#it doesn't help that the first 10-15 years i was practicing i ended up with a lot of people trying to tell me i was doing witchcraft wrong

[battythewitch]

You're not required to share your craft or whatever, btw. It's fine to keep it all to yourself, to only share a little, to only vaguely mention it, or to talk about it constantly etc. Whatever. Do what feels right for you.

[ifitmeanslosingyouthenno]

au in which nathaniel is married to riko

okay so

in this universe there's no mafia, the moriyamas are just filthy rich businessmen, but nathan still is a serial killer

things go a bit different in the sense that nathan kills mary when neil is 10 bc he loses his temper and keeps neil practically captive in that house, torturing him endlessly until nathan slips up and somehow the fbi finds the evidence they need to raid the house when neil is idk 15 ish and they end up killing nathan and neil is sent to foster care

he doesn't have as bad a time in foster care as andrew did, some parents like slapping him around, but some are genuinely nice people

ultimately tho he's not adopted by anyone by the time he turns 18 (he tells himself he doesn't mind, who would want a damaged and quiet and sketchy and flighty kid in their family anyway?)

he's left on his own, to figure out how to be a real person, an adult, with no home, no place to stay, no friends, no family, nothing but himself

he goes through a few years where he just lives on the streets, spending the little money he has left on food, going to shelters when he can, traveling through states until he gets to new york

he's attacked and harassed by some guy at some point outside a bar or something and he's so dazed he cant even fight back, but someone fights back for him

and its riko moriyama, famous fucking exy star and professional athlete

he saves neil and he takes him to his place, where he lets him stay and recover and hey, he's actually kind of sweet, and he really cares about neil, and maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay with him? and when riko kisses him the first time maybe its not so bad? and maybe when they start dating he's incredibly loving and he gives him gifts and it's the happiest neil has been? and maybe when riko proposes neil says yes and they get married and they're happy? genuinely happy for once?

except that at some point, the love becomes anger, the sweet gestures become punches, the care becomes jealousy and control and pain, and what was the best thing in neils life becomes a nightmare once more

(and maybe he blames himself, maybe its neil thats the problem, maybe its him who brings out the worst in people, maybe he's doomed to this cycle of abuse)

its not until riko beats neil withing an inch of his life that neil runs

OH SHIT WAIT LMAO I FORGOT TO SAY

neil doesn't actually go by neil throughout all of this, he still goes by nathaniel, his legal name, nathaniel wesninski is married to riko moriyama not neil josten

so neil runs and runs and runs with what little money he could steal from riko and he adopts neil josten's identity until he physically cannot keep going

luckily for him, his collapse happens far enough, all the way in seattle in the same pharmacy that medical intern aaron minyard was buying some supplies

so yeah aaron freaks out and almost calls an ambulance but neil stops him bc he's scared bc riko might not have mafia connections in this universe but he has so much fucking money

and it takes aaron and katelyn and abby on the phone for them to fix a heavily beat up neil who should definitely go to the hospital but this is the best they can do

(aaron just assumes he's homeless, and he cant pay the hospital, and he's a fucking softie deep inside so he does everything he can to help how he can)

and maybe when kate catches neil sneaking out one night, she does everything to stop him and offers him safety and maybe the exchange some truths, maybe kate guesses that neil had someone that abused him, maybe someone he loved and neil is scared and he doesn't feel like he can trust anyone but something about kate makes him break down and tell her what he can while making sure he doesn't reveal much

and im taking too long but basically aaron and kate take neil in and they introduce him to the foxes and to the legendary kevin day and andrew minyard, professional exy players for the seattle exy team

and well it takes time and lots of trust before neil lets himself open up again

but its in the form of andrew minyard and the way they can both respect each others boundaries, and neil tells andrew about nathan, but never reveals the truth about being married or anything about riko moriyama

until andrew asks neil to marry him and well

it all goes to shit lol

neil cant bring himself to tell andrew the truth and it all becomes a mess and andrew breaks things up and neil becomes a mess as well

(bc its true, it's on him, its always on him and god he never learns, he never fucking learns, he doesn't fucking get happy endings, he doesn't fucking get good things)

and he tries to leave aaron and kate's place again, and he's successful this time and he's on his way out of seattle when he stops by a gas station to get some food and he has no idea of where he's going and he hesitates for a while, until he catches the eye of andrew on his car outside, and andrew just looks away and leaves and-

and if neil was hesitating before he's sure now and he has to leave for good and he has to leave and get away and never come back and

and he runs right into riko moriyama as he's leaving the store

to be continued maybe??

part 2

[pleaseeeimjustagirl]

Building A Productive Routine And Being Consistent 

It is officially 2024! This is my first self-improvement post of the year<3 I want to discuss routines and creating a productive routine. Routines are super important they help you build structure in your life, boost your self-confidence, and can help you achieve all of your goals for this year!

What are your goals? 

♡ If you have not already written out your goals for the year I'm going to need you to do that whenever you have the time. Be realistic don't complicate or stress yourself out.

♡ Look at the habits that you have currently that are stopping you from achieving your goals. Be honest with yourself. For example, your goal is to read more self-help books this year but you have a habit of watching too much TV or scrolling on TikTok for hours on end.

♡ After writing down your goals and identifying your bad habits, it's time to select new habits that align with your goals. 

♡ You need a nonnegotiable habit this year. For instance, if your objective is to lose weight, you may consider meal prepping or pilates workouts three times a week as a non-negotiable. 

Time to build your routine 

♡ A planner that I use is the Structured App. This app has so many amazing features that you can use to plan your week. You can also use Google Calendar or buy digital/physical planners online.

♡ It can be helpful to take a realistic approach when trying to incorporate new habits into your daily routine. Take a look at your current schedule, including your sleep and work or school schedule, and try to fit in your new habits accordingly. This can ensure that you can realistically commit to your new habits without overwhelming your existing schedule.

♡ It's a good idea to practice a new schedule by taking a day out of the week to try it out. If you decide to wake up at 5 am instead of 7 am, test it out and see if it works for you. You might find that you get more done waking up earlier. However, if it doesn't work, don't worry. You can swap out and change your routine as much as you need until you find what works best for you.

♡ If you realize that you have too many habits and no space to fit them into your schedule, you might need to prioritize and focus on the most important ones.

You should make time for... 

♡ Sleep! I can not stress this enough you need to get a good amount of sleep daily. Sleep has so many benefits. You can read this article on sleep for more details

♡ Self-care. Incorporating self-care into your daily routine is very important. This can include taking care of your skin, grooming yourself, shaving, and other similar activities. Self-care is a nurturing act that you can do for yourself, so it's essential to prioritize taking care of yourself.

♡ Getting sunlight. Andrew Huberman is so popular right now and he recommends in the morning getting 10-15 minutes of sunlight. He says not only does this boost your mood but it will help you sleep better at night. For anyone who also deals with seasonal affective disorder, this is a tip I 100% recommend. 

♡ Moving your body. Find what works for you. Just because you see your favorite YouTuber doing a HIIT workout as soon as she wakes up doesn't mean you will like it. Find different forms of exercise and do what you enjoy you might prefer yoga over running on the treadmill or walking over pilates.

♡ Journaling. I love to journal a new form of journaling I have been doing in the morning is gratitude journaling. Starting your day by writing about the things you are grateful for in your life will boost your mood. I talked about journaling in Shifting Your Mindset From Scarcity To Abundance This is a website I use for journal prompts and this is a gratitude journal you can purchase on Amazon. 

What are you consuming daily?

You must know what content you are consuming daily. As humans we adapt the mindset and behaviors of those around us and the same is possible for the content you watch. I prefer to listen to podcasts, and I follow and watch YouTubers that relate to the woman I want to become.

How to stay consistent? 

♡ Remember you are doing this for yourself. Like I said above create routines based on your life, schedule, and goals do not try and force yourself to be like someone else.

♡ Be realistic. Do not overwork yourself and put so much on your plate to the point you become overwhelmed.

♡ Be intentional. For example, when you have a 3-hour work block coming up soon, avoid watching Netflix or any other distracting activity, you might end up putting off your work block to finish what you are watching.

♡ Don't try to be perfect. When you try a new habit for the first time you probably won't be good at it but keep going results take time.

♡ Do not compare your routine to the next girl's routine everybody is different and what might work for her might not work for you.

♡ When you have negative thoughts, counter them with a positive one. For example, instead of thinking 'Ugh, I'm tired and I have to work out', you can counter that thought with 'Working out is good and will get me closer to my dream body'.

♡ Give grace. You won't be perfect because you're human, so it's important to understand that some days won't be the same. Sometimes, you'll have to change your routine, but through it all, give yourself grace.

I hope this will help you when you're trying to build a productive routine<3 Comment any other tips you may have as well! I am open to taking requests and questions. My messages are always open for you girliesss to chat with me <3 

[happilyhertale]

Long Lost Love - Aemond Targaryen x female!reader, Part 5

Summary: You are the daughter of Daemon and Rhaenyra. When the invitation to Aegon and Helaena's wedding came, your entire family rushes from Dragonstone to King's Landing to take part in the festivities. You haven't seen your family in King's Landing for 6 years so you are very excited...

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Warnings: At the beginning none – eventually smut (uncle/niece)

Author’s note: Hello you! (:

This is my first fic so please be nice (: I thought I'd just try a little self-considered story. I hope u like it.

The events are not entirely similar from the series.

English is my second language, please forgive me if I made any mistakes (:

Word count: 4k

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7a, Part 7b, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

On the way back to the garden, to your "secret" tree, you kept laughing uncontrollably.

Why? Only the gods know. When you finally arrived, you made yourselves comfortable. You sit down on a bench, Aemond sits cross-legged on the ground opposite you. You just talk, or rather Aemond talks. The more wine you drink, the more often you have to turn your attention back to your conversation.

Again and again you notice how you lose yourself in his eye. Or how you just stare at his lips. Aemond would have noticed if he hadn't drunk at least as much wine as you. So you sit in the garden, in your old "secret" place, while Aemond tells you one story after another about old Valyria and you stare at Aemond, lost in thought. 

After a while, when Aemond has also fallen silent, you feel the urge to go to your chambers. But not alone, you don't want your time with Aemond to be over already. Thanks to your intoxicated state, you come up with an idea.

"Aemond?"

"Mhm?", Aemond smiles slightly.

"Will you take me to my chambers?", Aemond responds visibly glum to your question. But dutifully he agrees, "Of course Y/N."

You slowly stand up and smooth your dress back down. Aemond trudges on slowly, but you don't move.

When he notices this and turns to you, he looks at you questioningly, "Your chambers is this way?"

"I know very well where my chambers is," he looks at you in confusion, "but will you not escort a lady to her chambers in a proper manner?" Aemond, still visibly confused, stops in his tracks and looks at you questioningly. You sigh and walk towards him, without hesitation you take his arm and hook it, "And here I was thinking you were the smarter of the two of us" Calmly you walk to your chambers. In between, unpleasant thoughts cross Aemond's mind. Your sudden wish for him to accompany you to your chambers awakens in him the fear that he is boring you. Little did he know that up to now he has never bored you in the slightest. Caught up in his thoughts, Aemond doesn't notice how hard you press against his arm to be as close to him as possible. 

As you reach your chambers, you disengage yourself from his arm and open your door. You turn to Aemond and smile at him. He can't help but return your smile. Just as he was about to say goodbye to you, you look right and left down the corridor to see if anyone is around. Aemond, noticing your sudden circumspection, looks at you questioningly. When you are sure that no one is around, you pull Aemond into your chambers without warning.

Aemond doesn't know what's happening to him and looks at you in shock, "Y/N, what are we doing here?". You carefully close the door and lock it from the inside, Aemond still looks in shock in your direction.

"I don't want our evening to end now, but I didn't want to sit in the garden anymore either," you pout. Aemond laughs and is visibly relieved, "You could have just asked me to spend time with you in your chambers. Instead of practically coercing me," he winks at you. "And you would have come?" you ask incredulously. "Well I'm standing in your chambers right now and I haven't left it yet, so chances are good." You smile at him, "Come, tell me another story by the fire," Aemond has never been happier as you approach him and reach for his hand to pull him along.

As Aemond sits down on the couch by the fire, you make your way to the small table that sits in a corner of your chambers to get you more wine. You enjoy your wine by the fire while Aemond enraptures you with his stories. Dazed by the wine and the late hour, you yawn more and more often as you suddenly stand up and Aemond looks after you.

You stand in front of him and look at him cheekily, "Aemond? Give me your vest," Aemond chokes on his wine and a " Pardon me?" slips out. You smile at him, "I want to sleep in your vest tonight." As you speak, your hand wanders to the first gold buckle of your dress and you undo it.

"Y/N, what are you doing?" Your hand, watched closely by Aemond, stays in place. "I want to lie in bed and while I lie in bed I want to wear your vest. And you shall lie in bed with me." For what feels like an eternity you just look at each other. Slowly you turn and walk to your room divider. Aemond gets up from the couch in a flash, "Y/N.... we should..." You turn to Aemond, your hand already on the second buckle of your dress. Aemond hesitates. There is nothing he would rather do than lie in this bed with you, but he doesn't want to trample your virtue either. "Aemond, I only want to lie in my bed with you. Please don't go" Aemond closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, "Okay, I'll stay"

You grin at him, "But I need your vest. Because otherwise I'd have to be naked in bed with you" He gives you a warning look, "If I give you my vest I won't have anything to cover my chest. And by the way, where are your nightgowns?"

"They're all at the cleaners."

"Oh, you are a shameless liar, you arrived yesterday"

You grin even wider, "No I'm not." Aemond, realising that it is pointless to argue with you in this state, sighs and begins to undo his leather waistcoat. Cheerfully, you turn back around and continue your way to the room divider. "Do you know this is the second time you've made me do something today?" says Aemond as he puts his leather waistcoat over a chair and begins to unbutton his vest at the neck. "Actually, you're just saving me from having to sleep naked," your dress falls quietly to the floor and you stand there in just your light underwear. Aemond chuckles, "If your father knew I was in bed with you, we'd have a big problem. And by the way, I like my head on my shoulders."

"Then it's better if we don't tell him that. Have you finished undressing? I'm getting a bit cold". You are standing behind your room divider, arms wrapped around your torso, when suddenly the vest lands on the room divider. You take it and smile. You feel so stupid, but you have to smell it for a moment. As you press your nose into the vest, you smell only the delicate scent of Aemond, you chuckle.

"Are you done yet? I'm getting a bit cold." Nice try... he's trying to tease you with your own cheeky sentences. You quickly put on the much too large vest and peek out from behind the room divider.

And there he is, Aemond, lying in your bed. He is shirtless and you realise that you have never seen anything more beautiful. He looks out of the window and in the dim candlelight he looks almost godlike. Your gaze falls on his muscular shoulders and perfect chest. His hands are folded at his crotch as your gaze falls on his hands. You swallow hard.��And suddenly you are no longer so self-confident. You look at him, your hands clasped in front of you, while Aemond turns his gaze to you. You look at each other for a moment and as if sensing your sudden insecurity, he holds out his hand to you and whispers, "Come here." You smile shyly. 

Slowly you walk over to your bed and climb into bed with him. You have never been in bed with a man before. And suddenly you realise that you don't know how to lie in bed with a man. And that makes you even more nervous. But Aemond takes that nervousness away from you. As you lie down next to him and crawl under your covers, he naturally lifts his arm so that you can crawl to his side. You gladly accept this invitation.

You lie there in silence for what feels like an eternity, just listening to his breathing. Aemond is lying over the blanket and still has his trousers on. Your head rests on his chest and you inhale his wonderful scent. One of his arms is around your body, holding you close to his side. His other arm is folded behind his head. Suddenly you feel a desire.

"Aemond?" he looks at you lightly from the side, "mhm?" "Touch me," without knowing what you are doing to him, he groans, "What?!" he looks at you, startled, but you don't look at him. "Stroke me Aemond". Aemond, who is now a little more reassured that you didn't mean "touching", isn't sure how long he can resist the temptation to just kiss you and let it get to the point where he is the first man to make love to you.

He swallows hard and looks over at you and sees you looking at him with sad eyes, almost pleading and a soft whisper of "please" leaving your lips. His jaw tightens and he takes a deep breath. You have almost resigned yourself to the fact that he is just holding you tonight, but then you suddenly notice how his fingers run along your side and slowly glide over your body. At first he moves very stiffly, but over time his touches become more and more gentle. You snuggle up even closer to his side. Your hand, which lies next to your face on his naked chest, takes up the movement as if by itself and you gently caress his chest. You simply enjoy lying in his arms like this. As he turns, you are afraid for a moment that he will loosen his embrace, but he turns a little further towards you and takes his other hand away from behind his head and places it on his chest to stroke your arm as well.

Aemond leans his head against yours and gives you a kiss on your hair. You smile, "Stay the night." You feel him smile into your hair, "But then I must leave your chambers early in the morning. If anyone sees me here..." "...My father will separate your head from your shoulders, I know," he chuckles into your hair, leaving another kiss there. "I'll stay," Aemond replies softly. You just answer him with a smile that he doesn't see. Slowly your eyes fall closed and you fall asleep in Aemond's arms. 

Aemond slowly wakes up. Something is different, something feels strange. He feels something on his chest and on his arm and it is moving. When he opens his eyes and sees the silver hair lying on his chest, he remembers... You are still in his arms. He smiles and realises that he has never slept so well. He still smiles slightly as he sees how pleased you look, if not happy. Aemond just watches you for a while, listening to your quiet breaths. Carefully he strokes your cheek and you crinkle your nose in response. As his eyes go to the window, he sees that dawn is approaching. An unfamiliar feeling of sadness spreads through him at the thought that he must leave now. He gently kisses your hair and inhales your scent, but you are oblivious to it all.

When he has carefully released himself from the embrace, he slides smoothly out of bed. Quietly, he walks through your chambers to retrieve his waistcoat as he turns back to the bed and realises you have his vest. "Mhm...", he takes his waistcoat and pulls it over his bare chest. He will get his vest back later. Quietly he opens your door and he sticks his head through the half-opened door. He can't see anyone and so he slips out of your chambers into the corridor.

His thoughts keep drifting back to last evening. They were so unusual and yet so beautiful for him. He was never one to crave tenderness or togetherness with another person. Sure, in the past he had spent time with women. But mostly for one reason: to experience satisfaction. Even in those moments, he was unable to look them in the eye while he humped them. He always humped them hard from behind while they knelt on all fours in front of him. As soon as they tried to turn around, he lost his lust. He was not a friend of tenderness, but these women longed for him to be tender with them, but he saw no need for it. Though it was different the one time he was with a certain woman. Alys. He was almost ashamed to come out of your chambers thinking of Alys. He pushes those thoughts away. It's different with you. He enjoys every second with you, every tenderness that is exchanged. And what was new for him was that he couldn't stop caressing you. This simple touch, and without ever having made love to you, made him feel deeply satisfied.

He even finds your innocent manner sweet in a certain way. When you suddenly stood in front of him, so innocent, in just his vest, it makes him chuckle softly. He never found it seductive when an unplucked flower in the form of a pristine Lady stood before him wanting his attention. It's different with you...

Usually he prefers it when the woman knows what she wants. But when he saw you yesterday, so unaware of what it means to tell a man to touch you, he felt a different kind of arousal. And that's when he realised that he's never longed for a woman the way he's longed for you. 

Slowly you open your eyes and immediately feel a kind of emptiness. Your gaze goes to the other side of the bed, but there is no Aemond lying there. You wonder if you have only dreamed the events of last night. But when you realise that you are wearing his vest, you smile and wrap your arms around your body to feel his vest as close as possible. After a while you sit up and see that the sun is already shining into your room - Aemond must have left your room some time ago. As you finish dressing, you set off for breakfast with your family.

But halfway there, your father and Jace meet you, "Would you like to train with us?" Jace asks you with a grin. "Now?" you reply, a little irritated, "Well, we're off." You think for a moment as Jace and Daemon walk past you. Eventually you walk after them and Daemon smirks at you.

"Come on, Y/N, don't neglect your defence!" your father shouts at you as you get up from the ground with your face covered in dust. "If you had fought fair, this wouldn't have happened!" you shout back. You move in a circle, looking each other straight in the eye, your sword resting loosely but securely in your hand, your breathing heavy. "It's not fair on the battlefield either, you have to expect everything" You mimic him. "Maybe you should put Aemond out of your mind for a while so you can concentrate on fighting"

That's enough. Without warning, you let out a shout and run straight at him. You surprise him with it, but he quickly dodges to the side and rams his elbow into your ribs. You fall to your knees, gasping, because the punch has forced the air out of your lungs. You pause for a moment to catch your breath.

You notice that Daemon has turned away and is slowly moving away from you. This is your chance, you get up as quickly as you can and immediately go for him. Just as Daemon is about to turn towards you, the flat of your sword hits him hard on the back. He screams out and strikes back with his free hand to catch you, but you are quicker. Quickly you bend down and use the element of surprise to pull his legs away.

Daemon has fallen.

He is still trying to get up again. But you are already standing over him, visibly satisfied, and hold your blade to his neck. Breathing heavily, he looks up at you. "That wasn't fair," he gasps. You look at him incredulously and reply with a simple, "You just have to expect everything, then it won't happen." He smirks at you, "Okay maybe that's enough for today". You smile and help him up.  

Aemond stood on the edge of the training ground most of the time watching you. He is impressed that you are facing Daemon like this. Even though he is your father, Daemon does not hold back when he fights with you. Yet you face him and that impresses Aemond. And not only do you fight him, you even manage to make him go down. He can't deny it, but that makes you even more seductive to him. Nor can he deny how it arouses him and makes his trousers tighter in the crotch. Suddenly he sees you looking straight at him. 

Out of nowhere you see Aemond standing on the edge watching you. His arms are folded behind his back and he smiles at you. You are surprised to see him here now and cannot suppress a smile. Daemon notices this and he clears his throat. When you look at him, he has raised his eyebrows. Before you can be embarrassed, he says, "Well, go on over to him.“ You can only nod at your father. On the way to Aemond, you can't help it, your grin grows bigger.

"Aemond."

"Y/N," he replies with a smile. You stand in front of each other in silence for a moment as he lifts his hand and gently wipes some dust from your face. Your breath catches briefly. "So I'm distracting you while you're training?" You look at him, puzzled. "Well, your father said that if I wasn't in your head, you would be able to defend yourself better," blood rushes to your face and you stammer, "What...? no... it...", Aemond laughs. "He's just trying to embarrass me so I won't be able to successfully defend myself."

Aemond replies with a grin, "Mhm..."

"Nevertheless, you still have my vest. It's not like I could just take the vest off you this morning," your cheeks reddened even more at the thought. Aemond loves that sight.

"Then you'll have to take it with you next time," you say with a smile on your lips. "Oh, next time?" he replies. "Yes, next time. But for now I'm leaving. I have to take a bath before I can go to the festivities tonight. Will I see you there?" He smiles at you, "Of course. How could I want to miss you."

"Okay, I'll see you later then." He gives you a slight nod and you make your way to your chambers. 

Startled, you realise that you have been dawdling. The warm bath water has made you stay in the tub longer than you wanted to. But you look perfect. Before you leave your chambers, you look in the mirror. Your dress is not that different from yesterday's, except that today you have chosen a black one with dark red applications, your favourite combination. Your long hair is braided back into a light plait and a necklace with many precious stones hangs around your neck. But the necklace cascades like a waterfall and ends just above the base of your breasts with a lovely sapphire. With a quick step you make your way to the hall.

And just as you thought, the festivities were already in full swing. You make your way through the crowd to the main table. You greet your grandfather and Alicent, "We're a bit late today, aren't we?" King Viserys asks you. You smile at him, "I apologise, the warm bath water was too tempting". Your grandfather gives a short laugh, "Apology accepted". With a slight bow you move on to sit next to your father. You kiss him on the cheek, as you always do, in greeting. "Well, have you recovered from your fall?" you ask him, teasing him. All you get in reply is a raised eyebrow.

The evening drags on again. It is really no pleasure to sit in a hall where everyone can watch you, as if you were on display. But one look in particular catches your eye. Ever since you entered the hall, Aemond's gaze has been following you and when you notice that he stands up, you think of doing the same. You give your father a small smile and stand up from the table. 

You see Aemond walk onto a nearby balcony. You follow him through the crowd and as you stand in the doorway to the balcony, you pause for a moment. The sun is just setting and Aemond seems to be watching the sunset. His hands rest on the railing and the whole scene seems so gentle, you don't really dare disturb it. After a few moments you slowly walk towards him. He tilts his head slightly to the side as you stand beside him. You look off into the distance and do as he does, watching the sunset.

"I haven't seen you dance yet," you break the silence. He looks at you, "I haven't seen you dance either," you have to smile briefly, "but nevertheless, dancing in a hall full of people is not so tempting for me." You slip out a quiet, "Oh."

He watches you, "Dancing is for Lords who have no idea how to make stimulating conversation with a Lady. How to compliment a Lady, how to use words properly. Without dancing, they would never find a suitable Lady to marry, would not be able to enjoy being close to a woman."

You meet his gaze, "Well, I like to dance. Not all the time, but with the right Lord, it can be fun." With a smirk on his lips, he replies, "Then I guess you'll have to wait for a gracious Lord to ask you to dance."

You sigh as his gaze falls on your necklace. Carefully he lifts his hand to stroke your necklace, "That's a lovely sapphire." You look down at your necklace, "Yes, my father had the gems collected especially for me, but the sapphire is really the most beautiful. That's why I wanted it to be placed in the middle." Aemond just smiles gently, "That's true, it really does look the most beautiful." 

After a time of silence Aemond taps on the railing seemingly impatiently, "Would you accompany me to the garden? Away from all the crowds here? We could also take some wine with us," he winks at you. Visibly pleased, you accept his invitation, "I'd love to," you smile. Aemond holds out his arm to guide you appropriately. Together you make your way to the hall. As you reach the hall, it seems as if all the Lords and Ladies present turn to look at you. You notice Aemond stiffen because he is obviously uncomfortable with everyone staring at him.

Too late, Aemond realises that he will be walking with you through a crowded hall. What you don't know is that Aemond becomes insecure when society sees him with a Lady. As if out of reflex, your free hand reaches up to place it on his arm as well. As if it were a matter of course, you stroke him gently as you walk down the corridor. He looks into your eyes and smiles gently, making it bearable for him to walk through the crowd. Just before you reach the exit, Aemond stops a servant. The servant looks visibly startled, "You won't need these," and Aemond takes the wine bottle from him, which the servant was about to take to a table. The servant bends slightly in front of Aemond. "Now we can go," Aemond whispers in your ear. You chuckle.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Taglist

@leahjean  @afro-hispwriter  @jeyramarie  @powellssaturn @notabotiswear @hoshi-miharu-blog @random-human02 @m00n5t0n3 @sporadicshepherdzinebear @drewsgfduh @stargaryenx @dark-night-sky-99 @notabotiswear @ccosmic-illusion @darylandbethfanforever9

[theresattrpgforthat]

hello!! i hope you are well!! i have a bit of a time sensitive question so deepest apologies for that. but i just found out Today that i am going to be teaching college freshman starting Next Monday (8/21) and so am scrambling to pull together some stuff to get our class started off well!! im theming my class on ttrpgs so my first (probably not the last) question is - do you have any recs for ttrpgs for 3-5 players that could be run in like 10 minutes as an icebreaker? silly games would be awesome. im deep in the bible belt and theres still a Wee Bit of satanic panic here so hopefully nothing like. too dark or demon-y. if you are able to give me recs before monday i will be so forever in your debt ToT thank you!!! -psychhound

Theme: Quick Silly Games

@creacherkeeper Hello friend! I hope you find this helpful! Whipped it up in an afternoon so the summaries may be abbreviated.

ImproVeto, by Plotbunny Games.

ImproVeto is a GM-less mini storygame that lets you tell absurd, fun stories together with at least one other person. It's also a game to help you practice improvisation in collaborative storytelling and the use of the X-card and similar calibration tools for role-playing games.

Impro Veto is quick, GM-less, and doubles as an opportunity to build the idea of safety tools into a game’s mechanics. It’s basically a big game of collaborative storytelling, and players are encouraged to change the direction of the story by vetoing random elements and changing them to continue the story as they tell it. It requires no dice, and can probably be played pretty quickly if you are playing with a small group.

Clown Helsing, by Planarian.

Clowns. We've all seen them… riding their unicycles, blowing up balloons at parties, piling in garish hordes from tiny cars, waddling around in bulbous red shoes, passed out in a dumpster stinking of booze and regret. For what do these martyrs of mirth sacrifice themselves? The answer is they do it for us. Not just to fill our need for laughter and merriment, but because they defy the doom of mankind! Clowns are man's only salvation against… Vampires.

Clown Helsing played closer to an hour for me but I think if you’re putting it before the students in a less casual setting, it might speed play up quite a bit. I’d recommend a) knowing the rules really well before starting play, b) providing students with roll tables so they can quickly create a clown, and c) starting the game in the middle of the vampire fight. I’d also recommend reducing the number of Dignity boxes significantly than what is recommended in the book, especially if you, like me, are absurdly good at Rock Paper Scissors - because yes, RPS is how you solve conflicts in this game!

Theme wise, this is exactly on tone. Your clowns humiliating jerk vampires. Let the buffoonery commence!

The Goose of Grillner Grove, by Jenn Martin.

A  tabletop roleplaying game for 3+ players for 15+ minutes. Play townsfolk attempting to warn a newcomer about the goose that's lived in the area for 20 years, and plagued each of you personally. 

Take turns telling stories about that time when you saw the goose doing something outrageous, but don't violate the two truths of the game- the goose isn't supernatural, and the goose doesn't die- lest you be honked at by the other players.

At the end, decide if the newcomer heeds your warnings...

Anyone who has played the Untitled Goose Game is probably going to have a fun time playing this. This game will probably go longer if you have a larger number of people, but it certainly gives you a chance for people to get used to the improv side of games.

The Octopus Shipwreck Explorer, by SassWrites.

An octopus is exploring a shipwreck. The shipwreck is full of treasure, but the octopus doesn’t care. It’s looking for something else, known only to it and its eight arms. The only hitch is, each arm has its own brain! How will they all work together to survive?

One of the biggest assets of this game is that it can be played with a larger group of people. To speed this game up, you could present some options of goals for the players to choose from, and give each player one action to do before wrapping up the game.

Spin the Fishblade, by Marshall Bradshaw.

Spin the FishBlade is the GMless, diceless storygame where players control one fish with a knife by spinning a knife. It's meant for three to five players to play for one to two hours, telling an outlandish story with some stylized violence. Imagine if Finding Nemo were mixed with an action movie, like Taken, Kill Bill, or Snatch.

You can see in the description above that this Fishblade game is also a bit over the time limit but with some adjustments you might be able to at least introduce the game to folks. You could create a pre-established premise, and provide a number of items for the students to choose as loci. The tone can vary with this game, so establishing a premise that is clearly humorous in it’s intent might get you where you want to go.

Please Act Like A Human, by Eden Reese Potts.

Inspired by Octodad and sitcoms about aliens pretending to be human, you are an extraterrestrial creature with nonhuman anatomy who has crash landed on planet Earth and until you can escape, you have to blend in with the local life forms.

This game is just one page with rules, and requires a number of (different) d6’s. I think this is one of the fastest games on this list; the rules are simple, and all you really need to do is introduce an obstacle that allows each player to improvise and roll once! Octodad is pretty humorous and light, so I can see this being pretty silly!

[quokkareactions]

Prompt list:

Cute prompts that came to my mind but I could never write for them. I would love to see better writers use them tho, so please go for it and tag me if you do. ♥️

1. "Right now I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off the bridge."

"Can I pick?"

2. "What's the worst thing love can do?"

"Love can make you stop believing in love."

3. "Buy me cute underwear and I will let you see me wearing it."

"If I buy you nothing, can I see you wearing that?"

4. "I'm sorry, what were you saying? I keep getting lost in your eyes."

5. "Don't yell at me in languages I don't understand!"

6. "When I said 'whatever helps you sleep at night' I didn't mean this."

7. "They don't love me. They are not that stupid."

8. "Love at first sight doesn't exist."

"Then how else do I describe how I felt when I first saw you?"

"Y-you love me?"

"Apparently not, according to you."

9. "I just ended a four year relationship."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, it wasn't my relationship."

10. "Your heart is as cold as my dorm room, and I can't feel my toes in that room, so it's bloody cold."

11. "I already know I'm going to hell. At this point it's really go big or go home."

12. "You are being all sweet and cute, it's making me wanna kiss you."

13. "Oh my, what have I done to deserve such a beautiful smile?"

14. "I love you. You enormously stubborn pain in the ass."

15. "I don't have enough middle finger to let you know how I feel."

16. "I heard that!"

"You were supposed to!"

17. "You fainted... straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes."

18. "I don't sleep. My mind has the scary capability of being dark and demented."

"You're afraid of your dreams?"

"Yes"

19. "Careful."

"What?"

"Your smile. You look like you're about to fall in love."

20. "If you bite your lip one more time, I'm gonna do it for you."

21. "I am fully convinced that you never graduated kindergarten."

22. "I didn't do it."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Cause whoever did it is a freaking genius."

23. "If I tell you I... You know... Care about you... Would you laugh at me?"

24. "What? No! I wasn't staring... I-I was looking at something behind you."

25. "Why should we date?"

"Because we are attracted to each other."

"I'm attracted to pie, but I do not feel the need to date a pie."

26. "There's a fine line between cuddling and holding somebody down so they can't get away."

27. "I can't get over how a few months ago I wanted to learn your name and now your having breakfast with me in my hoodie."

28. "Quit smiling at me. I can't stop messing up my sentences when you look at me like that."

29. "This is going to sound controversial but I think that went well."

30. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Sit down. You are not murdering anyone on my watch."

"Then look away."

31. "It's okay. Everything will be alright. Don't blame yourself."

"I'm not. I'm blaming you!"

32. "Fix it, please."

"Fix what?"

"Me"

33. "Nah"

"Don't 'nah' me!"

34. "You gotta stop doing that."

"What?"

"Saying things that make me wanna kiss you."

35. "What an idiot"

...

"Oh hey, that's my idiot!"

36. "You don't scare me."

"Then why's your heart beating so fast?"

"Cause you're kinda cute."

37. "I have a plan."

"Is it a good plan?"

"I have a plan."

38. "Now... Let me teach you how to lose."

"Yeah, I imagine you're an expert at it. You had a lot of practice."

39. "Did you just fall?"

"No, I attacked the floor."

"Backwards?"

"I'm freaking talented!"

40. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"Because... Because I think I'm falling in love with you, okay? That's why."

41. "If you wanted a sign you should have said. I would have punched you in the face."

42. "No, I don't like them. They are loud and obnoxious and I think that thing they do with their hands when they're nervous is dumb."

43. "Do you not see it?"

"See what?"

"The difference between her and you. He looks at her like she's the prettiest girl in the world. But you... He looks at you like you are his whole world."

44. "I'm not jealous! It's just... you are mine."

45. "A broken heart is small price to pay, when you're not the one paying it."

46. "Why don't we take a nap? We can be nap buddies."

47. "Why am I on the ground?"

48. "Are you... Is this flirting or are you starting a fight?"

49. "How drunk were you last night?"

"Well, I still have my pants on, so not that drunk."

"Those aren't your pants."

50. "I'm with him. For better or for worse."

"It'll probably be for worse."

"I knew that the day I met him."

51. "I'd be more than happy to show you a good time if you are looking for one."

52. "Show me your scars."

"Why?"

"I want to see how many times I wasn't there when you needed me."

53. "Well, fuck me."

"Already did."

54. "Get in"

"No"

"Get in"

"No"

"Now"

"Make m..."

"Trust me, love. That's a sentence you don't want to finish."

55. "... You didn't."

"Oh, I did... I did so very much."

56. "I didn't fall for you, you fucking tripped me."

57. "I will destroy you and everything you care for."

"You do realise that includes you, right?"

"I'm counting on it."

58. "I remember kissing you... WHY DO I REMEMBER KISSING YOU?"

59. "Am I your lockscreen?"

"You weren't supposed to see that."

60. "Can you stop playing connect the dots with my freckles?"

61. "Not to toot my own horn or anything, but the dog loves me more."

62. "Permission to lean in?"

"Permission granted."

63. "I'm not a delicate flower. Kiss me like you mean it."

64. "Is there a reason you waited until she walked in to kiss me?"

65. "You talked in your sleep... Do you really love me?"

66. "I mean, I'd make out with them but like... platonically, you know?"

"You can't make out with someone platonically."

"Of course you can! We've done it like severeal times already."

67. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Go ahed but only if you buy one for my boyfriend too."

68. "I hate you!"

"Why? I'm lovely."

69. "Did you just tell the person I was gonna go out with that we're dating?"

70. "He excelled! How the heck did you do it?"

"I promised him a date if he passed."

[bronzeagepizzeria]

20 QUESTIONS GAME

Thanks for the tag @nodirectionhome-ao3!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

17

2. What's your total AO3 words count? 81,583

3. What fandoms do you write for?

doctor who and harry potter, as of now. i do have a few x-men fics in the works!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Of Thorns and Roses: tenrose; arranged marriage au

The Surrender: tenrose; shag or die

Dimorphous Expressions of Positive Emotion: tentoorose; babyfic

One Day Closer To Death: tenrose/tentoorose; post JE reunion

The Seduction Pit: tentoorose; ood sex talk crack fic

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

almost IMMEDIATELY haha. as soon as i post/update i be refreshing that inbox :')

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

as of right now, it's got to be One Day Closer To Death. the ending is still canon compliant w.r.t ten’s arc in the show, i just wanted to give him a little closure. but it made me saddddd.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably this little microfic? it’s just a fluffy slice of life thing about mia’s first play.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nah. i’ve got maybe one or two slightly odd comments but not outright hate

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

i have tried it a handful of times and i think there’s loads of scope for improvement so i’ve got to keep practicing. as for the kind, erm, f/m i guess?

i only have one m/m ship at the moment and i don't usually think of them in smutty ways (it's the angst that draws me in lol) but never say never, i think.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

no, and i don't know if i ever would...i love playing in the sandbox of AUs but a full blown crossover doesn't appeal to me at the moment

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

probably not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

co-writing one right now with @thirdeyeblue for the tentoo gift exchange! also working on a jily one with @joyseuphoria but we've yet to make proper progress xD

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

i'd have to say doctor x rose. i've had a lot of ships and usually i move through them super quick so the fact that i've stuck on for 3ish years is a big deal!!

cherik is going up my otp scale rapidly as well

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

i AM going to finish my WIPs. manifesting

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think dialogue, mostly. i think (hope) it’s usually in character and it flows quite decently. i watch a lotttt of movies so it comes to me more easily than other parts of writing

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i feel like a lot of my descriptiveness is lacking? like it just comes across as filler, or it’s too expository. i also can’t write actions 🫠

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i am fluent(ish) in a few languages other than english but they almost never come up in fic lol. but if i had to include a foreign language, i’d either write it from the pov of the character who doesn’t know the language (and gets it translated from a third party) or i’d have to consult someone who could help me out with the language

19. First fandom you wrote for?

when i was 12 i wrote a chris hemsworth x reader fic on wattpad 😭 the first proper “fandom” was probably x-men. i hand wrote a bunch of logan lives (logan-2017) fics in my diary lmfao

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

god. idk😂 nothing at the moment

Tagging: @thirdeyeblue @nostradamus0 @naaer @demdifferentstories-29 @ashesandhackles

[thursdayinspace]

twenty questions for fanfic writers

I was tagged by the amazing @oohnotvery, thank you!! <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

10, but I orphaned my old account several years ago when I left fandom for a bit. I don't know how many I had back then, over 100 for sure.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

37.724

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The X-Files. There's most likely going to be some Star Trek in there eventually, and I ventured into other realms in the past, but right now, exclusively The X-Files.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

under construction (Torchwood)

wild side (The X-Files)

in conclusion (The X-Files)

the ghost circle (Torchwood)

the physics of being alive (Torchwood)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes. If I ever forget, I'm sorry! I love every comment and it's important to me to say thank you.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

held safely in the dark (Torchwood). It's not even all that angsty by that fandom's standards, I suppose.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Good question. I rarely ever write unhappy endings. Fanfic is my happy place. But I think the one I most enjoyed writing because there was NO angst at all was in conclusion (The X-Files).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Ohhhh my god one time in a different fandom on my old AO3, somebody left a scathing, vitriolic comment on one of my fics, but obviously meant to do it anonymously -- only they forgot to log out first. By the time I read it they had deleted their entire account. That made the whole thing actually funny in context.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, I do. What kind? Hmm. Mostly pretty plain and boring. It's all about the feeeeeelings.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I used to. Back in the good old livejournal days I loved a good crossover. I wrote a Stargate Atlantis/Firefly crossover once, that might have been the craziest.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I'm...not sure? I think so? But that would have been like 15 years ago, I'm not sure anymore whether that actually happened or not.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes!! And it's so much fun. I've had a few co-writers over the years. Once life is less crazy, I might be tempted to give it another shot.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Mulder and Scully. There's a reason my tag for them is "the ship of all time."

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

None, currently. ...I'm. Hold on. That can't be true. But I truly can't think of a single one. I can't remember the last time that happened. This doesn't happen. But no, not one.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. Because it's fun, and through years and years of practice. One of my first betas drilled "show, don't tell" into my head to the point where I feel it's permanently tattooed onto the backs of my eyelids and I see it every time I blink when I'm writing. And in my very specific case, that meant learning to make people use their words. BUT it has helped me getting rid of unnecessary exposition, which at the same time made me get a lot of practice with dialogue instead. (Let's ignore the fact that I literally just posted a fic that has almost no dialogue at all...)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action. I can't do it, I'm sorry. Whose hand goes where when? Does this guy need three arms to do what I just told him to? Wait, you were just over there, how did you get here suddenly? Anyone who can write action scenes has powerful magic and I envy you and please teach me.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm bilingual, so I could do that, I suppose? The need for it has never come up. Sounds fun though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Stargate Atlantis!! I still miss that fandom. Ahh the livejournal nostalgia is strong tonight...

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

It's usually always the last one I posted, but I'm gonna say in conclusion. I'm very fond of that one.

Tagging...I don't know who has done this and who hasn't! @mr-iskender if you want to?

[hughungrybear]

Me watching Dangerous Romance Ep. 6

1. Why do I get a feeling that Pimfah is only saying she likes Sailom to push Kang into action? Am I wishful thinking? 😭

2. I mean, we all know it's coming, but ouch! Welcome to the Friendzone, Kang 😅. Anyway, I feel like the only reason why he likes Pimfah is because their fathers are friends and Kang doesn't know any better.

3. Well, this is going to be awkward — Sailom silently supporting Kang's crush on Pimfah, Kang thinking he needs to fire Sailom as a tutor and give him away to Pimfah (as if Sailom is a toy), and Pimfah, well I still don't know what Pimfah's real deal is 😅

4. Perth playing football reminds me of Pete from Love by Chance. ☺️

5. I'm been thinking about this since the 2gether series, but why is the cheer routine for these schools basically just hand gestures? I used to to do competitive cheerdance from the age of 11 to 16 (Years 6 to 10 equiv. in Australia). Let me tell you, at the end of each practice right until the competition, my body is aching in places I never knew can feel pain lol 😅😅😅

6. So, Nava isn't a complete asshole. I guess this is the start of my GuyNava ship lol. I am really rooting for Marc and Pawin since My Gear and Your Gown did them dirty.

7. Wait, so Pimfah does like Sailom? Why? How? You two barely interacted throughout the previous episodes. WTH 😭

8. Yeah, I don't think Pimfah is talking about her bandaged ankle 😭😭😭

9. Kang, dude. I don't know how your thought process works but Sailom can reject whoever he wants to reject just because. Sailom doesn't need to list his reasons why he doesn't romantically likes Pimfah. Also, get an effing clue lol (but then again, Sailom confessed so...🤭🤭🤭)

10. Oh my lords, Sailom is eating noodles silently. In the dark. So K-Drama protagonist of him. 😅

11. After getting beaten up by loan sharks in earlier episode in their own living room, you would think Sailom (and Saifah) would learn to lock their front door 😅😅😅

12. I really, really hope Kang does not mistake his apparent genuine care for Sailom as guilt. Athough, I'm still triggered he let Sailom sleep on that sofa without a blanket.

13. Wait, Kang-Sailom-Guy is another love triangle that I do not wished for. 😭😭😭 Make it right, GMMTV.

14. There it is. Tbf, he does a lot of good things for Sailom right after he did something bad that caused trouble for Sailom in the first place.

15. Well then, ouch. Sailom, baby, let me hug you.😔😔😔

16. Uhm, Guy, now is not the time to antagonize Kang. I mean, you are teammates. Also, look at that, Sailom cannot help but to cheer for Kang.

17. Yeah, why are the teammates only cheering for Guy when Kang passed the ball? Wtf.

18. I don't know how to feel about the kiss. On one hand, it is non-consentual. On the other, this is a BL and Sailom has been pining for so long. 😐

Next episode, Kang will try to win over Sailom's friends (even Guy). I can already see Kang's jealousy from here. Oi vey.

[circa-specturgia]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

Since @tryingtimi @bloodlessheirbyjacques @the-void-writes @baroquesse, @awritingcaitlin and @agrimedena-drax all asked me (some twice, if you need any idea at how bad I am at answering asks), I’ve finally gotten around to writing it down…

I'll answer it for my main WIPs, Circa Specturgia's main character, Caspian. Answers being from him in the state he's in around the midpoint, or towards the end of the second arc of the story, if I were to guess!

Cas is sitting in front of a fire, a ways away from the camp where everyone else is staying, far enough away to be out of earshot when you sit beside him. He doesn't pay you much mind, though he doesn't brush you off, instead stoking the fire, which illuminates the bags under his eyes.

1. Are you named after anyone?

I am. We were able to know for sure that the A .in my name meant Alekos once we'd met V, though after meeting Mask the first time, we already suspected that it meant something to me. Though, I don't know if I can count it as being named after someone if I'm to be that persons incarnation...

Aside from that, Blackwood... It's where I'm supposedly from, but I'd like to think that I've made that my name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I’d rather not say. Or think about it.

3. Do you have kids?

Uh, no. Maybe I'd like to, in the future, though. If I can even really think about that right now. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if Mask can even... hmm. Maybe I should ask.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

Never. Not once in my life have I ever used sarcasm for any reason.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Would you punch me if I said their ass?

He chuckles a bit once you do, before he straightens up, stoking the fire again.

Their eyes. You can usually tell a lot from the eyes.

6. What's your eye color?

Black. Or really dark grey? Like graphite, or obsidian. They apparently turn gold sometimes though. Whenever I do anything Antecendant. I’ve never looked in a mirror when it happens.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. I'd like to hope for happy endings.

8. Any special talents?

I don't know if I can count my arsosteia as a talent? It's just something I can do, thought V said I have a knack for it. Kane would also– ...sorry.

He goes silent for a moment, having remembered something he'd rather have not, the fire dimming before he realizes it, and reignites the embers.

Uh, I guess Adira said once that I picked up fighting instincts quick.

9. Where were you born?

I… don’t really know. The Blackwood, I mentioned it earlier, was where I was apparently created, but I don’t know the details. If V knows, he didn't tell me. Cyril put down Layr Laiarta when sorting out my documents, so I guess that makes me a Vosiinæan on paper. I think that works for me. Maybe I'll settle down there. If I earn that happy ending.

10. What are your hobbies?

I liked reading, when I had time. The Royal University Library had a ton of books, and even if the ones on Matrixes gave me a headache I'd still take those over what we have to deal with these days.

Sparring is nice too. Both with or without specturgy. It lets everything sort of melt away, too.

11. Do you have any pets?

Do the runalongs count? I didn’t even know I could do it until recently but Mask taught me to summon them to me and they have my fire, so I guess that makes them my pets?

That said, Mask is enough of a creature themselves that I could call them my Pet…

12. What sports do you play/ have played?

Does sparring count? Adira and Cyril have us practicing nearly constantly. I don’t mind it, though. Like I said, helps me clear my head.

13. How tall are you?

6'5" or so? Cyril says I've gotten taller over the last year.

14. Favorite subject in school?

Gods, that feels forever ago... I think it would've been the the practice matches against Cyril. Or the control exercises, they were tough, but, finishing them felt good.

15. Dream Job?

He doesn't speak for a moment, looking into the fire.

I haven't let myself think that far ahead, yet.

I return the ask to @tryingtimi @bloodlessheirbyjacques @the-void-writes @baroquesse, @awritingcaitlin and @agrimedena-drax, and add on @magefaery @cherrybombfangirlwrites @verba-writing @ss-hawthorne @kainablue @wildswrites @jessica-writes22 @breath-of-eternity and @manuscriptsatmidnight!

Have fun!

[practically-an-x-man]

Ok so first of all, you do NOT have to answer all these, since there's, well, a lot.

1, 5, 7, 10, 11, 15, 18, 23, 33, 42, 44, and/or 50 for Gia and Nikoletta

Dude are you kidding??? I love this! Thank you so much!

Superpower Character Ask Game

Does your character like their powers?

Gia: She's neutral about them. She hates what she had to go through to get them, but she's fairly indifferent to her powers themselves.

Nikoletta: No, and she's hated them for a long time. Once she's learned to expel her shadow-touch, it's a little more manageable, but she still doesn't see many redeeming qualities in them at all.

5. Under what circumstances would your character willingly give up their powers? 

Gia: Hm... at this point, what's done is done. She's not sure how her body would adapt to have her life force re-bound to it, and she certainly wouldn't get back into a lab to have it tested.

Nikoletta: Honestly, she'd do it the first chance she gets. They've brought almost nothing but pain, and she'd get rid of them in a heartbeat.

7. If your character could choose to gain an additional power, what would they choose?

Gia: Transferring her healing to another person's injuries. Because she lives a quiet life, she doesn't get injured terribly often or terribly badly, but she'd use her life force to heal Kate or another hero in a heartbeat if she could.

Nikoletta: Being able to access the shadow realm in other ways - it's a realm, a world of its own, more than just a jumping ground like she's been using it, so in theory she could go full shadow-witch and summon creatures or other powers from that realm. In her current state, she's only linked to the realm in the sense that she can reach it and move through it, not that she can harness the wider powers of the realm

10. Is your character good at fighting without their powers? 

Gia: No. HYDRA tried to put her through some supersoldier training, since they figured she'd make an excellent weapon after being bound to her clover, but she hasn't sparred or practiced in years and is more than a little rusty.

Nikoletta: Yes, in the sense that she's lived her whole life on the streets and has learned to defend herself. She fights dirty, but she can handle herself.

11. Does your character more often deal with localized, globalized or intergalactic matters?

Gia: Localized, if even that. She doesn't advertise her abilities in the slightest, the closest she'll ever get to being a vigilante is when Kate begs her to keep lookout for her (and she only does that bc she doesn't want Kate to get hurt)

Nikoletta: It varies. On her own, she does tackle more localized threats (mostly helping the other vigilantes in the area and making sure her neighborhood is safe enough for herself and Abner), but sometimes larger threats (like Starro) do emerge.

15. How did your character learn to fight?

Gia: Given some supersoldier training by HYDRA before it got shut down. She doesn't remember much of it, though muscle memory would probably kick in if she were in genuine danger.

Nikoletta: Taught herself from her life out on the street, supplemented by having some of her followers in Belle Reve teach her their most effective techniques

18. How does the general public feel about your character's powers?

Gia: They don't know, and she'd like to keep it that way. Some information about the experiment was leaked when HYDRA went down, and people were very polarized about the idea of bound life-forces at all, but it was all seen as a hypothetical since they didn't realize there was a survivor of the experiment.

Nikoletta: They don't like it in the slightest. Her second trial (where she was sentenced for both B&E and "disfiguring" people with her shadow-touch) gained a bit of public attention, and the media spooked them - a person who can appear and disappear out of the shadows, who could "disfigure" you just with just the smallest brush of the skin? It ended up helping her build her reputation quickly once she got to Belle Reve, but it made her trial itself a living nightmare.

23. Who would your character most like to disclose their secret identity to?

Gia: Her brother. They used to be incredibly close, but she went quiet after she got out of HYDRA, and she's not even sure he knows she's still alive. She wants more than anything to get back in touch and spill everything, but hasn't worked up the courage yet.

Nikoletta: Nobody? Everyone she'd be inclined to tell already knows, by virtue of having met her in Belle Reve, and she doesn't know many people outside that. Besides, between her public trial and her history at Belle Reve, her reputation tends to precede her a bit.

33. Would others find it surprising to see your character act vengefully? 

Gia: Extremely. She is about the farthest thing from a violent person you could imagine - even with HYDRA, she just wants to keep her distance and leave it behind her - so acting vengefully would be very out-of-character for her.

Nikoletta: Not really. She's mellowed out a bit since she left Belle Reve, without that constant pressure on her, but she still holds a bit of that old persona within herself and it's easy for her to slip back into it when she's under stress or feels she's in danger.

42. If your character had to transfer their powers to someone else, who would they choose to give them to?

Gia: Kate, in a heartbeat. She gets herself hurt all the time, and would make much better use of Gia's healing factor - and it would make Gia feel a lot safer, both for herself and to know that Kate will come home at the end of the night.

Nikoletta: She sees her powers as more of a curse, so she'd be hard-pressed to find someone to give them to - she wouldn't saddle her friends with anything like that, even if they wanted her powers. In the end, she'd probably find a way to auction them off: she's got no guilt for passing that off to some rich stranger who thinks they could be a superhero, and she could use the money.

44. How does your character feel about the legal system?

Gia: Neutral. As far as she's concerned, she's just a civilian living her life. She has her critiques with it, like any reasonable person, but treats it much like she treats the rest of her life - keep your head down and survive, create no ripples if you can help it.

Nikoletta: It's screwed her over her entire life, and then there's all the systemic racism and bigotry in the system. In her opinion, it's outdated and prejudiced and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

50. How willing would your character be to fight alongside their adversary for a common goal? 

Gia: Not willing. She's not a fighter even on the best of days, and there's nothing that would get her back in HYDRA. She might team up with a HYDRA defector like Kayla, if she had to, but then they wouldn't really be adversaries.

Nikoletta: My friend, that's just the Suicide Squad.

[charliesimss]

Evens for Issy

Gladly cause my game just crashed.

2. What was their earliest memory?

Playing with her dads cat, Peter, on their living room rug together, but she doesn't remember what they were doing.

4. What were their first words?

Dada and then papa within the same week probably. Both her dads are convinced she meant him when she first said dada, but it remains a mystery.

6. When were they fully potty trained?

ur gonna make me research.. probably 2, a seemingly appropriate age I think

8. How often did they throw temper tantrums? What were they usually about?

She wouldn't have them that often because she was an only child and got what she wanted most of the time... and when she wouldn't she;d get upset and cry real toddler baby tears until it was resolved.

10. How easy (or hard) was it to take care of them?

She was an easy baby, but the terrible twos hit hard. She had lots of fits about little toddler things (not being allowed to feed ducks, not getting her way, getting the purple cup instead of the pink one). But her dads were patient and knew it wouldnt last forever, they tried to practice gentle parenting and would calmly explain to her why she couldnt do something, although that hardly stopped her from the fits. So she was fairly easy to take care of until she had fits.

12. Were they a fussy eater?

Yes, which disappointed her chef dad for a bit, but then he just used it as inspiration to make recipes with hidden vegetables and stuff. She liked any form of carb or potato though, but unfortunately toddler issy couldnt and wasnt allowed to live off tater tots 😔

14. What kinds of toys did they like?

She liked stuffed animals and dolls and dress up, especially when her dads played with her

16. What kind of discipline were they subjected to? Was it lenient or strict?

During her early years (3-grade school aged), she would get put in time outs for as many minutes as she was old, but her dads would explain to her why she was in time out and make her apologize if it was needed, they would try not to yell at her because they didnt want her to be afraid of them, they wanted to form a healthy relationship and sometimes that meant having a short time out for doing something bad. Later on in her life when she could understand punishments her dads would sometimes take her phone away, or have natural consequences mostly

18. What was their favorite childhood memory? Their least favorite?

Favourite is when she met her little brother and her first trip to Hawaii to see her mom, all in one good memory. Her least favourite memory was when her fish died when she was 6 because she fed it 15 times in one day, she'll be a great mom

20. What was their relationship like with their parents? How different was it than currently?

She loved her dads, she couldn't ask for better ones to raise her. Growing up she'd secretly try to think of which one she liked more, but it would always end up being a tie, which I think is how it's supposed to be. Recently this past year she and her dads have been having some tension, just because she's seen Duncan (her bio dad) so many times, and they don't approve of him as a person. But she still always goes to them for help, and cries to them about Duncan.

22. Did they have any pets growing up?

Yesss, a cat named Peter that is still alive out of spite, and a fish for like one day and then never again

24. Did they have any caretakers besides their parents?

Sometimes she stayed with her chef dads parents, and also Gemma her bio mama for a few days here and there.

26. What was their first major loss?

Her fish dying, that was the first in her childhood that she remembers, but her grandpa also died when she was 5 and she went to Hawaii for the funeral but it was more seen as a happy family get together to her at 5

28. Did your muse have any nicknames as a child? If so, what were they? Did they give nicknames to others?

Her dads called her bunny or bun, and her grandma actually started calling her Issy which was shortened to Is, but that was more an older grade school nickname.

[something-tofightfor]

So you're not worried about all of the changes they're making for the TLOU show? It sounds like they changed a lot. What happens if you don't like it?

Oh, I'm terrified that the show won't live up to the expectations I have - I have been since it was first announced. (Although I'm more than thankful the original movie that was planned and announced in 2014 never happened because that would have been a DISASTER)

I've loved this game and these characters for almost a decade, like I've said plenty of times before - but I trust that the man responsible for creating the games - along with the orifinal development team and people involved with every step of TLOU1 and 2 design and creation being so involved means that this show is and will be everything that we as fans have hoped for. (and so much more. Because it has the potential to be SO MUCH MORE.)

Is it going to be the exact same as the game? No. Is it going to be a 1:1 retelling of the first game's story? No. Is it going to be like watching the game play out on our TV screens every Sunday night for 9 weeks? No, not entirely.

And that's OK. The game and show aren't the same thing, and they were never meant to be. I've followed the production of this show like a damn HAWK ever since it was announced that Pedro and Bella were cast, and everything that I have seen - on Instagram and Twitter and Reddit - from people that were on set or directly involved with the production or that simply walked by their local coffee shop and saw the set sec - makes it CLEAR that in terms of the show's visuals, they know what they're doing. And a lot of the crew actually TOOK the job because they were such fans of the game and they wanted to work on it and make sure that it was everything THEY wanted it to be. That says a lot.

I don't want to judge anything until I see the show, because that's unfair to the thousands of people that worked so hard on this for two years. If I wanted to watch the exact same scenes from the game again, there are plenty of YouTube videos for that. The changes that they've made and that we know about seem to be in place to give more depth and humanity to the characters - and are going to help us as viewers connect with them while we watch.

Making Sam deaf and Joel have bad knees (this shouldn't be a surprise because what 50 year old man doesn't have bad knees?) and giving Frank and Bill more screentime together and giving us more Marlene and expanding on the prologue with Sarah .... how are those bad things?

It wouldn't have made sense to focus on these things so much in the game becase there was a limited time to expand and a predetermined storyline to follow - but with a TV show, there's more ways to add in these little bits and pieces of people's personalities without distracting from the overall story arcs. This is the kind of shit that as a writer, I LIVE for - and I can't wait to see what they do with them.

The sets we saw pictures of FELT like the game. The action sequences LOOKED like they came straight out of the game. The bits of dialogue in the trailers as well as the things that they've shown from final edits and with special and practical effects look amazing.

The cast and crew have been talking the show up a lot, yes. But they've also let the promotional materials do a lot of the work for them - and that's how it's supposed to work. The official trailer had 15 million views in like 8-10 days ... that's insane. ABSOLUTELY INSANE.

Is it throwing me off that they've made changes - like the year from 2013 to 2003, or skipping Pittsburgh in favor of Kansas City or changing the show's timeline so that they end up in Jackson in the winter instead of during fall? Is it an interesting change that they've made such edits to the University section and to Frank and Bill's storyline that they've come out and SAID that people will probably be upset because it deviates?

Yes.

But at the same time, I do not write for or film television shows on a regular basis - and these are not my characters, so I, as a viewer and a fan do not know better than people that do this for a living.

This isn't a show made specifically for me - or JUST for other fans of the game. It is a show that's being made for a broader audience - one whose entire population won't care that it's a video game adaptation and just wants a story to follow and characters to fall in love with for the first time.

I'm going into it with an open mind. I'm going into it with the hope that they truly know what they're doing with this and understand what this game means to people like me and won't fuck it up the way they have fucked up 99% of the game to movie/tv live action adaptations from the last 20 years.

The Resident Evil movies and shows have sucked. The Silent Hill adaptations are abominations. Uncharted was a fucking DISASTER on every levevl. Mortal Kombat was ... forgettable. Warcraft and Rampage and Assassin's Creed and Tomb Raider were complete misses. *Alicia Vikander is the perfect example of WHY choosing someone that looks lke a character is not always the best option*

Detective Pikachu and both Sonic movies are honestly the only things I can think of that I really enjoyed - but even those things didn't try to stick to linear storylines ripped straight from the games they came from.

TLOU and HBO have a lot to live up to. And I really think they know this. They took the time and ensured they had the budget to do it right - and we'll see in less than three weeks what the outcome is. (Then again Rings of Power also had a massive budget and took 9 years to film and it was almost unwatchable so ...)

If I don't like the show, I'll be the first person to admit it. I have no problem talking about the things that I don't like about media that I consume, or pointing out things that I don't agree with. But I think that in order to have this type of opinion, you need to watch the show before you can badmouth it, which is why everyone online saying that it's going to flop based on what they've seen so far is wild to me. (Now, if reviewers that have seen episodes 1-5 or whatever the early access is were overwhelmingly saying this, that would be a different story, but sorry LaxTurtle46789 from reddit, your opinion doesn't mean shit at this point when your assumptions are based on the fact that you don't like how Ellie looks or that everyone's clothes look too clean)

That's the only reason I forced myself through Shadow and Bone and She Hulk and Kenobi. If I'm going to shit talk something, I'm not going to do it based on a couple minutes of trailers and clips I've seen people repost - I want to base my opinions on the overall Thing, not just parts of it. I'm sure there will be stuff in there that I don't like or that I would have approached differently, but no series or movie is going to please everyone 100%, and I don't expect them to.

If you're worried and don't want to watch it, anon - that's fine. No one's forcing you to. The show was made and is being released, and now all we can do at this point is wait and see what happens.

Even if you do end up watching it - or I end up watching it - and am completely unhappy with the final product, the games still exist. The show won't change that, and we'll always have Pixel Joel to return to whenever we want.

Sorry I went on a tangent here, but I wanted to give you a thorough answer.

I hope you love the show, Anon. I hope everyone does. TLOU is such an important and stunning piece of media that it DESERVES nothing but the best from the people involved in adapting it. I hope they did it justice.

[riko0youth]

Rollercoaster New year

Did I tale about how I had a Quiz on the 31th? no? thought so, let's go,

So i had an online quiz, i was carelssly studying for cuz they said its only 9 points and i was somehow sure i could wing it (bad, bad me), or just cram it, the quiz was sunday 9am (and we hated that with passion), but when i was starting my exam night cramming they Sent a message at 10 pm that it was moved to 9PM, i did a victory dance allover the house until my stomach and associated organs started to hurt, However, as a paranoid person i was scared half to death i would wake up to find the exam link sent for morning, i had to get reassure from people and get people to get reassure from people, before i could force myself to sleep, woke up, day went fine, i totally forgot it was the last day of the year until i was reminded, all my thoughts are on the quiz and the paper i had to turn in next day, so skip to an hour before quiz, i finished my half assed cramming and was doing questions, and still sus,the link wasn't sent yet, i did the mistake of following the group CHAT, someone had the mind to ask how many questions was the quiz and the usual answer got out, nine, nothing grand about it, but the all hell broke loose, The admin (Students Rep.) was like, Who says, and we all paused in panic and bomberes him with freaked out questions,

First arrow hit, He sent a crying emoji saying the doctor said its 20 questions.

Now imagine, you're carelessly prepared for a tiny quiz, already planning on sacrificing some subjects, since they prolly only had a one or two points in, and then you're hit was the fact that there's enough room for all subjects to whoope your unprepared ass and only less than an hour away from said whooping for you to prepare ANYthing.

Second arrow, he then said that he is trying to negotiate with the doctor, trying to convice her to prolong the exam time to half an hour, and we were like, Wait, then how much is it? and there were scrambled replies of 10 or 20 minutes and we didn't know who to trust, the fact of what we were about to face not really sinking in for me,

We tried to remedy the situation, finding any logic in that farce we reasoned that it must be half a point for each question, 10 points, not so bad, more room to think, all is good,

Now third, K. O., arrow hit, he sent another plethora of crying emojis,saying its 20 points.

(at that point someone angrily asked why he doesn't say all that in one go, i wholeheartedly agree) Half an hour, before said 20 questions quiz.

At that point, i acted when i do in really highly stressful situations, and kept calm and cool and chill about, i was like, okay this is happening now, let's end this, get it over with, and go cry about it to every single person i know later,(yes my uncles included, i've always found comfort in crying to them about hard academic stuff, like my trauma against physics, i somehow, by a strange twist of fate always got to sit with them right before any major physics test i had, including the final, and i found great comfort in that), 15 minutes, I locked my phone and continued to finish the questions i had in hand before running out of time just to Scream about in with fellow suffers, I looked again, couldn't help myself, five minutes later to find the admin sending on the Announcement group, "Okay guys, the doctor was just doing a Happy New Year Prank on us, the quiz is 9 questions"

You can guess what happened next.

It is note worthy, that there were people calling the bluff, people calculating with great logic why i could only be 9 questions, People saying that the doctor was probably joking, i was one of those people, say that the module was only 90 points, EOME, Practical, Final,Activites, how will they get enough points for those if the gave a whole 20 to a tiny quiz.

However, when one is dealing with our college, we learnt the hard way not to rely on logic and not to be too optimistic, yes, we suspected, but we knew better than to let our guard down while dealing with a college that tells you the number of exam questions and the exam time right before the thing itself.

So, instead of seeing my fellow Suffers in arm's reaction, i finished the questions first and tries to follow up.

Two minutes before the quiz someone said to start the count down

Exactly a minute before the quiz I sent lamenting that we're counting down to the beginning of the quiz instead of the beginning of the year.

Right after, they closed the group Chat, and I started my mental prep, Closed all the books and moved from the bed where they lay, cuz its not an openbook quiz. it took a few tries before the quiz opened.

All in all, the quiz itself was anticlimatic (for me at least, and I'm very much thankful for it) I lost a point because i didn't revise a subject as well as i should've, i avoided losing another point thanks to dear, dear, Spongbob squarepants (don't ask how, i make weird connections and refernces while studying, It very decidingly, very provenly (?), Works, so imma keep it that way) after successfully submitting (another thing i was greately thankful for) I Stood up, previously supressed Dizziness and Fatigue crawling back in with the speed of lightening, I went to the dining room, very obviously didn't eat, Drank a huge cup of tea (its a soup cup, Stolen/Gifted from my uncle, he was horrified when he saw me drink black tea from it,I have a bigger one now,almost 1/2 a litre I usually drink from twice a day,I always gleefuly smile when i see someone stares in horrified amazement/worry)

New year came and went, just happened, one moment i was still scrolling through food videos to get myself motivated to eat(I do suspect i have ARFID, but like my other mental and psychological suspected disorders, it remain undiagnosed) the next it was 12:02, i missed the ritual count down I am used to doing alone as the only person sentimental enough in the house to stay awake for it on a school night, I was kinda in a weird mood, but i woke up from it soon, My lil bro was surprisingly awake, not for the sake of welcome the first second of the year of course, I Told him happy new years, Shooting a text to each of my two enstraged from each other bestfrieds (Im like a child with divorced parents, the irony of it, what with my family circumstances, is not lost to me, in dark amusement i joke to myself that I get to experience both a failed ongoing marriage and a divorce, that was one of the reasons I was in a freaky mood), one replied one slept early, I aimlessly went to the kitchen, mood lost while watch a mundane Old Comedic Play on the TV, I Made something up on the spot in the kitchen, as you do.

Watching an eating, my brother joined me halfway for a while, we talked about that iconic actor we love, talking about Animation movies trilogy and Rewatching said movies and anime series and old,golden age cartoon we just pity the younger generations for missing out on.

it was honestly chill. still the weirdest Newyears eve i can remember. I was still Dizzy from the stress rush I had thanks to the quiz when i went to sleep.

[addictwoapen]

7:22am (feels like 3:42am)

I never thought I'd live past the age of maybe 18 or 19. I just. Stopped thinking about what would come after.

This doesn't mean I wasn't making plans. But it never had that tangible feeling like the one you experience when a concert for your favorite band is three weeks away. Or when you have a camping trip planned with your dad in the summer and the first hint of spring is finally breaking through the cracks.

When I got to college, I knew I was going to attend grad school. I knew it would be a longer road of education than most of my friends at the time, who were all going to be done in four years, while I had seven to go. But for some reason, while I was making these plans, it had never occurred to me that they were so very real.

I start working with my first round of clients next semester. It will be my first time practicing as a counselor for college students, and I am terrified, but I am also prepared.

They will not be the first people I have talked off the ledge.

15-year-old me did it for the first time her sophomore year of high school. Her friend was threatening to take a bottle of extra-strength ibuprofen and drown herself in the tub. Young me was so overwhelmed that she had panic attacks during her tennis matches. Her vision would tunnel and her memory would fail. A protection technique, they say, that the brain uses to shield you from harm.

16-year-old me did it again for a friend who was self-harming. He sent her pictures of his actively bleeding wrists with no follow-up. And while she sat in her parent's basement trying to figure out her geometry homework, her heart sunk and a slew of texts were sent to make sure he was okay.

17-year-old me did it again for a friend who would often say "goodbye" and turn of her phone. To see if anyone cared about her. Present-day me knows now that she was just struggling. She just needed help. But what a horrible way to live, to have a friend you called your best one disappear and insinuate she's ending her life.

This was all too much for young me. She had her own severe anxiety that prevented her from being able to say what she wanted and be who she is. She had her own depression that consumed her at night and made the world feel like it was ending. She never thought she would get through it. She was just living one day at a time and hoping for the best.

And to be fair. Adult me feels the same at times. Young me is still current me, but god does she feel like she has aged so much in the last few years. I guess what they say about brain development is true.

My golden birthday is next year. 24. A birthday I couldn't even imagine arriving to as a child. I remember thinking "wow, my golden birthday is so much later than everyone else's". All of my friends were born on single digit days, or the early 10s, so their golden birthday came and passed, but I always liked the number 24, and I was excited to have mine when I was an adult and not a child.

24 has been a number I associated with myself since childhood, like most people. It is the number at the end of my e-mail address. It is my go to when making a pin. It is a number that is mine. And when my golden birthday comes and goes, I don't know what that number will mean anymore.

I never thought I'd make it to 24.

By the time the sun starts to set on twenty-four and twenty-five approaches near, I will have my Master's degree. Hopefully a job. I will hopefully be moving out of state and to another far away from where I grew up. I will be working with client's and supporting the community in amazing ways. I will have a cat. I will live with a friend I did not expect to come into my life that has. It's all a very beautiful thought.

But god did I never even expect to make it to 23.

[polaris-one]

Time Management Coaching Techniques That Work

You might think that time management is a habit, like brushing your teeth. It’s not. Time management is a skill, and like any other skill, it requires practice to master. If you want to become more efficient in your daily life, whether you are an entrepreneur or working in an office environment, here are some effective time management coaching techniques that work:

Set goals.

When you set goals, make sure they're specific and measurable. For example, instead of saying "I want to lose weight," say "I want to drop 10 pounds." This makes it easier for your coach and yourself to track progress and know when you've reached your goal.

Your goals should also be achievable but challenging--which means that they may take some time and effort before they are achieved (and sometimes even longer than expected). For example: "My goal is to be able to run 5 miles nonstop by September 1st" versus "I would like to run 2 miles nonstop by April 15th."

Finally, always remember that your goals should align with what's important for you in life--not someone else's idea of success or happiness!

Prioritize.

Prioritizing is a key component of time management coaching techniques that work. It's important to prioritize the tasks on your list in order of importance, starting with those that are most urgent and working down toward those that can wait until later.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what needs doing right away, then next week or month, etc., until you reach the bottom of your list (which should include everything else). For example:

Urgent: Call insurance company about car accident claim.

Important but not urgent: Go through my clothes closet and donate anything I haven't worn in over a year; call library about renewing my library card; call doctor's office about scheduling annual checkup appointment.* Less important than either of these two categories above: Call friend who lives nearby who doesn't have children yet so she can keep me updated on their social life without having too much pressure from them about getting together soon; buy new pair shoes online since mine aren't comfortable anymore; bring old books back from storage unit where they've been sitting since moving here two years ago

Create a To-Do List.

When you have a clear idea of what needs to be done and when, you can start scheduling your time accordingly. Make sure that the list is concise and easy to read so that it doesn't become overwhelming or confusing. You want it in front of you at all times so that when something pops into mind during the day (and it will), there's no question about whether or not it should go on the list for later that night or tomorrow morning: just write down every single thing!

Schedule your day in 15-minute increments.

It's tempting to schedule your day in 30-minute increments and then get frustrated when you don't get everything done. But if you break up the tasks into smaller chunks, it's much easier to see what needs to be done and how long each task will take. If a task takes longer than expected, just schedule another 15 minutes on top of that time slot so that you can finish up at the end of the day without feeling rushed or stressed out by not finishing everything you set out to do.

When you get distracted, go back to your list immediately.

If you start doing something else and then realize that you are no longer on task, stop what you're doing and go back to the original task. You can't do everything at once, so focus on one thing at a time! If it helps, use an alarm or timer to remind yourself when it's time for a break or another activity.

Focus on the task at hand, not the entire job or project.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the big picture. When you're working on a project, it's natural to think about all that needs to be done and feel like you won't be able to get it done in time. But if you focus on one small thing at a time, then eventually everything will get done!

For example: If I'm working on organizing my closet, I might start by taking out all of the clothes from each drawer and putting them into piles based on what kind of item they are (tops vs bottoms). After this step is complete, I'll start sorting through those piles by color and type (shirts/sweaters vs pants). Once I've grouped everything together into categories based on category and style--and separated out any items that don't fit anymore or no longer suit me--I'll put them back into their original drawers according to category so that everything has its own place where it belongs!

Take breaks when you need them.

Take breaks when you need them, but keep track of how much time you're spending and what you're getting accomplished during those breaks.

Make sure that your body is getting enough sleep, healthy food and exercise, relaxation and positive social interactions. Your brain will thank you for this!

Delegate tasks that are not a priority for you and your business.

Delegation is an important part of time management. It's the act of assigning responsibilities to others, which frees up your time and energy.

If you're like most people, delegation is not something that comes naturally--and it can be difficult to learn how to delegate effectively without making mistakes along the way.

One technique that works well for me when delegating tasks is asking myself these questions: "Is this task something that I really should be doing?" "Does this task fall within my skill set?" If yes, then I have no problem taking on more work! If not...then it's probably best if someone else takes care of it instead!

These simple tips can help you manage your time.

Here are some time management coaching techniques that can help you improve your productivity.

Set goals.

Prioritize the tasks on your to-do list and schedule them accordingly, so you can make sure that each task is completed as soon as possible.

Create a to-do list every morning before starting work or school, so you know exactly what needs to be done before leaving for the day (or night). This will also give off a positive vibe in those around you!

Schedule your day in 15 minute increments; this will allow for breaks when needed but also force focus on what needs done right now instead of letting things pile up later on down the line when they could get even more stressful than they already are at their current momentary level of "not being stressful enough."

Polaris One is the world's first time management coaching business. We provide our clients with the tools and strategies they need to get more done in less time, so they can spend their days doing what matters most to them. Polaris One is proud to provide Time Management Coaching. We know that you're busy, and we want to help you get more out of your day.

Our time management coaching services are designed with one goal in mind: helping you manage your time better so that you can accomplish more of what matters most to you. Polaris One wants to help you maximize your productivity, minimize stress, and improve the quality of your life in general.

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