The Power of Characters pt.1: R.I.P Steve Rogers

So!  As you have probably figured out, I am a huge Captain America fan!  And, you may have also gathered from various set photos, raging fangirls (me), and internet articles, THE NEXT AVENGERS MOVIE IS COMING OUT!!!  Yes, Avengers Infinity War will be coming out in May of 2018!  I am very excited! .... except for one thing... In the comics, Steve Rogers DIES.  Yes, you heard me right, Captain America, the Star Spangled Man, the First Avenger, DIES.  This means that it is more than likely that Cap will die by the end of the new movie.  And, to be completely honest with you all, I'm not emotionally ready for that.

I've barely even been in the whole Marvel fandom for a year and I'm already being threatened with the death of one of my favorite characters!  But this over dramatic crisis got me thinking, 'why am I so riled up by the death of someone- who doesn't even exist?'.  I'm a writer (obviously) and I can understand someone being upset over the death or misfortune of a character they relate to, but an all-out existential crisis?  That seems a bit much.

Characters are created with the intention of getting the reader/ viewer to root for them, want them to win, and/ or be happy, and often times writers do this by making their characters relatable.  In order to do this, characters are given flaws.  Those flaws may be physical, mental, or a part of their personality.  For example, Steve Rogers.  He is a WWII veteran so he suffers depression, anxiety, and PTSD.  These are all mental flaws.  He also deals with vices such as pride and stubbornness.  Those are personality flaws.  And, pre-serum Steve was short and bony; physical flaws.  Now, even with all of these flaws millions of people still adore Captain America!  Why is that?  Because they can relate to him!  They might also like him because they feel they can relate to his situation; feeling out of place, battling with old vs. new morals, losing loved ones, etc.  So really, when we like a character, we like them because they are like us.

From this, we may conclude that our emotional disturbance when a character suffers is caused by our emotional relation to them.  Taking a much deeper and philosophical look into this, does this mean when we see something happen to a character we love, that we fear we will suffer the same fate?  What I'm trying to get at is that we might not be overreacting to the death or misfortune of a beloved character, we could just be subconsciously fearing for our own lives and futures.  Think about it, doesn't it make sense?  So, when I'm scared to say, 'R.I.P Steve Rogers', maybe, in deep down, I'm just scared to say, 'R.I.P  Ary'...

How to: become comfortable in your own skin

A thigh gap, nice butt, and six-pack abs, it's what the world wants.  But, what if you don't have these things?
We all know life is diverse; different heights, different ethnicities, and especially different body types.  But, apparently, the world thinks that these different body types are... bad.  Fat shaming, photoshopped models, the many, many jokes and insults we've all heard, all because we are a human and not a manufactured Barbie/ Ken doll.  All of this makes it pretty hard to be confident and happy when you're not a Victoria Secret or Calvin Klein model.  But, I say this needs to change, we all need to feel comfortable in our wonderful, diverse bodies and I'm going to help with that.

Before I begin, I just want to put out the disclaimer that I am not a doctor or a psychologist or anything like that, just a girl who's learning to love her body and wants to help others as well.  Also, I'm not condoning eating disorders or obesity.  If you have a problem with abusing food in any way you should seek help from a professional.  This is not a post about how to diagnose or evaluate yourself, just a post about gaining confidence.  Now that I've said that, on to the advice!

A lot of websites and articles will tell you to maybe try wearing lingerie everywhere or have more sex, but I'm not going to tell you that.  No, I'm going to tell you how to gain confidence in your awesome body modestly.  Here we go!

#1 FIND AN OUTFIT YOU FEEL YOU LOOK GOOD IN

 As a plus sized teen, I have learned how important this is.  I personally feel really good when I wear a mix a casual and nicer clothes.  I have this one blue sundress I wear with a red lumberjack flannel!  I feel awesome when I wear it!  Now, you may feel cool in nicer, preppy clothes or maybe punk rocker clothes, whatever you feel nice in (while still being modest).  And don't go over to your dresser and pull out a baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants so you can hide your body.  We are not hiding our bodies, we are complimenting them with our clothing.

#2 TAKE BABY STEPS IN TAKING RISKS

Wear tank tops, wear bolder colors, wear horizontal stripes, wear vertical stripes, wear shorts, anything to get you out of your comfort zone.  We all know that we aren't going to feel 100% confident in our bodies overnight, we won't go from 0 to 60 that quick.  Instead, we'll take little risks more often and feel more comfortable in those risks.  For example, I usually don't like wearing short sleeves, I hate showing off my arms.  But, that all changed when I went to homecoming with my friend last September.
I had to wear a nice dress, and I didn't have any suitable dresses then, so, I borrowed one.  Problem was, it was sleeveless!  So, to avoid showing my arms, I wore a black shawl over the dress.  But, the shawl made it really hard to dance without it getting in the way.  So I had to make a decision; fun, comfortable dancing, or, cover my 'undesirable' arms.  I chose the former.  And guess what?  I didn't care that my arms were showing!  I had a great time!  It was a baby step in becoming more confident.

#3 KNOW THAT YOUR WEIGHT ISN’T ALWAYS A SCALE ON HOW HEALTHY YOU ARE

There are plenty of heavier set people who are perfectly healthy, they are just heavier.  There are plenty of skinny people who are healthy, they are just thinner.  There are lots of people who uphold the cultural standard of beauty and are unhealthy, they just uphold society's standard of good looks.  Unless a doctor says you need to lose/ gain weight, you are probably fine.  But, if your legs can't hold your own body up or you look like a six-foot-tall lower case 'i', you might want to consider changing your eating habits to control your weight.  But, unless that's the case, you are fine until a doctor disagrees.

#4 BE YOUR OWN CHEERLEADER

Recognize what you do well instead of focusing on all of the negative.  You ate a salad instead of a burger today?  Good job!  You took the stairs instead of the elevator?  Awesome!  You beat your old time for running a mile?  Way to go!  Push yourself to do better (within reason, don't push yourself beyond the breaking point) and recognize your progress.  It's not prideful to know you did well at something.

#5 YOU ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

The literal God of the universe created you and your cool, unique body!  He gave you your thick thighs, He gave you your small frame, He gave you your cool double joins, He gave you your big feet, He made you with love and care and he is so proud of his special creation!

Again, guys, I am no professional and if you need help, seek it from someone who can really help you.  And I'm not saying that the abuse of food is good, that is very, very bad and should be addressed by a professional.  But, please be confident in and love yourself and the vessel you're occupying, because your body loves you.

Remember, I love you, GOD loves you, and you look awesome!

Over and out,

<3 Ary

Are you ready?

The ultimate sacrifice was paid by Jesus Christ on the cross.  He was beaten and insulted and killed for those who deserved such a horrible fate as that far more than Him.  "It is finished," were His final words.

For a few weeks now, I've been thinking about that and what it means to me.  What have we done to deserve this gift of freedom from death?  Nothing.  What did Jesus do to deserve the burden of all the world's sins?  Nothing.  What's really gotten me thinking, is that Jesus could come back any moment.  The skies could split open, the trumpets could sound, and Jesus could come riding down to earth on his white horse in five minutes for all we know!  Or, five years for all we know.  But the real question is: am I ready?  Am I ready for the literal God of the universe, creator of all things discovered and undiscovered, the King of kings that rules life as we know it while existing outside of time and space, to come down and ask, "Ary, do you love me?".  As a sixteen-year-old girl who has barely experienced life outside of her hometown, I would have to say... "Y'know Jesus, that's a great question,".

Do I love Him?  That's what Peter said and he betrayed Jesus three times!  And that was just in a short, documented time span!  Who knows how many other sins and transgressions he committed.  That makes me think, "have my sins and transgressions separated me from GOD?".  As a lowly, sinful human, I would say "yes".  But as GOD's saved daughter, GOD's special princess, I would say, "why would Father give me up?  He loves me thiiiisss much!".

We may abandon GOD and run with the world, but GOD never gives up on us, he always waits with his arms wide open, hoping that we will come home again.  We are the prodigal sons and daughters, we cannot be separated by sins we've committed.  If Jesus can save Peter, He can save me.  If Jesus can save Paul, the former murderer of Christians, he can save me.  If Jesus can save literal serial killers and love them unconditionally, he can save me.

"Yes, Father, I love you.  I am the prodigal daughter, I am the saved princess, I am the beloved child of GOD.  Yes, Father, I love you, for you loved me first,".

Romanticizing Romance

I write a lot, obviously, and I write a lot of romance stories.  Now before you go to the comments section and type out an angry letter to me saying how filthy I am, I just want you to know that I don't write erotica.  That's gross.  I'm not typing out a prequel to Fifty Shades of Gray to anything.  I write stuff similarly to Disney romances... only I don't... let me explain.

In a lot of romance stories, there are some commonly spread lies that are told within them.  In my Stories, I always try to create realistic and healthy romantic relationships.  Therefore, there are some cliches and tropes I have to avoid.  Here are some of them.


THE DISNEY COUPLE
We all grew up with Disney, and to some degree, it has affected us and our opinions on love.  Disney has taught us that love happens instantly and that it solves all your problems.  Now, just to be clear, I do not believe in love at first sight or soul mates, but, that's a post for another day.  What I'm saying, is that love in real life happens after spending time with and getting to know your partner.  You don't meet someone and then 48 hours later go and marry them, do you?  Exactly.

THE STRUGGLE IS(N'T) REAL
It seems that society wants you to believe that relationships mean you don't have struggles within those relationships.  And, that if you do fight or struggle, that means you're in an unhealthy or faulty relationship.  But that is completely false!  All relationships have fights and struggles, but that doesn't mean you should bail on the relationship!  If you're in a healthy relationship, you will be able to talk out your problems calmly and fairly with your partner.  Sure, there might be one or two fights that will last a while, but, they'll get better.  But, if you're constantly fighting, especially about things like fidelity, trust, and chastity, then maybe you should get counseling.  And if that doesn't help, then you should probably break up.

THE PERSCRIPTION BOTTLE
This one annoys me the most.  Listen, if you get a significant other, you are not magically cured of all your mental illnesses.  Yes, your partner will make the load a little easier to bear, but they won't act as a magical solution to your problems.  If you have depression, an S.O. (significant other) will not make you perpetually happy or make you healthy enough to skip the meds, that's just not how this works.  Same goes for any other mental illness.  Your partner should help and support you through the struggle you go through every day, they shouldn't be a replacement for medication or therapy.

THE "BABY, I PROMISE I'LL CHANGE"
If you date a jerk, they will stay a jerk.  If you date a ditz, they'll stay a ditz.  They won't magically correct their behavior just for you.  Not to say that your S.O. won't have flaws, but if their cons far outweigh their pros, they probably won't change.  And no, you cannot change them.  Sure, maybe they will have one problematic flaw, then, once they decide they like you, they'll correct their behavior as a means of saying their willing to fight for you.  But, if that flaw is their entire personality, they aint changin'.

COLLEGE = MARRIAGE
College does not guarantee you that you will meet your future spouse.  Just, no.  Yes, it is possible, but don't act like it's a GOD given promise that you will.

Those are just a few of the romance cliches I've had to avoid, but there are many more.  Hope you have a wonderful week!

Over and out,
<3 Ary

Hiatus

Wasup me Picassos?  Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was gone all day.  Now look, I know I took a break from the blog back in September, but I need another one, this time because of scheduling issues.  I am kinda overwhelmed with writing projects from school and my personal writing career and I will be for the next couple of weeks.  So, I'm going to go on hiatus for a couple weeks.  I'll try to post when I can, but I most definitely will not have a regular upload schedule for a while.  I'll build up blog drafts when I have time, I'll post every now and again, but, for the most part, you won't see me.  I'll probably return to my normal, weekly, upload schedule some time in March, but for now, I need a breather.  I'll see you guys in March!

Over and out!
<3 Ary

An Author's adrenalin rush

Writing is hard.  Us writers put A LOT of time and effort into our work.  Coffee replaces blood in our veins, sleep becomes a distant memory, our eyes are permanently bloodshot from staring at our Words documents for hours on end, and don't even get me started on writer's block!  We work hard, and sometimes, with little to no reward.  But!  For every six hours of missed sleep and every twelve cups of coffee we drink, there is one magical moment when you get a comment, favorite, or if the writing gods permit, a new follower!

A couple months ago, I started a second blog, but this one is for fanfiction (no, I will not explain what that is), and, it's pretty small compared to the other fanfiction blogs I follow.  I knew I wouldn't be popular over night, but I was still hoping I would have a few likes and reposts on my writing.

After I posted a few fics, I was beginning to get discouraged with how little attention my blog was getting.  I had only about 15 followers, half of them ad blogs, half of my works weren't getting any notes at all, and the other half got six notes or less.  I had only ever gotten two requests and one of them was my friend who told me to start my fanfic blog.  At this point I had posted a little over fifteen fics; I had spent a really long time on all that writing!  And I was barely being rewarded for my diligence and creativity!  That was until a few days ago...

I was running out of ideas.  I hadn't been getting any requests so I had to come up with the writing prompts myself, but I was rapidly running out of creative juices.  I had been able to come up with one more fic, then I would be completely spent.  It was about a soldier during WWII talking to his girlfriend right before he leaves for the army.  I felt I had done pretty well on it and I thought people would like it, though my doubts told me it would be ignored just like the rest of my writing.

Before posting it, I added an author's note at the beginning of the fic, as I usually do.  In this little author's note I half-jokingly said, "help guys, I'm running out of ideas, please send requests,".  I knew people would ignore my needy plea, so I didn't check my blog until the next day.

I checked my blog, expecting to see a barren ask box and blank notifications board, but, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had gotten, not one, but TWO requests!  I eagerly wrote, edited, and posted the first one, entitled "CUDDLE BUDDY" and in my author's note, I thanked the anonymous requester profusely!  But, after such an intense burst of writing energy, I was creatively spent, so I took a break before filling the next request.

The day after that, I started writing out the second request.  As soon as I posted it, again, thanking the requester profusely, the fic started getting notes.  I was pretty surprised, considering I still have fics, that were posted before Thanksgiving, that have zero notes at all.  After checking my blog's activity, I saw that I had gained three new followers!  That may not seem like a lot, but to a small blog like mine, that meant the world!

So, as I am writing this, I have 28 followers and "CUDDLE BUDDY" has a whopping 124 notes, including favorites and reposts!!!!  And, yesterday, I had gotten a request for a part two to "CUDDLE BUDDY"!!!!  Four days ago I barely had 18 followers and an empty inbox. Now, I've gained ten followers in 24 hours when it took me three months to get 18, and I'm getting requests for sequels!

As a writer, it feels so good to finally get recognition for my work!  I feel so happy and I've gotten my writing mojo back and then some!  So please, take time to let the writer in your life know that their hard labor and creativity is appreciated.

Over and out!
<3 Ary

The mystery of Steve's leather jacket

 NOTE: minor spoiler alert.


         Captain America!  America's new hope, God's righteous man, the man out of time, the star-spangled man with a plan, living proof that perfection is indeed attainable!  We all love Captain America.  We love his big heart, his excellent leadership, or, if you're weird like me, you love his snazzy leather jacket.

          Steve's jacket is a fairly iconic piece in Steve's everyday apparel; he wears it numerous times throughout the multiple Marvel movies he appears in.  But, where exactly did he get his jacket?  This is the mystery of Steve's leather jacket! *dun dun dun*


          "Well Ary, ever think that maybe Steve got it at the store, like a normal person?" Ya see, that's the thing, we see Steve wear it in the 40s during WWII, and, if you know anything about WWII, you know that leather was heavily rationed during this time, so that jacket would either have not existed or have been extremely expensive.  But, in Bucky's flashbacks in CATWS (Captain America: the Winter Soldier) we see that Steve lived in a shabby Brooklyn apartment, meaning Steve lived fairly modestly and probably couldn't afford a nice jacket like the one we see him wear all the time.

"Well Ary, maybe he got it in the 30s," Again, Steve lived very modestly and could not afford a jacket like that, and we have the Great Depression to consider.  So every other average American citizen would have been struggling financially as well.

          After pondering about how Steve could've acquired that jacket, given the state of the government in that era and Steve's waste-not-want-not way of living, I came to a dead end in my search.  After thinking that questioning the origins of Captain America's leather jacket was a wild, fangirl goose chase, my brother pointed out that Steve's jacket looked like a WWI aviator's jacket.  Then it hit me.  You know who fought in WWI?  Joseph Rogers, aka, Steven Grant Rogers's dad.

          Here's my theory: we know that Steve's father, Joseph, died from a tear gas attack during WWI before Steve was born, as it is said in CATFA (Captain America: the First Avenger).  It is very likely that Joseph's jacket was given to Sarah Rogers, Steve's mother, as a condolence from the military.  Now knowing that Steve would never know, or even see his father, Sarah would've given the jacket to him so he would have something to know his father by.  That would also explain why the jacket always looks new and clean, Steve would've take phenomenal care of his late father's jacket.

          When I presented this theory to my friend Jori, the girl who got me into the MCU in the first place, she thought it was a very good theory.  But, she also presented another theory; what of the jacket is Bucky's?  We see that Steve only starts wearing the jacket after Bucky is drafted, so maybe it was a gift from Bucky to Steve, so Steve would have something to remember his best friend by while he was away.   That would also explain why we never see pre-serum Steve wear the jacket.  If Bucky didn't give Steve the jacket until right before he left, then Steve wouldn't even have the chance to wear it until the next day.  But, the next day, Steve was transformed into Captain America, so again, Steve didn't really have the chance to wear the jacket.  But, we see steve wear the jacket for the first time right after he performs his show for the 107th. 

         So, where do you think Steve got his leather jacket?  Was it his dad's?  Was it a goodbye present from Bucky?  Or did Steve simply buy it himself?  Tell me in the comments!

Over and Out!

<3 Ary