#next step is testing which type of paper i'll use

[fleshwizard]

Good luck on the exhibition!

Thank you ! It's super exciting to see the pieces together, especially since some of them are digital collages or come from sketchbooks

[msoregano21]

Back to the Past Ch. 1

Author's note: Hi everyone! Thanks for your interest in my fanfic! Ever since Danny Phantom ended, I've always had this idea of what I would like to see for Season 4. I've developed it throughout the years, but it always just stayed in my head. When I shared my story with a few friends, they all told me to publish it on some sort of fanfiction-type website. And I finally did! And here it is! I sincerely hope you enjoy it :) If you do, please review, favorite, follow, and share!

This is a work of fanfiction using characters from the Danny Phantom world, which is owned by Nickelodeon and Viacom. I do not claim any ownership over anything except the storyline and the characters I created. Please do not copy.

Amity Park: 25 Years in the Future…

A digital clock hung upon the dull yellow wall of a math classroom. 2:59 pm.

Beneath it, twenty teenaged students crouched over their desks, furiously writing on printed sheets of paper.

A shorter girl, with long black hair gathered up into a high ponytail, scribbled on a sheet. She suddenly paused; furrowed her full, thin eyebrows; then flipped over her pencil to erase her work.

A teacher, with her dark brown hair in a bun and wearing round glasses, sat behind a table. She glanced at the clock.

"Alright, class. Time's up; pencils down."

The girl's hand trembled as she placed her pencil upon her desk.

"Bring your tests up to the front," the teacher said.

The students slowly rose from their seats and hesitantly formed a line. She made her way to the very back; her violet eyes reviewed her work from the past hour.

"Thank you, Michael…thank you, Celia…Tara? Tara?"

Tara looked up from the test in her hands. There was now just an empty space between her and her teacher.

"Oh, sorry," she said as she scrambled to the desk.

The teacher took the test from Tara's outstretched hand.

"Thank you, Tara. Are you okay?"

Tara rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, this test was definitely a lot harder than the last ones."

Her teacher smiled. "I think your peers can agree with you on that one. But I'm sure you did just fine. You've gotten all A's so far in this class."

"I guess. Thanks, Mrs. Dunham," Tara said with an unconvincing smile.

In the hallway, a Black girl with short, curly hair and turquoise eyes leaned up against the wall with her backpack by her feet. The door next to her slid open, and Tara stepped out.

"Finally! When I didn't see you come out, I asked one of your classmates where you were, and he said you were still in there! What happened?"

"Mrs. Dunham and I were just talking for a bit. Sorry to keep you waiting, Vanessa," Tara said.

Vanessa put her bag over her shoulder. "Okay, well, let's go!"

They walked out the front doors of Casper High; while the school building remained the same, the town it belonged to had changed quite dramatically. Small electric cars zoomed on the streets past the girls, while drones carrying small packages flew above their heads. As they walked further into the suburban part of Amity Park, they left the new, tall towers of the city behind them.

"Girl, I am so glad it's Friday. I've been waiting for this day since Monday," Vanessa said.

Tara laughed. "I'll say. I finally get to relax after stressing out over that test."

"You definitely need to relax. You've been studying all week long! I'm going to catch up on some of my TV shows tonight. Wanna come over?"

"Pass," Tara said with a chuckle. "You just said they're the TV shows you watch. I hate those shows. Plus, Mom said this morning she might order pizza for dinner tonight. And I'm not missing out on that."

They stopped in front of a one-floor house with a green front lawn and an electric car parked in the driveway.

"Okay then, but we'll still see each other tomorrow, right? Lunch at the Nasty Burger?" Vanessa said.

"For sure. See ya, Vanessa!"

"Bye, Tara!"

Tara followed the concrete path to her house as her best friend walked further into the suburbs.

She opened the door to an empty living room.

"Dad?" she said as she walked inside and closed the door behind her. "Daaaad?"

Quick little footsteps came from the staircase to her right.

"TARA!"

All of a sudden, Tara could feel something colliding into her leg. She looked down to see a younger girl in a black tutu grabbing onto her leg.

"Hi Tara! I got home before you!"

"Right, 'cause Dad could pick you up from school today. Hey, Megan, where's Dad?"

The small girl looked up at her sister with big, blue eyes. "He's in the basement. But I want you to play with me!"

Tara smiled and rubbed the long, onyx hair on her little sister's head.

"After I see Dad, okay?"

Megan pouted. "Fine."

Tara opened the door leading to the basement, only slightly illuminating the dark staircase.

"Dad?"

"Down here," a deeper voice called back.

Leaving the door open, she walked down the steps until she reached a room filled with half-built machines and desks with blueprints on them. She walked towards a grown man, bent over a machine with a wrench in his hand.

"Hi, Dad. How was your day?"

The man straightened and turned to her, sky-blue eyes meeting her amethyst ones.

"Long. Tiring," he said as he brushed his hands over his stained, white shirt and dusty jeans.

"What are you working on?" she said as she walked closer to him.

"Some invention your grandpa made. But you know how it is—he does half the job and then leaves the rest to me, complaining about his old age and aching back," he said with a chuckle. "It's supposed to be a time machine."

"Really? How does that help with his ghost hunting?" Tara said.

"It really doesn't. He just wants to be able to say he invented the world's first time machine. Check it out."

The time machine looked like a long rocket, with a pointed tip at the front. The man pressed a button on the side, and the bubble that surrounded the control panel retracted back. He pointed to the knobs.

"See, here's where you type in the day, that's where you type in the month, and that's where you type in the year, past or future. Then you press this button, push down this lever, and then it should take you there, in theory. Kind of cool, right?"

"No, Dad. We don't say 'cool' anymore. It's 'savvy.' Like, that time machine's pretty savvy."

He ran his hand through his black hair. "Well, old habits die hard. We said 'cool' a lot back then. But anyway, I already told Megan this, but don't mess with the time machine. I'm still not done with it, so it's really unpredictable. I mean, I've done a lot of work on it, but I don't think it's ready yet."

"For sure, Dad."

Suddenly, they could hear a door open and close.

"Mommy!"

"Hi, sweetie,” a soothing voice said.

"We’ll be up in a sec," he shouted back. "Come on, Tara. I bet your mom wants to order dinner now."

As he climbed up the stairs, Tara stood looking at the metallic contraption in front of her. She stared at it for a while inquisitively before joining her family upstairs.

~*~

Tara could not go to sleep. She just kept looking at her ceiling with her arms crossed behind her head.

After she couldn't take it any longer, she stepped off her bed onto the hardwood floor.

Tara tiptoed out, past the rooms of her sleeping sister and her lightly snoring parents, and down the basement stairs. When she reached the bottom floor, she fumbled her hand around the wall for the light switch. She flipped the switch, and the lights flickered on, one by one.

Tara walked towards the time machine. Her fingers skimmed across the machine as she walked to the control panel. She pressed the red button, and the bubble retracted.

Tara hopped into the machine and put on the suit crumpled inside. It was large for her slender, yet muscular frame; it seemed to be her father's size. As soon as she sat on the seat, the bubble engulfed her.

"Okay, so…today's Friday…she would probably have the test graded by Monday…I just need some peace of mind. I just want to see how I did on the test. It’s fine."

She switched the knobs and pressed the button.

"I hope this works…"

She pushed the lever.

~*~

Amity Park: Present Day…

Danny, Sam, and Tucker walked down the street towards Fenton Works. Danny and Sam walked hand-in-hand with Tucker beside them.

"Man, they shouldn't give their own mayor homework. I've got a ton of other responsibilities now!" Tucker said, lugging his backpack on his shoulder.

Danny chuckled. "You're telling me. Between sending Jazz off to Stanford, telling Mom and Dad about Danielle and letting her move in with us, press conferences about the Disasteroid, and still fighting ghosts, I haven't had any time for myself lately. I don't know where I'm going to find the time to study."

"Well, at least the school's going to give you extra time for tests and other assignments," Sam said. "You're a hero now; it's pretty much a full-time job."

"I have to thank Jazz for talking to the principal."

"You also need time to just be a teen," Tucker said. "Are we still doing movie night and pizza at your house, Sam?"

"Yup!"

"You guys aren't going to cuddle again, like when we went to the movies last time, right?"

"Can't guarantee that," Danny said.

"Aw, dang. It's been three months! Lighten up on the PDA!"

"No promises," Sam said.

All of a sudden, the floor shook under them, and they heard a crash behind them.

"What was that?" Tucker said.

"An earthquake?" Sam said.

Danny's ghost sense went off. "No, a ghost. But where?"

From an alley not too far away from them, the rocket collided into a dumpster, smashing both into large pieces. The control panel was still intact, however, and Tara was able to retract the screen.

"Where…am I?" she said as she climbed out.

She looked back at the wreckage. "Oh man, Dad's going to kill me!"

"My ghost sense is getting stronger over here," a voice nearby shouted.

"Ghost sense?" Tara said.

Then, three shocked teenagers stood at the entrance of the alley.

"Whoa…" Tucker said, mouth agape.

"What happened here? Who are you?" Sam demanded.

Tara's mouth fell open. "Oh, no…what year is it?"

"Year?" Sam said.

Tara ran past the teens, pushing them out of her way, and stood at the sidewalk. She spun in a slow circle, taking in her environment. Gas cars. Drone-free sky. Lack of skyscrapers.

"No, this isn't possible…How could it have taken me here? How am I going to get home now?"

"Just tell us who you are. Maybe we can help you," Danny pleaded.

Tara turned towards Danny.

"Dad…" she said before collapsing.

[firespirited]

Finally got to the Doctor, turns out she's been dealing with a family emergency all December (no she's not a trauma dumper, I'm the type who asks... and listens for 40 minutes because, well, clearly she hasn't been asked by many and needed to vent about bureaucracy and paperwork and difficult family members)

So that explains why she's been technically Not on holiday but also Not available.

Gonna do stool sample number three!!! *sarcastic confetti and noisemakers* with very careful wording and hope the lab don't mess up again along with a blood test for another potential GI tract hijacker.

If that falls through, we have to find out why malabsorbtion is happening with tubes that go down and up my tubes à moi. Probably 'up' given the severe daily pains in the lower intestines.

I'm terrified of intestinal cramping during a colonoscopy causing a tear in the guts and being one of the fatal 1% but have a plan to inform everyone and sharpie warnings on my arms if it ever comes to that exam. Yes, that's getting way ahead of ourselves: Adhd brain and medical trauma means I had 5-10 brain tabs open on next step risks and pitfalls within a second of her saying the word specialist.

I forgot to inform her that I've been eating leafy greens, iron supplements and cheap chicken bits to fight the anemia so if it's not as bad as expected it's because I'm horfing down whatever iron I can get ... my bp was below nine during the appointment, could barely stay on track.

Guess I'll shoot her an email after my blood test. Might need to confirm if she expected me to auto up my bp meds without asking permission (I've been living in, like, zombie mode because that hadn't occurred to me)

So she's back, we have another option to explore, she might medicate the symptoms of malabsorbtion if it looks ugly on the tests. Progress? I think? Hope at least.

Getting 'we didn't test for candida' on the second, now more clearly marked, candida test on the 26th of December was a massive blow as I'd stupidly staked so much hope on that test. 'We will neither confirm nor deny we did a candida test because we're being pedantic about precise precriptions' over the phone a few days later wasn't reassuring either. And my dr had been on call but not replying to phone or email since early dec which was concerning.

______________

For your edutainment: here's how to do a stool sample.

If the pot is nice and big like it could contain two glasses of orange juice, you're in luck you can probably go right in it. Most are smaller single OJ if not single yoghurt plastic pots.

So first, pee. Very important step, you may pee later but at least it's less mess. Get some cling film (saran wrap) and carry a cut sheet to the loo (rather than bringing a kitchen item into your toilet room) , drape it over the back 3/4 of your toilet under the seat so there's a little poo catcher nook and make sure its well attached on both sides.

Do your poo, stuff toilet paper between your cheeks, open the pot. Get up, turn around, use the poo pot to gather a sample, close pot with loo paper. Pull down cling film at an angle and wash cling film in flush water, place it in a doggie poop bag to go in the trash.

Wipe bottom, flush again.

Wash outside of stool pot carefully, wash your hands carefully. Put stool pot in an opaque marked bag in the fridge far from food, more towards closed sauces until someone with a car can drop it off. Copro Culture takes 3 days, if you have internet access to results you could have them then.

Very important to remember : unless you have a blessèd routine involving a morning coffee and precise timing. This could take several attempts and several cling film sheets. Do not get up too fast to grab that pot if you have POTS or feel in any way drained - I promise it can wait, nearly passing out face first over a toilet with a film poop ledge is not great. Still better than most people's uninformed attempt at collecting a normal sized poo in the undersized pot!

In the same way, pee samples are 'pass under the stream briefly' not sample the whole pee. Entire pee samples come with a bottle sized pot: ask for two, we hydrate better than previous generations.

[catsandcomplexityaddiction]

Cats Civ Solo System Playtesting P1 - Setup

This is part of my d6CatClans pen&paper solo system.

This is the beginning of a series of posts testing out my cat clan civ simulation system.

For now, let's make a start.

Biome

Setup starts with the Biome roll table. This may seem odd or arbitrary as a choice, but it isn't in my eyes. Biome flavors everything else to come, and flavors the very way we will be thinking about our new clan. Clans dwelling in a smoggy city or on a snowy mountainside will live very differently to clans in a rainforest or on a coast. Names, cultural stories, and more, will all develop differently. Biome feeds everything else.

So let's roll for one. I get a 6: Rolling Grasslands. Kind of basic, but not as basic as a forest, no? And basic is fine anyway. There is such a thing as overloading unique traits. A grassland sounds fun to me.

It occurs to me that there's different types of grassland. I'll roll a d3 between steppe, prairie, and savanna.

Side Note: If you're not of a gaming persuasion, you may be wondering what a d3 is. Or d6. Etc. It's a die with the listed number of sides. If written as such: "2d6", that means you roll two six sided dice and add the results together. And yes, three sided dice do exist. But you can also just use a dice app or website. There's a bajillion options, I promise.

So, I roll my d3. My result is 3, so our grassland is a savanna. Perhaps not so basic after all. There's multiple types of savannas, but I rein in my nerding - I'll go with the most obvious - an African-style savanna.

I only rein in my nerding a little though, as I decide a few things are probably true. First, water is a concern due to the wet-dry season cycle. To represent this, I will give my clan a permanent Situation that makes summer rather than winter have the extreme +4 Scarcity modifier.

There's other issues I could introduce, but in spirit of moderation I'll keep them on the backburner for future possibilities. There's a lot of possible implications for names and vibes to consider.

Onward we go.

Characters

Starting population is determined by 2d6+3. I roll 4, so I will be starting with 7 cats. Lemme do some evens/odds rolls real quick... 3 evens, 4 odds, which means 3 toms and 4 she-cats for a relatively balanced split. No Watership Down mono-sex crisis for us, thankfully, though I suspect it could happen to someone.

Next is a d6 table to determine age/rank. Age technically isn't specifically defined, so I'll be doing a few arbitrary bonus rolls to mix them up. Since we have only 7 cats, I don't have a possibility of a queen or elder.

Be right back.

Ended up with 5 warriors and 2 apprentices - with one apiece between tom and she-cat for the latter. I got an age lineup of 46, 26, 22, 20, 16, 9, and 6. My cats skew pretty young overall. That may be interesting to keep in mind when origins come around.

Onto starting skills. After my rolls, I have multiple she-cats specialized in fighting, a tom in hunting, and happily, a tom in medicine. Both of the apprentices lean toward hunting, so one will have an differently aligned mentor - that's completely fine.

I also get 3 skill 5s, albeit because one of my rolls was a six. I'm not sure if that should be rebalanced. It's just as likely to go low.

*math noises*

After some review of the probability curve, I decide it's probably (hah!) fine, especially since these are starting cats. In any case, one of my 5s is my medicine skilled cat, which is absolutely a boon. The other two are fighters. Interestingly, one is the age 16 - perhaps we have a prodigy on our paws! The other is our relative veteran.

Onto appearances. I'm not going to detail out the rolls for these, but since we're doing savanna, I'll skip the fur type - no longhairs here.

Aaaaand, back.

Next is names and then personalities. Personally, I would probably usually backburner this step and go do origins first in case they used to be rogues or such, but for the sake of focus, I'll go ahead and use warrior naming. I'll do the first halves of their names, then personalities, then the second half of their names. That's just my personal preference.

...

And back again. Miss me? I've gone ahead and dispersed our cats into allegiances - Termitestep is still listed as a warrior despite his medicine skill. We'll find out if we've properly tapped him as a medicine cat later (but he's probably gonna be it). I've also gone ahead and noted that the clan has 1 dependent, since Acaciapaw is still too young to reliably pull his weight. I’ll share the sheet I’ve spun up for that later.

We're done with characters for the time being. Onto origins. Who are these guys anyway?

Origins

By rolling 2d6 and then a d3 (an 11 and a 3, respectively), I determine that our cats are survivors of a disaster, potentially with scattered kin still out there. That situation is actually good news - we may have some more cats show up over our first year.

Since this was due a Lion King reference (or another, if Liontail counts), I think that a cackle of hyenas moved in on our old clan's territory. It was managed for a time, until a wildebeest stampede was driven straight through the camp, devastating it.

Before I detail that idea further, I'll check our leadership situation with three 2d6 tables...

...

All three slots are filled, but all of the fills are recent. None of these are the clan's original leadership, I think. That works well with Termitestep's youth, but who are the leader and deputy? Spottedstorm is easily counted out - too young and unpredictable, probably a fresh warrior during the stampede.

Liontail seems like an obvious choice, but both our leader and deputy are supposed to be untested, unproven. That doesn't sound like a driven, mature warrior, but perhaps it could be - maybe she was never seen as leadership material back home. There's also Duskfur and Mudwhisker, neither of which is overtly underqualified outside of age.

I think that Liontail should probably occupy at least one of the positions, but I'll leave it somewhat to chance - I'll roll a d4 between the candidates for leader, favoring her with winning on 1-2 versus the others.

Dice say 3, so... Duskfur. Duskfur for leader, then.

Similar for deputy, favoring Liontail on a d3....

3 again. Mudwhisker for deputy.

Why not Liontail, I wonder? For Duskfur, easy enough - I think the survivors were given a sign to "follow the twilight", indicating Duskfur and guiding them west. But why not choose Liontail for her deputy? Is it a favoring of Mudwhisker or a distaste for Liontail. A roll of evens/odds says... a favoring of Mudwhisker. Well, I could take this in the direction of fraternization, but no - I think Mudwhisker saved Rainpaw and Acaciapaw (then Acaciakit) at great risk during the stampede, and is popular with the survivors for it. With her own role untested, Duskfur tried to capitalize on the survivors' morale in choosing her deputy - the young hero over the old reliable.

I think I like that. It does mean neither leader nor deputy are skilled enough to give meter bonuses, but so be it.

Another evens/odds before I move on - does Duskfur have her name and lives yet, yes or no? Evens say yes. I think they sheltered at their old Moon-place before Duskstar led them west.

I assign Rainpaw to Duskstar (hm, maybe some personal gratitude to Mudwhisker too then) and Acaciapaw to Mudwhisker.

It's a small clan, but it's a start.

Territory

Now their new home. Their old one is somewhere yonder out east - I should make a note of that, but it's not important to the present scope.

Rolling 2d6, a result of 9 tells me that the clan has explored their new camp's territory and two adjacent territory units. We'll say this orientation of explored area:

D5 D6

E5

D5 - Camp

D6 - Unclaimed

E5 - Unclaimed

Now to identify traits for each... for the camp at D5 I roll only one, Defensible. It makes sense, given what happened to their old one. For D6 I roll both Abundant and Barren, so I ignore the second and keep the first. Might be something they try to claim later. Finally, for E5, I roll Ominous and Barren. (found the elephant graveyard, hah!). I'll roll an evens/odds to see if we have a new Moon-place or not (evens, yes) and then another for which of the Unclaimed units it's in (please be E5).

Odd, so E5.

I'll roll for what kind of Moon-place before I start thinking out what the area is like. I roll 6 for type and 3 for subtype.....

A burial site marked by scattered stone. So yes. This is an elephant graveyard. But let's make it something more my own. A stone burial site... could be somewhere with fossils present. For example, saber-toothed cat fossils are found in Africa. Okay, not in that part of Africa last I checked, but setting aside reality for a moment, perhaps an elephant-graveyard-esq place, cliffy and dour and desolate, with exposed saber-cat fossils and fossilized giant cat prints visible throughout. And maybe the Moon-place is in a tunnel, in the shadow of one of the biggest skulls, presided over by the spirits of truly ancient cats.

We'll call it the Moonfang, I think, in the Crag of Ancients.

Now that our clan has qualified for a Metallica album cover, let's check out our camp and that other explored area. The abundant one is probably just a fairly open grassland with sparse trees. Very savanna-y savanna.

For the defensible camp, I debate a while. Eventually I decide that some modest rocky outcropping with small crevice dens is likely enough, as it doesn't expose the clan to a trampling 2.0 and it limits larger predators contesting the location. Or at least contesting the dens themselves.

Our clan also needs a name. I think they still are keeping their old name, from the old home. So that will be....

I think StormClan. After the dry season waxes and wanes, the storm will provide if we can survive it.

Closing Notes

Edit Note: Some of these are already addressed in the current rules document.

Next time, I'll be following StormClan's first season in their new home. But I want to review some possible room for system adjustments.

Starting Clan size leans small, though I knew it would. Scarcity modifiers take this into account, but I should still keep an eye on how the balance plays out moving forward. In theory, Legend points should help mitigate early population balancing. We'll see.

Starting skill levels allow for a 33% chance of skill 5. I think that's probably fine for starting cast.

There isn't actually a white or black on the fur table. That was partly because of how white tends to work as a genetic color, but they should be there imo. I will be adjusting that when I repost updated systems. I'll also tweak patterns for tabby to be slightly more likely than solid.

Thanks to StormClan's origin hook, I have a situation giving me a chance for more cats trickling in. Depending on how it feels, maybe I should consider opening that up to a general starter situation and giving Disaster Survivors a different feat. It sounds natural that a newly established group might have more trickle-in. I'll keep it in mind for now.

That’s all for now.

[differentkettleoffishalltogether]

I’m On Fire [Chapter 1]

Summary: With her sister’s wedding fast approaching and her Mom hounding her about finding a date, Y/N makes a terrible decision that lands her and her least favorite genius in a confusing situation.

A/N:  This is the first part in a series, I’ve written the first few chapters already so I’m hoping to update pretty regularly! I hope you guys enjoy, and any feedback is always appreciated! ❤️

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem Reader

Category: Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, (Eventual) Smut, Fluff, Angst, it’s a Slow Burn Baby

Warnings: None really for this chapter, cursing? Mean-ish Spencer

Word Count: 6.5k

Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Masterlist 

I wasn’t at the BAU long before it started to feel like home. The team became my family, pure and simple.

Having been recruited by Hotch at only 22 I'd sort of fallen into the roll of the little sister to the team without really meaning to. It's not that I was naive, or particularly sheltered even. I know I'm good at my job, and I'd want to be, given how my life's revolved around it almost entirely. But the team seemed to adopt a protective mindset over me right off the bat.

When I first joined the FBI everything was terrifying. I worked so hard for my PhD, trying to get into the unit, but there's almost nothing that can actually prepare you for the real thing. Being out in action in the field, working the cases out in real time. Sometimes they had a smooth, easy conclusion followed by loud obnoxious drinks together. Then there were the others, the ones that kept me up for days after and felt as though they owned little pieces of my heart still.

It was JJ that helped the most on those horrible flights back on the jet. Noticing my anxious ticks and uneasy disposition after that first case that had ended badly. JJ had been through it all before, taking too many cases home with her. Seeing her son's little faces in the kids that we couldn't help. If I was the baby of the team JJ was the big sister, looking out for everyone.

Morgan on the other hand was the outrageously cool older brother, the one you just wanted to be. Early on he'd helped my weak self with the ruthless fitness regimen the FBI required, he offered to pull some strings and get the test written off. But I couldn't accept that, there was something in me that just wanted to impress Morgan, and honestly still does. Like somehow if he thought you were cool, then it became true. So I passed the exam, but getting up a flight of stairs was near impossible for a week after.

Emily was probably the fun aunt. The one that would sneak you booze at the family gathering, or take you to your first concert. Emily was actually the one who'd found me, digging around colleges for potential recruits she'd had me picked out for a while I later found out. Insisting that Hotch give me a shot. It was reassuring to know I had someone who would stick up for me from day one.

I was an tech analyst, among other things, sort of a counterpart for Garcia in the field. So it was no surprise to anyone when the two of us hit it off as though we'd known each other forever. We weren't the same by any means though. Penelope was bold, and bright, and confident beyond measure, where I've typically felt like more of a blend into the background type. I've always thought of myself that way, despite my achievements. I'd also always believed I was fairly inoffensive, no one I'd met had ever had a huge problem with me, 'till I got to the BAU that is.

Every rose has its thorn I suppose.

That thorn in my side was Dr. Spencer Reid.

It wasn't that Dr. Reid was a bad agent, or even a bad person. I hadn't actually met him before that first day in the conference room, but I'd known who he was for a long time. Before I came along he'd held the mantle of 'youngest ever recruit' in the unit, while I was studying I'd read any of his work I could get my hands on because of that fact.

I figured it must've been some sort of hazing when he looked me up and down that first day I was introduced, and then proceeded to blank me entirely for a full week. Up until I'd wrapped my first case.

The whole team went straight from the jet to the bar. Proceeding to get far too drunk. Spencer joined, which the rest of the team found unusual, and I probably should've taken as a sign of things to come.

That case went well, and everyone was in high spirits but Reid had a sour disposition, at least it seemed that way every time he looked at me. After a few too many drinks I went outside in an attempt to sober up in the cold air, unfortunately Reid must've snuck outside not long before.

"Ugh" was all he said when he first caught my silhouette approaching him. The night was unusually cold so it had been deserted outside the bar that evening. I wasn't really sure why it made me nervous to be alone with him like this, the two of us leaning back against the same small area of brick wall, looking out at the cold night.

"Nice to see you too doctor" was all I could muster, I was drunk enough that I let my sarcastic tone leap out, "you can relax, I'm just trying to get some fresh air, it's too stuffy in there, and loud. I'm not here to talk to you or anything."

"Well aren't you a sensitive thing" he responds in kind, at that point I wasn't really sure if it was a coincidence or if he'd been genuinely avoiding me, but things were starting to clear up.

"I'm sensitive, that's a fun take on things" I joke, taking a long sip of cold water from my glass.

"And what's that supposed to mean, newbie?" his emphasis on the last word all but confirms my suspicions.

"Fuck man, what's your problem with me? Is it because I'm new, or because I beat your stupid record?" I quip. hoping that at the very least it might coax him out of his shell. Dr. Spencer Reid getting angry at me could honestly be better than the nothing I'd been experiencing from him until now.

"What stupid record?" he sounds genuinely confused

"I'm the youngest BAU recruit now?" I didn't know why else he could be so sour. He'd never met me before last week, and since he'd ignored me that first day I'd done all I could not to step on his toes. So if he had a reason to hate me this much, it wasn't something I'd done on purpose.

He takes a few moments to respond, raising his eyebrows and considering the information. He chuckles. He fucking chuckles.

"That's funny." he says, his voice leveling out, "I didn't peg you as funny newbie" that word sets something off in me again. Something about it is dismissive, or belittling. Before I could fight back he starts to move, maneuvering around me and heading back inside. A little too tipsy to think of anything constructive to say, I just mutter "Fuck you Spencer."

He swings open the door, as he walks inside he just says "See you Monday, Newbie" without even looking at me.

And that was only the beginning.

----

"You know I'm just trying to make sure you get enough rest sweetheart. There's no need to get so defensive!" it was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this call. Since joining the BAU a few years ago this was a standard call from my Mom. Equal parts well meaning and over-bearing, and generally asking far too many questions.

"I'm not getting defensive Mom, I get plenty of rest, my job is just very important to me and you know that." I knew she was right to be at least a little worried, this job was consuming, and in all honesty I wasn't sure how people like JJ were married and still here. It seemed like an impossible feat.

"Fine sweetie, how are your co-workers doing then? How's Penelope? Give her my love" she loved Penelope, I think she thought that Penelope tethered me to the normal world, and in a way she was right. She kept me sane, and fun, and made me eat pizza and do face masks once a week at least. Even when I didn't think I wanted to.

"Pen's great Mom, everyone's good. Well, the usual ones get on my nerves, but I'm fine." As I say it I glance across at Dr. Reid, the only person who's also in as early as I am most days. I'm not sure if he can hear me but he's tapping his pen so loud on his desk that it takes all of my energy not to walk across the bullpen and stab him with it.

"Y'know what Mom, I'm actually just after getting to work and it's a busy day so can I call you back later?" I chance, getting her off the phone is always an ordeal.

"Fine, fine, I'll let you go. But wait one last thing!"

I knew what was coming. It was always coming.

"Are you seeing anyone, Margot's been wondering too, just thought I'd check in?"

Pinching the bridge of my nose and trying not to scream down the line, I just sigh out the frustration instead.

"No Mom, believe it or not, I've made no progress on that front since you asked me all of 3 days ago."

"See you are being defensive!" she snaps

"I gotta go, bye Mom. Love you!" I say, hanging up quickly before dropping my head down into my arms on my desk, resting like that for a few moments in silence.

Hearing Garica chuckle behind my ear I perk up and spin around. She's holding a small paper cup of coffee and hands it to me. I look at it confused, "Sorry about the paper, I couldn't find your mug in the cabinet" she apologizes, looking over at Dr. Reid and rolling her eyes. Now I know he can hear me from his seat, he takes that moment to sip from my mug and place it gently back on his desk.

It hadn't taken long for him to start toying with me. It was always stupid childish things. Things I couldn't get genuinely annoyed at, that would give him far too much satisfaction, knowing he was getting to me in any real way. This was one trick he liked to play if he got into the office before me, he'd take my mug and make his coffee in it, just to spite me I guess.

"Why does he even do that, it's so stale" she said, just a little louder than normal to make sure he could hear. Garcia and Reid were still good friends and team-mates but she liked to stand up for me when she could. He liked to avoid me as much as possible so he'd usually go to Garcia before me if he needed help with something. Even when the two of us were out in the field together. Which was obnoxious but it was just another thing I'd gotten used to over time. And as long as it didn’t interfere with the case I just forced myself to let it go.

"I know it's such low grade bullying isn't it?" I shot back with a chuckle.

"So I'll take it that was Mommy dearest" Penelope gestures to my phone. She knew my Mom, and she knew about her general overbearing energy. I let out a groan thinking about the call again, and the calls that were to come.

"Isn't it always Mommy dearest?" I joke

"So she's still on your ass about the wedding then?" I'm sure Penelope was almost as sick of hearing about it as I was,

"Margot's getting married in like 4 months now, and every time Mom calls there’s just some new hometown loser she wants to set me up with Pen. It's fucking exhausting" I take a sip of the coffee she made me, savoring the bitter taste. She sits down on my desk for a moment, leaning in.

"Honey, did you ever think that if you got out there and found someone, she wouldn't be on your ass at all?" I don't want to think about that, about how she's completely right. All I can do is let out another small groan and lean back down onto my desk.

"Too early Pen" I say, it's muffled by the desk but she gets the message. Hopping up and heading to her own office as some more people start to arrive for the morning.

Leaving me alone to make a start on my paperwork that had built up throughout the week. Fridays were usually slow like this, giving me a little too much time to think. I couldn't shake the thought that my Mom and Penelope were actually right. Maybe I was a bit too invested in the job, and maybe that was a pretty big factor in why my last relationship imploded but I wasn't about to admit that to anyone.

----

After that the day crawls by, thankfully no cases pop up so the weekend might actually be free. Trying to make sure I clear up all of my paperwork takes a little longer than I'd hoped and leaves me alone in the bullpen. It seems like everyone's gone home by the time I've packed up and I'm ready to leave. Which wasn't as out of the ordinary as I'd like it to be really. Everyone else seemed to have somewhere to be on a Friday night.

Waiting for the elevator to arrive my phone started to ring, I could see my Mom's caller ID on the screen. If I just let it go I know she'll call back later, may as well get it out of the way. I take a deep breath in anticipation before I answer.

"Hey what's up?" I answer, stepping inside the elevator as the doors ping open.

"Hi sweetie, I've got good news! Do you remember David? That lovely boy, he helped out your Father that summer in high school?" I know what's coming and rub my temple, trying to stifle the headache I know is coming. As I answer a hand slides between the elevator doors, popping them open again.

Dr. Fucking Reid walks in, and he looks about as happy to see me as I am to see him. I make eye contact and look away just as fast, willing him away with my mind. "Yes Mom, I remember him, why are you telling me this?" I already know the answer but I'm fed up, she still sounds excited when she responds.

"Well you won't believe it! I ran into him at the market this morning and I thought you'd like it if I passed on your phone number to him, maybe for the weddi-" it took all I had not to shout into the receiver, and maybe I would've had the elevator been empty.

"Mom! Jesus!" I have to reign myself in, but I have a bad idea, "You know what, I'm actually sorted. I've got a date lined up now" I'm not sure why I said it with no real plan in place. She sounds even more excited than I've ever heard her.

"Oh my, that's amazing sweetie! That was fast, I can't believe you found one since this morning, it's someone from work so?" she assumes, and I'm just not thinking fast enough to correct her.

"Mmhmm, yeah" I'll figure out the logistics later I rationalize.

"Oh! Is it that boy you're always on about, the one who teases you?" she asks, and her voice is full of joy, and it makes me feel horrible that I'm lying already, and that I'm going to let her down.

"Yup, that's the one, look Mom I gotta go, I'll talk to you later! Night" I blurt out so fast it has to be obvious I'm nervous.

I can hear a stifled chuckle behind me. Fuck. How loud is my phone speaker. Could he hear that. Surely not. But this elevator was completely silent. The doors open and I have to stop myself from running to my car at top speed. Instead I walk out just a little faster than normal, turning around to shoot him a small wave goodbye. And he's got this devious smirk on his face that makes my stomach turn.

Sitting into my car I pull out my phone to text Garcia immediately.

I'm on my way to yours right now. It's urgent.

——

Traffic's light so it takes maybe 10 minutes before I arrive at Garcia's place. My mind's racing and my body takes me there on autopilot. Why did I say any of that, why did I even answer the damn phone. Why did I wave goodbye to Spencer, I never usually did that. Maybe that's why he had that look on his face. Maybe he was just thinking of something funny that happened earlier and it had nothing to do with me at all. That was something he'd do to mess with me for sure.

How was I going to walk this back with my Mom, she was just gonna have more questions that I couldn't answer. Fuck.

Garcia buzzed me up and her door was open for me by the time I got up the stairs. This little purple apartment had become my second home. It was where I spent most of my evenings off, laughing on the same sofa I was collapsing face first into right now. Garcia nestles in beside me and runs her hand over my hair, "Hey sweet pea, what's happening? I don't want to sound too concerned but you're not giving me much to go off? Are you dying, is there drama? You're going to have to tell me what's so urgent before I burst a blood vessel?"

I let out a muffled, "is drahmuh" into the pillow, Garcia shakes my shoulders.

"Sit up babe, damn!" I have to heave myself out of the pillows, sitting upright on the sofa beside her, clutching one of the pillows in my arms.

"It's drama" I repeat,

"Well, out with it then, you know I'll take all the drama I can get! Spill, spill" she rushes me along. I'm already apprehensive, Reid's her coworker too, but if anyone would understand why this was such an issue it was gonna be her.

"Okay, I'm after doing something stupid and I think I really need your advice" I cringe already, thinking back to the elevator, throwing out my words faster, I continue the story, mostly trying to get it over with, "my Mom called again when I was on the way out tonight and she was trying to set me up with this guy, and Reid was there, and I got all flustered, and I told her I had a date already" I throw my head down into the pillow again.

"Wait why was Reid there?" she looks like she's trying to fit puzzle pieces together and she's getting nowhere, "And what's the drama?"

"Shit Garcia, it was in the elevator and it was all quiet, and maybe he heard the call, maybe he didn't but he had this fuckin' look on his stupid face" I can't shake the smug little smirk, it's burned inside my eyelids. Garcia's face falls in what looks like disappointment.

"Ugh Y/N! That's nothing chill out, why does it matter if he heard your call? I know you guys are all weird but none of that is any of his business anyway!" she shoo's her hand in the air, dismissing the whole situation.

"No Garcia, it is his business now" I have to close my eyes when I say it, I can't look at her "I told my Mom that he was my date, well, I didn't say his name or anything, she assumed it was someone from work and so I just agreed, and then she suggested that it was him and then I fucking panicked Pen, I fucked up so bad. What do I do?"

I finally opened my eyes to look up at Garcia. She was sitting in pure silence, pursing her lips in what seemed like contemplation. The puzzle pieces finally slotting together. It's as though a light bulb goes off behind her eyes and she bursts out in fits of laughter. Doubling over on herself before finally taking a few breaths to calm herself down. I'm honestly not sure why she finds the whole thing so funny, she know's how needlessly annoying he's made my life, she's seen it first hand and heard me talk about it over and over again in this very apartment over pizza.

"Garcia, this is not fucking funny! This is serious!" I try to calm her down, I need advice not whatever this is.

"I'm so sorry Y/N, I love you dearly. But this isn't funny, this is hilarious. It's like you're Sandra Bullock in some mid-90's rom com. I love it" I don't love it, in fact I hate it. I nearly snap at her but pull myself back.

"Pen, come on, help me out. What do I do with this, how do I fix it?" I plead.

She stops laughing and pulls out her phone, "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm going to order us a pizza, and we're gonna sort this thing out together, sound good?" I just nod and collapse back into the sofa. I think I feel better now that I've gotten it out in the open.

----

Penelope makes us tea while we wait for the pizza, she keeps lemon & ginger in her cabinet for me, just like I keep mint for her. The warm mug and the steam calm me down. After a few minutes alone to think about it I start to figure it out a little better. I figure I can just lie to my Mom for a while, it might suck but I can pretend for a bit and then make up some excuse as to why he can't come closer to the time. Then I can just bring Garcia instead and everyone's happy. I'm about to float my plan to her there's a knock on her door. I was so caught up that I hadn't really noticed quite how starving I'd gotten. Leaping up of the sofa to grab the door.

I swing it open but it's not the pizza guy. Somehow it's the opposite of the pizza guy, my worst nightmare is on the other side of the door. He must notice my eyes blow completely wide. "Y/N!" he says, more of a statement than a question really, like he's telling himself that he's actually seeing me in the doorway. I'm not as gentle.

"What the fuck are you doing here Reid?!" I can't even disguise my anger. He seems a little flustered, like he's got absolutely no idea how to proceed.

"Um, uh, is Garcia here? I can, um, I can just come back later?" he swallows hard and shakes his head, before I can agree and tell him to get lost Penelope races to the door, pulling it wide open.

"Nope, that won't be necessary Doctor! Come on in, you're right on time sweetheart" she waves him in and he walks past me, his demeanor changing almost instantly. He's smug, like he's won whatever battle this was. And I hate it. Though he's still as confused as me despite the newfound attitude. Reid sits down on the sofa, right where I had been sitting. I bite my tongue and sit on the opposite end.

"Are you okay Garcia?" he asks with a genuine concern, "What's going on, what was the emergency?". He's not stupid, he knows she's not in danger now that he's here. But he wants answers. I don't know that I've ever seen him this confrontational with anyone, well anyone but me. The entire time I’m staring her down as she sits in the armchair opposite the two of us. My keys are in my pocket and my car's right outside. I could just jump up and make a break for it. Escape.

"You know what Doc, you won't believe it but I'm not actually the one with the emergency" she takes a beat, and I'm starting to think that I might understand why people murder other people after all these years, "Y/N has something urgent she needs to talk to you about" she's silent for another moment, and she almost looks giddy, "Actually Spencer, you might already know a little something about the matter already, now that I think about it" she smirks, and it's pure joy.

My keys are in my hand ready to bolt when the doorbell chimes again. "Oh, that'll actually be the pizza this time, if you two will excuse me" she hops up out of the armchair and races to the door, leaving the two of us alone in a horrible silence. The tension is almost too much, I want to speak but I really have no idea what to say, or how to even start saying it. But he starts.

"Y/N what's going on, I feel like I'm out of the loop here? What am I missing?" he asks, and there's something uncharacteristically genuine about the way he says it, but he can't turn to look at me as he speaks. I almost want to let my guard down and just have a conversation but I can’t force myself to do it. "Shut up Reid." is all I mutter, folding my arms across my chest.

He turns sharply on the sofa to face me. "Hey Y/N. Believe it or not I'm about as happy as you with whatever kind of Parent Trap situation Garcia's got going on here. But from what I'm picking up on you've got a problem and I'm supposed to be able to help with it. So do you want to tell me what's going on or not? I can just go?" I can see that there's an anger bubbling right below the surface, threatening to burst. I know I shouldn't but I let him stew in silence for a little too long and he jumps up off the sofa.

"Y'know what, typical" he mutters, rolling his eyes as he says it, "this is all about you." he throws his bag over his shoulders and begins to walk towards the door. Something in me just snaps.

"All about me?! Are you fucking kidding? I've been tip-toeing around you for years, ever since I joined this damn unit!" I shout as Garcia comes back into the room, pizza box and plates in her hands.

"So, who's hungry?" Garcia asks, trying to break the tension, or pretending there's no tension at all. Reid shakes his head in disbelief and rubs his temple before he speaks again, "Actually I was just gonna head out" he gestures to the door, "I'm clearly not wanted here so I'm gonna leave you guys to it." Spencer makes a move to leave but Garcia grabs the strap of his shoulder bag, yanking him back ever so slightly before he really has the chance to escape.

"You are going absolutely nowhere kid" She points back to the sofa, "get back there" she glances to me, staring with far too much intensity. "You too, sit." Her voice is more stern than I've ever heard it, even while we were on a case. I can't help but obey her command and I sit back down on the sofa in silence. Followed by Reid, clearly processing the same uneasy feeling of a serious Penelope.

She sits opposite the two of us again. "Y/N, Spencer, I love the two of you with all of my heart, albeit separately, and I would die for either one of you. But you've got to chill the hell out!" she says it like she's had it bottled up forever. The tension that releases from her as she says it looks euphoric.

She opens up the pizza box and lays it on the coffee table and takes out a slice for herself. Taking a bite she leaves the two of us in stunned silence. Once she finishes the mouthful she turns to me specifically, "Y/N you tell him, or I will." dead serious. And the feeling in my belly is like I've just fallen down an elevator shaft.

My stomach is in knots as I turn to Spencer on the sofa next to me. His face is puzzled and I think I might be able to make out pure terror in his expression. I don't know that I've ever been looked at like this before and my stomach screws up tighter. I have to take a deep breath and I can't believe I'm about to say it. "Fuck it" I have to take another breath almost immediately so I just have to force the rest out, "I don't know if you heard the call I was on while we were in the elevator earlier?" I look up to gauge his reaction and I can see his face relax, and worse than that, one corner of his mouth lifts into a sort of smile. It's a look of pure smug satisfaction and I think I might scream. I have to close my eyes because I really don't think I can look at that face as I say the next part.

"My sister is getting married in a few months and my Mom's been on my ass to find a date for the wedding and she keeps trying to set me up with these losers, so I fucking panicked, and I told her you were my date." by the time the sentence is out my eyes have screwed up so tight it feels like I have to pry them open.

He sits in silence for too long. Thinking, maybe?

"So I'm the boy who teases you then?" he grins. So he did hear. And he did laugh. He looks far too self satisfied. Now he knows he's right. He knows I've talked to my Mom about him, that he's gotten in my head. I can tell from his smile that he's savoring the moment. Mostly because I can't slap the smug smile off his face I drop my head into my hands. In an effort to disappear I guess.

"So," he says, taking a moment, "is that all you wanted to say then?" he asks, lighthearted and obnoxious, back to his usual self. I snap back to reality, shooting my head back up.

"What do you mean is that all?" I throw back genuinely shocked,

"Is that all you had to say Y/N? Can I go now? It's a long bus ride home y'know" he smirks but makes no effort to move. He can't possibly be making me do this.

"Well no, obviously!" I stutter, "I mean, are you, will you, uh?" I can't bring myself to say it out loud. He leans in on the sofa looking directly at me, refusing to break eye contact.

"Did you have something you wanted to ask me Y/N?" I just want to smack that fucking look off his face,

"Fuck you Spencer Reid" I almost whisper under my breath, but Garcia snaps me back to reality.

"Hey!" she looks at me, stern again, "Ask him." it's not a question, or a suggestion, it's a command.

"Fine okay" I scrunch my eyes up again, "Will you come to my sisters wedding with me as my fake boyfriend?" I curl up into myself as I say it, I can almost feel the bile rising up from my stomach. Like I'm having a biological reaction to the whole thing.

Reid crosses his arms and sinks back on the sofa, like he's performing the act of thinking. He's considering my offer to make me squirm.

When he finally speaks he says "Well I would Y/N, but I really fail to see what's in it for me" he's after getting cocky now.

Garcia pipes up, excited, "Oh, Oh! I know! I have an idea!" she interjects, "Spencer remember how a while ago, back after your apartment flooded you were all all worried about your antique books and prints and stuff?" he nods, "Well Y/N could digitize the collection for you as a back up? I know you're a technophobe? C'mon Y/N, you know you could do that no sweat, and it would take you a lifetime alone Spencer?" I really don't want to admit it but she's right. Even I knew Reid was adverse to any technology that wasn't vital, but it was your specialty. And maybe that was a good trade off, a job like that would be near impossible for him to pull off without help. I take a glance over at Reid and he seems to have had the same train of thought as me. He lets out an exaggerated sigh and relaxes his posture.

"Fine, I guess that's a fair trade. I'm in." he resigns and I almost can't believe it. I'm barely processing the whole conversation as he sticks his hand out to me, I'm confused for a second before I grab it and shake it firmly. Condemning myself to whatever's about to happen. And it's not the time to be thinking about it but maybe this is the first time Spencer and I have ever touched? But I shove that thought away.

Garcia's positively beaming and she's not even trying to hide it. "Now it's like you're both in a Sandra Bullock movie, oh, but you're Hugh Grant maybe?" she points to Reid.

"Don't push it" I shoot in her direction, taking a slice of pizza, now that my anxiety stomach has sort of passed.

Once the pizza's been eaten in near completely awkward silence Spencer stands up off the sofa. His unsure demeanor has returned and he looks nervous. "I actually should get going this time" he says but Garcia pipes up to protest,

"No, it's not even late!"

"It takes me a while to get back home, thank you though Pen. For... this?" he gestures to the whole living room, "Night" he waves. He's almost made it to the door before I stand up out of my seat. I'm not really sure what comes over me, maybe it's gratitude, maybe it's guilt, or maybe I'm just exhausted.

"Wait Spencer. Let me give you a ride home?" I ask and it's like it's not even me saying it .

"Thanks, but I think I can make it home just fine" he dismisses, and there’s an antagonizing tone in his voice that snaps me right back to our usual rapport.

"I'm trying to do a nice thing here, fuck! Just let me do something nice!" I snap, and he throws his arms up in surrender.

"Fine alright, if it'll make you feel better"

"Fuck you Reid" I mutter under my breath and I sort of hope that he does hear me really. If he's gonna be hostile about this I can be too. I give Garcia a hug goodbye but I'm going to scold her for this whole thing later.

----

I lead the way outside and climb into my car, Spencer hops into the passenger seat and it feels as strange as always to be alone with him. Especially because it's not an accident, and it's not in work. Maybe this was a horrible idea. He seems like he's unwilling to break the silence, so I just get it over with.

"Where the hell do you live man? I'm gonna need directions." I say, as deadpan as I can muster, which probably isn't all that intimidating.

"Sorry, yeah, so you're gonna want to turn on the ignition" he teases. I definitely wasn't intimidating enough.

"Don't push it" I say, turning to give him a cruel stare, he just reacts with a smirk, that same one from the elevator earlier.

"Oh, I'm pushing it?" he asks, feigning disbelief

"I'll kick you out of this damn car" is all I can think to say. He barely responds, he just lets out a soft chuckle. I want to ask 'what's so funny' but he speaks before I can get the words out.

"I can't believe you talk to your Mom about me" he continues to laugh. That's enough.

"You know what Reid, of course I have! I work with actual murderers on a daily basis and somehow you've been the only real source of friction in my life since I joined the BAU!" He stops giggling a little, but not entirely, he looks like he's making an effort to contain himself.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just never knew I got to you like that" he still finds the whole thing amusing, but I sure as hell don't.

"Directions, now" I demand, looking straight out the front windshield.

"Fine, keep going straight on this road for a while and I'll tell you when to turn" he says, finally playing nice.

The two of us drive silently for most of the journey, the radio playing softly in the background. Eventually we arrive outside his building, and it's nicer than I thought it would be. But I have no idea what I was really basing that on. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that Dr. Reid lived in an actual home, I had pictured him sleeping upside down in a cave maybe, or in a cryogenic chamber with all the other life-like genius robots.

"So," he says, breaking the silence, "When is this wedding?"

"4 months from now, in and around" I respond, matter of factly. Spencer nods, taking it in.

"Alright, so I've got 4 months, in and around, to learn enough to convincingly pass as your loving boyfriend. Doesn't sound so difficult." he jokes, his tone harsh and sarcastic.

"Look Spencer, I know this is insane and honestly kind of stupid. But in all seriousness, you can back out right now if you're not on board with whatever this is. I'm telling you this is the last exit ramp." I try to say it with sincerity, giving him a genuine out if he's not comfortable with the weird set-up that Penelope pulled on us both. He thinks on it for a moment and shakes his head.

"So how are we gonna do this?" he asks, and I really thought he was going to back out. So I don't have an actual answer.

"Well, I uh, I haven't really given a plan much thought. How about I come over and start working on some of the stuff you want digitized like Garcia mentioned and I can use the time to give you the footnotes on my life?" I suggest, at least that would make it easier to knock things out all at once. Rather than having to spend even more of my free time with Reid than necessary. He looks content with the improvised plan.

"Alright, sounds good." he undoes his seatbelt and opens the door to hop out of the car before turning back to me, "Are you coming inside or what?"

— —

Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

[nctrice]

Professor Jaehyun x Female Reader

Rating: 18+🛑

Word count: 2K

Content: smut, unprotected sex, fingering, dominant Jaehyun, praising, teacherxstudent, dilf Jaehyun, slight public intercourse

Disclaimer: I do not own Jung Jaehyun nor claim him in any sort of way. This Fanfiction is made up out of pure imagination and is strictly just fiction.

A/N: this is my first time writing for this tumblr platform and please give strict constructive advice if needed! Thanks!

___________________________

"Gosh he's hot!" I whispered under my breath gazing upon the dilf himself, Mr.Jung or in other words my calculus professor.

He stood tall and confident in front of the oddly huge white board, broad shoulders facing the class until he eventually turns around to ask a random student to answer the question that I had yet to even realize what it was. He swiftly scans the multiple rows of seats depicting who had been paying attention and who hasn't. I slowly began to sink in my seat avoiding be called on at any cost.

"Ah, y/n! I see you there! Come up here and answer this question for the class." He demands in a polite manner.

I had no problem with it of course, until he said to come forth. This is a first he's ever asked anyone to write the actual answer. My heart pounds within my chest, praying I don't make a fool of myself walking down or back up these unnecessarily wide stairs.

Mr.Jung steps aside and greets me with his well known charming smile. The amount of times this man alone has made me want scream to knock all the built up nerves out of my body. He made me feel more than just butterflies, I couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"Need help?" Mr.Jung folds his arms stepping closer.

"N-no thank you, I'm sure I got it."

My hands fumbled to reach for the dry erase marker he held out for me. It was a bit warm considering he's been holding it for more than half the class. I took a quick glance at the question, immediately regretting what I said. I did indeed need help, and I don't got it. I'm sure he could tell I was hesitating as my finger sits comfortably above my top lip.

'here goes nothing.' I thought before writing what I thought was the right answer. Mr.Jung examined the question, "close but not quite. The answer was -9, you forgot to subtract this which why you got -2. Try another easy one similar to this."

Bullshit. This question didn't look no where as easy. If I mess up again oh well, it's not like he'd pop out with another question to further embarrass me. As I thought long and hard about the problem, it began to feel like it was just us two. Him applying an uncomfortable amount of pressure with just the distance between us and me panicking underneath his anticipated stare.

"Not quite right neither, it'd be best for you to stay after class you seem to be having a lot of troubles."

Mr.Jung wiped the whiteboard free of any writing once I answered the last question and moved on with his lessons. I barely made it to the first step before he had wrote the next problem to briefly go over thanks to me. His words far more stern and exaggerated in attempt to sub me. Out of my entire time being in his class this had been the most I've ever seen this man share eye contact. Yet, it wasn't sweet and kind, more like curiosity had taken over and he couldn't get why I answered both questions incorrectly.

That exact thought had been on his mind throughout the rest of the class. A part of him felt anxious to know what it was that made me fumble at the problem that he knew I could solve perfectly fine on my own.

______________________

"Alright you all have a great rest of your afternoon and please do study for this upcoming test. It'll be more than 40% of your grade!" Mr.Jung announced as the classroom flooded out the doors, All except one person.

"Ms.l/n,"

He heaved a deep sigh, shoving his hands into his almost too tight dress pants pocket. He paced around his desk before sitting directly on the rounded edge. He looked dramatically intimidating, like he wanted to degrade you the moment he could.

"Is everything okay? You're normally really good with math. It hurt me to see you troubled with such an easy question."

My hands couldn't help but fiddle with the zipper sewed into my bag. How was I supposed to tell my teacher that he was the problem. Not in any sort of bad way, and not in any good way neither.

"Yeah I'm fine, just had a rough week." I lied.

"You seem kind of tense. Am I making you uncomfortable?" He innocently spoke while his eyes examined my body for some type of body language.

My knees buckled, hands folding anything to keep me calm, and not mentioning my blushed face. I was 100% sure that my face was completely flushed a crimson red. There was no denying it.

He didn't wait for an answer, and simply lowered his curtain covering the window then locked the door. I was unsure of what his intentions were but my mind was far off somewhere it shouldn't be regarding the fact that I'm just his student. The thought of him shoving all of his folders and papers off his desk and pinning me clouded my mind. My dying fantasy to have the slightest interaction that no other girl has ever had with him.

"I'm all ears. That's if you're comfortable with telling me of course." He knocked me into reality as I began to feel guilty for thinking negatively of his intentions.

"I'm not sure I can be completely honest." I mumbled beneath my breath breaking eye contact.

"And why is that?"

Mr.Jung held his arm out for me to grab. With little to no hesitation at all, I placed my hand in his. His thumb grazes over my knuckles a fee times until his eyes darted up towards mine.

"Cause I'm in no sort of position to have such thoughts."

I simply remove my hand from his grip feeling the tense sensation overwhelm me once again building up the need to put an end to this. He sensed it immediately.

"Turn around."

"Huh?"

"I'm not gonna say it again." His voice had more depth and demand stringing to it.

I did exactly what he said, no questions asked. His hands set firmly on my shoulders guiding me closer towards him until I felt the warmth radiating off of his body and onto mine. His thumb running deep circles into my shoulder blades releasing the tension that remained.

"Now tell me what position you feel you need to be in."

His hands made its way to my spine tracing all the way down to my waist before kneading my lower back.

"Missionary?"

"That can work too but I meant regarding to what you said. What position do you need to be in to have such dirty thoughts?"

By now, you were inches away from in between his legs, as much as I wished to be in this dearest situation, my first instinct was to freeze up. Was this really happening?

"I'm just your student. The things I want to do will ruin your career." I admitted.

He hummed at my answer willingly holding my waist and pulling me directly into his lap. I felt the slightest bulge poking me through my thin leggings. His head rested onto my right shoulder sending shivers down my back.

"There's nothing wrong with the student getting a little extra lesson with chemistry." He bluntly stated right beneath my ear.

I began to feel throbbing and anticipation between my legs.  Or maybe I had just noticed it now. His hands ventured from my waist toward the hem of my leggings, thumb pushing past my leggings and rubbing the outline of my panties. My stomach bursted with butterflies under his touch. He bit his lips as he felt the smooth lace of my underwear.

"Good choice Ms.l/n," he huskily whispered.

"Tell me about how you fantasize about me in explicit detail if you would."

My chapped lips parted realizing a deep breath I held in since he began to touch me in the ways I haven't yet imagined. His fingers trailed down to palm my womanhood gently creating the knot in my stomach.

"You had me alone like now, desperately removing everything off the desk to pin me down. Ripping my shirt in half as you cupped my boobs. One hand busy playing with my nipples, the other rubbing rough circles on my clit as you told me come."

He chuckled in response as he removed his hand from me and remained silent. As much as I wanted to turn around a catch a glimpse of his face, I was already too embarrassed sharing my intimate dreams with him.

He bit his lips dauntingly, "can I?"

"What?"

"Can I make that dream a reality?"

He slightly nibbled onto my ear, heat fuming from my dripping core soaking my panties by the second. I silently nodded afraid to speak at all. "I want to hear you say it, can I touch you?"

"Yes, Mr.Jung."

"Good girl, just for this I'll allow you to call me Jaehyun okay baby?"

I nodded once again holding back the whimpers threatening to leave my lips. His hands rubbed my ass gently getting rough within seconds, groping me every chance he got. The bulge teasingly poked at my core as he undid his pants lowering his draws enough to let his member spring free; slowly stroking himself onto my ass. Jaehyun grunted as the friction increased. His fingers tugged the the hem of my leggings sliding them down to my knees locking them in place.

"Damn you're sexy." He moaned taking in the sight of my now exposed ass. He stroked himself aggressively before tracing my spine with his fingers and bending me over. His other hand pushing my panties to the side as he inserted double digits into my soaked core curling his fingers and his thumb circled my clit. My breath became unstable panting like there was no tomorrow.  My walls clenched amongst his digits fighting the urge to come.  "Mhmm I-I can't hold it." I moaned balling my fists up against my knees for support. He took his digits out sucking every ounce making sure I heard the slurping noise before he lined himself at my entrance.

I inhaled a sharp breath as he entered his tip inside me. I had no clue how big he was but felt my walls adjusting to the girth of him. I bit my lip, holding back from the moans. His hands firmly placed on my hips as he shoved the rest of his large length inside me. I let out a small gasp followed with hitched breaths as his length reached what felt like my cervix. "Shh, you don't want no one to hear you don't you?" He whispered stopping in his tracks for a split second. He pulled almost all the way out coated with your juices only just to shove his length in back in reaching spots he may have missed.

"Oh fuck." Jaehyun groaned thrusting sluggishly. My walls clenched around him causing his grip to tighten on my waist. Tears streaming down my face in pleasure. He picked up the pace being careful enough to refrain from making any clapping noises. As much as he want to rail me until my eyes rolled back and seen stars he couldn't, not in this environment. Yet it was still enough to satisfy the both of our needs. Soft whimpers were the only thing he'd allow out of my mouth, anything louder than that he'd immediately pull out as a sign of punishment. His hand left my waist grabbing fistfuls of my hair and yanking it to see my fucked out facial expressions.

"Jaehyun." I breathed out as he rammed into me.

"Ms.l/n, you dirty little slut of mine, Ms.l/n you feel so good taking all my length in your wet pussy." He groaned aggressively in my ear pounded into me completely forgetting the fact that we were in his classroom. ~

"Ms.l/n! Please stop zoning out in my class!" Mr.Jung semi-shouts jolting me out of my day dream.  I immediately fixed my posture examining the dozens of eyes all drawn towards me including Mr.Jeong. He cocked an eyebrow at me before running his tongue on the inside of his cheek.

"See me after class." He demanded and continued on with his lesson. And just like that, I added on to my series of fantasies with my Calculus professor.

.

[msmarvelwrites]

The Winter Ghost - Part 3

Info: A Devastating car crash causes you to lose your memory and start over. The only thing left in the wreckage was the horrific nightmares which plagued your mind. If you knew what today would entail you would have just stayed in bed. But you didn't and because of that, everything you knew was about to change.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x y/n

Warnings: PTSD, violence, swearing, anxiety. 

W/c: 2k 

A/n: Big thanks again to @cutie1365​ for editing this chaper. Girl is a hero, honestly. And thank you guys for all the love on the previosu chapter. Enjoy! 

   "Welcome back, мой ребенок " His breath drifted across your cheek and startled you awake. The sound of the lights above you buzzing, mixed with the musty smell of wet basement made you nauseous. You tried to move, but your arms were chained down to the table. Frantically you looked around the small room for some way out. That's when you saw him. A ghost of someone you couldn't quite remember. The way his crooked body twisted as he approached you made you squirm. 

   "Do you not remember me? Did I not leave a lasting impression? мое сердце разрывается." He chuckled and clutched his chest dramatically. You opened your mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Instead, you pulled on the chains violently trying and failing to free yourself. 

    "Please, do not hurt yourself. That's his job..." He trailed off looking in the direction you couldn't bend your neck to see. Suddenly there were two large bodies on either side of you, holding your arms tight against the bed. 

      "Where is the blueprint, мой ребенок ?" He questioned. You thrashed against the two zombie-like men but it was no use.

 "Fuck you!" You nearly spat. His only response was a sinister cackle that bounced off the walls of the room. 

"Fine. Have it your way... Tell me, Y/n. If I cut off your arm, do you think 2 more will grow back in its place?" He smiled a wicked grin. The two men next to you looked to him, awaiting his orders. 

   "Сломать это." He shrugged, casting his gaze to the floor. In seconds, the man on your right twisted your arm so it was stretched out, palm down. In one swift movement he brought his elbow down, colliding it against yours, shattering the bone. Your screams mixed with the sound of your bone cracking echoed all around you.

     "Fucking monster! I don't care what you do. You've already taken everything from me! I'm dead already." You all but shrieked. Purple and yellow bruising was already growing around your twisted arm.

   The lanky man took two wide steps toward you, now hovering over your head. A long deep scar ran from the top of his brow, down his nose and along his lip. His eyes bulged and he spoke.

"Not everything... However, that can be arranged. We cannot kill you, you have our blueprint..." He paused for a moment like he was thinking.

 "Это готово?" Is it ready? He asked the man to your left. He only nodded. A sickly grin spread across the ghost’s lips. 

"Perfect. Call me when you're done. We'll put her on ice, so to speak." He walked towards the steel door in the corner.

   "What do we do with her after?" One of the men by your side asked. You were surprised by how high pitched his voice sounded. Their leader grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"Put her in a car and push her off a cliff for all I care. I don't need her remembering anything but the blueprint. Not yet anyways." With that, he left. The steel door slamming behind him. There was a horrible drilling noise as an excruciating pain ripped through your brain. Tears welled in your eyes as you passed out.

   Your eyes burst open, squinting as you adjusted to the bright lighting. You looked around panicked, realising this was not the coffee shop. The room was white and clean and bright. You noticed a quiet beeping from the machine beside you, echoing your heart beat. I.V's protruded from your forearms. Your eyes slowly fell to the man sitting in an arm chair across from you. 

     "Hey there, slugger. How'ya feelin'?" He chuckled. You recognised him as Captain Rogers. As you focused, you noticed he had a pink gash on the bridge of his nose and bruising under his eyes. You opened your mouth to speak, but a dry cough came out instead. You cleared your throat, and tried again.

 "I-I'm okay. What happened to your face?" Your voice only came out as a raspy whisper.

   "You." He spoke matter of fact. When you only stared at him he continued. "You can really pack a punch. Are you sure you're just a barista?" He scoffed, eyeing you carefully like at any moment you could attack. As if your body didn't ache at the thought of moving a finger. 

"I'm not sure of anything anymore." You signed, staring at the tiles on the ceiling. You looked back to Captain Rogers. "Where are we?" He smiled and stood crossing the room towards you.

 "You're safe. That's all that matters, Y/n. A friend of mine will come by later with the nurse. He's kind of an expert when it comes to your situation. Hang tight, get some rest. I'll come check on you later." And with that he exited the room. 

  About an hour later you began to feel your muscles relaxing. Slowly, you sat up on the bed, taking in your surroundings. ‘I'm never going to financially recover after staying in this hospital,’ you thought. 

   "Well it's a good thing this isn't a hospital, doll. Not really." You looked up startled by the man leaning against the doorframe of your room. You weren't aware you had said that outloud. He noticed your surprise and chuckled deeply. He had a sort of lopsided grin and long, dark-brown hair that framed his stoic features. The deep red shirt he wore was pulled taut against his broad shoulders. And then you noticed a silver metal arm loosely tucked into the front pocket of his dark jeans. The man quite literally looked like he could tear you in half like a piece of paper, but his eyes gave him away. They were soft and kind and crinkled just slightly at the edges when he smiled. You stared at him, hypnotised for what felt like forever until he cleared his throat, knocking you back into reality. You felt the blood rush to your face and looked away, the floor suddenly becoming very interesting to you.  

     "It can be really overwhelming when you first get here. Trust me, I know." He spoke, asking with a nod if he could enter your room further. You smiled weakly and he took a step through the door. 

"Steve told me what happened. You really knocked him around good." He laughed, his ocean eyes sparkled as he did. 

"I don't remember," Your voice was much softer than his. He must have been referring to Captain Rogers. You didn't peg him as a Steve. Maybe a Brian, or Bruce... Or Grumpy. The nickname made you smile. 

    "Yeah, I know that feeling all too well." His smile faded but his eyes stayed locked to yours. The intensity of his stare made you blush. "It used to happen to me a lot. But, Steve helped me remember myself. He can help you, Y/n." The way he said your 'name' made you shiver. You couldn't tell if you really liked it or not.  

   "Who are you?" You blurted, sounding more direct than you meant it to. He smiled, "Everyone around here calls me Bucky." You looked around as he said that. 

"And where exactly is 'here'?" You fired again. He chuckled softly. 

"Welcome to Wakanda, doll."

      A little while later, after Bucky explained to you several times who the Avengers were, who Steve was and why you were here, one of the nurses entered. The nurse took a few tests, drawing blood from your arm. You winced and instinctually looked to Bucky. His eyes were soft and filled with concern.

   Steve took a seat beside Bucky on the windowsill and smiled half heartedly. "I'm sure you're very confused Y/n. My friends and I are going to do our best to try and help you remember everything Hydra made you forget." He disclosed. 

You looked to Bucky and he nodded reassuringly. "Piece of cake, doll." He offered, kindly. 

You smiled and looked back to Steve. "Okay... Fill me in."

   An hour and about 80 questions later Steve finished explaining and you finished asking. You didn't remember anything he spoke of, but you knew if you were here, there must be some truth to it. It helped that Bucky sat beside you the whole time. Steve explained that your father had worked for S.H.I.E.L.D for many years but when he realized they had been infiltrated by Hydra he left. Same as you. Hydra was behind your family's house fire. They  murdered them, just like they did Tommy. Steve explained what a good man he was. That he worked across the hall from you and would often leave you notes on your desk. You looked to Bucky who was staring at the floor, picking at his nails uncomfortably. 

     "They were working on a new type of brainwashing. One that would wipe a person's memory's completely leaving only fragments of the truth. It was a way to keep S.H.I.E.L.D agents who knew too much quiet." He continued. He looked to Bucky, whose eyes were still fixated on the floor. 

"Is that what they did to you?" You asked him. His head snapped up, empathy in his eyes. 

"Nah, doll. Not exactly." He explained. You waited for him to continue but he never did. 

     "What about my car crash? The doctors said-" Steve cut you off, "Hydra staged the whole thing. After they cleaned your slate they couldn't have you questioning where your memory had gone. It was easier to keep you thinking the crash had caused brain damage and that's why you had pieces missing." He finished. Suddenly the strange nightmares began to make sense. Maybe your memory was beginning to return?

   "Will I ever remember?" You asked, your voice small. You didn't know if you really wanted to. From what Steve had told you, your life sounded pretty fucked up. Maybe Hydra did you a service by wiping your memory. 

   "There is a way," Steve started, looking to Bucky who was gazing out the window now. "One of our friends, Shuri, has come up with a remedy. She helped Buck regain his memories, too. We can start the process today. We have to take it slow, though. A lot happened to you, Y/n. It may be really painful to re-live. But, you have the blueprints to a weapon that could quite literally end the game, so-"  

  "Ultimately, it's your decision Y/n. We're here to keep you safe. Not just from Hydra. I won't let anything bad happen to you." Bucky interjected suddenly, cutting Steve off before he could finish. His words were soft and kind. Steve looked to his friend and back to you, knowingly. 

"Thank you Bucky. But, these assholes took everything from me. I can't stand by when I know how to end this." He nodded in understanding. Part of him looked almost disappointed. But you quickly brushed it off. 

  "Then it's settled. I'll ask Shuri to start prepping. We'll get you a better room to keep you comfortable. Oh, and Y/n" he paused, getting up and heading to the door. 

You looked up and he smirked, "Welcome to Wakanda -" 

"I already said that." Bucky mumbled over Steve. The blonde gaped at him, taken aback by his sarcastic tone. 

"Fine whatever, I thought we agreed that it was my thing but okay."

.................................

A/N: ahhhh chapter three!! Im having so much fun with this you guys! thank you so much for reading. As always, any and all feeback in welcomed! Hope you have a great day! 

[study-and-be-gay]

I posted 60 times in 2021

30 posts created (50%)

30 posts reblogged (50%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 1.0 posts.

I added 273 tags in 2021

#studyblr - 44 posts

#jordstudies - 31 posts

#reblog - 28 posts

#aesthetic - 27 posts

#a levels - 26 posts

#a level politics - 25 posts

#a level history - 25 posts

#a level english - 25 posts

#studyspo - 24 posts

#mock exams - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 63 characters

#i work in a charity shop i can get books for 50p i have so many

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Hi!! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted but welcome back to the chaotic world of Jord trying not to fail their mock exams haha.

Life's..very stressful right now. Not really sure what to do but I'm sure I'll make it through somehow.

Love you all loads, hope things are going well <3

Date: 22/11/21

21 notes • Posted 2021-11-22 21:18:37 GMT

#4

How I Revise For A Levels

Quick brief before we start. This is just my method, I’m not saying it’s correct nor that it will work for anyone else, just figured I’d share in case anyone is interested :)

1) Long notes. Exactly what it says on the tin. Use the textbook, revision guides, whatever you need. Just make detailed notes about *everything*. This step takes a long time, I usually make somewhere between 12 and 15 pages of notes per topic. It’s...not fun, but since A Levels are over two years, I definitely need to go over stuff in detail considering we learnt it years ago. An example of my notes:

2) Summarise. This is about condensing down all that information into manageable amounts. I get the key subheadings of each topic and write a couple of sentences for each. You have to *really* summarise because you’ll never learn dozens of pages word for word. For example, I got the topic of Democracy and Participation from 11 pages down to 2. An example of my summaries:

3) Mindmaps and flashcards. Now it’s time to cram that information into your head. Make mindmaps and write them out a few times (I can’t remember what the method is called, but a good trick is making a mindmap, copying it out again from memory and writing whatever you missed in a different colour). Flashcards can be handy, I personally just say them out loud over and over again. Technically for the exam things only have to be in your short-term memory, so repeat repeat repeat.

4) Test yourself! Here, I do a mixture of mini-tests (like making up and then answering questions to remember important statistics/definitions) and full past papers. It’s not just how much knowledge you have but how you apply it, especially under timed conditions. Don’t stress, learn from your mistakes, and make sure you have a good understanding of what type of question you’re going to be answering.

And that’s it! I hope this is a little bit helpful for folks, it’s worked out pretty well for me so far but I know everyone learns differently. I’ve got mock exams coming up so I’m right in the middle of this process which got me thinking I should share it. Happy revising! <3

Date: 29/10/21

23 notes • Posted 2021-10-29 15:33:41 GMT

#3

Messy notes I took in English class today. 

Whoo boy first day back has been a lot. 

English was interesting, Miss is trying to toughen us up a bit without overwhelming us but it’s a hard balance to strike haha. Still, my coursework will be done by the end of next week and that will be a big weight off my shoulders. 

Politics was really interesting and we got through quite a lot, just really need to get some revision resources off my teacher which he hasn’t got yet- mocks are only 5 weeks away ahh!

History was less stressful than I thought it would be and sir has been super helpful with the coursework aspect of it so fingers crossed it won’t be too overwhelming. 

Submitted the first draft of my personal statement and apparently it wasn’t too bad so that’s a plus! 

How did everyone’s day go? Monday’s can be a lot, but new week, new start! Love you all, stay safe <3

Date: 1/11/21

30 notes • Posted 2021-11-01 17:20:07 GMT

#2

2nd December- What is your favourite thing about winter?

This probably isn’t the best answer but I love it when it’s the last week of winter term and all your teachers let you watch films. I’ve got some great memories of watching the animated Christmas Carol film in English a few years ago. Things tend to be more relaxed around this time of year. 

I’ve been very productive so far today haha. Spent almost 4 hours making notes on the last politics topic on the paper we’re going to do for mocks. They’re getting way too close now, just praying I’ve done enough work to get decent grades. 

Came home from school a bit early since I don’t have any lessons. Planning on doing a bit of self care then cracking on with a few more hours of work before I get some sleep, trying not to burn out right before exams hit. 

Actually got to walk to school in the snow today! It’s been ages since that happened! I was so caught up in it I was almost late lol. Sadly the sun came out and melted it all :(

Hope everyone’s doing well! <3

37 notes • Posted 2021-12-02 14:48:14 GMT

#1

Studyblr Intro

About me:

-Hi, I’m Jordan :) -I’m 17 and my pronouns are they/them -I’m in Y13 in the UK -I’m studying English Literature, Politics and History -Going to be sitting my A Level exams this academic year

Interests:

-I love politics, reading, and talking about random queer history :) -I’m a big musical theatre fan -My comfort show will forever be Bake Off -Nothing beats a good cup of tea

Why studyblr:

As much as I enjoy school, I still often struggle with motivating myself to work due to mental health issues. I’m hoping that this blog will help me stay accountable but also let me meet some cool folks with similar interests (plus I just really like the aesthetic haha).

Goals:

-Keep on top of my schoolwork -Get into a healthy study routine -Do well in my mock/real exams -Prepare for university

Blogs that inspire me:

I’m a big fan of @study-van @jeonchemstudy and @bulletnotestudies hopefully I’ll get a chance to find some other cool blogs too!

47 notes • Posted 2021-08-23 12:56:01 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[addictofsupernatural]

Emotions (pt. 1)

Billy Hargrove x reader

Summary: Once Hopper lets y/n go to school, she catches the eye of a bad boy who isn't use to such kindness.

Word Count: 1729

Chapter 2 • Chapter Masterlist

When Hopper agreed to let you go to school, you were ecstatic. You came up with the idea to use yourself as a test run for this year to make sure it was safe for El to go to school next year. So there you were, happy as can be while being dropped off by Hopper's cop car.

You were known as the police chief's daughter. You came out of nowhere and nobody had ever seen you before, so everybody just came to the conclusion that you were adopted.

You didn't expect people to be the way they were. You were also perky and abnormal, and people at school took that as a sign to stay back.

You still had a smile on none the less. You were grateful to be living a life around people, and you understood why nobody talked to you. Normal people don't understand the abnormal, and they don't want to understand it. You couldn't really relate because you were never normal, but you understood.

Emotions were your specialty. One touch, and you could alter a person's emotions. Your name was five, but once you were flipping through a book of names called a phone book and came across the name y/n. You liked it, so it was yours now. You considered yourself lucky that you got to pick your own name. You have a name, a life, and a 'superpower', as Dustin put it. What wasn't there to be happy about?

Suddenly people were talking about the new kid. Apparently someone from California came to Hawkins and was going to school with you. You hadn't met him yet, but you figured that he was like the rest. People who make fun of you. But it's okay. You were still happy for the life you have, and weren't going to let anybody storm through your life.

It was a week into school, and Billy had girls begging to have him and guys begging to be him. He was the center of attention. But he's noticed a quiet girl lately, you. He sees you passing by hallways, sweet to people even when they don't respond back nicely.

You were considered a weirdo. You wore faded jeans with flannels and button up shirts too big for you. You were also very innocent and didn't seem to know basic things that was common to other teens. Even when people began to treat you bad, you were still nice, which caused people to consider you even weirder. It was alluring to watch for Billy, and something about it made him want to learn more.

He was hanging out in the hallways with his group of followers when he saw you walking by, books in your arms. You had a peaceful look on you as you kept your head low. "Who's that?" He asked.

The y/n girl?" One guy laughed. "Just a nobody. She's kind of a freak. Police chief's daughter. She was adopted a few months ago or something."

"I can't tell whether it's her last home or her new home being the reason for why she's so weird." A girl snickered.

That irritated Billy. Of course they they thought like that, what with their perfect little lives. It's easy for them to think like that with their silver spoons up their asses. He continued to watch you as some guy walked over to you, smacking the books out of your hands and pushing you forward, causing you to fall. If there was anything Billy hated more, it was people being physical with the innocent. He might treat his stepsister poorly himself, but he never touched her.

"Hey!" Billy said, stomping over to the guy, shoving him to the lockers. "The hell was that?!"

The guy looked freaked out and confused. "What Billy? Who cares, it's just some loser who thinks she's too good for anybody anyways."

Billy responded by shoving him back into the lockers and pinning him there. "You listen to me." His face became close with the other's. "You leave her alone. You don't talk to her, you don't disrespect her like that, and you damn well don't touch her. Got that?"

The boy only nodded, and Billy released him. He then ran off in the hallways. Billy looked around at everyone as they watched him. "Anyone got a problem with that?" He asked. Everybody then looked away, and he walked over and kneeled down while you picked up fallen papers. "You okay doll?"

You looked up at him with your doe eyes and smiled lightly. "I'm okay. Thank you for that."

He handed you some papers from the floor, and you got back up. "It's no problem for someone as cute as you."

You tilted your head to the side. "I'm cute?"

Billy wasn't expecting that. He decided to flirt a little. He took a step closer. "Very cute."

Your cheeks felt hot and a warm feeling in your chest came. You smiled and looked down. "No one's ever called me that before."

Something about you just felt so refreshing and light to Billy. He wasn't used to your innocence, but he sure could. "Well they should. C'mon, I'll walk you to your next class. Where are we going?"

You giggled slightly. "Um, biology. Ms. Laz."

He gave you a flirtatious smile. "Well, how about that? My schedule just got changed, and that's my next class. Are there any seats left for me in that class?"

You looked down bashfully. "Just the one next to me." Your voice became quieter.

"Well, lucky me."

You both got to the class when you stepped in front of him, preventing him from going inside. "I just wanted to let you know that what you did for me was very nice. You're a good person Billy, really." He didn't know how to respond to that. You didn't even know him, but you think he's a good person? Nobody's ever given him a compliment like that. And you knew his name? The bell rang before he could respond, and you went inside.

The teacher assigned Billy the seat next to you and told everybody to get started on the lab. You quietly worked with a content look on your face. "So," Billy said as he leaned towards you. "Chief of police's daughter. What's that like?"

You shrugged. "I don't judge Hopper by his job, I judge him by the type of person he is. He's a good guy. He snores really loudly and makes weird noices when he eats sometimes but he's a good guy."

You nodded your head contently as Billy chuckled. "Well don't you just look at the bright side of life, huh sweetheart?"

"Why shouldn't I? I can finally say that I have a home, and I have more than one pair of clothes. Of course I'm happy. People just don't like to see things the way I do, and that's why they don't like me."

Billy thought about your words. You only had one pair of clothes, and you never felt like you had a home? Billy still feels like he doesn't have a home, and he knows what that means, so something inside of him tells him that you didn't have a peachy life.

He didn't know how to respond sincerely, so he turned on his charm instead. "I like you. Does that mean that I'm not like other people?"

You shook your head. "Nope. You're better." You giggled at Billy's facial expression.

You began to inch closer to Billy, but glanced to your side and leaned back, going back to your work. "Something wrong doll?" Billy asked.

"It doesn't look like any of the girls are happy with me right now." He looked around at all the females in the room staring at the two of you. "They seem a little territorial of you.

"Well that'll be too bad when they find out I'm gonna sit with you at lunch." You looked up and grinned as he smiled at you.

The two of you sat on the indoor bleachers, neither of you with lunch. "What happened to your lunch?" Billy asked.

"Oh, um, these girls really wanted it, so they took it out of my bag when I wasn't looking." You said in an innocent way. It was like you didn't see the wrong in what happened. It seemed that you could read his mind, because you then said, "It's okay though. I cook dinner at home, so I know I'll get food then."

He felt bad, more bad that you accepted the bullying than the fact that it was happening. You then excitedly asked questions to him, and he talked to you about things he experienced in California. You were actually listening to him, giggling about how he was such a daredevil, and how you wish you could be able to do things like that.

Once the bell rang you told him what your sixth period was, and sure enough he was waiting by the door to walk you outside. "I've been meaning to ask," he said. "What's with your clothes?"

You frowned and looked down, suddenly feeling weird about them, though you didn't know why. "What about them?"

"There's nothing wrong with them babe, I think they look adorable on you, but are big flannels and baggy pants all you got?"

"Yup. I wear what Hopper gives me."

He stopped you as you both stepped outside. "Well sweetheart, we've gotta do something about that."

You titled your head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Me and you are gonna take a little road trip after school tomorrow, okay?"

Before you could ask where he was planning on taking you, a car honked in the front of the driveway, Hopper's hand out of the window with his cigarette as he honked his horn with the other. You looked back at Billy and smiled big. "Um, I gotta go. Can't wait though!" And with that you rushed off to the police car.

[coralstudiies]

SURVIVAL GUIDE & STUDY TIPS

hello everyone!! this post is a collab with the lovely and amazing @boinkhs because we've both reached 2k followers :D she'll be doing study tips for college students and i'll be doing study tips for high schoolers. check out her post here!

i've split this into part 1. survival, which concerns how to study & learn better in general and just tips on how to get through high school. part 2. is on specific study tips for each type of subject, namely sciences, maths, languages and humanities.

Hope this helps <3

1. Don't snooze please

you just end up snoozing 5 times then you’re late for school

2. If you find you have difficulty getting out of bed, just keep in mind ONE TASK you need to do.

for example, making your bed. then you just gotta focus on that! it should help fight the sleepiness because you’re forcing your brain and limbs to be active.

3. Do the necessary things like brushing your teeth, putting on clothes and eat breakfast

i don’t know why but some people don’t eat breakfast before coming to school like ???? excuse me ???? please eat at least a small snack, or a fruit or something. your body doesnt function on an empty stomach! also, drink some water to hydrate yourself

4. On the road, you should do something that puts you in a good mood.

for me, i go straight to spotify and listen to my playlist. you should also review the previous day’s learning so that you refresh your memory before going back to class. personally this is my fav part of the day HAHAHA

5. If you like, you can choose to read a book.

just make sure you’re calm but ‘warmed up’ to focusing in a sense.

1. Hydrate frequently

idk man it just keeps you awake + i dont feel so icky if i drink enough water

2. Learn actively

if the teacher asks questions, try to answer. sit at the front row. offer to help give out the worksheets or notes. clarify your doubts after. when they speak, copy down notes. don’t worry about the aesthetic; i mean you can but you need to write fast and neat which unfortunately doesnt come together very often. i suggest you spend more brain power digesting and understanding the content.

3. Don’t over highlight

ONLY KEY POINTS that are stressed by the teacher. you can tell when their tone changes, expression changes, when they use more hand motions, or they keep repeating a few key words. yes , that. highlight that. stare at it while listening to them speak. make sure you understand. if you don’t please ask. but make sure you don’t have a fluorescent page because that’s not ideal study material!

4. Write down any questions you have

if they’re answered in the lesson, cancel them off. if not, ask after the lesson. dont be scared! *sends virtual courage*

5. Use whatever free time you have to finish homework

because you’re gonna thank yourself later. you should spend more time at home revising than doing homework. ( doing homework isnt equivalent to revising PLEASE I KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY REVISED FOR 3 HOURS BUT ALL THEY DID WAS HOMEWORK ) also it feels better knowing you have one less thing to worry about

6. Record down all assignments, due dates and test dates

do it in a planner or your phone. doesn’t matter just keep them somewhere. it can be demoralising to see an entire entry of shit to get done but still it’s better than not knowing what needs to be done. ignorance is NOT bliss. try to color code or symbol code them, for example • for assignments (due date behind), - for tests etc. act on this when you go home (see below)

7. Have a file/binder some form of organisation to keep different subjects’ worksheets, tests, notes, reading etc.

you can have one massive binder, one binder for each subject, one folder file for each subject or anything that suits you. for me, i clip all materials of one subject together with a binder clip. the materials i use most are at the front for easy reference. then put those bundles into zipper files, perhaps one for math and sciences, another for languages and humanities. or whatever suits you best! make sure you have everything in one place so you don’t panic and dig through a pile of dog-eared paper.

8. If you can, when it’s near the exam period, don’t stay back after school unless it’s to study.

i used to stay back for training and to play volleyball with my friends and i kid you not we would play from 2pm to 6.30 pm and get nothing done but it was fun. and i’m not saying deprive yourself of that fun but when the exams are near, you should be studying somewhere quiet/ somewhere you can focus. you should go somewhere (preferably home) where you can focus and get things done.

9. Decide if you’re a lone wolf or if you need a study buddy/study group

personally i’m a lone wolf because i hate distractions and i don’t want to distract others. but when my friends ask me for help i don’t mind staying back a little to teach them and/or study with them. Personally i find that for subjects like english which require you to write about an array of topics, studying with someone else can help in generation of essay points and to just broaden your understanding of the topic. so yeah it really depends, just do what suits you :)

10. Take notes in class

try to understand while copying, and if you didn’t understand something, you should raise your hand and ask for the teacher to repeat so that you hear it again. also, it gives you more time to take notes as they re-explain the content. read them after the lesson is over to help internalise some facts. you can create your own method of organisation for your notes, e.g. colour coding.

1. Review the day’s learning on the way home.

if you take public transport, try to flip through your notes and worksheets to review new content for the first time.

2. Eat lunch, have a snack, take a shower, everything that’s necessary.

if you use your phone while eating, make sure you don’t eat slowly just to use your phone because that’s wasting time.

3. If you’re super tired, just have a 15-20min power nap

nothing more otherwise you will NEVER wake up until the dead of night. just take a nap to get some energy back. doesnt matter if you wake up feeling more tired, because you’ll shake that feeling in a while. keep a glass of water beside you so that you can drink it once you wake up!

4. Look through your ‘list’ that you made earlier in the day. (in class, pt. 6)

you might want to spend max 10 mins updating your schedule. then stare at the dreaded homework. start with the easiest and least time consuming to build up momentum. this could actually be the remainder of what you’ve finished in school. then look at the due dates. do them in order of due dates. unless it’s a huge project or assignment, you might want a head start on it!

5. With the remaining time, you should start revising

review the day’s learning AGAIN.

make notes/mindmaps/flashcards whatever works for you. you should prioritise the subject or chapter that you were most confused about. quickly revise and try to clear up any questions you have about the chapter. if you have additional time, go ahead and make notes for the next subject! another way is going through corrections and clarifying your doubts with friends/teachers, and summarise the day’s learning on a post-it or two. if you’ve already taken notes in class, look at other sources e.g textbook and combine what you’ve learnt before re-writing or re-organising your notes.

1. Pack your bag!

remove unnecessary materials, and pack the necessary one. make sure your bag isnt too heavy. you can choose to hand carry some files or binders if they’re too bulky, but make sure you’re all packed before the next morning

2. Have a meal & clean up

again, basic necessities. don’t go to bed hungry or feeling icky because thats not how you treat yo self!

Before class:

if you’re going to continue on a chapter, review the content that came before it. Try to make your own connections between the already learnt and to-be learnt content so that you’re mentally ready for class.

In class:

take down notes, highlight, annotate and DRAW DIAGRAMS. you can’t do sciences without diagrams. for physics or chemistry which require more calculation, copy down the problems your teacher goes through and solve them along with him/her. write the formulas on a post it note so you can stick it onto the page where you’re writing for easy reference. if the teacher plays a video which is MOST DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR YOU you have to write only the relevant points in the most abbreviated form possible.

Note-taking:

I find that linear notes help me most in sciences. for chapters that involve lots of interconnected processes, for example o chem, then mindmaps or flowcharts will be helpful. also if you tend to forget something, post-it that stuff on the front page of your notes where you are FORCED to stare at it. yes. write down example problems and their steps, then write explanations for each step so that if you’re confused you can always refer back. again, draw any required diagrams.

Answering techniques:

if there’s a ‘standard’ way to answer it then you have to make sure you follow that way even in your homework because it’s muscle memory. when you get to exams, your hand will automatically write in the same format so you don’t lose marks or spend time recalling the correct format.

imo sciences are quite logical so as long as you remember and follow the flow you’ll be fine!

In class:

copy key terms, facts and examples and write all examples that the teacher has gone through. write all formulas and definitions on a post it, then shift it around the pages as needed. if there’s a type of problem you particularly suck at, ask your teacher for help IMMEDIATELY because it’s so easy to forget the steps to a problem.

At home:

do your homework, do additional practice, correct your mistakes, clarify, and repeat. memorise formulas and definitions (perhaps using flashcards or post its) then practice more and make sure your concepts are strong. there’s no easy way and sadly this is all i can comment.

In class:

copy down notes, think actively, and if you’re given a sample essay you should annotate the heck out of it and keep it somewhere safe.

For essays:

read up more and write up. befriend the best writer in class and ask for their essays. write essay plans and consult your teacher. brainstorm possible approaches with friends. read the news, and copy the links of interesting online articles for future reference. have a go-to list of examples and quotes you can use, for any and every topic. read these like your bedtime story and never forget to keep updating them.

For comprehension passages:

read the questions first. then you’ll be more sensitive to what you need to read in the passage and how you need to analyse it. try to question yourself about how and why the author does something or makes you feel something. do not rush-read the passage or you will fail horribly (personal experience). do one or two extra comprehensions and ask your teacher to mark them.

In class:

ARROWS TO LINK EVERYTHING and annotate any class notes given. write down new examples provided by the teacher. if there is a link you ‘can check out’ go check it out. it’s probably something thats gonna be on the exam.

At home:

you have to rely on mindmapping and flow charts because everything is linked in some way and you cannot ignore those links!!!! although i do my humanities notes in linear form, my in class notes are all in the form of mindmaps. and actually i revise from those in a pinch because i can see everything at one go. watch vids on the concepts, for example plate tectonics. those things are so hard to see when they’re deadass sitting on the page and not budging. watch a video where they really move instead of being frozen.

If you’re so frickin lost:

watch more videos on the concepts, watch more videos on the events, search up interpretations online and ask your teachers!!! for everyone who gets equally lost as me when i’m faced with a new chapter, another way is to pre-read before the teacher starts teaching. if you’re lazy to read just watch a couple clips on it so that at least you have some background. even if you wake up the next day with 0 concrete memory, which you won’t, you’ll already have the flow of things which will help you if you’re usually the straggler.

(disclaimer i study geography although i've tried history and english literature but i think that they're similar to some extent, especially on how to study them)

[funesgoal]

Undercover | Will Halstead (part 2)

Pairing: Will Halstead x Ruzek!reader

Word count: 1,777

Summary: Y/N is Adam Ruzek's sister but she is also very good at being undercover. Her aptitudes are very good for a cop, except she isn't one. One night she chooses the erroneous target and everything starts to go wrong.

Warnings: none.

Part 1

The Chicago police intelligence unit used to catch every criminal that it set out to catch. The other officers thought it was easy, but they never saw the work before the arrest. Searching for information, gathering facts, talking to informants. None of the superiors took into consideration their hard work, which was not done alone. Each and every one of the detectives in charge of Sergeant Voight put in their greatest effort to make the teamwork pay off.

But on this particular day, Detective Jay Halstead could not concentrate. His phone kept vibrating in his pants pocket, and that was something everyone had noticed.

"Halstead, are you with us?" Voight's gaze settled on him.

"Of course, sergeant."

"Well, tell that to your cell phone."

The boy's face turned red instantly because of the embarrassment he felt about being exposed by the boss, in front of all his buddies. He took out his smartphone and hid it under his desk, ready to kill the one who kept calling.

He was surprised to see that it was his brother Will.

«Stop bothering» He wrote the text as fast as he could and sent it. He immediately got a response.

«We need to talk. NOW. »

Millions of ideas crossed his mind about what might be happening and none of them was good. It could be his father. Will wouldn't bother him if it wasn't something important. He knew very well that he was at his workplace.

His thoughts must have been transferred to his face because when he raised his head, everyone, in the room was looking at him.

"Jay, do you need to go outside?" This time Voight wasn't being ironic, he was being supportive. The ex-soldier nodded to go somewhere away from the rest. "Thank you, sergeant" he said.

Once alone, he started calling.

"Will" his voice came out like a sigh as soon as his brother answered the call, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I don't know" he answered. Jay didn't know how to interpret his tone of voice. "I'm so angry, how could I be so stupid!"

"Wait, wait" he tried to calm him down. "What are you talking about?"

The man on the other end of the line kept yelling things the detective couldn't understand. He asked him to calm down, one more time. "I have to tell you everything."

"It's all right."

"I've been robbed" there was a deep silence on the call. "Not on the street, not in the hospital. In my house. By a girl I met in a club."

Jay rolled his eyes. "I really can't believe you called me to talk about this. Report the lost property and get over it. It'll give you experience."

"You don't get it. It wasn't just a robbery. It was all planned, Jay. She injected me with some kind of substance to put me to sleep. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. She's turned the whole department upside down."

The detective didn't even let him finish. "It's okay. We're working on a case now but when you finish your shift at the hospital come down to the station so we can try to reconstruct his face and get an arrest warrant. Are you happy with that?"

"I don't know" Will finished the call and of course he wasn't happy with his brother's response. Meanwhile, he went back to Voight and the rest of the team.

Erin Lindsey was standing in front of the board. The images that were on it had been taped there a few minutes ago. "Julio Mamani. He belongs to the Latin Gods. We've seen him and his people before, but they had always gone unnoticed. They've cooperated with the police a few times." She said, pointing to the man in the first photo.

She stepped forward and pointed to the next photo. "Andrés Rivera. He has worked with the Latin Gods, but he separated from them in 2016. Our informants say Mamani and Rivera had fought and Mamani forced him out of Chicago. But one of Antonio's informants claims she's seen him come back."

"Do you trust her, Antonio?" Hank asked the dark-haired detective.

He nodded. "She's never lied to me. Her information has always been true."

"The question is, why is Rivera back right now?" continued Erin, trying to develop the information as clearly as possible. "If he left almost without a fight before, what's so important that he came back to face Mamani?"

Adam Ruzek stepped forward so that he could ask. "And why do we think Rivera came back for Mamani? I mean, maybe he forgot something the last time he was in Chicago."

"We know from this" She pointed to a picture with very low quality. The first thing you saw at first glance was the pixels. You could see that it was a cargo truck. The second thing you could see was the kilos of cocaine that the members of Latin Gods were taking out of the truck. "This image was obtained by Mouse from the security camera of a nearby pharmacy. All this cocaine, we could count at least 20 kilos, belonged to Rivera. He's been smuggling it into Chicago's Mamani areas for at least three years."

"We think Rivera's back to take down Mamani" Antonio stood up and joined Erin. "We're not sure, as I said, it's a theory."

Olinsky, from his hidden desk, made an important point. "And if Rivera ends up with Mamani, a gang fight will break out."

"Exactly" Erin finished. "And we can't let that happen."

Hank Voight nodded. He stood up, ready to give the orders.

"Halstead and Lindsay, find out everything you can about Rivera. I want to know every step he's taken in the last four years" the sergeant pointed them out. Then he turned to Ruzek and Atwater. "You two concentrate on Mamani. Find out about the places he usually hangs out. If Rivera goes looking for him, he'll probably do the same. Al, come with me."

Sergeant Platt appeared in the room accompanied by a red-haired man. He was wearing medical clothing and his face was unsettled.

"Halstead, your brother is here," said the woman, then she turned and walked out.

"Yes, thank you, sergeant."

Will Halstead joined his brother. He welcomed him with a smile, mocking him. "So... How are you?"

"Stop mocking me, Jay. I'm telling you, I'm serious. "

They weren't alone in the room. Erin Lindsey and Kevin Atwater were with the brothers. They both said hello, curious to know what was going on. It was the woman who asked first. Jay went ahead and answered.

"My brother had a problem with a girl."

"It wasn't my problem!"

"Atwater, how many girls you meet in bars do you take home?"

He didn't want to answer, but he didn't have time because Will beat him to it.

"I met this girl at a club, we had a couple of drinks and went to my apartment. I woke up today with the whole place a mess and no credit cards. I took a blood test" he pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket. "She injected me with midazolam."

"That's what you get for wanting to take every woman you see to the bed" he went back to bother him. "Kevin, could you help us make a portrait of her?"

Atwater nodded and got on with it. Erin took her notebook. "Tell us everything you remember about her."

"She was blonde, long hair, brown eyes. She must have been in her twenties, twenty-two. She was British. She said she arrived in Chicago just yesterday."

The woman was writing while the man was drawing on the tablet. Jay looked at him to ask him a question. "Did she tell you her name? Anything about where she was staying?"

Will snorted. He put his hands to his head, slowly denying. "She told me to call her «Agatha Christie» "

Then Jay and Kevin broke up in a fit of laughter. So much that Atwater had to put the tablet down to keep it from slipping out of his hands. Lindsey didn't copy them, though. "Come on, Erin. Don't pretend you're not amused."

"I am not really," she said, rereading her notes over and over again. "She just got to Chicago and the first thing she does is go to a club and make out with a guy?"

"That may not be your type, Erin, but hers is."

The woman bit her lower lip. She shook her head. "No, all of this is odd to me."

Atwater got in the way. "What do you think? Looked like her?" He showed him what the picture looked like. Will pointed out a couple of details and after the corrections, the man was sure of the picture.

"Yes, it looks like her" he suddenly seemed to remember something. He put his hand in one pocket and tried to find something, but without success, and then he went back to the other one.

Ruzek entered the room. He had a folder full of papers and looked ecstatic. "Hey, you won't believe what Mouse and I... Oh, hi, Will!" He walked over to the others and handed out different papers to the three detectives. "Well, what Mouse and I discovered. Every Friday night Mamani and a good number of the Latin Gods go to the West Meigs Casino. Apparently, they frequent certain prostitutes, one of whom is an informant for Antonio, which would serve as a starting point for us to go undercover."

"Great job, Ruzek" Kevin congratulated him.

"Wait, I haven't said the hard part yet. Mamani will be in a special room at the casino. The police could ask for a warrant, but, obviously, the Latin Gods wouldn't go if we did that. So, Mouse is trying to get away in and-What... How...Where did you get that, Will?"

Ruzek pointed to his right hand. The surgeon raised it in the air, showing what was in it.

"The girl left it at my house. She probably dropped it while she was putting away the money she stole from me."

"What are you talking about?" He said, but then he left his question behind. "You know what, never mind. That's a ticket to Room 11! Where Mamani will be!" the excitement was in the man's voice. "I have no idea how you got it, but now we just have to make enough copies. I'll go tell Mouse to do it. You're a genius, Will!"

Erin took one look at Jay. "You still think she had nothing to do with it?"

[cartermarcian]

4Kids Korner - Season 2 - Episode 3

I'm a bit late this week because I got caught up with work and school-related dread, but now I'm back to bring you more 4Kids products! This week we have an epic trifepic: Winx Club Magazine Issue one - the castle, Kirby Right Back at Ya - Ice Kirby (DVDouble-Shot) and Kirby Right Back at Ya - Kirby Comes to Cappy Town!

Let's start by getting the smallest one out of the way. Here's Kirby Right Back at Ya - Ice Kirby (2005)

There's something I oddly like about DVDouble-Shot. Starting In 2005, the DVDouble-Shot line was introduced featuring two-Episode DVDs of 4Kids most profitable shows as a way of promoting 4Kids TV. As for the consumer, the main selling point is that you could buy them for a low price, collect and possibly trade them with your friends, kind of like Pokémon cards. I like the idea of one kid saying to the other on the playground, "hey, wanna trade your Ninja Turtles for my YuGiOh?" How successful they were, I have no idea, but they're fun and easy to review on this show. Given their small portion size, practically every DVDouble-Shot is the same. This one had the episodes "The Chill Factor" and "DeDeDe's Snow Job," in accordance with the ice theme of the disc. It also features assorted promos for then-current and upcoming 4Kids shows identical to those seen in the 4Kids TV September demo disc (which I will hopefully review some time in the future.) Before we move on, though there's one little thing I want to point out about the box art. You can't see it in the photos I've provided, but the ice monster on the cover is far more pixelated than Kirby, if you look closely at it, so it appears to me that they lifted it right out of the episode and placed it on the cover. I guess that's just what happens when no official art of a character exists for your graphic designers to use...

Now that we have that one out of the way, let's talk about the stars of today's episode, which actually turned out to have much more historical value than most of the other stuff in my collection. So say hello to the Winx Club Magazine Premiere Issue, The Castle (2005)

This is a very special addition to my collection not only because it's part of what I consider to be 4Kids' absolute peak year, but since the book was presumably printed in January of 2005, it means this was one of the first pieces of of merchandise to feature the now-famous 4Kids TV logo. Heck it might have even been printed before then. As for the book itself, it's quite cute as it features everything an 8-11 year old girl wanting to be a hip and trendy 2000s teenager could want, and contains surprisingly few ads for Winx Club merch. And even more adorable, is the publisher's attempts to fit that description using words like "slammin'" in sentences. I call it a magazine, but it's really more dedicated to the comic included, "The Castle," which I would have read, but I needed to get some sleep the day I read it, so I skimmed the book's numerous activities, instead. But for those still interested, the comic is a retelling of Bloom's enrollment in Alfea, with original art that's pretty accurate to the actual show. But the book's real allure is the activities. Like the free trading card you'll see in the photo above. It even comes with a full-page description of what a trading card game is, making reference to YuGiOh in the process, which I thought was funny since 4Kids owned that, and also because it heavily implies that only boys play YuGiOh when the show itself has many female duelists. After that, you have a faux interview with Bloom taken from the perspective of a fellow Alfea Student. What I remember most clearly about that, is that Bloom says she listens to top 40's, which made me think "man, she's got some trash music taste," even though I, myself have said on multiple occasions off of tumblr that I listen to basically everything. Also included on the magazine are a paper fortune-telling toy, a best friend diary which includes a "secret crush" slot to fill in, a page for writing down predictions about the reader's future, and even a personality test which assigns your traits to a type of flower, as suggested by Flora on the page. The funny thing about this is that one question asks for the reader's favorite kind of movie, and one of the options is "anime everything," which I thought was funny since anime was just starting to get big at that time in America, and the online anime community was just starting to grow. Finally, on the last page, probably the most creative of all, is a step-by-step slumber party plan by Musa, which details inviting everyone over, having them show up dressed as their favorite popstar (like Brittany Spears, for example) and bring their favorite CD from said popstar, then taking turns playing them and talking about them. It sounds quite fun, and it made me smile imagining all the little kids who tried this. That's exactly what I think is awesome about children's entertainment: it makes them happy and builds their imagination. So that's the Winx Club Magazine, a really good buy, but I must admit they used the same art of the girls more than once on a few occasions, and also wrote in a plot hole in the interview with Bloom, where she says she discovered her powers as a child, but in the show she unlocks them at her current age when saving Stella from the first monsters of the series. So it may have a couple flukes, but still quite enjoyable.

And last, but never least, it's time for Kirby Right Back at Ya: Kirby Comes to Dream Land (2002)

This one is also historically significant for two reasons. One is that it was the very first release of one of the more famous non-Pokémon/YuGiOh shows 4Kids had to offer, but it also played a part in promoting the very launch of the Fox Box, as you'll see on the box art. This disc may only have the first three episodes of the show, but it super makes up for it with a plethora of special features, more than any of the DVDs I currently own, and that they strangely enough don't tell you about on the box. And speaking of the box, though you might not see it, the episode descriptions on the back are written entirely in comic sans. Yeah, it's clear to see 4Kids wasn't quite as sharp as they would be in the next few years... and the DVD menus are also written entirely in this font. But that doesn't take away from the outstanding value. much like the Fright to the Finish DVD, this one's special features are split between two menus. For this one, there's "More Kirby" and "Added Attractions," which is the far superior one, but more on that in a minute. The More Kirby menu features a character gallary telling you about the main cast, set to music from the show. Then there's "Kirbyoke," which is there to teach the kids the words to the theme song. And finally, we have a preview for the next DVD in the series, which at that point hadn't a proper name, so Mike Pollock's voice just refers to it as "Kirby Right Back at Ya Volume 2." Then, in the "Added Attractions" menu, we have a promo for Cubix - Robots for Everyone's first DVD release, a short promo for the newly-launched FoxBox.TV website, and the star of this review by far, "What's Inside The Fox Box?!" This incredible 14 minute long promo (which you can find on Youtube, by the way,) previews every single show in the Fox Box's initial lineup as a way of hyping up the network for it's September 2002 launch. Well, kind of... You see, 4Kids made multi-minute promos for their own productions, complete with plot synopses by Mike Pollock and others and theme songs for the shows. Meanwhile, Stargate Infinity, a third-party show, only got a promo featuring still images of the main cast, a paper-thin explanation of the plot and no opening, all clocking in at under a minute. So, yeah, pretty lame move on 4Kids part, but at least we get to see HD footage of 4Kids lost Ultraman Tiga dub. Ultimately, it's a really fun promo from 4Kids' very beginnings as a dedicated children's entertainment company, even though it uses some uncut clips of guns in Fighting Foodons since the dub wasn't finished at that point. One last thing to point out: the promo for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which hadn't even started production at the time,) features an unused theme song demo for the series which also made it's way onto the illusive Fox Box CD. So there you have it, one of the DVDs that started it all. Thanks for reading about it, as well as my other items this week. I will be back with more next week, so hang in there, and I'll see you all next time. Take care!

[pindaleng]

Title: I don’t usually give in to peer pressure (But I’ll give in to yours)

Pairing: Staubrey

Chapters: 1/1

Wordcount: 2902

Summary: Brooklyn Nine-Nine AU (Inspired by episode 1x13 “The Bet”)

Aubrey Posen loses a bet with fellow detective Stacie Conrad, resulting in being forced into the "worst date ever" with her, but things turn out better than she expects.

And maybe there's something there between them...

As Stacie Conrad knelt on one knee in front of her, presenting a ring in a blue box, Aubrey didn’t know if she had ever felt this humiliated.

She was supposed to win this dumb bet of solving more felonies than Conrad, and prove once and for all that she was the better detective. (And also take Stacie’s prized 1994 Mustang in the process.) But somehow, Conrad managed to run a prostitution ring and snag five extra felonies with an hour to spare of their deadline. So instead of holding her head up in triumph, Aubrey slumped her shoulders in defeat, awaiting her fate with an extremely bruised ego.

“Will you go on the worst date ever with me? You have to say yes.” Stacie grinned up at her.

“Yes.” She muttered, looking anywhere but at the woman in front of her.

“She said yes!”

The bullpen burst into hollers and applause, and music blasted from some boombox dug out for who knew where. Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” filled the room as everyone but Aubrey celebrated her misery.

This had to be the worst day of her life.

Continue reading on Ao3 or below

Aubrey groaned when she heard the firm knocks on her apartment door at 7 pm. She shifted her dress one last time before prying the door open.

Stacie stood smiling in the doorway, wearing a medium length black dress that perfectly accentuated her cleavage. (Not that Aubrey was looking there.) She held a bouquet of roses, and gave Aubrey an immediate once over. “I was right, hot pink does look dashing on you. Though I think the person in the dress is what makes the color hot…”

Aubrey rolled her eyes. “I look like freaking Elle Woods. Do I seriously have to wear this the entire night?”

“Yes ma’am. Though you might get to have it off early if you play your cards right.” Stacie teased with a wink.

Aubrey rolled her eyes again.

Stacie grinned and handed over the roses. “For you.”

“Conrad, you know I don’t like flowers. They’re wasteful and impractical and as my father always says—“

“Yes yes of course but a lady deserves her flowers.” Stacie interrupted. “Now let us go lest us be late to our celebration at the bar.”

“Are you going to speak like you’re from thirteenth century time the entire night, or?”

Stacie merely tutted at the jab and led her to her car parked across the street, pausing before the passenger door.

“Oh and there is one rule of the night. Break it at your own risk.” Stacie said solemnly, and Aubrey quirked her eyebrows. “No matter what happens… you aren’t allowed to fall in love with me.” Stacie deadpanned.

“Won’t be a problem.” Aubrey replied with equal inexpression.

“Great.” Stacie brightened and opened the passenger side door. “Into the car now m’lady, we’ve got a date to begin!”

They made pleasant small talk on the drive to the bar. Aubrey briefly worried if their “date” setting would make things awkward, but they quickly fell into familiar banter. Besides the excessively floral and pink dress she was forced to wear, the date was far from being the worst she’s ever been on.

They arrived at Barden’s, the de facto hang out spot of the ninety ninth precinct, and as Aubrey went off to the bathroom (after asking permission, and Stacie cheekily giving it), Stacie found a spot next to her fellow detective of the nine-nine, Cynthia Rose, at the bar.

“So how’s the date going with you and Posen?”

“Well, I’ve got a lot on the list.” Stacie began counting off on her fingers. “After hanging here for a bit, we’re going to Times Square and taking pictures with every single person in costume there. Hoping to see lots of cookie monsters. Then, we’re having dinner at a super fancy Italian place but we’ll be bringing our own bottle of wine, which was the cheapest I could find at the corner store, and is even labeled as ‘wine drink’. Finally, a night walking tour where I will ask our guide loads of dumb questions and say they’re all from Aubrey.”

Cynthia Rose narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “That’s a lot of effort and money going into quote unquote, ‘the worst date ever.’”

Stacie shrugged. “I’ll only have this one chance to make her do anything I want.” She frowned. “Wait, that sounded wrong.”

“Or,” Cynthia Rose mused. “You’re taking this as your one chance to romance her…Oh my god.” Realization dawned on her. “You still have a crush on Posen!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Stacie found it was a perfect time to look at her nails.

“You still have a crush on her after two years? I thought you were past that. Girl, you are so gone.”

CR looked pointedly at Stacie in silent challenge while she continued not to make any eye contact. They stayed like that for a moment before Stacie broke.

“Okay fine you caught me! Yes I still like her and it’s not like she’s the easiest person to ask on a date.” She threw her hands up in surrender.

“So instead, you just talk about all your dates loudly, mess with her entire organization system, and engage in various bets with her? That’s some real playground stuff, Conrad. You’ve never been the type to pine over someone, so what’s gotten you pulling on the reins with this one?”

Stacie snatched CR’s beer from the counter and took a swig. “Well, Aubrey’s not just someone.”

Cynthia Rose’s smile grew. “Yeah, you’ve got it so bad…”

“Shut up.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Stacie saw Aubrey return from the bathroom and immediately jumped up. “Love to continue chatting CR, but got a date to humiliate.” Stacie said, emphasizing the last word.

“You mean, romance.” CR muttered into her beer that she took back, but Stacie was already gone.

She grabbed Aubrey’s hand, dragging her up onto the mini stage at the front of the bar, despite her protests. Stacie stepped up to the mic propped up on a stand, tapping it to test if it was on. Satisfied, she stood up straight to address the crowd of her fellow coworkers.

“Welcome everyone, to Barden’s inaugural karaoke night!” Stacie announced, and Aubrey whipped her head to look at her in mortification.

“No you didn’t.”

Stacie grinned wickedly. “All songs tonight with be duets with our lovely Aubrey Posen here as your partner. And so, we will be starting off the night with me and her singing ‘Love Is An Open Door’ from Frozen.”

Cheers erupted as the unmistakable opening notes of the song started, and Stacie passed an extra mic to Aubrey. “You’re Hans! Don’t miss your entrance!”

Stacie started speaking on her cue. “Okay, can I just say something crazy?”

“You’re the worst.”

“Not the words, do better.” Stacie quickly said before her next lines. “All my life has been a series of doors in my face. And then suddenly I bump into you.”

Aubrey resigned with a dramatic sigh. “I was thinking the same thing! Cause like…”

Stacie was pleasantly surprised when Aubrey started singing, as she was actually really good. She made a mental note to ask about it later, and also to tease her that the resident “no-fun-allowed” Posen knew all the words to the Disney song.

Just as Stacie was about to start the second song (she queued up “Take Me Or Leave Me” from Rent), she heard a “Conrad!” calling from her side.

“Chloe, tag in!” She shouted to her friend as she jumped off the stage and walked over to see what her captain wanted.

“What’s up?”

“One of your informants called about a shipment happening tonight, and since it’s your case, I’m going to need you to stake out the spot.”

Stacie flashed through all the date ideas she still had planned (“how romantic” Cynthia Rose’s voice echoed annoyingly in her head) and hesitated. “Normally Captain, I’d be all down for this but I really was counting on a night of making Aubrey miserable, and I think rescheduling it would lose the first date magic.”

Gail looked unimpressed. “This isn’t up for negotiation.”

“Well, as long as I can bring Posen with me.”

Gail nodded. “Just get it done.”

Stacie turned around to Aubrey singing a duet of “For Good” with Chloe, looking like she was maybe enjoying herself despite her pinched face. “Darling! Duty calls!”

Aubrey cut off a high note with a relieved “Oh thank god” and hurried off the stage, following Stacie to the exit.

“I didn’t know you could actually sing.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

They sat in Stacie’s car, observing the entrance of the warehouse in front of them, watching for any movement that might be deemed suspicious. Aubrey finally got to change out of the hideous pink dress and into her spare blouse and dress pants at the precinct, denying Stacie’s offer for the clothes stashed in her car’s trunk.

(“Those are the clothes you’re choosing to change into? When I gave you sweatpants and sweatshirts as options?? I’ll just wear them myself then.”)

“Like how you’re also apparently a closet Disney fan?” Stacie teased.

“I have some taste what can I say?” Aubrey shrugged.

They settled back into quiet, just looking ahead, comfortable in each others presence.

“Hey, can you pass me my binoculars? I think they might in the glovebox.”

Aubrey opened the compartment, and reached in to lift the binoculars to give to Stacie, who put them right to her eyes.

Still curious about what kind of things might be in her coworker’s car, Aubrey snooped through the glovebox, riffling through what seemed like important documents and insurance cards, and finding a massive bundle of something bound together with rubber bands.

Stacie looked over in mild panic at the sound of rustling papers. “Oh wait, don’t look through…that.”

Aubrey took out the object, eyebrows raises in inquiry. “Why do you just have a batch of pens in your car?”

Stacie turned back forward, and Aubrey could have sworn she saw a blush rise on Stacie’s cheeks as she put the binoculars back to her face.

“Just in case the roses actually went super poorly, I’d have a backup plan. Since you like that brand of pen in all those colors, or something.” Stacie said defensively.

“You noticed what kind of pens I like.” Aubrey stated, impressed.

“I’m a detective, I wouldn’t be qualified for my job if I didn’t.”

Aubrey smiled softly. “For the record, I actually did appreciate the roses. That was actually pretty romantic.”

“Shut up.” Stacie retorted for the second time that night, but with no malice. “Hey I think I see a door open to that building over there, wanna look if we can get to the roof for a better view?”

Aubrey squinted. “Looking at your car from this far away, is it red or orange?”

They sat on a stack of wooden planks as their roof lookout spot. Stacie was right, it was a much better vantage point than her car; they were able to get a wider view of the area.

Stacie chuckled. “It’s technically red, but the idiot I paid to do the paint job didn’t do so great, so it’s been peeling steadily forever, and thus you can see the orange under.”

Aubrey looked sternly at Stacie. “Your car still has manual roll up windows. And whenever I’m not hearing about the new date you’ve taken in the car, inappropriately at work I might add, I’m hearing about you bringing it to the shop again. It probably breaks down every month, why do you keep it around?"

Stacie was silent for a minute before slowly starting to answer.

“I have two older brothers, one of which is a doctor, and the other an engineer, and each of them probably make about five times my salary now.” Stacie admitted. “Before joining the police force, I figured that was the kind of thing that I should do, and it was what my parents wanted me to do. So, I originally went to school for chemical engineering, and got a job out graduation at Boston Scientific doing research, but it didn’t really feel right, so I quit after a year and enrolled in the academy.”

“That’s quite a big jump.” Aubrey remarked. “Why police specifically?”

“I watched a bunch of police and crime dramas growing up and always thought they were super cool. And I dunno,” she shrugged. “I guess I wanted to help people too, not just work where I’d make the most money.”

“Noble cause.” Aubrey said, genuinely meaning it.

“And I bought the car when I got my first police paycheck, as a kind of ‘fuck you’ to my family, since they weren’t exactly the most supportive with my choice.” Stacie turned to face Aubrey. “I’m assuming my Mustang has nothing on that sleek Subaru of yours, were you gonna just torch it?”

“Nope.” Aubrey popped the ‘p’ at the end of the word. “I was going to test out if it actually is a chick magnet, since I’m not sure if the rumors are true…” she teased.

Stacie put a hand on her heart in mock offense. “How dare you! I can give you plenty of proof thank you very much.”

“Okay, disgusting.”

Stacie laughed, a wonderful sound to Aubrey’s ears. “I wasn’t even thinking there, for once.” She looked thoughtful. “What about you? Why’d you go into police work? Your dad?”

Everyone knew New York Police Commissioner Posen. “He wants me to be commissioner like him someday,” Aubrey sighed. “But lately, I’m not sure that’s something I want. Like, he was never home when I was growing up, and when—if I have a family someday, I think I’d want to actually spend time with them. I want to make it to captain someday, but further from that I don’t have any plans.” She confessed, then looked apologetic. “Sorry that’s not really something I’ve ever really talked about with anyone.”

Stacie put her hand over Aubrey’s, the support grounding her. “I really appreciate you telling me. I honestly do.”

And suddenly Aubrey realized just how close they were, hands touching and faces just inches apart. She thought she saw Stacie’s eyes flicker down to her lips, but before she can contemplate it any further, they’re jolted out of their reverie by the sound of tires on the concrete nine stories below. They pull apart immediately, and Aubrey weirdly felt a loss of the warmth of Stacie’s hand on hers.

“Shit,” Stacie mutters under her breath, shaking her head as if to brush off some intruding thought.

Aubrey felt the similar need to clear cobwebs from her mind. Was the date real? Was Stacie about to…

“You good there Posen?” Aubrey looked over to see Stacie with her hand out. Did she want to hold hands…?

“I asked for the binocs?”

Right. Of course. The binoculars. Professional setting.

She handed them over and Stacie peered through them at the truck below, now with a couple of men filing out the front.

“Those look like our guys. Wanna go bust them?”

“Does Pilot sell fountain pens? What’s the plan?”

“I’m going to take that as a yes. Follow my lead.”

They arrested the two guys without problem, catching them off guard by pretending to be a lost, slightly tipsy, couple. After bringing them in, as it was late, they decided to just head home instead of rejoining everyone at Barden’s.

Stacie followed Aubrey up the stairs to her apartment, one hand on her lower back over her blouse. It pulled away once they got to their destination though, and Aubrey immediately missed the contact.

“You know you don’t have to walk with me to my door, I’m not going to get snatched in the five steps from your car.” Aubrey said in amusement.

“You never know! And also it’s just date etiquette.”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be the worst date ever?” Aubrey’s eyebrow quirked.

“Some rules can’t be broken even for bad dates.”

“Like walking someone back to their door.”

“Exactly.”

Aubrey actually had a much better night than she expected, not that she would admit it. It might have helped that the stakeout cut off any of Stacie’s other plans, probably each more humiliating than singing musical duets in front of all her coworkers.

“Right, and speaking of rules,” Stacie started in a serious tone, “did you manage to follow the only one of tonight?” Aubrey looked confused, so she continued. “The one where you can’t fall in love with me.”

“Ah yes,” Aubrey nodded in solemn recognition. “Of course. It was really hard, but I think I managed.”

A flash of emotion (disappointment?) flickered on Stacie’s face but quickly disappeared. “Well, good.” She glanced at her watch. “And, it’s officially past midnight, so I guess you’re off the hook, Posen. See you at work Monday.” Before Aubrey could react, Stacie placed a soft kiss to her cheek, and whispered a “bye” a hairbreadth away from Aubrey’s mouth, pairing it with the sweetest smile, before turning and walking back to her car.

As Aubrey watched Stacie’s back get smaller, she brought a hand to where Stacie’s lips touched, the skin seemingly electrified.

Maybe she did break the “not falling in love” rule.

[eren-666]

every thing you should know about microblading in Toronto

What is microblading?

Microblading Toronto is a type of eyebrow architecture. It is all about creating the best shape for each face – a totally bespoke approach for each client,' explains Jalaf.

'The process of microblading Toronto is very precise thanks to the tool that is used which is effectively like a pen with the nib being a sloped blade with 10-12 little needles at the end - needles that don’t penetrate the skin but just delicately scratch the surface, much like a paper cut. ‘The needle very finely implants featherweight strokes with a medical grade pigment on the epidermis layer for the skin, creating fine, realistic and natural hair strokes.'

How is microblading Toronto eyebrows different to having your brows tattooed?

'Microblading, unlike tattooing, is not in the deep layer of skin, but more on the surface. This is also not permanent, and the color fades within 18 months. 'The hair strokes are far more natural and finer than any tattoo, as a handheld needle/blade is used – there is no electrical gadget in Canada permanent makeup that permeates deep in this technique. There is therefore more of a scratching noise, rather than a buzz of a tattoo gun which pierces the skin so deeply.'

What is micro shading and how is it different to microblading?

Yes, the names might sound confusingly similar but microblading Toronto and micro shading are totally different, we promise.

Both forms of semi-permanent make-up for your eyebrows, they have a few subtle but important differences. Compared to microblading's super precise, individual hair look, micro shading has a much softer finish. Think of it like using a brow pencil compared to a brow powder or pomade. Where microblading Toronto tattoos hair-like strokes in your existing brows, micro shading tattoos tiny dots along your brows for a less defined finish In Canada permanent makeup.

Can you be allergic to microblading?

'There are people who are sensitive and allergic to some pigments, but in my experience, this is extremely rare. I will always perform a patch or scratch test to check you are not allergic prior to the treatment Canada permanent makeup.

How much does microblading Toronto cost?

'A Suman microblading Toronto treatment costs £500. This includes a consultation, the initial treatment as well as a top up treatment after 6-8 weeks.'

What actually happens when you get your eyebrows microblade?

1. 'I shape the brow area by threading the hairs, cleaning up the area and preparing it for the treatment.'

2. Numbing – this takes 40mins using a topical ointment. While this is working its numbing magic, I'll show the client color swatches and discuss together the best shade for their desired look.'

3. 10 minutes before the numbing cream has got to a stage of working, I'll use my tools to begin measuring the area around the brows, taking into account face shape, symmetry, facial features etc.

4. Then I begin the needling process - gently implanting the pigment via featherweight strokes. Each stroke is a superficial line in the skin where the color pigment seeps in and settles then. If there is any discomfort at this stage, we add another quick layer of numbing cream to the area which will become effective after 5 minutes in Canada permanent makeup.

5. I add on a final layer of pigment that stays on for 5mins, clean the area and et voila – beautiful brows!'

6. 'In 6-8 weeks there's a top-up session to fill in any gaps where the pigment hasn't taken or healed properly.'

Why is there a top up microblading Toronto session and when does this happen?

'The top up session happens after 6-8 weeks. This is the time where I can assess the first steps, and add in any further strokes and add a darker pigment if preferred.'

What happens in the mean time?

'You'll need to follow the aftercare instructions (see below) and avoid any picking or scratching. Your eyebrows will start to heal over, much like a tattoo, which might cause irritation but is totally normal. In the next ten days or so your eyebrows will change color, might become flaky and look like they've faded but this is totally normal. They'll reveal their final color and shape after around 30 days. This can then be topped up at the second session.'

How long does microblading Toronto last?

Microblading Toronto lasts anything between 12-18 months, but the longevity of the pigment will depend on your skin type. People with slightly more oily skin will tend to last around the 12-month mark before needing a top up, but those with normal skin can last up to 18 months. Your brows will eventually fade away if you don’t continue with top ups every 18 months or so. There is no scaring or discoloration with the pigments used, so you wouldn’t know if you left them to fade out Canada permanent makeup.

Does microblading hurt?

It doesn’t hurt as such; it is more a sensation. The process itself is not painful thanks to the numbing ointment that is applied. It's sometimes the sound of the blade which people find worse – a small scratching sound. The whole process is very quick – it's actually the numbing which takes most of the time (50mins), you aren’t under the needle for the whole 2 hours.

Can microblade eyebrows be undone/removed?

'Yes – the pigment used leaves no scarring or discoloration, and I can use a salt/saline solution to remove microblade brows.

'It is very important to know and understand that brows will be up to 40% darker in shade for the first 7-10 days during the healing process where scabs can form and flake off.

'Clients can sometimes leave the studio, and two days later be terrified that their brows are too dark, but please be patient – as this is totally normal! After 7-10 days, you will begin to see the final coloring.'

[matildasampaio]

Friday, 12th of November

The end of this week was spent in the Letterpress workshop, I've decided to finally introduce writing into my project. I started out by just doing some tests, but as I spent more time in the workshop, I decided I really wanted to engage with this printing technique.

It was great to experiment, but I wanted to actually take advantage of what I was learning and make something that will directly go towards my final outcome. I tested out some pages with original writing, it was really weird to see it printed out on paper and hold it, suddenly it was "real".

In a lot of ways I hate to share my writing (not my "writing" – because I don't actually write, I'm not a writer) but it's interesting sharing my thoughts in written form, because the rare times I do put something personal into my work, it's not particularly clear and obvious. It's a visual representation and, therefor, subject to a lot of subjectivity and interpretation. You don't really get that with writing, you do but not in the same way, you feel a lot more exposed and seen.

these are some of the pages I printed with my own writing, there's a mix of "poetry" and some made up dialogue I guess I had with myself. I think the beauty of this technique is how much it asks of you, I had to put each and every letter in one by one, and then I reached a point where I ran out of "o"'s and just had to improvise –had to carry on! I really like that, because I think it's true to life, you don't get an undo button, you have to make do with what you have. Where things are missing, fill them with stars and flowers!

From here, I stacked all the pages together –and thats when I started to think about making a book. A notebook filled with meaningless thoughts and fleeting passages that I found on my "notes" app, immortalised. My next step was to continue to work on my composing stick, setting type and transferring it to the galley, filling it up page by page.

Here are some of the prints with 2 pages! I spent all of wednesday and thursday setting up the type, but now that I know what I want it to look like, it's just pretty simple. Today (friday), I was able to set almost a whole page in 1 hour – which is progress!

Hopefully by the end of next week I will have all the pages ready to print, I'm thinking of making 8 pages (4 spreads/2 double-sided folded pages) but depending on how much time I have, I might do more because I really enjoy the process. But since Letterpress is made for producing multiple copies, I will be printing these pages a series of times so I can make quite a thick notebook – maybe 1 cm thick.

As for the finish and binding, that's something I need to go into book arts and ask about next week, I think I'll use the paper provided by the Letterpress workshop to save some money and have plenty of spares. They have some paper between 80gsm and 120gsm which I think would be nice, one has some texture and is slightly off-white, I'm thinking of trying to artificially age it to yellow it a bit – I'll share my progress on here.

[easythingstodrawtutorials]

Looking for Markers? MUST READ. I'll tell you which are worth the price.

COPIC ORIGINAL MARKERS:

The classic Copic markers are also termed as Copic original markers. It is available in 214 different colors and is specially designed for artists and illustrators. It is the most expensive markers out of other Copic markers, such as Sketch and Ciao markers, as it holds the maximum amount of ink. The ink can be refilled 9 times from distinct ink bottles and has 9 distinct nibs selection. Classic Copic markers contain a medium broad/brush tip and a fine nib/bullet tip that can be used for various kinds of results. These kits contain seventy-two original Copic marker colors, come in diverse sets and are imported. These markers have been used by the illustrators and designers worldwide for decades. They are used for various kinds of piece of arts. Art like the step by step drawing tutorials I have on my site here. These markers are the good investment as you have to buy it only once as they are refillable. These are also termed as alcohol based markers. It allows you to replace the nibs and is a complete flexible marker. They are one of the most favored markers and they even have been hand tested before sending it out to assure that it performs well. Copic inks do not absorb toner as Copic markers are alcohol based; their ink dries rapidly and blends fluently. They are termed as fast-drying, long lasting and reliable. They work great with watercolors and can be surely enhanced with color pencils. This means that this piece of art, when blended with other fine art media such as watercolors and color pencils, increases the adaptability of this product. A medium broad nip much gives the finer line in contrast of the fine nib. The bullet tip is best suited for light hands whereas brush tip can provide much better results and control on the blending. The colors of Copic markers can also be mixed to create an infinite hue range. By intermixing with the colorless blender solutions, a diluted tone value is created which looks stunning when applied to coloring or sketching.

The alcohol inks used in these markers are permanent on many surfaces such as paper, leather, wood, fabrics, plastic, faux fur etc. they also work well on glossy surfaces such as glazed ceramic and glass. However, the ink might scratch off from such glossy surfaces so use a sealant to protect the surface. Make sure that the sealant does NOT contain alcohol, ethanol, or any other form of alcohol as these will ruin your coloring and drawing ideas for beginners. Copic Original markers have a very low odor so you don’t have to worry about getting overwhelmed with the smell when working in a closed or small room. Due to the low-odor, replaceable tips and refillability, these markers are completely environment-friendly. They have tight fitting caps which will never let the markers dry out. You can even swamp theses markers with water or left them in your car in sun or snow and they will not be damaged or dry out as long as the cap is placed properly.

Copic original markers have a minor issue that they feel huge and uneasy in the hands of artists, illustrators or the person who have a keen interest in the artwork which is hardly a downside if you compare it with all the great benefits it provides you and step by step drawing videos. The Copic markers tight-fitting caps have the classification of the color code stamped which means that the writing and coding on the color cap will never come off. The entire cost of this Copic original marker and the refilling of ink (6 times) is $1.54 that is an incredible value for a product of this quality. The color codes of the diverse ink refills are similar to Copic Sketch markers for apparent classification. There are certain types of Copic markers, but the most frequent are the Copic Classic/Original, the Copic Sketch, and the Copic Ciao. The Copic Sketch markers come in a vast range of colors i.e. 358 colors whereas Copic Ciao markers hold 180 color options. The comparison between these three markers is that Copic original markers hold the maximum amount of ink whereas the Copic sketch marker is in between the Copic original and Copic Ciao. Ultimately the Copic Ciao markers are used for beginners, cheaper and have the least amount of color options so we can conclude that Copic original marker is considered a premium product among both of them. These superb and high-quality inks are checked at least four times for accuracy in accomplishment. The customers of these Copic markers enjoy their artwork and are convinced by using these markers. The users rapidly feel the quality difference of these excellent markers. And easy stuff to draw  for sure.  In a nutshell, it is a premium product at a premium price.

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  COPIC ARTIST PREMIUM MARKERS:

The Copic Ciao markers are the exemplary markers for beginners. Ciao markers contain a set of seventy-two pieces. These markers are alcohol based markers and are of premium quality. Comic’s artists, architecture, fashion designers and even the landscape painters prefer these markers because they are blendable and provides much better control. This piece of art has been designed for the intermediate artists and the people who have a keen interest in coloring or sketching.

These markers are priceless in comparison to the expense, as they are artist level quality and can be refilled an enormous number of times.  The longevity should be acknowledged rather than to consider the price. The Ciao marker has a round body and is narrow than the other Copic markers. It is easy and comfortable to cover these markers in hands as it fits nicely, convenient in coloring and is a durable good.

As compared with the other Copic markers, they are best suited for blending. Alike the other Copic brands, this marker is a double ended as well as color coded. It contains a super brush nip and a medium broad tip. The Super brush tip has a flexible, pointed tip that is implicative of a brush nip or a brush pen whereas the medium broad nib is firmer, angled and a chisel-like a tip that is productive for calligraphy and sweeping strokes. These markers have the tremendous results and it allows an artist to shade and blend colors. These markers provide 180 distinct color options in this Copic Ciao line. They are well worth if the person is desirable to take art to the next level and improve the style of a piece of artworks.

  Copic Ciao markers work even better than paint. Usually, this is the only brand that works with paint. These markers are designed for those artists who want to experience the markers for the very first time. The artists are now converting to Copics after using the prismacolors. They are alcohol based markers and are of low odor. The children can happily work with these markers as they are non-toxic and are considered secure for them. They can be widely used on paper, wood, fabric, plastics, faux fore and much more. They are meant for frequent use and the users can enjoy a durable design and the colors that enhance the versatility of these markers. They are also termed as Copic Artist Premium markers.

The Copic Ciao markers are significantly permanent. This is amazing for the users who draw on distinct surfaces. If these markers by a twist of hair get into the hair somehow, it can color the hair that is contacted. These markers are that much strong that the color can’t be washed off from the hair. However, it can be removed with alcohol-based hands wash and sanitizers. Shading is what basically this marker is usually used for and it is recognized as high-quality markers.

A difficulty with the Copic Ciao marker is that it holds the least amount of ink in comparison to other Copic markers which is hardly a downside if you compare it with all those superb benefits it provides you doesn’t make for easy stuff to draw. These markers are great in shading the drawing book and assist to make any drawing look convincing. The users should keep these markers stored when they are not in use to protect the investment. Practice will enhance the outcomes if the artist wants to enjoy it fully. Use it yourself and also gift it to others and loved ones. They will love it and will always thank you.

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    MEXPY MARKERS:

DESCRIPTION:

Mexpy markers are alcohol based markers that provide exclusive color saturation and its glassy ink allows unique layering and remarkable blending effects in designing craft room, design studio, drawing coloring and much more. They mixed up and make a great addition to colors whether they brush markers or design markers. They contain a package of twenty-four markers each, their nips are replaceable and pens are refillable. They are dual tipped markers contain a firm fine tip on end and the chisel tip on the other end and are basic in color. They show the effect of 3D and refined shadowing. These markers are favored by illustrators as well as layout artists. They contain color code on caps, are super brushed, blendable and a variety of two hundred colors. It is a tremendous tool for artists, crafters, designers and the people who have a keen interest in artwork.

REVIEWS:

The different color configuration sets contain a variety of rich colors that can be utilized on different artworks. For instance, a beautiful and innovative dress has been made by blending colored markers and the colorless brush. They worked great together and was quite appreciative. The dots pattern on the dress was done by the colorless marker to lighter the ink and make it looks impressive. Look for drawing ideas for beginners on the main site 😀

  It looked stunning when applied on the rubber surface.  A fine tip brush marker gave spectacular result than a brush marker and gave a natural look by the coloring the chops as depending on the surface. The chisel tip didn’t look great on the rubber surface. The ink of brush markers dries swiftly so plan it accordingly. It worked like super classy.

  It looked clean when applied to wire hooks. The markers used to color the wire in diverse colors. The blending is done by the clean colors so that it works magnificently and look versatile. This also worked well on plain metal staples.

  Here are plain cloth flowers. Lets took a part of flowers and choose the yellow color to paint the center of petals and hold until it dries. Then move forward for wetting the outer surface of the petals each at a time with the colorless blend color by flaunting it. The color fluid by inking the surface with the orange marker.

  This brightens up the color of markers and the colored flowers are much cuter and glorious than the original one. So you can design some fantastic clothes by these markers for your kid’s toys and honestly, it looks elegant.

  Next one is a reused soda tab earrings that have been made by using the markers to color the metals. This looks fashionable as it can be gifted to the people who are related. The coloring is done by both fine tip and chisel tip. The few small beats are placed at the bottom of the earrings and color them by the light shade mexpy marker to enhance the beauty of the earrings. The interior part is colored by distinct mexpy markers with a variety of colors.

The other one is a cut up piece of aluminum soda that is colored by various colors of mexpy markers. Use a toothpick to hold a metal during the painting process so that the ink doesn’t spoil until it dries. Then sink the heated metal to ensure that the color would remain everlasting on the metal. The color combination of the metal looks innovative and pretty. This demonstrates that the innovative things can be made by the help of mexpy markers.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as many innovative things can be made like fun hanging wall, sketch work, necklace and much more. These markers offer you versatility and intensity in its ink. Its ink dries pretty quickly which is such a great pro, as waiting for the ink to dry so you can move on to the next phase, is kind of irritating and annoying. They are really easy to work with and their colors are always vibrant as the finished result. So go along and make your perfect piece of artwork whether it is your school science project or your very own masterpiece to show off to the world what easy things to draw is all about. Everyone should use these markers to get the spectacular results as the results are far beyond the expectations. I loved them because of the smooth flow of ink and the double ended tip.

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Don’t forget to check out the other step by step drawing video tutorials featured on the site. And get some great drawing ideas for beginners.

    Looking for Markers? MUST READ. I’ll tell you which are worth the price. was originally published on EASY THINGS TO DRAW