#btw feel free to correct me on the language if i got anything wrong

[starpirateee]

WAITWAITWAITWAIT YKNOW HOW SPANKOFFSKI IS A POLISH NAME

PETE OR TED OR MAYBE BOTH SPEAKING POLISH AND CONFUSING THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM

JUST LIKE, THEY HAVE A PRIVATE CONVERSATION OVER THE PHONE THEY DONT WANT OTHERS TO HEAR SO SPEAK IN POLISH TO EACH OTHER AND WHEN TEHY HANG UP EVERYONE AROUND THEM IS LIKE WHAT THE FUCK??????

god im insane about themmmmmm

Anon this is really funny in concept, the size of your mind is insane && I just hope I can do it vague justice

The major problem for Ted on most days was that his phone tended to ring in the most inconvenient of places, at the most inconvenient of times. another major problem was that he often got so engrossed in… Whatever he was doing in the office that he forgot that he and Pete ran on completely different schedules, because his brother was still three months from graduating high school.

He'd been bunking off for the past half hour, and had been talking to Charlotte in the break room, trying to work out when a good time to see her again would be. Everyone who knew them tended to avoid the fact that she was blatantly using him as a fallback option because her husband couldn't— or wouldn't— give her what she wanted. People like Paul and Bill tended to ignore it, only because Sam was doing the same thing across town, with one of the Beanies' baristas, and one of his coworkers… Never at the same time, mind, but Zoey Chambers seemed rather unapologetic about it, so Paul and Bill had managed to work it out as fact.

Still, it was weird to see Charlotte with Ted. Because, at the right angle, it almost looked like Ted genuinely cared about her, and wanted to keep doing what they did to get her away from the thought of her husband for a while. That, of course, had seemed like enough total bullshit that nobody bought it, but they left the two of them to their well needed privacy when it came down to it. Only two people knew they were spot on with near enough everything they speculated about.

Ted leaned against the water cooler, sporting a little more confidence than would surely be allowed in a situation like this. Charlotte wasn't having a terrible day, and that meant it was that little bit easier to talk to her. Less Sam to think about… How did that bastard end up with a woman like her? And why was it that her situation was that bad that he was an upgrade for her?

He was going to think about an answer to that question, but his phone started ringing in his back pocket, vibrating way too dramatically against the cooler.

"Jesus christ-" He stood up a little straighter, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Sorry, Charlotte. One sec, I swear- hello?"

"Hey, Ted."

That was a voice he'd recognise from anywhere. Pete, once again working off his own time and perhaps completely overlooking the fact that Ted still had an hour at work.

For the sake of clarity, Pete checked his watch and drew the realisation that the holidays were over last week, and Ted was back on office hours. His brow creased, hoping he wasn't interrupting anything then realising there wasn't really anything to interrupt in his brother's work life. "This a bad time?"

"Oh, hey, Pete. No, you're good, I wasn't doing anything anyway…" Ted went straight back to lounging, aware that Charlotte was now trying not to eavesdrop but didn't really have anything better to do. "What's up?"

Pete chuckled. "C'mon, when are you ever doing anything? You don't do shit! Especially not at work!"

"Hey! I do shit! I get paid to do shit, don't I?"

"… Do you even know what department you work in?"

It was a genuine question, and would've accounted for Ted's genuine laziness and reluctance to do any of the actual work he was sent… If Ted hadn't prepared for this exact eventuality several months ago. He'd made sure to pay enough attention in a Monday meeting to at least account for what depeatment he worked in, and what that department pretty much required him to do. He didn't have to work constantly anyway, and that was the best part. His main job was just… fixing the problems everyone else had, when they had them.

"Sure I do. Tech support!" He imagined the defeated expression that flashed across his brother's face, and laughed to himself. There were too many people around him to make the point he was going to make next without getting mobbed, so he leaned in a little closer to the phone, a smirk playing on his lips, and muttered, "Czuję się, jakbym był jedynym idiotą, który faktycznie się zakwalifikował… (I feel like I'm the only idiot who's actually qualified…)"

That prompted an unexpected laugh out of Pete, who was clearly around other people too, because he tried to cover it up. "To wiele mówi (that says a lot.)" He returned once he'd stopped laughing. The two of them had stopped questioning the other's occasional slip into their own version of mostly fluent Polish. They used it to their advantage, to have private conversations in public, or sometimes in reverse when they were around the Polish side of their family. More things could be said if there was the added bonus of nobody overhearing, and that way of thinking had helped Pete out on a few occasions.

Ted cracked a smile. "Ty jesteś gówniarz- (you're a little shit)" He managed to bring himself back into the conversation they were supposed to be having, before he and Pete managed to lose it like they always did, lost in the jesting and the back and forth that just seemed to get better with every phonecall they had. "You didn't call to insult my supposed lack of work, did you? What's up?"

"Can I drop by the office and pick up your keys? I must've left mine on my desk this morning… Took me till third period to realise they weren't in my pocket…" Pete turned from the phone to mutter something- a goodbye, perhaps- towards someone else, and Ted found it vaguely amusing that Pete had retaliated to his complaint when he was with friends.

"You left after me this morning…"

"The front door locks itself, don't worry about it."

Ted faltered, and then nodded. He'd figured that by accident once when he accidentally locked himself out after forgetting his own keys, and he had to wait in the foyer for half an hour like an absolute fool for Pete to show up after his study session. "Fine. You know where the back entrance is, don't you? My car's parked out there, you should recognise it."

"That hunk of shit? I'd recognise it anywhere,"

"Do not slander my car!"

"C'mon, Ted, you've had it like, twenty years! And it hasn't gotten any better in all that time…"

He was going to ignore for now the seemingly increasing pile of problems that it seemed to have every year. Wings that needed replacing because they'd rusted so hard last year, numerous little engine faults… And the suspension was probably shot after all these years… It was a hunk of shit, sure, but it was _his_hunk of shit. "You just wait till you get your own hunk of shit, we'll see who's laughing then!"

"I'm- I'm getting close, I can see your car. Thanks for this, by the way…"

"Yeah yeah, don't mention it, Pete. You better not lose 'em on your way home, I know what you're like…"

"Dupek. (Asshole)"

"Tak, też Cię kocham… (Yeah, I love you too)" Ted chuckled before Pete hung up on him with a scoff. He rolled back his shoulders and stood up from the water cooler. Charlotte tilted her head, and it dawned on him that she'd probably heard all of that. He shrugged. "My brother. Useless bastard left his keys in the apartment… Hold on just a moment." He flashed her a quick smile and sauntered out of the break room towards the lift at the back of the office. Charlotte didn't have the time nor the space to question the constant little jumps in language that may well have happened on both ends, because Ted was gone before she had the chance to think about it at all.

#starkid #ted spankoffski #peter spankoffski #void offering #star mail #nova's tags → #i love the idea of ted hiding the fact hes a massive sap by only being a massive sap in polish #like damn that man really will never tell anyone he loves his brother but his brother huh #king of showing affection tbh #btw feel free to correct me on the language if i got anything wrong #i'll be happy to change anything #i'm not a polish speaker and i did use google translate #you know how it is

[sayitaliano]

Ok. I am *really* struggling with how to use the verbs “like” and “miss”. As in “I like her but she does not miss me”. I get that I need to use “al x piace” and “io non le manco” but getting the words grammatically in order has me stumped. Where do I put the subject and the object for each? (yes, I am learning via Duolingo. It’s free and easy for my spouse and I to use and encourage each other.)

Please, let me be the annyoing person I am deep inside for a few lines before answering you. I need it. :') You can avoid reading this first miniature paragraph ofc.

The more I hear people are learning via Duolingo, the more I find people who struggle in understanding grammar patterns and really getting how things work in a language. It's not a critic to you, I understand that you find Duolingo of help for all the reasons you have listed but imo, it needs to be taken only as a support in learning, if anything. Cause it rushes people. And explanations aren't always correct (if you can even find them) and, from my personal experience, it has mistakes (translation and grammar) too (and I refer to the Italian course as well). I personally decided it wasn't of help to me: it only gave me translations without explanations. And I later on found out that some grammar patterns I got to understand where completely wrong (it rushed me to learn them without having the basis of the language I was learning). Ofc, it's a personal decision and I am not telling you you're wrong for sticking with it, I mean, it could even work for you... but I still suggest everyone to maybe stop and trying to realize if you are really understanding what you are learning via Duo. And maybe think also about what do you want to do with the language you are learning: do you want to just use some random words/sentences if necessary/for pleasure or would you use it as you like, one day? Either are fine, it's your choice ofc. And btw there are also other apps that work even better than Duo imo (Memrise is the one that works better for me for example: you can also choose from different courses, and it has daily goals and it's free as well + you have audios from natives).

Now, to answer you. I get why you struggle with these two verbs: they both are "buildt" differently from the English sentence pattern. Let's see them one by one. I will use some colours to try to make things easier, I hope those who are colorblind don't mind (it's still understandable, I hope).

-Piacere: (links: verb | noun | synonyms | uses | per piacere -I added all the ways you can find this verb/word, but for now I suggest you to focus on understanding how it works as a verb)

"al x piace" isn't what I would use to explain the Italian translation of "to like" (we never or rarely use it when commonly speaking + beware: use the preposizione semplice "a" not the preposizione articolata "al", to start. You can change "a" into any articolata one when necessary, i.e. when the following noun requires it). Anyway, I understand this could be an easier translation made up by the app exactly cause of the reasons I listed above (rushing people). But it's also true that the grammar pattern of the verb is different from English to Italian. In English you have a simple "I like you" (Subject -verb - object) cause the verb in English is transitive. But the Italian verb "piacere" is intransitive, so you need to build the sentences as if it was a passive verb: (Tu) Mi piaci = Tu piaci a me (or, as you wrote, "A me piaci tu") = You "are of/provoke like" to me. You cause me to like you. The English object becomes the subject of the action in Italian. And us, well "I" in the sentence, the ENG subject, I undergo the action of liking you. I "suffer" the fact that I like you (=I suffer that your appearance/anything makes me feel better, if you want to make up something to remember the thing). So your sentence: "I like her", could be easily translated as: (Lei) Mi piace. Instead of the "Lei piace a me/A me piace lei" (the order is not that relevant here, but we generally put subject + verb + object + other complements in our sentences) that you have understood from Duo and ofc it is grammatically correct, but not that often/much used. (I suggest you to learn the verb "piacere" conjugation well before making up some sentences on a notebook; and to look at the personal pronouns, if you haven't).

-Mancare: (I have already mentioned somewhere but the explanation was kinda short, so I am gonna write it here anyway)

This verb too is buildt as if it was in a passive form. And you have used the right translation in your sentence. In English is "I miss you". I, the subject, make the action of missing you, the object. In Italian we say "(Tu) Mi manchi", which translates (in the same way as for piacere) "You miss from me": You become the subject and us, (in the example I, but I talk from an "italians" pov) "suffer" the fact that I miss you, that you are missing from me (that your absence makes me incomplete, if you want it to be more romantic: anything goes to remember how it works!). I don't need to add anything else as your sentence is already correct "(io) non le manco" = She doesn't miss me.

So, putting it all together, your sentence would be: "Mi piace ma io non le manco". "I like her but she does not miss me" = (lei) Mi piace ma (io) non le manco.

We often leave subjects implied, in particular when we are the subject or the subject is undefined or very clear from our speech (and the verbs used). This sentence looks more natural with only the second written subject, but it'd be okay also without it: let's say that putting the second subject stresses the change of the subject from the first part/verb (=lei mi piace, lei=she is the subject), makes it more clear to our listener that the focus is on us now (io non le manco, I=io). I suppose, from this sentence, these two people where already talking about "her": this makes it even more clear that she is the subject of the first part/verb.

I hope this is of help!

#it #italian #langblr #italiano #italian language #italian langblr #language #languages #parole words #traduzioni #grammatica grammar #italian grammar #grammatica italiana #verbi #piacere #mancare #lingua italiana #italianblr #languageblr #im allergic to duo atm sorry

[cilis-readings]

Hello!!!!! Can I please ask if it'll be good for me to learn Spanish? I'm not from US btw. I mean theoretically I know I can learn it, no one is stopping me, but I just wanted to know like is there any possibility that I might be required to use it in future? Actually I'm already multilingual and I've used all those languages at some point in my life. For almost a decade I've been wanting to learn one more language. In the past I had started with multiple languages many times and then I give up after few days, coz I lose interest coz in my brain I'm like I won't be needing this ever so what's the use? For the last few days I've been feeling a pull towards Spanish for no particular reason. I had never even thought about Spanish before this ever! Neither do I have anything Spanish related in my surroundings 😂 Don't know why I'm feeling this way, lol. So I'm wondering if in future I might have use of it? Would it be possible to look into it? Thanks so much for your help! My full initials are CT. 🙏🙏🙏 I think I have followed all the rules. In case there is anything wrong with my ask, could you be so kind as to let me know? I'll resend my question with correction if required. Thank you very much again! 🙌🙌

hello!! thank you for providing so much detail, that actually helps a lot with these one card free readings lol, but anyway! here’s what i got for you :)

deck: the pulp tarot by todd alcott

card: the moon

the moon has so many different meanings and interpretations but for this specific question i’m going to focus on the imagination, instincts, and unconscious. to me this card seems to be telling you to listen to your instincts! listen to that voice in the back of your head that’s been telling you that spanish would probably be useful/cool to learn! our mind has funny ways of telling us what we unconsciously desire for ourselves. since you’ve been feeling this for a bit now i think it’s time to bite the bullet and do it!

#my readings #answers #tarot #tarot reading #free tarot reading

[jeonjk0504]

Hi! I admire your open minded responses and ethics. You have said in some posts that you believe Taehyung and Jungkook are mutually attracted to each other but that they haven't confessed or consummated. (Please correct me if I got it wrong!) I was wondering why, in your opinion, Taehyung and Jungkook wouldn't just take the leap and be together after being on a journey of so many years? Is it your opinion that homophobic society is holding them back? Is it the risks to the band? They seem like two rich, empowered men to me. Taehyung seems like a very honest and authentic person. And Jungkook tweeted a drawing he made of a famous line from Love Simon. These guys would know that being in a committed same sex relationship is an option, right? I am not saying they could necessarily be open about it but I find the idea of them wanting it but not acting on it challenging.

It is a sentiment that I see in a lot of cis het female dominated spaces that revolve around queer men, or the idea of queer men. It's love, it's attraction, it's everything but the relationship. And the sex. It strikes me as a heteronormative overlay on what queer men can and can't do, as if the relationship is allowed to be sexual and romantic only in y'all's minds. It looks like shipping but it also looks like erasure.

Personally, I do not think that Taekook are together but I could be wrong. Anything is possible. I admire the way you stand up for what is right and role model that it is never ok to be a bully. What people consider 'harmless' is relative. I don't buy any 'ships' in BTS as purely aesthetic relationships. I am a gay person and can't take away my identity while seeing this content. Hovering between the space of 'they are real' and 'I just want them to be real' is a safe space for bloggers to be. But it isn't a great representation of genuine LGBTQ+people. A 25 yr old and a 23 year old aren't nuns.

You don't have to answer this question if you prefer not to, of course. I didn't mean to try to make you defend your interests. Your points of view are as valid as mine.

Hey anon!

Thanks a lot for your interesting questions! :)

My personal feeling of them being mutually attracted to one another but not being in a relationship, stems from the dynamic they have. But i got to say, i‘m never 100% sure. I don‘t think you can tell at the tip of their noses if people are in a relationship, because it‘s mostly based on „what would i say/do/act like in a relationship?“ and that can never be copied onto people, even less if you don‘t know them personally.

What makes me say that though is a mixture of reasons. The biggest of them is simple: their friendship. My personal impression is often, that they feel drawn to each other but they also have a good eye on their responsibilities and possibilities. This is less of something i can „prove“, it‘s simply a feeling i get based on various situations and how i see them act, none in specific. I also imagine to cross the line of friendship, might be a lot harder in a conservative country while being in this wide reaching spotlight in contrast to other spaces. And all the other things you took as an example, can add to that they don‘t have to though (the popularity, the band, the family, …).

Also when i say i get the impression it‘s unspoken, i refer to them talking about that attraction or establishing a mature understanding, i have never said they haven‘t acted on it. Their body language feels like they have, actually. To me at least.

I know they both support LGBTQIA Artists and Art. But supporting it and identifying with it are two different pair of shoes.

And while Taehyung seems very, let‘s say adventurous to me, he has always had a strong affinity to a self-image based on his father. Which might mean you can indulge in something for fun (same sex intimacy) but when it get’s serious (same sex relationships) it‘s better to follow conservative ideals, like a lot of oppressed or erased homosexuals in Homophobic countries do.

This is just a connection i keep thinking about though, not a fact. It‘s only a fact that he views his dad as a role-model, visually and also in the role that he performs. His strong wish for children supports that as well. And i‘m not saying it‘s impossible for same sex couples to start a family with children (at least not where i come from) but in SK it‘s sadly not an option as of now. They‘re neither allowed to marry, nor have a legal partnership which will definitely have an impact on how you approach relationships in any case.

And i keep questioning myself: would you share such a sensitive wish like having kids, knowing fully well that it‘s not an option while being in a serious same sex relationship? Or would you share it in the belief that laws will change in the future or you will („somehow“) end up with a woman to make it happen? It may be nitpicky of me to question that, but i see it as a possible indicator of Taehyung not being in a serious same sex relationship as of now, because i feel like his desire to have children in some way, has always been noticeably strong and if he shares his wishes in such a carefree way, maybe his wish is in no danger.

Btw i know a lot of TKer i talk to disagree with me on this and they don‘t think it has to mean anything! 😌 and to be fair: we have the same amount of possible indicators that speak in favor of a relationship. I feel like i‘m talking a lot about why i think they‘re not, rather in what way they could actually be… (very ironic, looking at my blog)

Jungkook on the other hand is a little romantic to me, but he seems very careful too not like someone who just takes the leap (i‘m not saying shy, pretty sure he got over that a few years ago for the most part..).

There is a lot more, but it would take up too much space to elaborate so i hope it‘s okay i only gave a small reason for now.

Concerning your criticism on cishet spaces, they are of course valid and it‘s important to keep an eye on that and call out people who hurt the community. I don‘t feel comfortable with you associating me in that space though, because i doubt you actually know from what perspective i am sharing my opinions. I also use BTS neither for hetero nor LGBTQIA representation because i don‘t know what they identify as. It goes both ways. You might see it as hovering in a safe space, but for me that safe space is mostly there out of respect, not because i don‘t feel brave enough to take a stance.

I thank you for your respectful questions! :) it was interesting to reflect on why i view them the way i do. Please always feel free to share your opinions with me 🥰 have a nice day!!

#ask mo #mo replies #taekook #vkook #kookv #kooktae #taeguk

[jtsfavslut]

hiii im sorry idk if ur taking requests but i feel like this would b so cute. so y/n is gray’s girlfriend n she’s latina. when juanpa starts hanging w the twins again, she meets him and rly ~vibes~ w him cuz they both speak spanish, like- they’d prank them or talk shit (or pretend to talk shit) abt them etc and gray would get kinda jealous and would try to learn more spanish? no se si tiene sentido sjdjsdjsj btw soy argentina <33 pd: sería re divertido si y/n fuera argentina solo porque nunca vi un fic con una argentina jajja pero como vos quieras <3 (i LOVE ur writing)

Hola Amor!!! That’s actually really cute, omg, like he would get so jealous, but not even of Juanpa, just of your relationship with him, and the fact that Juanpa speaks Spanish and he doesn’t!!! But Yo amo cuando la gente tiene acento de Argentina, porque me quedo media boba, cuz it 's like so satisfying omg!!!! Also, I love you!!!!

“Juanpa, he’s the Mexican guy right?” you asked and Grayson nodded his head. He was telling you how an old friend of theirs, who also speaks Spanish was coming over, and you were honestly excited. 

“Yeah, he’s really funny too. Juanpa is built differently,” he replied, making you chuckle as you shook your head. 

But when you finally met him, Grayson was right. Juanpa was built differently. And it was hard to tell whether he was joking about something or not.

“Hey, y/n,” he whispered when he noticed neither of the twins were paying attention. You were currently in the backyard, the twins eating something vegan that Grayson cooked, while you and Juanpa made something that you made.

“Dime,” you replied, turning to look at him, he had a weird look on his face, like he was planning something, but you didn’t really know why.

“Vamos, a hacerle una broma,” he whispered and you shook your head, widening your eyes. 

“Vos esta loco, oh que? La ultima ves que yo y E, le hicimos una broma, no me hablo por todo el dia,” you replied, and turned to look towards Grayson who was already looking at you. 

‘Y/N, no es nada malo, solamente pretendemos que estamos hablando de él. Como ahora,” he shrugged, you sighed but agreed after a couple of seconds. 

“Que quieres que yo haga?” 

“Solo sigue mirándolo y conversado conmigo,” he replied and you nodded your head, carrying on with Juanpa’s simple but funny plan. 

After a couple of minutes of wondering what was so interesting about you and Juanpa’s conversation, Grayson got up from his seat, walking towards you as you tried to hold in your giggles. 

“What are we talking about?” he casually asked, even if deep down he was about to combust. 

“Nothing. You wouldn’t understand anyways,” Juanpa sighed and you had to turn the other way in order to not laugh. 

“Oh,” Grayson let out, making you feel bad. 

“It was nothing Amor, just some tea he was spilling,” you said as he sat down next to you, placing a quick kiss on your forehead. 

He was jealous. Grayson got extremely touchy when he was jealous. He was normally touchy, but when he felt ‘threatened’ he would touch you more, hug you more, kiss you more, and not leave your side until he felt that his message got across. 

That was just the first time, the second time Grayson felt jealous was when you and Juanpa were vibing to spanish music. Horribly singing along to the music, while Grayson had no clue on what was even going on. 

“I’m so done with this,” he scoffed towards Ethan and he scrunched his face up in confusion. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean them, just look at them. When they talk, it’s always in Spanish and it looks suspicious, they have inside jokes, when he’s around she barely talks to me, they’re singing songs to each other which I don’t even know the meaning of. I mean it’s clear she likes him more than me,” he sighed, feeling a mixture of hurt and anger while Ethan shook his head.

“Grayson, how many of our friends speak Spanish?” 

“Just him, and Mando, plus her,” Grayson sighed.

“How many of her friends speak Spanish?” Ethan asked and Grayson shrugged. 

“I don’t know, just Mando and now him,”

“See, it’s not that she likes him  more, she just found someone that she can talk to in her own language. And Grayson, Juanpa’s here like twice a week, it’s not that deep,” Ethan replied, making Grayson let out a loud sigh, that you heard, making you turn to look at him. You quickly excused yourself before walking over to him. 

“Amor, what’s wrong?” you asked, a slight pout on your concern filled face.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he sighed and you shook your head knowing he was lying. 

“Bullshit. I’m not going to push you, but if you wanna talk, please talk to me,” you softly spoke and he nodded his head. 

Over the course of a week, Grayson spent all his free time attempting to learn Spanish, just so that he could feel closer to you. He barely learned anything. Maybe just a few phrases and words. He couldn't expect more, after it all it was just one week and a shitty youtube video.

“Amor, pasarme mi botella,” he randomly said as you were both sitting on the couch, taking in the peacefulness of having the house to yourselves. 

“I- umm sure,” you replied, not wanting to question his random and incorrect use of the Spanish language, so you leaned down to pick up his water bottle and handing it to him.

“Was that good? Or like was it bad?” He asked and you looked at him with confusion, “My Spanish, was it good?” 

“It was okay, you used the wrong verb but it’s okay,” you smiled and he nodded his head. 

“Well, what’s the correct verb?” 

“Well, if you wanna get it over with you can just say ‘pasamé la botella’ or if you wanna be polite you can say ‘me puedes pasar la botella?’ you can use both, it doesn’t matter,” you replied and he nodded his head, whispering the sentences a few times so that he could remember them. 

The second time, he said something so random and incorrect that you don’t even remember what it was, but you were starting to notice that he was acting weird, and decided to finally question him. 

“Alright, what’s going on?” you asked sitting up straight and he shook his head. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean you. You’re acting weird. Suddenly wanting to speak Spanish, not leaving my side when another male is around. Did I do something?” You asked and he shook his head letting out a sigh. 

“No, it’s just that you and Juanpa. You understand each other so well, and I don’t. When you speak Spanish, and I have no idea of what you’re saying, I feel like you’re planning something against me. And your inside jokes, I don’t know. I just feel like he understands you more than I do, so I tried to learn Spanish, but that clearly didn’t work out,” he replied making you pout. 

“Amor, you know none of that is true. Yes, me and Juanpa are good friends, but that doesn’t mean he understands me more, I mean in Spanish he does, but he doesn’t understand me as a person, only you do. And I only like him as a friend. I like and love you as a boyfriend. And the inside jokes, don’t even make sense. But Gray, you should’ve told me this, because we purposely made it seem like we were talking about you,” you replied making him chuckle. 

“I love you,” he sighed, pulling you over so that you were straddling him. 

“I love you more,” you placed a quick kiss on his nose before he pulled you down, connecting his lips with yours. 

“Do you think you can teach me Spanish?” 

#gothly blurbs #graysonbailey #grayson dolan #grayson bailey #gray #grayson #grayson dolan imagine #grayson dolan fanfiction #grayson dolan smut #grayson dolan au #grayson x reader #grayson x you #grayson x oc #grayson dolan blurb #grayson dolan fic #grayson dolan fluff #grayson dolan fanfic #grayson dolan concept #grayson dolan x reader #grayson dolan x y/n #grayson dolan x oc #grayson dolan x you #grayson dolan angst #dolan twins #ethan dolan #anais’s asks

[studywithdanielle]

How to Study For: Uni Entrance Exams

14 JUL 2020

Hey guys! I’m currently studying for the TSA and I thought it would be helpful for me to consolidate my process so I can look back on it. Then I remembered that I have a studyblr (woop woop 🎉!) and that I can possibly help others by posting it on here.

NOTE: This is a strategy for exams consisting of multiple choice or short answer questions. If you’d like me to cover essay question prep, just let me know 🥰 !

Btw, I’m a conceptual learner that likes formulas so if this sounds like a rocket launch countdown, I deeply apologise ?.

What You’ll Need:

Internet - I mean, what don’t we use it for these days?

Practise papers

Practise questions

Phase 1 - Preparation

Step 1: Don’t panic

Okay you can panic a little, especially if you’ve left it late but not all hope is lost!

Yes, I know the ‘duh, duh, duh!!!’ didn’t help but panicking will only make you feel overwhelmed and will make the exam seem impossible. Here’s what you should do instead:

Step 2: Find out what the university actually wants

Why do they have an entrance exam anyway?

Especially in the UK, most universities don’t have an entrance exam so if they do, there’s a reason and you’re going to be Sherlock Holmes and find out why that is. Whilst it may seem like they’re trying to traumatise you, I don’t think they particularly enjoy marking a zillion papers 🤧.

What do they expect?

For most university courses, there are a grade requirements and knowing what those are is really helpful for setting your own expectations. If your course (likes mine) doesn’t require maths and there are maths problems on the exam, they won’t be at A-level, IB HL or AP standard.

What score should I be aiming for?

This links to the previous question but finding admissions stats for your subject will help you determine a mark that you’re aiming for. Many of these tests are not designed for really high marks so releasing that expectation early will save you a great deal of stress.

What skills are they testing?

For some entrance exams, the university will list out the skills they’re testing in their entrance exam. Practising these skills broadly will help you to develop them. For example, if they’re testing translation in a language entrance exam, reading in the target language and understanding it will be good practise because you’ll be able to convey ideas from another language if you understand them.

Step 3: Master your strategy

The worst thing that could happen in an exam is that you don’t know what to do or what to write. The best way to tackle that? Having a strategy. Sometimes just having something to do in an exam even if you don’t actually know what you’re doing gives your brain some time to stop freaking out and start problem-solving. To master your strategy, you need to:

Find out the question types

For example, the TSA is split into 2 sections (I have to do both 😭), one multiple-choice paper and one 30 minute essay. I know there are about 9-10 different types of questions targeting 2 skills: critical thinking and problem-solving. By doing this, I can work towards perfecting each question type and in theory will be able to do the whole of the first paper.

Figure out the timings

You can do this in minutes per mark or if there’s an advised amount of time you should spend on a particular type of question, take a note of this.

Figure out your process for each question type

Usually at the beginning of a book full of practise questions, there will be a description as to how best to approach each question. If there isn’t or you don’t have access to one, try looking up strategies on the wonder that is the Internet. If you’re still not sure, attempt questions with commentary answers so that id you get them wrong, you can create a strategy of your own using the tips you’ve gathered from there.

Practise, practise practice. Oh, and did I say practise?

When practising questions:

Make sure to practise a block of questions that are all the same type. This will allow you to learn how to identify the question type quicker and also gives you a sign to stop so you don’t spend all day working on these questions because you’re stressed 😪.

1. Attempt the question

2. Mark the question

3. If you got it wrong, try and figure out why yourself - write this in a different colour.

4. Check the markscheme or talk-through (if there is one) and add in anything you may have missed or anything that could be helpful for the next question in another colour. Now you’ve differentiated between what you could figure out and what you couldn’t.

5. Attempt the next question

*This may seem tedious because why would you not mark all the questions at the end? Doing it this way ensures you approach each question with a better idea of what to do and allows you to pick up on nuances that you may not have otherwise realised. Also, you don’t want to instil the “wrong” method or idea because of muscle-memory.*

6. Once you finish your block of questions, make note of something that went well, something that could’ve been better and what to do for next time. I’d advise you to keep this in a table so that you can see your progress over time. Make sure to look at this before you attempt this style of question again.

Okay so now we now how to practise a block of questions, do we do them to time or not.

I’d recommend doing them not to time at first.

This will allow you to focus on mastering your process and approach to each type of question. You should continue to do this (if you have enough time) until:

You’ve perfected your process/approach

You’ve ensured your strategy actually helps YOU get the right answer

Once you know the strategy works, you’ll feel more confident in the exam, especially because you know if you blank, you have something to fall back on.

I say ‘YOU’ because whilst a strategy straight out of a textbook may work fine for someone else, it may not be the best way for you. Don’t be afraid to tweak it to fit you or create a whole new strategy altogether!

Now, if your strategy works, move onto the next stage. If not, let’s troubleshoot your strategy.

Troubleshooting your process:

1. Find patterns: are there a particular nuances you’re always missing or mistakes you’re making?

For example, in the TSA being able to differentiate between premises and conclusions is really important. If I find that this is something I can’t do, I’ve discovered a pattern.

2. Practise on easier questions.

With the example above, I may look up arguments for GCSE RS or psychology students and try and identify premises and clauses.

3. Adjust your strategy as is necessary

You may realise that you should another step to your strategy, such as highlighting key words, after practising on easier questions

Right, so you have your strategy down - now what?

Practise to time.

It’s the timing that’s the stickler for many uni entrance exams and the best way to get that down is to practise doing the questions to time. I’d still recommend doing the questions in their question blocks at this stage or mixing up blocks that are similar in question type.

Step 4: Practice tests

Now you know what to do when you see all the types of questions, it’s time to apply what you’ve learnt to a real paper. This is where you see what has stuck and what hasn’t so it’s important to see this is a learning process - don’t expect to get 100% on your first try.

When completing a practice test:

1. Answer the entire test

Since you’ve got your processes down, it’s not necessary to mark each question individually since it’s so time-consuming.

2. Go through and mark the test

3. Try and work out where you went wrong, do this in a different colour.

4. Go through the mark scheme and add further corrections in a different colour.

5. Make a note of your mark, what went well, what could’ve been better (even better if ...) and what to do for next time in a tracker. Look at this before you next do a practice exam.

6. If you find you’re getting a particular type of question wrong every time, go back to those question blocks and master your strategy again.

As I said earlier, these tests are not designed for really high marks and so even after lots of practise, there’ll probably still be things that aren’t quite right. But if:

You’re getting the scores you want/need

You have your strategy for each question type down

Then congratulations - you are officially ready for the exam 🎉.

Whilst I wouldn’t advise all practise to stop, I do think that at this stage, running through loads more exam papers is a bit redundant. Maybe doing one every week or fortnight will suffice. Plus, if you started preparing early, you don’t want to go through alllll your practice papers before the exam actually comes around.

Phase 2 - Lead Up to the Exam

Congrats - you made it!

Honestly, I think if you’ve prepared properly then doing hardcore practise isn’t necessary and might burn you out in the lead up to the exam. If you take away anything from this really long post make it this:

Consistent practise always wins. Always.

If you’ve been consistently practising, there’s no need to cram too much last minute revision. I will say though that looking over your practice test tracker the night before the exam may be helpful as a last-minute reminder but, of course, if this is just going to stress you out further, don’t do it.

Last-Minute Tips

Don’t make this your whole life - It’s summer! There are so many more actually fun things you could be doing. Even practising a couple of times a week at first is absolutely fine.

Ask from advice from the experts - If there’s anything in particular that you’re worried about, ask someone who’s done or is practising for the test or email the university - they might be able to give you one of their students details so you can ask them directly.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you ...

I hope this was helpful! Feel free to add your own tips and if you have any questions or feedback, just ask me or message me - my DMs are always open. Of course, you could just leave a note on here but if you want to be a little fancy, hit me up!

Alsoooo, let me know if you want me to a) do this for essay-based entrance exams and/or b) turn this into a mini-series and apply these steps to different tests like the TSA, LNAT, BMAT, UKCAT, STEP etc. Then all the resources will be in one place. Obviously, I’m not preparing for all of them (doctor who? definitely not me 🤧) but I have some friends doing some of these exams so I can get some extra exclusive tips from them.

Now, carrying on with QOTD:

QOTD: How do you get over exam nerves?

For me, acknowledging that I’m nervous before the exam and that it’s okay before I distract myself makes me feel much calmer. In an actual exam, I usually cover my ears and try and focus on what I’m reading to get out of my head 😅.

PS: This is my first informative post - please don’t judge 🙈! And if you’ve found it helpful, please reblog so that others can see these tips too ☺️.

#new studyblr #100 days of productivity #studyblr masterpost #study tips #studying #stillstudies #primrosestudies #university #university prep #exam #entrance exam #productivity-tips #exam tips #exam hacks #summer studying challenge #eintsein #studyblr masterposts #serendistudy #smartspos #emmastudies #studyblrmasterposts #starrystvdy #athenus #myhoneststudyblr #pancakestudies #etudiance #studyxinn #amorstudying #caffinated-rey #uni

[maxdark158]

This is chapter two of my fic based on @ozmav ‘s Damian Wayne x Marinette Dupain-Cheng au that I LOVE, please check them out.

Angel in Gotham: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Ao3

Demon in Gotham: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Ao3

Fanart for AiG: Riddler ~ Joker thank you @thegreysman

Please tag me in any fanart you draw for this guys ^^

oooOOOooo

“Marinette, seriously?” The annoyed voice of Marinette’s once-best-friend Alya Cesaire was grating to her now. “You need to stop running away just for attention, it won’t work.”

It had been a long day for Marinette. It started off well, even after being forgotten by her class, because she got to hang out with Damian. But The Riddler kind of spoiled that. After her talk with the police, Damien waited with her for a teacher to pick her up from the station. They parted when her teacher arrived, Marinette promising to text him when she got to her hotel room.

The teacher that picked her up was Professor Mendeleiev. While the science teacher’s strictness had unnerved Marinette for years, lately she had begun wishing she was in her class instead of Ms. Bustier’s. Ms. Bustier’s tactics of being a better example for a bully were starting to wear on her. Professor Mendeleiev wasn’t perfect, but Marinette would have taken being in her class over being in Ms. Bustier’s now.

When the teacher asked why Marinette had been away from the group in the first place, Marinette told her that she had been forgotten by Ms. Bustier and her class. Professor Mendeleiev went silent after that.

The rest of the ride was silent too.

It was silent until Professor Mendeleiev dropped her off at her room where Alya was waiting to rip into her about being attention-seeking and rude.

“Hello?” she sounded angry now. “Are you even listening to me? Do you think if you ignore us we’ll believe you were ever nice again? Lila told us the truth about who you are, you-”

“Alya!” her teacher snapped. “Your classmate was caught in a villain attack today. Leave her alone.”

Alya gaped. “But”

“That was not a request,” Professor Mendeleiev growled. “Do you think you can escape my detentions because we are on vacation?”

Alya squeaked and ran off to her room.

Marinette blinked, not quite sure what just happened. Relief was the cool feeling applied to a headache, stopping the pain.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. Professor Mendeleiev nodded and stalked off, mumbling something about having a long overdue talk with ‘Caline’.

Alya must have gone back to her hotel room, as Marinette didn’t encounter her or anyone else on her way back to her room.

The relief hit again, but the hint of sadness was like mint in her mouth and wetness on her cheek, despite her not actually crying.

It was hard to remember that Alya used to be her best friend. It got harder every time Alya got after her for bullying or lying or anything else that she didn’t actually do. Marinette almost wishes they hadn’t ever become friends, the betrayal would have hurt less.

It seems some wounds take years to heal.

Marinette arrived at her room and unlocked the door with her room key. She entered and immediately flopped on her bed.

“Marinette, are you alright?” she heard Tikki ask.

“I’m just tired,” she mumbled. “I’m more used to akumatized villains, not insane people with riddle obsessions.”

She felt Tikki brush aside some of her hair. “I’m just glad you’re alright. You scared me for a moment, Marinette. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks, Tikki.”

“It’s simply the truth! Also, didn’t you tell that boy you would text him?”

Her eyes widened. Marinette rolled over and got her phone out of her purse. “Thanks for reminding me!”

Tikki giggled out a, “no problem,” and rested on Marinette’s stomach.

Angel: I’m at the hotel now.

Damian: That’s good Damian: Did you get in trouble?

Marinette smiled to herself. It felt nice, being worried about… Even if she didn’t want him to worry. But the fact that he cared felt like a warm hug.

Angel: Professor Mendeleiev must’ve been tired or something. Angel: She didn’t leacture

She frowned. That had to be wrong.

Angel: Lecture?

Damian: *lecture

Marinette rolled her eyes. In the two days she had known Damian, she knew he was a stickler for grammar. Though he wasn’t harsh about his corrections, as he knew English wasn’t her first language, it was a tad annoying. Marinette was much better at speaking and reading in English than she was at spelling.

Angel: Quiet, English is hard

Damian: Understandable. Damian: In my original question I meant any of your classmates btw

Angel: btw? Angel: Oh by the way

Damian: yeah

Angel: I’m good at text slang in French, okay

Damian: I don’t doubt you

She rolled her eyes and smiled. Annoying, but the banter was nice. It wasn’t like with Chat Noir when he was trying to flirt with her.

Angel: Anyway Alya tried to bother me but I’m good now Angel: Professor Mendeleiev told her off for bothering me after my ‘traumatic’ encounter with a Gotham villain

Damian: Speaking of, are you SURE you’re alright Angel

Ooh, capital letters. He must be really worried. Guilt rested on her shoulders again on that day.

Angel: I’m fine Angel: I’ve survived akuma for three years, I’m not about to let some riddle fanatic with terrible clothing choices ruin my day

Damian: His clothes are that bad?

Good, subject change. Maybe she can get him to stop worrying.

Angel: Too much green, for one Angel: Green shouldn’t be used in large portions when it’s that bright of a shade Angel: Also the cloth itself was cheap, but the kind of cheap meant to look expensive if you don’t know cloth good

Damian: *well

Marinette smiled. She hoped her little intentional mistake would make him stop worrying.

Angel: Whatever Angel: Also his hat didn’t match the type of suit he was wearing Angel: If he wants to go old fashioned he should at least match the time period Angel: Longer coat, more layers Angel: He is an atrocity

Damian: he is

Angel: If I had time to cry then my tears would had been blood

Damian: *have

“Seriously,” she grumbled to herself. The guilt had long since lifted but Damian’s need for correct grammar was going to drive her mad.

Angel: istg

Damian: It appears you’re learning

Angel: Yepp

Damian: Also the Gotham news posted an article online about you Damian: “Unnamed Teenager From France Holds off The Riddler Until Batman Arrives!”

Angel: Wait what? Angel: But we both held him off?

Damian: I was kind of useless, you did most of the work Damian: I left shortly after you solved his riddle because the Robins had arrived

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She had been scrolling through the article Damian had mentioned, realizing that it did not have any mention of her throat punching The Riddler. It did say she took him down with physical force, but it was in self-defense and she was okay.

She just didn’t want Damian to find out she punched someone in the throat. It would make him think she was violent and he’d hate her forever and never talk to her again and she’d loose the only friend she’s made in the last three years and-

Her phone, which had fallen asleep, buzzed again.

Damian: You there?

Marinette sighed, mentally reining her anxieties in.

Angel: Yeah. I was just reading the article Angel: The Riddler was bad at hand to hand combat. It was easy to take him down with the practice I have from Paris

Damian: I bet. Damian: It’s getting late, Angel. We should go to bed. Damian: Goodnight

Angel: Goodnight Angel: Also I’ll find a chat name for you soon, promise

Damian: lol okay

Marinette smiled and put her phone away. Hopefully, she would get to spend more time with him tomorrow.

This was day three of their trip to Gotham. The entire trip lasted nine days. She wanted to make the most of her trip by spending time with her friend until she had to leave.

While the thought brought a brief sadness, she put it out of her mind and continued to get ready for bed.

oooOOOooo

Marinette managed to get up on time this morning.

Meaning, she woke up from a nightmare at around four am and couldn’t go back to sleep after that because she started fully sketching out some of her outfit ideas she had yesterday. She even made a few based off the Gotham heroes, coloring those ones in.

Despite all the designing she finished, Marinette was still the first one ready and in the lobby where the class is supposed to meet every morning.

Marinette was wearing her messier clothes today. After yesterday where she confronted The Riddler in leggings, she decided to stick to pants today too. She loved the dress she brought but it would not work if she managed to confront another villain.

Besides, the dress code was more lenient today. Marinette had on a white crop top with her signature flower pattern and dark gray overalls on. She had her hair in a French braid so it was out of her face. Her tennis shoes were the same pink as the flowers and as always, she had her purse for Tikki.

When the teachers came down to wait for the class, they saw Marinette there. Professor Mendeleiev gave her a nod, to which Marinette smiled. Ms. Bustier looked conflicted for a moment before ultimately deciding to sit down away from both her and Professor Mendeleiev.

The class began to filter in. Marinette made sure to stay out of sight from everyone but the teachers. They grouped together, talking about mindless things. Mostly about what they’d do with their afternoon. Today they were going to the Gotham City Heroes and Villains Museum in the morning, then after lunch the rest of the day was free until 5:30 pm.

Lila arrived last. Marinette knew that she likely did it so everyone noticed her entrance. She also realized that Lila arrived a few minutes before everyone had to get on the busses, so people had time to talk to and about her.

The designer simply tuned the liar out. She didn’t care anymore.

Well, she didn’t until she heard a certain name.

“Damian is such a sweetheart,” Marinette glanced up from her phone. “We might get back together again soon, I’m not sure though. I hope so.”

“I forgot that you’re on and off,” she heard someone else say, though who didn’t matter.

“Did you say Damian?” Marinette asked before she thought out the action. Her voice was loud enough that suddenly everyone was staring at her as if they forgot she was there in the first place.

They likely had.

“Uh, yeah,” Alya scoffed. “Lila and Damian Wayne are an on and off thing. You’d know that if you weren’t skipping the field trip for attention.”

“Alya, it’s alright,” Lila sighed. “We keep it out of the tabloids and Marinette doesn’t like me, it’s not her fault she didn’t know.”

“That sounds like it’s her fault! Marinette just needs to get over herself!”

Marinette was tuning her classmates out. She felt like an idiot. But at the same time, he never told her. He must have had a reason for telling her.

But there was no mistaking it. The Riddler called him, “Wayne.” They met when she was trying to get into Wayne Enterprises. His first name was Damian and he knew the tour guide…

She tuned back into her classmates’ conversation.

“Anyway, Damian and I went and got ice cream last afternoon. That’s why I was gone, you see. He would have walked me back, but we would have attracted a crowd. Plus he got a little chocolate ice cream on his shirt, he’s so messy.”

Marinette closed her eyes. Rage is hot and fiery, her nails dug into her palms.

Calling Lila out does nothing.

But she couldn’t help but remember Damian telling her that chocolate ice cream was among his least favorites when they went to get ice cream yesterday.

And he isn’t messy.

oooOOOooo

Marinette found the museum interesting. It gave her some anxiety, learning about everything villains did to the city was nerve-wracking.

She wondered if there would ever be a Paris Museum for Akuma.

It also gave her some ideas. Learning about the Gotham Hero’s greatest feats and how they accomplished them was eye-opening.

She was doing this whole battling-Hawkmoth-thing wrong! Instead of a case by case akuma battle, which are much less frequent nowadays, she should partner with the police! There were cameras all over Paris and, unlike Kwami, corrupted butterflies appeared on them. Hawkmoth may only be attacking around once a month now, but he still needed to own up to the terror he reigned on Paris and the world.

Marinette felt a little stupid for not realizing all of this before, she realized as she whispered her ideas to Tikki in the bathroom. She could have ended it sooner if she thought to get investigative about her enemy.

But as interesting and terrifying as the museum was, the trip only took the morning. By lunch, her classmates were waiting for the teachers to decide who to take where, as no restaurant had enough room for all of them.

She pulled out her phone and opened her text chat with Damian.

Angel: Kill me now

Damian: What’s wrong?

Angel: We have to all get lunch as a class before I’m free Angel: I’m in the group with Liar Rossi Angel: Death would be sweatier

Marinette mumbled a curse under her breath. She meant sweeter! Stupid autocorrect.

Damian: *sweeter

Angel: Rude

Damian: Anyway Damian: You can’t die yet Damian: We still technically didn’t get ice cream

She managed to smile. Damian made her do that a lot now that she thought about…

Her phone pinged again.

Damian: Also you’re at the Gotham City Heroes and Villains Museum right?

Angel: Yes I am

Damian: I’m nearby

Marinette’s eyes widened. What?

Damian: I can pick you up for lunch

Angel: OMG really? Please do I’d really really like that

Damian: omw

She looked up, seeing that her teachers were still discussing. She walked up to them, waiting until they saw her.

Ms. Bustier did first. “Marinette! What did you need?”

“My friend invited me to eat lunch with him,” she looked at Professor Mendeleiev as she spoke, not Ms. Bustier. “May I go?”

“After what happened yesterday? I don’t thi-” Ms. Bustier was cut off by Professor Mendeleiev.

“Is this the friend you were at the station with?” she asked, voice sharp. Marinette nodded.

Professor Mendeleiev hummed, contemplating. Ms. Bustier gaped at her. “You can’t be considering allowing her to go!” she said, “Not after how mad you got at me-”

“Caline, I got mad at you for forgetting her. Allowing her to go is not the same thing,” Professor Mendeleiev glared at her, “We’re allowing you to go on your own after lunch anyway, as long as everyone has a buddy. Finding you a buddy in this class, however, is likely going to be difficult…”

She trailed off before digging into her bag. “We got trackers for this free afternoon, though we couldn’t afford them for everyone,” she brought out a black bracelet that looked plastic. “This will only give me your general location. We will still have enough for everyone else as long as they’re in pairs. If you take one, I will allow you to go to lunch and such with your friend.”

Ms. Bustier’s brows furrowed. “You’re giving her special treatment? But-”

“Caline, you forgot her twice,” Professor Mendeleiev sounded patient, as if she were an adult talking to a toddler. “Marinette earned this and she will be with a friend from Gotham, something nobody else in this class truly has besides her.”

“This is my class,” Ms. Bustier was beginning to fume. “You accompanied because two teachers were needed, but these are my students-”

“Caline,” Professor Mendeleiev sounded more annoyed. “I am allowing her to go. Since I’ve been teaching for longer and because you told me to hand out the tracking bracelets, my decision overrules yours. Your argument is pointless.”

Marinette stared as Ms. Bustier tried to find words to retaliate with and failed. She took the bracelet from Professor Mendeleiev and thanked her.

It felt nice to have someone stand up for her again.

In the corner of her eye, Marinette noticed Alya walk toward the teachers and her. She looked angry and upset, a face she nowadays wore often around Marinette.

She remembered what she thought last night, about Alya’s betrayal. How it hurt remembering the good times they shared. Marinette took a deep breath.

It still hurt. It still hurt remembering the good times they had as friends, but she had to be fair to herself. She had to remember the bad times too.

She had to remember the times Alya demanded every detail, said friends tell each other everything. She had to remember the times Alya pressured her into things she wasn’t comfortable doing. She had to remember the times Alya took her for granted, the time Alya decided she wasn’t worth as much as a liar.

She has to remember what Alya is doing to her now.

“Where is the liar going now?” Alya scoffed. “Getting permission to run away this time?”

Marinette rolled her eyes and slipped the bracelet on. She would be okay. Alya wasn’t her friend anymore, she had better ones to look out for her.

“I don’t owe you anything.”

Alya gaped.

Luckily for Marinette, Alya didn’t have time to think of a response. A car drove up, and Marinette saw Damian wave to her from the backseat. She smiled.

The door was unlocked, so she opened it and got in. She didn’t look back at her classmates faces as the driver, an aged man in a suit, drove away.

“Where would you like to eat, Angel?” Damian asked.

Marinette shrugged. “I’m not sure, I don’t know what’s here.”

Damian frowned. “Angel, you okay?”

That’s when her previous realization hit. He was Damian Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne. He was one of the celebrities Lila liked lying about the most. And he was her friend, currently best friend.

“I’m okay,” she mumbled. “I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”

Damian looked like he wanted to press the issue, but decided against it. He told his butler to take them to a restaurant she didn’t recognize the name of while she took deep breaths. She felt Tikki press gently against her hip, trying to reassure her.

Alya was a bad friend. Marinette wanted to be a better friend to Damian. He already made her so happy! Warm fuzzies and smiled and giggles were rare in the last few years, but she experienced them all with Damian. He kept a secret from her, likely for his own reasons, and she found out what it was behind his back.

Damian deserved better than that.

“I know,” she blurted out. “I know you’re Damian Wayne. I just want you to know that doesn’t change anything. You’re still my friend, and I don’t care who your dad is and who you are.”

Damian gaped at her for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m sorry you had to find out on your own. I should have told you-”

Marinette interrupted, “you didn’t have to. You don’t owe me that.”

He looked confused. She chose to elaborate.

“As a stranger or even a friend, you don’t owe me any details about who you are. Ever,” Marinette told him. “You’re allowed to keep secrets and not tell me things you aren’t comfortable sharing. It isn’t fair of me to demand you tell me everything.”

She was going to be the friend she needed to Damian. It was the least he deserved.

Marinette pushed down any disappointment that came with the word friend, not knowing why it was there. Maybe it was left over from her classmates’ treatment of her.

Damian was staring at her. She wasn’t sure what his expression meant, but it looked… Awed?

“Thank you,” he said earnestly. “I… nobody’s ever said secrets are okay…”

Marinette shrugged. “I can’t help if I feel left out, but forcing you to tell me everything isn’t how friendship is supposed to work. If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay.”

Damian’s smile was small, but it made Marinette feel warm. Was he the sun?

“Perhaps instead of a restaurant, I can take you both to the mansion for your lunch?” the driver said, his accent different from Marinette’s.

“You sure Alfred?” Damian asked.

She saw his nervousness. “You don’t have to if you aren’t comforta-”

“No, it’s not that,” he assured. “My brothers can be… rambunctious.”

Oh. Marinette smiled. “I can handle them if that’s the only reason you’re nervous.”

Damian thought for a moment before sighing. “Alfred, please talk us to the mansion.”

“My pleasure, Master Damian.”

#marinette x damian #damian wayne #damian wayne au #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #marinette dupain cheng #maribat #daminette #damimari #maridami #alfred #marinette is hurt #she doesn't want damian to be hurt #she is also smart #smart marinette #batbrats #filler chapter #fanfic #fanfiction #fic #miraculous ladybug fanfic #batman fanfic

[aj-draws]

Hey so this is dedicated to a dear friend of mine

yEAH @confinesofpersonalknowledge I’M TALKING ABOUT YOU, YOU COOL HUMAN!

So I know you’re going through a tough time, and that post about you being catcalled reminded me a story/memory that I felt I needed to share. This story is very personal to me and I’m vv nervous to be sharing it with you guys bc I’ve never rlly done anything personal or deep BUT by doing this I hope to offer you at least some kind of positivity...?

Thana, I just want you to know that you’re not alone...Because I have dealt with a similar problem. 

[[Btw in this story there isn’t anything gruesome or scary, just an experience of catcalling on a very small level (that perhaps not be as serious as whatever happened to you) that still ended on a positive note. If catcalling is an uncomfortable topic for you, feel free to scroll past this, but if you’re up to hear a story about body positivity and how I conquered rude ppl then this story is for you :)]]

It was that time of year. Everyone’s blasting music from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, ppl are making as many skeletons memes as possible, adults are scared and kids are reveling. 

Heck yeah, it was Halloween. 

Halloween’s awesome, and I’m fortunately still around that age where if I went trick-or-treating I wouldn’t be judged so badly. But this story began in the beginning of October, when I decided that I was going to be Wonder Woman for Halloween. 

The movie had just come out and I was still being a huge fangirl and Gal Gadot is a gorgeous queen so I thought why not?? The costume took me an entire month to make but I managed to get it done! And I was super proud. I was really, really excited because it was my first Halloween where I wasn’t lazy and just bought a costume. So I wore my costume to school...and well...

Ok, so you’re probably like ‘this is where the catcalling happened right??’ well you’re correct! But there wasn’t a specific moment that I was catcalled. In general, I just experienced a lot of nasty students just being a little...weird. 

It started with the stares. The ones I remember, the ones that really stuck out in my mind...they were not from amazement. I think...I think it was like they were checking me out?? And yeah, I suppose I do have some redeeming physical features, it’s in my genes, and my gay friends love to point it out and joke around with me, but I still found it endearing. 

But this...was different. It was almost like an invasion of my body, an invasion of my privacy-like I was doing something wrong by wearing a flipping costume. 

And something I truly remembered that stuck out in my memory was that noise. I was walking through the hallway and I hear some voices, and a group of boys (that I believe were from my grade I don’t remember) walk past me. Then it came.

A whistle, loud and sharp.

I hung my head. U g h

What was worse were the comments, when people actually came and talked to me. There were students that I didn’t even know, students in one grade below mine, coming up to me and asking that one question,

‘Don’t you think that’s a little...um y’know...too revealing?’

Like holy heck. Y’all have no idea how much I hated that question. I believe I was asked that twice throughout the day?? But it was just so disrespectful. Like wooow haha  *claps hands sarcastically* my knees and shoulders/collarbone are just too scandalous for you, huh? 

And it felt bad...really bad. But things got better. So much better, I promise you. Though that negativity is still buried deep in my head, it’s the prominent, positive memories that made that Halloween unforgettable-in a good way. 

Mostly, it would have to my friends irl. They are really hecking gay and I love them with all my heart. When I first walked into my homeroom class, the students there (it was French class and I’ve been taking the language for 3 years so ik the ppl well there) immediately complimented me. My two friends there were dying and repeated called me thiccc 👌👌👌 which was really hilarious XD When my other friend saw me, she told me she was speechless at first before she started to praise the heck out of me ahh I love her

And there were two moments that I also couldn’t forget. One, was when I won the costume contest. 

Yep! One of my favorite part of that day. It took place during lunch and I was anxious about taking part in the costume, and when I asked my friends, they just looked me in the eye and yelled, ‘YES’ so I did 😆

And during art class, it was announced that I had won ‘Best Homemade Costume’ which was simply incredible! The pride that swelled in me when I stood up and the students in my class started to congratulate me was great. It was even better because all the students in that class were girls and it kinda made me feel like I did Wonder Woman some justice y’know? It was just nice

But another memory that I can’t forget was in the back of my bus. My friends on the bus congratulated me and complimented my costume and I couldn’t stop smiling. And all the way in the last seat...was a pair of eyes. I tensed up, thinking back to all the stares but I instantly relaxed when I really saw them. They were sparkling, shining. It wasn’t greed or lust, but awe. It was this quiet boy that sat all the way in the back of my bus, and he seemed shy so I hadn’t thought to approach him. 

On that day, I gave him a polite smile and waved. He apologies for staring at me, and stammers as he compliments my costume. I nod and give him another grin, saying thank you and asking him if he liked Wonder Woman. And he flashes this bright, geeky grin and then proceeds to announce that, ‘UM YEAH OF COURSE’ and we both continue to have a nice conversation about DC comics and Marvel and he was so kind about it and wowie that was just really great.

So, yeah! Don’t be afraid to be yourself, and wear whatever the flipping heck you want to because you’re a queen/king/or literally just royalty and you deserve praise and compliments once in a while ❤ Be strong, you will get through this.

And ummm lesson is: there’s nothing wrong with geeking out over superheroes 😂😋

I love you all, and I hope you have a lovely day!! 💙💛💖💜

#personal #random #storytime with AJ :D #body positivity #catcalling #basically a message for those that have been catcalled #I promise that you'll be alright

[notesofarichlycolorednight]

hot take

if you’re gonna write a story that takes place in china

maybe actually do the research abt china???

fair warning: if you like really like cinder and/or marissa meyer you may just wanna sit this one out

in these trying times of lost innocence of childhood and being more aware of social justice issues, i find myself being very critical of the entertainment media i consume

esp when it comes to representation, bc representation is important to me. and it’s becoming more and more important to me the older i get, as an asexual chinese-american woman. i’m still on the fence abt no rep v. bad rep, but this isn’t what this post is mainly abt

i’m currently reading cinder, by marissa meyer for my book club

and i just...i have a lot to say abt it. a lot that i really gotta get off my chest before i feel i can continue to read it

i’d preferably like to talk abt it with my friends (and maybe i will when the time comes), but i’d have to wait until june 1 and finish the book. as i said above, i really have to get this off my chest before i can finish it, so here i am, screaming into the void

so to begin, and i usually comment abt this when it comes to A LOT of east asian rep i see in entertainment media: my beef with the combination of east asian culture to mean one (1) asian/east asian culture

in this case, a combo of east asian cultureS (plural) into one (1), which would be china

honorifics

there are honorifics in china--like you definitely want to apply the correct honorific to your authority figures (i.e., parents, teachers, doctors, bosses, etc.)

and that part of china’s culture was taken, and then adapted into japanese culture today, HOWEVER, the way it’s used in japanese culture today is very different than how chinese ppl use them

okay so disclaimer real quick, chinese is my second language, and i have not taken up learning japanese, and am i’m going off information i’ve learned from my friends who took japanese as their second langauge; so the information i provide here may not be precisely accruate (hence, having trouble finding better words to explain this)

a lot of china’s honorifics aren’t as “““specific”””--for major lack of a better word--as japan’s

they have mr., miss, mrs., teacher/master, doctor, etc., and, in general, it’s custom to use them bc they are important--authority and hierarchy is v important to collectivistic cultures

japan has “““specific””” identifiers that are often, if not always, used to identify any of those older, younger, or equal to you

senpai, -chan, -san, -sama, etc., as well as other identifiers as placeholders for the person’s name to communicate who they are in relation to the person speaking (e.g., oniisan, oniichan, oniisama)

how honorifics are used in cinder is almost completely wrong, not just in culture, but also through translation

from meyer’s website:

-dàren: for a high-ranking official today is simply means adult, or grown up. it can be used as a respectful honorific toward superiors, but it mostly just means adult. archaically it did mean “your/his excellency.” but again, today, it’s mainly used to refer to an adult. and i imagine however far into the future this book takes places, they’d use it the same way??? but i mean i guess if they went back to imperialism

-shìfu: for an older male this is actually master (as an honorific, such as teacher is, or to specify a very qualified worker). sometimes it can be used to address strangers, specifically older men (not necessarily specifically, or often, used for an older male)

-jūn: for a younger male idk where she got “younger male” from bc it’s mostly used as a measure word. it can be used as an honorific, but translates to “your” not younger male. had she been going by the “honorifics” she uses below, it should be dì, which comes from dìdi (弟弟), which means younger brother (but not necessarily younger male)

-jiĕ: for an older female my best guess is this is derived from jiĕjie (姐姐), which means older sister (not necessarily older female)

-mèi: for a younger female once again, she probably derived this from mèimei (妹妹), which means younger sister (not necessarily younger female)

these specific pinyin (more specifically the last two/three) that she picked cannot be separated from the other pinyin that help to identify them. jiĕ and mèi don’t exist by themselves in the chinese language (compared to -chan, or -san do in japanese), and therefore do not translate as such in meyer’s book. not to mention, multiple characters can be applied to jiĕ and mèi depending on the context and other pinyin/character next to it that helps form the word, or helps distinguish the context

she perhaps simplified these honorifics a little too much. so much so in fact that they lost their meaning. quite literally

and, as i said before, these honorifics aren’t used like they are in japanese culture/language. you don’t tack on honorifics behind someone’s name (like a suffix) as they do in japan. the whole honorific (not just half of it, not like a suffix) comes after someone’s name, such as Lín lăoshī (林老师), which means Teacher Lin. or replaces their name entirely, such as tā shì wŏ de dìdi (他是我的弟弟), which means “this is my younger brother” (as opposed to, “this is bob, my younger brother” or variations of that same sentiment)

names

now, in this futuristic world, i can understand if there are names from other countries (esp. other east asian countries)

however, if your crown prince’s name of china has a japanese name...i’m probs gonna call you out on it. esp bc china and japan don’t have The Best history. now maybe they’ve worked thru it after all these yrs, but still

he’s the crown prince of china

he’s mostly just refered to as prince kai. which i would be okay with if it was just that bc kai is chinese

however, his full name? kaito. kaito is japanese

rikan? japanese. like wtf, if your the emperor of china, you should probs have a chinese name. i mean, you’d think hope?

iko? also japanese (i admit this is being a lil nit-picky, bc cinder or adri or whoever is free to name their android whatever-the-hell they want to, i’m just saying)

and i mean, i guess i can see names from other countries in the real world too, but you have to remember china has the largest population of ppl in the world, so the chances that there are ppl within a certain district who don’t have chinese names is v slim (esp bc you have to take the hsk to show you can contribute to society in china before they grant you a visa to live/work there).

compare that to cinder’s district, where we have cinder, adri, iko, peony, pearl, sacha, fateema, and dr. earland. oh and then the lab tech named li, who’s most definitely the only one i can assuredly say is chinese (and i would hope looks chinese)

now, again, bc it is the future, maybe more (like A LOT more) ppl have moved to china lbr tho, they’ve moved back to imperialism, why would you choose to live there? but i’d still be bitter abt it regardless, bc like china, in theory, should have chinese ppl? w/ chinese names??? i imagine it’s still a p big country in this future

optics

i really wish cinder looked chinese. this is more of a personal thing, and i get that genes aren’t so cut and dry, and if she’s a lunar, then yeah she probably won’t look completely chinese

but a girl can dream for representation other than just mulan ya know (not saying mulan sucks or anything, but it’s like, kinda the only thing i have so)

esp bc the book takes place in china. and she is said to be at least mixed “““““asian”””””

i also wish the fucking prince looked chinese--his skin is fair according to the wikia

bruh

why are you so afraid to make your main characters brown

on a more serious note, and this is getting really nit-picky (kinda) again, but i really wish meyer had put more thought into dr. earland’s character. okay, now, i haven’t finished the book so the good doctor may, in fact,,, be...a...good....................doctor..............?

but my point still stands in that dr. earland comes of as very sexist (with undertones of racism, wheeeeee) bc he hates fateen (who has dark skin, btw) bc she’s taller than him

and he’s also super creepy (as in, “where i’m from, that’s called pedophilia” kind of creepy) bc of his strange interest in young, teenage (cyborg) girls...

yeah

and okay, again, i haven’t finished the book, so maybe he’s supposed to come off that way

but an old, white dude showing too much interest in finding a young woc? not v good optics, regardless of dr. earland’s character yeah?

the fact the fateen points this out does absolutely nothing (aka lampshading).

if you point it out, but continue to fall into a harmful stereotype, you are still perpetuating the stereotype. full stop

misc

i say “misc” but most of this really falls under criticism of the author herself, misc is just shorter

i think it’s great that she’s taking this age-old fairy-tale and putting it into my place of birth, bc representation means the absolute world to me. also i really like this idea that the first telling of cinderella took place in china like fuck yeah, steal that white disney princess from the europeans

but i really wish you’d do it right

in her faq, she apologizes if she got anything wrong, but that’s like putting a band-aid over a bullet wound

how much research is research? did she just google a bunch of stuff, or did she sit down and actually talk to ppl from china? or chinese-americans who have kept their chinese culture?  participate in chinese culture to gain a better understanding?

going by the fact that she wrote cinder in a month, she probably stuck to google

which...i mean i guess i’m glad she made the effort, but it woulda been nice if she’d, after getting a book deal, consulted chinese ppl and edited what needed to be edited yeah? i know she did a little editing, but she said the whole process took 3 months from the time she found an agent to getting a book deal, so like...i’m willing to bet she didn’t sit down with some chinese folk and talk abt their culture (and so on)

and look, it’s really not that hard. and, sure it may delay when the book gets published, but at least it’d be more accurate. and better representation.

rather than falling into what most ppl do these days (i’m looking at you miraculous ladybug) and combining all the east asian cultures to make one (1) culture, and call it--not even east asian--but asian

as if that one (1) monster culture that’s mostly made of up east asian cultures could speak for the variety and diversity of a total of 48 countries, and their respective cultures, that are within the asian continent

now, this whole “calling it asian culture” isn’t meyer’s fault--it’s a side-effect of our society. like i get that, and i’m not trying to put the blame solely on her shoulders

but she still perpetuates it by choosing not to talk to chinese ppl abt a folk tale the may have originated in china, in order to ya know, make it more accurate to china. considering it takes place...IN CHINA

#okay i think i'm done #do i tag it with the book and author??? do i??? #i can't #i can't do it rn bc i haven't finished the book #i haven't read the other books in the series #these are just initial thoughts i needed to get out #they've been sitting and stewing and tonight i was becoming physically ill bc of them #so here they are #washingdad rambles (in the tags) #washingdad writes

[meusyou-blog1]

Discovering Me

I haven’t posted in a while. Things got too busy, but something has changed since the last post. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and the most important thing I’ve learned has to do with this month, Pride Month. 

Buckle up. This will be a long ride. But don’t worry. There will be a tl;dr at the bottom.

CW: Discussion of Erasure, Discourse, brief discussion of rape (#6 on lists), some foul language, let me know if I missed anything.

This past year, I learned that I am asexual. Not only am I asexual, but I’m questioning my romantic orientation. Maybe I’m heteroromantic, and maybe I’m biromantic. Questioning is what started my journey to discovering my asexuality, so I’m embracing this next step in my journey, to fight against my internalized behavior and view on certain subjects and break free to discovering me. But this post isn’t so much about that. That will be a different post, maybe tomorrow or maybe next year. Who knows. Discovering Me Part 2 is on the way.

This post is about my experience within my first year of embracing Asexuality. No one else, though part of my observations have included many people within the Asexual community. If you want to skip this paragraph, feel free, but this is a quick summary of the discovery process. Many moons ago (cheap way to get out of actually having the figure out the years) I met one of my closest friends on a website. We began discussing many subjects, and eventually landed on the subject of sexuality. It was at this point that I learned what Asexuality was. It was the first time I’d ever heard of it. Outside of biology, of course. I had so much to learn, and in learning, I discovered that we had a lot in common. It took me years to figure out that this was because I was, in fact, asexual. My whole life, I’ve been asexual, and never knew. 

Since coming out as Asexual, I’ve never felt better about myself. I’ve learned that there is nothing wrong with me, because there are others like me and I am valid. It’s okay to not feel sexual attraction and it’s okay to not want to engage in sexual activities. Even more so, sexuality is a spectrum and one can be fluid. It’s now my belief that sexual and romantic orientation can be static or fluid equally, and it depends on the individual.

Now, the reason for this post. It’s the end of Pride Month. My first Pride Month. I was so happy to be me, and I was so happy to be able to celebrate with the other Aces I’ve met through group pages on Tumblr and Facebook. There was a lot of positivity for each other in these groups. But what I found outside of them?

Quite frankly, a lot of the behavior has been disgraceful.

Now wait. I’m sure there are plenty of people already writing responses to say how I’m ‘making something out of nothing’ or ‘trying to play the victim.’ Hell, I’m sure there are people who already stopped reading to tell me how I’m not valid. But see, that’s the point of this post. 

Let me list a few things I’ve learned this month about Asexuality specifically. If I talked about everything, this would be the longest post ever, and no one is going to read it anyway so I might as well just cover the one thing. I may or may not agree with these things, we’ll get to that later. This is just a list of what I’ve observed. I will edit as necessary.

1. Asexuals are not oppressed. 

2. Asexuality isn’t a real sexuality.

3. Cisgender, Heteroromantic Asexuals do not belong in the LGBTQIA+ community.

4. Asexuals likely suffer from something (trauma, low libido, blahblahBLAHblahblah, what have you...)

5. Asexuals, by creating their own community, are threatening the LGBTQIA+ community. 

6. The use of the term “Corrective Rape” is inappropriate and an insult to lesbians for which the term was originally used.

These were the biggest ones. There were others, and if anyone is reading this, please feel free to continue this list if you like. Discussion is the point. Also, before we continue, yes, I know not all LGBTQIA+. We have a ton of supporters in the community, and we’re all aware and grateful for the support, just as you are of your supporters. But the others. Those who don’t support. They often have the loudest voices. I’m sure you know. 

Now, I’m not trying to overshadow anyone else’s problems. Trans and Bisexuals in the community are getting a lot of hate from the community as well. I recognize and understand that. Most of us in the Asexual community do. So let’s just start with one easy fact we can all agree on, yes?

For most of us, we feel we were born this way. Of course, other situations can play into our current orientations. But most of us believe that the way we are is the way we’ve always been, at least to some degree. That’s part of the joy of being ‘out,’ isn’t it? So I can’t blame a gay man for only liking men in that manner. Nor can I blame a trans woman for being a woman. No one can blame me for not feeling sexual attraction, or a demisexual for only feeling sexual attraction after creating a strong emotional bond. See, sexuality and romantic orientation are almost impossible to lump into groups. Everyone has a different experience, and that’s why spectrums exist. We need to respect that while someone is under an umbrella term, they may not identify entirely with the majority. One small change is all it takes to be viewed as an outsider. Or at least that’s what I have observed. All sexualities are valid. This does not include anything outside of sexual attraction, though. Do not be confused, and do not tell me pedophiles belong in the lgbtqia+ community. That is a different discussion. Moving on. Let’s talk about the list. 

1. Asexuals are not oppressed. Wrong. NOW WAIT! Before you start typing away, here’s why: Oppression comes in many shapes and sizes. No one is saying we are getting killed in the streets during daytime because we don’t feel sexual attraction. Literally no one, and I’ve been looking. We are not comparing ourselves to other members of the community. We are not systematically oppressed. Sure. But we are oppressed to some degree (This is not to say we are oppressed by outside hate groups). Oppression isn’t a race to the finish line. It’s not a ‘who has it worse’ game. Oppression sucks no matter how much you experience. Telling me that I have never been called an abomination just walking down the street, so that doesn’t make me a member of the community, is the most ridiculous fucking thing I’ve ever heard. “Did you get threatened today? I did. Out with you!” Hi. I have news for you. Perhaps we are not getting death threats from as many straight people as you. But guess what? If you’re about to type in the comments “If you’re not systemically oppressed, you don’t belong in the community,” Many people would say YOU’RE THE OPPRESSOR HI HELLO.

We want other people who AREN’T THE SAME AS US to say “Hi. You’re Asexual? That’s neat. I’m ____. Wanna be friends?” Instead of “Hi. You’re Asexual? Here’s why you’re not.” This, friends, is erasure. It takes many forms, but this one is pretty common. “Oh you just have a low libido/you haven’t met the right person yet/have you tried having sex/etc.” Basically, people are telling us our sexuality is not valid, and more of a ‘phase’ that can be ‘cured’ in some shape or form. Is erasure oppression? A little bit, I’d think. Doesn’t it sound familiar? I mostly think that because other groups have brought up their own erasure as a form of oppression in the past. So....? Let’s move forward.

I’m going to bring number 6 up as it’s own, so have patience. We’re gonna skip right over to the community here. We covered erasure. Let’s next talk about the definition of Oppression. Feel free to look it up on google. Here are some keywords/phrases: Burdened by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc. The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. 

Oh, Tumblr. How guilty you are. Not just you, of course, but let’s just jump right into the toxicity of many loud bloggers. Cisgender Heteromantic Asexuals often experience not only erasure but straight up bullying. Yes ladies and gents and those in between, cyber bullying. This is not my main blog. This is my ‘who cares what anyone else reads or says of mine’ blog. I have been told I don’t exist. I have been told I don’t belong. I have been told I don’t belong in the community. I have been told I must be a bad girlfriend, unable to provide. I have been told I will never find love, and will die alone. What was that definition again? The exercise of authority or power in a what manner? Get this! most often than not, I am not asked my romantic orientation. I am not given a chance to say “I currently identify as heterosexual, but I’m questioning if I may be bisexual.” That is an afterthought, after all the acid has been spewed. 

I have been told I just need a good lay to be normal. I have been the butt of jokes, because being Asexual is apparently funny. I have been coerced into sexual activities with their partners, even though I didn’t want to. I have been told that I can be ‘fixed’ if I just open up to a therapist (which, btw, for those who don’t know, I’ve been told multiple times that Asexuality was considered a mental illness until like 2013). I have been told, many times, that I should just ‘kill myself’. Not only by straight people. That’s right. Members of the community. All of these Ace Hate pages? Yes, hello, welcome to the party. You are the oppressors! 

I also want to point out that, again, everything is a spectrum. There are Cisgender HETEROROMANTIC Bisexuals. It happens. There are Cisgender Heteroromantic Homosexuals who may choose not to identify as bisexual, and that is their choice. So what makes me straight if I identify as a Cisgender Heteroromantic Asexual? That is not heteronormative.

2. Asexuality isn’t a real sexuality. Well, maybe you’re right. I don’t know. I’m not the authority on this, and you sure as hell aren’t either. I didn’t sign up for this. But let’s talk about sexuality. When we label our sexuality, we are effectively saying “this gets me going.” We’re saying I am sexually attracted to ____. So Asexuals are saying “I am sexually attracted to nothing.” Now, that’s a generalization because again, spectrum, but you get the idea. So maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s just a name for nothing. But where it gets tricky is when we talk about sex-positivity, sex-neutrality, and sex-repulsivity. These are a part of the spectrum of Asexuality, and I’m sure you’re all smart enough to figure out what it means. Basically, you either view sex positively and may like to participate, you don’t care either way, or sex is gross for whatever reason. Everyone perceives sex differently. That’s okay. I think by saying Asexual isn’t a real sexuality, people are erasing that some Asexuals do actually have sex. I don’t know. Could just be me. Either way, I consider Asexuality a real sexuality, because otherwise, I am nothing. I’m not straight. Just a bit of space dust on a rock. :) 

3. Cisgender, Heteroromantic Asexuals do not belong in the community. Why? If you read the last couple paragraphs for my explanation of number 1, as well as my response to number 2, this shouldn’t still be an argument. Let’s discuss what it means to be straight. You must be 3 things to be straight. 1) Cisgender. Check. I bring this up because, while it has been pointed out this is a transphobic statement (which is not my intention,) it is used in arguments literally all the time against asexuals, and therefore, it is only my observation that people are using this to reinforce being ‘straight’. Many people in the community are cisgendered, so watch out! You could be straight, too! Hold on, calm down, two more to go. 2) Heteroromantic. Check(ish?). Phew, some of you are safe! But, still, not all. See, as I stated above, being a certain orientation sexually is not always mirrored romantically. For instance, and this is a real person I know, I have a Heteroromantic friend who is quite Bisexual. There’s totally nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s great. Because, again, spectrum. So look out! You’re not all safe yet! Here we go.....drumroll....3) Heterosexual. Ouch! Missed by one. How’d everyone else do? If you said yes to all 3, you’re straight! If not, guess what! You’re not! And that’s awesome. Everything is awesome. Be who you are proudly! But most of all, stop shitting on everyone else. Now, I understand some straight people are shitty. But some people in the community can be just as shitty. Please see my response to number 1. ;) Basically, if you ain’t straight, you’re in the community, friend! It’s based off of an early principle of the community - You are welcome if you fall outside of heteronormativity. 

4. Asexuality is likely a result of abuse, trauma, illness, etc... Okay so most of the time I hear this from straight people. I’m not surprised. It’s okay to not understand something. But know when to listen and have an open mind. At the end of the day, you need to stay in your lane. It’s cool. It’s a learning process.

Now, for community members who say this. Are you for real? Don’t you remember when people were saying that about you? Treating your orientations as a phase? Telling you it must be from all that abuse, or because mommy let you join choir instead of football, or daddy didn’t let you date? Don’t you remember when everyone thought it was a mental illness? They still say it! You’re still hearing it! Or have you forgotten so quickly? Why do you say this to us? And for those of us for which this statement is true, why in hell does this make us less valid? Whether it was the result of abuse, trauma, etc., or not, it’s not your job to tell us why we are the way we are. Instead of shaming us for the result, try welcoming us and treating us as friends. Again, we’re not getting killed in the streets. No, I don’t fear for my life because I say I’m Asexual. But our emotions are valid, and emotional trauma as well as physical trauma is tragic when happening to anyone. Just because asexuality =/= death (yet, since it’s still barely known who knows what could happen), doesn’t mean we don’t need a space. It’s a smaller space. We’re fine with that. 

5. Asexual communities are a threat to LGBTQIA+ communities. How? Somewhere I read that Asexuals currently make up less than 1% of the population. Maybe that number just came out of someone’s ass, but we’re definitely a minority. I know 2 people irl who identify on the Asexual spectrum. 2. In 25 years of living. Honestly, who knows how many of us are out there, because many people don’t even know what Asexuality is yet, as evidenced by the “you can’t reproduce by yourself” messages some Ace groups get. They’re quite funny. Anyway, yes. We have our own community. It is the Ace community. Are you Ace? You’re in the community. Welcome. Are you Trans? You’re in the Trans community. Are you Gay? You’re in the Gay community. See how this works? And, are you not straight? Welcome. You are in the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Nay-sayers have been telling us to create our own community since we’ve been vocal about our sexuality. “You don’t belong here. If you want a safe space, make your own.” We made our community a little more solid. “How dare you try to overshadow us and steal our resources!” Okay. You’re ridiculous. 

The fact of the matter is, you’re not going to be happy so long as we exist. It’s a lonely world out there, especially when you feel like you don’t belong. Or did you not experience that? Must be nice. Maybe you’ve forgotten. No one understands us completely except for other people like us. So of COURSE we have a community. Just like you do. It’s nice. It helps us feel valid. It’s a support system for when something else in our life falls to hell because, surprise, we’re not ‘normal’. But we’re so. small. We want to be part of something bigger so that we can feel accepted and bond over our shared experiences, instead of being reminded of how we’re different. Isn’t that what you wanted? Did you forget? 

One last note on this. I have seen a LOT of arguments about whether or not the A stands for Ally or Asexual, or both (I mean, the Q is Queer or Questioning, right?) but some people (in and out of our community) feel that straight allies receive less push back than asexuals in the community. Strange. Now, I haven’t seen this because I steer clear of most LGBTQIA+ events. Why? Well I would love to participate, but I’m afraid of being harassed by people who think I don’t belong. So I can show up as an Ally, but I can’t show up as an Asexual? What if I want to be an Ally? I want to help your fight. It’s awful what happens to you. I can’t be, because I’m Asexual? Because I’m not going to keep my Asexuality to myself. I’m proud of my Asexuality. So evidently, I can’t be both. Isn’t the community about several smaller communities coming together to fight for rights and visibility? If the Asexual community wants to join your fight and help the larger community, why is that so terrible?

6. Corrective Rape is a term that was created specifically for Lesbians is how this was first put to me. I nearly choked on air. Yes, Lesbians and female bisexuals (males as well? Let me know if this is the case-) are treated horribly by many societies. Yes, they are raped to teach them the ‘correct’ way to be. It’s disgusting. Everyone knows it’s disgusting, and as a woman who was assaulted in a very different situation, I can tell you firsthand it’s one of the worst things that can happen to a human being. 

I have a story that some of you may not want to read, so skip this if you feel you may get upset. It involves a woman who is Asexual, and a man who is not. The woman trusts this man. He is a father, or brother, or relative, or husband, or date, or stranger. This woman tells this man that she does not feel sexual attraction. Maybe she needed to tell someone. Maybe she needed to tell him so he didn’t create expectations. Maybe she’s just very open about herself and very proud of who she is. Then, this man laughs at her and tells her she’s silly. He tells her she just hasn’t had a good fuck. She becomes offended, and tries to explain her sexuality, but he continues to laugh at her and says he knows how to ‘fix’ her. Maybe he tries.

Get the picture? I won’t continue. We all know what happens next. What does that sound like, to you? Does it sound like a normal rape story? Sure. Except for one keyword. Fix. What about if the man suddenly became irrationally angry? Does that make it more convincing? That happens, too. Either way, in some way or another, it is done with the goal to ‘fix’ her. Or him. Or them. Whoever it may be in this story. Because there are a million different ways this story could go. So tell me. What does this sound like to you? Does it sound like rape with the purpose of correcting? 

Some people argue that the term was ‘coined’ (as was said to me) for Lesbians. But this term is describing an event. Look up the definition. Whether or not that is the case, this is the best way to describe this situation. And it happens. Like it or not, you can’t change that. No one can. And to look someone in the face and say that despite your experiences, you’re not valid? 

Like it or not, if someone is not Cisgender, Heteroromantic, and Heterosexual all at the same time, they are not straight. That is what straight is. You can’t change that definition to *gasp* exclude someone. It’s not your job. This community is about providing a safe space, for everyone to feel welcome and included because we don’t fit in with straight people. Yes, some groups experience more dangerous oppression than others, and they deserve all the resources they require. Yes, other groups needs to recognize when they do not need certain resources. But we all need to realize that oppression in any form is toxic. It is painful, and we could all use love and acceptance. This is working together to understand that we all hurt, but some of us are privileged in being able to have only emotional hurt, instead of physical and emotional hurt. That doesn’t make the hurt less valid. Ever. But it certainly means we have a space, and we need to stay in it. Everyone in the community should be of this mindset: “Come in, join us. You belong somewhere. You are valid. Here is your space. Please stay in your space.” This is working together to create a better community than we left. A better community than the one that rejected us all. 

Happy Pride Month, everyone. I’m PROUD to be a Cisgender, Heteroromanticish Asexual, and I am PROUD to be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community! 

TL;DR: 

You know what? I can’t condense that. It’s all too important. But I WILL leave a reminder: I am but one person speaking on my own about things I have observed in and out of the community. These are my thoughts as it stands, and of course are subject to change. I am open to discussion, and more than willing to learn more about other people’s experiences. 

Finally, most of this post WAS aimed at the minority. Most people in the community do not sit around and hate on Asexuals. I said it earlier and I will say it again and again. But hopefully this post was informative for somebody.

#asexual #pride #pride month #lgbtqia #oppression #ace #ace discourse #ace erasure #ace pride

[guardiandae]

(gender anon 1) dae i have an important question that's been bugging me since forever : how do people figure out their gender and pronouns ? it used to seem simple to me but tumblr confused the hell out of me. i get that gender doesn't depend on genitals and stereotypes, that girls can like cars and videogames and boys can be sensitive and wear skirts and that everything in between is just as free to be what they like, etc. so i guess my question is : what DOES gender depend on ??

(gender anon 2) why do people chose one over the over ? at this point it seems to me that the only real difference is the spelling. tbh gender only made sense to me as a way to let people know what genitals we are most confortable with. exemple : i'm a girl because i have / wish i had a vagina, this is what i identify with, or, i'm non binary because i don't feel like specifying to people what's between my legs / i feel like i'd be okay with either / i'm intersex and i'm cool with it.

(gender anon 3) but that doesn't seem to justify the dozens of different genders that exist. so. i'm really confused. i hope i'm not missing something obvious and this doesn't come of as dumb.

(gender anon 4) sorry me again. i feel like i didn't properly explain my question and i wanted to try to approach it from another angle. let's take an example : person A's gender is "girl". what does it say about A ? it doesn't necessarily mean A is feminine or born female, those are both stereotypes right ? but then, what DOES it mean ? what meaning is left in "girl" ? if girls can be anything and anyone can be a girl, then why would person A chose that label over another in the first place ?

I feel like there are “a dozen genders” now because for decades, especially in Western society (and I can only speak from experience of Western society), there’s been such a strict binary divide, “This is what a man is, and you should fit this mold or be ashamed” and ditto for women. People who didn’t fit neatly into the category that society pegged them as would face social, even legal consequences or worse, assault or death. (”You were born with a vagina, so you’re a woman, but you’re too masculine and trying to be a man so you’re going to jail until you learn to behave like your sex!”) Now that’s less heard of... unfortunately not entirely eradicated, but for the most part people are waking up to the fact that this gender binary concept is kind of bullshit, and what even is gender and is it real and what does that mean for us???

What gets my goat is that, a lot of people who are against these “new genders” or the concept of say, boys wearing dresses.... ultimately when you argue with them, it boils down to them being angry because they can no longer tell who is “actually” male or female, who has a penis or a vagina. They are probably coming to the same conclusion that you have, that if penis = masculine, sports, cars, assertiveness, square jaws, beards, ‘men’s’ style clothing, and vagina = feminine, caretaking, babies, sensitivity, soft faces, breasts, ‘women’s’ style clothing .... isn’t true and is in fact just a giant lie created by society that we’re realizing we don’t need to believe in anymore... I lost my train of thought. But they are realizing the same lie, but instead of just being in confused awe of it and accepting it, they react with fear and anger. People with vaginas should act and look a certain way, people with penises should act and look a different way otherwise how will we know who has penises and who has vaginas?! Rabble rabble rabble! It’s the same obsession with sex with homophobia, regurgitated as transphobia and... I’m not sure what word would be the phobia for non-binary-conforming people in general.

But honestly? The fear is bullshit, and the entire concept of non-binary people isn’t new in the slightest. I work in retail. Staying away from gendered terms like “sir” or “ma’am” is a wise choice because there are many many many many many many older people who I honestly cannot judge their gender by their face, body, hair, or even voice. That’s why anti-trans bathroom bills are a really bad fucking idea for everybody, btw. How many older women with whiskers on their chin are going to get kicked out of the ladies’ room? It’s just asinine. But I’m off-topic by now.

My answer to your actual question is pretty straightforward and probably unhelpful:

Gender depends on how you feel. Whether you identify as male or female, and what pronouns you prefer, really depends on what feels right.

I saw a twitter thread where someone mentioned the topic of how many genders there are, and isn’t that excessive and unnecessary and other people are just trying too hard to be special, right? Not for them. They never felt like they quite fit in anywhere until they saw “demi-girl” defined, and they burst into tears because finally something described how they felt. It’s like how I felt when I finally realized that I did fit into the asexual ‘umbrella’. Holy fuck, I’m not broken, I’m not alone, this is me, this finally feels right.

I asked someone that I know who is trans if they had a different take on this, but she answered simply with, “I just kind of knew.” She said that puberty felt wrong when she started growing a beard instead of breasts, but that she was also a tomboy, so the masculine/feminine constructs have always felt like a weird contradiction. 

The thing is, the ideas of what is “masculine” and “feminine” might be a socially constructed lie... but in many ways they are still true because as a society we know what is generally considered to be masculine or feminine. For some people, they want to have a ‘feminine’ fashion style, for others, they want a ‘masculine’ body. I don’t think that it’s necessarily bad to have these stereotypical concepts of masculinity and femininity, as long as we understand that people are not stereotypes and we can’t force gender roles onto other people. It’s when others come in and try to tell someone, “you’re a man because you have a penis / you are a woman therefore you must love shopping and babies / you’re a man so you can’t wear makeup and heels” that we run into a gross problem.

Personally, I felt betrayed when puberty hit and I gained weight, and suddenly I had breasts. Before that, I could be boy/girl, either, neither, and that made me happy and felt right. After I got curves I was like, “...I guess I have to learn how to be a female now” but it never felt right and honestly gave me a lot of stress and dysphoria at times. The closest I feel to any gender would probably be agender... but pronouns? I don’t know about that either, because personally, nothing feels right. If I could opt out of pronouns altogether, that’d be great, but the English language makes it difficult to be gender neutral, much less avoid pronouns altogether.

So yeah. Sorry this is a non-answer, but really there isn’t a good answer. I’m not sure you really can define “boy” or “girl”. I’ve not been able to see anyone define “man” or “woman” in a way that didn’t exclude cisgendered men/women in the process. You just... know. It feels correct. And when you’re misgendered, it feels wrong or even unbearably awful.

#long post #sorry I don't feel like putting it under a cut #this is just my personal take #I follow a lot of trans twitters #but I am no expert #I feel you hardcore anon #when I think about gender I'm like 'NOTHING IS REAL' (mind blown) #but then also like #if we delete male/female concepts then so much of the english language actually breaks down #and hey maybe in the future it should definitely be a deleted concept #i'm kind of on board with that #love my anons #answered

[thelegendofclarke]

I'm sick of people saying Sansa isn't "Stark enough" Also tired of seeing how headcanoning Sansa (just in my mind/art) as Queen is criminal. My intention isnt to erase other characters. I personally don't care if she is QitN in canon. I'll just be glad if GRRM gives her a decent ending. But only imagining Sansa as Queen surely cant be a crime. Sansa has given me a lot of hope irl; helped me deal w/ depression so wanting her success,happiness rulership even it's cathartic

Hi! QitN Sansa anon here. I just wanted to rectify that the word I wanted to use instead of cathartic was therapeutic. I think they both mean same but I’m not sure. Sorry. English is not my native language and I struggle w/ it. Thanks for understanding.

Hello Anonny!

First of all, please don’t apologize for your English, it is seriously EXCELLENT! It’s probably better than mine tbqh. Secondly, I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO ANSWER! I have no excuse, I am The Worst. 

Getting to the down and dirty of your ask… My dear Anonny, I totally hear you; and if it makes you feel any better, you definitely aren’t alone! Your frustration is honestly one of my main ~grievances~ with fandom and why I honestly having a really hard time engaging with like 85% of the ~meta side~ of fandom. I am in some fandoms, GoT/ASoIaF included, that have some incredibly smart and talented meta writers who are so passionate and hardworking and insightful. The things that they come up with sometimes completely blow me away! It can be easy to fall down the meta rabbit hole and get caught up, especially when people are seeing all these interesting things and coming up with all these amazing and intriguing theories that you NEVER would have thought of. But on the flip side, it can be really frustrating when the meta you are reading just doesn’t resonate with you at all. I mean don’t get me wrong, I am Here for meta as a concept and I usually really love seeing what people come up with. My issue is often in the execution. Sometimes it feels like meta crosses that ~fine line~ between showing you one way to think vs. telling you how to think. 

I definitely see the value in discussing different interpretations of stories and characters, and I even enjoy reading most of them. But too often I feel like people forget that meta is still just an interpretation, it’s as though there has become this ~thing~ where calling something meta automatically makes it infallible. But it’s really important to remember that with meta in regards to literature, while it’s generally meant to be an academic and unbiased approach generally, is still just one person’s interpretation of the facts as they see them. Meta has somehow become this competition about Who Is Right and Being the Rightest, and it just completely disregards how inherently subjective and personal fandom is. I will always and forever maintain that is absolutely impossible to be completely objective in fandom; your opinions, your biases, your Faves, are always going to affect your interpretations and and resulting opinions, that’s just human nature. I don’t get this whole demand for objectivity thing; if people were truly objective about fandom, I don’t think we would even be having this discussion, because no one would be discussing much of anything. Yeah, its important to maintain some level of objectivity, especially when you are having discussions with other people about fandom, but tbh being ~completely objective~ all the time sounds pretty boring. Honestly, I feel like most of the time people who claim they are being “totally objective” when they talk about things like character arcs, possible end games, ect. are even less trust worthy than those people who are up front about their favoritism; imo it usually means they are either totally unaware of their own biases, or that they refuse to acknowledge them.  

I also feel you on the whole thing of “headcanoning Sansa as QitN is erasing other characters,” it’s frustrating to me as well. Because you’re right, wanting Sansa to be in a leadership role does not automatically mean you are disregarding other characters. Positions like Q/KitN or Lord/Lady of Winterfell are exclusive positions by nature, there are always going to be unequal power dynamics based on that alone. It’s also like you were saying, seeing Sansa in a position of power and leadership role can definitely be cathartic and therapeutic (I think both words work btw!). As a character who has essentially been completely robbed of her agency and self determination and has been at the mercy of others for almost the entire series, it would be extremely satisfying to not only see her regain some of her autonomy, but also be in a position where she could control her own fate. It would also be really satisfying to see a character like Sansa who has had to rely so much on her more feminine, intellectual “soft power” to be in a position where she is clearly powerful in a more traditional, tangible sense. Does she have to be QitN for these things to happen? No, obviously not. But then it also stands to reason that none of the other Stark siblings HAVE to be in that power position to be important either, the same basic logic applies. To say that Sansa fans are “sidelining” or “disregarding” or “erasing” other characters by theorizing or headcanoning that Sansa could be QitN or Lady of Winterfell then means that fans of ANY OTHER CHARACTER who headcanon or theorize about that character holding a position of power in the North are therefore intrinsically sidelining/disregarding/erasing Sansa based on their own argument. Honestly, debating like that sounds tedious and counterproductive and more than a little annoying. Because honestly, it could go on FOREVER, we could be here for the rest of our gd natural born LIVES arguing about this. People are always going to disagree with you, that’s just life. And they are free to do so, just as you are free to disagree with them. But there is a notable difference between disagreement and downright derision; one is totally fine and can be done respectfully, and the other is kind of a dick move. 

And also, like I was talking about earlier, our faves are our faves. In fandom, you are allowed to concentrate on YOUR FAVE and their significance and where you see their story going. That is totally and completely 100% legit! Characters like Sansa are very easy to connect to and care about, especially for people who see themselves and their own struggles in her story. And I think the same goes for Arya… They are these two young characters who experience similar trauma and abuse and honestly just horrendous things that no child should ever have to experience, and they deal with it in such vastly different narrative ways. Arya takes action and lashes out and lets herself be sad and angry. Sansa rationalizes and compartmentalizes lies to herself and everyone around her in order to get through the day. Sansa is pretty much a poster child for traditional femininity, while Arya’s character has so much focus on defying gender roles (or disregarding gender completely in the case of the faceless men). Both have their moments of weakness and strength, both have their aptitudes and their flaws. Relating to and connecting with either on a personal level, as is common with fictional characters, is completely possible and understandable. That’s one of the most beautiful things about the Stark Sisters imo, together and separately they appeal to such a wide array of readers. 

There is no “wrong way” to fandom, there are no “wrong reasons” to love certain characters or story lines, there is NOTHING wrong with Sansa Stark being your favorite character and caring about what happens to her. And also, probably an ~unpopular opinion~ (but idgaf tbh), there is nothing wrong with caring about Sansa (or any of your faves) more than you care about other characters! It’s natural, you are not doing anything wrong, and your interpretations and opinions are no less valid than anyone else’s. That’s the great thing about fiction, it is literally impossible to have a “wrong” interpretation of a fictional work. You don’t even have to agree with the author to be ~right~ about a work of fiction because according to “death of the author” an author’s intentions and biographical facts should hold no weight in regards to an interpretation of their writing; a writer’s interpretation of his own work is no more or less valid than the interpretations of any given reader. Debate is fine, discussion is cool, dialogue about differences of opinions and interpretation can honestly be awesome. What’s not awesome though, is when people think that their interpretation is not only and absolutely correct one, but the sole correct one. That seems, like, wildly narrow minded and more than a little bit cocky tbh. Fandom isn’t a dictatorship; no one’s interpretations are law that can be enforced, no one’s preferences are superior, no one’s faves are automatically more important, and no one is The Great Supreme Rightest (or whatever a fandom dictator’s title would be idek). 

So the point is Anonny, YOU. ARE. VALID. Fandom is all about connecting with a story and it’s characters because they make you feel things. Something or someone in that story made your sweet little anonny (or in my case, cold dead salty) heart fall in love. So just keep fandoming and loving Sansa exactly how you want in a way that makes you happy!

(And on a totally mature, adult end note: fuck people who say Sansa isn’t Stark enough, what ever the hell that even means!? They are just jealous they don’t look that Boss 👏  Ass 👏  Bitch 👏  decked out in furs like a badass Northern Lady Pimp! QUEEN SANSA OF THE HOUSE SNARK, FIRST OF HER NAME!!!)

#I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! #i hope it helps though! #and i hope you are feeling better! #you are welcome in my inbox or PM anytime dear anon #sansa stark #meta #anti meta #(i guess? kind of?) #more like meta wary #or cautiously and selectively pro meta #aly answers #anonymous

[things-i-like-1]

Shorty (Jack x Reader)

A/N:This is the first fic that i write,so its probably horrible....but i decided to take a chance,so...here you go (Btw,english is not my first language,so there are probably some mistakes) I would really appreciate some feedback and feel free to make corrections.

Jack x reader

You are new to the newsies,and they have decided to call you Shorty.As time goes by,you start developing strong feelings towards the leader.

J:Shorty!!That will be your name from now on.

S:What??!!!NO!!!! J:Why not? S:'cause i hate being short,and I definitely don't want to be reminded of it. J:Well,then there is another reason to call you like that.Plus,we've already voted so....you are stuck with it. S:Aghhh!!! -It was your first day with the newsies and they had just finish the "welcome ritual" ,as they called it, in which they decided how you were going to be called from that day onwards. As time went by,you got used to be called like that,and,although you'll never admit it,you even started liking it. ••••2 years later•••• -You are all gathered in front of "The World" office,making as much noise as you could.Suddenly,the police appeared and started hitting all of you so as to get you out of there. The war had started. J:Shorty!!!You have to leave!!!NOW!!!!! S:I'm not leaving!!!! J:Leave right now!!!! S:I'm not going anywhere!! I’m as tough as you!!! -Jack grabbed you from your shoulders,and once again asked you to leave.But this time he looked you straight in your eyes,and you couldn't say no...So you left.

-After the defeat,they all came back to the lodge and went to sleep.Some were so hurt that you couldn't help grimacing when you saw them.You tried to help the ones you could,and after saying goodnight to everyone,you realised that Jack wasn't in his bed.So you went to look for him in the only place he could be,the rooftop.-

S:I knew i would find you here.

-Jack did not answer-

S:Whats going on?Why that long face?

J:Cause they won!!Cause i’m no leader!!Did you see how hurt they are?!?!? I made them risk their lives!!!!

-you could hear the despair in his voice-

S: Do not say that! It is true that we did not win this time, but maybe next time we will! And,just so you know, you are an incredible leader! We all chose you and followed what you proposed.Dont  let anything stop you.You are kind to everyone, and we know That you would do anything for us. That is what it takes to be a good leader. And yes, many were hurt, but they kept fighting because they knew they were doing the right thing.

-Suddenly his strong arms surrounded you and you felt his tears fall on your back. You remained like that for what seemed an eternity, but you did not want it to end.-

-Jack lets you go, and after a little thought, he looks to you in the eye and says:

J: Shorty, I know you did not want to leave today, and you wanted to fight with us, but I did not want you to get hurt... You're very important to me.

-You held him tight for a long time, and after that,you both went to sleep.-

••••

-As days went by,you realized that each time you had stronger feelings for the leader. You needed to talk to someone, but you did not feel comfortable talking to the boys, so you decided to go to your friend Katherine.

When Katherine opened the door, you could  perfectly see how confused she was-

K: Shorty !! What are you doing here? Sorry, that sounded rude. I'm glad you're here, but I was just surprised because you never came to my house.Come in!!

-She lived on her own,and her house was very simple but comfortable-

K: Did you come for something specific?

S: Emm .... Yes ..... I came to talk to you, and to ask for your advice ...

K: To me??!! About what??!!

S: Ummm ... about...... love

K: Seriously??!!Go on,tell me??!!

S: Well ... ummm i may like someone... but I do not know what to do, because ...

K:  He is a Newsie?

S: Yes ...

K: Well, but if you like him and he likes you back, I do not think it's too much of a problem if  you live together ... If it does not bother you, I can ask who it is?

S: ..... Jack

K: AHHHH!!!! I knew it!!!!He's going to be so happy !!!

S: What do you mean??

K: I shouldn't be telling you this, but hey, it's for the best.

Jack came to talk to me the other day because he's head over heels for you !!

S: Seriously!!???

K: Yess!!! You have to go talk to him!!

S: Thank you Kath!!!

-You say goodbye to Katherine and run back to the lodge-

S: Hey Jack. Are you busy?

J: No, no, what's wrong?

S: Can we go somewhere else?

J: Of course. Let's go to my “Penthouse”.

-Already on the rooftop.-

J: And what did you want to tell me?

S: Umm ... that ....that you're taller(What??!!)

J: hahaha I think I'm still as tall as before ...

S: Hahaha, my mistake then. Goodbye!!

-You try to leave, but Jack grabs you hard from the wrist-

J: Come here. You're not going to escape from me. Now seriously, what were you going to tell me? It seemed to be pretty  important, so I doubt it's about my height ...

S: It's just that...i...i'm afraid

J: What ?! Shorty, the bravest girl I know, is afraid to tell me something?

-You feel your face getting red and look down-

J: I'm sorry, I did not want you to get like this. I'll wait all the time you need.

-There is a long and uncomfortable silence-

S: Jack?

J: Yes?

S: I know it's a little inconvenient and you probably don't feel the same way, but ... I have feelings for you.

Ok,i said it,Bye.

-Jack grabs you from your wrist again-

J: Don't go. I ... I feel the same way,and as you said, it is not very convenient, but I need to be with you, to be able to hug you and grab your hand without it being weird ... So, if you want, I propose that we forget about all that and...umm.. We can be a couple...what do you think??

S: Yes! Obviously!

-The two of you hug like never before, until Crutchie appears-

C: Uhhhh, what's going on here? There's something you're not telling me. Look, if you don't talk,ill tell the rest what i saw.

-Jack and you look at each other and automatically understand what the other one means and quickly head downstairs-

J: Hey! We have something to tell you!

-Everyone gathers up without understanding what's happening-

J: Shorty and I are dating.

-Fortunately everyone was happy about the news and congratulated both of you one by one-

•••

- A week later you all returned to the offices of The World, and thanks to the strength and encouragement that you transmitted to Jack,you won!!!!

•••••• THE END••••••

#newsies #jack x reader #newsies imagine

[poebrey]

@pure-mornings After the numerous responses I got from you, I realized that you genuinely do not understand what you’re doing wrong here, so I’m going to explain it to you because, even though while it’s unintentional (to a point), you’re still being racist. 

The clapping thing you did, it’s a “”meme”” that’s essentially mocking a type of speech black women make. You went on a post where Black people were celebrating Black achievement in media, you used a gif of a Black man talking about a concept that you don’t understand, and you have no way of understanding, and you invaded a post that wasn’t your place to comment on and gave your White Opinion(tm) about how it measured up to your White Standards on how Blackness should be. Let me stress this again, your opinion is both unneeded and unwanted in these situations. It shouldn’t be given, especially in that way, and you seem to feel so entitled to Black space you’re not realizing that in a greater context you’re perpetuating a common racist behavior that Black and Brown people have seen time and time again. White people are /always/ trying to give us their opinions on our work. *Always* And celebrate with us on things that they don’t get any credit for (which you were so obviously eager to do in that moment you didn’t stop and self-reflect on how it would look). There *are* ways to be earnestly excited about an achievement of another group without making things about you or masquerading as part of that group in some way. You don’t know the difference yet, and that should be a cue for you to work on how exactly you’re helping us in any way before you jump to celebrating with us. And the post you made that I screenshot? That’s not an opinion. That is your expression of entitlement. That’s your clear misunderstanding of what’s at the very root of every axis of oppression and systemic inequality. That’s your admission that your personal allyship and the way you believe allyship should work is conditional. No one owes it to be nice to you about anything. I don’t owe it to be nice to you right now, this is a courtesy. The fact that you were so annoyed that I didn’t immediately address what you did after calling you out on it, the fact that you made multiple posts about it until *you* were placated and *you* were soothed is ridiculous. The fact that one of the first things you did was point out that you were mentally ill and put the onus on someone telling you that you’re committing harmful behavior (because no matter how I went about it, that part should’ve been obvious) to treat you a certain way because of your mental illness *that has nothing to do with your actions* says a lot about you. As you know, I’m in the same boat so when I tell you that that’s manipulative behavior irregardless of whatever else was going on with you at the time, I mean it. I shouldn’t have had to admit that. You shouldn’t have tried to paint me as ableist for I don’t even know what at this point. (And knowingly or not, as an “ally” you’re grouping the members of the groups you’re impersonating solidarity with into categories based on whether or not they’re nice and accommodating towards you. That became *immediately* obvious after you followed me after I responded to you in a way that was decently civil. And I’m not one of the “nice ones” btw, you’d figure that out by the next week or so anyway but please save us both a headache by unfollowing me because it frankly makes me uncomfortable either way). Like let me direct quote you to see if you understand what’s going on here: an acknowledgement is all I needed, thank you! This will really help me calm down... I didn't see anything about you being mentally ill either, and I understand your desire not to hold my hand. If you just said that to me nicely I would have happily posted an apology or deleted it...Why shouldn't I be allowed to live my life in peace now? (Which btw I’d understand that last part if I unwittingly cause you harassment of any kind, but really now?)

So, going back to the post I mentioned, because I can tell on some level you know there’s something wrong with it (I mean you explicitly called it a controversial opinion and said something about how you “make it optional,” and again maybe self-reflect on the language you’re using??? You realize that you wrote a post from the perspective of a privileged person /directly/ addressing minorities and then called it an ‘opinion’ while you were instructing us how to act towards you??) And I’ve seen the exact argument you made enough times to address the gist of it without reading through the post itself so while I realize you deleted it, let me go through some basic stuff with you: Oppression, whether it be racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-semitism, ableism etc. is the not the same thing as base hatred for another person. It’s irrational and at the base of it involves seeing the marginalized person as sub-human. It has a power component to it that is necessitated in order to get away with the abusive actions enacted by oppressors to those who are oppressed (and abusive actions while always violent come in all forms and severities, not just physical, and are not always intentional). So, you, by positing that ‘we’re all human, we should all treat each other nicely and get along’ and going on and on in the direction that all this is about some people ‘being mean’ to others is painting a level playing field that’s non-existent. And the clearest way I can point it out to you is by mentioning the obvious: you’re directing and trying to impose that mode of behavior on the marginalized while admitting that in most situations you’re part of the oppressor class. So yeah, you have ‘don’t be racist’ in your header or whatever, what are you doing when its the other way around exactly? I mean your message in that post is basically ‘people won’t help you if you’re not nice to them; the people who you’re always made to sympathize with have feelings btw,’ so at the end of the day, what are you really doing? We’re not people to be “helped” because we’re not the ones doing anything. Your job, the basic job that you’re supposed to do as an ally, is to course correct other white people, other cis people, other straight people, other christian people, etc. etc. when they, to be blunt, disregard our humanity enough to treat us like shit in a way they wouldn’t do to people like them that they’ve been made to sympathize with. Because the nasty truth about it is that there’s often no discernible reason besides irrational hatred behind their actions. Again, in cases where someone is being racist or sexist or in some other way discriminatory towards another person, 10/10 times that person isn’t doing anything to warrant the disproportionate amount of aggression and violence in return. So, to put this back into perspective, for you to look at marginalized people taking their frustrations out and venting about violence enacted upon them and try to police their behavior, or for you to suggest that on some level just being mean or base prejudice is the same thing as oppression (prejudice+power w/ the obvious implication of abuse of power that goes along with that) is demonstrating that what you’re doing is in essence performative. And to be frank, there’s no way that on some level you don’t know that yourself. I’m writing all of this partly because I hope that it becomes as clear as day to you, but at this same time you’re free to not take this personally because everything you’ve done that I’ve addressed in this essay is something I’ve seen before. Most of it in within the past week or so, so today, you’re The Example in How Not To Be An Ally that hopefully someone else will learn from.

#long post #normally i'd put outside links in these types of posts #but since half of this is about how doing your homework is important thats both #counterproductive and a waste of my time

[aegialia]

I want to start reading the iliad and those types of books!! I'm not sure where to start though, and I can't find anything online. What books should I read that involve Greek/roman mythology?And what order should I read them? + any other comments/things I should know? Thank you in advance!!!

sorry for the late reply! i’ve broken this down into a few sections.

If you really don’t have much of a grounding in greek mythology/the trojan war, here’s where you should start:

if you want to read a good, easy to read, and short-ish summary of the whole war, i really like black ships before troy, a children’s version of the story. it’s the first thing i read, and it’s pretty accurate. also comes with pictures!

age of bronze is a graphic novel of the whole trojan war, good if you have a hard time with the language and style of epic poetry. i like some of it a lot and hate some of it a lot. 

honestly, reading the summary of the trojan war on wikipedia is a pretty good idea. the back story is weird, contradictory, and convoluted, and wikipedia is (usually) correct

once you have an idea of what’s going on, here’s where to go next:

the iliad. you really should start with it, if only because basically everything that’s written after it draws on it. 

everyone has an opinion of what translation is best. here’s my two cents: lombardo is easy to read and fun, but sometimes a little too modern. lattimore is pretty, but i don’t like how he translates stuff with women. fagles is decent, if kinda boring. pope has very archaic language, so avoid it your first read through. those are the most common translations i’ve seen, but there are others out there. please don’t read a prose version, They Are Evil (a lot of the time they cut out bits of the story and they lose all musicality)

after the iliad, the odyssey should come next. it’s got similar characterization and style to the iliad, so it’s easy to read

there are version of it written by the people who wrote ‘black ships’ and ‘age of bronze’. most translation advice remains the same

the aeneid seems like where you should go next, but i’ll warn you- it’s a bit of a drag. it’s got some fun bits, and then a lot of really boring bits

i don’t know of any modern adaptations of it, but you should definitely read a summary before reading it

as for translation, i’ve only read fritzgerald. it’s a good translation and easy to read. 

after the big three:

if you don’t want to read 12 books of aeneas whining, you can skip here after the odyssey

greek tragedy! there’s a lot of it, and it’s fun. there are three surviving playwrights, who i’ll talk about below

aeschylus: tbh, i haven’t read much of him. i liked ‘agamemnon’, but i’ve never gotten around to the rest of his works. he wrote a trilogy of plays about agamemnon’s homecoming and all the shit that went down after that called the oresteia. the only other one i’ve read is ‘7 against thebes’, which was boring

sophocles: not my fav, but he’s pretty great. ‘ajax’ is amazing, but very depressing. ‘philoctetes’ is kinda weird, but ok. 

euripides: i love euripides so much, man. my favorite is ‘the bacchae’, but it’s not about the trojan war. ‘the trojan women’, ‘hecuba’, and ‘andromache’ are all good and trojan-centric. i really liked ‘iphigenia in tauris’. ‘electra’ is hands down my favorite trojan war play. btw, he really hates sparta, which is why menelaus and all of his family are usually super evil 

i have no advice on translations, tbh. go and see the plays if you can

weirder and usually unread things:

fragments of the epic cycle: there were a bunch more epics than the two we have! unfortunately, we only have like 3 lines from any of them. they’re fun to read and have some neat side stories, but there are no modern translations that i know of

hesiod: we’ve got some bits of some stories from the trojan war from him. tbh, i haven’t read them much, he’s not my type

apollodorus has an account of the trojan war in his big book o’ myths

lycorphon’s poem ‘alexandra’ gives a neat perspective on the war from cassandra 

colluthus has a version of the abduction of helen, i am not a huge fan of it

tryphiodorus has a short little poem about the fall of troy. it’s kinda cool

seneca wrote a few plays set during the trojan war, i haven’t read them

statius wrote part of an epic about achilles. if i cared slightly more about achilles, i’d probably like it

dares of phrygia also wrote an account of the fall of troy, which i enjoyed

the posthomerica is fun, and full of death

ovid wrote some 

not classical, but about the trojan war:

dante’s inferno. you get to see all of your favs in absurdly wrong circles of hell (why is achilles in lust??? literally the most important thing about him is rage!!!!) and hang out with vergil

shakespeare’s ‘troilus and cressida’. idk man it’s a weird play. i kinda liked it, but it’s pretty removed from the iliad

there are a bunch of medieval romances based on it

helen turns up in ‘faust’

you probably know about the song of achilles. if not, it’s the story told by patroclus, focusing on his relationship with achilles. i have complicated feelings about it

‘helen of troy’ is the story from helen’s perspective. i haven’t read it, but i’ve heard it’s good

non-trojan war classical stuff:

there’s a ton of stuff about the argonauts, which is super fun

reading hesoid and ovid’s stuff is fun, b/c you get all the weird little stories

cicero is an engaging read, if an annoying dude

herodotus is fun if you like fake history. my fav roman historian is polybius, because he writes about carthage

reading basically anybody’s letters is fun

sappho and the other lyrical poets are lovely

i have a soft spot for the homeric hymns

the satyricon is one wacky adventure

general tips:

theoi.org has translations of most of the things i’ve mentioned, as well as a good reference guide to general greek mythology stuff

please don’t read de bello gallico. it isn’t fun and you’ll probably hate caesar

don’t watch troy. it’s terrible. it’s just so.so.so. bad

the movie version of the satyricon is bizarre and unpleasant to look at

there are twenty versions of every myth. there is no consistent characterization. medieval writers had weird ideas. most translations come from like 1920. 

none of this is essential, not even the iliad. these stories are ancient and nebulous and you can pick and choose what sounds interesting to you

if you’re confused by something (for instance- wtf is happening in the house of atreus), feel free to ask me. i love talking about this stuff So Much

there are also lots of people on tumblr with actual classics degrees and stuff who know more than me

i am a 17 year old who has taken a few years of latin classes. you don’t need a degree or a teacher to get into this stuff

have fun, ignore logic, laugh at ridiculous stuff, skim the boring bits

this is crazy long, sorry, i got Very into this

#classics #tagamemnon #the iliad #the odyssey #greek mythology #gloomth and circumstance #greek tragedy #Anonymous