#also love the categories in this one soooo much they fit him very nicely for the most part

[sheepydwagondraws]

obsessed with this

i made a character sheet. free to use as you wish, feel free to change whatever you want XD open source ass thing. spent all of ~maybe an hour on it.

Credit: the text in the insert-image box comes from this video, and the text for the top three lines (intense, complex, fruity) comes from this post. The actual image was made with the free NBOS character sheet creator, which is a sort of dated but free and solid text-layout sheet maker intended for ttrpg style character sheet creation.

[flying-elliska]

S3 Rewatch - Episode 4 - Vendredi 19:45 “Double Date” 

tl;dr : a clip about showing how bad the boys’ current partners fit them and to build the tension before the big one, ft Eliott character analysis (whenever not)

This clip is just hilarious in its own way, and it feels a lot like a specific type of French comedy of “friends” eating with each other who don’t really like each other and the drama surfaces below the hypocritical niceties. The music that opens the clip is exactly the type of music I heard at my parent’s friends houses during dinner parties that went on foreeeeeeever as a kid, so it immediately signals a very specific type of boredom to me. It’s supposed to be chill, a little flirty, warm but still classy, a ��look at what grownups we are’ type of music you’d sooner picture at a 30-something dinner party - pretty sure Lucille picked the music... She seems like the type that really wants to be a grown up early (I mean part of that must be the actress is a lot older than the character but Lucille in general has that grounded, responsible but also a little...judgmental and stick in the mud sort of vibe, which is probably one of the reasons why her and Eliott’s relationship petered out, with him being much more of a dreamer. Lucas ends up being pretty responsible in the end, enough to support Eliott and be complementary, but he’s got enough of a wild side too.  In the same way Chloé lacks the depth and sense of perception that Lucas clearly finds fascinating in Eliott (beyond the fact that she’s a girl lol) ) - she’s constantly missing the signs that Eliott picks up on. She’s talking about binge consuming media while Eliott makes his own ; they’re not even playing at the same category (not that there’s anything wrong with watching a series lmao i mean...but the narrative opposition is interesting.)  They’re each other’s sweet spot ahhhhhh. And the purpose of this clip, before they take the plunge, is to highlight that by showing how ill suited their current partners are for them.  he lighting too is very different to that in the piano scene even though it happens in the same place ; it makes their faces washed out instead of artfully sculpted, it looks badly lit and dreary instead of intimate. It’s such a sharp contrast to their moment of mutual discovery. 

Chloe is being super overenthusiastic over the concept of binge-ing a series...which is like, so 2005, and Lucille is like ‘who has the time to do that’ which makes her sound like a 60-yr old...lol. Meanwhile Eliott and Lucas’ faces...priceless. They look SO DONE. Eliott looks at Lucille and then in Lucas’ direction like he is supremely bored by the discussion and a little bit like ‘this is your fault you got us into this’, Lucas is chewing while looking at Lucille like maybe he would like to be chewing on her face instead....Lucille tells Chloé she is super mature for her age...not really credible lmao. Her voice is soooo grating in this clip. (Lucille is not great either but sidenote i am SO GAY for her actress she’s really hearteyes emoji). Chloé wraps her arm around Lucas, he’s so not into it. I love the way the camera works here - it cuts Chloé out, she’s just a disembodied arm, just Lucas looking to Eliott then pans to Eliott who looks like he wants to murder Chloé. This happens so much in the beginning of the season - that particular way of framing that makes it look like they’re alone even in a crowd, they’re the only one each other sees.  

Then Lucille brings up, one after the other, Eliott’s Bac failure and drinking, it’s like a one-two punch of awkwardness like she’s some sort of overbearing parent figure instead of his girlfriend. Yikes. The way he answers her is really not nice either, definitely agressive.  I have a universal dislike of male characters telling female characters to shut up so this scene is ughhhhhhh but also...i get why he gets like that, it’s really a sore point and the way she brings it up is so mean spirited, like it’s trivial but also in a way that publically shames him.  Making jokes about your intelligence to cover your academic failure ? Oh yeah I’ve been there. They sound like an old couple that has had the same fight over and over again and are definitely on the way to getting a divorce. The frustration and awkwardness in this clip serves its function perfectly, that of providing a sharp contrast to the relief of what will happen later, sharpens the tension and has them make a clear choice between the past - their gfs - and the future, each other.

The girls disappear and the tone immediately shifts. Eliott apologizes because he doesn’t want Lucas to see the side of him that surfaces with Lucille ; he wants a fresh start. The situation is anything but ideal and yet it doesn’t take long for the flirty bedroom eyes and little smiles to reappear ; it’s like they can’t help themselves, no matter how angry or awkward they are. ..the way Eliott says ‘not like we had planned’ had me in stitches though - because they never really got to plan this, it was more like he planned it really hard in his own head and then Chloé intervened before Lucas had time to say yes. Eliott has this tendency to take as truth things that aren’t entirely because he wants them so badly to be real or, conversely, doesn’t assign them any meaning (it’s the same as when he wants Lucas to overlook him kissing Lucille in the paint scene) ; it’s one of his more complex flaws, linked to the OG character’s need to direct his own life and Eliott’s efforts to make his Polaris vision real and ...illuminate/orient the meaning of what happens through drawings and metaphors. Edit his life, keep the bits he likes and jettison those he doesn’t. It’s why he hides so much too. It’s a way to regain control too, a reaction to his MI wresting control away, the stigma making it difficult to control how he is seen as well. It can lead him to be kind of shitty to Lucas but as a character trait it’s so juicy and interesting and coherent. And wow, it’s kind of painfully relatable. 

The way Eliott looks at Lucas there as he says ‘I wanted us to be alone together’ though, daaaaamn. He’s pretty much eating him up with his eyes. This is as straightforward as he’s ever been ; but this time Lucas can respond and his ‘me, too’ is pretty much the confirmation he wants Eliott too, which seem to give Eliott wings as he suggests they run away. Lucas is like ‘wtf’ but to judge by his little smile, he is so into it. And the rest is history ! 

Previous clip

[eliancs-blog]

*itzy  vc*  hey  hey  hey   !   (  i  see  that  i’m  icy  )   what’s  up,  i’m  diana,  i’m  nineteen,  and  i’m  ur  resident  girl  group  stan.  i  reside  in  the  est  timezone  &  go  by  the  pronouns  she/her.  now,  finally  introducing  …  loona   !!    jk,  her  name  is  eliana  &  u  can  read  about  her  under  the  cut   !  (  stream  norman  fucking  rockwell <3  ) 

﹤ park jiwon, she/her, cisfemale ﹥; * - hello eliana ‘lia’ wu. long time no see. i know a lot about you. like how you’re twenty, how you’re a european studies major, and in fact.. how you’re the face of your parents church but are hiding the fact that you’re anything but innocent---and that you got kicked out of your catholic university for having an affair with your professor. would be a shame if it got out, wouldn’t it ? so let’s play a game. * TRUTH OR DARE ?

(    𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫.   )

born on october 12th in blacksburg, virginia, eliana’s first impression of the world was a crisp autumn day

she was her parents first and only child and soon became their pride and joy. her parents both came from wealthy families and dedicated their lives to the catholic church they owned

so, eliana grew up around the church and was raised catholic. her parents made her the face of their church. she was the perfect choice, dripping with innocence and purity

eliana learned at a fairly young age the corruption that ensued behind the scenes, behind her parents backs. growing up, she often spent her afternoons at the church. while her parents were off trying to grow their following, eliana was left alone at the church to observe bribery, adultery, and so much more

she was a ghost of a girl; most of the time, people had no idea she was there. they made it easy for her to learn all their secrets

eliana was sent to catholic boarding school for all her years of schooling. at boarding school, she worked her way up the chain of command through bribery, manipulation and blackmail.

she would leave for the majority of the year for school and return during the holidays and for summer break. she would take annual summer trips to europe visiting extended family, staying mainly in italy and france. eliana grew to love europe, she wished she could live there forever

with both catholic school and the church being corrupt, eliana had little faith in the religion and most of the people who followed it. she felt like they were either hypocrites hiding behind a facade, or naively unaware cowards that needed something to believe in. she fell into the first category, while her parents fell into the second. eliana felt sorry for her parents and continued to act like the perfect little church girl for their sake (and for their money, of course)

eliana grew to be quite a selfish person, at least almost everything she did was in her own self interest. if she had nothing to gain, she didn’t see a point in entertaining things. while eliana masqueraded herself as being a charitable, altruistic person, she was quite the opposite

during her high school years at catholic school, eliana began using coke. with pressure from her parents to excel in her classes, extracurricular’s, and volunteer work, she needed something to take the edge off. it started as something she did now and then, though eventually she began to grew addicted (yes, she has the coke cross like kathryn from cruel intentions)

also while away at catholic school, eliana began to experiment with other things. she discovered she had a sexual and romantic interest in girls and guys and started to explore it. although her parents demanded she remain a virgin until marriage, eliana didn’t quite follow those rules, though she kept up the image. her sexual partners and romantic relations were kept on the low for the most part in order to maintain her perfect image

she discovered that sex was just another thing she could use to manipulate others and for her own self interest. after high school, eliana went on to attend a catholic university. during her first semester, she began to have an affair with one of her professors

usually the one in control, eliana found herself recklessly falling for her professor. for him, it was just lust, but for her it felt like more. one day, her private affair became public among some and eliana was kicked out of the university to avoid a scandal

this was bad news for eliana, who had to come up with a way to hide her expulsion from her parents and continue an education elsewhere. the following semester, eliana continued to pretend to attend the catholic university but later decided to tell her parents about transferring to UVA

she came up with a lie about the school having a better program for her major and promised to continue her biblical studies outside of class. reluctantly, her parents allowed it. they trusted her. she was their perfect daughter, after all

so, eliana continued her education at UVA after blackmailing her old school for a dazzling letter of recommendation

eliana is studying european studies, with the desire of eventually moving to france. she is enamored with the art, history, literature, cinema, and the food. honestly, eliana does not want to do anything for a living and is hoping to live off her trust fund and the money she would eventually inherit from her parents, but she loves learning and going to school and bettering her education

(    𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀.   )

eliana is a libra sun scorpio moon (the rest of her placements are tbd)

if u click the link, u can read more about what that means but even the label attached to that combination itself is super fitting for her --- the ‘masquerader’

eliana is not a mean person by any means, but a lot of what she does is in her own self interest. she considers a lot of her friendships to be mutually beneficial arrangements

however, once you become her real friend, though she likely doesn’t have many, she will remain extremely loyal and do anything for you 

once her mind is set on something, she must see it through. this aspect about her can come across as being obsessive in a way (it’s her scorpio moon ok)

when it comes to relationships, eliana tends to see them kind of like business arrangements. love is kind of the last thing in her mind, but it’s definitely possible for her to get swept up into romance, as much as she hates to think so

so, eliana prefers hook ups. however, she still tries to maintain her pure image with people she does not know very well until she gets a read on them. she keeps all her relations on the low and even comes up with mini terms of agreement before getting involved with anyone. she reallyyyyy hates other people knowing her business

eliana is superficially nice on the surface. when i say superficial, it’s not to say that she isn’t friendly but it is superficial at first until she knows who she is dealing with. regardless, she is a friendly person because it does not really benefit her to be any other way. however, if you mess with her, she will find a tactical way to get you back and ten times harder

she drinks and does drugs in moderation because she likes to be in control of herself (minus her coke addiction bc u know). also does it on the down low because again, she’s maintaining an image here

her whole life is pretty much fake, so she often loses sight of herself. she doesn’t know exactly who she is but she is very good at pretending, and she even convinces herself sometimes

she’s pretty lonely tbh though she’ll never admit it. it’s been this way since she was little

her favorite books are anything by jane austen and les liaisons dangereuses by pierre choderlos de laclos, aka the book cruel intentions was based on. she also really enjoys sylvia plath, mary shelley, and virginia woolf

favorite shows: big little lies, sharp objects, killing eve, twin peaks, handmaid’s tale

favorite movies: pride and prejudice, marie antoinette, thoroughbreds, cruel intentions, annihilation, ex machina, stoker, the handmaiden, black swan, atonement, mulholland drive

her fav colors are mint, pastel pink, white and beige

pls look at the pinterest board i made for her <3

(    𝑾𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺.   ) 

ex-fling/gf/bf - eliana could have a few of these. they could be on good or bad terms. if they’re on bad terms eliana would prob be keeping a close eye on them because she doesn’t want word really getting out. maybe the sexual tension is still there. we could plot out the details and make if fun and interesting hehe

unrequited crush -  ur character could have feelings for eliana, but maybe she doesn’t feel them. this could develop into her eventually having feelings for ur muse or not, whatever we want ! OR eliana could have a crush on someone who does not like her back. maybe that person is super non-committal, or they simply do not like her back. we could plot this out however but it would b interesting for eliana to actually have feelings for someone

current fling/friends w benefits - someone she is currently seeing/sleeping with. could be no strings attached, or there could b some feelings there. maybe they don’t want to make it anything serious, maybe one person is ready to go further, and the other isn’t.

enemies w benefits - imagine the tension!!! they started out hating each other, but ended up hooking up. maybe it was a one time thing, or maybe they can’t stop going back to each other. i think it would definitely have to be something kept super secret, she doesn’t want anyone else to know. this could develop in soooo many ways !

ex-friends - someone she used to consider a close friend, but they had a falling out for whatever reason n maybe they hate each other now. maybe they want to re-kindle their friendship but don’t know how. this could b juicy if they know a little too much about her

sibling-like friendship - someone she sees like a sibling. they’re there for each other and look out for one another, always have each other’s backs. being an only child and not really close to her parents, i would love for eliana to have a friend that’s like family !

dynamic duo - basically like her current best friend. this person is prob one of the closest people to her and might know her very well ! they could b a power duo, always looking out for each other

take care - ok i would love it if for one night, eliana lost control. she either got too drunk or high and was kind of a wreck. someone was there and kind of came to her rescue in a way, they got her home or maybe she slept at their place. after this night, maybe eliana would feel awkward (but also grateful) that someone actually took care of her and looked out for her. maybe your muse did it to have something over her, or maybe it was actually genuine to help her. this could be plotted out in sooo many ways yes i love it

confidant - someone who confides in her or someone she confides in, or they confide in each other. they don’t necessarily have to be the closest friends ever, but they get along, trust each other, and maybe they talk more in private

rivals - they hate each other for whatever reason. maybe it’s jealousy or their personalities just clash, but for whatever reason they do not get along. i love a good enemies plot. they can just b nasty to each other !!! maybe they bring out a really bad side to eliana that most ppl dont see (because she’s usually very lowkey even when she’s angry or dislikes someone)

victim of manipulation - eliana can be very manipulative. whether through bribery, blackmail, or whatever the case, i would love to have a plot where your muse is someone she could manipulate. maybe she bribes them to do her dirty work, or has something over them. she wouldn’t make them do anything too crazy, but this person would just be someone she has a hold over 

partner in crime - okay pls give me someone eliana schemes with. like imagine the powerrrr they would have. they would just plot n scheme together to help each other out or for some personal gain

dealer - idk if any of the muses r drug dealers, but if yes, someone who deals coke to her. they might know firsthand about her addiction. we could plot this however!

these are all the plot ideas i can think of for now, but i’ll prob make a plots page later on and add more stuff !

aaaaaand this is everything !! it has taken me longer to write this than i care to admit...pls don’t ask. i would absolutely looooove to plot so please hit me up on discord stream norman fucking rockwell#5522 (or i can hit u up). i cannotttt wait to start interacting and stuff <3

[lilmajorshawty]

Venus signs as men I’ve met. 👨🏻‍🍳

Venus in Aries: pretty calm! Extremely self aware and confident in themselves and their actions-very honest and upfront and pretty direct with what they do not a lot of beat around the bush-that being said they’re complex and not very easy to read on an emotional level. They have nice hair! And they can have piercing eyes.

Venus in Taurus: slow moving and very smooth. They no what to say and aren’t big on talking for the sake of it. They’re fairly curious and love intimacy be it with friends or lovers! They like that aspect of closeness. They’re not confrontational and like to avoid overly emotional situations in the beginning but once things get serious they’re very compassionate and sweet. Usually have nice lips and soft necks. Ohhhh and they tend to be slow about flirting as well and can be evasive in the beginning because they need time to process things.

Venus in Gemini: talkative and very media influenced. They’re usually kind of recluse and have very high octave dialogue and minds to match-they’re charming and captivating but out of reach somehow-they’re actions don’t ever match up and what’s even more they’re very perplexing emotionally! They run hot and cold and at times the cold phase last the longest-punk rock and kind of indie with a whole lot of twist. They have like nice arms like seriously

Venus in cancer: athletic or homebodies no inbetween, tend to be very easy going and quiet not super into loud or conceded types and they’re also a bit conservative but they’re usually not aware of this. They can be traditional but they also have a very independent vibe about themselves that clashes with the nurturing nature in them. They don’t like forced commitment and steer clear of relationships unless someone’s really winning them over! They love simplistic things and warm smiles and hugs and some of the sweetest guys you’ll meet! I usually notice their muscles or stomach region

Venus in Leo: COCKYYY and I mean this in a good way but boy oh boy they honestly like showing off :) they feel like they’re in a horse race with everyone and love to make sure everyone knows about them. They’re pretty lighthearted and innocent and actually have huge hearts. They tend to dive all into their relationships and get taken advantage of a lot because of this. They’re very old school romantic and will usually be kinda mean and extra when they like you! They don’t usually dress flashy but they do have expensive taste. A lot of them groom and are big on their body features. So don’t be surprised if he mentions his “member” a lot. I usually notice their backs or hair

Venus in Virgo: sweet! Passive aggressive though. They aren’t the types to be loud or in your face and actually like to be lowky-like underground type of lowky. They’re very soft spoken and tend to be sort of on the brainy side when I comes to their interactions! They value connections and good conversation. They are also very sensual and love hugs and being touched so if your interested in one-don’t be scared to touch him from time to time and they’re very committed guys and once they know you’re interested they tend to drop everyone else if they take you seriously enough. They have routines and hate hate hate having that interrupted! They usually just put people in little categories and boxes to make there life more organized. Very clean!!! And often dress nice when there around someone they love but if not they dress casual. They have cute little bellies though!

Venus in libra: SMILES. Wow they really have beautiful smiles and they have a easy beauty about them! They’re not super emotional when it comes down to interactions and I’ve noticed that they hare people that come on to strong or to interested and may even show this on their face despite their smiles. They like hanging out with friends and love peaceful things like bowling and even just going out to eat. They usually like to “hang out” with someone before they go and do anything beyond that. They’re pretty feminine in nature and intune with their more sensitive side. They can be indecisive and evasive when things are overwhelming them. They dress like a mix of casual and fitting clothing to dressy and classy. Oh they have nice buns 🙄

Venus in Scorpio: okay despite all those archetypes they’re super super super cuddly and huge ass babies(excuse my language) they act mean on the in set and have an intense demeanor but usually this is during the early stages of knowing them! Once you get to know them and they trust you they’re so childlike and bubbly-they’re intimating aura is still there but it’s redirected. They can be really insecure and do things out of spite when they’re hurt-they love really hard and though they don’t like to admit they’re deeply afraid of being rejected no matter how many times you say you love them. Just hug them a lot and smile at them-and give in sometimes when they’re having an episode. They’re like watery Aries venus in my eyes and have humongous hearts. I say they dress maninly in sweats and casual wear. They love black and red and are fairly ambitious and well off. They have watery eyes or really black or defined eyes. There crotch region can seem mysterious and hard to define.

Venus in Sagittarius: aloof-ALOOF-ALOOOOOFFF. They’re very cool in temperature and don’t usually express very many sides of there emotions unless they feel a need to. They have fast moving feelings which is why I think they come across this way. They either tend to be intense or calm and they are very free spirits no matter what. They love to explore and always see the big picture. They want love based on desire and crave something that challenges them but they are often okay with the single life. They can be soooo captivating and have a very earthy and wild look about them. They look amazing in beards and have wide hips! The best example I could do for this is Chris Pratt. He’s not a sag venus but the way his frame is kinda similar to sag venus men I’ve seen.

Venus in Capricorn: there weight fluctuates a lot from what I’ve seen and they tend to lean towards to the bearded look-at some point in their lives. They have very warm and cozy personalities and are way way wayyyy more open and easy going then cap moon or sun. They tend to take relationships with others very seriously be it their family/friends/kids/lover they see it as a duty and something that demands maturity. They dress kind of punk rock ish and a mix of business and well put together. They aren’t ones to play coy and have blunt personalities. They hate ignorance and don’t like people that don’t have self control and in fact that’s the quickest way to set them off. They can be ass holes sometimes(excuse my language) and have a dry humor. They are super sensitive underneath and unlike their sister sign they don’t freak out at the idea of a relationship so long as both people involved know what their in for.

Venus in Aquarius: interesting fellas! They are super deep and honestly you may never really get to know them because their inner self is changing around all the time. They can be a bit melancholy and sway between bouts of depression and bouts of over enthusiasm. From what I can see they are very happy people and honestly love meeting new people! They are also always doing something odd and have cool hobbies! A lot of the ones I’ve known love photography and music and blogging! They dress sort of trendy and grungy!. They are super humble and modest and don’t really like spotlight that much. As far as dating goes? UHM aha they’re so quirky and odd and love so hard and you’ll never know because they put up a detached front but similarly to aqua moons they are super dedicated and love love love their partners! They just suck at showing it.

Venus in Pisces: elusive and very turbulent. They can be very mysterious-more than Scorpio Venus from what I’ve seen and they have this affect that lures you into them like that fish net that caught dory and Nemo. They have very captivating body movements and can seem like they’re not really there sometimes. I call them the past life boys only because it can seem like they’re acting out patterns that have already taken place at times like they’re a walking deja vu. They can be disarming and have a very charming yet frightening disposition that leaves you vulnerable and confused. Romantically they don’t make sense and can send a plethora of signals that you may not be able to understand. They love with their soul and it can be a deep and overwhelming thing if you’re not ready. They tend to be quite and extremely humble. I can’t say they dress any specific way.

Now there’s a bunch of things to consider like aspects and house placements but this is just in my personal experience of men with these venus signs alone.

[chronotopes]

STAR TREK TRIO, Kirk Spock and Bones for the game!:D

THANK YOU YES 

jim - 

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | i’m disbanding ‘lesbians with crushes on young obi-wan kenobi and reforming it into ‘lesbians with a thing for young bill shatner’ | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor!!! | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

best quality: i’d argue his belief in humanity but i’m biased because everything i love is the same . also i looove what a fuckign …. romantic he is 

worst quality: i could answer this seriously but i could also say ‘that outfit in search for spock through voyage home, what was up with that’

ship them with: take a wild guess lads 

brotp them with: bones obviously but also the entire bridge crew! i like him and uhura being pals particularly 

needs to stay away from: any starfleet rank that isn’t ‘captain’, also, since i know the events of the seventh movie, the next generation people. not that the seventh movie, like, happened, or anything, but if it did.. yeah lmao if it did i’d say kirk and picard shouldn’t hang out, at least not in those circumstances. 

misc. thoughts: so audrey is gonna make me watch the first jar jar abrams movie this summer, and i already know most of what happens in it, and…. like i get it on some level, a lot of the ooc-ness by jim there can be explained with canon-divergence, but it’s just permanently upsetting to see him star in an edgy au. it’s like jj-trek is this constantly-updated fic on ao3 that everyone’s really lost their shit over but you don’t feel that great about and then you go on ao3 and everyone’s changed their jim characterizations to fit THAT instead and it’s all dark and edgy and like! i knoow it makes sense for it to be different from tos , but there’s ALREADY an edgy star trek au, it’s s02s04 mirror mirror and it’s good so can we have some people we, like, Recognize. also blowing up planets we care about is really very extra and weird. like i don’t think the franchise is Ruined by jj or whatever because that’s a generally silly train of thought, but… it sucks that this reboot happened in an era of edgy sci-fi and not when i become an adult and know to write everything to be gay and brightly-colored . 

the others are under the cut:

spock - 

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | probably not conventionally Hot(tm) but i see the appeal, has got very nice eyes | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

best quality: i mean a lot of things but he’s got an enormous respect for life and a very finely tuned sense of justice - like he catches on to the power dynamic in the cloud minders soooo quickly and i love it 

worst quality: self-sabotage :(

ship them with: t a k e   a   w i l d   g u e s s   l a d s 

brotp them with: the bridge crew forever! hurrah, boys, hurrah! also: bones. 

needs to stay away from: radiation poisoning and edgy canon divergence aus that blow up his fuckin planet. also, the FUCKING kolinahr. since seeing tmp i have not known peace 

misc. thoughts: imo spock’s internal conflicts are among the most memorable and fascinating parts of the show, and also of how to (authorial intent nonwithstanding) write a romance that stands the test of time. just in terms of general writing advice! i’m just saying! like i was editing my ‘16 nano , as you do, written 4 months before i ever knew a thing about tos, and with one of my leads i was constantly like #spock? i just feel like he in particular has had such an impact on the way we write fantasy/sf beings . 

bones - 

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff or whatever i’ve become quite bad at sorting people lately

best quality: the bit in the empath where he pushes gem away because he can’t let her die even if she’s saving his life, and the bit in mirror mirror where he saves evil spock’s life even though it’d be much easier to just run off and leave the universe to itself because it’s not like he’ll ever see him again… idk he’s just . A DOCTOR, man, don’t let anyone forget it

worst quality: buddy sometimes you push the boundary when it comes to the Being Mean To Spock category

ship them with: honestly, um, a nice quiet shore leave and some frighteningly sweet iced tea. but seriously i don’t know i don’t have any bones shipping opinions 

brotp them with: obvious trio feelings aside, chapel!!! 

needs to stay away from: in theory, stressful situations. he’s just an old country doctor with - i’m starting to think spock had a point there - a bit of a martyr complex! 

misc. thoughts: it’s so infinitely funny to me that bones is to this trio what grantaire is to the party trio, in that he’s there for, like, every stage of his friends’ relationship development. jim flirtin on the bridge in the early years of the five year mission? bones is there. love confession in the sickbay in tmp? bones is there! just chillin! the fight in amok time, which pushes the boundaries of what can’t be considered a first sexual encounter? as much as he regrets all the life choices that have led up to this point, bones is there! (and thank god he is.) like…. give this man a raise. 

[thisishowyouletgoandfindyou-blog]

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Richard Reis

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Richard Reis

"I write this not for the many, but for you; each of us is enough of an audience for the other." - Epicurus http://richardreis.me/May 16How Less Helps You Do More — Minimalism And Your Brain

Hello dear,

By the end of this letter, you’ll know something that’ll make you wealthier, but also think better.

This knowledge changed my life. I’m excited to share it with you.

Many of my friends know this, but minimalism is something I have been a big fan of for quite some time.

Now, I hate calling it “minimalism” because the word comes loaded with whatever past meaning you attached to it.

So from here on, whenever I say “minimalism” I want you to think “no clutter” or “no sh*t lying around”. Whichever you prefer.

With that big, fat, elephant out of the way, we can begin.

Why minimalism?

Two reasons:

I believe it’s an amazing “brain-enhancing” technique.

It saves a ton of money (this is, after all, a finance series).

I think #2 is self explanatory. Let’s dig deeper into #1, it’s very important.

Why is minimalism an amazing brain-enhancing technique?

“A messy room equals a messy mind”.

As it turns out, that’s true.

Psychologist (check out the insane CV) Dr. Jordan Peterson’s favorite advice is “clean your room”.

In fact, Dr. Peterson gets letters from people telling him how cleaning their room changed their life!

I’ve experienced the benefits personally, and it works.

Here’s a direct quote from Peterson:

“My sense is that if you want to change the world you start from yourself and work outward because you build your confidence that way.

I don’t know how you can go out and protest the structure of the entire economic system if you can’t keep your room organized. […]

The world presents itself as a series of puzzles, some of which you’re capable of solving and some of which you’re not. You have many puzzles in front of you that you could solve but you choose not to. Those really are the things that weight on your consciousness, knowing ‘oh I should do this’, but you don’t.[…]

It’s like, don’t be fixing up the economy, 18 year-olds. You don’t know anything about the economy. It’s a massive complex machine beyond anyone’s understanding and you mess with it at your own peril. Can you even clean up your own room? No. Well, you should think about that.

Because if you can’t even clean up your own room, who the hell are you to give advice to the world?” — Dr. Jordan B Peterson

I couldn’t agree more.

Sidenote: This may seem odd, but I have a hypothesis as to why minimalism/ cleaning your room is effective for better thinking.

This insight came to me from meditation. I know that when someone meditates effectively, the brain regions known as Default Mode Network’s (DMN) activity diminishes. These regions are what make you ‘daydream’ (aka not focus): “I shouldn’t have said that to Bob this morning”, “I regret not asking that girl for her number”, “that a**hole who cut me in the freeway last week could have killed me”. Meditating (basically) shuts down those voices and allows you to focus on the present (which makes you more effective).

Soooo doesn’t the same brain activity increase when your place is messy? “oh I should vacuum this floor”, “those dishes look dirty”, “damn, my closet is a mess”.

My hypothesis: A messy place increases activity in the DMN, which doesn’t allow you to focus 100% (making you less effective). This could explain why when you ‘go minimal’, you focus better (and most people say it’s life-changing).

If everyone had a clean room/ apartment/ house, the world would be a better place 🙂 (I just gave a great PhD thesis for some neuroscience student out there).

Do you understand the importance of minimalism now?

If you’re home, perfect! Look around you, is there something you’ve been meaning to clean? Does opening your closet stress you out?

This physical clutter is probably also cluttering your brain. Hence why you can’t focus.

If so, what follows is tactical advice that will help you clean in record time.

When should you “go minimal”?

Many bloggers will tell you to start slow and gain momentum.

This… may work.

Unfortunately it didn’t work for me. And I believe it won’t work for you either.

Why? Most people are lazy when it comes to tidying (come on, how long have you been thinking about organizing your mess?)

Therefore, the best solution I found came from the ginormously popular book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondō.

In case you don’t know Marie, here’s a nice summary from Tim Ferriss’ awesome (recent) interview with her:

“Her books have sold more than seven million copies and have been published in more than forty countries.

Kondo’s methods have become so famous that her last name has become a verb, ‘Kondo-ing,’ and people who share her specific values are referred to as ‘Konverts.’ She has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people.”

Yeah, wow.

Marie’s philosophy is much closer to mine. If you want to declutter your life, pick one day and do it all at once.

“When you tidy your space completely, you transform the scenery. The change is so profound that you feel as if you are living in a totally different world. This deeply affects your mind and inspires a strong aversion to reverting to your previously cluttered state. The key is to make the change so sudden that you experience a complete change of heart. The same impact can never be achieved if the process is gradual.” — Marie Kondō

How to declutter1. Pick a day

Pick a day, any day. And start early in the morning (this will energize you).

“But I’m too busy.”

I think that most people who are “too busy” miraculously have enough time for other things like cable TV or Netflix.

Unless you have 5 kids, work 3 jobs, and are a single parent, you’re not “too busy”.

“Too busy” is also a polite way of saying “this isn’t a priority for me”. But if you weren’t convinced from the intro that cleaning IS a priority, chances are you’re just being lazy.

2. Put it all on the floor

If this sounds like a song title, it’s because it’s the fun part.

“Where do I start?”

Marie Kondō recommends going by categories, not rooms.

“Don’t start selecting and discarding by location. Don’t think “I’ll tidy the bedroom first and then move on to the living room” or “I’ll go through my drawers one by one starting from the top down.” This approach is fatal. Why? Because most people don’t bother to store similar items in the same place.” — Marie Kondō

The correct sequence she recommends is this: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items, and mementos.

Go around your house looking for everything that fits in each category (and put it all together at once on the floor).

Don’t touch items in a category unless you’re done with the previous category. There are many reasons for this (though too long to include here), if you really want the details get Marie’s book. If not, just trust me.

Easy.

3. Discard

“Now I have every item in a category on the floor, what do I do?”

This is what makes Marie so special. She talks about the concept of “sparking joy”.

Grab each item one by one, and ask yourself “does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t, it goes in a trash bag.

“Why does this work?”

Because (this might blow your mind), people own things they don’t really like! *gasp*

I know right? People actually have clothes, shoes, books and/or other items in their homes that they don’t really like all that much.

This is why I like minimalism; everything you own is something you love.

I love my “uniform” (I wear the same clothes every day), I love my whiteboard, I love my yoga mat, heck I even love my blender!

I don’t understand why people keep their closets full of clothes they “kinda” like, their kitchen full of ugly utensils they dislike, and their bookshelves full of books they’ll never read.

This is why you have to look at each item and ask yourself, “do I love this?” (or, even cuter, Marie Kondō’s “does this spark joy?”) and if the answer is “kinda” or “no”, in the trash bag it goes.

By the end of this, some people end up with 10+ full trash bags (I’ve been there).

Getting rid of them is an AMAZING feeling. You’ll see.

4. Store

I don’t mean in a storage unit (how dare you).

I mean now that you only kept things you love, find a place for them and organize them well.

Here’s an example with clothes.

That’s it. That’s my entire wardrobe (year-long baby).

I just picked what I like best, and stuck with it.

Going to a high-school where we all wore uniforms taught me it’s soooo much more convenient than having to worry about what to wear every day. This is why I wear a “uniform” to this day. Besides, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Obama made it cool (so I’m not “weird” anymore I’m “avant-garde”).

Sidenote: Wondering where I got those sweet folding skills? Learn how Marie Kondō does it here (t-shirts and tank tops), here (pants), here (sweaters and hoodies), and here (socks and stockings). Hell has a special place for people who occupy space hanging clothes than can be neatly folded.

Common But’sBut what if I want to buy something new?

The idea should be for you to only own things you love (what a concept).

Stop accumulating, surround yourself only with your favorite stuff.

I’m sure most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time.

Therefore, why not keep the 20% you love and get rid of the rest?? You’re not really using it anyways and it’s cluttering your space and mind.

The end result is for you to only be surrounded by the things you love (or… spark joy).

This also means most of your items will be high quality.

Now I’m not saying own as little as possible (we can’t all be enlightened like the Buddha, or Jesus).

What I am saying is a lot of your purchases were impulsive, kinda like stress eating. Except instead of accumulating fat, you accumulated clutter.

The clutter is stressing you out. Get rid of it, and see what I mean.

But I’m a girl

Sidenote: This is a common “but” I’ve heard very often from different friends who all happen to be female. So, I have to include it.

Until further DNA evidence, being a girl doesn’t mean you have to have lots of clothes. To prove it, here’s the awesome YouTuber, LightByCoco, showing the concept of a capsule wardrobe.

You might “enjoy” shopping. But re-read the intro and see why it’s never a good idea to surround yourself with clutter.

I’ve found that guys and girls tend to wear their same favorite clothes over, and over, and over again.

So, get rid of all that other stuff you never really wear! Your mind (and closet) will thank you.

But I don’t have enough space for all my stuff, I live in a small apartment

So do I. Living in a small apartment doesn’t mean anything.

It just means you have way more crap than you need. And that’s a bad, bad habit.

It simply means that even if your house looked like this (look at that space! And no clutter! Wow):

You’d still find a way to make it look like this:

Messy people are messy independently of where they live.

Most people see empty rooms and feel the need to fill, “oh some flowers would look nice here”, “oh maybe I need a lamp”, “I wonder if I need paintings on the wall”.

Stop!

That’s how you end up with a ton of items you don’t like that much. Stop the madness.

But I have kids

The “I have a partner and kids” is a bad excuse.

Joshua Becker is a minimalism blogger who’s married and has two kids. He’ll prove anyone who uses the “I don’t live alone” excuse is wrong.

But my roommates are messy

I’m a big fan of leading by example.

Begin with yourself. Clean your mess. Others will follow.

I shared a 3 bedroom house with 18 people. I found that when I tried to keep things clean, others would follow.

It wasn’t always perfect, but it’s better than blaming others.

But can’t I store most of it in a storage unit?

You’re just trolling me.

Kidding, but what about rebound?

I’ll let Marie Kondō answer this one.

“Rebound occurs because people mistakenly believe they have tidied thoroughly, when in fact they have only sorted and stored things halfway. If you put your house in order properly, you’ll be able to keep your room tidy, even if you are lazy or sloppy by nature.” — Marie Kondō

Sometimes (I mean once or twice a year), I may end up with a little more stuff than I need. Recently, after losing 35lbs I kept large clothes that are too big now, for no good reason!

No one’s perfect.

The key is to simply grab your trash bags and get to work 🙂

But, trash-bags?? Does that mean I should throw everything away?

Of course not, here’s what I do:

Try to sell it on eBay. If no one wants it after 30 days I:

Give it to Goodwill if it’s clothes.

Give it to the local thrift store if it’s other items (books, gadgets, CD’s…)

Throw it in the trash if it’s too much trouble.

But never, never, ever just leave stuff lying around.

And that’s it for today!

Today, we learned:

The amazing psychological benefits of a clean space.

How to declutter.

How to organize.

How not to make excuses for owning a bunch of things you don’t even like.

See you next week, be well.

R

P.S.: It turns out decluttering doesn’t only help the individual, it can benefit entire cities! A friend of mine recently shared with me the Broken Windows theory.

Before 1985 New York City was as violent and dangerous as Gotham. By 2001, crime had dropped significantly (and kept dropping for the following ten years!). What led to this huge crime drop? They cleaned the city (no graffitis, no people demanding payment after car window cleaning, and no public urination… among other things).

A clean, clutter-free environment does indeed make the world a better place🙂

Your mother was right, clean your room!

Is this helpful? Please ❤️ it below, comment or Tweet me 😊 Hearing from your fellow readers and you is what makes writing these letters such a joy.