Ud. no está Aquí

tell someone "congratulations!" tell them "I'm so happy for you. I know you've been trying for a really long time." ask them "do you need help with anything?" throw them a party with loved ones where you all give them some gifts in acknowledgement of how expensive it is. celebrate how far along they are. take photos with them so they have a record of being loved while their body changes. allow them to voice fears and doubts and anxieties about how it'll go, and reassure them that they'll get through the intense medical procedure coming up & you'll be there for support no matter what. let them tell you about the gross parts and laugh together. really listen to them when they talk about how amazing and profound it is that the human body can do this. share in their excitement for beginning a new stage of their life.

based on this tweet i saw

Shane rolls his eyes and maybe his ears turn a little pink. “The bottom of the lake is gross,” he explains. “Rocks, mud, sticks; you should wear shoes.”

And Ilya, who is used to muscling through most things is weirdly touched by the concern but the shoes are so fucking ugly. “You wear these all the time?” he asks, absolutely delighted.

“Fine, deal with the bottom of the lake—”

“No no,” Ilya says, snatching the shoes. He maybe does it a little too quick, and gets embarrassed, himself. “Was just a question Hollander, jesus.”

They fit Ilya well, but Shane refuses to put his on before he needs to.

“You have extra ugly shoes for guests?” Ilya teases. “Just in case?”

“Those are mine,” he shrugs. “I’m gonna wear my dad’s.”

Which is even more confusingly touching. Ilya and Shane walk down to the water together, Shane with a tote bag of snacks, sunscreen, a soft cooler of drinks, and a stack of two towels. Ilya is utterly charmed by the entire thing. “Gimme something to carry.”

“No, watch where you’re fucking going.”

“Shane.”

“Ilya.”

They get set up on the dock and things quickly devolve from playful conversation to more serious teasing to trying to push each other into the water. Regrettably—or not so regrettably—they end up tumbling in together.

“I beat you,” Ilya taunts when he resurfaces.

Shane shakes water out of his hair. “We fell in at the same time, asshole.”

“Ah, but you were—AH!” Something touches Ilya legs. He nearly jumps out of his skin. “What the fuck!”

“Probably a fish,” Shane shrugs. He’s doing that thing, where he’s smiling but not actually smiling. “Or a plant.” He pauses. “Probably not the snapping turtle, but it’s around somewhere. It’ll bite your dick which is why we can’t skinny dip.”

Ilya looks at him. “There is a turtle that bites dicks??” He not so subtly drifts closer to Shane, gets an arm around his waist and tugs him in. “Where have you brought me?” He teases.

Shane does grin, now. “How’re you liking those water shoes?”

“Yes, fine, they are very good.” Ilya presses a kiss to Shane’s mouth. Then another, then another.

Shane: In some sort of Austen-esque existence where hjs ill-advised flirtation with a notorious rake goes too far. Scandalised by the intimate use of first names he flees, concerned what society and his goodly parents will think, his reputation at stake. He tries to find a proper marriage prospect but alas his heart is lost to the rake! But he finally follows his heart and invites Ilya into his home too (and accepts first name usage!)

Arabesque Plait

This intricate design is a timeless classic - abstract borders like this have been popular for a millennium. This particular pattern was taken from an Italian Renaissance embroidery manual, but you can find similar patterns all over the world, from woven damask to satin. This is a stick and stitch pattern - simple to use! Just stick the pattern where you want it, stitch over the gridded lines, and dissolve in water when you're done, leaving only your work behind.

Happy Pride! Queer people have been around for a very long time - here's some medieval examples.

Is she spoiled? Definitely.

A bit selfish? Yes.

Unable to keep a rein on her temper? Also yes.

None of those are fatal flaws (or at all unexpected) in a di daughter of a well-off household.

But despite being a bit naïve and easily manipulated, she doesn’t slavishly follow what other people tell her. Despite her mother’s insistence that she play the marriage game for status, Rulan is far wiser.

She sees what few people in her position see (what Molan never sees) and plays for happiness and stability.

Of the four Sheng daughters, she makes the lowest-ranking but the most prudent marriage:

Marrying someone who loves her and will take her side

Marrying into a family weak enough that her own birth family can back her up

Even ever-cautious Minglan makes something of a rash choice in marriage. Her gamble works for her, because she and Gu Tingye are a power couple. But it was very much a gamble, and dependent on her own iron will and skill at manipulation.

Rulan knows she doesn’t have those skills. She can’t hold her own in a storm with no support. So she optimizes for building a support system. Despite taking after her mother in many ways, she sees herself and analyzes situations so much more clearly. (Honestly, I am so impressed by that. Hualan had Granny to raise her; Changbai had his schooling outside of his mother’s influence; what did Rulan have as a model?)

And despite being a little spoiled, despite being the weakest of the sisters in will, ambition, and ruthlessness, she's incredibly effective in her protection of those she's loyal to:

She saves Xique's life by throwing herself on top of her when she's being beaten. Contrast that to Molan, who doesn't give a second thought to her maids when her affair is discovered. Contrast that to Qiheng, who cares about Buwei but is ineffective in saving him.

She (with reluctance, but voluntarily) takes the heat for Minglan when Auntie Kang is making trouble. She hates Auntie Kang, and Rulan has very low tolerance for doing things she dislikes. But she still offers to suffer Auntie Kang’s presence herself, to save Minglan from another headache among her already troubled family affairs.

i don't necessarily disagree with this headcanon. i love them as bffs with benefits. but ngl her "you don't want me" line absolutely gave me a sense of wistfulness. like maybe in another life it could have been us.

and obviously people can have whatever headcanons they want and write whatever they want. but this insistence on only one interpretation gives me the ick a little bit. this idea that svetlana needs to be this perfect best friend with perfectly pure non-romantic feelings. the perfect woman who couldn't possibility be hurt by ilya choosing someone else. by ilya choosing shane.

and I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into it. but like, it's okay if svetlana is a little hurt, that doesn't make ilya the bad guy. it doesn't make his romance with shane a bad thing. it doesn't make svetlana the bad guy. it makes her a normal person with normal feelings. she can be a little in love and still be a wonderful supportive best friend who handles her emotions with grace.