Not your Ordinary Girl

Read the full thread here, it includes a lot of links to resources on bystander intervention and how to help including: 

http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/resources/male-allies/bystander-tips/

https://www.bwss.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/BWSS-Transit-Tuesday-Brochure.pdf

When I was 15 years old, I ran away from home because I was pissed off at my parents for a reason I cant remember. I didnt have much money, so I decided to hop onto the skytrain(public transport train in British Columbia) and ride it as far as it would go. I reached the end of the line in less then an hour, and decided I wanted to ride it all the way back again, while trying to formulate some kind of plan of how I wanted to live the rest of my life without my parents or anyone. At the last stop, or the first stop depending on your perspective of it, a girl came on and sat in the row right behind me. I didnt pay much attention to her at first, as I was busy writing my life plan on a napkin. It was a few minutes later that she got up and came sat next to me, curious as to what I was writing. I told her the story, and after a few laughs, we began talking about everything and anything. Her name was Amanda, 17 years old, and absolutely wonderful. She told me she was getting off at the last stop, which was also the first stop, depending on how you look at it. It was also the stop I had gotten on originally, and I told her we would ride to it together. The train ride took less then an hour, and what a wonderful hour indeed.

When the last stop did come, we both knew we probably wouldnt see each other ever again(this was before the days of cellphones, and I was a shy little kid afraid to make moves). As we got to the end of the sidewalk which split in two different directions, she went right and I went left. Before saying goodbye she turned to me and asked me a question that has become a wonderful part of my life; she asked me, “Tell me something you have done, or want to do, that you think I should do? It can be anything, as challenging as you want it to be, or as easy. As long as you give me the rest of my life to complete it, I promise I will do it..” I was confused as to why, but I thought about it, and told her, “Sing a song acapella in a room full of strangers.” She said perfect and asked me if I would like a challenge as well. I told her I did, and she told me, “read, from start to finish, “Ulysses” by James Joyce.” I had never heard of it at the time, but I agreed, and we said our goodbyes.

I have a awful memory, and cant remember most conversations I have with most people. But I remember all of that clearly. You know why? Because of the challenge she gave me. In the 12 years that have past since, I have tried to read that book in over 150 different sittings. Everytime I open my copy of the 780 page monster of a book, I always think of her, and I always think of that day. Ive never been sure if it was her intent or not, but she left her lasting memory on me with that challenge. I soon after learned what she did, was a completey wonderful and amazing thing for me. So I decided to keep it going. Ive met a lot of strangers in my life; some that have become friends, and some, due to living in different time zones and whatnot, didnt. I dont want to just have experiences and then let them go. I want to remember these meetings, and embrace the fact that they happened. So whenever I leave someone who has left an amazing impact of my life, I always make sure to add them to my Ulysses Bucket List. I ask them to give me a challenge, as difficult or as easy as they want it to be, and regardless of the fact that they have done it or not; simply something their heart has had wanted to do.

Some have been easy and fun; I met a man in India 9 years ago who told me to, for a week or a month, cook/buy twice as much food as I intend on eating, and give the other half to a stranger in need. I completed that mission 8 years ago, and thought about that man and the time we had all the way through. I met a girl on a cruise 6 years ago, who told me to jump into a body of water on a slightly cold day, without touching or feeling the temperature of the water first. I did that the very same year. I met a couple at an outdoor music festival a few years ago that told me to wear the most bizarre outfit imaginable and walk through a public place, completely oblivious to the fact that you arent looking normal. I did that task the very next day, at the same festival. Some have been difficult, to say the least: three guys I met in Amsterdam and smoked all night with, told me to go to a mall and give 10 strangers 10 presents. That one took a lot of courage, but I did it a year or so after I met them. It was nerve racking, but at the same time exhilerating leaving my comfort zone. A girl I met on a plane told me to sky dive; Im still in the process of getting that done. A couple I met in Cali on the beach told me to tell the 5 people I hated the most, that I love them and respect them. That one was very difficult because of my stubborness, but ive come close to completing that list many a times(still in the process, 2 more people to go).

And some things, have had an everlasting impact on my daily life. I met a girl at a music festival, who told me that whenever I get mad at someone, walk away, sing my happy song in my head for 5 minutes, go back to the person im mad at with a clam heart and mind, and work things out. Ive made this my way of life. I once met a man at a gym in a hotel I was staying at, that told me “whenever your body and brain tells your that you are exhausted and done…use your heart instead and push out 2 more reps.” Ive made this my motto when working out or working on any kind of extrenuating exercise in which my body demands me to quit. I also use it while working on anything, and while studying. One of the best pieces of advice ive ever received.

There are many others that each brought joy to my life. There are still many tasks I have yet to accomplish, and everytime I think of these tasks, I think of the people that gave them to me. It amazes me how well I remember all these people, while I cant remember so many aspects of even yesterday. These experiences, not only do I take from them a “mission” or a “challenge”, I also take from them a memory of them that never fails to appear inside of my mind. I opened my Ulysses book for probably the 300th time yesterday, and read a few pages, which prompted me to share this story with you today. Im in the final 30 pages of the book, also known as the most dreaded of the read(in the last 40 pages or so, James Joyce doesnt use a single punctuation mark; no periods, no commas, no nothing; a straight 50 page run-on sentence).

word count: 43,202

side pairings: harry styles/original character, zayn malik/original character

warnings: mentions of infidelity (not by a main character)

rating: mature

I don’t think I did, but have a mini-masterpost:

Zayn sticking up for Niall and telling him he doesn’t have to do something during an interview.

Grooming.

Telling Niall he can spit out his vegemite after he tastes it for the first time and finds it really not to his liking.

Taking Liam to task for not coming up with genuine compliments about Niall during an interview section.

Feeding Niall against the rules during 1D Day because Niall is always hungry and it was a very long day.

Worrying about Louis falling off the stage and trying to corral him.

Fixing Louis’ sleeves for him during one of the hotter concerts.

Tying shoes.

Being careful about water safety.

Protecting Liam when the jokes get a little too rough.

And again.

Watching out for Liam after he broke his arm.

And again when Liam was under the weather.

Saving Harry from becoming a shish kabob.

Standing up for Harry’s reputation during an interview.

And again.

word count: 12795

side pairings: past zayn malik/gigi hadid

warnings: none listed

rating: teen

“The morning of his third day at the hospital his mum told him ‘I have a good idea, love, I was talking to Niall this morning and I think we can hire Harry to be your live-in nurse’. Louis that was texting almost drops his phone and said, 'that’s a brilliant idea!’, Zayn’s mother gave them a big smile 'right! Especially since Zayn likes him already’. Zayn was confused because he knew that Harry was a nurse at the hospital, but he hadn’t meet him, he just heard his mother say that Harry had shown her something or told her something or stuff like that. In that precise moment, someone’s head appeared through the door and said 'hey, just wanted to pop in to say goodbye’, and what was Zayn’s surprise when he realised it was the curly man from the pub, Zayn frowned while looking at the man, but was the only one doing that cause both his mum and Louis were giving him wide smiles”.

CAN

ZAYN

SAY

HE

NEVER

REALLY

TALKED

TO

HARRY

word count: 19,090

side pairings: none listed

warnings: past minor character death, mentions of past anxiety/panic attacks, near drowning scene

rating: teen

Zayn begrudgingly resigns himself to spending a long and boring summer house-sitting in a tiny seaside town with nobody but a dog for company.

That is, until he meets a boy who lives beneath the ocean waters.

*

1) First time we spoke was a week after the beggining of freshman year she summed up my entire character and most of the events of my life Sherlock style. I asked her how the hell she knew all that. She just shrugged and said she figured out our entire class already.

2) The one time we had religion class instead of ethics she listened to the teacher for a few minutes, laughed and told me:

“Humans have wished to be gods so much they’ve forgotten they have to ability to create them. Imagination has truly suffered from this ‘monotheism’ stuff.”

I was confused and asked her if she was an atheist. She rolled her eyes and said:

“Oh I believe in god alright. I just don’t think the bastard deserves to be worshipped.”

3) Out of nowhere she gave me this advice:

“The only truth a liar ever told was that lies weren’t going to save you. Don’t become the liar who has to pass that wisdom on, because they speak from experience.”

4) To this day, she has one of those old-timey phones with buttons she only uses to ocassionally call someone. When I asked her why she never got a smartphone she got pouty:

“I hate social media. On Facebook they talk a lot but never say anything. If I wanted to listen to people moan about their problems and ask for help they don’t expect I’d listen to their prayers.” (Notice the choice of words)

5) I noticed she was stiff and I offered her a massage since I’m really good at it but when i started kneading her back I swear to this day those were not muscles I felt. I asked her what she did to turn her muscles into rocks covered with a thin layer of skin and she kinda froze then shrugged and said she was just really, really stiff. My hands hurt after ten minutes when I can usually go for an hour. Next time I offered she seemed surprised and laughed. She still has rocks for muscles.

6) We were having a debate over the way neural pathways are formed (I study biology and she forensics) and I jokingly asked if I could have her brain for study when she dies. She laughed.

“Sure, if you find a way to kill me you can have it. I’m actually curious what you’re gonna find.”

7) One time she was tired and miserable and I tried to comfort her. We both have really dark sense of humor so I told her she could scare the dead out of their graves with that glare. She told me the dead can’t come back and I rolled my eyes and said ‘obviously’ but she continued:

“When you die you descend to the underworld with nothing to lose. To keep you, they give you something to lose. When you want to return, they will demand it back. That’s why nobody ever leaves. The only way out is to never enter.”

8) One day she just came up to me with a disappointed look on her face. When I asked her what was wrong she was quiet for a few seconds and then just told me:

“Betrayals committed in good intentions are still damning. Just… keep that in mind.” Then she left and didn’t speak to me for three days. I still don’t know what she meant but even three years later I haven’t forgotten it.

9) We were casually sitting on a bench when, out of nowhere, she asked me: “Is it just me or have humans gotten dumber? Or have they always been this stupid and I just haven’t been paying attention?”

10) She asked me if I ever wondered what it was like to die. I said no but told her I would tell her when I found out. I meant it as a ghost joke but she smiled at me and said:

“Great. I’ll wait for you to come back. Maybe you’ll even remember me.”

In conclusion, she is some kind of low-key god and she lost her faith in humanity even before we lost our faith in her but she’s stuck with us because immortality is a bitch.

1. We would miss you. 2. It’s not worth the regret. Either by yourself if you failed or just simply left scars, or the regret everyone else feels by not doing enough to help you. 3. It does get better. Believe it or not it will eventually get better. Sometimes you have to go through the storm to get to the rainbow. 4. There’s so much you would miss out on doing. 5. There is always a reason to live. It might not be clear right now, but it is always there. 6. So many people care, and it would hurt them if you hurt yourself. 7. You ARE worth it. Don’t let anyone, especially yourself, tell you otherwise. 8. You are amazing. 9. A time will come, once you’ve battled the toughest times of your life and are in ease once again, where you will be so glad that you decided to keep on living. You will emerge stronger from this all, and won’t regret your choice to carry on with life. Because things always get better. 10. What about all the things you’ve always wanted to do? What about the things you’ve planned, but never got around to doing? You can’t do them when you’re dead. 11. I love you. Even if only one person loves you, that’s still a reason to stay alive. 12. You won’t be able to listen to music if you die. 13. Killing yourself is never worth it. You’ll hurt both yourself and all the people you care about. 14. There are so many people that would miss you, including me. 15. You’re preventing a future generation, YOUR KIDS, from even being born. 16. How do you think your family would feel? Would it improve their lives if you died? 17. You’re gorgeous, amazing, and to someone you are perfect. 18. Think about your favourite music artist, you’ll never hear their voice again… 19. You’ll never have the feeling of walking into a warm building on a cold day 20. Listening to incredibly loud music 21. Being alive is just really good. 22. Not being alive is really bad. 23. Finding your soulmate. 24. Red pandas 25. Going to diners at three in the morning. 26. Really soft pillows. 27. Eating pizza in New York City. 28. Proving people wrong with your success. 29. Watching the jerks that doubted you fail at life. 30. Seeing someone trip over a garbage can. 31. Being able to help other people. 32. Bonfires. 33. Sitting on rooftops. 34. Seeing every single country in the world. 35. Going on roadtrips. 36. You might win the lottery someday. 37. Listening to music on a record player. 38. Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. 39. Taking really cool pictures. 40. Literally meeting thousands of new people. 41. Hearing crazy stories. 42. Telling crazy stories. 43. Eating ice cream on a hot day. 44. More Harry Potter books could come out, you never know. 45. Travelling to another planet someday. 46. Having an underwater house. 47. Randomly running into your hero on the street. 48. Having your own room at a fancy hotel. 49. Trampolines. 50. Think about your favourite movie, you’ll never watch it again. 51. Think about the feeling of laughing out loud in a public place because your best friend has just sent you an inside joke, 52. Your survival will make the world better, even if it’s for just one person or 20 or 100 or more. 53. People do care. 54. Treehouses 55. Hanging out with your soul mate in a treehouse 55. Snorting when you laugh and not caring who sees 56. I don’t even know you and I love you. 57. I don’t even know you and I care about you. 58. Because nobody is going to be like you ever, so embrace your uniqueness! 59. You won’t be here to experience the first cat world emperor. 60. WHAT ABOUT FOOD?! YOU’LL MISS CHOCOLATE AND ALL THE OTHER NOM THINGS! 61. Starbucks. 62. Hugs. 63. Stargazing. 64. You have a purpose, and it’s up to you to find out what it is. 65. You’ve changed somebody’s life. 66. Now you could change the world. 67. You will meet the person that’s perfect for you. 68. No matter how much or how little, you have your life ahead of you. 69. You have the chance to save somebody’s life. 70. If you end your life, you’re stopping yourself from achieving great things. 71. Making snow angels. 72. Making snowmen. 73. Snowball fights. 74. Life is what you make of it. 75. Everybody has a talent. 76. Laughing until you cry. 77. Having the ability to be sad means you have the ability to be happy. 78. The world would not be the same if you didn’t exist. 79. Its possible to turn frowns, upside down 80. Be yourself, don’t take anyone’s shit, and never let them take you alive. 81. Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary. Be your own hero. 82. Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections. 83. One day your smile will be real. 84. Having a really hot, relaxing bath after a stressful day. 85. Lying on grass and laughing at the clouds. 86. Getting completely smashed with your best friends. 87. Eating crazy food. 88. Staying up all night watching your favourite films with a loved one. 89. Sleeping in all day. 90. Creating something you’re proud of. 91. You can look back on yourself 70 years later and being proud you didn’t commit 92. Being able to meet your Internet friends. 93. Tea / Coffee / Hot Chocolate 94. Sherlock season three. 95. Cuddling under the stars. 96. Being stupid in public because you just can. 97. If you are reading this then you are alive! Is there any more reason to smile? 98. being able to hug that one person you havent seen in years 99. People care enough about you and your future to come up with 100 reasons for you not to do this. 100. But, the final and most important one is, just, being able to experience life. Because even if your life doesn’t seem so great right now, literally anything could happen

IF that isn’t enough:

You put Harry on a pedestal, and he hates it.  

a/n: basically, if you were to date harry and you were a massive fan, it would be hard to admit he has normal faults ‘cuz he’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

In hindsight, Harry should’ve seen it coming from a mile away. 

It was in the little things that you did for him, and in the things that you didn’t do. You told him you were sorry after a huge argument in which he had clearly been at fault. 

You didn’t complain once when Harry had to leave your best friend’s birthday early to attend an award show. He had forgotten your parent’s anniversary date and you came up with the excuses to give your folks. 

All of those major details, which Harry had just attributed to your good, good nature, had only become clear to him after your birthday. 

It was a quarter after midnight in his L.A. recording studio. 

He had just bolted up from where he had been slumped over in a chair, and it was while he was trying to roll out the stress from his neck that his phone lights up with the notification: Baby’s Birthday.

“Oh shit,” he mumbles to himself as he double-checks the time. It was 12:03 a.m. Officially three minutes too late. His panic had woken him up completely from his slumber, and he now notices that there are other people in the small room with him. 

One of them was his friend and fellow band member, Mitch. 

“Mate,” Harry’s voice is rough from sleep, “why didn’t you wake me up? I told you I was going to shut my eyes for 20 minutes. It’s been 4 hours.”

The other man just shrugs, and continues to strum at his guitar. “You looked like you needed the rest. Besides, the rest of them went out for dinner, and there was nothing we could’ve done without them anyway.”

Harry curses silently and says, “Jesus Christ, it was Y/N’s birthday yesterday. I missed our dinner reservation.”

“Shit,” Mitch responds, sitting up in his chair. “Did she leave you any calls?”

Harry feels stupid that he didn’t think of checking his voicemail before then. But the last message from you was, well, four and a half hours ago.

harry: i might be a little late to dinner. still at the studio.

you: don’t worry, take your time! i’m almost at the restaurant. 

“Fuck,” Harry breathes, and immediately starts scrambling for all of his essentials. Once he’s certain he has his wallet, car keys, house keys and phone on him, he turns to Mitch. “I’m going home to face Y/N. Depending on how that goes, I may or may not be able to come in tomo–well, later today.”

Mitch surprises Harry and chuckles, “You don’t have to worry about Y/N.”

Your boyfriend pauses before he opens the door to leave. “What do you mean?”

“She worships you, Harry. There is nothing you can do to upset her. She puts you on a pedestal.”

Harry’s features must’ve been twisted to resemble something akin to disgust, because Mitch is quickly adding, “That’s not a bad thing, mate. It may as well be exactly what you want. Think about it: being at the studio at all hours and not having to worry about upsetting your girl.”

Mitch’s words ring in Harry’s ears as he sprints out of the building.

Author: pinkgucciroses Relationship: Zayn Malik/Harry Styles Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 7,116 Summary:

“So, what did you wanted to say?” “Oh, that…don’t worry, you’ll find out at the party. Hopefully you’ll be surprised”. “Surprised? Why?” Harry furrowed his brows at her words, was she flirting with him? “Oh, you’ll see”. She gave him a wink before walking away, while Harry stared in shock.