My Dad Really Liked Sparkling Water (until He Drank So Much He Got Kidney Stones) So I Grew To Enjoy

My dad really liked sparkling water (until he drank so much he got kidney stones) so I grew to enjoy it from a young age. I enjoy the TV static water with someone shouting "lime" from the other room.

I think it's a mouth feel thing, idk. The carbonation makes it feel more refreshing and it's not as heavy on sweeteners as soda.

Guy about to invent sparkling water: water is so good but I wish that it tasted terrible and hated me

Beneath Their Masks Chapter 9 is Up!

It's totally on time. I definitely uploaded it while it was still the 9th (in some time zones). This is the end of the vacation fic "arc". Well, unless I think of something else to add, but yeah. Also, I hope the original side characters aren't too distracting. I wanted to write them to give Ann some connections relating to her modelling, and also as a (somewhat) positive influence on Ann. I didn't want Ann and Makoto's relationship to feel to isolated from the rest of their friends or family, so it was at this point that I started experimenting with more relationships and side stories to keep things fresh. It may be a flufftober thing, so continuity doesn't really matter, but it matters to me dangit! (Also I just realized I forgot to add the date to the chapter whoops better go add that)

“Whooh, I’m stuffed.” Ann said, strolling into the room, Makoto in tow. “Those two sure know how to treat a gal.”

Makoto shut the door behind her, flicking the lock as she did.

“It was awfully generous of them to offer to pay for dinner.” Makoto mused, aloud.

“They did say we were like the two little sisters they never had.” Ann replied. “Although us being their sisters kind of muddies the water if we’re dating…”

“I’m sure they didn’t think too deeply about the metaphor. But they are quite fond of you.”

“You say that like they didn’t like you. They love you! I’m sure they wouldn’t have gone through all the effort if they didn’t.” Ann said, reassuring Makoto. “You’re overthinking things again.”

Makoto shrugged.

“Well, we have some more time in the evening before we should probably head to bed. Did you have any plans?” Ann asked.

“Mmm…not really. I was open to just about anything you would be likely to suggest.” Makoto said.

“Just about anything?” Ann said, eyebrow raised.

Makoto raised an eyebrow at her as well.

“Well…let me think…” Ann rested her head in her hand as she pondered for a moment. “Oh, how about a bath?”

“A bath?”

“Yeah! This room has an onsen big enough for the two of us!” Ann said with childlike glee.

“W-Well…” 

“It’s up to you. I understand if you’re still not fully comfortable with that sort of thing.”

Makoto said nothing as she silently wrestled with her inner voice.

“Tell ya what. I’ll go get in, and you can join me if you’d like. No pressure or anything, promise.” Ann said.

Makoto thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Alright, I’ll think about it.”

Ann pecked Makoto on the cheek as she passed by her on the way to the bathroom. Makoto brought her hand up to savor the fleeting warmth on her cheek as the wheels in her head began to turn.

Creative Hobbies (And Other Musings)

I've been thinking about something lately, and I'd like to put my thoughts out there to see if anyone else has felt the same thing. (Warning: Long and ramble-y)

For the last couple weeks, I've been doing a lot of "making things" in my free time. Mostly writing, but also putting down ideas, editing works, and otherwise. A lot of my hobbies are creative, and while that's good, its almost overwhelming. I started a new job a few weeks ago and I can't really think of the last time I actually just sat down and relaxed by playing a game or something in my free time. I do a lot of reading, sure, but whenever I get home from work I tend to idly watch YouTube since that takes significantly less effort. Then, usually by the end of the night, I'll start writing something and then oop, I gotta go to bed now to go to work in the morning.

It's kind of...exhausting, having so many creative hobbies. I edit videos, I do 3D art (although that one's on hiatus until I can upgrade my PC cuz god my workflow is so slow cuz blender just freezes every time I wanna do something), I write, and like...I just wish I could pause my brain and enjoy doing something for the hell of it. My mind is just so busy, and while part of me wishes I could slow it down to enjoy things, another part of me is glad I have outlets for creativity. The one downside is that all my energy goes into these outlets, not really leaving time to just turn my brain off (to a degree) and enjoy something, save for just wasting time on youtube.

I want to create things, first off because I enjoy doing it, but also because I feel like if I can make something that even one other person enjoys, I'll have added value to the world in a tangible way. I love receiving positive comments on my writing (not that I'm simply writing for approval or praise), but sometimes the hustle and bustle of making things just wears me out. If I do turn on a game for a little while, it's something quick and easy to pick up and play or dedicate only a little bit of time to, so I always have the ability to shut it off and get back to whatever I was doing.

I like my hobbies, but I have a habit of turning them into work over time. I like order, I like a schedule, I like consistency. It forces me to always engage in something I enjoy, and maybe even get better at it to become a more rounded individual. But without fail, I will always find myself becoming a slave to my hobbies. A slave to something I started doing to have fun, to express myself, to take what I'm feeling and put it somewhere for others to see. Hideo Kojima often says that 70% of his body is made of movies. Well, 100% of my body is made of my creative pursuits. That doesn't leave a lot for much of anything else. I work, I come home, I work on something, and then I go to sleep. I still enjoy writing, but I'm worried that the same thing will happen where it becomes work. Where it becomes the very thing I tried to escape by engaging in it.

They say to write what you know, but I tend to write what I want. I don't really want to go into detail, because I don't wanna be a sad sack and get all depressing on here, but you know that "depressing" thing I was talking about writing the other day? Well, that's an instance of writing what I know. If you read between the lines, that's where I put myself. If you shift your perspective to the whole of it, it's what I want. I said I didn't want to insert too much of myself into my writing, into my work, but it just happens sometimes.

Fiction is written by people, and people have a lot of experiences. Feeling emotion for fiction isn't CrInGe because "it's not real". It's the result of perspective, emotions, experiences, and that's real.

Sorry, I know I've been a real downer recently, but life has been fucking me raw and its starting to come to a head (oh boy! I can't wait til the holidays for things to get even worse!). Here's hoping I can use this as a force for creativity haha... Seems almost sad to think about; considering my own struggles as inspiration for creativity. But that's just how my brain works, I guess. I live on a roulette wheel of hyperfixations and all I can do is wait for it to stop spinning and start walking in that direction. Whatever my mind wills, I will do. It's the only way to stay sane. If I fell apart and just did nothing, well...I've already been there. Boredom is one step towards madness, and no play makes Drac a dull boy.

So yeah, that's a bit of a ramble for tonight. Hopefully, one day, I can look back on this and laugh.

Beneath Their Masks Chapter 12 is Up!

This one is very laid back. Also hey, you might learn something from this one. Also please pray for Yusuke. I don't know how he lives, but it can't be well.

"What do you mean, ‘you don't cook?’"

Ann shrank a little in her seat. She couldn't help feeling she was in trouble, although she figured Makoto wouldn't be that upset at the revelation that Ann wasn't much of a cook.

"I'm just not all that good in the kitchen. My parents were so busy that they never showed me." Ann replied, attempting to defend herself. "Besides, we ordered takeout all the time. There just wasn't a need to learn."

Makoto pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"Do you know how to cook anything, Ann?" Makoto said while letting out a long sigh.

"Um…I can cook eggs…instant ramen…uh…" Ann trailed off. Was that really it? "And some other stuff!" Ann lied. "What's the big deal?"

"Knowing how to cook is really important! It's one of the basic human survival skills." Makoto said. "Besides, it's much cheaper to cook at home than ordering food for delivery."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ann shrugged.

"There's nothing else to be done. I'll have to teach you. As your…" Makoto trailed off, looking around the apartment. Sae would still be at work for a couple hours, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. "...girlfriend…I think this would be a good opportunity for you to learn."

"Alright, so, what are we going to make?" Ann said, amused by hearing Makoto say that magic word. It made her heart sing every time, but Makoto probably wouldn't appreciate the distraction by pointing it out, so Ann stayed quiet. Maybe she would tease her about it later…

You infatuated dorks.

Beneath Their Masks Chapter 10 is Up!

It feels a little weird to put up a chapter taking place on Christmas in October but...here we are, I guess? This is kind of where things diverge from just being about Makoto and Ann, kind of like I said before. I hope it's not too distracting or out of character, but I do want to mix things up a bit. Let me know what you think!

Ann carefully freed herself from Makoto’s grasp as she slid out from beneath the covers, not so gracefully ending up on the floor in the process. Grabbing her phone, she picked herself up and quietly exited Makoto’s bedroom, silently closing the door behind her. When she turned, she didn’t expect to see anyone else up in the Niijima household. Messy red hair filled her view as she almost bumped into her, herself leaving the other Niijima sister’s bedroom.

“Um…”

The woman before her tensed, and she slowly turned around, but relaxed when she saw Ann.

“Oh, I thought you were Makoto for a second. Good morning.” The woman said quietly.

“You’re…Sae’s friend, right?” Ann asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Why don’t we go out into the kitchen? Wouldn’t want to wake the Niijimas, right?” Sae’s friend(?) said.

Ann nodded and followed her out to the kitchen.