[ceruleanheaven]

[looking at people younger than me] you have your whole life ahead of you [looking at people older than me] you have your whole life ahead of you [looking at myself] its over

[leighlew3]

ALL. OF. THIS.

[miseducatedmelanicmuse]

[bethanydelleman]

People who long for some imaginary idyllic past that never existed aren't reading enough female-written classic literature or they aren't paying attention when they do, because the imagined social contract of men holding power and wealth and using it to provide for and protect women has never worked.

Jane Austen emphasizes marrying prudently, but without sufficient independent wealth (rare), a woman's life becomes tied to a good man's survival. Mr. Dashwood inheriting late and dying early put his wife and daughter's fates in the hands of his selfish son. When women cannot work, they must hope that their fathers live until they marry, hope that their brothers will take care of them, and hope to be provided for as widows. Even love matches can end in ruin if the man holding the money is incompetent, as Mrs. Smith in Persuasion emphasizes. But men are supposed to provide for the dependant women in their lives, Jane Austen points to this social contract again and again, so why does it fail? Because there are almost no consequences when men refuse to do their duty. No one shuns John Dashwood for the way he treats his female relations. The only ones with the power to hold men accountable are men themselves, and why would they do that?

Not to mention that a man can uproot his entire family's life without any need to consult them (North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell), the jobs available to women were degrading and poorly paid (Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë), escaping abuse was dangerous and legally difficult (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë & Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë), being born as an intelligent woman was seen as a curse because it was useless and wouldn't get you married (The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot), etc. etc. etc.

Elizabeth Bennet might have gotten her fairy tale ending, but Charlotte Lucas would have given her left kidney to be able to get a job and pay for "comfortable home" all on her own.

[classic-art-favourites]

The Raven by Gustave Dore, 1884.

[fernicenty]

a star of the ocean ✨🦭

[thesweetiepienovels]

Actually, you are enough. Even if you don’t work. Or study. Or go out. Or have friends. Or have family. You’re enough because you exist and your existence is enough to be enough because you are not a product. You are not a sum of output. You are not a task to complete. But because you are something the universe wanted and put here even if you’ll never understand why. Somewhere in the cosmos your existence makes a difference, even if it’s not the way others existences do.

[wholesome-suggestion]

it’s not going to be easy. nothing will ever be easy, in fact it’s going to be really insanely hard. but you’re going to make it through and you’re going to receive every good thing that you deserve. the waiting will be worth it, it will all be worth it.

[xxxprosp3r0neilxxx]

Victor Frankenstein syndrome aka you spent nights over nights crying and bleeding over this work and now that it's finally done you're just like "nvm. it's trash" and go to bed

[jackkdaniels]

when i was a kid i decided that killing people was bad therefore war was bad therefore the military was evil. and adults would tell me it's more nuanced than that and i would understand when i grew up. well i'm a grown up now and idk i still think that killing people is bad and war is bad and the military is evil

[funnelcloudd]

Not to sound like a fuckin hippie but please for the love of god start noticing and appreciating the natural world around you. You don’t have to go hike the entire Appalachian trail or anything and I get that not everyone has access to the outdoors for various reasons, but just fucking … look around you when you’re outside. Notice the sky and the sun and the birds and creatures. Start caring about them. I’m begging you.

[retinaofthemindseye]

[gnawing-suspicion]

[thesweetiepienovels]

Someone said “The slow burn of becoming yourself” and I think that might be one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. It’s such a good reminder of how much it takes, how much character development, how much change, and beauty and courage it takes to reach your soul and I hope no one ever gives up on becoming themselves because it’s a never ending journey that only gets better.

[jimbenton]

[anarchistmemedistro]

[madqueensarah]

If you’re an adult, do the stuff you couldn’t as a kid.

Like, me and my sister went to a museum, and they had an extra exhibit of butterflies. But it cost £3. So we sighed, walked past, then stopped. We each had £3. We could see the butterflies. And we did it was great. We followed it up with an ice-cream as well because Mum and Dad weren’t there to say no.

I was driving back from a work trip with 2 other people in their early 20s, and we drove past a MacDonalds. One of the others went “Aww man, I’d love a McFlurry.” And the guy driving pulled in to the drive through. It was wild. But it was great.

I went to a park over the weekend and I was thinking “Man, I’d love to hire one of those bikes and cycle round the park.” It took me a few minutes to go “Wait, I can hire one of those bikes!”

I guess what I’m saying is, those impulsive things you wanted to do as a kid - see the dinosaur exhibit, play in the fountains with the other kids, lie in the shade for 2 hours - you can do when you’re an adult. You have to deal with a whole lot of other bull, but at least you can indulge your inner 8 year-old.

[thememedaddy]