Dance with me until I feel all right

1.examples of Canon tags: Alternative universe, Canon compliant, Canon divergence, Crossover, Fix-it Fic, Future Fic, Missing Scenes & Codas, Pre-canon/Backstory.

2. examples of Format tags: 5+1 Things, Art, Dialogue-Only, Epistolary, Online & Social Media, Podfic Poetry, Songfic, Texting.-examples of Tone tags: Angst, Crack, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Smut and PWP, Whump.

3. examples of relationship tags, in subcategories: Platonic (Coming Out, Families, Friendship, Siblings); Getting Together (Amnesia, Body Swap, Childhood Friends, Different First Meeting, Drunken Confessions, Enemies to Lovers, Huddling For Warmth, Meet-Cute, Miscommunication, Road Trips, Roommates, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Strangers to Lovers, Trapped in an Elevator); PG-13 (Cuddling, First Kiss, Kissing and Making Out); Sexy Times (ABO, Dirty Talk, First Time, Kink, Roleplay, Sex Pollen, Sexting and Phone Sex, Voyeurism); Commitment (Arranged Marriage, Established Relationship, Honeymoons, Infidelity, jealousy, Kid Fic, Long Distance Relationship, Pregnancy, Weddings & Proposals).

4. examples of Theme tags, in subcategories: Activities and Interests (Baking and Cooking, Camping, Celebrations, Crafts and Hobbies, Drinking or Getting High, Fashion, Holidays, Pets, Piercings and Tattoos, Religion, Sports, Theatre and Dance, Yoga); Adaptations (Fairy Tales, Historical, Reality Show, TV/Movie/Book Adaptations); Character Drive (Anxiety and Mental Health, Introspection, Queer Themes); Jobs (Artists, Celebrities, Crime and Suspense, Firefighters, Lifeguards, Media and Journalism, Medical, Military, Musicians, Pilots, Politics, Retail, Royalty, Teachers); Other worldly (Apocalypse, Fairies, Ghosts, Magic and Fantasy, Parallel Universe, Sci-fi, Shapeshifters, Superheroes, Supernatural, Tentacles, Time Travel, Vampires, Witches, Zombies); Places (Bookstores & Libraries, Coffee Shops & Restaurants, College, Flower Shops, High School, Summer Camp, Wineries).

—don’t work for startups, they’re always one ‘innovative idea’ away adding ‘sell your kidneys on the black market’ to your job description.

—keeping a collection of basic OTC medicine on you will save your life one day. I recommend Advil, Imodium, and TUMS.

—those little single-use glasses cleaning wipes are 1000% worth the money

—overly self-depreciating jokes just make people uncomfortable, wean yourself off of them

—you can buy dehydrated mini marshmallows in bulk online and they’re a godsend for hot cocoa

—people don’t care if you have fidget toys on your desk they just want to play with them

keep on not working for startups

sometimes there comes a point where the thing (fandom, hobby, friendship, romantic relationship) you loved no longer brings you joy. And that's okay. Try to mourn the loss, take joy in the memories, and don't burn any bridges in case ten years go by and you find yourself back in that fandom/hobby/relationship again

it turns out that (ugh) moderate regular exercise is (spit) good for you. The sooner you make it part of your life, the easier it'll be

related: if you throw yourself into a new exercise regime too hard and too fast, without stopping to rest or consider whether a particular move is good for you ... well, shoulder injuries are painful and consults with orthopedic surgeons are expensive

knees are bastards too

don't even get me started on ankles

there may come a time when your digestive system is too fragile for ibuprofin. I'm sorry

one day you're gonna wake up and realise you no longer give any fucks about some things that used to bother you

on the other hand, you might be alarmed to realise what you still give a fuck about

"loving yourself" is less of a feeling and more of an action. you can start doing it any time and it will make your life better and better as you go on

this will happen incrementally - be patient

along those lines, if you haven't started making an active effort to quit shit-talking yourself, suck it up and do it

no, shut up. do it. "but it's haaaaard!" don't care. do it.

whether you like it or not, you are mortal and you need to go to the doctor for an annual checkup

stretch regularly - your future self will thank you

at some point you will encounter people much younger than you arguing passionately and incorrectly about history you personally remember and experienced

this will be infuriating and annoying

otoh, most other things just... will not matter to you as much

at some point you will shift from wanting to go out to being like "eh" and deciding to stay in. this is okay.

you will have absolutely no idea what The Youth are talking about and you will not care

but if you keep your mind open to new ideas you'll never be irrelevant

your company still doesn't love you - don't give them more than they pay you for

Find joy, every kind, it's always worth it

I'm talking that massive, never-ending Discord chat with your bestie? The one that makes you giggle through the day? It's not a "waste of time," it's what time was made for

If that's fanfic for your favorite characters who never even met on screen celebrate that!

If that's building a tiny fleet of snake villagers for your snake town and they just cover your mantel hell yes!

If that's collecting pillows and making a fort of them every weekend I'll be right over

Please keep stretching and exercise enough NOT to need an elaborate strategy to get up from the floor. IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE

Say bye to your employer as early as you possibly can, unless you really love your job. You won’t be sorry.

Keep doing the annual checkups 🙏🏼

Your perspectives matter. Your representation matters. You are not bothersome for demanding equal treatment in fandom. It is not your responsibility to make fandom more welcoming and inclusive to you. It is not your sole responsibility to create all of the Black-centered content. You are not "ruining" anyone's fun for demanding better for yourself, and anyone who says otherwise can go fuck themselves. Any fandom worth being a part of should have no room for racism in it.

Black people in fandom, you are wanted. You are needed. You are loved and appreciated. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.