[Image ID: The Destiel Confession Meme Edited So That Dean Answers 'There's A Petition To Ban Conversion

It's "See how well you can follow instructions" time ya lil fuckers!!

Here's a poll, you can't press any of the options, that's the only rule, no voting. Reblogs, likes, and comments are totally allowed, you just can't vote

You all have one week, let's see how this goes

@maryland-no-rabies Tagging cause I need people to see this

Have fun !!

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

Happy Year of the Dragon!

I love the idea of kintsugi so here's a porcelain dragon that highlights the broken seams with gold. Despite all the pains of hardships in life, we are beautiful.

Those Who Betray Death

‘I was poisoned by my daughter,’ the woman tells Death. Her lips are bloody, her words choked out, past rattling lungs. Chintz teacups on the table—half-full of Oolong tea—are just out of her reach from her body on the floor, curling her body in a fetal position. Mara isn’t looking for sympathy, but Death gives it anyway.

It replies with the smile of an exhumed corpse of a nun—distantly kind past the grave. It has heard this story before, and this isn't where the story ends.

Death knows endings well but listens. You poisoned her ears first, it does not croon, corrupted her serpent tongue, then her greedy mouth. The human venom is poisonous to its own kind. She hears the truth anyway. Denial has no use in Death.

It bends low at the waist and kisses the woman's paper-skinned knuckles, tasting life's flesh and the faint pulse that precedes its domain—jackrabbiting at the touch. She is scared.

Once an empty hand, now not, Death holds a withered spider-lily in its hand, flourishes it out to her like magician at a child’s birthday party. Her daughter has left long ago. No one will be here to help, which is why Death is. A tear drips down her crow’s feet etched permanently around her eyes as she looks upon the flower with wonder.        

As she grasps the stem and pulls it close to her chest, she asks, ‘Have you ever been betrayed?’ What an odd question to ask a god-like entity, she thinks.

Death kneels in front of Mara—hardly the first of her name or the last—and sits cross-legged, like you would on your childhood friend’s bed at a slumber party. It replies matter-of-factly, ‘Yes.’

When it picks her up, it’s head lingers in the direction of the cups. It lowers its head as if to look at her; she can’t see its eyes, so she cannot be sure, but she gets the sense that is the answer in itself. Her lips and fingernails turn blue to match her eyeshadow.

‘I know the time to collect each being. That is the promise made at the beginning of each beginning. I do not like those who hurry me,’ Death curls the corner of his top lip in half a sneer and half a snarl, ‘but never mind that, I will see them soon enough.’

That is the last thing Mara hears before her pulse fades, suspending her in Death’s domain.

10 WRITING GOALS PICK A GOAL & PASS IT ON

Obligatory if you don't want a goal either because you don't think you'll do it or because you have one that works for you, then this post isn't for you just ignore or reblog for someone else ^_^

These range in difficulty because I wanted there to be something approachable for everyone

1: Write 200 words everyday

2: Write 400 words everyday

3: Write 500 words everyday

4: Write 50 words everyday

5: Write a sentence everyday

6: Write one paragraph everyday

7: Write a chapter every week

8: Write 1k words every week

9: Write a short story/one-shot every week

10: Write a short story/one-shot every month

I did my best w/ these, again you don't gotta do any if either these are still too big for you [I get that !!] Or if you have a bigger/smaller goal that you do that works for you [or if you simply write better when you don't have a daily/weekly/monthly goal in mind]

My personal daily goal is 200 words a day, which I've been doing the past few days successfully, but who knows if I'll be able to keep it up, but ya know - still good !!!!

matt just fired half the remaining tumblr support staff lmao

My Dear Friend 🌹

This is my mother preparing bread despite the war and bombing everywhere 😔💔

I hope you can help me, I want her to be fine 😔

Thank you very much my friends🙏🙏

https://www.tumblr.com/ahmedziaad?source=share

Everyone please help if you can!

If you're in the US military or National Guard, and are given an illegal or unconstitutional order, the GI Rights hotline (1-877-447-4487) is there to help give you the support you need to do the right thing by refusing it. It would be good to think about this now before it becomes a live issue for you and it would be smart of you to memorize that number.

Home Alone

When a plate falls with a sharp clatter

To the ground unbroken, terror claws into

you and demands you to beg to a looming

Shadow on the freezing kitchen tiles:

I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up. I’m so sorry.

“I am living a heartbreaking tragedy with my children in northern Gaza 💔. I lost my first child due to the harsh conditions, and now I fear losing my second child to hunger and the unforgiving cold 🥶. I haven’t eaten for three days, and my little one is crying from hunger while I stand helpless, unable to provide even a morsel to ease his pain 😢.

We are in urgent need of just $200 💵 to secure the basics of life—food and warmth 🥖🔥. This small amount means life and hope for us 🙏. I appeal to kind-hearted people to answer my call before it’s too late ⏳. Every helping hand is a lifeline 🤲, and my trust is in God first and then in your generosity.

May God bless your wealth and loved ones and reward you abundantly for any support you provide 🌟. You are our hope after God ❤️.”

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