I Made A Poem For Math Class And It Actually Turned Out Good Sooooo

Something I find interesting is that instead of some of my favorites becoming hear me outs, every single favorite character of mine becomes my child. This is made better by the fact that in my friend group, we call each other 'mother' or 'child'. In short, our family has expanded beyond this dimension and has become some sort of cosmic entity that consumes fictional characters into a sort of familial hivemind.

These are old but i adore em

proud parent

how to have a healthier relationship with your stats page

1. Understand what stats can tell you - and what they can’t

AO3 stats tell you whether or not another user clicked something. That’s it. Hits tell you whether a user clicked the title of your fic. Kudos tell you that a user clicked the little ❤ at the bottom of the page. Comments tell you that a user typed something into a box and then hit the comment button. 

Stats do not tell you why a person did any of those things. They also don’t tell you why a person didn’t do them. You know why you do those things yourself, but there are many types of people in the world and we all have our reasons why we do things. You can’t assume that every other user of AO3 uses the site the same way you do. 

Stats are not a reliable way to find out if you’re good at writing. They’re not a way to tell if you are loved. They have nothing to do with the quality of your work or your worth as a person.

2. Don’t compare yourself to others - or yourself

Because stats are not a reliable way to judge quality or skill or the effort you put into a story, comparing your stats against another author will also not tell you which of you is the “better” author or which of you has a “better” story. They can tell you which story was more popular, but popularity itself has very little to do with skill or quality. 

This is also true of your own work. Chances are very real that the story you’re most proud of is not the story with the best stats. Don’t let one story’s relative success or failure affect how you feel about another’s. 

3. Focus on things you can control instead of things you can’t

Once you’ve posted your story, the reaction to it is out of your control. It will get however many hits, kudos, and comments other people decide to give it and you can’t do much about that at all. 

What you can control, however, is the work you put into the story before you post it. Celebrate statistics like word count or time spent writing or the number of WIP you’ve managed to finish. Those are all numbers that are in your control, that you have the power to alter and affect. 

Find something in every story that makes you happy. It doesn’t have to be the whole fic. It could be one particular characterization, a scene, or a line. Maybe you wrote a particularly funny joke or a really moving description or a hot love scene. 

Highlighting positive emotions and being proud of your own work will make you less reliant on the opinions of other people. You’ll develop more confidence, and that will help you avoid the stats spiral in the future. Finding motivations inside of yourself is much more reliable than getting motivation from people who might or might not continue to provide it.

4. If you can’t ignore stats, avoid them

The first time I had an unhealthy relationship with my stats page, I ended up quitting fic entirely for about a year. I still wrote, I just didn’t post anything on AO3. I couldn’t trust myself not to focus on the numbers and make myself crazy, and so I didn’t allow myself to look at them at all. 

The second time I found myself starting down the stats spiral, I knew the signs and I was able to pull myself out of it. I stopped looking at my stats page, but I was able to continue posting work. I still refreshed the page for the first day to see the hits/kudos/comments but after that first day I only returned to the fic in order to post a new chapter or answer another comment. 

There are tools you can use to help you avoid stats. This AO3 skin hides stats entirely. This code hides hits. Here’s one for hiding kudos with additional instructions on how to hide any stats you choose. 

5. Be your own cheerleader

When it comes right down to it, the reason why we focus in on stats is because we’re looking for reassurance. We want to know for sure whether we’re a good writer or not. Unfortunately, our stats are never going to tell us that. 

A lot of us are also told by others that being proud of something we’ve done or liking something that we’ve created is boastful or bragging or other negative personality traits. But there’s a difference between bragging about how good you are and acknowledging your own skills. 

Give yourself permission to like your own work. You might never get that permission from someone else, so you need to take that on yourself. 

Start talking to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend of yours who was working on a fic or a piece of art or doing anything else that requires time and skill. You wouldn’t tear them down, so don’t tear yourself down. Build yourself up. That positive self-talk can be difficult at first, but it’s a habit that pays off over time. 

6. Know that I’m proud of you

It takes courage and strength and determination to have an idea and then to act on it. It’s easy to think. It’s a lot harder to write things down. No matter whether you post your story online or you keep it to yourself. No matter whether you get a thousand hits or a dozen. You’re still amazing, and I’m so glad you took that leap ❤

"what if you havent found the right one yet🥺🥺" what if i hit you with a metal pole

Complicated and Beautiful

Another SKK short drabble i wrote that is inspired by the song "Forth of July" by Sufjan Stevens.

Dazai could feel the grass tickling the back of his neck as the bitter cold of the summer night bite at his exposed skin. Laying in the grass for a moment of peace. The quiet city noises were calming after a day of high adrenaline and violent sights. 

Eyes closed, the darkness was overwhelming. He never had liked the darkness, it left his mind to wander to dangerous places. The nights were the worst, alone in bed he had no way to escape from those dangerous thoughts. Plagued by the most inconceivable thoughts that his tainted mind could conjure. 

That is why he refused to close his eyes, and instead looked up at his partner who sat at his side. The softest breeze rustled the loose strands of ginger hair while his eyes gazed upon the city. Chuuya had hugged his knees to his chest while his breathing was rhythmic, calming Dazai as he matched their breathing patterns. 

“Why us?” 

Chuuya nearly missed it, it was the softest whisper and the wind nearly stole those words.

“What do you mean, ‘Why us?”

“Why do we have to be such monsters?”

“What exactly makes you think you're a monster?”

“I am not Human, Chuuya. I don't feel empathy, or remorse, or any emotion that a normal human should feel-” Dazai sat up, he was now able to look into Chuuya’s eyes. The lights of the city reflected in them perfectly. He couldn't look away. 

“Yes you do” Chuuya leaned over, gently cupping dazai’s cheek with his gloved hand. “You feel just as much as anyone else, you just don't understand your own feelings but they are there” 

“No… They’re not-”

“Yes. They are.” 

Chuuya’s voice was firm. Bringing Dazai closer, he rested Dazai’s head on his chest. “You feel anger whenever you see someone you love hurt, you feel sadness whenever you think you caused something, you feel happiness in moments like this. Your emotions are as beautiful as they are complicated” 

Complicated and Beautiful. 

“Don't think for a moment that your faults make you any less Human” and with that, Chuuya gives a soft kiss upon the top of Dazai's head as Dazai listens to the strong and steady heartbeat of his partner.

Also can be found on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54285736

okay y’all i have a ✨thought✨

what if, whenever atsushi regenerates, he’s physically fine but for some reason, his body still feels the pain of the wound he received??

like immediately after it happens, he’s fine if not a bit more tired than usual.

and then he wakes up the morning after and the afflicted limb (it’s the leg. you KNOW i mean the leg i mean come on, it’s practically a bright red target atp) is just screaming in pain.

and eventually the pain starts to ease up and he’s able to function again but he’s still left with flair ups sometimes and just general chronic pain.

again: especially the leg i mean SERIOUSLY THAT POOR LIMB-

but yeah basically chronic pain atsushi. (totally not in the process of writing a one shot for this with a sprinkling of sskk)

anyway, thoughts? feelings? helpful commentary?

Could you maybe reblog this post if you think respecting trans peoples' names and identities is a basic right and not a political opinion?

No pressure. Just seeking some validation of my sentiment. Due to some. people

Reblog to hug prev poster (they need a hug)

Throwback to when I thought that everyone had to have romantic feelings and because of that I got into romance books and series to learn the definition of romantic attraction because I thought that if I knew what it was I would feel it like I was supposed too

(Spoiler Alert: I in fact did not ever feel it and am happily aroace)