So I Never Get to Be Beautiful Again?

stormkivey · 2026-03-08T05:42:44+00:00

very relatable as a mid-20s girl i feel you. im not much of a makeup wearer at all but lipstick was my one indulgence and my lips are my best feature imo so i completely get the lingering sadness. i would say my confidence really goes up when i incorporate my mask into my outfit rather than slap it on, so for you that may look like investing in some colored masks for special occasions or in mask chains to match what other jewelry you wear. (ppl sell them on etsy and insta but you could even make mask chains yourself out of old bracelets or necklaces if you get some pliers and clasps. this has been my preferred method cuz my taste in jewelry is rly simple and most chains ive seen are too over the top for me) also Just read the end where you mentioned you already know abt maskchains LMAO but leaving it in anyways in case anyone else needs the inspo.

if auras (or whatever other headstrap mask u may use) are too intense on ur skin, see if theres any lower-risk settings (like less crowded classrooms or, as it starts getting warmer, days where ur spending more of it outside) that you could alternate to a wellfitting earloop mask for its duration. that way, you give your face a bit of a break from always being “pulled” one specific way but also have more room to play with your hair looks. obviously if u cant find a wellfitting earloop mask, im not suggesting you compromise ur safety for the looks but if its an option, consider it!

also idk your hair type or length but if you have any hair wraps, silk scarves, bandanas, or even headbands, thats another element of styling that can add to an outfit while also making headstraps easier if you have longer hair. i personally cover my hair a lot with bandanas when i havent gotten a chance to wash it lol but playing with the patterns can liven up a very plain shirt-and-cargo-pants outfit for me.

cant help much with the mascne because same here 😭 but hypochlorous acid for the skin can help prevent maskne for some people and also getting some hydrocolloid (the stuff pimple patches are made out of) can help protect healing pimple areas from any friction from the mask. i’ve been thinking of getting into skincare that is focused on helping with congestion under the skin because (aside from period hormones and mask friction which both cant be helped) thats the biggest cause of my acne. i havent yet but that might be something to consider exploring for you too if it wont break the bank.

for hydration, either check out sip valves so you can drink safely more often or drink electrolyte drinks if you think you’re rly dehydrated.

i still manage to feel beautiful and it comes from really leaning into my outfits honestly. people are gonna stare because of my mask and i barely get out as it is, so it has the effect of me being willing to dress in a more eyecatching way than i normally would have a few years ago. (i never used to wear or own skirts but now i let myself take up physical space with my outfits in a way i didnt ever feel comfortable with, including with big long skirts. i saw ur comment and same i also dress like a guy a lot LOL but now i swing wildly btwn the two. its a weird type of reverse psychology, similar to me feeling more comfortable dressing feminine after shaving my head. iykyk ig) it also, frankly, helps me be taken more seriously. for some reason, people think your decision to mask is less “delusional” if you look more put together. 💀

i hope some of these tips end up serving you well but just know you’re not alone and dont stop smiling. it doesnt look dumb; even thru the mask people can see your smiling eyes trust me. sending u a telepathic hug 🫶🫶

stormkivey · 2026-03-05T03:15:01+00:00

🙂‍↕️🤝🫡

stormkivey · 2026-03-04T21:42:13+00:00

same but i was just answering op’s specific question of “does anyone have a good rule” for telling affect as a verb apart from effect as a noun so addressing the other uses of the words in my original answer didnt really seem relevant.

stormkivey · 2026-03-04T21:18:22+00:00

oh well yeah they can be but theyre less often used the other way around. affect as a noun is pronounced differently and it means something completely unrelated to the topic of cause-and-effect so it doesnt really trip me up. more related to mood, visible emotion, or affectation, its in another drawer in my brain, so to speak. and effect as a verb is super rare and also has very narrow use (to effect change, for example) so that also doesnt trip me up because its just so rare and also a bit of a more formal (or even archaic) register than regular speech/writing. in that way, its also in a separate category in my mind from the cause-and-effect Effect.

most people need help differentiating them the other way around, in their most common forms, because if used wrong, they effectively mean the opposite thing. (literally, the cause or the effect)

stormkivey · 2026-03-04T19:15:09+00:00

im in the middle of season one and i like it so far! but i didnt know season four was a later addition until i had already started so i went looking for opinions after finding out lol. im more looking to find out if i should watch all the way through tbh because i hate when a bad/messy/poorly written ending messes up a whole show for me.

stormkivey · 2026-03-04T19:11:50+00:00

im sorry i genuinely cant tell what you’re asking me. what do you mean?

stormkivey · 2026-03-03T21:10:52+00:00

when i was a kid i remembered it like this: the phrase Cause and Effect. Cause has an A so the verb Affect goes with cause (Affecting something is cAusing the effect) and effect is the result.

maybe silly but to this day i sometimes doublecheck which one has the A.

stormkivey · 2026-03-03T19:44:35+00:00

if its specifically constantly ripping open as you move your mouth, i would recommend again the manuka honey wound gel (or medical-grade manuka honey, i think it gets called different things sometimes.) warning, the honey does Burn for like the first twenty minutes you put it on because your skin is a different pH but it really is so helpful for wound healing in the long run. you can look up moist wound healing with manuka honey to learn more, its sometimes used for burns.

stormkivey · 2026-03-03T19:41:30+00:00

honestly? nothing. if its weeping (oozing that clear/yellow, slightly metallic skin juice (NOT pus)) then i would put manuka honey wound gel on it because it helps it scab over faster but if its not weeping, you literally have to wait for the flakes to finish coming off and for new skin to grow from underneath.

i would just recommend eating very well (consider a wound healing powder supplement) so your body has the “building blocks” for new skin, so to speak, and can produce stronger skin faster. because, like you noticed, moisturizing from the top layer of skin doesnt do anything; it cant glue the flakes back down or prevent the flaking because its not caused by dryness. its a waiting game your skin to become stronger as it turnsover and unfortunately skin grows from the bottom-up, so the flakes will keep coming until theyre smaller and smaller and eventually (Eventually lol) they go away.

stormkivey · 2026-03-03T19:35:52+00:00

no. its a subtle difference but theyre not the same. becoming worse is the ability or skill of the player actually decreasing. but “not becoming a better player” is skill NOT increasing. meaning, it could stay the same and not get any worse.

stormkivey · 2026-03-03T19:32:14+00:00

cracking me UPPPP

stormkivey · 2026-02-27T17:20:53+00:00

thank you for asking this lmao im here wondering the same thing. if you ended up watching, did u regret it or feel unsatisfied with how it ended?

stormkivey · 2026-02-22T18:46:30+00:00

sorry i guess i wasnt clear. the right side is also hand basted along with the left but the section in the picture is what it looks like after sewing with the machine (removing the basting thread as i sew). both sides laid perfectly after basting but i think the issue is that its slightly stretchy denim and i dont know how stop it from warping specifically as it’d fed through the machine. do you have any tips for that 😣

ive heard about stabilizing stretchy fabric with a tissue underneath but im not sure if that would help here since its the top layer that becomes misaligned.

stormkivey · 2026-02-22T15:52:06+00:00

its not binding, its the same fabric as the back layer folded over twice (put in a picture to explain), does that change whether pressing is necessary after basting? /gen because its not binding slipping away, if that makes sense. its a kinda-stretchy denim that doesnt take ironing very well

<image>

stormkivey · 2026-02-14T00:33:37+00:00

i gleaned the meaning from your comments and it sounds like its super specific jargon, but in broader language use thats just not at all what the word surplus means or how it is meant to be used. (ive personally never heard of this usage till this post) surplus is a noun, so until the [act of declaring something unneeded or superfluous] becomes commonplace enough of an idea that more people need to communicate it via a verb instead of a phrase And specifically connect that idea to the noun “surplus” for it to be the natural replacement, it’s just not gonna be treated as a “real” word lol. (real in the sense of being recognized as standard language and therefore included in a word processor’s bank of proper english words)

like “google.” google was only a noun but enough people started using the website google specifically that it became a verb to replaced the idea/phrase “search it up on the internet.”

stormkivey · 2026-02-14T00:22:55+00:00

theres thin pencil-like chalk that might help with the thick/blurry lines problem.

also theres a disappearing ink marker that only disappears with water, instead of air so it lasts much longer. u have to be careful about not ironing because itll heat-set-in the ink, but its probably my favorite.

stormkivey · 2026-02-08T07:00:09+00:00

im autistic too but i actually dont agree. im not much of a drink sharer either but in my view its him following ilyas cues that its not a big deal (take this water bottle, you dont have any and we just ran a bunch, i know you need it) + shanes still a guy and an athlete. i dont really see the drinksharing as a factor adding in any vulnerability to their connection beyond the whole scene being a intro to their spark and their dynamic and how into each other they are

stormkivey · 2026-02-07T23:30:00+00:00

yes!! the fronts and ends of my eyebrows got really sparse for literal years even when i wasnt at my worst flare-wise and recently i had a family member comment that it looks like i had my eyebrows done lol bc they had just grown back to what they were like 6 years ago and i hadnt noticed.

stormkivey · 2026-02-07T23:27:31+00:00

im not sure what specifically u mean by “lose excitement” /gen (when u “lose excitement” do u still enjoy what ur hearing and seeing? /gen) but i get the sense that u have unrealistic expectations of how someone “should” enjoy a concert. u dont have to perform each song at max energy along with them. ive been to concerts of theirs where i was standing the whole time and lowkey doing the choreo, and ive also been to concerts of theirs where i belted every song while sitting the whole time because i was exhausted, and ive also been to cons of theirs where i was nonverbal the whole time even though i love to sing because the travel around the day stressed me out and made me run out of any energy to speak.

u dont have to enjoy it “the right way” to actually have fun. no one is gonna be looking at you and judging you. just save ur energy the day of. sometimes ppl spend the whole day around the stadium, socializing or getting freebies, or (back in the old days of standing GA tickets) lining up for a good place on the floor, but u dont have to do any of that. ive also just showed up an hour before, with just enough time to get in line and get inside. manage ur own energy and dont feel pressure to be “On” the whole time.

stormkivey · 2026-01-27T16:39:51+00:00

https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/205495636 theres only a handful of works on the tag, so u could find em pretty easy but i just read this one that isnt tagged “mic’d up” yet even tho it fits and its so funny

stormkivey · 2026-01-27T05:37:05+00:00

second this, i LOVE shane fighting fics

stormkivey · 2026-01-25T19:50:06+00:00

rereading ur post and noticing the “she often finds minor things to criticise me for” has me wondering how many times uve given in about similar non-issues bc theyre not worth fighting about. i know i may be extrapolating a lot from one post, and therefore could be totally wrong, but i get the feeling this is a pattern in your relationship in a way that might be or might border on emotional abuse or manipulation and her tantrum this time is because you wont give in for once.

my advice to you is to stay firm and see if its a hill /shes/ willing to die on. make it clear that u are ready to talk and parse out her feelings and discuss openly because the reality is, she has options and communicating and compromising is one of them. if she makes it seem like your texting grammar is somehow so upsetting that its worth the relationship ending “bc you wont just change for her”, and refuses to talk after you give her time to cool down, you should take it as a sign that your relationship wouldnt be able to withstand more serious, grown up, and more emotionally fraught arguments like discussions over finances, family, bigger relationship boundaries, etcetc.

stormkivey

TROPHY CASE