Mihai has always been considered intimidating, and the more others avoided him the more socially awkward and anxious he became. Content with two friends, his grandmother, and his beloved cat Muffins, he never felt the need to change... until university started and the charming Adilene moves in next door. Will Mihai resist opening up his life to his polar opposite? Or will he realize that all change might not be so bad?
This series contains themes regarding anxiety and depression that may not be suitable for all readers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Photo from Ep. 15: How to make decisions
Tags:
m mc, m&f, m/f
drama, romance, realistic
familial, school
found family, mental health
location: Euro (England)
rating: 4.5/10
I didn't find this one particularly noteworthy. I've been following the artist since I joined Tumblr and you can tell that this is the work that got their technical skills to where they are now, that is to say, flourishing like crazy. In that sense it's pretty cool to see the slow development of the art style over time, as well as the understanding of storytelling, but overall I like their second work (Ray of Sunshine) a lot better. The initial character designs and established dynamic is really satisfyingâ Adilene who is good with people but isolates herself, and Mihai who has trouble engaging but wants to pursue deeper connectionsâ and I like that they become each other's âexceptionâ to the rules they've set for themselves. That said, I don't really like the way it goes about this: a lot of the scenes feel very dialogue-heavy and because of that most of the drama feels like it's not amounting to anything other than temporary petty grievances.Â
The plot didn't really stick with me, and apart from the two leads, the cast doesn't feel that interesting. The depictions of non-toxic masculinity and a male main character who actively seeks to connect with others, as well as a female lead who is characterized by her lack of empathy and faces real consequences for this, are all things I'd love to see more of, but even so, the execution isn't great. Both of the leads have mental health issues to work through as the story progresses, and the themes of relying on others and self-improvement are sweet, but the pacing of each section of the story feels like being dragged through molasses. Even so, the end themes are tied together nicely and it has a satisfying conclusion.
On my points system, this one scored in areas 2) worldbuilding, 5), theme building, 6) character nuance, 7) self-awareness, 8) realistic dialogue, 10) lack of same-face syndrome, 13) bechdel test, 14) visuals-colors, and 15), visuals-anatomy. I think the things I liked best were the depth into all the four main characters in some way; by the end they really did feel fleshed-out and realistic. The growth between Adilene and Mihai was solid and even if I donât think the actual development of it was satisfying, it ended in a good place. The story addressed mental health topics with the care and caution they deserve⌠but my main critique was just that I didnât actually find the storytelling interesting. I wonât be rereading it, but, yâknow, to each their own.
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i was born in the darkness // you can't tell me this isn't something rae would say
   âYou werenât born under the fluorescent lights of a hospital like everyone else?â He shoots her a snarky grin; he knows sheâs just trying to be edgy and live up to her brand, but it doesnât really fit the college dining hall lunch room vibe.
   Ed props his feet up on the plastic chair across from him. Itâs orange and worn down. They need to get to replacing those soon. Officially comfortable, Ed leans back and extends his arms across the top of the sofa, eyeing her curiously. âOr are these, like, song lyrics?â
   Ed is hit with the sense that heâs digging himself his own grave. ââŚâŚYeah, I kind of grew out of my My Chem phase a few years ago, ssssoooooâŚ.â thatâs a lie and he knows it, he still listens to The Black Parade semi-regularly.
People are scared of any discussion of mental illness, unless it's general brief depression and anxiety. Some are propelled to verbally assault you for it, as well. Therefore emotional support can only be achieved via therapy and support groups. For now.
How you should recognize if you probably havenât socialized enough in a while.
If you need a pointer.
1. You start to narrate everything you do, out loud, with unnecessary drama and added commentary.
2. You do number 1 but in a terribly, extremely horribly, fake accent.
3. You start talking to objects as though you were Belle in the beastâs/princeâs castle. Except nothing answers you, sings, cooks, cleans by itself, nor do you suspect that theyâre by any means formerly human.
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Been playing around with the watercolour/painting brushes and I couldnât resist doing a fanart of my faves from @relseiyart âs Socializing101 in the end (on Webtoon go read it)
Finally did a fanart for the ever so endearing comic Socializing 101Â ( @socializing101comic ) by @relseiyart
Iâve wanted to do one for so long but never took the time. Todayâs update was too cute (and seriously those two need to communicate) so here it is!
Hey I'm an infp and I need your advice. I live in a small town and study abroad. I don't have many friends and out of those I have I consider only two of them as such. I'm kinda shy and now I'm back home and don't have anything to do. The thing is while I like staying home I do want to go out and have fun too. Friend 1 is working though and friend 2 doesn't really like going out so we don't meet that often. I'm so tired. Idk where to find friends and how to keep them. I don't wanna look online +
for safety purposes but idk what else to do. In a month I'm going abroad to study and I hope I make some new friends there (it's the second year and I haven't made any to give you a clue). But Idk how to do that, idk how to talk to ppl.
---
So, I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about getting better at small talk and talking to people and it may be helpful:Â http://ill-be-istj-if-no-one-else-is.tumblr.com/post/163536671996/hi-ive-seen-your-posts-about-small-talk-and-i.
For actually meeting people since that was more about talking to people once youâre already interacting: probably clubs. I donât know how small a town youâre in (Iâve only ever lived in cities of varying sizes as an adult) but if thereâs any programming at the library that might be interesting, or a community center, or classes at a craft store or something like that itâs a good start. If youâre involved with the religious community then that can be good, but donât feel like you have to explore religion if youâre not interested. Non-religious communities, like political activism groups or just casual neighborhood potlucks, can also be a source And while online stuff can be a little sketchy, if your town is large enough to have Meetup groups I know people who have had a lot of success, and usually Meetup things take place in a public space with a lot of people.
And once you find a social event like that...you just have to talk to people. Itâs a skill like anything else, and it might not go great every time, but you just have to go for it.
