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#<- /lh do not read this statement seriously
cdroloisms · 10 months
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not to be salty abt the fandom again (but always to be salty abt the fandom again) -- it never fails to make me laugh abt how popular the concept of corrupt heroes c!dteam versus misunderstood "actually the good guys" villain c!sbi is as a premise in this fandom. like. c!dteam. you mean the group that is textually in the damn lore considered "the bad guys" according to the prevailing narratives in AND OUT of universe. what
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danidoesathing · 10 months
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📚💛🔮 for your ask game?
📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?
Lord Huron wise there ain't much out there and they're scattered across tags, but there's definitely a few!
Both under a very bad sign by Blancwene and walk out of the cosmic fog into a new life among the stars! by Biolumenesce are really good surreal VN fics that explore more of the vibes of the album as well as the story (pre-movie).
There's a couple more vibe/song centric ones like At the Edge of the Woods by Wasuremono (a yawning grave fic with an original story) and Immortal by Gheyn (la belle fleur sauvage with a fairytale style/elements).
Roubki's Secret of Life is pretty good too! It's a post-VN fic that takes place right after the events of the movie, that follows Buck (and Johnnie, whose still hanging around as a ghost) as he's more or less forcefully adopted by the World Enders. It's very fun and silly and im in love with it so far.
I'd also very much recommend eosofthedawn/foolofatook001's Strange Tales series. It's the different stories of LH in the format of TMA statements. It's three in as of now, two of which are Dead Man's Hand (One from Johnnie's perspective and the other from Buck's) and one for the Stranger MV with the Not!Them. I'd seriously recommend it whether or not you like TMA, those are really great i adore these.
and while I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, Vide Noir: Consciousness Neutralizer by every_eye_evermore is a crossover fic with the Murderbot Diaries books, which (i think) leans and meshes into the sci-fi elements of both series. I've read aster's writing before and can full recommend his stuff!
💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?
do whatever you want forever (seriously just. stop giving a shit. you'll feel so much better)
get weird with it
creating a writing discord server just for yourself is a good way to organize your shit
get a beta (still working on this one myself)
for the love of god if you're stuck and want to write the next sentence/scene/paragraph just skip to that. get that shit down further down the page and worry about connecting it later
🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?
oh god im not the person to ask for this. i get stuck all the time but uh. ill default to point 5 again because a lot of the time when i get stuck. if you're got the vibes for one scene you're not at yet just....go and get what you can for that scene down while the coffee is still hot.
Alternatively just. get out of the physical space you're writing in. Go to a cafe or restaurant or park or anywhere with free wifi and try it out there. sometimes the brain has different modes its in, like at school is "School mode" at work its "work mode" and home is usually "Rest mode" so just getting out of the house and somewhere new allows for the brain to slip back into that writing mode easier. There's a cafe near my house and going up there to write has been a huge help for my progress (although its not great for my wallet, but hey its good coffee)
if it's more "i cant write at all" you just gotta....wait it out i guess? go out and do something you like and stop thinking about it. the more you worry about getting back to writing the worse it'll get (for me anyway). you cant force yourself out of a writers block usually, so let it pass in due time. remember you're doing this for fun, so let it be fun!
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ailelie · 1 year
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Why is /j the tone indicator for joking when we've been using /jk for, like, two decades to the point that it has entered dialogue?
Seriously, I have heard people say something, get a sour look, and then respond, "Jay-kay!"
(Two decades b/c I know we were using /jk when I was in high school. And, yes, I know /jk stands for 'just kidding' but the tonal implications are basically the same as 'joking').
Many tone indicators are completely unintelligible and I have to look them up every time or just ignore them. But I can't say they're new because /jk's been around since high school and /s for sarcasm has been around since college (for me).
That someone would look at those and be like, what if we had more doesn't surprise me. I figure the most useful ones will persist while the majority will fall away into disuse.
People don't adopt memorize long lists unless necessary. They'll memorize what's useful to them, though.
/hj for half-joking is an interesting one for 'I'm not really serious but I'd still like a response' and I can kinda see myself using it in the future. /gen for genuine as a way to underscore yes, I really mean this could be useful, too. And I've definitely used /jk and /s over the past decades (though not tons).
But /srs (serious), /p (platonic), /r (romantic), /pos (positive connotations), /neg (negative connotations), /c (copypasta), /ly (lyrics), /lh (lighthearted), /nm (not mad), /t (teasing), /m (metaphorically), /rh (rhetorical question), /hyp (hyperbole), /th (threat) and the myriad more?
...I'm a control freak, but not that much of a control freak.
Some of these I could see being helpful if you're around people who constantly misinterpret you or are talking to strangers who have no idea who you are, but I typically talk to friends? Or to communities that give benefit of the doubt?
Tone indicators are not new, but they're not used all over the place because I think they undermine themselves to a bit. If I have to tell someone a statement is a joke, it probably isn't a very good or funny joke. Or the '/jk' is the punchline. And the only time I've used /s is when I know a statement is not immediately apparent as sarcasm or I know too many people have said something similar genuinely. Even then, though, it'd depend on where. And, honestly, I've learned to embed tone in my word choice.
I could say: "He's a great leader. /s" or I could say: "He's such a great leader."
For most people, the inclusion of the italicized 'such' will read as sarcasm. In print you have to go a bit more overboard with things.
Now I'm thinking about adverbs and how they weaken writing. They're so handy. "He ran down the track." vs "He ran rapidly down the track." Except, the better way to do that is to drop the adverb entirely and choose a better word for "ran" like "sprinted." "He sprinted down the track."
I wonder if tone indicators are like adverbs-- a way to improve clarity of meaning (because they can do that!) while also weakening writing and decreasing the need to think about the words you're using.
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halcyonstorm · 3 years
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Hey! I hope you're well. I started watching AOT and realized that levihan was a ship. And after reading the manga Ive come to the conclusion that they were more than friends if not just friends. Mostly because I saw Levi act with Isabella, a friend and a sister of sorts even Farlan. But with Hange he was just different. And thats what made me feel maybe it really was something more. He was a different Levi with her. All the teasing and the overprotectiveness, the unnecessary sass and hostility sometimes, but that makes me wonder WHY? Why was he like this towards her? And when was the moment he fell for her or decided to befriend her that way that yes I will tease this person from now on. At first I thought its because of how they met maybe but their first meeting was so sweet. Hange seemed impressed by him and he even thanked her for her compliments. I didnt think their interaction would lead to something like this. So what are your thoughts because I wonder alot on this. Also can someon pls tell me why Levi looks at her that way in aot 4 when hange meets the kids with him and says if they dont understand us we'll meet them and teach them. Like. What happened? Thank you !
Hi! I am well, thanks! And thank you for leaving me an ask! I always appreciate hearing what people have to say. I’m gonna try my best to answer your question without going on any tangents lol (but I can’t promise I won’t). This is going to be long.
Mostly because I saw Levi act with Isabella, a friend and a sister of sorts even Farlan. But with Hange he was just different. And thats what made me feel maybe it really was something more.
I 100% agree with this. When I read the manga and watched the anime, I thought maybe Isabel was a love interest (AT FIRST). When I realized she would call him “aniki” (brother) and the way he acted around her (patting her head), I knew there was a different relationship between Isabel and Levi. He saw her as a little sister and was always trying to avoid his two friends from getting into trouble. That’s why he decided for all of them to join the SC after all.
But with Hange he was just different. And thats what made me feel maybe it really was something more. He was a different Levi with her. All the teasing and the overprotectiveness, the unnecessary sass and hostility sometimes, but that makes me wonder WHY? Why was he like this towards her?
I think that the reason Levi had always acted different with her than anyone else was because of their first interaction. It was not in the anime but it WAS in the manga where Hange approaches the trio saying “I was watching you at that crucial moment!” (Not to mention the chapter Hange appears for the first time is called “Hearts” and in 139 we see “...hearts” over her head). At this point, Levi, Farlan, and Isabel were ready to kill Hange since they thought she found out about their plan to kill Erwin. What actually happened was she had seen how cool they all were and wanted to pay them a compliment. Ever since that trio left the underground, Hange was the first person to show them kindness. I don’t think this is something Levi would forget or take lightly. If it were me, I’d definitely remember that moment. I know there is a post somewhere comparing how Levi looked at Hange for the first time vs how he admired the nature outside the walls for the first time. After Farlan and Isabel died, who did he have? Practically no one. It’s my own HC but I’d like to think that Hange stuck by his side. Levi and Hange both have lost so many comrades that they found solace in each other. They bonded through grief I suppose. Also, I think Levi was intrigued by Hange’s personality. Their personalities complement each other: Hange is extroverted, loud, messy; Levi is introverted, quiet, reserved, clean.
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When I first saw them, I definitely felt some romantic attraction of sorts. We eventually learn he is a clean freak, yet he has no issue grabbing her hair (which probably was greasy and unclean). Also, I believe that wasn’t in the manga and Isym requested it be added? I can be wrong with that, but I think that if there was nothing planned for their relationship, he wouldn’t have requested it. From the second I saw them, they reminded me of an old married couple. The way they bickered and how Hange never felt threatened by him.
One of my favorite scenes is when Hange enters the room that Levi’s squad is in at the castle.
E: Oh, I’m not sure if I have the authority to help you.
H: Levi, what is Eren doing tomorrow?
L: Cleaning the courtyard.
H: Okay! It’s settled!
See how she doesn’t ask permission? See how Levi doesn’t retaliate? If it were anyone else, I’m sure that 1) someone wouldn't ask that and 2) Levi wouldn’t have responded that way. We have seen all throughout the anime and manga that he usually goes along with whatever she wants to do. Remember in the OVA where Levi grabs her and yells at her? She doesn’t retaliate from his tone either. She SMILES at him. Why? Because he is expressing concern for her. He is showing he cares about her (also he’s grabbing her and bringing her close again). Eventually at the end of the OVA, we see how Levi tells Hange that Erwin agreed to capture titans for experimenting.
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And when was the moment he fell for her or decided to befriend her that way that yes I will tease this person from now on… Also can someon pls tell me why Levi looks at her that way in aot 4 when hange meets the kids with him and says if they dont understand us we'll meet them and teach them. Like. What happened? Thank you !
I am not sure if there was a specific moment, but I do believe it definitely developed over time. One specific moment is the one you mentioned later on in your message, “If you don’t know something, go figure it out. Isn’t that what the Survey Corps is all about?” Levi looks at Hange almost in a surprised manner. In my biased LH eyes, it shows that Hange really is a brilliant and wonderful Commander, and Levi is appreciating her and her intelligence. In reality, it is most likely because it is something similar to what Erwin would have said as Commander. In all seriousness, her statement is entirely true. I think we can all learn from and use that statement in our everyday lives. But I think that in this moment, he possibly starts to realize how much he admires the Commander. We can also see Hange taking her own advice in chapter 126? 127? Where she forms the alliance with Pieck. She is not sure how to stop the Rumbling, so she goes to figure out how she can by talking with Pieck. As it turns out, she is successful in forming the alliance.
Overall, I think that Hange and Levi complement each other perfectly. Even if you aren’t looking too deep, I think their relationship is quite obvious. I mean… why would you ask someone to live with you if you didn’t care for them or even love them? I think that this is one of the points that other shippers bring up to break up LH (how L dislikes H or vice versa). Levi didn’t reject her. If Isym wanted him to reject her, he would’ve made him say something similar to Erwin’s “Give up on your dreams and die” statement when Erwin stated his selfish dream and was willing to sacrifice all of humanity for his selfish desire. Hange told him while he was unconscious and “not listening”, and he didn’t reject her. He says “if we run and hide, what will that get us?” and “I know you aren’t able to stay out of the action” when he sees her building the cart. We also see Levi “confess” or “respond” in 132 to Hange’s statement in 126. “Dedicate your heart”?? OMG Do not get me started on that lol.
Getting back on track, the pair is almost always together in the anime. They’re together in the manga panels when they don’t have to be. They don’t even need to speak actual words to communicate. They are the sun and moon, two wings of a bird. Levi is almost always looking at Hange in the official fanarts. We know from the smartpass AU’s that Hange says “he is a good guy” and “he doesn’t say what he means.” That’s why I think they use nicknames frequently. Four-eyes could be seen as an endearing comment coming from him. Also, Levi making Hange chocolates in the Junior High manga?!?!! Oh, yeah, its definitely to shut her up.
Im sorry for the huge tangent but I hope some of this answered your question. I enjoy reading the levihan analysis’ from other blogs. Thank you for reading if you did read this far. Have a good day/afternoon/night <3
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mack3030 · 3 years
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i feel like you're a c0mmie /lh
First of all, there is a reason that assume is spelled the way it is, but I'll answer this seriously because I'm in the mood to. First of all, hating how commercialism and monetization has taken over what should be an open-source community does not mean I am a communist. It means that I just think that there are some places and communities that don't need everything to be transactionary. I'm all for people making money with their own labor, talent and tools but the truth is, when you're making works for the Sims 4, the labor and talent is not all you. And I personally don't think it's fair for people to monetize what is essentially a derivitive work, especially when they use that as an excuse to act like asshats to the community on top of it. First of all, you are using EA's platform/game which they worked hard on as a display for your work. To get your CC, poses, or mods to work in the game, you have to use their tuning files, and/or clone their objects in Sims 4 Studio or another similar program. Which, ironically...let's think about it...oh wait...Sims 4 Studio is a FREE program that someone else made. And they FREELY update it and add important patch-fixes to the community for zero cost. Again. Not your work. In addition, there are a LARGE number of very WELL known sims 4 creators {especially in the alpha side of things} who are converting from 3D models they didn't make in the first place, and doing it unethically without talking to the original owners of the models. So that compounds the "not your work" argument further. If people want to sell 3D stuff they made on a 3D modeling site, or on a site that has terms that allow it like secondlife, they can go wild. But this community, when it originally started, hated and villified paywallers, because the community was open and focused on sharing and being creative. Sadly, we've strayed from how things used to be, and have slowly let in drips and drips of monetization until we basically expect that everything we try to download is going to lead to an ad or a patreon-locked page. And that f'ing sucks.
Also, let's turn to the dictionary and look up COMMUNISM, shall we? {Because I'm the daughter of a history teacher, and I like talking about history and stuff like this.}
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If I were a communist, here are some statements I'd probably make: - We all own all CC that is made, and can freely share it regardless of who made it in the first place. [Oh wait, I've talked before about how you should talk to people who own rights to the original 3D models, and how we shouldn't share early access content. Darn.] - Each person who is the community must work for the betterment of the community. Nobody can freeload, or else they will not get any cc or spoils at all. [But wait, I've never said anything about how everyone has to work on something to receive CC. Because obviously I currently don't have the talent yet to make custom content by myself. Darn it again.]
- People should be paid based on their cc making abilities. So people who mesh their own stuff like Bill L and Syb should be paid more than people who convert! [Wait, I've not said that either. I have said that people need to be ethical and give credit when converting, but I haven't said that people who hand mesh deserve to be paid more...shucks.] Also, let me be real....communism is one of those things that is often FORCED upon people. The main people who choose to be communist, are usually people high up in the ponzi-scheme that is that political system, because they want to gain power, wealth, or other resources off the backs of their people. Many people who are in communist countries don't choose to be communist, they just...are...because the people in power are and make them be that way. It's a system that benefits few, and hurts many. And that's not what I'm about. The fact that you're so ignorant about how this system causes people to suffer while those in power grow rich and fat just shows your immaturity {and your lack of capitalization doesn't help either}. I'm an artist. I believe artistic spaces should be about sharing and creating, not profit. Especially when the PLATFORM and the TOOLS we are given to make that art are not our own. I feel making a profit off a community that already has been fleeced so much by EA is just ethically yucky. One last thing, here's a couple documentaries about Communism and Facism, should you decide you want to educate yourself on how those political systems actually work, and why they should be avoided: How to Become a Tyrant - Documentary Series, Netflix Evolution of Evil - Documentary Series, Amazon Prime Video I would highly recommend both as they dive very deeply into what makes someone a dictator, and you will find that communism/facism are both primary tools used by evil people suffering from delusions of grandeur to achieve such power over their people. I'd also recommend reading books on the subject, but you don't seem like the type who'd enjoy that. I hope you've learned a little something. If you don't like my answer, here's where you can go to solve that problem!
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stereksecretsanta · 4 years
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Merry Christmas, kevaaronday!
For @kevaaronday. I tried to use all the tropes you liked, though I played a bit with the coffee shop!AU request. It ended up being pretty long, but I hope it pleases. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Read On AO3
*****
Food, Drinks, and Pings
Stiles just wanted to clear things up—he did not work for Hale Corp, and he certainly did not work for said company’s inhouse café, The Family Bean. He was a writer, who just so happened to have been roped into the gig because he was best friends with the soulmate-fiancée of the best friend of one of the sons of the company’s owners.
See, one of Stiles’ best friends from high school was Erica Reyes, blonde, vivacious, and both crazy and powerful enough to castrate someone with her fingernails. She might look like she just stepped off the catwalk, with her hourglass figure, fluffy hair, and red lips, but she had a knack for business that led to a scholarship at a reputable business school. Stiles, on the other hand, took to writing like a duck to water, thanks to his overactive imagination and ability to turn a phrase. He could write anything and so he did—news pieces, articles, blogs, reviews, as well as a modestly famous soulmate series published under a pseudonym.
Erica’s soon-to-be husband and soulmate was Vernon Boyd III, a tall, dark, and delicious drink of chocolate, who was so fit he could bench press a baby elephant without breaking a sweat. He was the perfect picture of seriousness and silence, that Stiles used to wonder how he functioned as Hale Corp’s Director of Operations. After getting to know him better, he realized just how smart and charismatic Boyd really was.
Boyd’s best friend from childhood was Derek Hale, one of the sons from the famous and powerful Hale Family, owners and leaders of the mass media company, Hale Corp.
Stiles knew of the Hale Family, and who didn’t? You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know the famous family of business tycoons and titans, a family so rich they could buy a person’s soul even. Nor would someone fail to hear about one of the most powerful love stories that rocked the world.
Talia Hale was the eldest child of the main branch of the Hale family and was poised to take over the world. Desmond Fitzgerald, in contrast, was the only child of elderly parents, and they lived at a shabby, squat house with no electricity, scraping by each and every day. 
Talia’s father, the late and great Everett Hale, had visited the local community college as part of their charity program. Talia had tagged along, nineteen and already learning the ropes, and had tripped over the custodian who had been on his hands and knees straightening the welcome carpet.
Take a guess who the janitor was.
An accidental brush of skin, the burning of a Mark, and that was it.
Talia and Desmond turned out to be soulmates, and their Marks, her howling wolf and his crescent moon, had become one of the most romantic symbols of their time.
Now, where did Stiles and The Family Bean came in, you ask?
Aside from writing, Stiles knew his way around a kitchen. His mother had passed away when he was seven, and he had grown up with a Sheriff father who only knew the basics. Stiles had to learn how to cook a meal or risk them subsisting on fried everything and endless takeout orders.
So yes, Stiles knew how a kitchen worked. The thing was, Erica didn’t, and had spent high school eating Stiles’ meals and hanging around his kitchen. Nothing soothed her viciousness and temper like one of his desserts.
So whenever Erica was close to breaking someone’s jaw and risking a lawsuit, she’d invite Stiles over and he would come and work his magic at The Family Bean. It wasn’t like it was such a hardship. The place had a gorgeous kitchen, a full pantry, and a really comfy setup with cozy booths and colorful tables and chairs. 
It wasn’t only Erica who benefited. Stiles often found inspiration at the tail end of a whisk or in between beating a dough into submission while listening to Erica’s gossip. He had come to depend on her brand of sass whenever he was suffering from writer’s block, or dealing with annoying clients, or avoiding his editor, Danny Mahealani. 
It got to the point that Erica had HR make him a permanent guest entry pass—written down for Stiles S, Food Guy—and everyone knew him by name, the security, the delivery boys, the café’s actual employees, and some of Hale Corp’s employees.
That was what he meant by his original statement: He did not work for Hale Corp or The Family Bean. He was just Erica’s food guy and personal chef. Just another title to add to personal punching bag, platonic soulmate, best friend, and partner-in-crime, among others.
Boyd was surprisingly calm about the guy constantly hanging around his soulmate. Then again, no one would choose Stiles’ skinny ass for Boyd’s lusciousness, so Stiles could understand that he wasn’t much of a threat. Erica said that Boyd knew they were a package deal, and it helped that Boyd had been won over by Stiles’ banana bread. Either way, Boyd was cool and didn’t punch Stiles in the face for his and Erica’s weird platonic love affair.
So, in the end, that was Stiles’ life—work, his Dad, Erica, and his other friends.
Then the Hales happened.
It all started on a fine Monday morning with Kira Yukimura. She was pretty and petite, and the goddess who was actually the one in charge of The Family Bean’s kitchen. She wore floral dresses with studded combat boots, and held katana wielding lessons on Saturdays and a kids’ kitchen workshop on Sundays. Stiles adored her.
So when he walked in that day—after spending the entirety of the weekend not writing, because his protagonists, Peter and Wade, were being idiots—only to hear Kira’s cries for help, he was more than happy to tag in.
“I’m not crying.” She glared at him from where she was assembling sandwich orders, her gaze as sharp as her swords.
“But you still need help,” Stiles said. He put his laptop bag in one of the employee lockers, rolled up the sleeves of his red sweater, and put on an apron. “Erica wants to do lunch, but I decided to come in early.”
Kira nodded towards the window. “All right, because I got a purple ticket for you.”
Stiles jumped up. “Ooh, cool! I’ve never handled a purple ticket before!”
Kira gave him a relieved smile. “Well, today’s your lucky day. One of my employees called in sick, another is late, and I’ve got five packed tickets from different departments, three of them being rush orders, not to mention today’s purple ticket is a little too vague. I’m both swamped and stumped.”
“I’ve got your back, K.” Stiles gave her a salute and bounced over to the ticket tacked up on the holder.
Purple tickets were orders sent straight from the Wolf’s Den. It was the codename for the top floors occupied by the Hale Family and their closest associates. Boyd and Erica’s office were there, too. Stiles had only ever seen it through photos. There was a lot of security posted there, as if guarding the gates of heaven.
Anyway, purple tickets meant VVVVIP orders, note the number of ‘very’s. Kira usually handled those, but she obviously needed help now.
“Now, what do the Lords and Ladies want?” Stiles murmured to himself.
The Family Bean:
MH: hot chocolate
CC: pancakes
SHB: waffles
VHB: dirty chai
LH: anything 
“You know who’s who?” Kira called out.
“Yep, I got it,” Stiles replied. He learned about this from Erica.
MH was Matthew Hale, the firstborn son and heir to the kingdom. CC was his seven-year-old daughter, who everyone called by her nickname. SHB was five-year-old Spencer, and VHB was his mother Valerie Hale-Barone, the firstborn daughter, second eldest, and the lawyer of the family. LH was Laura Hale, the third eldest and the maverick of the family. She was the only one not directly working for Hale Corp, and was more involved their side projects.
“Purple tickets are usually like that,” Kira said, looking at him with amusement. Stiles realized he had been frowning in confusion. “Despite being insanely rich people, they’re surprisingly not very picky about what they eat. Laura, in particular, will eat anything. It’s just difficult to give them variety or find a balance between upscale and too simple.”
“And now you want me to take a crack at it?” Stiles asked.
“Sure. It’ll be in my name anyway, and I don’t mind if you go wild,” Kira said encouragingly. It made Stiles grin. Most would be horrified at handing over their precious menu to someone who wasn’t a baker, much less someone who wasn’t a legitimate employee. But Kira had always been a rebel.
Under Kira’s guidance, Stiles filled up a purple delivery bag for the Hales. The dirty chai latte was pretty straightforward, though he didn’t know how Kira usually made it, so he went with his own style. He also made a raspberry hot chocolate, strawberry cheesecake pancakes, mixed berry waffles, and, for the anything portion of the ticket, a berry breakfast parfait made of yoghurt and fruits and graham crackers.
“Tastes awesome and looks pretty as a picture too,” Kira said, nibbling on her own waffle as she sat atop the counter, swinging her legs to and fro. Stiles could see a hint of her soulmate Mark under her dress just on the outside of her thigh. “I still believe you should have been a baker rather than a writer.”
Stiles grinned as he hung up his apron. “I’m both, but one pays the bills and the other’s a hobby. It’s surprising how most people would think one’s the other.”
“Kira?” a voice called out.
Kira perked up and immediately slid off the counter. She straightened her skirt and stepped out the door of the kitchen. 
“Good morning, Derek,” she greeted.
Stiles peeked out unashamedly through the service window.
Tall, dark, and incredibly handsome, DH or Derek Hale was the middle child of the family. He was the Chief Financial Officer, and was said to be shyer and quieter compared to his more unruly and flashy siblings. It made sense why he was childhood friends with Boyd. The two seemed to share a calm, quiet demeanor.
Stiles had always thought that Derek was quite handsome in an already attractive family, and every once in a while, he would get front row seats—or the view through the service window—to the man in the three-piece suit with the godly shoulder to waist to ass ratio. It was quite inspiring.
“I heard Val and the others had a purple ticket sent down,” Derek was saying to Kira. “I’m on my way up and I thought I’d bring it along and save you a trip.”
“Oh, thanks, Derek. I’ll get it from the back,” Kira replied. “How about you? Do you want anything?”
Derek thought about it. “Just a drink. Anything you want to make me.”
“So long as it’s sweet?” Kira teased, which made the man chuckle.
It was like a bulb lit up in Stiles’ head. 
He met Kira at the door when she walked back in, and it said so much about how awesome she was because she immediately said, “Yes, Stiles, you can make whatever you want. I mean, you’ve already tried your hard at the purple ticket. Might as well go all the way.”
“Thanks, K. You’re a goddess.” Stiles bounced off to the machines. He had always liked a challenge.
In the end, Stiles added his specially made ‘very merry berry frappe’ into the bag. He made sure to put it in a cup cozy to hide the purple color. He wasn’t sure if Derek would mind, but it just wouldn’t do for one of the bosses to be seen with a colorful drink. He let Kira whisk the bag away and they watched Derek exit The Family Bean.
“I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave,” Stiles murmured, eyeing the man’s backside.
“I’ll drink to that.” Kira giggled, clinking her extra glass of frappe against his. “And you’re teaching me the recipe by the way.”
“Not on your life.”
It took eight days before Stiles could once again visit The Family Bean. He had had a burst of inspiration following his last visit and had locked himself up in his apartment. His Dad John and his editor Danny were used to these binges, so they had taken turns visiting him to make sure he was alive and eating actual food rather than inhaling takeout, junk food, and soda. 
He had sent off the first few chapters to Danny yesterday and had then slept for about eighteen hours, before Erica had barged in to make sure he hadn’t died. She had been pissed at him last week, annoyed that she hadn’t sampled Stiles’ berry-filled menu, but she’d gotten over it and had even brought groceries before dragging Stiles to The Family Bean for some fresh air and free lunch.
And if that wasn’t enough to perk Stiles up, she and Kira proceeded to tell him how well-received his menu was.
“The kids absolutely loved it, and Laura practically licked her parfait cup clean,” Kira said as they sat around the table for lunch. She had prepared honey sesame chicken, egg rolls, and sweet potato salad. She definitely had Stiles beat when it came to savory meals.
“Valerie was surprised that her dirty chai tasted great. She wasn’t biting people’s heads off more than usual,” Erica shared. She was running her fingers idly over her soulmate Mark, the three claw marks that spanned across her forearm.
Stiles felt pleased at the compliment, but he couldn’t help sending Kira an apologetic look. He didn’t want to usurp her clients and her kitchen. 
Kira just laughed. “It’s fine. I know it’s due to your magic fingers and secret recipes. Just teach me how you do Valerie’s dirty chai and we’re good.”
“Sure thing, but it’s nothing special” Stiles said. “I did bring dessert, as thanks for letting me play around last time.”
Kira bounced on her seat. “Tomato pie?” 
“With extra bacon and jalapeños, just how you like it.” Stiles grinned and showed her the pie, making Kira squeal.
“You gals eat up. I’ll mix us up some lattes, if you want anything,” he offered.
Stiles went to the kitchen to fix up Erica’s usual iced cinnamon honey latte and Kira’s vanilla almond. He was in the middle of finishing them up when he heard voices out at the main area. He recognized Boyd’s low voice and decided to make him a cup of blond roast with soy milk. He paused when he heard unfamiliar voices and took a peek out the service window. He instantly recognized the small group that had joined Kira and Erica.
There was Boyd, who immediately sat down beside Erica and kissed her cheek. His soulmate Mark was obvious, a rose on the back of his left hand. Stiles liked their marks, very beauty and the beast.
Having come in with Boyd was Derek, who looked just as handsome as he always did in a fetching dark blue suit. With him were his younger siblings, twins Cora and Cameron Hale, the artists of the family, who made music and art, played a bevy of instruments, and also drew and painted. Stiles was only two years older than the twins, but they had more talent in their pinkies than Stiles had in his whole body.
The twins’ Marks were one of the most popular, not just because the two were celebrities, but also because they were incredibly visible. Even from a distance, Stiles could see the compass between Cora’s collarbones and the lighthouse that popped up over Cameron’s collar at the left side of his neck. 
Suddenly feeling shy, Stiles stayed in the kitchen and watched and listened.
“Nice spread, Kira. Is that for us?” Cameron asked.
“No, you Hales have your own food upstairs,” Kira said. “I heard Wild Flour Italian sent lunch over.”
Cora rolled her eyes. “Jennifer Blake owns that joint. She’s been trying to get us to come over. No doubt she’ll just use it as some sort of advertisement. I’d rather take a bite of this.” She pointed at their table.
“That pie looks good,” Cameron said. “Can I have a bite?”
Stiles saw the gleam in Erica’s eye.
“Go on,” she said. “They’re good.”
Stiles watched as Erica and Kira offered the Hales a slice each. For some reason, he felt anxious to hear about how his food will be received. It had been nice to hear the rave reviews from Kira and Erica, but it was different seeing their reactions in person.
Cora let out yum-yum noises, which buoyed Stiles’ spirit. 
“Okay, that’s pretty tasty. I love the caramelized bacon.”
“Wait, is this tomato in pie? Like a tomato pie?” Cameron asked, inspecting his plate. He took a large bite.
Kira bounced on her seat in excitement. “Yes, isn’t it good?” 
“Who made this?” Derek asked. He didn’t look displeased, but he didn’t look happy either. He had a really good poker face. It might be good for business, but it was hard for Stiles to interpret. Stiles noted that he kept on eating the pie though.
“My Food Guy,” Erica said with a smug grin.
“Her Food Guy’s the one who made the berry-eautiful purple ticket that received quite the sensational reviews,” Kira added. She glanced at the service window and Stiles knew she saw him hiding there.
“The one who made my drink, too?” Derek asked.
Kira nodded. “The same one.” 
“Spence went gaga for those waffles,” Cameron said. “And Mattie couldn’t believe someone got CC to eat fruit.”
A loud ring cut through their conversation and everyone started pulling out phones to check. It was Derek’s.
“Mom’s calling. Time to go,” he said, standing up.
In reply, Cameron started shoving the rest of the pie in his mouth and also popped in a couple of egg rolls.
“Where’s the Food Guy, though?” Cora asked, head turning to the kitchen. Stiles ducked down behind the counter. “If he makes stuff like this, I wanna meet him.” 
“You can order a purple ticket if you want, but he’s not here all the time,” Erica said, and Stiles glared at her in his mind.
“He works part-time?” Derek asked.
“Not quite,” Kira said. “He’s—”
They were interrupted once more by a ringing phone, and this time Boyd spoke.
“Talia wants you all upstairs. Now.”
Stiles peeked out again. Cameron attempted to bring the entire pie tin, but settled for polishing his slice off. He then joined Cora in writing up a purple ticket order. After a moment, Derek put an order in too. The Hales left in a hurry and Stiles leaned right out of the service window just as Kira came bouncing towards it.
“There’s the man of the hour,” Boyd said, with a smirk.
Kira giggled. “Order up, Food Guy. You got a purple ticket.”
“I’m so proud.” Erica mockingly wiped a tear away. “Stiles, my Food Guy, charming the Hales off through the power of food.”
“Oh, fuck you all.” Stiles glared, ducking back into the kitchen.
At the last minute, he reached out and grabbed the purple ticket from Kira, ignoring the others’ laughter.
Over the next three weeks, Stiles prepared four more purple tickets. According to Kira, his drinks and desserts had become quite attractive to the Hales, both because of the taste and the mystery.
“At this point, they don’t even want me handling the tickets. They always ask if The Food Guy is around before they send their orders down,” Kira said. This time, she was the one helping Stiles prepare and pack. 
The Wolf’s Den was going to be holding meetings nonstop, so Stiles had to prepare a variety of drinks and snacks. It would have been easy if they had simple requests, but the Hales were a mix of eclectic and frustrating.
“I’m glad you’re cool about this, but the Hales are bound to find out that the one making all their desserts isn’t even an employee,” Stiles said, as he added an extra shot of syrup in Laura’s honey and milk iced coffee. Just like her usual orders, she had asked for ‘any drink that’s sweet’ which was such a large ballpark that Stiles wanted to clock someone over the head, maybe her.
“I’m more surprised that you keep making these for free,” Kira said.
Stiles shrugged. “It’s a challenge, and I like challenges.”
“Really, just for the challenge?” Kira asked. “Stiles, Valerie fell in love with your version of her dirty chai. I did it the exact same way you did, but she insists that it tastes different. Same with Cameron’s favorite spiced coconut coffee. Same with all the desserts you made for the kids…”
Her face turned serious. “Don’t you think there’s more to this? Don’t you think it’s a ping—”
“It’s just for fun, Kira. It’s nothing,” Stiles said, heart rabbiting in his chest. He pushed it down firmly. “Plus, it’s surprisingly inspiring for my stories. Right now, I’m writing a new story for my spy series and I’m trying to solve this thing going on between James and Quentin.”
Kira’s face fell but she smiled, if a bit awkwardly. “Ah, well. Whatever you say, Food Guy. I’m just happy I get free labor out of it.”
“So you’re the Food Guy?”
The two of them jumped up in surprise and they turned around to see that someone had come in through the kitchen doors.
“Nathan, hello!” Kira greeted. “We didn’t hear you come in.”
Nathaniel Hale was the youngest of the brood at nineteen, and with his dark hair and piercing blue eyes, he was quite the heartthrob in an already beautiful family. If that wasn’t enough, he was an athlete and a rising star in soccer.
Stiles didn’t really care at the moment, too busy wondering if the kid had heard what Kira had been saying.
Nathan leaned against the counter. “Everyone was arguing over who was going to pick up the ticket this time. I walked out while Laura was arm wrestling with Cam.”
Kira laughed while Stiles looked away, suddenly awkward.
“Uh, that’s cool and all, but I’m not remotely interesting enough to warrant an arm wrestle.”
Nathan shrugged. “Your stuff tastes amazing.” He smiled at Kira. “No offense, Kira. You’re still queen. But you… you’re interesting.” He gave Stiles a look. “You know, I’ve been ordering the same caramel vanilla iced coffee from The Family Bean for years now. You made it once and now everything else tastes different.”
Stiles couldn’t help flinching. Oh yeah. Nathan had definitely heard Kira.
But Nathan turned to Kira, breaking the stare. “Anyway, is the ticket ready? Can I take it up?”
Kira smiled and handed over the bag. “You just want to lord your victory over the others.”
“Of course. That’s what having siblings is all about.” Nathan scoffed, but grinned. “Anyway, thanks.” 
Kira smiled. “Enjoy your meal.”
Stiles watched Nathan leave and rubbed his left shoulder. He had a weird feeling about all this.
A single touch was all it took to find someone’s soulmate. However, people couldn’t just go around touching one another. Some did, but there were laws against touching people without their consent. So Nature, in all its wisdom, gave people the capability to locate their soulmates by following a trail.
The best trail was through family members. Take for example one other famous Hale love story, that of Valerie. Her husband, the Italian magnate Piero Barone, was from a family of vintners. During Talia and Desmond’s trip to Italy, they met Piero at a wine tasting event and immediately felt what Mark experts called a ‘ping,’ a connection between them that hinted at the identity of Piero’s soulmate. Piero followed the Hales to America, met the family—all of which gave off similar pings—was finally allowed a Touch Test with Valerie, and the rest was history.
There were other kinds of trails, like what happened between Boyd and Erica. They both attended the same university, though Boyd had graduated several years earlier. However, even without knowing Boyd, Erica inadvertently joined the same groups and organizations that he had, and even lived at the same apartment that he had rented when he had been a student. Then after Erica graduated, she decided to take a year off to travel. Months later, when Boyd went on sabbatical, he ended up following almost the exact same itinerary. They finally met by chance during an alumni event and got to talking, which revealed all of the things they had in common. Before the event was even halfway through, they had done a Touch Test and found their match.
Stiles’ favorite trail story was of his parents’. John and Claudia met when they were children. Having no siblings, they didn’t have the benefit of a family trail, and being young meant there weren’t a lot of experiences that could link them. However, they had always known there was something special about one another. They grew up together, grew apart, and met later on in life. They still didn’t have the same life experiences—she was a librarian, he was a deputy—but the moment they saw one another again, they just knew.
Sometimes people just knew.
“Well, well, well. I didn’t know we were serving twink in the menu.”
Ordinarily, that comment would have had Stiles lashing out with his sharp tongue, but upon looking up, he hesitated. First of all, the other person was clearly drunk and it was only, Stiles checked his watch, three-forty-seven in the afternoon. Second, the other person was none other than the infamous Peter Hale, Talia’s younger brother.
The eternal bachelor, he was called, well known for his many dalliances and relationships. He was also the Hale with the most well-known Mark, not because it was at a visible spot, but mostly because he tended to flaunt the large image of a bird in flight that was across his chest via his tendency of wearing unbuttoned shirts.
In Stiles’ opinion, Peter reminded him of one of his book characters—the rich and powerful Anthony, who, underneath all the bravado, was desperately looking for his soulmate, only to find it in the fair-haired, gentle-hearted Steven, who wouldn’t take his crap. He wondered who Peter’s soulmate was.
“Oh, for god’s sake. Uncle, come back here!”
Stiles looked up to see Derek jogging over to them, looking both pissed and worried at the man leaning against The Family Bean’s pristine counter.
Peter ignored him. “Oh, lay off, Derek. I want a drink, and this twink is going to make me one.”
Derek turned to Stiles. “Peter, do not call—” He paused, dark eyes widening.
Stiles felt his heart jerk in his chest and his left shoulder burn. He felt like he had been hit in the head, so did Derek going by his gaping.
Peter suddenly tilted sideways, interrupting their stare down. Neither Stiles nor Derek were able to catch the man before he ended up sprawled across the counter. The sight of him had Stiles dredging up some semblance of control. He sighed.
“You are very rude, and also very drunk, but because I feel sorry for you, Mr. Hale, I’ll make you a free drink.”
Derek let out a gurgle and then a cough, obviously holding back laughter. Peter propped himself up on wobbly elbows. 
“You feel sorry for me? Don’t you know who I am, kid?”
Stiles was both annoyed by Peter and buoyed by Derek’s reaction. It was probably what sharpened his tongue.
“You’re Talia Hale’s younger brother, but between the supposed—ahh, what was it—Big Bad Wolf of Media and this so-called twink, I’m not the one nursing a hangover at this time of the afternoon.”
Stiles shook his head and walked off, ignoring Peter’s angry, garbled words and the sudden chuckle from Derek. The latter made Stiles’ shoulder ache.
Stiles ignored that and prepared a quick takeout bag. He could hear Peter and Derek arguing out on the main area. It was the work of minutes to prepare a quick smoothie and throw in some crackers and fruits. He walked back out and handed the bag to Derek, but then quickly tucked his hands to himself. The other man’s piercing stare was making him sweat.
Peter grabbed his drink and took a gulp of the smoothie, before asking, “What’s your name, kid?”
Stiles rolled his eyes. Not even a thank you. How rude. 
“Not a kid, and there’s no need to know my name since you’re just going to forget it.”
Peter smirked lasciviously. “Oh, that mouth on you.”
“I’m also not into geriatrics,” Stiles was quick to bite back.
Peter’s jaw dropped. “Geria—”
Derek suddenly burst into laughter and the sound of it seemed to fill Stiles’ heart and mind, making his face flush and his body warm. Derek smiled at him and Stiles felt warmth bloom in his chest.
Stiles cleared his throat, trying to will the blush away. He rubbed his shoulder. “Well, anyway, I’m happy to help. I’ll tell Kira you guys dropped by. See you around.” He glanced at Peter. “Not you. Drop dead.” He stepped back.
“Wait!” Derek lurched forward, startling Stiles and also Peter, who, true to Stiles’ words, slid off the counter to the floor. They ignored him.
Derek leaned forward over the counter. “I’m sorry if I’m forward, but are you—”
Stiles shook his head vigorously. “I’m sorry. I have to go.” 
He ducked back into the kitchen, ignoring Derek’s calls and Peter’s drunken warbling. He leaned against the door and slid down until he could curl up into a ball. He placed a hand over his burning shoulder.
Sometimes people just knew.
Stiles was tempted to stay away from The Family Bean after that. He really wanted to. But it was hard to stay away.
Even harder to stay away from a ping.
Stiles wasn’t stupid enough to let that slip away.
Still, it was hard to face up to it and admit that he had a soulmate.
So for the next two weeks, Stiles stayed away from the front of house, always hiding in the safety of the kitchen. He kept on making purple tickets whenever they came, but he avoided coming out for any reason, especially after Derek started coming by nearly every day. Sometimes he even brought his work over just so that he could stay as long as possible.
It confused Kira and Erica, but they assumed Derek just liked the food. The other Hales also started coming by and many times, Stiles could hear them asking Derek why he was hanging around The Family Bean instead of working in his office. Always, Derek kept mum.
Because as it turned out, Derek hadn’t told anyone about the ping.
In fact, Stiles had a feeling that the only person in the Hale family who knew was Nathan. Maybe because he had already been suspicious of it. Out of all the Hales, he was the only one who didn’t ask Derek about why he kept hanging around the café.
The other one who knew was Boyd.
Derek had been called to a meeting one day, so Stiles had felt it safe to come out and work at one of the booths. He had already fallen so far behind on his writing commitments. After a few minutes, Boyd had dropped by and had joined him. Stiles knew he was typing gibberish on his laptop, but he kept on as an excuse not to look at Boyd, who was looking at him intently.
Finally, he spoke, “Looking back, I guess it wasn’t just your banana bread that won me over.”
Stiles jerked, sending a series of characters across the screen.
Boyd kept on. “I always had a good feeling about you from Erica’s stories, but when we met, that was definitely a ping.”
Stiles bit his lip. “Does Erica know?”
Boyd shook his head. “I love her, but Erica would have thrown a party if she knew.”
Stiles sighed, both in relief and in trepidation for the moment Erica find out.
Boyd studied him. “Derek’s a good guy, you know.”
“I know I got that impression from all the stories you and Erica had of him,” Stiles said. “I always thought it was surprising considering he could afford not to be a nice guy.”
Boyd studied him, making Stiles shift in his seat. “Is that the reason you won’t meet with him? Or do a Touch Test? Because he’s a Hale?”
Stiles almost protested, but he deflated. “…I don’t know.”
Boyd hummed under his breath. “Well, you’ve always played your cards close to the chest when it comes to soulmates, but I know you’ll figure it out.” He stood up. “But you better make it soon. Erica and the rest of the Hales are bound to figure it out.”
Stiles groaned and sank down on his seat. 
“Noted.”
The day after that, a still-conflicted Stiles was once again at The Family Bean. Kira had gone up to the Wolf’s Den to deliver the latest purple ticket, so he had to stay and man the counter. 
The door let out a little tinkle, and Stiles froze the moment he saw the woman entering the café.
He’d know Talia Hale anywhere.
Stiles almost panicked, but then he remembered that she didn’t know who he was. He took a deep breath.
“Um, good afternoon, Mrs. Hale. What can I get you?”
The woman smiled, quite warm and friendly despite her fierce reputation. “Just some tea, please. And are there any new desserts?”
It had been a moment of weakness, but Stiles had actually brought over some peanut butter stuffed cookies and added it to the purple ticket in the hopes that a certain Hale would like them. He still had a few cookies left, but he wasn’t sure if he should offer them to her.
“I smell cookies,” Talia said pointedly. “I’ll have some of those.”
Stiles gulped. “Ah, we have some peanut butter stuffed cookies. Let me get those for you.”
He swallowed his nerves and served the woman, who took a sip of tea and a bite of the cookie right there on the counter.
She smiled, studying the cookies. “Very tasty.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Stiles smiled politely. He turned away to leave and maybe gather his strength in the privacy of the kitchen.
“When we started hearing about The Food Guy, I admit I was quite intrigued. It’s very rare for someone to grab the attention of my entire family.”
Stiles paused and turned to her.
He should have known.
Stiles nodded stiffly. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
Talia smiled, sharp and knowing. “And you, Food Guy.”
“Any reason for the visit?” Stiles asked, shifting on his feet.
“I wanted to meet you,” Talia said, taking another bite of her cookie. 
Stiles frowned. “That’s all?”
“Were you expecting anything else?”
“Uh, well, I…”
Talia shrugged and sipped his tea. “I don’t blame you for any misgivings you might have should you prove to be soulmates with my son. I’m well aware of the reputation of my family. My late father, Everett, embodied the might of the Hale name better than anyone. You should have seen him back in the days.”
Stiles held up his hands. He couldn’t help the feeling that he had to explain.
“It’s not that there’s a problem with Derek or your family. Being a Hale isn’t the problem… not entirely…” he hesitated, but then plunged on, urged by the ping he could feel inside him and the desire to make someone understand. “My mom passed away when I was seven. She was soulmates with my father. He was—I was—we were never the same after.”
A heavy silence fell, and Stiles was both nervous and intrigued. Talia’s face changed. Something in her eyes darkened and she pursed her lips.
“Forgive my sudden melancholy, but I was just reminded of something.” She sipped her tea. “I was reminded of my youth. My father, Peter, and I had never been the same after mother walked away.”
“Walked away?” Stiles was taken aback. It was rare to hear any mention of Talia’s mother, but everyone had chalked it up to grief at her passing. “But you all said she died—”
Talia interrupted him delicately. “People think of Marks as the be all and end all where the only answer is yes. But even soulmates are a choice…”
“Desmond grew up without a penny to his name, so he rejected me as he could only see himself as an embarrassment to the Hale family. My opinionated father had, unfortunately, been a contributing factor to that line of thinking. I grew up with a rather jaded view of Marks and pings, and I had seen his rejection as a challenge and not a privilege. Desmond and I, our story had been tempestuous, quite unlike the romanticizing people had done.”
She finished the last of her tea. “If I may be allowed to request one thing, all I ask is that you make a choice so that Derek can do the same. No one in this family will certainly blame you for it.”
Talia pushed her empty cup and plate towards Stiles, and smiled. “Have a good day, Food Guy.”
Stiles watched Talia walk away.
He had some thinking to do.
Stiles took a deep breath and tried not to crush the boxes in his hands. He was nervous and his left shoulder was throbbing.
“Ready?” Kira asked him. She was carrying the other delivery boxes.
“As I’ll ever be,” Stiles replied.
Kira smiled, both encouraging and proud, and nodded to the guard on duty. The man held open the double doors for them, and Stiles was instantly met with a wall of sound.
“Purple ticket delivery,” Kira called out, leading Stiles inside.
The office was spacious, as it should be if it was going to accommodate all of the Hales, and all of them were there. There was a long table at one end where Talia, Matthew, and Boyd were talking and laughing. Desmond was on one couch, talking to Piero and Erica. Laura and Cora were seated on armchairs and were arguing loudly about something. Peter was egging them on. CC and Spencer, were seated in front of a television at a kids’ play area set up in the corner. Cameron was with them, all of them singing along to whatever cartoon was playing. Derek, Valerie, and Nathan were huddled around a table, looking at blueprints.
“Oh, yes! The food’s here!” Cameron cheered, which sent the children shouting as well.
Kira navigated the area like a champ, while Stiles slowly shuffled after. “You guys ordered a lot. I had to ask for help. This is Stiles.”
Stiles didn’t miss the way Derek’s head suddenly jolted in his direction, nor Talia’s proud smile, nor Erica’s sudden screech of “Stiles!” which had everyone else turning their way. Stiles winced. He was going to get his ass kicked later for not telling Erica about this.
“Well, well…” Peter grinned. “Hello there, twink.”
Stiles shuddered. “Still not into creepy old geezers.”
“Oh, wait, wait! Is he the guy who called you a geriatric?” Laura asked, before shrieking in laughter.
“And the one who said Peter should drop dead,” Cora added, cackling. 
Laughter rang around over Peter’s protests, and it made Stiles’ heart stutter. He felt warm all over, like the pings going off in his head were doubly delighted at the Hales. He glanced at Derek, who was smiling warmly.
Stiles winced when he caught Erica’s gaze though. She looked between him and Derek and her eyes widened. But Boyd was suddenly there, hand over her mouth and whispering to her.
Stiles helped Kira take out all of the food and the ravenous Hales were quickly upon them.
“Food Guy’s stuff tastes awesome,” Nathan said, licking his cupcake’s icing. He waggled knowing eyebrows at Stiles, who bit back a grin. Cheeky kid.
“Please pass our compliments to the chef, Kira,” Desmond said, reaching for his drink.
Kira giggled. “You can thank him yourself.” She waved at Stiles with a flourish.
Stiles felt a little like a deer in headlights when all their gazes alighted on him.
“You’re Food Guy?” and other iterations of the exclamation rang around the room.
Stiles flushed. “I’m glad to hear you all like what I’ve been making.”
“Oh, wow! How wonderful!” Piero piped up. “I haven’t felt a ping in such a long time. How nostalgic, don’t you think, dear?” He turned to Valerie.
“That’s a ping?” Matthew asked, confused, before his face cleared and he rubbed his chest. “Oh, hell, this is a ping.”
“Is that the tingly feeling here, Uncle Mattie?” Spencer asked, pointing at his tummy.
Erica finally managed to get out from under Boyd. “Stiles, did you ping with Derek? Is that why you’ve both been hanging around The Family Bean? You’ve both been pining over each other!”
Stiles groaned, while gasps and shouts suddenly rang around the room.
Kira sighed. “Way to ruin it, Erica.”
“You mean I was pinged through a tomato pie?” Cameron was asking, wide-eyed. 
Cora started laughing. “Oh my god! Uncle Peter flirted with Derek’s soulmate!”
“That’s Uncle Derek’s soulmate?” CC asked.
“Yes, he is.” Nathan looked like he was immensely enjoying all this, and Stiles was starting to realize that he was a little shit.
Derek stepped towards Stiles. His face was a little red, but he was smiling and Stiles thought he was the handsomest man he had ever seen.
“My family’s a mess. Please ignore them,” Derek said, ignoring the protests from his siblings.
Stiles chuckled. “At least they keep things interesting. It’s just me, my Dad, and her.” He jerked a thumb at Erica.
“Oh, fu—dge you!” Erica said, glancing at the kids. She turned to Boyd. “And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
Boyd rolled his eyes. “I was giving him space to process things.”
Stiles ignored them and turned to Derek. He only had one chance to do this.
“Ah, sorry, it took a while. I was figuring stuff out, but I thought we should get to know one another first.”
“Of course,” Derek said immediately. He reached out a hand. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Stiles.”
Stiles glanced at Talia, who was whispering to her husband. She winked at Stiles.
“Soulmates are a choice.”
Stiles smiled at Derek. He could feel his Mark tingling in anticipation.
“Me too, Derek.”
He reached out and took his hand.
17 notes · View notes
luxlightly · 3 years
Note
no worries if you don’t have the energy for this, but would you mind explaining what ‘lighthearted’ is supposes to indicate? I get when to use joking/sarcastic/sincere, but I’m never quite sure what context to use ‘lighthearted’ in!
Lighthearted just means that you're saying something in a lighthearted, non-serious way. It's not necessarily a joke or sarcasm, just not something you're being super serious about. Take for example: "Every time we play this game, you always totally crush me in score." if we end it in "/j" or "/s", it would mean like "You don't actually beat me in score. I'm joking in saying that you do." "/sincere" would indicate it was not a joke, but not whether or not it was a complaint you were making or an expression of distress or something. "/lh" just means you're saying it in a way that indicates that this doesn't upset you. It's not something you're taking overly seriously. Which is why /lh is so helpful to me because when I read that with no tone indicator, my first instinct might be to think it means "I don't enjoy playing this game because you beat me in score by so much." Even an added "I'm not upset about it" can come off as possibly being sarcastic and would make me worry. "/lh" is just a way of clearly indicating "this is a lighthearted statement that I'm saying. I'm just pointing out this fact because it's funny or interesting to me. I'm probably even complimenting your ability at this game" without having to type all that out and break the flow of conversation. Thank you for the question! I'm happy to help explain :)
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hanawrites404 · 4 years
Text
Twice My Age
Show : Jojo's Bizarre Adventure/Jojo No Kimou Na Bouken
Pairing : Noriko (female Noriaki)/Jotaro Kujo
Warnings : Age-gap romance and sex along with swearing.
Characters : Jotaro Kujo, Noriko (female Noriaki), Jolyne Cujoh
Timeline : Pre-Stone Ocean
This story is based on this song :
This story is also based on the author's headcanon when she had finished reading Stone Ocean and was recovering her brain cells.
Third Person POV
It was a normal afternoon at Florida. Today was Friday, which meant the last day of the working week. Students at the school were frustratingly tapping the heels of their feet on the floor waiting for the school bell to ring and mark the end of the tiring session.
The teacher obviously minded his own business and lectured the pupils without averting his gaze from the blackboard. He kept ignoring the sounds of whispers and paper-tearing and snickers of the children, until for once he recognised one of the students who was continuously talking in his class, and decided to take some action.
"Ms. Cujoh" the teacher called out harshly as he teared his gaze from the blackboard and stared at the student.
The talkative student looked at the teacher and went silent. She had a piece of folded paper in her hand, her arm stretched out to the student for whom it was meant for. She retrieved her hand back and answered the teacher who was glaring lasers at her through his glasses.
"Yes Mr. Anderson??". "First, please stand up while you speak to a teacher" Mr. Anderson pushed his glasses up. The student sighed and stood up, putting away the paper she had in her pocket.
"Would you please answer the question which is on the board??". Ms. Cujoh read the question. She then rolled her eyes and read the question the teacher had written in white.
Prove that Cos2x = Cos^2x - Sin^2x
"What the??" The teenager reacted.
Mr. Anderson's gaze never left Ms. Cujoh. He was observing every move of her of how she was looking around the classroom, silently asking for help and her friends were giving her a shrug or a thumbs-down.
"Ms. Cujoh. We don't have all day"
After that, she knew that she would have to answer the question by herself.
"I-It's simple Mr. Anderson. Multiply both the sides by zero, and there you go. LHS = RHS".
The students roared with laughter at the teenager's statement. Mr. Anderson was actually expecting such kind of an answer from the rowdy teenager.
"Silence everyone" the teacher stomped his ruler on the table and the room became quiet. But it didn't last for long as the bell finally rung, meaning that it was time for dispersal.
The students quickly packed their bags by shoving their books and stationery inside and exited the classroom, scrambling on their feet. The whole classroom became empty, leaving the astute teenager and the stoic teacher alone.
The silence in the room grew kind of tense. So the girl started to pack her bag and leave the class. Until.......
"Jolyne". The teenager looked at the teacher. She really wanted to leave the vacated classroom and go home. Also she had successfully survived today's class. Now what was the problem??
"Your behaviour is getting worse day by day. And I'm afraid that you might need some extra tutelage for your discipline and your academics yet again".
The teenager rolled her eyes once again. She then placed one of her hands on her hip and looked at the teacher with disinterest.
"Give me a break Mr. Anderson. My answer was correct". "You can argue with the ones who will correct your answer sheet Ms. Cujoh. I'm definitely not the right person to go against with your illogical statement".
Jolyne held her fist tightly. She really wants to punch her teacher square in the face and make sure to get the glass shards of his glasses cut his eyes. But she decided to bottle her anger for now.
"Your discipline is very concerning. Also you are not taking your studies seriously. Even the previous teachers whom I had appointed to improve your etiquettes returned home with a broken nose and teeth" he said to himself.
Jolyne smirked to herself with pride.
"So I have decided to change my plans" he spoke.
"Ha!! So you finally understand, Mr. Anderson" she then crosses her arms and sits on the table while putting her leg on the other. "You will never be able to transform me into nerds like you want to. I'm what I want to be and I don't give a fuck to anyone who wants me to change".
"We will see about that" he then pushes his glasses. "Huh??" Jolyne raises her eyebrow at him. What was this thick-skulled teacher really planning to do to her??
"If it's another teacher, then do keep some extra bandages for the injuries, because I'll not go easy on them" she then cracks her knuckles.
"Now that's where I stop you Ms. Cujoh".
Jolyne then glared at the teacher.
"I'm not going to appoint a teacher to straighten you up. This time, it's a student of your age. Your own classmate".
Jolyne was slightly taken aback. A student?? Of her age?? And the student of her own classroom?? But she barely knew anyone who was good at both discipline and studies. The only persons she was aware of were mostly the divas, the jocks and the bullies.
"W-Who is this student you are talking about??" Jolyne asked. "You will meet her outside the school premises. She is actually one of my best students and has been topping her class for the past 3 years" Jolyne witnessed a sense of pride in Mr. Anderson's tone.
Jolyne became a bit nervous. Who was this nerd whom she hadn't even notice that she was in her school and her class?? And also, a girl??!!
"You might be wondering--'why a girl??' It's because I really want you to get along with her and learn whatever she teaches, and her being the same gender as you would be a good boost".
Jolyne then sniggered and got up from the table. "Just because she is a girl and is of my age, doesn't mean that I can't afford a bruise or two on her".
"I had already warned her about your..........tendency and she is perfectly fine with it. So do whatever you want to do to her, she will be alright with it as she was the one who chose to take the risk and tutor you".
What a daring one for a nerd......Jolyne thought.
Mr. Anderson then looked at his wrist watch. He then spoke "It's getting late. You may leave now".
"Oh thank you, Mr. Anderson" she said in a very sarcastic manner and she even bowed to add to her mockery as she left the class.
"And another thing Ms. Cujoh". Jolyne then looked behind at her teacher lethargically. Can the teacher just leave her already before she actually punches him??
"If you hadn't been the daughter of Dr. Kujo, I would have already expelled you. But I'm still giving you a chance because I'm sure that you too can be as disciplinary as your father".
"Alright first of all, Dad was a delinquent when he was my age. And second of all, he would have already punched your face and shove your stupid glasses into your mouth just to make you shut up if he was at my place" and she then goes away without saying anything else or looking back.
Mr. Anderson sighed as he stacked the sheets and registers he had to take home and correct. After he was done, he looked at the empty classroom once more, especially at the seat where the spiteful teenager sat.
"Hopefully you know what you are doing, Noriko.........."
*One minute time skip, brought to you by Binod*
"Stupid Anderson, he just doesn't know how to mind his own fucking business!!!!" Jolyne angrily stomped out of the premises. She then turned around to look at the clock which was installed on the school building.
It's 5 already. I need to return home fast. Dad is coming home earlier than his usual time so I better reach home before him..........
"Umm....Jolyne Cujoh??".
"What?!!" She turned to the voice. Jolyne relaxed her eyes a bit when she saw who was the owner of the voice.
It was a girl wearing the same uniform as her. The only difference was that she was comparatively shorter than Jolyne and was fairer than her.
She had her red hair down which was a bit longer than shoulder length and purple eyes, one red wavy bang was framing her pretty face and her lips were a glossy, cherry red.
"Do I know you??" Jolyne raised her eyebrow at the unknown girl.
"Not yet, but you will. My name is Noriko. I'm the one who is supposed to mentor you" she then goes closer to her and offers her hand to shake. "It would be a pleasure to get to know you better".
Jolyne observed the girl's hand. She had her nails perfectly trimmed but there was no polish on them. Jolyne then looked at her face and asked.
"Japanese??" She asked. "Yeah" Noriko replied. Jolyne then smirks and shakes her hand firmly.
"Then we will get along pretty well" she said. Noriko then smiles and brushes her bang behind her ear with the other hand. "I'm glad you think so" she replied.
Both of the girls let go of their hands and then they walk home beside each other.
"By the way, why did you say that we will get along well, judging by my nationality??" Noriko asked the taller girl.
"You see, I'm a Japanese myself".
"You are??" Noriko asked, a bit surprised.
"Yeah. I know. I may not look like that but yes, Japanese is one of my nationality" Jolyne replied.
Noriko then snickered and asked "Just how many nationalities do you have??". "Well, my mother is from Florida and my father is Japanese, Italian and British" Jolyne calculated.
"Wow, so many citizenships" she commented. "Haha, it's not that cool as it sounds like. Trust me" Jolyne joked. Noriko chuckled and slapped the taller girl's shoulder lightly which made Jolyne chuckle.
"So Noriko??". "Yes??". "Why did you choose to mentor me?? You do know that I have a certain.........reputation at school".
"I am aware of everything you do in school. Mr. Anderson has updated me everything on you".
"*Ugh* That fucker. What is he, a spy?? Did he only find me to spy on?? And not the ones who actually harass girls or bully lowerclassmen behind the school??"
"Actually, I should be the one at whom you should be angry at". "Huh??" Jolyne looked at her.
"Wait, don't tell me--". "Yes. I was the one who told him to note everything you do".
"*Ugh* Noriko~!! I didn't expect this from you~" Jolyne whined. "Sorry, but this was the only way to plan on how to get you into discipline just like how Mr. Anderson want it". "Fuck that teacher!!!" She then kicks a stray rock on the road which goes very far.
"You seem to be very strong". "Heh, thanks. It's not much, but I can surely lift a heavy table pretty easily". "I'll take a note of that. It might come handy to me when I need to move a table" she chuckled. Jolyne then laughs and Noriko too joins her.
After their laughter died, Noriko spoke.
"You are really fun to be with". "Thanks. I had assumed that you were going to be just like Anderson but you are one lively person" Jolyne said.
"Oh really?? Thank you. Actually, no one has said that to me before" she then brushed another strand of her hair behind her ear.
"What do you mean??" Jolyne asked. "I don't really have friends. Only a few classmates talk to me but only when they need my assistance".
"Huh?? How is that even possible?? You are such an amazing person. Also, you are very pretty. You should have at least a boyfriend with you".
"I don't have a boyfriend". "Oh......a girlfriend perhaps??". "No.....". "Oh, you love a trans??". "What?? No. I'm not interested in anyone for now". "Ahhh....I see".
"Say, do you have a boyfriend??". "My status is also as same as you. Even I'm not really interested in getting into relationships. It will just..........get in my way, that's why". "I understand. Love is.......a very new subject for me" Noriko said.
"Yeah.....me too.....Hell, I don't even know why Dad fell for Mom in the first place just to leave her after that" Jolyne stated. "Huh?? What do you mean??" Noriko looked at Jolyne.
"My parents got a divorce after I was born. And according to the laws, both of my parents have the rights on me. So I visit one of them after every alternate month. This month I'm staying with my father" Jolyne explained.
"I see. Your father is Dr. Jotaro Kujo right??". "Yes, the famous marine biologist. The one who wrote thesis on starfish and other marine creatures. How interesting" Jolyne said, adding a dramatic sarcasm to it.
"Honestly, I'm a big fan of him" Noriko added, a light blush on her cheeks. "What?? Seriously??" Jolyne gaped.
"Yes. I have read every report and thesis he has ever written. The way how he observes and analyses the creatures is just wonderful. I bet that he is going to be the one who will discover a new species of marine life which humanity has never seen before" she spoke with amazement.
"Ha!!! You are flattering him now. My Dad is nothing like how you think of him" Jolyne argued. "Oh really??" Noriko raised her eyebrow.
"Yes. I know he is smart and all but he is not Einstein-level" Jolyne answered. "I never compared him with Einstein, Jolyne. It's just that I really think of him very fondly, and I admire him a lot" Noriko said.
"Yeah yeah, but don't fall in love with him. He might break your heart" she joked. Noriko blushed pink. It's good that Jolyne didn't notice it, otherwise it would have been very awkward.
"Well, here we are. My Dad's house" Jolyne stopped and showed Noriko her house.
"Wow, it looks very big" Noriko looked all over the lavish bungalow.
"Heh, these are the perks of being a Joestar" she said. "Joestar?? What do you mean??" Noriko asked. "You first come inside and then I'll tell you" and so Jolyne and Noriko entered the luxurious house. Both of them removed their shoes and Noriko looked around the house with an agape mouth and wide eyes.
"Wow......this looks so much better from the inside. Just how rich are you people??" Noriko commented and asked Jolyne.
"Well, there was a guy named Robert Speedwagon who was friends with my great-great-grandfather. He then became rich after finding many oil ores out of nowhere. After he died, all of his luxuries went to my great-grandfather and that's how all of our expenses are taken care of" Jolyne explained.
"That's amazing. You guys are literally royals" Noriko commented. "Yeah. And also my great-great-grandfather was a noble in England, so he was rich even before the Speedwagon guy came" she added.
"I see" Noriko then sat on one of the loveseats. "Being a Joestar must be very lucky right??" Noriko asked. "If you think like that, you are gravely mistaken" Jolyne told her.
"What?? Really?? I can't believe this. But you guys have everything!!!.............I guess everything has it's pros and cons" Noriko told herself.
Jolyne was about to speak more, but then the bell of the house rang.
"That must be Dad. You stay here Noriko. I'll be right back" and then she goes to check the door. Since Noriko had nothing to do for now, she looks at her skirt and straightens it up a bit.
Jolyne on the other hand opens the door and sees her father standing outside, just as she expected.
"Hello Dad" Jolyne greeted. "Hello Jolyne, how was school??" Dr. Kujo entered the house and Jolyne stepped away to give him some space.
"Meh, it was fine. Mr. Anderson barked at me as usual" Jolyne told him. Mr. Kujo sniggered a bit.
"He doesn't seem to stop critisizing you, does he??". "Of course not. I bet he won't even shut up even after he is an old man and cannot even lift his hand to push his oversized glasses up" she mocked.
Dr. Kujo smiled a fraction as he removed his shoes and his coat. While he was putting his shoes on the rack, he noticed another pair of school shoes which were similar to that of Jolyne's.
"Jolyne, have you brought a classmate here?" Dr. Kujo asked.
"Uhh yeah. She is actually my mentor who is supposed to tutor me, starting from today. I hope you don't mind if she stays here".
"No, not at all" The professor replied. He then hung his coat up and headed to the living room, her daughter following her.
As soon as Mr. Kujo entered the room, he spotted the red-haired girl. She looked awfully familiar to him which made the professor stop on his tracks.
"Dad, what's wrong??" Jolyne spoke from behind her father.
"Noriaki........" He whispered.
"Noriaki?? No Dad, her name is Noriko"
Jolyne corrected.
Even her name is similar to his...........
Mr. Kujo continued to stare at the red head who was scribbling something in the notepad on her lap with a pencil.
That red hair, those amethyst eyes, and how she was concentrating on her work, everything Mr. Kujo had seen already a long time before. It all felt like Deja Vu to him. And he clearly remembers the person whom this girl reminds him of. He was his highschool lover after all.
"Noriko-chan" Jolyne calls her. Noriko looks up from her notepad to her friend.
"Here is my father, who is also your 'sole idol'. And Dad, this is Noriko, my friend" Jolyne introduced them to one another.
(Part 2)
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inklingofadream · 3 years
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on tone indicators, (idk for sure if im nd but a lot of my immediate family are so do with that what you will), i mostly use /j, /s and /lh. I agree that /nm for 'not mad' and /nbh for 'nobody here' are too vague, and in those cases its probably better to just say the short phrase theyre already pretty obviously replacing. /j and /s come up often enough that it might actually help to have the shorter indicator instead of the full "im joking" or "thats sarcasm", and read less clunky to boot. But i also really like using /lh, 'cause honestly, conveying a light, casual tone online IS, to me, really complicated. I used to use emojis for it as much as possible, but emojis also get used sarcastically, and have semantic meanings (IE, crying laughing emoji being used as actually crying, or the smiling faintly emoji actually meaning hidden rage), or are too 'happy' for the casual tone im going for. And to try and incorporate this lightheartedness in text, at every post and sentence that want to say light heartedly, to attempt to convey that casualness id usually add by gesturing exageratedly or using a different tone of voice, in a way that is unlikely to be misunderstood, is just a lot more work (not to mention, still reliant on cultural meanings to the reader) than just putting a small /lh and being able to assume that people can know im being hyperbolic, or argueing in a friendly way, or whatever else (and if they dont know, they can just ask me what /lh means, instead of assuming that whatever i posted is meant literally/seriously/angrily). on the other hand, as you can see, this is very much written as someone who uses tone indicators because they relieve my anxiety over being potentially misunderstood, as opposed to needing them very much to parse online meanings myself, so there are probably things im missing from that angle.
That’s an interesting argument for /lh- emojis definitely have their issues as well (ie most of the sexual ones i alluded to are p metaphor/innuendo based, I just think they’ve reached a level of saturation that makes them easy to look up). I agree that putting the full statements instead of /j or /s would be obnoxious real quick-for writer and reader lol
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imaginariumrpc · 4 years
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okay so the lovely @imbicilite​ / @whitrph​ and i were talking and it gave me the idea and we thought it was a great idea to spread it around so here’s how it goes: when talking with someone about pretty much anything tbh, but especially for something that could potentially be triggering, communicate with color codes based on city traffic lights ! GREEN means it’s good to talk about these things and you’re not feeling triggered by the topic, YELLOW means to slow down or stop talking about the topic at for now while RED means to stop the conversation about the topic immediately until green again where the conversation can divert into another topic or they feel safe to talk about it again !! this is EXTREMELY important, because it’s a way to alert others that you’re going to be talking about something that could possibly upset someone because of the subject matter, especially for those who may get triggered by a certain topic - even without you realizing it because squicks and triggers can honestly be anything, it could be different words or phrases or certain topics - and can cause severe anxiety in those affected, even panic attacks or flashbacks, and because we want to be considerate and respectful towards one another, it’s important that we use these to help our friends and fellow rpers know that we’re going to be posting or talking about something they might not want to see or talk about, and it’s of utmost importance to make them feel safe, it’s best to use this to be a more supportive friend and a member of the rpc!!
on a sidenote, i’m also here to tell you about tone indicators !! keep in mind that i didn’t come up with nor invent the concept of tone tags itself, but it was being spread around for a while now and i’d figured i’d talk about it !! essentially, tone indicators are used to indicate if the person is joking, being serious, etc., neurodivergent people often have trouble conveying and understanding emotion and tone through written text, using tone indicators is really helpful for neurodivergent people to make it easier for them to read/convey, it is also very helpful for people with anxiety. i encourage anyone who reads this to also type the meaning of the tone tag ( i.e: i love you !! /p for platonic ), so it is more accessible for neurodivergent and disabled people, like those who use screen readers.
“why should we use tone tags?” one might ask, but as an autistic, disabled and otherwise neurodivergent person myself, sometimes i don’t always get my friends and fellow mutual’s tones by their message but when they use tone indicators, it helps me understand and, not to mention that it can be really helpful and avoid misunderstandings. i would also like to note that NOT ALL neurodivergent people want you to use tone indicators on them, so if they don’t want you to use tone tags on them, please respect their wishes.
“i don’t like tone tags!” one might add, well, okay... but don’t make fun of the people that use them, it’s not a big deal, and if you’re a neurotypical who insists on not using tone tags when a neurodivergent person clearly asked you to, get your head out of your ass.
“using /j at the end of a joke ruins it!!” one might bitch, and okay but... it might be ruined for you, but it still makes me laugh, personally, so please try and get used to it, and not to mention, what’s more important: making sure you’re clear with your tone so that there’s no misunderstandings or throwing a fit just because the joke’s ruined for you?
additionally, some other things to keep in mind !! please do not mock the use of tone tags, you may not need them but some people do, not everyone can tell when something is a joke, when someone’s either being platonic, romantic or sexual in intentions, etc.,, especially when there’s no visual cues or tones of voice to help us, just be nice about it, it’s... really not hard, man. if you don’t use a tone tag and someone reads the tone of your statement incorrectly, do not get upset with them or laugh at them for not getting it - that is perpetuating ableism and/or sanism, whether you intentionally intend it or not. just kindly clarify and next time, keep in mind that tone tags are very helpful for neurodivergent, disabled and people with anxiety disorders. using a tone tag isn’t an excuse to be mean either, you can’t just say something mean or not cool and then put /j ( “joking” ) after it to get away with it, don’t be an ass. if you’re saying something that could be anxiety inducing for others, i would highly recommend putting the tone tags at not only the end but also the beginning of that post. do not intentionally use tone tags incorrectly “as a joke”, to confuse people, etc., the entire point of tone tags is to clarify, not confuse people, if you intentionally use them incorrectly, you’re an ass. keep in mind that no one has to use all the tone tags, use what you’d like, respect others who use what they would like, use them however feels rights to you. for me personally, sometimes i use multiple, sometimes only one, or sometimes none at all, just do what feels right, depending on who i’m talking to and how long i’ve known this person or group of people i’m speaking to, it’ll be fine, and if someone asks for clarification on what you mean, that’s okay, kindly clarify for them. additionally, please be patient if people don’t know what tone tags are, someone might not even be aware of what they are and that’s not their fault, just patiently explain it to them or link them to a source !! education always helps !! please don’t use “/srs or serious” as a joke, some neurodivergent and/or disabled people don’t need you to use three tone tags, and in my case, i’m presuming you’re neurotypical if you’re doing that when conversing with me, but what i’m trying to say is it looks like you’re babying us neurodivergents / disabled folx, so try to use only two tags ( that is, if that person is okay with it !! ), because some people don’t need you to use three tags.
please note that the following aren’t every single example out there and there are different terminologies in different languages, but they are important, a few examples of these are: 
“/j = joking / used when saying something in a joking manner, “so im pretty much the president of oreos /j”, 
“/hj = half joking / used when saying something that’s kind of a joke but kind of serious / “well,,,,, im usually right /hj” / 
“/s or /sarc / refers to the opposite of what you really want to say / “i just [clenches fists] love...... being sad..... /s”, 
“/srs / used when saying something you really mean / “i really appreciate you /srs””, 
“/nsrs = not serious / used when saying something not too seriously / “you’re the worst /nsrs”, 
“/lh = lighthearted = used when something’s said lightheartedly / “hEY LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS /lh” / i’d say something like this when me and my friends would get into a silly argument and they’re trying to ask my opinion on a topic”, 
“/ij = referring to something that’s only understood by people with special knowledge about something, typically only a small group of friends or a group of people would be aware of, those outside of the group would most likely be confused by it or not find it funny in the same way people within in the group would / “aAAAAAAAAA MY NUGGIES!!!!! /ij””, 
“/ref = a reference to media, usually movies, tv, music, etc., “yOU SHALL NOT PAAAAAAAASSSSSSS /ref”, 
“/t = teasing, use when teasing someone or provoking someone, often playfully, “aiight sure mx idk wtf im doin /t”, 
“nm = not mad, to indicate you’re not actually mad or upset about something / “ow... i felt that /nm”, 
“lu = a little upset / used when about about something or someone, but not too upset / “oh... that sucks /lu”, 
“/nbh = “nobody here” = often used when talking about something vague to ensure your friends it’s not indirectly to or about them / “sometimes i just wanna..... tell someone to shut the fuck up /nbh”, 
“/nay = not at you / used when saying something but not meaning it at the person you’re responding to / “god i can’t stand lame people /nay”, 
“/ay = “at you”, make the person aware you’re addressing them”, 
“/g or /gen = used when saying or asking something for real / “i’m proud of you /g” or “have you watched the news?? /gen”, 
“/th = threat, used when giving a genuine threat / “if you don’t stop, i’ll block you /th”, 
“/p = platonic, a friendship type of love, used when saying something with platonic intentions / “i love you /p”, 
“/r = romantic intentions, typically of partners when saying something with romantic intentions / “i love you /r””, 
“/a = alterous, an attraction best described as wanting emotional closeness without necessarily being at all or entirely platonic and/or romantic, used when saying with alterous intentions / “i love you /a””
“/m = metaphor / used when saying something metaphorically / “god you’re a shining star /m””
“/li = literal / used when saying something literally / “i hate pears /li””
“/rh = rhetorical / a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer / used when saying or asking something rhetorically / “who cares? /rh””
“/hyp = hyperbole, exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally ; “i have a million things to do today”
“/sx = sexual intent, used when meaning something in a sexual way”, 
“/nsx = nonsexual intent, used when meaning something in a not sexual way”, 
“/pos = positive / used when saying something and meaning it in a positive way / “omg im gonna cry /pos”, implied they’re crying for a happy reason”, 
“/neg = negative / used when saying something and meaning it in a negative way / “omg im gonna cry /neg”, implied they’re crying for an upsetting reason”, and 
“/neu = neutral / used to show that what you’re saying is neutral or that you feel indifferent about it / “yeah i don’t care man do what you want /neu”, you don’t care about something but not in a mean or a negative way, you’re just indifferent”.
on a final note, HERE is a list of tone tags both in english and in other languages ( namely italian, spanish, portuguese, french, polish, german, lithuanian, serbian, dutch, indonesian, romanian, bulgarian, russian, hebrew, japanese, mandarin and korean !! ) and HERE are the list of sources about the content of tone tags !! i wish everyone reading this a lovely day !!
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My bullying hell.
NOTE: I know this isn’t a dating piece (I’m working on a couple of blog posts at the moment though) but I went walking near my old school, which has been demolished for housing although there’s a fight to make it parkland instead, and it brought back memories. I know most of us get bullied for something. For me that was often my weight but in this case it was more. I think this is why I can be so insecure, and sometimes too sensitive and needy. I contemplated changing initials on the off chance any found my blog or twitter but decided not to. Not once did they display an iota of regret. Even as adults they acted like mean girls do you know what, fuck them.
I know that for many people high school can be hell in parts. I know that many kids have been bullied in school. For me that part was almost the entire year of 8th grade, a year so horrible that I regularly contemplated killing myself, cried myself to sleep most nights, woke in the morning crying because God (despite my not believing in God) hadn't answered my prayers to let me just die, and just generally was completely and utterly miserable and totally alone. I remember one day, with my usual puffy red eyes in the morning, thinking how if it were possible that we only get a certain quota of tears in our lifetime that I must surely have used up a shitload of them. I remember mum, in tears with me, having to practically drag me to school. I remember countless meetings with the school social worker, the year co-ordination, the vice principal and mum. All this was because it had been decreed by the popular girl of the class that I was persona non grata. Nobody was allowed to talk to me in class or out of class- unless it was to say something cruel like about how I was fat. That was allowed. Tripping me over was allowed. Knocking my bag or books over so I had to pick everything up was allowed. Pulling my school dress or skirt up to laugh at my fat arse in front of the boys was allowed. But nice things? No.
There were only 2 people who went against this. On one occasion one of the boys who I had also gone to primary school with asked me if I was ok? Such small words. I managed to nod, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. "Hang in there," he said. "It'll blow over." I had to hide my face behind my then long hair so he- and nobody- saw my tears. That one simple act of kindness meant more than he will ever know.
The second was when one of the girls I used to hang around with before the decree returned a book she borrowed from me. Her little sister had made a mess of the book. She offered to buy me another one to replace it. I said it was fine. I didn't need to be hated anymore than I was. She left me a note inside the book apologising and signing it with xoxo. I remember thinking how hollow it was given she hadn't spoken to me in a few months. But at the same time I appreciated it.
How did this happen? In an absolutely ridiculous fashion.
Something mean was written about me on a table: it said, in essence, my name is X and 1) I want to be TC’s girlfriend (ironic as he was my best friend), 2) GW’sbest friend , 3) I never have showers and I think there MAY have been a fourth one but I can't for the life of me remember what it said. I think I blocked a lot of that year out. My minds way of protecting myself I guess, like people often do for traumatic events.
As an adult I can say they were relatively benign statements but as a 14 year old they weren't. The thing was the popular girl, LA (now LH) decided that I had written them about myself. (Seriously!) Her reasoning: it looked "kinda" like my handwriting (it didn't) and it looked like it was written by my pen (one owned by something like half the class including, ironically, her). Interestingly a few months later one of the popular girls told me that she had seen her coming out of that classroom at one of the break tones not long before it was discovered. I'll never know who did it but the simple fact that the popular girl said it was me meant that naturally the class agreed with her.
So when she said nobody was to talk to me they all just did it. Not a single person stood up for me. I have felt lonely at many, many times in my life (haven't we all) but the loneliness of that one moment will never ever be forgotten. Even now I feel literally sick as I remember that moment. It was like one of those movies where you wake up from a dream and everyone's gone, and you are all alone. Or a dream where you suddenly become invisible and no matter how much you scream and jump up and down and wave your hands you remain invisible.
I had hoped that maybe my friends would have stuck up for me. I would even have taken them doing it not publicly but privately if they were too scared to disobey or too ashamed to be my friend in front of the popular girl and her best friend JB (now JI) my two tormentors. Like still hanging out with me at lunch and recess. The popular girl wouldn't know after all. But no. Even the girls I had hung with pretty much since the start of school when we'd made friends with me followed and I was suddenly cut off from everyone, completely and utterly alone....
There are some things that stand out from the next eight or so months, things beyond the pain and loneliness. Moments where the bullying was worse than the usual daily taunts. Like the time they soaked a bunch of tampons in water so they became nice and big and ran around the corner and threw them all at me. Because I found a spot to sit and have my lunch all alone day in day out. Technically, being at the front side of the school, near the road, it was out of bounds but I didn't care. On rainy days I got a bit wet but I didn't care- I even thought well maybe I'll get pneumonia and even if I don't get lucky enough to die from it I could get some time off school, away from my living hell. Sometimes I'd eat quickly- prompting comments from the girls about how fat people like me ate too quick- and then go to the library to hide in a corner and read. Being a bookworm over those eight or so months I got through even more books that I ever imagined I could.
I was trying to eat healthy (I was on a diet which, lets face it, I have been on for most of my life!) and I often had those little tubs of two fruits in my lunch. The girls would sneak around and laugh at my lunch. I'd be tripped over, had leftover bits of food thrown at me, was called fat and ugly so many times that even now I say it about myself and actually mean it. One day after PE I discovered my watch had been stolen from the box we put all our special items in. It was a Mickey Mouse watch I got from Disneyland that played music. I was devastated. These girls that I speak of were- surprisingly- not my two tormentors, the instigator of it all, but my former friends. I think that these girls, and the few boys who sometimes hung out with them, were actually crueler to me than the popular girl and her friend. I could never understand that. I still don't.
For almost eight months my mum battled with the school to have me moved to another form but they kept saying that the numbers were at maximum in each form. I offered at one point to take a lie detector test to prove I hadn't written those things. I spent way too many hours in the social workers office in tears.
At one point all of a sudden one of the boys started being nice to me. I lapped up the kindness, kind of like how an abused dog will still always want their masters approval. Every kind word was like a balm on my soul. He'd come and sit with me sometimes at lunch and we would talk and laugh. It was only when someone slipped a note in my locker- I suspect the girl who returned the book- telling me that he had been given a dare by the two tormentors to get me to sleep with him. Needless to say the next time he came to see me I said to him "I know what you're doing. I know it's a dare and you've been telling them everything I said!" (Probably one of the only times in my life I stood up for myself.) He didn't even look ashamed or guilty, he laughed and said "well I wouldn't sleep with a fat four eyes like you for no reason. You are pretty dumb for believing it." Perhaps the saddest thing was the fact that I contemplated not telling him I knew. Oh I wouldn't have gone so far as to sleep with him knowing what I knew but to just continue the ruse for awhile because he provided the only conversation in school hours, the only kindness, in all the pain and loneliness. But, ultimately, I knew being alone was better than living a lie.
My persona non grata status didn't extend to just my class. All the popular kids knew not to talk to me and to make fun of me or even spit on me if I walked past. One of them even tripped me up on the top of the stairs so I went flying down them, landing on my side so hard it was bruised and hard to breathe for ages. I never told on them. I knew that "dobbing" would just make my life worse. Though how they could have made it worse than that I will never know.
The worst moment was when I actually did attempt to kill myself. This is something I haven't ever told a single soul. My mum only found out I had wanted to kill myself a few months ago- not that I attempted it a couple of times- and she was devastated. But I never told her at the time because I saw how much it pained her to see me so unhappy. I couldn't burden her anymore. The night it happened was a Sunday night, the night before school started again for the new term. I was pretty naive. It was pre-Internet which, in retrospect is probably a good thing because had Google existed back then I would have found a way to do it. I took a packet and a half of Panadol. I thought surely that was enough. It wasn't. Not only did I not die, but I simply woke up the next morning feeling like absolute shit.
The turning point came about seven months in. A chance encounter in the library with one of the girls I'd gone to primary school with and I told her about what my life was like. She was horrified and said I could come and hang with her friends sometimes. Not all the time, she said, because they wouldn't like that but sometimes. I probably should have thought it a strange offer but needless to say at the time a little bit was better than nothing. So maybe two or three times a week at lunch mainly I would go and hang with them. I didn't really say much. I had always been shy but my ordeal had made me even more so. When people came up behind me and stuck crap down the back of my top or yelled "boo fatty four eyes" suddenly I would jump a mile. If I saw one of my two tormentors or any of their friends I would instantly start shaking waiting for what they would do or say this time. They soon learnt they didn't even need to speak, just look at me, and I'd be affected. So when my school friend said to me that I couldn't really hang out with them anymore because the others thought I was stuck up (because I didn't speak much) I didn't feel much emotion. It seemed to me that it was perfectly right. Why WOULDN'T they reject me too? Who would even WANT to be friends with someone like me?
Finally, FINALLY, after eight months battling the school by mum they let me move classes. Not to the form I wanted to go in as by then I had made a couple of friends through my childhood male best friend who lived a few houses up and I had known since we were three and who I spent most weekends and school holidays with along with my brother and his younger sister who were in the same year, but a new one nonetheless.
It was the middle of second period, I think, that I was moved. The class were in the science block so I'm guessing it was a science class but I can't quite remember. The year level co-ordinator took me in there and just said, "X is in this class now. She's been given the class schedule." Of course everyone turned to look at me curiously. I slipped into a seat in the back of the room and put my head down. At the desk next along from me were three girls. At one point they said my name and I looked up and asked "yes?" I was given a withering look. "I wasn't talking to you. X here has the same name as you." I was told.
The next period those three girls asked me to sit with them and asked plenty of questions. But then after lunch they told me they'd spoken to my main tormentor and knew who I was and what I did. Great, I remember thinking, I could never ever leave it behind me!
But, slowly, over the remaining few months in the year I began to make friends. There were four girls in my form who became my friends- to this day one of them remains one of my best friends- and from another form there were another two. The six of them hung around together and, as time went on, I became part of their group. There were another few girls in the form who sometimes came to hang out with us.
I was with two of them (both had the same name and it also coincidentally happened to be the name of my main tormentor) one day walking across the courtyard when my tormentor and her best friend (the girl who had been one of my close friends for years before this all happened and who's friendship with me seemed to threaten my main tormentor for some reason before the table incident) suddenly appeared. Apparently someone had written something in chalk in the girls toilet near the year ten common room (or it may have been year twelve then, I can't remember when the merger happened) about her and I was blamed. One of the girls stood up for me, pointing out there were many with her name including my two new friends. But no. It was definitely about her because it had her last initial or name. She tried to get in my face, telling me she knew it was me and I had mental problems etc but my two new friends basically stood in front of her. They were a bit tough and told her that she'd have to go through them to get to me. She chose to walk away.
Though she did get the popular girls in my class to make extra fun of me for a bit but all of a sudden it was water off a ducks back because I had my new friends. They did try and get them to abandon me, telling them what I had done but I'd already told them my side and all the pain- though I had edited it because it was too raw to tell the whole truth, in all its intricate and painful details that soon- and the attempts failed.
Soon it was summer and I spent much of it with my new friends.
In the next school year my old friends and my tormentors still would make smart comments or something when I walked past but the more I ignored it, the more I showed no reaction, the less they did it though it never totally stopped throughout my whole time at high school.
Teenagers can be cruel and girls I think the cruelest of the bunch. Sure teenage boys can be cruel too but girls are bitchy and that is much worse in my opinion. Boys might have a fight and then it's done with. Girls will just bitch and snipe and make you miserable. My tormentors never said sorry, never acknowledged I didn't do it. I occasionally see their names pop up as comments on mutual friends posts on Facebook and I look at their profiles and see how perfect their lives seem. Both are married, one has two kids, one has one. I wonder, when I see them, how it's fair that they get the perfect life and I don't. There is no sign of karma having ever gone their way for what they did to me. As for the girls who were my friends before the decree, I'm Facebook friends with a couple of them. We never really spoke again at school. But, with school far behind us and time dulling some of the bad memories and letting most people look back at their school days as the halcyon days of youth, and remember the good times not the bad, a couple of them are friends on Facebook. Only one have I ever really caught up with but another two I do talk to sometimes on there.
I do believe that, to this day, it has affected me. Just writing this is affecting me: for instance I'm feeling a bit sick, my hands are a bit shaky, and I feel like I want to have a bit of a cry. (Yes- I still have tears left despite those eight long months. The human body can be, I think, up to 65% water. I swear back then my percentage was much lower because of my nightly crying myself to sleep.) But I feel good having written this, having gotten one of my stories off my chest. Sure there are others in my life I may talk about in the future but this is one that shaped me. For instance I know I can be a bit of a needy friend, wanting to see friends more often, wondering when I haven't heard from them in a certain amount of time if I've been replaced or done something to make them angry or upset. I take things way too personally, am far too sensitive about things said or done, I overthink things. And I have no self-confidence at all. I don't see the good in me. Outside or in. When someone gives me a compliment my first reaction is to laugh at them. Especially if they say something positive about my body. I look at them and I say, "are you blind?"
If you take anything from my story please let it be this: kindness doesn't cost a thing and just a little bit can truly make a major difference in someone's life. Bullying- whether it's a child, teenager or even an adult- can really fuck someone's life up. And words- like fat four eyes- can do just as much damage, in fact I would argue MORE than hands. Words CAN hurt. Words can linger in a person's mind years and years after they have been said. They can affect the way they live their life and choices they make. They can reverberate in a person's brain for years. So please be kind. And if you are lucky enough to have kids teach them that too. Because- especially with the proliferation of social media in our lives- words can lead to people taking their lives. That stupid little childhood singsong retort to insults "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is a load of utter bullshit. Words- just like actions- can kill. Bullying can kill.
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whosays420 · 5 years
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The Facts & The Most Important Regimens You Need To Conquer PCOS
Yeeeeeesss Queeens. follow my facebook group for more womens health and upliftment @ Pretty Nail N Yoga Lifestyle
https://www.facebook.com/groups/594058141070850/
 I finished my PCOS Info Packet...More to add when it comes.. 5 to 10 minutes of reading up on how your reproductive system and PCOS plants seeds for a better tomorrow.
The Facts & The Most Important Regimens You Need To Conquer PCOS
Mini Menstrual Lesson
Your reproductive system is made up of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, and uterus. Ur ovaries have a lifetime supply of eggs. These eggs r immature and are stored inside tiny fluid filled structures called follicles. Ur pituitary gland (aka ur third eye) produces hormones that direct the function of ur ovaries. Each month, ur pituitary gland (third eye) stows away & then releases FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (lutenizing hormone) into the bloodstream. After the LH & FSH hormones reach the ovaries, several hundred eggs began to mature expanding the size of the follicles. As the eggs mature, the follicles stow away & then release estrogen (the main female sex hormone). once the estrogen in the blood reaches a certain level, the third eye (pituitary gland) sends a surge of LH to the ovaries causing the most mature follicle to open up and release its egg in a process called ovulation. The free egg then travels through the fallopian tube where it awaits fertilization. The remaining immature follicles and eggs dissolve away. If the egg is not fertilized, the egg and the lining of the uterus are shed during the next menstrual cycle.
For 3d video of your reproductive system, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsNKyKS7M_s&t=158s
What is PCOS?
In-Depth Understanding
PCOS is determined by two main factors: an imbalance of the sex hormones and high insulin levels . The pituitary gland releases abnormally high amounts of LH into your bloodstream, disrupting your normal period. As a result, ur follicles do not mature and ovulation does not occur. Some follicles do not dissolve and remain as fluid filled sacs called cysts. In addition, having high levels of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, combined with high levels of LH can lead to excess production of a male hormone called testosterone in your ovaries. Abnormally high levels of testosterone prevent ovulation which can lead to infertility. And there you have it, The scientific facts about PCOS in a nutshell!
General Understanding
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age.
Was there something I could have done to prevent my PCOS?
Sure! There's plenty of thing we could've done to prevent our PCOS. However, the key to prevention is knowledge + action. So if u didn’t have the knowledge in the past to actively prevent a dis ease of the body, how could you have stopped it in the 1st place, right? So, to those that say we 'could have done this" A 'pretty nails N Yoga' type lifestyle recommends you respond with a simple, "ehh… couldve, should've!" and move on!
So What Can I do to Start Actively Treating Myself?
Inform yourself
there's no way to win a battle if you don't know what you're up against. Hashtags # are a part of our world now, so use them wisely in your new found search for healing.
#pcos
#naturalhealing
@womenshealth @prettynailsNyogaLifestyle ;). Get creative in your search. Don't be ashamed of any questions you may have. We are all out here looking for what customs fits our healing process.
Conscious eating
when u become aware of the foods you are intaking, it heeds the question, "is this alkaline to my body or is this acidic to my body?" Remember, bacteria, virus' and fungus thrive in an acidic body. An alkaline body forces all this nasty shit to commit suicide
○ Goddess, You Need Sum Whole Foods!
§ Whole foods are foods sourced straight from the earth that have not been altered or compromised in any way. That does not necessarily mean that your diet needs to be fully plant-based or vegan. However you are an adult now so think back to when you were a child… and the same way you were supplied with a proper amount of meats and veggies/fruits before dessert, is minimum the same way you want to take action if you're serious about taking control of your PCOS. And remember, most likely, the foods we were eating earlier in life is what contributes to minimum 50% of the problem
○ Start Actively Getting rid of the pre-packaged processed foods ) over the next 30-90 days.
§ Our bodies thrive on foods rich in nutrients, especially when managing disorders like PCOS. That means avoiding processed foods like white flour, corn syrup, processed meats, pasta, and other foods that may contain medium to high levels of sugar. At first, this change was hard when I realized some of my go-to snacks were highly processed. It took some time, but once my body adjusted to this new way of eating, I no longer craved the same foods. Go for the stuff that doesn't really bother you to remove out of your life 1st then move to the big dawgs. Remember it took some time to create this condition in our bodies; so we must give our beautiful hard working bodies time to heal.
○ Focus on Iron Rich Alkaline Foods.
§ We tend to associate iron with red meat, but there are also high levels of iron in many vegetables and plant-based foods, including spinach, kale, goji berries, lentils, chickpeas, and more. Start with eating at least one vegetable a day that contains high levels of iron
○ Dump the dairy and get free of gluten.
§ Women with PCOS have specific dietary needs. In order to get your hormones and insulin levels back on track, you must eat mindfully. Work to eliminate inflammatory foods such as dairy and gluten. For women with PCOS, these two categories of foods cause inflammation that triggers many of your symptoms from acne to insulin imbalance. Need help with your meals? Check out our dairy-free and gluten-free recipes.
Add in supplements, now!
Ensuring your body has the proper vitamins is vital to healing. Supplements can help your body build its immune system, restore energy levels, balance hormones, and promote healthy blood flow.
Time for a low-impact Exercise Routine
Working out does not to be hard and complex. Start incorporating 15 to 45 minutes of
#watevergetsyoumovin
#dancin
#
#yoga
#twerkin
#walkinthedog
#differentsexpositions
#pilates
(u get the point) 3 days per week and the universe will meet you and take you to the winning circle from there. Seriously though, Years later living with PCOS, I started coming into my womanhood (this was no easy task.) I was more renewed and had a better sense and understanding of who i was as a wise spiritual woman through many teachings, obstacles & encounters. I stopped doing the high-intensity, stress-inducing workouts I was so used to (and hated btw) and chose more low-impact but, joyful and passion-driven workouts instead. The best advice I can give a woman in any lifetime is to Do! Only! The! Things! You! Enjoy! That includes the activities that makes you sweat & detox.
Make a plan.
This is one of my most important tips. Plan your meals, exercise and self-care ahead of time. You are bound to make destructive food choices when your hunger drives your food choices as you rush home from work and eat anything you can find. Exercise and self-care will be pushed aside if you don’t assign time for this. Plan and thrive!
De-stress.
We all lead busy and stressful lives. The way we approach the stress can make all the difference. Healthy women have learned coping mechanisms (like meditation, yoga or deep breathing) to take on less stress, as well as to effectively manage and have a positive perspective on the stress they do have. Stress triggers the production of cortisol in our bodies, which wreaks havoc on our hormonal system and PCOS symptoms and gives you belly fat! Who needs that?!
Seek a support Group.
Studies show that you are more likely to stick with a lifestyle change if you have a supportive community. First, educate your loved ones so that they can offer support as you make important changes. Next, find a community of like-minded women that will help cheer you on now and in the future, whether they’re online or in person (or both!). You may even want to buddy up with a walking or grocery shopping partner with whom you can share your journey.
Make time for self-care.
The need for self-care is the fine line between your sanity insanity. Taking care of your mind, body and spirit is not selfish. You are more able to give your friends, family and co-workers your whole self when you have taken the time to refresh. Self-care means eating well and exercising, but just as importantly, it means taking a few minutes to yourself every day to recenter and relax. You may choose to meditate, take an Epsom salt bath or write in a journal. Whatever you choose, give yourself over to the experience wholly and see the difference it makes in your life.
Be kind to yourself.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. The diet and lifestyle changes will improve your quality of life more than you could have imagined, but you have to be kind to yourself while you do it. Take baby steps and eliminate/change one thing at a time. If you make a mistake, remember that you are only one choice away from being back on track. Try to spend a little time each day doing something just for you. You must be your own top priority.
Distract The Mind
Sometimes doing all of the above, threw me so much deeper into my own mind, it was simply too much. I was overanalysing and self-diagnosising every statement, action and step I took. In these moments, I just had to do things that normalised my nervous system again and distracted my mind from over thinking! Whether that was reading a book, getting to a class, going to the movies, enjoying a walk, listening to podcasts or cooking...once I focused my mind on something other than myself, I was able to regulate my nervous system and bring back down the levels of anxiety or emotional overwhelm I was experiencing.
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