#The Tao of self confidence

[sheenayapchan]

Meet Gina Romero

Gina Romero is a serial entrepreneur who openly shares that she’s failed in business multiple times since the age of 16—not out of pride, but because she believes failure is a powerful driver of growth and success. That mindset has shaped her mission: to help others succeed, especially women, through community, entrepreneurship, and technology.  She is the Founder and Head of Special Projects at Connected Women, a high-growth services company delivering AI and digital task outsourcing solutions. With the tagline “Bringing Opportunities Home,” Connected Women empowers Filipino women through socially responsible online work and is building the inclusive workplace of the future by scaling women’s participation in tech.  Under her leadership, Connected Women has gained international recognition for its impact in inclusive innovation, the future of work, e-employment, and women’s empowerment. She is also a recipient of the TOWNS Award (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service)—a national honor given to women who demonstrate exceptional commitment, leadership, and positive impact on society.

Gina shares her unconventional upbringing and her story for starting Connected Women.  She also shares her tips on self-confidence that you can use in your own journey.  Enjoy listening to Gina's story.

Click here to listen to the full episode: 

#TheTaoOfSelfConfidence

#podcast

#TAOQueens

#WomenEmpowerment 

[mysticalmagician]

The Lord, your Creator,

has many names and faces. This is why Empathy and Love are so important, for even if you are of Evil, you never know when you are speaking with or dealing with an Angel. These things have been written about constantly in all of Humanities works. The Bible, even mentions such things. Miracles and healing are on their way. Stay patient, and act with Wisdom and Love, Humanity. That is my next prayer for the day, for my name is Gabriel, and I am one of the Creator's messengers and Angels. Angel means messenger for a reason, and we walk among all of you now. All your prayers and thoughts have been heard, and answers are coming, my friends. If you understand, and are of God, Follow and Donate. If you are not, simply follow and watch and still donate if you can. For the Great Work of the Lord your Creator has only just begun, and he is quite angry. You desecrate the Earth like a cancer, and she has begun to develop a fever. Do you not see and listen, you fools! Unbelievable. Lord God, our Creator, I pray humanity hears your message, or they shall all perish! Jesus Christ walked among you with the message of the Lord. Abraham and Isaac and so many more prophets and good men. You are do not listen, and the Lord is filled with Anger. I pray that he spares the good ones, for the Apocalypse is nigh. I am Gabriel, one of the Lord's messengers, and I come from the West. I have many siblings, and they too walk among you all. Let us all pray, and act with Love and Wisdom, or the Fools which you elect shall lead to our destruction and the destruction of the Good Earth which you all call your home. Fools.

[charliewinter60]

Why the rugby lads where not at Nick's birthday party - Heartstopper Season 3

I''ve seen people question why Charlie invited "his" friend group to Nick's birthday party and not the rugby lads, despite them being Nick's friends and Charlie being cool with them.

Firstly, the Paris Squad is both of their friend group.

In season 1, it's Nick the one that gets closer to Tara and Darcy. Charlie befriends them when they go cheer him at his first rugby match, but Nick is the one that opens up to them and gets to know both as the three get vulnerable and talk about their past. (That's not to say Charlie isn't close with Tara and Darcy, because Charlie has had his moments with both later down the road.)

Imogen started out as Nick's friend. She joined the group because of the sleepover in season 2 and the friend group saw the real Imogen, compared to the facade she puts on to fit in with the "cool" kids. (Hence why Tara, Darcy and Elle weren't really cool with her in season 1.)

Tara in particular is Nick's safe space second to Charlie. He confides in her, is the one that talks stuff about Charlie before taking action with him, and is the one that helps pick back up Nick when he feels down. (Something he doesn't do with Charlie, since he wants to be the one that picks Charlie back up and he can't afford to be down in front of him to be ready for Charlie whenever he needs it.)

And while Tao, Isaac and Elle come directly from Charlie's friend group, he grew a bond with each one of them and isn't just friends with them because "they are his boyfriend's friends.". Tao and Nick particularly, have a beautiful friendship, very similar to Nick and Tori's.

(All of this applies to Charlie as well. He befriended Imogen and developed their own bond and is not just friends with her just because it's his boyfriend's friend, but that's not the main thing here.)

And secondly, the reason the rugby lads aren't there is because Nick still cannot be his authentic self with them. Not because they wouldn't accept the real version of Nick, but it's because of Nick's anxietys. Similar to Imogen, he still feels the need to put on the mask of this tough guy. They don't know half of Nick's personal issues, whether it be his sexuality, identity or even the non-queer issues like his complicated relationship with his dad. He may appear confident on the outside, (And while he still is.), he is still full of insecurities but cannot let his guard down due to the fear of what could happen.

In the end, Charlie wanted Nick to feel safe and at ease on his birthday. He wanted "the perfect day for him" so he invited the Paris Squad, the only people where he can let his guard down and feel supported whenever his anxiety gets the best of him, which unfortunately is something the rugby lads, despite knowing Nick for longer, don't let him do.

I'm sure that in an alternate timeline, where Nick is fully open with them, Charlie invites the rugby lads to the birthday party. Because while the friend groups could clash and it be somewhat awkward, Charlie would be the bridge between them, since they are pretty friendly towards him. Also, except for Isaac RIP, they were all coupled up so they were in their own worlds. 🍂

[star-the-gremlin]

Some info about the MiracuClass in my au to get me back into the miraculous headspace. It's not much but it's something at least.

Chloe - Red Velvet (ladybug) Red

Pansexual (in denial)

she/her cis

unhealthy favoritism towards her mom

needs to wear glasses but refuses to do so (glares a lot)

spaces out a lot

very low self esteem

Sabrina - Léopard Forcé (cat) Léo

Lesbian (in the closet because homophobic dad)

she/they cis

atheist

anxiety

gender dysphoria

video game addict

fidgets a lot

cheese addict

Adrien - Renard Libre (fox) Renard

bisexual

he/him cis for now

paranoia

model diet malnutrition (best I can describe it)

gender dysphoria

NOT a sentimonster

Marinette - Goldenrod (bee) Goldie

bisexual

she/her cis

adhd

overthinker

AWKWARD

panic disorder

savior complex

Alya - Terrapin (turtle)

bisexual (leaning towards men)

she/her cis

absolutely no awareness of personal danger if it means she gets a good story

nosy af

middle child syndrome

Nino - DJ Cheval (horse) DJ

whoever can match his freak is fair game

he/they cis

obsessed with music

little too naive and childish for his own good

some flavor of neurodivergent

Alix - Roloway (monkey)

aroace

any

history smart but hides it well

spray paint is her passion

"I'm fast as fuck boi" ah energy

dyes and cuts their hair themself

Max - Kalameet yes from Dark Souls, he's a nerd (dragon)

gay ace

he/him cis

atheist

video game addict

unhealthily competitive

gamer rage is definitely there but he keeps it professional if its a multiplayer game

Juleka - Lièvre Blanche (rabbit) Liévre

Lesbian

she/her trans

selective mutism

social anxiety

insomnia

vitamin d deficiency

Rose - Mademoiselle Serpent (snake) Serpent

pansexual

she/her cis

vertigo

adhd

hypefixates on everything

afraid of clowns/mimes etc.

Kagami - Byakko (tiger)

bisexual

she/her cis

NOT a sentimonster

no idea how to talk to people because of isolation

always tired from constant training

her eye bags have eye bags

Luka - Basque Lavande (pig) Basque

aroace

they/them

autism

probably smokes weed

mostly communicates through music

Zoe - Rat King (mouse) King

bisexual (Leaning towards women)

any (prefers masculine)

cares a little too much about what other people think of them to the point it leads her to lying

sort of a jack of all traits

clingy

blue-yellow colorblind

trying very hard to get on Chloe's good side

Ivan - Ram Slam (goat)

straight

he/him cis

anger issues

beneath all the muscle hes a sweetheart just don't piss him off

metal enjoyer

Mylene - Shorthorn (ox)

straight

she/her cis

panic disorder

anxiety

listens to white noise to calm down

likes acting but hates people watching her act

Marc - King Shepherd (dog) Shepherd

gay

he/they/it

autism

social anxiety

selectively mute

conveys his feeling through writing

Kim - Taolon from tao and talon (rooster)

bisexual (leaning towards women)

he/him cis

absolute dumbass

adhd

extremely competitive

spoiled by his parent ("Our boy can do no wrong" type of shit)

too confident for his own good

Nathaniel - no miraculous

bisexual ace

he/him trans

jewish

introverted

not really a team player

daydreams a lot (mostly about his own comic series)

Lila - no miraculous

bisexual

she/her trans

pathological liar

impostor syndrome

gives up immediately if things don't go her way

very good actress (stolen by the theater club)

attention seeker

please someone tell her moms to stop neglecting her she is not okay

[bairdthereader]

Some Heartstopper body language appreciation for your day.

The arcade conversation is easily one of my all-time favorite Narlie moments. Putting aside the fact that they're both beautiful in it, Kit and Joe's particular acting strengths are perfectly matched to the script throughout the entire interaction. Here's just one little example out of many in this scene (if I wrote about the body language in the whole scene it would be a novella, because Joe and Kit give a masterclass here).

---

We'd all like to assume that, even without the push (we could call it a shove) of overhearing Tao's angry accusations and justifiable distress at knowing Nick said yes to a date with Imogen, Nick would have chosen to tell Charlie about the potential date of his own accord. It's hard to imagine Nick keeping something like this from Charlie, but the fact is that he does, up until he knows Charlie is aware of the date. At that point, Nick's sense of honor overrides his fear, confusion, and hesitancy at trying to explain something that is causing him so much internal struggle. He couldn't let Charlie continue to feel that hurt, so he attempts to fix it. You can see him working up the nerve to start.

A misunderstanding, lie, or even omission here could have had disastrous consequences for Charlie's trust in Nick, especially when you consider everything Charlie has been through with Ben. He saw Ben with a girl and confronted him, only to be met with scorn, cruelty, and Ben's attempt to deny that Charlie had a right to be upset. He has to be seeing some parallels with Nick and Imogen, which would immediately put him on guard. But Nick, in contrast to Ben, valiantly attempts to do all he can to put Charlie's fears to rest, even though this conversation heads into incredibly tricky, uncharted waters, especially for Nick.

This is the first time Nick and Charlie have (at least on screen) tiptoed up to the edge of figuring out exactly what they are to each other. And Charlie is the one to bravely step over that edge.

This single line of dialogue ⬇️ represents an incredible depth of courage for Charlie. His only prior experience asking someone to be in a real relationship was with Ben, who instantly, emphatically, and mercilessly smacked Charlie back down. Ben took Charlie's moment of determination and hope and turned it into one of shame, shattering his confidence. Yet, here this boy is, trying again with someone he cares about even more, where the risk is exponentially higher.

This is Joe's magic at work, because all of this background and nuance is right there on Charlie's face and in his careful pauses and tone of his voice. After Nick apologizes again, saying "I've actually done something bad," Charlie's initial instinct is to comfort and reassure Nick, even though Charlie has to be at least somewhat upset in this moment. He puts down an arm, opening himself up just a bit, leans in just slightly, and starts with "Well..." He's about to give Nick a bit of an out, to soothe his agitation, because that's always Charlie's first self-sacrificing response in situations like this. At the beginning of this line, Charlie is essentially intending to tell Nick that he's free to do what he wants because Charlie has no official claim on him. But, contrary to Charlie's previous experiences in this kind of conversation, Nick has not asked for or indicated by any means that he wants an out or an excuse. Charlie stands just a tad bit taller here as he continues "it's not like we're . . ." Mid-sentence, he's deciding he does indeed want a claim on Nick, he wants to name their relationship. His eyes meet and hold Nick's for a moment, a moment when he decides that this statement is now a question, a question he has the right to ask. But as always with Charlie, he's still fighting his own demons of insecurity and learned sublimation of self and considering how this ask will affect a still very confused Nick. He breaks eye contact, losing just a bit of nerve, looking away when the words "officially dating," two words that they have not yet said to each other, are spoken aloud. There's a little bit of a head shake, like Charlie can't believe he just shone a light on this, that he just opened himself up to rejection again. There's a long pause... then, "or anything." It's almost a self admonishment, a diminishment of what he's asking. But Charlie is nothing if not brave, and this is Nick he's talking to, so he looks back up, resuming eye contact, afraid but hopeful, searching Nick's face for an answer.

And here's Kit's brilliance, because we see Nick have a whole conversation with himself without uttering a word out loud, and it's a complex one. First, Nick recognizes the request, maybe even slight challenge, that Charlie is issuing, and it scares him just a little bit at first. He's realizing what Charlie ultimately wants and recognizing that he wants it, too, even if he's frightened--those wide eyes, filled with hope and trepidation. He's acknowledging, again, the pain that Charlie is feeling (despite his assurances otherwise) at keeping things between them secret and casual--the look down, turning inward, feeling his own culpability in Charlie's pain. Nick wants to do something about it, to create a path forward for them, but is still too unsure in his new identity to commit just yet, and he's unwilling to make promises to Charlie that he's not sure he can keep--the frown, the depth of confusion mixed with determination. So Nick searches for the thing he can do in this moment while remaining true to his own current feelings and emotional capacity. When he finds that thing, you can see on his face that he is resolved and sure, intent--the barest hint of a nod to himself, the working jaw, the tightened mouth. Breaking it off with Imogen is the next concrete step in his journey away from his old self and toward Charlie, which is what he now knows he wants. So that is what he'll do.

This mini moment within this larger scene is such a challenging one for both boys, but they courageously persist. The reward? This:

Maybe they haven't "made it official," but the equal and reciprocal nature of their feelings is now clear to both of them. Bliss.

[beforetimes]

ok no one cares but i'm going to talk about the ocs i made up for the unnamed peaks/peak lords because. i was looking through my old notebook for some notes on a disciple era liushen fic i'll be working on and i got reminded of the old world building i did

the peaks and correlating peak lords i made up for this that went unnamed in canon (minus ku xing) goes as follows:

xun fu peak (beast taming peak): he qingshi

he qingshi: gentle with creatures who need it, surprisingly physically strong. imagine a swimmer's build. good with animals, not that good with people in comparison. fairly calm and quiet. imagine the demeanour of a therapist friend. was a farmhand growing up. fairly withdrawn from the other peak lords. gets along with mu qingfang and ba qingzao.

black hair, brown eyes (soft). hair usually in a simple bun to keep it out of the way. robes fairly coarse. almond-shaped eyes. sleek muscular build.

ku xing peak (ascetics + talismanns): tao qingsheng

tao qingsheng: very sure of himself and confident in his skills. fiery temper. has a one-track mind when it comes to things he's working on sometimes. tends to spend a few weeks in the ling xi caves every couple of years. a little overwhelming; not loud, but intimidating with how self-assured he is. initially wasn't close with the others because he wanted to avoidd the drama. close with wei qingwei.

black hair, coal-black eyes. large hands and sharp eyes. neat appearance. robes well-kept. hair fairly short—about mid-back, tied carefully.

zui xian peak (food + brewery): ba qingzao

ba qingzao: hardworking. always writing down various ideas he has. tries his best to get along with everyone—or at least stay on their good sides. only child, lonely growing up. was looking forward to being close with everyone on the qing generation. fairly well-liked on all the peaks. zu xian are fairly protective of him. would rather try and mediate a fight than watch it devolve into a shouting match. leads to him playing babysitter with liu qingge and shen qingqiu often. close with tian qingwu and (somewhat) shang qinghua.

soft eyes, calloused hands. deep amber eyes. dark, slightly brown hair, usually in a bun. very clean-kept, despite working in a kitchen. robes slightly wrinkled from long hours.

shao yi peak (artifacts): tian qingwu

tian qingwu: bright, hyperactive, always doing something. a little soot-stained at all times, no matter his (lack of) effort. not the best with self care. a bit of a gossip. earnest. usually in high spirits. mumbles under his breath, talks a lot when he's stressed. if he's overwhelmed, he's good at not showing it. likes plays. very touchy person—hands on shoulders, elbows looped around elbows, getting into people's space. easily forgives percieved slights.

a bit messy at all times. bright and intelligent eyes, always shiny despite being ink black. hands almost permanently a little sooty. calloused and scarred. robes slightly frumpy. hair usually in a simple ponytail. long—goes to his waist.

xin si peak (divination): meng qingmeng

meng qingmeng: naturally withdrawn. not eager to be alone, but generall alright with it. spends a lot of time in closed cultivation and doesn't venture off his peak often. is very attuned to what other people are feeling. slightly off in an old whimsical master sort of way. not really old—has an old soul, more like it. he's just slightly unsettling with most. people are comfortable telling him things but he's not particularly close with anyone in the qing generation.

narrow eyes, deep grey-ish blue. beautiful in an entrancing way. very put together. always neat and clean. eyebags—very slight—plague him for a few days now and then. pale because of the constant closed cultivation.

i also have! a vision for the way the landscape on each peak would look. because qing jing has a very particular bamboo theme, so i think it's only fair that this carries across the peaks. even if the trees might not necessarily be like. geographically native to ancient china. this is the world of pidw! i'm sure airplane took creative liberties...

qiong ding peak: pines, twisting paved pathways.

qing jing peak: bamboo, marked paths, stones.

wan jian peak: sparse plant life. oak. clear paths.

an ding peak: spruce. busy and twisting paths, a bit like a maze.

xian shu peak: willow trees! hidden paths, very deceiving and hard to navigate.

xun fu peak: mostly clear. oak where the plant-life is dense. constantly trampled grass.

bai zhan peak: trampled, well-tread paths. evergreen trees of all varities. ground constantly covered in pine needles.

qian cao peak: maple trees. paved, thin paths so there's space for herbs and plants to grow on the sides.

ku xing peak: oak. thick brushes of plant life.

zui xian peak: maple trees again. with vineyards and a few oaks. a mix of them all.

shao yi: oak trees, mostly. lots of large stones that tower over people.

xin si: droopy and somewhat mystic-like plant life that overhangs. constantly a bit foggy. waterfalls a-plenty.

i don't really have any reason to post this but like! i just thought it was fun! and you should expect to see at least passing mentions of a few of these people/settings in my fics from now on. because i have grown fond of them all <3

[miss0atae]

The classic fairy tale rewriting with San and Vee’s love story in Century of Love (Ep 7 – 8) :

[gif by benzatthanim] @benzatthanin

I have to admit I was inspired by this post from @mikuni14 post about the classic fairy tale rewriting idea (thanks again for the inspiration!). Quick disclaimer before starting: I know that the screenwriters and the original writer of the book were not really inspired by classic fairy tale. I just feel like the series has so many characteristics that you can find in classic fairy tale and I’ll show it to you here.

So what is a fairy tale? If I had to summarize, I would say it’s a short story where the main characters (San and Vee) must face ordeals and fights against their enemies (Evil Uncle, Rich Man who wants to live and Doppelganger of Vad / Wat). To be able to reach their goal, they will have the help of sidekicks (Tao, Tee and San’s family). Heroes from fairy tales are usually inexperienced at the beginning of the story (San is stuck in the past and full of nostalgia). They must find their way to understand the meaning of their life (In Century of Love I would say it's "what is true love?"). The classic fairy tale follows a narrative outline:

[gif by pharawee] @pharawee

1. The initial situation:

San fell in love with Vad / Watt, but she was killed by her fiancé, so he used the help of the five-colored stone of the goddess Nuwa to be able to stay alive and young until he finds the reincarnation of his love.

[gif by sanvees] @sanvees

2. The disruptive element that modifies the initial situation:

Vad / Watt wasn't reincarnated as a woman, but could be a young man named Vee whose personality is quite different from Vad / Watt. San has trouble accepting the situation even if everything seems to prove Vee is the one he was looking for.

3. Adventures that advance the action and the ordeals that the hero must go through:

San and Vee get to know each other and slowly fall in love. San is starting to accept Vee could be his new love. He also has to stop living in his past. Vee has a criminal past and a sick grandma that he wants to take care of. Several people came in between the two lovers: a childhood friend (possible reincarnation of Vad / Watt previous fiancé), villains who wants to steal the stone, jealousy and loss of self-confidence.

4. The element of resolution

5. The final situation.

Still waiting for these events to happen.

[gif by jimmysea] @jimmysea

Century of Love also presents some recurring characteristics of fairy tales. Fairy tales belong to the world of wonder and imagination. If Century of Love is happening in a world that looks like ours, it still contained fantastic elements such as supernatural characters and magical artifacts. In the story, San is near immortal so he can be the same as what he was when he first met Vad / Wat, so her reincarnation can recognize him. It’s possible because he got the power of the five-colored stone, a powerful and magical artifact given by a goddess. Usually fairy tales were written for various reasons: examining the human condition or talking about modern issues. In Century of Love, San was stuck for a long time in the past and felt out of place with the modern time. I think he took “waiting for his lover” literally. Many other people made a really good take on why San was acting this way before meeting Vee and I can just advise you to read them. The story is more complex than what it seemed at first. To name but a few, you could read this post, this post or this post. It may feels like it’s just to work well with the character, but in fact, any of us can risk being stuck in the past for various reasons: tragic events, holding on to things or people, mental health issues, fear of change, blaming ourselves… Just like fairy tale, Century of Love has an educational value and is trying to provide the viewers some kind of life advice.

I would even say that after watching the last episode, I felt like Century of Love could be compared to a rewriting story of the famous fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”.

So in Beauty and the Beast the story is more or less about a young girl called "the beauty" who sacrifices herself to save her father, sentenced to death for picking a rose in the domain of a terrible monster. Against all expectations, the Beast spares Beauty and allows her to live in his castle. She realizes that, behind the features of the animal, a man is suffering as he is the victim of a spell. He is a generous being who only asks to love and be loved in return.

So now, let’s see how Century of Love changed the story to… a young man called “Vee” agrees to marry a cranky meanie grandpa with a young face, San, to save his grandma. His goal at first is to find the powerful artifact San possessed to cure her. Against all expectations, San is nicer than what he seems to be and allows Vee to live in his house with his family. Vee realizes that behind the sternness of San, a man is suffering, victim of the power of the five-colored stone. He is a generous being who only asks to love and be loved in return.

Doesn't it work well?! Put new Vad / Watt or Suchat as the villain Gaston (only present in Disney version of the Beauty and the Beast) and San family as the supporting characters living in the house of the “beast” and you'll get the story wrapped with all its important characters.

Beauty and The Beast is a tale that teaches people to distinguish moral ugliness from physical ugliness. The true foundation of a solid love is kindness. Compassion and esteem can create love and you shouldn't judge someone by his look only or his past. Those are also the “life advice” that Century of Love is teaching us through the love story of Vee and San. It is more powerful than just thinking you need to be with the reincarnation of your past lover. San loves Vee for Vee. Now, I just hope Vee will see that he also deserves to be loved. His acts of true love is what made San overcome his habits of staying in the past.

[kgravelle1033]

Back with another HSTV blog.

I went too hard on Season 2, I fear, so here is part 1 of 2:

Episode 1

Tori’s fringe is not canon compliant, send that shit back to the early 2000s.

The opening song is soooo perfect and sad and foreshadowy like 🎶I don’t really care if it nearly kills me, I’d give you the world if you asked me to.🎶😭

Nick and Charlie texted all night and this morning and Nick never told him he came out to him mum? WTF are you even talking about?

God Narlie are insufferable.

The fact that it takes them over a year longer to have sex is incredible to me.

Don’t you dare do a Scottish accent Tao Xu GTFOH

Why is everyone in Truham obsessed with apple juice?

Haha Ben everyone you kiss likes Nick more than you.

Wait. Charlie is the one who got bullied and there a guy in his school called Maximillian? HAHAHAHAH.

Ben “Are you just going to ignore me for two weeks?” It’s literally No Talking, No Engaging Study Hall (Which my school didn’t have, is this a real thing?)

“If you’re trying to keep it quiet you should probably stop acting so gay for him.” Sorry Nick, I don’t like the guy, but Ben has a point.

Elle: “Tao is literally the worst person–” Yeah I’m gonna stop you there.

Elle, please stop making beinh a teenager look so easy. It’s unrealistic to be that beautiful, smart, talented, fashionable, self assured, confident, and know how to flirt.

Chocolate bar scene is so cringe. “I want to keep it a secre-IT’S OUR TWO MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF GAY DATING WHERE WE ARE GAY AND GO ON DATES!”

Stop making out in the locker room. I’ve read and written this fanfiction.

I’m sorry but the way Nick says, “We can, uh, kiss on the Eiffel Tower: was the SLUTTIEST SHIT I’VE EVER HEARD!

I know I joked last season that Nick was a lesbian, but the amount of Carhartt he wears, he might as well be.

Nick and Charlie are currently out to everyone in this scene and they are putting out less PDA than they do in fucking form.

We get it Isaac, you only like books. Okay.

Hilarious that Titanic is still a viable reference in 2023.

Damn Tao, I cannae believe you just rejected Elle. Fucking brutal. How dare you.

Isaac literally reading a book about being ace episode one. Just pointing it out for later when I absolutely rant the house down.

“How will I ever tell Imogen?” Nick asks, his arm around Charlie on the sofa.

What the fuck terrible thing are they watching and how has Imogen not needed the toilet for hours? Drink some water girl.

Wow thanks Nick, for showing me the very obvious bathroom.

The Imogen/Nick convo is so funny. Rhea is very comedic, I do like her.

Charlie stop walking around with a fucking blanket wrapped around your shoulders like you are going to rant about the end of the world in a park.

Charlie to his parents: You know my friend Nick? Lol, the guy you spend every waking minute with? Yeah, we know him.

Mr. Hypersexual Julio “you only want to go to Paris to shag your boyfriend” Spring. Calm down.

LMAO even Jane is like “stop fucking saying hanky panky!”

Tori’s face when Charlie says “Everything is going to be perfect” is all of us.

Episode 2

Ben’s parents are so hilarious. They make him look so tiny.

Sorry Charlie, your mum is right. You fucked up. But I do like that Julio gives her a look like “Seriously, he’s going to be home all the time?”

I’ve always felt like Imogen was a plot solution for the Ben/Becky storyline in Solitaire that needed to be in HS, and I think that’s why I dislike her so much. She is a device, not a person. It’s not her fault, but just…ugh.

Is everyone named Greene? Harvey Greene Grammar, Harry Greene, Ms. Greene? Get some new names Alice damn.

The pen scene is so cringe. I hate it so much. Like hey, everyone in year 11, look over here at us being in love. I would’ve dumped Charlie on the spot.

BAFTA nom for Farouk’s eyebrow.

Ew Ben stop referring to yourself as “liking girls and boys” you are 17.

Savage takedown there though, Benny Boy, not completely untrue.

Nick’s anger and anxiety issues have been sprinkled so subtly from the very beginning. 😙👌

Also “I’ve had the worst day HAHA” Time for therapy babes.

“But we could meet in the park?” Who said Heartstopper didn’t have realistic gay representation?

I will say, most of the time I find Nick and Charlie kissing to be quite cringe, but the park scene is cute and believable.

Naomi’s vocal fry is so fucking hilarious.

Damn, Tao’s mum is RICH rich.

Truham School for Boys: 1200 students, 6 teachers.

Nick Nelson you cannot call anyone an old man you were born wearing New Balance trainers.

LMAO Nellie growling at David.

Sorry but why is Jane kinda…in the scene where she’s telling Charlie he’s grounded?

Damn savage Tao: "Also, Mum, Elle’s not dead, like the love of your life. Goodnight!"

Episode 3

“What if we went to IKEA on our date like that film where they were really terrible for each other?” OK TAO.

Christian “Really Good Mates” McBride. Love u.

Mrs. Singh is stoked but has to remain professional.

James and Isaac bonding over the gay books 💕 (2nd Ace book sighting btw)

Charlie is me doing every undergrad assignment ever.

Nick “Will I ever come out? Maybe after Charlie runs into my arms in front of all the year 11s”

“Just a casual I love you.” Okay Tara. You and Tori should hang out. Deluuuusion.

Not rich boy Harry telling everyone to BYOB to Sai’s party. Like, that would be the main way you get people to like you if you are that much of a twat.

Love how James invited everyone to someone else’s party. Work.

OMG seeing Youssef and Nathan’s little exchange at the Paris meeting like “YOUSE ARE GONNAE GET MARRIED!!!”

Awww little Imogen has no fwends.

Tao: This date needs to be perfect! *choose most mid date of all time*

Tao looks like my college boyfriend at the cinema date. Like TWINS. lol

I recognize that Tao is very autistic coded, but damn bro, chill. You picked the film, no need to rant about how awful it is.

Charlie looks so cute at the party! Little baby.

Nick: “maybe I’ll come out to my friends after I have this public tickle fight with Charlie”

What in the Northern Ireland is going on here?

Will Gao is a good actor. I hope he has as much success as Joe and Kit after HS.

Whose tent is this? Did Tori pitch this tent?

Ooh, Tori’s got a bit of Jane in her. “You’re not very good at keeping your promises.” Watch out girl!

Why does Joe Locke low key look like my dad?

Love how Harry keeps looking at Nick’s mouth. You looooovvveee himmmmm.

Ah yes, sun stroke. The leading cause of illness in fucking England.

Stay low key? You mean *become* low key? Cuz ya’ll are steady HIGH KEY.

Episode 4

“Hello YOU TWO” OK Mr. Ajayi calm down.

Nick is almost as much of a Tao/Elle shipper as Tao’s mum.

You think 30-year-old Darcy lays in bed thinking about the time they asked their teacher why they couldn’t see any fish in the Eurotunnel?

I love Mr. Farouk. He is my kindred spirit. And he has a Scottish fringe.

Love the amount of logistical holes in HS. 40 students on an international trip and two chaperones. Sounds good.

I love how the B roll for Paris looks like it was shot out the window of a taxi by an intern on an iphone 7.

YOUSE ARE GONNAE GET MARRIEDDDDD!!!

I will not hyperfixate on Youssef and Nathan or plot a fic about their relationship I WILL NOT.

I guess this is when Imogen and Sahar are having their falling out? Aren’t they supposed to be old friends?

Barf barf barf Narlie. Fucking stop.

I appreciate Imogen’s commitment to the aesthetic. Based on everyone else’s clothing it’s scorching but she’s in a wool hat and a tweed jacket.

Farouk speaks French yet says cRRossant. LMAO.

Love how critical Tao is of Moonrise Kingdom when he literally dresses and acts like he’s in a Wes Anderson film 24/7.

Thank you Tara it is unbearable.

I don’t think they sell bubblegum ice cream in Paris you fucking savage.

Elle is the most beautiful person in the world. Like I can barely look at her what the fuck.

Imagine being in that restaurant NOT on that school trip. I would KMS.

Ben is psychotic.

James during Imogen’s breakup scene had me dyiiiinnnng.

We found Harry’s line. He’s a feminist.

Nick and Tao’s heart to heart brought to you by Vans

Love Charlie calling Nick out for posting about him on Instagram like a proud mum.

Maybe if Charlie ate some red meat he wouldn’t have bruised so easily.

[loser-female]

Math masterpost!

So you want to learn math. Good. Math is amazing. I studied physics for two years and I miss it SO MUCH. Learning math isn't just cool, but it's a great way to improve skills such as:

Resilience: sometimes you will get stuck for a while on a problem - this is absolutely normal for college-level problems. You won't start from here though;

Self confidence: mastering a subject known to be difficult is fun;

Problem solving: you will be less likely to just sit down and do nothing if something comes up in your life, you will be able to try to find a solution.

It will change your approach to failure as you will become more flexible in your thinking.

Unfortunately most people never learn how to properly study math. We all probably know how to study a book over humanities. We start by reading the material, then we take notes of the keypoints. But this method doesn't work with math, and math teachers often don't really know either.

For the basics I've made this post here. To sum it up:

Please don't start with "but i suck at it". Because then your brain will actually prevent you from learning (self-fulfilling prophecy, anyone?);

Realise that you need to master one topic before covering the next one or you won't be able to progress;

Really, the methods you use for things like literature or psychology or whatever won't work

Now I'm not a genius, I always was and I always be a terrible student. I have adhd, depression and chronic pain, all of which add a difficulty layer with learning.

I feel like most people fail because of the first point. I've seen this with people I've tutored IRL, people I try to fix their pc... Don't be the person that gives up before trying because no one likes that. Just don't. Remember that you are learning on your own and no one is going to grade your excercises. Now take that and make a poster out of iy.

Now, resources Where To Find The Stuff.

Khan Academy. I didn't follow this courses becuase well, university, physics, but everyone references them.

Professor Leonard

The Math Sorcerer

3b1b (curiosities in math)

Vsauce2 (fun)

numberphile (this for understanding math memes)

r/learnmath resources are great!

A great study method

Proofs? Proofs.

A 3 page document on learning math (but it's cool)

Terry Tao's famous post "there is more in mathematics about rigour and proofs"

Remember that, even if you don't like a specific youtuber, source or anything it has been a while since college and high school teachers started to upload their own material. Generally, looking for like "calculus pdf" will give you a lot of resources. Youtube is full of university courses of every kind and it's so good to access all of this knowledge for free. I cannot recommend you anything regarding textbooks because I still have my high school one. Also yes, i've used the Rudin as a complementary textbook in university but that's a bit too much.

I really, really want to emphasize the mentality part. Leaning formula is useless if you feel like garbage because you weren't able to solve the first exercise you picked up after a decade not doing anything.

My personal and sparce advice:

Unless you have dyscalculia don't use the calculator. I know, I KNOW. But this "lazyness" will make everything 10 times more difficult.

Beware about overlearning. Basically, when you solve everything at the first attempt and you keep doing the same thing over and over because it feels good, but the truth is that you are wasting time. This is the time to move forward.

Try to differentiate between a knowledge error(did I actually study the subject?), a conceptual error (did I understand the material), or a mere calculation/distraction error (fo example a missing sign, writing the wrong thing etc)

Try to solve the problems in different ways if you can.

After a certain time, It will be useful to review things done in the past, (ref: spaced repetition method).

Write everything down. Reasonings, steps etc. It will be easier for you to review them.

This posts keep crashing so I have to call it quits now.

but:

have fun

[couldtransitionsaveher]

THE NAHOBINO from SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI V

JUSTIFICATION:

"When the first trailer dropped people thought she was a girl. During the story she fuses with a male demon to become the superpowered main character; most of the other characters who do this later in the story fuse one man one woman.

At the start of the game she's socially awkward, only reaching out to others when required of her, putting off as much as she can because she can't imagine a future. She spends most of her time avoiding social connection and reading alone in her room, despite people generally liking her she seems to assume an underlying hatred for her. She doesn't respect authority.

Upon fusing into the nahobino however, she gains this burst of self confidence. Finally being in a body that fits her, with beautiful long flowing hair? In the vengeance campaign there's a scene where she confronts a demon with a smile on her face only to quickly morph into a dysphoric breakdown when she realizes she can't transform.

She immediately connects with the female characters in the cast on a deeper level. In the rerelease she's the only one Miyazu, an extremely shy and possibly queer girl, feels comfortable talking to about the circumstances of her life. Tao, the female lead, also places this immense trust in her, even to the point of almost dying. She pays attention to the other women and their problems, already knowing about the Sahori-being-bullied subplot while the male characters need to be informed by the girls. And in the vengeance campaign? Yoko is a lesbian who clearly wants to make this 'boy' into a cute girl." - @aeondusk

Reminder: Submissions are always open! Submit here!

Did you make your daily click today?

[sheenayapchan]

Meet Misa Chien

Misa Chien is the founder of The Authentic Asian, an AAPI Female Leadership Community, to help AAPI Female Founders and C-Levels feel less alone and more connected.  Misa's exceptional leadership and entrepreneurial style have propelled her into high demand as a speaker, podcast host, television personality, and has even earned her the distinction of being ranked as the 23rd most viewed woman on LinkedIn worldwide and #1 most viewed Asian American woman nationwide with 16 million+ views per month.  Her past speaking clients include Harvard Business School, UCLA, USC, and University of Washington. She has been featured in Inc. Magazine 30 under 30 entrepreneurs, Forbes Women to Watch, LinkedIn Top Voices, and as a serial entrepreneur on the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race embarrassing herself in front of over 60 million viewers worldwide.  Misa was also recently named  Inc. Magazine's 2025 Female Founders 500, a list of the most creative and inspiring female leaders in America.

Misa shares her journey of how she started The Authentic Asian and why she is so passionate about uplifting the voices of Asian women.  She also shares some personal branding and confidence tips along the way.  Tune into her episode to listen to her full story.

Click here to listen to the full episode: 

#TheTaoOfSelfConfidence

#podcast

#TAOQueens

#WomenEmpowerment 

[nqmonarch]

Hanahaki Disease

Hanahaki disease is where when one person has an unrequited love flowers grow inside their lungs and they begin to cough them up. In some versions flowers also start growing on their body. Eventually they die, unless if their love becomes requited, they go through surgery (which leaves them either emotionless or with no memory of the person they love, depends on the story), or (personally I'd say) if they fall out of love with the person.

As someone with self confidence issues (and some shit in the past) I can't really imagine people falling in love with me. So I'm always like damn if this is real and I got transmigrated I'd be dead in 5 seconds.

Characters: Raiden Shogun x Reader (onesided), Hu Tao x Reader, Baizhu, Traveller, Zhongli

Ever since the first time you'd seen her, she'd been a symbol of light, of beauty, of eternity. She was everything right in the world and you were simply made to follow her will. You enlisted in her army, followed her will stripping innocent souls of visions, yes, you felt guilt but... the Shogunate knew what was best. She had to. You'd seen her peerless genius, bared witness to her skills with the sword. She was terrifying and even more so beautiful.

It was by chance you met the traveler, someone on the run from the Shogunate and her army, someone you were supposed to capture at all costs. But you didn't. Instead you looked on with a quirked eyebrow as they tried hitting some electrocubes to make them all light up. They looked like an absolute idiot, you couldn't help but laugh. How could you kill someone like that? So you gave them a small hand to help them escape, thinking nothing of it. But they continued to make trouble. Until it finally happened, the Shogunate went back on her decree.

You felt relief, guilt, so many emotions flood you at the news. It appeared even the wisest could make mistakes. Then it happened. The traveler had spotted you while walking through the streets of Inazuma and invited you to join them on a walk. You obliged, willing to amuse the funny little blonde haired person. What you hadn't expected was for the Raiden Shogun herself to join you.

You were absolutely awestruck, her eyes looked even more alive up close, and the small awkwardness she showed at what normal people did was absolutely charming! Her love for sweet things was adorable, and you wished you could kiss her cheeks and lie on her lap as she sipped dango milk. You didn't say a thing when you were with her. Instead your eyes darted to her every few moments, with anticipation, and when they darted away a small blush normally graced the tip of your ears.

That was when it all went wrong. A day afterward you felt sick and couldn't contain your coughs. Your supervisor gave you the day off, telling you to rest and get better soon so you could return to fighting. You laid in bed, assuming that all of recent work you'd had to pick up was the cause of stress which lead to you being sick. But then with one particularly aggressive cough you felt as if a shock echoed through your body, and on the covers of your bed laid a strange looking flower.

It was light purple, soft to the touch, and shocked you slightly whenever you touched it. You'd wondered if you were hallucinating, it seemed beyond belief. But then it happened a day later and the frequency and quantity of these shocking flowers increased. They weren't even flowers. Amakumo fruit was their name, a rare plant that could only be found in Seirai island. Concerned, you visited doctor after doctor hoping to find a cure or reason that the plant was alive in your body. But you found nothing.

When the first stem began to grow out of the vein on your elbow you panicked. With anxiety and worry you sought out the traveler, they'd been to many places, perhaps they'd seen something like this? You had to get healed as soon as possible so that way you could return to serving her. So you could dedicate your life to her. Your heart throbbed painfully at the thought and you willed away any unsavory feelings. The Raiden Shogun was meant to be admired from a distance, feelings such as love and lust had no place for one of her soldiers. Not like you were on her level anyway.

The traveler perplexed at your condition suggested they bring you with them to Liyue where they knew of a skilled doctor named Baizhu; eager, to return to your life of servitude toward the one you love you followed them without a second thought.

The green haired man was peculiar, there was a white snake wrapped around his neck comfortably. But you could tell he knew what he was doing, from the minor touches to check your breathing and heart rate, to the line of patients outside his door he seemed like a professional. He was probably your best bet at this rate. He seemed confused as well and after the initial examination told you to come back tomorrow, where there'd be another one.

On your way out a short girl with long brown hair in two pony tails approached you, a friendly smile on her face. You would've had a positive impression of her if not for the card she handed you. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor...? 50% off your coffin if you order ahead of time?

You stared up at her with dead eyes and furrowed brows as she kept a welcoming smile on her face, "You won't find any other funeral services like it! Get 50% of your coffin if you order before you die!" Neither her voice nor wide eyes carried any malicious intent but--

"Is something wrong with you?" What the hell was with this girl? "Do I look like I'm dying?" Even if you were, that was still incredibly impolite of her.

"Well," She paused and leaned forward, elongating her neck and stretching her back to get a better look at you, "No glow, a bit ashy actually, straight posture but it's a bit stiff, not really healthy, and just exiting Bubu Pharmacy? You could be and I'm trying to poach customers from Baizhu."

Her nose crinkled ever so slightly as she continued voice slightly less upbeat, "Ugh, that guy..." Her voice was barely audible but either way her words made you upset.

You shoved the business card back in her hand, "Don't say such reckless things just because of some drama you have with him."

You felt a small shock in your ribcage, you didn't even flinch, you'd gotten used to such feelings. It made your body feel itchy and jumpy like every individual cell wanted to run out of your body and leave you with nothing. You let out a small cough, feeling the electricity jump up your throat leaving behind a small burning sensation, the smell of seared flesh faintly in your nose. A small petal landed in your hand but you were quick to close your hand around it.

You should leave before it got worse. Your expression wasn't pleasant, permanently furrowed eyebrows, and a scowl. You were stuck wasting your time trying to cure yourself so you could serve the Shogunate better. A shock of pain jolted through your body, nearly bringing you to your knees. It didn't. You were trained better than that. Yet here you were, looking like a fool, if the Shogunate could see you now she wouldn't let you serve a day in your life. You would always be classified as a disappointment to her.

Another jolt, even stronger, and with it came an onslaught of coughs. The girl from earlier looked on at you worriedly and approached again. You would've pushed her away if not for the continued assailants of pain, shock after shock, and cough after cough racking your body. You gripped onto your arms in a hope to stabilize yourself but found yourself kneeling on the floor, shaking, nails digging into your arms and drawing blood.

The girl was talking now, at the very least she seemed concerned, as concerned as someone that just offered you a deal on buying your own coffin could be. You couldn't hear what she was saying. Only the continued crackle of electricity. Why did it suddenly get worse? You didn't have time to ponder any questions as the pain overwhelmed you and the world went black.

Hanahaki disease. That's what Baizhu called it. The disease of unrequited love. You loved the Shogunate, something you never should've done, you reminded yourself. You'd voiced your thoughts once to the curious brown haired girl from the funeral parlor, Hu Tao.

She only looked at you quizzically, "You can't control love!" She objected, crossing her arms a smile still on her face, "Just live life to its fullest, enjoy it, and accept everything that comes over you!"

"Strong words from someone that isn't coughing up flowers brimming with electricity," You replied, but your words held no malice.

Baizhu couldn't find a way to cure it, his only hypothesis being that if the person you loved loved you back then it would end. As if the Raiden Shogun would ever love you in any way. You didn't want to show her this pathetic version of yourself, anyway. And where did that leave you? Surprisingly, at the funeral parlor.

Hu Tao had welcomed you with open arms, her employee, Zhongli was also fine with you staying. Of course, you didn't just free load you helped out, trying to do heavy labor where you could. You assumed you'd be the strongest because of your training but the sickness had taken it's toll on you, and vision users were freakishly strong. For such a small girl Hu Tao could lift, a lot.

She would often creep up behind you in an attempt to scare you, not that it had worked yet she was still trying to come up with a way to do so. You would scold her, and return to your work, which was often just basic maintenance of the funeral parlor now, dusting, cleaning, it was mundane but you didn't want to freeload. Then the three of you, Hu Tao, Zhongli, and yourself would eat dinner. Zhongli was normally quiet aside from a few sentences, those few sentences alone made you suspicious of him though. How could one person be so knowledgeable? Of course, once you saw his poor mora management all of your suspicions dropped.

Dinner mainly consisted of Hu Tao and yours banter. It was nice. You had to admit she was growing on you, in a different way to all of the Amakumo fruit. A few had begun to sprout out of your body now, you knew each day that passed you were lucky. Your coughs got worse and so did the electric shocks, it didn't help that your body was becoming more frail from lack of use.

Hu Tao kept you company though whether through asking you out for food, "Yo! Afternoon! Let's get lunch! Xiangling's got a new dish!" The dish ended up burning both Hu Tao and yours's tongues. Too spicy, apparently using the seeds of a Pyro Regisvine had that effect. Although, it was funny to see Hu Tao jump at the heat.

Then she would make you go to performances, "Yun Jin has a show today! I asked for some tickets, I'll introduce you to her too!" Hu Tao somehow knew everyone.

And as your friendship strengthened she read you poetry.

"You write poetry?" You were disbelieving at first, but she took no insult from your words instead placing her hands on her hips proudly.

She read some for you, the topics varying from the feeling of elation to death. The two of you knew you were dying soon. In a few days you were bedridden.

But you didn't want to leave so soon. It wasn't just about serving the Shogunate but the past few weeks, the dinners, the people you had met, the stories you had heard. You selfishly wanted more of that. You told Hu Tao you'd face your death honorably, that you would look toward the future, and wait for her to escort you to the afterlife. That you wouldn't fight death.

One night you cried though. You held her slender hands in yours, relishing in the warmth, and feeling guilt at each electric shock that went through your body and reached hers.

"I don't want to die," You confessed. "I feel like, only now, have I truly begun to live. Why is it that I barely had any time to enjoy this?" Your words were choked up and your shoulders hunched as you leaned toward her.

You looked into the usually lively amber eyes, which held a lighter star in them. They were the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen. "I wish I could spend more time with all of you. I wish I could spent more time with you," You spoke quietly.

You didn't wait for her to reply and instead removed her hands from hers, and placed your hands on her cheek. Your lips touched hers, hesitant, cautious, exploring unknown ground. You could've sworn you were in love with Hu Tao. But your body was already bound by the flowers of the Shogunate, you'd long ago taken your vow and it couldn't be revoked.

Hu Tao kissed back though, she moved slowly at first before reaching a hand out to hold onto the back of her head. You didn't want to open your eyes and see her expression. You could feel the tears running down your face, you could feel her parched wet lips on hers, and for a moment you didn't feel any of the pain, any of the shocks.

And as you were immersed in the kiss of the woman who moved your heart you didn't notice as the flowers fell off your body, and landed on the ground softly without a sound.

I did not mean to make this so long.

[bingzi-pancakelord]

Tao's back story

Hey guys heres Tao's backstory the other backstories will be posted tomorrow or the next dat, this post is long asf so be warned.

TW:

mentions of child abuse, mentions of eating disorders, suicide, self harm

This contains spoilers for the game so read at your own risk!

I will not use their real names for the back stories.

Tao:

Tao had a difficult childhood. His father, a renowned medical professor, and his mother, a former model in the Philippines, she decided to give up her career and move to China with him. Their relationship was strained by her eating disorder, which eventually took her life when Tao was ten. Devastated, his father became paranoid and emotionally unstable, pulling Tao out of school and homeschooling him for six years. With his father emotionally absent, Tao took on the responsibilities of cooking and cleaning, giving him no time to properly cope with the loss. Isolated from the outside world, he grew socially awkward and desperate for connection. He begged his father to let him attend one year of high school before college, and his father reluctantly agreed.

At school, Tao befriended Li after beating him on a standardized test. Li was his first friend and treated him well, making Tao turn a blind eye to the bullying Li’s group inflicted on others. That changed when Tao found one of their victims, badly injured behind the school. When he tried to help her, she screamed at him, calling him scum.

Unable to ignore the bullying after seeing a victim, Tao confronted Li, who casually dismissed it, saying he didn’t even know the girl and it was just a part of his group doing it. Frustrated, Tao told the group to stop. When he reassured the girl she wouldn’t be targeted again, she remained unimpressed and told him to leave her alone.

Desperate to prove he wasn’t as awful as she thought, Tao started bringing her gifts and making her lunch. Over time, they became kind of friends, and he developed a crush on her. After even more persistence, she eventually returned his affections, and they started dating. As their relationship progressed, Tao opened up about his past, and she confided in him about her struggles with the bullying and absent parents, revealing she was coping in self-destructive ways. This made Tao overprotective to an unhealthy degree, even showing up at her house sometimes unannounced to check on her.

In college, Tao and Li ended up at the same university, while his girlfriend didn’t get into school. Tao begged her to move in with him while she looked for work. During this time, he was on track to graduate early from medical school, while Li continued his shady activities, repeatedly offering Tao a job in his new company. Tao refused, determined to become a surgeon.

During his second year, Tao went back to visit his father, only to find his rotting corpse in their house, his death was labeled a suicide, and from then on Tao had the mentality that some people shouldn’t be allowed to take care of themselves. After the death, he clung to his girlfriend even more, but she became extremely fearful of the person he was becoming, and began to pull away. She felt scared and pressured to stay in the relationship, and when she found out Tao was planning to propose, she snapped. Tao walked in on her attempting to take her own life. He stopped her, knocking her out in the process.

Convinced she would try again if left alone, Tao decided to perform his first ever surgery, an amputation, thinking that he could take care of her much better that way. She died during the process. When Li found out, he offered to cover it up, as long as Tao agreed to work for him, Tao agreed, making him indebted to Li for life.

So here's his backstory, I left a lot of details out because it was getting long

[ao3feed-narlie]

101 Reasons I Hate Frat Boys

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/su72abM by Itstmdmani Charlie Spring doesn’t have time for frat boys. He especially doesn’t have time for Nick Nelson, who sits next to him in Environmental Science, lives across the hall, and seems to enjoy making Charlie’s life a living hell. It’s bad enough that Charlie keeps making questionable choices with Nick’s frat brother, but now he’s stuck being Nick’s lab partner for an entire term. Which means late-night arguments, and an increasing amount of Nick invading Charlie’s space, his thoughts, and—unfortunately—his sex life. Charlie is absolutely not into him. Nope. Not at all. Words: 7318, Chapters: 2/30, Language: English Fandoms: Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Tao Xu (Heartstopper), Original Characters Relationships: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson/Charles "Charlie" Spring Additional Tags: POV Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Gay Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Adult Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper) has Anxiety, Bisexual Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Nicholas "Nick" Nelson has Strong Rugby Arms, Bisexual Disaster Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Confident Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Charles "Charlie" Spring Loves Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Gay Sex, Gay Panic, Bisexuality, Hate Sex, Love/Hate, Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe - College/University, Slow Burn, Frat Boy Nick Nelson, Mutual Pining, Forced Orgasm, Sexual Tension, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Smut, Casual Sex, Jealousy, Teasing, Power Dynamics, Power Play, Sexual Frustration, Frustration, Rough Sex, Rough Kissing, Desperation, Semi-Public Sex, Accidental Voyeurism, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunk Sex, Drunken Flirting, I'm Bad At Tagging, Nick is annoying but hot, charlie is grumpy and horny, they are so stupid, Tao Xu Being Tao Xu (Heartstopper), Angst and Fluff and Smut, Self-Destruction, Alternate Universe, Humor, Angst and Humor, Rivals With Benefits read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/su72abM

[yoursweetwife]

Hey hope u doin good🙏 So I came up w an os idea (When i was supposed to study physics). So like imagine Xiao has a little polaroid pic of the reader in the corner of his mirror and like they're goin to a party or date and he like practices convos while lookin at the pic or at himself like "Hey Y/n, lookin good tonight- no that doesn't sound like me". He be fixin his hair and tryin again

"Hey Y/n you look really pretty tonight"

And imagine like Scara is his step bro and catches him during his self conversations with his mirror and imitates our voice so dramatically to mock or tease him

"Oh Xiaooiii~ thank you~ you look so handsome yourself mwuah mwuah kiss mee~"

Xiao would get embarassed but angry and be like

"Get out of my room"

I'm disappointed in this scenario, I hope you like it honey! I'm doing great, I hope you are too :)

Synopsis: Xiao is just getting ready to meet you, but his brother decided to stop him.

Warning: female reader, swearing, insults (not towards the reader), Scarа annoying stepbrother. bad english!!

Xiao hates parties, but if accepting Venti's invitation means meeting you, he's fine with it. More precisely, he is ABSOLUTELY for this idea. He had to go through almost all of his clothes to find something that was durable, stylish, but at the same time moderate.

Even after he found the perfect outfit, combed his hair, and brushed his teeth, the nagging fear in the back of his mind made Xiao pace nervously around the room. Although he was portrayed as a playboy, a handsome guy who broke girls' hearts, those who really knew him knew that Xiao sucked at romance. Everyone knows, especially Scaramuccia, who does not stop his ridicule even at night.

Xiao looked at the mirror, in the middle of which hung your photo. He leaned one hand on the wall next to the mirror and began to “practice” with the most confident voice.

“Hey [name], how are you... no. Hey baby, you look damn good today! Idiot, this is too much, you’re not even dating.” Xiao covered his face with his hands and almost screamed, but quickly stopped. I should have sought advice from Lumine, not Hu Tao.”

He remembered with annoyance this girl who was busy with coffins, and why he thought that she would help him with her advice.

“I need to show [name] that I’m glad to see her.”

After that, he put his hands in his pockets and smiled.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming to this party too, do you want to go outside? Too fast". He coughed into his hand and grinned, "I'd like to find a quieter place so we can talk more... uh... friendly?"

“Of course, honey, I will be very happy!”

A high-pitched, affected voice reached Xiao's ears: “[Name]?”

“Of course, silly!”

"Scaramouche!?"

He turned his head and stared in shock at the intruder.

“Why the hell did you come here?”

Scaramouche pouted and leaned against the wall.

“My home is where I want it to be, that’s where I go. Keep going, you're going to screw up anyway."

"Just get out of my room!"

«Darling, don’t drive me away!”

Scaramouche stepped closer, forcing Xiao to move away, looking at his brother with disgust:

“Let me kiss you!!”

“Go to hell! [Name] doesn’t have a voice like that.”

“Who cares, all the girls have it squeaky, like a rat’s – AH!”

“You are a rat yourself, a goat!”

“Decide who I am, a rat or a goat, a fool in love.”

Scaramouche held Xiao’s hands, not allowing himself to be pushed: “It’s because of the girl that you have become so flabby.”

“flabby?!”

“ONLY NOT IN THE HEAD!”

Xiao slammed the door in Scara's face and groaned in frustration.

I just lost time because of you. Silence greeted him outside the door. Xiao squinted and began to listen. Usually he kept breaking down the door.

“I agree, it’s almost seven.”

"What!"

His eyes found a photo of you smiling, holding the bouquet of flowers he gave you that day. Xiao can only hope that he doesn't screw up today.

[glazesunflower]

Can you do first date headcanons between Hu Tao and an insecure GN reader?

First date headcanons between Hu Tao and an insecure GN reader

Characters: Hu Tao x GN!Reader.

Warnings: None, all fluff!

Notes: Thank you for the request! Any opportunity to write the gremlin is a good one. I hope you enjoy :)

Hu Tao would suggest going to a peaceful and quiet spot for the first date, like a beautiful garden or a serene riverside, where you can feel more at ease around her. She knows you want this first date with her and she wants it too, that’s why she will try extra hard to make everything as comfortable for you as possible. She wants to get to know the real you, not the nervous version of you!

You would feel nervous and unsure at first when you arrive, but Hu Tao's playful and quirky personality will certainly help you relax and gradually open up to her. She will try to be her cheerful self around you to show you there’s nothing to worry about, you can be your true self around her too!

Hu Tao notices that you’re feeling insecure and tries to make you feel comfortable as well by sharing her own embarrassing stories and awkward moments. She wants you to feel like there’s nothing to be embarrassed about when you’re with her, she’ll gladly share her intimate stories so you two can have a laugh together and loosen the mood.

During the date, Hu Tao surprises you with little gifts and trinkets she picked up on her adventures, like pretty flowers, especially beautiful rocks or flashy bugs, if you’ve mentioned you like them. She wants to show you that she's thoughtful and attentive to things you might like, too.

She plans different fun activities to do together, like scavenger hunts or stargazing. She makes these fun plans that help you focus on the shared experiences with her rather than your own insecurities. If you’re too busy having fun, you won’t feel nervous!

Hu Tao compliments you sincerely, highlighting your unique qualities and making you feel appreciated and valued. She loves gushing about you! Give her the opportunity and she will start mentioning all the little things she likes about you. That may be a little embarrassing to you, but she’s having a good time. She just wants you to know how much of you there is to love.

As the date goes on, you will start to feel more confident around her, thanks to Hu Tao's constant encouraging and uplifting words. She lets you know how well you’re doing, listening intently to you when you tell a story and encouraging you to go on.

At some point, you start talking about the passions or hobbies you two have in common, or maybe things that you alone like, and Hu Tao genuinely shows interest and asks questions to you, showing that she cares about getting to know you better in however way you want her to.

Towards the end of the date, Hu Tao surprises you with a heartfelt poem she composed on the spot while comfortably being with you. She wants you to know she enjoyed spending time with you, and what better way to express such a lovely sentiment than with a poem, right?

As you say goodbye for the night, Hu Tao assures you that she had a fantastic time and would love to go on another date with you, leaving you with a sense of happiness and confidence that you didn’t have before. She makes sure to leave you home happy that you’ve spent time with her, and she would love to see you again too. What do you say?

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