1. incorporating a retinol; whether it be tretinoin, RetinA, Adapalene, or anything; is a powerful step to alleviate acne, hyperpigmentation and signs of aging. it is one of the most scientifically backed up ingredients shown to normalize melanin production, boost collagen and thicken your skin! ♀️
2. patience is key, especially while incorporating a new active into your routine. if your skin purges, let it. give it around 4-6 weeks for beautiful skin to reappear!♀️
3. use sun protection, always! invest in a nice sun hat and non-comedogenic sunscreen, and encourage your friends and family to do the same. you can avoid buying a plethora of products by just protecting yourself from harmful UV rays
4. ceramides and skin repairing ingredients are your best friends, especially if you’re using a strong retinoid or chemical exfoliant. invest in a non-irritating, emollient moisturizer rich in ceramides to slather on at night! remember, good skin care does not have to be expensive. CeraVe and Eucerin are a great place to start!
5. experiencing red, irritated and flaky skin? start washing your face with cold water! it can feel uncomfortable at first but the result may motivate you to continue♀️
6. start applying your skincare 2 hours before bed! it’s a waste of product + cash to go to bed with a face full of product because it will be wiped off♀️
7. all skin is different. some people may rave about the benefits of niacinamide, others may breakout or experience irritation. similarly, some people’s skin may enjoy products containing fragrance or essential oils, while others’ may not. don’t judge people for what works for them❤️
I had a very different message ready to go for today. I was fully prepared to leave this blog behind. But I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to let three years of really hard work go down the drain.
So today I am opting instead to lay my cards all on the table. I don’t care whose toes I step on, I’m tired of biting my tongue because I’m too anxious or too worried about causing a problem. I’ve finally realized I have to take care of myself too and have a right to my thoughts same as everyone else. Feel free to unfollow if this post bothers you, no hard feelings.
Under cut for fandom wank and mentions of: sexual assault, rape, abuse, csa, and for being (sort of) S*lver critical.
Full disclosure: I’m really tired of all the guilt tripping posts and arguments that some S*lver/Si/verfl*nt fans have been making, accusing people who don’t like S*lver of either being ableist or dismissing/downplaying the trauma of his backstory, specifically his supposedly being a sexual assault survivor/possibly a csa survivor) (I say supposedly because there’s nothing in canon that says this officially, and the creator’s quotes people attribute it to also aren’t specific, though I understand why people interpret them that way; still the fact is Silver being a csa survivor is speculation). I’m tired of people who use these two things to shut down people who criticize S*lver. It’s so upsetting to me how often this has been happening and that people are doing it so casually to dismiss criticism. It’s completely killed my desire to be here. That, on top of people continuously being harassed by certain people. Like I’ve said before I am truly busy, but the atmosphere here has just been constantly going from bad to worse and I continue to have no desire to make time for this place.
First of all, I’ve not seen anyone say that what he went through wasn’t horrifying, that losing a leg made him lesser as a person, or that he deserved whatever trauma that happened to him in the past. I’ve seen people criticize with his actions during the season, especially s4, but I’ve never seen anyone “dismiss” his traumas as in saying they’re not valid (ofc, I have no way of seeing what every single person has said, so I can’t say no one has ever done so, but if they have, I haven’t seen it.) Genuinely, it’s not an experience I would wish on anyone. But what I know is that people have GOT to stop treating previous abuse as a free pass to do shitty things. Whatever trauma he endured doesn’t change the fact he did an awful thing. It can explain it, but it doesn’t excuse it.
I’ve made a previous post on my personal blog months ago, but I’m going to put it out in the open here: I am a csa rape survivor. I’m still, and have been, in counseling the past couple years because of it and am only now beginning to come to terms with what happened to me. My stepfather who did it to me was also abused. Do you understand how completely it fucks me up, to come on here and see posts telling me how much of an asshole and a bad person I am, that I have no empathy, simply because I have an unfavorable opinion against someone’s favorite character? Do you understand how much it fucks me up to have the trauma I endured, used as a club to beat me and others with? To see the trauma I endured used to beat people down and try to derail conversations criticizing S*lver, to try and guilt trip them? Hell, I’ve seen other csa survivors get attacked outright by anons this very way!
It will never stop being absurd to me that I have to divulge this stuff because people care about a fictional character’s feelings more than the real people who’ve endured the trauma they’re supposedly sticking up for. Same thing with people throwing around accusations of ableism. You’re running around telling people they’re ableist because you don’t see their reasons for disliking your fave as valid and therefore assume they must dislike him because he’s disabled.
You don’t have to see what he did as abusive, you just have to accept that I and others do, as is our right. And by telling me I’m an asshole with no empathy for not being more forgiving towards S*lver, you’re essentially saying that because he was someone who was abused and traumatized, I’m an asshole for not forgiving the person who hurt me, because he was also previously abused and traumatized. Maybe that’s not what is meant, but that’s the message I’m getting from it.
But because I do understand that S*lver is very important to some people, and that there are also csa/abuse survivors on the other side of this argument, I want to say that:
I am not saying that every person who was abused becomes abusive. I am saying that sometimes it does happen and that previous trauma is not an excuse.
I am not saying that anyone is a bad person for liking S*lver, or sympathizing with him. It’s okay to love flawed characters. If it weren’t, we’d all be screwed in this fandom. Believe it or not, I actually do understand why he did some things, and I can sympathize with the fear of losing people you care about, etc.
I am not equating what S*lver did with what happened to me, I was speaking of abuse broadly to make my point.
I simply have some very big problems with things he’s done, and I am allowed to.
If that’s not enough then consider the following:
S*lver used to be a character I liked very much, and I do think having someone disabled in a prominent, badass pirate role, and in an interracial romance is something very important. I used to ship Si/verfl*nt, and there are remnant gifsets floating around as proof. Through this blog, I met, fell in love with, and married a Si/verfl*nter who used to be one of the biggest shippers in the fandom. So if you still feel that I’m ableist, or heartless, or am hating just for the sake of it after all this, then I seriously don’t know what to tell you.
My point is this: I am done seeing this stuff. I am not going to tolerate it anymore. If I see any of these kinds of posts when it’s unwarranted, whether it’s reblogging, posting, etc. you’re getting unfollowed and probably blocked. You’re allowed to do whatever you want on your own blog, and I am under no obligation to see it, and I have every right to do what’s best for my own mental health.
As for this blog…
I can’t promise I won’t still have long activity gaps, or that I’ll be up for making new content anytime soon (I swear I’ve tried, but my motivation always deflates as fast as it comes, I am having some luck with fanfics though.) I can’t even promise that I won’t end up quitting anyway. But I can promise I will continue trying, for everyone here who’s stuck by this blog and me. I’m sorry I couldn’t leave a happier message here, but I’ve needed to say this for a really long time.
I really do thank everyone here <3 You’re the reason this blog has been as successful as it has, and I really appreciate you, even if I don’t know how to show it <3 Here’s to hopefully more years to come. Thank you for being here.
(nov 29th 2021) taking a break from digital art due to burnout/artblock. I still have stuff in my queue for every saturday up until late may 2022 and I will still try to draw occasionally so you’ll most likely not even notice I’m gone until then. however, during this break I will focus on my ceramics classes and my social life. I will post some of my ceramics if anyone is interested.
