#finally going thru my notes tags etc

[fismoll7secinv]

✨ people I wanna know better! ✨

Tagged by the amazing @cytharat 💚 thank u 💚💚

Last Song? I went to fall out boy's concert recently and pvris played as support and now I listen to them a lot xd

Favourite colour? i wouldn't be able to live without all the colours. but green is close to my heart so the simple answer is 💚

Currently watching? Dark, Love between fairy and devil, Severance, Ghost files s2

Currently reading? finished copper coins not long ago and I haven't had the spoons to start something else yet

Last movie? The howling (1981)

Sweet/spicy/savoury? spicy 🌶🌶

Relationship status? yea

Current obsessions? everything that watcher entertainment has going. My oldest pen&paper rpg campain that is being reactivated this friday after a 3-year break!!! I'm digging through old notes, art, and my character's journal in preparation and it's taking me back 🥺 I can't wait to play again <333 except we ended on war and pandemic happening in the universe (how ironic) so it's gonna be tough

Last thing you googled? columbia theater berlin (was checking it out bc i'm going there in march for a welcome to night vale live show <333)

Selfie? nah

Currently working on: surviving and keeping it together :') preparing the garden for winter and renovating my flat. learning some stuff for work and trying not to collapse from stress ✌

Tagging (no pressure as always) @yanwushi @a-very-fond-farewell @wren-of-the-rain @cononeillbreastingboobily @qinimodd @prommethium @maidofmetal

[loving-n0t-heyting]

Hi! So, seeing you in my notes reminded me that I meant to ask you about that Instrumentality poll. Being as I am tumblr user 人類補完計画, I have, asyoumightimagine, a lot of interest in the topic, and I'd be very curious to hear *your* thoughts on Shinji's choice - in part because you mentioned in the tags that you were wondering whether your take aligned with the consensus view, but also because I feel like you're among the most distinctive & intellectually honest philosophical voices I've encountered on here, and I do wonder how your faith, along with your overall view on things, influences your take(s) re:EoE.

I was going to wait until the poll finally closed but i think its been plateauing for a couple of days now anyway so i might as well. This is all going to be pretty vague and mysticism-y ofc, especially given the vagueness and mysticism of the source material itself, and im going off of memory on top of that (i am not putting myself thru the emotional hurdle of rewatching EoE just for a post, sorry)

So, first off, my interpretation of shinjis ultimate choice is to reject instrumentality for all of humanity, to retain our ATFs and our individuality. And i lean towards thinking this was a mistake, on his part. I sometimes see ppl suggest that he offered everyone a choice to either join or refuse instrumentality, but i tend to think this is just projection; idr anything in the text to clearly support this

Im not really sure how to go about arguing for this position directly, beyond rebutting objections. To the extent we are given a clear explanation of what an ATF is, it is smth like the secrecy of our own thoughts and desires and personality; ie, others ignorance of those things. Ignorance is a terrible thing, just generally, in itself! Like impotence. Its terrible in proportion to the importance/value of the things one is ignorant of, and ppl are about the most valuable things there are. Thats much of whats so bad about death, which is why it makes perfect sense the dead get to join in HI as well. So, putting it all together, the presence of ATFs is a terrible imposition, and their removal thru HI is a great blessing, maybe even the greatest possible blessing. And this shows itself in the end of strife and discord and the beginning of real unity of spirit and will, but its already present in the mere dissolution of interpersonal ignorance

The narrative itself frames this as an erasure of individuality, but im not sure how to understand this. Is the idea supposed to be that we would not survive the loss of our ATFs? Im not sure thats even intelligible: the loss of our ATFs is just the lifting of certain kinds of ignorance or, in other words, the instilling of certain kinds of knowledge. Knowledge in whom? In those undergoing human instrumentality. So clearly we survive HI, if it involves us coming into knowledge, and thus being around to know these things. Is this supposed to mean our distinctive contributions to the diversity of human experience etc would all be destroyed in favour of some uniform replacement? I dont see why that would be necessary; we can certainly imagine ways ppls varying idiosyncratic quirks can all "make it into" some sufficiently rich collaborative work. Why should HI not be the same? I suppose the fact it involves everyones bodies into a homogeneous sea of yellow goop speaks against this, but my inclination is to read this as a sort of pupal stage from which a mature instrumentalised humanity can emerge. Tho thats admittedly a bit of a reach

Theres yet another negative interpretation of the "destruction of individuality" i sometimes hear: that it would somehow rob us each of our agency and ability to shape the world in accord with our desires and beliefs. This goes along with a worry that the inauguration of HI would necessarily be a violation of consent and mental autonomy, which strikes me as misguided for much the same reason. Our ignorance of one another is not an individual condition of oneself in particular one can opt in or out of irrespective of the choices of others; if my not being able to retsin my ATF is a violation of my "autonomy", why is my retaining my ATF not in turn a violation of the autonomy of the others being thereby kept ignorant of my deepest self? Mutual ignorance of one anothers mental states (including that very ignorance) is in no interesting way reducible to the ignorant subjects each having certain "individual" or "intrinsic" or "internal" states that can individually and unilaterally be shifted without affecting those of the others; it is an "external" relation. So thinking about HI in terms of individual, unilaterally revocable consent is confused; the fact it is changing is irreducibly collective, and thus consent to it and only be given or refused collectively if at all. Hopefully thats not too opaque

This reply feeds into my answer to the worry about the dilution of ones agency and control over the world. This objection makes sense against a background view on which, for an agent A to control the answer to a question Q and a distinct agent A* to control the answer to a question Q*, Q and Q* must be modally independent: any answer to the latter must be compossible with any answer to the former. Or that, if this isnt true, this is bc As control over Q or A*s over Q* must be only "limited" or "partial" or w/e. My rejection of this assumption (which is i think what lies behind the last objection about autonomy) is probably my deepest, most abstract anti-liberal commitment. Its a conception of control or freedom that i think ultimately requires a debilitatingly narrow view of what full freedom could look like, or of what facts can amount to states of a person. (For example, i think it prolly requires you to say that knowing that the sun rises, a property entailing the "external" fact that the sun rises, is not actually a state of a person, in some important sense, rather than smth like a conjunction of a state of a person and a state of the horizon/sun.) But going all the way into this would probably take a lengthy book; mb i will try to work it out slightly more precisely at some point tho

You asked how my feeling about EoE connect with my faith, and broader view of the world. This illiberal assumption is close to the heart of it. I am always tempted in this context to quote marxs comments in the 1848 manuscripts about the whole of nature being the "inorganic body of man", and i dont think im alone in seeing connections between those passages and remarks like pauls about the mystical body of the church ("So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." Now there is smth for mereologists to chew on!!) And this is a trend you see elsewhere in the Christian tradition, like dantes description of the celestial eagle in paradiso xviii-xx. I was surprised, when talking to an atheist friend about my tentative support for HI, that they said my christianity made sense of my disagreement with them about this point; not bc i dont think theres a connection but bc idt of these emphases on the unity of the mystical body as particularly prominent in outsiders impressions of Christian belief

Anyway, hopefully that was at least somewhat illuminating. Thx for the kind words ^^

[iandarling]

WEEKLY TAG WEDNESDAY

thank you for the tag lovely @michellemisfit

Name: Katrine

Age: 25

Location: Norway 🏔️

Top sheet, yes or no? i had to google this because it’s not something we use here, so…no?

How many stuffed animals do you own? i’m a proud mother of two squishmellows

The names of your pets (and the explanations behind them): both my birds have passed at this point, but i had two budgies called Polter (a character from a kids tv show) and Romeo (because he was the handsomest little boy, sometimes we called him casanova)

Favourite colour: pastel pink 🌸or lemon yellow🍋

Any tattoos: nooOooo i’m too indecisive and i’m also scared of needles (but i would like a shark or whale tattoo one day) 🐋

How you transport your belongings (purse, tote, hands, pockets, etc.); i’m a bag/purse girl, i love a cute little bag or tote

The last movie you watched: The Amazing Spiderman 🕸️

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?: it can be anywhere from 10-40 mins, depending on what i’m doing and where i’m going

Favourite weather: a lovely april day; not too cold but not sweltering hot

Relationships status: single, but i do want a relationship (but i don’t wanna date and i don’t wanna talk to boys so you see my problem)

Ice cream flavor of choice: ice cream is my favourite thing in the world how could i choose!! hmm i guess vanilla, brownie, caramel, and cookie dough

First fandom: BBC Merlin or Les Mis

How many books have you read this year?:…i started reading TBOSAS and forgot i was reading it halfway thru, then i started rereading Jane Austen…i mainly read fanfic tbh

First 4 words of your last notes app entry: a little more than 4 words but it’s what i’m working on rn “Lip Gallagher- a life in five chapters”

And finally, if you had to change your URL tomorrow, what would you change it to?: well my first ever screen name online was “wishful fairy” but i’m no longer 11 years old, so i think i’ll stick to the ones i got now lol

Please join in!!

@mickeygifs @mickeym4ndy @mickeysgaymom @em-harlsnow @roryonic @iangallagherisadeadman @iansfreckles @iansw0rld @ianspaw @stocious

[elgatofx]

COMMISSIONS OPEN 💜💜

a lil short on money rn and I could use all the help I can get to pay off my tuition

Reblogs are very appreciated and supporting my kofi is also very appreciated 💜

I have decided to open my commissions here on Tumblr aswell for those that don't have twitter.

More info under the cut

SERVICES💜💜

these are all my services and how much I charge for. Inclusions are all included but feel free to ask any questions in dms or in the comments. 💜

EXTRA INFO💜

Here are all my add ons and important notes.

You may pay thru ko-fi, Paypal or Gcash (for those living in the Philippines).

detailed TOS:

Client must read, understand and agree to all the terms listed below before going through with the commission

Prices may change without further notice (May go higher or lower depending on how tight I am with cash)

I have the right to post commissioned works (With watermark to reduce theft) on my social media platforms and tag you. If you do not want to either be mentioned in my post/remain anonymous and or not have your commission posted. Please specify

ALL MY PRICES ARE ONLY ON EITHER USD OR PHP (for GCash). Commissions can be paid 100% upfront or 50/50 to those who don't order through my ko-fi directly. However, I will not move forward from the sketch unless the other half has been paid.

I have the right to refuse a commission either because I am uncomfortable with the request or it is beyond my capabilities. In an event where I cancel your commission after you have paid, you will receive a full refund. But if you cancel after the sketch has already been approved (I have already started on the lineart, coloring, etc.) you will only get back 50% of what you paid.

Please be patient! I am human and have a life outside of art and commissions. I WILL finish your commission. My turnaround time after I have started on your commission is usually 1-2 months (It may take longer depending on my workload but it rarely happens).

I usually work on commissions at night (8PM - 12AM GMT+8) from Monday to Saturday and on Sundays (Whole day). In an event where I cannot work on your commission due to homework or an upcoming test. I will be sure to notify you.

I usually post cropped WIPs and sometimes (rarely but it happens) stream the process. Please tell me if you have issues regarding this.

I DO NOT condone my art being used for any AI software, resold for a higher price than what you paid for, traced over, used for commercial purposes (unless discussed beforehand) or used for monetary gain.

REVISIONS💜

You only have a max of 3 revisions per commissioned piece.

A fee will be charged if you wish to change something to the final piece. Simple background changes are free (bg color change, etc.)

Additional fee amount will depend on how drastic the change is.

For more questions please message me in any of my socials

Elgatofx_ (Twitter)

Elgatofx (Tumblr)

Krispcross (Discord)

enterelis419@gmail.com (gmail)

[starlightkeybright]

tagged!! by @astarionsass !! :3

name: gwilly

age: 32

location: cali

top sheet, yes or no? yes???? I didn't know this was a question??? alright

how many stuffed animals do you own? tons lmao, they're ALL over my room and also in a box and in my closet

the names of your pets (and the explanations behind them): Betsy! cuz she looks like a cow (it was my mom's idea)

favorite color: green!

any tattoos? i want a couple but have none

how you transport your belongings (purse, tote, hands, pockets, etc.): bag! I have 3 bags/purses currently that I cycle thru depending on what I'm bringing along

the last movie you watched: in theaters, it was endgame. at home, it was godzillaxkong

how long does it take you to get ready in the morning? depends, but like....5-10 minutes lmao, usually not that long at all

favorite weather: gimme 65 plz with no humidity

relationship status: single

ice cream flavor of choice: neo is my general go to, just give me some vanilla, chocolate and strawberry and I'm good. but there's other stuff, like caramel I've liked recently

first fandom: hmm, I guess the first one I really got into was left 4 dead

how many books have you read this year? 0 lmao, I haven't sat down and read a book in ages. when I used to read good sized books in like 4 days (rip those days)

first 4 words of your last notes app entry: oh boy. "evil is merely a" ......here, the full note says "evil is merely a perspective which no longer concerns me"

and finally, if you had to change your URL tomorrow, what would you change it to? no idea??? I really like this one lmao. maybe something like "starlightjelly"...I got no ideas right now, my brain has been in a fog all week

i tag no one lol, do this if you'd like!

[trans-leek-cookie]

The most normal blog on Tumblr dot com. You can kill me with an axe to take my title

hi. I'm some guy on the internet

I dont really have a name I go by online so just call me CVS, J, or Slime, or whatecer. I'm TME and some kinda nonhuman (trans) man, Chinese/White and use he/him, they/them, xe/xem, and whatever other pronouns (minus she/her). I'm also aro/ace

I'm regularly dealing with Mental Health Issues, primarily severe depression mixed with Grief. I'm also just kind of a cunt. This all means I am very Negative as a person.

Proshippers/anti antis, AO3 supporters, transandrophobia truthers, zionists etc. Given the chance I would kill us both.

Not as strong but I'll probably block you if you're a bi/mspec lesbian (and similar label) supporter, "toothpaste" (green+blue) gay flag user, or pro-endogenic systems. Just block me or whatever we shouldn't interact

Also no minors thanks. No hard feelings.

Also- for the love of God Do Not Interact or Follow if you are an ED focused blog. I'm not gonna make any judgements but that topic is just one that is BAD for my mental health.

If you follow me I may look thru ur blog. If I dont vibe I'll probably hard block this isn't super serious the block button is just so fun to press.

I try to tag common triggers as either #(trigger) TW / #(trigger) / #(trigger) ment. The TW form is most common. If I'm unsure it will be tagged "#ask to tag" BUT even if it's not tagged that I'm fine with tagging whatever. I do have a pretty bad memory so if you need a more obscure trigger to always be tagged that probably won't work :^(

Sometimes I talk about personal issues with mental health. I try to tag these but it's not super consistent. Big things are anger issues/compulsive skin picking/Severe Depression.

Transandrophobia isn't real but I'm also the world's biggest transandrophobe. It's a hard job but someone's gotta do it.

Final notes: let me know if I RB from someone fucked up (and if possible please give me a link to the post cause memory issues + tumblr search being Bad is a horrid combo). If I say something fucked up PLEASE specify what it was don't make me assume. I try to write image descriptions for most of the images I post in alt text but they might be bad. I will often say violent or very angry shit bc I have Issues so if that's a problem. Yeah. I'm an artist and art makes me so mad I wish I was dead. Also I'm not into Cookie Run any more I just like Leek Cookie.

[rainbow-paints-for-after-colony]

an assortment of themes

What are we doing this year, Karu?

What we do every year: try to take over the world!

(Maybe I'm showing my age here with that reference.)

This year will be a theme challenge! Because I feel like that's fun and something slightly different than all of the various word prompt challenges.

What is that? Is it like a prompt challenge?

Sort of. I guess. Instead of having to pick and choose prompts that to some are a bit too "rigid" and "structured" for their tastes, you can choose a theme! Or multiple themes. All the themes. The point is to have fun whilst celebrating Pride, so if you want to write under just one theme, you've got it! You want two themes? That's perfectly fine! Three? You got it.

So what are the themes?

Note that these aren't 100 percent final yet. More may be added, some might be changed depending. This is just a little sampler.

1.) "We will not be erased" - celebrating sexual and gender identity. no matter how many laws politicians try to enact, it's not going to silence or erase who and what we are.

2.) Journeys - the story of a character (or characters) realising, "Okay, I'm LGBTQ, now what?" Stories of coming out, stories about finding out they're trans, stories about how figuring out their sexual or gender identity... Things like that.

3.) Love & Relationships - pretty much what it says on the tin. A relationship is considered queer if you have at least one queer person involved. Someone is still bisexual even if they're in a straight-passing relationship. Celebrate all the types of queer love, including queerplatonic relationships!

If there's a theme you'd like to see, let me know!

Is this open to fanfiction and fanart or just fanfiction?

Both. A picture can tell an entire story just as much as a one shot can.

What ratings are allowed?

General Audiences (G) thru Mature (M). You can still have your smut, just make sure it aligns with a Mature rating. Since AO3 treats "unrated" works as unmarked explicit works, your work must have a rating. (When it doubt, go up a rating.) AO3 has a rundown of their ratings in their Terms of Service: https://archiveofourown.org/tos#IV.K.

Can it be a multichaptered work, or does it have to be one shots?

Whatever your heart desires. If you can capture the theme in one work, great. If you want multiple one shots, that's fine too. And if you want to write a 100,000 word magnum opus, so be it. I leave the length and word counts up to you, the author.

Can I have multiple art pieces or just one big one?

Whatever you want. One piece, a comic, multiple comics, multiple pieces... It's all up to you!

Can I post throughout June or am I limited to specific days?

You can post throughout the month of June. I'll make a separate post as we get closer to June on posting guidelines (what tag(s) to use, collections, etc).

Will there be a creation period or do I have to start right on June 1st?

You can start as soon as the final list of themes goes up if you want, just remember that posting doesn't begin until 1 June.

If you have a question I haven't answered here, hit me up via ask or Discord (sushi spacetato#7035).

-- Mod Karu

[ilomilo]

some updates!

HELLO! just swinging by this blog with a few updates for some big ilomilo projects im about to do :~D

the official ilomilo devblog (blog.ilomilo.com) has been down for years and sadly is only accessible via archive.org... but i think it would be really cool to have all of that content on tumblr to be able to access it on the “current” internet and see the development of the characters and mechanics we  know and love, so im going to start a series where i recreate every blog post (explicitly marked as posts that are by the devs and not by me ofc) and tag them all here!

on a similar note i’m planning to do some posts that are collections of info about every character / cube / etc... ive been compiling images and facts and stuff for a couple months in my drafts but once i finish going thru all the blog posts i’ll probably have those posts all ready!

aaaaand... there is a secret third project ive been working on for months and this week i will finally get to start the next stage of it! i’m hoping to have it ready to share by the start of 2023... stay tuned for some potential hints along the way though 😎

[captaiinobvious]

i finally decorated my journal (with only 21 pages left in it 2 lol) 2 relax after a looooong day of hard work. ignore my knuckle bending backwards thats normal it just does that.

i was up and down all day cleaning and taking pain breaks and organizjng and bleh. then i passed out 4 a few hours n missed my chance 2 shower so i gotta do it 2mrrw. which is my last day 2 do everything n i hav 2 go 2 my grandpas birthday 2. but i did literally so much 2day the rest of u bitches will never b on my level hell yeah. i unpacked 2 suit cases, like 5 tote bags, 3 or 4 boxes which i got rid of i cleared a bunch of storage space organized and repacked 2 drawers so all our new clothes r put away. organized my stickers. went thru all my moms yarns. got rid of a bunch of trash n old food. n my whole family was cleaning so even way more stuff got done like the dishes n stuf. idk i wasnt keeping track of everyone else lol

i didnt get around 2 eggtober and i may not tomorrow but im pretty sure ive drawn at least one egg for every day if u put them all 2gether so im not pressed @ all. i hope i get to do some tomorrow!! someone did an egg inspired by one of my sets 2day and i was like FUCK yeah cosmic egg buddies. im really rockin this eggtober thing luv seeing the nice tags n getting a ton of notes every day.

i reallyhope my package comes 2mrrw cuz day after we're having ppl over for crafts n the crafts r in that package :/ WHOA JUST CHECKED it no longer says it has an exception so 🤞 i think i will get it 2mrrw. thts gonna b so fun... 2mrrw will b sooo busy. at least we can do laundry while we're at my grandpas birthday and then finish putting clothes away. organized fresh clean clothes... i never really had that so its a novelty lol. excited 2 shower n eat a big brekfastwhen i wake up cuz i had a small dinner. probably i will ask my moms 2 order me pumpkin spice latte. for energyyyyy i will say. cleaning snergy. birthday energy. hell yeah. well the episode i wS watching is over so imma sign off and pass the fuck out goodnighty beloved followers. i win at everything etc

[mokutone]

yo i would love to hear some of ur trans yam headcanons :) (also ps ur art is breathtaking and whenever i see it reblogged on my dash i always come here anyway to read ur tags bc they r so! good!)

thank u 🥺🥺🥺 god im sorry this has been sitting in my inbox for a couple days ksdjghsdkjgh not only have i got a LOT of thoughts to put here (this is only a selection of the bigger thoughts skdjghsdkjhg) i was also super busy the past few days!!!! ty for ur patience, ur compliments, and for inviting me to ramble abt my favorite guy!

maybe the one constant in all trans people is just like. our decision to intentionally and purposefully create ourselves, to forced into an identity by outside forces and to turn away from it in search of something else, and that’s ultimately what makes captain yamato read as a trans character to me! He goes through so many identities, and they are meaningful to him, but you can also clearly tell that he’s searching for something that really fits him.

I don’t really have a lot of firm thoughts on what his specific identity would be, I’ve seen some great nonbinary yams, some lovely genderfluid yams, trans guy yams, there’s a great variety and i delight in them all! 

I tend to imagine him as transmasculine and nonbinary but male aligned (which means he’d feel at least a partial connection to or comfort with masculinity) and while there are a bunch of labels for this experience of gender (demiboy, bigender, etc etc) i don’t see him as somebody who would use any specific labels, I feel like he’d keep his own experience of his gender fairly private! He’d prefer and be fine with masculine-coded terms of address, and happy enough passing as a guy.

AHH and on names...

I think Kinoe is the only name that I really see as like. a genuine deadname. It’s a name that means “The First” to my understanding, and so like, probably refers to him having the genetics of the first. Therefore, it’s kind of. literally a name referring to him as his biology...boy thats as deadname as it gets, huh? kill that shit and also danzō

Tenzō is also a name thats given to him, but to my understanding (all I know about the anbu arc is picked up thru osmosis lol) it’s a name that’s given to him twice, with affection. Once from Yukimi, who sees him as her brother (not a vessel for the first hokage’s powers, probably for the first time ever—even if it’s still another person’s name) He takes the name, gladly! Unfortunately danzō. anyway,

Later, when he starts to introduce himself to the non-root Anbu as Kinoe, Kakashi cuts him off and names him to the anbu as Tenzō. To my understanding: it’s a name at rest, not a name for one singular mission, but a name for his entire time in Anbu. It’s the name he keeps the longest. Again, it’s a name that’s given to him to him by somebody else, but it’s one that is given with the intention to free him of Kinoe, and all that Kinoe had to be. 

(A note on him getting annoyed with Kakashi for calling him Tenzō in main-plot:

Most of this is of course based off of personal experience, but I find it hard to believe that he would actively dislike Tenzō as a name since it was given with such sweet intentions—most of my names have been gifts, and the only one I’ve actively taken out of rotation has been bc i cannot stand the person who used it, and the way it was used, and while Anbu was certainly bad for Yamato...I don’t think it was quite that bad. I think him telling Kakashi to stop calling him Tenzō has more to do with the use of it where it doesn’t belong—for example, while it’s not exactly a name, I am happy to be called “mokutone” here, and you may notice my friends calling me by another name, but if any of those friends called me mokutone in DMs, I would be bothered by that.)

Yamato starts off as an empty codename, given to him for the purposes of his team 7 mission by the Hokage, but I think it gets such a loving and warm association from just...using out in the sunlight, with these kids that he comes to think so fondly of (he’s such a dad. god. he’s such a fucking dad) and with the friends he makes going out drinking and actually having time to socialize—and that means a lot! I think Yamato is probably the name which becomes most meaningful and like a home to him by the end of the series. This is the active name, the name where he is most himself. It’s vital for him to have that space to grow into! 

But that said, I personally feel like, if he were to continue beyond the edges of the story, this would not be the final name he bears. He’s probably well aware that a single name cannot contain who he is, or who he wants to be, and while being Given a name can be a beautiful thing (like i said, most of my names are gifts! i treasure them.) I think that, for his character arc, I would like him to name himself at some point. Even if it’s a name that only exists for private spaces, I want him to complete that self determination, to at least try it out, even if ultimately Yamato is the name everyone else will know him by.

Physical Transition Stuff

i will confess i hurt to imagine these shinobi binding 😭😭 even if an individual is binding safely (well made binder, no more than 8 hours, AND No Physically Intense Activity) they stand to risk hurting themself! In real life we gotta balance out the physical pain and the pain of dysphoria, but this is naruto and I’m Gonna Play Some Headcanon Games!

If chakra is both a kind of spiritual energy as well as directly connected to the body (as we learned in the hyūga fight) then it stands to reason that by manipulating ones own chakra, they can manipulate the body, or at least the way the body changes (such as naruto’s healing factor) 

This probably is not the safest thing to do unless you’re a mednin or following the directions of one, LMAO

The second the hell of puberty started up for Tenzō he tried to hold it back by sheer force of willpower + chakra manipulation alone 

but, manually controlling one’s chakra is like trying to prevent a stream from flowing with your hands alone, which is to say: an exhausting uphill battle.

 He’d probably only be doing it on his down time and not on a mission, but even still the most I bet he could make it doing that without getting figured out is two months.

Luckily blockers are readily available, Tenzō just had no idea and, gender being a private experience for him, was trying to handle the whole thing entirely on his own. Soon after attempting to self-regulate hormones him-fucking-self like a very valid but desperate fool, he gets an appointment, gets a prescription, and can chill out and not have to be as hellishly aware of his body constantly.

 Konoha mednin will say trans rights even if the village itself is garbage, this series is so god damn weird already, nobody can tell me a ninja taking hormones is somehow weirder than a ninja taking his dead best friends genetic superpower eye.

TWO WEEKS, THREE SPARS, AND ONE VERY EMOTIONALLY DRAINING CONVERSATION LATER:

u might think kakashi is passing him a water bottle and they both look so exhausted bc its post spar but no. physically theyre fine, but the emotional toll of having to talk about something either of them care at all about? miracle they survived.

[onlyhereforangst]

2020 IN WRITING

tagged by @indestinatus 💕

tagging whoever wants to go thru this journey with me & see their accomplishments in this terrible terrible year!

1. List of works published this year:

Oh god there’s a lot, like 70 total in just 2020. I’ll try to categorize them so this doesn’t get too long 😅but here’s a cut for aesthetic on your dash.

Sequels/Partner Fics: Risk It All (for @hellokaelyn), Finally Home (to Come Back), They Always Do & Could She?, Lucky Day & Completely Yours, Fiery Trance (Two Can Play series), Obsessed (Particular Taste), Soul (to Ignited)

Smut: My Turn (sequel to My Pleasure), Worth It, Maybe We Should, Make it a Double (also a fic request), Shall We (AU)

Fic Requests: Coffee Run, Hold Still, Typical, Deal, Needed It, I’m Home, For Science, Cry Me A River, From Your Dreams (AU), Crystal Clear, Tempt Me, Your Fault, Prove It, Silent Proclamation, A Hundred Suns (angst smut), Duly Noted

Stand Alones: No More, Never Let Her Go, Life is Fragile, Pandemics & Peach Drinks, To Need and Be Needed, Never Let Go, Coming Home, Priceless, Behind The Mask, Need a Hand?

Angst: My Daisy, Status Quo, Can I Stay, I Refuse, Deal

Series/Multi-chaptered: Back Off (Better Apart, Missed The Mark, Change Her Mind, But You Do, Layered Love), Electrified (Don’t Stop (Senorita)), Here By Faith, Forgive & Forget, Angstober ‘20 (Never Has & Never Will, Only In My Head, Long, Long Gone, Do Something, Take Care, Waiting to Burn, Survive the Hell, Find Her, Never Ended Well, At All Costs, One Thing Right, Stay Away, Echoed Back, Smart Man, Not Interested, Flake Again, Release, Slipping Away)

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

Here By Faith mainly because of the topic. Pregnancy & Infant loss has been such a taboo topic for so long and something I have personal experience with so writing this was very therapeutic. 

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

Shall We and only because I truly wanted way more plot in this and it turned out to be essentially just straight smut with a tiny bit of plot. But it is what it is 🤷🏻‍♀️

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

Ok I had 70 fics to choose from not breaking down chapters so I’m sure I’m missing something, BUT I do love - omg typing this out I realized it’s from a fic in 2019 so I can’t use iiiiiit 😩 ok so here’s a couple excerpts. I loved typing out this stream of conscious partner fics (They Always Do & Could She?):

They Always Do:

Yet this time, this time she didn’t have the chance to rebuild. Like a Trojan horse, he waltzed right up to her and slowly dismantled her defense. Joke by joke, smirk by smirk—Nick took each brick down with care. The worst part? It was so subtle, so thoughtfully done, she didn’t even notice it was happening. Didn’t see her chest being pried open, beating heart on display for him to see, and take. Never realized her greatest defenses were missing until it was too late.

That love- precious, fragile, delicate love- had managed to grow again. In her desolate, cold heart, Nick managed to bring to life an emotion she had long given up on. An emotion she was too afraid to ever feel again. Because with it came agony.

They leave, and you’re abandoned- picking up the pieces of a shattered heart.

When you love, you lose. Always.

Could She?:

But-

Even if that was love, even if he loved Ellie with his whole heart, his entire being. Was that enough? Was Nick enough? Was he deserving?

A resounding no clanged around his skull like a church bell in a Southern town on Sunday morning. He wanted to silence it, stop the shrill metal sound that started any time he pictured forever. Any time he truly thought he might deserve to love, even after all he’d done. After all the unimaginable things he’d done, the horrors he’d seen, the pain he’d caused. That bell sounded, loud and clear.

How did he deserve love when he couldn’t bear to love himself?

[...]

Could she love him despite all his misgivings? Could she love him even when he didn’t love himself? Could she love him when there was a risk he’d be taken from her too soon?

Could she?

Please love me.

But please be sure.

There’s been a couple of other inner monologues that I have absolutely loved (I like to think it’s semi my speciality? But maybe that’s super arrogant of myself?) but that’s a different post for another time.

5. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

I said it recently but I *love* when people pick out specific line(s) from my fic and choose to comment on those. More often than not it’s a line I was so proud of either prose-wise or foreshadowing-wise or whatever and I get literally giddy with excitement that someone not only noticed it but also loved it enough to comment on it 🥰but truly any kind of comment is dopamine-inducing 😉

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

As some people may have noticed (& maybe not because I did still semi-run the other main ellick blog despite it) I was somewhat absent for most of the summer/fall. I struggled for the first time in my life with mental health issues, borderline depression after being in a shit work environment, an essential worker with a company that claimed to “care” about us, a community that I once loved but showed their true colors in the midst of the pandemic & election, add in a rough pregnancy & it was a recipe for disaster. I didn’t want to even move from the couch most days let alone write. 

7. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

I had a lot of fun writing short excerpts from different characters’ perspectives (Jimmy, Kasie, McGee & Gibbs) in my Angstober series & honestly wouldn’t mind doing that again!

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

Honestly not sure, I think I’ve just generally grown as a writer - better descriptions & descriptors, better dialogue, better plots. But that could all be me seeing things 😂

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I’d love to look into writing more seriously. My husband is convinced I could write an episode script or a novel, so I may look into trying my hand at that (even though I feel I’d be god-awful at it 😅)

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

Hmmmm I always appreciate the support I’ve gotten from the ellick fandom despite it being rough this year for us, wonderful people like @erinchristmaselvis, @thekeyboardninja, @hellokaelyn & @wanna-be-bold are always there to either hear me vent or cheer me on ☺️

11. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

Haaaaah yes. Lots of it (but I bet you can’t tell because I only add mini snippets so have fun finding those easter eggs 😏)

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Always, always, always write for YOU. Not for anyone else, the kudos, hits, comments, none of it. Write for YOU. And I say this as a reminder to myself as well, it’s so hard to get bogged down in that dopamine-induced craze we search for in recognition but it’s so important to not externally validate yourself rather internally validate yourself on baby steps of growth & accomplishment. 

13. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

LOL how about all my WIPs? All of those stories I started forever ago that people call me out on not finishing months later when I swear they’ve forgotten about them 😬

14. If you could recommend only one work from yourself published this year:

Hmmmm lemme pick one from each category because I’m indecisive 😉

Sequel/Partner Fics: Lucky Day & Completely Yours (the aaaaangst)

Smut: a tie between Maybe We Should & Make it a Double

Fic Request: A Hundred Suns (because I love me some angst smut)

Stand Alones: Pandemics & Peach Drinks (hahahaha because this was in an Insider news article at the start of the pandemic hahaha so on brand #2020)

Angst: My Daisy (I looooooove this one, but also all of the angst category lol)

Series/Multi-chaptered: literally not one of these is finished and they’re all heavy angst so take your pick 😂

15. Year word count: 103,050 in 2020 which seems like so little 😅

Here’s to 2021 being the year I finish WIPs! she says knowing she’s lying

[wildfangz]

@liliithvatore tagged me in that simself thing thats been goin around DAYS ago but here it finally is! also thank you for the tag this was fun :-]

I tag @slythersim @thelurgoyf @seoulchii @weicyn @solitasims @daisydezem @raha-plays-the-sims if they want to do it & anyone that just wants to do it in general! message me and I’ll even @ u directly if u want. 

anyway lets DO THIS shitload of questions under the cut u’ve been warned!!!

1. what is your name?

julian

2. what is your nickname?

jewel, jules

3. birthday?

oct 26th

4. what is your favorite book series?

percy jackson and the olympians will probably always own my heart & soul

5. do you believe in aliens or ghosts?

yes & yes. tho i do think a lot of alien sightings and conspiracy theories and what not are bullshit

6. who is your favorite author?

maggie stiefvater probably? also cornelia funke but its been years since ive read anything by her so i cant be sure BUT i loved inkheart & the thief lord so much

7. what is your favorite radio station?

ummm when i listen to the radio at all i kinda just switch between two rock stations and our popular music station.

8. what is your favorite flavor of anything?

blue raspberry !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tasty and i love a blue tongue

9. what word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful?

cool. or bitchin’.  i play it simple

10. what is your current favorite song?

hands like houses - revive

11. what is your favorite word?

roulette and inhibition which i never get to use either as much as i want !

12. what was the last song you listened to?

emarosa - givin’ up ! its a bop!

13. what tv show would you recommend for everybody to watch?

the new she-ra on netflix its so good. and gay

14. what is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down?

moana. its also like the only movie i dont have trouble getting thru despite how many times ive already seen it

15. do you play video games?

16. what is your biggest fear?

idk... being inherently unlovable i guess n ending up alone? also spiders !

17. what is your best quality, in your opinion?

im fairly open-minded and laid back. Unless someones being like, purposely nasty or something I generally don’t get defensive or aggressive. also a lot of little quirks that piss others off dont bother me im very u do u as long as its not actually harming anyone and ive had people tell me this makes it easier to open up to me so thats probably my best quality....

18. what is your worst quality, in your opinion?

....at the same time though i do get very sensitive when faced w/ criticism even if its of the fair variety when its not phrased really gently for various reasons and i dont like that. especially since I have a tendency to not even talk to people about it. I’ll just immediately start distancing myself. also other than that i think overall I have a really high tolerance lvl but if you cross that line I hold a grudge like a motherfucker

9. do you like cats or dogs better?

cats! dogs are good too but cats are a lot easier for me to handle...and quieter generally but even when they’re loud cat sounds dont get to me quite as much as barks do

20. what is your favorite season?

autumn but im starting to really like summer for some reason? wack :/

21. are you in a relationship?

nope

22. what is something you miss from your childhood?

the lack of responsibility, probably. that sounds real bad lmao but for me its like...I know I’ve grown in various ways over the years but I also feel like so many of my experiences, my trauma, my mental health has held me back and I don’t think I’m mentally where I should be for my age. so all the responsibility of adulthood is just..really overwhelming for me sometimes, even though ive been given a pass from certain aspects of it and the rest is pretty simple its the idea!!!!

23. who is your best friend?

my ex

24. what is your eye color?

25. what is your hair color?

26. who is someone you love?

my mom

27. who is someone you trust?

not really anyone rn unfortunately...would like 2 work on that

28. who is someone you think about often?

are my OCs a fair answer because i am always thinking about my babies.....

29. are you currently excited about/for something?

my favorite webcomic (that also has two of my all time favorite characters in it) just came back!! the artist disappeared back in 2015 like the day after I binge-read the whole fucking thing & i was so disappointed but its BACK and 2018 has been redeemed

30. what is your biggest obsession?

sims probably! i could talk about anything relating to it for hours

31. what was your favorite tv show as a child?

there were so damn many its hard to even think and figure out the most notable ones...i really, really liked teen titans though?

32. who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone?

my ex, again

33. are you superstitious?

not terribly so but somewhat. I take certain things as signs and I mean I do believe in astrology & such to a degree

34. do you have any unusual phobias?

i used to be afraid of mirrors but thats all i can think of and its not even a thing anymore...the only other thing is tornadoes but i dont think its unusual. but it definitely sucks for me ‘cause i live in tornado alley!

35. do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?

behind it....like taking pretty pictures and dont like ppl capturing my image 2 film

36. what is your favorite hobby?

sims.....also singing!!! and drawing!!!! video editing!!!!!!!!! the works

37. what was the last book you read?

The Dream Thieves....havent finished it though because last time i went to read it a spider was lying in wait and im traumatized

38. what was the last movie you watched?

coco i think???

39. what musical instruments do you play, if any?

drums, various other percussion instruments, and violin mainly

40. what is your favorite animal?

ferrets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

41. what are your top 5 favorite tumblr blogs that you follow?

uhhhhh @bratsims @liliithvatore @cabsim @wildlyminiaturesandwich @keysims pls dont feel bad if i didnt include u these were just the first to pop into my head and ive been following some of them since I first made my blog!! and have kept up with their stories completely and enjoy them etc check them OUT !

42. what superpower do you wish you had?

shapeshifting!!! dysphoria? gone. ugliness? gone. want to morph into a fucked up clown and scare people when they realize all the classic clown features are a real actual part of my face? possible!

43. when and where do you feel most at peace?

chillin’ at the pool in summer during the part of the day when no ones there.... swimming is always relaxing 2 me then i love just resting under the sun and drying off afterwards especially since we have a little pond nearby and i can hear the water! its nice

44. what makes you smile?

always and without fail? interacting with anyone i have a crush on. i’ll look like a dope the whole time

45. what sports do you play, if any?

i used 2 play basketball a lot. Like not seriously but it was a thing

46. what is your favorite drink?

dr pepper and monster energy (original flavor) pumps through my veins at this point. we love a carbonated beverage

47. when was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody?

two years ago for my ex and I’s first year anniversary... I never got it mailed but I did at least take a picture of it (with included caption because my handwriting is atrocious). i was very up front about being a romantic and see heres the PROOF

48. are you afraid of heights?

nope! very excited by them actually

49. what is your biggest pet peeve?

i cant stand passive aggressive behavior. my stance is either get over it or quit acting like a bitch because otherwise im just going to ignore you thats the scorpio way (in all seriousness I really, really do recommend not putting up with it and ignoring it until they decide to be up front with you. it can be exhausting constantly reading into conversations and its not healthy for you or them. if they have something to say they need to learn to talk about it properly, and that lack of social skills is not ever on you)

50. have you ever been to a concert?

yep! i think about....six or so? i love them...which is really funny im autistic and EVERYTHING about them should freak me out and they do in other circumstances but at a show i just live for it

51. are you vegan/vegetarian?

nope! ive thought before id like to go vegetarian...but i couldnt do it with my health problems. also i love shrimp too much

52. when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

ive always wanted to do something creative! when i was rlly young I thought a lot about singing and acting and writing in particular...all things im still interested in.... also i wanted to be a dictator ages 4-7 because i told my mom i wanted to be president of the world and make people do what i say and she said “honey thats a dictator not a president”. i then made that known at school and that turned into a situation!

53. what fictional world would you like to live in?

pokemon universe or bust. 

54. what is something you worry about?

never being able to do things i want to do or catching up with others because of my disabilities

55. are you scared of the dark?

yes but a reasonable amount i think

56. do you like to sing?

yes :]

57. have you ever skipped school?

yes i used to play sick a LOT and as my parents caught onto it id even go all out to convince them. i was good at school but i hated it so much

58. what is your favorite place on the planet?

dunno! malls maybe i love shopping and looking at material objects i wish to own

59. where would you like to live?

oregon! portland in particular thats been my dream for a few years now

60. do you have any pets?

a cat! he lives with my dad & grandma though...hes grown up there and likes going outside so I felt bad about taking him with me when i moved out but anyway this is him hes fat and stupid and i love him his name is coffee

61. are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

night owl because my rhythm is all fucked up but in my heart....an early bird...if i get a good nights sleep i’ll be up early yacking your ear off and so excited for the day

62. do you like sunrises or sunsets better?

sunsets are prettier...but sunrises feel more refreshing

63. do you know how to drive?

nope ! im gay !

64. do you prefer earbuds or headphones?

headphones. better sound quality also discourages people from talking to me slightly more

65. have you ever had braces?

nope! but i need them

66. what is your favorite genre of music?

post-hardcore maybe?

67. who is your hero?

every trans person living their truth and being open and loud about who they are past present & future. the worlds not particularly kind to us and our existence alone is considered a radical act, so its always given me hope to see others refusing to pretend to be someone they’re not in this environment and I’ll always have mad respect for that

68. do you read comic books?

i read manga and webcomics...ive always wanted to get into superhero comics but the amount of issues and different versions is ridiculous and makes it inaccessible 2 me 

69. what makes you the most angry?

i mean its hard to pinpoint what makes me angry the MOST...but a contender is definitely how some people feel free to treat others with cruelty and think its their god given right to deny or attack someones existence in some way, & how acts of kindness, even the most basic are branded as liberal bullshit or whatever....it goes against everything i was taught growing up

70. do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book?

real book! electronic device can be easier but....rough on the eyes after a while and nothing beats the real thing for me

71. what was your favorite subject in school?

language arts...at least when we did creative writing stuff

72. do you have any siblings?

two older sisters & an older brother that passed away years ago but. still my brother u kno

73. what was the last thing you bought?

mocha frappe baby!!!!!

74. how tall are you?

5′4″

75. can you cook?

a little bit....not as much as id like to though but im learning

76. what are three things that you love?

storms, cheesy breadsticks, and cat purrs

77. what are three things that you hate?

unnecessary rudeness, being talked down to or generally treated like im stupid, grapefruit which is the worst thing on this list

78. do you have more female friends or more male friends?

female i think?

79. what is your sexual orientation?

im the big bad promiscuous bisexual your parents warned you about

80. where do you currently live?

oklahoma. gofundme campaign to get me out

81. who was the last person you texted?

my friend jojo! just Now!

82. when was the last time you cried?

yesterday afternoon but im a changed man now thats behind me. i will cry about different things soon

83. who is your favorite youtuber?

the mcelroy brothers. also super best friends play. matt, pat & woolie are all great tbh

84. do you like to take selfies?

depends on whether i feel ugly or terribly dysphoric that day or not

85. what is your favorite app?

ummmm....love live school idol festival ive been playin for years its an addiction

86. what is your relationship with your parent(s) like?

dad = bad mom = okay. theres some issues that strain it but its not too bad

87. what is your favorite foreign accent?

i have no idea what the fuck australians are talking about half the time but i dig it anyway 

88. what is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit?

Italy, Greece, Germany, Japan, Mexico, various other states (ive only been out of state three times. twice to texas and then once to kansas. for five minutes)

89. what is your favorite number?

6!! 26 also

90. can you juggle?

ive always wanted to but alas.... :-[

91. are you religious?

i suppose...but im rlly not into organized religion

92. do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting?

space probably theres so fucking much of it man!

93. do you consider yourself to be a daredevil?

not to brag but sometimes i eat my mcdonalds hamburgers cold from the fridge so you can figure that one out yourself B)

94. are you allergic to anything?

pecans. not deathly allergic though so catch me eating turtle pie anyway! 

95. can you curl your tongue?

nope :[

96. can you wiggle your ears?

nope :[

97. how often do you admit that you were wrong about something?

usually as soon as i realize....unless someones being real smug and annoying then i might be stubborn about it

98. do you prefer the forest or the beach?

ive never been to the beach but i love her!!!

99. what is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you?

probably that you have to look at your accomplishments differently when you’re disabled or just struggling, to not be so down on yourself because its a fact that what might be a mole hill to someone else is a mountain to you and you have to judge yourself accordingly. Like maybe you weren’t able to clean the whole house, but washing the dishes and tidying your desk doesn’t usually get done but you did it. That that should be celebrated because while it would also feel good if you did more, you still did something and thats great all things considered.

100. are you a good liar?

sometimes, really depends what im lying about and if im like....into it at all. If my guts against it for whatever reason I’ll have trouble

101. what is your hogwarts house?

i always get slytherin or hufflepuff! usually with like 1 point difference

102. do you talk to yourself?

i am talking to myself right now as i fill this out

103. are you an introvert or an extrovert?

extrovert mainly! i used to think i was more introverted but now i think a lot of exhaustion when theres any comes from me just going the extra mile and actively trying to read people and pick up on social ques.... if I just chill im fine

104. do you keep a journal/diary?

nope...ive tried but i just cant keep up with it so i do the next best thing. shouting into the void on the internet to a bunch of strangers

105. do you believe in second chances?

depends on what you did the first time. Some people just don’t deserve taking that risk imo...but i can be a little guarded so maybe thats a bit too harsh

106. if you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do?

turn it in, unless there was no identifying things in it & it was found somewhere kinda random. Then I’d maybe hold onto it unless my gut challenged that

107. do you believe that people are capable of change?

absolutely. i mean thats all we do throughout our lives is change and evolve...that being said I think extremely drastic changes are maybe not entirely impossible, but extremely rare, and the residue of the former self usually sticks around in some form

108. are you ticklish?

yes, dangerously so

109. have you ever been on a plane?

nope

110. do you have any piercings?

one day hopefully!

111. what fictional character do you wish was real?

asra from the arcana.....even if he wasn’t my boyfriend thats just a dude u could chill and eat some pomegranates with u know. Before I downloaded the app my friends kept telling me he was made for me and he really was he ticks like everything on my Favorite Characters Feature List except villain but he has that particular allure & attitude i like so much in villains so thats not a single point off hes perfect

112. do you have any tattoos?

nope...one day! hopefully!

113. what is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far?

accepting my genderqueerness and bisexuality definitely. Self Love hasn’t been perfected just yet but that was such a huge step in the right direction

114. do you believe in karma?

yes! she doesn’t get shit done as much as id like however

115. do you wear glasses or contacts?

glasses. not contacts yet because my eye doctor is a bitch

116. do you want children?

I do....just not sure if id be a good parent. Its really important to me if I had a child itd be for the right reason and I could raise them well in a healthy environment & be able to take care of all their needs yknow

117. who is the smartest person you know?

probably my friend jojo

118. what is your most embarrassing memory?

one time i looked outside and the sunset was really pretty and i wanted to get a photo of it so i walked out.....and stood like right by the street so there weren’t trees in my way...and then i realized mid-pic 1) i am not wearing pants & my shirt is full of holes 2) id been depressed for days so my hair was a tangled mess. I tailed it back inside so i didnt even get a nice pic it was blurry!

119. have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

120. what colour are most of you clothes?

black i didnt even have to think about that one

121. do you like adventures?

they are pretty swell

122. have you ever been on tv?

a few times when i was little. always photobombing the news reporters 4 what i thought would eventually lead 2 fame & fortune

123. how old are you?

21

124. what is your favorite movie quote?

this is technically lyrics to that lil song in moana at the end but

“ They have stolen the heart from inside you. But this does not define you.”

hits me hard every time! emotional impact? i know her

125. sweet or savory?

sweet!!!!!!!! gotta balance out my bitter somehow

[archetype-online-blog]

Crash Course in Dialogue, Part I

Writers tend to stress a character’s actions as the most important way to show who they are, but creating effective, interesting dialogue is just as important to a great story. Good dialogue can illustrate interpersonal relationships, reveal fears characters don’t even know they have, show development, and so much more. At the same time—and maybe more importantly—bad dialogue sticks out like a sore thumb, making readers uncomfortable and unwilling to get invested in your narrative. Your prose might be amazing, but if your characters can’t communicate, it’s going to put people off.

But never fear! Here are a few handy tricks to writing amazing dialogue that will get your characters saying what they mean or misdirecting like a pro, all while drawing your reader successfully into the story.

Creating Unique Voices

When you start writing dialogue, one of the most important things to keep in mind is that your characters should all sound different from one another. Just based on their words alone, a reader should be able to tell whether your character’s personality is bubbly or gloomy, if they feel comfortable with the people around them, if they’re in pain, what kind of education they have, and so much more. You want these factors to be unique for each character, even if they were raised together or come from a similar background.

A great test is to write down only the spoken part of your dialogue, without any speech tags (he said/she said, etc.). Does each character sound distinct? Can you tell whose lines are whose just based on what they say, without the surrounding context clues?

If not, try some of the techniques below. There are so many ways to say the same thing differently—and reveal your characters’ history, personality, and quirks at the same time!

Techniques

Using lots of big words like abysmal, paramount, satiate, ubiquitous, etc.

This can make a character sound more educated, imply a wealthier upbringing, or show the care he puts into communicating. Or, it can make him sound pretentious, and become a trait that annoys your other characters. Just be careful your character doesn’t come off like a weirdo carrying around a thesaurus in their pocket (unless that’s what you’re going for, of course!)

Character 1: His rant was just the shameful rambling of a crazy old man. Character 2: The display was simply the ignominious drivel of a deranged geriatric man.

Using clipped speech—only a few words at a time, monosyllabic answers

Quiet characters, characters who don’t like their companions, characters who are in pain, and characters with something to hide might not want to have long conversations where they bare their soul to others.

Character 1: I really don’t think so. I’m sure I’d remember an intense reaction like that. Character 2: No.

Using terms of endearment or pet names—babe, sweetheart, bro, dude, pal

Depending on how these are used, your character can come across as warm and fuzzy, sarcastic, flirty, or evil and taunting.

Bonus: if your character is angry or distracted, they can leave off the pet names they usually call their friends. This is a good way to reveal to a reader—and other characters—that something fishy is up.

Character 1: Can you toss me that pencil? Character 2: Hey babe, be a sweetie and toss me that pencil? Character 3: Uh, that’s my pencil, pal. Character 4: Toss me that pencil, bro!

Speaking formally versus informally with contractions

Is your character uncomfortable around present company? Are they trying to act extremely professional to prove they’re qualified for their job, or still recovering from a strict, affectionless upbringing? If so, making their speech more formal can help convey what’s going on.

Character 1: Admittedly, I have been wondering much the same thing. I will look into it. Character 2: Yeah, I’ve been wondering that too. I’m gonna check it out.

Swearing

Depending on context, characters who curse can sound meaner, rougher, cooler, more laid-back, and even funnier than the people around them who don’t.

When using curse words, be aware of your audience. If you’re writing for kids or younger teens, you may get some pushback.

Remember that these words are sometimes at their most powerful when they’re not overused. When your sweet character finally snaps and mutters something really strong under her breath, you’ll know she’s at the end of her rope.

Think of Simon finally confronting Martin in the movie Love, Simon—if Leah (who swears all the time in the book’s sequel) told Martin to f*ck off, it wouldn’t have anywhere near the same impact.

And yet, in The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Ronan’s glee at swearing is one of the things that sets him apart from the more polite Gansey and Adam.

Try this:

Sit in a public place where people talk—a coffee shop, a food court at the mall, a break at school—and listen to a conversation. Write down what you hear—every little um or ah, pronunciations, pauses, stutters, repetitions. How do words, fillers, and phrases shape the distinct voices of the people you’re listening to?

Using Accents and Dialects

Another great way to make characters sound different is to give them accents or let them speak in dialects. If your character is from the South, he’d have a Southern drawl; if she’s from the India, she’s not going to sound like your classmates from Connecticut. But how can you capture a voice like that without making your writing sloppy or distracting (or exaggerating it into an offensive caricature)? Passages like the following, from Huckleberry Finn, certainly take a lot of concentration to read:

“Oh, Huck, I bust out a-cryin’ en grab her up in my arms, en say, ‘Oh, de po’ little thing! De Lord God Amighty fogive po’ ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to fogive hisself as long’s he live!’ Oh, she was plumb deef en dumb, Huck, plumb deef en dumb—en I’d ben atreat’n her so!”

A general rule, using features other than phonetic spelling to show how characters speak differently can communicate the same information in a less distracting way:

Diction/word choice: Taylor from New York eats fries for lunch and chips as a snack, but Henry from London eats chips for lunch and crisps from the vending machine during his break at work.

Syntax/word order: Someone whose native language is English will likely say “the brown shoes” or “the white fence,” but if your heroine was born in France and learned English not long ago, she might say “I was wearing my shoes which are brown” or “the fence that is white stands behind the house”

Idioms: Different places have different expressions that mean more than what they look like. While you’d say you’re “buttering someone up,” someone who speaks Spanish might say they’re “stroking his beard.” Research idioms that would be a natural part of your character’s speech—or, make up your own!

Some phonetic spellings and slang, every once in a while, do a great job of signaling a continuing accent: s’pose, ain’t, ya, dahlin’. But if what you’ve written takes any amount of real concentration to decode, it’s going to be annoying, not helpful or cool. In other words, if your main character has a lisp, tharting every thentence like thith ith going to get really fruthtrating, really fatht. An’ writin’ an o’er-exaggera’ed Cockney accen’, owr a loooong Suthen draaaawl, is sure to get on your reader’s nerves as well.

If your protagonist’s baby sister with three lines has a lisp and says, “Thamantha, read me a thtory” or her great-auntie from Georgia bemoans, “Lawdy-me, it shaw is hawt in hea today” once in 300 pages, though, you’re probably good.

If you want an example of dialects and pronunciation done really well, check out the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness. Protagonist Todd Hewitt grew up in a primitive settlement and can’t read—while always completely understandable, he does say “ain’t” all the time, and occasionally throws in misspellings like “creacher” and “recognishun.” The sections narrated by his friend Viola are more grammatically correct, because while Todd was doing farm work, she was attending school. And people Todd meets with even less schooling than him talk like this: “Ah kin give y’all a ride thrus. If ya want.” (But these characters don’t pop up very often, so the style doesn’t become distracting—instead, it highlights the differences between outsiders and the protagonists.)

A note of caution:

Remember that African American Vernacular English, American Sign Language, and other variations/translations of English have their own complex rules. If you aren’t familiar with a dialect you’re writing, don’t just simplify standard English, throw in an extra “be,” or take out some helping verbs. If your character uses one of these, do some extra research to make sure your dialogue is accurate.

Include the Right Kind of Content

So now you’ve decided how your character talks—but what should they say? Here are a few things to avoid: small talk, excessive info dumps, drawn-out background information, and background conversations. (Like most rules of writing, these can and should be broken if you have a good reason, but in general, they can be helpful in moving a story along and keeping it interesting.)

Instead of the characters taking up valuable space and audience attention on pleasantries, focus on the real meat of the conversation. Alfred Hitchcock once said something to the effect of, “Drama is real life with all the boring parts cut out.” Which would you want to read about? A character describing her brunch of thick, fluffy pancakes to her mother in mouth-watering detail?* Or the moment she asks her mother for $500—the third time this month—to cover her outrageous credit card debts? As the writer, you have the privilege and responsibility to pick the important moments to pass on to the reader—the ones that are important to the plot later, that develop the characters, that are memorable and exciting. Be kind to them—and yourself—by carefully judging what’s worth everyone’s time.

This then gives you an opportunity to work something else essential into your conversation—conflict. It’s very hard to make a compelling conversation where each character agrees with everything said before them. Just because “yes, and” works for improv, doesn’t mean it’s the best strategy for dialogue in fiction—instead, put your characters against each other. If they have opposing goals, or even slightly different takes on a situation, you’ll be able to flush out both viewpoints and push them to an interesting breaking point much easier than if they simply build on whatever the other says.

It can also be tempting to save long, detailed explanations for dialogue—especially when it comes to worldbuilding in sci-fi or fantasy. If you have a physics professor who’s perfected time travel or an old witch who’s worked out everything about magic, it would be easy to give them a few pages to give the specifics to your clueless protagonist. But unless you can’t get your story to work any other way, try not to do this—long descriptions tend to end up pretty boring, and hard to follow and remember. Instead, let your reader pick up fewer details at a time from different people, or see how things work for themselves. In the first Harry Potter, Hagrid doesn’t explain everything about being a wizard to Harry—readers get to experience the many magical details firsthand through Harry’s eyes in Diagon Alley, and then later at Hogwarts.

*Note: If your character is a cook and criticizes the pancakes because he could obviously do better, or if she grew up in poverty and is promising her mother she’ll move back home and take her to brunch every morning once she gets one more paycheck, this is obviously fine. So is her describing how great she thought the pancakes were if it turns out they were actually poisoned, and next thing she knows she’s waking up from a 10-year coma. And so on... Find exciting exceptions!

Try this:

Listen to a scene from your favorite movie and think about what’s included and what’s not. Do both characters greet each other and ask how the other has been, or do they jump right into the deal they need to make? Does one character agree with everything the other says, or do they disagree frequently?

Have more questions about writing dialogue? Leave us comments for Part II, coming soon!

[smallblanketfort]

do you have tips on taking notes?

yes!! i have many, so i tried to make it easier for you to navigate :)

L O N G post ahead of you, covering lecture notes and readings notes, from a college senior :)

lecture notes:

i suggest using a notebook and pen, physically writing down. it’s easier to study, and since it’s using your body, you have a much higher retention rate on your side than if you use a laptop.

i have used my laptop for taking notes before. it’s easier to take more notes, word for word, but that’s not always helpful. maybe that’s your style, especially if you enjoy rewriting your notes all pretty and more successfully when you get home. i am not that girl. 

more notes does not always equal better! it’s good for you to listen actively, selecting what is important and what is not. i take very thorough notes. i take a lot of notes. if you need notes for a missed class, i. am. your. girl. that doesn’t mean i write out everything word for word. selecting details, clauses, and images really helps me to not only keep up, but also to memorize later. plus, when you’re typing, it’s easier to type all the words out without really processing the whole meaning. remember that dense notes are harder to study

finally, when you write by hand, you can get more creative with your style. occasionally, i’ll web notes out from one, rather than a traditional outline, bc it makes more sense for the topic

it also helps my anxiety! so much! if i force myself to take great in depth notes, then my mind has to dedicate more brain space to the task at hand than to my anxieties.

stick to one of these though. it really sucks to get into a test and realize you didn’t study half of your notes bc you forgot half were on your laptop. it’s awful lol.

if you use a laptop, get used to how it works first. do u know how much i resent trying to switch from a bullet that is under other bullets (like this one, not filled in) to a main point bullet (the ones filled in). it can be so confusing. also make sure you use a program you like. you can take directly into documents, but i find that i really love evernote, as i can make notebooks for classes, stacks of notebooks for my college, and that i can tag notes with specific classes and topics.

if you’re on paper, for fuck’s sake, divide your notebook into sections for classes. keep it all together. those notebooks with handy dandy dividers are so helpful, and they keep you from carrying around 5 notebooks at once.

i wouldn’t worry too much about highlighters and such in class. there’s just so much going on then. save highlighting and color coding for later, and count it as studying.

don’t worry about traditional outlining styles, with roman numerals or whatever. i take notes very simply. bullets/dashes, subnotes under a broad note. 

do it how it makes sense to you! maybe that includes different bullet styles, different places for different types of information (on a simple level, i start writing chapter numbers and titles as far to the left as i can go, over the margins, in bold and capital letters. i also usually go over these later in a certain color marker)

in some classes it is helpful for me to write the topic along the top of the page in a highlighter (color coding is lovely) the main idea/topic for each page. the classes this was most obviously helpful in were astronomy (COMETS or BLACKHOLES etc) and shakespeare (MUCH ADO ACT 2 or ROMEO etc)

it’s easiest to just note page numbers of referenced complex diagrams, as they are usually in your reading or accessible online

your style might look different in each class. whatever works.

note everything (everything) your professor writes on the board. if it’s important enough for your professor to write it, it’s probably important enough for you to write it.

note examples only if it’s helpful for your memory. however, make light note of things like famous people and their science/psych experiments. but in math and such, note! the! examples! and! reasons! will help you so much.

examples that have emotion, imagery, or sound are going to be more helpful. applicable examples are most helpful. good professors will lecture you accordingly. lazy ones will not.

star anything that the professor stresses or hints will be tested. anything that they say is a major theme or whatever.

note main ideas/points/themes, definitions, conclusions, 

use your tests to help you figure out what you need to know. ask questions about the tests too. in every class i’ve taken, i’m totally shocked at how willingly people ask about exam format and how willingly the professor will tell us how it will work. they want you to succeed.

people learn differently! i suggest taking notes in class and later adding touches that help you. count it as study time too. a warm up, if you will. 

if you’re visual, this might include highlighting, color coding, drawing diagrams, etc.

 if you’re an auditory learner, reading the notes out loud and organizing them accordingly, as well as making up rhymes, rhythms and such, might help you. some auditory learners actually like to record lectures and listen to them later. 

if you learn best through movement, rewriting or making flashcards will be great for you.

sometimes professors go really. fuckin. fast. why. idk? but

dont be afraid to ask them to go back a slide bc i guarantee, you will be the class hero for asking

develop a little bit of shorthand. sometimes i end up using initials, arrows, abbreviations… this is where i got “bc” and “thru” and “u” and such. lol. also, list things vertically, rather than using commas and “and/&/+) it’ll be more clear later

some professors you literally cannot take notes on. it sucks. you’re going to need to do the readings and pick their brains on how the test will be to figure out how to prepare. take home tests are your best friend. thank god for them. seriously. get your butt to church and do some worshipping.

if your professor puts powerpoints online, save the powerpoints, ya never know.

look at inspiration if you want, but remember that notes on studyblr are usually copied from class notes. if you’re too focused on how pretty your notes are, good luck to you

finally, the day before an exam, i review my notes that i have (hopefully) been studying. i like to make a one page cheat sheet / study guide on everything i didn’t remember, leaving out everything i understand, memorized, or want to disregard. 

reading notes:

ima be real and tell you i hardly ever do reading unless i will be tested on it in class in multiple choice. and im an english student. ye i suck, i know. i dont condone shirking the system but u know what, reading shakespeare or 18th century lit literally makes me want to kill myself. so, im a senior in college, and have barely ever done the reading for a class. the thing is, if you do it right, anything is better than just reading the words on the page and not getting the meaning. dont be a reading zombie. read actively, even if it’s not the actual reading. doing this, i have a 3.9 gpa. so. there’s hope for us yet.

first of all, yall need to do your damn reading. idc how. but due to the fact that a test will be multiple choice, essay answer, a presentation, or a paper, you’re going to not love pulling nothing out of your ass. can be done tho. just be fake deep.

that being said, i’m writing a lot below, but the reality is that if it’s lit, your notes dont have to be longer than a sentence. if it’s a textbook, more.

the same formatting question comes into play here, except it’s should you take notes in your book or in a notebook?

listen i’m always going to be pro notebook, pro physically writing it out as it helps me really get the information into my head, rather than more passively highlighting

i tend to do both, if im willing to mark up a book. i underline and highlight things that stick out to me, and i write them down as well. sometimes when reading literature/essays, if i know the contextual/meaning notes will be interesting to me later, i will copy notes both into my notebook and also less in depth onto post it notes (which also make sweet little flashcards btw), which i will stick into the passage. this is so helpful when a) im reading it again later and b) when we are discussing a passage in class

buy used books. it’s cheaper. until it happens to u, u do NOT UNDERSTAND how EXCITING it is to get a book that has highlights and underlines in it ALREADY. DUDE. my work is basically DONE for me. now take that lightly, bc often different ppl will highlight different pieces of information. however, it is helpful.

look up summaries. do not simply rely on cliffsnotes and sparknotes, esp since professors are very aware of these. google “title of book, summary, chapter notes, whatever youre looking for” and use the blog posts, the book reviews, the papers that come up. does this method probably take a bit longer? maybe? but it’s easier on my tired brain.

if you don’t have time to read your textbook one day and really want to, read the introduction and the conclusion to the chapter, or the first and last sentences to the paragraphs. it’s not great, but it’s something.

like your lectures, note definitions, conclusions, and helpful examples, as well as people and dates. if i’m reading literature and i’m deciding to be a smart student i will keep several logs as well. these logs will make it so. easy. to study for your exam:

updated character lists, including name, relationships, and anything defining and important

scene/chapter summaries, just a sentence summarizing what happened where

any quotes or themes that stand out

i highly highly highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the well educated mind for note taking on a range of genres. this is what i had to use through high school and while it’s involved, it’s incredibly helpful.

if you’re going to have to cite your notes, note the page number in the margin every time you flip the page

the biggest issue i have with reading is when and where to do it. before or after class? always ask your professor if they do not tell you. where in your notebooks? i always do it on the next blank page bc leaving space stresses me the fuck out. make notes on the top of your pages of corresponding lectures/readings. 

for both lectures and readings i really really really suggest either having something to drink or something to snack on (think fruit, loose nuts, m&ms. small loose things rather than things u bite? idk they just last longer?)

okay i hope this was somewhat helpful even tho it’s an incredibly longwinded post. it seems like a lot, but the reality is that while i take a lot of notes, i don’t make them complicated, i don’t have rules, i just do what feels right in the moment. they’re not at all stressful. just take it easy and do whatever works for you :) 

if anyone has other tips, feel free to reply :)

[simptasia]

my “richard is daniel’s biological dad” theory is one of my oldest headcanons (it’s the third post on my lost headcanons tag, and it was made 4 years ago) and since i’ve just rewatched season 5, it’s fresh in my mind, so i wanna elaborate

warning: quite a bit of elaboration

in canon, daniel is the son of eloise hawking and charles widmore (and the half brother of penny widmore and the brother-in-law of desmond hume).

fun fact about me, i’ve studied genetics since i was a child. the x-men movies inspired me to do so. however, even people who are unread about the subject can see that daniel faraday doesn’t resemble any member of his family

ellie and charles have blue eyes. daniel has brown eyes. there’s a bunch of other differences but this is what stands out to me. this is what started my theory. i can forgive daniel being american, that’s something that can actually happen. and yes, a brown eyed child of two blue eyed parents can actually happen. it’s very rare, but possible. if i encountered this in real life, i’d assume that it’s a throwback from a brown eyed ancestor. HOWEVER, this is fiction. its different.

this is all due to casting choices being made a season before character choices (if daniel was cast right he’d be british, blue eyed, round faced and actually played by a 26 year old. however that means no jeremy davies and lemme tell you, good can be better than right. so we are to accept what we are given)

upon the discovery that ellie is an other, indeed she was the leader of the others, that meant she worked closely with richard alpert. richard is advisor to the other’s leader (on a side note, he also picks who becomes the leader)

it started as “richard is her advisor, he has brown eyes, a stronger jawline, and he’s attractive enough for ellie to want him so this makes sense”

seeing more of season 5 (in particular, the variable and follow the leader), it made more sense to me. richard and ellie get along better than ellie and charles. they come across like they care about each other. richard in particular, seems to genuinely respect her more than charles does. he’s also very protective

in canon, this protectiveness can be chalked up to ellie being pregnant. and in general, although morally eschew, richard is a rather nice person. and charles is consistently a very not nice person. however this makes this make more sense

by this point in time, charles has already had an affair, which resulted in penny. and at one point richard points out that charles and ellie love each other but have a... difficult relationship. it’s not unlikely that ellie would have an affair

now, richard. i’m aware of how much he loved his dead wife isabella. i’m not ignoring that and i choose to believe that richard was relationship-less and celibate for a reeeeally long time before he fell in love with ellie

what’s important to this is i see the affair as happening not just because of sex (richard would never), but out of romantic feelings too. also no, i don’t think richard picked ellie to be leader because of love. neither richard or ellie are perfect but i think he picked her honestly believing she’d be a good leader

oh another thing: i still like the idea of dan being penny’s half brother and des’ brother-in-law, so to have it both ways, i’ve decided that only ellie and richard will ever know about this, keeping everything intact. penny would still posthumously consider daniel her brother (in my mind, naming a daughter after him)

i don’t mean to be smug but this theory is better than canon. not just genetically but having thought about it, i realised it’s more interesting and has more depth

and there’s really no reason to not see it as the truth (besides the fact that if this theory was true, daniel would be biracial but played by a white guy. much like my trans!charlie headcanon, im asking you to take this with artistic license)

here’s more about what this theory would mean:

both of daniel’s parents watched daniel die

it’s a given that richard having children would lead to him having to watch them die, but not like this.... not like this. also the idea of a man who’s ageless and lived for so long, having a child who died young

i like the idea of when ellie realises she’s pregnant, and tells richard, she feels guilty and says sorry because she knows richard will have to see daniel die (the dramatic irony. it HURTS) and richard vehemently telling her not to be sorry because despite that, he’s happy this is happening

THEN TWO WEEKS LATER IT ALL GOES TO SHIT

imagine the tragedy of both of them burying daniel

rather than be made by two people who may of loved each other but barely liked each other, daniel would be made in a loving relationship

this theory makes a lot of scenes with richard and ellie feel very different, in a good way. richard being concerned for her being pregnant around radiation (YEAH THAT HAPPENED, my mum commented that no wonder daniel is fucked up) and even going so far as to knock her out so she wouldn’t be in danger. richard doesn’t get this protective of other leaders

on that note, this changes reaction shots from richard. richard’s reactions to this situation in the variable look totally different to me now. after dan says “i’m your son”, ellie looks shocked and richard looks at her with great surprise. stuff like that. and like, yeah that already makes sense, but i’m saying with this in mind, the context for all this has changed

and yeah, daniel saying “i’m your son” with both parents present

after dan’s death, charles and richard are looking him over and charles says “i don’t know why but he seems... familiar to me”. then richard looks at charles with big eyes. curiosity & shock, yes but perhaps also “uh oh”?

also that line makes more sense in this context, because as i’ve said, it’s not like daniel looks like ellie at all (besides being white)

this didn’t happen in the episode proper, but there’s a photo from the filming of this episode that shows richard caressing daniel’s face after he dies. please note that richard barely knows this person

what ellie did was wrong but this adds extra justification. ellie is the type of person who shoots a man in the back without asking questions first, because he was pointing a gun at richard. with this in mind, ellie wasn’t just protecting her trusted advisor, she was protecting her lover

there’s the irony that the classically beautiful richard + the fairly pretty ellie = ...daniel. who, i don’t mean to be unkind, isn’t conventionally attractive

dan and miles were friends and considering i ship miles/richard post-finale, that means miles is gonna unknowingly date his friend’s dad

the scene where daniel tells richard that he’s in love with charlotte becomes daniel unknowingly telling his father he’s in love. either way, richard relates to this whole thing due to aforementioned dead wife

on that note! even taking away my headcanon personality traits for them, richard and daniel do have some things in common. they’re both polite, kind and at times diplomatic (by which i mean, they both attempt to calm down their friend’s attitude problems). they’re both lost loved ones to tragedy. yes, i know LOST had a lost lenore problem, shut up. and despite both their friendly demeanours, they’re both done morally questionable things. also remove my shipping and they’re both still friends with miles (he is the salt to their sugars). so while dan was raised by ellie (very badly) i feel like some of the kinder aspects of him came from richard

not that being polite is genetic. in canon, dan has a nightcrawler situation where he’s a the good son of two shitty people. here i’ve... given him a good dad. whom he’ll never know is his dad. because that’s sad

also while they’re both smart, at the end of the day, they are ruled by their emotions over rational thinking. love being paramount. and they both eventually completely snap, leading to irrational and suicidal behaviour

i know richard didn’t raise him, i just thought it’d be nice to bring up what they have in common. (also i think richard visited when daniel was very young. and made several attempts to convince ellie to not go thru with it)

oh also it makes the scene where charles goes “he’s my son, too” unintentionally funny because i swear i thought “nah, you idiot”. and a theory that leads to charles being duped and not realising it is great

there’s def more but then i’m just writing fanfiction, so i covered the basics. i like this theory and with each person who agrees with it, i gain more power

if you bear this theory in mind, it honestly enhances any scene with richard & daniel, and richard & ellie, and richard & charles, etc etc

in conclusion, this is a family picture:

thank you for your time

[twinmomma-blog]

MUST HAVES for newborn twins:

BOPPY NEWBORN LOUNGER!!! - ESSENTIAL for bottle feeding two screaming babies at once, good for naps (babies should ALWAYS be supervised if napping in them due to suffocation risk). They’re about $35 each and I found mine at Target. They’re so essential I bought an additional set for my parent’s house for when they babysit so we’re not constantly toting them back and forth.

4moms mamaRoo: So, I have one of your run of the mill swings for my babies, which is wonderful, but sometimes a fussy babe just needs something a lil extra; the mamaRoo is EXACTLY the thing for that. With five different motion settings, five speeds for each, and four different preset audio choices and an auxiliary function for your phone, this thing soothes my screaming, fussy children almost instantly when nothing else works. They’re also a good, gentler option for reflux babies you don’t want swinging back and forth, effectively turning baby into a volcano. Now I’m not saying run out and buy two, at $176 each brand new they’re not the cheapest thing ever. But I have one I bought used (so my model is a bit older, it looks like there’s a new gen out) and if I had the option or finances to buy another one, you’re darn tootin’ that I would.

Zip sleepers: y’all. I have SO many cute snap up sleepers for my babies.. but the million snaps drive me INSANE at diaper changes. I just don’t have the patience for them, and frankly, neither do my 2 month old children. The quicker the diaper change, the better in our book. Target has them I believe, and you can always trust Amazon to have what you need, when you need.

GRIPE WATER!!!!!!: Now, always consult with your pediatrician before giving ANY types of supplements or OTC meds of ANY kind before you administer them to your babies. But, with that being said, Gripe Water is a GODSEND. It’s a bit expensive at $10 per 4oz, and with us having twins and giving it in their milk at damn near every feeding.... we run thru the stuff. But I can DEF tell when they haven’t had it, so we use it constantly. It makes for happier babies, and a happier momma. They ALSO make a NIGHTTIME version, I recently discovered, and my babies never slept so well thru the night and it’s a blessing I will not give up.

GAS DROPS: Another must-have we use at every feeding is gas drops. Now again, consult with your pediatrician before giving them to your baby. Like the gripe water, we mix it in with the milk in their bottles to prevent them from just spitting it right back out. Cause then you don’t know how much they got, if any, and you’re pretty much SOL so that you don’t end up overdosing your child.

A Variety of Pacifiers: These are trial and error. If you’re breastfeeding exclusively it’s recommended to hold off on pacifiers for I BELIEVE 2-3 weeks to prevent nipple confusion. Hayden (my baby B) loves only the Phillips AVENT Soothies. NOT the vanilla scented which are supposed to be calming. The vanilla scented ones make both my babies gag for some reason? It may be because when they had feeding tubes in the NICU, the pacifiers they used were vanilla scented and they have an aversion because of that? Who knows. But Harlow (my baby A) loves both the AVENT Soothies (non vanilla), AND the Baby King pacifiers? I have NO clue where they’re from. Dollar Tree?? I got them at my baby shower and Harlow actually PREFERS these over the AVENT ones. Wild stuff. 😂

Soothing Babywash and Lotion: you won’t regret using calming nighttime scents for your babies baths, esp if your baby doesn’t enjoy bath time. We always try to do bath time before their last feeding of the day before bed, and Tho they’re not the biggest fans, we ALL sleep much better on bath nights because of this. We use the Johnson&Johnson brand and have had no issues with the products.

Dishwasher Basket for Bottle Parts: necessary for the standard size bottle nipples, pacifiers, tiny breastpump parts, Dr Browns vent bottle parts, etc. to keep them from either getting lost or melting in the lower part of the dishwasher when they inevitably fall to their death from the top rack of your dishwasher. Amazon has all the options you could possibly need. My husband found mine on clearance at Walmart 😂😅

LOTS OF BURP CLOTHS: At least for us- our babies spit up A LOT. Reflux is a real problem for us. The BEST ones we’ve found so far are the Gerber Newborn Baby Unisex Prefold White Gauze 6-Ply Cloth Diaper, 5-Pack; make sure they are the PREFOLD! We bought a pack thinking they were the thick ones and they were like the single ply super thin cloths that weren’t good for jacksquat. 😭

Bottle warmer: we got the munchkin bottle warmer (I got one at Walmart that now lives at my moms, and a slightly more stylish version at Target, same brand/model just different color) and it warms bottles in 90 seconds or less! Note that if you use the Dr. Browns bottles with the vents, take the vent out while heating or it could overflow, causing a sticky&stinky mess!!

ALSO, while we’re on the topic of Dr. Browns bottles, the 8oz size makes it the PERFECT size for heating two newborn feedings in one bottle so you don’t have to heat two separate times. For example: my babes both get about 3-3.5oz each at a feeding, and I just pour 6-7oz in the big bottle and heat it up! I use the cap from a spare milk collection bottle from the hospital that I had, or you could just use the nipple that comes on the 8oz bottles, either way! I’ll make a post later over how feeding times go with my little ones.

Travel Changing Pad- I use this on the go for sure, but if there’s ever any especially nasty diapers to be dealt with, I whip this baby out at home and my couch, bed, carpet, wherehaveyou stays pristine. Magic.

WALMART BRAND DIAPERS: my favorite brand name diapers are Pampers. That’s what they used in the hospital and I LOVED them. Then I realized how expensive they were. Omg no. And my mom let me in on a little secret: the Walmart brand are almost exactly the same as Pampers, if not THE same. They are just as reliable and the blowouts I’ve dealt with in them, are equivalent to the blowouts in Pampers. And those were the apocalyptic type diaper changes where even God himself could not stop that s*** from coming thru. Bless.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT: PODS. PODS. PODS. Pods for YOUR laundry, and the Tide free and clear or whatever their dye free/scent free pods are for the babies’ laundry. The simplicity and time saving nature of just throwing pods in the laundry instead of measuring detergent saves so much time you didn’t realize you needed. “But...Does it really make that much of a difference?” Yes. Yes it does.

A SLEEP MASK FOR YOU MOMMA!! (and for dad): NAP WHEN YA CAN!! A sleep mask is perfect for when you manage to get both babies down at the same time in the middle of the day and you want some sleep too!!! Essential in my book.

What DIDN’T Work for Us:

HALO TWIN BASSINET: Y’all-I wanted to love this SO badly; with completely mesh sides and a mesh divider so you can see both babies always, and it SWIVELS to get to whichever baby may need you, and the sides lean down slightly to get them out of the bassinet without you having to get out of bed. But...my babies HATED this, it’s quite large even for a double bassinet, and the price tag is even larger at $470 retail. And it’s immobile. Once it’s in one spot, that’s where it lives until you completely disassemble it. I much rather would’ve spent about 1/4 of the price on the Little Folks Twin EZ Fold Ultra Compact Double Bassinet by Delta Children, (available online at Walmart) at $138 that not only wheels to where you need it, but FOLDS UP when not in use or for travel.. at least if my twins hated it too, I wouldn’t have spent half a house payment on it.

HALO SLEEPSACK: ....Sorry again Halo... We had the Halo SleepSack that got sent home with us from the hospital, and tbh they were just okay in my opinion. My girls somehow would wiggle further into them (this may just be a preemie baby problem, we finally quit using them.), and their faces would get covered or their arms would escape thru the little openings in the sack. I would LOVE to try the SwaddleMe or the Love to Dream Swaddle UP ones, but we’ve become pretty good at blanket swaddling for the time being. Again, these are kind of trial and error to see what your babies like. If you’re good at swaddling with a good ole fashioned blanket, that’s great!! But if you don’t have the time or patience to practice, no shame in going the easier route.

A “DIAPER PAIL”- y’all. This is the most useless thing I spent my money on. I don’t even use it. We tried to, and it’s pointless. My house doesn’t smell like baby poo, or if it does nobody has told me. The amount of diapers that we as parents of twins run thru warrants the trash being taken out almost daily, if not multiple times per day. It just wasn’t worth my money, and I bought a highly reviewed off brand. Save the cash and put it towards something extra.

A Changing Pad- Also pointless. I change my twins wherever we are in the house. If they’re really nasty I use the portable changing pad someone gifted me, the kind that folds up and fits in a diaper bag. I get that the big pad with the little sheets on it is cute for the whole nursery aesthetic, but tbh my nursery is just a room in my house that you don’t really use for a newborn (or two+) anyway. Not practical or realistic.

Baby Shoes: I, for one, don’t see the point in buying baby shoes until they’re up and walking. They outgrow them too quickly. Socks will do just fine. Unless you live in a verrrryyyy cold climate. But I’m sure they make super insulated baby onesies for those types of outings. But here, not necessary. $ave dat money.

WHAT I WISH WE HAD:

Snoo: A SMART BASSINET. It has a built in swaddle, and it rocks your baby with different speed settings, AND can detect when your baby starts to wake and will rock in response to baby fidgeting. WHAT?! I really wish I could afford even just ONE of these, let alone two. They come in at a WHOPPING $1290 😭 they apparently also have rent options? From what I’ve heard. But I can’t even imagine what being able to actually afford two bassinets for $1600 would be like. A momma can dream.