#Pro Tips

[aqlstar]

Life hack for buying high quality leather goods when you know nothing about leather:

Ask the vendor (online or in person) questions about the leather they use:

How was it tanned? (Chrome, Vegetable, Combination- tanning transforms raw flesh into durable leather) How many oz is it? (leather thickness is typically measured in oz) What can you tell me about the grain and finish on the leather? (the grain is determined by what layers of the skin make up the leather, poor quality cuts are often disguised with heavy acrylic finishes)

If their leather is shitty, they'll feed you some fluff about it being "high quality italian made" leather.

If they are selling quality goods, they'll be thrilled to answer your questions precisely and probably with more detail than you asked for in the first place.

You'll be surprised at how affordable some high quality goods can be on Etsy. Some people just really love quality leather goods and want their products to be accessible to as many people as possible.

[odinsblog]

In 4 minutes, Kurt Vonnegut explained stories better than anyone I’ve ever heard. “The shape of the curve is what matters. Not their origins.”

He plots stories on 2 axes: X: Time, Y: Good fortune / ill fortune. He goes on to say, “Somebody gets into trouble, then gets out of it again. People love that story. They never get tired of it.”

Point 1: Stories have defined patterns.

In Joseph Campbell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces, he makes the case for the Hero’s Journey. Since then, it’s become the most famous storytelling structure in the world. Vonnegut argued stories could be divided into 8 shapes.

Each story, he said, fit one of the 8.

Point 2: Vonnegut says, “Be a sadist.”

No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — so the reader may see what they're made of.” To see who your characters really are, you have to make them suffer. Only then does your audience have someone worth cheering for.

Point 3: End on a high note.

Vonnegut says, “It’s not accidental that the line ends up higher than where it began. This is encouraging to readers.” The way a story makes people feel when they finish is how they remember it. It’s called recency bias. Lift people up and they will love you.

“There are people. There are stories. The people think they shape the stories, but the reverse is often closer to the truth.” —Kurt Vonnegut

(source)

[vexwerewolf]

WRITING PRO TIP: things and people in your stories can be both morally complex and still definitively good or bad

[wretchedcreature2704]

Life pro tips

> if the lid of the can is domed, do not eat

> public library is your best friend

> a pool subscription is an investment but it comes with shower and soap and good heating for way cheaper than a hotel

> Don't read Lolita in the bus (turns out that makes people look at you really weird)

> walk fast, purposefully and don't look distracted

> finger off the trigger unless you intend to shoot. Finger off the trigger unless you're prepared to kill.

> you can eat dry ramen noodles if you don't have a kettle/access to water. I mean, it's edible

> Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster

> the law is a terrible judge of morals. A rich guy's wallet is not worth your life. Your survival isn't unethical.

[salternateunreality2]

Are you stubborn and neurospicy and don't want to do the thing but it would be great to do, especially great to have as a habit?

Pro tip: do an absolutely miniscule fraction of the thing for only 7 days.

Need to exercise? Start by walking outside of your dwelling until you can close the door behind you, then immediately give up and go back in (unless you want to stay outside...you can do that...if you want...I mean you're out here already... But you don't have to, you can give up Right Now).

Need to eat more vegetables? Start by getting a gummy multivitamin and eat the dosage every day for 7 days. If you want to pick up a bag of carrots or hell, even veggie chips, sure! Or not!

The point is to do SOMETHING. I am cheering you on. That SOMETHING is better than NOTHING, and it's as hard for you as running 3 miles is for someone else, so you're doing great.

Black and white thinking is common with the neurospiciness, so you'll be tempted to give up in disgust, but why give up when it's the tiniest most miniscule thing? Just spite the haters (usually your own mind) this one time for 7 days. Flip the bird at the thoughts. Prove you can do SOMETHING.

Ok, here's a secret add-on. Don't do this. Don't commit to this. You're only doing one small thing for 7 days. Don't even think about this.

But.

If you feel like it.

If you really really want to.

Again, if you don't want to, that's ok.

But if you really really want to and you can.

Do the thing, plus a tiny bit more, just for 7 days.

Exercise: go outside, walk to the nearest bush/tree/post/obstacle/whatever, touch it, then give up.

Vegetables: eat your gummies AND touch a vegetable. Just touch. You don't have to eat it. But you can if you want. Hell, you could even just eat your gummies and while you're chewing, look up ways to trick yourself into eating more veggies.

Note about food and textures: it helps to play with your food. Touch it, squish it, handle it, chop it, roll it around, go slow, so your body learns the sensation with your hands before you have to put it in your mouth.

This post brought to you by ✨ experience ✨. For example, the only reason I have several 70k+ fics is because of making myself open a doc every day, then writing 3 sentences every day, then...

Calling my representatives in Congress also started with doing the smallest thing of saving a video that told me how to do it. Then, when I worked up the executive function, I saved the phone number. Then, like, weeks later, I worked up the executive function to call the number.

[jennhoney]

What day is it? Who am I? I don’t want to eat and I can barely sleep. All my numbers are going bonkers and my heart keeps racing. I’ll be 49 on Sunday. apparently I should go watch Severance. This is fine.

[roidesade]

If she's not hot enough (or you just feel like it), look at porn on your phone while she sucks your dick. She's a toy for you, and her role is to make you feel as good as possible. You don't have to pay attention to her unless you're in the mood to grab her by the hair and cum down her throat. A good, obedient bitch will understand that your wishes and happiness are always paramount.

[nando161mando]

[cadathecat]

always do your plottin' and schemin' in dramatic lightin'..

it works wonders..

[iliterallydecepticanteven]

Idk if everyone knows this, but on google maps, you can place a pin anywhere on the map and add it to a list. I usually like to do this when I park my car in a new place I'm not used to like at the massive airport parking lot or a parking garage in a new city.

All you gotta do is find where you are on the map (which on google maps is a little blue circle). You're gonna press down on the circle until a dropped pin pops up like this.

Then click the save button and a list will pop up and you can choose where to save the pin and even add a note to it.

I like to add a note that says this is where I parked near a restaurant or, if I'm parking in a multi level parking garage, what floor I parked on and if I have to pay before I go back to my car.

It's super helpful! I wanted to share it with everyone since I know it may not be super common knowledge.

[trashdiscourse]

Never try to improve yourself, you'll only end up joining a cult or at best being really self-absorbed and intolerable. Instead focus on trying to be there for your friends or your community and doing things that help others. Learn skills that help you do that more effectively. There is no secret to being the most productive or most enlightened. The only secret is that it's fun to hang out with your friends and you should try to do it more.

[nowuknowgaming]

Any game can be turn based if you make enough rules for yourself.

[catatonic-chaos-climax]

reminder that getting drunk and playing videogames is just as good for you as working out and reading books (u can trust me I have a degree)

[roidesade]

Tips for milking the most cum possible out of my cock:

Once I start cumming, don't stop making me feel good. Throwing it back? Make sure you're continuing the rhythm. Sucking my cock? Don't just let it spill in your mouth, suck out every last drop like it's a milkshake. Jerking me off? Make sure to keep playing with the glans and the frenulum until there's nothing left.

So many dumb whores just hold my cock on their tongues and let it all spill out. Nah, you need to keep up the pressure! That's the difference between one or two lame dribbles of cum and several strong ropes down your throat.

[dozudoggy]

TLDR: WC are awesome to practice design cause they can be interpreted so differently! shapes are very important and while they help colors and patterns are not a must. Conveying a char.'s personality is important!

Full post about character design can be seen here!