#being your authentic self

[justjanusthings]

[rimouskis]

can I be so open and vulnerable with you guys. the card I was given from people at my old office was sincerely so nice and really validating but also I feel like the main impression I left other people with was "she's really nice" WHICH IS GOOD, I DO WANT TO BE KNOWN AS NICE but also part of me is like... should I maybe strive for "innovative" or "creative" or "a go-getter" because being The Nice One just feels a little mealy-mouthed of me y'know?

[haveacupofjohanny]

Unmasking Myself: A Journey of Authenticity and Breaking Free from Societal Molds

#podcastwednesday get on the train! The authentic train that is. Join me as I share with you how many times I hat to let the mask fall before I realized that to attract a man, I just needed to be me ;-)

Have you ever contorted yourself into someone you’re not just to be liked or fit in? Join me on a heartfelt journey as I peel back the layers of my past, revealing the self-imposed barriers that once stymied my journey through my 20s and 30s. We’re not just talking about growth; we’re actively breaking through the soil of conformity to bask in the sunlight of authenticity. Tune in as I bear my…

[thethiefandtheairbender]

my most underrated Kataang take is, I think, the inclusion of Katara's epiphany in The Fortune Teller at all. We've talked ourselves hoarse about how it's the clear turning point in how she consciously thinks of Aang (I will always mandate that she was just unknowingly down bad since the pilot because Look at her behaviour dear god) and how it's important that she has this epiphany even after knowing Aunt Wu's predictions 'aren't real' or necessarily set in stone.

What I want to talk about is why I think it's important that THIS is the moment she sees Aang in a new light amid his previous attempts to have her think of him 'differently' than she did at the beginning of the episode.

When Aang is being sweet to her (making her a woven accidental-betrothal necklace that she happily accepts), Katara is appreciative and responsive, but still says "he's just a good friend, a sweet little guy, just like Momo".

When Aang tries to flirt with her under Sokka's aloof guise, it falls flat. When he tries to get her attention in general (and when having parallels with Meng), it likewise doesn't work.

Finally, he tries the flower but it falls into the lava (symoblism, anyone?) and they have bigger things to deal with, like making sure the town isn't completely wiped out by the volcano. It's also worth noting that after Aang's conversation with Meng:

He never actively tries pursuing or wooing Katara in the same way. He's still kind towards and supportive toward her, of course. He, at some point (probably after the 2nd cheek or third cheek kiss) eventually starts to think (understandably) that Katara has feelings for him. But as of The Fortune Teller, he's stopped trying to have her see him in a new light or do a big romantic gesture.

And that's exactly when she does, consciously, fall for him.

Not when he's trying to woo her in failed, false personas, not when he's being his sweet romantic self, but when he's being the most himself all episode: Aang, "the bravest person [she] knows, who's done nothing but help people and save lives" since she met him (1x12).

He's not paying attention, he's not trying to impress her. He's just being a good, determined Avatar. A good, helpful person. A powerful bender, completely in control of himself and his element. Being himself.

Her Aang.

[hplonesomeart]

Stabby stabby time 😌✨

(Original meme audio source can be found via this YouTube video!!)

[beyondthesurface]

Being yourself is free.

[thebeautyofanoracle]

[wrdn-tabris]

i think id be happier if i went on T but honestly thats not an opportunity for me right now

[love-songs-for-emma]

the spongebob squarepants movie (2004) is one of the greatest movies of all time. it's comedic genius. hit after hit. perfect comedic timing. this is your public service announcement to watch it if you've never seen it

[monstermoviedean]

coworker was going on and on about the importance of regulating your nervous system today and i'm thinking 1) you don't know what that means and 2) if i were a teenager and someone told me to regulate my nervous system i would start throwing things. frankly it's hard not to throw things when hearing that as an adult.

[siren-darkocean]

I got my first hate comment on Deviantart yesterday on my old man Yaoi art I did for 810NICLE Day this year

YAY MY ART IS BEING THAT RECOGNIZED HATERS ARE COMMENTING!

[wordsofwisdomandsoul]

[mariocki]

Honor Blackman guest stars as art expert Syd Lewis in Saber of London: Deep in the Heart of Chelsea (1.3, NBC, 1957)

[langfield]

so in the text messages it’s shown that max and safi attended vinh’s halloween party before the events of the game and my mind has been spinning about how that went lol. i know both max and safi ended up getting wasted by the end of it but i was wondering if you had any headcanons about that particular night? specifically with how max and vinh interacted with each other considering how they would most likely still be in the early stages of getting to know each other.

i also wonder what their actual costumes were?? especially considering how safi seemed to really want to show vinh up in that department lmao.

aha. well! it’s very funny you mention the party, because i am drafting up a fic that takes place after and during it for a safi/max piece … so i’m afraid i’ll have to be pretty tight lipped about some aspects.

though the costumes i tentatively picked out for this fic and vinh’s halloween party is from a real world show called yellowjackets : a two season show about girls being stranded in the wilderness and losing their minds … to be as vague as possible. i personally love the show, so this is minor indulgence on my end! but there is some significance to my pick even if some fans won’t understand the reference. safi attends as ‘the antler queen’ and max’s outfit is more basic, given the fact the texts imply she was sort of spacing her own costume … she’s just a yellowjacket, a teenager, so they both look something like this ( with modifications of course, they made these outfits from scratch ) :

i’ve always found the antler queen’s design to be rather mesmerizing in terms of how haunting it is, so i think safi’s arts-and-crafts project for it would definitely show up vinh at the party. it’s not just the costume either -- it’s the energy she’ll carry while wearing it. and if there’s one thing safi is so good at, it’s silently commanding attention without much effort and maintaining an aura of mystery. point is : she’ll kill it. max’s is more low effort ( it’s just the jacket you see in the second picture, and her project doesn’t even look nearly as good, i’m afraid ) but being attached at safi’s hip helps! i could go on and on about why i’ve picked these outfits for them, though i’ll shut my trap for now because the fic touches upon it lightly … but if you’ve seen the show, you probably have an inkling as to why they’re wearing what they are, and why this show would be so up safi’s alley. vinh lang stands no chance!

but as for how vinh and max interacted during that night, i sadly doubt they brushed shoulders much solo. safi and max showed up together in matching costumes and i’m sure they hardly left each other’s side the whole time, what with max being such a loner initially ( she didn’t even hang out with moses one-on-one back then ) and safi being obsessed in turn … they likely existed in their own bubble and anyone who talked to one basically talked to them both. vinh would likely be jealous of this, given his admission of such feelings to max in spin when he confessed that safi would talk about max ‘all the time’, so this is a similar situation : where vinh wants safi’s attention and time desperately, but she is eagerly orbiting around the new blood instead. very complicated! this is also a vinh who is posturing still in many ways and is stupidly jealous, meaning that there wouldn’t be much going on between him and max besides some catty pettiness on vinh’s part, and total obliviousness on max’s. he likely would avoid her if possible back then, despite his own conflicting feelings about everything surrounding her -- since i do firmly believe vinh was always attracted to max in ways he couldn’t quite explain, outside of a vague ‘we could hook up’ feeling. which makes being jealous of her more complicated than it should be. for all his sleuthing and bitter stewing, i don’t think he could ever properly hate her, so instead it’s an odd game of sore looks and snide remarks. they knew of each other ( vinh knew more about max than she knew of him, given safi’s rambling ), perhaps talked in passing, and max clearly saw vinh enough in her day-to-day to have his photo on her photo wall … but their beginnings were still curt and bittersweet. it’s important to remember that!

[aroacettorney]

what got me so insanely angsty about the relationship between ludger and casey is that it's not even subtext. it's literally in the text that are their own words.

they canonically enjoy the other person's company.

they canonically believe the other person is one of a very few who could understand them.

they canonically understand each other, from personalities and capabilities to behaviors and thoughts.

ludger canonically regrets ruining their relationship.

casey canonically wishes to mend their relationship.

they canonically want(ed) this relationship.

[safe-haven-safe-place]