#i think my goal for the current planning portion is to reach a plan for 10 chapters

[memoriesndew]

fall is here. It's time to lock in. weight loss edition.

intro:

after taking a miniature break I have finally decided to track my weight loss journey here, to keep me motivated and to track my progress.

there are approximately 3 months left in the year (without september) and in that time I want to focus on my weight loss and lock in. I will take a break from creating notion templates and focus on skills and hobbies.

why 3 months? simply because that's what's left in this year and also because most people start seeing results after 3 months.

details:

so I started this challenge last week and here are a few things I've achieved last week. I worked out for the whole week. I hit 10k steps daily from tuesday didn't do so well on monday. I also completed my daily workout cycle for the most part.

✿ my main goal is losing weight really just reaching my weight goal which is 42kg - p.s I'm short

✿ I will try my best to update daily and I also have a physical journal that I will update every night before bed

here are my current stats

𝑮𝒐𝒂𝒍𝒔

( 🍨 ) 63𝒌𝒈 Current weight: 59.1kg

( ) 57𝒌𝒈

( ) 52𝒌𝒈

( ) 49𝒌𝒈

( ) 46𝒌𝒈

( ) 42𝒌𝒈 gw

( ) 40𝒌𝒈 ugw

i do think the stakes are not in my favour and I might not reach my goal at the end of the year but at least I can try.

so I will be uploading my workouts weekly, at the beginning of every week as to keep myself motivated to do them and for as many that would like to go on this journey with me. at the end of those 3 months, I will update this blog post.

✿ This is the habits i want to achieve each day also I plan to have a set eating time between 12pm and 8pm everyday. i will write about what I eat I'm also not going to be really dieting or cutting out foods just minimizing my portions

habit tracking:

maintain calorie deficit of 1200 hit 10k steps 7+ hrs of sleep 2l of water 30mins+ of movement journal progress movement cycle [3/3] eat between 12 pm and 8 pm

✿ : my days will mainly be filled up with reading (adrinette fics), language learning, crocheting, organizing, blogging, Bible study, watching(might continue Gilmore Girls) and more

decided to add workouts to my daily updates instead

i will start updating tomorrow

post tags : dews wl lock-in

[a-tale-of-legends]

I like how, regardless of how I plan it, chapters 3 and 4 are The Big Ones for the early section of TBWS lol.

[himbochub]

I'm only a small fat so ymmv, but some size/fat related things I experienced regarding top surgery:

If you're someone whose belly gets in the way as you're moving from lying to sitting or sitting to standing, it can be helpful to have either more core strength so you don't have to use your arms to help move your torso, or have your post-surgery support carer/s there to help give you a boost when sitting up. (I guess that applies to everybody but still..)

If reaching while toileting and showering can be difficult before surgery, the difficulty defo multiplies during recovery (especially showering), so it's super helpful to plan ahead with any equipment like long-handled scrubbers and a shower bench, as well as making a plan with your support system for any hands-on assistance they can provide.

I didn't think about this ahead of time, but I used a friend's mastectomy pillow during recovery which was WAY more helpful than I thought it was going to be, however, the part of the pillow that goes under the arms didn't really make it all the way under my arms as much as it's supposed to because I'm wider than the pillow was made for. I don't even know if they make plus-size mastectomy pillows honestly, but if you're thinking of getting one, in my experience it would be worth trying to find a wider option than the standard size!

My nurse also told me a hot tip for if the lower band your compression binder bites into your upper belly: if it's the kind with an elastic band around your ribcage area, you can take off the binder, fold the band hot-dog style, and take some scissors and snip a little half-inch hole in the middle of the band (i.e., not cutting through the bottom or top of the elastic, just putting a hole in it basically). You can add more than one hole, too. Gives the band some much-needed slack without taking the compression off your chest!

If you're not going to have someone to cook for you, prep ahead as much as you can with microwavable foods that don't require you to hold something while you're eating or keep lifting a utensil a lot (like soup was a no for me for both these reasons even though I thought it was going to be like the go-to option!) Planning ahead means you don't have to think about food when your mind and body are both, in my case anyway, completely obliterated.

I sweat A LOT and after surgery it was even more so because no deoderant. If sweat/moisture management and roll care are part of your current hygiene needs/routine, might be worth practicing through the motions as if you've just had surgery ahead of time to try to anticipate what parts of that routine you may need help with. If you use hygiene products for roll care in the area getting surgery it might also be worth consulting with your surgeon about if/when you can resume using those or alternative products.

And lastly, another thing I didn't think about ahead of time is that side rolls/side boob fat are in the Surgery Zone, so they factor into your surgery results and goals, too. I was lucky that even though my surgeon and I didn't talk about it, she left me a nice portion of side chest roll, but I imagine that there are surgeons out there who may just assume you want the side fat gone. Could be good to make sure you and your surgeon are on the same page about what you want, whatever that might look like!

And unrelated but I skipped getting bendy straws because I was like "whatever, I have regular straws at home already, it's fine" - get the bendy straws, SO much easier, give yourself that gift

Good luck!!

THANK YOUUU omg! posting again for those who might need it but will def be referencing!!

[aquarii-if]

July Progress Post 7/31/24

You can read the progress post for Through The Waves at @throughthewaves-if.

Happy end of July! Hope you all had a good month, Aquarii is currently at 370,000 words.

This month was definitely better! I got my car back, my cats okay, and everything seems to be going smoothly. I’m still struggling a little with motivation to write, but I’ve made quite a bit of progress! We’re almost done with chapter three!

However, Sugarcube did have an update, which fucked up the saves menu. Everything else seems fine, but the next update may take a bit longer while I figure out how to fix that.

Here’s some highlights from the month of July-

- Announced my new IF @throughthewaves-if

- Reached 350K words!!

And here’s what I have planned for August-

- Finish the writing portion of chapter three and move onto coding.

- Might be a long shot, but release chapter three?

- Reach somewhere between 380K-390K words. I doubt chapter three will hit 400K, but I think we’ll get pretty close!

Some pretty high hopes for August, but I think I can achieve most of these goals. Hope you all have had a great July, and I wish you an amazing August as well. 🥰

[meganechan05]

Someone on Twitter has been feeding to the fire that is my Evil Clone KingOhger idea 😂

Specifically the HimeRita portion so I'll probably be talking more about their clones in this post.

I'll start off with the guys first to get them out of the way.

Gira's Tyrant Shtick is real for his Clone. He actually uses it against Gira in a far more threatening way that scares him as it would remind him of Racles's tyranny. He also makes Gira question why he even continues using his Tyrant Persona when the people of Shugoddom already know he's a good guy.

Evil!Yanma takes his yankii personality to a whole other level and actually takes his "I'm the Best" as is by stepping over everyone compared to Yanma who views his people and fellow Kings as equals. He finds joy tormenting Shiokara and the Hacker Gang since he finds them inferior to him, taunting Yanma in the process at how his goals and views on others contradict each other ("I'm the Best" vs no social hierarchy in his country).

Kaguragi's Clone is much more terrifying to him on a deeper level. He's more open about his manipulation and will more often than not call Kaguragi out on his. "You'd say you'd dirty your hands for your people. Yet you were so willing to put your sister in possible danger by having her in Shugoddom soil for your plans? ...You say she wholeheartedly agrees, but would a loving brother who would take sole responsibility for the safety of his country drag his dear little sister into the fray?" (Think Iroki's taunt in the movie but at a much more deeper level. The Clones do know about the originals' deepest insecurities so...)

Jeramie's Clone would have way too much fun taunting Jeramie. He would put on theatrics when explaining all of Jeramie's insecurities to him. How he was only just a boy when his mother died and his powers sealed, giving him more survivor's guilt than he already does. How his vision for a bright future clouded his judgment which caused his writing to cause the 2000 year long misunderstanding. How such clouded judgement makes him unaware of the issues of those around him. How he has finally made friends with the Kings but know he will only outlive them due to his biology.

Evil!Himeno currently seems very cut and dry when it comes to how she takes Himeno's selfishness to a dangerous level. But I know for a fact that she would very much use it against Himeno. "If you were truly selfish. If you really are the best doctor in world. Wouldn't you have done it? Bring Mama and Papa back? Have your family back in your life? If you can heal people, why not try to resurrect the dead? A much better version than what Grodie can do. Wouldn't that be nice?" Or in a situation where she does kidnap Rita and turn them into a doll. "I can turn them into a puppet, you know? They're so stubborn. Wouldn't it be easier if you could just control them so you don't have to use word games to get them to agree?"

Evil!Rita is just outright terrifying (at least to me). Not bounded by Absolute Neutrality while having the memories and thoughts of the original. Not held back by the idea of "the law protects the people" or providing fairness even in a fight. Fighting style can also use underhanded tactics befitting of a country of (ex-)convicts. They call Rita a hypocrite for being impartial but holds bias for Moffun. Being impartial yet open themself up to Morfonia and their fellow Kings (especially Himeno). Question why they're so willing to be selfless when no one has ever reached a hand out to them for 15 years. Question why they endure suffering alone for the sake of Neutrality and the safety of others when no one would bat an eye for their efforts. Why Karras took the risk of making a mere child her retainer and heir. Why Karras and Shiron would make them King without thinking about the consequences of the effects it would have on the child's mental health with no support system ("perhaps they just didn't care as much as you think"). Why they always push their feelings aside to help the others when it's clear they were suffering inside yet never show it.

Stuff like that...

Now for HimeRita, I feel like if their friendship ever turns into a relationship, this story would only make the issue with the Clones worse.

Evil!Rita is emotive to a point where you can't really tell if it really is Rita's clone or just what people think Rita would be if they weren't bound by Absolute Neutrality. So it wouldn't be a surprise if they took advantage of hidden feelings. Same for Evil!Himeno.

There could be a point where the two would drop hints of HimeRita's feelings for one another and taunt them for it once the two have a look on their faces that point they've put the pieces together.

"Oh? You never noticed? How sad. Well. Not like it would ever get anywhere considering how Rittan over there is."

"Doubt they even know they even have those feelings in the first place."

The two would try to talk about it later in private which makes it very awkward and confusing for the both of them as neither even realized their feelings were more than just friendship. They would have a heart-to-heart discussion about it and even discuss their worries for anything that would happen in the future once they can talk more easily without the fear of the clones intercepting.

Only once they were able to agree on that, the two are captured and taken to different locations by the other's clone (according to said clones' plans). Both having extremely unsettling 1-on-1 conversations to mock and drive wedges between them or give them heartbreak. Maybe even have Evil!Rita tempt Himeno with the opportunity of being able to show Rita requited affection through the clone by taunting her of how Rita would never allow themself to return her feelings for the sake of work. Evil!Himeno would taunt Rita by mocking them and putting on the waterworks, questioning why they're so picky on making exceptions to Neutrality when others before them had no problems breaking Neutrality for love.

Putting the two in a tight spot with no one to help them.

...yeah...

[alteratlas]

Where are we going with this?

Looking ahead to the summer season, I'm struggling to figure out what is reasonable to expect of myself goal-wise. Let's start off with how comfortable I feel with each language in general. I currently have self estimates on what my CEFR would be for each which I plan to break down later. (I'm not particularly a fan of how CEFR works but it's what I've seen the most on here.) I think I want my overall goals to be focused on the meaning behind those scores, particularly in reaching higher levels of comfort/ease when using said languages. Here they are in order of importance to me:

Arabic:  Currently - Between A2 and B1, closer to B1 Want to reach - Higher B1 or B2

Here I am counting Arabic mostly as FusHaa, Shammi, and Masri which make up most of the contexts I'm in. I'll probably do a focus on Yemni and Iraqi Arabic further in the future... Inshallah I'm feeling relatively confident in this since it is my highest priority. I want to reach the point where it feels easier to grasp new words from context and just soak the language in.

Spanish:  Currently - A1 Want to reach - Between A2 and B1, closer to B1

This one might be the most ambitious considering I have never studied Spanish before. I do think I have a leg up here vocab and speech wise compared because I already speak a Romance language, but the grammar portion is going to be interesting.

ASL:  Currently - A1 Want to reach - ?

ASL here is bit odd for me. I'm not sure if I should be learning American sign language or another signing language because I don't really know what region of the world I will settle in. Either way, I think it's a good introduction to HOH and Deaf culture for now that I hope to expand upon continuously.

Romanian: 

Currently - B2

Want to reach - Between C1 and C2

I feel relatively confident in this one despite it being so low on my priority list. I think the real challenge will be making sure to maintain practice with it rather than the difficulty of reaching the nuances of the higher levels.

------ I hope to return to this post at the start of September with joy. See you then future Atlas... Make yourself proud!

[aching-tummies]

"I think I ate too much..."

"Let me rub it, it'll help" proceeds to NOT help at all, being a little too rough on the tummy

Thank you so, so, so much for this! This one in particular has been a little gem that I've been revisiting since it showed up in my inbox. I'm a total sucker for sadistic tummy-kink and have been saving this one, wanting to do it justice before posting it.

I know I kind of left it on a cliffhanger. Honestly, I couldn't decide what to do at the point I cut it off here ^^ Either option sounded amazing. So...yeah...I'm going to leave an open invitation to send in a continuation response to this one if anyone wants to take me up on that ^^

I shift my bag on my shoulder, bringing the little messenger bag in front of me. We've got some time, this intersection is notorious for being ridiculously timed. I tug on my bag-strap, ensuring that my bag is in a good position, shielding my left hand from view. I've had it pressed to my stomach since we left the restaurant. My stomach churns painfully as the pedestrian light changes and we cross in a hurry. It's timed poorly, so we always have to sprint in order to make it to the other end or risk the embarrassment of being stranded on the little concrete island or whatever in the middle of all the lanes of traffic. The sudden jog is agony on my tummy, packed as full as it is. I feel like I'm lugging an unsecured watermelon strapped to my front. My stomach is jam-packed and bumping awkwardly (and painfully) around inside of my torso. I press my left hand harder against my stomach, desperately trying to quell the over-full ache without breaking pace. Nausea joins the party and I feel something hot and sour lapping it's way up my esophagus. As we reach the other sidewalk, I fight to keep my breathing under control and I bite my tongue harshly to prevent a moan from being audible. With that short sprint, my stomach went from "slightly uncomfortable" to "DAMN THIS HURTS!".

We make it across and go back to a walking pace--our goal being the bus stop on this block. Thank heaven for that--I don't think I could manage another intersection-sprint. My stomach aches so much right now that a sharp jab or another jostling may be enough to burst it or at least make me vomit. I'm so, so, so frickin' full that it hurts.

As we near the stop, I use my phone and look up the up-coming bus times.

"Ugh…next one's in forty." I call out to you as I settle on the rigid bench, dragging my bag onto my lap to hide my aching belly.

"Forty? Wanna duck into a shop?" You suggest. I quickly shake my head. Entering a shop means more walking and I don't want to be on my feet or moving with my stomach so full and achy.

"Nah. I'll wait here. You can go if you want to though."

I'm hoping you'll go and that I can tend to my stomach out of your view. We both have a thing for tummies in distress and we've shared that with each other. When we plan it, I'm totally on-board for a private tummy-kink session at home. I'm not so on-board with it all when it's in public or in front of company. I also know from experience that you're 100% the sadistic lover of my dreams. Your goal is always to push my stomach--literally--and get rough with it. We both love the sounds it makes when we get rough with it. The whiny grumbles and high-pitched whines as it is forcefully churned and prodded at. We're at a bus stop right now and I feel ridiculously full. Like…full to the point that I'm honestly terrified that I won't be able to hold it all down. I've got a small stomach capacity and I rarely ever indulge to the point of fullness, so my stomach is struggling under the weight of all that we put into it just now. We went to a noodle place in the area that's known for their large portions. It definitely lived up to it's name, with the bowl of noodles I got being about 2.5 times what I'd normally consume in a single sitting. The soup-base was delicious too so I definitely drank the broth…and am currently regretting it. My stomach was already packed-full with the sheer amount of noodles, veggies, and meat in the bowl. Chasing it all down with roughly a litre of hot broth filled my stomach beyond capacity, resulting in a very uncomfortable stretch. If there were any empty pockets in there, it all got flooded with the sheer volume of broth near the end of the meal. Based on what I felt inside of me while making that mad dash across the intersection, there really isn't any room inside of my stomach. The mass of noodles didn't tumble around inside the broth so much as jiggle and jostle like a sludgy mass inside of my over-burdened stomach.

I'm not used to eating so much in a single sitting and my stomach is at a loss for how to handle such a large glut of food. Digestion isn't happening normally and it feels like my stomach forgot how to release it's contents into my intestines. Or, who knows, maybe my intestines are just as stuffed as my aching stomach is.

To my surprise (and dread), you plop down on the bench right next to me.

"A-Aren't you gonna duck into a shop?" I ask.

"Hmm? Nah. I'll wait. Plus, there's something far more interesting here." If I could focus on anything other than how sickeningly full my tummy is, I'd have seen your sly grin. "Hmm…what do we have here?" You ask slyly, nudging my bag aside and poking at my left arm--currently pressed against my stomach.

"Ah…uhm…" I was really hoping it'd escape your notice. A wet burble crescendos, audible between the two of us. I swallow back against the warm liquid fighting its way up my esophagus. I fail to bite back a moan as my stomach cramps harshly, a wave of pure pain coursing through my stomach like a wave crashing onto the shore. I close my eyes, my moan tapering off into a whimper as I abandon being discreet and rub my stomach frantically with both of my hands. "Nnngh…i-it hurts…" I mumble, tears prickling my lashes as the pain in my stomach intensifies. "I think…ooooh….I-I think I--ah!--nnngh…t-too much…nnnnnnnngh…" I squeeze my stomach with both of my hands, regretting the action instantly as I feel something breech into my esophagus against the pressure. My stomach burbles angrily as the swallowed contents tumble back into the cramped space.

"Hmm? Come again?" You play coy, your fingers dancing along my arm.

"Nnngh…a-ate…t-too much…h-hurts…" I choke out. The wave of pain begins to ebb, but I know there will be another. I let out a breath and release my grip around my stomach, rubbing it gently with both of my thumbs.

"Awww…here, let me rub it. It'll help." You don't even wait for permission. Your hands join mine on my bloated stomach. Despite being so painfully distended, it really doesn't show all that much. I'm somewhere between 'skinny' and 'chubby' on the appearances scale, with my body's fat-distribution being pretty spread out so I'm not noticeably chunky in one area or another. Because of that, even though I feel ready to burst, you wouldn't be able to tell if your palm wasn't directly on my jam-packed belly. My abdomen has no give to it. It's firm under our palms, having about as much give as a recently-inflated bicycle tire. There's the usual fleshy give that stems from the fact that it's flesh and internal organs we're pressing into…but my stomach is so packed solid that you'd really have to commit to it to depress it in any way. My little groans and grunts every time you you, as well as the wet hiccup when you pushed right over my stomach-organ are proof enough that pushing into my tummy is a really, really bad idea right now. Not like that's going to stop you.

I slap at your hands, glaring at you.

"N-Not in public…nngh…p-please?" My eyes glisten with tears at the thought of being forced to puke in public. The bus stop has a trash bin, but we're in a commercial area. If the stop were in a more secluded area with some trees or shrubs around for cover…maybe…b-but we're in a commercial area and there are people and cars with people in them all around us.

[bee-saucee]

Fanfic Writing Resolutions 2024

With the start of 2024, I wrote out some of my personal writing goals for the year and thought I would share them with you all! I don't usually make posts like this but I hope I can inspire other writers to make goals for themselves in this next year and have a greater sense of accountability for myself.

Some writing accomplishments from 2023

I learned a lot in 2023 as a fanfic writer and I'm proud of what I did! I deleted my Wattpad to start fresh with a new writing style, posted my first three fics to Ao3, applied to two zines and got accepted as a pinch hitter for one, grew my Tumblr account, started a Twitter, commissioned several artists including my current pfp for a new look, and started writing more consistently again!

This post is pretty long so here's the short list:

Create and refine a writing process to have a written process outline that makes writing simpler

Watch a video and take notes on a writing topic at least once a month centering predominantly on craft but also on storytelling

Apply to at least two zines

Post on Tumblr every other week

Build out my Twitter

Keep better track of my writing habits 

Bring fun back into the writing process

1. Create and refine a writing process to have a written process outline that makes writing simpler

When I refer to my "writing process" in this goal, I'm talking about 1) my outlining process and 2) what goes on off of the page such as how often, when, and where I'm writing.

To address the outlining portion of this goal, I plan to intentionally try out different outlining methods. My balance of plotting and pantsing is off but I can't find that balance until I just try stuff out! I want to try a lot of existing outlining methods and hopefully combine the facets that I like about various methods I've tried over the course of the year to get a mix that is tailored to me and how I like to write. I think it is also important to think out and write down the outlining methods I try so I can replicate or change my process iteratively. I've found that not having a outlining process that makes writing easy and enjoyable for me is the biggest reason why I've started and dropped so many projects this year!

Regarding the off the page process, consistency is my main goal. I just kind of squeeze in writing whenever I can or feel like it but that means that writing has often fallen off my radar. I want to set up specific times to write every day, but to be frank, I'm not sure when or how the best way for me is to write as I haven't experienced next semester's schedule or my post-college routine at all! I'm fine going with the flow on this one, but again, I've gotta be intentional about it.

2. Watch a video and take notes on a writing topic at least once a month centering predominantly on craft but also on storytelling

I've been writing stories ever since I was a kid but this year is really the first time I'm trying to do it more seriously. My public school and even college education has not fully equipped me to write creatively so I recognize that I have to learn about all of the parts of creative writing I don't know!

3. Apply to at least two zines

Contributing to zines have always been a super big dream of mine so I will keep on monitoring upcoming zines and hopefully find two I can apply for this year! Getting accepted isn't even the goal for me, I think that there is a lot to learn in the application process itself and I can't get accepted to a zine unless I try!

4. Post on Tumblr every other week

It's really important for me to build out my social media presence but I also value the lower stakes creative fun I have on Tumblr! So the goal is to write in a chill manner as I currently do for Tumblr and grow my reach at the same time! I just love making people smile with my stories.

I think the best way for me to post consistently on Tumblr is to introduce writing warm up exercises into my writing routine and share them on Tumblr. I can also use extra time that I have on breaks to stock up a bunch of Tumblr posts I can share in the future.

5. Build out my Twitter

I don't get Twitter at all and I'm not a super big fan of it but this is such a big space for the bnha fandom! I think I definitely am holding myself back particularly when it comes to zine applications by not having a Twitter presence. So I hope to not only understand twitter but post at least once a week and retweet or comment on posts at least every other day.

6. Keep better track of my writing habits 

Both when I write consistently and inconsistently, I wish that I kept better track of how I spend my writing time because it is so precious. I want to use the often limited time that I have to work on the projects I truly want/need to work on. I'm thinking that logging what I write through Google Calendar could be easy and effective, but we'll see!

7. Bring fun back into the writing process

When I've tried to focus more on "professionalism" and "writing well" I sucked all of the fun out of writing and I basically stopped for a year or two. I don't want that to happen to me again because writing is so therapeutic to me so I'm going to focus on editing less for craft and instead keep my eye on the concepts and feelings behind what I write.

Writing is so so hard but I think that fanfiction is such a beautiful and powerful form of creation. I hope that I can keep up with these goals to continue to participate in this creative process that I have come to love dearly and make more content that brings a smile to people's faces.

Thanks for reading! Check out my masterlist for more.

[mayflowers515]

(Wholesome AU) Smiling Critters Cartoon Details!

I have some ideas for how the structure of the cartoon would go in my AU! As always, I will update this if any new ideas relating to this come to mind :)

Basic Plot Summary: I feel like the cartoon would follow an episodic format for the most part. Though I would also like it to have more plot-related episodes that can tie in together. Probably nothing too heavy, but something to give some stakes for the cartoon. I imagine there will be trouble from the big bads every now and then, too!

Characters Present:

The Original 8 Smiling Critters! (and their families)

Other Smiling Critters (I feel like there are others besides the OG 8 with their own scents and powers, though maybe not as strong as the others. I hope to develop the explanation to why that's the case)

Historical figures of the town (ex. Critters who had the current Critters' powers, maybe important people of note that helped develop the town to what it became)

Villains (I might get inspired by the Care Bears in order to make these big bads sometime, possibly MLP too!)

Other residents of the town (not just inhabited by the Smiling Critters, but other residents like humans, insect-like creatures, maybe some mythical ones, too!)

Other characters from neighboring towns or ones from completely different locations!

Planned Lore: Since I mentioned the cartoon will have lore, I imagine it has some things relating to the history of the town itself as well as the powers of the Critters. Here are some ideas I have that I hope can be turned into episodes!

More information relating to how the Critters came to be as a group (I feel like this could be scattered throughout the cartoon, whether through implications or flashbacks when necessary)

Background of the Critters before the events of the 90s cartoon

The powers of the Critters (there are many people in their town, so maybe it would be important to address why these eight children were specifically chosen to hold their particular powers from their pendants + their scents)

Past Smiling Critters (basically the retired versions of the Smiling Critters before the current 90s ones came to be; this would fill a smaller portion of the cartoon specifically in the beginning, but maybe the other Critters would like to know who had their abilities before them and learn from them? I was thinking they could be like mentors to them in a sense TvT')

The plans of the big bads (Nothing TOO dark of course since it's a kid's cartoon, but there will definitely be information relating to the villains' backgrounds and what their goals are)

Episode and Season Length: For episodes, they can range from being mini segments (around 10 minutes each) or, depending on the episode's subject, they can be a two-parter (20 minutes or longer). If the cartoon were to have specials, they would be kinda standard with length (possibly 50 minutes to an hour long). As for seasons, I feel like it would have maybe three seasons or more! I can imagine it got good reception that it was able to continue for a while. The seasons could have a maximum of 48 episodes (counting the mini episodes as their own episodes of course). A full season may not actually reach 48 episodes, though (already mentioned that the format may vary).

Extra Details!:

I thought it would be fun for the end of each episode to have a picture of the Critters after they got what they needed resolved. One picture for each mini episode, and pictures after each extended episode reached its proper conclusion (so, in that kind of episode a segment where a mini episode could be expected wouldn't have a picture. Maybe a "To be continued..." text in the background of a cliffhanger scene or something-)

I plan all these pictures taken at the end of the episodes can add up to something wholesome that can show up at the end of the show's runtime (won't spoil that yet, though ;>)

Every main Smiling Critter will have at least ONE character arc. In light of character arcs, they may be foreshadowed in episodes that may not be connected, but then the arcs could more properly flesh out in episodes that expand on them (more likely for two-parter episodes I'm thinking-)

The Gacha designs I made for the Critters wouldn't be how viewers in the AU see the Critters (those are just concepts for how I think the Critters could look like in that way, and it's how I plan to personally portray them in my blog). Some aspects of the 90s Gacha designs I made for them may show up, but I'm genuinely not sure if the Smiling Critters would actually wear full on clothing as Critters.

As much as I think the different ships of the Critters are all really wholesome, I'm not gonna really include them in the actual AU itself. Mainly because I feel in the cartoon it would focus more on friendship than anything. So no heavy romance between the OG 8 here. Though a couple of the Critters having crushes on each other doesn't hurt ;) (if you guys have different opinions about this, that's fine too!)

Not too positive about this, but I think the cartoon in the AU could last from mid 1991-1995 or 1996? (they wouldn't follow real time physics with aging though I wouldn't think-)

That's all the information I have for now! I can't wait to do actual episode ideas surrounding these details and share them sometime! (Because canon doesn't exist to me for these guys and they deserve to be happy ;v;)

🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[elliegoose]

i don't wanna phrase this in a way that puts myself down (though admittedly this observation has sometimes been making me feel weirdly insecure), but it's kind of surreal being a very tall gainer, because shorter gainers will still be trying to reach goal weights that i'm already significantly heavier than and yet even at their current weight they're still definitely fatter than i am.

i think this is also why a weirdly large number of people significantly underestimate my clothing sizes. part of that underestimation is definitely plain old fatphobia, but it's probably also partially because a shorter person with my body shape would in fact be a smaller clothing size, and people generally don't have a lot of personal experience talking about clothes with a woman as tall as me.

and like, even though i don't think it should, being skinnier than most other women my weight does make me feel bad sometimes, or at least the anxious, misguided, over-protective little goblin in my brain who's too concerned with status and the expectations of others convinces me that this should make me feel bad about myself and that i should punish myself by internalizing that hierarchical bullshit. (related to this: i'm also having trouble convincing this same brain goblin that it's literally pointless to give weight to its insecurities over what it sees as my "visibly trans traits which are surefire tells to every stranger and that i should feel ashamed of", which it sees as such purely because of society's misogynistic and cissexist beauty standards. like, given that in my daily life essentially every cis stranger clearly assumes i'm a cis woman, and even a significant portion of trans strangers don't figure out i'm trans based on my physique/appearance, they definitely aren't the tells my brain goblin thinks they are.)

feeling insecure and pretending that i'm not already chubby and attractive as hell literally contributes less than nothing to my efforts to gain, and it does a disservice to myself and everyone else who already knows i'm fucking hot. making myself a good deal fatter will make me feel incredibly fulfilled and infinitely more at home in my body and i am going to make this gain happen, but nowhere in that plan does there need to be a part where i put down my current self as not being attractive for not being as big as i'd like to be.

[cainightfics]

hii! excited for new chapter of trotw soon, i know you update slower than most but the wait is always so worth it with how long your chapters are! im curious: how do you find motivation to write so much? youre well known in 2 fandoms that are very small/inactive, so i imagine it might be hard to find motivation sometimes. i also write fic, but i get discouraged easily when i dont get many hits

thanks for the ask! im sorry i update slowly—i wish i could update more frequently, but i have 2 jobs and am also currently a student, so i dont always have a lot of time. i like doing longer chapters because, like you said, it makes the long wait easier to bear for anyone reading, but also because i feel like i plan the plot more carefully this way, if you know what i mean? with longer chapters, i can sort of think of them as episodes, so 1) each chapter progresses the plot, and isn't just fluff and 2) some new milestone is reached relationship wise. like in the last chapter, for instance, it starts with tyrell and elliot in bed, and tyrell internally complaining about how un-affectionate elliot is. then tyrell does a crazy stunt to get elliot to admit he cares about tyrell (ie, threatening to shoot himself in the head, lol), so that the chapter ends with tyrell and elliot in bed, again, but this time, elliot is rattled by what has occurred over the course of the chapter, and actually physically responds when tyrell makes a move on him.

as for motivation... idk, i actually just like writing a lot i guess, lol. i feel like i mentioned this once before on here, so im sorry if im repeating myself, but fanfic gives me something to think about during the boring parts of my day, when im on the bus or washing dishes or whatever. actually, significantly large portions of trotw have been written in my phones notes app during my morning commute.

i dont really care about getting lots of hits and attention for my fics. as long as a few people enjoy reading them, im happy. im very grateful that people take the time to comment and send me asks—seriously, it does make my day sometimes. but just knowing someone is out there reading my fics, maybe before bed after a long day, or during their lunch break at their job they hate, is good enough for me. i grew up on fan culture (ive been on this site since i was 11!) so fanfic has always been really special to me as a reader.

i know its easier said than done, but once you move past worrying about how many kudos/hits/comments you get, writing is way more enjoyable. i think capitalism often demands that we either monetize or quantify our hobbies. part of this has to do with the current climate of entertainment, which i see people often refer to as the "attention economy." getting lots of hits/kudos = success, because enough people cared about your fic to invest their attention into it, when so many other entertainment options are available. to me, this isnt the point of fanfic. i feel like fic is about community. being passionate enough about something that you're inspired to create a derivative work, then share it with others, with no attempts to earn profit or fame involved, is a very special thing these days, when we're made to believe all activities should have the end goal of making money. i think everyone who wants to should write fanfic, even if they think theyre bad at it, or worry that nobody will read it. being creative is always good for you.

anyways, thanks as always for reading my fics! im happy youre enjoying them. and good luck in your own writing, too!

[daquanshell]

The Business Model

One thing I love about being an independent agent is that I largely have a choice on how I do business, provided I am smart enough to take full advantage of my employer(s) compensation plan, adhering to compliance in marketing and advertising, and making enough money to both take care of myself and grow my business.

Currently, I feel as though I’m maximizing the last category, but there are opportunities to improve in the first two categories. So, the purpose of this post is increase my professional exposure, by becoming a little bit more transparent about the business model I use, my general approach, and the type of content you guys can expect on here.

Introduction Letters

I work on a personal introduction basis, usually opening with either a letter (like my last post) or a handshake and an exchange of business cards. This personal style of doing business makes it really to filter out who I’d like to do business with since it always boils down to me asking the following five questions:

Has anyone endorsed or nominated this entity?

Have I ever introduced myself to said entity?

Do I have enough information to write an introduction letter?

How should I deliver the letter?

How should I follow up?

As long as the answer to the second question is yes, I compose and deliver the introduction letter, once the letter is delivered, we move on to the first step.

Step 1: Gathering the Facts

The first step centers around gathering the facts and feelings about the person while laying the foundations of our relationship. During this step, the goal is to begin regularly meeting the person face-to-face, gather both the facts and their feeling regarding their financial situation, and obtain a nomination: the approval of the suspect from a trusted advisor.

Usually, a face-to-face meeting is a video call unless the prospect lives close enough to visit at some point throughout the week. Personally, I love in-person business meetings since you have the advantage of eating or drinking together, and I've learned to apply that to virtual meetings, and it's one of the reasons I still dress up and go to coffee shops or restaurants even if the meeting is not on-site.

Step 2: Completing the Financial Analysis

The second step, once enough information has been gathered, is to complete the financial analysis worksheet, and to complete a written report that contains multiple packaging options for the potential client. The goal of the report is to explain the advantages AND shortcomings of the different packaging options while offering the client a choice.

Think of the packaging like a starter Pokemon, where the different packaging options all have similar value, yet appeal to different personality traits.

For example:

Packaging A: $54,000 Whole Life Insurance

Packaging B: $25,000 Whole Life, $200,000 Term Life

Packaging C: $500,000 Term Life

All the options would have the same annual premium, yet vastly different payout amounts and requirements. The first option offers the lowest payout, but the payout is guaranteed. The second option offers a higher payout but only a smaller portion is guaranteed, and the third option offers the highest payout but neither the payout nor the premium rate is guaranteed, and its likely that the premium will increase over time, assuming the client wanted to maintain the same level of protection.

Step 3: Regular Face-to-Face Reviews

The final step is continuous, yet a little more nuanced. At it's core, the third step is just repeating the first two steps. There are a few different scenarios that we call "Automatics", or scenarios in which we automatically reach out to the client to schedule a meeting. Some examples are a birthday, anniversary, birth, death, graduation, in addition to inquiries and client requests.

What I love about this step is that its about more than just selling or presenting different products to the client, but it's all about deepening the relationship and serving not just the client, but the communities in which the client is a part of. This is what ties everything together.

Closing Statements

One of the hardest parts about launching a career in any industry is how easy it is to get distracted in the beginning, at a point where it's critical to build the persona required to sustain client builder activity.

The persona, is the key. In my opinion, the persona of a financial representative is that of a person who is groomed, well dressed, and chooses their words carefully.

With that, I feel that while this post is not enough on it's own to give a person a full picture of what I do, I don't think that's the point. I feel as though its enough to give a person an idea, which can be built upon (or deconstructed) as our relationship continues to develop.

[goboymusic]

Last night’s #TheLastofUs episode had a lot of cute Joel and Ellie moments and my fav action sequence thus far (#tlou).

“#Lucy” and “Dick” were recorded over a span of 10 hours on a Saturday, GoBoy’s longest vocal recording session. It was difficult figuring out the ideal song key, tempo and pronunciation of the lyrics. My neighbors heard me sing the word “dick” hundreds of times throughout the day for the song “Dick” (sorry).

Three weeks were spent mixing “Lucy,” two of which were spent trying to replace the original chorus with a new chorus, which wasn’t accomplished. No matter what I added, it wasn’t meshing with the verses.

At the end of those three weeks, for my own mental health, I threw in the towel, released “Lucy,” and moved on to mixing “Dick.” Normally I don’t release songs that I give up on, but “Lucy” was catchy enough. It deserved to be uploaded to the internet.

I became really depressed (undiagnosed) during the mixing of “Lucy.” Difficulty getting out of bed, moving, eating, drinking, planning how to end my bullshit existence, brain fog, etc. All the stereotypical hallmarks of #depression. I snapped out of it after I started taking #LTheanine again, a popular #nootropic that I had stopped taking a couple days prior to the start of the undiagnosed depression. Since then, I’ve been taking it daily, along with everyone’s favorite nootropic, coffee. I’m well aware that this may involve the placebo effect.

“Lucy” was intended to be a 2+ minute song, but because things went haywire while mixing, it was cut down to it’s current length.

The intro melody of “Jenny” (song 1) was reused for the verses of “Lucy.”

The lyrics are bubblegum pop. Dumb fun, nothing more. Needed a 2-syllable name that ended with y, and Lucy fit that bill.

Ever hear of a #McGuffin in the film industry? A “McGuffin” is an object that the plot revolves around, like the ring in Lord of the Rings, or the infinity stones in the Avengers movies. In songwriting, names are like McGuffins. It’s really convenient to pick a name and then write a song that revolves around it (excerpts from post 89).

“Hannah (Song 89)” was the first of many song titles on GoBoy 5, 6 and 7 that were named after girls. Some of them are real, some of them are arbitrarily selected. Gotta admit, I think it’s pretty funny seeing three or more tracks on the same album with different girl names (excerpts from post 89).

Beat + bass + melody. That’s the style of GoBoy 5. While I’ve appreciated this minimalistic style for years, “Tell My Mama (Song 42)” was the first time trying it. I went whole-hog with GoBoy 5, in which most songs primarily consist of a beat, bass and melody (excerpt from post 80).

For GoBoy 5, instead of creating for the sake of creating, like I did for GoBoy 4, I wanted to make poppier songs that would appeal to a larger audience. Was that goal accomplished? Well, maybe, I guess. It resulted in the song “In Love (Song 82),” which everyone and their mother seems to like (excerpt from post 79).

GoBoy 5 ragdolled me. I remember wondering if I’d live to see the completion of the album. While the style is minimalistic, the writing and production processes were chaotic, akin to throwing darts with a blindfold on. Most songs turned into a puzzle once they reached the mixing phase, with a portion of the pieces being destined not to fit. It required constant compromising - discarding segments, restructuring, rewriting, etc. The combination of the difficult production process and temporary chaos at work left a blood-soaked trail behind me (excerpt from post 80).

In April, 2021, almost all of GoBoy 3, 4 and 5‘s songs were restructured to be under 3 minutes (preferably under 2m 30s), including this song. I became okay with releasing songs around the 2 min mark after realizing The Beatles and The Beach Boys had some songs around that length. In an attempt to increase replay value in this streaming era, most of GoBoy’s songs are now purposely around 2m 20s (excerpts from post 37).

A bass boost was added to songs 37-99 in Nov, 2021, while I was stuck at home with covid. As a result, this song feels more powerful. The bass boost isn’t a simple plugin nonchalantly added to each song. It’s a process that took about 3.5 hours per song, or one whole month to complete all songs. Admittedly, I pushed the bass boost a little too far for some of them. The bass in some songs sounds like a freaking earthquake (unnecessarily pronounced low frequencies 20 - 50 Hz). Might dial that back someday. The bass boost was also applied to every song on GoBoy 6 and beyond (excerpt from post 37).

[changing-the-paradigm]

Looking Back on the Semester with Fordham’s Climate Impact Initiative

Even though I’ve only been working with Fordham’s Climate Impact Initiative for a few months, I feel as though I’ve been able to be a part of something inspiring and meaningful for the school, and I look forward to continuing my role. Including the time spent attending the weekly meetings held at the Lincoln Center campus, I’m currently averaging a little over an hour of work a week with the group. Meetings have mostly consisted of setting goals, reviewing plans, and conducting work in a space where we can ask questions as needed and bounce ideas off of one another. 

Some of our biggest events this semester have been organizing activities for Sustainability Week at Rose Hill, hosting a movie night in conjunction with the film club, compiling a sustainable holiday gift guide, and, perhaps most exciting of all, beginning the process of entering Fordham in the STARS program. Having a place in the program (the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) would be a huge step forward in terms of our goal for a more sustainable institution and is the highest priority for the school year. To enter, we need to submit data from several categories ranging from academics to operations. The main goal of STARS is to help schools find their baselines of sustainability and connect with the larger STARS community to find ways to improve. We spent a large portion of the semester making the necessary preparations for the STARS data collection to begin, so now we can finally get underway with the intense collection itself and work towards providing the tracking tool with the information it needs to rank the school.

In terms of the work I’ve been personally overseeing, I spent a week in October designing a Climate Impact Initiative sticker that was given out as a prize during the Sustainability Week activities. I was very pleased to discover that my design was a success and that both the club members and participants of the event enjoyed the stickers. In the future, I would very much like to propose the idea of turning the design into a sellable keychain since I have information on how to do so from my personal art business. If given permission to pursue the endeavor, I may choose to make a new design specifically for the keychains as I’ve had time to reflect on the composition of my drawing and can think of some ways to improve it. Creating a new design may also make it more marketable since some students already received it in sticker form. I would also like to use my artistic skills to make more website content for the group. A comic strip could be an interesting way to grab viewers’ attention. So far, I’ve enjoyed providing content for the website this semester. In November, I revisited and submitted a research paper I wrote last year on an environmental science and psychology-related experiment I conducted. I’m also in the process of revising an essay I wrote on the reasoning behind the failures of environmental laws to submit to the group’s website. I’m very glad to be able to incorporate my passion for environmental law into the work of the group. The most recent project we’ve been working on, though, is creating the 2022 sustainable holiday gift guide. Each year, the Climate Impact Initiative seeks out sustainable businesses and reaches out to them to participate in the creation of the gift guide by providing a discount code to Fordham students. This year, thanks to everyone’s hard work, we’ve been able to gather 20 discount codes for all sorts of different sustainable products. The gift guide will be finalized and sent out soon.

Since joining the Climate Impact Initiative, I have been able to do a substantial amount of reflection on my own goals as an environmental advocate. Most notably, I’ve come to make the connection between my work and just how necessary it is despite us being a relatively small group of dedicated students. In chapter 25 of the textbook, a statistic was cited that “...only 5-10% of the people in the world or in a country or locality must become convinced that the change must take place and then act to bring about such change” (Spoolman and Miller 650). All too often, people are quick to dismiss calls for environmental work because they believe that everyone needs to contribute to the cause for anything real to happen. While it would, of course, be fantastic if the whole world stepped up to the challenge of creating a sustainable future, it’s true that it isn’t realistic. What people need to understand (and what I feel is a concept I’ve been able to grasp more firmly over the course of my work with the initiative) is that any and all change does matter. The work of a few can create waves of difference in the world, and, when the future starts to look up, who’s to say how many more will join the fight? After some quick calculations based on Fordham student statistics, we, a group of roughly 20 students, make up exactly one percent of the undergraduate population. With only an additional eighty students, we would grow to five percent, enough (according to the textbook) to bring change to our environment. Even though we’re small, we have the power to make a real difference, and I’m thrilled with the possibilities for the future. 

Word Count: 905

Work Cited

Spoolman, Scott, and G. Tyler Miller. Living in the Environment. Cengage Learning, 2021.

[aquarii-if]

May Progress Post 5/31/24

Happy (almost) pride month! This is my progress post for May. Aquarii is currently at 326,000 words. I've started Chapter Three and progress is going a bit slowly but it is moving.

Here are some highlights from the month of May-

Released the rewrite and chapter two!!!

Vega's birthday post went up on the third.

Reached 600 followers!!! (over 200 new followers in the span of a week, I’m still in shock!!)

And here's what I have planned for June-

Work on Chapter Three, obviously. I don't have a set goal of how much I want to get done, but I think I can tackle a good portion of the beginning this month.

Take a week off for a vacation from June 22nd-29th. (Dates might be a bit off, but I’ll let you all know when I’m leaving.)

Post Ellery's birthday snippet on June 29th. Then I’ll have a four month break from birthday snippets, so more time to focus on chapter three!

Release some snippets of Chapter Three. I'm thinking maybe 1-2? Maybe 3?

Not a lot planned, but I want to take things slow this next month as May has been hectic.

[melbarblog-blog]

Tips to Help You Lose Weight

5 Tips to Help You Lose Weight

Losing weight doesn’t have to be as difficult as you may think. In fact, with persistence it can be quite easy to reach your weight loss goals if you focus on some simple tips and healthy choices when it comes to what you eat and how much you exercise. Here are five great tips that will help you lose weight easily and effectively—and keep it off!

1) Remember Why You’re Losing Weight

Health improvement speaks to , a better body, fitting into your favorite clothes, feeling more confident. Keep these reasons in mind when you’re tempted to give up and remember that you have the power to turn things around! The most important thing is to be kind to yourself and never feel guilty for wanting something nice. The key is moderation and just because something is bad doesn't mean it can't be part of a healthy diet. It's not about being perfect or depriving yourself, but being realistic about what you're eating-there's no need for extremes! And try not to compare yourself with others. Everyone has their own story and lifestyle which may be different from yours. And don't forget to exercise, even if you are already active-doing so will help maintain muscle mass and keep your metabolism high!

2) Focus on What Works for You

I feel better when I carry less body weight . I have more energy. My clothes fit better. And the most important reason: it makes me happy! If you are trying to lose weight, try some of these tips that work for me. Get enough sleep. Exercise regularly, but don't overdo it and wear yourself out. Eat foods with a low glycemic index. Avoid junk food and eat smaller portions of higher quality food (including vegetables). Drink lots of water throughout the day and make time to relax every day - even if it's just five minutes at a time

3) Take the Long View

Enjoy life , don't deprive yourself, and stay positive. Remember, it took time for the weight to accumulate so it will take time for it to come off. If you keep your focus on the ultimate goal of a healthier lifestyle, weight loss will be easier than you think. One great way to do this is to visualize your body as healthy. In other words, mentally see your current size as too big and then imagine how great you'll feel when you've lost all that excess weight.

4) Create an Overall Plan with Small Steps

Since it took time for weight to accumulate , you will need patience as you take steps towards your goal. However, the sooner you start, the easier it will be to achieve success. Below are five tips to help you lose weight 1) Create an overall plan with small steps: 2) Keep track of what you eat: People who keep a food diary tend to lose more weight than those who don't. 3) Avoid processed foods: If you're eating a packaged food and have no idea what's in it, put it back on the shelf! 4) Get Moving: Exercise is one of the best ways to boost metabolism and burn calories—even light activity can make a difference over time.

5) Be Positive, Supportive, and Honest With Yourself

My life is a gift of nature and it's up to me how I live it. The only thing that really matters is my health and happiness. If I can achieve both, then everything else will follow. Make Sure That Your Diet Is Nutritious: Avoid processed foods as much as possible. Eat more vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Limit dairy products to one or two servings per day if you're trying to lose weight (but consume them regularly if you're not). Eat more fish, poultry and eggs than red meat. Drink plenty of water every day - at least 8 glasses (1 pint) for men; 6 glasses for women - especially before meals so that your appetite is reduced.