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nuatthebeach · 1 year

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2022 Wrapped

Tagged by @corneliaavenue! You're a lovely thing <3

Oof, it's already 2023, isn't it? Oh, well.

Post the top 5 works you're most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular)

it's gonna be 4 now lol.

persist and resist the temptation to ask you - this one is perhaps the most authentic, soul-pouring fic i've ever written. and the one i'm most proud of because of my growth in writing prose and pacing overall. there were many times i would huddle with a blanket in a dark room (💀) simply because of how much i was feeling in the moment. it was the most visceral experience i've had writing so far.

like passing notes in secrecy - i would say that when i finished persist, i was in this writing craze/high in that i simply wanted to write anything since i finally felt like i was on a roll, but that wouldn't do this fic - and my work - justice. because persist was so angsty, i desperately needed to write something that was light and fluffy in consequence for my own sake. i'm very happy about the banter and humor i was able to apply to this OTP; it was pure serotonin, and i hope it was the same for others.

Midnight - my first hinny smut!! aka i took my headcanon of switch!hinny and really ran with it. though i no longer have the same exact headcanon about the two of them, i'm still really proud of how steamy this turned out. and i have a feeling all the private bookmarkers do too 👀

you knew that i'm a mastermind, and now you're mine - man, the sheer power tswift holds on all fic writers everywhere. the aim was to use this song ("mastermind") in irony to show how the wizarding world perceives ginny relative to her relationship with harry. and because ginny is such a force of nature, she and the press manage to come to a certain albeit amusing level of agreement (a true mastermind har dee har). it's a bamf character moment for her, and she owned every second of it.

your top 4 current WIPs that you're excited to release in the new year

you reminded me to open up my google docs for the first time in a month! phewww.

premed hinny!rivals to lovers fic - snippet here. my final fuck you (and extremely reluctant thank you) to undergrad in the form of my OTP. fic is fully outlined and ready to be written if only i could give it the time of day 😭. but now that i have a lot of time opened up for me in the next several months, i'll finally get to it! fingers crossed

anniversary hinny smut - hinny roleplays as strangers in a bar, and let's just say we'll stick the art of acting to the shitty movies. a whole ass page written so far, so i take that as a win!

a somewhat angst, somewhat crack fic... i uh... have the most written for this wip so far of all my wips and im both proud and mortified by that. let's just say it's a story of how hinny finds themselves back to each other postwar... and the path is not exactly a straight route. playlist is a wip as well.

another crack fic because apparently that's all @takearisk-ao3 and me are on... though it's more accurate to say i helped to brainstorm and Hannah, the brilliant Executioner. to quote Hannah's post... "no comment."

im adding a fifth one because why not. hinny!vampire au. though there's only been half a page written for it so far, and hence a lot of white space, im so, so ready for the tools of creativity to lead me to more crackheadery that ive yet to discover. (like i needed more to start with.)

your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year

i think my writing comes off a bit "cleaner" now? there's more of a coherent plot, resolution to my fics than most of the simple "slices of life" that i wrote more of last year.

i'd like to think the dialogue comes off more natural now too. im finally getting the hang of doing more "showing" than telling and implementing symbolism and metaphors when trying to display a broader theme/concept.

im able to sit with fics and be at ease with the fact that im not going to have the right answer immediately. that i have to wait before i can post to make it better. i started prioritizing quality over mass production - and while this is still something i struggle with a lot of the times - i feel like this is a bit of a step up from last year. and most importantly, i learned that rewrites - not just editing - may be necessary too, and that is okay. that does not make me a bad writer but (hopefully) a thoughtful one.

your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year

to not constantly compare myself to other people's writing. focus on how i can improve myself without being intimidated by all the works of the many amazing writers in the fandom. to finally put words on the page fearlessly and authentically, like i felt i did with persist.

to take more risks. keep putting my characters in uncomfortable situations and testing out how they can grow from them. to not feel limited in my writing just because in my young age i havent experienced them. to push my boundaries more. (i thank @fairsquare16 @takearisk-ao3 and @narukoibito for encouraging this and the first goal every single time i feel even the slightest bit down about it; they're also the reason im still entertaining all these crackfics so put the blame on them when they eventually come out)

and your number 1 favorite line you've written this year

my fucking answer to this changes every two seconds...not for any other reason except that it's my biggest conspiracy theory that i have early, early onset dementia and can't for the life of me remember. here's one for now:

Like the story, the moral is just as simple: love unconditionally, act irrevocably. One shouldn't fear wearing their heart on their sleeve if the alternative is to never plant, water, and bathe it with the light of day.

After all, what are mistakes if not signs to grow?

Tagging

@narukoibito @heartstopping-waves @ashotofogdensoldfirewhiskey and whoever else would like to do it (i truly mean that)!

#2022 wrapped #nu's writing tag #hinny fanfic #harry x ginny

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punch-love · 8 months

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ive been having trouble making time to sit down and write anything concrete recently because of my adhd so i tried what you said in one of the ask prompts you answered where you write a tagline and title at the top of the doc and just go it til you lose steam and oh my god. i was able to bang out 2k words in about an hour or so. im pretty disorganized with my writing especially bc i like to write/brainstorm in my journal and then type it up so ive been kind of stalling for the last month but this has completely changed the game for me. i know youve also mentioned using sticky notes before but i want to know if you have any other things you do youd like to share!

I'm happy to hear it worked for you man! I also have ADHD, so I know how hard it can be to make time and write down something concrete. I don't usually find writing tips or tricks that work for my brain, so it's very cool that I was able to help someone else write with my own methods.

I think I mentioned this one before, but whenever I get in a writing jam, and I'm not sure how to continue something, or I feel stuck, I pull up a random word generator and generate words to use as "mini" prompts. It adds some organic stimulus, while also giving you a chance to look at the scene you're trying to write from a different angle. It's kind of cool how many times I've used this thing and the words it generated worked so well thematically for my project.

I also found that when writing starts to become a chore putting it on my daily to-do list helps because, in comparison to my other "bigger" chores, I am more likely to do something creative because it feels easier to my brain (even if my brain thought it was too hard to do like, ten minutes ago)

I also find that writing kind of a free form draft at the bottom of the document that sums up the emotional beats of the work or next part of the work (especially if you've already started said project) really helps me as a reference point if I kind of get lost directionally.

Peter actually needs Wade’s help. They team up. Wade learns about morality and surprises Peter a little. The no kill rule is set (?) they clap off into the sunset.

This is a summary I wrote about the next bit for one of my long projects that I tacked on at the very bottom of the project so if I'm ever writing and forget where I'm going, I can look at it, but it's not distracting me or anything. It's also not, like, a big summary - you can't actually get any plot details from this, it's just sort of a vague roadmap of the points you haven't covered yet.

I can't really think of any other specific writing tips right now, but hopefully one of those might be useful to you! Congratulations again on writing. It's so hard to get something from the brain and onto the page, but the hardest part is definitely over. I think the last piece of advice is that it's better to write a shitty rough draft than no draft at all. I always get lost in over-editing even if I've only written, like, a paragraph and have to force myself to word vomit before I reward myself with nitpicky editing.

#mailbox #anon #writing advice #cool questions and also just very happy to have helped someone write a little easier #what's funny is re-reading this summary I have no idea why I used the word clapping #until I remembered that I literally want the last paragraph of this fic to end with them clapping each other and then going their seperate #LMAO #i was like....the clap....???? what -#proof that your summaries also get dated the longer you ignore a project #also jsyn I was avoiding writing all day so by you asking you have inspired me to actually sit down and write #🌟

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plush-rabbit · 3 years

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The Pregnancy - Overhaul + Chronostatis

Request: ive been thinking abt don't move+sequels reader, i can only see them being more hostile if they get pregnant, how do you think it would go, would overhaul and chrono be more understanding like the they know best fic or would they stay trashy and mean like in a bundle of joy , especially in a scenario where reader self harm or try to end the pregnancy/hurt the baby

Warnings: Self-Harm Implications

A/N: Headcanons because it’s easier for me to brainstorm with this idea rather than a fic. Hope you don’t mind<3 (also not related to bundle of joy!!) Also please read the request, it can get a bit heavy for the last half!!

Kai and Hari would be very involved in your life. While you have freedom to wander around the base,you must do so with either one of them or someone that they have entrusted to walk you around. They won’t be risking you wandering by yourself in their base and potentially getting hurt in any means. Pregnancy or not, you are important to them, and for you to be hurt under their supposed watch is something that they won’t have. They want to make sure that you’re safe, taking any necessary precautions to ensure that no harm does befall on you.

They both view themselves as the parent in the child’s life. To them, it doesn’t matter who is the biological dad as long as they are involved in the raising of the child. They hardly compete for your attention- only truly seeing each other as a competitor when there is intimacy involved. Other than that, they both go to the doctor’s appointment with you and even help buy items for the child and the room. They realize that any sort of competition that could arise would result in stress for you and could harm the child, so they decided to work together, to be the partners that are most suited for you and your own wellbeing- including the baby.

During your pregnancy term, their protectiveness and need to be involved , make them come off as overbearing and often lead to you being overstimulated because of them. You’re grateful that they’re caring in this process and that they’re trying to maintain the healthy nature of the baby, but it's all too much. They involve themselves in your life- nothing of yours is private. You are monitored constantly, watched and treated as if you are proecielan that sits at the edge of a shelf. The only added benefit of having your life shared between them is that they also now fully involve you in their own lives- everything intricate, personal and even the workings of the Shie Hassaikai. You know what time their meetings are- having to work them around your own appointments- and who they are dealing with and why. You are now treated as their equal rather than a pet- or at least now you’re able to know more than before.

In order to ensure the safety and health of the child, Chisaki makes sure to plan all your meals accordingly. He’s precise, cutting certain portions and making sure to eat the food before he has Kurono deliver it to you. He spends his time making sure that the food is prepped and contains nutrients that are best while also making sure that it’s something that you are allowed to eat. Your cravings are the worst of it- he can handle the cramps and the moodiness, but you just get some rather unhealthy cravings for certain food that he won’t allow you to eat. He can handle your whining and pouting, but he won’t allow you to eat something so high in sugar. Though, if you were to start to tear up or give him the silent treatment, Chisaki would be willing to find some sort of alternative to your cravings, not wanting you to be in a foul mood- especially towards him.

On the other hand, Kurono is much more easy going. He's still very observant about you and protective towards you and the baby, but he is more willinging to sneak you in a few pieces of candy for you to eat. While Chisaki may be the one to prepare the food for you, he’s busy with items that pertain to the business which leaves for Kurono to sit with you and enjoy a meal. He’s there for his own enjoyment but to also make sure that you eat most of the food that has been prepared for you. If you are unable to, he is forgiving on that part, knowing that your pregnancy has made it difficult for you to enjoy certain foods and has worsened your appetite. There is no real solution to this that he can offer other than bringing you a nutritional shake for you to at least give you some energy. After you’re done with that, he’ll surprise you with pieces of candy, telling you to savor them because he's unsure of when he will be able to bring more. While you eat them, he’ll play with your hair, telling you that he’s glad he can have some alone time with you.

If you were to self harm, your partners would not react well. They’ll constantly question what signs they missed that you were unhappy, blame outside forces and even your pregnant]cy, citing all sorts of hormonal change that’s been going on. They’ll fix whatever they can, taking you to a parper hospital rather than treating you at the base. While Chisaki would be able to heal any of your wounds with his quirk, he’s fearful as to how his quirk and your body would react with a pregnancy. He isn’t going to risk the child’s life with something so serious. Instead, you’re taken to the hospital, a lie agreed upon by all three of you that you simply had injured yourself while prepping dinner.

However, if you were to try to terminate the pregnancy, they would be furious. You’re the child's parent as well, they’re the child’s fathers. They support any decision that you want to make about your body, but to do somethin so reckless- and to a family member, no less- they are beyond angry. You’re lucky for the baby to be well, the attempt in vain. They, however, cannot do anything to you before or after, so they simply try to move past it. They can’t strap you down to a bed until you come to full term due to exercise being important and they can’t restrict your access to the child because that’ll only ruin the bond between the entire family. They simply have you take melatonin, talking besides each other once you are in deep sleep, trying to figure out what they can do to ensure that this incident doesn’t happen again.

The base is baby proofed. Your room and the area that you reside in are placed under complete care- corners rounded out with plastic grips, cabinets locked and only members given the codes, anything sharp placed inside of locked cabinets, even pens and other writing utensils are carefully monitored to make sure that they are not left out in the open. Your privacy is taken away, the only privacy that you are given is in the bathroom and even that comes with a time limit. You are not allowed to do things yourself, you are watched and taken care of. Your glass cups are replaced with plastic, your eating utensils softed and food already pre-cut. You have lost all autonomy with your stunt.

Possibly the worst thing to arise from this is losing their trust. You have to earn it back and it’s entirely difficult to do so. You have no free will and they walk you around, deciding that no one else can take care of you like they can. No amount of pleading nor tears will have them change their mind so soon. Their words are always the same- “they aren’t trying to punish you even if it seems like that, but you have to understand that what you did wasn’t right.” You’re talked down to, told that you don’t know what’s right for you. They’ll sleep beside you, a lock on all the doors and their arms above you, keeping you trapped with them and forced to sleep in the same bed as them.

Due to your declining mental health, both Kai and Hari decide to be your therapist, or at least your outlet. They want to help you but it’s difficult for you to be let out- who knows what lies you would spread, they muse. It doesn’t matter what you say- you could insult them, cry and beg for death, or even just talk about a meal you dislike- all that matters is that you speak to them. They want to help you and having you suffer with your thought salone, believing that no one is there to help you, is something that they simply will not have. They care for you, but you must understand that your lack of freedom is something that you brought upon yourself. If it were anything else but this, they would have allowed you freedom much quicker, but you put the child in jeopardy and for that, you have to suffer the consequences and sit in your guilt until they feel that you’re better.

#tw self harm #tw dubious consent #tw pregnancy #tw forced marriage #tagging to be safe #this is heavy #llike in a different way than what i usally write #but it was fun to dissect what would happen #i hope this doesnt come off as pro-life #i just wanted to make sure that it was like understood that they dont want their kid gone #theyre controlling and in love #i think its sweet #like i know myself #if im kidnapped and confessed to #ill be like damn #okay whens the wedding #i know myself too well

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hazukininja · 3 years

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Writing Tag Game

Tagged by @rotary-wing :D Thank you!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 16

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 99,952. Clearly gotta add 48 words to a random fic to make it an even 100k.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i) presence (haikyuu, osayama)

ii) sunshine in your smile (haikyuu, kurosuga)

iii) if you see my brain, please tell it to fuck off (haikyuu, daisuga)

iv) ebullient (haikyuu, daisuga)

v) Touch (yoi, otayuri) (despite this being 90% a yoi blog, this is the only yoi fic in my top five haha)

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not? Of course! I’m a fairly small author, so every comment makes me really happy, and I want to thank the people who take the time to let me know that they enjoyed my stories :)

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Of my published fics, probably The Russian House. It’s not finished yet, but the whole thing is fairly angsty.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? Most of my stories have happy endings! Which one is the “happiest” probably depends on who you are and what you like.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? Generally not. I think I published an Ouran x ATLA one when I was like, 12 or something though haha

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic? Thankfully not!

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind? I’m trying to write some NSFW fics right now..... predictably, they’re emotional and intimate, and fairly vanilla haha.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge haha

11. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Does brainstorming and screaming about WIPs in @thatsdarwinism’s inbox count?

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship? lajfljsd I cannot pick a favorite anything to save my life. But some ships I like a whole bunch are Otayuri (yoi), Kurotsuki (hq), AranIwa (hq), Nicoyuki (rwtw), and ShinoTen (naruto).

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? I have these massive WIPs that have been languishing in my google drive, one for ShinoTen and one for YakuLev, and I really would like to finish them, but hoooo boy. I... don’t know if I will be able to.

15. What are your writing strengths? I’ve been told my unique plots and AUs!

16. What are your writing weaknesses? Flow and pacing.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Depends on the context.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Naruto or Warrior Cats lol

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? Hilariously, almost nothing on my top 5 kudos’d list! Touch is probably the only one. Besides that, Taking the Plunge (hq, AranIwa), cross stitch (hq, Asahi & Noya), and Needlepoint (hq, Asahi/Kenma) are all pretty high up there.

20. What’s your least favourite fic you’ve written? I think the one I’m least happy with is warm nights and glad hearts (kazetsuyo). I rushed it a little to get it out in time for a fan week, but it’s still pretty decent (in my very biased opinion). I’ll probably go back and try to edit it someday, but alas, I have other projects to work on.

Passing it on to @kaleidodreams and any of my other tumblr mutuals who write and haven’t been tagged! I can never keep track of who’s writing right now.

#ollie meta #ask #yoi #haikyuu #kazetsuyo

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godaime-obito · 6 years

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Kagatobi WIP

so id started a kagatobi thing before the semester took away all the time and energy i had for writing. ive tried to pick it up, and ive written some more but im not sure ill get back the feeling for it to finish it. if i decide not to finish it ill edit this and post it on ao3 but if i manage to get back inspiration i wont start posting till its almost finished. for now im posting it here, under the cut

Tobirama is exhausted. He’s been sorting through paperwork for far too long, and he knows he should go home soon, but there’s always another urgent form that needs taken care of immediately. He thought he had a lot of paperwork when he was just helping Hashirama, but since he stepped down and left the hat to Tobirama he’s been swamped. Anija has not returned the favor and given him any help, but to be honest when he does try to help it often makes things take longer.

He sighs, and goes to move on to the next form, when one of his anbu guards descend from their post to stand behind him. “Rabbit,” he says without looking away from the form, “What is it?”

“You look like you’ll have an aneurysm if you do any more paperwork, and it’s almost midnight. I can imagine what the obituary would be now: Nidiame-sama dead of a stroke at only 38, could defeat any foe but triplicate forms.” He stops to chuckle a little at the absurdity. “So, I’m doing my job as your bodyguard and protecting you,” Kagami finishes answering, reaching over Tobirama to grab the rest of his paperwork, “I’m just protecting you from yourself instead of assassins.

“I need to get that done,” he reprimands, “put it back Rabbit.”

“It’ll wait till tomorrow just like it always did for Shodai-sama,” he countered. He plopped the papers down in a filing cabinet and slammed it shut before adding, “and did you make up the entire anbu just so you could make me a rabbit because if so that’s a very complicated way to tease me. Why couldn’t I be Tiger or something?”

“You just look like a rabbit to me,” he says. He stands up, giving in to the request to take a break. He imagines Kagami is right about the work waiting for him just like it did for his brother.

“Are you calling me cute?” he teases, and Tobirama can tell he’s smiling behind the mask.

He hums agreeably and then teases back, dead-pan, “Don’t forget how fluffy and short you are. You’re a very soft little bunny, but I couldn’t just call you bunny, of course, since everyone else was getting adult animal names.”

Kagami sniffs, affronted, and pouts. “If you were any less of a sucker for order and regulations you’d have done it anyway,” he gripes. “Don’t come back in to work until after my shift guarding you is over, you should get a full night of sleep for once,” he calls out, as he moves back into position to follow Tobirama home.

Knowing Kagami can still hear him from his post he replies, “You shouldn’t order your Hokage around.” He’s mostly pocking at him, but he does have his image to think of if he wants to be able to scare all the various clan elders into line for village meetings. It almost gives him shivers just to think of what they’d try to pull if they thought he was willing to take orders from anyone except his own clan head.

He walks back to the compound briskly. Kagami’s shift ends in five hours, so he could still listen to him and be back to work by six in the morning. However, that isn’t really in the spirit of what he wanted, and will he really get much done if off duty Kagami shows up to nag him? No. He’ll wait a few extra hours then. He can sleep for about seven hours, have a quick breakfast, and be back in his office at nine.

Tobirama manages to avoid being derailed by Hashirama, or his granddaughter Tsunade whose only just learned to walk, but can still pull off grand panic inducing escapes. He arrives at Hokage tower just when planned. He pulls his paperwork out of the cabinet, and sets back to work. He’s regretting not having the time to get tea, when he heard a knock. Before he can invite Kagami in, because who else would it be, he swings the door open.

“Would you like some tea?” he asks setting a cup down on Tobirama’s desk without waiting for an answer.

“It looks like you already know the answer,” he replies. He takes a moment to hold the cup close to his face and bask in the steam. “Thanks. It’s nice to have some on reliable, responsible, around.”

“I’m not sure if that’s actually a compliment for me, or a vague insult for someone else, but I’ll take it,” Kagami chirps.

“The first paper I pulled out to look at today informed me that, my dear former student, Hiruzen somehow managed to set fire to part of the market earlier this week,” Tobirama grumbles in reply.

“I’m insulted, setting public property on fire is my clan’s job.”

“Don’t even think about it,” he warns.

“Kidding, kidding,” Kagami replies showing his palms in surrender, “no fun in the office, I get it.”

Tobirama gives him an exasperated stare. “I want it to be clear that if it weren’t so unbefitting for the Hokage to do so, I would roll my eyes at you,” he states evenly.

“Lies, Shodai-sama did things way less mature. The unasked-for hugging, the shouting, the crying,” he laments.

“All of that is why it’s important I keep high standards. I have a lot to make up for,” he clarifies.

Kagami stares, giving him a considering look, then drawls, “If you are always trying to balance out your brother it’s no wonder you never have any fun.” Perking up, he claps his hands together in front of himself and adds, “Shodai-sama was serious when it really counted though-”

“He was?”

“Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you, and besides, you know best of all when he’s being serious,” he replies, crossing his arms. “Anyway, if you’re balancing him and he was serious occasionally, that means occasionally you have to have fun. I can’t remember the last time you did, so you’re overdo,” Kagami declares.

Tobirama has given up on getting any paperwork done with him here. Rubbing his temples, he slowly says, “I don’t like where this is going. I have a lot of paperwork, and issues to work on. For instance, your clan, who remain dangerously set apart, even now that Madara is no longer stirring up ill-sentiment.”

“That’s perfect! Think of it like multitasking. We’ll stay in at your place tonight, instead of you staying here till three in the morning, and we can brainstorm about how to help my clan together. I’d suggest we go out, but I know you’ll get more enjoyment at home with no strangers about,” Kagami gushes, sliding into a chair by the desk.

Tobirama didn’t realize that humans could talk that fast. He breathes out a deep sigh and responds, “Fine. Just let me do my paperwork now, and I’ll leave for the day at dinner.” His nose scrunches up as he adds, “I suppose if I don’t take breaks on my own, Anija will come to bug me instead of just you, and I’d much rather it be you.”

“Ah, your age-old talent of saying-something-that-I-can’t-tell-if-is-meant-as-a-compliment-or-an-insult,” he says wistfully, leaning his elbows on the desk, and resting his chin on his hands.

“Can’t it be both? It’s important I show my appreciation for all you do, but it’s also important as your friend that I don’t let you get a big head,” Tobirama deadpans.

“Right, what are friends for,” Kagami chuckles, “I’ll be sure to remember that the next time I want to compliment you.” He slides onto the desk and leans back with his ankles crossed. Tobirama would tell him to get off, but he sat on it almost the same way when Hashirama was Hokage, and even though he wasn’t there, he’s sure Kagami would somehow know and throw it back in his face. It’s best not to make a target of himself.

“Just stop by my house for dinner tonight, so you can eat with me and hold me captive in my own home to force me to stop working,” he huffed.

“Sure thing! See you later,” Kagami chirped, popping up from the desk. He slips quietly out of the room, as Tobirama turns back to his work, he has to go heckle Hiruzen a bit.

Tobirama has only just arrived home when he spots Kagami walking towards him. He’s holding some kind of take-out, which is good, because it’s late enough he doesn’t want to cook anything. Kagami knows him so well, or else he does not like his cooking. He hopes it’s the former, but it’s probably a little of both.

Noticing he’s been spotted, he calls out, “I picked up some udon. I figured you’d barely manage to beat me here.”

“My hero,” he replies. His tone is flat, but underneath he’s sincere. He opens the door, ushering Kagami in ahead of him. Tobirama heads in to the kitchen to make tea, while Kagami sits down at the kitchen table and sets out the food.

He sets out the tea, and joins the younger man at the table. He doesn’t bring up any of what they agreed to talk about yet, as he’s content to sit and eat in silence. Just being near Kagami is pleasant enough on its own, and he often finds a lot of words just bog down the atmosphere. It’s only when they finish eating, and move into the living room that he brings up their planned conversation.

“While you’ve got me on forced leave, tell me, do you have anything to discuss regarding the issue with your clan?” Tobirama inquires.

“I love it when you talk fancy,” Kagami sighs, his usual mixture of exaggeration and sincerity.

“That wasn’t ‘fancy’ talk, and please, answer the question,” he redirects.

He sits up in reply, settling into a more serious pose. “Well there hasn’t been any new big developments since we last spoke about it. Madara and other doubtfuls about the alliance got everyone riled up about trusting the village, growing unsettlement, not integrating probably, which makes things worse and worse as more clans have join, you know? Your normal signs of impending disaster,” Kagami says, slowly losing his serious air as he speaks.

The fact that it’s been getting worse means this isn’t a problem that will go away on its own. Tobirama is definitely going to have to do something, and preferably soon. After a beat, he says slowly, “Do you think your clan would settle if they felt they had a valuable purpose in the village? More than the new clans joining?”

Kagami perks up, cocking a brow. “Go on,” he says curiously.

“I think,” he starts, leaning in slightly, “that the Uchiha need reassured that they are vital to the village. Not that we want them to stay, but we need to them to stay. Or at least they need to feel like we need them, because if we do then it would not make sense for us to betray them.”

“Oh,” Kagami says, leaning in to mirror Tobirama, “I see. Well it’s worth trying, but what can we do to reassure my clansmen is the real question.”

Suddenly, Tobirama realizes how close they have gotten to one another. Leaning as they both are at the small table their faces are only centimeters apart. The atmosphere seems to shift for a moment, and he resists the urge to glance at Kagami’s lips. Pulling away, he refocuses on talking before he can blush. “That’s what we will have to figure out. Let’s give it some time and then reconvene,” he says stiltedly. Kagami likely did not even notice how close he was. He is much more prone to physical contact than Tobirama, who reasons to himself that he is probably reading too far into things.

“Right,” Kagami agreed, shifting back reluctantly. “I, uh, actually I should probably go now,” he adds looking at Tobirama considering, “Unless…”

“Unless, what?” he asks. He genuinely is not sure what Kagami could want at this point, after all he likely has much more interesting things to do than hang out with Tobirama. He is no one’s idea of an exciting time.

Kagami looks to be preparing to say something but then abruptly deflates. “Never mind,” he hesitates, “It’s nothing.” He pursed his lips, looking lost in thought, before standing up from the table.

Tobirama gives his farewell, and looks at the udon only partly finished on the table. He wonders what prompted that sudden departure. Deciding Kagami is perfectly capable of handling himself, Tobirama finishes eating and moves on to see if he can get some work done after all. He can wait to see if he will bring up what is bothering him on his own tomorrow.

Just as he’s sitting down at his home desk, he hears his door slam open. “Wait!” Tobirama hears called out from the entry. “I change my mind, I don’t have to go. I could feel you sit down to work from across town,” Kagami shouts walking towards the office. Strange, he thinks, but it is a relief to see he hasn’t altered his priorities any. Stopping Tobirama from getting any work done is still at the top of Kagami’s list.

“Get up from that desk,” he asserts, pointing a finger at him in an embellished motion. Tobirama lifts his hand in surrender and stands up. “Right, good,” Kagami continues, “I panicked, and left for a dumb reason, and we are going to ignore that decision.”

“Panicked?” Tobirama asks, mildly perplexed.

“I just said,” he retorted, “that we are going to ignore that. It didn’t happen.” Then he steps close to Tobirama, and presses a hand to his bicep to lead him down the hall. “We are going to sit in the living room, and talk about whatever thing you’re inventing, or book you’re reading, and not do any work,” Kagami asserts.

That is, in fact, exactly what they do. As reluctant as he acted Tobirama is glad. It’s nice to talk to someone about his jutsus and his lab work who understands most of what he is saying, and doesn’t get bored half way through. He even manages not to have anymore, awkward almost-lip-staring moments, although the atmosphere he thinks only he may be feeling still descends part way into the night.

“I think I have to go for real this time. It’s getting pretty late,” Kagami moves to leave reluctantly, despite his frenzied departure earlier. Tobirama places his hand on the door frame as Kagami steps away from the entry. He turns back to face Tobirama, and steps closer placing his hand over his on the door frame.

Staring back at Kagami, Tobirama freezes, uncertain. “Is there something you need?” he asks quietly.

Looking determined Kagami states, “Actually, I am going to talk about earlier after all. I shouldn’t have just not left, I should’ve done this.” He grips Tobirama’s hand in his, and pulls it down from the frame towards himself, causing him to lean forward. Then pushing up on his toes to meet him, presses their lips together. For one, frightening, moment Tobirama doesn’t move, but then, as if coming back to himself suddenly, he moves his lips against Kagami’s. He moves in, shifting the angle, and interlocks their fingers. He pulls back, and runs his tongue across his lower lip. Kagami knows he should say something, but he finds he’s forgotten how to move his own tongue.

“I, yeah, that was what I…you kiss as good as I thought you would?” he stutters out. He managed to use his tongue, but unfortunately his brain still isn’t working.

“Have you thought about it much?” Tobirama replies with a smirk.

“Maybe regularly,” he admits, “but you kissed back, so I bet you thought about kissing me too, didn’t you?”

Tobirama hums his agreement, and Kagami abruptly feels rather stupid for not having just kissed him before. “If we’ve both been thinking off it for who knows how long, then we’ve wasted a lot of time we could have been kissing for real,” he whines.

“Perhaps,” Tobirama says thoughtfully, “we will have to make up for lost time.”

#fic:wau #fanfic #my fic #kagatobi #tobirama #kagami uchiha #kagami #naruto #tobikaga

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brynwrites · 6 years

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Ask Compilation

Topics covered:

Pearl things! (Thanks you~)

How the mighty fall in love

Leaving your love behind

Writing characters with trust issues

When someone won’t accept your feedback

All other questions should be listed on the ask queue page, which the exception of one character related ask from @christinawritesfiction.

Pearl Things.

@bargainpopsicle said: Im so excited to be able to get the hard copy of Pearl!! Ive slowly but surely trying to work in some LGBTQ+ books with great stories to my book club (symptoms of being human, let's talk about love, simon vs the homo sapiens agenda, etc etf) but there really arent a lot of trans (specificially nonbinary) main characters in books, and I thank you for providing that. I'll most definitely be recommending the book to the club as soon as I get the chance!

@spacedust-lion said: Hey, as I finally got around to reading Pearl's first chapter, I must say... that I'm in love with it! Just... Dejean and Simone's interactions, Perle's rightful distrust of the two humans, the idea of those human-eating sirens (which do seem really interesting at this point), everything makes me want to learn more about this world and its characters! I can't wait for the release the full book! (I've been a pretty silent follower up until now, but I couldn't leave it at just like this time)

AWW THANK YOU BOTH!! <3 I’m so glad you guys are enjoying Pearl. I had such an amazing time working on it, and I’m really excited to share the rest soon!

[For anyone new to the party, Pearl is my soft steampunk novel due to be released summer 2018. You can read the first chapter here.]

How The Mighty Fall In Love.

Anon asked: I was wondering if you could help me with something about my character. She is very powerful and loves her powers so much. But at the end she falls in love with a mortal and I had people suggesting it would be good if she gave up her powers to be with him but I think it's out of character... What do you think?

You have to do what you feel is best for you story. It sounds like giving up her powers would be a good point of character development, which is probably why people are suggesting it. Forcing her to choose between keeping her powers or being with this mortal (via the plot, not through the mortal giving her an ultimatum) is one possible way she could demonstrate that she loves this mortal more than she loves her powers. But it’s not the only option.

Maybe...

She doesn’t learn to put aside her power, and ends up sliding into a clear path toward destruction.

She doesn’t learn to put aside her power, and her love is hurt, but chooses to stay with her anyway.

She’s willing to put aside her power for the mortal if she absolutely has to, but she believes that her power is also important (either to her identity or because it allows her to do important things, etc) and she grows as a person by learning that sometimes you have to fight for everything you love, and through this finds a way to keep both her power and the mortal.

Her powers and her love for them is just a seamless part of her that isn’t shown to be good or bad, and her character development involves an entirely different trait.

Leaving love.

Anon asked: Can I ask if you know what conditions people are likely to leave in? I'm writing a mystery sort of novel and after the main issue is resolved, I want one of the two partners to leave (not die) the other. But I need a reason for them to because they're pretty in love with their SO, I feel like it would be too abrupt? I'm thinking corruption from a higher up could be plausible but I'm unsure,,,

Honestly, there are too many conditions to even begin to count. Try brainstorming the reasons you might leave someone you love, reasons people you know have left someone, reasons your favorite fictional characters have left someone, etc, and once you have a nice long list, see how you can alter each of those reasons to fit with your mystery novel’s plot and characters.

You can make anything plausible if you weave it into the plot well enough. Give signs early on the The Reason might be an issue, or that one of the characters is secretly struggling with it.

Writing Characters with Trust issues.

Anon asked: hi, i love your blog! not sure if you have answered this already, but if you have time i was wondering if you have any tips towards writing a character with severe trust issues? i want them to have a backstory that makes sense (why they have trust issues to begin with/what caused it) but i'm worried i'll make it too cliche or over-the-top. any thoughts or suggestions? i understand if youre busy! have a nice day

In my personal opinion, a character shouldn’t have to have some tragic explanation for their problems. Real people often have things like trust issues simply because their trust was betrayed in little ways over a long period of time, or because they never learned to work through the issue the first time it happened and have created for themselves a self-fulfilling prophecy.

However, many readers are accustomed to having negative emotions and traits supported by some incredibly tragic piece of backstory, so without it, it might be a bit harder to convince everyone your character’s trust issues are warranted.

Try to show these trust issues front and center in the character’s life. What emotions does it bring up? How does it effect little, everyday choices? What does the character think about their own trust issues; (do they realize they have them, or do they justify them, or are they oblivious?)

Don’t rely on internal monologue (“wahhh everyone betrays me”) if you can demonstrate it through unreliable narration (”I can’t meet with Pam for lunch, she’s just trying to sell me her art”) or action (over-reminding the barista that it’s the blueberry scone because they were given a lemon one once three years ago and don’t trust this coffee shop anymore.)

When someone won’t accept your feedback.

Anon asked: Hello! I've been working with someone as their beta, and while they've requested that I help them with their blind spots, I've been having difficulty explaining to them not only what their blind spots are but also how to develop them into strengths - they flatly don't believe they're actually as inexperienced as they are in those given areas. Do you have any ideas on how to explain things, please? I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job as a beta.

If you haven’t already, you should check out this post on giving good critique! Some other things to keep in mind:

Some writers don’t actually want to face their flaws (even if they say they do.) There’s nothing we can do about that, and in those cases sometimes it’s just best to quietly step away.

Many writers need time to process through the fact that the thing they thought they’d done well is actually not great after all. (I can’t count how many times I’ve wanted to snap at someone for daring to point out something that obviously wasn’t an issue in my writing, only to come back a few hours or days later and realize what they said was right, and I can see the signs of it clear as day.)

Sometimes writers who are very far beneath your skill level in a certain area need to be giving simpler things to fix. Make sure the things you point out are manageable for their skill level in that area. Even if they can’t see the whole picture of how much they have to grow, small movement in the right direction will get them closer to where they eventually need to be.

#writeblr #ask compilation

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creatingflamecontent101 · 4 years

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Hello all my fellow models of ALL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS! Come one, come all! Come some, but not all! (At least not all at the same exact time, !) Now this is simply a look of the brainstorms in my mind ! I have so many great Ideas and if i leave em in my head they’re as useless as the ‘LL’s’ in Tortillas. I have done my research, ive worked quite freaking hard! I’ve signed up for trials, and even put some charges on my debit card! But It’s okay, and it was money well spent, Scared money don’t make money is actually the term I meant. I’m NO Albert Einstein, not an Expert by any means! However if its done right, us ladies need to work all as a team! A team to make this money go round, no more living paycheck to paycheck type shot. Now tell me how that sounds? We as Women have an advantage as creatures, we have a trait most males lack; can anyone answer me what trait is that? If you said Patience, yes my friend you were right! And us ladies are a whole hell of a lot prettier, and much easier on the eye site! Monetize yourself and show the world that beauty! IWhat are you waiting for get to following me and you’ll be making racks soon enough if its meant to be!

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ MY WELCOME POEM!

HELLO MY FELLOW CONTENT CREATORS HOW THE HELL ARE WE ALL DOING TODAY? ITS FRIDAY, I AINT GOT NO JOB, I AINT GOT SHIT TO DO TODAY-....BAHAHA,

ANYWAYS ITS MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND AND THIS WEEKEND I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR FOR A VERY LONG, LONG TIME NOW TO LAUNCH MY NEWBIE/FELLOW MODEL FREE HELP BLOG HERE ON TUMBLR! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE HELL COMES UP WHEN YOU SEARCH ONLYFANS ON TUMBLR? IT LITERALLY SAYS, “IF YOU WERENT LOOKING FOR ANYTHING YOU FOUND IT! NOTHING TO BE FOUND” SO I AM HERE TO CHANGE THAT! I JUST NEED TO GET ENOUGH GIRLS ON THE SELF HELP BY CASS IN SOCIAL MEDIA 101 FOR DUMMIES TRAIN AND IF YOU WANT TO BE A PASSENGER WHEN I BLOW THE WHISTLE YOU BETTER BE PREPARED FOR THE RIDE(FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING) OF YOUR LIFE! MY NAME IS ARIA SKYE AND IM AN ADDICT, ADDICTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA MONETIZING AND SEEING HOW MUCH MONEY I CAN MAKE SITTING ON MY IPAD(KIDDING-KIND OF) BUT MY MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG IS SO THE RIGHT GIRLS WHO ARE GENUINE, HONEST AND HARDWORKING-NOT TROLLING ON OTHER MODELS PAGES, LEAKING CONTENT, PUTTING ONE ANOTHER DOWN IN THE WORST WAYS POSSIBLE AND HUMILIATING THEM IN FRONT OF THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING THATS WHAT I WILL NOT HAVE IN MY BLOG FEED. RESPECT IS ALWAYS A MUST AND YOU MUST OBEY THE RULES OR I WILL BAN YOU FROM THIS PAGE!

MY MAIN IDEA OF THIS IS SO THAT US YOUNG LADIES HAVE A GO TO PLACE THAT WE CAN SAVE ON OUR HOMESCREEN AND BE ABLE TO QUICKLY PULL THIS BLOG OPEN, LOOK FOR THE TOPIC YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH AND QUICKLY FIND YOUR ANSWER! AND IF ITS NOT ALREADY POSTED ON THE PAGE BY MYSELF, SEND ME A LITTLE MESSAGE AND ASK ME YOUR QUESTION AND I WIL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER IT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY ! 💯 (WITH PROOF TO BACK UP MY ANSWERS) IN A RUSH AND HAVE CONTENT TO POST? IM THE ONE STOP FREE CAPTION SHOP! I DID NOT WRITE ALL CAPTIONS, I DID WRITE SOME, BUT THE POINT IS THEYLL BE HERE FOR MY LADIES IN NEED TO COPY AND PASTE TO THE CAPTION AREA IN A MATTER OF A ZIP-A-DEE ZAP-A-DEE DOO AND YOU CAN SCHEDULE YOUR. JUICY POSTS WITH ONLY THE SASSIEST, MOST FUN, MODERN DAY AND UNIQUE CAPTIONS THAT ANYONE EVER DID SEE! I WILL NEED A FEW LADIES HELPS TO GET THIS THING TO TAKE OFF, DM ME IF YOU SHARE THIS BLOG AND ILL (IF YOURE A GUY AND INTERESTED, ILL HOOK IT UP WITH A FREE MONTH OF MY SITE FOR EVERY SUCCESSFUL SHARE- MEANING I SEE RESULTS HAPPENING AND KNOW IT CAME FROM YOU! WHEN YOU SHARE THIS BLOG, SIMPLY JUST SNAP A SCREEN SHOT AND DM IT TO ME SOMEWHERE ON ONE OF THE MANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS LISTED IN THE BANNER:

FACEBOOK.COM/MISSVIOLETSIN702

INSTAGRAM.COM/ITSCASSSIEBXTCH

TWITTER.COM/XsasssyXcassieX

SNAPCHAT: @CASSSDGAFSXO

ONLYFANS.COM/ITSCASSSIEBXTCH -VIP PAGE

ONLYFANS.COM/ITSMYBIRTHDAYBXTCHES <TEMP LINK FOR ONLYFANS.COM/VEGASSFINESTXOFREE

WITH ALL THIS SAID,, ILL POST MORE INFORMATION AS I GO ALONG WITH EACH POST. TO START THIS THING OFF RIGHT IM GOING TO POST SOME CAPTIONS AND TEACH YOU ALL THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTION/HASHTAGS IN YOUR POSTS, ARE YOU READY? ALL ABOARD! LEGGGGGO.

STAY TUNED FOR MY LIVESTREAMLINK TO HOLD SOME Q&A’S.

LOVE ALWAYS- YOUR SISTER FROM A FEW OTHER MISTERS

ARIA SKYE BECAUSE THE SKY IS THE LIMIT BABY DOLL!

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obsxduri-blog · 7 years

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Intermissions I-IV: Catching Up

Blog Guest: Jou

Preferred name: Jou Preferred pronouns: They/Them Timezone: USA EST UTC -5

Preferred writing style (script, para, either): Either Preferred writing genre: A roadtrip to hell with brief respites. Anything that causes characters to change, either drastically or over time. Characters developing bonds & relationships & affecting one another. (I’d say the typical “fantasy/scifi” but uh, Obscura’s already got that covered?) Genres you’re less interested/would rather not partake in: It’s just not believable to me if characters are 100% happy all the time, I guess? Any other writing preferences?: I’m so flexible it hurts.

Favorite color: Purple! Specifically, blue-violet. Favorite/lucky number: 3 (which I accidentally gave to Duri as well, for. Reasons.) A song/show/drama you’d recommend: Ore Monogatari!! & Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live. Fill in the blank: “You’re always free to message me about ___!” Plotting; cats; characters; anything you want, really. If you could choose a species in Obscura that you’d like to be, what would it be? Why?: Beast-blooded because I’m not a furry, but given the opportunity to be a real-life dragon, I’d take it. What is your ultimate weakness; what makes you feel all soft and squishy inside?: FRIENDS.... Write the first thing to come to mind in caps: WEEEEH???? Three random facts about you: I am 5′10″ (178 cm) which means I am disgustingly tall (actually, the rest of you are very short). Currently attending art college! My two moods are soft & meme.

II.

How long have you been rping?: Eight years, though is my first KRP. Do you write outside of rp?: Yes! Talk to me sometime about my 80+ OC’s. OwO Which days/times do you get the most writing done?: Whenever I have time to sit down.

If your muse(s) could describe you in a few words, what would they say?: “Haunted by a lack of sleep.” or something. I have difficulties describing others’ personalities, let alone myself, even in the frame of a fictional character doing it. What is the most wicked thing you could imagine your character doing?: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Witches, man. We’ll definitely see, though. If your muse(s) were real, would you fight them?: I’m pretty sure Duri needs a lot of therapy & some good friends, so no, I am absolutely not fighting this one. If other people or other muses want to fight Duri, though? By all means.

What object would you erase from existence if given the opportunity?: Headphone jacks in computers that don’t quite work. They’re hellish. If you had a billion dollars and could only spend it, what would you buy first?: Pay off my crippling college debt, buy a house big enough to move in all of my friends, get my transition rolling w/o dealing with insurance stuff...this is probably too realistic to be meme-y, sorry. If you could play any sport, what would it be?: Weight-lifting or hand-to-hand combat/self defense. Or parkour. Do you have any fun hobbies or talents you’d like to share?: I think I already mentioned going to art college, but yes, I do art! And that’s...pretty much my entire identity now...!!!! Do you have/want any pets?: I have six! Two dogs (Benny & Chooch) & four cats (Izzy, Dagda, Mozz, & Zoot).

III.

What’s the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to you?: One time I managed to win $200 in a scratch-off game on vacation? That’s objectively pretty lucky. I’m also just...really lucky to know the people that I do, have the friends that I have, and be loved like I am. If you could attend any concert or event right now without any obstacles, what would you choose?: Time travel me back to see Queen & David Bowie. ;_; I am a simple gay. What’s your dream vacation?: Big city with Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? Any style preferences?: I drink. SO much hot chocolate over the school year. I also really love tea, and I have been...sort of getting into coffee. Ish. I go to Starbucks sometimes because that fuckin’ Midnight Mint Mocha was literally made for me. A game you love ( traditional, video, etc )?: I LOVE AND HATE BIOWARE GAMES. They single-handedly destroyed my aversion to retaining canon & shipping canon/OC characters. Crappy ending? No problem! Didn’t happen! One of your favorite characters got thrown into the void because of an arbitrary choice meant only to punish people who didn’t take one specific choice early on???? They’re fine, they crawled OUT of the void. AU WHERE THANE DIES? NOT AN AU I LIKE. THANE LIVES ON HAPPILY WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND, RECONCILED WITH HIS SON AND HE’S. FINE. THAT’S THE NEW CANON.

Favorite/Number one go-to internet meme?: I type like you would expect the Internet to in private (lots of periods/commas, Capital Letters, trademark symbol, raNDOM CAPS). I like bone-hurting juice? Calling people furries? Least favorite internet meme?: Crave that mineral. Something that makes you want to flip a table?: Memes.

In your opinion, do you fit the stereotyped traits of your western zodiac sign? Do you believe that another sign fits you better? What about your muse?: I’ve been told by people with more expertise than me that I pretty much fit the textbook definition of an Aquarius: weirdo, mysterious, deep-thinker. I had to go look up Scorpio stuff for Duri, and like...she’s more like it as MagCoChe? Since that’s the kind of person she wants to be (intense, caring, brave, etc). She’s also pretty ambitious (#JustLittleWitchThings) & stubborn with that ambitiousness. So, I guess she does fit Scorpio! Just...not in the way you necessarily expect those things to manifest, since people tend to talk about Scorpios as though they’re very confident. Post a gif of what you’re currently feeling right now.

IV.

Do you prefer to brainstorm your plots or wing them? Do you have no preference in either?

I like to have some sort of skeleton of where to go, but I’m fine with winging it from there—I feel like the meat of a story can’t truly be found until you’re within it & writing it. That being said, I’m also very partial to plotting out where things will go in terms of those skeletons? I basically like having a guideline, and then playing with that.

What kind of writing memes do you like, if any (sentence starters, drabble memes, head-canon memes, etc)?

I just love memes in general! I feel like some surprising things come out of the drabble memes (I know I really enjoy reading what others come up with for those), but each kind serves their own function, especially in terms of what the mundane feels like writing.

What’s the easiest way to plot with you? Alternatively, what is the easiest way to contact you for plotting?

I am absolutely okay with plotting over Tumblr, but as long as I am awake, I am on Discord. (Other members can friend me through the OBS chat!)

What kind of movies/television series/dramas/anime/etc do you like to watch?

I watch a disgusting amount of superhero movies due to my stepfather’s interests. I’ve also been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation for the same reason, as a family activity. That being said, I gravitate heavily towards fantasy & scifi genres when it comes to consuming media of my own volition!

Would you be interested in the occasional group viewing of a movie/series/drama/cartoon/etc, if one were to be organized?

Absolutely!! I feel like movies are more feasible just because we all live with vastly differing sleep schedules & time zones, but I would happily do any. ovob

If yes to the above, do you have any specifics in time or day as to when you are available to attend? If no, is there any group activity that you would be interested in participating in (ie, games of some sort)?

I’m pretty much available whenever I’m awake/online? I probably wouldn’t be able to do anything from midnight to 10 AM or somewhere around there, but it also depends on my class schedule.

If you were caught up in a food fight, what food would you throw first?

Something that leaves a stain or sticks, so something with tomato sauce or a food like rice. Or maybe I’d just lob a full slice of pizza through the air in hopes it would hit someone topping-side first. Who knows?

If you could be any mythological beast, which one would you be and why?

Who says I’m not already an alien. Or a dragon. Or both. Have any of you ever seen me in the same room as an alien dragon?? I think not.

Top five things that make you happy?

My friends because I’m terribly sappy, cats & animals of all kinds, talking about OC’s & muses, video games, memes?

Share a picture! It could be of your bias, a cute animal, a drawing, a meme, an anime wife—anything you’d like!

#obs: munday #OOC.#( at this point there should be another tag for my fellow tuesday-posters )

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toganeshiro · 7 years

Text

Victor Nikiforov May As Well Replace Your Smartphone

fandom: yuri!!! on ice

pairing: victor nikiforov/katsuki yuuri

rating: general audiences

genre: romance, domestic, fluff, humour

word count: 2176

warning(s): none

summary: Yuuri never thought by living with Victor Nikiforov, the living legend, would slowly reduce his need of his smartphone.

mirror link: fanfiction | ao3

Victor Nikiforov May As Well Replace Your Smartphone

Yuri!!! On Ice © Kubo Mitsurou

This is a work of fanfiction, simply written for the purpose of enjoyment and entertainment. I gain no financial profit from writing this.

i. He could be your alarm.

"Yuuri, wake up! We have morning practice today."

Groaning, his palm searched for the duvet and hoping he could pull them up to cover from the chill. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found. So instead, he settled for curling like a cat and burying his face on the pillow. He knew Victor had raised the curtain without even opening his eyes and he cursed under his breath.

He hated mornings.

Just as he was almost dozing off again, a hand shook his shoulder and he groaned louder than before.

"It's morning, Yuuri. Wake up wake up wake up wake up―"

"Let me sleep..." Yuuri finally mumbled out words, muffled by the pillow yet still audible.

"Nope! Wake up now or Yakov will be mad."

The bed sank near his sides and suddenly a full body weight weighted down on him, his eyes snapped open. "Victor! You're heavy! Get off of me!!"

Victor's arms rested on his shoulder blades with his head on top of them. His toned body should've weighted several kilos more than Yuuri considering his height but he lied comfortably on top of Yuuri, legs swinging back and forth.

"Then promise me you'll wake up~" His neck could feel Victor's breath in his every word, he shivered from the sensation.

"Okay okay!! I'm awake now!"

Giggles were clear on his ears as Victor removed himself from Yuuri. He exhaled a deep breath before searching for his glasses on the nightstand. He stretched his arms and back before walking towards their bathroom, yawning.

It was when his hand reached the doorknob that his phone went off with the alarm.

He returned to the bed and picked up his phone beside the pillow and turned off the alarm.

Ever since living with Victor and sharing the bedroom, he had always been woken up before his alarm went off. Usually he would be hitting the snooze button several times before actually waking up and regretting those extra minutes of sleep he took. In some other times―most of the times, actually―he would just sleep through the alarm ringing in the background.

Regret befell Yuuri every day.

Still, he repeated yet again the very next day.

Yuuri unlocked his phone and clicked on the clock settings. There were eleven alarms listed from 07:00 to 07:10 each having one minute gap.

But now with Victor waking him up every day, his alarm hadn't been doing its job.

He deleted them one by one until his alarm list was empty.

Victor was a better alarm, after all. Instead of just sounds in the background, Victor sometimes even dragged him to the bathroom and helped him brush his teeth. One effective morning alarm, Yuuri should say.

ii. And push notifications.

"Yuuri, Phichit mentioned you in Twitter."

"Your fans said on your tagged video that your step sequence is even more beautifully refined now."

"Wow, your photo reached 500 likes in the first five minutes. Your fans must be delighted you finally posted something."

"Oh, Chris said you look adorable in the photo I just uploaded. You should reply something, Yuuri."

"Yuuri! You really should come and read this thing one of your fans linked to you!"

"Yurio commented on your photo, Yuuri. Should I reply for you?"

Yuuri sighed.

He preferred turning off push notifications for his SNS since they distracted him most of the time. Reading nice comments were nice, but he would prefer to avoid the chance of reading harsh comments and ruining all his confidence for the day.

He wished they had options to filter the positive comments from negative comments.

Who would have thought Victor would gladly be his push notifications filtering only things he needed and wanted to know.

iii. Even be your personal music player.

Yuuri loved music.

He had a good number of songs stored in his phone. From classical to pop songs, video game soundtracks and even catchy Thai songs Phichit recommended. He loved listening to them when he's doing chores, waiting for people, or listening just for the sake of it. He brought his headset with him anywhere, in case he needed them.

But lately his headset had been kept neatly in his bag, only used in practice since he's sharing the rink.

"―che tu... hm―ato forse abbando―hmm..." Victor kept humming while his hands busy washing the dishes.

Yuuri stopped scrolling his Instagram feeds. The lyrics sounded familiar.

He had to say, in all honesty, Victor Nikiforov the living legend, was a bad singer. A really bad one. Out of tune, messy tempo, off pitch. The first time he heard Victor's singing, he had to stare full two minutes at the gorgeous man brainstorming the title of the song he was singing.

However, this time the lyrics caught his attention and he felt like he knew those lines.

Yet Victor wasn't really singing at the moment; he's half humming half singing and Yuuri had a hard time making out the title.

"Victor, do you know you're a bad singer?"

Victor stopped the work of his hands and looked over his shoulder to Yuuri who was resting his head on Victor's back. Face down with his phone hiding between himself and Victor's back. He didn't say anything so Yuuri lifted his head up to meet Victor's eyes―only to see him pouting, before muttering one word; "Rude."

And Victor continued with washing his dishes.

But he continued singing anyway and Yuuri leant his forehead to Victor's back again, smelling the detergent on Victor's sweater before resuming with the feeds of his SNS.

And after a few lines of lyrics Victor sang, Yuuri finally recognised the song.

Ah, it's Stammi Vicino, Non Te Ne Andare.

He hummed quietly following Victor's messy tunes as the lead while waiting for his fiancé to finish working with the dishes so he could give Yuuri the hug he needed.

Might not be the best music player, but Yuuri enjoyed the time he spent trying to figure out the song Victor's singing and humming along Victor's messy rhythm and tunes.

iv. Update your SNS.

After drying off his hand on the dryer, Yuuri took his phone from his pocket which had buzzed a few times while he was washing his hands. He checked and it was a text from Phichit.

dont go yet, I hav smth I need to give u!!

Yuuri frowned and replied, Don't go where?

dont go from the restaurant! I'm around the area, just give me 5 minutessss

He was about to type 'how did you know where I am?' but he stopped and cleared the text field. This had happened a few times before. He closed the text messaging app and opened his Instagram instead. It loaded up with Victor's post was on the topmost.

A photo of Yuuri happily enjoying his extra large serving of katsudon, checked in to the location of the restaurant they're at right now.

Oh.

Of course.

Even without needing to update his own SNS, all his information starting from his location, what he ate, even his activities for the day were all for the world to know through Victor's account.

v. Functions as your translator.

The shoes he tried on fit so well on his feet. But he still thought the colour was too striking for him. An attendant was standing near the display so Yuuri waved his hand and she approached him.

"Excuse me; do you have any other colour for this design?"

She gave him a quizzical look and Yuuri cursed inside his head.

Right, now that he wasn't really in tourism spot anymore of course he should have conversed in Russian and not English.

"Eta obuv'... duru―dru..." Oh shit. Yuuri can't remember the word he needed. He quickly fumbled his pocket to get his phone when someone's hand pressed firm on his shoulder. The voice calmed his getting-rapid breaths.

"What's wrong, Yuuri?"

Oh, Victor came back from the restroom.

"I wanted to know if they other colour for this pair of shoes."

Victor smiled and turned his head to the attendant, "Yest' li drugoy tsvet dlya etogo?"

"Da, pozhaluysta, podozhdite," she nodded and left for the storage room.

Yuuri sighed in relief.

He had been learning Russian bit by bit ever since knowing Victor personally. Yet the intention only solidified after he moved to St. Petersburg. He wanted to be able to at least do daily conversation, but with all their practice for the upcoming season―he just hadn't the time.

And since Victor would be helping him with communicating for the time being, he figured he could take his time before he's fluent in Russian.

vi. Free time? Why play games when you have Victor Nikiforov?

Yuuri had an app of MMORPG in his phone. There was an account with well-levelled character logged in it.

He wasn't as active as he was back in high school, being busy and all. But he made sure to log in occasionally just to the get daily log in bonus (which monthly stamps he never filled in anymore). Then when he had longer free time, he would play for an hour or two.

He loved video games. It's just not too compatible with his lifestyle at the moment.

He missed whole tons of special events and bonuses. Not that he could blame or complain to anyone.

Then lately Victor had been occupying his free time with any kind of activities. It could be just out for shopping or revising their programs. Making his account even more abandoned than before.

He loved his time being occupied with Victor, it was warm and soft and nice and comfortable.

But was he sure to leave his game he loved so much for this?

"I want a day in a week where I won't be disturbed at all for at least four hours."

"Why!?"

"I've been neglecting my game."

And just with that, Victor quietly complied and tried to fit their plans for shopping and other things on one day of the weekend and leaving the other day for Yuuri's game time. He thought it would be harder to convince Victor, but Yuuri was glad Victor understood without commenting more on it.

But of course, at first, whines could be heard from the four hours of Victor being neglected.

Yuuri felt bad for ignoring him and even pondering if he should cancel his request.

But the third week was quieter since Victor settled himself for reading his books on the same couch and tangling their feet in silence. Sometimes knees brushing, or simply leaning on another's chest feeling each other's warmth while doing their own things.

Victor was a good replacement for game time or so did the other way. But Yuuri decided he wanted both his Victor time and game time instead of one replacing the other.

vii. And probably be your reminder?

Weird.

Something had been bothering him since they returned from afternoon practice today. They got home and had lunch, then proceeded to laze on couch watching TV while Makkachin rested on their laps. It's almost evening and Yuuri still couldn't focus on the TV drama Victor loved―not that he could understand what they're saying even when he's focusing.

"Victor... Are we supposed to be somewhere this afternoon?" he finally asked.

"Mm... Nope. Why ask?"

"Just a feeling."

Was it just him, then? But the weird feeling as if he'd forgotten something still hadn't left his chest. Was it a promise for a meal with Yurio? No, he would've contacted them if they didn't show up otherwise. What about their shopping list? Probably there's a sale or something th―

"Ah!!!!" Yuuri nearly shouted, still loud enough to startle Victor.

Panicked, Victor asked, "W-what is it, Yuuri!?"

"Your dentist appointment―" No need to finish his words to get Victor wide eyed. Quickly taking his phone and noticed the time had long past their appointed time. Victor groaned, Yuuri followed.

"I should call them to apologize for this and make new appointment," Victor dialled the number from his contacts.

Yuuri sighed and unlocked his own phone too, accessing the Reminders. He had two lists on them, one of them was "Shopping List" while the other one was titled "Victor".

He accessed the latter and saw several lines there, empty check boxes on each of the lines' left side.

Release date for Victor's fav author's book 26/04/2017, 09:00 am

Buy Yurio a cat if he breaks his own record in Nationals

Meal with Chris Tomorrow, 01:00 pm

Interview with IFS magazine 11/02/2017, 10:00 am

Costume fitting 12/02/2017, 11:00 am

He never needed the app for his own interviews, costume fitting, appointments or promises. So now he wondered why he had to be the one keeping this list in his phone instead of Victor doing it on his own.

Reminders was one of the app that he ignored and sat quietly in the last page of his phone before, but now he's fully utilising the function of this app.

(Ah, unfortunately Victor Nikiforov still doesn't support Reminder feature.)

End.

a/n1: this turned out cuter than I thought.

a/n2: (sorry for if the Russian part was wrong, I used google translate since I know nothing of the language.)

a/n3: thanks for reading!!!

#victuuri #victuri #viktuuri #vikturi #yuri on ice #tshiro writes

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lucyariablog · 5 years

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16 More Quotes to Inspire Your Content Marketing

In 2017, I shared a compilation of 23 inspirational quotes, from Rachael Ray to Ann Handley to Andy Weir and many people in between. Each of those quotes continues to inspire me and impact the way I think about content marketing

Today, to kick off the new year, the CMI editorial team asked me to share some more quotes.

I’ve been a quote junkie since I was a kid. Some of the quotes I’ve included this year I picked up recently. Others came from the dog-eared journal I started in 1993, which includes gems like this one:

Embarrassing? Absolutely. But …

My hope is that you pick up some inspiration from these quotes or think about familiar ideas in a new way.

Maintain your energy

Much of the work we need to do as marketers – and, more importantly, as makers – requires us to think and create. And, quite frankly, there is only so much time we can meaningfully write, develop, or create day in, day out.

Michael Simmons captures the idea perfectly in his article aptly titled An Ambitious Person’s Brutally Honest Take On Work-Life Balance:

“In the world of long-distance running, the idea of someone starting off a race by sprinting as fast as they can until they collapse from exhaustion is obviously stupid. Yet, when it comes to our careers, many of us follow this mentality.

Expert marathoners, on the other hand, purposely run slower than their full potential so they can run longer and actually win the race.

We need to redefine hard work from how many hours we work in a week (the equivalent of our sprinting speed) to how consistently hard we work over a long period of time.”

And, speaking of marathons, we often hear how content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, and many articles reference 18 to 24 months as the time frame to build a brand with content marketing. But in the last few years, things have gotten more difficult, and, as Mark W. Schaefer observes, the journey requires more time:

What I determined was that it took, on average, between two and three years for a personal brand to really ignite. Two and half years. Wow. That’s 30 months of patience.

On average, it takes 2-3 years for a personal brand to ignite, says @markwschaefer. #quotes Click To Tweet

Maintaining focus is tough, especially when the work required will take months, if not years. But, this insight from Entrepreneur Editor in Chief Jason Feifer plays in mind to help me stay on track:

I don’t want to work nonstop – that only ends in burnout – but I want to make sure I’m using my time as wisely as possible. So I started measuring time in terms of outcome. I’d ask myself, ‘What do I get for this hour spent? What can I show for it later?’ … There may never be time for everything, but there is always time for plenty. It’s just a question of priorities.

There may never be time for everything, but there is always time for plenty, says @heyfeifer. #quotes Click To Tweet

While maintaining that focus is an ongoing journey (ahem, struggle), the best thing to get me back on track is unadulterated, pure quiet. I emphasized this idea in my previous quote post, and it’s why I was so mesmerized by this quote from Zen master Ryutan:

You are like this cup; you are full of ideas. You come and ask for teaching, but your cup is full; I can’t put anything in. Before I can teach you, you’ll have to empty your cup.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

7 Productivity Killers for Marketers and How to Fix Them

How to Brainstorm and Prioritize Your Best Content Ideas

Do, don’t (over)think

Like many marketers, I love coming up with ideas and starting projects, but I can burn out as the project slogs on. But these next quotes remind me that the actual doing (not the thinking about doing) are most important.

You’d be hard pressed to come up with an idea so bad that it couldn’t succeed with the right execution. And it would be even harder to imagine a great idea that couldn’t fail if the execution were left to morons. Ideas are worthless. Execution is everything. – Scott Adams, Dilbert creator

Ideas are worthless. Execution is everything. @Dilbert_Daily #quotes Click To Tweet

You are not a leader because you have better insight – you are a leader because you make decisions. – David C. Baker, The Business of Expertise

Embrace constraints

Too often we bemoan lack of time or lack of budget or lack of (insert your gripe here). But sometimes, it’s these very constraints that help us focus.

Here’s a fact: Creativity comes easier within constraints … Constraints make the haiku one of the world’s most moving poetic forms. They give us boundaries that direct our focus and allow us to be more creative. This is, coincidentally, why tiny startup companies frequently come up with breakthrough ideas. They start with so few resources that they’re forced to come up with simplifying solutions. – Shane Snow, Smartcuts

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The 3 Behaviors Driving the Most Creative Content Marketers

Connect with the (right) people

Another thing that keeps me energized is working with people who challenge me – and whom I enjoy. I have been proactively reaching out to marketers and business owners this year, and while not every conversation has an action, I always learn something new. (And, thus far, everyone has agreed to talk.)

Working with people who challenge me energizes me and my work, says @MicheleLinn. Click To Tweet

Allen Gannett expresses this idea clearly in this quote from his book The Creative Curve (I recommend it):

The point is, don’t wait for someone to take you under their wing; initiate the process yourself. If you meet someone who is successful in a field you want to learn about, approach them. Be curious. Be relentless!

Don’t wait for someone to take you under their wing; initiate the process yourself, says @Allen. #quotes Click To Tweet

My business partner, Clare McDermott, and I often talk about the value of “creative abrasion.” I always look to work with people who ask questions, poke holes in my thinking, or otherwise give me a new perspective. While too much friction isn’t a good thing, embrace what Allen calls the conflicting collaborator:

For this reason, I call the ideal person to work with a conflicting collaborator. Basically, you don’t want to collaborate with someone who is so easy to get along with that they don’t push you. The goal is to find a person who will help you discover and overcome your flaws.

Here’s another reminder why it’s critical to embrace other perspectives:

Our senses are limited therefore our view of the world is limited. This is not a problem unless we start believing that what we perceive is all there is to be perceived. – Peter McWilliams, self-help author

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The Secret to Hitting the Creative Sweet Spot

Embrace your own path

One of the drums beating loudly this year is eschewing best practices and forging our own paths (and the more varied perspectives you have, the better).

As such, I can’t help but be reminded of this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. (Did anyone else go through a transcendentalist phase in high school? Just me? My quote book is littered with ideas from Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.):

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail, says #RalphWaldoEmerson via @MicheleLinn. #quotes Click To Tweet

Taking your own path also means having a point of view, which Meera Kothand summarizes in her book, Your First 100. (Meera is a new-to-me content marketer I stumbled upon this year. I’ve really enjoyed her action-oriented emails and books):

Value doesn’t come from feeding your audience with free tips that everyone else is already saying. You provide value when you’re able to inspire a commitment to change. You add to the content literature in your niche when you have a distinctive point of view. This is also how you build content authority.

You add to the #content literature in your niche when you have a distinctive POV, says @MeeraKothand. #quotes Click To Tweet

This is not to say that we can’t learn from others, but I challenge you to take the best of what you know, apply it, and do you.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Your Brand Needs a Point of View, But Do You?

Start now, from where you are

This last set of quotes (of which there are quite a few) may be the most important and universal. Own where you are and keep moving forward.

I unfortunately don’t know who said this next gem, but I have repeated this quote numerous times since I heard it at Content Marketing World last year:

“You can’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”

It echoes these popular Chinese proverbs:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

“Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”

And I leave you with this quote from Jay Acunzo who is talking to all of my marketing friends who experience this sense of paralysis because we think our work can be better:

Perfect isn’t the enemy of good, nor is it the barrier to done. I just think we’re framing the idea all wrong. Aspire to perfection over time, but make sure you’re taking one step forward today.

Aspire to perfection over time, but make sure you’re taking one step forward today, says @jayacunzo. Click To Tweet

Continue to prioritize, do, and own the best possible version of yourself, while making sure you have a hearty dose of quiet, so you can recharge and keep moving forward no matter where you are.

I’d love to hear what you are thinking about as we start the year. Share your favorite quotes – or ideas – in the comments.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The Best Content Marketing Books of 2017 to Boost Your Creativity and Productivity

Get weekday inspiration and practical advice from CMI’s newsletter. Subscribe today.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post 16 More Quotes to Inspire Your Content Marketing appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

from https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2019/01/quotes-inspire-marketing/

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smireyac · 5 years

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yea boi u already kno what it issssss 🍾🎆🎉🍾🎆🎉

hey so i started writing this at 8 o’ clock so i would be ahead of the game and actually have more than an hour to write but HEY its already 20 after midnight so who the eff care amiright ladies

WOOOOO 🍾🍾🎆 🎉 🎆 🍾 🎉 🎉 🍾 🍾 🍾 🎆🎆 🎆 🎉 🎆 🎉🍾 🎉 🍾🎆 🎉

so.................... its 2019.....................

i watched vox’s “2018 in 5 minutes” video and cried so thats how this year has been :^) a lot of lows......... we always think we leave the shittiest year behind then lo.............. the next year rears its ugly head and we never learn............ despite this, im gonna try to keep a positive outlook on the new year......... its literally just another day and i have to be in at work @ 9 tmrw but its what ever im already super fucking tired whats losing another hour of sleep anywahy?? its practically expected of me any way what with being a youth,,, ANYWAY i spent my time ringing in the new year watching spiderman homecoming so i think that wa sGREAt its also great that im gonna get to see spiderverse AGAIN tmrw after work so SUCK ON THAT im ringing in the new year RIGHT!! its a very spidey new year and i wouldnt have it any other way heh.....

alright

so its time.... to reflect...........

and actually reflect this time last year was weak sauce compared to the first year “im too unfocused right now happy new year or whatever” *scoffs* what r u too good for self reflecting now a days huhh

been doing a lot of self reflecting this year,,,,,, but today we will look back on how the previous years have gotten me to where i am today...

if 2016 was the year of change and 2017 was the year of getting used to things.............. 2018 felt like............ the year of getting TOO used to things, of not ENOUGH change............. like alright i scratched a few of the bigger things on my yearly “to do” list/resolutions, i. e. finally going back to school and getting a job at the library, but like.......... i definitly dont feel like i did enough........... my art game was SO WEAK and i feel like i wrote less than 10,000 words ALL YEAR (not counting my academic papers) i didnt really CREATE anything this i dont have ANYTHING significant to show for this year............and to get more negative i didnt even make any friends all year NONE FRIENDS im only *just* starting to get more friendly with people at the library thank GOD theyre nice and gave my shy ass a chance to open up but i still dont feel like ill make FRIEND friends theyre just work friends and u kno what thats making me so pissed bc its tricking my dumb ass into thinking i have a crush on someone at work aND that i want a *romantic* relationship with them!!! OUTRAGEOUS im so peeved.......................... i also still havent gotten behind a wheel but at this point im not sure if i will anytime soon bc im That Way..... grrrr im just mad thinking of all the things i didnt do so motherfucker i will make 2019 the year of DOING!!!! and i had so many resolutions last year i feel like the more i had the less i felt like i had to do them, like i was just saying all that to be like “oh wouldnt it be nice if any of these things happened lmao” so yeah 2019: the year of DOING... and since ive kinda sorta figured out that writing is my thang.... i think i wanna focus on doing that.. and anything that will help me do it

SO: #GOALS for 2K19

-WRITE AT LEAST 50.000 WORDS U COWARD, more than just “brainstorming” too bc thats like a cop out, write like stories or dialogue or scenes or scripts or WHATEVER just make it to 50,000 pls some people do that in like a month

-READ UR GOD DAMN BOOKS, u *cant* buy anymore if u dont read the ones u’ve already bought,,,, im willing to make an acception re: checking things out from the library................ but u rlly shouldnt IT WOULD’VE BEEN SO EASY TO WIN THE BET DUDE srsly..... maybe .... an hour b4 bed ? try to read ? at least try to read once a week dude....

-heres a curve ball WATCH MORE MOVIES !!! u say u love film well fuckin act like u do...... u only went to the movie theater 5 times all year and three of those were all in the last month to go see spiderverse, more than that HOW MANY movies are there on netflix that u see and go “oh i should watch that finally” or “people say thats rlly good bro” and u scroll right past to watch the same 3 fuckin movies i s2g

-oh yeah back to the writing thing, to reach that 50,000 goal u should write about what you read and watch, there u’ll prob meet the goal b4 summer if u do that bro but....u actually gotta do it....................

ok those r the 4 im REALLY gonna work on and try to keep track of in either of the journals sien got me :^) these next few i rlly want to happen but..... we’ll see

-make some friends pls.... pls be more friendly......... ENGAGE people when u have the opportunity askQUESTIONS about them like if they have a dog or a hobbie jesus h christ

-go out..... on ur own..... do stuff............by urself if u have to... go to the movies by urself go to a park, walk around down town for the fuck of it idk DO STUFF

-finish something............ for once in ur miserable life...................................... finish the vlog or the scrapbook..... or the reading list or this set of goals PLEAsE ANYTHING

im not even gonna put draw/art blog related stuff on here bc........ its not what i want........ like i love drawing and i dont think im terrible at it, im at a good place with it but i dont wanna put my energy this year into drawing stuff for the sake of me being able to say “i did it” like...... last yr and the yr b4 i rlly RLLY wanted to get better at art to idk prove that i could?? but like i havent picked up my drawing tablet in months ... that makes me really sad but i dont really feel like picking it up either? ? i said i wanted to take a painting/color theory/ life drawing class maybe i will this yr and it’ll reinvigorate my love of drawing........ tbh spiderverse got me *this close* to being pumped about art and animation and like yeah i still am, i love the medium and its still a dream of mine to be apart of it but it feels like a pipe dream if i try to go thru the art angle........ so many people r better than me at that and its not really what i wanna do,,, i wanna CREATE STORIES and worlds and characters and like i used my art to help *me* develop those but... i dont wanna use my art to do it for someone else i guess............. the art of animation itself still facsinates me so they door isnt close yet but,,, i wanna focus on the other aspect of myself that im more and at the same time LESS confident about lmao WRITING like alright,,, i think im a good writer .... sorta ? like yeah people tell me i am and sometimes when i look back on things ive written im like “dAMN i wrote this ???” but like,,,, there are some things to writing that still. escape me... like poetry.... and a lot of other aspects to it that i cant describe write now bc it would take too long and im getting cold and tired SO YEAH hopefully this english class will help me, even tho its just writting for college essays, i need to start somewhere and if shes rlly as good of a professor as rate my professor says then ill learn smthg new

where was i

well the year wasnt ALL bad, like i said i got the job at the library i wanted and FINALLY got to go to school, stressful as that mightve been........ and i got to see my love, my darling, the light of my life rhys again for one glorious week,, hopefully ill be able to see more of my friends this year? either in miami or milwuakee idc which MAYBE BOTH lmao im not that rich but hey i can dream,,,

alright its 1:12am i think im ready to sign off,,,,,,,,, here’s to DOING in 2019

🥂 cheers

#omg i talk #happy new year

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themoneybuff-blog · 6 years

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Case study: Starting with less than zero

I am not a trained financial expert. Im not an accountant, Im not a financial planner, and Im not a stock broker. Whats more, Ive made many many money mistakes on my own financial journey. As a result, Ive always been reluctant to sit down with people and go over their budgets. That seems to be changing. In March, I spent a couple of hours talking with a friend about her financial situation. A few days ago, another friend asked if Id be willing to meet with him in the near future to puzzle through his budget woes. And yesterday, I took three hours to chat about money with my friends Wally and Jodie. As always, Ive changed names and certain identifying features in the story that follows. Unless I have explicit permission to share details, I do my best to protect peoples privacy when I write about their intimate financial lives. Wally and Jodie have recently begun dating. Hes in his early forties (and recently divorced); shes in her late twenties. They both work in food service, and have done so all of their lives. Their trouble and the reason they asked me for help is that they cannot seem to make ends meet. They work hard but never have anything to show for it. In fact, they feel like theyre falling further and further behind. Can you help us? Wally and Jodie asked. I can try, I said. Lets look at your numbers. An Income Problem To start, I said, lets look at how much youre bringing in. Thats part of the problem, Jodie said. We dont have a fixed income. Because most of our money comes from tips, we cant predict how much were going to make from one month to the next. Right, said Wally. And it doesnt help that our hours are irregular. We both work at several different restaurants. Some pay better than others. Plus, there are days when you wont have any customers. When that happens, youre sent home early with nothing to show for it. Well, how much would you say you make on average? I asked. Wally and Jodie made some calculations. I make maybe $1400 per month, Wally said. On a good month, Ill make $1700. And Jodie makes another $1500. These numbers are after taxes. Jodie nodded. But we each just picked up a shift at a new restaurant. That should give us each maybe $500 extra each month. Thats great, I said, jotting down numbers in my notebook. But I dont like looking at potential numbers. I learned the hard way that when you budget based on future raises, bonuses, or other expected sources of income, you can get into real trouble. Obviously, you hope that extra money comes through, and when it does, you can apply it to your budget. Until then, though, its best to ignore it. I thought for a moment. My first impression before we even look at your spending is that youre not making enough money. Youre making less than $3000 per month combined. We should brainstorm some ways you can earn more. Starting with Less than Zero I turned a page in my notebook. Now, lets talk about how much youre spending. Thats the problem, Jodie said. We spend exactly what we bring in, no matter how much we bring in. That means theres never enough to catch up on our debts some of which were behind on. What are your biggest expenses? I asked. Well, our apartment costs $900 per month but itll go up to $950 pretty soon, Wally said. Not bad, I said. Thats actually a great price for Portland. And its a reasonable amount based on your income. I explained how the average American household spends one-third of its income on housing; I advocate aiming for 25% or less. Food costs money, Jodie said. We budget about $100 per week for groceries, but thats just bare bones stuff, you know? I have a car payment, Wally said. In fact, thats one of our biggest problems. I took out the loan when I was married. My ex-wife and I are both on the loan. It seemed reasonable at the time. Now, though, its a pain in the ass. I owe $12,500 on the car and payments are $300 per month. To make matters worse, Im already a couple of months late on my payments. This is causing me a ton of stress. It makes Jodie stressed, it makes my ex-wife stressed, and it makes me stressed. Hm, I said. I dont have any experience with getting behind on payments. I used to live paycheck to paycheck, for sure, but I was lucky. I never had an accident or got sick, so I was always able to make payments on time. I dont know that I have any good advice for you about this problem, but maybe some of my readers at Get Rich Slowly could help. Wally nodded. Honestly, thats one of our biggest frustrations with the money advice weve found, said Jodie. All of it assumes that youre starting from zero. Or more than zero. What if youre starting with less than zero? What if youre deep in debt we have $35,000 in debt, just like you used to and what if youre behind on your payments? What then? All of the advice we read seems to be written by rich people for rich people. Yeah, I can see how that would be frustrating, I said. Like I said, I dont have experience starting at less than zero. I started at zero. I was deep in debt, but once I stopped spending, I already had a gap between my income and spending, so I could immediately start paying down debt. You two have some catching up to do. We need to figure out how you can play catch-up. A Mountain of Debt As we worked through their budget, I was mostly impressed. While Wally and Jodie arent bringing in a lot of money, theyre not spending a lot of money either. As with most budgets, they did have some discretionary items that could be cut, but not a ton of them. (Their biggest discretionary expense seems to be local travel. Theyre spending a couple of hundred dollars each month to visit family and/or have fun with friends.) My biggest concern was their debt. Between the two of them, they have $35,000 in debt: $12,500 for Wallys car, on which hes upside-down. (I wish I could just sell it and wipe out the debt, Wally said. But Id still owe about $3000 if we sold it.)$12,500 for Jodies student loans.$10,000 of miscellaneous debts, such as $500 they just spent to buy new tires after getting stranded because of a flat. To complicate matters, Wally and Jodie are going through several large life transitions right now. Wally is fresh from his divorce, they just moved in together, theyre both trying to find permanent full-time jobs, and theyre thinking about moving to a cheaper place to live. So, thats our situation, Jodie said. For good or ill, thats what we have. Where do we start? How do we get out of this mess? Well, I said, the good news is that I think youre both capable of working together to build a brighter future. The bad news is that its going to take some time. Its also going to require some sacrifices or what seem like sacrifices. If you want to fix this, youll have to do some stuff that sucks in the short term. But I want you to remember: Most of these sacrifices are temporary. Theyre only until you manage to get rid of the debt. I read what you wrote about growing up poor and having a scarcity mindset, Wally said. I totally relate. My family was poor too. Any time my parents got money, they spent it. They felt like they deserved to treat themselves because theyd gone without for so long. And looking at my own life, I see that I do that too. Thats a tough trap, I said. I totally relate. And I know first-hand how when youre poor, you feel like any windfall should be spent on fun. But if you want long-term happiness and financial stability, you have to decide that for a year or two youre not going to give in to that temptation. When you get a bonus or a raise or a big tip from a table at work, youll put that money toward your financial goals, not toward a nice dinner out. Once you get rid of the debt, you can have all sorts of nice dinners out. But until then, you have to agree to make a game of living on less. Growing the Gap I want you to focus on two things, I said. The first thing is the gap between your earning and spending. Right now, you dont have a gap. Youre spending exactly what you earn. Its impossible to save for the future or to catch up on your debt if you dont make more than you earn. So, to start, you two need to do whatever you can to increase this gap. I turned back to my notes on their budget. You should trim your budget in whatever way you can. You dont have a lot to trim, but if theres anything you can cut, cut it. I know family is important to you, but maybe you can explain what that youre trying to get out of debt and need to take some time off from the visits. Or maybe make the visits shorter a weekend instead of a week. And remember: Youre not cutting these things forever. Youre only cutting them until you get rid of your debt. Wally and Jodie nodded. Because you dont have a lot to cut from your budget, I continued, I think the best way for you to increase your gap is to find ways to earn more money. Right now, youre both working at two or three or four different restaurants. You only have a few hours per week at each place. None of the restaurants are that nice, so you dont make great tips. Honestly, I think this is where you should focus most of your attention. Wally sighed. Weve talked about that, he said. Wed love to earn more, but nothing ever seems to work out. One place says its going to give us more hours, but it never does. Jodie will pick up a shift a nice restaurant across town, but then its a logistical problem to get there. I get frustrated by how much time is involved with all of this. Thats a good point, I said, and I dont have a good solution. Actually, you know what Id do if I were you? Youre both great servers. You do good work. Your bosses like you, and so do your customers. If I were you, I wouldnt be looking for work at diners and cafes. In your spare time which I know isnt much you should be applying for work at upscale places. When you work at a nicer place, you dont do any more work, but you make a lot more money. Plus, you have the advantage of interacting with a different sort of clientele. If you build relationships with some of them, who knows where that could lead? When I was in college, I made money by waiting tables. I received several job offers from regular customers who were impressed by my work ethic. I suspect that if Wally and Jodie were in the right environment, theyd experience the same kind of thing. Another option is to pick up a few hours work doing something completely different, I suggested. Maybe Jodie could work in a womens clothing store. Maybe Wally could do yardwork or handyman stuff. I think we get where youre going with this, Jodie said. We need to increase the gap between our earning and spending. Because we dont spend a lot, the best way to do this is to earn more moneysomehow. Yep, I said. Thats the gist of it. Thats the first thing I think you should focus on. Taking Baby Steps The second thing you should tackle is your debt. I know you both have things you want to save for long term, but I want you to put those dreams on hold for now. You cant save for your future until you pay off your past. My dad tells me I should save first before tackling the debt, Jodie said. He says I should build six months of savings before anything else. What do you think? I disagree, I said. I think saving six months worth of expenses is a fine goal, and thats absolutely what you should aim for. But thats not where you should start. As you increase your gap between earning and spending because remember everything depends on this gap I think you should apply your money according to the Dave Ramsey plan. Here, Ill explain. I made a modified list of Dave Ramseys baby steps: Build a basic emergency fund of roughly $1000 (while continuing to make minimum payments on debt). My advice is to keep this fund in a brand-new bank account that isnt connected in any way to your other accounts, I said. You want to make this easy enough to access when you need it, but not so easy that you can just access the money on a whim.Pay off all debt using some version of the debt snowball method. When I was struggling, I couldnt figure out how to get out of debt, I said. Dave Ramseys version of the debt snowball helped me. In your case, Id use a slightly different version. Wallys car seems to be a huge psychological weight. You two need to prioritize that. After youve saved your emergency fund, throw as much money as you can at debt with everything extra you can find going to that car.Save an enhanced emergency fund equal to six months of normal expenses. After youre out of debt, beef up your savings. I know youll want to start saving for other goals right away, but dont. Take time to add some margin to your life. Youll be glad you did.Pursue long-term financial goals, such as traveling, moving to Idaho, or buying a motorcycle. You know whats awesome? I said. After youve taken time to pay off what you owe using the debt snowball, then you can immediately start building a wealth snowball. If youre paying $500 toward debt each month, then once that debt is gone you can immediately start saving $500 per month! That all sounds great, said Wally, but to be honest, J.D., in some ways your advice is just like the other advice. What do you mean? I asked. Well, its assuming that were starting from zero. But were not. Were starting with less than zero. I have an idea, said Jodie. What if we added a step zero to the baby steps? We could call it putting out the fires. Before we save the basic emergency fund, we could throw every dollar toward catching up on the car payments. I think thats fantastic, I said. In fact, I think thats really smart. If you can take some quick steps toward increasing your gap between earning and spending, then you should be able to get caught up on the car within a few months if nothing goes awry. Then you can pursue the plan Ive laid out. Wally nodded. I think that makes sense, he said. Final Thoughts After three hours on the back deck, I sent Wally and Jodie home with a handful of money books. I could tell their minds were bubbling with new ideas. (Is gas for the car a Want or a Need? Wally texted me yesterday afternoon. I love it!) I know that Wally feels frustrated. He hates being over forty yet feeling like hes in the same place he was when he was twenty. I get it. But heres the thing: He has to adopt a beginners mind. Start where you are, I wrote in January. Dont fret about the past or how other people are doing. Wally needs to accept that his situation is what it is and work to improve from that point. Knowing what I know about these two, I really do believe theyre capable of starting where they are starting with less than zero and destroying their debt in a relatively short period of time. It took me 37 months to get out of debt. (I started on 21 October 2004 and finished on 03 December 2007. Thats a total of 1139 days to pay off $35,196 in debt.) Progress was slow at first, but accelerated rapidly toward the end of that period. Wally and Jodie have exactly the same amount of debt as I did when I decided to become CFO of my own life. My challenge for them is this: Get out of debt quicker than I did. Do it in less than 1139 days. If we count yesterday as Day One, then 29 September 2021 would be day 1138. Wally and Jodie, my hope for you is that together you can be debt free by that date or sooner. What advice do you have for Wally and Jodie? What can they do to improve their financial situation? Did you start your financial journey with less than zero? Have you ever fallen behind on payments? If so, how did you handle it? How did you caught up? https://www.getrichslowly.org/less-than-zero/

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radawz · 7 years

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Castle Bellver & EVS on-arrival training in Navarra

Palma EVS, Week 3 & 4

July 18th - August 3rd

Welcome back! It's crazy, but I already had my third week of EVS. Time is flying by quickly, so I'm not going to waste more time with the introduction and I will just get into it. :)

On Monday we had our 2nd weekly meeting in the office and amongst other thing we discussed the upcoming on-arrival-training that will take place in Pamplona and – travelling included - it will last for 6 days . Trainings are part of EVS (SVE) and other than this one, there also will be a mid-term training too in a couple of months.

After the meeting ended Maria Antonia explained us what she is doing on the behalf of Acción Balear. She is organizing international volunteering (IV) opportunities and work camps (the good kind) in Morocco that take place during summers. If you want to know more about these projects than take a look at the website. Me and Pier also learned about the future plans for IV and ways to help Maria Antonia with the promotion of these opportunities.

Next day in the afternoon we visited Banys Arabs (Arab Baths). It's a tiny place close to the Catedral with a lovely little garden. It costs 2.5€ and it doesn't take longer than 15-20 minutes to explore it. In my opinion it's worth to check it out, but it probably shouldn't be your first or even second destination when you visit Palma.

Later that day we went to watch a movie in Parc de la Mar (in front of the Catedral). From the middle of July until September 10th there are plenty of nights when you can do the same. It's called Cinema a la Fresca and it's completely free. But you need there like an hour before the movie starts to get the best seats. And don't forget to bring some some snack & drinks. Here you can find a list of the movies.

The day after we went to a nearby bakery, because on Wednesdays it is Ruta del Llonguet– from July 20th until October 26th – in 49 bakeries/ pastry shops you can get a drink and a sandwich for 2.5€. Expect something like this.

On that day we visited SPAP Mallorca, an animal rescue centre, daycare and shelter for dogs & cats. And although in an ideal world animal shelters wouldn't even exist it was nice to see all these animals and meet the people – volunteers too – who take care of them really well.

On Thursday we went to check out Espais Joves, a youth organization who offers all types of activities for the local youngsters. They can play board games, video games, browse the internet, record song tracks, dance, practice yoga, cook, bake, etc. I'm looking forward to participate in one of their future activity. The yoga lesson on a surfboard seems quite interesting for example.

We also had a meeting with another organization called Amadip. They are working to get a quality life and equal opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities and their families. For example they cooperate with restaurants to be able to offer job opportunities for the people they are working with.

In the afternoon we went to Can Pere Antoni, the closest beach for the second time. It's an okay playa, but it's definitely not in the great category (like Playa Illetas for example).

On Friday we went to SPAP and went to a walk with 6 dogs. 3 separate walks, 1 dog for each of us every time. It was good fun and a pretty good exercise at the same time, because some of the dogs were not only big, but they were excited as well.

We started Saturday with a tour to Bellver Castle (Castell del Bellver). Climbing up to the castle is obviously not as difficult as getting to the top of the Everest, but the heat made it quite challenging. The castle is one of the most iconic sights of Palma, it's a must-see. A little history and amazing view from the top of the castle.

After getting back from our tour we spent the rest of the day in the apartment until around noon we went out to check out the nightlife of the city. We found a good little bar and after a beer we got some mojitos and thanks to Pier we ended up playing “Never have I ever...” (“Yo nunca...”) with four girls from Mallorca.

I guess it's hardly surprising that Sunday was all about relaxing. The only noteworthy event of the day was at the evening, when we ended the week watching another movie of Cinema a la Fresca. I can confirm that Guardians of the Galaxy is still entertaining if you watch it in Spanish with English subtitles.

Next week's post will be mostly about the training in Pamplona and the transformation of the apartment we live in. Should be an eventful one, that's for sure. But for now, thanks for reading!

...or maybe keep reading, because the post up until now was written last week, but now I have another few days to write about. And all I can say is that a lot happened during those days. So, let's get into it.

July 25th – August 3rd

In the last days before traveling to Alsasua for the training we had 2 meeting about EVS in Inca with Probens and Joan XXIII. By now I'm very used to sitting in a room with others who speak about the voluntary service in Spanish and I know it does not sound like hard work, but trust me, it is very tiring to try and understand bits and pieces of a language you don't speak. I really have to pay attention, or otherwise I just end up daydreaming. :D

Wednesday was an important day for me and Pier, because it was the day when our temporary flat mates, Susana and her 2 daughters were moving out. As the apartment was getting more and more empty we started to paint the walls with Xavi & Pier. After we finished and the movers left with all the stuff we said goodbye to Xavi and we were almost immediately joined by Pier's Italian friends, who came to Palma for a week or so.

We went to the beautiful Illetas beach for the second time and later they invited us for dinner where they cooked spaghetti carbonara. But the evening was not over with that, because after all that we headed to the city and had some beers on the square. I was quickly in the company of 11 Italians and I had a great time with them. We got back to the apartment around 2 am, which normally wouldn't have been been a problem.

BUT, what I didn't mention before is that we had to leave Palma very early that day. The taxi were waiting for us at 4:45 and I slept like 30 minutes before starting our journey to Barcelona/Pamplona. We took a flight to get to Barcelona.

We spent about 3 or 4 hours in the city, we checked out La Sagrada Familia and La Rambla during our short stay. I know that some people like the story of the slow building process of the Sagrada Familia, but to be perfectly honest it kinda spoiled the experience for me. It will be a beautiful thing when it's done, but the presence of the cranes and safety nets is not a great look. The first thing I was thinking about was that I would not stay in the world's best, most beautiful hotel even for free, if it's still under construction. But as I said, when it's finished, it will look brilliant as a whole.

We left Barcelona by train and after 4 hours - that felt like forever - we arrived to Pamplona. We met the group and I could barely believe that there were other 3 Hungarians.

Later I found out from one of the trainers, Ruth that usually only big nations – like Germany or France - , where EVS is more popular are represented by 4 people on a training. So it was an unexpected surprise. In the group we were mostly speaking English to not to exclude anybody, but when we were alone we spoke in Hungarian and it was refreshing, because since I'm here I only use my language when I call or message my family and Hungarian friends.

But to mention the rest of the group as well: it didn't took long to realize that the whole group was awesome and great to hang out with. It's such a shame we only had 6 days to spend together. (So far.)

After arriving to the youth hostel in Alsasua - where we were living during the training - we had the rest of the day full of activities and towards the end of it I was barely able to stay awake due to my short sleep the night before. After we finally could go back to our rooms, me and my new roommate, Danni from Denmark were not exactly optimistic about the week ahead of us. It was probably because some of the activities seemed a little childish and pointless. And we were also very tired. Thankfully things got a lot better by the second day and after that it was a great rest of the week.

We had activities in and around the hostel including games, discussions about the duties and rights of EVS volunteers, group exercises to get to know each other and daily Spanish lessons. We learned about insurance, conflict solving, Youthpass, personal projects, etc.

A memorable day was our third day in Navarra, when we went for a trip in Pamplona. Sightseeing in a beautiful city, a great dinner with tons of food, funny Germans, a former Hungarian EVS volunteer and a great night in one of the bars of Alsasua, where we were regulars during the nights of our training. It was a small place, but it was alright to have some fun after all the daylight activities.

My favorite group activity was easily the intercultural evening, where every volunteer had around 3 minutes to show something interesting about her/his country. Volunteers from the same nations worked in a group.

After some brainstorming we (Hungary) decided that we would make a presentation of an Eastern Monday tradition called Water Throwing / Water Pouring. On this day men go to visit female family members and friends to pour water on them with buckets, water sprays, or cologne in exchange of painted eggs and some alcoholic drink like pálinka. It would take a while to explain the reason behind this tradition, so google it, if you want to know more about it. Also, here is a picture of what it looks like when you do it properly, the old-school way.

Shortly after we decided to go with this idea, we learned from Lucia, a fellow EVS volunteer from Slovakia that a very similar tradition takes place on Eastern Mondays. The main differences seemed to be the type of the drink (tatratea) and the “whipping” of women during water pouring. Don't worry it's not as bad as it sounds, although some women (in both countries) don't like this tradition, that's for sure.

But let me get back to the story: After realizing how similar these traditions were in Slovakia and Hungary, we teamed up with Lucia and the 5 of us presented how the lighter versions of these folk customs look like in reality.

This day also ended with some celebration within the hostel and later in the bar. Obviously.

Our last full day in Alsasua was on Monday and it ended with big fiesta, a long and really good one. :) But this time the bar was only for us and unlike on previous days almost everybody was there from the group. And it was fun, a lot of it.

The night made it completely worth it to almost miss the bus that I had to get on to leave Alsasua in the morning. But Tuesday as a whole just sucked. It was only 6 days since I met the people in the group, but it was awful to say goodbye to them. Even though I appreciate every minute we spent together and I will remember this week forever, but the thought of not seeing these new friends regularly is just awful. Thankfully we are already planning to meet up. I can only hope it will happen soon.

The travel back to Palma was similarly long to the one we had a few days ago to get to Pamplona and our flight was delayed which meant that we only arrived back to our apartment around 1am, but that was just the second worst thing of that day behind saying goodbye. I think what makes it difficult for me to handle this situation is the uncertainty. When you leave your family and old friends behind you know they will be there, when you go back months later, but when you make new friendships with people and you have to leave them after only one week then there is no guarantee at all. And as much as I want to be optimistic, the little “what if...?” still stays in the back of my head.

The first day back in Palma was very different to the previous 6, when we had the company of more than 20 people all day long. Luckily we had some distraction on Wednesday, because we went with Maria Antonia & Xavi to look for a couple of new stuff for the apartment, which is fairly empty at the moment. We managed to get 2 sofas, a little table and a few smaller stuff, so the piso is improving. :)

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themoneybuff-blog · 6 years

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Case study: Starting with less than zero

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themoneybuff-blog · 6 years

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Case study: Starting with less than zero

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