#dontlistentome

[untraditionalviews]

Culture?

I write on here instead of my book because its more influential on here even with no readers just cause its the internet. Writing is for the 17th century

We need to evolve, and I think that we slowly are. Democracy is slow but true

[eurydicees]

THE HEATING IS ON !!!! I AM WARM AND COZY IN MY APARTMENT!!! thank you infinitely @starchildghost and @takemyadvice-dontlistentome for your help!!! turns out that the knob y'all talked about was in fact the right one to turn, however the heating in my apartment was messed up (emergency stopped????? apparently???????) which is why the knob didn't do anything initially. but i came home from work and it was fixed and i am no longer shivering so life is actually not a nightmare!!!!

don’t know how to turn the heat on in my apartment and i’m too scared to ask but also i can’t feel my fingers.

[thatduckvader]

Be a ray of sunshine, even when the world seems dark... #NoFilters #dontlistentome #idontknowwhatimtalkingabout #itookthepicpurelyforaestheticreasons #butseriously 😬 https://www.instagram.com/p/BsyBTDOlTMV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cr3q2d0vx6lf

[theramblinggamer]

PARENTING HACK If you’re like me, you and your kids might be getting bored of having the same breakfast of cereal, Oreos, spare toys, and sour patch kids every day. Changing things up with some blueberries, sliced strawberries and sliced avocado for a far more messy and time consuming breakfast your kids will love! 💕 And for those of you with more than one kid: Just ignore them!🥰 Follow me for more #ParentingHacks #joke #humor #DontListenToMe #ihavenoideawhatimdoing https://www.instagram.com/p/CcJdzD6pJGA1JQ64mRgpSyBLE0VEc5GuhCjScU0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[luulapants]

@takemyadvice-dontlistentome yep!

I have incredibly high arches. Like, a millimeter from being an operable medical condition. And my arches go all the way across so even the outside edges don't touch the ground. I've been in physical therapy multiple times for issues related to my feet.

The first time, I developed hip issues, and the therapist quickly figured out that it was from me walking wrong: my feet rolled outward so I was essentially walking on the outer edges of my feet. They worked selective muscle groups to help me stop doing that, and they said I should avoid shoes with arch support because arch support is only on the inside and would make the rolling worse (that's specifically a me issue, not an arch-support-in-general issue). But, even years later, when my legs got tired on long hikes, I would still catch myself rolling my feet out to the sides.

The second time was after COVID lockdowns when a lack of outdoor activity caused my arches to (painfully) fall so far that I went up a full shoe size. A podiatrist suggested shoes with better arch support, but I explained that I had been told I can't use arch support because of the rolling issue. He said I might need to have custom inserts made but in the meantime sent me for more PT.

My physical therapist told me emphatically that he didn't like arch support and instead wanted me to build up the muscles that support my arch. My problem wasn't some spontaneous congenital issue. I'd had these feet my whole life without the arches collapsing until I suddenly had a massive decrease in walking and the muscles deteriorated. Sure enough, a few weeks of exercises and my feet went back to their usual size.

BUT we figured something else out during PT: most of my work was done barefoot, and my therapist commented that he never saw me rolling my feet, even though I'd told him it was an issue. I thought about it and remarked that it was probably because my toes are spread while I'm barefoot, which balances me better.

All of this was briefly derailed by The Great Breaking of Both my Legs of 2022, after which I had to start over. But somewhere in there, a friend had recommended barefoot shoes to me, and one of their defining features is a wide toe box that allows your toes to spread. They also have thin, flexible soles that allow your foot to move and forces you to engage your foot muscles while walking, which creates strong arches and better flexibility that can make you more resilient against foot injury.

TL;DR Your feet probably aren't inherently bad in a way that needs more support. You're just walking in shoes that don't allow your feet to work the way they're supposed to.

Would like to state for the record that the official stance of this blog is that arch support and ultra-supportive shoes are a conspiracy by Big Podiatry to give you mechanically compromised feet that continually require podiatric care

[peanutsspecials]

First Appearance: November 2, 1963 #linusvanpelt #oh #greatpumpkin #never #believe #again #dontlistentome #idontknow #saying #peanutsmonday #peanutsstrong #peanutshome #staysafe #schulz #ps #pnts #peanuts #peanutscoloringbook #officialpeanutsspecials https://www.instagram.com/p/CHGmDJDgVK-/?igshid=1c7n9vfmj1nu2

[sydvscious]

Why does a trombone player cross the road?

To get to the other slide.

[ciarameghan]

I mean...I have great single advice! #dontdothattoyourself #whatsarelationship #noentiendo #soyouwanttobesingle #igotchu #dontlistentome https://www.instagram.com/p/Bybc72MgSIW/?igshid=121vvok5e8ktf

[riddlemall]

I am so sick of feeeeelllling like thiiiiiiisssss. There's a pit in my stomach and I want to dieeeee

[gypsin]

Thoughts on the Soulmate Trope

Here are some of my thoughts, notes & tips on writing the soulmates trope. (clearly, I’ve been thinking about writing my own soulmate fic someday and how I want to do it)

It’s also pretty clear that I went a bit overboard with my thoughts. So since that’s the case I thought I’d share.  Below are soulmate ‘quirks’, my thoughts on them, and ‘roadblocks’ followed by a general example and some ranting.

Enjoy!

Quirks: (These are mostly just the ones I can remember other people using.)

- writing on your skin shows up on your soulmate too.

This is basically just a pen pals trope. XD

-dream sharing

Always a fun one, but it takes a lot of creativity to be pulled off really well IMO.

-sharing/splitting injuries

almost a surefire hurt/comfort fic if you use this one, but some people use it like the ‘writing on your skin’ quirk and just hint at the connection with bruises and small cuts.

-telepathy

(especially in moments of physical or mental weakness)

-seeing something about the other that no one else can see

It could be anything from a weird/supernatural physical trait, (pointed ears/ fangs/ weird eye color/ mysterious tattoo, etc) to something even stranger (tiny spirits that follow people around, each others aura, flashes of who they used to be in a past life) whatever appeals to you and your story.

-shared birthmarks / soulmarks

Oh man soulmarks, it’s like one of the most popular quirks in the trope. And it’s really versatile too! For example, the position of the mark could indicate the kind of relationship it will be  (ex: over the heart = true love, on the hand = steadfastness and resolve)

And a lot of the time the mark is a clue toward who the other person is. it’s a great opportunity for symbolism in a story. Or you could just straight up make the soulmarks be each other’s NAMES, there are a billion ways you could play it.

-first touch/ eye contact triggers intense mental or physical reaction

(usually feelings of love coming from a past life or some sort of future nostalgia’?’) this is sort of the bread and butter quirk of the trope. Its main issue is that it makes for a SUPER short fic if the two people just fall in love at first sight/touch with no hijinx involved. But I’ve also seen it effectively mixed with quirks like shared emotions, telepathy, and dream sharing so it all depends on how you use it I guess.

-shared emotions/sensations

(intense anger, sadness, joy, pain, pleasure, etc)( intensity can likely be controlled or varies based on the situation) this is a fun one if you’re writing smut for sure, but it's interesting to play with all around too. It basically means every stressful/amazing moment gets shared with the other person and with a supportive couple that’s going to get you far in the fluff & hurt/comfort camps.

-intense need to be near each other

(can compel one or both to drop what they are doing and go to each other, especially in times of distress.)

the weird thing about this one is that I’ve seen it used alongside all sorts of other quirks, and it totally works. Like if one character gets hit by a car in a soulmates fic it's almost guaranteed that this quirk is going to hit the other person like a freight train for no good reason and they are RUNNING to the scene of the accident/hospital.

But it’s sort of unsurprising that it works considering the fact that the whole point of the soulmates trope is that the characters share a weird magical/spiritual bond.

- soulmates can hear each other sing no matter how far apart they are

I’ve seen this one before in a MLB fic and it was cute/silly as HELL. I firmly encourage more inventive and oddly specific quirks like this to fatten up the trope.

-the ability to share what the other is seeing and/or hearing.

(If it’s at will then it probably requires concentration for a clear picture/sound)

I’ve seen this one in movies and it’s pretty cool! But a lot of what’s makes it work is the story going on around them and not the romance itself. I’m not saying to neglect the romance but if you use this quirk you’d better have a super good story to go along with it because this one is all about how the character’s share their lives and situations with each other. If you don’t make those lives interesting then the quirk is wasted. But that’s just my opinion.

With soulmate AU’s you could have it so that everyone has the same quirk or You could mix it up and use all of them (In that instance, I would make some of these more common than others. ex: writing on the skin= rare, birth/soulmarks = semi-rare, first touch/ eye contact = common.) OR you could even make it so that nobody really knows about or believes in soulmates and make your couple an oddity.

Either way,  the point of the soulmate trope is that the side effect of the bond helps lead the couple together. But if you make it too easy then the relationship won’t feel genuine or earned.

Typically, you have one character who is cautiously hopeful about finding and falling for their soulmate (or is extremely eager about meeting their soulmate. See below.)

And the other character has hit some sort of roadblock that has to be overcome.

But they could both have their own issues on dating their soulmate too. It’s all up to the type of characters you're portraying and their circumstances.

Common soulmate roadblocks:

-not everyone HAS a soulmate or theirs died before they could meet and someone that doesn't have one gets jealous and tries to separate the couple.

-one of them is confused by the bond’s clues and think its leading them to someone else.

-one of them thinks the bond is wrong or that they've over thought it because they don't initially approve of their chosen partner / think their partner is too good for them /etc.

-the bond’s side effect gets in the way of their everyday life and they come to resent the other person regardless of if it's their fault or not.

-one of the characters flat out disapproves of their partner being ‘chosen for them’ regardless of who it is.

-one of them (or possibly a family member/friend) is WAY too eager about the soulmate thing and puts pressure on the other person to start a romantic relationship with their partner asap and ends up scaring them away.

-regardless of the bond they still don't find each other for years or were looking in the wrong places. (likely only find one another after they've given up) (god I hate this one, it's so sad)

-one of them gives up on finding their soulmate and goes out with someone else (only to find them during or after the breakup stages) (not fond of this one either)

-saw/ heard about a soulmate bond that should have been platonic turn romantic and then go up in flames.

-knew someone who's soulmate died and doesn't want to go through all that pain someday.

I suggest choosing at least two to make a more complex relationship that will feel earned. But you should do way more if you’re writing a multi-chapter fic. Just remember to stay consistent with the character’s situation and reasoning, and try not to overcompensate with roadblocks.

Example:

The setting is an Au where everyone knows their soulmate via soulmarks

Character A (female) wants to have a relationship with their SM and has a mark of a black fox on her shoulder.  

Character B (male) disapproves of their partner being ‘chosen for them’ regardless of who it is. This is probably compacted by the embarrassing fact that he has a pink butterfly on his shoulder. This has affected his day to day life and he resents his SM for it.

When they meet B see’s A’s fox soulmark (because she’s purposely showing it off so she can find her SM.) But he keeps his hidden.

B tries to avoid A but can’t completely. A does/says something endearing and B’s walls come down a little and they get to know each other. B starts falling for A.

From there you can go a bunch of different ways. You can end the story there by having A do/say something that makes B fall completely in love, reveal his soulmark and admit to his feelings, OR you can drag out the roadblocks you have by making B unwilling to admit to anything and have him agonize over it a while longer.

Adding roadblocks at this point is okay too.

Maybe A finds out B hid his soulmark from her and didn’t originally want to be with her and gets offended. Or Maybe A’s family is WAY too eager about the soulmate thing and ends up spooking B away again. Or you can add a jealous coworker or friend to try and sabotage the relationship and have B get jealous/ protective.

Just bear in mind that their mental states have already been covered in this example so you shouldn’t make any more mental roadblocks. Making B suddenly cut off A after they’ve gotten close because he knew someone who's soulmate died and he’s totally traumatized doesn’t make sense. Either lay out all the emotional issues at the start or keep quiet about them and lay it out later to make it a surprise. Don’t just ADD emotional issues into the mix randomly.

On the same note, I think other kinds of roadblocks get more leeway. Just don't constantly tease the reader with potential relationship development and then have some event or drama just as constantly interrupt/ruin it. People WANT to see the couple get closer. Don't drag out the story just because you can, you have to make it flow naturally. (but I feel like that should go without saying)

[untraditionalviews]

Violence

American political violence has been a thing since we revolted against a colonial government thru Hamilton's death at the vice presidents hand all the way to this Sunday. If anything this shows how trump is Andrew Jacksonish in the sense that they cant kill him only history will be able to bury him. Andrew Jackson was the first populist and first truly democratically elected president,history might have buried Andrew but Donald is not him he's just a cheap imitation.

[breesmith]

here we go...

What’s the ultimate cake topping? homemade buttercream

Do you prefer to wash in the mornings or evenings? evenings Have you ever walked into a wall? today? Do you prefer vertical or horizontal stripes? depends, probably vertical though

Can you name all 50 American states? i can do it alphabetically and in under a minute :)

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle? been on the back a few times What makes you nervous? ha, everything Are you ticklish? not really Do you ever forward or reply to chain mails? don’t get those anymore Have you ever tried to make your own alcohol? no, but i mix drinks at home Is it criminal to wear socks with sandals? unless you’re a 70 year-old man! If you were to join one of the armed forces, which would it be? i’d plead insanity and get out of it If you swapped genders for a day, how would you spend it? trying to figure out why they don’t have common sense Have you ever starred in a school play? no, but i’d help set up the stage in high school What historical period would you like to live in if you could go back in time? maybe the 1920′s or 1950′s Have you ever been to see stand up comedy? no, but i’d love to Have you ever needed stitches? just in my gums from wisdom tooth extraction Do you ever laugh at things you shouldn’t? more than i should Have you ever been in a submarine? not a moving one, just toured the one at OMSI What would you do if someone proposed to you tomorrow? a million times yes (if it was my partner, obviously) How high can you jump? not high at all Which fictional character do you wish was real? nick miller.  he’s the most real character i’ve seen on television Do you like vanilla or chocolate? like both, but definitely prefer chocolate. Do you think Barbie is a negative role model for young girls? no, people are too sensitive  Do you prefer Honey or Jam? jam Do you read a daily newspaper? no, but i’m sure my dad still does Do you own a lava lamp? not for like twenty years Have you ever been in a hot tub or sauna? both, had a sauna growing up Have you ever had chicken pox? yeah when i was like 3 Do you believe there used to be dragons? maybe some sort of dinosaur that could resemble one; that’d be so dope though Who would you want to be with on a desert island? no one, but kam would be my pick to be stuck anywhere What’s the worst show on television? all those stupid reality shows Who’s your favorite god from ancient history? cleopatra? What was the last present you received? new outfit, taffy, cash, roses (my birthday was last week) Could you go out with someone who had a child from a previous relationship? probably not What was your first alcoholic drink? bitch-beer smirnoff or wine coolers Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? mexico when i was two; california was the first one i remembered though What was your first detention for? forging my mom’s signature to leave class early What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema? i honestly don’t know What nicknames do you have/have had? bree is pretty much the only one Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends? maybe

Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink? fuck no Have you ever carved a pumpkin? of course Did you ever have a treehouse as a kid? no, but i had other cool stuff Do you plan to vote in the next election? fuck no Have you ever appeared on YouTube? nope Have you ever been on radio? i’ve tried, but no Do you bite your nails? sadly, yes Are you much of an adventurer? not so much Do you like your own name? it’s better than the alternatives How long has your longest ever phone call been? no clue, it’s been years since i’ve had a long phone call Have you ever stolen anything? a long time ago Could you ever have an affair with a married person? no Could you ever split up a couple for one reason or another? i wouldn’t get involved Do you get hayfever? no Have you ever planted a tree? i don’t think so Do you believe in karma? oh yes Which celebrity do you find the most annoying? kardashians, ariana grande, all those other annoying bimbos If you discovered a new species of dinosaur, what would you call it? kamasaur, my boyfriend would love that

[drowninsuzapalooza]

Spent too many hours with human contact today.

I brought it on myself.

Always do.

Ask and shall receive.

Probably need to find a way to fit snacks into my life when I decide to work all day.

Today made me realize how much eating food can change my attitude. Not sure why this took 29 years of life for me to figure out but looks like I’ll be working on it.

People talk and people say so much without ever saying a word...but their body will tell everything you need to know.

Besides that.

I have this thing about me where I don’t really enjoy “being mean” to others. I don’t like to call people out of their names. I don’t like angry, unnecessary confrontation because I don’t find amusement in talking down to another person or purposely hurting someone else’s feelings. I try my best not to talk bad about others. I try not to get angry because of what someone else says. It’s a trained thought to know that another being should never be able to have any power over the thoughts I have or the actions I make and this is where I fail. I allow other’s actions to somehow filter through any barrier I have and in turn show a side of myself that I’m not at all proud of. I want to be the person that can smile proudly and know I did the best that I could do no matter what I was given to do it with. I want to know that my job is done at the end of the day and I can go home and start fresh tomorrow. Every day is a new day and I want to treat them as such. I lack greatly in holding my self accountable for my own actions. Discipline, who’s she? I haven’t known her for a while now. Certainly can’t find it in another person if I can’t give it to myself. And as always... People who give the greatest advice often are the ones failing to listen to their own words and it’s past time for me to get my shit together.

“But don’t let my problems distract me so much dealing with them, I forget my mission.”

[not0a0philosophy]

Social Acceptability

Social acceptability is something that has been bothering me lately.

What has a social media enriched life created via social acceptability? Has social cliques created movements just because everyone is able to comment, like, and share?

Just shows that whatever passes as acceptable on social media will eventually be indoctrinated into law.

[antireason]

Day 28: "Gift" Use code GIFT for 25% off in store. #inktober #dessin #dibujo #cartooning #dontlistentome https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp8TdeJBjwk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16j1tecatmqnr

[iamspiritwolf]

B E E P B E E P #listentome #dontlistentome #talktome #donttalktome #dancewithme #dontdancewithme no... #beepbeep #davidbowie #fashion #artwork #art #edwardbell #1981 #glamour