Sometimes we all need a little moment of joy.

Vivian Darkbloom was the name of a Xena fan fiction writer back in the day and she was probably one of the more brilliant, original writers out there (her Mel and Janice stories are some of the best and earliest examples of epic AU writing, and her ‘trailer trash’ series is still hilarious). Here’s a Whoosh article on her contribution to what was then called ‘uber’ fiction in Xena.

Her Xenafiction.net page is still available with links to her stories, all of which I can recommend (even if you’re not familiar with Xena, you’re probably familiar with the tropes associated with her and you’ll certainly find something to connect with).

I’m very pleased that she’s still around, still writing and has even posted one of her classic Xena stories, ‘Infamia’ on AO3. I do hope she chooses to upload more of her Xena fiction so it can be easily found by a new audience, whom I know will love it all.

Do give her a follow, support and read.

anonfanfic:

Change the world.

phaneditstbh:

haleystudies:

This is a matter very close to my heart. I have bipolar I disorder and ADHD as a result of bipolar. There aren’t many big posts about studying with mental illnesses so I figured I would compile a huge list of tips and posts! I’m going to be making a video about this very soon. I hope for all of you struggling that this can help or at least remind you that mental health is more important than school sometimes. Take care of yourself in any way you can. lets get started…

Studying with Mental Illness

Take things slowly. Don’t be afraid to take a week doing one assignment. Making sure that you can focus on assignments can be draining so breaking them down day by day can truly help you. Make a task list with each portion of an assignment mapped out so that you can see exactly what you need to do. I know that i get overwhelmed very easily and seeing smaller things is less daunting then having a list full of HUGE things like research papers and midterms. Seeing it as “write paragraph one” or “review unit one vocab” makes everything less scary.

Nothing has to be pretty. Notes don’t, papers don’t have to be perfect, study guides don’t need to be colorful and cute. What really matters is getting things done. My mom always tells me “even an F is better than a zero” which is so true. Turning things in late is not shameful because you are still turning it in. You still did it and that is something to be proud of.

Study somewhere other than your room or your house. Make sure there are people there. Surrounding yourself with others will allow you to feel less isolated and sometimes more motivated to do things. You can’t take naps when you’re at a Panera or Starbucks either. People can be motivating, they can remind you that you are not alone, they can hold you accountable for what you have to do. Get out of your bed where you can sit and stare at the wall and go to a coffee shop or the library where other people are doing work. This always helps me get on track.

Study in short bursts. Don’t wear yourself out with work. Find out when your concentration peaks and go with that. I usually work the best around 2pm so I have to make sure that I have eaten and showered before then so that I can capture that time to focus on my studies.

Don’t beat yourself up. Studying just takes a lot more effort other days when depression hits you the worst. There might be days when you can barely get yourself out of bed but know that you do have the ability to succeed and that depression just has to suck sometimes.

Get yourself out of bed. Shower. Change your clothes. Read a single page. Look at only one thing you have to do so you aren’t overwhelmed. That is something to be proud of and know that I am proud of what you did!

Study in a routine style. Let yourself have a routine that you can fall into. Try pomodoros or study games, Create a routine that you can stick to

If you don’t feel like doing anything… work for 5 minutes. You may feel more motivated or up, or you will at least be able to say that you have done something.

HYDRATE. I’m really awful at drinking a lot of water, but it helps so much with both anxiety and depression. Water keeps you moving and awake. SO drink that H2O guys

Helpful Links

Staying Sane on Campus

Tips to stay mentally and emotionally healthy while you study

How to school when mentally Ill

Depression

Studying with Depression

Depression study tips

Studying through Depression

6 Tips To Get Motivated When You’re Feeling Depressed

Five Ways To Deal With Depression During Exams

Anxiety

Anxiety in Grad school

Dealing with Stress and Anxiety

Studying with Anxiety

Get Ready for School If You Suffer From Anxiety

Living & Studying with Anxiety

ADHD

How to succeed with ADHD

10 Study tips for ADHD students

I couldn’t find any resources about OCD, BPD, PTSD, or bipolar for that fact so keep on the lookout for any additions to this post if I find anything more! If all else fails, just google things. That always helps me. Message me personally if you have any questions about my struggles or need some specific advice! I love you all so much and I am so proud of you!! xx Haley

For all of you who might need it ❤️

dubblebubble:

do you ever read fanfiction so good you wish it was a book that you could buy and put on some shelf in your bedroom and gaze at sometimes and remember how amazing that motherfucker was instead of having to squint at it on your too bright phone screen at 3 am

Yes! And there are some writers of fan fiction that deserve to be recognised and remembered for their legit literary contributions.

@unicyclehippo & @possibilistfanfiction

@steklir

KL Morgan

These are just off the top of my head. I hope this list gets added to.

bassflutes:

asamstudiesintro:

joseptrohman:

holy-yato:

americanpete:

shout out to all the mentally ill asian kids

who can’t pull up the strength to do their homework or study

who get low grades because of their mental illness

who are constantly under pressure to do well in school by their parents

who have parents that think depression or anxiety is just an excuse for being “lazy”

who have parents that tell them that they had it harder when they were young

who, because of the stereotype that all asians are smart, constantly doubt themselves and their abilities

who suffer because of the stigma around mental illness in asian cultures

your grades, your abilities, and your parent’s perception of you do not make up your worth. you’re doing your best, and i’m endlessly proud of you.

why did you have to label it on asian kids, it applies to everyone.

asian kids face extreme pressure from their families to perform well in academia. its engrained in our cultures and asian kids with mental illnesses who can’t perform to the expectations of their parents face crippling self doubt and hatred. because of the mental illness stigma in the asian community no one speaks up to support these struggling students. they need to know that they still matter and that their grades don’t define them, because no one else will tell them that in real life. so stop being an asshole, and let the asian kids have their post.

“so stop being an asshole, and let the asian kids have their post.”

and the worst part is that all our hard work gets erased by whites because “oh you don’t have to try at anything, you’re asian”

kuunakullanvalkeana:

vulvapunk:

horseandfeathers:

lesfemale:

when lesbians can’t display public affection without harassment but lesbian porn is one of the most popular porn genres

When gay men believe female homosexuality is “more accepted” due to this social contradiction

when straight men think their consumption of lesbian porn means they appreciate love between women and support lesbians

when straight women utilise this fetishisation to appeal to straight men

The multi-headed hydra of hate should be a beast on its side, heaving its last.

US Politics Post

dogmatix:

littlemisskissmyass:

lettersfromtitan:

the-cimmerians:

istytehcrawk:

the-cimmerians:

you know how i bug you to register to vote and then vote and it’s really super-annoying? well the republican party platform is rolling out and it includes a 100% ban on abortions and revocation of same-sex marriage and no background check for guns and oh yes also conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people so yeah me bugging you is not going to change sorry not sorry please register to vote and then vote?

Other “highlights”, per the New York Times:

military women barred from combat

coal considered “clean” energy

pornography declared public menace

religion (read: Christianity) must be used as guide for legislation

teaching the bible in public schools

building a wall along the Mexican border like Trump wants

Reblogging for the NYT article link, and also this one from OccupyDemocrats. Your vote matters so much.

Please vote and please don’t be complacent. So very not good polling numbers for Clinton came out this morning, and in general I think polling is going to consistently undercount support for Trump (hi, I look at data regarding the election as part of my day job, I am not just talking out of my ass). Vote. Even if you think your state is “safe.” And please learn about your local down-ticket races, because that’s where the policy that affects your daily life happens.

If this passes, it will set our country back DECADES. Reblog so everyone can see and then vote in November.

I thought this was a hoax or a joke, because even the Republican Party couldn’t be that daft, regressive, and hateful.

It’s not a joke. It’s not a hoax.

VOTE.

I don’t care if you don’t like Hillary. I don’t much like her either. But the alternative is WORSE.

America, please.

Look what the right wing in the UK has done to us through Brexit – don’t let even worse happen to you (and, thus, the rest of the world).

Reblog if you’ve ever read fan-fiction that actually set the bar higher.

sheliesshattered:

#yup #it’s so hard to read published fiction now #so much of it is just sooo baaad #but like #part of the gate keeper effect to publishing #is that they don’t get inundated with all these stories using similar tropes #tropes don’t get refined like they do in fanfiction #published fiction ends up feeling cliche and clunky and incredibly slow #where fanfiction works through every possible iteration of a trope or a technique in a matter of months #and then comes back and turns old beloved tropes on their heads #while published fiction is still floundering with the basics of something that fanfiction explored in depth years ago #it’s like when someone shows you a ‘cool new funny meme’ from fb #and you’re like #that was on tumblr in 2007 #and it’s not even a particularly good example of the meme #it’s a mediocre example at best #from before the meme really got going and people got really imaginative #that’s how published fiction feels to me these days #in comparison to fanfiction #anyway #tag talking #fanfiction #reading (via)