Tumblr, I Propose A Battle Of Wits!

Hey girl! Any tips for romanticizing your work when everything just feels overwhelming? Thanks in advance! <3

hi toki!! dw, i gotchu 💛

functional ways to romanticize an overwhelming day 💝

📝 step 1: make a low-effort, aesthetic* list

🧰 materials: planner of choice, notion/obsidian, or similar easy-to-use tools that you personally find satisfying to look at and work with

👍 things to do: be honest with yourself about what actually must get done. be absolutely ruthless about cutting out tasks that are no longer relevant and delegating what does not absolutely need to be done by you personally

👎 things to avoid: don't try to schedule things right away, just brain-dump everything first, then you can prioritize and organize

*- on different days, in different moods, my definition of aesthetic varies. it can be something as simple as writing slowly and carefully so that your penmanship is cute or a full-on notion template, whatever comes most naturally to you so that you don't add even more overwhelm

🎧 step 2: set the vibes

🧰 materials: music, background noise, scented candles, coffee/tea, inspo vlogs, whatever puts you in the mood to get your work done

👍 things to do: regardless of how you choose to set the mood, also take time to clean your space and freshen yourself up a bit. it makes a big difference! also, be intentional as you complete this step. you're not just creating an environment conducive to work, but also a mindset that allows you to focus well. visualize not just the nitty-gritty of the tasks you want to complete, but also the person you are when you do them

👎 things to avoid: don't spend forever picking a playlist or highlighter color. there's a fine line between functional vibes and vibes only for vibes' sake

NOTE: similar to step 1, don't overthink it, just do what comes naturally. when we're at our limit, every little decision we make can add a lot to our fatigue

⏪ step 3: reflect* on what you accomplished

🧰 materials: a friend, a journal, tumblr, etc.

👍 things to do: i love checking things off my list periodically throughout the day because it gives me a lot of motivation and momentum to keep going in addition to reducing my sense of overwhelm. i also like to write down how certain tasks made me feel, what my expectations were versus reality, and what i could've done differently. this allows me to put some of the things that have been bothering me in the past and focus on the present and future.

👎 things to avoid: don't beat yourself up if you didn't make as much progress as you expected. just return to step 1 and start again

*- i actually tend to romanticize in hindsight or foresight, almost never as the thing is actually happening. i do truly believe that the narratives we tell about our future and past selves are what shape our present the most, so it's not a bad thing to focus on those, i think!

💌: another piece of advice i've heard is to take lots of pictures or find pictures that represent your day/the day you want. honestly though, whenever i have a truly overwhelming day, i default to shitposts and sarcastic humor, but that's not very romantic and i understand how it might not work for everyone 😂 hope at least some of this was helpful!

THE FENG SHUI OF THIS WEBSITE IS FUCKED

my fyp is on point

hello hello ddvau fans if you do not know me i do edits for ddvau and i have Known about this chapter for weeks and have been sitting on my rage at HG the whole time. and now it is released i need the people to see he is a bitch ass mf

anyway. starting off here. the very first thing HG says to Grian when talking about what happened is a threat

"i'm here to help you. i'm the best option you got, no one else will"

when i was editing for Doody, this line was just "i'm here to help." but Doody wanted it to come across somewhere in this chapter that HG has all the power in this situation and that HG wants Grian to know that. it was decided that the best spot to include that was right here, right off the bat. HG is Grian's only option and that is as much a promise as it is a threat. no one else will help Grian, and that includes saving him from HG if he doesn't tell HG what he wants to know

and then there's this page. when Grian isnt super forthcoming w info, HG pulls out Jimmy. HG knows better than anyone that Jimmy is completely innocent and that he had nothing to do w the attack--he's a victim here, and HG knows that better than anyone. he also knows, from being Grian and Jimmy's friend as a civilian for years, that Grian cares a lot about Jimmy, and is using that against Grian

he also knows from being a civilian and Jimmy's friend that Jimmy's pro-mutant stance isnt popular, and Jimmy could be framed if HG said something bad about him. HG is trying blatantly to use anti-mutant sentiments against Grian and Jimmy so that Grian will talk, in a moment Grian is already convinced he's going to be arrested for hiding his status as a mutant

(which: note that HG says he heard "rumors" about Jimmy's stance about mutants and his protests against the university's policies--it isn't rumors, HG knows this from being Jimmy's friend and coworker as Scar)

and then here, HG is the only one who was conscious and who was fully present for and remembers what happened during the MS attack. yeah, Tango was also there, but Tango is a known mutant, adn we've already seen people do not trust Tango and think Tango is dangerous--he's certainly not as trustworthy as HG, Superhero, Emerald Soldier, face of the military. he's the one people will trust most. what he says happened is what happened

HG says that yes, Grian’s secret is safe, but only because HG is choosing to keep it. Grian is safe because HG is allowing him to be. HG told everyone that Grian gained wings from the attack, and so HG won't arrest Grian. in this narrative which HG made up, Grian did not lie to the government and he was not always a mutant. HG said it, so it's true, even if he's lying. all HG has to do is change his mind and say that Grian was always a mutant who lied and hid his status from the government, and then Grian will be arrested. HG could change his mind at any time if Grian doesn't cooperate with him. he's very blatantly blackmailing Grian

fun fact! the original version of this line didn't have the "for now," but it was added in editing when Doody said they wanted it to be explicitly clear HG is threatening Grian

what HG says here is the truth. he isn't just representing the law--HG is above the law, and he isn't shy about making sure Grian knows that. he's willing to use anything in his disposal to get the information he wants, and he's willing to use anything available to him to make sure Grian complies with him. disguising it in friendly attitude and cookies and a phone number does not hide the fact HG was incredibly ruthlessly manipulative here

anyway. incredibly fun chapter. one of my favorites. i need DDVAU HG exploded

Ik that I can’t fully relate to Foreigner’s god or Butchered Tongue but to the people that those songs resonates to, I KNOW that they have to hurt on a spiritual level

Already seeing people on tiktok saying “I still hate trump but he ate with this one” like … babes … you just got propagandized … that’s literally exactly what he created this situation in the hopes you would say …

WHEN ON PERIOD:

do not crash out

your feelings are NOT valid

do not send that text

don't kill yourself. lock in

do not act on negative emotions until at least 2 days have elapsed

Average Ao3 author Tuesday

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