#LoveMe – a note to my future self

1. Why are you doing #LoveMe?
2. A photo of you
3. A word that describes you
4. A person who loves you
5. A note to the past you
6. A note to the future you
7. One thing that’s just for you
8. Share a scar
9. Share something beautiful
10. Share a secret
11. Share a smile
12. Share a flaw
13. Share a quote
14. Share a fear you overcame
15. Something you have done right
16. Something you like about yourself 
17. Something that feeds your soul
18. Something that feeds your brain
19. Something you feel strongly about
20. Something you love to wear
21. Something you are proud of
22. What makes you unique?
23. What is your best feature?
24. What makes you happy?
25. What makes you laugh?
26. What makes you feel beautiful?
27. What have you accepted about yourself?
28. What have you learned from doing #LoveMe these past twenty-eight days?

Hello again Becky,

You are writing this as you listen to a newly rediscovered band called fun. A bunch of your friends are out in your lounge room playing games. You aren’t sitting alone because no one wants to play with you. You played bunches of games tonight and you ate a delicious dinner. You are alone because you have to be up early for the steady, well-paying job you managed to score that’s going to make the next few years of uni a lot more bearable.

Life is good. Please remember that. When you start griping about the ins and outs of sharehouse life, remember that these people love you. That there were always people around willing to have a chat, be silly, and play infinite board games with you. Because there will come a time when you are living in your own place, like you always wanted, and you will miss these days. Savour these times as they happen.

At the moment you are frustrated with the uni part of your life. You are currently going through the process of swapping to your third uni since 2014. Remember that this is because you may have found a way to graduate a few years earlier. It also might mean that you won’t have as much trouble finding classes you need. Once this is done, you should be done until you graduate from your Masters, a few years from now.

You also happen to be trending toward this habit of getting bored with the familiar. I’m hoping you have started to find excitement in these things by now. Just because something is familiar, doesn’t make it boring. Find ways to make your life exciting. Even if it’s just doing one new thing a week. Or a month, since uni makes things hard.

I hope you have made a life for yourself that you are happy with. Because that’s what you are trying to accomplish at the moment.

Most importantly, I hope you’re happy.

Love,

You.

P.S. Please promise me that you’ll throw a massive party for your 42nd birthday. 42 is the meaning of life after all.

 

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“Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy of Five” by Douglas Adams

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has been haunting me from bookshop to bookshop for years. I finally bought the “Trilogy of Four” a few months ago and then, last week, I finally got around to reading it. However, note that the above picture is a split of two books. This is because I was part way through So Long and Thanks for All The Fish, when my roommate told me about Mostly Harmless, apparently the fifth instalment in this series. Whelp, my mistake. So of course I had to go out and grab that one.

Essentially, what I remember about Hitchhiker’s is Adams’ way with words. Adams has written a delightfully whimsical story in which sentences never end the way that you’d expect and I laughed out loud way more times than I usually do while reading. I could flip to any page of this series and find a fantastic quote.

I’ll prove it to you. Let’s choose a fan favourite. Let’s turn to page 394:

(Disclaimer: page 394 is the dedication page for Life, The Universe, and Everything, so this is the next page with words on it, 395)

It wasn’t just that the cave was cold, it wasn’t just that it was damp and smelly. It was the fact that the cave was in the middle of Islington and there wasn’t a bus due for two million years.

See? Told you. This is on the first page of the third book in the Trilogy of Four and it sets the scene beautifully, while also being more than a little silly.

Honestly, I don’t remember the story. But this is not a bad thing. There’s a lot going on and characters jump from planet to planet to timezone to galaxy to parallel universe and back again. There’s a galactic president whose job is to distract people from the guy who actually makes all the decisions. There’s a depressed robot; homicidal robots from the planet Krikkit; Perfectly Normal Beasts that appear from nowhere, stampede through the plains of a tiny little planet, and then disappear again; and a very mixed up teenager named Random. Plus, Ford Prefect. I love that guy. And, of course, Arthur Dent. This series read like an adventure-of-the-week TV serial with a great cast, great sense of humour, and incredible imagination. The world-building was fantastic, and you even somehow managed to suspend your disbelief long enough to buy that spaceships could be powered by probabilities.
Although the story does feel very disjointed, Adams continually links together seemingly throwaway comments early in the series to super important events that happen much later. Kind of like “Bad Wolf” in Doctor Who.

Quite frankly, I don’t know how to review this series. It’s an institution, if you can say that about books. And the writing style is something that I couldn’t pull off in a million years. Adams is funny, surreal, whimsical, heart-warming, and infuriating all at once. He’s also a damned genius and we lost him far, far too early.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is beyond a star rating. What I will say is that if you like your books to be completely unpredictable and laugh-out-loud funny, pick up this series immediately, if not sooner!

 

#LoveMe – A note to my past self

1. Why are you doing #LoveMe?
2. A photo of you
3. A word that describes you
4. A person who loves you
5. A note to the past you
6. A note to the future you
7. One thing that’s just for you
8. Share a scar
9. Share something beautiful
10. Share a secret
11. Share a smile
12. Share a flaw
13. Share a quote
14. Share a fear you overcame
15. Something you have done right
16. Something you like about yourself 
17. Something that feeds your soul
18. Something that feeds your brain
19. Something you feel strongly about
20. Something you love to wear
21. Something you are proud of
22. What makes you unique?
23. What is your best feature?
24. What makes you happy?
25. What makes you laugh?
26. What makes you feel beautiful?
27. What have you accepted about yourself?
28. What have you learned from doing #LoveMe these past twenty-eight days?

Hi Becky,

It’s you, from the future. And no, you sadly were not whisked away by the Tenth Doctor in the TARDIS. Because, unfortunately, you will never read this.
I just want you to know that you are currently a month out from 25 and you still haven’t quite gotten your life together. You are in the process of researching changing universities (again), you’re in a little bit of debt that you have to get out of (again), and you aren’t overly thrilled with your current weight (again). But, you have plans in motion to rectify all of these situations. And you’ve been here before. And fixed all of these issues before. The fact that you, in the past, have done these things means that I feel like I have the strength to do these things again.
Thank you for your resilience, your quiet strength, and your ability to make the tough changes you need to to make life how you want it. You moved to Brisbane because that was best for you, despite having to leave everything that was familiar. You moved to Canberra alone when Brisbane became too much, and then you came back again because Brisbane is your home.
You’ve been able to make tough decisions over and over again and so I have faith that I will be able to do it for the next little while.

I do want to say that you won’t be at Subway forever. At the moment you have a great, steady job with great people that allows you to have some financial security while studying. You are now studying the right degree, but are moving unis for the third time. However, hopefully this time will be better. And also will be the final time.

I am proud of you. Thank you for all of this. (Also thank you for the wicked taste in music, books, and movies).

Here’s hoping that maybe one day you can read this and draw strength from it.

Love,

You.

#LoveMe – A person who loves you

1. Why are you doing #LoveMe?
2. A photo of you
3. A word that describes you
4. A person who loves you
5. A note to the past you
6. A note to the future you
7. One thing that’s just for you
8. Share a scar
9. Share something beautiful
10. Share a secret
11. Share a smile
12. Share a flaw
13. Share a quote
14. Share a fear you overcame
15. Something you have done right
16. Something you like about yourself 
17. Something that feeds your soul
18. Something that feeds your brain
19. Something you feel strongly about
20. Something you love to wear
21. Something you are proud of
22. What makes you unique?
23. What is your best feature?
24. What makes you happy?
25. What makes you laugh?
26. What makes you feel beautiful?
27. What have you accepted about yourself?
28. What have you learned from doing #LoveMe these past twenty-eight days?

There are a few people I could choose to write this post about, but I decided to write about my sister. My sister is a beautiful person who has an inner strength that I adore. She has made it through some rough times and come out swinging. She is, without a doubt, one of the strongest people I know.
The reason I choose to write about her, rather than anyone else, is because my sister and I disagree on some pretty heavy topics. We’ve gotten into serious arguments about our differing political opinions so often that we have had to invoke a ban on talking politics when I visit. However, I want to explain how we used to resolve these arguments. We would get ourselves into such states that we would see red, but before we said something we’d regret, we’d take a deep breath, say “I love you”, and then change the subject.

Despite our very different views of the world, my sister has never been anything less than supportive of me. In fact, she is one of my biggest cheerleaders. I love her for that.

I don’t know if she’ll ever read this, but I want her to know how grateful I am for her continued support. And how lucky I am that she is my sister.

 

#LoveMe – A word to describe me

1. Why are you doing #LoveMe?
2. A photo of you
3. A word that describes you
4. A person who loves you
5. A note to the past you
6. A note to the future you
7. One thing that’s just for you
8. Share a scar
9. Share something beautiful
10. Share a secret
11. Share a smile
12. Share a flaw
13. Share a quote
14. Share a fear you overcame
15. Something you have done right
16. Something you like about yourself 
17. Something that feeds your soul
18. Something that feeds your brain
19. Something you feel strongly about
20. Something you love to wear
21. Something you are proud of
22. What makes you unique?
23. What is your best feature?
24. What makes you happy?
25. What makes you laugh?
26. What makes you feel beautiful?
27. What have you accepted about yourself?
28. What have you learned from doing #LoveMe these past twenty-eight days?

I think this post is going to be a little bit harder than the last two. How do you sum yourself up in just one word? You might over-emphasise something and forget about another thing. I guess that may be the point? Seeing which parts of yourself come to the fore of your mind when you think about you as a person. But, still, it’s daunting.

So, the best I can come up with for a single word to describe myself is:

buoyed

What I mean by that is that I feel like I’m drifting a little at the moment because everything I do is earmarked for the future. I’m currently studying a course that won’t be finished for a very long time; I’m currently getting myself out of debt so I can save for my own place one day; and I’m currently still wondering who/where I will be when I’m older. It’s hard to explain, but I have all these plans for the future keeping me anchored, but I still feel like I’m drifting along with the tides, just a little.

Does that make sense?

#Love Me – A photo of me

1. Why are you doing #LoveMe?
2. A photo of you
3. A word that describes you
4. A person who loves you
5. A note to the past you
6. A note to the future you
7. One thing that’s just for you
8. Share a scar
9. Share something beautiful
10. Share a secret
11. Share a smile
12. Share a flaw
13. Share a quote
14. Share a fear you overcame
15. Something you have done right
16. Something you like about yourself 
17. Something that feeds your soul
18. Something that feeds your brain
19. Something you feel strongly about
20. Something you love to wear
21. Something you are proud of
22. What makes you unique?
23. What is your best feature?
24. What makes you happy?
25. What makes you laugh?
26. What makes you feel beautiful?
27. What have you accepted about yourself?
28. What have you learned from doing #LoveMe these past twenty-eight days?

I like that this part of the challenge is one of the very first things we post about.
Photos.
I hate them.
I never seem to look any good in them. Though it’s been long enough now for me to start wondering whether that’s because I already think that I’m going to look bad in the photos I’ll be in and so that projects onto the picture.

There’s also the possibility that it’s got something to do with a study I learned about last semester that showed that people generally think of themselves as 10% more attractive than they are. Depressing, right? You can see a summary news article here and the original study here. If you want to go down that particular rabbit hole that is.

Anyway, I was tossing up between the photos on my Instagram feed before deciding on this one:

I took this photo in the bathroom of a shopping centre. I had stopped in to buy groceries or something after work, when I happened to glance in the mirror. And I noticed that I liked what I saw. I think this was taken a few weeks after getting a steady job and being back at uni. I was happy with where my life was and I feel like that was reflected in my appearance.

I chose this photo to remind me of that moment. It was a powerful one, for me.

Last night, we were Victorious

This photo was taken by @alysseparis on Instagram. Click the photo to check out the rest of her amazing photos.

I have been listening to Panic! At The Disco non stop since last night. I have not been able to bring myself to listen to anything else because I am still haunted, in the best possible way, since the concert.

I will be turning twenty-five in a few mere weeks. Twenty-five, someone tells me, is the actual legal number given to the term “responsible adult”. So I figured, although I am a fangirl through and through, I was past the age of squealing and jumping up and down with regards to my favourite things. You know, being a responsible adult and all.
Boy, was I wrong.

This photo was taken by @anyssa.jade of Instagram. Click the photo to see more of her photos!

Panic! At The Disco was the very first proper concert I went to. This was back when the band still had its original lineup and the only albums we had were A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and Pretty. Odd.; back when costumes were still part of P!ATD’s MO. This was also before the days of Instagram, so the only photos I had were the ones I took on my digital camera because my phone didn’t have camera capabilities.
I have loved Panic! since I was  fourteen. They are one of my foundation bands. I feel like this band is a part of me because I also feel like Panic’s music helped to shape the woman I am today. So this concert was always going to be important to me. But what I didn’t expect was to travel back in time and feel like I was that fourteen year old girl all over again.

I do want to start by saying just one thing, though. The support act for P!ATD was Tiger Town. They were great and funky and really set the vibe for the coming headliner. But what happened was, when these guys announced that they had time for one more song, a bunch of people down the front started chanting “Brendon! Brendon!”. This is bad for two reasons:
1. Tiger Town were doing an amazing job and to chant for someone else is downright disrespectful. We all know that P!ATD hadn’t been in Australia to do a proper tour since about 2006, but that is no reason to be horrible to musicians who are simply trying to please the crowd and;
2. if you’re going to cheer for a band, cheer for the whole band. I mean, yes, Brendon is the only original band member left, and yes, he is an stupendous frontman, but there were other  sublime musicians up on stage last night. Incredible musicians who have brought us incredible songs since the big “creative differences” schism of 2009. So that was just damned rude.

The concert in and of itself, once P!ATD walked out on stage, was nothing but perfection from beginning to end. I still have that unfortunate memory block where I can’t remember the order in which things happened, but I have all of these amazing snapshotted memories that will carry me through until the next P!ATD gig (which will hopefully NOT be ten years from now):

• 

  This photo was taken by @nonexistent_0.0 on Instagram. Click the photo to see more amazing photos.

  The entirety of “Girls/Girls/Boys”. I’m going to be honest, I never really liked this song. BUT, I never knew the lyrics. Or, to  be more accurate, I never understood the lyrics. Not until Brendon was tossed a rainbow flag with which he festooned his mic stand. This whole song made me so happy, considering the current political climate surrounding LGBTQ+ rights in both this country and America (and, well, almost everywhere). Having P!ATD perform this song seemed to help create a safe space for people to be open about their sexuality. At least where my friends and I were situated. Because the two girls in front of us seemed to feel safe enough to start kissing in the crowd. I loved that. It made me so happy that one of my favourite bands had managed to create an atmosphere of love and acceptance. This song was essentially the highlight of the concert for me.

• Brendon’s falsetto. Seriously. That man’s voice is a gift for humanity. He didn’t just break into falsetto once or twice, he did it at least once or twice per song and it blew my mind. This was the source of much squealing. In fact, I’m 100% sure I squealed every time Brendon broke out the falsetto because the friend standing next to me confirmed this as we walked towards the taxi rank after the concert.
• Brendon’s voice in general. He made each and every song just a little bit unique. When performers go a little off-book in a live show, it makes me feel special as a fan. It means that the band has decided to put in just that tad extra effort into making a truly beautiful experience for their fans.
• The “horny boys”, a.k.a the brass section. When brass is used in rock music, or really any music, it adds this joie de vivre to the performance. Brass was used a bunch throughout the concert, both in songs that originally had brass and songs that didn’t.  This was amazing.
• Bohemian Rhapsody. Every person in that crowd sang along to every single word. When a crowd unites like that, it’s pure magic. And the guitarist nailed that solo. He was sensational.
• “Time to Dance”. Out of all the songs on A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, I was not expecting this one. I nearly lost my voice screaming for this one.
• When Brendon couldn’t start singing “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” because he was laughing so hard. Why was he laughing? Because the crowd was singing the words so loudly he very nearly wasn’t needed.
• Brendon backflipped. Twice.
• Before the gig started, I told my friends “Man, I so hope that Brendon gets behind the piano.” And guess what? He did.
• The smoke machine and the golden streamers. The streamers caught the light just so and made the stage and the crowd feel ethereal.
• Brendon called out that weird thing bands do where they leave the stage but come back anyway. We all know they’re going to come back. So he said “instead of doing that, we’ll just play an extra song for you guys”. Yes!
• Being at the concert with good friends. I go to concerts alone quite a lot, but sharing in an experience like this with friends? Nothing quite compares.

P!ATD’s gig held to to my expectations and surpassed them by miles. This band is all tied up in some of my best, most nostalgic memories. And I am so glad I got to see them again, as an adult.

How about my blogging friends out there? Were any of you at the concert? Or have you seen Panic! At The Disco live before wherever it is you are? Let me know!

This photo was taken by @jip_1985. Click the photo for more of his photos!

N.B. I have attributed the pictures I have used to the best of my ability. If you are one of the photographers and would like me to attribute in a different way or would like me to take the photos down, I am more than happy to do so.

 

 

 

 

#LoveMe – Why do this tag?

I was scrolling through my inbox, waiting for the next episode of Suits to load, when I saw an intriguing blog post by one of my favourite bloggers, Engie. It was titled “The #LoveMe Challenge” and I had to find out more.
Basically this tag is about 28 days of self-love; having to find positives about yourself when you’re used to finding the negatives. This is an incredibly important idea, and I feel like everyone should do at least a week’s worth of this tag.
Most everything we consume tells us that we aren’t good enough. Clothes don’t look as good on us as they do on models, makeup doesn’t exactly cover our blemishes, we can’t afford the fancy shoes.
A lot of the time the things we love also tell us we aren’t good enough. TV and film, obviously, but also books. How many books have you read where the hero or heroine was a bit overweight, or their skin wasn’t porcelain, where those flaws weren’t actually part of the plot?

As I make my way through Suits, I have the same thought multiple times per episode:

I couldn’t wear that.

The women in this show wear stunning clothes that look amazing, but are also figure hugging and would not do my figure justice. However, instead of remembering that we all come in different shapes and sizes, I feel like a lesser woman because I can’t look like Meghan Markle in a pencil skirt.

So I want to do this challenge. I want to challenge myself to love myself. Because:

Can I get an Amen?

This brings me to the first post for the #LoveMe challenge:

1. Why are you doing #LoveMe?
2. A photo of you
3. A word that describes you
4. A person who loves you
5. A note to the past you
6. A note to the future you
7. One thing that’s just for you
8. Share a scar
9. Share something beautiful
10. Share a secret
11. Share a smile
12. Share a flaw
13. Share a quote
14. Share a fear you overcame
15. Something you have done right
16. Something you like about yourself 
17. Something that feeds your soul
18. Something that feeds your brain
19. Something you feel strongly about
20. Something you love to wear
21. Something you are proud of
22. What makes you unique?
23. What is your best feature?
24. What makes you happy?
25. What makes you laugh?
26. What makes you feel beautiful?
27. What have you accepted about yourself?
28. What have you learned from doing #LoveMe these past twenty-eight days?

The reason that I want to do this challenge is because I’ve been feeling incredibly negative about myself lately. I’ve always been a bit overweight (voluptuous, I believe, is the word), but lately I’ve been feeling a little curvier than I would like. I try and eat right and I do go to the gym, but I still don’t overly like what I see in the mirror.

I do know that there are more important things than looks, particularly when I am fairly fit and healthy, but it still gets to me. Especially coupled with the fact that my skin is less than ideal.

I believe I am a good person, and I have beautiful friends and family who love me for me, so I kind of want to be able to do the same thing.

I hope some of you will join me on this quest to better appreciate ourselves. Because we all deserve love. And the best place to start if with yourself.

So, what do you say? Will you join me?

The Fictional Crushes Tag

When I stumbled upon this tag, I immediately bookmarked it for me to do when I had the time. A post all about fictional crushes? Are you serious? I nearly checked to make sure that I hadn’t written this tag myself and forgotten all about it until it reappeared.

I found this tag over on the phenomenal Musing’s From Neville’s Navel blog. If you aren’t already following, you definitely should be.

And now, let’s talk about my fictional love life

The paranormal crush.

Oh, well, this is easy. Absolutely this is Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. Definitely the book Dimitri and not the movie Dimitri. I always loved the idea that he was this completely disciplined, always in control dhampir but when he was around Rose all of that went out the window. It was beautiful.

Plus, it didn’t hurt the he was a complete badass Strigoi (read: evil vampire) killer.

The dark and moody crush with a good side.

The moodiest fictional character I’ve ever had a crush on is also from the Vampire Academy series, but he was more prominent in Bloodlines. Yes, of course I’m taking about Adrian Ivashkov. Dark and moody are the crux of his MO, with arrogant and charming bring up the rear. But, much in the same way as Dimitri lost his discipline around Rose, Adrian lost his darkness around Sydney. Adrian, despite all of the drinking and faux cavalier attitude, has a heart of gold. Watching that side of Adrian emerge as he falls for Sydney is just pure literary heaven.

The most badass crush.

Oh, hands down Jamie Fraser from Outlander. I am so glad the TV show is bringing this sublime man into the for of pop culture. Jamie Fraser was my very first fictional crush. Highlander, mercenary, laird, outlaw and absolute romantic, Jamie was always the whole package. Plus, he was completely in love with Claire. I love reading about lifelong love stories, and the story of the Frasers will never not warm my heart.

 

The crush I’d venture anywhere
with.

Peeta Mellark from Hunger Games, definitely. Funny, sweet, and considerate? He’d make even the most menial tasks fun. And being the son of a baking family, you just know he’ll always smell like fresh baked bread (this is obviously post-Games).

 

The crush I’d want to be stranded on a desert island with.

 

Pfft, easy. Captain Steve Rogers, aka the first Avenger, aka Captain America. Military training plus super strength plus first hand knowledge about a time period I’m very interested in plus being pretty much the sweetest man alive? When am I leaving for this desert island?

The crush I want to tame.

Keeping in the MCU, I choose Tony Stark for this one. But I wouldn’t say tame exactly. I’d say … I want to be his Pepper Pots. But, you know, except for that bit at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War. I don’t know, there’s just something thrilling about the idea of having a complete party animal as your partner. One night you might be watching a movie on Netflix and the next you could be jet skiing on the Riviera. Life would never be boring.

The squish

 

Much like Engie, off whom I grabbed this tag, I also disagree with the term “friendzone” so I renamed this bit “the squish”. What’s a squish? Well, it’s this awesome term I found on urban dictionary which describes that feeling  you really, really want to be someone’s friend. Like a crush, but you don’t actually want to sleep with them. If you want a better worded definition, click here.

Anyway, my answer for this one is Jem Carstairs. I have always loved Jem. He is simply … good. Just imagine being Jem Carstairs’ friend. Life would be a million times better with a man like that in your corner. 

The most romantic crush.

OK, that would definitely have to be George Tucker of Hart of Dixie. A straight up Southern gentleman. He always looks out for ways to make his partners feel special. Hell, he even does that for his friends. George Tucker, aka Golden Boy George. For oh-so-many reasons.

The crush I want to elope with.

None of them, and I’ll tell you why: because if I were to marry any of them, it would mean that they wouldn’t end up with their true loves. Who would Jace be without Clary? Peeta without Katniss? Harry without Ginny?
I’m not saying that these people need their partner to be whole. I’m just saying that you do not mess with love that pure.

My soulmate.

Will Herondale.

‘Nuff said.

…

So, what did you guys think of my fictional love life? See any of your own crushes on there? Let me know!

And, as always, if this tag strikes you as something fun that you want to try, just do it. I tag you.

Litt Up By Feels

DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. It is also reactionary to the ending of Suits season 3, episode 2 “I Want You To Want Me”. Many spoilers for Suits up to, and including, this point. Also, this post won’t make a lot of sense unless you watch Suits.

OK, so, I don’t get choked up over TV shows/movies/books very often. Very specific criteria have to be met so that I shed even on single tear. These criteria are so specific that I am not consciously aware of what they are.  But the above scene in Suits season 3 episode 2, had me welling up. My throat is still burning.
What that above scene shows is Louis Litt, one of the senior partners of the fictitious Pearson-Darby turning away after thinking he finally had an associate who likes him, finally bonded with someone in the workplace, only to have that stolen from him by Mr. Perfect, Harvey Spectre (left background).

I’m starting to really not like Harvey.

See, Harvey is an attractive man who can charm his way into any room, with any client, with any person. He is very rarely denied what he wants.
And then there’s Louis. A man who is Harvey Spectre’s opposite in every way. He is not charming, he is not conventionally attractive, and he struggles to bond with people. He is always second guessing others’ intentions because he has learned not to trust people.

Louis isn’t well liked. He’s the butt of a lot of jokes. But he is still someone who is always, unequivocally himself. He takes a little while to get to know, but once people give him the time of day, people warm up to him. If Louis thinks it’s possible that he won’t get rebuffed. Which is what he did with Mike Ross, the other gentleman in the background of the above picture. Those two had spent a week bonding, getting to know each other, and Louis thought he was not only getting an amazing associate, but gaining a friend.

Do you know what that cake says? “Welcome to Team Litt”. He had it made specifically FOR Mike, because he was so excited. He was so excited that he wasn’t afraid to sprint to the break room, in front of all the other highly paid corporate lawyers, to get this cake for Mike.
Harvey Spectre is too closed off to show Mike what he means to him, but Louis? Louis puts it all on the line. And I am still hurt by this scene.

With all of the lying, scheming, blackmailing, and general nastiness that goes on in this law firm, Louis may be the only one who is in any way honest. Yes, he did some nasty stuff. But did he have a choice? He backed Daniel Hardman, because Hardman actually showed that he believed in Louis. Even though that turned out to be bullshit. Every time that Louis thought someone was believing in him, or trying to befriend him, they turn out to be using him. Is it any wonder that he is so prickly 97% of the time?

I think the reason I reacted so strongly to this scene is because we have all been Louis Litt. We have all been forgotten when something better comes along. We have all been overlooked because we aren’t as SOMETHING as someone else. And I really really wish that this show would stop kicking this poor man around.

I really wish that Mike had chosen Team Litt.

P.S. I am in no way responsible for the above images. I have included the link to the website on which I found them.