#( also advice for myself because i do feel bad whenever i'm not able to be around as much as i want to )

[poohsources]

it's okay if you aren't writing right now. it's okay not to be online. it's okay to take breaks. this is a hobby, not a job, and you should spend your time however you want to, not how others may want you to. don't stress yourself over not being around enough; it doesn't matter if you take days, weeks, or even months — it's okay to do things the way it works best for you. and if that means taking longer to reply, then so be it. people are usually far more understanding than we give them credit for.

[lemon-lime-behavior]

Do you have any tips for drawing noses? Sorry this is out of nowhere but I'm wanting to improve on my art, specifically the faces, and it's always the nose I find myself struggling most with.

I really struggle w making it fit the face if that makes sense? Every time I try to add it it just throws the whole face off, especially the eyes, not to mention how to make different nose types and the angles </33

I love your art style so bad, it's so smooth and satisfying to look at and the way you draw noses like it's nbd (and anatomy in general like damn) baffles me so I was just wondering if you maybe had any tricks or not, Ty either way for sharing your art in the first place <33

@extravagav Well I can try! First off thank you very much, I often feel like I still have a very long way to go in regards to proportions and anatomy so I really appreciate your kind words <3

Hokay, so, noses. I do love noses. To start off when it comes to drawing noses I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you the most annoying advice in the world which is just to practice a lot. Find a lot of pictures of noses in a bunch of different shapes from a bunch of different angles and just draw them until your brain melts out of your ears. Pay particular attention though to the nose as a 3D object!

It's of course trickier to do than I'm making it out to be but the more you practice at imagining the nose as a 3d physical form the easier it becomes to make a nose model in your mind that you can rotate like a microwave.

This is my personal very very basic understanding of the nose's construction:

it's like three circles and a taco shell.

Okay so now that you've got a basic understanding of the nose's construction, how to put it in the middle of the god-dang face??

So the funky thing about noses is that they tend to change shape the least out of all our facial features when we're making expressions. Our eyes change shape, our mouths move, our eyebrows, our cheeks, our jaws, they all go all over the place. the nose, however, tends to be pretty stationary and doesn't deform much (save in one important way I'll get to later). So because of all this, and here's my biggest piece of advice when it comes to making the nose fit in the face, I like to draw the nose first! I do a very loose head construction, draw the nose, and then sort of "hang" the rest of the features off of it:

Two very different expressions, same nose!

Now when it comes to noses interacting specifically with the eyes the greatest thing to remember is that the part of the nose that sits between the eyes sticks out farther than you might think, and will likely be obscuring one of them, the extent of which depending a lot on the angle and how pronounced the nose bridge is.

for someone with a pretty flat nose bridge you'll be able to see most of the eye except in a more extreme angle, while someone with a protruding ridge might obscure the eye entirely. but the nose will likely be interacting with at least one eye if we're not facing the character head on. Really making your brain think in 3d is gonna most helpful here.

Finally! The nose being expressive! So the main way the nose plays in to expression is by wrinkling. the muscles that pull up your top lip and the muscles that pull down the middle of your forehead are almost all connected to the nose, so the nose tends to develop a lot of wrinkles whenever brows are furrowed or teeth are bared.

Adding those wrinkles can add a lot of impact in the expression! And not just angry ones neither:

Sooooooooooooooo yeah! noses! They're weird and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and they can do a lot to add character to a face and they can also make you want to tear your hair out in big clumps! I'm still learning myself when it comes to noses (and most other things) and I'm faaaar from a master at it, but I hope I've been able to provide at least a little bit of help. If you do use my advice going forward please let me know! Good luck!!!!! (And here's all my nose "headcanons" for the strawhats. The ones who actually have human noses, anyway):

[polyamorousmood]

Some remarks on sending in asks to this blog:

No, you don't have to read this whole thing before you send in an ask. This is for people who are confused or anxious. It's going to be linked to whenever I finally break down and make a pinned post for this blog. I'll update this with anything new.

I am not a messiah, prophet, or buddha. I think my opinions are top-notch, but I'm not handing down the word of any god🛐.

I always want to hear poly positivity and success stories! 😍 Even if I've heard it before it warms my heart please please please

📬"ask box is always open" means only that. It does not mean asks will always get answered (though I do my best). I reserve the right to delete any ask without comment.

There are no rules on what you can/cannot ask, but if your question is vague, already in the FAQ (below), I don't have anything useful to say about it, just plain mean, or otherwise something I don't want to answer, I probably won't.

This means you CAN ask things in the FAQ, you just probably won't get a new answer unless you show me how the FAQ answer doesn't apply.

If you want to be a bro to me, try searching/checking the tag for your topic before asking. I try to use tags and make it navigable. Tumblr tries not to, as we all know, so I don't blame anyone for not being able to find something. Don't sweat it

If you don't want your ask flagged as too vague, give details! I can only work with what I got. "How do I talk to my partner about X?" ❌I've already answered that, too vague for me to give a new answer. "I try to talk to my partner about X, but they keep getting hung up on Y, even though they said they were working on it. I've tried A and B, but Y keeps coming up. I can't try C because that is a major trigger for their anxiety. Its been 5 months. Do you have anything else that might help?" ✅Well now I might have something for you.

I regularly sit on asks for days or even weeks. I have a job and hobbies and multiple romantic relationships to maintain here 😅

If you're a repeat anon asker, pick an emoji to sign your asks with so I can know who I'm talking to! I like friends, I don't like calling everyone "anon"

FAQ:

"How do I talk to my partner about [insert your problem here]?"

"How do I handle insecurity/jealousy?" start here, read this and probably this oh and also this one I guess

"I have a crush on a monogamist, what do I do?" Start here

"Should I break up with them?" -> yeah, probably. If not that, at the very least you need to have a serious talk and lay down some rules: draw your line in the sand and stick to it. It always boils down to that.

"I'm in a One Penis Policy and I don't like that" This one has two read mores. Open them both.

"Am I poly?" Probably, but there's a tag for that if you want

"Can I call myself poly if--" you can do whatever you want forever.

"I still feel guilty about being polyamorous. Any advice?"

Why are all your answers so fucking LONG? because you deserve a thorough answer

"Are you the motherfucker that made an excel sheet of polyamorous songs?" I am💗 and if you're good at identifying music genres and want to help me with that please DM because I'm bad at that and want to improve the list

[tithe2hell]

(posting here to link bc broke fhe Neospring character limit)

I'm sorry you're so stressed! It's tough when it's a topic that is important to you personally, but also one people can be very cruel about. Some suggestions that have helped me. It's kind of long so I divided this into a few sections, one on Social, one on Education, and a section about Health and other final thoughts. 

Social Stuff

-Being a part of communities (online but also irl if you're able) of people who are levelheaded about this topic, and who are understanding and encouraging. This can just be you and a couple friends, or more "dead dove" etc specific communities. When you get to know other people who are non-judgemental and actively excited about the same things you are, it gives you a more solid foundation for yourself.  It's great in case you need to vent or discuss such things privately, but on the positive side you can see for yourself proof that other human beings can be a part of such communities and such art, and are not the evil abstracted monsters people fearmonger about.

- on the flip side, actively avoid communities, users, groups that do the opposite, who moralize and who spend more time expressing disgust than doing tangible things. 

- Block radfems, trad-types, and anyone who starts saying shit like "porn addiction."  Block a lot in general. Block people you agree with but find their posting style annoying, especially popular accounts who discourse a lot or tend to start shit/qrt a lot, even if they are on your "side." If you don't, it's more likely for inflammatory posts to pop up on your feed and trigger spiraling. 

 It may seem that someone is Serious and Knowledgeable because they speak seriously about a topic, and maybe they are! But also a lot of us (including myself) are talking off the cuff at times, and are also fallible. It's not good to *just* rely on Posters if you want to get a more rounded view of the world, which leads us to .....

Educational Stuff

- Learning your art history! Transgressive art has an important place in human sexuality since the dawn of time. It's mixed up with both liberating movements as well as regressive ones, but when you learn about past artists and pornographers and authors etc, you get a much more rounded view of the possibilities of art, how it can have potential to influence and harm but also can be incredible tools of freedom and expressiveness. It's a great way to get out of the limited paradigm of "Anti vs Proship" and get exposed to more possibilities and discussions that have been going on for ages. Also, when you have a deeper understanding of human sexuality and artistic and literary history it's harder for bad faith anti types of kneejerk reactions to get under your skin. They shall be like chaff in the wind to you, so to speak. I recommend some off the cuff things in this link, but even things like Nancy Friday's Secret Garden and other older works

- To add to that, learning more about BDSM/Kink in general. I'm not a part of that community, but even if u casually follow people w/ more knowledge about it you see the wide variety of sexuality and expression that exists, especially when it comes to taboo fantasies and such.

Further thoughts, and more on Health

These tactics help me personally, because I'm someone who tends to feel more secure and grounded by Knowing More Information about a topic. 

However, if any of this is too overwhelming or maybe causes more anxiety, it's ok to take a step back. The most important thing is knowing yourself. I'm sure there's probably some good practices like meditation and whatnot that might help.  I believe it's also good to look into moral scrupulosity OCD and ppls experiences since fandom/online moralizing environment tends to trigger that in people a lot.  I'm not an expert so can't give informed advice about specifics, but this is what comes to mind whenever people ask me about this. 

Wishing you the best anon, and also if you'd ever like to come off anon to chat or for clarification Abt anything (since a lot of this is, indeed, off the cuff) I wouldn't mind at all. 

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

Hello! If you don't mind, this is half a vent and half an ask both to you and to your followers who have had some experience?

I feel like I want certain aspects of a romantic relationship, the idea of having someone "special" is very appealing. Especially since I find myself falling in the trap of romance tropes, and I really do feel that I want to find that one person who I'd feel safe being physically close with, and not just because I turn my brain off to suffer through it but to actually enjoy it.

I know that I'm rather attracted to men, in theory at least, but whenever there's even remotely a thought in my brain that a polite conversation may turn into something more I get nervous, kinda in a bad way. I feel like I want to put a barrier in and I'm afraid they'll be reading into my behaviour too much. It makes me feel as if I like to play pretend in my head but I'm too much of a coward when real life gets involved.

I've been identifying as ace for years now, and I just turned 24. No experience in the dating department, I've been slowly making my way to accepting being at least arospec as well, possibly just aro, but for some reason it's been so much harder for me. Asexuality just clicked. This I think I may be fighting because the idea of a relationship seems too nice to give up and I've already had a bad experience with an extremely undernegotiated QPR (ended quickly but left a bitter taste nevertheless).

I just wish I could not think about it? But I also feel like the societal expectations of romantic attraction are much more pressing than sexual one. I don't want to lead anyone on, and I don't want to feel this little bit of dread whenever I have a conversation with a guy who I know doesn't have a girlfriend. That's another sign of being aro, right? Being able to be comfortable only when the possibility of the other party wanting you romantically is non-existent.

Sorry for this being so long. Thank you for listening, either way.

Romance definitely has a hard to explain quality to it, and I think that can make it questioning if you're aro especially tricky. It is possible that anxiety you're feeling when a situation could turn romantic is a form of repulsion. It's not uncommon for romance repulsion to feel more like anxiety or nervousness, and for people feel like wanting to go and hide. Alloromantic people can be nervous too sometimes, but it usually comes with a feeling of anticipation and still being drawn to the other person. Or they will usually have either trouble with anxiety in other areas, or issues with romance (romance related trauma for example). Sometimes it can be tricky to know exactly what it is, but if the stuff below doesn't sound like you at all, than repulsion is a likely explanation.

The other thing I would point is that fully alloromantic people often have people in real life they are experience a romantic pull towards, who they really want to be in a romantic relationship with. And if you're not experiencing that, that could also be a strong sign of being aromantic.

Being aromantic, and even romance repulsed, if you are, does not mean you can't have a very important person in your life. I know you mentioned a QPR that didn't go well, and it's up to you if that's something you ever want to try again, but even if you don't. remember that deep bonds can come in all forms of relationships. All types of relationships, including friendships, familial relationships, etc. have the potential to be very special of very deep if you end up connecting to someone in the right way. So whatever path you choose to take, don't feel like this isn't possible.

I'll throw this out followers too if anyone wants to share their own thoughts or advice.

All the best, Anon! Good luck!

[oraclekleo]

A little personal note today.

Sometimes even I need a bit of a support and caring from others.

I might not be good at asking for neither of it and it's mostly because many people actually turn to me for support, encouragement, advice, mood uplifting, etc. And when I'm usually the one listening to other people's struggles, I learn how fragile they are which is not a bad thing at all. Only trouble is that when I actually struggle for once in a blue moon, I don't feel like I can ask for support from those people because if they are more fragile than me, how on Earth could I actually put my own burden on them? If it's crushing even me, how could I let them carry the weight? I simply can't make myself trust them being able to help me. And yes, it's my trust issue kicking in and I should work on it but it's really hard to do so. Especially without any kind of help which I can't ask for. It's really just a gloomy cycle.

This is not supposed to blame my friends for any of this. I do this to myself. I just don't feel so well today and my sense of responsibility is pushing me to explain, why I'm not completing readings these days.

So please, be patient with me. This isn't my first solo rodeo where I need to handle my own issues alone, I'll manage. It's just energetically very demanding and it might take me a while to be my normal self again.

Also... If you actually have a friend to whom you turn to whenever you struggle but you can't remember the last time they actually asked the same from you... they do struggle, too. Be kind to them. They might not ask you for help but they will appreciate a few kind and encouraging words now and then. 😉

Thank you for reading this far.

Kleo 🦄

(I might actually delete this later on as I despise even hinting emotional outbursts when it comes to myself, it's just a weird vibe surrounding me today)

[notoneopinion]

Self Care Tips After a Long Day

Personally, I have been having a lot of these 'long days' recently, and these tips have been saving my sanity. So I thought I'd share them with you! Christmas is coming up, a lot of us are taking on extra or longer shifts at work to be able to afford the presents we need to buy, so hopefully some of this advice will come in handy.

1. Treat yourself!

A pretty simple one, but it really is very important. I sometimes treat myself with a coffee after work, because there is nothing better than a hit of caffeine after a twelve and a half hour shift, let me tell you. If I don't feel like spending money, I'll come home and watch a movie, lay out a few packets of crisps to enjoy whilst I relax. It really is a thing of just unwinding after a particularly long day, making sure your body gets that rest it deserves.

2. Journal

This really is one of the biggest self-care tips you will get. Anyone who knows anything about taking care of your mind knows that writing out your feelings is a great way to sort out your emotions. It can also be very relaxing, which is perfect after a long day. I love making a Scene of it, too - lighting a candle, putting on some music or a nice YouTube video in the background, and just sitting down at my table in cosy pyjamas to write about my day. I personally go with the old brain-dump method, but there's a ton of different ways to journal that you can look into, whether that be fun prompts, lists, or a brain-dump, like me!

3. Sit in silence.

Genuinely, just sit in silence. Come home, get into comfy clothes, and just sit. Stare at a wall. Play with a fidget toy. Put noise-cancelling headphones on and just be present in your own space. I find myself doing this mostly due to my autism; I kind of have no choice in the matter, considering my brain tends to shut down after a long day, and all I can really do is sit in silence. But it's not a bad thing, and I recommend trying to do it for anyone who might be feeling a little overwhelmed. The silence can do wonders.

4. Have a bath/shower.

I'm a shower girlie, personally, but that's only because I don't actually have a bath.

Either way, getting washed and clean and feeling fresh is an ultimate form of self care!!!! It might take a bit of motivation to actually get yourself into the shower (trust me, I know) but once you do it, you'll feel incredible. I'm personally not a big fan of the whole Everything Shower thing - I think I'm just too lazy to get everything scrubbed, shaved and moisturised, and if you're the same, there's nothing wrong with that. Wash your hair. Put some soap on those limbs. Just feel the hot water on your skin, maybe do a bit of skin care afterwards if you're feeling up to it. But getting washed and fresh will make you feel ten times better, and might even wake you up a bit if that's what you need!

5. Meal prep.

I live by this.

Once upon a time, I didn't meal prep, and I would come home at 8:30pm after a twelve hour shift full of heavy lifting and verbal abuse (lol guess what I work as) and I would immediately just order a takeaway. In the moment, this is all good - it's a treat, I deserve it, it tastes nice. But after three days of takeaways, you start feeling a little bit shit about yourself, and you're not being too kind on your wallet, either.

I started using a brief portion of my days off to meal prep for the week - just dinners, stuff I could throw in the fridge/freezer and heat up when I got home. Let me tell you, it was self care. Not only was my health improving dramatically, but my mental health was also given a break because I was no longer feeling bad about the stuff I was putting in my body. Plus, meal prepping at the start of the week (or just whenever you get a chance, really) gives you the opportunity to actually think about what you're making, so chances are you're going to be a bit more conscious about what you're putting into your body. I also enjoy cooking a great deal, so it's not even a chore on my day off - I find it quite relaxing to throw some music on, get my cook book out and just enjoy the task.

[khaire-traveler]

hello, I’m kinda new to worshiping the Greek Gods, and I’m kinda nervous. Do you have any tips for starting worship and setting up altars? If possible, do you have tips for setting up an alter for Dionysus?

Hey, Nonny!

I have this post I already made about generally beginning deity worship. It could stand to be updated, but you should be able to find some hopefully helpful information there. c: Other than that, I recommend looking at my pinned post and the Deities & Entities section. There's a variety of information there that you may find useful to you as a beginner.

General items you can offer to Dionysus if you want to are grapes/grape juice/wine, anything leopard or bull related, pinecones, berry teas with honey, fruits, drawings of his sacred symbols or of him, poetry you've written for him, goodies from parties, your favorite candy, and jewelry that reminds you of him. Most people I meet also have a candle on their altar that represents the deity or that they light in honor of the deity. You don't need anything super fancy. You also don't need to be wildly formal or anything. My best advice is to be yourself. Be yourself within your worship. And above all, trust yourself. You've got this. I promise it's not nearly as scary as it may feel in the beginning. 🫂

I'm unsure if it helps to hear of my experiences with Dionysus, but I figure I'll share. For me, Dionysus has been extremely patient, compassionate, and understanding. Whenever I've come to him while dealing with a lot of anxiety or depression, he's always been gentle and guiding. He's always encouraged me to take care of myself and do things that are good for me. He supported me through some of my most difficult moments and held my hand when I needed someone to walk alongside me. He has helped me to accept both the dark and light, good and bad, parts of myself. Truly, Dionysus is a wonderful deity to have in your life. I find his energy comforting when I need it and lively when I need a spark of energy. I recommend worshipping him if you have interest because he will stand by you through thick and thin and teach you lessons you never even knew you needed to learn. Dionysus rocks! 💜🍇🥂

I hope this information helps you in some way, Nonny. Please take care, and I wish you the best of luck on your new journey. May it bring you joy, peace, and abundance. May Dionysus guide you, if you wish him to. Have a good day/night. 💜

[fictitious-symbiosis]

I've recently gotten into self shipping and it's. Difficult? LIKE ITS SO EASY TO LOVE MY FO BUT I FEEL LIKE IM EATING DRYWALL BECAUSE. I don't know.

How do you comfort yourself over the boundaries? Like. In the sense that, your fo feels out of reach? How do you make it *real* (WITHIN CONTEXT I SWEAR TO GOD IM NOT INSANE).

Sorry i am. Autistic. And frightened. A trembling little prey animal. It took me like five minutes to type this out without making stupid corrections. Hi nice to meet you.

But uh, what do you do with your fo? Is it like fully mental power? Or is there other things you can do so it doesn't feel one sided?

-💫anon (if this is okay!)

Hiya anon and I'm happy to have you here!!!

I am sorry as I'm not entirely sure I'm the best person to answer this question. The reality for me is that when I first got into selfshipping (waving to my old F/O Tavvy!!) I would get a LOT more immersed in fiction, I would spend more time drawing and daydreaming etc, at that time it was very enjoyable for me because I had a close friend that I'd talk to about stuff like that and we'd both talk to each other about our F/Os and come up with ideas for each other for how things would go. Having a friend to talk to about it with who is as enthused as you are makes things sooo much easier and more fun! But thats not always an immediate option for everyone. (Half the reason I made this blog is because I wanted something like that again).

These days though my imagination and emotions in general are not as vivid as they once were, so I'm not quite as "involved," I guess?

With my Husband Calculester, I'm very lucky to have been able to afford a Body Pillow of him! So whenever I spend time in my room, its like I'm hanging out domestically with him, and even if I don't go "out of my way" to do much I still feel happy being together. It does also help that his source is a dating sim... I play his game to go on dates! Revisiting your F/Os source can be a fun date idea!

With my other F/Os (SK and Mettaton) I imagine them more as people who I'm dating that I see when I want to go out and hang out with them when I'm in the mood.

I did recently start a physical F/O diary, and that could be a fun idea! I use it to write about my F/Os, and "record" the things we do together. This helps me a lot because as I said, its harder for ideas to form solidly in my mind. (Also autistic, don't know if thats relevant or not though lol.) When I write in my diary it helps me give those thoughts form and understand what I'm thinking and feeling, and because its a physical object it helps make it all feel like part of my reality. Another good point is it makes me feel secure! I have a lot of anxiety about sharing myself with others and having a bad exprience ruin the things I love, but as long as I have that diary I have something that's for me and just me!

Oh yeah. There ARE times my emotions spike and I get obsessive and suddenly struggle to cope with them not being in this reality. In these times I just uh... cry and make very poor financial decisions that I regret later! That's not advice though. I wouldn't recommend. Sorry...

But yeah the diary thing is probably my best suggestion personally, if that is something that seems fun to you too!

Whoops I accidentally typed way more than I meant to. Anyway thank you for visiting my blog and sending in the ask, I'm wishing you the best and hoping you can find happiness with your F/Os!!!

[somethingaboutsutton]

I'm 3 weeks out of a nearly 3 year relationship, and looking back, I honestly can't believe some of the shit I put up with (TW)

I think I need to forgive myself for staying through all the bullshit. For staying even though I questioned many times whether I should or not. It wasn't all bad, nor was it all good. There were some wonderful times, but I do wish I could've had the strength to leave earlier, rather than waiting so long that I started to lose myself, dissociated a lot, became reactive towards the mistreatment, and still didn't actually leave but rather was kicked out during our final fight.

I know that a lot of not being able to accept that the situation wasn't good for me has to do with lasting effects from the abuse I dealt with in my childhood. I don't want to beat myself up more for staying even through all the doubts, that seems completely counterproductive. But I also don't want to just forget, and have it happen all over again (it's already a pattern, I stayed in a previous relationship longer than I probably should've as well, even though that guy was sexually coercive). So, I think I'm gonna start venting here. Probably just replying to this post, adding shit that I remember from that relationship whenever I feel the need to vent.

Starting off kinda light, I guess. I didn't like how overly critical he was. Immediately getting less light, there were multiple times where his behaviour towards me made me cry over videogames that he and I played together. Fucking videogames. I had to stop playing one of my favourite games with him because he was so overly critical, every set of every match he'd be pointing out something I was doing wrong or asking what I thought I was doing. I didn't even feel like I could ask him not to give me advice anymore, in fact I told him I didn't want him to stop giving me advice. Looking back, it was one of the only things we talked about at the time, so I guess it makes sense; I didn't want him to stop talking with me, especially about one of my favourite activities. I didn't want that point of connection to be gone, especially since we didn't do much else together. I wanted to keep connecting with my partner (at the time) about that game I love so much, that he also enjoyed playing. But eventually, I had to tell him that I couldn't play that game with him anymore, I couldn't deal with all that stress over something that I just wanted to have fun with.

I'm glad I have my little community of friends from that game still. I'm glad that through that game I found people who talk to me kindly, and who would actually show that they care and apologize if they made me cry. I'm proud of myself for not giving it up due to my ex's behavior, even though his criticality still weighs on me when I try to play competitively

[pbandjesse]

I am really exhausted today. My eyes felt very swollen and I was just so sleepy. After the last two days I was just so beat. And it wasn't a bad day at all. But it was a lot of resting.

I slept alright. I woke up a few times. My back was hurting really bad and it was hard to find a way to be comfortable. But I would sleep well enough. Though I couldn't find my phone (I was laying on top of a blanket and it was under it) so it didn't charge all night which annoyed me but whatever.

I woke up 3 minutes before my alarm. And reset the alarm to give myself a couple extra minutes. I got up and got cleaned up and dressed and tried to feel alright. I was tired but we had to go to the doctors and when that was done I could rest. I sat at the kitchen island with James and ate a spoonful of peanut butter while we opened some mail. Found a weird one from the insurance and will need to follow up on what they are sending us a check? Less thing we need is for it to be a scam.

We got to the doctor's like 20 minutes early. I checked in and asked if they had any idea what this letter from the insurance could be because it was dated on a day I was at that office. But no luck figuring that out there. Ah well.

Whenever you go to these appointments you gotta pee in a cup. I almost fell over doing that. My center of gravity is all off. But it was fine. And then they pulled me back to a room really fast. I went through all my concerns and worked symptoms. The nurse said it was good for me to tell them anything even if it seemed small.

She would go get James and the midwife came in soon after. She's the first person I ever met at this practice and she's very nice. She said "hey kiddo" when she did the Doppler and he as did baby's heart. It was very cute.

I asked her about the texture/tone of my belly. I have never actually felt a pregnant person's belly before so I wanted to make sure I understood if things felt correct. She said the hard spots are my muscles and the middle but is my uterus. Neat. She also told me what to look for (no being able to press in at all) and gave some advice about warning signs of preterm labor. Made me feel more secure.

We also went over the gestational diabetes test. I chose the orange flavor and I will take that on the 30th. She said it's nicer if it's cold so I'll put that in the fridge. And I am to take it approx 45 minutes before my appointment. Can do. She made me feel better about even if I do fail and what will happen going forward. I'm glad I get to do it after Christmas.

We had gotten taken back so quickly that we were out of there and back to the car 5 minutes after our scheduled appointment. Amazing.

It was very grey and drizzly today. I asked James what they would like to do for brunch, as was our plan for the morning, and they said they had no strong feelings. Sounds good. Let's go to the Pancake House. We had tired that a few months ago and it was pretty good. So I was looking forward to trying something else.

We got there and we were in a giggly mood. Just talking and having a nice morning together. James got pumpkin pancakes and I got eggs Florentine. Which was way to much so I brought half home and had that for lunch later. I really enjoyed the home fries they served. And while I hate that they only have bottle soda, I would still go back.

I was getting really tired and I had a lot of pressure in my insides. I was very much ready to go home and lay down.

The plan was to possibly meet with the Fulwilers to go see the wicked movie. But they had a contractor coming through today so instead we would go on our own. But for now I wanted to go back to sleep.

I changed and got back in bed and would sleep for a few hours. I woke up for a little and drank some water but went back to sleep.

I texted James around 1230 when I was more awake. They came upstairs and held me for a bit while we watched TikToks. Eventually my phone was almost dead and I asked for three things. My charger. A soda. And my leftover eggs warmed up. James handled all of that.

What I was eating my food James gave me the times we could go see the movie. I didn't want to go to late because it's almost a 3 hour long movie. So we decided we would get ready soon and go to the 240 showing at the rotunda.

I'm glad we went then. I brought some snacks but James also got popcorn that they shared with me. I was nervous about having to pee the whole time. So I didn't want to drink to much just in case.

The seats at that theater are super comfy and I really appreciate that you can put the legs up like a lazy boy, which helped my legs not be in pain but it also allowed me to change positions to help when I had pressure in my belly and had to pee half way through but didn't want to miss anything.

I really liked the movie. I agreed that the color grading was a little dull. But the movie was wonderful. I loved the costuming, specifically the jewelry choices. I just loved the choices. I loved the expansion of the story. And the character design was lovely. I laughed a lot. I cried a little during a few of the songs that always hit me but I was surprised when you see baby Elphaba during defying gravity killed me and I was so close to sobbing. I am excited to see the second half next year. It was very good though and I'm very glad we went.

Me and James headed out. They said there went an end credits so we didn't have to wait. We hit the bathrooms and James came out talking about the mufasa trailer and how retconing the original origins is wild. They were very passionate about this. I was mostly just really tired after seeing such a long show.

We got to the car and headed home. I got a bit car sick and did not feel well at all. When we got back here it took most of an hour to not feel so sick. James brought me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and it helped a little bit I was just really uncomfy.

Eventually James came to lay in bed with me. Sweetp would join us. He's being really cuddly. But soon my legs hurt to much from him laying on them and I had to get up.

I would take a pretty cold bath. James filled two buckets of water to help but it was just never a nice one. At least I was clean.

Now we are in bed. And I am ready to sleep again. I feel like my eyes never opened all the way today. Was just to sleepy. But hopefully I will be fixed tomorrow.

I have an event tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that. I hope to cut out some bears and possibly new frog bodies in the morning. Maybe some cleaning. But mostly just a good day before work.

I hope you all sleep well tonight. I love you all. Goodnight!

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

Tw: Sui ideation, self-harm, general sui warning because idk?

Looking for: Advice

Okay, so, I'm kind of really scaring myself lately. I'm used to being able to be hit with emotional stuff and cope (in healthy or minorly unhealthy ways).

But lately I've been having worse s/h urges than usual (I want to actually draw blood and/or get something sharp to use), and there's been a couple times where the suicidal urges have been really strong.

There was a point a few years ago where I was on the edge of going and committing suicide, but my Mother (though unhelpful, could stop me) was there at the time and I didn't s/h. I've hit that point again a couple of times, and the only thing I've really managed to do with it is say "let me just do this thing, and then we'll go". Said thing is really easy for me to get locked into hyperfixation loops on so bad I'll fall asleep doing it, which is why it's my go-to, but I'm scared if I get bored of it I won't have anything stopping me anymore.

And whenever I get to these points I think, maybe I should call a hotline or something or have Mother (albeit. sleeping.) call the hotline, but I keep thinking I'm not actually going to do anything, I'm not actually feeling these urges I'm just stressed and thinking of easy outs and I just want attention.

And I know you're supposed to "call before it's too late" and "you're not seeking attention" but also. How do I know the difference between just wanting to and being at genuine risk of doing something? What if I'm really just over exaggerating? Maybe part of this is because the last time I got to this point Mother said I was being sensitive and it was my fault, etc., but I don't know.

And it's usually worn off when I wake up, so it's not really an emergency I guess? Not like I have a note or anything set up if it does happen or like I have a method or anything. There's no plan it's just like...I want to just walk out on the road and let it happen. Maybe that counts as a plan. I don't know.

But either way, I just. I don't know. It's never been so strong and so real so often, that one time was rock bottom in an already dark place, but now it's happening consistently, at least once a week if not twice or more. And it's stupid because then, like, I could be on the verge of just going through with it one night, and the next day going "yeah idk what the fuck I was on about this is tolerable", so it feels even more invalid and idk. It's so stupid. I have no idea when I should really take the risk of trying to call something or however that works (I don't even know how it works.) and I'm scared if I tell my therapist about it, he won't let me choose he'll just call. But what if I am just exaggerating and he tells me that I'm just overreacting?? Fjdjansnwjajsnnf

Haven't said anything because the only people with me rn are my Mother (concerns discussed), my therapist (concerns discussed), and my brother but. Idk. I'm scared my brother will just think I'm overreacting to nothing or whatever (he doesn't know most of my life history, and struggles understand stuff like neurodivergence beyond stereotypes, and while he brought up it sounded like I had depression at one point, I'm still unsure on where he might stand with mental illness), or that I'll just be adding to an already very loaded plate. Same with Mother. Everyone's got too much shit and if I add this to that it's just make everything so much worse.

Trying to make this as stable as possible, I'm sorry I'm going through it rn lol. I tried to cut the fluff but I'm super foggy right now and yeah. I'm gonna go do my hyperfixation thing before I do something stupid, but I appreciate any advice you can give.

(And, if you think I should be calling someone at these points, resources would be appreciated because I don't actually know what to do and if I have to tell someone I don't want them calling 911 or something. I'm not sure how reasonable that anxiety is, but yeah. Thanks. Have a good day <3)

- Ghost (���) (Tumblr never likes to let me search my ask so I'm attempting to sign it this time so it may go through, sorry if the thing is taken)

Hi Ghost,

I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling with suicidal thoughts. Please know that it's okay to call or text a crisis hotline even if you're not literally on the brink of suicide. Having the thought can escalate very quickly regardless of how many times you've had that thought before, so it's better to be safe than sorry. If you ever have those thoughts again, know that you are welcome to text HELP to 741741, text or call 988, or browse this masterpost of international crisis hotlines. I can assure you that there are no repercussions to reaching out to 741741 or 988, but I am less familiar with the resources on the masterpost, so do keep that in mind.

If anyone has any additional comments or suggestions, please feel free to add on. Otherwise, I hope I could help and please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[polyamorousmood]

Hi! I'm rather new to poly and have found your blog to be a source of reassurance. I was wondering if I could ask for some advice-- no worries if you can't respond!

My partner and I opened our relationship about half a year ago. I don't really like my meta as a person; there isn't anything particularly wrong with her, our personalities are just too different and her energy stresses me out a little. Think grumpy cat and hyper puppy.

We share a friend group and this friend group does a lot of events together so we often share the same space. For context, she's known some of them for longer than I have, but I have become more enmeshed into the group since I joined. Hinge and I also live together (with two of said friends). Because of that, I always let her spend time with hinge whenever we have a gathering because I get to see hinge more often than her. In fact I almost actively avoid hinge and hang out with other people to give them space. Afterwards, I sleep on the couch so she can sleep in the (hinge and my) bed with hinge.

I feel like I'm doing my best to give her/them space but I can tell she isn't happy. The group went out to a restaurant for my birthday and when I walked into the lobby where she was waiting with some of the others, she started crying at the sight of me and had to excuse herself. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I had just had a date with hinge and we walked in together so maybe I forgot to stop holding hands with hinge (?) Maybe she saw my phone screen which was a picture of me and hinge (?) (A normal picture of us hugging not anything too intimate)

I feel awkward now and like I have to watch myself to make sure I don't "slip up" again. I don't think I should need to hold myself to such strict standards but perhaps I'm wrong. It feels like walking on eggshells around her and if I show hinge any affection then she'll be upset. The other day hinge sent a picture of us to the group chat and I think she's unfriended me on socials since then.

What should I do in a situation like this? Can I even do anything? Was my mistake really that bad?

😬😬😬

I'm just going to put the read more here

TL;DR: yeah, you should do something. I don't think its all on you for not adhering to 0 affection in front of the girlfriend ever though.

This brings up a lot of personal struggles for me. I am going to present as best I can a good faith reading of all parties here, but know that my bias favors you, dear asker.

For clarity, the asker will be called you, the partner will be called Hinge, and the meta of the asker will be called gf/Girlfriend.

I think Girlfriend is not actually 100% okay with polyamory, and is doing her best to smother those feelings because she's so fond of Hinge.

In fairness to gf, I am making a lot of assumptions (limitations of tumblr asks and limited information), its still fairly new, and its a really complicated place to be in for her. You're all friends so god only knows what would happen to the dynamic of the friend group if she couldn't make this work. If she breaks up, that makes things really awkward, if she enforces a stricter thing about keeping your lives separate, that makes things really awkward. Basically every move she makes here risks ramifications for her whole (or at least a lot of) her social life, not just her relationship with Hinge (and you).

Based on what you've said, I would be surprised if gf's done the work to confront the reality of what polyamory will look like for y'all and make peace with it. Or renegotiate that reality until its something she can make peace with. I say this because in most healthy dynamics I have seen, it should be expected for a partner to give you attention on your birthday. Girlfriend not being able to handle whatever it was that set her off, to me is proof she wasn't preparing. Now once she was at that junction, gf did the right thing by excusing herself, but I can only imagine how much that killed the vibe. On your birthday 🎂🫤.

So to your questions: "What should I do in a situation like this? Can I even do anything?" I do have some things you could do, but not a lot. The first of which is to ask her wtf that was about (but very gently) assuming its recent enough to do that. I would come at this from a place of confused concern a la "I just wanted to check in with you after the dinner. You seemed really upset and I wasn't sure why. I really wanted you to have a nice time for my birthday".

And then the paths diverge. Maybe she says "it was fun, sorry, it was just hard seeing you laughing with Hinge" but maybe she says "My Aunt just died and I was trying to keep it together and I couldn't". I'm operating off assumptions because I have to. But you don't have to. Confirm that shit one way or another. Then, you have three options

You can ignore it (not recommended).

You can go for a heart-to-heart.

You can ask Hinge to work with gf on this.

For both 2 and 3, you're going to have to have an idea of what's acceptable to you and what isn't. How much (more) are you willing to compromise and realistically able to do? If you're making Hinge the go-between (which might be the good move if you and gf don't really get along!) you will have to lay it all out. Make a whole speech about why you're concerned, what a better for you set-up would look like, how you'd like Hinge to help facilitate that, and how long shit like this is something you're able to handle. Go into it as a problem solving endeavor seeking Hinge's input and support, with the understanding this is for gf's sake too. Talk about a how things would look in a few months. If you do ask Hinge to handle this, you two need to agree on what is reasonable, on what timeframe, and that Hinge will present it to gf as something they're concerned about too so as not to paint you as a snake in Hinge's and gf's garden

Because I only see a few things that can happen

Nothing changes. It goes on like this forever. Its always kinda weird, you probably start dreading inviting her to things for fear of a repeat of your birthday, but you all just kinda grin and bear it and its not ideal but its good enough.

You can separate more. Like, all three of you are never in the same room together. This will likely make things really weird with the friend group! Every group activity will require people to choose whether its you who gets the invite or gf. Friends also have to be on board with not talking about shit you did with Hinge. Hinge will probably have to kind of "live two separate lives." How does that work given that you live with Hinge? haha, good question! It will necessary limit how much time gf has with Hinge, how much time you have with Hinge, and how much free time outside of you two for the rest of his life Hinge has. All this is workable, but it will probably be difficult and kinda weird for a good while.

Girlfriend can pony up. She can go through the gut-wrenching process of desensitizing herself to seeing you two show affection and accept that you are always going to be there, too. I expect you and especially Hinge would do what you can to help her, and there will be benefits, too! but its still just going to be really hard on her for awhile. This can put Hinge in a pinch if your expectations and Girlfriend's aren't lining up, and since this is mostly on her, you don't have as much control.

Someone breaks up with someone. This doesn't need further explanation.

I will now show my ✨ biases✨. I don't know how long Hinge and Girlfriend have been together, but assuming its the full 6 months, and assuming the issue IS she's just not okay seeing you two like each other, ever... personally, that's "push comes to shove" time for me. Are you in or are you out? Is she actually okay with polyamory, or is she forcing herself into something that's making her miserable for love? Y'all's timeframe might look different, but if you don't address this soon, this sounds like shit that could force one of you to a point of ultimatums. Most people need good time to acclimate to polyamory! but if its six months and she is indeed crying about you two briefly holding hands... that's not acclimatization. And maybe you're Built Different💪, but I could not handle a those restrictions with those consequences long term. Personally, I'd sooner die than not be able to hold my partner's hand, so I think you're being very accommodating, and if gf can't handle human slip-ups, that's not on you.

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

How do you guys read hate tweets/comments about Jimin without it upsetting you? I see some Jimin focused blogs here posting screenshots about Jimin antis saying the most awful things about him, and I ask myself 'how do they do that?'. I read something terrible being said about Jimin, I get so heartbroken that it puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Sometimes I wanna respond to these comments but when I try to type down what I want to say, I literally already feel so exhausted. So I just report the person, block them and stay out of social media altogether for the rest of the day. Sometimes this feeling can stretch on for days to a week, so I'd stay off social media for that long

I really want to know how to read anti stuff and not let it get to me so much because all that hate just can't be escaped if you love Jimin and follow socials about him. Even if you curate your timeline and block Jimin stans who like getting into petty fights with rival stans, it all finds a way to slip through in some way. So how do I become emotionally strong?

I used to be a lot like you, too. Maybe it wouldn't ruin my day but I've cried. Many times. Last year, when these things didn't even matter to me as much as they used to, the things I read one day were so bad that I threw up. Now... I have low blood pressure and a meek stomach so I used to throw up a lot even on good days (now it's under control), but sometimes it was triggered by stress or negative emotions. And that's what happened that day.

2021, 2022 I used to get back at people. Not all the time, not even often, but yeah sometimes. And my tweets used to get lots of engagements too. I mean, at least what was "a lot" for solo spaces back then; 200, 300 likes. Nowadays I see akgaes tweets getting 2k likes, but it started being like that after face. Anyways, I used to get back at people who were lying, because that's what's always bothered me the most.. the lies. As I've said before, it wouldn't bother me if the things they said about Jimin were true. If he was a terrible person, or if let's say he had actually gotten any special treatment, then I'd understand if people were mad. For example, you can't call Jimin names and say he sleeps with his boss only to have photos of Jungkook having dinners with said boss. The hypocrisy, the lies always bothered me. The character assassination mission people have been on when it came to Jimin. The gross edits, I never knew what to say to that because I don't have it in me to be sexually violent to other people and I also never wanted to bring that stuff to others. But lies were something I could at least try to correct.

I'm not sure I have a real advice, though. I don't exactly know when I started getting desensitized to it. To be fair, I don't read the tweets. Maybe it's once a week that I come across some report page or some pjm profile where they're having a back and forth with another akgae. But I usually don't see the hate lately.

I think what worked for me was deactivating my Twitter account every once in a while. Everytime I came back, I would go back with less "emotions" if that makes sense? I would not react so strongly like I did before; you'll start seeing things as less important than before. I used to deactivate whenever Jimin didn't have schedules, or sometimes I just felt like I had had enough and wanted to take a break. Maybe nothing happened, but I just felt like it was necessary. You have to learn how to deal with fomo, though, and then you'll be able to do that. I used to deactivate and then check stuff from fanbases and not fan accounts. I still do that, mostly though I do check a couple of fan accounts, too.

[wroteclassicaly]

Hi Kristen, I hope the holiday season has been treating you well.

So I've been following your blog for a while and I really enjoy your writing. I've seen you post quite a few times saying that your ask box and DM's are open to anyone who might need someone to listen to them or vent to. I hope me sending this is okay. I guess what I'm looking for is more along the lines of advice and if you'd rather not answer this ask I completely understand and I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable or cross a line. That wasn't my intention.

I run a blog on which I mostly write fluff and lately I've found the courage to include a tiny bit of spice in there as well. Not actual smut but I'd love to start writing more of that soon. But something's been holding me back from doing so and this might be a very stupid reason but it's impacted me quite a bit when it comes to writing smut. I'm in my mid 20's and I'm a virgin. I know I probably shouldn't feel this way but I genuinely feel like a loser and fraud for trying to write smut when I have nothing to draw from. I'm so afraid that it'll come out terrible because technically, I don't know what I'm talking about. I remember seeing you answer an ask a while back in which you said that you're a virgin with men and for the first time it made me feel less alone and like it would be okay for me to write smut too. That I didn't need to have experience just to be able to write something smutty but I've fallen back into that old feeling again. I feel stuck in my writing and whenever I try to write smut, despite how much I want to, I end up feeling bad about myself. Have you ever felt that way when you write smut? if so, what helped you to get over it?

I'm sorry this is probably a super weird ask to receive.

It is! How is yours, honey?

First off, I’m so grateful you felt comfortable enough to come to me and share this!

Don’t be ashamed about anything, alright?

Second, virginity is a social construct. You lose it when you feel ready. It doesn’t matter your age, as we all have reasons and circumstances. Media has brainwashed the opinions of what is expected of us. But what we need to remember is that we have our own stories/reasoning. ❤️

And finally, third, I’m proud of you for writing! I decided to channel my energy and gain experience that way. It’s also a helpful tool! A lot of people were surprised that I hadn’t had sex before. And this was before I lost it to my current partner.

I sometimes get sad that I don’t have experience with a man, but that’s only natural if that’s what you want sometimes. Don’t put so much stock into it, love! It doesn’t reflect you or your writing! You can have knowledge of sex without experiencing certain acts, I’ve learned that much! Just remember that research or asking friends is a big help if you think you might need it!

And tmi, but masturbation experiences are also great tools! Hell, I still have trouble writing blow jobs because I’ve never given one, lol. And I’ve only seen dicks on a screen, haha, so describing them is also tricky sometimes, but I just rely on my research! Our instincts are great as well!

Basically, what it all boils down to is being confident in your choice as a virgin and a writer, and not worrying about anyone else ❤️ I’ve felt this way though, so you’re definitely not alone! It can be an ongoing struggle (depends on the day, haha).

I say that you should continue your smut whenever you’re ready, and don’t feel like a fraud, because you’re not! Erotica is open to you, regardless of sexual status. There’s so much things in fic that even non-virgins don’t do, haha. And sex is waaaay sexier/less technical in fics (sometimes. ex: I could not take Steve easily)! Don’t feel bad and just keep going - that’s my advice!

[jittyjames]

1, 7 and 17 for the ask game!!! (Only the two first if its too much but im very very curious of your answers!!)

YESSS CRYS THESE ARE SUCH GOOD QUESTIONS!! OK OK OK

i basically started writing fanfic when i was very young, but it would basically be me in my friends at the time's dms helping them write and giving ideas. i was in the star wars fandom and i was probably eleven or so. it predated hamilton (which i found hamilton through star wars teehee so full circle moment there) BUT y'all prob want to hear about why i started writing for hamilton. i always wrote little fics just for me without posting bc when i'm obsessed with something, it's all consuming (like i'm almost positive i'm on a spectrum, but i won't self-diagnose. even if i'm almost finished with my psych degree and i'm nearly certain.) i literally started creating my own little worlds with the characters i love to self-soothe, because i needed more content, and for entertainment. then i slowly began to project trauma onto my stories and BOOM here we are. i posted because i wanted to share and finally be a part of the community instead of just lurking in the background without an account and not interacting, so i put myself out there. which i'm so glad i did bc i genuinely love y'all and i wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

7. listen... LISTEN... i'm not sure if there's really a balance (given that i'm so behind on every fic) but school, work, and pursuing theatre is very time consuming things. like i'm barely even in my house anymore. HOWEVER, once i finish all my responsibilities, i start writing from then until i'm so tired i can't keep my eyes open anymore. (sleep is for the weak). whenever i get small breaks, i brainstorm and jot down my ideas or phrases. it helps that i find writing relaxing and it's something i love to do. i don't think i would be able to squeeze it in if i didn't adore it and this community so much. but i think it's the passion that helps me keep up with the demands of it. this is probably a good way to get burn out and unhealthy, but so far i'm doin' it, and at the moment i'm the happiest i've ever been :)))

SOMETIMES THO i choose to write instead of hanging out with friends and doing other stuff like that (not this past week. the girlies were OUT.) i know it's just fanfic, but sometimes if you want to do something, you have to choose it over everything else.

17. the best writing advice i've ever been given is to write what you want to see courtesy of mr. miranda himself. i think he said something along the lines of "if you see a piece of media, and you're immediately thinking of what you would have added or done differently, you need to get to writing." like creating media curated to me and only me has not only made writing so much more fun, but it's also helped me find people with the same tastes as me, and has helped me make some very close friends. i don't feel bad when a fic flops in the kudos/comments fields bc i know i liked the fic even if no one else did. i'm putting the fics out into the world that i would love to read myself.