#Proverbs for Students

[sjisahmedabad]

10 English Proverbs for Students with Meanings and Examples

Proverbs are timeless expressions of wisdom that capture life’s essential truths in short words. Proverbs can serve as daily reminders of important values, life lessons, and guidance for students in various situations. Let’s explore 10 essential English proverbs with meanings and examples to make each one easy to understand and apply.

What are Proverbs?

Proverbs are concise and memorable sayings that convey wisdom, moral lessons, or practical advice. They are often metaphorical, making them easy to remember and apply in everyday life. Derived from everyday experiences and observations, proverbs capture universal truths about human nature, relationships, and decision-making. In English, as well as in other languages, proverbs reflect cultural values and teach lessons that guide behaviours.

What is the Importance of Proverbs?

For students, proverbs hold special importance as they serve as daily reminders of essential values and life principles. Learning and understanding proverbs can help improve language skills, enhance vocabulary, and add depth to communication. They offer students ways to articulate ideas clearly and succinctly while promoting moral values like honesty, perseverance, and respect. Satyameva Jayate International School (SJIS), one of the CBSE schools in Ahmedabad, we encourage students to embrace these proverbs as part of their language development and character-building journey.

10 Best Meaningful and Easy English Proverbs for Students

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Meaning: This proverb teaches the importance of fixing problems while they are small. Addressing issues early can prevent larger problems later.

Example: If a student begins to fall behind in their studies, seeking help right away can prevent more significant struggles later in the year.

Application: Students can use this as a reminder to be proactive in their studies. Fixing small issues early, like completing assignments on time, can save them from last-minute stress.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Meaning: People tend to judge us by what we do rather than what we say. Actions are often more powerful than words.

Example: A student who promises to study hard but doesn’t follow through loses credibility. However, a student who consistently does well shows commitment through their actions.

Application: Students can remember to match their words with actions, particularly in school assignments and personal commitments.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Meaning: Determination and willpower can help overcome obstacles. This proverb encourages resilience and perseverance.

Example: If a student has a goal of scoring well in exams, despite difficulties, their determination and hard work can help them achieve it.

Application: This serves as a motivational reminder that with focus and effort, students can reach their academic and personal goals.

Curious to know more? Keep reading here: English Proverbs for Students with Meanings and Examples

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

Chinese Solar Calendar: 小暑 Minor Heat

You may have heard about the Chinese Lunar calendar, but what's the solar calendar?

The Lunar Calendar is based on the phases of the moon, divided into 12 months. It's used for determining festivals e.g. Spring Festival/Chinese New Year.

The Solar Calendar however, is based on the Earth's orbit around the Sun, and it's divided into 24 phases, each lasting around 15 days.

Historically, this has been used for agriculture and specific seasonal activities, as each new season would be an indicator of a change in the weather and allow farmers to plan and prepare accordingly.

Currently we're about to enter 小暑 (Xiǎoshǔ) Minor Heat, so here are some customs and interesting information about this upcoming time period!

小暑 Minor Heat is the 11th solar phase and it starts approximately from July 6-8. Minor Heat, like its' name, has relatively hot and humid weather, with thunderstorms and monsoons being quite common. The weather and rainfall may vary, as northern regions in China tend to be colder with their rainy seasons starting later.

Food:

Eel, Mung bean soup, lotus roots and lotus leaf porridge, watermelon rind dew.

Customs:

"Eating New Food Custom" 食新习俗 (Shíxīn xísú). This is an old custom where some regions would use newly harvested rice and wheat to make flour, from which they would make various breads and noodles and share them with friends and family for good fortune and a good harvest.

"Eating Dumplings" 吃饺子 (Chī jiǎozi). Relatively self-explanatory. This period of time is quite hot and people tend to be not as hungry, which is why dumplings are considered to be the best food to stimulate hunger. I for one can't think of an occasion where I would refuse dumplings, so this may indeed be true.

Drying things on the 6th day of the 6th lunar month. Drying paintings and clothes is believed to prevent them from being by insects

Proverbs:

雨打小暑头，四十五天不用牛 (Yǔ dǎ xiǎoshǔ tóu, sìshíwǔ tiān bùyòng niú): If it rains at the start of Minnor Heat, no cattle will be needed for 45 days.

小暑交大暑，热得无处躲 (Xiǎoshǔ jiāodà shǔ, rè dé wú chù duǒ): From Lesser Heat to Greater Heat, it's so hot that there's no place to hide.

[wayti-blog]

Not even the greatest Master can go one step for his disciple; in himself he must experience each stage of developing consciousness. Therefore he will know nothing for which he is not ripe.

ancient egypt proberb

[peggingmegamind]

When the alcohol starts tasting like “damn I want to do my college work”

[loudlylovingreview]

Bob Kunzinger: Moral Absolutism | Do Not Kill Children

“Let me put this right out there at the top: It appears Israel’s campaign against Hamas in The Gaza Strip has expanded to eliminate as much of the Palestinian Race as possible, and to carry out on them what Hitler and the Nazis attempted to achieve against the Jews during World War Two.”          This is how I started class last week.   I decided to bring the students from my college class on…

[livwritesstuff]

Honestly, Eddie doesn’t know why it had taken so long for him to realize his and Steve’s children could understand the shit that came out of his mouth.

(It took an embarrassingly long amount of time).

Even when Moe’s third or fourth word was fuck, he didn’t realize it (and she was using it mostly correctly too, which should have been a serious flag, but nope).

What made him realize it was when they started repeating the shit that came out of his mouth. 

To strangers.

In public.

The first time Eddie had been really caught off guard by something one of his daughters said was when Moe, who was three at the time, had proudly announced to an unsuspecting grocery store cashier, “Daddy says my Papa’s a DILF!”

And, like, Eddie had just heard the term for the first time, and obviously he was goddamn delighted by it because…duh. Steve. 

It just hadn’t occurred to him that his toddler might have caught it too, but little pitchers have big ears, or so the proverb suggests, and Eddie had taken it as a wake-up call that Moe isn’t a baby anymore (tragic as it may be).

He’s not the only problem though – Steve is just as bad, (if not worse, because he really doesn’t bother to check where their kids are before he starts running his mouth).

One particularly damning incident was at a restaurant, which is something they don’t even do all that often because, seriously, going to a restaurant with very young kids should be an Olympic event or something.

(The last time they all went out to eat, Nancy and Robin had made a drinking game out of all the times Steve and Eddie had to take a child to the bathroom and ended up so far gone that Eddie had needed to drive them home).

The incident started with the waitress asking, “Can I get you started with anything to drink?”

And it had ended with four-year-old Moe confidently announcing, “My Papa needs a fucking margarita.”

Thank god, the waitress had been a twenty-something college student and thought it was hilarious, but Steve had still been completely mortified.

[englishkavin]

#100 Saying | #proverbs | #KavinMonga

Time blunts the __________.

Watch Now👇

[goldenseresinretriever]

False Confidence: Chapter 12

Pairing: Javy “Coyote” Machado x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: The Athletic named Javy Machado the fifth sluttiest player in the NHL last year. He’s a known playboy who leaves every game with a different girl. As far as he’s concerned he’s living the dream, playing his dream job with the dream lifestyle. Unfortunately his friends and bosses don’t agree. At 33, they think it’s time for him to settle down. You’re a kindergarten teacher at an esteemed private school. You don't expect much when you finally accept your colleague’s invitation to attend her husband’s hockey game but when you accidentally get separated in the post-game rush, you find yourself in a compromising situation with the last person you’d ever expected to meet. When his PR rep suggests a mutually beneficial agreement, your hands are tied. How long will you have to keep up the act? And how long will you be able to?

Series CW: 18+ ONLY, swearing, angst, fluff, fake relationship, suggestive language, anxiety, school system inaccuracies, hockey inaccuracies etc. There will be individual chapter warnings. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 5.2k

A/N: Happy Friday, y’all!

Previous Chapter // Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

You examine your classroom, straightening the decorations that you’ve hung on the wall. Every square inch of the room is decked out in various shades of pink, red, and white. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and while your students are too young to really grasp the concept, the air has been buzzing all week. It has little to do with love and everything to do with the promise of candy and cookies at the class party on Tuesday.

You find your eyes searching for the calendar on the classroom wall and a frown creeps up onto your lips. The Dogfighters are on a road trip right now and you’ve found yourself irritated at the way it feels like life has seemingly returned to the way it was before you met your new friends. You’ve spent the last week going home straight after work, occasionally to the Fitch house where you help Josie with the kids while she attempts to get some work done. She’s stretched thinner than usual with Reuben out of town and you can’t help the way you wonder to yourself if this is your future. And while it makes you nervous, there’s a part of your stomach that flutters giddily.

You and Javy have been official for a little over a week, but the road trip has taken up most of that time. You’re anxious to see Javy again, and you’re seriously starting to doubt the old proverb that promises that absence makes the heart grow fonder. You’ve finally allowed yourself to be upfront about your feelings for him, given that he’s actually your real boyfriend now. He’s your real boyfriend now. You can’t help the way you bounce on the balls of your feet in excitement as a fresh wave of giddy butterflies flutters through your stomach. Another glance at the calendar reminds you that despite this being your first Valentine’s Day with Javy, he’s going to have to meet it, playing a game in Seattle tomorrow night. The two of you have plans for the weekend, however, a belated celebration once he’s back and rested. After the game in Seattle, they have one more game in Denver on Thursday before they get back to San Diego on Friday.

“You’re in a good mood this morning.” A voice from behind you teases and you pause your drawing on the board to look over your shoulder to where Josie’s leaning against the doorframe.

“Josie! Good morning!” You greet her as you cap the marker and wipe your hands off on your overalls as you go over to give her a hug that she returns before handing you a to-go cup that smells delicious.

“We stopped for a little treat this morning since the kids are missing Daddy extra.” She gives you a tired but rueful smile. You know if you miss Javy after barely dating him for a week, Josie must be missing Reuben something fierce after being married for a decade.

“They’ll be home on Friday,” you remind her, trying to sound cheerful but your melancholy must show through your facade because Josie gives you a gentle smile.

“Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night?” She asks, and you see a scheming twinkle in her eyes.

“Tomorrow? Nothing really, I was going to watch the match while I grade papers, and then Javy said he’d call afterward and we could get takeout for Valentine’s Dinner.” You ignore the way your stomach flips at the words Valentine’s Dinner. “Why? Did you need help with the kids tomorrow night?”

“Yeah actually,” Josie says casually, sliding a hand into her pocket. “I thought maybe we could watch the game together?”

“Of course! That would be so much fun, what time should I come over?” You’re secretly excited not to have to spend the night alone with your TV and your thoughts when you’re sure the jitters will be too distracting to get any work done anyway.

“Well we’re going to have to leave right after school if we’re going to make the flight,” Josie says and you blink, confused until you look down and see the tickets that Josie’s holding out to you.

“W-what?” You stammer as your brain struggles to catch up with your eyes.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Roadie,” she says and you look from the tickets back up her and then back down to the tickets before you almost spill the coffee in your hand as you throw your arms around Josie. Josie laughs, fishing the coffee from your hand and depositing it safely on a nearby bookshelf.

“Josie, I can’t, it’s too much,” you blubber uselessly as you sob into her shoulder, all composure lost at your best friend’s kindness.

She just shakes her head as she pats your back comfortingly. “The kids miss their dad, I miss my husband, and you can’t miss your first Valentine’s Day with Javy. He’s still not my favorite person in the world but he makes you happy so I can’t hate him.” You choke out a chuckle at Josie’s words.

“Thank you, Josie.” You whisper and she just shakes her head again.

“Don’t thank me, just enjoy the day.” She pauses before she adds. “I’d originally wanted to surprise you with it tomorrow but I figured I should give you a chance to pack.” She laughs and you join in.

“I think my brain might have exploded,” you point out and she laughs harder.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning, so we have just one car and we can go straight from work to the airport.” You nod, still breathless over the fact that you’ll get to see Javy tomorrow.

“Wait, do the boys know?” You ask, your brain firing at a mile-a-minute.

Josie shakes her head, a conspiratory grin spreading across her face. “I thought we could surprise them. Zam knows she’s the one that arranged the game tickets.”

“We’re going to the game?!” You grasp the papers Josie’s still holding and you shuffle through them to see the game tickets under the plane tickets. “Josie!” You shriek and she laughs, head tipping back.

“Don’t yell at me, those are complimentary! WAG privileges,” she reminds you and you shake your head in disbelief. Not only do you get to see Javy tomorrow, but you get to go to the game and surprise him. “Alright, I need to get going before my kids start showing up but I’ll see you at lunch,” you wave to Josie before returning to your prep for the day.

Suddenly you feel ridiculous for all the stressing you’ve done over the past week, trying to decide what to get your boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. You know Javy has no qualms about spending ridiculous sums of money on you, but you’re not exactly in a position to do the same. All the same, you’re feeling pretty proud of your Valentine’s Day gift for Javy. You’re also extremely happy that you finished in time for Valentine’s Day despite thinking you wouldn’t be able to give it to him until Saturday. You’re nervous but excited to see his reaction to it. You’re even more excited to see his reaction to your and Josie’s surprise.

***

You’re secretly glad that all you have planned for today is a Valentine’s Day party. You’re not sure you have the focus required to teach your students today since you’ve been bouncing off the walls with nervous excitement since you got out of bed this morning, not that you’d slept much at all. You’re secretly thankful for the parents who volunteered to help with the party because your mind is on this evening, your eyes flitting to the clock constantly, counting down the seconds until you’re done with work.

You know you should calm down and conserve your energy. The next twenty-four hours are going to be a whirlwind. After school ends, you have to rush to the airport to make your direct flight to Seattle, and from there you need to rush to the arena to make it in time for the game. After that, you’ll spend the night in Seattle before catching a red-eye from Seattle back to San Diego with barely enough time to make it back in time to teach Wednesday morning. Josie’s planning to drop off the kids with Penny for the day, since they’ll likely be too exhausted to handle a full day of school after all that travel. You secretly wish you could afford to take tomorrow off, but with so little notice, you know better than to try.

Your eyes move from the clock to the comically large vase currently taking up most of your desk. The flowers had been delivered during first period and you can’t help the giddy smile that stretches your face as you look at the bright orange blossoms. Your students had descended into giggles when you told them it was from Javy and you couldn't help but join in.

***

Your students finally make their way to lunch and you slump across your desk, letting the scent of the tiger lilies above you permeate your nose, and as sweet as they smell, you find yourself missing a different scent, a smokier, spicier one. You let out an exhausted groan as Josie lets herself in, coming to sit across from you.

“He sent you flowers,” she remarks, and you think she sounds a little impressed. You turn your head to squish your cheek against the cool wooden surface as you look at her and nod.

“Aren’t they perfect?” You say, a shy smile tugging at your lips as you follow her gaze to the orange blossoms.

“Tiger lilies? Not roses?” She asks, reaching a hand out to finger the blossoms, curiously.

“They’re my favorite.” You explain. “I don’t know how he knew,” you muse as a thought occurs to you. “Did you tell him?” Josie holds up her hands in surrender.

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t even know you liked tiger lilies.” Your brow furrows in thought.

“Well, technically, I love all lilies,”

“But those are your favorites now since they’re the ones he bought you,” Josie interrupts your thought and you look at her, surprised as you nod, cheeks heating.

“I used to like mums, back in college, they were my favorite and I was super vocal about it. Then I met Reuben and on our first date he bought me dahlias because he’d bought them thinking they were just big mums, and in that moment I realized I never wanted anything but dahlias. They reminded me of him, and how eager he was to make me happy, and now they’re my favorites.” The two of you sit in content silence for a long moment before she speaks up again. “Are you excited for tonight?” Your face brightens instantly and you nod enthusiastically.

“I still can’t believe it’s real, thank you so much again, Josie.” She shakes her head.

“Thank you for coming with me,” she chuckles, “but after you experience flying with two kids, I don’t think you’ll take me up on the offer again.” She teases and you roll your eyes.

“I love your kids,” you remind her and she chuckles.

“You do now, just wait.”

***

You can’t help the nerves that are pacing in your stomach as you worry the edge of the jersey you’re wearing. You try to channel the restless energy into helping Josie wrangle the kids. They are restless too, excited to see their dad, and cranky from their naps on the plane. You can’t find it in you to be irritated with them when you see your own raw emotions on display in them. You glance over your shoulder, anxious for warmups to begin so you can see Javy and the tension in your heart can finally snap.

Skylar bumps into you on accident as she tries to wrangle one of the homemade signs that are jammed into the bag on the floor. They’re incredibly cheesy, but Josie had insisted that they’re a necessary part of the surprise. You help her unfold them and hand her and Jamie the one they’ll hold together. It’s a simple mess of glitter and paint that reads, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Daddy!” Josie gives it a long look like she’s considering hoisting it herself and you roll your eyes as you slide out the sign that Josie made for the two of you. You haven’t seen it yet and you’re a little nervous. Josie is a lot braver than you are and she’s been married for a decade while you’re in your first real relationship that’s barely a week old. You carefully unroll the sign and feel your cheeks heat as you read the words on it. “It’s not just puppy love, Happy Valentine’s Day, Dogfighters!” It’s sweet and playful but your eyes are caught on one particular four-letter word.

Your heartbeat thunders in your ears so loud that you almost miss the rise of cheers that rise through the arena. You look up as Josie grabs your arm in one hand and her side of the sign in the other. You’re yanked back to the present as a familiar blur of green whips down the ice towards you. The team heads down to their end of the ice to start warming up and you remember to lift your edge of the sign as your eyes dart furiously from one player to the next, searching for number 68 and any sign of Javy. You hear the kids screaming for their dad in the corner of your consciousness, followed by the pound of their little hands against the glass as Reuben skates up.

Your eyes turn more frantic even though you know he’s here somewhere, he has to be. Your heart thunders in your chest as the unreasonable doubts start crawling in and making a home in your aching chest. You miss the moment a figure on the ice stops until a full body slams into the glass in front of you making the whole wall shake and then you’re looking at Javy’s full grin and wide eyes and he looks like an excited puppy as he gapes at you. You can’t help the excited grin that bubbles to the surface and matches his. You wave slightly as you place your hands on the glass over his on the other side.

“Hi,” you whisper even though you know he won’t be able to hear you.

“Hi,” he breathes back. His breath clouds the glass and your stomach flips when he draws a lopsided heart and writes “hi” inside it. You giggle as grins at you. Your moment is broken as Jake skates by and grabs Javy by the back of his jersey playfully. He blows you a kiss as he drags Javy back towards warmups. You try not to think too hard about the fact that Javy’s eyes stay on you the entire time before they disappear back down the tunnel.

***

You know you should be focussing on the score. It’s currently tied at 1-1 but instead, you’re still dizzy over the adrenaline of the day and the way Javy’s playing at the top of his game today. He’d assisted Jake’s goal in the second period, and you spent the whole break watching the replays online since it was on the other side of the rink. The score remains tied and the clock is running on the third period. Your lips are gnawed to hell as you watch the clock drop lower and lower. This period the Dogfighters are shooting on your side of the rink and you’ve been glued to the glass since it started. You wince as one of Seattle’s defensemen scuffles with Javy by the boards feet away from you, digging at the puck as it slides between their sticks and skates. Your brow furrows as a stray elbow catches Javy’s shoulder and you shout out in protest, as your hands find the glass where you bang alongside the Seattle fans. When you hear them cheering for the other player, you hear your voice rise, cheering for Javy amidst the louder screams. You’re caught up in the fever, the adrenaline of the game, the excitement of the day, and seeing your boyfriend. You catch his eye briefly as his eyes dart up unconsciously and you swear he winks at you, sending heat up your cheeks and knocking the breath from your lungs. Javy manages to dig the puck out of the corner and you watch as he knocks it backward to where Jake’s waiting to whisk it off towards the goal. Your heart is in your throat as you watch Jake’s approach, the opposing defense coming up to try and block his path to the goal. His linemates are trying to open themselves up for a pass but there are no open paths on the ice.

You watch his stick swing anyway, but you don’t see the puck fly into the fray. Your brow furrows in confusion until you watch Javy shoot out from behind him, the puck dancing along the edge of his stick, completely unmarked. Your stomach flips as you see the look on his face. For a moment it feels like you’re watching the sun come out from behind the clouds as you take in the boyish grin stretched across Javy’s face. His eyes are glinting with mischief you’ve seen plenty of times on your students’ tiny faces, and he’s glowing with confidence as he whips down the ice. Your heart is in your throat as you watch the other players slowly realize where the puck has gone and then you watch the black disk fly off the end of Javy’s stick. The goalie starts to move in his direction, but it’s clear he hasn’t realized Javy’s shot until it’s too late and his glove is still inches away as the puck sails over his shoulder.

You’re sure you’re screaming and then Josie’s screaming and she’s grabbing you and you’re grabbing her, and you can’t take your eyes off him as he roars in triumph and then he’s pointing with both hands and you’re trying to understand what at, it doesn’t make any sense and then he’s laughing and you read his lips as he tries to contain himself. “You.” Your brows furrow and you look down at yourself in confusion before turning around to look behind you as Josie laughs beside you as the other boys start crowding Javy.

Josie grasps your shoulders as your confusion grows. “It’s you, Roadie.”

“W-what’s me?” You ask, glancing back towards the ice where Javy’s getting set up for the next face-off.

You look back in time to see Josie shake her head, a fond look in her eyes. “Everything,” she says before giving you a tight hug and you feel your stomach twist as you watch the jumbotrons replay the goal and you watch Javy point at the stands all over again. Oh. You. You’ve spent your whole adult life expecting not to be chosen, never expecting to be anything but the butt of a joke, that you weren’t worthy of being chosen. People look through you, people look past you, people don’t look at you, people don’t see you. And yet in the last month, you’ve felt more seen than you have in the last thirty years of your life. They look at you, they see you. He sees you.

You don’t hear the whistle, you don’t hear the last of the game, you don’t hear the horn as the clock runs out. You’re overwhelmed, and you’ve been overwhelmed before, but it’s different this time. The usual fear, the pain, the panic, none of that is what you feel now. “Roadie?” You blink and realize belatedly that you’re crying and you turn to her and throw your arms around her neck.

“Thank you, just thank you.” You don’t recognize the sound of your voice as you shake your head and just hold your best friend. She doesn’t question it and holds you back like she already knows, and maybe she does.

***

You place a hand over your knee to try and stop the way it’s restlessly bouncing as you sit on the bench in some hallway, waiting for Javy. You’re not a spouse, so you weren’t allowed into the locker room area with Josie and the kids. A member of the Kraken’s staff had led the four of you to the private section of the stadium and you’ve been waiting for at least an hour. You turn your phone on, glancing at the clock and debating texting Javy but you know he’s probably just finishing up his post-game responsibilities. He knows you’re here. He’ll find you. You stifle a yawn as you stare at the screen, your stomach dropping as you realize how few hours you have until you’ll have to head back to the airport and back to your life.

You close your eyes, trying to ignore the math that your brain insists on doing because it’s not enough and you’re not ready to be back home, exhausted and alone, thrust back into your routine for another three days until Javy gets home. You barely suppress a groan as you lean your head against the wall behind you, trying to reconcile the consequences of your actions as the lull in the business of the day gives you a break from the adrenaline that’s been coursing through you all day. You’re slowly descending into a spiral of your own thoughts when you hear the squeak of hinges in your periphery and you turn your head, your body sitting up, the giddy excitement of seeing Javy beating out the exhaustion settling into your bones as you watch the corner, begging Javy to come around it.

You’ve barely caught enough of his silhouette to confirm it’s him before you’re bouncing off the bench and running for him. Running to him is a blur, but then you’re in his arms, and the scent of sweat mixed with his cologne engulfs your nose and you feel the tension melt out of your body as you settle against him. The two of you stay silent for a long beat, your bodies refamiliarizing themselves with the feeling of holding the other, committing it to memory, to carry the two of you through the rest of the week. When the two of you finally choose to speak, it happens at the same time.

“Thank you,” Javy whispers into your hair.

“Thank you,” You croak, your voice breaking over the words all over again. The silence that falls between you is comfortable and you can tell he’s waiting for you to go first so you tell him the words that have been on your lips for the last hour. “Thank you for seeing me.” Your chest heaves shakily as you fight the words out, but his arms just tighten around you as he holds you, like he’d physically hold you together if you shattered to pieces.

He pulls back and removes his hands from your waist to cup your cheeks as his dark eyes look into yours and straight through to your soul. “You’re impossible to miss.” He says as he strokes his thumbs over the apples of your cheeks, and when he says it, you find that it’s not so hard to believe it. “Thank you for coming,” he whispers before running his nose against yours, your lips just shy of ghosting over each other.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” you whisper back, and when he kisses you it feels like you’ve let out a breath you’ve been holding for the last week.

“Alright, Meep,” Javy says when he finally pulls away, leaning his forehead against yours, arms returning to your waist to keep you close, “you gonna tell me what you’re doing here, beautiful?” You feel your cheeks heat even though you’re already in his arms, and he’s already kissed you.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Javy.” It sounds so silly as you say the words, but you wonder if that’s because it’s the first time you’ve said them romantically.

He chuckles softly before pressing a simple kiss to your lips “Happy Valentine’s Day, Meep, but I mean what’re you doing in Seattle on a school night.” You shrug slightly because you don’t really have an answer.

“Josie’s the right brand of crazy and she has the budget to back it up?” You both laugh at that.

“I hate to ruin the mood,” Javy says before closing his eyes for a moment, “but when do you leave?” Your stomach drops again. In the joy of being reunited with Javy, you’d forgotten that you’ll have to leave him again in just a few short hours.

“We have a red-eye back to San Diego so we can make it back to work tomorrow,” you explain and you know Javy’s doing his best not to mirror the disappointment you’re feeling. “But you’ll be back in San Diego on Friday, right? That’s not so bad.” One glance at him says that he believes your words about as much as you do. “But at least we have tonight,” you relent.

“At least we have tonight,” he agrees. “Well then, let’s not waste a second.” He leads you out of the stadium. Most fans have since dispersed, returning home since it’s a Tuesday. The area around the stadium is lit with lights as and there are a fair amount of people milling around. Javy takes your hand and leads you through the park surrounding the stadium as you crane your neck back to get a good look at the Space Needle as it closer and closer.

There are a few people milling around and entering the Space Needle as you and Javy approach the ticket desk. The lady at the desk’s eyes widen in recognition as Javy purchases tickets for the two of you. When you enter, you stay close to Javy, feeling nerves bubble like butterflies as the photographer takes your picture and you watch Javy give him him email address for the photos. “My privacy is already nonexistent, there’s no need to compromise yours,” he explains when you offer to give yours instead. You walk up the spiral walkway to the elevator with Javy’s hand in yours. The ride to the top is silent and you’re sure you notice the elevator attendance staring at the two of you. The fact that you’re wearing Javy’s last name on your back doesn’t really help with the subtlety.

When the elevator doors open your breath catches in your throat. There are glass walls separating you from the balcony that wraps around the room the elevator opens onto, but you can already see the lights of Seattle twinkling from here. You find yourself dragging Javy to the balcony. The city of Seattle is alight all around you. From here you can see Climate Pledge Area, the rest of the park, and various museums in the area around you. You can also see the darkness of Elliot Bay. As you make your way around the balcony, you come face to face with the dazzling skyscrapers of downtown as the city itself sprawls out into the distance. It’s gorgeous and your fingers itch to paint the stunning view. You pull out your phone, snapping some inspiration photos. You’re already planning how you’re going to approach the painting when Javy slides his arms around your waist from behind, leaning his chin on your shoulder.

“What’s going on in your pretty little head, Meep?” He asks and you feel embarrassment creep over you for just abandoning him when he brought you up here and came all the way here to see him.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about how much I want to paint this view,” You explain as you gaze out at the city below you.

“Well, I can’t wait to see it,” Javy whispers. “And I hope I have first dibs when it goes on sale,” he murmurs, nuzzling your cheek gently.

“Javy, I’m not making you pay for my art!” You exclaim indignantly, leaning into him as the wind off the bay whips around the two of you. Javy wraps his arms around you from behind, pulling you close.

“Pretty girl, where is your coat?” He asks as he snuggles you.

“We live in San Diego, I don’t have one!” You grumble indignantly. “It doesn’t get this cold there,” he nods against your shoulder.

“Okay, that is true, I’ll give you that.” He rubs your arms. “At least you’re wearing long sleeves,” he points out.

“Do you like it?” You’d been too shy to ask last time. Well, that and last time you hadn’t been wearing his name as his real girlfriend.

“I love it,” he says with a forcefulness that makes your heart flutter.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” You wiggle out of his grip to get the box out of your purse. “I know we’re going to celebrate on Saturday, but I figured since I was going to be here, I could give you your gift today!”

“Meep,” Javy groans. “You came all this way, you didn’t have to get me anything, plus I don’t have your gift here,” he bemoans and you wave him off.

“You didn’t know I was coming, and neither did I until yesterday, so I had already gotten you a gift. Plus, you bought the tickets to come up here,” you remind him. You hand him the narrow box and he arches a curious eyebrow as you draw the sleeves of your jersey over your hands and hug your arms around yourself. Javy notices and gently guides you so that your back is to the building behind you and he’s blocking the wind with his body before he opens the box. You hold your breath anxiously as he unwraps the paper inside before his breath catches.

“Roadie…” he murmurs and you swallow hard, trying to decipher if you’ve hit the nail on the head or missed it entirely. Javy lifts the tie out of the box, examining it in the light that’s filtering out from inside. You’ve covered the originally-white fabric with fabric paint, doing your best to recreate a slice of the cliff painting he bought at your show. And there at the very bottom are the embracing figures that represent him and you. “Roadie, this is beautiful. Did you paint this?” His voice is full of awe as he looks at you and you nod.

“I know it’s not the most faithful recreation but fabric paint is pretty fickle. I thought maybe you could wear it with one of your game day suits.” You admit. While exploring the team’s Instagram account you found the highlight of game day suit posts, and that had inspired you to make the tie.

“I’m getting rid of every other tie I own when I get home,” Javy declares and your eyes widen in horror.

“But this is blue, and it won’t match every suit!” You protest and he chuckles.

“Well then I’ll just get rid of all the blue ones, and every year I can get rid of a different color.” You see the nerves dancing in his eyes at the boldness of his statement, at the assumption that there will be more years. That you’ll be together long enough for a dozen Valentine’s Days and a dozen ties.

“Well I do take requests,” you say and you watch the anxiety leave his shoulders and you kiss your boyfriend at the top of the Space Needle on the night of your very first Valentine’s Day, and everything is perfect.

A/N: The Valentine’s Day festivities aren’t quite done yet, what do we think Javy has planned for Saturday?

[howlingday]

Student: H-Hey! How did she do that?! She completely avoided that laser attack!

Jaune: (Headmaster) Simple. She did... nothing.

Student: ...What? How does doing nothing make you dodge lasers?

Jaune: It's like I said. She didn't do anything... on purpose, anyways.

Student: I... still don't get it.

Jaune: Ever heard the proverb, "Trees fall where reeds thrive"?

Jaune: It's took Ruby years to learn how to do what she did. If she second-guessed herself for even a hundredth of a second, she'd be as good as done. That's why Ruby Rose is the number one huntress in Remnant.

Jaune: A lot of huntresses and huntsmen take pride in where they've come from, while Ruby has learned to take things as they and let them wash over her.

That's why Ruby is so cool.

[waiting-eyez]

I got so tired of hearing those proverbs when I was a child. Now I use them all the time. Sometimes they are the best way to say what needs to be said. I teach them to my students. I have a collection of proverbs for class discussion and writing assignments.

(Marva Collins)

[m4iya]

⋆⑅˚₊ Order up! - Lemon Madelines with brownie bites to eat in coming right up!

'The Moon is beautiful, isn't it?' ft. Kei Tsukishima (angst, mutual pining)

wc. 1.2k

The sound of chalk scratching across the board echoed in her ears as she listened to the teacher at the front. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes in an attempt not to fall asleep midway through his explanation on proverbs.

“I want you all to listen carefully, some of these carry double meanings - and yes, they will be on your Literature test next week”

Murmurs and scattered complaints were heard from multiple students in the class.

Straightening her posture, she decided to pay more attention to the explanation.

Turning back to the board, he wrote down a few proverbs in English and began explaining each one.

“This one, ‘Actions speak louder than words’, is basically as it sounds. For example, when you apologise to someone, you need to show that you mean it; sorry isn’t only gonna cut it all the time.”

Following the teacher’s explanation, she wrote down the key points.

“Here’s one some of you might want to hear. ‘The Moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’; it’s not your traditional proverb, but apparently it was taught by a Japanese teacher to his male students as a way for them to confess, but only under a moonlit night. A girl probably won’t take it romantically if you tell it to her in the middle of the day” a couple chuckles sounded across the classroom.

She had heard of that proverb before. She always found it hard to imagine the circumstances all coming together for this small statement to hold so much meaning. She continued note taking as the teacher moved onto the next set of proverbs.

As class came to an end and the teacher packed his materials, she closed her notebook and turned around, facing her two friends.

“Do you guys have club today?” She asked, zipping up her pen case.

“Yep!” The shorter of the two answered.

The three of them left class together and headed to each of their clubs, agreeing to meet at the gates after practice to walk home together.

Both were on the boys’ volleyball club, whereas she was in the girls’ basketball club. She had been friends with them since her second year of middle school, when she was paired with a tall blonde boy for a class project. He wasn’t loud, was relatively easy to talk to, didn’t seem to judge her, and they seemed to have a lot in common. Through him, she was introduced to his slightly timid friend, and the three of them had frequently hung out together since then.

At some point in time, she wasn’t sure when, but each time he’d speak to her, her heart seemed to beat a little faster. She felt herself becoming distracted by the smallest things about him.

His tone that was quiet but mellow. The rare moment he’d crack a smile, his eyes squinting ever so slightly. The way he walked, the way he slung his bag over his shoulder, the way he would listen so intently to her rants. She felt it then, and she still feels it now. That soft, budding warmth grew inside her chest whenever he turned to speak to her. Though the only difference was that it was becoming harder to hide.

Being paired with a girl for a class project wasn’t a big deal to him – it was just something they’d have to get done together. He was only trying to finish this task and head home as quick as he could.

So, what was keeping his gaze fixed on her?   

From the corner of his eye, he could see her notebook. One of her delicate hands was holding the page down, the other gently gripping her mechanical pencil. Her free hand lifting momentarily to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and the softness of her breathing.

His heart reverberated loudly in his chest. Picking up his pencil, he got back to work.

Slipping her head through the collar of her hoodie, she tidied up her belongings before heading out of the changing room to walk home with her friends. Shivering from the cold, she decided to slip on a pair of gloves – it was a little cold in the morning, so she was glad she had brought them with her, as the temperature dropped when the sun had set.

Walking towards the gates, she sees the two boys standing and waiting. Waving, she jogs up to them, and the three of them walk together.

“How was practice?” She asked, holding the handles of her backpack.

“Same old” Tsukishima responded.

“What did you do for practice?” Yamaguchi asked her.

“Well, we did a lot of laps today since your team was using the court”.

Shivering from the cold, she glances up, her eyes glazing over the bright full moon. Despite it being winter, the sky was clear for the first time in a while. The three of them carried on in conversation until Yamaguchi reached his house. Waving at them both, he headed inside, closing the door.

She turned back to face Tsukishima.

“My house isn’t too far from here, I can walk there myself.” She smiled.

“It’s fine. Mine’s close by as well.” He replied.

The two of them take off together, walking down the street.

Removing her hands from her pockets, she blows warm air into them, feeling the heat scatter across her cheeks, and sink into the fabric of her gloves. Placing her hands by her side, the warmth on her face continued to linger.

It was just the two of them, walking together down the street under the bright Moon. He noticed her place her hands by her side, inching closer to his own. Lifting his hand slightly, he hesitated, brushing his fingers against hers. He wavered.

And maybe that was why she shoved her hands back into her pockets.

Standing right next to him, she worried that he’d be able to hear her heart practically jumping out of her chest.

‘Did his hand bump into mine by accident?’ She thought to herself, worrying that he might think she was trying to hold his hand. It was a bright, moonlit night. The words of her teacher from earlier today replayed in her head: ‘..A way to confess, but only under a moonlit night’

No way, even if he did say it, she’d never think of it as a confession.

‘He probably only sees me as a friend.’

Her head was noisy, filled with thoughts and paranoia,  although the silence between them was practically deafening. He and her usually speak to each other without issue every day. So what was the difference now?

He found himself feeling antsy, fiddling with the hem of his jacket as he walked beside her. Her street was the next turn. If he didn’t say something now, he didn’t know how he’d be able to carry on speaking to her like nothing had happened.

At the edge of the street, right at the turnoff, Tsukishima stood still, and looking up at the sky; he said:

“The Moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Standing a few steps in front, her gaze fell over him. Unable to see his facial expression properly; his head remained facing upwards.

That wasn’t a confession, right? He’d probably laugh if she said anything of the sort, right?

She had to come up with an answer, and fast. She couldn’t balance between a confession and a regular statement, and the growing silence between them engulfed her thoughts.

Preparing herself to speak, she felt her heart sink. With tear glossed eyes, she glanced upwards at the Moon.

“So very beautiful.”

Mya's Bakery Event 𝜗𝜚 other works

[sweetprfct]

Written in the Stars

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You are a believer in fate but after getting your heart broken, you had stopped believing it. Until you met Joe. Suddenly, it got you questioning if fate is real or not.

Author's Note: Okay, this was published in my old blog before and I'm going to be re-publishing it again here per requested from some of you. :) This is actually one of my fave series I wrote.

Wordcount: 4.9K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten - epilogue

“According to an ancient Chinese myth, a red string of fate connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.” - Chinese Proverb

AUTUMN 2021.

Joe was ready. He had been preparing this for about a year, and he was so ready to do this. He had everything prepared that he even had his best friend help him out to make sure everything was perfect. He got up early in the morning and immediately showered and got ready. He stared in the mirror for a moment before nodding his head and telling himself that everything was going to turn out perfect tonight. Exiting the apartment half an hour later, he was greeted by the Autumn New York air. He walked down the sidewalk, stepping on the crunchy leaves that were falling from the trees as he made his way towards the subway station.

“Hey.” Joe answered as soon as he saw his best friend’s caller ID.

“Are you ready, mate?”

“Yes, everything is going to turn out great tonight. I could feel it.” Joe smiled, exhaling a sharp breath.

“Okay, well, let me know how it goes. You still got filming today, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’m heading there right now.” Joe replied, entering the subway car. “I’ll be done early today though. She already knew what time and where to meet me, so it will just be perfect timing.”

“Okay, well, good luck, mate! It’ll be great.”

“Thank you. I’m a tad bit nervous but that’s normal, innit?”

“Absolutely! Just take a few deep breaths, everything will be fine. She’s mental if she doesn’t say yes.”

Joe couldn’t help but chuckle at his best friend’s comment. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hanging up the phone, Joe smiled to himself, repeating what he was going to say tonight over and over again in his head. He wanted all of this to be perfect. He wanted to do this right. So, as he walked out of the subway, he made his way down the street and into the movie set. For now, he needed to focus his mind on the movie script. He shouldn’t have to worry so much about tonight, especially when he knew that everything was ready and prepared. 

You were awakened by the sound of your alarm. You stretched on your bed before swinging your legs over and letting your feet touch the cold wooden floors of your apartment. Pulling the strings to open your curtains, you were greeted by the view of the city. The skyscrapers stood tall in front of you, and you could see the leaves on the trees turning yellow and orange. The sky was a bit gloomy today, but Autumn was one of your favorite seasons, and you always thought it was beautiful because it was like a sign of a new beginning. The old and the past leaving and a new beginning was starting. It was almost like your life at the moment. You could feel that something new is starting, and it could be tonight. 

“Good morning.” You smiled brightly at your roommate, Sara, as you poured yourself a cup of coffee.

“Someone is chirpy today.” Sara smiled, taking a sip of her tea. 

Sara had been your best friend since you two met in college. She was an exchange student from Germany. Ever since you two met, you both had been inseparable that you both immediately decided to be roommates as soon as you both graduated college. You always believed that meeting Sara was fate. You both got along so well. The both of you were almost the same person. You never had such a healthy friendship before until you met her and that says a lot because even if you had friends then, it was never the same with what you have with Sara. 

“Well, that’s because today might be the day.” You wiggled your eyebrows.

“Really?” Sara’s eyes widened. “How do you know?”

“Maybe. Who knows.” You shrugged. “He had been giving hints, and he was the one who specifically asked me to meet him tonight, which is weird because usually, we don’t meet up ‘til Friday nights unless it’s something important.”

“Well, tell him that I’m a little upset that he didn’t even ask your best friend to help him out or even tell me about it.” Sara teased. 

“I will, but I’m sure he didn’t say anything because he wanted to do it himself.” You shoved a piece of toast in your mouth. 

“Right...” Sara elongated her words. “Just like how he only shows up in your life during the weekends and until now, never even tried to get along with your friends?”

“Sara,” You tilted your head and gave her a look. “He’s just… busy. You know how he is.”

Work was always an excuse that you managed to tell her because you knew she was telling you the truth, but you were too stubborn to admit it. Too blind because you were too in love.

Sara took a sip of her tea and didn’t say anything else. 

“He said that it’s fate.” You added. 

“Really?” Sara raised her brow. “Fate is when you meet someone and then a few years later, you see each other again. Someone that you just know is meant for you no matter what the circumstance is. Even if you don’t see each other after however many years, the universe always brings you two together. Not someone that you meet in a bar and become friends with and decide to hook up one night and then be together after that.”

You knew how Sara was against this relationship in the first place because of how you two got together and even then, you always tried to make sure that your best friend and your boyfriend got along. However, for Sara, he never tried to make an extra effort for you or even try to actually be nice to her. Sometimes, she would even tell you that you weren’t his priority. 

“Just… Just be happy for me, okay? I think that he really is the one.” You sighed.

Sara shook her head. “I am happy for you, but I’ll be happier if he actually treats you right.”

Your eyes caught the sight of the clock across from you and said, “I gotta go. I’ll see you later!” You drank the rest of your coffee before grabbing your things. 

Sara scoffed, shaking her head as she watched you walk out the door before muttering, “Have fun.”

The day couldn’t go any faster as you sat in your office doing some paperwork, staring at the clock from time to time to see if it was almost time to leave. You just couldn’t wait to get out but no matter how hard you tried to make yourself busy, time was just going by slowly. When the clock finally hits 5pm, you immediately packed your things and grabbed your coat and walked out the office building. You pulled your coat closer to your chest, trying to fix your hair from the cold night air that was blowing. You hailed yourself a cab and as you made your way to the restaurant, your leg shook nervously.

Arriving at the restaurant, the place was packed with people, and you immediately got a table for the both of you as you waited for him. You tapped your nails nervously on the table and asked the waiter for a dirty martini to calm yourself down. 

“Hey babe.” 

You looked over your shoulder and gazed up at him. His blue eyes sparkling along with his smile that always made you melt on the inside. 

“Sorry, traffic.” He gave you a kiss on the cheek, which surprised you because he would usually kiss you on the lips. Ignoring the unusual move, you smiled as he sat across from you.

“It’s okay. How are you, babe?” You asked, taking a sip of your drink. “You said you wanted to talk?”

He let out a sigh and hung his head low for a moment. “Yeah, listen… I just…” He stuttered for a moment as you waited for him to finish his sentence. “We had such an amazing adventure together, you know? We have gone through so much.”

“Yeah, I know. Six years. Time went by so fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that we met.”

“Yeah…” He played with his fingers nervously and let out another sigh. “But… I just feel like this isn’t working out.”

You felt your heart shattered into a million pieces the moment those words came out of his lips. Was he breaking up with you? Six years of having this relationship for nothing? Why? Your body froze, and you felt like you were going to scream, but you forgot how to find your words nor even move your body. You were just paralyzed.

“W…What?” Your words stuttered the moment you finally found your voice.

“Listen, I know we have been together for a while, but I just feel like it’s not working out anymore. We both like different things, and I just feel like I’m in the stage of my life where I just don’t want to be in a serious relationship right now.” He explained, trying to reach for your hands. 

You scoffed as you shook your head, immediately pulling your hands away from him. You couldn’t believe the words that you were hearing right now. Was he fucking serious? 

“Six years, Carter!” You exclaimed in frustration. “We were together for six years and you’re gonna tell me you don’t want to be in a serious relationship? What’s the real reason?”

You watched Carter look around the restaurant when you raised your voice at him. You grabbed your purse and coat, ready to leave. You couldn't even look at him anymore. You were furious and angry and heartbroken. You couldn’t even explain all the mixed emotions that you were feeling at the moment. 

“I’m trying not to be a dick here, but I’m just not happy anymore.”

“You said we were fate.” You argued, holding back your tears.

Carter opened his mouth for a moment with no words coming out before finally saying, “I only said that because I knew you were a believer of those things.”

You scoffed as you got up from your chair. You were so angry. You hated every fiber of his being right now, and you needed to leave because you didn’t want to hear what else he was going to say. 

“Don’t act like this.” Carter got up from his chair also. “Did you really think we were going to last long?”

“You’re such a fucking ass!” You exclaimed. “We were together for six years! Of course, I did!” You shook your head and started walking away from him.

“Wait!” Carter held you by your forearm, stopping you from leaving. “Please don’t make this hard. We could still be friends.”

Tears were welling up in your eyes as you let out another scoff. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing right now. Friends, really? After acting like an ass? After all the shit that he just said?! Was he fucking insane?

“You’re such a fucking dick, Carter!” You exclaimed again, pulling your arm away from his grip. He looked around the restaurant again as some of the guests were now looking at the both of you.

But you didn’t care. He deserved to be humiliated from the way he was acting towards you. 

“Please don’t make a scene.” Carter muttered.

“I’m not making a scene.” You argued back. “This is making a scene!”

You grabbed the glass of the dirty martini that was sitting on the table and splashed him with it before scoffing and turning away from him, walking out of the restaurant.

“Well, that was embarrassing.” 

Joe watched you from across the place as you walked out of the restaurant before turning to Rue, who was sitting across from him. Her little comment over the situation made Joe feel a bit uncomfortable since he thought that was a dick move for a man to do something like that to a woman. Though, his mind needed to be somewhere else because this night was important. 

“So, babe. What were you saying?” Rue asked, reaching for Joe’s hands. 

“Um…” Joe cleared his throat and played with the small box inside his coat pocket. “Rue, we have been together for a while, and you have made me a better person. You make me so happy, and I want to make you happy and be there for you for the rest of our lives. You are amazing and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Joe got up from his chair and went down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

Rue sat there, a small gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes fell to the ring that was sparkling inside the box before she looked around the restaurant for a moment. Some people were staring at them, and she couldn’t help but feel the blood rush to her cheeks before helping Joe up to his feet.

“Oh, honey.” Rue pouted. “This is the sweetest thing ever, but I’m sorry. I’m just not ready for all of this. I mean… marriage? I have my whole career before me. I don’t want to start a family yet. You know how it is.”

Joe swallowed every bit of his feelings as Rue continued to reject his proposal. He didn’t expect this. He thought their relationship was going really well. He thought they were both ready. Joe stood there in front of her, feeling a bit embarrassed and at the same time, feeling a bit confused. 

“I… I thought we both wanted this.” Joe muttered. “We always have talked about it, and I’m ready, Rue. I want to be with you.”

“I’m so sorry.” Rue gave him a sympathetic look before grabbing her coat. “Yeah, we always talked about it, but I didn’t think that you were going to propose to me now. This is not what I want right now.”

“So, when is the right time to propose then?” Joe asked. 

“I feel like we’ll know when we are on the same page but right now, this isn’t what I want.” Rue leaned in to give Joe a kiss. “I’m sorry.” 

Joe exhaled sharply as he watched Rue walk out of the restaurant. 

What the fuck just happened? 

Joe stood there frozen as the server came by with the champagne and all Joe did was shake his head at the server. He needed to go fight for this. He had to go and find Rue and have a serious conversation about this because this was all a surprise to Joe. It made his heart shatter, hearing the fact that his long term girlfriend had just told him that she didn’t want to marry him. 

You weren’t the only one getting your heart broken tonight.

“Fucking bullshit.” You cursed to yourself outside the restaurant, leaning your back against the brick wall.

God, you were such an idiot. 

You cried to yourself, wiping the tears that were rolling down your cheeks. You were still trying to process all of Carter’s excuses as to why he didn’t want to be with you anymore. You kicked the brick wall with your foot and ran your fingers through your hair. 

You were such a mess.

Your attention was caught when you heard the restaurant door opened and saw Joe running out of the restaurant. He looked around for a moment until he caught your eyes. Feeling embarrassed, you turned away from him and wiped your tears as you sniffed. 

“Have you seen—”

“A strawberry blonde woman? Yeah, she took a cab and went that way.” You murmured, pointing at the direction where the cab went. 

Joe let out a sigh and tilted his head as he walked towards you and asked, “Are you alright?”

“Does it look like I’m okay?!” You exclaimed, watching Joe in front of you take a step back.

Joe knew why you were crying. He saw that whole thing go down inside the restaurant. He knew why you were so angry, so he didn’t say anything else. He understood what you were feeling at the moment because unfortunately, he was also having a shitty night. Not trying to anger you even more, he took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and handed it to you. For a second there, you paused and just stared at it. 

Why was this stranger being nice after you just yelled at him? 

Though, you accepted it anyway, thinking about how you probably looked ridiculous in front of him with your mascara running and your eyes all red and puffy.

“Thanks.” You muttered, your voice almost a whisper.

Joe watched you wipe your tears and then unfold the handkerchief to blow your nose. He couldn’t help but pursed his lips, holding in his smile as he watched you. Then, his mind directed back to Rue and the reason why he was running out of the restaurant in the first place. He still wanted to talk to her about everything that happened because he loves her, and he wanted this to work out. Maybe she was right? Maybe he did this too soon.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” You interrupted Joe’s thoughts. “Why are you running after that woman anyway?” 

“She’s my girlfriend.” Joe replied. “Or… ex. I don’t know right now. I just proposed to her, and she rejected it and ran off.”

You couldn't believe what you were hearing. Here you were thinking that Carter was going to propose to you tonight and instead, he broke it off with you. Meanwhile, the man in front of you proposed to his girlfriend, and she had the audacity to reject it? How could someone reject that, especially if they loved each other? Looking at Joe in front of you, you surely could see it in his eyes how much he loves her. Who would still run after a person after they rejected their proposal? This man in front of you surely would. 

How lucky she was.

“I’m sorry.” You told him.

“It’s okay.” Joe hailed a cab and turned to look at you. “Are you gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, thank you.” You nodded and watched him give you a small smile.

“Here, take this cab. I’ll get the next one.” Joe opened the door for you as you muttered another thank you before getting inside. 

“If it makes you feel any better, you dodged a bullet.” Joe said before closing the door. 

You couldn’t help but think about that comment on the way back home to your apartment.

Maybe he was right. 

Maybe you did dodged a bullet, and Sara was right. 

Carter was an asshole. 

You tried your best to hold back your tears at the back of the cab but it just wouldn’t stop falling. You could see the cab driver’s eyes looking at you through his rearview mirror, and you couldn’t help but think about how many times you were going to embarrass yourself in front of strangers tonight. You were just glad that the cab driver didn’t say anything to you. The moment he stopped in front of your apartment building, you paid the man and quickly exited out of the vehicle. 

The apartment was dark and quiet when you entered. You figured maybe Sara was still out on her date. So, you headed to the bathroom and slid your clothes off. Entering the shower, you sat on the bathroom floor, hugging your knees and just cried your eyes out. The hot water ran down your skin as you sat there and sobbed on your knees. You couldn’t even tell anymore if it was the hot water that was making your body numb, or it was just because you were just done with everything. 

When you slid under your bed covers that night, your eyes were all red and puffy, and you could barely breathe from your stuffy nose. Your skin was all pruney because you had spent probably an hour in the shower and letting the hot water just run down your body. You stared at the ceiling for a moment as tears started rolling down your cheeks again. 

Your chest hurts. 

Everything hurts.

You didn’t stop yourself from crying anymore. You let everything out as you hugged your tear soaked pillow tightly until you were just so exhausted that you finally crashed. 

The sound of loud clattering woke you up the next morning. You fluttered your eyes open and stared at the ceiling for a moment. You felt numb. You didn’t even want to get up and go to work today. After all, it was a Friday. Maybe calling out sick was a good idea for today. You weakly got up from your bed and made your way out the door and saw Sara putting away the plates in the cupboard.

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you? I accidentally dropped one of the—” Sara paused as soon as she glanced up and saw your face. 

“Ohmygod.” She immediately set the plates on the counter and pulled you into an embrace. “What happened? What the fuck did he do?”

You buried your face on your best friend’s shoulder and sobbed as you hugged her tightly. Sara softly rubbed your back, and you both stayed like that for a few minutes. Sara didn’t say anything. She just let you cry in her arms. She didn’t want to push you until you were ready to talk. 

“He…He broke… it off.” Your words stuttered. “He said.. he didn’t want to be in a serious relationship at the moment.”

“That’s fucking bullshit.” Sara retorted. “Six years together and he says that shit?”

You nodded your head as Sara gave you a glass of water, while you wiped your tears with the back of your hand. 

You felt exhausted. 

“He’s such a fucking asshole.” Sara cursed under her breath. “I’m so sorry.” Sara rubbed your back softly again. “He doesn’t deserve you. Someone like that doesn’t deserve your love and you know it. He’s stupid and an idiot for letting you go.”

“It feels like… it was so easy for him.” Tears rolled down your face again. “It was as if the six years we had together was just nothing to him. Like it didn’t mean anything to him.”

“C’mere.” Sara whispered, pulling you into a hug again and embracing you tightly. “You don’t have to go to work today. You can hang at the bookstore with me.”

“It’s okay. I… I need to go. They need me there.” You sniffed. “Plus, I need a distraction after all of this.”

“Okay, but if you need me to rescue you, just give me a call.”

You let out a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Hey,” Sara softly set her hand on your forearm, “Don’t push yourself too hard today and please let me know if I could help you with anything.” 

“Thank you. I will.”

Drinking the rest of your water, you left the kitchen to get yourself ready for work. Sitting at the subway later that morning, all your mind could think of were the memories of Carter. The way how you both started off as friends and then started dating just because you two had hooked up one night. Carter had told you then that he had feelings for you all this time, and he didn’t want to say anything because he thought you didn’t like him back. You felt like maybe you were too over dramatic and that was why he broke up with you. It made you question every single thing that you did to really know the reason why he broke up with you. Sara was right. His excuse wasn’t genuine. The way he lied to you just so he could be with you? Just because you believed in fate? 

Now, you don’t even know if you even believed in that anymore. 

You spent your day trying to focus on your work and told yourself that you weren’t going to cry because why would you cry over some piece of a shit of a man? Why would you waste your tears on someone who couldn’t even commit to you even after six years? But you failed because by the time it was your first break, you had found yourself in the bathroom upstairs. You sat in the stall, your palms on your face, and you just sobbed quietly. Then, on your lunch break, you found yourself in the bathroom again, and you didn’t even eat your lunch because you spent the next half hour just sobbing in the bathroom. 

You were so tired of crying. You felt like there was nothing left inside of you anymore. 

By the end of the day, you had tried gathering yourself and decided to spend the afternoon in the mall to get your mind off of things. You needed a distraction, and it was a Friday. Carter would usually come and pick you up from the office, and you two would spend the night together at his place but this time, you were alone. There was no more Carter picking you up from your office, no Carter cooking dinner for you on a Friday night, and no more Carter who would hold you in his arms when you had a long day at work. Thinking about those memories pulled your heartstrings a little bit too hard, and it made your chest ache for him. Snapping out of your thoughts, you sighed as soon as the subway stopped and you exited and made your way to the mall.

The place was crowded, and it was all decorated ready for Halloween. You didn’t know exactly what you wanted to see or buy, but you just wanted to get your mind off of Carter. You bought yourself some coffee to give yourself a bit of energy and a piece of pretzel since you were hungry. After all, you didn’t eat your lunch today. You took a deep breath and walked down the mall when suddenly, everything happened so fast. You found your coffee spilled on your white button up and your pretzel that you were holding was now on the floor. 

Oh, just fucking great.

“Jesus.” Joe whispered as you stood there with your mouth open in shock, soaked with your drink. 

“This is just fucking great!” You exclaimed sarcastically. 

“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” He asked, that English accent slipping through his voice. 

You glanced up and saw him. That British man that you saw last night outside of the restaurant. This was the second time you had yelled at him and this was the second time you two had bumped into each other. His chocolate button eyes staring into yours were full of guilt and worry, and you couldn’t help but study him from up and down. He definitely looked different from last night. His brown curls were all disheveled, and falling down perfectly on his forehead. He was just wearing a white shirt and jeans unlike last night with his button up and fancy trousers. 

You couldn’t blame him. 

His girlfriend—or ex— rejected his proposal. You couldn't help but think about how her decision was still ridiculous and stupid. But then again, you didn’t know the woman. Who were you to judge? You were just basing it off from your own experience and point of view. 

“Wait, I know you.” Joe said. 

You let out a sigh and said, “Yeah, I’m the one who yelled at you last night outside of the restaurant.”

Joe chuckled softly and nodded his head, all the pieces falling into place in his head.

“I’m sorry about that.” You said. “You just found me at my lowest point.”

Joe shrugged, “It’s alright, I understand. You weren’t the only one having a shitty night.”

“Right.” You pursed your lips. “I’m sorry about your proposal.”

“It’s alright. It’s life. We’re still trying to work things out though.”

You nodded your head and couldn’t help but think again how lucky that girl was because even if she rejected his proposal, he was still trying to make things work. Carter, on the other hand, just gave up on the both of you so easily. Threw away everything that you had like it was nothing. 

“Well, good luck.” You gave him a small smile before walking away. 

“Wait, are you sure you’re alright?” Joe asked. “I could get you a new shirt. You’re… soaked with your coffee and maybe a pretzel since I made you drop that one.” His eyes fell to the floor where your pretzel was now laying on. 

“It’s okay. I’ll manage. Thank you.” 

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind.”

“I’m sure. It’s nice to see you again.” You gave him a small wave as you walked away. 

Letting your feet drag you in the opposite direction of him, you let out a sigh and couldn’t help but look back at the man that you kept bumping into for the last 24 hours. He was walking away in the opposite direction and his back was turned to you. For a moment, you wished there was someone that could fight for you the way he does with his girlfriend. The way he didn’t give up even if she had rejected him. 

You just wished someone wouldn’t give up on you so easily. 

**********

Taglist:

@palomahasenteredthechat @sunvick @eddies-acousticguitar @demonsanddemogorgons @joesquinns @mmunson86 @ghostinthebackofyourhead @corrodedcoffincumslut @figmentofquinn @tlclick73 @browneyes8288 @bylermaxmayfield @ali-r3n @ficsbypix @capricornrisingsstuff @missonlypost @ali-in-w0nderland @amberolivia666 @lalalala-melmosworld @niallersfreckles @nanas-lasagna @emma77645 @indulgence-be-thy-name @readergf @ladamari68 @1paire2vans @d4rk4ng3l86 @paleidiot @josephquinnsfreckles @readergf

[wayti-blog]

Experience will show you, a master can only point the way.

ancient egyptian proverb

[lupi-usque-ad-finem]

thinking about werewolves

werewolves that find comfort in the moonlight. werewolves who adore the sunlight. werewolves with ptsd from transforming. werewolves being overjoyed after their first transformation. werewolves being open about their fears and loves in their lycanthropy and finding solace in others. turning another as a sign of love, trust, and consent. full moon ceremonies. werewolf body language. werewolf slang blending with human slang. humans who grow up in a pack of werewolves and being practically identical to them. the first time a werewolf is welcomed into their pack. packs of all kinds. hippie packs of werewolves travelling across the country in a van way too small for all of them. a small town gas station run by the local werewolf lady who’s ears perk up and smiles when you walk in. elder werewolves. retirement homes for werewolves. elder werewolves playing and spending time with their grandcubs. werewolves with control over their transformations and live as a constant mix of human and wolf. werewolf coats, mannerisms, traits, and forms differing depending on where they live in the world. city dwelling werewolves. countryside werewolves. backpacking werewolves finding entire towns filled with werewolves and packs and realising that yes, they can find home exactly as they are. werewolf safe havens. famous werewolves using their influence for progressive change. a human and werewolf finding love. cubs playfighting with the human kids in the neighbourhood. werewolves with huge families and all kinds of siblings and elders and cubs. werewolf families having weekly game nights and dinners with their human neighbours. werewolf trait genetics. cubs who have frail fur and short nails and babble instead of bark. cubs who are furry and have fangs and claws and snouts and shrill little howls. werewolf siblings where one appears fully human and the other looks like the family dog and they don’t even notice a difference. coed human and werewolf schools. the football team populated by werewolves. the track team winning national championships every year. the spring play of Beauty and the Beast winning the community vote for best costume design. drama kid werewolves painting sets and getting acrylics and oil paints in their fur. recess being the preschool cubs favourite time of the day—right after lunch of course. night classes for werewolves and insomniac human students. one day the English teacher comes in half transformed and just sighs and calls it a movie day. prom being won by a werewolf and human couple. werewolf outreach groups to help those recently turned. search and rescue werewolves. war dog werewolves. werewolf physical and mental therapists. werewolf astrologists. werewolf clinics. werewolves consenting to their bodies to be used for scientific research when they pass. organ donor werewolves. werewolf scientists working to discover their true origin. hormone therapy for werewolves who find it difficult to transform or those who need help controlling their transformations. werewolf summer camps. werewolf sled teams. land owners who are both the grounds dogs and the ranchers. werewolf herding dogs. werewolves who grow out their fur then cut it to make coats for werewolves who’ve lost their fur. werewolves who carry the fangs of their deceased with them. werewolf bones laid to rest next their human mate in graves thousands of years old. tombs of packs and families in pristine condition. oil paintings of packs hundreds of years old. werewolf funeral traditions. discovering that multiple influential poets, archaeologists, leaders, scholars, scientists, etc. in the past were werewolves. werewolf and human history being intertwined for millennia. drawings and scriptures and proverbs of large speaking wolves living alongside the humans depicted. myths and stories and tales and passages about werewolves. times in history where humans and werewolves were virtually indistinguishable. the oldest known cave drawings full of massive paw prints placed purposefully and lovingly right next to human hand prints. werewolves. <3

[noxiatoxia]

What’s the worst cause of a bad translation in danganronpa? I just saw your posts about it and was wondering how it it was

I didn't answer this right away because I spent some time thinking on it.

If you want my honest opinion, I don't think there's necessarily one "worst" translation. To me, it's more of a series of small translation errors / willfully removing character quirks that add up overtime to the bigger picture.

However, there are some specific egregious examples. I highly suggest this article on DR1's translation, as it paints a clear picture for the rest of the series (which abide by similar translation errors/choices).

In said article, however, I think is the worst translation I can think of in Danganronpa off the top of my head.

This is pretty bad for several reasons. Firstly, the official TL completely flipped the meaning of Naegi's sentence. I've seen bad translations in Danganronpa, but to completely 180 the meaning of a sentence is pretty bad. Furthermore, I think a joke was lost here. Naegi claims he is not a "Stand User", which is a JoJo reference. This being changed to a generic "I'm not psychic" I think ruins the joke that Naegi, who claims to have no hobbies, is making a reference to a manga - something many consider reading to be a hobby.

Plus, considering this is your first introduction to the character, and this is your foundation for understanding them...yeah. Not good.

SDR2 has a similarly bad introduction for Hinata, though not quite as egregious.

Left is the official translation, right is my fan translation patch.

This is pretty bad considering this is the crux of Hinata's motivations as a character. He does not think the people who attend Hope's Peak are marvelous. He thinks Hope's Peak itself is amazing. That's the whole point of his story, after all. He idolizes Hope's Peak. Never in the game do we see him idolize the students themselves beyond a simple "Wow, you sure are skilled, I can see why you got in". In fact, he routinely is pretty judgemental of them.

There's other things here and there. Komaeda's love confession in his final free time event was botched, as well as Saionji and Koizumi's love confessions in Island Mode.

Mioda's talent was messed up, too. She is not the Ultimate Musician. She is the Ultimate K-On Club Member. This is a pretty Japanese thing, hence the change, but if it were me, I would have gone with "Ultimate Pop Rock Musician" because that's what K-On music basically is, in terms of English genres. This is why the screamo music joke falls flat in my opinion. Of course she likes/plays metal, she's the Ultimate Musician. Except it was supposed to be more shocking since you're told she makes upbeat pop rock music.

Danganronpa also has just...a lot of clunky-sounding dialogue. Maizono's freetime event about the crane is very painful to read, as it is littered with references to Japanese folk lore which is not handled well in English, making it sound very unnatural.

Plus, this line:

was changed. Usually, when given your multiple choice in freetime events, you're supposed to guess what the other character is referring to. Notably, that isn't the case here. You're simply supposed to guess which of these birds are the biggest.

In the Japanese version, Maizono says, "It appears often in Japanese folklore. You know, that bird lives for a thousand years, a tortoise ten thousand years..."

To which Naegi thinks, "She must be talking about..."

Maizono is using a Japanese proverb (a crane lives for a thousand years, a tortoise ten thousand years), which strangely even the wiki seems to miss and mistakenly attributes it to her referencing Urashima Tarō. It's basically her saying "fill in the blanks, you know how this saying goes"...but since that saying is not known among English players, this part is poorly reworked.

Similarly, Twogami's final freetime event was written oddly.

I get what's trying to be achieved here, but it still sounds...not great. The point of the scene is that Togami from DR1 uses "omae" when referring to people, which is a very masculine/rude way to say "you". Twogami drops the act in this sentence and uses "kimi", which is a much softer ways to say "you". Hinata acknowledges this, but since there's only one "you" in English, they tried to word it as best as they could. Personally, I would have just reworded the scene entirely to make Twogami's sentence much softer in general, and then have Hinata comment, "It's weird hearing you speak so politely. The Togami I know is constantly looking down on others."

So, when it comes to the official Danganronpa translation, you're basically contending with 1) a lot of mistranslations, 2) removal of nuances in speech and 3) a lot of clunky, poorly naturalized dialogue. As the article I linked pointed out, even in Japanese, Danganronpa isn't some masterpiece of writing, but undoubtedly a lot is lost from these decisions.

Keep in mind these are just the ones off the top of my head I found worth pointing out in this post. There's probably way worse ones I didn't even think of, since I don't have either the English or Japanese text line for line memorized.

IMO, the best Danganronpa game in terms of text is Another Episode, 100% only because nearly every line in that game is read aloud. I find that trials in Danganronpa typically have marginally less clunky-sounding dialogue in English, and that I believe is entirely due to the fact they have people actually reading this stuff out loud. They can catch if it sounds weird out loud and then change it. So Another Episode, which is basically entirely voice acted, has the most natural-sounding dialogue in the whole series.

V3 I know very little about as I am not a fan of that game...but from what I've seen/heard, it's not much better despite coming out quite some time after SDR2. Gokuhara's speech patterns were entirely rewritten in English to sound like Tarzan...I guess to match his design? If I had to make him speak like any of the existing characters, I'd say he's more in line with Sonia's English translation. Just strange all around.

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

hi idk if you’re open to requests or if you have already done it, but can you do the bsd with a reader that is struggling with e.d and all the to throw up and that stuff? i’ve been struggling lately and i’m trying to get better

sorry if i wrote this wrong, english isn’t my first language

Strong and brave

Self-Aware! BSD Cast x GN! Reader

Description: Some side comments made you feel disgusted of yourself

Warning: English is my second language. Eating disorder. Throwing up. Destructive negative thoughts. Reader have extremely negative view about themselves. Reader think, that they are weak (That's not true!). Supportive BSD Cast.

_____

No matter, what we say, all people seek validation amd acseptance.

You could say, that you don't care, what people think about your body. But, the side whispered comments about you and your weight from your family and co-workers were slowly getting to you.

You remember, how once, when BSD Cast were discussing a problem with teachers in BSD kids' school, Goncharov scoffed, when it came to light, that some teachers called students with bad grades 'idiots'.

"The audacity... Aren't they realizing, that they are only make problem worse?! Call a person a pig for one hundred times, and they will start oinking."¹

At first, you didn't think too much about that proverb. But, after hearing, how people around you call you fat behind your back, you believed in their words.

It started with a diet. A simple diet and exercise.

But comments didn't stop.

You tried another stricter diet, but Yosano quickly put that idea down. She said, that you don't need to lose more weight. She said, that you have a normal weight for your height and age.

As much as you want to believe her, you couldn't. A little voice in your head whispered, that she is lying and probably won't say the truth. Because you were their Guiding Light. They will say anything to make you happy.

You stop with a diet.

You decided to try skipping meals.

On a third day of your volunteering starvation, Yosano sat you down and firmly, but kindly, reassured you, that it's unhealthy. And that you are healthy, that you aren't fat.

She offered to help. She offered her support.

You said, that you understand.

You promised, that you won't starve yourself.

On the outside, you keep your word.

You ate as much as you can during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes, you had raids on your mini-fridge you have in your room.

And after every meal, you spend ten minutes throwing it up.

_______

You don't notice, when you start spending less time with BSD Cast.

Not because of constant dizziness you felt.

Because you can't think about you... And an ugly you being near them.

You loved them. And you hopped, that, if they won't see you until you lose enough weight, they will finally see, how ugly you are.

Your legs squished together, when you walk...

Your skin jiggled around when you moved...

Your stomach was one big paunch...

You were so tired of being ugly...

Of being gross...

You block the door, so you won't be interrupted.

You leaned over the toilet, reaching as far back into your throat as possible....

Your stomach churned and stung, but you kept going...

And going...

And going...

The world around you became black.

And with a loud crash, the door was kicked open.

_________

The last few weeks were intense.

But, you finally were back home.

With an eating disorder diagnose and a plan for meals, pills and psychological help.

You knew about earring disorders before. You heard about people succumbing to dark thoughts, destroying their health in a process. You heard about the long process of recovery.

You always thought, that you will never get an eating disorder. That you could stop before the diet get too far.

You were wrong.

You just wanted to be healthy and good-looking.

_________

You were laying on your bed, mindlessly scrolling through the articles about eating disorders.

About the damage. About the destruction.

After two hours of reading articles, you barely paid attention to the articles themselves. You were mostly focused on the comments.

Comments about mortality rate.

Comments about the sheer stupidity of people with eating disorders.

Of how weak people with eating disorder are.

A knock on the door interrupted you. You let out a weak

"Come in."

The moment after, Yosano walked into your room.

You felt guilty. You broke her trust.

"Came to say how stupid and weak I am?" you couldn't look at Yosano. Not after everything, that happened. Doctor tilted her head. Something dangerous flashed in magenta eyes.

"I wasn't thinking about it. But, please, tell me, has anyone already done it?"

You shook your head, still hiding your gaze. You clenched the phone in your hands.

"Not, for now, but soon they will. Because, it's true. I was stupid and weak." you spoke, and the little voice in your head was talking with you in unison.

Yosano was silent for a moment.

"[Y/N], were you looking up eating disorders on the Internet?"

You didn't answer, instead preferring to look into the phone screen. At the statistics.

Soft sounds of steps, muffled by the carpet.

A family pair of shoes came into your line of vision. Hand, that was put on your shoulder. And a voice. Soft, but firm.

"[Y/N], can I, please, take your phone?"

You let her take it. For a few moments, Yosano was scrolling through the articles and posts you have been looking for the last two hours. Finally, she looked at you again.

"[Y/N], you have taken quite a dive into the problem. It's a good thing, I won't argue. But, I am sorry, but I will have to stop it."

You turned your head towards her so fast, you became dizzy for a second.

"What? Why?! I want to become better!"

Yosano's voice was still firm.

"Yes, I know. And you will be better. But, [Y/N], you were looking at wrong information. You should look at how to become better. Not what damage eating disorder did to your health. And not about mortality rate. You should search for a support group and not browsing comments from trolls, who think that eating disorders are a joke material."

Your hands started to tremble.

"But my health..."

Yosano cupped your face. Her eyes were so warm, you wanted to cry.

"Yes, I know. But you want to help yourself if you will start stressing out. You must focus on recovery, not letting idiots from the Internet drag you down or make you give up. You can ask me, Doc or Mori questions, you can call the doctor from the hospital, you can look into books we have. But, please, don't try to drown in all this negativity."

For a moment, you both were silent. Then you repeated the words you said that night.

"I want to get better. Please, help me."

Yosano's eyes met yours.

"[Y/N], just for that words alone, you became the bravest and strongest person I have ever known."

______

Recovery was hard.

Some days everything went normal. You would eat, take your pills, speak about your troubles with a therapist or someone from BSD Cast.

You are doing great. We believe in you. Take as much time as you need. We will be here.

Other days, you would snap at others and yourself. And then refuse to eat. Thinking, that you don't deserve it. And others would always be near, reassuring you, that you are strong. That you are a good person. That you will be fine.

You are allowed to be angry. We don't know what you have been through. But you aren't a bad person. You are still our favorite person.

When, after weeks of controlled diet you confess, that, sometimes, you start feeling hunger between meals, you get hugs, and a soft explanation, that it was a small, but still a sign of recovery. Soon, small, light snacks were added to a three meal plan.

The road to recovery was walked in small steps. But, you weren't alone on the road.

_______

"We love you, our brave and strong [Y/N]"

_____

¹It is a real Russian proverb. It means, if you constantly put down someone, soon they would believe that they are a failure.