#i'm trying to keep my BASE colours to five

[mitchell-nihil]

sometimes I feel shitty about not being great at comics but I've literally never done this before and learning to create, write and format comics is an entirely different beast from knowing how to draw them

[salvadorbonaparte]

How to set up a research journal

This is just one way you can set up a research journal but it's helping me tremendously so maybe it also works for you. My set-up is partially inspired by this video by Answer in Progress and I suggest you check out their curiosity journal.

Preparation

First you need a notebook. The trick is to find a notebook that you're not afraid to "ruin". We all want a really neat, aesthetic research journal, but the reality looks more like hasty scribbles, but that's okay, that's where the research breakthroughs happen.

I personally bought a cheap lined notebook from Søstrene Grene that I thought looked cute and put a sticker on it. That way I feel good about using it but I also don't mind when my handwriting gets messy because it was only like 3€.

You should also stock up on pens you like writing with. Different colour highlighters and post-its are also a good idea but not a must. Keep it cheap but comfortable.

Title Page

Here you should put down all the really important information: year, title, deadlines, word count, supervisors. Maybe add an inspirational quote to spice it up but keep it simple and relevant.

Key

This should either be your next or your last page. I personally use the last pages of my journal so I can add thing and find it easier. Your key is there to list abbreviations and symbols.

For example, I have different symbols for statistics, dates, new terminology, questions, breakthroughs, important notes and abbreviations for the most important terms in my field. It's shorter to write T9N than Translation.

The trick here is to have enough abbreviations and symbols to save time and effort but not so many that you constantly have to look back and forth between your page and key. They should be memorable and not easy to confuse.

Topic Mind map

If you hate mind maps you can skip this of course or use a different method but what helped me is to visualise all the topics that connect to my research project in a mind map. I then colour-coded the main groups of topics with my highlighters. It helps me to keep an overview on how many topics I need to do research on.

Proposal

If you're writing a thesis/dissertation it can be helpful to have a page set aside for your proposal and take some bullet point notes on methodology, chapter structure, research context, aims and objectives and think of some titles. You can also do this for your lit review and a list of works to include.

Hypothesis and Question Pages

I set aside four pages for this but you can adjust this to your needs. The first page is my hypothesis. It doesn't have to be fully formed yet, it can just be bullet points with five question marks. You can always revise and update it but it is important to keep an eye on what you're actually trying to find out.

The next idea is basically just stolen from Answer in Progress: a section for big questions, medium questions and little questions. These aren't necessarily hypotheses you aim to answer but questions you have about your topic that might be good to look into (maybe they lead somewhere, maybe they don't).

Research Notes

Now comes the big, fun part. Research notes are allowed to be a little messy but you should have some sort of system so you can actually find what you're looking for afterwards. I'm currently just looking at books and articles so that's what my system is based on. You can totally adjust this to include other forms of research.

What I do is that I put down and underline the author and title of my source. Underneath that I use my highlighters and mark the topic of the paper based on how I colour-coded them in my mind map. You might have to do this after you've finished reading. For example, if a text talks about censorship and dubbing in Germany, three of my topics, I will draw three lines in light blue, dark blue and red, the colours I chose for those topics. This way you can easily browse your notes and see which pages are talking about which topics.

When it comes to the actual research notes, I include the page number on the left and then take bullet point notes on whatever is relevant. These are often abbreviated and paraphrased but if something is especially important I will write down a full quote.

As mentioned earlier, I have a key of symbols I use so I can simply put down a '!' in order to differentiate a research breakthrough from a normal note. You can insert your own thoughts much more easily when you know you'll be able to tell them apart later on. At the end of each article, book or even chapter I write down my main takeaway.

Other Notes

This is your research journal and you can do with it what you want. I also added lists of films that might be relevant for my research, a list of databases and publishers to check for papers and tips on research strategy.

If you're working with interviews or surveys you could write down your questions. If you're nervous about your research you could include a list of reasons why your research project is important or why you're doing it. You can include a to-do list or a calendar to track meetings with supervisors. Anything that helps you with your research.

[madphantom]

hiyaaa, hope you dont mind, but super randomly just popped into my mind, but how's your hair doing? i remember you bleaching it and how it turned blue or green or sth from it and i kinda had a crisis over it on your behalf, and then you had red like back in march, you still rocking that? also how much breakage are you fighting on a scale from one to ten?

not asking in a werid way, u just quit fashion colour due to employment™ and a lack if confidence against people judging®, so now I'm just invested in strangers' hair as a replacement

also please feel free to ignore me if you want !!

Aiiii I love asks remembering things about my personal posts!!

After the big bleach nightmare my hair was damaged as fuck, so I cut it shorter in the front, but then I kinda wasn't satisfied with how that looked so I just gave myself a bob. I immediately proceeded to regret this because cutting your own hair without a mirror during what could best be described as some sort of manic outburst never goes well and it looked bad, so I dyed it neon green.

The green was fucking gorgeous and long lasting so I ended up keeping it for a record time of three months while I was trying to grow back the unlucky bob, however I was in a movie in February and the director asked me to go blonde for it, so I went back to blonde.

Unfortunately my roots just looked incredibly yellow in contrast to the white hair I'd given myself previously ("like piss on fresh fallen snow" to quote my friend who soon after this quote became my boyfriend, do not make any judgement about my taste in men based on this fact), so immediately after the shoot I went to my trusty hair care store five minutes before closing time and grabbed some red dye.

The red was super cool? One of my top colours. It had this orange hue in the sun and gave off major Ziggy Stardust vibes. My hair had also grown out a bit again so I gave myself a rockstar shag and vampire bangs. However, it faded at crazyyy speeds and the faded colour was just this vague salmon and did not look good, so I switched to a more bluish red.

Well, at least according to the package. The shade was called poppy red. My bestie described it as venomous milipede pink. Cool colour, undoubtedly, but not quite my vibe. I did however briefly rock the faded pink with some bold red highlights. That looked cool.

Then I switched to turquoise! I had that colour last summer and got rid of it because I was photographed at a protest by a nazi with it and got scared to be easily recognizable. Back then I got this faded red hair because I wanted a colour that felt safe and the guy comforting me after the bad experience had faded red hair. My future boyfriend by the way, hi :) I currently have that turquoise hair and it's cool, but I'm heavily debating going lavender again. We'll see what my impulse control says:)

As for breakage: I religiously use conditioner at the moment, and as long as I stay in my hometown my hair is in perfect condition. I'm not sure what happens when I visit my boyfriend, the humidity is probably different in his hometown or something but it tangles like hell there. But all in all, 7/10, good hair:) thanks for your ask:)

[albonoooo]

got tagged by @wanderingblindly, thank you my beloved <3

what colour are your eyes?: a mixture of blue, green and grey that looks puddle-coloured most of the time.

tell me about your pets/your dream pet: after 15 wonderful years, our family dog paul (i named him that when i was five lol) unfortunately passed away in august 2023, i loved that dog more than most people. (there were some pictures of him here, but i got nervous that someone i know might see this so i removed them lmao). i'd love to get a dog or a cat at some point later in my life, but not now or any time soon.

share some interesting fact about yourself: i'm genuinely incredibly boring, so much so that i had to ask for help to find an answer here. the council decided on the fact that i know how to ride and own a motorcycle and am also a member in an mf in my hometown.

what was the first fandom you were a part of?: i guess the first time i was properly involved with fandom in any capacity was during my teen wolf days.

do you have any phobias?: i don't know if it's bad enough to be considered a phobia, but i'm terrified of heights. there have been several instances of me breaking down crying despite trying to keep it together while being in very high places (usually while having to climb dodgy stairs in very high buildings, among other things).

are you a picky eater? if so, what food can't you stand?: YES! and i hate it because it's so so limiting and annoying. i am incredibly sensitive regarding taste and texture and i have to physically force myself to hold back visceral reactions to foods i don't like. it'd probably be easier to list the foods i can eat tbh.

do you eat the burger and fries at the same time or one after another?: first some fries, then burger, fries, burger, fries, finish the burger, finish the fries. anything else is weird (what the fuck do you mean you eat them completely separately, liquid???)

winter or summer: winter all the way. i sweat easily, my body generally doesn't cope well with heat and i prefer bundling up and being a little cold over feeling too warm.

favourite fanfiction tropes: i LOVE a good au, any au really, but especially the cute ones. i'll read almost anything at least once and so there's just too many things i have read and enjoyed to list here. also, anything with an enemies to lovers situation. i am a sucker for that.

are you studying or working? what do you study/is your job?: both! i'm a full-time student (english major, history minor) and i am one of the student assistants in the english department's student office. i've also had other, less fun part-time jobs in the past.

what is the last country you visited: the netherlands and belgium during a day trip (by motorcycle) in june or july last year, i think.

what country would you want to move to after retiring?: i've haven't ever even considered living that long. i've always had a fascination with ireland and scotland, so based on looks and vibes alone i'd go there. or somewhere with solid winters, like a scandinavian country or finland.

who was your first crush?: hannes (played by nick romeo reimann) in the vorstadtkrokodile movies. i was ready for marriage, dreaming up a life together and everything. it also lasted until i was like 12 years old, so about six years in total. he really had me in a chokehold.

how did you get into f1 fandom?: after my interest was peaked by f1 edits that randomly popped up all over my social media one day (thank you algorithms), i did what i always do when something like that happens and opened tumblr to see what's up. and then i got stuck lol.

i have no clue who has or hasn't been tagged already, so feel free to ignore this!! @hrhgeorgerussell @bright-and-burning @borntogayz @lil-italian-disappointment @liamlawsonlesbian @piastrisms

[nikatyler]

Random BG3 Shenanigans

The only braincell in the group goes to Lae'zel today

Wonderful note to end on for now innit

"gods, you're worse than me and my siblings and I didn't think something like that is actually possible"

obsessed with their face and their glowing green eyes

IT'S ON LET'S GOOOOOOO SHADOWLAR TYHEART OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL THEM IT'S HAPPENINGGGGGG

(it was not happening, I never played that save again)

ohh i'm probably gonna be getting comments about mizora from annoying people if i keep him like this won't i (red hair/blueish skin)

dude's got nothing to do with mizora! in fact if you bring her up he'll probably cry!!! he's a burned out depressed student ex wizard now knowledge cleric of mystra! 😤 (definitely didn't base the burned out depressed part on anyone particular, nope not at all) wyll's a bestie!!

question, he's one of three siblings (triplets actually), his brother is purple, do tiefling siblings have to be similar colours? i suppose they have to huh because like…they're full siblings

he is not fit for an adventure he's gonna start every morning with a mental breakdown (real)

five seconds in Lae'zel's presence and he wants to cry

(btw I'll introduce him properly later when I also create his sister and my tiefling trio is complete but if you know my sims, you might recognize who he's based on and that could give you an idea)

(I did not introduce him properly, I never posted him again)

Couldn't find a fitting head preset for her and so she doesn't look mean enough but know that you piss her off slightly and can expect a fireball coming your way. 🔥 anyway 3/3 triplets done yay!!

Taking my army of tavs from the nautiloid, one step at a time. I think everyone I've created so far has now made it out...time for another batch, I guess!

Still feel like Byanka's face is too cute and doesn't reflect her personality too much but oh well, looks can be deceiving I guess!

That went uhh...that went. Yeah. Not well though.

At least you're not dead like the rest of the party was just a moment ago??

Byanka thread? Byanka thread. And I'll try to keep her entire playthrough here instead of starting a separate one every day.

Fingers crossed I'll do what I planned to do with her and won't chicken out of it. Sorry grove, sorry tieflings. Just this once, let me have this 😭😂

These shots are obligatory.

[greenbeansartgallery]

Miracle of Chu Chapter 1: The Rise of the Indigo and Purple

Sig finds the Peacock Miraculous and makes a bug friend, things go downhill from there and a Moth heroine is born. AU: @greenysoliatre and @camirazone

Sig let out a yawn. This has been a tiring day and all he did was look to see if there's any new bugs he can find, being the season of summer with the cold being away bugs will come out and play but so far he had very little success.

Before he could call it a day and take a break, a shine of blue stopped him in these tracks.

Coming from his bug catcher net..

Wait, when did that get on his net?

To his disappointment, it was not a bug but a blue broach shaped like five segments of peacock feathers and a black teardrop at the bottom centre.

But at least it looked cool, it was blue and Sig liked the colour blue as it was the colour of the sky and the ocean. With no second of hesitation, he puts it on after taking it out and is met with a bright blue light causing him to shut his eyes to prevent them from being blinded.

As it subsided, a high pitched voice chimed "Hello~!"

Eyes now opened, floating before Sig was a deep blue creature resembling a peacock looking at him with a curious smile.

"Are you the one who found me?"

"Uhh.. I guess I did." The only response he can think of at this point.

Meanwhile in Primp Magic School, class was starting and everyone was present apart from one.

"Umm.. where's Sig?" Lidelle piped up as she took notice there was no sign of him anywhere. It really didn't take a detective to know where he went as everyone knew the answer.

"He's probably still doing his bug hunting. Surely he'll be back..?" Amitie responded with her hopes up. Sig has gotten a bit better keeping track of time, what's wrong with being a little late?

"Maybe one of us should go get him?" Carmen asked. "It's possible he might have fell asleep."

"Don't bother wasting your time, if he's absent from class, that's on him." Klug scoffed as he paid no attention to the disapproving scowl from the others.

Raffina found herself pulling a face at the notion that she does agree with his point.

"Maybe after school one of us could check up on him in case~" The gentle giant known as Tarutaru suggested but before anyone can reply, their one and only teacher Professor Accord arrives

"Hello, children, I hope you enjoyed your break because we have a pop quiz coming up." She greeted as she does an attendance count, everyone was here apart from Sig. Oh dear, she hoped he was alright. Marking him off as absent, Accord made a mental note to speak to him first thing tomorrow if he does make it. "Now time for the pop quiz~"

Back to Sig who couldn't really understand the little bird thing who introduced himself as the Kwa.. me? Kwami of Emotion, Duusu as the name of the bird was trying to tell him as they were panicking kind of like Amitie really when she stresses out. "There's something gone amiss and I really need your help, Sig! Please this is urgent!"

"What's gone a miss though?" All Sig could respond as this sounded too vague for him to understand.

"That's what I'm trying to find out but I can't do this alone, please help!"

"Okay, but how?"

Duusu then proceeded to go on ramble: "Well as I said before I am the Kwami of Emotion. I bestow powers to whoever wears my pin and turn them into a peacock themed superhero! The said power is to manifest people's emotions into creatures known as Sentimonsters."

Senti.. monsters? Sig suddenly became intrigued. "So I could make any creature as long as it's based on people's feelings? Even mine?"

"Yes, yes! But now's not the time! We need to start!" The Kwami of Emotion says flapping their arms frantically. "In order to transform, you just need to say "Duusu, Spread my feathers!" and if you want to detransform you say "Fall my feathers." Can you do that for me?"

Sig still confused as ever decided to go with what he has been given. "Okay.. uhhh..."

May as well give it a shot. "Duusu, spread my feathers, I guess."

And just like that the magic of the Miraculous began to do it's work as Duusu disappeared into the peacock pin and Sig felt an odd power surge through him. It felt great but at the same time so strange. In a sudden flash, he took a look at a nearby pond to see that his hair changed into midnight as his usual outfit transformed into a dark indigo jumpsuit with a blue tailcoat adorned with light magenta buttons and a five pointed tail resembling that of a peacock and dark blue gloves. The hood over his head having a feather straps with a magenta center on each side with three blue feathers. His blue and green running shoes were now high boots, the skin also dull indigo and finally his mismatches eyes came in two different shades of magenta.

With all this blue he's wearing the only superhero name he can think of is Sapphirus like his spell Sapphire.

He wasn't sure how to feel about this new look nor on what to do next. A hand fan that somehow appeared in his hands started glowing, more specifically the feathers on the fan did, giving him a hint on what to do. So on instinct, he plucks a feather.

With a clenched hand, the feeling of confusion turns the feather into blue and flings itself onto the butterfly net.

A dark blob appears taking the shape of an oddly shaped beetle three times his height. Sig couldn't help but take a moment to cheer as he made a new bug friend but the celebration was cut short as the beetle charges at him. On instinct he dodges out of the way and watches his new found bug friend running around the Nahe Woods prompting Sapphirus to give chase, leaving behind the net in the process.

"Wait, bug friend! Come back!" He called out hand reached out as he ran after his first creation. By the time he caught up the large beetle was ready to change at him again.

How can he make it stop?

Maybe a Puyo battle could calm it down-

Wait.. what's that beeping sound?

And suddenly in a flash, Sapphirus' form was reverted back into Sig who only had a second to react and catch the exhausted Duusu in his hands.

Wait what just happened?

"Ah, Sig! Incoming!!" The Kwami screamed as beetle charged causing the bug enthusiast to dodge the attack barely as he ended up flopping on the ground, Duusu encased on his hands in front of his head safely. Having the sudden lack of energy to get up, all Sig could do was watch as the beetle went on its way.

"Oh right, your Miraculous has a timer of five minutes anytime you use your powers and it turns you back after it hits zero.. oops." Duusu says sheepishly, slightly as they turn around to see that their holder isn't getting up.

"Coulda told me this sooner..." Sig drawled as the feeling of sleep takes over and the last thing he heard was his new friend crying out in confusion as he began to pass out.

Somewhere the town square of the resident shop where you can buy almost anything at your convenience run by the one and only Oshare Bones, the dapper skeleton, the door bell chimes indicating a customer has arrived. "Hello, Mr. Oshare!"

Hello, Carmen~!" Oshare Bones greeted as Carmen walked in to take a look at what she was looking to buy. "Just came back from school?"

"Hmm mmm, we had a pop quiz." She looked around the shop to see anything she could buy.

A couple of flower seed packs were a must have on her mental list. Mama mentioned she needed some to grow more Tulips as they were getting sold fast. Also some Hibiscus flowers sound nice to grow, it's the season after all.

After a few minutes of deciding what she wants, she places her would be purchases on the counter and gets ready to pay.

Before the platinum blonde knew it, her eyes caught a glimmer belonging to a small deep purple broach with a silver lining resembling a butterfly of some sort in a plain black wooden box sitting by the counter.

It was memorising as if it was calling out to her. "Oh hoo! Found something else to purchase as well? Carmen?"

Carmen snapped out of her trance and looked at the shop keeper and points at the broach.

"Oh that's just a broach I found while I was on a stroll, I thought it looked cool at first but it looked so UGLY when I brought it in so may as well put it up for sale."

For only a couple of silver coins? Aren't jewellery usually a bit more expensive than that? Carmen wanted to say aloud but choose to say something else. "Could I buy it then?"

"Buy all means, you're doing me a favour getting rid of the drab. That would be two silver coins."

And just like that Carmen handed the coins in favour of the butterfly looking jewellery with a thank you and took off. Oshare was kind enough to call her back in for the other items make her purchase to her relief and embarrassment.

While making her way back home, she couldn't help but stare at the box with fascination, it wasn't everyday Carmen would make such an impulsive purchase as she did, as she was taught better than that by her mothers, the importance of planning on what to buy, difference between a want and a need though a bit of self indulgence didn't hurt but it was rather fortunate it costed her a couple of silver coins.

What isn't fortunate however is that the lack of attention towards her surroundings had the winged student bumping into something causing her to stumble back, nearly dropping the box in the process and bringing her back to reality.

"Sorry-!" She began to apologise looking up and sees a rather shiny looking surface.. odd. She could see her reflection on there, kind of.. Taking a second to pat the surface with her hand, it felt smooth now where did she see and felt this before..?

Steps back and eyes went wide with astonishment, a giant sized beetle?! In the town square?! And why does she feel like she's in danger all of a sudden?

The massive beetle began to move causing her to jolt and make a dash for it only for the creature come at her with a charge with an alarming speed causing her to let out a scream in terror as she tries to outrun it but alas she throws herself to the floor to dodge it. Getting up with her heart feeling like it was burst out of her ribcage, Carmen sits up to see the beetle running around the square, she wasted no time running back home before it sees her, opening the door and shutting with a loud slam slipping to the floor with her back pressed again the door and hand clutching the box to her chest, gasping to regain her breath.

Thankfully Mama was there to see her though it took a while for the girl to explain as she went nonverbal and needed to calm down, eventually telling her mother about this large beetle attacking the town square, Carmen was advised to stay home until it's sorted out. Fleeing to her room, she plops on her bed to bury her face into the soft pillows for a second before looking at the broach one last time, as she opens the box once more and suddenly the broach began to shimmer and a small orb of purple light appeared out of it causing her to reel back into her pillows flinch at the sudden brightness as she watches the ball of light manifest into a small lavender creature with butterfly wings that have a long tail with a tip at the end of each lower wing and large dark purple eyes with a swirl of the matching colour on his forehead.

Doing a small polite bow, the creature begins to speak. "Hello, my name is Nooroo, the Kwami of Transmission. I know this must be overwhelming for you since we just met but I need your help!"

Carmen stay sunk into the pillows gasp and covering her mouth with surprise and adoration. He looked adorable! Wait.. what? Looking around a flock of glowing white butterflies made their acquaintance in her room, did they come from Nooroo?

She sits up properly and flaps her hands as Nooroo continued to ramble. "Wait, wait please slow down! What is it you need my help with?"

"Ah, sorry! It's just that it's very urgent. A great threat is here in Primp and it needs to be stopped before it could get worse. The Miraculous you're holding grants you the power to transform into a superhero."

"The miraculous.. the broach?"

Nooroo nods patiently as he watches Carmen take the time to process what he's saying to her and make a decision.

She stares at him before looking at the broach. A threat in Primp..? It had to be the large beetle creature that's attacking the town square maybe she can use the miraculous to stop it. But.. Did she really deserve the right to be called a superhero? After all she did buy the miraculous instead of earning it. She looked down away from the broach upon thinking about it.

But Nooroo needs her help. She'll just have to put in the hard work to make up for that, looking back at the miraculous then clutching it with eyes back at the lilac kwami, eyes hardened with resolve. "I'll do it, what should I do?"

Nooroo beams with delight at this and answers all of the questions she had in great gusto. Putting on the miraculous and standing up away from her bed, Carmen learns that she can create butterflies that can allow her to choose a champion to bestow a superpower onto based on their emotional state to aid her in combat and in order to transform she just needs to say;

"Nooroo, Wings Rise!"

She felt such power coursing through her as the glowing butterflies danced around her with purple light and Nooroo disappearing into the Miraculous. Carmen took a moment to look at the new change of appearance. A dark purple and indigo dress with the skirt resembling that of a butterfly wings and the fluffy top and collar kind of like a moth. The legs being indigo and periwinkle with purple heeled boots and matching gloves that reach up to near her shoulders. Her ponytail was now split into two braids and a large purple fancy hat with two feathers can be felt on her head and course a mask on her face.

Her wings feels different as well.. turning her head to see, what was once sparrow wings now turned into that of a butterfly or a moth, it was hard to see really. Nooroo mentioned having a superhero name. She sits down to think of one, it had to be good. Something memorable, something that feels right..

Butterfly and moth.. Sig some time ago mentioned an order of butterflies and moths but the name escapes her.. Taking a moment to find the notebook dedicated to his bug ramblings which the platinum blonde took a moment to look for, she searched to see if she still had that information written down.

Aha! There it is! She smiles with satisfaction. Lepidoptera.

She will be called Lepidoptera henceforth.

[yourblankey]

Snow-Woman

Pairing: platonic!Deidara x platonic!fem!reader, platonic!Hidan x platonic!fem!reader, platonic!male!OC x platonic!fem!reader

Genre: crack, comedy, christmas time, detailed snow-woman, snow ball fights

Summary: Deidara and Hidan drag Y/n and Yumo (male oc) out of the lair— even when Pain had advised them not to go outside for the day— to build a snow-woman.

WARNING: inappropriate language, swearing, mentions of female body parts, violence(?), touching, and Hidan.

A/N: Another re-write! For those who might be confused, Yumo is the male OC that is Y/n's partner in the Akatsuki.

It was a snowy, cold day near the Akatsuki's hideout. The members of said organisation were ordered to stay indoors due to the height of the snow that had fallen the night before.

But two Akatsuki members just couldn't keep their excitement for snow in their minds. And they just had to force two other members to come with them.

"Y/nnnnnnnn! Come on! It's bright and cool outside." Deidara whined to Y/n while trying to pull her out of bed. With her strength, she held onto the bed stand to prevent Deidara from getting her out of bed. "It's way too bright. Besides, Pain said not to go out today."

The long-haired boy groaned and sat on her bed. "If you don't come out, I'll rip your books." She opened her eyes just a little bit and looked at him.

"You wouldn't dare."

"You're right, I wouldn't dare.”

She stays silent for about five seconds before sighing. "Fine fine I'll get ready. But we better not get caught. I'm only going out so I can get some of that nice, fresh air. I can't stand the smell in this hideout."

"Afraid of your own kind, Yumo? Just get the hell out of bed!" The sleeping boy did not respond to the jashinist. "Dammit man! What's the harm?" Hidan slaps Yumo's leg, but creates no effect on the male. "Pain." Yumo responds tiredly.

Deidara walks into the room with a tired Y/n. Yumo finally looks up. "Yeah, everyone. Come to my room. We're having a party." He voices sarcastically.

"Man you too? Though you would want to be with your family." Deidara said, pointing to the window. "Oh wait you can't see them." Yumo's head snaps up to retort about the offensive comment until Hidan had shot the curtains open. The light immediately covered the room; the colour and brightness of the snow made it worse.

"ACK!" Yumo yelled out in surprise and covered his eyes. Y/n closed her eyes and fell onto her partner's bed. "You two are just overreacting. Now get dressed up. We're gonna go outside."

The four Akatsuki members step further away from their base. "Did we really have to come out now? It's still snowing for Pain's sake..." Y/n muttered, taking big steps in the 3-inch snow. "He's going to deduct our pay for not listening!" She continued, kicking the snow at Hidan. "Hey! Watch it bit—"

Deidara turned to the three. "We'll be back in soon! Besides, deducting our pay would be too much." Yumo scoffed. "Too much? Pain himself is too much." Y/n and Hidan nod in agreement.

Then Deidara stopped in his place. "This is it. Today, lady and gentlemen, we're making a snow-woman!" Hidan clapped while Yumo and Y/n remained silent.

"Okay now what does that have to do with us?" Yumo asked, clearly tired of Deidara's and Hidan's shenanigans. "Well Hidan is a pervert and will know the sizes and shapes of a woman's body—" The gray-haired male's head snaps towards the Barbie.

"HEY—"

"Y/n is a woman herself. Self-explanatory."

"DON'T IGNORE ME—"

"And Yumo, my friend..."

Deidara approaches Yumo and places his hands on his shoulder. "You know everything about the human body." Then it was a quiet staring contest between the two until the blunt male breaks it. "It's snow."

Hidan was rolling the second ball of snow for the torso of the body. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." Yumo muttered, patting the snow on the body.

The jashinist placed the second ball on top of the bottom a little too aggressively that pieces of the snow splattered onto Yumo and Y/n. "Calm down you jack-ass." The only lady said, kicking his ankle. "You calm down, woman." He said, looking at Deidara.

The yellow-haired male was panting heavily while rolling a small ball of snow for the head. "Tired already?" Y/n called out, shaping out the torso. "S-Shut up!" Deidara exclaimed out of embarrassment and exhaustion.

The female sighs. "Hidan, get the boobs." He nods and puts his hands on her chest. "What the fuck are you doing? I meant for the snow-woman you stupid twat!" He quickly takes his hands off, afraid of getting hit by Y/n. He quickly walks away and gathers small balls of snow.

Yumo comes back from who knows where and shows Y/n two pebbles. "Nipples." He simply says and she nods. "Accurate."

After a few minutes, the four had successfully created a life-sized snow-woman. Hidan yelled out in victory, hitting Yumo's arm.

Yumo had a snow ball bawled up in his hands. After a second of Hidan hitting his arm, he swung his hand right in the other male's face and shoved the snow in his mouth.

Y/n and Deidara laughed and stepped back. Hiss immediately spat out the snow. "Y-You choked me!" Hidan grabbed snow from behind him and attempted to swing the ball at Yumo but he ended up hitting the female. "Oh shit—"

Y/n got some snow and flung it at Hidan. Deidara decided to join in and also got snow. He hit Hidan's ass pretty hard. "WHY THE HELL IS EVERYONE HITING ME?!"

He began kicking the snow towards Yumo who had dodged it. At this point, the three youngsters circled around Hidan and attacked him with snow balls.

Deidara threw the snow ball at Hidan, though he dodged and the ball ended up hitting Yumo. "Oops." The white-haired male threw a snow-ball back to the Barbie, who yelped and threw himself to the side.

Yumo and Y/n start attacking both Hidan and Deidara. The two partners were side by side, hitting the other members who were hiding behind trees.

"HEY THATS NO FAIR THE STRONGEST MEMBERS ARE ATTACKING BOTH OF US!" Hidan screamed, trying to throw another snowball at Y/n but she hits him right in the face. Deidara laughs at him, making him growl. "Oh yeah, you little girl?!" He throws a snow ball at him. "Hey!"

They all laughed and screamed at each other while throwing snow-balls at each other's faces. It was probably the most fun they've had in a while.

Though unfortunately, their fun was cut short. A familiar orange-haired leader had come out, knowing that his youngest members were up to no good. He growled in annoyance. He wasn't at all surprised but he was disappointed.

"Everybody." The four immediately froze in their places, snowballs in hand and poses intact. "I thought I had told you to stay indoors."

They all awkwardly straightened up and approached their leader, looking down and unable to meet his eye.

Pain looked down at them, his arms crossed and a face with no emotion except with a little anger. "I'm deducting 40% off your pay." The troublemakers then started making noises of dissatisfaction.

"C'mon Pain! We just wanted to have fun—"

"Play your ridiculous board games inside. Now go."

Deidara sighs and looks down, dejected. The four start slowly walking to the hideout. Hidan had an angry and defeated expression. Yumo had a blank expression. Y/n straight up looked sad.

"Man, this is all your fault..." Deidara muttered to Hidan, who irked at the comment. "MY FAULT?! THIS WAS YOUR IDEA." He yelled at him, making the Barbie cover his ears. "You might've scared off the entire area." Yumo mumbled, not wanting to talk but he wanted to insult him anyway. "SHUT UP!" Y/n slapped the back of his head, making the jashinist hiss in pain.

As the four were out of sight, Pain looked back at the snow-woman they had built. He started to walk around it.

"I see they had made a sculpture of a woman. With Yumo's skills, he was able to correctly determine the average size of breasts for this height. Hidan is just a pervert. Deidara knows how to shape and size it due to his useful skill for making clay. Y/n is a lady herself..." He mumbled to himself.

"... I guess I'll just deduct 30% off their pay. They did a good job, after all. Even during this weather. They even took the time to have that ridiculous snow ball fight." Pain finally said.

Then suddenly, the tree branch above him couldn't stand it any longer and dropped a lot of snow onto him.

[ohboyhuey]

Hubert ‘Huey’ Duck is based on Huey from Ducktales. He is a 23 year old human, robotics engineering intern, and uses he/him pronouns. He has��no powers. Huey is portrayed by Froy Gutierrez and he is taken. Penned by Maximillion.

You're feeling nervous, aren't you, boy? With your quiet voice and impeccable style...

♚:

Well, oh boy! Hi everyone! My name is Maximillion and I'm here to bring my boy Huey to write with all of you! He is simultaneously a Golden Retriever mixed with a Saint Bernard mixed with a Black Cat. He is very studious and smart, a leader but also not of fan of conflict. He yearns for more for himself and simultaneously always puts everyone before himself--especially his brothers--but would do absolutely anything to help absolutely anyone; even and especially a stranger. He's a great friend, perpetually confused by any woman he finds attractive, and is just trying to leave Evermore a little better than he found it.... if he ever manages to actually figure out what and if anything else is out there.

Don't ever let them steal your joy, and your gentle ways to keep 'em from running wild... REFLECTION ♚ :

Face claim: Froy Gutierrez Sexuality: Straight Pronouns: He/him/his Height: 5'11 and a half. (He may be the oldest of triplets, but he is the tallest... by a hair, and he won't let you forget it~) Eye colour: Blue Hair colour: Blonde Piercings: None Tattoos: None... so far.

They can kick dirt in your face, dress you down, and tell you that your place is in the middle; when they hate the way you shine...

Positive traits: Caring, selfless, kind, brilliant, intellectual, strong, confident, leader, driven, calm. Negative traits: Careful, quiet, abrasive, standoffish, lonely, melancholy, possessive, logical, suspicious, jealous, competitive.

I see you tugging on your shirt, trying to hide inside of it; and hide how much it hurts.... HEADCANONS ♚:

A stationary enthusiast, Huey is never without at least one good quality notebook and fountain (or at the very least, gel ink) pen, at the ready, at all times. Often tucked away safely in his leather 'murse' (it's a satchel), he is always ready for every situation.. whether you need breath mints, a rubber band, band-aids... or condoms. "It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!" - A classic Huey catch phrase. He's got an outstanding record collection, all meticulously organised and on display next to his prized record player. There is an index and legend that marks the genre and spacing by colour coding and artist and album name, and he is immediately peeved if he notices it has been moved, touched, or worse; mishandled (usually by his brothers, who he's quick to forgive but it does get under his skin) Every night before bed, he writes a list of five things he's grateful for in a special journal, to keep himself centred. He knows he's the leader of his brothers and the ones they turn to, so journaling in general is very important to him, and expressing gratitude helps keep him anchored to his core beliefs no matter how crazy their adventures, shenanigans, or life may get. Would sell his soul for a good cheese pizza. Is an insomniac, often up late at night when he can't sleep, tinkering with various projects, working on homework, or even just dreaming wide awake about all of the exciting possibilities of his future. Is scared of leaving his brothers alone to chase what might be out there or on his heart. Is a hopeless romantic in every sense of the word.

Let 'em laugh while they can, let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind... ♚:

Likes: Reading, listening to the rain hit the roof, hanging out with his brothers, puzzles, electronics, robots, dinosaurs, extra hot black coffee, candles, fountain pens, photography, fixing up his old car.

Dislikes: Recklessness, people who don't use their signal to merge while driving, children screaming in the library, cold pastries, the snow, feeling lost, being unable to logically explain how he is feeling or dealing with a situation, the full spectrum of human emotion (...mostly kidding...).

I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends...♚:

Phobias: Black cats, but only if they are small or don't have both of their ears. Walking under a ladder. Being alone in the dark. Hobbies: Chess, any sort of logic puzzle, coding and programming, tinkering with inventions or electronics, finding a new book to read, organizing his extensive record collection, driving with the windows down.

And the joke's on them.♚:

Aesthetic: Your momma's pride and joy, Golden Boy, Eagle Scout. The older brother. The caretaker. The brainiac. The damaged. The control freak. The hopeless romantic. The lost soul. The lone wolf. The wandering wallflower.

WANTED CONNECTIONS ♚:

Childhood best friend. His 4th brother from another mother.

Current crushes.

Messy ex-girlfriend/situationship.

Students/co-workers.

Literally open to anything!

Thank you all so much for reading! I can't wait to write with you all and plot so many fun things in Evermore! Feel free to hit me up here, or on Discord so we can get things goin'! I might add to/edit/tweak this as we go along, but here is the bare bones of my boy Huey! Can't wait to see where he ends up and how much fun we all have getting there! Later days. :)

[theshoegirldiaries]

LOTD: Rabanne Dramalips Glassy in 112 Secret Code with KimChi Chic Gloss Over Gloss in (GOG 05) Aurora. #Scentoftheday Daisy Love Paradise EDT by Marc Jacobs.

My next first impressions review is a brand new lipstick line from Rabanne cosmetics, who have some really stunning things. I bought 3 of these; 2 in the Glassy finish and 1 in the Glassy Pearl, which is more of a sheer base with lots of sparkles. However I also got a sample card with my order which included 2 more shades in the Glassy formula (the Glassy Pearl was of the one I'd bought full size), so I've swatched all five colours.

The one I'm focusing on today is Secret Code, which really appealed to me online. The colour is similar but not nearly as light as it looks online to me. I have to say though the website are good at providing swatches and the lipsticks on different skin colours, which I appreciate. SC is a stunning dusky mauve, a bit pink, a bit grey and a hint of purple. I just love colours like this. The lippie claims to be super pigmented in one swipe. Whilst there's no denying the pigment is there, I prefer at least 2 coats to fully cover my lips. It has a nice glide, not too slippy, creamy but not the creamiest. It's just really lovely.

The full sizes I bought pictured above from L to R are 102 Lilac Cutie Pie, 112 Secret Code and 130 Go Bankrupt, which I'm eager to try next. The packaging has a nice weight to it with a silver to gold gradient, I like it. The boxes have coloured sections both on top with the shade name and number and a strip down the side to easily identify which lipstick is inside if you keep the boxes or coloured stickers on the base of the lipstick. I've swatched on my bare arm, several swipes with no lighting or colour edits made and I thought it easiest to swatch in shade number order.

102 is obviously harder to see because it's more sheer, but there was a lot of lilac shimmer in it (I used my full size to swatch rather than the sample). 117 was one I was considering buying, I'd need to try it on my lips, I wasn't blown away by the swatch. I think I picked well actually choosing 112 and 130 because they are quite unique and just really appeal to me. The red, 687, scares me to bits. It's so shockingly bright in person and as you can see has a pink base to it, just making it brighter, scary! I'll see how I get on with that nude one, but I also have my eye on the green sparkly one, but bought the lilac first because it came with the extra sample card. I can see me wearing Secret Code and Go Bankrupt a lot though.

[hjellacott]

OMG LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!!!!

I'm in the acting world, and in the LGB collective, so I get lots of audition promo every day. And lately I'm seeing lots of "we only want LGBT actors". I always look to see the justification of this, because I never want a job based on my sexual identity (and as an actress, I can't respect actors that I know wheren't chosen on the basis of talent alone) but half the time, there is no real justification. It's not like the role can't be played by anyone else, it's not for an organisation / campaign / event for LGBT people, nothing like that. A lot of the time is just because perhaps the scriptwriter or something is gay and feels bitter there aren't enough roles focused on LGBT people, or simply is someone trying to be politically corrective. And I keep thinking, why is my sexuality so important? why do I have to say it if I want a certain job? do I also need to put out a thesis to prove it or something? Like, can't I just be a person with a dozen traits, good or bad, who just happens to be LGB? Do I really have to advertise my level of gayness, to use being LGB as a political tool, or as an economic tool, like many youtubers/politicians/businesses do? Because then it doesn't feel like repressentation. It feels like using sexuality for attention seeking and money grabbing. Like a means to an end, instead of a matter of loving who you wanna and being free to do so. Like, these politicians don't actually care about my rights, nor do the fashion companies that make colourful LGBT t-shirts, the only thing they actually care about is money, and if they can use our collective to make more money and be more trendy while pretending to care about our fights, they will.

But I feel I've strayed from the OP's original point, so back to it.

You're absolutely right as well, OP. Absolutely. 100%. I've seen an interesting phenomenon related to this which is the fact that the LGBT+ people are usually more linked to the left-wing, right? and being less traditional, more like "why even get married? it was all an economical contract anyway", are usually linked to the left wing. So whenever I have gay friends excited about possibly getting married when they find the one, I tend to see liberals telling them like, "marriage is not even that important". And I think, just like you, of course you should say that, you've never had to fight for it. I also see people within the LGBTQ collective who are kind of fake gays. To put it simply, they're just promiscuous as fuck. They just want sex, day and night, and have a different partner every five seconds, and believe in the idea of free love in order to get there, so they don't discriminate. Everyone is good for a good time. And they'll also laugh at / mock / criticise lgbt people who are romantics, who seek love, who seek a family and a home and to you know, settle down with someone especial.

So I think it's important to see that what LGBT+ people have a right to and deserve is to not have less oportunities, rights, and so on, compared to the straight people. They deserve the possibility of marriage, the possibility of settling down and making a home with someone, the possibility of having children with someone via adoption or other methods. They shouldn't have it different than straight people. And then if they don't want to do it, fine, but it's not because they can't, it's because they choose to. That's democracy. Having choices you can make for yourself, instead of an authoritarian government making them all for you. And if LGBT people want to make more conservative choices, why the fuck meddle and judge? why should anyone have criticism about it? they're free to do what they want, just like straights are.

And in regards to the fake LGBT who are just whoring around... get a life mate.

really is telling how one of the most basic things that gay people ask for—happiness, safety, and legal status in a relationship with the one you love—is something that is met with derision or mockery in the ‘lgbt community.’ it’s because it’s something that people who are just playing gay cannot connect with, and something that they don’t put a lot of stock in. that’s why you’ll see things like gay marriage put down as gay assimilation, and that’s why you’ll see the promotion of happy, healthy gay couples called homonormativity. it’s such a basic desire, and you can really just tell when someone who’s never dreamt of asking for it in their lives (i.e., straight people, asexual people). because they don’t need to and they don’t think that you should ask for it either

[xiaoyunenigma]

Tainted minds! (Chase X Charlie)

A/N: I-I when I- when you-when um-

😂😂😩Okay jokes aside, this is something I wanted to do for like a long time ahshwgssg 👀👀it's Halloween and therefore I get to do something Halloweeny... I think.

Idk, I'm trying here!! 😩😭😔���

As always, this is suggestive so....read with caution?

Pfft, who needs to be careful? I'm a degenerate! 😔✋✨We can simp who we like hahahahah(or in this case, simp a ship?)

Enjoy this wacky fanfic! It's a long chapter, so I will just post it on Tumblr but I'll have a link sent on Twitter and Instagram too❤️✨

Ps: A crossover between TFP and RB, just saying ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)✨❤️

___

"This is gonna be the BEST WEEK EVER!!" Miko yelled, hopping out of Bulkhead's cabin with glee.

Apparently, team Prime had paid a surprise visit to Griffin Rock for Halloween.

"MIKO, WAIT UP!" Jack shouted. "C-Come help us with the stuff, damn it!" he huffed, carrying stacks of boxes in his hands.

"Whoa, I can't believe we've spending the whole week on an island in a spur..." Raf trailed off, doing a 360 to look around his surroundings.

"And it's going to be the noblest week of your life!" Cody chipped in, waving at the spectacled boy. "Hey Raf! So glad to finally be able to see you in real life! Talking on the phone was cool but seeing you in person is sooo awesome!"

"The feeling's mutual buddy!" Raf giggled, high-fiving the blond kid. The team was outside of the firehouse, unpacking stuff from Bulkhead and Bumblebee's trunk.

"It's an honour to spend the week with you, sir." Heatwave said, saluting the Prime.

Optimus gave him a curt nod, replying the same gesture. "The honour is mine. Please, do not feel obliged to be so stern, we are here for a...holiday." The red and blue bot said, though his voice held a tiny tint of edge at the end.

"AND why, EXACTLY, am I here again?" Ratchet grumbled, taking a lazy stretch as he transformed into biped mode. "Ugh, my pistons are getting rusty." he grumbled, scratching the side of his faceplate.

"Come on Ratchy, enjoy the week with us!" Miko giggled, bounding into the house. "Hi Dani! Hey Graham! Hello Kade!" the girl stop and turned around, looking for the two remaining Burns.

"Looking for someone?" Chase offered, helping the girl by picking a box off from her hands. The mech had his holoform turned on for the occasion.

"Yeah! Where's Mr. Burns?" the Japanese girl chirped, scanning the place for the police officer.

"Worry not, he is preparing dinner in the kitchen." The dark-haired male replied, pointing a finger towards the cooking area.

"Woah, woah woah! We've got company? Since when?!" Kade spoke up in surprise.

"Since three days ago. God, keep up brother!" Dani sassed, rolling her eyes at her older brother. "They are spending a week with us. If anything, you should be happy!" she added, sending a wink at the trio humans.

"Yeah. Joy." Ratchet and Kade huffed in unison, only to stare at one another with raised eyebrows /optic ridges.

Shaking their heads, the team swiftly unpacked and settled down, getting ready for the night.

---

TIMESKIP: LATE NIGHT.

"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Bulkhead cheered, fist bumping with Boulders. The Cybertronians had set up a table around them and filled with Energon cubes, enjoying the moment together.

The Burns' kids had gone off with the trio of team Prime for trick or treating, leaving Chief the only human left at base.

"Charlie, are you not going to join your kids this year?" Optimus kindly asked and tipped the cube into his dermas, drinking the fluid slowly.

The grey-haired man sighed and shook his head, offering a weak smile to the Prime. "Not this time. I'm...getting old; walking around the whole island would wear me out in no time." he chuckled.

"Understandable." The Autobot leader replied.

"Holy scrap! You've brought high grade!?" Heatwave gasped, picking up the darker coloured cubes in awe. "HELL YEAH! I MISSED THESE!"

"I saved them for this very occasion...and when Miko is being too damn noisy." Ratchet smirked before clinking it with the firetruck. "Cheers." he said and chugged the high density fuel down before letting out a satisfying groan.

"Just like good 'ol days!" Heatwave laughed and downed the drink, savouring the moment.

Looking at the medic, the Rescue Bot leader had a idea popped into his processor.

"I know that look." Ratchet said, turquoise optics shining. "And I like it." the medic grinned with mischief, holding up another cube ready.

"First mech drunk is a loser." Heatwave dared, staring back at the orange and white mech playfully.

"Get ready to lose, kid." Ratchet barked out a laugh and they both started chugging, enciting cheers from the back.

"Come on Heatwave!" Blades cheered, handing him another cube to hasten the process.

:Don't lose to him now, Ratchet!: Bumblebee said, also mimicking the helicopter movements.

The Prime and Charlie merely sighed at the scene, unable to comment anything else.

" Hey Chase, care to have a drinking session with a femme?" Arcee challenged, displaying a heap of Cybertronian alcohol before the police bot.

"I rather not-"

"Scared to lose to a gal?" The two-wheeler pressed on, flashing the mech a dirty grin. "It's okay, I understand. Mechs have pride, after all." she stated innocently and drank a cube in one go, all the while maintaining optic contact with the blue and white bot.

Clicking his glossa, Chase was baited into the dare.

"I'll prove you wrong then." he growled and started drinking, finishing one cube in a flash and took another with a fluid motion.

The two blue bots fought ferociously, slamming their empty cubes down again and again as they glared at each other.

After 25 cubes in, the two Autobots started to feel the pinch of high grade setting in but they showed no signs of stopping.

"S-Should we do something?" Chief whispered into Optimus's audials.

"I am...unclear too. Perhaps it would be wise to put a hold on them..." Optimus muttered and raised his servos up, ready to break them apart, when Arcee caved in first. She dropped to the table with a thud, mumbling incoherent words before powering down.

"Ding! Ding! The winner is Chase!" Blades announced, raising the intoxicated police boy's servo. Another thud resonated the base and the yellow bot turned behind to see his leader and the medic both on the table, grunting out random words.

"Guh... Ima-i-ima-im-Guhh.." Heatwave babbled, waving his servos in the air before slumping down onto the surface.

"Opimuss...ima...I'm da...besh..."Ratchet bobbed his helm for a moment before colliding down the table too, unable to carry on the challenged and settled a tie with Heatwave.

"Aww! I was rooting for Heatwave!" Blades said, helping the drunk firetruck up. "Come on Heatwave, let's get you to bed."

Excusing himself, the Prime stood up and supported his old friend on his arms, carrying the knocked out mech to their recharging area. Turning back to the small human, Optimus nodded at the Chief.

"I guess that concludes our night. Goodnight, Chief Burns." he said and walked away with a sleeping Ratchet on his arms.

Boulders and Bulkhead were long drunk and had already nested at a corner, laughing at random things.

Bumblebee glanced around to see the party had dispersed and excused himself too, waving at Charlie before chasing after his leader.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Charlie...." Chase suddenly mumbled out, fuzzy optics searching the familiar partner of his.

"I'm right here, buddy." Chief sighed, waving at the intoxicated mech.

Chase growled before transforming into his vehicle mode, surprising the old man. Stepping out of the car was a VERY DRUNK black-haired man whose eyes were trained onto the innocent Charlie.

"Chase?" the Chief asked tentatively. Said man smirked before lazily sauntered towards the officer and tugged him close, embracing the man with sudden ferocity.

"How did I do?" Chase purred into the old Burns's ears.

"C-Chase, you're drunk!" Charlie sputtered, blushing bright blue as he tried to wiggle away from the mech's grip, but to no avail.

"No, no, no. I cannot allow you to run away~"Chase slurred, chuckling deeply as his eyes glowed a dangerous hue. "Are you not proud of me, Charlie? Daddy won the game for you." he grinned with malice and tightened his arms around the smaller man.

" C-Chase-!"

"Answer. Me." Chase became serious, unwilling to let go of his partner until he got a satisfying response.

Chief gulped before nodding hesitantly, afraid of further angering the mech.

"Good~" Chase smiled lop-sidedly before lifting Chief up, yet again surprising the man with his unpredictable moves.

"U-Uh-Chase?!" Chief said, butterflies making a mess in his stomach. "W-Where-What are you doing?" he managed to ask.

"Why, I'm taking US to bed of course!" Chase's voice went down an octave as he started walking up to human quarters.

"Don't you think I DESERVE a treat, sir? After all, I've won the game for you~" the drunken mech's statement sent Charlie into another fit of blushing as the man tried to free away from Chase.

Alas, Charlie Burns's effort were useless as he was brought into his room. Locking it close, Chase's smirked sent shivers down his back and the man prayed that he was still able to feel his back when sunrise tomorrow.

"My, how I love to see you crumble in my servos. It is a delightful sight to have you squirm in my hold, Chief~"

[limetameta]

more on the kimblee family

Kimblee's dad, absolutely well-put together, handsome man, wearing suits, always ironed to perfection. You expect him to be so, so cultured. So, so amazing and well-versed in all things artistic and cultural. He opens his mouth, you're at the edge of your seat, and then the most petty-bourgeois, fake-cultured shit comes out of his mouth that you're absolutely horrified someone is like that while looking like that.

Kimblee's mom is the cultured one. She goes to art galleries and music hall concerts and operas and theatre plays and reads all of these classical novels, follows politics, is incredibly knowledgeable.

Meanwhile Kimblee's dad plays the accordion and goes trumpeteering on weddings with his travelling band for tips. He's maybe read 5 books in his lifetime. Loves to fish, though, and hunt. Not an academic, certainly, but he's involved in the community, though. Everyone loves him. Real social butterfly of a man. Always knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. Can recite his family tree since its beginning. Family is a big thing for him.

Someone asks him how he even met Kimblee's mom, like why did he go to the concert hall that day when normally he never goes to such places - and he just replies with: they closed down the bar of choice on the account of one of my friends breaking the bar owner's head with a rakija bottle so I just decided to see what the hubub was about. :D She takes me sometimes with the children, but I'm not interested in all this high society stuff, really. The children like it, though.

Solf asks her: How did you ever fall for him? :/ You're so different.

Kimblee's mom just sighs, as if it's painful: He's the most reliable man I've ever met in my life. :// And he loves me. And I love him. I don't know why, Solf.

Solf: D: That sounds terrible.

Kimblee's mom, laughing at him: Be happy if you find a woman at least a fifth like your father. He's never let me down in my life. No other man would tolerate half the things I put him through. Besides, he writes songs for me. And provides for me. It's kind of sexy, honestly.

Solf: :/

Kimblee's mom: *trying to comb his hairs back in his ponytail* *they keep sticking out* *growling, frustrated* I'm going to cut your hair while you're asleep so I don't need to look at these hairs sticking out.

Solf: D: NO YOU WON'T! *covering his head and glaring at his mother* I'LL SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN!

*door opens*

Kimblee's dad, stinking of fish: LOOK WHAT I CAUGHT! :D *shows them a giant ass fish*

Sibling: *shows smaller fish* :D I caught this one so Solf's cats can eat.

Kimblee's mom and Solf, dressed fancy, ready to go to the concert hall: *thumbs up* *five metres away so the stench of the fish doesn't attack them* Good job!

Also additional headcanon: Solf's cats love his dad because he feeds them fresh fish he catches. Solf, too, like a big cat he is, loves his dad because the man feeds him fish. Solf Fish Lover Kimblee rights.

Kimblee's dad is actually really, really knowledgeable of tales and stories passed down from father to son from father to son so even though he doesn't really read books that often he has such a wealth of stories in his head that he shares by singing in the very particular way of orating that's specific for their part of Amestris.

Solf: *side-eyeing his dad* How does all of that fit inside your head?

Kimblee's dad: :D Well, I don't listen to your complaints from school so I've got plenty of room. If anything, whatever you told me just now I've forgotten.

Solf: -_- I don't think you and I have spoken about school since I enrolled in it, years ago.

Kimblee's dad: Oh, that's the other one, then.

Solf: Do you even know how old I am?

Kimblee's dad: Not sure, honestly. I don't even know if you have friends. I know all your cats names, though, and I call that a monumental success!

Solf: You don't know their names! You just call them based on their fur colours!!! And you call the black cat Orange for some reason, just to piss me off!

Kimblee's dad: That cat has the head the size of a perfect orange. Calling it stupid shit like Midnight isn't cutting it for me.

Solf: I don't call the cat Midnight. I call it Fang, because it hunts really well. :)

Kimblee's dad: That cat's my son. It's brought more prey it's hunted than you ever will and I've been going hunting with you for years now. *taking out a cigarette and lighting it*

Solf: :/ I'm telling mom you still haven't quit smoking.

Kimblee's dad: Go, pull at your mom's skirts like a little boy all your life! One day we'll be dead and you'll just have your cats!

Solf: :///////////// Better company than you in any case.

Kimblee's dad: I'm telling your mom you're being mean to me again.

Solf: D: Don't you dare. She actually sat me down one time and told me, explicitly, that she was going to confiscate my alchemy books if I don't have one meaningful conversation with you per week.

Kimblee's dad: I'm going to die one day and you'll be sad you were mean to me, you know.

Solf: Your gas-lighting games won't win, old man. I'm onto you.

Kimblee's dad, miffed: I'm not old... I made you when I was really young.

[leftski-if]

So genuine question after seeing that ask about customization, I completely understand what you mean about choosing taking time and pulling people out of the story. I was wondering tho about how some IF games have the option to type in your own answer, yours does it with choosing a name I think, wouldn’t that be a solution for customization? Like, you just give the ability to type out the color of things or length of something & it sort of covers all the bases? Not trying to come off as rude or anything, just wanted to get your thoughts on that being a possible option

Original ask can be found here for reference

No worries, I'm always happy to explain my thought process in more detail ^^

And I went into a lot of detail, so I'm gonna put it under a cut lol

First I should clarify: when I say I would feel the need to include a "large enough variety of options to feel sufficiently inclusive of the various possible interpretations someone could have of their MC" and that it would be a lot of work, I don't mean that it’s difficult to include a variety of options within a given choice (although it is a decent chunk of work). Rather, I’m referring to the number of distinct choices involved, and the fact that the work doesn’t end once a choice is made; you then have to actually make use of those choices in the writing going forward.

I don’t know if you have any experience coding with ChoiceScript, but basically, each choice the reader makes needs to have its own page*, and each choice that’s made and is going to be called on later is saved as a variable. For character customisation, skin colour, eye colour, hair colour, hair length/style, and hair texture would be the bare minimum to be included, in my mind, and that's already at least five additional pages dedicated to making these choices, each with their own variables to keep track of and take into account when writing the actual story parts.

-

To more specifically address your point about manually entering text to customise a choice, it’s definitely something I would make use of, were I to include appearance customisation. I think it’s a great feature that allows for a ton of freedom. However, I feel it's best utilised alongside a handful of predetermined choices. I would never want to only have an input field for a couple of reasons:

Firstly, I feel having some choices supplied beforehand really helps to contribute to the worldbuilding. By seeing what kinds of options are presented, it may help to form a baseline and inform the choices of anyone who wants their MC to be well-suited to the world in which the story takes place.

As someone who strives to make MCs who make sense within the canon of the world they live in, I hate being asked to input a choice without having any examples to base it on. The default names in RotC change depending on the MC’s race and gender for exactly that reason, for example, and I’d want to do the same for any appearance customisation. Otherwise readers might feel restricted by preconceived notions and miss out on some of the more unusual options that would be totally valid within the setting (eg: red orcs, purple hair).

There’s also the fact that custom-entered text can’t account for everything. If a reader wanted a character with, say, heterochromia, the game wouldn’t be able to acknowledge that unless they entered something vague like “odd-coloured” without actually specifying the colours they were. While technically functional, I don’t think I’d find something like that very satisfying.

Finally, and this is entirely down to personal quirks, but I just really don’t enjoy having to enter text manually in CYOA games. I almost always go with a default name and default appearance options for my MCs because taking the time to type something out myself just feels like a slog and really breaks my immersion.

I don’t know if there’s a single other person in the world who feels the same way, but since these are my games, I’m going to prioritise making something that I would want to play myself. Naturally, I want to enjoy my own work haha

-

So those are my thoughts on the manual text method of choice customisation. While I definitely agree it’s got some fantastic utility and it’s something I make sure to include where I can, I also wouldn’t consider it a catch all solution to the problems presented.

And, of course, I still stand by the points made in the original Ask as well. It would be an interruption of the story and its pacing to take the time to make these customisation choices, regardless of whether they were done via predetermined options, manually entered text, or a combination of both. An interruption like that should contribute to or elevate the experience enough that it justifies its inclusion, and as it stands right now, appearance customisation just isn’t something that would see a lot of use in my games. I’d rather have characters react to the MC’s words and actions than their looks, and I just don’t think there’d be any value in including customisation options when those choices would come up rarely, or more likely, not at all.

So yeah! TL;DR: Including character customisation is, on a technical level, doable; it just isn’t an appealing use of my time and energy, nor do I think my stories would make effective use of it, thereby rendering it not worth the extra effort.

Sorry this got so long, but I hope it made sense and helped to clarify my perspective/thought process, or at least provided a bit of interesting insight 😅

-

*technically it is possible to include multiple choices on one page but the code looks complicated as heck and I ain’t touching that; from what I can tell the one choice/page method is far more approachable and probably the one I’d choose to stick with

[umiarumi]

fucking three houses | ignatz victor

in the wise words of cupcakke, slurp that dick til it cum (smack my ass like a drum)

You skidded backwards as Byleth landed the finishing blow to your side. Stumbling, you let out a defeated huff and dropped your training sword, stretching your arms.

"Jeez teach, even after five years comatose, you still best me in sword-fighting. And that's meant to be my thing!" You guffawed, heavily breathing in between words. You outstretched a gloved hand to your teacher, meeting his blank stare.

"It's mine too." He said, shaking your own hand. You deadpanned before bursting into laughter again.

"You'd be right on that one, teach!" You shook your head, continuing to grin at him, retracting your hand and letting it rest on your hip.

"Your reflexes have sharpened, and your footwork is impressive. You've trained well." He complimented, at which you felt your cheeks darken.

"Ah, thanks! Any constructive criticism?" You hummed, placing the sword back into the pile.

"Yes, you need to put more strength into your strikes." He explained, replacing his own.

You nodded gratefully, looking up to the sky. The sun started to set, a few spotty clouds resting above the two of you.

"I'm turning in for the day, (Y/N). I will be in my personal quarters if you need me." He bid you goodbye before strutting off like usual. As simple as the guy was, he had this odd charm.

"Guess I'll turn in too then... nothing wrong with a stroll around the monastery!" You cheered to yourself. You wiped your sweating face with the sleeve of your top before sauntering off.

~~~~

As you walked alongside the grassy plains of the monastery outskirts, you spotted a small green figure crouching in the distance. You could barely spot them among all the spurts of long grass decorating the land. You walked slowly as to avoid startling them, squinting to see what the hell it was they were doing. On further examination, you recognised that choppy, blonde head of hair.

Continuing to saunter to his destination, you soon picked out exactly what it was he was doing. Painting! You two had talked about your secret hobbies, your own being reading. You smiled at the thought, remembering how shocked each of you was to each other's hobby. You thought you had a pretty strong bond with Ignatz when you returned, so now seems a good time to have a chat!

You approached behind him quietly, taking time to, for once, keep your voice at a low volume.

"Uh, hi Ignatz!" You whisper yelled, flinching as the dirty blonde jumped in surprise. He turned around, breathing a sigh of relief after registering who it was.

"Oh! It's just you, (Y/N). You shocked me, haha!" He nervously greeted you, fidgeting with his paintbrush.

You grinned, waving at him. "Sorry man, I tried not to scare ya!" You chuckled bashfully, before sitting down next to him.

"So, whatcha painting and how are ya doing, Ignatz?" You asked, looking over to him curiously.

His gaze landed on your own, his earthy eyes seeming to be stuck to your own, a tension almost bubbling.

He shook his head, smiling softly at you.

"Ah, simply the view. It really is quite mesmerising in the evening, wouldn't you agree?" Enthusiasm built in his tone as he explained, his soft smile turning into a gleeful grin, matching your own.

You nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "I agree! I never really took time to take in the sights of the monastery, but now that I've matured... yeah, it really is a beautiful place, huh?" You hummed, looking off to the villages surrounding the base of the mountainous terrain.

He simply hummed to your question. "You're right (Y/N), you've really matured." He complimented, at least, that's what you hoped.

You gave a short laugh, scratching your neck. "Yeah, thanks! I used to be a rowdy one, but I think the past few years have smoothed some of the edges. Not all of 'em though!" You cheered, tilting your head appreciatively. You looked to him, catching his lingering gaze. His face heated up slightly, nodding to you.

"If you don't mind, I uh, have a request..." He mumbled, refusing to meet your eye. He pushed his glasses back, taking a quick peek at your face. If you blinked you would've missed it, he seemed so shy right now!

"Sure thing! If it isn't gold or assassination plans, I'm open!" You beamed, leaning in to hear what he had to ask.

He chuckled anxiously at your response. Even after knowing you for such a long time, having a girl so close to him was nerve-wracking.

"Nothing of the sort, don't worry. I was wondering, well, may I paint your likeness?" He muttered quietly, his heart stammering. His stomach drops after a few seconds of silence before daring to peek at the mystery of what your expression could be.

However, he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. Your face was dark, lips pursed tight in a taught smile. You stuttered as you replied.

"Y-you wanna paint me! For real?! This is such an honour, seriously, thank you Ignatz!"

Ignatz gasped, anticipating anything but your reaction.

"Oh really, it's no worries!" He waved his hand dismissively, his own face reddening like a tomato.

The two of you continued to throw gratefulness at each other for what seemed like forever until you found yourselves at his dorm.

~~~~

"Well Ignatz, what kind of painting would you like to make?" You asked, sitting on a plush, velvet stool in his room. You looked around the place, noting the birthday flowers from Byleth, the spare easels and art supplies.

"Well, whatever you'd like truly, as long as I may paint you." He answered, humbly smiling and looking down at you.

You smirked, raising a brow. "How about a nude painting then?" You asked teasingly, crossing your legs.

He smiled at the idea. "Oh, what a good idea! I haven't had many references for the female anatomy and I've always been interested in..." The colour seemed to drain from his face as he realised just exactly what you suggested.

You stifled a chuckle, watching him stutter and rush to speak.

"O-oh! I didn't realise, no, I mean of course I would love to! Ah, that's too forward, no um... I don't want to pressure you, argh!" The colour which had left soon returned in the form of a crimson storm.

You laughed, shaking your head.

"Ignatz, really, it's no worries. I would genuinely not mind, I'm happy to as long as you are." You attempted to calm him down, smiling.

He took a deep breath, nodding.

"Then, yes. We're both adults now, there's no need to freak out." He seemed to try to convince himself rather than you.

"Exactly!" You smiled, standing up. "Alright, I'll undress now." You hummed, thinking.

You had already teased him by suggesting a nude painting, and stripping in front of the blushing boy... you could make this fun for yourself. And maybe even both of them. Claude may have just had a point.

You held his gaze as you unclasped your armour, placing it down on his desk, avoiding the parchment and sketches.

Next, you untied your cropped top, letting it fall to the floor leaving only your bodice on your upper half.

Undoing your bra, you broke his gaze for a moment only to look back immediately. His body seemed to stiffen, in more ways than one, once he caught sight of your breasts slightly bouncing as you stopped stretching.

You wiggled out of your puffed pants, sitting back down to pull them all the way off along with your boots and leggings.

"Nearly there!" You huffed, as you stood back up, shedding your underwear.

By then, Ignatz' face had erupted into a furious blush. His eyes lingered all too long on your exposed vagina, causing you to grin teasingly as he met your gaze.

"Now, shall we?" You asked, sitting upon the comforting stool once more.

He seemed to snap out of his daze at those words, tugging on his coat. Pulling out his desk chair, he set it in front of you. Pulling his easel across the room, the slight scratching of wood against wood was the sole sound of the tension-filled room.

Setting a canvas down, he seemed to take a few deep breaths before grabbing a pencil.

"How would you like me to pose?" You asked, smiling. This could be interesting.

"Oh, yes, uh, however you'd like to, really!" He stumbled upon his words, before finally holding your gaze.

"Got it." You responded. How could you tease him further? As you contemplated, you finally came across a decision. You leant one leg over another, giving him a subtle view of your exposed cunt.

You raised your arm, letting your gloved hand sit beneath your chin. Your upper arm pressed against your left breast, giving you slight cleavage, You gave him your signature cheeky grin, before raising a brow.

Speaking through your teeth, you asked him a question. "How's this?"

"J-j-just perfect!" He stuttered, shutting his eyes tight before reopening them and focusing.

"Now, hold that pose for me?" He asked, finally confident and contained. At least, on the outside.

You were content with holding your pose, as long as you could continue to tease him after he finished his sketch was your real goal. Whether or not anything transpired... well, you'd be lying if you said you didn't want anything to.

As you waited, you watched Ignatz' face morph into one of pure concentration, reminding you of how admirable he was. Despite his preference to stay on the quiet side of things, he was a talented man. Both on the battlefield and in the artistic field.

Minutes passed until Ignatz' face settled into a satisfied smile, signifying his completion of the sketch. You grinned wider at this, his face was adorable when he was proud!

"Thank you, (Y/N)." He thanked you. Refusing to look in your direction, he was reminded of the tightness in his pants.

"No, thank you, Ignatz! Actually... it had me wondering... may you do a favour for me?" Your voice dropped into a whisper, so his gaze fell upon your figure. Your eyelids drooped as a sultry smile fell upon your lips.

He gulped at this, yet nodding nonetheless. "Anything."

"Wonderful." You commented pleasantly. Standing up, you sauntered towards him. Aware of his gaze dropping to your softly bouncing tits as you took confident strides towards him.

Once right in front of him, looking down upon his still seated form you grinned.

"Let me... repay the favour you did for me?" You asked, tilting your head, curious.

He swallowed nervously once more, before nodding shyly. He fiddled with his hands, struggling to meet your gaze.

"How... how would you like to do so?" He mumbled, occasionally peeking up at your towering form.

"Well, if I put it bluntly... let me please you." You deadpanned, the loose smirk on your lip tugging back into place on your face, cheeks steadily growing rosier.

His face officially became a competitor for ripest tomato, and he nodded excitedly.

"Please... do." He muttered.

Your lazy smirk grew into a full-on grin. Quickly, you dropped to your knees.

He gasped at the inclination of your actions, his jaw staying dropped as you worked his pants downwards.

You slid his undergarments off, his cock bouncing free of its strained containment.

You licked a stripe up his cock, leaving a trail of saliva in your wake. He shuddered, a slight moan escaping his taught lips.

You gave a kiss to the bulbous, pink head of his dick before letting it slip in between your mouth.

His breath shuttered as you began to work a continuous up-and-down rhythm on his cock.

He gasped in time with each bob of your head, his hand slowly reaching its way to the back of your head. He looked down to check with you for permission, and you winked, giving your best inclination of consent.

And with that, he began to thrust into your mouth and push your head at the same time. God, he was insanely fast and rough, but you controlled your erratic throat muscles. It was pretty damn hot, especially for a guy so shy.

Your hand snaked down to your dripping pussy, the situation you orchestrated obviously having an effect on yourself. Not a negative one though, not at all.

You harshly began to rub your clit, not bothered with dragging it out. You were looking to climax, and by the sounds of Ignatz, he was too.

As you rubbed your sensitive bud, you moaned around his dick. The vibrations caused Ignatz to shudder, closing his eyes tightly.

"I'm gonna cum! Ah, (Y/N) you're making me cum!" He moans, groaning as you felt his cock still, and as the warm, bitter burst of cum in your mouth exploded, so did you. Your pussy clenched around emptiness, yet the throbbing in your clit as you orgasmed satisfied you all the same.

Your head slipped off his softening dick, a pleased smile settling on your face as you swallowed. As bitter as it was, you had nowhere else to hide the evidence.

"Thank you, Y/N)... that was... so good." He whispered, giving you a sweet smile. He leant down and kissed the top of your head and you chuckled.

"But I must ask, is that what you were learning whilst you were gone for so long?"

"Ignatz!?"

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

hey so i'm hoping to get some writing advice about creative burnout? like i seem to write in fits and spurts. some months i can churn out a oneshot or chapter everyday and some months i can do one (1) creative thing only. so i'm wondering how to prevent creative burnout and how to just create more smoothly <3 thank you!

Creative Burnout & How To Ward Against It

First, I’d like to preface this all by saying you’re definitely not alone. You probably already know this, but sometimes it’s nice to be reminded.

I know from personal experience that creative burnout can leave you feeling hopeless, detached from yourself—the kind of identity crisis no one needs in 2020. 

So buckle in, folks. It’s a dosy.

I. The Symptoms

Not to be the local WebMD page here, but signs of burnout can include:

Procrastination (more than usual)

Dreading writing and feeling stuck or overly perfectionistic when you try

Physical tiredness and/or irritability

Feeling like everything is monotonous

It’s more than just writer’s block. It’s a physical and emotional exhaustion response to something that goes deeper than a simple lack of inspiration. In my experience, and from a bit of research, I’ve found that what your brain is really looking for is dopamine.

Dopamine is essentially your brain’s chemical reward system for doing something interesting or exciting to you. As someone who is diagnosed with ADHD, I have chronically low levels of dopamine, so this is a constant struggle for me—but it is absolutely made worse by creative burnout.

II. The Problem

Studies have shown that the more we do A Thing the less that thing will give us dopamine (unless a component of the activity changes regularly). This is because eventually our brains desensitise to the stimuli provided by the activity, and subsequently, we become disengaged.

But it’s not necessarily The Thing (i.e. writing) that becomes boring. Actually, more than a few factors could be at play here, and the first step to finding a solution is to identify the problem.

1. ENVIRONMENT LACKS EXCITEMENT/CHANGE—

Sometimes, the monotony of everyday life can feed creative burnout. This becomes especially applicable in quarantine when you’re not leaving your house.

What we don’t realise is that even something as small as the variables of driving to and from work, or interacting with passing coworkers, gives us dopamine. So if you have the same routine every day that does not involve any added variables, your brain will begin staunching that dopamine supply.

2. EITHER TOO EASY OR TOO CHALLENGING—

In 1975, Hungarian-American psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, coined the term “flow”, which refers to a heightened state of creativity and concentration on an activity. Csikszentmihalyi posited that if your skill level is equal to the level of challenge in any given activity, you will experience this state of flow.

The chart below is taken from Csikszentmihalyi’s own study on the subject of flow and motivation. It examines “your skill level” on the x axis in relation to the “challenge level” on the y axis.

Essentially:

Too much challenge + not enough skill = anxiety, worry (which might lead to procrastination and perfectionism)

Too much skill + not enough challenge = boredom, apathy (which might lead to monotony, irritability, and other depression-like symptoms)

Skill level = Challenge level = Flow

3. NOT ENOUGH “ACTIVE” STIMULATION—

When it comes to dopamine seeking, there is a distinct difference between active and passive stimulation in the brain.

Active stimulation is any form of activity that you have to actively engage in. For instance; exercising, doing a crossword puzzle, or reading a book. These kinds of activities not only give you dopamine, they also facilitate critical thinking and problem solving thought processes, which act as catalysts for creativity.

Passive stimulation, on the other hand, comes in the form of television, social media, and YouTube. It’s anything you can consume without having to actively engage. Passive stimulation will indeed give your brain dopamine, however, it won’t activate your creativity.

The problem also lies in the speed at which you receive the dopamine from passive activities. Passive stimulation is so easy to access that the more you consume, the harder it becomes to pick up active stimulation. Your brain expects a hit of dopamine just by picking up a phone or turning on the TV—it becomes addicted to the quick fix of a Netflix binge.

III. The Solutions

Based on the problems mentioned above, I am going to list a few solutions. Keeping in mind that not every solution will work for everyone, these can act as both preventative measures and remedies for someone who is currently burned out.

1. CHANGE UP YOUR ENVIRONMENT/ROUTINE—

Aim to do at least one thing per day that will add “variables” to the monotony. This can be as simple as going on a long walk, dressing up in that bold outfit you always wanted to wear to the office but never did, or sitting at a different workspace in your home.

Anything you can do that’s simple, but might provide an extra variable to your day to spice things up. Note: this shouldn’t be the same thing every day.

2. CHALLENGE YOURSELF MORE—

If you find yourself bored by your work, try challenging yourself more. This could mean setting goals for yourself that go a bit beyond what you’ve been doing. 

For example, if you’ve been writing 500 words per day, see if you can beat your own word count every day for the next week. If you’ve been writing mainly fluff pieces, switch it up and do an angst piece. See if you can write a book in a month, or start a blog where you don’t write fiction at all!

Anything you can do to add a little kick to your workload. Note: Beware of challenging yourself too much! This can lead straight back into burnout.

3. CHALLENGE YOURSELF LESS—

If you’re on the flip side of that coin, and find that you are anxious, procrastinating, and perfectionistic when it comes to writing, fret not. Just because you’re experiencing any of these things, doesn’t mean you’re incapable of doing the job with your skillset.

It just means your perception of the job needs to be shifted.

Procrastination, at its heart, is a fear of failure, which results in actively avoiding the negative emotions associated with the task that causes this fear. Perfectionism is a type of procrastination that is a combination of a fear of failure and a fear of success (or, more accurately, other’s critiques of your success) all at once.

Neither have anything to do with your actual skillset, but they have everything to do with your perception of your skillset. Obviously, this is a harder thing to fix, as it has to do with deeply ingrained levels of self-esteem.

What I can offer you is a tactic to trick your mind into thinking you’re capable.

If you have a task, big or small, and you are feeling overwhelmed by it (like you might go curl up in bed and scroll Tumblr), immediately break that task up into smaller tasks. Keep breaking up the smaller tasks until you have the smallest possible part of the bigger task without doing nothing.

Then do that smallest possible thing.

If your goal is to write a 2000 word one shot, a small part of that task is writing half of it. An even smaller part of that task is breaking the one shot up into “scenes” and writing one scene. For instance:

Jude wakes up to a sore throat, a runny nose, and a fever.

She tries to go to work, but Cardan, being the mother hen that he is, threatens to never make her another grilled cheese sandwich (her favourite food) ever again if she doesn’t stay home.

Jude agrees begrudgingly, and Cardan sits her down in front of the TV with a bottle of Gatorade. He leaves to go get medicine from the store.

When Cardan comes back, Jude is worse than before. He makes her soup and saltine crackers and spoon feeds her.

She complains the whole time and, in her feverish state, threatens to never buy him another bottle of wine (his favourite food) ever again if he doesn’t let her feed herself.

Each bullet point represents one “scene” of about 200-400 words each. Obviously, there will be more details that you work out as you write. But with these five smaller scenes, your goal is no longer writing the 2000 word one shot. Your goal is writing the first of the five scenes.

If you complete the smallest possible task, you can stop, and you’ll still feel like you’ve accomplished something because you can cross off that task from your list. But chances are, by the time you cross off one task, you may have inspiration enough to keep going.

4. ENGAGE IN ACTIVE STIMULATION—

Since active stimulation has been proven to turn on the creative “tap”, try incorporating more of these activities into your daily routine:

Exercise: As the resident couch potato, I hate to say that exercising is good for creativity, but it is. Even if it’s just going on a short walk, so long as you’re moving.

Reading: Sometimes you have plenty of ideas, but no words to fit those ideas. Fill your well of words by carving out an hour or two each day for reading a good book.

The Creative Process: In the writing world, the creative process is a process of about 20-30 minutes that the writer partakes in every day before they start writing. This process should be creative, but also have nothing to do with writing. You can try colouring in a colouring book, painting, organising a page in your bullet journal. Anything that is creative but does not make you think about everything you have to do that day. Think of it as creative meditation.

Listen to music: Having APD, I personally can’t listen to music while I write. However, studies have shown that if you listen to at least ten songs per day, it will significantly benefit your dopamine levels and overall mood. If you’re like me and prefer to work in silence, maybe stick on a couple songs during your creative process. If you can manage music and writing together, get out those headphones!

5. KEEP A REGULAR SCHEDULE—

I know this is the most cliche point in the book, but it’s valid. This doesn’t mean do the same thing at the same time every day over and over, because ultimately we’re looking to avoid monotony. 

But having pillars of structure to bolster the excitement can definitely work to keep you from slipping into burnout. Going to sleep, waking up, and having your meals at relatively the same time every day are good examples of this. 

Feel free to change up the things you do between breakfast and lunch, but make sure you have those pillars of consistency so your brain knows that a break is on the horizon and doesn’t get tired.

6. PACE YOURSELF—

This is particularly difficult for those of us who are coming out of a creative burnout, but I urge you to pay special attention to this one. If we are suddenly hit by inspiration and the writing is flowing and flowing and flowing, eventually we will hit the point of highest dopamine capacity for writing.

Not putting a check on the flood of inspiration coming out of a creative burnout, I’d argue, is actually a guarantee that many of us will experience burnout all over again. It becomes this vicious cycle in which we are trapped.

While it feels great to write non-stop and receive immediate validation for that work, try to limit yourself to how much you’re writing and how immediately you post your writing (if you plan on posting it).

Whenever I finish a one shot or a chapter of something, I like to allow at least one day for editing before I post. This timeframe is important, because it acts as a buffer of rest between writing marathons. 

You can take however long you need for the editing process, but definitely make sure you have a set amount of time in place. Otherwise, your brain might not have enough time to come down from what is essentially a writing high, and you will always need to reach greater heights in order to achieve that same level of dopamine.

~~~~

Overall, the most important things to take away from all of this are: 

Change up your environment

Keep your brain actively stimulated 

Have pillars of structure between which you can run about chaotically to your heart’s content

PACE YOURSELF!

Hope this helped. Happy writing!

-Em 🖤🗡

Writing Tip Masterlist

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[celinecerberusarchive]

⌝ Celine followed as he gestured, her eyes only on him even as others looked her way, with want or with simple curiosity. The ocean coloured gaze stayed on the tattoos at his throat, complimented by the collared shirt he had around them, a small smile hidden on her lips at the way his ears stuck out just a little, not as bad as when they were kids but still...just a little. Of course, once they were in the private room he had moved them to and turned the smile fell away, not wanting him to have seen it and taunt her.

⌝ "As it happens it's not important to you," she stated, a stoic look to her face that she still hated he didn't object to. How did he not miss her smile? How did he not miss the freedom of her movements? Not simply for himself but for her, how did he not care she was devoid of it all and not act on those concerns? "But I'm done listening to you speak of my actions the way you have been and I can't tell you this in front of the boys." Mostly because the thought of her telling him and Alejandro telling her he didn't care and how that might make her respond worried her, she hated how many times they had already seen her hurt.

⌝ Celine didn't give him a moment to speak, a moment to insult her as he had each time they had seen each other since his return, saying this would already be hard and those things had been what silenced her each time before. "I sent you those divorce papers because my Mother put me in a position with no other options," a statement that sounded, likely, unthinkable. Celine had stopped listening to her mother the moment her mother had decided Celine no longer mattered the way her sisters did. But the factor was less her mother as... "She told me she wouldn't let my brother keep helping me if I stayed married to you, that she was doing it for me and the boys. He was the only person I had left helping me, JD's wife was upset with how often they had the kids and so I tried to handle it by myself."

⌝ The wolf woman swallowed, adjusting her feet because she was not used to standing in heels with such thin bases, or without the ankle support that boots offered. "I couldn't. I'd already been running on fumes with their help. I'd lost the house and trying to give the boys everything you could have, all the things they wanted, I'd picked up a second job, but even with Jagger starting school it meant I was exhausted constantly," He'd already said how Celine hearing the distressed cries of her children was better than him not having them at all in prison, so she did not speak on how hard that was for her that Jagger cried most evenings for his father, or that Blaze had been getting teased for losing their home, instead her gaze just moved slightly in thought. "I actually don't remember not being exhausted that year," she stated, swallowing because she didn't remember not being on the brink of tears either. "We were still driving up but the boys knew not to tell you, and at least Jagger probably didn't understand enough to explain it anyway. I kept telling myself they'd get older, things would get easier when they got older, but we still had seven years of you in there," Celine commented, and seven years was by no means a short amount of time, neither was five since he'd been let out two years early. "But when I missed getting Jagger from school one day because I'd worked a shift at the Craft after an all nighter getting the shit beaten out of me at the Cage and ended up falling asleep in my car, he decided to walk home. In the winter air he got pneumonia," Celine had to admit, with a level of shame, an aspect of things she hadn't told anyone because she did not intend for them to feel as guilty as she did. "He was fine, but I gave in."

⌝ How was she meant to know a year later she'd be a wolf, she'd have a pack to help her? How was she meant to know Ale's brother would want to start helping again? "I sent the papers and I told myself I'd go, I'd go there and I'd tell you why and you'd understand, but I couldn't. Each time I thought of going I thought of how I'd fucking failed our family," Celine let out, a bounce to her chest because despite her intentions to remain stoic she had begun to cry. Thinking about that period of time when the only emotions she remembered were being upset and overwhelmed it trigger those things in her. The dramatic blue of her eyes was now accented by clear tears, making her lower lashes stick together. "How I'd have to tell you Blaze got sick and it was all my fault. That after all those years of telling my mother to get fucked I gave in because I couldn't take care of our kids. So I told the boys I couldn't go anymore. That they could go and I'd find someone to take them but I think Blaze saw it as a betrayal, or maybe he felt like he'd failed you too," because Blaze had known something had happened, knew him getting sick had changed things in some way. "And Jagger just became used to the way things had been."

⌝ Trying to get a handle on herself Celine's hand came up, with the obvious A on her ring finger - now devoid of the ring she had been wearing there upon his return - and complimented by the word 'death' on the back of it. "That was all I came to say," she stated, inhaling sharply. It probably didn't change anything for him, because, at least in Celine's mind, it shouldn't have. In Celine's mind he should have cared regardless of if she had left him of her own volition or not because regardless at one point he'd loved her but it was clear neither one of them knew the other anymore. "I didn't leave you because I wanted to, I left because I failed, because I couldn't handle things without you." And guilt had, very clearly, plagued her since.

Upstairs for the evening, Alejandro was behind the bar making drinks for the different tables when the sight of his ex-wife paralyzed him in place.  No other woman could grasp his attention the way she did, the sight of her made his heart flutter.  Yet, there was that overwhelming anger he had towards her that made everything so conflicting when it came to the two of them.  Alejandro shook his head trying to shake her off in a sense so he could finish what he was doing, he managed to finish the drink and topped it with a thin slice of orange before handing it to the server.

“Hey, you got this handle?”  The man looked over towards his co-worker, who merely nodded their head as he slid over towards Celine.  "Can we talk somewhere private?" The question in itself was alarming to him, what did they need to discuss that could not be seen or heard by everyone in the room?  “Um, yeah.  Gimme a moment.”  He walked over towards the fellow bartender, grateful the place was not packed and told him that he would be back in a few before stepping around the bar and motioning for Celine to follow him.

There were a few private rooms for the VIPs of the establishment.  Alejandro had only ever been in a few.  One by invitation and the other to handle a matter.  Escorting her into one of the rooms on the top floor, Alejandro closed the door behind them and locked it.  “Is this okay?”  He asked, unsure how private of a setting she wanted.  There were windows that looked down at the club, but the ones downstairs merely saw mirrors and could not preview what happened up there.  “Alright, what was so important you had to come to my work to tell me?”