Republicans Deliberately Use Coded Language To Trick People To Vote For Them And Radicalize Their Group.

A Beginner’s Guide to Dark Academia

tips for the baby aesthete’s out there

academia

actually study! study the things you love, the things you like, the things you know nothing about — the pursuit of knowledge lasts a lifetime, and there is so much to learn

visit your professor’s office hours! it always helps to make yourself known to your teachers (i’ve been given grade bumps and had great conversations with my university lecturers)

avoid and check yourself for the pretension that can often accompany academia — it hurts no one to be kind and mindful

delve into the realm of philosophy (for starters: metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics) it will broaden your mind

stay late at your university library studying (if you can do so safely, preferably with a friend). university campuses feel magical in the evening

style

wear darker, muted colours

plaid coats, pants, or skirts

button-up shirts (Peter Pan collars are a bonus)

turtlenecks

tie your hair with a bow

accessorise! a vintage watch adds sophistication to any outfit. try wearing it with a ring or three

practice good posture — standing tall creates an air of elegance, confidence, and if paired with the right amount of nonchalance, mystery

media

films

dead poets society

cracks

the dreamers

thoroughbreds

breathless (à bout de souffle)

cléo from 5 to 7 (cléo de 5 à 7)

handsome devil

tv shows

gilmore girls

chilling adventures of sabrina

black mirror

the good place

the politician

books

the secret history

the picture of dorian gray

the goldfinch

the line of beauty

persuasion

the collected poems of oscar wilde 

ovid’s metamorphoses

music

listen to classical music as you sleep/read/study

you can check out this dark academia playlist for inspiration

aesthetic activities (think of this as a little checklist to get you underway as a fledgling aesthete)

make yourself tea in pretty teacups (you can find plenty in secondhand stores!)

light candles in your bedroom, and read by candlelight 

dry flowers for your room/desk

explore secondhand bookstores for old, pretty editions of novels you may or may not have heard of

give handwritten letters to your lovers/friends/yourself

wake up before the sun rises to watch dawn break

brood during a thunderstorm, and write extravagant, flowery poetry on parchment

join a secret society

exist in the real, with your books and art, and your turtlenecks and plaid coats, as a mystery. social media can give too much of you away

host an unceasing bacchanal for you and your pals

I hope this serves as a nice little guide for some of you wanting to get more into the aesthetic! There’s no real right or wrong way to go about it, these are just my suggestions from my own experience and perception of and within the community. 

Enjoy, 

Juniper x

Why You Should ‘Make Yourself’ Write (And How To Do It)

Most people who write for a hobby - especially the neurodivergent crowd - will write whenever they’re inspired, and many will be able to get an insane amount of writing done in one go, but then there’s a good while of writer’s block and low motivation/inspiration in between those bursts of creativity. You can see forcing yourself to write as something irrelevant to you; it’s just a hobby, so why burn yourself out forcing yourself to do it until it’s no longer fun?

The reason people say this, even for hobbyists, is so that you have some level of consistent progress; relying on random spikes in creativity or convenient hyperfocus isn’t a sustainable plan when it can either leave you burnt out after or leave you at a creative dead end for weeks or months between actual writing sessions

If you write consistently, you make progress consistently, so it’s good practice to make a habit out of using writing goals to keep you on track. Maybe you work best writing X amount of words, or maybe you prefer to write for X amount of time. Maybe you want to meet this goal every day, or maybe every few days, or maybe every week, or so on. I’m personally on 1000 words per week, and despite my autistic brain that thought I’d never be able to set and keep a consistent goal, I’ve been able to stick to it for nearly six months now. I also know people who are on 10 minutes per day, 100 words per week, 500 words every three days, 5000 words per month, etc

For me, being able to keep track of this not only means I get to see consistent progress being made, but it’s actually been really encouraging to see that word count go up so often and I’ve found that it motivates me to keep up with it. I’ve really enjoyed getting to work on this and having a minimum amount of progress per week really helps me feel like this is something real and something that’s slowly but surely going to be complete soon enough

Give it a try; say to yourself “if I want to achieve this goal, how long do I reasonably need to give myself to do it?” and have a go. After a few cycles it starts to register in your brain that, hey, you’re actually getting something done and being productive and watching that word count going up every day/week/etc! And don’t be afraid to change up your goal and your deadline if you think you’re not being challenged enough or if you’re starting to get burnt out on it - I’d consider it burning out when it’s consistently feeling less like a fun activity and more like a chore you have to do. It should still be fun!

𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲𝐛𝐥𝐫. 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨

hi.... I don't know where to start here so I just thought I could give you a little information about me.

I started this blog because I find it hard to motivate myself to study. It's the end of my second semester in college, and it didn't go the way I planned. I read somewhere that romanticizing life doesn't mean push away the ugly parts, but find the beauty in the ugly parts.

I started this blog because I thought it would be a good way to develop aqantiences who are focused on education and hold myself accountable. Besides I thought it would be fun.

𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞:

i have adhd

name: call me cowboy

pronouns: she/her (work in progress)

college: freshman studying animal science with a minor in equine science

sports; IHSA Equestrian

hobbies: reading, writing, horseback riding, art

fun facts

i have a dog named Roseter

i went to a fine arts school

i listened to 2000 minutes of Hoizer in the month of January

i am a certified cinephile ( Ik how obnixous that sounds)

𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬

read more

go to the gym ( get physically stronger)

eat better & drink water

keep a journal

Latin

write daily

study daily

dress better

write personal essays

current events/projects

fall reading list 2024

summer reading list

Hayao Miyazaki on AI

THINGS WRITERS SHOULD DO TODAY: 

Write 

Straighten their backs 

Celebrate their victories 

Write anything 

Take the empty cups out of their rooms 

Seriously. Stop overthinking and just write 

Encouragment for writers that I know seems discouraging at first but I promise it’s motivational-

• Those emotional scenes you’ve planned will never be as good on page as they are in your head. To YOU. Your audience, however, is eating it up. Just because you can’t articulate the emotion of a scene to your satisfaction doesn’t mean it’s not impacting the reader. 

• Sometimes a sentence, a paragraph, or even a whole scene will not be salvagable. Either it wasn’t necessary to the story to begin with, or you can put it to the side and re-write it later, but for now it’s gotta go. It doesn’t make you a bad writer to have to trim, it makes you a good writer to know to trim.

• There are several stories just like yours. And that’s okay, there’s no story in existence of completely original concepts. What makes your story “original” is that it’s yours. No one else can write your story the way you can.

• You have writing weaknesses. Everyone does. But don’t accept your writing weaknesses as unchanging facts about yourself. Don’t be content with being crap at description, dialogue, world building, etc. Writers that are comfortable being crap at things won’t improve, and that’s not you. It’s going to burn, but work that muscle. I promise you’ll like the outcome.

today i

hey guys, sorry for being flaky, i really have no excuse or reason, but last night I had the thought that I missed the little community I created on here. This blog doesn't have to be an obligation or anything at all, but what I want. I enjoyed documenting my progress works and accomplishments and enjoyed helping others do the same, so I guess I'm back

Drafting Your Creative Time: Your Guide to Planning a Year of Creative Writing

2024 is about to start. You’re going to venture into another year of writing incredible stories, but what will that practically look like? I feel more in charge of my creativity by planning rough writing schedules. Here’s how you can do the same without locking yourself into a too-strict calendar that leaves your writing spirit depleted.

Set One Writing Goal

Twelve months is a lot of time, but anyone can handle a single goal. Make the next year easy on yourself by picking one thing you want to accomplish (and let’s not make it “publish my novel” if you’re just starting the manuscript on January 1, given how it takes roughly 18 months of work after you get an agent) (and that can take a few weeks to a few years, depending on your querying experience!). 

Try picking a manageable writing goal like these:

I will write 10 chapters of my novel.

I will make a collection of 5 short stories I write this year.

I will submit a short story to at least 3 contests this year.

I will publish one new work of fanfiction in the next 12 months.

I will write one short story in a new genre.

Publishing a book can be a long-term goal, but your 2024 goal should be easy to break down into manageable steps you can accomplish by yourself. You’ll be more likely to reach the finish line and work toward another goal.

Establish a Stress-Free Writing Schedule

Creativity comes and goes, but your writing will never get done if you don’t form some kind of schedule. Your upcoming year could look something like this:

I’ll write every Wednesday night between 7-7:30 p.m.

I’ll use voice-to-text to get my story-related thoughts on virtual paper for five minutes every morning before school.

I’ll do freestyle writing for five minutes on Mondays and Saturdays to keep my thoughts flowing, even if I don’t find more time to work on my story that week.

Your schedule should be realistic, which means it shouldn’t stress you out. Make it match your weekly and daily routine. When do you naturally feel most energized? When can you carve out ten minutes for your craft? 

Remember, you can always (and should!) adjust this set schedule as time goes on. Your non-creative schedule most likely won’t look the same on January 1 as it will on December 31.

Save a Few Writing Prompts

You might have a few weeks here or there when you’re juggling life’s responsibilities and can’t get to your WIP. It happens to all of us!

When you’re busy, try answering a writing prompt in three sentences or less. Use your phone, a sticky pad, or whatever’s nearby. You never know if it’ll inspire you later when you’re free to write.

In the meantime, you’ll keep using the creative side of your brain so your writing abilities don’t feel so distant.

Check out these prompt apps if getting online isn’t your thing or takes too much time from your busy schedule!

Find a Writing Community

There are so many ways to build a writing community. Start a tumblr about it (guilty as charged) or join a Facebook group. Find an active Reddit thread about your favorite genre or join a Discord server with writers. 

You don’t even need to start talking to others and making friends if it makes you anxious. Read what people are saying to get inspired by everyone. You’ll naturally join in when you get excited about something they’re discussing and keep creative writing at the front of your mind.

Read Lots of Books

I always feel more connected to my writing when I’m actively reading. Artists of any kind need a source of inspiration to keep their creativity flowing. Keep an actively growing To Be Read list with apps like Story Graph (a Goodreads-type app that isn’t owned by Amazon and gives so much more information about your curated reading history!).

Visit your local library if you don’t have the money for new books all the time (who does?). As you get inspired by what you read, you’ll also pick up skills from authors you admire or note things you don’t want to recreate. Study each story’s structure and character development. You’ll return to your WIPs with renewed passion.

Embrace the Scary Editing Stage

Your first draft is your thoughts and dreams poured out on paper. The editing stage is where you refine and re-write your work until it shines. Set aside specific time for editing after completing a first draft of any story. Even if your editing phase doesn’t take very long, working on line edits and developmental edits will make your work so much better.

It’s also a normal form of frustration for writers, but one that happens no matter where your writing goes (on fanfiction websites, short story contests, a literary agent’s desk, etc.).

Schedule Your Rest

Writing might feel like a natural hobby, but your brain and body still need to rest after periods of intense focus/work. Schedule rest periods into your daily or weekly calendar. It’s time to recharge in whatever ways best suit your body, like:

Sitting outside

Walking in a park

Reading

Sitting in a hot bath

Going to the movies

Sleeping in

Keep in mind that sometimes you’ll need more rest than others. Extend some self-compassion by checking in with your physical and mental energy frequently during the next year. If you take time to rest, you’ll be less likely to burn out creatively.

-----

This next year will be full of growth, challenges, and joys in your writing life. Embrace every second by resting and writing in new ways.

SCHOOL CHEAT SHEET!!

soothe yourself | self care

stationery  

printables

helpful sites

music for studying | more music

note taking methods  | another one

studying methods

english | physics | chemistry | biology | maths | languages 

how to learn a language

ultimate guide for writing | writing resources | writing helps | tips for writers

how to write a kickass essay | write a great essay | stuff you need to write essays | essay tips | essay checklist | grade your essay

how do I study for…

bullet journals | a guide to bullet journals

the testing effect

everything you need to succeed in school

time management

organisation

how to annotate | another one

guide to aesthetically pleasing notes | improve your handwriting

create a study guide

resources | helpful websites | there’s an app for that

get more out of google 

productivity resources | 14 apps to become productive | how to stay productive

lazy night owl school survival guide

apps for a better life | useful websites for students

masterpost of studying tips

social media citation guide

college masterpost | another one | starting college on the right foot | packing for college | how to survive in college

how to ace that college interview

food to stay motivated | motivation guide

how to stay awake in class

balancing a healthy lifestyle

studying on your period

huge masterpost for the semester

a very long list to help you survive school

not enough time to finish an assignment?

100 delicious cheap recipes 

53 posts for students

high school cheat sheet

other cheat sheets