#homeschooling me in English. and I turned in this. what the heck

[luna-lovegreat]

I just went through my essays from sixth grade and??? I found my report on hamlet and found these gems and I just-

I envy my younger self for the sheer sass but

I'm really glad I was homeschooled in English at this point because the teacher at my school would've passed out oh my gosh

[yusuke-of-valla]

like rats fleeing a sinking ship, pt. 4

Whumptober Alt. 10

Prompt: Nightmares

TW: Mentions of bruises, the interrogation scene, and Shiho’s suicide attempt though the latter two are only mentioned briefly

<-Previous Next->

AO3

Ann pulls herself up into a large tree in Shiho’s backyard, and knocks on Shiho’s window.

She’s done this thousands of times before, but this time she’s shaking as Shiho opens the latch and Ann spills into her room.

“Shiho, I-” Ann starts, but she can’t make out the words.

“Ann? Ann what’s wrong, do you need help?” Shiho asks.

Ann stares at her for a second, a thousand thoughts flying through her mind, before settling on “...you don’t know?”

“Shiho? Is something wrong?” Shiho’s mother calls from downstairs.

“D-don’t let them know I’m here!” Ann whispers quickly.

“Just knocked over some books mom, it’s fine!” Shiho responds.

“Alright, just be careful!”

“I will!”

Ann relaxes a bit, slumping against Shiho’s side.

“I’m sorry, I’m-”

“Ann, take a deep breath for me, alright?” Shiho says, guiding Ann to her bed.

Ann sinks into the bed, and tries to organize her thoughts. The truth is, it all doesn’t even feel real yet. They’re wanted criminals. Not the Phantom Thieves, but them themselves. Ann Takamkai, Ryuji Sakamoto… all of them had their names and faces plastered everywhere.

Ann swallows. “Shiho, do you know about the Phantom Thieves?”

Shiho blinks. “Uh, yeah, of course.”

“I’m one of them. And now the police are after us.”

Shiho stares at Ann. “Oh.” Ann tenses up again, and Shiho quickly turns to her. “Sorry, I’m just surprised— or maybe I’m not. You being a Phantom Thief actually makes a lot of sense, but you can stay here, obviously.”

“Really?”

“Of course! I’m not leaving you to get caught by the police!” Shiho says. “My parents don’t barge into my room or anything, and I’m still being homeschooled while I recover so it’s not like I’ll be leaving you home in the house or anything.”

“Shiho…” Ann wraps her arms around her best friend. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem.”

Shiho grabs an old sleeping bag, a relic that’s survived many of their past sleepovers, and rolls it out for Ann while Ann borrows some of Shiho’s pajamas.

“As long as you’re here, wanna help me with my English homework?” Shiho asks.

“Yeah, sure.”

They go over the homework until Shiho insists Ann go to sleep, so Ann steals a pillow off of Shiho’s bed and curls up in the sleeping bag.

Ann closes her eyes and tries to sleep, but can’t stop thinking about, well, everything.

Makoto had said to avoid using phones before cutting off, so Ann doesn’t know what anyone is doing. None of them were prepared for this, none of them had even considered it an option.

Maybe that was on them though, maybe they should’ve thought about the possibility, but who could blame them? They had just gotten the upper hand after being manipulated for months by Shido and his stupid conspiracy. Now it turns out he had a trump card none of them suspected.

Ann’s thoughts run around for what feels like hours, until even with her eyes closed Ann can tell that Shiho turns off the lights and climbs into the bed.

“Hey, Ann. Trouble sleeping?”

Ann opens her eyes and stares at the dark outline of Shiho. “Yeah, sorry was I bothering you?”

“No. Not at all. Wanna talk about something?”

“...sure. I could use a distraction, honestly.”

Shiho sits up and looks down at Ann. “So… did the Phantom Thieves really kill Okumura?”

“No!” Ann says, sitting up as well. “We didn’t! We were just trying to help and we got framed by Shido.”

Shiho places a hand on her shoulder. “I figured it was something like that. I wasn’t accusing you, I just wanted to know what happened. And I want you to know that even if you had killed him, I’d still help you.”

“Thanks.”

Ann can just barely make out Shiho’s smile in the moonlight. “‘Course. You’d do the same for me.”

“Yeah,” Ann says, laughing a little for the first time all day. “Heck, I’d help you hide the body.”

“Honestly, you’d probably help me commit the crime.

“Totally.”

They settle into silence again, and Ann leans back down on the floor. “What do you think my parents think,” she asks, suddenly.

“Would the news have even reached them?”

“I’m not sure. The rest of the world started to pay attention to the Phantom Thieves after Medjed, but I don’t know how they reacted to the news about Okumura. Wonder if they’re also calling for our heads.”

“Even if they are, I think your parents would help you.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. You’re their daughter.”

Shiho says it so confidently, Ann can almost believe it. “It’s a nice thought, I guess.”

“Ann, you’re going to be okay. I promise.”

Ann turns over and tries to close her eyes again. “Good night, Shiho.”

Ann is running through Sae’s palace, trying to avoid the shadows at Oracle’s instructions. She slips out one of the back windows. From her perch she can see a bunch of police going after Joker.

She should try to regroup with the others, but can’t help but watch. She winces in sympathy as one of the officers kicks Joker and causes him to fall off the ladder he was climbing.

Except when Joker falls, his mask falls off too, and it isn’t Akira.

It’s Shiho.

Shiho who’s grabbed by the police and dragged away kicking and screaming, and covered with bruises, just like Akira after the interrogation just like Shiho after she jumped…

Ann jolts out of bed. She gets up clumsily and rushes to the bathroom, trying not to throw up. It was a nightmare.  Just a nightmare, but…

It could still happen. The police could find out where Ann is and storm the house and arrest her and Shiho and Shiho’s parents. She’s putting Shiho in danger by being here. This was a stupid move.

There’s a knock on the bathroom door. “Shiho, is something wrong?” Mr. Suzui asks.

Ann tenses up. “Yeah, I’m fine dad,” Ann whispers, hoping he won’t realize the difference. “Just some trouble sleeping."

“Alright. If something’s wrong, just let your mother or I know.”

“I will, dad.”

Ann hears footsteps moving away from the door and relaxes. Then she meets her own gaze in the mirror.

No.

She can’t put Shiho in danger.

~

When Shiho wakes up, she immediately looks over to check on Ann. Her heart drops into her stomach to see her gone.

Shiho scrambles out of bed, taking in the fact that Ann’s clothes are gone, and there’s a note on the desk.

Shiho-

Sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, but I shouldn’t have come here in the first place. You’re my best friend in the whole world and I can’t risk you getting in trouble because of me.

I hope you’re not too mad. I wish things could be different. Maybe one day we’ll see each other again.

Until then

-Ann

Oh no. Oh no, no no no!

Shiho throws a coat and some shoes on over her pajamas and rushes out the front door, past her parents who are trying to stop her.

She can make out Ann’s footprints against the morning December frost, and they’re heading towards the park, so that’s where Shiho goes too.

She doesn’t want to risk calling out Ann’s name in case all the noise so early alerts the neighbors, but her heart is pounding in her chest.

Finally, Shiho finds Ann on the other side of the park, sitting on a swing with her hoodie pulled low over her head so she doesn’t stick out.

“You’re so stupid.” Shiho says, sitting on the swing next to her.

“Shiho? What are you-”

“You think you can just leave me like that?” Shiho asks. She’s angrier than she wants to be, and she can’t help the tears that roll down her cheeks. “What if something happened to you because you decided to run off in the middle of the night?”

“What if you get arrested? What if cops come to your house? You didn’t see the things they did to Akira, I can’t let that happen to you!”

“So I should be ok if something bad happens to you,” Shiho shoots back. “Ann, you’re my best friend. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you, especially not after knowing you’re a Phantom Thief. You made Kamoshida confess to everything, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you stopped him from killing himself so he can rot in prison like he deserves. You’ve done so much for me, more than you can even imagine, and then you kept doing it! You kept helping people, people you didn’t even know! You’re the nicest person I know, Ann you’ve got a big heart and you don’t deserve anything that’s happening to you right now. So for once, just this once, will you please let me, help you.” The words spill out and Shiho’s face is flushed as she grips the cold metal of the swings.

“I know the risks of helping you and I want to do it, because you’ve done so much more for me.”

“Shiho…” Ann reaches out and places a hand on Shiho’s shoulder. “You’ve done more for me than you could possibly know. The reason I stood up to Kamoshida, the reason I kept changing hearts afterwards, it’s because of you. You inspired me. If anything, I owe you.”

“Thanks Ann,” Shiho smiles. “Even now you’re the one cheering me up.”

“We’re cheering each other up.”

“Yeah. So c’mon. Let’s head back to the house. It’s kinda cold.”

Ann pulls back at that, and bites her lip.

“I know the risks. Let me handle it.”

“Fine. Yes, let’s go back.”

Shiho takes Ann’s hand, and they walk back to the house. On the way they, run into Shiho’s mother.

“Shiho! Why did you run out like that? And Ann-” Mrs. Suzui’s eyes narrow. “What’s going on.”

“Mom, Ann’s in trouble and she needs our help.”

“She’s a wanted criminal.”

“Mom, you know Ann! You’ve known her for years, you think she’d actually do anything she was accused of?”

Mrs. Suzui looks between the two girls for a minute before sighing. “Fine. Fine, we’ll set something up. I can talk to your father.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Suzui.”

“Let’s go inside, you girls must be freezing.”

~_~_~

Mr. Suzui brings tea down for everyone as soon as Ann and Shiho finish telling Haru and Morgana their story.

“So now what do we do?” Suzui asks.

“Well, the current plan is to meet at Shido’s Palace a week from today,” Haru says.

“With Ann, that means we have five people,” Morgana points out, “that’s not bad.”

“I’d feel better if we had everyone, though,” Ann says. “No word from the others?”

“We were hoping you’d know where to start with Ryuji. Does he have any family in the city or other friends?” Haru asks.

“I’m not sure who he’d turn to,” Ann says.

“I can go talk to his mom.” Suzui offers. “Or at least check out his apartment.”

“Suzui, we can’t-”

“Call me Shiho, and like I told Ann, I want to help. Ryuji’s a friend of mine too, and out of everyone here, I’m the only one who isn’t a wanted criminal.”

“Hey, what about me?” Morgana asks.

Shiho looks at him. “Well, I’m the only one who isn’t a wanted criminal, and who Ryuji’s mom can understand.”

Ann nods. “If you’re sure about this, Shiho, then yeah. You should do it. If you find him or a clue, you can meet up with Akira and move on from there.”

“It’ll be difficult staying in touch without a phone, but can we agree to meet up at Takemi’s clinic in Yogen-Jaya tomorrow evening? That way we can coordinate everything,” Haru says.

“Sounds like a plan,” Shiho says. “You can count on me, guys. Don’t worry.”

Ann smiles and grabs her hand. “I know we can.”

[good-doctor-imagine]

Scar » six

one // five

Pairing: Richie Tozier x Fem!Reader

Summary: After Richie and you find out you’re soulmates, there’s a bit of trouble in paradise. Beverly and Eddie try to work together to fix the problem, but another one seems to come from out of the blue.

Word Count: 2900+

Warning(s): swearing, quite a bit of angst if you’re sensitive like me (but I promise it gets better!)

“Holy shit.” The words that left your mouth was a result of pure shock. You both sat there for what felt like ages, staring at each other’s marks in absolute silence.

“So,” Richie coughed, his face was pale like he felt sick, “What now?”

Your eyes shot up to look at him. He almost looked defeated and any sense of joy you felt vanished. That was right, you talked about this with Beverly just a few days ago. You were too young to find your soulmate and you doubt Richie would want to spend his teenage years tied to you.

“Uhh—I mean, I don’t know. This really doesn’t change anything, right?” You questioned, keeping your eyes steady on him to see how he reacts. Richie simply shrugged, laying his hand to rest back in his lap.

“I guess not,” Richie spoke up, his voice steady. “Friends?”

The one word just about broke your heart but you didn’t let it faze you. The word shouldn’t have hurt you that bad, you were even doubting what you should do. You had to stay strong, especially when Richie is asking you, his soulmate, if you just wanted to stay as friends.

“Yeah, friends,” You put on the best smile you could and nodded at your soulmate. You thought you would be happier but only the sense of doubt filled you when looking into his brown eyes. Were they that pretty before? Was he this attractive before? Even though it had only been a few seconds, you could already feel the sense of regret looming over you.

School finally started and luckily enough, you and the losers had many classes together. You had chemistry with Beverly, English with Stanley and Eddie, math with Bill, and history with Richie. Although it had been months since you and Richie agreed to just be friends, you both drifted apart ever since that day. It was like every time you were with each other, you didn’t know what to say or do. You couldn’t even hold a conversation with him without feeling a weight in your chest.

History was pretty lonely for you and Richie. You didn’t really talk to each other and no one wanted to talk to the two of you. So, you still sat next to each other but you didn’t do anything. Richie was known for causing a ruckus, especially with his friends in class, but in history he was quiet, choosing either to take a nap or stare blankly at the chalkboard.

It felt like Beverly was the only person you could talk to at this point. She knew about your crush on Richie and she was your best friend. You could rant to her about anything and she would just listen. On the off chance that you ask her for advice, she’d give it to you and explain the reason why. She wanted the best for you and you felt that.

“Sometimes I just wonder why I even agreed to be friends in the first place. It was pretty obvious that I liked him before all of this mess. And now I just feel terrible. I want the best for Richie, I really really do. I don’t want to tie him down to one person so early but I also like him a lot.”

Beverly would never understand how much you truly liked Richie, but she feels a bit responsible for putting you in this whole situation. If she didn’t invite you to the party then you wouldn’t have realized it was Richie. Maybe you would have found out at a better time, later in life. Beverly felt like it was part of her responsibility to help you through the problem you and Richie were having. Heck, she was a bit jealous you had a soulmate and mad that you weren’t doing anything about it.

Beverly knew from several attempts that you wouldn’t do much about it. You were too scared to actually confront Richie, even if it wasn’t to tell him about your feelings. So, she did what she thought was the next best thing: she confronted Eddie.

It is already known that Eddie is Richie’s closest friend. Even before you came along, they were like two peas in a pod. If you were too afraid to confront Richie and you didn’t want Beverly to talk to him, then she would go to his best friend.

“What’s going on with Richie?” Beverly asks during the middle of class. She wasn’t really that quiet, it was already pretty loud in the classroom. This moment was perfect for her to confront Eddie about your problem; they were paired up for a project that wasn’t due until Monday and they were already just about done.

“What do you mean?” Eddie questioned, his forehead wrinkling as he looked up at Beverly.

“Well,” Beverly trailed off. She wasn’t really sure how to bring up the topic without being absolutely obvious. There really was no way around the situation and if this was able to help you, she’d apologize later. “You do notice that ever since they realized they were soulmates, Y/n and Richie haven’t been talking, right?”

Eddie’s eyes widened at Beverly’s question, realizing what she was beginning to talk about. “Yeah, they’ve been avoiding each other like the plague.”

“Exactly,” Beverly sighed, a smile beginning to appear on her face. “So, do you know why?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? They’re soulmates but they decided to stay as friends. It’s a bit awkward,” Eddie stated, tilting his head at the girl in front of him.

Beverly nodded even though that’s not really the answer that she was looking for. “Hey, Eddie?” She started to speak in a quieter voice, “Do you think that Richie likes Y/n?”

Eddie’s face started to glow red and he felt himself begin to sweat. There was no way that he could tattle on his best friend but part of him wanted to say it. Almost like Beverly, he thought it would be better if Richie confronted you about his feelings. He thought that this whole situation could all be solved if you two actually tried to talk to each other.

“I just really like her and it’s really hard to see her every day in class and not talk to her. She’s sitting right beside me but I can’t do anything. It’s like I’m handcuffed to the desk and there’s a divider between us. I can’t even look at her without my heart running like a marathon. It’s so hard to keep myself from turning red around her. Eddie, I really think I’m dying.”

Eddie’s hands started to tremble as he thought about Richie’s constant babbling about you. Whenever he was with Eddie, Richie would never stop talking about you until Eddie explicitly told him that it was getting annoying. Even then, Richie would find a way to comment on something about you.

“I can’t reveal that information, it’s confidential,” Eddie answered, trying his best to keep his voice from trembling. “How about Y/n? Does she like Richie?”

Beverly smirked slightly at the boy. “I can’t say that either. Girl code.” Both of the stubborn friends stared at each other for a few seconds before Beverly sighed, leaning her head on her hand. “Look, Eddie, I really want Richie and Y/n to be happy but this whole situation is obviously daunting on both of them. I’m not telling you that Y/n likes Richie, but I’m not telling you she doesn’t like Richie. If you get what I’m saying and you agree with Richie, then we need to come up with some sort of plan.”

Eddie thought about his choices at the moment. He could refuse and listen to Richie’s constant whining about you for another century, or he could agree and Richie could get mad at him for trying to set it up. “I’m not saying anything about Richie liking Y/n either, but if I agree to this plan then we have to keep it a secret from Y/n and Richie.”

Beverly didn’t even try to hold back her massive grin. “You’ve got a deal.”

Winter formal was coming up and you didn’t have a date. It shouldn’t really matter, school dances weren’t the most entertaining thing in the world, but everywhere you looked there were people getting asked for the dance or happy couples holding hands in the hallway. Your whole situation with Richie only made you feel worse. You could have had this moment with Richie, but your insecurity got in the way of it.

Even Beverly was going to the dance. Bill finally worked up the guts to ask Beverly to go to the dance with him and she happily accepted. She gushed to you about how cute he was when he asked her, his stutter significantly worse and his face lit up like Rudolph’s nose.

Lunch was getting even worse because Bill and Beverly spent all their time talking to each other while Richie and Eddie were constantly bickering. Ben wasn’t in the best of moods either and you felt bad trying to get him to talk to you. Stanley didn’t even have your lunch because his advanced math class was dismissed at a later time. And Mike obviously wasn’t there because he’s homeschooled.

“Hey, Y/n?” Beverly suddenly spoke up, causing you to flinch. You were expecting to have another pretty quiet lunch by yourself.

“Yeah?”

“Have you been asked to winter formal yet?” She asked, a smile growing on her face.

You tried to hide your face slightly, a bit embarrassed with your answer. Beverly was just trying to get a reaction out of Richie, you knew that, but you didn’t think this was the best way to go about it. “Uh... no.”

“Ow! Eddie, why are you pinching me?” Richie exclaimed, smacking Eddie roughly on the shoulder.

While you were trying your best to hide your face and Richie started up another argument with his best friend, someone approached your side of the table, clearing his throat to get your attention. Your head shot up at the sound and Richie’s bickering silenced.

Next to you stood a guy from your chemistry class. You only talked to him a few times but he seemed like a pretty nice guy. “Hey Y/n, I was wondering if I could talk to you after school.”

You felt a lump forming in your throat as you stared widely at the guy. “Oh— yeah, yeah. Sure.”

The boy smiled and nodded, saying that he’ll meet you at your locker after last period. When he left, the table was silent and you were frozen. Your limbs almost felt heavy and when you looked at your lunch tray, you suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore.

“Holy shit,” Beverly swore, “What do you think that’s about?”

You shook your head as your shoulders rose. “I have absolutely no clue.”

Richie couldn’t help but purse his lips and hang his head. Something about that guy left a sour taste in his mouth. Suddenly, his urge to argue with Eddie disappeared, his mind trying to figure out what he should do.

When you weren’t looking, Beverly narrowed her eyes at Eddie and mouthed at him. “Was that you?”

Eddie quickly shook his head in response, his eyes as wide as saucers. Their plan was scheduled for tomorrow, this was a complete surprise to the both of them.

After last period, you told the rest of the losers to head home without you. All of them obviously knew why and nodded their heads, leaving you alone at your locker as you waited for Nathan. You almost cried in joy when you suddenly remembered his name.

Before long, Nathan was strolling up to you, his face red as he tapped his foot on the ground sporadically. “So, how have you been?”

Your forehead wrinkled a bit as you looked at him, expecting more than a simple ‘how are you?’. “I’ve been okay. Chemistry’s been kicking my butt a bit lately. How about you?”

“I’ve been good too,” He responded, pausing for a moment before continuing. “I just wanted to say you’re really pretty.”

“Oh,” You stumbled over your words, shocked by his sudden compliment. “Thanks, I guess.”

Nathan nodded his head again, biting his lip and taking a deep breath before finally getting to the point. “I was wondering if you’d go to winter formal with me?”

Oh. Oh. That’s why he wanted to meet you. The whole time you were in math class you thought he was going to ask to copy your homework. “Oh… uh—I mean—” You sputtered out, trying to find a way to politely decline his offer.

Before you were able to find the right words, you felt a weight on your shoulder and a sudden warmth envelop you.

“Sorry, but she’s already got a date.”

Your head shot up at the sound of Richie’s voice, eyes wide as you stared up at him. Was he watching you this entire time? You thought you told the losers to go home without you. Did he stay behind?

“Really?” Nathan pressed, his mood doing a complete 180. Suddenly he didn’t look nervous or embarrassed. His foot stopped tapping and his face was its normal color. On his face, there was a small frown and his eyes were squinted at Richie.

“Yeah. Now, I have to take Y/n home so can we wrap this up?” Richie smiled teasingly at the boy, his voice not wavering despite the harsh glare that Nathan was giving him.

“Wow, I didn’t peg you to be dating this type of guy,” Nathan scoffed, turning his attention back to you.

Your jaw dropped open for a moment before your face started heating up. It almost felt like your hands were shaking at his comment. Your mind completely skipped over the fact that he suggested you two were dating. 

“What do you mean this type?” You challenged. Richie tried to tug you away but you wouldn’t budge, your eyes refusing to waver from Nathan.

“Everybody knows Richie is just a loudmouth. He’ll talk your ears off with nonsense. Not to mention, he’s just a puny little blind kid without those glasses taped to his face.”

It took everything in you to keep yourself from completely tackling the prick in front of you. Your blood was practically boiling at this point. “At least he’s not an asshole like you with no personality at all! Unlike you, Richie can actually make me laugh. You think everybody is laughing at your jokes when they’re really laughing at how fucking stupid you are!” Richie froze next to you, his body stiff as he listened to the words start pouring out of your mouth. “Also, I happen to like his glasses.”

After a bit of name-calling and cursing, Richie successfully started to drag you out of the school and you started to make your way home. The cool air calmed you down as you and Richie rode your bikes.

“I’m sorry about that.” You were almost startled by Richie’s voice, but after the initial shock, you almost felt bad. His voice was not as strong as normal, he was even a bit quieter.

“It’s really okay,” You brushed it off, “That guy was an asshole and I wasn’t going with him anyway.”

“It’s not like he was wrong.” You slowed down at his comment, an uneasiness starting to spread through your body. “He was right, I’m really just a blind kid with glasses.”

You immediately stopped your bike, making Richie have to violently stop, his brake screeching so he wouldn’t hit you.

“What the fuck, Richie? That’s not true.” There were tears beginning to form in your eyes as you felt your heart begin to crack. Never in your life did you want Richie to think those ridiculous things about himself. “You’re such a great person, you know that? Now that I know you, I couldn't imagine a life without you. You make me so damn happy every time you crack a joke, even if it is an extremely disgusting one. Anyone would be lucky to date you.”

Richie watched you with his mouth open, his eyes refusing to blink. He thought if he moved, he would suddenly miss something. When you were done, Richie’s heart was beating so fast he thought he was going to have a heart attack. 

“So Eddie was right. I’m such an idiot,” Richie groaned, throwing his head back. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. My own insecurities got the best of me and I thought it was best if we didn’t have to be soulmates. I didn’t want to hold you back. I thought you deserved so much more than me but I guess that only hurt you in the process.”

Now, it was your turn to be shocked, your mouth wide open as you tried to process Richie’s words. “Wait, so you like me?”

The strong blush that overtook Richie’s face was enough to answer your question but he nodded anyway.

“You idiot,” You laughed, wiping the tears away from your eyes. “I liked you even before I found out we were soulmates.”

“So, does that mean I can kiss you?” Richie stared at your lips as the urge to lean forward grew, teetering at the edge.

You shook your head at his blatant staring and mumbled before pressing your lips firmly against his.

“Anytime, Tozier.”

Please tell me if you liked it! This chapter literally took me 3 hours to write, 4 hours if you add the amount of time it took to plan it. I wasn’t expecting this series to take me this long but I’m actually really happy about how it turned out!

I’m working on another series currently (I’m not announcing it just yet because I want to make sure I’m invested in it first!) so if you want to stay tuned, I’d really appreciate it.

Thank you for all of the support for the series. The likes, reblogs, and comments really make me happy and make me want to write more. Really, thank you.

[therestismutlol]

Bereft • Lucas/ Wong Yukhei x Reader (Part 1)

➢4828 words

➢Thriller, Romance, Angst

➢(Y/n) was considered a nuisance that wanted to get in the way of Lucas’ love for her bestfriend, Yuqi, so she was disposed of in the cruelest way possible. But then, just when she thought it was all over for her, time rewinded for (Y/n). Rewinded enough for her to figure out a way on how to stop Lucas from obsessing over Yuqi, and ultimately killing her. She would do anything just to stop Lucas from turning out the way he was in the near future, if she could.

Warnings: unhealthy dynamics, graphic violence, suicide, dark themes overall

*

“Please… don’t do it…”

Your voice came out shaky and breathless. His eyes bore into yours-- a beautiful color of dark brown, but still cold, just the way you remembered it.

It shined brightly than ever under the moonlight, silver and sharp, the knife.

“There’s no reason for me not to,”He smiles emptily, teasing the point of the weapon ever so lightly at the skin of your jaw. “We’re almost at our happily ever after. You’re the only one who’s holding us back.”

“She’ll never be happy with you!”You spat at his face, feeling brave. He flinched, then wiped his face with the back of his hand. The three-second silence between the two of you was short, but it felt like weeks. You knew what was about to happen next. You were just not ready.

He then began to laugh. The last courage that you had in your body was gone, and when he met your eyes once more, breathing seemed hard.

He yanked your hair by surprise making you let out a displeased yelp. His face neared yours, as well as the knife.

“You talk too much,”

You tried your hardest to wriggle out of the ropes that bounded your wrists to the creaky wooden chair, but as the point of the knife dug a little bit deeper in your skin, you felt weaker.

Salty tears stung your eyes, looking at his face. It was too bad it would be the last thing you’ll see before you could even warn her. You hated how the corners of his lips curled upward, pleased at your demise. Pleased at how his plan would go as planned.

“Do you know what needs to be done with people with annoying mouths like you?”

You blinked at him. His smile grew wider.

And then he slit your throat.

***

“(Y/n)!”

You opened your eyes and sat up straight. You looked around, only to see a black-haired girl sitting beside you, frowning.

“Yuqi… you scared me,”You sigh, clamping your hand over your chest, feeling the fast beating of your heart.

“No, you scared me,” she says, “I thought you’re going to die in your sleep.”

“What was I doing?” it was now your turn to frown at her. She laughs.

“Wipe the tears off your face. You were crying.”

“What..?”you proceeded to do so, and was surprised to see that she was actually not messing with you.

“What did you dream about?”Yuqi asks, and you paused.

“Something horrible,”you tried to laugh, but then ended coughing for a bit she had to pat your back.

“I actually died in my sleep. Got my throat slit and shit.”

“What the heck, that’s horrible.”Yuqi’s face scrunched up as she tried to picture the morbid image in her head. “Who killed you?”

“I don’t know. You, maybe?” you shrug, before gathering your things and standing up. She followed suit, and just as you two exited the library, the school bell rang, signifying the start of your afternoon classes.

It was the second week of school but it feels like it’s already been months. You’ve underestimated highschool, you thought you would do as well as you did in middle school. But after you got a big fat C on your first math exam this school year, you’ve lost motivation and abandoned all hope. If it wasn’t for your bestfriend, Yuqi, maybe you’ve already requested to drop out and do some homeschooling.

Your heeled shoes clicked against the hallway’s tiles as you made your way to English class in a hurried manner. You two climbed up the stairs and then turned a left, only to bump into someone. More like Yuqi, because she was the one who really collided with this person. Yuqi looked up to glare at the man.

“Hey, watch where you’re going—” she stopped midway and her facial expression softened upon seeing a familiar face.

“The…the new kid! You’re Lucas, right?”

You widened your eyes.

“Please… don’t do it…”

“There’s no reason for me not to,”

“She’ll never be happy with you!”

“Do you know what needs to be done with people with annoying mouths like you?”

You blinked at him. His smile grew wider.

And then,

Lucas slits your throat.

You suddenly felt light-headed, as if you were sleepy. Your vision blurred, everything swayed like hell.

“(Y/n)? (Y/n)?”you could hear Yuqi’s voice laced in concern, as she grasped your hand which reached out for her wrists for balance.

You felt sick. You wanted to vomit. But you couldn’t, because there’s something blocking your air passageway. You couldn’t breathe.

***

You were shaken.

You fluttered your eyes open, and colors flooded your vision. You blinked sleepy tears away, and yawned, not surpised to see your mom looking at you with a deep frown.

“What did I do now?”

“You have the audacity to sleep while you parked your bicycle in the middle of the garage?!”

You were suddenly awake, your breath hitching as you realized the mistake you made, and what punishment awaits you.

“I…I forgot all about it,”

“God, (Y/n), what did I tell you about keeping your things organized? Go and fix your bike!”

You sprinted to the door and headed to the garage, obviously trying not to piss her off even more. You saw your bicycle laying at the middle, so you rushed and sat it up, guiding it to the corner.

“Done!”you huffed and then headed out.

As you went out of the garage, you saw the roof of the house next door. Yes, only the roof because the wooden fence guarding the house was too tall for you to see the other house from where you’re standing. The roof had a lot of birds sitting on it. They were cute birds.

“Sweetie!”you heard your mom call you from the inside, snapping you out of your reverie.

“Yes mom?!”you hollered back, going iniside the house.

The house smelled of apple pie. You knew she was baking a lot because the smell was stronger, sweeter than usual you inhaled the scent sharply.

“Do you want to come with me and give this to our new neighbor?”She immediately asks once you set foot in the kitchen, raising a paperbag of what you assumed to be the apple pies.

Coming over to meet with adults is boring. You opened your mouth to say no, but you stopped then frowned.

It seems like this already happened before.

“Yup.”

You don’t know what got into you, saying yes even if you really didn’t want to.

It’s like something was pushing, forcing you to say yes. It’s like, if you ever picked no, you’d be regretting it for the rest of your life.

Ten minutes later you were now standing in front of the house whose roof you’ve just saw earlier—practically everyday, hand-in-hand with your mom.

She pressed the doorbell for the seventh time, and you thought she’d be sick of waiting by now because you REALLY are at the moment, but then the door finally opened.

A kind looking woman greeted you both, and invited you two to come in after she introduced herself as Anna.

The house looked a bit similar to yours indoorly speaking, but different when it comes to decorations. The house was very clean and minimalistic, while yours was just… you know. Messy.

“We’ve actually already eaten dinner already, but I really appreciate the apple pie,”she smiles and takes the paperbag from your mom’s hands.

“You could eat it as a dessert,”You butted in, making the two pairs of eyes settle on you. The lady laughs along with your mom, and then pinched your left cheek, making you wince.

“Your daughter is so adorable! How old is she?”

Your mother caresses your hair as she answers with a smile, “She just turned eight,”

“Eight? I have a son who’s at the same age. Would you look at that,” Mrs. Anna grins at your mom. You frowned.

Huh, that’s weird.

“I don’t remember you having a son.”you muttered.

The two mothers looks at you the same way whenever you start talking about the ghost living under your bed(which is true by the way). You didn’t get why, and you got even more confused when they started chuckling.

“Of course. This was your first time meeting me afterall,”

Huh. “Right…”

“By the way, would you like to meet him?”Mrs. Anna nears the stairs before you could even respond, and you turn to look up at your mom.

“That’s great, Anna,”She smiles happily at her, before looking down at you.

“Go play with him. I’m sure he’s just as nice as her.”

“There’s someone I would like you to meet,”Mrs. Anna shouts, “Lucas!”

The tinkling sound of the chimes hung at the front door seemed clearer and louder to you.

The boy hurried downstairs. His thin and short frame was enveloped by a white shirt and denim overalls.

“Yes, mommy?”

“This is (Y/n),”your mom says.

“Hi (Y/n),”He presents his hand in front of you. “I’m Lucas.”

“…I know.”you looked down, at his socked feet—ignoring his hand.

You can’t bring yourself to shake it—heck, you can’t even look at his eyes. At those dark brown pair of eyes, the last ones you saw before you heaved your last breath.

You were scared. You were scared because you remember. You remember that he would be the one who’ll kill you. But it’s not just that.

You were scared because you don’t know why you’re eight again, and why you’re meeting him now. You were sure that if he was part of your childhood, you would remember. You would definitely recognize him, even if it would be from a long time ago, because you did recognize Mrs. Anna. Mrs. Anna, a kind neighbor and a friend of your mommy from a long time ago. So why…

It doesn’t make any sense.

“She’s just shy,”your mom says, putting a hand on your shoulder. “But she’ll get used to you sooner than you expected.”

Lucas then suddenly grabs your hand, which made you yelp in surprise. He then shook it, and you couldn’t help but notice how he grinned at you.

“Don’t be shy (Y/n)! I’m not going to hurt you.”He assures. “I like girl friends too. But I only have airplanes and cars and guns and Superman action figures, are you okay with that?”

You finally meet his eyes.

Lucas frowns when you don’t answer, and he slowly lets go of your hand.

“…or, if you don’t like playing with toys for boys, maybe you could bring your girl toys…?”

He’s nice.

“It’s fine.”

You could see how his eyes slowly light up in joy and excitement at your words. He wasted no time in pulling you upstairs, into his room that had a bed, a study table, and a shelf that were full of toys that he had mentioned earlier.

He grabbed an armful of toys and scattered it all to the floor. He then sits at the middle, and he beckoned you to do so as well so you followed suit, taking a seat in front of him.

“So, I’d be Superman, and you’ll be whoever you choose but you should probably be my pilot or driver. To escape the enemy, you know…”

He was acting like an eight-year-old, like he was supposed to.

Looking at him right now, he seemed to be a happy and healthy child. You wouldn’t think of him as a person who would grow into a crazed psycho in the future. Why…

“Hey, are you even listening?”

You blinked, and gave Lucas a small smile.

“Ah…yeah. I was just about to pick the airplane. I’d be a pilot,”

“Oh okay,”

What happened?

What turned this sweet cherub into the sick person he was in the future?

***

“Bye!”

You looked at Lucas from your shoulder who was waving frantically after you. He and his mom were at their front porch to send you and your mom off.

You smiled at the boy, your hand tightening its grasp at your mother’s.

“Come back, okay?”

“Okay.”you nod.

You turn your back on him, but then—

“Promise?”he called.

You look at him again. Your mouth was dry.

“Promise.”you said, but it was a whisper. Strangely enough, he still heard it, and he grinned,

wide,

and genuinely.

***

You knew this wasn’t a dream. It has been two months ever since you woke up as eight-year old you. As each day went by excruciatingly slow, you have come to an acceptance of your situation. It was still unclear as to how this happened, and why, but since you’re here, you wanted to have a goal to accomplish.

Why did Lucas turn out the way he was in the future?

While you know that he would surely be the one who’ll cause your death, you still don’t know why would he kill you.

What was his intentions?

You knew that you knew, but you can’t remember. You tried your hardest to go back to that day, to go back your entire highschool days, but everything was blurry.

There were two things that you need to know in the course of ten years.

Ten years. A really long time.

Really tiresome to live out the days you’ve already lived, experience the moments and sensations you already experienced. Still tiresome, but you put all your cards on the table at the alterations that you’ll make.

This was your second chance. A second chance to live, and not get yourself killed by him.

Today was the last day of summer, and you were planning to visit Lucas at his house again—to play, as usual.

A knock on the door startled you, making you drop the rainboot you held.

“Get the door!”your mother yelled from the kitchen, and you sighed, putting on the left rainboot before going to answer the door.

“Hi,”

Speaking of the devil.

“Hello Lucas, I was just on my way to your house.”

You open the door wider for him to enter, and his raincoat-wearing self welcomed himself inside.

“You hang your raincoat over there,”you say, pointing to the clothing rack near the both of you, and he immediately followed.

There was something wrong with him today.

Because your goal is to know when did he harbor such a psychotic mind, you took note of his expressions. Everyday,to the point where you’ll notice the slightest change in his mood. You’d say you know Lucas like the back of your hand now.

“What happened?”you ask immediately, and he met your eyes.

It’s because this Lucas,

“Dad’s home.”

Was very honest.

You blinked. His dad.

You haven’t met him before. But whenever you ask Lucas, his mom, and your mom about him, they only say his dad was faraway, working. Even at your past life, just like Lucas, you haven’t met him either.

“Well, that’s great, isn’t it?”you give him a grin.

He shook his head, and then you frown.

“Why?”you ask again.

“I don’t want him home.”

“(Y/n), there’s cookies in the kitchen--”

The two of you looked at your mother who entered the living room in shock, and she reflected the same expression when she saw the young boy at her house.

“Lucas, I didn’t know you’d be here,”

“…I’m sorry for intruding,”

***

The rain stopped. Lucas leaves the house at five, and you watched him do so from the window. Watched him turn a left and disappear behind the tall wooden fence.

A tall glass of milk and a bowl of cookies still weren’t enough to get decent words out of him.

He wasn’t usually like this, so it was weird. It was easy to make him talk, it was easy to read him, but now it was really hard.

He was never this troubled before.

You didn’t want to jump into assumptions, to conclusions,

But could it be…

***

His father was, indeed, bad news.

You now get why Lucas was so upset.

Three weeks. Since school started, since you last came over to Lucas’ house, since you talked to him.

You see him at school. But he wasn’t approachable-- either because he was surrounded by all these other kids, or because he was nowhere to be found.

You tried to wait for him outside his house to maybe go to school together, but he always comes out with his dad so you end up hiding then heading your way.

You need to talk to him.

“Lucas!”

He looked at you over his shoulder.

You panted, holding on to the nearest wall for support. You weren’t exactly athletic at this age, running was definitely not your feat but you tried to catch up with him. This was the only chance you’ll ever get to talk to him. At the hallway, in the middle of transferring classes.

“(Y/n),”

Short but quick talk. That was the only option you two could have at the moment. What is happening in your household? Answer honestly. That’s what you should say.

You stomped over to him, and he looked down at you. He grew a couple of inches.

“What is happening in your house—”

“Nothing?”

Your mouth was left hanging open, the ghost of your words at your lips. You blinked, and tried to see through his dark brown pupils behind long lashes. But you couldn’t see anything.

“Answer honestly,” You say, louder. But it seemed like it intimidated him as he widened his eyes.

“I…I’m sorry,”he says, before turning his back on you.

“Wait—!”

He winced.

He winced when you grabbed his arm.

Your eyes widened at the same time the beat of your heart quickened.

He was wearing a jacket.

You roll down the sleeve up to his elbow, albeit harshly, because he tried to shake you off. But your determination and resolve was stronger, able to overpower him.

Purple and dark.

His eyes met yours, this time, expressing an emotion you desperately wanted to see for a long time.

The bruises that were on his pale skin bloomed purple and dark, staining. Marking. Telling you a story, and it was the only thing you needed to know everything.

“Lucas…”even your voice was unsteady.

He rolled his sleeve down again, before giving you one last look and running away.

You were left there, at the hallway, in the sea of students scrambling towards their next class, drowning in your own thoughts.

***

“Honey, go back to your room.”

Lucas stared up at his mother. The front door’s handle was being shaken, and a loud banging soon followed.

“No,”he says firmly.

It was always like this. He was sick of it.

“Lucas,”she kneels in front of him, taking ahold of his small face. “What did I tell you?”

“I don’t care anymore.”

“Open the door,”

The both of them snapped their heads toward the front door, the source of the slurred voice. If Lucas knew any better, his dad was outside leaning on it with heavy eyelids.

“Go up. Now.”His mother says, shaking him slightly on the shoulders.

She fed his fear, and now he was running for the stairs. Just as he closed his bedroom door, he heard the front one open. And he’s crying again.

***

A week passed. Lucas stopped going to school.

You thought it was only you, but then you couldn’t even see him go out of the house anymore.

What’s happening?

You couldn’t focus at anything over the course of seven days, as your mind went to him and his family only. Maybe it was because of your age, because your sensitivity heightened and you would cry easily, cry almost everyday but it was just so frustrating, the situation you’re in. It’s even more frustrating because you can’t do anything about it, you don’t.

This morning, you told your mom what you saw a week ago. It turns out she was also worried about the kid and Anna, and she was also worried about you.

“I’m sorry baby, I didn’t know,”she hugged you, and your tear glands worked once again, making you cry loudly on her shoulder.

You didn’t go to school today. For the first time, your mother didn’t force you to.

What was happening in that house?

You tried not to think too much, but then when you were left alone in your room, under the sheets, alone with your thoughts, you couldn’t fight back the voice in your head.

What if you told your mom about what you saw and observed a tad bit earlier? Would he be saved? Or maybe if you tried harder to communicate with him. Forced him to be with you in school, snuck in his bedroom every night?

But you didn’t, because you were irresponsible, stupid, ignorant, and a huge coward.

You started crying again. This was your last chance. And now you were going to fuck it all up?

What if you’re too late? What if—

You gasped.

Everything suffocated you.

You looked around, and saw your things shrinking. You tried to go to the door and open it but you weren’t able to because it already moved towards you on its own, and so did the other four walls. You screamed as the Earth seemed to close on you, but you couldn’t hear your voice. And then everything turned black.

A loud bang.

You sat bolt upright, and you met eyes with your mom who slept beside you. She was also frowning.

“Mom, what was that sound?”

“I’ll… go check. Go back to sleep”

You watched your mom go out of your room. Sleepiness washed over your eyes, and you fell into deep slumber once again.

“Mommy, what was the loud noise from last night?”

Fruit loops tasted delicious as always. You got a spoonful with milk then delivered it straight to your mouth.

“It…was fireworks.”

“Fireworks?”

“Y-Yeah. Fireworks.”

“Dad, where’s mom going?”

You eyed your mother dressed in a black dress, searching for something in every drawer. Your dad hummed , sending vibrations on your back as you sat on his lap.

“She’s… going to visit a friend hers.”

“But why is she sad?”

“She’s not,”your father says, and you trusted him, even after you saw her bloodshot pair of eyes.

You opened your eyes.

It was going to happen tomorrow morning, 3 am. There was no doubt, it was a fragment of memory from your original childhood.

You got out of your bed, and you rushed down the stairs. You saw your mom at the foot, on the phone with whom you assumed was the police, and you immediately scream at her.

Someone is going to be shot in that household.

“MOM! STOP!”

Without thinking, you swat her phone away from her, and it fell on the rug. She looks at you questioningly, but you held on her waist tightly to show how you wanted her to pay attention to you so much.

You figured why you only knew Mrs. Anna, and why you’ve only met Lucas now.

In your original past, you never said yes to your mom whenever she asks you to come over her friend’s house. That’s why you’ve never met his boy, his husband. You’ve only know Mrs. Anna as the new neighbor who comes over sometimes, but then suddenly, she just…didn’t show up. And your mom would never talk about her ever again.

“Mom, let’s get Lucas out there, now.”

***

When will everything end?

Lucas looks at his leg, and found the newly-formed purple bruise on his calf.

He felt like crying, but he couldn’t. He was tired. He wasn’t a science whizz but he thought maybe it was also because he ran out of water in his body— it’s been a day since he had a glass, and his throat was drying up.

The house was terribly silent. He would go out and check what’s happening to his parents, especially his mom, but his bedroom door was locked from the outside. He assumed that his dad was probably sleeping at the moment.

He misses school.

Even his toys bored him now, seeing it everyday.

He misses playing with (Y/n).

He misses the peace and quiet that the household once had before he came.

“Why did you have to come home…”he whispers.

A loud knock startled him and snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked at the door, expecting another set of knocks to follow right after, and it did.

Only, it wasn’t from the door.

He whipped his head toward the source of the noise, which was at his one and only window.

He saw a familiar face.

“M-Miss (L/n)?”

He went near the window and opened it, letting the afternoon air come inside his room.

“Lucas, we need to go now.” Miss (L/n) offered a helping hand towards him and he looked at it, hesitating. But then his mother’s words echoed inside his head.

“This place is a living hell, so if you have the chance to escape, then escape. Don’t look back. Don’t let anything hold you back, not even me.”

He gulped, before taking the expectant hand of (Y/n)’s mother. Together, they climbed down the ladder and once they got to the ground safely, they both ran. Out of that house’s property, out of that hell.

Lucas saw (Y/n) waiting for them at the porch and when she saw them, her face immediately lit up, and then she cried. Big, fat tears as she ran to hug Lucas.

And then he, too, began crying. He cried into the arms of the two women, the pent up frustration, sadness, and hurt inside him bursting out in the form of loud sobs.

***

“What the hell are you doing, taking in a child that isn’t yours?!”

“He’s being abused, (F/n). What was I supposed to do, turn a blind eye—”

“Then you should’ve just called the cops!”

You hid at the top of the staircase, watching how your mom and dad fought.

Of course it’s your fault. You always feel bad when you see your parents fight, but right now, you don’t even care. Lucas’ life was at stake, and…well… so was yours.

You slowly returned to your room, and saw the expectant-looking boy on your bed.

“Sorry Lucas,”you gave him an apologetic smile. “We ran out of milk.”

He looked disappointed. Well, maybe because you had promised to let him taste the newest variation of milk in the market— strawberry milk, only to return empty-handed.

You sighed, before jumping in the bed with him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“A-Ah! (Y/n)!”he winced, but you disregarded his discomfort and hugged him down.

When you sensed that he stopped fighting back, you giggled and released him, to which made the frown on his face deeper. Once you saw his expression, you couldn’t help but laugh at how funny it was.

“What?”

“Nothing,”you smiled, “That wasn’t the last carton of strawberry milk. I’ll buy you a lot tomorrow.”

Lucas blinked, and his eyes shone hopefully once again. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”you nodded.

“And the day after that?”

You paused. Well, that’s a bit…

You nod. “And the day after that,”

“Lots and lots and lots?”

He’s a bit too naïve. He does know that you still don’t have a job, right?

“Lots and lots and lots.”you nodded. “We’ll keep seeing each other anyway.”

A smile slowly graced his lips. “Promise?”

“Promise.” ‘Only if you don’t kill me in the near future.’

The grin on Lucas’ face.

You wanted to believe in it.

Believe that it had a bright future for the both of you, and that everything shouldn’t be the way it was like in your past future.

That smile would be the start of change.

“Can I hug you again?”Lucas questioned, which took you aback.

“I…o-okay…”

Tomorrow, you’ll mom will call the cops on Lucas’ house because for now, the rest in this household decided on a peaceful night.

***

A loud bang.

You sat bolt upright, and your eyes searched for Lucas who slept beside you. Your room was dark, but you could outline the softly-breathing figure of his. He was still asleep.

You widened your eyes. That can’t be.

Lucas…is here.

You started to shake in fear, tears forming at the corners of your eyes.

Why…

Your bedroom door opened, revealing your panicked, scared parents.

“Mom… dad…”

It still happened.

Somebody was still shot.

You were wrong. It wasn’t Lucas who was shot on this day.

Your parents ran up to you and engulfed your crying self into a tight hug. The commotion caused the kid beside you to stir, finally awoken.

You thought you finally did something.

Change, chances…

There wasn’t even one in the first place.

“What… what’s happening?” came Lucas’ little voice.

You cried harder at the realization that your fate might not change afterall, and that you’ll still die in the hands of the same boy who looked at you with sad, concerned pairs of round eyes.

***

Part 2 ->

[yvvjin-blog]

hey wassup hello ! laughs bitterly because i ended up going out of town for the day, so i wasn’t able to write any of this up until now ahh, but here i am~ i’m vera, 18, from the cst timezone, and i’d like to love y’all down with introduce my precious bub oh yoojin. their stats can be found here and their plots can be found here (when i actually get to writing them, woops). this rp seems super fun, and i’m so excited to share some good times. ♡ let’s plot !

is that YOO JEONGHYUN ? oh no it’s just OH YOOJIN. the 20 year old NON-BINARY is already known as the RENEGADE around jinhae. THEY/THEM + SHE/HER + HE/HIM has been said to be CLEVER but careful they can also be RECKLESS. they are a FREELANCE WEB PROGRAMMER and if you want to find them they’re currently living in 125.

tw: death, car accident, intolerance (towards gender identity). 

note on pronouns: they don’t have an exact preference, but will correct another if they desire a certain gender expression to be acknowledged. although, tends to go along with “she/her” slightly more in public because they often express themselves with aspects of femininity. overall, internally thinks to self as “they” but some days, “he” feels better or “she” might feel better. they don’t stress much on it, so your muse shouldn’t either ! ♡ their main problem with their mother was the fact that she wouldn’t acknowledge yoojin’s gender fluidity as legitimate.

》》 * ✰. — BIO

born in the united states to a mother who was a nurse and a father who was a high school teacher (they met in the hospital after the father brought in two teenagers who had fought to the point of needing immediate care, how romantic !!!)

they married and had yoojin, and because of their demanding jobs (mother became a doctor + the father pursued higher education in order to teach at a university), yoojin wasn’t able to spend much time with them

grew up very independent even though they had a good home, it was just that everyone was so damn busy doing their own thing

so they spent a lot of their time doing things on their own too, obsessed with learning and chasing after their own curiosities

all throughout this time, they were beginning to discover more about who their authentic selves were, feeling carefree and supported by the people and environment around her

however, it was during some adventures with school friends that yoojin received a frantic call from their mother

yoojin’s father was in critical condition after being involved in a car crash, hurriedly driving on his way back to the school he taught at after meeting with one of his professors about an assignment

yoojin’s father died after about a week of uncertainty in the same hospital yoojin’s mother was working at, and the family was absolutely devastated

unfortunately, things were no longer quite the same after that. . .

finances were beginning to pile up, and tensions started to rise between yoojin and their mother

their mother wasn’t all that supportive of the way yoojin was expressing their gender identity

as much as yoojin excelled in school, they were also too excitable and disinterested in it and it had begun to affect their grades

and overall, they both didn’t exactly allow themselves to have a healthy mourning period after the death of yoojin’s father, ignoring much of their feelings in an attempt to move on together for the sake of keeping some semblance of positivity and normalcy in their lives 

the decision was also made by yoojin’s mother, very much against their will, to pull yoojin out of school altogether, opting to homeschool them instead

“ you know what you need to do. you’re smart, yoojin. it’ll help mommy out a lot if you could just. . . cooperate. ”

and so they did // to say the least, it affected them negatively, since they were still a bit young during all of this, and yoojin was slowly edging away from the bright person they naturally were, feeling stuck and suffocated by the changes

although, as much as they tried to put up with the new life, they eventually snapped during a confrontation with their mom when she started to put further pressure on yoojin about their future, strongly implying she would be taking yoojin under her wing in order to pursue a career in the medical field

it was an intense moment where shoved-away problems between the two resurfaced, overwhelming both in fits of screaming and crying that ultimately ended in quiet anger and another important decision this time made by YOOJIN:

“ i’m going to korea. ”

“ . . . ”

“ . . . ”

“ well. say hello to your grandparents for me. ”

and that was that.

yoojin took care of the preparations: contacting their grandparents in order to stay with them until they could find a way to manage on their own, compiling the necessary documents for a stable move, finding possible jobs, etc.

besides, they had already started the process secretly a while back as they became increasingly determined to live a life where they could be happy again

they made the move and hasn’t turned back since !!!

》》 * ✰. — ABOUT

contrary to what their background might imply, yoojin is extremely happy-go-lucky, especially now that they feel comfortable in their own skin

they quite frankly don’t give weight to others’ opinions of them anymore

very intelligent and curious, having the freedom to focus on the things they were interested in, so they kept learning lots for the heck of it and is good at it

after working a couple of odd jobs here and there as a temp, they ultimately decided to fuck it all and form up a nice client list and build a website to offer freelance web-programming services for people

is lowkey making real good money like this, but bub still lives that low-maintenance life and just wants to enjoy experiences with good friends and people

ilys tech so much, like will legit go heart eyes and talk forever about it if you let them

a goofball, likes to look on the bright-side, super puppy-like personality and memelord

is a lil shit when it comes to embarrassing the people they’re close with, like oh, you like that person ? lemme get you a date real quick, heY STUD~*~*~

even though they were raised in the u.s., they’re fluent in korean and english because their parents were determined that they would be bilingual

surprisingly, unlike with their mother, they’ve had more luck and empathy coming from their grandparents and would do anything to make them happy

goodness gracious this is all so long so i’m going to end it here bc hot damn thank you for reading wow !!!

[justlikejosephine-blog]

Book Discussion Challenge | April 4 | Journalism

I have a lot to thank journalism for.  And not just because journalists are probably some of the bravest people I can think of right now as they attempt to slew through the muck that is this presidency.

Back when I was an awkward, homeschooled high school student who wanted to put her writing skills into practice, one of my mentors was able to get me a position at the small, monthly Christian newspaper that she worked/volunteered for.  This was one of the best and the scariest experiences of my life.

Here I was, a fifteen-year old kid who went beet red whenever spoken to and who thought a lit party was reading books at three a.m. and nibbling on Halloween candy three months after having gone trick-or-treating because who the heck eats all of their chocolate in one week?  Suddenly,  I was in a situation where I had to talk to strangers on the phone and in person and somehow hold myself together well enough to take notes.

I remember the first phone calls I made, ones where I had to introduce myself and ask for an interview or interview a person over the phone.  I spent so much time sitting in front of my computer in my bedroom, writing out scripts about what I would say if I had to leave a voicemail, what I would say if someone said yes, what I'd say if they said no, and how much crying was acceptable if they yelled at me.  It regularly took me 30 minutes or an hour to work up the courage to make a phone call.

I'll always remember the one time I went to an elementary school and met with the principal and then interviewed some of the students about their favorite holiday traditions.  Who knew that interviewing seven year olds could be so intimidating.  Wearing a button up shirt with black slacks and my waist-length hair pulled back into a tight bun, I must have looked the part because the principal later asked what college I attended and I turned bright red as I told her I was fifteen and a homeschooled student.

Luckily, I had a wonderful mentor through this time who helped me edit all of my work and was not afraid to tell me what to improve and to push me beyond my comfort zone.  I grew so much during this time.

For awhile, I considered majoring in journalism in college.  When my family moved states, I attended a summer journalism workshop with a major newspaper before my senior year of high school.  Although I learned a lot at this workshop and even earned an award for my work, I decided that the fast-paced journalism industry was not for me.  Instead I went to college to earn my degree in English and graduated with one.

Even though I've ultimately decided that traditional journalism is not for me (though, who knows, perhaps freelance may be an option), I'm grateful for everything I've learned from it.  I'm especially happy to spend 30 seconds preparing for a phone call, instead of 30 minutes =P

[jonasmaurer]

73 questions

Hey friends! Happy Thursday! Hope you’re enjoying the week. 

It’s been a fun and crazy one over here. The girls have had half-day camps, Liv auditioned for dance team, the Pilot has been flying nights, and madre’s birthday was on Tuesday! We got together for a *small* family dinner (we joke that we’re just a small party of 28), and ate Mexican food, cake, and sang “Happy Birthday” to the amazing lady who gives so much to everyone in our family.

 My fave picture from the night! 

(The cake was from Whole Foods bakery and so so good.)

Workout-wise, I’ve crushed every day this week. Sunday, we filmed Summer Shape Up videos (the party starts June 24)! Monday, I hopped on the Peloton bike for a 30-minute ride, Tuesday was barre, Wednesday was a BODYATTACK class On Demand (my link is good for 21 days FREE of the amazing Les Mills workouts), and today and tomorrow are off since I’m traveling to Chicago for a blog trip. I’m looking forward to catching up with Anne and Julie, and meeting some new blogger friends. I’ll be sure to share some of the adventures on IG stories!

I originally planned to post this one while we were on our cruise, but since internet was a bit sketchy – and I blasted through the ship’s plan in a mere 24 hours – I didn’t get the chance to get this one published. I originally saw this survey on my friend Ashley’s blog, and then Julie’s. I loved reading their answers so much, so I thought I’d join in the survey fun. 

1.  What’s the best thing that happened to you this month? Taking a Disney Cruise with the fam! 

2. What’s your favorite game? We don’t usually play board games at home, but our favorite games is a hide and seek and tag hybrid. I hide, the girls try to find me, I jump out and go “AHHH!” and they scream, I chase them around until I tag them, and then they hide. 

3. When are you most inspired? Mid-morning, usually after I’ve had breakfast and survived the school drop-off. 

4. If you could teach one subject in school what would it be? Math

5. What’s your favorite beverage? LaCroix 

6. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? A friend from the gym sent a text message while the Pilot was deployed and basically gave me a pep talk. She said she was proud of me for doing so well with work stuff and solo parenting. It was very unexpected and really made my whole month. It was a great reminder to let other people know when I’m inspired by them or think they’re crushing it. 

7. What is your favorite birthday cake? Yellow cake with chocolate buttercream

(That was my bday cake last year!)

8. What is one thing you still have from your childhood? A photo album that my mom made for me when I was 4 and we’d taken a trip to California. I was with all of my aunties, my parents were still married, and my uncle was still alive. Our dog chewed around the edges of it when I was younger, and the small plastic photo album contains quite a few happy memories from being a kid.

9. What is your favorite movie? Love, Actually

10. What is something you can’t do? Play the flute even though I faked it for an entire year in 5th grade. I could do all of the finger work, but no sound would come out. So I just pursed my lips and acted like I knew what I was doing. 

11. Window or aisle seat? Aisle so I can get up a thousand times if I feel like it. 

12. What makes you laugh no matter what? P makes the most ridiculous faces that make me laugh every day. We get a kick out of zooming in on photos that she’s in, because you never know what you’re going to get.

13. What does creativity mean to you? Free from any perceived restraints or judgments. 

14. What are your favorite lyrics of all time? “Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now.” I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of Hamilton.

Or hanging out with Betsy  

15. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving

16. What’s heavily played on your music playlist right now? “Far Too Good” by John Smith. 

17. If you could raid one woman’s closet who would it be? My friend Annie’s! Whenever she posts Instagram posts, I want her outfit and her shoes

18. Must have purse item? Color Intense lipstick in at least 3 shades

19. What did you want to be when you grew up when you were 12? On Broadway

20. What is something you will not be doing in ten years? Wondering where the heck we’ll be living in a couple of years. It’s so crazy to be able to know and plan where we want to live. 

21. What is an important life lesson for someone to learn? Your gut instinct is always right.

22. How do you start your day? Scrolling through my phone with one eye closed.

23. Would you ever live anywhere besides Tucson? Yes! We’d love to make it back to San Diego one day but love being in Tucson for now.

24. What is your favorite dessert?  Anything super chocolaty.

25. Is there a dessert you don’t like? Creme brûlée is gross.

26. It’s brunch! What do you eat? Eggs, breakfast potatoes, turkey sausage, and a mimosa because brunch without cocktails is just a sad breakfast. <— words of wisdom from Prep & Pastry

27. Where was the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Positano

28. Favorite Disney animal? Stitch

29. What is a book you are planning on reading? “Educated” is downloaded on my Kindle but I haven’t started it yet

30. What did you read most recently? “Where the Crawdads Sing” and loooooved it

31. Favorite solo artist? Michael Bublé for life

32. What is something you’re tired of? The Instagram algorithm. They want to turn it into a “pay to play” platform, which was the downfall of Facebook

33. What’s a city you wish to visit? Paris

34. Heels or flats? Wedges

35.  Where does one go on a perfect road trip? To Sedona. It’s just an easy drive from us and has an incredible energy.

36. What do you do on a rainy day? Try to find indoor activities to entertain the kiddos! We’ll do art, visit a museum, go rock climbing, or see a movie

37. What’s your favorite exercise? Spin, barre and BODYPUMP are tied

38. What was your worst subject in school? English which is a hilarious thing since I write a blog for a living

39. What is your spirit animal? An otter. I want to spend the day in the pool, floating on my back, eating salad

40. What do you usually eat for breakfast? A giant egg patty and either oatmeal with almond butter or a brown rice tortilla

41. What do you usually eat for dinner? We change it up every night but some classics are salmon, sweet potato and salad, Harney Cobbs, or sushi roll bowls

42. Cooking or Baking? Both!

43. Favorite baked good? Cookie dough on the bottom, Oreo’s in the middle, and brownies on top

44. What is something you wish you could be good at? Organizing photos on my laptop. It’s a hot mess

45. Skiing or Surfing? Paddle boarding 

46. First celebrity crush? JTT — Jonathan Taylor Thomas — I became a vegetarian for him when I was 8

47. Most recent celebrity crush? Aaron Tveit. I love his voice!

48. What color was your prom dress? Junior year it was bright pink and senior year it was light purple and silver

49. How do you manage stress? Try to do the most challenging/inconvenient item on my to-do list first

50. What do you do to relax? Read or cook

51. Age when you were first kissed? 12

52. Place you were first kissed? Playing “spin the bottle” after musical theatre class

53. Favorite fashion trend of all time? Low-top sneakers with dresses

54. Best fashion advice you’ve ever received? If you have to convince yourself that you like it, you’ll never wear it, so don’t buy it

55. What is your current favorite piece of clothing that you own? These embellished sandals. I wear them all the time and am constantly asked where I bought them

56. Shoes or Bags? Bags! I love a good crossbody

57. How do you know if you’re in love? When you know, you know

58. Television show you’ve binged on recently? The Bachelorette! We’re almost caught up for the season

59. Who do you turn to when you’re sad? My mom – she always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better

60. Leather or lace? Lace

61. Vintage or new? New

62. What is your Kryptonite? Chocolate or guacamole

63. What are you most enchanted by? Surface level: Moms on social media who have 18 children, homeschool, are all matching in neutral clothing with zero stains, and elaborate mermaid braids in their hair. Deeper: I’m beyond enchanted with Liv and P. They surprise me, make me laugh, and make my heart explode every single day. I often find myself wondering how they’re so darn amazing?

64. What is your biggest strength? Hustle

65. What is your biggest weakness? Stressing over all of the details

66. What are 3 words to describe living in Tucson? Picturesque. Hot. Eccentric.

67. Cutest thing on planet earth? Baby koalas

68. Favorite color? Peach

69. Best first date idea? Something active, like a low-key hike, followed by dinner and drinks

70. Favorite time of day? Late.. probably around 9 or 10pm. I enjoy the quiet and downtime

71. What do you first notice about someone when you meet them? Their smile 

72. What’s your guilty pleasure? Take a jar of almond butter, sprinkle chocolate chips into the jar, scoop out with a spoon

73. Favorite band? I wouldn’t say I’m super into bands at the moment and my music taste is all over the place. Back in high school, I was obsessed with Dashboard Confessional

That was a fun one! I always love surveys because it gives me the chance to get to know you all better.

So, tell me friends:

When are you most inspired?

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? 

What’s one thing you cannot do? 

Cutest thing on planet earth?

What do you do to relax? 

Or pick any of the questions above and share your answers below! 

Have a lovely day.

xoxo

Gina

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[juliusgermani]

Homestead Homeschooling: Year 3

“Eh… So… Are you still homeschooling?”

I hear that question a lot. And I get it.

I mean, doing school every single morning. With three kids (one being a wild toddler). While running a blog and our doTERRA business. And writing a real, published cookbook. And keeping up with a homestead, etc, etc, etc.

It sounds crazy. Well, it IS crazy. Maybe I’m crazy.

But regardless, the answer is ‘yes’. We are in the thick of our third year of homeschooling and we don’t plan to stop any time soon. I think we’re lifers, y’all.

I’ve written homeschooling posts for our previous two years, (here’s year one and here’s year two) so I figured I’d keep the tradition alive this year and write up what we’re doing this time around.

Why We Homeschool

Our reasons for diving into Year 3 are the same as they were our very first year. In a nutshell: We’ve created a unique life that we love and I don’t want my kids to miss out on it for 7+ hours a day. Homestead life is rich with lessons, creative pursuits, and opportunities to develop skills, and I personally hate the thought of sending my kids away from this environment for the majority of their childhood. It’s important to us to raise our children to be problem-solvers and entrepreneurs, not just employees– I think homeschooling fosters that idea beautifully.

(This is where I interject my disclaimer: homeschooling is not for everyone. Truly. The intention of this post is not to judge or condemn anyone who chooses public schooling. Heck, who knows? Our kids could end up there sometime in the future. As much as I love it, homeschooling is not my sacred cow.)

That being said, homeschooling isn’t perfect and we certainly aren’t perfect. Having been homeschooled myself (K-12), I’ve witnessed very successful homeschool families and extremely dysfunctional ones. But that happens with public schooling, too. There are days where our mornings are ridiculously organized and orderly, and days (kind of like today) where everyone has a hard time staying focused and the toddler is sticking blocks up her nose while we’re doing spelling words. It comes with the territory.

Homeschooling with Three Kids

Speaking of toddlers, doing school with a two-year old in the house is… interesting. I haven’t yet developed a foolproof strategy of getting school done with other little ones in the house. I doubt I’ll ever get it completely figured out– we just do the best we can. Toddlers have a knack for creating chaos, no matter how good your intentions. Our “plan” is usually for her to play with special toys while we do our lessons, but that doesn’t always work and sometimes she ends up sitting on my lap grabbing at Unifix cubes and flashcards with her octopus arms.

(By the way– these magnetic tiles are the most-played with toy we own. They are out on a daily basis.)

On the flip side, she’s learning by osmosis (she’s starting to count) and she can hold her pencil with proper form while she pretends to write the letter “a”. So there’s that, I suppose.

This is also my first year schooling two kiddos at once (Kindergarten and Second Grade), which has required some juggling. Prairie Boy turned 5 in October, and if he had been going to public school, he likely would have waited to start Kindergarten until next year. That was initially my plan, since he showed very little interested in schoolwork and had a hard time sitting at the table when we started in September. However, something clicked this winter and he’s been soaking up the lessons like crazy. Right now he’s on track with Kindergarten-level work and really enjoys it, so I’m rolling with it. I can’t believe how much he’s changed in just a few short months.

Homeschool Curriculum: Year Three

The amount of curriculum choices out there will make your head spin, but I am committed to sticking with my plan of keeping things simple. I do not try to recreate a traditional classroom, and we focus on the basics. I especially love curriculum that can be used for multiple grades at once, as I believe there is much value in the one room classroom model.

Here’s what we’ve been using this year:

(this post contains affiliate links)

Reading/Writing/Spelling:

Ever since she started Kindergarten, Prairie Girl has been especially strong in math, but slightly weaker in language arts. We had tried two different reading curriculums previously, and I just didn’t love them. She was getting frustrated and reading wasn’t flowing for her. I spent hours searching for different options, even though I knew in the back of my mind what we’d end up using… My mom used a book called The Writing Road to Reading with me, and I hated every minute of it in elementary school (sorry, just keepin’ it real). However, it gave me an extremely strong foundation in writing and reading, and I still use the principles I learned in that book to this day. (The only higher education I have are two Associates Degrees in Equine Studies– that darn book gave me the tools I needed to turn writing into a career. Who would have thought?)

And so, much to my chagrin, I found myself hunting down that very same book to use with Prairie Girl. It’s been revamped over the years and is now called Spell to Write and Read, but the principles and method are basically the same.

But it hasn’t necessarily been a slam dunk. Let me start with the GOOD first:

In less than six months of implementing Spell to Write and Read, Prairie Girl’s reading has improved dramatically. She’s reading fluidly and confidently, and more importantly, she is understanding WHY words are spelled and pronounced certain ways. I felt like the other books were based too much on all the exceptions to the rules… (“A” says “ah”, but wait… not here, or here, or here, or here…) SWR teaches all of the letter sounds right off the bat, along with spelling rules, so the English language suddenly becomes so much more logical. There are still exceptions, of course, but they are fewer and far between. It’s enlightening, even as an adult. We introduce 30-40 new spelling words each week through the book’s lessons. Focusing on spelling as a foundation has skyrocketed her reading ability and comprehension, and when it’s time to read a storybook, we don’t have the tears and frustration we used to.

SWR functions as a spelling, writing, and reading curriculum (supplemental story/chapter books are recommended once the child is ready), and this all-in-one approach fits perfectly with my “keep it simple” plan.

However, there is another side to SWR:

It is a BEAR to implement. While the curriculum itself is brilliant and I believe wholeheartedly in its premise, the organization of the books are less than impressive. They recommend setting aside a large chunk of time to learn how to teach it, and they aren’t kidding. My first clue should have been the multiple “getting started” guides that came with it– no other curriculum I’ve ever seen or used needs this many different instructional sheets, websites, and videos. It’s insane. I may or may not have said some bad words while sitting at the table late at night trying to decipher it all.

Once you’re familiar with it? It’s a cakewalk. But the way the books are laid out feels clunky and confusing to me.

That being said, the time I spent figuring it all out (about 6-8 hours, I think) was worth it, and I’d do it again for the benefits I’m seeing with my kids. Prairie Boy has already worked through all the letter sounds of the alphabet and I’m excited to use SWR with him from the very beginning. I suspect reading will flow more easily for him not having used other books first.

We also read aloud almost daily. Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins have been our favorites so far this year.

Math:

We used Singapore Math for first grade last year, and while it gave Prairie Girl a strong foundation, I didn’t love how they presented some of the concepts. We switched over to Saxon 2 this year and we’ll be sticking with it for next year as well. I like Saxon’s no nonsense approach and the simplicity of how they present each concept. She’s been breezing right through it, and I’m seeing huge advances in her understanding of various concepts since we started the year.

Math with Prairie Boy started out informally. We did a lot of counting at the beginning of the year, as well as making patterns with blocks and shapes. We’re working on counting by 10s and 5s, and he is grasping basic addition and subtraction concepts. We did most of this with simple manipulatives and a white board, I grabbed a DK Children’s math workbook for him a few weeks ago for added reinforcement, but it’s nothing we haven’t already covered.

History:

We’re using Story of the World again this year and I love it. It’s no frills, but the kids adore it and I love that my 5-year old can tell me about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the library of Ashurbanipal. I highly recommend getting the accompanying activity guide for each book, although we don’t always do the more complicated crafts (crafts just ain’t my thing). The Prairie Kids love the coloring pages, and I have noticed a huge different in their retention when they color a page on the story topic.

Science:

I enjoyed Dr. Jay Wile’s biology and chemistry books when I was in high school, so I decided to try his elementary science curriculum this year, Science in the Beginning. It’s marketed as a book for K-6, though I’ve found most of the lessons are a little too advanced for a Kindergartener and a Second Grader. It has an experiment for every lesson, which I appreciated, though some are better than others. We’re using portions of it this year, and I plan to implement more as they grow older. At their ages, most of their science lessons are a part of our every day life, so at this point, they are learning more science during the non-school portion of our days. (Weather, solid/liquid/gas, water cycle, seeds and plants, etc)

Moving Forward

And that’s pretty much the extent of it. We start school by 8am every day (I’m a stickler for staying on a schedule– our life functions best that way), and we usually finish no later than 11am. Afternoons are for playing outside, riding horses, art projects, puzzles, legos, or helping Daddy in the shop. I see us adding more into our days as the kids get older, but right now I’m mainly focused on giving them a very strong foundation in math and reading and going from there. Next year we hope to join our local Classical Conversations community (as a way to connect with other homeschoolers) and Prairie Girl will be doing 4-H once she turns 8.

It’s messy, crazy at times, and not for everyone, but I can genuinely say I’m enjoying this homeschooling ride. Do you homeschool? Leave a comment and share your favorite curriculums!

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