#do I need to unfollow people do I need to watch or read something new

[malusokay]

How to be confident part 2

After my first post on confidence, I started receiving many asks to please talk about this more! I love helping you guys grow and slowly become the person you dream of, so let's go <3

Be proud of your achievements.

No more people pleasing. Something I had to learn is that you don't have to be everyone's darling.

Get out of your comfort zone. Get a coffee and chat with the barista, go to a concert alone, try a new hobby and so on :)

Talk politely and expand your vocabulary. Reading and writing can help a lot!

Start journaling. Vent when you need to, it doesn't have to be pretty or aesthetic; clean your mind.

Watch your body language. Stand up straight, don't slouch, walk with purpose, and don't hide your hands.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Stop chasing people. The ones meant to stay in your life will remain with you. Sometimes we need to distance ourselves from people so we can grow! :)

Moisturized. I get nervous when my lips and hands are dry!

Keep your standards high. This applies to friendships, dating, grades, pretty much anything. Self-respect!!

Don't let people interrupt you!!

Start each day with a positive mindset. Get up in the morning with purpose and try to make the best out of any day. <3

Be on time. Coming late to something important is always a bit awkward.

Use fewer filler words when speaking. Uhm, just, like, I think, etc. Don't be afraid to slow down and think about what you want to say. Take your time!

Don't chase anyone's validation. Instead, do things for yourself and make yourself proud.

Unfollow people on social media that make you feel bad about yourself.

Be kind. I see people on TikTok all the time being rude and mean to appear confident. Let's be honest, they look quite silly, lol.

Have a signature scent! I like something that gives me comfort and helps me stay calm. My fav is vanilla. <3

Don't look at your phone when entering a room or going somewhere. Instead, try being as present as possible, or at least look like you are, lol.

Take care of your appearance. Whatever feels good to you, maybe get a lash lift, find makeup that works for you, clean nails, wear something you like...

Don't tell everyone your insecurities. Putting yourself down is not a good conversation topic.

Make time for yourself. Relax, recharge and focus on yourself. <3

Confidence is a huge deal, so if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments or my 'ask me anything'. I will also make a post soon on how to improve your public speaking! <3

I also plan on going through my asks Tomorrow (Sunday), so if you have anything you would like to share or need advice on, just submit it to the link above (the ask on, haha) <33

[yukihime242]

If you have been following the Genshin Impact (Genshin) news lately, you would have more or less heard about the Chinese players instantly unfollowing Genshin in all of their socials, including the companies that has collaborated with Hoyoverse.

I know there are a lot of people talking about it and you'd be wondering, "is this going to be another one of those posts?"

Truthfully, I don't know because I don't really plan what I write here... The most I do is just go back and read from the top to make sure I am making sense, not unintentionally offending anybody, and editing parts that needs to be edited.

So, just humour me and join me on this wild ride, yeah?

(GIF Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

First off, for the benefit of those who are blissfully unaware of what is going on, Hoyoverse announced in their 4.4 Special Programme that they are giving away three intertwined fates and some other stuff to players for all of their support for the past three years.

I know that line is going to piss some people off already like, three? THREE? HONKAI STAR RAIL GETS A F***ING 5 STAR CHARACTER FOR FREE AND WE ONLY GET 3 INTERTWINED FATES??

(GIF Source: Giphy thru' Google Image Search)

Okay, CHILL PEOPLE CHILL!

You chose to open the "Keep Reading" so give me a chance to write something, yeah?

(GIF Source: Tenor thru' Google Image Search)

So, yeah, that is technically what people were mad about because the rewards, in Hoyoverse fashion, were stingy.

Honestly, I can understand why they decided to give three intertwined fates because, as they said, it is for the past THREE years players have been supporting the game. Seeing the link?

But of course, it is also considered injustice to, not only the players, but also the game itself.

Like I mentioned earlier, Honkai Star Rail (HSR) has a free 5-star character... not just any 5-star character, a FEATURED 5-star character... being sent out to all HSR players through the in-game mail system.

In case some of you are not HSR players and are also blissfully unaware of the significance of this terrible news, it is just like Hoyoverse giving out a free Zhongli to all Genshin players on the first year of the game's release.

Many Genshin veterans here can tell you that Genshin has never received a free featured 5-star character in the first two years of the game's release. The free characters that we keep getting are all 4-stars, and most of the time, we already have them at C6 from our attempts to get the featured 5-star banners.

Before I go any further, what I just mentioned is only part of the reason why players are so mad at Hoyoverse.

The other reason to why all of this big hoohaa is simply because of the way the message was conveyed.

I missed the Special Programme and wasn't aware of how bad it was until a Content Creator in TikTok covered this. I was aware of players unfollowing Genshin on the socials but not what the TikToker covered.

Basically, it was the way the appreciation message was delivered. At first, I thought people were just exaggerating. Just before I started writing this post, I went to search for the Special Programme and watched it.

I stand corrected.

If you would like to see that part of the Special Programme in case you, too, did not watch it or do not recall there was such an incident, I have posted the link below and it should direct you to the moment where they announced the rewards.

(Video Source: Genshin Impact on YouTube, Version 4.4 Special Program Video)

It is just like the TIkToker said in his video. There is a difference when saying "😭❤️I appreciate you guys❤️😭" and "😐I appreciate you guys😐".

Of course, we all would like to have the first one, but unfortunately, the young announcer was more towards the second one.

For the record, I don't blame him. He could have been tired, or had a bad day, and it is totally fine. I think what really pisses players off is, truthfully, the timing of everything.

This is where I get back to my previous point earlier. HSR gave out a free featured 5-star character within its first year release, and Genshin is giving out only three intertwined fates, along with some other things, as an appreciation gift for the three years support.

It is time to make a statement here, people.

Hoyoverse, it is not about the way the message was delivered. It is about the blatant favoritism you are showing through your games. We all get that Honkai Impact 3rd was the game that pulled you guys to the top and it is perfectly fine if that game has a special place in everybody's hearts in the Hoyoverse company. But it is not right to do things like this.

I'd rather Hoyoverse take back the 5-star character in HSR to make it fair across all games. To be honest, if Hoyoverse doesn't start to treat Genshin with more respect it deserves, the game is essentially going to lose a lot of players.

I have said my piece. I know Hoyoverse is never going to look at this but I really hope that they realise that what they are doing to the non-Honkai games is really creating animosity between themselves and the player-base.

Alright, so, congrats to those of you making it this far down here. I honestly think that I may have lost some of you guys half-way through the posts because it's technically the same as what everybody else is saying.

I am not going to prevent you guys from commenting or giving your opinions on the matter, but, just keep it civil, okay? 😉 Even if you don't want to, it's fine as well. I am just glad you read through the whole thing.

(GIF Source: Pinterest thru' Google Image Search)

[antimony-medusa]

hi ur a tumblr blog that i like a lot who's really good with wording things when it comes to discussing fandom stuff. i'm wondering what ur thoughts are on fandom being really obsesssed with writing characters exactly "right". whether it's in character or writers only writing this character with other characters they like, etc. i've seen people feel self conscious about their writing and even stop because fandom will just go "why are you guys writing them like this/i'm so tired of seeing this trope/so repetitive." Fanfic writing should be fun. it shouldn't feel like the end of the world if they're writing the same things several times over. even if a character isn't 100% accurate, or they don't include that character's other lore or relationships or background or whatever. and i'm saying this as a sbi fan who got so tired of all the typical sbi tropes back in the day! sorry for this long tangent, i'm just wondering what your thoughts on this kind of stuff?

*finally escapes from my homework and life exploding enough to get to this ask*

HELLO. Okay, so.

First of all, I absolutely am tracking with the paralyzing fear that you're writing someone or a trope Wrong, and people are going to get mad at you, they're posting right now, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... maybe I just don't write it. I have put story ideas on the back burner because I'm scared of writing specific people in the idea. I noticed it especially in QSMP, you can come up against the issue of depicting people from languages you don't speak and with disabilities you don't share, and the fear that a) people will be mad at me, b) I will write something Actually Bad And Harmful— that's a vivid fear. If you decide that writing a specific character or specific read on a character is not worth the risk of blowback if you do it wrong, that's fair and I can't fault you.

But on the other hand, if you find joy in a character and you're afraid to depict them, and you step away from them, that's kind of a tiny tragedy. I understand the fear, but if your fandom participation is driven by fear, I would say that's a good sign that you need to step back from the fandom— find a new way to participate or find a new place to belong. I have a lot of anxiety and I have had to take a step back from keeping up with fandom several times, I go "okay I leaned into this a little too hard, time to unfollow some people" cause I can track in myself if my fandom creation is being modivated by fear rather than joy. And there's enough fear in my normal life, I want this to be a place of joy.

Because the thing is, if the way someone's love of a character plays out is that they post impassioned posts about characterization in the character tag, that's also fair. They get to do that. They love the character, and this is a guesture of love. If they are specifically calling out other fics that they think "did it wrong", there's a sliding scale there from "pointing out egregious racism/sexism" to "straight up being an asshole to baby writers" and that could be anywhere on there, but someone dropping an impassioned two thousand word guide to how best to write their favourite character is not hurting me or anyone else, they're also following their joy in fandom. That's not my joy, but it's a valid one.

Cause I think there's something that draws us to the characters (or the plotlines) and it's perfectly fair if someone wants to go "okay here is point by point how to depict the character that we all love", and you're running the risk of being an asshole if you go too far into it but there's also nothing wrong with going "I do not know why everyone writes this character as a humourless fighter, guy could not go more than two seconds without cracking a joke, did we even watch the same streams", as long as you're not being actively rude. Especially with people pointing out ableism, racism, sexism, etc— I can see why they would not want those tropes to continue unchallenged, and I think much of the fandom would not want to be accidentally doing a racism. I see those posts and I go Good To Know and I sock that information away.

But also, on the other hand, like, if the fandom police show up at my door/in my comments, they can come back with a warrant. If I want to take two characters who never met in fandom and have them passionately make out, that is my god-given right, no matter if it's butchering the characterization. Maybe I am the True Knower Of The Character and I know that their real true love is somebody who they never met. Maybe I just think it's funny. That's perfectly fine. This is a space where we do work for free, for fun. This is about having fun, no matter if it's cringe or cliche. If I want to write a trope that has five thousand hits on the archive about those characters already, just try and stop me. I will be writing superhero aus till they have to pry me out of this fandom with a crowbar, I think. Overdone trope? Insert "You've told this story before" "AND YOU"LL HEAR IT AGAIN" gif. My Ao3 is my little yell hole for writing things that please me, and by god am I going to write the same two characters over again in the same series of situations. This is for fun, I'm doing what's fun.

I think you just have to do a check on yourself and go "is this hurting anybody", and if it's not, straight up do what you want forever. Other people can go "I only want to see this character written as a bear" and I can go "I respect that but this fic is not for you" and write them as a nerd, and they're not hurting anyone to say that, but I'm also not hurting anyone to do it my way. I do care about depicting the character as in canon, cause that's the character I fell in love with, but also if I write a story in which I turned up the dials on his anxiety and made him adorably worried about social misteps so I can reassure him that he's fine— I also get to do that. It's not hurting anyone to be silly or cliche or cringe or make the blorbos kiss or have them be friends with different people or ignore all aspects of lore that do not bring you joy or what have you. Our fandom now, do what you want.

I think that there are a lot of different ways to do fandom, and a lot of learning to exist in fandom is letting other people do their own thing over there, and then you follow your bliss over there, and you can be as aware of them or not as you wish, but you don't have to cater to what other people like. In MCYT we do sometimes worry about creators who are only doing things because their fans/twitter want them to, and how that will lead to fear and creative burnout, and the same applies to fandom people. I think it's not a bad thing if you personally are concerned about writing the canon character and you keep going back to canon to check that, but it's also not a bad thing if you are four generations down in fandom characterization just having fun with it. And in both cases I think it's fair if the person who really likes canon doesn't read the fanon one, and the fanon person goes "but where is the [fandom tropes I like]" and doesn't read the canon one. Not everything you write or draw is going to be for everybody, and that's fine. I even have friends who love unhappy endings and I do not, and we're still friends, I just do not click through on their unhappy ending fics.

Mostly I just think you have to check yourself and go "is this actually bad or did I see someone post a rant about how tired they were of it" and if it's like "this is sexist" maybe consider if you agree with that person or not, and if it's "this trope is overdone" then do whatever you want forever.

[nextinline-if]

I'm tired of watching creators get stepped on (with a clarified statement regarding the forum poster)

I don't frequent this forum - I went here to investigate pirating. Several people have insisted that the person going by the COG founder's name is not actually him, so here's my updated post. I retract that it's Dan but not what else I said. I still stand by what I said.

Hi, it's me, your friendly Vi with something on my mind. Unfollow if you will but I gotta speak my mind on behalf of the authors who spend countless hours creating the games that bring you joy. Sure, I've been away from Tumblr so I'm probably late to this but oh well. Still decided to post this.

I moved my game to Twine in August because I don't want to be associated with Choice of Games (COG). Here's a great example of why...

People in a forum asking for and sharing pirated content from indie creators' Patreons.

The author saw it and responded:

[ID: A snippet of what the text reads. Please take this down. This is just...really not cool guys. My hands are trembling as I right this, because I'm both hurt and stunned that someone would take *everything* from my Patreon and post it. If you ever want - redacted game name - to get finished, then try not to do things that will cause me to have a breakdown. Please. /ID]

Here's the response from someone going by COG's founder's name (per screenshots below - apparently it's not him but I do wonder why he lets someone use his name or isn't aware?):

I know this image is small, so here's what it reads:

"Let me tell you something, those who haven't subscribed to your patreon isn't magically gonna subscribe if they don't get stories elsewhere, and those who have already did that means they care about you and I'm pretty damn sure they aren't gonna unsubscribe anytime soon. If something anything changes due to the leaks then it's your popularity, readers are gonna be more interested in your titles and perhaps once they have enough money then they can even subscribe and donate that money to you, right now many members of this forum don't have enough resources to purchase things online such as patreon subscription, hence they had to rely on leaks to sate their excitement of reading the stories. Do think about it, from their perspective and if you can then try to make old stories and demo available for public this way they may not needs to rely on leaks and will read from official source.

Sincerely, Dan Fabulich"

What I said originally when I thought it was Dan: The guy is probably a millionaire (or, at the very least, well off compared to most indie creators) and he has the nerve to create an entitled response like this to an INDIE AUTHOR who uses choicescript.... wow. To an author who yes, has a pretty good following but is spending 1000s of hours creating for the enjoyment of others.

New statement: It's still fucking the way this person is speaking to an indie author. Still seems odd to allow a forum to use your name (and also basically insinuate it is supported by your company)...I would certainly be angry. But then again, I'm not rich and living off indie authors' work.

He (still) has more money than most of us indie authors ever have in his pocket from creating a company that pays pennies to the writers who make it money. People who just rely on passion to create these stories. Even if you make money on Patreon, most people cannot be sustained full-time. Most of the pirated content is not from bigger authors (but some is).

And before anyone says anything, yes, I am aware that many people can't afford Patreon and "don't want to wait." I get it. I promise you, I know the struggle. But like, it's fucking entitled to think you deserve to read someone's work without their permission.

And it's fucking entitled to throw the authors that pay for your lifestyle under the bus. (I still believe the company does this).

I am SO grateful to the majority of you out there who are kind, supportive, and overall amazing. But this is not okay!

Vi, out.

P.S. as an anon suggested, I will try to contact Dan to see if he's aware of this person using his name to make statements like this

[utilitycaster]

Oof, the first half of the episode is a little rough ngl. I like the second half with Aabria a lot more. The first group does get better as the episodes go on if that helps at all.

Also, to add a bit more context to Kollok: the creators - Hyper RPG - are filmmaking nerds and are mostly known on Twitch for their various virtual productions.

So Kollok has a lot of those post production visual effects and sound effects, which is them using their strengths to create a show, similar to CR and voice acting and D20 and improv comedy.

Obviously that's not gonna be everyone's cup of tea and it can get a little too much I admit, but it's not that bad of a show.

Hi anon,

I am...not sure if you read this in the necessary context (this provides some, and this some more, and if I'm being totally honest based on this I don't feel like you read my entire weird rant, which to be fair, it is long and weird but covers quite a lot of issues I have) but I am coming in with the premise of "I think heavy post production of actual play is a poor choice." It don't care that it's their strength; I think that if that's your strength you would do better to apply it to scripted works or to improvised non-actual play shows.

I will freely admit that I went in expecting it not to be my cup of tea for that reason, and with an added grudge of "being hyped up and cited as brilliant by Polygon's AP/TTRPG team, with whom I almost always disagree," but did genuinely want to give it a shot in as good faith as I could muster, instead of solely talking shit about. I hoped the acting, premise, and GM-ing might shine through even though the effects were unlikely to win me over and indeed were likely to annoy me.

That was not the case. I found the GM-ing (Driving?) style profoundly grating and pretentious (and I have a very high tolerance for pretension), the premise nothing to write home about, and honestly I don't know jack about sound mixing but I do know I have perfectly good hearing and had to crank my laptop speakers up to higher than I have to for CR or D20 for the prologue to the prologue only to subsequently hear some of the most irritating static sounds at top volume for the prologue, so I'm not even impressed by the production.

And to be clear: that's all fine. I think people are drawn to different aspects in actual play, and there's room for all sorts of shows. I might even finish this episode simply because if I were recommending something to someone else, and they quit an hour into a 3.5 hour episode, I'd feel a little miffed. But I really don't expect it to ever be my thing, and I watched it mostly because it felt uninformed to be criticizing heavy production in actual play without watching a notably deliberately heavily produced actual play show.

I do want to wrap up, and this isn't specifically directed at you but: when it comes to my opinions on a work, I'm not going to say I'm never going to be swayed by an anon ask because who knows, it could happen, but it's very unlikely. If I dislike something, I don't really care if other people like it - I'd never send anons or get on their posts or maintag something like the post I just made (and which I made nonrebloggable specifically to prevent it from spreading into fan spaces) but I hope that people who like something can show me the same respect and permit my dislike. If you're a fan I will not be offended nor resentful if you unfollow or block me or whatever you need to do, but I can pretty confidently say that new cast members or improved acting will not change the fact that this is extremely not for me.

[topguncortez]

The whole Glen Gigi Sydney thing is kinda hilarious with people jumping to conclusions and acting like they know everything. If it’s true that’s on him and Sydney. People in the comments on Glen posts on Instagram saying “you had a 10 and cheated with a 4.5” people do realise when men cheat they don’t go with better they go with easier? Right? I personally think it’s a whole pr stunt to get people to watch the new film, apparently Glen and Gigi broke up because she couldn’t do long distance relationships anymore - it’s sad if that’s true and it’s a PR stunt because he’s being branded a cheater (going on like no one in hollywoods ever cheated, Arnold Schwarzenegger had an affair and a child with the the housekeeper) I don’t think he did because he honestly doesn’t seem to be that type of person but I guess that’s just me not wanting to believe the rumours. But then it doesn’t help that Gigi is kind of hinting that the rumour is true.. But in the same breath it does not and will not ever have anything to do with me it’s not my life, I don’t know them, I’ve got my own shit to worry about.

People do need to calm down tho, telling bloggers who write FAN FICTION of an actors character that they are “supporting cheating” I mean come off it!! I don’t like reading cheating fics that’s just because im an emotional wreck and take things way to heart, but it doesn’t stop me from reading fiction about that character.

Nobody knows the truth and it’s Hollywood so that means no one will ever know the truth even if all three came out and said it was a PR stunt, nobody will believe them anyway.

Now, I hope you have an amazing day - I’m currently in hospital waiting to get a cast put on my leg after I fell down the stairs and broke it. I’m more upset that I dropped my pizza more than anything.

I agree with you that this is a whole PR nightmare/mess that could have easily been avoided. There are so many things that we don't know, and that we will never know, and we don't deserve to know. Celebrities lives are already blasted enough as it is everywhere, that the last thing they need is to have something as personal as a breakup running rampant.

As far as the cheating thing goes, I agree with you in the fact that I don't think Glen cheated. I think if he did, we'd be hearing more from Sydney's side of things (I'm thinking about Olivia and harry for this one. . .). I will also agree that I do not like the way that Gigi handled things. I understand being petty and being hurt, however, you need to have a solid reason for that. She really didn't help the situation one bit, and it's not only making herself look bad, but it is hurting Glen and Sydney, and I don't believe that Gigi would want something like that to happen.

The comments on Glen's photos are heartbreaking. It really hurts to even read through them and to even really think about. How are you not only going to say harsh things to someone you don't even know, but how are you going to drag another person into this?? We don't know all the facts so people are making nameless claims off of fucking cryptic posts and unfollows.

There's two sides to every story, it's just that simple. I'm not picking a side. I feel bad for every person involved because break-ups are never easy. And honestly, the ones that hurt the most are the ones that are caused by distance or not seeing each other enough. Because the love that you have for one another is still so fucking strong, but they are just not there enough to make it fair to spend all that time and energy. (Speaking from a personal experience, I was more gutted and heartbroken after a break-up with an ex who moved from Kauai to Maui than my ex-husband cheating on me). As for the fanfic stuff, if you can't separate your feelings. . . then you need to go take a walk. There is no need to send mean shit to people who are writing about a fictional character. And there is no need to send mean to shit to people who are writing RPF. it's fiction for a reason. let us live in our happy shiny bubble.

I really, really, truly hope that this isn't a PR stunt because there is no need for this. Like I said, it gives DWD PR stunt, and because of all that mess, it made me and so many others not want to watch the movie. Which is honestly a shame, cause there are so many other actors besides the leads that get affected from shit like this.

[bloodsworn-marshal]

Writing Prompt: Off the Hook Word Count: 1661

“…”

Dark steely eyes stared round the corner of the palace’s gilded halls. Curious, watchful, and honed in as a slip of pink tried to zip out of sight.

It made no sense to the young lad why the Sultana of all person’s snuck out so oft as she did. He had heard tales from the Sultansworn. Woes of trying to keep their eyes on her and before they knew it, gone in the blink of an eye. Scrambling to find her without an inkling of here whereabouts, nor her alter ego.

Only Master Papashan truly knew. Not her handmaidens. Nor his father. Yet young Pipin had caught on quite quickly, being so close in age. He and Raubahn had but recently moved into the palace proper after being freed from the Bloodsands. And while Pipin struggled to adjust to day to day life in this new beginning, he had done his best to stay on his toes. Learning this and that while mostly keeping to himself. He stayed by Raubahn’s side a majority of the time, but when he was free to do as he wished…

Roaming the palace to learn its interior had become a time-filling pastime. A way to learn his new world without being handheld by Papashan in those free moments. With no other around his age save for the Sultana herself, he was oft made to join in on her lessons. Learning as she did, but much farther behind in terms of knowledge… let alone basic readings and writings.

When lessons would end and the Sultana given permission to leave for her next meetings, young Pipin had realized that she didn’t always go where she was supposed to go… Most of the times, yes. But right now?

“Where’s she going now…?” He murmured as he followed in silent pursuit. Not knowing exactly why he cared so much to see where she was actually going. Mayhaps it was the worries of the grownups that made him concerned for her safety? She always showed back up eventually, and with plenty a tongue lashing to be had for it!

…Curiosity gave way in the end. If he were to be a future protector over her person, it was high time he learned and not fall into the same distraught as the others did.

---

The kitchen ended up being where the young lady first departed from. Her head swiveling around from left to right, ensuring she was unfollowed nor noticed. When satisfied to find herself completely alone, she slipped past the back door and into the alleyway. Donning the simplest of shawls to easily mistake her for a simple merchant’s daughter—or so she told herself.

This is when she would typically merge into a crowd or ongoing line of people looking to visit the markets. She need only wait for the perfect moment, slip in, and…

Nanamo’s ears perked at the sound of something thudding from behind her. A suppressed swear beneath their voice as they had been trying to follow silently before knocking their foot into a piece of trash littered on the ground. And once they had revealed themselves, a pout graced the young Sultana’s face. She had been followed.

“Pipin? Were you sent to tail after me?”

“N…No! I just happened to see you sneaking out. And, well…” His lips pursed as he wasn’t quite sure what to say or do in this scenario. Hells, what was his plan to be if he got caught anyways? He hadn’t thought this quite through.

While Nanamo looked displeased at first, she soon broke out into a smile. Chuckling at the older lalafellin’s clumsiness and stepping forward to take his hand in hers.

“Accompany me then. If you’re not here to take me back or on another person’s order, then certainly you have no other reason to decline?”

“But…” Many questions buzzed for what he actually wanted to ask. Why was she running off like this to begin with? What was the reason? What if they were caught or worse?

“You are free to go back and pretend you did not see me.” Nanamo placed her hands on her hips, a cheeky smile on her lips. “Only a passing merchant’s daughter by the name of Lady Lilira!”

“…You know I well can’t just leave you on your own.” Pipin sighed. Was the Sultana always so daring? He wondered if this was how Papashan felt. “I’ll come along.”

“Very well then.” She twirled on her heels and set forth once more. “Tis nice to get out every once and awhile. Surely you will feel the same, after being cooped up for so long.”

“Right…”

---

So it was that Pipin shadowed after Nanamo. Her free spirit taking her wherever she so pleased, humming along the way with hardly a care in the world. Stopping in front of every stall and merchandise that caught her eyes, and he playing the role of ‘a merchant daughter’s bodyguard’ or something in that same vein. Occasionally she would whirl around and ask of him her opinion on any particular’s, to which he’d fumble with his hands before shrugging and mumble “It looks nice” or “Very fitting”. Small nods of vague agreement.

It worked at first. Until her brow worried down with each and every non-answer.

“You don’t have to agree with everything I ask. I want your honest opinion.”

Pipin began to stutter uncertainly. Two worlds clashing against one another. This was the Sultana they were talking about here. A high-class lady by all means. The very same person who granted his father freedom and led this entire nation! Yet here she was asking him to treat her otherwise. Like any other person on the street.

How difficult a predicament…

“Shouldn’t… you ask that of your handmaidens? Or of other lasses your age?”

Nanamo only frowned at this, shaking her head. “It’s not the same. They self-pick everything for me. I would have no choice. Other girls…” She glanced off to the side, placing an enclosed fist over his chest.

Ah… he’d touched a rough spot hadn’t he? That was the telltale sign of no other friends in her life. She was young too. Younger than him by only a few summers and no peers to talk with other than the same old servants. Pipin started to understand the situation she had found herself in.

“Then…” He brought his hand up to his chin in thought. It had been so long since last he’d been outside since childhood days. “How about the next shop? They were selling some jewelry that happened to catch my eyes.”

Nanamo’s eyes lit up. Finally some progress. With an excited nod, they both trudged along into the markets.

---

Pipin now held in his arms a number of bags Nanamo had handed off to him. Wondering, for the umpteenth time, what he’d gotten himself into. Worried for what they would face on their return to the inner palace walls.

Yet during this outing, he had found himself opening up some and vice versa. They both talked a little about their caretakers and personal woes. How much of a drag certain things were, their lessons, this and that. Their occasional squabbles they had before getting to this point. Much like one would between siblings.

He’d never had the opportunity to just… have a moment like this. Feeling like the teenager he still was. Sharing in the moment without fear. Getting along with others and making friends, instead of enemies he would one day have to face in an arena.

As they approached the door leading back to where they had come from… they would find a certain Master Papashan waiting. A mix of anger and fear in his eyes—he never knew if Nanamo would one day go missing for good. And he was just about to set out looking for her!

Both Nanamo and Pipin froze upon seeing the elder lalafell waiting for them.

“Now look here Your Grace. How many times must I tell you—”

Behind the old, crooked frame of spectacles, his eyes fell upon Pipin who had tried to shrink himself to Nanamo’s backside. To which Papashan scoffed and raised his voice. “And you! What are you doing with her!? Why did you not bring her back sooner?”

“Tis no fault of his!” Nanamo was swift to rush in and defend Pipin. “He spotted me while I had already snuck out and tried to make me come back. I refused… and so he swore to protect me! Isn’t that right?”

All eyes upon Pipin now. He took a nervous step forward, finding his voice as he bowed his head in apology. “I-It’s exactly as Her Grace says. Since I could not force her back, I decided to stay by her side instead. To make sure nothing occurred while she was out and about.”

“Is that so…?” The old stationmaster exhaled a deep sigh before pointing to the door. “The lad is off the hook for now. But you, Your Grace…”

“I understand.” They ushered inside and though there would be much tongue lashing to be given before long, Nanamo still smiled back at Pipin nonetheless and thanked him for joining her. Taking the bags from his hands and promising that they would talk more later.

Would that be the end of that! If not for Raubahn catching word of it later and taking Pipin aside for some choice words of his own. On the light side however, given that he hadn’t ignored his duty completely. Pipin would one day serve the Sultana after all, after given the proper training.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. If only because… Pipin now knew that he could confide in the Sultana as more than just lady and guard. They could be friends if they so chose. A little less alone in their future endeavors.

At long last could he wholeheartedly imagine a future for himself in this palace.

[twopoppies]

Little addition to SYSCA. I am still receiving her daily mails and of course I can´t find this specific one (I probably deleted it as I am deleting all her mails after I read it) but remember few months ago she was writing about how her and her friends were watching boys on that Wellington bar, aknowleding that when back then it felt like a cute fangirling moment now it was on the edge of stalking them and remember that she wrote something like how videos and photos she took that night died with her iPod touch. So I guess she wasn´t the one who took those videos? But maybe she´s lying, who knows. Anyway I also have a mixed feeling about her because she gives me strong gf harrie vibe first and foremost and then she´s OT5. But IIRC she barely ever informs about any other boys and their success, their new songs or attending their shows or other support prooving she isn´t pure solo harrie. It´s only HarryHarryHarryHarry and as previous anon wrote, she usually uses him for her attention. She´s also s huge Swiftie and so I wouldn´t be suprised if she absolutely believes h*ylor was real relationship....or just believe that every H´s relationship was real. She even needed to inform everyone about that gross Emrata face licking. So idk, IMO she tries to inform about everything but definitely has no idea how entainment industry actually works so she eats every pr relationship and tabloid gossips.

Like I said, I haven’t followed her for years, but that general behavior was why I unfollowed her. It’s so weird to me that people who seem otherwise generally informed about the world are so oblivious to the way it actually works.

Also, after reading the excerpt it sounds to me like she worded it very carefully so as not to say she took THAT video, but to also sound like she did. Whatever. It’s just a very weird thing to do. And yes, it was absolutely stalking. But everything was so different in those days.

[uncloseted]

any tips for not doom scrolling and actually doing your hobbies😹 i have books to read and painting to finish and youtube videos i want to watch but somehow i always end up scrolling on tiktok and getting annoyed by the comments or just left feeling frustrated for no reason in particular, how do i fix my attention span and actually do what i want to do instead of doing what i’m used too?

So I think there are two elements to this: making it harder to doom scroll and making it easier to do the things you want to do.

Making it harder to doom scroll may be deleting the apps you scroll on, disabling FaceID/automatic login on those apps or websites, putting your phone in grayscale mode, unfollowing/blocking people that you know frustrate you, or installing blocks on your phone/computer so you can only scroll at certain times during the day or for a certain amount of time.

Making it easier to do the things you want to do is a little bit more difficult. The first thing I would think about is why you're not doing the things you want to do. For example, I've been meaning to start a new punch needle embroidery project for weeks now, but I'm afraid that I'll mess up tracing the pattern onto the fabric and so I keep putting it off. Is there something about the projects you want to do that's intimidating you? Are you afraid that the outcome won't be perfect, and so you don't want to get started? Depending on why you're not doing the things you want to do, you might need to change the way you're thinking about it or find a way to get around what's blocking you.

If it's just that scrolling is easier than doing anything else, I would try telling yourself that you'll just do your hobby for five minutes. Starting something new feels intimidating, but doing it for just five minutes doesn't feel so bad. Once you get over that hump of starting, a lot of the time, you'll find that you want to keep going. But even if you stop at five minutes, five minutes is better than nothing. If you can get into the habit of regularly doing five minutes, then maybe you can stretch it to ten minutes and so on. Eventually, your attention span will start to accommodate focusing for longer.

[kuramirocket]

Antis are so fcking stupid. Lol. Idk why people feel the need to say I'm unfollowing instead of just unfollowing silently.

When did this person even follow me?? They clearly did not read my whole description because it says I am a proshipper aka ship and let ship. Plus, I always reblog proship and shipcest posts. And I always add trigger warnings to boot. This person must have been very new here like a few hours new. Lol

Like with the shipcest, yeah:

LOL

And anyways, the whole pro pedo thing is so dumb because I'm not even into age gaps or minor x adult, personally.

I swear antis see pedophilia everywhere and always say it as some sort of gotcha, pearl clutching, emotional appeal, fear mongering, thing to get others to side with them lol

People need to learn to leave others alone regarding taste in fictional content. Don't like don't read, blacklist tags, etc.

Anyways, antis learn what pedophilia and real red warning flags are challenge.

From the article linked above:

However, calling someone a pedophile has been overused to insult people even if pedophilia wasn’t part of the situation. Helping a little kid pick up a toy or hugging a crying kid suddenly makes you a pedophile.

Please do not call people pedophiles unless there are true signs of it. Signs of pedophilia includes:

Spending more time with children than with adults

Constantly touching children in inappropriate places

Watching or staring at children for long periods of time

Locking the door when alone with a child in a room

Talking to children the same way one would talk to a lover

Collecting child pornography

[joe-moi]

Ok I have to be honest and say a few things post it or not.....

This is the most normal guy shit and there are people here acting as if it isn't. No one has said they're in a relationship. You go ond dates in order to get to that point. And if they are....super we'll find out whenever we find out.

We literally already know that he was on raya and she is exactly the type of woman to be on raya. I think the sleezier thing would be meeting a bunch of girls through the media wave and then date hopping with them all. But still...This guy is just 32 and trying to date around girls who are not gross younger than him and trying a new avenue (and so be it) but like mod said...probably gonna have a real hard time actually pulling the band aid and feeling comfortable making something official. Official probably scares him and that is also super normal.

Let's remember that everyone WANTED him to be hot girl joe-ing last summer. Boat girl didn't cause waves other than !! excitement. Everyone kinda was 👀 hoping sailing girl might be a fling. We were telling the man to have fun and get it and now he going on real dates and we're gonna call him out for being what...dating? Please.

Yeah the pap part is an added layer but he did that with boat girl and I have been on here and said before that I don't think he'll openly pap with someone he is more serious about. I think it's safe to pap with unserious or fun girlies. Especially if deux paid to get these puppies....it's a definite move that she definitely knew about and was aware what she was getting into. It's just as likely she agreed to do this and also saw the benefit of a date and maybe hookup with a guy who is pretty visible.

The reading into follows and unfollows is too much. We KNOW chase follows and unfollows like it's no big deal. We've watched her do it before. She probably follows and unfollows for attention. It's no surprise that her fashion family might know this girl...but that doesn't mean they're friends. You're telling me you don't have old friends, casual acquaintances on IG? I do and I literally only have 500 followers and sometimes they pop up in the peripheral of my life like this and I see them on IG and I'm like...nah I have no need for this and I unfollow. it doesn't seem like it needs to be that deep for chase to play like this. So ultimately using this move to create narrative about what happened to them is... unproductive. It happened but that doesn't mean it needs to mean anything deep.

I also think the "you guys" anons coming through to try and throw rocks in JK girlies faces now that we're bantering about this date/pap pics is literally unnecessary. We have sat through a thousand raya talks about JQ we are not out here dangling carrots to bring too back into the inbox. 5 days ago someone came on here trying to bait and say we don't have anything to talk about now that we don't talk JK all because the man was just...not moving.

thank you Nonnie. I think it is difficult for some people to look at adult relationships, and how they can be very unserious and just hooking up, and understand it. There are people out there who are in long-term relationships from the time that they’re 18 years old. I’ve seen several people in my life that get into relationships when they’re young and stay in them and usually marry the person. so when they look at how other people are dating they don’t really understand the casual part of it. And casual dating /seeing each other is pretty common as you get older.

[kasagia]

How do you get into writing. I have just started and would love some tips. Xxx

And this surprised me very much, dear anonymous. 😅🙈

I'm not some kind of 'guru' on this or a professional writer or anyone who is... qualified or even learning in this direction to tell the others how to do it and get into writing or give some tips or anything. I believe that everyone should find their own way.

Writing is just my hobby, but I'll try to answer something for you, dear anonymous. And I hope it will be helpful somehow. 🩵🖤🩵

You can't force yourself.

At least it doesn't work for me. I can't set times for myself when I should sit down and just write. And even if I do, the things I write are... kind of shallow and unnatural (at least when I read them).

Inspiration comes by itself, and sometimes you have to stimulate your imagination yourself.

You've probably ever had this feeling where various ideas and words come to your head, and sometimes there's a barren void and you can't put together one sensible sentence or figure out what to do next with the plot.

I get inspired through music and edits on YouTube or Instagram about the characters I write about. They stimulate my imagination to create new scenarios and stories. ESPECIALLY THE MUSIC. (TAYLOR SWIFT, LANA DEL REY, FLORENCE, RUELLE, BIRDY I LOVE YOU!!!!)

It is helpful to imagine the scene in your head.

You don't know how to write what a given character should do next? You don't like leaving only dialogue? Imagine that you are talking to a given hero. What would you do, and what would he or she do? Does he move his hands, approach, move away, frown, laugh, fix his hair—all these movements that we observe every day when we talk to others or watch a movie?

Imagining myself in a given situation helps me write not only the dialogues but also the environment around them. So, mainly, the movement of the second character. I don't necessarily like descriptions of landscapes and places personally; I only do it when I have to and need it for the plot. I'm not an expert at this; I know I still need to work on it, so for now, this is my solution when it comes to writing these other things around the dialogue.

Constantly writing is essential.

You can't give up after the first few tries. We are constantly improving our writing, and so on.

I'm afraid to read my first oneshots because my writing style has evolved since this all time and since I've been writing "publicly." AND THAT'S NORMAL. At least I think so.

Everyone has their own beginnings and started somewhere, and this path is beautiful—these first excitements, the satisfaction that someone liked and commented on your work. (IT STILL IS! SHOWING THE AUTHOR WITH LOVE AND ADORATION IS VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO BE FEED WITH CONTENT! xD) 😅

And over time, the longer you stay at it, the more you want to keep going (at least for me).

But sometimes writing block comes and you just have to simply wait it out. What helps me is listening to music (different from the songs I know) or reading someone else's work. The brain remembers how fun it is to write and suddenly you feel like writing.

BUT we don't copy other people's work or use an idea that someone else had. The golden rule. Besides the fact that it's wrong, immoral, and just plain not cool, who wants to read about the same thing all the time? Creativity is key. (ALTHOUGH NOBODY WILL TAKE THE MOON SUMMONER AND DARKLING FROM ME. THIS IS MY HOLINESS SHIP AND I WILL WRITE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS I WANT. UNFOLLOW OR BLOCK - I DON'T CARE. xD) 🙈🙈

This is not a grade assignment for school; there is no wrong way to write. And as long as YOU are satisfied and happy, then write.

This is probably the most important thing. It's supposed to be fun—playing with words and imagination, creating your own story with the character you love, creating your own world, having fun. You can share it with other people or keep it for yourself. The choice is yours.

Haters will be everywhere; you can't avoid them, but I believe that nobody can please all people.

Some will like it, others will not, and that is also beautiful—that each of us likes different things, that we are not stuck in one monotonous way of thinking, and that we simply like different things.

Create a writing atmosphere may help.

It's good for some people. A candle, a blanket, coffee, tea and other drinks. Just you and your laptop or anything else.

Words matter.

I remember Googling every time to learn how to say this and that in English. Is it possible to use this and that meaning of the word for a given situation? Or when I was writing a dance scene and I was wondering how to write different moments, I went to Google to check what the hell to call it.

The more you write, the more practice you have with it, and the more you remember the words you need. (If your native language is not English, like mine.)

And adjectives. They are important because when someone else reads them, they can better imagine the situation. But as I said, I'm not sure about the rest—the description of the situation and feelings. I feel like I'm writing a bit too much, maybe boring; maybe I could skip some parts and focus more on others? I don't know, so I won't say much about it. 😅😅😅

I hope I helped somehow! Although I'm not sure if I'm the right person for this or if my mumbling will help you.

Have a nice day! 🩵🖤🩵🖤🩵🖤🩵🖤🩵🖤🩵🖤🩵🖤

[llycaons]

ending message...🥺

friends, followers, mutuals, passers-by, exasperated acquaintances, beloved companions, and everyone else. roughly six months ago, to my excitement and disbelief I landed my preferred job right out of school, an extremely demanding and stressful position at a hospital. due to the rigorous training program I found I didn't have the time or energy to do any of my regular hobbies, so I turned back to an old comfort and subsequently started reading much more fanfiction than I ever have in my life.

followers may recall I then decided, with very little thought, to download a tag blacklist and go through the entire ao3 tag for cql (400 pages) and for cql/mdzs (almost 1500 pages). this pursuit, as horrifying as it sometimes was, staved off my breakdown long enough to get my footing at work, and provided hours of entertainment afterwards as I tried to go through all the stuff I'd marked. the vast quantities of ooc, nonsensical, poorly written, confusing, or just silly trash I found on that site have been well worth it, even if I hadn't then found almost 200 works I liked enough to bookmark and recommend to others

I've always wanted to do a rec list, but I haven't had a clear idea of how to go about it responsibly, what with the absolute trash fire that is ao3, until a mutual linked me her own rec list (thank you!!!). along with sharing my passion and my excitement about the works I've found, it also allowed me obsessively categorize, sort, and organize all the fics I have bookmarked, which has given me a much-needed sense of satisfaction during these past few months

and here we are - my training has been completed! I have a week off from work, and when I return I'll be working more independently. finally having finished my training, I have a lot more confident in my capabilities than I even had last week. I feel that I've overcome a monstrous hurdle, plagued at every side by doubts of my competence and fears about my performance. in tandem with this accomplishment, I've decided to make public the rec page I've been working on for so long. I have around 30 fics left in my marked for later, which is far fewer than the 1,660 I began with, and I'm not worried about making it zero before unveiling it. as silly and inconsequential as this project is, relatively speaking, it was a great source of accomplishment and joy for me during this extremely stressful and discouraging time in my life, and I want to thank everyone who hasn't unfollowed me, who's replied to my liveblogs, who's recommended me fics to read, who's laughed and commiserated with me, and who's shared advice or feedback about the organization of the page, especially lesbianstorm, who's been here since the very beginning <3

I've spoken before about finding something new to occupy my time, because I don't know how much cql I still have left in me, but I thought it would be a nice send-off to at least watch the show one more time since this story and these characters mean to much to me, and since it's brought me close to so many wonderful people. thank you all again, and know that your presence here means the world to me

[merrock]

HAPPY FIRST OF DECEMBER !

It's the last month of the year... can you believe it?! Whether it was a good or a bad year for you, it's coming to an end and a fresh start can begin... very soon! We have a few things to go over, as usual, to wrap up November and jump into December. Then we'll be full steam ahead into the holidays and hopefully a shiny, fun, prosperous 2024!

HAPPENING IN DECEMBER !

WINTER FUN PARTY (ic: December 2, ooc: November 30 - December 6) -- happening at Blades in the countryside, a chance to get out and do all of the cold weather fun stuff!

WINTER HOLIDAY MARKET (ic & ooc: December 17-23) -- happening at The Hideaway Market! Come do all of your last minute shopping or just enjoy an old fashioned market!

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY (ic: December 31, ooc: December 26 - 31) -- a glitzy night out to celebrate the last day of the year, and have some fun together!

DECEMBER'S MINI-EVENTS !

December 21 -- first day of winter -- needs no explanation, it's just the first day of winter, who doesn't love that?

Holiday Season Stuff -- but you can check out this post for lots of information about happenings in Merrock!

EXTRA BIT OF FUN !

Since we have a lot of holiday-centric things happening this time of year, I thought for our task, we'd do something a little different! Lindsey actually came up with this idea last year, so we're implementing it now. Our very own Merrock wrapped, for you to dive in to what your character listened to, watched, and did through the season. Enjoy! However, if you do want to do holiday tasks, we will allow task #3 (the wonderful world of winter) and task #7 (holly jolly season) to be done in December, as well.

IMPORTANT NOTES !

as usual, be sure that you have read over our rules -- nothing major has been updated at this time, but it never hurts to refresh!

please follow all blogs (except the promo blog! you can skip that one!) relating to Merrock, and unfollow those no longer in the group. double check our list right here!

as always, be sure to check the starter page frequently and give them some love! it's the best way to make people feel included.

... but! please don't queue starter replies and/or reply to them from drafts (at least not without double checking they're still open), as it often times pushes them past cap/closure.

it's a busy time of year, we understand! just be sure that you are keeping your characters active within our guidelines, and if you play multiples, they are all active.

BEHIND THE SCENES !

as I've mentioned, all events for December and January are completed, drafted and ready to go!

additionally, the images for the entire year have been saved, which means things just have to be picked away at.

but there are some events we will be asking for your help on, whether it be choosing a theme, or deciding what to do, so always keep your eyes open!

that being said, January will see the Polar Plunge and the royal gala, as well as mini events like houseplant appreciation day, strawberry ice cream day and world snow day!

we'll be deciding after the holiday if we want to keep our cap at 30, or go ahead and lower it once again, as well as deciding on rolling acceptances vs. slated days.

you'll likely see changes in 2024 regardless -- updated pages, re-formatted acceptances, updates to forms that are filled out, all that good stuff. start fresh, right?

if you haven't already, please read this mod post to know what the activity expectations are through the next few weeks.

HAPPY DECEMBER !

[main-serendipity-sky]

About this blog

•Jimin always comes first.

•If you are here to say that Jimin hasn't been sabotaged by his company or anything along those lines, LEAVE.

•I'm a fan of Jimin who believes Jimin and Jungkook are together. As a fan, my place is to view them as individuals. Any jikookery I see is second and I can only form theories because I'm not in the relationship with them. Neither are you.

•I believe jikook's relationship is real and, therefore, I have observed good times, rough patches, and break ups. If you don't want to hear about any of these things, please don't follow. Relatioships are not static so my view on them may change.

•I try to have a realistic approach to things but I do love delulu thoughts. However, I will not be part of the gaslighting that is the new norm around here. I'm not here to convince you or brainwash you. I'm here to post what I think freely without being policed or harassed.

•I don't do labels. I'm not army, ot7, jikooker, pjm, anti, akgae, solo, or whatever is used to bully people into herd thinking by this insane fandom.

•I don't have a problem with "insecure jikookers" as having doubts about something we can't see is simply human nature. You can't be insecure about someone else's relationship so this term doesn't exist for me.

•I have a problem with tkkrs, ot7s, and anyone who undermines/mistreats/hates Jimin, hates on jikook, bullies others, and anyone who watches and does nothing about it.

•Everything in this blog is my OPINION. We don't have to agree. If you no longer find my thoughts entertaining, please unfollow and don't leave a good bye letter in my inbox.

•I do not need advice on how to run my blog, what to post, what to think so keep the comments to yourself.

•I enjoy answering asks with my own ramblings and getting asks that give me a different point of view. That is all perfect. Being rude is not.

•Things that will get an immediate block: name calling, hating on me, Jimin, Jk, jikook, being obnoxious, saying that Jimin didn't get sabotaged.

•I don't post other blogs so please refrain from sending links to other blogs. It makes my job easier if you do :)

•Don't reblog my posts if you are going to say negative things about them. Make your own post for your own opinions.

•If you want to discuss something more in depth with me, please send a message. We cannot converse through asks.

•If you've read this far and decided to stay:

welcome.

[eyes-on-jesus]

Hi! I hope youre having a really awesome day :) I have recently found myself having a bit of a crisis of faith and was wondering if you could help me. Essentially me and the Father have had a rather complex relationship where I turned to Him and then turned away from him and, not knowing what to do, practiced Judaism, Buddhism, and Paganism, which experiences have been chaotically interspersed by connections with the Lord where I have often sworn to Him I will never turn away from Him again and have ended up doing just that many times (not to mention the many times I have slandered His Holy name for various inexcusable reasons). If that is too much to help with, then nevermind :) but if there's a chance you could possibly give me advice, I would really appreciate it! I'm very regretful of things I've done and send about the Lord and I do earnestly wish to make it up to Him somehow. I hope you have the best day/evening/night xxxx

Hello Love ♡

First of all I do not judge you, that is not my place. Second of all, true repentance is the death of sin. If you feel genuine regret and repentance, of course God will forgive you. He just wants you to come home. This situation is very complex so I can't answer every single part here, but here is the advice I can give you with the time I have available rn:

♥︎ It sounds like you are easily influenced, which I can relate to, I used to be a lot lile that. That is a lost part in our hearts that is looking to cling to something and be fulfilled by something, and is looking for excitement. Realizing that you're gonna stop browsing around for new beliefs is a necessity here, because the goal is to come home to Jesus.

♥︎ So unfollow everyone on social media that posts about various religions and spiritualities. Completely go through all of ypur follower lists and unfollow any account that preaches another faith.

♥︎ You need more christian influences. You need to make christian friends, have christian community and consume christian content online. You don't have to agree with other christians on everything. Find people that you like. I like (on youtube) Jess Conte, Nowbloom with Sarah and Kristin Johns, the bible project to start with.

♥︎ You need to read your bible and make it fun. Make a routine for yourself where you start reading the gospels in the new testament to reconnect with Jesus. You could watch "the chosen" online, that show connected me so much to Jesus. Make a worship song playlist and listen to it frequently.

♥︎ Buy a new bible you find really pretty, best of all a journaling bible that is easy to understand like NIV or ESV. If you find your bible pretty, you'll enjoy using it more.

♥︎ It's about a personal relationship with God, not about just finding a favourite religion. You'll never stick with God if you don't know Him, don't talk to Him every day, don't feel an emotional connection to Him. I wouldn't believe in God either if I never really experienced Him or heard from Him (by reading your bible). You need to really fall in love with Jesus.

♥︎ If you have repented, God forgives you. It's not about "making it up to God", God doesn't expect you to mourn forever or give Him some type of gift. He wants intimacy with you. He wants you to talk to Him, to spend time with Him, take your relationship seriously. The best way to make things right is to turn to Him and choose Him and stop letting your heart wander and worship other idols.

I hope that helps dear ♥︎