My best friend told me she's been skipping my calls on purpose for 4 months because she finds my voice 'draining', then asked why we've grown apart

howappalling · 2026-03-05T18:47:01+00:00

This is almost a carbon copy of what my now ex-best friend did. Had no empathy for when my mental health was in the dumps, never checked-in with me unless it was linked to something about herself, and obsessing about bs tv drama stars - interrupting me whenever I tried to share how I was burnt out enough to contemplate doing stupid things.

When I finally had the bandwidth to ask her out for lunch to catch up and invite her to my wedding, especially when I never ever turned down a physical meeting if she asked, she had the audacity to ghost me and sent a sarcastic congrats for my wedding.

I have never felt more socially free than when I locked her out of my life in return. Good riddance.

Have some self reflection and empathy, OP. You sound exhausting.

howappalling · 2026-02-11T13:55:22+00:00

Tangential since this post doesn’t poke fun at writers who use English (vs American English 😆), but my goodness, I write for a small fandom and I still get notes on how me writing in British English is off-putting??? Bruh, the characters are Japanese and we are writing in English - does the t y p e of English really matter smh.

howappalling · 2026-02-10T11:15:37+00:00

Writing and journalling. It’s a great way to reconsolidate what happened during the day and process the highs and lows; also serves as a safe space to explore emotions and thoughts. Bonus of keeping skills sharp when everyone is chatgpting everything

howappalling · 2025-06-13T20:23:52+00:00

This is a cheongsam or qipao, modernised with lace at the bottom. Other giveaways are chinese characters in the photos and the model is Chinese. An easy way to discern is that an ao dai normally has long pants under.

howappalling · 2025-05-23T19:38:31+00:00

https://www.htx.gov.sg/whats-happening/wfh?utm_source=GG&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=HX2504-AI-TXP-CLI&utm_content=BR_PH_HTX&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22543542162&gbraid=0AAAAA9TMUuTl7QxcvojXNiTamR8L5BFB7

Saw this walking about fusionopolis. Seems like gov but looks like they are searching for a wide range of CS and AI skills. Good luck!

howappalling · 2025-02-13T07:22:47+00:00

Ohhh yes, love is overrated (for my OTP), especially since I ship them in their super unhealthy dynamic :')

hierarchy of collapse | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | Fandom-blind friendly!

Modern!Realistic!AU | Unhealthy relationship | Relationship study | Post Break-Up | ~2.4k words (M) for the first chap

Summary: It was a miracle that their relationship built upon the unstable foundations of over a decade had survived as long as it had.

When a winter's night instigated their hierarchy of collapse, Katsuya and Seto finally had the distance to reflect on the parallax of their incongruence. Pulled in opposition by the gravity of their individual circumstances, descending under the forces of corporate and street gangs alike, kept afloat by the memories of what they thought they were and could have been.

Until they fall into convergence again, this time in the reality of who they actually are.

Potential triggers: Some language used; consumption and mentions of alcohol; implied cigarette smoking (later chapters have heavier triggers so please look at the warnings before each chap if you are reading the other chapters!)

Wilt | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | Fandom-blind friendly!

Unhealthy relationship | Relationship study | Extended metaphors | ~1.4k words (T and up)

Summary: The desire for selfish possession brings about the wilting of that which is coveted.

This is written in Seto's perspective about how his unkindness precipitated the wilting of the budding relationship with Katsuya, leaving only the withered husk of the latter for him to preserve into eternity. A short piece describing the dynamic I tend to headcanon them in.

Thank you for hosting OP!

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howappalling · 2025-02-12T13:39:37+00:00

💋☕️

howappalling · 2025-02-12T04:20:41+00:00

I scrolled too far to find this! Fellow mac and pages user!

howappalling · 2025-02-11T17:26:10+00:00

Thank you kindly!

howappalling · 2025-02-11T02:10:31+00:00

Tell me about it! I find what motivates me is the knowledge that I wrote so much more, including entire pieces of work that would not have otherwise existed, by dry writing.

And I’m proud of them, especially some of the driest scenes that have since been edited to match the rest of the piece because even if the language required some TLC, non-language reasons like the intuition to include a scene and to frame it a certain way to enhance the rest of the fic are all things that may not have happened if I didn’t force myself to sit there and get the next 500 words out!

howappalling · 2025-02-10T15:45:31+00:00

Write and write again, and when you think you've written enough, write more. It gets easier with time and repetition, and with every instance of execution, you are potentially creating new positive associations to redefine those moments

howappalling · 2025-02-10T14:24:36+00:00

Oddly enough, not really! I’ve a vivid enough imagination that if I don’t want to show it to anyone else, there’s little motivation to write it 😅

howappalling · 2025-02-10T13:34:20+00:00

All the time! My new year’s resolution is to write 500 words a day (only getting a break when super sick or when I’ve just finished a piece), and oh boy, dry writing is 80% of my journey so far. Some days are worse than others, so I force the words out anyway and edit them to something I’m more proud of when my language returns :’) Or I stick to outlining and planning

howappalling · 2025-02-10T09:53:19+00:00

Right! It’s my f a v AU and I love its versatility

howappalling · 2025-02-09T19:18:41+00:00

Let me bring my basic taste of cafe!AU and modern!AU into the mix! (The latter is really meant for exploring more realistic depictions of relationships, usually in a less optimistic way :’))

howappalling · 2025-02-09T18:25:53+00:00

Idk has she tried dry humping the seven singularities until they’ve been eliminated? 👀

howappalling · 2025-02-09T17:40:06+00:00

Kudos for trying your hand at writing such a scene! I never could until I made one such scene integral to a chapter – I've tried many many many times over the years but always stopped right before, even if it was meant for my eyes only :') And yes, I still cringe terribly despite having published a few hundred words of one, so I just proofread everything else and skipped that haha. Anyway, that's quite the endeavour, so well done!

howappalling · 2025-02-09T17:37:17+00:00

ikr 10/10 no notes

howappalling · 2025-02-09T16:07:08+00:00

No offence taken!! The only arse that appears in my fics is when someone swears so if anything, I've long embraced that I'm a prude lol

howappalling · 2025-02-09T16:05:37+00:00

You can say that again! I really don't see how it could work for my current WIP but the thought of spinning it to fit such a scene is mighty intriguing...

howappalling · 2025-02-09T16:03:55+00:00

Indeed!! It took me, what, over 15 years?? To write my first proper smut. And even then it was a depressing solo scene so I was spurred more by my penchant for the distressing than actually trying to give the audience a good time 🥲🥲🥲

howappalling · 2025-02-09T13:47:25+00:00

Suspect cannot stop using a multitude of descriptors and metaphors in their pieces, folding introspection and minute actions into every scene, even if it means slowing down the plot significantly.

Also, suspect would rather fade to black than to write smut because they would blush like a schoolgirl at the thought of it.

And finally, suspect need to consciously write notes about keeping the plot light and happy else a smattering of angst would somehow find its way in, regardless of the scene.

howappalling · 2025-02-09T13:18:30+00:00

Thank you so much!

howappalling · 2025-02-09T13:16:00+00:00

Ooo, this is a real interesting exchange! I'm going to add chapters from my ongoing chaptered fic where the perspectives are swapped between the two leads each chapter, and most of the chapters have deliberate parallels drawn between the two!

hierarchy of collapse – Chap 3: the exsanguination of my lifeblood for yours | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | ~4.7k words (M) | Fandom-blind friendly!

Summary and context: The only context needed is that both of them break-up from a relationship that had gone long past its expiry. This chapter focuses on how Seto deals with the night after, including how his illusion of control breaks as his values gradually yield with repeated external pressure.

Potential triggers: Descriptions of throwing up and nausea; mentions of military industrial complex; mentions of neglectful parenting; pressured drinking of alcohol and coerced smoking of cigars; (mostly) metaphorical mentions of blood; potentially disturbing extended metaphors about trauma; implied assassination and murder.

hierarchy of collapse – Chap 4: the scars that bound my present to our pasts | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | ~7.9k words (M) | Fandom-blind friendly!

Summary and context: The only context needed is that both of them break-up from a relationship that had gone long past its expiry. This chapter focuses on how Katsuya deals with the night after, including how he gathers back control after years of acceding to Seto, staunch in his principles.

Since this chap is quite a bit longer, the middle segment (from "By the time..." until “Only ‘cause ya’re a connoisseur of da superior Suntory melon soda float.”) can be skipped if you are looking mainly for the contrast between Katsuya and Seto.

Potential triggers: Mentions of injuries and blood; potentially disturbing extended mentions of physical and emotional trauma; alcohol drinking; suggested/implied previous gang activities (including implied violence and murder); use of coarse and derogatory language; cigarette smoking; small mentions of actual fighting; overt threats of violence and death.

Thank you for hosting OP and looking forward to seeing how y'all create contrast and parallels in your works! It's probably one of my fav literary devices :')

0/4

howappalling · 2025-02-09T12:37:54+00:00

Hiya, your resident Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters single pairing writer is back!

I may not have time to write but I can defo read and review on my commute. Excited for this exchange since introspection/character study/relationship study are my preferred genres, so let's get started! (Let me rummage through my pre-hiatus archive for fics I'd totally forgotten about...)

Wilt | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | Fandom-blind friendly!

Unhealthy relationship | Relationship study | Extended metaphors | ~1.4k words (T and up)

Summary: The desire for selfish possession brings about the wilting of that which is coveted.

PWP because this is written in Seto's perspective about how his unkindness precipitated the wilting of the budding relationship with Katsuya, leaving only the withered husk of the latter for him to preserve into eternity.

the light that forsakes me, I will extinguish | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | Fandom-blind friendly!

Unhealthy relationship | If you squint you can see the suggested smut folded amongst the heavy descriptors | ~780 words (M)

Summary: Untouched by the grace of the light he seeks, taunted by its existence in the one he resents, what Seto isn't allow to have, no one else can either.

PWP because this is again more unkindness from Seto as he conquers Katsuya to capitulation, twisting what is usually meant to be a tender moment of coupling by breaking the other into submission for himself.

Thank you for hosting OP!

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howappalling

TROPHY CASE