#i've been feeling really detached from my work in general and just. haven't been having as much fun with it

[wereh0gz]

Idk what's going on with me rn but. Idk what to do with a bunch of my sonic ocs anymore. Specifically ruby, their parents, the cat fam, and nox. I just don't feel like I can tell their stories at all. But I don't want to retire them either. But I still feel like I'm slowly growing. Detached?

Idk what I want to do. Maybe a revamp or something? I was already considering redesigning the twins but maybe I need a complete rewrite or something. Idk when I'd get to it tho. I've been in an art rut for a bit now. Haven't felt like drawing at all and I don't feel satisfied with the one thing I tried to make recently (which, ironically, involved ruby and the twins).

Idk what to do.

[miyaagis]

I stumbled across your cheater kuroo fic and I do have to say -that thing stings where it hurts and I am frustrated with yn, especially because I see my sister in her, because what hell do you mean she knows and she's not going to do anything, plus she's going to let him see his side dish. I really don't understand why anyone would have such low self respect and dignity, staying in relationships/ marriages where they're being disrespected and cheated on when leaving is an option😭. This one was a bit personal because my sister was the exact same way, sometimes going as far as to invest herself in a multiple month long situationship that's not going anywhere. Women should just learn to prioritise themselves and it's what my sister did. She stopped putting up with her boyfriends bullshit and became the best version of herself when she started emotionally detaching herself from toxic relationships and putting herself first. Now she's always investing in herself and her needs and she's the happiest she's been in a while -and honestly I wish the same for yn. I want to see her grow as a person and detach herself from kuroo and put herself first. I'd also like to get to know yn more as a character, like what's she's like, why does she let kuroo do as he please, doesn't she have standers?, is she generally used to being disrespected by her partners?. Or is she the shell of the woman she once was after marrying kuroo and putting him first?. In terms of revenge, I don't really know if cheating back would be the best course because if she's cheating because he's cheating it would make her relasionship with the other man centered around him, around getting back at him and that's the worst thing. You just need to focus on yourself, everything you do, do it for you not because of the person who hurt you. Detach, move on, be your own bitch. That's literally the best revenge. If there is another man it would maybe be better if they got together because of mutual love and shared fondness. Or if she will fix things with Kuroo he has to be worthy of the new her, not a weak cheating bastard that strays from his marriage and disrespects his wife. If a woman who truly values herself gets with a man he needs to be worthy of, he needs to meet the standards, I think that's why I'm always happy in my relationships. I set the standards if he can't meet them I let him know he shouldn't bother wasting my time

Also I've noticed that his relationship with Yuko is mostly centered around lust and excitement but it was so hilarious when he boxed her once his wife arrived at the office, he just pushed her aside like an old piece of chewing gum (and she still let's him come back when he's horny😭)his when his wife was present and I almost felt sorry for her until I remembered she doesn't really have the integrity and mortality to resist spreading her legs for a married man -who's just as guilty and shitty as her. But I like how realistic you made it cause most of the time men olny use the side chick for a good time, hiding them in public and not really having any sort of meaningful connections with them except for a good fuck.

But I really like your writing and your story ❤️, I'd just like to know more about yn as a character. She seems sweet and seems to carry a homely, light feminine charm to her.

omg nonnie, first of all, I'm so sorry ur sister had to go through that. but I'm glad she's doing so much better now ♡

as for y/n, i wanted to approach kuroo's infidelity in an unconventional way. the logical thing to do is confront him about it, leave, divorce him, etc. but the 'problem' here is that she finds it oddly arousing. so we're seeing it from a perspective of being a voyeur rather than cheated on. of course she's not happy about it, there's a lot of conflict and turmoil in her mind because she should not feel turned on at the thought of his husband having an affair.

there's still so much plot in the works. we still haven't seen how yuko and kuroo came to this arrangement, or what happens now that y/n knows...

[presleyannn]

advice from Taz - 9.25.23

One thing about me is that I am a big fan of anime. Not only that, but my brain loves to hyperfixate on things. Therefore, I am often hyperfixated on anime.

My latest hyperfixation is One Piece. It really is crippling in law school when your every waking moment is consumed with thoughts of One Piece lol.

So as you might imagine, as a One Piece fan, I was extremely excited for the live action. I really admired all the time, effort, and love that was put into the show from Oda and the cast and crew, so I could feel it in my bones that it would be good. It was btw. If you haven't seen it, you definitely should. Even if you're not a One Piece or anime fan. I got my best friend to watch it and she loves it. It has been a true joy to see so many new people get into One Piece.

But anyway, being a fan of the live action, I feel that it's only natural that I fell in love with the cast too. The time and energy they put in and the dedication to the accurate portrayal of their characters is extremely admirable. If nothing else, watch the show just for them.

Although I love all the cast members, Taz Skylar really captured my heart. There is so much to love about him. I could go on about him all day, but that's not what this diary is about, so I won't.

ANYWAY, my point in mentioning this is that I booked a Cameo from him awhile ago, and he gave me the sweetest message and advice that really stuck with me, so I wanted to share it here.

I am in law school at only 20 years old, so I am one of the youngest in my class. I know that there are a few other 20 year olds in my class, but I have yet to meet any of them. As a result, I have been suffering from some pretty severe imposter syndrome. I often feel like a baby sitting in class, and I generally just feel out of place.

So, I shared this with Taz, and he reminded me of the quote, "Be less impressed and more involved," which I believe was coined by Matthew McConaughey. He said that he deals with imposter syndrome every day (as many of us do), but he repeats that quote to remind himself to be less concerned with everything that is going on around him, and more involved in what he needs to do to accomplish his goals and truly enjoy the experience.

Specifically, he told me to be less impressed with how smart everyone is around me, and more involved in what I need to do on a daily basis to achieve what I want to achieve. This really struck a chord in me and put things into perspective.

I find myself comparing myself to my classmates all too often. Seeing them seemingly prepared and on top of work knowing that I am behind has only put me more behind. I convince myself that they're already leagues ahead of me and I have no chance of catching up, so why even try?

But this quote really stuck with me and has helped me to detach myself from everything that's going on around me in order to focus on what I need to do in order to do my best on all my exams.

Of course the imposter syndrome has not gone away completely, I still have my moments where I feel like I'm not cut out for law school. But I also have moments where I remember what I'm here for in the first place, and I am able to remind myself that all the other standards I've been setting for myself don't really matter at the end of the day.

All I want is to be is a good lawyer that can help people who need it. However, law school loves to push the competition of it all, and it's hard to not get caught up in it. There's so much pressure to finish at the top of your class, and while that would be wonderful, as long as I can finish school with the ability to successfully represent my clients and achieve their deserved justice, nothing else matters to me. This is what I have to remind myself of each day when I find myself applying too much pressure to be “better” than my peers.

I need to be less impressed with how well everyone is doing around me–because I only end up thinking that I could never measure up to them and should just give up–and the fact that I even ended up in law school in the first place, and instead be more involved in my dreams and what I have to do to achieve them.

If you have a dream, a goal, something that you really want more than anything in the world, you CAN, and you WILL achieve it. Just remember to be less impressed with what is going on all around you (whether it be what other people are doing or even the awe of being in the situation you find yourself in), and be more involved in the work that must be done in order to achieve your goal. If you remain concerned with what people are doing around you or feeling like you are undeserving of the opportunities you are given, and fail to take advantage of those opportunities and put in the required work, then you will remain right where you are while everything else outgrows you, including your dreams.

But I believe in you, and I am manifesting it for you. You WILL achieve your dreams. You got this!

And here’s Taz for you :)

[cosmicjoke]

okay cosmic. i am back again for another analysis from you. we have talked a bit about megumi fushiguro but not in depth and as you know he’s my favorite jjk character. so i was just wondering your in depth thoughts/analysis on him. lots of people call him “boring” and “useless” which i disagree and i always love reading what you have to say about characters even if it isn’t the same as me(which it almost always is tbf). anyway it’s ok if you don’t have anything to say about him just would love to hear your thoughts if you do 🩵

It's funny, because Megumi was initially my favorite character on JJK too, before it became Gojo, and Megumi still remains my second favorite, so we have essentially the same characters in our top two spots, haha.

Overall, I never enjoyed JJK the same way I do say Attack on Titan, so I've never put as much thought into it. I only read it once through, and I admit that the fatigue of getting through so many battles, with so many pages of exposition explaining how some characters cursed technique works, made me pay less attention, so I've forgotten a LOT of the details of the story, including character names, etc.... I would have to re-read it I think to really develop a better understanding of it and its characters. So I'm afraid I won't be able to offer a great deal of insight or really thoughtful analysis the way I try to with AoT and its characters. But I'll try my best here.

I have no idea why anyone would call Megumi useless or boring. Maybe because Sukana was able to bring out the full potential of the Ten Shadows technique, and people think by comparison, Megumi is a failure. But it's an absurd comparison to begin with. Sukana is literally ancient and has been around forever, while Megumi is, what, 15 or 16 years old? He's just a kid who hasn't had any kind of chance yet to develop or reach his full potential. And even still, calling him useless is a purposefully false accusation. He's been integral in numerous battles and conflicts in JJK, essential in his friends ability to walk away with their lives.

As for calling him boring, again, I don't know why anyone would say that about him. Maybe because he generally tends not to show a great deal of emotion? But then, you and I both know how stupid it is to assume a character doesn't feel anything just because they don't engage in dramatic displays of emotion. I think it's obvious that Megumi is dealing with a lot of repressed trauma, both from the abandonment by his father, and the situation with his sister. That, on top of the horrors he and the other jujutsu students have to face daily, and I think it's just made him a very guarded person. But the devotion he feels toward his sister betrays what a caring person he really is. He never abandoned her, even when she fell into a coma. He would always make time to visit her, and did everything in his power to protect her. So while Megumi affects an attitude of detachment, I think it's pretty obvious how much he actually cares about everyone around him. Like when he first meets Itadori, he acts like he can't stand him and doesn't care what happens to him, but it's Megumi who first requests Gojo's help with Yuuji, and we see over and over again how much he actually cares for him, and all his friends, and how deeply it impacts him whenever any of them gets hurt or dies.

I actually think Megumi is probably going to be essential in some way to defeating Sukana. I haven't been reading these last, several chapters, but I've been keeping up with spoilers, and that's just the sense I'm getting. There was so much build up to Megumi's potential, with Gojo's lessons with him, with Gojo telling him he had the potential to surpass him, Sukana's taunting and then stealing his body and technique, etc... So unless Gege drops the ball on his own foreshadowing again (which is always possible, considering the shitshow that his writing has been lately), I think Megumi is likely to become the actual hero of this story. I think he's been being set up to take on that role since basically the beginning. The character that, on the surface, seems the least invested, or declaring his own detachment from people, being the one to actually save the day, would be a classic hero trope. Our main players right now in Itadori and Yuta falling to Sukana, and needing Megumi to overcome him in order to save their lives, would make a lot of sense to me. Like defeating Sukana from within, after being underestimated and after Sukana's attempts to destroy Megumi too.

Of course, I could be totally off base, and whatever happens with Megumi could just be another, underwhelming bleh moment, kind of like what just happened with Kenjaku and his story and connection to various characters going absolutely nowhere, lol. So who knows. I don't really trust Gege as a writer at this point. But maybe he'll actually manage to pull off something worthy of Megumi's character. He's due for something like that, considering the way he butchered Gojo's ending.

[firespirited]

One of the things that stuck with me the most from my breakdown was how easily I could leave.

Mentally i mean. Practically it'd be a big financial drain on my two roommates and significantly more careful budgeting for me.

I'm not just fine about living alone but relieved at not having to think of two other people first, more than okay with the solitude which would feel less lonely than the current setup. I lived for myself as a teen for a while and miss it at times.

Then there's the fact I was utterly unbothered by possessions including past work, collections, supplies.

My bed, Lily and internet access was all I wanted, almost looking forward to the fresh start.

It's like all of it is clothes that don't fit. The sense that it's been 'temporary', like when we used to move house often, somehow became a core process in me and I don't properly get attached. I still feel that detachment at times, like I'm staying over at someone else's place.

It wasn't just the stuff but the habits and tastes, they still feel temporary and unattached to my personality. When you consider this also applies to music I've listened to thousands of times over twenty years, feels like maybe that should be a disturbing concept.

Fact is , I was drowning before and am still unanchored and clinging on to wobbly bouees. This place and this stuff has felt more like 'home' than anything before but home never meant much to me. I've known more emotional safety in a car or a tent far from routines and comforts.

I got the bird's eye view of my life for a moment and can't really go back to normal. It's unsettling, like playing a role.

Always struggled with existing in this body, the inscrutable signals of interoception and then the alienating pain and exhaustion... So to be untethered to the rest of it felt like a natural extension of that general feeling.

I don't know how to ground myself and reintegrate this life, I've been dutifully sticking to schedules and chores but I haven't clicked into place. It's nothing as complicated as finding 'purpose' or whatever that means and yet I feel misaligned somehow, a screw that won't go in because the angle's all wrong and I don't know how to fix that.

[lucysweatslove]

10.31.2023 // On names and generally feeling like my corporeal form is not me.

So, I'm organizing a group gift for one of our instructors. She's wonderful, so we wanted to give her a thank-you gift that involves giant plushies (a giant heart that has attached blood cells that hide away + an immunoglobulin that has a detachable antibody). Anyway, of course people have to address me somehow. I'm usually quite quiet, but organizing something means more talking + more addressing.

Everybody addresses me the way I've asked. Which is simply a shortened form of my legal name, Lex. The OGs know that Lucy is not connected to my legal name, really, other than having the same first letter. I went by Lexie for years (also not my legal name but a shortened version), but it was constantly misspelled as Lexi. It always looked unfinished to me, and the fact that I had people argue with me about how I spelled my name and then refuse to learn to add the final "e" annoyed me enough that I just shortened it further to Lex. There was also the time I briefly went by my middle name, Reyne (pronounces like rain), because Lex felt too harsh or masculine and not ~wispy~ and ~creative~ enough (look, I was a young teenager).

At the same time all of THAT was happening, my little sister was born. "X" sounds are typically hard for toddlers. When I was an infant and my older sis was a tot, she pronounced my name "lets-see" which is also cute. But, when Little Sis was born, my mom decided to give me a nickname to make it easier. My older sis was Wee (her first name starts with a W), and I was Lu/Lulu/Lucy. Mine came, in part, from being called "Lexie Lou Who" as a little kid. Reality though is that my little sis first called me Weecy, since /w/ is easier than /l/, but I've been Lucy for my family and close/loved ones for over 1.5 decades. My mom introduces me as Lucy. My husband calls me Lucy or Lu (sometimes lulu or lulu lemon).

So basically: Lexie for the first ~12-13 years of my life, then I branched into "Weecy" and "Lucy" with people I am safe with while keeping my "outside" (unsafe/uncertain) name as Lex, with a short stint being called Reyne because I was exploring a more creative, less scientific side of me.

The Lucy/Lex dichotomy has worked out for me decently so far, and in part, this is because it allows me to compartmentalize. I know that the people who call me Lucy are safe. I won't always like them or what they do, but I know they care about me. My parents still don't know I've been diagnosed autistic, and there are bits of me that I don't share in general because I don't know for sure that they will always be respected and valued. But that comes from my parents having a different set of experiences and values. In general, I know they want what is best for me, we just have differences in opinions about what that "best" is sometimes. Still, it's safe enough to have them call me Lucy because I trust that they have good motives. These are also the people I deeply care about. We have a reciprocal relationship. I can trust that they will be there when I need them, and they know I will be there for them too. Contrast that with Lex- the people who call me Lex are acquaintances. People I need to hold off at a distance. People I'm not sure will have my best interest at mind. They may respect my personhood, but they don't care the way people who call me Lucy do. They could be amazing people- and many of them are- but they just haven't yet earned the privilege of calling me Lucy. I also have no expectation that they might earn that privilege. There is no expectation of reciprocity either. I expect nothing from the people that call me Lex. They could ignore my name all together and call me "kid in the pink jacket" (like everybody did when I went to the community college for the last two years of high school). This separation protects me from getting my hopes up, thinking people are friends.

And I'll also say- the people who call me Lucy, I don't invite to call me Lucy. I invite yall online to call me Lucy, but that's because I expect that if you're here and listening, it's because you want to be here and supportive, not because I have something to give you. And I will give to all. But I digress- I don't invite the IRL people to call me Lucy. It develops organically. They pick up on the fact that nobody in my personal life calls me Lex. They ask about it. I tell them honestly. Then, they decide- they can call me Lex if that feels right, or they can call me Lucy and enter into my circle. I don't present it as a choice, I just inform them that I separate it out, and people close to me choose to call me Lucy, and that's how I know who is safe. Sometimes, people don't ask and just start calling me Lucy. I don't think my husband ever asked. It just... fell into place and felt right. And I don't think my best friend's main partner asked- he just always knew me as Lucy because that's what Best Friend calls me all the time. Literally never Lex. But other times, people do ask. Best Friend asked first- which was very thoughtful and probably one reason why we are best friends. It was respectful, understanding that how I feel may not be how she feels.

Anyway, back to now. When I was working full time, I was Lex or Lexie to everybody, but when I was off work, all the people in my life called me Lucy. I had a work Self, Lex, and a non-work self, Lucy. I stopped working for a year, and I was full-time Lucy. I had to use my legal name on applications for school, but studying self was Lucy, wife self was Lucy, pug mom was Lucy (or pug-mom), gym self was Lucy, friend self was Lucy... you get the point.

And now I am back to being Lex like, half the time.

I think part of the issue is that I haven't been "Lex" as me for a long time. It's always me as somebody else. Lex the Student. Lex the Chemistry Teacher. Lex the Scribe. Lex the MHT. Lex the... you get it. All of those are roles I've had- not wholly me. The whole 'me' is Lucy, but this physical body is "Lex" half the time, so I don't feel like my physical body is me.

But it goes deeper than that, because for years, only my family called me Lucy. Lucy was "Lucy, the sister" and "Lucy, the daughter." I didn't see it as who I was. Lucy was the second self, the role. Lex was who I was, and at that time, I was thin. I worked out a ton. I put studying on a pedestal. I was, objectively, not mentally healthy, not living according to my own personal values, still figuring myself out.

And when I recovered and grew into "me," I grew into Lucy, not Lex. Lex became the role, the second self. So of course now that I am playing the role of Lex more and more, now that my body is playing Lex despite Lex being left in 2013, my 2023 body is not Lex of 2013 and I don't feel congruent.

I also didn't realize until now how little I cared about my body/appearance as part of "me" until now. As I grew into me, I didn't really think much about my body. My way of dealing with my body's changes? Distancing. Ignoring. Separating. So even though this body is the one I inhabit as Lucy, I still don't feel like the body is me.

(Note... Interestingly: my therapist calls me Lexie, not Lex. It felt very wrong for her to call me Lucy, but Lex felt too... informal, stuffy, closed off.)

[decepti-thots]

re: meta again (again) - about old fandoms with no/little new input - do you think that there's a point where even though there's kinda more time for meta, the fandom becomes a bit detached from the canon material, maybe partially?

also, you made a really interesting point with developing confidence in one's own taste - I think I (and many others) are used to being graded on media analysis in school, so you'd have to find the 'correct' angle instead of finding the angle that works for you. it feels like it should be obvious that it can be different but I did kinda need you to write it down to get it, so thank you :) also, thank you for the discussion in general - I have actually started to grab screenshots of the comic panels that I've been having thoughts about, but here comes the final boss of writing meta (to me): lack of time, haha

I think it can vary enormously depending on the fandom, honestly. Some fandoms are built up around folks who are there to do textual analysis and as a result, I find that you don't tend to get that kind of "canon drift", because constantly revisiting the text is a large part of the communal fandom experience. (Again I invoke the daddy of all Western acafandoms- book-Tolkien and especially Silmarillion fandom spaces tend to go this way.) They can wind up in their own recursive interpretive bubbles in other ways, mind, but it's in no way a sure thing. I do think fandoms where it is possible to remain engaged without needing to revisit the source material can be prone to it, though. Transformers fandom (including e.g. specifically IDW1 fandom) gives you a lot of avenues for creative fannish outlets that don't need you to revisit the canon material for reference, so it's very possible for fanon environments to... drift away. (I'm thinking of drift here in a way that's a little like semantic drift, honestly.)

I think the idea that it relates to experience with media analysis in school- and I assume you mean school and not higher education here?- is interesting. While my time before dropping out of university wasn't spent in a literature course (I studied linguistics), it was adjacent enough and I spent enough time trying to self-study in it academically that my default understanding of this stuff trends towards my experiences there rather than high school, where I feel like the "right vs wrong" dichotomy is at least less emphasized. But of course those bad educational settings where the idea of "right" analyses are taken for granted bc Teaching To The Test must loom large in most peoples' memories bc it's, you know, the default for most people- like they exist ofc. All I can say to that is that a majority of high school/etc experiences with "media analysis" are so far from what it looks like everywhere else that you deserve to feel comfortable punting it into the fucking sun. Not just in the sense that "academic analysis" doesn't do that in higher education environments (though it shouldn't! i swear to god it shouldn't be like that!!!) but also because so much exciting analysis of art is done fully outside academic environments. ...I just realised that my longstanding investment in artistic analysis of video games as a medium probably helps me here because it ranges from "academic analysis is rejected by the mainstream as Not What Real Games Are About so gamers hate it" to "academic analysis of video games has no room for most indie work and neither does pop culture so it has to exist independently without following convention so academics dismiss it", which means I'm just. Really used to analysis of non-prestigious media that is fully outside "the academy", haha. If you want to get comfortable analysing art when you haven't done it since high school handed you a stupid letter grade, peruse Critical Distance for media analysis that is largely divorced from the idea of consensus among Important People TM, genuinely; critical artistic analysis of video games is a great place to find intelligent, interesting work that ignores a lot of what is conventionally considered "obligatory" for Real Art Criticism TM. (video game crit is like, my default mileau, ngl.)

As for time, I personally write most of my work while doing time theft (this is why you see me on here less at the weekends), but regardless: recommended post on one (excellent) fandom-writer's process. also, take as long as you need. take months if you have to. it's good and fine. write three words a day. write one post a year. or post seven a day, whatever. i will say that folding meta-writing into my 'reading for fun' time helped me a lot, though- meta as an extension of re-reading for fun, rather than something in addition to it, was very helpful to me! don't re-read in addition to planning meta, basically; try and meld the two into one experience. you aren't doing an academia, and you can go off the cuff as you read! make meta into a liveblog, and get meta out of livetweets! same hat!!! etc. but also it's just fine to. take time. yknow.

[agentplutonium]

Fic WIPs I want to post in 2024

I wanna hold myself accountable more than anything so here's some fics/concepts I want to write in 2024. I don't know if any of them will get done we'll have to see.

1. Like Real People Do

This is kind of a cheat since I already started it, but I really want to finish this fic in 2024. It has been in progress since last September. I love it it is my child however it is time for this guy to get off of my wiplist. It's already 35 k, and we're still six (+?) chapters away from the end. If any of my wips are getting finished this one is a priority.

2. Biting the Hand That Feeds

This fic I just started last? month? something like that, but where its shorter and I like the concept there is a high chance that I will finish it. It's a Milo/Sweetheart 1920's AU that Dizz introduced me too that I am putting my own spin on. I am actually in love with the concept and I wanna see if I can get that whole "can't be together but like fuck do I care" vibe down since this is the first time that I'm properly writing it ^^

3. Milo/Sweetheart Mafia AU

This one is another one that is probably (hopefully) going to be done sooner rather than later. Veau actually handed me this concept attached to Copacabana (at Copa) by Barry Manilow and I am so excited to play with it. The song in general fascinates me, I liked it before now but I listened again a few nights ago while we were talking about it and really listened to the lyrics and it has such a fascinating story it tells. I haven't picked out the themes I would be writing JUST yet (I just started developing it on the 24th) but there's probably gonna be something there.

4. My Tank fic that is based on songs from Stick Seasons (We'll All Be Here Forever) by Noah Kahn

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but the concept fascinates me. Ever since that album came out I have never been able to detach it from Tank no matter how hard I try. So, the natural response is to write a fic until I hate myself (/lh/j). It would revolve around the relationship that Tank & Milo/Sweetheart would have before, during, and after Quinncident/Darlin moving away. This one has themes of different connections on person can have, and how those connections can age as someone grows up and changes, and what its like to navigate someone returning after so long and changing so much.

5. My SpiderSneaks AU

this is just me indulging in my other hyper-fixations. In this fic, I'd be taking the plot of The Amazing Spider-Man and twisting it to fit into Milo/Sweetheart. I forget what other details I have, but it's a concept I've been sitting on for a while. I'm just obsessed with spiderman guys that's really the only reason this exists. However I would love to write out themes of the struggle between purpose and love/happiness. I feel like that's a fitting thing to imbed into a spiderman au that doubles as a milo/sweetheart fic. The two of them are easily put into that "must do good" role, and their relationship seems to balance that out a little bit, but I kinda want to play with it in regards to Sweetheart.

6. The Milo/Sweetheart intimacy fic. (the one talked about in this post. )

This kinda ties into me pushing my aspec!Sweetheart agenda, but the idea of writing a fic that shows the intimacy and love these two share without defaulting to a sexual encounter is so fascinating to me. I would put SO MUCH into that fic guys you don't understand. I need it. It's not even "oh this would be cool to write" its "I NEED to write this to satiate my soul."

I do have other wips I want to work on but they're smaller and will probably act as buffers between the bigger ones. I hope I can get most of them done, especially the unfinished fics because I hate having unfinished projects. However there are themes I would love to explore in the not started ones that might convince me to start writing it ^^

[antisociallilbrat]

Okay, I'm coming clean, lol, I'm Kori– Hi, I'm your brainworms' unofficial feeder 😂 Feel free to keep calling me Kori or change to Allen <3

Sorry that I didn't come out sooner, I get so nervous asking people about the stuff going on in my brain that I just automatically go to Anon just to get them out. I just got the courage today.

I still mean it when I said I love your takes, they're freaking amazing and I never get tired of reading them. I wish I could think like you, honestly.

ANYWAYS–

So I've been thinking of writing a long-term IT x Stranger Things crossover fic where the Losers Club are all numbered experiments like Eleven but managed to escaped. I haven't fleshed out the fine details yet but if you're interested, I'll be more than happy for suggestions!

Anyways, what I've been wanting to figure are their powers. What would they be and how does those powers suit and compliment the Losers' personalities. I've thought of giving them telekinetic abilities just like El but I thought that wouldn't be that complimentary to them except maybe to Richie? ( for some reason, the thought of Richie looking like El when she jerks her head to the side and breaks someone's bones spooks me lol ) then I thought of giving them the powers similar to their Neibolt selves; Beverly has pyrokinesis, Eddie has acid fluids, Stan can control spiders and detach his head to become a spider, Bill will probably have like sharp teeth and hunter like skills ( idk ), Richie will either have the ability to turn into a werewolf, be invisible ( connected to his fear of disappearing ), or something about being a doll. But if I go with that, it will leave out Mike and Ben. So now I'm conflicted.

Any suggestions?

AAAAAA Kori this makes me so happy you have no idea. And do you have a preference for what name I use?

Everytime you pop into my inbox I get so excited bc I know my brain worms are about get FED and you encourage my silliness and my takes. It's totally okay btw!! Trust me when I say I understand anxiety/nervousness 🥲

AND HOLY SHIT THAT'S SUCH A GOOD AU

I can see where you'd want to pull from the Neilbolt versions and it works for them. Bev having pyrokinesis is so cool and Eddie being having acid fluids. For Bill maybe you could do shapeshifting? Like how he looks normal but then he shape shifts his teeth being sharper and can just shapeshift in general to have more monster like features when he needs it. I like Stan and the spider thing, VERY Henry Creel vibes and it's freaky. For Richie maybe you can incorporate the 'doll' aspect to him being physically mute- like how the doll's mouth is sewn shut. Then a fun power would be Richie being able to project into people's minds and talk to them that way. Poor Stan can't tune him out that way. Idk just a few suggestions! I really like what you've thought for these Losers already though

Ben and Mike are tricky if you're trying to stay on theme. Hmmm maybe relate it back to how It interacts with them? Like Pennywise tries to make Ben feel like his friends don't like him and with being the new kid maybe being able to turn invisible would be Ben? Then with Mike Pennywise calls him a 'mad man' so maybe super intelligence? But Mike is such an animal man and I've always thought him being able to communicate with animals would be cool.

I'm always done to talk about this with you, I really hoped I helped 😭 and my messages are also open as well! Got me all feeling all emotional that you sought my silly ole input on this fuckin dope idea 🥲

[j-edwards]

Dad,

You don't deserve to be called that, but what else do I call you? Ross? Father? Sperm donor? I guess dad will have to do for now, just know that I don't hold the same meaning to dad as the general population does. How could I?

I'm not even sure why I'm writing this to you. Life update? Tell you how I feel? Call you out for being a shit dad? Fuck, I don't know.

I want you to hear from me, I got married. I have officially changed my last name, and in the eyes of the government, social media, and in my personal life, we no longer share a last name. I've been waiting 20 years to change my name and to have a last name to be proud of. No, you were not invited. We had a small ceremony of family and friends, and everyone who was there had a personal relationship to the both of us. You did not have that with either of us. You gave almost zero effort to get to know me, spend time with me, and love me as I am my whole life and you gave less effort into getting to know the man that I would eventually marry. You did not deserve an invitation, and I have no regrets about that.

I'm almost 30, I'm more than halfway through my last year in my 20s, and I've learned a lot. I learned about my undiagnosed mental disorders and how to cope with them. I've learned about my toxic and unhealthy habits and traits in relationships and how to shift my mindset to be more productive. I've started to heal, I started therapy, and I'm actively fixing what you broke, what you failed to even put together. I've put in an incredible amount of work, more work than if you just did your damn job right. But no, you couldn't break the cycle. You couldn't put your ego aside and admit you needed help to move past your trauma. Instead, you willingly gave me yours, and now I'm forced to deal with something that shouldn't be my responsibility. You have 5 kids, and you failed all of us, every single one. I have zero relationship with any of them, and with other facors aside, I blame you the most for that. I don't believe you're capable of love, to give or receive. I believe you are far too emotionally detached to even comprehend what unconditional love is.

More than 15 years ago, I told you I felt indifferent toward you, and that is still the same. I don't believe I love you, I think you took that away every time you failed to show up for me.

More than anything, though, I pity you. I feel sorry for you, I see through your tough guy act, I see past the cold, and I see a scared, sad, hurt little boy who was severely abused. Your abuse and your past was not your fault. Going to residential school was not your fault. Having your mom die while away at residential school was not your fault. What was your fault, was passing down your demons to innocent children who just wanted to be loved by their dad.

I think this letter is my final piece to you. I've spent far too many years contemplating this, but I believe open-ended communication is no longer beneficial to me. I don't believe you deserve a window into my life anymore. I don't believe you deserve to have a means to contact me. Not that it really changes all that much. You haven't reached out in years. I mean, you asked me what my birthday was a couple of years ago, but I don't believe that counts. It's a sad day when a child has to parent the parent, but it's even sadder when a little girl is just begging for her dad to show up. You are the reason I don't want kids. I fear turning into you, I fear my trauma would be passed on, and I don't believe that's fair. I could not live with myself if I had a child, and they felt how I felt because of me. I had to teach myself how to be loved and cared for by a man. A job that was supposed to fall on you, and instead I, again held that responsibility. I experienced trauma because I was never taught to be loved, not in healthy ways.

I hope for the sake of your younger children, you seek help one day. Renée and I are on our own now, were adults, but the younger 3 still have a chance of having a healthy relationship with you. You just need to heal yourself first.

Jess

[unbrcakablc-hcart]

Ah, no, not quite! It's kind of complicated. There's no radiation involved, it's-- how do I explain.

I work with my sisters? They're plants like I am, but they can't survive outside the bulbs they're placed in. They're... used as living generators, basically. They can produce anything humanity needs to survive, from gravity to water to electricity to certain chemical compounds, just about anything, and the bulbs help them kind of... regulate their energy output?

Because so far as I've been told, without the bulbs, they release all their energy in one burst and die? So it's more of a beneficial thing this way.

Here's a picture Meryl took awhile back of a plant!

Anyway, I can't really generate anything as a plant (a fact I do not advertise offline), but I can help them heal when they're feeling sick or unwell. I'm kind of like a doctor or therapist or something like that for them. I couldn't really explain how it works... I guess I take away their pain for myself, and I give them some extra energy?

Humans can do this job too, and they're called plant engineers, but they have to work in a more detached fashion. Inputting data, changing things about the properties of the bulbs, that sort of thing. It's something you have to go to the November University for to learn.

But considering how much power plants have, it's not unlike a nuke, I guess.

I hope that made any sense, I'm very out of it and I still haven't figured out how to give this spiel in a concise way, ahahaha.

Oh shit.. You work on like nuke shit?

[sigmastolen]

on the phone with comrade d today, she wondered if they were going to make any more jurassic park movies (she wants to get a dvd box set with all the films, but not yet if they're going to make more). and i replied that my idealistic side would say 'no' because they've done the big reunite-the-cast film and come to a story conclusion, but my much louder, cynical side says 'of course they will because they can make more money from it, especially from merchandising' and that endless milking of cash cows for diminishing artistic returns is part of my current detachment and disillusionment with today's media landscape (in which the only things i am "keeping up with" are jeopardy!, the pbs airings of all creatures great and small, my favorite canadian sheep farmer youtuber, and a handful of npr podcasts).

and my thoughts keep coming back to that, and i can't tell if i've disengaged from all these things i used to really enjoy (or at least be very invested in) because i'm busier than i used to be (or in a different way than i used to be), or because of depression/depression-adjacent patterns, or my attention has always been this fleeting, or if things are actually worse. realistically, it's probably a combination of things, but am i using media crit sound bytes to excuse/cover for personal problems? or is it just that i've read too much criticism and become a snob? (lbr i was always a snob tho; there's even a tag) idk i sometimes feel like i no longer know how to act when someone is really enthusiastic about something i used to and no longer like. this happens very frequently with hp because i work at the library, but also because it was such a foundational text for my generation -- so many of my age-and-social-class peers are deeply devoted potter fans, still, even with how much joanne has shown her ass (and even before that, i was the one saying, no, i'm not interested in pottermore or anything else she has to add, my way of doing fandom is ~*~different~*~) -- but it also happens when i have to say i stopped watching got well before it ended, or that i have no interest in rings of power, or that no, i haven't watched the most recent [x] installments of [y] franchise (this also happens with things i still legitimately like). and feeling nothing in the face of someone else's enthusiasm, enthusiasm i would once have shared, is so uncomfortable. it makes me wonder what's wrong with me, why i can't just enjoy things any more, why i have to bring myself down like this, am i broken?

well? am i?

[kakiwrites]

Hello! I would like to request a Prince Justin one shot where he takes his significant other on a picnic date to cheer her up because she’s been hearing rumors of her only being with him because of his status since she’s just a maid. Thank you and I hope your having a good day!

a comforting picnic

Genre: hurt comfort

A prince justin x reader

a/n: this was supposed to be a oneshot but I've been so busy with school and i just didn't want you guys to wait any longer. Hope you guys enjoy this! Let's get started!

Ever since prince Justin announced his betrothal to you, maidens from all over the land tried to find ways to dirty your name and break your relationship.

The news spread like wildfire when they found out you were a maid.

Every time you went out, all eyes would be on you, their gazes tearing you down bit by bit.

You didn't want to tell Justin. He was already so busy with his princely duties. You knew better than to add to that.

So you kept everything to yourself.

You became distant and detached. You wouldn't talk to anyone if it wasn't essential, in fear of getting insulted or berated.

You made sure to keep your head down if you were with other nobles, knowing that they wouldn't want to hear a word from you.

It got to the point where you boarded yourself up in one of the many quarters in the castle, making it your safe zone.

You would only come out when you're needed in an event in which prince Justin was present. You would force on a smile and walk out like all of your thoughts haven't beaten you down the night before.

You really thought your plan was fool-proof.

But Justin wasn't stupid.

Just because he was busy with work doesn't mean he didn't notice the hefty walls you began to build around your heart.

He noticed how your smile never reaches your eyes anymore.

How you would cry yourself to sleep every night, not knowing he was just outside your door, waiting for you to come out and talk to him.

He didn't know why this was happening. He just knew he needed to get to the bottom of this.

That night, you were tucking yourself into bed when you heard a soft knock on your door.

You got up and opened the door, about to nicely ask the person to leave, when you see Justin.

He took your hand and whisked you away into the greenery where a little small picnic blanket was set up along with a basket filled with your favorite snacks and food.

He sat you both down and began to chat.

It was like you went back in time, back when your relationship and status wasn’t exposed, back when everything was just between the two of you.

"are you going to tell me what's in that pretty little head of yours?" the prince said out of the blue, his hand intertwining with yours. You could feel the love and concern overflowing off of him.

So you broke.

You told him everything. From the rumors, your deprecating thoughts, to your doubts and insecurities.

By the end, Justin's arms were around you, pulling you closer as you kept rambling.

"know that those rumors are false, love. Your status shouldn't and will never affect our relationship. I know that you're with me because you love me for me, not because of the money and lifestyle I can provide. I love you for you." he kissed your forehead, pulling you into his chest. "always remember that."

your heart felt slightly lighter after that little picnic.

And that is all! Requests are open so please don't be shy to send anything in my inbox! Love you guys 💖💕❤️

General taglist (don’t be shy to comment your tumblr @ below): @tokyoghoose @macaronnv @reogou @midnightangelfox @wumboho @seiijixcia @tessabrown101 @agent-barnes40

[ddarker-dreams]

Hii, i hope you're doing well!! Just wanted to let you know I absolutely love your writing! You've probably seen me in your notifs and since i feel bad for not commenting and sharing enough, i decided to just tell you outright how much i appreciate you!

You're not only a talented writer, but you're intelligent, observant and have a good sense of people and their emotions and personalities. I don't condone yandere behaviour either, but my morbid curiosity and fascination for the fictional representation is definitely real. I envy how well you understand the mbti personalities, i have a shitty memory and, for the life of me, struggle intensely to remember anything. It's wonderful how well you implement that knowledge into your writing and characterisation.

Sadly i can't really use the links you put since I'm using the app, but i guess the tags help to some extent. My absolute favourite is Venti, but for some reason I've become very interested in Scaramouche (someone i know i wouldn't be able to stand irl, unlike Venti) and really liked the content you made for him!! He seems like a mix of Ciel and Alois from Black Butler lmao

Alsooo i have a question!! If you have the time and patience to answer (if you haven't already talked about it), what kind of yandere would an INFP (-t) be? I'm INFP and, while I'm definitely not prone to such behaviour nor do i ever see myself acting like that for any reason or anyone (probably since I'm kinda detached and prefer to rationalise and am always in tune with my emotions and intentions, but that could just be me, as i said, i don't understand mbti very well, including my own type), i do have a picture of what yandere behaviour i could show and act on. I wonder how similar/ different it would be to your own opinion on it and what are some infp characters/ yanderes you know of, if there are such in the first place?

As i said, you don't have to answer that, my primary objective was to let you know i appreciate your work!! Thank you so much!! Have a wonderful day and stay healthy 💛💛💛

when i read the first few sentences of this i was like 👀👀 who could this be? there are these 4-5 people that i consistently see engaging with anything i post. if you’re one of those people trust me i recognize you and appreciate you with my entire heart 💖💖💖

wow wow what glowing compliments i’m?? thank you very much!! it’s not everyday that intelligent is the word used to describe me so i’m melting . i always want to learn more about people, i’m grateful that writing is a hobby that pairs well with that. memorizing things is awful so i get what you mean. i both fear and admire people that have excellent memories, my brain is always too overloaded to maintain information for long. even my notes from when i’m trying to remember look all over the place ...

venti is such a joy AHH i loved seeing him in the event story again!! what an in-depth character. he’s got so much going on yet acts none the wiser, it’s always so fun to see. tbh i don’t think anyone would like scaramouche irl (i sure know i wouldn’t), it’s probably for the best hat man would be shunned.

fiction is the best place to explore ideas! let’s see, an INFP yandere. i was surprised to see that kaneki from tokyo ghoul is an INFP, but now that i think about it, that’s pretty fitting. i’ve written some yan kaneki in the past so i have a rough idea of how a yan INFP might be. 

the defining feature of a yan INFP would be guilt. they feel guilty for what they’re doing to their darling, and they instill guilt into their darling to gain a foothold (whether on purpose or not). INFPs are generally introspective and in tune with their surroundings and the people around them. they would know their darling very well, perhaps better than they realized at first. they’d be very in sync with their darling’s little habits and ways without even needing to try.

i couldn’t imagine most yan INFP characters coming right out and making their various demands known to their darling. no, it’d be a long and surprisingly methodical process, with the yan INFP instilling little seeds into their darling’s mind. making them feel like they’re the only one who truly understands them, that no one has been as good to them as darling has. none of these things are likely to be exaggerations, so it comes off as all the more genuine; thus begins the process of emotionally ensnaring their darling.

of course, this is just a super general overview, so the nitty gritty details would all come down to each individual character and situation. i still hope this somewhat answers your question though!!! and thank you again for your kindness ❤️

[elistransblahg]

1 year on T!

And boy do I have some updates! Early disclaimer for some medical terminology some trans guys may not be comfortable with.

So my dose was raised last week to two pumps of 200mg/2ml compounded cream. I am now on what is generally considered a full dose of testosterone. I don't regret taking it slow, but I'm ready to speed it up a bit!

Before we get to the physical bit, we're gonna talk about the mental stuff.

My anger issues have essentially died since starting T. I feel like my life has meaning and that I have stuff to look forward to and as a whole I'm just a much happier person. That being said, dysphoria is still a little bitch. My need for top surgery is growing and my means to get there is not (although I do know what surgeon I want). I'm so far detached from my chestnuts that even seeing other people's is dysphoria-inducing. Bottom dysphoria is also a thing now. I definitely want a packer, I'm not just debating on it anymore.

Despite that though, I'm overall a happier and more laid-back person than I used to be.

On to physical stuff! Same as always, top to bottom. Another disclaimer for those who may not be comfortable with medical terminology. I apologize for the photo quality, it's cold in my house and I'm very sleepy lmao

My hairline has definitely changed, though it's still not at all concerning. It's made more obvious by my widow's peak, which is less obvious here because my roots are coming in lol

As you can also slightly see in this, my eyebrows haven't really changed but I do have a lil bit of facial hair coming in! It's just... very blond. It's very there, but very blond. I have three long hairs under my chin and a little mustache goin on. I tried to take a better picture of it but alas, the lighting in my house won't let me.

Little comparison for facial structure, again sorry for the sleepy. Anyway... I don't feel I've changed too much since day one, changed the side I part my hair on but... correct me if I'm wrong loooool

Voice! So! I posted a quick song a little while ago and that's how my singing voice sounds now. I was never comfortable posting my singing anywhere but I'm getting there! I will be posting a couple videos of me talking later. Its bizarre to me that my singing voice has changed so much more drastically than my speaking voice. When I listen to my own voice now, whether just talking or singing, I'm actually pretty happy with how far I've come. I like how it sounds. On its own, I feel like my voice passes pretty well as a stereotypical gay man's. I'm gonna keep training it and hope it drops more c:

I have noticed no change in shoulders. I'm starting to work out though so here's hoping.

No difference in chestnuts since the last update, but since this is the one year update I'm gonna say stuff anyway. Before starting testosterone I wasn't one to bind very often because of health concerns, so I can safely say that my chest sags and no longer has any kind of self-support. I do bind regularly now as I'm starting to pass to the general public, and it honestly has not changed the shape of my chest further. My chest has always been pretty insensitive to any kind of touch, but surprisingly enough it's even more so now.

My arms are hairier (though I had monkey arms to begin with) and some months ago I had bumps all over em where more hair was growing in. Those have, for the most part, healed. The hair is blond. I'm a redhead. Why is everything blond.

I don't have any chest hair, but I do have a slight happy trail. No other hair on my stomach though.

Hips! They've lost a little bit of their shape but I was/am a very curvy person and I can only hope T will fix that.

Disclaimer for bottom talk! No pictures, don't worry!

Every time I say this and every time it's worse. The ass hair. The fuckin ass hair is real. And real fuckin annoying.

As for the front end... My clit is still growing. It looks like a lil penis. It's cute. No I will not be sharing pictures. Don't ask. I'm tired of it.

My vagina still discharges and cleans itself and all that. A lot of guys report being dry after being on T for a while, but as of yet I don't have that issue. Can't speak for the sex stuff though since I don't do that.

Okay! End bottom talk!

On to legs!

They match my arms! Very, very hairy (I didn't actually have much hair on my legs pre-t) and very, very blond (it's like my appendages don't know I'm a redhead)! Had bumps on them too while more hair was growing in, and that's also healed.

I've gone up half a shoe size since starting T. Have not gotten any taller. Did not expect to lmao.

I have started dieting and lost 20 pounds in the past four or five months. I'm so good at keeping track loooool

I'm starting weight training, so hopefully that'll help with my shape and with losing weight.

If there is something I missed or something you want to know about my experience with taking testosterone, shoot me an ask and I'll answer when I can. I don't update this blog much but I am on every day c:

Okay, I think that's it! I'm going to bed! Goodnight!

[uzair12blog]

8 Ways to Deal With Regret & Move On

“I've had a few regrets. Frank Sinatra famously sang, "But then again, there are too few to mention."

Unfortunately, I don't believe that most people can claim the same.

1- A third of Americans have second thoughts about significant life decisions.

2- Sixty-six percent of Americans are unhappy with their college education.

3- At least one financial regret affects 76% of Americans.

4- A whopping 63 percent of millennial homeowners are unhappy with their purchase.

And studies reveal that the majority of people regret not making decisions that would have led them to their ideal self.

Not to mention the lesser regrets that come with day-to-day decisions. That's a lot of regret in one sentence.

You are not alone if you have a regret (or a few) that is dragging you down.

Fortunately, there are certain techniques for turning regrets that you can't bear into regrets that are "too few to mention."

Here are some suggestions for dealing with regret:

1. Look for the Positive (Really Look)

Even if it's a very thin one, there's generally a silver lining to most situations. So, whatever your regrets are, keep an eye out for them.

I spent four years in college earning a bachelor's degree in environmental science, but I'm not using it right now. This is something I've recently come to regret. I put four years of my life into it, took out debts, and now I work in a completely other field.

However, those four years of my life shaped who I am and provided me with incredible experiences. I learned about a subject I'm interested in and a field in which I intend to work in the future. And, in general, having a degree helps you find other employment.

Focusing on the positives of any regret can help make it less overwhelming.

2. Turn Regrets Into Lessons

If you've made a mistake, you have two options.

You can either give up and live in regret, or you can learn from your mistakes and grow as a result of them.

When you learn from your regrets, they become a lot easier to deal with, and no matter what your regret is, you may learn something from it.

Regret can help you figure out who you are, what your beliefs and values are, and how you want to act in the future.

Some of the world's most successful people have failed the most, and we wouldn't have some of the world's most famous novels, art, or technology if they had wallowed in regret instead of going on.

3. Write Down Your Regrets

It's natural to ask why we didn't act differently or why we didn't respond at all when faced with regrets.

Writing down our regrets, asking why, and writing down the explanation will assist you avoid making the same regretful decision in the future.

If you snapped at your partner, roommate, or family member as soon as you got home from work, it's possible that you were agitated and needed a few minutes to calm before speaking to people.

If you didn't put in the effort to land your dream job or apartment, it's possible that you don't believe you deserve it, and it's time to reconsider your self-worth.

4. Start Building Self-Compassion

As I previously stated, remorse usually takes one of two forms.

It has the potential to either sink you or to ignite the fire of motivation that leads to self-improvement.

Self-compassion, according to researchers from Berkeley, is the difference between these two outcomes.

Self-compassion improves our ability to accept regret, learn from it, avoid repeating the activity that generated the regret, and enhance our lives instead.

Start by treating yourself as you would a loved one to cultivate more self-compassion in your life. Additionally, you can:

1- Write yourself a letter in which you express your regret in a sympathetic manner.

2- Use a positive counterstatement to challenge critical and negative self-talk.

3- Practice self-compassion meditations with the help of guided meditations (try playing meditation music in the background of these).

4- Remind yourself of all your good qualities (and don't be modest about it).

5. Don’t Let Regret Hold You Back From Doing More

You're probably thinking of things you've done when you consider your regrets in life. These regrets can lead to a dread of trying new activities in order to avoid greater regret.

What about the things you haven't accomplished?

According to research, the regrets that pain us the most and linger the longest are those that we don't have. Especially when the things we don't do are preventing us from becoming our best selves.

If your fear of regret is keeping you from doing the things that matter, remember that while taking action entails risk, doing nothing is just as perilous.

6. Make Amends

Stop wallowing in regret and apologise truly if your regret includes someone else you've wronged.

It's never too late to apologise, and even if your apology isn't accepted right away, the sentiment will grow on the other person with time.

It takes a lot of effort to apologise, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort to put your ego aside, but if you've done something you're truly sorry about, you'll feel a lot better once you say it.

Apologize in person, in writing, in a text, or with a small gift. Most essential, make every effort to avoid hurting them in the future.

However, once you've apologised, move on, fix the problem, and quit berating yourself.

7. Try to Live in the Present

The past is the past, no matter how few or many mistakes you make.

While it's necessary to identify and accept your regrets so that you can learn from them, there's no purpose in dwelling on them.

Regrets are a thing of the past; they are unchangeable. Bring yourself back to the present after you've given them some productive attention. Being present enhances self-resilience and efficient coping, according to research.

Mindfulness includes being present, and many people believe it is the only way to live a happy life. Being present, on the other hand, can be the most difficult thing to accomplish if you're constantly worried about the future or caught in your past regrets. As a result, start small.

Here are some suggestions for practising being present:

1- Even if it's only for a few minutes, meditate.

2- Get Out in Nature - Being quiet and present is easier in nature, so get out there.

3- Practice breathing exercises by inhaling and exhaling through your nose until your mind is quiet.

4- Detach From Your Thoughts - Practice recognising but not clinging to your thoughts. Your regrets and thoughts do not define you.

5- Take a Break — Put on some music and dance like no one is watching, go for a stroll, prepare a cup of tea, and concentrate solely on your break, even if it is only for a few minutes.

6- Repeat a Mantra — Repeating a mantra has been shown to minimise self-judgment and other negative self-beliefs in studies. When you're feeling overwhelmed by negativity, repeat your mantra to yourself or out loud until you feel more at ease.

8. Forgive Yourself

Most likely, you haven't done something heinous, so forgive yourself. There's no reason not to forgive yourself as long as you learn from your mistakes and seek to improve.

According to research, forgiveness, stress, and mental health are all intertwined. As a result, you can reduce stress and enhance your mental health by forgiving yourself.

Regrets Don’t Have to Be Bad

Regret is never pleasant, but it does not have to be unpleasant. It all comes down to how you handle regret and what you learn from it.

So examine your regrets, embrace them, and utilise them as fuel to become the best version of yourself possible.