#at least the exams won't be happening for a while in any case

[light-wynd]

Rambling About Menthe and Elphane

(Alternatively: My Exams Got Postponed But I'm Still In Too Much Pain to Draw, So Here I Am, Going On About My Favorite Melusines For Entirely Too Long)

Yeah. I think about these two in particular a lot, and just wanted to talk about... basically everything I could think of that I felt was worth mentioning regarding them (and a bit about Aeval too) to take my mind off of feeling like shit, along with a few general thoughts and speculations based on what we know about them.

Putting this under the cut, not because it's got story spoilers or anything (I don't think it does anyway), but because it's longer than anything I've posted before.

Does this qualify as a character analysis? Idk man I'm not a writer, I'm not confident enough to call it that.

Think I'll just begin with Menthe since I have the biggest soft spot for her - I honestly relate to her a lot more than I like to admit, and just... really want to give her a hug, she could probably use one. All we ever really see her do is stand there sighing to herself at Arouet's café, drinking tea and coffee just to keep herself awake. It's a stark contrast from how we see the other Melusines act, to say the least - not to mention how much trouble she seems to be having with adjusting to human society in comparison to them too. She's really bothered by how large everything in the city is (and that everything that is actually her size was made for young children). She's struggling with her job in the Gardiennage and thinking about finding a different one, even if there aren't a lot of options she's suited for when it comes to "human work". She even wishes her body was more humanoid like Sigewinne's if it could make these things any easier, and there's just something heartbreaking about that - not to mention her constant exhaustion. Yeah, poor thing's not doing great. The fact that she says she was initially very enthusiastic to integrate into human society makes it all even sadder - all these difficulties must have hit her particularly hard.

For this next point, I feel like I should include this screenshot from the café's message board (there's a couple more entries about her, but this is the most relevant one):

The thing about that is, all the other Melusines working for the Gardiennage must've encountered pretty similarly disturbing things just by the nature of the job, investigating crime scenes and all that - and yet only Menthe seems to be affected by it this deeply, judging by how cheerful the others act and how casually they talk about their work. This makes me think that she's either had some sort of traumatic experience that's unique to her (especially from the wording of "unfathomable darkness"), or that it all just gets to her more than the others for some reason. Either way, it would certainly explain why she'd like to change jobs - and I genuinely hope she manages to one day, for the sake of her well-being. Maybe she really will end up working in the infirmary together with Sigewinne despite her worries about the inmates not taking kindly to her, who knows. (Also I gotta say, when I first saw her "maybe I should just go underwater" line, I thought she meant she was thinking about giving up on human society and going back to Merusea Village - but of course she's talking about the infirmary in the Fortress of Meropide. Still, it does kind of sound like that is the last option she can think of when it comes to work she could do, which is a bit worrying in its own way.)

As for the adorably grumpy Elphane... can't really talk about her without bringing up Aeval too, they're a package deal after all. Most folks seem to assume that Aeval is the newer tour guide of the two, considering how enthusiastic she is, but funnily enough it's actually the opposite! (Probably just by a few days at most, but still.) It's easy to miss this since their aquabus dialogues seem pretty randomized and there's a lot of them, but these two both used to work for the Gardiennage as well - and apparently, Elphane was "the ace up the Marechaussee Phantom's sleeve", while Aeval on the other hand presumably didn't do so great (according to Talochard's quest, being assigned as a tour guide is what happens to a Melusine who's bad at being an investigator - and yeah, honestly I can see how that would be the case here). So first, Aeval got "promoted" to the aquabus (in her own words... guess nobody had the heart to tell her otherwise), which upset Elphane so much that she just quit her job - while on track to a high-paying promotion to the Opera Epiclese, mind you -, put on a new uniform and got on the aquabus with Aeval. Of course, they ultimately ended up assigned to separate lines, but at least they're colleagues again. It's pretty clear that Elphane isn't enjoying this job whatsoever, but she keeps doing it anyway for Aeval, and is still fairly skilled at it in her own way.

So yeah, Elphane is actually incredibly sweet and caring... when it comes to Aeval anyway. Hell, she even recommends that you visit Aeval's line at any chance she gets - whether it's for better commentary, a friendlier guide or just a more photo-ready aquabus, she directs you there. She genuinely seems to look up to her, and maybe even wishes she could do a better job as a guide like her deep down. Something that could point to this is that she gets very flustered by compliments, which might indicate that - unlike Aeval - she doesn't get a lot of positive feedback, so she's not quite sure how to handle it. Aeval looks up to her quite a lot too, and they seem to do pretty much everything together when they're off work (including shopping for cute clothes, which Elphane vehemently denies her interest in, ahahah) - I'm not sure what their relationship is, they just refer to each other as colleagues and Elphane being Aeval's senior, but they're clearly very close and it's absolutely precious. This is even reflected in their designs: they both have a very similar pink-blue color scheme too, just with Elphane being predominantly pink with blue accents and Aeval being the other way around - their uniforms included - and even their eyes are complementary colors to each other. Really cute way to show both their connection while also highlighting their personalities being pretty much opposites.

One last thing I want to point out is that both Menthe and Elphane struggle with their jobs in their own way, and seem to be among the few Melusines to really do so to this extent in the current time - but probably the biggest difference is that while Elphane doesn't show all that much enthusiasm or effort towards her work, it's kind of implied that Menthe on the other hand is overworking herself, judging by Arouet's comments on her constant mental and physical exhaustion. Of course, it could also be that she just has no energy because of how depressed she is - but in any case, she's doing her best to keep it together and power through it despite everything.

Aaand that would be all for... whatever this was. If even a single soul has actually read this whole thing, thank you so much, that alone makes having posted this feel worth it! And if anyone wants to talk Melusines, I'd be more than happy to ^^

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for asking my parents to pay my tuition for the semester, lying about how I lost my scholarship, and then planning on lying to my dad regarding his requirements in exchange for him paying the tuition?

My (20X) college has a scholarship for offspring of faculty members, and I was lucky enough to have my application accepted by the college that my dad (53M) works at. This means that I get a full ride scholarship; if I graduate within 4 years, I won't have to pay a single penny to my college (books and supplies not included, of course).

Unfortunately, the scholarship does have two requirements; I need to have taken at least a certain amount of credits semester before (not a ridiculous number), and for that semester, I need to have gotten over a 2.0/4.3 GPA. Easy enough, right? Who can't get a GPA over 2.0?

Well. I suffered a mental health downfall the past semester and I ended up failing half my classes. I was unable to sit my finals. I know this wasn't smart of me, and I think I should've done something about my academic situation other than just wait for the semester to be over, but I had quit a semester due to my mental health decline previously and I didn't want a repeat of that. In any case, I got a GPA of about 1.6. I'm not on probation but I did receive a warning.

Fortunately, this doesn't mean I lost my scholarship for good. I just need to fulfill those requirements in the upcoming semester and I get it back.

I realized I did need to pay my tuition this semester two days before tuition fee acceptance closes and I debated telling only one of my parents. My mom wants me to finish college no matter what, and my dad has told me that he does not care anymore as long as I don't stress him out. He's also told me he no longer has any expectations for me whatsoever. I did also consider talking about it with my brother and borrowing money from him to put together the tuition fee.

I figured I'd bite the bullet and just told my dad, who I know has been stressed about my future and how badly I'm doing in college. I just casually dropped it as I was making breakfast for myself and then we had a lengthy conversation that my mother (51F) joined when she got back home.

I don't remember much of the conversation (I may have memory problems) but the AITA mentioned part is that I lied to my parents and told them I did sit all my finals and try my best. I didn't. I tried that for mid term exams but I had nothing to write, so for finals I didn't sit them at all. This happened with three of the classes I was taking. I just didn't take my finals. My dad was suspicious of my claim; he said that as a professor himself he wouldn't fail students who at least submitted homework and sat their exams to write anything at all, but I maintained that I tried.

The conclusion was that my dad would be willing to pay my tuition if I got my shit together and also deleted my social media, which he thinks is a drain on my time and energy. He's not wrong. I deleted my Twitter accounts immediately afterwards (which my parents don't know about) because I've been thinking about it, but I can't really bring myself to get rid of Discord, where so many of my friends are. People I've met while studying internationally, long-term friends who moved to other countries; Discord is the only way to contact these people.

This is the AITA part; if my dad follows up on that particular requirement to check if I deleted Discord, which he particularly dislikes (he has previously confiscated the electronics I bought with my own money that I earned, after he saw me on muted call at night with some friends), I plan on deleting the app/program on my devices but using it anyway as a website. This would be a betrayal of my dad's trust in me, but there's no love lost between us anyway. He's already told me he doesn't love me unconditionally. (Yes, I'm his biological child and he did raise me.)

I also feel like an asshole because I could've settled this with the help of my brother; I'd pick up a job during the winter break to pay him back, but it would have been done eventually. Or I could've just gone to my mom. She works her own job, and we could've figured it out together without telling my dad. I told my dad anyway, wanting him to pay the tuition, even though I knew that talking about having to spend money on his kids stresses him out deeply.

My mom also told my dad to go to therapy (in detail, so I know it wasn't just something she said as a throwaway thing) during the conversation. It did get heated. I don't disagree, but I don't know if that'd be okay; mental health is stigmatized where I am, and my dad as a grown adult man and a respected professor if seen going to therapy could have his reputation kind of effected. It wouldn't have happened if I just brought up this whole situation quietly up to my mom, or just my brother.

So I lost my scholarship, I lied to my parents about the technicalities of how that happened, and I'm asking for some amount of money from my parents but also planning on lying to them in regards to the terms they set out. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[kichiyosh1]

Hi ,, my heads full of final exams and scara 🤕

this is my first request of a story of any kind but..

Top of the class reader who is trying to help her boyfriend scara pass his exams! But scara would much rather steal looks at her then look at the work questions in front of him. Reader scolds him but it goes in one ear and out the other, bc he thinks it cute (but wouldn’t want to admit it) ㅠㅠ

I’m not sure if you’ve done something similar but, I hope this was a sufficient request for u too work with ٩˙ヘ˙و

– 🌀 anon !!

Focus on the paper, not me!

modern au!scaramouche x f!reader

Sorry this was late! Woooh exams, good thing i won't be dealing with those for a while. That info is more than sufficient, in fact i was already able to picture a whole plot in my head thanks to it 🌀 anon!

»»————>

"Scara, we've been at this for hours and we've only studied one chapter."

You'd say the situation was quite... hopeless. You weren't using that term on your boyfriend though. Of course not, you know how well he's able to do good with his grades, but his ways of staying academically afloat are indeed questionable.

Having to drink black coffee the moment he wakes up and cramming lessons and assignments by 3am in the morning was impressive, but seriously unhealthy. You wouldn't be surprised either if he did the same thing for his exams, but surprised you were when he came up to you one day to ask for you to help him study.

and that leads to now.

"How 'bout you try answering these work questions and we'll focus on reviewing the ones you get wrong. We'll start by answering the simpler questions before moving onto—" Your hands were busy rummaging through papers while your gaze shifted left and right across the work sheets.

It was at times like this where Scara's able to take a good look at you. The concentrated look on your face made you look so cute and eager. Your cheeks puffed out just a tiny bit like a little chipmunk busying itself with collecting acorns, or in your case, helping him study.

You handed him a pen and laid out the papers, reminding him that it was alright if he didn't get all of them right, just a couple to prove that he at least learned something. "How nice of you, though if I end up getting a score least of what you're expecting, then that's on you." he was already through to five questions, posture facing the paper but his eyes flicker from time to time to you.

"You should be grateful I'm even willing to help you. Do you know how many others would want to be in your position right now?" you crossed your arms with a huff.

"Good thing I got to you first."

"You didn't, I just declined tutoring all of them because I didn't have the energy for it."

"Oh, then how lucky am I, to have such a sweet, loving and caring girlfriend look after me, who also happens to be incredibly smart too~."

You would have nudged him hard, but you didn't want the ink of his pen to run the wrong way. So you could only look at him in disbelief, debating if you should feel happy about his compliment, or offended that he could have implied that he pursued you for your smarts. Knowing Scaramouche, you decided not to take it to heart, after all he was prone to teasing you one way or another.

"Your talk better be as strong as your bite, because unless you want to count my face as part of your exam, I suggest you keep your eyes on your paper, scara." You say with folded hands and a close eyed smile, though the irk mark on your forehead was showing.

He wasn't subtle at all, stealing glances at a time like this when he should be focused on answering. A single bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, only a few more questions left.

'I'll have you know if this exam remotely has anything involving you in it, I'd ace it no problem.' he wouldn't tell you that though. It was already embarrassing how he couldn't think straight since his thoughts would always keep circling back to you.

"Even your ugly face would be more appealing to look at right now instead of this annoying exam." He says handing you his finished papers, stretching out his back before focusing his attention on to you.

"At least I'm not dumb enough that I would be in need of a tutor, right? Makes you think that pretty face of yours is all you have going" this time you could only give him a deadpanned look in return before scanning over his papers. His face is bright red because of the uno reverse you just pulled.

The silence after that was deafening, making your best efforts to ignore him. A part of him slightly now regretted what he said so standing up from his position, draping his arms over your shoulder from behind, he could only sigh.

"You're not mad because of what I said right? You know I didn't mean it. Your face is anything but that if not it's— pleasing. It's nice to look at. It makes me feel at peace whenever I see you smiling, or whatever kind of expression you're wearing it always makes me feel like everything's gonna be alright. Like right now, when you—" he got cut off when you titled you head to the side. Your lips meeting his, giving him a peck on the lips before having your body fully face him.

"It's nice hearing you say those things, but you don't need to explain yourself. I think you've given enough evidence to show the court how much you like looking at me. I mean I do too, but at least I'm discreet about it!" You chuckled while placing the papers down, leaving scara once again all red in the face, but it disappeared just as quickly when he saw the serious look on your face.

"Oh, and you didn't get a single answer right by the way. So I'm hoping you can focus on the paper and not me this time."

"..."

"Why are you just staring at me?"

"I'm soaking in the image of your face into my memory so that I don't keep looking at you later on."

"I take it back, you are hopeless."

____

If anything's inconsistent please ignore it lol I didn't proof read yet cuz my eyes keep going ⬆️⬇️↗️↘️↙️↖️ cuz I'm sleepy so imma do that tomorrow.

[yuri-is-online]

congrats on the 300 followers, you deserve it and more 🫶 for the event can i request prompt 21 with ace and deuce? have a nice day ^^

21. Missing lunch and sharing a snack

Thank you very much friend <3 Good choice, this is such a cute prompt for these two.

notes: they/them pronouns used for Yuu, Check out the rest of the event requests here.

Ace

"Just so we're clear, we are absolutely blaming this on Grim." Ace is doubled over, out of breath but full of rage as you simply lay in the grass of the courtyard, peacefully accepting your fate.

"Why does it matter?" You smile ruefully pointedly focused on the vast blue expanse of the sky from your position lying on the courtyard lawn. "Why does any of it matter? Are we not just here to suffer?" Technically speaking, if you had been in the mood to debate with Ace, your current situation was very much his fault, Grim had actually been following the directions Crewel gave rather nicely until Ace decided to tease him.

"It was one detention period." He huffs, clearly at least a little aware of his situation. And yet you cannot shake the feeling that Ace seems determined to abandon you to your misery without any apologies for making you both miss lunch. You can see him eyeing the hallway debating it.

"Just leave me then." You don't want to go but you also don't want him to pretend to want to stay. "You still might be able to make it to lunch if you sprint." You both know that isn't true, but that apparently doesn't stop Ace, he runs off so fast you'd swear Riddle was after him. Typical, you set an alarm on your phone for fifteen minutes in case you fall asleep and settle yourself deeper into the grass. Part of you wonders why you even rely on Ace so much if he gives you just as much grief as he does help. Sure, Deuce and Jack always insist that he scams you less, but does he really? Not that it really matters right now, you think, eyes fluttering shut as you try to ignore how hungry you are.

"Hey you aren't actually asleep, are you?" Something rustles next to you, a comforting weight settling into the grass on your right, but it is not enough to make you stir. Something wet and cold taps your lips and you're up with a start, fumbling with the drink Ace has decided to literally drop on your head while he cracks open a canned soda. "What?" He isn't smirking to your surprise, strangely serious as he passes over a pastry from the vending machines you only just now remember are in the very hallway he'd dashed off to earlier. Ace wants to make a joke, or tease you a bit but the light in your smile at his thoughtfulness keeps all the pretense down. But he can't stifle the blush that comes from your head hitting his shoulder you the crack in his voice when he responds to your sleepy thank you.

"You're welcome, Yuu."

Deuce

You can tell the cause of a headache depending on the part of your head that hurts. Today, there is a ring of pain running around your forehead like a headband indicative of a tension headache; you must have been more stressed about this exam than you had originally thought.

"Here try this." Deuce gently places an ice pack on your forehead, flinching as you wince at the temperature. You gently take over holding the pack from him as he turns to fumble around in his bag as you stare at the wall and try to focus on breathing.

"Sorry about this." Deuce had noticed you weren't feeling well almost immediately and insisted on taking you to the hospital wing before going to lunch. "You can go on ahead and meet up with Ace and Grim."

"Not going to happen." He laughs slightly. "You won't stay here till the nurse gets back unless I force you."

"It's just a headache, I'll be fine before the nurse even gets back. If you don't get going soon you'll miss lunch." The last thing you want is to cause even more problems for Deuce, he's always going out of his way to help you. The least he can do for himself is eat. Finally Deuce finds what he's looking for and settles next to you on the bed.

"I'd still be worried." He's unflappably honest when he is unaware of himself, if Deuce could notice the way your breath hitches at the slightest contact he would be much more of a mess. "Can you eat?" He holds up half of a sandwich, still wrapped in wax paper you swear you recognize from the Heartslabyul kitchens.

"Did you steal that from Trey?" That does fluster him.

"N-no." You gently take the sandwich with a light laugh. "I made it myself y'know. Trey's not the only one in Heartslabyul that can cook." Your head feels a little lighter, stress melting bit by bit.

"It's good, 10 points for Deucey." He puffs up in pride.

"If you ever miss lunch just ask me, as long as you're in Twisted Wonderland I'll take care of you."

[kouchabu-archive]

Koisuru Scramble - Chapter 2

Writer: Nishioka Maiko Translation by: Sophie // Proofread by: Mirei

NOTE: I EXPLICITLY PROHIBIT USAGE OF ANY PART OF MY TRANSLATIONS ON ANYTHING THAT RELATES TO AI.

This story is fully voiced in-game! You should read while listening to it~

Episode 8: After School Rumble!

< A lot of things have happened since then but… one day amidst their normal everyday life— >

Hajime: (Let’s see… Which one of these should I pick…)

(Don’t think of this as just a measly seat change! My beloved comfortable school life lies on this blind draw! Of course I’ll be fired up!)

Airi: He~y. Earth to Hajime~ There are still people waiting behind you, you know? You’re taking this wa~y too seriously.

Hajime: Ah, sorry sorry~ I just don’t know which ones will have good or bad placements, so I'm just at a loss on which one I should pick.

Airi: Well, I feel you~ I wish I’ll get a seat at the very back near the window. Perfect spot for an aftie nap!

Hajime: Aftie nap? Hold up, you’re not planning to live off my notes right before exams again, are you?

Airi: Teehee~ ☆

Hajime: Don’t give me that~ Take your notes properly at least, please.

Airi: Yes ma’am~ But anyway. Go, go! Just pick one already.

Hajime: I can sense an ominous result… Well, whatever.

Hm… Okay, let’s do this one!

Let’s see. Seat number 14…

Number 14… Number 14… Ah, it should be this one. Right beside me is…

Miki: ……

Hajime: (K-Kurose-kun?! Are you kidding me?! Why did I pick a seat beside him, of all places?! What to do… he looks like he’s in a really bad mood. This is awkward…)

……... [ Her gaze is darting all over the place. ]

Miki: ……...

Hajime: (Oh God. Our eyes just met.)

Miki: …… (Glares.)

Hajime: (Eeeek–?! H-He’s so scary! Do you really have to glare at me like that?!)

Miki: What? Quit staring.

Hajime: S-Sorry…

(Ugh. Do I really have to be seatmates with him, of all people?)

(I bumped into him twice the other day because I was so clumsy. I'm sure it left a bad impression on him. And I’m pretty sure he hates me.)

(But now that I remember it, I wasn’t able to properly apologize to him for that, right?)

(Being beside him is the perfect chance to do just that. I wonder if me being seatmates with him is some sort of divine help from God…)

Mm. Okay, let’s do this.

U-Um, Kurose-kun!

Miki: …What?

Hajime: (visibly flinches)

(No, no. Don’t be a coward, self!)

The other day, I… I was so clumsy that I ended up bumping into you twice, so I’m sorry for that. And well, I wasn’t able to properly apologize for that so it always bothered me…

…T-That’s all.

Miki: ……

Hajime: (I’m so ready to be told off but… this silence is so unnerving…)

Miki: Don’t mention it. I mean, I have my own share of carelessness too, so, my bad, I guess...

Hajime: Huh…?

(Um… Did I hear that right? Is he really apologizing..?)

Miki: …You didn't get hurt after that, right?

Hajime: (Uh… I’m not sure I follow but… did he really notice me?)

Nope! I’m all fine and dandy! I’m not that fragile.

Miki: Hm. Then that’s good.

Hajime: ...Hehe~

Hajime: (I thought Kurose-kun is a scary guy but… maybe he’s actually kinder than what he shows.)

-----

[ School bell rings. ]

Airi: Hajime~ Let’s go home together—

Oh, hold on. Why do you still have your notebook and pen case with you? Not going home yet?

Hajime: Ah, sorry. I’m gonna hit the library today so you can go ahead first.

Airi: Library?

Hajime: Yup. I thought I should get my part in the group work done and over with. It’s hard to do it without references, so I have to stop by there.

Airi: Oh, that thing~ I’m in charge of compiling everything in place, so I can't really do my part if everyone won't be there.

Welp, guess I should leave you to it. I’ll go ahead now~ Bye bye~

Hajime: Mhm. Bye bye!

-----

— And, there we go. That should be enough references.

Okay, let’s get this over with~

(Flipping through the material.)

(I wonder if this layout makes it more pleasing to the eyes… Or maybe this one?)

Hm…

Eiki: I think this one is better.

Hajime: Eh?

Eiki: ……... ♪

Hajime: N-Nakaouji-kun!

Eiki: Shh. We’re in the library. Look, the librarian is shooting us daggers.

Hajime: Ah, I’m sorry…

(whispering) And um, what brings you here?

Eiki: I saw you deep in your thoughts and contemplating quite hard, so I thought you’re stuck in making some sort of decision. Was I wrong?

Hajime: Well, um, you got that right, but… what I meant is what are you doing here?

Eiki: Oh. I was doing my own research for something when I saw you, Koino-san. And then I just thought I’d make myself comfortable and sit beside you.

I know I should’ve asked this before I just sat down, but… do you mind if I join you?

Hajime: .........

(Wait, wait, hold on! Be still, my heart!)

Eiki: Is that a no?

Hajime: Oh no! N-Not at all!

(But oh God I don’t think my heart is ready for this! The right side of my body feels completely frozen with him right beside it!)

Eiki: I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’ll continue making myself comfortable.

Oh? Your group picked this particular era to talk about? This seems like one of the eras that didn’t have that many major events, isn’t it?

Hajime: Is that right? Well, it was a unanimous decision between all of us, so I haven’t given much thought about it. But now, I’m realizing that I don’t know a thing about this era at all, so I’m kinda regretting just going with everyone’s flow.

I think we’re the only ones who chose something like this. I’m pretty sure the others picked more popular eras out there.

Eiki: Come to think of it, Miki said something about discussing the announcement of Edo’s end.

Hajime: Miki..? Are you referring to Kurose-kun? You guys are close?

Eiki: Yes. Well, we’ve been neighbors since we were children. I guess it’s more appropriate to call it being basically just stuck with each other because of that very fact. Ah, you spelled that one wrong.

Hajime: Oh, you’re right. Thanks for pointing that out. I see, so you guys are like that. It must be nice to have a childhood friend~ I wish I had something like that too~

How about you? Which era did you guys pick?

Eiki: We’ve chosen the Sengoku period. For some reason, the samurai freaks have gathered in our group. They’re all raring to map out the old Japan during wartime.

Hajime: Ahaha. Oh gosh, what’s up with that? But hey, it sounds really exciting.

Eiki: Doesn’t it? Even I am starting to look forward to it.

Hajime: Um…

Eiki: Hm?

Hajime: If it’s okay, can I ask for more of your advice on whether my work makes sense or not? Ah, but it’s okay if you can’t! I don’t mind!

Eiki: Fufu. You really didn’t have to be so formal about that. But to answer your question: sure, if you’ll have me.

Hajime: Thank you.

-----

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[swiftsdelucaa]

❛ 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 ❜

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: Amelia Shepherd x f!reader ♡

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: You're a nurse in the Grey-Sloan and you really admire dr. Shepherd. A problem one day will change things for you...

Requested? Yes, by @mcseattles

𝘼/𝙣: Hi bestie! I really hope you'll like this💕

It's always been as if nurses didn't exist for surgeons. Or at least since they believed themselves more superior they showed it.

Patients have always been your biggest priorities, it wasn't just a job that could stress you, on the contrary, you loved it, you loved helping people.

When it came to Dr. Shepherd's patients, you always hoped to have some contact with her, and not just for the cases. But the only sentence you could hear from her was just "Thanks Y/n" accompanied by one of her smiles that managed to stay in your mind for a long time. That's how you always remembered her, smiling.

Today you were going to be treating one of her patients, who was due for surgery for a brain tumour. Her name was Lilian, and she had been hospitalized for a few months now. You had gotten to know her during her kemio cycles, she was a very sweet and nice girl. This was also one of your favorite aspects of your job, getting to know the patients and making them feel at ease.

"Today is the big day!" you said with a smile as soon as you entered the room to change the drip.

"Thank God, even though I've gotten used to all this" she said ironically.

"Well, how are we doing?" Amelia entered the room followed by Stephanie. Your gaze immediately fell on her.

"We're finally going to kick this worthless pile of shit out of the ass!" she exclaimed. You all laughed.

"Edwards" Amelia got Stephanie to make the case.

"Lilian Evans, 27 years old, third stage lymphoma, she'll be operated on today after being subjected to four months of kemio" Lilian turned towards you, you were her point of reference.

"The surgery is set for this afternoon" Amelia concluded.

"I'll count down!" Lilian said. Amelia smiled at her before leaving, while you stayed with her to keep her company.

"When are you going to tell her your feelings?" Lilian asked looking at you with a smile.

"What...?" you asked pretending not to know what she was referring to.

"Dr. Shepherd! Come on, your eyes sparkle when you look at her" damn was that obvious? Sure, you liked her a lot, but maybe you should try to limit your feelings a little.

"Okay- We won't talk about that-"

"Please the only thing that every person talks about with me in this hospital is my tumor, I won't miss the opportunity to face one of my favorite situations" she retorted interrupting you.

You looked at her for a while. She's right, when are you going to talk to her and get noticed? You can't go on like this.

"You should rest now, I'll come back later" Lilian rolled her eyes at your decision, and you walked out of the room.

"Y/n" Amelia called you.

"Yes?"

"Keep monitoring her and let me know if there are any complications, okay?"

"Sure" you smiled at her politely before she pulled away and you could look at her. «Stop being an idiot» you said to yourself.

While you were on your lunch break Staphanie immediately ran over to you, she looked anxious.

"Edwards, what-"

"It's Lilian, she's having convulsions, Shepherd is intervening, she told me to come and find you" she caught her breath between one word and another, she must have run half the hospital looking for you. You immediately got up and followed her.

When you arrived Lilian was unconscious, the convulsions had stopped and Shepherd had immediately ordered to prepare her to take her to the operating room.

"Where were you?" Amelia referred to you looking at you with a rather angry expression.

"I was- I was on break, I-"

"And her exams?" she raised her tone a bit.

"They were okay... I don't know what's happened..." she asked you all possible questions and you answered sincerely everything you had done. Why did this happen?

Amelia and Stephanie rushed Lilian into the room, other nurses were preparing her. All you could do was wait and hope that the surgery worked out, and that Lilian was okay.

When Amelia came out she took off her scrub cap and threw it on the floor in frustration. You were a little afraid to approach her to ask how it went. When she met your eyes it was as if you understood everything. Lilian is dead, things didn't go as planned. Her family was yet to arrive, and no one would want to break news like that to anyone else.

You didn't even dare to witness that scene. You locked yourself in one of the first closets you saw, you didn't know what was happening to you. You loved Lilian so much. And now she was dead. God, she was just a patient… But she also managed to become the only person she could understand you. Let's say that it seemed more difficult to socialize with others.

A tear came out of your eyes and you can't do anything to stop it.

At that point someone opened the door, the last person you would have expected to see.

"Hey" Amelia walked over to you. "I saw you come in here..." she sat next to you. You wiped away your tears.

"It's nobody's fault, it happens every day-"

"But Lilian didn't- she didn't deserve this" you said trying not to burst out in front of her.

"I know, it's terrible, but it's like this, and there's nothing we can do about it..." she said looking into your eyes.

As her eyes rested on yours you could almost calm yourself.

"The only thing I want to do is just kiss you right now" you said keeping your gaze on hers.

“Well, do it…” she answered the same way.

You placed a hand on her cheek stroking it as you brought your face to hers and she closed her eyes. You placed your lips against hers in a short kiss full of sweetness, she reciprocated making it a little more intense, you could have never stopped.

[studyingpookie]

HEYYY GUUUYSSS!!!

What's upppp??? Here I just couple of photos from today!! Hope y'all enjoy!

Things for school that I've done today:

- history of art (starting all over to revise for my exam)

- computer science (just did assignments)

- started to edit my advertisment for my film class (I need to start it all over but now I have my mind set on what I want and need so that's fine)

So if you want you can read all about today but it's a lot 💀 like a LOT. I really wanted to describe this day sorry 🙏🙏🙏

So today was the first day of finals in my country, the good thing is that I'm not participating in this I still have two years till then. 🥳🥳

I've decided yesterday that this Tuesday will be ONLY for me and be my kinda rest day, I would be just chilling going through the city buy something to eat and drink. Well... My plan kinda shattered.

For starters I wasn't alone, my dad happened to be in the city and we went to dinner together. I'm not a big fan of crowded and obligated places especially when I eat. Long story short we talked a lot, I mean for sure more than normally. This made me super hopeful, I don't want to vent here by any means because I just feel uncomfortable with it but It was a really needed experience.

I thought at first that I'm gonna just go back to my place and study but i decided to push my limits. I went to the mall by myself and walked to the gallery to see if there are this McDonald's plushies AND GUYS HOW HAPPY IM THAT I DID THAT. So if you don't know McDonald's have now collaboration with hello kitty and some anime I forgot the name of it 💀 and now they have in stock super cute plushies!!!!

I really wanted this yellow dog because just look at him he is super cute! Or this black penguin. I went to 6 McDonald's to searching for this fricking dog because I wanted him the most but than when I was ready to give up miracle happened.. I saw it. The mf penguin. Words won't and can't describe how happy I felt. I immediately went to buy this happy meal. And now I got him. My very own penguin 😭🙏🐧

I started to binge watching this series called World's Strictest parents on YouTube I really recommend it if you are interested! I love seeing these kids change or I can look at things from their perspective (ngl I almost cried during one episode) Also I looked up songs that will be on Eurovision, my favourite for now is "La noia" by Italian artist Angelina Mango. I can't wait to see who wins and what score Poland will get! I think this year we have a good song to show off but we will see how it goes.

I'm not gonna talk about my studies because it's boring and I just studied while being super sleepy, tired and bored as hell. History of art IS interesting but I don't really like remembering the names of people and things. It's super hard for me and it's only going to be worse. Why these names are so hard 😭😭 and why I can't get into my head any Italian artist 💀

And guys the last thing is that I found the CUTEST BAG (that I can afford at least) at first I wanted to buy it from joom but then I found the exact same bag on AliExpress and it's slightly cheeper. One time I shopped from AliExpress and I was quite surprised that the quality was actually good. I hope it would be the case with that one! I will try to order it tomorrow 🙏 "we're getting what's in my bag" with that one boys 😈

[doki-doki-imagines]

Hey!! I've been thinking about the Host Club arc, and I was wondering if you have any hcs for Gintoki, Hijikata, and Sougo if their crush shows up while they're temporarily working there. I have a feeling it would get super chaotic lol. Thank you and good luck with exams!!

Gintoki Sakata: -We would get his work on stand-by for awhile because he desperately want to be served from his partner. -But then Gintoki gets reminded (Shinpachi you are a life-saver) that he needs to pay AT LEAST the rent of this month and start to work. -His partner is doing an amazing work, they are full of clients and now he is desperate to get clients; ready for EVERYTHING. -Look, this man doesn't have an ounce of shame in his body, so everything is literally everything. -Too bad, at the end his partner got their wallet full and he got 300 yen at best. -But at least at the end of the night Gintoki is lying his head on his partner tummy and their soft caresses are a lullaby to his pained heart and wallet. Hijikata Toshiro: -Listen, he didn't even want to do this. -But his face when he found out his partner is working there? Priceless. -Not for them, they are sweating cold, literal icebergs. -He won't work as a host, and let's say the truth, he would be a horrible one, but his eyes are always on his partner. -Mainly to cut off the hands of whom is getting too at ease with his partner. -At the end his partner knows how to handle nasty clients and he shouldn't be surprised at this point of your relationship, but his heart will always hurt a little thinking what could be happening. -Give him a forehead kiss and a nice head pat and Toshi will be able to calm down a little. Sougo Okita: -2 seconds in and he has already stolen all his partner client. -"How could it be?!?! They were all S, they should get repulsed by their similar???" -How could they forget that in comparion to Sougo everyone is a M? -In this case it is Sougo partner that will need to trash any ounce of shame they have to get their client back. -Sougo laughter at their poor attempts could be heard for all Edo. -And there is no way Sougo is going to back down witouth making his partner suffer…let's pray for them -At the end he will convince all his clients to return to his partner, after all a good S knows their M limits...

[theflyindutchwoman]

So after this episode… where does it leave us in terms of obstacles? Let's sum it up :

As of right now, Lucy is a patrol officer (P-II) and Tim a field patrol supervisor (educated guess), with a rank of sergeant (S-I). While she is no longer his aide, she remains under Tim's command.

She was his rookie, then his aide (they were not dating during that time, but it may come up later, like say an investigation to ensure there was no abuse of power or impropriety)

Dating someone in your command is frowned upon by LAPD : one of them has to move from that chain of command, either by transferring to another patrol shift/unit within Mid-Wilshire (like night shift) or to another station.

So what are the possibilities here?

// Transfer to another station like Aaron said In real life, that's usually the best option. In TV, forget it. A transfer like that usually means departure of a character (like Talia). There's no time to introduce a whole new set. Especially since it's an ensemble show with a large cast already. So, it's pretty safe to say that this option can be discarded (at least as a permanent solution).

// Lucy transfers to another patrol shift Lucy is for the foreseeable future stuck in patrol. A promotion is still too far away : she has to spend at least 4 years in patrol before being able to take the detective's or sergeant's exam. That has been repeated several times in canon. Timeline may be a mess but it is safe to say that she has less than 3 years of experience since she is not a P-III yet. The only way she becomes a detective this season is through a golden ticket… But that's not happening. I mean the writers could throw the rules away like they did with Nolan... But let's be real, it won't be happening either. What about UC? Still need to get to the detective rank first. Unless it's for small operations like she has done so far, but that won't change the issue at hand. So if Lucy is the one to move from Tim's chain of command, her options are limited to join another patrol shift (like night shift) where she would report to another sergeant. The problem with this solution is the risk of getting her isolated a/ from the main cast while on the job since everybody else is doing day shifts ; b/ from Tim since they could only spend time together on days off. In other words : too complicated for a TV show.

// Tim transfers to another unit Now Tim is the one with more options to make a lateral move. I think it's more likely that Tim gets another position, maybe with Grey's advice. The only trick is finding a position where he can still interact with the main cast. Spoiler ahead : Eric was seen wearing a Sergeant II uniform lately… He could have a promotion (in his case, there's no minimum time required). Could he become a watch commander? Sure. Grey has talked many times of retiring, but I doubt they would do it mid-season… And he's a beloved character. Besides, that would not help the situation at all. So unless the writers want to prolong the drama, it is highly unlikely. Side note because I've seen some confusion lately : Grey is only commanding patrol, not the whole station (that was Andersen's role, as captain). Nyla and Angela no longer report to him for instance.

// Nothing changes Tim and Lucy remain in the same chain of command. The only way I can see this happening is if they maintain a secret relationship AND nobody finds out/calls then out. Highly unlikely. Forget about their lack of subtiliIy here. The issues were highlighted way too much, by different characters in the last episode for the writers not to follow up on that. I know that the Rookie has a tendency to drop the ball on certain storylines but still. Now, I could see the writers have Lucy and Tim lay low (secretly dating) before it all blows up in their face. Maximise the drama. But they have to be careful that it doesn't end up with everybody looking unprofessional either.

In any case, there's so much potential, either for drama or comedy (or both). I also probably forgot other options but those are the most common ones I could think on. Now, in my opinion (that could of course be completely wrong), Tim will be the one who is going to move out of Lucy's chain of command. Not only his conversation with Aaron shook him, he respects her and his job way too much to gamble their reputations like that. Yes, they're worth the risks, but that doesn't mean that he'll want to risk losing their jobs/careers, not when there are perfectly viable options. Now, whether they decide to disclose their relationship (at least to Grey) before or after that change… That's something else entirely.

[sugaredoleander]

on the death of the arrowverse & what we owe to each other

gonnae say something potentially controversial bc it's exam season & i have all my notifications off so if people get mad at me i won't even know (& most likely no one will see this anyway, my longposts tend to go unnoticed)

in honour of the flash season 9 premiering in february, here's my opinion:

not lending any of their screentime to the cancelled arrowverse shows is a selfish move.

we don't know that they don't have cameos because the season isn't out yet, but i'm going off things the showrunner has said.

i'm not calling them bad people but i am saying it would be a selfish move, and i am saying that as an artist and creator myself.

because as an artist, it is my first impulse to sympathise. i get having a creative vision, wanting to stick to it.

but Also, as a Queer artist, i value solidarity in art. i want to uplift the work of my more marginalised contemporaries. i want to stand with other artists.

the flash got a last season in a move that wasn't survival of the fittest but was corporate fuckery, this is proven, and then, as for the thing we don't have solid proof of - who are we fucking kidding?

like are we really going to pretend that just because we don't have solid proof of something that would be a PR disaster to admit out loud, but that, if you've been paying attention, you Know happens and not infrequently, that just because we don't have solid proof it's not the case?

like wow, what a complete and utter coincidence. the only arrowverse shows with leads that were straight, white and male survived the cull, whereas the show that, as of its next season, wouldn't have a single straight white man in its ensemble, and the show with a Black lesbian protagonist, got cut.

both shows with Ridiculously passionate fanbases as evidenced by the fallout (there were billboards. there were planes. there was even Beebo.) legends was the Only show on the entire god damn CW. with ratings going up.

are we really going to act like that has nothing to do with it?

the fact is, queer shows are always up against unfair odds because a lot of people don't want to see us on screen. because a lot of people don't want us to exist. we're inherently a minority & from a capitalist marketing perspective, that often means our stories don't matter. but we defy the odds, because that's part of being queer. but also, as an inherent minority, it's damn near impossible to do it without outside support.

it's a unique opportunity. on most networks with most shows this wouldn't even be an option for the creators, even if they did disagree with other shows getting cancelled, there really is nothing they can do about it.

but the arrowverse is Full of crossovers, it exists in this larger world. a world they didn't build alone.

so taking your final season & running with it when the people you really built this great big world with, the people you worked with on crossovers - the people who decided to tell more diverse stories - telling your story while theirs are left to end on cliffhangers? idk. as an artist i want to be understanding, as a fan i don't want to act entitled, but especially as an artist i feel that is a selfish move.

a unique opportunity is presented here, to make a move of solidarity & give their stories the endings they deserve.

and if would be a shame not to take that.

i get needing to wrap up your own story, needing to prioritise that. but let's be fucking for real, they get to do that anyway, it's a full final season. a last season is generally a place to bring back old characters & guest stars anyway, especially the flash and legends are pretty tightly woven together, with crossovers and swapped characters over the seasons.

idk. at the very least, like. the very least they could do is consult the writers of the other shows on the endings they Would have wanted their shows to have & mention them in passing (which wouldn't be anything new on the flash, they've mentioned other shows before). a few lines of dialogue, & it wouldn't be Worthy of the shows we lost but it would be. a nice gesture of solidarity, and some closure for the fans at least.

like as a fan, it really is my strongest feeling that i'm not entitled to much. i mean, what are we entitled to in this world, not fucking much. but the question is more, what do we owe to others? when i twist it around and think about it as an artist, if i was put in that position, then i'd feel real selfish doing nothing

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

yknow, if there's one piece of advice I can give to people who don't have special needs in school, it's that DO NOT under any circumstance, idek (???) apply to be a scribe/writer for a special accommodations kid just to solely get out of class.

I had this happen to me in year 11 or 12, when the public school I was at, as well as the nsw education board, were adamant that the ONLY way I was to ever sit my hsc (end of high school) exams and pass, was to have a scribe. and a scribe only since no one would take the time & effort to EVER read my OWN hand written responses if I chose to do them by handwriting only.... and also that the education board kept outright refusing my access to a laptop bc "exams are meant to be handwritten only!!!! this student obvs wants an easy way to do her exams and wants to cheat!!!!" and "obvs this student, her teachers, her GP and the occupational therapists we made her see..... are all lying that she kid NEEDS a laptop accommodation for her exams to let her have a chance of succeeding.... so instead, we'll give her depression and anxiety so bad that she won't bother studying, lol."

so the first couple of scribes i had were good, bc they were in the year below me, and so, didn't know me. they told me to take my time and breathe etc etc. all around being supportive. however, one girl who had volunteered to be my scribe was originally in my year, but forced to repeat bc she'd missed too much class or whatever. moreover, she never liked me bc of the ~stuck up catholic school bitch~ thing that some people still held against me even after I'd been there for a while and was nice to everyone.

but what did this girl's dislike of me lead her to say??? she demanded of me, for my ancient history or w/e the fuck exam she had to write for me, that: "can you just hurry the fuck up and get this done so I can GET TO LUNCH ON TIME???? bc I only signed up for this to get out of class and get extra lunch time if you're quick. its not my fault you're *the R word*."

like Sally. you full well know HSC exams are long. ancient history was 2 or 3 hrs, I can't remember now. of course you're going to miss lunch. why the fuck did you even bother signing up for this, if you actually D O N T want to help people, let alone help someone you don't like???? wow. what a kind soul you are, you dumb ass. I don't give a fuck if you want to miss class. you signed up to help, so get writing. you selfish ass bitch.

anyway, I took my precious, painstaking time in this exam mostly out of spite for this bitch, bc i didn't think she deserved to have lunch on time when she'd signed up to help people for the full exam time. and also for calling me the *R word*. like I get that. it was 2012/2013, and I'd had people call me it plenty at catholic school too, for being related to the special ed dept. but there was NO REASON to call me that right before my exam that you signed up to help me with.

as an aside, I was practically a low needs special needs student. all I wanted was a fucking laptop for my exams. but instead, I had to settle for this fucking cow, who actually didn't give a fuck if she made me fail or not.

anyway. my point is, if you sign up to help any type of special needs student at school or at uni, have some fucking empathy and patience for the other person. having a scribe should NEVER be an option in exams, in my opinion, because it's impossible to relate coherent thoughts under exams stress. or at least it is for me. and esp as someone who used to do writing as a hobby in high school, this was like purposely cutting off my arms, which I could ACTUALLY use and also the direct brain connection to: brain to arm, to hand and pen, to paper. I fucking L O A T H E D it so much, and esp in the case of this girl.

like yes I did end up getting a laptop, which ended up being pretty pointless anyway (diagrams in entertainment industry and biology and doing double the work for multiple choice).... but still. I have this experience buried in my brain whenever I think about how shit special accommodation organisation can be for exams for special ed kids. don't sign up if you don't actually WANT to help, and instead want to do it solely to get out of your classes and expect early and extra break times.

[jeongyunhoed]

As seen on my FF.net

Following the events of fifth year, a new adventure awaits for Norah Lee. Boys, exams, school events, common room parties, and old foes outside of Hogwarts. Even battling pensieve guardians was easier than this.

Main Pair: OC/? Genre: Adventure/Angst/Fluff (it's a little of everything, tbh)

KEEP IN MIND: Characters are aged up (even if the story's got them in sixth year) to make it more appropriate. Time period is leaning towards the modern day so in case you might find anachronisms in the dialogue or references, this is why. This may also be quite a lengthy fic too.

BE WARNED: Social anxiety, mentions of blood and injury, grief, drinking, kissing but nothing more than that, death (this is Hogwarts Legacy, after all)

P.P.S: Sorry in advance for any mischaracterization and other mistakes. Tag list is open if you would like to follow this story on here. Reblogs are much appreciated.

Masterlist

Chapter 4

Norah wasn't sure what was coming over her as she spent some time in the Room of Requirement over the next few days. It was like she was feeling everything all at once. The grief from losing Professor Fig, the anxiety over what she planned to do, the stress from the amount of lessons she needed to take in for NEWTs, and that fluttering feeling she didn't know how to describe whenever she was near her two male housemates. The worst part of it was that she didn't know who to turn to. She felt mostly helpless.

Deek the house-elf, had taken it upon himself to tidy up the areas close to the vivariums while she concentrated on her lengthy Ancient Runes essay in the adjacent study area. Over the past several days, she came to the conclusion that she would need some help from a teacher on how to access the caverns and build up the repository again.

She first thought of Professor Sharp, a former auror turned Potions master. Maybe he could help her regain entry. Then again, there was also Professor Hecat, who was an Unspeakable at the Ministry for some time. But she also knew that Professor Weasley was also a curse-breaker during her time and Professor Ronen was the Charms teacher for a reason. All of them would be of help. Telling all of them would be risky as they would be inclined to tell the headmaster what would happen.

But she knew that they of all people, would understand the gravity of the idea the most. They came to her rescue when the goblins invaded the caverns that day, including Natty's mother, Divination Professor Onai. Norah looked at the four other drafts of letters she planned to send to each of the professors she thought of, in the hopes that at least one of them would be able to help her. Would that have seemed shameless? She thought.

With a sigh, she reached over the drafts and tore up the pieces of parchment before pointing her wand at it. Professor Ronen introduced the lesson of mastering non-verbal spells for NEWT-level students, and she was able to at the very least, master Evanesco. The torn up pieces of parchment vanished and she put her wand down again to continue writing her essay.

She suddenly heard a soft rumble in the room, and out of nowhere appeared a table that was already laden with food, from mashed potatoes, sausages, cheeses, bread, buttered vegetables, and soup. The room seemed to figure out what she needed, and she had only just remembered to eat.

Norah put her quill down and got up from her seat to approach the table. She hurried over to the hallway to check where the house-elf was. "Deek? Deek!" She called out.

Deek soon appeared, walking toward her. "Yes, Miss?"

Norah smiled. "Join me for a meal. It suddenly came up," She gestured to the spread. "I only remembered to eat just now, and I know I won't be able to finish these," She laughed.

Deek smiled. "Deek thought Miss hasn't eaten yet, so I asked some to bring food here."

"Deek..." Norah raised a brow. "Well, as a thank you, you have to eat with me, I really can't finish all of these."

The house-elf hesitantly approached the spread but before Norah could interject, with a snap of his fingers, his own spread appeared laid out on a mat on the floor, with a small bowl of soup and a piece of bread. "Your food is best shared with your friends."

"And you're my friend, Deek, I want to share all of this with you," Norah pointed out, picking up the plate to place servings of sausages, mashed potatoes, and buttered vegetables. Deek snapped his fingers again, and pitchers of pumpkin juice and water appeared next to her goblet. "Deek!" She laughed, and the house-elf looked amused by her reaction.

They heard the sound of something shifting, and before Norah could tuck in, they heard the voices of Sebastian and Ominis. "You've been hiding yourself away in here all week. What's gotten into you?" The brunette boy asked, suddenly helping himself to the food when Deek conjured up more plates and cutlery.

"You were supposed to help me with my Ancient Runes essay too," Ominis added, suddenly pointing his wand towards the food. "Oh, something smells delicious..."

"Please help yourselves," Norah said. "Deek was kind enough to have these sent up here for me."

"So, care to explain yourself? You've been acting weird all week," Sebastian continued to press as he tucked in on her right side while Ominis sat himself on her left.

"I've just had a lot on my mind lately. Been thinking about things, is all," She muttered in between spoonfuls of vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Sebastian glanced at her while he took a drink of pumpkin juice. "Like?"

"Like all these lessons I have to learn, and other things. I'll talk about those other things some other time," She made sure to point out. "Don't worry, I've just been quite busy."

"It's not a bad thing to ask for help, Lee," Sebastian's expression changed into that of concern. Ominis also had a concerned look on his otherwise neutral expression. "You act like we haven't gone through what we went through last year. At least talk to us if you can't tell the others."

She wanted to tell them. She knew he was right. But she didn't exactly know how to explain what she was thinking about, what she was feeling at that moment. It was when Ominis reached out to touch her hand that made her snap out of her thoughts. "Norah?" He asked, as if tacitly pleading.

"You've done everything no other student possibly could last year. It's safe to say that you need to let off some steam, and I don't mean just shutting yourself inside this room and feeding and brushing those beasts you keep in those vivariums over there," Sebastian tilted his head toward the hall that led to the main room.

But before she could speak, she saw her owl fly inside and drop a letter at the table. Norah could immediately recognize the handwriting. It was from Lucan, telling her to come up to the clock tower courtyard to oversee a round of Crossed Wands. "This will have to wait, it's Crossed Wands time, you ready, Sallow?" She grinned, getting up.

Ominis frowned and nearly devoured the remaining food on his plate before getting up. "I'm holding you to that, Lee."

"Why haven't you had a go in Crossed Wands, Ominis?" Norah asked curiously.

"Yeah, why haven't you had a go in Crossed Wands?" Sebastian teased his friend.

"Tempting, but no, I think my being visually-challenged is one reason why I could never go for that," The young Gaunt replied.

She rolled her eyes. "You literally fought inferi with me. You can't use your blindness as an excuse. If anything, you have as much of a chance at winning this year's tournament. Besides, Sebastian could partner with you. Or even Natty," She suggested.

"Or even you," Ominis grinned. "If I join, will you be my partner? Do we have a deal?" He said.

Norah held out her hand. "Deal. If you join, I can partner with you. Shake on it."

Sebastian looked intrigued, a shit-eating grin on his face as he followed them out of the room. "Now that I am looking forward to."

Natty, Poppy, and Amit were at the clock tower courtyard when the three of them showed up. The sight of Norah entering led to whispers among the other students, all of whom hopeful to advance in the tournament. Lucan looked especially excited upon seeing them.

"The Crossed Wands duellist to beat!" Leander called out with a grin on his face, followed by Grace.

"Here she comes! The reigning champion!" Lucan announced.

"A few second, third, and fourth years are looking to duel this time, I hear," Natty told them as soon as they gathered in one corner. "I say they have an unfair opponent with Hector Jenkins and Charlotte Morrison giving it another go this time around. Astoria Rickett bested some yesterday."

"They can put up a fight, yeah," Norah nodded, immediately seeing Lucan gesture for her to come over. "Hello Lucan, how are you?" She said.

"I'm doing very good. Mind giving our potential duellists some pointers?" He asked, his voice loud enough for all of them to hear.

"Use what you've already been taught, I guess," Norah shrugged. "If you're unsure, Lucan can set you up with a training dummy to practice. That's how I was able to do well. Oh, and good luck, Charlotte and Hector are really good."

The young Gryffindor's cheeks turned pink. Hector and Charlotte smiled at the compliment. Lucan cleared his throat to snap himself out of it. "Alright! Wands at the ready! Whoever's left standing wins!" He declared.

Norah returned to where Sebastian and the rest of the group were standing, including Ominis, who was listening intently to the spells being thrown around the room. Lucan even had to shield himself when a levitating charm bounced off Hector. Leander quickly ran behind the doors when a blasting curse was fired, sending Charlotte flying back a few feet from where she was standing, her robes scorched.

"Whoa, quite bold of them to use confringo in their initiation round," Sebastian commented. "I would've thought they kept to levitation and disarming charms."

Natty looked impressed. "They must have learned on their own."

"I wonder what Professor Hecat would think of that, I think she knows about Crossed Wands," Poppy muttered.

"Better just confringo than bombarda. We wouldn't want this tower to break down," Norah said, and they hummed in agreement.

"There are defensive charms all over the castle. They'll be fine," Sebastian said.

The duel was a close one, with Lucan watching so intensely at how everything unfolded. Unfortunately, the pair of second years were defeated, with Charlotte and Hector exchanging high fives while shaking hands with the students. Astoria Rickett and Leander were next in going against the pair of third years looking to join.

"That was a close one, second years, better luck next year," Lucan assured them as they left.

"You think they were trying to impress you?" Ominis teasingly asked Norah, who wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"More like the rest of you," She retorted. She noticed one of the second years, a Ravenclaw girl, kept glancing at Sebastian before and after the duel. Sebastian, unfortunately, didn't seem to notice.

"But we're no heroes of Hogwarts," Natty pointed out.

Violet McDowell, one of the Slytherin prefects, had posted a notice on the common room's bulletin board that evening. The first of the many house parties was going to take place in two weeks. Word had soon got out to the rest of the students that it wasn't surprising that even the teachers had some idea. With the exception of Professor Black, who was too absorbed in his own affairs than that of the school.

It was upon the announcement of the party that Norah found out about how exclusive house parties were in Hogwarts. Sure, they were unsanctioned, yet the prefects and head boy and head girl looked the other way when it came to it. Even Gladwin Moon, despite serving as caretaker, kept mum on the parties as he would see those nights as a time for an extended stop at the Hog's Head. But students, including prefects, from the other houses, needed to know someone from the house throwing a party to be able to enter the common room.

"Brilliant, the first party's in two weeks," Sebastian nodded. "All of these NEWTs are doing my head in."

"I'm so looking forward to letting myself go by then," Grace sighed. "I'm guessing we're bringing in some barrels of butterbeer?"

"Obviously."

"Maybe a few bottles of firewhisky while we're at it," Grace was grinning. "We'll just need to endure a few weeks of homework and lessons first."

"I heard Garreth Weasley's planning on introducing his new brew at the first party too. Coincidentally, the first party's at the Gryffindor common room," Sebastian chuckled. "I'm looking forward to that."

Norah suddenly appeared, having returned from the Room of Requirement with her rolls of parchment and quill in tow. "Garreth told me about the party on the way back here. Seems like you're all excited," She noticed Sebastian.

"Who wouldn't be?" The male replied. "Weasley ask you about the ball yet?"

The question made Grace look intrigued. Norah shook her head. "I think the party's all he's thinking about now, despite what Natty's been saying."

The mention of Weasley made Norah realize the answer to the question she was thinking about earlier. If there was a teacher who could help her somehow, who knew the details of what Professor Fig told her, it would be Professor Weasley herself. She immediately knew what to do. She could only hope Professor Weasley could agree to it.

Sebastian looked at her curiously, already sensing that she had something up her sleeve. "What are you on about now?" He asked.

"I just realized something. Can you put this in my room for me? I'll be back," Norah handed him her things before running back up the staircase going out of the common room.

Grace and Sebastian watched her leave. "Where else is she going now?" The blonde pondered.

"I don't know," Sebastian could only say, yet he had an idea as to what it was. He went up to the girls' dormitories, being careful to freeze the stairs first in case it would turn into a slide. Knowing where Norah's bed was, he placed her things on top of the trunk before running toward the boys' dormitories, where Ominis was dozing off. "Hey, we need to get the others. I think I know what she's been up to."

The doors of Professor Weasley's office quietly opened and Norah peeked inside, seeing the Transfiguration teacher herself, having anticipated her coming in, with a smile. "Hello Miss Lee," She said.

"Professor, do you have a moment?" Norah closed the door behind her and sat down when Professor Weasley gestured to the chair.

"Of course, what is it?"

"Last year, when you and the other professors came into the caverns, Professor Fig, told you everything?"

"Yes, he did. He told me everything and the reasons why you've been leaving the castle ever so often on his behalf. What about it?" She asked.

There was no other way to say it. "Professor, I would like to return to the caverns and rebuild that repository. It is what Professor Fig would've wanted, what many others who have died in Ranrok's hands wanted. I'm prepared to rebuild the repository, it's full of the pain, pain that Isidora Morganach took from her students without their consent, and turned into power. It will be opened again once we've learned enough of it."

Professor Weasley stared at her, nodding slightly at the explanation. Norah could feel her eyes well with tears the more she explained. "Are you sure you want to do this? " She asked quietly, her expression softening. "That is the most important question to ask."

Norah nodded. "This power, which I feel, is becoming too much. It's like I'm feeling everything at once. Like all the pain, all the grief, I'm honestly getting overwhelmed and I have my work cut out for me," She said.

"You were made to do something you should never have to do at your age when you faced Ranrok and his loyalists. It's not your fault things are the way they are," Professor Weasley said. "A heavy burden was placed on your shoulders, when all you should be thinking about is your magical education. I'm glad you came to me about this. What can I do to help you?"

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, professor. I would like to return to the caverns and reform that repository. I have the wand that can reopen the doors to that repository. All we need to do is rebuild it and contain all of it. I know I cannot do it alone," Norah explained.

"And you won't have to. Let me know when you plan on returning, and I shall meet you at the entrance to the map chamber," She said.

"Yes, thank you, professor," Norah nodded, getting up from the chair and turning to leave.

"Miss Lee?"

Norah turned around, hand poised on the door. "Yes?"

"Let others help you. You needn't carry this on your own."

"Understood, professor. Thank you."

Norah stepped out into the Transfiguration courtyard when she saw the concerned faces of her friends. "You could've asked us for help, you know, talked to us," Sebastian's arms were crossed.

"I know, and I'm sorry-"

"Never do something like what you're planning to do by yourself," Natty chimed in.

Ominis, however, looked the most calm while trying to calm his best friend down with a pat on the shoulder. "What did Professor Weasley say? Did she agree?" He asked.

"She did."

The young Gaunt nodded. "Good. I'm glad she agreed to whatever you asked. We can talk later if you'd rather not say anything right now."

"Thank you," Norah turned to the rest of them. "So, the party?" She tried to shift the subject.

The mention of the upcoming event made each of them smile. "Hey, I have an idea, why don't we look for another table?" Amit suggested. "Looking at the stars can be relaxing."

"Is that why you're often up at the Astronomy Tower?" Poppy raised a brow. "Or you've been holding back on asking Samantha to the Yule Ball?"

"She does seem interested in you, Amit," Norah added. "...But, do you even want to take her to the ball?"

"I-I don't know yet," The Ravenclaw shrugged. "If the stars says it will be, then I will."

Natty chuckled. "You sound like my mother."

Amit frowned. "That will be in my memoir, just you all wait."

"And you've never even said if you liked her or not," Sebastian grinned. He turned to Norah. "Anyway, I got the edition of the evening prophet. Looks like Harlow was last seen near Keenbridge. He looked quite ghastly, according to people who spotted him. But he killed a few people who tried to call the authorities for help."

The mention of Harlow's name made Norah stand up straight. She immediately knew what to do. "Alright, I've heard people nearly become shells of their former selves," She said.

"I heard that place can really suck the happiness out of someone. With all those dementors guarding the cells," Poppy shuddered at the thought. "Those that are imprisoned there do end up becoming shells of their former selves...like devoid of any happiness or soul. Like those angry dugbogs under Ranrok's powers, or that dragon that attacked your carriage."

"It's hard to think someone like Harlow would have a soul to begin with. Him and his poacher pack have been torturing and killing beasts for sport," Natty pointed out with a frown. "If he is anything like Rookwood, and I'm sure he is, he won't stop until he acquires the power he once had. Even if it means coming after Norah or any of us again."

Ominis sighed. Norah patted his shoulder. "Then all the more we must stay here. As long as we're in Hogwarts, no harm can come to any of us," He said. "We're all safe here."

Norah wanted to do just that, but she knew in her heart that she couldn't walk away from a fight that would be laid out for her sooner or later.

[cookies-are-nice]

Catalyst

Author's note : Omg so sorry I forgot to post the rest, it's exam season and I'm suffering with memorising history</3. Fyi you don't rly need to read from chapter 1 to know the entire story (its too cringe pls I wrote it a year ago) but I suggest reading from chapter 2 or 3 cause those are kinda important to the plot

Content : Takemichi and Sachiko(OC) being siblings, Toman hooligans, some violence if you look close enough

Chapter 4 : Explanations

-ˋˏ ❀。• ˚* ੈ‧₊*❈꧁🥀꧂❈ * ੈ‧₊* • ₊°❀ ˎˊ-

"I didn't know you had a sister!" Chifuyu exclaimed while smacking his best friend in the head for not telling him about his own family.

"She doesn't even look like you," Draken jokingly added, eyeing the timid boy.

"I dyed my hair?" Takemichi tried reason with his friends.

"Not just your hair, she looks way too good to be your sister!" hisses and "ouch"s were exchanged throughout the whole group, cringing at Mikey's blunt insult.

"We're blood-related y'know!" he bit back.

His ridicule was continued by Mitsuya, "So what's next you gonna tell us about your secret twin too?" The future fashion designer rhetorically questioned.

"WHAT NO! i have 2 younger sisters, Rose is 14 years old and the other is 4, her name is Yumi." Takemichi explained in an attempt to clear things up.

"That's it?" Manjiro asked, in case Takemichi's family tree had more branches.

"Yea." He finally managed to cleared everyone's doubts.

"Hold on Takemichi, you said Rose was 14 but she's younger than you?" Mitsuya genuinely asked, confused about Takemichi's family situation.

"uhm yea, she's 3 months younger than me, we have different mothers"

"Ah, just like Emma." Mikey mumbled, bringing his half-sister into their conversation for no reason.

As the group walked further and further into the streets of Tokyo, Takemichi asked, "Wait a minute, where are we?"

The gang looks around to see an unfamiliar surroundings. Somehow, they got distracted and managed to wander off to a random street. Now they were lost and none of them had their phones on them.

"Oh no."

‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊* ‧₊˚*✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩‧₊˚* ੈ✩*

"At least we found our way back." Even after receiving a brutal beating, Takemichi still managed to look on the bright side.

"Quit it, stop being so optimistic." His friend, Chifuyu, dismissing his words of comfort. With every step he took, the boy grunted, finally feeling the soreness and pain from all the hits he took—to be fair, he definitely got it worse than Takemichi.

After the group had stupidly decided to split up, the pair had encountered some Moebius goons. The situation escalated quickly and ended with the pair running away. Takemichi called out to the group, relieved he found them before Chifuyu fainted. They turned around to see a beaten up Chifuyu and an injured Takemichi.

"Jeez, what happened?" Mitsuya asked, concerned with the well being of his friends.

"Some guys from Moebius caught us off guard," Chifuyu felt he could no longer stand on his own, so he put his weight on Takemichi, who was already previously supporting him. "There was too many of them, I couldn't hold them off."

"Why didn't you call for us?" Draken asked with annoyance at the two boys.

"We didn't want conflict between Toman and Moebius." Takemichi chimed in.

Mitsuya sighed at their flawed logic. "It won't stop any conflict if they made the first move."

Takemichi opened his mouth to argue but was quickly stopped by Mikey's statement.

"The fight was bound to happen," Mikey said with a hint of anger laced in his confident voice.

"They had already brought the fight to us when Moebius decided to mess with Pah."

The way their leader spoke was unsettling and cold. Suddenly, the mood changed from anger to somber and bitterness.

[insert moebius story] (im too lazy I'm sorry)

"that's also the reason we called you over to discuss some things." Draken added after Mieky explained the whole situation.

"So we're going to fight moebius?" Takemichi asked cluelessly.

Mikey snickers.

"Of course not," their leader's voice switched from a light one to a deadly one in the same sentence. "We're going to pummel them."

The rustling of a bush right behind them went unnoticed by the group, giving Rose the perfect opportunity to escape with the information she needed.

-ˋˏ ❀。• * * ੈ‧₊*❈꧁🥀꧂❈ * ੈ‧₊*. ₊°❀ ˎˊ-

Gonna kms that was so bad😭 but after chapter 6(romance😏) it gets better istg

[poltergeist-coffee]

I'M BACK

School is not making things easy to me

I hope I don't have to recover because if I do I'll have to go to class until January:(

But at least I won't any exam this week(yeah, I will have a physics exam next week, and geography and Spanish, but still a week of happiness)

And yesterday was the opening of my school's internal games, was really chaotic

I study at a... full-time school(? I don't know if that's the word, but I stay there for the most part of the day) and I also have a technical course

And while this should be every class against each other, at this point, it is just agaisnt the courses

Apparently, someone went to the vice principal saying that the people from the other course were being disrespectful and cursing

Honestly I have not much idea of what happened, but I heard that someone was offended because of a song

A children song

It was just because of the name of the team, I don't see exactly what was so offensive about it but okay

I wad just there without understanding anything

Oh, and apparently, they created fake accounts of the students of the other course to comment on a video they posted on tiktok

Or so I heard on the group they made of the internal games with my course

I was just there watching they talking and complaining about the other course

AND THE EGGS ARE BACK

Well, they are sleeping... but they are alive at least

AND WE GOT NEW NEW EGGS

AAAAAAAA

BAGI HAS A DAUGHTER

YEAAAAAHHHH

Roier has a child too AAAAAAA

Pepito my beloved

Tubbo is also a dad now:D

Cellbit might not even have logged on the qsmp since the purgatory ended, but that didn't stop him and Bagi from arguing in their streams names

"Killing Empana so she only have one life"

"Kiling Cellbit to be with no life"

They are siblings your honor

Still very funny to me that QUACKITY thought they were siblings

Back to the last ask, I do have a persona

I might post it with some random doodles any day

Also I might take a while to finish that drawing but I try to no take so long

And I love the design, it's so pretty

I still have a cuteness overload every time I see your drawings

I hope you have a great day tomorrow:D

- 🍽

WELCOME BACK MY KING!!!!

you sound like you’ve been very busy akmkfnknsk you’re school or whatever was happening also sounds so dramatic oh my god msknivhs

YEAAAAH I LOVE THE NEW EGGS ^_^ AND WE GOT OUR EGGS BACK (ASLEEP) BUT WE STILL GOT THEM BACK SO IM HAPPY!!! i love sunny so much, she’s such a little girlie the daughter ever i adore her so much TT all the new eggs are so cute :(( empanada and pepito too are so wonderful :((

that’s so silly that quackity actually thought they were siblings <- says someone who also believed it for a while until realizing that isn’t the case

aaa thank you ^w^ if you ever post doodles of your persona you can tag me in it so i see it >:DD i’d love to see how they look!! i want to draw them hehe

[neutrallyobsessed]

Exams of the Ace Attorneys

if I had a nickle for every respected doctor that cheated on their exams I'd had two nickles, which isn't a lot but considering I'm not into medical dramas and just so happen that the two medias I like that have doctor protags have cheated is more than a huge coincidence...

In any case, that got me thinking about if the ace attoreney characters have ever cheated on their exams so here's a list of my headcanons

Have in mind that this isn't about the bar examination, since that's a more lengthy process, and while you probably can cheat in any of the steps, it's a more complicated issue for me to think about... so maybe for another post (or you can steal this concept idc). This is about the exams and tests taken in law school to get the degree necessary for taking the bar exam in the future

and here it is:

Phoenix Wright: yeah?? by virtue of being the protagonist I think he cheated a couple of times, specially when he was jaggling with the art degree but he stoped when he ditched the arts and concentrated in law, what kind of lawyer could he be if he cheated (more)?

Apollo Justice: he didn't cheat, but sometimes he wishes he did lol

Athena Cykes: she cheated once but will tell you that it was the professor who left a loophole so it wasn't really cheating (but was it?)

Mia Fey: she has prepared cheat sheets for test she didn't feel all that confident but didn't actually use them so she didn't get to cheat

Diego Armando: yeah he did cheat, but it was more of checking that his answers were correct rather than looking over before answering (and never to Mia uwu <3)

Lana Skye: no, she would never

Neil Marshall: not only he doesn't cheat, but snitches on cheaters

Marvin Grossberg: he cheated once and felt really guilty about it, never again

Robert Hammond: actually I don't think he cheated. i know it's obvious for the bad lawyer to do bad things like cheating but i think is funnier if he didn't xd

Gregory Edgeworth: he didn't cheat but let others copy off him <3

Miles Edgeworth: he didn't cheat but lets other copy his wrong answers and when they turned over their exams he would erase and turn in the correct answers <3

Manfred Von Karma: NEVER CHEATS. PERFECT SCORE ALWAYS. PEOPLE SAYS HE DID BUT HE DIDN'T. HAS SNITCHED ON MANY CHEATERS that's kind of why people think he cheats

Franziska Von Karma: she didn't cheat on law exams but has on other classes. like who cares that the mithocondria is the powerhouse of the cell when ballistic markings being the fingerprints of a gun is much more interesting?

The Payne Brothers: they cheated a couple of times yeah, they won't admit it but they did

Klavier Gavin: didn't cheat but thinks Kristoph did

Kristoph Gavin: yeah he did cheat but thinks Klavier did too so there's no problem

Simon Blackquill: i don't think he did... if he got to prosecute despite being a convicted felon then that could mean that he's really fucking good at his job, meaning he didn't cheat (or maybe Edgeworth isn't inmune to Blackquill's manipulation who knows?)

The Students of Themis Law Academy: not only most of the students cheated but it's actually encouraged to do so. end justifies the means and such. it's only bad if you get caught 'cause if you're not going to be good at the exams, at least pretend that you are good En el caso que nos compete: Myriam is the best, Hugh is the worst, Juniper is the exception and Robin just done it a couple of times~

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi: he doesn't cheat and sends cheaters to The Hell of People Coming Into Your Room And Not Fully Closing The Door When Leaving

Dhurke Sahdmadhi: i don't know really..... i want to say that he would never, but he has that vibe that he has done it at least once...

Raymond Shields: look eating the answers of an exam BEFORE taking an exam is NOT cheating, ok????

Sebastian Debeste: y'see is not that he cheated per se... but his dad made sure he passed and if it wasn't for him, he couldn't approve any of his exams... so Sebastian himself didn't cheat, it was his father's doing y'know

Blaise Debeste: oh yeah he totally cheated lol

Jill Crane: another non-cheater but snitcher

Jacques Portsman: no, he would never! that's not sportmanship-like! >:( (unless?)

Byrne Faraday: hahaha yeah, he has cheated but would never tell that to Kay (i mean, how could he?.... spoilers aside). Tyrell would tell her tho

Calisto Yew: she pulled a Furio Tigre in all of our faces, she's never been a lawyer to begin with! she's never taken the bar exam, she never took law school, she doesn't have a degree on anything, she didn't cheat on tests, SHE CHEATED THE WHOLE ASS SYSTEM!!!

Bonus: none of the judges cheated but all of the detectives did

btw the doctors I referred to are Kenzo Tenma from Monster and Derek Stiles from Trauma Center xd

[sinswithpleasure]

The Playgirl (ft. LOONA's Yves) [Part 2] [Female Reader]

---------------

Hello! I'm back with part 2!

Futa!Yves x Fem Reader, just in case ya forgot.

If you prefer, this is also on AO3 and AFF!

---------------

Yves shows up on time for tutoring, to your surprise.

"Hey baby."

"Don't 'baby' me."

"Sure. Let's start."

"Alright. Open up the textbook. We're starting from the basics. I've printed out some of the prerequisites for this topic, since what you did last time wasn't up to standard due to lack of practice of the basics. Now…"

Yves listens attentively. In fact, things go a bit too smoothly for the both of you. Yves doesn't make any cheeky quip, pull out any pet names, or flirt with anyone that passes by. The womanizing playgirl you knew disappears, and in its place is a focused, dedicated young woman. Sometimes, you even find yourself staring at her work on the problems in front of her. The change is… welcome, to say the least.

Your eyes roam Yves's styled hair, swiped back to expose her forehead, down to her beautiful large eyes, button nose, and full lips.

God, you're gay. Sure, you're literally admiring the beauty of the most insufferable bane of the universe, but you're just so fucking gay and hot people are hot, no matter how irritating they are, so...

When your eyes shift back up, you're met with Yves's smirk.

"See something you like, babe?"

Fuck.

"N-no."

"Liar."

"Fuck off." You rush to change the subject. "How're you doing?"

"I've been done for a while. You would know if you weren't spending the time looking at me."

You refuse to dignify her with a response, checking through the solved problems. With your coaching, Yves manages to get two more questions correct as compared to last time, but she still makes some simple mistakes.

"Okay, here's the issue. In question two…"

---------------

Yves continues to show up for every tutoring session. Somehow, a week passes by, and it is now Friday.

"Good afternoon, babygirl."

"Don't 'babygirl' me. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Mm, whatever. How're you doing?"

"Why do you care?"

Yves pulls out the chair next to you, leaning back on it, resting her legs on the table. She turns to you, grinning.

"Of course I'd care! You're my tutor, and if you don't feel good, you won't be able to teach me properly. If I don't get taught, I won't learn, then I'll fail, and I don't get to win. You know that I always win."

"I'm not sleeping with you."

"That's what you say, but not what you mean."

"Fuck you."

"That's what you'll be doing in five months' time."

"No I won't. Bring out the Calc textbook. We're going through Chapter 4 today."

"Alright, babygirl."

----------------

The change in Yves becomes apparent when she somehow is present earlier than you on Monday morning.

"Yves?"

"Oh, hey babe."

You sigh at the pet name, but having heard her call you that for quite some time now, it doesn't grind your gears as much anymore.

"Don't 'babe' me."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Yves returns her attention to the papers she is working on, and the familiar math problems catch your eye.

"Calc?"

"Yeah. I promised I'll be the best student. Here I am."

"We'll see about that."

"You're looking at it right now." Yves rises from her chair, and in a flash, she has her arm around your waist, her face inches from yours. "I'm going to win, babygirl."

"G-Get off me!" Your face reddens instantly at the close proximity of your lips to hers. Memories of the chaste kiss Yves planted take front and center stage, and you can't help but look away from Yves.

"You're so pretty."

Yves has her gaze locked on your lips, then to your eyes. She is so close, too close, even. Heat flashes all over your body—every touch Yves leaves on you seems to burn.

"I mean it. You're gorgeous."

"T-Thank you."

The smug smirk never leaves Yves's face. She releases you from her smoldering gaze and grip, but she leaves you with a rapidly beating heart and a large distraction for the day to come.

When class begins, Yves tries to take the time to listen to the professor. However, she is soon back to her old ways, flicking paper balls at classmates and being on her phone more than she listens.

"Yves."

"Yeah, baby?" She meets your gaze, her tongue darting out to moisten her dry lips. Her hands carry on working on moulding another tiny paper ball.

"You're not listening."

"I am!"

"What was the last thing the prof said?"

"Um…"

You roll your eyes.

"Best student, my ass."

"I made that promise to you, not to him."

"You won't learn if you don't listen to him either. How're you going to be the best if you can't even do that?"

"Oh, so that's how it is?"

"That's right." You think hard about the words you want to say next, but maybe… maybe it is worth the risk. After all, Yves is still the bane of your existence, but she could be less of that if she keeps up her effort in trying to learn.

"You don't get to fuck me if you're not the best."

You watch as Yves freezes. She stares at you, her jaw hanging, before she steels her gaze to your eyes, staring deep into your soul.

"So this is how you wanna play, babygirl?"

"Yeah." You can feel your bravado slowly disappearing.

"Fine. I'll listen. I'll play by your rules."

Yves leans to your ear, her breath sending shivers down your spine. Her deep whisper makes you shudder.

"You will be mine at the end of the year, baby. I promise you: I'll ace my exams, and you'll love me for it."

Perhaps provoking your seatmate wasn't the best idea. Now you have to deal with the deep flush on your face and neck, as well as the heat between your legs.

---------------

A month passes.

Every week, the same things go by—tutoring, classes, more tutoring, more classes. However, what changes is how close you and Yves get with each other. By no means were the both of you friends, but she isn't as much of a thorn in your side anymore.

[yves💘 sent a message:]

Baby

I need a bit more help with the math from the last chapter.

Can I see you this weekend?

Saturday, 10am, Seoul U entrance?

[You sent a message:]

Sure.

I'll see you.

[yves💘 sent a message:]

Good.

Dress nicely, baby. It's a date.

[You sent a message:]

Fuck off.

You groan when Yves manages to charm you through text. Outfit ideas are already flowing through your head, and you sink your face into the comfort of your palms. Why do you even care about looking pretty for Yves?⁶

Well… that genuine grin she flashed after a muffled gasp of surprise when you wore a dress once in the past month was gorgeous on her. That was why.

You remember Yves actually having the slightest hint of a blush when looking at you, and she seemed to be a little less flirty that day, opting to take short glances at you when she thought you weren't watching. This newfound attention was… welcome. You couldn't deny feeling shy having Yves check you out. After all, you were just the nerd girl in class, and having this attention from a hot girl you could consider a crush not as much of a pain in your ass felt so good.

-----

Saturday arrives, and here you are, waiting outside Seoul University.

You choose to keep things simple: just a simple button-down dress with daisies printed on the fabric. Your hair is tied up in a cute bun. The pink backpack you carry completes the look, with a nice pair of flats.

The sun isn't too bright, and a cool breeze keeps you comfortable while waiting. You can't help but get nervous, though you know it is irrational to feel so. After all, this is just another study session. However, Yves's text to you earlier in the week keeps flashing across your eyes.

'Dress nicely, baby. It's a date.'

You know this is just a study session. However, a part of you dimly wishes that it isn't, before you hurriedly bash those thoughts with a hammer and then set them on fire.

The revving of a motorbike catches your attention before it zooms down the road. You can see the bike move across the lanes, then slowing to a stop in front of you. The rider, clad in all black leather, complete with jacket and boots, seems to freeze in front of you, before slowly drawing the helmet off their head.

"Hey, babygirl."

Yves grins at you, her eyes sweeping over your body. Her gaze lands on your legs, moving up to your torso, your chest, and then to your eyes and hair.

The next words she mutters are meant to be kept to herself, but you hear her anyway.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous."

Your heart takes off, pounding against your chest. You try to hide the flush on your face by staring at the ground, but you field a gaze to Yves, who looks a bit like a deer caught in headlights. She looks so handsome, so cool, and downright fucking hot at the same time.

Hmm… What would it feel like being pinned under her again?

The intrusive thought you have gets stamped out instantly, but the effect lingers—you can't help but check Yves out, feeling a rush of heat deep within your loins.

Her agreement with you was starting to look more and more appealing. Maybe you do have to teach her well.

"Get on."

"What?"

"Let's go. I gotta park the bike, and the cafe isn't close by. Get on."

Yves hands you a spare black helmet, and you hesitantly take it.

"Don't kill me."

"I won't." She grins. "I like you too much to think about doing that."

Your breath catches in your throat. It's not uncharacteristic of her to say things like that so easily, but maybe… just maybe… you want her to mean it.

You get onto the bike as Yves holds it steady. You don't know where to put your hands, but Yves grabs your arms, pulling them to wrap around her waist.

"Hold on tight, babygirl."

"Okay." You can't believe what's happening right now.

"I'm gonna go."

The engine revs.

-----

Yves trails behind you as both of you make your way to the cafe. Yves is quiet along the way, unlike her usual flirting if she caught you staring at her. When you glance back to her, you see her eyes dart away from you, staring at the floor as she swipes her hair back.

Weird.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Never been better, baby." Her reply is unconvincing, especially with a forced grin, but you don't want to really push her for a reply.

"Er… Okay. Sure."

Both of you make your way into the cafe, stopping by the counter to grab the menu. When you sit down at a table, Yves sits across you, her eyes locked onto you as you peruse your options.

"You're staring a lot today, Yves."

"Oh, um, er…" She looks away, her voice soft. This is very unlike her.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm feelin' great, ready to learn, and get good." She leans back, resting her hands on the armrests of her chair.

Oh.

She has a crop top on.

Oh my fucking God, she has abs.

You short circuit.

Two columns of defined muscle greet your eyes, as if to mock you. It wasn't like she was someone you didn't find hot. Now, you have to find out that she also has abs?!

Your mouth dries instantly, and you grab your bottle, taking a swig. The cool liquid quenches your physical thirst, but your mental thirst…

"Don't look too much, babygirl. You might get hypnotized."

Yves tilts your chin up with a finger, moving to lean close to your face.

"My eyes are up here."

Holy fucking shit, she's so fucking hot.

You wonder how you didn't notice them when she had that fishnet and crop top combo. Maybe her pants covered them, maybe you were blinded in your dislike for her. Whatever, you've seen them now. No reason to stop… respectfully staring, especially when you can.

"Look at me."

You meet Yves's smoldering gaze.

"Keep your eyes up here, babygirl." Her warm breath against your lips makes you yearn to lean in and close the gap. "I don't want them anywhere else when they're so beautiful."

You whimper involuntarily, and Yves chuckles.

"You're so fucking pretty, you know that?"

The shame that burns when you squeak and break your gaze to hide in the pretense of reading the menu is something you don't want to admit that you feel coursing through your veins, but it's there. When you lower the menu, Yves has her chin in her palm, her head tilted to the left, a satisfied grin on her features.

"I mean it, baby. You look really pretty today."

"T-Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's order, I'm starving."

"Okay."

"Oh." Yves leans towards you, lowering the menu to stare into your eyes once more. "You'll get to see what you want to see when I ace the exams. Be patient, babe."

You groan.

-----

That night, you toss and turn on the bed incessantly. Every time you close your eyes, you can feel hot breath across your lips, smell the scent emanating off Yves, and sense her burning gaze on you. Yves's handsome features are burnt deep into your head, and just the thought of her sends your heart pounding and temperature rising.

You think of her abs under her clothes, the defined muscle jumping out to your eyes. She already looks so good, so delicious, and yet, things only go up from here.

The rush of heat between your legs doesn't help things.

You turn again, ignoring your basest desires. Bedtime it is.