#why gratitude works.

[dove-da-birb]

This isn't my first rodeo on this hellsite, but this is by far the most fun and supportive time that I've experienced.

So, thank you for deciding to stick around. For the support; be it here on this blog which is sometimes the Wild West regarding content, to my writing on my side blog, and in other various forms.

Be it from when I decided to raise my head from my previous writing grave, to 'oh gods I'm being perceived' a la June/July 2023, to just stumbling across here and deciding to stay because, hey, why the hell not?

I know I won't be online as much in 2024 - due to work, reconnecting with hobbies and passions since my burnout is finally lifting, generally taking better care of myself and understanding myself more, or curveballs that life may throw in my direction.

I hope though that this corner of the internet stays a good place and that we can celebrate virtual and IRL milestones together as we travel down the sometimes bumpy road that is life.

To sum it up; I'm happy to have met all of you and *word vomits at you*

[aurosoulart]

my boss messaged me awhile ago saying that Figmin's previous artist (who did the UI design) recently transitioned and that "all the artsy stuff in Figmin is trans 🎉" 😭😭😭💖💖💖💖💖

also we wanted to change the silhouette in our banner to be more androgynous, so now it's literally just a picture of me that I traced

anyways!!!! trans joy is REAL and it is stored in the Figmin XR🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

[tanicus-caesareth]

guarana drama, damage control

[hinamie]

Fun Art Habit i learned from my father is, upon finishing a drawing, immediately tear into it 2 find something wrong with it :) to improve :)

[ultrabooob]

touching grass does not work and was made up by Big Outside bc Why after every shift at work do i feel more insane about joker out than usual

[mel-loly]

-“Just a flower, in the middle of the field at night, a light is turned on and reveals.. A day arriving with confident hope and silent happiness!”🌹🐝

[fightaers]

sometimes i think abt how sakura's become so widely-spread and misinformed in that mass-production that she's almost become this caricature of the third female member in a trio who is a 'girl-boss who is so cool and is so sexy or so confident etc' when, in fact, she's actually a character with believable flaws and unique characteristic pertaining specifically to the experiences she's endured, and she's beyond someone everyone mass-ships or mass-hates, and in this essay i will—

[pricemarshfield]

i am once again thinking about the bard dialogue options with raphael

[vriskabot]

at that point where i kinda want to make a spreadsheet or document or SOMETHING keeping track of the artists i like and why with links to wherever their gallery is kept just as a sort of. shorthand reference

[rahabs]

Toxic law culture is watching your coworker stay at the office past midnight to work on something and then get reamed out the next day because it doesn’t meet the mercurial standards of senior counsel or the “partners”.  And he wonders why I continually refuse to work past office closing hours.

[orcelito]

I know it's not actually in my job description to put myself in harm's way just to spare my employees from the risk, but like. Idk. There's just something about being in a position of authority over them, yet not being able to truly change anything for them... all I'm doing is trying to make things as tolerable for them as possible, and trying to mitigate the owner's treatment of them as just business assets.

So no, I can't raise their wages, but I can be forgiving when it comes to tip deductions and maybe fudge things a little bit when it comes to performance reviews. I can keep some things a secret, and I can quietly tell a diabetic employee that she doesn't have to pay for the fries actually, I won't tell anyone.

And I can take on some of the riskier tasks, because I don't want them to have to. So I'll put the box up well over my head while im balancing on a ladder, I'll cut the giant wheel of parmesan cheese with a dull knife, I'll do the objectively unpleasant tasks, all so they don't have to.

I know my actions won't change the fact that we live in a soul-sucking capitalism machine, but I just hope I can make things even just a little bit more tolerable for them.

[loveheartslouis]

I hate it when the shitty thing you're using to save money/be eco friendly is actually shitty

[windor-truffle]

ok vent post time, time to be a cheria/asbel hater 😩 I really don't want to rip apart this ship considering I like both characters and think they have the potential to be interesting if handled well... I just don't think canon handles them well 😓 For now I'm just going to look at them from the context of where I am in the story rn (their fight after Raymond's failed blackmail attempt), but maybe later I can do a follow-up post covering the whole game (and L&L which iirc does a better job of writing them romantically, if only marginally):

I have to lead this off by noting this is a terrible display from Asbel 😩 he's acting just like his dad did, being angry at the person for making him worry, though at least he hasenough sense to not fucking hit her over it -_- Yet here Asbel's being almost more unfair, as at least in Aston's case his 11 year old son had snuck away unsupervised and had his friends lie about where he was. But Cheria's old enough to not require adult supervision and mature enough to decide what degree of personal risk she's willing to take... and like she says, it's not like she even meant to be in danger in the first place, she just heard something she wasn't supposed to and got caught at it. But I'm not here to bash Asbel's character, in fact I think it's great that they're showcasing his flaws in this fight. Asbel is consistently characterized as someone who gets angry when he's really just feeling upset (*coughtoxicmasculinity coughmencan'tshowfeelingsbesidesrighteousanger*) and it makes sense for that negative trait to make an appearance in this circumstance.

It's pretty clear that both sides are fighting because they care about each other but rather than admit that, they're angry at the other for making them worry. But i'd say it's more or less healthy to air out these riled up emotions first so they can get to the heart of the matter that they've been avoiding:

This is all good! They needed to talk this out, even if it required them hitting a boiling point of emotions first. But the problem I have here is that this is only the beginning of an apology from both sides. They're finally being honest about why they did what they did, the choices they made seven years ago, but even though they're admitting it there's no evidence in this moment that the other actually understood, empathized, or forgave the other for that. There IS some evidence in the moments leading up to this, gathered rather piecemeal-y:

(I swear there's a line where Cheria admits "I know why you had to leave" but I can't find it 😩)

But in this moment, this fight and subsequent conversation and chance to make amends, neither one manages to verbally accept the other's feelings. Asbel doesn't acknowledge how the repercussions of the choice he made 7 years ago affected those he left behind. Cheria doesn't recognize that Asbel's method of coping with the grief of losing Sophie due to his own helplessness was to take action, to do SOMETHING because he couldn't then and is terrified of losing someone again. He was hurting, but so was she, and maybe they could have healed better with each other's company, but the actions they took and feelings they felt were completely justified to them at the time.

But like I said before, my issue is with how they end this argument and "fix" their relationship. Maybe it's foolish of me to expect a clear and explicit apology from these awkward teenagers' first attempt at romance (couldn't help but note that neither one actually says "I'm sorry" though), or lazy of me to expect the writers to spell it out when I so happily read into the subtext for other aspects of the story, but to me, the resolution of this fight implies that the underlying issues, though aired, have not been resolved. Since they never actually apologize, the part of the apology where you make plans to improve yourself and avoid hurting each other in the future has also been skipped. Instead, they've decided to simply drop the issue. This isn't a bad thing, as sometimes it's better to just drop it and move on, but that feels like a surface-level manner of resolving this personal grudge and subsequent dispute accrued over seven years, and it mostly functions just to keep the peace in the short term. We're supposed to believe that these characters have or want an intimate relationship in the long term, but they fall back on prideful denials and awkward smiles instead of clear communication. It's like they're in love with the idea of being in love with each other, without the underlying love. Attraction, sure, and affection, but not the kind of selfless love where you want what's best for the other. And for me, it's hard to get invested in that not when Richass is right there

I hope to come back to this topic because with careful examination I do think that the subtext for a healthy or at least interesting relationship is there, and I don't want to be uncharitable toward these characters just because of my bias for the gay pairing. This ship, though canon, is generally unpopular with the fandom, and I'd like to explore how much of that is justified, and where it went right or wrong. So... stay tuned for a follow-up? ^^' (<- the face of one with good intentions but bad executive function)

[bluinary]

Reblogging this before everyone hops on the "you should've known better" train

I'm convinced I have the worst vibes detector of all time. I used to be a fan of Creepshow Art, iilluminaughtii, and James Somerton- all high-profile creators who got their careers tanked because they're bad people. Given the absolutely huge number of creators I subscribe to it's not surprising that this has happened multiple times, but still.

Then again, when I expressed this sentiment in the past and kicked myself for not being more aware of the red flags, someone told me that means I just want to see the good in people and am more willing to forgive faults than others are. I think that's spot-on tbh; I'm a very naive and forgiving person, which has often been taken advantage of. But it's just my nature, I can't help it.

This will inevitably happen to me again, but I'd rather not beat myself up over not constantly being attuned to every red flag people give off.

[girlwithrituals]

GLOW UP GUIDE FOR 2025⠀

READ: On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And considering that 2025 is precisely these many days away, why not start with our glow up plan already?

Physical Glow Up-

BODY

— 5-10K steps a day.

— 7-8 hours of sleep.

— workout everyday for 1 hr atleast- yoga/stretching/pilates/cardio. a workout may take one hour, but your mood will be boosted for the next 12 hours.

— posture training.

— sunlight exposure after waking up for at least 10 minutes.

NUTRITION

— 2-3 liters of water every day.

— limit your caffeine intake.

— avoid sugars as much as you can.

— high protein diet, pre and probiotics.

— more fruits and veggies (+ green smoothies if you like).

— no junk/processed food/trans fat.

— no eating after 8 pm.

SKINCARE

— be clear on your skin type (oily, dry, combination, sensitive).

— once you're clear, use these accordingly- cleanser, toner, targeted serum, eye cream, moisturizer, sunscreen (≥50 spf).

— keep your bedding clean as well.

— no picking of skin on your lips, cuticle etc.

— gua sha to help improve blood circulation and lessen toxins.

— cold therapy may take three to five minutes of being uncomfortable, but your energy levels will be boosted for the rest of the day.

— remove makeup before you go to bed.

BODY CARE

— shower every day.

— exfoliate 2x a week.

— use body lotion (shea butter/aloe vera gel/coconut oil).

HAIR CARE

— wash hair 2-3x a week

— oil your scalp 2x a week, at least 3 hours before shampoo.

— hair mask 1x per week.

— never brush wet hair.

— use silk pillow case.

HYGIENE

— brush your teeth 2x a day, clean tongue and the roof of the mouth daily.

— floss daily.

— cut your nails 1x a week, never remove the cuticles.

— glycolic acid under arm for odor and discoloration.

— never use soap on your coochie.

Mental Glow Up-

MINDSET

— set clear goals- define and breakdown your aspirations.

— start your mornings with positive affirmations.

— surround yourself with uplifting content and people.

— be shamelessly selfish to your career and mental health, remove anyone or anything that doesn't align with your priorities and wellbeing.

— boost your brain health by these 4 neuroscience tools:

difficult first: start your day with the most difficult task (cortisol and dopamine are high in the body meaning that your body/mind is primed to work).

rest your eyes: introduce a micro-pause after learning by resting/closing your eyes - will help retain information better.

tomorrow's worries: write tomorrow's to-do list before bed as it is proven to be effective in helping you fall asleep.

find time to play: engage in low-stake play. can be anything you find fun but where the outcome doesn't matter (induces neuroplasticity + reduces stress).

MIND

— meditation might take as low as ten minutes, but your focus will be improved for the rest of the day.

— no social media after waking up and at least an hour before bed.

— keep aside 1 hr of time to read daily! reading a new book may take five hours, but you will keep the knowledge forever.

— journaling, gratitude.

— digital detox once a week or for 12 hours.

— limit unnecessary screentime, unfollow or cut off people you don't want to see.

JOURNALING

— choose a regular time each day to journal, making it a part of your routine.

— find a quiet, comfortable place free from distractions. light a candle if you want.

— allow your thoughts to flow without censoring or editing.

— write about your feelings and emotions to understand them better. write about things you are thankful for to boost your mood. write about your short-term and long-term goals. identify what triggers certain emotions or reactions

— set a timer for 5-10 minutes and write continuously during that time.

— reflect on both positive experiences and challenges.

— make lists, journal your thoughts on these questions.

— journal at night to clear your mind before bedtime, because emotions and thoughts lose their power once we acknowledge them.

— a gratitude practice may take five minutes, but your mindset will be shifted for the rest of the day.

AFFIRMATIONS

— customise affirmations to your needs.

Personal Life-

WEEKLY TASKS

— initiate small changes: begin with small, manageable tasks such as making your bed or cleaning your room every sunday.

— celebrate your success: reward yourself when you achieve your goals or have a consistently productive week. consider treats like buying flowers for yourself or watching your favorite show.

DAILY WORK

— set achievable goals: establish realistic goals for the day, week, or month ahead.

— track your progress.

— organise your work space, declutter your shelves etc.

— embrace the power of lists: keep a list of tasks to be done and their deadlines. this way, you start each day with a clear plan. to make it visually appealing and motivating, consider using productivity apps like evernote, habit tracker, or notion.

PRODUCTIVITY TIPS

— wake up early.

— plan ahead everything, do scheduling. you can use:

google calendar / notion / tasks .

— if the task takes less than 2 minutes to finish, do it immediately.

— countdown rule, if you are procrastinating, count 1-2-3-4-5 and jump.

— start slow, don't rush and try to do everything at one time.

— follow a proper routine, use app locks based on screentime.

— pomodoro technique, 25 min work, and 5 min break.

— schedule longer break times as well e.g 30 min nap.