Don't hesitate to remember

Hello! I'm Lia. I'm a twenty-seven year old white American sapphic lady (cis, she/her/hers).  I haven't reblogged anything in some time, but eventually I'll go through my drafts!  I enjoy podcasts and science and I'm currently studying to be a medical lab tech.  Blog background is from idontevenknow-anymore.tumblr.com, and icon is from picrew (adriabun.tumblr.com) 

[mioxenoblade]

Do every retail employee a favor this Thanksgiving/black friday: stay home.

[neverending-monologue]

How is everyone else’s NaNoWriMo going?

Today I spent most of my shift at work (it’s a quiet day and I’m allowed to work at my desk when there’s no customers) working on my personal NaNo project, which is another draft of my in-progress sci-fi story.  Since it’s just Part One of a larger project, I don’t think it’ll be fifty thousand words, but I’m almost done.  I’m on the chapter that needs the most rewriting, so honestly, even if I don’t finish by the end of November, I won’t mind.  It’s the part that needs the most time, so if it takes me longer to make a draft I’m proud of, then I’ve met my personal goal as far as I’m concerned. 

And then I’ll have to plot out parts 2 and 3...

[loveydoveykirk]

remember when 8tracks was super popular and you could often see a playlist advertised on here like once a day (whether in tags or on your dash) and pretty much every character/fandom had at least one playlist and there were tons more for ocs and tracklist posts on here could get over 100,000 notes? and then they implemented that rule where you could listen to one hour a week for free otherwise you had to pay? and after that, all these 8tracks playlist posts that were so common on your dash or in tags just stopped pretty much immediately. like, it was so popular, but i haven’t seen a new one in years. imagine fucking up that badly

[bimbocracy]

Controversial opinion but any appearance-based gotcha will always be pickme shit

[bimbocracy]

calling a shitty, bigoted girl ugly bc of her physical features isn’t subversive. this isn’t about whether or not it’s justified, i’m not saying bigots themselves deserve better, but when you call a physical feature ugly you are calling everyone with that feature ugly. also it’s 2019 do we really need to get into why it’s not progressive to call women ugly when they suck for actual legitimate reasons

[ithinkiplaygames]

[rabid-raging]

[theweefreewomen]

[tweet from Atla Hrafney @ Editing Deadlines @AtlaTheWriter: A lot of folks tend to attach their self worth to their creative work, to the point that if they don’t Produce something, they feel like they’re lesser. The truth is, if tomorrow you stopped making art or writing or whatever it is you do, people would still love you just as much]

[cariocake]

I'm glad the Firbolg that says stuff like "you work in the ground and your name is groundsy. There is nobility in this"

Is already just, the brains of the operations

[janmenart]

these are a tentative first pass, but here’s my take on the boys so far! I think bud is my fave

[fivewrites]

I think the people who say “You don’t need to be critical of every piece of media you consume” fundamentally misunderstand what we mean by “critical”.

When we say “be critical of the media you consume” we don’t mean “be negative” as in, find every flaw and pick it apart CinemaSins style.

We mean “examine it”. Like, look at what you are consuming, and in many cases, enjoying, and ask yourself why you are enjoying it. Ask yourself who made it. Ask yourself if you are the target audience. Ask yourself if you are being represented by the characters you see. Ask yourself if the author has biases or political leanings they are trying to include in the story.

Just, ask yourself questions. The answers don’t have to be negative. That’s not what being critical means.

[neverending-monologue]

I know I’ve barely been active on here lately, but I’m going to queue a bunch of stuff from my likes folder soon, and since it’s November, I thought I’d talk about what I plan on doing for NaNoWriMo.

I wasn’t sure what I would do this year since I didn’t have any ideas that felt like a good new novel.  My problems in past years have been that I come up with my idea too soon or too late, so I wasn’t able to commit an entire month to a novel that I really didn’t care about.  Even though NaNo is about challenging yourself, I believe that if you no longer care about the novel you’re writing, it’s valid to either change your project or quit. 

This year, I’ve been pretty busy.  I’m going back to school and working two jobs.  I’ve still found time to write, but not to come up with a “new” idea.  Instead, I’ve been working on things I’ve already had in progress, including a sci-fi story.  The sci-fi thing is something I came up with a while ago, and in the past few months, I’ve been working on drafts for Part One.  Since I’m on the fourth draft at this point, I think that instead of doing NaNo, I’d set a personal writing goal that I finish at least the draft I’m on now, and then maybe a second draft before the end of November. 

I feel like I reblogged a post before about how the best way to edit is to rewrite.  I think that’s not a bad strategy if you’re on your rougher drafts.  What I’ve been doing is, after I complete a draft, I go back through and change grammar, and if I notice big plot holes or big things I want to change, I print out the *entire* draft and then follow along as I retype things.  It’s easier to rewrite that way if I can follow the written draft as a guideline and then add things as I go, rather than copying and pasting. 

What is my story about?  I feel like maybe I mentioned it a year ago when I first started working on it.  It’s about a bunch of people who go to jail (in space) and deal with capitalism (in space) and form sort of a found family with each other (in space).  My main character is sort of an everyman (at least when compared to the rest of the characters) whose main quality is being obsessed with pop culture.  Space pop culture. 

[firstgrave]

y’all have got to stop getting into relationships with closeted people if you’re not going to be able to deal with the realities of what that entails

[firstgrave]

like i get it that nobody wants to feel like they have to hide their love/keep their relationship a secret but if that’s the case and that’s something you really can’t handle….date someone else lol

there’s so many reasons for someone not to want to come out atm. whether it be because they know they’ll face discrimination from their family/friends/coworkers/roommate etc, whether theyre still struggling to label themselves/struggling to understand themselves and don’t want to come out until they’re sure, they just don’t see the big deal about coming out rn and don’t want to worry about the stress that will come with it, etc it’s all valid. everyone is allowed all the time to stay closeted that they need.

and tbh im real fucking tired of people feeling like because they also faced the same anxiety/same issue when coming out and they “made it through” everyone else has to do the same thing or as if they know exactly how it will turn out…like every coming out is personal and unique and it’s not your job to decide someone else’s experience

and let’s be real honest! not every relationship is going to last, esp if you’re young and first trying to come out. and forcing/pressuring your partner to come out because you don’t want to “be treated like a secret” only for y’all to break up later on is awful. like they’re whole experience in regards to coming out will be focused on your relationship instead of on themselves and what being out will mean to them.

stories about an out lgbt person giving their closeted partner an ultimatum and making their partner decide between remaining closeted or remaining in the relationship and then “oh their anxieties were completely unfounded and the ppl they thought were gonna be homophobic weren’t so it’s all ok” aren’t romantic or okay and it’s not something we should perpetuate.

and again! there’s nothing wrong with not being able to handle dating someone who’s closeted, but there’s also never an excuse to force them out.

[firstgrave]

like dksjsj sorry to keep rambling about this but the “if they loved me they would be willing to come out” thing is so toxic to a relationship. like i would never fault someone for genuine insecurities but again, that’s no excuse to ignore your partners needs and feelings and instead project your own onto them.

[adventuresinchemistry]

Least favorite lab equipment?

idk it really depends on the day

but my favorite lab equipment will always be our hand crank centrifuge

[jewishdragon]

im sorry the what

[adventuresinchemistry]

this bad boy, for when you’re too lazy to walk up two flights of stairs to the shared lab space with the preparatory centrifuge but not too lazy to put some elbow grease into spinning your shit down

[metricparty-deactivated20221104]

Method: Samples were centrifuged at whatever rotations per minute (RPM) Joey “the beast” McRipped could achieve on his saucy days. We’re not sure how fast, but it was impressive. Supernatant decanted off and….

[enjoymorestuff]

I know it frustrates D&D experts when the cast of Critical Role or other streaming D&D show has trouble with the rules. I’ve certainly muttered something about the importance of keeping track of concentration spells after seeing the players mess them up.

But here is the thing. First of all, D&D is incredibly complex, and even professional D&D players are going to have trouble keeping everything in their heads at all times. There are only so many Matt Mercers or Brennan Lee Mulligans that know all of the rules by heart.

And second, it is actually incredibly valuable for D&D that shows like Critical Role include discussion of rules mechanics. By seeing people ask about the rules and get clarifications and whatnot, those picky rules get communicated to the viewers, often in a way that’s clearly demonstrated in a more visceral way than reading the rules. Every time someone has to ask about the rules on polymorph or whatever, that clarification gets told to every viewer, whether or not they already play D&D.

If combats always went smoothly, with everyone knowing with 100% confidence what they were allowed to do and what rolls to make, it wouldn’t teach anything about how to play D&D at home. And as great as the narrative is, I’m even happier about the way streaming D&D shows have made it easier for new players to pick up the game.

[redxwritingxhood]

When you get the advice to “read more” to get better at writing, it’s not very concise and really sounds unhelpful after the third time you’ve heard it. So here, this is what you’re getting out of it (besides grammar or whatever):

You observe the way a story is organized and how it achieves its flow

You become familiar with tropes and archetypes

Story structure becomes an easy to recall memory, and every novel you’ve ever read becomes a reference book

You develop how you write stylistically, the things you hate and the things you try to emulate

You gain the skills to critique books in a smart manner, and therefore can recognize flaws in your own works that you remember bashing a novel for

[damselwrites]

Color Synonyms

White

also: pale; blanched; sallow; pallid; waxen; spectral; translucent; albino; 

Grey

also: dust; stone; pepper;  

Black

also:  coal; slate; dusky; ebon; shadow; murky; 

Tan

also: flesh; khaki; cream; tawny; 

Brown

also:  henna; russet; sepia; chestnut; cocoa; drab; bronze; 

Red

also: terracotta ; rouge; carmine;  fire-engine; ruddy

Orange

also:  pumpkin ; rust ; 

Yellow

also: sunny; amber; saffron; hay; straw; platinum; 

Green

also: viridescent; grass; jade; forest; 

Blue

also: turquoise; cyan; ultramarine; royal; aqua; aquamarine;

Purple

also: berry;  amaranthine;

Pink

also: flushed; candy; cherry blossom; petal pink ; 

—– source: http://ingridsundberg.com/

—–additional synonyms added by me

[ibunnyreuni]

I will forever cherish this post. I’ve seen it a multiple of times; how foolish of me to not reblog this masterpiece the first time I see it UGH

[thepenumbrapodcast]

Alright, Travelers, time to reveal the full poster for the first episode of our new season: ‘Juno Steel and the Man in Glass’. This poster was illustrated by Sharon Oh, one of our two amazing guest artists this season! You can follow her on Tumblr or Twitter at @honorahs. Sharon is a Korean-American character designer and game developer. She likes miniature things, chickens, angsty video games, and (of course) the one and only Juno Steel. ⚡

[randomfandomimagine]

Writing Tips

I’ve been writing for around ten years now, both fanfiction and original fiction, and I’ve learned a lot in that time. I’m by no means a proffessional or an expert, but I thought I could share a few tips about what I learned for those of you who write too or want to start doing it, hope these are helpful! 

Find a balance. Don’t force yourself to write but don’t wait for inspiration either.

Routines help. If you get a habit of writing, you’ll find that it flows more easily.

Find your voice. Each writer is different, find your style and more importantly, your pace! Not everyone writes the same amount a day or a week, every writer has their pace. 

Don’t worry about being original. Sure, original plots are interesting and refreshing, but don’t worry too much if your plots are a bit basic at the beginning. I always say that the important thing is not the story in itself, but how it’s told. Harry Potter is about a chosen boy who must defeat an evil wizard, and it’s one of the most famous bestsellers ever! And my favorite book saga as well.

Be open-minded. About everything, really. Try to write a little bit of everything, not just your usual genre. Also, know that stories come to life sometimes and you’ll be surprised when your character suddenly does something you weren’t expecting at first. Even if you’re the writer.

Be exposed to fiction. One piece of advice people always give to writers is ‘read, read, read!’ and I agree. But I found that you can learn from other types of fiction as well: movies, shows, videogames, anime… This helps me a lot, analyzing why I love a particular story or think it’s so good. 

Take notes. I used to carry a notebook everywhere in case I came up with an idea (I used to think I would remember it, but spoiler alert, I didn’t) and now there are also so many good apps for that! Write down any small idea you have, even little details. Everything helps create a realistic story and a complex world and setting.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. The stupidest thing can trigger that spark of inspiration that helps you come up with ideas. I once came up with an entire story plot just because a friend was talking about math and a certain phrase gave me the idea. Even going out and taking a walk on your own can do it for you.

Be patient. Improvement takes time, and practice makes perfect! Keep writing and you’ll improve without even realizing! Nobody starts knowing everything and one never stops learning. Also, don’t get frustrated if you only manage to write a couple of sentences sometimes, progress is still progress no matter how small.

It’s okay to be self-conscious. Whether it’s because of negative feedback, that you get insecure because you’re comparing yourself to others or just because you’re a bit hard on yourself, it’s okay! Take that time to think about your writing and learn from the criticism. And if you look back to something you wrote a long time ago and cringe reading it, that’s a good thing! It means you’ve improved! 

[bookishdiplodocus]

I have strong feelings about this. Agree, agree.

[13242567-deactivated20210306]

I forgot it was still illegal to donate blood if you’re a gay man. Doesn’t matter if you’re monogamous, HIV negative, and you regularly use protection.

Oh but hey for the heterosexuals out there, if you’re a straight man who’s sexually active with multiple partners, you don’t use protection, and you have an active chlamydia and/or herpes infection, all of which is suggestive of high risk sexual behaviors that might expose you to dangerous and contagious illnesses like HIV, you can still donate blood.

There’s a word for this perplexing, offensive, and completely nonsensical double-standard, I can’t remember what though.