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ladyhawk-s · 6 years

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“What a Halloween”

Summary: Tamaki Amajiki has always been a fearful person, even at the smallest of ages. However, making friends with Mirio has pushed him in ways that he maybe doesn’t want to know if he should be pushed in. Especially when it comes time for Halloween. Despite wanting to avoid all mentions of Halloween, Mirio decides that it’s time to celebrate his first Halloween and it’s one Tamaki won’t forget.

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A/N: Hello hello! So obviously, it's not Halloween, it's actually....28 days after that (29 depending on your time zone) and I really have no words to explain. Rather, I just want to apologize heavily for the....month delay on this. I actually have been going through a writing rut since I'm graduating this semester and doing a lot of things that have been stressing me out so, despite me wanting to write this, it almost turned into a stressor. It's been rough and I have another 3 weeks of it being rough but I'm so happy to have this done! It was for the @bnha-halloween-bb and Im sure I will be shot by the mods with how late I am but it's at least here! By no means am I proud of it but it's done and I'm so happy to be able to share it with you guys despite me not being the most pleased with it.

Rather, please support my LOVELY artist @nekosisterart who drew the piece for this fic:. They did such a phenomenal job with it and I'm literally shook. Not only are they amazingly talented but they are also super kind and sweet and just a wonderful bean and I was so honored to be working with them again. Really, go send all the love to them since they are super great <3 They put up with me during this whole thing and they are incredibly patient so I want to just WILL SMITH SHOW THEM OFF because they are wonderful !!! ----------------- Halloween was a strange time. In the past, it was a time where quirkless humans could pretend that they were beasts or have magical powers that sprouted from the palms of their hands. They were able to get candy by pretending to scare people with their fake powers and teeth and it was a day where the imaginable became reality.

But then quirks emerged and it threw off the balance that Halloween used to have. The fake accessories became real and people really developed features that originally were used for fear. Confusion swirled around people for a while on what to do for the holiday, wondering what to do next since there wasn’t much to fear anymore.

However, creativity burst in the people and Halloween was back in full swing, this time with an even higher intensity. People used their quirks to impress enough for candies and costumes became more elaborate. The horror cranked up to new levels and scary movies took on a different form that would have been eye wrenching in the past.

Even the little kids also took onto this new level. Before the age of four, they dressed up in whatever might have been cute or what their parents might have wanted them to wear. Then, when the quirks came in, that’s when the intensity started. Quirks shaped their halloween experiences and there was almost a competition on who could pull the scariest identities. School got involved in these activities and the school where Tamaki Amajiki and Mirio Togata went to was no different. The school encouraged students to go all out in their costumes provided that damages were kept to a fixable minimum.

But, while every classmate was discussing the plans of their costumes and how best to scare their parents day of, Tamaki wasn’t exactly in the same mood as them. Or rather, to put it into more simpler terms, he was absolutely terrified of Halloween and the horrors that came with it. Despite having the ability to transform his limbs into monstrous animals that he ingested earlier and possibly becoming more terrified than any recreations out there, something about the way tissue paper folded into itself and cheap fabric rippled on human skin just seemed to frighten Tamaki from where he was standing. Even though his mother constantly coaxed him through the day, he still ended up shivering at the mythical creatures that haunted his nightmares with their bloodsucking and howls at the moon. Sometimes he could feel little bit marks on the base of his neck that his mother said was from his imagination but Tamaki knew better.

So when the topic of the Halloween festival came up, Tamaki was on the top of the list on not attending. The teachers brought their hands and wiggled their fingers when discussing the horrors they would experience. There would be a haunted mansion maze that was made to send a soul out of the body and there would be enough candy to have a stomach ache for a week after. Everyone bounced in their seats the more was revealed but Tamaki could only ball up his fists and hide his head beneath the comfort of his arms. Images of fright conjured up in his mind, though they might have been more exaggerated to him than probably the other students. Not even his mother offering to volunteer or accompanying him to the event was enough to make Tamaki go.

But a certain blonde child had that effect on him.

In other schools, Tamaki never really had friends. His social anxiety made him quiver in front of other students and teachers usually went easier on him due to it, though others couldn’t understand the turmoil that went through his mind and usually left him alone, saying he could go play with the teachers. Friends were never something he had the chance to experience and there was always that little voice that desperately wailed for that chance.

And that chance happened this year.

This year he transferred to a new school and had to be immersed with new faces. While moving schools was already daunting enough, the fact that these would be new faces that would judge him the same way others did only made this more anxiety filled. He could remember walking down the halls, holding the strips of his backpack with tight hands that paled from the strong grip he had. His introduction didn’t even last that long because he couldn’t express the words he wanted to and ended up sitting down earlier than expected. Tears budded up on the water line of his eyes and he couldn’t focus for the rest of the class.

Until a boy called out to him and finished the sentence Tamaki couldn’t. “You want to be a hero, right?” the boy asked back, reading the mind of the scared one. Instantly, within a manner of 10 minutes, he found out that the blonde child was called Mirio Togata, he had a permutation quirk that could only work if he held his breath (which he was still having trouble perfecting and constantly hit walls and other foreign objects that left little scars on the top of his head), and that he was a curious kid that spammed Tamaki with questions about his quirk and what kind of animals he could recreate along with the feeling he got when his limbs were changed to chicken legs. Somehow Mirio ended up finding out more about Tamaki than anyone except his parents had in his entire life and Tamaki wasn’t so sure what to do with that. He knew he should have been cautious and wary and making sure that there was some distance but….Mirio had that cheerful smile that was infectious and Tamaki tunneled into it. Which turned out to be the right action since he began to be Tamaki’s first friend and he would never regret ever allowing Mirio to be open with him.

Until now. Now Tamaki was really beginning to question his friendship with Mirio.

Unlike Tamaki, Mirio happened to be the head of the excitement club for this school event. Everyday he would giddly explain the preparations his father making to his costume and he didn’t give anyone any hints as to what he was going to be (although Tamaki knew him well at this point and this year he was going to be a werewolf with fluffy ears and a bushed out tail. To be fair Mirio did invite him to his house and he saw those pieces laying around that Mirio would bashfully brush off whenever Tamaki asked him if those were parts of his costume). Many times throughout the day, he would go up to Tamaki’s desk and tell him how excited he was for it and that he was looking forward being able to go this year since last year was a year of flu but this time, he stocked up on his vitamins and enough of cold medicine to defeat the toughest of runny noses. And he would always check up on Tamaki to make sure he was still coming.

Yes, Tamaki told Mirio he would go. It wasn’t a very smart decision at all, it actually had a lot of flaws attached to it but seeing Mirio’s bright smile made him cave in and go to the festival. Besides it was a bit more complicated than that. Mirio was Tamaki’s first friend. Never did Tamaki have someone who would go out of their way to invite him to their house for dinner or to a party or even to spend just a bit of time with. While Tamaki knew in the bottom of his heart that Mirio wouldn’t judge him or leave him alone if he said no to coming, there was still this pressurized feeling that he had to go. At least to go for the sake of his friend. It was a weird sense of paying him back for all the kindness he’s given Tamaki. Possibly making it up to him might have had better connotations. Whatever it might have been, Tamaki was now stuck with date filled of events that were only going to be frightening and enough to haunt his dreams for the rest of the year.

Since Tamaki vowed to eliminate Halloween from his calendar, he never had to worry about making or even purchasing a costume. It was something that never crossed his mind and something that didn’t seem like it would be used anytime soon. Except for the fact that his initial plans to sit at home and watch cute shows were now tainted with going to a festival where the dress codes skewed to fit varieties of costumes. He initially tried to think of casual costumes that he could make using the items in his closet. However, when Tamaki brought these ideas up with Mirio, his friend cried nonsense and the next day came with an old vampire suit that was only worn once by its owner.

Every day, it was a reminder that Halloween was soon approaching and every day, Tamaki wished time would slow to prevent it from coming. But before anyone could stop it, it turned into the night of Halloween.

With a small bucket in the shape of a pumpkin, little Mirio Togata waddled through the sidewalk in his super secret and special costume of a werewolf. It was more uncomfortable than he had originally expected, especially with the tail bunching up near the gap between his legs, however he worked hard for this costume and nothing was going to stop him. He could endure it for a small bit.

After receiving looks and grins, he finally made it to Tamaki Amajiki’s house. In retrospect, they didn’t actually live too far from each other. They only lived a couple of blocks away and those blocks were covered with enough sidewalk and light that his father felt confident he could walk there by himself without being hurt. It also very much helped that Mirio had a quirk that allowed him to sink away in case so Mirio could only grin and be excited. His hands produced a small but mighty knock on the door, creating little pounds of noise that echoed within the house. At first nobody answered. But that didn’t stop Mirio from producing another round of knocks until the door opened to reveal a tired looking woman with bags ringing around her eyes.

“Oh hello, Togata. How are you?” She asked with a strain that was attempted to be covered in smiles but failing at every turn with that. Small wailes waved from behind her and the crinkles of her eyes pierced inwards. There was a tired and exhausted look seeped into her eyes that made Mirio feel bad for Tamaki’s mother.

“I’m doing well, Ms. Amajiki. Is Tamaki home?” Mirio asked, though he already knew the answer. Even at his young age, he still knew the fine motors of manners.

“Yes he is. Tamaki!” She called from the door. Silence. “Tamaki, your friend is here!” She yelled once more. Even more silence. Suddenly, the wails from earlier resurfaced and his mother’s eyes winced at the emergence. “It seems as if he’s huddled in his room, you can go in,” she said while giving room to the blonde boy. The second his body entered through the frame, she shut the door and quickly ran over to the screams, leaving Mirio by himself in the vast house.

With the layout of the house engraved in his mind from his countless visits, Mirio traversed through the halls to reach Tamaki’s room. It was hidden in a corner of the house that had shadows covering the darkness of the door, perfect for a person who couldn’t handle much of the sun beaming on them. Coming to the door, Mirio pressed his ear against the wood to hear any remnants of life. Silence. Tamaki sure knew when to be quiet when he wanted. Mirio’s hand went towards the knob and he cracked it open to find the room shrouded in darkness. “Amajiki? Are you here?” He asked softly, stepping onto the carpeted floor. There weren’t any visible signs of his friend but little whimpers came from the under the desk that stationed against the opposite wall. Mirio took careful steps before he crouched to see Tamaki’s directly. “Amajiki? What are you doing? Are you ok?”

Hearing Mirio’s voice snapped Tamaki out of the tunnel he found himself immersed in. Since putting on his costume, he found himself jumping at even the small sounds of wood shifting or the steps coming from his parents. He didn’t much remember how he exactly ended up in this position and what crossed his mind to end up underneath the desk but he wouldn’t lie, he didn’t exactly want to leave his spot. “It’s….nothing…..” Tamaki said softly as he crouched further into himself.

Until he felt his arm being pulled away from his hair so he could see the concern on Mirio’s face directly. “Then why are you under here?” His friend asked softly, his head slightly tilting to show his confusion.

Seeing that look made Tamaki’s eyes wander around as he thought of what to say next. It wasn’t necessarily that he was avoiding his look but rather, it was his way of trying to formulate all the thoughts that floated around in his mind. He didn’t want to go but he wanted to make Mirio happy but would this really make Mirio happy? So many thoughts ran through his brain and they could only come out as little stutters from the tip of his tongue. “I’m….I’m….sc-scar-re-d….” He managed to speak out, albeit in chopped syllables. His eyes closed once more to go back into that fantastical hole that he created in his mind.

“Why are you scared, Amajiki?” A tiny voice spoke out, making Tamaki reopen his eyes once more. Mirio’s beady eyes crinkled in worry and his mouth gave a small pout that contained a small frown in it.

Once more, Tamaki’s eyes diverted away from his and he could feel small tremors coursing through his body. He took a deep breath in. “I...don’t like the monsters...I don’t want to be hurt….There’s scary sounds and scary people and…I don’t...like those things…” he rambled on, trying to make sense of a situation that had no sense to it.

Tamaki then felt Mirio place his hands into his own and squeeze them tight in the darkness. It was hard to fully make out the emotion that was seen but it almost had a brotherly love attached to it. “There’s no reason to be scared Amajiki. All of it is fake. No one will hurt you.”

“B-but...how do you know?? They could jump out and...and….”

“Amajiki, I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you. I promise. Just trust me, ok?”

Tamaki wasn’t sure if it was that or the exchanges that happened back and forth but soon, having Mirio be someone to lean on, he managed to emerge from under the desk. Things turned into a blur and he didn’t exactly remember how things turned out. His mind went back and forth and switched off reality in moments. One minute, he remembered being in his house and the next, he was outside, walking alongside Mirio. He could hear Mirio speaking talking about different subjects but none of it truly registered in his head. The only thing that went through to him was the calling of his name and his cape fluttering around his feet. There wasn’t a measure on how long they were walking but the quiet winds of the streets gave a sign that they were heading to their destination but not quite there.

Unfortunately, soon enough, the sounds of goblins and ghouls began to mix itself into the winds. The duo reached the school that had been transformed from a clean, pristine building into one with cobwebs stringing from side to side and splotches of black smearing down the side. Animatronic screeches loomed from the interiors of bushes that came with cackles of lightning rotating in.

The closer they reached, the more Tamaki’s teeth chattered with little clicks that echoed from his mouth. His arm gripped tighter onto Mirio’s, holding onto him super tight in this special type of fear that came straight from horror films.

Yet, funnily enough, Mirio looked complete opposite from his friend. His beady black eyes shone with little stars twinkling in his pupils and his mouth formed a perfect amazed gap that was filled with wonder and excitement. If his tail had any form of reality behind it, it would have wagged ridiculously back and forth in this childish excitement that fit for his age. “Woah, that’s so awesome!” Mirio exclaimed, his feet bouncing up and down that made both him and Tamaki bob in unison. “C’mon, we gotta hurry!” And with that last push of pressure, Mirio took their still steps into a run that skidded through the dirt and landed them within the depths of the festival.

[They see a bunch of different costumes and there are some people trying to scare them which works for Tamaki but Mirio is chilling and such]

It was corny to say but it was something of another realm. The school was known to have proper clothing that seemed to be ironed onto skin with serious expressions that could make anyone be stiff. But this, this was something else. Baggy costumes of all kinds floated around with buckets in the shape of pumpkins being swung around. Teachers that only knew how to wear suits wore elaborate costumes with fancy trims and delicate lace that showed their own pleasure into the spirit of the holiday. Even parents took the occasion to wear outfits that uniformed themselves to their children and little cheers and claps came from them as their little monsters performed in excellent ways.

While Mirio took in all the sights and engaged himself at all the beauty surrounding him, Tamaki, on the other hand, began to tremble even harder. If it wasn’t for his ill formed pants, one could be able to easily see his knees buckling within themselves, his kneecaps bruising from the small bangs they were doing. His arms latched even harder to Mirio’s werewolf costume and, if no one knew who he was, they would think that he was actually the wimpiest vampire to ever exist, even more than the ones from the popular series, Twilight.

“Boo!” A voice ringed from behind, echoing within Tamaki’s ear. Fright surged up his spine and he collapsed into Mirio, sending them both soaring into the ground. Tamaki could hear some exchanges happening before a hand shook his clothed shoulder. “Hey are you alright??” Moving in whimpers, Tamaki took in the sights in front of him. The hand that shook him out belonged to Mirio while the adult removed the mask that covered his face to reveal a scared and worried face. Still in a form of shock, Tamaki could only manage a nod before having help from Mirio to stand up. “Oh goodness, I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect this type of reaction. Are you hurt? I can run to go get some stuff,” the adult said, his hands raised to offer any assistance that was needed.

Tamaki only could shake his head while Mirio grabbed onto the sides of his body to keep him steady. “Don’t worry sir, he seems alright!” Mirio responded for Tamaki, coaxing the situation to a calmer state. While Mirio and the man exchanged reassurances, Tamaki looked himself over. To his surprise, there was only a bit of dirt that caught onto his cape from the fall he made that easily was brushed off with a few swipes. When he focused back onto Mirio, the other two exchanged final words before Mirio looked back at his friend with upturned eyebrows. “Are you ok, Amajiki? You didn’t get hurt or anything?” Tamaki shook his head once more, leaving Mirio to check him more thoroughly. After a few swipes of his own, he focused back on his friend and smiled. “Well, why don’t we play some games for a bit? There’s a lot of activities that I am sure we can fun with. C’mon Amajiki,” and hand in hand, they walked into the fairgrounds.

Although it was covered in more halloween decorations and spooky accessories, the games all inherently had the same themes that were present in a regular festival. Ranging from shooting games to activities that involved heavy amounts of bobbing objects, there were children covering each inch of the booths. Little shouts came from the games that signaled activity and beckoned the two boys to join in.

At first, it was a bit difficult for the boys to get into the fun of the games. Costumed kids pushed each other to get to the front, even ignoring the cries from adults that tried to have a semblance of a line. Mirio managed to dodge the hits from the other kids but that didn’t exactly work out for the other boy. Bruises started to form on the top of his skin and multiple times he had to reach out for Mirio when he felt himself being separated from Mirio. At first, Mirio didn’t realize what was happening but when he almost got upset at Tamaki for bumping into him, then those same kids learned well to keep their distance.

After minutes of trying to find that perfect game to play, the boys managed to find space in a game that involved the test of aim. This was a game heavily seen in America that was brought to their festivals time to time and it involved throwing balls into moving vases that circled around in a spiral frenzy.

“Hey, you two! Come try out your aim! Get the ball in the white cup and get a prize!” The attender called out to them, beckoning them closer.

“You wanna try this, Amajiki? It looks like it would be pretty fun,” Mirio asked his friend with a soft yet encouraging tone. Tamaki gave a light nod and he pulled them up to the man. “We would like to try sir!”

“Excellent!” He then dipped lower to pick up a series of balls that balanced themselves on his palm. “Who’s up first?”

“I’ll go!” Mirio volunteered, raising his hand up really high to showcase his readiness. Exchanges happened between them and he bounced on the balls of his feet, gearing up to showcase his aim. “Alright, here I go!” And he began to aim at the moving cups.

If anyone separated the scene into two different parts, a person would believe that Mirio was winning due to the smile and determination that created creases on his forehead. However, the balls ended up nowhere the moving vases. Despite adjusting his strength in different conditions, the balls would roll around in the rims of the cups until they bounced off into the water. The last throw almost made it in, that is until a gust of wind blew it off.

“Sorry about that, young boy. You’ll do better next time,” The attender tried to encourage while collecting the fallen balls to dry them for the next game.

“Ahhh! I was so close!” Mirio grunted out, placing the bottoms of his palm into his eyes.

Tamaki didn’t say anything but he knew that Mirio’s light heartened frustration was actually bothering him much more than what he was letting on. Each time he threw the ball, Tamaki saw the small glint that would cross his eyes that came from the desire of wanting one of the plushies. It wasn’t clear which one attracted him and pushed him forward in determination but knowing his friend, he had a good idea behind.

“I….I would like to try….” Tamaki spoke up, raising his hand shyly. Eyes snapped towards his comment and he tried to hide within his cape until the balls of were thrust towards him. Smiles went around that pushed Tamaki out of the shell he was hiding under. Even Mirio gave a slight cheer and nudged him forward.

Pressure began to build up around Tamaki and his throat kept swallowing down the anxiety that formed lumps in his throat. This was exactly why he never put himself into any type of sports or performances and he almost brought back the balls until a glance at Mirio built in a push of confidence.

Nowhere around the stand or even in the neighboring areas were there mentions of the usage of quirks. There wasn’t anything stated outright that quirks were banned from the fairgrounds. Yet, Tamaki couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at the gasps that erupted when his arm transformed itself into a tentacle from the octopus he ate earlier in the day. The thin endpoint carefully wrapped around the first ball, suctioning it into itself the crevices. With immense precision, he brought his tentacle closer to rotating balls and focused in on the scarce white cups hidden within the sea of color. Their slow pace seemed to speed up within the energy of pressure but Tamaki focused in his senses and flicked it right at the moment his gut told him to do so. Time slowed into a blur that put Tamaki in a haze until Mirio’s shouts and screams pulled him out.

“Oh my gosh, Amajiki!!! That was awesome!!! You’re so freaking cool!!!” Mirio bounced around, going in and out of hugging his friend with a type of spastic energy. It took Tamaki for a second to be brought back to reality but when he returned, he saw the smiles on everyone’s face with the ball resting peacefully in the white cup. Little tugs pulled up on the corners of his mouth and he couldn’t help but feel a tad bit of pride in that. And each moment he managed to get the balls into the desired cups, he could have sworn he felt a little lighter and the shouts were a bit louder.

“My, my, my young lad! Even with the use of your quirk, you did a marvelous job! It’s a rare sight to see for sure!” The man complimented before jerking his thumb towards the prizes surrounding the back frame of the tent. “You can get whatever you want! You can get 4 small prizes, 1 big one with 2 other small ones, or even 2 big ones! Whatever you want!”

Immediately, his answer was met with Tamaki pointing at the big large plushies that were constricted by the large cords. “Are you sure you want those?” Which was met with a strong nod. “Well, alright, give me a second,” the man said as he climbed out of the stand and pulled out a small ladder. He struggled a bit with the tightness of the cords and even gave a small curse under his breath with his hands twisting them around. However, soon enough, he managed to get them down and presented them towards the small child. “Here you go! Enjoy!”

Tamaki brought the two plushies in and almost doubled over in the huge weight that it was creating against his fragile body. He had to set them down on top of a cleaner patch of the ground in order to figure out his bearings. With a small breath in and out, he reached for one of the plushies and hid his face behind it as he turned to Mirio and brought his arms forward. “This….this is for you…..” Tamaki said quietly, a small blush fired up in his cheeks.

He couldn’t see well behind the toy but he could definitely hear the gasp that came from his friend. “Really!? It’s for me!?” Mirio shouted back, forming an image of bouncing feet in Tamaki’s mind.

“...yes….” Tamaki responded softly, his head bobbing slightly in a nod. He pushed it towards Mirio even more, hoping he would take it soon since it was starting to be heavy in his arms.

That hope soon was answered when Mirio took it from his hands and hugged it within himself. “Thank you so much Amajiki! You’re such an amazing friend! It’s the best!” His friend spoke, though there was a small waver in his voice that threatened to release tears. However, once Tamaki picked up his own plush and a cough came from Mirio, the same excitement burst back in. “Let’s go Amajiki!! There’s still a lot to see,” and with that, the boys went off.

It was a bit silly to see two small kids with toys half their size but they somehow managed to traverse the grounds will small peeks of their toys’ shoulders and using the sounds of nearby footsteps. Fortunately, Tamaki recently ate an aquatic animal that had the ability of echolocation so he managed to traverse the grounds while making sure him and Mirio to submit to their sudden deaths. He could hear little sighs of protest coming from Mirio with his inability to see but Tamaki actually enjoyed the lack of sight. His plush kept him in a fuzzy darkness that was comforting. It almost made this experience fun and enjoyable.

“Hey Amajiki! Look! It’s a haunted house! We totally got to go to it!!” Or maybe not.

Tamaki pushed his face more into the back of his plush, smashing his face in enough that it was as if he completely disappeared from sight. “Do...do we have….to?” He asked softly, his tone carrying hesitation, though the indentations muddled within the soft core of the plush.

“Of course we do! This is the biggest thing here! I’ve been looking forward to that all week!” Mirio responded quickly before doubling back a bit and tilting his head towards his friend. “I mean, unless you don’t want to go. It’s fine if you don’t. I won’t make you,” he added, though there was a hint of sadness within it.

Tamaki heard that and peeked over at his friend. Selfishly, he wanted to take on that offer and walk away and never look at it again. Mirio did say that they didn’t have to do it so the lack of pressure dissipated. And yet, Tamaki couldn’t do it. Seeing the lack of glint in his eyes made his stomach turn in different directions. He had never seen a frown on the blonde boy and yet, there it was. And it wasn’t as if Mirio was doing it to make him feel guilty, rather he would do whatever Tamaki desired and needed and would always put his friendship first. Which is why Tamaki had to change his answer. “No it’s ok….we can go….” he muttered to his friend, his voice quiet but still present enough to hear.

“Really? Are you sure? We don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable. I won’t pressure you,” Mirio responded back, his voice still sincere and worried, yet Tamaki could tell that there was a small little glint in the corner of his eyes. Already feeling regret bubbling inside of him, he nodded his head, affirming his previous words. Suddenly, the saddened face Mirio wore turned brighter, shining in the midst of the darkness looming around them. “Wow, you really are as bright as the sun Tamaki,” he said, though Tamaki couldn’t help but look at the irony in his statement. Then, he felt his hand being intertwined with his friend and he peeped up to see that Mirio beamed at him. “C’mon, let’s go. Don’t worry, it’ll be a lot of fun! I promise! And if you’re ever scared, you can always hold on to me.”

And with a little affirmative noise from Tamaki, the duo moved towards the haunted house.

Not surprisingly enough, there was a line of all ages shooting out from the door of the maze. Jitters and laughs came from the line while screams of those interior echoed against their excitement. Mirio kept bouncing on the balls of feet and moved around the sides that pulled Tamaki along with his movements. Having Mirio’s anxiety to get in only fueled Tamaki’s anxiety to go in, the screams and commotion only intensifying it even more. The shy boy even had to disappear once more into his plush until he heard a grunt. His dark eyes shifted to the owner and the first thing he saw was a teacher wrapped in bandages to a point where any recognizable features were gone. Dark patches of makeup covered any exposed areas of skin, looking as if they crawled out of a casket that buried them alive many years back. Only grunts came out of their mouth but they did hold a sign that stated, “Please leave all belongings in the cabinets to your right!”, to which Tamaki peered past them and saw kids cluttered around the lockers.

Tamaki was about to protest this rule when Mirio pulled on his arm to guide him along the way inside. “We gotta hurry Amajiki! We don’t want a bad spot!” Which was a reason that made Tamaki tilt his head in question but soon became clear when he saw Mirio shove other kids to have that cubby that was the right size for their plushies and bags and that wasn’t too high nor too low. Tamaki froze in the midst of the squandering children so there was a little bit of grace when Mirio took his stuff and placed it right next to his own. It took a bit for his friend to come over back to him but soon they were reunited and Tamaki’s arm began to pull out of his socket with Mirio dragging him along.

The mere second Tamaki laid eyes on the darkened door frame with pieces of stained fabric ruffling in the entrance, he could feel his soul seeping out of him, leaving his body into a frozen state. The only reason his feet kept moving was because of Mirio’s insistent pulls that drove him further into the tunnel. However, when the blood stained fabric brushed against his skin, the shock that froze his limbs shattered into millions of pieces and the adrenaline of fear zapped into him. Shakes covered his whole body and nails dug deep into his friends arms.

Eerie sounds echoed around them that contained jabs of snarls and henious jackal laughs. Hidden speakers scattered around the hallways, making the boys feel as if it was all happening right next to them. Splashes of red light illuminated parts of the hallway to help them find passage, though the first thought that came to Tamaki’s mind was that it was meant to help them lead the way to sudden death. Little ooo’s and aaaa’s came from Mirio and Tamaki questioned in his mind if his friend actually understood the negatives of this maze.

A dead end appeared at the end of the hallway with a window that had shadows dancing behind it. By force, the boys had to turn right with a darkened shadow peering off the left next to the ghostly window. With focus on getting through the new hallway in front of them, neither of them noticed a grotesque female in a tattered dress with zombie holes pushing herself out of the shadows, shouting monstrous noises while curling her clawed hands. Screams bubbled out of the boys and they scurried forward in fear she would be trailing behind them. In that scurry though, they didn’t notice a barn door slamming open and having a bloodied farmer popping out, reaching his arm for the boys to grab on help. However, before they could register the need, a horrific figure seeped behind the farmer and pulled him out of view that soon became replaced with sounds of hacking skin and blood bubbling screams. It felt like a scene from a horror film and Tamaki dug his face more into the crook of Mirio’s neck.

As they continued forward, the horrors turned more into sickening nightmare. The boys pushed through heavy black straps that greeted them with deafening chainsaw sounds. The scenery changed from a dark interior to a red lit farm. Glossy sheep and cows laid strewn on the turf, blood painted on the plastic surface. Bumpy paper mache trees stood tall, almost looking too calm in the scene of horror. They took more cautious steps, looking at the details and getting lost enough to distract the actions in their peripheral. Shooting behind the stationary tree was a younger male with a crumpled mask and plastic knife, charging after them with theatrical groans. Little screams erupted from the kids and they ran with adrenaline pumping in their system.

They pushed through to the next hallway and caught their breath in silence while listening to the whispers of halloween music in the background. Tamaki doubled over and placed his hands on his knees, wheezing from the creatures that popped out at him. He only paid attention to his breathing until the positive energy of Mirio snapped him out of it. “That….was awesome!” He heard Mirio say. Tamaki brought his eyes upwards and saw a gleaming smile on his face, completely serious on his comment. Mirio twisted to his friend and gave him a boost of encouragement. “Are you doing alright, Amajiki?” Tamaki wanted to give a big no along with running in maddening circles but he knew that the only way out was through the tunnel. He gave Mirio a nod and his friend stuck out his arm for him to grab. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there. Just a little bit more!” Mirio continued on, waiting until Tamaki grabbed his arm. “If anything, just close your eyes! Don’t worry, I won’t let anything to you. That’s a promise!”

Tamaki could only nuzzle into his shoulder and nod his head in response. Walking forward, he could steal hear the exaggerated halloween music playing in the background with screams and bangs hitting against the areas of the maze. He could also hear Mirio’s screams that were filled with more of a shock than any actual fear. Tamaki could occasionally feel slimy objects pressing against him or even the cold slivers of chill running up his spine when passing through a new hallway. However, no matter what ran through his mind and whatever colors flashed behind his eyelids, Tamaki made sure that they were kept shut as they traversed through the maze.

Then, a little glimmer of light seeped into his closed lids. He opened them to find a glowing hole, like the light at the end of the tunnel. True, there were hanging corpses and fragments of web shadowing over it but that went over Tamaki’s head. It meant his escape, the end to the horrors he had to endure the while he was stuck here, clutching onto Mirio’s arm and only having his laugh comfort his screams.

“C’mon! We’re almost there!” Mirio exclaimed loudly while pushing the hanged body out of the way. Their steps trudged through the wood flooring and the creepily placed tissue paper that stuck their feet into the ground, as if the maze was trying to keep them within the walls. However, with force, the boys pushed through. It wasn’t easy or fun or even comforting for Tamaki to have to push through hanging corpses that shared deceased eye contact with him with pieces of their toilet paper wrappings brushing against his skin. Nor was it easy or amazing to have to touch anything that had death and blood slime all over it. Yet, the light was getting closer and closer and the chills on his arms subsided and his eyes were screaming in adjustment and it kept going and going until….

They made it outside.

At first, it took Tamaki a small while to adjust to his surroundings. The fairgrounds had completely different vibes than what was shown in the maze. While the interior of the house was decked in horror and fright, the fairgrounds brought him back to the happier side of halloween with candy and costumes running around. Tamaki could feel his heartbeat calming down at the sights of comfort around him. Even his breath slowed down and the hyperextension of anxiety twirled down to a more easy rate, one that he was more used to.

“Congratulations for getting through the maze you guys!” A teacher in a witch costume encouraged. In her hands were little pumpkins buckets filled with all sorts of sweets brimming at the top. “Here, take this you guys. You earned it! Don’t forget to pick up your stuff!” She said with a sweet smile as she handed the buckets to the boys. Mirio gave a loud gasp while Tamaki matched it with wide eyes. Every candy that a sweet tooth desired found its way in the bucket and Tamaki couldn’t help but feel his mouth watering with anticipation to eating one of the candies in there.

Yet, before he could quickly pop one in his house, he grew distracted at the posture Mirio was doing. In his hand, Mirio held up a piece of chocolate with a grin slapped on his face. “Let’s do a toast to the night we already had so far and for the night to come!” And he brought the chocolate closer to Tamaki, hoping for a little bop back. It took a bit for Tamaki to get and Mirio had to give a small hint but he managed to scavenege a similar piece of chocolate and gave it a small boop into the one Mirio had in his hand while giving a small cheers in return. In unison, the boys ripped through the wrapper and chucked the chocolate in, savoring the sweet and melting flavor against their small tongues.

Silence passed between them when they tasted the goods but their swallows aligned at the right second and Mirio hooked his arm within Tamaki’s. “Alright, let’s get our stuff and do more stuff! There’s a lot to do and I’m sure we can get more candy!” He told Tamaki excitedly, making him walk toward the cabinets.

Tamaki didn’t say a word while Mirio went on and on about the different activities that were still left to do. However, it wasn’t exactly a terrified silence. Rather, and to his shock, Tamaki ended up smiling and nodding towards Mirio’s words, almost as if he was excited for the rest of the night. As if….this was going to end up being one of the best days within Tamaki’s life so far.

#bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha halloween big bang #mirio togata #tamaki amajiki #miritama

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emilyplaysotome · 6 years

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Down the Voltage Rabbit Hole - The Sequel

Last year, to get out of my creative funk I wrote something just for fun that turned into a 50 chapter Voltage Crossover Extravaganza called Down the Voltage Rabbit Hole (read all the chapters here).

When I ended it, I left the door open for a sequel but I have been far too busy to even attempt to write anything. Well...I finished a massive project in my IRL life, and find myself where I was last year - creatively burned out and wanting to write something just for fun that I don’t have to stress about or overthink.

If you loved the original and don’t want to tarnish the ending by reading or if you’ve moved away for the fandom, just let me know and I’ll untag you. It’s very doubtful that I’ll find time to post the way I once did, but I’m hoping to try and do a post once a week or once every other week (and don’t be mad if I can’t stick to that!).

This story goes out to anyone who has ever been confused about their feelings...

Chapter 1 - Trouble in Paradise

I had figured that after a month of experiencing New York City in the real world, that the otome men I’d trapped here would have collectively realized that I was nothing special. After all, the women who live in New York City manage to be beautiful, smart, and witty in a seemingly effortless way as they go about navigating one of the most competitive cities in the world. Obviously a city having the nickname of “the concrete jungle” is not for the faint of heart, and as a result the population of women here exist on another level when it comes to both brains and beauty alike.

However, true to otome form Zyglavis’ eyes never strayed and Jin, Hijikata, Soryu, and Hiroshi continued to chase me undeterred by the ring on my finger. Zyglavis initially laughed off their attention towards me, but slowly their persistence started to wear on him. As Zyg had once done upon arriving in this world, the others quickly adapted as well.

Having been police officers for most of their lives, Jin and Hiroshi (despite my skepticism of their ability to make it in such a violent city) somehow managed to find their place in the NYPD. The two of them, though rivals for my affection, were also close friends and it wasn’t uncommon for them swing by my office that was only a few blocks away from the Tribeca precinct where they both worked. Initially they’d found jobs doing secretarial work, but when a serial mugger seemed to leave no clues behind and the seasoned NYPD detectives floundered, Hiroshi and Jin came together to teach their peers a thing or two. Thanks cracking the case of the Tribeca mugger, their supervisor crafted two personal recommendation letters that in turn managed to get them back to “rookie” status despite being far too old for the NYPD. I had figured that the NYPD must have a few loopholes only accessible to insiders, but it was still a surprise to see that both these men were able to reclaim the jobs that they’d been conditioned to have in their world. Because their precinct was only a few blocks away from where I spent most of my days at work, this odd couple of sorts always managed to get me to join them for lunch. Initially I told Zyg about our salad runs to sweetgreen (it was always the two of them and a few girls from my office), but as tensions grew surrounding my friendships with the guys I found myself keeping more and more to myself despite the fact that I saw them practically every day. Similar to Jin and Hiroshi, Soryu and Hijikata soon became thick as thieves.

Hijikata was someone who lived by his sword and would always be soldier at heart. His days had been previously spent training incessantly for war, yet living in the modern world provided little opportunity to fight. Training however, was something that CrossFit provided and Hijikata took to it like a moth to a flame.

Between Hijikata’s Shinsengumi code of honor and Soryu’s mob values the two normally stoic men somehow managed to get quite close, and before I knew it Hijikata and Soryu were two of the most popular instructors at a gym around the corner from me. Once they’d established themselves within the gym’s rotation, they invited me to workout with them. Not wanting to pass up access to a free gym (something far overpriced in New York), I attended in secret - worried that similar to the salad runs with Jin and Hiroshi my CrossFit participation would elicit unnecessary strife in a relationship that was far rockier these days.

I’ll admit that seeing Hijikata not only adapt so well, but confidently lead a class in a way he’d led his soldiers stirred something in my heart. It was apparent that I wasn’t the only one affected by his leadership skills, and as a result I was often forced to silently watch on as women attempted to get close to him (and Soryu for that matter). “Am I doing this right?” They’d ask, arching their backs and sticking out their rear ends with the hopes of enticing them a little. At first I could see that Soryu and Hijikata were offput by how forward women in this world were, but as the weeks went on they soon were unfazed by the behavior. I once overheard a conversation between them where they’d been keeping tally of how many women had made a stealthy advance on them – whoever had been approached more had to do the other’s laundry. I wish I could say it didn’t bother me and I knew it wasn’t fair to be possessive in any way towards these imaginary men who I’d rejected for an ex-God who seemed to grow unhappier with every day that passed in this world.

Most recently I’d seen one of the prettier women in class approach them after our hour of physical torture was up, and invite them to parties or for drinks – only to be met with polite decline. “Oh I’m sorry,” she’d said with a bright smile. “I didn’t mean to be forward. I just wanted to extend an invite - feel free to bring your girlfriends.” My eyes met Hijikata’s momentarily before I forced myself out of my old feelings for him, and exited the gym unclear as to what his response would be. It was in those moments that I questioned if choosing Zyglavis had been the right thing to do.

I felt greedy and selfish but something had happened with all of them that reminded me of the time I’d spent with them in otome-ville, and that they’d all collectively unlocked some long lost part of myself that wanted to believe in the goodness of men and possibility of romance. Naturally I would never act on the occasional flare up of feelings, but I found that despite this Zyglavis and I were arguing more and more.

“We have a responsibility to them!” I found myself yelling at him one night. “And you don’t get to dictate who I can and cannot speak with.” “This is different!” Zyglavis snapped. Leon had stopped by that night and had mentioned that with all the guys firmly settled into clear life paths, he felt that it was time for him to forge his own path in this world. He was moving out of the share house he’d found them in Bushwick and into an apartment of his own, where he could have more autonomy. He was fairly vague about how exactly he hoped to leave a mark on this world in his less-than-godly current state, but knowing Leon I wasn’t concerned for his well-being. I’d hoped that for once in his life Leon would refrain from upsetting Zyg, but naturally he found time to fan the flames right before he left our apartment by casually letting me know with an arrogant grin that my cross-fit routine was “really paying off”. I rolled my eyes at the unwanted compliment, and shooed Leon away but the second we were alone Zyglavis freaked out. I found myself trying to play it cool - noting that they invited me and it was hard to say no to a free class that normally would run for $50 a pop. Yet, as Zyg grew more and more irate and jealous, I realized that something between the two of us had broken.

Zyglavis has alluded to the fact that he believed my continued involvement with these men had meant that I was doing something wrong, and as a result I’d started keeping things from him. I could feel the tears well up and I shouted at him, “A relationship doesn’t work without trust. You either trust me or you don’t. And I guess you don’t anymore.” He froze in his tracks and looked forlorn before quietly saying my name. I tried to control my loud, ugly sobs as I packed a few things into an overnight bag and left our apartment wondering if maybe I’d made a mistake choosing Zyglavis after all.

In a group text to my girls I asked if any of them would mind housing me, and Meg offered up her spare bedroom immediately. As I headed over to her apartment, Sarita and Maya both extended offers as well, clearly concerned about what had happened.

However, when Meg opened the door I was doubly surprised, as she looked just as forlorn as I did. Giving me a big hug she broke down and I learned that Noah had broken up with her. She’d been completely blindsided by it, having been with him the past 6 years, and as miserable as we both were I sought comfort in the fact that we were at least able to be miserable together. “I’m sorry,” she said, after telling me the whole story. “I should be consoling you.” I shook my head, “No way. For years you’ve listened to my misadventures in dating. I’m just having another one - this is different.” Meg burst out crying again, “6 years. We talked about getting married. And then...I don’t even know what...” I hugged her and couldn’t help but think about my harem waiting for me back on the east side. I wondered if Meg would believe me if I told her the truth about who Zyglavis was and if she’d judge me having done the hard work with a “real man” and yet here I was sobbing over someone I knew I could live happily ever after with if I’d just apologize.

I never revealed the truth about my situation and instead we spent the night drowning our sorrows in a bottle of wine that Noah had brought back from a work trip abroad.

Though there were many tears, in typical Meg style the next morning it was as if nothing had happened. She informed me that I could stay as long as I wanted, and that she was going to purge the apartment of all things Noah before taking a week off from work and heading to Connecticut to be with her parents in order to properly re-evaluate her life and reset. “Are you sure?” I asked, not wanting to impose. “Of course. It’ll be nice to know you’re here getting the mail and watering the plants while I’m gone.”

“Consider it done!” She paused momentarily, her eyes leaving mine before she mumbled, “Don’t make the mistake I made Omi. There were so many times I thought I’d end it and never did. If your gut pushed you to leave, listen.”

I nodded and worrying she had overstepped quickly added, “But no matter what happens I’ll be here for you.” I felt compelled in that moment to hug my strong, beautiful friend that hated sentimental bullshit and unnecessary familiar contact and said, “same.” She gave me a little smirk that indicated she’d be fine despite her eyes telling a very different story and then packed a few boxes of Noah’s leftovers for Goodwill and a small suitcase for the week at home. When she finally left and the unfamiliar apartment was filled with silence, my mind drifted back to what Meg had said. I thought about everything Zyglavis and I had been through.

I thought about why I chose him, and I thought about if I would have chosen Hijikata had he been an option back then. I thought about how Soryu had reformed and how he’d once made my heart race in a way that no one else had. I thought about leaving Jin behind because I was certain that he’d never make it in this world, and then had gotten to see firsthand how flawed that thinking was. Lastly, I thought about Hiroshi and how my coworkers were obsessed with him, insisting that I was crazy to have let him slip through my fingers.

Now that they were all here, the truth was that I could see myself being happy with all of them and it was a shame that the one man I was certain could make me happiest was making me more miserable than I’d ever been in my life.

I sighed and reached for my phone that had 10 missed calls and 15 text messages from Zyglavis. I felt badly that my silence had worried him, and even though I wasn’t sure what it was exactly that I wanted to do about our relationship I let him know that I was at Meg’s.

He instantly wrote back, “I’m coming over.”

And much to my surprise, a second later I heard a snap and he appeared before me.

“How…”

Holding up a gloved hand, Zyglavis looked like the man I’d met back in otome-ville except he looked sadder than I’d ever seen him.

“Do you remember the first big fight we had?”

“When you saw Jin texting me?”

Zyglavis nodded, “I left the apartment to cool off that night. At first I was just aimlessly walking, but my feet ended up taking me by Fairway – you know the outdoor area?”

“Sure, where there’s fruit and sale stuff stacked up?”

“I saw an old lady start to take an orange from the stack. She wasn’t tall enough to reach and as a result it started to fall and I just…muscle memory I guess…”

“Hold on – that was a few months back!”

“My powers have just gotten stronger since. Every time we fight – every argument, every positive thought you have about them and negative thought about me…”

Zyglavis looked down, pursing his lips sadly.

“…I feel it because I grow stronger.”

“That doesn’t make – ”

“Of course it does. The king told Leon to bring me home but he knew that could never happen if I still loved you…if you still loved me.”

“I…”

“Do you still love me?”

I held his gaze and we stood in silence in an unfamiliar apartment that was void of six months of our memories together. I wanted to be able to tell him that I did still love him, but Meg’s words weighed heavily on my heart. She’d been with someone for 6 years and had moments of doubt she now regretted pushing away and here I was feeling something unpleasant and uncertain that I couldn’t blindly ignore.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

Zyglavis’ eyes filled with tears, and after a moment he cried out as I watched a surge of power overtake his body. I watched on as he raised his hand and snapped, almost as if it were against his will, and with that one gesture a third being was summoned.

“Well, well,” the king of the heavens said in an amused voice. “It would seem as if I’ve won this game of love after all…”

I could feel the terror I’d felt all those months ago seize my heart once more as I realized that my uncertainty might be the undoing of the happy ending I’d once worked so hard to achieve.

Read the next chapter here.

http://emilyplaysotome.tumblr.com/post/173448516237/chapter-2-the-return-of-the-king

If you’ve enjoyed the story, please show your support by sharing it with a friend or buying me a coffee!

Thanks for reading :)

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daughter-of-dawn-blog · 6 years

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Summer 2018 is Here

Summer Vacation 2018 – What my Kids are doing.

The summer has started and vacation time is here. I thought my kids did plenty last summer but this summer is a doozy. When I'm talking action packed it is pretty high up there on the action packed meter. At least for my kids so far in their lives. A lot of driving to different summer camps too. Not so much fun but we all make sacrifices for our kids, right! Shall we break it down? Well follow me and see what my family is doing.

My Youngest son

Our little guy just finished fourth grade. As mentioned in a previous article he is in accelerated extra gifted class. He absolutely loved the class. The only thing that he had trouble with is Mandarin. Learning any new language is a challenge. I think learning Mandarin is more than challenging. Everything really is foreign. Besides the learning of new words and learning their meanings and pronunciation, there is the writing. Mandarin characters are very complex. If there is a missed curve or a missed small line, the whole meaning is changed and is wrong. My Tiger wife really put in the extra time and work with my son throughout the school year to end it really well.

The Littlest Cellist

My son started taking cello lessons this year with the same cello teacher that my older son and daughter learn from. He really is an amazing teacher. I can't recommend him highly enough. He is already up to Suzuki Book Three and finished the year playing the Humoresque at his recital. He was also lucky to be picked for his school talent show and played this piece in front of his school.

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Music Camp

This summer as I write this he is at a three week music camp in upstate New York! One of my wife's friends actually told us about this camp a couple of months ago. We were able to apply late thanks to her and were successful in auditioning and being accepted. This is the first time that he has gone away for any length of time. My wife is worried silly because you can't call them. She actually sent him a letter yesterday. We don't know how it will go but we will let you know when we pick him up in three weeks.

My daughter

My only daughter just successfully finished seventh grade. She settled into middle school this past year and has a growing circle of friends. She had a great year academically passing all of her classes with flying colors!

CTY – Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

After taking the SCAT test this past year she qualified and was able to enroll into CTY. She is gone for three weeks this summer taking a creative writing course in Roger Williams University. Since this is her first experience away from home and being in a real “college” like experience I was curious to see her reaction.

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We walked onto the campus and I could see a glimmer of a smile. As we were walking around the campus and signing up for everything and getting her books the glimmer was starting to show in her eyes. Slowly ever so slowly curiosity on her part was turning into realization that this might be more than just interesting. We got her keys to her room and found her dorm. We found her room and saw that it was in a nice suite with multiple rooms. The room was nice and clean with a beautiful view of the bridge that led to Newport. Her smile was growing from ear to ear.

The nail that sealed it was when we went to have lunch at the cafeteria. Oh my Lord!!! I forgot how much food there was at college cafeterias. However, Roger Williams took it to an amazing level I never thought possible. My daughter was gone. She loves food! The food was glorious. She couldn't contain herself. I knew right there and then, there was going to be NO home sickness for her… She would enjoy every one of those meals to the fullest. I just warned her about the freshman 15 and told her please don't have that happen in only three weeks! She is there right now.

Music Camp Part II

My daughter was accepted to the same music camp that my son is at right now in upstate NY. She will be attending that a few days after her CTY session ends. There are two divisions at the camp, a junior and senior division. She will be attending the senior session for four weeks. I will update this when she goes and finishes.

My oldest son

My oldest son has been busy from the moment we landed on our trip from Paris(Read about that here). That is when we received the email that he was selected to The New York Youth Symphony and within days of that he was notified that he was selected to All-State. Since this was Junior Year this was going to be the Big One! Let's break it down.

School Work

My son enrolled into four AP Classes this past year, American History, AP English, Statistics and Biology. His last academic class was Honors Pre-Calculus/Calculus and Orchestra to round it off. It was tough, real tough. Any parent who has had kids go through it knows what I mean. If your child is going to be a junior, the best advice I can give is to make sure your kid can maximize their time by utilizing time management skills. Any student that has aspirations to go to an elite college has multiple things going on besides school work. The extra-curriculars, the volunteering, the clubs, teams and just trying to squeeze out some time for fun and relaxation. This is the make or break year and if you've come this far you have to finish it, right?

The results

My son is good at math but NOT great. He ended the year with a final grade of an A-. All the other classes he got A's and A+'s. He finished the year strong and I am more really proud of him. I saw how many nights where he only slept for a couple of hours and went to school. It was really tough to watch but it also made me more than proud. I knew that he was the type to do what it took to get things done when it mattered. A useful trait when going into the real world.

Standardized Tests

My son took the SAT twice so far and he will take it one last time this summer. The first time he took it he did okay but not great. After thinking that he was ready by taking a few practice tests and getting in the 1500's he took the test. He had a rude awakening that was a shock to him and us. He received a 1410 with a 23/24 on the essay.

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Our whole family was shocked to say the least. Though we were happy with the 23/24 on the essay, the score was not what we thought he would get. I know, I know some of you must be thinking what a jerk. That is a fine score, blah, blah… I'm okay with the criticism because I know what I am, a Tiger Dad. Our whole family worked our asses as a collective to do everything we could to help my son get into the best school he could get into. A 1410 would not cut it. After reading horror stories this year of Asian males with 1560's not getting into Boston University, we were scared!

Round Two

My son didn't have time to take the SAT again until March because of too many time conflicts. We were so nervous. Everything hat he had worked for was going to be up in the air until he took the test again and got his results. It was so stressful for all of us. He took the test and we waited…

The Wait

So what did I do during the waiting to keep me occupied? I started going on reddit and College Confidential. I was on College Confidential to do research on safety schools if he bombed. There is a reddit subtopic for SAT that is good. You have kids that took the test and discuss the test and the questions that they thought were difficult. After two long weeks… The results were in.

SAT Scores

After all the hard work that was put in during the past summer with taking online SAT courses with Prep Expert. After bombing on the first try of the SAT. After the months of not taking the test because my son was too busy with other extra-curriculars and lastly after the two weeks for the tests to be graded. Judgement Day had arrived! My son logged into the College Board site, put in his credentials and opened up the link for SAT Test Scores. The Score was 1520!!! Hahahaah!!!!! He did it and we were so proud of him! We were giving each other high fives and basking in the knowledge that our dreams were still on track.

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Final Word on Standardized Testing

The score of 1520 was great and that put him into the 99 percentile. We were more than pleased as you can tell by the gif up above. We decided that he will take it one more time to see if he could raise his score up just a little more. I've seen videos on YouTube and other blogs that there is no reason to take the test again once you score above 1500 but every one of them are not Asian males. As stated earlier, there are Asian students with the same background and similar everything as my son and they were denied into every Top tier school. I think that we've come too far to say to ourselves in the future, “What If”? So one last time to see if he can raise his score more and if he doesn't, then so be it. At least we gave it our all.

The Rest of the Summer

My son is finishing his last year of interning and volunteering at the Summer Engineering Camp that he has been a part of since sixth grade. He's making some money and fulfilling his National Honor Society Volunteer Hour Requirement at the same time.

During the month of July he is making sure that he writes his common application essay and at least five of his favorite schools supplementary essays. On top of that he has to continue with his cello practice in order to audition again for the New York Youth Symphony. Lastly, study for the SAT one last time.

A Reward for his Hard Work

There is a reward at the end of the tunnel. I'm not a monster that wants my son to go crazy. As in life there must be rewards for hard work and I think this is a great reward. One of his best friends invited him and another buddy to go to France for two weeks in August. It's in a small town in the southern part of France. I looked on Google Maps and it looks absolutely amazing! Better yet another of his best friends will be traveling in Italy and it will only be an hour away from where my son will be staying. They might be able to hang out together while over there. That would be so amazing for them. So, he would have a place to stay but just needs to buy a plane ticket and have spending money. How could I say no to that? I hope he has the time of his life!

Here's hoping that all you Tiger Moms and Tiger Dads have the best summer vacation of 2018! If any of you have any questions or comments please go to our Facebook page and leave them there. I will answer as best as I can. I would love to hear what other students and parents are doing this summer!

The post Summer 2018 is Here appeared first on Tiger Dad -The Hidden Partner to every Tiger Mom.

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gchu95 · 6 years

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Summer 2018 is Here

Summer Vacation 2018 – What my Kids are doing.

My Youngest son

The Littlest Cellist

youtube

Music Camp

My daughter

CTY – Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

youtube

Music Camp Part II

My oldest son

School Work

The results

Standardized Tests

youtube

Round Two

The Wait

SAT Scores

youtube

Final Word on Standardized Testing

The Rest of the Summer

A Reward for his Hard Work

The post Summer 2018 is Here appeared first on Tiger Dad -The Hidden Partner to every Tiger Mom.

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lavoixdelavantgarde · 6 years

Text

Summer 2018 is Here

Summer Vacation 2018 – What my Kids are doing.

My Youngest son

The Littlest Cellist

youtube

Music Camp

My daughter

CTY – Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

youtube

Music Camp Part II

My oldest son

School Work

The results

Standardized Tests

youtube

Round Two

The Wait

SAT Scores

youtube

Final Word on Standardized Testing

The Rest of the Summer

A Reward for his Hard Work

The post Summer 2018 is Here appeared first on Tiger Dad -The Hidden Partner to every Tiger Mom.

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consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis · 6 years

Text

How to Stay Motivated and Productive as a College Student with Chronic Illness

New blog post! Whether you’re an undergraduate college student or a grad student and teaching assistant like me, it’s impossible to deny that staying motivated for schoolwork can be challenging at times. Add in a chronic illness or two, and staying motivated and productive in college can feel even harder.

I should know: besides being diagnosed with celiac disease a few months before my freshman year in college, I’ve also been living with fibromyalgia (and all the chronic pain and fatigue that goes along with it) since age 11. Despite my chronic illnesses, though, I graduated college with a 4.0, and I’m currently attending grad school to receive an MFA in creative writing. And, today, I’m sharing the productivity hacks I use to keep checking items off my to-do list all year long.

Ready to kick college’s booty - whether you have a chronic illness or not? Then keep reading to learn my top five secrets to staying productive and motivated as a college student!

1. Every day, make a list of small goals and big goals - and celebrate each one you cross off.

If I had to name one piece of college school supplies that I can’t live without, it would be my planner. I don’t worry about buying a certain brand or type of planner; for me, all that matters is that it has enough space for me to write out a to-do list each day.

It’s important to mention, however, that I list more than just the homework I need to do or the extracurricular activities I have that day. My to-do list also involves self-care activities related to my chronic illnesses. For instance, since I have celiac disease, I have to eat a strict gluten free diet and I make all my own meals. As a result, my planner is often full of reminders to meal prep my favorite gluten free snacks, bake veggies for that night’s dinner or grocery shop.

The benefits of listing out everything are twofold. First, it ensures you won’t forget anything. Second, research has found that writing to-do lists can increase productivity by reducing people's distracting anxiety about uncompleted tasks. As an added bonus for college students, listing to-do list items that aren’t directly related to school lets you take a break from your traditional “homework” but still be productive (by making a big batch of energy balls, for example). No daily item is too small to add to your list (heck, I even write down “refill your pill case” or “take out the trash”), and don’t forget to pat yourself on the back with every item you can cross off, no matter how minor.

2. Prioritize self care and don't feel guilty about taking breaks.

As hinted at above, making time for self care as a college student is super important, especially if you have a chronic illness. College - and grad school - offer so many activities that it’s easy to stay busy from the time you get up to the moment you finally go to bed. However, if you don’t make time for breaks, you’re setting yourself up for major burn out...in body and motivation.

For me, taking breaks is easier said than done. As a result, in the past few years, I’m often a stressed zombie by the time summer arrives, and it takes me weeks to recover and feel “normal” again.

This semester, I’m trying to be more intentional with taking breaks and scheduling self care activities into my day. Practicing self care doesn’t have to be complicated or take a long time; it can be as simple as going for a 15-minute walk or taking a bubble bath instead of a shower. Not to mention that, according to various studies, taking a break from work can actually improve your motivation, increase your productivity and even give your mental and physical health a boost. So the next time you're feeling tired or have been hard at work for several hours straight, make sure you honor your body (and brain) by taking a break!

3. Establish your own definition of "productive."

Before we even talk any further about productivity hacks, it’s important to define “productivity” in the first place. According to Dictionary.com, productivity is “the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services.” However, whether you’re a full-time employee, a full-time college student or a mixture of the two, when you have a chronic illness, it’s important for you to come up with your own definition of productivity.

To me, “productivity” means “setting myself up to achieve set goals.” I like this tweaked definition for a couple of reasons. First, it means that productivity doesn’t require finishing or fully producing anything. As a writer, I spend a frightening amount of time tweaking pieces I’ve written without ever having a finished product to show for it. Does that mean I’m wasting my time? Of course not!

Equally important, my definition of productivity also includes non-project related actions. Most people might not consider sleeping in or going to bed early acts of “productivity.” However, as someone with fibromyalgia who needs at least 10 hours of sleep to function optimally, this extra snoozing time is setting me up for success the following day.

Now, I'm challenging you to come up with your own “productivity” definition and try to view your activities through that lens. For me, it’s easier to avoid feeling “lazy” or guilty for “wasting time” when the activities demanded by my chronic illnesses - like food prep, extra sleep, doctor appointments, etc - fit under my umbrella definition of productivity. Maybe establishing your own view of productivity will give you an equally awesome sense of freedom!

4. Get creative while checking items off your to-do list!

If someone has figured out how to stay motivated for college classes and homework and other academic obligations 100% of the time...that person unfortunately isn't me. However, I have discovered several tricks and tips to get everything done, even when I don’t want to - and getting creative with my homework is my secret weapon.

Case in point: as a graduate student in an MFA program, I need to do a lot of reading. When I’m struggling to keep turning the pages of a book that isn’t my thang, I try to combine the reading with something I do enjoy: working out. Of course, not all exercise can be done while reading and it’s important to make sure your exercising form is still correct. However, reading while walking on the treadmill or pedaling slowly on the bike helps me focus, and it's a lot harder to get distracted when I’m “trapped” on a workout machine!

Think of what you enjoy doing and see how you could creatively incorporate those activities into your to-do list. Hate studying? Study outside or somewhere with a pretty view, or reward yourself with a five-minute solo dance party after every 30 mins of studying. Need to stretch regularly during the day because of fibromyalgia or another chronic illness, but hate how boring stretching can be? Do some of your reading for class (or for fun) while stretching on your bedroom floor.

You’ll be amazed at how much easier or quicker your homework will feel when you experiment with creative ways to get it done!

5. Don't forget to acknowledge your own awesomeness.

For me, one of the most challenging parts of going to college with a chronic illness is comparing myself to other, more “normal” students, finding myself lacking and feeling discouraged about the next day, week or even next semester of college.

When you start to fall into this comparison trap, remind yourself how awesome you really are. The harsh truth is that you are not a “typical” college student when you’re going to school with a chronic illness. You may have limitations other students don’t have to deal with (like needing more sleep) and you might not be able to juggle all of the same activities that other students can.

However, balancing college with chronic illness also means you have Beyoncé-level student swag. After all going to college is hard enough. Going to college while also dealing with doctors appointments, a special diet, medical procedures, new medications or countless other chronic illness challenges? That’s pretty dang impressive! So don’t forget everything you’ve accomplished, and use that knowledge to motivate you through another awesome semester.

It’d be a lie to say that acing college is easy, even when you don’t have chronic health conditions. However, it is possible - and I hope these motivation and productivity hacks help you get the most of college...and life afterward!

*This post first appeared at Kate the Almost Great's awesome blog. Check it out here!*

How do you stay motivated or productive? Tell me in the comments!

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