WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF: CRY / CRIED / CRYING

Imagine deciding to engage in vigilantism at age kid to rein in a middle aged man and prevent him from harming himself and the people around him and end up merging your personal identity with your job until you get a crisis when said person dies and you have no idea what you are✨ then you proceed to go loose a spleen isolate yourself from your support network and work yourself to death until boom your mentor is alive

Now you’re stuck in comics limbo where they don’t know where to put you along with half of your siblings

story outlining methods, pt. 1:

take off your pants!! (“take off your pants!: outline your books for faster, better writing” by libbie hawker)

this outline starts with a character — specifically their biggest flaw — and leads to five points that will make up the core of your story. it’s best for plots and subplots that focus on overcoming the flaw!

this outline doesn’t just have to be used for coming of age novels. it is just as important in your dystopian, fantasy, or thriller novels that the main character learns something or has changed by the end.

STEP ONE: think about your character

your main character — what is their name, and what are their important features?

what are your character’s flaws? what about their FATAL flaw? ex: hubris, overconfidence, stubbornness, etc.

STEP TWO: think about the end of the story

the story (whether the main plot, a subplot, or a facet of the main plot) is the journey lead to overcome the flaw. now that you know the character’s flaw, you know what lesson they need to learn.

the end of the story = the flaw mastered, the lesson learned.

STEP THREE: think about the external goal

the external goal is the plot, the outer motivation to push the character to the end of the story where the goal is mastered. if you remember my post on quests, you know that a quest has two reasons to be there: the external factor (shrek saving fiona for his swamp), and the real reason (the lesson learned)

the external goal should provide a chance for the character to recognize their flaw and begin to change. how does your plot tie into their character development?

STEP FOUR: think about the antagonist

thinking about the external goal should reveal who the antagonist is. the antagonist should want to achieve the same goal or a goal that impedes with the protagonist’s goal. the antagonist should be the biggest obstacle to the character.

STEP FIVE: think about the ally/allies

the character(s) that is capable of forcing the protagonist down the correct path. where your protagonist most likely will resist changing and confronting their flaw, the ally will help force them to do so anyway.

STEP SIX: think about the theme

so what’s the point of your book? if you are struggling to boil it down to one sentence, you might want to think about it a little longer. this is what keeps the story feeling coherent. what are you trying to tell us?

STEP SEVEN: think about the plot

each main plot element should somehow relate to the core of the book, aka the character’s development in overcoming their flaw

OPENING SCENE - set the stage. address the flaw or the theme

INCITING EVENT - what forces the character out of their everyday life and into the story?

REALIZING EXTERNAL GOAL - what makes the character begin seeking their goal?

DISPLAY OF FLAW - if the character’s flaw hasn’t been made blatantly clear, now is the time. make it known to the reader.

DRIVE FOR GOAL - what is your character’s first attempt to reach their goal?

ANTAGONIST REVEAL - how do you first show your antagonist’s opposition to your character?

FIRST THWART - what happens to your character that keeps them from reaching their goal?

REVISIT FLAW - show the character’s flaw again, even if they themselves aren’t aware of it yet.

ANTAGONIST ATTACKS - what does the antagonist do that makes things worse?

SECOND THWART - where your character fails most likely due to the attack

CHANGED GOAL - the character finds a new goal or focuses on the external goal in a different way

ALLY ATTACKS - what does the ally do to force the character to see the flaw?

AWAKENING - the character knows what they must do to reach the external goal. how will you show that the character has also awakened to their flaw? how will you show them changing?

BATTLE - the final showdown with the antagonist!

DEATH - the character’s flaw dies here. how will you show that the character truly is different now?

OUTCOME - show whether the character won or lost the external goal, reveal the theme of the story.

naturally, you don’t have to follow that outline exactly, but it can be a good place to start ;)

Draco being the dramatic bitch we all know he is

and Pansy tired of having to deal with it

My Patreon & Ko-fi <3

Studying in Undergrad

I started University in September of 2014. I was in the faculty of sciences and was undeclared because I knew I was not smart enough to get a high paying job doing research. Thankfully whether I was declared or undeclared it didn’t matter. First year sciences is the same for everyone.

This was how I studied for the first 2 years of uni.

1.) Study in a Comfortable Location

Most people find libraries to be a good place to study, however I do urge you to try unconventional places. For example inside a car or laundromats. The place that is chosen does not have to be aesthetically pleasing as long it works to keep you comfortable and focused. You might be pleasantly surprised where you find you concentrate the best.

The place I am most comfortable studying is in the living room while my family was watching TV. I got yelled at all the time to study elsewhere, but it was the living room that I found the most comfortable and where I concentrated the best.

2.) Set Deadlines

Most people know how to set deadlines or so they think. It’s important to know when everything is due and keep that in mind at all times to have a certain level of baseline tension (If that makes any sense). Most people don’t like to get stressed on a daily base, but it’s better to have a low level of daily stress than a high level of stress for a few days. 

I am a very anxious person, so once I know something is due I will do/start it that day even if the due date is 2 months away. I understand that this was very extreme and requires a lot of discipline, but this will prevent or lower the chances of part 3 from happening.

3.) Have Breakdowns (When due)

It’s normal to be overwhelmed by all the deadlines that are coming up, the bad grades, the uncertainty and everything that comes with being a student. It’s okay to be stressed to the point to having a breakdown, as long as you can recover. 

How I prepared for the impending feeling of doom was to have a good cry session. Set a time limit and only breakdown during specific circumstances. This is a good way to release all the negative emotions that has built up. 

4.) Study Hard

I’m not a naturally smart person, so there is no such thing as “studying smart.” I got through the first 2 years of undergrad by studying hard. This requires a lot of work and sacrifices. It’s not fun nor is it pretty. 

Being a full time student requires dedication, motivation and perseverance. Studying and getting good grades is one aspect of getting an education, however it is not the main. It’s important to study hard for the end goal of how you want your life to go.

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”

- Sir Winston Churchill

The Book of Names lists each person murdered at Auschwitz

Bro, is it gay to give hairpin as gift to your shixiong?

memes n shit from twt

you can click on this button once daily to help palestine and support other causes in the middle east for free. it takes literally 5 seconds and could help save lives so please take the time to click and share this link.

happy holidays!! :D

OG Shen Qingqiu waking up and remembering his torture at the hands of Luo Binghe. Yue Qingyuan is above him, all concerned because he’s been running a fever for days now. The thing is about remembering the torment he went through, is that he remembers that Yue Qingyuan died.

He remembers that demon bringing the remains of Yue Qingyuan to him. Even under all of that torture, Shen Jiu had never once broken. Not until he learned that Yue Qingyuan was dead. Gone. Because of him. “A-Jiu?” The words are softly uttered and then he suddenly has a lap full of Shen Jiu in his lap. 

He’s trembling, Yue Qingyuan realizes, still with shock for a moment before he wraps his arms around him. He doesn’t know what to think, nor why he’s awoken, only to show such an intense reaction. Yue Qingyuan has never seen him so shaken before.

He’s about to speak, but today is a day for yet another shock. “Qi-ge.” Those words that he never thought to hear again are uttered, and he goes still in his shock. Something had happened to so thoroughly shake Shen Jiu that he’d uttered those words that brought a bittersweet pain to his chest. 

Shen Jiu needs a bath, to be properly taken care of, but Yue Qingyuan pays that no mind for now. “I’m here. Xiao Jiu, I’m here.” Come what may, he won’t leave him like this. No matter what. He won’t abandon his Xiao jiu ever again.

(And if his robes are stained with tears in the aftermath, Yue Qingyuan doesn’t dare to speak of it once Shen Jiu has composed himself. Yet the image of Xiao Jiu crying will forever be ingrained in his mind. Ah, he thinks through the pain, This is what breaking feels like.)