#didn't realize this would become a pet peeve

[ttpd-tsxi]

i don't know what has overcome me I snapped at 3 people in class today and i was internally screaming to be left alone

[specialagentartemis]

pet peeve I didn't realize would become a peeve: people on tumblr talking about "The Odyssey" when they mean "Epic: The Musical"

[christronomy]

the angel's wings flutter slightly as shivers go down his spine, and he let's out a shaky breath. "we shouldn't be doing this..." is what he was about to say, but his breath hitches in his throat when you lean in to kiss his neck, the light pressure of your soft lips against his skin making him bite his lip and lean his head back subconsciously, providing some more room for you to kiss. his skin wasn't like a human's, in the sense that it was extremely clear, almost textureless, like porcelain, and soft like silk. it was also extremely warm and radiant, like he had been doused in a pool of light.

you'd always wondered what it would be like to touch him like this for as long as you can remember, and even now that you're finally doing it, it feels completely unreal. it doesn't feel wrong in this moment, but it also doesn't feel like it should even be possible to begin with. how someone like you, ended up with your hands on an angel—a holy entity, of all things... the odds really were in your favor. if this was a dream, you really didn't want to wake up.

he wasn't even trying to stop you as your hands trailed over his clothed body aimlessly, feeling the firmness in the muscles on his arms, on his abdomen, his thighs... even through the thick fabric of his tunic, you could tell his body was very well toned, and it made you ache for him even more.

you let your hands roave his body, pressing soft kisses against his collarbone until you reached his lips, perfectly plump and soft, like a cloud. like he was made of pieces of heaven. his tongue was already prodding at yours, wanting to taste you, and the more you touched and kissed him, the more he wanted. it was extremely dangerous for a being like him to do something like this, but it's you, and he's already so deeply in love... so maybe it's okay just this once, right?

he's so caught up his thoughts that he suddenly flinches, almost pulling away from you completely when he feels your hands trail up his back and touch the base of his wings.

hyunjin's wings are extremely sensitive to human touch, and you'd completely forgotten how much of a huge pet peeve it is for him when people attempted to touch them without his permission. you learned this in one of your earliest encounters, when he snuck into your room in the middle of the night again, the sound of the window opening startling you awake. it was the first night you realized his visits would become more frequent.

"jinnie?" you whine groggily, to which he lets out a soft chuckle as he sits on the edge of your bed, folding his large wings behind his back. your room always seemed a little brighter when he was in it, it's like he has a natural glow to his pretty pale skin. "hey you," he says softly, pinching your cheek affectionately when you scoot up to sit next to him.

"what brings you here at this time?" you ask, and he shrugs, smiling at you, his feathers fluttering a little as he does so. "it's just been a while," he says simply, leaning his head on your shoulder and unfolding one of his wings, wrapping it around you. it was a habit he'd picked up not too long after he met you, which was surprising to him, considering the fact that he never really liked physical touch all too much. being an angel who's job was to interact with humans eventually made you hate being touched, since for some reason humans always got handsy during encounters.

"it has..." you say, yawning a little as you lean into him, absentmindedly moving your hand up to play with his hair. the way it looks like it's made of pure gold has always intrigued you, and he secretly liked it when you ran your fingers through it for the first time, although it kind of annoyed him at first, since you did it without asking. but he understood that it was because you were curious. he'll only allow it if it's you, and you know that now, because he didn't pull away or jolt at your touch this time around.

but his wings were a different story. you'd noticed a stray feather that was clinging onto the wing he had draped over your shoulders, and didn't think about it before you reached out to brush it off, a soft gasp escaping your lips when he suddenly yanked it away from you, grumbling a harsh "don't...!"

you'd apologized and he was okay with it, but he was hesitant to even unfold his wings around you after that night. he recalled how scared you looked at first to even touch him after the way he'd chastised you so harshly for doing so, and he felt horrible for it, but now that this newfound desire between the two of you was rising a little more with every passing moment, the way you were kissing him made him feel things in his body he'd never felt before, and that meant that touching his wings made that feeling ten times harder to manage.

but now, he realized this time he didn't almost pull away because the sensation bothered him, it was because these new things he was feeling made them so sensitive to the touch, he almost let out a soft moan when your hand caressed his feathers. you opted for keeping your hand on the small of his back for now, your other hand trailing down to feel his thighs, tentatively inching upwards, and you let out a soft, shaky breath when you feel the bulge under the thick frabric of his tunic.

the way hyunjin is looking at you now is so full of danger. you're not even sure if this is right or wrong. your mind is too clouded from this intense desire you're experiencing to even think straight, but he hasn't stopped you, and you're too far into this to even want turn back now, but by the way he's looking at you, you can tell that he doesn't want you to either. it's almost as if he can feel the divine essence draining away from his body, being consumed by lust, dimming the light in his eyes but he can't resist you.

before he can even process what's really happening, he's got you pinned to your bed, one hand pressing against your lower abdomen, the other gripping your thigh tightly as his tongue teases you relentlessly, skillfully. it's as though he's done this before, like he already knows your body to a T. your moans are like music to his ears, and he knows what real music sounds like. he's an angel, for fucks sake—he knows what a real choir of angels singing sounds like, and it's nothing like anything in this world. but even then, your moans, the way his name drips off of your lips, sweet as honey, sounds so much better. the way you're tugging at his golden locks, pulling him impossibly closer is so much better than he could have imagined.

now he's inside of you, after having made you come on his tongue twice, and you're so sensitive you can't help the way your walls tremble and clench around him when he finally bottoms out. you feel divine. he's not sure if he'll ever be able to recover from this, although he knows he's too far gone now. his creator is surely not going to be happy when he confesses, although a certain part of him wonders if he'll have at least a little bit of mercy. love is a dangerous thing when there's too much of it, but love is also what makes up the very essense of him. surely the Creator should understand that, right?

you on the other hand, still can't believe this is even real, it's like you're living a dream within a dream. you can't help the way your hands instinctively move to touch the base of his wings when he gives you that first thrust, his cock kissing that gummy spot inside of you immediately. the sensation of your hands caressing the most sensitive part of him paired with your warmth gripping him so tightly have his head swimming in pleasure, and he can't help the sharp hiss that escapes him. he has to come inside you, claim you as his own, even if it costs him his entire existence.

"hey, jinnie... i'm curious. is being in heaven better than being here, on earth?" you ask, your voice barely a whisper as you cuddle closer to him, nuzzling your cheek against his bare chest. he nods, even though you can't really see his face. "i guess i can say it is better, in a way, because we're limitless up there. there's no pain or sickness... but if i had to choose, i'd say that this, being here with you..." he starts, staring up at the ceiling as he trails off, his fingers playing with your hair absentmindedly. some part of him is begging his god, his creator for mercy, forgiveness, and the other part of him could really give less of a fuck. you're the love of his life, but also the very thing that is going to make him lose everything, and probably end up turning him into something ugly. a monster... a demon. the very thing he'd feared his entire life. but he knows now that even if the whole world is against him, even if a god rejects him, you will still love him, regardless of what he becomes.

"this feels so much better. a thousand times better. everything is better with you, my muse."

[btsqualityy]

BTS Dating Series #17: Pet Peeves

Members x Reader

Genre/Rate: 18+, fluff

Summary: Little things that just....annoy you or him about each other.

Warnings: None to note.

Kim Seokjin

You threw your body into a chair in the corner of your bedroom, folding your arms across your chest as Jin stared at you incredulously. The two of you had been in a somewhat heated disagreement and once you started to feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, you chose to just...stop talking in an effort to calm yourself.

"Are you really gonna not say anything else?" Jin wondered, huffing harshly when you only responded with further silence. "You know, that's another thing that you do that I hate."

"What?" You couldn't help but to ask.

"Any time we have an argument or even a hard conversation, you clam up and stop talking," he explained. "That makes it almost impossible to fix anything and it also makes me feel like some type of villain."

"Oh," you murmured, looking down at your feet. "I didn't realize that it made you feel that way. I just..."

"What?" Jin encouraged as he stepped over to you and bent down so that he was looking up at you.

"In past relationships, whenever I would get chastised or yelled at, I found that not saying anything helped to not escalate things," you admitted, finally looking up at your boyfriend. "I don't want things to escalate with you, Jin."

"Oh baby," he murmured, grabbing your hands and bringing them both up to his mouth, pressing soft kisses to them before he pulled them away to speak. "You never have to worry about that with me. Whenever we're disagreeing about something, it's never me against you. It's us against the problem, ok? It doesn't mean that I hate you or that I don't want to be with you because that would never be the case, ok?"

"Ok," you nodded. "I'm sorry for shutting down on you. I'll do my best to work on that."

"Ok," Jin agreed. "I love you."

"I love you too," you replied before leaning down and kissing him softly.

Min Yoongi

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Yoongi chuckled in disbelief and you barely spared him a glance from your spot on his living room couch. You and Yoongi had planned to spend the whole weekend together since it was one of his rare ones off. However, he got called into the studio at the last minute and had to go handle it before you two headed out on your planned date for the day.

Now, that wasn't a problem for you whatsoever because Yoongi said he'd text you when he was heading back home. One hour went by, then two hours and by the time the third hour rolled around, you were throughly pissed off. Once he did finally make it back to his apartment where he'd left you, you had become resolute in giving him the silent treatment.

"Do you know how childish you're acting right now?" Yoongi wondered. "I know that I told you it wouldn't take me long and I'm sorry that it did but you can't be this upset over that!"

"You cannot tell me what I can and cannot be upset over," you finally spoke up.

"Oh look, she speaks." You glared at him, throwing him the middle finger before you folded your arms across your chest. All Yoongi could do was groan loudly as he ran his hands over his face, becoming more irritated as time went on.

"Listen, I do not do well with the silent treatment and I hate it when you do this so if you want me to fix it, you're going to have to cooperate and talk to me or else I won't be able to," he shrugged. "Up to you." You sighed heavily then, knowing that you were being petty and that your boyfriend was right.

"I'm sorry," you murmured. "I just got upset when you took longer than you said you would. Made it feel like you forgot about me."

"I could never forget about you," he cooed, bending down so that he was squatting in front of you as he took your hands in his to hold. "I'm sorry that I didn't keep you in the loop. I'll make sure to be more mindful of that, ok?" You nodded with a smile, surging forward and throwing your arms around him in a hug.

Kim Namjoon

"If you would just listen to me, I'd be able to explain it to you!" You exclaimed angrily as you stared at Namjoon, who was standing on the other side of the island in your kitchen. The two of you had been cooking dinner together when you made what was intended to be a light hearted joke about his cooking skills. However, Namjoon didn't take it that way at all which led to a full blown argument.

"You can be so flippant when you say certain things to me, you know?" Namjoon pointed out.

"Me, flippant?" You scoffed, throwing your hands up in immediate surrender. "And on that note, I need some space." You turned around and began to walk out of the kitchen but you realized that you could hear footsteps behind you.

"And that's another thing," Namjoon snapped. "Anytime we get into an argument or fight, you insist on walking away."

"Because I need space!" You shouted as you turned around to look at him. "I literally just said that or were you not listening?"

"We're not gonna fix anything if you keep doing that."

"But we're also not going to fix anything if I can't take the space I need to calm down so that I'm not escalating the situation," you explained. "I know you wanna talk it out but just....give me a little while."

"Fine," Namjoon relented and he turned around and walked away before you even had the chance to say another word.

Jung Hoseok

"It was so good to see you!" Hobi smiled to Juhyun, who grinned widely as Hobi gave her a gentle hug.

"It was good to see you as well, Hobi," she replied before turning around and walking out of the store. Hobi walked back over to you then, where you had been pretending to browse the store's selection of shoes but you had really been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"See anything you might like?" Hobi asked you and you shrugged noncommittally, biting your lip before you decided to just take the risk and ask what was on your mind.

"Can I ask you something?" You wondered.

"Anything."

"Are you still friends with all of your exes?" You questioned and Hobi rose an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know if friends is the word I'd really use to describe it," he began. "Even if we broke up, none of them were necessarily on bad terms or anything like that so it's not hard for me to speak to them whenever I might see them."

"Hmm," you murmured and Hobi couldn't help but to smile at you.

"Jealous?"

"Don't know if jealous is really the word I'd use," you replied, echoing his previous statement. "But it does make me feel weird that you're.....so friendly. I don't like it."

"So, should I keep it to a hi and bye?" He asked. "And no hugs?"

"That actually would be nice," you nodded.

"Done," Hobi grinned. "Now, come on. I wanted to check out another store while we're here." You smiled to yourself as Hobi grabbed your hand and led you out of the store.

Park Jimin

You were laid out in Jimin's bed, waiting for him to get home from rehearsal. You had had an extremely long day at work so needless to say, you were more than excited to see your boyfriend so that you could get all the cuddles that you could handle.

As you were browsing the internet on your laptop, you heard the front door open and close and not long after that, Jimin was pushing open the door to the bedroom.

"Hi Jimin-ssi," you greeted him happily, watching as he threw his bag down and instantly walked over to the closet.

"Hi baby," he muttered as he worked on changing out of his dance clothes and into more comfortable ones. As he did this, you closed the laptop and set it on the bedside table before you laid down on your side. Once Jimin was done changing, he walked over to the bed and laid down on his back, shutting his eyes and not saying a word.

"How was your day?" You spoke up and Jimin just shrugged, eyes still closed.

"Same old, same old."

"Did you guys finish learning the choreography to that new song you showed me?" You wondered and Jimin nodded. "Aw, I'm sure it's amazing. I can't wait to see it." Jimin still hadn't said a word and you sighed heavily. "Jimin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he deadpanned. "I'm fine."

"Baby, you're obviously not fine," you replied gently. "I'm willing to listen if you want to talk."

"Well, I don't want to talk," he grunted. "Just leave me alone."

"You know, I was really looking forward to you getting here because I had a long day too and all I wanted was to cuddle with you but if you're going to be a jerk just because you're in a shitty mood, then I'll just go home," you snapped and just as you moved to rip the blanket off of your body, Jimin gently grabbed your arm.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It was just a hard day and I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"And that's fair that you didn't feel like talking but don't clam up on me," you murmured as you turned around to face him. "I'm here to help, always."

"I know," he smiled gently. "Come here." He opened his arms and you moved closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around you as he held your body tightly to his. "I love you."

"I love you too," you whispered, smiling to yourself when you felt him kiss your forehead.

Kim Taehyung

"Oh my gosh, you know what we should do tonight?" Taehyung asked you and you looked up at him from your spot next to him on his couch. The two of you had planned on just having a date night in but apparently, Taehyung had other ideas.

"What?"

"We should get dressed and go to that new jazz club that just opened last month," he suggested and you instantly grimaced. "What is it?"

"I don't know about that," you replied. "I was kind of looking forward to staying in."

"But we've been doing that for so many weekends now," he pointed out. "It might be fun to get out, have a little change of scenery."

"Hmm, I don't think so," you shook your head and your eyes widened when you heard Taehyung sigh heavily.

"Why don't you ever want to go out?" He demanded to know. "I could probably count on one hand how often we've been out together, just to do something fun."

"I'm a homebody," you shrugged. "I've always preferred to be home to than go out to some club or something like that."

"And I fully respect that but couldn't we do it sometimes?" He suggested. "Just occasionally?"

"You know what, yeah," you agreed. "I promise, I'll try to make sure that we do more of the things you enjoy too, ok?"

"Thank you," Taehyung grinned widely before leaning over and kissing you firmly.

Jeon Jungkook

"What the hell?" You muttered as you picked pieces of clothes up off of the living room floor. "Has a man been staying with me or a fucking animal?" In an effort to spend more time together, Jungkook had been spending more time at your apartment and he had definitely made himself comfortable in your space. Maybe even a little...too comfortable.

"Baby, I have lamb skewers!" Jungkook exclaimed as he stepped through the front door of your apartment, one bag in each hand as he shut the door with his foot. He stopped right in his tracks though when he saw you standing in the middle of the living room with an unamused look on your face. "What's wrong?"

"No, the problem is what's wrong with you?" You demanded to know. "Have you never seen a hamper? Do you not know what it looks like so that you can put your clothes in it?"

"No, those are my clean clothes," he told you.

"Why are they on the floor then?"

"Because I didn't want them to get mixed up with my dirty ones," he shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why not just put the dirty in the- you know what, no," you cut yourself off. "I'm not even gonna attempt to understand male logic. Just give me my skewers, please."

"Here you go," Jungkook smiled, waiting until you had dropped the clothes in your hands before he handed one of the bags off to you. "I love you."

"Yeah yeah, love you too, messy animal," you grumbled, making Jungkook laugh out loud.

..........................................................

Tag List: @addictedtohobi @brittneymccray @cursedcursives @arata18nanami @leftieaquarius @devilsbooksworld @starmyy @werewolfbanshee-love @li-moonchild-il @kpop-servant @cheysjimin

[sssilverstoned]

while you can still smell them ꩜ ln4

type: full length fic

word count: 3.9k

title from: i wish you roses by kali uchis

warnings: some fluff, angst, but like it's a happy ending. cursing bc i'm me, italics are memories

lily said: you know me i can never leave well enough alone. i thought this little snapshot of the break that was never really a break would be cute! for context, i'd suggest looking at the ig au linked below! this would be taking place in between part 2 and 3.

part 1

part 2

part 3

masterlist

You've only seen Lando cry on occasions that called for it. When family members died, when racing got too much for his mental, in some awful, awful moments. Maybe that's why it hurts so bad to see him cry now.

"A break feels a lot like you should add 'up' to that statement," he had said, turning away from you, looking out at the stars. You were sat on his balcony, feeling suffocated by the apartment. But the AC was on and working fine, and windows were open. Your emotions were suffocating you, that was more fitting.

"We can't keep on like this, Lan," you say in a broken voice, the lump in your throat thick and threatening. "It's not fair to either of us."

He doesn't realize he's crying until the drop hits his nose, making it quirk up in surprise. He swipes at his face, a pawlike move to get rid of the teardrops.

"Do you not love me anymore?"

His question makes you sob. Full body, head dropping to chest, your hands writing in your lap. The sound of you breaking down turns him back to you, rushing to the chair you've melted into. He lifts your face in his hands, and you take a breath when you see his face, discolored with tears.

"I'll always love you," he makes out of your words, just barely. "I, I just, it's not the same,"

"We can fix this, us. We can work on it together," Lando's brain is whirring at hyper speed, damage controlling the last 8 months of your lives together.

The cracks began to become schisms when he committed your largest pet peeve, which was ignoring things out of ease. Blissful ignorance, if you will.

It was small things, like forgetting about date nights in lieu of longer trainings or prolonging trips. Sometimes he forgot to water the plants, or didn't move laundry over, and that was manageable. That's what every couple encounters. What every couple does not encounter, was the intense pressure of racing a car for a living.

He was frustrated, with Zak, with anything papaya colored, and with his own self-doubts. He carried that frustration in his chest, and it came out in some of the words he spoke to you, and actions he took. You eventually stopped offering to come over and cook, because dinners were becoming continuously tense, and you were uncomfortable. Felt like a nuisance.

But at the same time, you were both so codependent. Without anything being said, you two began to avoid things you assumed the other wouldn't like, and asked for permission to do the smallest of things. You first noticed it when your sister pointed had asked you to come go with her out of town for the weekend, and you hesitated. "I'll have to ask Lando," you had told her. She bit her tongue.

Lando was just as bad, he had quite literally lost the ability to sleep when you weren't around. It made Grand Prix weekends an actual nightmare when you weren't there, calling you at any times in the day or night.

"Are you alright, it's 4am,"

"Sorry, can't sleep again. The melatonin does nothing,"

"Did you try the tea my mum got you?"

"Baby I just," he scrubs a hand down his exhausted face. "I just need you here."

"I can't just get up and go to Australia."

"I'll get you a flight, or maybe we can-"

"Lando," you say in a sterner voice. "I can't."

He's quiet for a moment, and you wonder what's going through his head. You hardly raised your voice or got intense, certainly never at him. But then again, recently, you seemed to never know what was going through his head.

It was silly to think that Lando was the same man that you began dating. You were 19, you would pray that he had changed somehow over the span of 5 years. But there was something missing that once was. The relationship was becoming more of a task, and that wasn't right. Which is what brought you to this moment, brought you to telling him you needed to talk.

"Lan," you whimper, bringing a hand up where his hold your face on either side. You don't even have to say anything more, he knows you better than you know yourself. And he begins to cry harder.

"I've never loved anyone but you, baby."

"I know."

"I can't, I really don't want to live without you," he shakes his head, standing back up to his full height. His hands stay busy, though, ripping through his hair.

"I'm not going to go away," you explain, agonized that you're calmer than he at this point. You stand from the wicker chair, but don't edge closer to him. "But my career is unpredictable right now, 6 months in Marbella is a long time. And you're, well, everywhere. And you need to focus on that."

"I've multitasked for 5 years," he says bitterly, making you sigh. His eyes are back on the stars, and his back to you makes your eyes blurry again.

"I'm not happy." You finally blurt, making his body stiffen. "I'm really not."

When he looks at you again, his expression reads clearly with fatigue, with anguish. "Please, baby, don't,"

It's your turn to clutch his face, bringing his forehead to touch with yours. Through your contact, you feel the heaves of his body, the breaths he's trying to control. "It's not forever," you whisper, mustering courage. "But we need to stop acting like everything's fine."

"I don't see myself without you."

"You're not," your hold tightens, he leans further into your palm, "but we've grown up together. The flower pot's too small now," you try to joke, he barely can fake amusement.

"I'll buy a thousand new pots."

"We need to clean up the broken one, first." His jaw clenches, you soothe it with your thumb. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He says back, almost silently. "Still wear that Mclaren shirt on race days, I need the luck."

You finally crack a smile. "I'll wear the hat too if my hairstyle permits."

He kisses you, almost convincing himself this if is the last fix he can get for a while, he needed it now. Not that either of you know it, but you both have the same thought. You both notice that your cheeks have each other's tears on them now, not sure which ones came from whom. You were on the same page in that regard, at least.

꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜

"You should ask y/n out," your best friend says to Lando in the middle of a party. He chokes on his drink, not expecting her to come up to him like she did, and not expecting the words out her mouth.

You all were freshly 19, still congregating in someone's living room to try to have a good time. He knew your friends better than he knew you, the newest of the group in town, only having moved to the area with your family when you were 16.

"Should I, now?" He says, recovering from his fright.

"Yeah," she replies, ignoring the sarcasm. "She goes on about you, it's cute. She'd hurt me if she knew I told you, though. Not sure what she sees in you," his eyes narrow at the girl, which she ignores once again. "You'd be lucky to have a girl like her in your life."

That much, he knew. You were fiercely loyal to your friends and family, and treated him with a kindness that made him melt every time. You were funny, and genuine, and not to mention, the most beautiful person he's sure he knows.

When he bumps into you later at the party, he asks you what you're doing the following evening.

That was the story he'd tell people with a proud grin when they ask how you two got together. All you recount is how he nearly ruined your cute top with a shitty guinness.

He's struck with the memory when he sees the guinness logo in the ads on the walls of a restaurant. "Mate," Max all but snaps his fingers. Lando locks back in, humming for what he missed.

"Was just curious if you wanted to go out tonight. They've been texting in the chat about it, I saw you never responded."

Clubbing wasn't as fun as it used to be, not when you weren't dancing your heart out beside him, or waiting in bed with your nose in a book when he came home because you weren't feeling like going out. It felt like a waste of his time, and like he was sucking the fun out of other people's nights.

"'M alright," he says with a tight mouthed grin. "Gonna sit this one out."

Max looks at his friend, seeing through his response. "When's the last time you went out?"

If he had to take an educated guess, you last graced his apartment that night on the balcony, 4 weeks ago. So, 4 weeks ago. Perhaps longer, judging by the schisms. "A while. Not up to it."

"You're torturing yourself."

"I'm not interested in getting shitfaced, Max."

Max looks away for a second, quickly weighing the pros and cons of asking what he's been wanting to for the last, well, 4 weeks. "Do you think Y/n is wallowing too?"

The sound of your name makes his fingers twitch inadvertently, almost like a flinch. "That's not fair."

"I'm serious, Lando. You said she needed a break because she felt like you two were co-dependent and not actually working through problems, and look at you. You're not functioning without her. I mean, it's your fucking birthday next week, and you haven't brought it up once, you realize that, right?"

He knows he's right. Nothing he said was out of line, or wrong, and that's why Lando has nothing to say back. He wants to argue, to prove him wrong, but he can't. He's seen your ads and campaigns, the beautiful shots of you promoting luxury brands and names that your fans only dreamed of owning. Despite the distance, he was so proud of you still. You worked hard, were disciplined and humble through your success. He had texted you when the Dior campaign had launched, and the message of your thanks, with a smiley face, made him, for just a second, think that things were back to normal.

When they left the restaurant, and ran directly into fans, Lando tried to put on his best face for them, smiling for selfies and signing what was gestured toward him. When a sweet looking girl with glasses shyly spoke up, telling her favorite driver where she was visiting from, his tired eyes light up. "You're from there?" He confirms, and she smiles with an eager nod.

"Y/n is too," he almost mumbles, but every fan in earshot heard it. The typical squeals followed, the hushed whispers amonst themselves on if they'd push the questions they were itching to ask or not. And heard it they did, as the encounter made its way onto social media and gossip pages. But Max was right, his mourning period needed to be over, if anything was going to change for the better.

You call him on his birthday. It was nerve wracking, which made you bitterly laugh, because never did you think you'd be nervous to talk to Lando Norris of all people. One of the few people in the world you wholeheartedly trusted.

It had only been about a month since you requested time apart, and he had honored that. The texts were sparse, the calls nonexistent. Although, that was sort of what had brought you to this point anyway. But you were working on yourself, and your career at the same time, and things were looking better. Change never happened overnight, but the journal your therapist recommended, and the disappearance from social media besides professional posts were great starts.

You bite at your cuticle as the phone rings. You take your cell away from your ear, chest panging at the contact name "Lan <3" at the top of the screen. Was he really going to screen your call? Is that what you deserved, possibly?

"Y/n," he finally answers, and you quickly bring your phone back to your ear.

"Hi," you say awkwardly. "Happy birthday, Lando."

"Thank you," he says stiffly. "I'm happy to hear from you."

"Yeah I um, haven't really been on my phone here," you bite harder on your finger. "I think it's nice here, you'd love Marbella."

"I'm sure I would," he says with what you can hear is a smile. "I miss you, you know?"

"I miss you too," you concede, "how have you been?"

"Not great, I won't lie. Much rather would hear about you."

"'s not my birthday," and he smiles a bit at that.

"Well, racing's fine. But Max is sick of my shit, says I've been wallowing."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

You don't really know what to say, you've rarely been the perpetrator of his negative feelings. No relationship was perfect, but you all hadn't really hit a communication wall until now. It was uncharted, scary territory. "Well, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday, that was all. Have a good day, really. 24 is a big one. Kobe year, that's what someone said to me. I hope this year is great for you."

"Y/n, wait," he halts your beginnings to hang up. "I'd like to come to see you soon, I've got some time before Abu Dhabi and maybe I could swing by Spain on the way."

"Lando," he absolutely hates that you're calling him by his whole name. Lan, that's what would you called him almost exclusively. Lando feels so formal from you.

He needs to hear it, you know he does. He needs to hear that you want to see him, that you need to see him just as much as he yearns to put eyes on you once more. But you were constantly afraid of accidental manipulation, holding him by some invisbile garotte. But this was his first birthday you hadn't celebrated together since you were 19, that meant something.

"Please focus on racing," you implore, and squeeze your eyes shut before adding, "but you if you'd like to come and it won't be an issue in your plans, you're more than welcome."

꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜꩜

You saw the posts, it wasn't very hard. Fans utterly disappointed that you and Lando hadn't been seen together in ages, putting pieces together quickly after you didn't post for his birthday. It didn't make you feel worse, to be truthful, and to your surprise. You were sure there'd be a barrage of insults hurled your way, maybe a cheating rumor or two. But really, all there was to see were requiems for your relationship, nostalgia for what once was. What did cause you to delete instagram from your phone, was the response to the podcast.

You were single for the time being, that's what you and Lando had agreed on when he visited you. It wasn't an invitation to go out and find the next man to lay in your bed, but you both had agreed that it wasn't healthy to hold out in anticipation of your rekindling.

"You're the only girl I've, you know," he awkwardly trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. He sits up in bed, linens pooling around his hips. Hooking up with your now ex-boyfriend, might've not been your brightest idea, sure, but you were both human, at the end of the day.

"Fucked?" you tease, remaining comfortable against your plush pillow. "I know. First few times kinda showed that."

He looks back at you pointedly. "You cried the first time."

"It hurt!"

He rolls his eyes, shaking his head in fake annoyance. You grin. "I'm sure the girlies are gonna have a field day with you being single now,"

He rolls his eyes again, laying, or rathing slumping, back into the pillow next to you. His arm instinctively comes around the top of your head, you try not to lean into it. "I think I really will finally listen to you and focus on racing."

You turn on your side, admiring his profile as he stares up at the ceiling, probably tangled in his thoughts. His nose sloped perfectly, the little freckles dotting his skin like constellations. Your boy.

"I told my mum."

He snorts. "She hates me now, I'm sure."

"Mm, no, her first ask was what I did," your mom was Lando's biggest fan, through and through. Of course, you were her daughter, but she was convinced he was cosmically made perfectly for you.

He looks at you then, realizing your eyes have been on him the whole time. He copies your position, turning to you so your bodies lay parallel, nowhere to look but each other's eyes.

"Do you regret that I'm the only boyfriend you've ever had?"

You immediately shake your head in denial of the question. "No, not at all," you were lucky, if anything. "You?"

"Well, I've had other girlfriends,"

"Ouch?"

"You knew that," he chuckles, and yeah, you did. "But I don't regret that you're the only one I've been serious about. I still am."

"I know. I am too."

"An ex-boyfriend doesn't lay in bed with you, you know."

"And an ex-girlfriend doesn't still remind your team when your doctor's appointments are,"

"Fair enough, guess we're just weird."

You share a matching grin. "So weird."

So once Alex uploaded the Call Her Daddy episode you were a guest on, and it was official to the masses that you had been single for now almost 4 months, the articles came in. The timelines of you and Lando's relationship, the rumors of him leaving clubs with random girls. You'd be lying if you said you didn't zoom in on some of their faces, relaxing when you recongized most of them as friends or even family members. He wasn't yours to be worried about, you suppose, but you also knew that any girl he decided to share his time with would be a lucky one.

Your friends had tried to get you on dates, that wasn't a lie when you said that on the podcast. But you weren't ever excited to get to know someone new, small talk was painful and you didn't feel comfortable going home with them.

But then, a few weeks later into February, you get a phone call from Lando. "Hi," You answer, pleasently surprised.

"Hey there," he says, sounding slightly out of breath. "How are you?"

"I'm good, great even. Finished up everything down here, leaving Marbella next week to head back home." Home was London to you, not Monaco. You constantly visited, had a family flat there and everything, but couldn't leave officially becuause of your career.

"Congratulations, everything looked stunning," he compliments, and your stomach flutters.

"But um, how are you? I'd ask if you were relaxing, but I'm sure training's well underway."

"Meh, more or less. I'm heading to Surrey next week, actually. Got some stuff to do at HQ."

"Oh," Surrey was only about an hour and a half from where you were in London. "Would you, well, not assuming anything, but if you'd have time to spare, it would be great to catch up?"

This isn't why Lando called you, you fully know this. Who knows what he picked up the phone for, he could be calling to let you know he's eloped with someone he's met in the 6 months you've been apart.

"I'd love to," you hear his grin in his voice. "You haven't moved, have you?"

Not only had you not moved, but you haven't changed much about your flat either. Same bedding, same color schemes, same photos decorating your tables and walls of your friends, family, and Lando. He never took the photos of you down either, and that photo from your 21st birthday was still stuffed in his wallet.

You order takeout, sitting across the kitchen island from each other acting like it didn't feel like your first date again. He acts like he doesn't want to reach out for your hands as you animatedly use them to share stories of Spain, and you act like you don't want to push the curls back that threathen to land over his eyebrows.

The food gets cold as you two catch up, a few glasses of wine becoming a whole bottle gone. You actually can't remember the last time the two of you had done this, and perhaps, absence had truly made your hearts grow fonder.

"Bahrain is on leap day," Lando says, making you gasp.

"That's got to be good luck, no?"

"It's just the first practice,"

"But still, you're starting your first weekend of the year on a special day like that," you muse, "so exciting. I'm excited for you,"

His chest warms at endearment in your voice. You truly and honestly rooted for him through everything, that was one of the things he was most grateful for about you. He knows you don't truly care about all of this, if he won or lost, but that you care about him and his development, how he sees himself and his profession. He fell in love with that about you.

"Would you come?"

You hesitate, daring to look at him from where you had begun to clean the countertop. "To the race? "

He nods, and turn back to the counter. "I don't know, Lan. Is that where we are?"

He hopes so. He's missed you something horrible, prays you missed him just as bad.

Lando takes the cloth from your hand, replacing it with his own. "I know it's only been about 6 months, and that's not enough time to say everything's well and dandy," you fight a smile. "But I want to work through things, with you. I've had nothing but time to consider what was off with us, and I want to be better. For you, more than anything. Yeah, I learned how to be just Lando. But I know I prefer being Lando and Y/n."

You bite your lip, finally meeting his eyes. "I want to take it slow."

"We can do that,"

"So, I don't know if I'm ready for the race. But, my birthday's coming up,"

"It is,"

"And we'll be in Dubai. My sister did it up, got this crazy plan going since it'll be my 25th."

"Quite the old woman you're becoming,"

"Oh get off that," you scoff, pushing his chest. He chuckles and pulls you back into him, where you go willingly. "But, if you can, I'd love for you to come to the dinner."

He raises an eyebrow with a smirk. "You want me to fly to Dubai just for your birthday dinner?"

"You'll be in Saudi Arabia then anyway,"

The smirk gets bigger. "You know my schedule already, love?"

"You're so fucking cheeky, can't stand it," you feign annoyance, but never move from his arms.

He holds you, as your arms delicately find themselves behind his neck, not daring to kiss just yet. To really be honest, you're not sure if you're ready to take that whole plunge.

"I'm happy to be back, even if things are slow. They can be molasses for all I care."

"Thank you for being patient with me," you lean your forehead against his. However, this time, neither of you are crying. Nice, for a change.

"I'd wait decades for you, my love."

After a beat of sweet silence. You speak up once more. "One thing though," he hums to prompt your continuance. "I'm pretty sure, when it's said, it's Y/n and Lando, just so you know."

[esther-dot]

The debate about the appropriateness of Jonsa overshadows the political/feudal argument. Unless you can make a convincing case Sansa is going to run away and become a peasant with Sandor (didn't GRRM literally mock that...), or that she can singlehandedly Elizabeth the first it, then you need to be thinking about marriage. Marriage is just as important as war in GRRM's books, if not moreso, and it's a symbolic struggle at that.

Of course Stumpy has searched for Sansa's husband and applied this thinking, but it's one that's otherwise severely lacking. GRRM would go there. We know he'd go there, cousins or not. The question is, why?

Stumpy's Find Sansa's Husband is one of my favs!

No worries! Each of us has a fandom pet peeve we need to rant about. And you're right about Martin's criticism of the "running off with a stable boy trope," in fact, it sounds like the idea really annoys him (his quote below the cut)

And then there are some things that are just don’t square with history. In some sense I’m trying to respond to that. [For example] the arranged marriage, which you see constantly in the historical fiction and television show, almost always when there’s an arranged marriage, the girl doesn’t want it and rejects it and she runs off with the stable boy instead. This never fucking happened. It just didn’t. There were thousands, tens of thousand, perhaps hundreds of thousands of arranged marriages in the nobility through the thousand years of Middle Ages and people went through with them. That’s how you did it. It wasn’t questioned. Yeah, occasionally you would want someone else, but you wouldn’t run off with the stable boy. And that’s another of my pet peeves about fantasies. The bad authors adopt the class structures of the Middle Ages; where you had the royalty and then you had the nobility and you had the merchant class and then you have the peasants and so forth. But they don’t’ seem to realize what it actually meant. They have scenes where the spunky peasant girl tells off the pretty prince. The pretty prince would have raped the spunky peasant girl. He would have put her in the stocks and then had garbage thrown at her. You know. I mean, the class structures in places like this had teeth. They had consequences. And people were brought up from their childhood to know their place and to know that duties of their class and the privileges of their class. It was always a source of friction when someone got outside of that thing. And I tried to reflect that.

I think the issue is, S*nsans and people who shipped Sansa with LF were some of the first to write real meta on her (from what I've heard), so certain fans/perceptions got pretty firmly established, and then a new generation of Sansa fan came along who rejected the Sansa x adult man/molester ships, but it was pretty easy for them to assume that due to Sansa's age, Martin would leave her marriage to the future.

Also, a lot of people don't expect Sansa to be QitN, so the succession issue isn't putting pressure on the marriage timeline, and if you're someone who thinks Bran will actually be king over all Westeros or Rickon will be KitN etc etc, you can imagine Sansa's endgame is safety in Winterfell, not a romance or marriage.

Personally, I think Sansa's interactions with Cersei and LF indicate that she wants to be the right kind of queen (in defiance of Cersei's advice) and is being equipped with tools to achieve her own ends / play the game, for the right reasons, to good ends, but being handed tools nonetheless. She is so unfocused on her birthright and power, it seemed like she was meant to be contrasted with Cersei and Dany. The natural endpoint of that imo would be her becoming queen. And, if she is queen, I've argued that based on other queen's experiences, we must see her married as being a queen is a whole new set of risks, not a happy ending in and of itself.

Of course, some have speculated that the endgame will be indicated, not actually chronicled on the page, as in, Jon and Sansa fall in love, but Jon does get sent to the wall or goes into exile for a callback of what Sansa imagined she could do to save Ned, and we end kinda knowing, eventually they'll get back together, but the actual happy ending isn't on the page. Or the alternative scenario is that Jon is named KitN because of Robb's Will and marries Sansa to resolve all the chaos after parentage reveal. That's where your thoughts on the political aspect of marriage comes in because that would be very tidy. Actually, whoever is recognized by the Northern Lords, whether it’s my preference of Sansa or Jon, the heir issue was a big deal for Robb, so marriage / heirs will certainly come up and impact the plot.

As for Jonsa itself and it being icky to some, I've said before, I think Martin must have something he wants to do with incest beyond showcasing how toxic it is. As in, that is not a way to challenge the reader, by saying something we all know, and his whole shtick is to write complexity into every relationship, every hero, even many villains, so I don't for a minute believe that's he's introduced this topic without planning to ask the audience to think a little more deeply on it. To force us to look at it from a different angle. The way he does that is to give us heroes who are tempted and make us squirm until we get parentage reveal.

[tonowarislut]

RHEA RIPLEY X READER

! Soft Content, a bit of cussing, use of her real name !

English is not my first language, sorry for eventual errors

Orlando, Florida means one thing... TRAFFIC JAM.

"Hey babe i'm stuck in the traffic...shit this bastard!" said an upset Demi.

"What happened?" You asked worried shifting your phone to the other ear.

"Oh nothing babe just a fucker cutting my way with his scooter" answered the wrestler

"I always wondered how this type of people have a license, they are a living danger jeez" you said

"Yeah i should've run over him and his stupid scooter" replied the girl

"Demi! Hahahaha you can't!" My god. She was so funny. You were so lucky to have her as a girlfriend.

Demi thought the same thing. When you first met she was so fascinated, you were so respectful, kind and funny. That's why she decided to get to know you.

Where you met? On backstage 2 year ago, during a short interview. You were the interviewer.

You asked something like her favorite holiday, biggest pet peeve, fan crush, biggest fear...

Since the atmosphere during the interview was to her liking, light, she decided to exchange numbers.

The rest happened fast.

Becoming friends, be there for just a (favorite cafè beverage) or a serious topic like her brake up with his ex boyfriend or her matches.

You had so much fun with her and then, some months later you fell in love. You adored her.

She was always there for you and you for her.

At first you didn't say anything, you just wanted to be near the wrestler as a friend i mean.. she was heterosexual you hadn't a chance but then you decided to tell her because she was becoming a really important and special person in your life.

You just couldn't give up your romantic feelings so you needed Rhea to reject you to move on or the opposite.

Flashback

You were at the wrestler house, on the couch, for a movie night.

Yeah movie night. You become so close that every Saturday possible you would come to her house to watch a movie. From horror to comedy movies.

"Demi i need to tell you something" you said nervously worried

Rhea looked in your eyes and asked you, worried as well "Yeah, tell me... Is everything okay Y/n?"

You nodded "Yes! Everything is fine but i'm a little nervous. I know how to say this but i don't know how you will take it, i want to tell you without you excluding me from your life. I care too much now, i'd be sad if you left me "

Demi took your hands and played with your fingers to relax you "Don't worry darling i won't leave you..." Then you saw her gasp and say "No! No Y/n you traitor. I know what you did, where this is going"

You died in the spot. Fuck. You were fucked.

"You, you watched the new Dragonball film without me, like we promised" she continued saying.

"What? Ahahahah No! Demi! You almost gave me a heart attack" you said slapping her tattooed toned arm.

"Agh it's all so easy and hard at the same time! Okay i'll tell you" she squeezed your hands in reassurance and after looking at her beautiful eyes you find the courage "I-I simply love you Demi, not only as a friend"

Her expression calmed for a second and then she gave you a big smile.

"I do too" she answered you, her thick Australian accent showing.

At this point you didn't know what made you go more crazy, if her answer or the accent you loved.

You blinked and screamed low "WHAT?! REALLY?! But i thought you.."

She laughed and said "Yeah. It was a surprise for me too. I realized it last month when you were being cute to the barista, when i saw her gay panic i though 'I can relate' "

Whispering you repeated her words not believing it "Gay panic?"

You went red. You were excitedly and positively embarrassed.

Demi "yeah"

You "Are you Bi?"

Demi "Yeah i'm"

You "I thought...i thought"

Demi "Me too but here i'm. Not a big thing. Love is love. I only know that i love talking and spending time with you and to tell you the truth i'm dying to kiss you. Can i kiss you? "

You "Yeah! Of cour-"

She hugged and kissed you sweetly. You then sit on her lap, grabbed gently her hair and deepened the kiss.

Finally you were kissing your beloved Demi Bennett and your stomach was feeling it all. Spinning and twisting.

After the kiss you rested your forehead on hers and smiled, she did the same.

You were so happy.

You hugged her neck and told her "I love you, i love youu" she laughed, rubbing your back and answered "me too babe"

That's how the answers to that song you often listened and related were answered.

What song? More than a friend by Girli

[thatoneweirdowhoknowstoomuch]

Where's Waldo Headcanons Pt 2

Odlaw!

•》General《•

* His full name is Louise Odlaw M. Inidlaw

* Transmasc; got top surgery as a sign of rebellion to his Mami

* Heavily masked Autistic/ADHD, didn't figure out what was wrong with him until he was fully "introduced" to Wally

Wenda: You and Wally are more alike than you think-

Odlaw: And how so?

*Wenda proceeds to name off Wally's symptoms, labeling it as quirks of autism, but stops after a while when she notices Odlaw's too quiet*

Wenda: .. Odlaw?

Odlaw: So that's what's wrong with me-

•》Background《•

* The result of an accidental pregnancy; his parents split a few months after his birth. Not divorced, as it was a hassle to do so, but split.

* He used to visit his dad a lot, but can't really recall him now and not wanting to as "he was an idiot to try and deal with that sow,"

- There were rumors that he was a half-sibling to a certain trio of yellow and black triplets, but this was quickly brushed as fast as it started.

* Being raised by his Mami, a comphet who was forced into a loveless marriage, he was raised extremely conservatively and isolated in "Odlaw Swamp" (Odlaw coined it, that's not the actual name of the area) from others who would say otherwise.

(2019 spoilers Ahead!)

* Being undiagonised, his school life wasn't particularly any better.. Had a lot of trouble in school, both academically and emotionally, due to his upbringing, gaing them name "Odlulu" due to bullying.

* Out of spite, he was often calleous towards others and often lashed out in the form of "pranks" and vandalism.

* One prank too far, and Mami forcefully signed Odlaw up to Wanderer's Society in hopes of straighten up her little girl.

* It didn't exactly worked out in the end, as he would randomly quit the Wander's Society in favor of the Anti Wanders' Society, but he did gain a friend from his experince, Wenda (2019).

* Was immediately annoyed when he found out Waldo was brought into the Wanders' Society to replace their fallen Wander; claimed Waldo as his mortal enemy for then on

* Even when he slowly redeemed himself, there was always something that irked him about Waldo? Too clueless? Too upbeat? Maybe it was because as soon as he left, Waldo became golden boy? Never was able to put a finger on it..

* During high school (still was in the Anti-Wanders Society), he ended up meeting Wenda (1991), and her sister Wilma, Waldo's girlfriend at the time.

-Shared the same math class with Wenda, who noticed he was struggling and offered to tutor him, which he denied for obivious reasons, but gave in when he realized how terribly low his grades were, not to mention this was the second person in his life to give him a chance.

-Around this time, he realized he was transmasc, but kept it hidden until Wenda found out he was stashing a ton of testorone pills and confronted him.

-Became best friends and partners in crime, pretending to be 'dating' and being mushy-mushy just to annoy the other two. Didn't work, tho that's not to say it didn't make Wilma slightly peeved.

•》Misc.《•

* Despite going low contact with each other, him and Mami still love each other; he just wished she wasn't a pain, and Mami wished he wasn't so "feather-brained" and determined to get that damn cane from "that candy cane". Tough love, one might call it.

* While it's true that did want to be a dentist before becoming a mere sidekick, he actually had a few aspirations, including becoming a ringmaster (source: Waldo at the Circus; if you clicked on the mirrors reflection, it shows Odlaw with off-colored brown hair and the ringmaster's suit.

* Due to not really holding a ton of connections growing up, he grew fonder of animals; praticularlly the ones from Odlaw Swamp and Fritz, his childhood pet ferret. Would go on to have a few of them as pets.

* Out of Waldo and the rest of the group, he's the most tech-savvy; mostly using this to hack and/or pirate stuff online.

-Has every posting social media account yo can imagine the normal person to have; where he often posts his graffti or his animals online

* While he never saw Wenda (2019) again after he graduated the Anti-Wanders' Society, but still wonders about her from time to time, haunting him with what could've happened if he stayed a Wander, if only he wasn't so stupid..

Next Character: Wenda, Wenda, and Wilma (these should be short)

[adamworu]

Have you seen Codex Entry's video titled "The End of Evangelion Is (Not) A Happy Ending - An Analysis & Critique"? She makes a lot of interesting points in that.

First things first, it keeps hitting me how numerous the death threats were that GAINAX got. The contempt of man, followed by a disgusting lack of consequence has always been a central theme in Evangelion. Seeing just how painful the imitation of art to life is feels like opening old wounds. They were instrumental in EoE's conception among other things (Anno putting his feelings into film being another). The quick flashes of ire in written form really helps give EoE that unshakable bitter, pessimistic feel.

(warning for strong personal talks of suicide under the cut)

Anno's mental health worsened at the main series' end. People weren't satisfied with how it ended. They drove him to the point of contemplating suicide. If Anno's reflection of himself manifest through some of the characters, this makes Shinji's state before the infamous sequence even more haunting.

The interviewer asked 'What stopped you?' to which Anno replies 'The prospect of pain. I didn't mind dying I didn't want it to hurt.'

I didn't want it to hurt.

As someone with fluctuating highs and lows of mental health, this struck me more than I'd like to admit. During my periods of contemplating ending it all, one of my greatest fears was the pain. That death isn't the peaceful embrace from it all. That your lasting regrets die with you as your loved ones would eventually find you and become horrified at the fleshy shell that once had a name. You hear their faint screams, your strength is all but gone, and that flickering light within you is snuffed forever.

'Faced with the reality, I stopped.'

I think there's something even more painful about the end. There is no pain, but was lies on the other side...if anything?

EoE asks what if self-loathing becomes our being? Who you are affects your very being. And Shinji's self-hatred seeps into the cast, then the whole world. Considering Shinji's status as an audience surrogate, this sort of thing is very much aimed at the audience, especially those targeting Anno and GAINAX.

I personally don't think, however that EoE is an inverse to EoTV (series end). I do agree with her (Codex Entry), however that EoE is the horrifying reality of if the wrong person turns their back on humanity. EoE is more the explicit version on how humanity came to be in Instrumentality. I still wouldn't call it pessimistic even after all these years. EoTV sees the characters with more self-fulfilled arcs in the very end. There's a sense of catharsis from cast and viewer alike from having climbed a mountain of epiphany and acceptance. EoTV feels more convenient, albeit not unnaturally so.

EoE is more explicit with Shinji's flaws. They stare him in the face with no hesitation. These fears are far uglier and portray him less favorably. Less sympathetically. He views the girls and women around him as how they'd be of benefit. His ire isn't just about the realization that they're people with feelings and complexities deserving of empathy. It's also that those girls and women can as well as do hold the right to exist without him. He sentences the whole world to metaphorical death by way of relinquishment of the AT Field due to his own insecurities. His locus of control is viewed externally. His deterministic point of view harms everyone around him. The train scene is shown here and it parallels his talk with Leliel in episode 16. He blames his reality rather than hold himself accountable.

This is the importance of 'What is your hand for?' It's a gentle nudge into the prospect of free will. It's not just a doctrine of freedom, but one that argues that you are culpable.

My one and only pet peeve with the essay is the confusion of happiness and positivity multiple times throughout. EoE isn't happy, but it is positive. If we were to look at EoE as its own universe rather than a metatext, it is intensely depressing. It tells you that with your hands you can better the world around you. With the fact that it's self-aware considered, it acts as a cautionary tale, that intense self-loathing and disdain serves not just to poison you, but others. We don't all have the ability to damn the human race to metaphorical death until to bring them back because we don't exist. Shinji is understood in Codex' video to be an audience surrogate to great detail. EoE is the existence that did not want to be. Rather than being nihilistic and ireful, it grabs the audience with trembling fingers, saying 'For the love of God, be empathetic. It won't kill you! You are ruining everyone around you with your contempt for outside agency and your arrogance. Please...!'

End of Evangelion is Nyquil. It tastes strong and it tastes bad. Everyone needs bad tasting medicine if they want to get well. So drink the damn medicine.

[petruchio]

I'm not really good with explaining myself (also English isn't my first language) but I saw someone else's post about it this week and their take when they first read the book was that Peeta used the "star crossed lovers" purely as a strategy in the beginning (the op of that post recognizes that they were wrong in that regard but it's such a good post! I could link it for you if you're interested?)

Anyways, they made the point that it started feeling real in the cave when Katniss is trying to get them food and she goes and says that Haymitch didn't want her to talk about certain topics. And then they kiss and Katniss feels something stirring inside

And I thought it was such!! An interesting view!!

Because like the op of that post and you just said: it would make sense for Peeta to feel a little betrayed at the end of the first book. Because even though it started as a strategy on his/their part, he fell and thought she was falling, too.

Which makes sense if we look at Katniss wording on that scene and the general opinion that she can't act out of the two of them. Of course he would think she was falling, after all he did.

I don’t know if I'm making any sense

I'll try to find the post I'm referencing tho!! They were way better at explaining than I could ever be lol

posting your follow up too!!

Found the post, if you're interested! https://www.tumblr.com/devildogdemon/750318145002192896/bracing-myself-for-committing-potential-everlark?source=share

yes i'm inclined to agree that it's the post-feast kiss!! i think it's the feast scene too -- @mollywog left an AWESOME reblog on my original post with some highlights for that exact same scene pointing to it as the moment when things become "real" for peeta. and i think, no matter how much we think peeta's crush is real or played up or whatever else, i agree that scene is significant as the moment where it becomes "real" for peeta. because she's willing to do something irrational for his sake.

and it's interesting too that that's ALSO the scene where it becomes "real" for katniss!! "it's him" she says -- she doesn't want to lose HIM. and then of course that famous "stirring" kiss

and interestingly we can also draw a connection to their beach kiss in catching fire -- another moment where the "reality" of losing peeta hits katniss in full force and she realizes she can't really deal with that. "i do, i need you" is kind of the grown up version of that "it's him" line -- they're both moments when she recognizes for herself that she isn't just doing this to survive, or because he happens to be there with her, but because she genuinely cares about HIM, as a PERSON, as an INDIVIDUAL.

@mollywog also pointed out that one of peeta's biggest pet peeves (seems like a weak word to describe it but go with it) is being called stupid or having it be implied that he doesn't "get" something. and yes it's a brilliant connection that it is the one line we get from his mother: where she calls him stupid. and whenever he gets mad at katniss and/or haymitch in the books, it's usually for implying that he's dumb or for keeping secrets from him. like when katniss says he doesn't "get" the concept of owing someone something and he's like um wtf. (that scene always makes me laugh bc she's like no peeta you don't get it, i owe you for saving my life, and he's like ok right... so the thing that you... also just did for me. but back to the topic at hand) and that moment at the end of the first book ties both those things together: not only does she imply that he misread her actions as genuine when she was faking them, she also says that haymitch kept the danger of their situation a secret from him -- and i think that hurts him too!

so i guess the answer is kind of what i was pointing to in my original post. that is, like, peeta is right! katniss IS genuinely falling for him, and he, correctly, picks up on that! it's not peeta's misreading of the situation, it's katniss' defense mechanisms that are the root of the issue. peeta knew when things became real; he's hurt that katniss is still denying it.

i guess it's just interesting because i feel like on a first read, it seems like peeta is just sad that katniss was faking their romance the whole time. but the more you dive into it, i think what he's actually sad about is that he thinks he misread the moment when things changed for her as just being part of the act. but the beauty of that is that like, he didn't! he was actually totally correct.

and katniss knows it too -- she talks about that kiss regularly. it also kind of ties into that quote from catching fire where she's talking about the fake pregnancy and she says "it could be true" but her logic isn't like "if this wasn't fake," her logic is "if i hadn't spent years building up my walls." so she kind of admits it as well -- that it's more so that SHE'S too scared to let it be real, and that SHE'S the one deluding herself -- not him! (i wonder on what level he recognizes that too! like, i definitely think he's hurt by her implication that he misread their whole dynamic. but i also wonder if there's a side of him that's also hurt that she won't let go of her defense mechanisms for his sake. because a part of him must still be thinking there's no way i misread ALL of that. why won't she just admit it too?)

ugh. so interesting to think about. he's so complex! it's easy to reduce peeta to just like -- king of my heart best boy ever the blueprint book boyfriend -- but he's actually a really interesting and nuanced character and his traits all make sense when you put them together in context of his background and his relationships. so good!!

[lizlives]

Something that's always kinda been a pet peeve to me is how people talk about Archie Sonic Preboot and Postboot. Often in conversations there's this idea that the old world is old hat, and anyone upset about the way it went out is just stuck in the past, with the implication that we really didn't lose much in the transition.

To me this reads as incredibly disingenuous and dismissive. Putting aside the obvious fallacy in claiming not much was lost (two decades worth of original lore, much of which was either good to begin with or seeing redemption in better writers), the transition was so obviously rough.

In the middle of one of the most emotionally harrowing sagas and well-written arcs in the entire series, the Mecha Sally Saga, readers who were keeping up with the behind the scenes drama basically had to watch every month as more cracks started to show. At the start of the Endangered Species mini arc, issue #243's text is obviously altered to remove any references to specific characters and events. Then next issue, in the most lowkey way possible, without so much as any real fanfare, the entire echidna society is erased basically for good. The rest of that saga is one long drawn out fight between Knuckles and Thrash, that they tease could end a number of ways, but again, anyone following the behind the scenes drama knows that the characters are never coming back. The sheer inevitability of the conclusion almost feels chilling reading it now, like a Greek tragedy. There are lines that almost feel like the writers venting their actual feelings, how they feel angry that all of this has to change.

The final shot of Knuckles in the entirety of preboot archie is him punching the floor in rage because his entire species and family, his mother, his baby brother, and the love of his life are all gone forever. A mini arc arc that was originally conceived as a way of bringing Knuckles out of his depression arc was transformed into one where all his worst feelings are completely justified. Jesus Christ.

Then one more issue, and just as Sally is rescued, the world is re-written by a Genesis Wave. What follows is a Megaman crossover arc that would be fun in any other circumstance but following everything else we've seen just feels bizarre. Then it ends with Sonic attempting to restore their reality but just... failing. Again, knowing this moment's repercussions now reads extremely bleak and tragic. If it weren't for the fact that it was all done because of external forces it would be artfully tragic, idk maybe it still is.

The reboot that follows immediately hits the ground running, and very slowly you realize what you should've realize all along. Two decades worth of lore was just wiped with simultaneously too little fanfare, but also in the most tragic and bleak way possible. The reveal is made that the entire multiverse is wiped out as well, great.

No attempt is made to explain the mechanics of the fate of people who didn't find their way into this new reality, because they literally can't legally. Did they become other people somewhere? Did they just die? We don't know, and to make it worse, they even acknowledge that the characters are just losing their memories of the previous reality? The sheer dissonance in how the characters are acting vs how they emotionally should be treating this is kinda insane.

But you know, after all this, the reboot is fine. It's really fun actually. Really, I don't hate it. Any and all of my issues stem not from it itself, but from the fact that it was necessarily marketed as a continuation of the old story, it just isn't. That's not an insult, it just isn't and can never be.

I'm not kidding when I say they should've just canceled the comic, said we're sorry that we couldn't finish it, and just started a brand new comic from issue 1. To me, these are two separate series, that's I think the best way of thinking of them, because trying to think about the reboot in terms of the fact that an entire multiverse was wiped out and we're never implied that some characters weren't just wiped out in every way permanently, is just so bleak. Like the old reality or not, it doesn't change the fact that trying to just move on from something like that with no catharsis or explanation is weird.

So yeah, I kinda got distracted remembering how conflicted the whole situation makes me lol, but to make a long story short, I think that people should stop treating the reboot like it was a natural continuation of the original story, and stop treating people who liked and/or still like the old reality as stupid. It was imperfect, even very imperfect, but it was a lived in world that was allowed to develop and was only going to improve more if it was allowed to.

With the reboot, we basically started from scratch and given Sega's restrictiveness, we probably weren't gonna see as many off the wall concepts like we did previously. Many people might have seen that as a boon, but to me it takes away from what I like the most about Sonic, that being that it's a franchise that isn't afraid to be weird, to be wacky. I think tbh that's what I miss the most about the preboot era.

[kitwalker02]

The Evan's favorite flavor of milk

Tate

Tate is a basic, emo alt boy and likes his milk dark like his soul

Aka true moo chocolate milk is a staple in his fridge

Tate also only uses chocolate milk in his cereal and that is a really specific pet peeve of constance's

His afternoon snack is a bottle of chocolate milk and string cheese

Lactose intolerance? Tate doesn't know her.

Kit

Actually severely intolerant to all milk so he either had to take lactaid or suck it up and drink almond milk

He only likes the chocolate almond milk

Something about almond milk makes him really passive aggressive though so he'll drink a lot of strawberry milk with Julia and act like he made a great fatherly sacrifice when he gets really sick

Truth is Kit REALLY just has a thing for strawberry milk

So it feels like a betrayal when Julia gets her hands on some of his chocolate almond milk and decides that it's her new favorite drink

She literally refuses to drink strawberry milk from then on and Kit wonders what he did to hurt her so much that she'd do this to him

Kyle

Kyle is definitely a basic white milk drinking boy

However he prefers to drink juice rather than milk and only uses it for the basics like cereal and dipping oreos

Although one time he almost killed himself trying to chug a whole jug of milk at a frat party

Jimmy

Jimmy is a simple 1950's boy and drinks a glass of milk breakfast, lunch and dinner

His calcium levels are through the roof and bones are very strong

Milk is his preferred beverage and he's totally the type of guy to act all tough and sexy and then order a glass of milk

James

James has never even heard of different flavors of milk

He literally lives under a rock lol

Every night before bed he drinks a glass of warm milk because his mom use to make him do that and now it's the only way he can fall asleep

But it gets in his mustache and is kinda gross cuz he drinks it after brushing his teeth

#milkbreath

Rory

A strawberry milk guy through and through

Every Saturday morning he goes and gets a Boston cream donut and a bottle of strawberry milk

It is his favorite ritual and one time he did it every morning for like 6 weeks straight

But then his agent called him fat

He also has a weird obsession with strawberry icecream

And don't even get him started on Starbucks' pink drink....

Edward

Definitely has an oil painting of it

Idk if chocolate milk was even a thing then (lol don't call me dumb) but it would totally be Edward's jam

Also believes chocolate milk comes from brown cows

Kai

(Ngl guys I wrote this whole thing and didn't realize I forgot kai until I was doing the hashtags lol that's what he gets)

Kai likes white milk but only because it is basic and boring and restored his eye sight or whatever

Brings back fond memories of when he was little and with his mom

Puts a shit ton of whole milk in his coffee

Mr. Gallant

He likes the pink milk

He calls it aesthetically pleasing and takes a picture of it for his social media

There's like a month old bottle of half dranken strawberry milk on his dresser

It's absolutely disgusting

Not even the Apocalypse was able to get rid of it...

Jeff

He'll only use the powdered milk so he can snort it up his nose

Jk jk

Eats coco puffs every morning for breakfast and uses one of those edible straw things to drink all the milk out of the bowl

Likes that the milk starts off white but then becomes chocolate milk

This never ceases to amaze him

His taste in cereal is not superior...

Austin

Milk is a very important staple in Austin's diet. He needs that calcium to keep his teeth sharp and strong

He likes chocolate milk the most though

Only drinks Yahoo chocolate milk

In elementary school the other kids would bully him and steal his chocolate milk and make him drink strawberry milk instead

This made him so sad

Strawberry milk has a very bad connotation to him because of that

[the-scaredy-crow]

Big OC Questionnaire

Thank you @oliolioxenfreewrites for the tag on this! I was going to interview both MCs from Kindling Bones, but between work and school, I'm beat, so it'll just be Rhys for this one.

(Template is at the end if anyone wants to fill it out)

So Rhys...

What is your favorite thing to do to avoid responsibility?

I run from a lot of things, but I don't want to be known for that anymore. I have started spending a lot of time at the Coffee Claw or just with Adam in general.

If you could choose anyone in the world to be your sibling who would it be?

I already had a sibling, and I lost him. I don't think I deserve another. ...I do wish Chloe got the chance to become my sister-in-law, though, if that counts.

What is the most sublime thing you have ever eaten and why?

I am always craving those spicy chocolate cookies Adam brings me from the cafe. He was so excited about me trying them, and they are really good.

What was the worst day of your life?

The day I lost Zach.

What’s your worst nightmare?

Losing the people that matter to me. I already had to live through it once; I don't think I would survive it happening again.

If a monster asked you your worst nightmare what would you tell it and why?

The only monster I know was responsible for the worst day of my life. He already knows my worst nightmare, and he knew it then too.

Would you give away secret information if tortured? Be honest.

Probably. If they swore not to hurt the people I care about, I wouldn't even hesitate.

Who could you trust most with a secret?

When I was younger, my answer would have probably been anyone, but I've learned my lesson there. My answer has been no one for years, but I think- no, I want to trust Adam. And if nothing else, I know I could tell Spyder anything.

You have been caught somewhere you shouldn’t be! Quick, what is your excuse?

I'm new in town.

How good is your sleep schedule?

Terrible. Nightmares suck.

Do you have any siblings? If so, is your relationship good?

I would do anything for my older brother, Zach. It's been a long time since I lost him, but I have never stopped missing him.

What’s the toughest time you had to endure growing up?

When I was really little, having to realize my parents don't really care about me was hard. Zach was there for me, though. It wasn't anything compared to adjusting to a life without him in it.

What’s your relationship with your family like?

Zach was all I had growing up. Our parents were always on some business trip or another. Even when I was in the hospital, they didn't show up. They did come back for Zach's funeral, but I think even that was just for appearances.

Do you have any hobbies? If so, what ones?

I go on a run every morning. Reading was fun when I used to have the time. I have also always wanted to try hiking; I was actually planning on doing some backpacking after I graduated high school. Never got around to it...or graduating.

Do you dream often? What do you dream about?

I dream too often, usually about fire.

Have you ever been in love?

I thought I was close to it once. He knew and used it against me. Love just hurts when I'm involved.

What is your least favorite thing in the world?

Being alone, but I'm used to it.

What is your pet peeve?

Nosy people; they're always prying.

Would you consider yourself different?

Different how? From who I was before the fire? Yes, I am a completely different person, but I think things like that just change you.

How far would you go to save a loved one?

I would give up my life for them, in whatever way that is.

Would you team up with your worst enemy if it was your only option?

I wouldn't trust him enough. Never again.

What is the worst insult you can give?

Telling someone they're anything like my ex.

What is the nicest thing someone could say to you?

That they forgive me.

Are you a jealous person?

I'm jealous of people who don't have an ability. I think I could've avoided a lot of trouble in my life without it. But jealous over a person? Well, maybe a little.

Have you ever committed a crime?

Probably? I mean, I am definitely going to. Oh, and I've done my fair share of trespassing.

Are you neat or messy?

It's hard to be messy when you live out of a suitcase and rarely stock up on anything.

How do you feel about crying? Let it out or hold it in?

I say let it out, but only when you know it's safe. Never let the people who hurt you see it; I am willing to bet my brother's life they wouldn't know mercy.

Who do you live for? Why?

My sole purpose in life for the last few years has been to find Zach. I failed him and all the people who loved him, so I have to make up for it.

Who has betrayed you most?

My ex...well, he wasn't my boyfriend, but he hurt me worse than anyone else has managed to.

What style of accessories do you wear? Is it willingly?

You will never see me without my gloves and, at the very least, a long sleeved shirt. It isn't how I used to dress, but I really don't like people looking at my scars, especially on my bad days.

I am lightly tagging @charlesjosephwrites and @aohendo. Also, I'll leave an open tag! No pressure, and as always: happy writing! <3

Here's the template:

What is your favorite thing to do to avoid responsibility?If you could choose anyone in the world to be your sibling who would it be?What is the most sublime thing you have ever eaten and why?What was the worst day of your life?What’s your worst nightmare?If a monster asked you your worst nightmare what would you tell it and why?Would you give away secret information if tortured? Be honest.Who could you trust most with a secret?You have been caught somewhere you shouldn’t be! Quick, what is your excuse?How good is your sleep schedule?Do you have any siblings? If so, is your relationship good?What’s the toughest time you had to endure growing up?What’s your relationship with your family like?Do you have any hobbies? If so, what ones?Do you dream often? What do you dream about?Have you ever been in love?What is your least favorite thing in the world?What is your pet peeve?Would you consider yourself different?How far would you go to save a loved one?Would you team up with your worst enemy if it was your only option?What is the worst insult you can give?What is the nicest thing someone could say to you?Are you a jealous person?Have you ever committed a crime?Are you neat or messy?How do you feel about crying? Let it out or hold it in?Who do you live for? Why?Who has betrayed you most?What style of accessories do you wear? Is it willingly?

[fixfoxnox]

hate to be a bother but its such a pet peeve of mine, in your fic into the dark with cryptid ghost you spell forest as forrest (two r's) and i just wanted to let you know, sorry 💚

Okay, so I'm gonna be honest and be as nice as I can about this.

I would really appreciate it if you guys would refrain from sending me asks like this or making comments like this and stuff on my work.

I actually was aware that this was something that I did on Into The Night, but I wrote it on my phone while on an extremely long car ride and fully out of it, so it is by far not perfect and has a lot of typos and general issues that I am aware of.

That said, it's extremely frustrating to have people point out typos or mistakes that I have made in my writing. I know that they're there. I'm not perfect, I'm not a computer, if I'm writing on my phone then the editing is literally just going through me. Not Grammarly, not a spell check, none of it. Just me. I'm bound to miss things, I am bound to mess things up.

However, when I spend hours or something writing a fic to post, I'm not asking for someone to come in and tell me what's wrong with it or what I can fix. I'm writing it for people to enjoy. I'm writing it for me. If the typos are too much or something like that, I understand. You don't have to read it. But for me to put so much effort into a story, then get excited see an ask or a comment about it come in only to realize its something like this?? Its extremely frustrating and extremely disheartening.

I used to say that I would accept constructive criticism on my work, but I've decided I'm going to take that statement back because it has become very clear to me that a lot of people simply don't know what constructive criticism is, and it just ends up with them essentially leaving a rude or hateful comment about something that they didn't like. Its frustrating as an author when I would LOVE to accept constructive criticism on my work so that I can better myself. I just can't say that I want it anymore because I've never gotten it and have only gotten comments that have either pointed out something extremely minor like this, or comments where people just say, "I didn't like this but I can't explain why or how to fix it."

I know you probably didn't mean for this to come off as rude or whatever Anon, but I think its important to know that, to Authors, pointing stuff out like this typically does come off as rude and nitpicky.

Apologies for this rant, but, again, please everyone refrain from sending me messages like this in the future. Thank you 💙

[phantex1708]

[M4M] Fantasy/Historical Roleplay Plot List (Discord only)

Hello, all! Looking for somebody to roleplay with through discord. I’ve been wanting to do a couple of different storylines, so I will share my ideas here! I’ll keep the descriptions short and sweet, as I like to work out any details with whoever I’ll be writing with. Also, I write semi-lit to advanced-lit with proper grammar and punctuation (sorry, it’s a pet peeve of mine) in the third person, past tense. I know that I go back and forth between past tense and present tense in this post, but that’s only because I'm writing descriptions, not the actual story! One last thing, keep in mind that I am totally open to changes in the plots! Don’t feel shy about telling me any ideas you may have!

Siren/Merperson and Sailor: Faolán is but a humble fisherman who spends most of his time out at sea. Having been a pirate stowaway in his angsty teen years, he still knows how to take care of himself out in the great open blue. His livelihood is selling his catches, and he doesn't particularly care for the job, but it keeps him fed and stable. One morning, he wakes up to find a not-so-happy merperson caught up in his nets. However, Faolán has no idea what to do. He’d never even seen a siren before, much less dealt with one directly. Even if he’s a grumpy, bitter man, he can't stand to leave any creature helpless like that. So, he cuts them free. What happens next is up to you and your character! (Alternative: I could use my merman, Ennius, and you could use your own sailor character!)

Reunited Childhood Friends (TW for abuse, familial death): Cody was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His whole life, he’s been a petty, privileged noble, gold in the eyes of the public. The only downside was his horrible living situation as a young child. His father, although he ran one of the most successful dairy production companies, was a cruel man who often beat him and his mother. Sometimes, he would run off from home to catch a break, and he would find himself in the company of one person each time. In truth, they were an unlikely friend, as nobles speaking with peasants was often seen as an abominable thing. Slowly, the two grew closer, becoming good friends; Cody would sneak out when he could to visit them, and they would go to meet him each time. One day, however, this friend of his stopped meeting him. In fact, he couldn't seem to find them anywhere. Of course, this left him feeling devastated and alone all over again, but there was nothing he could do; his only true friend had left, for one reason or another. The rest of his childhood wasn't much better. The beatings continued, and his father was only becoming worse. It wasn't until, when he was only sixteen, he snapped and killed the wretched man himself. This didn't go without consequence, however, as his mother nearly turned him in to the authorities, and she would have, if she hadn't become ill and passed away shortly after. Years later, Cody is now bitter and hateful. He owns the dairy company and he makes good money, but he lives a lonely life, one where he pushes away nearly everyone with his prickly nature. Imagine his surprise when his old childhood best friend decides to pop into town for a visit. They, unfortunately, are not at all welcomed back. Instead, Cody makes it clear that he resents them for leaving him right before the most difficult period of his life; he wants nothing to do with them. Of course, that’s a lie. He still cares about them deeply, but he’s hurt and reluctant to open up again. (This takes place in 1800s France, by the way!)

Royal Arranged Marriage: Sahknu, a known kingdom of elves, and (your fantasy country/any fantasy country of mine that you would like to use) have been at war for decades. The fighting has clearly taken its toll on both countries, leaving them with little supplies and thousands upon thousands of soldiers dead. Eventually, both leaders realized that they needed to put an end to this one way or another. And, to do that, King Akkar offered his youngest son’s hand in marriage, Voron. This wasn't much of an outlandish offer, as Sahknu had no care for sexuality binaries, as long as there would at some point be a blood-heir from the royal (not the goal of the roleplay, by the way; this is just an explanation of the cultural aspect). Prince Voron is a shy and timid man, not much of the fierce leader his father proclaimed him to be. He is very book-smart and has a passionate love for science and literature. Now in this unfamiliar kingdom, Voron is homesick and nervous.

Hunter and Naga: Nkosi is a fierce naga from desert regions. He is known to hoard stolen treasures in his burrow, attacking anybody who dares come close to his home. Unfortunately for him, the locals no longer want him there and have called for a monster hunter to deal with him. He is unaware of this and doesn't know what’s to come. Although, he certainly won't be happy about having his home trespassed once again.

Plague Doctor and Apprentice (heads up for serial killer-y vibes): Doctor Emyr Idris is well-known for his… interesting treatments for the plague. He is often called brutal, and borderline cruel. There are rumors that he is no doctor at all, just a man who wants to pick apart people out of morbid curiosity. Still, he is a mentor to his lively apprentice, and their difference in personalities balances well. Emyr, to his own surprise, finds that he is slowly taking a liking to them. (alternative: I could use my own apprentice character Alwyn and you would use your plague doctor!)

Let me know if any of these interest you, and if there are any changes you would like to make! I will say right away, I don't at all mind NSFW elements, I will totally write it, but I don't want smut to become the entire storyline. Anywho, please send me a chat if you’re interested!

[unemployedbarbiesblog]

BARBIE CHANGED MY LIFE!

As a kid, I used to love Pink. I mean, who didn't, right? But as I grew older, I found myself dodging anything remotely rosy. Yep, I had a pink-loving phase, guilty as charged. But let's be real, there's only so much blush one can handle. When people start assuming that you like pink because you are a girl and then everything you get, ranging from birthday gifts to new clothes, is pink, it starts feeling like an overdose.

I was on a mission to shatter the 'pink is for girls' and 'every girl likes pink' stereotypes, so I went full-on protest mode. Enter my 'I'm not like other girls' phase. Picture me dramatically avoiding pink like it was the plague. Black became my jam—the dark, bold, 'I'm not following the crowd' color.

Girls must master cooking, they said. So, there I was, torn between my love for baking and my rebellion against the kitchen stereotype. I told everyone I don't like to enter the kitchen, just to defy expectations.

And don't get me started on "girls catch feelings faster than a cold" and "girls always cry". I was actually an emotional fool and a crybaby. But I was aiming for strong and mysterious. I didn't want to show my emotional side to others. So I made my feels disappear into thin air. The struggle? Real.

Oh, and the "good girl" persona. I had that down pat. Polite, compassionate, well-behaved, and obedient, just like everyone complimented me. Until the day I wanted to switch things up and go rogue. Bossy was the new black, or so I thought.

Oh boy, let's not forget my attempt at "pick me, choose me, love me". Yeah, I wanted to be the "unique" one by disproving the classic notion that girls are allergic to sports. I swear, I acted like a football encyclopedia, all to impress my crush, when in reality I only watched cricket. The kicker? He totally didn't buy it. He popped the Manchester United quiz, and cue frantic Google searches. "Hey, I told ya I'm a fan!"

Then there was the endless internal battle. The bubbly, outgoing personality versus the enigmatic, puzzling personality. It was like a never-ending struggle, just like trying to choose between Netflix and sleep.

Tudum! The grand finale: the perfect husband-and-child fairytale. Everyone kept telling me this, like only these two magic ingredients would make a woman's life complete. Not my cup of tea; never was. Still isn't.

People associating anything feminine with weakness became my pet peeve. So, naturally, I transformed into a rebellious spirit hell-bent on dismantling these stereotypes. I tried to stay away from anything "womanly". That made my life filled with contradictions, just like being a skincare fanatic who doesn't know their skin type. (Literally me!)

But hold up—a plot twist! Enter Barbie. Yeah, the movie Barbie. Suddenly, a lightbulb moment. I realized that maybe I'm a stereotypical Barbie after all. And you know what? That's okay, and there's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm still a Barbie, and a great one too, regardless of my choices. That doesn't make me any less strong.

I can embrace it all—the pink, the black, the emotions, and yes, even the kitchen (It's an essential life skill, after all). There's no rule that says you should hate one thing to like another. Turns out, you can be both. You can blend bold and soft, and fierce and emotional. Your emotions are what make you 'YOU'. You don't need to know everything about every sport to be cool. People have different interests, and that's totally fine. Spoiler alert: You can even marry your significant other and have kids while being independent.

So, here's the takeaway, folks. You don't need to cater to anyone else's expectations. No girl should have to prove their strength by distancing themselves from femininity. You don't have to force yourself into becoming something you're not. You can do whatever you like without fear of being considered weak.

Barbie helped me reconnect with the little girl in me who had been long lost. It took me a while to understand that being told "you're not like most girls" is not a compliment. Be a queen and leave him if he ever says this, just like our mother, Hailee Steinfeld, taught us. Because most girls? "Most girls are smart and strong, and beautiful." I wanna be like most girls!