RIVAL.

I want you to remember that you matter as a person and your feelings are always valid, okay? 

you also have no obligation to like everyone or be liked by everyone. not getting along with some people does not make you less valid or less important. you have no obligation to please everyone and get along with everyone. chances are, you’ll never be able to, and that’s okay. I have people I don’t like and I don’t get along with, and I’m well aware that there’s people who don’t like me. that’s fine. I stay in my lane, they stay in theirs, and everyone’s fine. part of being an adult—part of being a human fucking being—is understanding that some people will respect you and value you, while some will just clash with you, and still others are working on learning how to do that with people. cut out the people who take your energy and give you nothing in return. it’s not your job to teach everyone how to respect your humanity. grow closer with the people who build you up and you build up in turn, but also trust you enough to be straight with you. 

part of loving people is being able to trust them to value what you have to say because they value you as an autonomous human being, and not have them treat you differently because of what you think. if you can’t be frank with your friends and express what you think freely around them, there’s a problem. if you don’t want your friends to call you on your bullshit and question you, there’s a problem. if you can’t open yourself to disagreement with your friends without fear of losing them, there’s a major problem. and I’m not talking about political ideologies. I’m not talking about current events. I’m literally just talking about your friends feeling safe in being a free-thinking person who can question your actions and words and call you on biases because they are capable of thinking for themselves. This is an online community of people who want to write for fun, and a huge part of all of this is being able to trust others to respect one another as people. 

my “so what” is under this cut, trimming bc this is getting long. 

finish 9+ drafts and that one starter 

write at least 7.5K words for Big Bang entries and exchange gift 

finish filling out charts for various projects on Excel

♫

“So, you made it this far, huh? All the way through the Elite Four, and right for the gold… You must have some serious fighting spirit! And, there’s no way you got through them without strong bonds with your pokemon…

If you ask us, that’s what makes a trainer truly great. A long time back, me, Pikachu, and the rest of my crew pushed through to become Champions, by trusting and depending on each other. That’s what took us all the way to the top; right, buddy?

“Pika-Pika!” Stationed comfortably to the left of Ash’s collar, Pikachu cheered, his jagged tail flicking past Ash’s bangs. Small sparks danced from his cheeks; he was excited!

A gentle breeze rustled the mouse’s ears, and Ash’s wild black tresses. Indigo Stadium, however, stood sure and sturdy as ever, loud and alive with enthusiasm for the coming clash. Ash’s visage appeared on the gigantic scoreboard, as did the face of his daring opponent. Six pokeballs aligned each side.

“If you really believe in the bonds you have with your pokemon, and think you’ve got what it takes to be the very best…

Then, come on! Me and my pokemon will fight you with all we’ve got!”

        Paul approaches his side of the arena as Champion Ketchum speaks. This is it; this is his time to shine. He’s come a long way from the troubled boy he was to the man he is now. He wonders if Ash truly thinks he’s interested in half of his talk, since he’s always been only interested in whether or not his actions will back up his statements.

        ❝ it’s been a long time coming, ❞ paul concedes, preparing to bring out drapion’s pokeball as his first. the indigo stadium’s atmosphere doesn’t necessarily overwhelm him but he is indeed impressed with how well they’ve kept things in place. the overall layout is still the same but with a completely polished feeling to it.