#i'm trying to get myself more used to just... getting IDEAS out first and foremost

[novantinuum]

it's midnight, quick drop wips

[fatliberation]

Sorry for leaving this in your inbox, but I need to vent and ask for advice in a place where people won't mock me. What do you do when sex is super difficult because of your fat? I've recently gotten into my first relationship and. I thought I had a handle on my internalized fatphobia and self hate but this has made it worse than ever. We can't have satisfying penetrative sex (we've tried all the tips and workarounds. Nothing works. I'm larger than most of the FA community.), and recieving oral sex is also difficult for me. I also get tired and sweaty extremely quickly if I have to like hold up myself on mostly my arms or something, so he has to do most of the work. So sex is just. Mostly the one that works on repeat, and we don't have it very often because it isn't that fun for either of us, and it also makes me cry afterwards sometimes because of how disappointing it is & me beating myself up over it.

I'm genuinely worried my boyfriend is going to leave me for this. He's clearly very frustrated with the situation, even though he tries to be nice about it most of the time. Earlier today I tried to like be flirty and hint at stuff and he just. got a bit sad. and then said that clearly neither of us enjoy the sex we're having and that he has a lot of trouble staying hard.and that he doesn't see the point when we're both forcing it for no reason. I think he's going to break up with me soon. His ex is way lighter than me, so he's probably comparing the normal sex he had with her with whatever the fuck this abnormal shitshow is :/

All the work I've done on myself to be happy with being fat (including working up the courage to date, what a mistake that was lmao) is all gone. This has ruined my self-esteem so much. I feel like one of those fatphobic jokes but a person.

first and foremost, please try your best to remember this: your body is not the problem. one more time. your body is not the problem. I'm so very sorry you're concerned that your boyfriend would leave you over this. it sounds like he has a lot of preconceived ideas about how sex is supposed to go. I promise you that it doesn't have to be this way. if this is something that could really end the relationship, know that this person is not compatible or open to exploring your needs, rather than your needs being "too difficult." I promise it's him, not you. I know folks who are 600+ pounds who have excellent sex lives and partners who satisfy them and enjoy satisfying them. when someone starts treating your pleasure like a chore, that's just shitty. I know how much it hurts. it also does damage to your own openness to pleasure. when you're caught up in feeling like sex/your body is something that needs to be "fixed," nothing is going to feel sexy, because all that pressure puts stress on and takes you out of the mental state where you're able to experience pleasure. does that make sense? so many couples get stuck in this cycle.

there are so many ways to engage in pleasure without penetration or orgasm. there's a lot that goes into foreplay, setting a mood, making your partner feel appreciated and attractive. words and touch play a huge part in this. something as simple as exploring each other's bodies, not with the intention of reaching climax, but simply to be vulnerable and engage each others' senses. have your partner give you a massage. play with your hair. tickle your back with a feather. shower together. kiss you. compliment you. if either of you are into any kinks or dirty talk, that could be a great way to engage each other sexually without the pressure of "achieving" a goal. the goal here is just to feel good, close, and connected. societal messaging about sex has placed so much importance on orgasm instead of pleasure - when taking the time and space to relax and receive attention, is key.

feel free to check out my other posts on fat sex ed, there's lots of assistive toys that can make pleasure more accessible, but I think that should be a tool for later, since the biggest issue here is the pressure to perform. know that pleasurable sex can exist for you! but for now, I would recommend taking a break from sex altogether since it is not pleasurable for you right now. because pleasure is the whole point. forcing it is only going to feel worse. you do not owe it to your boyfriend, especially if it doesn't feel good and is taking an emotional toll. I hope you both are able to take a step back, reassess and communicate, and are able to reconnect and create a safe space to explore.

I understand why you're beating yourself up over this, I've been there too. but also know that it's just another societal standard that's been internalized (and it doesn't sound like your boyfriend is helping). like you said, you've done a lot to unlearn fatphobia. there's a lot of internalized beliefs we absorb from society surrounding sex, just like body image. I promise that there is nothing wrong with you. If your boyfriend takes his frustration out on you instead of making you feel safe to express your needs, then he's not a supportive partner. you deserve someone who takes delight in your pleasure and your body. believe me, we're out there.

[gaveyouigaveyoui]

Hi everyone. First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who has helped me financially, reblogged my posts, and sent me encouraging and loving messages throughout the bullshit that my mom and I have been going through. You truly have no idea how much I love you and how much you have helped. I wanted to make a post to pin to my page for now to explain further what is going on and hopefully get some more assistance if anyone can spare it. I hate asking, but we've never been in a situation like this before and it's out of control. Our landlord was not upfront with us about a lot of things concerning this poor excuse for a house, and ever since we moved in in January it's been problem after problem. She didn't tell us how to work the heat and we went without it for several days in freezing cold and our fish died when we went to spend a really cold night with family. The sewage is constantly backing up to the point that we've had to drive to Mcdonald's just to go to the bathroom. We cannot use the upstairs shower because it leaks downstairs all over our furniture. There is fungus constantly growing in our kitchen (see my other post, I have photos). We did several tests for mold that came back positive, including for black mold. My cats are getting sick, my mother and I are getting sick (In case you didn't see my other post, I had a seizure and passed out again at another point which the doctors are attributing to the mold). There are wasps getting in somewhere all the time and my mother is SEVERELY allergic. This is just some of what we've had to deal with, and it honestly just feels like I have a poor excuse for a shelter and not a home. It's a horrible feeling, and we don't feel safe here at all. We continue to reach out and try to find somewhere to go and move and people have screwed us over time after time when we try to get out. It just feels like it's never going to end, and I'm so depressed, so exhausted, so overwhelmed, and I feel totally hopeless. We are paying almost $1700 a month for this fucking dump PLUS utilities and we are barely getting by. We're trying to afford medical bills for us and the cats on top of this and it's just.... it's just so much. I've had to sell some of my prized possessions in order to get by and this entire situation is breaking me down. Additionally, my Etsy shop got closed down completely, so that source of income is completely gone for me.

I'm really, really sorry for this, but I have to postpone the Swiftie Murder Mystery game for a short time. I don't have the ability to do that right now, it's going to take a lot of effort and time and energy that I simply don't have. I promise PROMISE PROMISE that I will get back to it as soon as I possibly can. For now, I have to try and focus on taking care of myself, my mom, and my cats until we can get the fuck out of this place.

I just wanted to give some more insight into what is going on since you've all been so generous and supportive through everything. We're going to look into getting a lawyer if we can manage to afford it, and I'll keep you all updated on what's going on.

For now, I'm going to post my information again in case anybody is able to spare anything to help us out. I'm more than happy to make gifsets for you, edits, anything if you want. Thank you again for reading, for your time, and for loving me. I love you all so much.

P*ypal: @ jenniferlmoore94

V*nmo: @ jennifer-moore-636

Love, Jen xxx

[thebiscuitlabryinth]

First and foremost, Welcome back!! I'm so happy to see and hear from you again!!!

Secondly, I'm curious since you said you've been writing a very long time, but do you have any tips for less experienced writers(like myself)? Your writing is incredible and has frankly inspired me to try my hand at it, but figuring out where to start is proving to be a challenge for me..

I'm happy to be here!! I'm not sure how helpful my tips will be, since i've never been asked for advice before and i never kept strict tabs on my own development, but i'll do my best!!

The first hurdle is always finding motivation and inspiration to write, and unfortunately that hurdle will always pop up regardless of how long you've been writing. The only tip I can give for that is to write for yourself! I've said it before, but my driving force for writing is usually because I want to read it back myself. Specifically, I mean this in terms of concepts, AUs - anything you get an idea for, even if it's silly or self-indulgent, go for it! Writing fanfics is a great way to develop writing skills, partly because you already have character templates to work with so you can focus on the act of writing itself rather than crafting a whole new character, and partly because you're usually already pretty passionate about it right off the bat! Plus, as long as the fandom isn't too small, there's always other fans to draw inspiration from.

It's gonna feel clunky and that's okay! A lot of my earliest works were collections of short scenes cobbled together with a dozen scene breaks - elegant transitions can come later. The most important thing is to write at all, and get comfortable with using the language. The overarching flow is secondary to the individual scene.

Similarly, don't set the bar too high in terms of length or complexity or you'll get discouraged. Writing stamina is something you have to build up! I started off barely managing to write one-shots of 1,000 words at most, and now I'm capable of novel-length stories. We all have to start small!

Focus on the basics to begin with. Specifically, dialogue and movement, because those are the framework of writing a scene, like how a script primarily has lines and stage movements with only brief setting and supplemental descriptions. Detailed description is fun, we all know I love it, but it stagnates if you don't have a good grasp on dialogue and action to move it forward, if that makes sense. Once you feel comfortable with them, you can play around with more elaborate description, and eventually it'll all come naturally!

Now, this one might be a more biased one since, full disclosure, I'm an English Language and Literature student, but I'll mention it anyway: develop your interest in language itself. This is just from personal experience, but I think once you start to appreciate the use of words themselves rather than just the end goal of the story, it makes you love the process of writing itself, and that, in itself, makes you keep writing! Things like vocabulary and rhythm - when I stumble on a word I really like in a passage, I'll usually reread it a couple times to remember it, and reading aloud is good for getting a sense of pacing and a sense of the words themselves. All my fics go through at least one dramatic reading by me before I consider them good to be posted! If you like a work, try and figure out what it is about the language itself you like, and then you can try and replicate it later on.

and that's all i have for now! all this said, writing is a very personal thing, so I don't think there's really a right or wrong way to do it as long as words are getting on the page. like most things involving creativity, you have to keep trying until you find a method most comfortable for you. i know that can be the most infuriating thing to hear, but all you can really do is keep pushing forward and eventually you'll get there!

[mortish-writes]

Ngl, it's really interesting people are playing the Heretic as unaligned to the Weaver and aligned for the Zealot, because I'm the exact opposite 😂. My Zealot is pious and I'm going to play her into being more open to other religions later in an anthropological manner (definitely not based on me, who's religious but loves studying other religions and cultures, including my ancestors's pagan ones, aksjdjknasdjk), but she's having an identity crisis first and foremost, because she is loyal to her (fake) goddess until she literally has nothing else to stand on 😂. 20 years of hard work down the drain! Nuh-uh! If not out of loyalty, sheer stubbornness is pulling her through 😂. The drama and character conflict is too juicy, the betrayal too personal, especially the religion was used as a crutch to justify her suffering. As you mentioned before, too, I don't want to make the religious character as someone mindless who'd fall into any religion just because she needs authorial guidance. Her being too trustful is what got her here in the first place, and needing to question and figure out what works for her fulfills a stronger story arc, imo—and it's not to totally divorce her from ever wanting an authorial and outside guidance for structure, because I get it and am like this. I just don't want to force another religion and deity onto her without her letting her question things and explore other options or at least know what there are other options, give her the agency she never got from the Sun Goddess's order. As for Heretic, I once again totally didn't put myself and preferences in her shoes when making her Weaver-aligned because if I characterized her as wanting to be religious and believe something, but not being able to see it in the Sun Goddess and her order because hypocrisy, things don't add up, the cruelty, repression, it involves hating half her self reasons. Increases the level of loneliness and validates her gut feeling too, while also allowing her find someone to rely on when she finally has proof of a deity that actually seems to care for her and not contradict herself (so far). Basically, this is me advocating to try the MCs out this way if you haven't already and for 10000/10 angst, haha. Make the girls suffer! As everyone says, I love we can play the MCs in so many different ways and get so many different versions of the MCs and stories for it, makes the replayability high and number of combos we can test out to get our favorite phenomenal. ALSO, you have no idea how the non-aligned Weaver Zealot route ending from the latest night has been living in my brain, rent-free. I still haven't tried the other end (want to see if I can get it with Heretic), but it's been wild to see how it seems to paint Valdricht in a better impression than whatever happens in the other end 😂. The "Valdricht scares me" asks have me like, "REALLY," since all I've been seeing is husband-shaped old man.

This is awesome to hear, almost no one has mentioned the unaligned route and ngl it was definitely my favorite for the Zealot!

As I’m wrapping the Heretic route I’m actually feeling stressed on behalf of the MC. I’m just like this is TOO MUCH how can she even deal with all of this without just screaming for hours? Thankfully we’re almost done with all of the Act I overwhelm and will soon get into actually getting to know the ROs and developing the romance. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for delicious angst later.

I’m still blown away that so many players have such strong opinions about the characters already. None of it bothers me, it’s so exciting to see. Valdricht is awesome and gets better once players understand him and his motivations for what he does. Granted, appreciating him is definitely predicated on readers enjoying morally gray dark fantasy romance men. I could see readers being turned off by an authoritative love interest, but at the same time Serax would be exactly the same but without the finesse if it was just him and the MC. He can afford to be fun and permissive because he knows Valdricht is calculating and hyper-vigilant.

Once all is revealed, I suspect a lot of players will be replaying the first few nights with a completely different perspective on Valdricht, Serax, and The Weaver. I can’t wait.

[putschki1969]

Hello Sarah,

First of all, thank you for the insight on the matter. I know you are super busy and not in the perfect mood (trust me I'm not doing any better) considering what happened, so I leave it up to you if you want to post this or not as it may be abit too dark of a message.

I know these past couple of days have been disheartening and disappointing, especially when you feel powerless to do something right now other than support the girls.

Part of me was thinking, "Why we the fans don't do something about it?", like signing a petition with a respectful message towards Yuki to reconsider, and for the future FJ/YKL events (since this year has already been decided) to include Keiko (and Hikaru, Wakana if possible) again.

However, I'm also thinking that this may add fuel to the fire and maybe it's something that the girls and Keiko foremost would not want us to do, considering how subtle and professional she was in her statement.

I'm not gonna lie that with all this s...show, makes me worry about Keiko's wellbeing.

Seeing 20 years worth of work thrown out of the window from someone who you have utmost respect and getting the silent treatment from people you have long friendships it's a tough pill to swallow.

Considering what we have seen with other Japanese celebrities over the years, it's a thought that gives me shudders.

Now, we never know what is going on behind the scenes, and I pray that the connections are still there.

Apologies if my message got a bit dark there, but some tend to forget that we're dealing with human beings.

Hopefully, we will have some good news in the near future to turn things around. We really need a breather after all this. For every low, there's a high as they say! 🙏

Hi there!

Thank you for being so considerate. I am in fact having a very hard time right now. Questions are piling up in my inbox and every post inspires a new wave of replies. It's a uphill battle for sure. But don't worry, it's mostly my fault for feeling too overwhelmed and not knowing when to stop🙃. I want to try my best to clarify the situation as best as possible and to answer any open question. I also feel the need to explain myself if things didn't come across properly. Oh well, in short, I am happy to reply to your ask even if it's a tricky topic.

Hmm, yeah, I don't think petitions directed at creators or artists are ever a good idea. I'm actually strictly against them. Even if we hate the current developments, we have ultimately no choice but to respect those decisions or move on to another fandom that brings us more joy. Of course we can be critical and question all the things that are happening but we should always do it in a contained space, in our own little fandom corner, far away from any of the involved parties. With a delicate matter such as this, it would probably cause more harm than good to publicly express our dissatisfaction and make demands. Everything in this feud boils down to keeping your head low, avoiding confrontation, being quiet and not disclosing any valuable information.

And yes, as you say, based on Keiko's comment, she would definitely not want us to do anything drastic that would draw attention to us. and could potentially make Yuki look bad. She has taken this decision in stride so as her fans, we should probably be able to do so as well. It's gonna take a little while longer but that's basically what I'm working towards. Just have to get rid of some of my bitterness.

Keiko is strong, I think we don't have to worry about her. She has stayed true to her word in her last Yodel message and gone back to her regular routine as if nothing happened. Like always, she has been wishing us a good morning with a funny emoji, she has given us glimpses into her work day and made sure to emphasise how much fun she's been having (probably to give us some peace of mind). Yesterday, she apparently had a super fun photo shoot. Many of the photos will be useless because of her cracking up and laughing like crazy [She didn't specify but I think this might have been for a new calendar? I wouldn't know what other things she would do a photo shoot for. Maybe the Undokai festival will have a pamphlet or something? I don't know.] Today was filled with lots of meetings [Once again, no idea what for but I'm kinda hopeful it was Kalafina related since Hikaru's tweet about starting "another task" for the day - implying that she had been doing something else before - came around the same time as Keiko's message on Yodel, saying that she was done with interviews for the day] . She got home pretty late but apparently she had a blast and time went by super quickly. She treated herself to some chocolate and sent an adorable picture. I cannot possibly gatekeep this precious photo so here you go!

For my part, I am confident that none of their connections are severed. It's a rough patch for sure and what is being conveyed to he public seems very harsh. But there's so much more going on behind the scenes. I wish there wouldn't be so many missing puzzle pieces but that's just something we have to live with. Do you remember when everyone believed that the connection with Wakana was lost? None of that was true. And I never believed it to be true. I always had faith and I shall continue to have faith.

Yes, let's stay positive!! Hikaru herself just recently said that life balances itself out, good things will follow for sure.

[shootingstars-or-airplanes]

Politics in the US are fucking scary right now. I'm not gonna sugar coat that. I'm fucking scared. But in an attempt to keep myself from panic-DMing all of my international friends and mutuals to see if any of them can smuggle me out of this hellhole, here is a running list of things that I'm going to try to do for myself and you can do, too. (Please reblog with any further ideas for keeping sanity in whatever the hell it is we're living through right now)

Self-Care. First and foremost, I need to calm the fuck down. Nobody ever made smart decisions when in a panicked frenzy. If I get to feeling like this, I'm going to attempt to give myself a day to not think about it. Watch some TV, play some video games, go for a walk, do literally anything but scroll on the internet and let myself feel worse and worse over this shit.

Stay Informed Responsibly. It's so easy to just see bad headline after bad headline and feel hopeless, but I've found that only really serves to make me spiral like this. I find that influencers and youtubers like Leeja Miller and allie_202_ who share the news alongside direct action items are helpful. These two also balance their bad news out with good news (or at least, less bad news) which helps. I plan on rewatching Leeja's Is It Time To Leave The US? video tonight to help remind me where I stand and hopefully break me out of this fight of flight (apparently my answer is flight) response.

Gradually Take Action. I keep kicking myself for not taking action and I think it's because it all seems so overwhelming. There is so much to do and I'm prone to all or nothing thinking so if I don't do all of it, I feel like I've already failed so I just end up doing nothing. I want to actively break out of this. I want to try to add one action item to my to-do list every month. Hopefully, as I add more, they'll seem less scary and I can build up to adding items every week or so. But I want to set my expectations small so that I'm less likely to fail right away and give up

Build Community. I want to build community and solidarity with other people who feel like me. Who feel like it's all just too big or too much right now and are sick of feeling helpless but are struggling to actually take action. I want us to be able to come together and celebrate each other's wins. Like hell yeah I called my senator today even though I was terrified to do so! Whether this community takes the form of a discord server or something or just the notes of this post, idk and idc. I just want to stop feeling alone.

Like I said, this is an incomplete list. I'm hoping to add to it and I would love to see others add to it as well. I'm just trying really hard not to lose my mind right now. I don't want to run away. I want to fight for my home. But I am so scared right now and I recognize that if I let that fear bind me, then I'm no use to anyone. For my sake and the sake of my community, I want to get better. I want to get better so I can fight.

[pxpecxdy]

Ok so I went thru ur blog like a stalker and I have some THOTS about ur Robby fic where he tells reader that he isn't their boyfriend. I'm in my mind palace and let me tell you what I think happens next. (I'm a messy bitch) Well, first and foremost I think she's super hurt by it. And she goes back to her place and cries a lot. And Robby is blowing up her phone trying to apologize but there's nothing he can say that can make it better. And she's debating whether or not to leave him, if she has the courage to. But the sex is fantastic lol and she's like well I still love him and I don't want to quit cold turkey. And she's like ok maybe this is a learning opportunity. Because I've been putting so much time and effort into this but he doesn't see this as a long term thing. I still continue to sleep with him and I work on myself and date other people while I'm doing so. And instead of no longer seeing him again and pining after him all the while, I continue to see him while dating other people and stop seeing him once I've found someone else OR I'm over him. And she calls Robby and she's like ok, I'm fine with us not being boyfriend and girlfriend but that means we can see other people and also we need to start using protection and I'm gonna start moving my stuff at your place back over to mine. As for Robby's reaction I can see him being at first relieved when she says she wants to continue seeing him but then his brain stops working when reader says she wants to see other ppl and start practicing safe sex.

Because in his mind he's always thought of this being an exclusive relationship even tho he doesn't want her calling him his boyfriend. But ofc he doesn't say anything because how can he? And so he's hoping that this is just her way of making him jealous and he says ok. And they still sleep together and go on trips but she doesn't call him as often anymore and well reader doesn't flaunt it but Robby knows she's seeing other guys. And yeah he's seen her around town with friends and going on dates and his self hatred just grows and grows. And reader still likes Robby a lot but dating other ppl has helped her see that Robby isn't a long term thing and I can see her being more critical of the relationship between them. I can see at one point Robby trying to take back what he said and reader being like... I like hooking up with you but I don't see this as going any further and I think it's a good thing you said what you said because yeah I was hurt by it initially but I now realize that I like things just the way they are.

To be even messier she at one point starts dating/hooking up with John Shen. And Robby sees them out on a date. I like to think reader doesn't do this all on purpose she's just trying to get over him y'know? But Robby is just spiraling this entire time.

(Anyways not to be desperado or anything but pls respond because it took me 30 min to type this)

Okay I love your ideas!! I will say I have been working on a part 2/continuation of that post and it's at 4k words at the moment. You definitely have some of the plot points right but I am not revealing which 🤭 Robby fucked up BAD

[historybunnny]

𝙈𝙮 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 & 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜

A while back I received this question asking if I'd mind explaining what my creative process is like and some wanted further explanation about what goes into planning multiple generations & arcs. I do apologize that this is so overdue, and it's literally taken me months to get to. My process is always changing, and I'm constantly adding in pieces that help make the process easier. Because of this, the way I answered the question back then is also quite outdated, at least in terms of how I plan each shoot/post, and I'll hopefully provide further clarification below the cut.

However, first and foremost, I want to say I am by no means an expert and different processes work for different people. Your creative process might look totally different than mine, and that's okay! Whatever keeps you coming back and sharing your work is always going to be the best & most efficient way of doing things.

But I do think it's helpful to get insight into what works for others when you have no clue how to plan things like this, or where to even begin. So, without further ado, here is my process.

Mainly, I use a website called Milanote. It's super helpful for organization purposes, and it's mostly free. They have free templates you can use, or you can make your own. The only downside to it is you're limited on the number of "cards" that are available to you. They do have a promo that you can use where if you get someone else to sign up, you get more cards, which is what I did.

My main folder basically looks like this:

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙀𝘼𝙍𝘾𝙃

The research folder is an unorganized, organized mess and basically just looks like this:

This is where I keep all my resources, and all of the things I've researched for my story. As you can see, this includes various sources like YouTube videos, various articles, quotes, photos and even some music as well. I like having this all in one place so it's easily accessible for me, but you could just easily keep all of this in a Google or Word doc if you're low on 'cards'.

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘼𝙍𝘾𝙎

Next we have these two sections. Obviously, I had to cover them up to avoid spoilers but I did label them to hopefully provide insight. Essentially, for this decade in particular, there are going to be various arcs happening at once, especially since the children will be growing into adults and laying their foundation is going to become crucial to the story. However, I'm trying to limit myself from having too much going on at once, which is why I try to limit myself to only four arcs playing out at once.

I will also say that Plot's A through C are interconnected, or at least they will be eventually, while Plot D concerns one of the children and will impact things later down the line. This is super important for really tying different ideas together, and making sure random plots don't seem to just pop up out of the blue.

The table for myself helps a lot with this, so that I can easily see what arcs have been started, and how many 'scenes' each one has. I find this to be useful because then I know that none of the arcs are stretching too long, which ones might need more fine tuning and which ones have yet to flourish or even begin.

Each arc basically has something like this going from beginning to end, essentially following the classic three act structure. Not all of them have five components, some more or less, but generally it ends up being five. Now, this doesn't mean every plot is only five posts or anything like that. Most of the time, the timeline of events needs to be broken off into bite sized pieces and that's okay.

The resolution doesn't always mean a happy ending, and can also serve as a way for me to introduce any new arcs for a specific character, which would then start the process over. You can kind of think about this when watching a lot of television shows. We watch all this build up starting on episode one, and things get more and more intense until we finally reach the season finale. And then woah, with two minutes left of the episode, we see that the character they just thought was dead is actually alive?! Which then leads us into season two.

I do think planning this way could feel really tedious for some, but I like to map things out before I start introducing any arcs so I at least know it isn't a quick "one shot" plot, something without actual purpose or an arc that doesn't really seem to have any sort of end goal that makes logical sense. It also just helps me remember what everyone's up to, especially when there are so many characters to keep track of.

𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝘾𝙀𝙉𝙀

Before I go into the game, I basically write out a "rough draft" of sorts. This includes dialogue, any background noises (things like a clock ticking or the tapping of a pencil), a brief description of each shot/photo (including any post-editing things like adding blur effect), and a summary of what's happening in each panel.

Because I only use one document for this, and clear it out once I complete a scene, I do not have any examples to show from The Baudelaire Legacy, so I created a mock-up scenario in which Ozzy flunks a difficult test at school, as seen below.

Once I have that written, I plug it into my 'scene planning' board. However, I only include the shot/photos, and the short summary. On Milanote, I also plug in the location, time of day, attire and any pose accessories I might need (so that I remember to create an extra outfit for it). This ends up looking like the example below.

I typically will only have this open on my second monitor while I'm shooting the scene, and I just tick the boxes as I go along. This is really nice if you have to stop mid-shoot, and helps me pick up where I left off without getting confused.

I do also edit each panel in-between shooting to make sure I'm getting the shots I want, however, I don't encourage everyone to have Photoshop and Sims 4 open at the same time.

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙎

Then we have the character sheets for each of our characters. Right now, I'm only focusing on Lawrence & Winifred (though, the children's arcs are in a 'idea dump' document).

For me, this is the most important piece of the story. One of the reasons shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad are considered some of the best writing in television history, is mostly due to the fact that, in my opinion, they prioritize this as well. It's always good to have a strong character in mind before you begin, and this is because you don't want them to step outside themselves.

Of course, your character can change and bend within their environment or plots happening around them, and they certainly should, but you also need to ask yourself if it's being done logically. Asking yourself, 'Why did they end up this way?', 'How did we get here?' and 'How would this character specifically react to an intense situation, stress or hardship?' is crucial when writing a character that feels alive.

Having something like this helps me build their "character arc" and map it out so no one ends up being left in the dust and makes sure that everyone is important in some way. Each of the children will have a sheet created for them once they reach the teen life state as well.

I also use this page as a way to record any quirks, or habits they have. These don't have to be major or super important either. So for example, on Lawrence's character sheet, I have it written down that he wears glasses to read; a very small thing casual readers probably wouldn't even pay attention to, so it feels like an important detail to me.

𝙈𝙔 𝙎𝙋𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙎𝙃𝙀𝙀𝙏𝙎

In addition to Milanote, I also Google Sheets/Docs. This is where I keep my spreadsheet and write / keep a hard copy of my story.

My spreadsheet is basically broken up into four different tabs - one for the main sims information (the Baudelaire's), side household information, my story posts and my ageing table.

My information tables look something like this:

For story posts, I use @aheathen-conceivably's method of tracking, which you can read about here. The only thing I have added in addition to what she has is a "notes" section, and this where I include any sort of post that doesn't specifically fit into any arc but is still important - things like birthdays, marriages, holidays, etc.

𝙈𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙀𝙇𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙀𝙊𝙐𝙎 𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉

In addition to all of these things, I also use Pinterest to create moodboards for each decade, as well as each character. I like to include all sorts of things like any inspiration I'm drawing from (so, things like Greta Gerwig's Little Women or HBO's Gilded Age), photos, quotes, etc.

Annnnd that's basically it! I'm hoping this provides some good insight, and is helpful in some way. I know it seems like a lot, but the more you do it, and the more you plan, the more natural it will start to feel. Again, I am not an expert in any way, and it's always difficult to explain your process in this way (and probably why I put off trying to do so for such a long time). So, please feel free to ask for clarification in regards to any part of the above.

Happy Simming ‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃

[drdemonprince]

I wanted to ask you something controversial bc I feel like you're willing to go against common consensus when your judgement disagrees. My question is, is self harm always bad? When I start spiraling, I hurt myself and that immediately helps me calm down and get grounded. I can get similar effects more slowly if I go for a run, but it's bc it hurts (after a while). My therapist says the running is a healthier choice, but isn't it the same? I'm releasing endorphins and getting reconnected to my body via pain either way. What do you think?

Self-harm is not always bad! Self-harm is just a strategy that has its benefits, costs, and use cases, and we would all be a lot better served if we discussed it dispassionately rather than treating it as wrong, scary, or disgusting.

People self-harm for the endorphins, because it provides grounding and stimulation without the use of any substances, in order to blunt sensory overwhelm, to kick the body into a relaxed state following a meltdown, to express control over their bodies when they're otherwise being controlled and denied agency, as an alternative to suicide, as a form of self-stimulation, and probably for dozens of other equally understandable reasons that I can't think of at the moment.

Self-harm is not innately good nor bad, and abstinence is not the only responsible way to approach a person who is self-harming. I believe a harm reduction framework to self-harm is self-evidently more responsible and morally correct than trying to force all self-harmers to stop. Providing wound care, safe, sterile instruments, supervision, and less-damaging alternative forms of self-harm to the people that engage in it is the way to go, and first and foremost we should be guided by the belief that the self-harming person knows what they need best.

If you're interested in learning more about this, I recommend the book Saving Our Own Lives by Shira Hassan. A harm reductionist approach to self-harm is out there! The groundwork has already been laid for this approach. This essay of mine also does touch on the idea a bit:

[elviraaxen]

ive really been loving the pacing of your story and i enjoy the concept and the bits that have been released about the plot! youre doing really well, and i admire it greatly!!

ive been having trouble figuring out an overall plot in my own work, i just have character ideas and the vaguest idea for a storyline. i try to just write but then i usually end up taking a break (re: dumping it) because i don't have anymore ideas for how to complete the plot. i've laso been curious about how you go about writing for a comic (do you write then do thumbnails? do thumbnails then go back to figure out dialogue? a third thing?) so i was wondering if you had any advice or resource tips for writing? both for comics and for overarching plots, if that's okay

if you don't have any ideas tho, no worries. i was just curious. good luck with Felt World! i love everything that's coming out so far, thank you for gifting us it!!

Oh thank you so much!! I can't say I'm a comic book artist at heart because I really don't have much experience, I was only an illustrator for a short while and never wrote anything myself, but learning from past mistakes (i.e. I don't stick to plans), I've so far done this and it seems to work:

I'm one of those that don't like to plan strict layouts for the entire thing, because chances are I will not stick to it, so what I've done for felt world is just write a sketch for the overarching plot, the b-plot and c-plot, with rough estimates in what order I want the major plot points and settings to be. My current sketch looks like this;

(which is done in Miro) and as you can see there aren't that many plot points, because I want to have the wiggle room to come up with something on the spot. And also, my comic focuses a lot on interpersonal relationships, character development, and themes rather than the plot, which means it needs to be concise or else the comic is gonna take 6 million years to finish.

And now,, I think this might just be how I work, but I think it's easier to be creative when you have strict restrictions rather than all the choices in the world.

for me, personally, I restrict an update of 10 pages tops, because instagram only allows max 10 images per post! This means I have to 1) fit all I want to say in 10 pages, 2) it has to be concise or else I infodump on readers, and 3) I have to answer some sort of question within the update, or else I said nothing and I start over.

As for scripts, I tend to write one or two sentences of what's going to happen for the update, and then I get to thumb-nailing and sketching right away! I come up with most of the dialogue on the spot too.

And also, I think what's most important, is that you take your damn time! If you aren't immersing yourself in your own world, how do you expect your readers to do the same?

I'm very much a believer that the stories you are telling are something that comes to you naturally if you just sit with it and listen rather than demand that it makes itself known to you. When I brainstorm for felt world I quite literally sit in my bed and go "omg!! And then what? :0" TO MYSELF LMAO as if I'm not making everything up myself! I think that's extremely important that your story is engaging to you first and foremost!

And as for more practical tips

carry a notebook with you or use your notes app AS SOON as you get ideas to write them down! No you will not remember, lol.

set rules of what you're not allowed to do with your story so that you don't fall into lazy trope territory! You can do that when you brain storm, but finesse the story post brainstorm to just make it.. smarter.. if that makes sens For example, don't kill your gay characters, don't make sensitive men the butt of the joke, don't make your women fight over men (unless it's the point), etc.

set physical restrictions! For example, max amount of pages per upload, max amount of pages for the whole story, max amount of characters, etc.! That literally forces you to problem solve, which by definition is creativity! Like, oh you can't do this the obvious way? Do it the creative way! That's way more fun!

I could probably go on, but this is too long already! But I hope it at least helped somewhat!

[mbti-notes]

INFP 16. I love (and also really really hate) what you said about lack of objectivity. After reading about Si loop and pessimism, I'm more aware and try to balance with affirming thoughts. Do you think it helps body dysmorphia too? I'm not diagnosed or anything, I just really hate how I look sometimes. I used to think my judgements were right because of "fact" (like there's a line/mark/bulge to point at) but it's just another thing I get too negative about?

The notion of beauty standards is complicated, so you can read what I've written about it before. Suffice it to say that very few judgments regarding beauty should be considered "objective". You only need to study a bit of history to realize that beauty standards vary widely based on time and place, which reveals a social construct.

As an individual, your idea of beauty is very heavily influenced by the culture and society you live in. I always bring up the story of The Ugly Duckling to illustrate in simple terms what it means to have your perception (of beauty) twisted by society.

You see a line/mark/bulge and think ew gross, others might see something else. One person sees an ugly mole, another person flaunts it as a beauty mark. Your way of looking at it isn't the only valid way, so if your way always suspiciously turns toward the negative, then, yes, maybe you need to rebalance your perspective. Or, there might be a deeper self-esteem issue that needs addressing (especially as it relates to Te grip).

Body dysmorphia can feel like a vicious cycle: You feel bad about yourself for whatever reason, and then you start picking out the stuff in the mirror you don't like seeing, and then you feel even worse about yourself, and then you pick yourself apart even more harshly...

There are a variety of ways to recalibrate your perspective. If you're too negative or critical, then, yes, you can remind yourself to look for the good things you like. For example, you might not like this characteristic of your body, but that other aspect is awesome, so why only focus on the negative? It's unreasonable to expect perfection.

Another method of recalibrating your perspective is to broaden or deepen it:

Example of broadening:

People young and old have written to me about feeling aging anxiety every time they look in the mirror and see a line or a gray hair. But when I look at my parents and aunts and uncles getting older, I don't see them "aging" per se. I see them growing into their skin. I see the evidence of a full life written on their body, and I think it's beautiful and wonderful that they've made it so far in life. Average life expectancy in 1900 was 47, so humans have come a long way!

As I witness myself getting older every birthday, I'm a bit critical if I'm honest, but I quickly adjust my attitude. Instead of fixating on this or that detail, I look at myself and reflect on how extremely fortunate I am to be in good health because I have access to health care, healthy food, and my life isn't so stressful that I can't sleep well at night.

Taking "the grand scheme of things" as your perspective, lines/marks/bulges don't mean much. What matters more? What matters most? If you don't want to live in a society that only values people for their looks, then the change should begin with yourself first and foremost.

Example of deepening:

The way you look is largely determined by genetics, and looks will fade with age. Should you take credit for accidents of nature? Well, if you're going to feel good about yourself through others praising your genes as beautiful, the flip side is that you doom yourself to feeling bad when people don't.

From this perspective, the better approach is to have a deeper understanding of self-worth and how it should NOT be tied to things that have no real meaning, or things beyond your control that you shouldn't be faulted for.

Sure, it's a fact that people who are considered beautiful might have more doors opened to them, but it is also a fact that being a good person is likely to bring you many meaningful rewards in the long run. When people like you mainly for your looks, what happens when you inevitably lose them? When people love you for who you really are at heart... now that's gold. Why settle for less?

.

Adjusting your perspective (aka cognitive reframing) isn't about lying to yourself but, rather, acknowledging that your thinking is flawed and needs correction or improvement. It is a tried-and-true way of mitigating excess negativity. And it should be relatively easy to do for anyone with a healthy N function. How's your Ne?

[post-punk-revival]

What's this anti-psychaitry stuff ? I think I definitely might be misinterpreting what you mean here

Antipsychiatry is a specific political movement based on a framework of ideas, the way you might describe feminism. The most common way I've seen people misunderstand what it is is by reading it as a belief, as in "I don't believe psychology is real" and from there drawing the conclusion it's anti-science and based in conspiratorial ignorance. If that's where you're coming from, that's the misconception I'd like to assuage:

The first and most important thing to do when trying to approach antipsychiatry from antipsychs' standpoint is reframe what you think of as "psychiatry" to begin with. Because the average person associates "psychiatry/psychology" with one of two things—an objective science, or a field of healthcare—it sounds like a batshit fringe thing to declare you're opposed to it as a concept. That is not what psychiatry is when we talk about it, and for those of us who've had personal experience with it, it's not what we've experienced. What we're talking about is a system that's currently in place that has power it can and does utilize over marginalized people. The easiest starting point to this is obviously the concept of involuntary institutionalization, but there's more to a system than just one coercive ability and there is a network of ways people have been victimized by the psychiatric system.

A lot of people have an instinctive negative reaction to hearing about this for the first time because the assumption is that we're ideologically opposed to personal recovery or treatment access, or going around decrying the evils of addictive antidepressants like your aunt Sharon. Maybe some of us are, but that isn't universally what this is about, and imo it shouldn't be such an individualized thing. The way I approach it, this is first and foremost about the autonomy of mentally ill and cognitively disabled people to make their own decisions, which may involve meds or no meds, and certainly involves a lot of areas of life that aren't med-related but psychiatry as a system currently has a hand in.

Something important to remember: human beings wrote the DSM. It wasn't a gospel handed down from God; it's a flawed document with a lot of entries that are understudied, unstudied, or fully fabricated, and treating it like an objective source of fact is unstable ground. The first time I actually looked into antipsychiatry specifically, by name, was learning about "oppositional defiance disorder," the idea that there is a feature of the brain that makes kids "pathologically" averse to deferring to authority (and it mostly gets diagnosed in Black kids, while their white peers get diagnosed with ADHD instead? that's weird! anyway).

But most of us who are talking about this have personal experience with the psychiatric system that led us to firsthand, if emotionally biased, opinions. I have a diagnosis of "gender identity disorder" on my chart after being out as trans to a therapist that, according to the DSM V, decides my "incongruent gender identity" as a flaw of my brain; homosexuality used to be a disorder in the DSM, and asexuality still is. I have a diagnosis of anxiety that has caused urgent care doctors to dismiss me when I had acute breathing issues, and delayed an asthma diagnosis by decades. I'm obviously not anti-treatment, but I can't receive it myself because any diagnosis I'd receive from a therapist for my psychosis would limit my rights, especially as a trans person who wants to emigrate. As a very young kid I was prescribed risperidone to stop my autistic meltdowns so that my parents and teachers wouldn't have to accommodate my sensory needs. And nothing has pushed me further into antipsych conviction than the people who dismissed these complaints as simply how it works, like an unimaginative failure to view manmade constructs as separable from the laws of physics. If the DSM says trans identity is an illness, don't ask why, ask how can we change that?

Something else important to remember: nothing exists in a vacuum. Nothing can exist outside of the larger system of capitalism. Psychiatry needs to be understood as a tool that can be and is weaponized; I'm not in the camp that doesn't see the brain itself as an organ which can be influenced by both internal and external factors like any other, but ask yourself why it's easier to diagnose individual people with depression and prescribe Prozac or breathing exercises than acknowledge when their actual life circumstances might be what's making them feel trapped and desperate.

Antipsychiatry isn't about denying that mental conditions exist at all, or denying those who experience them appropriate treatment to improve their situation. It's an opposition to an oppressive power that can be held over people. That's why a lot of anarchists are antipsych and vice versa. It's not just about ableism and it's not just about institutionalization and it's not just about medication and it's not just about psuedoscience skepticism. It's a comprehensive framework and it's for everyone.

[armoredone]

I'M A POPULAR MONSTER. #ARMOREDONE / an independent low activity & selective portrayal of REINER BRAUN of ATTACK ON TITAN

Written by DJ ( they/them ) / 29 ( blog is under HEAVY construction. )

an exploration of mental illness, ptsd, childhood trauma, indoctrination, brainwashing, compulsive heterosexuality, sexual repression, redemption, forgiveness, learning to live again, never ending guilt, and a broken man. ( reiner's canon story is full of triggers and heavy themes, look under the cut for a more specific trigger warning regarding his canon and my own personal portrayal. )

**TRIGGER WARNING** Reiner's canon story involves s*icide attempts, child abuse, murder and all around a lot of trauma. I will not shy away from dark topics on this blog, Reiner is a character who has suffered a lot and has put suffering on others. When I write angsty meta or meme / thread responses they will be angsty and heavy, and I will try to tag everything appropriately.

Furthermore, my own personal portrayal will also include internalized homophobia ( for at least his time pretending to be a soldier ). I write Reiner as gay, his mental illness and multiple personalities along with some compulsive heterosexuality ( Marley comes off as a h*mophobic society to me ) made him repress this part of him, something he only explores with Bertolt whenever he allows himself, and more often than not he forgets about it after. My Reiner was absolutely in love with Bertolt and his crush on Christa was a figment he created for the persona he crafted to fit in with the rest of the scouts.

**RULES**

First and foremost, the mun is named DJ, I use they/them pronouns and I’m 28 years old. I have been roleplaying on this website for over a decade now and I have seen pretty much every drama known to man on here. I will NOT be getting involved in whatever drama is unfolding in the RPC these days. I’m here to write my muse and enjoy myself. Because of this you will never see me reblog a call out. I don’t want to see them, though I will block if the person in question is truly dreadful / a predator, but I will not involve myself. In turn, I will also unfollow if you continuously spread call outs, I personally am not here to get involved in petty drama.

...

I cannot stress this enough. Reiner is not that great of a person, he has committed some terrible acts, things he carries around on his shoulders constantly. It's very important to his character and I will not sugarcoat how much of a hypocrite he is. If you're a puritan who can't handle nuanced characters and character growth or need every character to not be PROBLEMATIC!!!! Then do not follow me, this blog is not for you.

...

When it comes to formatting I have grown past the need for fancy formatting, small text with a few bold and italic words here and there and maybe an icon, but that's it. You can format all you want, but I won't go all out and make anything crazily fancy.

…

As I am very much over the age of eighteen, I will not be following blogs that are written by anyone below the age of 20. It’s just a personal preference and I apologize in advance for it. That being said, this blog may be NS//FW at times whether it be more adult themes or plain smut.

I love shipping, I like writing romance, plotting is usually required for longstanding ships, but feel free to send in shippy prompts to test the waters. Usually chemistry with our writing is required though, so please don't assume!

…

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best at plotting. I have ideas here and there, but I’m actually way more better at continuing prompts or winging it. Please keep this in mind when you ask to plot.

...

My discord is open for plotting and chatting but I will not write on there.

[angeart]

I only recently found ur tumblr account but i’ve been reading ur fics (I enjoy them a lot!) and honestly it’s making me itch to write. Which i’ve done before but i’ve never committed to a proper fic, so like, any tips maybe? I’ve got Ideas but hell if I know how to execute them

hi hello! happy to hear you're enjoying the fics and aww!! oh gosh. that's so sweet that my writing is making u want to write 🥺

when i started writing hmtb, i had zero expectations, wasn't sure where the story was going to go, had just a vague simple concept i thought would be fun to play with... i haven't written anything in years. i also just got the Itch™️ after reading a good fanfic.

...and then suddely i just found myself writing. (and here we are)

it's a great feeling, and i think you should follow it if u can!! :3

i'm not quite sure what advice you're seeking out here exactly. is there something specific you're struggling with? i'm going to try to list and address some things under the cut, but if whatever you were looking for is missing, feel free to ask about it!

if it's commitment you struggle with, you can always start smaller. you can try to dabble in drabbles, see how the characters and the story setting feel like and get more comfortable with them (and in a way, more curious and inspired about them!).

you can do shorter bits or oneshots—like how i have an au around sleep demon grian, but only have one oneshot fic set in it. it gets you test things out without getting overwhelmed about having to have a Big Story, and then if you decide you want to do more, you can arrange them into a series and link them thematically that way into one cohesive story anyway! (the way i do with boatem circus.)

or you can use prompts to center your works around. which, speaking of, the boatem circus' oneshot was all spawned from a thought "what if panic attacks". bayum.

honestly, i'm not best at organisation and just wing things a lot. but i do recommend you to note down ideas at each opportunity. whether it's just a concept, a dialogue, a snippet, an atmosphere, a scene you might like to play around with at some point, or a whole ass Big Rambly Thought. save it somewhere! save it all!

you can even write down what you need to figure out next. what are the points of the story you need to Think About Some More so that you can move forward? jot down the questions, too, so that you know what to focus on next time you want to brainstorm stuff.

if you're writing a longer thing, i also recommend to note down details you need to keep track of that might otherwise get swallowed up and forgotten as the focus moves elsewhere. (for example, i have a note saying scar was given a feather, and the clothes they're wearing as they're swapped/unusual. i have a note that says that hmtb scar still has flowers from grian's collapse in the field in his inventory—)

but. that all being said. the most important thing is to have fun with what you're doing and to be interested in your own story and the characters in it. i think that's really the key to it. you need to tell the story you want to see. it's gonna be for you, first and foremost, and that's important to be aware of.

which means... be self indulgent!! it's your story! go wild! do what you want!! <333

as for motivation, staying on track, and staying engaged with your story... if you can get someone to ramble at and bounce ideas off of and show writing progress to, that can be a great help! it's even great for fleshing out stories/developing things further/getting new ideas. (a lot of hmtb plotpoints were born in private DMs just because we were throwing "what if" and "imagine this" around!)

at the end of it all... it really just boils down to: start writing.

don't overthink it. open a page, and set the characters free on it.

here's a great thing: it doesn't have to be perfect.

write it anyway.

you can consider it a draft, and then you can read over it and see if you want to edit it in any way. you can have wips around. that's fine! the important part is to start <3

-----------

as a bonus here's some example chaos of my various notes. i have all kinds of things saved, this is kind of just an example of how it can look:

[dipplinduo]

So, I'm really looking to write a Dipplinshipping series myself and I really love the depth that you go into for S&D Dipplins (and its related spinoffs, I am very up to date).

Do you have any tips for keeping up with/writing longer works? I think my idea may take at least 10 chapters, but I've never been able to finish anything but oneshots before... I admire your consistency with the quality of your work (there has not been a single miss, not a one) and I hope to be able write like you one day.

No pressure to come up with anything if you don't know what to say. Regardless of anything, I hope this message reaches you well and that you have a fantastic day!

Omg I love writing talk asks and I'm so touched that you thought to ask me this question!

I'm gonna share stuff I found helpful to keep in mind:

- Take your time with storytelling. The advantage of having more chapters is that you can reallllyyyy enjoy your pacing. One way I do this is through gradual hints and breadcrumbs that build to the major plot points. It's a fun way to develop your story over time while keeping readers interested and theorizing. And when you're not focusing on the main plot, you can focus on other aspects of the story.

- Outlines and general note pages for your fic as a whole are your best friends. They will do the work of keeping track of different story elements for you.

- Listen to your readers. Their feedback is invaluable. If you get a lot of comments about something people seem to be enjoying, this may suggest that it's part of the voice of your fic. It can help you figure out what you'd want to emphasize more down the line - whether it be through side stories or through the main plot.

- Switch up some dynamics overtime. If you find yourself feeling stuck because you feel like you're trying to write similar kinds of moments, thoughts, or dialogues, this is a sign that it's time for you to move on and shake things up. I've done this with Kieran & Juliana in S&S D after I felt I have described Kieran seeing Juliana as a witch (who he has a hard time resisting lmao) so many times.

- Flush out the roles of supporting characters. They don't need their own character arcs, and they don't need to be focal points of the story. But they can influence some events, and it can help with the movement of your fic. (E.g. I often use Drayton to instigate moments one way or another, and this suits his character given that hes relatively chaotic neutral).

- Focus on the quality of telling your story first and foremost; you do not need the permission of certain chapter "markers" to progress. You don't need to wait for Chapter 10 or 15 or whatever to have a big moment happen. If everything is set up and ready to go, just do it. This is why a big moment of S&S D happens in Chapter 9 rather than Chapter 10; there was enough in place and I felt dragging it out would've diminished the moment. No one's really gonna care that much about how things line up to a chapter number. They're gonna be happy they got a big moment, and if anything, your ability to break this norm can keep readers on their toes.

- On the opposing ends of things, know when you have enough in a chapter to stop even if you know where you're going next. If you flushed out descriptions of someone's feelings or some scenery or whatever, and you feel you have enough? It's okay to stop writing and publish. Giving yourself more time to soak on ideas can improve the way you're going to pick up where you left off. I personally don't have a hard rule around this, but I tend to cut things off at the 15-20 page mark for a chapter of S&S D.

- If you feel like you're writing a filler chapter, think of ways it can build to your overarching story. You really don't need filler chapters if you think about it - even if you want to delay going somewhere specific. So if your work could be summed up when completed, what would you want someone to say? Think of ways you can slip in gradual storytelling from multiple angles - whether it be through plot or through some of the lighter moments (that may build to the heart of the fic like found family or dorm life or whatever). This can help breathe life into any chapter update.

- Remember that by taking your time, you're actually developing the voice of your writing and of the story. My original conception of S&S D and where it's at now are wildly different, and that's because there's no rushed time table. That goes for the storyline, the characters, the plot points - everything. LMAOOO, even the beach episode content is going to be very different because I gave myself permission to delay it until I figured out the exact roles I want Paldean Squad to play! It was a better decision that will lead to better characterization (even though I'm nonetheless very grateful for people's patience).

- Write on your timetable, not anyone else's. I occasionally put due dates on myself to get me going (e.g. by teasing a chapter update), but I never promise that I'll have chapters out on a weekly basis or whatnot for anything I write - S&S D related or not. This is deliberate. Life happens and the last thing you need is to write for the sake of writing and nothing else. I feel it's the easiest way to kill your passion if it becomes stressful for you.

- Lean into what inspires you. I find a LOT of motivation through comments, reactions, asks, fanart, etc., so I make it a point to respond to every comment on AO3 and engage continuously with the community on here and whatnot. I've also been loosely inspired by art pieces that have nothing to do with my work. This is just what works for me, though. Sometimes you might be inspired by other media, or maybe by things that you've seen or experienced in your own life. Whatever it is, draw from it.

Hmmm that's what comes to mind for now. Happy to give more later if they come up, & hope this helps! Best of luck with writing YOU GOT THISSSSS 🤗💛