#the aesthetician writes

[the-aesthetician-writes]

September Writing Review

(Also a short update.)

Hey all! I've been gone for a while, I know. I've been trying to keep active in the midst of finding work and life being well... life. So the short and quick version of this is, I'm back-ish!

I have decided to really buckle down and have a try at building up my writing habits. With a couple of months filled with some horrendous experiences I won't detail here, I have realized what I want to do more than anything is writing. I have been attempting the process for the passed couple of weeks and the results have been more than I had expected.

Last month's goal is more or less having a decent amount of work done on all WIPs. And while that can seem overwhelming. I think the way I had set this up this time could hold results. So prior to my recent experiment, I've been writing with the goal of finishing one thing with no deadline (probably not the best method now that I'm thinking about it.) So what I decided to do now is to have a deadline along with tentative goals by the end of the year(NaNoWriMo) and some taking place during the first half of the new year (AroWriMo).

Some of these goals range from solid word counts to more abstract concepts in writing but for transparency (and accountability, really) I'll share them below.

Poco-A-Poco (Webcomic)

Poco-A-Poco is a web comic I set out to make at the beginning of the pandemic. Hoping to create something while in lockdown. It has been abandoned for a couple of years but I have decided to work on it to help build my discipline.

The goal for the last two weeks was to create a total of around 30 "pages" for the web comic. Thinking pages for web comics are often subjective and since I have a passion for graphic design. I felt it would at least work as a warm up when working on it.

The goal after September would be to work on a "page" daily for Poco-A-Poco. Just to build a rhythm and if I manage the time, some day update the comic with what I have worked on.

By the end of 2023, the total should amount to around 122 "pages".

By April 2024, the total should amount to around 243 "pages".

@bybyebitheway

Bi The Way is my ocean punk baby. Also started in 2020 and has had the unfortunate ratio of one chapter released per year it's been alive. With my new motivation with these goals, I decided BTW needed a concrete goal to hit. This was not only to build discipline, but also to build stamina in my writing sprints. I will be trying the Pomodo Method when writing BTW chapters along with the modified Kitchen Timer Method.

The goal of these past few weeks was to write around 4 chapters. I really attempted to give my all these passed few weeks, but haven't managed to work on Bi The Way. However, knowing I had planned beyond these two weeks made me feel better about the initial failure.

This October, I plan on playing catch up on BTW and other WIPs I fell behind on. By the end of this month, I plan on having written 5 chapters along with the four chapters that carry over last month. I feel like the carry over factor will help in building that stamina in terms of writing. After all, the only reason I had set 30 pages in two weeks for Poco-A-Poco was to build in routine. I'll talk more about that later on, but for now my goal with BTW is to have written 4/5 chapters each month. Each chapter having a minimum word count of 1,500 words. BTW will have a hiatus in November for NaNoWriMo.

By the end of the year, I would like to have around 14 chapters.

By the end of April 2024, I would like to have around 30 chapters.

@tobeaspected

To Be Aspectec is another product of the pandemic and also my first dive into AroWriMo. Having failed to achieve what I originally wanted for AroWriMo multiple years in a row, I plan to finish at least one character interaction just in time for next year's AroWriMo.

The goal for the last two weeks was to have two "scenes" written for TBA. With the goal being more subjective and similar to my goal with Poco-A-Poco pages, I opted to have a definition set for what counted as a scene (for my overthinking sanity's sake). A scene would mean any amount of writing needed before the player makes a choice. (Oh I forgot to mention TBA is an interactive fiction piece, didn't I?) Besides the quantity, anything else was up to me.

By the end of the year, I would like to have 6 "scenes" written for TBA.

By the end of February 2024, I would like to finish one "volume" of TBA. A volume would be a total of two characters and all their interactions, including endings.

By the end of April 2024, I would like to have 10 "scenes" written.

@thehuntersacethetic

The Hunter's Ace-Thetic is another interactive fiction project that started during the pandemic. It has been through many different mediums as a way to experiment and learn about different media, but I will focus on ChoiceScript for now.

My goal during the past two weeks was to write out one "episode". Again, with the goal being to build stamina, I added THAT work load into the two weeks as well. More so, the focus these past two weeks was to organize the "episode" structure, with the real priority being on an outline for it.

By the end of the year, I would like to have 4 episodes of THAT.

By the end of April 2024, I would like to have 8 Episodes of THAT.

NaNoWriMo 2023 Project (OMS)

For the month of November, I plan to take on NaNoWriMo and work on one of my abandoned attempts. I hope to write to full 60,000 words by the end of Novemember. If anything, I hope I learn how to be a better writer. The name of the book will be: "Oh My, Starsigns!"

"Oh My Starsigns!" is planned to be a sci-fi/ crime drama(?) taking place in the future where the space police have technology that can take over a suspect's body. Along with the police themselves, suspects also posses different abilities. The story will begin when a prison ship crash lands on a distant planet. Really trying hard to not give anything away just yet.

By the end of 2023, I would like to have Oh My, Starsigns! finished.

By the end of April 2024, I have no further plans for OMS other than maybe self publishing on Amazon or somewhere else if I'm able to find a better alternative.

What I've Written So Far (End of September, 2023):

Poco-A-Poco: 20/30 Pages

Bi The Way: 0/4 Chapters, 0/6k Words

To Be Aspected: 0/2 Scenes

The Hunter's Ace-thetic: 0/1 Episodes

What I Plan to Write (October 2023):

Poco-A-Poco: 40/30 Pages

Bi The Way: 8/4 Chapters, 12k/6k Words

To Be Aspected: 4/2 Scenes

The Hunter's Ace-thetic: 2/1 Episodes

Reflection:

I think these past two months have been a great experiment in knowing what to do different for the next couple of weeks. Hope to update you a month from now with good results.

#the aesthetician writes #updates #bi the way #btwUpdate #thatUpdate #the hunter's acethetic #to be aspected #tbaUpdate #writeblr

[dirtbra1n]

really want bring hrkg visceralisms back I just wish I had less WORK TO DO

#something about hirano being a shitty surgeon. scalpel in hand standing over kagi (who can’t decide whether he can look at him or not). #he’s at a bit of a loss. he wipes his face. blood smears. #LIKE YOU GET IT. YOU DO #‘now where on his face would he wipe?’ don’t know. whatever looks best. i’m an aesthetician at heart you know #like we’re foregoing medical sterility. he can wipe his lip if he wants i suppose #h​​aaah i don’t know. something else about kagi being such a physical presence lying placid. warping his liveliness until he’s lying still #making himself intentionally smaller. and hirano doesn’t like it but he can’t put his finger on why. grasping amateurishly at viscera #while kagi makes up his mind about whether he should look at him or not. he can’t. he doesn’t. #except he gets stitched up and sits up and looks at hirano now with this look in his eyes #weary and unbearably affectionate and pitying too. stands and towers over hirano. #his smile is wry and he can taste blood on his teeth from biting his tongue so hard. #thinking other thoughts now too i suppose. guess who has to write a discussion post

[iraprince]

hey ira do u have any tips for drawing sylvari bc i started playing guild wars a while ago and i am stumped (haha get it because they r pla--) on how to approach drawing the plant ppl features and such.

yeah, for sure!!! they are pretty intimidating to draw at first, but once you get past that first learning curve they're not so bad :) these are a few years old, but i have two posts of tips i can share — one about understanding some of the underlying ways sylvari faces are generally structured/"decorated," and one about how tracing over screencaps is a really helpful study tool for quickly simplifying + understanding complex in-game designs and how to stylize them.

also, those posts are more focused in on the face/hair, but for the body sometimes i find it can be helpful to go look at my characters' bodies in the makeover kit window — with armor toggled off, obviously, but also with lighting toggled off bc their glow very helpfully outlines some of the anatomical lines that i like emphasizing. very frequently when drawing sylvari i'll just leave in some of the construction lines/muscle forms that would normally get erased in cleanup, but i also like extending some of those lines in a flowy/stylized way that is less anatomically accurate but more leafy/plant-y — this is heavily informed by how their bodies, especially on the arms and legs, are stylized in-game! (you probably already know this but in case it's helpful: you can access the makeover kit preview panel in any major city by going to a black lion aesthetician! they are placed in the same area as bl trading post npcs and appear on the map as a little mirror/scissors icon.)

i hope this helps, even tho the posts are a little old — if you have any more specific questions abt sylvari stuff that stumps you (hehe.) please feel free to ask, i'd be happy to try to doodle/write out more tips!

#sylvari #gw2

[finalfantasyxivwritings]

I have a very indulgent story I'm writing with a friend and we've basically headcanoned that Au Ra scars turn into scales (with much confusion in the aesthetician menu- "WHERE ARE THE SCARS- IT'S JUST SCALES!!!") So a warrior Au Ra may have more scales along their body, while an Au Ra who has never fought would have the typical amount of scales

It would be especially interesting to see the overall process of wound -> scar tissues -> scales, since it wouldn't be far of a stretch to think that Au Ra might shed their scales to some degree as they grow into adults (and perhaps less often past that).

Over several sheds, scar tissue slowly hardens into a material that is either extremely similar or are outright scales proper--this doesn't take a long time in general, but generally is quicker to appear on younger adults since they tend to shed more often while they might still be growing.

This just gives me a mental image like yours: this grizzled older Au Ra fighter whose body is just *covered* with intricate lines of scales that don't seem to match up precisely with the rest--but it doesn't take long to realize that many of them are shaped like old wounds from an arrow, a sword, or magical damage.

#ffxiv #ask #au ra #au ra headcanon #headcanon #sfw #sfw headcanon #others headcanon

[nothingbizzare]

Slides in here again. Smirks

Is there anything in particular that influences how you choose to draw certain characters?

I think I have mostly an full ass method of making and draw certain characters

First of all ,I READ A LOT AND I SAY REALLY A LOT SOOO fanfics /headcanons writings influenced a big part of my way of drawing certain characters as well my knowledge of the characters .Like u can see in the first Giorno art I made on 30 June he doesn't look like the giorno in my head and certain aspects like having no eye lashes or not curly hair or even an aspect what got to be fugos after but we get it after .

With time I started trying drawing more and more thouse characters sooo I started being inspired more and have preferences and character notes /headcanons like how I took in example 3 characters and make a short 5 -10 points characterisation of stuff I wanna add or character personality wise for inspiration for the last and final part ,MY favorite

SHAPES LANGUAGE ,and siluets (i do them all the time till I perfect them )where I add like my up ideas and characterizations into designs shape language

Like I draw Fugo and Gio practically like contrasts !!!!and add my inspiration about old 70'-90 -2000 culture khfgjfjgjgfjyf

(Pls ignore my horrible English mistakes I am soo tired)

The finalis actually mostly I got inspired little detiles like big eye lashes and eyes for giorno from artists like @/joljulep , really sharp nose for fugo and really sharp shape language for fugo from @/sboopie and @/corpsoir flower ,roses shaped rolls is just I saw a bunch artist do this but no one sharp soo I did thus for fun (i don't wanna bother people by tagging them just for tutorial and my own way of interpreting characters)

In rest is mostly taste and what u like mostly ,influence (like having an emo faze in preteens soo I draw fugo with a bit of emo aesthetician sometimes just FoR fun )

In general this is a long process of months and hundreds and hundreds or doodles and art but IS SOO FUN TO DRAW hope this can give u some idea of how I do character designs in general and the influence I take from overs to do this :D

#nothingbizzare art #jjba #long post #jojo bizarre adventure #giorno giovanna #trish una #pannacotta fugo #jojo no kimyou na bouken #vento aureo #jojo's bizarre adventure #bizzare'talks #bizzare answer #bizzoots #jjba fanart #and yes i draw my self like a gremlin from quarantine even soo tahts silly

[one-divides-into-two]

Also, I was able to find the PPM document you suggested before and it's really enlightening.

I'm sorry to keep barraging you with questions, but do you have any recommendations on readings in aesthetic theory? Almost all the aesthetic stuff I've read has been from analytics and I'm embarrassingly ignorant on aesthetics outside that tradition. The only aestheticians I know of who aren't analytic are Macherey and Ranciere

to the degree that Toscano remains internal to Marxism, I think that he's a strong aesthetic theorist; the same applies to Badiou (although I am obviously more sympathetic to the latter than the former). Alberto Asor Rosa's polemic against the attempt to articulate a proletarian 'art' is also, imo, very valuable (insisting on the absolute autonomy of the aesthetic field from the political, but in order to affirm politics and deny the 'revolutionary' aspirations of an artistic practice which is necessarily severed from actual work in the class struggle - so contra, for example, Adorno et al). the collection Communism and Poetry (Writing against Capital) was a delight to read.

Lukács is great as a literary theorist - and his self-criticism on HCC is also phenomenal as a work of Marxist philosophy in general - especially the Theory of the Novel and his pamphlet on Hölderlin and Hegel.

Plekhanov has a couple of good essays on aesthetic theory (if you can get past the Plekhanov) - I was talking about this one with a comrade the other day.

[miniwrimos]

March 16th Check-In

You blink and the month's half gone, right?!

Today's questions:

How's it going?

Does you have an image of your story's book cover in your head? What does it look like (or share it if you've already made it).

@mischief-dream @galactic-mystics-writes @lacependragon @eccaiia @mschvs @wordsacrossemptypages @wildjuniperjones @the-aesthetician-writes @pluttskutt @imbrisvastatio @mariahwritesstuff @untethereddreams @andromedaexists @e-lisard

#march 23 miniwrimo

[irisopranta]

So what was the process of creating Iris? Was she always an Elezen? How did you decide on her race/name/appearance etc?

Was she always an Elezen? How did you decide on her race/name/appearance etc?

No, actually. Before Iris, there was L'hanzu. When I first started out I was a Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te named L'hanzu Rhiki. I played her for three years before I was starting to get bored of her look. I tried just changing her hair and anything that I could with the aesthetician. Nothing really felt right and thought I should try fantasia her. Before I used the free fantasia I got from the MSQ, I decided to perform some crimes to see what I wanted. Because I was fantasiaing I decided that everything was on the table, including race changing. Here is a picture of L'hanzu before switching to Iris:

So why Elezen? Because I like them since Heavensward. I actually almost rolled a Duskwright instead of the Wildwood that she is now. Here is Duskwright Iris:

I didn't go with Duskwright because I wanted a warmer skin tone which I wasn't going to get with Duskwright. A Fun fact here I was going to go with the greenish teal eyes with the final version of Iris' look but I ended up selecting the wrong character data when I loaded up the data and ended up with the deep blue eyes from a previous version of Iris. I didn't feel like getting another fantasia to fix that. As another fun fact, that is where Iris' mom's eye color comes from.

As for her name, I ran with L'hanzu's name for a few months after changing to an elezen. I knew that her first name was going to be Iris as I just like that name for years. It was the last name that eluded me for three months. What I ended up doing was asking my husband irl if I can use his typical RP last name, which was Opranta. He was cool with it and thought it was okay as her always stole my usual character names for his RP characters.

So what was the process of creating Iris?

So all the appearance change to Iris happen almost a year ago. Some of things from L'hanzu translated to Iris, such as her caring personality. I actually didn't start write her back story until December of last year.

As for my process, I learned from Illyana (my Pathfinder character that had from 2016) I should answer questions or write journal entries as though I was that character. It is actually the reason I take up ask memes on tumblr. So in a way you are seeing me actively work on her character anytime I do a writing prompt or answer a question sent to me.

Thanks for the ask @sasslett

#ask the mun

[gothamitelove]

Hi there! Your writing is so lovely, I’m excited that matchups are open! So I’m a 23 year old woman, I have black hair with bright pink hair in front, and have a more mid size/curvy body type. I work as an aesthetician, so I’m a bit obsessed with skincare and makeup, and making people look their best! I have some chronic health issues, so I kinda get sick easily, and am babied a lot by the people in my life because of that lol I have a dog who is my whole life, and I love going to eat good food, explore new places, going shopping, but also just relaxing at home :)

oh my god so i completely forgot about this and im SO sorry wowza

okay i'm gonna put you with harley quinn, cause you already know harley would LOVE an aesthetician s/o. you guys would get to do each other's makeup all the time and it would look so cool. harley loves shopping too, but just so you know, she absolutely got her cash from her last bank robbery. she would love taking you to fancy restaurants and all kinds of cool places!!

#asks #matchmaking #harley quinn #pamela isley #poison ivy

[the-aesthetician-writes]

[ 22.102023 ] || [ sunday ] || [ clear ]

mini update #1: I am very behind on goals.

mini update #2: I decided to take on an accountability buddy, so far, it's help.

mini update #3: I've already written up 1.5k of words for the next chapter of BTW and god, I feel tired but elated! I do have a bit of reservation with how I ended it, but I like what I've made so far. There is a bit of rambling in the beginning but I just need to start it somehow. There might also be funky pronouns around a certain sample stealer, but hopefully I've managed to catch them before publishing on AO3. n.n

mini update #4: Poco-A-Poco has been getting to me, but I'm attempting to figure out it's voice while still being able to work on it.

mini update #5: I will be trying to crank out 1.5k every day this week to catch up on BTW chapters. Like, I know I'm going to hate it, but a this point it needs to be done. I don't want to sit here and mourn characters and worlds when I know I'm capable of sticking it out and writing it. Especially now that I finished one chapter today.

mini update #6: I want to try and be move active on Tumblr. I'm thinking maybe I can put out a poll to see what you all would like to see from me?

#writeblr #writing #btwupdate #tbaupdate #thatupdate #the aesthetician writes #bi the way #to be aspected #the hunter's acethetic #updates

[sheepwithspecs]

March CarvRhos Ficlet: Love Hurts

|| FFXIV || Rated M [18+] || (6/??) ||

Prompt List Here!

No intimacy, no loose ends. Heartstrings could easily strangle a man, should they become entangled with another’s.

Note: This isn’t at all what I intended to write, but the words wouldn’t stop coming anyway. It’s as though Carvallain said “No, I should be the one pining for once! It’s not fair!”

She comes to him shrouded in moonlight, creaking wooden boards beneath her bare heels, phantom fingertips on his brow. Her laughter is so soft as to be lost beneath the rhythmic rush of the sea, the muffled noises of the port beyond his window, the quiet settling of the ship all around him.

“I see ye keep poor company when yer away from home,” she teases, warm breath stirring the fine locks of hair near his ear. “There’s a street full o’ women in the pleasure quarter all but beggin’ ye to come n’ try their wares. Yet here ye are, alone in yer cabin with naught for company save yer two hands and a piss poor memory.”

“Believe what you will, madam,” he breathes back, syllables escaping his parched lips with each exhale, “but I long ago found myself under siren’s spell. I’m afraid there’s no cure.”

“Tsk, tsk. Poor thing.” She is so small, so slight, that the mattress barely dips where she curls up alongside him. Her slender leg slides over his hip, his thigh fitting easily between hers, fingers slotting together until her palm becomes his. She pushes the hem of his shirt aside, pausing to feel the rapid beat of his heart before rising to trace the angular shape of his collarbone.

“I miss you.” She would recoil at hearing such a sentiment, no matter how earnestly spoken. The very notion of being wanted is something foreign to her, laughable at best and mocking at worst. But here, in the privacy of his luxurious brocade bedcurtains, he is free to address her without fear of putting her on her guard. And she listens to him, bright eyes gleaming with affection and silent understanding. “I miss you so much.”

“Is that so? I’m surprised, seeing as ye never call me when yer abroad.” He chuckles at the thought, shaking his head sadly. The last few times he’s been bold enough—silly enough—to try the linkshell he carries with him, the result is an ear-piercing jumble of static noise and hijacked conversation. It’s been two long months since he last heard her voice, and it will be two more before he hears it again, at the very least.

“Besides, ye haven’t thought o’ me in weeks.” That’s a lie. He thinks of her every day, if not like this than in the abstract. But that’s not what she means, not exactly. “Something must have happened,” she remarks, tracing idle patterns on his chest. Her nails tickle the stippled hair growing back from his last aesthetician appointment, dipping occasionally into the well of his sternum before starting again.

“I saw something that reminded me of you.”

“Oh, aye?”

“Earlier today, in the markets….” His bed in the cabin is smaller than the one at the Seventh Sage, but still large enough that it can fit several well-stuffed pillows. He rolls towards the wall, reaching for one he tries to refrain from using overmuch. The pillow is cool against his cheeks as he buries himself in feathery softness, breathing deeply and searching for any lingering traces of her scent.

“There was a silk merchant unloading new wares,” he says, half muffled into the pillow and half in his mind. “One of the skeins was this beautiful shade of red, reminiscent of what you seem to favor.” It ripples in his mind’s eye, a shimmering waterfall of sanguine hues held aloft by the ocean breeze. The keen merchant had noticed his gaze and offered it to him, unrolling it to show off the beautiful pattern painted on its surface. An aimless, yet poignant pattern of soft curves and sharp angles, stark white on a bleeding background. In an instant he was reminded of her, of the white tattoo on her brow.  

“Aye?” Another verbal nudge, fingers tangling in the wiry curls beneath his navel.

“I wanted to buy it for you, to show you—” He cannot bring himself to finish. A ridiculous notion, borne of equally ridiculous desires. She had no more use for a skein of silk than he had for a crate of cooking supplies. But it was less the practical aspect and more the emotions it invoked, the joy it would bring him to place even a scrap of the cloth in her lap and watch her confusion become admiration. To see her mouth purse in a little O of surprise, eyes widening before crinkling in utter delight at the sensation of silk against her calloused fingers. He wanted her to laugh at him for the frivolity of it all while still finding pleasure in the gift. He wanted to watch her rub it against her cheek, rolling her eyes when he—quite rightly—compared it to the smooth expanse of her inner thigh. He is certain that, should he compare them right then and there, he would find the fabric’s texture lacking.

“Oh, how I miss you,” he says yet again, a desperate sound torn from the depths of his aching chest. He clutches the pillow to his breast, a poor substitute for the woman in his mind. His hands slide down the curve of her waist, palming the ample flesh of the thighs he so admires before lifting to count her ribs one by one. “Do you not miss me too, when I am gone?” She doesn’t answer, for he does not know what the answer would be. She draws him in for a kiss instead, nuzzling into his neck with a blissful little sigh as he dips a wandering hand between her legs.

“Dearest,” he groans, feeling how wet she is for him, “my darling—” Things he would never say aloud, even if he were free to. They are sweet nothings in every sense of the word, borrowed pleasantries. They belong in another era, some alternate world where he never chose to leave the safety of his gilded cage, never donned the pirate’s mantle and learned of their many unspoken rules.

No intimacy, no loose ends. Heartstrings could easily strangle a man, should they become entangled with another’s.

The knowledge does not dull the pain. It only mislays the source, guilty pangs that seem to mock him with the understanding that he is the careless one, the foolish one. In over his head, drowning, mired in his hopeless love while she continues on in the same blithe fashion as always. Their trysts are just that—something trivial to fill the time and provide mutual satisfaction. She holds no true regard for him; she’s better than that.

But in this dream he has built for himself, he can believe. He can fool himself into thinking that she is just as bad as he is, perhaps even worse, for she clings to him and cards her fingers through his hair. She opens herself to him, whispering broken fragments of endearments as she takes him in hand, stroking him to the choppy rhythm of the waves. And when it’s over, she holds him tenderly as he sobs his release against her shoulder.

Never mind that it would never work, either emotionally or logistically. Their differences are too great, both in size and disposition. But it works now, and it’s what he needs, and it’s more than worth the guilt and that grief that come after.  

“I love you.” Despite everything, it’s the truest thing he’s said tonight.

“I know.” Tired lips find the hollow of his throat and linger there, breathing him in. “Sweet man.”

“I wish….”

“Shhh….” The barest whisper, the gathering of moonbeams as she prepares to leave. Even like this, she won’t stay. “Sleep now.”

He reaches out for her, unsure of his own intentions, and finds air.

#ffxiv #Final Fantasy 14 #Final Fantasy XIV #MarchoftheTropes #CarvRhos #Carvallain de Gorgagne #Rhoswen Leach #Captain Carvallain #Captain Rhoswen #my writing #nice little bit of angst #If i do say so myself (and I do) #I adore this trope but I have no idea what it's called #ISW (Incredibly Sad Wank)

[pr1ncesspopstar]

Reap and Joy - FFXIV Write 2023 - Day 28: Blunt

Ao3

-

Jandelaine all but screeched at the sight of the Warrior of Light. His scissors shook in his finger as he gasped and gawked at the mess on her head. Halditar just offered a lop-sided grin, well aware how it probably looked worse than it felt, flyaway strands tickling her ears and neck at odd length.

“Please, spare me. Tell me this was caused by- by a ruffian . Some monster.” The Elezen man begged one of his best customers as he looked at her from the sides. Just as terrible, if she had to guess from his expression.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Was all she could tell the man in confidence, knowing she couldn’t torture him with the hair murder scene that was now in her bathroom.

It had been a spur of the moment decision, a blur of pure instinct she just needed to act on. After her meltdown, her armor strewn all around her room, Halditar picked herself up and started the process to clean herself off. Following a warm bath, she stared long and hard into the mirror. At those heavy, curly blonde locks that weighed her head down. Cumbersome, difficult to comb, dyed the least recognizable shade she could think of. Before she knew it she had a knife in hand, hacking away at the tangled mess she knew as her mane. Heart pounding in euphoria as the weight slipped off her head and the locks severed. She cared little for how it looked, just that it was off, relishing in the shorter, softer locks.

But she knew she couldn’t leave with the massacred blunt bob that was what remained of her hair. And she had a token in her bottom of her bag that was long overdue to be spent.

“While ghastly , it thankfully isn’t unsalvageable. I just hope you don’t mind trimming down quite a bit.” Jandelaine said, eagerly snipping his scissors. Halditar just laughed and nodded, the idea making butterflies dance in her stomach from excitement.

“I have more than that to ask of you. Think we can get rid of this dye?” She asked and held up a bit of her straw-like hair. The aesthetician’s eyes glinted in delight.

“Oh, dear, I’ve been praying for the day you realize you aren’t a blonde. Happily, let’s show off those fiery roots.” He turned to his make up case, and began pulling out vials of liquid and brushes. Halditar had a feeling this was to become an all day affair.

-

“…Done. You look gorgeous.” Jandelaine set down his brush, and turned the Warrior of Light around.

Gone was both the long nest of curls and the choppy, blunt bob she had given to herself to free her. Away was the muddy to obnoxiously bright blonde she doused her hair in for so long. Framing her defined features and soft, snow white skin was a long hidden red. Ruby in tone, the oils and soaps applied earlier made her hair shine like silks. The curls flowed freely in soft, natural waves with plenty of volume. It was indeed short, to be expected of a salvage job, but it still looked beautiful. Even her eyelashes and eyebrows, once pains to match the right shade, were the same beautiful red.

“What do you think?” He asked.

“I-I like it, thank you.” Halditar coughed roughly, to keep from crying all over again. She almost wanted to sit and stare into the mirror, admire the change. It was almost like she was reborn, taking back what was hers from the depth of the murky, dark pits of her memory.

“I can’t really overstate my relief. Thank you, Jandelaine.” Halditar practically bowed to the man, who flushed and playfully waved his hand in feigned modesty.

“It was nothing, an honor really to help you achieve such a fresh, true to yourself look! And if you ever need anything else in the way of aesthetics, I’m more than happy to help~”

“Hmm…” Halditar pushed the old glasses back up her nose, more than a few ideas coming to mind. “In that case, any good reccomendations for a place to get glasses?”

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite #ff14 #ffxiv #ffxiv wol #my writing

[m34gs]

Bar AU ask time: Out of all the characters currently introduced in the AU proper (in a fic), what is the one thing they come to the bar to complain/vent about when they just NEED to get it off their chest?

Oh wow! Thank you friend, this is quite the ask ehehehe. For the sake of the post, and my sanity, I shall only write about the people who do currently visit The Bar (adults, and only the Bleach characters who have set foot inside thus far, or I will be here all night LOL!)

Alright *cracks knuckles* here we goooooo:

Gojo (JJK) - The entire start of The Bar AU. Gojo goes to the bar to cry about his children. How much he loves them, if they misunderstood him, if he feels like he's not connecting with them...whatever the case may be, it's almost always about Itadori, Megumi, and Kugasaki. He is always drunk by the time he gets there, and he does not realize that this is Not the Jujutsu Sorcerer Bar.

Nanami Kento (JJK) - So far, Nanami has gone to the bar mostly just to pick up Gojo. If, however, he were to go there to vent, it would be because he is angry about society and the system that preys upon people and destroys a person's childhood before they can even grasp it. (We love a Nanami. Men take note. Be like Nanami.)

Aizawa Shouta (BNHA) - This man is Tired (TM). He goes to the bar regularly, and the number One reason is Midoriya. Either his problem child is getting injured or is fighting villains like a vigilante or is SETTING THE DAMN KITCHEN ON FIRE YET AGAIN. His absolute "I Must Go To The Bar" reason to go out on any night of the week is Midoriya.

Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach) - To complain about Grimmjow. The idiot won't leave him alone, except for when he weirdly goes silent and doesn't contact him for days, only to show up shouting something about "it's my day!" and "the Wheel" and then drag Ichigo off to who knows where. Usually for a spar. Sometimes to do makeup and nails. Ichigo is not sure why Grimmjow wants to be an aesthetician but he hopes that as time goes on, they will be fighting less and doing make up more.

Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez (Bleach) - To complain about how Ichigo is avoiding him or how he hasn't gotten time to spend with Ichigo. Listen, I know that I usually write Grimmjow in the bar with Ichigo, but there will be times they aren't there together, and I think in that time, Grimmjow's Number One Complaint will be that Ichigo isn't spending enough time with him/the Wheel is being unfair.

Isshin Kurosaki (Bleach) - To complain about how his son's "Love Life" keeps bringing the police to his door. Isshin really just wishes Ichigo would teach Grimmjow how a normal date is supposed to go in the human world, or go have dates in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. Please. The Cops have been at his door 5 times in a month. FIVE TIMES, ICHIGO.

Divus Crewel (Twisted Wonderland) - so far, Crewel has been to the bar once, and he did not really complain to anyone at the time, though he was stressed. I think he'd keep things like that close to the chest. However, the ONE THING I believe would drive Crewel to confide in a drunken stranger: Crowley's seeming inability to manage Yuu's care (and wardrobe) appropriately. Crewel dotes on Yuu and will not let His Child (for yes, he has adopted Yuu) wander around looking like a Fashion Faux Pas.

That's it for now! (I know Obi and Hinawa have a brief cameo, but since they haven't properly been set up and introduced in the actual bar, I did not include them at this time)

Tell me, is there anything you would add? And which upcoming characters are you most excited to see enter The Bar? (feel free to list characters that are already appeared in fics connected to this au, or ones that have yet to be written in!)

Love you tons!!!!!💜

#asks #replies #bar au #keepers of the bar au #jjk #bnha #bleach #twisted wonderland #fanfic

[stargazer-sims]

Dance practice outtake.

———

They are so chaotic, and I love them. I do have actual story ideas for them, but I don’t want to get bogged down with writing since I’m having such a good time just setting up scenes and generally playing with them.

haha… I put together some of their performance outfits (that Senjirō doesn’t want to wear), and I think I’m going to need to do a photo shoot of them modelling their looks.

I also need to make a sim of their favourite bodyguard, Hwang Ji-Soo, and a few other side characters. I may pull some of my other characters in as well, since so many of them are in Mt. Komorebi. I’m imagining wannabe rockstar Jin getting himself hired to travel as part of their team for their tour (because how useful would it be to have a medical staff person who speaks so many languages?) Maybe the team could also include aesthetician/fangirl Yumi (Mochi’s sister). Hmm… 🤔

#ts4 #sims 4 #eagames #snowy escape #sugar valentine #fake boy band #stargazersims

[fleurdelanuit13]

FFXIV Write 2023: Prompt 8 - Shed

Lyla sat at the edge of her bed, grooming her tail. She had cleaned the latest clumps of fur from her comb. She stared at the pile beside her. It reminded her of down. Was she losing it?

Her fur was thick and she had been going longer than usual without combing it out, but it hadn't been that long. It didn't matter if she used tools or just her fingers either. It seemed like there was always more.

More shed, more static, more frustration... It was the same with her head hair. She blamed the climate of Ishgard. The endless winter did not help either.

Just cut it, whispered some part of her consciousness. Slice it all off. One less thing to bother us in battle.

I like it long, Lyla told herself.

It'll grow back. Just do it. We have a sword right here, knives, scissors, razors. Call the aesthetician—

Lyla stood from the bed. The floorboards creaked. They always creaked, but she'd had this room at Cloud Nine for some time now. She knew where the wood creaked the least.

Waiting on politics she wanted no part in, what else was she to do but learn the intricacies of her accommodations? Her life had been stuffed into luggage and shoved beneath the bed. The straw-filled mattress made her itch.

Once again, she ran her hand all the way down her tail. Once again, she came away with loosed fur. She swept the shed fur into the stray bucket she called a waste-bin. She would burn it, but later. She didn't want that smell in her nose again so soon.

#lyla sylvie ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #this takes place in early heavensward

[miniwrimos]

February 15th Check In

Soooo

How's it going? Are those elusive words hitting the page?

What's a core piece of worldbuilding that your story hinges around?

@untethereddreams @cranewivesnaturall @wordsacrossemptypages @sillyliterature @littlehaize @vampywriter @spuddlespud @andromedaexists @inkspellangel @pluttskutt @galactic-mystics-writes @wildswrites @the-aesthetician-writes @basilesroom @catchingbigfish @mschvs @vogwentwin

#feb 23 miniwrimo