#and all the other shortcuts

[astralhope]

I'm loving this

This is absolutely my favorite thing of the new UI

[genderqueerpond]

We don't talk enough about the fact that Amelia Pond, s5 Amelia Pond, before the timeline is reset, isn't just a normal orphan. Her parents didn't die, didn't abandon her, and didn't send her away. They never existed in the first place.

And if her parents never existed, then Amelia cannot exist. She is a causal impossibility.

"People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces." A photograph. A face carved into an apple. Yes. Sure.

A child.

Now that's too big, surely.

But that's what she is. She is exactly the same as these things. A trace. An echo of something that could never be, never was, never could have been.

And the universe should never allow it. A whole person, that's just too much. She could not have continued to exist indefinitely, in normal circumstances, after her parents never existed.

In normal circumstances.

Because the Doctor didn't just save her from things coming out of the crack in her wall. He saved her from going into it. And he didn't just save her from the threat of going into it simply because of its vicinity.

No, by arriving when he did, he interrupted a process that was probably already in motion. And then by arriving again only moments later on a cosmic relative timestream (too quickly for the process to complete) and yet in the local relative timestream, years later --- years of a potential future caught midway through the process of rewriting -- he solidified that existence. Amy is a creature from another timeline, caught in amber. The Doctor prevented her from never existing, but only after she could already never exist.

And so, no one around Amelia thinks about it. Neither does she. There's some kind of consciousness block, because if you thought about it, really thought about it, for two seconds you'd realize she cannot exist. And the human mind can't deal with that. So, to protect itself, everyone's brain simply slides off it before ever noticing. They just assume that her existence makes sense, and don't question it, and don't notice what they don't question, that is staring them in the face.

But of course, to some extent they do notice. They can't think it, but they notice subconsciously that there's something they can't think. They notice there's something wrong with her, something uncanny. And they don't like it, and they alienate her even more because of it.

"Does it ever bother you Pond that your life existence doesn't make any sense?"

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

ily and I love your writing but can I just ask /how/ does one manage to write/post 180k in 3 weeks? I need tips and also your stamina

Okay to be really serious.

Practice. I've been writing every single day for two decades. A lot of it really is practice practice practice. You do something every day, you get good at it.

Write terribly. You gotta write a lot of shit before you can write a lot of good shit. Quantity doesn't equal quality. So get ready to write a lot of shit first.

Hold yourself accountable. For the past decade I've worked professionally in the publishing industry in one capacity or another. That means I've had to work to deadlines. I just got used to it. I don't recommend setting yourself a deadline if you're just starting out - that'll just put undue pressure on yourself. But if you've got a good rhythm going, it can help to set yourself a posting schedule for a fic (say, a chapter every week) as a form of self-accountability. It sucks but self discipline is sadly necessary.

Having said that...

TAKE. BREAKS. Stop if you're not having fun, and adjust your goals if you feel burnout approaching. At the end of September/start of October I had a very bad few weeks where I didn't think I could get all my planned Halloween fics out this year. So I was honest with my readers, and adjusted my schedule accordingly. You don't owe anyone else a damn thing, but you do owe it to yourself to take care of yourself.

Carrots, not sticks. Frankly? Treat yourself like a dog or a kindergarten student. Reward yourself! Gold star! You wrote 1k words? All right, a piece of chocolate or an episode of TV for you! Writers are so hard on themselves and that's just not how brains work. Teach your brain that writing gives you rewards! Writing gives you good things!

It's a marathon not a sprint. Stamina is something you build up to. If you want to run a marathon, you need to start training at least six months ahead of time, and you start very small: two miles. Not even five. Two. You build up slowly. And then, do you know what you do when you get close to twenty-six miles?

You drop back down. You run eighteen. Fifteen. Ten. Until for the last couple weeks before the marathon, you're down to just two miles again.

Then you run twenty six.

And then after that? You rest. You want to run another marathon? Great. Rest first. Then we build up again.

You can't run twenty six miles over and over and over. You will burnout. I burned out. I wrote 375,000 words last year for October. If you go into my Ao3 and look, I didn't write much of any fic the rest of the year. I wrote a Wednesday fic in February for a friend, two Xedgin fics in April, and then two more Xedgin fics in June. It was that break that allowed me to write so much for October.

I wish I had a ton of cool tips and tricks, but it really is simple, at least for me. Practice. For a long time. For years. Write a lot of shit so you can write a lot of good shit. Take breaks when you need to, use deadlines strategically, and reward yourself.

I hope any of this is helpful, nonny. Best of luck! ❤️

[vynnyal]

Turns out Sunlit Trail isn't quite done just yet, so after all that they just send you to a dead end 😂

[valeriannnn]

I know little of the Keepers and their cultural norms, but I suppose it should not come as a surprise that matters of grooming and personal maintenance should carry a more pragmatic connotation for those who live in such isolation - or perhaps our friend is simply strange, regardless of his context. I must admit: it was no small comfort to me, in those frigid days heralding the twilight of the Dragonsong War, to discover that our champion did not share our Sharlayan intuition toward personal space. Our more guarded companions don't always share my gratitude for the attention, but I believe that after our long estrangement, even the coldest of hearts could not fail to be warmed by such a gesture.

Wolcred Week 2024 Day 1: Warmth | Home

ok as mentioned in the tags i didnt have time to render a complete scene for this but i found this old mspaint sketch that demonstrates the Vibe. tyagoa just walked up behind him after cleaning up from their meal

[lilacandladybugs]

sometimes i ask my math professors why we're doing a certain thing and i dont know how to explain that i dont mean "this has no real world applications>:(" i mean what are the math applications?

it was such an exciting moment for me when i realized that since combinations/permutations are ways to find how things can be arranged, and probability is just the ways we can get something we're interested in over all the ways we could get something(want/all), combinations and permutations give us ways to find more complicated probabilities without being able to individually list all possible combinations by hand. so the "why are we doing this" for combinations/permutations is "so we can take more complicated probabilities later on". (It's also the basis for the binomial distribution!!)

without being able to understand the direction we're going with an idea it feels like a random exercise instead of the doorway to understanding more complex mathematical ideas and it also makes me feel like i don't understand how all the pieces of the class fit together.

[moe-broey]

One thing they don't tell you about the Senshi tulpa that WILL inevitably manifest in your mind to tell you to eat better is that. Every time I make myself a coffee via kuerig instantly, I can hear him. Lamenting the fact that I have become so accustomed to convenience and ease that even a standard coffee machine has become foreign to me. I am thinking about how to make coffee without use of a machine in the first place, I am wondering where my french press went, I can see him. In my mind. Showing me how to make coffee in The Dungeon. Dungeon Coffee.

[todayisafridaynight]

i sprained my wrist but duty calls

[bitegore]

if your ocs were bosses in a video game, what do you think their boss fight would be like?

[skeletalheartattack]

im showing my friend clanker the awesome six eggs and single ice key i found today

[hajihiko]

What’s your opinion on Nagito canonically shipping Sonia and Souda together

I think it says something about his worldviews that he just wants the best/easiest solution to the problem / wants what's best for his (dream)bestie, regardless of how realistic it is or how much sense it makes.

I think he *knows* (outside of his dreams) Sonia is mostly uncomfortable around Souda and Souda's crush is based more on his standards for what a dream gf is supposed to be (blonde, pretty, refined, this is Ideal Girl for Guy!) but he would still very much like it if they just stopped all that and had a nice and good relationship. And like, idk, that's kinda interesting to me? He wants what's best for his friends in a sort of distant-dreamlike way.

[irradiatedpiratebooty]

Gotta wean fallout 76 off the bug addiction gently, cutting it off cold turkey will just make the entire game crash and die

So every month or so it just gets a little taste of game breaking glitches

[rockitmans]

I was tagged by @forabeatofadrum, thank you thank you 💖

So I've been working on my Valentine's Day challenge but as evidenced by the fact I have posted nothing, I have barely had a moment to work on it and February is already passing me by 😱. I may give up posting it for this specific challenge but will continue working on it regardless because the thoughts are all there.

So the story is straight (ha!) Blaine runs into his ex and in a foolish effort to be "winning" the break up, claims to be dating Kurt.

Here's a little taster from the first chapter:

~~~~~

Blaine can feel the exact moment his soul leaves his body. He would have been quite happy never setting eyes on his ex again, but especially not under these specific circumstances. Not when his hair is a mess and there's a child's blood on his sweater.

"Blaine?" Holly says again. Like it's somehow possible Blaine hasn't seen her. Like he can't feel his heart trying to throw itself out of his chest at her mere presence. It's much the same as when they were dating, except this is not the positive kind of heart leaping. This is the prelude to a panic attack. He takes a shaky breath.

"Is that Holly?" Kurt asks, eyes narrowing. Blaine had forgotten he was there for a second and is suddenly infinitely grateful that he doesn't have to go this alone. Except now he has another problem. Because Kurt looks about ready to maul a defenceless woman in broad daylight. All on Blaine's behalf. This day is so cursed.

~~~

Tagging: @cryscendo @fallevs @justgleekout @blurglesmurfklaine

[sailor-artemis]

The Seconds Waiting

After the craziness of XIV write, I picked myself up and dusted myself off to write a little something for @bloodbywinter for this go-around of the FFXIV Swap, plus a couple GPose "illustrations" to go along with it! I'm pretty dang happy with how it all turned out, so I figured why not share it? Big thanks to the Swap discord for putting this together and to @bloodbywinter for sharing Asmundur with me; you can find the story below here or in a Google doc!

“They tell me about you, you know.” Koana unceremoniously broke the silence.

Asmundur looked over to the Hhetsarro as they sat and waited for news from Thancred, furrowed brow and skewed ears completing a quizzical sort of look.

“Thancred, and Urianger. Mostly Urianger, to be truthful.” Koana pulled his knees up to his chest, his worry for his sister clearly affecting him. “To say you've been busy would be a vast understatement, if even half of their tales are to be believed.”

Asmundur idly rubbed his arm as he waited for Koana to continue, sensing that Koana was speaking more to occupy his mind and fill the dead air than to try and glean some sort of advantage in the contest for the throne.

“I strive to be the person they seem to think I can be, but… I'm not sure even my best efforts will suffice. Having glimpsed the possibilities that Sharlayan technology holds, it's a challenge to return and not immediately see it as the solution to any given problem before me. To my eye, that isle seems like a paradise worth aspiring to, and yet… the further along in the contest we progress, the more I find myself wondering if I have the right of things.”

Asmundur remembered that feeling of frustration, early on in his studies. That moment when you've gained just enough knowledge to comprehend all the world's problems, but not enough wisdom to understand that the obvious solution often isn't the best one. It was something Urianger himself had done his best to instill in the Viera with their lessons, to varying degrees of success.

“It comes with time,” Asmundur said in a soft yet deliberate tone. “Knowing your own shortcomings is a good sign. It means Urianger is getting through to you, even just a little.”

Koana looked a bit surprised, his expression quickly changing into an embarrassed smile. “He must've taught you well, then, for you to have accomplished all you've done.”

“He is quite the teacher,” Asmundur replied, fixing his gaze on the part of his gauntlet that he was currently fiddling with. “Even if I wasn't always the best student. He was patient, and thoughtful, and…”

Koana let the silence that followed hang in the air for a moment, perhaps sensing that there was some history between Asmundur and Urianger that he was not privy to.

“...And I am fortunate enough to still count him as a friend.”

—

“Thine arrival is timely as ever.” Urianger turned around, finally ‘noticing’ Asmundur following him out of Bestways Burrow. The Viera gave him a look that laid feelings bare without speaking a word, daring him to try and weave another elaborate lie.

“‘Twas not mine intent to move in shadow, that I can promise you. It seems, however, that my capacity for deceit and duplicity hath caught the ears of our lunar compatriots, and…” Urianger heaved a sigh. “Most days I can put the deceptions of the past from my mind, but I struggle to think of aught else when my apparent talent for subterfuge seems to be the impression that comes to any stranger upon first meeting.”

“So the memories haunt us both, then,” Asmundur replied, filling the empty air. Urianger turned to look Asmundur in the eye for a moment, then fixed his gaze on a distant star above.

“Aye. The Exarch’s scheme backfired, for a mercy, but… thoughts of Moenbryda and Minfilia oft leave me pondering whether I had done them wrong by remaining silent, by not seeking any alternate course. By pushing them ahead on their paths of noble sacrifice. Would they have chosen another way, had one been offered them?”

“Much as I wish it weren’t so, I cannot imagine a scenario in which Minfilia would’ve chosen differently, given the circumstances.” It was Asmundur’s turn to sigh. “The thought has stuck with me these intervening years, wondering if maybe there was a way she could’ve survived, but… I think it was who she was, as a person, that made that decision before she’d ever been presented with it.”

“It seems thou hast the right of it.” Another deep exhale. “We struggle each new day, bearing the burden of those lost who still haunt us, and fighting to save those who remain, but… what of those who cannot be saved? How do we make peace with the dreadful algebra of necessity?”

“Sometimes there’s no right answer. The only wrong answer is to stop trying altogether, I think.” Asmundur crossed his arms, as if trying to somehow keep the rest of his thoughts from escaping into the air.

“I only speak for mine own experience, but… it would not come as a shock if all of us Scions had experienced moments where we began to doubt our own ability to affect change and help those in need, becoming trapped in the throes of malaise and indifference. ‘Twould not be difficult for me to recall examples of mine own personal difficulty with that very thing.”

“I certainly couldn't say I haven't had that exact thought,” Asmundur replied in commiseration. “Sometimes I… I worry that such inaction on my part may have struck wounds in those around me, wounds deeper than I could ever manage to heal on my own.”

“Mayhap the only salve for such an injury is the passing of the years.” Urianger offered a small smile to Asmundur, an olive branch of sorts.

“Maybe so.”

—

“I don't wish to pry, but… was there something between the two of you?” Koana inquired, curiosity winning out over decorum.

“No– well, sort of, but… not really.” Asmundur stumbled over his words, trying to navigate the unexpected line of questioning. After a breath, he continued. “Perhaps we could've been, had things been different. Had I been different. I don't know exactly how much of my past they've told you, but… we've lost many allies on the road to this moment. Sacrifices that were ultimately necessary for the maintenance of the peace we now take for granted, but…”

“That a sacrifice is necessary does not make it easier to swallow,” Koana filled in.

“Aye. And those sacrifices very nearly swallowed me. For many days and nights I was more or less lost in grief; a grief that manifested as a burning rage. It made me an effective weapon, but not so much a welcome companion. And once we’d been called to the First, the gap in the time that had passed between us made things… uncomfortable, for lack of a better word.”

Koana nodded in understanding, prompting Asmundur to continue.

“Calamities don't wait for your relationships to sort themselves out, so the urgency pushed us all back together soon enough, and with enough time, things smoothed out, you could say.” Asmundur shifted his weight slightly. “Enough to the point where I can count him among my friends once more, as I said before.”

“I… Thank you, Asmundur. For your honesty. It's not often I can simply speak my mind and receive a reply from the heart.” Koana adjusted his glasses, a nervous habit. “Lamaty’i, she… she's an open book, but always to a happy page, it seems. There are things I wish to tell her, concerns about our brother, about our homeland, about… me, but it feels like I would only weigh her down if I did.”

“I’m reminded just now of something Urianger told me, many moons ago. What I imagine he might say, were he here.”

“And what might that be?”

—

Another moment of silence lingered as they both gazed out over the moon’s surreal landscape.

“I suppose in all of my words mayhap I have neglected to say it plain. I will consider the Loporrits’ proposition with care, and I plan to keep you all apprised of any developments. ‘Twould be to our mutual benefit if we could converse more openly with our aspiring caretakers, something I should be glad to address on the Scions’ behalf.” Asmundur’s posture relaxed slightly, as did Urianger’s in turn. “I can scarce remember the last time we last spoke like this, and so candidly. For all my supposed skill with words, I oft find it difficult to express such private thoughts, so I offer thee my sincere thanks.”

“I appreciate your candor,” Asmundur replied. “It reminds me of the way we used to talk, long ago.”

“It does feel like a bygone ritual, does it not?” Urianger let out a tiny chuckle, defusing the tension. “One we used to partake in more often, to my memory.” Asmundur nodded in fond remembrance.

—

“To dispense with all pretense and bare one's heart to another is a frightening thing indeed. But we cannot move forward ere we take that bold first step.” Asmundur answered Koana, quoting Urianger’s words faithfully from amidst the memory.

—

“‘Tis a lesson I have learned many times before...and again today, ‘twould seem.” Urianger continued, after a momentary pause.

“One we’ve both learned,” Asmundur corrected.

“One we’ve both learned, then,” Urianger repeated. “In truth, my reason for traveling hither was to effect a plan of mine own. A plan which may pave a way forward for us all. I had rather intended to bear its burden of success or failure alone, but… ‘twould be remiss of me to not extend my scheme to encompass us both, should thou wish to take part. So, wouldst thou join in mine endeavor?”

Asmundur uncrossed his arms, letting his hands subconsciously find pockets to rest in. “So what’s this plan, then?”

—

“Perhaps I will have to put your– rather, Urianger's words into practice, then. Speak my thoughts to Lamaty'i, in spite of my apprehension,” Koana replied, after a moment's consideration.

“If there's one thing my limited experience with your sister has shown, it's that she's a great listener.”

Right on cue, Koana’s linkpearl chimed, and he turned his focus to what was likely Thancred on the other end, calling with news of Wuk Lamat’s captors. Asmundur silently turned his focus to the waters of the nearby river, simply watching it flow by as he awaited the next move in their rescue effort. As he stood up from the grassy bank to follow behind an already-in-motion Koana, he made a mental note to check in with Urianger the next time their paths crossed.

[an--artistic--autistic]

i just made the connection that the reason I've always hated computer mice is because the joints in my hands are underdeveloped

I've never successfully used a mouse without pain or discomfort

since my first laptop in 2011 i have always preferred to use the trackpads, even buying the fancy apple bluetooth one last year to use on the desktop computers at work and school

[trainingdummyrabbit]

btw tumblr low contrast theme SWEEEEEEEEP