The Pretties Collection

Ladies, let’s make a few promises to ourselves today.

1. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others. No one has a perfect life no matter how perky their boobs are or how young, blonde, thin, thic, plumped lips, tall, famous, rich, successful...or whatever you’re pining after while scrolling through this life.

You are the only you. Be the best at that. Accentuate and highlight all the things about you that make you different. Hang onto those things as weapons in your arsenal. Your Weird is Your SuperPower!

2. We need to stop obsessing about our bodies. Let’s be done worrying about cellulite, the majority of everyone has it somewhere and the only reason we consider it a flaw is because corporations told you it was ugly. Why? Because they want you to buy their cream, or product or gizmo that promises to remove it. Girls, you are desirable...and if anyone Does Not desire you because maybe you have some squish or stretch marks or acne etc...then They are NOT the person that you want to desire you.

3. We need to stop reading comments on social media like they’re biblical. You can’t please everyone all the time. People are going to tell you that they love you, people are going to tell you that they hate you. None of it is etched in stone. It’s just opinions, and everyone’s got one. What really matters is what You think of You. Listen to You. Pay attention to That Voice. Post things for You. Make yourself happy, and be unapologetic about it.

At the school where I work, we had a similar lovely Valentine’s moment: 

One of our seniors bought hundreds of roses on Valentine’s Day. Every girl in every grade got one; there were enough left over for staff and extras for others who might want one. This is our library bouquet. 

One year ago, our school lost a student to suicide. As Valentine’s Day was approaching, this sad anniversary was all our student body was talking about and remembering. This senior student decided to try to lift us up from that narrative, and literally fill the halls with flowers. The surprise was carried out flawlessly – even his own sister didn’t know what he was about to do. 

I have rarely seen a happier school holiday. 

I’ve seen EXACTLY those comments on social media about what happened with us, and about similar gestures from high school students. Lots of “spoiled kids with money”, lots of “this is just to get laid”. 

I don’t think this diminishes my senior student or his gesture at all, but it diminishes us when good things happen and we turn around and reduce these moments to their most cynical interpretation. And that’s not even touching on what it says when people feel the need to belittle younger people for trying to do good; the kids can’t catch a break from some people.

I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

(source)

Unsplash -  photography, illustration, and art

Pixabay - same as unsplash

Pexels - stock photos and videos

Stockvault.net - stock photos

freepngimg - icons, pictures and clipart

Veceezy - vectors and clipart

Getdrawings - simplistic images and drawing tutorials

Gumroad - photoshop brushes (and more)

Canva - needs login but has lots of templates

Library of Congress - historical posters and photos

NASA - you guessed it

Creative Commons - all kinds of stuff, homie

Even Adobe has some free images

There are so many ways to make moodboards, bookcovers, and icons without infringing copyright! As artists, authors, and other creatives, we need to be especially careful not to use someone else’s work and pass it off as our own. 

-Satisfy the plot; if you set something up a certain way, don't just decide to deviate from it for no reason. As a creator I have a duty to satisfy the story, and also the audience. I want the audience finishing my story and going "Yes, that's the end." And be able to sigh, think for a moment, and feel satisfied. Not feel like their time was wasted.

-Answer the Questions; I might not be able to answer every question, but I can answer the points that need a solution. I can at least make it have a logical conclusion.

-Don't Kill a Character for Depth; Characters can die, but a character death should not be the substitute for emotional depth. There should be a reason for the death.

- Don't Unexpectedly Kill a Character; kind of a second part to the one above. Especially when it comes to main characters, just suddenly having them die when there was no reason for them to? Just so you can shock people? You should know the ending of your characters from the beginning of the journey. If you don't know their ending, then you can't truly bring justice to the character.

- Stop Being So Fucking Tragic; Look, sometimes tragic stories are beautiful, but I personally think they should mostly stay in the historical and indie genres. Not science fiction and fantasy. Some tragedy is good, but why the does THE END have to also be tragic? I go to movies and read books to ESCAPE tragedy and heartache. Yes there's a little through the journey, but the end is always worth it. Don't say your film/show is hopeful, or fun, or even bittersweet and not deliver. Say it with me now: A main character surviving ALONE is NEITHER hopeful, fun, or bittersweet. It's just fucking SAD!

-It's OK for the Audience To Guess the Ending: I think the biggest thing this decade is creators being obsessed with audiences not being able to guess how the story ends. Here's a fucking shocker for those creators: IF NO ONE CAN GUESS THE ENDING THEN YOU HAVEN'T SET UP THE STORY WELL! You can make an audience member go "hold up, is this ending going to happen?" And have that uncertainty, but if no one saw how your story would end (with the exception of mysteries) then you didn't set up the story in a cohesive enough manner.

-Once a Story Is Done, It Should be Done; I can slightly understand killing off a main character to prevent some other outside parties from putting pressure to make "more" even when the story is done. However, this is the point of standing your ground. You are the owner, it is your property, and you have the right to make the decision to say "No, I ended that story in a satisfying way. Yes, the characters are still alive but their time is over." Also, on a side note with that, make sure that if you ever sign your creative work to someone to help distribute, you make sure the contract says nothing about them owning the franchise and continuing it with or without your support.

- Romance Should Make People Happy; If your story is going to have a romance, please don't always make it tragic. Sometimes a tragic romance is beautiful and bittersweet. But when you already have characters who are damaged, bruised, touch starved, and need somebody to love and hold them, why are you making it extra tragic? Why are you making these characters so desperate for real happiness, then not giving it to them? That's dissatisfying, it's heart-wrenching in the worst of ways, and it makes audience's not want to go back and watch it again. Seriously, it hurts too much to watch. What a fucking concept: People don't like to constantly be sucker punched in the heart with endless suffering.

- Don't Create Unrealistic Expectations; These companies are trying so hard to keep their franchise a secret the day of the release; that I'm fine with. What I'm not fine with are what everyone else is forced to say to comply with said policy. They leave audience members with non-answers that give way to wild speculation, crazy different theories, and ultimately leads to everyone's disappointment. You don't want to reveal? Then simply say "I can't tell you." Or "I unfortunately can't talk about that, yet."

- Don't Fanservice; This goes in hand with the plot. If you have a multiple part series, you need to stick with your plan no matter what happens. Sometimes fans want a lot out of a story, which can be both a great and terrible thing. It shows interest in the project, but it also puts pressure on the creator to advance the plot lines the audience wants, and that could simply be too much for both the story and the creator. So stick with your gut, and only change a character or story arc if YOU decide that it's better that way.

These are all not necessarily for all three of them at the same time. Some are for two, some just for one, and some for all. Either way, they are things I have learned from being in these fandoms, spending so much time on each of them, and being brutally disappointed for varying reasons. 2019 has kicked my ass when it comes to fandoms and ships.