though also a TEENY smidgen of Synth V through Teto and A Friend)

Obey Me! (Nightbringer & One Master To Rule Them all)

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Yandere Sim (unfortunately)

Creepypasta

Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss

(The start of) Twisted Wonderland

Splatoon (played 2&3 though never did story mode)

UNDERTALE and DELTARUNE

Lucky Star (haven't finished season 1)

Kakegurui (& Kakegurui twin!!)

K-On!

The Amazing Digital Circus

Murder Drones (not seen the whole series yet)

My Little Pony (only FiM; I refuse to watch the new gen in any form)

H*rry P*tter (unfortunately. Also FUCK JK R*wling)

DSMP (and very surface-level exposure to QSMP)

The Coffin of Andy and LeyLey

Rain World

Oneshot

Warrior Cats

Survivors (erin hunter; have NOT finished the full first arc.)

Wings of Fire (have not finished Sunny's book; already spoiled on a lot of things)

Honkai; Star Rail (have not finished Xianzhou Luofu quests, already spoiled on so much late-game content)

Honkai; Impact (i only very vaguely know ANYTHING about it)

Hamilton (the musical)

Mean Girls

Heathers (not actually watched it; ive absorbed so much information that i simply know most of the plot and characters)

KinitoPet

Class of 09

Date with Death (highly reccommend; love interest is adorable)

Buggy Dates (SEVERELY UNDERRATED AND FREE ON ITCH.IO)

Blooming Panic

Slay the Princess

Not my Neighbor

Among Us

Papers, Please

there's definitely stuff ive accidentally left out, but im tired and forgetful. hope i can steal some more requests soon hehe >:3c

[skvaderarts]

Petrichor Chapter 51: Exposure

Chapter 51: Exposure

Notes: Hehehehe. Hehehe. Hehe. This was so much fun to work on. Sorry that I’m a few days late. I hope you enjoy it! It’s good to see you all again! See you in the comments! 

(-~-)

The light to the guest bedroom flashed on automatically as he entered, perfectly dimmed and comfortable, their almost greyish brown hue a comfort to the eyes that took next to no adjustment on his part to become used to. As V stepped further into the room, he was greeted by plush accommodations. Four thick, fluffy pillows leaned against the grey terry cloth upholstered headboard, practically beckoning him to them. The silvery brown blankets on the bed covered matching silky grey sheats, the blankets fluffy, soft, and most importantly to him, cool to the touch, something he discovered quickly as he ran his fingertips across the linen. A high thread count and a price tag to match, no doubt. A pleasant surprise. V didn’t like to sleep hot... No, he actually couldn’t sleep at all when he was hot. It was a bit worse than that. So this was certainly a bonus that he sorely appreciated. And the comforter looked like it would be very good at helping to regulate his temperature. He got the impression that he was going to enjoy utilizing this bed.

Turning around to take in the room, he noticed the same exposed brick and ductwork that the rest of the residence shared, the entire back wall consisting of more of the same beautiful industrial windows that he’d seen. The widows were equipped with pull-down grey shear curtains that would make easy work of the light that shone in from outside. And there was a large, luscious plant in the corner of the room by the foot of the bed in a beautifully glazed pot, the cracked window more than likely supplying it with fresh air as it wafted in the breeze delicately. The soil looked freshly watered, something Sirrus had probably done sometime that day when he wasn’t paying attention unless he’d hired a plant sitter. Perhaps he had, considering his overall collection. But V especially liked this one. A Monstera of some type, if he was going to guess. That’s what the leaves looked like to him, at least. But half of some of them were white while others were pink, sometimes in full sections, and in some cases, in the form of spots and patches. Even the green on the plant came in a dark and a light variation, its colors crisp and eye-catching. A stunning plant overall, perhaps too pretty for a guest room. Perhaps it needed very specific lighting so it had been put in here for its own protection? He imagined this room received plenty of filtered, indirect light during the day. That was probably ideal for it.

Overall, the room was cozy and inviting with a cozy atmosphere, something his tired body and mind were eager to take advantage of in short order. But first, he needed to go to the bathroom. He had matters to attend to in there.

He had been correct in assuming that the doors he’d seen off to the side of Sirrus’s living space and kitchen were bedrooms, but he hadn’t realized that they were both bedrooms, each with their own private bathroom. His room and Sirrus’s shared a wall. And there was still a half bath elsewhere in the residence, something that made practical sense as you wouldn’t want people to have to walk through your bedroom to use the toilet now, would you? Well, at least if you had a choice.

Sirrus was a gracious host; the sort who bought the same expensive tolitres and personal care products that he personally used and stocked them in the guest bathroom. No surprise there. V recognized the scent of the soap he found in the shower, realizing for the first time that Sirrus was actually wearing cologne atop it when they were around one another. V liked to imagine that Sirrus likely derived some level of self-satisfaction from coming into the bathroom and seeing it so neat and tidy. He’d even admitted that he very rarely used this particular bathroom due in large part to the fact that he had his own ensuite and had very little reason to come in here aside from a need to dust. And every inch of this bathroom was utterly sparking, glittering under the overhead light in a manner he’d never seen before. Grey glass tile on every surface, a skylight over the detached standing tub and shower, and underlighting along the bottom of the wall-mounted double sink that pointed down towards the floor. And that was saying something considering the fact that the counters were made of concrete. Polished black concrete, but still concrete nonetheless. And were these floors terrazzo?!

Frankly, V felt too ordinary to even undress in this bathroom, let alone use it. Even the soap and toothpaste were in motion-activated dispensers. And the toilet was automatic… 

How much money did they pay Sirrus to do his job?

Seriously, V wasn’t the sort to spend hours reading or watching media to keep up with the latest in home and garden trends, but he knew enough to know when something was very expensive. This was fascinating.

Opting to submerge every inch of his body in nearly scalding water, V was pleased to find not only that the plumbing in this place was excellent, but that Sirrus had left a bottle of bubble bath under the counter. And in the deep window sill nearest to the tub were scented candles, ones that had been partially burned as they sat in their little glass and ceramic containers on a tray, but ones that he would ask before lighting all the same. 

He needed to go find Sirrus while he waited for the tub to finish. He would only be a moment.

(-~-)

She let out a long sigh as she rubbed her hands together to chase away the cold that had settled in her extremities as she stood in front of the payphone, the door closed tight behind. It was a bitterly cold night tonight, and the thin layer of snow that covered the ground was evidence of that notion. But that was no matter. She would be back in the van with her companion momentarily. She just needed to make a phone call. She’d practically felt compelled to as they passed it by, suddenly becoming a woman possessed the moment she’d seen it. And it was a number she would never forget as long as she lived.

Reaching her cold hands up to the number pad she nearly typed in the numbers before paying, shaking her head to herself and cursing under her breath as she reached into her pocket and pulled a handful of frozen change out of her pocket, counting out the correct amount before inserting it into the machine. Her mind was elsewhere, rooted so firmly in her objective that she couldn’t properly complete the tasks required to see it come to fruition. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last, but she was still quietly miffed.

The phone rang in her hand as she held it. Waiting. Hoping that it wasn’t too late in the day. And then the phone picked up on the very last ring.

“Goldstine Gunsmithing and Repairs Shop. What can I do ya for?” The man’s voice on the other end was a song for sore ears. She hadn’t heard it in far too long. She needed to call home more often. She really did.

A smile spread across her face as she shook her head. Yep, this was the right number all right. She knew that voice anywhere. “Oh, nah. Nothing special. Just, ya know, checkin’ in. It’s been a while, and I know you’ve seen the news by now, so I thought I’d get in contact before you blew a gasket or showed up to find me or sumthen’.”

There was a momentary pause as the person on the other side of the phone audibly shifted before speaking, seemingly silenced from surprise. They clearly recognized her, but they certainly hadn’t been expecting to hear from her today, especially at this hour. “Nico? 

“The one and only!” She retorted with exaggerated gleefulness just to throw him off kilter a little. She fiddled with a cigarette in her fingers, staring down at it for a moment before suddenly feeling all desire to light it and smoke it vacate her body. Call it a moment of self-reflection; call it a reminder of her conversation with Sirrus back in Lucia’s homeland that day, but she just couldn’t all of a sudden. Not right now, at least. So she put it back into her pocket and continued her conversation. That could wait for another time. She was talking to someone important to her.

“Well hell, watcha been up to? Everything alright around there? Heard things got pretty supernatural in those parts for a little while. Ya safe and sound?” The excitement and worry in his voice were unmistakable, and so was the pang of guilt she felt in her heart for not calling home sooner. She hoped he hadn’t been glued to the radio or the TV for the last while watching everything go down where she was, worrying himself sick over her. They were all each other had left in the world, at least in terms of blood. She had to do better than that. It wasn’t like she didn’t like talking to him or something. She loved him!

“Phf, that’s a long story. Same old same old for the most part, but a lot’s gone down since I talked to you last time, Rock. You have no idea.” Nico shook her head. And she wasn’t going to fill him on on most of it, either. It wasn’t like he could make her come back or anything like that, but she just didn’t need him worrying about her. Knowing that he was sitting at home worrying about her made Nico worry about him. That couldn’t be good for anyone. Not at all.

“Well then, fill me in! I’ve got nothing but time, girl!” She heard a chair scoot across the floor, metal on wood. That couldn’t be good for the property value. Oh, who was she kidding? That floor had seen everything and then some. It wasn’t going anywhere.

Nico chucked to herself under her breath. Of course he did! Even if he was clearly tired. But this was the man who’d raised her. She didn’t expect any less from him. If there was one thing that Rock would always do for her it was make time. Even when he didn’t have a second to spare. “And I’ve got a whole roll of quarters. Pull up a seat. We're gonna be here a while. Nero’s just gonna have to wait in the van a little longer. It won’t kill him!”

“Sure won’t. Now get talkin’. I need some details.” Rock said with a hearty chuckle, the sound of a creaking chair filling her ears. He’d quite literally settled in for the long haul, and he clearly wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

(-~-)

It had taken close to a lifetime, but V had finally come to the conclusion that he’d been in the tub long enough. And although it was physically, emotionally, and mentally agonizing for him to part from the warm waters, he finally confronted his immobile frame and demanded that it part with the soothing liquid. If he stayed in here any long he would arise with no skin and become so thoroughly relaxed that he’d never function again.

But as he reached over to blow out the candles Sirrus had lit and grab a towel so that he could depart from the tub, his blood ran ice cold. To his horror, he’d just realized that he’d left the towel that Sirrus had left him on the counter in the living room. He’d taken it in there to ask him a question, and now he was stranded in unfamiliar waters, marooned and left adrift in a sea of dread because there was simply no way in the 9 circles of hell that he was going to call Sirrus and ask him to bring one in here. There were hardly any bubbles left, and even if there had been, he knew he didn’t have it in him. He might as well just settle in, get comfortable, and die.

After several minutes of agonizing over his options, none of which he liked by any measure or standard, the young white-haired summoner swallowed like someone had just informed him that he’d contracted a debilitating illness and slowly got out of the tub. He would ask Sirrus to bring it to him. He’d considered putting his clothing back on while he was still wet and he’d briefly thought about just dashing into the room and grabbing it himself, but the first option caused him visceral physical discomfort at the very idea of it in the same way that the concept of stepping in a puddle of cold water wearing thick socks did, and the second option was something he imagined Sirrus would have a great laugh about when he inevitably discovered him in the act while V himself dropped dead from pure horror. No, he would just swallow his pride and go to the door and ask Sirrus politely to bring him the towel. It would still be embarrassing, but at least it was sensible.

V hadn’t noticed the comfortable modern armchair, thick, fuzzy rug, or the beautiful contemporary nightstands that matched the bedframe until he’d attempted to avoid getting them wet. He was going to clean this up when he was finished if it was the last thing he did. He also noticed that Sirrus had been nice enough to bring his bags over and sit them just inside of his door, probably just after he’d gotten into the tub. After all, they did share a wall. He was probably able to tell to some degree when he was moving around in the room or not. Regardless, it was kind of him, and he appreciated it. Too bad V hadn’t thought to bring a robe or a towel on this trip himself so that he could avoid this entire situation altogether. Perhaps if he just stayed very far back behind the door… 

Opening the door wider than he’d probably needed to in order to see the living room from where he currently was in order to spot the towel, V actually gasped with fright as he came face to face with Sirrus, the man with the mostly red hair walking past his door en route to his own bedroom. The man stopped in his tracks and stared at him blankly and without thinking out of fear that he’d unintentionally revealed more than he wanted to in front of his friend, he closed the door as quickly as he could, only thinking about how rude slamming the door in Sirrus’s face in his own house probably was.

Chastizing himself internally as he cursed his current state of existence, he slowly cracked the door again only to find that Sirrus had come much closer to the door, so much so that they practically bumped heads when he stuck his head around the corner to confront him. Sirrus looked deeply confused, but somehow there was still a tinge of amusement in his cool grey eyes. It seemed that V had unintentionally sparked his curiosity. He looked almost concerned… 

“Hello, V,” Sirrus said in a mischievously low tone, his voice almost too quiet for the young summoner’s liking. He looked like a wolf eyeing his next meal. His face was practically unreadable, his version of a poker face clearly something to behold. “Is something amiss?”

The way he said those words so knowingly… V couldn’t help but blush slightly. He’d seen something, he just knew it. And although the world wasn’t going to come to an end as a result, he certainly felt like it would. It wasn’t the first time, but it most certainly was the first time that V had done so in such a manner. And he couldn’t pinpoint why, but he just felt so embarrassed. Perhaps it was because he knew Sirrus so well as opposed to the other times when he was barely lucid and too afraid and confused for it to matter?

“Sorry. Please forgive me,” he said softly, looking down just after speaking. He didn’t have it in him to maintain eye contact at the moment. There was just something about doing so while he had that look on his face while V was undressed that didn’t feel right. In fact, it felt deeply… well, not wrong, but still. He wasn’t creeped out or anything, but he just felt unsettled, as if many eyes lingered upon him and he couldn’t shake them. He hadn’t quite experienced whatever this was before. And he wasn’t keen to do so again anytime soon.

Sirrus maintained the same expression but it softened some, his pupils widening a bit as he took on an expression ever so slightly less wolfish. “Did you need something? You look… disheveled. Are you in need of assistance?”

V nodded slower than he’d meant to, sparing a moment to wonder if that should’ve earned him a funny look or if he was just overthinking. He settled on neither and brushed it aside. It was best to get this over and done with. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d forgotten the towel. That wasn’t the problem. It was the entire prospect of speaking to someone and holding a casual conversation while completely nude that unnerved him.

“I forgot the towel you gifted me,” He said as he actively avoided eye contact, grateful that Sirrus understood his body language and tendencies enough to not pursue and pressure him any further on his refusal to do so. Few things made him more uncomfortable than when someone tried to force and maintain eye contact. “... And didn’t realize it until I got out of the shower. Do you mind… ”

“Ah,” Sirrus said with a small nod, his expression unchanged by this revelation. He didn’t seem as though he’d been expecting to hear that, but he certainly had been expecting to be asked something.“I had just noticed that a moment before you surprised me. I was going to leave it on your bed, but you beat me to the door.”

He stepped away for a moment before returning with it, setting down the empty glass he’d been carrying in the sink on the way. He appeared to fluff the brand new emerald green towel for a moment before reaching out to hand it to him, a little further back from the door than either of them initially realized. V stepped forward ever so slightly, still behind the door as he leaned over to snag it only to slip backward and nearly hit the floor face first as his legs gave out underneath him due to the wetness of the floor beneath him. V managed to grab the door just as Sirrus snagged him under the left shoulder, pulling it in a manner that wasn’t very comfortable, but sparing him a much worse fall as the door pivoted and nearly threw him onto his face. That was certainly a plus. That fact that to do so Sirrus was now standing almost fully in front of him was certainly a minus.

Excellent.

Thoroughly flustered but attempting to not acknowledge how utterly horrified and embarrassed he felt at the moment as he looked down at the floor and caught his breath, V nodded in appreciation, attempting to simply pretend that this very embarrassing situation wasn’t currently occurring. That was the best he could do to cope with it. Between his banged-up knees and his crippling embarrassment, he was having a rough night. 

But as he caught his breath, he felt the comforting warmth of soft fabric drape over his freezing shoulders. He glanced up just in time for Sirrus to drape the towel over his shoulder, noticing immediately that this was a nonstandard-sized towel closer to the size of a beach towel. It came to just below his knees as Sirrus stood fully in front of him and gently wrapped him in it, obviously sensing his mounting sense of anxiety toward being completely nude and attempting to alleviate it. He didn’t say as much, but he understood the feeling. V had practically frozen in place as he waited for his knees to stop throbbing and Sirrus had clearly decided to simply not look and assist him. His arms still worked, but V was just genuinely too mortified to think clearly and ask for the towel, and simply taking it from him might have been perceived as rude. He didn’t want to come off that way.

“Are you alright, V?” Sirrus asked quietly as V quietly turned and tilted in any manner that Sirrus indicated so that he could better wrap him in the towel. His breathing had picked up slightly, but aside from the color of his face and a small porton of hit upper section of his neck, V’s face didn’t betray the dread he felt. “I’ll take a nod in place of a response if you can’t speak. I understand. You look cold.”

He wanted to reassure his friend that he was alright, but that wasn’t totally the cause. The brief impact both of his knees had made with the concrete floor had actually hurt pretty badly, but the discomfort in his joints from the force of impact and the suddenness of it all was starting to fade. V was good at catching himself when he fell, but he was much less good when he fell without expecting it. And he’d certainly had much worse falls. This was nothing but a momentary inconvenience and maybe a few small bruises come morning. He would be just fine. He nodded as asked, earning him a small pat on the shoulder. At least almost falling had taken his mind off of the situation a little bit.

“You didn’t… see anything… did you?” V asked bashfully as he finally felt his nerves ease and he regained the ability to speak, his vibrant blush betraying his embarrassment. He no longer felt exposed, but he was still embarrassed, even if only half as badly as he had been. He dared to look up at his friend as he released his supportive grip on him, seemingly satisfied with his ability to stand on two feet again. At least for now. Sirrus gave him a gentle look as he exhaled in relief that slowly gave way to the clearest expression of amusement he’d probably seen all day. V felt a chill run up his spine before his friend even spoke. He knew what that look meant. And Sirrus was too poor of a liar to be faking it. Oh. Oh no.

“Of course I did,” Sirrus said, a wolfish grin spreading across his entire face as he gently ruffled his friend’s hair. He chuckled deeply, shaking his head as he blinked, his eyes slightly wide and a small bit of red in his face as well. V wondered for all of an instant whether he was saying that just to mess with him, but he knew the answer. He just knew. As much as he wished he was, Sirrus wasn’t lying he’d seen everything. And he clearly had some opinions though he was too polite - or perhaps too embarrassed by the whole situation or on his behalf- to verbalize them. And he was utterly and eternally grateful for that because he didn’t think he could take it. “Goodnight. If you need me, simply knock.”

And with that, Sirrus nodded politely before backing away, avoiding further eye contact, and heading to his own door. V gave him a sheepish wave from his own doorway which he returned almost too playfully despite not fully looking at him before ducking inside of his door and closing the door softly. V then closed his own door, leaning against the back of it with a sigh. That could have gone better. So much better. But it also could’ve been worse, so he was glad that it hadn’t been. At least Sirrus wouldn’t tell anyone. He hoped.

“Goodnight… “ V managed to croke out sheepishly after much persistence. He knew Sirrus probably couldn’t hear him through the wall. His friend’s response had stolen all the air from his body and his head was suddenly pounding. He hadn’t realized he possessed such a strong aversion to being seen undressed until now. This almost felt like it had to be more than that. He needed to lay down. He suddenly felt unwell.

Once the door had slid closed and V had managed to stand up and dry himself off along with the trail of water that he’d made from the door to the bathtub, he sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the wall and reveled in the feeling of the cold brick against this skin. He suddenly felt hot. Unbelievably hot. Almost as though he was coming down with something. He quietly hoped that he hadn’t as he gripped the towel Sirrus had wrapped around him and held it tightly, his heart still pounding in his ears. How awkward.

After a minute or two he sighed and bent over to unzip his luggage bag, opting to start by putting something on himself. Probably not underwear, of course. He’d proven that he apparently didn’t need those to sleep in during his time in Redgrave City, but perhaps something longer, softer, and lighter around the bottom would do. Something warm that would sweat him out from under the covers in his sleep in the middle of the night and ruin his badly needed restful sleep. He had options there. He’d packed accordingly.

But just as he finished searching for his shirt, Griffon materialized in the room, cackling to himself in a tone somewhere smack dab in the middle of concern and amusement, practically nonverbally inquiring as to if he was alright in the head by tone alone; challenging the very notion of his sanity and if it truly still existed, frayed as it must be.

“Um V… Don’t mean to, ahem, interrupt you or anything but um… why didn’t you just ask me or the kitty to get it? Wouldn't that have been way easier?”

V stopped rifling through the bag about ten seconds later as his head suddenly snapped up and he stared at Griffon as though his avian summon had just open-palm slapped him in the mouth, stopping halfway through putting on the loose button-up shirt he was in the middle of buttoning up. He suddenly looked absolutely mortified. “What did you say?”

“I said… “ The iridescent blue bird suddenly stopped speaking, noticing the way that his master suddenly looked. V’s entire face was flushed with shades of bright pink, his body structure indescribably limp and his eyes totally dilated and unblinking. Some part of him had clearly just given up, but on what, he didn’t have the slightest idea. Perhaps existing? It was something essential like that for certain. He looked as though he’d just lost the will to live and wanted to peel off all of his skin, lay on the floor, curl up into it, and simply die.

His entire body slumped like a depressed sack of potatoes as his wet hair clung to his face and his shoulders, his head pivoting towards the floor as his shoulder dropped. He needed a haircut but couldn’t muster the energy to care about something like that right now despite noticing as he shook his head in disappointment. Maybe it looked better this way. At least it hid his shame-filled eyes from the gaze of others. Yes. Why hadn’t he just done that?! He’d been so worried that Sirrus would see him undressed that he’d forgotten how to think! It was the simplest, most straightforward answer, and somehow he’d totally overlooked it and gone with perhaps its total and complete antithesis, embarrassing himself for his trouble. 

He’d nearly died of embarrassment, and now he was dying of shame.

That was it. This was his cue to go the hell to bed. He said nothing as he walked calmly across the room, pulled the covers back, and fell face down on the mattress, no longer able to conjure meaningful thoughts. He was well and truly ready for the burdenless joy of sleep. The void of nothingness that his mind clearly needed to retire to for a few solid hours while he regained the capacity for critical thinking. He’d had enough for one night.

With that he scooted up until his face was on one of the pillows as Griffon grabbed the soft comforter, pulling it up to his shoulders and dropping it on him with a soft flop before landing on the bedside table and preening himself. Clearly, V needed some help. He was obviously struggling, immobilized, and stupefied. Shadow simply manifested, looked at her master, and laid down next to him against the side of the bedframe on the floor. It was best not to disturb him further. Clearly, he needed a minute. Or maybe a few hours.

(-~-)

For the plant nerds out there, yes. Sirrus did spend the money to buy an Albino Variegated Monstera Deliciosa with pink undertones just to put in the room in his house that he spends the least amount of time in. He’s insane and his love language is plants and cuddling. The more rare, pretty, and unique, the better. Let’s just hope Shadow doesn’t nibble on them like every other kitty in existence. Can you imagine… 

As for the shower situation and everything that happened between Sirrus and V in this chapter… THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME IN HIGH SCHOOL AT MY BEST FRIEND’S HOUSE AND THEN WE HAD TO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED. AT MY FIRST EVER SLUMBER PARTY. The shame. 

I’ve already written half of the next chapter, so I’ll see you on Friday the 1st of September. Take care! Don’t overheat out there and be careful of hurricanes, tropical storms, fires, earthquakes, heatwaves, and… oh forget it. FFS. There is too much going on. Just be safe, okay? I care about you all. Don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Stay safe! Bye bye!

[userjungkook97]

CREATOR GAME TAG: post your gifs/gfx before and after colouring

tagged by @namsoek, thank you isa &lt;3

original sets here: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

these are two different ways of colouring: the hyunjin and jennie one are my old colouring styles, where i would start with vibrance, then brightness/constrast, hue/saturation and then selective colours, curves, levels and exposure. then, i think end of july or something i changed a bit and now i start with curves and levels and then do the rest and also i learned a bit of channel mixer and the words it can do sometimes. as always, i still do all my colouring from scratch as i feel better do to it this way then do use a psd and having to fix it. i think i’m more happy with how it is right now, but i’m always looking for improvement.

i’m tagging @astronautjin @userjiminie @heybaetae @yonglixx @kimtaegis if you want to share how you all do it (if not, it’s all good hehe)

[khaleesiofalicante]

The recent chapter where Max says that it shouldn't have been his family in the hospital but him got me thinking.

Hypothetical for you, I know it goes against Mallory's character to hurt Max. But just imagine she chooses to use the ECT on Max to make him be disgusted/afraid of David instead of targeting David.

How do you see that playing out?

I see Max making himself progressively worse because he would keep running headfirst into the wall of his trauma until he destroyed himself. And David leaving because he can't let Max keep doing this to himself.

But then again, this Max wouldn't hold himself back from chasing David down. Soo...

Oh, this is very good!

While Mallory hurting Max is out of character, what you suggested (Mallory trying to make Max be disgusted of David) was actually part of the plot in lbaf 4 🥲

Now allow me to put my psych degree to use hehe.

There are different kinds of exposure therapy.

Let's look at David's choice:

He follows a type of therapy called graded exposure: the client constructs an exposure fear hierarchy, in which feared objects, activities, or situations are ranked according to difficulty. (looking at max, listening to his voice, being in the same room, touching, kissing, etc) They begin with mildly or moderately difficult exposures, then progress to harder ones.

David has also combined this with general Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) where he talks about his thoughts, fears, and feelings with his therapist.

What he does with Jaden is a type of interoceptive exposure therapy: Deliberately bringing on physical sensations that are harmless, yet feared. Jaden isn't the stimulus that makes David scared/repulsed, but he does have a similar effect (hence why David avoids him in the very beginning). So, David uses Jaden as a method to expose himself to Max while learning to manage his anxiety and repulsion.

NOW. MAX.

First of all, I don't think this shit would go to therapy. (yes david does have experience in dealing with this so he knows better) but i think max, as you correctly said, would just keep running after david (which would only make his repulsion worse).

What Max would do is actually called flooding. Flooding therapy is an intensive type of exposure therapy in which you must face your fear at a maximum level of intensity for an extended amount of time. For example, if you are claustrophobic, you will be locked in a room until you calm the fuck down or if you are scared of snakes, you will be asked to hold the snake until you are not scared. It doesn't always work and can be extremely traumatic if you don't do it with proper assistance.

Max would do exactly this (repeatedly expose himself to David) not as a form of therapy, but simply because he can't stay away and it would keep hurting him.

Maybe in this alternate universe, I can see David going back to France. David leaves Max for his own good. But as you said, Max would follow after him. Max would be mad at himself for many reasons (for mallory, for not being able to get over his repulsion, for hurting his family) and it would just get worse. we also know max suffered a depressive episode in the past so all of this would be entirely unhealthy and would not end well.

THIS WHAT IF WAS INSANE THANK YOU FOR ASKING IT HEHE.

[loveydoveylex]

OMGG LEX idk if anybody’s asked you this question yet but when I was younger my first exposure to Rayman was Rayman Raving Rabbids 😭 I never actually played it correctly cuz I’d constantly play this one level where you like ride on these pig things and that’s all I’d wanna do?? BUT RAMBLE ASIDE has your Rayman insert ever met the rabbids or come across them?? And if so what are their thoughts on them? And is your insert in the Mario + Rabbids lore since Rayman is gonna be a dlc character?? 🥺 (SORRY FOR THE LONG QUESTION A)

HI MIA!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK! never apologize for any questions, i LOVE talking about this stuff!! 🥺🥺

i actually haven't given much thought in regards to my self insert and the rabbids! all of rayman's friends were missing from the raving rabbids games (unless you count the gba versions) so i guess that just sort of prompted me to think "yeah okay he's just here vibing on his own i guess". where do those games even take place? we see real humans in rrr2, is this earth??? what happened to the glade of dreams????? please ubisoft these are the pressing questions we as fans NEED 👏 TO 👏 KNOW. 👏

though while playing raving rabbids i did occassionally wonder "hehe what if i was there too and we were forced to be competitors by the rabbids, that could cause some funny hijinks". and sometimes even the classic fanfiction trope: there was only one.......... jail cell. they were on a bit of a budget here 🙄

if my s/i were to meet the rabbids? they would probably think they were ADORABLE honestly. i am an animal lover, and if that trait carries over to my s/i... a constant bickering back and forth of "RAYMAN CAN WE KEEP HIM" "lex he's trying to eat you" "PLEEEEASE?"

AS FOR MARIO + RABBIDS!!! i actually have yet to check out the game for myself as i don't own a switch! i do plan on watching a let's play, i just haven't gotten around to it. but i assure you, once that rayman dlc comes out I AM ABSOLUTELY GOING TO FIND A WAY TO INCORPORATE MY S/I INTO IT!!

[boxingcleverrr]

21, 23, 40!

WOO!

from hurr

21. something you’ve kept since childhood?

The most notable would be Lester, my stuffed Lemon. My nana worked for Sudzee Lemon? which was a local New England cleaning product in the 70s and 80s, she was a secretary in their offices and had a teddy-sized mascot of theirs on her desk. He's a Lemon with arms and legs and sneakers, and he's been with me for 30 years now! I wrote movies and books about him when I was wee, he was even in a rock band and I wrote all the music before age 8. He's been much-mended and much-scrubbed and is still brightly yellow and smiling. The only valid yellow thing I allow among my cool tones, hehe

23. how do you feel about chilly weather?

I've said it often, I prefer cold for some practical reasons: I am a furnace. I was very much made for the cold, I'd have been the one out in the snow hunting for elk during the long winters, etc. But specifically chilly is sacred to me, spring or fall, because for so much of my life Jacket Season is only a few weeks in each season. Otherwise it's t-shirts or COATS.

I love jackets. An outfit feels Complete with a jacket. You can choose the level of exposure, be it of your skin or just your defenses. A coat covers everything, and summerware is like, I HAVE to look like this half-finished thing, exposing parts of myself whether I like it or not, because otherwise I'll melt into an ugly sweaty pile.

So yes. Ideal form of existence = jackets. I cannot move to BC fast enough.

40. did you have any snacks today?

I admit I woke up an hour and a half ago, so, I've only had ungodly amounts of black tea and digestive biscuits thus far >.> But I'm gonna have a lunch salad soon! And dinner is gonna be chicken wings in tikka masala!

[puppyie-innit]

wholesome teases, nicknames, an sillyness in frenship, that mean A LOT to me but can't admit it:

(t-word edition!)

“I would call ya giggler, but we both know yur more like a gigglee…” (SO SMART BUT SO- MMMHHH 😖)

“M gonna getchaaaa!~” (meanie not sayin this enough 😠)

“Both haaannddsss~” (ESCAPE MODE ACTIVATED)

“Coochiecoochiecoooo!!!” (Slippin, slippin, slIPPIN!!)

“ ..Sorry, was i.. ticklin you!?” (in the baby talk voice tooooo, am alreday meltin)

“Hiiii Gigggllleeesss!~” (thank God for tumblr an my amazin dino boy 🦖.. even tho it’s NoT mY nAmEee, stupid nickname- I lov- HATE it)

“Yur adorable-“ (🫠 nuh-uh!)

“The chikin goes…” 🐓🦆🦃 (i was so confused when it firs happened, but i love an miss this so much)

“Puupppyyy, good puppy!!~” “She’s practically my little sister” (curls up in a ball, these make me so happyfull!! 🐕😋)

“3…” (..uh oh)

“2-“ (here it comes..)

“1..!” (cue me gettin to it firs, hehe!)

“i can make it feel better-“ (plz ❤️‍🩹)

“Challenge accepted!-“ (..oh)

“dun dun… dun dun…. dun dun dun dun.. dun dun dun dun- ..dunnnnnnnnnnnnn!” (Sharky, circlin around me like a sharkyyy 🦈)

“i happen to know a weakness of yurs~” (🤫)

“do i need to tickle you?” (MOST DEFINITELY YES)

“c’mere” (jus a hug right? ..Awh :< uH I mean, GOOD 🫂)

“do you wan the rules to be the same like before?” (cant remember how ya worded it but yesyesyesyesyesyes!!!)

“Aaawh, you embarrassed? All flustered an flutteryyy??~” (absolutely not💗🦋)

“..an guess wat? m the tickle monster..”(CRUMBLES- SINCE WHEN?! YUR THE VILLIAN, MEMBER??)

“Anticipation!” (EEP)

“This must take a lot of self control for you right now..” (not at all, want do ya meeaaannn 😵‍💫)

“I like makin ya happy” (🫶 💜)

“Yur gonna be so itchy after this-“ (WELL NOW THAT YOU SAID IT)

“Wats this button doo?” (not the dAnGeR zOnE, nuuuu!)

“PoCkEtTsSss!!”

“Ya said you weren't ticklish here, member?” (M NOT, ITS A REFLEX)

Me when he used to snap his fingies: “Eh, this is fine”

Me realizin there's a purpose now of: (snaps fingers and ups your level of ticklishness by 100) “..oh no” (YAYYYYY)

…

“Wat happens if i doonnttt?”

“Ooo, wats this!?” (deflection!)

“Watcha gonna do bout it? >:3”

“..jus tense, stressed- that’s all” (i despise massages an scratchies an pat pats, they feel so good thoooo ^~^)

“STAY FAR AWAY FROM ME-“ (🙈 AAAAHHH)

“Am i botherin you? Is this a nerve??” (snarky cuz it’s the only hints i can give ;w;)

“Evil, very very evil- STAHP DOIN THAT!”

“This doesn’t do anyth- ..oki”

“M not even- that… thing”

“tables hav turned, hehe!!” (ruthlessly- but not painfully, targets yur neck 🐢)

“REVENGE!!” (Hero time!!!)

”yur too weak” “m not scared of you!” (HOW ARE YOU NOT GETTIN THE HINTS >:p)

”this is mine now-“ (CMON BRO, it’s very obvious wat. m. doin)

“TAG, yur it!” (Chase chase chASE CHASEEE❣️)

“Don’t even think about it-“ (🥺 pwease do think about it)

“YOU SAID THE WORD-“

“Ooooo, exposure-”

“FlaiLeR >:D”

“..darn, got last place again? Oh well-“ (😇)

[unknown-terrain]

Just saw NCW is going to star in a new gothic horror film opposite Romola Garai; apparently he's producing too. The synopsis sounds pretty interesting. Might finally be his big break post GoT. I wish Gwendoline would get cast as a lead in something instead of continuing to be relegated to small, supporting roles 'cause she's got such talent and presence.

I will admit Virtue's plot does actually sound interesting, I can't remember the last time I said that about a NCW project lol its been a very long time. Also I really like Romola Garai. Only time will tell. As I mentioned on discord, I find it funny he's back at playing a knight when he mentioned right after S8 ended he was done playing knights because he didn't want to be typecast and he also felt too old for those parts so I guess he changed his mind seeing as his post GoT career hasn't scored him a hit. Honestly I'm looking forward to all the JB au edits that will be born from this film hehe.

Gwendoline definitely has that leading lady spark and she proved it when she played the lead in A Midsummer's Night Dream so Hollywood needs to get on it. I was really pleased with her supporting roles in Sandman and Wednesday last year though. They may have been supporting roles but she's still an absolute standout even if she's not the lead. Both Sandman and Wednesday were highly successful with audiences and critics and it catapulted Gwen back to the levels of fame she experienced during the GoT days. She received a lot of much deserved recognition and exposure. I don't mind seeing her in supporting roles as long as it's a good and quality project. Of course as a Gwen fan I'd love to see her play lead someday if the right role comes along. So many of her fellow GoT cast have had lead roles and the majority of those projects were damn right awful flops so Gwen may not be playing leads like them but she's still doing better career wise than the majority of them.

[talatugtugin]

Crosspost: these images were prepared for the Instagram grid. The sources and subsequent posts are below the cut.

—

1st part original:

- removed the lamp and some stray hairs

Instagram caption:

Everywhere they call me bida~ 😳🎶

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: removed a lamp and some stray hairs; changed the crop. https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Lb8kaO4i-

2nd part original:

- color graded and exposure and crop adjusted.

Instagram caption:

[#YGIG] Hi, world! 🤘🏼 We would like to thank all of the people who were with us in this very special day. Thank you very much to Universal Records Philippines for giving their full trust and support. To our Tatang Robin, and the whole SBTown family, we are very grateful to have you. Thank you for making our dreams come true. Today’s the start of our history. Always remember that: Wherever, YOU GO, I GO. ❇️ Caption repost from @ygig_official

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: color graded and exposure and crop adjusted. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19UkWE8cEg/

3rd part original:

- rotated and changed the crop; levels and colors around the face adjusted; background adjusted; stray hairs and some artifacts removed.

Instagram caption:

📟 [#YGIG_GM] happy monday ulit wego!! thank you so much for coming last Saturday. sarap sa puso makita kayo ulit. miss na agad namin kayo :(( let’s see each other soon <<33 Repost from @ygig_official

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: rotated and changed the crop; levels and colors around the face adjusted; background adjusted; stray hairs and some artifacts removed. https://www.instagram.com/p/C3hfPhOO9S3

4th part original:

- removed some stray hairs and artifacts; removed a person in the background; cleaned up the cup; removed the branding on the paper bag; reduced the yellows in the image except in YGIG Hazelyn's skintone and the burger; added bloom by way of a blurred layer reduced to ~60% above the near finished image with the eyes kept sharp.

Instagram caption:

I don't know why~ pero ang sarap ng burger with chicken pops na bbq and hot cappucino in the morning 😋 Sana masarap din ang food niyo WeGo and mag-ingat sa paparating na typhoon~ Repost from @ygig_official

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: removed some elements for better focus; color graded and bloom added. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu_qSgNuuGA/

5th part original:

- image composited with the background of a modified loona's flip that promotional image:

- adjustments were made to make the final image look more married

- removed the reflection in the sunglasses and cropped this composited image

- also created a slightly modified non-composite image

Instagram caption:

here's a picture of us back when we were in jeju~ we really can't wait to go back, and explore more beautiful places with all our members 🍀💚 Repost from @ygig_official

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: First image shows YGIG members before a background of a modified image of Loona's Flip That promotional photo. Second image is the real photo of YGIG at Jeju with little modifications for better focus. https://www.instagram.com/p/CuWg49JrclR/

6th part original:

- removed trash for better focus; adjusted the chairs' bars; adjusted the subject's exposure

Instagram caption:

here's my heart, exclusively for my wego only (hehe) did you like idky? among our songs, was there any song that related to you the most? let me know! i'll read it all :) Repost from @ygig_official

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: modified the chair and the subject's exposure for better focus. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu_n49rOowd/

7th part original:

- didn't alter these images since they matched the exposures of the other images

Instagram caption:

Hmm hair color check 👩🏻‍🦳😁

Repost from @ygig_official

- follow up comment:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3uziripHJA

8th part original:

- removed the trash reflected in the sunglasses; removed the sleeves poking out from the camera left and expanded the background to the camera right slightly; reduced the background's saturation somewhat

Instagram caption:

Uh, listen up I've been thinkin' 🎶 Wazzup, WeGo! Napakinggan niyo na ba ang IDKY? How was it? Napa-keep in it cozy gon cut me some slack na ba kayo? Kung hindi pa mag-stream na kayooooo. 🍀 Repost from @ygig_official

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: removed some visual clutter and reduced the background saturation for better focus; crop adjusted. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu_sfObuKT1

9th part original:

- adjusted the perspective via the bottom vertices to match the other images' perspectives; cleaned up some shadows near the mouth and added more volume to the top of the hair (no other digital modification to Darlene beside that); expanded the top of the background; some exposure adjustments to uncrush the blacks

Instagram caption:

Tumingin sa'kin, o mabighani~ 🎶 #DoTheShabaShaba 🎶

- follow up comment:

※ Photo altered from the original: Perspective was corrected to match the images next to it and exposure was adjusted to uncrush the blacks. Background and hair volume slightly expanded. https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bg4gE1jGA/https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bg4gE1jGA/