Winx Club Live-action As A Netflix Original Series How It Should Be 

The Story of Mary Maclane, Mary Maclane / Little Women, Greta Gerwig / A Dance With Dragons, George R. R. Martin / Macbeth, William Shakespeare / Gentleman Jack, Sally Wainwright / The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, Sylvia Plath

I love this !

Well, that makes sense

Masters love teletubbies.

But consider this: women loving women in a dark academia setting

- long strands of hair that cling to a girls’ back as she emerges from the water of the lake, bathed in moonlight and the glow of the windows of the old stone buildings

- throwing around lines of Sapphos fragments, acting as though it is just a meaningless game 

- sleeves of white collar shirts rolled up to her elbows, hair falling into her face, glasses sliding down her nose as she sits over history books for hours on end

- wandering the halls at midnight 

- squeezing into small nooks to not get caught, she distinctly smells of the earth and rain

- her playing the male lead in a play because there simply wasn’t a better fit (and those clothes would fit no one the same way they fit her)

How to romanticize life

Perhaps that has been talked about before (it certainly has been talked about before, but I’ve never seen it implemented towards a romanticization of life specifically). 

This thought started once upon a time, when I was seeing many of those posts talking about how to romanticize life, especially when it was not romantic at all to begin with. The thing with these posts that I’ve seen (not a problem, just an observation) is that all of them talk about specific images of romance, rather than talk about how to achieve these. For example, one would talk about “strolling down a wooden area” or “wearing a specific ensemble”, but from my own experience, these actions alone are not enough to properly romanticize one’s life. 

And then, after I enjoyed a particularly romantic moment myself (doing the dishes, of all things!), I sat down and wrote about it, wondering why this specific activity (which I usually find myself indifferent to) brought upon me those feelings. And then, it dawned on me.

To romanticize one’s life, it is not about a specific activity, but about the grace, the elegance, we put in any activity we do. 

It is about being mindful of the action itself. About deliberate movements we do to achieve that elegance. And, at the root of it all, it is about being in the present. 

Elegance is rarely achieved naturally. It is true, some people might appear to us elegant by nature, because of how they talk, how they walk, how they hold themselves, but mostly, elegance is a choice. And it comes in two easy steps.

1. Posture.

When someone brings about the image of a long commute on the bus and how wretched that makes one feels (I know, this is a time of pandemic, we avoid the bus when we can, but for the sake of the experiment, let us imagine). It requires a simple shift in posture, to elongate one’s body against the back of the seat, to bring the head a little higher, and to hold onto a phone or a book with care, as if the item is precious (as it should be). And suddenly, the ride becomes romantic. Because, at that moment, your brain shifts from your thoughts (about the ride) to your body. Take a moment to appreciate the fact that your body is now talking to you in places you usually ignore it and look out the window. You are now in a period drama. 

2. Slowing down.

One particular movement I can think of that brings about either indifference or complete hatred is this one: putting on a mask before going out/going in a closed space. Well, even that singular moment can become elegant, therefore romantic, with this simple step: when one slows down their movement to put it on. It takes just a couple of seconds, no more than usual, but it demands an attention turned towards the body rather than the mind. Feeling each fingers stretching with the elastic going around the ears, softly pulling the fabric above the nose and under the chin, making those last adjustments before going in. The whole thing takes around 3 seconds. But your brain, in those 3 seconds, is able to override any thoughts you might have had then, and focused on those movements. Take a moment to appreciate hearing your body where you thought it was once quiet. The period drama you are in has multiple episodes. 

There are plenty of other small ways to bring more elegance (and romanticism) in one’s life. Taking the time to pronounce our words better, reading a book and clearly hearing all the words in our head, carefully selecting which clothes to wear and feeling their material on the tips of our fingers, choosing a style of writing that is more polished than usual, no matter the language (which I did at the beginning of this post, to prove a point - writing a post on Tumblr is far from romantic, but I made it happen for me anyway and then I got bored because I’m only human and I can romanticize things only up to a point). It does not matter where you are, how much you have, the style you prefer to walk around. It is all about taking the time to feel those actions in our bodies.

Romanticizing life is akin to a meditation. For people who do not like meditating. Think about those period dramas you like (c-dramas count, they’re just as aesthetically pleasing!), think about those youtube video you can’t stop watching (thinking of Bernadette Banner here, as well as Liziqi). They all have that in common. They show us deliberate, carefully chosen images, and those images have a proper posture (no shaky cam) and every movement look somewhat slower so we can properly see what is happening on the screen. 

Of course, it is entirely possible to romanticize our lives in retrospect. To think about our week and see all those times life has been romantic, despite us not trying. But true romanticism is lived in the moment. So enjoy it as it lasts.

TL;DR To romanticize something is not about doing certain activities. It is about being present in any actions we take. It is about mindfulness. It is a form of meditation for those who do not like meditating. Being in the body rather than in the mind. As romantic and pleasing as images and ideas are, it really is through the body that we experience the feeling of romanticism. 

Now, go forth, and feel the romanticism of your life as it is. 

 It’s like Rey is just a sex object and have no choice. It disrespectful for women, Daisy and her character.

Just to make a few things clear...

People aren't upset at John for disliking reylo. He's a human being and he can have whatever views on shipping he sees fit. No one cares about that and if someone does, they should rethink their priorities. People are upset, because of the gross, sexist things he said on Instagram before ever making the reylo tweet. Here's what he said:

This is disgusting. Implying that a woman is some sort of a trophy to be won, when you eventually fuck her. A woman doesn't have agency, what matters is who takes her virginity, as if she can be claimed that way. Calling it "just a joke" is also disturbing, because I've heard that excuse from men, trying to avoid consequences for their sexist comments, one too many times.

Overall, his views are troubling, especially paired with how he's liked a post about Chris Brown avoiding jail time for rape in the past.

This isn't about fictional characters or the suggestion that Finn and Rey will have sex, that's the farthest thing from what matters here. The issue is with how he spoke about women as a whole.

No one's condoning the abuse he recieved in this fandom or trying to dismiss it, the racism that's directed against him to this day will always be disgusting and unacceptable.

That being said, he messed up. He said demeaning things about women and he should've apologised instead of doubling down. That's why people are mad at him. Not because of reylo, not because he suggested that Rey can have sex with Finn, it's about the real life implications of his comment.

Goddess’ guide to dating yourself

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but ladies we need to start dating ourselves.

Whether you are in a relationship or not, you need to do this.

Why?

Because your best relationship in your life should be with yourself. In fact, your longest relationship is with yourself. Show your self some love! Fall in love with yourself. Dating yourself can help you become more confident and secure with yourself. It can help us know our worth.

1. Find something you are passionate about and hone in on it! This is your chance to do and try new things until you find something you like and even when you find something you like, keep trying things. Go back and do things you used to do and see if you still like it. Try painting, photography, yoga, reading, guitar, knitting… the list is endless.

2. Become more independent!

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but never did because you were waiting for someone else to do it with you? This is your time to do it by yourself. Life is short, you don’t have time to wait for someone else to do something with you. Go take that class by yourself, go see the world by yourself, go shopping by yourself, take yourself to that new restaurant.

3. Get to know yourself more!

In more ways than one, you should get to know yourself. My favorite way to do this is to answer those question prompts from pinterest. They can help you find your passions, your limits, your dreams, your desires. Find your limits and boundaries. Things that you will and won’t put up with anymore and stick to them. Also, Masturbation, ladies. Know how to make yourself feel good. Your pleasure shouldn’t be solely dependent on someone else.

4. Get in tuned with your body and mind!

Try meditating, journaling, yoga, vision boarding. Learn what your body likes and dislikes. Do your makeup a new way. And then do it again. Get a massage or facial. Or DIY it. Wear that killer outfit you’ve been saving. Do a photoshoot. Find your angles. Do breath work. Affirmations. Therapy can do wonders for your life.

Date ideas?

1. Take yourself on a picnic. Pack a cute basket of your favorite snacks and foods. Grab a bottle of wine and a blanket and sit with yourself in the park. Maybe read that book you’ve been meaning to.

2. Watch a movie. Years ago, I used to buy matinee tickets, buy popcorn and watch movies at the theater by myself and it was wonderful. You can do the same at home.

3. Go to a restaurant. I know the allure of take out will be hard to resist but do it! Dress up in your finest outfit. Make your makeup and hair killer. Take yourself to the cute cafe or restaurant you’ve been dying to try. Order something new. Savor your food.

4. Take yourself to the store. If you’re a bookworm like me, I’d suggest Barnes and noble or another book store. If you’re not a book person, try a clothing store or a tea shop or other specialty shop. Go to a store you’ve never been to.  Take your time, look around. Take pictures of everything. Imagine yourself buying something. Actually buy it, if you can. Take note of all the things you want in that store.

5. Organize. Hear me out here. Make a date out of de-cluttering and organizing. Turn on your favorite playlist or tv show or podcast. Start clearing out things you don’t need and make room for new things. Sing at the top of your lungs. Dance like no one’s watching. Make a fashion show out of it. Make your house cozy and smell good. Let it become a place you enjoy being in.

Get out there and do the things you love to do! Fall in love with life!

me: *writes fic*

me: great! time to post to ao3-

ao3 summary box: *exists*

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ao3 summary box:

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by  raindoki