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sugamamacustard · 3 years

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Rut

Pairing: Alpha! Tetsuro Kuroo x Omega! Reader, Alpha! Atsumu Miya x Omega! Reader, Alpha! Kiyoomi Sakusa x Omega! Reader

Genre: NSFW

Request: Hi, custard💕 your writing is soso wonderful! Can I request headcanons about alpha!Kuroo, alpha!Atsumu, alpha!Sakusa (separately) going into rut with his fem!omega!S/O?

Summary: You and your alpha have been through so much together, but how are the reacting when their rut hits?

Author’s Note: Holy wow guys, going through my requests, there’s a lot of Sakusa ones. So I caved and decided this is a good a place as any to start with him! And thank you so much!

I’m vibrating bc I just got accepted into Uni and just-

Requests: Open!

WARNING: Smut, Daddy Kink in Atsumu, slight bondage in Sakusa’s. Please give me some daddy kink asks

Tetsuro Kuroo

➵Ah yes, thirst asks. One of my favorites- even if I try keeping up the innocent writer façade. I’m not. My other blog has some filthy smut on it.

➵ Anyway, moving on.

➵ Kuroo is a rough lover as is. He teases, he drags you along a long, long road for you orgasm, pounding you into the mattress. and drawing all sorts of pathetic mewls out of you.

➵It’s okay to drool.

➵It’s just his alpha instincts that make him want to mark you from tit to toe.

➵He, on a normal basis, bites you and claws your hips anyway, but when his rut hits?

➵He’s feral.

➵ There will be bite marks littered up and down your spine and bruises practically imprinted on your hips.

➵You better believe you are not leaving your nest until his rut is done. You are stuck.

➵Though he’s always ears open incase you need to tap out, his alpha always always putting you first.

➵But if you stick through it?

➵He is rough and feral and pounding into your poor abused entrance until your sobbing.

➵ You most likely have to plan for his rut two weeks in advance

➵Which is hard between dancing around his pre-rut symptoms and prepping yourself for what is sure to be a week of pure, filthy sex.

➵Okay let’s side bar into Pre-rut bc I don’t think I went into a lot.

➵Tetsuro’s Pre-rut isn’t terrible. He mostly just sticks around as often as he can, growling at anyone who steps too close to you, feeding you his lunch, scenting you constantly.

➵Definitely one of the better ones to have during this time, I tell ya.

➵But of course, he makes it a little difficult while your trying to discreetly stock up on easy grab snacks and water jugs.

➵Kenma helps out a lot though, he honestly is probably your best friend is your dating Kuroo.

---

The hand around your throat kept you pinned to the plush bottom of your nest. Your mewls and moans were muffled but at this point you couldn’t hear them, even if you wanted too, through the blood rushing through your ears. Your hips hurt with how hard Tetsuro was gripping them, pulling you in time with his thrusts.

“Fuck kitten.” His growl had you gushing slick around his cock, making him, in turn, growl lower. His hips were moving at such a rapid pace, you couldn’t see them, even if you wanted to. All you could do was feel his cock drag in and out of your gushing hole, pleasure wringing your stomach like a wet towel.

“Alpha- Alpha, gonna- gonna cum on your- your- holy FUCK-” You turned your head to bite the pillows beneath you, feeling yourself tighten around Tetsuro. He sunk his teeth into your mating mark, making you gasp as you came with a loud whimper, pushing back onto him as he continued fucking you within an inch of any actual thoughts.

Just your alpha and how good he was making you feel.

You felt his hips still as a warm load of cum shot into you, filling you to the brim and making you hum in bliss. Tetsuro chuckled, unlatching from your neck and lapping at the pearls of blood poking through. He allowed you to catch your breath before pulling you to sit on his thighs, cock still buried deep inside of you-- his knot just barely staying out.

“Good kitten. Now, let’s see if I can fuck some pups into you.”

Atsumu Miya

➵Alright, let’s set the seeds of how I imagine one of the Miya’s in bed.

➵Atsumu absolutely adores the earth you walk on.

➵Even if he had to fight Osamu for you in the beginning. It was all worth it.

➵He treated you well, worshipping you in bed. There is never a time he hasn’t had you quivering because of his tongue.

➵He, however, is also such an asshole in the bedroom.

➵Like yes, he’s pulling you to sit on his face, but yes, he’s also edging you until your sobbing and grinding your self against him.

➵If your riding him, he’s suddenly holding your hips down and making you cockwarm him while he does some sort of shit on his phone.

➵If he’s holding you missionary, he can just as quickly can pull you into a mating press, locking your arms between your chest and knees, absolutely pounding into your poor entrance.

➵ So while Atsumu can be generous and can absolutely worship you, he also can and will be a huge asshole.

➵His rut doesn’t make it any better.

➵He just gets worse.

➵He either makes you sob with pleasure or beg for something.

➵Like, you thought Atsumu would be the horny, needy, whiny one?

➵You thought wrong. Atsumu knows exactly how to turn his hormones against you, make them work for him

➵Side bar once more: Atsumu’s pre-rut? SUCKS-

➵Sorry not sorry.

➵This man prolly doesn’t realize his rut is approaching until you pop into the gym, excusing him from practice for the week.

➵He doesn’t care about it before that. Sorry man.

---

“Is your alpha’s cock not enough for you?” His voice was silky as he hissed at you, fingers clawing at your hips, keeping you perched just above his knot. “I thought I was the horny one.”

You whimpered above him, hands clawing his shoulders as you struggled to hold yourself up. You didn’t want to disappoint daddy, did you?

A harsh smack to your ass had you yelping, throwing your head back as you cried out a mix between a chirp and a moan.

“Answer Daddy when he’s talking to you.”

“I’m sorry Daddy- so sorry! I promise to be good. Be good for Daddy. Patient and good. Daddy’s cock fills me so nicely-” You yelped when another smack stung your ass cheeks, making you shut your mouth.

Atsumu grumbled into your chest, loosening his grip ever so slightly before pulling you up, quickly slamming you down before repeating the process. He ignored any protest you gave, instead chasing his own release. Slick dripped between your thighs, coating his own thighs as well.

“Is my prince(ss) making a mess of themselves?” He snickered, keeping his pace as you built up to your orgasm. You nodded wildly, trying to keep up with his brutal pace.

“Just for daddy!” You yelped, throwing your head onto his shoulder. “Daddy- gonna-gonna cum!”

You nearly cried when he stopped, feeling him chuckle into your chest.

“Not yet, sweet cheeks. After all...This week is all about daddy.”

Kiyoomi Sakusa

➵Sakusa, Sakusa, Sakusa. Where do I begin with you sweet prince.

➵ You know what, we’ll start with our sidebar.

➵It’s not you prepping. It’s him. He like- hardcore- nests. Like he’s the alpha, yeah, but there’s so many things he has to prep.

➵Like your nest? All the blankets have to be sanitized and re-scented and the pillows have to be washed and re fluffed-

➵His room (Where you keep one of many nests) has to be cleaned and reorganized and he has to restock your snack stash and purify the water jugs-

➵God he just has so much to do okay-

➵Sex itself is just a lot of work for poor Sakusa.

➵He’s come a long way though.

➵Only for you though.

➵I can imagine Omi being super into Toys because less... ya know...

➵He’ll still fuck you until your knees wobble and knock together, but he’s also into the little bullet vibrators that he can hold onto your nipples or clit (Dependent)

➵His rut makes these unacceptable. His alpha won’t allow it.

➵He can pleasure you just fine without the use of toys,

➵I can also imagine he’d be super into, like, face to face positions so he focus on your beautiful features instead on the mess below you guys.

---

Your wrists were bound above your head with your knees pressed to your chest. The smell of alcohol was pungent under the stench of sex, making your nose scrunch. Omi was keeping you pinned, thrusting in slow, calculated thrusts, grinding against you with ever pull.

You were whimpering with every pull and push of Omi’s cock against your walls, teasing you in the most aggravating, but delicious, way.

You could see the way he eyes your every reaction, beautiful eyes blown with lust tracing every facial feature of yours. Watching every reaction you gave him. Watching you.

He grunted when your walls clutched him a little too tightly, slowing his thrusts a little more. “So good to me omega, letting me use you any way I want. “

He hissed when the praise seemed to do nothing but clutch him tighter, teetering him even closer to the edge. He wouldn’t give in, pulling out completely, instead replacing his dick with his fingers and teasing your sweet spot (He could practically pinpoint it at this point).

Slick coated his fingers, making him smirk as you withered against him. Turns out, you were just as close as he was, if not closer.

“Now, let’s see how good I can be to you.”

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bex-la-get · 3 years

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Imagine Nat wearing a skin tight shirt or pants to work and Ethan was just staring at her from afar, What if he gets caught by Tobias or an intern? Who he be embarrassed or just deny deny then leave or something else?🤣

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Nonny, I love you. I love this. We're doing it, let's go!

Nat always looked good. She always made an effort with her appearance, always made a point to look professional and polished. Even when she was home, hair in a messy bun and wearing an oversized sweatshirt, she still managed to look good.

But today... today, she looked spectacular.

She'd gone shopping a week ago, bringing home far too many bags for Ethan to keep track of. He'd stayed out of the bedroom while she reorganized her side of the closet, scared he'd get lost in the avalanche of clothes. As a result, he hadn't seen any of her new purchases yet.

Until today. She was wearing a low cut black top and a skin tight burgundy pencil skirt and he was losing it. How the hell was he supposed to focus on anything when she was standing in front of him looking like that?! And the heels she was wearing... she was trying to kill him. That was the only explanation for looking the way she did.

And she knew. The smirk she gave him before leaving the office after their meeting this morning told him everything he needed to: she knew. That little minx; if he didn't have back-to-back meetings today, he'd pull her into the nearest supply closet and kiss her senseless.

Instead, he had to make do with watching her from afar. He watched as she leaned against the nurses station, deep in conversation with Bryce, her long legs crossed and her cleavage showing just enough to let anyone's mind wander. Thank god Lahela was dating Sienna, otherwise, Ethan might have to punch him if he looked at Nat for too long.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that staring at your girlfriend from far away isn't as romantic as it seems?" a voice said.

Ethan turned to find Tobias smirking at him and his shoulders tensed. Shit; the last thing he needed was Tobias making fun of him for staring at Nat for too long. "I don't know what you're talking about, Carrick."

Tobias laughed. "Sure, you don't. You haven't obviously been staring at Nat all day, admiring every inch of that outfit she's got on. Don't kid yourself, Ramsey, you've never been that subtle."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Don't you have patients to take care of? Or someone else to annoy?"

"All my patients are stable, and Harper's in surgery which means the only person I have left to bother is you." Tobias grinned and Ethan pursed his lips.

"Yes, well," Ethan said, desperately looking for an out, "if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to prepare for."

"Shall I send Nat your regards?" Tobias asked.

Ethan pivoted quickly on his heel and glared at his friend. "Don't you utter a damn word, Carrick."

Tobias simply laughed and waved his friend off. "Yeah, yeah; empty threats, Ethan. I know you better than that."

"Oh, fuck off," Ethan muttered, causing Tobias to laugh again. Turning on his heel, Ethan made his way back to his office, trying to get the image of Nat's outfit out of his mind. God, he couldn't wait to get home.

A/N: Hope you liked it, Nonny! Tag list below the cut:

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @genevievemd @jamespotterthefirst @paulfwesley @ethansdique @openheartfanfics @perriewinklenerdie @little-flowers-on-heaven @stateofgracious @coffeeheartaddict @liaromancewriter @potionsprefect @mm2305 @gryffindordaughterofathena @actuallybored @writer-ish @queencarb @takeharryandgo @lsvdw-blog @itsjustwinter @chaoticchopshopheart @ohchoices @maurine07 @oldminniemcg @parisa-kh @shanzay44 @uberamsey @izzyourresidentlawyer @adiehardfan @custaroonie @mia143 @a-crepusculo @takemyopenheart @toadfrog26 @quixoticdreamer16 @barbean @headoverheelsforramsey @natureblooms24 @jerzwriter @crazy-loca-blog @dorisz @thegreentwin @cryomyst @kalinahonore @choicesficwriterscreations

#bex answers #asked and answered #bexwritesstuff #anonymous asks #anonymous prompts #ethan ramsey #natalie cusack #ethan x natalie #ethan x mc #open heart mc

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starlitmark · 3 years

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Hii, I hope you’re doing well today. ☺️ Congrats on 300 followers 💕!! (I’m your new one hehe) May I please request a Johnny drabble with extra fluffy prompts 31 and 37? Take care~

I tweaked the second prompt to fit the storyline just a heads up! (hi dear! welcome I hope you enjoy it here! I’m doing pretty good! 💕)

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Johnny x gn!reader

Warning: thunderstorms

Summary: A thunderstorm is the perfect excuse for an unplanned romantic dinner with Johnny.

Word Count: 563

It’s been raining all day and that gave you the perfect excuse to clean around the house while Johnny was gone. You two had just moved in together not too long ago but it was like you had been living together for years at this point. By the end of the afternoon you had managed to get all of the laundry done, dust every possible corner of the house, reorganize the bookshelves, and sweep and mop all the floors. The only thing left to do was to wax the floors and that was in your opinion the best part. Only because that meant you got to slide around the house in fluffy socks afterward. Just as you were finishing up the kitchen area you hear the front door open and close followed by a bag dropping. You move as quickly as you can to the front door.

“Johnny! Don’t move whatever you do!”

He looks at you with a shocked expression “O-okay, might I ask why I can’t move?”

“I just waxed the floors,” you explain “I don’t want you messing it up like you did last time, so take off your shoes and go grab your fluffy socks.” you beam

He shakes his head looking down at his feet while letting out an airy giggle “Alright dearest, let me go do that then we can make some dinner, how does that sound?” he places a kiss on the top of your head.

You were humming as you prepped dinner when a large clap of thunder resounded through the sky followed by your lights flickering the shutting out. Luckily you had a gas stove so you continued to cook dinner for you both after the initial shock of the power outage. Not before long Johnny appears behind you placing his arms around you just enjoying your presence. He let out a sigh before speaking up.

“Well, this power outage will last a while so now we have to have dinner by candlelight. I’m not complaining though, you always looked so beautiful in candlelight.” he holds you tighter to him and kissing your cheek, “I’ll go dig out the candles while you finish up plating and everything.”

As your dinner progressed you would continuously catch Johnny staring at you with the most loving expressions making you blush, which luckily couldn’t be seen due to the low lighting. Quiet nights like these were hard to come by recently so this involuntary romantic dinner was beyond needed. After you had both finished eating you took the plates back to the kitchen to wash. And again like a lost puppy, Johnny clung to your side giving you heart eyes the entire time.

“What do you keep looking at?” you giggled

“You.” he smiled

“Do I look weird?” you questioned back

“No, you look like the love of my life.”

You blushed and splashed his face with water “D-don’t say cheesy stuff like that! You’ll make me blush!”

“I know you didn’t just splash me.” he playfully taunted

“And if I did?” you tease back

“I’m gonna tickle you to death is what’s gonna happen.” reaching for your sides

You squeal and book it down the hallway towards your shared room Johnny hot on your trail. You were so in love with him you had no idea how to handle it, and you knew he felt the same.

Tag List: @ericssmile @staysstrays @leneswrld @leejunini @00solarsmiles @stayinzencity @captainasianllama @doggienoo @intokook @bluejaem @strawberryandcheesecake @notbeforelong @spectracully @jaemcupcake @softforqiankun @bugsbinnie @markistheloveofmylife @winwindose @markleepooh @im-just-trying-to-survive-man @hxneyy-latte @bangpink123

Networks: @nct-writers @kwritersworld

#johnny x reader #nct-writers #kwritersworldnet #nct fanfic #nct fluff #nct x reader #nct 127 fanfic #nct 127 fluff #nct 127 x reader #johnny fanfic #johnny fluff

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killypool · 2 years

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so we doing pinned posts now? is that the cool thing to do? this is an independent, private, selective, movie and headcanon based WADE WILSON / DEADPOOL. for better or worst, i've been writing this sarcastic, morally grey sonuvabitch since june of 2018. i have roughly a thousand verses, and i'm always delighted to make more. ask me about my shrek au.

my name is aisling, but i also go by ais, alana, lana, whatever floats your boat. i'm a 24 year old nurse in cst timezone. i work 70+ hours a week along with going back to school part time, so please excuse low activity. because of the violent, sexual, and triggering content on this blog and in wade's life, i prefer to follow and rp with 18+ ( ideally 21+ ). currently dash only while i slowly reorganize and update my pages. please let me know if you have any questions.

UPDATE: currently on hiatus during apartment move, job move, and school

links:

caard | positivity post i want everyone to read | rpthreadtracker | interest tracker

spotify | wire: killypool | discord: dumbasspool#3129 | pinterest

verses:

canon compliant / canon divergent / mcu verses

au: police | youtuber | single dad | nurse

other verses in progress: purge, twilight, circus, izombie, princess diaries, saw, game of thrones, harry potter, wild west, hancock, sons of anarchy, teacher

starter calls, ask calls, plotting calls, etc:

to be added

#( 🦄 ) don’t you turn notifications off for me. ( *PSA )#( 🦄 ) how do you make sure adblock blocks my posts. ( *ooc )

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teawiththegods · 4 years

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Questions I’m No Longer Answering and Why

While I do love helping the community, I am not google and I am not your excuse to not put any effort into your own research. I can’t keep hand-holding people because just as Apollo told @rosegoldtunic doing so is me robbing the gods of time with you. I’m taking something important, special, and sacred from your relationship with the gods and I no longer want to do that. So please do your own research and use me not as google but as someone to go to when your research presents you with some questions you want to discuss. I’m here to support you on your journey not to walk it for you.

Before you send in an ask please check out my Masterpost as well as my Podcast, Tea With the Gods. You can also browse my tags #worship help, #deity help, as well as any specific god you’re curious about either by using just their name or their name followed by “deity”.

1) Any basic questions about Offerings. Especially what offerings to give specific gods.

I’ve already discussed the basics of this topic both in posts as well as in an entire episode on my podcast so there’s zero reason for me to keep answering those questions. Also you all need to be doing your own research especially the most basic of information such as offerings. There is so much information available on this that if you actually look you will find it. Even looking through the deity tags on my blog or on tumblr in general will bring up the information you’re looking for.

2) What deity is associated with this (animal, plant, insect, stone, symbol, etc)

Again this can easily be found if you take the time to actually research it. Googling the association and “greek god” is likely to give you an indication of who or even if there’s an association (remember not everything is going to have a Hellenic deity association) There’s also Theoi.com that lists traditional associations for each god.

3) Is this a sign?? Is a god reaching out to me? What does this dream mean? And basically anything about communicating with gods.

I made a whole post about it and a podcast episode which I think is all anyone needs to know especially from me. And I’ve stated a million times that I believe only the receiver of the message can truly interpret what it means or even if it is a message.

4) What god should I pray to for this??

This again goes back to doing your own research and applying some common sense. Not to mention a lot of it is also based on your own comfort. Who do you feel safe and secure to work with? It’s kind of like choosing a therapist, especially for the deeper issues. I might make an exception for this question if it’s obvious you have done your own research and are just confused and unsure over who out of certain deities would be the best to reach out to. I’m fine with that because you’re asking for my opinion not for me to do your own research.

5) Can you/Is It Disrespectful to have sex with gods or think about them in a sexual way??

While I love discussing this topic, I’ve already talked about it in such depth that any basic questions you have about it I likely already answered! So please if you’re interested in this topic first browse my #sex with gods tag before sending me an ask! But also know that the topic does not make me uncomfortable so feel free to send in asks about it if you don’t find your answer after searching my blog!

6) Non Anon replies to asks

That sounds weird I know. But what I mean by it is if you want to reply to an ask I answered and are okay with being off anon, please just reply to the post directly and not send in an ask. This keeps all the advice and information in one place and saves my inbox from getting cluttered!

7) ANY questions about Patron/Matron deities

I not only discussed these terms in the Terminology episode of Tea With the Gods, but I have given my opinion on them MULTIPLE TIMES on my blog so please search my blog!

I’ll likely add to this as I see fit and as I reorganize and rewrite my posts. But for now these are the main ones I keep getting that I would like to not keep getting. Thank you for understanding, my darlings.

#Hellenism #Hellenic Polytheism #Hellenismos #theoi worship #theoi #Hellenic religion #hellenistic witch #pagan #paganism #polytheism #deity worship #witchcraft

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torque-witch · 4 years

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Maybe! I just seriously need to blog again. Unfortunately engagement here is...meh? Obviously I’m not making posts on witchcraft anymore (I’m legitimately just exhausted and sick) but I still DO witchcraft from time to time.

It’s honestly not fun waking up every day to sit on the couch and bend over the coffee table to work. Maybe I should clean the desk off? Reorganize that space? But there’s literally two rooms in here it’s kinda hard to make anything interesting after a while.

Start small, maybe set some time aside to read witchcraft books from my 2020 haul and review. Once a month. Go over my posts from the golden age of tumblr and revise.

I do seriously have a bunch of ideas I want to do someday. I hate to use being exhausted as an excuse but I’m chronically ill and 2020 is a nightmare.

I legit just want to feel involved again. Have community again.

I have a pretty good support system of other small businesses on IG now which is nice. But I also don’t really post anything meaningful or personal there very often - bc I’m trying to pay my bills. And I know it’s kind of disappointing in a way to come to my blog here and see the same thing. But I’ve been distant for quite a while after taking my last job and now scrambling every month to make ends meet it seems.

Somewhere along the way will be a middle ground, I’m just not sure yet if 2020 will allow me the space. I hope y’all will stick around in the process anyhow though.

I’m here, I’m open to chat or vent to or ask questions about witchcraft or paganism. It would be nice if I could stop getting meaningless asks about how I smell (I’m serious). It’s just hard to feel like this space is actually a serious venue for me when lately a big chunk of my engagement has been anonymous blithering.

Anyway I’ve blithered too much. Hopefully in time this space will be closer to what it used to be. I’m just not juggling everything with grace these days.

#torquetalks

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batmanisagatewaydrug · 4 years

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book blogging #2: reorganizing my to-read list in light of All Of This

I want to be clear about one thing right off the bat: this isn’t intended to be a strategic, ~topical~ book blogging post to show off how profoundly #woke I am and win me white ally points. all of these books were already on my to-read list (with the exception of Angela Davis’ autobiography, added because I can recognize that I have a lot to learn about the history of Black activism). they’re all simply taking on a higher priority because, while amplifying and learning from Black and trans voices is always important, it feels a little extra urgent right now.

so, what am I nabbing as soon as I can get back to the library?

So You Want to Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo)

I’m actually not even waiting to get to the library for this one; I paid actual cash money to order and own it, which is exceedingly rare for me. I’ve been following Oluo’s work ever since she wrote this cutting profile of Rachel Dolezal, and I genuinely don’t have an excuse for why it’s taken so long to get to her book.

How We Fight For Our Lives (Saeed Jones)

this was a recent addition to my to-read list, added with great enthusiasm after watching Jones’ closing keynote at the 2020 Midwestern Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender and Asexual College Conference. (this was in mid-February, pretty much right before 2020 went entirely off the rails.) I can’t say I’m usually a fan of poetry, but his was lovely, and the way he spoke so casually to the crowd was even better. I’m excited to inhale more of his words.

An Autobiography (Angela Y. Davis)

as noted, this is the only book that wasn’t languishing on my to-read list to begin with. I’m embarrassed to admit that my awareness of Angela Davis has mostly been limited to “badass cool Black feminist lady.” while all of that is undoubtedly true, it’s also incredibly simplistic, and it’s definitely time to grow on that. it almost must be noted that I just really dig good autobiography.

I’m Afraid of Men (Vivek Shraya)

I first learned about Vivek Shraya through her music, which you should listen to, but as an artist she’s also approached pretty much every other artistic medium, including books. I’m Afraid of Men is a short read in which Shraya talks about “being too feminine as a boy and not feminine enough as a girl.” I was happy to see my library order it for our Pride display last year, and now that’s it been an entire 365+ days it’s probably about time I got around to reading it.

Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman (Laura Kate Dale)

I learned about Laura Kate Dale in the most unexpected way possible, by listening to her guest spot talking about her book and giving advice on episode 468 of My Brother, My Brother, and Me. I’ve been following her on Twitter ever since, where you can find an abundance of spicy trans gamer girl hot takes. (I assume. I know nothing about games and therefore have no clue which takes count as spicy.)

The Deep (Rivers Solomon)

because you know ya boy cannot make a list without some fiction on it. this is one of those books that it’s taken me awhile to figure out how to summarize this one briefly, and I’ve landed on “mermaids are the descendants of African slave woman and the main character is the one responsible for carrying everyone’s collective trauma. also it’s based on something Daveed Diggs did with his rap group, I believe.” which is still a mouthful, but doesn’t it sound intriguing?

Freshwater (Akwaeke Emezi)

once a-fucking-gain I must admit to noticing a book, thinking it sounded neat, and then majorly procrastinating on actually reading it on account of all the other books I was already trying to read. I’ve been meaning to get into Emezi’s work for awhile - they’ve just released another adult novel and have a YA book about a trans girl as well, so there’s plenty to catch up on - and hey! It Is Time.

#bookblr

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rejectofsociety · 1 year

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— SIDEBLOGS

horror: @la-maledizione • music: @pure-fucking-armagedon

— WRITING

Stranger Things Masterlist • Marvel Masterlist • ao3

— ART

#reject’s art

— NOTE

for the time being, i don't create any art or write any fics, and i haven't done either for a long time • support creators, they need the love

#excuse me while i reorganize my blog #masterpost

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bazypitchandsimonsnow · 6 years

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Watford Cove

Chapter 10: everything back and more

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff/angst

Word count: 2580

Chapter: 10/13 [All chapters]

Summary: Simon and Baz have some time before exams start. They decide to go on a date before the storm begins.

Read on AO3

AN: Okay okay omg two amazing people made fan art of this fic and I'm so happy and grateful. There's this fantastic piece of my punk Baz by @neck-mole and this wonderful art of my pastel and punk beauties by @jessethejoyful. I love them so much and I'm still freaking out about it so thank you to those two again. Now onto the chapter. It's more fluff cause my boys need it tbh. Also I posted this to the wrong blog for like 30 seconds because I’m an idiot sorry!

Tagging: @wayward-son-61 @jeansjeansjeansjeans

———————————————-

“You and your boyfriend are gross.”

I plant myself on the picnic table with a thunk, giving Niall a curious look. “And good afternoon to you too, mate.”

“I’m serious,” he says, arms crossed. “You two are disgusting.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Huh, didn’t peg you for a homophobe, Niall.”

Niall rolls his eyes and shoves my leg. “Fuck off, you know that’s not what I mean. You two are snogging everywhere all the time. Didn’t you just get caught in the gym closet yesterday?

That’s unfortunately true. We did get caught, with Simon’s legs around my waist and my hand up his shirt. Coach Mac was certainly not amused. He made us reorganize said closet as punishment. It was totally worth it though.

After our talk last week, I assumed Simon and I wouldn't be around each other as much, no longer afraid that our relationship would end abruptly. But it’s the exact opposite. We sneak off between classes, after school if I’m not with Bunce, at night if we both can’t sleep. He’d be here right now hanging with my friends if he didn’t have a makeup chem lab to do with Bunce. I don’t know exactly why. Maybe it’s something about our promises, the trust we gave each other. Confessing our fears and understanding them.

Or maybe we’re horny teenagers who like to snog and cuddle. That would also make sense.

“He’s my first boyfriend, give me a break.” I snatch Dev’s cigarette carton and take a stick out for myself. “And I might not see him again for a year if exams go badly.”

“We get it, man,” Dev says. “And we’re happy for you. But you’re also snogging 24/7 and it’s gross.”

I take a deep drag and grin. “Yup.”

Niall sighs and leans back, his stupid aviators slipping down his face. (He thinks they’re cool. And I hate that he’s right.) “Whatever, fine. Be gross. But I have some questions for you.” He points his cigarette at me very dramatically.

“Okay...”

“One: if you go to Switzerland, how the hell are we going to contact you?”

“Simon said he’d mail me. You know, snail mail. You two can do that as well.”

“Good. Two: Are you going to come home for the holidays?”

“Probably not. Only if I behave maybe.”

“That sucks. And three: can I have your bike while you’re gone?”

I blow smoke in his face. He coughs, Dev laughs loudly. “No, you git. My beloved motorcycle will be stored in Simon’s garage so my father can’t dispose of it while I’m away.”

Niall groans pathetically. “That’s not fair. I’ve wanted that thing for ages and now I don’t even get it if you’re gone? Rude.”

“You’ll crash it.”

“Will not.”

“Will to. Simon is scared to ride it without me, so I know he’ll just leave it alone. Unlike you.”

Niall pouts, crossing his arms. “You and your stupid responsible boyfriend.” He lowers his sunglasses and gives me a curious look. “Have you two horny idiots even been on a proper date yet? Or are you just defiling everywhere you go?”

I open my mouth to protest, but quickly have to shut it. With all the excitement and exam cramming and sneaking around, we haven’t remembered to do something so simple as a date. That is a grave injustice. And I must correct it.

I pull out my mobile and open Simon’s contact in my phone. He’s still listed as “Pretty Moron”. I’ve refused to change it even since we’ve started dating.

Baz [12:36] Hey wanna going on a date after school? If so, meet me outside the north entrance.

Pretty Moron [12:37] ok sure this is kinda out of the blue luv

Baz [12:38] Do I need an excuse to want to go on a date with my boyfriend?

Pretty Moron [12:38] no it’s just odd and spontaneous

Pretty Moron [12:38] i like it tho

Pretty Moron [12:39] i’ll meet you then <3

Baz [12:40] See you then. Now go back to your chem lab idiot.

Simon doesn't reply, thankfully. He needs to pass his classes as well. This is perfect actually. Exams start tomorrow. Simon and I can have a good time before mentally dying. I lean back, eyes closed and smiling.

“Ugh he looks all lovesick again,” Niall groans. “Gross.”

I kick his shoulder, nearly knocking him off the bench. Dev snorts.

“Careful, Niall,” Dev says, “he’ll tease you just as much when you get a girlfriend.”

"If he gets a girlfriend,” I say flatly.

Niall punches my feet. Dev roars with laughter. Fuck, I’m going to miss these two if I leave. I wish I’d put my pride aside earlier, and given myself a better chance of staying. I only hope it will work out now.

———————————————-

Simon saunters out of the north school entrance with his typical sunshine grin. He’s wearing floral shorts, mismatched floral shirt, a rosebud bracelet, and his checkered Vans because he has no regard for fashion norms whatsoever. It's amazing. Bunce is by his side, holding her heavy textbooks. When Simon spots me, he runs up and wraps his arms around my shoulders, planting a wet kiss on my cheek.

“Hi, darling,” he purrs.

“Hello, love,” I reply hushed.

Bunce promptly ruins the mood by fake retching onto the sidewalk. I roll my eyes. Simon chuckles. “Thanks, Pen.”

“I can’t believe I agreed to help Basilton just so you two could be gross for longer.”

I shrug. “Well, I certainly do appreciate the help. Thank you, Bunce.”

“Aw,” she drawls sarcastically. “You’re going to make me actually sick up.”

Simon sticks his tongue out and holds onto me tighter. “You think he’s going to ace his exams tomorrow, Pen?”

“If he follows my brilliant teaching? Yes.”

“I’ll do my best,” I say genuinely. Because I will, no doubt. Because I have too much to lose if I don’t. Bunce notices, observant as she is, nodding with a genuinely kind expression.

“So,” Simon says, “are we off to our date now?”

I grin wolfishly, excitement brewing in my gut. “As soon as you get on my bike, yes.”

Bunce sighs, already turning on her heels. “Bye, arseholes. Don’t defile too many places, please.”

Simon shrugs. I flip her off. He swings his legs over the back of my bike and wraps his arms around my middle automatically. Two engine revs, and we’re off.

Originally, I thought about taking him to Mount Olympus. But that’s too predictable. Simon and I need more than one place to call our’s. So we don’t head north towards my neighbourhood, but west, towards the Wavering Wood.

It’s another secluded area in town, surrounded by willow trees and thick brush. Most people avoid it. But I know of somewhere perfect for us. With some brilliant manoeuvring and and careful driving by me, we end up in a small clearing by a pond. The grass is soft and flat. Willow trees give us just enough shade to be comfortable. The water sparkles in the sunlight like something out of a dream.

“Wow,” Simon gasps, “this is gorgeous.”

“Our little town is full of surprises. And,” I pull out a large plastic bag from my knapsack, “so am I.”

I bring out the plastic tablecloth first. It’s white and red checkered, like something out of the fifties. Then I take out the roast beef sandwiches and sour cherry scones. Cousin Pritchard was more than happy to give me some fresh ones for free. Simon’s eyes light up beautifully at those. I spread out my arms with flourish.

“Ta-da,” I announce.

“A picnic by the water?” Simon giggles. “Really?”

“I’m feeling romantic. Sue me.”

He quickly plops himself down cross legged on the crinkly plastic. “Hey, I’m not complaining. Especially if there’s food.” He opens the takeaway container, grinning at the roast beef. “When did you get all this? At lunch?”

I sit down too, stretching out to lounge next to him. “No, free period at the end of the day. I broke many speed limits getting all of it.”

“Baz! You’re supposed to study during free periods!”

I sigh, shaking my head. “Simon, exams start tomorrow and I’ve been studying intensely for three weeks. If I’m not ready, then neither Bunce or I are as smart as we think we are.” Simon still looks concerned. I reach out and grab his hand, running my thumb over the back of it. “I’ll be alright, love. Trust me.”

His expression finally breaks, a corner of his lip pulled up. He stretches out next to me, not letting go of my hand. “Okay.”

Simon digs into his food. I laugh at all the crumbs around his mouth. Part of me wants to kiss or lick them off, but I settle for just brushing them. Simon giggles and blushes, making my heart soar. He goes after the scones almost immediately after finishing his sandwich. Of course he inhales them like a vacuum cleaner.

“Leave some for me, Salisbury,” I grumble.

“Fine,” he groans, handing me a pastry.

“Sorry I’m not letting you eat all of the sugary treats, love. I know it’s a sacrifice.”

He glares, but the weight of it is lessened by his bulging chipmunk cheeks filled with crumbly pastry. I just keep smiling as I bite my singular scone.

Once we’re done, I end up on my back with my eyes closed, Simon half resting on my chest. He uses an index finger to slowly run over my collarbone. I trace circles in the small of his back. His strong chin digs into me slightly, but I’m fine. Really, I’m fantastic. I’ve sitting by a pond, resting in willow tree shade, all with a gorgeous boy pressed against me. This might be heaven. But I wish Simon seemed to feel the same.

“Simon,” I sigh, “stop looking at me like that.”

I can practically hear Simon frown in confusion. He knows I can’t see him, but I’m incredibly perceptive. I can feel it. “Like what?”

“Like I’m going to disappear the second you close your eyes. I’m still here, and I’m not going anywhere just yet.”

“O-Oh.” He lowers his head, putting his arms around my middle and his cheek over my heart. “Sorry.”

I sigh, petting his hair. “It’s alright, love, I understand. Everything starts tomorrow. Just...” I wrap both my arms around, trying to get him even closer. “Just don’t start letting me go until I’m actually gone.”

Simon growls slightly, like a defensive animal. He scoots up and buries his face in my shoulder. His grip on my waist tightens. I can feel his every huffy hot breath.

“I’m not letting you go ever,” he whispers harashly. “I promise.”

I chuckle, amused by his affection and determination. “I know, love. Me neither, and I’m going to fight like hell to stay. I promise.”

He starts moving around. I can’t see what he’s doing from my angle. Suddenly, Simon is lifting up my hand and putting something around it.

“Simon, what are you-”

“It’s for good luck,” he blurts. “For tomorrow.”

I lift up my wrist. It’s a rosebud bracelet like the one he's wearing. But strangely, the flowers are black instead of pink. It looks handmade. The roses are meticulously hand coloured, each flower obviously glued on one by one. I strain my neck down to kiss the top of Simon’s soft hair. He squeezes my sides

“Thank you, love,” I whisper.

Simon hums in approval. I fall back and look back out the sky. We go quiet again, and I bask in the moment. This perfect moment just before the storm really starts. With Simon against me, my fingers in his hair, him breathing softly, gripping my shirt, and everything calm around us.

For a long while I thought I wanted to burn the whole world down. But now, I think I could be content just staying here forever.

———————————————-

Watford is looming over me even more than usual. I feel like the whole building is going to lean down and fucking eat me. Students walk in without noticing me. Most look like they’ve been hit by a bus, with messy hair, baggy eyes, and piles of loose notes in hand. I try to look calm, but my hand is fiddling like mad, spinning Simon’s bracelet over and over. The smooth glide of it is comforting. I try to focus on that. Until something crashes into me so hard I nearly fall over.

“Fuck!” I wheeze.

Suddenly, a familiar freckled face pops in front of me. “Hi.”

“Bloody hell, Simon,” I breathe out harshly. “You scared me, arsehole.”

“Sorry,” he chuckles, absolutely not sorry at all. He’s wearing his rose flower crown again. He does tend to wear it when he’s excited. “You seemed really deep in thought, love.”

I sigh, running a nervous hand over my hair. “Just, this is it. Whatever I do starting now decides my fate. Ugh, Christ, that’s so over dramatic.”

“It’s fine, I understand. And don’t worry.” He reaches down to squeeze my hand, the one with the bracelet on, his matching one right next to it. “You’re going to do great.”

“You better! Or I’m going to have to deal with a very weepy Simon.”

Penelope Bunce saunters her way up to us, pushing her glasses up her nose. Simon grins and throws his arm around her shoulders. “Well, if you taught him well, then we all should be fine, right?”

“Teaching can only get you so far depending on the person.” She flashes me a smug as all hell look, and if Simon wasn’t in my way, I swear I’d kick her. But that smug smile soon becomes genuine, and to my utter surprise, she walks in front of me, stands on her toes, and ruffles my hair. What the hell?

“Good luck, Baz,” she says. “You might not want it, but I’ll give it anyway.”

Huh, not what I was expecting. But I certainly appreciate the sentiment. I nod. “Thank you.”

She nods in reply, then turns to walk into the school. Simon and I are the only ones left outside. I feel him lean against me, his arm perfectly lined up with mine.

“Good luck,” he whispers. “I don’t think you need it, but I want to say it.”

I kiss the top of his head. “Thank you, love. Good luck to you too.”

In a split second, before I can register what happens, Simon reaches up, turns my head, and kisses me. It’s insistent and passionate. He’s obviously holding nothing back, so I don’t either. I put hands on his hips and pull him against me. Simon’s arms wrap fully around my neck, pressing us together even more. If I could, I'd never let go.

But we do have to pull apart eventually, though our faces stay close. I keep my eyes closed and lean my forehead against his. He breathes heavily. The smell of cherries tickles my nose.

“Good luck,” he whispers.

“You already said that,” I reply. He smacks my head lightly.

“Shut up.”

“Nope. If I do well, you’re going to be stuck with me and my smart mouth.”

He pulls back, letting his arms fall down until we’re holding hands. “Yeah, I know. So go ace those goddamn tests.”

I start walking us towards Watford, fingers laced together, so tight and unwilling to part. “As you wish, love.”

———————————————-

AN: I know this chapter may feel like filler but I wanted it really badly. Baz needed to settle shit with his friends of course. And Simon and Baz need some normalcy through all this craziness. Like, I wanted them to have a calm moment before exams. I also felt like I needed to show them being normal. Just them go on normal dates with no snogging and being happy together. Sorta shows they could continue after this insanity and excitement, hm? Hope that got across. This is probably unnecessary but I always feel the need to explain my writing. Thank you for reading! And thank you again to the amazing fan artists! :D

Chapter title is from "War" by Sum 41

#carry on #snowbaz #simon snow #baz pitch #penelope bunce #dev #niall #fluff #angst #punk/pastel #mysnowbazfanfic

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financiallymint · 6 years

Text

The key to becoming more intelligent

I picture myself at 12 years old.

I’m defending one of my classmates from the crazy History teacher. ‘You’re useless, you’re stupid and you won’t get anywhere in life. You were born stupid and you will always be stupid.’ He says.

I’m looking at this little bearded joke of man insulting my friend. I’m angry, but I don’t want to get into trouble. I raise my hand, and put on a very confused face: ‘Sir, I’m a little confused. Can’t you learn to be intelligent? Isn’t that the point of school?’

There’s an awkward silence, and the teacher kind of mumbles about. He’s insecure and probably feels like an idiot debating with a 12 year old, so he just says ‘Why yes, you’re right, you can all learn to be intelligent.’ Next day he’s attacking some other ‘stupid student’, trying to inflate his own ego.

Not a great teacher no, and not great for students morale. But it was a French public school and teachers were paid very little – all sort of things came through the door.

However, that event as a 12 year old was marked in my memory; yes, you can become intelligent.

But then I kept asking myself: how?

Well, not long ago, I discovered the answer while listening to Barney from The Escape Artist on the ChooseFI podcast. And it suddenly all made sense.

By reading books

Seriously? You say.

Yes, but there’s a bit more to it.

Hear me out first.

Why books?

I started this website after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad. Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi Strauss became vegan after reading Eat to Live. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft completely changed her attitude and mindset after reading Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, reorganized the company’s operations after reading Competing Against Time by George Jr. Stalk.

What I’m saying: books change lives.

And it’s very easy to understand why. As Barney puts it: a person take years and years of wisdom, experience and knowledge and condenses it into one little block of paper for anyone to absorb. When you read a book, you’re gathering all the wisdom from this one person – but it takes you 5 hours instead of an entire lifetime. Pure gold.

Every book you read the more wisdom you gain, the more experiences you read about, the more ideas you get into contact with. This author has decided to spend months, years, decades condensing their knowledge and wisdom into a book, because they believe they have something worth sharing. And you get to read that.

It’s incredible, the power of books.

But how exactly do they make you more intelligent?

It’s hard to define what intelligence really means. Einstein says it’s imagination, Socrates says it’s ‘knowing that you know nothing’, Stephen Hawking says it’s the ability to adapt to change.

No matter what it really means, it’s not difficult to see how books make you more intelligent: reading books written by intelligent people with intelligent ideas will teach you how to think intelligently.

It’s that simple. Learn from others, be their student, and you will go on to think like them, analyse like them and produce like them.

The real question then is, how do I find these intelligent books written by intelligent people? This is where it gets exciting:

Which books do I read?

There are millions of books in the world. How do you know which to read? How do you know which has most wisdom? How do you know which one will change your life and which one won’t?

I say books are a bit like networking. You might go to an event, meet an amazing person and start a business together. You might also go, and leave 10x more inspired. And sometimes you leave exhausted from meeting so many people and feel like it’s a waste of time.

But when you meet that person that changes your life and offers you the opportunity of your dreams, you think: ‘Wow, I’m so lucky, look at this amazing opportunity’. Yes, you’re lucky, but you created that luck. You went out there to all these events and looked for the opportunity. You didn’t wait for it to come to you; you went to the awkward networking event, ate some strange looking bagels and forced yourself to talk to strangers. And that effort allowed the opportunity to come.

It’s exactly the same with books. You may finish a book and feel a bit ‘meh’. You may finish a book and feel inspired to improve your life. You may also finish a book, and it changes your entire life. But you may not find that book unless you go through others first. It’s all about creating that opportunity, giving it the chance to find you, to change your life.

So I have to read every single book on the planet to find the right ones?

No! Thanks to the internet we can now recommend, review and talk about the books that have changed our lives.

I’ve done a lot of research, gone through quite a few books and met a lot of people who read. I call them ‘productive books’. They could be fiction or nonfiction, they could be about business, self-improvement or money, they could be 50 years old or published that same year. There is a huge variety, and I understand that it’s not easy to pick and choose. So look at what other people have read and what other people recommend.

Check out my own Resources page where I share my top books. I’ve also added links to other people’s books lists at the bottom.

the perfect read

How do I read?

So we can all agree that books are an amazing tool for building intelligence and wisdom. But the hard part is getting started.

We all know the biggest excuse for not reading: I don’t have time.

We have other commitments and books don’t sound like a priority. Plus they require concentration and a quiet environment – I get it, too much of a bother sometimes.

Well, as a reader with many commitments as well, I have indeed managed to go through one productive book a month. Here are some snazzy steps to get started:

1. Schedule time to read.

Not ‘I’ll read when I have time’ or ‘I’ll read before going to bed’, not even ‘I’ll read on the bus’. Schedule at least 1 hour a week (I try and do 2) purely for reading.

2. Find the right spot

Books are great because they force you to concentrate and focus. You won’t be able to absorb any of the golden nuggets in the book if you don’t concentrate. That means no phones, no unexpected alarms and noises. Find a library, a coffee shop, a park, a quiet place at home for your reading. For this 1 hour, it’s just you and the author, don’t let anyone distract you from that sacred moment.

3. Take notes

Do this for productive books. There is so much important info, life-changing ideas and knowledge in those books that you need to take note of what you’re reading – or you’ll forget! Take a simple notepad, and just write down the interesting stuff and stuff you might want to check out later. You’ll assimilate what you’re learning much better, and learn to apply it to real life. I kept applying all the marketing strategies I was learning in The E-Myth to Financially Mint, all along the book.

4. Practice

As with many other things, reading takes practice. It’s hard at first ‘1 hour without my phone?!’ ‘I actually have to focus on one thing for more than 10 minutes?!’. But the more you do it, the better you get at it and the more you enjoy it. In the end, that 1 hour is sacred for you: away from distractions, just you, your thoughts, and the author’s great ideas.

I look forward to every Sunday morning; I leave my phone at home, walk to the library with my book and notepad and spend 2 hours reading. No one can take this time away from me. It’s time dedicated to my personal education, to working on my wisdom and on my intelligence.

Not only books

Books are the key to becoming more intelligent.

But we don’t only acquire information by reading words on paper. We also have: movies, podcasts, magazines, blogs, anything that shares knowledge.

Books are for the grand ideas, the knowledge that takes time to process and that requires deep thinking. But diversifying is another great way of comparing different information and learning more effectively.

Sometimes things are better explained in a debate on a podcast, or through a documentary or simply by having a conversation with someone. These other forms of acquiring knowledge allow you to exercise the mind, to think about what you’ve learnt from the books, to compare and contrast.

Some of my favourite podcasts to work on my intelligence:

Intelligence squared

The School of Greatness

ChooseFI

Listen Money Matters

Favourite documentaries/movies:

The entire ‘Dirty Money’ series

Minimalism: A documentary about the important things

Some you will like, some you won’t. But remember the networking comparison – keep going, keep trying and you’ll find something life-changing.

And once again, the more you take in all these ideas and knowledge the better you get at learning. You start having opinions of your own with some good arguments and facts to back them up, you start asking more interesting questions and applying what you learn to your daily life. In other words, you become more intelligent.

you may even be able to solve this

What struck me the most about reading, listening and watching all this ‘productive’ information was how aware I suddenly became. I noticed how some people use certain words, I started analysing and trying to understand why I feel a certain way in certain situations, I began to push myself even harder to learn more, to understand more, to ask more. Every productive book changes my life in a different way – which I find both astonishing as well as terrifying. Who am I really, if I keep changing?

Well every book is a new discovery of one’s self. Which is why; read a bloody book. And don’t be one of those people who proudly announces ‘I haven’t read a book since high school’. You’re missing out on a LOT.

As you can imagine, I have a very long list of books I want to read. But here are my favourite ones so far:

(check the Resources page for a description too)

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Deep Work by Cal Newport

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

The Magic of Thinking Big

The E-Myth

Good to Great by Jim Collins

1984 by George Orwell

Here are some other good book lists:

Barney’s Life Changing books

College info geek’s Essential Books

What are some books that have changed your life? Or podcasts? Or movies?

#student #student finance #college finance #study #university #money #financial independence #budget #financial education #make money #save money #studyspo #college #work #student job

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thecartoonarchivist · 6 years

Text

Weekly Spotlight #1

So, to kind of get this blog off the ground until I get a steady flow of requests coming in, I’m going to start a running bit that I’m calling the Weekly Spotlight where I’ll talk about cartoons that you may or may not know and break them down so you can see whether you want to rewatch it or not.

So! For out first spotlight of the week, I’m going to be discussing---

*drum roll*

Ozzy and Drix!

This show is... a bit of a bizarre one.

I’m sure that many of you remember the infamous live-action/animation hybrid known as Osmosis Jones, featuring Bill Murray and Chris Rock as the leading roles to this... dumpster fire. For those of you who never saw this movie, or have fortunately blocked it from your memory, Osmosis Jones follows the life of an individual named, Frank Detorre (played by Bill Murray) who tries to pick up the pieces of his life as it seems to be getting worse and worse from his poor health choices. Meanwhile inside of Frank’s body, Osmosis Jones (played by Chris Rock), a white blood cell with a bit of a rebellious streak, and a cold-pill Drixenol (”Drix”) (played by William Shatner) try to fight off a deadly infection named Thrax as it attempts to ravage Frank’s immune system and kill him. This movie follows the whole “buddy cop” dynamic, with a bit of live-action gross-out humor because... it’s Bill Murray??? I’m not really sure why the chose this directional choice but... okay. Honestly, the best part of this movie was the animation as it seemed relatively interesting and at least the basic understanding of the medical science seemed fairly correct.

Well, about a year later, guess who got made into an animated TV show?

Yep. These guys.

From the years 2002-2004, this show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and premiered on Kids’ WB. Of course, this show was very short-lived, only producing 2 seasons, and ended up rerunning on Cartoon Network from 2004 to 2006.

Now, in order to understand the animated series, you have to watch the pilot; otherwise, you will be completely and utterly lost when you watch this series, because it completely diverges from the ending of the original movie. At the end of Osmosis Jones, Frank declares that he’ll start changing his health ways, Jones is declared a hero, and you get the stereotypical “Happily-Ever-After” ending. From the start of the animated series however, there are a few... continuity errors. We open up the series with a shot of Frank eating terrible junk food, being a complete and total slob, and overall just... a vague sense of the gross-out humor that plagued the movie. When we enter inside Frank’s body, we see that Jones (now nicknamed, Ozzy) and Drix are tracking down a bacterium that causes Scarlet Fever with the intention of gaining a promotion. While chasing down the Scarlet Fever, Ozzy, Drix and the Scarlet Fever are sucked up by a mosquito and transported into a young boy named Hector. They then spend the rest of the episode proving their worth, trying to fit into this “new home,” and overall, establishing the setting, cast, and problems that would become the rest of the series.

Some might be upset with this change of setting and characters, especially when it appears that this show seems to be a way for producers to promote healthy choices and healthy living, but when it comes down to it, the choices made in this series make sense. The TV series obviously wanted to get away from the gross-out humor, the terrible live-action crap, and just focus on an interesting concept that promoted kids’ health. The humor is pretty clever, the medical science is fairly accurate (aside from the fact that Ozzy would be attacked by Hector’s white blood cells as a “foreign” object and destroyed regardless of blood type compatibility), and for the most part, their messages are pretty wise to send to kids. They explain to the audience, without making the show too preachy or too “on the nose”, the effects of making poor health decisions such as the dangers of eating undercooked food, the adverse effects of having a diet high in sugar content, the hazards of potentially picking the bad habit of smoking.

Though... there are some episodes that... didn’t appear to have a clear point...? Such as the episode “Reflex” in which Hector simply... “scared” his bully into not beating him up? Which... really doesn’t really seem like a wise example to be showing to kids. As well as the two part episode called “Out of Body Experience”, that postulates while in another sex’s body, blood cells turn into the other sex (i.e. male cells turn into female cells in a female body) which... is... flat out wrong??? And, looking over this egregious error, what exactly is this teaching kids? That girls aren’t that different from guys? Why couldn’t we have that sort message in a plot involving one of the canon female characters of the show? That seems like a better way to get across that message. Another question in fact--- how does Hector have “female” cells in a male body (if we’re following the show’s... weird logic)? It honestly felt like a weird excuse to have a bit of a Genderbend fun and ask the question, “What would it be like if Ozzy and Drix were girls???”

And it’s...

just...

weird...

Regardless, I feel like this show isn’t as bad as you would think or as others might try to make it out to be. Is it cringy at times? Yes. Of course. It’s the early 2000s; what did you expect? Do their plots make sense? Eh... sometimes. It could be better. But as a show, was it good at promoting kids’ health? Absolutely. It made learning about the body fun, and promoted (for the most part) very wise and healthy habits for children to maintain into adulthood. Some of its jokes and humor are very subtle and even directed towards adults at times. When researching on whether or not they followed medical validity, I was surprised on how much was true to real life. They correctly described the functions of several body parts; they accurately described several different diseases; they follow cell biology (for the most part) fairly strictly; they even had some clever quips of dialogue that highlighted the anatomy of a cell: “You’re pullin’ my membrane!”

One of the things I was a little disappointed in was the amount of times I saw the animation recycle clips from the original movie in their TV show. The animation between the movie and the T.V. show is also very apparent. Much of the original animation was a mixture of 2D and 3D animation that is probably some of the best I’ve seen--- especially for early 2000s work! But for the TV show, they stuck primarily to 2D animation, which makes sense. It fits the aesthetic of the show; it’s a lot easier to produce (at least at this time period); and it allows them to make the show within a timely manner. I would allow this downgrade to slide, if it wasn’t for the fact that you directly rip scenes and shots from the movie to show off in your show, like “Look at how cool this is! It’s it great! It looks amazing! We’re just as cool as that, right guys? ...Right?” And it seems... kinda like cheating if I’m honest.

Overall, I’d say this TV show wasn’t the worst I’ve seen. Would I watch it again? Probably not. It wasn’t really intended for my demographic and it really shows. Would I ever show this to my kids? I might. It’s not the worst program out there and really, it’s a fairly good motivator for kids to start caring about taking care of their body--- and if you create healthy habits while they’re young, they’ll be more likely to stick with them into adulthood. But... there are just some things about this show that just don’t sit the best with me and I’m not entire sure why. The animation hasn’t aged the best and... well... it’s just not as interesting as some other cartoons in the past.

Rating this T.V. show out of 10, I give it 5.5 stars.

It’s not bad. It’s not good. It’s just kind of... forgettable, and weird. But who knows? Maybe this is your jam and you love this cheesy early 2000s animation. But as for me, I’m just going to let this show fade into the shelves of my vault, only to be remembered in times of really weird Biology classes.

[Edit (8/11/2018) : I changed a bit of grammar, reorganized some sentence structures, and overall, fixed errors that got through my post the first time.]

If there are any corrections you’d like to make in regards to this post, please feel free to send me a message with the corrections and I’ll get back to it as soon as I can!

Do you remember a cartoon your friends have never heard of? Got a scene from an animated film that you’re dying to know the name to? Send your questions to The Cartoon Archivist and I’ll see what I’ve got in the vault!

#ozzy and drix #osmosis jones #Cartoon network #Kids' WB #cartoons #early 2000s #Weekly Spotlight #Does this count as educational television????#Ehh... I'll keep it off because it's not 100% accurate #This was a weird one to tag tbh #It's... just a weird show honestly; nothing else to it

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philosworkbench · 3 years

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Solopreneurs: What’s your fastest Shower, Ship, Succeed story?

Maybe this term already exists. I have no idea. But here’s what I want to talk about: I had an idea for a new class while in the shower yesterday. I announced I was doing it today. It starts in two weeks. In six weeks, I’ll have a pretty clear picture of how successful it was. That seems like a turnaround that solopreneurs are uniquely positioned to create.

Backstory: My COVID vs. Career Crisis

Disclaimer: My family and I have been extremely lucky during COVID. No one has been sick and no one in my immediate family works in healthcare or has a job that requires going in-person work. So, I’m using the term “crisis” with a tremendous amount of privilege. Still, it decimated my industry and how I used to earn a living.

That all being said, when COVID hit, I lost four months of work in one week. It created a huge void in my life. My entire career was built on live: live training and facilitation using IMPROV. I curled up into a ball and started questioning everything I had done in my life. What did it mean? What was at the center of it. About 6 months and 100,000 words (written only to myself) later, and I had the conceptual model for the PLAY Polarities. It was exhilarating. I had an idea of value that I could share with the world. Something of mine that I could sell myself. Only one problem. I didn’t devise the product. Okay, cool. Here’s a model. Everybody has a model. No one pays for an idea. They pay for an application of an idea.

So, simultaneously as I began telling people at PLAYdates (then TDCocoa) about the idea, I began thinking about ways to productize the insights I had assembled. What’s the coaching package? What’s the training program? Etc.

I think about monetization a lot. Between my cozy white male Gen X upbringing and my life in improv, I didn’t get a lot of good ideas about how to make money happen. As a kid I was told by parents and guidance counselors: “just get a general liberal arts degree and you can do anything.” I even once suggested to my stepdad that I might get a degree in public speaking (which turns out would have been hugely valuable as I spent a lot of time as a presentation skills coach). His reaction?

“Why would you get a degree in how to say something instead of getting a degree in what to say.”

Somehow he thought that was a bad idea but didn’t bat an eye as I selected my major in philosophy. PHILOSOPHY.

From there I went into improv where the general approach to everything is, “let’s just help each other out and everything will be fine.” That’s why the only financially successful improvisers are the ones you recognize on TV or the ones with good day jobs. “It’s a mug’s game.”

Don’t get me wrong: improvisation can help you immeasurably as an entrepreneur. I just didn’t know it and never applied it that way. So, consider it a “mod.” Improv doesn’t necessarily help “out of the box.”

So, I did what I always do and why I’ve devoted myself to facilitating transformational self-improvement -- I started reading books about it. How does one become an “entrepreneur?” How does one “monetize” their intellectual property into a service? How does one “productize” their services into clearly defined products?

That brings me to a nice hot shower.

SHOWER: Surprising Yourself with the Big Idea

I’ve been racking my brain about lightweight products to monetize the PLAY Polarities. I turns out that it’s not enough to say, “I do coaching, training, and consulting.” People don’t just start throwing money at you. You have to clearly identify problems and try solving them.

So you discovered a model that seems to organize individual, team, and organizational improvement priorities. Big deal! Who needs that? Do they know they need that? What are they going to do with that knowledge? How can it make or save them money? I.e. WHY SHOULD THEY PAY YOU?

I’ve been beating my head against the wall about this for weeks. And, without exception, each monetization strategy I come up with occurs to me in the shower. It just pops into my head.

“Eureka! I should do this!”

Disclaimer: My spouse and I are watching the TV show, Eureka, right now. That may be a factor.

So the idea for this new class hit me. I would lead a live, virtual class, reduce the rate in exchange for participants letting me record it and turn it into assets for an asynchronous eLearning.

Okay, but if I’m going to do that, before everyone gets too busy returning to the “real world,” I should do it QUICKLY.

“Like April?” says my Shower Daemon.

“Yes! April!” I reply. And then immediately face anxiety. How do I do that?

SHIP: Lessons from Volunteer Carpentry and Seth Godin

Something else I had to learn on my journey to unexpected entrepreneurship? Execution. Yes, my new company is as an assassin.... ON THE DANCE FLOOR! (Jumps up and down, shakes hips, trips, falls, farts.)

I had to learn what Charan and Bossidy talk about in their book, unsurprisingly called Execution. So you have great ideas? Great. What will you do about them? You plan to sell? How will you sell? How many dials? How many LinkedIn messages? When?

Execution is the lifeblood of business. It’s almost too simple to recognize it’s profundity. Yes, duh, to do something, you must, you know, do something. When I tell you that that simple truism has sabotaged most of my professional life, believe me.

As the Apostle Paul says, “The good that I would do, I do not. The evil that I would not do, I do.”

Or, in the Revised Matt Elwell version, “The work that I wish I would do, I procrastinate about. The desk that doesn’t need to be reorganized for the 80th time, I reorganize again. This is, in fact, the perfect day for it.”

As I said in a PLAYdate this afternoon:

Most people get to the starting line and GO! I get to the starting line and keep trying to redraw the perfect starting line. Job one for me is cultivating the habit of running imperfectly.

So, against every instinct, I announced my class on today’s PLAYdate using a slide I created while the participants were in their breakouts.

There are two places. The first was Habitat For Humanity. I was no carpenter, but my home church had a long history with HFH and I loved the few mission days I spent with them. I learned a lot about handling wood and framing out a house. I learned how to “talk to the nail,” making small adjustments to how you struck the nail to encourage it not bend as you encountered resistance. As someone who was pretty much written off in gym class as an irredeemable fat nerd, this was something physical that I felt competent about.

However, because I felt competent, I started wanting everything I did to be perfect. To garner the compliments and validation that meant so much to me as I started. But no. that positive reinforcement started waning, and people instead started looking at me with their heads cocked to one side. I was taking too long.

That’s when I learned a saying I’ve tried to remind myself of my whole life:

“You ain’t building a piano!”

(This was said to me in deep southern New Jersey, so it was more like, “Yuh-aint-buildin’-uh-pian-urr!” And then someone threw a piece of scrapple at me. True story.)

That simple sentence reminds me that I have made a habit, perhaps a compulsion, of fretting over details most people won’t notice. I’ve often excused this by telling myself that I’m an artist and therefore, I’m not just filling orders.

If you’re prone to excusing your own poor time management in favor of artistry, consider this. Are you making a statement about your art with what you are doing, or making a statement about your fear with what you’re not yet doing? Are you really saying something with the detail you’re burning hours on to get “just right” or are you allowing yourself to avoid something that really does present the greater artistic challenge.

As Stephen Covey observed, “avoid being ‘right in the thick’ of thin things.”

That’s my Habitat for Humanity story. My other influence, which is a much shorter story, is Seth Godin. You can still get his ShipIt Journal for free on his blog. And if you have something worth doing, I would suggest using his guide to help you do it. In Godin’s characteristic manner, he helped me realize how much of my failure to execute was motivated by fear.

If you’re terrified of failing at something, your brain will make sure you don’t, by making sure you never really try. Basically, you brain exists to keep you alive. We’ve evolved to not do things that can endanger our aliveness by experiencing and avoiding pain. So, if you’re afraid of failing, you are experiencing a kind of pain. Brains hate that noise. QED: you never quite get around to it.

So when I’m not channeling the kindly old South Jersey carpenter who said, “you ain’t building a piano,” I channel Seth Godin who calmly informs me through his immaculate demeanor and trademark spectacles, “just get it shipped.”

Telling people about my class today was me “throwing my cap over the wall” to make sure I did what I said. I’m already scared thinking about it. But now it’s a fear of not getting it shipped, not of not getting it perfect. That’s the fear I want.

SUCCEED: Coming Soon?

In improv we have a “rule of threes.” It’s integral to comedy:

Offer something

Add something else which, by its very following of 1, begins to create a possible connection/story

Add a third thing which, by association with the other two things, clarifies the connection and resolves it or launches us on a trajectory

Depending on that third offering, you either have a joke or a scene, but either way, you have a good chance a comedy.

Either way, the third thing is where we start seeing “the product.” The thing thing is the embodiment of “oh, I get it....” For example:

If Player A nods to Player B and says, “Cat” and Player B nods back and says “Dog.” Then a lot can happen.

Player A can say, in a business like manner. “Are any other animals joining us at this business meeting?” Immediately, a lot becomes clear. These people are playing animals. They’re doing some kind of animal business. Hilarious.

Player A can say, “Oh, I love dogs! Isn’t the vet here, great?” The two make small talk while their pets are getting treatment. Eventually, they fall in love. (Player A and Player B. Not the pets. Or Do ThEy!?)

Or, Player C can enter and offer a warm, “Hey, Dog!” to Player B and sit down next to them. Then, they can turn and nod in the direction of Player A with a curt, even cold, “Cat.”. Player B can respond happily, so grateful to be acknowledged. Player A can respond to the frosty greeting in a way that makes Player C visibly shiver: “Helloooooo, Mouse.”

No matter which of those scenes interests you, they would all interest someone. In an audience of 150, at least a few would walk out the door of the theater that night and say, “that one was my favorite. That group was so good. Let’s come back here soon!”

Three beats makes a product. Three beats is something people will buy, buy again, and tell their friends to buy. Three beats is success.

As I embark on this journey of Shower-Ship-Succeed, I think about what I need to get to my third beat. And what occurs to me is a clear picture of what success looks like and a practical understanding of what I need to do in myself, in my actions, in my systems, and in my relationships to make that success happen.

Some people might argue (and they might be right) that you shouldn’t get to ship without having a clear picture of success. And maybe they’re right. But don’t let that stop you from starting the creation or “shipping” process. In fact, I’m finding that all three of these states are iterative. You don’t so much go linearly from one to the other.

You have your “shower moment.” Hopefully, you listen to it and start to work on it. You start getting ready to “ship.” I call that whole process “shipping,” not just the putting-it-on-the-shelf-with-a-price-tag part. As you do that, I believe you get a vision for what this will be and who will like it and then you can start asking why they would pay for it, and that can start you on this cycle.

That might be a question that sends you back to the shower for more.

What about YOUR Shower, Ship, Succeed story?

I started this post with a question and then all this stuff just flowed out. (Hooray, my gift of making first drafts five times longer than they have to be!)

Here’s what I want to know: Have you ever, as a solopreneur, or just a creator of anything, noticed a rapid procession from initial idea (Shower) to making something (Ship) to having a desired result (Succeed)?

What was your fastest time?

What helped you get it done so fast?

What slowed it down?

What did you have to overcome -- in the project and in yourself -- to get it done?

Now that I’ve said all I could possibly say, I’d love to hear your stories!

#entrepreneurship #solopreneur #ship it #seth godin #improvisation #improv

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mariajustinteriordesigns · 3 years

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My Home Detox Project + Reset Button For 2021

It’s finally 2021, and though this doesn’t mean we are back on planes and out dancing again, at least the end of Corona is in sight. I have totally had it with this pandemic and most of us are quite drained emotionally and financially from it. I personally took a huge financial hit and had to give up my office which means working from home again while trying to home school my 1st grader in a foreign language. What a challenge… BUT friends, this post is meant to encourage you so I’ll get to the point. I want to tell you a little story about the morning of January 1, 2021 and how a huge pain in the ass caused me to push a giant reset button on my life.

There is so much negative news that anyone can complain and be justified in doing so. Complaining does nothing except allow you to blow off a little steam, and after some time, it actually intensifies the situation because the more you dwell on negative things, the more negative you feel. The more stuck in the mud you stay.

We can never underestimate the power and importance of having ownership, of taking responsibility, for everything in our life not just the stuff that we technically can blame others for. Yes, in some cases others have been the cause of our pains in life, or situations like Corona can be to blame for many problems, but ultimately we must take action on everything that is thrown on our path and either move it aside, throw it out, or jump over it. To stand on the path and blame the thing laying in front of us, or worse, to turn around and walk back, is the true definition of insanity. We may need to pause for a moment to determine the best way to proceed despite the obstruction, but proceeding is the goal.

This is how I decided to ‘reframe’ 2021 - much differently than 2020. To take responsibility and ownership of my life in a new, more deliberate, way. Last year, I definitely paused too long on my path with nearly everything that was thrown my way. I didn’t take action quick enough. If it was related to my son, family or close friends, I jumped immediately to save the day. If it involved me, my career, my life, I froze and felt victimized a lot. I gave in to wine on the weekends to take away my stress and anxiety. I gave in to starvation and coffee during the week to make up for the calories of the wine on the weekends, which made me tired and addicted to coffee instead. I was either jittery (during the week) or as relaxed as a slug (on the weekends). In either case, I felt more useless than useful.

Corona became the go-to excuse for everything that didn’t work.

And in most cases, it really WAS.

Yet, I realized before the holidays that I couldn’t go on allowing Corona to drive my life. It was in control, not me. One lockdown after another meant more schedule changes, cancellations, stress, and problems. This had to end yet not one of us can end a pandemic, so I woke up on the 1st of January and decided I would END IT in my own way. It would start with me. It had too.

I remember exactly how I felt that morning - cold, withdrawn, lonely, sad. I felt like my life was no longer exciting, interesting or fun (it was up until Corona). Corona had become a huge pain in the ass. I missed my friends, parties, I wanted to fly back to America to visit familiar places and faces, I longed to plan a vacation or simply use the sauna at the gym. I wanted a fresh start, a fair to attend, friends to hug.

I KNEW NONE OF THIS WAS POSSIBLE YET (VACATION, PARTIES, FLYING, FAIRS).

I KNEW I HAD TO LIFT MY OWN SPIRITS BECAUSE I WOULD BE DOOMED OTHERWISE.

I KNEW I NEEDED TO BE STRONG AND MIGHTY FOR MY SON.

I KNEW I HAD TO RE-FRAME CORONA AND STOP FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF.

I thought about what is needed during times of hardship. What do you need to do to come up for air? You make the most of what you have.

What did I have that I could control?

That was the burning question that kept presenting itself to me.

THE ANSWER: My home, my business, my health.

These are the things that I realized needed all of my attention. On January 2nd, I woke up in a different state of mind that I did a mere 24 hours before. I was in control. I was ready to tell Corona to kiss off. I was ready to push the reset button and begin.

I decided to detox my home and my body. I immediately went off of alcohol and sugar, and decided to gut everything in my house - my closets, my drawers, the kitchen, the bathrooms, my storage rooms, everything would be emptied, looked through, and reorganized. I vowed to donate 50% of my belongings, sell another 5% (things I couldn’t imagine giving away), and keep the remaining 45%. It was a big commitment, but once I emptied all of my rooms, one at a time, and started the home detox, and committed publicly to it on my Instagram @decor8 (which helped me to stay accountable), I knew I could do it. I had to. There was no backing out.

As I sorted, friends locally and even online cheered me on. Some came over to help, like Gabi, Esra and Jasmin. Others accepted my donations of love like Diana and Kristina. I felt lighter as my many beautiful things left. I gave things to neighbors. I got rid of over 400 magazines, some I’d collected since 2006. I never realized I had so many, but I had stacks and cabinets full of them. I know they are part of my profession, so naturally magazine obsession would be part of being a journalist and creative director, but still. I couldn’t justify owning 400 magazines. Now I have one favorite stack of about 30. It feels good. I can’t even count the amount of ceramics that I donated to charity. And throw pillows. Wow. I have been working 6-12 hours a day on my home since 2 January and today I finally paused to write this post. It’s the 19th, so 17 days purging, full-time. Tonight I’ll start again. I am determined. Control is so liberating.

I am nearly finished detoxing my home. Now I want to detox my cellar room, maybe next week. I have about 30 nice things to sell, some will go on my new second-hand Instagram @decor8holly and the others, I will peddle in the spring once flea markets reopen and I can rent a table. Yet, as I look around my newly detoxed house, I think about how I want to do a round two next month and get rid of even more. Keep decluttering until I feel more freedom from “stuff”. The overall relief, joy and that fresh start energy I love so much has become addictive.

My wine on the weekends and coffee during the week has been replaced with less coffee, more water, fresh juice and smiles. My energy soars. Life feels totally good again and I have a sense of comfort and hope. My home is once again my creative launchpad and happy spot for me and my projects. I even created a new podcast studio and office in my former storage room, because it’s much better for recording than the large office in the front of the house that I use most of the time. The smaller office is cozy, charming and full of light - and it’s very quiet and my son likes that I am in the back of the house where his bedroom is. He can play and have me nearby.

Once I have finished my home detox, I’m building my all-new classroom online to replace Blogging Your Way. I will offer a shiny new e-course. It will be all about marketing yourself online through newsletters, online classes, communities, and more. I will also put a new guide in the decor8 shop to download all about how to detox your home. My home detox helped my creativity to return tenfold. I also will paint some rooms, move things around, and reinvest in new pieces after selling some off (like my dining room table/chairs and a few other pieces). I plan to finally renovate my son’s room from little boy to big boy - he turns 7 in only 3 weeks and bears holding kites are no longer cool (that’s the motif on his wallpaper).

The best part of home and health detox goes beyond all of the benefits mentioned already… The greatest benefit is that I barely think about CORONA or what I miss. I have no time, I’m too busy leveling up so that once this pandemic ends, I’ll be ready to throw open my doors to guests, host parties again, and enjoy going out with friends because I’ll be healthier AND so will my home.

If you need support detoxing your home, I’ll create a post a guide in my shop soon, and you can use hashtag #mydecor8 to post the after photos of the rooms that you’ve detoxed so I can see your space. You know, I am so glad I found control over my home/life again. You can too.

Love,

Holly

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