#no 31

[problemsofartists]

Me before summer:Imma draw till i drop dead!

Me during summer:*Barely draws anything

Me after summer:Ohhh Look!I wanna draw!*draws nonstop even tho i have a shit load of studying and hw to do

[coziwellnesscollective]

no. 31 of 52 wellness habits for 2026

[stormvvvater]

"you're the last person i know to play games" she said the damn truth out loud, despite knowing it's a giant shorthand and it will eat at her away to try and explain later, i wrote in the draft of this letter at 2am on monday.

so okay, yeah, everyone is playing games. it's human nature. but semantically, it may mean: "to deliberately attempt to evade, deceive, or misinform one (about something) in order to manipulate them or achieve some desired outcome", "to use clever strategies against someone", "be evasive or deceptive", "if someone plays games, they are dishonest about what they know or intend to do in order to gain an advantage", "deal with someone or something in a way that lacks due seriousness or respect or deviates from the truth", "not treat a situation seriously, especially in order to cheat or deceive somebody", and "to be evasive or deceptive". so the overall definition is rather negative in connotation: to either not treat a situation seriously - morally neutral, imo could even lean positive but could be perceived as a negative thing in more conservative schools of thought. i mean, we are hella intelligent social monkeys, we need play, and what's better source of play than social, at times when we can't even treat multiple genocides, pdf scandals or global warming livestreaming on every screen surrounding us seriously; or to deceive, and this is the definition i believe fits better. in my experiental truth all deceivers and manipulators i have met so far do so for their selfish, egotistical goals that ultimately serve only them, leaving collateral damage behind.

you, though: you're someone who uses the innate mechanism to behind-the-curtain subtly challenge and move others in the proper direction, even if it will hurt in the process, always saying the right thing at the right time, setting a domino of effects in motion. there's times when it's subtle enough for me to catch up only months later, and there's times when it's obvious enough for me to label it playful banter right away. you already know saying the truth will make most people straight up darvo, because their egos can't face the mirror - so you soften the blow. sometimes way too well; at least that's what happens with me (see: months later). someone who cannot see through the 3d social chess might call it 'playing games' indeed; not in my playbook, though.

and this isn't rose-colored glasses. it was the first three months, and then just remained the truth. i'd only grown from this, with this, past this. even if i've still got backed up teenage issues i'm not ready to talk about to work through hidden in my somatic memory and fascia.

[true-unicorn-queen]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 3 is up. 

Prompt #31 Setbacks.

Fair Warning: The second half of this chapter is on the darker side. It’s about the guilt one feel for being mentally ill and how they feel like a burden to those around them. SO just be careful while reading. 

POV Characters: Landon Kirby (first half), Lizzie Saltzman (Second half)

Characters whumped: Lizzie Saltzman.

[talesofedo]

[therisenphoenix]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Disaster Zone

@whumptober-archive

[therisenphoenix]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Trauma

@whumptober-archive