R.G. Westerman

everyone in college is eccentric. everyone

you wanna wear full on Victorian suit? the girl in pajamas who clearly hasn’t slept in three days supports you

everyone is too preoccupied to care as long as you’re polite and follow class etiquette

multiple high school diplomas? eh. same stuff. multiple BAs? Enjoy learning chemistry AND art history! All in detail!

wandering around campus at 3am? that’s just the lifestyle tm

no matter how old or young you look it’s not really that weird, there’s sixteen year olds and sixty year olds doing BAs somewhere

If u put ur blood in a water bottle ppl will assume it’s juice and be Jealous

“Oh god I’m a monster” 20 students who r all procrastinating big projects say “same” simultaniousely and with the exact same tone

Everything is a joke so if u say “I subsist on the lifeblood of mankind” someone will go “lol what a mood”

It would take u like 100 years to major in everything

Seen sucking the blood of a fellow classmate and u r instantly the campus Cryptid and Mascot

Listen. If u have an ethical dilemma go find a philosophy major that believes in ethical subjectivism and they’ll make u so angry u forget abt whatever the fuck was bothering u

College is the only acceptable place to get into fistfights over classical literature

Literally all u need to do to avoid suspicion is be the guy that always has gum and a stapler

If u have a majestic mustache ppl will just assume ur an English major

Victoria Schwab Tweets:

“This just in: you can love writing and also find it hard.

“I was once on a panel and another author essentially said, ‘if you don't enjoy every moment, then why are you here?’ and I was...exasperated. Creativity is a complicated beast. You don't have to love every second to be a valid participant.

“I love the ideas. I love brainstorming, and problem-solving, and I love making this better, fine-tuning language.

“I also hate drafting, claw my way through self-doubt, crawl on my hands and knees through the frustration of the unrealized.

“I'm not here because I love every second.

If you have depression or anxiety? you’re not tired for no reason.

You’re tired because you have depression/anxiety.

Not only do they both come with low energy/fatigue as a legit common side effect, but they’re both fucking /exhausting/. fighting your brain all the time? exhausting. adrenaline crashes from anxiety/panic attacks? exhausting. being on edge all the time? exhausting. plus doing things costs /more/ energy when you have those mental illnesses.

His helmet had this odd discolored patch on it. Like, white against white, but … weird? It’s then that I realized his helmet didn’t have a discolored patch, it had a patch missing. A big chunk of his helmet had just been shaved away, the curve of the helmet gone and sanded flat by whatever it had been scraped against. And running through that patch, from one side of the helmet to the other, was this big crack, like the whole helmet had split like an eggshell. 

Our teacher took a couple deep panting breaths and then told our class: “And this,” he took another deep breath, “is why you always wear your helmet”. 

No bruises, no cuts or scrapes and just a couple tears for fears.

but rather than go on some journey to find some true love or whatever, she decides to use her last years to travel the seas with her crew and collect treasure and drink and be merry

So, this time, I’m not going to use a paragraph patronisingly complaining about what I’m giving advice on that I have seen in other fiction, and I’m just going to jump to advice. I’ve used these methods with a pair of characters in A Thief’s War, but of course I’m not going to mention which two. Enjoy!

Use Them Sparingly:

You don’t have to do this with all of your mysterious characters, of course, but I find a great way to keep a character mysterious is to make them only show up from time to time. Only make them present when their presence is vital.

Write From the Other Characters’ Points of View:

Again, you don’t have to do this, but it’s really hard to keep a character mysterious if you’re writing from their point of view. Let the characters around them wonder about their motivations, their appearance, their talents, and so forth.

Don’t Give Too Much Information Too Quickly:

This should be obvious, but it’s easier said than done. The first time your characters encounter Mr. Edgy Mystery, only give a few details. The sweep of cloak, the shadow of the hood, and maybe a whisper of the character’s name. The rule of “show don’t tell” is even more essential with this. Convey the character’s attitude and behaviour through actions, or hints in their speech.

Please Don’t Make Their Voice Raspy:

Please don’t make their voice raspy.

After Their First, Second, or Third Appearance:

I advise making them absent for a decent period of time after one of their first few appearances. Make the readers wonder where they went, what their doing, or maybe if they’re even still alive.

Make the Character’s Answers to Question Evasive:

When the protagonist asks why the character does what they do, have the character smirk or frown at them. Don’t have the character go into a deep monologue, or explain their tragic past.

Explain Them Through Other Characters:

My last bit of advice, here, is the show the mysterious character through the other characters. Have them meet a childhood friend that mentions a few things that happened to them, or have the protagonist slowly fit pieces of the puzzle that is this character together.

Let’s talk about being Ungrounded, symptoms and signs, as well as Earthing and how it can re-ground yourself in amazing ways. I’ll add in, of course, the process I personally go through for myself, and what I personally recommend. I also always have these signs and symptoms, especially since I’m a sensitive/psychic.

SYMPTOMS OF BEING UNGROUNDED-

First let’s get into the symptoms of being ungrounded, and I definitely get a ton of them. You will/can get Headaches, nausea, light headedness, spaced out feeling, a weird buzzing or like pins and needles feeling under your skin (I get them in my hands and feet and it spreads as time goes), hard to concentrate, daydreaming, moody, clumsiness (I tend to drop and bump into everything), fatigue, insomnia, forgetfulness including misplacing objects, sensitivities to noise and light, pain more so than usual, anxiety or worsening anxiety, irritability, not being able to meditate, getting over stimulated easily.

If you are an empath you will tend to get ungrounded more easily than others. This is due to all the feelings, energy, and emotions you receive from all around you that are not always your own.

GROUNDING

this is what I do and recommend.

GO OFF GRID. The night prior to my grounding and earthing, I go off grid, so no phone, pads, any electronics. Actually remove them from your bedroom as you sleep. This is what I do. Sometimes the electronics can effect us more than we realize. Then nothing the day of grounding. It’s just you and the earth, nature. I will leave my phone on and out in case of emergency calls but let friends etc. know I will be unavailable that day. If you have children, take them with you! They will love gallivanting through the woods.

CLEANSING. The morning off, I wake up with the sunrise and perform a ritual cleansing bath. You can find my ritual cleansing bath here on my tumblr.

EATING/FOOD. when grounding, it’s important to cleanse your body of toxins as well. Drink only water and lots of it. Which leads me into what to eat to cleanse your body as well. I eat and recommend eating Alkaline. The way you eat can affect you and your mood and body and the effects on your body as well. Eating Alkaline even for a few days can help ground you, cleanse you of the negative and bad. Eating Alkaline has to do with your blood PH levels. Your levels go between 0 to 14. 7 being neutral. Closer to 0 is more acidic, and closer to 14 is more Alkaline. The main thing about it is truly just for grounding here, is that it’s all natural, no by products, no preservatives, you are eating raw, natural, food in it’s natural state. What you choose to eat is up to you. I’ll tell you what I eat the day of. I usually begin the day prior. In the morning of, I Start by drinking a glass of tap warm water with fresh lemon slices, and I like to add chai seeds. Then eat throughout the day high Alkaline only fruits and veggies, seeds, nuts. You can find recipes by Google or PM me for some. I prefer to make green smoothies, wraps, or salads. Be careful with wraps. Some have too many ingredients. If you love tea, it’s fine. Coffee, I wean myself off of but coffee is okay, it’s just very low on the Alkaline list. You do what you feel is best for you. This is just what I do and recommend.

EARTHING. Earthing is essential to grounding yourself. I do not wear anything metal on me when I go, including underwire bras. I never place shoes on at all the day I’m doing this either. I wear light white clothes that allow the breeze of the wind to touch all of me if it’s warm out. Never wear shoes or socks outside. Dig your toes in the dirt, feel each leaf, blade of grass, run your fingers over the trees. Listen to mother earth. Dip your toes in the creek or river beds. Watch for signs from your guides.

CRYSTALS. Crystals are amazing for grounding. I always take mine with me. I hold it in one of my hands as I walk amongst the trees and the creek. The best are Hematite, smokey quartz, Jasper, prasiolite, shungite, k2,  Black Tourmaline. But some find other specific stones work better for them.

MEDITATION. I will always try to meditate in the woods after walking through and enjoying everything nature has before me. As well as work on my chakras. If I have brought anything as a gift, which I usually do, I lay it out and do what i do as an offering of thanks.

Don’t forget to let your emotions flow. Laugh, cry, let it out. Do visualizations. Sage smudge yourself when you are done. I also sage smudge my whole house as well. I open the windows to each room as I go, letting in fresh air, letting any negativity out, positivity in. Speak with true intent as you sage smudge.

Last but not least, feel positive, think positive, let go of any negative, and feel more grounded 💚🌎🌳🌹🌻🌱🙏