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loser-writings · 4 years

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Tristful ||Angst || Dabi x reader

Reader: Gender Neutral

Character: Dabi x Reader (Romantic) Toga x Reader (platonic) LoV x Reader (platonic)

Warnings: Death, mention of self harm, possible OOC characters, Platonic affection between an adult and a minor.

Summary: The league of Villains remember you a year after your death, and two are still dealing with the pain of you being gone.

A/N: I don’t know why Dabi is the one getting the attention, but he is. Welcome to the first true angst that was written at 4:30AM after some serious crying.

3/15. One of the worst days for the League of Villains. Toga would be crying all day, Magne would be doing her best to help comfort Toga, Shigaraki would be a bit more irritable, and Dabi would be completely absent. Shigaraki had managed to find Dabi though after hearing a voice that he didn’t think he would hear ever again.

“Hey baby! I know you might think this is stupid since yknow, I’m working and Boss would kill me if he saw me on my phone, but I wanted to let you know that I’ll be coming home a bit later tonight.”

Shigaraki had remembered you. How you managed to befriend everybody in the league with your natural charisma as well as your singing that filled the halls. Sure, he may have scolded you for it before, but he didn’t mean it. It was like you both knew that deep down, so you never stopped singing. His heart ached a little as he listened again once your voice picked up again.

“They’re on your tail too by the way. I’d stay indoors for a while and let me handle everything that involves going in public. I don’t think I could handle having you taken from me.”

Then you laughed. The same laugh that you did when you were stressed, but trying to hide it. It was obvious that under your happy persona you put on for your hero work, you were deeply troubled. Some nights ended up with you breaking down to different members of the league, but the main two that helped you through it all was Dabi and Toga. Thanks to you, the two found comfort in each other when you were gone.

“Anyway, I’ll let you go darling. Be as good as you can be. At least until I get home-” “Hey! Get back to work!” “S-Sorry sir! Calling my roommate to make sure that I didn’t leave the oven on.”

The voice of the eldest Todoroki boomed through the speakers before it cut off, a sigh coming from Dabi before the creek of the bed. Shigaraki could only guess what the other was thinking, so he just knocked to alert the other before walking in. He was met with Dabi laying on his back, staring at the ceiling blankly.

“You okay?”

“Want an honest answer or the one you want to hear?”

Shigaraki scoffed and rolled his eyes before moving to stand by the bed. “You’re of no good use to me when you’re all mopey like this. Kinda depressing honestly.” He snapped while the other promptly flipped him off. Shigaraki smiled a little before sitting on the edge of the bed. “They would hate to see you like this.-” “Yeah and I sure fucking hate not having them here to yell at me for it.” Dabi huffed and rubbed at his eyes before sitting back up. “Believe it or not, but I miss them too. I miss our bickering and how they would sing at ungodly hours. I miss how they would play fight in the bar with Toga. I miss their contagious laughter, but all we can do now is continue for our goal. A world where Heroes get what they deserve when they harm the innocent. A world where people like us don’t have to worry. A world where-” “A world where innocent people don’t get murdered and then the murderer is praised for it.” Dabi sighed and moved to run his hands through his hair. “Exactly. A world where Endeavor gets what he deserved. He found out, and he didn’t hold back.”

They both remembered that day. They remembered seeing it on the news in Kurogiris’ bar that Endeavor had found another member of the League of Villains. Not really a big deal since they assumed it was just another pawn, but when they disclosed your name, quirk, and status, they were all in shock. They framed you to be a traitor, the bad person when in reality, you were the most “Normal” one out of everybody. You had no Ill intentions when you gave them the information they wanted, yet they praised Endeavor for “Subduing the threat.” Little did they all know, you wouldn’t wake up from the coma he put you in. In their mind, they murdered you.

The worst part was that they couldn’t really get in to see you. Sure, Kurogiri would sneak them in to see you for short periods, but they were no longer than 5 minutes due to the risk of somebody walking into the room. Toga managed to go in one day during visiting hours, holding your hand and talking to you until visiting hours ended. Nobody would've believed that it was the bloodthirsty girl from her appearance alone since her blonde hair was down, her eyes were bloodshot and red from crying, and her normally loud voice was barely a whisper. When the doctors asked her about your relationship with her, she just smiled a little, wiped her tears, and said you were their best friend. She left you a few gifts and kissed your forehead before blinking away tears as she thanked the nurses for doing their best as she left the room. When she got back to the hideout, she just locked herself in her room and didn’t respond to anybody. It wasn’t the first true loss in her life, but it was the most painful. Her cries and screams for you didn’t fall on deaf ears either since it wasn’t an unfamiliar sight for somebody to walk through with wet eyes.

The day you were announced dead had to be one of the most depressing. Details of your funeral that was being held for anybody to attend flashed on the television before going back to what was playing originally. Despite the day being grey and rainy, everyone in the league went to see you one last time and wish you goodbye. When they saw your plain casket, Twice made a comment about how you deserved better before snapping about how it was lame as hell. Nobody minded though since they knew he couldn’t help it. Toga wiped her tears as they approached the casket before sighing softly. She clutched the stuffed bear you had given her tight in her hands before choking back a sob. This was unfair. Why did everybody she love get taken away from her? Her hand softly rest on the wood before choking back another sob. She wanted to hold you again. She wanted to hug you again and have you tell her that everything would be okay, but the hand of Magne broke her out of her delusions as she broke down in tears again, falling to the ground and screaming out in pain. Magne was quick to hug her to her chest, trying to comfort the young girl the best she could despite her own tears.

Shigaraki did feel a bit numb to the situation, but he had been finding his mind wondering to you as time went on. Now that your casket was in front of him, he couldn’t help but find himself missing you a little more. One by one, everybody left their gifts for you before going back to the hideout to grieve in private. By the end, the only ones left were Dabi, Shigaraki, and Kurogiri. None of them spoke, just standing in the rain until Dabi broke the silence. “Come back for me in five. I need time alone with them.” The two agreed before leaving Dabi alone with only your casket and his thoughts.

He moved to sit in front of the wooden box for a minute before he just choked out a chuckle, covering his eyes as he found them watering. “Why?” He asked out loud before shaking his head again. “Why the FUCK must he take everything from me?” Dabi asked out loud as he felt the rage wash over him. He already hated Endeavor for everything he had done in his past, but now he took you too. He quickly wiped away the tears before he grabbed his hair, tugging on it softly to mimic how you would rake your hands through his hair to calm him from his nightmares. “I thought you said you wanted to figure shit out? That we would make it past all of this and that neither one of us would leave? You fucking coward, You broke that goddamn promise!” He didn’t mean it, but he knew he was speaking to the world more than anything else. “Goddamn it...We were supposed to make it to the end…” He leaned back in his chair before looking at the casket again. “You got my fucking hopes up...for a future I don’t deserve.” he sighed and shook his head again. “And you didn’t deserve this either.” He wiped off the scarred burns under his eyes, the staples burning a bit from the tears but it was oddly comforting. After sitting for a moment, he heard Kurogiri behind him again. He simply sighed before standing to pull out the velvet box from his pocket. “Wherever you are, I hope you’re not hurting anymore.” he sat the box down on the lap of Togas bear, staring at it for a moment before sighing. “Maybe one day...we can be normal. Have a family together...like we promised.” he said before placing his hand on the wood just as Toga did before. “I’ll watch her too...So don’t worry.” He moved to kiss the top of the box before pulling away. “I love you doll...I think I always will.” he chuckled sadly and started walking away, sighing as he walked through the portal with Kurogiri following after.

The next few weeks were hard. Dabi had kept his promise to you and kept an eye on Toga, finding her passed out one day after she had a large fit which resulted in her hurting herself with her knives. Luckily they had a spare medkit and you had taught him how to do basic first aid. Slowly, Shigaraki had managed to create a new task for the league and everybody slowly got back on their feet. It was what you would have wanted anyway. Yet at your one year death date, here everyone was all gloomy.

Dabi sighed once more before looking at his phone, speaking to Shigaraki once more. “I have a ton of voice mails from them saved. I have all of our texts. I have videos and pictures of them. Sometimes, it just feels like they were here yesterday.” He sighed as the other man just nodded. “Yeah...I still find myself thinking of them. It’s not the same, but one day it’ll all be worth it.” Dabi slowly nodded before another soft knock was at the door, the blonde slowly walking in before noticing Shigaraki already inside. “Oh...Sorry for barging in. I uh...Just was going to ask to steal one of their shirts for the night and maybe ask for you to just...Hold me for a bit.” She sighed and shook her head, rubbing at her puffy eyes. Dabi slowly got up and nodded, walking to the closet to pick out your favorite large shirt before tossing it to Toga. She took it and smiled a little at the memories. “Uh...Thanks. I’ll come back when you’re done talking.” She said as she smiled a little at them. Shigaraki sighed and stood. “Nah, I think we are done. You both need to rest anyway. Recover as much as you can and remember, this is motivation.” Dabi rolled his eyes before sighing. “Sure, now leave us alone you fucking raisin.” Toga couldn’t help but chuckle at Dabi’s retort as Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.” He waved before leaving the room. Toga sighed and tossed off her shirt, knowing Dabi didn’t care since he saw her as more of a sister than anything else, before pulling on your shirt.

“Do you think that we could leave flowers on their grave tomorrow? I wanna talk to them and catch them up to speed since we haven’t talked in over a year.” Toga spoke before moving to lay in Dabi’s bed as the other stripped off his jacket. “Sure, we can do that. I bet they’ll appreciate it.” She hummed as Dabi laid next to her before she curled up against his chest, sighing at his warmth before hugging him a bit tighter. His hand played with her blonde locks before he yawned, moving to kiss her head softly. “You know they loved you right?” Toga asked which only got a chuckle from Dabi. “Yeah. Y’know that we had plans to adopt you after we won against the heroes?” Her eyes shot open and she sat up a little. “Really?!” He simply nodded and pulled her back down. “We thought you would want a family that cared. So they brought up adoption, and I agreed.” Toga felt her eyes water before she moved to snuggle in his chest again. “I would’ve loved that…” She sniffled before hugging him tighter. “I wouldn’t have been able to ask for a better family…” Dabi simply sighed and went back to playing with her hair. “Well...I’ll still adopt you when this is all over. Just give it some time?” She nodded and felt herself growing sleepy. “Okay…” He hummed and continued to pet her, watching as she slowly fell asleep snuggling into his chest.

He couldn’t help but shut his eyes and sigh. When he met this brat, she was just some girl who was crazy, yet now he was holding her and speaking of adoption. You would’ve adored seeing how close the two had gotten and how they trusted each other. For a moment, he felt like you were watching from wherever, smiling at the sight and praising him. He could almost hear it as he pulled Toga closer, holding her protectively. “It’ll all be okay…” He reassured the sleeping girl. “We got this...We will make it through for them.”

#Dabi x reader #mha dabi #Dabi #Dabi imagine #himiko toga #toga x reader #himiko toga x reader #bnha toga #league of villains #bnha #bnha x reader #bnha imagine #bnha oneshots #Bnha Dabi #dabi oneshot #toga oneshot

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matrixaffiliate · 6 years

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Like the Storybooks

From the dynamic duo that brought you Glimpsing Happiness, PJ and I are proud to bring you another Blackinnon AU! Please enjoy, Like the Storybooks!

Marlene is the next in line to the throne, until her cousin James provides the kingdom with an heir. Being an eligible heiress attracts loathsome suitors. King James’s right hand man, Sir Sirius, could help her fend them off, but the knight of mysterious origins seems intent on becoming the next Sir Galahad.

We’ll update two chapters every Saturday, but you get four chapters today because I’m MIA next week. We’ll pick up again on Dec. 1st. <3

Co-written with @hufflepuffmarlenemckinnon

FFN and AO3

Chapter 1

It was unnerving, how quickly one's life could change. Half a year ago, Marlene had been far enough down the line of succession to be able to live her life more or less the way she wanted. Then the storm began. First, her Uncle and Aunt, Their Majesties King Fleamont and Queen Euphemia were taken by the plague, leaving her cousin James and his new wife Lily to reign over the kingdom of Phoenixordo, earlier than anyone had prepared for. Then, out of nowhere, her parents succumbed to the plague as well. Like the thunder after a strike of lightning, the newly anointed King James sent orders that Marlene was to live at the capital castle. As heiress presumptive to the throne, she needed protection. James’s letter, written to his cousin in his own hand stated, ‘I already have a Kingdom to manage, thus, I needn’t expend my energy fretting endlessly over my only family being kidnapped or murdered because she's too far away for me to keep an eye on her.’

Marlene resented the comment, but she had to admit, she had a bit of a reputation. Her father and mother had doted on her endlessly. She was their only child, and she was as bright as she was beautiful. Marlene was exactly what fairytales wrote about when they described princesses. Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves. The spark behind the vibrant blue of her eyes hinted at her spirited nature. She moved with such a grace that she’d become something of a distraction for the stable hands and serving boys. Her father had insisted that she was the most beautiful princess in the kingdom from the time she was 10. Her mother had constantly fussed over her, her hair, her clothes, and her posture. They'd given her the absolute best tutors and she'd excelled in her studies and was as sharp as a whip. Marlene was everything the world had expected of her. But after the course of the last month, the Princess was also very much alone.

At least with her cousin, King James, she might have some reprieve from feeling the constant weight of the loss of her parents. It hurt, and Marlene couldn't seem to move past the pain that ached in her chest. The thought that someone would use her as bargaining was troubling enough on its own, but added with everything else made her breathing labored. She welcomed the feeling of safety that came with living in the same fortress as his Majesty. It helped her to feel more secure than she had managed those few nights in her father's castle - her castle, she remembered - after James’ letter and guarded escort had arrived. She hadn't brought much, well, except her entire collection of dresses - which now included her mother's wardrobe - but those were essentials. At some point, she'd be able to put on her colorful dresses again without feeling a sense of wrongness within herself. Someday she wouldn't see her mother in every damned mirror. Someday.

Marlene had hated carriage rides since she was a child. They gave her headaches and made her spine rattle. She would have preferred to ride the whole way there on the back of her chestnut mare, Truda, but James’ guards advised her that it was completely out of the question. She missed the feeling of being a few very important places further down the line of succession. As a girl, and even as a maiden princess to some extent, she’d been permitted to do as she pleased; now she felt like someone’s gold chess piece.

Her ill temper was only increased by one of the courtiers of His Majesty's Court who decided his presence was necessary for her arrival. She stepped out of the carriage and tried to ignore the pounding in her very bones as the man stepped up to her. His features were not in and of themselves hideous. But it was somewhat disconcerting that it looked like he'd seen a portrait of her and then taken it upon him to recreate her image on himself. The way he styled and presented himself though was astoundingly garish. He wore an all lavender outfit, which he strutted about in with such flagrant pride that the color must have been intentional choice, rather than some aging tailor’s error. It made him resemble a decorative baked sweet. His curly blond hair was a bit of puffed cream topping and his blue eyes were some sort of garnish. That sort of thing never even tastes any good, in Marlene’s opinion. The overall image was hideous, and it would have perhaps been something to laugh to herself about later if it were not for the idiot believing that he was permitted to speak.

“Your Grace,” the man bowed and Marlene's upbringing and training kicked in and she nodded politely to acknowledge him before continuing to follow the escort to His Majesty’s office.

“I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Marquess of Occamy, heir to the Duchy of Oblivium, It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.” He followed after her and Marlene bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at him. He had no right to trouble her with his loathsome voice, let alone trail along after her like a spaniel.

“How lovely for you, my Lord.” She picked up the pace of her steps, in hopes of getting the point across.

“Not as lovely as you, dear Princess. You are everything that was rumored and more.”

“Yes, well,” Marlene focused on being a princess and controlling her tongue, “kind of you to listen to Court gossip about me and all but I have an appointment with his Majesty.”

“By all means, but do allow me the honor of escorting you to the door.” He moved to take her arm but she sidestepped him.

Marlene pursed her lips and let out a slow and even breath to steady her will. She knew there was no polite way to get rid of this clown, so she’d need to endure him for another hundred paces or so. She would just have to survive the pain of swallowing her more brazen insults.

“If you must.” She chose a lofty tone to try and push the issue that she was anything but interested in his company.

“I must. And I must confess that I have been longing to meet you since I saw your portrait. Never in my life have I seen a noble lady who looked quite so like myself. If we were to wed, our heirs would be so beautifully golden that the sun itself would look dull by comparison.”

Was this dunce truly out of his mind? Marlene smiled as her destination came into sight. “Right well… Best not give the sun any cause for anger. Good day, Lord Gilderoy.” With that, she let the door slam in Lockhart's face, taking pleasure in the moment of silence before she heard James chuckle.

“Little Marly is still slamming doors I see. Welcome to your new home, Cousin.” He stood and embraced her and Marlene took a moment to just be glad to be with family again, the last few months had been incredibly lonely. She and James had been great friends as young children, but it became dangerous to travel about a year before James started as a squire, Marlene’s parents put her visits to a halt. They kept her at home to protect her, and consequently, the cousin pair drifted apart. She took note of the small changes in what was Uncle Monty’s office while she was a child, with her only cousin's arms around her shoulders. Her only family now, she reminded herself. Whatever differences there were, the warm welcome of her cousin was a relief. She could finally start to fill in some of the emptiness that dwelt within her since they'd buried her parents.

“I only slam doors when someone has made themselves a pest.” She stepped out from his embrace and smirked up at him. He had gotten impossibly taller in the years she hadn't seen him.

“Who could possibly be pestering you?” James laughed and pulled a soft chair out for her. Marlene fell into it gladly.

“Some Lord Lockhart seems to be under the impression that I'd be his perfect bride,” Marlene drawled as James handed her a drink.

“Ah, that unfortunately,” James took a seat across from her and threw his feet onto the desk, “will be a problem in the foreseeable future. You’re my heiress presumptive. Even imbeciles like Lockhart know that marrying you is the best chance any other family has to ending up on the throne.”

“James, the absolute last thing I want is to end up on the throne. So would you mind doing your heiress presumptive a favor? Presume to go get an heir upon your wife! I’d be forever in your debt if you’d bestow upon me a little nephew or niece to dote on... and push all this ridiculous responsibility on to. Immediately would be preferable, but I’ll be kind and wait 9 moons.”

Marlene nearly jumped when a woman with beautiful red hair and piercing green eyes walked in laughing, accompanied by a tall man with jet black hair and pale skin. He could easily be the best looking man she'd ever seen, but Marlene reminded herself that after dealing with Lord Lockhart for five minutes she may very well have found something deeply appealing in anyone who was not him.

“Ah, my love,” James stood and the tall man smirked.

“Really your Majesty, not in front of the Queen! You’ll make her jealous.”

Marlene laughed, this man was dry, but there was something about the way he held himself that made Marlene feel like he was carrying a weight far greater than his humor could maintain.

James rolled his eyes and pulled the woman into his arms. “Lily this is the Princess Marlene, my cousin, and as she reminded me, the next in line until we produce an heir. She seems to think we ought to be putting more effort into that endeavor.” He nuzzled her neck and Queen Lily laughed.

Marlene curtsied low, with practiced elegance, “Your Majesty, it's so wonderful to meet you.”

Lily bowed her head, “Your Grace, I hope you'll find our castle to be a home to you now.”

Marlene chuckled, “Is that enough formality?”

“Heavens, yes!” Lily laughed and embraced Marlene. “I've heard so much about you from James and I've been so excited to get to meet you! He tells me you're quite the scholar. None of the Ladies here were properly educated and if I have to spend one more afternoon discussing the most popular color for fabrics this season, I'm going to scream.”

“Well, just respond to every comment on fabric colors with something philosophical or ask them about the fabric dye that most represents their mortal soul.” Marlene grinned wickedly and Lily laughed.

“I'm going to abscond with her,” she turned to James.

“Ah good,” the tall man drawled, “now my dearest King and I can profess our undying love and escape away unhindered.”

Lily rolled her eyes, “Marlene this is Sir Sirius. He's our cousin on his Majesty’s mother's side and his dearest friend. He’s let his reputation as the bravest knight in the kingdom go straight to his head. He thinks he can command an army and the heart of my own loving husband… the nerve” Lily smiled at her jest.

“One simply does one's best. Your Grace,” he nodded to her.

Marlene nodded politely and noted that he didn't immediately propose marriage, or really bother with her at all. That was what she wanted with these new courtiers, to be left alone.

“I regret that we must bid you farewell until dinner, dear Ladies.” James kissed Lily's hand and stared at her for a moment like a lovesick puppy before sighing and pulling away. “Sir Sirius and I have some work to hammer out.”

Lily linked her arm with Marlene's and pulled her through a different door that thankfully didn't have Lord Gilderoy Lockhart standing on the other side.

#blackinnon #blackinnon fanfiction #sirius black x marlene mckinnon #sirius x marlene #jily #medieval au #medieval fantasy au #trebuchets

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outrowings · 7 years

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sorry for the lame gif

Nitya here! I’ve had this blog for 900 years and some of you guys have seen me through one direction, years of regret superwholock, marvel and dc, the 100, sense8, star trek, star wars, and my final form: kpop. the best part of this has been seeing all my old favs also turn into kpop trash blogs how we’ve stayed together for so long through all this. anyway here’s me being gross and loving my mutuals (long post ahead)

favs: im sappy so heres me trying not to cry about how much i love you as i type these (idgaf if we only talked once i still love u)

@artificialskyway : veronica! i’m so bad at replying but ur always asking how i am and sending me pics of my favs and im forever grateful <333 i hope you continue to write in the future ur work is amazing!

@beinfired : my favorite (and only) hoobae. tk thanks for putting up with me LMAO and always sending me the freshest memes and hyping me up like no one else. ur finally making edits and i love them!!!! keep going !!!!! i cant properly express my undying love for u so ill leave it at that.

@blameblamebts : hana u trash queen the most beautiful and ethereal being ever i love you so much. u always hoeing in the chat and hyping me up i love you for it <333333 ur face and ur writing are both truly an inspiration to me

@fightitigniteit : brit, we haven’t talked in a while but i miss you and im always hoping the best for u. u are one of the strongest people i know and i know you will always come out on top <3333333

@itschims : celine! we’ve talked one (1) time but ur so sweet and funny! i look forward to seeing u on my dash every time i log on. lets talk more!

@kimseaokjin : den! we haven’t talked in forever but u were so welcoming when i first became a switched over to a bts blog and im forever grateful for how warm u were towards me. tysm and lets talk more!

@lyselena : my big sis, hey alicia. Thanks for putting up with me and taking care of me and sending the best tumblr memes. I still haven’t finished goblin.... anyway i love u to the moon and i know youll be amazing at college!

@makeu-ssi : MARY an amazing writer who freaking destroys my soul on a daily basis i love you to pieces. seems like a cinnamon roll but is a sinnamon roll. pls keep writing and inspiring me ily :*

@marks-angel-imagines : sienna! u absolute cutie. we started talking when you made that cute post about mutuals and i completely died omg. l love your writing! let’s talk more <3333

@minmayhem : Kennnnnn, #1 at sending heart emojis. always? sends? the sweetest? messages? in the gc??? i love you you make my day better!!! ur art legit makes me sob its not possible to be this talented tf ken?

@mvpgyu : BRYN, #brynya forever. I feel like ive known u forever even though it’s just been a few months. Ur so genuinely nice and i consider you a close friend at this point!! so grateful to have you and i wish you good luck with your personal endeavors im always cheering for u!

@pasteljoon : michaela, it’s been a while since we talked but u were so kind to me and messaged me after i replied to one of ur posts. u asked me about pride and stuff and i felt so loved? i love your hobi airport piece u posted i hope u make more art soon <3

@pbandj-hope : christina! a fellow khh stan and the only (only) person who reblogs my non bts content. I love talking to you and I’m really grateful to have you as a mutual :D *finger guns*

@qwertydashiell : isha! im always missing you and sorry for being horrible at replying :(((( i’ll always support you in ur academic endeavors and im so proud to call someone so kind and intelligent my friend. looking forward to ur next visit!

@taenecesito : caitlin, we haven’t talked much but ur so incredibly kind and accomodating im grateful to be mutuals with such a wonderful person!

@sugaaoii : ali! we haven’t talked in a bit but please! keep! making! gifs! ur original work gives me heart pain???? its so good??? ur one of the most genuinely nice people ive ever met and ily

@uniave : my irl bestie. im glad u made a tumblr because i can send u dumb hockey and chris evans posts here instead of texting u links. SO grateful to have had u in my life for like 6 years now <333333333 im gonna stop cuz we’re not mushy

@vanillalattaes : FAHREEN. whose purpose on earth is to tag me in posts with the intention of stopping my heart? i love you so much ur tags make my day <3333 lets talk more babe :D

@withnosuchgrace : tahira! wow can words explain how much i love you? nope. u really out here boosting my self esteem and giving me love. queeen of making me weak in my knees im so grateful for u *ugly crying in the club*

@wolfhgang : ramasha <3 can’t believe we’ve been mutuals for 2 years and it took bts to bring us together. i love bonding over our shared love for collarbones and seeing them happy <33333

mutuals bolded: we never talk but im silently loving u from far away keep doing u babes! (feel free to message me anytime im a lonely loser)

non mutuals: some of the raddest blogs ever; some of them ive been following for years now

#-E: @02busanboy @1aeyong @43hy @4joshua @4oclockvmin @adamparrsh @agustdia @anthcny @arigathanksgozaimuch @arkhamdevil @babybird @babyseguin @baekhypcy @bane-magnus @bangtoori @bang-tan @barrnes @bbarryallen @blondekimseokjin @booptae @bwichim @coedkard @cosyjeon @bfjhs @blushguk @buckycap @cabeswatre @cassadnracain @chambaeq @chewymoustachio @cho-chang @cinnawon @clarksalive @commandtrek @cowjimin @cypherkookie @cyquerslut @daefsoul @daegunotes @daegusoftboys @deamus @denimin @dianacprince @dreamjimn @dreamyoongi @epiloguejimin

F-J: @fluffyliontae @flyera @forceawoken @fragrantae @gamjin @gaylando @gftae @gifmebangtan @glittergyeom @got7doubleb @gothamroques @gotjhope @guksuu @gxnnylovegood @happy-kirk @hcwkeyes @heathenz @hey-uta @hisbarnes @hixtae @hixtxpe @hi-xtape @hobieism @hobikookie @hocusqocus @holyfuckmark @hoseokskitten @hqleetaeyong @h-sh @imdbgenius @isitkpop @itskimtaehyung @jakeperallta @jamescarstairs @jcmesbcrnes @jeonbegins @jeonpetals @jessicajcncs @jeyne @jhaviguk @jikookinky @jiminboi @jinmini @jinsweater @jjptv @jnghobi @juliushonks @junghope @jungkookio @jyncassian

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3 ways to become a learning machine

I smile whenever I look at my university diploma hanging on the wall, because everything I learned then is no longer relevant now. Does it means that we should stop wasting all this energy, time and money on university? Not really: rather, as soon as we complete our “formal studies”, we need to become learning machines. I’ll rephrase it: we must become machines of continuous learning. We have no choice or we will be out of the game, left behind like cavemen after the Stone Age.

For a period of 25 years, as a HR executive, I began interviews with candidates by asking: “What have you learned in the last six-twelve months?”. Unprepared for this kind of question, many candidates weren’t able to answer: the interview was over.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s, do you consider it as the point of arrival, or the beginning of your journey? If you consider it the point of arrival, you’re deceiving yourself. Our long-term success and fulfillment relies on us constantly cultivating our minds. Do not think of your abilities as something immutable, but as something that you can develop over time.

I am convinced that we must have learning agility. By this I mean the ability to remain open to new ways of thinking, to learn continuously in an innovative way, to reflect, to go into unknown territories, and to leave behind our complacency and our torpor. Someone, somewhere is learning faster than you. To become machines of continuous learning, we must not forget three important rules:

Rule 1: Don’t be too much of a specialist.

Let’s start with a question: if you think of Leonardo da Vinci, what word comes to mind? Painter? Scientist? Writer? Inventor? Architect? He was all of these: as the embodiment of the term “Renaissance man”, he roamed between disciplines, avoiding the kind of excessive specialization that stops us being able to think and understand in terms of systems.

So the first rule is not to limit our learning to a single subject. Steve Jobs once explained why Apple products were so stylish, clean and perfectly designed: when he was a student, he attended a calligraphy course and wanted to translate this aesthetic into his company’s products. The design of Apple products is now iconic.

Returning to Leonardo da Vinci, the polymath once said: “Learning never exhausts the mind”. While few of us can aspire to his dazzling achievements, his appetite for learning is something we can all embrace. And learning is not something that happens uniquely at university, at night school, or at a professional course in your office. What we do in our spare time can provide lessons to energize our working life.

You coached an amateur sport team? You started to learn how to manage a team. You tutored students? You learned how to motivate people. You sold something, whether putting a piece of furniture on eBay or by doing an odd job for cash? You grasped the psychology of buyers. You took on an advisory role in local politics or volunteered in a campaign you believe in? Then you understood the complexity and dynamics of a group. You took visitors around a museum or showed them the sights of your city? Well, you learned how to capture people’s attention. You worked as a bartender? Kudos, you mastered a formidable skill: managing difficult (in this case, drunken) clients. You were a babysitter? Well, you fostered a sense of responsibility. In other words, many seemingly trivial jobs can still be key elements in your work experience.

Try to eat food that you cannot pronounce the name of, to learn 50 words from a foreign language, to mingle with people outside your usual tribe, to learn to read music, to memorize poetry, to get lost in a city you do not know (my advice: try Venice), to volunteer in a project you don’t really understand, to read a book you would not usually read, to switch off TV at least five days per week, to listen to music you would not normally listen, to watch a movie without volume to understand by observing body language: in other words try to get out of your comfort zone and dismantle the way you usually think. Learning will occur in a mysterious and magical way.

Looking out: A boy stands in an archway in Venice

Image: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Rule 2: Failure is part of success, if we learn from it

I have a serious problem in accepting that the opposite of success is failure. On the contrary, I believe that a key element of success is failure, provided that we learn from it. Over the course of our lives, we collect many successful failures, those experiences which may be galling at first but which ultimately teach us not to repeat the same mistakes. You learn by making these mistakes. As the Chinese philosopher Confucius wrote: “I hear and I forget. If I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” To this one could add, “if I’m wrong, I do not forget, I learn and I can explain it to others.”

As reported in the book “Work Rules!” by Laszlo Bock, head of the innovative People Operations at Google, the United States spent $156 billion on employee training in 2011, a staggering amount. Like Laszo, I do not think much of traditional learning methods, in which one person speaks while others listen and take notes; in a corporate setting, this is better known as “death by PowerPoint”. You learn a lot more by actually trying to do something new and considering failure not as some kind of fatal disease to be avoided at all costs, but rather as a healthy step in our learning process. Let me share some examples.

Who missed 12,345 goal attempts in his basketball career? Michael Jordan, who scored on “only” 12,192 shots, is arguably the greatest basketball player of all times. Thomas Edison created almost 10,000 failed prototypes of his electric bulb, before succeeding.

In the business sphere, what do Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? They all failed several times before succeeding in their endeavors, as this intriguing article explains.

Henry Ford wrote that failure is the best opportunity to begin again more intelligently. If we are never wrong, we have never learned anything of substance. Learning really means getting out of our comfort zone; in some cases, it can mean suffering before our ideas take off. Johannes Houshofer is a professor of psychology and neurobiology at Princeton. He posted a version of his CV on Twitter that was a long list of failures, explaining that failures are part of our learning experience, not something that we have to hide. If I were to write the list of my own failures this blog would be at least 30 pages long and, as my career progresses, my list of failures becomes truly impressive. So, I have invented a terms for myself. I have collected successful failures, and learned a lot from them.

Rule 3: Learning never stops

You never stop learning. In 1938, Ingeborg Rapoport had just finished writing her thesis in medicine and was about to become a doctor but, because of the odious racial laws passed by the Nazi regime, she was denied the qualification because of her Jewish heritage. She emigrated to the United States, where she continued her studies in medicine, working in many hospitals as a paediatrician and neonatologist before returning to East Germany in her fifties, where she founded the first clinic of neonatology East Berlin. In 2015, the University of Hamburg decided to remedy the injustice and, after 77 years, she defended her dissertation of 1938, and obtained her Degree at the age of 102 years. For her commitment to learning and fighting this injustice she is one of my heroes.

So: become a learning machine, enjoy successful failures and don’t stop learning even when you are 102. Let’s invent the future by investing in our learning. It will be – most of the time – a joyful journey to freedom, as nobody will ever take away what we have learned and our choices as people.

Note : This article was originally posted on Weforum

Paolo Gallo

Over the last 30 years, Paolo Gallo has been Chief Human Resources Officer at the World Economic Forum in Geneva; Chief Learning Officer at The World Bank in Washington DC; and Director of Human Resources at the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development in London.

3 ways to become a learning machine was originally published on Shenzhen Blog

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