#more to add later with more research

[greenflamedwriter]

Pronounciation Guide:

Since I keep getting yelled at [kindly, people are actually really nice about it] That I keep getting stuff wrong [Since I keep forgetting] I'm gonna type it all here.

DEMONS: Many demons go by titles instead of personal names, titles styled like XX-Jun are for high ranking demons and some titles are hereditory.

Courtesy Names: A courtesy name is given to an individual when they come of age, usually at the coming age of twenty for their first crowning ceremony, but it can also be presented when an elder or teacher deems the recipitent worthy. Generally a male only tradition. Women adopt a courtesy name after marriage. Courtesy names reserved for the upper class.

Diminitive Nicknames and name tags: Xiao- : A diminitive meaning "Little." always a prefix. [i.e Xiao Jiu, Xiao Yuan]

-ER : A word for 'son' or 'child' added to a name, it expresses affection similair to calling someone 'little' or 'sonny' always a suffix [I.e, Yuan-er, Jiu-er] A- : Friendly diminitive, always a prefix, usually for monosyllabic names, or one syllable out of the two-syllable name. [I.e, A-Yuan, A-Jiu, A-Lou] If the name is longer like Qui JianLOU that last part is the same nickname as Binghe [hence the truama for Shen Qingqiu as he heard that name]

Family: Di : Younger brother or younger male friend, can be used alone or as a honourific.

Didi : younger brother, or male friend. Casual

Xiao-Di : does not mean 'little brother' instead refers to ones lackey or subordinate, someone a leader took under their wing.

Ge : Familair way to refer to an older brother or older male friend, used by someone younger- or lower rank in status.

Gege: Same as Ge, has a cutsier feel than "Ge."

Jie : Older sister, or older female friend.

JieJie :Older sister, or older female friend.

JiuJiu : Uncle (maternal, biological)

Mei : younger sister, or younger female friend,

MeiMei : younger sister or an unrelated younger female friend, casual.

Shufu : Uncle (Paternal, biological) Formal address for one's fathers younger brother.

Shushu : An affectionate version of 'Shufu'

XiaoShu : Little uncle.

Cultivation And Martial Arts:

-Jun : a suffix meaning 'lord' Zhangmen : Leader of a cultivation/martial arts sect. Shizun : teacher/master gender nuetral, meaning "Honoured/venerable master." And is a more respectful name of address Shifu : teacher/master for ones master in ones own sect Shiniang : the wife of a Shifu/ Shizun [Luo Binghe to everyone around "Refer to me as Luo-Shiniang! yes! Good little ducklings!] Shixiong : Older Male disciple ShiJie : Older female disciple Shidi : Younger martial brother, for juniour male disciples Shimei : Younger Martial Sister, for junior female disciples Shishu : The younger martial sibling of ones marital master [Such as Shang Qinghua and Liu Qingge a disciple would refer to them as Shishu as they are lower rank than their Shizun.] Shibo : [As Yue Qingyuan is sect head and his title makes him the older martial sibling would make him Shibo. And so a disciple would refer to him as Shibo, or Yue-Shibo- idk about Zhangmen-Shibo if thats a thing? - Or if disciples of An ding would call Shen Qingqiu Shibo as he's second rank of the sect. Shizhi : [If Shen Yuan was a disciple Yue Qingyuan would call he Shen-Shizhi, or Luo-Shizhi, or just plain call him Shizhi]

Gongzhi : Master/Senior Daozhang : Xiong :

Terms: Manhua: Danmei: XianXia : Qi : Gong : Shou : Chrysanthemum : A flower that is a symbol of health and vitiliaty. In sex scenes it was a metaphor for a mans backdoor entrance.

Chinese Calender: Year dates/era for a story> The Chinese calender uses Tian Gan Di Zhi [Heavenly stems, Earthly Branches] system to mark the year. [Meaning lost] There are ten heavenly stems, and twelve earthly branches [Zodiac adjacent] Each Stem and Branch is associated with either Ying | Yang and one of the elemental properties, wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The Stems are and branches are combined in cyclical patterns to create a calender where every unit of time is associated with certain attributes: Analysing such a calender for the stem, branch characters and their elemental associations was considered essential information in divination, fortune telling, wedding dates, and even buiness deals.

Confucianism:

Is a philosophy based on the teaching of confucius, it placed heavily importance on respect for ones elders and family, a concept broadly known as Xiao "Filial piety," the family structure is used in others that have similair behaviours, such as respect of a student to a teacher, or people of a country towards their ruler.

Cores/Golden Core: A good Cultivation base/Core/Foundation: Means learning from the right age, good training and keeping consistent and percevere. A bad Cultivation Base/foundation: Means you were half-assed it/ sabotaged with an improper manual, learned too late/early, can be prone to Qi deviations.

Meridians: Qi travels through the body, like a magical bloodstream, or map/rivers of the body. redirecting, manipulating, or halting qi circulation focus on targeting the meridians at speicific points of the body, known as acupoints. Technqiues that can block qi prevent a cutlivator from using qi until the block is lifted.

Qi Circulation: The metabolic cycle of qi in the body, where it flows from the dantian to the meridians and back. This cycle purifies and refines qi, and good circulation is essential to cultivation. In Xianxia, Qi can be transferred from one person to another through physical contact and can heal someone who is wounded if the donar is trained in the art Qi Deviation:

"To catch fire, and enter demonhood." occurs when ones cultivation becomes unstable. Common causes include: Unstable emotional state, or strong negative emotions, practicing cultivation methods incorrectly. Reckless use of forbidden or high-level arts. or succumbing to the influence, of demons and evil spirits. When qi deviation arises from mental or emotional causes, the person is often said to have succumbed to their inner demons or "Heart demons." Symptoms: Panic, paranoia, sensory halluciantion, and death. Fixes [not cures] : Forced relaxation, voluntary or forced by external party, massage, meditation, or qi transfer, from another individual.

The golden core forms and replaces the lower dantian, becoming an internal source of power for the cultivator. Cultivators who detonate their golden core, almost always die in the end. The destruction/removal of a core is permanent and cannot be recultivated as there is no longer a lower dantian o form it, its destruction stops an individual from ever performing to cultivate qi normally ever again.

Tradtionally cultivating a golden core is in nine stages, but is often simplified in fiction; Qi Condensation/ Qi Refining Foundation establishment Core foundation/Golden Core Nascent Soul. [A cultivation technique where a soul can project it's soul outside its body and travenl indipendently, this can allow them to survive the death of their physical body and advance to a higher state. Deity Transformations Great Ascension Heavenly tribulations

Dantian: Refers to three regions in the body, Navel, Chest, forehead. The lower is three finger widthds below and two finger widths behind the navel. This is where the golden core is formed and is where Qi metabolsim process begins and progresses upward.

Pilles and Elixers: Magic medicines that can heal wounds, improve cultivation, extend life, etc. These are usuallly delivered in pill form and created in speical kilns.

Spirit Stones: Small gems filled with Qi that can be exchanged between cultivations as a form of currency. If so desired the Qi can be axtracted for an extra energy boost.

Currency: In most dynasties was based on the exchange of Silver and Gold, weight was also used to measure the denoniminations of money. i.e: One Liang of Silver."

Daoism: Daoism is a philosophy, of Dao. Involves coming into harmony with the natural order of the universe, which makes someone a "true human." safe from external harm and who can affect the world without intentional action.

Disciples/sect:

Clan and sect members are known as disciples. Disciples live on Sect grounds and have a strict hierchy based on skill and seniority. They are divided into Core, inner and outer. With core being the highest, Higher ranked disciples get better logdgings and other resources. A sect is like a family, hence the name for martial sibling, and teachers are parents.

Incense time: A common way to tell time. One incense time: is roughly 30 minutes.

The Three Realms:

Split into three realms, the heavenly realm, the mortal realm, the Ghost realm. Heavenly realm: Heavens, heavenly officials. A Celestial court where gods reside and rule. Mortal Realm: Realm of humans. Ghost Realm: Refers to realm of the dead or in scum villain/demon realm.

Edit: more to be added later -_- this is a cheat sheet to look back on when I have to use these terms [ps I write fanfics for fun, and I'm more focused on my art etc, so I am half assing this stuff but I'm only making this sheet to be polite, I'll still try to incoporate this stuff and be respectful but I'm not writing an actual properally researched novel here its just for fanfictions]

_________________________________________________________

Links for meridians/aacipunctures:

We pass qi by this paths, cultivation = qi gong, you can see qi praticioners in youtube^^

Here, qi spinning a paper in real life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKqHm7qs2Fg

I also asked someone online [Cryptidpatriarch] about what would happen if Luo Binghe was given a courtesy name I mean, Shen Yuan would or would've thought of one so this was one suggestion.

when you join a clan, you assume the clan name, because it is your new family and you abandon the original name to be a new person, with a new family, in which case he should take the name of the peak. Cang Qiong = firmament, reach the sky peak... Bing Hé Qiong= ice river through the firmament. 竹河 = bamboo river Hé = river Bing = ice

[legobenkenobi]

my favorite genre of character is autistic scientist with a transgender gait

[vaguely-concerned]

I feel that during the first coffee date walk through the market, rye has a fraction of a millisecond's kneejerk trauma freakout of '...wait. wait. am I really catching feelings for a rich boy again. with how that went down last time. am I truly that stupid' (once derogatorily referred to quite openly at a party as 'young master anaxas' pet mortalitasi' to which the young master anaxas only grinned and shrugged and STILL you don't break up with his smug controlling ass for good for six more months because you have a desperate bottomless yearning pit where your self respect should go, twice shy lol). and then he actually looks at lucanis standing next to him getting harding spearmint to help with bad dreams and generally being so quietly thoughtful and sweet through the prosaic yet necessary medium of grocery shopping it makes me feel a little unwell to truly contemplate. and rye is like '*the softest fondest eyes anyone has ever turned on anything* ...you know what. I suspect we don't have to worry about that repeating, I think we're probably safe. I am comfortable being this level of stupid. (slowly dawning marital intent even at this stage)'.

(part of the reason rye buys NONE of illario's bullshit at all right from the beginning is that he's basically vaccinated against this exact type of dude after that relationship lol. charming suave guy who in the beginning pays you a lot of lavish attention and takes pains to make you feel special every time you're in a room with him -- but shallowly and mostly, it slowly dawns on you, when there's something he wants from you (and he's often doing it at the expense of someone else, raising you up to put someone else down and you won't believe this... it can turn into a seesaw at a whim. yay). and beneath that there's just a seething pit of resentment and inferiority complexes and bitterness left to fester until he can make it everyone else's problem and that IS going to start to bubble up between the cracks with you too if you stick around for long enough. no thank you been there done that wasted my youth and potential on it and all I got was this lousy shiny set of new emotional intimacy issues haunting me for life! trust me illario I HAVE, as it were, chosen the wrong dellamorte before, which is exactly how I know I didn't this time. go get him lucanis I've got your coffee

hilarious mental image: rye and illario sitting quietly together while everyone else is busy milling about during a cursed dellamorte family dinner (the vibes are so bad. you know the vibes are bad. sitting as still as you can and hoping for calm skies is your best bet without lucanis or teia favourite child privileges to work with) and rye out of the blue gazing thoughtfully into nothing over the edge of his glass with half-lidded eyes to go 'you know. you remind me a lot of my ex. not in a good way' and illario with absolutely no shame and hilariously also something that's the closest he ever gets to real sympathy going 'yeah, I get that a lot'. best talk those two ever had, unironically. their bond leveled up to its final form that day. *soulsborne boss defeated text* MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING REACHED)

[scificrows]

someone asked me to post the image of murderbot in a flower crown, so i figured why not post all a few of them! so here you go, these are some of the little edits i made for the murderbot uquiz :) (please note that i am not an artist (aka can't draw for shit), i used tmd cover art and some freepik art that i found. (sources below the cut))

art: latvian cover art for 'artificial condition' (illustrated by andis reinbergs) murderbot: french cover art for 'all systems red' (illustrated by pierre bourgerie) 2.0: cover art for the illustrated subterranean press edition of 'the murderbot diaries' (illustrated by tommy arnold); danish cover art for 'all systems red' (i tried but couldn't find the name of the artist, please let me know if you know) secunit three: 'network effect' illustration (by tommy arnold) combat secunit: spanish cover art for 'all systems red' (illustrated by cecilia g.f.) comfortunit: art found on freepik (recolored)

[lesbiancarat]

hello!!!! i just stumbled upon your carat resource carrd and want to thank you for putting in the effort and time for such a well made and informative library of seventeen content!! i noticed that there are a few songs missing: seungkwan's cover of 'text me merry christmas' w/ AKMU suhyun, and the HHU songs from the diamond edge tour (joker - wonwoo solo, what's the problem, and madness maxed out)

also i think the miss you by sicboy ft. vernon MV is missing from the carrd :)

ahh thank you! i try my best to get everything but sometimes little things slip through the cracks so i appreciate you letting me know! i can't believe i missed some of these lol. these should all be added now!

Music -> Covers -> Text Me Merry Christmas

Music -> Unofficial & Unreleased Songs -> Joker / What's the Problem / Madness Maxed Out

Music -> Collaborations -> Miss You

[goofily-moved]

idk anything about hitmen / assassins but im adding a new hitman oc bc the concept is so fun to me........ her name is valentine <33

[serpentide]

𝐈𝐍 - 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄. despite serpent's humane physique, her physiology and anatomy closely resemble that of snakes. aside from the most obvious attributes that can be easily seen ( such as her eyes and the scales scattered across various parts of her body ) , there are more differences between her and a normal human.

➤ 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬. serpent presents various scales 'pon her body, most notably across her shoulders and breastbone, down her spine, on her lower abdomen, upon her inner thighs and around her ankles stretching until the upper side of her feet. each scale possesses an aquamarine color and they're luminescent, which means that they reflect any outer source of light as well as glowing in the absence of the latter. in snakes, the scales offer protection from desiccation and injury, which is why even in serpent's case, they are located in the most vulnerable parts of her body. although she can be long since considered as an adult snake in natural terms, the outer layer of her scales sheds off and new scales grow beneath them ; this process does not happen too often due to her age. each scale is cold but smooth at the touch, in spite of the differing shape from one to the other.

➤ 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. serpent has colorless hues, rimmed in a blood - red color, a memento of her life as a human, when she was affected by ocular albinism. now, her pupils are constantly elongated vertically, no matter the environment and thus the light that illuminates them. vertical pupils create an astigmatic depth of field such that images of vertical contours nearer or further than the distance to which the eye is focused are sharp, whereas images of horizontal contours at different distances are blurred. this type of vision allows serpent to estimate distances and blur elements that are outside of her focus and thus outside of her attention ; advantageous for predators, she is capable of always maintaining her surroundings under strict control. another ability that is unique to predators, is her ability to detect infrared radiation, which allows her to generate a thermal image of others in her surrounding area: the superimposition of thermal and visual images within her brain enables serpent to track a designated prey with great speed and precision. although this is not noticeable by others, beneath the eyelid, there is a special type of scale called 'spectacle' that further protects the eye from injury and dirt.

➤ 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡. although her mouth ( jaw + maw ) does appear normal on the outside, there are a series of openings alongside her upper and lower lips, called labial pits, that contain heat - sensing organs: these labial pits aid her in examining her surroundings and also serve to warn her of the presence of plausible predators or dangers nearby. her tongue is not forked like that of normal snakes, but it can still be employed to pick up minuscule scent particles in the air and place them in contact with the vomeronasal organ ; due to this and her capacity to smell normally through the nose, her sense of smell is quite heightened. when it comes to teeth, serpent has both snake teeth and snake fangs: her snake teeth, on the sides of her mouth where morals should be, are solid and angled backwards and they serve to heighten the power of her bite ; on the other hand, her snake fangs are positioned where her canines should be and they are hollow, attached to venom sacks and are thus used to poison her prey.

➤ 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦. serpent's venom is indeed lethal, although its effect on the body depends on the quantity of droplets that she injects within her prey. each of her fangs can contain a medium amount of 15 to 20 droplets, but only two droplets are actually needed to kill an adult human. due to the fact that she has never really depended on her own venom to kill her victims and has instead employed her python to devour her enemies, even serpent herself is uncertain about what her venom may be capable of causing once injected into a prey. for sure, she does know that her venom is highly neurotoxic and cardiotoxic and that a single droplet of it is enough to render an adult human incapable of standing on their own legs. when two or more droplets are injected within the victim, the death is slow but tremendously painful as it causes the collapse of the main organs and tarnishes the nervous system, before finally leading to death.

➤ 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. just like her animal counterpart, serpent is also a cold - blooded creature. although her heart is identical to that of normal humans ( which means that it has four chambers rather than three ) , her body temperature and her relationship with weather is indeed that of a normal snake. cold to the touch, she adores being close to sources of warmth and will thus always prefer to linger and rest in those spaces where the temperature is high enough to warm her body ; anything below 18° will make her feel painfully sick, restless and anxious, nauseous and will most likely compel her to enter a state of brumation, where her body falls asleep and her bodily function will slow until she is exposed once more to a source of warmth. a temperature any lower than that can lead to death. because of this, serpent can be tremendously picky when it comes to her abode nowadays, always making sure that both the temperature and the level of humidity within the rooms are proper enough for both her own health and that of her snakes.

➤ 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. her ears are so much longer than those of humans and sharply pointed at the tip. as it is the case with her sense of smell, her sense of sound is also heightened by the ulterior presence of an internal ear, which is capable of detecting low frequency sounds ranging from 100 to 700 hertz. aside from this, her inner ear also allows her to detect motion, static position and sound waves traveling through the ground.

[pnuk-r0ck]

Sure The Shining miniseries might not be the best but it’s more accurate than the movie was🤷

[burntoutdaydreamer]

Things That May Be Causing Your Writer's Block- and How to Beat Them

I don't like the term 'Writer's Block' - not because it isn't real, but because the term is so vague that it's useless. Hundreds of issues all get lumped together under this one umbrella, making writer's block seem like this all-powerful boogeyman that's impossible to beat. Worse yet, it leaves people giving and receiving advice that is completely ineffective because people often don't realize they're talking about entirely different issues.

In my experience, the key to beating writer's block is figuring out what the block even is, so I put together a list of Actual Reasons why you may be struggling to write:

(note that any case of writer's block is usually a mix of two or more)

Perfectionism (most common)

What it looks like:

You write one sentence and spend the next hour googling "synonyms for ___"

Write. Erase. Write. Rewrite. Erase.

Should I even start writing this scene when I haven't figured out this one specific detail yet?

I hate everything I write

Cringing while writing

My first draft must be perfect, or else I'm a terrible writer

Things that can help:

Give yourself permission to suck

Keep in mind that nothing you write is going to be perfect, especially your first draft

Think of writing your first/early drafts not as writing, but sketching out a loose foundation to build upon later

People write multiple drafts for a reason: write now, edit later

Stop googling synonyms and save that for editing

Write with a pen to reduce temptation to erase

Embrace leaving blank spaces in your writing when you can't think of the right word, name, or detail

It's okay if your writing sucks. We all suck at some point. Embrace the growth mindset, and focus on getting words on a page

Lack of inspiration (easiest to fix)

What it looks like:

Head empty, no ideas

What do I even write about???

I don't have a plot, I just have an image

Want to write but no story to write

Things that can help:

Google writing prompts

If writing prompts aren't your thing, instead try thinking about what kind of tropes/genres/story elements you would like to try out

Instead of thinking about the story you would like to write, think about the story you would like to read, and write that

It's okay if you don't have a fully fleshed out story idea. Even if it's just an image or a line of dialogue, it's okay to write that. A story may or may not come out of it, but at least you got the creative juices flowing

Stop writing. Step away from your desk and let yourself naturally get inspired. Go for a walk, read a book, travel, play video games, research history, etc. Don't force ideas, but do open up your mind to them

If you're like me, world-building may come more naturally than plotting. Design the world first and let the story come later

Boredom/Understimulation (lost the flow)

What it looks like:

I know I should be writing but uugggghhhh I just can'tttttt

Writing words feels like pulling teeth

I started writing, but then I got bored/distracted

I enjoy the idea of writing, but the actual process makes me want to throw my laptop out the window

Things that can help:

Introduce stimulation: snacks, beverages, gum, music such as lo-fi, blankets, decorate your writing space, get a clickity-clackity keyboard, etc.

Add variety: write in a new location, try a new idea/different story for a day or so, switch up how you write (pen and paper vs. computer) or try voice recording or speech-to-text

Gamify writing: create an arbitrary challenge, such as trying to see how many words you can write in a set time and try to beat your high score

Find a writing buddy or join a writer's group

Give yourself a reward for every writing milestone, even if it's just writing a paragraph

Ask yourself whether this project you're working on is something you really want to be doing, and be honest with your answer

Intimidation/Procrastination (often related to perfectionism, but not always)

What it looks like:

I was feeling really motivated to write, but then I opened my laptop

I don't even know where to start

I love writing, but I can never seem to get started

I'll write tomorrow. I mean next week. Next month? Next month, I swear (doesn't write next month)

Can't find the time or energy

Unreasonable expectations (I should be able to write 10,000 words a day, right????)

Feeling discouraged and wondering why I'm even trying

Things that can help:

Follow the 2 min rule (or the 1 paragraph rule, which works better for me): whenever you sit down to write, tell yourself that you are only going to write for 2 minutes. If you feel like continuing once the 2 mins are up, go for it! Otherwise, stop. Force yourself to start but DO NOT force yourself to continue unless you feel like it. The more often you do this, the easier it will be to get started

Make getting started as easy as possible (i.e. minimize barriers: if getting up to get a notebook is stopping you from getting started, then write in the notes app of your phone)

Commit to a routine that will work for you. Baby steps are important here. Go with something that feels reasonable: every day, every other day, once a week, twice a week, and use cues to help you remember to start. If you chose a set time to write, just make sure that it's a time that feels natural to you- i.e. don't force yourself to writing at 9am every morning if you're not a morning person

Find a friend or a writing buddy you can trust and talk it out or share a piece of work you're proud of. Sometimes we just get a bit bogged down by criticism- either internal or external- and need a few words of encouragement

The Problem's Not You, It's Your Story (or Outline (or Process))

What it looks like:

I have no problems writing other scenes, it's just this scene

I started writing, but now I have no idea where I'm going

I don't think I'm doing this right

What's an outline?

Drowning in documents

This. Doesn't. Make. Sense. How do I get from this plot point to this one?!?!?! (this ColeyDoesThings quote lives in my head rent free cause BOY have I been there)

Things That Can Help:

Go back to the drawing board. Really try to get at the root of why a scene or story isn't working

A part of growing as a writer is learning when to kill your darlings. Sometimes you're trying to force an idea or scene that just doesn't work and you need to let it go

If you don't have an outline, write one

If you have an outline and it isn't working, rewrite it, or look up different ways to structure it

You may be trying to write as a pantser when you're really a plotter or vice versa. Experiment with different writing processes and see what feels most natural

Study story structures, starting with the three act structure. Even if you don't use them, you should know them

Check out Ellen Brock on YouTube. She's a professional novel editor who has a lot of advice on writing strategies for different types of writers

Also check out Savage Books on YouTube (another professional story editor) for advice on story structure and dialogue. Seriously, I cannot recommend this guy enough

Executive Dysfunction, Usually From ADHD/Autism

What it looks like:

Everything in boredom/understimulation

Everything in intimidation/procrastination

You have been diagnosed with and/or have symptoms of ADHD/Autism

Things that can help:

If you haven't already, seek a diagnosis or professional treatment

Hire an ADHD coach or other specialist that can help you work with your brain (I use Shimmer; feel free to DM me for a referral)

Seek out neurodiverse communities for advice and support

Try body doubling! There's lot's of free online body doubling websites out there for you to try. If social anxiety is a barrier, start out with writing streams such as katecavanaughwrites on Twitch

Be aware of any sensory barriers that may be getting in the way of you writing (such as an uncomfortable desk chair, harsh lighting, bad sounds)

And Lastly, Burnout, Depression, or Other Mental Illness

What it looks like:

You have symptoms of burnout or depression

Struggling with all things, not just writing

It's more than a lack of inspiration- the spark is just dead

Things that can help:

Forget writing for now. Focus on healing first.

Seek professional help

If you feel like it, use writing as a way to explore your feelings. It can take the form of journaling, poetry, an abstract reflection of your thoughts, narrative essays, or exploring what you're feeling through your fictional characters. The last two helped me rediscover my love of writing after I thought years of depression had killed it for good. Just don't force yourself to do so, and stop if it takes you to a darker place instead of feeling cathartic

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

FYI artists and writers: some info regarding tumblr's new "third-party sharing" (aka selling your content to OpenAI and Midjourney)

You may have already seen the post by @staff regarding third-party sharing and how to opt out. You may have also already seen various news articles discussing the matter.

But here's a little further clarity re some questions I had, and you may too. Caveat: Not all of this is on official tumblr pages, so it's possible things may change.

(1) "I heard they already have access to my data and it doesn't really matter if I opt out"

From the 404 article:

A new FAQ section we reviewed is titled “What happens when you opt out?” states “If you opt out from the start, we will block crawlers from accessing your content by adding your site on a disallowed list. If you change your mind later, we also plan to update any partners about people who newly opt-out and ask that their content be removed from past sources and future training.”

So please, go click that opt-out button.

(2) Some future user: "I've been away from tumblr for months, and I just heard about all this. I didn't opt out before, so does it make a difference anymore?"

Another internal document shows that, on February 23, an employee asked in a staff-only thread, “Do we have assurances that if a user opts out of their data being shared with third parties that our existing data partners will be notified of such a change and remove their data?” Andrew Spittle, Automattic’s head of AI replied: “We will notify existing partners on a regular basis about anyone who's opted out since the last time we provided a list. I want this to be an ongoing process where we regularly advocate for past content to be excluded based on current preferences. We will ask that content be deleted and removed from any future training runs. I believe partners will honor this based on our conversations with them to this point. I don't think they gain much overall by retaining it.”

It should make a difference! Go click that button.

(3) "I opted out, but my art posts have been reblogged by so many people, and I don't know if they all opted out. What does that mean for my stuff?"

This answer is actually on the support page for the toggle:

This option will prevent your blog's content, even when reblogged, from being shared with our licensed network of content and research partners, including those that train AI models.

And some further clarification by the COO and a product manager:

zingring: A couple people from work have reached out to let me know that yes, it applies to reblogs of "don't scrape" content. If you opt out, your content is opted out, even in reblog form. cyle: yep, for reblogs, we're taking it so far as "if anybody in the reblog trail has opted out, all of the content in that reblog will be opted out", when a reblog could be scraped/shared.

So not only your reblogged posts, but anyone who contributed in a reblog (such as posts where someone has been inspired to draw fanart of the OP) will presumably be protected by your opt-out. (A good reason to opt out even if you yourself are not a creator.)

Furthermore, if you the OP were offline and didn't know about the opt-out, if someone contributed to a reblog and they are opted out, then your original work is also protected. (Which makes it very tempting to contribute "scrapeable content" now whenever I reblog from an abandoned/disused blog...)

(4) "What about deleted blogs? They can't opt out!"

I was told by someone (not official) that he read "deleted blogs are all opted-out by default". However, he didn't recall the source, and I can't find it, so I can't guarantee that info. If I get more details - like if/when tumblr puts up that FAQ as reported in the 404 article - I will add it here as soon as I can.

Edit, tumblr has updated their help page for the option to opt-out of third-party sharing! It now states:

The content which will not be shared with our licensed network of content and research partners, including those that train AI models, includes: • Posts and reblogs of posts from blogs who have enabled the "Prevent third-party sharing" option. • Posts and reblogs of posts from deleted blogs. • Posts and reblogs of posts from password-protected blogs. • Posts and reblogs of posts from explicit blogs. • Posts and reblogs of posts from suspended/deactivated blogs. • Private posts. • Drafts. • Messages. • Asks and submissions which have not been publicly posted. • Post+ subscriber-only posts. • Explicit posts.

So no need to worry about your old deleted blogs that still have reblogs floating around. *\o/*

But for your existing blogs, please use the opt out option. And a reminder of how to opt out, under the cut:

The opt-out toggle is in Blog Settings, and please note you need to do it for each one of your blogs / sideblogs.

On dashboard, the toggle is at https://www.tumblr.com/settings/blog/blogname [replace "blogname" as applicable] down by Visibility:

For mobile, you need the most recent update of the app. (Android version 33.4.1.100, iOs version 33.4.) Then go to your blog tab (the little person icon), and then the gear icon for Settings, then click Visibility.

Again, if you have a sideblog, go back to the blog tab, switch to it, and go to settings again. Repeat as necessary.

If you do not have access to the newest version of the app for whatever reason, you can also log into tumblr in your mobile browser. Same URL as per desktop above, same location.

Note you do not need to change settings in both desktop and the app, just one is fine.

I hope this helps!

[johnnysuhbmarine]

On the Same Page ♡ Masterlist

Pairing: Haechan x reader Description: Knowing a change of scenery was what your mental health needed, you transferred to where your brother, Mark, goes to college. The good news is, he’s not too cool for his younger sister, so he lets you join his friend group immediately. The bad news is, Haechan is in that friend group, and a brief encounter four years ago was enough for you to understand he does NOT like you. Even worse news, he’s a lot hotter than he was four years ago…

Genre: smau (some written parts), college au, crack, some angst, some fluff, "enemies" but more so strangers to lovers, brother's best friend, so many (2) ups and downs, general idiocy when it comes to feelings Content Warnings: swearing, death jokes, mentions of depression and anxiety, mentions of bullying, a few punches thrown here and there (reader is not involved)

A/n: Please know I do not take the above subjects lightly and do not intend for it to come across that way at any point in this smau. As someone who struggles with this stuff, I guess I was kind of writing what I needed to hear sometimes (so forgive me for some self-indulgence)...and as a comm major who did an entire research paper around the impact of friends/social support on one's depression, I felt okay addressing those topics here - I promise I’m not uninformed and just trying to add plot points. As always, take care of yourself first. I love you.

Status: completed! Started: October 27, 2024 Ended: December 14, 2024 Taglist closed

[Intro: SM University Besties] [Intro: NCIT Crew] [Chapter One: Female intuition]

[Chapter Two: A SISTER?!?!]

[Chapter Three: why he kinda...]

[Chapter Four: It must be a sibling thing]

[Chapter Five: Chat, am I jealous?]

[Chapter Six: Normal person? No can do.]

[Chapter Seven: a pretty good guess]

[Chapter Eight: mono boy]

[Chapter Nine: He's a sleazebag]

[Chapter Ten: What is a star party?]

[Chapter Eleven: on the way]

[Chapter Twelve: my sister's favorite movie]

[Chapter Thirteen: You’re pretty cool, too]

[Chapter Fourteen: It’s a little bit funny]

[Chapter Fifteen: I'll just ask Mark] (partly written)

[Chapter Sixteen: smol bear] (partly written)

[Chapter Seventeen: doing a great job]

[Chapter Eighteen: locking in]

[Chapter Nineteen: scheiße]

[Chapter Twenty: not as cute as Mark]

[Chapter Twenty-One: Mr. Snippy]

[Chapter Twenty-Two: Take a break]

[Chapter Twenty-Three: couldn't keep my promise]

[Chapter Twenty-Four: The men in y/n's life]

[Chapter Twenty-Five: Halloween]

[Chapter Twenty-Six: A little birdie]

[Chapter Twenty-Seven: I don't need your protection]

[Chapter Twenty-Eight: butterflies in her stomach]

[Chapter Twenty-Nine: EMERGENCY]

[Chapter Thirty: We're so back] (partly written)

[Chapter Thirty-One: lunch dates]

[Chapter Thirty-Two: pretty girl] (partly written)

[Epilogue: three months later...]

[pseuddamntired]

Honestly as an American with a shitty sense of distance, who’s never driven in the Boston area, for all I know this photo could be completely accurate.

(That’s a lie, Boston is a large city area and I know my metropolitan city area is smaller, and where I live, I know the suburbs and more heavily populated areas are within ten miles because they’re within ten minutes of driving, and the common highway driving speed limit is around 60 miles per hour, so one minute spent driving is roughly one mile, give or take. So uh. If that thought process tells you anything about United States Americans it should be that we also do not necessarily have great knowledge of what places in the US are like. I have no clue what California is like, by and large but I sure do know the parts of the Midwest I spend time in!)

if i ever write something set in the united states im just going to do zero research whatsoever and make stuff up to sound cool it’s equality

[dathen]

We’re so used to the sexual reading of the entire book of Dracula, which takes the sensuality of the early chapters and jams everything that follows it into the same metaphor no matter how poorly it fits, but I feel the segment we’re approaching works much better with a lens of chronic illness and disease.

Vampire legends are inextricably intertwined with disease. Many of them are said to have been birthed by burying victims of disease too soon, who later seem to rise from the dead. But what’s more is that Stoker and his family have deep-seated trauma over disease: his mother had to flee her hometown at the age of 14 because of a horrific cholera epidemic, and Stoker himself was bedridden as a child from an illness that no one could identify.

Found this quote from Irish Historian Mary McGarry:

Bram as an adult asked his mother to write down her memories of the epidemic for him, and he supplemented this using his own historic research of Sligo’s epidemic. Scratching beneath the surface (of this essay), I found parallels with Dracula. [For instance,] Charlotte says cholera enters port towns having traveled by ship, and can travel overland as a mist—just like Dracula, who infects people with his unknown contagion.

I bring this up because a lot of academic analysis insists that Lucy sleepwalking is proof of her being the Slutty Woman archetype that needs to be punished. This suggested symbolism is hilarious when put next to the text saying she inherited it from her father, but I’d like to suggest a different angle from the lens of disease suggested earlier:

Lucy’s sleepwalking is a condition that predates Dracula but makes her an easy target for him to prey on. Through the lens of disease symbolism, she now is someone with chronic illness or disability who is especially vulnerable to infectious disease. This becomes a cross-section of Stoker’s trauma regarding disease: his own mystery illness and his mother fleeing a plague.

To wind down my rambles with a bit of a soapbox, I feel this adds a very poignant layer to the struggle to keep Lucy alive. The COVID pandemic showed a horrifying level of casual ableism vs disabled and immunodeficient individuals, shrugging off their vulnerability and even their deaths with “well COVID only kills them.” There’s something deeply gratifying at seeing the way everyone around Lucy fights to the bitter end to protect her and refuses to just give her up to Dracula, whether it’s Mina physically chasing him away or the suitor squad pouring their blood into her veins or Van Helsing desperately searching for cures. The vulnerable deserve no less than this. They’re not acceptable casualties.

[bubblegumgothglados]

This is a RACK focused best practice guide to doing a drowning scene, more specifically a scene where you're repeatedly forcing your victims head under the water. These are my suggestions based on extensive research but they are only theoretical i haven't got to do this to anyone yet. If you have actual experience id love to hear from you please.

Pre-scene setup

Learn CPR. This is the single thing that I'm going to say is mandatory, everything else is just a suggestion this isn't. If worst comes to worst and your victim is drowning you need to be able to save their life.

Learn your victim. How do they react in pain, when they're scared or panicking, where are there mental breaking points. Especially helpful to have done breath play with them before, how long can they hold their breath, how hard will they fight, what are their non verbal cues. Are they the type of person who will push their limits past the danger point, are you comfortable shutting the scene down when they're begging you to continue.

Figure out your nonverbal communication. A safeword is important but not nearly enough for a scene like this. Their head is going to be underwater most if the time and they'll probably be struggling and fighting. What signs can they make to tell you to stop or slow down under these conditions. I would suggest giving them something to hold that can make noise, a squeaky toy or a clicker or something similar, with which to signal you.

During the scene

Use warm water. Cold water adds a whole plethora of new problems significantly increasing the risk. I'm not sure of the exact temperature but I think it should be either room temperature so your victim doesn't feel a temperature difference between the air and the water, or body temperature so the water doesn't change their core temperature. (If you'd like to use cold water or even ice water, if that's part of the appeal, ill happily figure out the additional risks in exchange for a video of you drowning your victim ^.^)

Watch their face. Like any other form of breath play hypoxia is a major risk. This post isn't about breath play, I'm assuming you know all those risks and how to manage them before you do something like this.

Start slow. Put your hand on their head but let them submerge themselves and then come back up when they're ready. This will get them used to the sensation and you used to the rhythm. Slowly increase pressure and intensity until you're forcing their head under and pulling it up against their will.

Have the person fill their lungs to capacity before submerging them. The reason being they will have to breath out before they breath water back in so as soon as you see the first sign of bubbles you can pull them out.

After care

This scene will be intense so the aftercare needs to be too. Again this post isn't about proper aftercare I'm assuming you know how to do that if you're doing something like this. But in addition to the usual.

Have a plan for monitoring your victim for the next 72 hours. There are two major complications that can occur after a drowning incident and both can take days to present themselves. The first is when a persons throat spasms and closes, this is supposed to happen when they initially inhale water but can happen much later. The signs to look out for include persistent coughing, irregular breathing, dizziness, confusion, and foam around the mouth and nose. The second is when water gets deep into the lunges it can cause fluid to build up which inhibits gas exchange causing the person to slowly suffocate. The signs to look out for can include coughing up blood, excessive sweating, anxiety, pale skin, and a crackling sound when breathing deeply. If your victim shows any of these signs get them to a medical professional asap, don't risk it these will both cause very painful death.

Enjoy ^.^

[yawnderu]

cr: @ave661

Simon wasn't a stupid man. He always knew better, knew to look between the lines even when you tried your best to be deceiving. Even then, the pure rejection you showed to your newborn baby was something not even the best actress could hide. Refusing to hold her after she was born and fully shutting down on Simon, screaming at him whenever he tried to offer any sort of help and support, only getting worse if he ever tried to approach you while holding the baby.

Post-partum depression is no joke, Simon realized after doing his own research, only then realizing just how bad it can get after accidentally stumbling on article upon article of mothers getting to the point of harming their own child. You weren't like that— Simon liked to convince himself despite the growing pit of dread in his stomach, anxiety seeping out of every pore of his body when even months later you refused to hold or interact with the baby.

It all came crashing down after he came back from deployment, the nanny holding his daughter while soothing her with calm words, doing her best to console the crying infant despite the tears falling down her cheeks when she confessed to him that you're gone.

Gone without a trace, at first. Simon wasted no time using his connections to know where you were. Laswell was the most helpful, giving him all the details of the help center you were in, yet even then, Simon didn't reach out first in fear of messing up your progress, not wanting to add more stress to your situation when you were trying to get better.

Four years. For four years, Simon's life was divided in deployments and taking care of his daughter at home, never once thinking about moving on, always asking Laswell for updates— updates she was glad to give him using her own connections, wanting to give Simon some peace of mind even if it went against the rules.

“It's okay.” Simon reassured his daughter, his long sleeves wet with cola that she spilled from her little cup. His home was the complete opposite of the absolute hell he grew up in, not allowing himself to scream, hit, or take out his frustration on the little carbon copy of himself sitting on the couch.

“'M sorry, daddy.” Her sweet voice made the corners of his lips tilt up into a smile, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head, taking off his sweater and putting it away, wasting no time on grabbing a towel to clean up the now sticky mess of coke on the table.

“It's okay, love. Jus' don't tip it, 's gonna spill.” She gave him a small salute in understanding, a cheeky grin on her lips when she saw him holding in his laughter, knowing fully well she's copying him— as usual.

The doorbell ringing got Simon's full attention, giving his daughter one last look before he went to answer. His eyes widened slightly the moment he saw your shorter figure waiting for him, purposely making yourself smaller like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs, a small folder held in your hands. You're both quiet for what seems like forever, the only sounds coming from your daughter in the living room, the TV displaying a kid's show Simon put on.

“I'm so so—” You don't even have the chance to finish your sentence before you're being pulled into a tight hug, Simon's burly arms wrapping around your body, every single second spent missing you, secretly hoping you'd come back one day crashes down on him the moment he feels your arms wrap around his waist, holding him as tight as possible, as if he'd disappear if you don't hold onto him for dear life.

“I got better.” You whisper into his ear, rubbing his back soothingly when he doesn't let go of you. Not yet— not when the love of his life is finally back after years. He plants a soft kiss on your shoulder before his face goes back to burying in the crook of your neck, taking in the familiar scent.

It takes minutes for Simon to finally let go, hesitation clear in his actions as he looked down at you, keeping one hand on your waist in silent fear of you seeping through his fingers. The folder in your hand gets his attention, giving you a questioning look before you offer it to him, managing to give him a small smile of reassurance despite all the anxiety and fear.

“My psychotherapist wrote it. It's... just a paper that shows the progress I've made from her perspective.” You stand awkwardly as he reads the document, taking in every single word written by the woman who has been helping your for four long years. You can hear your daughter giggling at the TV show, only making the anxiety in your stomach grow more by the second.

To your surprise, Simon steps out of the way to allow you into the home he created, his safe haven. Nothing changed from the last time you were here, other than toys scattered all over the place, likely from Simon being too busy bonding with his daughter to even clean.

You can see the little girl sitting on the couch as you walk closer, her brown eyes fully focused on the screen until she hears something from behind her. She's so much bigger now, looking like a tiny carbon copy of Simon, down to the little skull-patterned pajamas she was wearing.

She turns around after seeing you from the corner of her eye, her little face lighting up into a toothy grin as she jumps from the couch, sprinting towards you as fast as her little legs allow her to.

“Mommy!” You crouch down to her height out of pure instinct, almost being knocked off balance when she crashes into you, her tiny arms wrapping around your neck. The fact that Simon never stopped talking about you to her and kept your pictures warms your heart, being as delicate as possible as you hug her back.

“Y'look so pretty.” She has Simon's accent, making you let out a small laugh before looking down at her, cupping her cheek just to examine her features better.

“Thank you, sweet girl.” You're glad for the way she cuddles up to you again, not bothering to hide the tears falling down your cheeks at the sheer love displayed by the same girl you left four years ago. Your gaze drifts up to Simon, whose eyes are glossier than usual despite the fact that he's not shedding a tear. He gives you a small nod in acknowledgement, not daring to look away from the heartwarming scene in front of him.

“Daddy talks a lot about you.” She whispers into your ear, covering her mouth as if she's telling you the biggest secret ever. You giggle at the little gossiper, your warm hand running up and down the length of her hair.

“He does?” You whisper back, giving Simon a cheeky look at the admission, one of his thin eyebrows raising when he sees your daughter nod her head vigorously, giggling as she looks at Simon.

“Well, I'm sure he talks a lot about you too.” The pure forgiveness that comes from both of them drowns the guilt, if only for a short while.

“You're such a pretty princess.” Your arms wrap around her again, rocking her softly from side to side, allowing yourself to take in their love. It doesn't take long for Simon's resolve to falter, dropping to his knees and wrapping his burly arms around his girls protectively, planting a little kiss on your forehead.

Despite everything, there's no one else he'd rather spend the rest of his life with.

Dad!Ghost Masterlist

[theimpossiblescheme]

Also, to assuage any fears about hundreds of pages of exposition dumping... there's no law saying that you have to relay your worldbuilding that way. You can break it up into bite-sized chunks scattered throughout the story in ways that can come up in the dialogue naturally.

Merchants are gonna talk about merchant stuff. They're gonna be the ones who know about where people are getting their food, how much stuff costs and rates of exchange, who's inventing shit, and so on.

Farmers are gonna talk about farmer stuff. They're the ones who know about what foods they can grow and when, how they get through the winters, who's coming up with devices that make their jobs easier, how they make sure their families are provided for when they're gone, and so on.

Noble families are gonna know about noble family stuff. They're gonna be the ones who know about how succession laws work, how the different nobility feels about each other, how they're amassing power and how they've done it in the past, what their relationship is like to the working class, how upward social mobility works if at all, and so on.

Soldiers are gonna know about soldier stuff. They're gonna know about the country's martial history, how soldiers are trained, who's allowed to be a soldier and what's expected of them, how long peacetime usually lasts and who's ruining it for everybody, and things like that.

This one's my favorite--storytellers are gonna know about storyteller stuff! They're the ones who can go into detail about the world's history and folklore, any interesting tidbits about the land and its people, and any juicy details about the Powers That Be that they maybe tried to keep hidden from the common folk.

Honestly, one of the best writing tips I've ever gotten is to give your biggest exposition chunks to interesting characters who can explain them in an interesting way. I've cited Doc Brown from Back to the Future and Mimir from God of War as excellent examples--yes, their primary purpose is to explain shit to the audience surrogates, but they do so in a very entertaining way, and they're genuinely fun and engaging as characters in their own right. And while yes, not all worldbuilding considerations have to actually be mentioned in the story proper, it helps to at least think about these things and know which characters can hop up and be like "OH BOY, I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED" in case they do come up.

I'm just saying, your options are not "stop the story dead Victor Hugo-style to explain how the sewers work" or nothing at all. You can find ways to bake the worldbuilding in naturally--it just takes time and effort.

FINALLY 👏 SOMEONE 👏 SAID 👏 IT. 👏 ALL OF IT.  👏ALL AT ONCE. 👏

(Thank you @fallingawkwardly​ for bringing this to my attention.)