#i know this is all in lowercase but ive been losing my mind over this for the last thirty minutes

[starlightdelrey]

axe throwing - a.v + h.m

spoilers for heart break high season one and two !!!!!

anthony vaughn x harper mclean

request: hi !! could you do a sweet first date type fic for ant and harper ?? i dont really see a lot of love for them so far but I AM OBSESSED! I was thinking maybe they'd go axe throwing for a first date since harper mentioned she wanted to go. ant is lowkey scared he's going to get a limb cut off then overcompensates w the bravado just bc he can see how much she's enjoying herself. u dont have to do this at all obviously but it was just some thoughts i had popping up

in which two of the hartley kids finally get a moment of peace together (or ant thinks he's gonna lose his arm)

lowercase intended

hbh masterlist + main masterlist

cw: mentions of past trauma, mostly fluff, end of season 2, i basically made up my own timeline to make it work, ive never been to axe throwing so i made some stuff up, not proofread !!!!

---

the hartley high kids were stuck in a sort of limbo - since the school had burn down not even two weeks before the term break, the school board had decided everybody deserved an extended break to help 'unpack their trauma'. almost everyone thought it was a load of bullshit but couldn't fight having almost a month off school.

harper had been struggling, although she'd never admit it to anyone. it was unfair - every time she almost healed from one experience, a brand new one happened. darren had recently been going through a housewife phase, and in one cooking attempt, they'd accidentally set off the fire alarm. it caused the blonde to shut down for almost 24 hours, the experience of being locked in a smoke-filled projection room taking over her thoughts.

ant had accidentally been a lurker for quite a few of these mini events - like witnessing chook stare down harper at the housewarming party. when woodsy had called for harper and amerie during the fire, his whole body had been filled with a sense of dread (although he'd never tell harper how he'd fought to try and get to her).

the two decided to keep everything between them as light as possible, which had led to today's activity being set up.

harper dashed out of her shared home with darren and ca$h (their fake moans and tips for safe sex following her) and started up her borrowed car from robert.

when she drove up to ants place, he was sat outside, waiting already. harper couldn't fight the grin that stretched across her face as he wandered over to the passenger side. anthony had taken the concept of axe throwing and lumberjacks very seriously, and had dressed for the part - a plaid button up tossed, un-buttoned, over a cropped white tank top and a pair of baggy jeans.

he got in and immediately leant forward to kiss the blonde, and she pulled away with a smirk. "what's with the gay lumberjack cosplay?"

"i'm breaking lumberjack stereotypes, harps. be happy for me." but he glanced at her with a lazy grin and she shook her head, trying not to get distracted.

as they drove, ant insisted on being on aux. this meant that when spider called him, the audio was put on speaker.

"heya, spider."

"ant, you'll never-"

"hey spider!" harper piped up chirpily, and spiders whole demeanour over the phone changed.

"fuck off, harper."

"wait until i tell missy what you just said, dickhead. don't think i won't steal your girl." harper grinned as she said it, and ant turned to her quickly.

"hey!"

"you wish, harps."

---

"i actually don't think we need to throw axes," ant stood stiffly, his gloves shoved in his pocket and axe in one hand.

harper, who was in the middle of putting her safety glasses on, paused and stared. "what?"

"i just like- don't feel like losing an arm today. ya' know?" he looked at her hopefully, and harper raised a brow.

"don't worry, baby. i'll protect you."

the nickname flicked a switch in his mind, and immediately, ant was back to his usual antics. "no need, m'lady. i will be protecting you."

glasses on, harper turned to stick her tongue out at him - only to be met with the flash of a camera. "ew, ant. i look proper munted with these on. delete that."

he didn't respond, and to be fair, she didn't really care all that much anyways. the two walked forward with their safety gear fully on, prepared to let out some of their anger.

at first, they mess around a bit, until harper finally gets her axe to actually hit the target. from then on, it's a full-on war - they're making up mini competitions, tallying points, and getting into arguments.

halfway through, harper's got 12,368 points while ant has -12.

"we should totally turn our competition into a drinking game, harps. it would be so fun."

"and dangerous." harper braces herself and launches her axe at the target. "ant, we suck balls right now - imagine what it'd be like if everyone was drunk?"

"oh. ohhhhhhhh! yeah, i didn't even think of that."

"of course you didn't, babe."

ant grabs harper and yanks her closer to him, hugging her. some employee chides them for being dangerous.

"you're so pretty, harper." he's looking down at her, grinning, harpers cheeks are pink.

"you're not so bad yourself, anthony." her hand wraps around the back of his neck and pulls him closer.

---

"i cannot believe that we seriously got kicked out for making out!" harper exclaims in the car, pulling out of the parking lot.

"it was totally worth it." ant's still dazed, and he fumbles plugging his phone in.

it goes silent except for the frank ocean playing in the background, until ants phone buzzes with a notification. on instinct, harper's eyes flick to the screen - and her heart jolts.

his lock screen is a recent picture - one of harper, eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched. her tongues poking out and her hairs a little wild, but she looks happy.

"ant! is that the picture you just took of me?"

"of course it is. can't get it out of my head, it's seriously driving me crazy." he looks down at the picture, a slight blush on his face.

"you just wait until i get a new picture of you, vaughn."

---

[vividaway]

Alex threw her head back before looking around the ceiling. She never noticed it before, but there were hundreds of stars painted across the entire rooms ceiling. They moved across her field of vision, almost dancing with each other.

"Yeah, but it's not that easy, you know. You're probably used to all this media training, but I have zero clue what I'm doing. I can't just freak everyone out!"

Oliver shuffled his feet below him. "I don't think I'll be of use to you." he eventually said, picking his hands up in an moment of not knowing. 

"Okay. I know what to say. I'll just tell them I fell ill." She said, grabbing her laptop in her hands and pitter-pattering her fingers across the keyboard. "Are you serious? What did you just say about lying?" Oliver retorted, pushing the laptop screen shut. "Oh, come on! This is completely different. If people find out I'm staying at this hotel, they'll flip out. Like, seriously flip out. It would be bad for me, and probably you as well."

Oliver's hands hovered over the laptop screen for a moment before letting go. "You're going to cause a media storm. You know that, right?" 

Alex shrugged off his words. So what if she did? Her entire life was a confusing mess, so she might as well create a mess for somebody else to have to clean up. "Do you know who my managers are by chance?"

He laughed. "No, I don't. That information isn't as public as people would like to believe."

"Damn it. I have access to my contacts, but I don't know who is who. I could theoretically just call and ask everybody who they are, but that would look suspicious as fuck. Why wouldn't I know who they are? They'd figure it out easily." she shook her head at the end of her sentence.

"You're just going to have to wait for them to contact you, sadly."

Alex nodded, and laid down in her bed. Oliver eventually made his way out of her room and went about his day. He made it his mission to bother her, she thought, or at least, that's how he was acting. Constantly checking up on her. Constantly in her room. Could he never leave her alone? 

It was kind of nice to have somebody to talk to at first, but she was really driving herself insane. There's only so many things you can talk about when you're hooked up to an IV drip and forced to stay in bed all day. She was slowly losing her mind and going stir crazy.

She pulled her laptop back out and opened up her social media, with the drafted tweet still out. She kept it in her drafts, and tweeted a simple "hi" all lowercase. People quickly interacted and were relieved to see she was okay.

"Andie Gray Is OKAY" trended after that, and it made her heart swell a bit. To have two trending hashtags about her in the span of 48 hours was impressive, she thought, and she couldn't believe she was actually here.

She always dreamed of celebrity status as a kid. She always wanted to escape where she was previously living, and run away to a lifestyle of luxury and wealth where she could do anything she please, with anyone she pleased. She never expected to actually end up here one day. 

It was insane to think about, really. It was like her dreams had come true overnight, and she was just expected to deal with the downfall of everything that happened as a result. She wasn't allowed to speak on whatever happened, because she truly didn't know. 

It was going to be a long process, and she knew she was in for it.

The rest of the time in her hotel room had been spent diligently filling up pages of her journal with everything she could remember. She had her nightmares written down, which had been a reoccurring process when she was a teenager, so she assumed this was related to that. Journaling was really freeing for her. Like speaking to a friend who you didn't have to comfort or care for. 

Somebody who was forced to listen to you vent, and didn't need to be in a good head space to do so. It was easy to get her thoughts out when nobody was there eyeing her up like a piece of meat they were judging for quality and expectations on. No hard feelings, nothing in the way, just getting her feelings out and truly expressing herself.

READ THE REST HERE

[feypact]

bought an ashijirou butterfly soup redraw from cyan @e8luhs and you WILL commission them too right now

[noritoshiikamo]

this is how you fall in love

pairing: kuroo tetsuroo + fem!oc genre: friends into lovers fluff with slight suggestive end tags//warning: nothing major // slight suggestive at the end if you squint enough note: the obligatory trio of mine: not well edited, lowercase intended, english isnt my first language im sorry if i murder it. o wow look ive been posting back to back, ive been writing nonstop lately watch me ghost my stories in few weeks guys my brain = rotting, plus lately ive been feeling emotionally abuseddrained so i need something fluffy

listen to this is how you fall in love by jeremy zucker + chelsea cutler for maximum feels

“you’re a lifesaver.”

kuroo huffed, eyes rolling back with a small laugh as he unlaced his sneakers and slipped the room slipper on. it was odd to see the gymnasium without any nets or balls sprawled around. the gym has been closed for a week now in preparation for the upcoming open school event and currently under the art club’s jurisdiction. under her jurisdiction with her canvases and paints and it pained him to see her ruining his sacred place. he carried two plastic bags and holding two boba teas in the same hand. he wasn’t sure which one she was more excited for; the boba, the paints she made him ran to an art supply shop or him. she reached out, the bobas in his hand exchanged as she settled it on the floor, and she squealed at the sight of the plastic bag. he frowned.

yup, not him.

tins of different colors of paint that she ran out mid painting that she forgot to buy had her dialing his number and now it’s all here. all thanks to kuroo tetsuro. she grimaced at the price tags; it was costly than her usual one. usually, she would’ve gotten her supplies online, but desperate measure calls for desperate solution. she could always claim her expenses with the club. typical kuroo, she huffed. he always preached about getting the best, not minding the price tags but she’ll be the victim of his nonstop complaining that he’s getting broke every single day. she tucked a stray hair back and mentally counted how much she owed the man as she arranged the tins on the table.

kuroo noticed that look; same look she had when they are in the math class and he clicked his tongue, “tch, you’re not paying.”

“i’m reimbursing you with the club money,” she shook her head and reached for her bag, “please kuroo, it’s so expensive.”

he reached for her wrist and she dropped the tote bag as he invaded her space. kuroo rested the palm of her hand right above his heart, his own around the waist and another under her chin as he tilted her chin up. his heartbeat was erratic, and she flushed. “it’s okay,” he said, softly. her lips formed into a small pout and he fought the urge to just kiss her.

their dynamic is something even kenma couldn’t figure it out.

they weren’t exactly dating. they are friends, close friends, and classmates. it has always been him, her and occasionally yaku; creating the chaotic duo/trio of class 5. they both played volleyballs, both captains while he’s the middle blocker, she’s their female team’s setter. they knew a lot of each other’s friends from other schools; he was the reason why she dated akaashi keiji from the first place. it was selfish of kuroo to admit to bokuto a month after they started dating that he disliked the idea of them together. typical kuroo is no longer snarky, he felt lost, felt like he was losing his other half. so, he confided to his close friend, the simpleton ace.

“you didn’t make any moves, kuroo, you can’t blame them.”

bokuto noted as them both stared at the two setters, playing around the fallen cherry blossoms. bokuto never seen akaashi smiled that much and kuroo could only wished that she smiled the same way to him. kuroo stared at the half bitten onigiri he’d been holding, suddenly every bite he took tasted bitter. every trace of akaashi on her gave him bitter taste. she liked wearing akaashi’s jersey; kuroo longed to see her in his own numbered jersey; she’s his number one after all. her own jersey number is as same as akaashi. it’s not like kuroo could hate anything he did; he treated her well. akaashi was a perfect boyfriend and everyone knew. that’s why kuroo hates him; he gave him no reason to hate the dude. it didn’t last long however, they drifted apart 6 months later, sending her to kuroo’s doorstep soaked in rain.

he stared at her soaked figure with no thoughts in mind.

“he dumped me,” she said, voice hoarse and shivering.

he was alone and was about to leave for kenma’s, but he couldn’t leave her alone. dropping his keys on the small table by the door, he threw his jacket back in the closet. “come in,” he whispered, pulling her figure in. dropping her bag on the floor, she clutched on his sleeves as she kicked off her soaking shoes. “i’m sorry, my mom isn’t home and i can’t find my keys,” she was a blabbering mess and he hushed her. he left her for a few minutes, coming back with a steaming towel and a clean shirt and pants. “it’s from the dryer. you can borrow my sister’s clothes,” grabbing her hands, they ran upstairs where he took her to the bathroom. she was too quiet, so he called her name. when she looked up to him, her eyes were red. she was no longer crying, more confused and upset. her cheeks flushed and he could see her teeth chattering. he wished nothing but to throw his fist at the man. finally, he got a reason to square up the stoic man; he always hates the way nothing could riled up akaashi.

“he’s stupid for doing you like this.”

she shook her head, “it’s nobody’s fault.”

“then stop blaming yourself,” he ruffled her hair, a small smile appeared from the corner of her lips as she watched him disappeared closing the door behind him. he left her with the hot water running, urgently grabbing the mop and bucket from the kitchen, and wiping the trail of her soaked feet has left before it could ruin the wooden floor.

cant come over, busy, ill tell u later

kuroo texted kenma. the pudding head left him on read.

they spend the night together, sitting on the floor with pillows pilling against the end of the bed as they sat in arms. he had his tv opened to one of the late-night game show. they sat in silence, her head rested on his shoulder and her lips pressed into a tiny line. at the corner of his eyes, he could see her phone’s notifications blaring despite being on mute. the number isn’t saved but it was familiar. she deleted his number already, probably out of rage, but it’s a good step.

tell me where you want me to drop your stuff im sorry i hope youre okay y/n? i heard it was storming did you make it back home? give me a call im calling you okay?

just as like what the message stated, the unknown number called her. it startled her which startled him too. she stared down on the screen, he noticed the grip on the phone and wondered how the phone did not break yet. “can you answer it for me?” she said, holding the phone out to the black-haired man. shocked, he took the phone and pressed the green button. he pressed the phone to his ear and heard her name being called.

“hey man,” kuroo cleared his throat, “listen-”

“she’s with you?” the voice- akaashi asked.

looking down on the girl who was pretending to not have any interest in the call at all, eyes focused on the gameshow, kuroo sighed.

“she is. listen, i think you should leave her alone.”

“kuroo, i know about your feelings. for her. bokuto-san told me about it. if you think that this is the proper way to get her when she’s vulne-”

kuroo bit the inside of his cheeks. he was offended that akaashi dared to call him out like that. “so, what? she made her pick,” the girl turned to face him, brows up wondering what they are talking about.

“that’s low, even for you, kuroo-san.”

their eyes met. he didn’t even realize how deep the cut on his palm where he had balled his fingers into a fist until she touched it. he calmed down. “you hurt her. you have no right to say what’s low or not. be a bigger man, leave her alone,” he muttered flatly, before ending the call. they didn’t break eye contact until he realized what he had done.

“i-i shouldn’t have done that.”

she shook her head, “stop blaming yourself,” a small smile on her face.

that was 3 months ago.

kuroo had made moving on easy for her. akaashi and her remained friendly, although kuroo noticed that she tended to avoid him when possible. the breakup was indeed mutual, but merely on the fact that he lost feelings. akaashi had fallen out of love with her and in love with some other girl but who was she to judge when she was falling in love with the rooster head in silence. they still hang out with bokuto and akaashi but rarely with the latter.

she made him apologized to the fukurodani’s setter too and they remained on friendly term, still practiced together whenever they have training camps together where akaashi had admitted one training night that kuroo and her looks better together. kuroo didn’t say anything, not that he knew what to reply to that (his mind scream fuck yeah we do) but shrugged at his statement. “i guess dating her made you less pain in the ass, kuroo-san,” akaashi joked as they resumed the game.

kuroo was pulled back to reality when he felt his lips brushed against something. his eyes widened when he realized what it was. a quick kiss from her. he blinked frantically, trying to comprehend what had just happened which caused the girl to laugh. “did you just?” he asked confused by what had just happened which she nodded. she bit her bottom lip to hold herself from bursting into a laugh. “god, you should see your face. it’s so stupid. and every girl called you the playboy captain huh?”

he huffed and rolled his eyes, “i am not. i’ve been loyal to one girl for many years now, she is the one who hasn’t notice me at all,” he faked his pout, refused to look her directly in the eyes, praying that she wouldn’t notice his reddening cheeks.

“she must’ve been so stupid,” she teased, her nose rubbing gently against his jawline as she rested her figure against his closer. his chin rested against her head.

“she is,” he looked down on her, his arms around her waist tighter, “i don’t think she knows this but if she leaves me, i think i’ll be so broken inside. is it selfish to say that?” a small frown appeared on her face.

“i don’t think she ever talked about leaving you.”

a grin grew on his face, “so you know who i’m talking about huh?” she fell into his trap. she rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, calling him stupid. he studied her face, his grin softened into what yaku and his volleyball team called the kuroo is stupidly in love with y/n but refused to admit face. his fingers ran into her hair which she had been growing out in few months down to her shoulder because she thinks that he likes her better that way. the way she tried to subtly put on make up to look better that the other girls who’s shamelessly flirting with him. she was too stupid to realize that he had loved her beyond that.

he loves the rough pads on her hands from holding her paintbrushes and volleyball. he loves that she works hard for everything she’s doing be it studying, volleyball or arts, she would put her blood, sweat and tears into it. he loves that she would wait for him to buy lunch so they can eat together in class. he would buy her a box of milk which she insisted that she doesn’t need too; but he convinced it would be good for her. he wants the best for her.

he loves that all the missing clothes he’s complaining about is in the back of her closet or on her. his cream hoodie hanging behind her closet door, his random pile of t-shirts in a basket on the floor of her closet that he liked to left beside the mix pile of her shoes and his one big ass nike shoes. her room isn’t messy, it is because she kept the messiness in her closet. she also like to keep random stuff of him too. the one medal he won from a science fair hung on the headboard of her bed, the misshapen looking hand wax sculpture of their hands intertwined from a funfair where she rested a purikura of them on it and a lucky bamboo plant he gave on her birthday to compromise on the no gift rule.

“for luck,” he grinned.

unlike hers, he kept her item neatly in his drawer. your spare shirts that he borrowed and refused to return, extra towel and her toiletries, some of her drawing blocks and a small cat shaped pouch where she kept her allergies medication. mostly hidden because his annoying friends come over often and would accidentally talk about it in front of his grandparents. but, on his bedside table, he has a cup of pencils by the bed where he collected the art supplies she left behind, random markers and paintbrushes, a clay sculpture of a trinket plate she made from art club (she carved a tiny letter k in the corner beside the obvious looking genitalia drawing) and a fake plant which she was sure he will not be able to kill it.

he loves it when she wore his jersey. he lost his mind when he found out that her current season number is the same as his. he’s in love. the first time he saw her in his jersey, the number one jersey on her body was during their training. he lost concentration; mouth hung a bit. he got so flustered that he let lev served the ball straight to his head. usually, lev would be dead by now, but he doesn’t mind. his nose bled but to see her kneel beside him, clutching on his own shirt screaming how stupid he is, wiping the blood away with towel, he could only say how pretty she looked. all his teammates were startled, her included. she clutched on his collar angrily; her knees stung from when she leaped down to his side, but this idiot could only smile at her with a bloody nose. “you are fucking idiot,” she cried out angrily, pushing him away before throwing the towel on his face leaving the pleased third year laying on the floor.

he loves the way she would find a way to impress him, be it as ridiculous as the halloween costume idea she had where they’ll go as the front and end of a horse or as serious as the submitted college application to the same university he had gotten into. “you are not getting rid of me that easily, tetsu,” the evil look on her face as she clicked the submit button send shivers down his spine.

“if you leave, i think i’ll cry,” he confessed, his smile slowly died.

“kuroo tetsuro is going to cry after me?” she teased. he nodded eagerly. “does kuroo tetsuro realized that we are literally moving into the same university? i couldn’t catch a break from him,” she faked her annoyance which he playfully avenged by sending her on the floor laughing as he tickled her. tears trickled down her cheeks as she begged him to stop, screaming to get away from his grip. “please, kuroo, i’m going to pee if you don’t stop!” he obliged, tears prickled the corner of his own eyes from laughing too much. straddling her waist, he gathered her wrists in one hand over her head. “apologize and said that kuroo tetsuro is the best man in your life or i swear i’ll make you pee,” he threatened her playfully, wiggling the fingers of his free hand close to her waist. her eyes widened in fears.

“that’s not fair!”

“apologize first.”

“fine!” she pouted, “i’m sorry, i won’t make fun of you again. now get off me!”

he raised his eyebrow, “andddd?”

“annddd-” a teasing smile appeared on her face as she said the next 5 words that send him to mars and back; “i love you kuroo tetsuro.”

he froze in shock. he heard the words before but never in this way; never for him.

finally, i think i got the calculation, love you yaku! lev you’re adorable but so stupid, i love it! thank you for letting me borrow your game, kenma. you’re the best, love ya!

the grip on her wrists loosened. taking advantage of his shock state, she pushed him back, straddling him by the waist, pinning his own hands above his head, giving him the taste of his own medicine. “i’m not going to leave your sorry ass, tetsu. i hope you don’t regret it,” she leaned down, capturing his lips with a longer kiss. letting go of his wrist, her hand went immediately into his rooster hair while another cupped his cheek, deepening their kiss. she could feel his cold palm resting against her bare waist and she shuddered. between the kisses, he heard her whispering his name. “kuroo, do you love me too?” she asked so innocently with kisses between the words but the way she grabbed a handful of his hand in a fist felt so dirty, eliciting a strangled moan from the back of his throat. she pulled back, staring down on his eyes as his lips moved.

“i love you too.”

nothing in his hazel eye but sincerity. he groaned when she pulled herself out of his reach, missing her warm body as she laughed. straightening her sweater back, pulling her hair back up into a tighter ponytail before she picked up the paintbrush she dropped. the paintbrush left a white stain on the court. as if kuroo wasn’t here, whimpering underneath her a minute ago, she continued her work. “i need to finish the mural by this week and you’re not exactly helping me,” she warned him, pointing the wet brush his direction. through the corner of her eyes, he was propped on his elbows, still staring at her, causing her to blush profusely. it annoyed him that she would tease him, then leaving him high and dry. before she could crack open the new paint tin, he ignored her warning as he tackled her back into his arms.

breathless against her lips, he told her to continue later. the urgency and rawness of his voice made her putty immediately. looking up the man, she pouted her lips.

“kuroo-san,” she whined as he captured her bottom lips.

he elicited a soft moan from the girl. he grinned against her lips. a hand rested firmly beside her head while another snaked under the sweater. there will be bruise tomorrow, she was sure of it, he will make sure of it.

“it will be quick, baby. i promise.”

she has no objection.

[euphoriahrs]

bittersweet | jjk [i.may]

» pairing: manhwa artist!jeongguk x oc

» genre: roommate au

» synopsis: it’s easier to act indifferent than to show vulnerability.

» word count: 2.2k

» disclaimer: contains strong language, but very little

» rated pg 13

*lowercase is intended*

[series mlist]

chapters: i. | ii. | iii. | iv. | v. | vi. | vii. | viii. | ix. | x. | xi. | xii.

© euphoriahrs (please do not steal or copy in any form)

a/n: this is my first book, so don’t forget to reblog and let me know what you think about it!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 late spring heat welcomed haewon’s skin as she exited the apartment building with a satisfied smirk and made her way to the park.

the town that she lived in was not that far from the city but close enough so she could go anytime she wanted. it was more peaceful in this town whereas, in the city, there was commotion all day and night.

since she was little, she loved being alone with her thoughts in silence. during her school years, she was okay with being a loner. sure she had friends she would hang out with from time to time, but she preferred having time to herself. now that was something that she rarely had the privilege of having since she moved into her apartment and got a job.

the complex that she stayed in was well kept, not the best of the best, but good enough. the rent was manageable since she shared the apartment with a roommate that she had gotten to know during the past couple of months. the roommate in question was a special case, one that she either enjoyed or despised, but mostly despised.

her legs unconsciously strolled past the numerous buildings on the streets, though one, in particular, caught her eye, one that she hadn’t noticed before. letting curiosity take over, she decided to take a detour and have a peek at the building.

when she got closer it turned out to be an ice cream parlor. the building had a cute but simple modern style to it.

a bell rang as she walked in alarming the worker that there was a customer. she looked around, noticing the green and white modern furniture.

“hello! welcome to rocky’s road!” the girl greeted in a bored state.

haewon glanced at the girl, she was quite pretty, she had a cute girl next door appearance. she was average height, maybe shorter, with honey skin, straight black hair, brown doe eyes, and cute round lips.

haewon, who had slightly sharper features and a slightly darker skin tone, with dark hair that was dyed with ash purple highlights that was always kept in a ponytail, gave her a more mature appearance compared to the girl.

“hi,” haewon approached the register with a small smile. enjoying the smell of fresh waffle cones. “what can i get you today?” the girl asked.

haewon glanced at her name tag, yujin, then directed her attention to the menu on the wall. feeling slightly overwhelmed as there were so many different flavors and combinations to choose from, she continued to stare at the possibilities.

yujin noticed her struggle. “i recommend our special the rocky mountains, which is three scoops of our homemade rocky road in a waffle bowl with drizzled chocolate syrup on the bottom two scoops, marshmallow sauce drizzled on all three and chocolate chips sprinkled all over!” she excitedly explained.

haewon rubbed her chin contemplating whether she should get the treat or not.

after a couple of seconds, she grinned, “sure, i’ll take one of those.”

“that’ll be $4.74. you won’t regret it!” yujin chimed. haewon half smiled, “i hope i won’t,” she paused and adds, “has this place always been here?” still wondering why she hasn’t noticed it before.

“no, we just opened a couple of days ago. there used to be another restaurant here, i don’t remember what it was, but I do know that they ran out of business after drunken fights repeatedly happened and it ruined their image, so no one wanted to dine in,” yujin replied preparing the ice cream.

haewon let out a soft ‘oh’ and walked away to one of the chairs close by. she looked around to get more familiar with her surroundings and pulled out her phone to play a game to help pass time.

suddenly it felt like all of the air was pushed out of her lungs when she remembered what the building used to be. this building used to be the pizzeria that she had been wanting to visit since she moved to this area but never had the time to due to the schedule of her job.

she let out a heavy sigh and turned off her phone not being in the mood to play her game anymore. she dropped her head onto the table to cope with the pain. yujin shot her head up to make sure her customer was okay before focusing back on work.

“i was hoping that i’ll get a chance to eat there soon,” haewon internally groaned. that was the only place that seemed to have decent pizza in this town. she groaned again when another wave of sadness and regret washed over her as she grieved.

a few minutes passed and yujin brings out her finished ice cream and smiled cheerfully, “here’s your order,” she paused, “earlier it seemed as if you were upset about that restaurant not being here anymore. i’m sorry for that, but now you have the parlor that you can come to anytime you like,” she smiled cheekily, “so your next order will be on the house,” trying to cheer the girl up.

haewon was about to object the offer but yujin continued to speak, “i’m actually new to this town and haven’t had the chance to meet anyone yet because i’ve been busy working and organizing my apartment… so would you like to possibly hang out sometime?” she perked with puppy eyes.

haewon froze for a second thinking yujin was coming off a little too strong but thought about how she needed new friends as well. she lost contact with her old friends from high school after they all graduated. she was the only one to lose contact with them, they on the other hand, were all still great friends and went to the same college. but due to her habits of not wanting to talk to anyone, she didn’t try to keep in touch with her friends even if she felt that she should’ve.

haewon nodded at yujin’s request not wanting her to be upset if she didn’t give her an answer in a few seconds.

yujin squealed, “i’m sure that you know my name already, but it’s yujin.”

haewon answered, “and i’m haewon.”

the two chatted for a little longer before haewon remembered that she wanted to go to the park, so they said their goodbyes and she was on her way.

she ate her ice cream on the way enjoying the peaceful outdoors around her, the calm before the storm she thought . her smile transformed into a smirk when she thought about what she did earlier that morning.

when the park was in sight, her thoughts quickly went away, excited to finally be able to reach her destination.

she skipped her way to the park, weaving through running kids to get to the abandoned set of swings that she found on a whim when she first moved into the area.

☽ ⋆ ☾

it was a brighter night than usual with the light of the full moon shining down. haewon thought that it was the perfect night to explore the new area, so she grabbed her phone and left the apartment that her residing roommate was currently knocked out in.

she casually strolled through the streets enjoying the quiet night and being in her thoughts when a playground across the street caught her interest. quickening her pace to cross the road, her feet made contact with the sidewalk and continued towards the playground.

she was looking around reminiscing to when she was a kid playing on the slides, chasing and tormenting other kids with bugs and worms when she noticed a silhouette in a wooded area not too far away from where she was. she headed deeper into the area, stepping on sticks and dead leaves on the way to search for what the object was.

carefully, she stepped closer until it was in view. it was a swing set. that had been left to rust and be forgotten, to spend the rest of its time falling apart until it was completely in shambles.

she was walking towards the set when she froze in place. there was a shuffling noise coming out of the bushes close by. her eyes widened and the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood up.

“it’s close to midnight, who would be out at- oh yeah, me.” she quivered. trying to calm down, she blindly tried to search the area but wasn’t very effective because the trees blocked most of the moonlight. so she waited a few seconds to see if the noise was going to reoccur before continuing to walk to the swings.

she didn’t even get to take five steps before there was another shuffle coming from the bushes.

she jumped in surprise and failed to land on her feet with a thud, mumbling a stream of explicit words as she got up. then she remembered that she took taekwondo and silently thanked the gods that her dad forced her to take those lessons back in middle school.

“i’ll have to thank dad later,” she pondered. feeling somewhat prepared, she stood up, dusted the back of her pants off, and got in position ready for anything that could come out of that bush.

a figure slowly started to creep out causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up even further than before, if that was possible.

her nervous thoughts rapidly shot through her mind. trying as hard as she could to block them out, she quietly hummed a random melody that she thought of on the spot.

her eyes locked onto where the target currently was. the small amount of moonlight allowed her to at least see the silhouette of the figure.

after a few moments, the figure finally sprinted out. quickly gathering up her courage, haewon dashed right towards the figure but stopped midway letting out the breath that she didn’t know she was holding in.

“a cat?” she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in agitation.

“a cat got me that scared? a fucking cat?!” she exasperated. a few moments passed in silence so she could gather her thoughts. her whole life flashed before her eyes just because of a cat?

“boo!” she quickly spun in the direction of the voice only to find an older man that looked to be in his fifties standing proudly with his coat opened in his hands.

“wha-” she screamed with terror after she realized what she was witnessing while covering her not so virgin eyes.

in a split second, she ran at full speed towards the man. who once had a sly grin, now was shocked in place as she lunged her knee at his exposed balls and scurried her way back to the apartment.

☽ ⋆ ☾

she spotted the woods and ran for the swings.

while eating the rest of her ice cream, she listened to the late morning conversations of the birds along with the trees rustling in the background, shifting the sun’s rays. butterflies, dragonflies, and other little insects flew through the empty spaces filled with the sun’s rays, weaving through trees and other bugs. occasionally, she would see a butterfly or two become a bird’s lunch. the moving sun rays gently radiated off her skin as she looked at the ladybug that was chilling on the seat beside her. she enjoyed the relaxing ambiance before it was to be interrupted.

haewon got off of the swing and headed to the recycling bin for plastic to dump her empty ice cream bowl away. as she walked back to the swings suddenly a song from her favorite band the rose interrupted the conversations that took place around her.

a toothy grin appeared on her face. she looked at the time on her small wristwatch. it was about time that her roommate would decide to wake up since it was the weekend.

she grabbed her phone from her back pocket, her grin turning into the one the cheshire cat possesses and accepted the call. but before she could answer, a husky livid voice boomed through the speaker, “haewon! what the fuck is wrong with you?!”

her smirk not faltering one bit “what’s wrong?” she asked with her voice laced in fake concern and chuckling to herself, “this isn’t funny haewon! you’re as good as dead when you come back,” the voice shouted with irritation. haewon burst into laughter. her boisterous laugh combined with the booming voice coming from her phone occupied the area around her.

“don’t- don’t act like your the innocent one here,” she tried to say in between laughs still imagining how he must look being upset over such a harmless prank.

a few moments later and she’s hunched over with tears stained on her face. she heard her name being said on the other side of the phone. “see ya” she breathed heavily and hung up feeling too tired to talk to them anymore.

after she caught her breath and cleared her mind, she stood back up and wiped her face before making a beeline to the apartment ready to embrace the storm or maybe just a squall that she had awakened.

[eddlestonian]

Passwords

001 Many sites on the internet require passwords.  Although they seem a nuisance, they protect you.  Consider them like a key to a door.  

002 Why bother with passwords?

(i) Financial Management

For most people this means online banking.  If you use a weak password it is likely it will eventually get hacked.  Needless to say this could result in you losing money.

(ii) Auction Sites

If someone hacked your account they could make binding bids or buy things in your name.

(iii) Stock Trading

This is like (i) plus (ii).  Someone could buy or sell stock or have stock transferred.

(iv) Social Media

Hacked social media accounts can be used to post compromising messages that could embarrass or defame somebody, be used for harassment, or to build up a picture of who you are and everyone you know.  This could result in a visit from the police.  Social media is also very useful for hackers for enabling identity theft.

(v) Shops

Hacking one of your shopping accounts (e.g. Amazon) would only be an issue if you have a “stored” payment method such as credit card details.

If you discover that your payment information was used to ship unexpected goods to an unknown location, it’s clear that someone has hacked your account.

(vi) Gambling

A hacker could generate debts on your behalf.

003 How To Design a Good Password

The important things when designing a password (in order) are make it -  

(i) Memorable,

(ii) Long – the longer the better (at least 12 characters),

(iii) Complex,

(iv) Different for different sites.

004 The Core of the Password

First of all create a “core” password with a string of letters.  Three ways ways of doing this include -  

(i) Initial Letters

Open your favourite book.  Go to a memorable page e.g. your birthday. Read the first sentence.  For me this would be “The Age of Reason” by Sartre.  My birthday is on the 23rd.  The first sentence of the first paragraph on page 23 is “Boris bitterly regretted never having been there, he would certainly go if it reopened.”

This makes bbrnhbthwcgiir – 14 characters.  If I forget it I just have to go to my favourite book.

(ii) Relevant but Not Guessable Words

This could be a street name, hill names, school name, stream name(s), car. Don’t use words relevant to you or close family.  However, you could use a relative’s street name etc.  Hill or mountain names, especially if non-English, are good.  Similarly, the name of your school is bad because a hacker could probably get it from Facebook. So use a relative’s school instead.  The advice regarding streams/rivers is the same as for hills/mountains.  If the resulting password is too short add something relevant.

So, examples from these could be -

springwoodbank (where my parents-in-law lived)

anteallach (a Scottish mmountain)

bluemountainsgrammar (a school in Australia)

severnriver (a river far away)

deloreanbelfast (not my car!)

or -

Look out of the window -  flowerwheelbarrowbinhusband

Look at your wall - picturetelevisionblue

Look at your spouse - greynoseartist

(iii) A Silly Phrase

Examples could be -

weneedanewcomputer

mustremembermilk

quickbrowndogs

lillylikeschocolate

myneighbourisnoisy

dollypartonhasbigboobies

These are long and memorable.

005 Make The Password More Secure

The core password generated as above satisfies the first two criteria – long and memorable.  You could use it as it is.  However, to make it even better we can add complexity.  There are three easy ways of doing it – add special characters and/or numbers and use mixed case.  But where to put the number and special characters?  The easiest is between each word (ignoring example (iii) above) but the better way would be to place it in random places.  The downside here is that random places make   it less memorable.

(i) Special characters such as !, £, $, _

flower_wheelbarrowbinhusband

bbrnh£bthwcgiir

springwood!bank

we_need£a$new_computer

Bear in mind that some sites only allow certain special characters.

(ii) Numbers

The question here is how to decide what numbers to use.  Anything relevant to you or your close family is bad because it is available online from various sources (e.g. Facebook, Linkedin, Ancestry).  Of course 123456 is bad.  You could use something random but then it won’t be so easily memorable.  Ignoring close family, you could use the birth date of, say, your mother (or even better, your grandmother).  For me that would be 07071936.  You could use one or more of these numbers -

flower07wheelbarrow07bin19husband35

bb07rnhb07thw19cgiir35

07spring07woodbank1935

w07eneedane07wco19mput35er

(iii) Mix upper and lowercase letters

FlowerwheelbarrowbinhusbanD

bbrnhbthwcGiir

SpringWoodBank

wEnEEdanEwcomputEer

(iv) To make an extremely secure password, use all three complexity methods -

Flower_07wheelbarrow07bin19husbanD35

bb07rnh£b07thw19cGiir35

07Spring07Wood!Bank1935

w_07EnEEd£a$nE07w__co19mput35Er

006 Create Different Passwords For Different Websites

You could use the same password for each website but if that gets hacked it would mean the hacker would have access to all of your accounts online.  So, how to make it unique for each website?  Here are some suggestions.

(i) Add the name of the site to your password

Flower_07wheelbarrow07bin19husbanD35amazon

bb07rnh£b07thw19cGiir35ebay

07Spring07Wood!Bank1935twitter

w_07EnEEd£a$nE07w__co19mput35Erfineartamerica

(ii) Add an acronym relevant to the site

Flower_07wheelbarrow07bin19husbanD35azn

bb07rnh£b07thw19cGiir35eb

07Spring07Wood!Bank1935twt

w_07EnEEd£a$nE07w__co19mput35Erfaa

(iii) Add numbers

How to choose a number relevant to the site?  An easy way is the length of the name of the site -

Amazon = 6

Ebay = 4

Twitter = 7

Fineartamerica = 14

To make it harder for the hacker “pad” it to three digits; -

Amazon =  006

Ebay = 004

Twitter = 007

Finartamerica = 012

So we get -

Flower_07wheelbarrow07bin19husbanD35006

bb07rnh£b07thw19cGiir35004

07Spring07Wood!Bank1935007

w_07EnEEd£a$nE07w__co19mput35Er012

007 Storing Passwords

Generally speaking, storing passwords anywhere is a bad idea but if you really can’t remember your passwords, here is some advice.

(i) Write Them Down

Writing your passwords on a piece of paper and sticking it to your screen or under your keyboard is a bad idea.  

So find that favourite book again and your favourite page and slip your password note in there.  What happens if a burgler finds it? Burglars rarely, if ever, are interested in passwords – they are looking for cash or small high value items to sell on quickly.

If you have accepted the advice above you have a core password used for all sites.  For each site you have added a three-digit number at the end.  This means all you have to do is store your core password because you can work out which password to use for each site but others would have a hard time figuring it out.  

For example, instead of storing

Flower_07wheelbarrow07bin19husbanD35006

use

Flower_07wheelbarrow07bin19husbanD35

Even if a burglar/hacker tries to use the password it will not work anywhere.

(ii) Password Manager

A password manager is a computer program that allows users to store, generate and manage their passwords for local applications and online services.

Types of password managers include:

locally installed software applications

online services accessed through website portals

locally accessed hardware devices that serve as keys

Password managers typically require a user to generate and remember a master password to unlock the password manager.  Many password managers offer additional services such as storage of credit card and frequent flier information.

Password managers come and go but the popular ones in 2021 are LastPass, myki, LogmeOnce, Norton and bitwarden

The two downsides of using a password manager are that you usually have to pay for it and, of course, if the password manager gets hacked your passwords are exposed.

(iii) Security Key

A security key looks a bit like a USB pen.  It allows you to securely log into your accounts without having to key in passwords.  They usually just plug into a USB port.

There are various security keys available so its worth shopping around and comparing them.  For example scan.co.uk sells the Hypersecu FIDO Titanium Pro (works in Windows, Apple devices and Android) which currently does well in reviews.

In addition to managing passwords a security key can combat real-time attacks such as man-in-the-middle (MITM), prevent phishing, make keylogging impossible and protect PINs from brute force attacks.

The problem is that they can be difficult to set up.

008 How To get Hacked (Bad Security Online)

(i) Use Number Substitutions in Passwords

Common substitutions are -

a = @

s = $

o = 0

e = 3

i /l = 1

So, ”myamazonassword” becomes “my@m@z0nA$$w0rd”

Hackers are aware of this so number substitution is a bad idea.

Note – this is substitution not addition (discussed above).

(ii) Use Personal Information in Passwords

Examples are -

Your birthday,

Close family names (sons, daughters),

Pet name,

Your address.

(iii) Repeating Characters in Passwords

1234567

aaaaaaaaa

abcdefg

abcabcabc

(iv) Same Password for All Sites

Someone who culls your Facebook or Twitter password in a phishing exploit could, for example, access your bank account.   Reusing passwords for email, banking, and social media accounts can lead to identity theft. Two recent breaches revealed a password reuse rate of 31% among victims.

(v) Auto Sign In

Do not allow your computer to automatically sign into sites on boot-up

(vi) “remember me”, Automatic sign-in option

Do not use “remember me” or Automatic sign-in option which is available on some web sites.

(vii) Alien Computers

Do not enter passwords on a computer you don’t control, such as a friend’s computer, because you don’t know what spyware or keyloggers might be on that machine.

(viii) Open WiFi

Do not access password-protected accounts over open WiFi networks or any other network you don’t trust unless the site is secured via HTTPS. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) if you travel a lot.

(ix) Keyboard Combinations in Passwords

Avoid consecutive keyboard combinations such as qwerty or asdfg.

(x) Security Questions

The names of spouses, kids, other relatives, or pets, can be deduced with a little research.  When you click the “forgot password” link within a webmail service or other site you are often asked to answer a question or series of questions.  The answers can often be found on your social media profile.  This is how Sarah Palin’s Yahoo account was hacked.

(xi) Social engineering

This is an elaborate type of lying.  An alternative to traditional hacking, it is the act of manipulating others into performing certain actions or divulging confidential information.

[stylessemantics]

#13: Playing your fingers through their hair while sitting next to them on the couch #49: Giving them a tight hug that makes them lose their breath.

requested by: @adultinginrealtime intended lowercase. 757 words.  feedback please

     traveling always took a toll on Harry. he was the kind to miss home a bit too much back when things started, and though it got better with time he never truly overcame the homesickness, specially when he had someone to come back to. at first it was just his family and a couple of friends that soon turned into a handful, but he didn’t mind the dropping numbers, he cared for the quality of friends more. 

     as time went by he found himself basically landing on your couch. you, one of his closest friends since diapers, and who’s been there through it all, without faltering. he wouldn’t even call you just a friend anymore, you were part of his family. part of his heart. 

     he enjoyed coming back home, coming back to you. it didn’t matter how exhausting the trip was, you always eased his mind and helped the homesickness he felt during the long months. whenever you or anyone of his family members could join him on tour it was like he got a little piece of home with him that he never wanted to say goodbye to, but he had to, with the promise of reuniting again. 

    through the years you had developed somewhat of a routine, because harry was that kind of person, the kind of person that liked security and he claimed that your embrace gave him that – actively setting butterflies free in your tummy. 

     he’d come home and show up and it didn’t matter what you were doing, you had to promise him a movie night as soon as possible, to catch up and just lay on your couch or his, limbs tangled together under layers of blankets, phones forgotten in another room. it all started because you knew he always felt this residual pressure from being on the road, and you offered movies and snacks to distract his mind, while placing his head on your lap and scratching his scalp to lull him to sleep – something that he desperately needed because being on the road often times caused him insomnia.

   it was like a magic spell. the lullaby that was falling onto your lap and letting all of his senses be engulfed by you was his favourite thing, his favourite way to give up all control, with you caring for him and protecting him from stress or any issue. 

   each time he came over, your cuddles and movie nights grew more and more intimate, and soon there was no movie playing, just the two of you sitting comfortably in the living room, wrapped up in each other, neither caring to get up and turn on any lights as the sun fell, your hands on his head, softy caressing the reckless curls as he drew circles and numbers on your hips and lower back. the smaller the couch the better, at least that’s how harry liked it, because he liked your warmth. it was different than any other warmth. the heat you provided was never suffocating and it was always the right temperature no matter the season. you adored these moments with him, caring for him and laying in complete silence or recounting silly tales and anecdotes in hushed tones. 

     it was harry that started making it so personal and up close, but you couldn’t complain. you loved looking at his dimples up close, and counting the small freckles on his cheeks, and seeing his long lashes rest on the apples of his cheeks. and you loved him as well. you loved him so much each reunion felt a bit more meaningful than the last. it didn’t matter if he left for two days now, you'd miss him, so much. 

     and he’d miss you too, so fucking much. 

so much that he didn’t understand at first, but now, as you lay with him, hugging him so tightly he can barely breathe, he decides he wouldn’t mind to go like this, out of air in his lungs but in your embrace. he decides he wants this every time because he misses you always, and you’re too important for him, and the way you always know just how to play with his curls and how to make him giggle in that high pitch he does and he used to hate but you adore. you’re becoming everything to him and he doesn’t mind it one bit. so he reciprocates the tight hug, only this time his lips find yours before he can fully pull back, and the first breath you take in is him. only him and so much of him it’s almost intoxicating.

   but you decide right there, you could go like this. with no air in your lungs but drowned in harry. 

thank you for reading! hope this wasn't too bad. 

I want to get back into the groove of writing for this blog. Drop one of these in my inbox for a short-medium length Drabble. Please leave feedback as this is basically an experiment to come back to writing on this blog. 

Smooches, Iv, xo.