#used 'you' instead of 'us' because it's easier to write

[nicodiangelato]

Here's what I do that helps me get stuff done on time without stressing myself sick:

Split tasks up into their bare, basic components. Then, make a checklist of each component. Planners are my best friends, because I have an easier time remembering to do something if I write it down.

I find it a lot easier for me, motivation wise, to get through an essay by writing :

"do research/ find sources,

find quotations and create citations,

create an outline,

write paragraph (1,2,3, etc.),

edit rough draft,

create final draft"

because I can check off each little part and still feel like I'm making real, tangible progress vs. just putting down "turn in essay by (deadline)" in my planner.

Then, figure out what's the absolute *bare minimum* you need to do each day (or any other incriment of time that fits your schedule) to meet your deadline. Whatever it is, make sure to add an extra day or two as padding, so you can meet that deadline even if something comes up. Don't be afraid of asking for extensions or setting up accomodations. Be realistic with your limitations and time constraints.

For example: I have 5 hours of lecture I need to get through over Thanksgiving break to meet a deadline. Over 6 days, I need to watch at least 45 mins of a lecture each day. For me, 45 of lecture time is doable over a day because I know I dont have to do it all in one sitting. Realistically, I know it will take me anywhere from 1-5 hours to watch and take notes for these 45 minutes of lecture, because I am preemptively assuming I will need to take some breaks in between.

Breaks: when I get bored, I dont fight it. Instead, I take time to pivot. This is particularly helpful when I find myself doing something I have no interest in, and my brain does not for any reason want to let me do it. I take the time to scroll aimlessly, but also to get a drink/eat/use the restroom. I'm actually writing this while on a hw break right now. And when I get back from my break, all my stuff is in the same place where I left it at my desk, so I have a much better time easing my way into being productive again. If I still don't wanna work on what I was before, I start working on something relatively quick & easy from my to do list that I *do* want to do and ride the wave of productivity I get from finishing that.

The last part: reward yourself for the small victories. Yes checking things off a to do list is fun, but so are stickers. My planners are FULL of gold stars, smiley faces, and cute character stickers. There's a reason teachers use them, they are amazing motivators.

There's a bunch of adhd advice out there that's like "people with adhd tend to work better under deadlines due to the anxiety so here are ways to artificially induce a stress response in order to get you to get work done" and it's like well what if I don't want to be stressed out all the time in order to function

[writingwithfolklore]

Who holds the power in your scene?

This is something we really explored during my time at film school, and is easier to see on the screen but still very applicable on the page. Essentially, in every scene there is one character who is holding the power—meaning they are driving the conversation, driving the action, they are in control because they are going after a goal, and if they are in power, are going to get the closest to achieving it. Every character should have some sort of goal going into every scene, and thus the power can and should shift between characters within the scene to create more interesting dynamics. So how do we do this?

1. Understand each character’s goal—and who is going to “win”

Each character comes into a scene with expectations that form their goal. Let’s do a breakup scene. Character A comes in with the expectation to go on a hike with their partner and have a good time. Their goal may start out as something simple like: “have a good time on this hike” or “avoid fighting with Character B”. Character B is going into this scene knowing they are going to breakup with character A, their goal is to literally just breakup with them.

If we know, as the author, that Character B is going to be successful, we know that this is their scene and they will ultimately hold the majority of the power. Vice-versa if Character A is successful in achieving their goal.

In knowing that, we can get into the actual mechanics of a power shift.

2. Character spacing and movement

Spacing and movement is the most obvious aspect in filmmaking, but may be forgotten on the page. In our example, I would place Character B ahead of Character A on the hike so that they are standing slightly above them on the incline. When they begin discussing their breakup, I would turn them around. Subconsciously, we know that B is “lording” over A, they have the high ground (har-har) and thus are the more imposing, powerful person.

Even the act of turning around would be a display of this power. So I would write it as,

B: Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something… I just don’t really think either of us are happy—I don’t think this is really working anymore. A: What are you saying? B stops walking, turning on their heel to face them. B: I’m saying I want to break up.

3. The Driver of Conversation

Seen a bit in the last section, whoever is driving the conversation, steering the topic and tone, holds the power. You may notice throughout dialogue that there tends to be a questioner and an answerer, or someone providing the action while the other(s) are reacting.

A: I thought we were trying to connect more. Isn’t that what this stupid hike is about? B: Well it’s not working. I’m sorry. I’m done trying.

However, a character can grapple for and shift the power by calling them out or otherwise steering the conversation in a way that they would like instead. At this point, A would likely have shifted their goal from “having a good time” to proving that they were right about some change they picked up on, or in another case, may be trying to convince them to not breakup. If you allow them to “win” for a portion of the scene, you can reverse the power.

A: This is because of that person you met at work isn’t it? How dare you try to pretend that it has anything to do with me. B: Hold on—this has nothing to do with her… A scoffed, stepping forward on the incline. A: You are such a liar. You have been since the day we met. I don’t know why I ever trusted you.

B: I didn’t lie about that. I swear.

And let’s reverse the scene back:

A: What is it then? What is this really about? B: We’re just too different! I’m sorry. B steps past A and starts walking back the way they came.

Power can shift because another character took it, but it can also shift by the character in power giving it up, either intentionally or unintentionally.

4. The leader of action

Otherwise, the person who directs the action; is winning the fight, points out directions or creates the plan, or otherwise is determining where the characters go next or what they do next, holds the power in the scene. A grapple for power doesn’t necessarily need to be verbal but could rather be two people going opposite directions and one of them relenting, for example. This one is more obvious because it’s very visual, but is still an important aspect to how characters “win” or “lose” their goals in a scene.

[vrystalius]

hi! Ive been reading ur fics for a while and i love them sm and hope ur enjoying ur break!

I was wondering if u could write about giyuu apologizing after an arguement?

once again i absolutely love ur fics lol 💗

Apologies

Giyuu apologising after an argument— how does he do it?

Pairing: married!Giyuu x gn!married!reader

“Why can’t you just talk to me? I feel like I’m the only one trying here!”

You immediately regretted those words the second they left your mouth. Washing out your mouth with soap won’t wash that expression of your husband from your face, him staring at you in both disbelief and deep guilt. Giyuu knows that he can come off as cold or even uncaring, even to you. It’s never intentional but rather a terrible habit he seemingly can’t get rid off and it keeps forcing him to push people away from him. That’s why it may seem he doesn’t try hard enough to express his thoughts, his feelings.

Despite knowing that you will be understanding and listen to his worries, hold him while you kiss his face until he finally smiles again, all those fears and thoughts that dwell on horrific events he experiences on a daily gone in mere seconds.

So, who should apologise first? Giyuu, or you?

Since your husband left your house after the argument, probably wanting to take a walk or get some fresh air, you had time to think about what to do to apologise to him. Directly talking to him might scare him off and result into him being too intimidated to answer or scurry off to hide somewhere else to avoid you altogether. A letter could work, right?

Composing and thinking about every word, every sentence helped you sort your thoughts out and properly speak about the argument from your perspective while also staying respectful to his own view of the issues. You just hoped that your crow was awake to deliver a letter to your husband. If not, you’ll leave it in your bedroom for your husband to find and read quietly while you waited on him somewhere else.

But before you could prepare a method for Giyuu receiving your letter, Kanzaburo, your husband’s elderly crow, weakly called out to you and ruffled his feathers while resting on your windowsill. A letter was secured around his neck. Gently, you took the bird and put it to rest on your lap, giving him well-deserved scratches while gently unravelling the letter from his neck. It was written by Giyuu, obviously, but before you could read, the door to the room opened and your husband stood in the doorframe, staring down at you in surprise. He eyed you, then the letter in your hands.

“Have you.. read it?”

“No, Kanzaburo just delivered it.”

“Ah.”

You could see the gears shifting inside his mind. He probably overestimated the senior crow and thought the letter would be delivered faster. You scratched the crows head and glanced back to the paper in your hand.

“Should I read it? Or do you want to say everything you wrote down to me personally?”

Giyuu silently averted his eyes, his shoulders sagging and a small frown spreading on his face. He was avoiding to look into your eyes.

“No. I’ll be in the bedroom.”

You watched your husband slowly close the door, leaving you alone with his elder companion. While the crow was contently preparing to nap on your lap, you opened the letter.

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳༚

My dearest,

I am sorry. I know I’ve caused arguments again and again because of my silence and my behaviour over all. You feel like you’re the only one trying in this relationship and I’m sorry for that. I thought that if I stayed silent it would be easier for the both of us but that is clearly not the case. I should’ve realised much sooner, but instead I am only doing it now.

I am just too scared to scare you off with my problems and issues since you have your own, just like everyone else does. You are important to me so you always are my priority. My thoughts and feelings can wait, so I stay quiet.

You deserve better than the way I am treating you, you deserve so, so much better. You’ve been patient with me, you stayed with me for so long, through good and bad times. I don’t deserve your love.

I want to do better and I will. Please have a little more patience with me. Please.

I love you, I am sorry that I haven’t said it enough times. I am sorry if you don’t believe me.

Yours forever,

Tomioka Giyuu.

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳༚

💠

Thank you so much for requesting!! I’ve been seeing you interact with my posts pretty often so thank you for all your love and support <33 I’ll happily write more requests for you in the future if you liked this one!

Also, I haven’t forgot about Kyojuro’s thighs request :,) I started writing it and it’s halfway finished— my NSFW meter just ran out and I started writing this instead XD

Anyways, make sure to EAT, SLEEP and DRINK enough!!

Take care of yourselves, physically and mentally <3

[dj-of-the-coven]

How to Burn Your Own CDs - a guide for Windows users

Are you--yes, you!--tired of paying money to stupid shit like spotify for your music? Do you hate the way that the music industry takes almost all the profit that bands make through streaming and leaves them with pennies? Have you ever wanted to fire up that old CD-Radio in the corner of your bedroom, only to be stopped because all you have on CD is Weezer's blue album and a copy of Kidz Bop 16 that you don't remember buying? Well this guide just might be for you!

Materials you'll need:

A computer. Can't do it without this one.

A CD drive. It can be internal or external, but you'll need one either way. You can find them at Office Depot for fairly cheap and I've heard that some Walmarts carry them.

A pack of CD-Rs. CD-Rs, or CD Recordables, come in packs of 20, 50, or 100. A proper 100-pack should cost you no more than $30, so unless there's some special shortage in your area, don't buy from anywhere selling them at a markup. CD blanks are literally 50c a piece.

CD cases. Sold wherever CD-Rs are, but you can also find these at thrift stores pretty easily.

A sharpie or some kind of permanent marker

Software you'll need:

Jdownloader. You can acquire mp3s through Bandcamp if you're dedicated to righteousness, but for everyone else, install jdownloader or some other kind of open-source download program. I will be proceeding as if you have jdownloader available.

Windows media player. This should open automatically when you insert a CD-R into your CD drive.

Fre:ac audio converter. This is only for the occasion that you encounter OPUS or mp4a files that cannot be interpreted by your CD player.

Note: If you're very determined not to download software onto your computer, you can use free youtube downloaders and audio converters, but these are subject to viruses and other issues such as download speed. I will be proceeding as if you have the programs I listed.

The process:

Decide what you want to burn--anything goes, but keep in mind the time limit on your CD-Rs. Most will record 90 minutes or less.

Open jdownloader, switch to the linkgrabber tab, then paste youtube links in any order until you have all the music you want. I'd personally recommend doing it song-by-song instead of a full album stream, because a massive file will require a lot of work to separate back into searchable tracks.

De-select all files except audio on the right-hand side options menu.

Make a folder inside the music folder of your laptop and label it with the name of your mix CD.

In the properties tab of each song on jdownloader, change the destination folder to the folder you've just created.

Hit "start all downloads".

Once finished, open each folder. If everything is an .mp3 or a .wav, skip the next 2 steps.

Open Fre:ac audio converter to convert all audio files that aren't .mp3 or .wav into .mp3 or .wav.

Drop the converted files next to the unconverted files in your folder. If you wish, you can delete the originals to make the folder easier to browse.

Put your blank CD-R into the CD drive. If external, plug in your CD drive first or the tray will refuse to open.

Windows media player will open automatically. On the right-hand side, you will see the tracklist of your CD-R (which should be blank). On the left, you will see the audio that your computer is able to find in the music folder. Put your selected tracks IN ORDER onto the tracklist.

Listen to the beginning and ending of each track to make sure there isn't a significant time gap. This also prevents accidentally burning a youtuber's stupid outro if you missed it before.

When satisfied, hit "start burn".

On an external drive, the CD tray will open upon completion. You can reinsert it to ensure that the burning went smoothly.

Once satisfied, remove the CD from your drive. With your sharpie or permanent marker, write the name of the album on the front, then store safely inside a CD case.

you did it👍

Ask me if you run into any issues.

Legal disclaimer: this guide is purely for educational purposes and I do not admit to or take responsibility for any piracy committed using the instructions given.

Illegal disclaimer: cops suck my dick

[spottheantisemitism]

Dear Red,

yeah Gabby and Xavier just inexplicably give thier son up for adoption and make him neither Jewish or Romani upbringing wise, double erasure. At least Wanda and Pietro are raised by Calderas Roma instead of their Sinti Roma mother Magda

Side side tangent: yeah same thing happens to Marc in the remake, shipped off by remaining parents to be cared for by well meaning but deeply abusive woman doctor. I even make two crossovers over Comparing Gabrielle to Elias Spector and David to Marc Spector. Sucks for both boys and both parents.

Well see TV isn’t a Jewish plurality medium so it’s easier to erase us off something that’s not our home turf

see If Magneto canonically ages slowly why not say that Marc stopped aging after he died and he and Marlene are actually 50? Their 10 year old kid born in the 2000s? Canonically a magical moon pregnancy and a literal miracle baby like something out of genesis

Marc can still be son of a WW2 survivor.

personally I want to write one of those origin story prequel comics like all the Wolverine and Captain America ones (and yes Magneto: testament) where we follow Marc and Randall Spector in 60s Chicago as they go through high school snd have friends and survive all sorts of antisemitism and the only fantastical elements are that Marc sees his alters as people who visit him and he can throw things improbably well which is the one superpower he had before being moon knighted

As for the Rabbi bit, pretty sure there’s “every Spector firstborn is a Rabbi” going on. so shifting it to “Marcus! your Zadye escaped Czechoslovakia by the skin of his teeth and worked hard to make sure I could go to Yeshiva and Rabbinical School and I did the same for you, you are not throwing good time and money away to spend your time in illegal boxing rings and flirting with every goya you meet” still works if you shift it a generation. There is no excuse besides “too Jewish”

As for the “thinks he’s white”, it’s because Steven is oblivious of everything else and think Marc is handsome and in shape but he isn’t despite the same body but usually it’s either “Steven is too dumb to realize” (which is ableist) or “Steven was Marc’s wish to be a white goy” (which is racist). The Steven is gentile thing is because canonically Marc associates his Judiasm with his trauma (another problematic part of the show). However this only means Steven can embrace Judiasm without Marc’s baggage not reject it entirely

this was a very fascinating derail of my own pos

Cecil

"we need to do a modern remake where Magneto is rwandan or Uyghyur" used to be the refrain and now it's "we need a modern remake where Magneto is palestinean"

and first off no we don't want a modern remake where he's not a holocaust survivor X-men 97 gave us a perfectly good story and people like it even praising how it references the holocaust without being too graphic

and do you really want to talk about which "updated backstory" to give Magneto to be "more with the times" because the answer is there and you are not ready to have this conversation maturely

Might want to stick with what Claremont wrote and keep him and Ashkenazi Jewish and Sinti Romani Holocaust survivor instead of whichever group it's most topical to shift it to

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Childe being really smug about having this much of a fanbase in the internet and then. Finding tumblr. Finding this blog.

He's so confused.

It's not him being the darling, but the side of him formed in the abyss?

And then cue our Mothman equally confused but so happy. They are all here for them? Not for the human half?

I would snuggle our moth and never leave their side. Ever.

Childe, listen, i like you too but if i had to pick you or Foul Legacy i'd go with Foul Legacy. i cannot resist soft fluffy moth

because Foul Legacy is so used to being in the shadows, only used for Childe's most desperate moments. Legacy doesn't deserve or need love- such sweet emotions are reserved for humans, and he is anything but that. a weapon, a monster, yes- but not human, and he knows he'll never be human. he's fine with it, mostly. Childe treats him well and gives him blood and battles because that's all he needs, and the rest of Legacy's time is spent either dozing or idly watching the outside world from within the Harbinger's body, and everything is ordinary and dull- until he meets you

you're not scared or disgusted at all- in fact, the first thing you say to him, to Foul Legacy, is that he's beautiful, gently holding his face in your hands

he likes it- that's what the warm feeling in his chest is, right? your words are soft, comforting, and Legacy finds himself purring whenever you happen to wander into Childe's view. you love the Eleventh Harbinger as well, but there's a special affection reserved only for his Abyssal side, something that confuses both Childe and Foul Legacy. but Legacy finds that he adores your attention, his heart melting from your simply kindness as he trills and snuggles closer to you, bumping his head against your shoulder happily, a sponge for your affection. you can't really blame him- he's gone so long without it already

he thinks that tomorrow he'll give you a flower. that's what humans do for people they like, right?

[13eyond13]

love it when a character that's hard to read intuitively for you has like a dedicated fandom interpreter who can just glance at their blank face in a panel and then give you a 3k word essay on their innermost thoughts & desires & fears and neatly tie it back into the themes & whatnot as if it's the most obvious thing in the world

[icewindandboringhorror]

recent lounging babey images

[orcelito]

Thinking again about my plans for Vash and Knives in ITNL

Which I can't really get into the specifics for How I'm going to do things w/o going into spoiler territory. But I Do have Vash & Knives tagged on the fic for a reason. I set up in the first chapter that Vash is determined to try to save Knives too.

Which. That choice, as well as the entire basis for all of this, depends so much on that final fight in trimax. The one that was literally a scene away from where ITNL Vash went back in time. His mentality just a hair's width away from that...

At the end of trimax, there was reconciliation, however brief and incomplete it was. In ITNL, my question to myself was How could I induce that again? Under different circumstances, How Else could we get there? And that is the long-game in ITNL.

[thedrotter]

I have a gift for y'all today !!! 😊 Ever wanted to find a line in Re:Kinder in a single place for the sake of reference?? How about multiple chunks of lines. how about all the little variations that arise in the text with it's many endings, item descriptions, text that comes from interacting with the enviroment, and character info from the menu without having to boot up the game and go through it at long minutes!!???

well i sure did😊 Since I do a lot of fanart and think up my own silly theories and thoughts that need me to reference the game lines a lot, i have made a transcript for it for convenience's sake. A weirdly thorough transcript handwritten and proofread by me including all character lines available in-game. And I'm sharing it with you all today for anyone that wants it !!! :3 To use as a reference for creative fanworks or a quick search for a line in-game, whatever you wish to use it for!!

It uses the english translation of the game by vgperson. So naturally all credit for the game lines available in here is to her and Parun who made the game.

I did my best to organize it in a way easy to digest. Do note that I'm still human, and there's still the chance for mistake in it no matter how much I've proofread it, since I'm not even an english native speaker ^^. But I hope it serves you well nonetheless if you wish to use it.

That's my gift for today!!! Not the usual art, but still a project I'm proud of. Enjoy!!! 😊

[happyk44]

Nico agreeing when Percy first suggests he stay at camp. Percy wakes up in the middle of the night to a cold chill dripping down his spine. Panic hits him - more monsters?

But, no.

It's Bianca. She's standing, ghostly, on his floor. Her form is flickering in and out. Her gaze is firmly planted on the window, staring out at something.

He grabs Riptide and joins her. She says nothing as he pushes back the seashell curtain and catches sight of what she was looking at, what she wanted him to see.

Nico. Trudging off towards the trees.

Shit, Percy thinks as he rushes out the door. Nico doesn't even startle when he grabs his shoulder and pulls him to a stop. There's a sleeping bag tucked under his arm. His lips are downturned. He won't meet Percy's eyes.

"Where-" He exhales sharply. "Where you going?"

Nico kicks the dirt. "Home."

Percy grits his teeth and focuses on his breathing. "I thought you said you were gonna give it a shot. You know - staying here, being a camper." He gives Nico a friendly punch to the shoulder. "Making some friends."

"The friends thing was you," Nico mutters. He glanced past Percy, to Cabin Eleven. "I don't want to stay some place I can't sleep."

Brows furrowing, Percy crosses his arms. "What are you talking about?"

"Travis asked me to leave," Nico says, and a strange sense of calm washes over Percy like the trickling of water right before the burst of a dam. "Some of the others aren't comfortable with me there. They won't go to sleep. Or can't. I don't know." He stares at the ground. "He suggested I go sleep in the Big House."

"Then why-"

"I already asked Chiron about that," Nico cuts in. He tilts his head upwards, eye angry, defiant. They're like the endless void. "He said no. Can't show favouritism or something like that." He shoves the sleeping bag into Percy's hands. "So I'm going home. To my father."

Percy squeezes the bag in his hand so tight he fears it might burst on him. What's even in a sleeping bag, he wonders. "But-"

"But nothing. I don't need to try with these people." He slaps his chest firmly. "My siblings tried for centuries to fit in and all it got us was ostracized, bullied, or dead." Angrily, he points over to Cabin Eleven. The ground tumbles under his feet. "You think this is the first time we've been kicked out of that stupid cabin?"

Percy squeezes the bag tighter. Behind him, he can feel eyes watching him. Staring. Bianca, or maybe someone else, hidden deep in the shadows. Just waiting.

Nico stares at Percy with vicious eyes and sharper teeth. "Everyone thinks my father is some kind of inherent danger, and that, as his child, I must be too. Don't pretend you don't agree."

The bag drops from his hands as the air turns cold and frosty on his skin. "I don't believe you're dangerous!"

"You thought I wanted to kill you!" Nico seethes through clenched teeth. Percy withdraws and catches his breath. Anger has turned to pain, sadness, in Nico's eyes, his lips trembling. "You thought-" His voice cuts out with a strangled little noise that burns like a geyser right through Percy's core.

Bianca shimmers behind him. Her eyes are a void, drowning Percy as he looks at her. If Nico senses his sister, he doesn't show, but still Percy feels something watching his back.

Her voice echoed inside his head. Didn't you say you'd protect him? The darkness around them seems to come alive, tickling at his senses. Goosebumps litter up his arms. If you want him as safe as I do, let him go home. We have never been welcome here.

She disappears and the void breaks. Percy breathes.

"Okay," he says. With wet eyes, Nico blinks up at him. "It's not like I can stop you and... I go home at the end of every summer too so. Unfair for me to tell you not to. Just. Don't go around befriending anymore creepy ghosts, okay?"

It's quiet for just a moment. Then Nico nods sharply and turns on his heels. The darkness beckons him forward with twisted ink.

Percy runs and catches him on the shoulder once more. "I didn't think you wanted to me kill because I thought you were dangerous. I had this dream..." He trails off, unsure of how to explain.

"Dreams can lie, Percy," Nico says. He tilts his face away from him. Shadows cast across his pale skin, almost hiding him from view. "My dreams lie all the time."

"Yeah, but." Percy swallows. He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. Everything- We're fine, okay? I. You- Just. Stay safe and call me. If you need help."

The shadows don't pull back from Nico's face and his stony silence as Percy pulls away from him is as unreadable to Percy as a college level textbook. The shadows pull around Nico, almost like a hug, and he's gone. The darkness fades and spreads out.

Like nothing happened.

[pirefyrelight]

you ever just wish you could start your life over as easy as it is to in minecraft.

[wolpatinga]

[butnotbubblegum]

been thinking a lot about telling my friends i love them, recently.

anyway i love you so so much.

[box-dwelling]

If I could get over my internalised ableism and be like 5% more organised and do shit like use my fucking support aids and take my fucking meds I really would be unstoppable.

[junsei-draws-rotasu]

Sometimes I just want to read the wiki and then get on with writing for the CGI crossover, but If I do that, I'll even question more making me read the comics. Which is good because I'm planning to read them too but really feels like I'm forcing myself instead enjoying it like I'm supposed to.

An example would be TMNT space arcs. I think 2003 has one. 1987 absolutely has one. 2012 has one. rottmnt sadly didn't get one. 1990 didn't get one. Mirage has one because I'm reading to that specific arc so I can make a comparison between the 2007 and 2012 CGI crossover.