#and instagram is the one i shamefully spend too much time on

[jakeperalta]

the amount of people immediately signing up to threads is shocking to me.... you mean all these people actually want MORE social media in their lives????

[imaginesmai]

With all my heart (IRONDAD) - Chapter 1

Hey there! I’m back with a full fic! ❤💕💕💕 This is an irondad/bambi/The game plan AU! It’s finished, so it will have two updates every week, or more (if you guys like it a lot!) Make sure to follow me on instagram:@ irondadiscanon to know when I update, more irondad content and fic recs!

SUMMARY: Tony Stark isn't the best dad - distant, cold, almost neglectful. But when his ex-wife dies, he has to take care of his son; 5-year-old Peter, a boy with too many allergies and that can't talk to Tony without stuttering. Follow the path of two hurt people, a man and a boy, who learn how to love each other through thick and thin.-A Bambi AU (Disney) that @buckets_of_stars inspired me into writting that I've mixed with The Game Plan.

AO3 link

Tony has a tight smile on during the funeral. He knows he has no right being there, that most of the people around him, even if they are strangers for Tony, were closer to Mary than him. He shifts uncomfortable in his black suit, fighting the hangover from last night. On his right, Mary’s sister is crying her eyes out, looking at the coffin as its lowered on the ground. From what he has heard, the man besides May is Ben, his husband, and both of them have made a long journey to come to the funeral. It makes him feel bad, because Tony was the one arriving late and he lives barely thirty minutes away.

 But the news hit him hard. 

For six years, he has been doing just fine. He gets drunk, sleeps around with anyone that catches his eye, bosses around and goes to sleep really, really late. It’s not something to take pride of, but Tony likes his life – now, his past life. There is another thing that has been a constant for the last five years and a half; monthly cheques to his ex-girlfriend account. Since he lost any type of right over his son. Five and half years ago.

 Now, Mary is lying eight foot deep in a coffin. He received a call yesterday, and found comfort in his liquor cabinet. He shouldn’t have, he’s sure of it, because he knows that there has to be new changes on his life from now on; but he still kept a small place of his heart for the brunette girl with big, doe eyes that had a contagious laugh. Tony tightens the grip on his left wrist, trying to control the shaking of his hands. 

When that doesn’t work, he tries next looking at the small figure gripping May’s legs, close to Tony. It’s not the first time Tony has seen Peter Parker, because once or twice every two months, he gets to spend a weekend with his son. He has a room on the tower, as dull as a white paper, and Tony is listed as his second emergency contact. It doesn’t matter how much he tries to distance himself from Howard. Most of the times the kid is with him, Tony is reminded of the lost chance of raising him. Peter sees him as a stranger, and Tony drinks.

 Peter sniffles softly, and May runs a careful hand through his curls. Taking after Tony, he’s short and skinny. The father doesn’t know much about him – that he likes science, is asthmatic and has a list of allergies, dyslexic, and his favourite colour is blue and red. Mary made sure to keep him away from Tony, and she wasn’t wrong. Because Tony is the worst influence the kid can have.

 It doesn’t matter, though, because May and Ben are both active workers that are barely home, and Peter doesn’t have any other family left.

 “Tony”

 He turns around, and shamefully discovers that almost everyone is gone now. Only May, the priest and Peter remain. The last one is still hiding between May’s legs, hiccupping every now and then. Tony blinks and coughs the awkwardness; he tries to clear the wetness around his eyes, and thanks himself for getting dark glasses before leaving that morning. May, always the kind woman, gives him a soft smile, and squeezes his forearm gently. His husband doesn’t like Tony that much, but it seems that May sees something not even Tony himself can see.

 “We have to arrange some things. Custody papers and legal documents” she says.

 “Yes. I’ll – My driver is just there. He will take us to the notary. He has enough space for all of us. And don’t worry, Happy is discrete. He won’t – “

 “Ben and I can take care of it just fine” May interrupts him. He pushes Peter forward, but the boy doesn’t look up. “Peter hasn’t slept much, and he hasn’t eaten since yesterday. I thought that, maybe, you could take him home and rest a little. It’s been hard for everyone.”

 “Happy can take him”

 “Peter needs his father”

 It’s her stern voice. He has only heard it twice; once, when Peter was born and he was late for the birth, and Mary decided she didn’t even want him to meet his son. May had used her stern voice on her and Tony had held Peter close, as the boy latched on his little finger. The second time was directed at him. He was ready to give up the custody of Peter, he didn’t want to go to the trial; and thanks to May, who dragged him out of his ear, he got to see Peter every two months. Even if he hadn’t known how to do it right.

 Peter looks up at Tony, and the man notices the tears still falling from his eyes. He has the same look he always carries around Tony; as if he wasn’t his father, just an authoritative stranger that he had to respect.

 “I think a nap will do you some good” Tony lowers his voice, and tries to give Peter a reassuring smile. “Did you pack your bag already?”

 “No” he answers in a small voice. “Uncle Ben said I c-could do it later”

 “We can bring it later. Maybe have a last dinner together before we leave?” May suggests, and Peter nods vigorously. “We have to leave tomorrow morning. But we are only a few hours away. If he gets sick or needs anything, we’ll be here as soon as possible. And that goes for you too Tony. You can call me anytime you want”

 “I think we’re gonna be just fine. Right, Peter?”

 Tony holds his fist so that Peter can bump it, but the kid just stares at it. Possibly, it��s not the best place to do something like that. Reluctantly, he lowers his fist. He remembers the first time Peter was brought to him as a conscious human being, not a baby. Mary had been on a trip with him for three months, and Tony got to stay with Peter for a week – and in that moment, when Peter didn’t call Tony daddy but ‘Mr Tony’, Tony realized that Peter didn’t see him as a father. As a dad.

 It hurts him that he hasn’t known how to be there for his son. Some of the dates Mary and him set for Peter to stay with Tony were spent poorly; Tony out drinking and Peter with Pepper or with a nanny. Tony missed some of them because he liked to party, and the man wasn’t there when the kid had his first asthma attack and ended up in hospital. He wasn’t even there for Peter’s fourth birthday, because he was lost somewhere in Monaco drinking expensive liquors and losing consciousness.

 Selfishly, he thinks that this is his chance to make things right. Peter has to stay with him, because there is no chance that he lets the boy in the system, and staying with his aunt is impossible. So, he tries to bury his hurt and keeps the kind smile on.

 “Give me a call when you’re finished” he tells May, who nods. The woman kneels in front of Peter, and cradles his cheek.

 “We can come whenever you need us. Ask Tony to call us or use the phone mom got you, it’s in the bottom of your bag. You remember Ben’s number?” May asks. Peter doesn’t answer. “Come here, give me a big hug”

 Peter launches himself to his aunt’s arms, letting out a chocked sob. May hugs him tight and lets him cry on her shoulder. As most of the times he’s with his son, Tony feels misplaced. Like he’s watching a show he’s not a part of – like it isn’t his family. It’s not, his mind supplies. They break the hug before Tony can dwell on the thought for too long. If someone expected Peter to hug his father next, they get a huge disappointment. Peter moves to stand close to Tony, and quickly dries his tears so Tony doesn’t notice them.

 “No peanuts, walnuts, cashews or hazels. That goes for Nutella or other chocolate sweet that could have hazels” May remembers him, although Tony has JARVIS programmed to keep up with Peter’s allergies. “There are epinephrine injections in his bag, with the instructions. He has to take his vitamins every morning. After breakfast”

 “And I have to be careful with lobsters and oysters, because they upset his stomach”

 “You have to cut the crust off the sandwiches, and Peter doesn’t like cheese sandwiches. But make sure to put extra cheese on his pizza”

 “He also likes mac and cheese, I know” Tony says with a bit of annoyance. “He’s my son. I know him better than what you think”

 “You better take care of him, because I don’t care how much money you have or how important your last name is” May takes a threatening step forward. “If I have to drag your sorry Stark ass to court, I will. Without blinking once”

 Tony briefly remembers the conversation he has had with May before the funeral. Mary said it in her will, Ben and May knew they would have to change their life style if Peter came to life with them, and Tony was the most capable person, in materials and financial terms, to take care of Peter. But still, she had offered to take him. And Ben had threatened Tony. The man hopes he can live to everyone’s expectations.

 He reaches a hand and brings Peter closer. In a soft whisper that only comes out every now and then when he’s with his son, he tells him to go and wait in the car. Peter gives a quiet ‘yes sir’ and hugs May one last time. Tony doesn’t miss the glassy eyes May gets when Peter wraps his skinny arms around her waist and squeezes her tight. He has never received a hug from Peter.

 Not like he feels worthy of them.

 Peter waves at her and drags his feet to the car. The boy likes Happy, or at least he likes him as much as he can like someone from Tony’s life – he gives the man some rare smiles and actually answers to his questions. He watches as Peter disappear inside the car, and closes the door behind him. Then, he turns to May.

 “You can’t say those things in front of Peter” he argues. “He’s gonna think I’m some kind of monster that it’s gonna eat him at night”

 “He already thinks that. Why do you think he wanted to spend the night with us in the hotel instead of going with you? Peter is afraid. The only memories he has with his father are you sitting on a couch drinking, hiding in the lab or giving him away to nannies” May points a shaky finger at him. “He spent the whole night crying and sobbing, but when he comes here, he tries to hide it so you don’t see him. Trust me when I say he knows where he’s going”

 “And what am I supposed to do? If he hates me so much, then maybe you should take him!”

 There is a second of silence in the lonely cemetery.

 “Peter doesn’t hate you, Tony. He thinks you don’t want him” she says sadly, and Tony thinks he preferred the idea of Peter hating him. “All he knows is a cold man with a hard face, that didn’t make an effort to love him when he went to see you”

 “I really don’t know how to fix that, May” he admits. He realises his own eyes are getting misty behind the glasses, but he doesn’t feel strong enough to wipe them. He only wants to go back home and lock himself in the lab with a bottle of whisky, maybe two.

 “You and I both know you love him. You did things wrong, but so did Mary. So just – show him you love him, now. Consider this your chance to be a father to Peter, a real father”

 May surprises Tony by dragging him into her arms, and he goes rigid. He doesn’t like behind handed things, he doesn’t like shaking people’s hands, he doesn’t like touching anyone and doesn’t like being touched unless it’s Pepper. He has ignored Rhodey’s calls and Happy attempt to comfort him, because he knew that no matter how much he hated physical touch, he would break down.

 So, Tony breaks down in sobs, and hugs May Parker back. The woman is tall but skinny, yet is almost as strong as Tony. It’s the touch he needs, because it manages to keep him together. Tony thinks of Mary, of how beautiful everything was before he fucked up and she left, pregnant without knowing. He thinks of her sweet smile and dimples, of her brown curls that fell loose on her back. And he sees her in the boy in the car, in the way he pretends to be collected but wears his heart on his sleeve.

 A raindrop hit him on the nose, and when he looks up, he’s met with another on his left glass. He tears away from May who doesn’t bother wiping the tears away from her cheeks. They share a short nod and a few words, then Tony walks towards the car. He tries to make the small distance to it as long as possible, because he doesn’t want to meet the doe, bambi eyes that will stare at him in the car.

 Because Peter does that a lot – staring at Tony. Not talking, not smiling. Staring at Tony as if he’s looking for something that he doesn’t have. That’s part of the reason why he avoids the boy so much, because if he can’t be what Peter needs, then what good can he make?

 Apparently, he’s about to find out.

Want to read more? Check out my side blog @imaginesmaimasterlists, where I keep all the masterlists! Feedback is always appreciated

[beauvibaby]

show you how to be loved - j.benn

requested: [x] yes [] no (you guys asked for him)

a/n: I’ve never written for Jamie Benn, I am absolutely so nervous about this. I have zero clue as to why but the idea hit me, so here it is.

Warnings: toxic relationship, some heavy cursing in the beginning

“You’re fucking serious right now?” Your boyfriend, soon to be ex, shouted at you, watching as you shoved as many of your clothes as you could into a duffel bag. “Of course I’m serious! You came home with a hickey, that I definitely did not put there! I’m done, I can’t,” you paused, taking a shaky breath as you zipped up the bag, “I can’t let you treat me like this anymore, you’ve made me truly believe I was the bad one in this relationship, I lost my friends for you.” You couldn’t speak any longer as a sob tore through you, and had he been anywhere near decent he would have at least apologized but all he did was grab your wrist as you walked out, yanking you to face him one last time. “I never want to see you again, you were only good for a quick fuck.” He hissed, you always told yourself not to believe him, but his words were burned into your brain as you stormed out of the house, your fingers working quick on your phone before you could think otherwise.

You slammed your car door shut as you put in the address you hadn’t been to in so long, too long. You knew how to get there like the back of your hand, but with your emotions running high, you wanted the reassurance from the gps on your phone. Please, let him be there, please.

Rounding the corner onto his street you suddenly felt like an idiot, your stomach twisting in a knot, you hadn’t seen him in months, barely spoken to him in weeks, because your ex didn’t like him. “It’s weird, you're twenty five, he’s thirty one, why does he hang out around you?” The words rang through your head, over and over as you sat parked in front of his house, the lights were on, he was there, and then another worry hit you. What if he wasn’t alone, what if he had a girl there? The thought made you let out another cry, your eyes still red and puffy from the cries you had let out on the way here. You pushed everything aside, you’ve known Jamie for years, he’d been a family friend, and then when you moved to Dallas, you reconnected, it was nice. “Fuck it.” You whispered, swinging the car door open, you rubbed your sweaty palms on your leggings as you approached the front door. Your hand lifted to the doorbell, hovering for a moment, finally you pushed it, hearing the noise ring through the house. You paced on the front steps, had you just made a huge mistake? He probably didn’t even want to see you. “Y/N?” Jamie questioned, opening the door slowly. “What are you doing here?” He asked, stepping out closer to you, he watched with furrowed brows as you turned to face him, the porch light showing the tears scattered on your cheeks. “Hey, hey, what happened?” He took two big steps to you, grabbing you carefully by the shoulders, looking you over for any physical injuries. “He-he-uhm, we broke up.” You squeaked out, shamefully, “I don’t know why I came here, I’m sorry, I’ll go.” You rushed, feeling your cheeks heat up. “No, you’re staying, I’m not letting you drive like this.” He demanded softly, pulling you in for a hug. You hesitated, like you had been conditioned, not to hug any guys that weren’t related to you, Jamie didn’t say anything, he released you, guiding you into the house. When you entered the house, you quickly wiped at your face while he turned to shut the door. “Y/N,” he gasped, you looked up at him in confusion but that turned to a frown when his fingers delicately grabbed your wrist, slightly discolored marks there from the grip your ex had taken on it. “Did he do this?” Jamie asked, his tone hard but his eyes soft, you bit your lip as you looked up at him, your eyes telling him everything he needed to know. You reached your hand up to play with your necklace, something you always did when you were nervous, panic ran through you, it wasn’t there, it wasn’t-oh god, you forgot to put it on after your shower, and now you left it there. “What’s wrong?” Jamie asked, eyes looking down to your hand running over the base of your neck. “My necklace, my grandma’s necklace, I left it there, I need to go get it, I-” “Hey, calm down.” He cut you off, grabbing your hands, only then did you realize how close you were. “I’ll go get it, you’re not going to be back there with him.” He started rubbing circles into your hands as he spoke, “Jamie.” You sighed, shaking your head, that was a disaster waiting to happen. “No. Y/N, I’m not letting you go back there with him, just tell me where it is, and I’ll go get it. Let me do this.” He left no room for negotiation. “It’s in the purple jewelry box, the second drawer in the bathroom.” You whispered, pulling your hands from his, he hesitated for a moment, hands cupping your cheeks as he left a short kiss on your forehead. You ignored the way it made your heart flutter, “thank you.” You whispered as he grabbed his keys, “I’ll be back soon, just make yourself at home.” He spoke quickly, disappearing out the door before you could say anything else.

You jumped up when you heard the door open, you had fallen asleep on the couch, the TV playing softly in the background. “Jamie?” You called, his head popped around the corner, “I thought you were sleeping.” He mumbled sheepishly, walking around the corner, your eyes scanned over him, landing on the bag in his hand, and also spotting the jewelry box. “I got the rest of your things, he was trying to throw them out.” Jamie rolled his eyes, but you didn’t miss the small wince from his action, you stood up, making your way over to him, “Jamie.” You sighed, gasping softly when you saw a small cut on the top of his cheek. That was most definitely not there when he left. “I’m sorry.” You added, running your fingers just underneath the mark. “It’s fine, it’s nothing compared to what I’m used to.” He assured you, both of you staring at each other. “You can stay, as long as you need, I have some away games coming up, you could think of it as house sitting.” He eased your nerves, you didn’t want to impose, and he knew that. Even though you could never impose on him, but you didn’t know that.

***

That was two months ago, and you were still here, but it was different, the two of you had gotten closer than ever, but still nothing had happened, you could tell it was there, for both of you, but both of you were too scared to make a move. You skimmed over the comments on your instagram post, cringing at the level of people making snide comments about your looks, you were sandwiched in between Jamie and Tyler in the photo, the three of you with wide, slightly drunk smiles. It was a great night, you’d gotten close to a lot of Jamie’s friends, and their significant others, Jamie brought you along everywhere, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t like it, any time you got to spend with Jamie, made your heart skip a beat. Yet, all because of people you didn’t know, pointing out all the little things, just like your ex had done, it made you fall back into that self doubt. “Y/N, did you want to watch-oh shit, sorry.” Jamie spun on his heels, hand shooting to his eyes, you rushed to grab your pajamas, you were about to change but the comments made you stand in front of the mirror, nitpicking yourself. The way your stomach stuck out just a bit more than most, the way your thighs rubbed together, the slight roundess in your cheeks, it never used to bother you, but now it was all you could think about. “I’m dressed.” you whispered, smoothing the shirt over your body, shorts covered your hips. He turned back to face you, seeing the way you shifted uncomfortably, he didn’t say anything about it. “I was coming to ask if you wanted to watch a movie?” He spoke, rubbing the back of his neck, attempting to hide the way his face blushed as he looked at you. “Yeah, sure.” You whispered, walking past him, and towards the living room.

You were watching the screen but yet you were oblivious to what was happening, Jamie was chuckling every once in a while, forcing his mind to take in the movie. “Seriously, what is so interesting on your phone?” He sighed, not even bothering to pause the movie as he tried to peek at your phone, you locked it instantly. “Nothing.” You grumbled, shooting him a glare, that he definitely didn’t deserve. “It’s bothering you whatever it is, why don’t you talk to me.” He questioned, sliding closer to you, he watched you unlock your phone, handing it to him on your instagram comments. You sheepishly looked away, biting the tip of your thumb to distract yourself. Jamie sat forward, elbows resting on his knees as he read the comments.

Shouldn’t wear a crop top with a pudgy stomach

Trying a little too hard

She must be a good hookup if they’re hanging with her

Those being the most popular options. “Y/N-” “What? It’s true, I look terrible in that picture, I shouldn’t be spending so much time with you anyways, you need to be doing whatever you want, not lugging me around.” You ranted, eyes flickering between his and your phone, you took the phone back and hit a few buttons, deleting the picture as Jamie protested all your words. “Please don’t say that about yourself. Please don’t believe that. You’re so much more than that. You’re so… god, you’re so amazing.” He spoke so softly, you almost didn’t hear him. He moved to be kneeling before you, “what?” Your eyes went wide, looking him over, he placed his hands on your thighs, he closed his eyes for a moment, “you’re amazing, those people are just jealous.” He spoke a little louder, your lips curling up softly. “What?” You asked again, not believing him. “You’re serious?” You added, watching as he went wide eyed, “of course, I’m serious.” He answered instantly. “You deserve the world, and then some, I was so blind to never realize how much you meant to me until now. God, when I saw you outside my house, crying, that night, it killed me. The fact that anyone could make you feel that unloved, it’s so messed up.” He looked up at you with those eyes, those damn eyes that showed every emotion. “But I’m-” “What? There’s nothing about you that would make me want you any less.” He cut you off, you shook your head, playing with the necklace around your neck. “Jamie, I think this,” you motioned between him and you, “this is more serious for me than it is for you, I don’t think I can do this, I’m not the girl you see me as, I’m insecure, and broken, and I don’t know how to feel loved.” You whispered, letting your eyes shut as a tear slipped out, “I mean for god sakes, you just walked in on me shaming myself in a mirror, you don’t need to put up with that, it’s embarrassing.” You snapped, not daring to look at him as he stayed silent.

He reached up, gently using your chin to turn your face towards him. “It’s not putting up with that, it’s showing you how you should’ve been treated all along, you’re beautiful, and the fact that you don’t see it, is just mind blowing. I want to be here for you when you feel like that, I want to be the shoulder you cry on, I want to be the guy who’s showing you how to be loved.” He explained, moving closer as he spoke, “let me be that guy, please, Y/N. I love you.” He was all but touching your lips with his, you nodded, closing the gap. You were so utterly in love with the man in front of you for so long, that you didn’t even realize what you were missing out on. “I love you too, Jamie.” His grin showed throughout his whole face, his eyes lighting up as he stared at you. “We have to take it slow, please.” You mumbled, he agreed in an instant. “Whatever you need.” He pulled you in for another kiss before climbing back up onto the couch, except this time, you leaned against him, feeling your worries melt away. So this is what it’s like to be loved.

taglist: @softstarkey​ @mtkachuk​ @thathockeygirl​ @literarycharleton​ @wtfkie​

[dashingdcboys]

stupid thought but since wayne manor’s rooms are all so HUGE, I feel like the batfam would all end up using the same port for charging their phones despite alfred’s warnings.

“What do you mean the other electric port’s on the other side of the livingroom? I need it next to me - I’m waiting for a text from Babs and my phone’s on 5%!” Dick’s frustrated voice rung throughout the manor. 

Jason didn’t even look up from his phone as he sat comfortabley on the couch beside the electric port which his phone was plugged into, watching a fails compilation on YouTube from it. “Then quit wasting so much time on instagram during patrol, I’m doing important work here.” he claimed.

Dick narrowed his eyes at his younger brother, ready to throw hands as he spared a quick glance at the said ‘important work’, only to get distracted by Tim’s voice, who was sitting further along the couch. “You know using your phone while it’s charging damages the battery, right?”

The second middle-child was also on his phone, scrolling through reddit. It was one of the rare times he felt relaxed - lazily sprawled on the couch in one of Steph’s over-sized sweaters, superboy-themed-boxers and mismatched socks. He was having a good time, so imagine the shock that pulsed through him when his device vibrated, notifying him that he had a minute until the phone shut down from low battery. “Fuck.”

Jason’s grin couldn’t be wider, “So mr. ‘too good for chargers’, how’s the start of your new philosophy going?” The younger brother and scowled at Jason. “Well maybe my battery wouldn’t have died so fast if someone hadn’t used it to play games on it all night.” Tim argued, now re-directing his scowl to Damian.

“Wait, so was Tim really the only one actually paying attention to that stake-out on condiment king?” Dick asked, to which Jason arched a brow. “It’s condiment king, Dick, what do you expect?” The eldest couldn’t help but shrug in agreement.

“>tt<.” Damian’s unamused voice sounded from the floor where he lay on his stomach on the carpet beside Titus and Pennyworth the cat, playing games on his phone. “Don’t blame me for your incompetence, Drake, hasn’t father taught you prepare for anything in any given situation or was I the only one who actually listens to him?” the boy stated, sitting up as he held up a portable battery pack. The youngest turned it on, only to reveal that . .  the battery pack had no charge either.

Jason was the first to snort while Tim’s grin became more and more apparent. “Have a contingency plan for that, robin?” Tim teased.

“This deserves to be number one in this Fails Compilation - 2020.” Jason added, which earned him a small chuckle from Tim.

Dick noticed Damian’s rage level rising and he could have sworn he saw the boy beginning to actually vibrate in restraint from pulling out whatever weapon the kid keeps on his person and killing the other two. Since he doesn’t want Tim to suffer any longer, nor to deal with Jason’s bitching about getting stabbed (again), he did what any self-sacrificing, older brother would do and plugged out Jason’s phone from the port.

“Hey!” His retort soon came. “What the fuck dude, I don’t know what they taught you in the circus but it’s first come first served here!” 

“Technically, I was the first here, before all of you - it’s siblings hierachy. I get the port.” Dick claimed as he bent down to plug in his own phone.

“I mean . . “ Tim mumbled, “He has a point.” 

“No, there is a second option.” Damian announced in a tone sinister enough to get his brothers’ attention. “We plug out father’s phone charger.”

All three boys looked over to the second port above the one they were arguing over, from which Bruce’s phone was charging from with the mobile device left neglected on the coffee table.

“You’re insane.” Tim stated.

“I say we do it.” Jason insisted, “I mean, isn’t like B has the thing booby-trapped, right?” After receiving three disapproving glances, he then added, “Okay, good point, he definitely has the thing booby-trapped. But even then two of us would still have to fight it out.”

“So?” Damian queried.

“So, what?” Dick asked.

“What are the rules for the fight? No knives? Fists only? Can’t touch the floor - ?”

“We are not fighting over a charging port !” Dick exclaimed though his authority was unsurprisingly ignored.

“I say, teams of two. Winning team gets to comfortabley scroll through their phones while losing team has to keep themselves entertained by miserable day-time TV shows while their phones charge on the other side of the room.” Tim suggested.

“Tim.” 

“So you’re not scared of plugging out Bruce’s phone?” Jason questioned.

“Please, I learned how to remotely hack into that thing and turn off the electric-shock-inducer when I was fifteen. How do you think I was able to send those false tweets from his account on that dare you gave me a couple of months ago?”  

Damian cackled, “Calling out father’s habit of adopting strays on his own account was one of your rare moments of genius, Drake, I must admit.”

“The electric-what-now?” 

“Guys.” The oldest’s booming voice echoed throughout the room. It appeared that while his brothers were conversing, he had went out and brought Alfred. The old man was holding two connecting ports in his hands and looking over all of them with his usual indifferent yet judgemental gaze. 

“I see you have all resorted to violence for those brain-melting devices of yours.” He announced as he plugged in the connector and the four boys shamefully lined up to give him their chargers, one after the other. 

The butler sighed as he glanced down at the mess of plugs. “One more and it will be considered a fire hazard.”

In that moment, Cass walked in wearing her bat onesie, clearly ready to spend what was left of the evening relaxing in the living room with her brothers. Of course, Alfred couldn’t refute the unofficial-yet-official family favourite and heaved a sigh as he plugged in her phone charger beside the others’. 

The girl smiled in delight as she sat down on the ground beside Damian, listening to the abrupt conversations as Tim shared an occassional meme he found, Dick announced some friend he was texting said ‘hi’, Jason talked about some event on the news and Damian celebrated his new highscore in the brand-new cheese vikings app. And they immediately stopped what they were doing to listen to what she had to say about this make-up tutorial for sparkly purple eye-shadow she found on Stephanie’s instagram.

Alfred couldn’t help but smile, who would have thought they were at each others’ mere minutes ago?

[steamingramyun]

perfect ; xmh.

summary ➷

you’re getting ready for a date you don’t really want to go on. luckily, minghao, your college sweetheart, is always there to cheer you on. 

pairing ➷

xu minghao x fem reader feat. jeon wonwoo

genre ➷

oneshot, angst, fluff

just a little.... bit of sadness. 

word count ➷

3696 words

alternative universe ➷

non-idol au, college sweethearts.

warnings ➷

major character death, illusions, and memories due to grief.

author’s note ➷

i read something like this a while ago, about someone holding on to their ex’s memory and i decided to write it for minghao since anon wanted a sad!minghao fic.. this one rly hit me in the feels when i wrote it like i kid u not i was crying in my pants at 3am in the morning. anyway, i hope you enjoy. 

--

[7 november 2019; 1 year after]

“isn’t this like, too much? i don’t know maybe it’s too seductive or something, maybe i look like i’m trying too hard? do i?” you said nervously, turning to your side and pulling the hem of your dress down as you looked in the mirror. the light blue sundress came to just above your knee, exposing your legs. it had been an impulse buy on a shopping trip your friends had dragged you out on to “get some sun”. kind of ironic that you’d ended up with a sundress of all things. you’d paired the sleeveless dress with a pair of white tennis shoes, simple gold studs on your ears to match the gold anklet that curled around your right leg. 

“is it really too showy? it’s the first date anyway, maybe it’s too much right..” you bit your lip, letting out a deep breath and surveying your reflection. you turned towards the boy perched on your bed, who was looking up at you with a smile on your face. “well? is it?”

“you’re going out for lunch, right? you look perfect, baobei, like always,” he replied, almond-shaped eyes studying your outfit. “and you’re wearing the anklet i got you. definitely a winner.”

“i never take it off, hao-ah,” you touch the piece of jewelry gingerly, the charms smooth on your fingers. you stop at the infinity sign charm, sighing with a sad smile. 

[12 december 2017; 11 months before]

“it’s an infinity sign, i put it there because i wanted you to know that i’ll be by your side for an infinite number of days,” minghao said shyly, blushing as you looked at him from across the couch. “wow, is this xu minghao being cheesy? where’s my camera i need to record this,”

it had been a lazy night in for the two of you, but minghao had come home and surprised you with a beautiful gold anklet with all your favourite things on it. you loved it, of course, but your boyfriend really wasn’t one for cheesy gifts or anything cheesy for that matter. if you weren’t lying on the couch with your feet in his lap, you’d have pinched his cheeks for how cute he was being. 

“shut up, y/n,” he pouted, a deep red blush continuing to creep up his cheeks at your comment. you only grinned wider. “oh my gosh hao, you’re blushing, you cheesy hoe,”

instead of a pout this time, though, you got a mischievous grin from your boyfriend as he began tickling your feet. you yelped, giggling uncontrollably and jerking your feet away from him although it proved useless once he’d moved up and begun attacking your side and neck. you’d never laughed more in your life than you had that night. 

“still. you always look perfect,” he said in his usual calm, matter-of-fact tone, leaning back against the pillows, “well i mean unless you’re covered in purple cupcake frosting,”

his too-long bangs fell into his eyes as he burst into a new fit of laughter. you almost instinctively told him to shut up and get his bangs trimmed, but bit back as a smile formed on your face. his bangs were always too long, and you always loved seeing him smile. even if it was about an unfortunate event involving your niece’s school bake sale and the frosting that you’d made for the cupcakes. “we don’t talk about that. it was one time,”

“sure we don’t. but remember our first date? you showed up in a denim jacket even though it was like, boiling outside,” he teased, pushing his bangs out of his face and adjusting the blanket around his legs. “i could tell you were dying, your cheeks were flushed. but it was cute so i didn’t say anything,”

you wrinkled your nose at him, crossing your arms. “i only wanted to impress you! i was going on a date with a dance major, y’all are overly fashionable and put together for no good reason! i was pressured. but then of course you went and showed up in just a plain t-shirt and jeans and ended up looking like a mf GOD.”

you pouted at him through the mirror, watching him shake his head and pat the spot on the bed next to him. you plop down on it readily, letting out a big sigh. “i’m nervous, what if he hates me once we're on the date itself. like he’s cute but it’s kind of weird that we met at grief support group.. plus it's even weirder that we’re going to the theme park after lunch, right?”

for a few moments, minghao didn’t reply. the theme park was somewhere special for the two of you and had been a fortnightly affair back when you were in your second semester of college because of how close it was to your school. you hadn’t been there for nearly a year though since it had been too much of a hassle and too tiring to go for him after he'd gotten sick. “i think you should just go and have fun, babe,”

“but hao - he’s not you-”

“don’t say that,” minghao interrupted, his tone going serious as he looked at you with piercing eyes. minghao always had a sort of finality and sureness about what he said, and you met his gaze nervously before he continued. “you’re beautiful. you were perfect for me and if this guy doesn’t see you the way i did then i think he’s an idiot. so stop second-guessing yourself and just have fun.”

“but-“ you hesitate for a moment, but his eyes don’t leave yours and you end up giving in to him, sighing in defeat. “fine, okay,”

you get off the bed and go into the bathroom, finishing up your makeup and instinctively brushing pale red eyeshadow onto your eyelids, it'd always been minghao's favourite colour on you. 

finishing your hair in a ponytail, you walk out with a wide grin on your face but look down only to see your ex-boyfriend asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. your smile fell a little as you watched him, memories of the past you both had shared still fresh in your head. 

you were still undeniably in love with him, sith the way his slightly-too-long hair fell in his face in the mornings when you both woke up, with the way his eyes crinkled up and disappeared when he smiled too wide, with how he'd always spend too much time choosing an outfit in the mornings for dance practice and asking you if it was dancer-y enough, with his intense passion for everything he did and loved. you loved how the two of you used to go on spontaneous dates, to the beach near your campus at 2 in the morning or to the convenience store when you were craving ramen and ice cream. you loved how easy, how effortless being in love with minghao had been, even when it had gotten tough on the two of you in the last months when his situation had taken a toll on the both of you. all you wanted was him, everything about him, and it was all you'd have ever needed in life. but clearly that wasn't the way the universe willed it to be for you. 

if you were being honest, you didn't even know why you were going on this date. but everyone was forcing it on you, they'd been forcing it on you for over a month. your friends sent you tinder profiles and screenshots of eligible classmates' instagram accounts. they all felt it was time for you to find someone new- it had been almost a year, after all. but you'd been asked out by wonwoo two days ago at the support group, and the two of you had actually been getting along quite well. as an added bonus, he was an economics major at your school so the two of you had been getting quite close over the past few weeks, spending time studying together and eating lunch together in between classes. but somehow.. you still felt hesitant. 

"hao! i'm ready," you call, waking minghao from his short nap. "and i'm twenty minutes early."

he blinked at you tiredly, smiling at how pretty you looked before shooting you a mischievous grin. "you always were too early," 

his light teasing made you want to push him as he mischievously pulled the blankets all the way up until only his eyes and the top of his head were exposed, eyes crinkling at the corners as he giggled once more. you went for it but then hesitated, watching him as he calmed down and pushed the blankets down again.

“hao…” you said softly, looking down at him.

he opened one cat-like eye at you, intrigued and attentive. “yes, baobei?”

“i think- i think i still love you,” you admitted shamefully, tears filling your eyes and trickling down your cheek as you clasped your hands tightly, knuckles turning white from the force, "and i don't know if i'm ready to let go of you just yet."

shaking his head, he sat up before meeting your eyes and smiling sadly at you with an odd sort of familiar fondness. "i love you too, Y/N, i always will. but don’t cry for me anymore, okay? you can move on too, i want you to be happy. don't cry for me anymore.”

you don't know what to say, silently staring into space but eventually turning back into the bathroom to fix your make-up. you finished it, walking back out only to be greeted by minghao's proud smile. "you look beautiful. like always," 

even if you had no make-up on, or were wearing the world's most horrifying pair of patterned pants, minghao always thought you were beautiful. and he always told you so, no matter what.

[20 september 2018; 3 months before.]

you'd been working on your essay for the past hour or so, sitting in the padded chair next to minghao's bed as you waited for him to wake up. you were halfway through your third point when you'd heard the sheets shift next to you. 

"y/n.. you're still here? you have class tomorrow, baobei, go back to your dorm and get some real sleep, please, the visitor's chairs are very uncomfortable," he said tiredly, eyes half open and hand squeezing yours gently. you tried not to show how worried you were about how cold his hand felt in yours. 

"i- it's okay, at least here i can look like a mess without the nurses judging me, right? if i go back to school i'll have to do my makeup to look decent," you said quickly, not wanting to leave his side yet. you did look like a mess, your hair in a bun, still wearing your clothes from the dance practice you'd run from and lipstick cracking because of the dry hospital air. it probably wouldve been a good idea to go home, but you couldnt bring yourself to do it. you watched as he frowned slightly, obviously not wanting you to waste your time or cause you to lose precious sleep and rest by making you stay with him. 

"you still look beautiful, baobei, you'll always look beautiful to me. but you'll be more grateful if you go back and get some real sleep okay? i'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he joked, gesturing to himself and the iv needle poking out from his elbow. "so go back, get some rest, and come here even more beautiful for me,"

and so you'd gone home that day, but returned every day after you classes. minghao'd stopped going to his two months before.

you smiled at him as confidently as you could, tightening your ponytail and grabbing your handbag. "i guess i'm ready, huh?" 

minghao nodded in affirmation at you, pulling back the covers to reveal the black cotton dance pants he always wore to practice but had also taken to wearing to bed because they were so comfortable. he slipped his feet into the slippers you still kept around for him under your bed, standing up and going out of your room and to the downstairs part of your apartment. 

you quickly followed his figure down, butterflies of anxiety filling your stomach and chest. when you got downstairs, minghao was on the couch, bottom half covered with one of your many extra blankets and a book in his hand, reading intently like you'd always see him when you got back from school.

[15 october 2018; 50 days before.]

"good evening, baby," you called to your boyfriend who was in his usual spot on the couch, a cup of tea on the table and a book in his hand. he looked exhausted, skin slightly pale and cold, a stark contrast from the healthy glow you remembered from months ago. "how do you feel?" 

"tired," he said softly, leaning into your neck as you came to sit with him, "and a little sick, but better now that you're back here," 

you felt bad, ever since minghao had started treatments you'd always tried to be back early so you could go with him. but that particular day you had a dance class to teach at night and couldn't make it, so your friend jun had offered to go with minghao instead. you felt guilty because you knew how sick treatments made minghao feel, but you also knew he was far too stubborn to let the bad feelings show if it meant compromising your own routine and activities. that night the two of you had just cuddled on the couch, falling asleep together to harry potter and the goblet of fire playing in the background. 

"babe? i'm still nervous. i can't shake it," you approached, sitting down on the other couch and lacing up your shoes. this time he really didn't reply at all, only shaking his head and looking up at you meaningfully. you know what he would've said, he'd told you everything earlier. 

"i'll come visit you later, okay?" you promised, standing up and slipping your wallet and phone into your handbag. he waved you off, "no need, i'll be fine."

you sighed. he'd always been the one to pay you visits when you needed them the most, though. 

[6 april 2018; 8 months before.]

you ran your hand through your hair again, gently massaging your scalp in attempt to relieve the gnawing headache that had been plaguing you for the past two hours. finals season was absolutely brutal, and you couldn't tell how long you'd been studying but you were far from sanity and could barely digest any more information. 

a knock on your door pulled you from your desk, and you nearly melted with relief when you saw a smiling minghao holding a takeaway tupperware of noodles and a box of fruits for you. "i heard someone was being killed by the exam monster," 

he'd calmed you down that night, making sure you finished all your food and rubbing your shoulders with traditional medicated oils to relieve the tension in your head and neck. the next day, you'd done the exam with a clear head and passed with flying colours. 

you couldn't do the same for minghao now, but the least you could do was pay him a visit like you knew he would have done for you. even if it was after a date. 

putting his book down, he gave you the same stern look as he had earlier. "baobei, you know you can let me go right? you don't have to keep holding on like this. you're strong, i know you can. maybe you'll be happier when you do,"

"no. i don't want to," you retorted quickly, snapping a little. he did nothing but sigh in response. "then i guess you're going to be late for your date,"

you looked over to the clock and nodded, slinging your handbag over your shoulder and looking at him expectantly. "well? you're coming too, right?" 

he sighed again, but rose from the couch anyway and slipped on his pair of dance shoes you kept in the shoe cabinet next to the door. you walked out of your apartment together, taking the elevator down and walking out onto the almost-empty street of your campus- it was the new year season and everyone had gone home to their families, but you were a foreign student and wonwoo lived too far away from campus to go home. 

"i hope wonwoo's nice.. from what interaction we've had he seems pretty chill," you chimed, trying to break the tension that was growing between minghao and you. 

"i think he'll be great," minghao replied quickly, "and i'm sure the two of you will make a great couple, i know he'll make you happy," 

you pulled a smile onto your face, but it was far from genuine. minghao could tell. of course he could tell, he'd been with you for years. but as much as he knew you didn't want to be on this date, he knew it'd be good for you to try some chance at love again. 

the two of you finally arrived in front of the small café you'd agreed to meet wonwoo at, but instead of going in you stopped at the entrance hesitantly. "hao? i can't go, i just can't."

"y/n, this is for the best okay? you like wonwoo, from what you said i know he likes you too," minghao sighed, "this is why i shouldn't have come, how many times do i have to tell you to let go?" 

"i know, but i just-" you say desperately, but you don't know what to say anymore. you know he's right, you know everyone is right by telling you to move on. 

"i can't keep being here for you, baobei,"

"i love you minghao,"

silence. another deep sigh. 

"i know you do," 

a pause. silence. more tension. and then, finally, "y/n, i need to go,"

you panicked immediately, head shooting up in shock as you begged him to stay. "what? no, no no no, minghao you can't go anywhere, you have to stay here with me, you have to stay with me," 

you reached for his wrist but he was too fast for you, pulling away before your fingers could touch his skin.

"minghao you can't leave me, please,"

"i have to go,"

"you can't, i need you!" 

but he didn't reply. there were tears in your eyes, tears that were hot with anger and pain and grief and guilt all at the same time. tears threatening to spill down your cheeks, but he didn't reply even then, only walking further away from you. 

"minghao, please. minghao you cant leave me again!" you said helplessly, your voice raised, drawing attention to yourself. you felt the concerned gazes of passers-by on you as you panickedly looked around for minghao's tall figure, but he was nowhere to be seen. he was gone. 

"hao, i can't do this without you," you whispered helplessly to the air. "i need you to be in my infinity," 

"you can. you can and you will. you're everything anyone could ever want,, y/n you're perfect," you hear minghao's soft voice echo in your head. you freeze, letting a single tear fall and trickle down your cheek. "you're perfect no matter what," 

you shook your head again, denying it. "i can't let you go, i can't,"

but then you could've sworn you felt his hand in yours, warm and full of life again. the same hand you'd held through thick and thin that had grown colder and paler but was now back to the state it had been in when you'd first met. the hand that had kept you strong for years. 

"you can. and you will be happy for years and years to come and then we will meet again. i promise," you rubbed the tear from your cheek, listening to his voice for the last time in your head. you knew he was right, you knew he was right just like all of your friends. you'd spent months avoiding people because you'd thought that you had all you needed at home, that the memory of a love you'd lost was always going to be enough for you. but he was gone, he'd become a star in your night sky and it finally became real to you that he wasn't there anymore, and it was high time that you move forward with your life. 

you could see his smile in your head, the smile you'd woken up to on countless mornings and fallen asleep to on countless nights. you thought you'd be lost without him, to guide you, relying on a memory to get you through the pain. but as you looked through the window of the café and saw wonwoo smiling at you, sitting at a table for two with two cups of iced coffee in front of him, you knew it was okay. 

minghao wasn't here anymore. but it was okay. 

"i'll see you soon, hao-hao," you whispered with finality as you walked into the café and waved at wonwoo. xu minghao had been the best thing that had ever happened to you. and you knew it would take a while, but for him, you had to try to learn to be happy with someone else. 

so you take your seat from across wonwoo, and smile brightly at him. "hey, wonwoo, sorry to keep you waiting so long,"

"no, it's fine, i heard from soonyoung that today's actually a difficult day for you,, not a very first date question but it's your ex-boyfriend's birthday isn't it? the one you come to support group for,"

"it is, but i figured he'd want me to have fun today instead of wasting it alone at home feeling sad," you pause for a second, "he passed away a year ago, actually. he, um, got sick when we were in our junior year of college together," 

wonwoo smiled and nodded at you, listening to what you had to say. "i'm glad you decided to finally take a chance, y/n," 

"yeah," you smiled back, sipping on your coffee with newfound lightness on your shoulders. "yeah, me too, wonwoo,"

[tobesobri]

here is a little snippet from kindergarten!teacher harry (and the mc is his like teacher’s aide for some context) 👍👍

it is highly unedited so just bear in mind it’s still a rough draft

“I hate Mondays,” he sighed as he plopped himself down on the couch Nellie had been sleeping on earlier, noticing how it smelled like her perfume when he hugged the pillow she’d been using to his chest as an armrest while he flipped through his phone.

She giggled at him, but didn’t say anything in response mainly because she figured he was just thinking out loud and, to be honest, she had so much more cutting to get through still.

“The drill is at ten-thirty,” he announced after having scrolled through the e-mail.

“How long is it going to be?”

“At least like fifteen minutes since it’s a disaster drill. I hate those.”

“Mm,” the tiniest of breaks she took to glance over at him turned into a full-blown staring at him for an entire minute. She couldn’t help herself though, the way he tapped his foot and how his arms looked wrapped around the pillow. And when her mind really got lost, she was staring at his thighs as he had his legs spread while he sat.

She would have kept staring too, if he hadn’t flickered his eyes to her from over his phone. So, instead of continuing down a dangerous path in her mind, she shamefully went back to her job while trying to pretend she didn’t see the smirk on his lips for catching her staring at him like that.

“So are you doing anything Thursday?” He asked casually, but he had other intentions laced through his words.

“Thursday?” She seemed to have no idea what was going on later in the week and, although it made him giggle, it also made him a little relieved that she had nothing monumental going on that she’d never be able to forget about.

“Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh, uh,” she paused to think about it and then, to his surprise, she laughed. “Will from next door asked me to go to dinner but… I don’t really do that stuff.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged though she was sure he was busy staring at his phone as it became something he took full advantage of during his breaks. “Kinda boring.”

He looked at her then and she knew it. And finding him staring at her the way he was just about made her explode. He was stifling a smile with a very suggestive look in his eyes. “So you don’t ever go on dates because they’re boring?”

She laughed, realizing what sort of impression she was giving him of herself. Of someone who didn’t bother wasting time. “No, but I don’t really do anything with anybody. It’s pretty much just me… and my dogs.”

“Hm. Doesn’t it get lonely?”

“I mean… my dogs are really good company.”

“I guess.” Chuckling, he tried not to ask more probing questions, even if he couldn’t quite understand why she was single and chose to be alone. He’d gotten to know her quite well and she was extremely caring and thoughtful and kind. Anyone would fall in love with her.

“What about you? Are you still seeing um… Jennifer?”

“Jessica,” he corrected with a growing frown on his face, “And no. Suppose I didn’t ever tell you… but she cheated on me and it ended pretty badly so…” he shrugged and tried not to go back to it mentally while she gave him a clearly sympathetic look, “but I’m not doing anything either. Might see if Will still needs a date, though.”

They both laughed, hard. The kind of laughs that made their faces hurt. “Well, if that doesn’t work out, I’m sure my dogs would love to see you again.”

As simple of an invitation it was, it still made his heart flutter and it made his stomach turn at the thought of them hanging out. “I’d love to see them again, too. I see them on your Instagram, they’re getting so big.”

“They are big. They’re almost two years old now.” He got lost in the memories of when they used to hang out a lot and the dogs were still puppies that loved to jump all over him and force him into playing with them even though he wanted to spend most of his time with Nellie and not her insane dogs.

He sighed heavily when he got a glimpse of the time. “Damn. I swear recess was a lot longer when we were in school.”

“Right? I’ve been thinking that too.”

Nellie fell into the chair beside Harry after her third time getting up to deal with the kids who just couldn’t sit still. “If he continues, just have him sit over here by himself.” Harry suggested once she was finally back by his side, hiding from the sun behind his dark sunglasses.

“Don’t know why he’s being a brat.”

Harry shrugged with his arms crossed, looking over at Jason who was clearly in the beginning stages of some sort of tantrum, “He needs no reason.”

Laughing, she checked the screen of her phone for the time. They’d been out on the field with the kids for nearly twenty minutes, with no end in sight yet. Then, from her phone, her eyes fell on the group of girls who were all giggling and looking at her and Harry very suspiciously. There was no doubt in her mind that they were up to something, but she paid no mind to it because the group were all really good students that never gave either of them any problems.

Until one of them ran up to her with a folded piece of paper in the shape of a makeshift greeting card made out of pink lined paper she knew to be from Isabella’s notebook. “Is this for me?”

Isabella glanced at Harry, then back at Nellie. “Yes.”

Nellie flipped it around and found her name on the front in Jasmine’s neat handwriting with red crayon hearts surrounding it. Harry watched over her shoulder curiously but tried not to make it so obvious that he was.

“Did you make this?” Nellie already knew the answer, but she entertained the little girl anyways.

“Me and Jas. Read the inside.” Bella eagerly and impatiently reached over to get Nellie to open the card already. And Nellie was smiling until she did finally read it.

There was a big heart in the middle of the page that said “Mrs. N + Mr. Styles” like one of those cheesy tree carvings. She fought hard but the corners of her mouth turned into a shy smile as her cheeks blushed and she glanced quickly over at Harry from the corner of her eyes just to make sure he hadn’t seen anything. Though, she was sure she’d show him anyways.

But, when he shuffled away from her and cleared his throat, she knew he already knew. Landing her eyes back on Bella, she closed the card and smiled, “Well, thank you, it’s really pretty. I like all the hearts.”

The little girl bounced on her feet all the way back to her seat beside her best friend, with Nellie watching and shaking her head at the imagination of little girls.

When she opened the card again, it was between her and Harry and he easily looked over at her the second she bumped her hand against his arm. He lifted his sunglasses from his nose to read the inside of the card before shaking his own head with a similar smile on his face and red, dimpled cheeks she just attributed to the sun.

“They’re crazy.”

“Right?” She agreed, closing the card again and setting it in her lap, not entirely sure what she’d do with it but she never threw away anything the kids made for her. And even if she did, some small piece of her desperately wanted to hold onto this one.

“Mrs. N.” He emphasized with a light chuckle. “I correct them all the time too and they don’t listen.”

She was glad he decided to focus on that instead of the actual content. It made all the potential awkwardness just vanish. “It’s okay. They’re just confused.”

“It is kinda weird that women change their names and their titles when they get married and men don’t.” She rolled her eyes at Harry’s typical ramblings about the tiniest of issues involving gender inequalities. She loved him for it, but he was known to go on and on for a while.

“Just start calling yourself Mrs. Styles then. Problem solved.”

He giggled and smacked his hand to his face, “Now that would confuse them.” He slid his hand down his face until his fingers reached his lips and he kept them there, covering over his mouth the way he did so often she’d grown just a little bit obsessed with.

“They’ll get used to it.”

And after a momentary pause in the conversation, “Do you ever want to be a Mrs. N?”

[noir-blackout]

Soft Bias Challenge

Admin Inky here! @yunsungsredhoodie said in the tags that others should do this so, here ya go~ (Onyx I'm excited for you to do this)

1. Who's your bias?

신승훈

2.  What made you notice them?

I mean, he's one of the four members in my personal acceptable age range (not that that's always contained me before...), so I guess he was a little bit on my radar from the start, but I was all enamoured with Yunsung and then... Sunghoon was just there. In my face. In my brain.

In particular, in the instagram video of them goofing around/practicing Beautiful when it pans over to him I remember thinking something along the lines of "wow, I'm ruined.", though less coherent than that.

Also, in the gifset of them being cute where there's the "Bonus" at the end of him being embarrassed. Those two things flipped the already-teetering Inky off the fine-with-Seunghoon cliff.

3. What’s your favourite thing about them?  

He has this casual power to him. He radiates it. He's confident, but not in an arrogant/cocky way. Not obnoxiously. He knows himself and what he's capable of and wears it proudly, but he's still humble.

He's a good leader and takes it seriously, but he doesn't take himself too seriously.

He just feels stable. He feels reliable.

(Bet you all expected it to be his tongue...)

4. Who would initiate skinship more?

Probably him - he's actually very skinshippy, which I love. He's so soft and gentle when it comes to skinship.

5. Who would hog all the blankets?

Me. Without a doubt. He can solve this by being near me and keeping me warm~

6. Who would be more clingy?

Emotionally, or? Emotionally I'm not very clingy, but if you're trying to leave the house and I don't want you to then I can be clingy. I feel like we would be similar? Neither of us very clingy.

7. Who would say ‘I love you’ first?

I have no qualms about saying it first, but TECHNICALLY he's already told me he loves me. Through vlive. Soooo.

I'm sure he didn't mean everyone watching.

8. Who would get more flustered?

That would be me. He's dealing with fans telling him sweet things all the time, and I'm sure that doesn't make him find those things less sweet, but it probably means he's adjusted and isn't flustered all the time.

I, on the other hand, felt my heart drop out of my body when he smiled and waved at me. I flustered myself/was flustered by his stupid incredible smile when I told him he was handsome.

9. What cuddling position would you two have?

Him sitting reclined on the couch or in bed. Me sort of half-beside half-on-top of him with my head tilted back against his chest and his arms wrapped around me. He can lean forward gently and kiss my head, if he feels so inclined.

10.  What colours remind you of them and why?

Yellow because of the instagram video where the GIFs above are from where he's wearing the yellow shirt with the sleeves rolled up because I've watched that video more than probably anything else... Also, there's something else where he's wearing yellow that I'm going to share soon... (호랑이~)

The dark blue/black of his hair.

The deep red of his stupid velour tracksuit. I hate how much I find it endearing ugh.

11. What season would you like to spend with them?

Fall because have you seen him in the turtlenecks and long coats? And he can also wear hoodies because Seunghoon in a black hoodie (+ a baseball cap) looks like such a boyfriend it makes my heart ache.

I hate winter but I just imagined him brushing the snow out of his hair and then smiling why did I do that no.

12. Who would bake the cookie and who would steal the batter?

I feel like we're both batter stealers and Minhyuk would come back to the kitchen not-even-surprised to find he can now only make 50% of the anticipated cookies...

13. Who would make bad puns and how would the other react?

Despite him being a grandpa, I feel like I would be the one making the puns.

He'd react with this look...

... and then by walking over, wrapping his arms around my shoulders in a hug, and murmuring "You're so lame" against my hair.

14. Who would want to adopt 50 dogs and cats?

I would want to adopt 50 cats because yes please thank you. He would tell me I could only choose one cat. We would compromise and go home with two cats so they could have each other as friends.

15.  Which one of you would nearly burn down the kitchen trying to microwave a pop tart and who would come to rescue?

I wouldn't because YOU DON'T MICROWAVE POPTARTS?? You toast them in a toaster...

Moving beyond this, I'm not actually sure cause I feel like he's been taking care of himself for a long time so he should be able to use a kitchen at a basic level, but then I realize I have also been "taking care of myself" *shamefully thinks about the recycling bin full of pizza boxes I put out yesterday* for a long time, and I'm not so kitchen-adept, so...

16. Who likes to lean over trail railings and who pulls them back?

I would probably lean over and Seunghoon would either pull me back or (preferably) stand behind me with his arms around my waist to keep me from leaning too far.

17. What would watching a horror film with them be like?

My face would be in his chest the entire time. Occasionally he'd gently scratch my head and ask "Want a dorito?" and I would nod, pull back slightly and allow myself to be fed a dorito. When something scary/startling happened on screen he would jolt slightly and I would chuckle into his chest and he would feign outrage at my laughing at him cause I'm not even watching the movie.

Okay:

a) writing this killed me I am dead now.

b) I want to write this as a drabble but I basically just wrote it... I could expand it?

18.  Who would be the cheesy flirt and who would be the smooth flirt?

Onyx said he was flirting with me at Simply Kpop and he seemed pretty smooth then so

I am a ball of cheese.

19.  Who is more competitive?

He wasn't the most competitive in Action Noir, so it might be me.

20. Who would be given constant reminders?  (Don’t forget your keys, things like that)

Me because I need them. And because he would give them. And this fact makes me feel very warm inside. He would take care of me. Writing that sentence made my heart melty.

21.  Who sends memes and who sends cute ‘I miss you’ texts at 3am?

I would send memes and he would send cute 'I miss you' texts at 3am...

[teuvoterafinen]

Not the Same - Part 1

Author’s Note: Alright, guys. I’ve never written hockey stuff before, but I’ve been wanting to for a while. This is going to be a multi-part, probably slow burn piece and I’m still not sure who I want the love interest to be, but Auston is definitely going to be the best friend. It’s also completely self indulgent, so tolerate me. Inspired by my crushed dreams of William playing Center next season and the possibility of Elias Lindholm getting traded in the near future.

If you want me to write anything, just shoot me an ask!

Word Count: 2212

Warnings: I curse like a sailor, drinking, references to lady balls???

April was never meant to be this cold, you thought, fumbling for your keys outside of your basement apartment. It was the only thing you could afford, having moved up to Toronto on just more than a whim. Four months ago, you were a college student in Raleigh, North Carolina and now it was 3am and you had just gotten back from your second bartending job, completely exhausted from your nearly sixteen-hour day. The key stuck in the lock and your fingers were quickly going numb, but the door eventually swung open. 

It was a decent space for what you were paying for it, just a kitchen, bathroom and an open living area. Most of your books were still in boxes against the wall and a wooden futon was serving as a bed and a couch, much to the dismay of your back. It had been hours, apart from the car ride, since you had sat down, so within seconds, both of your Dr. Martens were off and you’d laid yourself out, face down against the blanket. You probably would have fallen asleep in your work clothes if it weren’t for the abrupt chorus of a Swedish rap song screaming from your phone. You groaned as you flopped over to silence it, contemplating whether answering was a good idea, knowing exactly who it was.

On the forth ring, you decided that he would probably end up calling back if you didn’t answer.

“What the fuck, Lindy? It’s nearly four in the morning.” You garbled out the teasingly angry statement at your favorite Swede, who you’d become close friends with while you lived in Raleigh. Elias Lindholm had kept in touch with you after you’d moved to Toronto when very few of your other friends had reached out. It was less lonely now, but sometimes you still needed the familiar voice.

“Y/N, I need your help. I told a friend of mine that I had a friend, who lives in Toronto that needs a new place and I was drunk and I didn’t ask you first, but he’s looking for a roomie, so what do you think?”

“Woah, slow down. How?”

“Alcohol and golf? And Instagram?”

“Okay, yeah, makes sense,” you shrugged, knowing that that was pretty much all he’d been doing for the past week. It was really a shame that the Canes didn’t get to the playoffs this year, but you were jealous of how much free time your friend had. What you wouldn’t give to be playing golf and going to concerts. Work was always first now that you had to support yourself.

“Just hear me out, the house is apparently really nice and you wouldn’t have to deal with him or his other roommates too often. They just want someone else to be at the house so they can get a dog.” He really did know how to get you to listen. Having a backyard for a potential dog was always at the top of your list of domestic goals. Unfortunately, it was unlikely that you would be able to afford that without roommates.

“Alright, I’ll check it out. Who is it anyway?” you questioned. Suddenly you were skeptical of who he was about to set you up with. You got along well with most of the Canes, but they were generally pretty mellow. As much as you loved being social, wild parties weren’t exactly your scene and some of Elias’s friends were more than a little wild.

There was a pause on the other side of the phone and you heard him shout in Swedish, presumably to one of his teammates. He was speaking too fast for you to even think about keeping up, so you drifted back onto your pillow, letting him finish. “Tell the boys I say hi,” you mentioned after a brief pause. “And tell Victor he still owes me a hundred dollars. I could use the money about now.” They were on speaker at this point and you could tell it was Rask in the background. He’d had the nerve to bet you couldn’t make one save against him. You obviously weren’t going to let that slide and you managed a perfect glove save on the first shot.

“Rasky says he’ll pay your first month’s rent if you can put up with Willy for that long,” Lindy laughed, but his statement had caused you to jolt up.

“No, there is no fucking way. I’m not living with William Nylander.” There was a bit of motion on the other end, and some muffled cursing. You had met him a couple times. Last time he spilled his beer on you while incredibly drunk at a party, looked down at your then see through shirt and said “Boobs!” before turning and walking away. You laughed about it later with the guys, but Willy was not someone that you desired to spend an extended amount of time with.

“Y/N, hey,” Rask slurred, having taken the phone from the other man. “I told him you wouldn’t do it. I knew you didn’t have the balls.” You sighed, attempting to keep your cool, you tried hard not to give him the rise that he expected out of you.

“I think you have the lady balls!” Shouted an incredibly intoxicated Jeff Skinner and the rest of the group erupted into hysterical giggles. After a good minute, they seemed to calm down and Elias managed to get the phone back.

“I’m sorry, I already gave him your number,” Elias admitted. You were more than a little pissed, but it wasn’t like he was actually going to call. “I also gave him your address and told him that you didn’t work tomorrow, so he should stop by. He seemed really excited to meet you again.” There was definitely a hint of remorse in his voice, but the fact that your only day to sleep in might have been hijacked…You couldn’t help but be angry.

“It’s my one day off,” you practically whined, “I don’t want to have to deal with goldilocks. Does he even remember last time? Or did you just tell him that we met before?”

“I might have had to remind him.”

“I sent him that video of you in a bikini catching a beer and shotgunning it out of your goalie glove,” Victor added.

“I can’t fucking believe you two.”

An unfamiliar ring tone broke you from what seemed like a brief nap and you rejected the call immediately. Nothing was going to get you out of bed before at least midafternoon; the only obvious reaction was to roll over and go back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later the phone rang again. Looking at your phone, this time you were conscious enough to check the time: 2 o’clock in the afternoon. You groaned and answered the probable telemarketer, the events of last night far from your mind.

“Hi, is this Y/N?” A man questioned, shaking you from sleep.

“Yeah, who is this,” your voice cracked.

“It’s William, Elias Lindholm’s friend. I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” Your early morning conversation was slowly coming back to you and as reluctant as you were to talk to the Leaf this soon after waking up, you found it very difficult to be rude most of the time.

Clearing your voice quickly away from your phone, you responded with fake alertness, “No, I was actually just about to make lunch. What’s up?”

“Really? That’s perfect. We were just in the neighborhood and were wondering if we could stop by.” You scrambled to your feet at the realization that you might soon be having company, rushing to grab a change of clothes and a ball cap from the dresser. There was a pair of black ripped jeans on the dresser that you always thought looked good on you. Check. Finding a clean shirt was more of a challenge. 

“Uh, sure, I don’t see why not,” you mumbled trying to pull the fly on your pants while holding the phone to your ear. There you were, pulling on skinny jeans while on the phone, trying to make it sound like you weren’t hopping around on one leg in attempt to get the waistband over your too big ass. It crossed your mind briefly how the wealthy athlete just happening to be in your neighborhood of all places was a bit of a stretch. “I’m not super prepared for company. . . Are you guys close by?” There were a couple long seconds of silence on the other end of the line before he responded again.

“Well, we’re actually already at your place. We’ve kind of been driving around the block waiting for you to pick up.” Of course. The Toronto Maple Leafs were on your doorstep and you couldn’t find a shirt. You quickly grabbed an old band tee from the top of your laundry basket that you didn’t think you wore to work, shamefully did a sniff test and pulled it over your head.

The fact that the blonde’s statement didn’t actually come as a surprise was a testament to the amount of time you had spent around professional hockey players. None of them seemed to know the concept of making plans, they all just assumed they could show up to your apartment, eat your leftovers and watch shitty shows on your Netflix account. You would always forgive them when they asked if you’d make dinner, like a bunch of huge, rowdy kids coming in from a game of road hockey. Laughing lightly, you pulled your well-worn Blue Jays hat on over your mess of bed head and went to the kitchen to start on the lunch that you had lied about.

“Sorry…You can park on the side of the road right in front of the apartment. I’m down the stairs.”

“Awesome! We’ll be down in a minute,” he chimed before hanging up. He honestly didn’t seem so bad, now that you’d spoken to him while you were both sober. Maybe living with him would have more pluses than minuses. And Victor would pay the bill for the first month. You wouldn’t have to deal with your ceiling leaking during storms and the constant smell of old cigarette smoke that had soaked in to the cheap carpeting. You might even be able to start saving for a car. Not that you didn’t love your ‘98 Camry to bits, but she was coming up on a much-deserved retirement.

The clamor of muffled voices could be heard all the way in your kitchen through the thin front door and suddenly you were a bit nervous. You were already walking over when they knocked, unlocking the deadbolt and the main lock before pausing for a second. Nylander was one thing, but it hadn’t crossed your mind who else might be on the other side of the door. I look like a slob. I should have washed my face again, there’s probably make up under my eyes. Do I even understand the concept of looking cute anymore??? Biting the bullet, you swung the door wide to reveal Willy, Kasperi Kapanen, and, the nail in your coffin, Auston Matthews. You thanked your lucky stars that they hadn’t shown up to your door in suits, your neighbors were bound to talk about three of Toronto’s golden boys showing up on your doorstep, let alone wearing designer brands.

“Hey, Willy,” you smiled, forcing yourself to push back the sudden panic that had taken you by surprise. The three made their way through the doorway and you awkwardly reached out your hand to introduce yourself to the two that you had yet to meet. Kapanen accepted it graciously, Matthews was standing further back, closing the door behind them. “I’m Y/N…” It wasn’t exactly easy to say how you knew William, so you just avoided that part. “I’m sorry about the mess, I wasn’t really expecting to do anything today.” The blond had already gone over to sit on your futon/bed and was about to put his feet up on the coffee table when you cast a look in his direction that had a clear message attached.

“I’m Kappy,” the Finnish man introduced himself, laughing at your silent reprimand of his friend.

“Auston.” The American nodded from a distance and didn’t reach out to shake your hand. He instead took the time to look at you like everything about you confused him. The rumors of his ‘too cool’ attitude were all too true it seemed. Tall and handsome in his ripped skinny jeans that did nothing to hide his impressive physique. He leaned against the door like he owned the place, like his shitty band shirt was somehow cooler than your shitty band shirt. He oozed competitiveness and you felt yourself drowning in it. You didn’t know what game you were playing, but you couldn’t let him win. The room was tense as you sweated through your internal monologue, interrupted only by a sly smirk slipping onto Auston’s face as he reached up to pull the Jays hat off his head.

“So did you guys call each other to plan your outfits? I would say I feel left out, but I don’t think I could twin that perfectly if I tried.”

[m0onbean]

strangers to lovers!AU with moonbin

genre: floOf!! strangers to lovers!AU

warnings: orchestra jokes

note: this literally happened to my sister except she didn’t get with him LMAO (and she’s in band but i’m in orchestra so i’m gonna make this AU about orchestra okay suck it candace)

in your school, orchestra is very competitive like... instead of sports being the “big” thing in typical high schools... at your town it was playing string instruments

so of course, everybody who was skilled at playing their string instrument was already deemed cool

you’re.. already at step 1... there’s just ONE problem

you’re last chair of the cellos

(note: in orchestras, the players are sorted in their seating chart by their skill. first chair is the chair closest to the conductor, so they’re the best out of their section. if you’re last chair... well.. you’re the least skilled LMAO)

bUT HEY!!!! you weren’t to blame !!!!

you first started to learn how to play the cello only a month ago

despite your private cello tutor’s efforts to spice you up it just didn’t work much. cellos are hard to play Ok

and even though it is a little embarrassing you can’t find yourself to care bc in the end you’re only doing this for your VPA credit LMFAO + your good friend MJ is also last chair in his viola section so the two of you were the Dynamic Duo. “the strings kings” as he calls it

“MJ never call us that again” “dang Y/N don’t get your bow so tightened” “MJ i swear to god-“

alrighty so your school is having a competition so your entire orchestra has to take a field trip to a fancy concert hall to perform

and so everyone in your orchestra is all panicking and tuning their strings cuz the bus is arriving soon

and when you’re done packing your cello, you look around to try and find MJ and that’s when you find a familiar(?) back and you’re like “MJ!!!!”

so you run up and smack his plush butt since that’s how you always greet him

...but you realize

this man is way too tall....

and when he turns around in utter confusion you’re like

shit........... S H I T

BECAUSE YOU JUST SPANKED THE BUTT OF A STRANGER

AND WHEN HE TURNS AROUND YOU REalize that he’s frEAKING FIRST CHAIR OF THE VIOLINS: MOONBIN

anD in your mind everything is scrambled into a mess bc first of all, it’s tHE FIRST CHAIR OF THE VIOLINS. AKA the king of the orchestra!!! literally he sits on a throne!!! he invented the word “orchestra”!!

AND IT WASNT EVEN LIKE A LOWKEY SLAP... it wAs like a FULL, haRD whack

so you’re out here apologizing several times and bowing your head frantically

but when you look up Moonbin is actually all cool about it

he’s just like “oh!!!! i wAs just... surprised” and you’re like “omfg i’m so sorry just end my life here right now i’m ready to be taken by the gods”

but he’s just like pffftttt i don’t blame you this ass is thicc asf

and you’re like ... wot

then he’s laughing and his eyes are crinkled up and he looks like a puppy & you’re like wow this man is so beautiful

but you remember you’re talking to the FIRST CHAIR VIOLIN and you get all

blushy from receiving this individual attention from him

so you excuse yourself and run away to whoever knows where so you can crumble and die from embarrassment

when the bus arrives and you find MJ to be your seat partner he asks why you look so drained

and you’re like... please i don’t want to talk about it

at the competition you’re still embarrassed bc honestly you technically sexually harassed him and that just goes unexcused but he was so chill about it like how?? and why??

and you don’t realize it but you’re zoning out while shamefully plucking the strings of your cello when suddenly a head pops up in front of you and you’re like bITCHWTF but when you see it’s moonbin you’re like- oh.. Ooh??

and he’s like “are you ready for the concert!!” and you’re like “uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh notreally”

and he’s all smiley and happy that it’s nearly impossible not to at least smile back

yet you still can’t believe you’re talking to him !!!! especially because you’re pretty sure everybody is staring at the two of you talking rn and is like Why is the last chair cello and first chair violin talking ????

you two end up complaining about how the concert hall doesn’t provide you guys free food and laugh about your conductor’s bald spot

the performance goes well and you feel all giddy when moonbin tells you that you did well when you get back to the school

you end up messaging him for the first time on Instagram and apologize once again for slapping his buttkckskskaoa

he ends up dismissing it and assures you that it was nice

and you were like ....???wHAT

but he quickly corrects himself in the next message bubble and is liKE “wAIT I DIDNT MEAN IT LIKE THAT-“

that’s when you start to question his kinks

at school he starts to normally hang around you and even offers to play your cello and for you play to his violin

the star musician is actually better than you at the cello even though he’s only played it a few times before

you don’t even know how to hold the violin bow RIP

whenever you’re not in orchestra class together, he somehow manages to find you while you’re studying in the library or walking around the hallways

at first you’re a little taken aback at how persistent he is to maintain your odd friendship but you actually don’t mind at all

he suggests to tutor you so you can sight read pieces better and you of course take up that offer...

for the first quarter of the “lesson” it was actually learning while the other time was spent lounging on his couch while talking about both of your hardships and goals in life

despite being pressured as the star musician of the school, he loves and can perfectly handle it

his parents and teachers are always praising him and that motivates him to enter a musical college and major in Music Education and maybe start his own teaching business

his dreams are always so realistic and hopeful at the same time that you just admire how hard working he is and how he manages to not crack like an egg under all of this stress honestly

MJ starts getting a little jealous and pouts when you started to hang around moonbin more often but at the same time is secretly rooting for the two of you to hook up wHAT

moonbin ends up spending a LOT of time with you... in fact he spends so much time with you that you can’t recall what it was like not being around him

somewhere throughout the friendship there’s a turning point where you realize he’s not just your friend.. or you don’t want him to be JUST that

it comes at no surprise when you shyly ask him to be your boyfriend while you two are cuddling in your living room while listening to classical music in the background with him reading a book and you playing with his fingers

his response? a little scoff like “isn’t it obvious we are practically already dating”

you’re a bit hesitant to fully submerge yourself into this relationship bc you always need to remind yourself of both of your circumstances... he’s first chair violin and he’s like wayyyyy above you and it worries you bc you care about his reputation

and when you voice these concerns to him he just pets you and softly says “(y/n)... it’s literally just string instruments . nobody cares”

... he’s totally right though. nobody cares at all lmaooolo,, except maybe all of his fans that were hoping to date him... but moonbin is totally oblivious that he has a fan club LMFAO

your relationship is so pure and innocent yet it still makes your head spin and heart feel so tingly

moonbin is romantic af and wouldn’t hesitate to pluck a flower off the ground and tuck it behind your ear casually

he would like to always compliment your voice and say it’s the best music he’s ever heard and will ever hear

likes to compose his own songs and title them very lowkey things that all refer to you such as... Untied Shoelaces or Beautiful Eyes

other times he’ll just flat out title the song “(Y/N)”

likes to kiss you... a lot.

kisses you everywhere and whenever. in the music room, when he’s about the leave your house after a night of studying and cuddling, while you’re just playing the cello and he thinks you look cute, when there’s a red stop light so he can pause driving and peck your lips

you two are so open that it’s so easy telling him anything. for ex you’re constantly worried about your future and feel like you’re lacking. he makes sure to tell you that you’re doing fine and that you’ll succeed at whatever you do

and you comfort him and remind him to take a break since he’s always striving for the best so he tends to overwork and be really hard on himself

Moonbin always teases you for being so entranced by his butt the first time you met and thanks to your butt fetish, the two of you are together now

and you can’t really deny it because... well.. he’s not wrong lmaooo

dates would include him in your room at 10pm complaining about how even though classical music goes underappreciated these days that doesn’t mean that modern pop music isn’t good while laying his head in your lap as you run your fingers through his hair and nod your head whenever he makes a good point

occasionally he’ll cook for you and you’ll try to compensate by cooking for him too but it never ends up good (AKA you two end up burning all of the food) so you guys resort to ordering pizza

moonbin is so grateful that you understand him and remind him that he is a human that needs a break, too

and you’re grateful that he’s so understanding and genuinely cares about you

he even confesses that one of the main reasons why he took interest in you was because you were last chair cello but you didn’t slack off at all

even though you think he’s the most hard working person you know, he thinks the same about you

eventually MJ meets Jinjin, a trombone player, and immediately goes on a double date with you & binnie

you almost shed tears at how in love MJ is with Jinjin and the four of you are literally the best squad to have happened

in conclusion, you and moonbin love eachother so much and are perfect bye

[bonniejstarks]

I’m BACK! Why I’ve been gone and what I’ve been up to – Ania.B

It’s been so so long my friends. I would apologize BUT it was time well deserved and much needed. I did not walk away from my blog, far from it. We have been busier than ever and growing a business is no easy feat. Burn out is a word we are all familiar with, a catch all for millennials and the world’s problems. But burn out is all too real and we encounter the topic often especially when talking to fellow creators. Entrepreneurial spirit speaks to so many of us who can not handle the 9-5 grind, but who are we kidding, the grind is actually more intense when you work for yourself. I am excited to finally be able to check in with you on the world wide web again. Instagram is great and all but there is only so much you can say in a limited amount of characters. In truth the blog was broken for a few months, fixing it was put off for far too long. I even started taking coding classes just so this never has to happen again. Ask me in 6 months how that is going! It did end up being a much needed break. Self love is all about knowing when to stop just as much as it is about when to pick up again.

In the time away from the web browser I was able to focus some more attention on myself, and I wish I could tell you that I joined some bad ass classes and got a black belt in karate, or that I am now a champion chess player, but instead I took time to spend with my family, organize my life a little bit, and even though it’s not karate we did join a gym to keep moving and stay healthy, and my brother and nephew came along for the ride so we can all motivate each other. None of us is a stranger to how fast that motivational flame can extinguish when your heart and soul is just not on that elliptical with you. This post is a little glimpse into that journey. I won’t lie, it’s not been the Rocky training montage I was envisioning in my head but I will give us credit for getting to that gym somewhat regularly. Travel is not included and to be fair that does cut a lot into our work-out time. It’s being at home that’s keeping us out of shape: editing at a desk or in bed, sometimes all day everyday, driving everywhere and generally not accounting for energy gained vs. energy lost. I also have to shamefully admit that with age your body does after all require different kinds of love then it did when it was in it’s teens. ‘They’ tell you this all the time, but nobody ever listens. Well I’m here to tell you that ‘They’ are totally right and I think my time has come. It’s been an adjustment, especially because our lives are so irregular and quite literally go against any kind of routine.

Besides getting the fam on board for motivation I have been picking up my Apple Watch so much more often these last few months. Ever since our Whistler adventure getting to know the watch environment I have been so much more confident in the benefits it has been bringing to our lives. Of course fall detection for my mum has been critical and with the most recent series 5 launch we also now have EKG available in Canada to monitor the heart whenever we need it. The idea of closing our activity rings has also been integral to the the way we view time spent moving all together. We will pick up and go for a walk or take a moment to breathe thanks to the stats we get on the Apple Watch. If you watched the Apple Keynote  you will know about this year’s addition of the titanium and ceramic watch faces, both to be worn in very different ways (one more stylish and streamlined, the other optimized for performance and lightweight, can you guess which is which?). The biggest news this year for the watch has been the alway-on-display, which has been highly requested, though as a the watch wearer I was never bothered by the on/off jerk action you needed to make to see the display AND there has been some talk about the battery life being affected as a result, something which the jury is still out on, if you ask me. Some other new and very useful features include a built in compass and cycle tracking for women, the watch no longer takes data from our phones but has it available in the device itself,  the two are becoming more and more independent of each other so you will not longer need the phone to have full functionality of your watch. And just to put things in perspective, a fertility watch alone can set you back $400! If you are still rocking the series 3 watch and wondering if you need to upgrade the answer is 100% yes! These are some game changing features that you do not want to miss out on and having them all in one place and on your wrist no less is the future of technology we could only dream about when we were using our calculator Casio watches in elementary school!

As for working out, I am still working through my bodies capabilities. My 16 year old nephew proved to be quite a personal trainer and knows everything there is to know about how to work the human body. I loved being able to learn something from him. My current circuit includes the treadmill, bicep and tricep curls, squats, sit ups, and when my back has had enough of those (which as it turns out it does more often than I’d like to admit) I will switch those out for suspended leg lifts. I have also been playing around with the Nike Training Club (NTC) app for some suggested exercises to keep myself from the monotony of a routine, from which, as I mentioned earlier, I am so far removed. And for those of you curious to peek into this aspect of our lives, or just to relate, send me a DM and a follow request on my private account @healthyania. I’m hoping to keep this as a space for myself to track progress, document my favourite ways around the gym and just to stay accountable. Cue ‘Eye of the Tiger’ on my ‘Beast Mode’ playlist!

All of these photos were shot on the iPhone 11, eliminating the consumer camera market one phone release at a time! xoxo

Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, fitness, health, tech

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[trendsdresscom]

I’m BACK! Why I’ve been gone and what I’ve been up to – Ania.B

It’s been so so long my friends. I would apologize BUT it was time well deserved and much needed. I did not walk away from my blog, far from it. We have been busier than ever and growing a business is no easy feat. Burn out is a word we are all familiar with, a catch all for millennials and the world’s problems. But burn out is all too real and we encounter the topic often especially when talking to fellow creators. Entrepreneurial spirit speaks to so many of us who can not handle the 9-5 grind, but who are we kidding, the grind is actually more intense when you work for yourself. I am excited to finally be able to check in with you on the world wide web again. Instagram is great and all but there is only so much you can say in a limited amount of characters. In truth the blog was broken for a few months, fixing it was put off for far too long. I even started taking coding classes just so this never has to happen again. Ask me in 6 months how that is going! It did end up being a much needed break. Self love is all about knowing when to stop just as much as it is about when to pick up again.

In the time away from the web browser I was able to focus some more attention on myself, and I wish I could tell you that I joined some bad ass classes and got a black belt in karate, or that I am now a champion chess player, but instead I took time to spend with my family, organize my life a little bit, and even though it’s not karate we did join a gym to keep moving and stay healthy, and my brother and nephew came along for the ride so we can all motivate each other. None of us is a stranger to how fast that motivational flame can extinguish when your heart and soul is just not on that elliptical with you. This post is a little glimpse into that journey. I won’t lie, it’s not been the Rocky training montage I was envisioning in my head but I will give us credit for getting to that gym somewhat regularly. Travel is not included and to be fair that does cut a lot into our work-out time. It’s being at home that’s keeping us out of shape: editing at a desk or in bed, sometimes all day everyday, driving everywhere and generally not accounting for energy gained vs. energy lost. I also have to shamefully admit that with age your body does after all require different kinds of love then it did when it was in it’s teens. ‘They’ tell you this all the time, but nobody ever listens. Well I’m here to tell you that ‘They’ are totally right and I think my time has come. It’s been an adjustment, especially because our lives are so irregular and quite literally go against any kind of routine.

Besides getting the fam on board for motivation I have been picking up my Apple Watch so much more often these last few months. Ever since our Whistler adventure getting to know the watch environment I have been so much more confident in the benefits it has been bringing to our lives. Of course fall detection for my mum has been critical and with the most recent series 5 launch we also now have EKG available in Canada to monitor the heart whenever we need it. The idea of closing our activity rings has also been integral to the the way we view time spent moving all together. We will pick up and go for a walk or take a moment to breathe thanks to the stats we get on the Apple Watch. If you watched the Apple Keynote  you will know about this year’s addition of the titanium and ceramic watch faces, both to be worn in very different ways (one more stylish and streamlined, the other optimized for performance and lightweight, can you guess which is which?). The biggest news this year for the watch has been the alway-on-display, which has been highly requested, though as a the watch wearer I was never bothered by the on/off jerk action you needed to make to see the display AND there has been some talk about the battery life being affected as a result, something which the jury is still out on, if you ask me. Some other new and very useful features include a built in compass and cycle tracking for women, the watch no longer takes data from our phones but has it available in the device itself,  the two are becoming more and more independent of each other so you will not longer need the phone to have full functionality of your watch. And just to put things in perspective, a fertility watch alone can set you back $400! If you are still rocking the series 3 watch and wondering if you need to upgrade the answer is 100% yes! These are some game changing features that you do not want to miss out on and having them all in one place and on your wrist no less is the future of technology we could only dream about when we were using our calculator Casio watches in elementary school!

As for working out, I am still working through my bodies capabilities. My 16 year old nephew proved to be quite a personal trainer and knows everything there is to know about how to work the human body. I loved being able to learn something from him. My current circuit includes the treadmill, bicep and tricep curls, squats, sit ups, and when my back has had enough of those (which as it turns out it does more often than I’d like to admit) I will switch those out for suspended leg lifts. I have also been playing around with the Nike Training Club (NTC) app for some suggested exercises to keep myself from the monotony of a routine, from which, as I mentioned earlier, I am so far removed. And for those of you curious to peek into this aspect of our lives, or just to relate, send me a DM and a follow request on my private account @healthyania. I’m hoping to keep this as a space for myself to track progress, document my favourite ways around the gym and just to stay accountable. Cue ‘Eye of the Tiger’ on my ‘Beast Mode’ playlist!

All of these photos were shot on the iPhone 11, eliminating the consumer camera market one phone release at a time! xoxo

Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, fitness, health, tech

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[kronieknits]

How The Spaces Students Are Living In Affect Their Well-Being And How Textiles Can Improve These Environments (pt2)

Creating Cosy Comfortable Living Spaces

Students may not get much choice in how their accommodation looks or what furniture is in their rooms when they move in, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dress it up and give their own personal, cosy touch. My first-year accommodation had concrete cinder block walls, harsh lighting and a single small window. However, this didn’t stop me from trying to make the room as cosy and inviting as I could. There are many simple, easy and cheap ways students should be able to do this. Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is one of these ways.

The art of creating a warm, welcoming, cosy space can seem to elude many people. Whether this is due to time restraints, costs or motivation, many people’s living spaces can and will remain bare and cold. The Danes, on the other hand, are people who prioritise the atmosphere within their homes and bedrooms and dedicate time and energy to creating cosy spaces. Hygge, is the term used by the Danes to describe their attitude toward how life should be lived, and is a large factor as to why Denmark is ranked as one of the happiest countries on earth despite it being cold and dark for most of the year.

If you have ever wondered why the Danish seem to be obsessed with interior design, it is because they see the home as the Hygge headquarters, their homes are the centre of their social lives, always inviting friends and family round to experience Hygge together. Hygge originates from the Norwegian word meaning “well-being” and roughly translates to ‘cosiness’ in English, but it is much more than simply feeling cosy. Hygge is being curled up by a fire with cosy socks on and drinking mulled wine, its sitting in a café reading your favourite book and sipping coffee, its being together with friends and family around the dinner table all enjoying a cooked meal together. Hygge is more than a feeling, it is an experience of content and togetherness which can last a few fleeting moments or an entire evening. To the Danes, Hygge is a way of life.

Meik Wiking, the founder of The Happiness Research Institution, in his book ‘The little book of Hygge; the Danish way to live well’ wrote ‘Hygge is about giving your responsible, stressed, achiever adult self a break. Relax. Just for a little while. It is about experiencing happiness in simple pleasures and knowing that everything is going to be okay.’ (Wiking, 2017)This mind set is how young adults, if not everybody, should treat life. How can people expect to stay high functioning, successful and happy with their busy day to day lives without putting effort into treating themselves and enjoying the little things? Life isn’t meant to be so strict and demanding, all the deadlines and assessments need to be balanced with restoration periods for the body and mind else breaking down may be inevitable. Appreciating the little things can be made a lot easier if we surround ourselves with things that can be appreciated in our living spaces. Appreciating the little things and experiencing happiness through simple pleasures could be achieved as simply as making a cup of tea and lavishing the few solitary moments you found yourself with, or it could be much more deservingly indulgent with hot chocolates and throws and pillows and candles and incense.

A hyggelig interior is as much about how things feel as how things look. We perceive the world through our 5 senses; sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste. These senses integrate to help us create perceptions and memories and can trigger emotions which, as we go through life, allow us to build a library of experiences. These experiences are what inform future decisions as to what we do and don’t like, so why not surround ourselves with what we know we like? Think about how the materials you are sitting on and touching feel, are they soft, fluffy, bouncy, warm, is there lots of mixes of textures, do you like them? Textures are so important as they can be a way of creating the sensation of being hugged, and who doesn’t love being hugged? Everyone loves being hugged or touched as this action releases the hormone called oxytocin, the hormone of love.

Oxytocin is an important hormone when it comes to our well-being as it has physical, emotional and psychological effects on the body, including influencing social behaviour, personality traits and reducing stress and anxiety. This hormone is also a neurotransmitter that is involved in motherhood, child birth and sexual behaviour. Research published by Psychopharmacology suggests that oxytocin has been found to improve self- perception in social situations and increases likeable personality traits such as trust, openness, empathy and altruism (Psychopharmocology , 2012). Other researchers reported that people in the early stages of a romantic relationship had higher levels of oxytocin in their bodies for at least the first 6 month, this was compared to single, unattached people (MacGill, 2017). There is so much evidence showing that this hormone changes our mood for the better so it would make sense to surround ourselves with soft, cosy, comfortable materials that improve the production of oxytocin. These material things then become a form of self-care which naturally promote well-being and enhance the aesthetics of a room all at the same time.

Despite cosy material things being important for self-care, they can be underappreciated items that every bedroom benefits from but don’t always contain. Students tend to not want to spend money on things they don’t feel they need, but cosy throws, pillows and rugs can completely change the atmosphere and comfort of a room. These necessities can be purchased cheaply from charity shops or online, or can even be made by hand with simple instructions and materials. Making these items by hand may possibly make them even more hyggelig as they then hold sentimental value and the experience of crafting them can be therapeutic. This is one of the best things about Hygge, it can be cheap, sometimes even free, there is nothing extravagant or luxurious about a chunky knitted jumper or a pair of ugly woollen socks. An intrinsic feature of Hygge is that it is humble, slow, and easy, it is choosing simple over posh. This is so true in Danish culture that bragging about your wealth and flashing expensive material things is considered poor taste and frowned upon because it breaks the sense of Hygge. Helen Russel, author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s HappiestCountry’, wrote in an article for the Independent, ‘The best explanation of Hygge I’ve encountered during three years in the land of Nord is: “the absence of anything annoying or emotionally overwhelming; taking pleasure from the presence of gentle, soothing things.”’ (Russell, 2015)

The Hygge Manifesto

In The Little Book of Hygge, Meik Wiking has created the Hygge Manifesto, a sort of checklist for achieving Hygge in your own home. The manifesto is as follows;

1.     Atmosphere

2.     Presence

3.     Pleasure

4.     Equality

5.     Gratitude

6.     Harmony

7.     Comfort

8.     Truce

9.     Togetherness

10.  Shelter

If these attributes can be achieved then Hygge should supposedly be easy to create. Here I have created a fun and informal list of suggestion, recommendations and inspirations for students and young people to look through, hopefully helping them gain some ideas as to how Hygge can improve their living spaces -

Atmosphere

·     Turn down the lights. Things like side lights, fairy lights and candles can create a soothing and warm atmosphere within a room, instead of the harshness of a single main light source.

·     Although the Danes may prefer non-scented candles, I would recommend fragranced candles and incense as to fill the room with your favourite aromas.

·     Music is also one of the fastest ways to create an atmosphere in pretty much any situation. Put on your favourite tunes in the background of whatever you are doing and I guarantee it will lift your spirits. (especially if you’re cleaning or doing dishes) I’d recommend investing in a speaker if you are able to as you will notice and appreciate the sound quality.

Presence

·      Think about all the times you have wasted 30 minutes or so scrolling through Facebook or Instagram gawking at other people’s lives. Why not put down the phone and spend that same time thinking about yourself. Try listening to music, reading a chapter of a book or maybe drawing or writing about something that has happened that day.

·      If you are with others, such as friends or family, then try leaving your phone in another room and giving all attention to the conversation.

·      You may cringe when hearing this, but it is truly about living in the moment, even if that moment only lasts a few minutes. Those moments may be the only time of peace you get during that day so why not savour it? Afterwards you will be able to think about how good those few moments were and will start naturally enjoying the moment more often.

Pleasure

·      Don’t be afraid to give yourself what you enjoy, you deserve it.

·      Shamefully indulge – cakes, chocolate, coffee, crisps, all these things can help sweeten the workload.

·      Cooking yourself a big meal can be the height of pleasure, especially if you have dessert too. Don’t worry if you feel you’re not a good cook or you don’t have time every night, even if you make a big dinner once or twice a week can be enough and can become something to look forward to.

Comfort

§ Take a break, even if it is just for half an hour.

§ Find what makes you relaxed and surround yourself with it. My personal favourites are big fluffy slippers, thick heavy blankets, and multiple layers of comfy clothing.

§ Throws, rugs and large wall hangings give the cold, bland surfaces of your room an extra lift of texture, colour and comfort and can be found relatively cheaply in charity shops, emporiums and re-use centres.

Harmony

·     It’s not a competition! If you’re hanging with friends or family then try to remember to not brag about achievements or material things too much, this breaks the sense of Hygge. Try to start conversations about things that inspire you. This could be movies, books, nature, music, things you want to do or places you want to go.

·     Sharing the air time during conversation is also very important. Listen to your friends and allow them to voice their opinions, and hopefully they should do the same for you.

·     Trying to build a sense of togetherness can be fun. “Do you remember that time we…” is one of those gateways of conversation that allows us to reminisce about old times, strengthens relationships and makes way for future plans.

Gratitude

·     Allow yourself to be grateful for things, grateful that the sun is shining, grateful if your flatmate makes you a cup of tea, grateful for whenever you get to have a long lie in in the morning.

·     It is easy to get annoyed and frustrated, especially once you get tired and stressed out by the day, being grateful for the little things can really help shine some light and speckle the day with positivity.

Personalisation  

·     Posters, wall hangings, keep sakes, nik-naks and plants are essentials for making a room really feel like your own.

·     Sentimental items are especially good as decorations too, things like postcards, letters, movie or concert tickets, leaflets from events and drawings can all help personalise your room.

·     For me, and I am sure many others out there, plants are a necessity within their living spaces. Plants clean the air in your room and have been proven to reduces levels of stress and anxiety and improves levels of productivity (Chignell, 2018). It is easy to get attached to plants as you get to watch them grow and change over the months thanks to them needing watered and cared for. Plants can also surprise you occasionally with new leaves or stems beginning to grow and pops of colour from flowering plants.

Crafts

·     Handmade crafts can be a very therapeutic experience which allow you to focus your brain on something other than your phone for a little while.

·     Try out crafts such as knitting, weaving, crochet, sewing, drawing, painting, collage, sketch booking.

·     Making physical objects can be so much fun and gives you something sentimental to be proud of to have made. If you really enjoy it then there is even the possibility of selling some of these objects you have crafted.

Everyone needs to take the time to take care of themselves, mentally and physically. These suggestions are just a few small ideas that can really add up to feeling less stressed, more content and ready to take on and deal with the pressures of life and university. So, next time you’ve had a long tiring day and go to watch TV or scroll through Instagram like you usually do, why not try listening to music, reading a book, playing board games with friends or making some food. These things can seem like arduous tasks when tired but are almost always worth it, and will allow you to forget about the stresses you were obsessing over earlier that day, even if just for a moment.

Music

Music can make any situation better, such as getting ready in the morning, cleaning the flat, doing dishes, showering, hanging out with friends, doing course work or relaxing. Imagine a party without music, a movie without music or a sports event without music, it’s just not the same, is it? A life without melody of any kind would be dull, boring and unimaginable.

Music is essential for almost all aspects of life. It is much more important than what people may realise, it is arguably one of the most intrinsically human things created. The Netflix original series ‘Explained’ has a very interesting episode explaining how and why music is so important to the human species. Music is uniquely human; no other living thing can comprehend music quite like we can. There has been extensive experimental evidence documenting that people have a deep connection between music and emotions (Feiles, 2018). Music of any kind, from Classical to Grime, can help anyone get into the right frame of mind and has even been shown to make people treat each other better. The things music can do for your mood is wonderful, if you want to feel happy then play some happy songs and allow the chipper beats to brighten your mood. The most important reason we listen to music is for pleasure (DNEWS, 2011), we create and admire music because we enjoy it so greatly so why not play it as often as possible?

Exploring the music world can be a very fun and interesting experience, especially if you are beginning to get sick of your current playlists. There are thousands and thousands of songs, albums and artists on Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud or Apple Music, so why not delve in for an hour and see what you can find. Listen to your friend’s public playlists and add songs you like to your own playlists. The discover weekly and suggested songs features on Spotify are key tools for broadening your music library and keeping things interesting. Personally, I always keep a very open mind when listening to new songs or artists. I find it is very important to not be put off by music just because it isn’t in the charts or because it’s not what your friends are listening to. If you like a song then save it, listen to and find more like it. Don’t be afraid to branch out your music tastes, always be on the hunt for more music, the discovery of a new song you like can really help keep life interesting. Let your music library grow and evolve with yourself and it will help you get through pretty much any situation.

Còsagach (Cos-se-coh)

Còsagach is the Scottish equivalent lifestyle trend set to rival the Danish Hygge. Còsagach is an old Gaelic word for the feeling of being snug, sheltered or cosy. The Visit Scotland tourist board is encouraging businesses to create escapes that ooze a sense of warmth, cosiness, tranquillity and most importantly Còsagach that allow visitors to unwind. To a Scottish person, Còsagach is most likely second nature even if they never realise it.

Còsagach is all about taking shelter from the cold and harsh weather - which we get in abundance in Scotland - in warm, cosy log cabins, bothies or more importantly, pubs. Visit Scotland says Scotland’s “tranquil seascapes, vast open valleys and many warm and welcoming pubs make it the ideal place to boost wellbeing and contentment.” (Frost, 2017)There is something about going to the pub with a couple mates that really allows us to unwind and forget the stress of the day. Whether you drink alcohol or not, even just being in that cosy environment laughing away with friends or family is relieving, especially if the rain is lashing down against the windows outside and there is a roaring fire crackling away inside. It doesn’t matter if you’re catching up with mates, celebrating, having some pub food or just simply treating yourselves to a pint after a long day, the pub is somewhere everyone can unwind. Why not invite mates to meet at the pub every now and then, and if not everyone wants to go to a pub, then cafes, parks, even your universities Student Union are all places that can harbour a catch up with your friends. And if you do go to the pub, then the ring of the bell after last orders is always a time to notice the fondness you have felt all evening, and wonder on home full of content, or maybe run home if it is still pouring with rain.

First Hand Hygge-fying

As an experiment to see how effective the look and feel of a room can really be on well-being, I helped a friend hygge-fy their bedroom, turning it from a bit of a mess to a very welcoming, cosy space.

The bedroom mainly just needed a clean and tidy, but we added a few things and moved the furniture around a small amount to help make it feel more comfortable and inviting. We added loads of different textures to the room with extra blankets, throws and pillows to the bed and chairs. We also hung paintings, posters and prints we bought for pennies at an art fair, although there was still plenty more space on the walls for more personal touches, and I suggested he find items he liked to fill these spaces with. We also bought some ornaments from charity shops and some plants from a plant sale the university was holding at the student union which really helped the room become a much more nurturing environment. We also made sure to have music playing from the big speakers while doing this which turned it into quite a fun experience when usually tidying your room is an arduous and draining task.

Once we finished re-arranging his room, my friend told me, “I feel much more comfortable in my bedroom already and find it a much nicer environment to come home to after a long day at university. It genuinely feels warmer and cosier which I love as I find I can de-stress easier.” I was glad to hear this reaction as it is shows exactly how much of an affect Hygge can have on a person and their well-being and is how I hope everyone should feel in their living spaces. This transformation was very easy and cheap to do so I am hoping this, along with the list of recommendations above, prompts more people to think about how their bedrooms can become cosier, safe spaces.

[financevisionary]

How Instagram FOMO Helped Me Get My Finances in Order [Video]

Hi people! First, a little introduction: My name is Tessa Juliette from Travel Where to Following as well as I am an author, digital photographer, and also Instagrammer. I'm likewise a self-taught master budgeter, which is why I have actually teamed up with Mint to spill all my spending plan travel secrets.

The over video clip is a little introduction and also an individual tale about exactly how I learned all these budgeting keys. Zelda, my 4-year-old puppy, gives budget plan tips appropriate together with me. If you do not believe me, watch the video.

Thankful for Instagram FOMO

I was never ever a large saver - truthfully, I really did not believe concerning conserving in all. Four years earlier, I was constantly scrolling through Instagram with significant FOMO (' Worry Of Missing out on Out,' a really real sensation) wondering just how a few of my buddies were going on spontaneous unique adventures while I hardly had sufficient for a spontaneous brunch. I wished to see the world, however it seemed so unattainable.

One evening, driven by my FOMO, I decided to take an appearance at my financial resources. I needed to determine where I was going wrong.

Expenses Check-in

I published out all of my declarations from the past month and also underwent them line by line. Each and every single Starbucks coffee, Chipotle check out, and also unnecessary purchasing journey was highlighted. I considered every one of these items non-essential. After experiencing the statements I added up all the highlighted numbers. The overall was hard to belly. An understanding of just how much I had been mindlessly costs, as opposed to conserving. View the video to see just how large the number was. Spoiler alert: It was shamefully big.

I decided to remove as numerous non-essential items as I might and also save that cash rather. In my mind, I mounted investing cash like a detox. Lease, energies, gas, grocery stores: these were the necessary nutrients. Starbucks, Chipotle, buying, (way too many) tequila shots at the bar: these were points I would certainly deny myself of. I told myself I would certainly do this for 6 months - a long detoxification, yet at the end was the prize: a month long journey around the US.

The Spending Detox

I'm not going to lie to you. It was hard. Really hard. I hated saying no to lunch dates with pals. I struggled to quit eating convenience food. As well as tequila ... I assume I missed tequila most of all.

But as every week passed my detox obtained remarkably simpler. Similar to sugar food cravings, my requirement for those points gradually went away. I learned to cook much better, curbed my shopping routine, as well as found a love for Netflix originals.

Results of my Spending Detox

After 6 months passed, I considered my checking account and also saw ... money?!?! With it, I went on a month-long cross-country journey with Zelda and also my guy (currently partner) Matt. We hiked the Grand Canyon, skied in Lake Tahoe as well as did some gaming on the Las vega strip.

When I got home I was linkeded on traveling. And much more travel implied extra budgeting. Now, I was looking onward to budgeting. What I thought would be a detox turned into a lifestyle change (the amount of times has a vegan informed you that). Now I cannot quit conserving as well as looking for brand-new means to fit traveling into my budget.

Now it's your turn

If you are video game for duplicating my approach, set a night aside and pour yourself a glass of wine - make it a huge one. Undergo your declarations line by line and also actually think of each acquisition. Was it needed? Could you have loaded a lunch rather of getting hold of convenience food? Have you put on that $80 dress sufficient? At the end, include your non-essential products as well as consider that number as your new regular monthly financial savings goal.

Pick an end date and also a specific journey you wish to take. Make that location your phone's wallpaper. Print a picture to stick on your refrigerator. Whenever you're about to make a purchase, think of that journey. Soon sufficient, you will not need to picture it - you'll be there.

Oh and when you exist, conjecture of tequila for me.

Coming up

In my following short article, I am mosting likely to speak about the most effective nations for taking a trip on a budget.