How To Break Up Like A Philosopher

Sure. Why not?

Well that’s adorable.

What is the name of this book?

Such things they have done to me that it would take a river of blood to wash away all my wounds. I struggle for my most rational moments

“I really said that?” he asked. “It sounds a bit mad.”

Oh shit I’m being followed

a realistic study mood

you get home at 4, you planned to do your homework the moment you got home, you lay in your bed, you open your phone and begin to scroll, your phone alerts you you’re on low battery, you look at the clock, it’s now 7, you panic, you start your homework. you keep getting distracted it’s now 12, you plan to not do the same the next day.

Yep. So much.

I want to travel

Fantasy Guide to Worldbuilding

Language and Culture

You have your land and your people. Now onto what kind of people they are and what they sound like. Culture is the greatest worldbuilding tool you need to master. Language is extra spice.

Culture

Culture is a collection of customs and attitudes formed over time. Culture forms around a land, metaphorical cling film if you will. Land influences culture.

Entertainment: What amuses your people? Bull fighting? Gladiators? Tasteful plays?

Food and drink: What food is common? Is there a delicacy popular in the region? Pasta is Italy’s delicacy. Beer is a common drink in Germany

Taboo: The no-no of society. What can’t be spoken about or done? In Harry Potter, the name of Voldemort is taboo. In our world, for most of us anyway, incest and cannibalism are the major taboos

Myths: Are stories that explain things without evidence from science. The Egyptians thought that a dung-beatle rolled the sun across the sky. Celtic cultures believe that a death is sounded by the scream of a banshee.

Games: What games are played by children or adults? Are card games popular or board games? Is it popular to watch games or gamble on them? How often are they fixed?

Traditions: What do your people do? Do they have holidays? In Incan tradition, human sacrifices were common. On a light note, the Greeks held the Olympics ever few years. Is there traditional ceremonies or words one says on a daily basis?

Values: The Spartans valued Spartan behaviour. Renaissance culture valued skill and honour. What is the important concepts of your people? Strength? Honour? Intelligence? Do people get treated differently when they don’t follow the values of the land?

Meeting and greeting: How do people say hello? Is there a word or saying? A signal? And goodbye?

Language

Language is the heart of a land. You don’t need to create a large lexicon of made up words and rules. You can. I did once, it was fun. You don’t need to show the language in every line. A word here and there can add spice to a story. Language effects accents and way of speaking.

Side note: “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.” A country without a language is a country without a soul. Ireland is a county with two main languages: Irish (Gaelige) and English. Colonization almost stamped out the language. The Irish language is difficult to learn but it brings pride to me as Irish girl to know parts of it. It breaks my heart not to be fluent in my native language even after almost fifteen years of study. Language is not just words. It is the heart and soul of a land.

Peopleeeeeeeee

reblog this is you love the curse workers

I NEED TO FIND YOOOU.

31 Days of World Building: Wordsnstuff August Writing Challenge

– The monthly challenges are back by popular demand! I hope you all enjoy this one. This is the second installment of my three part series, dedicated to writing longer stories. Next month’s challenge will be dedicated to plot development. I look forward to seeing all of your guys’ responses here using the hashtag #wordsnstuffworldbuilding and over on Instagram, where you can tag me @ writingandsuch.

This challenge begins on August 1st, but I thought I would give you guys some time to plan stuff out, because you may need to switch some days around to accommodate your schedule. You’re free to do one day’s challenge on another day if your schedule doesn’t allow enough time to complete that day’s challenge. Best of luck to you!

☼ Prompt List ☼

Days 1-10: History & Geography

How does climate and weather change in the part(s) of the world your story occurs in?

Describe the landscape/layout of the major location(s) in your story. (Major buildings, natural formations, prominent mountains, where characters’ homes are situated, etc.

How have the species/groups/races in your story formed the relationships they have throughout history?

What major wars/conflicts/disasters have taken place in the timeline of history in your story? How do they affect your world and the beings in present times?

What recent history affects your story the most? What were the events’ initial effects and how do they compare and contrast to the long lasting damages/benefits?

Create two timelines; One that covers major events that have occurred since the beginning of your world as your character knows it, then one that covers recent events and time periods (about 500 years should do it).

To what extent does religion exist in your world and how has it evolved over time?

What does nature look like in your world? What plant species exist in your world? Which ones are rare and valuable and which ones are weeds? How do the beings in your world interact with nature?

What animals are present in your world? What areas of the world do specific species inhabit? Does poaching occur? If so, to what extent is it a major issue? What species are commonly domesticated, if any?

How have different species/beings/races been oppressed throughout the history of your world? How does this affect current relationships amongst different groups? Which conflicts have been solved/forgiven and which ones haven’t?

Days 11-20: Society & Culture

What races/species/groups coexist in your world? Describe them and their individual characteristics.

How many languages exist in your world? How do the resemble languages in the real world, if at all?

What major powers play large roles in your world? (i.e. churches, governments, monarchs, caste systems, corporations, etc.)

What does religion look like in your world? Do individuals of faith occupy the majority or the minority?

What are the major and minor opinions held by individuals in your world, concerning politics, morality, society, other groups, etc.

How do the names of beings/groups/individuals translate? How did they originate and how do names differ throughout the world? Are they more sacred and valued in some places than others?

What role does education play in your world? To what extent is it valued or required in society? How are uneducated individuals viewed/discriminated against, if at all?

What is fashion like in your world, if it exists? What do beings wear in your world, if anything? Is clothing an indicator of wealth or class?

To what extent is hygiene a priority to beings of your world? How do beings in different areas keep themselves clean and healthy?

What is the average life span of different species in your world? What aspects of science/evolution/design affect this? How are beings on opposite age extremes treated in society? How are the young and the old treated and how does their treatment differ from those who are not of those ages?

Days 21-30: Systems & Politics

How does your world function economically in your story? What is the currency system and what items/services are of most value in your world?

What political aspects of your story/world mirror real life and how might you convey these similarities through symbolism and abstract depictions of real life events?

How much of a role does politics play in your story/conflict and how does the political climate of your world affect your main character(s), specifically?

What major resources are plentiful and scarce in your world and how does this affect your character(s) as they try to solve the conflict?

What are the specific limits in various areas of science and magic within your world? If you don’t have a magic system, describe the realm of possibility when it comes to scientific capabilities, i.e, maybe in your world, time travel is possible but teleportation has not yet been invented.

What is ethical and non-ethical in your world and how much of a role does ethics play in law-enforcement/society in general?

Are the beings in your world concerned with issues like freedom of speech, equality, opportunity, fairness, and minorities? Do those issues even exist in your setting?

Who are the major world leaders and how do they govern the areas they have control over?

What technology/magic dominates your world? Is it exclusively used by a certain group/species/class? What are its limitations?

If magic does exist in your world, where did it originate? How was it originally meant to function/be used and how is it used in the present? How is magic viewed by different groups/species/classes?

Bonus Day 31 Challenge: The Things You May Forget

What food is common in your world?

How developed is medicine in your world? Is it anything like what we have on Earth?

How easy is it to get from one place to another?

**If anyone has any other aspects not mentioned in the list above that they feel is important to world-building, please leave those in the comments below for other writers to peruse!

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MY CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS (Check it out, it’s pretty cool. At least I think it is.)

So helpful! Thank you! 💖💖💖

Hey guys, so I’m nearing the end of my senior year, and it’s been great so far! I accomplished my academic tasks efficiently and didn’t burn myself out, and I think the main contributor to my success as a student is my organization system. This system has been refined throughout my high school years, but I think now I’ve finally found the most effective methods.

Please remember that this isn’t the only organization system you can adopt; this is just the one that works the best for me, and I hope that by sharing it with you, you’ll gain a new perspective on how to stay organized as a high school student.

The first thing I wanna talk about is my notebook system, which I briefly mentioned in my Guide to Note-Taking.

My notebook system comprises three types of notebooks: the Everything Notebook, the subject notebook, and the revision notebook.

The Everything Notebook

The first stage is in-class notes. I only bring one notebook to school every day. I call it my Everything Notebook, and this is where I write down all of the notes I take in class. This way, I don’t have to lug around six notebooks where I’m only going to use a few pages in each of them that day.

Subject Notebooks

At the end of the day, I would revise my notes and compare them to the syllabus so I know where we are in the learning process. I would then transfer my class notes from my Everything Notebook to my different subject notebooks. This is stage two. I also start to jazz up my notes because I use the notes in my subject notebooks to study for tests.

In addition to my class notes, I include material from my teachers’ notes that they might not have elaborated on, as well as points in the syllabus (I’m currently taking A2) that were only glazed over briefly, or not at all, in some cases. (Note: this does not mean they completely skip a chapter or topic; it’s more like they missed a few bullet points that should be in my notes but aren’t. An example would be if we’re learning about phenol reactions and the teacher forgot to mention the use of FeCl3 as a test for phenol.)

Revision Notebooks

Stage three comes a little later, when exam week is just around the corner. Essentially, I rewrite and improve my notes from my five different subject notebooks into a single revision notebook or binder. (Recently, I’ve opted for a revision notebook because they’re lighter and easier to carry around.)

Because my teachers don’t always teach in the order of the syllabus, the first thing I do is organize my notes according to the syllabus. I would then fill in any other missing gaps in the material that hadn’t been filled in stage two.

When compiling material for my revision notebook, I use as many sources as possible: my own notes, my teachers’ notes, youtube videos, online sites, and my favorite, the mark scheme! I add in some answers from past papers (explanations only, so no calculations) mainly to secure marks. It’s safer to memorize definitions straight from the mark scheme than from the textbook or from handouts. I also do this to ease my memorization, especially for topics that require lengthy explanations. It’s a lot easier to remember the 6 points I need to explain the principles of NMRI than to remember everything in the four-page handout my teacher gave me.

Folders and binders are essential to organizing your papers. Some people keep a single accordion folder for all their papers, but for me it’s just too heavy to carry around all the time. The same goes for subject folders that are brought to school every day.

Instead, my binder/folder system comprises my Everything Folder and my subject binders.

The Everything Folder

The folder I carry with me to school every day is this A4 folder I got from Tokyu Hands. It has 5 pockets, one for each day of the week, so all the papers I receive on Monday will go behind the first divider, and so on.

Some people also keep blank papers in their folders; I don’t because my school has its own lined paper and graphing pads that I keep under my desk that I use if a teacher asks us to do an assignment on those papers. If I do work at home, I prefer to just use a plain A4 paper or a legal pad.

Subject Binders

At the end of the week, I’ll sort my papers into my subject binders. Sometimes I’ll keep some papers in the folder if I think I’ll be needing it the next week. This usually only applies to worksheets because all my teachers’ notes are available on Google Classroom, so I can access them even if I don’t physically have them.

Each of these binders have sections inside them:

Physics: 1 for handouts, notes, and tests, 1 for Paper 4 (Theory), 1 for Paper 5 (Practical Planning). I included extra tabs to mark the different topics in the handouts section.

Chemistry: same as Physics.

Economics: 1 for Paper 3 (MCQ), 1 for Paper 4 (Case Study and Essay). A lot of my Economics material is online, though.

English: 1 for Paper 3 (Text and Discourse analysis), and 2 for Paper 4 (Language Topics, which includes 1 for Child Language Acquisition, 1 for World Englishes). Past papers, handouts, and notes all go under their respective topics.

Mathematics: I just keep everything together because I never revise math and just constantly do past papers.

This makes it easier for me to revise each subject because I can just take one binder with me instead of a messy folder with everything just shoved in there.

I keep a magazine file for each of my A-Level subjects (English and Mathematics are combined). All my textbooks, revision guides, and subject notebooks are kept here, so if I need to revise one subject, that’s the magazine file I’ll take out.

These magazine files prevent any small things (like my book of flashcards) from being shoved to the back of my bookshelf, or materials from different subjects from getting mixed up.

In my senior year, I mostly plan using this app called Edo Agenda. It syncs across all my devices for free and has all the features I need: a to do list to organize tasks, monthly and weekly calendars to organize events, a journal to organize notes and memos.

I used to bullet journal regularly, but it takes too much time during weekdays, so now I just bullet journal for the therapeutic effects it gives me, and I use an app for organizing tasks and events. Sometimes at the end of each week, I’ll transfer my tasks to my bullet journal and then decorate the page, but again, this is just for its therapy.

Organizing your school supplies is just as important as organizing your papers and notes. With a more organized backpack and pencil case, you won’t waste time looking for your things at the bottom of an abyss.

Pencil Case

I don’t find it necessary to bring so much stationery to school unless I plan on making notes at school (usually during revision week).

Backpack

Because we’re already in the revision term, I don’t really carry a lot of things in my everyday backpack, just the following:

Pencil case

Everything Notebook

Everything Folder

Revision notebook

Kindle

Phone

Wallet

Earphones

Calculator

Speaker

Drinking bottle

A pouch with things like a hairbrush, pads, and lip balm

And that’s all for now! I hope this post will help you organize your school life (if you haven’t already) or at least provide some useful insights on some ways to stay organized as a high school student.

How To Have A Good Morning - Habits Worth Starting

Wake up early : Running late isn’t cool. Wake up at a reasonable hour so that you have time to get ready,eat a healthy breakfast,exersice etc.

Make your bed : You should start your day by doing something productive. Something that ‘’gets you going’’ . Making your bed is a great option.

Try yoga/meditation : Take some time to reflect and de-stress. You can do this by trying yoga and/or meditation. There are several yoga ‘’flows’’ in pinterest and great meditation apps to try out! 

Gratitude Journal : Happiness is about wanting the things that you already have. Take some time of your morning to write down the blessings that you’re grateful for. Learn to count the small wins in life.

Plan / visualize : Write down a simple to-do list with all the tasks that you want to finish that day. Visualize your short or long - term goals. Whether they are monthly or yearly goals. Remind yourself what you are working towards.

Affirmations : It could be just a simple phrase like ‘ I am powerful ‘ or ‘ I am healthy’. Affirmations are those little (or long) phrases of positivity (like mantras ) in present tense that motivate you throughout the day.

Breakfast : I MUST include this to the list.Make yourself a nice breakfast. Don’t have to be big just something healthy. It is the most important meal of the day. Don’t skip it!! 

Take care of yourself : Do your hair,put on some comfy clothes that make you confident or out on makeup if you feel like it. Other acts of selfcare can be : taking a shower, having a skincare routine, brushing your teeth. 

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