Do Not Punish The Behaviour You Want To See

Do not punish the behaviour you want to see

I mean, it seems pretty obvious when you put it like that, right?

But how many families, when an introvert sibling or child makes an effort to socialize,  snarkily say, “So, you’ve decided to join us”?

Or when someone does something they’ve had trouble doing, say, “Why can’t you do that all the time?” (Happened to me, too often.)

Or any sentence containing the word “finally”. 

If someone makes a step, a small step, in a direction you want to encourage, encourage it. Don’t complain about how it’s not enough. Don’t bring up previous stuff. Encourage it.

Because I swear to fucking god there is nothing more soul-killing, more motivation-crushing, than struggling to succeed and finding out that success and failure are both punished.

More Posts from Tragedyofmedusa and Others

1 year ago

“Those poor boys”

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“She deserves to be punished too.”

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“I’m not saying I support rape, but-”

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“Sorry to say - she deserved it.”

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“She put herself in harm’s way”

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“But if she was fingered, then that’s not rape.”

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“She ruined their lives.”

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1 year ago
"They were in a truck carrying clothes and cooking pans"

A wounded Palestinian eyewitness describes the Israeli forces who snuck into Al-Nuseirat refugee camp today in a humanitarian aid truck coming from the American pier. pic.twitter.com/h3bkEBA2Qx

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 8, 2024

An eyewitness account of the heinous massacre carried out by Israel and America


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1 year ago
Bisan Owda has just won one of broadcast journalism’s highest honors – the Peabody Award – for her work with AJ+. 

Bisan is currently facing intense Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the occupied Gaza Strip. This is her message to the world: pic.twitter.com/rFTV7jjBIN

— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 9, 2024

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6 months ago

somehow I got 95/20 on an assignment

Somehow I Got 95/20 On An Assignment

I hope they never fix it and leave it this way forever

1 month ago
Reblog In 5 Seconds For Good Luck
Reblog In 5 Seconds For Good Luck

Reblog In 5 seconds for good luck

1 year ago
Teeny Tiny🤲
Teeny Tiny🤲
Teeny Tiny🤲

Teeny tiny🤲

1 year ago
Pro-Palestinian Protesters March In Malmö, Sweden, Calling For Israel's Exclusion From Eurovision.
Pro-Palestinian Protesters March In Malmö, Sweden, Calling For Israel's Exclusion From Eurovision.
Pro-Palestinian Protesters March In Malmö, Sweden, Calling For Israel's Exclusion From Eurovision.
Pro-Palestinian Protesters March In Malmö, Sweden, Calling For Israel's Exclusion From Eurovision.
Pro-Palestinian Protesters March In Malmö, Sweden, Calling For Israel's Exclusion From Eurovision.

Pro-Palestinian protesters march in Malmö, Sweden, calling for Israel's exclusion from Eurovision.

📷 AP PHOTO/MARTIN MEISSNER


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1 year ago

The thing is that getting Palestine free is both very difficult but not as difficult as getting South Africa free. South Africa had more resources than Israel does, it could hold out so much longer and still the apartheid was ended by people working tirelessly and boycotting and pushing for divestment and sanctions. These methods will work for freeing Palestine too.

I know it doesn't feel like there have been many successes, but all the politicians are feeling the pressure. Pressure that we are able to sustain and even increase as we come up with new initiatives and convince new people to join.

One of the reasons they're resisting our pressure so strongly is because they know that when we see gains we will push harder, we will continue to push until the stones falling becomes a rock fall and Palestine's freedom is secured. They know if we get a taste of the power we can wield we'll turn that onto freeing Congo too. They know we're unhappy and have been for a long time and their very secure system starts to look a lot less secure when we start mobilising to change things.


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7 months ago

Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don’t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

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•toujours debout• 22. really have no clue what the fuck I’m doing

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