#but i'm only allowed to buy it (with my own money) after exams are over???

[tomboxed]

best believe i don't know shit about mk11 but i sure as hell know these guys gay asf

[lorkai]

 A/N: Yesterday was the last day of the asexual week and I knew I had to hurry to finish this oneshot in time. First because this has been in my drafts for months and second because I genuinely love his and Yuu's friendship, it's so cute and I hope we see more of that in chapter 7.

Warning: Fluff mostly, asexual and gender neutral!reader, first time writing for Malleus, he might be occ, also proofread only one time. Lemme know if there’s a typo pls! 

 --- Tagging: @rainiishowers @astershere @jabberwockk ​

When your chest heaved with uncertainty the only thing you could do was walk until your thoughts cleared, an attentive mind was what would keep you alive in this place after all. And since you arrived in Twisted Wonderland this has happened much more often, anxiety and fear consuming you at being in a totally unknown world and completely without a way to fight those idiots. They had magic while you only had a grumpy fire-breathing cat and your own fists.

It wasn't much, but it was enough for you to be able to snatch the magic pen from their hand and fight. And fighting was the only thing you could do to have a roof over your head and enough money to survive, even though Crowley made you work until your body was as heavy as lead and your mind was about to shut off from the world. Unsurprisingly, today was a day where you ran around, did your homework, took care of your three idiots, and did Crowley's job.

And there was only one problem. You couldn't sleep, couldn't think straight except for the things that awaited you in the morning, tasks that weren't yours but that you had to complete to receive enough Madols to continue living.

Or fight an overblot student, as this has become frequent.

The weather was hot, making you roll from one side of the bed to the other and sometimes face Grimm on his side of the bed, purring, sometimes muttering something you didn't understand. The sound of him purring would put you to sleep most nights, but today it just didn't work. Even scrolling through posts didn't work and counting sheep was a little too childish for you to consider the thought.

Tired of the restless hours and the heat, you got up and left the room. You intended to eat ice cream or whatever you had in the fridge and try to study for the exams that were almost there, even though you knew that tomorrow you would need energy and willingness to get through the day. You held back a sigh, imagining the things you'd fix once you got Crowley's generous allowance, maybe you'd buy a new sofa as the current one was falling apart. But looking up you decided it would be better to fix the roof, slight leaks were forming and you had already scraped both your knees from so many times you had slipped in puddles of water while walking in a hurry.

  The ghosts were starting to place bets on how much it would take for you to get seriously hurt, and while they were laughing at the situation, they were also careful to try and catch you before you fell - which again didn't work, as they were ghosts and couldn't touch you physically.

“Awake at this hour, child?” The ghost floated past you as if waiting for the right moment to snap you out of your melancholy thoughts, but also with the mischievous air of someone who intended to scare you. The smile on his face was all you needed to know to realize it and he laughed softly. “Try drinking hot milk to relax. I remember my mother always giving me milk with honey when I was just a little kid, I miss those days.”

But you denied it, indifferently.

"I'm going to eat ice cream." You told him, stretching. You considered drinking iced milk for a moment before dismissing the idea, Grimm would go crazy if he didn't have milk to drink in the morning and you weren't even that fond of it.

“Oh well, I don't think it's good… Hm? Oh, he's there again?" The ghost muttered and broke off, turning toward the window as if he'd heard something you hadn't. Surreptitiously he approached the window to spy something outside that had caught his attention, his gestures were careful and thoughtful as it seemed that he didn't want to be seen by whoever was outside. And curious, you approached him and looked too, but at first you didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "It is so strange. He always shows up at this time and wanders around outside, sometimes humming, sometimes playing his game. Formerly he even dared to enter here. I find it so lonely. Anyway, go to sleep, child, I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning. Goodnight."

And just as he suddenly appeared, the ghost disappeared through the walls. But the doubt was already in your head and ignoring all your common sense you opened the door and the urge to eat ice cream, and ventured against the gusts of dry wind and the persistent heat. You didn't care so much about the lack of an air conditioner anymore, but Crowley could be generous enough to give you a fan at least. And it almost made your tired mind laugh. If he had the option to continue procrastinating he would do so without a shadow of a doubt.

The tall grass was at your ankles and the sensation would almost tickle you if it weren't irritating, you analyzed the scenery in front of you meticulously trying to see what lurked in the dark of the night and only then noticed the person resting under the old willow tree. The black and green uniform managed to camouflage him between the tall trees and the dark of a moonless night, if you didn't know what you were looking for then you certainly wouldn't notice him there, but you noticed him and you decided to approach him with carefree steps. Perhaps the lack of sleep made you dumber than you already were. But you've faced greater dangers than just a guy sitting on the grass in your dorm.

And what could he do? You asked with a silent laugh.

  He didn't seem capable of hurting anyone, though his face grew serious with every step you took towards him. But that didn't stop you as you imagined the reasons he would be there, at that time. Maybe he also had trouble sleeping at night or just went out to clear his head like you did sometimes, as the ghost said he was definitely humming something, though your human ears were unable to capture the beauty of the sound until it was too late and he has stopped humming.

Or maybe, the ironic thought raced through your brain, you had finally reached a deep exhaustion and were creating a person in your mind that you could talk to normally. It was ironic that the NRC therapist needed another therapist.

  His green eyes were mesmerizing and tinged with danger. But what caught your attention the most were the prominent horns sticking out of his head and how you wanted to touch them. You didn't doubt for a second that they were real, after all the encounter with Leona, the dorm leader of Savanaclaw, who had the ears and tail of a lion was still fresh in your memory. And you refrained from touching them without permission, smiling as you crouched in front of him, a few feet away.

“Um, are you okay? What are you doing here?" you asked, running your eyes over his body to make sure you didn't see any apparent injuries. Sighing, you concluded that he must have gone there for another reason when all he did was smile as if he was amused at something, his eyes twinkling in an odd way. You scratched your neck like you didn't know how to react to that, Twisted Wonderland was really testing your limits to be proactive and know how to act with every awkward situation thrown your way.

  He denied. “This is a surprise. You're a child of man, aren't you?”

You shrugged, laughing softly at the nickname he'd bestowed on you. Despite the strangeness you could see that he really wouldn't do you any harm.

“So this derelict dorm that I've taken as my own for all this time actually has a new owner after all, it's a shame. I really wish I had a place where I could enjoy the silence.” Malleus shifted and sat cross-legged as he stared at a fixed point lost in the darkness. To you he seemed to be lost in thought, he didn't even blink when you waved your hand in front of his face. But the fae paid attention to your gestures, studied them, and found it funny how you acted with concern rather than fear.

A lonely smile played across his face while he thought about how other people would be running and profusely apologizing for interrupting him during his rest, how they feared him simply because he was more powerful than they were. But there is no power without humility and he would never do anything against people without having a reason to do so. "If this dorm is no longer abandoned I should find another place for my next night outing, I guess this is my cue to say goodbye then, child of man."

The boy in front of you got up and straightened his robes. He looked ready to leave and perhaps it was best to leave him, as your experiences with all the inhabitants of Twisted Wonderland had been interesting, to say the least, but dangerous. However, you held his hand on impulse, probably because he looked familiar to you. It reminded you of a certain mystical being that brought you comfort as you explored the world and sought to understand who you were.

"Or you can keep coming." You offered and he was considering the offer, and you noticed how he was weighing the pros and cons equally as he straightened his gloves and dusted off his uniform. "Only me and my grumpy cat live here, so it wouldn't be a problem if you joined us once in a while."

“You have no knowledge of who I am, do you, child of man?” Was his immediate response, circling you in slow steps as he watched confusion paint your face. The air around him told you he'd already made his decision before he'd even said it aloud, that the confidence in his smile and the soft way his eyes gleamed heralded the start of something interesting. “Do you not fear me? Aren't you afraid that I might do something to you?”

You suppressed a laugh and slapped his arm in a friendly gesture. “Of course I do, I'm not that innocent and I've had some problems since I got here. But with every passing second it's hard to be scared when all I'm thinking about is whether I can touch your horns or not." You said it sincerely. You raised your hands in the air, but you waited for some kind of positive reaction to your comment so you could actually do that. “I don't know if this sounds weird but you remind me of a dragon. I think it's because of the horns and you know, dragons are important symbols for people like me. It reminds me of home, at least.”

Suddenly, Malleus doubled over with laughter and it was more than obvious that he hadn't expected that heartfelt answer. He was a strange guy, you supposed, but at least his laugh was merry and it took most of your tiredness away easily and you joined him in laughing, a soft, genuine laugh influenced by his glee.

“You amuse me, child of man.” He actually declared. "May I ask you a question?"

You nodded, moving your hand to emphasize that he had permission to do so. You shifted your weight from one leg to the other as you waited for him to collect his thoughts and ask the question he seemed to want to ask, you suppressed a laugh as the grass hit your ankles again and focused your attention on his green eyes.

“When you say dragons are important symbols for people like you, what do you mean?” It was a genuine question that anyone could have, but you always answered it in a clumsy way because for some people it didn't make sense and they were rude when they expressed their opinions camouflaged with prejudice on the subject. It would be a shame if the boy in front of you was one of those people, but you could see a special glint in his eye and you were pretty sure that wasn't the case.

"It's a bit of a long story." You said turning towards your dorm, not caring about the time or the hot weather that still bothered you. “Mind if we talk while we eat ice cream?”

For someone his size, Malleus nearly jumped and let out a squeal of excitement at the invitation. But he regained his composure quickly and hid what he felt behind a forced, loud cough, finally agreeing to escort you into the dorm so you could chat some more while enjoying a good old-fashioned ice cream. It was easy to tell it was his favorite dessert from the way he was almost floating down the stairs to the door, a shy little smile on his lips.

If he'd noticed how old everything was, he'd been kind enough not to mention it in front of you, escorting you into the kitchen to watch the careful way you poured two bowls of ice cream and hummed a tune he didn't know.

“Here it is, hope you like it!” You handed him a bowl of ice cream, smiling. And he thanked you with a polite nod, pushing his long hair behind his ear before eating the delicious dessert. “My name is Yuu, by the way. What is your name?"

The boy in front of you laughed once more before giving you an enigmatic look. “I prefer that you remain without that knowledge. You see, it's for your own good, I assure you. However, I grant you permission to give me a nickname.”

Granted, the toothless human version could be a little eccentric, but you looked at it through a more optimistic lens and thought of various puns on dragons and their names. Tiamat, Sunfyre, Toothless and many other names, but you ended up choosing the nickname Tsunotaro. In your head it made complete sense, at least and suited him.

"Well, as promised I'll tell you why dragons are important." You left your ice cream bowl on the sink as you came to sit on the counter, standing at the same height as Tsunotaro. The common nervousness and anxiety of coming out tickled your belly, but at that point you already knew how to handle it and took a deep breath. “There’s a thing called asexuality, it is a sexuality characterized by a lack of attraction and a desire to, umm, have intimate relationships with someone. Some asexual people like to cuddle and kiss and be in romantic relationships and situations. Other people may not be interested in any of this either, it varies greatly from person to person. Got the general idea?”

Tsunotaro nodded, still eating his ice cream slowly savoring all its flavors and listening to every word you said with great interest.

“Well, as we were little seen and understood by society we kind of associate asexuality with dragons. They don't exist in the world I come from, but I've always taken comfort in the thought of them, as they are so free and big and strong and happy." You smiled with the memories of your past. How you spent hours drawing messy dragons in your notebooks or making plans to invade Denmark while eating garlic bread. Those were the happiest and loneliest days, mainly because you hadn't had the opportunity to meet many people like you or who fully understood your expectations and fears. “You reminded me of a dragon because of your horns. I hope you don't find this too strange or offensive."

Tsunotaro, however, waved his hand away to dismiss your worried thought. “You are certainly not wrong, child of man, since in part I am a dragon, yes. With a pair of horns and a tail, and if I wanted I could take the full form of a dragon, so I'm flattered to think that thousands of people adore my kind and feel safe and happy when they think of us.”

He smiled. A relaxed, happy smile as he leaned his back against the counter you sat on, the silence that fell between the two of you was the comfortable kind. Almost as if two good old friends had been reunited after a long time apart. "You... You can touch them if you still want to, fufu." he said suddenly, lowering his head and peering in your direction with one of his emerald eyes.

But you hesitated. You had just met him and it felt so strange to touch his horns all of a sudden, but when you looked at him and realized he was serious and he really didn't care, you touched them. From base to tip, feeling the texture and trying to remember if you've ever touched anything that looked like this.

Unbelieving that a sleepless night made you befriend a half dragon, you look into Tsunotaro's face intently and study each expression carefully. How he shivers at the chills running down his spine when you hold his horns, how he closes his eyes and sighs when you massage them. As he goes silent, you decide to go ahead with it. It's so weird, but it's so interesting at the same time. Despite their appearance, they are soft and warm to the touch and he seems to enjoy having his horns massaged like that. The relaxed expression he wears makes you laugh, it's almost like petting a kitten and watching its reactions. He's cute like that.

"You know, I believe we'll be good friends." You mumble softly. At the very least, you hope that after all this the two of you can be friends, as he seemed like someone genuinely nice to spend time with.

The sweet sound of his laughter echoed through the kitchen as he looked at you. "I'd love it if we were friends, child of man. Could you tell me more about asexuality?"

You nodded enthusiastically, feeling really welcomed and comfortable. And for the rest of the night you and he were talking about it, making jokes and puns and just having fun.

And that was the story of how you met Malleus Draconia. For people who would like a more elaborate and challenging plot this could be a rather ordinary and boring story, but for him and for you it was a pleasant story and full of good memories. A story of a dragon and his ace friend.

[pompadourpink]

Hi mum maybe a silly q but I just started my last year of hs (17) and I was wondering if you had any advice for me. I have no idea what to do with my life and I'm panicking. Sometimes I can't even sleep at night because it already feels like time is running out and I've never had a bf and I don't know what to do next year and ppl just tell me 'you'll figure it out!!' and I just panic even more because I've been trying to figure it out for years and I still don't have any answers!

Hello dear,

The first thing I want to do is to reassure you - not only time is not running out, but it hasn't even started running. It's going to start ticking when you graduate. Think of everything you've known so far as some type of introduction - real life is about to start, and it is very exciting.

In a nutshell, the world is your oyster. High school is a weird moment in someone's life because you're supposed to start thinking about your studies, future career, driving license, money, taxes and all that jazz while you're still expected to ask permission to go to the bathroom. On top of that, you're surrounded by adults whose only mission is to stress you out about exams and your future.

When I was in my first year of high school, I had a classmate who had a plan for life, where she was going to marry her current boyfriend at 18, buy a house at 20, get her dream job at 22, have her first kid at 23 and her second at 25. From anyone over the age of 26, that just looks like burnout (and a long series of disappointments) waiting to happen. But when you're that age, it feels like what everyone tells you the future is going to be like, even if you didn't give yourself deadlines. When I was little, I fully thought I'd be married with kids at 18, and yet here I am, 12 years later, with no ring on my finger and relieved that it didn't happen because it would have been the stupidest mistake I could have made at that age.

My advice is to not try to meet other people's expectations of you. Don't have kids because mum is asking for grandchildren. Don't study law because your history teacher thinks you'd be a good lawyer. Don't drop hobbies because people think it's a waste of time. If you can't debate it, it's not the right thing to do - typically, it's a decision made for you by either capitalism or tradition.

I'm giving those examples because they're my experience. I went to a uni that was 30km away from where I grew up because I didn't even think about other options. I could have moved to the other side of France! taken a gap year and travelled! moved to England and gone to uni there! become a professional pianist or a ballet dancer! But I didn't even realise it was an option, and I didn't do it.

People often give you suggestions because they didn't reach their own goals so that they can live vicariously through you - sometimes they're even trying to make you fail because they're jealous that you have an option and they feel stuck. You don't have to listen and probably shouldn't anyway, because not only they don't know what you want, but they're thinking of success in terms of money and power and maybe you're just dreaming of peace and adventure and you're allowed to.

One last thing I'd like to share is a lesson I got from my philosophy teacher when I was your age: you will never stop changing, therefore will only be able to define yourself after your death. So keep asking yourself what you want, how it's different from your previous answers, listen to your gut, wonder what your perfect day looks like and how you can get there. That's all you need to know. You have one shot at life. Don't spend it trying to please people who don't care what you want.

Love,

Mum

[soporis]

instead of doing my last bit of exam prep i'm thinking about budgeting because the rent increase, weddings, and No Job have all caught up to me pretty quickly. (I was really good at this when living with Erin though so I can get back to it I am confident).

Ok, so from now until September of next year, no new buy is in place, obvi. I'm pretty sure no secondhand buy could also be in place given how many items you own, but sometimes the desire to make a purchase arises you know? In this case it will be bunz and value village and that is it.

Let's say you don't get a job until May 2024, even though you may ask Ken what's up with his company before then. This means that over the next 5 months, you have $3,402.13 to spend (tution excluded actually, thanks QC government). That's $680/month. Ouch, that's going to be difficult given that your rent is $400, therapy is $62, and a metro pass is $97, bringing us to $559.. but considering you will eat at Nick's like more than half the time, $121 for 2 weeks of groceries is manageable if you really make it count.

So anyway, we get to May 2024 and rent starts - let's pretend we've got an absolutely shit deal on an apartment and are spending $1500/month + utilities, which I don't even know how much they'd cost right now, my google search says $325 so let me use that. 20,000 in the bank = 10 months of rent + $175 of spending/month, if completely jobless and relying on the QC loan purely for tuition costs and an occasional additional splurge. With Ken's going rate of potentially $34/hour, with a 12 hour work week, that's $1632 a month, so rent and some groceries could be covered if we live that way. (Also, if he hires you in the summer you could fully do a 40 hour work-week if he allowed, which would be quite the boon, but I also don't want to RELY upon this job).

Which is where we begin actually planning. You can make it ALMOST to the end of your degree without getting any job at all if you live basically like an ascetic (which tbh would be a boon given your propensity towards solitude lately, but that doesn't seem ideal). This, however, discounts any and all costs for the weddings, the possibility that you and Nick break up, and the idea that like, you don't indulge in any extraneous expenses in any way, which is just unreasonable. So a job this summer becomes absolutely mandatory (both expenses wise and also to give you excuses to not see people! if you had no obligations all day every day turning down invitations would be a nightmare!).

The only real planning you can do starting like, soon, is to a) really lay out what you're willing to spend money on in the upcoming few months, and b) talk to Ken/start looking for jobs after exams. Tbh, starting the yt up genuinely isn't a terrible idea because you won't be able to discount it as a revenue source unless you try. Other than a quick grocery trip at the start of December, as well, your expenses have already been paid for (because rent already sent to Cassa), so that $680/month is actually more like $850, since you'll be living at home with your christmas gifts already bought.

[just-let-me-see-accounts]

???

I spent ages agonising over how I would navigate my medical health before I became 18 (at which point I could schedule my own appointments. Like, I know that I could still do that as a minor with my parent(s) per.issuon but I thought there would still be restrictions, especially concerning money) but my mum is just gonna give me my medical card tomorrow after I briefly mentioned goodrx (which is only tangentially related??) and told me that everything would be free? What??

Like, I can just schedule anything. I could follow up on that proposed blood test to figure out the extent/cause of my anemia. I could go to the dentist. I could get regular check ups (insane. In the past 8-9 years I've only had two check ups).

I recently had an eye exam and am gonna receive two free glasses (plus a third cheap one my mum + grandpa bought for me), but like. I could get an eye exam regularly? Which is pretty damn good since I kinda fucked up with my left eye and when I was looking through that machine it was definitely blurrier in my left than in my right. Plus, obviously my eyes got worse over these past three years, so it'd be great to stay on top of any further changes.

This shit applies to mental health stuff as well. She specifically mentioned that, which I think is her signaling that she does not want to bein charge of keeping up with that. Damn. I could schedule my own appointments and shit. Wow.

Maybe I can buy medication? Obviously I'd have to talk to a psychiatrist to be prescribed anything, but my mum said she doesn't pay *anything* for prescribed medication. I promised myself not to rock the boat too much until I'm 18, though, since last time when I broached the possibility of me being ND and did that surface level test (used to determine if an in depth test is needed), she took me out of therapy (which I will be back in soon thank god! My intake is on the 3rd of October!).

And my mum has expressed that she doesn't want me on medication (she said it isn't safe for a minor. I wonder if her opinion would change once I become an adult. It must eventually, right? She takes medication herself.) so I'm afraid she might. Take away my access to medical stuff.

But like, if she gives me my card, can she even do anything? If she takes it, would I be able to order a new one or smth? She said that she could order a new one if I lose it. Am I entitled to it? I'll have to look into it more.

The possibility of this massive opportunity suddenly being taken away is why I didn't even consider further pursuing ND evaluation or getting a gender therapist. But like, if she can't do anything, I'll definitely do it. I guess that's a "maybe" thing.

Yooo I could get birth control and stop these blasted periods! Neat.

Even better yet, my siblings can get their cards as well and schedule their own stuff. I requested one of my siblings cards as well and she's willing to give me it. I can't make the appointment myself, as I am a minor (which means I can schedule appointments for them when I'm an adult yayyy), but I can help her make an appointment herself. She really needs to see the dentist.

Man. There's just. So many possibilities. I'm definitely gonna look at "common medical screenings/appointments" or whatever to see what I can get looked at for. Now that I have all this medical power I won't allow myself to deal with something I shouldn't have to!!

[ddurandal]

MEET: SOONCHAN

— YMMD Series: Part 1

— YMMD Series: | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

— fic masterlist

— type: narrative

— genre: contemporary, fluff

— words: 1,945

Chan wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or angry. Maybe he was feeling both. The guy across him just read a whole paragraph from his physics book in a not-so-loud-but-highly-audible-voice, and Chan didn't sit well with that. He was supposed to be studying dance theory, but with the way things were going, he might memorize physics formulas instead.

He was at the library, trying to cram half of the semester for the midterms exam next week. The place wasn't his ideal spot to spend his afternoon. However, with exams coming up in just a week, he figured he should just cram all of his lessons and maybe, at the very least, get a passing grade. He wasn't the only one working hard to get a passing grade as well. The library was full of students. But he wasn't really sure if he was lucky or not, since yes, he did find an empty seat—the only one left unoccupied— and soon found out why no one was sitting there. The guy across him who was wearing a shirt that was buttoned up to the very last button jittered and mumbled everytime he read from his thick physics book. Chan internally groaned and for a split second thought of throwing chips at the guy so he’d shut up and leave, but then decided against it. By the looks of it though, the passing grade was a blurry ambition as the guy across him tried to open a bottle of iced coffee, and then accidentally spilled it all on the table.

“Fuck,” Chan muttered as he grabbed his book and notebooks away from the liquid. The other guy beside him did the same thing.

“Oh no,” the guy said, eyes wide and now scared. “I’m so sorry!”

“Dude,” the other guy said, “you're making a mess.”

“I'm really sorry! I’ll clean it up fast. I’m so sorry.”

Chan sighed and placed his things on his seat, then he used a scratch paper to help Physics Guy clean the mess up.

“I think I have a pack of tissues in my bag,” the other guy offered. “Can I put my things on your chair while I get it?”

Chan mumbled a ‘yeah, sure’ not really looking at him. He could see the librarian was already on her way to them, anger evident on her face.

“Both of you,” she said as she reached their table. “Get out.”

“I didn't—” Chan tried to explain to her how any of this wasn't his fault at all, but the librarian’s face was already set and any he thought any more protests from him would result in him being banned from the building. So he decided to shut up and gather his things as quickly as he could.

When he was at the door, the physics guy caught up to him and apologized again. Chan had no choice but to smile it off even though, honestly, he was slightly pissed.

He decided to go to a coffee shop instead.

Chan had to call off teaching a few kids the new routine he’d thought of last night. Though, he did bring the black notebook with him to study. He brought it everywhere with him. Inspiration always striked at the oddest of hours and he needed the black notebook to write everything down, or else he was going to forget it all at once.

He went to the nearest coffee shop he could find, sat on a booth and arranged his stuff on the table. “Fine,” he murmured to himself. “Let's get this over with.” He checked his bag for the black notebook, but it wasn’t there.

What the hell, he whispered to himself, rummaging through his backpack.

He was sure he brought it with him to the library, and he was sure he placed it inside his bag before going out of the building. He was panicking now since he had just written a new choreography last night but he couldn’t remember the details.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he cursed under his breath. Where could it be? Did he leave it in the library? Did Physics Guy accidentally mistake it as his own notebook? Did someone else take it? He had no damn clue but his heart was already racing. Where is his goddamn black notebook?

As if on cue, his phone chimed, announcing a new text message.

I have your notebook. It had your name and number written on the first page.

Chan, who was nervous as hell, thought it sounded like a message from a kidnapper asking for ransom. Or maybe he was just being dramatic. As fuck.

I need it back. Where should we meet? I’ll get it.

The person who had his notebook seemed like a slow replier. Chan was already biting the nail on his thumb for more or less two minutes. Still no reply.

“Maybe this is a scam,” Chan murmured to himself. However, if this was a scam, how would've this person known he lost his notebook in the first place? He also wrote his name and number on the first page in case it was lost.

His phone chimed again. This is the address.

Chan squinted at the words on the message. He sure was quick to give an address. Nevertheless, he still packed his things and went in search for his notebook.

The address the person gave him was of an old record store. Chan had to ask around because he hadn't been in this part of town before. At first, he thought the guy was shitting him and this was all some sick plan to, maybe, lure him into something illegal. Turns out, the record store was real.

It was a hole in the wall kind which sold old vinyls and CDs. Chan found a Michael Jackson Thriller vinyl, which, of course, was expensive as hell. It was kept inside a glass case, a sort of memorabilia of vintage records for sale.

He looked around, there was no one there that looked like someone his age. Where could this person be? He decided to fish his phone out of his pocket and send him a text.

I’m here. Where are you?

Minutes later, no reply.

Chan sighed and went to the cashier, who looked a few years older than him. He wore a simple blue t-shirt that said ‘worlds away’ and was playing some type of shooting game on his phone.

“Hi,” Chan greeted. The guy at the counter looked up from his game and immediately paused it.

“Is there something you need?” He said, smiling at Chan, showing a dimple on the corner of his mouth. His nametag said 'Seungcheol.’

“Uh,” Chan answered,”yeah. I was wondering if someone—a guy my age—came here? Like, a while ago? Holding a black notebook?”

Damn it. Chan realized he had come here so clueless. He went on a whim, following the guy’s instructions without even knowing what he looked like. He just really wanted his notebook back.

“Oh,” the guy’s eyes widened, “Are you Chan?"

Chan’s eyebrows furrowed, confused. “Yeah, but how did you—”

“The MJ record there is yours,” Seungcheol said, smiling.

“What?” He was even more confused now. “But it's expensive. I don't have money for it.”

“Don't worry. It's already paid.”

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean ‘paid’?”

“The guy you're looking for,” Seungncheol said, “he bought it. Said you liked MJ. He was holding a black notebook, like you said.”

Chan was now outside the record store, holding a paper bag with the MJ vintage record inside that, apparently, had been bought for him. Seungcheol didn't provide anymore didn't of who the guy was. He hurriedly gave Chan the record and went back to his game.

He grabbed his phone again and sent a text to the person.

What's this?

He snapped a photo of the paper bag and hit send.

Immediately, a reply came.

Hope you like it. :D

He wasn't sure if he was even allowed to like it. He was just immensely confused. Was this guy even serious or not?

Look, I don't know who tf you are, but if you just stole my notebook just to make fun of me I swear I will find you.

Again, the person replied immediately.

No, please don't think that. I knew you liked MJ and I just really wanted to make your day better.

“How did you know I liked MJ?” Chan murmured to his phone, looking at the iMessage cursor blinking at him. What was he supposed to say? Did this guy know him? Is he supposed to be creeped out? Chan didn't know what to feel at all, except that he just really wanted to get his notebook back.

He sighed and sent a reply saying just that.

I just really want my notebook back. Please give it back.

The person didn't reply immediately this time. Perhaps, Chan thought, he was contemplating giving it back now. He’ll finally meet him, and he planned to give the MJ record back to him too.

His phone chimed. Chan looked up from the paperbag in his hand that he hadn't realized he was staring at.

Okay. I guess I stressed you out. I hadn't intended to. I'd like to make it up to you. Let me buy you coffee.

Chan took a cab back to the coffee shop, clutching the paperbag next to him. Was he nervous? Very much so. He was finally going to meet this guy. He didn't know what this guy’s plan was but Chan just wanted to get this over with.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw him, smiling, looking down at his coffee. Beside the cup was his black notebook. He had texted him the address of the coffee shop and what he was wearing. Simple graphic white shirt and jeans, and his backpack beside him. Just like what he wore in the library when he asked Chan if it was okay to put his things on his seat. Just like when he offered Chan a pack of tissues.

Chan walked up slowly to him, realizing now who he was. Of course he still had to ask him why he stole the notebook and how the hell he knew he liked MJ, but his heart still skipped a beat.

“Hi,” the guy smiled up at him. “Please sit.”

“You're back,” was all Chan could say, not moving an inch.

The guy chuckled at him, “Yeah, I am. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But here I am.”

“Soonyoung…” Words seemed to have left Chan’s mind and mouth. He couldn't say a word. He didn't know what to say. Instead, memories invaded his brain, ones that happened a year ago, ones that had the man in front of him in them.

He remembered when Soonyoung kissed his forehead after his team won the dance competition. He remembered how they had matching smoothies in the same café they were in right now, except Chan only had black coffee now. He remembered how Soonyoung had to leave that day, uncertain when he would be back. He remembered he had to leave because his brother had been in a bad accident. He remembered how they had lost connection.

And now, here they were, meeting again, in the same place where they had first met.

“Maybe I should introduce myself again,” Soonyoung stood up, offering his hand for Chan to shake. “Hi, I'm Soonyoung. Nice to meet you.”

Chan, slowly, took his hand, and looked up at him. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he was smiling. “Nice to meet you too. I'm Chan.”

— • —

[crazybnhatheorist]

Finding the UA traitor - Part 4 | Spying isn't manly

Wow, I haven't been in here for a while. Yeah, yeah, I'm week late, I know, but I had some shit going on. But I progressed! We have pictures and italics now.

Anyway, hello in 4th part already! Hope you'll like it. Though this (and next) pick isn't as suprising, I wanted to throw in my two cents.

Because Kirishima Eijirou may be hiding something.

Warnings: a few paragraphs contain manga spoilers, but as always, I marked them

Still water run deep

As always, let's look closer at... yeah, you guessed it, summer camp!

I'll get over with small things first. They doesn't prove anything on their own, but surely don't work for Kirishima's sake either and can be considered as foreshadowing... or something.

We're sure he had his cell phone with him. Was one of the not showed boys during the night. In the morning was the most exhausted of all students.

More serious stuff now. As we know, Kirishima failed his practice exam in some... very stupid way. I'd even say it was worth Kaminari. Like... Kirishima isn't THAT stupid guy, is he? Maybe he thought that by failing he won't be allowed to go to the camp. Remember his reaction to Aizawa announcing that he lied?

WhenI saw it for the first time I was like omg he so shook. Then I thought that maybe he's disgusted by his sensei's behavior, because it's not manly. Or maybe he just weirdly smiles. But on the next panel, we actually see that he's the only one not catched mid-smiling. And his arms' position doesn't suit the whatever-emotion-he-showed-second-ago (shock, disgust, terror)

On to the hideout raid arc

What to say? Just as before Yaoyorozu and Aoyama, Kirishima falls in for category 2. It's his Bakugou, after all!

And I must say he's lucky, too - LoV was teleported away before rescue squad jumped in, and even if AFO saw him, he ended up locked in prison.

But there's one important thing that happened before that. When the squad found fake factory and he used his night goggles, he was genuinly terrified when he saw noumus. Based on this, I think it's likely that he would work for AFO rather than Tomura - all of LoV members are similiar with them. While orders from All for One rather wouldn't be received direct from him, but there would be some kind of, you know, middleman.

Back to the night goggles... Maybe we don't know much about Kirishima family's wealthness, but I don't think he's another rich kid, either. A teenager like him can't afford something so expensive. Also, he avoided talking about where did he get them from and looked guilty when Bakugou gave him back some money. We know that AFO willingly sponsors Shigaraki's actions. So why not buy some stupid goggles for his spy, if he can afford freaking experiments on humans?

His motivation or juicy steak of manga spoilers (like really, you may want to skip it)

First, small thing to talk about is Kirishima's reaction to a student that gave up being a hero mentioned by Nejire. But let's look at this a little closer - from writer's pov.

Yeah, Nejire is very talkative and we know that, but I don't think that Horikoshi made her say that only to show how noisy she can be. I bet it was otherwise - he used it as a tool to foreshadow an important detail. And that is Kirishima's reaction, of course. We didn't get a direct response from his origin story though, so he left it to our interpretation or left a clue for something else.

For the first time, I thought that it reminded him of one of his worse moments and that maybe at some point he wanted to give up himself. On the other hand, the most common opinion is that maybe he knew that particular student and if it's true, then it's suspiscious - if it wasn't someone 'bad', then why would the author hide it?

From his origins we know that he secretly has many moments of self doubting. We also know the reason why. You see, Kirishima is the type of a guy that has his own values and sticks to them. If he have became a spy, someone from his family must would have made him to.

Sounds ridiculous, right? But it would make some sense. Eijirou's idol, for example, is... retro. If his parents were villains, it would make sense that he would choose an old hero, as them wouldn't be fond about new ones. Seeing his parents reactions, he'd found himself a figure that nobody remembers about. Or else - do you remember how unomfortable he was while talking about his idol to Midnight, when creating hero names? Yes, it makes sense, but let's be even more ambitious - he feels like that, because he tells it in front of whole class, after hiding it from his parents his whole life. It's not like him to be shameful about a figure he took his main values from.

And you may ask, what about that time when he sympathised with a villain? If think of that blades guy as a tool of showing who Kirishima is really. Not only his origins, but the empathy. It will make perfect sense if at some point he spills the bills, as he no longer want to be part of monstrous LoV actions, especially after kidnapping his best friend.

So in the end, if this theory is true, my best boy made much bigger self-progress than anybody thought.

Pros and cons (nomore spoilers!)

Pros

Reasonable motives

His reaction to going to the forest camp

His reaction to Bakugou being kidnapped

Some small things (the student that gave up, his idol and how he talks about him, his problems with himself, fight with the blades villain) may be foreshadowing

The impact it would made on both characters and readers

Cons

He already is a well developed character, so why add anything more to him?

Majority of evidence can be debunked, as half of it have multiple meanings

I don't have a specific opinion on it, to be honest. I hate a concept of this, as Kirishima is my favourite character in the show, while my masochistic writer side wants to see it happen so freaking bad. Just a great made plot twist, you know?

But what are yours opinions guys? I wanna hear them, so don't be afraid to text me! Hope you liked it.

See ya, pumpkins!

[bubbleteajuseyo]

I Quit My Job for Ateez and I'm Moving to Korea?| Bubble Tea Talk Thursdays | Bubbleteajuseyo

안녕하세요 여러분! (*＾▽＾)／  

How are you guys?

Have you had water? Have you been resting well? Taking your vitamins? Ate something delicious? Staying warm? Smiled or Jopped yet? Did you Yeosang ponytail dance today? 

Anyways~ let's just jump straight into it.

Am I officially moving?

Well...not exactly. Not just yet. 

Did I really quit my job for Ateez?

Again...not exactly. I quit for content creation, and some (not all) of my content does involve Kpop, more specifically Ateez. 

The plan and goal is to move by Summer 2021, but attend KU's intensive language program in August 2020.

Remember My First Video?

If you guys watched my very first Youtube video, which was tragic, so if you go to watch...I'm sorry.  

*Side note: I have to say though, I've come a long way with actually learning how to use my camera, mic, and ring light. 

Anyways, if you saw that video then you probably remember my original study plan.

Well, things of course have changed since after uploading that video.  And I even made an updated video that goes with this blog post discussing everything. 

The past several months have been a complete rollercoaster and along the way I've grown to truly figure out my 'why' when it comes to what I'm doing with my life and figuring out a plan. Well.....trying to at least.

My 'Why' And Updated Plan.

Not much has changed with my original plan. But there are a few minor changes.

I'm going to be taking the CLEP Exam since I only need one math course worth 3 credits to graduate. This will help me save a lot of time and money, and I can graduate in May 2020.

My next step is saving and attending Korea University's intensive language program this summer. Especially since I discovered it will bring my bank statement of $20,000, that I have to present at admissions, down to $10,000. Which is what I will ultimately need to get my student visa approved for when I do my international transfer.

Hopefully, if everything goes well, I'll be applying to Korea University in March of 2021. Their application usually opens up around the time of my birthday. So for my birthday in 2021, I'll treat myself to applying to KU for my bachelors degree.

My plan is to major in media communications and minor in Korean language and graduate with my Bachelor's and Master's degree. And my overall goal is to obtain my F-2 Visa so I can continue to live and work in Korea, but not as just an English teacher. Instead I would love to work behind the scences in entertainment as a social media manager or still as a content creator.

With all that said, why?

Why do I want to move to Korea?

Why am I doing all of this?

The main reason why I want to move to Korea so bad is because I felt so comfortable and content. As weird as it may sound and even though my last two trips were short, I feel more comfortable in Korea than I do here in the states. And during my two (soon to be three) experiences there, I could see myself living there, starting a new life, and being happy.

Another reason is, 6 years ago when I started my Korean language journey and dove deeper into learning about Korean language and culture, I told myself that I would move to Korea. But a lot of things have been holding me back.

Which we’ll discuss what's holding me back soon.

With so many concerns and fears eating me alive, I kept truly forgetting my 'why' and losing sight of the vision and goals I created for myself. And that made me so frustrated the past several months to over a year.

And while I was slowly forgetting my 'why,' I kept changing my plans on how I was going to get to Korea and just kept pushing everything back. I was getting upset and disappointed in myself.

I was even struggling with my 'why' for being a content creator.

Why do I want to be a content creator so bad?

Why am I trying to monetize my content?

Why am I doing any of this and why do I want to?

I had to figure out the answers to those questions too. I had way too many thoughts going through my head.

Until recently, I forced myself to sit down and organize my thoughts and really get a clear vision as to why I really want to do all of this.

I've gotten inspired by people like Vanessa Lau, Jade Darmawangsa, The Bucketlist Bombshells, and Yoon Sun who all quit their 'traditional' jobs to pursue doing what they're passionate about.

I know I'm capable of so much more than just a regular full or part time job that I truly have no interest in. I want to create content and provide value to those who may feel the same way as me.

I'm also trying so hard to monetize my content in order to, not only pay my bills, but to save up finally go back/eventually move to Korea.

I even discussed this in a recent twitter thread because for so long I have been torn with making the decision to go full-time as a creator. Constantly on this rollercoaster of self doubt and really questioning if I can even do this.

But I truly feel deep down that 2020 is my year, not just for my channel, but in general. 

Which is why I've decided to take this leap of faith with focusing my energy into growing my channel and blog.  And this is why I've been pushing myself more lately and will continue to work harder than before.

This is only just the beginning.

So let's move on to what I mentioned shortly before...  

What's Holding Me Back? Concerns? Fears?

Just like I mentioned before in my video, there are things that have held me back with trying to move to Korea.

As of right now, the fear of getting rejected during the admissions process and the financial part are my biggest concerns.

And after even more research. The one thing I feel like that's going to truly hold me back is the financial part. More specifically, the bank statement that is required to prove I can survive for at least one year on my own as a student.

Which basically is, the visa is what is holding me back. Which goes hand-in-hand with the bank deposit.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but during admissions and applying for a visa, you basically have to provide a bank statement in this packet of documents that you create and submit. Now, visas are very complicated and complex to explain. Which, I can do a whole post/video on this if anyone is interested since I discovered some new information recently and some helpful sources.

But, this bank deposit is typically a large sum of money to display that you can survive for one year (two semesters) or half the year (one semester). As of right now, I believe I have to have a deposit of $20,000 in my bank account to get my visa approved. However, if I take a Korean language program at the university, they will make the deposit $10,000. 

Now, that could remain the same, but it could also increase within the next year. It's very unpredictable... and stressful.

But that is probably my biggest concern and the one thing I'm stressing at the moment. While also being anxious of getting rejected in general when I apply.

Truthfully, after seeing the bank deposit requirement, I almost completely gave up on everything. Saving less than $2,000 in about a year to go for a simple trip seems a little easier. However, $10-20k seems impossible, even if I waited another year or two.

I'm even stressed for saving for the language program this summer.

That's why I decided to hustle doing something I actually enjoy doing in order to attempt raising money. But I also want to do more than just raise money and give back along the way.

How I Plan To Save/Raise Money Through Content Creation:

Let me take some time to explain how I plan to save/raise money in order to make my dreams a reality.

Simply put, using mostly Ko-fi.

I feel like if I'm trying to monetize while being a content creator, Ko-fi is probably my best source. 

Until I figure out how I can do even more and exclusive monthly content on Patreon for people who are trying to support me during this process. 

Ko-fi allows you to buy creators a "cup of coffee” for $3/cup, but its not really cups of coffee. The $3 automatically goes to my paypal and will then go into my savings. 

Also, Ko-fi has this super cute feature that if you "buy a cup of coffee," you can leave a message every time (even anonymously).

Also, I like to think of Ko-fi as a way of "tipping" creators. So it's like tipping $3 or "buying my a cup of coffee" if my content bring you any sort of value, brightened your day, motivated, or moved you in away.

I've even decided that if I raise more than my savings goal, I want to donate it to charity. 

So, if I raise more than my savings goal for both the intensive language and undergraduate programs, I will donate the rest to a charity that I will be having you guys vote on. 

I have four charities in mind ( Polished Man, Shiny Foundation, Unicef, or Reborn Center ).  

I really want to give back to those who do support me along this journey in any way I can. 

So, I have also decided to do a huge giveaway.

Therefore, if I reach my savings goal for both programs, not only will I donate to charity, I will choose one lucky supporter each for both goals to receive a gift box as a massive thank you.

I'll announce more in detail what is within the giftboxes, but I want to give back more than I receive and a much as I can to those who are helping to support me in any way they can.

What If I Don't Save Enough In Time?

Now if I can't raise enough in time for both programs, what will I do then?

Well, just continue saving until I reach my goal to do so.

It's been 6 years since I started learning Korean and having this dream, and I refuse to give up.

If I have to push it back one or two more years, then so be it, but I will make it to Korea no matter what.

Even if I get accepted into Korea University, but can't attend due to not meeting the bank statement requirement, what's great is I can always re-apply again when I do have enough.

It may be a major bummer if I can't reach my goal in time, but I know that I’ll get there eventually.... I hope ㅜㅜ; 

I want to thank you all for reading this blog post. I really hope that as this journey continues, I can inspire many of you to chase after your dreams as well.

This isn't really about me, this is about how many people can I bring with me on this adventure to motivate to take the leap themselves.

Whether it be moving to another country like Korea or just doing what they love, if I can spark the passion within at least one person, then I won regardless.

Thank you so much again for reading this post and if you haven’t already, make sure you join the #BOBASquad to receive exclusive newsletters regarding my channel, blog and my journey to finally move to Korea.

And make sure to subscribe and hit that notification bell to my channel for videos that will possibly go with blogs posts like this one. 

I want to add again, if anyone wishes to donate and support this adventure I'm on, please check out my Ko-fi page! 

All earnings will be going into my savings account for future projects I have planned for my blog/channel as a full-time creator, to save and back to Korea in Summer 2020, and to save and move to Seoul by 2021.

As I embark on this journey, I want to create a community that I can provide value to, especially if they want to follow their heart and move/travel to Korea in the near future.

I really hope you all enjoyed this post and thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

Until next time~

감사합니다!

나중에 봐요! 💕

[ilovett]

How safe do you feel on campus? How involved are the security guards? Do the dorm rooms lock with cards or keys? Is there a lot of support between the students and the faculty (I'm going into social sciences for reference)? Is there a noticeable amount of racial targeting? Is the coursework generally demanding (examples from your program would help)? How's the food on campus? Do you feel safe in that area of Ottawa most of the time? Is not speaking french really going to be a problem?

Ooh okay, let me tackle each of these:

I felt super safe on campus! There aren’t security guards like constantly patrolling around, but there’s ‘call posts’ everywhere, so they’re always near by. There’s also a phone number they give you so that you can call anytime there’s issues.

The dorm rooms I was in locked with key cards, but there have been a couple new ones built since I moved out of rez, so I can’t say for sure. But key cards most likely.

There’s support if you ask for it. Basically, profs aren’t going to hunt you down and be like “I see you failed this last exam” or anything like that, but if you decide you need help or guidance when it comes to studying or writing paper, they’re usually really good about helping you! Of course, this is a prof by prof basis, and I strongly recommend looking up as many profs as you can on ‘ratemyprofessor’ so you can get an idea from past students as to their teaching styles.

I’m not really sure what you mean by racial targeting. Like nothing negative, there was no racism on campus, but there are some ‘race-specific’ groups if you want to find a community there. The ones I’m aware of off the top of my head were ISF (Indian student federation) and BSLA (black student leader’s association). These groups also (of course) allowed the entire school population to come to any events they were holding. The ONLY negative experience I had with race was more an ignorance of planning when it came to an event. They tried to do this “in my skin” event where they talked about race on campus, but they had this idea to have two rooms, one with white people, and one with ‘other’. Their idea was that it would make the racialized students feel more comfortable sharing their concerns if there weren’t white students around, but of course it came across as segregation. In addition, many people were like ‘well i’m half white, half (whatever), and I don’t identify with one race’ and that event never ended up happening LOL. But yeah, it wasn’t malicious, but it wasn’t executed well.

I didn’t find the coursework to be TOO demanding. Of course it takes time and effort, but I didn’t find that I couldn’t have a social life. You can’t have more than 3 assignments/midterms in 24 hours as school policy, so if you find that happening, you can talk to your faculty and get one of them deferred. Honestly, the only times I ever felt a bit overwhelmed, it was my own damn fault because I didn’t pre-plan and I left everything for the last minute. You get all your assignments and tests basically day 1 of class, so you know when everything is, and it’s up to you to decide how much time you want to work on something, and allocate the time. MOST classes don’t give you time to work on assignments in class, so don’t think that carries over from high school (the exception is if you have a group project with like 10 people, some profs give you a class or 2 to work on it because they know how hard it is to meet people outside of class).

The food is OKAY, but they’ve changed it up since I was in first year. Now, if you have an on-campus rez with no kitchen, you HAVE to get a meal plan (there’s about 5 that are off-campus, 4 are VERY close, stay away from St. Pauls bc it’s a 30 minute busride). It’s buffet style, so you might get a little bored after a while, but there’s other places on campus you can get food and use your meal plan (including starbucks!) If you’re not right on campus or you have a kitchen (brooks or hyman-solway) I recommend getting flex dollars (you can also buy textbooks and other merch on campus with that) and then saving some of your money for groceries and the occasional eating out. Most pubs near uOttawa are really well priced by the way! 

I feel safe, for sure! I advise you stay away from Rideau Street at night (after 11pm) as much as possible if you’re alone (I assume you’re a girl?) bc you might get heckled, but nothing actually bad has ever happened. 

Not speaking French won’t be a problem! Most classes are offered in English (tbh some French students have to take English classes to fulfill requirements). Some people who work on campus MIGHT speak to you in French first, but when you respond in English, they’ll switch. I don’t speak ANY French, and I got by just fine 😊