#building a life

[smeetlinglord]

STOP living your life in accordance to other people’s approval of you. START living your life in accordance to your approval of you. Do you like yourself? Do you like things you say and do? What do you want out of the people around you? What things can you do to help make your life easier? What things make you happy? Cease looking for someone else’s answer to those questions, and start answering them yourself.

[reasonsforhope]

Sometimes you just have one of those moments where the progress we've made as a culture get thrown into stark relief. You look at something and go "Holy shit, that would never have happened when I was a kid."

Today, I had one of those moments when I realized that the teenage boys I'm working with are just. genuinely, openly enthusiastic about going to Build-a-Bear for their outing.

These are sixteen and seventeen year old boys! They just had a whole conversation about what to name their "cute", mostly new squishmallows! They're genuinely excited that they're going to Build-a-Bear this weekend and asking other kids to pick up specific accessories for them!!

Holy shit, that never would've happened when I was 16. None of the boys would have dared to be visibly interested - and neither would most of the girls! There would have been a million gay jokes and "Haha, you're a girl" jokes and "What are you, a baby?" jokes. Teenagers weren't even supposed to care about anything back then!

Less than 15 years later, and I'm watching three 17 year old boys treat all that as not even worthy of comment.

So let's call that a reason for hope. Even when the kids aren't alright, in some ways apparently they are alright. Go Gen Z, honestly. It's so lovely to watch you guys just openly doing and saying stuff that, when I was a teen, would've been a social death sentence.

[kellyinverse]

Timing is everything. It’s time I embrace my inner fleabag and go for it. As my finances seem to be heading in a more stable direction and opportunity arose to take a pitch class.

What’s another $500 at this point? Of course the panic has set in. Is this another impulsive burst of mania that will go the way of “Business Class”? Or will my inner shop girl seize the day and sell something I can be proud of?

Banking on a small investment to double up again so I can cover the class and pay off bestbuy before that $800 in deferred interest kicks in.

It’s not going to be easy. Nothing in my life has been. Sure, I’m cute and it’s given me an edge from time to time. I never truly capitalized on it. Gross old men offered me the world but alas, I was too good for that. 😂

In hindsight, I could have taken the Bob Evanses to task and died a little every minute. Instead, I picked the hard road with short term successes, failures, and lots of adventures.

I craved a good story, inspired by novels I read; my Bret Easton Ellis phase was a doozy.

At 48, I can pass for 39.

Considering my subtle subconscious suicidal ideation, there must be some reason that I survived everything. Right?

I went toe to toe with mobsters, pedos, and high school rape culture.

It’s time to be heard and put purpose to the pain. Make no mistake, in the midst of being preyed upon, I found a thirst for danger. I thrived on hardship and defying my disorders.

(This might be my first pitch)

Tonight at 6pm I’ll face my biggest fear of being seen and heard; embarking on 5 week journey with Susan Shapiro.

(Feel free to make a donation 😀 with that little tip button down there)

[lylahammar]

the way that this page in particular was adapted just OOZES studio trigger tbh. like I know everyone likes to joke about studio trigger being the horny studio, but the quick jerky animation direction is what truly makes their work recognizable to me. I can practically see Lio Fotia bleeding through the pixels in that 5 frame animation of Falin peeking through her fingers

[chloesimaginationthings]

Mike Schmidt wouldn’t last a night in a FNAF game,,

[plague-parade]

i feel like we dont talk enough about how distressing and disturbing memory loss issues are. forgetting what you were talking about halfway through a sentence, putting something down and instantly forgetting where you put it. having to reread one paragraph over and over again because by the time youve moved onto the next sentence you dont remember what the one before it said. always doubting if your memories of things are real, not being able to remember important life events.

its so incredibly scary, it feels like your mind is constantly playing tricks on you and you start to doubt whats real and what isnt.

“i forgot” is treated like a lazy excuse when it’s genuinely such a big issue for so many people.

[beaft]

BG3 is really testing me because my natural inclination in all situations is to be like "well, i think you should do what is best for you :-) <3" and then my companions are inevitably like "i want to kill an angel" "i want to ascend to godhood" "i want to become the most evil vampire in the world" like can we take it down a notch . please

[bigfatbreak]

Birds of a Feather previous / next

[thebibliosphere]

A friend gifted me Gotham Knights on Steam after I expressed a vague interest in it. I believe my exact words were, "The color of the cover art is very cyberpunk bisexual, and I love that for them."

A lot of key smashing ensued, followed by, "No, wait, you have to play it, you have to. Don't ask why. You'll know when you see it."

After spending a substantial few hours with my new dopamine generator, zipping around Gotham as various different heroes, grappling my way across the skyline, and driving my motorbike into walls (sorry, random Gothamites.) I got to the part of the story where Dick Grayson is seen drinking from a bisexual-themed Bludhaven mug (WE WANTS IT, PRECIOUS, WE NEEDS IT), followed by Babs posting a gossip article in the literal batfam group chat (I have no idea when she actually sent it, I keep forgetting to check the chat lmao) where Dick fully leans into being Bruce's son by being the biggest, sluttiest fuckboy imaginable when the male interviewer asks Dick if he has a "type" then describes the way Dick drops his voice to an "intimate purr, his gaze for me and me alone" followed by the most bisexual response ever which can be summarized as "People are gorgeous. All of them. Why restrict myself to an archetype when the world is full of beauty?"

And can I just say, as a slutty, slutty bisexual *chef kiss* love that for him. That and all the nude photoshoot offers he seems to be getting lmao.

Combine that with the interactions where Tim talks to the batfam about his boyfriend, asking for relationship advice (Babs telling Tim she's hopeless with guys, so to ask Dick instead), Dick suggesting Robin and Nightwing should go to Gotham Pride in costume so people know the batman are firmly in camp LGBTQ+ (followed up by an email between Babs and Jayson where they talk about wanting to go to Pride to support Tim so he'll know they're proud of him), the rainbow flags in the living room, and the trans, bi, pan and I think non-binary flag (need to check, might be demisexual) bike color options, I can honestly say I'm having a lot of fun careering round Gotham like the most terrifyingly competent, backflipping, Solo Pride Parade that's ever swung out of the skyline to dropkick a cop into oncoming traffic.

[softhe4rted]

to begin with, the sweet grass by mary oliver, from “devotions”

[palatinewolfsblog]

"True self-care is not salt baths and chocolate cake, it is making the choice to build a life you don't need to regularly escape from." Brianna Wiest.

[pandadrake]

Shots fired by the Spider-man sequels.

Was ruminating on how Miles and Miguel are technically both 'Spider-man 2' in their respective universes. Got me thinking about the other Spider-successors in the cast, and also what if they all got matching T-shirts or something.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

I was walking to our place when I crossed paths with one of our neighbors who asked me what we were doing tonight.

I said "nothing."

And he said "really?". Surprised.

It took me a coupla beats to get it and then it was like yeah. Valentine's Day.

So I told him that were in the habit of celebrating Valentine's Day after Valentine's Day. When the reservations are easier to come by and the Valentine's chocolates go on sale. 

"That's smart" our neighbor replies. And then he says this:

"You know, I can tell you and your wife are really in love."

Dang. That's a really nice thing to say.

So I thanked him for his kind words and we went our separate ways.

That really was a nice thing to say, by the way, and it's a thought that's really sticking.

Once upon a time we were classic Valentines. We were in our early twenties. We were dating. And we were in the Bubble.

You know the one, right? 

It's just the two of you and nothing else matters. It's a unique experience that's tied to being young, in love, with little more to life than that.

And then I asked my Valentine to marry me.

A few days ago, a friend of a friend was telling me how time flies. 

And I get it. 

When you look back a week. When you look back a month. When you look back a year then years then decades, yes. It all seems like time just whipped by. But that's what happens when you look back. Time collapses. And all the little moments that make up most of our lives are absorbed into the larger ones that come to represent the few things we do remember.

Fortunately, Kimmer 'n I have been taking photos since before we were married. And then somewhere in there social media became a thing and I was writing about our life together and no.

Time did not fly. It did not.

We lived each moment of our lives together. To the fullest. A true adventure if there ever was one. With plot twists and laughter, wonderful surprises and disheartening challenges, deep friendship, continuing romance, and a very certain sense of we're in this together.

What do I mean by "this"?

Good grief I mean everything.

You see, when you're dating, togetherness is a purely romantic endeavor. And when you bind your lives together, it's still that, yes. But it's also careers and bills and incomes and mega logistics and strategizing and cooking and chores and then all the stuff you want to do together. Restaurants and clubs and movies and road trips and hobbies and vacations and walks and so on and so on and so on.

In a way, you continue to grow up together. Through whatever this path is that you’re on.

It's not a drag, all the other stuff. Well, some of it is. But the rest of it, the shared experience that’s everything else but dating, well, somehow it gives our life together a scope it did not have when we were dating. As if we were in the amateur leagues before. 

And now we're in the pros.

It's Valentine's Day today, of course. We're not celebrating it today, though. We'll do that as soon as we can make a full day of it so that the celebration isn't shoe-horned into the end of a workday. It's Valentine's Day today and, like all such major holidays, it's a thread of sorts running from right now, this present moment of having built a life together out of two young and incomplete valentines... back through the love we celebrated year after year after Valentine's Day... all the way back to a time we were celebrating it on the day... all the way back to the very first one.

You know the one. 

That first one is unlike every other because it's a declaration. It is a public announcement that I have a Valentine. And there's no other feeling like that. To be young like that. To think you have the love of your life who actually does turn out to be the love of your life. Yeah.

Nothing like it.

Until one day you're talking to a mostly stranger. Someone who's randomly around but who doesn't know you at all.

And he says

"You know, I can tell you and your wife are really in love."

☺️😍❤️❤️❤️

[thegimmicky]

Misty sheepyard

[monty-glasses-roxy]

HALLOWEEN GAME TIME!!! WE'RE GOING TRICK OR TREATING!!!

ON THE DAY OF HALLOWEEN ask me or anyone else that's reblogged this, "trick or treat" and you shall recieve a random thing in your trick or treater bucket! What thing?

THAT'S UP TO WHO'S BLOG DOOR YOU'RE KNOCKING ON!!

A little doodle of their blorbo? An incorrect quote? A drawing of a little cat? A fun fact about bees? A little drabble (100 words I mean but do as you will) for a random thing? A photo of their pet dog? A headcanon? A fic recommendation? A random meme? An OC? A link to their current favourite song? A nice, virtual slap in the face? A trick? A treat? WHO KNOWS!!! NOT YOU OR ME THAT'S FOR SURE!!! (Just no screamers or shit like that of course lets not forget that lmao)

Why am I saying this now instead of on the day of the game? So anyone else that wants to play has plenty of time to prepare a little handful of things for the trick or treaters!!

Remember, it doesn't have to be anything big!!! You can be the blog that's giving everyone images of rotisserrie chicken you found on google, or you can be the blog that's giving everyone pictures of your cat if you want!! This is a low spoons and low stress game so do whatever you want to do that's easy for you!! Be a mix of everything or just give a 'hi!' it doesn't matter, it's all in good fun!! And we can trick or treat each other too, of course. Not as fun if you can't get any tricks or treats too, right? Anyone can trick or treat and anyone can be trick or treated!

I recommend making/queueing a post on the day so everyone knows you're playing btw (anyone that reblogs this post will get one off me too if they don't say otherwise in tags and if I remember I said this)

FOR TRICK OR TREATERS!!!

All you gotta do is send an ask with 'trick or treat' in it on Halloween! Halloween day!! 31st of October!! Day of spooky!! That's it!! (And if you go on anon no one will know if you come back again but I didn't tell you that lmao) I'll be answering any I get when it's Halloween in my timezone and I'm sure I won't be the only one so if you ask earlier, hang tight! It's probably not Halloween yet or they don't have time just yet cause it's a Tuesday! I believe that's everything so...

Have fun guys!!