#i've been doing salt water washes etc.

[tuituipupu]

i don't normally read fluff but i wanted some comfort to distract me recently since i am sure i'm experiencing the growing pains associated with a wisdom tooth trying to break through the surface...

i guess you could say it was 'tooth growing' fluff not 'tooth rotting' 💀🦷

#fluff to grow your painful ass teeth to AAAA #everyone prayer circle it feels a bit better today #i've been doing salt water washes etc. #the main thing is it hurts to eat and i'm sad because it made my nye/new years day truly miserable #personal

[cherryrainn]

Hi! Can I just have an angsty/fluffy thing? Hanzo Shimada x Reader and the reader isn't taking care of themselves so Hanzo takes a bath with them etc

my first overwatch ask! thank you so much, i love hanzo.

☽ ༚  ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰  ༵ ༚ ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰ 

— a tender touch

hanzo shimada x reader that hasn't been taking care of themselves

you found yourself lost in a haze of exhaustion and neglect. the weight of responsibilities and personal struggles had taken a toll on your well-being, and you couldn't remember the last time you took care of yourself properly.

hanzo had noticed the change in you, the way you seemed to withdraw into yourself and neglect even the most basic self-care. he had tried to reach out, to offer comfort and support, but you had pushed him away, shutting yourself off from the world.

one evening, as you sat alone in the living room, hanzo approached you with a determined expression. "y/n, we need to talk," he said firmly, pulling you out of your thoughts.

you sighed, knowing that you couldn't avoid this conversation any longer. "i know, hanzo. i'm sorry i've been distant lately."

he took a seat beside you, his gaze gentle yet assertive. "this is not just about being distant, y/n. i'm worried about you. you haven't been taking care of yourself, and it is affecting you."

tears welled up in your eyes, and you looked away, unable to meet his concerned gaze. "i don't know what to do, hanzo. everything feels so overwhelming."

he reached out, gently turning your face towards him. "you don't have to face it alone. let me help you, my love. i want to be there for you."

the vulnerability in his eyes struck a chord within you, and you finally allowed yourself to open up. "i feel so lost, hanzo. i don't know how to take care of myself anymore."

hanzo nodded understandingly, his hand softly caressing your cheek. "then let me help you," he said gently. "let's take a bath together. it might be a small step, but it's a start."

you hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether you could let your guard down. but the sincerity in hanzo's eyes and the longing to find some comfort pushed you to nod in agreement.

with his guidance, you made your way to the bathroom, where a deep tub awaited. hanzo started filling it with warm water, adding fragrant bath salts to create a soothing atmosphere. as the tub filled, he began to undress you, his movements slow and gentle.

your heart raced with vulnerability and anxiety, but hanzo's presence was comforting, reassuring you that you were safe with him. he undressed himself, and then you both stepped into the warm water, sinking down until you were seated comfortably.

hanzo carefully washed your body and hair, his touch tender and caring. he made sure to pay attention to every detail, taking his time to cleanse away the weariness that had taken root in your soul.

"you don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders," he whispered, his voice filled with empathy. "let me share it with you."

the tears that had been threatening to spill over finally fell, and you leaned into hanzo's embrace, seeking solace in his arms. he held you close, his strong arms offering a sense of security and warmth.

together, you soaked in the bath, finding comfort in each other's presence. hanzo's presence was a balm to your weary soul, helping you release the pent-up emotions and fears that had been haunting you.

as the water cooled, hanzo gently lifted you out of the tub, wrapping you in a soft towel, as well as putting a robe on himself. he carried you back to the bedroom, where he laid you down on the bed, covering you with blankets.

"i'll be here with you, y/n," he whispered, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "through the ups and downs, i'll be here."

as the night wore on, hanzo stayed with you, holding you close as you drifted off to sleep.

the next morning, you woke up to the comforting aroma of breakfast wafting through the air. as you sat up in bed, you saw hanzo entering the room with a tray filled with a variety of delicious foods.

"i made breakfast for you," he said with a soft smile, placing the tray on your lap.

your heart swelled with gratitude at his thoughtful gesture. the spread before you was a mix of savory and sweet delicacies, your favorite treats carefully prepared by hanzo's own hands.

"thank you, hanzo," you said, your voice filled with emotion. "you didn't have to do all this."

"i wanted to," he replied, sitting down beside you. "you've been neglecting yourself. i can't bare to see you like this."

he picked up a piece of fruit and held it to your lips, urging you to take a bite. the sweetness of the fruit mingled with the warmth of his love, and you felt a sense of comfort wash over you.

with every bite, hanzo fed you with tender care, making sure you savored each morsel. he brought you nourishment not just for your body but also for your soul, showing you that you were deserving of love and care, no matter how broken or lost you felt.

"i'm sorry," you whispered, tears welling up in your eyes again. "i didn't mean to burden you with all this."

hanzo placed a gentle finger on your lips, silencing your words. "you are not a burden, y/n. we all have our struggles, and i want to be here for you through yours. it's the least i can do after everything you have done for me."

you took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of emotions swirling within you. the love and care hanzo showered upon you were overwhelming, reminding you that you were not alone in this journey.

as you finished your meal, hanzo cleaned up the tray, and you noticed a sense of purpose and determination in his eyes. "i have an idea," he said, sitting back down beside you.

"what is it?" you asked curiously.

"i know that life has been tough on you lately," he began, "and i want to help you find some balance and peace. there are some relaxation techniques and mindfulness practices that might be beneficial for you."

you smiled, touched by his effort to support you in every possible way. "that sounds wonderful, hanzo. i'd love to try anything that might help."

over the next few days, hanzo introduced you to various self-care techniques, from meditation to yoga and even guided breathing exercises. with his patient guidance, you began to incorporate these practices into your daily routine, slowly finding moments of tranquility and calm amidst the chaos.

hanzo also encouraged you to share your thoughts and emotions with him, opening up about your struggles and fears. his attentive listening and understanding presence created a safe space for you to let go of the pent-up emotions that had been consuming you.

with hanzo by your side, you found the courage to face your inner demons, knowing that you weren't alone in this battle. and as you walked hand in hand with him, you knew that together, you could conquer anything that life had in store for you.

#hanzo shimada #hanzo x reader #hanzo shimada x reader #overwatch #ow2 #reader insert #x reader #y/n #fluff #angst #light angst #ask

[threegoblinart]

Been following you for while and after seeing a couple of your WIP it made me wonder... What exactly ia your process? And the step by step strategy you follow every time you draw.

And if you use any kind of reference, if you don't mind me asking of course

Ooh fun.

So to start, I still consider myself in a big learning phase. I stopped drawing for a decade and have spent the last 4 years relearning a lot. I only started water color coming up on 2 years ago. So take anything I say with a big grain of salt.

One big thing I've been working on is the process, having drafts, etc.

Using a recent painting I can illustrate my ideal method for illustrations (my landscapes skip numbers 4 and 5).

1) research, I use Pinterest a lot, as well as stock photos and posing apps. References are super important to me and I rarely start drawing without them.

2) thumbnails, this is relatively new but things turn out so much better when I do I rough sketch or two (or more)

3) sketch layer in blue pencil

4) round two in purple pencil (below is half way done with step 4) so you can see the two colors

5) round three in light brown ink

6) watercolor painting

(the yellow is masking fluid) that was removed later)

7) second ink layer, and highlights

For supplies I like (I'm not rich, and feel I can say most of this can be acquired on a modest budget, especially over timing and taking advantage of sales)

🌼Pilot Color Eno mechanical pencils in light blue and purple

🌼Factis Black erasers

🌼Stilman and Birn Beta sketchbooks, Baohong paper and in a pinch masters touch paper from Hobby Lobby when I need something super affordable

🌼Windsor Newton professional or Daniel Smith watercolors, pricey but last a long time. (Buy them on sale a few at a time, I have 5 ml tubes and haven't replaced one yet in almost two years). You don't need a lot, I started with about a dozen and that was plenty to start with.

🌼Washi Tape

🌼Princeton Velvet Touch Brushes (rounds in size 2, 4, 6, 8 and a large brush for washes is a great start, you need tons of specialty brushes)

🌼Dr. Martin's Bleedproof White

🌼Sakura Micron Pens (I main use brown, light brown and black in 005 and 01 size)

I don't believe in hoarding art knowledge so please ask any questions. If you're just starting I advise getting at least quality student grade materials, reddit and other sites are great for finding affordable supply recommendations.

If you're interested in watercolor there are a lot of great tutorials out there, I started with a free landscape class from thewritingdesk on Instagram!

#watercolor #toh fanart #huntlow #art advice #art process #art supplies

[harvestmoss]

🌿 Cleansing (Milo's Ultimate Guide)

Cleansing is the most important spellwork and ritual a witch should know. We may take showers and vacuum our houses, but we’re missing the spiritually cleansing part of ourselves, objects, and spaces. Spiritual cleansing is the practice of removing unwanted energies or spirits from our space, it may also help with “restarting” objects and to remove stale energies. Knowingly or unknowingly, these unwanted energies can obstruct and weaken your physic work, and lessens your chances of success. Typically before doing any spells, one should cleanse using a method they see fit.

If a room doesn’t feel right all of a sudden, an animal refuses to go into a space, the air feels oppressive and off, areas that are frequently the scenes of violence, a cleansing is needed. When receiving new tools for your craft, one should cleanse them from the past. If your body is icky or your charging is not powerful, a cleansing of yourself is needed. Here are some different ways to cleanse. Things I've found in other books, done myself, mixed with other spellworks, and more. Picked straight from my grimoire! Chapters:

Cleansing with Water.

Cleansing with Smoke.

Cleansing with Fire.

Cleansing with Sound.

Cleansing with your Broomstick.

Cleansing with Dirt, Herbs, Spit, and More.

Closing Notes.

Cleansing with Water

Spray the following waters on any objects, yourself, space, etc to cleanse them. Some of these waters can be added to baths, spray bottles, bowls and be used for regular cleaning too, these waters have been "modified" to enhance cleansing. While the most basic cleansing water is Salt Water, in which you mix water and salt together to gain cleansing waters. These waters may have more enhanced effects. For example, Florida Water empowers any formulae to which it is added.

Holy water

Florida water

Indigo water

Marie Laveau water

Notre Dame water

Pollution water

Rose of Jericho water

Tar water

War water

Make an infusion by pouring boiling water over black snakeroot/black cohosh, sprinkle it with rosemary wand to erase evil spirits.

You can throw evil spirits, bad vibrations and used amulets into the water. Go to a stream with running water and throw the object against the current. Then throw water three times after it. Clean your hands and face in water afterwards.

If you want to clean bowls, jars, pots and pans that you may have caught annoying spirits with or they feel stale and negative, then clean the jar by pulling it against the current three times so that it is flooded with water. Clean your hands and face afterwards. Feel free to mumble cleansing spells or prayers in between.

If you want to clean or renew the energy in amulets, jewellery and the like, you can tie the object to a tree and let it float in the running water for a few hours. It is best on a day when the sun's light plays in the spring's abundance. You can also place the object in a glass bowl. Sprinkle marjoram around it. Pour spring water over and let it soak in a beautiful spot in the sun from sunrise to sunset.

Spring water or water from a running stream is filled in clear bowls, pans, or jars and rests in the sun for a few hours. Take them inside and let them trap negative vibrations, spirits and air overnight. The water can be scented with herbs or oils as desired. The next day, the water is poured into running water (depends on how you scented the water). Holy Water can be used if spring water is not available at the time.

Make a strong infusion with angelica, strain out the herbs, and add the infusion together with white vinegar to a bucket of wash water to cleanse the floors and surfaces of a house. Boiling water to burn the evil spirits that’s in your floor boards.

In a big bot or iron cauldron, simmer rue, stinging nettle, and vervain. When the mixture is steaming, plunge or douse your knives, athames, and swords with the water.

Good to note that different types of water exist in nature such as, snow, rain, storm, spring water, water fall, etc. These waters also can have different effects for your cleansing.

Submerge your body in the ocean or a lake, feel how the natural water washes away the unwanted energies out of you, how your body gets recharged from the natural world. Alternatively, taking a bath or a shower to quite literally clean and bath yourself is also a valid spiritual cleansing method.

Cleansing with Smoke

The smell of incense smoke harmonizes soul and mind, the scent is the soul of the flower and brings memories of the sun, the moon, deep nights and forests into the room you’re cleansing. Scents gives birth to imagination and inspiration. The scent fills the room with ethereal beauty. Scents can also calm down anxiety and anxious thoughts. And smelling certain scents can have effects on your body. Mugwort, for example, is often used for sleeping as well as lavender, and smelling these flowers and herbs induces sleep.

Use dry herbs. Herbs and roots with an aromatic scent should be dominant in a scented incense. Green herbs without a strong scent smell like hay when burned. Herbal mixture can be tied up in strings or set on fire, you can hold it in your hand or place it in an ashtray. You can also throw it on a fire or lit charcoal.

Sage*, mugwort, rosemary, juniper, and frankincense are great for purifying. Bundle it together or burn incense sticks separately. Other combinations:

3 parts frankincense, 2 parts benzoin, 1 part myrrh.

Mix 2 parts St. John's wort, 1 part camphor, 1 part juniper and ½ part sage*. 

1 part juniper, 1 part sage*, ½ part elderberry og ½ part tansy.

Calendula, lavender, rose, orange peels, woodruff, pine needles, a bit of clover, cinnamon, and coriander.

Camphor, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood.

Benzoin, dragon’s blood, frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, sea salt.

Cinnamon, clovers, coriander seeds.

Dragon’s blood powder and frankincense.

Mastic resin tears or powder, myrtle leaves and berries, rose petals.

(* I think I should note that I use common garden sage that I grow myself, and not white sage.)

Instead of herb bundles, you can also make incense sticks yourself. To make your own incense sticks, you’ll need: Dry wood or charcoal, aroma of your choice, resin or SAP, thin wooden sticks.

Use a mortar and pestle to make dry wood or coal into powder. Here you can add plants or spices.

Once in powder form, set some of the powder to the side for later, as for the rest, add your essential oils to your mix. Depending on how many sticks you’re making and the amount of powder you have. You can mx this in a bigger pan.

Add some water to get the appropriate consistency, your mixture must be moldable.

Take your wooden sticks and a piece of your mixture and roll it onto the stick till it’s covered, leave a piece of blank wood at the bottom so you can hold the stick.

Sprinkle the incense stick with the powder you saved earlier.

Let the incense sticks dry in a cool dark place for about a week.

Cleansing with Fire

Fire is purifying and protective, but watch out, fire is such a strong cleansing method, it could burn your house down to a crisp and cleanse it that way, haha. Carry a candle light through the room. Go left three times through your spaces with your candle light, while calling the power of light and the sun's rays to warm and light your home.

Outdoors, you can light up your entire plot with torches. Sing and pray as you walk with your light in the dark. To cleanse with fire outside is done after sunset.

Create a blessing oil composed of frankincense and benzoin to a blend of olive and jojoba oils. Use either the essential oils or ground resin. Dress white and blue candles with the oil and burn to cleanse the atmosphere.

At witches' circles, parties, Litha, and bonfires, you can throw used amulets and things you want rid of into the fire. It will burn up and release you from the binding.

You can cleanse amulets, gifts, objects, clothes, etc. by spreading them in the sun and letting it shine through them. Turn them once in a while and take them in before the dusk falls. The objects can also hang in a window where the sun's rays fall. If a vigorous cleansing is required, this is repeated three days in a row.

Use mugwort and weave a wreath while tying everything you want to rid yourself of in the mugwort wreath. Burn the wreath in the fire and then jump over the fire**. Fill the space you want to cleanse, with the freedom you have been given.

(** Depending on how big your fire is, what you're wearing and your jumping abilities and comfortability to jumping over fire, proceed with caution.)

Cleansing with Sound

Ghosts are typically harmless and won’t do anything, so just leave them be. However, if you have a particularly annoying ghost, take your broom and sweep it out from each corner while yelling, yapping, and scolding.

Tuning a singing bowl as you meditate will cleanse a space and yourself. Generally, music and song will do the same. Fill a room up with noise and song and you’ll cleanse the space right out. Keeping the doors and windows open is best.

Hanging bells by the front door will keep spirits and unwanted energies out every time you open the door.

Hanging wind chimes around your property protects your space and scares unwanted spirits away.

Cleansing with your Broomstick

Broomsticks are not only meant for flying, but also cleaning, they are literally sweeping the dirt away. But broomsticks are excellent spiritual cleansers. Some spells call for ritual brooms that get used once, then destroyed. Other spells call for a regular broom to be used for spellwork.

Get a large bucket of spring water or use other cleansing water and let your broomstick rest in the water for a few hours. Then splash the water over the room you want to clean. Preferably during the emission of loud noises that cause unwanted spirits to flee.

Use the broom to sweep the dust from West to East. Collect the dust and burn it, toshing the ashes outdoors, you can complete the ritual by mopping the floors.

This includes a single use, ritual, broom that will get disassembled. Use any of the following botanicals: rosemary, hyssop, fennel, cedar, sage*, and vervain. Arrange the botanicals onto the bottom of a branch of birch (or any branch can be used), visualizing, charging and knotting. Sprinkle with cleansing water then sweep the area that needs cleansing. When done, disassemble the broom outside, away from the cleansed area. Bury the components in the ground or toss them into running water, flowing away from you.

Cleansing with Dirt, Herbs, Spit, and more

Soil covers everything. You can bury amulets, letters and anything else you want to rid yourself of in the ground. Go to a peaceful place, bury the object and feel the earth release you from it. Cover the ground with stones, moss, grass or branches so that the spot is invisible.

You can also cleanse with herbs by having them in the house. Rose geraniums and woodland wreaths will renew the air and their mild scents will chase away evil spirits.

Place a clove of garlic on each window. If the energies, ghosts, or spirits are particularly annoying, place a whole garlic. The garlic will stay there overnight, or more. If you feel the need is there, take the garlic the next day and burn them outside.

If you find a coin, stone or amulet, spit on both sides of it before using it. It cleanses the amulet and removes any bound energies.

If you have an amulet or object that you want purified or charged with your energy, hold it between your thumb and ring finger. Now sneeze over the object, turn it over and sneeze again. Now your energy is charged into the object.

You can also cleanse a space, person, or object with crystals. Clear quartz or selenite is a good option for cleansing.

Hang garlic, silver crosses, and/or rosary over the door frame to keep ghosts and unwanted energies out.

Keep a dish of salt and place your amulets and jewellry on it overnight to cleanse them, the salt will absorb the stale or unwanted energies. Toss the salt out in the trash when you’re done.

Cleans by literally cleaning your tools, sometimes they just need a bit of soap and visualization with it. While you’re at it, give them a good rub with your hands, you can cleanse through touch.

Since evil spirits and demons cannot cross salt, it is the best available protection. Sprinkle salt around your home or create a circle. If the evil spirit or demon is particularly annoying, use black salt for extra potency. 

Cleanse by intimidating your object, stare at it intensely and visualize your stare scaring the stale energies or unwanted energies out of the object.

Open your windows and let the fresh air cleanse your space.

Closing Notes

Thank you so much for reading this extremely long post, I hope you got some inspirations on how to cleanse your space! It should be noted, these are different ways I cleanse, but there are so many more ways to cleanse than what I have written here!

Also, hopefully, There won't be any spelling errors, if there is, please forgive me, especially for grammatical errors as English is not my native language.

Blessed day!! :D

(Image credit: Me! I drew this :) )

#witchcraft #witch #my spells #spellwork #witchcraft spell #amulet #herbs #spells #cleansing #water #fire #dirt #earth #smoke #smoke cleansing #water cleansing #broomsticks #witchcraft rituals #witchblr #witches of tumblr #witch tips #grimoire #magic #practical magic

[broken-synchronicity]

OvO

can we know what the magic scents are? [just saw the person asking about perfume scents and realized we could probably ask about the magic scents] can be however many you want to do [you can also just choose to ignore this/do none]

Yes, I would LOVE to talk about how magic smells! As I've stated before, magic has many ways it can be identified, one of which is a scent!

In general, most magics have a base scent that's built off by the individual person's development, and can linger in their Aura and on their person. Strong magics are heady or pungent, while weak ones are faint.

Base scents are as follows:

Elemental magics will give off a scent close to their element; fire smells like smoke, ash, or things burning, water like petrichor, the ocean, etc., and so on. Leona's magic, as he stated, smells aerid, like sand and dry soil because of his UM.

Light magic smells clean and warm, like fresh linen and detergent. General Magics, like flight or apportion (Deuce's summoning cauldrons), fall under "light" categorically, but don't have a specific smell outside clean

Dark magics smell bitter, medicinal or acrid depending on if they're harmful or not.

Ancient magics smell fusty or musty, like dust, like an old abandoned house

And lastly, Forbidden magics smell fetid or sour, like rotting wood or food that's gone bad

So on that note, here's how each character's magic smells like in LiT, under a cut, because this is getting long and also spoilers for those not caught up

Heartslabyul:

Ace: faint clean scent with traces of flowers (no primary magic discovered, but his time in Heartslabyul's rubs off on him)

Deuce: clean scent usually, occasionally metallic or like motor oil, like he's been working on a car (Bet the Limit is "light", but he has an affinity for Apportion, cauldrons, and Magic wheels)

Trey: Sweet and warm, like freshly made cookies or hot chocolate (Doodle Suit would be a Light magic, but his affinity for baking rubs off on his magic)

Cater: Clean and faintly woody, but also traces of herbs (Card Split is illusionary, which is considered a combination of both Dark and Light magic. As it is non technically harmful, it's medicinal bitter rather than acrid)

Riddle: Floral and faintly herbal, with occasional traces of others (Off With Your Head isn't quite Dark magic, but it's not considered Light either, so instead Elemental scents take priority)

Savanaclaw:

Leona: as I've already described, dry and aerid, like sand and dry, cracked soil

Ruggie: faintly acrid, but also like hay and dirt (Ruggie's affinity for animal language makes him smell a bit like a barn, on top of his poor upbringing, but Laugh With Me is Dark magic, the acrid kind as it's use is to control other against their will)

Jack: Dog. He smells really strongly of Dog, but also musky with traces of others (Unleash Beast takes priority, but other magics leak through as musk)

Octavinelle:

Azul: Ink and Paper, bitter that is both acrid and herbal with traces of salt (It's A Deal is Dark magic aligned, but takes the form of a paper contract. The salt and herbs are Azul's true nature as a mer, hidden under potions)

Jade: the combination of acrid, salty, and seaweed makes him smell like dead things that have washed up on shore, but also musty (Shock the Heart, as a hypnosis type control magic, is Dark, but hypnosis itself is Old)

Floyd: like a sea breeze, salty and faintly fishy and seaweedy, but in a pleasant way (Bind the Heart, believe it or not, is considered Light magic, in a similar way Bet the Limit is.)

Scarabia:

Kalim: Petrichor and damp soil (Oasis Maker is obviously a water element magic, so Kalim's magic just tends to smell wet)

Jamil: Acrid, with traces of dust and earthy scents (Another hypnosis based Dark magic. His role as a servant also lingers in his magic)

Pomefiore:

Epel: Apples, linen, and general earthy or woody scents (Farm boy's magic smells like his family's orchard, and Sleep Kiss is Light magic adjacent)

Rook: faintly clean, with traces of others (Rook's scent is very weak and doesn't have any real discernable scent. It helps with his UM I See You, being a tracking magic, which is Light aligned)

Vil: Bitter, both acrid and herbal, with traces of others (Vil's UM is Dark, as it's curse based, and his affinity potions makes him 100% smell like an alchemy/potion room)

Ignehyde:

Idia: Musty and a little like rot, with traces of plastic and smoke (Gate To Underworld is definitely old and forbidden magic, but under that is Idia's affinity for magitech. His scent is actually continually getting fainter as he loses his magic)

Ortho: clean, but in an artificial way, like industrial cleaners or antiseptic, and faintly of ash (Ortho isn't human, so his magic isn't really his, but a product of a power source, so any scent would feel artificial on him)

Diasomnia:

Sebek: faintly clean, with traces of ozone and dust (like Ace, no singular magic, but traces of his dorm, as well as his fae heritage)

Silver: Clean and soft, a bit downy like a new pillow, as it's known he is Light adjacent in magic, but also traces of ozone and hay (similar to Sebek, but with a more concrete definition)

Lilia: Musty with traces of ash and a coppery rust (don't ask where the rust comes from)

Malleus: Ozone, ash, dust, occasionally vaguely floral, and traces of something like sickness (Malleus UM is... hard to describe. It's both dark and light, or maybe, more precisely, Dark magic trying to be Light. The contradiction fights itself a little, giving the scent of sick that's been recently cleaned)

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst language barrier au #Words Found #nonnies getting curious! #controlledchaos1342 blog #this took all day but I'm proud of it #no I'm not doing Kal that will actually come up later

[lampfaced]

what was your recovery like on the top surgery if you don't mind me asking? I've got like d cups and think about slicing those puppies off frequently. it's not like, bad enough that i'm miserable but i have no positive feelings about them

I had a pretty easy time, I think! I think I had... man I can't recall. C cups? Not the biggest but big enough that I hated them because I never wanted them to begin with. And now I have nothing there at all and it's such a relief. I actually can't remember what it felt like to have breasts anymore, this version of my chest is how it feels like it's always been even though I know that isn't the case.

I got my procedure done four years ago with Dr. Cori A. Agarwal at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City (long story short I moved from Colorado to super rural Utah ((job related things)) and I had to plan from ground zero). Super nice, great team, and considering everything the cost at the time wasn't super through the roof. They'll work with insurance if it's an option for you. The travel was fine, road trips don't bother me. Had to drive several hours to get to the facility, and the people there were super nice. Kept everyone updated throughout my surgery, called the day after the surgery to check in, etc. The second I woke up post-op I had to throw up and was more nauseous than I have ever been in my life, but that's apparently a genetic thing for me. I also am completely lucid post-anesthesia so any of the "I feel awesome" loopiness that some people have, I completely missed out on.

Once that calmed down, I didn't have a ton of pain, just vague, deep soreness in my torso and itchiness. The worst part of it was being unable to do much for myself for the first couple of weeks due to having to maintain the T-rex arm posture. And being unable to properly bathe while the drains were in. Having to have someone wash my hair in the sink and then effectively give me a baby wipe wipe-down where I couldn't reach was the worst. It only hurt if I hit my "reach limit" and it was an extremely telltale zing of pain, not horrible but enough of a warning.I also hated having to wear these special shirts I got just to house my drains for easy access.

But! Once the drains were out, and I could actually get in the water again, and I could somewhat manage myself, things were great. My stitches were all dissolvable and under medical tape that they just told me to let fall off when it was ready. The binder got old really fast with how warm it was that time of year, and I also got bored pretty quickly with how housebound I was.

The weirdest part was the phantom boob and phantom nip sensations. I opted for leaving my nipples off entirely because I could, but it sure felt like they were still there.

Not once did I experience any mood swings or post-operative depression that some people get after any procedure, which I was surprised by a little bit.

Almost four years later, parts of my scars are faded, and some parts are more keloid in appearance. I also have a "dog ear" skin fold under my left arm, which is pretty common to happen when you have a larger bust size reduced.

And I don't regret any of it.

#feel free to ignore #top surgery

[newhologram]

I'd really like to hear more about the magnesium flakes and oil spray! how did you make the spray? how do you use each of them? where does one get the supplies for such things?

muscle tension/spasms are one of my primary sources of chronic pain and exacerbate the others. I would be very grateful for any of the tips and tricks for reduction, management, and coping you'd like to share 🖤

Of course, happy to share what I've learned/experienced so far. I can't believe I didn't think to try this sooner, as magnesium in this form is more easily used by the body than epsom salts. It makes sense that my muscles have been chronically starved of magnesium for so long since we excrete it during stressful times and that's like. Been my whole life lol. It's been great so far and I hope to continue to do this daily to keep myself more balanced. You can buy the spray pre-made, which I've tried in the past (but wasn't consistent enough to see these results) but it's way more affordable to just buy the flakes and use them to make oil. You just dissolve the flakes in hot water, let it cool, and put it in a bottle. That's all it takes. For a foot soak, 1 cup of flakes is suggested. For a fullbody soak, 3-4 cups is suggested. So just to start, I used 1 cup of flakes dissolved in 1.5 cups of water. It's a pretty low dose so I was able to apply 3x a day to start getting my levels back up. But I don't necessarily want to have to apply it so often, so for my next batch I'll use 2 cups of flakes to make it a bit stronger. A little bit of a higher dose will definitely help me maintain the effect. It does sting a bit at first. Some doctors have said that's a sign of magnesium deficiency in that tissue. It no longer stung after a few days of application. It did break my back (and chest when it dripped) out a little bit but that's a problem I have throughout the year. I did start doing aerobics again and sweating usually triggers my body acne anyway. I've just been using my usual acne body wash and salicylic acid body spray to help it calm down and it's almost healed now. Skinfood's Peach Sake Toner helped a lot too. Tons of people online said that applying it topically helped with constipation and I didn't believe it could work that way, but sure enough it does. I've even been skipping my usual anti-constipation smoothies (chia/flax seeds/gel, sea moss gel, etc) to test it out. I've been having a muuuch easier time which is impressive considering a few weeks ago my colon was acting miserable and I had to do an enema on Christmas Eve. Colitis is a hassle. The relaxing effect on my muscles and on my general state of being is pretty impressive. It has a lot to do with regulating glutamate and GABA. Some doctors online have good info on their YouTubes/Instagrams where they can explain it better. My magnesium flakes are from the Now brand. I found the price for the size of the tub reasonable since I'm mostly using it topically and not for soaking. I'll still do a soak every once in a while (maybe on my period) to give my levels a boost. I have a few spray bottles around so I just filled one of those for easy application. It takes a little bit to rub in and can potentially stain, so I've been wearing my grey pajamas after applying and haven't had any issues. I also added a little bit of peppermint and clary sage oil to mine just for the tingle and aromatherapy but you can add anything or nothing at all. If you're also consuming plenty of magnesium in supplements/diet, just make sure to do your research on dosing because there is such a thing as too much. Hope this helps!

#magnesium flakes #chronic pain #muscle spasms #spoonie #chronic illness #ask #anonymous

[godesssiri]

Change of seasons is here and with it the coughs and colds that come with your body going: Is it hot? Is it cold? What the fuck?!?!?!?!?! That is my current reality and I feel the need to share helpful advice.

If you have even the slightest of coughs, build up your damn pillows. I hate despise and revile this advice. As soon as my mother hears someone cough she asks how many pillows they've got. I am a stomach sleeper and there is NO comfortable position that you can sleep on your stomach with more than 1 pillow, but the last few nights I have been sleeping with a pile of pillows at basically a 45 degree angle and hating every moment of it but it actually bloody works - damnit. There's a reason hospital beds are able to be raised and pillow fluffing was such an important part of looking after an invalid in ye olden days. You cough less and breath better sleeping basically upright.

Broth. You know you need to stay hydrated, you've probably got sports drinks and juice and tea etc. But there's a good reason humans have been feeding other sick humans broth ever since we figured out how to boil stuff in water. It does triple duty hydrating you, providing the nutrients you're missing out on cause you can't stomach food, and also replacing the salts you're loosing because you have gross stuff streaming from every orifice. Throw some fat in there, I guarantee you need it, that 'buhhh can't think thoughts' feeling you have will clear up significantly if you give your brain some fat to fuel it. I like to drop a lump of butter in my chicken stock because it tastes good but you could use vege stock and coconut oil, olive oil, whatever. Your brain needs fat and fatty food probably makes you turn green right now but somehow it's palatable when you add a bit to some broth. While you're at it add some shredded chicken or tofu and get in some protein and add noodles or have it with bread to get in some carbs.

If you have a runny nose BLOW YOUR DAMN NOSE. If you are coughing up gunge from your chest spit it out. I don't care how many boxes of tissues you go through. I don't care how gross it it. Your body is trying to rid itself of that crap so help it out. Whenever I hear someone sniffling I want to smack them around the ears because they are just making themselves sicker for longer - and it's gross to listen to.

You know how the skin around your nose goes all raw and red and peeling when you have a runny nose? That doesn't have to happen. My nose has been streaming for days but I only have the slightest bit of raw skin that I predict will have cleared up by tomorrow. I've been applying lip balm like crazy because mouth-breathing dries your lips and I've also been slathering that balm around my nose. It's provided a barrier to the burning salts and prevented the skin from drying out. You can also use nappy rash cream, seriously it's great stuff for any minor skin complaint.

Wash. I know you don't want to. I know you have no energy and you feel gross anyway and it's easier to just marinate in your own juices. But you will feel better if you're clean.

And if you can find an extra shred of energy after cleaning yourself try to clean up your sickbed area even slightly, the laundry and trash building up is going to make you feel mentally worse so if you can even grab a bag and stick all the trash in it, even if the bag stays in your room rather than wherever the trash is supposed to go.

Don't feel bad about sitting in bed or huddling on the couch for days on end. Don't feel like you should be doing something and it's so stupid that you're tired because you're not doing anything. You are doing something. You are waging war against micro organisms that are trying to conquer your body. That takes a lot of energy, you have a right and reason to be tired so don't beat yourself up about it.

#tw illness #tw bodily fluids #adulting #looking after yourself

[jellig1rl]

My Sunday Reset Routine

°♡°

Self care is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, especially in this day and age. Having a good reset day at least once a week is vital for our well-being and health! Why wouldn't we want to cherish ourselves? One of my fave self care activities is having Sundays all to myself to just indulge in.. me!

7 am ♡

I start by waking up around 7-7:30 am, opening my drapes, letting in each ray of sunlight bounce through the bedroom, I usually open the window to get rid of stale energy, and to let in fresh air <3

8 am ♡

Now, I usually hop in the shower and get some tea going, brushing my teeth while I shower, and washing my face. After drinking some tea and doing my skincare routine, I like to take just a couple of minutes to relax and ground myself.

9 am ♡

Breakfast is always light and something simple; lately, I've been loving brioche bread with avocado spread on top, with a sunny side up egg on top. I don't particularly like tomatoes, so I opt out for them; eating usually takes 20-30 minutes to really be present and mindful of my meal.

After breakfast I like to write in my personal journal, or take some time to draw. Allowing my creativity to flow in the mornings helps me throughout the day to think better and work more efficiently.

Misc. ♡

After my initial morning, there's a lot of space in between my morning and night. Here's some things I do; I don't do all these things every Sunday, but these are some of the things I choose from.

Cleaning my space

Spend some time in the sun

Take a walk

Read

Clean bedding; sheets, blanket, etc..

Work on vision board

Water my plants

Meal prep

Plan for upcoming week

Night 🌙

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ At night, I like to reset myself in my more digital aspect and mental ♡ This gives me a clear head while also keeping my phone clean!

8 pm ♡

Most Sundays I really love taking a hot bath, and adding some of my favorite epsom salts and or lavender & rose buds, and if I'm not in the mood for a bath, I take this time to clean up.

9 pm ♡

Around 9 p.m., I like to start my skin care routine. Before I start , I like to get in my vintage silky night set or gown so I can feel like my most feminine self. Afterward, I remove my makeup, braidmy hair, dry brush my entire body for increased blood flow, and then moisturize! I also like to go through my phone and delete any spam or any unneeded info.

10 pm ♡

Once I'm done with that, I like to finish my week by writing in my journal about the entire week and a general reflection. I usually go to bed by 10 or 11, so doing this helps me get into a sleepy mood ꒰ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ꒱

Overall, having a reset routine is important for your health, each and every aspect. The most important person in your world is you, so take care of yourself <3

⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ────── ⊰

┆彡The end

┆ ┆ ┆ ┆⋆ The End

┆ ┆ ┆જ ✾ ˚ ₊⠀⠀ ᘏ⑅ᘏ ₊ ✩ ｡

┆彡 3lphi3

#cottage garden #cottagecore #angelic pretty #cottage aesthetic #cozycore #cute #blog #skincare #sunday reset #routine #sunday routine #reset routine #self care #self love

[nursegracecreates]

Thank You: A Commission for Anon from Grace and Sally 💖💙

Fic type: fluff

TW: depressive episode, feelings of inadequacy

Pairing: Sal Fisher x GN Reader

Word Count: 3,763

AN: this is my very first writing commission. It's my baby, so please be gentle with it 🥺. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please make sure it's constructive, and not just you being an asshole (if you're an asshole about my writing, I'll return the favor with your writing, art, etc).

A very special thank you to the anons that helped with this commission. You know who you are and I appreciate it

Sally passed down the hall to his and Reader's shared bedroom and paused in the doorway, looking in. Reader laid in bed, back turned to the room, curling in on themself, but Sally knew they were awake.

"Reader?" he asked softly, just loud enough to be heard. He hated seeing his Reader like this and he rubbed his hand over his heart to try to appease the ache there. "What do you say about going on a walk with me?"

Reader huffed an annoyed sigh and didn't turn around to answer, "Please go away Sally. I love you, but I just can't human today."

Sally sighed and took a long blink. He understood, having depression problems himself. But Reader had been like this for a couple of weeks now, becoming more and more isolated and angry as time passed.

"I get that, Reader" Sally said carefully, "You know I do. But, darling, you've been locked up in here for days. I don't even know if you've been drinking water! I know you haven't been eating. No dishes."

Reader finally turned to face Sally, giving him a hard look, "I've eaten!"

"When? What did you eat?" Sally asked. When Reader took too long to answer, Sally continued, "That's what I thought. You don't even know the last time you had food."

With that, Sally crossed the room and gently pulled Reader out of bed, "Let's get you cleaned up and dressed so you can get some sunlight."

"Fine" Reader sighed, allowing Sally to pull them along.

Sally led Reader to the bathroom and started the water, checking the basin for any eating implements from any high snacks. He adjusted the knobs until the water that came out was the perfect temperature for a nice soak, and then plugged the drain for the tub to fill. He added some essential oils for invigoration and some Epsom salts to help with the undoubtedly noticeable aches and pains acquired during Reader's self imposed isolation.

Sally noticed that Reader's lips were starting to chap, so as Reader undressed, Sally went to the kitchen and collected a couple of bottles of water and a lighter to light some of the candles in the bathroom. He wanted to make this forced bathing as pleasant as possible for his darling. When Sally returned, Reader had already gotten in the tub and had sank down until their chin was submerged. Sally handed Reader one of the bottles of water and lit a few candles before turning out most of the lights. Reader sat the bottle on the floor next to the tub and watched as Sally undressed in the soft light and then joined Reader in the tub.

Sally settled into the water, letting it envelop him in its warmth as he leaned against the back of the tub. Reader moved closer to Sal, leaning back against his chest. Grabbing a cup, Sally filled it with water and tapped Reader's head, signaling for them to tip their head back, and then he poured, wetting Reader's hair. After a few cupfuls, Reader's hair was completely wet and Sally set the cup aside, trading it for a bottle of strawberry scented shampoo. Sally was quiet as he worked the sweet smelling gel through Reader's hair, deciding to let Reader talk when they were ready.

The silence as Sally washed Reader's hair wasn't awkward, but it wasn't companionable, either. The time came for conditioner and Sally applied it liberally, leaving it to soak into Reader's hair as he pulled a wash cloth from the sink counter and wet it, lathering soap that smelled crisp and clean into the cloth between his hands. Gently, Sally made lazy passes over Reader's skin with it, leaving trails of creamy bubbles behind. Then he used his fingers and thumbs to massage out tension in Reader's neck and back.

Reader let out a long sigh, "That feels great, Sally" and relaxed into Sally's slow massage. They turned to give Sally a quick kiss and then turned away again, moving forward a little to give Sally better access to their back for more attention. Sally happily obliged, rubbing out a few more knots and then he stopped. When Reader looked curiously back at him, Sally tenderly helped Reader to stand after pulling the plug from the drain. Then he reached past Reader to turn on the shower, pressing a kiss into Reader's shoulder as he did.

Soon, the water was beating into Reader's back, and Sally was focusing on cleaning the rest of Reader's body, leaving no skin untouched. Reader had done this for Sally so many times, always taking care of him, and now it was his turn to return the favor. He rinsed the conditioner from Reader's hair, sharing a few chaste kisses with them under the spray of the showerhead.

When Sally was satisfied, he turned off the water and quickly wrapped Reader's hair and frame in soft, fluffy towels to ward off the chilly air. He gave Reader the bottle of water again, picking it up from where Reader left it, untouched, next to the tub. The cold water inside created condensation on the bottle that proved too tempting for Reader to resist and they opened the bottle, drinking the water down in large, greedy gulps, much too fast.

"Whoa!" Sally exclaimed, taking the bottle from Reader, who let out a surprised cry of displeasure. "Not so fast, babe… Slow sips, slow sips. You don't want to end up getting sick do you?"

He handed a sheepish Reader the bottle of water again and smiled his approval as Reader tried again, taking a few small sips before capping the bottle again.

While Reader started towel-drying their hair, Sally slung a towel low around his hips and returned to their bedroom for clothes. Not really caring what he wore, Sally threw on an oversized dark blue long sleeve and some black jeans, even putting on mismatched socks, not just in two clashing colors, but also in two different lengths.

However, Sally put much more thought into selecting Reader's clothes, weighing the options to ensure that his darling felt at the peak of comfort. Finally, he settled on Reader's softest and absolute favorite sweater (which was technically Sal's, but he just couldn't say no to Reader), form fitting, but comfortable ripped gray jeans, and of course, the necessary socks and undergarments. The boxer briefs were silky soft, made with moisture wicking material, and were black with tiny implements of destruction all over them. The socks actually matched, a pair of those 'day of the week' socks featuring chibi style smiling strawberries proclaiming that today was indeed Sunday. Clothes in tow, Sally hurried back to the bathroom and saw that Reader was still standing wrapped in the towel Sally had left them in, but they were working out the tangles in their almost dried hair with a wide tooth comb.

Sally sat the clothes on the lid of the closed toilet and came to help Reader tame their mane, putting a few pumps of his special hair product into his palm and then working it evenly throughout his darling's hair. Then he ran the comb through again, gently coaxing the remainder of the tangles from Reader's tresses. While he did this, Reader finished their bottle of water and opened the other one Sal had brought, sipping from it as Sally groomed them.

"I brought you the comfiest clothes that were clean" Sally smiled and Reader picked up their undies, slipping them on after drying off completely, "I know, at least for me, when I'm in the same headspace you're in right now, even the softest clothes feel irritating, even though normally they feel fine."

Reader finished dressing, pulling the soft oversized sweater on last and they hugged the soft, Sal scented fabric to their body, inhaling deeply. Sally reached around and pulled Reader's hair free of the sweater's collar.

"There" Sally said, and planted a kiss on the tip of Reader's nose as he stepped back, "Didn't that hot water help?"

"... Yeah, it did" Reader confessed, "I guess I do feel a little bit better, between the hot water and that massage. I swear your fingers are magic." Reader offered Sally a half hearted smile, trying at least, "So what's next? The walk?"

Sally nodded, and they returned to the bedroom. Sally got one of his facial prosthetics down from the wall where he displayed them, foregoing his signature white and pale pink today. Instead, he chose one almost exactly like it, except this one was white and a vibrant cerulean blue that matched his eye color exactly.

After stopping at the door to both put on shoes and light jackets (the November afternoon chilly, but not cold enough to warrant coats), Sally took Reader's hand and led them outside into the crisp, autumn afternoon sun. Picking a random direction, they set out, quietly enjoying each others company.

A few minutes into the walk, Reader spoke up, finally ready to talk, Sally's saint-like patience paying off.

"Thank you for this, Sally" Reader said quietly, giving their beloved partner's hand a soft squeeze, "I know I've been self isolating. It's not like I want to though. It's just-" Reader's voice faltered and their words stopped momentarily as they formulated what they wanted to say. "It's just…" A sigh, "Lately, I've just been so angry with myself. Things have been going so great on my blog, especially recently. The last big event I did was a huge success. But" Reader stopped talking again and Sally looked over in time to see a single, fat tear leave Reader's eye to roll down their cheek. "That last event was like lightning in a bottle. The content that came from it was probably some of my best work. I mean, you saw all of the asks and reactions and theories that came from my readers. I gained even more from it."

Sally nodded, "That whole thing was genius and you executed it perfectly. You've got one helluva creative mind in that noggin of yours and, honestly, I couldn't be prouder of you." Sally stopped their leisurely meander along the sidewalk and pulled Reader in for a kiss, tilting his prosthetic up just enough for Reader to caress Sal's lips with theirs, and then he pulled it back into place, continuing their stroll, their hands joined, fingers intertwined as they let their hands swing between them. "But shouldn't you be happy about all of that?"

Reader laughed, a wry, self depreciating chuff, "You'd think so, right? But I guess I'm just, I dunno, worried I won't be able to follow that up, you know? I put so much time and effort into it, and… What if that was my peak? I've been working on some other things, but it's like my motivation just isn't as strong. Like, yeah, I'm working on commissions and that's going fine, but-" Reader stopped in their tracks and shook their head, "I'm feeling… Inadequate. Like I'm not up to snuff with my usual content, even though everyone tells me it's great. And feeling inadequate makes me angry with myself, I guess." They shrugged a shoulder and Sal caught another tear on his knuckle just as it spilled past Reader's bottom lashes and lid to begin its slow roll down their cheek. "So in regular Reader fashion, instead of asking for help, I isolate, not wanting to bother anyone, and rack my brain for new, fresh ideas. But at the same time, new ideas, new content on a blog like mine could… Not go so well. The fandom is weird sometimes, set in their ways and opinions. Yeah, most of my followers, especially my regulars and friends, will always love whatever I make, because they love me and I love them. But some of the others?"  Reader laughed, a harsh sound as they resumed walking, "other people in the fandom fixate on the tiniest, most menial thing and take it to extremes, blow it out of proportion and twist it into something bad. There's just so much hate and negativity in the world. And that makes me sad."

Sally stopped walking, which meant Reader had two options: stop with Sally and stayed joined with their hand in Sal's, or let go and continue walking

Reader stopped walking and Sally pulled them into a hug. It was one of Sal's infamous hugs where he held Reader tight and made them feel safe, secure, confident, but most importantly, his hugs always held promise that everything would be alright as long as Sally had Reader and Reader had Sally. Reader melted into that hug, clinging to Sally as he clutched Reader's back like Reader was the only solid thing in the world. Sally's hugs were always the best, a fix-all for every problem, and they stayed like that for several moments: clinging to each other like children in the dark that cling to their favorite plushie or security blanket.

Sal pulled back first, just enough to say "Let's walk for a while longer. Your color is coming back." He stepped back so he could study Reader better, "and that spark is coming back in your eyes. Nothing helps a sad mood like good old vitamin D from the sun."

Reader giggled, "Okay, okay, you've made your point, Mr. Fisher. Got any more tricks up your sleeve?"

Sal's prosthetic rose slightly, but it was enough for Reader's trained eye to know he was smiling, and probably in a smug way. "Maybe, but that's when we get home. Let's walk to that store a few blocks from here. I've got some things I wanna pick up, but only on the condition that you have to have immediate amnesia every time I put anything in the cart. Deal?" Sal pinched Reader's side lightly, making them squirm away and giggle as Sally stole a prosthetic kiss.

"Deal."

True to their word, Reader claimed amnesia about Sal's purchases when they left the store and while Reader was bursting with both excitement and curiosity, they refrained from peppering Sal with questions during the walk home. Sal wouldn't tell Reader anything anyway, holding his plans close to his chest like a good hand of cards. As Reader saw it, the anticipation would only make the surprise sweeter. The combination of sunlight, movement, the bath/massage, and just spending quality time with theirblue boy had Reader feeling better already, maybe even optimistic.

Once home, Reader returned to the bedroom, but this time only to clean up the detriment left behind from their own imprisonment while Sally prepared whatever surprises he had in mind. Reader opened the drapes to let the sun in and stripped the bed, switching out the red and black sheets, pillowcases, thin blanket and duvet cover for a satin set of cerulean blue fitted sheet, silver flat sheet, a fuzzy thin gray blanket and a vaguely Oriental style dark blue duvet shot through with threads of metallic blue, silver, gold and onyx. The pillowcases reflected the overall color theme. Once satisfied with the bed, and the old bedclothes in the wash, Reader did a quick cleanup, putting discarded clothes in the hamper, picking up and throwing away pocket trash, and finally vacuuming the floor.

Halfway through vacuuming, a sweet, pastry smell invaded Reader's nose, making them feel like they were in an old cartoon. You know the ones, where a delicious aroma appears in the form of smoke and beckons the character until they end up carried by it into the kitchen by the nose. So the last half of vacuuming was rushed so Reader could get to that delicious scent quicker. For the first time in days, Reader was ravenous.

Reader finished up rather hastily and almost ran into the kitchen, just in time to see Sal set a plate laden with thick, golden fluffy blueberry pancakes on the table. Upon further inspection, Sal had shaped the pancakes to look like cat faces, ears included. Real maple syrup was sitting in a bowl of warm water so it would come out warm and sweet for the pancakes. Real butter sat next to a plate that held sausage links, sage from the smell of them, and Sal had cut some fresh fruit into a bowl. Two plates sat side by side, a glass of water and a glass of orange juice accompanied them.

"Oh my god" Reader said, impressed by the spread "You really went all out, huh?"

Sally smiled crookedly, his prosthetic abandoned on the bar, and it was beautiful to Reader, the same as every line, scar, dent, and divot that graced his handsome face. Reader was of the opinion that the scars caused by the unfortunate maiming that had happened while Sal was a child was the universe's way of ensuring that he wasn't too beautiful. Reader had drawn their interpretation of what Sal would have looked like unscarred, and it was like looking at the sun straight on, beautiful… But so beautiful that it hurt. Admire it too long and you'll go blind.

"Nothing but the best for Mx. Reader Fisher" Sally said smoothly, wiping his hands on his jeans as he pulled Reader's chair out for them, "Now, dig in! I've got two more things to get."

Sal hurried out of the room while Reader fixed their plate, covering the pancakes with syrup, and deciding to get some sausage too. They were just beginning to eat when Sal came back in, carrying his laptop. He sat it on the table so both he and Reader could see the screen as they ate.

"I think this is the perfect time for you to see this" and Sal opened the laptop to show a tumblr page. Not Reader's. A tumblr blog that belonged to Sal that Reader had never known about. "I started this a few weeks ago. And I'm surprised you didn't find it. Your friends and followers did. Look at my asks."

Reader opened Sally's ask box and there were at least ten asks, some pertaining to Reader. Anons proclaiming that Reader and Sal were their one true pairing, questions about Sal himself. But a few caught Reader's eye.

"Reader is a talented and overall amazing person and we love to see them get ahead. A bad ass, but a sweet bad ass."- Anon

"Reader is one of the coolest people around their energy truly can't be matched they're one of a kind in every way" -Anon

"Reader is genuinely one of the sweetest people I know. I'm better for knowing them"- Anon

"So I heard Reader is feeling depressed and I just wanted to say: I don't know Reader very well personally, but they always cheers up my best friend so I love them for that. They're also a very talented artist and I love the vibe I getting when I see their work. Hang in there duder!" -Anon

"Sally? Is Reader doing alright? I know last months event took a lot out of them and we're just making sure all is well. Sending all of our love 💖💙 Grace and Sal"

Reader felt Sally's thumb brush something from their cheek and realized they were crying. Not out of sadness; how could someone be sad with such love flowing?

"They love you Reader" Sally whispered, holding Reader from behind with surprisingly strong arms, "They love you, and I have nothing to do with it. Most of these questions have more to do with you than me."

Reader smiled widely, tears now flowing freely down their cheeks, "My sweet followers…"

"Followers come and go, honey" Sally murmured into Reader's ear as he read the screen along with his darling, "But the ones who stay? They're your fans. Not mine. Not anyone's but yours. And they stand for you. I don't think there's too much that you could do to make them not love you, and I don't blame them." Sal chuckled softly, "Hell, I'm a mass murderer. And none of them judge you for loving me. That's love if I've ever seen it."

Reader's smile only got bigger as they touched the screen over each message of love for just them, "And I love them, too, every single one."

"Talk with your people, Reader. Tell them what you need from them. I'm sure they'd happily provide it."

"They already do" Reader beamed, happy tears tracing their cheeks, "I just got caught up for a bit, but I'm back now." Reader's smile turned mischievous, "Let's give them the happiest holiday possible. After all, they've been such good boys and girls this year."

Reader's demeanor was very much improved as they and Sally ate their pancake feast, Reader making plans for what's to come all the while. When they pushed their plate away, stomach full, Sally stopped them from leaving the table.

"Wait… There's one more surprise, remember?"

While Reader had been cleaning their bedroom, Sally had been hard at work, not only with the pancakes and sausage, but also with dessert.

Reader watched with wide, excited eyes, finishing their orange juice as Sally went to the refrigerator and pulled out a foil covered tray. He brought it to the table slowly, purposefully drawing out the anticipation until Reader was practically bouncing in their seat. Once he set it down, Reader all but ripped the foil from the top.

On the tray sat ten strawberries, covered in dyed chocolate, decorated in true horrorshow fashion. There were three Ghostface berries, three berries bearing Freddy Krueger's green and red striped sweater, topped with tiny fedoras. Two fat Jason Vorhees' peeked out from the paper cups that held each berry. And then there were two that were more aesthetic: a candy corn, and a white chocolate dipped drizzled with "blood" and pierced at the top with a tiny sugar knife. It was obvious Sally had put a ton of work into them, almost too pretty to eat.

A high pitched noise filled the kitchen, starting quietly, but growing into an earsplitting crescendo as the seconds passed. Reader realized the sound was coming from themself as they flew up from their chair, knocking it to the ground in the process of grabbing Sal and hugging him with all their might.

"They're perfect. Beautiful! I HAVE THE BEST SO IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!!!" Reader clung to Sally and sighed, breathing in his scent. When Reader pulled back, Sally slipped his prosthetic off completely, rather than keeping it shoved up and to the side of his head. Then he leaned down to kiss Reader's lips sweetly.

"No. I have the best SO in the universe" he murmured, his lips brushing against Reader's as he spoke, "but we'll agree to disagree."

AN: please don't feel inadequate! You've done so much and I know, at least for me, seeing your posts always, always brightens my day. You started out as one of my first supporters and now you're my first commission. I can't even begin to think of how I could show my gratitude enough to you, but I hope this is at least a good start. I love you man 🥰🤗

#sally face #sal fisher #sally fisher #sal fisher x reader #sally face fluff #Sal fisher fluff #sally face commission #writing commissions #commissions are open #commission

[spookysanta]

miss you. (g.d.)

part i of ii.

Summary: long distance relationships suck; but especially for (Y/N) and Grayson.

Pairing: Grayson Dolan x Reader

WARNINGS: mentions of sex (not yet), angst??????????????????????????, fluff, bad writing

UNEDITED

YUH look at me on a writing streak :) and let’s all reminisce on fetus baby boy by these precious “date” snaps:

(@trapezoidmouth on IG)

***THIS TAKES PLACE AROUND APRIL/MAY***

i only mention that bc it’s talking about graduation and it’s july so i didn’t want people to make a big deal about it

***

"So," she told him with a big sigh on the phone when she got home from class. "I did my presentation today."

"Oh, really?" he replied, while cooking himself an omelette. It was three o'clock her time and noon in Los Angeles, where he was; so it was brunch time. "How'd it go?"

"It..was awful." She tried to force herself not to cry, because when she cries, Grayson is quick to get up and go wherever she was to comfort her. Which might be good in the moment, but she doesn't want to do that to him (anymore--this would've been the fourth time he'd done that). "Gray, I did everything my teacher told me to! I added the information I needed to, took out some stuff, and I even memorized everything! But when I got up there...I couldn't do it."

"What was your topic again?"

She recited her research question as if it were read out of a book. "How listening to music during pregnancy helps a baby's development in the womb."

"Really? That doesn't sound hard at all."

"It wasn't that my topic was hard, it was that the questions I got asked were too hard for me to answer, and how I answered questions was a big portion of my grade." she was getting a little misty-eyed. She'd been working on this project for months; she thought she'd learned just about everything there is to know about music's effects on child development. "Gray, I really thought I had it until then."

"Listen, baby. Regardless of how you think it went, I'm sure you did better. Because I've heard your presentation and you sounded like you knew exactly what you were talking about. I think it's all in your head, angel." He sighed, flipping his omelette in the pan. He liked omelettes when she made them for him when she visited, because she knew exactly what he wanted, how much of each ingredient to add, and she makes sure they're always cheesy and delicious. But when he makes them, sometimes they're a little...underdone.

"I can't focus." she put him on speakerphone and took off her top, pants, and bra, opting to wear one of his t-shirts for comfort. She has a few of them, but her favorite one to wear is the black crew neck. It's plain and simple, and it fits him like a god. But she managed to take it when she left L.A. the last time; and honestly, she took a little vile of his cologne, too, to spray on the shirt after she washes it. "It's so close to graduation, baby, and I know you're gonna call me a loser for saying this, but I can't do this anymore. I want to drop out." she groaned.

"You're a loser either way, in my opinion." he heard her laugh on the other end of the phone. And that laugh was like air to his lungs, if he's being completely honest with himself. He hadn't heard that angelic laugh in months. The last time they'd been together was when she visited him the last few days of her Winter Break--and that was in January. "But you literally graduate in a month. Shut up."

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaay." she groaned again. What she wouldn't give for his bone-crushing cuddles right about now. That's all she wants. She'd been feeling weepy and anxious and a bit sad all day, but now that she's talking to her man, she's starting to feel the heavy weight of her stress lift. "I miss you." she confessed. "I know we agreed that we wouldn't get all sappy like this but I'm wearing your shirt right now and all I smell is you."

“I miss you, too.”

She heard noise on the other end and nearly vomited at the sound. "Move your mouth away from the receiver, Gray. I can hear you chewing."

He chewed louder, his mouth hovering over the phone's microphone. "Like this?"

She hung up the phone.

***

He called her again later, at around four o'clock his time. He and his brother were outside and he was about to grill some steaks for dinner. "Hello?" he greeted into the receiver. "Baby?"

"Hey." she groggily replied. She'd fallen asleep while talking to her best friend on FaceTime and she woke up about five minutes ago. "What's up, boo?"

"Just checkin' on you. I wanted to make sure you're in better spirits than earlier."

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sat up and stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen , finding a box of Kraft mac and cheese in the pantry to cook. "I'm just glad everything’s over with."

"I understand. I just don't want you to be all sad and mopey."

"I'm not sad and mopey only because of my presentation, I'm sad and mopey because I miss my boyfriend." she sighed. "I really don't think I can wait until my birthday to see you."

"So what do you want me to do? You want me to come there, or fly you out here?"

"It doesn't matter, honestly. I just want to see you." she stirred some salt in the pot of boiling water, then poured the noodles into the pot, turning down the heat, and shutting the lid. "Doesn't even have to be long. I just want cuddles and kisses."

"I'd be glad to give you that, and you know I would come and see you right now if I could, but I can't right now. We're filming all week this week and both of us need to be here for it."

"I'm dying without my fuckin' cuddles, man." she drained the pasta, hissing to herself when a little bit of water got on her brown hand. She cursed quietly, already assuming that Grayson knew she'd injured herself somehow--as she usually does. She put the pasta back in the pot and added butter, almond milk, and the powdered cheese, stirring it and letting it cool a bit before pouring it in a bowl next to the stove. "I wanna see your pretty face." she spoke, holding the phone to her ear and with her bowl in one hand and a bottle of sparkling water in the other.

"Hold on a second." she heard shuffling on the other end of the phone. He was making a space on his desk for his phone to sit on, but she already knew that that'd been what he was up to, because his desk is constantly cluttered with papers, receipts, pens and pencils, etc. His desk was riddled with stuff. She heard the quiet his of "ah dammit", and then she finally saw it. That gorgeous grin that makes his hazel eyes crinkle in the outer corners. "Hi, honey."

And as happy as she'd typically be to see his face on FaceTime, all she did was sob. "Hey." She grabbed her food and her drink and with cloudy vision, she guided herself to the couch to eat.

His face fell. "What's wrong? Did I catch at a bad time?"

"No." She sniffled. God, she was so emotional today. "I just...I want you."

"Oh, babe. I wish there was something I could do about that but right now my hands are completely tied."

"I just want cuddles and kisses and hugs! And I want to wear that new shirt you just bought because it looks comfy and I bet it smells good."

"Baby I promise—hold out a little bit longer and you can have whatever it is you want." He paused. "Except for that shirt.”

"Why?" She whined.

"Because I bought that shirt last week. It's still new."

"So? I want it."

"You can have every other shirt except that one. At least not for a while."

"Ugh!" She groaned. "You're the worst."

"I've been told."

She looked away from her phone that was propped up on a pillow and turned on the television, turning to a DVR recording of Botched and settling into the couch, fully accepting the fact that she had to cuddle with the pillows next to her instead of her boo. She picked up her fork, sadly poking the orange-dyed macaroni noodles and putting them in her mouth. "I don't want this anymore." She muttered to herself, catching the attention of the boy on the other end of the phone, who'd only just found something to do on his laptop to distract himself from looking at her tear-stained face.

Because if he did, he'd be at her every beck and call and give her exactly what she wanted. And he was a busy guy; he didn't have time to fly across the country to snuggle her like he has the slight habit of doing.

As much as he craved her—her body, her mind, her laugh, her smell (God, the way she smells? Absolutely intoxicating. He finds himself thinking of the inticing scent on the days when he misses her the most, and it's almost as if she infiltrates his nostrils. Ergo, causing him to miss her 1000x more.)—he cannot leave Los Angeles for at least the next week. If he leaves, then that means Ethan would be left with editing their upcoming video's footage, and that's the last thing he needs right now.

"Why not? When we texted earlier, you said you were hungry."

"Yeah. I was. But now...I don't know." She shrugged. She stopped the recording on the TV, picking her bowl back up and setting it in the microwave for if she wanted it later. Then, she trudged her way back upstairs and got in her bed. She sighed, feeling the lump in her throat form again.

#dolan twins #grayson dolan #dolan fandom #dolan tuesday #dolan imagines #grayson and ethan #grayson dolan x poc #grayson dolan x reader #grayson dolan x black girl #grayson dolan imagines #grayson dolan fic

[artigas]

i've been trying to build a skincare regiment but i just have no idea what sources to trust or what products to use, there are so many names! how did you figure out your skincare regiment?

another anon message: pLEASE tell me how to build a skincare regiment! ;o; my face is a mess most of the time, but i still don’t want to put fucking walnuts on it

Hello!! Forgive my late response, friends!! I hope you are still around and following my blog to see this. Skincare is intensely personal and because it’s your skin and you do not want to harm it, you have to proceed cautiously. I’m no dermatologist! But I do think there are a few things I can share. First, I figured out my skincare regiment by breaking down my major concerns: I had an oily t-zone (meaning: my forehead, my nose, and my chin) and extremely dry cheeks. After I began using makeup, I would sometimes have pimples and texture. I also knew my skin was sensitive. Knowing your needs is an intrinsic part of knowing what you want to address. I will say that I have no experience with acne or with major skin problems- if what you’re hoping to address is a bit more difficult than issues like: dryness, oiliness, breakouts, fine lines, etc than you should really speak to a professional, I think! After I boiled down my issues, I did research. There’s a great app called Think Dirty that runs through the a broad range of skincare, hair, and beauty products and tells you which ingredients raise any red flags and why. Generally speaking, you should avoid skincare that contain needless fragrances as much as possible, as this can often irritate the skin and sneak in some Not So Rad ingredient into even an otherwise wonderful skincare regimen. Speaking from my experience, I find that those who have sensitive skin may esp. feel irritation from added fragrances. I personally wouldn’t suggest abrasive face washes and exfoliates, like Kylie’s Infamous Walnut Scrub, because you don’t want to cause damage to your skin through small micro-lesions, scrapes, and cuts that are caused by rubbing these materials against your skin aggressively. This is especially damaging to dry areas of the skin, pimples, etc. While exfoliation is, imo, a great way to get rid of dead skin cells, brighten up the skin, etc, I personally prefer a chemical exfoliate and find these more effective at cleaning out my skin and showing long-term results. Still, if you opt for physical exfoliate, it should be as gentle as possible- nothing involving shells, hard salts, sharp or shard-like materials of any kind! Also, make sure to read the ingredients in products like skin-peels: if you have sensitive skin, retinols especially can feel very irritating. Another quick tip: if you have oily skin, guess what? Moisturizing your skin is not your enemy. Moisturizers don’t have to be greasy. Look for a moisturizer that’s labeled non-comedogenic, which means it won’t clog pores, and steer clear of mineral oil, cocoa butter, lanolin, and petrolatum. Alternatively, reach for moisturizers that contain ingredients such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, aloe, and squalane, which won’t trap oils in your pores.Again, I can only speak for myself. My regimen looks like this: Every morning and night I wash my face with a Lush charcoal soap (charcoal can be tricky and also abrasive, so proceed with caution- I find that Lush’s formulation is both soft and non-drying, so that’s just what works for me). I then apply The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% to address oiliness and outbreaks, Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 to address dryness, and Argireline Solution 10% for fine lines. After that, I slap on some face cream and sunscreen! I have found that this routine has absolutely changed my skin. On top of that, as a makeup user, I make sure to really clean my face after makeup use: never sleeping in makeup, using both a makeup removing soap, washing my face, and then using micellar cleansing water. I know this can be a lot, but my reasoning is this: If I can spend X amount of time applying makeup, I need to be willing to spend more than a minute removing it. Makeup is nice, but healthy skin is important. 

I’ve recommended The Ordinary to a few people before and so far, I’ve only ever heard good things from my friend- the beautiful, wonderful @crucifythenburn included! The Ordinary is cost-effective, but instead of selling one product with multiple uses, they essentially sell the building blocks. You have to develop your skincare regimen yourself, so you’ll often end up using several different items to target your concerns- or not! My friend simply uses The Buffet and she’s been swearing by that product alone for three years now! If you’re interested in checking them out, here are some recommended articles: (A) (B) (C).

From what I understand, you can reach out to The Ordinary for guidance. As a quick heads up, be mindful of what products should not be mixed- article B has a section on it, but I always remind people that products containing Retinol (Vitamin A) shouldn’t be mixed products with Vitamin C. Also, all skincare products should be tested first! Do a little patch test. See if you feel irritation. The idea that “if it stings, that means it’s working!” is not my mantra. There is a difference between a product giving you a tingling sensation and burning. A skincare product should never cause pain. Frankly, I don’t even play with that whole tingling shit. At the end of the day, your skincare is super individual. If you want my recommendations for skincare products from The Ordinary specifically, hit me up and I’ll try my best- but don’t forget to look up reviews on reddit, look up youtubers who might provide honest reviews (I personally adore Gothamista and I’d stay away from folks who receive a lot of PR), and just exhaust your avenues. You do wanna be careful about what you introduce to your skin, but the resources are out there- I know it might seem daunting, but you can do this! Hit me up if you need anymore help!!

#entering my inbox late with fridge-cold pizza #Anonymous #here's the mail it never fails #ONE MORE THING: #petroleum jelly does NOTHING to add moisture to your lips!!! #if you use chapstick or any kind of lip product please keep in mind that petroleum is only an effective barrier and not very much so either #if anything use it on already healthy or moisturized lips when youre headed out in the cold #as a barrier between your lips and cold winds and harsh temperatures

[fungus-and-bone]

Grimoire Cleansing and Protection

Hello everyone. I want to share how I cleansed my grimoire.

Before I so that, though, I want to tell you how I came to own this book.

I first saw it months ago at Michaels - mid to late June, I would say - and I absolutely adored it. It was nestled among the other, more plain looking sketchbooks, and the only reason I saw it was because the gold accents on the spine caught my eye.

I wanted it. I wanted it bad. I didn't know what I would do with it, and I already have so many sketchbooks and journals at home, but I really wanted it. However, at that time, it was $20, and I couldn't afford it. So I passed it up; I didn't need it anyway.

All the next week, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

And the next week.

And the next month.

It was calling to me.

So, as soon as I had some money, I went back to get it. They were all gone. There were none left. So I left the store empty-handed and broken-hearted.

A few more months passed, and then, about a week ago, I started to get this feeling, this pull to go back to the store and see if they had any more in stock.

So I went back and zoomed straight to the sketchbook aisle. I couldn't see them at first, but then my eye caught the gold lining on the spine, wedged haphazardly on the bottom shelf. They were bent and torn, but they were there. And the price had been cut.

I scooped one up - the one in the best condition- and held it close to my chest as I walked to the checkout. Finally. After all these months of yearning for it, it was finally mine.

And I knew what I was going to use it for. When a book calls to you so strongly, it only seems right to use it in your magic. So, I would make it my grimoire.

I brought it home, and its sat, not untouched, but unused, for a week or so. I needed to cleanse it, but I didn't know how. I've never done this before. I usually go up the mountain and let the water from the falls wash over anything that needs to be cleansed. But this was a book, so it couldn't get wet. I also don't burn anything that gives off smoke because I live in an apartment. I did some research and figured out a way to do my own cleansing with salt.

What you'll need:

A towel, salt (I used sea salt), your book, yourself, an annoying-ass cat to chew on the corner of the book while you try to cleanse it (optional), anything representing your deities, the elements, spirits... whatever it is you personally call on when you do your magic (optional). I call on the spirits of the earth, Wolf, Crow, Mother Moon and Father Sun, so I sat in the moonlight to do this, but that's optional.

1. First, prepare your area. Put a blanket down, get your statues, put some calming music on, etc. I work in my room at my window. It's a big window that faces the moon, and her light shines in strong.

2. Lay your towel down.

3. Put your book on the towel and pour some salt into the palm of your hand.

4. Call upon your deities, invoke the elements, whatever it is you do, and say, "_______ stand beside me as I cleanse this book, ridding it of all negative energies so that I may start anew."

5. While sprinkling salt on the cover, say, "May all negative energy be cleansed from this book."

6. Flip the book over. While sprinkling salt on the back, say, "This book is protected from those will ill intent. Its contents are shadowed from prying eyes."

6. At this point, you can be done. Thank whoever's you work with, and you can say your closing. "As I will, so mote it be" is the most used closing, I believe. Gently swipe the salt off of the book and onto the towel. Dispose of the salt in the garbage.

Extra step: I brushed the salt off and then held the book in both hands, one supporting its weight from underneath and the other resting on the cover. There are people I know that I want to make sure this book is extra protected from, so I looked to the moon and said, "With this spell that I do lay, defend this book both night and day. And to the one who should not touch, may their fingers burn to dust. Mother Moon and Father Sun, this is my will, so it be done."

(That spell is a tweaked version of one from Flora Peterson from the Silver Apple Society.)

The book didn't feel particularly negative before, but now it feels fresh and clean. It feels like it's mine and I'm ready to work in it.

Let me know if you try this cleansing method and protection spell out for yourself. I'd love to hear how it went.

Thanks for reading. Spirits guide you.

-Creed

Note: I've never done a spell before, much less made up my own. It went well for me, however, so I hope it works well for all of you, too.

#witchcraft #cleansing spell #grimoire #book of shadows #grimoire cleansing #book of shadows cleansing #grimoire protection spell #book of shadows protection spell

[rolling-sea]

Selkie's Full Moon Bath Ritual

Since there's a full moon tonight (and I needed something to do with myself since a storm kept me awake all night, gotta love spring in the midwest!) I wrote up my ritual bath.

I take this bath every full moon and new moon since it's all stuff I regularly have around the house, and use it to cleanse and heal. Since I'm an empath I also use it to get other people's emotional crud off of me, and as an added bonus it's great for your skin!

Supplies (adjust as necessary based on the size of your bathtub):

1 cup salt- to cleanse, protect, and nullify any negative energies hanging onto you. I usually go for sea salt but you could use other salts based on different correspondences. (Don't worry too much about the type of salt you're using, though, I've used table salt because it was all I had in the house before. It still worked.)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar- for more cleansing, healing, and self love. As an added bonus it has a mild exfoliant effect and is great for your skin. But play it safe if you haven't used it before! It's so acidic it can be really harsh on sensitive skin. Do a patch test with diluted apple cider vinegar (it dilutes with water, good news!) if you're not sure how your skin will react before jumping in a whole bathtub of the stuff.

1/2 cup milk - to soothe, to pacify, and to luxuriate in because the salt and apple cider vinegar are both drying as hell and I wanted something to counteract that. (If you can't use milk for whatever reason, use olive oil and honey. You'll still get the moisturizing effect and the honey can help boost the strength of everything else.)

(Protip: if you can't take the packages into the bathroom, for the love of god learn from my mistakes and don't put the vinegar in the same container as the milk. You will get cottage cheese in the bath. You really don't want cottage cheese in the bath.)

Epsom salts (to taste)- I end up using a lot because I have everybody's favorite autoimmune skin condition, and Epsom salts have been a huge part of my eczema control regime for years. I try to use Epsom salts with essential oils that match the cleansing/soothing/healing intent of the bath. Personally, I'm a sucker for Dr Teal's Lavender or Milk and Honey scents.

(Optional) scented bubble bath, bath bomb, body wash, bath oil, etc. - I have a really sensitive sense of smell. Wet apple cider vinegar is not a great thing to experience if you have a really sensitive sense of smell. If you're in my shoes, scented Epsom salts won't be enough to make that go away. Bring something else that you know will work.

(Optional) a candle or two- This isn't part of the spell, I just find candles relaxing and that having a couple burning helps me get into the right frame of mind for this. Also I always walk into one corner of my bathtub with the lights off so I try to put my candle in that corner so I know where the thing is lmfao.

The procedure:

Light your candles if you're using them, then turn off as many lights as you can. Ideally all of them but if you can't do that then just turn off as many as possible.

If you have a window and you're able to do so, open it! If the weather sucks or I can't (guess who's got a severe pollen allergy!), I like to focus on the candles since I can still feel the moon's energy.

Hop in the tub before you start your water, or at least get your feet in. The tub is going to get super slippery.

Turn the tap on and reflect on the past moon cycle. While you do, listen to chill music, meditate, ask your deities for help if that's a thing you do, etc. Do what you need to do to create a relaxed and peaceful state of mind.

Add your salt and Epsom salts to the running water. Stir it in counterclockwise and visualize the ocean and the full moon while you stir. Visualize everything this month that was unpleasant or hard to swallow or just bothering you in the dissolving in the waves and under the moonlight. (If you have trouble with visualizing, speak it into existence! Describe your problems getting smaller and smaller either out loud or in your head.)

Add the vinegar. Stir it in clockwise, visualize (or describe) a golden light the color of the vinegar settling in in any issues you think need healing. Conflicts you want patched up (I like to visualize me and the other person surrounded by the light and having a calm and reasonable discussion about our issues), areas of yourself you're trying to accept more (for example I struggle with body image issues so I like to imagine the light enveloping me and feeling like a warm comforting hug), etc.

If you're using something scented to handle the vinegar stink, toss that in now.

Get in, then add the milk last. Just dump it in and let it do whatever it wants once it's in the water. Visualize the milk as moonlight. Everywhere it touches you, it brings peace and contentment. I also like to visualize the cruddy energy cracking off me in giant chunks where the milk hits it, like some kind of Magic Shell.

Stay in there till you feel it's all off of you and dissolved or until you're totally relaxed. When you're ready to get out, drain the tub, visualize everything going down with it, and thank the moon.

(On a final note, be super super careful not to hurt yourself getting out especially if you've used olive oil.)

#full moon ritual #bath magic #bath ritual #full moon #selkie's book of seals #my spells

[softeningthesound]

Self care recommendations

1. Crystal deodorant

Crystal deodorant is basically a block of salt that you wet, rub onto your underarms, and let dry, and during the day, it kills bacteria that makes your pits smell. You can buy this in some pharmacies and shops, and you can also find it online. I was really skeptical about this when I bought it; I was in a natural products store in St. John's, Newfoundland and bought this, kind of wondering what it is. I used it a few times and it didn't seem to work all the time, but I've been using it almost every day recently because I figured out how/when to use it. Basically, your underarms need to be completely clean and odourless. I found that even strong-smelling soaps affect how the crystal deodorant works. I use St. Ives body wash a lot, and that product doesn't interfere with the efficiency of the deodorant. Anyway, so you need to start with clean pits. You need to wet the stone some way. I obviously don't have a sink in my bedroom where I keep my deodorant, so I put water in a spray bottle and spray the top of the deodorant. I rub it onto my underarms for 20 seconds each, and then let it mostly dry before I put my shirt on. Using this "method", after an entire day, my underarms smell like nothing. They smell like skin, basically. It's really strange how it works, and I don't completely understand it, but it's a natural deodorant (unscented, no aluminum, etc) that actually works in a weird, surprising way once you learn how to use it. To make sure I can use it two days in a row (because I don't shower every day), sometimes I apply it at night to make sure that the next morning, I still smell like nothing. So basically, it's just a block of mineral salts, it's unscented, doesn't leave any white marks (it doesn't look like you've put anything on your armpits), and you smell like absolutely nothing at the end of the day, so it's probably great to use with perfume because there are no interfering scents. Even after gym class, I don't smell like much. It's a really weird product that... actually does what it says it does. A lot of deodorants say that they work for 24 or 48 hours but they don't because all your deodorant rubs off anyway, but crystal deodorant actually works for an entire day. It's a natural deodorant, and sometimes there's a weird transition between "chemical" and natural deodorants but I use normal deodorant too sometimes, and the crystal one still works. It'll probably last you more than a year since most of them weigh more than 100 g and it's literally a compact block of salt. Also, be careful not to drop them on a hard floor because it will break (the first one I bought, I dropped on a hotel bathroom floor and it shattered into unusable pieces, so I had to get a new one whoops).

Keep a bottle of body oil in the shower. After you've washed everything, slather a bunch onto your arms and legs and anywhere else you need moisture. In the shower, the oil seems to absorb better, and it doesn't actually feel oily or slimey for some reason. You're already moisturized when you get out of the shower and the towel doesn't actually pick up a lot of oil because your skin has already kind of absorbed it. This saves you time because it's a lot quicker in the shower, and you feel soft but not oily afterward. (Lotion and body oil is so fucking annoying to put on dry skin anyway, save yourself the hassle)

2. Put body oil on in the shower

I wash my face in the shower or over the sink. I recently bought a toner even though I don't wear makeup (a toner basically cleans up any extra makeup or residue or whatever that a cleanser doesn't clean out of your face), so I use that, and also a serum (because I like feeling fancy and I have an employee discount at my pharmacy haha), and then moisturize! You can skip the toner and serum, it's not that important. I have a Pond's cream, and I've had it for months and haven't even used a quarter of it, and it cost me like 8$CAD. Basically, just keep your face moisturized, and your skin will be softer.

4. Expensive skincare products are not necessary

3. Moisturize your face!

You don't need to spend a lot of money to have a skincare routine. Daily cleanser and moisturizing cream. That's it, that's all. The basics are fine, and honestly my tonic and serums haven't done much for me so far, so you really don't need them.

5. Keeps those hands soft

I have a Glysomed hand cream that I put on every night when I'm done being on my phone and go to bed. It feels a little greasy because there's glycerin in it, but it smells good (like tea, and... fresh things) and keeps my hands soft until the morning. During the day, my hands aren't as susceptible to scratches. So keep a small hand cream in your room to apply to your hands and wrists, it should be the last thing you do in your day.

6. Lip balm, lip balm, lip balm

Use oil or a lip balm to have moisturized lips (if my lips are dry I feel like dying basically).

7. Cleaning out your closet

Every few months, go through all your clothes, bags, sweaters, etc and if there's something you haven't worn in a while or don't care for anymore, throw it away (old deodorant stains ew) or give it away. I had a bunch of plastic and broken bags in a corner of my room, and I just got rid of 2/3 of that pile yesterday and asked myself "Why the fuck did you keep all these plastic bags??"

8. Cleaning you sheets makes you feel like a new person

You know when you've just washed your sheets, taken a shower and put on clean pyjamas? Awwwww yeahhhh.

#self care #self love #skincare #moisturizing #body oil #crystal deodorant #body care #lip balm