skylerskyhigh

[skylerskyhigh]

[skylerskyhigh]

Fate's strings strum a soul's song of their expected life. Yet some pluck a different tune, refusing to follow the chorus set out for them. They refuse to play the music written between the lines. They create their own serenade, forging each note of their story as they want it.

As for the Gods who live beyond the realm of mortality? The ones who can see the mortals and have control over their domain?

They watch from a different realm, spinning their own tales. Pulling strings invisible to mortals to lead their souls to their predetermined path. Leading them to follow the outcome they want.

While every life is free to choose its own path, that doesn't prevent some other higher power from nudging them in a certain direction.

That does not stop them from tugging at the strings to create the path they desire.

[skylerskyhigh]

I am so conflicted about the commander uniform colour but my god this might be the most gorgeous thing I've ever layed my eyes on.... why are tears falling down my eyes....

[skylerskyhigh]

The "Scent of Arm", according to Ron

There was that bit early on in the TCF series that I didn't get for a really long time.

Ron, on sight, recognized a certain scent "lingering" on Choi Han, which made him and his son Beacrox believe that he was a member of Arm. He recognized it from many years ago when the Molan residence was attacked by the members of the secret organization.

The thing is, the scent disappeared after Choi Han washed up at the Henituse mansion, thanks to Cale's hospitality, causing a major divergence. In TBOAH, Choi Han would not get the chance to "freshen up", and the Molans would follow him out of the city, abandoning their jobs as servants of the Henituse family solely because they suspected him of being from Arm. Later on, that suspicion would get cleared up and they would stay because they got actual trace of the organization.

However, in TCF, after Choi Han got cleaned up a bit, Ron instantly changed his mind and decided "no, it couldn't have been Arm after all, there is no way those guys could have come here all the way from the Eastern Continent".

So, that begs the question... what was the "scent of Arm", exactly?

My first thought, on my first time reading, was "of course, it was the scent of blood and murder, because Choi Han just came from a massacre". But that.... doesn't make much sense, does it? Ron is an assassin. He used to deal with murder and blood on a regular basis, it was literally his job. Why would such a generic scent would immediately make him think "it has to be Arm"? Even if we think of it as trauma because Arm destroyed his home, that still doesn't really add up. Especially when after Choi Han cleaned up, he instantly changed his mind. Just because the guy washed up that didn't make him any less dangerous or strong. So blood and murder as the scent of Arm, that's out.

My thoughts on the second re-read went into a slightly different direciton. Maybe it had something to do with the scent of the Forest of Darkness? Specifically, the dead mana from that forest? We know it's special, since dead Dragon mana is basically non-existent in the natural world, due to the fact that Dragons who died a natural death would turn into dust, not decay and create dead mana. The swamp with the Dominating Aura also acted as a container and let it thicken up over time in the poisoned water. That kind of rare, specific smell would make more sense as something that Ron could recognize on sight, right?

However, after thinking it over, I realized that also did not make that much sense either. Even if we accept the fact that ordinary mooks from Arm could have dead mana smell just because they traded some of it to the mermaids to help them fight against the Whales... all of that happened MUCH later than the fall of the Molan family. Why would Arm lackeys in the Eastern Continent smell like the forbidden region of the Western Continent? We can't even assume it was the extremely general dead mana smell that Ron confused as the scent of the organization, because Ron isn't an idiot; even if he doesn't know any dark creatures personally at this point, he KNOWS what dead mana is. And that's still too common thing to see Choi Han smell of it and instantly decide: yes, this guy must be related to Arm! Like, come on. That's such a farfetched conclusion. Ron wouldn't be that dumb.

My third take, was Black Despair, which is something that is EXTREMELY specific and directly related to Arm. Think about it: it does not occur naturally, Arm mass-produces it for demonic purposes, and the lackeys can all smell of it on both continents regardless of the timeline, since the White Star has been doing this stuff for a 1000 years. Also, Ron would not realize what it is, being a regular human and all, just know the smell of it and have a very averse reaction to it due to the traumatic memory it was tied to, as well as the nature of Black Despair itself. Now, I finally felt like I was getting somewhere!

There was still that lingering doubt in my mind, however. Would regular Arm assassins really smell of Black Despair? Like, all of them? Really? There's no way the Red Stars let their disposable foot soldiers anywhere near the stuff. Of course, there was the possibility that they were using it for some brainwashing black magic ritual, that let them "create" those type of suicidal pawns. But, still. I was a bit uncertain. Would Choi Han really smell of the same stuff simply because he killed a bunch of people who smelled of it??

That's when it hit me.

The smell wasn't Black Despair specifically... it was simply despair!!!

Think about it! All Arm forces SHOULD smell of despair. Either because they cause it, they feel it themselves, they spread it, and the black magic they use is fueled by it!! With despair being a literal force one can sense, of course it would have a powerful, lingering stench.

And most importantly? Choi Han's attribute is also despair!

It you think about it this way, it all becomes clear now! Choi Han was soaked both in despair from the Arm assassins he killed, the despair of the Harris Villagers that were murdered, AND his own lingering despair that radiated from him because of his trauma and the attribute he developed!!! So when he came to the Henituse mansion, of course he was a huge red flag for the Molans! They recognized the exact same despair and instantly decided to get rid of the threat!

HOWEVER. What happens the next day in TCF? Choi Han washes up. Choi Han's clothes are new, clean, his attribute is safely tucked away due to lack of danger, and most importantly? His despair starts to disappear because of CALE! Choi Han has hope, a new objective – paying Cale back – a goal in his mind, and he shows a softer, vulnerable side when he tells Cale "but you don't even know who I am". Choi Han's despair isn't all gone of course, not even close. But he isn't soaked in it anymore.

And Ron SEES all of this, sees this guy who was just REEKING of despair the day prior but has a whole new vibe today, and begins to doubt. Because of course he does!! If Choi Han was really a member of Arm, there's no way all that scent of despair could have disappeared after a single bath. So he comes to the very reasonable conclusion that he was wrong, and stops worrying about Arm's return.

Of course, later on he catches onto the scent again as he travels with Cale, so he follows the trail, separates from the group as early on as the Plaza Terror Incident, and after getting the very public confirmation that Arm is, indeed, on the Western Continent, he goes off to track Redika down all the way to Hais Island 5.

And that's why, my friends, I believe that the "scent of Arm" that Ron was talking about was Despair. Not Black Despair specifically, just the scent of Despair that Arm causes all around the world. A bit different from Choi Han's own despair, but similar enough to be confused with it.

[skylerskyhigh]

I can go along with this Earth custom

[skylerskyhigh]

my hearing has been aided and holy shit is this how you guys hear all the time

[skylerskyhigh]

I'm a little sick, so new pictures are being drawn slowly. But I found an old art with Cale, which, as it turned out, I forgot to post earlier.

I love him very much too, he came out so warm and soothing...

[skylerskyhigh]

Choi Han, for a test from a god, is sent to an unknown land with "Cale."

Choi Han, upon arrival, realizes something is strange about this Cale. He's got a similar appearance to his own Cale but the eyes are sharper, with a witty bite to his tongue and a quick sneer always at the ready.

He's clearly confused and distressed about being in a strange place with a strange person but he does his best to not let it show. His hand reaches for a bottle of alcohol that isn't there.

Choi Han thinks that this Cale isn't like his Cale at all.

Choi Han has a hunch that this Cale is the one from before Kim Rok Soo's possession. It makes sense. So he isn't his Cale.

However, though Choi Han wants to become cold to this stranger version of Cale, when he looks into those red-brown eyes and sees fear, he draws back. It's an instinctual feeling that he gets, right as Cale is spitting more vile words to cover up the trembling in his hands, that he doesn't want to see even a terrible Cale be afraid of him.

This doesn't stop them from arguing. Through towns, forests, deserts, they both learn on an intimate level that they would never, ever get along. Cale is too loud, too threatening, and Choi Han can't resist from debating with this strange Cale about morals, of all things. They argue constantly.

Though they argue, Choi Han can't help himself from sometimes mistaking this Cale for his own. He tells himself it's because they look alike.

They're both in the midst of an argument when a noble-like individual approaches them with cloying words, which seek to lure them inside of the noble's home. Choi Han is suspicious, but before he has the chance to decline, Cale steps in front of Choi Han and demands to speak to the noble who wants to see them.

The noble-like individual turns out to be the servant of a more powerful man, something that Cale saw through immediately.

Choi Han is stunned.

How did this, this trashy Cale with no moral upstanding, clock the intentions of a person so quickly and accurately?

He asks him directly. Cale shrugs. Choi Han believes he's mistaken when Cale's eyes flicker with calculating intent. They don't discuss it further.

Little moments like these keep occurring. Cale does something impressive, Choi Han inquires, and Cale downplays it with a sneer or an insult and refuses to speak about it again. It's weird and strange but it's familiar. Extremely so. Not the insulting, and the sneer is too odd to be his own Cale's face, but it's familiar in the sense that they both underestimate themselves. They both refuse to acknowledge what lies under the surface of their visage.

This Cale is a strange individual. He swears and laughs and grins, he's too calm about their situation, and it's difficult to get through to him when he makes up his mind about something. But the strangest thing is that all of these things remind Choi Han of his Cale.

Finally, it all comes down to a final battle. One more fight and both himself and this Cale can go back to where they belong. Choi Han is ready.

Cale receives a power from a book before the battle and it's unlike anything Choi Han has ever seen. But the coughing up of blood makes him have Cale swear to never use it. Cale swears.

Choi Han makes Cale promise to stay on the sideline and not approach. Cale easily agrees.

They get to the last stage, the last time they'll see each other again, and the villain of this world is too powerful. It's as if he weren't meant for them to fight. It's as if he were made so that they struggle.

Choi Han swings his blade to block a blow that he knows he can't block, knows might end him, and he thinks about how he can't possibly die right now and leave this Cale behind... but he's too weak.

He wonders what his Cale would do in this moment, when everything seems hopeless and nothing is working.

Cale steps in front of him and uses his power to its fullest extent.

White light is shining everywhere, blinding Choi Han who keeps his burning eyes open, desperately keeps his eyes on the Cale that's bleeding from his mouth and his nose and his eyes and his skin is starting to crack, crack like he is about to turn into dust and disappear.

Cale turns to look at Choi Han.

"Ah. I was worried it wouldn't be enough to take out the villain." His eyes stained with blood curl up in a smile. A ball of dread sits in Choi Han's stomach. "I'm glad. I'm really, really..." eyes drifting closed, his body begins to shatter further and further. "Happy for you, Choi Han."

This is why they felt familiar.

It's with a cry of grief and anger, anger at himself, that Choi Han reaches out to hold Cale, hold onto even a piece of him.

Cale's eye, the only one left as he is disintegrating, widens.

Choi Han grasps a fragment that's about to vanish from Cale's chest, somewhere next to his heart, and this piece doesn't break, doesn't disappear from Choi Han's hand. It stays solid and firm and real-

And it's all that Choi Han is left with when the gods test ends.

Choi Han wakes up, surrounded by his family, with a red, glass marble in his hand. He holds it to his chest. It hurts.

It hurts.

[skylerskyhigh]

*cough cough

This is kinda similar to how I treat my OC in my fic. I added a God, the God of Life, and he treats everything like entertainment. The best part about it is he gives "dreams" to the characters and they can't do jack shit about it cause they can't just NOT sleep forever.

My method to get a "reaction fic" within the story? Make Cale or Rok Soo as the hostage.

Though I had a fun mental image as I read your idea. The characters are locked in a room, unable to interact with the world, but they could see it.

The characters are forced to watch Kim Rok Soo's upbringing. His loss. His abuse. His grief. His despair.

Then, Cale's life. His loss. His grief. His fighting spirit. His hopelessness.

They scream and yell. They try to hit something but couldn't touch anything, merely spirits in this world.

"Let us out!" They demanded, turning away from KRS as he is beaten by his uncle. Turning away Cale as he watched his entire family die to the wyverns.

"We don't want to see this! Let us out! This is not something we should see!"

"Why not?" A God asks, smiling at them. "Don't you want to save your friends?"

"We'll save them another way! We don't need your help! We don't need to do this! We will not watch this!"

"That's too bad. It would be easier to piece them together if you know their story. But if you insist, try to fix a person you know nothing about. I'll wait here in case you want a reference."

The God releases them, but the character realize that they meant.

Cale and Rok Soo are broken. Their souls barely held together. Broken pieces scattered. They hold scattered memories. Their minds scrambled as it seemed like they sustained a great injury that had destroyed their sense of identity.

They don't remember who they are. Their name. Their personality.

They can mimic. They watch and follow the characters, mimicking their movements. But they're not the same. What made them who they are have been destroyed. So they try to fill that empty void by piecing traits trom the people around them.

The characters tried to fix it themselves. They told stories of the things they watched them do. Heroic actions. Little habits. But something doesn't seem right. Sometimes they behave the right way but more often than not, there is something missing. Incomplete.

The characters only see their actions, with minimal context to the reason behind it. Why does Cale hate the rain? Why did Rok Soo say 'living well is the best'? Why don't they look at the children the way they used to? Was there something else in their gaze besides the warmth, concern, and care they displayed?

The characters realized why that is the case. For every action, personality trait, and words that they said, there is a story behind it. A story that culminated in the person they had known for years.

But mere 2 years is not enough to cover more than 3 decades worth of memories.

They tried. They did their best. More stories, they thought. Perhaps they'll try to tell them how they acted and why. The little details that they do know about them.

But it's not enough. Because it is not who they are. There is something missing.

So the characters bite their tongue. They lower their head. Then they ask the God to bring them back.

"We'll watch their story."

The God smiled.

"Very well. I hope you'll have a better understanding of the person in front of you."

The characters grit their teeth in anger but they do not take back their word.

They do not deserve to pry into someone else's life.

But how else can they get back the people that they love?

Reaction fics are a beloved trope of LOTCF fanfiction, but let me pose a challenge to the concept. Rather than a god deciding to show the audience Cales life as a punishment/gift for the future/to help them in some way, what if it was instead just a godly whim?

The reason they are there is incomprehensible. It doesn't make sense. The god either won't explain, or doesn't care to. The scenes they're shown are helpful in some ways, but not in others. Why are they here? How do they get out?

I'd like to see a reaction fic where the goal of the audience is to leave. They neither want nor need to see the deep, dark depths of their leader. And they will never, ever accept something without knowing the intentions behind it.

This is better if there's another driving force behind why they are desperate to leave. Someone is missing (Cale?), something is happening on the outside (something important, or they're getting signs- hints- figurative or literal writing on the walls from the previous participants in this game that don't spell a happy ending for what comes after this. Something is behind this, and that something doesn't truly care about them.

No one to assure them, "if you just watch his life, everything will be fine." Or when it is assured, the audience fights back. The god assured them, again, they just have to watch. Watch and understand. But they find ways to get out- they have to be dragged back, one by one, into that theater room. It should be fun to watch them analyze the manners of their leader or his backwards thinking, except it isn't. They keep fighting against it. Why are they fighting? Something that isn't human could never understand.

It's an idea I had based off our own manipulation. We write reaction fics for our own amusement. We want to force these characters into a box and make them react to Cale. We are a god that does this- not to help them, not to give a gift to them- it is for our amusement. It's fun to watch them react.

But isn't it out of character for them to not fight back? With biting words and violent actions? These characters don't simply allow themselves to be beaten into submission. Coerced into bowing their heads. We'd have to tie them to their chairs and make them sit and watch. And that's something I see in a lot of reaction fics too.

Usually the best way to keep these characters in place is via the Cale Method. Cale is injured and has to heal, it's a price he has to pay, he's being threatened, etc. It'd be cool if there was something else forcing them down like muzzled dogs. Just my thoughts though.

*anyone is free to run with the ideas from this or any idea built off of this (with no credit)

**but I'd love to be sent anything like it

[skylerskyhigh]

I'm not sure who said it first, but the theory that krs is the red dragon has been on my mind for days now

And it would make so much sense if that was the case

Like what's a better twist than finding out the man who ended the white stars bullshit is also the same being who was used to start it all?

And the fact that krs was able to be affected by white stars curse is so much worse now

Imagine sherrit finding out her child was hurt by the same thing she created to protect him 😭

This also places immense suspicion on the god of death, i mean it never made sense to me that the white star was just able to "pass his curse around" like a sickly virus just because he stole someones body. It sounds more plausible to me that the god of death never added the rule "this curse cannot affect anybody else" and then used it as a loophole to curse KRS.

The curse was a punishment for an oath only dragon slayers have made, what the hell could be more targeted and specific than that??? And now you're telling me this random guy from raon has to live with it in korea cuz the white star took his body before that soul got to inhabit it??

The only person who can break a curse is the one who made the curse and the person who wanted it to be made (in this case the GoD and Sherrit)

And in the sealed test choi jung gun says "the god of death is trying to hold the curse back from affecting you"

Excuse me??? He can't dispel his own curse?? I don't believe that at all. Also krs had nothing to do with the white star since he was born, so why is it impossible to remove him from the effects of it?? The god of death had about 36 years to figure out how to make it go away, and he just couldn't?? I smell bullshit

Sherrit also said that the red egg was affecting it's surroundings before it was born, the dragon inside would've been powerful to extents she probably couldn't even comprehend

It makes more sense to me if the GoD just wanted to get rid of any competition/ "wrench in his plans" and used the excuse of protecting sherrits children to create the perfect scenario to take out 2 birds with one stone

GoD does seem kinda stupid when we see him but it's always the mfs with that kind of act that are the most suspicious, also he literally became a god?? If he can do that, then he's more than capable of setting up some kind of intricate plan to get what he wants

Anywho, there's also other things I've noticed:

1) never accepting park jin tae as king until he proved himself, krs has never submitted to anyone without a valid reason for doing so. Which would seem kinda weird cuz he spent 90% of his upbringing being beaten into submission. I've only ever seen an attitude like that in dragons or just stronger creatures in general (coincidence? I think not)

2) this has been stated before but his affinity with dragons is crazy + he's constantly being mistaken for one 😭

3) the GoD called krs a mutant, we don't know why yet but being a human with the soul of a dragon is a pretty valid reason to call someone a mutant. (Especially if that mutant was able to activate a small % of its attribute)

4) i don't have anything to back this up with, but instant being his attribute instead of a power he got on earth would be pretty cool, just using it for a little bit is enough to injure him because it's meant to be used by a dragon as powerful as the Red one.

----

Imagine eden finding out that the heart he ate to become a chimera belonged to the person who saved him 😭

Imagine the rest of the dragons finding out cale henituse is a "dragon" that will literally die from using his attribute because he's living in the wrong body 😭😭

---

Cales honest reaction to that information:

[skylerskyhigh]

Personal heacanon, did you know some lizards can reproduce without a male? Forgot the name but there's a few species of lizards that either lay eggs or give birth to baby lizards that are the exact genetic copy of their parent. Or they have altered their genes to do the work of the father as well, so they have a new baby.

That's what I think is happening. One day, the Dragon decides that they want a child and begin the process- either biologically or magically- produce an egg. Will it come out of them or via magic? Who knows! But egg is created! They feed the egg mana to get the process started before letting the "fertilised" egg begin to develop its body and mana.

I know they might not be significant to the plot and that's why the author hasn't mentioned them. Yet. But I'm curious about Raon and Dodori's fathers...

We know dragons don't reproduce asexually. But there has been absolutely zero mention of Dodori's and Raon's fathers. In fact, we only saw dragon dad when we went to Aipotu. Neo and Pope Cassilia, Ryan and Bishop Hons, Exion and his yet unborn child, Letao and Masen. Masen was the only full blooded dragon child we saw. And Letao at least mentioned her mother going MIA during the Cataclysmic period (which led me to the theory that Maxillienne might have been Masen's mother. Even the names have a similar ring to them.)

But have we ever seen Mila and Sheritt mention the fathers of their children? It makes me wonder sometimes. Wonder what they were like. Wonder if we'll ever get to learn their stories.

[skylerskyhigh]

Oh...I remember this fic. This is one of the few first tcf fics i read and I loved it to much.

["Even if I die, I won't take any of your hearts."]

still cant believe i churned this out in less than two hours. author-nim, you made me cry. 😭

i think im starting to see a pattern with my fic recs here. 🙂‍↕️

day #5 of my nearly everyday fanart challenge.

poison in my veins (sacrifice in my bones) by cywscross

[skylerskyhigh]

My art for the [REDACTED] TF Horror Zine 2021.

[skylerskyhigh]

Stuff I picked on and appreciated about OgCale from his interaction in canon with KRS!Cale:

The way he immediately but indirectly claimed Cale as family.

I found it curious how he purposefully avoided possessive pronouns during most of their chat when speaking in present time, except when it was time to say goodbye. He used them when speaking in past-tense mostly.

He didn't ask 'how's my family?' but 'is the family doing well?' and later on he didn't say 'go to my mom's tomb' but 'go to mom's tomb.'

He didn't treat nor did he make Cale feel as an outsider despite being the first time they met.

He told Cale/ogKRS that he was going to save his (ogKRS) world.

Anyone who thinks ogCale is just having an easy time should probably watch the first minutes of Kaijuu no 8 to more or less dimension what kind of post-apocalyptic shit is going on there.

Not to mention, filling shoes as big as ogKRS' is not easy either. But he's doing it. He's working hard. And he will keep doing it, because he assured Cale he would save his world.

And what I like about that is that he didn't need too many words to convey: I'm gonna do my share, don't worry about that.

He wasn't weird about telling Cale about his mother's AP location

We know his mother was the most important person to him, but there was absolutely no weirdness or shadiness when giving Cale instructions to,,, y'know,, basically rob his mom's tomb

He's probably the only person thus far that actually gave Cale useful advice on how to become a slacker LOL

He was like 'there's no way you will get to slack if you don't get through Violan and Basen, bc they won't let you give up the heir position'

And I don't think anyone has been so upfront with Cale about that before. At least not during the whole Book 1.

Cos people usually sigh in exasperation or dismiss Cale's dream as nonsense, they don't even tell him why they think like that.

It was nice seeing someone giving Cale the heads up for once.

[skylerskyhigh]

Hello, I don't know what to call you so may I call you Sky?

I don't mean to pry, but I think for this one question, I really am prying

I can't help but wonder, since you're in university, what major did you take and how far along are you? How does it affect your writing schedule, too?

Speaking of writing schedules, how do you manage to write a chapter during university, like, what's your tips to at least manage time decently? (Gonna be a uni student soon I need something from an experienced AO3 author in university *ugly pleading face*)

Signed,

~The Terribly-Great, Annoying Anon

Hello! Yeah you can call me Sky ^^ I wasn't expecting an actual ask XD

This is gonna be long so...

First, I am taking a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, currently in my second year. Which basically means I'm studying to become a manager or a HR rep. Its full of math, business, and psychology.

Studying is great when you can actually keep up with it. At the same time, it is not high school. That's a double edged sword. Death hovers over my slumped, sleep deprived, sunless body.

I'm excited for you! Uni is honestly pretty alright. I've been to 2 universities and depending on the type, you're either gonna get a mundane experience or a great one.

Second, how does it affect my writing experience?

Let me do something first.

Ahem

This is ironic for 2 reasons.

1) Nothing motivates me to write more than procrastinating on my uni stuff.

Whenever there are quizes, exams, assignments, projects, or anything due, somehow I find myself writing more instead of focusing on that. Until its like 1 day before the due date and I'm scrambling to focus. But that's just me. It does sometimes prevent me from writing because I have to attend classes, work on said assignments, study, and do my day-to-day life. Which ties back to what I said about a double edged sword.

In high school, all you have to do is study. You have a method of transportation to attend your classes, your meals are set or have been given daily pocket money, mid/finals are the only things giving you marks. It's a bit easier.

University? You're half a step to adulthood. That means all that thing that has been taken care of before? Yeah, now you have to learn to juggle that.

Find a way to get to class. Classes (for me) are mandatory and will prevent me from attending finals if I miss more than 3 classes. Food is expensive, don't be fooled, groceries are just as if not more. You will understand the meme of "broke university student" because man, if your money isn't going into food or books, unless you get a very big allowance, you're gonna have to get creative. In my uni, assignments, quizzes and exams have points. So if I miss one, that's either 5% to 10% of my grade gone. Exams are worth 35% and 50% each.

I'm not trying to scare you. But this is my experience so just be prepared. You're gonna get a bit of a shock at first. Don't feel disheartened if you fumble at first and missed class, get tired, or just forgot things. It happens, you give yourself some time to feel bad about if, but move forward. It's not gonna stop you forever.

2) I actually took a course on time-management. It was an optional course for a semester and I thought "Well I'm bad at it so let's see if it'll improve my time management!"

Spoiler: It did not. I have adhd. The proven methods don't work when you tend to forget time exists.

So this is extra ironic because I got textbook, definitive, researched advice on how to manage my time. And I'm still a mess on time management. Don't be fooled by my upload schedule. If I write, that means I'm procrastinating on something. I usually get demotivated when I have nothing to do.

But since you wanted tips, lemme pull out my notes from that class.

1) Plan your day

Unfortunately, this is unavoidable. You've heard this a thousand times, plan out your day. Get a planner, daily or weekly, depends on whichever works for you, and write down what you want to do for that say. Cut and dry, everyone tells you this.

Let me make it easier; write down at least 1 thing you want to do per day but do not overplan. Don't be like "Oh, I have a free day today, I'm gonna do 5 things!" You're gonna tire yourself out, which is bad because university will tire you. Too much and you'll give yourself burnout. But if you don't want to lose whatever progress you have, then write down at least 1 thing a day. I usually put my max at 3 things.

It doesn't have to be big. It could be as simple as "Do laundry" or "Finish assignment 3 on (insert subject)". That way, you don't feel like you wasted the day when you inevitably scroll through social media for hours.

If you can't finish the tasks for the day, that's fine. Move it for another day. But keep an eye on the due date, especially for assignments. Don't want to pile on your work when you accidentally have 5 things due in the next 2 days.

2) Analyse your time

This is a thing I learned. Basically, get a spread sheet and write your daily routine by the hour. And I mean everything.

A shower takes you 20 minutes? Write it down.

You take 30 minutes to eat? Write it down.

Commuting between your dorm and class takes 2 minutes? Write. It. Down.

Tedious as heck but this is actually useful. Not only does it let you see where you spend the majority of your time, thus, making it easier to see where you should cut back or slide in something productive, but it also makes it easier to form a consistent schedule.

Y'all wanna see my schedule?

The blurred out sections are my clases. I don't follow this to a T.

This is actually a tip the class taught me.

TIME BLOCKING.

Literally block out a section of your day and focus solely on that. Remove distractions, turn off your phone, and put yourself in an environment where you can focus (it can be an empty room or a busy shared study area, wherever makes you not get distracted). You're like a hit man with a target. Focus on that target and don't let anything distract you. It doesn't work all the time but it helps when you have a section dedicated for a task you need to do.

As you see, eventhough it looks filled, there are gaps. And there is a reason. Which brings to the next tip.

3) Be Flexible

Don't fill your schedule to the brim with things you think you need to do. You don't have to do something every single hour. You're a human. Even a robot will burn out if used too long.

If it isn't classes, then make sure your schedule is flexible. Because you will need to move it around. University is not predicable. Sometimes classes get canceled, sometimes you have a program you have to attend, or just things get in the way and change. So you need to be able to move your schedule around and make room for new things. If you're packed to the brim, you're gonna quickly realize that you might need to make some space.

Finally, my last tip cause this is getting long.

4) Schedule downtime

My lecturer literally told us that if we only focus on being productive, we're gonna burn ourselves out. We need downtime. We need self care. That doesn't mean "5 hours of TV every day". But things where you focus on your own health.

I like to section it into parts. Mental health, physical health, and emotional health. There are tips online but it depends on you. Personally, I take 1 hour breaks between studying and it is mandatory or else I'd die. But I also try to talk to my online friends for some emotional health. We are social beings. We need people.

Read a book. Watch a movie. Play some games. Do a sport. Anything that's just for you. Schedule it and don't try to fit in work that you could push it away another time. Your health comes first.

In the context of writing fanfics, if you're not like me and want to be an idealised uni student that has all their shit together, then schedule writing sessions as well.

Here's a tip for writing, write every day even if it's 1 sentence. If you aren't the type of person to cram 3k words in one sitting, then try to write at least 1 sentence so you're still getting some progress done on your story. But, and I need to emphasise this;

Fanfiction is a hobby.

This means that it doesn't take priority over things such as your grades, health, responsibilities, etc. Also, don't treat writing like another assignment you have to do. You're gonna start hating yourself and writing if you do that.

Need to stop writing for any reason? Do so! You do not have to write every day like its your job. You're doing this for fun, sharing stories, and expressing yourself. Fanfiction is a hobby that you like to do. Don't make it a chore you have to do. If you need to take 3 months away from writing to focus on your life, do it. Nobody will disparage you over it and if they do, they're assholes because fanfiction is also free. They're not paying you, you're not doing it for money, so the only investment you give is your time and effort.

Anyway, sorry if it's long. Hope this answers your question ^^

[skylerskyhigh]

‼️‼️BLOOD AND GORE ‼️‼️

Hey so here is some rottmnt x ddlc crossover stuff I drew because idk, I have issues 🙃

Don’t think there is a lot of overlap with the ddlc and rise fandom so this is basically just for me. I am the main demographic.

I have more I might post later maybe

Hahahaha this is so stupid. I’m so normal 😀