#or it'll never get done 🙃

[adrianfridge]

I don't think enough people talk about the physical and mental energy it takes to cook when you weren't raised to cook.

It's not as simple as here are the ingredients and here are the steps. Cooking involves multi-tasking, timing, proportions, prepping, improvising, and more. The more complex the dish, the more juggling it requires.

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned obtaining the ingredients and the cleaning afterwards.

All these "healthy" and "save money" and "live better" motivational speeches to get people to cook more, and I'm over here like Cooking is Fucking Stressful and Incredibly Draining Actually.

I was raised a girl, but I'm entirely self-taught because my mom hated cooking and never bothered to teach me. She was convinced I'll just naturally learn on my own after I got married and was forced to cook for my husband and family 🙃

Anyway, I went through a HelloFresh phase several years ago to try to kick-start myself into a groove, but it never really latched on. I think the only thing I learned is the importance of prepping ingredients in advance so that once I'm bouncing around, things are just ready for me to grab.

This isn't to say I don't cook AT ALL EVER. I can make eggs on a skillet just fine. But it's a one-and-done kind of thing. Much like putting together a cold cut sandwich. But that's not Cooking™.

Turns out this past month I randomly got a hyperfixation to Cook™, so here I am facing the bone-tired aftermath of making meals that'll last more than one day.

After three weekends of going through it, here's how I autistically started handling the stress:

Find a recipe I will follow

Envision myself going through the steps and allocate a certain amount of energy to the task

Compile ingredients I need to obtain (or get my partner to obtain)

(If I have to go shopping myself, do it on a separate day from when I have to cook)

Open a Google Doc and copy/paste the recipe into it

Rewrite the recipe steps based on how I imagine I'll be going through them once I'm in motion

Mentally practice the steps

When it's time to cook, go through steps as I've mentally practiced them, with improvisation when real life takes a different turn

(If a lot of prep work is required, such as peeling and cutting potatoes, sit down to do it with a podcast before starting on anything else)

After cooking is complete, throw out any lingering garbage

My partner does the dishes :)

I'm sure it'll get easier the longer I do it, but this is exactly why I'm 34yo and always hated Cooking™ to the point that I budget for delivery and take-out on nearly a daily basis.

Cooking is hard actually.

[runabout-river]

When Perfect Cell announced the Cell Games, he threatened to destroy the earth if he won. When Gohan pushed him into a corner, he makes good on his threats, and self destructs in an attempt to kill everyone.

The common view that the Merger was only ever meant to be a threat has missed the point of the criticism. The fight is anticlimactic because Sukuna died with an ace in his hand. Starting the Merger early was a way for Sukuna to escalate the battle, equivalent to Cell charging up his plant destroying attack.

If the bad guys have a nuke on a timer, you know it’ll be defused with seconds to spare. But before that can happen, the timer has to start counting down, and that never happened. 

So I agree with you there that something has to be done with the merger. Though I wished the timer happened a bit earlier, if even it'll happen.

Good analogy!

The Merger had never been "activated" or as you said it, the timer has not started to count down. It's a big ass threat that just stood there without becoming a real threat to the protagonists even after Kenjaku transferred Tengen's pregnancy over to Sukuna. Last month I said that after the Sukuna fight, the merger arc would start because of the way everything was setup.

Meaning: the merger and the Sukuna's fight were not going concurrently. Sukuna's defeat would not end the merger because the merger plot had not started yet. (Also where is Tengen now? Inside Megumi?) So now, with 3 chapters left, that entire setup (like some other setups) feels cut off.

Not rushed but Cut Off.

And the thing is, no one can tell me that Gege doesn't know this. The guy grew up on the same manga we did, he read Naruto, HxH, Bleach and who knows what else. He's also a movie buff and he has an entire corporation behind him who know their manga stuff and story telling and they can get into his business when they think he makes a bad job of it.

So I stand here believing that we will get a JJK Part 2 because otherwise Gege would've trimmed the fat off his story, right? He wouldn't have dragged story beats and plots forward that wouldn't have the proper time and conclusion, right?

🙃 the only thing left here is to see what he plans with the last 3 chapters. Everything can still happen there... but I'm also hoping for a bombshell anouncement about Part 2.

[toomuchracket]

ohhh the filming/sex tape thing actually makes me go feral. made it starts with him taking sexy pics of her during sex or after (with his cum all over her, keeping consistent with the cumplay !) and then maybe one day girly brings up the idea of filming and he just. loses his mind.

someone else said he tells girlie about doing a sex video. 🙃

i think you're defo a polaroids during/after sex couple - instant gratification in getting to view them, no digital stuff that could get leaked, always lovely to look at! maybe one day, as a bit of foreplay, you're looking at the pics together while you grind on matty and he's kissing up your neck, and you offhandedly say something like "god, i wish that one was a gif lol, i'd love to just watch it over and over"; matty literally buries his face in your neck because he's so overcome, and says into your skin "i can't believe this keeps happening to me". and you've no fucking clue what he's on about, so he has to be like "i wanted to do anal with you for a while and then you bought the plug without knowing that, and now you're saying you wish there was a video-type thing of us fucking before i had the chance to bring up the fact that my dirtiest dream involves you and me and a bed and a camera". he freaks out a bit because you go silent, but when he looks at you he sees you smiling like "well, i'm not opposed to it. not at all" - matty's like "really? you're not just saying that?", and you're like "babe i just said i'd want it to watch afterwards too. but yeah i do like making all your dirty dreams come true, being good for you. and now i get to be all pretty on camera for you, too", and he kisses you like "you're my biggest dream come true. even before you agreed to do all the kinky shit with me. i love you. thank you" (never forget, he's a lover and a simp before anything else).

actually filming... you use a handheld video camera fully only designated for the bedroom, for a bit more security. matty lets you lead, but i think you first suggest it when it's something you know you'll look good doing as you make your man feel good - a bj, or riding, maybe - and you can't resist hamming it up a bit more for the camera (but more in a fun little tongue-in-cheek way, because you know it'll be good regardless). when it's done, and you watch it back... god, it's hot, watching how good you look getting him off, and then seeing him all fucked-out and horny looking up at you during the bit where you stole the camera. you're pretty much ready to go again as soon as you finish the video, i fear, and matty insists he returns the favour - quite frankly, the footage of him with his head between your legs might honestly be the sexiest thing you've ever seen. yeah, it's hot alright <3

[bonny-kookoo]

Hi, if you're okay with it I'd like to request Jungkook somehow finding out about the part he played in the pudding incident (maybe overhearing them talking about it again or her mentioning it to Yoongis hybrid so she's more careful around him)...so he can finally punch him 🙃 sorry, but I just think he needs to get set straight to realize he can't keep doing stuff like that and just get away with it.

I really enjoy your writing btw, thank you for sharing your works!<3

The tension is high in the apartment, Jungkook breathing heavily as he's held back by Yoongi, who's clearly struggling to keep the youngest of the group in his hold. While yes, Jungkook is and will stay the maknae, he's grown up at this point, physically superior to a lot of the members at this point- Yoongi included. He's already landed a hit on his bandleader's face; its clear that the only reason he doesn't continue being you and Yoongi's hybrid a little further away, hugging each other for comfort at the sight of everyone being so on edge.

"I deserve that." Namjon nods, holding his jaw. He's lucky his bandmate couldn't really land a full on hit on his face, as Yoongi had been quick enough to react in time.

"Of course you fucking do!" Jungkook yells out. "You almost killed her! And as for his-" Jungkook looks at Yoongi next to him before his heated gaze returns to his leader. "-You almost got her taken by authorities! What if she had run on the streets, got hit by a car, huh?! Would that have made you happy?!" He barks.

"Absolutely not. I.. didn't know she'd react like that." Namjoon offers defeatedly. "The same with yours. I wasn't.. aware that there was such a high amount in there, if I did I wouldn't have done it." He tries to explain himself, looking over at the two hybrids a little further away. "I'm sorry. I hope you know that." He offers.

"You don't even have the right to look at her-" Jungkook starts again, but Yoongi chimes in now.

"Alright, let's calm down here." He says calmly. "What I'm failing to understand here, is just why?" Yoongi wonders, looking at his bandleader, who turns to the side again, watching both hybrids become more calm now. "You're not a bad person, Namjoon. Why do this then?" He asks, letting go of Jungkook now so he can go and comfort his own hybrid.

"In this industry.. it's best if you, you know, surround yourself with people who won't be taken away from you. Who won't leave you, you know." He simply explains, as both hybrids slowly begin to explore his home after he nods in approval once they look at him as if to ask. "It'll just.. I just wanted you to realize that you're playing with fire. Like water in your hands- it will drip out between your fingers at some point, no matter how hard you try." He says, walking to sit down on his couch.

It doesn't take long for both Idols to follow him, their hybrids close behind, sitting close to them. Everyone doesn't understand, still. It feels like there's more to it than the bandleader lets on. It's only when Yoongi's hybrid finds a worn-down tiger plushy on the edge of the couch, that Yoongi seems to understand-

simply from the hurt that flashes in his friend's eyes as he gently takes it away from her, to place it somewhere out of reach for both hybrids.

"You've had one yourself." Yoongi says, and Namjoon sighs. "What happened?"

"Management happened." His leader defeatedly explains. "I trusted them like.. Jungkook did. Told them about her. Explained how I'm taking care of her, how I'm planning to solve issues like tours, and so on." He shrugs. "But back then, they weren't so lenient. It backfired, simple as that." He says.

"Backfired how?" Jungkook asks now, realizing why his friend might've been so hostile especially towards him. He's got something he never had been granted- the freedom to bring his partner to work with him, to have them protected just as well as they are themselves.

"Told me they'd help with the tour stuff. That she'd be given into a carecenter for the duration, and the company would cover the costs even." He recalls the events. "It sounded great. Not perfect, obviously- but it was a solution I could work with. So I explained to her the night before we had to leave for tour, that she'd stay at the center just for a few weeks until the tour would be over."

"But they never gave her back." Yoongi finishes, and Namjoon nods, clenching his jaw.

"I came back home, and she wasn't there. I talked to management about when I'd be able to pick her up- and they just told me 'never.', that she's staying there, forever." He explains further, both hybrids clearly distressed at the story he's telling. "And when I tried myself to get her back somehow, I couldn't find her. Nothing. Not under her name, nor her ID. She's gone, because I trusted management to handle it." He says. "I don't want you to go through that. I don't.. I wanted to protect you. All of you." He says, now looking at the hybrids as well.

"You could've simply talked to us." Jungkook mumbles, pulling his hybrid onto his lap. "We could've just spoken about this like now."

"Would you have believed me?" Namjoon questions. "You would've simply thought 'oh, that will never happen to me!', and then move on." He chuckles dryly, Yoongi sighing.

"Oh man, this is one big mess." He shakes his head. "Now what do we do?" He asks, and Jungkook puts out his hand.

"I accept your apology." He offers, and Namjoon nods, shaking his friend's hand. "It's.. not okay, but I can understand it, in a way." He says.

"Same here, by the way." Yoongi nods.

"I'll try and help you protect them." Namjoon says, sternly so. "I don't want you to go through this, and I understood that I went at it from the wrong direction. I'm really sorry." He says, and everyone nods at that, Yoongis hybrid even doing so much as to reach out and hug him- Jungkook's soon to follow.

It does bring the bandleader to tears a little bit- but it also shows how truthful he meant his words.

And on the sidelines, both Jungkook and Yoongi already think of how to maybe help him.

[wenevergotusedtoegypt]

So.

So.

We took 1yo for allergy testing 3.5 weeks ago. Skin testing showed allergies to mustard seed, flax seed, tree nuts, and peanuts. The doctor then did blood tests to figure out the next steps.

We have been calling every single business day for a week (starting 2.5 weeks after the appointment), and every single day we have been told that the doctor will "definitely" call us that day (sometimes even a specific time of day). Yesterday, they told my husband that he had indicated on the chart that he had called me the day before. He absolutely had not.

Meanwhile, as I have emphasized to the office staff every day for a week, my kid is at a playgroup where other kids are consuming his allergens (except tree nuts, because they have another tree nut allergy there severe enough that they aren't allowed) and we have no idea if that's actually an issue. The playgroup is 100% willing to ban everyone from bringing anything necessary, which is great, but we do not have the info to know if it's needed.

So today I get on my daily "be so obnoxious the staff actually do something about this to get me to stop calling" morning call, and the lady tells me that 1yo is allergic to almonds, can do food challenges for all other tree nuts (but no explanation of what that would entail, which seems, you know, kind of important), but the doctor needs us to come back in to repeat the labs for mustard and peanuts "due to lab error" (no mention of flax seeds but ok).

Um. WHAT. It has been 3.5 weeks since this testing was done, I have been calling every day for a week, and only NOW does someone bother to communicate that we need to come back in to retest?! That wasn't something that ANYONE could have bothered to communicate sooner, like, when they initially received the results, or any time over the past WEEK of daily calls?

And I still haven't heard from the doctor himself. 🙃 But he is "definitely" calling today.

Meanwhile another mother who has used this doctor for her child told me that she has never successfully received test results without going in for another appointment. So I'm...just a lil itty bit suspicious about this claim that the lab messed up. It sure is convenient that he suddenly needs to charge insurance for a few more things have us come in again despite us being told for a week that they do have the results.

Anyway.

So excited for the process of obtaining 1yo's medical records from this place so that we can go somewhere else. I'm sure it'll be an absolute joy.

[potsiefaerie]

This week on Get Therapized Nerd:

I got called out on talking about how setting boundaries and making sure to rest is helpful and makes me more efficient and productive and not thinking about it in terms of kindness to myself, and had to confess that I almost never use the paradigm of "kind to myself" for anything except for trying to give myself grace when I can't do things - because my motivation is almost always improving efficiency and productivity (just in a "doing what I want to get done" sense though not really in a capitalism sense)

I decided I actually do probably want to work on some of my phonecall-avoidant behaviors and she wrote that down (I am so gonna regret that later 😬😬😬 but it'll be good for me)

We talked a bit about my auditory processing difficulties and I realized a lot of my mishaps as a kid were partly because I was zoned out and partly probably accents??? I moved from Wisconsin to northern New Jersey to Atlanta in the same two years and those are some distinctly different accents.

(Are audio processing difficulties treatable also?? I have never even asked that or looked it up?? I wonder if there are therapies or anything. Quick, listen to this dude mumble on the radio... 🤔)

I used "should" three times in the same sentence and now my homework is to rephrase every time I find myself thinking that word, because shame is Not Helpful when you're trying to overcome executive dysfunction (there I am with helpful again - I almost said it was inefficient when the executive dysfunction is exacerbated by an anxiety disorder - not wrong but why is this my entire motivation for self care)

(Literally why does "be kind to yourself" only seem like a reasonable motivation if it's followed by "so you can be more functional" 🙃🙃🙃)

(this probably explains things about my burnout problems 💀)

(I just want to say that I am kind to myself most of the time except for the "should" pressure but I probably need to unpack why I feel like that's not a worthwhile goal unless it makes me more productive)

[nattikay]

fursuit making roller coaster so far:

Originally I was planning to follow Neffertity's tutorials for the digi feetpaws and feline tail; however, carving the foam for the tail turned out to be much more difficult than I was anticipating. I like the general shape I wound up with but I could not for the life of me get the foam as smooth as I wanted it; it's very rough and clunky and I was getting frustrated.

Never fear though, I decided on a new plan: instead of using the clunky carved foam as the actual core of the tail like I was planning, I'll just wrap it up in a bit of wadding or tape which should smooth out the shape a bit, use that to get a sewing pattern, and then just sew and stuff the tail normally. That means that buying the thick foam and all the time carving it won't be in vain, plus I think it'll make patterning easier anyways (I've struggled in the past with sewing Natti's tail, my current one isn't even one I made myself, I commissioned it from my friend Daisy (who did an amazing job!!) because the one I made was a twisted mess lol). So yay for that!

Even with a modified plan in place for the tail though, after the mess of trying to carve foam for that, I was starting to dread all the additional foam carving I'd have to do for the feetpaws; my confidence had taken a hit and I was not looking forward to the process nor optimistic about the results; was starting to get the slogging feeling of "good grief what did I get myself into wth this project". BUT THEN!! I found the SplitGrapeSode digi foot pattern, which had a similar look to the Neffertity one but required ZERO FOAM CARVING! Just sewing and stuffing! Which! Yeah I can do that!! and so THE HYPE RETURNED and I am feeling a lot more optimistic again lol

Unfortunately, I finally went up into the attic to take stock of how much faux fur I had leftover from previous iterations, and it turned out to be a lot less than I thought. A little over half a yard's worth of white (which, comparing to to the pattern I cut out yesterday, appears to be enough for about 3/4 of a footpaw), slightly less than that of tan and dark blue, and barely a few scraps of light blue. So I guess I have to order quite a bit more, and wait for it to come before I can do a whole lot else. I'll need at least one footpaw finished before I can really start the body (since I'll need it to line up the digitigrade padding shape properly), and I can't finish a footpaw until I have enough fur, and the next big part of the tail will be patterning and furring. so 😅 guess we gotta put things on hold for a short while. I suppose I have enough white left for bottoms of the footpaws, so maybe I'll start there in the meantime, or maybe see if it's enough for the handpaws. We'll see...

thank u to my mom and brother for agreeing to encase me in duct tape for the DTD though. the process was about as fun as I remember 🙃 well at least it's done lol

[aphroditelovesu]

Chapter 12 was freaking incredible 😍 🥹! Things are really picking up! Anywho, I have more thoughts. I'll break it down into a few bits/messages again. It'll probably be over the next few days just fyi..

Part 1: Perdiccas (again)

So, I'm begging to think Perdiccas is either, stupid, crazy or both. He was there for the whole Cleitus incident, so he should know just how angry Alexander will be livid and act accordingly. He also knows that the soldiers have taken the shine to her, so they'll probably be more than willing to help Alexander in any way he sees fit to get her back. It's also bad news for the Persians, but I digress. And he isn't at all suspicious that a messenger just appears with an offer of what/who he wants most?! And they say women are the irrational ones 🙄. Someone needs to slap him and tell him that no one woman is worth all that effort.

There's also how little empathy and understanding he has for our girl. She's told him that she didn't particularly want to marry Alexander, and that she was "choosing herself" and her safety. And he's not mad that she's been forced, oh no! He's mad that Alexander is the one who gets to marry her, have sex with her and impregnate her, instead of him. Its all about him! Like I said before, it's not unlike how some 21st century men act. Some things never change I guess 🙃...

The way he reacted to her being pregnant was honestly kinda disturbing. But I have zero doubts he won't consider what she wants to do with the pregnancy of that she may want to keep her baby. Lovely...

On a lighter note, I love what you've done with Perdiccas and his characterization. I was kinda expecting that it would be a Perdiccas = good and Alexander = bad dichotomy. I clearly underestimated you! This gives the story a lot of nuance, and makes you question who (Alexander or Perdiccas) is worse. I also think it reflects well on who Perdiccas was IRL. Towards the end of his life, he became a ruthless tyrant, which led to his own officers turning on him. I love it all!

That's all I have right now. I have more thoughts, but I'll share them later.

--O-

I guess you can say Perdiccas is all of that. He didn't handle our girl's rejection well and basically lost his mind. Truly a yandere.

He is fully aware of what he is doing, however. He knows the consequences for what he did will be catastrophic but Perdiccas is too consumed by his desire to have our girl that he simply doesn't care. If to have her, even just once, he has to die, then so be it.

Really, he shows no empathy for her and is more upset about the fact that she slept with another man than with him. I'd say he even hates her for it, in a way. Massive drama is coming, anon.

Her pregnancy... I won't say much but I will say this: Perdiccas won't take it very well, as you can see.

Thanks! I debated whether to villainize Perdiccas but ended up choosing to do so because I want to give Alexander more prominence eventually. You only got a glimpse of Alexander's yandere side but this will be explored further, especially in chapter 13 👀.

I will respond to your comments little by little! But I always love reading them! ❤️

[a-writers-blurbs]

Curiosity Killed... The Dog?

See end for preview...

So this week's update is almost done. Unfortunately, next week's update may be a little late. I'm in the process of switching jobs after being forced to deal with some... unacceptable & at times illegal things at my previous job.

I'm going from getting home at 4am to going into work at 4am. And since I'm still getting better job offers, there's a possibility I may not stay at my rebound job. It's not something I think I'll enjoy doing long term. So it'll possibly be yet another schedule change.

Needless to say, my brain is not braining.

On top of that, my roof is being redone, my attic being rebuilt, & insulation put in my house this week. The workers are awesome, but they were here 14 hours a day ahead of schedule so I'm exhausted. 🙃

That's not including the random stressers this week...

2 of my kids are in high school. Yesterday there was a 💣 threat. Today there was an active 🔫 threat. (Everyone is safe & no threat was found)

I had a double blow out the day before my youngest son's birthday, causing us to have to delay celebrating till idk when because I had to fix my car.

My husband's dog (who's already old and sick) got a REALLY nasty skin tear right on his spine that we think caused nerve damage. So we now have to get the money together to get him put down, per vet recommendations (we've seen 4).

BUT on a good note...

My son, who's never played baseball in his life, made the freshman varsity baseball team!! (I'm so happy for him but the price tag is worse than football was 🤦)

So ya... All in all, I've got a LOT going on. The goal is to get Choices pt 2 up on Saturday, then the other two chapters updated in two weeks. Here's a sneak peek at the next chapter!!!

~~Preview~~

While the children continued to discuss their growing worries, a sudden shift in the wind caught Sesshomaru's attention. It was an unnatural shift that made him narrow his eyes in contemplation. After a few minutes of focusing his senses he heard it.

The Mikos screams.

Without a word, Sesshomaru stood and rushed toward the bone eaters well. The scent of the Miko's blood began to waift through the air and Sesshomaru let out a growl of irritation.

He should've gone and waited at the well. He KNEW Inuyasha was unreliable and that once he took off, he probably wouldn't show back up on time. He KNEW the Miko had just as many enemies as she has friends. Enemies that would seize the chance to catch her alone and off guard. Not only was her life in danger, her secret could be exposed! Sesshomaru wasn't so naive to dismiss the possibility of devastating consequences should someone learn of her true origins. The chaos that would ensue should time travel be proven a reality was unimaginable.

He had to hurry. He needed to set things right. It was his fault she was in trouble because he stupidly depended on the half-breed to keep his word. After what felt like an eternity, but was more likely two or three minutes, he made it to the clearing. He knew he needed to be prepared for the Miko to be injured... But what he saw as he walked through the trees had him seeing red.

[sugdenlovesdingle]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thanks for tagging me @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad

I love wasting time with these things when I'm supposed to be writing 😉

How many works do you have on AO3? In total 262, for tarlos 24 (and counting)

What's your total AO3 word count? 642,739 (holy shit)

What fandoms do your write for? at the moment just 911 lone star/tarlos, but I'm kind of looking into RWRB/firstprince, and depending on a certain mister R. Hawley, I might get pulled back into emmerdale/robron

What are your top five fics by kudos? I'll stick to tarlos for this or else it'll just be 5 robron fics Austin TX first responders week - TK and Carlos have to give a talk about their jobs at a school for Austin's first responders week. Filling in the blanks - a post episode/missing moment of Owen finding out what happened to Carlos in 4x04 See you later - Marjan going to say goodbye to a still recovering Carlos before she leaves in 4x05 - kind of a missing moment It started with a concussion - a meet ugly with Carlos literally running into TK while chasing a suspect Love and Lou - The Lou fic! Vet!Carlos AU meet cute with a little help from Lou I and II

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Not as often as I should. I never know what to say other than "Thank you" and i just end up reading the comments 50 times over (and i save the emails from AO3) and I'm like I LOVE YOU PERSON LEAVING A COMMENT ON MY SILLY LITTLE STORY YOU MADE MY DAY - but only in my head because i don't want to seem too weird. Idk - I overthink things.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't do angsty endings. Though PS I love you is a little bittersweet I guess. TK getting a letter from Gwyn on his wedding day.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All of them! I need a happy ending - always. But I suppose it was 'earned' the most in California where they both Go Through It before they get their happy ending.

Do you get hate on fics? I haven't on tarlos fics but I did get a hater on one of my anti chas robron fics once. I just deleted the comment.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Not really. I've tried... but it's just not for me.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Not really. Unless you count the tiny blink and you miss it RWRB reference in Swing swing.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not as far as I know.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope but I've translated fics from German to English for a friend yeeeeeaaaars ago - for Luke/Noah from As The World Turns

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have, several. For Luke/Noah from ATWT way back in the day. it was an Experience™

What's your all time favourite ship? I can't pick just one!

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Undercover Carlos - I really want to finish it but I'm so bad at multi chapter fics. I'm bad at planning and I lose motivation and everyone else loses interest. I'm going to try get back to it when I'm done with my flufftober fics (so somewhere next summer or so 🙃)

What are your writing strengths? Dialogue for sure. and cutesy oneshots.

What are your writing weaknesses? Describing stuff. Translating the "picture" I have in my head to words on 'paper' is The Worst. Also planning and plotting a story - I tend to make stuff up as I go (which is why I suck at long multichapter fics)

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Don't do it unless you speak the language or know someone who does who can check it for you. Google translate is NOT your friend. A few words here and there (like the Spanish terms of endearment in tarlos fics) is fine, you can't really go wrong with that, but for more than that you need someone who actually speaks the language.

First fandom you wrote for? Luke and Noah - As The World Turns

Favourite fic you've written? For Tarlos I had a lot of fun with my Lou fic that I mentioned earlier and The perfect costume has done some interesting things to my insta algorithm, and The power of a muddy dog was fun because I like soft!TK with Buttercup. But all of my fics have *something* that makes them *special* to me.

If you've read all this... I'm impressed lol

tagging: @noxsoulmate @carlos-in-glasses @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @lightningboltreader @bonheur-cafe @sanjuwrites and and an open tag for whoever feels like doing this because I never know who to tag!

[kenobster]

Palpatine, smug, looking forward to his Evil Sith Plans: Darth Tyrannus, please remember to kill Kenobi before you lose your duel with Skywalker 😌

Palpatine, a little nervous that Kenobi's head is apparently tougher than durasteel: Leave him, Anakin, or we'll never make it!

Palpatine, growing increasingly nervous that maybe, just maybe, Kenobi might survive this encounter: Don't you want to go fight Grievous, Anakin? Don't you want to go be a big strong hero? Oh don't worry, you can leave Kenobi with me. I'll take care of him.

Palpatine, absolutely hysterical: H-help me, Anakin, I'm slipping, I need a hand! ... It's okay, just throw Kenobi down the elevator shaft, it'll be fine

Palpatine, trying not to cry, just praying General Grievous, 4 MagnaGuards, and an obliterated cruiser will somehow pull off what a powerful Sith-trained apprentice could not: 🙃🙃🙃

Palpatine, defeated, absolutely done: For fucks sake, okay, fine, that's fine. My plan doesn't have to be to kill him. I'll settle for getting him gone for even one day.

[hellameyers]

Rant incoming:

I'm currently in the process of moving/ selling the property I live in. My mother owns the house, I live here and pay bills, etc. With her fixed income, she's struggling to make ends meet, so she needs the money from the sale to live on.

So, as the monkey in the middle, with no steady income, trying to get my business off the ground, it's been tough. Some days, it feels impossible. I know it will likely all turn out just fine. But when you're right in the thick of it, it's so scary.

Fortunately and unfortunately, my only option, that I can see, is to move in with my mother. Which is frustrating on many levels. One, there's my cats, and her cats, which we would have to keep separate. I would have to live in her attic space. There is one window, and it'll need an Aircon in it, so no other space for cats to bird watch or enjoy the outdoors.

Plus, my two kiddos are not each other's biggest fans. So having only one space is not ideal even if it is big. I'll need to create spaces for them to hide away from each other.

While it's fiscally responsible because I won't have extra bills to pay and I can use her car since I don't have my own, we also have a kind of unstable dynamic. We either get along really well, or everything we do or say angers the other. There's like no in between. The progress I've made with boundaries is directly because of her and her need to control others when she feels out of control, and my stubborn individuality. This may be a good exercise in practicing what I preach, but I may also contemplate suicide or homicide several times a day.

I just barely made it out of my teen years intact. While we both have grown since, that doesn't mean that throwing us back in together is a good idea.

I don't know what else to do but bite the bullet. I hate feeling like this is my only option. I hate feeling like I have no choice in my own life. I'm about to be 40, and I'm moving back in with my mom. That feels incredibly embarrassing. And my siblings will never let me forget just how embarrassing it is. They already look down on me for living on my mom's property. They already think I don't have a life because I'm not married with kids, and have my own home and "career".

And now, on top of everything, I'm getting inundated with people coming in and out to view the house, while watching my escape artist of a cat constantly. I'm not getting anything done in regards to work and I just want to pull my hair out.

If you read all this, thanks for listening. I just needed to get it off my chest because part of not making enough money means I had to cut out my therapist. It's a shit show. Welcome to my life 🙃

[blakbonnet]

I was tagged by Jams @not-nervous-jester to share my writing process so here you go, I'm sorry but this will get a bit long and it'll not be proofread cause life's too short (and my laptop has 4% battery left) 🙃

Do you write in order?

Yes and No. I start off any writing project (whether it be fanfic or work) with a detailed outline of the major plot points. I do the endings first more often than not when I'm planning a fic, then the middle, and finally, once those are out of the way, then I'll tackle the beginning kinda.

Because I write like a person possessed, the beginnings sort of just happen on their own but I need a guideline for hitting the major points or it will be all out of whack.

How fully formed does your writing come out the first try?

About 100%. Because I am so incredibly stupid and anal about this stuff, my first try is essentially a weighty tome of garbage. You can only throw out the garbage once I'm done, you can't add more to it. I guess this analogy doesn't work but it works in terms of the ✨ vibe ✨ I'm trying to create, stay with me people!

How many drafts do you go through?

Just one actually. If there is stuff in the first draft that I am not okay with, I will stop writing and simply leave it for a week or a month until I feel like picking it up again later 😐 The only time I actually create a new draft is when parts of the original are unreadable. Actually I'm lying, I just add stuff to the first draft while whistling and being inconspicuous.

Tell me about your process.

First comes the playlist. It HAS to start with a playlist. Every project has a separate playlist. Songs can be repeated, playlists cannot be the same though. It's a thing, and if I don't do it, it'll be a whole separate thing tbh.

The playlist has to be instrumental, it has to be mainly cellos and violins for the meatier scenes, piano is okay for the fluffy non-plot filler bits that I'm writing for my own entertainment. There can be no words or bits of the fic will turn into a Metallica song, I'll be sued, I'll lose everything and most importantly, the fic would never be finished.

Next comes the poetry, stuff that is actually inspiring the work and pushing it forward. That usually goes in tumblr drafts so it's easier for me to access from my phone. This is usually screenshots from e-books or actual pictures from physical books.

Because I do a fairly detailed outline beforehand, I usually start writing the beginning because that's what I haven't planned out yet and am most excited by. This takes me the longest amount of time and I also do a LOT of rewriting at this stage because personally, as a reader, I do abandon a lot of fics if the beginning isn't doing it for me.

I use google sheets cause I'll sometimes reread my stuff over the phone but I only ever write on the laptop, my phone is mainly for rereading and obsessing.

I also edit as I go along based on feel and make notes where I need to add stuff. If I edit later once I'm done, it usually doesn't come out like I want it to.

Once chapters are done, I copy paste them into Google Translate so I can hear them being read back to me. I catch a record number of missed typos and errors this way. I'm very conscious of the way I write dialogues because I'm so nitpicky when I'm reading other people's dialogues and this also allows me to correct issues with those (the "he would never fucking say it like that" errors)

After the first couple chapters, I'll share the google doc with mutuals and friends (mostly Ara @stedebonnets ) and I don't have a beta reader. Plot points I'll discuss with Josh and Joy 😭 and I don't publish fics on ao3 until the entire thing is written cause I'm a big stinking fic abandoner lmao (smauglock fic from 5 years ago rip 🪦 sorry readers)

This is the writing process that went into Need for Stede ✌️which was incredibly fun to write!

I'd like to tag @wearfinethingsalltoowell @abigailpents @talkstoself @red-sky-in-mourning @ratchet @stedebonnit and anyone else who wants to do this!

[lovelywingsart]

A little two strip sketch comic that should have been 3 but I rushed on it to get the idea done. 🥲 Rushing is also why it doesn't look the best compared to the others... But it'll do for now.

Anyway!

A small injury conjures memories of a time where he was simply brushed off, only to come back to the present to be faced with something he was never given or used to-

Care.

-

//Not too incredibly happy with it because there WAS more to... yknow... give feelings, but I have to work tomorrow and I knew I wouldn't have gone back to it because tomorrow will be a long day. 🙃

So its... VERY condensed. But you get the idea.

Also did this to prep myself for Dear Mother. Again.//

[running-in-the-dark]

I'm gonna go to bed now. I did not get very much done, again. but I guess it doesn't really matter since its definitely too late to get a meeting appointment with my advisor tomorrow anyway (since its 4:00 right now...). so I just have to hope that I'll actually be able to finish it tomorrow. or on Friday. I don't know.

I'm hoping I'll still be allowed to register my thesis application. my advisor said if it's any later than the end of October I'll have to talk to someone higher up at my uni. so, since October doesn't end until Tuesday.... well I'm hoping it'll somehow work out.

there's nothing I can do about it right now anyway - I'm simply not anywhere near done with my exposé, so I'm not able to send it right now. and I realised last night that it's a very bad and pointless idea to try to keep going until I physically can't stay awake anymore. especially since I slept for like 11 hours after that. so, I'm going to bed. maybe I didn't overdo it tonight and my brain will work better tomorrow.

I didn't write that much tonight, so it feels like I didn't do anything. I did, though. I found a lot of really good new articles (most of the sources I already had are from 2021 and earlier), I started printing out some of them (which feels very wasteful and also ironic since my topic is sustainability reporting.. but I realised I just can't work with digital files only, not even if they're on my iPad), I read quite a bit, I got closer to having a usable topic.

it's okay. it's okay. I did enough. I did as much as I was able to. in the end, all I need to do is just enough to pass. I don't care about my grade. it doesn't matter. my average is pretty good, and this won't affect it too much - even if I got the worst passing grade. I also don't care what my advisor thinks about me and how much effort I'm putting into this. obviously, I don't want to seem lazy. but beyond that, why should I care? no matter what happens I'll never see any of these people again after February, I'm not going into academia, I'm not getting my masters, it does not matter. I just have to finish it somehow and pass.

it's really hard to be productive when you constantly have to take breaks to have a meltdown 🙃

[justawhitewall]

Holy s*** I know you only posted it yesterday and I am being very impatient but I’m going to need you to tell me if you already have chapter 2 of the college au written ? I’m not no pressure I’ll wait patiently until it’s ready.

Sadly, no. I've never had the self control to finish a fic completely before posting. Hopefully one day, but not today 🙃

I did get up to 4.5k of the next chapter before festivities yesterday and I can't imagine that it'll be more than 10k when it's all said and done! I have the day off from work today, so... we'll see!