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pinksoullesswench · 1 year ago

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Cute, cozy ways to survive winter

- buy a winter-ish tea to warm you up in the morning and the evening. You can also make your own mix (I love cranberry and elderberry)

- take vitamin D3 to boost your mood and prevent seasonal depression

- take beta carotin to have a glowy, tanned skin even without the sunlight

- get a good quality jacket from a material like wool or hemp (eco), and yes, it will cost a lot, but it's worth it. It keeps your warmer than any cheaper jacket and will last longer. A tip from a broke girl: I started to save up money in June. Also I search only in second-hand stores. I also recommend a faux fur. You can already find nice finds for 90€

- few times a week, make yourself a little bath for your feet. After a cold day, pour hot water into a bowl and put some nice bathing salts or etheric oils, I usually do smth that smells like pine trees. Super relaxing and warms your feet ^^

- read winter-ish books. They help to romanticize the cold time and make the season much more special

- get yourself a nice thick pair of socks that you will enjoy wearing during the winter

- dress warm. I have a special thermal set that I always put under my clothes. Avoid wearing jeans, for they will only make you freeze. Wear thick sweaters (I love cashmere, I bought one cheap in a second hand store), or long warm skirts or dresses (they make me feel girly and special during the cold time) remember, when you buy expensive, good quality clothes keep them in natural colors so they're universal and timeless. Remember: the time of cute outfits is over, now we're in the survival mode

- you can add yourself some color with pretty gloves and hats. I love wearing slavic scarves during the winter to honor my heritage

- when buying a shower gel, perfume, shampoo or body lotion peak smells that remind you of winter. I go for mandarine/ orange scents 😊🍊

- drink vitamin c in the morning!!!

- choose a thicker cream for your face, nothing water-based. Your skin needs special care and protection during the winter. I have an acne prone, oily skin, and I still choose thicker creams, so don't be afraid to do the same. My go-to for winter is a levera cream for sensitive skin and a black cumin seed oil. I also like products from PinusVital.

- uv still exists during winter so don't forget a sunscreen!

- decorate your apartment, room or house with winter decor. I'd defiently focus more on winter related things since they will last until March. Christmas things tend to be thrown away much quicker after Christmas. There's so many cute ideas!

- get yourself a sun clock. It's a lamp you put by your bed, which imitates the sunshine. It's especially useful in early mornings since we humans aren't programmed to be waking up in full darkness. It helps to wake up your body :)

- get yourself a bunch of candles and light them in the evening. Element of fire has always been crucial for our ancestors during these trying times

- every single week plan to do something new. It can be finding a new song or new album, going to a restaurant or a coffee shop you've never been to before, learning something new, visiting a place you haven't seen yet, trying out a new recipe, even taking a different rode back from work/school, write a new poem, start a new book, watch a new movie, keep yourself entertained by little things

- out of the same principle, try to redecorate or change placement of furniture from time to time. Our brains get easily bored and especially during winter it can be very depressing. Brains need the change to stay healthy and fit

- especially during cold times, a community is really important. Even if you're an introverted person, it doesn't mean you should stay alone all the time. Humans are social beings, and we need contacts to one another. During winter months and long evenings, loneliness can be very hard. Try looking for a local book club or knitting club or any other club you'd enjoy. Download Bumble BFF it's an app that helps you to find friends! Volunteer at your local senior house or even your local dog shelter. Being constantly alone has literally never done anyone any good.

- burn incenses to boost energies in your household (any time it's needed, of course if you believe in stuff like this :) ) I recommend orange incense (brings luck and happiness)

- spend time outside. During the week I barely have time but every weekend I try to go on a walk possibly out in the nature. Your mental state regulates this way. Just 15 minutes of walk outside each day can boost your mood. Believe me, it comes from a person who struggled a lot with depressions.

- don't forget to eat well. You burn more calories during the winter because your body uses lots of energy to keep itself warm. Eat regular, well-balanced food portions. I love vegetarian food magazines that offer amazing seasonal recipes, so you cook with vegetables and fruits that actually grow during the winter. I think it adds more magic and meaning to the season to cook with seasonal food.

- wake up early. And early can be different for every person, but sleeping in every day is not proven to be healthy. Sleeping in causes chronic diseases, slows down your metabolism, and can cause social problems. Of course, there's nothing wrong with having one slower day, but having a crazy sleeping schedule can get you in sleep debt that will not result in anything productive.

- pick projects you want to accomplish during winter like for example my projects are: learn about local birds and mammals, make a little house in my local forest, learn how to diy fairy houses, learn how to knit :)

❄️Remember that winter time is the time to slow down and relax. Look around at nature and see how everything is seemingly dead and waiting for the spring. Don't worry if you're not being great all the time or constantly achieving new milestones because it's totally fine to calm down after many months of work. I know that the capitalism convinced us that we should always work, no matter what, but I just want you to remember that nature intended otherwise and of you're more tired and sleepy during these months that's totally normal. Just be kind to yourself.❄️

#winter #winter time #christmas #yule #cosy #cute #diy #girlhood #slow living #life hacks #hygge #witchcraft

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gh0stgirl000 · 3 months ago

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HEY POOKIEEE!!

I was wondering if I could get some fluff with Theo, were the reader and him are close friends or dating (Idc) but they live together and the reader is trying to cook and he is just being a nuisance

Anywayyyy love youuuu 😘

-🪼

A/n: HEY POOKIEEEEEEE!!! I love you more!! I'm gonna try my best to make it what you want since i obviously can't let you beta read it this time, wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise... And a note to everyone else i'm aware i've never stated who and what i'll write for i'm so sorry but i'm gonna work on clearing that up this weekend! Love you all, enjoy!! -Bella <3

Summary: Trying to focus on setting up for a Halloween party with Theo Raeken around might just be the most difficult thing anyone's ever been tasked with.

Pairing: Theo Raeken x reader? idk i don't use Y/n and its in third person sooooo

Warnings: allusions to drug use because i'm a huge Bob Marley fan

Genre: fluff

She should've known better, trying to get things done when he was around. She also should've accounted for the fact that he's more distracting than a traffic cone at midnight when she adopted his procrastinating habits. She had less than 4 hours to cook enough food to feed the congregation of teenagers she was having over for Halloween, and here Theo was, literally sticking his nose in everything.

He stretched his arm across the island, dipping his finger in the bowl of icing she was currently mixing food coloring into, licking it off his finger with a smirk that made her roll her eyes. "He knows exactly what he's doing." she thought to herself, trying to pull the bowl out of reach while simultaneously forcing a "Theo! Quit it, that's gotta be the second time!" through a laugh she failed to stifle. His smile grew as he pulled his finger away from his mouth "Third, actually. Figured third times the charm, but I guess not" he shrugged, his grin never faltering.

She threw him a dead-panned look, furiously mixing the icing when she caught a glimpse of the clock on the stove over his shoulder. Finally she was satisfied with the color, setting the bowl aside and glancing at her recipe, smacking Theo's less than stealthy hand away from the food without a single glance his way. His gaze lingered on her side profile, studying every curve of her face and the flicking of her eyes across the page, his once teasing grin softening into a genuine smile.

She caught his eyes in her peripheral, a soft redness spreading along her neck and a nervous smile gracing her lips. "What?" she questioned, her accusatory tone juxtaposed to the fog he left in her brain. "You're pretty" The confession made her stomach turn, but she ignored the feeling, reaching up and smacking the back of his head. He winced, squeezing his eyes shut at the impact. "Focus, Raeken! You told me you wanted to help." He chuckled at her reaction, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I am helping. I'm moral support." He stated matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that evening "well why don't you take your morals and go support the cookies when they come out of the oven"

Theo raised his eyebrows at her attempt to be witty, but she ignored it, grabbing one of his shoulders and turning his body to face the stove. He heard a drawer open behind him before an oven mitt clocked him in the back. He scoffed, turning to face her again, but her back was already turned towards the rest of her projects. He decided it would be best to be at least a little helpful before he wrecked havoc on their shared kitchen. Theo leaned down and swiped the oven mitt off the tile, begrudgingly pulling the oven door open and setting the hot pan on the stove top.

Now that he was done being helpful for the night, Theo turned back towards his girlfriend, reaching into the bag of flour to her left as quietly as he could. He hesitated for a second, deciding where he should launch his attack on the girl. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he tapped her on the shoulder with his empty hand. The second she turned around, he lightly smacked his flour ridden palm across the entirety of her face, immediately breaking into laughter at her reaction. Neither of their expressions lasted long, as she reached for the flour soon after, clapping large puffs of the substance into his freshly washed hair.

One thing led to another and the pair were grabbing handful after handful of the powder. Soon they, along with the entire kitchen and some of the dining room, looked like they'd seen snow early this year. Finally having enough of the madness, Theo grabbed the girls wrists swiftly, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his own arms around her waist. Theo flashed her his ever-present grin, reaching up to brush some of the flour from her face. In a move somehow more cliche than the last, they both leaned in, studying the others eyes, their lips about to meet. The only thing that broke the two out of their trance was the monstrous ring of the front door bell.

The pairs eyes widened at once, and Theo's smile quickly dropped as they both came to the same conclusion; they were fucked. They stared at each other in shock for a moment before they both broke into obnoxious laughter, neither of them breathing properly when they finally opened the front door to none other than Liam Dunbar, who held a very proud, albeit very confused smile, having heard the commotion from behind the door.

"Looks like baking is on the agenda for all of us this Halloween" He grinned at his own (stupid) joke, pulling a joint out of his pocket and heading for the kitchen, ready to save his two best friends from themselves once again.

#theo raeken #theo raeken x reader #theo raeken fluff #teen wolf #scott mcall #liam dunbar #stiles stilinski #fluff #cooking #baking #fanfic

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bee-saucee · 2 years ago

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We R Who We R | Denki Kaminari Character Study

A short Denki character study with a little bit of ShinKami! This is one scenario of what I'm hoping will be a full character study I'm doing in preparation for my next fic as I'm wrapping up my current WIP!

While Denki loved his friends, there was no way in hell he was going to the club after work today. He is usually a master at brushing off the critiques and knocks at his ability, but it was different when the comments didn’t stop and half of them were coming from…him.

Denki groans and kicks off his shoes. He quietly thanks the universe that all three of his roommates had opted to go out so he had the place to himself. He shucks off his office clothes and changes into his fluffy Pikachu pajama pants and favorite baggy top. They both had holes in them, but do you really expect him to throw out his comfort pajamas? Yeah, there’s no way in hell that’s happening.

The craving for hot chocolate hits him like a truck so it’s straight to the kitchen to grab his favorite hot chocolate mix. But of freaking course Shinsou was always the one who would pick up the fancy tins from his favorite coffee shop for Denki each Christmas. He shifts the tin out of sight at the back of his cupboard. Not today. He should treat himself even more than usual today anyway so Bakugou’s fancy hot chocolate it was.

He pulls up his notes app and scrolls until he finds the recipe that Bakugou had sent him after a year of asking him to always make it.

As he heats up the milk all of the comments that chipped away at his esteem over the day come rolling back in.

“Denki, can you please try to focus a little bit? These mistakes are all so simple. I know you get distracted easily, but I also know you can do better than that.”

Denki bangs his head against the cabinet. He could deal with the jokes, but Shinsou didn’t joke. He only told the cold, hard truth and today the truth was that Denki made a shit ton of dumb mistakes. The truth is that he’s also falling for the jerk like crazy.

“Being mean is so not sexy,” Denki grumbles and adds in the cocoa powder and sugar.

Except his lizard brain totally thought that Shinsou with all of his dry humor and painfully accurate comments was sexy as hell. What the fuck, lizard brain?

Right now was Denki time, though and he was not about to spend all of it worrying about the bitch ass commentary from his crush. So, his good bitch Kesha it was.

It was almost a ritual at this point. Linking up his phone to his bluetooth speakers. Testing out how slidable the kitchen tiles were beneath his fluffy sock-clad feet. And, of course, preparing to shake some major ass.

He tosses his phone against the counter and starts to rap the first words he’s imbued with true confidence all day.

Hot and dangerous

If you’re one of us, then roll with us

'Cause we make the hipsters fall in love

The ass shaking starts as he revs himself up for the chorus and he tries to let the events of the day roll off his back.

Got that glitter on my eyes

Stockings ripped all up the side

Looking sick and sexified

Even if no one else would gas him up, Kesha always did and he would too. He made a killer cup of homemade hot chocolate and was funny as hell. Tonight was for puffing his chest back out and being okay with all of the dumb mistakes he makes. So just for tonight, fuck Shinsou and his opinion.

You know we’re superstars, we are who we are

Thanks for reading! ( ͡ಥ‿ ಥ)━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

✰like ✰ reblog ✰ follow ✰ comment ✰

#bnha #bnha fanfiction #mha #my hero academia #denki kaminari #hitoshi shinsou #shinkami #character study #shinsou x kaminari #bee saucee writes

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loisroo · 2 years ago

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my au prompt to you: joo won is forced to go on a friend date with hyuk and he gets taken to this ("it's really great, trust me") family-run restaurant (dong sik's parent's business) and he can't get over the very hot but very rude (i.e flirty) person running it 👀

helloooooo my beloved lamps!!!! 🖤🖤 thank you for the prompt (this post) and gracing me with your wonderful self! 😍🖤 Idk how this is gonna go, i'm so sorry if it's awful!!

Normally, Joo Won would be at home right now, in his apartment making the new recipe he found on the internet the night before. And he prefers that, enjoys the calmness that surrounds him when cooking and the comfort of having his own space.

He doesn't dislike going out to new places, Joo Won just prefers his own cooking, his own cleanliness, and knows exactly what to expect.

Which is what he had explained to Hyuk when the man bullied his way into Joo Won's apartment and told him they were going out together on a "friend date"

"Han Joo Won, i know it's not your favorite thing but I really miss spending time with you. Plus it's good to try new things and be adventurous isn't that what you said when you left your father?"

Joo Won sighs, he hates it when Hyuk brings up good points but his hyung is correct. He had made a promise to himself, in spite of his father and his control, that he would live the life that he wanted to live, not follow in the footsteps of a father who never loved him.

So here he is anxiously walking into a small, family owned restaurant to try new things.

The restaurant is louder then he expected but not overwhelming and there is plenty of space to sit and not feel crowded. They hear a shouted, "Sit anywhere you'd like!" from the kitchen so they settle by the window.

Joo Won looks at the menu, jumping over anything with fish or seaweed. He’s only about halfway through the items when someone sets two waters down at their table.

He looks up to see an older man with unruly brown hair and an easy smile on his face like it’s meant to be there. He has laugh lines around his eyes and he claps his hands together as he introduces himself, “I’m Lee Dong Sik, your server for tonight. What can I get you to drink?”

His voice even sounds like he's smiling, like he's the only one that understands the joke. It makes Joo Won equal parts apprehensive and intrigued.

Hyuk smiles at the man and orders soju for the table, "Han Joo Won, what do you want to drink besides that?"

Joo Won doesn't even realize he's been staring at the man so intently until the brown eyes are turned to him in question. Joo Won blinks and then looks down quickly when he feels his ears start to warm.

He fumbles with his thoughts before blurting out, "Do you have any makgeolli?"

Kwon raises his eyebrows at the same time Dong Sik gives Joo Won a small look of surprise before nodding, "We do.... let me go get your drinks. "

Joo Won ignores Hyuk's pointed looks and picks the menu back up, "Hyung, what are you getting?"

Hyuk hums and glances back at the menu but before they can discuss, Dong Sik is back with their drinks. He's friendly and loud as he places their drinks on the table and few of their table neighbors tease him not to drop the drinks.

"Yah! I haven't done that since I was a teenager working here!"

Joo Won cant help but wonder what Dong Sik was like as a teenager, was he just as friendly to every customer like he is now?

Again he is shocked by the thoughts his brain keeps getting distracted by and he mentally shakes himself to get his brain back under control. His interest in the server would subside soon and he could focus on his meal.

When Joo Won looks up, Dong Sik is watching him with unabashed curiosity and it makes something flutter in Joo Won's chest. His mouth moves again without his consent, "What do you recommend?"

Joo Won never asks for recommendations, never lets other people choose for him because why would they know his preferences and likes? How could they give him a good recommendation?

This time Hyuk's eyebrows raise so high it looks uncomfortable and his mouth is open a little bit in shock. Honestly, Joo Won's shocked at himself as well, especially when he find himself waiting to hear what Dong Sik has to say.

The older man hums and taps his lips playfully, taking entirely too long to come up with an answer. It annoys Joo Won, and it annoys him even more that he sort of likes it.

"The cook makes phenomenal fish noodle soup."

Joo Won's nose scrunches up slightly and Dong Sik catches it easily, grinning, "Ahhh, I see. The prince doesn't like fish soup."

The teasing way Dong Sik calls him a prince has him scoffing in annoyance and flushing immediately, "Prince?"

Dong Sik's grin grows larger and he shifts his weight, leaning closer into Joo Won's space. His voice is softer now, like they were having a private conversation but Dong Sik's eyes are so loud-- bright and flirty, "What can I get for you, your Majesty?"

Joo Won's breath catches in his throat as he stares at Dong Sik. Joo Won isn't good at these things, he's never been intersted in anyone before. He's never wanted to know more and see more and experince more of a person before.

It's slightly terrifying but Joo Won is not hardwired to back down, one trait from his father that he has been able to positively reclaim.

He takes a breath, his eyes never leaving Dong Sik's, "I'll have the fish noodle soup."

Dong Sik's eyes widen slightly and a grin breaks across his face, "Your friend said your name is Han Joo Won?"

Joo Won gives a small nod jsut as he picks up on the mischief in Dong Sik's eyes, too late to take it back when Dong Sik straightens and turns to leave but not before he throws over his shoulder, "I'll bring your food right out, Joo Won-ah."

It's said confidently and Joo Won can feel his entire face and neck heating up. He snatches his water up and takes a few drinks before setting it down and pinching his nose, "What an annoying man."

Hyuk's mouth is completely hanging open now and his eyes are wide, he looks like those furry animals in Australia that Joo Won never remembers the name of but knows it sounds funny.

Hyuk sputters out, "What the hell was that??"

Joo Won feigns ignorance, "What was what?"

Hyuk leans into the table, his eyes shining and the smile on his face is too wide. "I've never seen you flirt before!! That's your type??"

Joo Won scoffs and rolls his eyes, bringing his arms to fold over his chest as he tries to process what Hyuk is saying. He opens his mouth to speak but just ends up closing it again out of frustration. The longer he is silent, the larger Hyuk's smile grows and Joo Won knows he's going to get teased about this forever.

Dong Sik eventually brings them their order, he sets the fish soup down in front of Joo Won and then snags a chair from another table and settles down next to him.

Joo Won raises his eyebrows, "I dont remember inviting you to sit."

Chuckles fall from Dong Sik's lips and he motions for Joo Won to eat, completely ignoring Joo Won's comment.

Joo Won hesitantly picks up his chopsticks but stubbornly brings his first bite to his mouth, he didn't want to back down from Dong Sik.

The soup turns out to be delicious, whatever spices are added mask the taste Joo Won normally struggles to eat when it comes to fish soups and some seafood dishes.

He looks up at Dong Sik to see him watching Joo Won intently and says, "This is good."

The smile that appears on Dong Sik's face is bright and warm, as he pats Joo Won's shoulder and laughs, "See I told you! If you wouldn't have seen the name of it you would never believe me when i said it was fish soup."

Joo Won rolls his eyes at Dong Sik's dramatics while fighting back a smile and Dong Sik keeps staring at him with a happy look in his eyes.

A loud cough makes them both jump and they look over to see Hyuk with a grin on his face, eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of them.

Dong Sik smiles and looks back at Joo Won with a wink, "I'll let you finish your meal."

Joo Won spends the next half hour feeling flustered with his emotions and annoyed with Hyuk because he wont stop smiling at Joo Won. Dong Sik continues to work and doesn't sit down with them but Joo Won catches him looking over at their table a few times and it makes something warm tingle through Joo Won's chest.

When it is time for them to pay for their meal, Joo Won watches Dong Sik quickly take their payment but catches him glancing up through his eyelashes a few times.

Joo Won wants to say something but he's not sure what it is and how to say it, he feels awkward and out of his element. He's still trying to put a coherent sentence together in his head when suddenly Dong Sik is handing him a piece of paper.

It's just a piece of paper that Dong Sik must have ripped out of a notebook but Joo Won cant help his smile when he reads what's written across it:

'COUPON- good for a free meal with a handsome restaurant owner'

#beyond evil #jwds #ask prompt #this one also got a littel away from me #i hope it's good #im so so sorry if its not lamps #as you know i haven't been able to write as much lately so this has been wonderful but im nervous its bad lol #thank you again sending me the prompt!

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patchesjam · 2 years ago

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BM rant:

People telling Dream to “get good” at BM don’t understand that Dream has tried, genuinely tried, to get better at the game. He thrives when he can practice a game, there is no way he can practice buildmart as there’s no version of the game on the practice server. Dream tried to work around this back in season 1, when they used the same 27 builds in rotation throughout the game. BOTH Dream and Techno compiled them and practice each one to memorize them. This allowed them to do marginally better in the game where they suffered before. Well guess what Noxcrew did? They decided to change the game so that strat was obsolete! Now it creates new builds every game so there’s no way to practice these builds off server.

What did Dream do? He found another solution! He wrote down what he needed. Well that was banned too. It’s banned to write a list using the in-game chat and physically writing it down. Which is banning a tool that many people with adhd use on a daily basis! I was ALWAYS encouraged to make a list and break down tasks to help me! Telling someone with ADHD to not use a tool to help them with their short term memory is handicapping them for no reason.

MCC’s color and block palette is extremely busy and tends to be too vibrant at times leading to overstimulation for players and viewers alike, especially when the player is using the elytra to whizz past rows and rows of blocks. Couple that with loud, grating music that feels like you’re taking an ice pick to the brain and three other people shouting at each other and you’ve got a recipe for the complete and utter overload on the senses for those with ADHD. It absolutely makes my head spin when I watch and I’m on ADHD medication. Dream is not. He’s experiencing all of this with no aid whatsoever, which would make everything about 10x worse for him.

Yet Buildmart is the “perfect game” /s

I very much agree with the first two paragraphs and personally i believe it's a big part of why i am loosing interest quite a bit. instead of almost celebrating the bending of the rules (like techno and dream planning all the builds) they go out of their way to prevent work arounds. i also have issues with the banning of a list although i am not sure if noxcrew confirmed they did ban that.

one change i advocated for on the reddit was the implementation of an in-game auto checklist for the entire team - i thought this would solve a lot of issues with little actual effect on gameplay or mechanincs. and would actually encourage teamwork because people 'fetching' blocks would have to communicate based on the checklist what they would each get.

the last para is difficult for me because you could claim that with all games to some extent and its where the line is drawn. i agree with you quite a bit, i do find bm a difficult watch and get overstimulated but i also find that a lot with gridrunners and hitw to some extent too. i thought a good solution would be to have a much less 'noisy' arena, so theres not much background colours to focus on and its just the buidling blocks!

#tldr: i think there were things that could be mutch improved about it and a lot of people have suggested a lot of stuff #none of which have been implemented or changed #and its fustrating that people write it off as 'they hate bulidng haha'

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productiveandfree · 28 days ago

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Bullet Journal Beginner Setup and Productivity Tips

Productivity systems is always an interesting subject.

The reason for this is there is actually no perfect system out there, though many people might still try to convince you of otherwise.

The best system, however, is the one that aligns with your goals, your priorities, and your lifestyle.

And so, this is precisely the reason why I was drawn to bullet journaling in the first place. This method is completely customizable to fit anyone’s needs — it’s both fast and flexible.

According to Ryder Carroll, the inventor of the bullet journal system, this is an analog way to track the past, organize the present, and plan for the future.

Free Spacing Guide for A5-sized Planner

If you count spaces in your planner way too often, then this guide is for you!

Simply select "actual size" when printing and place the guide behind your planner page. You'll be able to see the markers through the page and choose which to trace.

No sign up or purchase necessary.

Here are five things to do to get started with bullet journaling:

Get a pen and a notebook.

Assign an index page where you can list down anything you write on whichever page of your notebook.

Number your notebook pages (if they aren't numbered yet).

Use bullets and signifiers to classify and easily recognize everything you write on your notebook (examples are provided in the video but feel free to use your own).

Remember to always go back to your index page to keep track of what you write down.

And just like that, you already have your own basic productivity system.

How?

By writing things down and keeping tabs on them, you're clearing your mind to facilitate a higher level of thinking. This is when you're able to reach a level of focus that permits you to do deep and meaningful, high-value work.

Now that we've covered the essentials of bullet journaling, let's talk about what actually goes in those pages. According to the bullet journal website, a section of anything you write on your notebook is called a collection.

Here are the four core collections of bullet journaling:

Index

Future Log

Monthly Log

Daily Log

Again, the Index is where you jot down the page numbers and the corresponding description of whatever you write on whichever page of your notebook.

The future log is where you list events, holidays, birthdays, appointments, meetings, to-dos, and more. This gives you a bird's eye view of what's to come and what to expect.

The monthly log is where you gather all your tasks and assign them to specific days. This ensures that everything gets scheduled and prioritized in their own time.

The daily log is where you can rapid log all your tasks, notes, ideas, etc.��on a particular day. Don't forget to classify them with bullets and signifiers. Also, if you plan to migrate a task, write it down on a future date or if you schedule it, make sure to jot it down in your future log.

As I mentioned early on, whatever you do with your bullet journal is completely up to you. So aside from these four core collections, here are other examples of what you can put in your notebook:

Weekly log

Habit tracker

Reading list

Gratitude log

Mood tracker

Brain Dump / Ideas section

Client list

Project list

Content calendar

Blog/Vlog stats

House chores

Expenses list

Grocery list

Meal planner

Favorite recipes

Fitness log

Quotes page

TV show or movie list

Travel list/places you want to visit

Word for the day

Student calendar

Study/Homework progress

and many more.

There is a new term introduced over in the bullet journal blog called a Stack. A Stack is simply a group of collections. For example, if you were to ask me what my stack is, it's the following:

Future Log

Monthly Log

Weekly Log

Monthly Trackers

Keystone Habits

Gratitude Log

Reading List

Blog Mapping and Stats

Expenses List

Ideas Section

Adventures List

Once you get the hang of bullet journaling, you'll find that it's actually a really effective productivity system. Aside from writing things down as I mentioned earlier, here are seven tips on how to increase your productivity using this system.

01. Write down your goals

It's no secret that having goals is crucial to being productive. This is how you know you're spending your valuable time, energy, and attention on things that really matter. But do you know what's even more powerful than having goals?

It's having goals that are written down.

Since your bullet journal is something you already write on on a regular basis, it's only logical to map out your goals in there as well.

> You can list your goals according to what, why, how, and by when.

> You can have a wish list and match each task to a particular reward.

> You can have a checklist to see if your goal aligns with goal-setting strategies such as SMART, Stretch, BSQ, or OKR.

> Or, you can simply have a statement of what you want to achieve each month, day, or week.

02. Identify your ideal productive day and compare it with your actual day

Since we all have 24 hours in a day, the simplest way to do this in your bullet journal is to create a time map and visualize what your ideal productive day looks like — what are things you should be working on and what are activities you should not be doing.

Then choose a regular day and log everything you do in each hour or half-hour. Afterwards, compare the two lists and evaluate where you need to improve on.

Are you spending too much time checking emails? On social media? In meetings? Watching tv? You might be surprised how much of your day is actually spent on distractions and multi-tasking instead of deep work.

03. Track your habits and activities

This is a favorite among many bullet journalists since we already know the habits we should be developing and the activities we should be doing on a regular basis.

Simply search 'bullet journal tracker' in Google or in Pinterest and you'll find beautiful and inspiring layouts from others.

Some things you can track are your keystone habits, your fitness, your meals, your projects, your blog/vlog stats, finances/expenses, your morning routine, and your evening routine.

When it comes to habits, I highly suggest identifying the habit loop. According to Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, a habit consists of three steps: the cue, the routine, and the reward. By establishing what triggers a habit and what reward we associate with it, we'd get better at developing or reshaping our habits.

04. Identify your SMITN

SMITN is just a catchy acronym I came up as a thought trigger to remind myself whenever I wasn’t prioritizing. It stands for:

Single Most Important Task Now

As I mentioned earlier, a huge portion of our day is usually wasted on distractions and multi-tasking. But if we always highlight our single most important task now, then we can more effectively act on things that actually move the needle.

This is related to concepts found in Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy, The One Thing by Gary Keller, even Essentialism by Greg McKeown.

So, in your bullet journal, it’s as simple as marking your top priority, high-value task with a star or an asterisk and making sure you work on it before your other activities.

05. Schedule a regular review period

It can be as simple as listing what you need to do 'more' of and 'less' of. Or your can review different areas of your life and rate them using a scale of 1 to 10.

This is what some bullet journalists call the level 10 life or wheel of assessment, which was taken from The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

You can even make a simple “stop doing” list to recognize which activities hinder your self-development and are essentially time-wasters.

The concept is that since we will always have areas of our lives that we can improve on, why not check in with yourself on a regular basis — yearly, monthly, weekly, even daily if you’re up for it.

06. Make a "go over later" list

Again, it’s really difficult to be productive when you’re constantly bombarded with distractions all day long.

But what if that distraction is a brilliant idea that just popped into your head? How do you turn that off when you’re trying to focus and get things done?

Well, one simple but effective way is to acknowledge the idea and write it down in a “do later,” “brain dump,” or “go over later” list.

This way, you’ll have a record of the idea and still be able to choose to work on it later when you’re ready to devote 100% of your time, energy, and attention to it.

07. Have a gratitude list

When it comes to productivity, sometimes it’s NOT about achieving more, being everywhere, and doing everything.

A lot of it is saying NO to things that don’t really matter and instead, being content with who you are, where you are, and what you have.

I love the question posed by Tim Ferriss in his latest book, Tools of Titans, where he asks,

Could it be that everything is fine and complete as is?

He was talking about how our obsession with being productive can sometimes make us more anxious, stressed, and lose sight of what’s really important.

This is related to what Productive and Free is all about. Our aim in being productive is NOT to simply do more work, but so we can be free to pursue the things we love.

And so in your bullet journal, my last suggestion is to list down and contemplate on things you should be grateful for or simply, to recognize and celebrate your small wins on a regular basis.

Over to You

Now as I mentioned many times before, what you do with your bullet journal is entirely up to you. And so, the same goes with these seven suggestions —

If something is unnecessary, eliminate it. If something isn’t entirely applicable, improve it. And if something works, use it.

#bullet journal #bullet journal setup #bullet journal beginner #bujo #planner #productivity tips #bullet journal ideas

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mojavesaura222 · 2 years ago

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being high maintenance to be low maintenance - a guide

you might have heard this saying circulating the internet recently, and rightfully so! its a super smart concept. being high maintenance to be low maintenance is as simple as it sounds, put the effort in now, so things will be simple and easy in the future. heres a guide i wrote so you have implement these things in your daily life! keep in mind this is just a guide and is purely my interpretation of this saying!

in health -

this is so important! having a healthy lifestyle and putting in the effort to make yourself healthy now could literally save your life in the future. for example putting on sunscreen now, could prevent you from getting skin cancer in the future. heres some healthy things to do now, which will take effort but will prevent you from having to spend thousands on medical bills in the future;

eating healthy! sounds simple but life can definitely get in the way of this and make it feel a lot more complicated then it really is. you don’t ever have to be restrictive or diet, but simply making better choices with food and how it affects the body can be a huge help. do things like try and get in all the food groups, cook at home, research new healthy recipes, limit junk and fast food, try and buy organic etc..

as listen in the example, wear sunscreen and do your skincare. this will make you age like fine wine and also prevent illnesses such as skin cancer which can be deadly. it only takes 1 minute to apply in the morning and throughout the day, but will save your face and body in the future.

getting enough sleep. this one is has more immediate effects. not getting enough sleep can cause stress, anxiety, brain fog and immune system weakness. getting at least 7 hours a night is going to be best for you and trust me you’ll feel so energetic and happier when you get your full zzz’s.

in school -

doing homework and turning your work in on time. this is so important and easy but can be easily clouded by procrastination. just think next time you go to put off that practise essay that this could cause you a lot of stress in the future, lower the standard of your work and even effect your grades when it could of been done well and out of the way the day you got it.

use nice stationary and focus on the presentation of your work. this doesn't mean spending lots of money on fancy pens and sticky notes, but taking pride in your work and using your nicest pens etc... will help a lot with organisation and motivate you to want to work. having your work be neat and legible will save your life when it comes to reading your notes back in the future when studying for exams.

socially -

its very easy to get wrapped up in toxic friendships and relationships just because those people give you attention or seem cool but focusing on the type of people you put effort into will improve your confidence and happiness in the future. its not easy to let toxic friendships sometimes but think of yourself in the future, she will be so much happier not worrying about your every move around your friends and worrying about drama or insecurity. if you try and surround yourself with people who love you for you and make you actually happy to be around you’re going to have so much more fun hanging out with people. same goes to relationships. you don’t have to be super crazy picky, but set standards you care about and never settle for less.

hope this helped, i can cover more of this is the future maybe too. again this is just my interpretation of the quote!

#selfcare #high maintenance

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mooneyedandglowing · 6 years ago

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fewd

kept trying to give my best friend my recipe for saucy shiitake mushrooms that I came up w/ to feed my ex girlfriend who was very specific about what she wld eat & what she wldn’t eat & whatsapp kept erasing each voice message before I was done & AHHHH I mean, it worked eventually but I’m all flustered now lol LET MY SHARE MY RECIPE INTERNET (it was my fault. I kept touching things) anyway, if anyone else wants to know how to make it since I’ve now repeated it so many times that it is all I can think about: get some shiitake mushrooms get low sodium oyster sauce (vegetarian, non-vegetarian, whatever works) get low sodium tamari (i use it over soy sauce because the flavor is less sharp & has more depth imo) get some tuong ot toi (chili garlic paste) (optional - my ex liked spice) get some fish sauce (optional) get some sriracha (optional) get some garlic cloves get some green onions (optional) get some citrus (orange is nice) or fresh coriander (cilantro) or both get some flour or cornstarch (i just always used flour)

pop out the stems of the mushroom, they are tough & you do not want them; however, you can use them to make broths/stocks. Slice mushrooms about a half of an inch thick (you want them thick enough to stand up to the cooking & the sauce). Roughly chop as much garlic as you’d like (I always used a lot). You want to roughly chop them so that they do not burn. Haphazardly slice up the green onions (as many as you want -- I’d typically use three to four if I was using them). Heat oil in pan on medium heat. Throw in mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms begin to brown. Right as mushrooms start to brown, throw in the garlic & the green onions & cook until garlic has softened. Mix the sauce: I just eyeball this, so I throw in the oyster sauce (I often used vegetarian oyster sauce, but it all works), some tamari, some chili garlic paste, maybe some sriracha & fish sauce (really just whatever you have in the fridge currently will do), & then I’d thin it out with water (water is very important because the condiments, even when using low-sodium ones, are salty). I’d then throw some flour into the pan w/ the oil & mushrooms & make a roux-like thing. Then I’d throw in the sauce & let cook & bubble until thickened. I’d make a slurry out of water & flour to pour directly into the pan if the sauce was still too thin or I needed to add more water to make it less salty (thus making the sauce thin again after thickening it once). After it was all done, I’d throw in some chopped cilantro & maybe a squeeze of citrus to brighten everything up. & that is that. Serve with steamed white rice. Or, if your girlfriend has particular food tastes, then serve the mushrooms alongside potstickers (jiaozi).

#food #recipes #mushrooms #shiitake #going to focus back on work now that this recipe is out of my brain #bisexual quapa recipes #lmao

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willsimpforanyone · 2 years ago

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Hey! I'm glad to see ur requests r back open! I've missed uuu! Could u do a Hermione Granger X Fem!Reader fic, where R needs help with a subject and Hermione tutors her in the library, leading to a library make-out session. Thanks so much!! Byyyyyeeeeeee :)

you're so sweet! thank you for being so patient!

---------------------------------

"Y'know, I don't think that's how you study."

Hermione's amused tone lifted my head from where I'd been faceplanted in a book. I scowled at her.

"Maybe it is, you don't know that, maybe I'm capable of word-osmosis."

She stifled a laugh, always mindful of being quiet in the library. "Word-osmosis? Now you're just making things up." She slid into the chair next to me and pulled the book so it was between us. "Let me help, what's got you stuck?"

I muttered something about potion ingredients and Snape and "wolfsbane is literally monkshood, why do I have to write down wolfsbane when I know it as monkshood?"

Hermione hummed in agreement, but took my notebook and quill and placed them exactly in front of me. "Alright, I know it's ridiculous that Snape will mark you down if you give the wrong name for something, but you can't let him get you this way." She pointed to the first of the ingredients of the potion recipe on the page. "This says 'hollyhock', but what does Snape know it as?"

Wracking my brain, I made an attempt. "...rose mallow?"

I squeaked in surprise as Hermione planted a kiss on my cheek. "Yes! Okay, write that down and we'll keep going."

It took me a second to pick up my quill, but I wrote down 'rose mallow' as part of my recipe translation.

"Next one." Hermione pointed at 'silver ragwort'.

I knew that one off the top of my head. "Silver dust."

Another kiss on the cheek, slightly closer to my lips, another ingredient translated and written down.

A pattern emerged as my girlfriend helped me study. For every wrong answer, she would make me translate out loud the previous three ingredients. For every right answer I was rewarded with her lips on my skin, though frustratingly never exactly where I wanted them.

By the final and sixteenth ingredient, I was squirming slightly in my seat with a flush creeping down my neck. Maybe if I got this one right, maybe this time she'd finally kiss me. "Um... garden sage?"

Hermione's eyes lit up and a grin spread over her face. "Well done, my lovely, you've done all the ingredients!" She flipped the book closed and picked it up. "But I think you've done enough today, come along." She began walking to where I'd gotten the book from.

Slightly thrown off, I shoved my notebook and quill into my bag and dashed after her as quietly as I could. She couldn't just leave me, that was borderline cruelty.

We wove between bookshelves as I followed her haphazard path. "Hermione!" I hissed. "I've been kissed fifteen times and unless my maths is wrong, I am owed a sixteenth kiss!" I rounded the corner and was grabbed, Hermione's arms secure around my waist as she spun me against a bookshelf.

My breath was knocked out of me and all I could focus on was her smirk.

"I owe you a kiss, do I?" Hermione's voice was soft and a little breathy.

I didn't know where the book had gone and frankly I didn't care. I focused desperately on listening to any sounds that might indicate other students but was met with silence. My girl was too good to get caught in her own temple.

"You want a kiss..." She pecked my forehead. "...here?" I smiled, but shook my head.

"How about..." The tip of my nose got a quick kiss. "...there?"

I made an undignified whining noise. "'Mione, c'mon."

Her eyes flickered to my lips for a split second, before she grinned once more. "Are you sure you don't want me..." She leaned in close, taking my earlobe in her teeth for a single moment. "...here?"

I inhaled sharply as Hermione pressed featherlight kisses from my ear down my neck. Clutching at her shirt, I suppressed the tiny moans threatening to release.

She worked her way back up my neck. "Is that enough of a reward for you, baby?"

Almost without thinking, I shook my head and Hermione let out a quiet laugh. "My girl, so demanding." Finally, fucking finally, she pressed her lips to mine.

Instinctively I wrapped my arms around her neck as I felt her pull me closer. I played with her loose curls as she parted my lips with a squeeze of my waist. Gasping into her mouth, I tried incredibly hard not to be too loud- I would never hear the end of it from Hermione if I was anything above a whisper in a library.

She grinned against my lips as if hearing my thoughts. She pulled away from me only to smooth down my neck, taking her time to graze her teeth over the sensitive skin. My head fell back against the bookcase as she decorated me with dark marks and I tried to steady my breathing.

After only a few minutes, Hermione pulled away fully, leaving her hands loosely holding my hips. "Will that do, babe?"

Slightly dazed, I grinned manically. "Never."

-------------------------------

a bit of a shorter one but i hope you enjoyed!

#hermione x reader #hermione granger x reader #hermione granger #hermione imagine #harry potter imagine

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asshlyyyy · 2 years ago

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Look Deep Within Pt. 3 (Dylan Lenivy x reader)

Here it is. I struggled a bit with this part, but I think a lot of you are going to enjoy it. Just as a little spoiler, there might be two more parts until this story leaps into the events of the game. It might take me longer to get those chapters out... just because I want to jam pack everything into it.

Also, if you ever see something that fits the description of a girl, please let me know. I’ve been really good at making sure things are told in a way where you describe yourself. I know I accidently said her instead of them in the last part and that has since been fixed!

Masterlist

warnings: swearing wc: 2.1k

11:02 | July 3 Hackett's Quarry Lodge Kitchen

Your e/c eyes were stuck staring at the ingredients in front of you. It's not like you forgot how to make the food. It was a very simple recipe and very simple food. It just felt like, your mind was clouded with something else, perhaps Dylan? You have been lost in your mind ever since that one day at breakfast.

"Heellloooo~" Dylan sang as he walked into the kitchen. He was wearing his usual look of a t-shirt and jeans. Very stylish, very comfy. You looked over at him and sent him a small smile before going back to looking at the food in front of you.

"Where's your group?" You asked as you started to paste together what you had to do.

"They're out with Jacob. He's doing ya know, sport things." He answered and stood next to the table you were standing at. He looked down at the food and at your confused face.

"Right right, I forgot that was before lunch,"

"You okay there? Do you need a reminder for what you need to make?" He chuckled lightly.

"No, my mind is just blank at the moment." You replied as you pushed the ingredients together for the corresponding food.

"Ah, brain fart," he nodded and leaned against the counter.

"Yeah..." you mumbled and took a step back and nodded.

"Okay, so meatball subs are pretty simple. We just need to heat up the meatballs and sauce. The pasta salad... We need to cook the noodles, and then put them in the fridge to cool... cut some veggies, we'll have to boil eggs... um..."

"Chill, y/l/n, how about you focus on stuff that goes on the stove, and I'll start cutting things up," Dylan suggested. You nodded at the suggestion.

"Yeah, that works," you agreed and started to get ready. It was sometimes quite awkward when it was just you and Dylan. After you found out about him being your long-lost best friend... It's like you didn't want to be yourself anymore. Mostly in fear that he would find out and it would just get awkward... Would it? It would be awkward for you at least.

Out of everyone, it had to be him? I mean it made sense. He had that humor that attracted you to him in the first place. The charmish smile, those beautiful beautiful eyes- oh my god. Shake the thought out of your head.

That was before... six years ago, he is not the same person as he was then. People change when they hit puberty, and he definitely did. I mean... he got way taller and stood above you no matter what. Some might even describe him as the Hyperion. Aka, the tallest tree in the world.

"It sucks Mr. H took out phones. We could be listening to some jams right now," Dylan commented. You nodded in agreement. He was right, it would be nice to listen to some music while making food for all the kids. And to help keep your head out of your thoughts.

"There might be a radio somewhere? Don't know what stations you would find though," You explained while bringing out some big pots.

"In this very kitchen? Okay, break from the veggies, I'm looking for this radio." He seemed determined, that or he just wanted to get out of cutting veggies. His eyes gazed around the room at the possible locations that the radio could be hidden.

"I don't think so... maybe in one of the tall shelves, or something. I haven't been able to reach up there." You suggested, to which he let out a laugh.

"I gotta hand it to you short people... mostly because they can't' reach it anyways," he held a smug look on his face.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" You looked over at him confused.

"Y-yes?" Dylan sounded unsure of himself. You shook your head and let out a small laugh. He was trying to be funny and you had to give that to him. When in doubt, laugh at the sad attempt at their joke.

"Just look for that radio, dumb dumb." you kept a smile on your face.

"Aww, I got you to laugh," Dylan made his way over to you.

"I think you're just hearing things to feed your ego," You replied not realizing that he was behind you.

"Is that so?" He said as tased your side. You let out a yelp and felt your body fall backward from the impact. Dylan's laugh filled your ears as he easily caught you from falling to the ground. Your head fell back against his chest as you let out a laugh. His arms wrapped around your waist, a smile wide on his face. His eyes looked towards your face.

"Hello fell-" the voice broke you guys out of your... whatever you would call it. The two of you quickly pulled away from each other.

"Am I interrupting something...?" Nick asked as he looked at the both of you.

"No no," you shook your head.

"I was uh- I was looking for the radio. Yes... yes and she um-" Dylan tried to come up with an idea.

"I slipped and he caught me, yup, yup," You stepped in.

"Right... right..." Nick nodded slowly, "right... should I go?"

"No! You- You can help." Dylan nodded in agreement as he slowly pulled himself further and further away from you.

"Are you sure? Cause the two of you look like you have it all under control" Nick pointed out as he slowly backed towards the door.

"I swear Nick. You tell anyone what you saw and put it without context, I will tell Abi how you feel about her." You threatened the poor boy.

"I- You got it, boss," and with that Nick left the kitchen. You let out a sigh and felt your face heat up. You turned towards the pots that were on the stove and steered the sauce to keep it from burning.

"Right... now... where was the pesky radio," Dylan muttered and continued to look for the radio. Your eyes were glued to the food out of fear that... if you looked at Dylan you would break.

It's not like you had a thing for Dylan... it was more like... an awkward moment that would... um.. that would... You know... You didn't want to have anything major. You weren't even looking for a real friendship this summer, let alone a whole-ass relationship.

"Ah-huh!" Dylan explained as you heard the cupboard open and close. You turned your head and watched as he pulled out an old radio. "Now let's see if we can get this baby working."

"Even if you get it working... would you even be able to find a station from all the way out here?" You asked. You were sure that, back when the radio was more useful there were a lot more radio stations out there. However, now you weren't so hopeful.

"God I hope so," he said as he plugged the radio in, and started to fiddle around with it. You shook your head and set up the final things on the stove to cook, before heading over to wear the veggies were to cut them... Since Dylan abandoned that task.

As you went ahead to cut the veggies the static of the radio filled your ears. You didn't know if it was worse than having your thoughts speaking aloud when there was no sound. After a few more moments of having to listen to it... you definitely agreed that the static was way worse.

"There has to be a station, why have a radio if you can't use it?" Dylan pointed out. You hummed a response and finished cutting up the rest of the veggies. You used the knife to push them all into a big bowl.

Shortly after tossing the veggies together, music started to fill your ears. You looked over at Dylan who was pumping his fists into the air in celebration.

"Oh hell yeah! Let's get it,"

"Not exactly the best, but-" you chuckled lightly.

"But it's something," he finished your sentence. You nodded in agreement and went back over to the food that was on the stove.

"Oh shit, are you almost done? Fuck, I'm sorry. I've been no help whatsoever." He apologized and sent you a sincere smile. You shrugged your shoulders in response. It's not like you weren't used to working by yourself.

"It's okay, I'll just have you do the living heavy." You smiled gently towards him. You weren't exactly the strongest, considering all the heavy lifting you did was mostly in the summer... you didn't gain much muscle to be able to pick up pots full of food.

"Ah yes, with my spaghetti arms," he chuckled as he lifted up his arms. He then started to make his way over to you to help with said heavy lifting.

"Nah, you got some muscles," You pointed out as you combined the meatballs into the tomato sauce, having to stand on your tippy-toes. You heard Dylan laughing from behind you.

"I make do with what I have, and these pots are tall," You fought for your height.

"Whatever you say, y/l/n." He said as he leaned against the counter.

As you got the meatballs in, you checked the noodles by taking one out and trying it. As it was at a good texture you grabbed a huge colander and placed it into the sink. You looked at Dylan and tossed him some oven mitts to protect his hands from the hot pot.

"Alright, put those muscles into effect and dump the noodles out into the colander. And keep your face away from the steam, or you'll whine." You explained. He nodded and put on the fun crab-themed mitts that you begged Mr. H to get. You giggled lightly at his appearance.

"Hang on now," he pointed his clawed hand at you. You stiffed out a laugh and covered your mouth. He rolled his eyes playfully and went towards the pot.

He grabbed the pot full of steaming hot water and noodles and brought it over to the sink. You stepped away to give him some more room. You watched as he dropped every single last piece of noodle out into the colander.

"Once it's empty you can just put it in the other sink for now." You said to him while bringing a cart over to easily transport the noodles to the fridge. As he dumped the pot into the sink, he grabbed the colander full of noodles and placed it on the cart for you.

"Thank you," you said while taking it over to the fridge. You opened the doors and moved over some of the food already in it to make room for the noodles. Since Dylan didn't know what to do, he just watched you.

Your hair was pulled up into a messy bun. The light perfectly danced against the sun as you shined ever so lightly. A small red-tinted your cheeks still from before. He smiled gently at the sight of you.

Before you knew it, you and Dylan were taking all the food out into the main room of the lodge. The two of you put the food out and covered them to make sure they stayed warm. You felt the weight of perfection fall off your shoulders as you realized... you were done with lunch. For some reason, lunch always seemed to stress you out more than breakfast or dinner.

"Hey, take a breath, you did amazing like always," Dylan complimented as he placed his hand on your shoulder. You looked over at him and smiled softly.

"Thanks, Lenivy." You responded as you let out a much-needed breath. You looked out the window at the view and smiled. What you would do to spend time here without having to work. Dylan slowly but surely pulled his hand off you and stuffed them into his pockets.

"The view is amazing. Even after so many years, it somehow gets better with every year." He spoke from beside you.

"Yeah... It's so peaceful."

The doors to the lodge opened and the voices of many kids entered. You gave Dylan one last smile before going off and finding your group. A huge smile on your face as you got reunited with your favorites.

"Y/n!" Some of the kids yelled as they rushed over to you. They started to tell you about their day so far as you listened to every single one of them.

Dylan watched from afar. It felt as if he was back in camp six years ago. He felt his heart beat out of his chest as he heard someone ask to braid your hair. He knew who you were.

Taglist: @starjane312

#The Quarry #The Quarry x reader #The Quarry Dylan #The Quarry Dylan Lenivy #Dylan The Quarry #Dylan Lenivy #Dylan Lenivy x reader

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transactinides · 10 months ago

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Why you, yes, you personally, should vote for Niki Shiina (tldr: becasue of his epic autism and whimsical nature)

[credits for story translations used in this post go to @/azurecrystalz]

Brief Overview: Who even is Niki

Niki Shiina is a character from Ensemble Stars! franchise (specifically first appearing in Ensemble Stars!! Music, a rhythm game being the last addition to it). He is both an idol (a given, since it is an idol-centric game) and a chef, with a clear preference towards his second occupation <- this is relevant to my point, i prommy.

Given that he is my favouritest little guy ever, there's a lot I could say about Niki, but for the purpose of this propaganda post, I will focus on one specific aspect of his personality * - his intense and passionate interest in / "fixation" on food and cooking, which [to me] reads very much like a special interest specifically.

* I believe in Niki Sweep forever and ever, so I want to leave stuff to cover in future propaganda. For the same reason, there WILL be very important things I won't get into in this post, even if they are relevant to properly understanding Nik's character, so other Shiinaheads don't call me out on that. I'm doing my best keeping as brief as I can already >:3c

Food Autism has never been more Real

As mentioned above, Niki Shiina has a very clear special interest in cooking specifically and food in general (which is something I, also very much a cooking special interest person, tend to nickname "food autism". Due to being autism that is so about food). A story which really explores that aspect of him is Niki's Second Feature Scout.

In Ensemble Stars!!, Feature Scouts are campaigns with assosiated stories focusing on exploring individuals idol and their image. Second round of Feature Scouts tend to center around more "internal" perception of a character, who they are in their more candid, free-time moments, what are they doing when they are "off-work".

This is where a conflict arises for Niki - for him, food is a huge part of his life. Cooking is not just a job to him, it is integral to him as a person. It's a lense through which he views the people around him, it affects the way he approaches a lot of social interactions. At least 60% of his brain is dedicated to thinking about food at all times - either eating it, or considering new recipes, or.. you get the idea. His first Feature Scout already was about his image as a chef. And now he is faced with a question - "Who are you during yout time off?" - a question he struggles to answer. He, very notable, Does Not have time off! Food is a permanent, all-time-relevant feature in his life!

He tries so hard to separate himself from his interest in food in an attempt to reach a conclusion which would be acceptable. Of course, since to most people the idea of having such a strong fixation on something to the point where you can't conceive of something you do for fun outside of that is strange...

Niki himself says so - "Everything just comes back to cooking…!"

And there is a nice conclusion to the story - his special interest in food is Not something Niki ever needs to try and separate from. He loves food! He loves cooking! It's important to him, off or on the clock! It's something to embrace, to share with other people!

Conclusion

Please vote for my little guy, literally look at him

Round 1: Sam Winchester vs Niki Shiina

Propaganda is encouraged!

#lis smart

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recurring-polynya · 3 years ago

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Do I mind if I ask how you approach writing longer fic? I've always struggled to write anything more than maybe two chapters long and I'm curious if you have a particular method to how you approach such stories.

Thank you so much for this ask! I absolutely love it when people ask me for writing advice because it makes me feel like a Smart Person Who Knows Things.

Before we start, here is one grain of salt to take all of this with: I have a naturally long-form brain. It is very hard for me to write something less than 1k. Short fiction is great, and there is nothing wrong with sticking to short things if that's what your brain likes to do.

So. You have decided to write a story. This is going to focus on "stories". Some people write fic that's more freeform or whatever, I am not going to cover that. What I mean by a story is this:

It starts

Some stuff happens

It ends

It is highly probable that your story contains a change of state, which could be that a villain is defeated, or a goal is reached, but it could also be that character falls in love with another, or someone learns to like broccoli.

I like to start out by completing the sentence, "This is a story where _______". This is basically like coming up with a summary for an ao3 post, except that it doesn't need to be catchy. Lots of different kinds of things could go in that blank! It could literally be what happens: This is a story where Ichigo goes back in time and punches young Aizen in the nose. It could be about what you want to explore: This is a story where Hitsugaya gets a better understanding of his zanpakutou. It could be about the vibe you want to achieve: This is an AU where everyone is in a punk rock band and has cool hair and outfits. The idea of this is to clearly define what you, the author, is interested in writing. Make sure it feels right! Maybe you pick the first one, but when you say it out loud, you say, "You know, I really just want Ichigo to go back in time so he can horse around with young Renji and Rukia and punching Aizen in the nose is just an excuse for that." That may sound dumb, but it's fine, actually! Most people don't read stories strictly for the plot, they read stories for the implications of those plots! Will my favorite two characters kiss? Will there be funny interactions between these two groups of characters? Will there be sick fights? Stories are excuses to have scenes. Sometimes, you will have a story where the interesting sequence of events is the draw, but the point is to know what you're about.

Once you feel happy with your "mission statement", you need to decide the bounds of your story: where it starts and where it ends. It may be easier to start with the end. In some cases, it may be obvious from your mission statement: everyone gets home, a villain is defeated, Kenpachi realizes the meaning of friendship. On the other hand, let's look at that punk rock AU. You've picked a vibe, but you don't really have a natural story arc. It has to have a destination, though, otherwise, it's not really a story, it's a recipe for 3 chapters of an abandoned fanfic. So brainstorm a little: Maybe they get a record deal? Maybe they win a Battle of the Bands? Maybe Byakuya accepts that the band is actually good and tells Rukia he is proud of her. Do not settle for a plot just because it works. Pick something that makes you excited! You're the one who is gonna have to write it!

I said that we needed to pick a beginning point, too, but I'm actually going to skip that for now. The next thing I do is think of all the Big Scenes I want to write, the ones you are hype to write, the ones that pop in your head as you think about the premise. Make a bullet list. They don't need to be in order. The descriptions don't need to be super detailed, but write down anything about it that is important to you. If there's a mood or a snippet of dialogue or a joke you want to make, go ahead and jot that down so you don't forget it later. What you're doing now is putting broad blotches of color on a canvas, filling in space and leaving the detail for later.

Once you are pretty happy with what you have down, try to arrange it in chronological order. Put your end at the end (if it wasn't one of your big scenes, add it now). The next task is figuring out how to traverse your scenes. You've already picked out where you want to spend the majority of your energy. The rest, I regret to tell you, is your slog writing. Now, it often happens that you will find joy in some of these scenes and your best writing may occur there, but that's serendipity. These are the scenes that you are gonna have to make yourself sit down and write, so you honestly want to limit them to just the ones you need.

So how do we do this? Look at the first thing on the list. Can you start there? If so, congrats, that's your beginning. If you can't, what needs to happen to get to there? Where can you start so that you can get to your first fun scene as soon as possible? There. That’s it. You’ve picked your beginning, good job! Now, go through the rest of your list, and add in things that must happen, even if you don’t particularly look forward to writing them. The characters need to travel from geographic point A to point B. Shuuhei needs to say something that Izuru hears and misinterprets. The Central 46 makes a new law. If you have a good idea of how these things happen, go ahead and write them down, but it’s okay if you don’t know yet. Fill in all the blanks so that if you think of each bullet list as a scene, you could read it as a story, start to end. Once you get writing, you might add more scenes, or move things around or whatever, but you should have a thing that functions as a story.

If you struggle with this, an alternative is a story with a very strong structure that is going to guide you though what you have to write.Here are two examples from my own stories Hold On, Hold On (which is only one chapter, but the principle is the same) is structured around the 5 stages of grief. Not Broken, Just Bent takes place over roughly a week, and I just decided what happened every day of the week. See You on the Other Side takes place in the middle of a bunch of canon events, which worked at mile markers.

Congratulations. You’ve just made a rough outline!

Special note for avoiding burnout!: I am a slogger. I will drag myself through the broken glass of an interminable plot to get to a single thirsty scene. That's why, at this stage, I try to look at the ratio of what I want to write to what I must write. It's gonna vary for everyone, but this is a hobby, and if looking at this proto-outline makes you feel deeply tired, maybe this isn't a good story to be devoting your time to! Can you carve it down? Can you chuck two scenes you really want to write and get rid of 80% of the slog? Or maybe you can't! In that case, just write that thirsty scene as a standalone drabble! Or just go work on something else! Maybe in the future, this one will come back to you and you’ll have a fresh idea or a renewed enthusiasm for it.

Another thing I sometimes like to do at this point is to write out some notes about my characters and their motivations and moods. Character A is homesick. Character B is so determined to defeat the enemy that they are having a hard time being sympathetic to Character A. Character C cares for both A and B and is trying to support them both. This is sort of background info that you want to keep in your head as you are writing. Depending on the type of story you are writing, this might actually be the main plot, or it might be happening subtly, but adding to the emotional impact of the story. It’s very easy for me to write these sorts of emotional arcs, but if you struggle with that, you may wish to go ahead and made a more detailed outline for that, too.

Now, it’s time to start writing! I am great at beginnings-- it is very often the case for me that the opening scene was one of my Big Tentpole Scenes. (Before you hate me too much, I make up for this by being double horrible at endings; just let me have this) Usually, I will start at the beginning and write linearly for as long as I can until I get stuck. Then, I will look forward on my outline and do the next chronological scene that I feel like writing. In general, if I sit down to write and there is something I have an urge to write, that trumps everything else. Inspiration is a precious commodity, and you should embrace it when it hits! You can slog any day. I will occasionally hold off writing a scene that I really want to, because I am saving it, like a prize for myself for getting that far. This is a very personal process of figuring out what motivates your brain and then giving your brain what it needs to be its most productive.

Eventually, you will run out of things you are excited to write, but the good news is, you’ve got a bunch of story now! Odds are that what’s left is going to be a lot of those connective tissue scenes, and you’re just going to have to do them, except that now, because you’re connecting two concrete points instead of two abstract points, it will be a lot easier. You can continue running jokes you’ve started. Maybe you invented a cafe in an earlier scene where your characters hang out and you can have them return there. Try to think of ways to make these scenes more fun, both for yourself to write and for your reader to read.

Around this time, I like to start refining that rough strokes outline into what I will call an “as-built” outline. (This is an engineering term where you update your plans or models for something to reflect any changes that had to be made along the way). This is a great activity to do at times when you feel like you have writers block. I write down every scene I have written as a 2-3 word blurb, in order. I break the scenes into what I think makes logical chapters, and I will do a word count on those prospective chapters and write it down. As you do this, you will realize that maybe you can move a scene from here to there, which will make it 1000% easier to write. Things may be happening too much, or you’ve got the characters eating three times in the same chapter. If you have subplots and dangling threads, this is where you make sure they get closure. I know this sounds very headache-y, but you are so far along in the story at this point that it’s really not-- it’s a way to look at the problems you have left. Use some sort of formatting (I like to bold things I haven’t done and sometimes I put them in red) and it gives you a very visual to-do list.

You specifically mentioned multi-chapter fanfics and I admit that I don’t tend to think in chapters, I tend to think of the story as a whole and just break it up where it feels natural. The as-built outlining I described is very helpful in making sure that my chapters feel balanced. They don’t necessarily need to be the same length, but I like them to have the same amount of stuff in them. One chapter may basically contain one long scene, and other may contain many short ones. I don’t tend to, but you can certainly have a fanfic that varies between short and long chapters, that can actually be an interesting effect. But like I said, I always like to know what I am doing, and so having it mapped out, you can say “welp, this is what I’ve done, how do I feel about that?”

Polynya, you may be saying at this point, do you write the whole fanfic before you post any of it? and I regret to inform you, the answer is yes. A lot of people write as they go, and I have made one attempt at this and I didn’t like it. I don’t like locking myself in, I just need to be able write out of order and go back and change things. Here is the story of a little in love: someone gave me an AU prompt and I got mildly obsessed with it, and wrote 5 snapshots drabbles in that universe, ending with a slight cliffhanger ending. I probably should have stopped there, but I decided to keep going. I wrote out an outline of 5 acts where the first act was detailed to the degree of each chapter being specified. The chapters here were much smaller than I usually make chapters: 1-2k. I wrote act i and ii and it was actually great, and then I hit act iii which required a lot of set up for misunderstandings and a mini romance arc. I couldn’t wing it, but nor could I figure it all out with outlining. I write dialogue in almost sort of an improv “Yes, and...?” style, so until I do it, I don’t know what’s going to happen. So, what I did was treat the second half of act iii as a complete story in the process I describe above, wrote the entire rest of it, and then posted it. One might notice that the chapter lengths grew to 3-5k each. I have two more acts to go, and I haven’t decided how I am going to do them yet, but I suspect I will treat each of them as their own mini-stories.

(I will admit that in Heart is a Muscle, I tend toward chapters that are about 10k long, and this is honestly too long, someone should smack me. If you like punchy chapters, 1-2k is good. I think 3-6k is probably an ideal chapter length. Is this how long the chapters are in my latest fanfic? Absolutely not.)

Okay, so there’s one more step, which is quality control. I am habitual re-reader-- I read my fanfics-in-progress over and over and over while I am working on them. I understand that not everyone does this, but I am usually the primary audience for my own writing, and this is the actual fun part for me. Nevertheless, you should re-read your work at least once, to make sure it hangs together.

This is purely optional, but I recommend it: get a writing friend (if you don’t like re-reading your work, I recommend this even more strongly). If you can get a full-service beta reader, that’s great, but if you can’t find someone, or if receiving that level of critique stresses you out, it’s perfectly valid to just find a friend who will read your stuff and a) shower you with compliments, b) reassure you about parts you aren’t sure about (or suggest ways to help) and c) point out any huge problems you missed. When I am writing a long fanfic, it is a huge motivational factor for me to be able to send my beta chapters as I finish them. If you are already an established writer, and you have people who consistently comment on your fic, they might be overjoyed to get a sneak peak at your work.

And that’s it! That’s the way I do it, anyway! Some people are able to sit down and write a very detailed outline and the write it start-to-finish. Good for them, I say! I have tried this and it doesn’t work great for me. I will admit that some of my fics (especially my early ones) I just sat down and banged out whole-cloth like an insane person and they are generally better than the ones I actually plan out, but that’s not a reproducible process.

As one final mechanical note, I usually write in Google Docs, which I can access on multiple devices (I used to write a lot on my phone), has convenient sharing functionality, and I use the ao3 html formatting script add-in. I generally have two documents for a single story-- one is the outline, and any other notes I want to have handy. I’ll usually put a trashcan space at the bottom for scenes that got cut but I don’t want to lose. The other is the fanfic itself.

I hope this is helpful! Please feel free to follow up with other questions and good luck with your writing!

#writing advice #longform writing

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pigeonflavouredcake · 3 years ago

Text

I'm an adult now take my advice

(or don't i'm not your dad)

Idk how old my followers are overall but i want to make this post in case any of you are actually teens... I am Officially 20 now. I am no longer a teenager so here are some things I learned as a poor teenager that helped me as a poor adult. Some are witchy, some are just about life, most are food related. Buckle up this will get pretty long.

Write as much down as you can bc puberty can really fuck with your memory.

Staying up late because you simply can't sleep is not something to be worried about unless you want to change that. It's pretty much all your natural body clock.

Get a big folder. Like a massive accordion folder and put all your personal documents in, birth/adoption certificates, bank statements, prescription receipts, diplomas, etc. So if you're ever in a dangerous situation at home you can make your escape a lot easier.

Now is a good time to learn new things that aren't school related. Practice cooking your favourite meals, learn how to properly clean a bathroom, if cleaning is overwhelming there are methods online that can help with that. Like playing a spot the difference game.

NO, tarot is not a closed practice, tarot is a tool for everyone and NO, tarot decks do not have to be gifted to you, you can buy one for yourself. I don't even know where that came from but it's complete bs.

Save the little gift baggies you get when you buy jewellery and use them as spell bags.

Stay away from any woman who calls her vag a yoni. it's weird.

You may want to be seen as smart and mature because it's better than being treated like a kid but you are still a kid. Your safety matters more than how mature and responsible you are. An older person should NOT be talking to you in a romantic/flirtatious setting and if they say it's because you're mature for your age or they can't wait until you're legal fucking bully the living shit out of them then block them and warn your friends. that attitude is creepy as hell bc they want someone they have power over. Same with any friends that brag about their partner being 15/16/17 when they're 18. BULLY THEM THEY'RE GROSS AND THEY DESERVE IT.

If you're in a country with the NHS USE IT NOW WHILE IT'S FREE. The first 6-8 weeks of therapy is free from the NHS. Eye tests and dentist check ups and medication are free untill you're 19 GET THEM NOW.

You can make your own oat milk by blending up oats and water. You don't need to cook with oil, there's enough of it in processed food and fresh veg have enough water in them to cook straight in a pan. You don't need the seasoning packet in ramen you can make your own. Tamari sauce has less sodium than soy sauce. Food always tastes better when it's in season. Try to find space for two food wastes, one for processed/cooked food one for raw. The raw food can be composted and given back to the earth

Best healthiest dinner option I can think of is steamed veggies. Here's my recipe: Heat up a pan on high, pour a bit of water in and then your veggies, stir frequently until all the water is gone. Turn heat down to low. Coat with something like balsamic vinegar and add any seasoning you like. Cover and steam for 10 minutes ish and you're good. You can serve that with a grain or some noodles.

Locally sourced meat and fish is WAY better for the environment than supermarket because there's less preservatives and they're more resourceful with their products.

A standard pie dough is one of the easiest things you can make and the trick is in the amount. Half the flour equals the fat, half the fat equals the sugar. so if you have 200g of flour you need 100g of fat and 50g of sugar. Just throw them in a bowl and mix together and add some cold water to bind together into a dough. It should be solid and little sticky, if it's crumbling add more water, if it's not holding it's shape add more flour. then just fridge it for a few hours to set and you're good.

You made your own soup/stew/pot thingy and you got left overs for the next day? Put it back on the cooker and bring to the boil on high, once it's bubbling take the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes (keep stirring if it keeps bubbling). This will help kill any bacteria that developed overnight that might make you sick.

Foraging is good but wear gloves, don't take all from one place and don't eat anything you pick until it's been thoroughly washed. Don't be afraid to go hog wild on things like blackberries, dandelions, or nettles. those things are an invasive species.

Deer are bigger than you think they are.

Air drying takes longer but it will help your clothes last. You can also hand wash with a bowl of hot water and about a teaspoon of washing up powder. Air drying also goes for your hair too.

Stock up on your favourite scented candles any size is ok and use them for spells and rituals.

You got a ghost in your house? Leave them be they're usually just passing through.

If you can't focus on work without music but it needs to be specifically wordless and needs to be easy to fill your brain so you don't focus on every noise other people make listen to animal crossing music that shit got me through two years worth of academic reading.

Bus is late or can't find your keys? Stop looking and start complaining. They'll turn up as soon as you give up.

Piercings are a medical procedure and are safer when they're done with a needle because they're hollow, so they're carving out the skin and cartilage instead of just pushing jewellery through like a gun does. Go to a tattoo parlour that also does piercings bc they're likely to be a lot stricter with rules and customer care.

Life is gonna kick us all in the but so we gotta be there to help eachother out however we can. It definitely feels like it's everyone for themselves but it doesn't have to be.

#I'm 20 #please help #advice #life advice #witchy advice #witch #witchblr #witchcraft #pagan witch #pagan #hellenic pagan #paganism #hellenic witch #kitchen witchcraft #kitchen witch

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