#yes i really did create that pinterest board

[bugablu]

[adviceformefromme]

GLOW-UP LIKE NEVER BEFORE SERIES

Ladies, we are here. This is the beginning of your glow-up like never before by 2025. We are not sleeping on ourselves in the remaining four months of this year. There is no more putting yourself second, wishing and wanting to be a better version of yourself, because this is your opportunity to show up for you. I will be providing the steps and guidance so stay tuned, its going to be a journey. One that kicks off today. 

Week 1: CREATING THE VISION

This week is for getting into the energy of how you want to feel come January 2025. The vision should excite you, you want to feel like your wildest dreams are possible and this where you lean into faith, trust and imagination. 

Step 1: On the first page of your new journal script 3 pages in present tense of what your life looks and feels like on January 1st 2025. You want to get into the small details, using all your senses, what you can hear, see, smell, feel, go all in. Write as much as you can to embody the version of you in your highest expression. It might seem crazy to write this, especially in such a short amount of time, but once you start moving correctly timelines can easily be collapsed. I am a walking testimony of this, as I went from sharing a room in the UK to moving into a spacious 2-bed open view apartment overseas, within four weeks. Did I believe? Yes. Had I been doing all the steps I am sharing with you? Yes.  By scripting your life, as crazy and whacky as it may seem you are moving your dreams from thought to reality. A dose of faith is also required for step 1. 

Step 2: Vision board, this is where you get to have fun. Find those images on Pinterest that make you feel ‘omg is this my actual fucking life *screams internally* ‘. Again, no playing small. If you want the G-wagon and you’re driving the Honda, add it to your board, if you’re wanting to write a book, add a New York Times bestseller sticker to your vision board, bring your dreams to life. Save to desktop, screensaver, phone Home Screen. You want to see your vision board at the very least a few times per week. 

Step 3: Write supporting affirmations for your new vision life. I am, I feel, it feels so good to….Lean into the feelings, be creative. As you write your affirmations a minimum of five, you want to record these on your phone and loop them before bed. You can extend these affirmations, and turn it into a rampage - this is where you really speak life into yourself, going into more details. Your recording can be 1 min  - 5 mins. It doesn’t have to be crazy long, the main point is to keep it simple and inspiring. You want to feel inspired when you listen, your own voice, speaking life into your dreams, declaring them. Once you’ve got the recording - LOOP IT. You want this on loop when you’re out on walks this week, when you’re overthinking, but most importantly before you go to bed. Leave it on loop overnight. The goal is to do this every single night for one week. 

Step 4: In the back of your journal in short hand write your 1-3 top goals. It might be earn £10k per month, move into your dream apartment, work for x company. Whatever it is, in very simple words write them, 1-3. And do this EVERY SINGLE DAY. If you skip write it in your phone notes or on the nearest piece of paper. Set a reminder on your phone, because this is such a simple step to manifesting that actually WORKS. 

I know it might seem like some effort to do steps 1-4, but do you want to live the life of your dreams and invest in your expansion and be so proud of who you are come 1st Jan 2025, or do you want to scroll like a cabbage, and watch everyone else live their dream life, and feel like another year, another of unfulfillment ? Your task, put 30mins - 1 hour aside today to do the above. Homework for the rest of the week, read your affirmations, listen to your recording daily before bed and write those goals down! 

Coming next: Week 2: Living by your values + creating space for your dream life… 

[moonchildstyles]

announcement/sneak peek

happy spooky season everyone!!

ive never had the time to do something like this, but ive finally timed it all right and I'll be posting a halloween/spooky centered fic for this season! and, for the first time ever, I'm trying out a mini-series kind of format! if its something ppl like and interact with ill def consider doing this more!

anywayyyyyyyy, starting next friday, the 13th, on patreon I will begin posting my new mini-series called Oleander for early access! two weeks later on friday, the 27th, tumblr will begin the story!

it's a three part mini series with darker themes and ideas than ive ever worked with before! i don't usually spoil too much of the stories but ! this is another vamp h story!! very different from my previous vamp h though!!!

this will be my last big piece of writing for the year before I go on my break, and I'm so excited for you guys to get to read it and get to know this new story!

under the cut, I have a sneak peek attached! I also have a Pinterest board you can look at if you want to get a feel for the story!

—————

She hadn't misremembered, it appeared. His eyes really were almost black, just barely tinted a forest green—if the forest in question was being spotted in the pitch of night, only a sliver of the moon and stars above allowing any clarification.

Her heart jumped in her throat, running faster than it had any reason to when their eyes met. She forced herself to swallow it down.

"Sorry, sir," she muttered, unable to pull her gaze away from his even if she instinctively wanted to look anywhere else. "Did you find all you were looking for?" 

"I did, yes." His voice was a lulling rumble, rounded and heady as if the goal was to lure her nearer. If not for the table separating them, she would have fallen for it.

Offering a quiet smile, she gave him a polite nod. 

No other words were exchange, as per usual for his visits. The Count wasn't much for conversation and idle chatter like the rest of the village. Instead, she could feel him watching her as she counted up his herbs and the price of each bundle. 

He was buying the same ones he always did: winter savory (he switched to chamomile when out of season), tobacco, and lavender. 

The buds together created a confusing scent, adding to the mishmash of what the apothecary already was. She couldn't imagine that he would put these three together in any space of that castle, the mixture too aggressive. 

Though she tired her best to concentrate on only the herbs, (Y/N) was too aware of the static of his presence. She wondered what he thought when he came down to the village, what he thought when he interacted with people like her. He was always so stoic. He never gave anything away, though that didn't stop the village gossip from running wild about him.

Swallowing around her dry throat, heartbeat bubbling against her ribs, she matched his gaze. The pricing for his bounty came out on buzzing lips, "Sixteen shillings please, sir." 

He didn't bat an eyelash at the price despite it being the biggest single purchase her father's apothecary would see until the next time he ventured down. Instead, he looked at her with his dark eyes and a tic in his jaw. He was unbearably handsome, made of cut edges and smooth planes, but he always looked at her as if he were angry and working to bury it down. She could never figure out why or what exactly made his nostrils flare or his jaw tight when he spoke to her, but she hoped she wasn't the only one he reacted to like this. 

His hands moved quickly, pulling out a small pouch of tinkling coins before he plucked out the exact amount for her. For a moment, she could see bank notes tucked inside the pouch as well. While she wasn't surprised that someone like him would have that kind of wealth, she had never seen it before with her own eyes. 

Passing off the change to her, his pale fingers grazed her open palm. Goosebumps immediately raised across her skin, his touch feeling as if he had been standing in the dawn's dew for hours, allowing the chill to cling to his skin and leach away all hope for warmth. The graze was quick, barely a heartbeat long, but she swore she could feel the lingering touch for moments after. Maybe he really did have a hard time navigating the village when the fog was this thick, having traveled in winding route and wrong turns for so long he still hadn't been able to heat up even after spending time in the shop. 

Flicking her gaze up to his on instinct, she saw he was looking at swatches of skin exposed from her dress, eyeing the goosebumps he had plucked up on accident. 

(Y/N) cleared her throat, nothing more than a reminder to herself to keep professional and not to gawk at the man. She placed the change in the small cup underneath the collection counter before reaching for his herbs of choice. A length of twine was used to tie up the bundle, ensuring he didn't lose anything on his way back home. 

"Thank you," he muttered once she passed them back, their skin no longer grain this time. 

"Have a pleasant journey back home," she chirped, her voice decidedly pleasant against the bubbling she was feeling inside, "Stay warm." 

The Count didn't give any kind of reaction to her before he was leaving the shop in a flourish. Taking advantage of the window at her disposal, she watched as he ventured out into the fog. The mist mingled around him, making him appear as if he were a ghost, one with the Earth-bound clouds. She was only vague aware of the way her body heat ticked up some now that he had left. 

Though she could hear the sound of footsteps descending the stairs that led up to their home a floor above, (Y/N)'s head was outside the shop and away from her father. She didn't turn even when she could tell he had made it to the landing. He was used to it by now, she knew. Her head was always miles away as far as he was concerned—thinking too big for the village and that was only going to hurt her in the long run. 

The air around her shifted, telling her that her father was just behind her, likely watching to see what had caught her attention this time. 

"Is that Harry?" he grumbled, spitting out the name while dismissing the faux-title since they were alone. 

Her father didn't much like the Count—Harry, as he bitterly spat out. (Y/N) was never sure what had set off her father's distaste for the man, just knowing that he thought him to be something of a boogeyman against the village. He didn't even go to church, her father regularly complained. What kind of man was he if he couldn't even bother to trudge down from his palace to spend some time with God, even if it was in the presence of commoners? 

(Y/N) never really minded. Though she'd never tell her father, church was boring. She couldn't blame Harry—the Count, whatever she was supposed to call him—for skipping out. Especially with the peeks a the castle she could garner if she trekked through the woods far enough. She wouldn't want to leave that place for anything. 

Nonetheless, (Y/N) answered with a soft, "Yes." Her eyes were still locked on the form of him she could barely make out through the mist. 

A grunt of disapproval left her father's lips. She didn't have to look at him to know that he had his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you okay?" 

It was when he settled a hand on her shoulder that she snapped out of her staring. 

"Yes, I'm well," she answered as placidly as possible when she turned to face him. She didn't want to show just how affected she was by the Count. Her father would do more than just grunt and disapprove if he knew just how drawn to the man as she was. 

He peered through the window, his eyes surely finding the one dark figure filtering through the fog. His brows slanted into harsh slashes over his eyes. "I want you to come and find me when he comes in from now on. I don't want him talking with you, anymore." 

Her fingertips buzzed at the new instructions, matching the kickstart to her heartbeats. As much as she heard her father's concerns, and had listened in to all the of the stories and webs spun about this man, those did little to deter her interest in Harry or quell the bubbling in her chest every time she saw him step inside the apothecary. 

"I can handle him, father," she countered, trying to sound as uninterested as possible while attempting to hold her ground, "We barely talk when he comes in, anyway." 

The creases between his brows only deepened when he matched her gaze. "I do not want you becoming one of his victims, (Y/N)."

—————

[themanifestingbrat]

I manifested a new job!

But not just any job, this manifestation is pretty much life changing for me as I get to work in my desired city, make lots more money, and also live there for a discount!

✭ How it started✭ Obstacles✭ How I used my Imagination ✭ How it manifested

✭ How it started

So I already was tired of the job I was currently at and I needed a change. I had a difficult manager, annoying clients, and I wanted to move to another city.

I occasionally checked my company's website for new positions and kept my options open for a good month. During this month, I was still deciding between what I wanted but once I figured that out, a new opportunity was posted. It was literally calling my name! It was my desired location and a brand new building. So I immediately told my manager for her approval and applied.

✭ Obstacles

I didn't hear anything for two weeks and in those two weeks, I started feeling anxious because I got a random thought that I would be fired from my current job. It was totally random and it gave me a really bad feeling but instead of fighting it, I decided to flip it and affirm that I got hired at the new job.

After weeks of not hearing anything, I checked back to my work email (that I never use) and saw that they denied me because they couldn't get a hold of me! I almost freaked out but remembered who I was and stayed calm. I reached out to the manager to apologize and ask for a interview and she said YES!

My co-workers, although very supportive, kept putting negative thoughts into my head of how my manager would react to me wanting to transfer because she's so strict and needy. I didn't take it personal and I would affirm to myself that my manager adores me and supports me.

After my first interview with the new manager, she said she would reach out the next day for a second interview with another higher up. I didn't hear back for another two weeks but instead of assuming the worst, I returned to the state of someone who got the second interview scheduled. I even chose a day that she would email me back and when I would have the interview and it manifested in a week!

✭ How I used my Imagination

Now, I didn't do this to get anything or see results, I naturally did it to fulfill myself and also for fun.

I used affirmations here and there. No, I didn't track how long or when I would affirm. If I caught myself falling out of state, I would just shift back and maybe affirm once or a few times until I felt confident.

I imagined before bed of me working at the new job. This is something I naturally did because I love visualizing exciting possibilites before bed (sometims too exciting and I wouldn't fall asleep haha). I imagined what the office would look like, what my new coworkers could look like, what I would wear, etc. I created different scenarios that could happen.

After a few weeks, it did feel natural. I was bragging to my family that I would get the job. I even made a pinterest board of all the new outfits I needed to buy, I chose a new hairstyle and nails, basically thinking from.

✭ How it manifested

Regardless of what the 3D showed, I had the mindset I already had the job, cause "how can I lose if I'm already chose?" lmfao. After basically going through 3 interviews in a span of three months, the new manager called to offer me the position! I also forget to mention I wanted to manifest higher pay and the pay ended up being a few dollars over (hourly) than what I was okay with!

This job offers an opportunity to live onsite at a discount and it's a brand new luxury property! Now I am going to manifest living there at my desired rent, move in date, and all the other stuff that come with getting a new place!

[sunandflame]

Shards of Glass, Chapter 6

Summary: Kyojuro Rengoku, History Teacher on the Kimetsu Academy, is constantly having strange dreams about a Slayer who looks exactly like him. He thinks nothing of it until he recognizes a very specific person from these dreams and feels a very unique connection to her.

Pairing: History Teacher Kyojuro x Teacher Fem!Reader

Trope: Reincarnation / Sequel to Flame and Water (can be stand-alone)

Word Count: 1962

Warning: slightly suggestive

Pinterest Board of Shards of Glass

Crossposted on AO3

Masterlist of Shards of Glass

It was Friday. Kyojuro was dressed up nicely in clean jeans and freshly washed shirt, having a single pink rose on his desk and the two tickets for the Kyogen Theater show in his pocket. He was ready for his date, or at least he thought so.

‘Hey, I’m sorry, can’t make it today but have fun at the theater!’

He looked at the message on his phone with a sullen expression and frowned. Luckily he was the only one in the staff room so no one could see the disappointment in his face. He had decided to stay a little bit longer in school and then go to his date straight from there. He sighed. He had been really looking forward to the date, not necessarily because of the girl - but for the event because he loved the Kyogen Theater and hoped to have other thoughts than thinking about Y/N, who he had avoided as much as possible all week.

He let out another sigh as he sat down in his chair and hung his head. He felt miserable. The rejection was his punishment for ignoring her. He had seen how she had tried to approach him for conversation, but he always fled. Like a coward. He ran his hands through his hair and immediately felt his heart beat faster when he saw her in front of him, realizing he was not the last one here.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Her voice was so gentle and sweet, nearly angelic - he realized how much he missed it. He had ignored her and she was still worried about him. He should commit seppuku, he thought sullenly. "Yes, everything is alright."

“Did you know that you are a bad liar?” She tilted her head and raised a single eyebrow.

“I guess you are right.” He chuckled. Who would have thought that his bad mood could change so quickly with her.

“I am always right,” she giggled with a teasing smile. “You really look sad and depressed. It’s very unusual for you. You can confide in me. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” She came closer and sat on his desk.

Kyojuro tried not to stare at her thighs that were suddenly so close to his face. It also didn’t help that she was wearing one of her flowy sundresses that looked so pretty on her. He leaned back in his chair to create a bigger gap between them, closed his eyes and sighed. “I just got dumped.”

It was silent for a moment and he dared to open his eyes again. She just stared at him again with her head tilted and mustered him. “So this is why you are dressed up so nicely?”

“Hey, I always dress nicely!”

“Well that one tie with the flames you wore one day was not that nice, but I think the fashion gods can forgive you since you are so handsome.” She giggled with a blush on her cheeks.

“You think I am handsome?” His ears perked up and he got slightly up from his chair. Her soft and innocent flirting made his blood rush.

Her blush turned a tint deeper and she tried to change the topic by bringing back the original one. “I am really sorry that you got dumped. This must hurt.”

“Yeah, it’s a really bummer since I already bought these tickets.” He brought the tickets out of his pocket and threw them on the table. 

Interested, she took one of them and read it out loud. “Kyogen Theater… Is that not a traditional comic theater? This sounds fun! Though I never saw one.”

"Well, I have two tickets, you know…” Before Kyojuro could realize what he said he saw how her eyes lit up. 

“Really? I would love to! Just let me message Kenji quickly before getting ready! I would not want to make him worry.” She slid excited from his desk to get her phone and quickly typed a message. 

Kenji, so that was the name of that man that holds Y/N’s heart. His thoughts would have turned bitter, but her excitement was so refreshing that he did not have the time for it, watching her as it brought a smile to his face. “There is also a free flower with the tickets.” He gave her the pink rose he had bought for his date, but who was he lying to. When he bought the rose in his break time he had thought about her, and her pretty white dress with the pink flowers.

She took the flower from him and took a pair of scissors to shorten the stem and blunt the thorns. He watched her with interest before seeing her put the flower in her hair. She smiled and turned around the circle. “And does that suit me? Am I even properly dressed for that? What do you wear to an event like this?”

He watched how the fabric of the dress flowed around her hips, swaying perfectly. His heart was beating fast again and before he could stop himself he said, “You look perfect.”

~ ~ ~

Never had he had so much fun in his life. It was not the first time he was at this play, which was hilarious, but having this experience with Y/N. Seeing how she enjoyed the evening, how she got tears in her eyes from laughing, seeing her happy. It was all more than he wanted. That she was sitting so close to him, the thighs next to each other, her perfume waving over to him and haunting his senses. Or how she put her hand on his forearm to keep from doubling over with laughter. It was a bonus and something that pushed away the thought that she actually belonged to someone else and that he would probably never get over her.

Even when the play ended she didn't let go of his arm until they arrived at his car. Still laughing and talking, getting out of her shell in a way he did not see in the school or at the drinking party. The blonde man was on cloud nine, since she trusted him so much to be herself and feel comfortable. They talked for a long time about the performance and then about everything and the world, neither of them realizing that they had already arrived at her house. But they were so deep in their conversation that she simply stayed sitting in his car the whole time. 

She looked at her watch. “Oh no, it’s already so late!”

He also looked at the time and was surprised at how quickly the evening had passed. “Yeah, you shouldn’t keep your boyfriend waiting so long. He’s definitely worried about you.”

But not a single word about Kenji left her lips. She just took the flower out of her hair and put it onto his, leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Thank you so much, it was a wonderful evening. The most beautiful one I’ve ever had.” With those words, she got out of his car and walked into the apartment complex, leaving Kyojuro sitting there in the car with his mouth hanging open.

He touched his cheek almost blissfully, not believing what had just happened. She had kissed him! His face beamed beyond measure and no one could spoil the smile on his face. Not even Kenji, who had watched the whole thing from the window, but Kyojuro didn't know that as he happily started the car's engine and drove home with the pink rose in his hair.

Y/N felt all giddy and excited like a young schoolgirl. The butterflies in her stomach were dancing. All the feelings of happiness she was experiencing suddenly disappeared when she saw Kenji in front of her as she entered their shared apartment. She was startled. It wasn't that he scared her, Kenji was a nice guy who would not hurt a fly. She had known him since middle school. He was the type of guy who persisted when pursuing his dream, or even the girl he loves. Since back then he had adored and followed her around, asking her several times on a date until she said yes. One date turned into two and later into a relationship. She liked Kenji a lot but everything always felt -

“Y/N, do you actually know what time it is?” His gaze was expressionless. She didn't like it when she didn't know where she stood with him. She didn't like it when people suppressed their feelings.

“I'm sorry, we totally lost track of time.” She put down her bag and took off her coat.

"Who is we?"

“I texted you that I was with my colleagues. You know that I'm trying to make new friends at my new workplace." She didn't look him in the eyes, taking off her shoes.

“You have the audacity to lie to me. You didn’t write anything about a male colleague!”

“Yes, because I knew how jealous you would become!”

“How do you expect me to react if I see you kissing him in the car!”

“That was a harmless good night kiss on the cheek!” She knew that was not true. She knew that no matter what she said, Kenji would not calm down, because no matter how kind hearted and friendly he was. No matter how much he loved her and would put the world at her feet, he was also terribly jealous. And she knew that this heated argument was just the beginning and would not end quickly.

 ~ ~ ~

The kiss on his cheek lingered for a long time as the smell of her perfume haunted him. He had slept great and woke up with something hard between his legs as his dreams took a lewd direction for the first time. Embarrassed, he took a cold shower to calm himself down and decided to visit his parent's place again. After yesterday he was more determined to find what he was searching for.

And he actually found what he was looking for. Behind the crib he saw a piece of clothing hanging. Put in a special plastic to preserve garments and protect them from moths and aging processes. He pushed everything aside to take a closer look. It was a haori in white-yellow gradient pattern and red flame-like ridges at the end. He stared at it for a few moments until he understood that this must be his ancestor’s haori whose memories he kept seeing. 

Kyojuro had to sit down on the floor at this realization. This was remarkable! The haori was still in such good condition after all these years. The history teacher's passion had been awakened. He wasn't supposed to do it, but he unzipped the plastic cover to the side and wanted to feel the texture of the material. It felt like someone was pulling him through a void the moment he touched the fabric of the haori.

Everything was black for a fraction of a second and then so bright that it blinded him. It took him a few seconds to get used to the dazzling light just to find himself in bright daylight in a field filled with red spider lilies. He saw someone in the distance and slowly walked towards them. With each further step he recognized first the haori and then the blonde-red hair. "Who are you?" As soon as the question left his lips, the person turned to him with a smile as his white haori blew in the wind.

The history teacher, who felt so out of place, widened his eyes and recognized him immediately. It was the same presence he had felt over 5 years ago, watching him constantly over his shoulder.

“It’s you.”

[justkissmewip]

Hello! I love this story! I'm glad you decided to create a Tumblr post about it.

My question is, do you think it would be possible to add the characters' description to the main post? I like creating pinterest boards for the IFs I really like, and it helps having the description of the characters. I seem to remember K's and A's description, but E's and Darcy's elude me 😅

Also, would it be possible for female MC's to wear the boys' uniform? I headcanon my MC as a bit of a tomboy, and she would definitely wear the boys' uniform instead of girls' uniform. If this is implemented, I could maybe see it affecting the standout/fit in score? Or something 🤔, idk. I thought it would be cool to see.

Yes, I can add character descriptions!

Also, somebody asked on the forum for the ability to wear the opposite uniform, and I just implemented it the other day so it will be in the next update! Once it's out you can let me know what you think and then I can tweak it so the implementation doesn't seem weird/unnatural. That's a good idea with the score as well, I did not think about that!

[missbadafker]

Character Inspiration Meme! I was tagged by: @lady-quen Profile picture is an older artwork I drew myself of Alivia and am still proud of! (If you see this and feel like doing it, you're ON! Feel free to say I tagged you!)

Normally I kind of randomly find an aesthetic, picture or song I will base a random idea for an OC on but when GW2 was set to release I did in fact think about a few characters when creating Alivia.

Jane Bennet - Pride and Prejudice (and zombies). The Regency era was a big inspiration for Alivia's design to begin with but Jane's characteristic that is often described as her main trait: ''Her most notable trait is a desire to see only the good in others.'' is one of the main traits I see in Alivia's character as well. I put (and zombies) in there because I like the 'not so damsel in distress that only focuses on being a lady but is in fact a badass fighter' part of this movies a lot with the general aesthetic.

Livia - Guild Wars 1 This is a really simple one: Livia was my obsession in gw1 and I adore her character. Obviously she inspired Alivia's name but the willingness to do anything to protect your people is what I drew most from when creating Alivia. What I'd like to incorporate in the future is more of the mysteriousness you get from her as well.

Lil Kawaii Lizzziie - Guild Wars 1 LOL, okay so this is one of my gw1 mains and my mesmer! The mesmers from gw1 were a huge inspiration for me as well but mostly so their aesthetics. They're sexy yet modest and sophisticated. This is how I knew Alivia had to be a character of noble background. (also yes this character inspired my account name way back when haha)

GW2 mesmer concept art Now this one doesn't really add a lot of depth but was more of an aesthetic type of inspiration. I really like how mesmers are presented more as cunning and a bit darker than what I was previously used to and I love anything from the concepts about them.

Yennefer of Vengerberg - the Witcher A powerful mage with a traumatic past, wanting to protect what is dear to her with whatever means necessary. That's how I see Alivia as well. However Yennefer is a bit more 'dark' in that regard but I'd love to explore that for Alivia as well.

Gwen (Thackeray) - Guild Wars 1 Another gw1 character (I mean what can I say I first created Alivia when I was still heavily obsessed with gw1 and playing it before gw2 came out haha). I think Gwen is up there with Livia being one of my favourite gw1 characters. She's a survivor, persistent and a role model for many. Her story is what drove me to write a troubled past for Alivia.

Alivia is a generally soft character but I really want to explore some darker sides of her in the future and I never stopped to think that the characters that initially inspired her have that going on even if it's a little bit. Anyway always open to brainstorming :D OH BEFORE I FORGET If you're (for whatever reason) interested in seeing the pinterest board I keep for Alivia inspirations you can find it here. ^-^

[tryingtimi]

Author Questionnaire Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @tc-doherty, this is going to be fun <3 Apologies in advance because I tend to ramble about random stuff besides the answer when I get personal questions, so it might get long.

About Me

When did you start writing?

If we count the bad horror story we created with my cousin then since I was 6 years old, lol. On and off mostly, though I dreamed about being a writer when I was around 8 or 10, so around 2005. After that I kind of strayed to painting and drawing more, but got back to writing at the age of 16. Then a little gap again, and around 19 I took up writing again and never stopped since (just turned 27 this may, so a while now).

Are there genres/themes you enjoy reading different to the ones you write?

Literary fiction for sure. I wasn't the person who started reading very early, though my family is full of bookworms and always thought me weird when I said I don't like reading. Then, I found the perfect book (The Man With The Golden Touch, a hungarian classic we needed to read for school), read it in one sitting almost, and fell in love eventually. My teenage years books were satires and serious family dramas alongside the heaviest stuff that connected to real life and you could find it on the market. I just realised recently (when I finished a litfic book in two days again, after not reading any for years) that litfic is probably my go to, or palette cleanser if you will. But I wouldn't be able to write in it for the life of me. Otherwise I'm an omnivore genre-wise, reading what gives me inspo for current projects plus trying out every genre I haven't read yet.

Is there an author you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

Usually I would get compared to an author who's work I'm currently reading, because I'm too naturally absorbing style when I'm invested. Not always, but frequently enough. Once a friend said my writing is a bit Brandon Sanderson-like and that made me happy because he's one of my favourite authors and writing icons. (another gigantic praise would be telling me it reminds them of Fonda Lee’s writing hehe)

Can you tell me a little about your writing space?

It's literally anywhere, lol. I live in a very small space (two half rooms), so I have a small desk and an armchair (yes, not an office chair or anything, no it's not comfortable even though you'd think so) where I sometimes write. If I can steal my partner's gaming chair, I use that space, but most times I write on the bed, lying on my stomach and putting something under my chin to keep my head higher lmfao. Also going to cafés if I really can't focus at home or using our foldable bed when it's in sofa shape. Our space is always insanely dusty because of it’s size, so that annoys the hell out of me and makes me incapable of focusing on writing so I can't start working on anything at the desk before I cleaned it thoroughly.

What's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Going through my pinterest boards. I have separate boards for could-be characters, weapons, items, places etc. But it's really rare that I need to find a muse or inspiration. If I can't write it's mostly because of burn out or irl stuff that take up my emotional and creative energy, not the lack of ideas, haha. That, I have way too many.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Yes, definitely. Even when I thought they didn't, I needed to realise they do, very much so. Since then, I try to do it consiously enough. I love realising stuff about real life people or our dynamics and whatnot throughout my writing. Plus learning about places, workings of our world help me build up mine coherently. And I’m a sucker for family dynamics so I put a lot of “Easter eggs” in it that was inspired by my family/ childhood.

Are there any recurring themes of your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Giving dead parents to the protagonists count as a theme? Because that is what I noticed once, and suprised me for sure. Since then, they get parents but then the whole story is more like a family drama than anything else. Plus emotionally distant/unavailable parents (especially mothers), finding your place in the world and found family are definitely topics that will appear in all my stories.

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favourite character?

Given that I'm neck deep in Project Sasin, my east asian-inspired urban fantasy mafia story, I could go with all of the main family members. They're all favourites, but if I really need to choose one, then it would be always Grey Fang, who is the head warrior woman of the clan, and the clan leader's right hand. She's a gigantic woman, a true amazon, bestest fighter of the clan, and great at managing the lower ranked warriors. She's blunt, confident, charistmatic and always have a harsh but helpful advice for the main kids. Most of the clan look up at her (not only because she's 190 cm), admire her skill and recite her achivements, and even the enemy clans whisper her name a bit warily. For the main kids though, she's also a fun aunt. As much as she is serious, and can be outright dangerous, she is easy to deal with if you're not acting too shy around her (she believes being shy is always either poor parenting, or a straight up act to gain something, therefore not honest and trustworthy), or breaking any tradition openly. As the clan, she is very fond of traditions and the way of life their ansestors have lived for hundreds of years, but she can be convinced that development is necessary, if someone is determined enough or a master at persuasion. Her first and foremost goal in life is to preserve the clan's good reputation, and prevent corruption or downfall – at all costs. Therefore she would break traditions, or go behind anyone's back if that would achieve it.

Which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

Not many lol. Most characters I write are fun to work with and explore but mostly because I wouldn't even go near them irl. I think I would be on friends term with Kil, the main borther who wants to be like Fang, and maybe Yune who's a fairly anxious and talented healer with little confidence yet. Plus, Fang herself, obviously. But both Kil and Fang are extroverted like hell so they would adopt my introverted ass, which I don't kow if counts. I have other works where are some characters I could be truly friends with (Avelyn from Metalsea for example but she's a similar category like Yune). I could probabyl go to those lengths only with my fellow introverted characters whom are the MC's usually, but not the majority of the characters lol.

Which of your characters would you dislike most if you met them?

Every living mother, uh. It sounds horrible, but it's true. All the mothers who were likeable or fair at being mothers are dead in my stories. Plus most of the men too, maybe. I have a sci-fi story where the MC (Dane) is a scientist with a very ambitious but definitely arrogant and sharp tongue, whom I would probably hate if I met him. (Though it takes a lot for me to truly dislike or hate someone.)

Tell me more about the process of coming up with your characters.

I usually come up with one key visual trait for them lol. I kind of go backwards, because I first figure out how they look, and vaguely know why they look like that, then create their personality, their story, the world. My mind craves visualisation, therefore I revolve my characters' personalites around visible marks of their experiences.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

What would be a recurring theme is that they’re emotionally closed up most of the time. There’s also hidden but constant anger inside them. Not many likes to talk about themselves and if something is too personal they just shut down and either go away, or stay silent until the conversation strays to somewhere else. There are also the very open, very easy but dangerous and madly loyal person too who is there for these previously mentioned ones. I also tend to give a dynamic to love intrests that is the "silent understanding" type. They just know each other enough, I guess.

How do you picture your characters?

Fairly clearly. I need visuals to keep working on my stories, so that's why I have so many stuff on my pinterest. Also sometimes I try to draw them, paint them, but I don't have the skill YET to completely bring them to life. But I will one day.

My Writing

What's your reason for writing?

I just love it. I can't picture myself not writing, and I also recently realised that how all my mental health and overall life improved since I accepted that this is what I need to and will always do.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

Look, I'm already owing you my life if you've read anything I've written. I'm very grateful and happy from that simple thing. Though, keysmashes and caps shouts are one of the bests, and if someone throws a little analysis or theory of why the character does, says what they did my way, then I'll propose them on the spot. That's a rare one, but a treasure for me for sure.

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work?

I don't want to, lol. Please don't keep me on the same page as my work, because as much as my heart is in it, it's still my work, my baby, but not my life or personality. It has it's own value without me, and it should be.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Creating atmosphere and showing emotions. Since my ideas are very vague and mostly feelings during my process, I think these also intangible concepts I can thrive in. I can't tell you a city's political standing but I can tell you how it smells, tastes, sounds, how your dreams will change if you move there, how people swear and look at you, and how it feels to have a bad and a good day there.

What have you been frequently told by others is your greatest strength as a writer?

I got more than a few times now that I write fight scenes well, haha. They said it's exciting and well paced. I'm glad because I love them (big martial arts enthusiast here), but also friends said that I can create atmosphere well too. What stayed with me was when they said that they felt like they were at that place I wrote about.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Depending on the day. I'm my bigget critique too, as I imagine all of us, so when my mood is a bit low, I feel that it's gods awful. Sometimes it is, and that's okay. But most of the time (especially recently) I really like the results. I write what I want to read, after all.

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Without question. As I mentioned before, it's just something I'm not able to abandon. Probably because I'm bad at articulating my feelings and thoughts so writing is just essential for me to communicate, even if only with myself. Personally, though, without anyone reading it, it would be so much easier to be honest, lol.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? if it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

Tricky question for a recovering-people-pleaser. Recovering because I grew a lot the last two years thanks to some bad but valuable experiences, so I was way worse earlier in my life. I got back to writing by writing fanfiction for a friend because she ran out of the stuff she liked, so I offered to create stories tailored especially for her taste. And as more people started reading my stories (because of course I shared them after a while), I tried to appease for the most enthusiastic readers to show my immense gratitude. External validation is a dangerous thing for me, so yes, if someone seems to enjoy my work very much, I will unintentionally go directions that they seem to enjoy. However, readers are readers, they are not entitled to finish a story or like it, so they disappear at some point (which is fine), so when there was no one left reading my stuff, I learnt to continue for myself instead. That's why I'm less and less online, or sharing specifics about my writing, because I want to write purely what I enjoy. Be a tiny bit more private with it. So now, I'd say I do that, but external validation is a bitch that will hold on to you with tooth and nail, so I will probably still go directions people enjoy if I get any input. But I'll manage it better, because now I can catch myself before I form a fully different story just for others.

Tagging @bloodlessheirbyjacques, @the-void-writes, @aninkwellofnectar, @dyrewrites, @aalinaaaaaa, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @bebewrites, @barbex, @circa-specturgia, @odysseywritings, @italiangothicwriteblr,

No pressure, though I love these questionnaires so would love to see anyone's and everyone's.

[soleil-in-the-sky]

Are you trying to give your OCs something to wear but feel that all you do has no style? Have you scoured the internet for clothing design tutorials and still cant come up with anything you like? Many years ago, I had this problem. I now know that while I knew the basics of clothing design, I did not know how to IMPLEMENT them because I had zero fashion vocabulary! I finally solved this by creating........

My clothing design inspiration board! It has a bunch of different types of clothes, accessories, patterns, and the like!

As a bonus, below the read more are some clothing/costume design advice primarily for character design purposes!

These are (sorta) recreations of notes—made for the general ideas section—which are currently impossible to find (though the advice below has more thoughts.) never mind guys i found them so now this post is gonna be a bit disjointed cause im just gonna slap in any unique advice from there. on top of the fact this has been sitting in my drafts for 3 thousand years. so, if this is hard to understand tell me and i will make a new version with a more unified and serious writing style.

first two-and-a-half advice were written yesterday who knows how long ago on pinterest, thats why they sound so informal. actually the whole post is so informal wow

Varied wardrobe:

[Title: Varied wardrobe]. If you have the time, give your characters different outfits! That can tell us so much more! (Not part of OG notes, but giving OCs different outfits for different situations can reveal stuff about different sides or layers of their personalities/headspaces! You can also just give them a wardrobe of different clothes. Either way, you can have different outfits have similar silhouettes and/or shapes, or have them be completely different, which could be used for a purpose like what I talked about above.)

Layers:

[Title: Layers]. Layers........... layeersssss....... yes.......... uhhh, yea I love layers (this is def not what i sounded like in the OG note) So layers! They make your outfits more interesting! They're really cool and, in my opinion, they make outfits feel more real. Also they give you an excuse to go crazy go stupid with clothing designs hahahahahaha brb im gonna go put 5 shirts on my OC plus 50 scarves and 2 hats (DEF not what I said in the OG notes its been a while and i have a lot more thoughts about this now)

ok and some thoughts from the original notes: Layering can tell us a lot about your character. You can even merge different clothing items! Think about it: short sleeves on long sleeves can make for a unique touch on an otherwise boring shirt. Go ham on the combinations!

Research (this one's important):

[Title: Research (this one's important)]. Research is cool! Look at all those buttons [, click: here: for link], no wonder there was a button shortage. Also obviously you have to research stuff before writing about another culture otherwise its gonna be some inaccurate crap. a well researched portrayal will be way more interesting and research (at least for me) can be rewarding in general. But you can also do research on time periods, jobs, and more! Research can be intimidating, but sometimes, you just gotta do it. And as I said about well-researched portrayals being more interesting, researching can give you ideas you would've never thought about [, click: here: for link to source]. Told ya research makes stuff more interesting. (really realizing these are more than just recaps, wow. im even citing crap.) So yeah, research is important for many aspects of storytelling, including costuming, and even if it's scary, your future self will thank you.

Imagery:

[Title: Imagery]. This is where you unleash your inner English teacher. You slap some object's shape, pattern, image, etc. somewhere to represent something. It could represent some deep-seated secret of the character, but it doesn't even have to be deep. It may just be a simple reference to a personality trait. Where you put the symbolism can also mean different things, like for example, hearts on a character are usually positive symbolism, but a heart on the sole of a shoe can, if you so desire, mean the character crushes others dreams.

Clothing variations:

[Title: Clothing variations]. Just look at this [, click: here: for link to an image of variations of vests]. Details. You can change them. All the details. Play around with them. Go even further, change the details no one notices. Have you ever seen a denim shirt? No? Make it happen. Make all those weird things happen. Yeah, that's it really.

Details:

[Title: Details]. (literally just copy-pasting the original note apart from maybe one awkward word replaced) Simple details like buttons, hemlines, lace or pleats can make your outfit feel all the more real. The possibilities are endless for such small add-ons.

Don't limit yourself to one type of anything, it's why I made this board! (Other than my own lack of ideas.) For example, learning to draw pockets is cool and all, but are you sure that's all you can do? I have a whole section for them!

So yeah that's it. I am tired and this post is very disjointed.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Another day/week/hour of accumulating thoughts which haven't marinated enough.

That Zzinu guy (I can't remember his actual name) is really hanging out with everyone relevant in the industry, he's everywhere 👀 I saw him with RM on IG and at some concert, had no idea they were buddies.

Why did Jungkook come back just for a few days? What was that damn urgent to fly to Seoul only to go back to US in no time? I thought someone would enlist, but nope.

I took the bus downtown twice today instead of calling for a car. I have to stop being delusional and accept that I'm not rich.

I'm not gonna write a review of Tedros' album cause I don't feel there's a point, but I do have like a few things to say. Why is it being talked about like he started working on Layover 3 years ago? I mean, he started working on music, yes, but this thing that came out? That's like some team who probably put together the music a lot more recently. But hey, I'm just babbling so what the fuck do I know? Slow Dancing sounds good. I mean, nice enough to have it in the background in a playlist. All the songs feel too short, like they're some samples and they just decided to release them that way. Since his contribution was mostly singing the actual songs, it feels like he gave Min Hee Jin a pinterest board of who is Taehyung and from that entire thing, she created the Kim Taehyung artiste aesthetic. It's her vibe all over it. Just as it's her entire shtick all over NewJeans. It screams more MHJ than the actual idols.

I tried so hard in the past 30 min to stop myself from being bitchy, but I can't help it. To those who think that they got out of the jikook cult and now they're smarter and feel the need to still use the tag to post their bullshit? Wake up, you're still in a cult, you just switched to another. Absolutely pathetic. I wish I could fuck with pjms cause I admire the way they stand up for Jimin and they're like the most organized fanbase. But the moment they started using cult/tkkr narative and making Jimin sound like a puppet, I just knew they're not better. And a sign that I cannot affiliate myself to any group in this fandom, I'm riding on my own like I always have.

You know what's ironic though? Jikookers are basically the only ship fandom within bts who since the beginning and especially in the latest years, should have just sat back and relax cause they're so damn privileged. No other pair in bts is giving what dumb and dumber (I call them that with all my love) are doing together, but there's not a day in which I don't see stupid anons or jikookers fighting and bringing arguments. Waste of time!

And in that vein, pjms would only have to learn from their god damn classy bias who is no doormat and act accordingly. Fight for him without acting so damn stupid. In terms of artistry, he's the best out there out of this group and others in his generation. Isn't that fucking cool? And look at his behavior. Let army and kpop stans get frustrated thanks to Jimin's achievements and how you can contribute to that, not using the same foul language which only trashy stans are using. Do better ffs. Fix that attitude. And stop believing you know Jimin's brain and soul inside out. No one does. It only makes you sound like any other delusional kpop stan.

Key's Good & Great is out. I only had time to watch the mv once during actual work hours (fitting) and I can't get into anh details, but I liked the idea of workaholism tied to a simulation. There's tons of layers and stuff to be analyzed there, perhaps some other time.

[milehighmegs]

My Genderfluid Journey: Part 1 of ?

A periodic series of observations

As a 42-year-old AFAB with 2 grown kids and 3 ex-husbands, coming out as genderfluid seemed... daunting. At least, I thought it would be. Turns out that was the easy part for me. My 3 best friends (one of whom is my ex) had zero issues with it, as did my daughter, son, & mom. Haven't been brave enough to tell my dad yet. Announced it on FB, here on tumblr, and on Xitter. The reception has been wonderful; lots of support & congrats, even from people I don't know. It's been sublime.

I won't get into all the details surrounding my genderfluid realization; most of it is 1) too personal, 2) TMI, 3) NSFW, and 4) puts other peoples' business/inclinations on blast and that ain't mine to put out in the world. What I can say is that this is far from recent, not just a whim, and definitely not a phase. I've been... not so much battling with as confused/indecisive about my gender identity since I was a kid. When I was 8 or 9, I saw the film 'Ghost' and fell in love with Demi Moore's super short pixie cut. I asked my mom if I could get it, and she (shockingly) said yes. I thought it looked adorable (and it DID), but when I got to school... you guessed it: I got teased for looking like a boy. I never could figure out what was so wrong with that. But I grew my hair out afterward, not cutting it short again until I was in my 30's.

Things got even more confusing after high school when I started wishing I was male because I wanted to be like all the wonderful gay men I was meeting in WeHo in the early 2000's: confident, expressive, fun... they just looked so FREE. They could be super masc, super femme, & everything in between in a way I couldn't be. On the few occasions throughout my life that I've been brave enough to adopt a more masculine look, I've been told I look like a 90's lesbian. Hardly an insult, but a) inaccurate (I'm not), and b) not what I was going for. It was like, DAMNIT, can't I just BE a GUY for like, a few days? And go back & forth whenever I want to? Why is it that I'm "supposed" to shave my legs because of what's between them? Why am I expected to wear dresses & heels because I have hips? And why the FUCK do I get dirty looks when I wear a plaid shirt with a band tee & Docs? Is it because of the TIDDIES?! Fuckin ridiculous, man.

As I got older and the world became (blessedly!) more accepting of all gender identities/orientations, I learned that there was a term for what I'd been feeling since childhood. Scrolling through FB, then Pinterest, and eventually Insta & TikTok, seeing genderfluid & trans people adopting & embracing their identities fully & openly gave me a great deal of happiness for them and for the world, but also mad gender envy (a term I learned only in the last 2 years). It really hit me hard when I saw 'The Sandman' for the first time: the ineffably amazing Mason Alexander Park as Desire had me asking myself some serious questions. I spent the better part of a year trying to put together what it was I was feeling with the new things I'd learned about gender fluidity before coming out. Now that I have a more fully-formed idea of what that means for me, I'm ready to really be MYSELF.

I've created a new Pinterest board titled 'masc looks & tips,' got a dozen open tabs on my laptop of genderfluid TikTok accounts, and a whole list of "guy stuff" I want on my phone. The part that sucks is that my broke ass isn't able to buy the $50 binder that's been so highly recommended by many; shit, I can't even afford the boxer briefs I've been eyeing for months. I also got a super feminine body: thicc thighs, wide hips, tiddies that make sure everyone can see them... in other words, it's pretty hard to drown these curves under an ocean of fabric. And since I'm only 5 feet tall, oversized clothes will literally just drag on the ground, making me look more like a kid who stole her older brother's clothes than a male-presenting genderfluid adult person. Gah.

I know that the next step for me is to lean into the traditionally masculine presentation that I've been craving most of my life. There are a lot of ways to do this, but I know step one for me is to tame these tiddies. I've been told that Ace bandages are a bad idea for binding, but I've also heard that they're perfectly safe as long as you do it right. Guess I'll just have to find out for myself. Also, I'll be dyeing my brows in the near future; I overplucked them in the 90's (yet another stupid ass beauty standard for women) and now they refuse to grow back. I ain't got the steady hands needed to draw them bitches in, so dye it is. Finally, I've got a haircut lined up for 3 weeks from now. I'm planning to undercut about a third of my head (think Natalie Dormer in 'The Hunger Games') and keep the rest of my hard-fought grown-out hair in a wolf cut. Maybe this will help encourage me to work harder and save up for all that "guy stuff" I've been craving.

Until then, it's tits & hips & feminine lips, all drowning under an ocean of fabric. Sigh.

[jinxlovemail]

Emi is so adorable! Did you took any inspiration while making her?

hii anon! im really glad you like her🥹🥹 also yes, I do take inspirations when making her :,D

she was already created for some time now (2022 specifically) it's for the funsies lol- I got into twisted wonderland that time and bc of that i just had to.

when making her she's pretty much based on my mood- and the color purple cus why not?also i just looked through pinterest and see what really suits her, i made a pin board of her in case you want to check it out!

anyways- here is how emi is based on!

Anya (Mouthwashing) - personality and appearance

Clorinde (Genshin Impact) - appearance

Retsuko (Aggretsuko) - personality

Sayori and Yuri (DDLC) - personality and appearance

Ame-Chan (Needy Streamer Overload) - personality and appearance

Hitori Gotoh (Bocchi the Rock) - personality

Basil (OMORI) - personality

Yatora Yaguchi (Blue Period) - personality

she's a lil too silly- thats how i could describe her,, girl failure

Nov. 5, 2022 (the day i start conceptualising her)

September. 7, 2024 (redesign)

[franklycharmed]

TASK: WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER’S BEDROOM LOOK LIKE AT WOODROW HOUSE?

May 1992 | Woodrow House | Pinterest Board

It was a lazy senior year Thursday afternoon when Stephanie P. (the one Angus hadn't frenched) curled up primly in the beanbag in the corner of Frankie's bedroom and casually announced: "Did you hear Heather's going to hell?"

Frankie had a mirror hung over a dresser cluttered with an open caboodle, several mismatched socks, and a pair of pantyhose with a run. Stationed there, her reflection paused its lipgloss application. Lip Smackers in Kiss Me Clear made her open-mouthed shock especially glossy. "Heather Peters? Class President Heather? Harvard-bound Heather?"

The page of Seventeen draped across Stephanie's lap was flipped in time with a snap of her gum. "Now two months pregnant Heather. Or was two months pregnant, I guess."

Frankie turned, neatly arched eyebrows lifted. She and Stefanie M. (frenched) had gone to the mall just last weekend to get them threaded. "No way."

"Yep," Stephanie replied with a popped "p". "Way. Stefanie's mom was driving down I-75 and saw her leaving her appointment, and my sister says Sister Monica normally announces valedictorian speeches by now and obviously that should be Heather, but..." She tilted her head from side to side.

Frankie stared at the cramped shelves above her desk, where a statue of the Blessed Mother sat next to a Buddha with a stick-on earring decorating his third eye. The Catholic part of catholic school had always been sort of coincidental. Religion was sort of like a shirt, Frankie figured, you pulled on the one that fit you best.

The school-issued button down she was currently wearing suddenly felt too-small scratchy. She fumbled with the buttons. "Heather's really nice, you know. She let me copy her algebra homework once."

Heather snorted. "I bet Sean thinks she's really nice too."

"Is it Sean's?"

"Was it Sean's? I dunno. Probably. What do you think about piercing our belly buttons?"

They had been brainstorming ideas for their group of friends to mark the end of the school year and their impending graduation. Dye their hair. Drive over to New Jersey and get tattooed. A drunken party out at Teetotaler's Rock. Whatever would celebrate sprinting across the finish line of adolescence into adulthood, incidentally all things that would set their parents' teeth on edge.

There was stuff in the Bible about honoring your parents. You could say that dishonoring them would send you to hell too. But Frankie technically didn't have parents, no matter how often she called Richard "dad" in her head. Still, if her birth mom, whoever she was, had done what Heather had, Frankie might not exist. Right?

What Sister Monica said about God being their father and having created them for a purpose made Frankie feel good. Loved. She wasn't abandoned, she was meant to be here. The hazy memory of her early life was by design so that she might meet Celia and Vik and Reece and everyone else.

"Frankie?" Stephanie said, breaking through a daze of thought.

Frankie pulled the ragged edge of the pinky nail that had made its way to her mouth away and smiled, bright like the twinkle lights she had strung up around her bedroom window. It was her purpose to encourage others to do the same. "Ooo, yes! I love those little dangly charms."

May 1993 | Washington, DC

Rationally, Frankie knew that her romper had no magical influence over the results of a pregnancy test. Still, she would've felt less stupid standing virtually naked in a bathroom stall at National Airport if she had a proper shirt on.

There was pee on her hand and the dolphin dangle charm at her belly button was winking at her with its emerald eye in an "I told you so" way. She stuck her tongue out at it, even as she took an unsteady inhale and continued counting to one-eighty in her head.

There were pros. Cooper would make really beautiful babies. What she remembered from high school biology told her it would probably have his eyes. Or maybe not? Didn't you need to know your parents' eye color for that?

Okay, revision: their baby would have eyes. Probably.

Ninety seconds.

The cons were what made her breath stutter. No job. No degree. No father? Cooper was a dream, but was he parent material? Dads were supposed to have that degree and job thing figured out. They were serious, but not overly so. They did their taxes on time.

Shit, should she have filed her taxes?

Wait, she was meant to be counting. One-twenty-ish.

She hadn't told Cooper she was late. She had been late before. By the time she reached her third airport, that problem would have solved itself, she figured.

Obviously not. One-thirty.

She sat down on the toilet seat, knee jiggling, romper pooled around her ankles, the little plastic window into her uncertain future still stubbornly white. That was sort of funny, because white was like, pure, and she definitely wasn't. It reminded her of her graduation dress, all the St. Anthony girls marching down the aisle to receive their diploma.

Heather hadn't spoken at graduation. Frankie wondered where she was now, if she had gone to Harvard. If she had any regrets.

There was a control line developing. I want my dad. The thought cut through her, nearly slackening her grip on the test, and it made her feel twice as stupid because she knew she didn't have one, even if she forgot sometimes.

She couldn't do this, but she also couldn't do what she needed to do if she couldn't do this, and it wasn't because she was afraid of going to hell.

Maybe this was meant to be. Maybe this was why she hadn't been able to bring herself to go to college. Maybe this baby possibly without eyes would make her a serious person who loved writing term papers and remembered to file their taxes.

One-eighty.

No baby.

Her cell jumped into vibration in her romper pocket, rattling against the tile floor. Frankie started, sending the test into the toilet. She fished out her phone first, pinching it between her shoulder and ear before plunging a hand into the toilet to fish out the test. "Hey, you! No, I'm fine. Seriously, don't worry about me. I rode a camel, I know how to take the metro."

[coraline-jones353]

The First Confession

Using this prompt in this fanfic today, credits to whoever created this, I found it on Pinterest.

Y'all I had to write this twice because my phone died and it wasn't saved 😭

Summary: Tory and Y/n have been dating for a year now. Y/n decided to invite Tory over to their house for a sleepover.

Warnings: no pronouns used for reader

I had finally convinced Tory to come over for a sleepover. She is gonna arrive in about an hour so I don't have much time to set up. I need this to be the best sleepover she's ever been to. Granted it will just be me and her but... it will be great.

I put Coraline on the TV to wait for her, it's one of our favorite shared movies so I figured it would be a great way to start off the night.

The table is basically filled with snacks, I'm talking chips, to drinks, to candy, to fast food. Yes I went out and got McDonald's fries.

I almost jump out of my skin when I hear the doorbell ring. I rush over to the door and open it to see my loving girlfriend. Her arms are open for a hug and she's grinning ear to ear. I hug her and kiss her cheek. She goes into the house and sits on the couch waiting for me.

"So I got a whole schedule for tonight. I'm talking the works. We got fort making, pillow fights, snacking, try not to laugh videos, videos game and board games, and last but not least movies. You just need to pick what we should do first." "Hmm," She says pretending to question what she wants to do, "We should build a fort first." She then throws a pillow at me, which I do catch. "Oh you wanna fight? I'm not gonna go easy on you babe." I say as I grab the pillow and get ready to swing. "I should be saying that to you." She says with a smirk as she hits me with a pillow, indeed striking first.

After our pillow fight we did end up building an awesome fort. We watched only one movie, Coraline and played a few board games. I won twice at Clue but she won three times at monopoly, I swear I hate that game. But she's so cute when she wins.

After that we moved onto video games and having our energy drinks and junk food. We played Mortal Kombat for about 2 hours before we finally just called it a tie.

Then we moved onto the try not to laugh videos. It was mostly the ones where they scare people, like jump scares, or people almost breaking a bone doing something stupid. We even spiced it up by putting water in our mouths so if we did laugh we'd spit the water all over the place.

Tory ended up with water up her nose after a particularly bad jump scare. Their face they made was just so funny. The water ended up everywhere so we ended up spending some time on the floor with towels, still laughing at the ongoing videos.

We decided to wind down to another classic movie, Flipped. Such a good movie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Flipped was over we climbed into my bed making ourselves comfortable. My parents were to come back next weekend so there was no reason to be cautious.

Tory asked to be big spoon tonight so I allowed her to spoon me. She put on some calming music to sleep to.

As I closed my eyes and started to fall asleep I felt light tracing on my back. It wasn't too noticeable at first. But it seemed to be repeating the same thing. Eight letters, possibly two maybe three words. I decided to really concentrate on it for a minute.

After a few times of Tory's tracing I figured it out. "I Love You" Was written about 30 times on my back already. This was the first time either one of us has said the words, well I guess she didn't say them technically. But she brought them up first so that's something.

After cuddling for a while Tory started to move away a bit in a half groggy state. I immediately moved towards her, wrapping my arms around her. "I love you too." I whisper sweetly in her ear.

[twotangledsisters]

I'm really sorry to hear about your art getting reposted!

Is it okay if I ask if you are not scared you'll lose fans over calling somebody out who loves your work enough to repost it?

Would you be okay with reposts that include credit, or is it never okay to repost?

It is always okay to ask questions!

I love that people want to learn!

And thanks, I'm feeling better today!

Am I scared of losing fans?

Not really. The person who I called out had an account purely of reposted art, none of which had given credit and AI art. People who do this do not respect artists, thereby do not respect me. Thereby, I do not consider them a fan. Plain and simple.

If these are the people who stop following me over calling out harmful behaviour towards artists, GOOD. I don't want those people here.

And maybe they do love my work, but loving somebody's work does not justify TAKING it. And if they believe this is the case, again, I'd rather lose them.

Reposting with credit?

Some artists will allow reposting with credit.

Personally... Ask me.

Send me a PM.

"Hey, love this piece, mind if I post it on pinterest with credit for my inspo board?"

I will probably say yes. Or maybe I already posted it there and can you send you the link to pin!

For me this is fine, it's fanart, I'd love for more people to see it! But I want to be able to see the feedback on my work. If you post something even with credit and I don't know, it's a small minority of people who will bother to come back to tumblr. Most will comment on the repost and that is all feedback, I, as the artist, miss out on.

I have writing advice of mine from back when I posted on @deardragonbook all over the internet, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of comments I never will get to read because I can't track down every repost of my work. It makes me sad. The fact my work was consistently taken without my permission is why I stopped posting there. I took time to put those posts together, so it hurt to have it taken.

To this day there is less feedback on original posts than there are on reposts on Instagram that gave credit but often did not inform me, the original creator.

A lot more artist than people realise are tired of this dynamic. And it leads to burnout.

It leads to less art, less writing...

I know I'm kinda repeating stuff from previous posts. Sorry if this is boring, but it is important!

An artist takes time to create a piece, that time leads to not being able to compete with accounts that just repost. Which leads to artists being left out of the conversations to do with their art.

I don't know what the solution is; I do know I'm going to fight for the right to keep my own art.

(Also a quick note REPOST and REBLOG are not the same, re-blogging is perfect because it shares art and posts without ever separating the artist from the art! Tumblr has an amazing system that I cannot praise enough and wish people would understand more!)

EXTRA ADDED HAPPY INFO!

The reposted art that got me talking about this whole thing had been taken down! By pinterest, so that's great.

It's always nice when social media sites are fast and effective with their intellectual property protections. And if you're an artist going through this same strife and wondering, is it worth filling out the form... Yeah! It's quick, and it works.

[leonheartedx]

                                –––– ✨ 𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐱 ✨ ––––  pinterest ⦙ threads ⦙ answers ⦙ vanity

have you seen cillian 'leon' o'hara  around los angeles? the twenty-four year old is usually jamming to lionhearted by porter robinson. word around the city is that they’re warm, yet, they can also be clueless, but you didn’t hear that from me. they’re currently a trust fund baby and are typically seen walking the streets of los angeles with old family pendant . when i think of them, i think of button up shirts, peacoat during the winter, attending usc football games, late night clubbing, sweet grins and platinum amex card. let’s hope the city treats them good!

                                                        ○ ′ ✨  loved  by taco

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  001

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄  cillian o'hara 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄  leon ( by everyone except his family ) 𝐃𝐎𝐁  december 24, 1998 𝐀𝐆𝐄  twenty - four 𝐙𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂  capricorn 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑  cis - male 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒  he/him 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  biromantic, bisexual  𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 beverly hills, california 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 los angeles, california 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒  english, spanish, some french 𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  influencer and trust fund baby

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  002

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌  michael provost 𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑  dirty blond hair 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒  blue eyes 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓  5′8″ 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  none 𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐒  none 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄  athletic wear, cardigans, button ups mainly white, light blue and black.

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  003

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘  adventurer ( isfp ) 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄  curious, warm, charming, imaginative, curious 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄  unpredictable, clueless, emotional, sensitive, self-isolating 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓  football games, hikes, running, working out, photos, filming content, food. 𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒  chocolate

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  004

𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑  liam o'hara 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑  olivia o'hara 𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  siobhan o'hara, older twin sister

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  005

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐋𝐒     nate archibald ( gossip girl ) , harry potter ( hp series ) , archie andrews ( riverdale ) , rose dawson ( titanic ) , prince wilhelm ( young royals ) , kiara carrera ( outerbanks ) , finn hudson ( glee ) , scott mccall ( teen wolf )

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  006

the o'hara's were one of the richest people in america. and with their wealth, they knew that they wanted nothing more than to create a family and make sure their richest stayed in their family. so when they planned to have a child, they didn't expect that they would end up with two. but it was perfect for the family when they saw that they would have a little girl and boy. after that they knew they didn't want anymore.

their life was perfect. at least as perfect as it could be. but cillian realized that it wasn't as perfect as they made it seemed. most of his life, he grew up with two people, his own sister and the housekeeper. their parents were always so busy with their lives. a businessman and an actress and model, when did they ever have time for their kids? yes, they did their best, loving them, being there for them, but they were following their own dreams.

the kids were always spoiled. and most would end up seeing them as rotten to the core at times. cillian never really liked most people getting close, while his own sister loved people, for the fact that she wanted to be the center of them all. and it was like that during high school when they both went to boarding school up north. and that's when they started to become more individuals.

this was when cillian, known as leon now, came to the realization that he was a bit more of the adventurer, curious about things, and maybe a little clueless at times. his sister was the smart girl, and he was well–– the himbo. and he was known as that, to the public, among his peers, and even online when he started to grow his own following. and it was nice to not try to think 24/7.

things were a little different in college. he was accepted to usc, which everyone assumed was because of his parents name, but really he worked for it. he was smart himself, with good grades, and playing sports, it helped with his application. and the four years he had during college, he found himself even more, especially in his sexuality.

now that he is out of college, with a business degree that he uses well with the combination of being an influencer. he was growing more and more, and he had a community, and followers that adored him. his own merch always selling out, and always doing sponsorships with businesses. he just wonders how long he can make this into a career, and if maybe he could do more than just be a content creator.

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  007

currently has over 20 million followers on tiktok, 10 million on instagram.

has worked with many companies where he does ads for

has been on the cover of teen vogue with his sister and has a close relationship with those at vogue

enjoys going to usc football games even now, big supporter of the team

has a friends with benefits with jc bancroft thats started to lead into feelings being involved.

doesn't know if he wants to keep being a content creator, so he's figuring out what's next.

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  008

        CONNECTIONS

she is my other half - whenever someone thinks of soulmates, they think a lover, or a best friend. but for cillian, he honestly believes his twin is his. soul twins, platonic. twins have a powerful connection. and he is glad to know that his twin will always be there no matter what // taken by @diisgustednoiises

the older you get, the wiser you are - this is someone to cillian sees as a father figure. someone that leon feels like he can go to for advice. since his father is so busy, he always feels like he goes to this person to ask for questions about life, and their bond truly feels like what a proper father/son relationship should feel like. // taken by @simongerer

i don't fall in love too easily - leon has always been one to date, fool around, all of that, but he never really lasted in many relationships because he manages to either ruin them when they get too–– serious. but something about the other blond he finds intriguing. maybe because he's the opposite of who leon is, in terms of their upbringing. maybe he craves the feeling of struggle that he has, or maybe he just admires him for making it on his own. regardless, he starts developing feelings that he isn't so sure what to do with. // taken by @oddcnes

        OTHER CONNECTIONS

other influencers

old classmates from high school

friends from college

flings/fwb