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battleangel · 8 months

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I Am Not My Hair

What actually happens if I shave my head bald?

Why cant I see what I look like without hair?

Why do I have to be sick or have cancer or be dying?

Why am I not allowed as a woman to just shave my head?

Why do I need a reason, a justification, an explanation?

Why do I have to justify being hairless?

Why are people acting like Im dying and have cancer just because Im bald?

Nothing happens. Thats the gag.

Youve been taught to fear.

Its just my bald head. Why is that forbidden?

Verboten?

Why cant I ever see what my actual head looks like without all this hair on it?

Why cant I see what my face looks like without it constantly being surrounded by hair?

What if I like being bald?

What if I like not spending $1200+ a year on my hair?

What if I like not styling my hair?

What if I like not doing anything with my hair other than cutting it super short, about an inch or two, every few months?

Why does it threaten people for a woman not to care about her hair?

I dont want to go to a hair salon or barbershop.

I dont want to go back to an afro.

I dont want locs or dreads.

I dont want shaved sides, I already did that last year.

I dont want corn rows or bantu knots, Ive done that too.

I dont want to grow it out.

I dont want a $500 lace front wig.

I dont want a wig professionally installed by a stylist every 2 to 3 months.

I dont want to wash or brush my hair.

I dont want to put any products in my hair.

Why is it a sin for a black woman to not want to grow her hair out?

I dont want my "long beautiful" hair back.

I dont want it halfway down my back again.

I dont want it to my waist again.

I dont want to relax it again -- there are lawsuits against Loreal, black women who used Just For Me and other chemical relaxers to straighten their hair are being diagnosed with cancer, inferitility and fibroids.

The chemicals in a relaxer are strong enough to break down and destroy the natural texture of your curly coiled kinks and force it to be straight -- those same chemicals are also strong enough to literally peel paint off of cars -- why are you putting this directly on your scalp for an hour plus every 2 to 3 months from the time you are a pre-teen or in high school until adulthood, for decades, and thinking that there wont be health issues?

They target products to Black women that kill them.

Remember the little Black girls that sang the R&B pop jingle in the Just For Me commercial?

"Just for me...hair so healthy, silky and free."

Who was that song for?

This was the 90s and there were multiple Black girl groups back then -- TLC, 702, Blaque, Xscape, Jade, Total, MoKenStef, etc. -- they wanted to get us while we were young so we would keep using their products until adulthood.

I got my first perm, I am 4C, at 11. I was so glad my mother stopped burning me with the hot comb that she had tortured me with since I was 5. Anything was better than that as I had a very sensitive scalp or "tenderheaded" as it is called in our community.

I couldnt wait to go to Touch of Magic salon where my older sister already had her long, silky hair. I was tired of being tortured by a hot ass comb that was constantlu burning my fucking scalp and I was tired of being told to "sit still" while my scalp was being fucking burned. I couldnt wait for the Revlon Fabulaxer so the dreaded golden hot comb could be forever banished from my existence.

From 11 to 34, 23 years, I faithfully got a relaxer at the salon every 2 to 3 months. It was about $120+ (relaxer, deep condition, style, split ends, color, etc.). Over the years, that fucking adds up, over $100k I spent on my hair. Even when I went natural at 34, my 4c hair is extremely thick, kinky, nappy, unruly and very difficult to deal with. People have literally broken combs trying to comb through it. Needless to say, I couldnt manage anything myself but a wash and go so I spent thousands at the salon as a 4c natural on Senegalese twists, box braids, Bantu knots, corn rows, twist outs, twist updos and flat twists.

Then I shaved my sides and cut my hair super short and started going to barber shops but I was dyeing it fuschia back then so my hair was still costing me money.

Then last year, I finally just grabbed kitchen scissors out of my kitchen and hacked it myself and decided I was never going to go back to a salon or barbershop.

I was going to cut my hair with kitchen scissors myself every 2 to 3 months. I do like different looks so I have five cheap synthetic shitty wigs that are different colors (blue, blonde, green, black). Depending on the lewk and fit, either I just wear my hair natural and short or I slap a wig on.

But thats it. No maintenance, no upkedp, no hair care routines, no wasting away a Saturday at a salon, no barbershops, no wash and gos, no 15 hour sessions getting braided extensions.

Just literally cutting it with kitchen scissors every 2 to 3 months and slapping on a cheap shitty wig whenever I have a certain fit or lewk and thats it.

Then in August, I decided to shave my head bald. I didnt want even a few inches of hair anymore so I grabbed my husbands razor and shaved it. Didnt go to a barbershop or stylist. Had no idea how to even use the razor and just shaved it all off in under 10 minutes. I loved the bald look especially with thick ass winged liquid eyeliner, bold dramatic eyeshadow and colorful lipstick.

I have a few inches of growth that in a month or two, I will grab the kitchen scissors again and cut my hair down to an inch or two. Ill do that every few months. I love it bald but even shaving my head on a regular basis is more time than I choose to devote to my hair. Cutting it with scissors to an inch or two every 2 to 3 months is my absolute limit.

As a woman, thats not allowed.

Especially as a Black woman.

And I was raised by a Southern Baptist fundamentalist, so forget about it.

You have to obsess over your hair, products, styling, color, length, look, appearance, texture, curl pattern, thickness, volume, care routines, pre poo, deep conditoning, tea tree oil, diffusing, texturizing, blow out, straightening, relaxing, lace front wig installations, weaves, kanekalon, bundles, braids, twists, locs, dreads, corn rows, bantu knots...

You cant just not do your hair!

Only you can. Because thats exactly what I do.

Even as a Black woman and we are brainwashed to be absolutely obsessed with our hair.

Go back and look at the hysteria India Arie caused when she shaved her "beautiful curls".

Just like India Arie, I am not my hair.

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wearenotjustnumbers2 · 8 months

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Hello and I hope you are well.

I am a Norwegian-American, and the news in both my countries is filled with what basically amounts no pro-Israel propaganda and I despise it. I hope I don’t come across as ignorant or uneducated, but is there a single reason why the world leaders seem intent to ignore the genocide happening in Palestine? I’ve been reading as much as I can about the situation but I haven’t found a definite answer. (Of course, no “reason” would ever be enough to excuse standing by whilst children and innocents are slaughtered, I just can’t comprehend how anyone with a heart could watch this happen and do nothing.)

My heart weeps for the people of Palestine, and I will do everything that I can from my place in the world to aid you.

🇵🇸 ❤️🇵🇸❤️🇵🇸❤️🇵🇸❤️🇵🇸

Hello, first of all you shouldn't be afraid of coming off as "ignorant" or anything. I said before that my inbox is open for people who are looking for answers that aren't here just to be racist or hateful.

The most definitive answer here would be racism. It's so easy for Israel to share propaganda and get people to believe it, because it's so easy for westerns to fall into the "barbaric violent brown arabs" propaganda over and over. It's become so easy to label someone a terrorist for their ethnicity, it's even easier if they're Muslims. Another thing, Israel paints this as a "war" between religions, it's not. They try to show it as a fight between Judaism and Islam to get people's sympathy. When in fact, Palestine is one of the most diverse countries in the middle east. It has a huge population of Muslims, Christians and guess what? Jews. There are cities in there that are exclusively Christian such as Bethlehem. But the world believes the lies about it being Islam vs Judaism, and that Muslims are out there to kill every Jew and commit violence. Why is that so easily believed? Racism.

And you have to keep in mind that media coverage plays an important main rule in this genocide. If not for media coverage many of people outside the middle east would've never heard about gaza and Palestine. Which is why Israel spends million of dollars on pushing the narrative on social media alone. It was revealed that lots of international influencers were offered thousands of dollars if they announced their support for Israel (which is already the case with many American celebrities).

As for the governments, I will share with you this statement. People don't see genocide or ignore it and avoid admitting the severity of it because they don't see the people experiencing it as human. You have to actually acknowledge that someone deserves to live in order to acknowledge their death. I talked about the dehumanization of Palestinians here so you can know more.

Not to mention the economic situation. Israel has control over so many international companies and brands. When we decided to boycott Israeli products, we were surprised to find almost every brand to be related to israel. Such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Loreal, Pepsi, and so on even things like toothpaste brands. Also israel is in control of gas and oil reserves in palestine, as well as agriculture that Palestinian aren't allowed to have a say or a part in any of those things. For western governments, Israel pays you money, why would you turn against it?

I don't know if I answered your question satisfactorily, I hope you can reach out if you have any more questions or anything you want to know. I would love to be able to help.

Thank you for speaking up against the genocide 🙏

#palestine #gaza #israel #there's so much more to cover obviously #asks

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mashriqiyyah · 7 months

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If we want to promote the boycott of is-not-reali products, we need to give substitutes and options for it.

Now, I also remember sisters asking me for my skincare/haircare routines, and I wanted to give a detailed article on that, but now it ain't about the time.

So, here, I'll try to compile these two topics.

Skincare that's effective without using any israeli/american product.

First of all, I don't have a skincare routine. I don't follow any step by step process. But, I do use products that help me keep my skin clean and hydrated.

And the most important advice I'll give to sisters is not to go for "skincare brands" that give pea sized products in bag size money. These industries are mostly scam. Always go for drugstore products. Those that are created for medicinal purposes oriented towards genuinely healing the skin problems. And if you don't have any active skin problems, don't expose your face to various products for achieving "perfect skin". There's nothing like that. Normal skins have occasional pimples, pigmentations, dark spots and uneven texture.

Anyway.

If you're going for drugstore products...

Go for phrama companies like Cipla and Reddy's Laboratories.

I personally use Reddy's Venusia Max moisturizer as my skin gets extremely dry often. If you have dry n normal (combination) skin you can use it. And if you have oily skin, go for squalane based moisturizers from Derma Co.

Next in line, if you want to use any serums, vit C is best for skins and there's a product by Cipla "Rivella Vit C and HA Serum" it's soothing, and effective. Alhamdulillah.

As a face cleanser or what you call as face wash, there are very brilliant new company products from DeConstruct that I love love love because they are so gentle on face and keep your pH balance and moisture intact (great substitute for Dove soap)

Then there's one more important aspect on skincare that's protection from UV...so you'll need a sunscreen. Go for Regaliz Truederma SPF 50. It's efficient. Alhamdulillah. Or Minimalist Suncreen spf 60 + Niacinamide incase you wanna go economically minimalistic. Derma Co Zinc Sunscreen is good too (one that comes in orange coloured pack)

Now, these four things are more than enough to keep your skin good.

Cleanser, Serum, Moisturizer, Sunblock.

Apart from that if you still wanna have some extra products...not from drugstore but excellent Indian brands...then Go for Pilgrim or Minimalist. They have best the ranges in every product.

And then comes Haircare...

Boycott Garnier. Boycott Loreal Paris. Boycott Head n Shoulders.

Go for St. Botanica. The Shampoos are sooooo great. Allahummaabaarik. SLS, Paraben Free, Actually formulated for cleaning dirt from hairs and reduce hair problems. Conditioners too are effective and they actually work as they advertise. If not St. Botanica, mamaearth would be good...but I didn't see it's results as best as St. Botanica.

For lipbalms though, you can go for Mamaearth. The shades are subtle and help keep your lips hydrated and avoid pigmentations. Stop using Ponds, Vaseline, Nivea. .PLEASE!!!! Their lipbalms do nothing but make your lips darker and greasy.

Makeup, I don't use tbh. But few years back, I had gotten a lipstick from MyGlamm and a Foundation of Biotique. They were good. You can go for it.

Bodywashes, Feet scrubs - Bodywise

Hair removal gels/creams - Sirona

Perfumes - Ajmal / Maison De Fouzdar are best. No doubt.

I'm sharing this post not to promote any sort of "self care" in this situation....but as an essential need of substitutes. Infact these substitutes are way better and effective than the Israeli American products we've been wasting our money on.

I have tried to mention most of the things used by women because that's the biggest market for Israeli products.

If you are an Indian, promote Indian brands 'cause we gotta "make in India" ;)

For that we need to use only that which is "made in India"

Go ahead...you can add anything else I might've missed. And yes...If any Mother's seeing this, let us know baby products that are made in India.

- Umm Taimiyyah 🕊️

#health #fashion #beauty #boycott starbucks #boycott mcdonalds #boycott israel #boycott disney #boycott American goods #makeinindia #madeinindia #skincare #haircare #tumblrpost #free gaza #free palestine #stop palestinian genocide #reblog this

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self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 2 years

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His Favorite Employees | Keys x Reader (x Antwan)

Prompt: Enemies to Lovers

Words: 1540

Fandom: Free Guy

A/N: I don’t know how to explain myself, but Antwan and Keys were my favorite in the movie. Antwan’s still an asshole, but dialed down a bit. He’s got a type, and it’s snarky computer nerds. Reader’s nickname is Screens because I thought it’d be cute to have them be Mouse(r), Keys, and Screens.

Summary: Reader worked with Millie and Keys on Life Itself until it got buried by Soonami. You and Keys can’t afford to join Millie in the lawsuit and begrudgingly start to work under Soonami, keeping your heads down as much as possible. It was all pointless when your boss kept bothering you two anyways.

“Screens! Why don’t you convince Loreal to join programming with you, huh?” Your boss asked, leaning against your desk.

Your eyes left your triple monitor setup, that you insisted on having for work, for a second to look up at him before going back to your coding. “Why don’t you convince him yourself once he’s back from lunch if you’re so adamant about it?” you countered.

You stopped caring about how you spoke to him about half a year after you started working at Soonami. If anything, he enjoyed it. Even Keys unleashed his snarkiness, lasting at least a year under Antwan’s attention-seeking moments. He had no business roaming around the Customer's Complaints section when he didn’t care about it in the first place. He just wants the game to keep running and the cash to keep flowing.

“Well, he’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?”

“Why does that matter? Checking if one of us is single? Highly inappropriate, boss,” you said flatly. “How ‘bout you move our new project forward and I’ll think about talking to Keys about that promo?”

Your chair swung to the side, forcing you to fully face Antwan. There was a strange look on his face as he stared down at you. The floor was awfully quiet as they all held their breath. Antwan was known to fire people on a whim, but it brought them to wonder why he had not fired you or Keys yet. He, at least, had reasons to fire you both, but he also had reasons to keep you both. While you and Keys could turn on him and dig any kind of dirt up, both of you were also incredibly good at your jobs. It would be extremely difficult to replace even one of you.

His eyes narrowed as you stared back, silently daring him to make his move. He leaned forward, his long arms practically boxing you in in your chair as the corner of his lips turned up. Despite him constantly bothering you every workday, he never got into your space like this. You didn’t completely despise him, not like Millie, which you don’t fault her for, and you found your banters with him almost amusing on a good day.

You hated to admit that he possessed an unfairly amount of charisma and confidence that strung investors along and hooked in gamers so they could come back for more. He knew how to play the social game. Complete idiocy can’t build a big company like Soonami Studio.

It’s all over social media, people love Free City and fans are addicted to his interviews. People want more games and they like his personality, his humor, and you weren’t blind to the comments that mention his good looks. Another unfair trait of his that you hate to admit.

His fingers clenched on the back of your chair before spinning you. Your stomach lurched at the sudden movement, planting your feet down to stop the motion further. When the nausea subsided, you looked around and saw that Antwan had already left.

“What a prick,” you muttered. Hotness does not cancel out assholery.

“You’ve got balls of steel, Screens,” the programmer next to you mused.

You sighed tiredly. “Thanks, I guess. Gonna take a break. If Dickwad comes back, tell him I ran away.”

It’s been an hour since the office started closing up, workers leaving in small groups and cramming themselves in the elevator. You shut down your computer and packed your things before making your way over to Mouser and Keys. They were usually one of the few last ones to leave the office with Keys being the worst out of them all.

“Ready to go?” you asked Keys, hanging off his chair and resting your chin on top of his well cushioned head.

Keys grunted distractedly, finishing up his report of the recent glitch he just fixed. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled.

“How’s it going, Screens?” Mouser said, his head popping out from behind his computer monitor. “Heard what happened with you and Antwan today. Balls of steel for days, they said.”

“It wasn’t that extreme. Do you get the feeling that he’s getting worse, though?” you asked, sitting on the corner of Key’s desk.

“How so? You’d have to be more specific,” Keys said, finally pulling away from his computer and resting a hand on your thigh.

You shrugged. “Just being more of a hovering nuisance than usual. Did he bother you about the promotion yet?”

Keys nodded. “Yeah. Said I was too good to be stuck in customer complaints. Not sure why he wants me to. Technically, with both of us as programmers, we’d have an advantage to find evidence against him.”

“Why is he nicer to you?” you muttered. Keys smiled, squeezing your thigh in sympathy.

“Maybe it’s the hair?” Mouser pointed out.

You nodded sagely then turned to him. “Wanna get take-out with us?”

His face brightened. He jumped out of his chair and quickly stuffed his things in his bag. “God, I’m so hungry. Thought you’d never ask.”

You ran your fingers through Keys' hair, his shoulders relaxing immediately as he closed his eyes. “Come on, Keke. You can continue tomorrow,” you said softly.

“Alright.”

The three of you made your way to the elevator, the mental exhaustion of the day settling in with each floor that passed. Mouser and Keys talked amongst themselves about all the bugs they’ve found in Free City and the hackers they managed to hunt down and ban. You sighed, leaning your head on Keys’ shoulder. You felt him shift to fix his glasses before tilting his head to yours and entwining your fingers together.

“Thanks for reminding me how lonely I am, guys,” Mouser said.

“You’re welcome,” you and Keys answered.

Halfway through the lobby, the dreaded voice of Antwan Hovachelik echoed across the space, calling out for you and Keys. Mouser winced, patting Keys on the shoulder as he left to wait outside.

“What does he want this time?” Keys muttered.

Antwan strutted over, his ridiculous two-toned long coat in the middle of summer swishing against his long legs. Keys sighed in exasperation, crossing his arms as your boss stood in front of you two. He licked his lips as he readied a sassy comment and you did not miss Antwan’s eyes dropping to watch.

“If you give me on one more ridiculous -”

“Okay,” Antwan interrupted.

“Okay what?” you asked.

“Your new project,” he said, “Give me a thorough report on your game idea and I’ll let you test it out.”

“Right, so you can drop it again,” Keys said, “Stop messing with us. We’re not a part of Millie’s lawsuit, you don’t have to keep torturing us to quit or whatever it is you’re doing.”

Antwan frowned, stepping back with a twisted expression as if what he said was absurd. “I don’t want either of you to quit. It’ll be too boring if you do. They say not to choose favorites, but I guess I’ve done that here by even keeping you on. I’m letting you do your little project because the plebs want some variety in our games. Which means, more opportunity for money. Add in a gacha element if you have to. You deliver, I’ll give both of you a raise and whatever it is to your heart's content.”

“Even the source code to Life Itself?” you asked.

He smirked, leaning into your space for the second time today. “Even that. And if you screw this up, no more Life Itself, no more project opportunities, no more free instant ramen and endless supply of premium coffee in the break room, and no more jobs. Got it?”

“Got it,” Keys said, nudging you to answer.

“Yeah, I got it.”

Antwan nodded, deeming this conversation over. He spun around and headed out, slamming the glass doors open with both hands. “Antwan out!”

You rolled your eyes. As his figure disappeared, you pulled your phone out and stopped the voice recording. “I got everything.”

“Still not enough to prove that he’s using it in Free City.”

“No, but we’re getting there. At least we know that he still has it,” you pointed out as you and Keys made your way out of the lobby.

“True. Or he could be lying… because it’s Antwan.”

You gasped dramatically. “I thought we were his favorite employees!”

Keys rolled his eyes fondly, placing a hand on the small of your back as he held the door open for you. “Did I hear that right or did he also just admit that he had been the one stocking the break room with ramen and coffee?”

You shrugged. “Not like he’s pressed for money.”

“Yeah, but it's the fact that he even bothered to do it. Don’t you think it’s kind of a coincidence that they didn’t appear until we were complaining about how it was always instant coffee and pop tart boxes that always had one or two left inside in the break room? And he bought specific brands and flavors, too. Our favorites.”

“I think… you’re overthinking this.”

“Am I? I’m sure you’ve thought of this, too.”

“Of what?”

Keys hesitated, his mouth opening and closing, then he shook his head. “Nothing. Nevermind.”

#writersmonth2022 #writer's month #keys x reader #free guy imagine #free guy keys #walter keys mckey #antwan hovachelik #hinted antwan x keys x reader #antwan x reader #free guy antwan #joe keery fic #taika waititi fic

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coghive · 1 year

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Stellar Award-winning Singer/songwriter, Adia, Releases New Album ‘Hold It All Together’ (Available Now)

Award-Winning singer/songwriter ADIA, has just released her newest album, Hold it All Together. Famously known for her collaborations with some of gospel music’s biggest names including Pastor Mike Jr., Kierra Sheard, and Deitrick Haddon, ADIA is one of the industry’s fastest rising stars. Her newest project, Hold it All Together is sleek R&B sound that gives a new take on what gospel music can be presented to the world. When asked about her inspiration, ADIA says, “This is a very special transparent project for me. I really dug deep on this project as a songwriter. I share my pain, joy, insecurities and liberation.” She continues, “I invite the listener to have a glance at who God has been to me and hopefully empower them to believe that God can ‘Hold it All Together’ for them as well.” Hold It All Together - ADIA https://open.spotify.com/album/0AE2uAPFFIWTti6Y3xuK1E?si=8aK_KmdUSoSYtJ2jAKVYpg When asked about being a solo artist, she says, “It’s both terrifying at exciting! I have been a solo artist as well as a professional background vocalist for over ten years now. There is always a different level of responsibility and anxiety that comes with being out front but I believe God prepared me for this and I am ready to walk in all he is calling me to be.” She also adds, “A famous pastor once said, ‘It doesn’t have to be either or, sometimes God is calling you to be BOTH, AND’ and I believe I am walking into my ‘both and’ season.” As with most albums, it takes a collaborative team of people to create the final product and ADIA would like to thank her producing partner Marqus Curtis, Limitless Entertainment, Rock City Media Group, her parents (Angie and Chester Andrews), Sir the Baptist, Pastor Mike Jr., Blakely, Blaire Monique, Charity Andrews, Jei Storm, Charles, Beason, Bryan Cole, Tamika Gibson, Loreal Pride, Jamie Says and Bold Hold Lace America. Hold It All Together is now available on all digital streaming platforms. Read the full article

#ADIA #HoldItAllTogether

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salon09 · 2 years

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Salons in Kolhapur

Salons have become a popular business in the city of Kolhapur. They are a great way to make money and provide services to the people of Kolhapur. Image salons offer different services such as hair styling, facials, manicures and pedicures. Salons in Kolhapur are not different from any other salon you would find elsewhere in India. They offer hair treatments, beauty treatments, manicures and pedicures to name a few services on their menu. The salon has been open since many years now and has had a steady growth in clientele. The team is always looking to grow their client base by providing the best service possible.

Image Salon is a salon in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. It offers a wide range of services, such as hair cut, styling and coloring, manicure, pedicure and waxing. The Image salon offers a variety of services such as hair styling, hair coloring, hair treatments, waxing and much more. It has a team of experienced professionals who are well-trained to provide the best service to the customers. Ladies Salon in Kolhapur is a salon that caters to the needs of all women. They have a team of professionals that specialize in hair and make-up. They also offer other services such as facials, manicures, pedicures and more.

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#best salon #salon #ladies salon #beauty salon #beauty parlour

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 2 years

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Atla and Tlok: 🌹👅💙💚👎🏻

Ship that you have as an OTP: Sokkla <3 but also Azula and Cupholder girl (I've just been calling her Seicho) I just don't have anyone to talk about that one with xD. It's like a one man canoe of a ship.

And for Korra it's Baavira and Korrasami.

Ship that you find most sexy: Tbh I usually don't find ships sexy persay. Not my cup of tea. But I do think that Maizula makes for an aesthetically pleasing couple.

And for LOK Asami and Tahno would look good--like Loreal hair commercial good.

Ship that you used to have as an OTP: Azutara! I still ship it, it's just no longer my OTP.

I used to like Masami but then I didn't because of all of the cheating and what not.

Ship that you secretly like: Literally all of my ships are public knowledge lmao. But also I'm just big on multishipping so there's that.

Ship that you can never see happening: People probably aren't going to like this, but Zukka. I feel like there's just too much bro friendship energy.

And while I do ship Azulaang I can't ever see it actually being a thing. Like realistically Aang and Katara have a very stable relationship and I feel like Azula would want a more bold and assertive partner (if that makes sense). But they're cute.

With LOK I can't seen Masami or Makorra ever happening (or Borra for that matter) just because of how messy things got there; Mako cheated on Asami for Korra then cheated on Korra for Asami. And Korra cheated on Bolin for Mako. So I can't see any of those ships going anywhere.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Legend Of Korra #Azula #Sokkla #Sokka #Maizula #Mai #Aang #Katara #Azutara #Korrasami #Asami #Korra #Azula/Cupholder Girl

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royaltyspeaking · 2 years

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What’s a good strength of renitol as a starter? I’m thinking of maybe applying over / mixing with some moisturizer to start. And do I need a specific eye area retinol or could I just dilute a with some eye cream? I only ask bc I’m super minimalist and don’t want a ton of different products if I don’t need to.

I really wanted to use it for the somewhat deep lines under my eyes, but I’m starting to have some texture issues all over my face lately as well. Idk if a retinol product could solve that too or would something like aha be better? I don’t know if I’m even making sense I’m just trying to figure out what / how much product to buy.

I would start with a light one, Paula's Choice is what I started with before I got a Curology prescription which I highly reccomend. PC has a few different choices, I would reccomend starting with their lowest percentage. Otherwise I've heard good things about the Loreal retinol if you're looking for a drugstore brand. Technically you can use it under your eyes but I've been using the Inky List retinol eye cream and I feel like it's been working.

You don't have to put it over your moisturizer but it may be a good way to start, especially if you are sensitive (I definitely would put it under moisturizer around your eyes to start tho). Mostly it's reccomend thst you start out by using retinol every few days then upping the frequency if it doesn't bother your skin or decreasing the usage if it is bothersome.

I still do recommend using a AHA/BHA, just don't use it in the same routine as retinol (or Vitamin C) because they essentially neutralize each other. I really like the Ren Glow Tonic and also the Paula's Choice liquid exfoliant. You can use it once or twice a week.

Just don't forget your sunscreen!

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wallwriterstuff · 4 years

Text

A Little Trouble || Alec Volturi x Reader||

A request for: @tiger-khans-blog

Words: 4225

Warnings: None!

Summary: Alec’s mate is...not what he expected. Between hair dye, brownie mix and kitchen fires they’ve started their very own reign of terror in Volterra, but Alec’s learned that sometimes a little trouble can be a good thing...

When Aro had first seen Sulpicia, she had been selling seaglass on the shore of Greece, the sunlight reflecting off of dark streaks of hair and dark eyes so enthralling he’d been ensnared ever since. He’d brought almost a whole bag of the pretty, frosted glass and spent hours crafting the pieces into a beautiful necklace Sulpicia had done everything in her power to preserve until the centuries just made it to fragile to keep wearing. She had been smitten the moment she met the man willing to craft her a courting gift that looked every inch as precious as the pearls the wealthier women in town wore.

When Caius had first met Athenodora, she had been fire and brimstone in the shape of a woman towering over those who would oppress her. He had been immediately enraptured by the feisty blonde tearing off the arm of a man who had clearly wronged her in some way, the dark crimson of her eyes drawing him in and not letting go. She had easily taken care of the two Romanian lapdogs tracking him to, and as he watched her pale face shine in the flames Caius had known in that moment there would never be another woman for him. They were both such romantic stories and Alec had been inducted into this life hearing them, seeing the way Chelsea and Afton had fallen head over heels almost instantly and Marcus had fallen into despair with Didyme’s death. He knew the importance of the mate bond, knew it was something to be treasured, that his mate should be protected and loved by him at all times no matter the cost.

Imagine his surprise when the first time he met you, you swore at him for being in your way.

Modern women were nothing like the women he had been surrounded by growing up, or even the women in the guard. The old-world ideals of the demure and chaste woman were something the world had outgrown and here you were now, causing trouble wherever you went, the consequences be damned. If it wasn’t your mouth getting you in trouble it was your actions. He still shuddered when he recalled the first time he had presented you to the Masters. He couldn’t just leave you where he’d found you after all; you were his mate and so many things happened to vulnerable humans – and that was without the added complication that you were the mate of a witch twin. You had fought hard despite your obvious disadvantage until Alec had stripped your senses and taken you from your home city.

Aro had insisted on reading your thoughts, intrigued as to who could be compatible with his most powerful Guard. His stare had been intense and his skin ice-cold and, well, these people had just kidnapped you after all so nobody should have really been surprised when you tried to shove him away from you.

“What the hell is wrong with you all! You think you can just kidnap me and do whatever you want with me? You can take your huge ass forehead and shove it man, stop trying to touch me, Dome of Creepiness!”

Caius’s indignation had him pushing to his feet so fast his hair had swung about his shoulders as he spoke down to you, while Marcus only watched with the faintest wisp of a smile on his face.

“Insolent human! You are beneath-“

“I ain’t beneath nobody King Blondie Sparkles! You look like you’re in a damn Loreal commercial or something and you? Don’t even start me on the gloomy dude! This is some kangaroo court stuff right here!” You’d cried out. Felix and Demetri had been very obviously amused by you but Alec had just about died all over again, the embarrassment and astonishment too much for him. The whole room had been stunned into silence until Jane dropped you for your insubordination. His embarrassment had dissolved to sheer horror in moments and for the first time in his life he’d actually snarled at his sister. You’d been a handful when he met you and you’d continued to be one ever since. He could vividly recall your first month with them, where’d you’d endlessly pranked and shouted at them in an effort to be so annoying they’d simply let you go.

Jane had been your first victim, since she had naturally been predisposed to disliking you given your association with her twin. Every little thing you did irked her so it was really no surprise that the simplest of things had been what set her off on your second week in the castle. Anywhere that the Masters and the Guard were not was a refuge for you, and it just so happened that more often than not, the gardens were your chosen spot. Jane had taken to tending a small corner of the garden decades before you’d ever arrived and it was coming to the time of year where she stripped out and replanted it, but that was her job, not yours. Finding you knee deep in mud, her soil strewn everywhere and the bulbs that flowered every year scattered along the path while you tried your best to bury Felix’s journal had set her on a warpath she’d been on for months after the incident. Alec had barely saved you from her and had only ended up covering himself in dirt in the process.

Demetri’s hair had been the first real casualty, in Alec’s opinion. He’d been out for the day looking for trouble of his own, spending his down time how he pleased, and as was his tradition he took a nice, long hot shower when he got home. He had had no idea you replaced his leave in conditioner with bleach and to say he was furious to find the natural colour of his hair gone and the strands drying and brittle was an understatement. He’d screamed so loud the Guard had come running thinking he was in danger, only to find him holding a handful of his own, unnaturally blonde hair in hand and wearing absolutely nothing to cover his modesty. He had worn a hood for three weeks before the venom managed to leach the bleach out and return his hair to its natural luster and volume. It took him three months to consider accepting your apology.

Then you’d set the kitchen on fire.

It had genuinely been an accident on this one occasion, and Felix had been keeping an eye on you so was able to prove it. You had really just been trying to cook yourself some lunch, your usual mischievous mood dampened by three months of captivity in the castle and absolutely no progress in earning your freedom. When the sleeve of your shirt had caught fire on the hob it was perfectly understandable you had panicked…it was just unfortunate that your panic had carried you straight into the tablecloth, oven mits and tea towels, setting small fires everywhere that didn’t mix all that well with the natural wooden countertops. Aro was furious he had had to call the fire brigade and have so many humans in their home. It had drawn more attention to the Castle than there had been in almost two centuries.

“Your irresponsibility could have cost lives far more valuable than your own. Do you understand how reckless you have been? This petulant sulking will no longer be tolerated and you will-“

“Whatever.” You had muttered. Aro’s mouth had snapped closed, Caius’s eyes bugging.

“I beg your pardon?” his voice was soft, unthreatening. Alec knew that meant trouble. You kept your head bowed, your fists clenched at your sides, and he caught the slightest twinge of salt in the air. The truth was, Alec had been keeping an eye on you from a distance, waiting to see if you calmed. You had been given an extended period to see if your wilder tendencies could be calmed before you were changed – no one wanted to deal with a wild newborn after all. Instead, he’d watch your flame flicker and dim, your cheeky spark dying slowly as the darkness of Volterra enveloped it. He hated it. You were supposed to be loud and mischievous, a hurricane in human form; he wondered how he had ever handled the quiet before you came into his life because he couldn’t stand it now it had returned. Your energy was just drained from you and Alec didn’t want this, not for you, not when you were clearly miserable.

“Master. It was an accident.” Felix’s voice had surprised him, but the giant had stepped forward calmly to give him his hand and show him everything that had led up to the dreadful accident. Aro was quiet for a moment, his expression changing drastically.

“Are you alright, my dear?” he asked finally. Your glare had been venomous when you looked up at him then but Alec had decided enough was enough. In many ways he still looked back on that as a defining moment in your relationship, because Alec had done exactly what mates were supposed to do in that moment and stepped in to protect you. His concern had put the Masters off of punishing you as he ushered you from the room and into his. He’d ran you a bath so you could clean the soot from your body, and whilst you languished in his tub he had sat leaning back against the closed door, asking you the first things that came to mind. By the end of the night, as you lay fast asleep on his sofa, he knew all of your favourite things and all your worst fears, but more importantly he knew how to talk to you. It was easier after that, to engage you in conversations that didn’t end in a screaming match, and it had taken him a little under a month to fall completely in love with everything you were.

What you were was a complete menace, of course.

Felix had become your partner in crime and your pranks continued to extend across the castle, your cheeky spark returning once Alec had professed how much he missed it. In the span of three weeks Caius’s hair had turned neon green, the Guard’s robes became tie-dyed with shapes cut out of them, Marcus had had his hair braided quite nicely but Aro’s hair had had multi-coloured streaks woven into it and he’d been forced to wear it that way for a trial…Alec had no idea how you and Felix managed any of this but it had become very clear that you weren’t going to change your ways, much to the Master’s chagrin.

“Why exactly are we doing this?” Demetri sounded exasperated and Alec shot him an annoyed look.

“Y/N has never been given flowers, but Heidi insisted that humans liked receiving flowers and I would like to make it clear that my intentions towards Y/N are romantic.” Alec repeated for the umpteenth time. Demetri sighed quietly and Alec diligently ignored whatever it was he muttered under his breath while they observed the flowers at the stall in the square. There were blooms of every colour, size and shape, with equally as pretty ribbons and papers to wrap them in. It was almost too much choice almost. He knew your favourite colour of course, but he’d never asked about your favourite flowers because you just hadn’t seemed like a flower’s kind of person.

“How about a mixture of these?” Demetri suggested, his fingertips ever so gently lifting the stems of flowers from the tubs of water keeping them fresh as he picked out his samples. Alec tilted his head, quietly watching him work for a moment until he had two large headed blooms and some smaller sprigs of blossoms.

“The small ones look out of place with the bigger flowers.” He frowned. Demetri shook his head.

“Not when arranged in a full bouquet. Besides, the meaning is impressive. These are salvia and the red ones in particular mean forever mine. This yellow one is hibiscus, it symbolizes delicate beauty, and these purple ones are morning glory’s, representing affection. Placed in a whole bouquet you are promising your delicate beauty your affections forever.” He concluded. Alec stared at him in shock.

“You speak the language of flowers?” he questioned. Demetri’s eyes rolled as he handed his stems to the stall owner with a few quick instructions in Italian.

“My lovers do not line up at my door purely for the scintillating conversation, Alec.” His tone told Alec he needed to drop that particular conversation, and since the tracker was doing him a favour Alec let it slide this time. Wrapped in some pretty polka dot paper with a white satin bow wrapped around the stems, he held his bouquet with a small smile, please with how it turned out. He couldn’t wait to give it you, see your face when you realised someone had decided to do something nice for you. It was his first real romantic gesture towards you and he hoped you wouldn’t turn him down.

“Do you think we should have gotten the card?” he fretted. Demetri raised an eyebrow.

“Why go to all of this effort Alec?” he fired back, brows furrowed, “They’ve done nothing but cause trouble since they arrived. How could you possibly find it in yourself to expend the effort to reach out to someone so….so…”

“Demetri. I dare you to finish that sentence,” Alec said coldly, his eyes focused on the tracker in a steely glare. Demetri didn’t cower at much, but the witch twins were enough to make even the strongest men fall to their knees in fright. “Just tell me where my mate is.” Demetri was quiet for a moment as he put his gift to full use, and then he twisted and began to walk away, leaving Alec to follow him silence. Alec understood why so many of them had turned away from his mate, you had hardly made life easy for any of them after all with all your mischief, but Alec saw the reason you behaved as you did where nobody else took the time to. Your most harmless pranks (like dropping a water balloon full of hair gel on Caius who was stuck trying to get his hair to go flat for four days straight) were done for fun, a product of your immaturity and youth, but the big ones were usually reactions to things. You had done your very best to piss them off simply because you were scared of the monumental change you were having to adjust to, not to hurt anyone. You didn’t have a malicious bone in your body, he was sure.

His nose twitched as Demetri led him in the directions of the kitchen, something bitterly sweet invading his senses. What was that? He couldn’t place the scent at all though he did pick up on the lingering smell of gas, indicating the oven was on. Was his mate cooking perhaps? But what was she cooking that was so bitter?

“Ah!” the short, sharp yell had Alec moving at lightning speed towards the kitchen door. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what that bang was, what sort of trouble you were getting into now, but come hell or high water Alec was going to save you from whatever hair-brained scheme you –

“Ghost!” Demetri screamed, his pitch so high Alec cringed slightly. It was enough to make him panic, as his eyes raked over the figure before them, a mixture of denim and dark brown that was bordering on black, the white of its eyes screaming at him through the dark sludge. For the briefest moment, Demetri’s own panic had skewed Alec’s perception enough that he didn’t see anything for what it really was. No, no Alec saw the brown sludge as burnt flesh, thick and solidifying and sliding slowly off of the bones of the creature before him. He saw exactly what he should have become all those years ago. A tortured, melted creature. It was enough to make even the fierce witch twin scream, and the flowers Demetri had helped him pick so carefully went flying upward out of his hands so he could use them at a moments notice.

It wasn’t until Jane shook his arm that he snapped out of it somewhat.

“Alec what is wrong with you!”

“Jane! I saw – it’s a – a – what?” he stammered.

“It’s a ghost Jane, tell me you do not see it!” Demetri snapped. Jane groaned, her expression exasperated as her arms folded.

“It’s not a ghost you fools! It’s Y/N,” she huffed, turning her cold gaze to his mate next, “And they’ve made a complete mess.” You had the decency to look embarrassed at least. Alec took another look at the ‘ghost’, sighing slightly as he realised his sister was right. The brown sludge was not burnt flesh after all, more…more…some sort of chocolate mix perhaps? Your lower lip came out in a pout and you looked so unbearably sad Alec couldn’t help but come closer to you, tempted to hug you but also not wanting to get your mess on his clothes.

“Y/N? What on earth happened to you?” he questioned. You whined pitifully at him.

“Jane taught me to make brownies with this recipe she knows and so I tried to do them myself, but the oven is too high up and I lost my grip on the tray and now I have a sore head and no brownies.” You had never looked more upset than you did in that moment and Alec blinked in surprise because…since when did his sister spend time with you? Jane huffed quietly behind him as he sighed and gently wiped some chocolate from her chin before it could drip to the floor.

“Oh dear. How about you get yourself cleaned up and I will clean up in here?” he suggested. You lowered your head.

“I didn’t mean it this time Alec, I swear, I just wanted brownies. I didn’t mean to scare your or Demetri.” Your voice was so small, it shattered his heart. You may have been a troublemaker at heart but you were also a bit of a guilty soul, and he knew you felt genuinely bad when you truly upset someone. You’d been trying to subtly make it up to Demetri for months now but the tracker was having none of it.

“I know sweet thing. All is forgiven.” He promised. He watched you trudge from the kitchen, leaving a trail of brownie mix behind you. Demetri was nowhere to be seen though Jane remained standing near the doorway, staring apathetically at the mess on the floor.

“It isn’t your mess to clean.” She pointed out.

“Nor is it a mess she made deliberately. Chocolate will be much harder to get out clothes than a wooden floor; though, as the recipes creator surely you’d know?” the subtle invitation to tell him and the smirk on his face was enough to make Jane scowl at him.

“Maybe Y/N isn’t so bad…but she cannot bake.” She sniffed, turning on her heel to leave the mess to him. Alec chuckled slightly as she left, pleased in the knowledge his sister was clearly trying to get along with his mate now. She had sworn off of you beforehand, so this was an improvement. It didn’t take him long to run a bucket of hot water, scooping up the large globs of chocolate mix before mopping the floor. He’d definitely have to change his shirt today but he had done it in half the time it would have taken you to clean up, and by the time he wondered to your room to find you you hadn’t even left the shower yet. To his surprise, when he poked his head around the door, his nose caught the smell of fresh flowers, because sitting proudly on your desk was the bouquet he and Demetri had bought for you. His brow furrowed, he didn’t remember giving you those, in fact they’d completely skipped his mind.

He decided to read whilst you showered, determined to speak to you after you were done and confess his feelings for you, but he got so absorbed in the pages it wasn’t until his door creaked that he realised you were clean and dry once more. In fact, almost immediately after his door creaked the sound of your feet thudding against the floorboards hit his ears, and Alec’s hands quickly dropped the book in favour of catching you as you all but dived over the arm of the sofa with a grin to reach him. With his strength he easily held you about a foot up from his lap, slowly lowering you down with raised eyebrows.

“Still trying to fly?” he guessed. You nodded.

“You betcha! One day I’ll manage it, you’ll see. If I have to have a gift it’ll be the coolest one, I’ll be the worlds first flying vampire.” You boasted with a smirk that told Alec you knew it wouldn’t happen anytime soon, if ever, as you sat up on your knees beside him. It was yet another thing Alec loved about you, just how refreshing your perspective on life was. You never took anything too seriously whereas his life had been focused around first, surviving, and second, gaining the reputation that ensured nobody dared mess with him or his sister again. He had had little time for games and tricks and fun but you…you were young and free, living the life he had missed out on, a life he could live vicariously through you.

“You know one day you will fall face first.” He said with a chuckle. You shook your head.

“No I won’t, you’ll always be there to catch me.” You sounded so confident and Alec couldn’t help but smile at you.

“Oh, will I?” he teased. You nodded your head.

“Yeah you will, because red salvia means forever mine, right?” your eyes were a little guarded still, a light pink coating your cheeks. Alec’s brow furrowed, his back straightening.

“You know what the flowers mean?” he asked. Your blush darkened, head slowly nodding.

“Demetri speaks flower…actually, Google Maps said quite a few things, actually.” You admitted. Alec felt his stomach curl tight, the anxiety settling in his gut like a ball and making him feel as close to nauseous as a vampire could get. He turned his body to face you, studying your expression carefully. You didn’t seem like you were setting him up for any bad news at least, your expression wasn’t twisted, you just looked…shy. It was a new and rather bizarre look on you since his loud and cheeky little mouthed mate was never shy. Demetri hadn’t been too harsh then.

“Such as?” he prompted. You took a breath, fingers twisting in your lap.

“Such as he’s never heard me apologise and mean it before apparently – which is a lie but we moved past that – and…and you don’t want to give up on me, because you think I’m okay as I am.” You murmured, not quite able to meet his gaze now. Alec felt his stomach flutter, those proverbial butterflies kicking up a storm as he reached for your hand.

“I think you’re more than okay.” He said softly. Your hand twitched as his fingers brushed your own, but you didn’t pull away and instead let him intertwine your hands with a small smile.

“Even if I’m loud? And annoying? And immature? And-“ You were cut off by Alec’s finger against your lips, his eyes rolling.

“Demetri’s personal opinion of you is something I could care less about. I like the noise and the pranks and when you are unapologetically yourself, Y/N. Maybe you do get yourself into a lot of trouble from time to time but you’re having fun with your life, you are living as you wish, you live freely and that is something I envy.” He admitted. Your eyes widened slightly.

“You envy me? But…you’re so powerful!” you exclaimed. His eyes rolled.

“Power isn’t everything Y/N.I know your life changed in ways you didn’t expect, that you weren’t really happy with it either, and I can never really make up for just taking you away from your home like that but I would like to try.” Alec squeezed your hand lightly, his eyes pleading for that one little chance he knew he didn’t deserve but so desperately wanted. You bit your lip, clearly thinking through your options. You hadn’t really been made to feel welcome during your stay, but if one person had consistently treated you like another human being instead of an out of control child it was Alec. It helped he was pretty handsome to, and for whatever reason, he liked everything about you that put others off.

“How?” you asked finally, head tilting. Alec smiled slightly.

“Humans go on dates when they meet their mates, don’t they? Perhaps we can start with that. I’ll take you to this bakery not far from the square and get you all the brownies you desire.” He proposed. You couldn’t quite fight the smile breaking out on your face.

“Deal.”

Alec came to the startling conclusion that sometimes, a little trouble is a good thing.

#twilight #twilight fanfiction #volturi #volturi imagine #alec volturi #demetri volturi #jane volturi #felix volturi #aro volturi #x reader #twilight x reader #alec volturi x reader #he is a sweetheart deep down #he burns for you #sorry #bad pun

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whatthehelliswrongwithme · 3 years

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Voltron Part 17

Wow, it's already the season 3 finale, episode 7. How the fuck? The season barely started and now it's already ending. What?!? :

Time for some back-backstory!

Like when did the Paladinguys decide to stop having armor of knights and instead chose the "futuristic Space suit" aesthetic?

Look at all these names of the former Paladins! I'm not gonna remember any of those!

Zarkon's got a cruuu-uuush🎶

Did Zarkon's wife become space witch?

Did anybody ever question just why they are lions? Is Allura's dad a furry?

Colour coding strikes again!

That was a cute little callback with the fromer blue Paladin

Also callback (callforward?) to Hunk's reaction to being a leg

They even had their own Ghibli-esque monster! Instead of 99cent "Castle in the Sky"-robot they fought 99cent No-Face!

Zarkon's wife did become space witch

So Zarkon and space witch are basically zombies?? Okay....

Love how their son got ignored in their own backstory

Space witch being Lotor's mom at least explains his boring ass design

Thoughts on the season as a whole:

Too short! Why didn't they fucking combine seasons 3 and 4 into one?

Not enough Shiro!

The season felt less like a full season and more like a longer plot-string of a season

Okay, I'll cut it some slag. It wasn't the worst, but I still liked season 2 better

My favourite episode was "Ansty group get-together/Shiro returns", but the scene "Allura hasn't played the tutorial" also deserves some recognition

Lotor has some serious evil bastard-energy to him and so far he seems like a pretty good villain

Also he got lucky, that he first got mentioned by name. Otherwise he would have been "Loreal-Man"

I love his girlsquad

Hunk, Pidge and Moustache man felt so unimportant this season. Simply because they haven't had any "changing their lion"-angst

Slowly but surely Lance is becoming acceptable as a character

Allura got some more action this season and had some good angst in the AU episode

Keith needs to learn that he can't always be a selfish prick who runs headfirst into things. But at the same time, he want's to make sure that he won't be Shiro 2.0

I still like Shiro, but I hate that he's not a core Paladin right now. He only really had 1 episode to shine, but I think he worked better as the leader. (Also I still can't quite put wether is hairstyle is different or not) (Also he looks like Buzz Lightyear)

Klance had some seriously good moments, due to Shiro being out of the picture

Sheith continues to remain cute, and is probably my favourite ship (even though I am a multishipper)

Allurance had also some good moments, but I still think that they work better as a couple...... of bestieeees!

I want to say that Plance had some good content, but I honestly can't think of a scene right now

Shallura. Did these 2 even interact?

Predictions for next season:

I still think, that they will at some point return to earth

Please give Shiro something to do and not just let him be moustache man's right hand

If I had to guess, Lotor want's to get rid of his father. And due to their shared goal, he and the Paladins will team up for a short period of time

I want good things to happen to Hunk and Pidge, but they'll probably rot in the background one again. With one or two funny one-liners

And now for the obligatory: Thank you so much to everyone who supports this thing in some way or the other. Either by like-ing, reblogging or giving me some background information❤ At times it feels like nobody's interested anymore in this thing, but there are always some people who interact regularly and honestly I love you!!!❤ I'll try to be more interactive in the future😅

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iwanthermidnightz · 3 years

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What do you think she will focus most of her energy on? A split among EL, adidas, and her businesses/investments?

Definitely her businesses and investments. She’s lived a very fast life for 13+ years, that’s a long time, so she has reached a point in her success where she can slow down and focus on things like building her businesses and making investments instead of jumping on a plane every week for a photoshoot in a different country or whatever the case may be. Within the past 2 years a lot of that has changed.

Here’s something she said a few months ago in a video that I never got around to posting but it’s very interesting:

“And so anyways I guess like professionally having my inner circle - I mean I work with - so just to give a little context to tell you about how I run my life and my business. I have been since I was a freshman at Webster Grove a model and I’ve worked in high fashion and I started my career really in high fashion walking the runways around the world in high fashion editorial, Vogues and Vogues of every kind in advertising for Dior, Channel, Este Lauder, Loreal, Victorias Secret, all sorts of brands and companies and I guess in that part of my business I’ve had people that are in my inner circle and that work for me but aren’t necessarily on my payroll so that would be like an agent and a manager and then theres the other side of my business which is more entrepreneurial or what I’ve really gone out of my way to self start and theres two parts of kind of the business that I’ve really built.

One is my non-profit Kode With Klossy which we have a team of five people that full-time focus on running and operating KWK which focuses on teaching young girls how to code, we run summer camps across the country, we train teachers, we build curriculum and we’re really building that out in a big way. I’m hiring a CEO for that now, so thats one part of my non-profit but I treat it like a business it’s a big part of my life and I’m really involved in that.

The other part of my business almost kind of like an incubator style business. So my business partner Penni who is both my manager and [business partner] her role started as my manager and we ended up in the process right now of starting a business that is effectively a 360 management business and I’m both an investor and a client and we’re building businesses around talent and so like for instance if a client wants to build a beauty business we’re building out the business plan, we’re hiring a CEO, we’re hiring out the team, we’re raising the capital so thats another part of my business I’m involved in in partnership with Penni.

And then I’ve had a lot of small projects that I kind of incubated myself. I also do a lot of investing and investing in entrepreneurs. I would consider myself an angel investor. So I write small checks to businesses, I really focus my efforts on investing in businesses that are better for you or better for the planet so that can be really wide ranging and I’ve invested in everything from StockX to SpaceX to beauty brands and food brands and fashion lines and shoe companies.

I’m somebody who loves solving problems, I love supporting ideas that solve problems and I love business and people and entrepreneurship. For me it’s been really inspiring and fun way to be involved in supporting great ideas even if I’m not involved and the founder of that business, but being able to write a check or be involved in another kind of way. So for instance theres this company called Away thats a luggage company,and basically I did something as leveraging my platform as a model and also as an investor and I wrote a check as a angel investor and I also did a campaign with them and a collaboration designing a special suitcase and I got sweat equity in the business for doing this. I gave my services and my time and social media support and did a campaign for this company for equity.”

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psychewithwings · 3 years

Text

A Secret Admirer

Omg look at that hairflip omggggggg

Y’all what the Loreal slogan? Oml

Okay... It’s just fluffffff (imma try be wholesome for once)

Neji stood hidden within the branches of the trees. He stared long at the Valentine he had pinned up on a tree trunk with a kunai. It was cheesy, so cheesy, he debated taking it down, handing it to you in person, or not giving it to you at all. But he had to tell you how he felt, and this seemed like the most logical way to gauge your reaction. Any minuet now you would be...

You were running on your normal route as usual, it didn’t matter if today was Valentines Day. Honestly you were trying not to think about it. Too many memories, happy and sad of your ex played back in your mind. It had only been a few months since your break up. Your ex was lazy and selfish and the least understanding about your life’s desires... You were starting to get heated thinking about your last argument with them when a flash of colour caught your eye. You slowed and approached the tree, your curiosity getting the better of you. ‘How cute someone’s left a love letter’ you thought to yourself. As you got closer you saw the the ruffly heart shaped paper, the vibrant pink and red and... your name carefully scrawled across in glitter glue. It looked like something you would have made back in your academy days to put on the desks of the other kids. You looked around... checking behind you to see if you were truly alone before you carefully took it down from the tree. The paper was stiff in your hands, pink layer glued to red layer. Each layer had been meticulously cut and glued on top of the other to create an almost ripple effect... as if the heart was glowing. The edges were sparkly and bits of the metallic glitter stuck to your hands. Whoever had made this clearly spent some time on it. You flipped it over and noticed the beautiful hand writing on the back. It read:

Y/n,

It’s time I’ve told you how I really feel. When you are around the sun shines brighter and feels warmer. When you are away only clouds reside in the sky. I think a part of me has always been in love with you but I have been much too afraid to say anything... perhaps this will give you a clue, if not to who I am, then at least to how I feel.

I love you, I suppose that is more blatant than a clue, however it is how I feel about you...

yours, well I would like to be

... :)

You looked around, feeling flustered and on display. Were they waiting for you to receive this?

Neji watched you read his love letter. His heart beating harder when he saw your lips quirk into a smile. He laughed softly to himself as you checked the surrounding area to see. He couldn’t tell however if you were pleased or displeased... Perhaps he should have signed it... that way he would have gauged your reaction more accurately... He watched as you examined his Valentine; your beautiful hands tracing over the writing of your name... He held his breath, unintentionally as you clutched the Valentine to your chest. The small smile that played on your lips was all he needed to see. It was time to tell you how he felt. He watched as you turned on your heels and carried his declaration of love with you back towards the village.

It was early enough but the village was full of life. People were purchasing last minuet gifts, flowers, or what you could assume were ingredients for special Valentines breakfast. You smiled at the festivities and looked down at your card. You couldn’t remember the last time that someone had gifted you something for Valentines day... not even your ex.

“Hi Y/n,” you looked up eyes bright to see Hinata walking, carrying a take out bag from Ichiraku. You giggled and smiled at her, “got Naruto his gift I see?” She nodded and gestured to your card, “and I see Neji decided to give you your card, he’d been debating it all week.” Your eyes grew wide and your mouth fell open. Hinata stared back at you before she clapped her hands over her mouth and blushed in embarrassment. “D-did I say something?” she squeaked and you took a deep breath. “This wasn’t signed...” you explained. “Oh well that’s- I gotta go, see ya.” She scurried away, leaving you with your thoughts. Neji Hyuuga, the boy you had a crush on as a kid in the academy was now leaving you Valentines on trees... okay, okay. You tried to take deep breaths, and you jumped when you heard someone call your name again.

Neji was approaching just as Hinata had let it slip. He stood behind as he watched your eyes grow wide and his cousin run in the opposite direction. He figured this was as good a time as any to confess to your face. You spun around to be met with his shy smile. “I should have just told you... the note was silly... wasn’t it...” You shook your head slowly, “no, I thought it was really sweet... a little bit cheesy.” He pressed his fingers to his eyes, “ugh I knew it!” You rushed over to him and slowly took his hands from his eyes. “I really do like it though... and you really like me, right?” Your face was close to his now and his breath caught in his throat. How were your eyes always so sparkly?? “I do, I like you very much,” he murmured. It felt strange; allowing himself to be this vulnerable. But his vulnerability was well recieved. Your smile broke into a beaming grin and you whispered, “me too,” before pulling him into a kiss.

#neji #neji hyuuga #neji hyuuga x you #neji hyuga x reader #naruto #narutoverse #valentines #valentines day

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adowbaldwin · 3 years

Text

‘Recasting, by Loreal’

Since ADOW have seemingly replaced our beloved Trystan, i have decided to kill off Baldwin.

Also, if he has not been replaced, this feeling of hurt and anger at the prospect still stands.

Thankyou for the title idea @mercia-osborne

Baldwin spluttered and choked on the blood curdling in his mouth, it was as if all the liquid he had ever consumed in his life had risen to the surface begging to spill free. He clawed at his neck, the touch of cut flesh folded between his fingers and he knew it was futile. Nothing would stop the bleeding, not now.

He could hear the faint shouts from his brother’s rasped voice though it was distant. All that felt close to him was the faint sound of buzzing; it was irritating. The hum had not calmed him, and his legs thrashed in defiance of the situation.

How could he die now? he had to ensure Becca was safe. She had been taken, and it was his duty to find her. He clambered to his shaky feet reaching out for what he thought was a wall to hold onto. The wall had turned out to be Gallowglass.

His Nephew looked sick, and Baldwin rolled his eyes as much as he could. Why were they all acting as if they cared now? they had a job to do, then he would die.

He pushed the man away and found his way back to Gerberts old dining room. The scrote had executed a plan to abduct Becca when he found out she came into her powers, and now they had rallied the knights to find her. They could all hear her cries coming from a distant room but they had to wade through his children first.

Matthew and Baldwin had obliterated two hundred of them in one foul swoop, now one remainder stood in their way. His movements were not quick, but they were effective. With one final swipe, the last son of Gerbert’s head came rolling off and Baldwin sank to his knees, falling forward.

His eyes caught the sight of Gallowglass bending over him, panicking as he tried to cover the spurting wound “Uncle, Uncle come on stay with me. you’ve got atleast another thousand years under your belt tae bully us all” Baldwin thought he saw a tear, but he could also see a dancing cabaret women juggling her tits over his nephew’s shoulder so he couldn’t be exactly sure.

He coughed and the motion gave way to more blood flowing “Becca” his throat made a choking noise as if he had swallowed his tongue

Matthew ran with the speed of a vampire to his brothers side, holding close his sniffling thirteen year old. Her head was buried in his shoulder unable to fathom what was happening to her favourite Uncy “Biscuit” he whispered her nickname one final time “Don’t weep for me” he tried to smile, to comfort her as she met his eyes. His hand found hers and he squeezed it as hard as he could “you can have all of my wine”

She blubbered, there was nothing in this world that he loved more then his wine, and she knew how special she must be to him to bestow such a gift onto her. It may seem odd to most, but that was about the most top level affection you could get from him. She would make sure to ‘treasure’ those bottles of Bordeaux as long as she could.

“Matthew” he croaked “Gallow-“ he spurted more blood, as unknown things started to spill from his nose. Could have been blood too, might have been a part of his liver. He couldn’t quiet tell. “try not to look so happy I’m dead”.

With one last, final dramatic cough his life flashed before him. He had heard stories this would happen, and did not think he would have the privilege of seeing such things. His brightest moments had been in Rome, under the command of the greatest man he ever knew; Philippe.

He fell into his fate dreamily, listening to the sobs of a girl he would certainly miss. When he closed his eyes to save those from a horrific sight, he took pleasure in knowing both his brother and nephew were crying.

Looks like he was a popular boy after all.

There was a sudden strong scent of Narcissus and Amaranthus caudatus parading around his senses and he could feel under his touch the wet blades of fresh cut grass. The tree he had been leaning against was rough against his skin, though he enjoyed the sensation. The sound of chirping and preening echoed in his ears as a nearby Peacock nipped its feathers.

He had heard the stories of ‘heaven’ and thought them ridiculous. How could somewhere be so idyllic? He looked down at himself and chuckled, this was a look he had not sported in almost 2000 years; his lorica segmentate. His hands met the hilt of his Gladius and he sighed happily. He had unknowingly waited a long time for this, and now he had found his own perfect peace.

He stood, surveying his new ‘home’. In the furthest reaches there were stone pillars to a temple and a river that never seemed to end. The colours were as vibrant as they could be, as if it were nothing but perfection.

His heart stopped and his breathing slowed as he sensed him. It had been much too long, and he was not sure if he could face him yet “Lucius” his demanding voice called “Look at me”

Baldwin turned tentatively around to meet those deep, brown eyes he had long forgotten. He flickered his eyes over his frame taking in the sight of his father for the first time in decades “Father” his whisper barely heard over the incessant Peacock ruffling its feathers

Phillipe stepped closer, hoping not to startle him as if his strongest son was a baby doe “you look” his brows furrowed “different” he could not place it, nor the niggling feeling his son was much changes since he had seen him last

“Got a hair dye, 2000 years as a ginger took its toll” Baldwin retorted “you look a touch more bulky” he smirked much to his fathers disdain. Elysium had been more then delightful for Philippe, and his widening hips from all the wine had not gone unnoticed

Baldwin could not wait a second longer, and he broke the remaining distance. His arms gripped tightly to his beloved father as they embraced each other fondly. Philippe held as tightly as his son had, he had missed his favourite son the most. Of course, there was his darling Ysabeau but no child took root in his heart as Lucius had.

He pulled his sons face into his hands, bracing their foreheads together “No words fulfil the expression of how proud i am of you, Lucius” Baldwin had looked stunned, though said nothing “you lead our family in grievous times and became a better man for it” his hands gripped his shoulders “now, shall we join Hugh for some wine”

Lucius smirked “There isn’t perhaps any women in Elysium, is there?”

“Lots. And occasionally” Philippe’s voice lowered “there is war, too”

They grinned delightfully at each other, and practically skipped to the local heavenly bar.

Elysium didn’t quiet know what it was in for, in all honesty. Perhaps time spent in the Underworld would suit them both. Though, Elysium’s protectors had also wanted some entertainment, even if it came in the form of War, Women and Wine.

#FIC #im not crying you are #COME BACK TO US TRYSTAN #ADOW #a discovery of witches

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wolfish-trickster · 4 years

Text

One sad story

Loki x female!reader (eventually) Avengers x reader (platonic)

Part 1/2

Word count: 1 272

Summary: you feel like you are unwanted in the team unless you change, but that's hard. The whole team is worried about you, but only Loki managed to do something, for now.

Warnings: sadness, depression. It will get better I promise.

Bring Sally up, bring Sally down, lift and squat, gotta tear the ground. Bring Sally up...

You can't anymore. It's nearly the end of the song but you just can't continue. Natasha on the other hand is doing push ups as if it was nothing.

"How are you so strong?" you asked her, breathing heavily.

"Don't know, might be my training?" Nat turned the video of and started to stretch her arms. You were still laying on the cold floor, cooling your heated body. It would be nice to just close your eyes and forget everything around you. But you have to stretch first, otherwise you might damage your muscles.

After stretching and warm shower both you and Nat went to kitchen.

"Hey Y/N, me, Wanda, Pepper and Maria want to have a girl night, wanna join?"

"No, thanks. I'm too tired. I'll just turn on some movie and fall asleep," you fake-yawned, trying to convince her of your tiredness.

"Alright, do as you wish," said the red haired spy, knowing you weren't as tired as you acted.

You turned around and made your way to elevators. Just as boys were coming out of the gym. All of them shirtless of course. 'Show offs' you thought, rolling your eyes with a smile.

But then, you noticed him. A certain raven haired god was walking quietly after the horde of heroes, wearing a tank top and man bun. You quickly looked away, rushing to your room. You were very closed friends, but you started to distance yourselves lately. In the begging it was just the two of you. Reading in the library until one of you fell asleep, watching movies under the blanket, talking while enjoing a cup of tea. But ever since the rest of the team (mainly boys) started to train with him, talk to him, spending time with him. He just didn't have time on you anymore.

But that's fine. You had time to yourself. You started working out, gaining muscle. You already were an Avenger, now you have to look the part. You were trained to be fast, not strong, that's why you didn't have that much muscle. That's why you looked small and weak and useless compared to your teammates. Gods, assasins, soldiers...

And then you. Ordinary human. With basic training. Without special skills or super powers. Invisible. Unimportant. Replacable.

You sighed and turned your laptop on. Browsing through Netflix until you found The Little Prince. It's always easier to conceal crying when you have a background noise.

"Hey, where's Y/N? I thought she'll come," Wanda asked Natasha, fixing her black dress and curled hair.

"I thought so too but she said she's too tired. She was lying, obviously. Something's going on with her, but what?"

"I just hope she's okay."

"Oh please, why wouldn't she be? She's Y/N, the toughst girl I know. Besides, where's Maria? Did you tell her we are leaving at six instead of seven?" Pepper intervened enthusiasticaly. This was the first night off she has had for 3 months.

Girls then heard high heels clapping towards them."Of course they did. It takes time to look this gorgeous" to emphasise Maria threw her hair loreal-comercial style.

"Alright ladies, let's go shopping!"

"Does anyone know of Y/N whereabouts? She promised she'll watch that 'movie thing' she mentioned earlier"

"Thor, you've asked 3 times already and for the fourth time: she's sleeping in her room. Let her rest."

"Says someone who had no problem letting her be awake for more than 20 hours straight. We get it Tony, your sleeping schedule is messed up, doesn't mean she has to have it too."

When Bruce entered the living room he was presented with Clint and Tony in the middle of their poker game (playing for cookies), Thor chewing on an apple behind Tony peeking into his cards and Loki calmly reading a book with a steaming cup of tea sitting next to them.

"I can watch that movie with you Thor, if you'd like to. By the way, did you notice Y/N started to act.... a little odd lately?" Bruce swore he saw Loki looking up from his book with his peripheral vision.

"Nah, she's the same as always. Just a little tired. I saw her working out like crazy these past weeks. HEY YOU LIL CHEATER, STOP IT!"

"I'm not cheating bird brains, you just can't play. I'll share if you apologize. But Bruce is right, something's wrong. I mean I'm glad she's getting sleep but something just isn't right" Tony was dragging all of the cookies towards himself, making funny faces at pouting Clint.

"You know what? How about we play for something more valuable?" Clint asked with a smirk.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Sure am fancy tin can."

"POP TARTS!" both of them shouted at the same time. Clint was already making his way to kitchen for the box of said valuable treats when he was stopped by Thor.

"If you are going to play for my loves, you have to win against me too!"

"Thor, have you ever played poker?"

"Of course I have," he haven't, but he's been watching them play for over an hour. How hard can it possibly be?

Meanwhile Bruce sat down next to Tony, opposite of Loki.

"What about you?" Bruce asked Loki.

"What about me?" Loki took a sip of his tea, not looking up from his book.

"Well, Y/N was the first one to convince us you're not as much of a dick as we thought you are and you don't even care about her!" Tony managed to say with full mouth of his prize.

"First of all thank you for not thinking I'm a dick, second of all I do care about her and third of all she's just tired. You said it yourself Stark. I'll check up on her when she's rested."

"Get in line Rudolf. Bruce, do you want to play?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Clint and Thor arrived with two giant boxes of Pop tarts and started to sort it out into four piles.

Loki just rolled his eyes, got up and walked towards elevators.

*knock* "Y/N? Are you there?"

Oh shit.

Why was Loki here? Of all people why him? Right when you finally ran out of tears to shed. You didn't even need to look into a mirror to know how you looked like. Puffy red eyes, wet face, runny nose and bird's nest for hair. Just great.

"Yeah, what do you want?" even your voice sounded like you've been crying for two hours straight, which you did.

"Y/N, are you okay? Can I come in? Please?"

"Yeah," you murmured loud enough for him to hear.

He opened the door and walked straight to you, cupping your face, forcing you to look into his eyes.

"Sweetheart, were you crying? Who hurt you?" you could hear the pain in his voice. Why did he care all of a sudden? Did boys ditch him?

"No one, I'm fine. Really. I was just watching a very sad movie and it made me cry, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I mean, have you seen it? I bet you would cry too," 'but you don't have time on me and my silly movies' you added in your head.

"Well, guys are playing cards for sweets and girls are out wasting money on accessories they will never wear and I have currwntly nothing to do. Let's watch the movie that upset you so."

'If only it was the movie that really made me cry' you thought and put the movie on.

#loki fanfic #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki x reader #avengers #Avengers fanfiction #loki angst #loki fluff

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