#listen I don't have the energy to link sources for everything right now but it all basically came from stuff I've rbed

[hum--hallelujah]

Pete and I attacked the laws of Astoria with promise and precision, a mess of youthful innocence...

@/elytrians // Patrick in 2005 // Pete on Twitter (iirc during the hiatus) // Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes // @/killingmyselfbutnotdying // The Kids Aren't Alright // Pete on Instagram // @/planetgraves on Twitter // Pete in 2007 // @/b1uejean on Tumblr // G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

[witchersoldier]

Blonde Sun

jj maybank x latina!reader

SUMMARY: sharing songs in a hammock leads to a confession from you.

WARNINGS: none, just fluff. and my rushed/not proofread writing.

WORD COUNT: 0.8k

AUTHORS NOTE: I just finished writing this. It's just a little fic/blurb based on a song (I linked it in the fic if you want to listen), but I still don't know how to feel about it. Hope you like this, either way.

The cool late afternoon breeze hits my skin, soothing the heat from the first part of the day. Soothing the heat from where his skin touches mine, so absentmindedly.

Spending time laying in John B’s hammock with JJ quickly became my favorite thing to do on summer days. We talked about anything that came to mind, or we didn’t talk at all, just enjoying each other’s company. Being around him was calming, even with his unending energy and hotheadedness. So, yes, I always looked forwards to our hammock days.

Today we decided sharing songs from our playlists would be the hammock activity, as he decided to call. As his song was finishing, I looked for one from my playlist -which is mainly made up of Taylor Swift’s and 5 Seconds of Summer’s songs.

“Your turn,” JJ reminded me, “but enough with the Taylor Swift. You’re not showing me your playlist, you’re showing me her discography.” He said with his eyes closed, but a lightheartedly judging facial expression.

“You’re one to talk, I’ve been listening to Chase Atlantic all day.” I pointed out, still scrolling through my playlists, searching for something different. He muttered some incoherent defeat phrase that I didn’t bother to pay attention to. “Ok, I think I found just the one. This song is from my birthplace, different enough for you, right?” JJ opened his ocean eyes, even more beautiful now in the fading sunlight. Having him look at me, his attention undivided, felt like a blessing.

I was so head over hills for the blonde man in front of me, for as long as I can remember. But, as cliché as it sounds, I was afraid of saying something and that leading to our falling apart. And I’d rather have him as a friend for the rest of my life, than not having him at all. There were times I almost told him about my feelings, but something, or someone -whose name started with a J and ended with N-, always interrupted the moment.

“What are you waiting for? Hit me with it.” Right, the song sharing.

“This song is called ‘Sol Loiro’ by Armandinho”

As the song went on, I couldn’t help but hum to the calm rhythm, all the while looking at JJ for his reaction. It was stupid of me to feel a need of approval for this song. But it reminded me of him and the way I felt for him. It was important to me and I hoped, someday, it could be important for him too.

“Nice rhythm, it’s calming. I’m curious: what’s this song about?” there. He asked the question I was hoping he wouldn’t. Why couldn’t he just say he liked it and move on? I know I would talk with my heart about this song, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for this just yet. Or maybe, just maybe, like in the song, this is fate. “It’s a love song.” I said simply. The last simple thing I’d be saying for the next minutes. It seems to have caught his attention enough that he stopped caressing my calf, looking at me with slightly tilted head.

“He’s singing about how he needs to be close to his other half, says they’re his island, like a safe place in the storm that life is. He realizes he’s made mistakes in the past, and tries to right his wrongs. Says that everything that’s ever happened lead to them being together, that they’re meant to be. That they’re his fate. But most importantly, he calls their partner the source of light and joy of his life. That’s why it’s called ‘Sol Loiro’, it means Blonde Sun.” I ended, nervously fidgeting with my fingers. I don’t remember moving in the middle of explaining, but now we were sitting criss cross, closer than before, like we just gravitated towards each other.

“It reminds me of you.”

Silence. I glanced up just for a second to read his face, and decided to come all out to him because right now, looking into his soft eyes, it simply felt right.

“JJ,” I grabbed his hand in mine. I needed to feel his touch, just in case it was the last time. “You’re my Blonde Sun. You bring light to me even on the darkest of my days. It’s you I see lighting the path. When I look at you, at your eternal blue ocean eyes, I feel like you’re the final destination, like you’re it. My fate. And I love you, JJ Maybank. I love you even if you don’t feel the same.” I felt my eyes tearing up, so I blink the tears away so I can see him clearly. His ocean eyes were teary as well.

JJ’s lips opened and closed a dozen of times. His warm hand gripping mine, as if he let go, I’d vanish into nothingness. Looking down at our hands intertwined, I began to worry. And when his hands left mine, I felt frozen in place, until he cradled my face and kissed me.

His lips captured mine in a sweet kiss, an action that spoke the words he couldn’t say. And this kiss was everything I have ever dreamed of.

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Ueda-sensei posted an image of Kotetsu over on Twitter. It's from back in 2020 but, for some reason, just popped up on my dash today. I'll post a link to the image in the comments below, and it was titled "YOU&I". The title is from a B'z Song of the same title.

Ueda stated that he chose this title because it reminded him of the "other person who can't be seen in the foreground of the picture." He then states in another tweet in the thread that, this image of Kotetsu is from Barnaby's POV (basically, Barnaby is the aforementioned character in the foreground looking at Kotetsu). So this image is from Barnaby's POV and the song + lyrics he was listening to while creating this image reminded him of Barnaby, essentially. The drawing was also done for Barnaby's birthday.

Here are the translated song lyrics of YOU&I (I'll link to the page source for this translation in the comments below as well).

I hate myself whenever you're with me I can't help it, I'm so miserable Actually, in front of everyone else, I could have been more lively While enduring my own jealous heart, I show you only a subservient smile Losing you along with all this troublesome pain After you're gone, won't I feel happier? Everything's so quiet suddenly—ah, now I can sleep I don't hate having fun with you Being so innocent without preparation for the outside It seems like I can still feel alive And enjoy every passing moment This relationship is too demanding My body and heart are growing exhausted Losing you along with all this wonderful happiness After you're gone, there's nothing to cry with regret over There's nothing anymore, in thoughts or to scream happily over Losing you along with all this troublesome pain After you're gone, I'll just bear the loneliness And I'll be fine Just seeing off these boring days and I'll be fine Oh... there's nothing anymore, all meaning is gone Yes, just YOU & I It'd be great, right? For us to get back together again There's nothing anymore, all meaning is gone Yes, just YOU & I It'd be great, right? For us to get back together again...

These lyrics are...very interesting! 👀It really fits with Barnaby's kuudere personality and how he sometimes struggles with Kotetsu's higher energy and more outgoing personality. He thinks he would like the quite and that he can bear the loneliness, but he can't really. Not truly. In the end, he really does just want to spend the rest of his life together with his loud and energetic oyaji boyfriend. 😌

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Wishlist for PJM1

I don't know about about you, but my feeling listening to VIBE is that Jimin, and we as a people, can only go up from here. So I decided to list everything I'd love to happen in PJM1 - from the music, to the potential features/collaborators, to the styling.

The Styling

(I never moved on from this)

For PJM1, I've always hoped Jimin would channel Victor Nikiforov. For my readers who don't watch anime, please bear with me here. I'll explain.

*

*

Platinum grey or silver, waist-long hair. Solid neutral colours on form-fitting pants or anything that highlights Jimin's beautiful dance lines. Victor is a character from the anime Yuri on Ice (highly recommended). He's a world class figure skater, a good-natured and kind person who mentors the main character. And this man is all lean muscle, executing calculated and refined movements while he glides over ice, even when he performs intense and sometimes aggressive routines. He's beautiful and I can't not see Jimin in him.

With this sort of styling on Jimin, I can easily see him switching between elfin elegance and an almost cruel and quiet intensity, or even having both energies co-exist mid-performance. Like an assassin.

Speaking of which, the flipside we've already gotten a preview of:

Credit: @/glossnwild

I know Jimin is blonde right now, likely already filming for PJM1, but what I would give to see Jimin in this styling. His hair being almost waist-long is a firm requirement in my wishlist.

*

The Music

Who should I kill, fuck, or marry to have Jimin on a rock song? What will it take? Because I need the universe to gift us with the one track that will reset all life as we know it - Jimin utilizing his low and upper registers on a rock song. No other genre has the range and versatility to embody anger, joy, sensuality, pain, grief, humour, like rock music. Another wild card I've dreamed of for Jimin, is for him to include a song in the Afrobeats genre (and to collaborate with an actual African artist, not just lift their sound verbatim *cough* B.I.).

Jimin on a song like Vibration by Fireboy DML will solve the birth rate crisis in several countries. It would be club banger of the century.

(Add in a reverse modulation for Jimin to come in with his lower register, a bridge, and an Adonis or two *%#@*! in the MV and it's a wrap)

Looking at the roster of producers Jimin is working with, PJM1 will likely lean more pop and R&B, but at least one song with symphonic metal, folk rock, alternative or psychedelic rock, would suit him perfectly and elevate his album over the current milieu of k-pop.

And this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I love rapper Jimin.

He'll need to work on his breath control, but he's got everything else. If Jimin has even just one song where he simply speaks over a beat, anyway he does it, I might lose it.

*

The Features / Collaborators

Anyone who has followed me for more than a few months has likely seen me gush about:

Taka from ONE OK ROCK,

Tyler from Twenty One Pilots,

Mitch from Pentatonix, and

Asa - a queen and in very loose sense, the French-Nigerian analog to Erykah Badu.

I don't know how to explain it, all I can say is I can hear their voices together in my head and it sounds like paradise. If Jimin has any of those four on PJM1, I'll ask for nothing else.

Fireboy DML whose song I linked above isn't my favourite collaborator to work with Jimin in terms of vocal contrasts, but I do like the music he makes and think Jimin would body any of his songs.

The next best thing, is of course either Yoongi or Jungkook collaborating with him on a track. As this is his first solo album, I wonder if he'll go the route of the rapline so far, in seeking out only voices outside BTS, or if he'll include any of the members on his first album. If he does, Yoonkook has to be the obvious choice because if Who was incredible and Tony Montana made me look twice at Jimin, having either or both members on a song with him is sure to create magic.

*

I've got a few more ideas but don't want to be nitpicky, plus this list is already outlandish enough. Lol.

Anyway, back to streaming Vibe. That song isn't half bad after several listens and two fingers of Laphroaig.

[anadrenalineslut]

one thing i really do like about this new era of taylor's music is that she's definitely gotten more experimental with her themes and storytelling.

like we know taylor's famous for writing those emotional relationship songs about falling in love, being in love or breaking up but like

folklore, nevermore and midnights really emphasized her experimenting with her formula. these albums have stories and arcs and themes.

like i don't think she'll ever really move away from her roots but i like that she's branching out from them. that she's using them as a place to grow from.

i like that she doesn't seem to be stuck in those feelings about past relationships, and that she's using them to tell new stories.

thank you for sending me this ask, anon because I totally agree with everything you just said. I think Taylor realized her storywriting potential during the pandemic and changed career goals a little bit to expand outward from just making music. I think in the past, she's definitely shown interest in doing more than just singing but she's quite a terrible actress. she's not built to act and I think she kind of realized that maybe she could direct or write films instead? that in turn has led her to practice her story-writing skills in her music by making the records just very sonically and thematically tied together.

i remember listening to midnights and thinking that every song sounds very distinctly "dream pop" which idk if its a real thing/genre but thats what the record sounds like. every single track pulls from the same source inspiration, almost like she sat down with a central plot or theme for the album (concepts) and decided to write music centering that one theme or idea. for folklore, it was about the idea of what could've been and for evermore, it was about the reality of moving on from losing that potential future and midnights is about telling a story of the 13 midnights that make up who she is as a person.

i think before the pandemic, every single album had a sense of chaotic energy to it. there was always a point or a run that didnt quite make sense whereas with the last 3 girlies, literally every single song makes sense. you know why she put that song in that position, you can see the link between track 2-5 or 5-8 or 1-4 or whatever. like, there is a lot more potential for her fans to dissect these last 3 albums than there was in the previous ones because the songs themselves are constructed in such a way to keep your attention betwen those songs + their connectedness to one another.

i think folklore was a test for her fandom, to see how they would receive fictional arcs and themes in her music and the response really greenlit her change of focus in her career. I think this is great for her because it allows her to control what the narrative around her life is about. like, of course we do make connections to her past relationships with the new music but theres definitely been a shift on all sides of the fandom where the focus is more on the literary genuis of her music than her personal life.

we talk more about what the lyrics mean in terms of what taylor is trying to communicate with us about life or the lessons she's learned than any other time in this fandom's history and we are definitely not perfect but I do think we are definitely in a transitional period of her career right now where she is slowly changing the norms and traditions of her fandom to focus more on literary themes than anything else.

i just want one of her future albums to be a political album where she talks about other people's stories, because I think she's shown us she's not only ready but willing to take on the task of being more politically aware and fighting for other people's stories to be heard. i would love to see her switch to more of a global perspective in her music because I do think midnights is kind of a perfect closer to the era of her life about herself and her relationships.

like, i dont see her making another album about her personal life in the future now that she's found her person and shes happy with him and thriving in life. like, there isnt trauma there to unpack and i think sh pretty much said everything she had to say with midnights about the last 2 decades of her career/life. i think ts11 could be the start of concept albums and thematic works for taylor and im so fucking excited to see where she is gunna take us.

[kunikinnie]

I'm Old Fashioned

Pairing: Sakaguchi Ango x GN!Reader

Almost Blue Masterlist

Genre: fluff, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 1019 (excluding lyrics)

Warnings: unedited lol

a/n: I did not expect to write something this long (well maybe it's because Ango is my guilty pleasure HAHA), nor did I expect it to have some very minor angst. But hey at least it happy in the end :'D also I did not anticipate how hard it is to write consistently every week. I salute those who post works daily you guys are amazing

Link to the song, if you'd like to listen

I'm old fashioned I love the moonlight I love the old fashioned things

One of Ango's favorite pastimes is window shopping at antique stores. Old things just seem to be a source of comfort for him. Perhaps it's because of the history of these objects, and given his ability it just fits perfectly. But you think that even if he had a different ability, he would still have a fondness for the old world. That's just his personality.

His house is by no surprise filled with that sentiment. Well, to him it's not really near full at all - the minimalist modern architecture of his apartment is still evident after all. But those gaps are slowly being filled with objects containing his own memories: specifically those that remind him of you.

Choosing gifts for your boyfriend isn't difficult at all. He appreciates anything and everything you give to him but if there's one thing you've learned through the years, it's that you need to keep it simple with this man. Otherwise, he'll just be confused more than anything.

The sound of rain Upon a window pane The starry song that April sings

When Lady Luck decides to bless the both of you, you two would manage to go out on a simple date. If there's a certain place you'd like to visit, he'll readily agree to go with you. Activities and other at-home dates were also mostly decided by you as well.

If anything, you were the relatively dominant one. Ango would rather let you take the lead, not because he doesn't want to think about these things but rather because he spends too little time with you that he wants to see you as happy as possible.

This year's fancies Are passing fancies But sighing sighs holding hands These my heart understands

Sometimes he wonders why you still stick around. He's usually buried at work at rarely gets to enjoy the comforts of his own home, moreso your company. But time and time again you've proven that you have no plans of letting that get in the way of your relationship. For that, he is most grateful.

Occasionally you'd come by and drop some essentials for him: food, toiletries, and other basic necessities the exhausted man would definitely overlook.

Other times you'd simply lounge about and enjoy some peace while your boyfriend continues to work. To him, your presence is merely enough to sustain him.

I'm old fashioned But I don't mind it That's how I want to be As long as you agree To stay old fashioned with me

"I'm so sorry, dear. I'll make it up to you next time."

Today was one of those off-days for him. He promised you he'd watch a movie with you that night, but urgent business had robbed him of the one thing he was looking forward to all week.

He practically face planted himself onto his bed, not even having enough energy to eat the food you brought. It was hard to breathe in this position, but the shame he'd feel if he saw your crestfallen face would be much more painful.

Suddenly, he felt your hand stroke through his unkempt hair. The tension and stress that's been piling up inside him this entire day - no, entire week slowly melted away into tears.

Your hand then moved to his back, stroking it gently and slowly. You could feel every sob he choked on and every hitch in his breath. The sight of your distraught lover was too much to bear.

"It's really okay, Ango. I'm more worried about you right now."

You lay down beside him and scooped him into a warm embrace. His head was resting on your shoulder, and you could see his red and wet face.

You took off his glasses and planted a small kiss on his forehead. His breathing seemed to have steadied a bit, and now his arm clutched your waist tightly.

"Looks like I have to stay the night," you chuckled. A small smile grew on his face at your words, more than glad that you'd be with him a bit longer.

This was his favorite of all your activities together: holding each other before going to bed. It was such a rare treat for him, but he hopes he'll have this more often in the future.

"You know, I've been thinking about moving in here soon."

Ango raised his head, surprised at your sudden remark. "W-wait, are you sure-"

"Ah, if you're still uncomfortable with that then it's-"

"It's not like that, (y/n)." His voice was still shaky from crying, but you could definitely hear some shakiness from nervousness.

"I'm worried that I can't make you happy. There's not much I can offer you, both in terms of finances and in time. Just like tonight. I don't want you to feel confined in this sort of lifestyle I live... I want you to be free and happy with the way you spend you time."

You thought he'd say something about how it might be too early for you to live together - the man is a traditionalist after all. This was nothing like what you expected. It broke you heart to see him so sad and vulnerable.

Slowly, you raise his chin in order for your eyes to meet. Your hand then gently cupped and your thumb gently stroked his cheek.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to spend my time like this with you. I knew what was coming when I first dated you, and not once do I regret it."

The worry and guilt that once filled his eyes were replaced by a tinge of gentleness you've rarely seen. You were so fixated on his gaze that you only realized what was happening once your lips finally touched. His lips were still quivering, but you could feel his smile through the kiss.

"I'm so lucky to have you, (y/n)."

You gave him a chaste kiss in return, unable to contain the affection that was building up inside you. "Likewise, even if you act like an old fart sometimes."

The atmosphere felt a hundred times lighter, and your comforting embrace felt like home to him. Slowly, his grip on your shirt loosened as he felt himself drifting away into dreamland, but the last thought would linger in his mind even when he wakes up.

He'll have to formally ask you to be by his side forever sooner than later - the old fashioned way, of course.

[thefreshfinds]

KID PRO:

One who takes into consideration that the world is his oyster, Kid Pro effortlessly plummets your favorite rapper's career.

As an active member of society, Kid Pro has tapped into a higher knowledge that most don't possess. In the midst of flipping the pages of philosophical books that speak on self-absorption & swimming against the current — he also impliments it into his own work. If he isn't speaking on racial issues or our very corrupted government, then the all-around prophet is slapping around those with "murder on their mind" with a word of advice, e.g Classified ft. Mickey Jaggs which speaks on how we're still slaves in todays society, police brutality & how we sell our own stories to tabloids. Mickey Jaggs: "Taking attention of off the sh*t where the focus should be at/Gave us freedom to choose but don’t give a f*ck about the choice/We all pawns & the bosses are anonymous/So distracted by idols that they idolize never even notice that they feed them lies.. goodbye” Yet his deep appreciation for golden hip-hop gives him the ability to mesh all of these subjects together with hard-hitting rhymes like "“Last name 'fuck', first name 'don’t', middle name 'give a so-nigga what you want." or “My true knowledge only came from true suffering now a nigga 4G so I ain’t never buffering.” (Technical Difficulties), boom bap & east coast vibes.

To simply put it, Kid Pro keeps in mind that there's always room for improvement. If he isn't venturing into his own Cons & Pros "The protagonist been laying low/Charging up like a proton." then he's encouraging others to "think global" & to "never get stuck on the locals." (ProZilla)

Bleeding yellow, red & blue — Kid Pro basks into his Columbian heritage with pride.

Even though he's from Parsippany, NJ where the music scene isn't booming, Kid Pro has found a way to make it work. "It’s a big enough town to hold two high schools, but small enough to where everyone pretty much knows or knows of each other."

Asides from being an MC, Kid Pro is an influx of other things.

On the whole he's an producer, engineer & even a father of two who teaches them about life. Yet he also learns more about himself in the process. In a word, KID PRO says it's an enjoyable journey that continues to levitate with time. " My constant pursuit is to be the best version of myself that I can be. I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I can no longer stand by & just do nothing. Any day spent just lounging around is a wasted opportunity to learn a new skill, improve on an old one, read a book, write a new song, etc. I hate that it takes death to appreciate life, but Nipsey’s passing hit me harder than I thought it would because of all the good he was doing outside of music. We were practically the same age & he was able to change & affect so many lives for the better. That continues to speak volumes to me and it’s been one of my sources of inspiration."

The moniker he chose stands for three important elements needed in order to live a prosperous life, "K stands for “Knowledge”, I stands for “Intensity”, & D stands for “Determination." According to the artist, if one wants to become a Pro at anything, these things will get them far. Hence "KID PRO."

If it wasn't for “Midnight Marauders” by A Tribe Called Quest, Kid Pro's love for hip-hop wouldn't be so massive. Still, them along with 9th Wonder & Little Brother have paved the way for his conscious sound.

His music journey started off with poetry in a middle school English class, which then transitioned into rapping in a basement on a $10 USB microphone & posting songs on Soundclick & MySpace.

According to the MC it was just something he thought was cool because he always watched music videos & listened to rap. But over time, it became his passion & therapy. For Kid Pro, making music allows him to express himself in ways that he isn't able to with just speaking. In fact, he can perform those same songs on a stage in front of people & have them relate to what he's saying. "My life was all about music." Kid Pro adds.

Thus far, Kid Pro has been blessed with many opportunities. He's traveled to different open mics/showcases/competitions & always meet new acts that are bringing new energy & rocking new flows that keep him on my toes. To Pro, the new generation of MC’s in that 20-25 year range look the absolute hungriest & impress him with how they’re able to command a huge presence not just on stage, but with social media in order to help push their brand. 

Ultimately, Kid Pro is moved by those that go beyond their boundaries & don’t accept any limitations because the idea of making something out of nothing & presenting it to an audience to help them feel something comes with great joy & a never ending addiction. But his main source of inspiration comes from those he holds dear to his heart: His family.

As he asserts into lyricism, Kid Pro takes into account that music is forever changing. "I would say my strength comes in not being afraid to explore new concepts, flows & beat selection.” Kid Pro adds "You never want to get caught up in recreating what’s hot currently, but being a trendsetter for the next wave. I enjoy every aspect of the writing process. Being able to tell a story over a beat, rhyme & have consistent imagery & metaphors throughout, all while keeping the listener engaged with a melody is not the easiest thing to do. If it’s done right(& marketed right), you can change the world, & that’s what I aim for each time I pick up the pen."

Likewise, Kid Pro's main message to the crowd is to always strive to be the best version of yourself at all times. After all, tomorrow is never promised for anyone & we all have to live life as if we won’t get to see another day. "Before I get off stage at a show, I always recite a small “poem” I wrote randomly a few years back: “Keep Your Eyes Open/Open Your Mind/ Mind Your Business/ Business Before Pleasure/ Pleasure Your Life/ Life Is Good/ Good Night”.... It means a lot to me." he adds.

With this in mind, Kid Pro overcomes all in order to achieve true greatness. He gives those listening a crash-course on how to perceive, act & think about obstacles. He's learned how to deal with the source & never the middle man. And so, he aims to test his limits. Wait until mid-June, Kid Pro will be releasing an upcoming collab EP with @obbeatzz titled “KICKvSNARE” on all streaming platforms along with a solo project which will release in the Fall.

In the meantime, check out his freestyle series called #VersesAboutNothing. In this series he films & edits his own music videos. Kid Pro also showcases his lyrics over classic beats & original beats from producers he's met throughout the years.

"I’ve also put in the groundwork to jumpstart a YouTube channel & make it a full media experience where I’ll be doing everything from music videos, interviewing other artists, comedy skits, Vlogs, Podcasts & much more." he says "I want to take full control of the content I put out & not have to wait on anyone else to get it done. My creativity & motivation is at an all-time high so please be on the lookout for more coming your way!"

P.S: His favorite song to create was Cons & Pros which has two versions! (He even performs it frequently via acapella.) It consists of a rhyme scheme using words that start with “Pro.”

"It’s one of the most challenging songs ever, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s like starting this huge 10,000 piece puzzle: at first it seems impossible, then you start connecting more and more pieces, and before you know it, it’s all coming together flawlessly. The song also has a great message behind it and not just me rhyming a bunch of “Pro” words. I believe in the power of lyrics and always make sure I’m bringing some sort of positivity and knowledge to the listener."

By: Natalee Gilbert

LINK(S):

1. SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kidpromusic

2. YouTube / Apple Music: Search “Kid Pro”

3. Instagram: @iamkidpro

[toomanysubjectstudyblr-blog]

Hiya 😁 I really want to be more productive and start doing better in school, taking better notes, studying better, etc. but honestly I'm the most unmotivated person ever and I don't want studying/school to take up my whole life. However, I'm in high school next year which means I really have to try hard. ☹️ What things can I do to be more productive and be better at school? Is there steps I can do to build up to getting into a normal routine rather than changing it all right now? Thanks 🤔

Hello! (Sometimes I get carried away and talk too much — most times? — anyways, there is this thing about motivation and my personal view on it and below it there is a bulleted list with actual tips. I wrote it all for a reason, so I’d recommend for you to read it all? Oops!)

Structure of it all (under the cut): Introduction // Part I - Components of the Routine // Part II - Productivity // Part III - The Routine Itself // Part IV - Whatever Else That Needs To Be Said 

PS: It ended up much longer than what I expected? Hope it’s not a problem…

PSS: If anyone knows the sources to any of those things that I mention I saw somewhere on tumblr, please let me know to put it here, thank you!

I didn’t mean to star this harsh on anything but it might be taken — mistakenly — such as… Hm, I’ve seen this quote around my dashboard sometime in the past few days and I couldn’t deny that it had a lot of reason within it — I don’t have exact source right now, but it goes something like: motivation gets you nowhere, discipline does (also don’t know who to credit for, sorry). 

Yes, motivation makes everything easier in some ways, but it’s definitely not everything. With motivation and no discipline you’ll barely accomplish anything. On the other hand, if what you lack is motivation then you can accomplish great deals with discipline. 

 Like I said, this isn’t supposed to be a harsh message — its purpose was to give some hope. You don’t need to be the most motivated person ever to accomplish your goals, you need to have them set clearly (even if they change every few days) and a lot of discipline. Motivation would help? Yes, of course it would. But, don’t worry about it, when you’ve broken the starting inertia, have your goals defined and start seeing progress and getting closer to them, this is the kind of feeling I like to call motivation. 

 For me, motivation doesn’t come first. Motivation is build up on objectives and goals, it is shaped by the path that takes you to your final destination, it keeps growing bigger and stronger the closer you get, the cleaner you see the next steps you need to take, the more possible and close to your reality it all seems. Being motivated is a process — that is acquired during a much longer process, one that requires discipline — through the path that takes you to your goals.

PART I — The Parts of The Routine

 Ok, I suck at giving titles but this is basically about what will be a part of your routine (let’s leave how to arrange this for later). Just to show that it doesn’t have to have only school related stuff and that a normal routine can be pretty productive.

Good news: studying/school doesn’t have to take up your whole life, neither it should. First off, overdosing yourself with mental work (studying, for example) will kill an expressive amount of your productivity and in a long term (combined with not varying your activities) it might cause you a burnout (what will kill of most of your productivity). So…

Allow yourself some “me-time” — in this context I mean time spent doing absolutely nothing, thinking about life, thinking about nothing, not actually doing anything — in a regular basis, but don’t let it rule. What do I mean by that? Well, physics tells us that breaking inertia is equally hard one way or another — starting movement or quitting it — but, this is only true in vacuum, with no friction. Seems to me that working and trying to be productive is the activity with the most friction ever, seriously. Ok, let’s quit talking about physics — I don’t even know why I started, tbh. What I mean is: starting to work and to be productive is extremely hard, on the other hand, letting it all go to hell is so easy. Allow yourself “me-time” but limit it, otherwise it will easily take over and start the no-productivity world domination — the little voice of “it’s better to let it go and not do anything for a while, just a little bit more, you don’t need to get back right now, you have plenty time to do what you have to do later, let’s just do nothing a little longer, just give up already” can be pretty convincing. Trust me. Respect yourself and your timing but don’t abuse, don’t make excuses — or at least, don’t listen to the excuses you make.

Hobbies. Save some time on the week for your hobbies, go to classes or courses about it, practice on your own, I don’t know… Just spend some time doing something you love. The difference between doing some activity you love from outside school and doing nothing? Even if it has absolutely nothing to do with academics, by practicing a hobby you will be productive, you’ll be developing skills, getting to know yourself better, enjoying your time and not being idle (not lazy, idle).

Free time. Another important thing to keep space for in your week is some free time, doing some activity — so it’s not “me-time” — that doesn’t really develop a skill — depending on your hobbies they might, but usually they don’t. Save some time to read, watch netflix, watch a movie, television, surf on the internet, check social media, do something random you choose to do.

Spend time with people/Go out. Go out with your friends, go to parties, go to the movies, the theater, go shopping (but please be reasonable with your spendings), bring people home… Idk, there are many possibilities. Being social seems to boost extroverts’ energy, if you are introvert do what you feel up to (it can be just a few people — or one—, in quiet places). You can also not spend time with people — sort of — just go have a walk on your own, animals can be great company as well, do some people watching somewhere, once again, there are many possibilities.

Study. Seems to me like this is actually your goal, the objective of this ask. Yes, it plays an important role in our society and, since you’ll be starting high school soon, it gets you into a college (if that’s what you want, we’ll get to that later). Yes, since it’s the whole purpose of this, you have to save some time to study… I don’t think I have to explain why.  

Part II — ProductivityHow to make your work be effective? Simply tips to be more productive, as well as time management — this is important, trust me.  

The Pomodoro Technic: there are many apps to help you with that, just search for “pomodoro” and you’ll be filled up with lots of options, just choose one. The basics of this is working for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break, after a few cycles (usually four) you take a longer break — around 15 minutes.

The 60/20 Technic: Basically the same thing as the above, but the cycles are made of one hour of work and twenty minutes breaks between them. I’ve never really seen any apps for this but you can still count on your own, everything is not lost.

There is also this one that says that you should work during 90 minutes sessions with a 20 minute break cycles, it’s said to be based on the ultradian rhythm — it seems like it the body rhythm through the day.

Discipline. Yeah, we got back there… Whatever routine you choose to follow, keep up with it — that doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind later on. Don’t give up. Doing things randomly is dangerous — not that it never works — it gives you not consistency and doesn’t make any habits. Habits are powerful, it takes around 21 days to form them and 66 to become automatic — take it into account while making your routine and struggling to start it, in a few days it’ll be just the natural thing to do. Thank you google. 

Find out what type of learner you are. There are visual learners, kinesthetic learners, auditory learners, among other categories. Each type gets along better with different kinds of study techniques, use the ones recommended for you type(s) instead of insisting in what is conventional but might not be fit to the way your brain processes it all. Here are some links to tests and technics.

Cut distractions. At least while you’re working, try to keep your phone and internet away, they are truly a temptation and totally mess up with your productivity. Set up a study space that helps you concentrate.

Set priorities. There are really nice tables of priorities — the time square or something — around Tumblr, here is a good post that talks about it as week as many other useful things.

The five minute rule (is that how it’s called?). Once again, I saw it somewhere in Tumblr, no credit for me, but I don’t know where it comes from to put a source here. Basically, you should do all the tasks that will take you 5 minutes, at most. Knowing that each of them will not take that long to finish, you’ll be more willing to start and probably accomplish a lot.

At school itself: if you have the possibility of choosing your subjects, choose the ones that you care/are passionate about. What if there is nothing? Pick something close to your interests, or something that is the path to something that you actually like. It’s easier to get motivated if you’re studying about what you’re interested in.

Part III — The Routine Itself

Balance it all, the way it feels better for you. I’ll leave it up for you to do, since you said that you want a “normal routine”, but I’m going to give some suggestions about the studying time.

Do a bit everyday. It seems like most of this part will be explained on this topic. Anyways, revise your materials the same day (rewrite your notes, read the textbook if you haven’t already, do some exercises, watch video classes, sum everything up). Do your homework the day you get it, as much as you can, this way you won’t have a bunch of stuff to do the day before.

Revise. Revise. Revise. It will take you least time every time you do it, first revision might take you half an hour, the second maybe half of the time, the next? possibly five minutes. Let’s say you get home and rewrite your notes the same day, the next day you define the important topics, the next you sum everything up, the other you make a flash card and from there on you just have to read a tiny piece of paper. This way you’ll fix the content in your mind and won’t have to kill yourself studying the days before the exam.

Visit the material before the class, if possible. It’ll save you some work afterwards, trust me. Even if you just run through it, not giving all you can, you at least know in what ground you’ll be during class. Reading the titles and defining the topics covered is already something, it helps.

Practice. Do exercises to test your knowledge, this way you’ll know where to focus instead of trying to study everything at once for the exam. Besides, practice makes perfect, right?

How much time to save each day? That’s up to you, balance all the activities in a way that doesn’t get you overwhelmed, make it comfortable. You can also have different approaches for different classes, so you don’t have to save the same amount of time for every subject. A good shoot for me, personally, would be two hours of diary study and a bit more on the weekends around 3 or 4 hours, but this is just what worked best for me, just an option.

Part IV - Whatever Else Needs to Be Said

Those are just suggestions and they are pretty general, I’d recommend you to adapt it to your own needs, wants and reality. Also, somethings might seem pretty simple at a first glance but turn out hard when you actually get to do it, take your time.

Don’t give up, it takes time. You can make a gradual change in your routine if it looks like too much, or even just take part of it, something is more than nothing. Also, you don’t have to wait until next year to start adapting yourself to the new lifestyle you want to have.

Remember, I know our society puts a lot of importance in academics, it might seem like an academic career is the only path to follow but remember that it isn’t the right choice for everyone — even if the pressure from everyone around you tells you the opposite. This is just me talking, before making any decision consider your environment and your family — sometimes it can be pretty hard, I know.

If you fall out of track, just know that it’s never too late to do what’s right for you, ok?

Find study buddies to help you keep in track and be the motivation you might lack sometimes.

Everyone is its own individual, there are certain ways of doing stuff that are so normalized that seem like it’s the only option available. When the patterns doesn’t fit to our beings, our function, when it’s not the best option for us individually, it feels like we can’t fit and it sorta kills out our motivation. This is just a friendly reminder that there are a bunch of ways to do the same thing and none are the right choice as well as none is the wrong one, do what’s best for you.

I hope it helped, if you need anything else just let me know and I’ll do what I can to help. Anything at all.