#child friendly learning tools

[kids-worldfun]

How to Keep Children Interested in Learning through Interactive Methods

There are many ways you can teach children, but if you really want them to take an active part in learning rather than just memorising facts or numbers, then the best way to do this is through interactive learning. Interactive lessons eliminate one-way communication or individualised instruction in favour of engaging students in the material. These lessons allow students to understand what they…

[jambandatl]

Universal Development: Year One - Year Two

Expanded Curriculum Focus 1. Integrate Technology Mindfully: Utilize interactive e-books or apps that allow your child to interact with the story by touching parts of the screen to hear sounds or change images. This can enhance his engagement and make reading time even more dynamic. Consider short, child-friendly videos that tie into your weekly themes, like watching real animals for “Animal…

[reonnex]

The infantilization of book!Wylan and show!Wylan really needs to be looked at.

This isnt a call out, or trying to hate on anyone, just an overall thing I've seen throughout being in this fandom

In the books while Wylan is a child he is also 16. People underestimate him into innocent and even younger. And while he is naive, this does not make him innocent. He has his own morals, own judgment that havent been ripped away from him yet. He is just trying to survive.

People use the "we could wake them up line" a lot snd I agree! But to also look at the full lines as well

Wylan gestured to the guards. "Is it safe to leave them, you know-"

"Alive? I'm not big on killing unconscious men."

"We could wake them up."

"Pretty ruthless, merchling. Have you ever killed anyone?"

"I'd never even seen a dead body before I came to the Barrel." Wylan admitted.

"It's not something to be embarrassed about," Jesper said, surprising himself a little. But he meant it. Wylan needed to learn to take care of himself, but it would be nice if he could do it without getting on friendly terms with death."Make sure the gags are tight."

This isnt him being ruthless. Its him being logical. He is taking what Jesper says to heart. Wake them instead of killing them unconscious becuase Jesper doesn't want to kill unconscious men. Which they do end up tying the soldier to a pole, not killing them!! Him having morals shouldn't contribute to claims of him being innocent.

Wylan is worried about hurting people but will do so if nessecasry to save his friends. We can see this in the show and books. In the show he does not want to make bombs for Kaz, but does so in the end because he acknowledges he has to survive. He is worried about Alby, but goes along with the plan still.

All these are what makes Wylan, wylan. It is his fundamentals, his morals and idels. They are not however claims to see how sweet and innocent he is and how he was corrupted.

Ontop of this, while it is never y it is hevaily implied that Wylan is also autistic. (Also, correct me if im wrong please, but im pretty sure Jack did talk about this.) Autistic people get infantilizated already, and I've had my own fair share of this as well. ( I am autistic and have a learning disabilitiy, as well a speech impedament that I still struggle with.) I have to work harder to make sure people treat me as a twenty year old. Because that is my age, and there is a significant difference in attitude in how people treat me when they know im autistic, and when they don't.

And for Wylan, I feel like its the same issue. While it may not be intentional, ive been people coo over the fact Wylan has done simple tasks or teen experiences. Him having Jesper read to him, getting flustered when talking to him, Wylan not understanding social cues as well as others and taking things to face value.

You can be excited for him and think it's sweet, but to also acknowledge that there is a line between "Thats adorable" and "He's adorable." Wylan is someone who is neurodivergent. He was extrmetly sheltred as a child and was never given the proper tools to help his dyslexia, due to this he has struggles that shouldn't be overlooked or seen as "cute" when he experiences outcomes due to the situation he was in. Whenever he doesn't understand social cues, i.e., "Whos mark." People giggling and saying it's silly or cute when he doesn't understand the cues. That's infantilizating! You are viewing things he struggles with in the lens of watching a child understanding the world. Which Wylan isn't. He is a teenager, no matter the circumstances. His age should be understood.

This infantilization also effects wesper in how people view the two of them. Many people view black people as "older, the man in the relationship, rugged" while the white person is seen as the "women, younger, more innocent."

Infact, I think the show only worsned it for Wylan. As now there are faces to names.

Jack does have a youthful face, but still looks his age. I have a babyface and even now at 20 I look much older then I did at 16. The same goes for Jack. He cant control how he looks but because of his youthful features people only push for this racially hetaronormative mindset more between Wylan and Jesper (Even if its untitional).

Even Kit looks his age as well and has a baby face. He's 29 right now but was in his mid twenties during filming. Season 1 was filmed back in 2019 but due to covid post production got set back, and season 2 was filmed in the beginning of 2022. But why is it only Wylan who is infantilizated? Jesper struggles just as much with his ADHD and trauma as Wylan does.

Jack and Kit are only one year apart, the same in the books but still ive been Wylan be portrayed as the "poor innocent child who was abused." and Jesper as the "he needs to get over his addiction hes a grown man/ he's too mean to Wylan."

In society now so many black teens are seen as adults and treated as such, while white teens are seen as younger and not pushed so hard. The same can be seen for wesper.

Ive even seen people on Tiktok and other socials claim that Jesper was rude to Wylan and abusive. (WHERE???). Both Wylan and Jesper have said things that hurt the other, and they both apologized for it, and get grilled as well. In the show and books they learn and grow. The infantilization of Wylan doesnt hurt just him but plays into racial stereotypes and also microagressions. Why is it that when the white character is calling someone out its "deserved" but when the black character (who might I add had no idea) makes a side comment he is labled as cruel and abusive?

In so many shows and books the black character is usually portrayed as the joker character. Six Of Crows does this as well, which is something important to not ingore. Jesper is seen as the flirty joke character. However the only difference is soc also show more sides to his character by letting him be vulnerable. Letting Jesper show his struggles to the audience as well, how his neurodivergece effects him, letting him dress in skirts and bold colors that step away from the gender norm. So many times in media the black character is just there for shits and giggles, or is used as the villan/antagonist.

It believe its really important to understand this, and to acknowledge if your infantilizating him, or even using microagressions on Jesper unintentionally, then to learn to understand why and to grow from them.

[heart2beom]

open the door, mr. choi!

synopsis: going up to yeonjun's dorm, the man you believe to be a complete tool, and asking to use his shower isn't very fun.

genre: one sided enemies to lovers, fluff, angst??

pairing: yeonjun x f!reader

warning: very unrealistic writing of living on campus (i'm manifesting here..), a curse word here and there

author notes: this is so incredibly short but i like writing banter so..lol this really is just banter. reblogging is appreciated!

Transferring to a different college mid semester for better opportunities proved to be that mistake. The mistake you realize is going to be hard to top, the biggest one you've made in your entire life.

In addition to losing daily contact with your friends, you were in a complete foreign city, practically stranded. You had zero relationship with your professors, there were completely different material you had to learn to pass exams, and you had no time to make any friends. even after you decided to go through the on-campus housing route, You were only on friendly speaking terms with your roommate.

You wished you reviewed the dormitories, but you hadn't which then cost you to learn that the girls dormitory had constant complaints about water supply; it was either the sink, the toilet, or the shower — it would just decide to stop working.

Thankfully, the time you've spent living with your roommate, you only experienced one — the sink. There were problems with it practically every other day, ten times more constant than everybody else. Which caused you to naively believe it canceled out all the other occuring problems everyone else had.

So, imagine your surprise when you walk in under the shower head, butt naked, with not one drop coming out on your hair.

"Yunjin!" you yell out, panicking as you adjust the diverter still with no sign of water. "Yunjin is the water out!?"

You sigh when you can't hear a response through the door, and opted to step out the shower, and carefully walk towards the door. You slightly open it, making sure to only poke your head out as your eyes wandered around the dorm.

Great, there's no sign of her.

When you get dressed again, you throw yourself on your bed, staring at the time on your phone. 8:39PM.

Your roommate had helped you out with getting a blind date, in hopes of "putting yourself out there". Though at the time you didn't meet her with much excitement, pretending to despise the idea—Currently, you were practically a few seconds away from pulling out your hair at the thought of missing it.

For god sake, you haven't been on a date since, what, two years? And even worse, when you finally got a chance, you weren't ditching the date on your own accord, but because you couldn't shower!

"I'm gonna fucking sue them!" you shout, directing your pit of rage at your ceiling. Though, right after, you bury your face in your pillow, groaning like a little child, knowing that no matter how many complaints you submit, there would be zero response. So, at the moment, it felt like the best thing to do was give up.

Give up and ...reschedule.

No, you can't—you won't. You have to go on the date—today. An adrenaline-like surge of determination motivates you to shoot up from your bed, and quickly head to your bathroom again. You will go on this date, you owe it to Yunjin—and also, to yourself.

When you look at the counter, you immediately spot the magic wand practically ogling at you, begging you to use it. Your deodorant.

What other option did you have? When you pick up the deodorant stick, you shut your eyes, praying that the combination between deodorant and perfume could manage to make you smell good enough. You exhale, the gross thought making it hard for you to even lift your shirt.

You hear a ping of your phone, quickly opening your eyes, dropping your hand, which in turn also gets your hand off the piece of fabric you were holding.

When you look at the notification, you exhaustedly exhale, your shoulders dropping. It wasn't surprising to see it was him. Yeonjun—the guy you've been working on a project with for the past few months.

And also, the guy you've been trying to avoid ever since you got assigned the project. He was practically a mosquito, buzzing near your ears every waking moment of the day. It was easier for him when he got your number, as per your professor's request. According to her, it would be easier for you two to communicate with each other's contact numbers.

But you begged to differ, especially after these tortuous days of having your phone go off randomly throughout the day. All it did was tear away your focus from more important matters.

You opt to ignore the text, like you always do— and focus on your preparation for your date. That is, until a light bulb lights up above your head, halting your movement, as you furrow your brows in thought.

The boy's dormitory never had an issue with water, it was a usual complaint you'd overhear girls around you say in your morning classes. Their issue was odor. Which you would bet a few cents that that was specifically the consequence of the herd of men living in one space, but you digress.

Sure, you aren't very fond of the idea to go up to the man you find pretty repulsive—in terms of personality, repulsive. He was the walking definition of a douche, but you just got a date, in two years! Who knows the next time you'll get the golden opportunity again? So, you grab your towel and head out the bathroom.

You only hope that your lack of answering back texts wouldn't backfire on you.

Though it took him a few knocks, Yeonjun finally opens his door. His jaw slacks a little and brows raised, clearly taken back by your sudden visit. You wait for him to say something—or rather, you take the time to study his figure for a good second; your eyes instinctually taking in how...good he looks. His dyed hair subtly spiking his eyes, his lips looking a little more pink than usual, and the flowy dress shirt being down two button, exposing his chest—

"Y/N checking out Yeonjun part, what, a hundred?" he stupidly grins, leaning on his door frame with his arms crossed.

"Part zero." you deadpan, he was back to getting on your nerves.

"Right..." he purses his lip, which earns an audible scoff from you, his confidence was astoundingly high. Normally, you'd think it was a praiseworthy trait, confident people are cool, but Yeonjun was something else.

"Okay—look, I have no time to waste. I need your help." you say, cutting to the chase.

"Clearly..." Yeonjun says, his gaze falling to the towel hanging on one arm, and a plastic bag tight in your hand.

"First, sorry for coming here so unexpectedly—"

"Hold on," he raises up a hand to stop you, which is an annoying thing he's been doing to you lately. "Did you just apologize? To me?" he then puts a hand on his heart, pouting like a child.

When you try to open your mouth again, his finger was on your lips in attempt to shut you up — he was getting dangerously confident. You glare at him, which sends the message loud and clear as he drops his hand immediately.

"Look, if you're here for the project, I can't. I actually have a bedtime I have to follow through."

You furrow your eyebrows in disbelief. "A bedtime? What are you? Twelve?"

He clicks his tongue, shaking his head in disapproval. "Damn it Y/N, this was the part where you were supposed to prove to me that you're worthy of me letting you in my dorm."

"I'm not here for the project, Yeonjun." you sigh, your energy drained from all his talking.

"Then what? It's like—" he raises his wrist to take a look at his watch. And to your dismay, his smug smile prepares you for some more teasing. "My, my, my. Coming to my dorm at nine? So I see it you changed your mind about, you know..." he puckers his lips in attempt to make smooching noises, which only earned a judgemental stare from your side.

"We're never going to have sex—ugh, I just came to use your shower, the one at my dorm stopped working." you've learned to stop yourself from engaging with his antics, it only cost you more social battery after all.

"Ah." he says, biting his lip as he appears to think more of your request. "I'm sorry, can't." he concludes.

"Huh? Why?" you ask then immediately groan at a thought, "God, do you have a girl naked in there?"

"You don't realize it sometimes Y/N, but you are a slut shamer."

You deadpan, letting out a long sigh. "Are you calling yourself a slut?"

"Frankly, for your information, I don't have a girl in there. She actually left a few minutes ago." he says ignoring your question, though he couldn't be happier from the annoyed reaction he got out of you— which he was quick to love and appreciate the more he got it.

You roll your eyes, "So, why can't you?"

"Glad you asked," he says, reaching in his pockets to dig out something. He faces his phone to you, your messages open, only blue texts being on the screen. "You've been ghosting me for like, two weeks."

So your lack of replying back is biting you in the ass.

You didn't have time, dropping the plastic bag full of your date clothes, reaching out to your pocket to get your phone.

You quickly type up an 'okay' without reading the text, and hit send. When you hear the sound of a notification from his phone, you put up a tight lipped smile as you shove your phone in your pockets, picking up your clothes and pushing yourself in his dorm.

Yeonjun broke into a smile you don't catch, as he looks back to you. "Breaking and entering is a felony Y/N!" he yells out.

You ignore him, your attention more focused on how weirdly neat his place was. Was he a fast cleaner? Tidying up the place this fast after sex?

You guessed that was what a long duration of experience gives you — the ability to clean up in minutes. But then you noticed a computer open, with the desk it's on being surrounded with crumbled paper.

Odd.

You hear the door shut, guessing it was Yeonjun, which snaps you out of your thoughts as you immediately head to the bathroom. If you stayed a second later, there was a 50% chance he would've stopped you to ask questions.

When you enter the bathroom, and lock the door behind you, you're pleasantly caught by surprise.

The smell—the smell wasn't foul. You hate to admit, in the back of your mind, you'd always have this image of Yeonjun—a player who was gross.

You don't exactly know why you held onto it for so long since there were multiple, multiple times you got close enough, that your nose could pick up his cologne—it smelled really good, not too strong, just enough.

And when you stand there in his bathroom, weirdly finding yourself inhaling the scent of the air—it smelled pretty fucking good.

A loud knock on the door your back is leaning on startles you, making you jump. "Hey, hurry up! I'm giving you fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes? What a psycho.

You shake your head at your own ungratefulness—he was letting you borrow his shower, which you genuinely appreciated, so you undressed quickly in hopes of showering forty minutes max.

You didn't pick up your hair brush with you, so consequently you were spending a great deal of time untangling your hair with your towel—which wasn't very..effecitve.

You already changed, obviously, but your makeup was undone. Just lipgloss was all you had time to do, you thought in your head, disappointed.

Not to forget—Yeonjun has been talking to you through the door the moment you shut the running water—not proving the mosquito reincarnation theories you've been holding onto, to be wrong. He was driving you very close to the edge of insanity.

"You're taking so long." he whines for the hundredth time. "I have to show you something."

You groan, walking towards the door. You were clothed now anyway, if opening the door would finally fix Yeonjun's mouth being a broken record, you would happily do it.

He shuffles away from the door when you push it open, flustered as he clears his throat.

Was he leaning on the door?

"What do you want?"

You think you see his eyes scanning your outfit for a second, a hint of confusion overtaking his expression but he turns away to walk towards the computer—the one that was previously surrounded with balled up paper, so you ignore it. "You look hot but I'll decide to ignore that. I have to show you something."

You exhale, your hair still pretty untamed. "Alright, I don't have that much time though."

He let himself fall on his spinning office chair, as he gestures his hand for you to sit at the edge of his bed.

You clear your throat, waiting for him to stop stalling through his spinning.

And he does.

"Okay." he exhaled, a little shakily. Which was weird. "So, remember the text you sent okay too?"

"Yeonjun...that just happened. Like an hour ago."

"Yep, yeah. Cool, cool, cool." he repeats, opting to spin once more. You raise an eyebrow, is he trolling you?

"I didn't like—you know, read the text. I mean, I can."

"You didn't read it? You should. Actually—nope, no. You shouldn't. You should. Yeah, you should."

You knit your eyebrows together at his odd speaking patterns. Reaching for your phone, you click on the message icon—until a number pops up, calling you.

All of a sudden, you get nervous. Your hand getting all clammy as you swiped right on the call.

"Hi." you breath out, biting your lip in eagerness to hear your date's voice.

Yeonjun only watches you, cocking his head at the sudden mood change. No—he was tilting his head because of all of that. Your dress, the matching bag, your lipgloss.

He furrows his brows, still watching you stutter on the phone, and practically making a fool of yourself with the way you were stupidly, prettily smiling ear to ear.

You never did that with him. Okay, sure, he likes seeing you roll your eyes or scoff at his antics— it brings him pure joy! But god, thinking now, he would appreciate it a hundred times more if your reaction to him was a smile—that smile instead. Or a laugh. Or a hug, maybe a kiss—

Time didn't wait for anyone—connecting the dots unfortunately only happened the moment you hung up the phone.

"Sorry, that was my date. I really have to go. What do you want to show me?"

"Um—uh...gross!"

You scrunch up your face, taken aback. "What?"

"You—you have, like, spinach stuck between your teeth."

Your eyes widen in shock immediately getting off the bed, but then you halt, turning to look at Yeonjun. "But I didn't eat spinach today. Or yesterday." you mumble.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not a professional chef that can tell what that nasty piece of green leaf is in between your teeth."

"God, is it that bad?" you ask in horror, not waiting for his reply as you burst into the bathroom.

Meanwhile as you check your teeth in the mirror, Yeonjun immediately grabs the phone you left on his bed, which was still open—letting him breath in relief.

He immediately went on to his name on your phone to open the messages between you two—it was ridiculous but a smile still tugged on his lips for a split second when he noticed his contact name was the one he typed in a few months ago, still 'hottest man alive'—he took it a sign you didn't disagree... or it could be that you were too lazy to change it.

But he immediately shook his head out of the thought — doing his job of deleting the message that you sent an okay to.

"What the fuck are you doing?" you say with wide eyes, snatching your phone away from the boys hand.

"Just checking the time." he says with an awkward smile, a little startled of your sudden presence.

"On my phone? You literally have a watch." you say, your tone laced with confusion. Which signaled Yeonjun to shoot up from his bed, pushing you out towards the door—there was no way out of this but to push you out, and hopefully the date being horrible enough for you to forget about confronting him about this tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. Preferably, for the rest of his life on Earth.

"Time for you to leave!" he yells, finally getting you out of his dorm, and now out in the hallway.

Before you could say anything—for example, reminding him that 90% of the stuff you brought was still in the bathroom—he slammed the door right in your face.

When you recollect your shock, you scoff, your annoyance through the roof.

What was he looking at in your phone?

You open it, hoping to find the answer.

But you're only confused as you only see your chat with Yeonjun open.

And even more confused when the text length of the message before your 'okay' was way shorter than what you remember.

Meanwhile, Yeonjun was sitting on his desk chair, biting his lip as he hesitantly hit the delete button on the music project he's been working on.

ending a/n: i think i'm allergic to ending a fic with the two pairings getting together cz tell me why this was deadass just enemies to ????? T_T

[pikatrainer99]

Let's talk about Barry for a minute.

This boy is so underappreciated and gets way too much hate just for being ADHD incarnate (or as the haters say, "his hyperactive squirrel brain"). The haters also don't recognize that Barry actually has a character arc in the games. He learns the importance of slowing down throughout his journey, especially after his loss to Jupiter at Lake Acuity. He had been one step ahead of the player the whole game, but this loss actually makes him stop and think things through for a bit, deciding to take his time and train up more. As a result, the player is the one to get the last Gym Badge and make it to the League first. Also, let's not forget that Barry had the patience (and probably hyperfocus) to get a MUNCHLAX and a HERACROSS from the honey trees...y'know, the two RAREST honey tree Pokémon...? Yeah...that takes PATIENCE. Even I don't have the patience for that...but I'm also a very impatient person myself (I blame my parents, who are also impatient, for passing it on to me and my brothers), my "now now now" attitude has driven my family crazy millions of times by now, but I digress.

Something else that's important to mention is Barry's personality (other than his ADHD traits, that is). This kid is a genuinely good guy. He's the player's best friend and that doesn't stop when he becomes the player's rival. He gives the player tips, he doesn't look down on the player or bully them, he's always excited to see them whenever they cross his path, is genuinely happy for them when they get their last Gym Badge and says he won't be far behind, etc. Barry also genuinely loves Pokémon, they are his friends, not tools for battle. He gets angry when around Team Galactic because of how they treat Pokémon, he went into empathy overdrive for Uxie's suffering after losing to Jupiter at Lake Acuity, etc. And he gets excited and happy when around people who love Pokémon as much as he does, like the player and Gym Leaders, for example. Barry also NEVER gives up, which is definitely a great character trait, especially for a rival character. He's set on his goal and nothing can pull him away from it, not even multiple losses to the player. It makes me feel less bad about beating him because I know he's just gonna bounce back each time and try again. That's just how Barry is and he's my favorite friendly rival because of it. I never feel like I'm crushing his dreams like I do with Hop, for example. Instead I'm making him stronger, both in resolve, and as a Trainer.

That doesn't mean that he doesn't have a sad side to him though...because he does. He has daddy issues, BIG TIME. This kid's whole motivation is to get strong enough to challenge and defeat his dad, Tower Tycoon Palmer. He wants to be acknowledged by his dad SO BADLY that in Pokémon Masters he straight-up TELLS YOU that the reason he keeps fining people is because he wants to use the fines he collects to build his own Battle Tower because, in his mind, that's the way to get acknowledgement from his dad. But no one ever takes him seriously (most likely because of how often he does this, how much money he asks for, and also the fact that he's a CHILD), so he never gets any money. I'll be honest, my heart broke for this poor kid during that conversation. I used to think that Barry's "I'm fining you 10 million Pokédollars!" was just his way of expressing annoyance or even just a verbal tic of sorts...but in Masters it's revealed that he's dead serious when he says those things, all because he's so desperate for his dad's approval that he wants to make him proud by building and running his own Battle Tower. Again, he's a CHILD! That shouldn't be any child's goal, especially not for something all kids deserve, which is parent approval! As someone who is ALSO constantly seeking my own dad's approval, this conversation hit home for me. My dad doesn't really approve of anything I'm interested in or anything I do, he wants me to be someone else entirely...but I can't be who he wants me to be, I can't be who ANYONE in this world wants me to be...I can only be myself and I want to make my dad proud just by being me...

The Pokémon Evolutions episode "The Rival" is ALL ABOUT Barry's daddy issues. Everything he does and says in that episode is all about getting strong enough to challenge his dad. He's able to beat him in the end, finally getting the acknowledgement he deserves (he would still deserve it even if he didn't win, or even get to challenge him, let's be clear). So it's a happy ending there, but in the gameverse that's not a clear-cut thing that happens, so we never know if he even does get to face his dad. He shows up in the Fight Area on weekends to battle the player but that's really it as far as I'm aware. In the games, Barry also admires Crasher Wake and wants him to take him under his wing and mentor him, but Wake refuses, which honestly makes me angry since Barry clearly wants (and needs) a father figure in his life since Palmer is absent all the time. At least in the manga Wake does train Pearl, so there is ONE Pokémon universe where Wake mentors the kid...buuuuut he should've done it in the games too, just sayin'.

So yeah, that's basically my ramble on Barry. Honestly this wasn't planned or anything, I just out of nowhere started thinking about Barry and how hated he is, and impulsively wrote this whole entire essay without scripting it out beforehand so this might be a bit hard to follow 😅. But I just love this kid and I don't understand the hate he gets, so he deserves an appreciation post in my opinion...so this is the post! Let me know what you think down below!

[major-wren]

I love the "ARK siblings" concept and I love cute lighthearted fanart of them being siblings but I feel like a lot of people forget that they literally canonically share a soul and that her death is, in my opinion, I think supposed to represent a part of one's self dying and that they're supposed to be, symbolically, a lot more than siblings.

I always saw Shadow's story as a symbolic way to express the way your inner child and innocence is sacrificed in order to survive complex childhood trauma. Maria's color scheme and the way she's written is, I think, clear to all of us how she's meant to represent innocence and youth. I mean, she doesn't really function very well as a stand-alone character or realistic depiction of a child, shes always been more of an.. idea.

I'm not sure if it was purposeful, but the moon's "Maria" are craters that formed from the moon repeatedly taking the hits of asteroids at it's points of gravity. These points of gravity attract asteroids and draws then away from the Earth. The craters are mostly on the side of the moon we see, so the dark side of the moon, or "shadowed" side is better protected because of that. I feel like this is an extension of Shadow and Maria's symbolism. She took the bullet for him, protecting him, the same way Maria takes the comets, and the same way your brain will sacrifice your inner child (or freeze/rush your mental development) in order to survive intense childhood abuse. I know it all sounds extreme lmao but at the end of the day characters and storytelling are used to explore and express hard emotions and I don't think this randomly tragic character sprung out of nowhere for the Sonic games, which, before that point, always had very lighthearted positive characters (except for the echidna extinction in the game right before Shadow's). Having a character that was easy to approach, yet could represent scarier concepts as a child-friendly stand-in, felt like a very important tool to me growing up. I just hope that that writing can be appreciated in his character, with an understanding of how messy production can be and how a character can get pulled between many different people and ideas. I do think this symbolism was intentional to some degree, especially when it gets to the blatant soul-sharing and how characters insist that Shadow can't be a weapon because Maria's soul (his inner child and true morals despite the damage done to him) makes him "good hearted."

There's other things that uphold this symbolism of Maria dying as representing his inner child being killed, like the rushed/suspended mental development in the face of trauma being illustrated by the fact that Shadow was forced into a dormant cyro slumber right after Maria's death, symbolizing the way he had to basically skip childhood or hit pause on development until he could escape the people controlling him. Much like how victims will have to pause everything and go on autopilot with only a goal of survival until they can escape their situation; only after they feel safe can they begin growing as a person and find their identity. In the Japanese language, there are different types of pronouns people can refer to themselves with instead of just "I" or "myself." In the Japanese dub of SA2, Shadow's creator said in an interview that he had been very insistent on Shadow using the pronouns reserved for young boys, despite Shadow's menacing villain role in the game, because he felt it was important to show Shadow's purity and his lack of experience in life so far. That "live and learn" theme.

And then in his self titled game, Shadow is searching for a way to reconnect with his past and to find the truth about this Maria person he keeps seeing in flashbacks, but in the end he throws away her picture and accepts himself as he is now, forever changed and stained by his past, but more than just a product of his situation. He is "all of him," including the negative impact he never asked for, and including the parts of himself he lost, but also the parts of himself he chose to become. Your environment and childhood shapes you even if you didn't want it to, but that doesnt mean you cant have control in your identity and recover your inherent nature once you've escaped the negative influence (nature vs nurture theme). He will never be the person he used to be, or could have been, (represented by Maria as a pure and untouched youth), but he still has a say in what that grows into.

I just feel like a lot of Shadow's identity issues and inner conflict stem from this whole soul sharing situation with Maria and that his character ends up inevitably being misunderstood if you water them down to just siblings. Especially considering that it was never answered if Shadow actually even ever met Maria or if they're just memories planted by Gerald or caused by the shared soul. In Sonic Battle, it's also said in Gerald's diary that not only do Maria and Shadow share identical souls, but that Gerald literally modeled Shadow after Maria out of his love for her. I'm not sure to what degree or in what ways, but Shadow is supposed to share purposeful similarities with Maria, likely through the content of her character and her morals. That's what makes them so much deeper than just psuedo siblings, he's not only made for her, but designed after her too. It can't really be compared to, for example, Sonic and Tails.

I also think its what makes Shadow's character so substantial and meaningful. His self titled game's entire theme was purity, morals, what is good and bad. This question of purity and morality spreads into his appearances in other stories too- This question that, if you were badly hurt in your youth and shaped by evil- does that leave you impure? Stained? Destined to continue that cycle of harm and cruelty? I think these insecurities feel very real and relatable, and that it's even more realistic that despite these insecurities, that hurt and damage is actually what fuels him to protect others. Just as he said in Sonic Battle, "There's no need to repeat past tragedies! Nobody else ever needs to go through the things that I have!"

Statistically (despite media portrayal) abuse victims RARELY become abusers, because they understand the pain on a deeper level and can't bring themselves to force someone else into experiencing that same pain, knowing the permanent damage it causes. However, childhood abuse leaves people socially stunted and conditioned to harshness, which causes them to accidentally hurt others without meaning to. Or they end up hurting people out of desperation if they feel endangered (like Shadow's "means to an end" approach where he'll prioritize violence if it means reducing the end-impact). Also, they are more susceptible to being abused again after escaping the first abuser, because they are so susceptible to manipulation- Just like how whenever Shadow does switch sides, its usually because someone manipulated him into it or literally brainwashed him. I think Shadow conveys all of this so well, and that Maria's true role is an integral part of it all that can't be ignored or misunderstood, or else Shadow ends up reading as unnecessarily violent or overly obsessed with her when you interpret her as just a sister-figure that he knew for... who knows how few years.

I think this symbolism runs deep with his writing. Just like Maria's meant to be that inherent purity and inner child, I think the black arms DNA is that stain that abuse or trauma can leave on you, that causes you to act out or feel like you're always holding back and trying to keep control over some darker part of yourself that was left behind in the damage done. Especially since they literally have a mind link with Shadow. In the Sonic Universe comic, they succeed in brainwashing Shadow and turn him against his friends. These mind-links, soul-sharing, and brain-washing from both Gerald and the black arms... To disregard the fact that he's deeply connected to these people on a metaphysical, identity altering level is to water down his character and leave it feeling as though his motives are too weak to justify his harsh actions. I've seen people poke fun at his amnesia or insecurity in his identity, as though his confusion isn't justified, and I think it's because people don't realize he has these... literal fragments of other people inside of him, that that's pretty much what he's made of, kind of franken-steined together between a little girl's hopes and morals, an alien race's hivemind greed, a weapon-hungry government and a revenge maddened scientist's painful grief, and even the chaos emeralds which we all know are spiritually whacky and potentially connected to another alien race's memories and energies (the ancients from sonic frontiers). With all of that going on, plus some amnesia mixed in and his memories having been altered by Gerald- I mean.. you'd be searching for the "truth" of your identity too, who you really are. And of course, prone to frustration and aggression, or even a "wish-washy inconsistency." I think there's always a constant tug of war inside of him and that his whole development was a game of tug of war between Gerald, G.U.N and the black arms too. "Am I a cure, am I a death-bringer, am I earth's protector, am I it's destroyer," etc etc

Idk I just think a lot of problems people have with Shadow's writing stems from not realizing how deep things go and what they symbolize. Not to say that something like his boom characterization is of good quality or anything, but I think it's unfair to call him inconsistent when a confusion in his own identity and purpose/goals is kind of the point. And I think people not realizing Maria's deeper, physiological connection to him and influence might be part of the problem.

[cakerybakery]

Running a day camp for nine to ten year olds was, challenging. Especially when that hot parent volunteer was there.

Unlike most of the parents, Lucifer wasn’t dropping his little darling off to keep her busy while he had to work.

Adam wasn’t ignorant to the world. He knew the local celebrity, even if he was technically a has-been. The gossip rags and the internet said the active and short man had recently turned forty-four and was still being offered roles, even if he had dropped out of acting five years ago when his wife suddenly passed away in order to care for their daughter.

Not that Adam was stalking him online or anything. It just happened that he got notifications on updates about some of his favourite movies… and celebrities, when there were articles about them.

Nothing weird.

Just because Lucifer Morningstar’s posters had plastered his walls since his was a tween well until … now. Didn’t mean he couldn’t be professional at his summer job. It was just harder then when Lucifer wasn’t there.

He patted Charlie on the head as his little helper passed him his clipboard. Adam was being earnest when he thinks of Charlie as a little darling. She was shy being around a bunch of new kids, gravitating to hiding behind her dad and him when the other kids got a little too rambunctious. But she was friendly and eager to help. Always the first to start cleaning up or to volunteer. He was glad that over the summer she had made friends. As she did Lucifer stayed less and less, as making friends was the reason he enrolled her in the day camp.

But today was a big one. The last day of camp and there was a bonfire. Any parent that could was encouraged to come. Partly to mind their own, sometimes less than darling, child around the fire, but also so the kids could show off to their folks all the stuff they learned over the summer.

Adam looked over his clipboard to double check the headcount and made sure no one slipped out while he’d been busy bring in the marshmallows and sticks.

All ten of his group were accounted for. Including the twins thankfully.

Their mother, Sera, was here which was good. Lute was, a handful. Lots of energy on that one. Fun, but busy and a bit chaotic. Her sister Vaggie on the other hand was more organized and goal focused.

He hadn’t thought Vaggie and Charlie would become such fast friends but they constantly held hands and played together. She seemed to win over everyone but Lute.

Unfortunately, Sera was busy on a call as the kids got their turn at the outdoor space and bonfire, which had died down to coals. As Sera stood off the time side, Lucifer and Adam set the kids up with sticks and rules.

“No running by the fire pit.” Adam barked out. “No throwing anything into the fire. Not marshmallows, not the sticks, not more wood, not toys, not other food or drinks. I understand that you might want to help but this rule is to keep you safe. We have a garbage, we have the spot for the stick to go when you are done with your stick, an adult will handle the fire. Fire is not your friend, it is a tool to be respected. Does everyone understand?” Five girls and five boys nodded and in varying tones and volumes agreed they understood.

Everything ready, the kids settled into roasting their marshmallows.

Adam watched them and the fire like a hawk. Only occasionally looking over at Lucifer on the other side of the fire doing the same.

Vaggie got up and walked carefully to the snack table behind the girls. Following the instructions not to run to the letter.

Lucifer paused in his watching to help Anthony put a new marshmallow on his stick when Lute’s marshmallow caught on fire.

She started swinging it wildly, trying to put out the flame. Adam went to stop her but before he could get more than a “Lute, don’t-“ it flung off and Vaggie was screaming as the burned but luckily no longer on fire sugary confectionery hit her in the left eye.

Sera dropped her phone and sprinted over as quickly as she could to Vaggie. Adam got the stick from Lute as she started to run to Vaggie as well.

There was chaos as kids started screaming and forgetting the rules about not running by the fire or with sticks. Adam and Lucifer grabbing kids and dragging them back. Trying to keep them calm as Sera grabbed her girls and booked it for her car and hospital.

Lucifer got the kids settled while Adam put out the fire and explained what happened to the director.

They got word from Sera, who was luckily more upset about Lute accidentally hitting her sister in the eye with a flaming marshmallow than she was with Adam or the day camp for not being able to stop Lute soon enough, Vaggie would be fine. Mild burns but nothing that would cause permanent damage thankfully.

At least the day camps were over and soon he’d be at his first real job in a week. Being a substitute teacher was fun and all but he didn’t get a teaching degree for nothing and he finally had his own classroom at one of the city’s public elementary schools teaching a bunch of fifth graders.

Less chance of one of his students lighting another on fire there.

As much as it sucked that he wouldn’t get to drool all over his hot celebrity crush anymore. The lack of fire was good.

He got to spend the week making the finishing touches on his classroom, met a bunch of the parents, re-met Sera as it turned out the twins were in his class, and generally got ready for the first day of fifth grade.

There was a knock on the door and mister Jones the principal stopped by.

“Morning, Adam. Just checking in. How you feeling?”

“Confident.” He had this. “Nervous.” Mostly.

Mister Jones laughed, “yeah. I think every teacher here is in the same boat. Just stay calm, kids can sense blood in the water.” He laughed at his own joke and was about to leave when he paused. “Oh, I almost forgot. You have a new student. I emailed you the new class list. They just registered the other day and the dad insisted on his daughter being in your classroom.”

Adam frowned and looked at his classroom. “I need to get another desk then.”

Stepping back so Adam could go down to storage, mister Jones kept pace as Adam started down the hall. “I’ll give you a hand getting one.”

Not the Adam needed it. He had to duck in door frames and that was one of the reasons he was applying to be a teacher in older grades even though he’d love to teacher kindergarten or first grade. Adam didn’t want to scare a bunch of little kids.

Mister Jones opened the storage door for Adam and Adam easily lifted the desk.

“Originally I was going to put miss Morningstar in miss Lee’s class to even it up more, since you have the Summer twins, but apparently Charlotte is friends with one of the Summer girls and her father asked that they be together so she’s more comfortable in a new school.”

Adam almost dropped the desk right on mister Jones’ head. “Charlotte Morningstar? As in Charlie Morningstar? As in Lucifer Morningstar’s daughter? She’s going to be in my class?!?”

He looked surprised at Adam. “You know him? He’s a bit before your time, I would have thought.”

“Charlie was in that summer day camp program I was working at. Lucifer volunteered regularly.“

“Ah! No wonder he sounded happy when I said I could put her in your class.”

His heart started to thump wildly. Adam might get to see Lucifer nearly everyday for the next nine odd months.

This was the most amazingly awful day of his life.

-

The marshmallow thing happened to my husband, he was the Lute in the situation and hit some girl in the eye with a flaming marshmallow. We don’t allow people to put out marshmallows by waving them around at our fires. I just really liked the idea of Lute and Vaggie being twins and Lute hitting Vaggie in the eye with a marshmallow by accident.

Not the first time I tried to write it but I didn’t like that I made them Adam’s daughters the first time cause I was still shipping future Chaggie but also Adamsapple and didn’t want to make them stepsisters that would start dating when older. Felt too weird to write.

Was listening to a Camp Camp amv and decided on making Adam a guy running a day camp and it snowballed from there

[shady-tavern]

Preview for "For the Living and the Dancing" the September Short Story

(warnings ahead for consensual body modifications as well as implied/mentioned child abuse and self-experimentation, please be sure to take care of yourselves)

*.*.*

Julie had been born to a strict father, who so desperately wished for her to be a genius, that he didn't hesitate to do whatever he considered necessary to present her as one. For as long as she could remember, she was seated at her desk for hours on end, her father looming behind her.

As soon as she was old enough to hold the tools of an enchanter, for that was the bloodline of their family, he taught her how to carve the sigils and runes, the symbols and how to keep her lines perfectly straight, her circles perfectly round.

"A genius is capable of using both hands," her father told her, tying down her dominant hand and putting a pen in the other. "Learn."

"A genius knows how to present themselves," her father said as he taught her how to speak with people, drilling titles and manners into her head and what to wear when meeting people of rank.

"A genius speaks clearly," her father said as he had her read books out loud until she got her lisp under control.

He demanded that she memorize knowledge, that she overtake her peers in class whenever possible. He dedicated every ounce of his free time to her education and once she was old enough to pretend with him, he took her to the academy where he taught.

He seated her in classes and boasted that she understood the material but wasn't ready to join the academy full time yet. She didn't understand the material, but she was a shy child, a quiet child, so people considered her cute and annoying instead of a fraud.

"You must be a genius," her father told her, his hands big and heavy on her shoulders. He never touched her unkindly, but his hands always felt like they were pressing her down into the earth, making her shrink smaller and smaller.

"You must be, because we are enchanters, my dear," he told her with a grimness that she wished she could hide away from. "Mages already look down upon us for being lesser. But if you are more than that, they will praise us at long last."

She didn't fully understand, she thought the mages she had met were quite friendly, but she had noticed her father's coolness towards them. How he was never invited to their parties and meetings, to their special little clubs, despite his skill as an enchanter.

In one of her few cherished memories, her father had gifted her hand-made, enchanted toys. Little birds that flew around her and chirped the most beautiful songs. Fish that swam through the air and shimmered in a multitude of colors.

"So you are less alone," he had said.

But she had been very little then and he had been kinder, softer. He had smiled more back then.

Her mother was a quiet woman as well, but it took Julie a while to understand that she wasn't shy. She was quiet and cowed into silence, resembling more a ghost than a person as she drifted through their home, the servants casting concerned looks at her.

When her mother got pregnant again against all expectations, Julie felt excited for the first time in years. She had been so very alone for so long. Her father only allowed her to play with other gifted children and they were all...awkward. Like Julie. And like Julie, they were all weighed down by expectations.

Sometimes she looked at her little circle of carefully selected friends and thought that they were all trying to be adults without knowing how to be one.

Her mother's pregnancy progressed well and Julie felt ever more hopeful for a sibling. For someone to play with, to talk to. She'd teach her sibling how to walk and talk and she'd make sure to be a kinder teacher than her father.

She hoped her father would leave her sibling be.

It was that thought that made her work harder. She did her best to keep all the attention on her as the date of the birth grew closer, but her father was so very eager for the child, it was difficult to retain his focus.

And then the child was born, a little girl and Julie loved her. She took one glance at the little one, her mother looking more like a ghost than ever, and she wanted to protect her from everything.

The last thing her mother did was name the child Anne. Julie had learned how to cry quietly years ago and as she held her little sister, the midwife having showed her how, she promised in a whisper that her little sister was going to have a better, happier life.

Her father did not shed a tear, though he wore mourning garb for weeks on end. He picked up the lessons with a vengeance and Julie kept her head down. She kept quiet, stayed soft and pliant and agreeable, sneaking away to help the wet-nurse with her little sister whenever she could.

That tiny bubble of joy was soon popped when it became clear that something was up with her little sister. She seemed to be unwell more often than not.

"She's been born with a sickness," the doctor said when he came to thoroughly examine the babe. 

Julie didn't like his tone, she didn't like how her little sister squirmed, her pudgy little face puffing up in upset. She wanted to go and scoop her up, but her father was in the room and she didn't dare do anything that he disapproved of.

She had no idea what the doctor said next, a complicated name that sounded almost too elegant, too sophisticated for what ailed her little sister.

Anne had been born ill, her body would always be weak and would deteriorate the older she got.

"She wont get old," the doctor warned quietly but Julie heard him anyway. "There is medicine to delay the decay, but it won't cure her. If you are diligent, if the girl does exactly as I say, if she doesn't get ill often, she might make it to twenty."

Twenty years. That was...that was so very little time. Julie stared at her little sister, her throat suddenly so tight she couldn't even breathe, her stomach rolling with horror.

She would have to bury her sister before she even fully finished growing.

It took Julie a couple of days to digest those news as much as possible and then she decided that no matter how much or how little time her sister had, she'd make sure it would be the best life possible.

Her father had lost all interest in his new daughter, the grimness of his demeanor deepening further. It was like he was already grieving.

Julie didn't understand, because Anne was right there and she was alive. Not well, perhaps, but she lived. She was a pudgy, often stinky little baby that Julie loved with all her heart.

So she studied harder and when her father dropped her off at the academy, she asked if she was allowed to sit in the medical classes. She had never asked to be put into specific classes before, because they were all hard and she struggled to understand even part of what was going on, despite her father helping her study at home.

Her father brightened a little at that and agreed readily.

Julie understood even less in those classes, but for the first time, she approached the professor afterwards and asked questions.

The woman was surprised at first and the longer they spoke, the more puzzled she seemed, but she answered all questions readily, dumbing things down until Julie finally understood.

She came back again and again, to the point where she secretly scurried out of the other classes to join the medical ones. If she left quickly enough to go meet her father where she was supposed to wait for him, he had no idea and the professors had such full classes no one noticed her slipping away.

Anne grew well despite the odds stacked against her and the day Julie saw her get up on wobbly knees, she was so excited her little sister fell over because she was laughing too much at Julie whooping and clapping her hands.

Anne was the best thing in Julie's life. Perhaps even the only good thing.

Once her little sister was old enough to play with more things than cubes and stuffed animals, Julie made toys. Like her father had once made them for her. 

She made frogs that hopped just slow enough that her sister could catch them. She made a snake to coil around Anne and help her walk up and down the stairs, catching her before she could fall.

She made Anne a small prancing horse that she could ride up and down the hallways since she could rarely go outside and wasn't allowed to ride an actual horse. The little toy horse couldn't go very fast and would not spook or toss her. With her sister properly strapped in, she was safe and she could still have fun.

Her father examined each toy, looking impressed and soon the theoretical lessons were replaced with practical ones more and more.

"You might not be a conventional genius, but perhaps we can make you a prodigy," he mused as he handed her even finer tools and even more material. "Invent something to make me proud."

By now, Julie was old enough to understand what he actually meant: 'Invent something I can brag about'. Her father felt so inferior to mages that it had consumed every part of him, even the parts that had once been loving and kind.

Enchanters had no magic, but they could create magic and in her opinion, that was just as valuable, just as amazing. Sure, mages could enchant too, but their work would always be rougher and rather unwieldy compared to an enchanters.

Enchanters on the other hand could do nothing without tools and materials.

Julie worked hard, she had no idea what exactly inventors were supposed to do, how to make something that her father could impress others with, but once she thought of making things for her sister, to her surprise, she succeeded.

It wasn't anything big, not yet, but the little dog she made at her sister's request was what made her father quite satisfied. The little dog could perform simple commands, it could fetch things both pointed at and named, if the words were spoken clearly and it caught things that fell if it was close enough.

She had to make a second dog for her sister, since her father took the first to the academy and she never saw it again.

But making her little sister happy was worth it. All the hardships were worth it, the ways her fingers ached and she hid scratches and burns under long sleeves and gloves, her sister too little to find it odd.

Her sister was a happy child, for all that she couldn't be like the other kids, and yet, Julie found herself weeping sometimes, thinking of all that her little sister couldn't have.

Of all the years she would never live.

*.*.*

Julie stared down at her experiments, her hands scarred and calloused after years of hard work. Her mind felt empty as she looked at the partially assembled focus for a mage, a commissioned piece of work that had caused her father to puff up like a preening peacock.

The mage in question was a very influential, very rich one. He only ordered from the best of the best and he had wanted her.

Julie was almost done, but she couldn't bring herself to finish her work. Not when Anne was too weak to get up. She had been too weak for a while now and it filled Julie with a terrible fear.

Anne was only ten years old. That was half the time of what the doctor had said she might have if they were careful, if they cared for her. Julie's eyes welled with tears and she got up, for the first time abandoning her work while her father was awake and in the house and she left the cellar that had gotten remodeled for her.

There were shelves upon shelves of materials and books, various sketches and ideas she had written down and shoved wherever possible when she thought they weren't good enough.

Her father was in his study so he didn't notice when she walked up the stairs to the bedroom at the end of the hall and her sister greeted her with a sweet, if tired smile. But the smile trembled around the edges and it made Julie's throat tight.

Anne hadn't really understood her sickness when she had been younger. And while she had been upset then, it had been...easier to deal with. She hadn't been scared then, hadn't known to be sacred.

But she knew so much more now, was so much more aware. Julie had taught her things in the evenings, in the little bit of time she had between finishing her work and before heading to bed. Anne was such a bright child and she had wanted to brighten that glow whenever possible.

Anne knew she was dying and she was so very scared.

Her little sister grabbed her hand the second Julie sat down on the bed beside her. Her sister's smile trembled and then shattered as her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't want to die," Anne said, her voice shaking and the look on her face broke Julie's heart worse than anything else ever had. Even the one time she had gone out with a boy only to find out he only pretended to like her to get a free invention out of her.

Her sister swallowed and in a quiet whisper that sounded so very helpless and scared, she added, "Please don't let me die."

Julie closed her eyes against the sting of tears and leaned forward to press a kiss to her little sister's forehead, hugging her tight when she started to cry. She sat with her sister until she had cried herself to sleep and when she quietly left the room, her father was waiting in the hallway.

His face was stony and that suffocatingly heavy grimness was back in his gaze. "Go back to work," he said quietly. "There is nothing to be done."

Julie bit down on a surge of unexpected rage that surprised her with it's intensity and abruptness. She almost shouted at him that such things had never stopped him from trying to make her more than she was. It had never stopped him from lying and posturing and making everything bigger and grander than it was.

It had never stopped him from pretending.

But she stayed quiet and walked down the stairs until the coolness of the cellar greeted her, along with all it's familiar scents. She sat down and mechanically finished the focus before she stared at her shelves off to the side. 

An entire bookshelf was dedicated to medical texts. She had tried so hard to find ways to help her sister, to make her live longer, but there was indeed no cure. Her body was going to decay until it set her soul free.

It felt like something fell into place in her mind, something terribly blasphemous and illegal. 

The temples had decreed the flesh sacred. It was a gift from their gods and was to remain unchanged, no matter the circumstances. Nothing was ever removed unless it was a matter of life or death.

If someone was born with parts or limbs that didn't work or even without them, it was considered a punishment for bad actions committed in a previous life that someone had to repent for now.

Doctors and mages were therefore ever searching for techniques to heal the body back to its original state, but not even medicine, not even magic, could fix everything.

Anne's body was going to abandon her before long.

Julie would be locked away for life if she what she planned to do was discovered. But if she succeeded...if she could do this, her sister would get to live longer. Far, far longer.

That was worth everything.

*.*.*

The full story will be posted on September on both my patreon and my ko-fi, thank you everyone so much for your support! Everything helps and means the world to me, from reading my stuff to kudos and reblogs and don't worry, I'm reading all the tags!

You guys make it a real joy to write and post things, so I really want to say thank you for that.

For those who'd like to read more of my writing in the meantime, please feel free to check out my masterpost!

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Light spoilers for the Barbie movie, but mostly a reflection about myself and gender. (You also don’t need to have watched the movie to read this.)

Something that really resonated with me was the part of the movie where it was said that in the context of the gender roles of our patriarchal society, in order to be attractive to men, women act like they are more vulnerable, less intelligent, and generally helpless, insecure and in need of men’s assistance. The Barbies eventually weaponize this, but it is still a statement about something that projected me back in my high school years.

Back then I had no idea I was queer or anything (it was the mid 00s, we were fed a steady diet of Bush era conservatorism, islamophobia and fascistoid ideas on the corruption of the west and whatnot - the future queer-friendly climate was baaaarely a germinating seed thanks to cultural milestones like Brokeback Mountain, but damn it was a different world, really) but I was perfectly, acutely aware that I did not perform femininity in the way the girls around me did.

I had no knowledge of the concept of performing femininity or anything of that sort, but I remember being very perceptive about the difference in which I related to the “opposite sex” and in which my female friends did (not all of them, of course, but in retrospect they likely were not all heterosexual).

I knew that I couldn’t act like them even if tried, but also that I wasn’t actually interested in trying. Part of me was saddened by it, kind of regretted it, because I believed that I would never be attractive to boys unless I acted like the other girls. (Turns out I didn’t actually care, but back then I just assumed it was something that one just cared about, and blamed my “shyness” for my unwillingness to try going out with boys. Turns out that if someone wants to bang guys, they go and do it. Wild, right?)

But another part of me just couldn’t... summon the willingness to try. I didn’t want to act like I was insecure of my own intelligence and abilities compared to boys’. I didn’t want to act like I didn’t know my own value. I didn’t want to act like I thought I was stupid, and that I needed (wanted) a boy’s support and assistance.

I saw boys as competition, not as objects of desire, not as something to attract. I wanted to show that I was just as smart as the smartest boys. Heck, I wanted to show I was smarter. Later I learnt I was trans and asexual, which explains why I saw myself as a peer to the boys, not as a potential girlfriend for them.

(The biggest regret I have about my adolescence was that I didn’t realize that I should have tried to hang out with the boys more than the girls, but back then we self-segregated based on sex a lot, kind of crazy to think about now.)

This post doesn’t really have a moral, except maybe that it’s so incredibly fundamental for kids to know about the facets of gender and sexuality. I was smart, I understood things that I was not given the tools to conceptualize but I still managed to understand some of them, but I still lacked fundamental tools to understand the whole picture.

But also that gender non conformity just... happens. I didn’t have the conceptual tools to understand any of it, but I was gender non conforming and I fundamentally knew it, even if I didn’t have the words for it. You don’t catch gender non conformity from the outside; you have it, and from the outside you learn to understand what it means and how to navigate the world the way you are.

I’ve felt suddenly very close to my teenage self thanks to that scene in Barbie. She was a girl, she didn’t have the tools to be anything but that. But she was a girl in a way that didn’t conform to what being a girl was supposed to be according to the gender roles of the world she was in.

As a child, I was absolutely a girl. I played with Barbies with other girls. I wore dresses and skirts and read books with girl protagonists and watched movies and shows with girl protagonists. You can see the clues of my future gender and sexuality in my childhood, but only if you know what you’re looking for. I was indeed a girl. But I didn’t grow into a woman, I grew into something else, and teenage me - the age when you are in between childhood and adulthood, the age I was supposed to go from girl to woman but didn’t - was in between those. Still a girl, but without the germs of womanhood.

I wore a pink Barbie shirt to the movie theater (literally a Barbie shirt, with a print of several Barbie dolls on it). It felt like a homage to girl me. It was also campy enough to feel right for my current me, of course. But mostly it felt like something that had to do with my past girl self. The entire movie felt like something that had to do with my past girl self and how that intersect with current me. I’m not a woman, but I was a girl, and the movie said something about my past girl self, but also to current me, the one who knows they’re asexual and trans. It’s hard to put into words, but the fact that the movie said something about non-conformity to stereotypical gender roles and to heteronormativity (including allonormativity) through the lense of girlhood femininity... it felt like something that wrapped together past me and current me.

We’re not two different mes. It’s still me. We are one person. I am one person. I am that girl and this transmasculine person. I am me. (And I am Kenough. We are all Kenough even without what society says we must have to be complete.)

[pluto01doesart]

5 Reasons Why Tsukasa Doumyoji is Twisted To Begin With... (Sorta)

HIS UPBRINGING:

This crazy dude grew up in a lonely environment, despite having everything he ever wanted handed to him on a silver platter most of his life. he felt neglected, abandoned, from a young age. Even if he had his sister around, his parents hardly ever talk to him unless it's BUSINESS RELATED.

At least he has the F4, but even so he developed all types of issues growing up...because of Tsubaki's beating and lack of right experience in disciplines and authority, (manga mainly.)

He was mostly influenced by the high and mighty people of the rich society, given that he comes from a billionaire family. He used the power of his own wealth and money, even wrongly methods to achieve his somewhat toxic goals. He's abusive most of the time only because he was judged by his intimidating looks and being also part of the F4.

HIS MOTHER:

He's like another clone of her but compared to him she's way worse and bitchier. Her ways sometimes could've also had the possibility of influencing him growing up. But that wasn't it, his case turned out much more different thanks to this gal.

A Boy With A Wounded Heart Who Wants Nothing But To Be Loved.

He came to learn eventually that not everything can be bought or obtained the way you wanted it to, his character development is STILL INSANE TO ME!

HIS SIMPLE MINDEDNESS:

In a way, it was the case when it came to his actions. He was rather pushy and forceful because he was so desperate for love and care from those around him, he just didn't express himself quite well because he was so closed off as a child which is a reason he became inhumane at times, he needed someone that could tolerate his personality and yet correct the error of his ways no matter how far they went.

Since he thought that he could always get what he wanted with power, money and shit...he had to learn the hard way that humans from middle-class families aren't tools just because you act above them and ya always gotta be on top.

HIS SELF PRIDE AND ARROGANCE:

A person like him doesn't take a no for an answer or something he inherited from his old hag, however that's part of his personality as long as it's friendly and amusing- but when it's used for reasons like revenge and paybacks In a despicable way then it's super toxic. He's too blind to actually take action of his responsibilities and everything and needs someone to rebuke him like 24/7 because he's that naive, innocent and ignorant

His character was ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE FLAWED AND A TOTAL RED FLAG!! That's how character development happened. Without this shit the story would not have any starting points, however that does not excuse how abusive he was! In both the anime and manga that's why I personally tended to avoid watching the anime.

Still as a person who usually doesn't prefer live action over anime j or k even c dramas, I would personally still choose the homeland of this Shojo which is Japan.

Hating his guts at first I wanted to see the outcome of his evolution throughout their crazy journey together from enemies to friends then lovers. But for the past two years my obsessions with all the versions haven't really died down.

Their variety of personality in the F4 group is ceaseless. My personal fav is Akira the same one who holds the group together, to me he's way more underrated than the other two.

Also Jun actually portrayed the character beautifully I don't think anyone else could've done it like he did!!

[aimeedaisies]

Today, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Day 1: Colombo

🌺 At a Welcome Ceremony at Bandaranaike International Airport, Her Royal Highness was received by dignitaries including the British High Commissioner to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Andrew Patrick and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Ali Sabry.

🧵 The Princess’s first visited the MAS Active Factory, one of the largest apparel tech companies in South Asia to be identified by the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) as an important Sri Lankan partner.

👚 As President of the UKFT, Her Royal Highness had an opportunity to meet staff and tour the facility to hear more about their innovative designs and partnerships with UK brands.

🎂 Next, Her Royal Highness visited Save The Children Sri Lanka’s Head Office in Colombo. This year marks 50 years of Save The Children working in Sri Lanka.

💗 The Princess had an opportunity to hear about some of the programmes the charity has provided, which have contributed to humanitarian and development needs across the country, including in education, health and nutrition and vocational skills development.

👧 As Patron of Save The Children UK, Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Save The Children working in Sri Lanka.

🏥 Following this, The Princess Royal visited Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children to see Save The Children’s Social Emotional Learning Tool Kit Programme, Tilli, in action.

📚 Her Royal Highness met hospital staff who are implanting the Tilli programme which is a play-based, Social-Emotional Learning tool kit that incorporates evidence-based interventions such as games and story-telling to assist parents and teachers in facilitating meaningful child-friendly discussions with children on topics such as trust, consent, bodies and boundaries.

🇱🇰 The Princess Royal previously visited Sri Lanka in March 1995 with Save The Children to learn more about their projects in the country.

Video from Royal Family Instagram story | Posted 10th January 2024

[thiziri]

The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Day 1: Colombo

At a Welcome Ceremony at Bandaranaike International Airport, Her Royal Highness was received by dignitaries including the British High Commissioner to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Andrew Patrick and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Ali Sabry.

The Princess’s first visited the MAS Active Factory, one of the largest apparel tech companies in South Asia to be identified by the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) as an important Sri Lankan partner.

As President of the UKFT, Her Royal Highness had an opportunity to meet staff and tour the facility to hear more about their innovative designs and partnerships with UK brands.

Next, Her Royal Highness visited Save The Children Sri Lanka’s Head Office in Colombo. This year marks 50 years of Save The Children working in Sri Lanka.

The Princess had an opportunity to hear about some of the programmes the charity has provided, which have contributed to humanitarian and development needs across the country, including in education, health and nutrition and vocational skills development.

As Patron of Save The Children UK, Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Save The Children working in Sri Lanka.

Following this, The Princess Royal visited Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children to see Save The Children’s Social Emotional Learning Tool Kit Programme, Tilli, in action.

Her Royal Highness met hospital staff who are implanting the Tilli programme which is a play-based, Social-Emotional Learning tool kit that incorporates evidence-based interventions such as games and story-telling to assist parents and teachers in facilitating meaningful child-friendly discussions with children on topics such as trust, consent, bodies and boundaries.

The Princess Royal previously visited Sri Lanka in March 1995 with Save The Children to learn more about their projects in the country.

The Princess Royal delivered a message from The King to the President and First Lady of Sri Lanka this evening.

© Royal UK

[changingplumbob]

Villareal: Chapter 6, Part 11

The library of Windenburg won't know what hit it!

For ease of reading if the toddlers are trying to say real words I'll put the English in brackets. Luna (mummy) and Devin (mama) use some German and Italian. Amore (Italian) Love Bambino/s (Italian) Male child/children Ciao (Italian) Hello/Bye Grazie (Italian) Thank you Schatz (German) Treasure Tante/Onkel (German) Aunt/Uncle

In the library in Windenburg Max and Hugo Villareal are keeping toddlers Alfred and Rilian busy. Max is working on needs flashcards with Rilian while Hugo has decided to play with Alfred for a bit.

In a side room Luna has found the archive machine and begins to pull together some research for her next paper. She hasn’t used one in a while so she has to ask the librarian about the more fiddly tasks that she has forgotten how to do. Lucky for us the librarian is friendly and happy to help.

Max: And what is this one

Rilian: For hungry!

Max: Good job! We can cook lots of nice things in pans to fill up our hunger

Alfred: I birdie, flap flap

Hugo: Uh oh, storm is coming

Alfred laughs and giggles as Hugo spins him around. When he gets back on solid ground though he wants some flashcard time to! If his brother can learn then so will he.

Following streaming her jog around the rainy heart of Windenburg Devin returns to the library to find some fans have gathered.

Fan: OMG it’s you! In person!

Devin: Ciao! Nice to see you despite this rain

Fan: I couldn’t miss this chance. Can I… please may I have your autograph

Devin: Of course. I keep some headshots on me in case of autograph emergencies. Now who shall I make it out to?

After signing some autographs, taking some selfies and posing for the paparazzi Devin breaks out her guitar to give an impromptu performance for those that braved the weather.

Inside Rilian has finished with flashcards and has gotten Onkel Max to play with him. Unfortunately as great as Max and Hugo are they do manage to get confused about which twin they’re responsible for. Seizing his chance Alfred heads to the dollhouse.

Alfred: Birdie SMASH

He lets loose on the dollhouse, trashing what he can. A nearby child is horrified at the display and bursts into tears. Luna comes in just as he’s finished and grinning to himself.

Luna: ALFRED! I thought you two were going to watch him

Luna’s brothers mutter their apologies while Luna scoops up Alfred and apologises to the librarian. Devin comes in and although she doesn’t have her tools is happy to pay for the cost of repair. The Del Sol Villareal’s head home.

When they get back the toddlers need naps and Luna heads to host her last online office hours for the day.

Luna: Class, I am here to help. But some of these submitted questions are answered in the final chapters of the books. I’m not here to read the books for you. Reframe your question after you’ve finished the text and we can discuss

Next student group

Luna: You want me to define that word during office hours? Let me help you. Open a tab and go to dictionary.com, everyone make note of that

Next student group

Luna: You all sound on track for your essays, I’m looking forward to reading them. Remember, include all references! We quote or we paraphrase, we do not plagiarise

Norah: I know it’s a bit more wordy than normal

Devin: I can do science jargon, can’t be more tongue twisty than The Jabberwocky

Norah: You’ve recited that?

Devin: It was a test in my first university course, showing pronunciation and ability to memorise. I passed with flying colours

Norah: Nice. See you on set, oh we’re giving your character a new look as well

Devin waves her friend goodbye and heads to the kitchen where Joey is baking something else.

Devin: Still fighting the burnout?

Joey: Trying. Work was intense today but I scored a promotion!

Devin: Look at you go! I’m so proud of you bro

Joey: The feeling is mutual, I hope you know that

Devin: Grazie

Joey pulls the fish pie from the oven and Devin can’t stop herself laughing.

Devin: *through laughter* Oh if you ever wanted proof for your “we’re in a simulation” argument that’s got to be it! Like why would you choose to make pie like that? Look at the tails!

Joey: I take it you won’t be eating any

Devin: Me and my bambinos will be eating excellent meatballs, my palate is refined after all, but... grazie for trying?

When the toddlers are up they also laugh at the fish tails sticking out of the pastry. Joey responds by pulling some of his best faces making the boys laugh even harder. When they’re finished Joey helps Devin get them to bed as Luna’s online office hours seem to have run overtime.

Devin goes to tidy up dinner while Joey starts on some knitting.

Devin: Grazie for the help, Luna does get so generous with her students

Joey: You don’t mind?

Devin: She has work that makes her feel fulfilled. I get the same feeling from my filming, and watcher knows that can take just as long. End of the day I know regardless she and I will always put our family first. A night a week of missed bedtimes at this age won’t harm the twins relationship with either of us. Now scooch over, let the knitting pro show you how it’s done

Devin continues her own project, giving Joey advice as he navigates his latest plant holder. He finishes and declares he’s inviting Alexander over for a bake off catch up. Devin laughs and finishes her own work. Spotting Luna in the garden spraying some errant bugs she steps outside.

Devin: Ciao amore mio

Luna: Oh schatz, I’m sorry I missed dinner. One of my bilingual kids was having a crisis about syntax and I-

Devin silences her with a kiss and lifts her up gently spinning her around.

Devin: Have I told you I love how you call your students your kids

Luna: *laughs* You know what I mean

Devin: I do. You care about them and their futures, knowing they have someone like that in their corner is worth a few missed dinners

She sets Luna back on the ground gently.

Luna: Can we go kiss our bambinos goodnight? I know they'll be asleep and won't know but still

Devin: Of course we can. Then you and I have a date between our sheets. Workaholics deserve treats

Luna: They look so sweet like this. Our babies

Devin: Yep. You’d never know they are the same ones that busted public property and made grown kids cry

Luna: *laughs* Thank goodness you had some simoleons on hand, and the paparazzi had already left. Now I believe you promised me a bedroom treat

Devin: *coyly* Did I? Would I do that?

Luna: Do you want me to launch a tickle attack because I will

Devin: Come on then amore, to bed we go

Previous ... Next

[mhedusard]

--------Backstory---------

In a World full of Wonders lived its only witch who spend her life collecting and creating all kind of magical ittems in the purpose of sharing it with her magicless peers. But that was before those say peers used her gifts to bring cahos in the Land and abused it to fulfifed their twisted desires. Seing the atrocity they commited with her creation the remorsefull woman decided to take them back by force and sealed them away in her tower defeating anyone foolish enough to try to take it back.Once her life reached the end she gave her aprentice the task to keep all of her magical ittems and treasure away from anyone. After all if anyone use it who know what kind of atrocities they would comit again? The say loyal aprentice fulfifed his serment until his death, so did his child,grand child and all of his descendants who had at each generation a new guardian protecting the treasure of the witch’s Tower.At least this is the story Hydris always has heard. As the New guardian of the Tower they were trained since birth to completly devote their life to their duty.Duty which was to never leave the said Tower and to always being prepared to slay any trepasers and fight to protect the Magic even if it cost their life.So this is what they Always did.

Staying alone in this Tower forgotten by all since their mentor died.

Waiting for an enemy that will never come and only being able to see the outside World from the few windows of the tower.

Repressing each day the desire of freedom that grow more and more eachday because They have to stay there.

They were born to live this life after all.It was their duty.Why thinking of doing anything less?

Well this was before a lost kid broke into their Tower and trigered a dusty miror that transported both of them in another World.

------Personality------

As you Can Guess living in an Isolated tower during their entirely life did not make Hydris a social butterfly.

It rather turned them into a rather quiet and mefiant person who grew up with difficulties to express their thought without sounding rude or cold. Their lack of social skills make them struggle to interact with people.

However if like a certain group of first year you’re able to get into friendly term with them you will discover a devoted person who will always ready to help you out even in the most weird situation and that would believe anything you Say.

As their journey in twisted wonderland goes by they learn to form relationship with people and trully living their life. But as this new adventure goes by more questions Come to them. Do they really want to return to their home ? Do they really want to give up what's supposed to be their only goal in life ? Do they are really ready to be their own person and not just a soldier?And as the coward which deep down they still are.They Hope that Crowley still find no way to send them back so they will never have to choose.

Other informations :

They're twisted from fairytales' dragon

Nicknames : Jumbo Shrimpy(Floyd)

Talent: Crafting tools

Best subject: art

Club: Honorary member of the Gargoyl reaseach club

Hobby: making toys

Likes: Dogs, Learning about legend and fairytales

Dislikes : Having to make choices, Alchemy

They work part time at an antic shop in Sage Island.

Relationships :

Paloma: Their "hero" as the little girl likes to put it. They don't mind her antics and even find fun in them. They especialy love to listen to her "adventures" in their original World even if a part of them is envious to never have experienced it.

Pictures

Credit templates: @/ai-kan1

[the-wraiths-wife]

I write a fanfiction about Kaz having a sister in Wattpad, named Adjala Brekker. And I just got the craziest idea. Kaz is always the baby sitter for Adjala's kids so why not write headcannons?

So I just made a few headcannons about Kaz babysitting his niece Jordan, and his two nephews Johannes and Kaz jr.

( Everytime you see a mom approved, it means the kids' mother approves of the activity )

1. "Uncle Kaz's House of Schemes": Kaz turns babysitting into a series of elaborate games and puzzles for the kids. It's like a mini heist every time they visit, complete with clues and riddles to keep them entertained. (Mum approved)

2. Kaz's version of "nap time" is "quiet planning time": When it's time for the kids to take a nap, Kaz uses this opportunity to quietly plan his next big scheme. He's convinced they're the perfect cover for his brainstorming sessions. (Mum approved)

3. Candy heist training: Kaz teaches the kids the fine art of candy heists, complete with disguises, diversion tactics, and a secret candy stash. They're the most resourceful trick-or-treaters in Ketterdam. (Mum not approved)

4. The "Ingenious Bedtime Routine": Kaz has a knack for getting kids to bed without fuss. His secret? He tells them thrilling stories about his heists until they're too excited to stay awake. (Mum approved)

5. Tiny suits and dresses: Kaz insists that the kids wear tiny suits and dresses, just like him, when they go out together. It's a comical sight seeing them dressed as miniature versions of him. (Hehe definitely mum approved)

6. Teaching the art of negotiation: Kaz imparts his negotiating skills to the kids, coaching them on how to haggle with street vendors for the best deals on toys and treats. They quickly become savvy little traders. They negotiate with daddy alot too, and their daddy always falls for this (Their dad hates this, so mum approved)

7. The "Kaz Jr. Inheritance Fund": Kaz secretly sets up a savings account for each of the kids, earmarking it as their "inheritance." He insists they learn about managing their finances from an early age. (Uncle Jes and Mumma approved)

8. "The Kaz Bunker" (my fav) : In the event of a "Kaz-sized emergency," he's built a secret bunker (a well-fortified blanket fort) in the living room. It's the perfect hiding spot for epic pillow fights and strategizing. (There's photo evidence -Inej) [mum approved - Kaz's sister]

9. Poker night (ft. Uncle jes, Daddy and uncle Wy) : Kaz introduces the kids to poker night, using candies as chips. It's all in good fun until Jesper's uncanny ability to bluff leaves Kaz Jr and Johannes with an empty stash of candy, while Jordie has a whole lot to herself. Wylan always gives his candy to Kaz jr in the end. Elijah (the kids' dad) sits their and sticks his tongue out to his brother in-law whenever he wins, only to me met by the Lethal Brekker sibling glower. (The mother doesn't aprove of this, their dad does tho)

10. Lessons in lockpicking (childproof, of course): Kaz teaches the kids the basics of lockpicking, with a set of child-friendly locks and tools. They think it's just a game, but it's secretly a life skill. (The parents don't aprove since candy is always being stolen from the kitchen)

11. Kaz and naps : when the kids' parents get back from date night of smth, they see uncle Kaz and the kids in the Kaz Bunker fort, or all of them on the ground, surrounded my toys and Kaz is laying flat on his stomach and Kaz jr is snoozing on top of him and Jordan and Johannes are snoozing in the corner. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how the bastard of the barrel gets his sleep. (Inej has photo evidence) [Daddy and mumma approved]

12: Lifeskills (ft. Uncle Matty, aunty 'nej and aunty Ninny) : so Kaz gets his gang together to preach Lifeskills to his nephews and niece. Uncle Matty adores the mini demjins. Aunty 'nej takes them in sea trips (Aunty ninny brings the snacks) [ pappa and mumma approved]

13. Shark stare classes 101: in which Kaz teaches his little trainees the signature bombastic side eye and shark like stare, along with the lethal Brekker glower, which always has the kids' dad running for the HILLS, cuz they look like his scary wife and terrifying brother in law. (Daddy and Mumma approved ladies and gentlemen)

A fanfic for this :

I'm tagging a few of the biggest SoC enthusiasts I know : @she-posts-nerdy-stuff @ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes @marsconer

[successblueprints]

How I Deal with Tough Days When My Brain Won't Let Me Work

We all have those days where productivity feels impossible. It’s like no matter what we do, we just can’t seem to get started. I’ve come to realize that, for me, these days aren’t just about laziness or lack of motivation—it’s more complex. When I procrastinate, it’s often my creative brain, or what I like to call my “inner child,” throwing a tantrum.

Step 1: Understanding the Procrastination

The first thing I do is pause and try to understand what I’m running away from. Is it the overwhelming amount of work? In that case, I break it down into smaller, manageable bits. When the material feels boring, I add some fun—by creating colorful and funny interpretations of definitions or concepts. I turn words into weird characters, almost like a cartoon in my mind. Sometimes, I’ll turn it into a game, like seeing how many questions I can get right, or even trying new study techniques like rewriting a sentence or reading it out loud.

I find that when I’m bored, it’s a perfect opportunity to experiment. I might try drawing funny sketches of the material or use quirky interpretations to make it more interesting. The key is that I have to figure out what’s causing the procrastination—is it fear, perfectionism, or just the sheer volume of work?

Step 2: Naming My Inner Child

Once I understand what’s happening, I like to give my inner child a friendly name. This helps me communicate with it when things get tough. Every time I mess something up and feel like quitting, I know that it’s just my inner child reacting to the idea of perfectionism. Naming it makes it less scary, and I feel more in control of the situation.

A perfect example would be the time I noticed that my inner child shows up in my skincare routine, but not because I’m lazy—it's because I feel unmotivated when I don’t have enough of those colorful, trendy products, like the ones all over TikTok. You know, the Drunk Elephant skincare, with its fun packaging that every influencer seems to have. It taps into the same idea as “Sephora kids,” where even as adults, we’re drawn to overconsumption of things we don’t actually need, just because they’re colorful or trendy or aesthetically pleasing.

But I’ve realized that I don’t need fancy, colorful products to wash my face before bed. My inner child might crave those items, but recognizing that helps me let go of the unnecessary pressure to follow trends. I focus on the routine itself, rather than what’s missing from my shelf.

Step 3: Clearing the Distractions

Next, I clear my desk. Anything that’s not a school supply or a tool I need for work can be a distraction, especially if it’s colorful or unrelated to my task. I set a 5-minute timer and start working, just to show my inner child that it’s really not that scary. Once the timer’s up, I double it, taking short breathers in between. I repeat this until I feel like I’ve done enough for the day.

Step 4: Knowing When Enough Is Enough

After a certain point, I trust my own judgment. I ask myself honestly, “Is this enough for today?” If I feel like I’ve given it my best shot, I let go of the need to do more. I accept that some days will be harder than others, and that’s okay. The important thing is that I’m not fighting my inner child, but working with it.

It’s a simple process, but it’s effective. Instead of battling myself, I’ve learned to communicate with that part of me that gets overwhelmed, bored, or perfectionistic. By understanding and breaking things down, I can get through even the toughest days without feeling like I need to drop everything.

P.S.: I’ve struggled to stay productive most of my life, and a part of that was because I didn’t grow up in one of those aesthetically pleasing, western-style homes you always see on social media. I live in the Balkans, and my bedroom looked nothing like that. It wasn’t perfectly curated or full of trendy decor, but over time, I grew to love my culture and my surroundings. Even though I wasn’t the richest or living the most "aesthetic" lifestyle, I’ve learned that what I have is enough, and it doesn’t define my ability to be productive or happy.