#And this essay is due in less than 10 hours

[martini-with-a-lizzard]

If captain Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce can do surgery all through the night in the middle of a war zone then I can write a single goddam essay without crying.

[celestialivy]

Love my uni library and the many many booths they have ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

they need to make more study places for bitches who don't want to expose their back to an open room

[goldielia]

when will met ally

a part of: call it what you want au

to say will is in a hurry would be an understatement. realizing at 6:30 pm that he had an essay due at midnight wasn’t his smartest move and he keeps thanking the universe for the afternoon practice today because if it had been scheduled for the evening he’d be screwed.

to make matters worse, the whole student body seems to have to finish schoolwork today because there’s not a single free spot in sight in the library.

he wants to cry when he finally sees a single open chair at a secluded table that’s almost fully surrounded by shelves. it’s a small table, barely big enough for two workspaces and one is occupied. it’s not his favourite but it’ll have to do.

the girl at the table only looks up from her laptop short enough for him to silently point to the chair next to her to ask if it was free and to nod her head in it’s direction to confirm he can sit down.

as soon as he has his laptop and notes set up he’s fully engrossed into his essay until he’s done to the point where he only has to write his conclusion and submit it. when he looks up for the first time to straighten his back and take a breath he notices that the library is pretty much empty, only a handful of students are still scattered around the tables.

it’s only then he really notices the girl he has been practically sitting shoulder to shoulder with at the small table. she hasn’t moved either, her warmth a steady presence against his left arm. before he can even take a good look at her, his eyes catch onto her laptop to see if she’s also been writing up a last minute essay or why else she’d still be in the library at 11 pm on a tuesday.

instead of notes or a word document he’s met with a picture of a dead body though. his eyes widen and even though he feels like he shouldn’t ever see things like that, he can’t quite take his eyes off of it.

“that’s the black dahlia” he hears to his left. finally taking a look at the girl, he sees a cute brunette with freckles all over her face. her green eyes are set on him with a slightly amused look, a sly smirk on her lips and her headphones now pushed down around her neck. he only manages to choke out a “what?”, his voice sounding rough because he hadn’t spoken in a while.

“black dahlia” she says, “her name was elizabeth short. she was murdered in january 1947 but nobody’s been able to solve the case so it’s gone cold.” he nods, clearing his throat to say “okay. are you, like, writing about her? or should i be concerned you’ve been looking at pictures of a dead body all night?”

she laughs quietly. “no, i’m all caught up on my classes. just can’t seem to stop thinking about what happened to her. what are you writing?” and then will remembers, he’s supposed to submit his essay in less than an hour and still has his conclusion to write.

“uh, can i postpone this conversation until i’ve actually finished it? i may have forgotten this was due at midnight” he admits with a lopsided grin. “sure, i’ll probably stay here anyways”.

after he sends her a grateful smile and she pulls her headphones back on to continue working, he turns back to his essay.

he tries to get back into his flow, he really does, but now that he’s taken a proper look at the girl next to him, he can’t help but hyperfocus on the way their shoulders brush when she uses the mousepad. his eyes can’t seem to stay on the words on his document either. he feels like they subconsciously draw to the pictures and articles on her screen or the way her blue nails click quietly on her keyboard.

after finishing his conclusion a torturing few minutes later, reading the whole thing one more time to make sure he’s not written total bullshit in his trance and submitting it with about 10 minutes to midnight, he turns back to her. the headphones now hanging around her neck permanently for some time - he’s obviously only noticed because he felt her arm moving, not at all because he’s been stealing glances at her.

“alright, i’m done. had to write about leadership in modern competitive environments” when she raises an eyebrow he adds “basically if you had to lead a team in any sport, would you focus on tradition or be okay with breaking some to make sure your team does better and like, the whole significance of tradition in modern sports since they’ve become so commercial.” she nods in understanding.

“how would you lead a team?” she asks, and he’s surprised to see genuine interest shining in her eyes. he subconsciously launches in a rant, it’s what happens whenever he talks about hockey. when he’s finished with his point he takes a breath and focuses his eyes back on her. she turned fully towards him somewhere during his talk, pulled a leg up on the chair to rest her chin on her knee. “i’m so sorry, i didn’t want to unpack that whole essay to you just now” he apologizes with a slight blush to his cheeks. “no, you’re okay. i like to hear people’s thoughts on things they’re passionate about.” save to say his blush did not disappear after that.

looking back into her eyes, he finds a mischievous glint, and when she quips “so hockey, huh?” is when it clicks in his brain. “wait, you’re our equipment girl, right?” “and you’re really good with people, apparently.”

“oh my god, i’m so sorry” he groans. “that’s okay, just don’t recognize the girl that tapes your stick whenever you’re late, no biggie” and he instantly feels bad because she had taped his hockey sticks multiple times and he didn’t even remember her name.

“i’m actually really sorry, you’ve been taping my sticks just how i like them but i can’t fucking remember your name.” she grins at that. “i’ve never actually told you, though” and relief washes over him. “so, could i maybe get your name now?” he asks, slightly nervous because he doesn’t feel like he’s made the best impression ever.

sitting silently next to her for hours before striking up a conversation about a dead body, all before shooting it down again because he forgot about his work. then as soon as he’s finished he rants to her and then tells her he doesn’t even remember her.

to his surprise though, she doesn’t miss a beat, answering “you’ll even get my number if you take me to get food right now”. he blinks once before he starts hurrying to pack his things, only stopping when she giggles behind him, when he turns around though she’s getting ready to leave just as quickly as him.

when he gets back to his dorm around 2 am it’s no surprise ryan’s fast asleep so when he quietly goes to brush his teeth and get ready for bed, he takes his time in front of the mirror to recap his evening.

they went to mcdonald’s, and he insisted on paying for her food because he still felt really, really bad about not remembering her. although she chirped at him because “you drove us here already” and “the driver never pays” and “i’m an independent woman, you know. let me pay for my share at least”.

they sat in his car in the mcdonald’s parking lot for a while, at first quietly eating their food. “my name’s alaska by the way.” she couldn’t help but laugh at him as he looked up at her mid-bite. he took his time chewing, looking out through the window and into the night. when his eyes settled back on hers, he answered “suits you” and the honest look in his eyes tugged on her heartstrings.

they talked about school some more, he found out she’s majoring in criminology - he still doesn’t know if that makes her more or less creepy than just looking at pictures of a dead body for fun. he’s decided though that he doesn’t give a fuck, she might be a little creepy but she listened to him rant and she has those pretty green eyes and she tapes his stick just right and that’s enough for will.

he took her back to her dorm, noticed it’s not far from his own and filed that information away in his brain for later. before she left the car he recited his number to her as she typed it in her phone before she grinned at him tiredly, leaned over the center console to hug him quickly before she hopped out of the car and headed to the front door.

he watched as she fumbled her keys out of her pocket, opened the door and waved at him before closing it.

as he just finds that comfortable position in his bed, his phone vibrates next to him.

from: unknown

spotify.com/podcasts/truecrimemysteries/theblackdahlia

unknown was changed to alaska

to: alaska

thank you, i’ll make sure to give it a listen

sleep well, see you soon?

from: alaska

i’m at that table nearly every day. also, you have practice tomorrow :)

good night, will

willsmith2 requested to follow you!

even though the vibrations were nearly silent, ryan grumbles in his bed across the room. “what’re you doin’ dude? ‘s too late” “finished that goddamn leadership essay and got food”

“you do know the essay is due tomorrow, right?”

alaska_argent accepted your follow request!

alaska_argent started following you!

[thebluntstudent]

FIVE TIPS FOR STUDYING WHEN ILL OR OTHERWISE INCONVENIENCED...

disclaimer: when at all possible, you should always prioritise physical and mental wellbeing over a good grade. If you are seriously ill to the point where it is heavily impeding your capacity to study, you are not fit to take an exam, or write an essay, and I hope your educational institute has measures for exceptional circumstances/extensions/deferrals to allow you to do so! Alas, it isn't always possible to do the ideal thing in life, and that is where my experience comes into play.

°•☆•°

Sometimes you find yourself in a crappy predicament a couple weeks before an essay is due, or an exam is scheduled, and you find yourself slipping further away from the stacl of textbooks on your desk, and closer to the comforts of your bed and the rest you really wish you had the time to make the most of.

Right now, my hormones are currently out of whack in a way that could meaning anything from (the most likely cause) PCOS to perimenopause at 22 to plenty of other less likely possibilities I'd rather not dwell on. This means that sitting up for more than 5-10 minutes in the same position sends my abdomen into spasms and sharp pains, and generally existing hour to hour is a painful, emotional, hot-flush filled experience.

That being said, I have an exam in a few days, and since deferral is not an option for me (this is my last attempt, I can't take any more time off of uni, my last attempt was last year during a period of several losses that occurred on an interruption year I had taken due to burn-out and unresolved trauma sliding into my life- you get where I'm going with the 'sometimes life is a bitch and your general and academic life can't be pretty and pristine' bit) I have been doing my best to balance comfort and productivity in a way that helps me look out for what I need right now whilst still getting in as much revisiom as I'm able to.

So! I thought I'd share my little tips for building a comfy study space when conditions are not ideal but you still gotta keep moving:

• abandon the 'do not study in bed' tip, but only for as long as it helps you as opposed to hindering you. I have tried sittimg up at a desk with pillows and blankets swathing me- and all I get for it is hefty back pain and constant awkward readjustments every time I start heating up or shift around in my seat too much. If you're ill, you aren't doing yourself any good sitting hunched over a desk either- and frankly your sleep is probably going to be buggered until you're feeling better anyways. So, if sitting at a desk is putting you off, prop up some pillows, rest your writing materials on a hard surface (a folder, an A4 hardback- a chopping board works for a cute wannabe lap desk too), and set a zone of your bed aside (or just use a bedside cabinet if you have one) for anything you'll be using fairly often- by which I mean stationary, textbooks you'll be using over the course of the next hour or so- just enough stuff to save you constantly getting up out of your comfy study bubble.

• listen to tesco: every little helps. What I like to do to get myself going when I'm feeling naff- which works also if you're simply having a difficult time focusing yourself for the day- is to do micro pomodoro sessions, where I'll dedicate myself to 5 minutes minimum of focused study. If I really can't bring myself to continue longer than 5 minutes, I'll let myself rest for a little while (up to 20-30 minutes) before getting myself to do another micro session. This may not seem very productive, but you are more likely to do a good hour of work on a bad day when you tell yourself you only need to do little 5 minute sessions, than procrastinating studying because you feel as if you'll have to sit up and focus for a much longer period of time for it to count. Every. Little. Helps. In 5 minutes you can run through a topic of flash cards, do a slide of lecture notes, answer small exam questions, do a page or two of readings- and on a good day, that 5 minutes might turn into 10 with a small break, then 15, then you'll find yourself picking up your regular pace in no time! But again, even 5 minutes, just one little session, is a win when the world is throwing hurdles at you <3

• maximise your comfort: you know the little things that bring you joy, and you don't habe to be rolling in cash to surround yourself with little things to keep you going when all you want to do is sleep. My current comforts are the loyal presence of my cat next to me, a few old blankets I can swaddle myself in to stare at the ceiling when my ovaries are throwing a tantrum, a little variety of teas (currently rocking a chai latte with home bargains vanilla syrup, girl gotta have her sweet relief), a pack of energy drinks, some painkillers, and a little incense tray nearby that I forget to use 70% of the time (though the remaining 30% makes up for that). None of this is in particular mandatory- if it were, the dog people of the world would be doomed. The point is, find your little comforts- an activity you can do from the comfort of your bed like a puzzle, sensory toy or just a book to doodle in, a certain type of drink or snack you really love, some smellies (perfume, incense, candles, wax melts, and so on), supplies for whatever ails you- little personal things to relax you whilst you try to gather your energy.

• Now is not the time to push it. I tend to find the times in which I am most likely to push myself past my limits are the times in whicj something is inhibiting me- the frustration of being bed-bound, fatigued due to chronic conditions, etc tends to make me feel even more than usual that I am not doing enough because of my awareness of my present restrictions. Though this post is about pusning through bad times, you should be doing so with self-compassion, and with the mindset that every little bit you achieve in your current state is a win, a bonus, even if you find yourself unable to work to the same standard as normal. You aren't well- you aren't supposed to be functioning at 100% because your body is only functioning at 50%, and if you want to get back to your regular stressed student self you need to rest! Remember that a slightly lower grade than you were expecting in the short-term is not a reflection on your character, and it's better to *be* better for the long-term than to work yourself into a ditch and burn-out when you are already at a low point.

• If healthy study you is a carefully rehearsed play, then sick study you is a completely improvised show. Don't knock the analogy, even if it is silly and obscure- when I am at my peak, I will time-block my studies, plan to do certain topics on certain days, do 30-5 or 50-10 study sessions, work during a set period from the morning to the mid afternoon.

When I am ill, I do not know when I will be unable to sit up to work. I do not know when I will be able to sleep, to stomach food, to concentrate- so I have to accept that the normal routines that keep me consistent have to be chucked in the bin for the time being. Instead of planning my whole day, I create a vague, rough outline of the next few things I want to get done. This way, I don't feel crushed when I start working on lecture notes and find myself flat out on my back crying 10 minutes later- I just pick up where I left off when I'm ready, and work in increments from there.

°•☆•°

Right now my sleep is a bit fudgy because of night sweats/panics and p a i n, and by building a cosy space and letting my plans adapt to my body's needs I've managed to get 3 hrs of lecture notes, 2 sets of flashcards, and a set of logic practise questkons done over night between 8pm-4:30am. If I had tried to stick to my regular 'good day' study routine, I don't think I would have lasted 15 minutes before giving up and crawling over to youtube with a bowl of white chocolate and a horlicks in hand.

It is this kind of adaptability to external conditions that allowed me to survive an unstable home situation during college that meant weeks without wifi, constantly moving between different homes and constant fear of eviction due to family debts I was too young to do anything about- and allowed me to get into the top university in London* as a working class girly from a council estate.

I was given the opportunity to do an extra year at college for free due to these circumstances and a great support network within the institute to make sure I got into the specific university that I wanted to, and I had to take an interruption after my firdt yesr of university because I am not a super-human, and I knew my limits- but I'm still going, and the time away I've had has paid off and gotten me back to my scrappy, chaotic, passionately nerdy self.

You can be messy and be a good student too- and you can get through the worst of times with a little adaptability, perseverance, a good support network and a little self care ♡

*Times Good University Guide, 2024.

[vampirkit]

list of my random hcs for kamilah sayeed (x lucy) that no one asked for but here they are bc i need to write them down:

kamilah has read literally EVERYTHING (except for modern fiction bc she says she’s read the same stories a thousand times before); and

lucy lovesss modern sapphic romance fiction + gets super excited about the plot and the characters getting together, so she tells kamilah about it. And kamilah is like, “oh, that’s similar to [insert a NICHE ASS 1500s novella that no one has ever talked about in the last 500 years bc why tf would they]”

kamilah has the nicest (and most effective, bc she’s had 2000+ years to deveop it) skincare routine known to man - even though she doesn’t technically need it. she is an immortal vampire after all; tell kamilah that, though, and she’ll respond: “i have an image to maintain, do i not?”

more under the cut

due to the fact kamilah’s day job requires human employees and council duties require nighttime hours, kamilah rarely ever sleeps. she drowns herself in work (literally constantly) bc it gives her something to do other than mulling over her past. yes, vampires don’t actually need sleep, but everyone does so anyways, bc they have all the time in the world really; there’s no real need to stay up all the time. and

lucy asks kamilah when she’s free (it’s never more than 5 hours at a time), adjusting her schedule accordingly (i’m writing a fic where lucy confronts kamilah on that issue, so prepare for angst)

lucy sends kamilah historically inaccurate memes - on purpose - bc she knows that kamilah will respond with a mini essay explaining how that’s wrong and the true events (it’s the easiest ways to draw stories out of the ancient vampire); kamilah never catches on

kamilah ONLY listens to music on vinyl (i imagine “Turn Me On” by Norah Jones constantly playing in the background of her penthouse); and

lucy sends kamilah spotify links all the time, bc she wants to know what kamilah thinks (of that! specific song!). kamilah promptly orders the album’s vinyl record to give it a listen, and she returns with a simple x/10 rating for the entire album

kamilah loves the lego botanical series. it all started when lucy bought her one, expecting typical unamused kamilah^TM; but she actually really enjoyed it???? (only after lucy convinced her to give it a try) and now it sits on the coffee table next to kamilah’s business magazines and lucy’s pile of current reads

kamilah always upgrades to the newest iphone, yet she uses her phone for less than an hour a day AND all of her devices wallpapers are the boring default ones

mhmm simple gold band thumb thing for kamilah. yes. on her right hand. and occasional rings on her middle + ring fingers on her left hand when she’s feeling extra slutty

[come-rain-come-shine]

Moonstones Are Not Durable: An Essay by Me

I have read so many fics in which Tim proposes with a ring with moonstones on it — or even THE moonstone ring — and I just need to say something about it. I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but I regret to inform the Chenford fandom that a moonstone would make a terrible engagement ring.

But what about the symbolism?? you say. I know! It's disappointing! But hear my words.

There's a reason diamonds are popular for engagement rings. Yes, there's the massive marketing campaign by De Beers, that's true. But it's also because they're hard as fuck, meaning they do not scratch easily when you're using your hands for daily tasks, like reaching into pockets, picking things up, writing, typing, etc. On what is called the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, diamonds are rated 10/10, well above any other stone.

A moonstone, on the other hand, rates a 6 or 6.5. Anything below a 7 or 8 is not recommended for an engagement ring, due to how constantly it would be exposed to wear and tear.

You could definitely make the argument that, since Lucy wouldn't be able to wear her engagement ring at work, that's essentially 12 hours a day her ring would not be exposed to danger. But for a ring worn daily that's supposed to symbolize everlasting commitment and whatnot, I would think it's best to get something that's not going to get scratched to shit sooner rather than later. It would make more sense to get her a ring with a harder gemstone.

I can definitely see Lucy wanting a less traditional gemstone, like an emerald (7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale) or a sapphire (9). Maybe a diamond! No idea. But I'm sorry: not a moonstone.

This post is brought to you by four years of being immersed in subreddits dedicated to weddings and engagement rings and the dozens of posts I saw on them advising against moonstone engagement rings. (Also, my persistent need to be pedantic.)

[that-aspiring-academic]

Study & Grades Update -

Given that I have a test next week on Factoring, as well as a whole day of Robotics volunteering, a build course, and some English assignments I wanted to make a plan for my day. I, unfortunately, didn’t get it all done but that’s just what happens sometimes. Taking breaks is good, burnout’s a killer and I can’t afford to get back into a slump again.

(Side note - this ended up being 2 days in a row so, yeah)

What I wanted to get done for my schoolwork:

My robotics team assignment

1.5 of math work (factorization, LCM, etc.)

Essay (independent study)

My PE work (late)

What I ended up getting done (yesterday):

The robotics team assignment

45 minutes of math *

Thesis on the essay (rough draft)

Completed English slanted-writing poetry assignment

What I ended up getting done (today):

30 minutes of math **

Reworked Thesis statement

Robotics volunteer hours scheduling

* honestly really disappointed in myself with this, but I don’t think it could have been helped. I don’t know what questions I need to do and I can’t remember a single thing about factor/factoring/factorization (so many similar names for different things T.T)

** still mad at myself for this. I was procrastinating on essentially everything today; self care, schoolwork, etc. I got my parents to ask me questions from my textbook and see if my answers were correct which showed a startling issue with my ability to factor & to do factorization if there’s no example question. Takeaway is; I got confused and I’m still confused.

GRADES UPDATE -

So, while I was finishing typing this, my updates grades came in. Essentially there’s only 2 things we get graded on; our workbooks & our unit tests (not quizzes even though we still see how we did on those). My math grades are still shit, but my workbook submission for unit 2 bumped my grade up by 10% so I’m not technically failing anymore!!!! (I’m at a 58.6%, still bad but better than before)

I am a bit confused as to why I only got 90/100 on my workbook rather than 100/100 as I got last unit, but it might have something to do with me doing less of the non-essential questions or showing less work? There was no note in the email or in the physical book and I’d rather not ask my teacher just because I don’t feel like I understand enough of how she does her grading for me to properly argue my mark.

My test on unit 2 is sometime this week, probably tomorrow but I don’t know, so wish me luck!!!!

The next unit is graphing, so hopefully that ends up boosting my grade to around a 65%, and then the midterms to boost it further if possible, and both those tests (unit 3 - graphing, and the midterms) are probably going to be in November so hopefully I figure stuff out a bit more by then!

Lastly, and I’m really sorry for how long this has become, due to financial reasons I’m probably not going to end up doing Kumon. I’m fairly disappointed by this but there’s not much I can do.

I don’t have a job (legally can’t really yet) and it’s 190$ a month, as well as the fact that my mom isn’t sold on the fact that they won’t help me with my current math problems until I get past all my current issues, something that the tutor estimated would take around 6 months at 2 sheets per day.

Honestly I think it would really help but it is what it is, so I’m going to be attempting to just Khan Academy my way through the Kumon Method by myself! (This is going to be a challenge, chat)

Thank you to everyone that reached out for your advice and kindness :]

[corsicanchevalier]

Japanese to English Translation Commissions Open!

I'm a stay-at-home parent and my family is in need of extra income to stay on top of bills. Please see below the cut for my info:

What you can commission:

I’m open for translating manga, doujinshi, fanfiction, magazine articles, etc as long as you have a private, personal copy for me to translate. Translation will be in script format, so no typesetting or manga cleaning. (If the material was originally available via purchase, please don’t make the translation publicly available on pirating sites as that enables people to steal from the mangaka. If the media was free (like on Pixiv) or is an extra material like a magazine article or mook drama script however, you're free to share that with your fandom.)

Content I won't do: guro, extreme gore, shota/loli characters in sexual situations.

Why you can trust me:

My 10 years of freelance translation experience includes doujinshi, manga, essays, audio drama cds (including transcription), advertising, medical records, banking statements, rental contracts, and medical and metallurgy scholarship for private clients and a translation agency. 

Style-wise, I like to stay faithful to Japanese nuances and tone but pride myself on localization (making for a more natural flow of dialogue or text) and my writing skills, both creative and communicative.

Talking shop:

I charge $10.00 USD per hour and will always first send you an estimate of the amount of time a project should take for me to finish. With less wordy manga I can usually complete 3-4 pages in around 1 hour. 

Budgets can be negotiated. I prefer payment half upfront and half upon completion/your receiving the translation.

Please understand that due to the due to the nature of estimates, there's a chance I finish a project faster or slower than I initially thought. I will let you know of any changes not in your favor before proceeding with the work and sending a final invoice.

I accept Paypal and Venmo. Service fees will be accounted for in my invoice to you. 

Please take into consideration as a stay-at-home parent, my working hours are only in the evenings.

No refunds. 

If you want a summary of what your material says rather than a complete translation, it will cost $5.00 USD per page of source material. (Perhaps useful for longer works like books or articles, etc.) 

Please provide me with links or files to your scanned material for what you would like me to translate. If I cannot read the text easily, I will ask you to re-scan or provide better quality images. For media that are only available via purchase, I request that you include a picture of your copy with a written message to me so I can confirm that you actually own the material. A copy jointly owned by you and your friends so you can split costs between you all is just as eligible as a privately owned copy. A picture is still requested however.

Scripts will be emailed to you upon completion of the half-way mark and then ending. You are welcome to check up on the progress of your commission, but please allow me time to work on it. 

I reserve the right to refuse a commission. 

How to commission me:

Email me at mkdraws4you(@)gmail(.)com with the title of "Translation Commission" and the following details:

Source Material: (Doujinshi, Fanfiction, Manga, Official material, etc.)

Attached photo of your copy and scanned pages or links to scans (if applicable): 

Sound Effects Translation: (Yes, No, Not applicable) 

Preferred Translation Style: (Complete or Summary) 

Preferred file type: (.doc or .pdf)

I will reply with an estimate of how much your commission would cost afterwards, and then we can work things like completion dates or budgets, etc., out. Please feel free to contact me at my Gmail for price estimates and other questions that you have. Thank you so much for your interest!

[romanticapology]

how i plan my day - a (not so) mini guide

i'm a person who tends to procrastinate and struggles with motivation mainly due to depression and general issues with staying focused. however, right now i'm at a point where if i want to, i can spend the whole day being active - as in, "actively participating in my own life, and not just idly passing the time unhappily". what helps me the most with staying on track is making a plan of my day beforehand.

in this post, i talk about:

- how i do it, basically - additional tips - my own observations, reflections & a word of advice

foundations

my planning system is very simple and comprises of two main components - a. a general, fixed weekly routine and b. more detailed lists of tasks for each day, created as i go.

a. your weekly routine is essentially like a frame which you fill with tasks you have to do on specific days. i use a popular method called time blocking. i basically divide each day of the week hour by hour into smaller periods of time devoted to different groups of tasks.

note: just because you block a certain amount of time - let's say 3 hours - dedicated to, for example, cleaning the house, doesn't mean you have to spend exactly 3h doing that. it can be less. the point is that you should perform the tasks you have planned within these hours.

i make a weekly plan like this every time i get a new schedule and i don't really change it up otherwise.

b. even though my general routine stays the same, every day is a little bit different. that's why i also make detailed to-do lists. i write down a list of specific tasks i have to do each day (usually the evening before), in the order i want to do them; then i work on them during assigned blocks of time.

for example: let's say that in my weekly routine i have blocked 2 hours for studying. on my to-do list i wrote down that i need to work on an essay, take out the trash, read 2 chapters of a book and review my flashcards. writing an essay and flashcards fall under the "studying" category so during that time block, i'm going to focus on completing these tasks.

other tips

have solid morning & evening routines that include self care. make your bed and get dressed right after you wake up! remember to wash your face and teeth, brush your hair. stretch. don't drink coffee or tea first thing in the morning, switch it out for water. the way you start and end your day is everything.

with tasks that have to be done routinely - like any cleaning task, washing your hair etc - plan how often exactly they need to be done (every weekend, every 10 days, every 3 months etc). mark those days in your calendar, then automatically include them in your daily to-do list when the time comes. don't wait until it gets "dirty enough".

don't be afraid of… breaking the routine. obviously you can't schedule everything beforehand; it's impossible to fit every hangout, visit at the doctor's, trip etc into a routine. that's why the day is divided into blocks - you can decide which of them you want to "sacrifice" to do something else, and then it will be easier for you to get back into your day afterwards (you'll just move on to the next block).

be radical when removing distractions. move them into a different room. hide them from yourself in a place you don't check often. turn your devices off entirely, uninstall apps you do not need. if you notice yourself losing focus, stop and do absolutely nothing for a few minutes. look through your plan and get back to it.

focus solely on the task you're doing presently (this one is easier said than done). don't multitask. get away from your thoughts and be as much immersed in action as you can. it takes practice.

don't plan every single day. allow your brain to reset and exit "focus mode" every once in a while. make time for "wild card" days during which you let yourself do anything you feel like doing, even if it means nothing at all - especially after exhausting events.

don't give up. at the beginning, you will probably fail to follow your routine more often than not. don't beat yourself up for it, just realise that you need time to adjust & keep trying every day.

observations & some advice

when i first started working on being more organised and planning my days efficiently, what i struggled with the most was predicting how much i would actually be able to get done in one day. it took me some time to get to know myself better; now i can quite accurately estimate how much time a task will take me and plan the day accordingly. putting too much on your to-do list at first is prone to happen.

sometimes i have bad days, and despite my best efforts i can't keep up with my own plans. remember that there is no such thing as lost time. starting the day "wrong" doesn't mean it has to end that way; you can get back into it at any point. & if you don't it's just as fine. life goes on regardless of how you spend your time - which should motivate you to spend your days doing what you want - but also, in the long run, it won't matter that you didn't do what you planned to on a particular singular day. in the words of ocean vuong, "[…] The most beautiful part of your body / is where it's headed. & remember, / loneliness is still time spent / with the world."

when i feel like i might need some gratification i put tasks on my list that i'm 100% sure i will complete - like "get out of bed" or "eat lunch". lol (now that i think about it. sometimes i get so caught up in doing something that i forget to eat. so you might want to put these on your to-do list as well.)

it's also completely natural to need some mental & physical cooldown time between high-focus tasks (what i said earlier; you should perform your tasks within said hours, not for the entire duration of said time. essentially - take breaks. duh). don't think you have to be "productive" every minute of the day, seven days a week. productivity is a bullshit capitalist concept anyway and you shouldn't measure your worth based on how productive you are.

you owe it only to yourself to live a life you are happy with, and for that you need the strength and ability to function properly & manage your time to make space for things you want to do. that's all

[mara-and-its-the-same]

CONGRATS DELLA!!!! IM SO SUPER DUPER PROUD OF YOU <3

🌷 I was wondering if I could have a fluff blurb with Eddie? I struggle with anxiety and things being too much for me, so I was thinking Eddie comforting reader who is overwhelmed with school and life. Maybe a prompt could be, "c'mon...let's take a break and come back to this when we're ready."

This is usually something I do to stop my thoughts from running wild and stressing out...hopefully this is helpful, but please let me know if it's too complicated and I could totally do somethng more simple!!!

congrats again, della!!! 💘🌸🌟

Thank you 🥰🥰😚

It’s not too complicated, it’s lovely 💕(not proof read 😬)

You’ve been looking at this one page for an hour and a half, trying to sit down and get it done, but your brain didn’t seem to get the memo this was work time, not intrusive thoughts time. You think you have to be shaking with all the thoughts running around your body, a discordant orchestra of anxieties in a thunderstorm taking over your mind. You try to tell yourself you’ll be fine, it’s only one grade, your teachers like you well enough, they can be understanding. Not if they don’t like you as much as you thought they did, if this is the one time Mrs. Donner decides against partial cred—

A rapid knock in your window pulled your mind from your thoughts but the smile through the glass calmed you instantly.

“Hey sweetheart, let me in will ya? ‘S freezing out here.” You stood in front of him and pretended to contemplate it for a second, but how could you not give in to that face? It took two big pushes since the ice practically sealed it shut but as soon as there was enough space for him to get through, he ducked under and took your face in both hands. “Mornin’ sweetheart,” he mumbled against your lips and you pulled back, taking him with you since the open window was bringing in all the cold. He slid it shut and locked it then shot you a concerned look.

“Morning? Ed, it’s like 10 o’clock.”

“Baby it's 3:30, why're you still up?" He tossed himself onto your bed, still made from that morning.

"I was just–" you vaguely gestured to your desk, littered with papers. "Doesn't matter, why are you still up? Shouldn't you be home?"

"Wow, that's one way to treat a guest.”

“No–I just mean how did you get here. If it is 3, which I doubt, what are you doing here.”

"Well first of all," he picked up your alarm clock and shook it at you as much as he could with it still attached to the wall, the flashing 3:47 taunting you. "And second, I was coming home from the hideout and thought I'd take a shortcut. Then I saw your light was still on." and I was worried about you.

"Edda," it started as a joke, he always joked with you about how many times you'd call him over then immediately forget what you were going to say, so it always ended up 'Ed-uhhh' Sweetheart, you call me that so much it might as well be my name. "We're nowhere near the hideout."

"I know but I wanted to check up on you. What are you doing up?"

Your essay, fuck– your essay. "Uh, nothing, don't– don't worry about it, I'm fine. Just some school work." You rushed to sit back at your desk and started rereading to where you left off. "Don't uh– You can stay just..." you trailed off and started scribbling again. The final draft was due tomorrow and you've never turned in anything less than an 85, but that was a one off circumstance. You still had 4 hours to get it done, so close to the finish line, just this one transition sentence needs to start cooperating. If only you'd stop procrastinating... well can it really be procrastinating if it's your math set and your science lab, all due the day after but you hardly have any time at all tomorrow and, and, and...

"—Hey, you still in there, baby?" You blinked as you came back to yourself. "Hey, sweetheart." Eddie was crouched next to your seat, a hand on the back of your chair and one over your knee. He must have taken his jacket and boots off while you weren't paying attention.

"Sor–sorry, I'll uh..." you turned back to the page and reached for your pen but he reached across you for your hand before you could.

He shook his head and rubbed his thumb back and forth over the back of your hand. "C'mon," he nodded back towards your bed, "let's take a break and come back to this when we're ready."

"But it's–"

"I know what it is, and I know it's great, and I know we're gonna talk to Kelley tomorrow and figure it out." He stood up now, but leaning over you now. "Yeah?"

"Ok, but–"

"Enough with the buts, no buts. Except yours, in that bed." He smiled on one side at his own lame joke.

"That was so bad." He smiled even bigger when you stood up and let him put his arms around your waist.

"Mmm, but you love it."

"I'm not sure about that, but I love you so that'll just have to suffice."

"Suffice, it does. Your bed, m'lady."

"Thank you, kind sir." He pulled the covers down for you and gave you a look when you didn't get in. "Stay over?"

"Your dad'll kill me."

"So? You're like a cat, you've got 9 lives."

"A cat? How?"

"You're very cat like. A lil stray," you pouted and slid your hand down a curl framing his face, then lightly tugged the end. "My lil stray."

That didn't seem to convince him any further, "Stay, we have warm milk? Please?"

"Quit it with the cat jokes and I will."

"Yay!"

He slid in behind you and nudged your shoulder with his cold nose then a warm kiss. You laid in silence for a few minutes, he stopped his restless movements and when you were certain he was asleep, "meow."

He was not asleep and the way he said your name sounded like a threat to leave he'd never make good on.

"Shhh, shhh, sorry, sorry," you giggled and he laid back down beside you.

"Good night," he said with joking firmness.

"Goodnight....my kitten."

And he purred, this boy purred, freakishly realistic too.

He felt your laugh more than he heard it with the way you were pressed up against him.

[neruomancer]

Essayturgy

aka content creators, telegenics, Ted's Talkers

The Internet is a couple hundred miles wide but it is only about a few feet deep. There is so much content out there now that it is difficult to put the time aside to invest into anything. You want to watch that show that everyone else at work is watching? Well it is several seasons in and by the time you get a moment to watch it you have some homework you need to do. But that is ridiculous isn't it? TV and movies should be something you put on in the background as you relax from your day at work. When you play a video game you shouldn't have to invest time in lore or the miniscule textures of the world, you are still trying to figure out the texture of this world let alone a different world. I can't possibly know the entire history or background of a beef between two celebrities, I just don't have the time for investment. What if there was a way for you to get all the information up front in less than half the time it would take to engage? You go to YouTube (or some other video platform equivalent when YouTube explodes in the future) and you type about the topic you want to learn. Let's say that show your coworkers are talking about and bam, there is a four hour YouTube video about "X show is genius and here's why" or "The Consequences of Y character doing X". Now you can get the ins and outs of the entire show in half the time it would take. You find a couple of videos and you find some people you like and from there you find out they have an entire back catalog of other videos. "A retrospective of a show with 10 seasons" and it is 6 hours, you can watch it in the background while you are cooking dinner and you can chat with your friends about it by tomorrow.

Not only that but these videos also can provide hidden aspects of shows or movies you didn't see before. You can apply an entire philosophy or ideology to the ways and means of random or unconnected things and then create connective tissue between them. If you make a video convincing enough you can make people believe that a children's show is the best way to understand a foucauldian panopticon or you can say that a television personality is secretly part of an unsavory ideology due to hidden hand signals that they present while on live.

The sum total experience of anything can be filtered through one person (or a team of people) but you are going to see the face of one person as you go to source on certain topics. Right now there are media savvy alchemists that are taking the pure lead of time and engagement in learning about something and transmuting it into the gold of pure inexperienced knowledge. 100% pure unfiltered qualia right into your brain. You pour the time and hours in a video editor to create visual-auditory hallucinations of reality. Get a couple thousand views on a video, get a nice plaque for your studio, create a platform for your opinions and now you have become a thought leader for your chosen community whether it is the lore and deep dives of a day time television show or you are devoted to the developing lore of an off screen background character.

The central paradox of this school is that you are presenting your essay as the sum total knowledge on certain subjects without the viewer really experiencing it for themselves. They are fans or experts in fields they have no experience in.

Stats

The charging structure for Essayturges is based on a consistent narrative they present in their videos. They must build a platform through any medium of their choice as long as it is a video presented in an essay form. The video must be at least 30 minutes long and must present a topic whether it is a retrospective of a given topic and it must provide a theory or an idea that the topic is addressing. "Bluey is about the nuclear family and here's why" "FNAF is about the fall of/or the corruption of Mascot centered business" etc.

Essayturges can choose multiple topics to address but it is best and easier for an adept to focus on 2-3 topics at hand that way they can spin a constant narrative or idea about a given video. Essayturges cannot gain multiple charges of one video. One charge per video whether it is a minor or a major charge.

Generate a Minor Charge: Make a video that is 30 minutes or longer about a topic. The topic can be informative but it can also present a theory. The video must gain at least 1000 - 10,000 views over a week.

Generate a significant Charge: Make a video that presents a theory or an idea about a subject or a medium. The topic can be informative on the subject but it must present a theory related to the subject invented from whole cloth. The video must gain at least 10,000-100,000 in a month.

Generate a Major Charge: Make a video that casts doubt or upstages another video essayist. You must either provide proof or you must present proof that can be believed beyond doubt even if it is not true. The video must gain at least 500,000-1,000,000 views in two weeks.

Taboo: You can never correct yourself or admit you were wrong about any topic. You can update your theory or you can reword things you have said previously but you can never say that you were incorrect about any subject you presented.

Random Magick Domain: Being a Essayturgist is about changing people's or the audience's perspective to accept your understanding of a certain topic or subject matter. Once you have changed peoples understanding of a certain subject you can change how they think and substance of consensus reality. Reality is at the whims of your editing software.

Charging tips: You can work Essayist magick as a radio show DJ or a podcaster as long as you also film everything you release in tandem with your recording. As long as it is presented in an informative fashion. This goes with Ted talks as well, as long as they are filmed and placed on YouTube. The video you make does not have to be on your channel that you have made you just have to be the one presenting information and it must be on your terms. You can't charge from someone else making a video about you but if an interview you are in goes viral you can charge as long as you are guiding or controlling the narrative.

Essayturgy Minor Formula Spells:

Clout

Cost: 2 minor charge

A Essayturgy can cast this on themselves or anyone and they will appear extremely likeable or at least tolerable for a brief time. If someone is chasing you down wanting to kill you, they suddenly don't feel the desire to hurt or harm you and may just stop in there tracks completely. If someone is indifferent about you, you can turn them into a rabid fan briefly.

Like and subscribe

Cost: 1 minor charge

Have you ever had a thought that didn't feel like your own? Maybe it was a intrusive thought? Maybe a adept is trying to get you to say something you shouldn't or don't want to? With this spell you can make people tell you what is really on there mind. But it will only be exact what is not there mind. You can't extract secrets or interrogate them, they can only tell you what they are thinking at that exact moment.

Copyright strike

Cost: 2 minor charges

You can block something or someone out of view of another person or a group of people. This person for whatever reason will not be registered or viewed by anyone this is effecting. This spell will only work if you or the person under the effect of the spell is playing copyrighted music.

Stats for Nerds

Cost: 2 minor charges

With this effect you can learn specific details about any person. Usually it is only one thing and you typically will not be able to decide what you learn about that person but you will be able to learn about someone's exact date of birth or blood type.

Essayturgy Significant Formula Spells:

Hey Guys!

Cost: 2 significant charges

Essayturgists are strong personalities and have a particular sway over people, this spell enhances that three fold and allows for the adept to implant commands and suggests into a person or into a crowd of choice. If you work the ability on one person or a group of three the suggests are much stronger and last longer while of you where to cast it on a larger crowd it gets diffused and a weak suttle suggest that lasts only a minute or two. Casting the spell on one person you can make them a Manchurian candidate for 24 hours while casting it on a crowd of 15 you can have them look away from you for a brief period of time.

Fix it in post

Cost: 2significant charge

You can change the outcome of a event or a action that happened 5-10 minutes in the past. If your friend gets hit by a car you can go back a minute before it happens and hold them back or redirect the car to crash into a wall.

Major Charge Effects

You can choose one person to retroactively erase from existence. You can pick one day to repeat for 24 hours in a select location, such as a small town or a certain building.

[bluebudgie]

So I have this long-standing tradition where, after I finish a video game, I sit down and listen to the soundtrack outside of the game's context.

It serves as a sort of "conclusion" to the experience and simultaneously helps me evaluate the game as a whole a little better... After all the soundtrack is often what sticks with us long after we're done actively playing a game. It preserves the memories we've made along the way.

That means: I have finally found the FF Sixteen OST online in its entirety and could finally follow through with this tradition. (Debatable how much it applies considering I didn't actually play the game myself, but it felt necessary.)

The final missing piece to the pissbaby gamer rage essay. Significantly less raging this time, though.

It's okay. I don't love it. There's worse.

I had very unfavourable opinions of the OST during the game itself which might have been due to the overall pacing issues, where large stretches were filled with the same hub music and then everything bombastic all happened at once and either side of the coin was exhausting in its own way.

I still can't believe there are over 200 songs in the OST when I could have sworn I heard like. Maybe 10 or so during gameplay. A lot of it is very same-y. A large part of the OST can be split into "loud choir explosion" or "sad piano". There isn't a whole lot in between. Good for people who like it, not so much for me.

Which means my biggest issue is the very subjective "I just don't like the style". It's not a bad soundtrack, but I'm just really not a fan of the direction the music took. The battle themes are over the top (fair for the equally over the top DBZ kaijū battles, annoying with 3 wolves that show up on the side of the road). The calmer songs don't really hit right for me. No chord progressions or melodies that hook me. Unfortunate. I did however appreciate the electronic influences in the music when the alien baddies were on screen. (in this fantasy game that is based on medieval reality and that's why people of colour cant exi-)

I have also since learned that there isn't one acoustic guitar song that plays for 20 hours straight. There are like 6 or so that all sound the same. I don't know if that makes it better or worse. I hate them all. (I don't hate acoustic guitars. It's these songs in particular.)

That said - I was curious about which ones are people's favourite tracks of the OST and went checking those out in particular. Consistently in people's tops was Ascension and I can't deny that one's been plagueing (semi-endearing) my memory a bunch the past days. Probably the theme that stuck out the most to me while watching the game. If not the entire theme, then at the very least That Violin Part. If you know, you know.

You know what. If you don't know, here:

(footage stolen from here)

Like damn. Good rhythm going on there with the off beats. Also fits the relevant character nicely in terms of mood. And I like that the battle phase before this one has a more low-key version of this song playing before it goes into this full ham version.

I just kinda wish more of the battle music had been a bit more... this. A bit more... subtle. Like yes it slaps hard but this song legitimately feels calm in comparison to the other battle tracks. This drives me nuts.

There's one other song I keep getting stuck in my head which is one that plays fairly close to the end (in the final... "dungeon" (cutscene? sequence? QTE battle?)). I figured out today that I don't actually really enjoy listening to the song on its own but I like it in-game in combination with the voice perfomance. There's an interesting dissonance in it that blends super nicely with the voice acting. (I'm being held hostage by the game's voice acting. It's unfortunately way too good. Voice actors are once again holding too much power over me.)

Other than that... I have one final criticism. The prelude theme. We must. Leave it. Alone. Enough. It's fine playing once as a gimmick somewhere in the game (I do genuinely like the menu (pause screen?) arrangement) but having it woven into what seems like every 5th song feels like someone is smacking a sign into your face that screams "YOU ARE PLAYING A FINAL FANTASY GAME." Seriously it's unbearable. (Also I did take notice of the FF1 overworld theme being rearranged into a battle theme for the final segment of the game. I don't know why, but fine. Not complaining about that one.)

Overall it's a solid "mh" from me. Not the worst OST we've had in the series (thirteen trilogy exis-COUGHAGFNJKN) but definitely on the lower end for me. Not of bad quality, but not my cup of tea at all. Dark Souls III OST executed the epic orchestra choirs better somehow. More interesting composition. Spaced out better throughout the game. Idk.

Welp. Back to getting haunted by voices and violins now o/

[gutwrenchflowerbomb]

This post is just me sort of rambling about the thoughts surrounding my new job so feel free to scroll past.

New workspace. This machine was installed a few weeks ago and a few of use were trained in it but I am the primary operator. They haven’t installed my work table yet so I’ve been using that cart. I’m two months into the drastic change in careers and it’s been strange - not just the obvious difference in what I’m actually doing but the shift as well. I don’t have weird start and ends times that change daily. But my set shift begins at 5am, meaning that I’m waking up at 3:30am. That’s the middle of the witching hour. I keep expecting to sit up and see some kind of demon ghost thing looking shocked like “the fuck you doing awake?”

But I’m less stressed, I think. I miss my clients dearly but now I no longer have to be responsible for the lives of 12 people. I can actually focus on myself. And the fact that I can do this job while wearing headphones has allowed me to catch up on podcasts and shit I’d long abandoned due to lack of time/energy. I’ve even made it a goal to listen to at least one new album a day from an artist I like but only know a song or two. I have 10 hours a day to fill so it’s not that hard to do. (I’m open to suggestions btw so if you have a fav band/album you think more people should hear, let me know! I don’t really *hate* any genre, except 90% of the new bro country shit)

My medical insurance kicks in on July 1st, so I can finally go to the doctor and dentist. They’ve had some overtime available that I’ve taken advantage of, and will continue to do so as long as it’s there. Mostly because I need all the money I can get and also - I don’t mind the work. It feels good to be physically doing stuff. I’m not like, building houses or anything but there I’m for sure getting more movement than I was previously. The ONLY downside so far of this job is that it’s very hard to regulate the temperature. I’ve had to buy my own fan to bring in and honestly I’m about to get a second one so I can have it blowing on my from both sides. Ya girl STAYS hot.

I’ve been staying with my mom and it’s been rough. We don’t have the most loving relationship, she gets on my goddamn nerves but I try not to get to frustrated with her because it will only make things worse. Maybe one day I’ll write some essays about it, as my upbringing with her was anything but “normal” but I digress.

The most challenging thing has been the lack of *silence* in the house. Before, I had my roommates. Ut they were hardly home when I was and then they had their room upstairs. We never really got in each others space. Here, that’s not possible. I’m literally sleeping on a twin bed that’s been set up in the dining room since it’s a tiny 750sq ft one bedroom house. And my mom nor Mo work, so they NEVER LEAVE. And neither of them have much variety in the food they eat so I’ve had to adapt to eating much of the same bland poor southern shit I grew up with. Which is good occasionally but man. I can’t wait to have my own kitchen again and cook some Indian food. Or Mediterranean.

My goal is to have my own place by the first of August. Thats plenty of time to have the money for the first few months plus deposit. The biggest issue is not knowing what’s gonna be on the market. Rent, while not nearly as high as places like Chicago and Austin and huge cities like that, it’s still unreasonable for a single income person. Especially when that income is just under 40k a year, pre tax.

Anyway, my hope is that once I get moved into my own place I can finally have the energy and focus to do more creative shit. I have TONS of ideas written down but with no space to do any of them, it’s been depressing. I’ve got buttons and magnets and silly shit all in my big ass head. And not all of it is wrestling related.

Alright I’m gonna stop now. But yeah if anyone read all this I apologize haha. It’s not my usual shit of making jokes about AEW and posting too many pics of Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy.

[navigatorwrongway]

okay finals week is over so here’s my ADHD online/remote student survival guide

1. This is the big one: if you’re stuck staring at a blank document that should be an essay by now, what you’re gonna do is turn off your brain and turn on your voice to text on your phone.

ideally, you should have at least one little guy (can be a figurine or stuffie or whatever) for moral support

just go on auto pilot about whatever your paper is supposed to be about. You can go back and neaten it up after you have some thing to neaten up, the point is get something down on the document to break the surface tension

I have speed-written so many essays using this strategy, you don’t even know



2. Get a floor pillow!! It will make your floortime so much more comfortable and sometimes doing work on the floor is necessary for your wellbeing i have this one and I slept on it for several weeks when I didn’t have a bed

just make sure it’s one you can stretch out on, belly flop style — those giant throw pillow-style ones are no good

3. For the love of all things holy go outside sometimes, open a window, anything to get fresh air will help

4. Find something you can have on in the background that will get your brain into over the optimal arousal threshold, I like Time Team and the Historical Farm series (both are on youtube)

5. i KNOW you’ve heard it before but you’re gonna hear it again use firefox and adblockers. Do it. I haven’t seen an ad on YouTube in two years and that could be you, too

6. Even if you can’t use one consistently, I hate to admit it, but a planner does actually help. It doesn’t have to be a planner planner, literally a notepad or stickynote where you write a to-do list and due dates next to the assignment is better than nothing. Black pen for everyday/general to-dos, red for the day it’s due

7. Alarms. Alarms for everything. I usually do three alarms for each class or assignment deadline; ten minutes before, four minutes before, and one minute before

8. Find a dopamine boost game that you can pop on for a second and jump off just as easily. I like dragcave.net because i can collect cute dragons but it doesn’t have any of the ‘drag you in and hold you down’ suction that mobile games do and I can put in as much or as little effort as I want (ie. no rewards for checking in every day, no time-out penalties, also free)

9. Work in daylight as much as you’re able to, lamp light if you must, and screen-only in a dark room as a last resort, your eyes and brain will thank you (see point 1 for alternative methods of essay writing at 10:37pm when there’s a midnight deadline)

10. If your school/institution has tutoring or workshopping resources, use them!! They help, both as an extra pair of eyes and as accountability prods; if you have an appointment to have your essay looked at BEFORE the eleventh hour, it can act as a little baby due date to get that deadline productivity magic working

11. Relatedly, research librarians are seriously SO helpful, see if you can get in touch with one.

12. Find a reason to visit campus every so often, if you don’t have any in-person classes. It’s wild how much the “I am a student, I rightfully belong here” feeling can do to strip away that plastic remote learning vibe

13. Seriously just try point 1 it will make the ‘getting started on essays’ part of your life so much less painful

(And please feel free to add on your own tactics!!)

[scurvyratt]

spring semester starts on monday... please... I just want to go on the internet all day... plz...

Altho tbhhhh I don't work very hard at school lolol like im kinda a flop. Everyone always says that they spend hours and hours studying and I don't💀. Like I watch youtube in class while scrolling thru tumblr or reddit or I play sudoku... but you know what I will pay attention if it's a discussion type class and I can yap about something.

I only find myself getting stressed at the end of the semester when I save all my big projects until the day it's due. Like I WILL write a 10+ page paper in less than 24 hrs idgaf. And the thing is that I always get 100% on these essays/projects which has led me to believe that university is a bit unserious...

[penguicorns-are-cool]

I know I shouldn't compare myself now to past me because we had very different levels of background stress and it was a lot easier for past me to do certain things because of that

but every time I'm working on a college application sort of last minute I think about how when I was 15 I was able to finish an application that included a lot of short and long answer questions not including an entire essay all in like a few hours before it was due. And I can still find that essay online because they published it in a little book and whenever I find it and read it I cry because it was a really good emotional essay that hits hard even when I'm not stressed out about college applications. And I wrote that when I was relatively stressed (It wasn't long after Jan 6 and that really rattled me and I also had some school stuff and was managing to post at least one thing on Instagram a day for my art account)

And now I'm struggling to write a 100 word paragraph. Like, 15 year old me was able to do that in less than 10 minutes and it would've been passable. Now if I work for 10 minutes I have maybe a sentence and some writers block

and I know I shouldn't compare myself to my past self like this. Because it's been a lot longer since I've had an actual break than 15 year old me who had the entire day off with no homework every single saturday and wasn't as burnt out as I am now, but fucking gosh it was supposed to get easier why is it so hard to write a paragraph this thing is due tomorrow