#i’m not in the habit of remembering the things i myself create. just ask/dm me for the gdoc files if y’all wanna know more about these

[shiranuieditorial]

yeehaw bitches

wow, no one could’ve ever guessed that this kageism is just about the most insidest job to ever inside on your inside people…

p.s. for most au’s, i’ve changed temari’s name to 天茉理 because they match better that way :) and it’s prettier and not as literal, which i like.

p.p.s. rasa and karura are half 6th cousins once removed upwards, 15(½?)° separation. for royal reasons. just explaining that weird-looking gap between ‘em.

p.p.p.s. caption’s a joke for the most part. if we wanna get technically accurate, kazekage and tsuchikage are family businesses, hokage and raikage are inside people nepotism, and mizukage is usurpation business. + neo-mahoutokoro–only bonus: karakage is all three at once, but the other five are based on legitimate administrated exams of power and capability.

(19nov21) update:

• 佑連宮沙世彦親王 sayohiko, prince of yuuren has been changed to 佑連宮沙世彦親王 prince sayohiko of yuuren, following the change that it was sayohiko’s great-grandfather who was the first division of the yuuren imperial side branch, and not sayohiko himself.

• 俱吠羅  kubeira has been changed to 佑連宮俱吠羅親王 prince kubeira “kuvera” of yuuren, following the same reason as above.

• prince kubeira now has an older sister, 佑連宮白衣明妃内親王 princess byakuemyouhi “pāṇḍaradhāraṇī” of yuuren.

• shamon’s children are now called 毘沙吐 bisado, 毘沙賀 bisaga (rasa’s father), and 多聞 tamon. they are all half-siblings with each other and shamon’s marital status remains speculative.

• tamon has 2 daughters (多聞子 takiko, 多聞の?) and 3 sons from a previous marriage divorced, and another son and daughter from an unknown individual.

• in some au’s, pakura is rasa’s unofficial adopted sister, but this isn’t included in the family tree page because it’s a very obscure, very timeline-specific little trivia. her full name + title in the t6b timeline is 砂盃«夕焼»ぱくら、砂漠の灼遁の輝かしい巴玖羅姫 isahai “yuuyake” “yuushou” pakura, bright princess pakura of the scorch release of the desert, or 灼遁の巴玖羅姫 princess pakura of the scorch for short. in other au’s, she has no 当て字 ateji, bc it was specifically given to her by 俐力!団蔵 lili!danzou; therefore, her given name elsewhere would be just ぱくら or パクラ instead of 巴玖羅.

• yes, the ten commandments of śrāmaṇera (沙弥戒/十戒) will exist, but in a different context in this case. instead of a list of prohibitions that all monks must follow, it is now a set of life mottos samirou applied to his life. so, not quite 戒s anymore and probably could use a rename. it definitely won’t follow what’s demanded in any version of the śikṣāpada, because frankly, those are unrealistic expectations to put upon anyone who isn’t a normal human monk with very specific beliefs and ambitions, and also because i don’t like anything that’s written in there anyway. so, yes, but actually, no.

• rasa technically could’ve been a prince of saina if only the people there were more receptive of matrilineal heredity. rip to missed opportunities 😔🙏

• i’m gonna name one of these motherfuckers shakira for the comedy of it since the name actually does work within our linguistic rules, but i haven’t decided which lucky person it’ll be yet.

(24nov21) update:

• can’t believe i forgot this in the original post! 夜叉丸 yashamaru is, of course, karura’s younger brother. let’s pretend his square is already on the right side of karura’s circle there.

(08jan22) update:

• karura’s younger sister/yashamaru’s older sister/the middle child of their trio, an oc i created for purposes i haven’t thought of yet, is now named 緊那羅 kinnara!

(25mar22) update:

• prince sayohiko’s wife is now named 鎌子影太后 kage dowager kamako.

• 恒砂郎 kousaburou, prince of ?? has been changed to 門楼宮恒砂郎親王 kousaburou, prince of monrou. his wife is 門楼宮千波内親王 chinami, princess of monrou. their only child’s name remains unknown in history books and civilian records.

• princess chinami has a younger sister named 千聖 chisato. they are both related to chiyo and ebizou, and are not born to any of the extended royal families, but instead come from a court noble family.

hey! i really like your idea for the sandaime kazekage’s name—沙弥郎 without a clan name could really work for a kazekage/prestigious suna high-class, esp since i hc he’s related to rasa, plus the buddhist reference fits right at home in the naruto series lol. would it be ok if i incorporate this hc into my own (non-story) wip’s? i thought i should let you know first!

It's good to see there are people like you who find my hcs interesting😍

And yeah,i have no problem with you using "samirõ" in your wips.

Thank you🤗

[imjustwritingg]

hey! big fan! question: is it hard being a fanfic writer? like does it ever feel like a race to get stuff out/a competition? are there other writers that you see as a competitor/your mortal enemy (idk okay). i would just think that it's hard writing at the same time as so many other people and always wonder if fanfic writers ever think of this. i don't write but i'm naturally competitive so i wasn't sure if this was a thing

Hi Anon!

Thanks for the ask and for being a fan of my work. That’s really sweet!

This post got a little long so I added a line cut…

As for your questions… writing fic is really hard and also time-consuming, and I’m not sure if anyone who isn’t a content creator of any kind can ever truly understand just how hard it really is to make/write something. The countless hours of time and energy and tears and love that are put into creating something - whether it’s fic or edits or art of any kind, are truly infinite. Which is why when people ask for comments or feedback, we really do want and appreciate the feedback. Tell us what you like/love about something or what you didn’t enjoy at all. Ask questions, make suggestions. I can only speak for myself, but I love interacting with people that read my fics. I have made some of the most wonderful connections with people and have formed genuine friendships with folks because they left a comment or sent me a DM.

Regarding the second half of your ask…I don’t see writing fic as a competition exactly. This is a hobby for me, a fun hobby at that, and if it ever starts to bring me more stress than joy, then I’ll know I need to take a step back.

There are a lot of talented writers in the CPD fandom especially, several of which are just absolutely wonderful people who I’ve had the pleasure of talking with and some who have become close friends. Friends that I respect and adore and I cheer them on and hype them up because it’s what they deserve. At the end of the day, the only “competition” I have is myself in the sense that I try to write better and be better with every new thing I create. I also try to remember that art is subjective and not everyone will like everything I create, and that’s okay.

As for a “mortal enemy,” I would have to say it would be the person that has made a habit of stealing other people’s ideas. Which is why I don’t post sneak peeks of my fics and the few words/sentences I do share are usually pretty vague with no real context to the plot.

I know there is no “original idea” out there when it comes to writing, especially in fandom. However, there is a saying… “when it happens once it’s an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern...”

So I keep things close to the vest except for the close friends I have in fandom that I trust and have private conversations with.

Hope this answers your questions Anon!

[flakelli]

Hi! How are you doing today? :)

As you know this is a Rammstein related account, however today it's the #suicideprevention day and i want to talk to you, reach to you, and tell you a story about me. The administrator and the human being behind this blog.

I want to tell you a story about pain and change, hope and fear, victory and defeat. I want to tell you my story and I hope that it'll help you to reach help or keep going.

⚠️trigger warning: Suicide, self harm, depression, anxiety and suicide thoughts⚠️

My name is Paula, and I'm 20 y.o. I came from a normal and structurate family. Most of my life I've been living in a really small village so I didn't have friends until I started highschool at the age of 12.

When I was 14 y.o I started to feel really bad, everything from the World seemed to suck to me. The days became longer and saddest, the summers seemed to start being colder and I found myself lying on my bed, asking myself about the purpose of my life, about if I was worth it, wondering if it wouldn't be easy to just end it all to let those thoughts stuck in my head go away.

The thoughts still with me when at the age of 16 the whole class I study with started to bully me. Due to my depression I don't really remember most of those years of pain but I remember feeling suicidal every single day. When o returned home from highschool I would lay on my bed and just stare to the ceiling for hours. I remember I lose all the hope that was left, I cried almost every night and I was scare to tell my parents or teachers bc the bullies had destroyed all the self love I had.

However one day, the psychology guy that worked at my school notice it, and call me to have a private meeting with him.

We talked about the bullying, my mental health and the possibility of moving to other highschool I was so HYPED bc for the first time in ages I had found someone who listened to me, who tried to understand me and who supported me.... Or at least that was what I thought.

The day after that meeting I found that he had use my words against me, not even he had talked with the bullies that he did with the teachers too so I started to get bullied by the teachers.

I remember to hang on live just because my bestie (thank you dear) had been pulling my head out of the waves of depression. Yet I continued planning how to kill myself, how to do so they won't find me too soon.

The next year, everything changed. The girl that started the bullying against me left the school and suddenly every single one who hurted me wanting to be friends with me.

That was confused. At this time no one of those has ever apologize to me. Yet they still expect me to be close to them and hang out with them. Due to that I started to have an antisocial and angry behaviour around my classmates, how could I trust someone would be nice to me and then won't stab my back again? I was so paranoid I started self harming, and it became an adiction.

I remember self harm for about a year and a half or so, it was my scream for help. I hopped that my family or the few friends I had would see it and asked me about it. Eventually (thanks again) one of them did and we "controlled" the situation together.

A few years later I moved to the city and stopped self harm, by myself. For me the opportunity to move and start from 0 involved that. Start from 0, no pain, no regrets, nothing.

The week I stopped self harm was SO hard. I wanted so bad to hurt myself I NEEDED to hurt myself and it was really really hard to stop the habit. However I'm really proud that I did.

I lived in the city for two years, I learned to love my body Imagen again, the Imagen that my older classmates destroyed. I learned to cook and take care of me when I was sick, I learned to work and make lots of friends I felt like the Queen of the World.... Until last year.

Last year I was supposed to study in another city, when I moved and I was left one the sky seemed to fall on my head. When I was left alone in my new room all the thoughts I have been avoiding fell on me. I had an anxiety crisis and I had to call my father so he will be back to me. When we were on the road, back to my village and my house he screamed to me all the wayz agravating the crisis (I forgive him thought, he didn't know at that time everything I was dealing with).

When I was back at home, that night I felt as if I couldn't breath, my mom tried to calm me down but she couldn't, then my closest brother asked her to leave me alone with him and talked with me. I still remember how he told me that he was going to call to our doctor and ask him to appoint a date for me to see him. I told my brother that I was fine and it wasn't necessary, but he insisted, he told me that I wasn't fine and he was really really insistent in that I needed to see a doctor and then a psychologist, that it's something that would change my live that I needed help and I had to reach for it. Finally, exhausted by his speech I decided to go a few days after and I was dedicated to the psychology.

I don't have enough words to describe how therapy has changed my live.

During the year I've been attending therapy I have learned a lot of things: to forgive myself and the others, to stop self-sabotage, to find hope and happiness.

To name the things going on on my head (chronical depression and anxiety) was a relief for me, I have always been normal! Just as you, reading this, just as my family and friends.

The pain isn't completely gone. I thought it won't. But now I know that happiness will never be gone too, that I can be my best friend and support me instead of bring me down, that there is hope in the small things.

I didn't believe in the change and so I know that some of you, readers won't believe my words but there IS hope. If it wasn't for my close friend and my brother I wouldn't be here. We all need someone to walk with us and support us and I want to be that person for you.

Check your friends if you can, text your family or relatives if you feel depressive or suicidal, we are here, we notice you, we will help you.

You are not alone and won't ever been alone, I hope this post will bring you hope, I hope it will be the signal you needed to not kill yourself today. Keep going and text me whenever you want, by DM, by asks, commenting my posts or creating your own one tagging me. I won't leave you alone with your suffering.

-------

And to my online friends and mutuals, to everyone who have been tagging me and supporting me. Thank you.

This last year was rough and hard but you had made this journey more enjoyable. I love when you text me or tag me on your posts even thought I don't really reply to them. You are the best and the most wonderful persons I could ever dream to meet. ❤️

[techdraconis]

An open letter to the user most commonly known as “Marcus”

Or as you’re currently calling yourself, @music-foodlover. Yes, that’s right. You, Marcus. I know who you are. We all know who you are. We’ve all heard the stories. We’ve all seen the screenshots. A fair few of us have had the utter ‘delight’ of experiencing you firsthand. And we haven’t forgotten. Not when you were “Keepingitreal18″ Not when you claimed to be “starting-fresh-19″ or “Ticklish-teddy20″ or “Ticklish-switch19″ or “Ticklish-switch18″ or “ positivity-and-giggles-19″ or “Aticklishangel” It doesn’t matter what name you refer to yourself by, Marcus. We all know exactly who you are. And for as many times as you’ve changed your username, you haven’t changed a bit. Remember that time you swore up and down that you’d ‘changed’ and weren’t obsessed with your fetish like you used to be? While at the same time this was posted proudly on the front page of your blog?

Look familiar? What about this one?

How many people did you send a message like this to? How many users in the community, oh all of them girls or who you perceived to be girls, mind you, did you send a message like this to? How many young ladies did you try and fool to make them think you were a decent, upstanding person? And how many of those saw right through your bullshit, leading you to get blocked and drag yourself to the feet of the next one in line, looking for whatever ounce of pity or sympathy you could scrape up? Maybe I should go back farther? How far back should I go? a couple blogs? the discord servers? Or maybe all of them? https://shunfluff.tumblr.com/post/187309980849/shunfluff-ticklish-touch-ticklish-touch Each and every time, you get caught and called out, so you change your url and swear to the god you so dearly praise that you’re a different person, that you’re not like that anymore. That you just want to move on... But you’re incapable of moving on, aren’t you Marcus? You say now that you’ve moved on, that your interests lie elsewhere. Yet when someone asks you what your favorite things are, in spite of what your current username is, what’s the first thing you say?

Whenever you move to another blog name, you return to the very same people who’d blocked you previously and try to play the nice guy card with them to try and fool them into thinking you’re a different person. You hide behind your usernames like a mask, knowing damn well that you’re being a deceitful and manipulative coward. And yet you have the gall to tell somebody that calls you out to come off anon and all but ignore what they have to say to you? You, who cowers behind an ever-growing collection of masks and a neverending curtain of lies you scurry behind at the slightest provocation?

Of course you do. Instead you choose to let the whiteknights you’ve fooled into believing your whole act come to your defense, people who refuse to come off anon themselves. But oh no, you don’t say a word against them because they come to cover your ass for you and wipe away your tears.

Well...I can’t claim to be the anon who sent you those messages, Marcus. And I don’t intend to say who they were since I’ve sworn to protect MY friends from your endless bullshit. But that’s neither here nor there. I’M not on anon. I’m right here, talking to you and anybody else who reads this message.

You want somebody to “show you the untold lessons from your past mistakes” instead of just showing you the mistakes? Well fine. I’m not afraid of you, unlike the countless girls on this site and discord that you’ve terrorized and harrassed. I’ll gladly teach you the lessons that you’ve so stubbornly ignored from day one.

Just.

Give.

Up.

You should have learned your lesson and dropped the act from the very first time you wound up banned from a discord server for pestering people to tickle you in DMs. But no. You moved to Tumblr and continued to keep on doing it. You should have learned your lesson whenever the word got around about your past and forced you to delete your blog in the face of the massive shitstorm you caused for yourself, you should have realized that this community knew who you were and wouldn’t forgive you. But no. You switched to ANOTHER blog and continued to keep on doing it. You should have learned your lesson a second time whenever THAT blog was discovered, leading you to create the “starting fresh” account, where you should have kept to yourself. But no. You proudly continued to wear your fetish and obsessions on your sleeve while going after the same people trying to pretend you were a new person..and you just kept. on. doing it. And now here we are, back at the present once again. You say that this new blog isn’t tickle oriented and that you “just happen to like tickling still”, but guess what? You still message tickling blogs with it, looking to chat. You’re still doing that.

You still obsess over women, as evidenced by a large swath of your likes

You still act shamelessly upon your whims and fantasies, just as you’ve done before when you begged MINORS to tickle you.

And you know what else? You still haven’t learned the most important lesson of all, Marcus.

You are not welcome in this community, or interacting with this community, and have not been for the longest time.

Allow me to reiterate what I’ve stated previously. You should have given this all up a long time ago. You should have left all of this behind. Stopped sending messages to tickle lovers, stopped posting about how much you love being tickled at the slightest opportunity, stopped hanging around and lurking in the shadows, waiting for someone who catches your eye to come along so you can spring on them to try and fail once again to pull the wool over their eyes. You should have learned THAT lesson and left this all behind YEARS ago. And instead you persist even to this very day, hiding it behind some bullshit excuse of being about food and music, or hiding your true nature behind your faith. You continue to swear to every corner of your god’s great kingdom that you’ve changed. That you aren’t like that anymore. That you don’t want to interact with the community because of how ‘toxic’ it is to you. You know what the purpose of toxins is, don’t you, Marcus? They were developed to deter threats and predators. To protect themselves from blindly hungering dangers that continued to harass them day after day, always coming back to them when their other defenses didn’t work, because despite everything that had happened, they thought that maybe this time, they’d get lucky. Maybe this time, things would change. I don’t think I need to teach you the definition of insanity, do I?

Well, I certainly know it already. I’ve learned that lesson myself, dealing with people like you in the past. And that’s why I’m not going to make it a habit of talking to you like this. I’ve taught you long enough now, so I think it’s time for me to issue my closing statements. Listen well to me, Marcus. If you really want things to change. If you really want people to leave you alone...learn your lesson already and leave this mess behind. No more kinks and tickles in your likes. No more answering teasy asks. No more messaging community members. No more interaction with tickle lovers in general. If you absolutely must continue to satisfy your obsessions, do so in private, to yourself. Without sticking your head into our business. Even if I won’t be messaging you again, somebody else sure as hell will. My only hopes that are that you finally learn your lesson and stop before that happens...And if my words are not enough, then I simply hope that my standing up can encourage the others who have suffered because of you to show themselves as well, and that eventually one of them will finally get through that thick skull of yours and drill some common sense into your head.

[luvdsc]

hi cat! i love your work! i’m going into university this year as a business admin major w/ a double concentration in acct and mis !! i was going through your about page and i was so happy when i saw that you were majoring in acct + is!!! i was wondering if you had any tips for my first year in college? also, how did majoring in both acct and IS benefit you and your future career? was it hard to manage your time? sorry for asking so many questions 🥺 i’m just rly curious!! thank you, cat!

hi, lovebug! 💕 omg thank you so much for loving my fics!! 🥺💞 and also oh my gosh you’re double majoring in the same studies as I did!!!!! aaaah that’s awesome 🤩🤩 tbh I didn’t start off in those majors though; I changed my major twice, but the first year of college is mostly gen ed classes, aside from some core classes specifically for your field of study, so hopefully, my tips will be useful for you, honey bee 💕

create a four year class plan — I looked at the class requirements I needed in order to graduate, the number of units I needed, etc. and using that information, I planned out what classes I will be taking every quarter for all four years. I actually made five different plans because I didn’t know which major I’d ultimately stick with, but that was incredibly helpful because doing this ensured that I was taking the right classes needed to graduate. Nothing sucks more than reaching senior year and realizing you forgot to take some crucial lower division class that’s required in order to take the other required upper division classes. So check your class requirements, check the requirements for upper division classes, and plan your classes accordingly for each quarter/semester for all four years.

check if your classes can double dip — some classes count for more than one requirement. my school had core class requirements, which are types of classes that all students had to take regardless of their major. I chose to take core classes that also fit under my major’s class requirements. That way, I was able to take one less class necessary since my class counted for two requirements instead of taking two classes: one for each requirement. this means you have less classes to take!

don’t slack off — it’s easy to get caught up in the party culture; remember that you’re here to get your education, not go to as many parties as possible. do not skip class!!!!! also, people think the first two years are so easy because it’s all lower division classes, so they slack off or take less classes, like three lower division ones instead of the usual four. Don’t do that. You rather take four lower division classes now when they’re all easy than overload later on in your last two years that are already filled with really hard, upper division classes. Also, even though lower division classes are quite easy, don’t slack off in those classes either. Those classes will boost your gpa; I had a 3.9 for the first two years because I made sure to get As in those lower div classes since I knew for sure I’d struggle more in the difficult upper division classes.

take morning classes — this is my personal preference, but I always signed up for the 8 am classes because if I didn’t do that, I’d sleep in all day until my afternoon class. The early class forced me to get up early, go to class, and that meant I was awake for the rest of the day, so I could be productive for the rest of the day, like study for other classes, go to the gym, or do my homework then instead of pulling an all nighter. There’s also less people in those classes so you can form a better teacher-student relationship with your professor and it’s easier to get the classes you want if you choose morning ones.

get eight hours of sleep — do not pull all-nighters !!!!! do your work ahead of time, do not procrastinate, and go to bed at a decent time. You don’t have curfews or bedtimes anymore, but still set one for yourself. Having an irregular sleep schedule is super unhealthy for you. It disrupts your body’s normal cycle. You’re also guaranteed to fall asleep in class, and that’s not only disrespectful to the professor, but you’re wasting money and your own education. Sleeping 6-8 hours every night is necessary, and you’ll be alert in class and healthy.

apply for summer accounting externships — I didn’t do this because accounting wasn’t my major at the time, but my friends all applied and got in, so they told me about their amazing experiences. The big 4 accounting firms all host summer externships, and you should definitely google this and apply for them! it’s a good way to learn more about the industry, and they even fly you out to New York City and show you around their offices there. since you’re a freshman, I recommend the externship and not the internship, but if you have questions about a summer internship at a big 4, I can answer those too!

exercise regularly — i went to the gym five days out of the week and rested on the weekend. i don’t know if other universities have this, but mine had a free gym for students along with fitness classes. i fit in at least an hour of gymming in between my classes monday through friday. first off, freshman twenty is real, and there is a high possibility that you gain weight from eating all the dining hall food rip. secondly, I’m not trying to promote underage drinking, but it happens because well, college parties and whatnot. alcohol makes you gain weight a lot. thirdly, exercise is just overall good for your mental health. it’s a good stress reliever and makes you feel good about yourself after a hard workout. it’s a healthy way to take a break from studying, too!

maintain healthy eating habits — so I touched upon this in the exercise tip! there’s no parents here to stop you from eating fast food or junk food everyday. you can order like forty chicken nuggets and eat them all in one night because you can. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Please, please take care of yourself and be kind to your body. Make sure you’re still getting a balanced diet with fruits and veggies.

be careful with alcohol — okay, I also touched upon this in the exercise tip, but you really do need to be mindful of drinking alcohol. again, I’m not promoting underage drinking, but i know it happens in a college setting. alcohol addiction is no joke. there are also so many health issues. one of my friends was a heavy drinker, and they found out their liver had serious issues now because of that. now, they can’t even drink any alcohol at all. drink in moderation. don’t ever drink so much that you black out in a random party. if you want to try what it feels like to be completely drunk like that, do it in a safe environment like a small group of trusted friends who you know. don’t do that in a place full of strangers because bad things can happen, like rape. don’t accept drinks from strangers, watch what you’re drinking. if you put your cup down, don’t drink from it again. get a new one. someone could have put something in there. I’m not trying to scare you away from experiencing college things, but you have to be careful and aware of your surroundings.

don’t walk anywhere alone when it’s dark — it’s dangerous to go out alone at night, especially if you’re a girl. buy pepper spray and carry it with you everywhere; I always had one on my keychain with me. save campus safety’s number on your phone. call them to walk you to your destination if it’s dark out even if it’s only a short distance or call a trusted male friend to walk you back to your dorm safely. there’s safety in numbers. don’t go anywhere alone and don’t go to a non-public space with a stranger. stick with your friends, even if the super cute boy that you never met before just wants to take a romantic walk with you under the moonlight away from the party. this is also why I advocate for picking classes that start and end before sunset so you have ample time to go back home when it’s light out. stay safe!

as for how double majoring in accounting and IS helped me, I chose a job that integrated both of them, but more on the tech side! to put it bluntly, a job in tech pays you more and you work less hours in comparison to a job in accounting. Those two things were a huge factor in my decision, but I also just really love learning about tech, AI, and programming, which is mainly why I chose my majors and career path. Also, companies will always need accountants, and IS is a hot major; you can always find a job, especially if you have both of those majors. You’re basically a double whammy. Those two majors also open doors to other careers, like I received offers for engineering positions, too.

time management personally wasn’t difficult for me! I had to overload classes since I switched majors and added a minor, but I scheduled my time appropriately and did fine! Procrastination is my worst enemy, so as long as I forced myself to sit down and do my work, it all went well. I have specific tips for studying and note taking on my blog that go more into depth and touch upon how I managed my time if you’re interested in that, sweetpea! 💓

It’s totally okay to ask questions, you don’t have to apologize, honey bee! 💞 I was in the same boat as you before, and it’s always good to ask questions because this is your future, and it’s better to have more information than not enough. I don’t want to go super in depth about my job and whatnot on my blog, but if you’d like, I can dm you and talk about my experiences more with the big 4 or answer any more detailed questions you have, lovebug 💛

[jbbuckybarnes]

Advice for getting started & making friends 💕

Since Tumblr ruined the original answer post to the ask: Hi!!! Thank you. I’ll go a little more in-depth with the answer and I hope you don’t mind.

1. Always know that no matter how good or bad you think your writing is: There are Wattpad books that were made into movies, so there will always be someone that will like what you write.

2. Tagging. Is. Important. Even though Tumblr is incredibly bad with its tagging system it’s always good to use tags so people following them can see your work. Try not to tag stuff wrong though. Did that a few times without noticing it and people were not happy about it. Understandably so.

3. Also always have warnings on your works and if there is something trigger warning worthy put it in the tags of the post with “xyz tw” and/or “tw xyz”. Also put age warnings in case you write 18+ content.

4. Utilize the option to block tags in case you wanna follow someone but you don’t wanna see certain fandoms/celebs. That also works for trigger warning tags.

5. Don’t feel bad about low reblog numbers. I have this amount of followers now and most of my works get 3-8 reblogs.

6. Don’t be afraid to tag some friendly bigger blogs in your first works. They might love what you do a lot. I, personally, am always up to be tagged in stuff.

7. Join writing challenges. Usually 50% of the bigger blogs have some kind of writing challenge going on. Those are great to get exposure and find other works to interact with. My current one is HERE.

8. When it comes to making friends it really depends. I think interacting frequently is a good start, but I found actual Tumblr DM’s to be the most helpful. Write your favorite writers that you liked a particular piece of their work or if you know you both have another shared interest, you can send them a Tumblr post about that. Example: I send baking enthusiasts cool looking food posts. But sometimes even DM’s don’t lead anywhere. Some people on here just don’t really want to make friends.

9. Interact with people’s personal posts. You’ll learn a bit about them from those. For example: I know that @buckyland​ has a cute cat and prefers greenery in pots and not vases (lmao).

10. Self-promo: I made a Discord server for MCU writers and it’s still going steady. Link for that is in my bio. We’re always excited for new people on there.

11. Asks are a great way to support writers beyond reblogging. Ask games are a great way to interact. Sending Requests is also appreciated by most people having open requests.

12. Decide if you want your own asks to include anons or not. But be prepared that if you enable anon asks, that you might get some dumbass spewing bullshit in there every few weeks (at least if you interact a lot w others). Vividly remember my first hate for interacting with my favorite writer.

13. Depending on how much you write you can plan your fics ahead. I, for example, publish most of my chapter based works once a week and only start publishing once they are at least 75% written. Others have ongoing works but I feel like the consensus on it is mostly “wait until you have a good idea of the ending or a rough outline.” @captain-kelli for example, writes her 'Call Sign: Renaissance’ series as an ongoing work but knows where it’s going and plots it out accordingly.

14. Know where to get inspiration. I personally have just trained myself to create everyday. Fiction, non-fiction, art, graphics, etc. It’s a good habit to have, but if you don’t have it you might wanna start an inspiration list or a side blog where you spam all your inspirations. Pinterest also is a good place for that.

15. Research how to link something in the mobile bio to put your masterlist there. There is this wonderful error Tumblr has, where you can’t change your profile on mobile or those links will vanish, so be aware of that. Just save that HTML code in a document lol.

16. Speaking of documents. I suggest writing your works in Google Documents, since it has a document history to refer to in the awful case of someone stealing your work. Preventative measure.

17. If you want a specific theme for your blog on desktop, you can DM me, I have tons of resources saved on another blog of mine.

18. For a nice mobile theme, you can visit @whimsicalrogers, search for headers and icons on Tumblr or request them from talented people per ask or DM. *cough* I make some too. *cough*

19. Oh, I also almost forgot this, but ALWAYS put a “Read More” break after more than 500 words in your posts. On desktop it mostly works in the normal editor, but there are also HTML codes in case it doesn’t work or you are on mobile. Basically, learn a few HTML basics for Tumblr in general, they always come in handy when this hellsite decides not to work.

Bottomline: Don’t be afraid to interact with your nickname being there front and center. Let yourself get seen. If your fandom blog is a side blog you can link them to each other in the bio like I did.

PS: The main reason why I got so many followers very quickly was for writing 31 smut pieces early on and tagging them well. Please know that follower count doesn’t mean much on here as long as the algorithm is trashy. Stick with interacting with people you wanna befriend and don’t let yourself get down too much over little reblogging.

But, of course, always try to find and reblog new people. That keeps the community alive and also spreads your name a bit, as well as the names of others.

If you need more advice or have any questions feel free to DM me or another blogger you trust.

To all my fellow bloggers: Feel free to leave more tips under this post. I’m sure I forgot at least one thing lol-

[shealwaysreads]

16 and 25 for the end of year asks please! 💙💙💙

Hello darling! Thanks for playing, and apologies for being...days late with my reply 😅❤️

16. fic(s) you completed this year

So, every fic I’ve ever written for the Harry Potter fandom has been done this year - and every single one has been a joy and a journey of learning. 

Here they are - all 15 (FIFTEEN?!) of them!

Heaven’s Embroidered Cloths - 

In which the Yule Ball opens Harry's eyes to beauty and splendour, and it takes him eight years to find someone who realises exactly what he wants. Magical fabric, solstice celebrations, and first kisses in borrowed clothes.

My first ever fic for Harry Potter, my first every drarry! Encouraged, aided and abetted, by @diligent-thunder @tepre and @bixgirl1 and our collective obsession for Wizarding clothes. Looking back I can see the flaws and my baby-foal fumbling with characterisation, but this was the beginning of my little fandom frolic (and ongoing kink obsession with their clothes) so I love it dearly!

Simple Little Kiss - 

Harry slid his knife and fork together, and leaned back in his chair to watch Draco finish the last sip of wine in his glass, the long line of his neck exposed as he tipped his head back. Satisfaction and longing vied for the top spot in his mind. One appetite had been thoroughly sated; another was growling its hunger in his chest.

Prompted by the lovely @malenkayacherepakha this little ditty was based on: ‘One Small Kiss, Pulling Away For An Instant, Then Devouring Each Other’. Needless to say, that was right up my street 🙌

Those Who Favor Fire - 

In which Harry and Draco ride out the effects of a potion, revealing every feeling that lies beneath.

My first ever Drabble for the monthly Drarry Discord Writers Corner Challenge - this server full of talented, creative, and encouraging folk has absolutely been pivotal in my swan dive into writing this year ❤️

Crow’s Feet - a gift for @erin-riwen - and a very self-indulgent one at that. I’m a sucker for love, and gentleness, and life well lived for my darling Harry and Draco and this was me just revelling in that!

Writing’s On The Wall - 

In which the Auror department is surprisingly artistic, Draco is still an overdramatic shit, Harry still makes the most of any trouble that finds him, and getting horizontal is the solution to everyone's problems.

This is really showing up my terrible summary habits isn't it 👀 ANYWAY! This is another fic inspired by the fabulous drarry squad server - and my first attempt at being funny? (Also, Draco is fresh out the shower and if that isn't entirely on brand for me idk what is)

Honesty Is The Best Policy -

In which Auror partners Malfoy and Potter discover a trunk full of depraved tools, and Harry might have to explain himself.

Another Drabble for the Drarry Discord gang! 

A Shorts Story About Love -  

House-sharing with Slytherins, student life, magic weed, and short shorts. Harry's life at university might be strange, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

Entirely inspired by the lovely @rose-grangerweasleyisbae and her prompt over on the Drarry Discord. I had a ball writing this, it was one of those pics that just flowed, and I loved the little world I dreamed up - might even revisit it at some point...

Sunkissed - 

Burnt toast, international Portkeys, ancient ruins, and Harry's own special brand of support.

Written for this years @hpdrizzle - my first ever fest fic, prompted by @maraudersaffair who I have to thank for igniting my lowkey head canon of freckled!Draco into a full blown writing brand™️ ❤️

Patient, Hungry, Waiting - 

“Potter looked every inch the picture of the war hero that the Ministry loved to trot out for events like this, and nothing like he had on the day he actually did end the war. A decade of rising through the Auror ranks and hunting down dark Wizards, with all of the efficacy and subtlety of a natural disaster, had turned a skinny boy with knobbly knees into a strong, self-assured man who fairly commanded the room. He was resplendent in wine-dark robes, gold buttons and epaulettes, and a profusion of medals; a world away from the exhaustion, grime, and worn out jeans he wore during the Battle of Hogwarts. Draco, for one, approved of the changes.”

                                               ...

Unspeakable Draco Malfoy has learned the value of patience, the scintillation of delayed gratification, the thrill of waiting out his prey. Tonight, he's going to show Potter that good things come to those who wait.

A gift for my darling @tackytigerfic on her birthday, and one of my favourite fics of mine. As much as this was written to indulge her every whim, her tastes align so closely with mine this felt pretty damn self indulgent - can I say leather thigh wand-holster anyone? 😉

Pathless Woods - 

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods” Lord Byron.

Harry finds himself unexpectedly reacquainted with Draco Malfoy when his work as an apprentice wandmaker takes him to Wiltshire. Amongst the trees Harry finds magic, growth, and a man who might finally be proving he’s worthy of the wand that chose him.

Hawthorn, Unicorn hair, 10 inches, reasonably pliant.

A story of found family, trees with feelings, belief in the power of growth, wandlore, and gratuitous description of Handsome Estate Owner™ Draco Malfoy swanning around in white shirts and leather boots.

Written for @hd-fan-fair and it’s my longest fic to date - a little out of my usual wheelhouse - it’s gentle, more of a tale than a rollicking ride, but I adored writing it, and love the way it turned out. 

Logical - Inspired by this stunning art by @potter-art! I just couldn’t help myself, I was thirsty enough for Draco in leather to be one of the many to prompt her the outfit in question for drawing - and then the finished product was so GODDAMN hot I had to write poor Harry having to deal with it! ❤️🔥

No Absolutes - The first of my ‘I finished all my fest deadlines for the year prompt me Hozier songs for ficlets’ project (all of you who prompted, I promise I haven't forgotten, I’m working on them!) 

This one is for @littlebozsheep who suggested Take Me to Church, and I had a lot of fun making this not-quite-poetry-not-quite-prose little baby of mine.

And my rarepair babies:

A Study In Contrasts - 

In which Neville grew up hot, but still doesn't quite remember it all the time, and Theo is freckled, handsome, and likes plants. You know what happens next.

Okay so the lovely @drarryruinedme7 slid into my DMs and started talking HP rarepairs with me and when she started talking about Neville x Theo my eyes lit up and my writerly ears perked up - think excited meerkat, that's about how it felt. 

After rummaging through the internet for their facecasts - see Neville and Theo (important research okay, the fact they're devastatingly gorgeous is neither here nor there) I had the delightful excuse of the @growing-neville fest to light a fire under my arse and write a fic, which I gifted to @drarryruinedme7!

All Our Strength, And All Our Sweetness - 

In which Neville cooks, Theo is seriously into being manhandled, these two finally get each other naked, and it turns out they're compatible outside of the greenhouse too.

I was NOT DONE with these two! I still have lots of feelings about this little ‘verse I created and I will be playing with these delicious toys again soon 😉

Devil’s Snare - 

In which some late night extra-curricular work in Greenhouse Nine turns into a whole new Herbology discovery for Neville Longbottom.

Did I ever see myself writing Neville x Devil’s Snare? No. Did I commit 100% once I decided to go for it? Yes. Do I entirely blame the kinky gang on the Drarry Discord? Also yes. 

21. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

Gosh, okay Corie pick the hard questions why don’t you?! I have read so many incredible fics this year - let’s face it - every fic I’ve read is brilliant in it’s own way (and I’m thinking of doing a ‘this is what I read this year’ list to cover them all) but I’m going to try and nail it down to...5...okay so, 10. Alphabetical, cause these are all adored equally.

amid this warm and steady sweetness by warmfoothills (drarry)

All Bets Are Off by @dualwieldteacup (drarry)

Before the World Was Made by @13pawns (drarry)

Brick by Brick by agentmoppet (drarry)

Cupid Disarmed by @chromat1cs (wolfstar)

Offer Up Our Hearts by @tackytigerfic (drarry)

Trouble, My Old Friend by @tepre (drarry)

You Burn Me by @etalice (linny)

White As Snow by @bixgirl1 (drarry)

with exactness grinds he all by @thistle-verse (drarry)

I’m playing the Fanfic end of the year asks game!

❤️

[trustyourgutblog]

Happy Monday, everyone!

I absolutely hate that I’m writing this post right now. Trust me, I’ve heard enough about the Coronavirus to last a lifetime. But, I know there are fellow immune-compromised folks on here that may benefit from reading this. So, I thought it may be beneficial for me to share how someone with a compromised immune system is *trying* to stay virus free.

I’ve been working with teens who are anxious about getting the Coronavirus. In an attempt to calm their fears, I share that the people who have died from the virus are 60+ years old, have compromised immune systems, or pre-existing conditions.

“You don’t fall into any of those categories,” I reassure them.

“You’ll survive, but you may have to go a few weeks without therapy,” I think to myself. I know, it’s pessimistic. But, my chances of becoming severely ill if I were to contract the virus are high.

I’ve been on an immunosuppressant for 4 years now. It’s hard to gauge how strong my immune system is ~ there’s no lab test or level to prove my immune system’s efficiency.

What I do know is that I’ve been sick with an upper respiratory infection at least 4 times this winter. That’s almost once a month. But, I have been able to fight them off pretty quickly. This is a big change from when I first got diagnosed and would feel very sick for weeks before I was back to normal. So, I’d like to think that my immune system has been getting stronger with supplementation.

Working with kids has definitely impacted my health this year. As much as I encourage parents to keep kids home when they’re sick, there’s always people who come in when they shouldn’t.

I feel like it’s too personal for me to tell people that they’re putting me at risk for an illness because of my autoimmune disorder. But, I definitely consider it when I’m feeling frustrated after I play Jenga with a kid for an hour, only to find out that he has a fever at the end of the session. *eye roll*

I’m trying not to panic about the Coronavirus, but I am taking extra precautions to support my immune system during this time. I’m not afraid that I’ll die or anything, but the consequences of being sick for weeks or potentially a month are what scare me.

I have less than 2 days of sick time racked up at this point, due to all of the URIs that I experienced this winter. So, I would potentially be taking almost a month off of work without pay.

Not to mention all of my families that would go without therapy for a month. Sure, my supervisor would do my best to meet their needs while I’m gone, but our department is already understaffed at this point.

Typing out all of these worries leads me to my first tip on how I’m supporting my immune system:

1. Stress management ~ cortisol, the stress hormone, lowers your immune system’s ability to fight off viruses. In order to manage my stress levels I’ve been maintaining my current workout and yoga routine (s/o to endorphins), adding daily meditation, and mindful breaths throughout the day. It’s easier said than done. I’ve made heroic efforts to manage my anxiety over the last week and I still found myself in a downward spiral this morning. There are lots of things we don’t have control over. Lack of control can create a “snowball effect” of anxiety symptoms and I’m doing my best to focus on what I do have control over. This leads me to the next tip.

2. Focus on what you do have control over ~ follow the precautions (social distancing, hand washing, not touching your face, etc.) and support your immune system where you can. I’m doing this by prioritizing sleep, taking supplements, optimizing my nutrition, and staying hydrated. I take specific supplements to help support my gut microbiome because certain cells of your gut lining secrete antibodies into the gut. About 70% of this gut tissue represents your immune system, therefore, a healthy gut = a healthy immune system. Comment below or DM me if you want more information on the supplements that I take to support my microbiome! I’m also cutting added sugar out of my diet for the next 30 days. Sugar feeds bad bacteria in your gut, so I’m hopeful that cutting it will help support my microbiome as well. My husband asked if I could just stop taking my immunosuppressant medication until all of this blows over. I explained that taking myself off of my immunosuppressant therapy could confuse my body and put me at an even higher risk for contracting the virus.

3. Prioritize connection even while practicing social distancing. In the words of Brené Brown, “Research shows that playing cards once a week or meeting friends every Wednesday night at Starbucks adds as many years to our lives as taking beta blockers or quitting a pack-a-day smoking habit.” I feel as though it’s important to follow the precautions, however, there are ways to find connection within your space. Call your parents, email your grandparents, message your family’s group chat. Whatever medium of communication you choose, check on your people. My dad called me this weekend to express concerns about me flying in April for our honeymoon and my grandma emailed me to check in to see if I was still having to work or not. I’m so grateful that people take time out of their daily lives to check in on me. The fact that they even remember that I have a compromised immune system is heart-warming in and of itself. Reach out to your loved ones to help you deal with the stress of physical isolation. I wish there was more I could do for others, but at this point, my husband is going to have to do all of the grocery shopping by himself so I’m just doing my best to support others over the phone.💕

I hope you found these tips helpful and consider ways that you can support your immune system in the coming weeks. Stay healthy, friends!

[goodticklebrain]

Q&A August: David Prosser of the Stratford Festival

Remember back when I called Austin Tichenor my Comedy Fairy Godfather? Well, the subject of today’s Q&A August interview is my Shakespeare Fairy Godfather. David Prosser is the Literary and Editorial Director at the Stratford Festival of Canada, and is also indirectly responsible for much of Good Tickle Brain’s growth and success. (Also, if he’s reading this, I would like to sincerely apologize to him for all grammatical errors in today’s post, most likely related to misplaced punctuation, the correct disposition of which I have never properly mastered.)

I met David on Twitter a scant four months after I had started Good Tickle Brain. Fresh out of the gates, with few followers or readers, I was desperately trying to get my work in front of as many eyes as possible. To that end, I went on Twitter and promptly followed everyone I could find who was remotely associated with the Stratford Festival. One of the people I stumbled upon was David, whose wonderfully dry and witty tweets immediately attracted my attention. On day, embroiled in a bit of an ongoing brouhaha with some Oxfordians, David tweeted a riff on “Duke of Earl”, rewriting the chorus as “dupes, dupes, dupes, dupes of Earl”. Never one to shy away from a song parody, I provided the rest of the lyrics. David was amused enough by my efforts that he followed me, and started retweeting my comics. I cannot tell you how much that meant to me at the time.

Later on that year, I was visiting the Stratford Festival with my family, and (of course) tweeting about it when David slid into my DMs and invited me up to the Festival offices to have tea with him before that day’s matinee. I jumped at the chance, and we spent a wonderful half an hour or so chatting in the sunshine on the Festival Theatre balcony. It was like meeting my long-lost benevolent Scottish uncle. David was not only immediately supportive and encouraging of my work, but he also began actively brainstorming ways in which to help me reach a larger audience, specifically among the theatre community. To that end he introduced me to the Shakespeare Theatre Association, which quickly became my Shakespeare family and has helped me grow and develop Good Tickle Brain into what it is today.

There is absolutely no reason why the Literary and Editorial Director of the largest classical repertory theatre in North America should have given the time of day to a random person on the internet who drew sub-par stick figures and routinely committed egregious spelling errors in her text. However, David did not hesitate to lift me up, and has been a constantly warm, supportive, and thoroughly entertaining presence in my life since then.

But I’ll let him talk now. He’s much better at it than I am. 

1. Who are you? Why Shakespeare?

Who am I indeed? Isn’t that the mystery that haunts us all? “Who’s there?” asks Barnardo in the opening words of Hamlet, and that same question echoes down through centuries of subsequent literature. Call me David. Or Prosser, David Prosser.

I was born and grew up in Scotland, where, in early childhood, I first encountered Shakespeare as the author of the “Scottish play” and didn’t realize till some time later that he’d written anything else; came to Canada in my twenties; had a fourteen-year career at a small daily newspaper, where, among other things I was the theatre critic (boo, hiss) and editor of the TV listings (zzzzzz….); then quit in order to spend more time with my wife and cats and to pursue new opportunities for financial ruin; and finally washed up on the shores of the Stratford Festival, where, under various unconvincing job titles (most latterly that of Literary and Editorial Director), I have been an in-house wordsmith for the past quarter-century.

And why Shakespeare? As a nearly dead white male myself, I have a particular affinity for the work of dead white males in general—and Shakespeare in particular has intrigued me ever since childhood, when my father (an English teacher) showed me some black-and-white slides of scenes from a staging of that Scottish play referenced above. I’m sure if I could see them now, those images would prove cheesy; at the time, though, they haunted my imagination; it wasn’t till some time later that I began to discover that there were words to go with them.

As I started to discover the actual plays, I found to my excitement that they had the mind-expanding power of dreams, in which human life is transformed into something rich and strange—an alternative universe of experience, if you like, but one that brilliantly illuminates the “real” one.

2. What moment(s) in Shakespeare always make you laugh?

Sticking with the Scottish play, I generally laugh at Macbeth’s (oops, said it) “‘Twas a rough night,” and I always smile whenever an actor has to tackle the unsayable “O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart / Cannot conceive nor name thee!” Also, I’m afraid I can never suppress a schoolboy snigger when Mountjoy, in Henry V, comes in and announces himself with the words “You know me by my habit.” I can’t remember where I heard it or read it, but someone, somewhere, made a joke about the entire English army responding with rude gestures suggestive of that habit, and I have never been able to get that out of my mind.

3. What’s a favorite Shakespearean performance anecdote?

See Mountjoy above. Also this, one of the many stories from the late Richard Monette’s memoir This Rough Magic: an autobiography “as told to,” er, well, me. Peter Ustinov was playing King Lear at the Stratford Festival in 1979; Richard was playing Edmund.

“At one performance,” Richard recalled, “Peter began, ‘We two alone will sing like birds i’ the cage. . . .’ and then he dried. ‘We’ll sing . . .’ he repeated, ‘and then we’ll sing some more. Oh, we’ll laugh. . . . We’ll dance. . . . And then . . . we’ll sing some more.’ Realizing what had happened, I tried to save him by coming in early with my line: ‘Take them away.’ He regarded me with mild curiosity, then waved me away with his hand—'Foof, foof, foof’—and began the whole speech over again, determined to say it all.”

4. What’s one of the more unusual Shakespearean interpretations you’ve either seen or would like to see?

In 1998, or thereabouts, at a theatre festival in Quebec City, I saw a production of The Tempest directed by Robert Lepage. More precisely, it was La Tempête, a translation into French by Normand Chaurette. What was novel about it were the settings, which were computer-created projections—but not just flat background images. The audience wore polarized 3D glasses throughout, which created the illusion of a three-dimensional landscape and objects (such as the royal ship) that seemed to come floating out into the auditorium. It was a stunning effect, perfectly suited to the magical powers referenced in the play, and it had a huge effect on me.

5. What’s one of your favorite Shakespearean “hidden gems”?

An obvious one, obviously, but it’s the “wretched strangers” speech from Sir Thomas More.

6. What passages from Shakespeare have stayed with you?

I am constantly on the alert for opportunities to work any of the following into my conversation:

“Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul, / And there I see such black and grainèd spots / As will not leave their tinct.”

“I’ll no pullet sperm in my brewage.” (Have to be careful about that one when placing an order in a bar or restaurant, though, or the server might spit in my Sauvignon.)

“For this relief much thanks.” (Always apt in washrooms.)

More seriously, I always get a wave of nostalgia for the homeland when I hear Macbeth say, “Light thickens, and the crow makes wing to the rooky wood.” For some reason that line evokes Scotland for me so strongly for me that I feel sure Shakespeare must have toured there when the plague was on in London.

7. What Shakespeare plays have changed for you?

When I was an undergraduate, a professor told me that Titus Andronicus was an absolutely dreadful play, what could Shakespeare have been thinking; and for many years I believed her. Then I actually read it, and thought, wow.

8. What Shakespearean character or characters do you identify the most with?

Wow, that is a question, isn’t it? Erm, well…. Oh, I don’t know: it might be…. Or, no, maybe not. No, shoot, I just can’t make up my mind. Sorry, I know I’m procrastinating, but I’m going to have to set this aside for a while, while I think on it more precisely. Maybe get a bit of sea air to clear my mind….

Okay, that’s better. I’d like to think it maybe would be Benedick, but I’m very much afraid it might be Falstaff. Or King John.

Actually, a few years ago, I really identified with the King of France, but, lacking a Helena, I had surgery for it, and I’m fine now.

9. Where can we find out more about you? Are there any projects/events you would like us to check out?

I pop up from time to time on Facebook (though not Instagram, which I’ve never seen the point of). Occasionally I make snarky remarks on Twitter. Otherwise, I can sometimes be found in the lobby of the Festival Theatre, giving Lobby Talks before selected performances. C’mon down! They’re free!

(Back to Mya) Thanks so much to David for taking the time to answer my questions! If you can, pick up a copy of former Stratford Festival artistic director Richard Monette’s memoir, This Rough Magic, which David worked on. It’s a wonderful read.

COMING THURSDAY: My other self, my counsel’s consistory, my pocket dramaturg!

[wordsfromjoli]

The sex talk

So let’s get started on this very interesting topic we’ve been talking about the last 2 days. SEX.

First of all thank you to everyone who texted me, reacted for my IG stories or/and had a conversation with me personally! I feel privileged experiencing all the openness and honesty guys!

For those who didn’t read my blog before or don’t know me that well, let me introduce myself.

My name is Joli, I’m a theologian and personal trainer who loves building up people, breaking bad habits, teaching and educating people and supporting people on their transformation journey whether we talking about physical or spiritual transformation. I’m a believer. Grew up in a Pentecostal church in Hungary where my dad was the pastor. Faith played always a big role in my life, I was religious before but I’ve learned and still learning how to be in a real relationship with God instead of being religious.

When it comes to sex I remember I was very young around 9-10 years old before my teenage years my mum sat down with me to have “the talk”. She said I need to know about this thing called sex and what are the consequences because I have too much energy and she doesn’t want me to turn out one of those girls who will end up ruining their lives or regret things. So then I heard how sex is a sin and something you don’t want to do unless you’re married and even then you still have to be very careful and not let lust take over love. Have to be honest with you all I didn’t understand a word my mum told me all I remembered is that sex is a no go until marriage. Anyhow, years gone by and at almost 21 I lost my virginity. Since then I had officially only 2 very short relationships and the past 10 years I only had friends with benefits. You can read about friends with benefits if you score a bit lower in my previous blogs. Now if you reading this as a Christian probably this is going be the first stop where you have some questions. Feel free to DM me I’ll be honest as I am always. In my latest blog I’ve been talking about what do we want, the temporary things or the long term things. I also told you guys about how I stopped having friends with benefits because they not what I really want. I said this:

“I’ve decided to stop all my meaningless relationships and stop sleeping with guys who will never marry me and/so they are not for me.... It’s not easy... it’s not easy to not call “that friend” and “help on yourself” with him/her... I know... But he/she is not the one for you. How do I know? Because if he/she would be you two would be together and not just being friends with benefits. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Simple things. Let’s not complicate things. Let yourself see things how they are. And let your heart and mind together tell you what you truly want.”

Last Sunday I’ve got upset because I was really horny, so I told God how mad I am at him because He promised me that He will take care of my needs and this is one of them yet I have no husband still. I told Him how unfair I think is that some people are married yet their sex drive is low and here I am with really high sex drive yet can’t enjoy it because I’m single. Told Him that I’m in the best years of my life in my 30’s when I should enjoy sex yet I can’t because I’m not married. Don’t get me wrong if you only wanna get married because you wanna have sex think about it because sex is not the building block of a happy and healthy marriage BUT it plays a big role. Anyway I was just pouring out my heart to God and that was the point when I’ve decided I need to write a blog about this.

As I said in my IG stories having high sex drive it’s not an illness or a sinful thing that you need help with. It’s natural and completely healthy. However when it overtakes your life then you need help. God gave us this desire because it’s a beautiful thing. As some of you said it’s the deepest level how you can connect with another human being. But God created us to love each other. There is a big difference between love and lust. Lust will distract you, take you further away from each other and in the end destroy you; love will heal you and build you up and bring you closer to each other. So yes we do have to be careful how we live our sex lives and who we share our body with because everything has consequences BUT don’t let anyone shame you for having high sex drive and wanting sex.

And to answer the big question what I was asking in my IG stories, How to survive the dry days? The key is the focus guys. Ask yourself the right question which is: Where is your focus? Shift your focus on the right things and your energy will go to the right places. I know it’s still not easy. No one said it will be. Just because I’m Christian it doesn’t mean I won’t struggle with this or any other things anymore. But I will always have the help just right there for me! And pouring out my heart to God also helps a lot guys! Don’t be afraid to be angry at God, don’t be afraid going all mad walking around and shouting at Him and “telling Him off” because HE can handle it trust me! Don’t believe me? Go read David’s psalms and you’ll see! After all how David lived his life the bible still says David was a man after God’s heart.

[houseofvans]

Art School | Sophie Roach (Austin, TX)

Drawing and painting her way through an imaginative landscape of intricate and visual entanglements is Austin native, Sophie Roach.  Her artwork has endlessly covered  surfaces from– guitars, beer cans, Vans, to entire rooms.  And if that isn’t already insanely rad, her organic approach and laid back attitude make her not only incredibly humble, but also a super awesome collaborator.  While finishing up one mural and starting up new projects, we had the chance to ask Sophie a few questions about her art, her career, and her approach – from finding her voice, attacking a mural, to digging the quietude one might find as a mail person hah!  

Photographs courtesy of the artist. 

Introduce yourself.  

My name is Sophie Roach and I'm an artist/illustrator/muralist based in Austin, TX! I grew up in Austin, went to college in Seattle, then I scooted back to my hometown as quickly as I could after graduating in 2011.

As a self taught artist, how did drawing take shape and become what you do- did it start as a hobby or random habit? 

I was a total jock growing up, not an artsy kid at all. I started drawing when I was 20. At first it was in the margins of my lecture notes, eventually I gave up on the note-taking part. I’m only a good student when I feel like whatever I’m learning will be applicable to life outside the classroom. For me, since I didn’t have a career in mind, that was around 5% of my in-class experience so I wound up drawing a whole lot. By the time I graduated I was interested in doing something creative, possibly graphic design, but I didn’t think that those doodles would be a part of my career until about a year later.

What did your early drawings look like and / or did they evolve into what they are now?  How did you find your particular voice in your art? 

They looked like anyone’s notebook doodles. I’ve had depression and anxiety issues since I was a kid and I found that the meditative, time-intensive work helped me deal with that. I became obsessed with drawing and my skills evolved  quickly as a result. I didn’t know I was looking for my voice until I stumbled upon it in early 2012. Making art was always fun, but once I hit upon a style that felt like my own, I knew I was totally screwed. I had to make it work full-time.

In terms of influences, artistically and in general, what are they and how do they influence the work you make now?

I love the utility of Milton Glaser’s decorative design work, Keith Haring’s visual language, and Sol LeWitt’s ability to make minimalism totally overwhelming with his installations. I love the sincerity in Keith Shore and Nathaniel Russel’s work. I love the bold abstract nature in the work of Blexbolex and in old polish posters and book covers. I’m sure that these things that I love make their way into my work but I don’t spend much time thinking about where my inspiration comes from. I focus more on positioning myself to receive it by taking long walks, traveling to new places, reading books, and simply paying close attention to my surroundings.

You’ve worked with various mediums and from small to super large. Take us through the preparation and thought process when you work in large scale?  What is your planning like and do you find yourself drawn to creating more large scale works?

Step 1: Develop a loose concept (vague organization and goals for the piece) Step 2: Determine appropriate materials for scale and location Step 3: Pencil out boundaries for linework based on loose concept Step 4: Start drawing. Sometimes sticking to the initial pencil marks, more often making up new stuff as I go. Step 5: Have imposter moment. “Oh my god why did I agree to do this, this looks dumb, the result is going to look dumb, I don’t have the skills to make this look good and everyone can tell.”  With murals, you have to complete the ugly parts of the process in front of people. It’s a little nerve-wracking. Step 6: Stop whining, get back to work Step 7: Once the linework is complete it’s time to color Step 8: Go back through and re-draw lines near the color sections Step 9: Usually jalapeño, pepperoni, pineapple pizza

To be honest, I found little joy in the mural process when I first started. Now that I have a few murals under my belt I find it hard to work on small scale pieces. It's very satisfying to work large scale. I feel like each office/commercial/public mural is practice for the immersive installations that I'm dreaming up for the future.

What’s something you don’t think folks might not know about an artist or being a “working artist”?  

I used to think that I wasn’t a real artist because I rarely show work in galleries and I don’t like sitting in my studio all day. I make art full time but at the moment my work is more appropriate for commercial design-y projects and murals. I don’t feel restricted in the commercial art realm because I’m strict about retaining my voice and most clients are cool with that due to it’s abstract nature. Because I pay my rent with commercial work, I get to have a lot of fun with the works on paper. I don’t think you can feel totally free when making things for the “fine art” world unless you don’t care whether you get a financial return for your energy.

Your work is filled with details and patterns – how do you decide which pattern goes where? Do you have a running sheet of various patterns and shapes constantly running through your mind? 

I just go with my gut. There are rules for organization that I'm constantly making and breaking throughout my process. I don't think I could put the rules into words but I can feel them when I'm working. I do have shapes and shape combos that are vaguely representational of real life things, but its not always obvious. I want it to be apparent that a method exists within the madness but I don’t care how decipherable it is.

Top 3 bands while you’re drawing? These days: -Alex Cameron -Lucy Dacus -King Krule

Albums get old fast because I have headphones on for most of my waking life. I always have something playing because I find that I can control my fatigue with different types of music/audiobooks/podcasts. I've developed a self-regulating listening process when I'm working. If I'm having trouble concentrating on the work, I turn on an audiobook or podcast and focus on that. If I'm having trouble keeping up with the talky stuff, I turn on music and focus on the work. Then there are more ways that I decide what kind of music makes sense for what I'm working on or how I'm feeling.

What is the most asked question you get on social media?  Shall we lay it to rest once and for all? ha

Anytime I post a process video I get tons of comments, DMs, and emails asking about my materials. I think materials are important and I’ve spent a lot of time and money finding the right tools to achieve the aesthetic that I want. I know people don’t mean any harm when they ask, but I can’t help but cringe when I get the pen question for the 10000th time.

That said, here are my favorite tools: Rotring Rapidograph Pens Copic Markers Smooth bristol paper Molotow empty paint markers Golden High Flow Acrylic in Carbon Black

What do you think you would have been doing if not for art?  

My alternate reality fantasy job is to be a mail woman oddly enough. The concept of putting things in their appropriate boxes is really soothing to my Virgo/OCD brain. Plus, I love that I'd be able to work alone, walk a lot, and constantly have my headphones in. It's basically what I do now but without all the challenges and angst, ha.

What’s your big dream? What kind of work do you want to be making in fifteen years? 

Over the next few years I’d like to expand my style into 3D form and eventually design a compound of buildings a la Antoni Gaudi, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Niki de Saint Phalle, and St. EOM. I’d love for it to have a function as well. Maybe a hotel or event space. Maybe a waterpark.

What are your favorite Vans? and why? I was able to keep one of the 50 pairs of shoes that I hand customized for a Vans/iamsound event in Austin in 2013. It was one of my first collaborations with a brand that I actually cared about and it showed me what kind of projects were available for artists in the commercial realm. I used to wear them all the time but now I keep the pair on a shelf in my studio as a memento.

What’s the best and worse advice you’ve gotten in regards to art? (if any)

I try to put all of the good and bad advice in the same pile in my head. Then I generally ignore that pile. People are always telling what I "should" do. I used to make an effort to do all of those things because it's a lot easier and less scary compared to coming up with ideas on my own. Turns out there are plenty of great ideas that just don't light my fire. I'm learning to trust my gut.

However there is one bit of helpful advice that I heard in a documentary a long time ago. I don't remember what it was called or who the artist was but he said that his best advice for young people who want to make art for a living is to QUIT NOW. When things get hard I tell myself to quit, then I remember that I can't. I need to make stuff! Then I get back to work.

What do you have coming up for 2017? What’s your next project or show people should know about?

I'm continuing to focus on murals this year. So far almost all of my installations have been in Austin so I’m stoked to have projects scheduled around the country in 2017. Best way to keep up with what I'm doing is to follow me on Instagram.

Follow Sophie Roach:

Website: www.sophieroach.com Instagram: @Sophieroach