Things We Lose Have A Way Of Coming Back To Us In The End, If Not Always In The Way We Expect.

How to deal with street cats

Be nice to them. They’re doing an important job. Do not chase them, grab them or harass them. 

Always bring some food with you, it’s just polite. 

Approach them slowly, and let them come to you. Sometimes you might have to sit on the ground and tap it a few times. This is what you brought food for. 

At some point after you have managed to touch the cat it will turn and sprint away. This is when you start following it.

Cats do not want you to get lost, but they can be fast. Never lose sight of them, you should stay with it until your return. This might still look like your usual street but you are in a liminal space already. Try not to get lost. 

(NOTE: do not follow cats with mismatched eyes. You can pet them, but the moment they run away you should immediately turn your back to them and walk in the opposite direction.)

Black cats:

Follow black cats into the floor-level vents. Don’t worry, there are many spider webs but there aren’t any spiders.

Do not lose sight of them in the dark.

When you emerge, you will be in the same street you were before, but there will be no people to be found.

Do not stray, follow your cat. Sometimes it might want to just catch a bird and go back. Do not stay longer just to explore.

 If you hear the sound of a crowd in the distance do not try to follow it. Your cat will never lead you there.

You can take anything with you but you cannot take pictures or record video or sound.

Orange cats:

Orange cats hang around train stations for a reason. Follow them into the next train. You will not need a ticket.

If the cat wants you to scratch its ears during the trip, do it.

The landscape will not look like the area around your town.  Do not panic - this is normal.

The people in the train will not speak a language you understand or recognize, but they will have clothes and devices similar to yours. They are usually nice.

Get down at the same stop as your cat. You will not understand the name of the station, and no one will get off in the same station as yours. You should follow your cat, but it will never leave the station. Follow it into the next train to get back home.

Never stay in the train. Never wait for the last stop.

White cats:

White cats live on the edges. They will take you to many places but at the same time they will never take you anywhere.

If you meet them during the night-time, the sun will start rising, regardless of the time. If you meet them during the daytime, the sun will start setting. It will stay like this for the duration of the trip.

Follow them to the edge of a forest that smells like honeysuckle. You will hear the song of birds and the flow of water. You should never stray and enter the forest on your own. Your cat will not follow.

Follow them to a building where a fancy party is being held at. Through the windows you can see the food and the champagne. The guests will ask you to join them, but your cat will keep walking. Do not accept the invitation, and never eat the food or drink the champagne.

Follow them along the edge of a swimming pool. People will be bathing, playing and laughing. It will be hot, regardless of the season. Do not step too close to the edge, because they will try to grab your ankles and pull you into the water. Keep walking.

Once the sun finally sets or rises you will be back home. Never enter your house until you are completely sure the sky is changing.

Calico cats:

Calico cats are the safest. They will follow you instead.

Walk around your town and you will see everything is the same, but you will not be able to make the connections between the streets.

If you want to go to a certain place you will find it is no longer where it used to be.

You will not recognize anyone. Every single person in the street will be a stranger. They are not dangerous but do not look them directly in the eyes.

Never try to find your house. Because you will find it.

When you want to come back take the cat back where you found it. This might be more difficult than you expect.

Remember to always take some food with you, something made of iron, and comfortable shoes.

And remember to always be nice to the cats!

[russian translation by @rachell-redacted]

[if you like my writing consider buying me a coffee? your girl works night shifts ;u;]  @senshi76 gave me the suggestion for this one!

How to Plot A Complex Novel in One Day (It WILL take all day)

Now first, I have to say, that the plot you’re able to come up with in one day is not going to be without its flaws, but coming up with it all at once, the entire story unfolds right in front of you and makes you want to keep going with it. So, where to begin? 

What is your premise and basic plot? Pick your plot. I recommend just pulling one from this list. No plots are “original” so making yours interesting and complicated will easily distract from that fact, that and interesting characters. Characters will be something for you to work on another day, because this is plotting day. You’ll want the main plot to be fairly straight forward, because a confusing main plot will doom you if you want subplots. 

Decide who the characters will be. They don’t have to have names at this point. You don’t even need to know who they are other than why they have to be in the story. The more characters there are the more complicated the plot will be. If you intend to have more than one subplot, then you’ll want more characters. Multiple interconnected subplots will give the illusion that the story is very complicated and will give the reader a lot of different things to look at at all times. It also gives you the chance to develop many side characters. The plot I worked out yesterday had 13 characters, all were necessary. Decide their “roles” don’t bother with much else. This seems shallow, but this is plot. Plot is shallow. 

Now, decide what drives each character. Why specifically are they in this story? You can make this up. You don’t even know these characters yet. Just so long as everyone has their own motivations, you’re in the clear. 

What aren’t these characters giving away right off the bat? Give them a secret! It doesn’t have to be something that they are actively lying about or trying to hide, just find something that perhaps ties them into the plot or subplot. This is a moment to dig into subplot. This does not need to be at all connected to their drive to be present in the story.  Decide who is in love with who, what did this person do in the 70’s that’s coming back to bite them today, and what continues to haunt what-his-face to this very day. This is where you start to see the characters take shape. Don’t worry much about who they are or what they look like, just focus on what they’re doing to the story. 

What is going to change these characters? Now this will take some thinking. Everyone wants at least a few of the characters to come out changed by the end of the story, so think, how will they be different as a result of the plot/subplot? It might not be plot that changes them, but if you have a lot of characters, a few changes that are worked into the bones of the plot might help you.

Now list out the major events of the novel with subplot in chronological order. This will be your timeline. Especially list the historical things that you want to exist in backstory. List everything you can think of. Think about where the story is going. At this point, you likely haven’t focused too much on the main plot, yeah, it’s there, but now really focus on the rising actions, how this main plot builds its conflict, then the climactic moment. Make sure you get all of that in there. This might take a few hours. 

Decide where to start writing. This part will take a LOT of thinking. It’s hard! But now that you’ve got the timeline, pick an interesting point to begin at. Something with action. Something relevant. Preferably not at the beginning of your timeline - you want to have huge reveals later on where these important things that happened prior are exposed. This is the point where you think about what information should come out when. This will be a revision of your last list, except instead of being chronological, it exists to build tension. 

Once you’ve gotten the second list done, you’ve got a plot. Does it need work? Probably. But with that said, at this point you probably have no idea who half your characters are. Save that for tomorrow, that too will be a lot of work. 

After you’ve plotted the loose structure of your novel from this, see my next post to work on character! 

Title: The world is loud, so let's quiet down

Original Work: RWBY Relationship: Qrowin (Set season 4) A/N: I wanted to write about Winter’s reaction to Weiss’ actions at the party, then Qrowin happened due to a post/prompt I saw. ((http://gardenoffish.tumblr.com/post/154388438241/person-a-walks-into-the-room-and-sees-person-b )) Enjoy.

~~~

It was sometime around midday when Winter received the news; about the incident concerning her sister at Father’s latest ‘charity function’ from General Ironwood.

Now it was approaching dusk and with a swipe of her hand, the Atlas specialist smeared her military issued training clothes, with the evidence of her labor.

Step forward. Lunge. Deflect. She moved with the precision and focus that had pushed her through the ranks at such a young age.

Inhale through the nose. Exhale through the mouth. Concentrate.

Arm straining forward, light pulsed forth and at her command she called on yet another summons to attack the training bots ahead.

As she has told Weiss, summoning was like a muscle and needed to be exercised properly. But today, she was pushing herself beyond what was necessary.

Her aura strained against the abuse but she took no heed of it, allowing the anger and irritation at the upper echelons of the Altlesian society to spur her onwards.

Separating her second blade form it’s hidden sheath, she slashed downwards, carving twin lines of pent up emotion into solid metal.

Jump back. Rise. Lea-

Without warning, exhaustion weighed down on her like the unrelenting sun of the menagerie desert. She stumbled; only to catch herself in a low crouch, with a hiss of frustration.

Blast it. Blast it!

Often disapproving of foul language (even within her own head) she found herself mentally cycled through each and every curse that she had ever heard during her service.

She sunk down as gracefully as she could manage - the shameful weakness of her limbs making her put up with the discomfort, of lying on of the unforgiving ground.

Time was an abstract thing right then, as she began to recollect herself. At least, until an annoyingly familiar voice rang out across the large space.

“Tough day, Ice Queen?”

And just where was - there!

Perched on a high beam, was what would be in other circumstances, an uninteresting sight. A black bird, surveying the land below.

Not bothering to answer aloud, Winter waited while watching, with admittedly a little interest, as Qrow shifted into his common form. When finished, she politely shifted her grey eyes to gaze upwards at the curved ceiling.

A brisk nod (which rewarded her with a pulsating headache) was her reply.

Being unusually tactful for once, Qrow lay down alongside her in a show of solidarity (and was that…affection? Or was she just hallucinating?)

Still, the regularity of his breathing was more calming then it had any right to be. Perhaps, this was why his nieces so clearly adored him, despite his less than savory habits?

Taking this rare opportunity to sneak a proper look at the man, she found herself cataloging each and every visible wound, no matter how small. (And oh, how she hated those monsters, that were now roaming the land with ever increasing frequency, since the fall of Beacon).

Not having the energy, necessary to question just what on Remnant he was doing here of all places, she accepted whatever courtesy this was that the Huntsman was offering.

During however long it was, that the two of them stayed there, like schoolchildren that neither of them still were, she vowed to herself that she would lessen her sharp comments concerning Qrow’s drinking. If he was allowing her obvious failure at keeping her composure, just now, through recklessness to slide, she supposed she could do the same with his own faults.

The life of those on the battlefield are harsh, after all, no matter who you are.

And later on, removed from all of her other concerns, maybe she’d even admit, that having him next to her…felt rather nice.

END.

~Thank you for reading~ Sincerely, TheSoulsDepths

Happy Odaiba Day 2024! I asked you for your favorite Digimon English dub quotes, and you delivered! Here’s part 1 of 3. You can find links to the other 2 posts below. I had to put a cap on receiving quotes after getting a certain amount, so I apologize to anyone whose quotes didn’t make the cut.

Just a reminder: this post is English dub positivity only!

Adventure Eng Dub Quotes | 02 Eng Dub Quotes | Digimon: The Movie Quotes

got an interview tomorrow

intj ravenclaw 5w6 moodboard

view high-quality version here

whatever it is you try, wherever it is you go, keep at it. 

Happy International Asexuality Day!!

💚💜♠️ sending so much love to any tumblr folk who are on the asexual &/or aromantic spectrums like me. ♠️💜💚

♠️What is Asexuality?♠️

An Asexual is a person who rarely or never experiences sexual attraction. They are not drawn to people sexually and do not feel compelled to act on attraction to others in a sexual way. Asexuality does not preclude you from experiencing other types of attraction (including romantic attraction) to people of the same or different gender to yourself, or define whether you want to be in a committed relationship.

💜Why is awareness important? 💜

An absence of attraction is much harder to define than a presence; and lack of awareness means many people have no idea that there are words to describe their experiences or others who feel the same. While the term has been in common use since the 1960s, many people are well over the age of 25 when they first hear the word - especially if they experience romantic attraction to the opposite gender and haven’t had much exposure to the broader LGBTIQAP+ community. When you’re told all of your life that romantic feelings about someone are inextricably linked to sexual attraction it can be confusing when your experiences don’t seem to match. It can also be hard to tell what is hyperbole and what are thoughts that allosexual (the opposite of asexual) people have the intention of doing?

There is are strong social and cultural messages which use the development of sexual thoughts, sexual relationships and having children as markers of age and maturity. It can be difficult to express a lack of sexual desire without being invalidated or challenged by the people around you or your own built in expectation that sex is fundamental to being human. Are you medically or psychologically unwell? Are you repressed? Broken? Prudish? A late bloomer? Will this “all make sense” when I meet “the right person”?

While most identities on the LGBTIQAP+ spectrum are becoming better protected from medicalisation and psychiatric diagnosis - Asexuality has a long way to go.

It is still very common for people who are questioning or on the Asexuality spectrum to be offered medical testing and treatment aimed at curing their Asexuality. Most GPs still routinely recommend blood tests to check hormone levels, assessment for depression or other mental illnesses, recommend counselling or prescribe medication to boost libido.

.

♠️Celibacy Vs Asexuality♠️

Celibacy is like being on a diet. You still want to have sex and have sexual thoughts about others but are choosing not to act on them at that time. Whether it’s based on your beliefs or availability of a suitable partner varies but that desire is still present even if intentionally suppressed.

Asexuality is like not experiencing hunger because you’re already eaten enough. You don’t have sexual thoughts about others or feel compelled to act on them.

💜Attraction Vs Libido💜

Libido is typically the amount that you think about sex and how much you want to engage in sexual activities either partnered or solo. Libido is on a spectrum for people of all sexual orientations. They normally range from high to low. Libido can fluctuate and change over the lifespan and it can be influenced by hormone levels as well as some medications.

Attraction is usually whether your libido is directed at a particular person or type of person. Attraction can also be seen as the extent to which you want to act on sexual thoughts about a particular person.

Asexual people can and do experience a range of libidos from high to low. However they do not experience attraction, therefore are less likely to feel compelled to act on it and rarely associate it with a specific person.

♠️Attitudes towards Sex♠️

Asexuality is a wide spectrum, individual wants and needs vary but all are valid and normal.

In broad terms: Some asexuals are sex positive, they may not experience hunger but still get pleasure out of sharing a meal with someone. Some asexuals are ambivalent towards sex, it’s something they can take or leave. Some asexuals are completely or partially repelled by the idea of personally participating in sexual activity with a partner.

Resources:

Asexuality Visability & Education Network (AVEN) www.Asexuality.org

‘Finding Asexuality in the Archives’ by Michael Waters (Article on the history of Asexuality)

‘Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex’ by Angela Chen (Nonfiction book) http://www.angelachen.org/ace.html

The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker (Nonfiction Book)

A-Ok Podcast (30-60 min interviews with people on the Asexual &/or Aromantic Spectrums) https://www.aokpod.com

There are a lot of fictional books for adults and teens with asexual characters & if anyone is interested I can provide links 😊

Art Giveaway!

I counted all the votes and an art giveaway won! Sorry for anyone who wanted the charm giveaway, I’ll have my shop open this summer! But until then, thank you for all of your support and continue reading for more info!

Rules:

You must be following me to enter

1 like and 1 reblog allowed per person (i.e. only 2 entries per person to avoid spamming and give everyone the same chance)

you must respond within 24 hours if you have won or I will choose a new winner

Prizes!

1st Place:   winner may request any two characters of their choice. The characters may be either adult or baby/chibi! If you only want one character, that’s fine too. One adult character may be replaced by two babies if the winner chooses to! (ex. Keith helping with snack time drawing) Colored

2nd Place:  One baby drawing of your choice!  sketch and minimal color

If you have any questions, please let me know!  Good luck!!

Giveaway Ends Friday March 9th!