#lmk if you wanted becky instead

[honeybuckin]

lyric starter [ . . . ] from my cartel heiress , cleona ( becky g ╱ alexa demie ) , based on still your best by givēon for @uneasymuses .

“ this the one you talking 'bout that's supposed to take my place ? ” the hand she used to point at the other now covering her mouth , unable to keep herself from laughing at them . “ it's almost disrespectful . i don't want you back , but that's a downgrade and you know it . ”

[cosmicflw3rr]

things we’ve never said.

dominik mysterio x fem!reader

summary: you and dom have been friends for as long as you can remember, but when he begins to distance himself from you, everything falls apart. will you crumble under the weight of it all and confess your true feelings to him?

A/N: I could not come up with a good title for thiss.. 😭 also this is my first time ever writing on here so lmk how you guys feel about itt.

you and dom have been close friends since you were young. growing up with parents in the WWE, you and him would hang out whenever your parents brought you to work.

throughout the years the two of you remained close, the both of you following in your parents footsteps and becoming wwe wrestlers. you and him becoming inseparable, since you got drafted to raw.

even though he was in the judgment day, and you were making a name for yourself, you always found a way to support and be there for each other.

as time passed, it hit you that dom was gradually drifting from you. the post-show hangouts you both used to have were replaced by solo nights in your hotel room, binging your favorite show.

and you traded in your late-night waffle house trips for early morning trips to the hotel gym, trying to clear your mind.

while the friendship you shared with dom started to fade, his connection with rhea only grew stronger, leaving you to deal with your thoughts.

you could feel yourself fading into the background, witnessing all the moments that once belonged to you and dom now being shared with her instead.

avoiding both of them had become your new routine, yet there was only so much you could do when your job meant crossing paths every week, making escape almost impossible.

but you held your own. there were times you’d run into dominik but you’d just ignore him and pretend you didn’t hear him.

you were doing your best to try and move on from the situation, but your attempts at ignoring reality only caused you pain.

when your paths would cross it was like your entire body was consumed in pain as you watched them be happy together even if it was just for a second.

you could try and hold yourself together all you want, but it felt like your heart was ripping apart every time you saw them.

you had been sitting backstage waiting for your time to go out to the ring, you had a match against becky lynch. you were just waiting for rhea to get done with her call out promo.

the air in the ring was tense from their ongoing feud, full of sharp words and taunts. you felt a twinge of nerves, not just for the match but because dom was always rhea's shadow, and tonight was no exception.

glancing at the screen, you saw rhea laying down her final words, with dom looming behind her like a puppy.

your leg instinctively started bouncing up and down, dreading the inevitable awkwardness that came with being anywhere near dom. It was just one of those things that made you wish you were anywhere else.

rhea's theme hit, and she strutted out of the ring, her and dom making their way backstage slowly, nibbling on your lip to find some calm. someone sat down in the seat next to you, but you were too wrapped up in your own head to notice.

a moment passed, then a familiar voice cut through, "hey, you okay?" you glanced over to find liv, a good friend of yours, looking at you with concern. you pulled yourself together and offered a small, convincing-enough smile.

“oh- yeah, I'm good," you responded, as much as you liked to think you had a good poker face you didn’t. and liv saw right through you.

"if its about the match don’t worry, you’ll kill it." she said slowly, a touch of uncertainty in her tone. "but something tells me that's not it."

releasing a breath you hadn't noticed you were holding, you asked with a hint of humor, "Is it that obvious?" liv was clued in on everything; you two had become closer ever since you and dom stopped talking. she had become your ride-or-die.

she just shrugged and said, "no, I just know things." as you rolled your eyes with a smile. right then, a crew member gave the five-minute warning. you rose to get moving, but liv called out to you. "y/n/n."

turning to face her, "everything's gonna be okay." you gave her a soft smile and sent a playful kiss her way before heading to the curtains.

as you approached, rhea slipped through them holding her title over her shoulder without a glance your way. but when dom passed by, his gaze found yours.

In that quick moment, your heart skipped a beat, time seemed to stop, stretching the seconds out endlessly. a series of unspoken questions and unresolved issues hovered in the space between you two. that look between you two spoke more than words ever could.

it was the first direct eye contact you'd made with him in weeks. and just like that, it was over, the moment ending as quickly as it had arrived.

he passed by, his gaze leaving you and locking on rhea, and that strange, churning sensation in your belly returned. It was puzzling, a feeling you couldn't quite name.

suddenly, your theme rung out. you took a breath placing yourself in your confident persona, you’d walked out to the ramp beaming that confident grin with your arms wide, you soaked up the the cheers of the crowd washing over you like a wave.

you found yourself forgetting about everything, right now it wasn’t about you. it was about your fans. and one thing you weren’t going to do was let your personal life interfere with your job.

strutting down the ramp, you exchanged grins and nods with the fans, their excitement mirroring your own. slipping between the ropes, you blew the audience a kiss before sauntering to your designated corner.

crouching, anticipation tingling through you, you waited for the signal.

ding! ding! ding!

The bell's ringing sent your heart racing—it was go time. you and becky lunged at each other, each fighting for control, neither of you letting up.

becky dashed toward the ropes, bouncing off with momentum, but you were ready and landed a superkick right to her face. she stumbled backward, and you quickly went for the your finisher, a ripcord flatliner. as soon as becky’s body hit the mat you pushed her shoulders down and went for the cover.

1! 2! 3!

your music echoed throughout the arena, signaling the end of the match. shifting off becky, you settled onto your knees, a cocky grin spreading across your face as you swept your hair back, basking in the applause. a quick swipe of your tongue over your teeth, and you rose to your feet, ready to soak it all in.

the referee walked up next to you, lifting your right hand high, the crowd's cheers roaring louder. when your hand eventually lowered, you took a moment to look around at the cheering fans before making your exit backstage.

as the curtain fell behind you, liv was there, her voice lilting with enthusiasm. "you did amazing!" she chirped, the melody of her praise ringing in your ears.

you grin was wide, a mix of relief lighting up your face. "thanks," you replied with a shrug. "how about grabbing drinks later?" you asked.

liv's expression was priceless, her mouth agape before she shot you a look that screamed, 'Is that even a question?'

"hell yea we should. want me to invite sam and nat?" she bounced back, her enthusiasm infectious.

you gave a nod, the exhaustion of the night seeping into your voice. "I don’t mind.” you admitted, feeling exhausted. “I just really need a drink." you admitted.

liv wrapped you in a comforting hug, her hand soothing your back. "you've earned it," she whispered, pulling away only to hold your gaze. "i have to shoot a backstage promo now, so I'll catch you tonight, okay?"

with a nod, you exchanged goodbyes, each heading your separate ways. as you walked through the arena backstage to get to the locker room, the post-match adrenaline still coursing through your veins.

turning a corner you suddenly bumped into someone. you looked up to see dom, your heart picked up its pace. the two of you looking at each other, after a moment of no words and eye contact you had to get out of there.

you managed a strained smile, thoughts whirling as you sought an escape. "sorry," you mumbled, already sidestepping away.

but dom's hand clasped your forearm, halting you. you glanced from his eyes to where he touched you. his hold was gentle, yet insistent, something you hadn’t felt in a while. It almost felt foreign to you. "wait, we need to talk," he said firmly, his gaze digging deep for an answer you weren't prepared to give.

the air thickened with his words, an unspoken acknowledgment that whatever was going on between the two of you couldn’t be ignored forever

your expression hardened, as you withdrew your arm from his grasp. "not now dominik," you told him, abandoning the nickname you usually used when talking to him.

dom's face was a picture of tension, his jaw clenched tight. "then when?" he pressed, his words hitting you hard. "when's the right time gonna be? why have you been avoiding me?" you could hear the sincerity in his voice, the raw need for an answer lingering in the air.

the words hit you like a hurricane, leaving you momentarily frozen, brows knitted together. "don't pretend you care now," you spat out, the words sharper than intended, as you finally faced your tangled emotions head-on.

dom looked taken aback. "what are you talking about?" he retorted, his guard up.

"you've been distant for weeks, but obviously, you didn't notice because you're too wrapped up with rhea, right?"

"that's not true, I—"

your heart pounding as you locked eyes with dom. "no—I've been there for you through everything, and now you just push me away for them, for her," you said, the hurt in your voice unmistakable.

dom looked taken aback, his own anger subsiding as he realized the depth of your pain. "push you away? that's not what I'm trying to do," he protested, but you cut him off.

"but it’s exactly what you did! god I-" you looked away from him as your eyes filled with tears. you bit your lip hoping to stop. you didn’t feel like crying in front of him.

the tears overwhelmed you, there were far to much that you couldn’t hide it. as you blinked the tears escaped, you hastily wiped them. you looked at him. “you pushed me away and it hurt-“ you told him your voice breaking.

“y/n/n-” dom’s features softened, you looked around trying to avoid looking at his eyes.

"and I hate feeling this way, and I wish I didn’t care but I do. because I'm in love with you, dom. I have been for so long." your words hung heavy in the air, and your eyes welled up, the tears you'd fought to keep at bay now tracing hot paths down your cheeks. "this sort of thing was never meant to happen," you said your voice breaking, a sob catching in your throat.

dom's anger dissolved and his arms were around you in an instant. "hey, hey, don't cry, I hate it when you cry." your arms instinctively wrapped around him, as your tears fell silently.

the hug was a deep, tight one, like he was holding you as if you were the only thing keeping him standing. no words were spoken, but the tension in your body melted away as you leaned into him, his mere presence calming your racing heart.

the hug seemed to stretch on forever, dom's hand gently threading through your hair as you rested your head against his chest, tears falling silently.

eventually, he drew back, cupping your cheeks as he met your gaze with tenderness, brushing away your tears and moving your hair out of your face gently. he missed you. so god damn much.

"I—y/n/n..." dom's voice wavered as he looked into your eyes, his emotions laid bare for you to see.

after a moment of silence, he spoke softly. "i've been wanting to tell you... but was so afraid of losing you and messing things up. i just..."

"i..." he spoke up again but stopped himself mid-sentence. "i've been avoiding you... because of the way i feel. and i thought if i tried to hide it and put some distance between us, it would go away."

his eyes bore into yours, making sure you were taking in everything he was saying. "i was wrong." your heart seemed to stop, leaving you momentarily speechless as you struggled to find the right words.

"i'm in love with you," he said.

his words hung in the air, lingering in the space between the two of you. he continued, “i was an idiot, and i thought if i kept us away, i could just make these feelings go away. but when i finally had some time to actually think... i realized i've loved you all along, and I'm done pretending like we can just be friends."

"i've never looked at anyone else the way I look at you, y/n/n." he murmured, his touch gentle against your cheek. "being with you just feels so natural. i can't hide how i feel anymore. please," his voice quivered, the words barely making their way out, "let me make things right."

dom's hand gently cradled your jaw, tilting his head as he gazed into your eyes. "can I..." he started, his voice trailing off.

you nodded, your eyes flickering between his and his eyes and his lips. "yes."

his lips met yours in a tender kiss, the embrace deepening as you both became lost in the moment.

it was a moment you had yearned for, and as your hearts raced and time seemed to stand still, it felt like a dream come true.

dom pulled back after a moment, his lips trailing away from yours. you could tell he was still processing the moment, his breaths coming in quick and shallow spurts as he tried to regain his composure.

“i’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” his eyes studying you as he took in every detail.

you smiled softly, feeling a warmth spread through your chest at his words. "me too." you admitted,

dom's eyes lit up at your confession, a grin spreading across his face. Without another word, he leaned in to capture your lips in another kiss, this one more confident and eager than the last. you melted into his embrace, feeling happiness wash over you.

dom rested his forehead against yours. "i don't want to wait any longer," he whispered, his voice filled with sincerity. "I want to be with you, in every way possible."

your smile widened, every moment, every obstacle, had led you to this point, and in that moment, it all felt worth it. "that's all I've ever wanted too," you replied, your voice filled with emotion.

dom smiled and engulfed you in a warm hug, lifting you off the ground and twirling you around. your joyful squeal filled the air as he gently set you down, peppering kisses on your lips that made you smile. "let's grab some food, I'm starving," he suggested.

"of course you are," you teased, playfully rolling your eyes at his mock-offended expression. he shook his head, then wrapped his arm around your shoulder as the two of you started walking.

the two of you reached catering, you noticed liv and natalya at a table and subtly intertwined your hands with dom's. "um, i'll catch up with you in a sec?" you said, releasing his hand to approach the table.

taking a seat, liv and natalya exchanged knowing glances as they looked at you with anticipation. "hey, girlie," natalya greeted with a playful smirk. "i'm ready for those drinks tonight!" she added, with a little shimmy that made liv burst into laughter.

as the excitement filled the air, you hesitated before breaking the news. "about that..." the two women turned their heads to look at you, their expressions shifting to curiosity. "sooo, how about we rain check on the drinks tonight?" you suggested, catching liv's curious gaze as you awaited their response.

"why?" she inquired, prompting you to glance back at dom, who was already heading towards the table. bracing yourself, you sat back as he casually draped his arm over your chair.

turning your attention from him to liv and natalya, who looked utterly shocked, you nervously chuckled. "yeah," you admitted.

"i told you!" liv exclaimed loudly, laughing and sharing a glance with natalya. confusion lingered as you and dom exchanged looks before refocusing on the two women in front of you. natalya shook her head, putting her head in her hands. "I told you," she muttered.

liv sprang up, doing a little dance with a bright smile on her face. "did you guys bet on us?" you asked, a hint of amusement in your voice.

liv stopped her dance, still beaming. "nope, just might've challenged natalya on when you two would make up," she revealed.

you rolled your eyes, laughing. "of course you did." you guys began talking about the upcoming pay-per-view event. focused in the conversation, you felt a sudden warmth as dom's hand found yours under the table.

glancing down at your intertwined hands resting on his lap, you couldn't help but smile at the sweet gesture. despite the subtle display of affection, you decided to refocus on listening to liv and natalya.

this is exactly where you wanted to be.

[f1nalgirlz]

Charlie’s so hot | Charlie Walker I

Part 2

“She’s the one I should hate, but I wanna know how she taste…” (Becky’s so hot, FLETCHER)

premise: you had a messy breakup with your ex boyfriend, but now you can’t get his new boyfriend (Charlie Walker) out of your mind.

˗ˏˋwarnings´ˎ˗pretty fast paced (lil unrealistic lmao)

˗ˏˋcontent´ˎ˗ mlm relationships, male reader, gay Charlie Walker

“We broke up a month ago and he’s already with someone new?” You thought to yourself as you scrolled through your ex’s instagram, seething. Your furrowed eyebrows only relaxed when you clicked on a tagged photo, which took you to his new boyfriend’s page. As soon as you looked at his newest post you could feel your heart sinking, and the previous scowl softening into more of a hurt look. it was a photo of Charlie in one of your ex’s t-shirts. You knew it was his because you’d worn it too when the two of you were still together. You felt anger bubbling up in you, but also a strange sense of attraction, you couldn’t deny that he was attractive. Before much time had passed, you’d found yourself stalking his entire page, scouring comments and tags until you finally made it back to his recent post. You decided to call it a night and try not to think about any of the confusing feelings you were experiencing, that was until you were sent into a true panic! You’d accidentally liked his post. You wanted to scream, holding your face in your hands after tossing your phone to the side. After calming down you decided to just leave it, it was too late now. You locked your phone and tried to sleep it off, you didn’t sleep peacefully though, knowing you’d be seeing the both of them on campus.

It was a Monday morning and you were on your way to class, hood pulled up over your hair, hands shoved in your hoodie pocket. As your eyes scanned the area around you, your stomach dropped and your mouth went completely dry. Your eyes caught Charlie and your ex standing together, your ex was looking off in another direction, but Charlie’s piercing eyes were already on you. He didn’t look angry, eyebrows raised slightly. Your cheeks flushed as you looked away quickly, speeding up to get out of his line of sight. When you finally got inside and recuperated, you noticed the strangest thing, instead of feeling upset when you saw him, you almost felt butterflies in your stomach.

You slid into your seat for class when it started, leaning your head on your arm lazily. As your teachers monotone voice droned on your mind started to wander, always ending up in the same place, Charlie. The more you thought about him, the more you realized just how attracted to him you were. You found yourself wondering what your ex’s new boyfriend’s lips would feel like against your own. What they’d taste like.You felt a little guilty, of course you did, but you really couldn’t stop your thoughts! Occasionally your eyes would wander too, landing on the back of the brunette’s head. You were pulled from your thoughts by the sound of class being dismissed, clearing your throat you stood up, collecting your stuff. You quickly looked over at Charlie’s desk midway through grabbing your things to see that he was already looking your way, causing your cheeks to flush for what felt like the millionth time to you. You shot him an awkward smile before heading for the door.

“Cause Becky’ so hot in your vintage t-shirt”

R: if this doesn’t totally flop I may write a part 2 that’s jucier🤭 If anyone actually likes this and wants a part 2 then lmk because I personally, really like this premise.

[insomniac-dot-ink]

Anyone read one of these books and LOVED it? And as such (because we have similar tastes), what are some other books you’ve loved? I’m hoping for suggestions from My People.

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland: Scary? Savage feminine?? AND a fairytale? This book was so good, please let me know if there’s more like it. I tried to read another book afterward and I couldn’t bc I was so disappointed it wasn’t this one.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake: I am yearning for the sequel so badly. Seeing where she goes with Astrid consumes me. And okay, some parts of the book I didn’t care for as much, but what made up for it for me was the emotional intelligence. If you know of more emotionally insightful romances lmk!

A Desolation Called Peace by Martine, Arkady: I’ve read the sequel too, really fucking fantastic space opera. Open to more, though probably only female sci-fi authors bc I keep getting knee-capped by the male ones (no hate or anything, just a self-preservation thing)

Anything by Talia Hibbert: She’s so funny, and so heartfelt with her characters, the only author whose newsletter I actively follow bc I like her updates and knowing if she’s well. 

I also enjoyed The Flatshare which had a similar thing going for it I thought!

Jade City and the Green Bones Saga by  Fonda Lee: SO GOOD. The worldbuilding alone. Though let’s be real, I enjoy my books with a lil’ moral ambiguity, for spice.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman: Are there more authors like this? I’ve wanted a good cry as only the Backman can serve me, but so many tearjerkers are intentionally tearjerkers which fills me with rage instead of release. I feel manipulated by books like The Nightingale that just jam bad things into them for the sake of bad things.

Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller: I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I read it. Like, one of those books that made me see the world legitimately differently? And passionate about the fact Fish Don’t Exist.

I also mean this kindly, but someone suggested Mary Roach books which I tried and the author just didn’t hit the same for me.

Special mentions go to Spinning Silver by Naomi Nokak (though I didn’t like Uprooted nearly as much), The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir series of course (I do not think there is another series like this tho), and The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin as always

I don’t normally reveal how picky I am about books, but people often recommend books to me that I already have strong opinions about. 

There are some things I’ve also tried reading in the past and Did Not Care for: Becky Chambers books (it’s something about the writing style), Iron Widow (one of the worst things I’ve read in a long time, my review), Gillian Flynn (my beloathed), and Brandon Sanderson

[i-did]

hi hello i couldn't sleep last night so i was scrolling thru all ur asks and stuff and ur opinions and analyses are so interesting!!! and then afterwards i was thinking about what u were saying about mlm smut and i'd also been thinking about such things a little bit recently bc like.....at a certain point it becomes quite clear that the vast majority of smut-writing is just imitation. like there's the sex noise verb list and all and the whole general mechanics of the sex and those things just .... replicate over and over. and the whole thing w people writing mlm vs wlw smut regardless of their own sexual orientation..... like i feel like a big part of that is just a self-perpetuating thing. like if u have not had sex and u r getting all ur (pleasure-related) sex ed from fandom (even if u do watch porn, that doesn't rlly tell u how to describe stuff? idk) regardless of What fandom , the majority is going to be mlm smut. which is itself majority imitation of other mlm smut, imitating and imitating back to whoever knows what the first smut fanfic was etc. there's just way More to mimic than there is on the women side of things. which then becomes a self-perpetuating thing, bc the mimicry continues and generates more and more. and---if there are fundamental misunderstandings of anatomy involved---those self-perpetuate as well. and maybe even exaggerate. and yeah. does this all make sense? idk i was just thinking about it. like all the stereotypes and stuff continue bc writers are getting their inspo from other writers rather than their own brains. or something. idk!!!!! it's just all... divorced from reality? bc words. or something!! i hope u get what i'm trying to say. just thoughts i've been thinking. anyway i think ur thoughts are cool. and ur writing. ok bye have a good day!!

Okay yeah this is kinda messy but hope u see this, uhh yeah I think you're right about the echo chamber effect fr about stuff. I think it's a mix of projecting too sometimes. talk more under the cut and also link to a video essay since I love video essays.

Here’s a video that sort of touches on this topic: 

“Gay fanfiction” by Sarah Z. (has CC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8E_C00dKwI

This video begins to talk about fetishization at the end, but also… not really. The words “gay fanfiction” is used as a catchall, when really gay fanfiction is largely mlm written by non-mlm.

Fandom is a largely women's space dominated by the female gaze in a media industry world that is dominated by men and the male gaze. I'm really glad women have this space to explore creativity and queerness, and I don't expect the female gaze to go away, but I am still ultimately bummed out I can’t read most fanfic or interact with most fandom spaces without having fetishization in my face. 

So about 80% of fandom is women, and most of those women aren't straight, but 90% of those women prefer mlm ships. Why don’t they prefer wlw ships? Well definitely part of it is the fact that queerbaiting is centered around white straight men, and then there is also the fact that women tend not to be written as well charcter wise. But the fact still remains that you get jerjean getting priority over Layla and Alvarez who are in canon just as much and are a canon wlw couple who actually interact as well as Alvarez could likely be a woc because of her Hispanic last name. Korasami doesn’t get nearly as much hype as zuko and saka, despite the fact that they are 2 fully dimensional characters who canonly kiss and hold hands, something the creators fought for and ended up having to sacrifice another reboot for. 

I do believe the fandom echo-chamber is largely responsible for… a lot of things, like you're saying. But what's interesting is that the complaints I've heard about visual porn from non mlm in the fandom space is that they can’t get off to it because its for the male gaze and misogynistic usually. But they also don't seem to notice how the mlm smut circles has the female gaze and is also… almost always mlm. If it was a pure anatomical not knowing thing, I get that, but I also think that leads to the question of “then why the male body for porn, and not your own? The one you know and are familiar with?” 

I know some people want to get outside of their own body for porn and don’t want to think of their own anatomy at all, but overall I'm still uncomfortable. If an anglo said “well I watch porn of only Mexicans so I don't self insert” I'm gonna be like … hhhh in a similar way. I understand people “like what they like” but I wish they also noticed said patterns in the first place. I understand the t4t tumblr porn circle, and how it's different from cis people who only watch trans porn. 

I actually wished that instead of fandom focusing on mlm ships where some asshole guy hits on bottom troupe charcter for top troupe character to save, was instead… a wlw character experiencing said shitty getting hit on and other wlw swooping in. what's interesting is fandom writes a lot about misogynistic experiences without often realizing it. Ive read fanfic where guys get called sluts for sleeping with people or called bitch for speaking their mind, these arent things men usually experience, but rather women. Fandom has a lot of internalized misogyny and also queerphobia imo. Women characters often get pushed to the sidelines and men become the canvas for female fans to project onto. 

There is this natural inclination to mlm. When people are talking about “gay shipping” or “gay books” or “gay feels” or even just “gay” mlm is what’s largely in mind. I honestly am kinda saddened by this because if gay fanfiction was really solely about writing more to feel represented, then you would see a lot of bi and ace and lesbian rep, but this isn't the case. Queer women are seriously underrepresented, and I want to hear their stories and read them in fanfiction as well as published. 50% of lgbt literature is mlm, and of that its largely written by women. Becky Albertalli, Rainbow Rowell, Maggie Stiefvater, are the YA big names and are all women writing mlm. Red white and royal blue is written by Casey McQuiston and Captive prince (which is not YA) is written by C. S. Pacat, who is non-binary, but is also TME and not mlm. These are all the big names in mlm lit, behind them is some gay men, but honestly their stories aren't preferred, they're not the right “flavor” for the consumers usually, who are largely women. In general YA consumers and authors are women, but I wish that they… just wrote about women too. I think there is a certain… snowball effect to the overrepresentation of mlm representing the whole LGBT community that leads to fetishization, as well as misogyny playing a factor in: less women characters being written well to write fanfic on, when they are written well they're taken less seriously or the audience struggles to relate to them, they're less marketable then men. 

Idk I never feel “seen” or “represented” by any of the books above, which don't address boyhood and manhood and queerness intersecting really, and AFTG doesn’t either. I relate to AFTG as a trauma victim who has experienced a lot of what many of the characters go through and have gone through in the EC as well as them just overall being very well written characters, but I don't relate to it as a mlm really. I've never seen like.. gay voice or being straight passing or femphobia or how boyhood can be affected from a young age by those around you sensing you're ‘other’ or if you didn't experience this you feel outside the mlm community. Let alone sub cultures like bear and leather and pup, at most you see the word “he's such a twink” in fandom which... i fr hate non mlm using that word because it's usually used to replace the f-slur essentially, used derogatorily or to call him “such a bottom” and stuff like that. It’s like a joke or an insult.

Long story short, idk mang this was a ramble and I think I'm coning down with something. I wanna see more queer women rep and women authors writing about being a queer woman too. I think it's a complex web of fetishization and a bit of forbidden love yaoi culture (or it used to be in the BOYXBOY days) as well as misogyny on an industry level, creator level, as well as reader/consumer and fandom level. I don’t think it’s inherently wrong to explore other peoples stories and what we read has to be segregated, “only mlm are allowed to read and write mlm, only wlw are allowed to read and write wlw,” but I also think author’s intent and audience and background is telling, as well as overall statistics. Like about an hour ago I was looking for cookbooks in spanish or in english, and I was looking for some mexican food cook books, but I had to look for them using words in spanish because otherwise what came up was a bunch of “fiesta party, easy as uno dos tres authentic cooking!” and I was like… hm. Since I could tell they were marketing to anglos. (also the author’s last names were like michelle smith, james cooper, and this could be for a variety of reasons, but I trust Hispanic names more tbh and deadass would look at the authors pictures and if they had other books in Spanish or what their specialties were.)

anyways. not sure how to end this. uhm if anyone has any book recs (my to read list is like 500 books tho no joke) preferably not YA white mlm written by a white lady, hopefully queer women written by queer woman, LMK, I need more wlw and queer women stories on my list. I have a decent amount but always looking for more. I kinda wanna link my goodreads or my storygraph but I also don't want to get doxxed and it has my legal name on it so.

Also, I'm dyslexic and using spell check but if there's like some wild typos my b.

[nityarawal]

Sent To Real Estate Colleagues:

Moving out of state. It's honestly become too violent, and haven't found any ethics in government or law in CA in 6 years.

Even real-estate has been run by too many corrupt brokers. 

Trying to improve laws, as journalist, for now. 

Thanks! 

Lmk if Oath Keeper Mommy-Hating Political Climate improves and if you have anything in Feb or March. 

I couldn't find anything in time this month here in housing crisis. 

Do you realize 40% of Californians were bullied out of homes & families/businesses in covid by court harassment? 

Report Shane Stewart Broker of Idyllwild realty- he has business of gay MX militia illegals with over 400 homes not built to code, slumming community, suspected of murdering property manager & won't disclose contracts now after raiding, beating, raping moms out of homes; many trafficked via murders. 

It's insane Idyllwild Oathkeeper sheriff Jeremy Parsons doesn't get more BAD press for grooming ex-cons to be in gay sting, and pimps them onto nazi drugs like Cocaine & Heroin; killing & addicting moms into hooking on Fentanyl. 

I saw way too much. 

A Lot of that town is involved.

Many will go down.

I'll come back if all involved & Sheriff Chad Bianco are arrested for blatantly "Mommy Hating/Slandering"  and corrupting our county with abuse/racism. 

My 1000's of attys and I have never seen an honest police report. 

Have you?

I thought realtors had 200% integrity until 2016, being trained a Prudent realtor, since 2000. 

No- Oath Keeper Brokers took over in #Trumpleberry Era and our Governor and President don't have reigns of California. 

I trust Tulsi Gabbard of HI to be a Peace Ambassador, instead of a bribe factory. 

Riverside is a mess and only a sisterhood can clean it up.

A Mother's Defense inclusive of children's needs.

It's very racist and oath keeper cops break laws constantly harassing civilians. 

I don't know how to clean it up currently- too violent. 

I don't want to run for Democratic office, Def not Republican, or be a broker so I will keep tweeting until I get an awesome job renegotiating United Way for civilians. @nityalakshmi108

And

@nityalakshmi

Would love to write about Riverside murder capital in dead cellular zone, and keep hustling Elon to get Starlink up, but nazi pigs stole phone in raids. I am complaining to NAR too and news. CAR did nothing & of course most of Idyllwild is bought out in "Boy Gays' Club". ): 

I am "pro-gay rights" but this is sick plantation slavery shit going down w/ MX harem. #PrinceOfPegging issues at Idyllwild Academy too- dozen teachers groomed/caught in paper isolated only to our town. 

Ridiculous Idyllwild Town Crier Becky Clark owner (pays $15/ article to impoverished writers dealing with dishonest bribed police reports)  is probably related to assistant presiding Judge Clark that allows lies, bribes and civil war of hollocoast. (Lots of Clark attys on x team too.)

WW3 here is too much for me. 

Good luck to you! 

I love Pinyon & Mountain Center/Garner & Burnt Valley to Pine Cove. 

Lmk if there's some purification of Militia here in New Year! 

Please tell clients, colleagues & family /friends- voting with feet makes a difference- however you can help turn things around. 

This is my Native State since 3yo.

And, if you have anything under $750 or ideally less next year for lovely moms beat onto SSI poverty budget after earning 6 figures at beach LMK.

Please. 

Need taxes & charities for 40% burned out of homes huh? 

Pro- "mom needs" met rather than endless gun/dick/$money$ gluttonous war. #NotMyKing

Peace &

Blessings,

Nitya Azam (Huntley) Rawal

NAR Journalist 

EncinitasBeachHome.com (My old site is down & hacked like most of Globe in Cold War f/ ex PhD Physics team!)

When is our country ever going to discuss in-house Epstein domestic Terrorism f/ UK??? 

Spies did a number on us in cold war! Again.

Everyone thinks this is American Dream. Riverside is just like #Iran, but they beat you into gag orders here, and DA refuses to disclose videos. 

Please be careful & warn sisters if they agree to divorce for kids/assets/pets/homes safety. Thanks!) 

PS God Bless You & California.

[legalseat]

Introduce You to Some New Things, and Upgrade You(r Legal Marketing)

Photo credit: Newyorker.com

In today’s legal marketing world there is constant, inescapable pressure to achieve recognition for your firm. So, how do you distinguish yourself and gain a competitive advantage? Or maybe a better question is: How do you become the Beyoncé of the legal marketing sector? Create your own Beyhive and turn your firm into a breakout star of Beychella proportions. Read on for tips that will help you stay ahead of the curve.

Five Lessons from Beyoncé to Apply to Your Firm

To be a successful legal marketer, you must establish your firm’s identity and brand, create and implement business development strategies, develop the relationships that will help grow your network, and identify and utilize the right platforms to reach your customers. This is no small task, especially since you’ll also need to stay relevant in an ever-changing legal market.

Beyoncé wasn’t built in a day (did I just create the newest relatable saying of my generation? LMK), but solid marketing certainly sped up her rise to fame. A firm’s marketing strategy is the key to their growth because, let’s face it, without marketing even the best firm is just LeToya Luckett. And if you’re asking yourself who she is, I think I’ve made my point.

Your Persuasion Can Build a Nation

An effective marketing strategy should include tactics for establishing a firm’s identity and brand. When it comes to Beyoncé, you know what to expect. She has perfected her brand, and she understands exactly who she is and why people love her.

Similarly, when an attorney tells a peer where they practice or a potential client sees your marketing, conclusions are drawn. You, of course, want these to be positive, but also aligned with the message you are trying to put in market. Beyoncé became Queen Bey by knowing what she does well and executing it flawlessly. She is a game-changer. After all, building a brand is to establish a recognizable identity that grabs attention, inspires confidence, and creates a connection with your audience. Firms that can grow a strong brand will most likely be the ones that build a strong, loyal base, just like the Beyhive. They don’t call it the Beyoncé Effect for nothing.

All the Business Devs, All the Business Devs …

As a legal marketer, you know that a cohesive marketing and business development strategy is critical to your firm’s growth. With a proactive strategy as your guide it’s easier to identify and pursue the right opportunities instead of simply reacting to all opportunities that arise. Taking a cue from one of Beyoncé’s hit singles, you can determine which cases to put a ring on or which to put aside in a box to the left. (See what I did there?)

It was named the best song of 2008 by Rolling Stone, won 15 awards worldwide, and became the anthem for all the single and taken ladies (and men) out there. “All the Single Ladies” releases the Sasha Fierce in all of us. It’s important to mention that the woman didn’t even need anything in her music video but an empty room to dance in. That song sent a powerful message of confidence about knowing your worth, setting your priorities, and not compromising on either.

Just like Beyoncé knew that if you liked it, then you should’ve put a ring on it, you know just how important retention is to securing future opportunities. In fact, in our 2017 Law Firm Marketing and Business Development Survey, 85% of firms said growing existing key clients is a top growth strategy. If you don’t invest in retaining and growing current clients, you risk losing them to the competition. Or, for lack of better words: don’t be mad once you see that he want it.

We’ll cover how to implement an effective business development strategy from multiple C-suite perspectives in our 360 Perspective: Law Firm Business Development panel at Accelerate.

Photo credit: giphy.com

Who Run the World? Connections.

How many times have you heard that it’s all about connections—the people you know and who they know? When you strategically manage and leverage your network, whether it’s made of current clients, firm alumni, etc., you have a credible entry into a whole new audience. You need to know who is in your network, nurture those relationships, and identify the right opportunities to leverage those connections.

When you think of iconic partnerships, it’s safe to say Jay-Z and Beyoncé top the list. Their careers have blossomed together and they’ve successfully leveraged their partnership to expand into each other’s fan bases. Not to mention, Jay Z has helped facilitate collaborations between Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and Jack White to name a few.

Our keynote speaker at Accelerate, J. Kelly Hoey, will cover the importance of networking and examining the most effective ways to connect with your own connections.

You Ain’t Never Seen a Fire Like The One I’ma ‘Cause (Through These Platforms)

There are almost no words to describe this but here I go. Secret. HBO. Visual. Album. Lemonade, Lemonade, Lemonaaadddee… I’m going to need an actual second because I literally cannot. Dying.

Okay. I’m back. This really comes down to two things: determine the right message and use the most effective platforms to amplify it. Legal marketers need to be flexible and capitalize on how the industry has changed. It’s time to embrace all types of platforms to reach our clients and potential clients.

To really grasp this concept, let’s take a masterclass from the extremely influential Lemonade album. For those of us who spend time in the Beyhive, we know why this album was produced. For those who don’t know, here’s the quick version.

Amid a flurry of rumors and drama, Beyoncé carefully crafted her message and then tailored it for each platform she used, flawlessly reaching customers through email, social, online, and television networks. With one piece of content and a masterful marketing strategy, she dismissed rumors, put on the second-highest grossing tour of the year, and blew our minds. I mean, how long did we wonder who Becky with the good hair was?

She understood that there is an art to communicating with customers (and potential customers) and that when executed correctly, all the stars will align. It’s in that same way a Legal Marketer who controls and communicates your message across multiple platforms gives your firm the best position for success.

In our Modern Marketing Plan session, we will discuss multiple tactics and how to use your channels effectively. In our second keynote, Ron Tite will talk about a flexible and dynamic marketing process and his #ThinkDoSay approach.

Becoming Beyoncé: I Dream It, I Work Hard, I Grind ‘til I Own It

To draw on your inner Beyoncé, start with a focused message around your firm’s identity and brand. Like Bey, you want the world to know (and appreciate!) what to expect from your firm. Effectively marketing that brand allows you to build a solid business development strategy to put a ring on the right opportunities. It’s also important to strategically nurture partnerships and cultivate connections— although it probably won’t result in your personal collaboration with Kendrick Lamar.

As a millennial and a marketer, I’m familiar with Queen Beyoncé as well as how successful her brand and marketing strategies are, but I did have to do a little research to tie this all in properly. And one piece of advice from Beyoncé’s Head of Marketing, Jim Sabey, stood out to me: “You have all these (people) who think they know what the world wants in music. And they have no idea. What Beyoncé understood early on … was that the industry fundamentally has changed, and that you can communicate directly to your fans.” As a legal marketer, you need to build the message you want to convey and communicate through the platforms that make the most sense for your audience.

One way to stay ahead and slay all day is to attend the Accelerate Business Development Summit this month at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina. During the Summit, we’ll touch on all the strategies and tactics mentioned above. If reading this doesn’t make you want to listen to the Lemonade album on your way to #LNAccelerate, I don’t know what will!

Introduce You to Some New Things, and Upgrade You(r Legal Marketing) published first on https://divorcelawyermumbai.tumblr.com/