#assignment 3.1

[embodiedfool]

ASSIGNMENT 3.1

The goal of this assignment was to get a general understanding of what the body of our creature looks like. 

First off, I updated the environment to better fit Genie’s video game idea, utilizing ideas of levels and puzzles. The trees, rather than being fairly uniform, would be highly varied with different needs and different root/branch patterns, creating an even more varied maze experience for our creature. 

From there, I began to shape the creature’s body. 

My vision was a bug creature of sorts that is capable of tunneling under the ground as well as navigating the branches of the trees easily, quickly, and effectively. 

For the tunneling, the body would have two curved arms at the front. Its head is also conical to fully clear the newly made tunnels, as well as clear pre-existing tunnels as it goes through. 

For proper mobility, the creature would have extendable legs with sticky hairs at the end, allowing it to properly keep hold of a branch from any side, as well as reach farther to get to other branches or leaves. These legs are retracted mostly when tunneling, and retracted completely to clean the hairs of debris. Each leg can move independently of the other.

[koiukiy-o]

orphic. — (adj.) mysterious and entrancing, beyond ordinary understanding.

summary: when you, a final-year student at the grove, get assigned to study under anaxagoras—one of the legendary seven sages—you know things are about to get interesting. but as the weeks go by, the line between correlation and causation starts to blur, and the more time you spend with professor anaxagoras, the more drawn to him you become in ways you never expected. the rules of the academy are clear, and the risks are an unfortunate possibility, but curiosity is a dangerous thing. and maybe, just maybe, some risks are worth taking. after all, isn’t every great discovery just a leap of faith?

pairing: anaxa x gn!reader.

tropes: professor x student, slow burn, forbidden romance.

updates: sporadic.

warnings: potential hsr spoilers from TB mission: "Light Slips the Gate, Shadow Greets the Throne" (3.1 update). main character is written to be 21+ years of age, at the very least. (anaxa is written to be around 26-27 years of age.) swearing, mature themes, suggestive content.

taglist: open.

a/n: i managed to write 20k words in one day (i was driven to the brink of madness by this.) quick fyi and slight warning for absolute physics NONSENSE, i had no idea what i was writing, haha... anyways, i had so much fun writing some of this, i hope everyone here likes it too!! do rb and interact, it makes my day ! <3

αʹ : 001 - the professor. - the student. βʹ : 002 - the assignment. γʹ : 003 - the framework. δʹ : 004 - the blueprint. εʹ : 005 - the barista. ϛʹ : 006 - the phenomenologist. ζʹ : 007 - the paper. ηʹ : 008 - the email. θʹ : 009 - to be added . . . ιʹ : 010 - to be added . . . ιαʹ : 011 - to be added . . . ιβʹ : 012 - to be added . . . ιγʹ : 013 - to be added . . . ιδʹ : 014 - to be added . . . ιεʹ : 015 - to be added . . . ιϛʹ : 016 - to be added . . . ιζʹ : 017 - to be added . . . ιηʹ : 018 - to be added . . . ιθʹ : 019 - to be added . . . κʹ : 020 - to be added . . .

taglist: @starglitterz @kazumist @naraven @cozyunderworld @pinksaiyans @pearlm00n @your-sleeparalysisdem0n @francisnyx @qwnelisa @chessitune @leafythat @cursedneuvillette @hanakokunzz @nellqzz @ladymothbeth @chokifandom @yourfavouritecitizen @sugarlol12345 @aspiring-bookworm @kad0o @yourfavoritefreakyhan @mavuika-marquez @fellow-anime-weeb927 @beateater @bothsacredanddust @acrylicxu @average-scara-fan @pinkytoxichearts @amorismujica @luciliae @paleocarcharias @chuuya-san @https-seishu @feliju @duckydee-0 @dei-lilxc @eliawis @strawb3rri-bliss @khoiyyu @somatchajade @tremendoustragedybard @serena6728 @ameili @aominehaven @skeele @thelightofmylife @casualgalaxystrawberry @sigma-s-wife @nvlusdei @sc4r4luv @revverrist

(send an ask or comment to be added!)

[carbondioxidewater]

Make A Move (Pt. 5)

footballplayer!Sukuna x fem!reader

genre: slow-burn romance, college au, fluff, angst

warnings: none so far

word: 3.1

(-> previous) (-> masterlist)

On sunday morning, you woke up early, even though you hadn't been sleeping much. The events of the previous day came back to you one after the other. First, you thought about the game and Sukuna's impressive skills in it.

You reflected on the motorcycle ride with him and how he drove you to the Rainbow Bridge just so you could see the city at night. That must've been one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for you. You turned over on your side in your bed, smiling.

And then you remembered how you almost kissed and how he treated you completely different later at the party than when you were alone. A feeling of embarrassment washed over you again at the thought that everyone present had noticed Sukuna not wanting to kiss you. Not that you were dying to feel his soft lips, probably salty from the sweat - no, that wasn't it. Because even if that were the case, it was more the fact of how and why he rejected you that was bothering you.

But asking him was out of the question. After all, you still had enough pride left to not give him that pleasure. After all, he wasn't obliged to kiss you. You shouldn't let anything show, otherwise he might get the wrong idea. And with that mentality, you went to your first lecture on Monday.

After the lecture, you entered the cafeteria. Today they cooked vegetarian pasta again and it always tasted delicious. You grabbed a plate, had it filled up, and walked over to the where the silverware was. As you were putting down your tray, someone spoke up directly from the side.

"I got your message, by the way."

You weren't startled this time.

"Did you know that people usually greet each other before starting a conversation?" you expressed calmly and Sukuna burst out laughing. You always managed to entertain him.

"Sorry, hi princess."

"Hi." you said quietly, a gloomy feeling at the nickname. "What message?"

"Yuji told me he should wish me 'good luck' from you."

"So?"

"Well, I certainly was lucky, after all you really came. But..." he didn't finish his sentence, obviously waiting for your reaction. Was he really trying to flirt with you again? This man was difficult.

You took your tray and moved towards one of the tables. Of course Sukuna followed you and sat down on the opposite chair. You sighed.

"But what, Sukuna? What do you want?" you asked in annoyance.

"You should give me your number. I couldn't even make sure you got home safe on Saturday." he flashed his shiny white teeth at you.

"Why do you care? I went home with my friends." you said, but not snippy, more in a neutral tone.

"I know that." he simply returned and didn't seem to have anything else to say. He just looked at you.

Seriously? He doesn't mention what happened at all? Well, if he can act like nothing happened, so can you.

"I don't like being watched while eating." you said bluntly and Sukuna couldn't help but smile.

"Why, are your table manners so terrible?" he countered. You puffed.

"Aren't you hungry?" you then asked, whereupon he told you that he had already eaten.

"I saw you and with you the opportunity."

"The opportunity for what?" you then questioned.

"Asking you for your number."

"You have my address already, that should be enough."

You would not let him get any closer to you.

He chuckled and you ate the first forkful of pasta.

"So you don't want to give it to me?" he carried on.

"Obviously not."

"Okay, I'll find a way. Oh, and enjoy your meal." he winked at you. And then he stood up and left the table.

Finally you could eat in peace.

You didn't see him for the next few days, which gave you enough time to concentrate on your studies. It was thursday evening and you had to give in your assignment for neurolinguistics, the due date was today. You quickly finished explaining how the priming effect works, when suddenly Utahime entered your room with the mail in her hand.

"Oh, are you finished for today already?" you asked, referring to her job, to which she nodded.

"But look at this!" she said, astonished, and waved a letter in front of your face.

The letter was addressed to you, but had no sender. Strange.

You opened it and the content was a single sheet of paper with a few lines written on it.

"You're right, your address is enough. If you don't want to give me your number, I'll have to try this way ;)"

Your face immediately heated up, you never thought he would go out of his way like that. But what was he doing that for? What was his ulterior motive?

Utahime saw your shocked face and read the letter. Then she laughed.

"Wow, he's really trying. Have you eaten yet? Should we order something?"

And together, you ended the evening with a juicy pizza.

But on the next day, you found a note in your locker too. You opened the folded paper and it said:

"Meet me under the bleachers"

Oh God, your heart was pounding. Just what was he thinking?

You decided to meet him at the stands to ask him to stop this whole thing. Even though you were really flattered by the attention, it still hurt your ego that he apparently thought he could win you over like that. Was it working? Maybe a little, but he didn't have to know that. And you definitely wouldn't fall for it any further.

When you finally got there, there was no sign of him. You asked the few players practicing on the field about him.

"Sukuna? No, he's not here. As far as I know he has a philosophy class right now."

Philosophy? You didn't even know that was his second subject. But that explained why he was around you so often, because philosophy and linguistics were taught in the same building. But why did he send you here then? Nothing he did made sense and you were slowly getting fed up with this chaos.

You were just on your way back into the building when all of a sudden, you bumped into someone's back on accident. He turned around and to your surprise, it was the menace himself.

"Careful." he laughed lightly. But you were a bit pissed at him right now and just walked past him. He walked after you.

"Hey, where are you going?" he yelled.

"I don't feel like playing your games. Find someone else to annoy." you said without even looking at him.

He grabbed your wrist and brought you to a stop. When you tried to escape his grip, he blocked you with his arm and caged you in.

"Calm down. What's going on with you?" Sukuna exclaimed.

"No, what's going on with you? Why do you leave those notes in my locker, arrange a meeting and then don't come?"

"That's what it is about?" He chuckled. "Now do you see how complicated it is? If I had your number, you would have known when I wrote the message."

You were flabbergasted, was that really his plan behind all this? To show you the need to exchange numbers?

"Or you can just write the time next time!" you spat out.

"Next time? So you like when I leave you letters?" he smirked and upset you with his presumptuous words.

"Don't twist my words..." you pouted and looked to the side. He let you go now, you had calmed down.

"Then what do you say: We have another game next Friday. If we win, I get your number, if we lose... well, you can choose."

"Why do you want my number so badly?" you probed.

"Because I like you. You're fun to be around."

This confession knocked you off balance, but you swallowed your speechlessness. In the end, two could play that game.

"Okay, if you lose, you'll never ask me for my number again." You smiled mischievously and he followed suit, tilting your chin upwards with his big hand before responding.

"It's settled then."

You stayed at Shoko's for the weekend, since you wanted to binge-watch the new season of your series. Utahime didn't like the show and had to work anyway, so it was just the two of you tonight.

After a few episodes, however, it turned into a deep talk session. You told Shoko everything that had happened with Sukuna so far and she reprimanded you for getting into this 'pact'.

"His team will win either way, the only ones who would have a chance against them are the UOT." she explained and you thought about her words.

UOT? Of course! They say their quarterback is on par with Sukuna. They are the biggest rivals!

"Are they gonna play against each other too?" you wondered.

"I think not until the very end of the season. That's the most important game after all."

The end of the season... So in about 8 weeks. But wait a minute...

"How do you even know that?" you stared at Shoko in amazement and she looked up at the ceiling.

"A few of my high school friends are on this team. Utahime knows them too."

"What? Why am I only finding out about this now?" you shifted in your seat, grinning at her. She shrugged.

"I never thought it was important. After all, you haven't been interested in football until now."

You nodded. Then your phone rang. You took it from the coffee table and saw that it was Utahime, but before you could even pick up, she already hung up.

"Who was it?" Shoko interrupted and you told her, but you two didn't think much of it.

You thought that maybe she called you on accident, so you sent her a message asking "are you okay?" and checked her location. She was still at the hotel. A few minutes later, she finally replied and confirmed that everything was indeed alright.

"Okay she just replied, she's fine. But next time we're all together, you two have to tell me more about your mysterious old friends." You waggled your eyebrows and Shoko laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, even if there's not really much to tell."

And then you were back in the stadium, this time, on your campus. It was a home game and the people on the stands were louder than at the last game, but this time you secured yourselves better seats. You were sitting in the front row now!

At the opening, all of the players walked onto the field and turned to the audience. Sukuna waved at the big crowd, his eyes moving from left to right, and finally rested his gaze on you, a small smirk spreading on his face. And then it was kickoff. As always, Sukuna's leading skills ensured a successful first half. It was clear that the team had been a unit for a long time, as well as they complemented each other.

After the first half, there was the usual break and you used it to quickly go use the bathroom. The line was long though, of course you weren't the only one who had to go after such a long time. But luckily, it quickly emptied and after you were done, the break was almost over. While the water was tingling on your hand, you heard a few girls coming in, chattering. You recognized the cheerleaders, one of them was the blonde girl named Manami.

"So, how are things going with Sukuna now?" asked Manami's friend.

At the mention of that name, you became very wary. You felt like you were eavesdropping, but you couldn't turn off your hearing sense after all.

"I think he likes me." Manami said the words dreamily, but you couldn't listen to their conversation any longer, because if you stayed at the sink for too long, you would attract their attention. You dried your hands and then went out the door.

What was their true relationship to each other? She thinks he likes her? What is he doing for her to think that? You had a weird gut feeling on your way back and when your friends noticed, they asked if you were okay. You lied to them and, thank goodness, that feeling disappeared as soon as the second half of the game started again.

And as Shoko predicted, your team won. The others weren't bad by any means, but Sukuna isn't feared in the world of football for nothing. He once again secured a great victory and after the game ended, his teammates all ran towards him to celebrate.

They picked him up and carried him to the front of the stands while you and the others clapped for their success. Many shouted his name, others shouted for the other players, but his grinning, smug look was only on you.

His comrades let him down and the crowd slowly started to leave the stands as Sukuna continued to keep you under his spell. He stepped on a bench in front of it, leaned his elbow on the railing of ​​the stands and pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. He pressed it between his fingers proudly and held it in front of his slightly tilted face, a mischievous smile on it, so that you could make out the numbers on the note.

You narrowed your eyes in an attempt to see more clearly and as the digits became visible, you recognized them as your phone number.

How did he-

You were about to ask him that, but Aoi intervened, jumping onto the bench and putting his arm over Sukuna's shoulder, happily dragging him into the locker room.

When you finally came down the stairs, you decided to wait for Sukuna outside. Your friends were talking about something you didn't pay attention to.

Then the door opened and you walked towards Sukuna expectantly, but he was stopped by Manami at that moment. You saw her putting her arm around his and how she walked to the parking lot with him. That made you abandon the whole plan and you went back home with your girls.

When you got there, you got a message from an unknown number.

unknown number: not even curious how I got your number?

That was definitely Sukuna. Your mood immediately worsened. You just couldn't figure him out. You threw your phone on the bed and made yourself something to eat. Cooking should calm you down, so you put on some music and started chopping. It took half an hour before you got the motivation to text him back.

you: aren't you out with the cheerleader right now?

You sent the message and threw your phone away from you again. Why had you been so direct? You were about to take your phone to delete the message, but Sukuna had already replied.

unknown number: oh you're curious about something else I see. u stalking me? ;)

you: no, I just saw you two together after the game. hope you had fun.

unknown number: yea sure had.

you: good for you.

Somehow the message came across as more bitter than you anticipated, and Sukuna also noticed the harsh tone.

unknown number: wait, you weren't seriously thinking I was after you, were you?

you: of course not? I was being genuine.

You were not. He typed.

unknown number: well then, that's good.

And then you left him on read. Asshole.

The whole weekend was spent trying to figure Sukuna out, but as much as you tried, his motives remained unclear to you. You even started listing different possibilities together with Shoko and Utahime, but for every idea there was something in Sukuna's behaviour that didn't add up. You set up three theories:

REASON NUMBER ONE: He really just likes you platonically. But then why did he flirt with you sometimes, why did he almost kiss you, why did he put in such an effort into getting your number?

REASON NUMBER TWO: He was just trying to get into your pants. Maybe there was something going on with this girl, Manami, and he didn't want her to find out. But then why did he never make a move on you like that? Apart from the teasing, he's never been disrespectful or dirty towards you.

And, this was the most unlikely one, but,

REASON NUMBER THREE: He had a serious interest in you. But then, why wouldn't he just be straight forward? Why was this girl all over him at all times? And why didn't he do something against it? Or was he keeping the both of you as mere options?

Whatever it was, it was getting on your nerves. And you decided you wanted to make clear to him that the both of you should either be friends or nothing.

You were just taking a few things out of your locker when there was a sudden bang next to you. You took the last book out of it and then looked at the source.

"Boo." Sukuna called out, pressing his lower arm against the locker. He was wearing a simple white sweater with the sleeves rolled up, but it was so tight that it highlighted his broad, big chest. His hand was clenched into a fist, which meant that you had a perfect view of his flexing muscles as well.

You gulped and tried not to let on how attractive that was to you, because you couldn't afford to seem weak in front of him.

"Wow I'm so scared." you commented and closed your locker.

"I bet you are, now that I've got your number." he claimed. Then you faced him.

"Where did you get it from anyway?" you wondered. You still didn't have a single clue.

He smiled wickedly again.

"Why don't you ask your friend Utahime?"

Safe to say that's not what you expected coming out of his mouth.

"You're lying." you doubted.

"Why would I do that?" he replied with a foxy grin.

You took a deep breath.

"Alright, I'm gonna ask her later. But can we stop with the constant banter, it's giving me a headache."

"Oh, why's that?" he came closer, but you pushed him away again.

"It was fun in the beginning, but it's getting annoying now. Let's just be normal friends." you proposed.

"Friends?" Sukuna raised an eyebrow gently, considering your words and quirking a small smile. "You wanna befriend me?" he seemed oddly delighted about that. You didn't know if he was poking fun at you or not.

"Yeah, isn't that what you wanted?" you inquired, dumbfounded by his reaction.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. Alright, let's be friends then." he stared down at you, a gleam in his eyes that you couldn't make out.

Yes, it would definitely be better to be friends. That way, he wouldn't constantly irritate you with his mixed signals.

And with that, your friendship with the star player began.

RAHHH he's so confusing!!! Wdym you send me LETTERS to contact me?!?!?! And then say you're not after me? ARGHHH

What do you think his intentions are? As always, reblogs and comments are so so appreciated! I wanna hear your thoughts about it so bad! <3

taglist: @miakxn @aureliaborea @nonamevenus @silkija @sad-darksoul @joh-ahae @mysteriaqueen @rebirthbunbun @inflatabledinosaurs19

[speedanddangernuzlocke]

It's time to rock and ride!

Nuzlocke Forums | ComicFury | deviantArt

RULES

1) If a Pokémon faints it is considered dead and is boxed permanently

2) Only the first encountered Pokémon per area may be caught

- 2.1) When entering a new area, wander around aimlessly eyes closed/covering the screen until you step on a wild Pokémon

- 2.2) Dupes clause: 2 extra chances for a different pokemon

- 2.3) Shiny clause: shinies may be caught and used (but not deliberately hunted for)

3) This is a no starter run. The game-assigned starter may be used when the game requires it and for grinding purposes but it must be boxed as soon as the team reaches the level cap.

- 3.1 The starter will be replaced with a predetermined gift Pokémon.

Nessa's Motorcycle Adventures is a running joke that was born in January 2015. This comment chain started a silly AU for my main comic in which Nessa has a motorcycle. And that's it. That's the whole deal. In March 2022 when Scarlet and Violet were revealed my immediate reaction was this. And finally, on 1st of April 2025 I fooled myself by drawing the start of Nessa's Motorcycle Adventures in Paldea. All this time I thought I was joking but drawing the last strip changed something inside of me and I knew this had to become reality. I had become the biggest fool.

What will this mean for Emerald? Nothing. Emerald will continue as it was continued before - irregularly and whenever I have time to work on the massive updates. Ideally being able to work on something silly and less serious will help me get over some of the heavier parts of Emerald quicker but only time will tell.

Is the motorcycle adventure AU/canon? The two exist in the same realm and Scarlet will most likely refer to Emerald but Emerald won't refer to the events of Scarlet. If anything, I may reference to Paldea as a region in Emerald but what happens in Paldea, stays in Paldea. I will not think about it too much and I suggest you do the same. This is a silly run for shits and giggles only.

Do I need to know the Emerald Nuzlocke comic to read this? Not necessarily. This comic won't have a whole lot of references to my Emerald comic but I also won't bother explaining things or treat this like a new comic with its separate readerbase.

How's the gameplay? I only just got started and I will most likely work on the comic as I play to prevent myself from planning too much.

[baeshijima]

FIC WIP POLL !! (bc i cant make my own decisions (˘･_･˘))

okay so guess who is procrastinating on her assignment and is indecisive? me !! which is why i now decided to make this poll haha....

basically there are twelve wips here which i think i could finish if given the motivation, and your job is to decide which one you want to see the most !! i do have more wips i would love to work on, but i wanted to be realistic so, uh, these are the ones i believe i am most like to finish by the end of summer at the latest 🧍‍♀️

under the cut will have the title, the character, the tags, and the summary/outline/the idea the fic will be based off for you to read through and make your choice on !! the poll is at the very end so unless you just. scroll right to the bottom, you can't miss what different wips there are ;w;

disclaimer !! this poll will be running for 3 days, so there will be frequent reblogs of this post ^^

1. as fate would have it

blade x gn!reader ; soulmate au (red string of fate), hurt/comfort, high-cloud quintet references/mentions (at 4.7k words)

summary: after having witnessed your red string snap on that gloomy day, you thought the only times you would see him again were in your dreams and on rainy days when aching nostalgia hit the hardest. never did you think you would see him again — alive and a shell of the man you first fell in love with.

2. an unexpected friend

blade x gn!reader ; fluff, university au, bass player!blade, references to former fencer!blade (at 4.2k words)

summary: when visiting your project partner's apartment for the first time, the last thing you expected was to become a glorified cushion for his cat.

3. one in a million

blade x gn!reader ; celebrity/actor au, exes to lovers, fluff, hurt/comfort (at ~600 words)

summary: in which you land yourself the lead role for the long-anticipated drama adaptation of a thriller-romance webtoon. sometimes, you wonder how rotten your luck must be when your co-lead turns out to be your ex, whose character just so happens to be your character's ex. figures.

4. how to get over your first love

phainon x gn!reader ; childhood friends to lovers, fluff, slight miscommunication/misunderstandings (at ~200 words)

summary: the popular boy; the resident nice guy; the one all the neighbourhood grannies excessively dote on; the cookie cutter "bring him home to your family"; your childhood best friend; your first love. well, soon-to-be-ex-first-love, that is! (if you had seen the signs earlier, maybe you wouldn't be kicking yourself right about now for wasting so much time.)

5. [untitled]

phainon x gn!reader x flame reaver ; hurt/comfort, thinking a lot of protectiveness/vigilante-esque things, references to alternate timelines

summary undecided but will be based off of this post !!

6. and in this world, there's a place for you

mydei x gn!reader ; fluff, slow burn, hurt/comfort (i think...), takes place before main story and ends in 3.1 story (at ~200 words)

summary not yet decided but the gist of it is reader is one of the few who welcomes and looks after mydei and the kremoan detachment when they first arrive in okhema and they have a gradual slow burn development !! on the fence about this but i think i will write two endings for the fic...

7. [untitled]

mydei x gn!reader ; modern au (live opposite each other in the same apartment), fluff, crush at first sight, unrequited but actually requited love, wingmen phainon and bubbles

summary undecided but it would be based off this post !!

8. love and... chimeras?

amphoreus men x gn!chimera caretaker!reader <- pretty self-explanatory ; fluff, chimeras play matchmaker, takes place before main story (at ~800 words)

summary: as a member of the garden and one of the primary caretakers for the chimera, you are more than accustomed to their little habits and... unique personalities. well, apparently not accustomed enough when you're suddenly thrown for a loop amidst their endeavour to play matchmaker of all things! OR, the chimeras make it their mission to put you in cliché romantic situations with— not one, not two, but three chrysos heirs. (titans forbid you have any peace.)

9. wounded pride

dr ratio x gn!reader ; fluff, ratio is bad at feelings and in denial (at ~1.2k words)

summary: who would have thought the esteemed dr ratio would be (metaphorically) tearing his hair out over some nonchalant reaction to his true appearance? (certainly not him, that's for sure.)

10. [untitled]

mr reca x gn!reader ; fluff, writer!reader, slow burn-ish, more rom-com-esque, reca falling first and harder, remembrance path!reader (at ~300 words)

summary undecided but will be based off this post !!

11. to you, who holds the stars

alhaitham x gn!reader ; fluff, university au, coffee shop au, strangers to friends to lovers, crush at first sight (alhaitham) (at ~2.6k words)

summary: in which you're a humble café owner and he's a loyal regular who just so happens to find refuge in your starry eyes and bright smile.

12. to love a tragedy (no i havent forgotten abt this.)

duke!sunday x fem!reader ; fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, slow burn? ish?, transmigration, royalty au, arranged marriage ; series

summary: finding yourself in a different world is a fantasized wish many have, more so among a favoured piece of media. the trope has grown in popularity, ranging from books, to comics, and even as publicised tv series. it's something many dream of, simply because it is not real. at least, that's what you believed until you find yourself in the place of a barely mentioned side character in your favourite web novel. oh, and did you mention this character is the wife of sunday oak, one of the novel's antagonists and your favourite character who is doomed to a tragic fate? well, not if you can help it!

based off this post if you have not read it already !!

for this one the vote for the poll would contribute to me focusing on getting the first few chapters of the fic done !! i have the series masterlist + prologue finished with parts of chapter one done, but if this series wins the poll then that basically is telling me to sit down and work on it hahah...

[butchhamlet]

Inviting you to go off about Hamlet not dithering for no reason. I agree completely but I love to hear your thoughts always

in my recent dive back through my hamlet tag, i found this post, which makes this answer kind of redundant. but being me i am going to say it anyway. tl;dr: hamlet's Big Mistake* is not delaying; it's doubt; it's his total inability to be certain he's doing the right thing. which i think under the circumstances of "there is a ghost" is pretty reasonable, actually.

*obligatory "trying to apply hamartia/fatal flaws to shakespearean tragic characters is kind of a crapshoot because shakespeare rarely creates a guy with Just One Fatal Flaw" but also, even if you WERE going to assign hamlet a fatal flaw, it should still be doubting and not delaying.

let us remember the circumstances:

>ghost appears, claims to be my dad dropping in from purgatory, tells me to literally murder a man

literally not at all the wrong move to take a second to breathe here. whomst among us is getting this information and immediately going to kill 1. a living breathing human being 2. who is part of our immediate family and probably someone we know very well 3. and who is also THE MONARCH IN CHARGE OF THE STATE WHO HAS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT POWERS. as K @stripedroseandsketchpads said in the linked post, it's very easy for the audience--who in shakespeare's day would have been familiar with revenge tragedy's generic tropes, and who in our era knows that hamlet is a play about killing your evil uncle--to think, "is he fucking stupid? isn't it obvious?" but however knowledgeable about theater hamlet is (very), he's not waking up in the morning with the assumption that he's living Inside Tropes. (i do think he's aware he's in a revenge tragedy by the middle/end of the play, but that's another post for another day.)

point being: jumping straight to murder is a CRAZY ask. even from your shitty ghost dad who you address as king more than dad. plus, if ghosts are real, it does stand to reason that they might be evil/trying to get hamlet to damn his soul, because clearly supernatural and satanic things are not off the table. the ghost might be dad, but it might also be the devil, or maybe even a hallucination caused by a fit of grief. so the first step here is not "murder right away," it's "get some proof more substantial than a Maybe Ghost."

so:

>pretend to be crazy >get some proof

and, okay, fine. the pretending to be crazy is... a decision. based off the amleth story, we can infer the rationale is "keep claudius from realizing i've figured out the murder, because if he knows that, he will kill me." re: the monarch who can KILL PEOPLE WHENEVER HE WANTS because he HAS SOLE POWER. but hamlet, perhaps All That was a little bit much.

nevertheless: hamlet starts being crazy at the top of act two. he sets the mousetrap scheme in motion in the second scene of act two. that's not that much of a delay, dude. that is one (1) scene of arguable "dithering," and he's not doing NOTHING, he's establishing his antic-disposition cover. you could argue that a lot of time has passed, but the timeline of hamlet is so blurry. we do not know that. he's covering his bases, okay?

and then he gets down to business! he has to yap about it first, but he surveils claudius during the play! and THIS is where the problem arises--he doesn't put off investigating; rather, he can't STOP investigating. because no amount of evidence is actually able to convince him to Do It. this isn't procrastination; this is a deep inability to be certain that he's on the right path. and this is a case where certainty matters, because if he's wrong, murder is a mortal sin. and also regicide. people get killed for that. like badly killed

2.2 is hamlet setting up the mousetrap thing. 3.1 (to be or not to be) occurs in the time before the players set their shit up, a delay that is not his fault. 3.2 is the mousetrap. 3.3 is claudius in the church, and then--

>talk to my mom >impulsively and paranoidly murder the royal advisor > > >oh jesus fucking christ i murdered the royal advisor

"hamlet's flaw is inaction" okay. well. i would say manslaughter is an action. in fact it is Such an action that it gets him banished for an entire act of the play. and thus we cannot really call anything after 3.4 a delay, either, because he's not sitting around twiddling his thumbs, he KILLED A MAN AND GOT EXILED TO ENGLAND.

the one place you can argue for hamlet dithering here is 3.3, with claudius in the church. hamlet claims he doesn't do it then because he doesn't want claudius to go to heaven for Died While Praying Virtuously. if you believe him, fine. if you think this is kind of a load of bullshit to cover that he doesn't want to do it--sure, okay. if he doesn't want to do it, it's because he still doesn't feel like he has enough evidence to justify it. the evidence he has--the evidence he thought would make him certain--is claudius freaking out during the play. but let us remember that the murderer in the mousetrap is the player king's NEPHEW. for all hamlet knows, it's actually entirely possible that claudius is freaking out because he thinks this is a threat from hamlet, not a staged callout post.

"but we know claudius killed king hamlet because--" because he says so. in his soliloquy. to the audience. which we can hear because of the structure of theater. which WE can hear. which hamlet CANNOT! and so hamlet has set up this elaborate rube goldberg machine to allow himself to Attain Certainty that he's doing the right thing. and yet no matter what happens, he can't reach that certainty for real.

and he never does, actually. in the last scene of the play, watching his mother die after drinking poison, he'll still demand everyone bar the doors to seek out the treachery--he's still leaving open the possibility that claudius might have nothing to do with this (as if claudius doesn't spend acts 3-5 way past jean ralphio levels of suspicious). and yet hamlet still doesn't seize on the obvious, because no amount of proof can be enough for him, because fundamnetally he doesn't trust himself. he doesn't trust his perception. he doesn't trust his judgment. in the end, he doesn't even kill claudius for killing hamlet senior. he kills claudius because claudius has poisoned HIM (and laertes and gertrude). arguably, he dies without ever being fully certain claudius actually killed his father.

now, we can all come up with our own interpretations of WHY hamlet doesn't trust himself (because nobody else seems to? because everyone thinks he's crazy? because he's worried he might be crazy? because he's religiously conflicted?). i think most of you can guess my answer. but we don't get an explicit why and that's not the point of this post. the point of this post is that however you read it, hamlet's not procrastinating. he is trying, desperately, from a place of intense political and emotional duress, to grasp any amount of empirical evidence before he kills another person with his own hands. and he can't.

anyway! anybody here take the yale-brown scale lately?

[theothernads]

˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊ ❛❛ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁶ : 𝐎𝐇, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐘𝐎𝐔⁉️ ❞ ᯓᡣ𐭩

♡ྀི ₊ ❛❛𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬❞ ☰

SYNOPSIS: ₊˚⊹♡ : ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

With the third magical academic year starting, you and Jungwon plan to have a normal school year and complete many goals. Except, you have to earn Enchantix with your frequent burn-outs, and Jungwon wants to become a full-fledged warrior and push past his anxiety. With their own goals in mind, they feel like 2 idiots that keep meeting by chance. However, when mysterious events threaten the magical kingdoms and schools, the specialists and fairies have to figure out the culprit and save the magical universe. But fate has other plans for their adventures and for your ‘coincidental’ meeting with Jungwon.

𝖸𝖺𝗇𝗀 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗐𝗈𝗇 𝗑 𝖿!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

╰┈➤𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝: 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 (comment or give an ask) 𐙚

Wc: 3.1 k

<< M.LIST >>

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━━━━━━━━━━━━━˚₊‧꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱‧₊˚━━━━━━━━━━━━━

THE NEXT WEEK CAME FASTER THAN EXPECTED. You were totally ready to head out to the forest, making sure to gear up. The journal in your hands protruded with sticky notes, accompanied by creased corners and a small bookmark detailing the last page you visited.

You and the girls made sure to wear the appropriate attire — trousers and full-length sleeved top tainted a dull cream colour. And sensible trainers to trek through the nature's path.

You had only been to Black Mud Swamp twice, and that was all in the last year. The tranquillity in nature's sussurations and the zephyr that weaved through slews of emerald leaves was a key memory that composed you.

Palladium allowed everyone to split into groups, giving the task of collecting specific plants scattered about the woods. An assignment to further everyone's scavenger skills.

"Okay, what do we need to do then?" Minji asked as she leaned against a random bark of a tree. Right now, you and the girls had separated from the majority of the second and third years, claiming a spot a few metres away.

"Reconnect with nature?" Hanni said, purposely shooting a look to Haerin, who simply gave a blank stare of indifference. The girl did not really care about her uninterest in the outside world.

"No, we have to find some materials, check them off our list and get back to Palladium the quickest," Dani explained, standing beside you with a little notepad in her hand. Hyein and Hanni groaned.

"And where are we supposed to find those? There was no manual when we came here," complained Hyein, making the others and you giggle. Shaking your head, you spoke.

"Well, I am a nature fairy so..." You trailed off, holding up the paper listing the different flora needed to be captured. It should be easy enough since you had seen these before and made meticulous notes upon them in your journal on previous occasions.

"Okay, miss flower girl, show us where to go," Haerin said with a sly and cheeky smile.

That's how the group ended up splitting: Minji and you; Dani and Haerin; Hanni and Hyein. You set them off to specific directions and told them the signs of each plant being spotted by making them write down in their own notepads.

Right now, you and Minji sauntered carefully over some stinging stems, careful not to let the thorns graze skin.

"Are we getting closer?" Minji whined, holding onto your arm as your eyes focused on the open journal before you. You hummed absentmindedly as you focused on the first item of the list.

Bell vines — it was a long stem of bell-shaped pink and white flowers growing from them, usually curved around branches and solid tree trunks.

They happened to be where sunlight was scarce, causing the vines to grow up trunks and trees. It only led you and Minji deeper into the forest.

"Yn, I see them!" Minji squealed, making you look up to see a clearing where few streams of sunlight seeped through the leaves and lit up the bell flowers on the vines. As expected, they coiled around a crooked branch.

"Ugh... but there are way too many stinging stems here," she grimaced, looking down at the mixed foliage. You held her arm and urged her to stay right where she was.

"I'll go. I can see which ones are normal. You stay," you said, already stepping forward before she could even pull you back. Minji muttered something about being careful, but you were in your element.

Stepping over the twigs and mixture of moss and grass for a few metres, you finally reached the bell vines hung around a low branch. When you looked behind to let Minji know, she was concealed by the burly trunks. It didn't matter now because you finally got at least one item.

With your journal under your arm, you intended to stretch your palm to the tipping branch, the bell vines ever so close to your fingertips when a mystical whisper shadowed your ears and a rustle froze your limbs.

"On your right... look!"

It wasn't the first time the trees talked to you, but it still startled you whenever you ventured out randomly to take a walk or get a fresh breath of air. But with this message, confusion — possibly, fear— wrapped around your thoughts like vines.

It wasn't uncommon for the swamp to be crawling with creatures, but the thought of actually confronting one made the goosebumps prickle your skin. It would be greatly unlucky if that ever happened.

Logically, you had to be prepared. So, with your journal in one hand, your other demanded the magic to stream to your fingers, to charge your blood, and be at the ready when you faced your right.

An undeniable rustle surged from behind the spots of trees, and the voices whispering by your ears grew stronger.

"There, there! Behind the third tree!"

You turned your body fully, not knowing what tree was talked about. The details were just so helpful and made you roll your eyes.

With a shaky breath, your hand was raised, ready to throw a spell, the simmering anxiety rising up to your chest. What on Magix was going on?

Just as you took a step forward, cracking a twig, a flash of pattern hit you with a sharp force, anchoring you to the ground; you yelped, releasing the spell from your hand in a random direction.

God knows if you even hit your target.

When you opened your eyes, horror hit you as you found yourself blanketed by a net. A whole damn net. That wouldn't even move when you tried to untangle yourself and push it off you.

This was not good. Not what you planned when you had your first trip of the third year of school. How fucking great. Panicked hands clawed at the net when you heard a raucous meow.

And another meow, more panicked and bewildered more than anything. Your eyes flickered forward after lifting your head only to see a black fur ball emerging from the bushes and trees.

It moved tentatively on its feet, as if clumsy and afraid, feline ears flattening in slight panic, yellow eyes darting around in alarm. Beside it, a gun of some sort with a large barrel large enough for a net to shoot out from.

The cat walked towards you, meowing profusely as you tried to kick and lift the net from you. This was oh so embarrassing — one, because you even got caught in a net; two, you can't even lift it off you.

A shaky breath left you as you attempted to pull the magic to your fingers again, but you felt the dryness in you. Of course you couldn't conjure it when you truly needed it.

Footsteps faded in behind you, some panicked voices that were too deep to be your friends, and some you recognised to be the girls. Craning your head backwards, the sight of Minji and Dani soothed the igniting bewilderment.

Except that wasn't all — about 6 boys entered the scene as well from the direction that the cat came from, all muttering and conversing until they saw you trapped underneath the net. Judging from the blue and navy body suits, you guessed they were specialists. It didn't help the unpleasant humiliation that curled around you.

Looks of confusion were exchanged between the girls and boys.

Everything was silent for a moment before a tall boy with headphones tilted his head at your struggling sight. "Call me crazy, but isn't that hyung's net?"

"Shut up, Riki."

"No, he has a point," said a boy with a sharp jawline, eyes and black hair as he stared at your helpless and restless state.

Hanni stepped forward, hand on her hip as she pointed to you. "Can someone get her out then?"

They seemed to snap out of it as one boy with two pretty moles on his face, and full lips rushed forward, bending down to you and meeting your gaze.

He was utterly gorgeous and forced your lungs to stop working for a moment. Pale skin, kind brown eyes as he tapped on the spheres dangling from the ends of the net and manoeuvred the net off you. It felt easier to breathe.

When he helped you get up, his warm hands hoisted you up in one go by your forearms, and you had to stop yourself from finding that incredibly attractive.

"Are you okay?" He asked with that deep voice of his. You blinked, finding him increasingly familiar, but you didn't want to stare. You nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine—"

An agitated meow broke through, causing everyone to look at the black cat approaching everyone, eyes narrowing as it glanced at the boys. The girls gave each other glances, and you finally understood what happened before a net was plunged at you. You gasped slightly.

"Oh... I must have spelled him," you muttered guiltily.

"Oh, yn." Minji said, restraining a chuckle. You shot her a glare.

"Turn him back," Hyein simply said, stepping forward as she knelt beside the cat. The awkwardness hit you and made you tense slightly. Oh, how easy that sounds if you felt even a small static connection of magic. Right now, you couldn't.

Giving a look to the girls, they understood your predicament, and muted grey flowers of guilt sprouted on the sides of your hair.

Some of the guys approached the cat, one with wine-purple hair, and smiled wickedly.

"Is that our maknae? Meow once for 'no', and two for 'yes'," he said. The one with glasses erupted with laughter as the cat hissed at him, ears flattening instantly.

"Heeseung hyung, I think it is."

You sighed, thinking of what to even say when another familiar voice called out to you, excited. When you turned, it was Leerae, her own little bag perched on her hip, wearing the same outer attire.

A smile adorned her face but gave way to confusion when she saw you standing before the cat, the one growing more aggravated, clumsily walking in circles.

"Oh, what happened?" She asked as she came up to you. At that, the cat meowed louder, ears flattening in irritation.

This was even more embarrassing. You had already been struggling in class, and now, the one popular person you're acquainted with has to see this.

Awkwardly rubbing your arm, you peered at the cat pawing at the ground, still bewildered by its anatomy. Anyone would be if they were suddenly attacked and turned into a feline animal. You felt remorse for whoever you hit.

Leerae walked up to the cat, kneeling so her hand hovered over the fur ball's head, her eyes closed. Everyone stilled as light glowed from her hands, ribbons of pure shimmers streaming around the cat until she stepped back, allowing the globe of light to morph.

In awe, you observed how the glow transfigured to resemble a boy, now standing up, the shimmers giving way to features.

He looked way too familiar — the black, wavy hair, honey skin, and feline eyes. That's when it hit you.

The dude that gave you his shirt at the party when he spilt a drink down your white dress. Your eyes were stuck on him, drawn to him.

Jungwon looked down at his hands, pleased it wasn't paws, At least he was back in his navy body suit, the familiar gloves tugged over his knuckles.

But then, he glimpsed at you, at loss for words, and he couldn't think of anything else. The realisation flickered to life as he saw your regretful but observant expression.

"It's... you?" You exclaimed, more grey flowers blooming in your hair, bewildering Jungwon slightly. But he straightened himself and stepped forward slightly.

"Yeah..." Jungwon said breathlessly, staring at your features in the light. From the party, both you and him could see each other more clearly in contrast to the dark, crimson lanterns at the party.

He was able to preserve how your eyes blinked at him, the curve of your nose. The fact that he was shamelessly staring didn't register to him until Jake stepped up.

"Jungwon, do you have no manners? How could you net a girl?" He exclaimed, fixing his glasses with a small smile. Jungwon knew he was teasing him, but he genuinely thought he was capturing a creature.

Not a whole being.

"Yeah, and Jungkook's little sister," one of them muttered again, making the anxiety and embarrassment prickle your skin.

"I'm sorry for turning you into a cat," you mumbled to him, gaze downcast as embarrassment glittered in your gaze.

The way you avoided his eyes made a small blossom of endearment sprout, heck maybe a small smile. But Jungwon stopped himself when he remembered he shot a net at you and was yet to deliver an apology.

"No, I'm sorry for hitting you with a net," Jungwon said, looking down as well to see a brown and tattered book by your feet. Kneeling down, he clutched the journal full of sticky notes and bent corners.

Glancing back, he handed the journal over in a way to exchange more apologies. You took it gratefully, the humiliation burning your cheeks as you quietly thanked him.

Hanni snorted behind you, forcing you to glare back at her over your shoulder.

"What's so funny, Hanni?" You asked her with an edge of suspicion. She was smiling a little, mischief sparkling in her gaze.

Probably because she had caught you yearning over this dude on your tweets. But, how can she blame you when the boy looked so divine and sculpted carefully by God himself?

"Nothing."

The boys looked at each other when they saw Hanni and Minji smirking and then looked back to Jungwon, a knowing look in their eye. Jungwon saw and shot them a glower for the wicked smiles on their faces.

Leerae watched with the others as you dusted off your trousers and your journal.

"You still haven't returned my shirt," Jungwon began saying, making you glance up in embarrassment. You know the girls are dying to tease you right now, and judging by the extra pair of male eyes, you know they want to tease him as well.

"I have washed it. It's just... you know, drying. I promise," you rambled nervously, trying not to sound as if you were hoarding it to feel to the fabric. Jungwon betrayed a small smile.

"It's fine. Take your time."

Gratitude was an understatement. You would loathe it if he thought you were an unorganised girl with no respect for other people's clothes. Your mind was spinning with all those scenarios.

It only made you more eager to return the clothing to him to get rid of the debt you had to him.

"Time to get going, Jungwon." Heeseung announced to the boy, fiddling with the hilt of his dagger.

Jungwon — that's his name? You have seen his face twice and didn't even ask the first time. How absurd of you.

"Yeah, I know, Heeseung hyung," Jungwon replied, retreating to where his net gun was, picking it up with ease. You decided to help him by picking up the discarded net and sauntering to him.

"Sorry... about all this," you said quietly, cheeks heating up again, holding out the heavy net.

Jungwon smiled softly, the look reassuring your composure and repressing the humiliation a little. He reached out to take it, his gloved fingers brushing yours.

A single spark ignited in your knuckles, your eyes naturally drifting up to his brown ones. Warm and sparkling with this serenity and harmony that he radiated just from his gaze.

Just as you were about to exchange the net to him, bushes rustled, harsh footsteps marched towards the scene, and a sharp voice called out to you.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Abruptly turning your head, you came face-to-face with Jungkook storming over with two other boys trailing in behind him.

Jungwon tensed and you resisted the urge to roll your eyes.

A sceptical look was given to you before he ripped the net out of your hands, and (aggressively) dumped it in Jungwon's clutches. Jungwon's eyes were wide as saucers as he gave a tight-lipped look, stepping back instinctively.

Sighing internally, you turned to Jungkook. "What are you doing here?"

Jungkook scoffed and crossed his arms as if you asked a stupid question. Jungwon physically shrunk back, retreating to the rest of his friend group.

"Doing the assignment, unlike Mr Handsy over there." Jungkook jerked his head in Jungwon's bewildered direction. In your honest opinion, your brother was just embarrassing you even more. Nudging his arm, you delivered a glare yourself.

"Can you calm down for one damn second? I didn't know you were also out here," you snapped at him. The girls were unfazed by your automatic bickering, but the boys stared in awe.

They always feared Jungkook but seeing you — his baby sister — glaring and chastising him felt abnormal and a little... amusing.

Jungkook nudged you back but harder, causing you to yelp. "Well, I didn't think I needed to tell you I'm having an assignment."

"You didn't. I'm just surprised." You crossed your arms, eyes flickering to Jungwon, who was haphazardly stuffing his net back into his gun. Jungkook followed your gaze to him, and the boy shrunk his gaze.

The rest of his friends kind of cackled, but in a quieter tone.

"Stop glaring for no reason. I was giving back his net," you said quietly, discreetly as you tried to calm whatever negativity he was sending to Jungwon. The poor boy looked like he could shit his pants.

"Why did you have his net?" Jungkook inquired again in front of everyone. You resisted the urge to face palm your head and sighed.

If you told your brother that Jungwon accidentally hit you with a net, mistaking you for a creature...

It was a thought you wouldn't rather advance on, and a white lie would be better in this situation.

"He dropped it," you muttered. Jungwon breathed in relief. One of the boys had to press a palm to his mouth to suppress the smile.

"Dropped it? From a net gun?" Jungkook turned his gaze to Jungwon, who was flushing pink in the ears at this point, anxiety glittering in his averted eyes. "He's more worse than I thought."

"Jungkook—"

"I'm kidding," he said gruffly.

No, he wasn't.

You rolled your eyes and walked back to the girls and Leerae, journal in hand, and with one last glance back to Jungwon.

Turns out, he was already looking at you with those warm, sparkling eyes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━˚₊‧꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱‧₊˚━━━━━━━━━━━━━

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<< M.LIST >>

[NOTES]: This took so long to damn well write. Sorry about that. Anyway, MHJ has apparantly resigned - we cheered, BUT idk what the girls are going to do now. So, I hope they find the truth and kind of make a decision best for them and reflect the right thing to do. REBLOGS, COMMENTS + LIKES are appreciated <3

☰ TAGS: Winx Club smau, enhypen smau, slow-ass burn fic, violence, action and adventure, angst, college smau, fantasy au, strangers to lovers

© 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗱𝘀

━━━━━━━━━━━━━˚₊‧꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱‧₊˚━━━━━━━━━━━━━

˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊[TAGLIST]: @dreamiestay @melancholy-z @n1k1mura @wensurr @jiiyen @jwonistic

[sjsmith56]

Assignment Bucky Barnes, Chapter 34 - Home

Summary: Ariel returns to 2024 with Bucky and Sam, surprised by the supervising historian who helps them out of the portal.

Length: 3.1 K

Characters: Peri, Merton, Ariel, Bucky, Sam, Will.

Warnings: none

Author notes: Tying up some loose ends. One more chapter.

<<Chapter 33

While Bucky and Sam waited, Merton and Peri stood with their daughter, hugging her with affection, as the technicians were setting up the portal.  Peri stroked Ariel's red hair, whispering into her ear.

"There's so much I will miss about you.  You are an incredible woman and I'm so proud of you.  This was an impossible assignment, but you accepted it readily.  I'm sorry at how much it affected you ...."

"Don't be," said Ariel.  "I know you love me and that's really all that matters."  She looked at Merton.  "You started out as my surrogate father and now you're my real one.  I just wish we had more time together."

"I might make a visit every so often," he said.  "Especially if I hear about any grandchildren.  I do have this for you."

He gave Ariel a photo album that included a photo from the day she was born, pictures of her and her adoptive mother, then her with Peri, and finally a couple of photos of him and her from the 1940s.  With emotion he hugged her and kissed her on the forehead before looking at Sam and shaking his hand.  Then he looked at Bucky.

"Officially, you will still be an enigma but there will be no more observation assignments of you," he said.  "That's been decided by the current chair and her eventual successor.  You take care of our daughter, do right by her, or I'll come back and kick your ass.  I still know a few things."

"I'm sure you do, Merton," said Bucky, smiling.  "I promise to love her, honour her, and protect her for as long as we both live.  Thank you for being friends with Steve and me from the beginning.  You were a good person to us during a difficult time."

Bucky hugged him while Merton patted him on the back.  Peri and Merton left the transport room before appearing in the observation window above.  Ariel's possessions were pushed into the portal, then the technician counted down Sam's departure, with him carrying Rosie in the cat carrier.  Bucky took Ariel's hand, while she held the photo album close to her chest.  They stepped in together and watched as the portal walls changed from white and blue, to orange and red, then to black before a hand reached in and tugged on Bucky's vibranium hand.  When they got out, they were shocked to see Will Greening in Bucky's living room.

"Surprised?" he said.  "I'm a resident historian in New Orleans.  Hold on a moment while I signal that everyone arrived safely and close the portal."

He pressed a combination of buttons on the virtual display in front of him then closed the portal.  The projection shut down into a small cube which he put into a briefcase.  With the briefcase and the clothes he was wearing he looked like a salesman.  Noticing how they checked out his clothes he grinned.

"I'm an entrepreneur," he said, "specializing in virtual technology systems.  It's very up and coming and I make a pretty good living at it.  I'm called Will Greene, with an e at the end, have two historians that I supervise, neither of them on any of you but I'm not at liberty to say who they are observing.  If you ever want to go for beers or come over for a barbecue, then we could stay in touch, but I will leave that to you.  Now, I will need to drive you two over to Sam's house as your motorcycle is still there, Bucky."  He handed Ariel a large envelope.  "These are your official identification documents for you to live legally in this time.  Don't lose them."

"Will, how long have you been here?" asked Ariel, realizing the acquisition of those documents would have taken time.  "We just saw you last night.  You were too hungover to show up for our departure, apparently." 

"About six weeks," he said.  "I actually left a couple of hours before you did but I arrived here sooner obviously.  I've already made some friends in this timeline, including a rather nice widow with two boys."

Sam looked at him with some alarm.  "Sarah?  You know my sister?"

"We had an information evening at the school, showing the PTA how they could hold a fundraiser for the latest virtual reality systems," smiled Will.  "Your sister is quite knowledgeable and enthusiastic about technology in the classroom.  We talked for some time, over coffee afterwards."

"No," said Sam, vigorously shaking his head.  "Nope, not happening."

Will winked at Bucky and Ariel.  "I'm gainfully employed, Sam," he said, as the two men went out to Will's car.  "I'm also a gentleman."

Bucky smiled at Sam's protestations.  "This should be fun," he said.  "I'm okay about staying in touch with Will although I assume neither he nor you can tell us anything of the future that we don't know already."

"You're right there," replied Ariel, then she smiled.  "Not much anyways.  While you're gone, I'm going to unpack.  How will we explain me to Sam's family?"

"I'll pick Will's brain on the way," he said, then he kissed her goodbye. 

When Bucky got out to Will's car Sam was in the front seat, still insisting there was no way Will was going to be anywhere near Sarah.

"That's too bad," said the historian.  "She already invited me to a shrimp boil fundraiser at the dock.  I was going to offer a virtual reality headset as a prize in a draw.  There's going to be a lot of disappointed kids."

Bucky grinned from the back seat.  "That's not going to look good for Captain America, Sam," he pointed out.  "Not to mention Sarah won't be happy with you interfering in her private life."

"You stay out of it," said Sam, looking back at him.  "Besides, you're supposed to be on my side."

Will grinned at Bucky through the rearview mirror, knowing he was enjoying Sam's discomfort. 

"How are we going to explain Ariel to Sarah?" Bucky asked, changing the subject.

"Honestly?  I think you should tell her the truth but don't let on that I'm in on it.  Sarah is no fool. I already told her Sam and I met briefly when we were both in the service.  The truth is always easier to tell, or something close to it.  Whether she believes you is another matter."

Sam looked sideways at Will.  They had fought side by side together during Ariel's rescue.  Before that Will intervened when the thugs attacked him and Bucky on the streets of Brooklyn.  He sighed and looked out the window.  Would it be so bad to allow him to see Sarah?  They pulled up to the Wilson house and sat there for a moment.  Leaning across the front of the vehicle, Will opened the glove box and pulled an envelope out, handing it backwards to Bucky.

"This is for you.  It has an address and a name inside.  I would suggest that you and Ariel go for a visit very soon.  Take the cat with you when you go but don't open the envelope until you get back to your place."  Then he focused his blue-green eyes on Sam.  "I am messing with you, but I did enjoy your sister's company.  Remember the talk we had in 1940 about historians falling in love with their subject?  Sarah's not my subject, but that doesn't mean she's not worth loving.  I would like to see her, preferably with your blessing, and I will be very respectful because I am that kind of man, but I think you already knew that."

He offered his hand to Sam, receiving a hesitant fist bump in return, which he smiled at.  Sam and Bucky got out and watched as Will pulled away, waving his hand out the window as he did.  Grinning, the super soldier turned to his friend.

"Well, I better get back home," he said, nonchalantly.  "Looks like you have some thinking to do."

"Shut the hell up," muttered Sam, turning to go up the stairs into the house.  Starting his motorcycle up Bucky roared out of the yard as Sam watched him.  "Damn them both."

Before Ariel unpacked, she walked through Bucky's place, looking at everything, especially his books and LP collection.  She smiled when she saw the Benny Goodman ones.  When he returned, she was in the bedroom hanging some clothes up in the closet.  Although she heard the door to the house open and called out to him there was no response.  Walking out to the living room she saw Bucky reading the letter that was in the envelope.  When he looked up at Ariel, his eyes were bright.

"She's alive," he said, holding the letter out to Ariel.  "Rebecca is still alive.  She's 94 years old, lives in a senior's home in Tampa, Florida, has four children, 17 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren.  The oldest great grandchild is pregnant with her first baby."

"You didn't know?"

"I assumed she was dead," he replied.  "Steve never said anything about her, and I figured he was sparing my feelings."

He sat down, running his hands through his hair.  Ariel sat with him and rubbed his shoulder. 

"How long does it take to drive to Tampa?" she asked.

"To where she is, about 10 hours nonstop," he said. 

"Do you have a vehicle other than your motorcycle?" she asked.

He looked up at her surprised.  "You want to go see Rebecca?" he asked.  Ariel nodded.  "Yeah, I have a truck.  If we leave now, we won't get there until after midnight.  There's something you have to know before we go."

"What's that?"

"She knew who I was," he said.  "Not at first, on July 4, but at the World's Fair she began figuring out who I was.   After the attack on Will and Sam, I went to see my parents, watched them from across the street.  For a moment, I thought Rebecca might have seen me, but she never gave any indication.   Just before I returned to your time, she spoke to me."

"You're telling me that Rebecca, in 1940, identified you," stated Ariel, not quite believing it.  "Where did she see you again?"

Bucky sighed.  "I was working at a grocers.  It was the week after the attack.  They received too many apples and put them on sale.  People came from all over to take advantage of the sale. Rebecca was there with Ma, standing in the lineup to get into the store.  She spoke to me, making me turn around, said flat out that she knew I was Bucky but not the Bucky who belonged in that time.  I tried to bluff my way out of it, but she wouldn't have it.  Told me she read my time travel books and that she thought I was from the future.  She figured out that future me was there to protect her and you from the evil people at the fireworks and World's Fair.  Ma interrupted us then, asked me to bring her two cases of apples out.  She said I looked familiar and tried to engage with me so I went back inside the store. Merton was there and told me to quit my job that day. They sent me to 1943 the day after."

"Did they adjust her memory?" she asked. Bucky shook his head no, then repeated what Merton told him. "We have to go see her. We have to show her that we're together and that I will be her sister for real this time.  We should take Rosie with us.  We should take Sam as well as she had an interaction with him."

Bucky studied her face to make sure Ariel was on the level.

"Okay," he said.  "I'll phone Sam and we'll drive out first thing tomorrow."  He looked at his hands again.  "There's something else you need to know.  She made me promise not to say anything except to you once I brought you back."

"Who and what are you talking about?" she asked.

"Paulina, the woman who was deep undercover, that found you," he said.  "She came to 1943, after Steve was changed, to stop May from seducing him.  I was to stop Lowell Mason, but he got to Paulina first and stabbed her.  Paulina was Peri, from 2173.  Her final assignment, she said.  I guess it took years to identify all the players."

"I already know," whispered Ariel.  "She told me about being my birth mother and I ran somewhere to think.  Will found me and told me Paulina was Peri.  I was so angry at her for lying to me all those years and he helped me understand that historians have to lie to do their jobs, even if it affects their personal life.  It kind of made me realize that a historian at her level had more to think about than just one person."

Bucky nodded.  "She gave her life to stop Lowell Mason from changing HYDRA's timeline.  Part of me wonders if that was always the main assignment, stopping him, not learning about me."

"Did you know Will was in love with one of my co-workers in 1940?  He almost stayed to be with Miss Warren, then he got hurt and was sent back.  In that timeline there was no choice but to declare him dead."

"No, I didn't know," replied Bucky.  "He was a gentleman about respecting her privacy."  He chuckled.  "He would be good for Sarah and the boys."

"Did you get back through Hal?" She sat with him, holding his hand.  "I mean Paulina died in 1943, didn't she?  Did Hal know about her?"

Bucky shook his head.  "Only Merton, Victoria Houseman and I, although Will arrived to make the arrests.  We had special comms that allowed us to connect with Will in 2142.  It was all future security that came to arrest Mason's people."

"I suspected she was a historian while you were in basic training," said Ariel, "but Merton wouldn't confirm or deny it.  At first, I thought she was gay because Merton said she helped him through an indiscreet moment in his life.  Then I thought she was one of the historians who fell in love with her assignment and chose to stay with him.  Peri must have kept tabs on her, kept her as an emergency backup."

"She had one of the newer virtual consoles," said Bucky.  "As they were heading to the capture point for Mason, Peri and Victoria talked.  They must have been close because they were reminiscing about how Victoria met my high school physics teacher.  Before I went through the portal that Will opened for me to go back, she told me to tell you that she was sorry she left you alone at sixteen."

Ariel didn't cry but she still felt the loss of her adoptive mother.  That it took years to finally expose all the shadows that threatened the integrity of the timeline was overwhelming still.  Bucky held her while she dealt with all the conflicting emotions she was feeling.  Finally, she pulled back and looked at him, his dark hair, bright blue eyes, strong jaw and those lips that still gave the softest kisses.

"Paulina told me when she found me that I could have an incredible life with you," she said.  "I didn't believe her at first, but I was being kept prisoner at the time and everything seemed so bleak."

He smiled softly and nodded.  "It's what I always wanted, and dreamed of, you and a bunch of our kids.  There'll be none of that 1940s man who lets you do all the work either.  I'm in for all of it, diaper duty, feeding, laundry ... full partner.  You need to have a career that you're happy in as well."  They kissed, lightly at first, then more passionately and he helped her up.  "You're the only woman I ever loved enough to commit to."

"You were the first man I ever fell in love with," she said quietly as they went up the stairs with her by his side.  "I had lots of sexual experiences but never felt for them what I felt for you.  There were times I wanted to tell you everything."

"I know that now," he replied.  "It must have been distressing the further involved you became."

"It messed me up as much as you being with the other women.  The guilt I felt for not warning you."

She looked down at the floor as they stood by the bed.  "I'll never be with another woman, ever again," he whispered, raising her chin so he could see her eyes.  "Don't feel guilty.  That was out of your control.  What matters is what you and I have right here, right now, and what we do with it."

Reaching up to his neck Ariel pulled Bucky's face down to her and they kissed fiercely.  Bucky ran his hands over the soft skin under her top, remembering the curves of her body that he became reacquainted with the night before after 80 years apart.

"Play Ariel make out songs," she said out loud then she giggled.  "I forgot, I'm not in 2142.  It was a good playlist too, all my favourite 20th and 21st century music.  Might not be yours but you never know.  There's some Marvin Gaye, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, rock, and other assorted songs that I find sexy on there."

"I like Marvin Gaye," he said, playing with her hair, and smiling that soft smile that she loved.

He pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket and linked it to his Bluetooth speaker.  When the music began with Marvin Gaye, singing Let's Get It On, they both laughed.  Ariel took her top off and peeled her leggings down while Bucky kicked his boots and his socks off before unzipping his jeans and removing his shirt.  Now that they were alone, in Bucky's house, they didn't have to worry about anyone coming home unexpectedly.  They had all the time in the world to enjoy each other's body. They had all the time in this world to fulfill what they both wanted in the 1940s. The journey they would take the next day would be another step in reconciling unfinished business from the past.

Chapter 35>>

Series masterlist

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[fkinkindagauche]

Header and divider by @/saradika-graphics.

Fic Masterlist

At the moment, I'm writing mostly for Stranger Things - Steddie, Harringrove, Ronance, and others if the mood takes me. Split up by ship below. Full tags and content warnings are always in the linked post, either on Tumblr or AO3.

CURRENT WIP

The Harrowing | Stranger Things Twin Peaks AU | Explicit | Metalsandwich (Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson)

Steve Harrington is sent to Hawkins, Indiana for his first field assignment after becoming a Special Agent at the FBI. His job is to investigate the murder of Chrissy Cunningham, town darling, and determine if it's linked to serial disappearances and murders in another state. He realizes everything in Hawkins is not as it seems as he is drawn into the drama and mystery of the small town.

STEDDIE

Complete Chaptered Fics

Cocoon | Explicit | 36K | Omegaverse and No Upside Down AU with Steve, childfree by choice omega, hiring Eddie, an Alpha escort who helps unpaired omegas through heats.

The Unbearable Horniness of Steve | Explicit | 42K | Omegaverse and No Upside Down AU, O!Steve and A!Eddie, friends helping each other out with boners to lovers.

Someone To Bleed | Explicit | 60K | Steve gets turned into a vampire, sensual bloodsucking hijinks occur. Follow-up PWP one-shot, Jesus Died For Somebody's Sins, But Not Mine | Explicit | 3.5K.

Gourd Love Is Hard to Find | Explicit | 46K | Omegaverse and No Upside Down AU. O!Steve, lonely mid-30s teacher and owner of 4 cats finds a note in his door inquiring about his pumpkins.

PANDO | Explicit | 55K | Eddie comes back wrong in a very fungal way. Post-S4 fix-it with a lot of body horror and weird sex.

II Most Wanted | Platonic Stobin, Romantic Steddie and Ronance | Mature | 38K | Months after the defeat of Vecna, a still very much alive Eddie Munson is being targeted by Jason Carver. After a big scare, Robin and Steve decide they need to take things into their own hands. Hijinks of a criminal variety ensue.

One Shots

Hot Knife | Explicit | 9K | Omegaverse, No Upside Down, College AU, O!Steve finds his flirtation attempts rebuffed for the first time in his life by a prickly alpha.

Put A Little Love In My Void | Explicit | 2.7K | PWP, Steve is a size queen and Eddie has a real big dick. That's it, that's the plot.

White and Rare and Full of All Kinds of Rage | CW: Rape/Non-Con| Explicit | 3.1 K | Steve picks up a strange hitchhiker during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. The hitchhiker vanishes from his car, but has plans for Steve later.

The Indiana Lakers | Explicit | 2.3K | Eddie gives Steve a bad gift on an already bad Christmas morning.

A Golden Opportunity | Explicit | 3.1K | Eddie has a thing for Steve's elf costume. Turns out Argyle does too.

All I Ever Wanted Help With Was You | Explicit | 8.6K | Steve agrees to help Eddie out by pretending to be his human companion for a vampire gathering.

Possibly Maybe | Explicit | 16K | Eddie falls in love with the cookies from a shop run by an annoying alpha. Definitely just the cookies.

The Dog Ate Your Letter | Explicit | 5K | Eddie accidentally opens a very personal letter addressed to his hot next-door neighbor.

Somebody Has to Arrange the Matches | Explicit | 5K | Dustin decides that Eddie deserves to find love, and he's hell-bent on making it happen.

The Queerest of the Queer | Explicit | 3.5K | Alpha/Alpha boys being nasty with watersports.

Some Unrighteous Intention | Explicit | 5.6K | Steve terrorizes Eddie all summer by eating very sexy fruit very sexily.

Tumblr-Only Ficlets

Color coded by rating - General (green), Teen and Up (purple), Mature (orange), Explicit (red)

Great Minds Think Alike | My Rose | Brand New Key | There's A Devil Waiting Outside Your Door | This Magic Moment | How You Turn My World, You Precious Thing | A Ghost in Giant Sneakers | Wild God | Dress Up In You | If You Love Me Right, Then Who Knows? | So Jealous | Slutty Little Mouse | Good Morning | Beware the Suburban Lamprey | Relief | Love Me Better

HARRINGROVE

Series

Mer!AU

The First Taste | Explicit | 6K | Billy Hargrove and Steve Harrington are members of a society of merfolk living in the Great Lakes. Billy agrees to teach his sister Max how to play the sport she's been trying to learn from Steve, Billy's rival. Things start to change.

Not A Fish, Out of Water | Teen and Up | 3K | Mermen Billy and Steve get sent above the water on a mission. The first order of business, finding clothes, doesn't go great for Steve.

A Helping Hand | Explicit | 2.5K | Steve discovers coffee, and Billy discovers jerking off.

Goldilocks

Goldilocks | Explicit | 8.5K | Omegaverse with secret Omega!Billy pretending to be an Alpha, and actual Alpha!Steve

As Is | Explicit | 28K | Omegaverse, continuation of Goldilocks. Steve and Billy's relationship continues to develop.

Might Tell You Tonight | Explicit | 5.6K | Five times Billy almost says he loves Steve, and one time he finally does.

One Shots

Please Please Please | Explicit | 3.5K | Billy once again embarrasses Steve at a party, but afterward reminds Steve why he keeps letting this happen.

A Monstrous Nature | Explicit | 6K | Billy follows Steve into the Upside Down during one of his patrols, against Steve's wishes. He sees Steve's monstrous side, but the effect is not what Steve expected.

Tumblr-Only Ficlets

Hardened Criminal Steve Harrington | Do Those Come in XL? | Down By the Water

Other Stranger Things Ships

Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler

Fit Right Into Me | Explicit | 16K | Robin has been avoiding Nancy Wheeler since an erotic dream awakened some feelings in her. A chance meeting with a ruined coat brings them back into each other's lives again, with some interesting things learned about Nancy's proclivities.

II Most Wanted | Platonic Stobin, Romantic Steddie and Ronance | Mature | 38K | Months after the defeat of Vecna, a still very much alive Eddie Munson is being targeted by Jason Carver. After a big scare, Robin and Steve decide they need to take things into their own hands. Hijinks of a criminal variety ensue.

Other Fandoms

The Locked Tomb/Gideon the Ninth

Show Your Bones | Explicit | 5K | Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus | Gideon Nav works in Aiglamene's used book store, which acquires the liquidated Nonagesimus library at auction following the death of the Reverend Mother and Father. Gideon finds some interesting letters hidden in some of the books, and meets the fascinating Reverend Daughter Harrowhark.

Our Flag Means Death

ain't got time to make no apology | Explicit | 3K | SteddyHands | Izzy really needs a bath, and Ed and Stede need some Izzy.

[study-with-aura]

Monday, March 3, 2025

I finished Moby Dick on Friday, and I decided to read some of the classic literary novels discussed in my American Lit course that we studied but didn't read. That may put me behind on my 2025 TBR, but that's okay if I don't get to all of them by the end of the year.

Friday and this weekend were busy. School work on Friday was longer than typical, so I had no extra time that evening to post since I was also finishing up Melville's novel and completed three hours of volunteer work plus dance. Saturday was more laid back with dance and an unofficial Girl Scout meeting to finish up our Voice for Animals badge. I had the evening free, but I spent that reading and catching up with family. I miss regular family game nights, so when we can have them, I enjoy them. Then Sunday was church, an official Girl Scout meeting to finish up our Social Innovator badge for the Seniors, and then more free time, which turned into a spa evening again for me. There was also piano practice sprinkled in through the weekend, Duolingo (I'm focused on French over Spanish right now), and starting The Great Gatsby. It's a lot shorter than I imagined it would be, so I should be finishing it up within a couple of days, three at most.🦄

Tasks Completed:

Algebra 2 - Completed worksheet on applications of rationals

American Literature - Vocabulary quiz (100%) + copied new vocabulary terms + read about confessional poetry + read about Sylvia Plath + read "Morning Song" + answered discussion questions about the poem + read "Blackberrying" + answered critical thinking questions about the poem

Spanish 3 - Reviewed more food vocabulary

Bible 2 - Read Psalms 24, 25, an 26

Early American History - Read about humanitarian reforms + read about Dorothea Dix + answered study guide questions

Earth Science with Lab - Read about observing the night sky + read through stargazing terminology + read about constellations

Art Appreciation - Read about Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin + completed daily critiquing assignment on The Silver Goblet by Chardin

Khan Academy - Completed U.S. History Unit 4: Lessons 3.1-3.2, 3.4, and 3.6

Duolingo - Studied for approximately 15 minutes (Spanish + French + Chinese) + completed daily quests

Piano - Practiced for two hours

Reading - Read pages 75-101 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chores - Cleaned my bathroom + cleaned windows in my bedroom and in the study + laundered bedding

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Isaiah 41:10)

6-Week Devotional Journey (Romans 3:23-24)

Group Bible Study (Numbers 18-20)

Volunteered 2 hours at the library

Ballet

Contemporary

Journal/Mindfulness

[usafphantom2]

U.S. Air Force Awards RTX $1 Billion Contract to Upgrade F-22 Sensors

The contract follows the recent news about the tests of new advanced sensors on the F-22 Raptor, which the U.S. Air Force is planning to field quickly as part of the ongoing upgrade program.

Parth Satam

F-22 new sensors contract

An F-22 Raptor takes off from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 30, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Rufus)

Amid the acute need for 5th generation fighters in modern combat scenarios against peer adversaries, the U.S. Air Force is looking to upgrade its F-22 Raptor with a series of sensors to make it more survivable and relevant. The service announced on Aug. 29, 2024, the award of a $1 billion contract to RTX‘s Raytheon for new sensors that are categorized as “Group B hardware”, together with spares and support equipment.

“Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, and is expected to be completed by May 8, 2029,” said the DoD contracts statement. The Aviationist had recently reported that the Air Force was testing new sensors on the F-22 to extend its service life, which would also be applied to the NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) family of systems.

That report also quoted Brig. Gen. Jason D. Voorheis, the Program Executive Officer for Fighter and Advanced Aircraft, who said they were hoping to field these sensors faster. The Raptor team had conducted six flight tests to demonstrate the advanced sensors.

“The F-22 team is working really hard on executing a modernization roadmap to field advanced sensors, connectivity, weapons, and other capabilities. We’re executing that successfully, and that will lead to […] a rapid fielding in the near future.” This would be done through a Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) program.

Some of the sensors included in the contract could be the stealthy pods seen on the F-22. Air and Space Forces earlier quoted officials who confirmed that the pods host IRST (Infrared Search and Track) sensors. The development of a new IRST sensor for the Raptor was also confirmed by the service’s 2025 budget request, which however did not mention the sensor being podded.

This work is part of an F-22 improvement campaign that calls for $7.8 billion in investments before 2030, which includes $3.1 billion for research and development and $4.7 billion in procurement.

An F-22 Raptor with the Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team performs a flyover and air demonstration at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., Aug 13, 2024. (U.S Air Force Photo by Trevor Cokley)

F-22’s future in the U.S. Air Force

The development is also in contrast with previously reported USAF plans to retire the older F-22 airframes, for which it had sought approval from the Congress. These F-22s are 32 Block 20 units from a total fleet of 186. At the same time, the service aims to upgrade the remaining 154 with new cryptography, an expanded open architecture, new weapons and an advanced threat warning receiver, beside the IRST.

However, the service now appears to be reconsidering that plan, after Voorheis was quoted in the ASF report: “From an F-22 sunsetting perspective, I don’t have a date for you.” “What I can tell you is that we are hyper-focused on modernization to sustain that air superiority combat capability for a highly contested environment for as long as necessary,” he added.

IMAGE 3: A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 3rd Wing takes off above Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jun. 17, 2024. (Image credit: USAF/Senior Airman Julia Lebens)

The U.S. Air Force describes the Raptor as a combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, designed to project air dominance, rapidly and at great distance. Initially introduced as an air-superiority-only asset, the F-22 later started performing both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

The F-35 is largely a strike fighter and an airborne sensor-fusion and data-processing capable command post in its tactical orientation. But the Raptor is a pure air dominance interceptor. Although costly to upgrade and maintain, it nevertheless can play an important role in degrading adversary air power through either long-range BVR (Beyond Visual Range) and dogfights.

Moreover, having F-22s also increases the number of LO (Low Observable) aircraft in the inventory, at least until more F-35s are available, especially the TR-3 (Technology Refresh-3) Block 4 upgraded variants.

In 2021 too, then Air Force chief General Charles Q. Brown Jr. revealed his “4+1” fighter plan, suggesting the F-22 to be replaced by the NGAD while retaining the F-35, F-15E and EX, and the F-16. The “plus 1” was the A-10, but in March 2023, Brown said the A-10s were being retired faster than expected and the entire fleet would possibly be divested by 2030.

Meanwhile the NGAD’s future itself is uncertain after U.S.A.F have noted its technical complexity and financial implications. The F-22 thus seems to be back in the running.

On Jul. 10, 2024, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said during a Mitchell Institute event that the service has no official plan to retire its F-22 Raptors. “Right now, there’s…frankly isn’t an F-22 replacement and the F-22 is a fantastic aircraft,” said Wilsbach. “I’m in favor of keeping the Block 20s. They give us a lot of training value, and even if we had to in an emergency use the Block 20s in a combat situation, they’re very capable.”

F-22 Indonesia

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors assigned to the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, conduct Dynamic Force Employment operations at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Air Force Base, Indonesia, on Aug. 6, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mitchell Corley)

Other known F-22 upgrades

Other upgrades mentioned in the 2025 budget request are a Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Link 16, a Multifunction Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS), a new Operational Fight Program, advanced radar Electronic Protection and an Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernization (EGI-M).

Voorheis also mentioned the GRACE (Government Reference Architecture Compute Environment) software that would allow “non-traditional F-22 software” to be installed on the aircraft and provide “additional processing and pilot interfaces.”

A new helmet is also being tested, as part of the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet program to replace the current 40-year-old HGU-55P headgear. The new helmet would also allow the introduction of helmet-mounted devices which provide essential flight and weapon aiming information through line of sight imagery, easing the workload of the pilots.

About Parth Satam

Parth Satam's career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.

@Theaviationist.com

[koiukiy-o]

orphic; (adj.) mysterious and entrancing, beyond ordinary understanding. ─── 008. the email.

-> summary: when you, a final-year student at the grove, get assigned to study under anaxagoras—one of the legendary seven sages—you know things are about to get interesting. but as the weeks go by, the line between correlation and causation starts to blur, and the more time you spend with professor anaxagoras, the more drawn to him you become in ways you never expected. the rules of the academy are clear, and the risks are an unfortunate possibility, but curiosity is a dangerous thing. and maybe, just maybe, some risks are worth taking. after all, isn’t every great discovery just a leap of faith? -> pairing: anaxa x gn!reader. -> tropes: professor x student, slow burn, forbidden romance. -> wc: 3.3k -> warnings: potential hsr spoilers from TB mission: "Light Slips the Gate, Shadow Greets the Throne" (3.1 update). main character is written to be 21+ years of age, at the very least. (anaxa is written to be around 26-27 years of age.) swearing, mature themes, suggestive content.

-> a/n: yum. good night, see you next week <3 -> prev. || next. -> orphic; the masterlist.

On the board: a rough, sketched spiral that narrowed into itself. Then—without explanation—he stepped back and faced the room.

“The Julia Set,” he began, “is defined through recursive mapping of complex numbers. For each point, the function is applied repeatedly to determine whether the point stays bounded—or diverges to infinity.”

He turned, writing the equation with a slow, deliberate hand, the symbols clean and sharp. He underlined the c.

“This constant,” he said, tapping the chalk beneath it, “determines the entire topology of the set. Change the value—just slightly—and the behavior of every point shifts. Entire regions collapse. Others become beautifully intricate. Sensitive dependence. Chaotic boundaries.”

He stepped away from the board.

“Chaos isn’t disorder. It's order that resists prediction. Determinism disguised as unpredictability. And in this case—beauty emerging from divergence.”

Your pen slowed. You knew this was about math, about structure, but there was something in the way he said it—beauty emerging from divergence—that caught in your ribs like a hook. You glanced at the sketch again, now seeing not just spirals and equations, but thresholds. Points of no return.

He circled a section of the diagram. “Here, the boundary. A pixel’s fate determined not by distance, but by recurrence. If it loops back inward, it’s part of the set. If it escapes, even by a fraction, it’s not.”

He let the silence stretch.

“Think about what that implies. A system where proximity isn’t enough.”

A few students around you were taking notes rapidly now, perhaps chasing the metaphor, or maybe just keeping up. You, however, found yourself still. His words hung in the air—not heavy, but precise, like the line between boundedness and flight.

Stay bounded… or spiral away.

Your eyes lifted to the chalk, now smeared faintly beneath his hand.

Then—casually, as if announcing the time—he said, “The application deadline for the symposium has closed. Confirmation emails went out last night. If you don’t receive one by tonight, your submission was not accepted.”

It landed in your chest like dropped glass.

It’s already the end of the week?

You sat perfectly straight. Not a single muscle out of place. But you could feel your pulse kicking against your collarbone. A kind of dissonance buzzing at the edges of your spine. The type that doesn’t show on your face, but makes every sound feel like it’s coming through water.

“Any questions?” he asked.

The room was silent.

You waited until most of the students had filed out, notebooks stuffed away, conversations trailing toward the courtyard. Anaxagoras was still at the front, brushing residual chalk from his fingers and packing his notes into a thin leather folio. The faint light from the projector still hummed over the fractal diagram, now ghostlike against the faded screen.

You stepped down the lecture hall steps, steady despite the pressure building in your chest.

“Professor Anaxagoras,” you said evenly.

He glanced up. “Yes?”

“I sent you an email last night,” you said, stepping forward with a measured pace. “Regarding the papers you sent to me on Cerces’ studies on consciousness. I wanted to ask if you might have some time to discuss it.”

There was a brief pause—calculated, but not cold. His eyes flicked to his watch.

“I saw it,” he said finally. “Though I suspect the timing was… not ideal.”

You didn’t flinch. “No, it wasn’t,” you said truthfully. “I was… unexpectedly impressed, and wanted to follow up in person.”

You open your mouth to respond, but he speaks again—calm, almost offhanded.

“A more timely reply might have saved me the effort of finding a third paper.”

You swallow hard, the words catching before they form. “I didn’t have anything useful to say at the time,” you admit, keeping your voice neutral. “And figured it was better to wait to form coherent thoughts and opinions… rather than send something half-baked.”

He adjusts his cuff without looking at you. “A brief acknowledgment would have sufficed.”

You swallow hard, the words catching before they form. “Right,” you murmur, choosing not to rise to it.

Another beat. His expression was unreadable, though you thought you caught the flicker of something in his gaze. 

He glanced at the clock mounted near the back of the hall. “It’s nearly midday. I was going to step out for lunch.”

You nodded, heart rising hopefully, though your face stayed calm. “Of course. If now isn’t convenient—”

He cut in. “Join me. We can speak then.”

You blinked.

“I assume you’re capable of walking and discussing simultaneously.” A faint, dry smile.

So it was the email. And your slow response.

“Yes, of course. I’ll get my things.” 

You turned away, pacing steadily back up the steps of the hall toward your seat. Your bag was right where you left it, tucked neatly beneath the desk—still unzipped from the frenzy of earlier note-taking. You knelt to gather your things, pulling out your iPad and flipping open the annotated PDFs of Cerces’ consciousness studies. The margins were cluttered with highlights and your own nested comments, some so layered they formed little conceptual tangles—recursive critiques of recursive thought. You didn’t bother smoothing your expression. You were already focused again.

“Hey,” Kira greeted, nudging Ilias’s arm as you approached. They’d claimed the last two seats in the row behind yours, and were currently sharing a half-suppressed fit of laughter over something in his notebook. “So… what’s the diagnosis? Did fractals break your brain or was it just Anaxagoras’ voice again?”

You ignored that.

Ilias leaned forward, noticing your bag already packed. “Kira found a dumpling stall, we were thinking of-”

You were halfway through slipping your tablet into its case when you said, lightly, “I’m heading out. With Professor Anaxagoras.”

A pause.

“You’re—what?” Ilias straightened, eyebrows flying up. “Wait, wait. You’re going where with who?”

“We’re discussing Cerces’ papers,” you said briskly, adjusting the strap across your shoulder. “At lunch. I emailed him last night, remember?” 

“Oh my god, this is about the symposium. Are you trying to—wait, does he know that’s what you’re doing? Is this your long game? I swear, if you’re using complex consciousness theory as a romantic smokescreen, I’m going to—”

“Ilias.” You cut him off with a look, then a subtle shake of your head. “It’s nothing. Just a conversation.”

He looked at you skeptically, but you’d already pulled up your annotated copy and were scrolling through notes with one hand as you stepped out of the row. “I’ll see you both later,” you added.

Kira gave you a little two-finger salute. “Report back.”

You didn't respond, already refocused.

At the front of the lecture hall, Anaxagoras was waiting near the side doors, coat over one arm. You fell into step beside him without pause, glancing at him just long enough to nod once.

He didn’t say anything right away, but you noticed the slight tilt of his head—acknowledging your presence.

You fell into step beside him, footsteps echoing softly down the marble corridor. For a moment, neither of you spoke. The quiet wasn’t awkward—it was anticipatory, like the silence before a difficult proof is solved.

“I assume you’ve read these papers more than once,” he said eventually, eyes ahead.

You nodded. “Twice this past week. Once again this morning. Her model’s elegant. But perhaps incorrect.”

That earned you a glance—quick, sharp, interested. “Incorrect how?”

“She defines the recursive threshold as a closed system. But if perception collapses a state, then recursion isn’t closed—it’s interrupted. Her architecture can’t accommodate observer-initiated transformation.”

“Hm,” Anaxagoras said, and the sound meant something closer to go on than I disagree.

“She builds her theory like it’s immune to contradiction,” you added. “But self-similarity under stress doesn’t hold. That makes her framework aesthetically brilliant, but structurally fragile.”

His mouth twitched, not quite into a smile. “She’d despise that sentence. And quote it in a rebuttal.”

You hesitated. “Have you two debated this before?”

“Formally? Twice. Informally?” A beat. “Often. Cerces doesn’t seek consensus. She seeks pressure.”

“She’s the most cited mind in the field,” you noted.

“And she deserves to be,” he said, simply. “That’s what makes her infuriating.”

The breeze shifted as you exited the hall and entered the sunlit walkway between buildings. You adjusted your bag, eyes still on the open document.

“I marked something in this section,” you said, tapping the screen. “Where she refers to consciousness having an echo of structure. I don’t think she’s wrong—but I think it’s incomplete.”

Anaxagoras raised a brow. “Incomplete how?”

“If consciousness is just an echo, it implies no agency. But what if recursion here is just… a footprint, and not the walker?”

Now he did smile—barely. “You sound like her, ten years ago.”

You blinked. “Really?”

“She used to flirt with metaphysics,” he said. “Before tenure, before the awards. She wrote a paper once proposing that recursive symmetry might be a byproduct of a soul-like property—a field outside time. She never published it.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “She said, and I quote, ‘Cowardice isn’t always irrational.’”

You let out a soft breath—part laugh, part disbelief.

“She sounds more like you than I thought.”

“Don’t insult either of us,” he murmured, dry.

You glanced over. “Do you think she was right? Back then?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Then: “I think she was closer to something true that neither of us were ready to prove.”

Anaxagoras led the way toward the far side of the cafeteria, bypassing open tables and settling near the windows. The view wasn’t much—just a patch of campus green dotted with a few students pretending it was warm enough to sit outside—but it was quiet.

You sat across from him, setting your tray down with a muted clink. He’d ordered black coffee and a slice of what looked like barely tolerable faculty lounge pie. You hadn’t really bothered—just tea and a half-hearted sandwich you were already ignoring.

The silence was polite, not awkward. Still, you didn’t want it to stretch too long.

“I’d like to pick her mind.”

He glanced up from stirring his coffee, slow and steady.

You nodded once. “Her work in subjective structure on pre-intentional cognition it overlaps more than I expected with what I’ve been sketching in my own models. And Entanglement—her take on intersubjective recursion as a non-local dynamic? That’s… not something I want to ignore.”

“I didn’t think you would,” he said. 

“I don’t want to question her,” you said, adjusting the angle of your tablet. “Not yet. I want to understand what she thinks happens to subjectivity at the boundary of recursion, where perception becomes self-generative rather than purely receptive. And many other things, but—”

He watched you closely. Not skeptical—never that—but with the faint air of someone re-evaluating an equation that just gave a new result.

You tapped the edge of the screen. “There’s a gap here, just before she moves into her case study. She references intersubjective collapse, but doesn’t elaborate on the experiential artifacts. If she’s right, that space might not be emptiness—it might be a nested field. A kind of affective attractor.”

“Or an illusion of one,” he offered.

“Even so,” you said, “I want to know where she stands. Not just in print. In dialogue. I want to observe her.”

There was a beat.

Then, quietly, Anaxagoras said, “She’s never been fond of students trying to shortcut their way into her circles.”

“I’m not trying to–.” You met his gaze, unflinching. “I just want to be in the room.” 

There was a pause—measured, as always—but he understood your request.

Then, Anaxagoras let out a quiet breath. The edge of his mouth curved, just slightly—not the smirk he wore in lectures, or the fleeting amusement he reserved for Ilias’ more absurd interjections. A… strange acknowledgment made just for you.

“I suspected you’d want to attend eventually… even if you didn’t think so at the time.” He said, voice low.

He stirred his coffee once more, slow and precise, before continuing.

“I submitted an application on your behalf.” His eyes flicked up, sharp and clear. “The results were set to be mailed to me—” After a brief pause, he says, “I thought it would be better to have the door cracked open than bolted shut.”

Your breath caught, but you didn’t speak yet. You stared at him, something between disbelief and stunned silence starting to rise.

“… And?”

He held your gaze. “They approved it.” He said it matter-of-factly, like it wasn’t a gesture of profound academic trust. “Your mind is of the kind that Cerces doesn’t see in students. Not even doctoral candidates. If you ever wanted to ask them aloud, you’d need space to make that decision without pressure.”

Your heart skipped a beat, the rush of warmth flooding your chest before you could even fully process it. It wasn’t just the opportunity, not just the weight of the academic favor he’d extended—it was the fact that he had done this for you.

You looked down at your tablet for a beat, then back up. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I wasn’t sure it would matter to you yet.” His tone was even, but not distant.

Your chest tightened, heart hammering in your ribcage as a strange weight settled over you.

You leaned back slightly, absorbing it—not the opportunity, but the implication that he had practically read your mind.

You swallowed hard, fighting the surge of something fragile, something that wanted to burst out but couldn’t quite take form.

“And if I’d never brought it up?” you asked.

“I would have let the approval lapse.” He took a sip of coffee, still watching you. “The choice would have always been yours.”

Something in your chest pulled taut, then loosened.

“Thank you,” you said—quiet, sincere.

He dipped his head slightly, as if to say: of course.

Outside, through the high cafeteria windows, the light shifted—warmer now, slanting gold against the tiles. The silence that followed wasn’t awkward. 

You’re halfway back to your dorm when you see them.

The bench is impossible to miss—leaning like it’s given up on its academic potential and fully embraced retirement. Dog is curled beneath it, mangy but somehow dignified, and Mydei’s crouched beside him, offering the crust from a purloined sandwich while Phainon gently brushes leaves out of its fur.

They clock you immediately.

“Look who’s survived their tryst with the divine,” Mydei calls out, peeling a bit of bread crust off for the dog, who blinks at you like it also knows too much.

“Ah,” he calls, sitting up. “And lo, they return from their sacred rites.”

You squint. “What?”

“I mean, I personally assumed you left to get laid,” Ilias says breezily, tossing a leaf in your direction. “Academic, spiritual, physical—whatever form it took, I’m not here to judge.”

“Lunch,” you deadpan. “It was lunch.”

“Sure,” he says. “That’s what I’d call him too.”

You stop beside them, arms loosely crossed. “You’re disgusting.”

Mydei finally glances up, smirking faintly. “We were betting how long it’d take you to return. Phainon said 45 minutes. I gave you an hour.”

“And I said that you might not come back at all,” Ilias corrects proudly. “Because if someone offered me a quiet corner and a waist as sntached as his, I’d disappear too.”

You roll your eyes so hard it almost hurts. “You’re projecting.”

“I’m romanticizing,” he counters. “It’s a coping mechanism.”

“So,” you ask, settling onto the bench, “Mydei, did you get accepted?”

Mydei doesn’t look up. “I did.”

Phainon sighs and leans back on his elbows. “I didn’t. Apparently my application lacks ‘structural focus’ and ‘foundational viability.’” He makes air quotes with a dramatic flourish, voice flat with mockery. “But the margins were immaculate.”

Ilias scoffs immediately, latching onto the escape hatch. “See? That’s why I didn’t apply.”

“You didn’t apply,” you repeat slowly, side-eyeing him.

“I was protecting myself emotionally,” he says, raising a finger. 

“Even after Kira asked you to?” you remind him.

“I cherish her emotional intelligence deeply, but I also have a very specific allergy to what sounds like academic jargon and judgment,” he replies, hand to chest like he’s delivering tragic poetry. 

You snort. “So you panicked and missed the deadline?”

“Semantics.”

The dog lets out a sleepy huff. Mydei strokes behind its ear and finally glances up at you. “I still can’t believe you didn’t apply. The panel was impressive.” 

You hesitate, staring down at the scuffed corner of your boot, when your phone dings.

One new message:

From: Anaxagoras   Subject: Addendum   Dear Student, I thought this might be of interest as well. – A.  

There’s one attachment.  

Cerces_MnemosyneFramework.pdf

You click immediately.  

Just to see.

The abstract alone hooks you. It’s Cerces again—only this time, she’s writing about memory structures through a mythopoetic lens, threading the Mnemosyne archetype through subjective models of cognition and reality alignment.

She argues that memory isn’t just retentive—it’s generative. That remembrance isn’t about the past, but about creating continuity. That when you recall something, you’re actively constructing it anew.

It’s dense. Braided with references. Challenging. 

You hear Ilias say your name like he’s winding up to go off into another overdramatic monologue, but your focus is elsewhere.

Because it’s still there—his voice from earlier, lodged somewhere between your ribs.

"A brief acknowledgement would have sufficed."

You’d let it pass. Swallowed the dry implication of it. But it’s been sitting with you ever since— he hadn’t needed to say more for you to hear what he meant.

You didn’t know what to say. Maybe you still don’t.

But you open a reply window. anyway.

Your thumb hovers for a beat.

Re: Still interested Nice paper, Prof. Warm regards, Y/N.

The moment it sends, you want to eat your keyboard.

He replies seconds later.

Re: – “Warm” seems generous. Ice cold regards, – A.

The moment it sends, you want to eat your keyboard.

It’s a small, almost imperceptible warmth spreading across your chest, but you force it back down, not wanting to make too much of it. 

Then you laugh. Not loud, but the sort of surprised, almost nervous laugh that catches in your chest, because somehow, you hadn’t anticipated this. You thought he’d be... formal. Distant. You didn’t expect a bit of humor—or was it sarcasm?

Your fingers hover over your phone again. Should you reply? What do you even say to that? You glance up, and that’s when you see it—Ilias’ eyes wide, his face scrunched in disbelief, like he’s trying to piece together the pieces of a puzzle.”

He points at you like he’s discovered some deep, dark secret. “You’re laughing?”

You groan, dragging a hand over your face, trying to will the heat out of your cheeks.

He doesn’t even try to hold back the mock horror in his voice after peeping into your phone. “Anaxagoras is the one that;s got you in a fit of giggles?”

Ilias gasps theatrically, pressing a hand to his chest. “Wait. Wait wait wait. Is he funny now? What, did he send you a meme? ‘Here’s a diagram of metaphysical collapse. Haha.’” He deepens his voice into something pompous and dry: “Student, please find attached a comedic rendering of epistemological decay.”

You’re already shaking your head. “He didn’t even say hello.”

“Even better,” Ilias says, dramatically scandalized. “Imagine being so academically repressed you forget how greetings work.”

He pauses, then squints at you suspiciously.

“You know what?” he says, snapping his fingers. “You two are made for each other.”

Your head whips toward him. 

He shrugs, all smug innocence. “No, no, I mean it. The dry wit. The existential despair. The zero social cues. It’s beautiful, really. You communicate exclusively through thesis statements and mutual avoidance. A match made in the archives.”

“I’m just saying,” he sing-songs, “when you two end up publishing joint papers and exchanging footnotes at midnight, don’t forget about us little people.”

You give him a flat look. “We won’t need footnotes.”

“Oh no,” Ilias says, pretending to be shocked. “It’s that serious already?”

You stomp on his foot.

-> next.

taglist: @starglitterz @kazumist @naraven @cozyunderworld @pinksaiyans @pearlm00n @your-sleeparalysisdem0n @francisnyx @qwnelisa @chessitune @leafythat @cursedneuvillette @hanakokunzz @nellqzz @ladymothbeth @chokifandom @yourfavouritecitizen @sugarlol12345 @aspiring-bookworm @kad0o @yourfavoritefreakyhan @mavuika-marquez @fellow-anime-weeb927 @beateater @bothsacredanddust @acrylicxu @average-scara-fan @pinkytoxichearts @amorismujica @luciliae @paleocarcharias @chuuya-san @https-seishu @feliju @duckydee-0 @dei-lilxc @eliawis @strawb3rri-bliss

(send an ask/comment to be added!)

[korstudying]

Day 21 || Full study plan

Looking back on a Fascinating Journey of Korean Grammar Marvels! 🇰🇷✨

Greetings, awesome people! 🌟 Are you excited to look back on everything we've done this week? Get ready to unlock these linguistic treasures that breathe life into our conversations with intrigue and depth. 🎉📚 Here's an array of examples to test yourself once again:

1. -을 테니까 - Because I Will [Do Something], [Reason/Result]

1.1. I'll study hard because I want to pass the exam. 1.2. I'll clean the house because guests are coming. 1.3. I'll save money because I plan to travel next year. 1.4. I'll practice diligently because I want to improve. 1.5. I'll start exercising because I want to be healthy.

2. -느라고 - Because of [Something], [Result/Action]

2.1. Because of the rain, I couldn't go for a walk. 2.2. Because of a headache, I couldn't attend the party. 2.3. Because of the traffic, I arrived late at work. 2.4. Because of a flat tire, he missed the appointment. 2.5. Because of the noise, I couldn't concentrate on my work.

3. -를 지경이다 - [Extreme Result] to the Point of [Situation]

3.1. I was exhausted to the point of collapsing. 3.2. The movie was hilarious to the point of tears. 3.3. The traffic jam was frustrating to the point of rage. 3.4. The dish was spicy to the point of sweating. 3.5. The music was beautiful to the point of giving me chills.

4. -는바람에 - Due to [Something], [Result] Happened

4.1. Due to the rain, the picnic was canceled. 4.2. Due to the delay, I missed the bus. 4.3. Due to the mistake, the project was delayed. 4.4. Due to the accident, the road was closed. 4.5. Due to the shortage, the product was out of stock.

5. -아/어/여서라도 - Even If I Have to [Do Something], [Purpose]

5.1. Even if I have to wake up early, I want to see the sunrise. 5.2. Even if I have to walk, I'll make it to the concert. 5.3. Even if I have to study all night, I'll pass the exam. 5.4. Even if I have to save money, I'll travel to a new country. 5.5. Even if I have to wait, I want to meet my friend.

6. -아/어/여야 할지도 모르다 - Might Have to [Do Something]

6.1. I might have to ask for help to solve this problem. 6.2. I might have to change my plans if the weather doesn't improve. 6.3. I might have to stay up late to finish the assignment. 6.4. I might have to leave early to catch the train. 6.5. I might have to make compromises to reach a solution.

Let's not forget to also look back at the past grammar points ✨ If you have questions or crave more examples, feel free to reach out. Happy learning and exploring, fellow student! 🌈📖💬

[keicordelle]

I will never be over how Endwalker just destroyed Emmanellain's characterization. They needed a waifish, damsel in distress comedic relief character, and they just ignored all of his 3.x character development to do it! They just slapped him in there to be a pretty boy noble who doesn't want to be there, when post-Heavensward Emmanellain is so much more than that.

Like yes, that's very much what he was at the start of the game. He didn't want to fight, or take life particularly seriously, and he wasn't really good at the things his family wanted him to be good at.* He was flighty and immature and completely willing to just go through life riding on the coattails of his brother and getting by on his family name. No one expected much from him, and he was perfectly content with that status quo. He is a comedic caricature of a pretty boy noble there, so incompetent that he's assigned his own houseboy to keep him in line.

But all that changes post-Heavensward. He's thrust into a position where suddenly he has to take charge, and make decisions, and he's not ready for it. He makes the wrong call, and he blames others for it, as he's always done. And then he experiences the consequences for his actions. And it's still someone else who suffers for them! It's Honoroit who gets beat up, not Emmanellain himself! But it forces him to own up to his shortcomings in a way he's never bothered to before. (Thancred's fist and the imposing WoL certainly help with that too, of course.) He's given an ultimatum, and he steps up!

And of course he's not going to magically become a clone of Artoirel and get super serious and become an amazing knight. That's not who he is, and that's not where his skills lay. But he's trying. When you talk to him after that, he tells you about his training regiment, and how he's still not much good with a sword and how he'll never be like Haurchefant, but he's working on it, and he's training regularly and not skipping out on it like he used to. And when he takes over Camp Dragonhead, he treats the role with all the gravity it's due. Even Artoirel says he's impressed with him and how seriously he's taking it!

And then he shows back up in Endwalker and it's like they've just erased all that character development and turned him back into a useless ponce. He's not there because he wants to be, he's there because his brother commanded it and he had no choice. And, idk, but the Emmanellain I'd come to love wouldn't have stressed that so hard. Even if it had been Artoirel's suggestion, even if he knew he wasn't suited for the task, 3.x Emmanellain would have taken the role seriously and done his best in whatever capacity he can. While still being a flirty comic relief character.

Like, I love Emmanellain and Sicard, but damn I wish they hadn't destroyed my boy to bring them together.

*However, that doesn't mean he wasn't good at anything, or that his skills were useless! He's very adept socially, and he knows all sorts of rumors and all sorts of people. We see it during the riots in 3.1 in particular, where he knows people who knows people. There's merit to being a well connected gossip in high society! Just because he's not good with a sword doesn't mean he's useless! And he himself goes through a whole arc of self discovery where he realizes his skills are, in fact, skills.

[eueuphoriaz]

Cold War between Levi and Hange: Part 3.1 - Double Date

Alright... Sasha managed to do something that everyone (probably except Eren and Mikasa) wanted to do - throw a little anger at Levi. So, with that little vent from her, the double date commenced.

Now, I am always curious why Isayama arranged it like that. If it is not for the purpose of a double date, then why would Hange arrange Levi to go with her, when Hange was still, supposedly, angry at him? If there are only 2 senior officers left, and Hange, being the commander now, should accompany Eren and Mikasa to continue the investigation. And it would also make sense to assign Levi to be on the Wall to watch out if the Marleyan Titans are coming back. Yes, Armin is already a Colossus but his power will blow everyone up too. Then we have Jean and Sasha who are injured, and Connie and Floch. From a logical point of view, Levi should stay at the wall because Hange has Mikasa and Eren around in case there are still roaming Titans when they go to the basement.

The other reason I can think of, is that Hange arranged for Levi to go to the basement as a form of fulfilment for Erwin's wish. I am not sure how much Hange knows about Erwin's personal dream to reach the Basement, but she knew that reaching the Basement is important to him and for the whole of the Survey Corps members. And I guess that was why the anime included the flashback of Erwin making reaching the Basement the sole goal of the Survey Corps during his recruitment speech and then switching it to Armin who stood at the Wall, much like Erwin standing at the wall supervising the battle and expedition.

So, Levi managed to get on the double date. The anime expanded the whole scene and focused on Eren and Mikasa as they walked through their memory. I thought it was really done beautifully, as it gives a chance for them to work on their trauma and grief from 5 years ago.

1) Keeping their distance

So, Hange continued to keep her distance from Levi. Here, the third person who jumped off the wall has a cloak. And then we have the scene of the 4 of them after Levi jumped off the wall. So from the positioning of the 4 of them at the wall before they set off, either Hange is avoiding Levi cos she is still angry, or Levi is avoiding Hange to lessen her anger, or both.

I am thinking that in this cold war, Hange is taking on the stance of "ignoring him", while Levi is taking on the stance of "observing and approaching when timing is right".

This can be really far-fetched, and it may just be from an art-making perspective to add dynamism to the action. But here are some observations when they landed.

Hange had landed at a distance slightly away from the camera lens. Her position is similar to where Eren landed. Then Levi landed closer to the lens, which is closer to Hange now, who had landed earlier than him and was jogging to let the momentum run off.

Here is a look to compare the landing position Levi chose (closer to the lens), compared to Eren. The 2 of them are in the same line of travel.

Probably it is due to his manoeuvring skills and that he is smaller so he can travel further. But my Levihan lens is showing me that he wanted to be close to Hange.

So if Hange had been jogging while Levi landed, that would mean that Levi is either ahead of, or next to Hange, after he landed and started jogging. But we see that Hange is still ahead of Levi after she had stopped jogging.

Ok, it could also be that her legs are longer and Levi needed to take more paces to catch up, which means he is still behind her. Or it just look better when animated. But, poor boy jogged to catch up with her is true.

2) Hange's silent treatment

Now, as the double date continued, Hange and Levi walked side by side, but looking at opposite directions. Then we have Levi asking Eren where is his house.

Just want to point out that in the manga, Hange is the one who talked throughout the walk until they reached Eren's house.

So the anime extended this probably to also highlight the tension between Levi and Hange.

Also, I am guessing that Levi asking Eren where is his house is also a test to sense Hange's reaction to him. She basically still did not react to Levi, except to look to Eren after Levi asked the question on where is his house. So, I am guessing that Hange also had this question in her mind but she is choosing to be silent, because she is still angry at Levi.

3) Levi got his answer

Thereafter, we can see Levi walking slightly behind Hange and that gap between them....

Probably he realised then that Hange is giving him the silent treatment and he is also feeling a bit frustrated now. So the space between them got bigger.

Ok, the second frame probably is drawn because it looks nice. But the gap between Levi and Hange.....

And it is not just Levi, as the quartet get closer to Eren's house, we see Hange also widening her distance between Levi. Like, the 2 of them are just dancing tango with each other- i walk behind you, you walk behind me..... much like a binary star system.

So, finally they have reached Eren's house, but Levi is also slowly feeling the frustration of Hange's silent treatment. Unfortunately I have to do a Part 3.2 because there is a photo limit.

---------

Levihan's Cold War [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3.1] [Part 3.2]

[oswaldsleftbicep]

Hey,how are you? I know that you're not very atm but i saw that you had 0 asks so I thought I'd leave one here for when you come back :)

I'd like to know your headcanons about them boys in a human high school, since we already got the college hcs

anyways, take ur time and i hope you will feel better <3

the boys as high schoolers

omg this was so fun to think about lol also you're so sweet :,) i am doing a lot better, just trying to push myself back into getting my life back together again

genre: crack, unintentional angst

cw: american high school, language, mention of sex

Lucia

❧ deffo in the popular crowd, the one with the preppy boys and girls who are also all involved in a sport, throughout all four years of high school

❧ he gave off the vibes that he would be kinda stuck up and would laugh at you behind your back, but he was actually one of the nice ones, albeit just a tad bit insensitive

❧ played a sport, maybe something like lacrosse or basketball, and was the captain of his team in his last year of high school. he'd also been on the team since he was a freshman, spiking his popularity immensely

❧ his favorite class was probably chemistry, because of the experiments, or gym, because it was easy

❧ his language arts teacher loathed him because he just could not understand any of the books they assigned. he would always take things too literally or say "it's not that deep, bro" to the teacher's face lmao

❧ he and his friends would sit to the side of the class, never up front but not quite in the very back, and this mf would always be making some kind of noise, either tapping his pencil or running his mouth-- at least he was kinda funny

❧ he was on grade level for most of his classes, except for being in honors sciences beginning his second year. he managed to graduate with a 3.1 gpa!!

❧ went to all the dances and formals, and he won prom king his senior year, although the girl he went with wasn't even nominated for prom queen awkward

❧ he honestly had one of the biggest glow ups, but like personality wise. when he was a freshman he was obnoxious and running through the halls and bothering people with rude jokes, but then he got diagnosed with adhd, got meds, and learned a bunch of coping strategies that calmed him down and made him a better student and friend

❧ picked on levy in the halls every chance he took, and if it weren't for the teachers, he would've picked on him some more in the classes they shared. he would've done the same with mefy, but his youngest brother always seemed to evade him somehow

❧ had a petty rivalry with mikael, and was pretty good friends with ricardo in that they always got into shenanigans together

Levy

❧ straight-a student and valedictorian the year he graduated :,) you bet your ass lucia was cheering so loud for him during his speech

❧ volunteered in the school library all four years, but especially so in his senior year when he had a bunch of free periods. anytime he had free time or it was study hall, he'd go to the library

❧ valued comfort in terms of his outfits but he also wanted to look put together, so he'd always be in a sweater or nice shirt with dark jeans or casual dress pants

❧ had a small group of friends that consisted of people he'd have multiple classes with or was in clubs with, but he also spent a decent amount of time with mefy and kaim

❧ speaking of clubs, he was in the book club all four years of high school as well as participating in the debate club. he was also in several honors societies and acted as a peer tutor, and you bet he was decorated as hell during graduation

❧ wanted so bad for his school to have an equestrian team, which they didn't because what kind of school has that, so he joined a local team instead, which got a few snobby popular kids to tease him for being "a horse girl"

❧ he liked all of his classes, although is favorites were history and english; his least favorite was gym, hands down. he would always be doing the bare minimum and coming up with excuses to get out of the more intense sports

❧ didn't go to any of the typical high school events like dances or games because he thought he was above all that, but he was really just too anxious

❧ he played an instrument in his first year of high school, something he carried over from middle school, but he just got too busy for it and it was no longer a priority. he either played viola or some shit like the oboe

❧ his teachers at the start of every year would see his last name and get filled with dread like "oh no not another one" but they then visibly relaxed when they realized he wasn't anything like lucia

❧ was in a lot of above grade level classes, which eventually led him to be in the same class as lucia a few times. levy thought it was so embarrassing and tried to sit as far away from lucia and his friends as possible. lucia has tried to get levy to do his homework before lol

Mefy

❧ he was an enigma to like ninety five percent of the school; he barely associated with anyone, always stuck to himself, wouldn't linger in one place for very long, and no one could find him during free time

❧ this unfortunately led him to be labeled as the "school shooter kid," which never bothered him but his brothers would be livid at hearing anyone call their baby brother that awful thing

❧ he had like two close friends and spent a lot of time with levy, and he was also close with the psychology/sociology teacher, whom he would eat lunch with every day for his last two years of high school. he liked that they never seemed to mind his deep, somewhat worrying questions about life and the human psyche

❧ his first year he stuck with levy in the cafeteria for lunch, then his second year he'd steal lucia's student id to eat outside in the senior courtyard

❧ he was a brilliant student, but he hardly ever participated in class and didn't put in more effort than he needed to which lowkey brought his grades lower than they could have been. his phych/soc teacher was the only one who noticed this and talked to him about it, which earned them his respect

❧ his favorite classes were psychology, sociology, and computer science, in that order. he was okay with the other classes, but refused to take any that would draw attention to himself, like theater or music

❧ he faked a doctors note that got him out of gym and levy was so salty about it. so all he ended up doing for that semester was walking laps lmao

❧ he joined the debate club with levy, but solely for the purpose of arguing with people and being able to get under their skin and gaslight them without serious repercussion. the advisor for the club knew what was up but genuinely did not care enough to stop him

❧ for his foreign language credit, he probably took something less popular like german or latin, and he'll just be saying shit in that language to lucia while levy snickers in the background

❧ he came up with the senior prank for his class and everyone loved it and immediately had a change of heart for him like, "man maybe this kid wasn't so bad." the prank ended up being a little too much for the principal, who demanded to know whose idea it was, but nobody snitched

❧ ...which made him feel just a little bit bad for hacking the school's grade system and changing everyone's grades to a d it got fixed don't worry

Oswald

❧ the american football coach tried so hard to get him on the team, but oswald didn't trust himself to go through with it because of his anger issues. he also didn't know if he could keep his grades up enough to stay on the team

❧ also kind of a loner, but in that he didn't really have anyone who he was close with at all. he hung out with noel the most, and lucia and kaim every so often, but for the most part he walked the halls alone

❧ he was a part time babysitter all four years of high school, and all four years he worked for kurt's family, and he brought that kid to watch every football game the school had

❧ he was a below average student, graduated with a 2.8 and had to retake algebra 1 his freshman year. he had to get a tutor for pretty much every general subject, especially for language arts his handwriting and essay skills are atrocious

❧ the one subject he never had to get help in though was science. earth and space, biology, chemistry, somehow even physics he always excelled in. physics was a bit of a struggle for him because of how much math is in it, but at the time kurt really wanted to be an astronaut and oswald was willing to learn physics to help him achieve that goal

❧ by the time oswald graduated, kurt no longer wanted to be an astronaut :,) rip

❧ he found out about the votech program and enrolled his junior year. he joined the agriculture one and fell in love with it, setting up an easy career path for him to go on as soon as he graduated

❧ he joined the environmental club starting his second year and managed to convince the principal to start a student garden! oswald spent pretty much all of his free time taking care of the garden, making sure it was watered and weeded

❧ he was so close to being able to join the science national honors society, but his gpa was just under the minimum requirement :(

❧ which meant that he didn't have any chords or anything during graduation which is nothing to be ashamed of, but he was kinda hard on himself about the snhs thing, so little eight year old kurt made him an honor chord by messily finger crocheting a row of chain stitches out of neon green yarn :,)

❧ he wore it with pride and anyone who'd ask about it would swoon at the answer, "my kid brother made it for me"

❧ he was low-key a heart throb in his school, but solely for his tall, dark, and handsome appearance. anyone who tried to ask him out or confess immediately found out that he's kinda clueless and not at all the bad boy they thought he was lmao

Kaim

❧ he was absolutely that mf who wore a suit to school every day. he'd go "casual" on friday by wearing a cashmere sweater and some dress pants

❧ his mom is friends with the brothers' mom, so he was close with all of them growing up but more so because his mom told him to "look out for them," knowing he was the only one out of all of them who had any real sense

❧ he was lowkey the therapist friend but on a more crisis intervention scale than a "do u need to vent" scale. he called lucia out several times for his shenanigans, kept mefy from becoming a bully, and talked oswald down from a lot of near spirals

❧ his favorite class was consistently language arts and he could write one persuasive ass essay, which helped him a lot in history, too. his least favorite class he had to take was computer science; no matter what he did, he just could not get his code to work and it nearly cost him his flawless gpa lmao

❧ speaking of gpa, he maintained honor roll throughout the entirety of high school, and graduated with a 4.0. he was above grade level in all his classes but refused to take ap classes, claiming they were a waste of time and money they are

❧ he favored his electives a lot more than his general classes. he low-key thrived in home economics, and the teacher convinced him to take the culinary class starting his junior year and got him enrolled in the field experience for culinary arts in his senior year

❧ he absolutely was an orchestra kid and had been playing the cello since fourth grade, earning him first chair by the time he was a junior. he also played the piano and helped out with school musicals and talent shows by playing the piano for songs if it required live music

❧ he earned a decent amount of chords for graduation: honors society for language arts, culinary club, orchestra, honor roll. he now uses them to tie his curtains back lmao

❧ everyone low-key dreaded being partnered up with him for projects, only because he's such a perfectionist and would make damn sure everyone did their part of the project and did it correctly

❧ absolute teacher's pet though, all of them loved how diligent and intelligent he was, making him the high school version of a teacher's assistant

❧ my school didn't have this, but he would absolutely have been hall monitor. he was, however, almost elected student body president despite not running, his class just nominated him lol

❧ much to his dismay, he was elected vice president of the student body and was put in charge of organizing student events. planning prom almost gave him grey hairs at the ripe age of seventeen

Mikael

❧ he didn't really fit in with a particular crowd, so i guess you could call him a wallflower in that sense? he was kinda a loner, but didn't give off the typical "loner" vibes

❧ very quiet, always got his work done on time, and always did his work exceptionally well, which made him a straight-a student as well

❧ he very well could have been the top of his class, but his lack of participation in class discussions and such knocked his grades down slightly. he always preferred to work alone, hated presentations, and never elaborated his verbal responses

❧ the one exception to him working alone was if noel was in his class; he knew that noel would be reliable and would just want to get the assignment over, and he wouldn't talk his ear off

❧ some of his teachers understood that he just wasn't comfortable and made an exception or didn't deduct points because they saw how eloquent his written responses were, but there's always those few teachers that just don't care lol

❧ he graduated with a 3.9 unweighted gpa, and he took several honors and even a few ap classes on top of being in science national honors society and national art honor society twin; he's a smart cookie

❧ his favorite classes were astronomy and art, he loathed gym and, despite him being good at math, he just could not understand geometry. he chose latin as his world language, although i could also see him taking greek if his school offered it

❧ he took ap psychology and ap world history, amongst a few others, and the exams annihilated him; he would have been elated to get a 3, but was beyond shocked when he saw he got a 4 on all of them

❧ his immense knowledge about the christian religion and the bible impressed the school's christian athlete leader did y'all's school have one of those?? and she tried to recruit him thinking he'd be perfect for the group, but he looked at her with the most perplexed look ever and responded, "i'm neither christian nor an athlete, why are you asking me this??"

❧ she got super embarrassed and refused to look at him when he took her sat prep class the next semester lmao

❧ he ate his lunch consistently in the atrium for the first three years of high school, and then in the senior courtyard next to the little fountain his last year, always alone though

❧ he was in choir for the first year of high school, something he'd done since elementary school, but he quit after seeing how petty everyone was to each other

❧ he'd hated lucia since he met him in the third grade, and on graduation day, mikael told lucia that he was genuinely surprised to see him graduate lmao

Ricardo

❧ definitely a student athlete, his first year was spent in basketball and his last three years were in american football, and he definitely got benched a few times

❧ he actually almost got kicked off the team in his sophomore year for bringing a fucking knife to school-- at least he was smart enough to not bring his gun

❧ he's a decently smart guy, but he just didn't put in the effort for his classes-- he did just enough to stay on his team. he was practically on a first name basis with his guidance counselor from how many visits they'd have between his grades and since the knife incident

❧ that being said, his grades never saw above a 3.0, in fact he averaged about a 2.6 all of high school. he also didn't bother to take the sat because he genuinely didn't think he'd go to college until the last semester of his senior year when he got a surprise scholarship for his athleticism

❧ his favorite class was gym, he always made sure to take a physical education class once a year. he also secretly really enjoyed the home economics class he put off until his last semester of senior year. the teacher was this older lady, and they grew pretty close and he'd even eat lunch with her, spending his free period and study hall in her classroom under the excuse that he needed more help on a certain topic. he gave her his jersey at the end of the year and she made sure to get a photo with him on graduation day :,)

❧ definitely infamous in his school for being a massive flirt and has definitely hooked up with several cheerleaders. it's funny cuz he always scoffed at what you learn in health class about sti's and safe sex, until he caught mono from someone in the theater class lmao

❧ i'm sorry but he was low-key very disrespectful to his teachers, at least for the first half of high school. like he'd roll his eyes at them, leave a mess, be on his phone all of class

❧ he was also a pain to be partnered up with for a project; if you got stuck with him, you bet your ass you'd be doing all the work. anything he said he'd do would be half assed, and you better hope you had a teacher who didn't grade collectively

❧ the academic classes he'd pay the most attention to were history and government, especially in terms of war periods and diplomacy. he lowkey loved playing devil's advocate in these classes which pissed off everyone else lmao

❧ his freshman year he was definitely the kid who wore those god awful graffiti-style backpacks with a speaker inside them, blasting the worst trash rap you ever heard

❧ another thing that almost got him kicked off the team, he got caught bullying a freshman in his junior year. he had to have a meeting with the kid's parents and apologize formally to the kid, and he got a semester's worth of detention and suspended from his sport for a month

❧ he shaped up a lot after that, and he ended up becoming one of the team's star players, definitely not the mvp or the captain, but he was valued for being a machine on the field, pure manpower and determination

❧ was pretty close friends with lucia, and although they drifted apart in their junior year a bit, they got close again come senior year and talked about going to the same college together after ricardo found out about his scholarship

❧ brought an air horn to the graduation ceremony and almost didn't get to walk the stage lmao

Noel

❧ won the superlative for being the quietest in his class lol; it got to the point where his teachers wouldn't cold call him for discussions knowing they'd get one word responses that wouldn't contribute anything at all

❧ he was always seen alone, or with either mikael or oswald, never anyone else. with mikael, they'd just eat together every once in a while, or they'd work on a project together. with oswald, they were just the oddest duo to see: a behemoth of a man and a small guy with a killer resting bitch face

❧ he really enjoyed biology as a class and elected to take anatomy, but promptly dropped it when he learned what they'd be dissecting. instead, he switched to forensic science and had a little too much fun making his crime scene diorama

❧ this poor kid could barely make it through his math classes. he had to be tutored in math all through high school and oswald became his study buddy aw

❧ the same thing applied with his language arts class: he just kept falling behind, his written grammar skills were awful, as was his handwriting. between this and the fact that he hardly spoke, his teacher just assumed that he didn't speak the school's primary language and had the bright idea of putting him in an "x for speakers of other languages" class lmaoo

❧ he was evaluated and it turned out that he, in fact, could understand the primary language, he's just very silent and is bad at grammar. so, he was moved again to a lower language arts class

❧ he didn't particularly hate any of his classes, he just knew he had to suck it up and do them. he'd try his hardest, sure, but sometimes he'd just do the minimum effort required if he really wasn't feeling it

❧ he joined the environmental club with oswald and helped him with the gardens. he also tried out the culinary club, but upon promptly burning his first dish to ashes, determined that maybe it wasn't for him lol

❧ so aside from the environmental club and tutoring, he didn't really have any extracurriculars. he was very much a "i'm here to learn and go home" type of guy

❧ he graduated with a 2.8 gpa, and hated the grad cap lmao he absolutely wore his casual clothes under his gown, which he took off almost immediately after the ceremony was over

Lucas

❧ very well known through the whole school, he was regarded as a heartthrob and resident pretty boy, but for some reason he didn't seem to have very many friends, and no one really seemed to know much about him

❧ he was as active as possible in school life; he joined the yearbook committee in his first year and started taking journalism classes in his junior year, he also one of the only ones to pay attention to student board elections

❧ he was very big on the arts classes that his school offered, especially photography, which in turn helped out a lot for the yearbook. he also took a ceramics class, and the art teachers loved him so much that they gave him his own senior studio space in his sophomore year

❧ he actually did really well in all of his classes, he's a quick learner and had a phenomenal memory. the one thing he sucked at was note taking. so when he took a history class that required cornell notes?? bye, that was the lowest grade he's ever gotten

❧ mans was the king of extracurriculars, on top of the yearbook committee he was in the gsa and best buddies, and he scored national art honors society

❧ he hung around a different friend group every day, so he knew everyone's beef all the time, which easily made him the most powerful man in the school in a way. he never used it for bad, but it would give him topic ideas for the school newspaper

❧ failed the pacer test so bad in his freshman year that half the people in his class that had crushes on him got the ick and stopped lmao

❧ he tried doing theater in his sophomore year, but everyone was so in each other's business that he stopped after that one year; he landed a spot in the musical though and killed it

❧ the psychology/sociology and language arts teachers always got a kick talking to him because of the odd shit that comes out of this guys mouth; he'd pose the most thought provoking and lowkey existential questions about the content material that had the teachers on a tangent for the rest of class. his classmates would either love him or hate him for this, grateful to have an easy rest of class or freaking out at the question too

❧ he graduated with a 3.6 gpa, and he had several chords from his extracurriculars. he didn't really want to wear them, not finding them important or that big of a deal, but his art teachers convinced him that he worked hard for them

❧ the yearbooks all four years of his high school career were the best the school had seen that their sales went up. after he graduated, they dipped in quality and the yearbook committee advisor was so sad lol