Do You Ever Have Mixed Feelings About Rating Stuff On (insert Streaming Service That Lets You Yay Or

Why I have no sympathy for men being dumped because of the Barbie movie:

Earlier this evening I was driving on the highway to head to my writers group. I needed to change lanes to get to my exit and proceeded to do so, enjoying the scenic ride. That is until a car horn starts and continues to blast behind me.

I turn to look and a giant truck has appeared behind me (I honestly didn’t see it when I went to turn). And because the truck continued at its breakneck speed (while still blaring its horn at me, causing me to get even more flustered), I had to speed up to avoid getting rammed because another car was already coming up behind me in my original lane. But my car is little and old, and can’t go 0 to 60 in 0.3 seconds, so the truck continued to blast its horn at me the whole time I’m trying not to cause an accident.

I finally make it to my exit without crashing into anyone, but then my stomach sinks as I see the truck now riding my tail as I get off the exit. Now I’m terrified this person is going to ram me out of spite.

The exit joins up to the town road, but you have to yield to oncoming traffic, so I do. The truck then suddenly swerves out from behind me, and as they rush by, the driver and his passenger flip me off as they scream profanities that consist of female slurs (which originally were just plain old words until some man decided to make them curses because they happened to be female centered terms).

Now I’m really shaken up and am forced to drive behind them until the road splits into two. But horror of all horrors, I end up almost right next to them at a red light. I can feel them staring at me and I’m now scared out of my mind.

Thankfully, a police car with its lights and sirens on drove past us, and that seemed to cool the trucktosterones down because they peeled off into the next side street and I didn’t see them again.

All this to say, it’s probably men like these that are getting dumped because of the Barbie movie, and I’M GLAD.

Just found this browsing. Nearly screamed my head off. Good thing the action figure is on its way right now or else I would be going through cardiac arrest from lack of sexy Knockout-ness!

After reading all the available books by Ali Hazelwood, I have come to the conclusion that she has types. (Yes, plural).

Women: must be short, small chested (and complain about their small chests. Not to mention complain about their bones sticking out. And how men ogle them).

Men: must be super tall, built like comic book heroes, and have huge…equipment.

Normally, I wouldn’t give a hoot about her personal preferences. But when one is spouting messages of diversity and inclusivity, and has had their first work be a major hit (that I myself loved, btw), then I’m just saying it would be nice to see said diversity when it comes to the body types of her main characters.

I’ve already ranted about romance heroines making me want to slap them because they have the gall to whine about their small breasts, especially modern day girls who shouldn’t complain since the fashion and beauty industries center around thin women so really, they have no right-

But my point is that if Ali Hazelwood can get away with inserting her personal preferences into ALL OF HER BOOKS (seriously, there doesn’t seem to be any differences between all of the characters - males and females - besides hair color, eye color, and skin color) then I think that gives me the right to do the same and no one should be allowed to judge me for it.

Thus, all my main characters will be:

Women: all will be 5’5, plus size, and thank the gods they were born with ample bosoms (and also how they have those womanly tummies we all have no matter what our sizes). And have butts and hips that sashay from side to side without even having to try. Because it drives their men wild.

Men: all will be no taller than 5’9, will NOT have 'full' lips, have the bodies of Japanese figure skaters (especially the flat butts), and have equipment so small their pants never look awkward (because really, men need to know there are women out there that don’t find the male wish fulfillment body type attractive. I certainly don’t).

The Stories that Heavily Impacted My Views and the Lessons they Taught Me

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts and videos that have been talking about how stories, whether they be in film or literary media (or even video games!), have made huge impacts that stay with people for the rest of their lives.

So it got me wondering; what stories did that for me?

Now understand, for me, these aren’t the stories that I would consider my all time favorites, though I would rank them in the top tiers. These aren’t the stories that I go to in order to have a good time and escape from the world. Rather, these are the fictional stories that have helped me grasp lessons that I probably wouldn’t have learned had someone just tried to shove them down my throat. And because of that, they give me a personal goal to aspire to as someone who wants to be a teller of impacting stories. 

(As you can see, I couldn’t pick just one form of media.)

Novel - A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Lesson: That there is great power in kindness, empathy, and imagination. The world around us can be cruel and unforgiving, but that does not mean you should bend with it. To be a better person is difficult, especially when life gets hard, but there are those that have it worse and one is never too destitute to help someone else. And all it takes is a little imagination.

Graphic Novel - The Courtney Crumrin series by Ted Naifeh 

Lesson: That our desires, needs, and even well meaning actions, have consequences. In fact, everything that involves choice has consequences. Some are good, some are bad, but you can’t escape right now or years down the road that they will shape life in ways that cannot be changed. But we don’t have to be in this chaotic mess alone. We can choose to find and keep people close to us to help make facing the consequences a little easier.

Film - Laputa: Castle in the Sky by Studio Ghibli

Lesson: That there is nothing wrong with having dreams so wildly out there they could be considered fantasy. Dreaming big is what has pushed humanity to the point where it is now and it will continue to traverse boundaries. That being said, we should not let those dreams become so all encompassing that we forget what it means to be human; to be able to love and see the beauty around us. Yes, it is good to dream of impossibilities that stretch beyond the sky, but it is also equally important to plant roots in the ground we stand on.

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Comics Cats Cocoa :: Butterflies vs Moths | Tapas

Comics Cats Cocoa :: Butterflies vs Moths | Tapas

@a-lighthouse-a-man-a-city Saw this and thought of you :3

My fictional crush types

While I was working on my writing, I suddenly realized my first crushes have colored all my other crushes over the years. To the point that each of my main writing projects features a love interest that is influenced by said first crushes.

So, naturally, I had to sort them out. For reference purposes.

Tag I’m it!

Tagged by @a-lighthouse-a-man-a-city. Thanks for thinking of me! I love doing these :3

Rules: Tag people you want to get to know better and then answer these questions!

Favorite color: It really depends on the noun in question what my favorite color is, but generally it’s either rose red or peacock blue.

Last song: Save me by Bruno Martini, Avian Grays, TRIXL ft. Mayra

Last movie: Strange Magic

Last TV show: BBC The Musketeers

Sweet, spicy or savory: Sweet buttery flavors 

Bubbly water, tea or coffee: Milk tea

Tagging: anyone else who wants to do this just for fun!

Back in the day…

…at the dawn of the internet, there were authors that got mad at people for writing fan fiction of their work. To the point where they would send lawyer backed cease and desist notices.

Which to me is such a strange response.

For many reasons, some (but not all) being: they (the author) thought they could control the masses, shouldn’t they be flattered that people like their work so much they want to be part of the stories in some small way, and it’s basically free publicity why would they shut down free publicity?

I have a feeling that it came down to money. Which is still illogical. Because:

Author: How dare you profit from my hard work!

Fanfic writers: But we’re not??? We’re posting it on the internet for FREE

Discovering My Personal Style

Needless to say, it hasn’t been easy. Lucky for me, I was fortunate not to be influenced by outside forces: aka, the modern world in the form of public school. Because they would have attached stereotypes to me at best and bullied me at worst.

Before puberty, I didn’t really care about my style, because at that point I didn’t even know who I was. I didn’t have a firm grasp on what my likes, dislikes, personal goals and dreams were, and that was fine - it was normal. I was still learning about new things every day.

When puberty did hit and I suddenly started to care, things got confusing fast. For one thing, I went from being an elfin waif to a Germanic/Latina so full of curves the “teen” clothing section was not an option for me. So I turned to thrift store oddities and boys’ clothes… and growing my hair out to Sailor Moon anime lengths. Looking back, I think I knew I wasn’t going to be one of those people that strictly adhered to ever changing fashions, I wanted practicality and comfort, but all while still maintaining my femininity.

Those years, from my early teens to my early twenties, were hard on me, because I didn’t know who I was and what I wanted, so I lacked confidence in myself. Mid twenties weren’t all that helpful either. But between living abroad, working miserable jobs to save up for grad school and of course grad school itself, I didn’t have a lot of time and brainpower to stop and really reflect on what kind of styles felt like me.

And that was the missing piece I wasn’t getting for the longest time; what did I gravitate towards, what aesthetics brought me joy, what styles made me feel the most comfortable to be in my own skin?

Over the years, I think I picked up bits and pieces but didn’t put them together until recently. As a teen I wore boys’ cargo pants all the time. In my early twenties I had lots of tailored blouses. In my mid twenties I finally mastered some makeup techniques. In the past few years I’ve been on a 1940s-1960s vintage kick.

The result is what I think of as “Audrey Hepburn meets Evelyn O'Connell in the 21st century” (with a little Anazen originality thrown in).

So for those of you who are still trying to find your style, don’t feel pressured to do so. I didn’t know what mine was until I hit 30, and to be honest, it might change later! But right now, this is what I like and feel the most comfortable in. And for those that have found a style that doesn’t fit a stereotype; ignore the boxes! Especially if like me, you were worried about how your unique style would cause others to form false opinions of you before they got to know you. That’s not your concern, it’s completely on them. True relationships aren’t about what the other person is wearing.

We live in an age where it is ridiculously easy to experiment with an endless selection of styles and combinations, so it’d be a shame not to find a look that is perfect for you.

Aging thoughts

I'm rewatching the 1975 Count of Monte Cristo and Dantes’ has just escaped the island, stating he's 33yrs. I'm not sure if I should be happy that I've done more in my life than he has or annoyed that my greatest accomplishments don't come anywhere near a jailbreak.