#important questions of class 10th

[jikooklove9795]

JIKOOK & NOV 8th 2015

In South Korea couples have a unique and delightful way of celebrating anniversaries marking special milestones. They commemorate these milestones by exchanging personalized gifts, going on romantic dates, by wearing matching clothes or by sharing photos documenting their relationship. This is done in recognition of their continuous love and appreciation.

Now let's dive into see how Jikook celebrates a special a date in their relationship.

On Nov 8th 2015 Jikook posts their first video together on twitter

Exactly 100 days after Nov 8th 2015 Jungkook made a tweet about the importance of lyrics in a song and uploaded his cover of Nothing Like Us by Justin Bieber

One year later on Nov 8th 2016 Jimin posts a video of Jungkook and him sitting together on a plane

On Nov 8th 2017 Jungkook releases his first ever GCF. It was video documenting Jimin and Jungkook's private trip to Japan in 2017. A trip Jungkook planned and arranged as a birthday gift to Jimin

On Jan 26th 2018, which is 811 days from Nov 8th 2015 Jimin posted this pic. Do you see the black & white reference at the foot of the champagne glass? Interesting right??!!

On August 2018 BTS were in Malta filming BV Season 3.

1000 days after Nov 8th 2015 Jungkook posted a selca while in Malta at 10:13 local time which is Jimin time

And on the 1500the day from Nov 8th 2015 Jimin posts a selca at 1:50

Now before we move on let's take a moment to remember that Jimin won the Search King Challenge question where BTS had to find the 2000th day from the first episode of Run BTS. He used the NAVER Anniversary Calculator. Jungkook was not far behind. He was about to answer but lost by a few seconds to Jimin. Hoseok had no idea about the calendar while Namjoon went for Google. So, this shows Jimin often uses the calculator for finding important dates and anniversaries

Okay, now back to our main topic.

BTS PTD Seoul Concert in March 2022. And during the concert...

He said "This is Jimin from grade 2 class 3 number 15". Cause March 10th 2022 was exactly 2315 days from Nov 8th 2015.

Remember the rectangular Maison Margeila pendant which Jimin wears? He wears the one where the number 11 is encircled.

Let's take out 11 and add all the other numbers on this pendant.

10+12+13+14+15+16

And we get 80

So, what do we have

11/8

On Feb 21 2022 Jungkook posted a video on his IG highlighting 23:08 which is basically 11:08 however the story was originally posted at 1 am

On October 26th 2022 (which is 13 days after Jimin's birthday and 13 days to Nov 8th) while in Qatar Jungkook posted a pic on his IG at 11:08 pm KST

There are a myriad of references to 11/8 from song covers, song recommendations ending at the 1:18 mark to pics posted by both Jimin and Jungkook.

Both Jungkook and Jimin has shown how they are serious about these numbers relating to their relationship or those about each other. Reminds me of how Jimin started a live on Sept 1st 2023 wearing a 1997 model watch adjusted to Jungkook's birth time

Nov 8th 2024 marks their 9 years of togetherness.

So, let me conclude this post by wishing the couple a

"Happy Anniversary"

💛💜

Credits to the owner of the video

[taylor-on-your-dash]

SO, WHO IS THE SONG MINE ABOUT?

A couple of years ago I read this comment on r/Taylor Swift about Taylor dating a non famous guy who attended Belmont University.

I started college in Nashville in 2010, and the semester before I started, it was well known that Taylor was seeing a guy who lived on campus. It never made headlines because he wasn’t a celebrity like her other relationships. I have seen lots of random explanations for “Mine,” but many students at the university always assumed it was about this guy because the timeline fit.

At the time, I didn't think much of it. I thought that it could've been possible but still, the theory of Mine being about Cory Monteith made more sense to me.

While I was writing the Speak Now Timeline, one of the most important interviews was the Billboard one:

"Mine" was a turning point in the album’s development. It wasn’t until early 2010 when the album truly began to coalesce. Swift presented "Mine" to Borchetta in his office, just a few doors down the hall from the leather couch in the lobby. "We probably played that song four or five times," Borchetta recalls. "I’m jumping around playing air guitar, she’s singing the song back to me, and it was just one of those crazy, fun, Taylor teen-age moments." And then it got serious. "I said, ‘Keep going,’ " Borchetta says. "She kind of looked at me like, ‘You’re challenging me.’ And I said, ‘Yeah. You’ve found true north here. Keep going.’ " It was some time in the period after that challenge — between February and June — that Swift wrote “Innocent,” her response to the Kanye West incident.

That settled it then, no? Mine was written in late February, after Taylor had returned from Tokyo.

My certainties crumbled a few weeks ago, when @1989worldtour sent me an interview where Taylor says that she wrote Mine on the road, specifically in Texas.

Back To December was written in New York City, The Story Of Us was in Nashville, I wrote Mine somewhere on the road, I think in Texas, actually. (X)

Taylor was in Texas on March 10th (in Austin), March 11th (Dallas), and March 12th (Corpus Christi) for the Fearless Tour. At first, this didn't make any sense to me: Taylor had said that she wrote Mine in February! Then again, she often misremembers dates. I had shelved this date in my mind until I randomly found this comment on r/Fauxmoi while I was researching Starlight and the Kennedy craze Taylor went through.

She dated a guy from Belmont I think because a family friend went there and was friends with him and was there the night they met! “By the water” in Mine is apparently about Mozarts - a coffee shop in Austin on the water where they went on a date. I have no way to verify this because it didn’t happen to me but the family friend had pics with Taylor and stuff because of this guy she was friends with who dated Taylor. This might be the only piece of celeb gossip I’ve ever known haha.

Reply: This is true! He's now married with kids and not at all famous.

The return of the Belmont guy! We have two other sources claiming that she dated a non-famous person who attended Belmont. The mention of Texas cemented the fact that there might be a kernel of truth in this theory. At this point, I took this rumor seriously and chose to investigate further. the next question was, if Belmont is in Nashville and Mozart's is in Texas, didn't the guy miss a lot of classes? The answer is... no. If you look at the Belmont Academic Calendar, guess when Spring Break was? From March 8th to March 15th! So even if the guy was in college, he didn't miss any classes. There's was plenty of time for him to fly to Texas, attend the show, going on a date at Mozart's and then fly back to Nashville.

There's another problem though: according to the Billboard interview, Taylor brought Mine to Scott Borchetta in late February. We don't actually have a direct quote from Taylor or Borchetta saying that it was February. It could be Taylor or Scott misremembering, It could be the journalist inferring (it has happened before, for example on this Rolling Stone article from 2009, where the author said that Love Story and White Horse were for the same person, for some weird reason). After all, late February and early March aren't that far away. Nathan Chapman, the producer of the song, said that they worked on Mine on and off for 4 months. They finished it on July 21st, so March 10th still tracks.

Now, let's look at the actual bar. on the left, we have a screenshot from the Music Video, while on the right, a picture of the Mozart coffee shop. they look very similar to me, but I admit that I've never been to the USA, so maybe coffee shops all look the same?

This is the deck on the outside:

And this is how the water looks like at night from the water (OG Video here):

Fun fact: Mozart's confirmed that she has been there in May 2013, after the Red Tour show.

Conclusions: Honestly, I believe those people on Reddit, but I realise that the sources are very unstable. What makes me believe it though, is the obscure mention of Mine being written in Texas, and the person on Reddit revealing that they had a date at a place that casually is by the water. It fits perfectly. I don't have any more to say for now, but it's possible that I'll write a post of how Mine is one of the first post John Mayer song and how that relationship affected the themes of her songwriting.

EDIT MARCH 2025:

THE REVEAL

I randomly found out that his indentity has been known since 2023 thanks to TheSwiftSource on TikTok. So drumrolls please... his name is...

STEPHEN SODERHOLM

He was born on April 30, 1991 in Champlin, Minnesota (thanks Christian for the info!) and moved to Nashville in 2009 to study music business at Belmont University. He graduated in 2012. He has a twin brother called Jonathan who played the bass on tour with Parachute (Will Anderson's band, the one Taylor wrote Begin Again for), while Steve dabbled with drums but now he's an entrepreneur/perfumer. He's married with kids and he founded a candle-making business with his wife Jordan, called Ranger Station:

This is him now, but let's take a step back:

Besides the rumors about them having a date in Austin, TX in early March, we know that Taylor was at Belmont on March 21st, when she attended the Benefit Haiti Relief Efforts at the University (thanks @swifttrade for sending me this article!).

The first picture that we have of them together is from April 3rd, at Josh Farro's wedding, Stephen is the guy with orange hat, while his twin is sitting opposit of him.

We have a second picture from the next day, April 4th, which was Easter:

Does Steve's hat look familiar? Yep, Taylor wears it in a photo with Toby Hemingway, the guy from the Mine MV:

According to one of the sources who reached out to TheSwiftSource, Taylor broke up with him because her cell phone number was passed around his friends and she didn't feel comfortable with that.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES GATHERED:

My daughter attended Belmont University and saw Taylor around campus a few times. We used to joke that she could tell when Taylor was home because she could see the lights from Taylor's penthouse from her campus apartment. Not a stalker, just taking advantage of the holly terrain! (X)

People in 2011 talking about Taylor being on campus. I apologize for the censored names, but I don't feel comfortable putting their real names here.

Last but not least, an article from the Daily Fail Mail (I know, I know, I know, this newspaper sucks):

She admits she has only had three real relationships. She senses my amusement that so many tracks have been written about so few Romeos. Just three relationships? (The third was with an anonymous schoolboy.) ‘I wasn’t factoring in the almost-relationships, and they’re almost more inspiring,’ she adds, wryly self-knowing. ‘Almost-relationships are very important to the writing process.’ (X)

[minhio22]

For @moonartemisia anniversary with hajun🎉🎉

I hope u like it idk if its okay tho dkdbdjdbdnndjdnd

Love ya🫶🫶

The 10th of October was typically a day that held not much importance to most people. Just another day in their lives, but for a certain couple it was more than a random date. It was the day that marked when Hajun and Heidi stopped dancing around their feelings and finally got together.

So what might these two be up to on this particularly lovely day you might ask? Well for starters both acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary on that day, pretending it was just your average Thursday. Attending classes, talking with each other, you know the usual. But secretly behind each other’s back both of them had plans for the other. Brain racking to make sure that it ends up going well and the secret not leaking out.

They both hid it well, especially Hajun since well it's him. Both had their own plans, going around getting it ready while the other was completely unaware as they both were quite focussed on their task at hand.

For Heidi, well she thought bringing Hajun out to dinner at a Korean restaurant for Hajun might be a great idea just to remind him of the taste of home. The good memories hopefully.Reservations were made beforehand as the place wasn't a casual restaurant as it was more on the high end side. As for Hajun, well he wouldn't admit it but for quite some time he had been researching and practicing in secret on how to cook some local Filipino dishes.

Little did they know at some point the other would find out what they were planning.

On the morning of their anniversary, Hajun was tidying up their shared room when he came across a receipt. It looked like it had accidentally slipped out of somewhere. When he picked it up and looked at it his eyes widened slightly at what he was looking at. It was a receipt for a reservation placed at a restaurant and one that he recognised as the two of them frequent there quite often. Hajun liked the place quite well as the food suited his taste the most compared to the other Korean restaurants the two of them visited before. Hajun's eyes trail downwards as he sees his lover's name printed out on the receipt. He smirked to himself as he thought that maybe just maybe he would mess around with his lover a bit later on. It warmed his heart though, knowing that his other half was going through the trouble and money to book the place. That was the gist of how he found out about Heidi’s plan.

As for Heidi? Well it started quite a while ago. There were times when Hajun could be seen in the kitchen, experimenting on something. Ingredients on the counter that Heidi knew were not staple in his usual daily cooking. When asked about it Hajun just smiled at her brushing her off but Heidi didn't let it go that easy. As if Hajun knew that Heidi was about to push it, a flirty teasing remark came out of his mouth making her blush and forget about her earlier thoughts. Sometimes it escalates, sometimes it doesn't. On their anniversary, Heidi was rummaging through the fridge when weirdly enough ingredients to make her favourite Filipino dish was inside. Oh questions will definitely be asked that night.

That night the two of them were facing each other. They could tell the other wanted to say something but didn't say a word yet so they were just staring in silence. That was until the two of them broke it at the same time.

“Hajun-”

“Heidi-”

The two of them stopped. Hajun being the gentleman (?) that he is, let Heidi go first. She was reluctant at first wanting him to say it first but yielded after a while.

“The ingredients in the fridge. Don't tell me it's for?” Heidi asked.

“Oh my one has sharp senses. Well what do you think?” Hajun smirked, answering the question with another question.

“Don't play around Hajun. It's for our anniversary isn't it?”

Hajun chuckled and nodded. “Smart girl. Of course it is. Now my turn.” He pulled out the receipt he found earlier that day. The contents were facing Hajun but Heidi could recognise what it was and her face was startled. “Is my one planning something for me hmm?”

“That's… I should be shouldn't I? It's our anniversary after all. But each of us, planning a surprise for the other at the same time…..” Heidi laughed at the thought and Hajun joined in not long after. It was amusing to see their significant other making plans unaware of the other's plans at the same time.

Now comes the question of what to do? After some back of forth between the two, they finally reached a settlement. It was agreed that they'd go ahead with Heidi’s plans as it was already paid in full was Hajun’s reasoning. To her dismay, despite wanting to eat Hajun’s cooking, Hajun countered by saying he could just cook it for her any other time.

“You like me so much that you prefer my cooking over some professional chef?” Was his words.

So that night they both enjoyed a scrumptious meal together at a slightly secluded part of the restaurant. The ambience was perfect for their special day. And when they got home Hajun still gave Heidi something a bit more behind closed doors.

[stariikis]

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 007

synopsis ; based on the Chinese Drama, 'When I Fly Towards You', in which you, a going-on-high-school English genius named Huang Yuting meets the Mathematics genius of the 10th grade, Nishimura Riki, underneath the rain.

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Riki can’t think back to the ‘bus stop incident’ without physically convulsing and curling into a ball. Why did he have to go out and embarrass himself like that, anyway? He starts to reprimand himself, pacing back and forth around his desk. A sigh leaves him as he looks over at the pile of work sitting there like a threat. 

Lately, though he excels in his studies, dance has been his form of respite when he’s got pent-up stress. Yuting has probably ruined that for him, now that he’s been utterly embarrassed in front of her face. He doesn’t know why he even walked up to her as the bus approached her stop, and tapped her shoulder to wake her up, worried that she would miss her stop. He shouldn’t be so concerned, should he? 

When he finally sits down at his desk to study for the night, reaching out to switch his lamp on, his head replays the past hour once more. He cringes. Formulas and equations, judging him from where they sit on his assignments, don’t even cross his mind anymore. He will never focus at this rate, he thinks, picking up his pen and twirling it coolly. 

“No way she’ll remember that and laugh,” he mutters to himself, hand rubbing his forehead in an attempt to sooth himself. “She’ll think it’s really cool that I can dance, right? She won’t think I’m a weirdo for dancing in the middle of nowhere?”

He reads the first question on his worksheet, frowns when it doesn’t make sense, and reads it over and over and over. But everytime he tries, he thinks of Yuting’s wide, excited eyes, glimmering as she asks if he can really dance. This is not good, this is not good at all, he frets with a pang in his chest. What if he gets distracted like this in the middle of a test? What if something like this happens and he fails for the first time? He’ll never live it down. 

Screw Huang Yuting and her pretty, curious gaze. 

You pull your lavender, lace covers over your face and giggle at the thought of Riki practising how to dance at home. It’s so difficult to fathom him executing dance moves in front of a small mirror in his room. Or maybe he goes for weekly dance practice. Or maybe he even holds his own lessons somewhere! That’s a pleasant thought. 

You imagine him guiding younger children with a youthful smile on his face and it’s possibly the most adorable thing that you’ve ever thought. You bring your knees towards your chest and, strangely, start to daydream about it. That’s when your phone lights up with a notification. 

Finally, you think, grinning and opening your messaging app to check on what Moka has replied. However, when you do so, you take a scan over your chats and realise it’s not Moka. It’s your class chat. Your class monitor reminds you in a message full of obnoxious, cutesy emojis that you’re having extra-curricular selections soon. 

Instead of thinking of possible choices for yourself, you ponder whether Riki will choose dance. 

Seems fitting, but he could choose something nerdy like library club or coding, if he really wanted to. With his smarts and talent for almost anything he puts his mind to, selections like this must be really difficult. Anything he puts his mind to, he can probably ace just as he does with his current hobbies. 

Switching your phone off and putting it away, you tell yourself you’ll ask him what he intends to join. Tomorrow. If he doesn’t ignore you again.

“Hey, wait up!” Moka tugs your arm along as she runs after Riki and Jungwon down the hallway. It’s sure to leave a bruise on your wrist, with how tight she’s gripping you there. “It’s important!” 

Jungwon clearly hears her, rolling his eyes and continuing to walk forward. Riki keeps his nonchalant expression as always. Sunoo peeps out of their classroom and waves cheerfully at you both as you dash past, but neither of you pay him any attention. 

When you finally catch up to them, hands on your knees to stabilise your breathing, Riki looks down at you with a quirk in his eyebrows, as if judging you, but his lips are turned upwards. In another badly suppressed smile. He really should just smile more, wouldn’t it be so much easier on his facial muscles? 

“You look stupid,” Jungwon laughs right in Moka’s face. A stark contrast to whatever’s awkward tension there is here between you and Riki. Your best friend tucks a piece of loose hair behind her ear, sticking a finger in front of his eyes. She tries to speak, fails when she chokes on a shortage of breath, and tries again. 

“You,” she exhales slowly, “You…” 

Jungwon cocks his head challengingly, smirking. 

“I can’t think of any good comeback,” Moka glances at you and whispers quietly, pursing her lips. But this is her mess, you refuse to partake in her petty disagreements with Jungwon. You have enough with Ri- 

“You do look dumb,” Riki says, shockingly. And suddenly, you are a part of one of Moka and Jungwon’s countless arguments, all because of him. Just because he’s probably insanely inwardly humiliated from last night. You just know Riki’s self-consciousness gets the better of him sometimes. This is the same guy that deems only black, white and grey (occasionally, brown) to be ‘cool colours’ and could never be caught wearing any pastels. On a daily basis, he speaks an average of less than ten words. He probably studies during every pocket of freetime. 

“Cool”, you mutter under your breath. He’s such a wannabe, with his hands currently stuffed in the pockets of an ashy grey sweater, smug smile plastered over his cheeks. 

Sunoo joins you all at the corner of the hallway, eyes darting in between you and Riki. “What’s up, guys?” 

“I don’t really know,” Jungwon sighs almost spitefully, shrugging towards you and your best friend. “Ask them. They pulled us over to ask something important..” 

“We meant to ask you if you’re planning on joining a certain extra-curricular,” you respond, before Jungwon can say anything more offensive. Sunoo’s eyes light up, and Jungwon actually falls into contemplation for a moment. Riki, however, looks at you like you’ve uncovered another one of his deep dark secrets. 

“What?” You look at him, letting some disdain seep into your voice. You’re tired of his insouciant attitude every single time you do so much as ask him an innocent question. The only times he’s ever a nice person is if it’s raining and you genuinely do not have an umbrella. Maybe you should pray for it to rain more, and purposefully leave your umbrella at home. 

“Drama,” Sunoo grins resolutely, and instantly you think it’s not a bad choice for him. It’s actually pretty suitable, considering how empathetic Sunoo can get. He’ll definitely be able to get into character, whether he’s a do-good protagonist, or a villain with a snarky side. 

Jungwon takes a side-glance at Riki, who shakes his head wildly, before declaring, “we were thinking of contemporary dance.” The latter smacks his forehead and refuses to look your way. How cute of him, he’s embarrassed. again. 

When Sunoo stares in bewilderment at you who’s desperately trying to stifle laughter, Riki grabs his shoulder and shakes his head at him, as if telling him not to ask any questions. He’s got no faith in you – why would you ever spill anything? After all, though it’s a cute little secret shared between you two, it’s not your secret to tell. 

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@laylasmother @seunnimg @natalunae @roumajuli @tomomorin @purplelxvx

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[tarotenchantress]

heyy I love ur postsss😭🩷🩷

Actually u see I have my Saturn and my mars both in 10 house as u said it makes that stuff lack like it does give reward later but uk

So what like impact might that cause like haven’t mars and Saturn both in 10 house

Hello aluminium♡ thankyouu so muchhhh for appreciating my work🙏💗

For @aluminiumtab

From my understanding [of your question] it seems like youre asking about the impact ofhaving saturn and mars in 10th house.

10th house is a public house. It determines how people see us and heres the thing, saturn and mars both are considered to be malefics which is not always a bad thing. The impact this may have is

1) people may view you as a competition. Point blank. Saturn gives maturity and structure, discipline and drive and so does mars. I always deem mars as a militorial planet because of the fact that it rules aggression, drive, force, impulsive actions, quick actions which are all neeeded to succeed in life. There is also a lot of respect for your drive and people may knoe that you will be successful or will achieve something. They may consider you to be very focused but never compliment you in person.

2) you will have to work harder to attain your career goals too. As saturn dekays and mars requires strategic planning but guess what? Saturn also rules patience sooooo that means that you may be impulsive but also understand the importance of patience and may struggle balancing the two at times. Always remember strategic planning requires patience.

3) your karma lies in your actions. Since both are in 10th house, you should be very careful of eing impatient and dishonest as it will impact your reputation, career, structure and ethics. You may feel like others tend to get their goals faster than you and that might frustrate you alot too but whatever you achieve, it will be in your mind forever.

4) 10th house is an earth house and having mars in it imo may result in anger issues. Supressed anger issues. This may mean that you tend to supress your anger or have issues letting itout properly. It is also very much possible that people may demonise you for expressing your anger or boundarues and may constantly try to test it.

5) dont wait for karma to get them or try and take the matters in your own hands cause these placements indicate a grudgy personality (nothing wrong with *sometimes*). Move on with your own thing and leave them in ashes.

6) people might feel the need to confront you or "humble you down" but never let them love♡ esp people with more masculine energy.

7) you may have some issues with authority every now and then due to rebellious nature or udess but overall you may respect people with power and hierarchy even if it is not openly done. You may even dream to command a room full of people and may have an idea of militorial approach which is something that you may never admit publicly.

8) you may hate people who victimise themselves or dont follow the rules and hierarchy or those who disrespect the ones in power esp teachers, mentors and bosses and those who maintain the structure and servants as well or the underpriviledged class.

9) your father may be very hardworking, distant , disciplined. You may respect your dad but it could be that you may have a strained relation with him or may feel like you need to work hard for his approval.

10) this placement provides you the drive, patience, ambition, aggression and time to be successful in the most lasting way so dont worry about not being as quickly successful as your peers. Satuen creates lack so that we stop depending on it. It is a placement that teaches independance and drive alongside patience and mars is a warrior planet by nature and to win a battle you must be patient. Alsoo your career could be something related to strategy, control, law and order, related to structure, may require precision and patience,the working environmant may be full of ambitious and competitive people and may have a militorial approach.

And dont worry about late success and not having friends or weird confrontational people broskiiiii youll do well in lifeee♡♡♡ alsoo different but i also feel like you could fantasise alot about being respected, being the best and undefeatable for some reasonn.

Also the signs and degrees matter alot too.

By tarot enchantress🧚🏻‍♀️

[absolutebl]

Recs for Uni or HS BLs where studying impacts plot

My ask box is bonkers, sometimes I get a message in email saying someone asked a question and then when I check on the hellsite itself, it's gone... (What does this MEAN?)

Anygay...

@sagi-kari asked a question:

Do you have any recs for Uni or HS BLs where the main focus is studying or study related (they have to actually do the thing). Like LITA with Rain's studies being a caveat to their relationship or Big Dragon with Mangkorn's New York internship/job idr.

Basically, the study needs to be an important thing to the narrative.

This is a doozie and I'm only gonna rec stuff I rated over 8/10

University & HS BL Revolving Around Study

Semantic Error - class conflict is the inciting event, and this is one of my favorite BLs of all time. So yeah, it tops the list. I am assuming you have watched it because EVERYONE must watch this little pice of perfect. Full review here.

Blueming - the school project is the source of the conflict, this is a complicated chewy very thoughtful BL, longer than normal for Korea. If you enjoy things like The 8th Sense you might like this. Full review here.

Love Class - the whole show is about a manufactured relationship as part of a social science class experiment. Full review here.

You Make Me Dance - I mean it's a dance major so no actual book study but yeah, it's there he has to win a dance scholarship as a main part of the plot. I've never done a full review of this, and frankly that's an oversite. Time for a rewatch?

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong - it's about a teacher student relationship so...

Addicted: Heroin - especially the first half, I know what you're thinking, but also, THINK about it. It's all within a class from environment for most of the first 6 eps. I believe it counts. This is, without question, the best BL China has ever produced. FIGHT ME.

Destiny Seeker - an under appreciated pulp that is basically predicated on the university sorting hat. I have great affection for this hot mess, including all the sides. Mostly takes place within and around the complexities of dorm life. Full review here.

Kiss Me Again series (BL cut) + Dark Blue Kiss (AKA the PeteKao series staring TayNew) - it's not necessarily a driver but engineering and study is actual integral in a setting as character kind of way. And there is a lot of "make-out while studying." Plus we in the TayNew renauances and I have great affection for their original series. Everyoen shoudl watch it. Here's the watch guide.

HS BL - not exactly study, but sorta & they really good

Light On Me - Another one of my absolute favorite BLs, but it's about the school government club, not actual study. Full review here.

Love Sick - if you count club activities. I just got a full load up of this series with new subs, so I was going to do a watch along in honor of 2024 (its 10th anniversary). I am still considering it.

My School President - also, if you count extra-curricular & club activities. Another BL that i absolutely adore. No full review but I did have a long discussion on how this plays into Thailand's new norm in BL here.

Takara & Amagi - ugh I love this show so much but it's more about popularity and social acceptance in HS than studing, full review here.

About Youth - if you count external parental pressure to over achieve, another underappreciated gem, this time for Taiwan. Full review here.

I dithered...

Bad Buddy - maybe, I mean departmental conflict is a large part of the story, plus high school back story club activities, but there is very little study. Full review here.

Please feel free to add more on a RP or in comments, but remember my codicil was I have to have personally rated it over 8/10 so your baby might not be on here because it wasn't to my personal taste.

(source)

[gigglomancer]

To Antoine de Saint-Exupery,

I owe you many thanks: first, thank you for being born 93 years before me. Had it been 94 or 92, you would have been such a different person, and you and I would not share asteroid B-612. Did you feel it beneath your feet when you were born? Maybe not, but it was there in your 4th house that day in late June, just as it passed over you in the 10th in the African desert. While it was very noble of you to proceed me by almost a century, this unfortunately means you're dead now. Your sacrifice has meant a lot, and I hope you were not alone in your life. Somehow, I doubt you were. Second, thank you for being French. Bet no one ever thanked you for that, right? I read Le Petit Prince for the first time in my 5th grade French class. With the Collins French to English dictionary in my lap, your book and my notebook on the desk, I diligently translated my way through your story to search for meaning. And honestly? Initially, I was terribly afraid you were dry and boring instead of terribly condescending like most adults, but when the question of "the hat" came up, I knew your frustrated heart immediately, and I started paying real attention. Had you not been French, I would have had to read Jules Verne, and he was a wonderfully bright-hearted person, but he and I do not share B-612 - you see the problem? Who could have told me about the rose, the sheep, and the baobobs, if not you? Finally, thank you for teaching me the basic premises if magic, which my heart already knew, but was threatened to extinction in my mind.

I come from a long line of pirates, travellers by sea and sky. Long ago, my ancestors travelled from a distant point and landed in West Africa, thousands of miles from where you met the Prince in the Sahara, but closer than where either of us were born! They passed over B-612 once, long before the rose sprouted, and they saw your golden-haired Prince without thinking much of him. You see, pirates aren't just explorers, they're treasure hunters, only interested in the prizes that glimmer under sunlight. They abandoned their watery little planet in search of "something of value." They knew nothing about baobobs and the work it took the little prince to maintain his home, nor why it should matter, for B-612 is just another small asteroid, thus of no particular value. They met the man with his tallies and sums, and jealous were they indeed! "How smart was he, to think of owning the stars? We wish we thought of that first." But truthfully, "matters of consequence" were too troublesome; the pirates couldn't stomach the tediousness of just watching him count. Imagine if they had witnessed the Prince caring for his rose - they could not fathom such a thing at all. "Life grows from the ground to feed our bellies," they'd say, "not to make demands." As far as the pirates were concerned, the sun rose to warm and darken their skin; the wind blew to wick their sweat; and the ground rose up out of the ocean to bring them vantage points from which to seek new treasures. They know nothing of taming - that relationship to effort and time which gives things their importance - because pirates wish to steal even time. Earth is a place of great treasures, they tell me, where many things glimmer and shine, and no one has to work so hard as to count the stars, light the lamps, or weed the baobobs. "What is the value of working so hard?" But this is also what they said when Earths treasures were out of reach. They would declare something of value, then soon after say "but to work so hard for it? It's not so valuable." But if you listen to pirates, what's valuable is always meant to be sold or exchanged, is of no use to the self, and changes with every news cycle. How can anything truly be valuable? How can anyone who truly feels their own beating heart ask that? I come from a long line of pirates, so I have seen and come to know that nothing is truly valuable - nothing is truly anything, and frankly, nothing is true. Or rather, there is no singular truth: we are awash in a sea of subjectivity, the waters of our subconsciousnesses washing up against each other, shifting temperature and tide. Most only see what washes up on the shores of their minds; in the desert, you had nothing but endless shore. There, you discovered the first building block of magic, as I see it:

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

The only things of true value are the ones that glow in your heart; that which calls to us, again and again, the tantalizing and frustrating alike; that which you tend to daily.

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."

This is the love of oneness Virgo and the 6th House speak to, the asymptotic relationship humans have to perfection: if you tend to your beloved rose daily, maybe one day, you will cease to be separate.

"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me . . ."

"Taming," as the fox puts it, is the art of familiarizing yourself with reality by spending time within it. One only understands that which one tames, and so one can only do spellcraft or energy work with that which is tamed by the self. Spend time in nature, with plants, animals, and stones, and one will find over time that each calls to mind different (although at times overlapping) sentiments - emotional flavours - that one can utilize creatively in their workings. I will never make spell lists; my spells will not work cast by anyone but me, they are made up of that which I have self-tamed. Likewise, so will your most effective spells - the spells of others are only worth studying for their composition and creativity, not because they can be robotically applied to your own circumstances. Beyond nature, all things in this world are tameable, from its sights (visual art, photography, sculpture, etc) to its sounds (music, speech, storytelling, etc) to its tastes (foods, candies, spirits, teas, nectars, etc), and so on. To tame is to know, and to know is a process of experiencing over time. Not all things we tame will be sweet to us; this world is full of spice and bitterness too. Taming is a two-way process, but most of reality desires to experience and be experienced by others - to turn away from that process is to turn away from life itself; those who do not wish to experience surely wish to not exist. Experience is all we ever do; for the aspiring magic practitioner, that experience demands more examination: life demands to be deeply felt, and each feeling in each passing moment tasted and considered. 42 sunsets in a day and never bored. We long to experience reality with the same attention to detail our bodies feel when the hairs stand up on your arms or legs, each felt individually. A tree feels like one big thing until, one by one, the leaves come flittering down. Thank you again for being the first of many friends, inspirations, and mentors that have lead me on this path. I'm sure it would bring you happiness to know you sparked a lasting sense of wonder in a young child and a hopefulness in my journey to find others like us, beings I might never have imagined had I not chanced upon your story. Perhaps, one lifetime or another, you'll chance upon mine too.

[je-suis-applebread]

So. About plot part of the au.

It doesn't follow the same plotlines as canon. The pacing is the same though, and while major plotlines don't match, they still parallel each other. I haven't thought of everything yet but here are some of those

1) Friend group. Lee had Biffy as main support in his goal and Holg and Cam as his besties. Li however is in the same class as would-be-15graders. Chopper is would-be Biffy stand-in however they all aren't strict parallels. Chopper is just the one closest to him. They aren't at risk of getting held back because Li is making sure they won't fall behind too much. Actually when they've just met him they tried to intimidate him but he beat them up, which led to him earning a semblance of respect from them. So when he helped them out a few times, combined with the time they spent together in detention for separate reasons led to their friendship forming. Just like Biffy provided Lee with tech support, Chopper and others help Li out with some of the things they've made. Unlike Cam and Holg, they all initially believe Li isn't behind the prank. Well, Emmett and Stinky think so at first but Chopper just tells them it's not that so they change their mind. At one point Li becomes overwhelmed and exhausted, so he tells Chopper about his brother, for the first time in a while receiving full support.

2) "Uprising". Lee had accidentally picked a battle with 15graders, which also led to Tina rallying the school to stand up against them. Li doesn't get a beef with a hypothethical older gen of 15graders, oh no. He actually pisses off the gifted 10th grade, so Irwin and his friends get their brains at work to kick his ass. They really try to get Lee to help them, but he's too "solo" to care about their squabble. Tina still tries to uphold justice.

3) Betrayal plotline. The end of S1 and beginning of S2 featured Lee working out the possibility of his best friend Cam being the mastermind behind the prank. Li, however? Oh, he's having a much heavier punch in the gut, because his betrayal plotline of focus is not his best friend possibly setting him up for a prank but his father doing god knows what under the school. He isn't clear with Li, he's hiding something, something that maybe could've given him another clue about his little brother's whereabouts. Doesn't he want him found? ..did he want him gone? Was his absense during Lee's kidnapping truly an unfortunate coincidence/setup by someone else, or was he... was he in on it? Like.... yeeeeah, he's not gonna have a good time with that one.

4) VP Victoria. Veronica had pretended to be an ally to Lee and clueless about tunnels beforehand to then throw him under the bus when superintended comes and Lee believes she's gonna support his claims. Yeaaaah... that doesn't happen. Li is a very defiant person and really isn't a fan of authority figures. He argues with Barrage about having more important things to do instead of detention and the only teacher in school he actually listens to is his mother. He has no respect nor trust in authority figures, so the whole Veronice plotline doesn't happen. He's more likely to flip her off than to submit.

5) Family problems. Li had a question of why hadn't Alfred protected him, separating him from making amends. Lee was told by Cassandra that Pings just didn't really wanted him or needed him. He was free to take and while Pings would try to paint a proper image of a grieving family when asked, they didn't care if he was taken actually. Maybe even relieved. So that's the belief he holds, that Li doesn't care about his lost brother, even gets annoyed when Li instinctively acts like one about him and treats that as Li being eager to replace his brother with someone else. When he has to snoop around his house however, he finds his clue board. The board with Lee's childhood photos - with him being held by still pretty small Li in some of those - and all of the connections half of which led to dead ends just because he lacked the info. Lee doesn't let that solely change his mind but it shatters his worldview. So one time he questions Li about his brother and sees him nearly break down, and understands that all of that was a lie.

6) Serpent turning on Cassandra. Once Li found out his family didn't let him down intentionally, he helps them, even fighting suited Cassandra near the S4 finale. Lee goes for the same. He isn't a fighter but he is the main person behind the tech. So he coded the backdoors for him to take over the control should he need to. Cassandra however isn't stupid so she had her own backdoor installed so she can override his override. So yeah, progresses somewhat the same but with more tech.

And just some details implementations:

7) Name. In canon, while it's not stated as such, Lee was most likely called that because Pings were still coping with the loss of Li. That would be weird to name your sons with 5 years age gap almost the same when you have no reason to expect one would be snatched away. So, my solution? That was Li's idea. He was a five year old who was so hyped about being older brother it nearly crushed him when that was ruined, so he suggested the name and their parents decided to let it be.

8) Priscilla. In canon she's Li's pet. I thought she could also be in this one, like, so Li has some pet which could be healthy for him. But honeslty I don't think he would be really hyped about something that will take a lot of time from his detective work attempts. So Priscilla is actually a random snake living near the school, he feeds her sometimes and she considers him her bestie now.

9) Casino. In canon Li is a casino owner. So, remember when I said he's reckless in this au? Yeah, that's where it came from. He will argue and fight no matter the risks. If he has to take a gamble, whether about fighting or a literal one he will take it. He doesn't care about the risks, he rarely cares about the consequences. He is an unrelenting force about his goal and no matter how many times he gets told that he's not about to give up, nuh-uh.

[chameleonsallinvermillion]

Names From Twilight

Watching the movements of names from Twilight up and down the baby name charts year after year is a particular hobby of mine. Even if I ignore other fandoms for a year, I never ignore Twilight. It's such a good cross-section of names, and also it contains The Name That Haunts Me.

Most of these names aren't given because of Twilight, naturally. Only in rare cases is there ever likely to be a connection. But the rise and fall of popularity is interesting to me nonetheless and that is what tumblr is for.

Isabella: - 10th place, with 1795 baby girls in 2023. No surprises there. It never falls far.

Edward: - 30th place, 1501 boys named. Another of those names that just won't go away. A standard reliable boy name that hasn't turned unisex yet. How can parents walk away?

Jacob: - 24th place, 1655. I imagine the majority of them are Jake most of the time.

Charlie: - there never is any indication that Bella's father is called Charles so I stick with Charlie. It came in 17th in 2023, with 2010 boys.

Carlisle: - zero. Absolutely none - or, if there are, there are less than three of them. Didn't make the charts at all. It's a pity because I rather like it as a name.

Esme: - 982 baby girls, bringing it into 47th place. E names are so popular, especially ones that feel like they belong in the early 20th century: Elsie, Esme, and so on.

Renee: - 545th place, with 71 girls. It's higher than I expected. It always is.

Alice: - she never seems to leave the top 100. I think of it as a placeholder name, something you choose when you can't think of anything else, like Rose, but that's mean of me. 50th place, 955 girls.

Rosalie: - Rosie and Rose are so popular at the moment, and double-barrels ending in Rose are booming, so it's no surprise this one is doing okay for itself. 279th place, with 161 baby girls.

Emmett: - with only 38 boys in 2023, I'm slightly surprised in Emmett. It feels like it should belong higher, up alongside Ezra perhaps or Asher and Isaiah. But it never seems to make the climb so I guess something about it just doesn't appeal.

Jasper: - 690 boys, putting it at a very respectable 75th place. I think it will probably continue to rise too.

Leah: - 169th place, with 205 girls. It's falling down the ranks a bit but that's a welcome respite.

Seth: - 229th place, with 213 babies. Not bad and fits in nicely with its companions that I loosely class as "farmboy names".

Quill: - 4107th place, with just four boys, which makes it exactly the same level as

Aro: - also with just four boys. Aro feels like a name that ought to catch on. With Arlo so high, and Arrow climbing? People are missing a chance to dazzle on the baby naming forums.

But all of this is just fluff, just leading us to the biggest and most important question of all. Carlisle didn't make the cut this year. Quill and Aro, both so ordinary-sounding, are barely scraping through. Where on this list is our girl, Renesmee?

Renesmee: - 1030th place, with 33 baby girls in 2023. 33 little Renesmees out there, just beginning to learn to crawl. Sit with that for a moment. Reflect on it.

Because Renesmee is such a new name, it is theoretically possible for me to find out exactly how many of them are alive - certainly within in England and Wales, possibly within the world so long as other countries also provide good naming data. There's a beginning point to the name, the same as Nevaeh, and we can chart its whole lifespan. If we close our eyes to the fact that sometimes children don't survive, it seems probable that everyone who has ever been called Renesmee is currently alive. I'm not sure if any of them will be teenagers yet. This fascinates me. This, honestly, delights me.

But do you want to know what doesn't delight me? The Name That Haunts Me lingers on this list still. Do you want to know what it is?

Renesmae: - 774th place, with 36 baby girls. It's more popular than Renesmee. Do you know why this haunts me? It's because it's so normal. I almost miss it on the list, every time. If I didn't know where this name comes from, I wouldn't bat an eyelid at it. Do you know how many mediocre names lurk in the lower levels of the list? How many things that feel slightly off but you could be persuaded were actually very common at some time or other? Renesmae. She's...normal. Ren, probably, to her friends. A little quirky but ultimately mundane.

It's entirely possible that a mother out there has chosen the name Renesmae for her daughter and has no idea where it comes from. People don't always research the name they choose, you know. Maybe she heard it at a toddler play place with her young son and thought it sounded interesting and pretty. Maybe she suggested it to her husband and he was persuaded. Maybe these parents have genuinely no idea that they've named their little girl after the vampire baby from Twilight. It's not likely but it's possible. It's possible.

[aquatic-sardonic]

What makes zombies scary, Part 1

October 10th, 2024

With Halloween fast approaching as I write and not far behind when I release this, certain monstrous archetypes are once again becoming hot topics in pop culture. We are/I am most captivated by not just any horror characters, but the handful of “classic” monsters in western media. 

While they all have different cultural and literary origins, almost all of those archetypal western boogiemen were canonized in film under Universal’s “Monsters” banner, with one notable exception in the humble zombie, popularized in George Romero’s 1968 film, “Night of the Living Dead.” (witches are also an exception, but that’s for later)

I’ll admit that my interest in zombies is double-ended, as when I was younger, they were the source of an unhealthy amount of paranoia. The image of hordes of rotting faces gripped me in a way my immature mind could only really process as fear, so as I’ve grown to (allegedly) understand media in more nuanced shades and from greater distance, the question of exactly what makes zombies scary has been bouncing around my mind. 

One of the most immediately noticeable things about the zombie is that they are not scary alone. For almost any other monster, one is enough to be frightening, but the zombie is always imagined in a horde.

This trend was one of many established in Night of the Living Dead, along with their ability to spread undeath to their victims. This is important, as a single zombie is a frail non-threat, but one with the ability to spin out of control into a world-ending menace by accumulating sheer numbers.

There is a strong foundation for a metaphor here, especially considering both the red scare and the height of the Civil Rights Movement coincided heavily with the production of “Night of the Living Dead”. If vampires share a common association with the predatory upper class, then zombies may be their counterpart in representing the power of assembled masses, whether from the perspective of an empowered or disempowered minority. 

This connection is especially potent with “Night of the Living Dead” being the first horror movie with a black protagonist. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, the visual of a single-minded mob coming to rip apart those who maintained their individuality struck enough of a chord to launch an entirely new vision of horror into the public consciousness.

[magpies4nights]

Do you guys think Dummy from GASA4AM:SNACKCORE knows how to use a microwave (Dev log #9)

Hiiiii everyone, I am back again. I'm starting to get used to my new classes, which may be considered a while for some people. I would have updated y'all last week, but I had NOTHING but music. and honestly, that's just boring. Literally last week I thought I was being nice to myself by not doing my homework for a very important class.... It was due the next day. I cried myself to sleep at 3 am because of how terrible I was with managing myself. I mean my brain was melting since I took a quiz before that and the teacher was relatively very demanding with the questions.... sooo yeah. I put this on myself......haha......... I lived though. Miraculously.

(sorry)

I’ve still been working on more locations! Whoopee! The player's room is done. there iiiiiis another location that was not originally on the GASA4 map like ever but was on Todd's Breakfast Adventure, but I decided since it was associated with spooky shit, you know damn well I'm gonna use it. I started working on the upstairs section of it. I also reworked the GASA4 house because I didn't like the way it was handled before, and yeah it's a bit glitchy but it works for how I want it to be.

I'm almost done with making the music. I just have to make music for outside the house and the Diner, and then after the 10th dev log you guys will be spared from any of my music.

Aaaaanyways, here is some of the music I made recently. They're pretty short compared to the usual because they're gonna be looped a lot (one of the songs has me singing in it (and is the only song with vocals, because I hated the vocals for Semicolon, so I had to rip 'em out), and I can't sing. You have been warned):

🔥🔥🔥🔥Mimimiii mimimiii mimimimimimiii 🔥🔥🔥🔥

(don't mind the fact I didn't screen record it like a normal person, this was a video I sent to someone before I turned it into a gif)

[bouquetface]

Hi there, I want to join your astro game! My questions are pertaining to marriage: what sort of attributes and personality might my spouse have, how do we meet, will I have kids and what’s the marriage like as a whole in terms of dynamics and such? Will I even get married?

Thank you so much for looking into this, you’re a very talented reader! 💘

hello,

It is most likely you meet at a place where education and communication is important. You may meet in university or college. However, keep in mind Saturn in 9th can indicate delays in completing higher education. Ex: You may take a gap year, may have to change schools or program, unable to get into the courses you need to graduate thus waiting to grad next year or next semester, etc.

Your partner will definitely come from a different background than you. (Ex: Religiously, ethnicity, nationality) This is due to Venus in 9th and Rahu in 7th house. Saturn’s influence in your chart may manifest as distance rather than delay. This can indicate being in a long distance relationship at some point.

Where you meet will be social though. Ex: Touristy area, online, class, party, networking event, etc. You or them (maybe even both) will develop/have large social circle.

The meeting may happen surprisingly or suddenly. The relationship will progress very quickly after meeting. Your spouse is a direct and bold person. The relationship will be very passionate.

The things to be careful about is you will likely experience one or many relationships prior to this one that will not end well. They may feel like the one but they are not who you believe them to be.

This is rahu’s malefic nature. It is never satisfied and wants everything quickly as possible. For you this is in your relationship house. You or other people (lovers, friends, business) will want to quickly jump into a relationship. Things may seem great at first but these people are never satisfied. They may cheat, lie, steal or do other immoral things to you. These people or person will drain you. This may manifest as having to go to court multiple times throughout your entire life too.

Good news in Vedic your 10th ruler in 9th & rahu in 7th, this combo suggests you’d have good success as a lawyer. You may be a good writer as well. This would be the positive manifestation as you are guaranteed to make money regarding court issues.

Exact time of meeting is difficult to predict. Especially without knowing where you will be living in the future. And with Pluto transit your 4th H, it is highly like your home and family life will transform over the next few years. This can indicate big moves.

Around 2028 may be when you encounter or are dealing with difficult partners. This is because Saturn will be in your 7th. Saturn will put your relationships through tests. It can be a year of fully committing or cutting things off.

2030 may be a particularly good for year for you, not necessarily romantic though. This is because Jupiter will be in your first house.

Having kids is up to you. If you did they would likely be very intelligent. Possibly bilingual children. Or just academically smart. Saturn your 5th ruler aspects Jupiter. This creates a unique situation. Often Saturn indicates few children or not having children until an older age. However, Jupiter can indicate many children. It’s possible you may wait until an older age but then have many kids or even twins. i’m not a pro but i do believe this will mostly resonate.

[cryptidsurveys]

Friday, July 19th, 2024.

Do you want the last dream you had to come true? No. It wasn't a bad dream - it was just bizarre - but life is bizarre enough already.

When did you last talk to the person you’d most wanna talk to right now? That would be my dad, and I talked to him just a couple of minutes ago while I was washing my lunch dishes.

What kind of pill did you last take? Migraine meds.

Do you like wearing glasses? I don't mind wearing them while I drive, but aside from that, I almost never wear them.

Does your mom know the last person you hung out with? I haven't properly "hung out" with anyone in ages.

What were you doing 4 hours ago? Let's see…that would have been around 9:40am…so I was probably weighing cats.

What would you most like to eat right now? I'm good. I just finished eating a chicken salad.

How long were you last in the car for? 15-20 minutes.

What is something good that happened last weekend? I can't think of anything specific. It was just a generally nice weekend comprised of the usual stuff.

Do you like holding hands or do you think it’s stupid? I like it.

The last song you heard, what does it make you think of? I listened to a classical radio station on the way home from the shelter, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was just kind of zoning out on my own random thoughts.

How’d you get your last injury? I don't recall my last injury.

What do you like about your birthday? It's gotten to the point where it's just another day. I did go out to eat with my parents this year, but that was basically it.

Do you like being home alone at night? It depends on why I'm alone. I live with my dad, so if he was gone overnight, that might indicate that something bad had happened.

What first comes to mind when thinking of 10th grade? Other than hospitalizations for my eating disorder, not a whole lot. Even those have more or less dissolved into a blur.

What’s the scariest thing that’s happened to you? Probably finding out my dad had cancer. Thankfully, it's been well-managed and he's in relatively good health.

Has an ambulance ever came to your house? A few times.

The person you’re thinking about - what are you thinking about them? Due to the last two questions, I'm thinking about my dad. I'm just grateful he's doing as well as he is. He's the most important person in my life and I honestly don't know what I would do without him.

When did you last skip class? Yeeears ago.

Do you like the shape of your fingernails? Ehhh.

Did you look at your fingernails for the question above? Lol, yeah.

Whose pool did you last swim in? I don't remember the last time I went swimming, but possibly a hotel pool.

What’s something you like about your 3rd hour? N/a.

Is formspring a good idea? Oh wow, is this survey really that old…? We've got ourselves a veritable fossil on our hands.

What’s your biggest problem at the moment? I guess it's not really a problem because I've been dealing with it for a while now and I might have found some sort of solution. I want to spend more time at the animal shelter; however, I don't think Alex and Cassie really want me around. I don't think it's personal; I think they just wish there were no volunteers whatsoever. I have my own agenda, though. Animal shelter work is my passion, and I plan on being there long after they're gone, so I tend to ignore those subtle vibes. So, solution one is to simply outlast them. But solution two, in the meanwhile, is to start doing more work on the dog side of things. Do what I need to do in cattery, then get out of their hair. Because, honestly, they aren't the sole arbiters of the shelter, and there are other people there who might actually appreciate the help. Also, it's no longer about people-pleasing. It's about building up my own abilities, working toward my own future, and doing something that truly brings me joy. I'm not going to let a couple of nobodies stand in the way of my dreams. ;D

What’s the cutest thing someone’s ever done for you? I'm not sure.

When did you last see a police car? Within the past couple of days.

Why aren’t you doing something more productive than this? I don't wanna.

How many different cars have you driven? Five, I think? Although four out of the five were very brief experiences.

What did you do on Thursday? I stayed at the animal shelter all day. From 7am to 5:40pm. To the bitter end, lmao. It was definitely tiring, but it was also pretty chill, and it's something I'm planning on doing more often. Maybe 1-2 times a week to start and then I'll slowly build up from there. After seeing more of the process for myself, I think Alex and Cassie might be sort of unfair to the dog people. They're always on their feet, taking dogs out rain or shine; it's extremely loud and chaotic; there's more danger and safety precautions involved; the work is more strenuous; etc. Cattery is a breeze in comparison. I know cattery doesn't like staying late for the dog stuff to be finished, but I don't think it's anyone's fault. They're just understaffed, so it's going to take longer, and under the circumstances, I think everyone is doing their best. I certainly didn't notice anyone slacking or goofing off or whatever has been implied. Alex might be a bit of an unreliable narrator...go figure. :')

But yeah, I hung out with some dogs in the yard, did some doggy dishes, and helped dry kennels at the end of the day, and it was just nice to be around a different mix of people. I'm looking forward to exploring/experiencing more of that side of things.

What color was the last thing you drank? Clear.

What do you do on Fridays? Volunteer. I was there today from around 7:20am-12:15pm.

Have you ever had to take desperate measures in a desperate situation? Yeah.

What door did you last open besides any on your house or car? The front door to the shelter.

What is the meaning of life? I don't know whether or not life has any inherent meaning. Maybe the only meaning is whatever you think it is…so you better think good thoughts because in the end thoughts are all you really have, huh?

[prasenna]

Learning to learn

Arguably, the most important life skill to learn is learning how to learn. That involves learning about yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses. I am not a fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson but his response to the popular comment about how learning algebra in school is useless was on point. He said that the school syllabus isn't really meant to teach you how to solve particular problems in life but rather to teach you to find solutions yourself. It teaches you to learn how to learn by repeatedly throwing progressively more difficult problems at you and expecting you to figure it out. It expects you to struggle, and fail initially, and then figure out why you failed, and then work on it. Training your brain to solve algebra is the learning, not the concept of algebra itself. Of course, deGrasse didn't elaborate on it as neatly as I've put it but rather just said: "It teaches you to learn to learn". But you get the point - he's meh.

Last week, when I tried learning SQL, for the 10th time, and found it simple, I knew to not trust myself because I remember struggling in my DBMS class 6 years ago. I'm sure I would struggle equally if only I was tested the same way now that I was back then. I wish I had a copy of the question papers for the exams I struggled with. That would help me learn immensely. So, the next time you struggle, remind yourself that it is good, and if you fail, remember to document it, even if you don't know the answers.

[lured-into-wonderland]

Levi's seen the girl around before, but even a small town like this one hasn't put them in each other's vicinity since high school. He remembers some science project they worked on together in 10th grade, but their circles didn't really mix outside of that class. But she's caught him on his break at work, standing outside, bundled in a winter flannel, smoking a cigarette. He's sure to blow the smoke away from her.

"Momma always like your name," he says idly when she decides to linger nearby him, looking in the windows of the shop instead of going inside. "Real God fearin' woman, my mom, thought that your name sounded Christ-like, like a nun." He scoffs, smoke curling from between his lips. He'd never been the religious sort, even growing up in the house he'd been adopted into.

"Anyway, you might not remember me. Name's Levi." With the cigarette between his lips, he reaches out a hand to shake hers.

She remembered him. At least his face. Nunnally was good with faces. Perhaps not so much with names, but he was outstanding enough back there in High School, so she kept his name in her memory. Was it then why she stood up next to him giving him a chance to talk to her?

It felt weird to be back. She never liked small towns; she was a girl from a city, and these few years she spent here, in the Southern town almost in the middle of nowhere, were not the best years in her life. Years just after her whole life was ruined. Years just after she had learnt the truth she now desperately wanted to forget. Though were the years before really that much better?

Levi… Apparently, there was nothing similar about them. His winter flannel was definitely in contrast with her expensive coat and knee-length dress; his messy hair (or at least she would describe it with this word) in contrast with her neat bun and elaborated hair-pin. A perfect Southern Lady and a… She internally laughed. Perhaps the military-style boots were the only thing they had in common. The only thing that made her no lady after all. She shrugged: --

“It’s Irish.” – it was weird she had an Irish name with presumably no Irish ancestors; her surname linked her origins to France, but she couldn’t be sure. She knew so little about her family and her father never spoke about it – “Some suggest it originates from the nun’s grove or even nunnery itself…” – she furrowed her brows and shrugged again – “…but I never liked this meaning. I prefer the other hypothesis. The meadow.” – not that it was that much better, but Nunnally was not a believer; religion always made her anxious, but she suspected it was a part of this town’s culture.

The cigarette smoke was disturbing to her, but since they were outside, it didn’t cause too much discomfort. She restrained herself from complaining. Nunnally accepted his the handshake with a smile: --

“I remember you. We were in the science project together…was it the 10th grade?”

“I also remember your mum. She was always nice to me. One of my…” – Nunnally hesitated – “…aunt’s close friends.” – she wasn’t sure if the woman she called ‘her aunt’ was really her family. But it was already long ago since she stopped asking questions. And that woman back there was kind to her; kind enough for Nunnally to come back to this town. Sometimes.   

“I had a crush on you back then.” – she suddenly confessed; not really sure why. Perhaps because it didn’t really matter. She was a completely different person now – “But you paid absolutely no attention to me. Probably not without a reason. I was a weirdo back then.” – perhaps a slightly harsh assessment, but she didn't make aby bonds. And her not being compatible with a small town was probably the least important one on the issues list.

“So, how have you been doing? You didn’t feel like leaving this town…” – that was surprising; she could not understand why people chose to stay – “It has not changed much, I feel…”

“Is that small café close to our school still open? What was it’s name…? Their pumpkin spice latte was one of the best I have ever had.”

At least that was one thing she could consider lucky. She was not stuck here.

@svnsworn

[eileensmelancholy]

i want to believe in something.

i want to believe in something like the christians do. i want to be faithful to something, trust it won't disappoint or hurt me.

i want to trust and believe in something so greatly that just the sound of words move me. not acts or demonstrations, just words. i want the vibrations of reading scriptures and verses to sound ever so sweetly to my ears.

people who believe and worship a God seem to have this designated sense of purpose like they know exactly why they're here and what they need to do. everything is already preplanned for them. i want to feel this sense of security. i want to feel like i know everything is going to be okay, that this beautiful Spirit has everything taken care of. they will take care of you.

i want to be taken care of. i want to feel like i know everything will work itself out because i pray.

my grandmother used to read me bible stories as a child and even then, i never felt secure. i always sat and pondered, wondering who came up with this. who was the author of this book, of these rules? like c'mon! this dude is trying to tell me how to live my life and i can't even see him? please, even then as a child i knew these stories were bullshit. now don't get me wrong, i longed for the comfort of these stories, but it never found me. i saw how this book, this extremely important piece of everyone around me, affected my family and friends at church. i saw how touching and moving it was for them. i saw the influence this person, this God had on them. they were caught in a chokehold.

it was easter sunday and i was 9 years-old. everyone was getting ready, but i sat on the couch waiting for the "get in the car." there was a documentary on the cable, obviously neither my dad or stepmom knew it was on because there's no way in hell they would've let me continue to watch it. it was this man, talking, and the background was of a tomb and obvious signs of the dry desert. they were explaining how Jesus was dead, despite people arguing and shouting he's not dead! it even showed them carrying out "Jesus' body" from inside the tomb. i now know this documentary was most likely a hoax and is not true. or at least the body was fake. 9 year-old me, however, felt relieved. relieved that i was not the only one who didn't get it, didn't believe. i hate saying i don't believe, but i would be lying to myself and everyone else.

we went to church that day and i could not stop talking about it. i didn't realize it then, but i was challenging everyone on their faith. i was asking them the hardest questions about how it's not possible to die and come back to life, how i watched them pull his body out of the tomb this morning. i even had the guts and went as far as to write it on the chalkboard during sunday school. they kicked me out. the teacher told me i couldn't write that and i wouldn't be allowed back in class if i wrote another cruel or insensitive comment again. i vividly remember her saying to me "one day, you'll find God."

i was 9 years-old. i turned 21 on the 10th of september. it has been 12 years since my sunday school teacher said that to me and guess what, i still haven't found God!

i haven't found God in a man, certainly not in a woman either if i haven't found God in a man. i'm bound to greater chances in finding God in a woman. i haven't found God in the most beautiful places, where the trees dance elaborate dances with the wind singing and orchestrating them. not even as i watch the most ethereal waves hug the sand covered ground, their love so passionate they demand to be touched. i haven't found God in even the happiest, most stable moments of my life.

i can't see Him. i'm blind to his presence, but everyone else doesn't seem to be so what the fuck am i missing? what is everyone else seeing that i can't? my family, so awe-struck in love with God and his scriptures. my environment, filled with awe-stricken humans who are madly in love with God.

what does everyone know that i don't? what can everyone feel that i can't feel? why am i amongst the blind? i don't really care about the man, and i can't even bring myself to want to believe, so why do i long for this so badly? why do i long for comfort that is not promised, that is made up?

we stopped going to church shortly after that easter sunday. not because of my strong opinions, we just stopped. did my dad stop believing? did my family stop believing? this made my suspicions solidify. God wasn't there.

i am a Godless woman living amongst God drunken people.