michaemarie asked: do you get jealous of people who you think are prettier than you?

No, I think that’s a really silly, counter-productive mindset to have and a terrible, terrible habit to get into. 

For a start, all beauty is subjective and just because I may think someone is prettier than I am, doesn’t mean the next person who comes along is going to necessarily agree. 

Secondly, I don’t really see the point of determining a person’s value according to their aesthetic, I think that’s the wrong way to go through life. There are ALWAYS going to be literally millions of girls who are better looking than I am, but so what? They can’t apply their eyeliner like I do. They can’t write prose like I do. They can’t kiss, dance, converse, pass assignments, travel or love like I do because they’re not me, they’re themselves. 

Comparing ourselves to other people is shit. 
My boyfriend once said to me, “I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen,” and even though I think that is a load of CODSWALLOP, it doesn’t make that statement any less true if he believed it, you know?
Similarly, I’ve DEFINITELY had a girl say to me that I was the ugliest person in the world before - I think that’s bollocks too but hey, maybe she believed it and that’s alright too.

It’s all alright because every single one of us is so much more than what we look like, so fuck it, who cares. 

meowsington asked: Stories are great, so what are your top 5 fictional books of all time and why?

I honestly don’t know if I can choose a Top 5, because I’ve read and adored hundreds of books. In saying that, whenever I get asked for favourites my brain always goes back to the same few authors/novels, so this might be a semi-accurate answer:

• The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
   No other work will ever sum of my narcissistic teenage years better.
• Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahniuk
   As everyone knows, Chuck is my favourite author and this is my favourite work of his, both the original and the recent Remix. I think it’s chilling and haunting and brilliant, more so than any of his other novels, and I think the characters are just disgustingly brilliant.
• Cat’s Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
   I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed this on my blog before.
• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkien 
   I first read LoTR when I was very young, because it was one of my dad’s favourites and the films were due to come out in a couple of years so I guess my parents thought I should get on it. I have re-read them countless times since and there always ends up being something I completely overlooked or didn’t appreciate before, which I think is an amazing quality in any work of fiction.
• Black Coffee Blues - Henry Rollins
   Arguably not a work of fiction, but I’m going to include it anyway because trying to choose a fifth was stressing me out and it’s very common knowledge that I admire Rollins’ work above all else.

pineapple-espress asked: My boyfriend and I have been together for a little over 2 years and I've been beginning to question his character and views on things. We always have arguments when it comes to sexual freedom.He believes that anyone(single) who has sex with multiple partners or with people who one isn't dating means someone lives a loose and dirty/unhealthy lifestyle. He is an avid slut shamer and looks down on men & women saying that loose sex is not healthy and it's an addiction. What can I do when I disagree?

You are allowed to disagree with people, even when those people are your partners - you don’t have to remain silent and complacent just because you are choosing to spend this portion of your life with them; nor do you need to feel like a shitty person simply because your partner is exhibiting shitty characteristics.

Now that’s out of the way…

For a start, your boyfriend is so full of shit I’m surprised you can stand to be around him due to the smell. He is allowed to disagree with promiscuous sex in terms of his own life, he is allowed to personally dislike it/the idea of it however that is where his freedom of expression and opinion stops. It is an incredibly narcissistic and convoluted notion that his opinion has to be the right one, and anyone who disagrees must automatically be making the ‘wrong’ choice. 

Explain to your boyfriend that he ain’t the centre of anyone’s universe except his own, and that his slut shaming doesn’t reflect poorly on anyone but himself. It’s outdated, it’s lame, and it’s embarrassing. I don’t need to tell you why this is, I’m guessing you already know.

Never fear! Your boyfriend may be being a shithead now but it’s probably due to ignorance, rather than him being a terrible person. He probably had parents and teachers and peers who taught him that sex was something to barter with/use as ‘relationship currency’ rather than something to give freely to whomever an individual chooses (consent withstanding). Many people have peers and role models who teach them this & that’s okay, as long as they’re willing to learn - work on opening your boyfriend’s mind to the idea that sex isn’t as important or as terrifying as the media, church and traditions have cracked it up to be. Get him some literature on the matter or direct him to some blogs, sit down with him and have a calm chat about why his views might be really damaging and hurtful to a lot of people. Also explain to him why the sex lives of other people are none of his business.

CONVERSELY, accept that your boyfriend is a fool and move on, do your thang, realise that some people are never going to agree with you & work on remembering the things that do make him a good guy. Your call. x