#like i just want it to commit harder to it

[ilovecatfr]

Why are you afraid of shifting and how is it stopping you from success

This post is all about finding what are your struggles with shifting and fear and how to overcome it

Why This Happens

1. Fear of the Unknown: Shifting involves stepping into a completely new reality, and the mind can find that overwhelming. Even though you consciously want to shift, your mind might be resisting because it’s unsure what will happen or how you'll feel after the shift. (Your mind can't stop you from shifting but it helpful to overcome this)

2. Fear of Failure: While you’ve maybe built a mindset that "shifting is easy," there might still be a lingering fear of what happens if it doesn’t work. This can lead to procrastination as a way to avoid facing potential disappointment.

3. Attachment to Your Current Reality: Even if you consciously want to let go of this reality, your mind might still hold on to certain attachments, routines, or responsibilities, making it harder to fully release and surrender.

4. Perfectionism: You might feel that the conditions for shifting need to be "perfect" (e.g., the right time, mood, or setting). This can cause you to delay the attempt, thinking, "I’ll do it tomorrow when I feel more ready."

5. Energy Imbalance: Mental and emotional energy play a big role in shifting. If you're mentally drained from school/job or other activities, it can be harder to find the focus and motivation to try.

Advice to Overcome This

1. Address the Fear Directly:

Take a moment to reflect on why you might feel scared. Is it fear of failure, success, or the unknown? Journaling about these feelings can help bring clarity and reduce their intensity.

Remind yourself that shifting is safe and that you’re always in control. You can come back to your current reality whenever you choose.

2. Break the Cycle of Procrastination:

Commit to small steps instead of aiming for the perfect shifting session. For example, one night, just focus on relaxing and visualizing your desired reality for 5-10 minutes without the pressure of fully shifting.

Set a consistent time for your shifting practice, even if it’s only 15 minutes a day.

3. Ease Into Letting Go:

Practice mindfulness or meditation to train your mind to release attachment to this reality. Grounding yourself in the present moment can make it easier to let go when the time comes.

Try visualization exercises throughout the day. Imagine yourself briefly in your desired reality during small breaks, which can make the idea of shifting feel more familiar and less daunting.

4. Shift Your Perspective on "Failure":

Remember, every attempt is progress. Each time builds your connection to your desired reality and strengthens your mental state.

Celebrate small wins, like getting into a relaxed state or feeling closer to your desired reality, instead of only focusing on whether you shifted.

5. Create a Comforting Routine:

Build a ritual around your shifting attempts that feels calming and enjoyable. For example, use soothing music, light candles, or repeat affirmations that help you feel safe and confident.

Use self-reassurance phrases like, “I am in control, and shifting will happen at the right time for me.”

6. Reframe "It’s Too Late" Thoughts:

Remind yourself that there’s no "right" time to shift. You can attempt shifting whenever you feel ready, whether it’s day or night.

Think of shifting as a natural, ongoing process rather than a single, all-or-nothing event. This can help reduce pressure and make it feel more approachable.

Letting Go of the Pressure

It's helpful to approach shifting with curiosity and excitement rather than pressure. The more you view it as a natural and fluid process, the easier it can become to allow yourself to fully engage. Instead of thinking, "I have to shift tonight," try shifting your mindset to, "I’m exploring this tonight, and whatever happens is okay."

Mantra to Try

When you feel scared or hesitant, try repeating: "I trust the process. I am safe, I am ready, and I am capable of shifting when the time is right."

A little remember that it most important to find what works for you.

[sodavizz]

—Casual?

an ever so lovely birthday gift for @jollibee-nyong-malandi

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ

W/C: 1k+

Pairings: Anya x F! Reader

Warning: Angst

--

°Beginnings ★

High school was a golden age for you. The attention, the admiration, the spotlight—it all came naturally. You thrived in the chaotic ecosystem of cliques and crowds, moving through life like a shining comet. Anya, on the other hand, lived on the fringes of that universe. A bookish girl with her nose always buried in medical textbooks, she preferred the quiet corner of the library to the noisy cafeteria.

You noticed her one day during a study hall. Something about her calm demeanor intrigued you, a stark contrast to the loud, ever-demanding life you led. You started with small conversations, asking for notes or complimenting her taste in novels. Anya was shy at first, offering clipped responses, but as the weeks went by, her soft laughter became a constant in your day.

By the time senior year rolled around, you were inseparable. Weekend study sessions turned into spontaneous hangouts, and Anya’s kindness became a balm against the pressures of your own high expectations. You dragged her into your world, introducing her to your friends, showing her what it felt like to laugh without reservation.

--

°Changes

Graduation came and went, and somehow, you both ended up at the same university. You shared a dorm room, a decision that felt like the most natural thing in the world. Anya pursued nursing with a fervent determination, her days filled with long hours of studying and clinical rotations.

At first, you kept pace. You worked hard, determined to keep your grades up. But college brought temptations—wild parties, new friends, freedom. Slowly, you started slipping. Late nights out became a habit. While Anya stayed hunched over her textbooks, you stumbled in after midnight, your laughter echoing down the halls.

She never complained, not really. She’d wait up sometimes, her face a mixture of worry and exhaustion. “You’re home late,” she’d whisper, helping you take off your shoes, her hands lingering just a second too long. You noticed the way her eyes softened when she looked at you, the way she always made sure your comfort came before hers.

--

°Quiet Confession

One night, you came back particularly intoxicated, your steps uneven and your words slurred. Anya was there, waiting as always. Her hands were gentle as she guided you to bed, brushing stray hair from your face.

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself,” she murmured, her voice breaking ever so slightly.

You hummed, barely conscious, lost in the haze of alcohol. As she pulled the blanket over you, her lips brushed your forehead.

“I love you,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I just wish you’d see yourself the way I do.”

You didn’t respond, too far gone to register her words. But even in your drunken state, you felt the weight of her sadness as she sat beside you, her fingers brushing against yours.

--

°Breaking Point ★

The days after that night were unremarkable on the surface, but something shifted. Anya seemed quieter, more withdrawn. One evening, she finally gathered the courage to confess properly.

“I love you,” she said, her voice steady but her hands trembling. “And I care about you, more than you’ll ever know. But you’re tearing yourself apart. You’re so much more than this, but you don’t even see it.”

Her words hit you harder than you expected. You cared about her—deeply—but commitment felt suffocating. “I care about you too,” you admitted, avoiding her gaze. “But I can’t… I don’t want to be in a serious relationship thingy right now.”

Her face fell, the light dimming in her eyes. She nodded, forcing a small smile. “Okay,” she said softly. “I understand.”

And so began the arrangement—close, intimate, but never quite whole. You shared stolen kisses and whispered moments in the dark, but it was clear Anya wanted more than you were willing to give.

--

°Hollow Affection

The flings became regular, a strange mix of comfort and torment. For you, it was casual fun. For Anya, it was agony masked by silence. She gave herself to you fully, hoping you’d one day realize she deserved more.

But you didn’t. And she couldn’t bring herself to tell you how much it hurt.

--

°Party

When you invited her to a party, Anya hesitated. Crowds weren’t her thing, but she wanted to be near you. She dressed simply, blending into the background as you shone like always.

Your friends noticed her immediately. “Who’s this?” they asked, eyeing her curiously.

“Just a friend,” you said with a laugh, a teasing edge to your tone. “She’s kind of obsessed with me, though. Can’t keep her hands off.”

The group erupted in laughter, but Anya’s face turned pale. She laughed along weakly, but the hurt was evident in her eyes.

The night dragged on, and Anya stayed by your side, her silence growing heavier with every passing hour.

--

°Breaking Point ★

Back at the dorm, she finally broke. Tears streamed down her face as she packed her things, her movements frantic.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she said, her voice shaking. “I can’t keep pretending this doesn’t hurt.”

You froze, panic rising. “Anya, wait—”

But she didn’t.

She stayed in her room all week, you tried everything, you tried persuading her by doing any of her favors, her favorite foods, nothing. Nothing worked.

"Anya... I do love you," You say with a hitch as you leaned against her door after knocking non-stop.

"I just... Don't love you the same way you do.. With me." You said knowing that Anya wouldn't respond either way.

--

°Note

The next morning, you woke to an empty dorm. On the counter, there was a letter.

“I regret meeting you,” it read. “Not because of who you were, but because of what I became. I loved you more than I should have, and I let that love destroy me. You’ve changed, and I don’t recognize you anymore.

I’m leaving. Don’t come looking for me. I need to heal, and I can’t do that here. I'm sorry.”

The words blurred as tears filled your eyes. Guilt crashed over you in waves, each sentence cutting deeper than the last. You realized, too late, how blind you’d been to her pain, how much you’d taken her love for granted.

For the first time in years, you felt truly alone.

--

You wished, desperately, for a second chance. But Anya was gone, and all you were left with was the haunting echo of what could have been.

[unabashedly-so]

Reaching

word count: 920

warnings: mentions of alcohol, sex, and kind of self-destructive vibes I guess?

Similar to and taken some inspiration from @snailmail444's fic, "Elliot Situationship"; but I promise while are inevitably structural similarities, the content is, hmm, unfortunately organically homegrown. Hope you don't mind the mention--it's a fic that stuck with me and I just felt it fair to acknowledge the similarities! 💕

----------

Elliott needed a muse; you needed a release. Neither of you were ready for commitment, but neither of you were ready to be alone.

So together, per the agreement, you do everything except love.

He reads you his manuscript. You tell him the town gossip. You dance, you drink, you dance some more, you drink a little more. You discuss philosophy, politics, religion, family, and all the things neither of your last partners knew very much about. You smell salt in his hair, the cherry wine on his breath, and taste the cherries when he kisses you.

It’s well past 3am—and not for the first time nor for the last—when he asks you if you’ve ever…? And the answer is complicated—it always is. When he listens, you’re certain you see it—in his intention, disbelief, sadness, care. When he holds you in his arms, it’s secure.

Then you make love. Or, you would, but it can’t be that, so you… what was the word he used, ever the wordsmith?

“Fuck.”

He tries to say it smoothly, but it trips out of his mouth like an accident. Elliott doesn’t curse. He could euphemize, allegorize, wax poetic… but whenever it comes to this, he curses instead.

He is gentle, tender, slow as he lights sparks down your body.

The first several times, everything feels right in the world. Riding the high of release and connection, you hardly notice it’s not the same. Then its absence begins to grow heavier on you, time after time, until you finally recognize—it hurts.

You spend your days raking yourself over different scenarios: we have to stop doing this, or I can’t keep doing this, or this is no longer beneficial for me, or you’ve begun to mean too much to me, and always, I’m sorry.

You spend your nights chasing, reaching for what you know you cannot have, and telling, lying to yourself that the act of reaching is enough. Because you can’t, but you do. You do, you do, you do.

If you think you are in love, and you feel like you are in love, then how far of a reach is it to say you simply are?

Pain’s like that, too.

“Harder,” you tell him the next time he’s between your legs.

He kisses you just below your ear, whispering as he does not falter in his steady pace, “Patience, patience…”

“Harder.”

Now he pauses. He looks at you, his beautiful auburn hair tossed in a way he never lets anyone else see, and you look at him. His voice is soft but firm.

“I don’t want to hurt you…”

--but there’s a lift at the end, you heard it. He’s weak for you. “You won’t,” you lie, sinking your teeth into his weakness. “Please.”

You blink and hope the lowlight hides what had welled in the corners of your eyes when he’d stretched you to tears only moments ago.

His eyes hold yours in the winded silence between you. He opens his mouth to say something, then looks away, lips pressed into a thin line.

This is what we signed up for, isn’t it? If you don’t love me, then fuck me like it.

“Do it,” you press.

And not without hesitation or passion, he does.

It hurts, but at least it’s an honest hurt.

Afterwards, you lay your head on his chest and listen to his heart gradually find its steady rhythm again. His arm is wrapped around you. He pauses before he kisses your hair, where his lips do linger.

When it is time to leave, because someone must always leave, his fingertips trail against your skin. For a split second, you imagine they twitch, reaching, as if to grab you and bid you stay. But you stand up and only feel the chill of empty air on your skin.

It’s not the first time you’ve done this together, too, so there’s a ritual around leaving. You go through it with mechanical precision. He thanks you for coming by, says he enjoyed your company. You say the same, and together, at an arm’s length, you do both mean it.

“Good night, Elliott,” you bid him as you reach for the door.

“Good night, love,” he says back to you without flinching.

Why would you say that? you want to scream, Why would you say that?

And so, instead of screaming, you don’t say anything at all. You open the door and step outside and away from the cabin, and maybe the door closes behind you, maybe not, it doesn’t matter. Your eyes transfix on the sea as the roaring of the waves crashing against the shore drowns out everything else. They swell, they break, they reach and reach and reach, and then they’re dragged back, cast back into the devouring void. To be re-congealed, reformed into swells destined to break again and get dragged back again—

and reach. And reach. And reach.

It’s high tide, and the sand an arm’s length away is solid and cold from a wave for now receded. Another wave swells, breaks, reaches, and is dragged back, leaving barely a trace to show so that each wave looks fresh and new, and not an infinite plus one.

You are not so lucky. Though your tracks in the sand quickly erode in the breeze, you will hold the memory from each and every time you find yourself here again.

How many more times will it be?

You begin to count the waves.

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF game Vanessa is doing her best to play nice,,

[fuckinart]

(they'll never understand) How could I ever understand? No, I don't have to understand. I don't wanna understand. So I will never understand. (we could have everything)

[fiapple]

...the "nothing happened" scene has caused my brain to latch on to zoro with a vice grip. send help.

[doomed-era]

so zelda as a series is generally not that interested in historical accuracy to the point if you call it strict medieval fantasy I'm going to assume you've never played any of them, or you weren't paying any attention. despite the whole swords and sorcery thing, zelda generally does not try to draw from a specific time period for more than maybe one or two things pre-botw, and includes wildly "out of place" technologies at various points that seem to contradict where they are in the "timeline."

for example, ye olde neon lighting:

ye olde steam-powered boat:

ye olde baseball:

ye olde remote controlled device:

pretty much no zelda game before botw has ever been concerned with being that grounded in its worldbuilding. hell a link to the past has dwarves for no reason and a wind waker npc implies they know what brain surgery is. it's got the general aesthetic of medieval fantasy, but it never pretends to take it that seriously or stick that closely to it.

then we get to botw and they're like "oh my god what is rubber"

which, sure, fine, nothing's inherently wrong with modern hyruleans not knowing what rubber is. a culture could have very sophisticated tech and not know what rubber is simply because it's not relevant to them. however I doubt that's the case here. there's a very strict divide in technology in botw: "ancient tech" and the technology that most of hyrule has, which is...actually kind of jarring when you compare it to other games, where technology is much more evenly distributed even where there are "advanced ancient civilizations." there's no weird minigames that involve big colorful mechanical spinning wheels, no automated bombs, no implied brain surgery. which, again! nothing wrong with this, but tonally it's very different from the games before it, and I can see why others would consider it an unwelcome addition.

I'm also not saying that botw is period-accurate, because it is also not adhering to anything more than a basic aesthetic--but from what I've observed, its "open-air" design and commitment to groundedness do cut out a lot of the more colorful and weird parts of zelda, and there are advantages and disadvantages to it. on one hand, I think it can lead to some fun speculation, because all the game will tell us about it is that some dipshit king banned the cool stuff. on the other hand, it's...kind of boring. idk i dont feel too strongly about this choice

OKAY ONTO THE FUN PART. so "we are going to stick harder to the whole medieval fantasy thing in botw" thing also permeates the story, tone, and infrastructure of hyrule, while still attempting to tell a story within the confines of the previous games' sense of groundedness.

let's take minish cap as an example.

minish cap's version of castle town is super fun and godd i love it so much. everything is cozy, princess zelda is free to walk around as she pleases and enjoy a festival with her friend. no one really treats her with, say, reverence-- she's basically just a girl to the townsfolk, though an important one. zelda is a princess, for sure, but the infrastructure of hyrule and how much political power she has is pretty debatable. minish cap is not interested in answering those questions, and its atmosphere makes it obvious that it doesn't intend to. sure, there's guards and a postman, but they really don't tie into anything; they might as well just be townsfolk. it is meant to be whimsical, lighthearted fantasy, and this suits it very well!

in my opinion, pretty much every version of hyrule is meant to have some sort of whimsical quality to it, no matter how dark the game gets. I don't know if the fandom always understands this though. it's one thing to be aware of the games' level of worldbuilding when you're writing fanfic and aus, and expand upon it with careful research and creative additions, and it's another to just insert more of the trappings of pop culture medieval aesthetic without putting in any actual depth or research. and...yeah that's what some of botw's worldbuilding feels like to me in its attempt to look more grounded. it wants so desperately to be taken seriously, for you to see zelda as a person with real struggles and for hyrule itself to feel like a real place while not doing enough to make zelda real and not enough to make hyrule feel lived in. there's implied to be a full standing army in pre-calamity hyrule, there are roads and towns and prisons and citadels and forts and zelda has servants and there's a royal guard and link is an actual soldier (he has never been one canonically before botw!!) there is a LOT of implication here about how hyrule used to be structured, but it's never elaborated on and instead we get repetitive information about one or two characters to the point that it's annoying! god it drives me crazy. zelda's field research outfit is meant to look like an english riding outfit and she has ladies in waiting in the dlc!!! but it still cannot bother to make any of these choices MEAN anything to the larger story; it's just meant to look good, so don't draw any conclusions about how power works and might be abused because the devs cannot commit to the groundedness they need, and are only concerned with making it look grounded.

idk does that make sense

i'm gonna rant about botw's obsession with appearing more serious and grounded worldbuilding-wise than other zelda games but it actually being rather shallow and how it annoys me hold on

[tommykinard217]

Saw a fic tagged with aromantic Eddie and god....that really would explain SO much about this man

[gotjacobian]

Whenever I don’t draw comic pages for a while I’m like “god i have no clue how I used to do this and it’s gonna be frustrating and take me 20 billion years”. And then some night I’m just like “oh I want to try coloring something, lemme just flat this panel to see how it looks”. And then it’s suddenly 3 hours later and I’m rendering and I haven’t even noticed, and it’s like oh yeah. That’s how this gets done.

[autopsytableromance]

One funny thing to me is that sometimes my bestie will send me reels like this one

And I have to be like. Bestie I appreciate that you’re on my “side” ig but 1 I’m just having fun and 2 in no way did he treat me like his bf and our FIRST text conversation he was like “hey I don’t want you to get the wrong idea bc I don’t want a relationship”

[djungleskogs]

im kinda jealous of how involved american colleges are. like your professors actually take a personal interest in you? my tutors all barely remember peoples names and most of them don’t even try. you have mandatory classes? i went to 1 class out of 13 for one of my units this semester because i couldn’t make myself go. you are failing or need extra credits? the professor can choose to give you some. maybe it’s just my uni but they do NOT give extra credit no matter what. we don’t even get supplementary assessments so if you do badly you’re just fucked. extensions go through the uni itself and not the teaching staff. you have multiple classes per subject a week? ok maybe not all colleges but i feel like if i had more than one to go to i would show up more and would also get to actually know the people in my degree. i am four years into this and i have like. 2 friends who study law and we aren’t even in the same stage of the degree. one of my old unit coordinators was american and she had such a culture shock coming to my uni because of how detached it is. she tried to structure the unit in a way that encouraged students to actually show up to class and get to know people in the classes and she had to change it because it went against uni policy.

[archersartcorner]

Am catching up on Neverafter and got to Pib and the wolf’s conversation in episode 11… Just found it very endearing. I like seeing Pib’s relationships with other beasts and his interaction with archetype vs character. Also he’s like, A Little Cat Dude Who Made Biscuits On A Lion, so like. Excellent character, a shame I don’t feel confident in how I draw Animals 😔

[unsettlingcreature]

Slowly reconfiguring my altar space but I'm gently adding Halloween decorations as September passes and October approaches, I'm personally obsessed with the little ghost lights. Anyway I don't have a dedicated sideblog for this stuff anymore so I'm just slapping it on main :)

[bending-sickle]

back from yet another orthodontist visit and

the working theory is that i grind my teeth so bad at night — a habit picked up from years of having the other type of retainers which were of the “hai have massive amounts of plastic between your teeth, sleep with your jaw wide open why don’t you” variety — that i shove the retainers too hard into my teeth and everything gets fucked :)))

they’ve been polished down a bit more so either that works or i wear them a few hours during the day.

and if that isn’t enough — or i bite too hard at night (that’s what she said eyy) then i’ll need night guard retainers.

which is basically the same as replacing the broken retainers i already had.

which means i could have just fucking skipped this whole step and these different-model-but-better retainers.

in conclusion: fuck them teeth

[qumiiiquinnquin]

i wish i could just enjoy group chats. im too scared to talk in them & when i do talk i delete things or just leave. i feel like it's better if i was never there. but then i crave interaction with others. so i join again and the cycle repeats. even if i was told my company and presence is appreciated i think it's all a lie and i delete things or leave either way. it's incredibly frustrating. i have joined group chats and not checked it at all to avoid those bad habits but it makes attempts at communication hard. and i delete things or leave. i hate that i always do this. "don't delete anything. don't leave" ive tried, genuinely. i hate always thinking im hated by everyone. i hate always perceiving everything as anger or annoyance towards me. even just one on one conversations i feel this way. im genuinely trying. i can't

[rosicheeks]

Been thinking about you hon, missed seeing you around. Glad to have you pop up in my feed again ❤️