#//variety; spice of life; etc etc etc

[troublcmakcrs]

//thinks about the rpc's different accessibility needs and how we are all so cute and interesting 😊

[pawnguild]

finally back from lunch. i'm glad the sketches were well received 😭

[static-radio-ao3]

mil green radio era #over omg ,,, (but i love the new theme a slay!!)

we r sooo over 😔 but the green radio will probably make a comeback at some point bc i am a creature of habit so fret not <33

anyhoops ty nat!! mwah!!

[maretriarch]

vintage baby clothes r the bomb dot com because this was before every family had a tv and 9 other smaller tvs on them at all times so they had to come up with their own in house cute anthropomorphic animal designs instead of buying licensing rights to paw patrol and doc mcstuffin vectors for 99 cents

[fellhellion]

getting into spiderman now is payback for me hearing all those years ago that the voltron writers got hired for atsv and just going lmao poor suckers

[eela]

happy new year!!! art is so fun i’m excited to do more

[grittyreadsfic]

everyone should send me their favorite non hrpf fic because i haven’t been varied enough in my fic reading this year

[wanderingmausoleum]

tumblr notified me that communities are rolling out soon so i submitted a thing to make an elden ring one, so i suppose we’ll see how that turns out

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Guide: Habits To Become Your Best Self In 2023

Some habits, routine ideas, and mindset shifts to help make 2023 your best year yet. Hope this helps and inspires you to reach your goals for the next 12 months. Remember to work hard and take care of yourself. Once you put your mind to it, the sky is the limit! xx

Make Your Meals Plant-Based & Produce-Focused: Center your meals around a variety of vegetables, fruits, plant proteins, potatoes, and unprocessed plant-based fats (avocado, nuts, seeds) and minimal whole grains.

Get Creative With Stress Eating Substitutions: Discover healthy swaps for your meals and snacks to ensure what you're eating without sacrificing your goals. Some simple substitutes include mixing in cauliflower rice into your whole grain rice to add nutrients/volume while slashing the calories, using half an avocado with lemon as a salad dressing over spoonfuls of olive oil, swapping meat for lentils in a chill, soups, or stir fry, choosing frozen grapes or whipped bananas with berries over candy or ice cream for a sweet treat, etc. Remember: Spices and seasoning are your best friends.

Be Mindful of Your Beverage Consumption: Consuming enough water is essential. However, if you get bored with water, add some herbal and black tea, black coffee, or fruit-filled water into the mix. Cinnamon, vanilla, and apple or peach teas are great options to satisfy cravings and prevent mindless snacking (not a substitute for food – eat if you're genuinely hungry). For the winter season, try using some pure cocoa powder with hot water, vanilla extract, and a tablespoon or two of plant-based milk for a healthy hot cocoa drink.

Prioritize Long Walks: Carve out 1-2 hours of your day to get 10-12K steps in at least 5 days a week. Go outside if possible or jump on a treadmill/walking pad to get in some movement while watching TV, talking on the phone, or catching up on some emails.

Find A Simple Resistance Workout You Love: Yoga, pilates, or an at-home weight-training or body-weight exercise you can do at home. Browse different YouTube videos for 10-30 minute workouts to try or sign up for a class in your local area to make it a more social experience (and force yourself to take accountability to show up in the first place).

Create Short & Long "Bookend" Routines: Create a simple routine for the beginning and end of the task-filled portion of your day. For most of us, these routines would be done in the morning and evening/at night before and after work, school, or doing chores/errands. Let go of the rigid idea that these routines need to be done at certain times of the day. Set yourself up to win and tailor them to your schedule. Consider these short routines (like drinking a cup of coffee/tea, reading, meditation, journaling, a walk, or a short dancing session) your warm-up and cool-down sessions of the day. Having these rituals to look forward to will give you the energy and motivation to do what you need to get done each day.

Practice This 10-10-10 Mindfulness Practice: Make time for at least 10 pages of reading, 10 minutes of meditation, and 10 minutes of journaling daily (This can include shadow work) either in the morning or nighttime to clear and reset your mindset for the day.

Take An Hour To Plan Out Your Week: It's most convenient to do this power hour on a weekend (I typically reserve an hour before dinner on Sunday for weekly planning). Write out all of your main work tasks, schedule any due date reminders (for work, bills, chores, and other life necessities), must-do errands, emails and calls or appointments to make, etc.). I like using the Productivity Planner from Intelligent Change and my Reminders app/Google calendar via iCloud to sync deadlines and times to schedule messages/tasks/bills, so everything will be in front of me at the correct time throughout the week.

Prioritize 1-3 Tasks Daily: You might need to choose one large project to work on in small chunks or select a "Big 3" for the day, depending on how complex, lengthy, and time-consuming your projects/errands or appointments are for the day. Using this method allows you to be efficient, streamline your life, and feel productive without overwhelming yourself on the regular (the fastest route to burnout).

Make A Life Admin Schedule (and Stick To It): Choose days (and times if possible) of the week to update certain spreadsheets, batch reply to less urgent messages, clean your house, do laundry, grocery shop, etc. Scheduling these tasks ahead of time eliminates half of the battle for following through on what you need to do. Eventually, you will make these tasks into habitual routines that your brain will allow you to execute effortlessly as though you're in autopilot mode.

Mind Your "Circle of Influence": Do an intake on the 5-10 people you speak to the most or value in your life. If you're an employee, it is probably best to not include your boss or coworkers in this consideration list, as you need to work amicably with them regardless of your personal feelings. Look how you feel during your interactions with your friends, family, intimate partner, or an adjacent love interest. Consider how they speak to you, about themselves, and the topics your conversations are focused around. See if they align with the person you want to be and your goals. Evaluate how close you want to be and what parts of your life you think would be the most beneficial for you and the relationship going into 2023.

Set Boundaries: Understand your expectations, non-negotiables, and limits in every area of your life. Communicate these principles to others clearly, so they know when they are overstepping. Don't tolerate disrespect, but also don't expect others to be mind-readers. If someone knows that they're crossing your boundaries, it is easy to draw the line in the sand and walk away without the guilt or shame that can arise when conflicts originate from a lack of healthy communication.

Incorporate One Creative Practice Into Your Week: Reinvigorate your mind by engaging in at least one hour of creative activity per week. Try drawing, creative writing, poetry, singing, dancing, painting, pottery, jewelry making, graphic design, photography, etc. Even taking a foreign language course or creating a Pinterest inspiration/mood board or organizing your home/closets in an aesthetically-pleasing way counts. Figure out what creative outlet(s) you find satisfying. Prioritize scheduling this practice into your schedule weekly.

Refine Your Signature Look: Edit your wardrobe, try out a new haircut, or change up your makeup routine, nail color, or signature scent. Consider how you can close any gaps between your authentic personal style and how you present yourself on a day-to-day basis. Create an inspiration board if needed to help yourself define your unique aesthetic and gradually work towards embodying your ideal look.

Keep A "Praise" Archive: Create a record of all of the messages you receive highlighting your achievements, milestones, recognitions, or compliments. Compile a folder that acts as your "praise" archive for every area of your life. Create a folder in your work email inbox to save all of your professional achievements, praise, and positive contributions. Do the same for your personal email. Create a folder in your photo album of screenshotted texts. Keep a running list on your "Notes" app of any compliments you receive on your conversational contributions, actions, attire, personality, smile, etc. Hyping yourself up to connect to your highest self.

Create A "Siren" Kit: Take note of all of the clothing, scents, songs, cosmetics, phrases, people, and other aspects of your environment that empower you to feel your sexiest. Keep all of these items/songs/texts together to make it simple to set the mood before engaging in some indulgent action or revisit when you need a boost of confidence throughout your week.

Do A Financial Audit: Create an income/expenses spreadsheet to understand your current spending behavior and budgeting plan going forward. Set up your 2023 financial goals and projections, including target amounts for income, savings, and investments.

Give Yourself A Weekly "Treat": Find a healthy indulgence that you can strategically incorporate into your week. This "treat" can be a massage or nail appointment, permission to watch a movie or a couple episodes of a TV show, a serving of your favorite dessert or a glass of wine, etc. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Consider regular indulgence as an act of self-care not as a sign of weakness or self-destruction. Embracing pleasure does not require guilt or external permission.

Happy New Year, loves! Cheers to an abundant 2023 xx

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hi sorry if this is a stupid question but I’ve heard online that using a vibrator too much can like deplete your ability to orgasm. do you know if this is true, and if it is, how often is too often? thank you for reading :)

hi anon,

the short answer is no but kind of yes but mostly no.

your ability to orgasm isn't going to be depleted, your body is just going to become more accustomed to the intensive stimulation over time and you might not get off as easily with the vibrator as you once did. it's literally no big deal if that starts happening; just take a little break from the vibe if you start to feel like it's not as much fun as it used to be. it's like taking a tolerance break from weed, you just need your body to forget how much it can handle so you can go "!!!" again.

diversifying the ways you get off helps, too - rotating through your hands, different toys, a partner/partners, jacking off in different places and positions, etc. variety is the spice of life!

[inthelittlewood]

I'm very curious as to your input on the Life Series winner symbolism thing--as in, we have the Sun, the Star, and the Moon--and then everyone's like: WHAT DO WE DO FOR MARTYN?

The problem is EVERYONE has good ideas, and I honestly cant decide, so I was wondering which ones you liked the best. (Mars, swords, the hand, etc.)

Y'all are scrambling and it's hilarious to watch

I've already said I'm not chiming in on this. Let everyone express themselves how they interpret me, variety is the spice of life!

[moonstruckme]

thumbprint cookies - send a character + a scenario/trope/etc. and I'll send back some headcanons

Sirius black x reader with curly hair I just dyed mine are really like dark red and I was wondering how you think Sirius would react to a color change?

i think that while Sirius loves a signature look he's also a believer in 'variety is the spice of life' he loves to mix things up

hair colors are sososo fun to him, I honestly think he'd have colored his hair when he was younger if his family let him but then when he got older he just worried about the damage because his hair is to dark to color without bleaching and we all know it's too nice to risk ruining

which is all just to say he's not only excited for but in awe of you for doing it and is lowkey living vicariously as well

fawns over it repeatedly, like will go into the other room for something and when he comes back he's just like "fuck baby you look so good," and like this goes on for the first few days lmao

does immediately start looking into whether your color palate has changed. he wants to try out different makeup looks, he's going through your closet, you're just trying to chill on the couch and he's bringing over shirts and squinting at you like "what do you think, should we get you more greens?" not so much in a critical way as much as an excuse to buy you new stuff lmao

also won't let you wash even once without color protectant shampoo (especially if its red omg) and immediately goes out to buy you products that are good for both colored hair and curly hair

is lowkey devastated when it still fades a bit after the first wash, even though you warned him this would happen

is just obsessed and in awe and now will be weighing the pros and cons of dying his own hair all over again

[qqueenofhades]

May I ask about prompts 14 and 38 for Dreamling, perhaps?

Dr. Robert Gadling presently has ninety-nine problems, and students who cannot read the module handbook are, at a minimum, ninety-eight of them. (How did they finish school? Take their GCSEs or A-Levels, any of it, while being functionally illiterate? Etc. etc. dismal condition of British state education and indeed the entire British state under the Tories, but still.) He has just fired off a hopefully polite-sounding group email advising everyone to please have a proper look at the posted content before sending him individual queries, when there's a knock on his door and he glances up, grateful for the distraction. "Yeah?"

"Rob?" It's Philippa, again, which makes his heart sink on reflex. They've already had several serious conversations intended to make him consider the possibility of becoming Head of School when her term's up next May, and -- frankly, over his dead body, which in his case is not at all a metaphor. It turns out, however, that she's not here to harass him to take on more professional responsibility, but rather to attend to his personal life. "Your boyfriend's skulking in the foyer and frightening the freshers again. Make him knock it off."

"My boyfr -- ?" Yeah, yeah, all right, the gentleman doth protest too much. Hob hasn't felt up to taking Dream to any faculty functions just yet, but he did tell Amira the other evening at the welcome-back mixer that he was seeing someone, and the news must have spread as fast as any other juicy department gossip. Hob sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Right. Thanks, Philippa. I'll tell him off."

With that, not sad to get away from the horror of his inbox, Hob pushes back his chair and gets to his feet, trotting out his office door and down the stairs. Even before he descends into sight of the foyer, he can tell where the problem is located. Dream is standing spookily just inside the door, in full goth-black, long-coat, pale-faced, looming-in-your-nightmares splendor, and students are indeed outright sprinting to get past him. Others seem to think he's some weird piece of performance art from the theatre department and are asking for selfies, which makes him stare at them even more. Hob swallows a groan, speeds up, and reaches the ground floor. "Oy," he hisses at the unrepentant King of Dreams. "What are you doing here?"

As per fucking usual, Morpheus haughtily disdains to provide a sensible answer (or indeed, any answer). Hob adores the skinny eldritch weirdo, he really does, but one problem he did not foresee now that they're officially an item is that Dream has gotten downright clingy. After going a hundred years between seeing each other, with each of those meetings usually ending in disaster, Hob's still getting used to the idea of seeing him regularly -- weekly, even. It's not like he minds. Variety is the spice of immortal life, and all that. But it does mean that they need to have a few conversations about boundaries, and this is definitely one of them.

"I'm busy," Hob says, doing his best to sound stern. "I've got work to do, love. Like we do in the human world, eh? Can't all sit around in magical throne rooms, brood, and spin magical stories."

Dream looks miffed at this lightweight estimation of his professional duties. He opens his mouth for some sort of pompous reprimand, but Hob holds up a hand. "Be back at five PM and save me from the emails, and we can jog off together somewhere, all right? But not until then. And stop scaring the students, or Philippa will have my head. Or make me be the Head, and I'm not sure which one's worse."

Dream once more appears about to object -- he still hasn't gotten in a word edgewise, which is probably for the best. But Hob looks furtively in either direction, then kisses Dream on the cheek, spins him around, and propels him out the exit, whereupon he looks very much like an extremely ruffled bird -- raven, probably, which Matthew is bound to find amusing. Mother of God, Hob's life is strange.

Biting a smile despite himself, he trudges back upstairs and dutifully applies himself to the remainder of the paperwork and otherwise makes sure that everything is in order. Then at 5:04pm, he gets up, grabs his things, and heads back downstairs, where Morpheus is waiting for him. "You are," he announces stiffly, "late."

"Only by four minutes. Pretty sure the world won't end." Hob grins crookedly. "Eager to see me, then?"

Morpheus, of course, cannot countenance actually saying this aloud, but it doesn't matter. He holds out his hand, Hob decides he doesn't care who sees him take it, and does so. Then all at once, the familiar surroundings of the Department of History stretch and ripple and fade away, and the next instant, they're not there at all, or London, or Earth. They're here, in Morpheus's home. The Dreaming.

As usual, the place looks eerie, magical, mystical, and lovely, and Hob is getting somewhat more used to the abrupt transition between worlds, so he only swallows hard a few times and then is good to go. They ascend to the castle, he and Lucienne greet each other warmly, and then Morpheus jealously squires him up to his rooms at the top of the tower, beneath the vast dome. The great bed is a temptation, and doubtless they will end up there before too long, but a supper is already laid, glimmering in the fey candles, and Hob blows out a relieved breath. "Could eat an ox. You're a lifesaver, darling."

Morpheus looks the usual blend of awkward and pleased he always does when Hob casually uses endearments or expresses affection. "Does this make up for me alarming your pupils, then?"

"More 'n." Hob sinks into the chair and tries not to wolf down everything in sight. "But still. Don't do it again."

They eat (here in his own realm, in his own stuff, Morpheus eats too). They drink, they talk. It's like old times, and more. Afterward, they go outside to gaze at the stars, a thousand times brighter and more brilliant than anything on Earth, and Morpheus's tousled dark head sinks slowly onto Hob's shoulder, like a feral cat finally becoming close enough with one trusted person to let itself be petted, let itself be loved. Hob bites another smile, this one unspeakably tender, and leans in to kiss Dream's hair. Aye, his life is bloody strange, and it always has been. But he would not trade it for the world.

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Maybe I’m outing myself as being a chronic shipper, but I kinda don’t get people complaining that the Yuumori fandom is all about Sherliam. I mean yes, there is very much a story outside of Sherliam, but you can’t deny that Liam’s relationship to Sherlock is a pretty significant aspect of the story. William literally wanted to abandon all his plans and spend his days solving mysteries with Sherlock after ONE meeting with him. That’s pretty big, imo. Sherlock changed the entire course of William’s life, and they’ve even exchanged vows to live and share their worries together. This almost feels like, say, complaining that the Spy x Family fandom is mostly about Loid and Yor’s relationship. Sorry to break it to you, but sometimes relationships ARE a significant part of the plot, romantic or otherwise.

Hmm.

Well.

Certainly, William's story is the story of YuuMori (It's what being a protagonist is) and his relationship with Sherlock is the thread that story follows (It's what being a deuteragonist is). It's the axis on which the narrative spins.

So Sherliam's relationship is the foundational relationship the story of YuuMori is built on, and it's deeply important to the story. And it's fun, adorable, and interesting to talk about and there's a deep well to talk about with it. And I have, at length, and likely will continue to do so.

But.

It's also true that many, many, many things about YuuMori are deep and well-developed with lots of potential to talk about. I love discussing and thinking about YuuMori's plot structure, how it parcels out reveals, how it twists expectations as an adaptation, the cultural norms, the symbolism, the visual rhetoric...YuuMori is an extremely well-crafted story, and there are many, many, many characters that are neither Sherlock nor William to talk about, and many, even most of them, are also pretty well fleshed out characters in a lot of ways!

And, because so much of the series is Sherliam being Sherliam, it's not weird for people, when they're not being me and meta-ing about the canon of the series, to talk about things that are not canon and are interesting to think about outside of canon. Like other character relationships and things that the series hasn't already expounded on about at length.

So, of course the story of Sherliam is important to the story of YuuMori. But it's not the only important piece of the story, and it's not the only thing to talk about, and while it's a significant, obvious draw for people to like the series enough to talk about the series, at all...there's a lot else to like and want to talk about, too.

I live for talking about writing craft, and while I can talk about that with Sherliam and have, I can talk about it with Moran or Al or Louis or John or whatever, too, and sometimes it's sad to remember that some people basically ignore that these people--who are also critically, desperately important to our leads and change who they are.

After all, Sherlock never could have gotten to the place he needed to be to save Liam and take care of him in the aftermath without John. It would not have happened. So Sherlock and John's friendship is also a vitally crucial part of the story. Etc., etc.

Variety is the spice of life and all that, innit? It's a long series. There's lots to talk about! We don't all have to keep saying the same thing.

[were--ralph]

is there a genre of ask you actually enjoy receiving

i don't mind most asks, but "do you like this character" has gotten old and its almost always something we can answer ourselves. its like. im always talking about old men needing cum in them and hot werewolves. i don't think it gets more straightforward than that, i dont think we need to ask about the old man werewolf character. i also famously hate vn's so anything relating to a furry vn or dating sim is an auto ignore. i do not see it.

but also some asks will ask for a lot and its like im not gonna answer all that lol. like. im fine with a question or two but if its four and asking me to explain my answer like its an essay then im probably not putting energy into it.

theres also like. sometimes people will send like 7 asks in a row and i am not gonna answer all of them. or a lot of repeat asks that just do not interest me.

i do like a lot of the asks i get, i just feel like people have gotten my vibe mixed up and its kind of bleeding into a weird spot that i dont occupy. like, "is this guy hot" and its just like a zac effron looking guy with nothing to grab onto, like yeah im the horny furry guy but i still have a type. but also sometimes im just being a bit of a bitch when i reply bc its more fun than just answering genuinely and politely.

i dunno, i like unique asks and also i like stories, like one time this happened, and its like wow that sure did happen. i like little moments and experiences i can look back on randomly and be like "oh that was a funny ask / oh that was a good post / etc". variety is the spice of life

[brother-emperors]

Did you used to like Mark Antony and dislike Cassius? What changed your mind ?

honestly the condensed version of events is that Antony and Brutus became uninteresting, extremely boring as POV characters to me at the same time for the same reasons, that prompted me to look closer at Cassius, and then I decided to spend two years trying to untangle Cassius from Brutus which completed my transformation into a part time Cassius apologist

like, both Antony and Brutus are still compelling figures, it’s honestly the versions of them in media and pop culture that I personally dislike and find boring because it’s not discussing anything I find interesting & frequently I feel like my time has been wasted, while their historical counterparts is more of a ‘wow I hate what you’re doing, keep it up!’

and ofc: the general passage of time. you get older. things that interest you change. being a hater as a recreational activity is fun. variety is the spice of life. people who write about Cassius are delivering poetry and I’m not immune to it. etc etc.