#literally have no idea how to color water I hope these blobs will do

[elizaisdunn]

where in the world is JudgeJudyAndExecutioner ??

#eliza draws #jimmy solidarity #bigbst4tz2 #pearlescentmoon #joel smallishbeans #grian #limited life #traffic smp #judge judy and executioner #let’s pretend I didn’t forget to give jimmy his sunglasses ok #ngl i’m pretty proud of how this came out I think the colors look nice #literally have no idea how to color water I hope these blobs will do

[hopelesslyromanticshark]

Hi!!! I hope your doing well!! I was wondering if I could request Travis Stoll x Female Reader (daughter of Poseidon) friends to lover, a headcanon preferably. There is seriously not enough fanfics about him.

⋆⭒˚.⋆ travis stoll x daughter of poseidon! reader hcs

content: travis stoll x daughter of poseidon! reader hcs warning: language (i think?? statically speaking, probably), kisses between people who are in love (gross lol) author's note: okay, okay, so i went into this one with high hopes but then i hit a wall. i have literally no idea what happened but i got lost in my mind and this came out. deepest apologies but it's alright??? to me anyways. i tired fixing it a few times but that just made it worse so this is what we get i guess. i hope you like it, that's kinda all that matters to me.

you guys have such a cute meet-cute...in travis' opinion. you not so much.

it had been meant for percy, he clarified every time you guys told someone this story.

percy had brutally kicked his ass during training and travis was determined to get revenge in his favorite way; harmless but extravagant pranks.

the children of poseidon were known for their light colored hair, natural highlights that were similar to when the sun glimmered off the water

so, naturally, travis bought blue hair dye and snuck into the cabin, pouring the whole bottle into both the shampoo and conditioner.

that night during dinner, travis made a point to bring his siblings attention over to the poseidon cabin, a proud smirk on his face.

"this is gonna be awesome," he told connor, who looked around with similar excitement.

"stoll!! You're dead!!" a shrill voice called, causing travis and connor to both spin around and they were meet by the sight of the daugther of poseidon, shaking with rage and blue highlights.

connor quickly moved away from his brother, determined to not become collateral damage.

"would it help if i told you that was meant for your brother?" travis managed to squeak out before a huge blob of water came crashing down on him, soaking the boy to the bone.

you've been besties ever since 🤩🫶

you got your own revenge, travis finding sand and blue glitter in the pockets of his clothes for months.

you two became known as a sort of power couple, of course behind your backs.

any mentions of you two being together romantically led to flustered faces and half-hearted rejections of the concept

which crushed the both of you, hearing the person you were starting to fall in love with reject that idea of you two together

nope, totally fine, doesn't even matter. who cares? I don't care

one evening, following a rather daring prank against the ares cabin, travis couldn't seem to find sleep.

he laid in his bunk in his over crowded cabin and in between counting sheep, he'd think of his best friend.

his best friend that he wished was more than just a best friend.

travis huffed to himself and something snapped inside him

he threw his blankets off and went to one of the nearby windows, making sure to avoid the campers on the ground as he went.

he pushed it open, sloppily falling out of the window without much grace. he got back up and began walking towards cabin 3, determination filling his bones

but then he stopped, tilting his head as the sight of another camper breaking out of their cabin caught his attention.

the exact camper he had set out to see actually

"y/n?" he hissed across the courtyard, the girl spinning away from the window with wide eyes.

"travvy?" she whispered back, glancing around before approaching him, her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes refusing to meet his.

"what are you doing out?" travis pushed, pushing a rock around with his foot, hating how awkward this was going. she was his best friend, for gods sake.

"could ask you the same thing."

"touché."

there was a pause before their eyes finally met. a moment of nothing and then something.

the son of hermes and daughter of poseidon were now kissing in the middle of all the cabins, their arms holding solidly onto the other and their lips basically sealed together.

months and months of pining all accumulated to this moment, this desperate and wanton kiss.

now, they proudly wore the title of power couple.

author's note cont. : real talk, i want to like this one so bad but i just... can't. something about it rubs me the wrong way. and by something i mean my writing but I've tried to fix it a few times and it has gotten better. but, i'm not gonna dwell on this, live moves on and it's at least decent!! anyways, love yall and hope you're having super fun and fantastic days.

#postcards from covey ౨ৎ #all my love ౨ৎ #hoo #percy jackson #pjo #travis stoll #travis stoll x reader #connor stoll #percy jackon and the olympians #percy pjo

[feathered-serpents]

Also the wedding has great potential for some Atreus Sindri reconciliation, if they haven't made up already by this point 👀

Its been awhile since the Atreboda wedding discussions but that’s because of how long I spent answering this ask

It does!

I have a lot of ideas for how Atreus and Sindri reconcile, but the common denominator in them all is that Atreus has to instigate. I think Sindri becomes trapped in his grief, he can’t really break out on his own

I’m now imaging a very ridiculous quest or DLC that’s “Atreus tracks Sindri through realm after realm just to invite him to his wedding” and it’s just as perilous as any other quest in the game except the end goal is literally just to get an invitation to Sindri. The thing is Atreus is unhinged enough to do that.

Oh no I lost control of my body and accidentally wrote 1552 words about this. Whoops. Enjoy.

____

When Atreus first finds his new forge, he sees the rust. The scraps of blades and armor carelessly thrown about. The place is quiet and black. The only sign of life an echo of a hammer and a glow, far into the forge.

That’s where Atreus finds Sindri, over this “forge.” Facing away from him. Hammering something molten into a point. The blackness and the glow made him no more than a dark shape.

“What do you want?” Sindri spits with a voice made of venom and smoke.

Atreus did not answer right away. Instead, he became- distracted. By a forgotten fascination in watching the dwarves forge. He’d used to do it as a boy, while his father bickered with one, the other would work and Atreus got lost in the rhythm of it. The steady, sure swing of the hammer, the clang of it in the molten metal, the sparks that flew free. After one hammer swing, nothing about the molten blob below it would look different, but by the twelfth, there’d be the suggestion of a breastplate, by the hundredth it would be there truly, and already better than any human smith could hope for, and by the thousandth, it would be perfect. Beyond perfect. Dwarven perfect. It would all be done in a day.

At this moment, the thing Sindri hammered had no true shape, and there is enough of a glint off the hammer that he can see the head had been rounded and worn to the handle.

“Here to waste space?” Sindri picks up the half-pointed molten thing with his bare and blistering hands, dunking it into a basin of water Atreus hadn’t noticed until now. The chamber fills with boiling steam and his eyes water.

Atreus had wanted to say something else before this remark. Greet Sindri. Tell him he'd missed him. Tell him he was sorry, but he didn't. He just blurted out his reason for being there, when he couldn't think of a way to say anything else:

“I’m getting married.”

The hammer stopped.

Sindri froze. The way people do when they've just been told something confidently when the thing itself makes no sense at all.

“Married…?”

He turned around then, quickly, and Atreus finally saw his face. Patched red, skin flaking from the heat of a constant forge. Soot had sunk into every line of his face, like ink, giving him a look like a living etching, Line and color brought together to suggest a man where there was none.

But his eyes were there.

They had landed in the perfect center of Atreus’ chest. and they’d landed there with intent. Once they’d settled they filled with shock. Then confusion. Sindri’s eyes flicked frantically around in the dark. Lost. A panic in them Atreus didn’t know the name for. Finally, Sindri looked up, and he found his face.

For the first time in ten years, Atreus looked Sindri in the eye, and he saw his friend. There and pure and alive in front of him.

His friend saw him for just a moment before he flickered away and a dark, hardened thing took his place.

"No," said Sindri.

"Sindri-"

"Whatever you want-" Something caught in his throat. He coughed. Then rasped out the rest. "It's gone. I lost it."

I lost it. Atreus thought of the thing on the anvil. Of the things scattered around this half-tamed forge.

"I..." He tried to keep his eyes on Sindri but Sindri wouldn't hold his gaze. He'd stare off behind him, or at his feet, or over his head. Anywhere but his face. "I don't want anything."

"I don't believe you." Atreus felt the venom in Sindri's voice in his veins. "You think anything's changed? You think I've spent one moment missing you-" This time the cough choked him. Sindri cleared his throat violently, he spits something black and wet at Atreus' feet.

"Whatever you want, my answer is no."

The steam of the water no longer boiled the air, but Atreus' eyes still watered.

"I want-" He bit his tongue. "I'd like... you to be at my wedding."

Sindri met his eyes for another brief, rare moment. The shock was back but... not the same kind of shock as when he'd first looked at him. This shock was- softer. One blink away from pride. And like his eyes before it flickered away to be replaced by the hard thing.

“Why?”

Atreus only shrugged. “I just want you there.”

Sindri turned his back to him then. Turned to the thing on the anvil now too cooled to effectively forge any further. Perhaps that is why he did not pick up his stump of a hammer again. Perhaps that is why he did not do anything but stand and stare into the embers.

“What have they been calling you?” Sindri said. “Lord of Tricksters? God of Mischief? They don’t know you, Loki. You’re just fucking stupid.”

Atreus nodded in unseen agreement.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something large and smooth. Anyone would've thought it a polished amber stone, but not Sindri. Atreus placed the seed on a low stone table, covered in tools just as worn as the hammer. It glowed there. Taking the burning light from the forge and turning it gentle. He'd hoped Sindri might turn around one more time when he heard the gentle knock of seed on stone, but he didn't. Sindri had faced him for as long as he could stand.

“You can use this to find us," Atreus said. He thought about saying what he'd wanted to at the start. The apologies. The declarations. He heard them in his head and felt them on his tongue.

He let the impulse pass. “Thanks for letting me see you, Sin," he said. And he left

And as Atreus walked back out into the open air, somewhere behind him a hammer started again.

____

Atreus did not see Sindri at the wedding.

He tried not to feel the grief that gave him, and if he were honest, it wasn't hard. Not today at least. Today was for him.

For him as much as it was for Ironwood. For his friends. His family. His father. It was a day for Giants as well as Gods. A day for a world without Odin and before it all, it was a day for Angrboda.

He would mourn what needed mourning tomorrow. Today was for her.

It was a long day, but they'd been warned it would be. Thus was the danger of a wedding where the guests only slept when they chose to.

"I saw a godly wedding last a month once," Mimir had told them. "With a little luck, I'd say we get yours done in three days."

They don't think it lasted three days, but by the time they managed to escape their wedding night had solidly transformed into a wedding dawn, and still, they languished on their way. They raced each other aimlessly through the Ironwood like the day they met.

Angrboda had learned to change her shape not long ago and she changed into a fox to match his wolf, hiding in the brush for him to sniff her out. When he found her she ran and made Atreus chase her through the fireflies and the ferns and the forest until she became a woman again and let him catch her.

When they did make it back, it was truly morning. The light clear and gold on the roof of their painted home.

They found it there.

They nearly didn't find it. It blended so well against the wood of the table Angrboda used to mix all her powders and paints together. The dark wooden box was placed perfectly between all her colors and they found it.

It was heavy- not heavy- but heavier than Atreus expected for something that barely filled his palm. He had some trouble opening it as the lid had no hinge, it simply held on by how perfectly it fit the box. Atreus would find the brand on its underside in a day.

Inside were rings.

The rings were not extravagant. There were no heavy-colored stones, no engravings, no strange shapes. The rings were just two smooth nearly identical bands of amber.

When they looked more closely, they could see hints of shining color inside. One ring has thin veins of a bright blue inside, following the natural roads of the patterns in the stone. That ring fit Angrboda, more perfectly than any ring could.

The other carried flecks of gold inside. Dozens of them. Beautifully small. Suspended in the band like yellow leaves in the wind. That one fit him.

The bands held no great magic. They would not make more of themselves again and again and again or turn into some great killing weapon. The rings simply felt like home, and they had been made for them.

And Atreus finds nothing to mourn today.

#God of War #god of war: ragnarok #god of war ragnarok #atreboda #sorry this took so long i went insane

[maddiviner]

Hi I was wondering if you could help me? I'm trying to get more into scrying but I feel like I'm not getting anywhere. I made a mirror and tried to use it but nothing ever seems conclusive. Do you have any tips for how to get better at it?

Hey. Thanks for writing to me. Sorry for the very late reply. It’s been almost three weeks? I had taken a hiatus from this blog (and most social media, for that matter).

I’m back (I think), and I hope you’re still around to read this. Sorry if it’s a little wordy. This is the best advice (from my own perspective) that I can offer, but it's just my perspective, and I don't know how helpful it'll be!

Scrying Tips and Troubleshooting

Switch up your medium.

If you’re not seeing anything at all, I would suggest switching up your medium of scrying. You mentioned making a scrying mirror. That's my current, personal favorite method, but there's others.

I do think mirror scrying is a great way for most people to start, but it’s not for everyone. Some people might have better results with a bowl of water, a candle flame, the open sky, or other options.

I’d try either a candle flame or a bowl of water (or dark liquid, I’ve used coffee). It can help to use plain water, but put a few drops of black ink or another substance into it and swirl.

In both of those cases (candle flame, black ink in water), the scrying medium itself isn’t a blank field. It has shapes and colors in it.

For some scryers, this might be distracting. If you’re having trouble beginning, though, it can actually be helpful.

Interpreting ink spilled in water or the sparks of a candle itself isn’t in itself scrying. It would be considered a different sort of divination. But it can be a good jumping-off place for scrying. It can help you sink into a state of mind where you’re receptive to communicating in symbols.

You’ll start to notice shapes in the ink or the flame. A blob of ink floats one way, another swirls outwards, etc. The flame arcs and sparks. Smoke trails might resemble things. An amorphous trail of ink (or smoke) might become a forest path at the start of a vision. Then, your mind can use what you’re seeing in the physical world as a jumping-off point for a vision.

Examine your expectations

A lot of what you see while scrying will operate based on dream logic. Meanings get transmitted through symbols rather than literal imagery. You usually won't see a direct representation of physical events. If a vision tells you you're going to get into grad school, you're unlikely to see the school itself.

Instead, you might see yourself having climbed a mountain or crossed a finish line. In short, it's almost always metaphor. If by “no conclusive results,” you mean nothing literal and plain, it’s normal not to experience that.

Sometimes, if you go in with that kind of expectation, it can interfere with getting any results at all. You'll get better results if you go into the sessions prepared to receive symbols. Expecting the literal can block things, in my experience.

Consider your symbol set.

What you’ll see will have meaning to you as an individual. Visions may be incomprehensible when you tell other people. They might be incomprehensible to you at first, too. This is why it’s important to incubate these things after the session.

You've got to sort out what associations you have for the different symbols you see. Some of these correspondences will be personal. Others might be societal or cultural. The meanings won’t always be intuitive, and it’s the kind of thing that requires a lot of pondering afterwards.

Lets say you see a black horse galloping across a bridge over a ravine. You’ll need to ask yourself what horses symbolize to you, as well as other parts of the scene. This won’t always be some arcane idea from a book (Epona, horse legends, etc). It might relate to your personal experience with horses instead.

It could also draw books or movies you've seen involving horses. Diving deeper, the color, gait, etc of the horse might be significant, too. Of course, the bridge/ravine itself where it takes place would also have a meaning.

Clean up beforehand.

When you say “non-conclusive,” do you mean that it doesn’t make sense, regardless?

In that case, your mind might be wandering? When this happens with me, I don't always notice until afterwards. I try to clear my mind as much as possible before scrying. Things get complicated from there, though.

"Clearing your mind” takes a different form for each person, so it’s hard to give more concrete advice for that. You can find a lot of different exercises in print and online. You might want to make sure you’ve got one that works well for you before you attempt scrying at all.

This requires experimentation, of course, and observing how your mind reacts. It doesn’t have to be a deeply-ritualized way of “clearing the mind,” either - for some people, a hot shower can be enough.

Consider your goals.

Do you know what you’re scrying for? You can scry to “see what comes up,” a bit like a general Tarot reading. Sometimes it can be easier and yield stronger results if you have a target in mind, though. It can help to know what information you’d like to receive or even who you’d like to communicate with in the spirit world.

I’m going to be honest. For the past few months, I usually scry to “see what comes up,” with the help of my spirit companions. Some friends (and frenemies) of mine say this isn’t effective. They say that you need to seek something specific each time you scry.

I've done it both ways in the past. I think both methods can work in some situations depending on the person.

If you’re not having luck with freeform scrying, try something more targeted, or call on an entity as a guide. If you’re struggling with more structured, guided scrying, try something freeform.

Switch things up a bit until you find something that works.

Keep some kind of record if at all possible.

Cliche advice for any kind of occult undertaking, I know. But don't knock it. This whole process gets a thousand times easier when you're able to look back on things after the fact.

Some witches, wizards, mages (etc) keep elaborate daily diaries, but that isn't necessary. For this, you only need to record impressions right after each scrying session. You can be as elaborate or as simple as you want, but something is objectively better than nothing here.

Some people write in a scrying journal while scrying. This usually involves pausing every few minutes to jot things down, and it's kind of stressful. I've done it before and I don't like it. Might work for you, though, so I mention it.

I know a lot of people don't like writing by hand. There's nothing wrong with typing your notes. I've never typed notes during a session, so I don't know how well that would go, though.

You could also consider audio recording during scrying. If you've got privacy, start recording and narrate what you're seeing out loud. Then, at the end of it, you'll have a complete audio record of the session.

I've done that once or twice, but I prefer my notebook. As with most of this, you've got to try different methods until you find one that works well for you.

Try automatic writing.

It's not the kind of tip most people want, but consider it! I knew people who weren't getting results with Enochian scrying in particular. A couple picked up automatic writing as an alternative and had great success. I haven't written much on automatic writing, so you'll need to look elsewhere for that.

There are guides floating around online, and plenty of traditionally-published material as well. I don't exactly know why automatic writing in particular works so well as a surrogate to scrying. I just noticed that it often works for people who don't get good scrying results.

If anyone has any theories as to why, let me know.

These are the best tips I can offer. I hope they were helpful. My scrying practice is very ad hoc, casual, and nontraditional. Lately, I rely a lot on spirits helping when I'm scrying, but that wasn't always the case. Everything above is my own perspective, which is all I can offer. In any case, thanks for this ask, and I hope you find a way that works for you!

#magic #witchcraft #witch #divination #scrying #witchblr #eliza.txt #ask response

[phantapm-senior-project]

Week 10

Starry Sky and the Adventures of Water Simulation

I was getting really close to finished the water part of the last scene. The tutorial I followed was extremely helpful (and gave wonderful warnings about how to not make Blender crash 🙏)

The first finished water simulation, I noticed that for a calm scene, the water jumped around a little too much

some splashes are literally going so high up and back down

To help make the waves a little calmer, I turned down the power of the particles (to quickly explain, there’s a particle layer that pushes force onto the water simulation to give it that ripply wavy effect)

much better!

Also if you haven’t noticed, the HDRI did work! Although it’s not perfect with reflections, it fits with the scene really well. The above two videos are viewport render though

Here is the actual render with Eevee! With some variations

Also testing whether I should do rain

I wanted to try to make rain particle effects to add to the atmosphere but I ran into some issues...

It’s difficult to loop unless you time it perfectly

The “transparent” rain just look like dark blobs--not very good looking

The star rain idea looks strange when not falling from the stars on scene

Basically, if I would like to add some rain, I’d have to animate it myself through 2D. And I’m learning towards star rain, which would happen when the character enters the scene! Otherwise it’d be more calm.

Finally all the 3D scenes have been made! Now it’ll be time to focus on all things 2D.

Continuing Character design

The first character design acts like the base for the rest of the outfits this character is going to have, so I tried to modify it to reflect the specific scenes she’s in.

I wanted to go in order, but I was having trouble making her second outfit because I didn’t know where I wanted the outfit to end up. So, I started on the very last outfit in the starry sky scene:

idea sketches

I wanted something elegant, an outfit that shows her “final” fairy form while the outfit also staying true to her first one. I really liked the idea of long tails in the back of her dress, and I added some cute star decals as well. I also wanted her skin to be more blue pigmented around her hands and feet, but I thought about it and realized it’d be difficult to animate a gradient consistently.

The wings I wanted to also make star themed to complete the outfit and help reflect the scene. As the final wings, I wanted something ornate yet easy to draw multiple times, so why not have a connected pattern of stars. I hope will make it easier, while also being really pretty!

With the final outfit planned, I went back to the second scene’s outfit, a kind of transition period between the first and last scene. I wanted there to be a mix of elements from both that helps anticipate the changes the character is going through.

took a little longer with this one--idea sketches

Here her outfit alludes to the eventual tails, and the darkening of the clothes. Her wings are also simple and fit with the scene--since this is a transition period, she hasn’t fully formed her identity but just grew wings.

Side note: for the longest time, I didn’t know what hair accessories she could have on her head, as you can see in the sketches, I tried a variety of things: from flowers at the very beginning to pine needles and then finally landing on the idea of clouds on her head. It’s something I feel is iconic to the scene and to the time of dusk. I decided to make them asymmetrical too because having them be the same felt a bit funny. It could also represent the uneasiness in transition I suppose.

Turnarounds

Here are rest of the turnarounds!

rooftops dusk

starry night sky (with glowing accents to help her stand out of the scene more)

alternate colors to make it stand out more (not sure which is better)

Next Steps

Now that all the elements are now done, it’d time to put everything together into a final animation! By next week I’d hope to have the following:

An animatic of what’s going to happen

Or even a rough animation at this point of certain scenes done

Design some portals if possible (so that they look cool)

My idea has shifted a little bit since I’ve last done storyboards, so I hop nailing down the animatic will bring the same old ideas, while also help me finalize the newer details (like this last scene entirely)

In terms of what software I’m going to use, I’ve been debating between ToonBoom, a professional software used by animators, or use Blender grease pencil, a software that has been gaining a lot of traction and could help me just stay in one software.

Both are cool and I’ve heard some opinions from online, to people close to me, but I’m still wondering what’s better. Potentially I just may stick to Blender, but we’ll see

P.S: here’s the tuorial I used to make the water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XJHc5xUFoM&t=1281s

[jungwoohoos]

uni!hoseok

genre: fluff

word count: 2.2k

he really does look like linguini when he dances, but you guess you can’t resist that

You weren’t a party virgin per se

There was that one time the second weekend of first year that you went out with your roommate

She had met someone the night before and said he would give you two an in

How did she get someone’s number so quickly?? You didn’t understand

You once asked for someone’s email instead because the thought of asking for someone’s number was so personal

Your project group got a little annoyed that they had to email you everything they had already discussed in the group chat

But you always made sure to use the cute emojis that look like blobs of honey, so everything was good and your members didn’t annihilate you in the evaluation reports

Anyway, you lasted 20 minutes max at that party

It was a house party, but everyone was milling around in the backyard, which was nearly pitch black and really patchy

You could barely see your feet, so you had no idea how anyone could see who they were talking to

Everyone was also wearing hawaiian shirts

“Oooohhhhhh, it’s a hawaiian themed party,” your roommate had whispered while looking at your all black outfit

As if black jeans don’t exist in Hawaii >:(

She started talking to the guy she had met the night before, and it was getting a little steamy if you could say so yourself

You should take lessons because she was playing in the big leagues

Subtle touch on his arm

Laughing at everything he was saying

Although that one must’ve been a hard one to pull off because there’s only so much you could laugh about when a drunk dude’s retelling how much pain he was in when he thought his appendicitis was someone in an invisibility cloak stabbing him with an invisible knife

You had only come with your roommate, and she was busy trying to get with Chad over there

So you played on your phone a bit

Walked around the backyard, which was the size of a ping pong table, and got some fresh air

There was only so much bush you could look at at 11:30 pm

So you caught your roommate’s eyes (which were wandering suspiciously south)

And motioned that you were going to head out

And to text you if she was coming back

Because the way she was working her magic on Brad, the question was more of an “if” than a “when”

You walked through the sprinkler on your way back to your room, and that was the most fun part of the night by far

Two years later, you can proudly say you never stepped foot into another party

Because being in your bed nice and clean was your kind of party

Not the kind where you’re sweating not because you’re moving

But from sheer proximity to other sweaty bodies

So when Namjoon invited you to a small gathering he was having, you didn’t hesitate to say yes

You had met Namjoon earlier that semester in your botany class

The one that you both realized you only took because you had binge watched the same video of a guy grooming his garden full of bonsai plants

Trimming and landscaping and rearranging the formation of the pebbles surrounding the base

43:11 minutes of pure heaven

He squealed when you brought up BlissfulBonsai81 because yEs YES someone who understands

You’re at a coffee shop doing some work when he brings it up

Scrape of chair legs

The warm smell of cinnamon that wafts up to your nose when he hands you your drink

“Soooo since BlissfulBonsai81 mentioned in his last video that true happiness comes from celebration of small moments”

This man is his role model

“I’m gonna have a small gathering so we can celebrate the end of midterms woooo!!”

You haven’t met Namjoon’s other friends yet, but from what he’s mentioned, they seem fun

Hoseok seems a little wild though

But you trust Namjoon, and it’ll be nice to have some fun after the onslaught of exams

So you tell him you’ll go

“But only if there’s sweet and spicy sriracha wings”

“Small gathering” my ass

If Namjoon weren’t being a sweetheart and helping Youngchul in the bathroom, he would’ve been getting a piece of your mind

Your last exam was today

And to say that it burned you out would be a major understatement

Two hours of fluid dynamics and stupid pipes being smooth or rough and turbulent substances

You’ll show Namjoon turbulent when you’ve gotten your much deserved 12 hours of sleep

Even now, after the party’s died down a bit, there are at least 30 people

You couldn’t even walk up the stairs to use the bathroom without bumping into four couples making out

One was Jungkook and his new girlfriend, who he apparently officially met on an intramural volleyball team

He gave you a wave and a wink when you turned around to apologize for bumping into him

His girlfriend also smiled and gave a little wave

Probably the cutest couple you could’ve stumbled upon sucking faces

It’s nearing midnight, and you’re starting to feel the day catch up to you

The bass was a little too loud thrumming through your head

The cup you had barely touched was beginning to make your hand cramp

And that guy was still dancing

You’re half delirious and half inexperienced, but you’re pretty sure there’s no dancing at house parties

Not counting the disturbing bump and grinds happening off beat

But this guy’s been dancing for the last two hours

And you don’t know how he’s made it this far because he’s wearing jeans and a long sleeve

They make him look even more like the inflatable guys outside of car dealerships

He’s really not a bad dancer

Definitely has the flexibility for it if you can go off his limbs flying everywhere

And that huge smile’s been on his face the whole time, even though any sane person wouldn’t be smiling if they were wearing the insulator his clothes are

Any sane person also wouldn’t be doing the sprinkler to Kendrick Lamar

You’re still looking at him over the rim of your cup when you hear a small sigh next to you

Namjoon plucks the cup from your cup and downs it

“I’m never holding a party again” he groans and lets his head fall back onto the couch

You’re about to be a little sassy and correct him with “small gathering”, but he sat up when he saw you looking at the dancing noodle

“Ohh! You haven’t met Hobi hyung. Let me introduce you!!”

You’re being pulled straight off the couch and toward the middle of the room before you could blink

Oh he’s taller than you thought

“Hyung, hyung” 

Namjoon has to cup his armpit and squeeze to get his attention

There’s a squeal and Hobi turns around

He makes a little tsk sound when he sees Joon

“Eh, Joon. You know I hate when you do that”

He sees you looking at him

You look like you could use a good hibernation

He can’t help but smile when you go to shake his hand but yawn instead

Your nose scrunched up and you covered your mouth with the hand you were about to use to shake his

Namjoon’s rambling about something you two have in common

“You guys both like hot cheetos!! You can talk about that”

But you two are sizing each other up silently

He seems like too much energy, too much pep for your liking 

You literally just watched this guy flail for 2 hours

You don’t think you like him

He likes how you’re not afraid to make eye contact with him

You also smell like citrus, which smells like heaven compared to the overwhelming scent of dried beer and sweat

He likes you

Namjoon doesn’t know it because he’s still listing topics you could talk about

“...music? No, songs with tambourine accents are kinda niche...politics??”

You leave a little after that because your roommate got locked out while she was doing laundry, and she’s in her underwear

Hobi gives you a wink, and you narrow your eyes

He pops up a lot in the next few weeks

Sometimes just to call your name and shoot you a wink

But other times to ask how your day was and see if you want to get milkshakes

You don’t want to admit it, but you kind of enjoy spending time with him

You have to tell him to lower his voice numerous times because he ends up shouting

A problem in the library

And he likes listening, so he asks you to just talk a lot of the times

Which puts you in a weird position because you shouldn’t want to talk to someone you find loud and annoying right?

But you find yourself smiling when you hear his voice

And having to pretend to be grumpy when he interrupts your study sessions because he was bored

He’s nothing you thought you would like, but everything that made you happy

News started spreading that you and Hobi were hanging out because Hobi was beloved on campus

Even the janitors got excited to talk to him

Not many people knew who you were because you tended to keep to yourself

You were sitting on a bench one day, eating some carrots

Decapitating more like it

You were pissed

You missed your presentation this morning because your alarm didn’t go off

Professor Lee wouldn’t let you make it up even when you started crying

You were crying so much that you slipped down the stairs

Your butt now had a stair shaped bruise on it

And now you had to get ready for Namjoon’s birthday party because your present had taken 3 weeks to come in and you weren’t about to give it to him the day after his birthday

Which is why 2 hours later, you’re drunk

It only took one “what’s this pee colored drink??” 

You’re in the bathroom, trying to figure out how to turn on the sink

For some reason, the knobs won’t turn to either side

Maybe it’s automatic? You wave your hands underneath the spout but still no water

You didn’t hear the knock on the door

You didn’t even know it had opened and someone had walked in until you feel a solid body bounce against yours 

Hands caught your waist before you could topple over, and you let out a small “oof” when the momentum stopped and you bounced back against their chest

Mmmmmmm smells like freshly baked muffins

You fisted your hands into the fabric in front of you and buried your nose deeper

“Having fun there?”

“Mmmeppaph” you mumbled, moving your hands around to their back and letting your nose trace its way into the crook of their neck

Hobi hoped you couldn’t feel how quickly his heart was beating

Because it was about to bust out of his chest and if you hum against his neck one more ti--

“Hmmmmm”

You couldn’t help yourself because they were so warm and smelled so nice and made a really nice bed and huh, you were a little tired weren’t you

He felt your body give until you were slumped against him

The only thing that was keeping you upright was his hands on your waist

And your hands which have somehow dropped into his waistband

He shuffled out of the bathroom as carefully as possible

Your head lolled and hit the frame of the door before he could catch it, but you just gave a little huff

Only two more doors 

He fumbled with your body before he freed one hand to open his door

Laid you gently onto his bed

He thanked god that he washed his boxers that were laying on there earlier today

Brought a blanket and tucked you in

He couldn’t help himself from rubbing his thumb over your bottom lip because he doesn’t have the courage to do it when you’re awake

He’s never seen you asleep before, but he likes how peaceful you look

You’re not rolling your eyes at him or shooing him away

It makes it a little easier to imagine that you could like him

He initially doesn’t hear that you’re mumbling because it’s so quiet

And the blanket’s kinda in your mouth

He moves it away so he can hear you

It still takes you a couple times before you’re coherent

“Mmmmm can I tell you a secret?”

He smiles because the only secret you told him was that his socks smell like the plague

“Of course”

You shift so that you’re curled around him, your hand resting on his thigh

“I like Hobi, but don tell him ‘cause I don think he thinks I’m cute, even though I ammmmm”

He thinks his heart exploded when he saw you push your lower lip out

“And he’s too nice and good for me, but I’m shellfish and wanna be happy, and he makes me so so so so happy”

You blanched when he recited your words over breakfast and painkillers the next morning

He knew you were going to try to deny everything when you went to open your mouth

So he reached over the counter and cupped your cheek

“Be shellfish and let yourself be happy, okay? Because that makes me happy”

“Oh and by the way, very very cute”

You hum when you taste the syrup on his lips

#i'm losing more and more control with these omg #hope you like!! #bts headcannon #bts imagine #bts scenario #bts fluff #hoseok headcannon #hoseok imagine #hoseok fluff #uni!hoseok #my writing #hoseok scenario #bts drabble #bts fic #bts hoseok #hoseok fic #kpop fic

[amyscascadingtabs]

this is life in color

inspired by @johnny-and-dora‘s brilliant fic holding back the flood

read on ao3 here

Jake really should be sleeping.

It’s two a.m. at night, T-minus five hours to their alarms going off for work the next morning, and he didn’t exactly sleep much the night before this either. None of these facts are well compatible with him getting to work on a craft project- yet a craft project is exactly what he has placed in front of him at this moment. He has a set of markers, not his wife’s best ones (he wouldn’t dare use those in anything but an emergency) but the ones ranked number three in her top-five sets of them, white paper, a neon pink highlighter and a black 0.5 pen, an old magazine to keep the paper flat while he’s working and a head full of ideas.

Well, technically it’s just one idea. But it’s a good one. It should count as several ideas, seeing how proud and probably a little bit horny this should make his wife. She deserves it, especially since the reason he’s up in the first place is due to him being woken up by her throwing herself out of bed an hour ago to rush to the bathroom. He spent the following thirty minutes sitting legs crossed on their bathroom floor holding back her hair, helping her take deep breaths, getting her water and eventually helping her brush her teeth and get back to bed.

Being seven weeks (and three days) pregnant is apparently no joke. He wishes desperately he could do it for her, take over the near-constant nausea and exhaustion and headaches for even a day or two, but since he lacks both a uterus and magic powers, that’s not happening anytime soon. A pregnancy is long, he’s learning, and the weeks until they’re past the point where the risk for miscarriage is lowered and they’ll announce it to their friends and family seems the longest. He wants to shout it from the rooftops already, that Amy’s for realz-realz pregnant, they're having a baby, he’s slightly helped in the creation of a tiny mini human growing inside of his wife. It's the best secret he's ever carried and he can't even tell Charles. In fact, as of right now they're three living beings aware of it; him, his wife and the raspberry-sized fetus pictured like a white blob on the ultrasound picture stuck to their fridge.

This would all be fine and dandy if it weren't for the fact that they spend the majority of their day around people who doesn't know and can't know yet. It's already occurred several times that Amy needs to speak with him about something pregnancy-related while other people are around, resulting in them coming up with a not-so-great excuse about the two of them absolutely needing to go see her niece’s school performance in the middle of the day when they left for the ultrasound, a lie which later led to one too many questions from Terry about the show they had to come up with fake answers to. They need a new system, and Jake knows exactly what it's going to be.

On the paper in front of him, he's drawn seven slightly skewed squares in different sizes and colored them each. There's a blue one, a red one, yellow, green, purple, orange and pink, their color labeled next to them. Under the titles are brief descriptions for what the colors stand for.

It’s the middle of the night and Jake Peralta has created a code system just for him and his wife to be able to talk about anything pregnancy-related without raising anyone’s suspicions. He’s literally never been prouder of himself, and this overpowering pride is making him way too excited to keep this brilliant creation to himself. Amy needs to know.

She’s already stirring next to him, so he’s not technically waking her up - just giving her something good to wake up to. He places a gentle hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a little bit and getting an incomprehensible murmur back.

“Hey, Ames, I made us something.”

“Hnnnfffgggghh”, the response comes. “How important?”

“It’s a code system.”

Her eyes are suddenly wide open as she looks up from the pillow she’s buried her head in, pushing her sleep-tousled hair away from her face to see him better. “Do spill”, she yawns.

“So you know how it’s been an issue recently that we can’t talk about the whole -” He gestures to her flat stomach “- pregnant thing, around other people yet? I’ve come up with a solution.” Jake holds up the paper.

Her eyes grow wider, mouth gaping. “A color-based code system?”

“Indeed. Want me to walk you through it?”

“Please.”

“Thought so”, he grins. “We begin with code red. Code red is the one I hope we don’t have to use, but it’s there in case. It means health emergency. If you start experiencing a lot of pain or heavy bleeding or any of that bad stuff the pregnancy podcast I listened to while making dinner yesterday talked about, or if you’re feeling weird and you’re worried, tell me code red and it means we’re going the hospital stat.”

“Safety measure”, she nods. “Smart. And I’m really proud of you for listening to a podcast.”

“I know, that’s why I did it. Next we have code blue. Code blue’s if you’re crying or spiralling or anxious - if everything’s too much and you need me to come talk you down.”

“Might happen, yeah.”

“Code yellow is if you’re really nauseous or exhausted or feeling too crappy to be at work and need me to take you home”, he continues. “Because I will. I know you take your job really seriously, but you need rest.”

Amy smiles, running her thumb over his cheek. “That’s very sweet of you.”

“Doi. Then there’s code orange. That means someone is close to finding out and we need to help the other one cover so the news don’t get out before we want them to.”

“Smart. And what’s code green for?”

“Well, I figured I should include everything, so code green’s basically if you need me to take you away to storage locker J and get you in a better mood, so to speak.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not having sex with you at work.”

“Oh, you say that now.” He nods, giving her a serious look. “But the pregnancy podcast also did say that pregnant women’s sex drives can get really intense in the second trimester and I want you to know that I’m always available for that.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“ I take my job as husband and baby daddy very seriously. Anyway, code yellow is food cravings. If you need me to get you milkshakes or exotic vegetables or whatever you’re craving, code yellow and the food you need me to get.”

“Got it. And what’s the last square?”

“The last square is code pink”, he explains. “That’s similar to code blue, I’d say, but in a more positive way. It’s if you need to talk to me and be sappy and emotional over how great this is.” He places the paper on his nightstand to free his hands, shuffling closer to her to hold her in his arms and placing his right hand to a spot low on her stomach. “Because even though you’re pretty miserable right now, and I can’t really do much, we’re still having a baby, you know?” Saying the words makes him chuckle, marvelled by how insane that very fact is. “Like, there’s going to be a tiny half-you half-me keeping us awake at night in a few months, and we’re going to get to order Harry Potter onesies and make our boring storage room into a dope nursery and we’re going to be parents”, he whispers.

“We’re really going to be parents”, she agrees in a hushed voice, wiping a few tears away and placing her left hand over is. “That’s so crazy.”

“I bet our baby will be the cutest in the world.”

“Oh, definitely. They’re already adorable and they only just lost their tail.”

“And they’ll be strong and brave and intelligent and all those things too, because obviously they’re going to be more than pretty.”

“Obviously.”

They lie there for a while, eyes closed and breathing in sync.

“You know”, Amy eventually breaks the silence. “I’m just saying - this is probably one of the hottest things you’ve ever done.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Maybe I could call in sick tomorrow”, she mumbles before kissing him, letting her hands wander.

Success.

#i wrote this so quickly wtf #couldn't get my feverish brain to focus on schoolwork but a 1.4k fic is fine #lol #my writing #here you go siân <333 #jake x amy fic #b99 fic #pregnancy fic

[mari-vargas]

Hey everyone! So I guess this isn’t a specific story, but it’s one of my “stories”. *Note from midway through typing this: I’m sorry, there in fact are several specific stories I’ve decided to delve into.

This one is about mine and my sister’s eyesight. **Note from further into typing this: I’m soooo sorry! Hopefully I’ll get to my actual original intent…

Let’s start with the fact that I was the last person in my immediate family to need glasses (okay *big shocker*, I know, I’m the youngest, but that’s not what I meant. I meant I was older than my sister had been when she first needed reading glasses). I had perfect vision until 5th grade (and I do mean perfect). Then my eye doctor said something along the lines of “…well, you don’t really need these but you’re borderline” and asked me if I wanted reading glasses.

Guys. I’m a nerd. I’ve always been a nerd, and I loved being a nerd. I’d always wanted the full nerd aesthetic, with the braces and glasses because how else were people going to look at tiny cute blonde me and think “yes that’s a nerd”. I was already halfway there what with having braces starting in first grade. But…see the thing is I had my teeth straightened in 2 phases: 3 years on starting in 1st grade, then they took them off because before they could do more they needed my mouth to grow a lot and I had no clue how long that would be. It was another 3 years and then I had them back on for 3 years to finish the job (and then I lost my retainer, found it lost it again, and by the time I found it again it no longer fit…I’m fixing it again and have just a few months left).

Wow ok tangent. My point is I kinda jumped at the chance to have glasses. My whole family had glasses and all I had were fake ones from Claire’s my mom had gotten me to bribe me into finishing getting my second ear pierced because my cousin was with us and was planning to get her ears pierced within the next year and I needed to set an example or something. So yes I got reading glasses. For all that I read though honestly I don’t think I wore them too much. I didn’t need them. And it kinda bothered me to see the words so much bigger than I was used to. At my next eye appointment, the optometrist once again said “well…you can decide if you need these because you see fine but you’re borderline” this time about what I called “all-the-time glasses”. Well guys I decided yes because it’s help me see even better than I did right? And they did! I remember the first time I put them on. My sister had come to pick me up from school and must have gotten my glasses on her way because the first time I put my glasses on I was in my school parking lot and suddenly I saw all the tiny beautiful details of the trees blowing in the wind that was threatening to lift me up and take me far far away. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

I had to wear both the regular glasses and the reading glasses for a few years, switching between them. I’d joke that I was both nearsighted and farsighted. I could never remember which definition was for which because I mean well there was really only maybe a 2-5foot area of space in the middle where I could see perfectly fine without assistance. Eventually though I became decidedly nearsighted. I’m not sure if it happened in middle school (where all my classes were on the computer) or high school (which, regardless, turned my eyesight to crap between the sleep deprivation and the screen time). But ya. If I know I’ll be looking at something up close for an extended period of time (as in more than a minute) I’ll take my glasses off. I had contacts for a while back in high school and during college and my prescription didn’t change at all during that time—or at least not enough that my contact prescription would change even if my glasses would slightly. Ps I had swapped eye doctors a little before I stopped needing reading glasses—because the first guy really shouldn’t have pulled that bullshit. Pretty much everyone is in agreement that he probably started the degradation of my eyesight. Granted, it would’ve happened in high school anyways, but it might not have been as bad to start off with. I changed optometrists again I think after graduating from college because the one before was not using my insurance correctly and was convincing me to get things added to my glasses that I didn’t really need and adding to the out of pocket expense which should have been zero. And apparently they’d been ignoring my slowly degrading vision changes and actually a couple times triggered it to get worse.

I got my first new prescription in maybe 3 years the first time I went to the new optometrist. Right around when I started substitute teaching. I opted to not get contacts this time, deciding it was time to give my eyes a break, especially since I was on the computer a lot, job hunting. Then I started working in the QA/QC lab I’m at now and I was wearing safety glasses over top of my regular glasses. This meant I couldn’t take my glasses off to look at screens and my eye sight then got significantly worse. Probably the hugest jump I’ve ever had. Spoke with my eye doctor about my problem and oh my goodness this is genuinely the best experience I’ve ever had. I got two pairs of glasses, one regular and the other prescription safety glasses upon which I got bifocals that essentially revert the lens to what it’d be like if I removed my glasses entirely. I can say with confidence it’s going much better and my only regret now that we fully vaccinated folks no longer have to wear masks at my work is that my safety glasses don’t have adjustable nose pads and thus slide down without a mask on (the embarrassing truth behind why I’ve been content to keep on wearing a mask everyday even when I only see one or two other people (also vaccinated) for the entirety of my 8-16 hour shift(s)—I still wear them literally everywhere anyways, habit y’know? It’s hard for me to break and even harder when I don’t feel like there’s a need to).

Okay!

For those hoping I’d finally get to my original point: I’m terribly sorry I went down a huge rabbit hole of a tangent. The real story is actually about when my sister and I go to the ocean.

You see my sister’s non-reading glasses prescription is technically 0.00, and the optometrists are always confused about why she needs to wear glasses. That is, until they test her depth perception. She has none. Absolutely no depth perception. I really can’t even imagine. She can see perfectly well, but can’t tell where anything is. (As such I think it’s actually recorded that she’s legally required to be wearing corrective lenses while driving—my sister and her driving is enough fodder for several other story times and I doubt this’ll be the last time it’s mentioned).

Me on the other hand… I can’t see a darn thing. All I see are blurry color blobs that occasionally blend into new colors altogether. But I still have depth perception. I couldn’t possibly tell what a thing is but I can certainly tell you how far away it is and where it is in relation to other blobs. I’m honestly legitimately terrified of the idea of things being two dimensional.

So when we go down to the water line to jump in the waves, we leave our glasses with the rest of the stuff so we don’t lose them to the surf. Which presents a problem for us both. So we both need to have someone with us as, essentially, a guide. But!! We’re perfectly capable of going together without any other person. I’m able to tell her how far we are from something or something is from something else and she’s able to tell me what it is. We make an amusing sight apparently.

#story time #mari’s life #life before mari #life after mari #optometrist #glasses #I might’ve messed up my vision earlier than it would’ve been #depth perception #my sister and I are on opposite ends of most spectrums

[jaybear1701]

A/N: I stole the phrase "Make your peace... on Earth" from @haughtbreaker who has been kindly beta reading this story for me. lol

Waverly exchanged texts over the next week with Nicole, as well as a couple of phone calls. Sometimes, Nicole stopped into Shorty’s for dinner or a quick drink. No flirting. All strictly platonic. At least, that’s what Waverly told herself. So what if she kept checking her phone for new messages from Nicole, from the moment she woke up to the time she went to bed? What was the big deal if their conversations, both in person and over the phone, seemed to stretch longer and longer? Where was the harm if she wanted to invite Nicole as her +1 to Perry Crofte’s annual holiday party? It was all perfectly normal for new friends getting to know each other. Right? Right.

They agreed to finally get a hot cocoa that Wednesday night. She would ask Nicole about Perry’s party then. It wasn’t a date, Waverly told herself even as she tried on her fourth outfit, evaluating her reflection in a full-length mirror with a critical eye.

“So it’s a date,” Wynonna observed from the threshold of Waverly’s bedroom, shoulder leaned against the door frame. She shook her head. “What did I tell you about dating the law?”

“It’s not a date,” Waverly insisted, tugging the lettuce hem of her pink, long-sleeved crop top.

Wynonna eyed the stack of discarded clothes on Waverly’s bed, her ransacked closet, and the scattered array of foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara, blush, and eyeshadow on her dresser. “Uh huh.”

Alice ran into the room and leaped onto the covered mattress. “She’s gonna Netflix and chill with Nicole,” she said matter-of-factly, as if commenting on the weather.

“Did I mention how much I love that you taught her that phrase?” Waverly shot a pointed look at Wynonna, who snickered. “And no, Alice, we aren’t going to do that.” She was quite pleased at herself for maintaining a neutral expression. “We’re just getting some hot chocolate. Friends get drinks. Nicole is my friend.”

“With benefits?” Wynonna asked innocently.

Waverly growled and kicked both of them out of the room so she could finish getting ready in peace. She settled on pairing the crop top with her favorite pair of black leggings and fuzzy boots. As she put the finishing touches on her makeup, Nicole called, extremely apologetic because she had to cancel. Lonnie caught the stomach flu and the already short-staffed department needed her to cover his shift. Nicole promised to make it up to Waverly.

It wasn’t a big deal, Waverly told herself. And yet, her heart still sunk in disappointment.

She made her way downstairs where Alice, Wynonna, and Dolls (of all people) were busy making cookies. Waverly used the term “making” lightly. Although the kitchen smelled wonderful, like buttery sugary heaven, it looked like a war zone. Flour and sugar coated nearly every inch of the countertops. Alice had splotches of yellow batter all over her Santa Claus apron.

“I’m telling you, Peacemaker is not an appropriate shape for a Christmas cookie,” Dolls argued as he placed a box of cookie cutters on the kitchen table.

“It literally brings peace on Earth,” Wynonna contended, waving an aluminum cutter that, sure enough, looked like her Colt Buntline Special. “What’s more Christmas-y than that?”

Dolls let out a long, weary sigh. “Back me up here, Waverly.”

“Where did you even get that?” Waverly asked, lowering herself onto an empty chair that somehow remained unscathed from the culinary explosion.

“Mattie,” Wynonna answered. “She owed me one. Now,” she held the Peacemaker cutter up, “won’t this make the coolest Christmas cookie or what?”

Waverly glanced at Dolls, who had one eyebrow raised, and Alice, who merely shrugged and giggled. She reached out and took the miniature gun from Wynonna.

“Make your peace…,” Waverly aimed at the oven, “...on Earth. It does have a certain ring to it.” She handed it back to Wynonna, who fist pumped while Dolls shook his head and muttered, “Earps,” under his breath.

“Why are you still here?” Wynonna asked as she turned the oven light on to check on the cookies. “Aren’t you going to be late for your not-date?”

“She had to cancel,” Waverly said lightly, hoping her disappointment didn’t show. “Taking another shift at the station.”

“Maybe she’s secretly helping Santa,” Alice whispered.

Wynonna scrunched up her face. “Huh?”

“Officer Nicole is one of Santa’s elves,” Alice placed a finger to her lips, “but we can’t tell anyone.”

Dolls looked at Waverly. “Officer Nicole as in Nicole Haught?”

“That’s right, Dolls,” Wynonna said, “the one you threatened with treason the other day.”

“What!?” Waverly exclaimed.

Dolls shrugged up on shoulder. “She shouldn’t have entered my office without permission.”

“For the last time, she did knock, Dolls.” Wynonna rolled her eyes.

“But I didn’t say, ‘Enter.’” Dolls leaned back and crossed his arms, chair creaking. “So you have a date with her?”

“It’s not a date!” Waverly stood up and walked to the refrigerator, partly to pour a glass of water and partly to get out of the interrogation spotlight.

Dolls eyed her outfit the same way Wynonna had sized up her room. “Mmhmm.”

Waverly fought back a blush.

“Why don’t you bring her a hot chocolate?” Alice suggested, swinging her legs. They were still too short to reach the floor.

Waverly paused, considering it. “You know, that’s… not a bad idea.”

“And then when she’s done, you can Net…”

Waverly put up a finger. “Do not finish that sentence, young lady, if you want any presents under the tree.”

Alice giggled but made a zipping motion across her lips.

Waverly wasted no more time and began collecting all the ingredients she needed. She chopped up a few blocks of bittersweet chocolate, then placed a saucepan on the stove to heat up some milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt until the mixture steamed. While the others decorated their cookies, Waverly stirred in the chocolate and a few drops of peppermint oil. She poured the cocoa into three mugs and her favorite thermos, which she placed inside an insulated lunch bag along with some miniature marshmallows, two candy canes, an elf-shaped cookie made by Alice, and a strange, green-colored one from Wynonna. It had a cluster of red blobs to the side.

“What is this?” Waverly squinted at the so-called “cookie.”

Wynonna puckered her lips and smacked them. “Mistletoe.”

Dolls peeked over Waverly’s shoulder. “Mistletoe has white berries,” he said before Waverly could smash the cookie in her sister’s face. “That’s just a poor rendition of holly.”

Waverly smirked at Wynonna, who punched Dolls hard in the shoulder. Waverly left the cookie on the counter and was finally off.

About half an hour later, Waverly parallel parked her Jeep outside the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department. She walked carefully to the entrance. Even with her boots and the salt on the sidewalk, the path was still slippery with snowy slush made more treacherous at night. Just as she reached the station’s door, someone else pushed it open from the other side, with enough force that the glass almost slammed into the building’s brick siding.

A woman nearly ran into Waverly; the same beautiful woman who had approached Nicole at the mall a week ago. She was even more gorgeous up-close, dark hair cut straight in a sleek bob, looking sharp in a long, cream-colored wool coat.

“My apologies,” she said, doing a double-take when she saw Waverly, recognition in her eyes even though Waverly was sure they had never met.

“No problem,” Waverly squeaked out. “Be careful, the ground’s pretty slick.”

The woman spared her a small, genuine smile. “Thank you.” She continued down the way more carefully until she reached a black Mercedes Benz and drove away down the darkened street. Had she come to see Nicole, Waverly wondered. Were they friends or, Waverly swallowed, something more?

Entering the building, Waverly was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice that the station’s epoxy flooring was wet. Before she knew it, her feet flew out from under her and she fell down face first, pain erupting from her kneecaps and the heels of her hands. She dropped the lunch bag she had been holding. It skidded a few feet away.

Nicole’s voice called out from down the hall. “Shae, is that you?”

Shae, Waverly thought as she listened to a rush of footsteps. Was that the mystery woman’s name?

“Waverly!”

A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders. Waverly looked up into concerned brown eyes and instantly flushed with embarrassment.

“Are you okay?” Nicole asked as she helped Waverly back to her feet.

“Yeah.” Waverly’s knees stung something fierce. “I’m fine.”

“Your knees say otherwise.” Nicole glanced down and Waverly followed her gaze. Sure enough, the impact had been hard enough to tear holes through her leggings and skin her knees. Blood oozed from the shallow wounds. “Come this way.” Nicole took Waverly’s hand and led her back toward the reception area, stopping briefly to pick up Waverly’s bag. As they passed a yellow caution cone, Waverly swore the falling stick figure was taunted her.

They bypassed the front desk and went straight to the break room, which had a few modest holiday decorations. Someone had strung silver tinsel around the cabinets in the tiny kitchenette and added green and red hand towels by the sink. Nicole brought Waverly to a circular table with a small Christmas tree in the middle, placing her bag on the surface and encouraging her to sit.

“I’ll be right back,” Nicole said, heading toward one of the cupboards.

“Nicole, I’m all right, really…”

“Just sit tight.” Reaching inside one of the cabinets, she pulled down a first aid kit and brought it back. “So,” she crouched down in front of Waverly and opened the box, “I believe your sister and the deputy marshal have the evening off.” She took out alcohol wipes, antibiotic ointment, and two bandaids. “What brings you here this fine evening?”

“You, actually.” Waverly had already made a fool of herself. No use beating around the bush.

Nicole’s hands stilled. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Waverly said simply. She unzipped the lunch bag and placed the thermos, marshmallows, candy canes, and cookie on the table. Or rather, cookies. Plural. Somehow Wynonna had managed to sneak her damn cookie into the bag. “I’m gonna murder her,” Waverly muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing!” She would have shoved Wynonna’s cookie back in the bag, but Nicole was already staring at the offerings in awe. “Since you couldn’t come out for cocoa, I thought the cocoa could come to you.”

“You didn’t have to do all that, Wave.” A flattered smile spread across Nicole’s face as quickly as warmth spread through Waverly at hearing Nicole use her nickname.

“I know, but I wanted to,” Waverly said. In all honesty, the need to see Nicole lately had been overwhelming. And she was grateful Alice had given her the perfect excuse. “I hope you like peppermint cocoa.”

“I love it, actually.” Nicole resumed her task, tearing open one of the alcohol pads and using it to clean Waverly’s scrapes. Despite her gentleness, they still stung on contact and Waverly hissed in response.

“Sorry,” Nicole said, quickly blowing across the skin to lessen the pain.

“Alice made you the elf cookie.” Waverly winced as Nicole carefully applied ointment to the wounds.

“It’s adorable.” Nicole’s eyes slid to Wynonna’s green monstrosity. “Is that supposed to be mistletoe?”

“God,” Waverly groaned. “My sister made it.” To torment me.

Nicole bit her bottom lip. “Does everyone know about the mistletoe?’’

“Honestly? The whole town probably knows.” And wouldn’t let Waverly forget it. Not that she could even if she wanted to. That damn kiss had been replaying in her mind on a continuous loop for weeks now.

Nicole chuckled. “It’s holly though.”

“Yeah.” Waverly nodded. “I guess it’s the thought that counts.”

“You know, someone, who may or may not be your sister, has been hanging ‘mistletoe’ up around the station, possibly in the hopes of catching us underneath with Nedley or someone similarly frightening.” She pointed upward and, sure enough, someone had hung branches of prickly green holly from the ceiling directly above them.

Waverly shook her head. The prank definitely seemed right up Wynonna’s alley.

Nicole nudged Wynonna’s cookie with a finger. “Better tell your sister to stick to her day job.”

Waverly giggled. “She was never the best at baking.” Or any domestic chores, really. Wynonna had bigger demons to fry, literally. “She always used to leave that to me and Wlla.”

“Willa?”

She was sure that Nedley had told Nicole about what happened to Willa and their father all those years ago. If he hadn’t, then the grapevine would have eventually filled her in. But Nicole’s expression was politely curious, not the look of someone who knew Waverly’s father and sister had both been killed.

“Our older sister,” Waverly explained. “She… she died a long time ago.”

Nicole covered Waverly’s hand with her own and lightly squeezed it. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She hardly ever talked about Willa, not even with Wynonna. The memories of the eldest Earp sister were still painful, and with her gone, Waverly saw no need to dwell on them. But something about Nicole and her gentleness made Waverly want to open up.

“She’s actually the reason I don’t really skate anymore,” Waverly continued as Nicole carefully placed a bandaid on her left knee. Nicole paused to listen. “I used to love skating. In fact, I wanted to be Michelle Kwan.” The corners of Nicole’s eye crinkled in a smile and Waverly playfully shoved her shoulder. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m not.” Nicole rocked back slightly. “I think you’re,” she cleared her throat, “that’s cute. Go on.”

Smiling, Waverly’s stomach flipped pleasantly. “There’s a pond a few miles from our house. In the winter, when it froze over, our mom used to take us there to skate.” Her smile faded slightly. “When mom left, Willa… she changed. I mean, I was never her favorite to begin with. But sometimes, she was just… mean.” Cruel, Waverly thought. A side-effect of Ward’s ever growing expectations and volatile temper. “I had a stuffed bunny that my mom gave me for Easter one year. Mr. Rabbit. He was old and dirty and one of his ears was falling off. But he was my favorite. Willa took him one year and threw him onto the lake, just after the first freeze of the season.”

Nicole’s brow furrowed.

“I went out onto the ice to get him. But, of course, it wasn’t solid enough yet. I fell through.”

“Jesus, Waverly…”

“But, obviously I’m still in once piece.” Waverly spread out her arms, as if to prove she was alive and well. “Wynonna saved me.”

“I suppose I owe her a whiskey.” Nicole shook her head, eyes full of sympathy. “So you’ve never been skating since?”

Waverly shook her head. “I guess I’ve been afraid of getting hurt again.” It was an irrational fear, she knew, but one she couldn’t help. “It’s silly.”

“It’s not.” Nicole gently stuck the other bandaid on Waverly’s right knee. “One great things about wounds? They always heal with a little TLC, if you let them.” She leaned down, surprising Waverly as she tenderly kissed both knees.

When Nicole smiled back up at Waverly, her heart felt like it was expanding inside her chest, spreading warmth throughout her entire body, all the way down to her fingertips and toes.

“There’s no mistletoe,” Waverly whispered, gaze dropping to Nicole’s lips.

“It’s the thought that counts,” Nicole murmured back.

Waverly scooted an inch closer on her seat. Nicole mirrored the movement.

And just as Waverly was about to surge forward, friendship be damned, a loud crash came from the bullpen.

Nicole stood immediately, cursing underneath her breath, and sprinted to the commotion. Waverly quickly followed. When they got to the front desk, two officers were there with a drunk and disorderly man thrashing between them, clumsy and wild.

“If it is fisticuffs you want, then it is fisticuffs you will get!” He slurred, thick mustache twitching in agitation.

Waverly’s mouth dropped open. “Doc!?”

He calmed almost instantly, squinting at Waverly from beneath the brim of his black hat. “Well, well. Waverly Earp, as I live and breathe.”

Nicole pointed between Waverly and Doc. “You two know each other.”

“This is John Henry,” Waverly introduced. “Wynonna’s, um…” One of Doc’s eyebrows disappeared into his hat. “Alice’s dad.”

“Oh,” Nicole said. “But aren’t Wynonna and Dolls…” She shut her mouth when Doc glared at her.

Waverly winced. “It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t it always.” It wasn’t a question and the way Nicole said it made Waverly think of Shae the mystery woman. Nicole chucked a thumb toward the cells. “Get him to the drunk tank, boys. Let him sleep it off.”

This time, Doc didn’t struggle as the deputies led him away, sharing one last look with Waverly before he disappeared.

“I’d better get his paperwork started,” Nicole sighed, turning toward Waverly. “Thank you again for the cocoa.”

“Sure thing.” Waverly couldn’t stop herself from wondering about what might have happened in the break room if they hadn’t been interrupted. “I’d better go and tell Wynonna, I guess.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Waverly hesitated briefly, then turned on her heel. “Oh,” she whirled back around.

“Yes?” Nicole asked expectantly.

“Perry Crofte’s holiday party is this Saturday. I was wondering…” If you’d be my date.

“Oh! I’ll be there.”

Waverly’s eyebrows shot up. “You… you will?”

“Chrissy Nedley invited me the other day when she was visiting her dad.”

“Great,” Waverly said, trying to contain her excitement. She was gonna owe Chrissy big time. “Then I’ll see you there.”

“Count on it.”

Waverly waved goodbye and rounded the corner back into the hall. When she was out of Nicole’s line of site, she wanted to dance. She almost twirled in place until she saw the yellow caution cone. Not wanting a repeat of her earlier fall, she sobered instantly and carefully walked out of the station.

#wayhaught #waverly earp #nicole haught #wynonna earp #mistletoe au

[perhapsvirginia-blog]

#006 LOL - New Year's Resolutions

TUMBLR DELETED MY STATS, THIS IS SO FUNNY.

I use an app where you put your measurements and it shows your approximate body shape in a weird person-shaped amorphous blob. I don't know, it seems so funny to me that the algorithm thought that was p0nr. IT'S A BLOB. A FAT BLOB.

I guess no more stats for now, which is good because I'm a) hella out of shape, as always. b) Trying to get back on the saddle. As always.

Last time I wrote I was sick as hell and feeling even worse. Physically I'm doing better, but mentally... shit, I haven't thought about dying so often since I was a teenager. And depression is oddly different as an adult. I wouldn't say harder. It's complicated. It's always (stupidly) embarrassing to have an invisible illness, but when you're an adult you're supposed to have your shit figured out. So on top of the voice telling you-- horrible things about yourself, you have the one nagging you about how ridiculous you're being. How you should be over that.

It’s idiotic because a good thing about having more experience with mental illness is that you know it’s the disease talking but... the shame definitely doesn’t help.

I have an appointment with a PTSD expert on February 2nd. Maybe that'll help me. I hope it does. I'm scared shitless of psychologists and, particularly, of hospitals. I turned 18 in a mental facility. I fear nothing more than a repeat of that.

In all honesty, I know the mood dive has to do with my birthday coming. I hate February. As much as I hate the concept of prolonging my existence, I don't care about being older. Hell, I even like getting white hairs and wrinkles. I kind of like the idea of being an old lady. If only I could skip the years between now and then. ANYWAY, God, fuck February. My mom made sure I can't remember any early birthday fondly. Around my twenties there were some that were ok, when I managed to make sure they passed like every other day. And then my dad died.

Sometimes I wonder how come SO MUCH sad stuff happens to me. If I saw my life on a movie I'd call bullshit.

I don't want to write about this anymore so let's talk about good things.

1. I'm moving! As soon as the contract that binds me to my matchbox apartment expires I'm moving with my best friend. We're saving money and looking at places. We haven't contacted anyone yet because I can't leave until May, but it's a good thing. Living alone hasn't been kind on my mental health AT ALL. And we've known each other for... 10 years? 15? We can talk about anything, have screaming matches and know we're still going to be there for each other at the end so we're not worried about bumping heads or anything. The concept of family is all muddled to me but he loves telling people we're siblings, and if you think about movie siblings, that ideal kind of siblings that give each other shit lovingly, well, then yes. Absolutely. He's my bro. I'm so happy we're moving together.

2. BTS. This feels silly to write but WHATEVER, if I'm going 15 again with my ennui bullshit then I'm going in a blast of recycled teenage glory. God, these boys, their music and their antics have given me so many happy moments these past few months when I truly felt like couldn't handle anything. I don't know how I'd have survived without them. And instead of following that sad line of thought, I'll confess that I'm OBSESSED with Park Jimin but not like my friends (or stan Twitter) think. I would love nothing more... than to look like him! Ah, this might be the most embarrassing part of this post. LOL that's my biggest, darkest secret. But he's so cute! He looks adorable, innocent and kind... and also like he could kick your ass! The members (Tae, I think) have said he's the scariest when he's angry. Literally my aesthetic goals since forever. Is that too stupid? Wanting to look like the dancer equivalent of a high performance athlete when I DON'T EVEN LIKE DANCING? It's super stupid but agh, I wish I was half as cute. We're exactly the same height so I could at least aim for his alleged weight, right? The one that's online and it's 100% real not fake and I don't spend a lot of time worrying my head over because he looks way thinner and GOD, please feed those boys and keep them healthy. Is that too much to ask, BigHit?

He's totally my bias, but I love them all. They all have their moments and I admire them so much. I'M SUCH A LESBIAN ABOUT MY KOREAN BOYS, it's hilarious. I get that they're ridiculously handsome but instead of dating them I'd love to feed them and pet them and basically treat them like cats. God, I'm so weird. I love it.

Oh, I do have a

3. I want to go back to my teenage roots. My teenage years were HELL but I did have fun with my aesthetic (I was goth for a while, punk for longer) and one of the perks of my jobs (the single perk, other than the salary) is that we get to dress however the hell we want. Once a guy worked in his pijamas and I think our boss didn't even notice. So getting pierced, coloring my hair, dressing crazy; no one would care. I spent years working at home and only having to dress up for meetings and my wardrobe reflects that. Everything's either too comfy or too formal. Tomorrow (well, later today) I'm piercing one of my ears and I have plans to get one of my tattoos fixed/finished on February and start getting more eventually. I'm going to try and lose weight fast (I know it's not healthy but among self-destructive behaviour it will be far from my worst), and if everything works out, I'll start changing my wardrobe mid-March. This is kind of my New Year's resolution. Look like I want to look. I really, really want to have pink hair again.

SO, new goals!

For January: . Lose weight! - Lift at least 30 minutes every day. - Dance? Maybe Youtube can help me with this part... - Use the stairs, you lazy ass. - Walk more. - EAT LESS and drink more water for fuck's sake. . CLEAN YOUR GODDAMN APARTMENT. Stop being a rat. . Pierce both your ears! . Update this blog more often because this was therapeutic.

Good night! .Reggie

#.txt #mental illness #new years resolutions #weight loss #i don't know how to tag this #i'm a ridiculous person

[solnishka1927]

Wax Seals: A How-To & For-Cheap Guide

so you want to use these things:

for whatever reason, because they’re awesome, but you don’t want to spend a ton of money on them. Same. I love wax seals, but they’re pretentious as shit and the materials to make and use them (like diamond rings) are often priced accordingly. Here’s what you need to know to use them without beggaring yourself along the way.

So there are three main ways to apply the wax of a seal to whatever piece of paper you’re using. Obviously all of them use wax, but what kind of wax you use depends on what method you want to apply it with and what you plan to do with your sealed paper (or other material) afterwards.

1. Wicked Wax

these look like skinny candles, but don’t be fooled -- they’re designed to be melted for seals, not used as light sources.

Note: though it seems like a cheap shortcut, I wouldn’t recommend substituting candle wax for sealing wax. It doesn’t hold the impression of a stamp as well, detaches from the paper easily, and will soften if left in a warm environment (like  a sunny windowsill) and make the impression of the stamp delicate and easily ruined. Candle wax would never survive the handling of any kind of postal service.

Wicked waxes are pretty straightforward: you light the wick and let the wax melt and drip onto the piece of paper you want to apply your seal to.

pros of wicked wax:

traditional method

simple -- requires no materials beyond the seal, the paper, and a flame

you get to play with fire

cons of wicked wax:

can be messy; droplets aren’t guaranteed to land in a neat little puddle to make a nice, circular border around the edge of your seal

you always run the risk of injury/destruction of materials when using an open flame

the stick becomes harder to hold as it gets shorter

some nice wicked waxes:

Jewel Wick Sealing Wax - 2.50 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick produces 8-10 seals. Mailable, and has 24 color choices

Original Wick Sealing Wax - 2.25 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick produces 8-10 seals. Designed for mailing use and is flexible; greatly decreased chance of breaking if bent in the mail. 56 color choices.

2. Use a Melting Spoon

So this is a fancy melting spoon designed specifically for sealing wax. The way to use it is pretty obvious: you put a chunk of sealing wax into the spoon, heat it (not necessarily over an open flame), and when the wax has melted you pour it onto whatever you want to decorate with a seal.

pros of a melting spoon:

another traditional method

offers more control than wicked wax and is less likely to create a disorderly puddle

lessened chance of injury/destruction of materials if you aren’t careful with the heat source

you can still play with fire if you want to

you can use any kind of sealing wax with a melting spoon -- wicked, pebbles (literally just little blobs of wax), glue gun variety (we’ll get to that later) -- so long as you can separate them into pieces small enough to melt in the spoon

cons of a melting spoon:

you now have to get an additional item (the spoon) to make your seal

can still burn yourself if you aren’t careful

some “real” melting spoons

Sealing Wax Melting Spoon - 12.50 USD (shipping not included)

Brass Melting Spoon - 5.90 USD (shipping not included)

but you know what? you honestly don’t need to get an expensive spoon just to melt wax in. Just go to your local store and buy a set of measuring spoons.

yeah, those things. Since you’re going to be using a heat source I’d recommend not getting a plastic set (stainless steel versions should be pretty easy to find) and use the tablespoon. It’s a real pain to clean melted wax out of things, so you’re going to be dedicating this particular spoon to your seals. 

Note: if you plan to use your wax seal in a project that involves food preparation, it would be a good idea to use a type of wax that passes whatever food-safety laws exist in your country. These kinds of waxes do exist (here’s a US-based example approved by the FDA) since artisan winemakers will sometimes put wax seals on their bottles.

If you want to change the color of your wax, either heat the spoon so that the residue of the old color melts and can be scraped out (toothpicks, tongue depressors, and even several layers of tissues over your fingertips work wonderfully for this), or maybe just mix the two colors together! Mixing different colors of wax can give your seals a wonderful brindled look.

3. Low-Temp Glue Gun

this is the method I use.

Wax isn’t very difficult to melt and it can burn and become discolored under high enough heat, so you really do have to use a low-temperature glue gun. If you’ve never heard of them before, don’t worry about them being rare and expensive -- some parts of costume-making involves gluing lace borders and other things like that, so you can find and get them without spending a fortune.

Using a stick of wax in a glue gun is pretty much exactly the same as you’d do with a stick of glue: insert it into the gun, plug in the gun and give it time to heat (5 minutes is generally good), then point the nozzle where you want your wax to go and pull the trigger.

pros of low-temp glue gun

really good if you’re in an environment where you can’t access an open flame or other heat source for the spoon or wicked wax (such as a college dorm, for people like me)

makes very neat little puddles of wax; don’t need to worry about stray droplets no matter how shaky your hands are.

doesn’t involve open flame

cons of low-temp glue gun

like the melting spoon, requires purchase of an additional item

you cannot use the glue gun for anything other than wax once you’ve melted wax in the bore

have to make sure the diameter of the stick fits the gun’s bore

not a traditional method

I’m not going to recommend specific types of glue guns here, because of the difference in acceptable voltages between the US and the EU, but please look on Amazon or at your local craft store -- any website that sells low-temp glue guns specifically for sealing waxes will overprice them, and a general-purpose low-temp glue gun will work just fine.

some nice waxes for glue guns

Original Glue Gun Sealing Wax - 1.70 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick makes between 8-10 wax seals, 3.75 inch length x 7/16 inch diameter, 56 color options. This is the type of wax I use, and 9 out of 10 times when I send a letter overseas the seal arrives undamaged.

Faux Glue Gun Sealing Wax - 1 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick makes between 8-10 wax seals, 3.75 inch length x 7/16 inch diameter. 12 color options. 

This isn’t actually real wax; it’s a very strong plastic bonding substance that can be substituted for sealing wax, to be used on very smooth paper (or glass or plastic). It’s very flexible and will survive a lot of rough handling in the postal service, which can be a good thing considering how a package sent to me from Spain arrived looking like this

having a really fucking sturdy seal is pretty great.

and now, on to the actual SEALS!

I know this is the part you were looking forward to :)

A seal for sealing wax is pretty simple: it’s just a stamp for making an impression in wax. It’s best for the part of the seal that actually comes into contact with the wax to be made of metal, so that it doesn’t stick (as much) to the wax as other materials (wood, plastic) would do and ruin the impression.

Note: stamps meant for ink generally don’t work with wax; their designs usually aren’t deep enough to really make a clear impression.

a seal can be anything you want it to be: an initial for your name, an animal, a symbol (a heart, a star, an anchor -- even a fandom symbol like the seal of Hogwarts or the noble families from Game of Thrones). If you want to have a custom seal with your own specific design, you either have to commission a seal-maker to create a seal for you, or else make it yourself.

the Etsy shop MoldsWorld has 200+ seals with a wide variety of designs, the majority of which are 6.99 USD and have free shipping. These are the cheapest seals I can find, and they’re decent quality -- you get a metal base with a wooden handle, and the stamp leaves a clear impression.

MoldsWorld also sells sealing waxes, though there’s not much specification of whether or not the waxes are sturdy enough to withstand postal handling -- but if you don’t intend to use your seals on letters and won’t put them through rough handling, these waxes are (usually) cheaper than the ones I’ve listed and will suit your purposes without making as large a dent in your bank account.

as well as seals, you can also have signet rings. These are actual rings that you can wear, and to make a seal you just take it off momentarily to press it into the hot wax. It feels very aristocratic. However, with signet rings you also have to deal with ring sizes, and most of these will need to be custom made and are therefore fairly pricey.

Note: if you’re feeling artistic, you can also add an ink finish onto your seal. They work pretty much like an ink stamp on paper: you press your seal onto the inkpad, then apply it to the wax. If you want to change colors or not include ink at all you can just rinse off the stamp. Remember to give the ink time to dry before touching the seal.

here are some nice inks:

Ultimate Metallic Highlighting Ink - 3 USD per pad, 12 color options

that’s pretty much the sum of my knowledge when it comes to seals and sealing wax. I hope you learned whatever you needed/wanted to learn, and I hope you enjoy using your seal!

The End

well, not entirely. Here are some general pointers that you might find useful:

once you’ve poured your liquid wax onto the paper, wait around 15 seconds to let it harden a little bit. This makes the wax firmer when you press your seal into it, so the edges of the design are clearer.

if you’re having problems with your seal sticking to the wax and ruining the impression, try letting the seal sit in a little bowl of water with an ice cube for a minute or two before using it; the cold will make the hot wax less likely to stick

before using your seal on a letter (or other material) for the first time, practice using it on a scrap piece of paper; this will let you experiment with how much wax to use for what size seal you have, how much pressure to apply, cooling time, etc.

okay, now we’ve reached the end.

#deepsearuin #sealing wax #hello yes I have made a guide