#i’m nearly 22 maybe i should just get over myself and start booking my own appointments

[fagidarity]

sometimes i think i might need glasses but i’ve decided that i will have perfect vision forever and ever out of sheer willpower (i do not want to book any appointments by myself god bless)

[wordsinwinters]

Then Again, Part 26 (Peter Parker x Reader)

Masterlist (with AO3 links)

Total word count: 50,293

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25,

Summary: After an intense argument and a forced-to-share-the-bed situation during their junior year decathlon trip, Peter and the Reader examine their faults and failings. As they attempt to fix their mistakes and improve their friendship, that friendship quickly begins to evolve into something else.

Slow burn fic in which all characters are included and their dynamics explored; multiple character POVs.

Betas: @girl-tips-from-satan and @fanboyswhereare-you

A/N: This isn’t my favorite chapter, but it’s been sitting in my drafts for over a year and I figured if I don’t post it now, I’ll never move on to the next. Additionally, as always, I live for feedback. 😉

Without further ado,

Then Again Part 26:

(Words: 2,825)

The bus ride will probably get boring soon, or at least as long as the girls stay asleep, but even as quiet as it is, it’s almost a perfect morning. Being early (around 6:00, I think?), there’s barely any light except street lamps and car lights, but some of the clouds on the right have caught a pretty bluish purple tinge. It reminds me of that Rainbow Fish book Aunt May used to read to me as a kid. To make it better, the morning air is chilly enough that the driver turned the heaters on low so it’s wrapped-in-a-blanket-while-it-snows warm in here. Although that also might be why, apart from general dirt and old gum, the strongest smell on the bus is salty grease— since the nearest heater is under the seat Flash spilled french fries and chicken nuggets in yesterday. It could be worse, though. I mean, it’s not necessarily a bad smell and the traffic isn’t horrible. It’s not the best, but it could definitely be louder and a lot slower. The field of flowing red tail lights ahead of us is oddly comforting, like a snail-slow pasture of mechanical color. 

All in all, it’s a pretty cozy start for a dreaded five hour bus ride. It’s giving me quiet time to think. So that’s where I’m at. Or should be. I got some stuff organized in my head last night even if I keep getting distracted now. Well, it was more like a couple hours ago, since I wasn’t able to get to sleep for so long after we said goodnight. But anyway, I’m trying to focus. It’s just hard, even with both of them sleeping.

From my and Ned’s spot behind them, watching the girls’ heads gently shake and bump against each other as the bus shudders through potholes is kind of calming. They seem so peaceful from this angle, like two people who’ve never pranked me and Ned to the point we were nearly suspended, or kept us awake and annoyed by asking paradoxical hypothetical questions because they know how Ned and I will argue for days if we don’t agree on an answer, or anything else like that. It’s like finding two mischievous cats sleeping, curled up on a chair. It’s easier to appreciate them when they aren’t causing chaos. But it’s not that hard to appreciate them when they are anyway.

Though Ned and I won’t admit it when they’re fully awake, seeing their heads smack into the seat in front of them each time the bus lurched to a halt at stoplights (during the first ten minutes after they’d fallen asleep) was funnier than it should’ve been. Even knowing then that we wouldn’t mention it later didn’t stop us from exchanging silent laughs when they leaned back up, muttering unintelligible complaints before settling their heads back onto one another. For the last couple stoplights before the highway, at least, we decided to be better friends. We both stood up with one leg on the floor and one knee on our own seat so we could easily hold their foreheads back each time it happened. Again, I wouldn’t admit this out loud, even to Ned, but it’s a little bit funny that Ned was a split second slower than me, so while I kept catching MJ’s head before the stop, he half-smacked Y/N’s forehead, like a really-close-to-the-floor basketball dribble, and made a wincing face each time. A lot of times. But it did stop her from colliding with the seat, and she didn’t wake up or complain. 

As nice as it is with them and almost everyone else sleeping through the dark, quiet first hour of the bus trek back to New York, I am excited for her and MJ to wake up. Whenever that is. I’ve missed them. 

But anyway, I really need to focus. God. I’m not doing a great job of that this morning. Apparently. So I’m focusing now. It’s like Ned said. I need to be honest with myself. 

Okay. 

Alright. 

No distractions. 

I’m going to set myself straight now, before we get back, so I can make a game plan and be more decisive and make less mistakes. Fewer? Yeah, fewer mistakes. She’s told me that half a dozen times this since she read that grammar book last summer. But that’s not important.

If I’m being honest... I think I’ve avoided the real possibility that things could work out between us because it felt too risky. And I make some dumb, impulsive choices. So that’s saying a lot. If she said no, what’s the worst that could happen? May and Ned have been asking me that for months, and it’s been so frustrating. The answer should be obvious. The worst thing wouldn’t be the rejection, it’d be if it made her uncomfortable and she broke off our friendship. Or, even if she stuck around, if our friendship changed and I had to watch her get more and more distant, knowing it was my fault and nothing would ever go back to normal. 

Those were the worst — and, I thought, most probable — possibilities. For months I’ve been certain that if anything changed, everything would, and it’d all go to shit. So I kept dodging it. And dodging her before the trip. But, then, things did change this weekend. Things are changing. We fought, and it was super shitty and awful and a total nightmare fiasco, but we made up. And she seemed almost as relieved as me when we did. Now we even have this pact about spending more time together. I know it’s officially only in the name of friendship, but something’s… different. I feel it, and I think she does too. And it doesn’t seem bad. That’s the craziest part. I mean, she even kissed me last night. On the cheek, but still. “Keep it.” Maybe May’s not ridiculous: she really might feel the same way. 

I’ve been texting her this morning, actually. Aunt May. I had to admit that I’m happy she forced me to do the forehead kiss thing last night. As annoyed as I was that she and Ned ganged up on me like that, I can’t dispute the results. She kissed me! Kind of. (To be fair, she did hit my mouth a little bit even if it was an accident.) At first it made me wonder if she heard any of Ned’s shout-comments before I could turn the t.v. up to cover what he was saying. But I doubt it. Even if she felt the same way, I know her too well to think she wouldn’t freak out more and enough that it’d be noticable. Yeah, no, I’d definitely have been able to tell if she’d heard him saying things like, “Nobody’s saying you have to tell her that you googled the probability of high school sweethearts getting married that time she saved your ass on that Bronte essay, but yeah, Aunt May’s right! Just ask her to come over and either talk to her or do the hair/forehead thing!” Anyway, May’s on board with her coming over a lot this week and next week and giving us some space. So are Ned and MJ. Ned said they agreed on giving us two weeks (starting tomorrow) without them hanging out after school. And who knows, if the dance goes really well, maybe it’ll be normal for us to hang out, just us, without the whole group. Because… well, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. 

I’ll admit, they’re the best friends I could ever have. All three of them. 

And it’s nice to have them all here now, Ned to my left and the girls in front of us. It’s even nicer to be outside of class or the city or crazy study sessions and have had a short breather from all that (despite the shitshow before we smoothed things over and could enjoy it). To be somewhere chill together. Yesterday and today probably feel even better because the last few days, or even weeks… no— months, if I’m being honest— have had me in a kind of less than happy place. But that’s over now. We’re all here and things are finally good. I just wish the girls would wake up, especially since Ned’s back on his phone. Again. 

Yesterday, everybody hung out for most of the afternoon, but being in the whole decathlon group isn’t the same as just being the four of us. Or two. 

Speaking of two— Ned being away during this next week or two is going to make everything so… unfiltered. New. Without his interference and being able to talk to him as often as normal, it’ll mostly just be her and me. Nobody to distract attention or blame stuff on or help me out when I’m doing something dumb (which is often). Like, for example, last night when I maybe let my excitement get the better of me and I might’ve jumped on the bed and thrown a pillow that accidentally broke the lamp on the nightstand. While I don’t really think writing that “Bill Mr. Harrington” note with the school’s address was Ned’s best idea, it helped me not care too much, enough that I didn’t do something dumber like actually tell Mr. Harrington. It might come back to bite us, though. Still, he was genuinely helpful this morning when Flash showed up too. 

While we were hanging out in the girls’ room waiting for them to finish packing, there was a knock on the door. I figured it was Mr. Harrington about to yell at me and Ned for the broken lamp, so I motioned to Ned to shut up and move closer to the head of the bed we were already sitting on where, courtesy of the wall between the bedroom and bathroom, he wouldn’t be able to see us as long as he stayed by the doorway. MJ gave us an odd glance before she got up to answer it. Her annoyed, “What are you doing here?” didn’t immediately disqualify Mr. Harrington, but the sound of Flash’s voice saying, “I, uh, brought you guys some muffins,” made me tense at the first syllable.

“The free muffins they give us for breakfast?”

MJ’s dripping sarcasm nearly made me laugh even though I couldn’t see her, but Y/N turning from her suitcase and walking over to join them killed it still in my throat. 

“Nope,” he said. “They’re fancy muffins from a bakery a few miles away.”

I wanted to roll my eyes out of my skull.

She may not like him, but that doesn’t mean I was wrong about him being into her. What a dumb way to impress someone. “Fancy muffins.”

“Expensive?” MJ asked. Even without seeing her face, I could tell she was giving him the squint death stare. It’s scary to have to respond to that face if you don’t know what the right answer is.

“Yes, especially with the delivery fee,” he said, sounding prepared for the question, “but they’re from a small local place, not a chain, which I figured you guys would appreciate. Actually, I think you’d like the woman who owns it, she was super grouchy and hard to convince.”

“Convince?”

“They don’t normally deliver at 5 in the morning.”

“Oh, so you thought you could just—”

“What kind did you get?” 

That’s one of the things I like about Y/N. She knows how to manage tempers and when to jump in; she has Flash and MJ down to a science. In that moment, though, I wanted MJ to fire her most confrontational questions at him with no mercy.

“Well, they’re all apology muffins—” I heard MJ scoff. Exactly. She gets it. “But I got blueberry, chocolate, obviously, coffee, cranberry orange, maple, I think that one has chicken in it or something, and banana nut.”

Ned and I turned towards each other with silent smirks at the last one. It’s a dumb joke, but under normal circumstances we’d never resist—

“Cool. Since you’ve brought so many, you can come in.”

Sometimes MJ drives me up the wall. This was one of those times. 

I mentally took back my agreement with her scoff.

The three of them came into the room, and for a couple seconds, Flash didn’t see us. The girls were closer to the window than they were to the wall and the bed Ned and I were sitting on, and he didn’t look behind him. Until MJ pointed us out directly.

“You can give them some too,” she said, her expression bordering on smug. “Apology muffins, right?”

Flash froze for a second. I straightened my back. Neither Ned or I said anything.

“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded. “Of course.”

Surprisingly, he shook his shoulders like a bug just buzzed by his head and walked over, opening a giant rectangle of a box up to us. 

“Take however many you guys want.”

I stared at him, not moving. Nobody flinched. Then I realized he was tapping the side of the box with his thumb. Not in an asshole come on, hurry up way, but in an anxious way. Just as I started to reach toward the box, Y/N asked:

“Why’d you get so many of the coffee ones?”

Flash looked away at just the right second. 

Did I technically cave first by reaching into the box? Yes. But did anyone see? No.

Although, I guess he technically caved by offering us the muffins in the first place. Ha. All the same, I took a blueberry one. 

“They’re my dad’s favorite. I wanted to surprise him, you know? But I can’t even get a hold of.... Um, are your guys’ parents going to pick you up when we get there, or are you actually staying for school?”

“Staying.”

“All of you?” 

He looked around to ask all of us, even me and Ned. We all nodded. When he looked at me, though, his eyes twitched. It’s a face I’ve gotten a lot before. He realized he said parents. 

“You said these are orange cranberry?” Ned asked, pointing. 

Flash nodded. 

“They’re solid, though the banana nut ones are probably the best.”

As I said, under normal circumstances, like if one of the girls had said it, I would’ve laughed right then, but I’m not used to laughing around Flash. Ned, who usually follows that same rule, shook his head and grinned, if a little bit... nervously?

“Hell no!” he said, pretending to be mildly outraged. “I’m not eating banana-bust-a-nut muffins.”

A second surprise: Flash tilted his head and paused, clearly as stunned to be told a joke by Ned as the rest of us were to witness it— and laughed. So did everyone else. It was only for a few seconds, like literally three quick seconds, but for the first time for as long as I can remember, all of us were laughing with Flash. It stopped almost as soon as it started. 

Tension crept back in soon so he left pretty quickly after that with an awkward, “See you guys in a few.” Thank god. 

The girls finished tidying their room and going over the homework that’s due today (which we did last week since we knew we’d never get it done on the trip), before forcing me and Ned into the hallway so Mr. Harrington wouldn’t need to check our room for us and potentially find the broken lamp. 

And then, pretty soon, we ended up on the warm bus, loaded in with everyone else. It seemed like everybody but Ned and I were too quiet and sleepy and squinty to be able to talk much before dozing off or staring blankly out the window or scrolling social media on their phones, the latter two options leading to the first in most cases. At this point, I think Ned, Flash, and I are the only ones still awake. 

I’m going to work at tolerating him. As long as he doesn’t cross any lines with anybody from now on, I won’t bait him either. (Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of that, especially recently.) I mean, his comment about his dad was hard to miss. And even when he said it, it wasn’t a shock. Everyone in our grade at some point has had to listen to Flash’s rambling excuses for his parents ignoring or forgetting to show up for school events. Maybe being a dick is just hereditary for him. Or a family tradition. 

I don’t remember how I got so off track. Where was I before? Oh yeah. Risk. Possibilities. The almost-worst case scenario that turned out not so bad. It’s been a messy weekend with plenty of re-evaluating, but the point is simple: I think I’ve got to give a few new things a try, and I’m excited to have a chance over the next couple weeks.

Next update: God only knows.

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[twokinkybeans]

Touch Me, Please [Starker Fic] Pt.3

Summary: Tony Stark has never told anyone that he’s still a virgin. He doesn’t want to sleep with people who only want him because of his outward persona. So instead, he hires an escort. Things get a little more heated than either of them had expected. Tags/Warnings: Escort!Peter, Virgin!Tony, nff, nsfw, sexual tension, teasing, Peter is 22, Tony is 53, oral sex, 69. Taglist: @starkerswonderland @staticwhispersinthedark @starkerprince @parkers-stark​ @bluestarker (let me know if you want to be added!)

Notes: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN 2 MONTHS SINCE I POSTED FOR THIS I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT Y'ALL!!! I come bearing good news though! This was supposed to have three parts, but the plot started living its own life and now we're definitely having a fourth part as well ehehehe. Hope y'all enjoy! -Kim

Read the fic here on AO3

Or click here to find the previous chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2

-

Peter knows he’s fucked. Absolutely, terribly, fucked.

And to be honest… Even that’s an understatement.

Peter clutches his coat tighter and fastens his pace. He’s snuck out of the enormous labyrinth that’s Tony’s home, and is now on his way to the bureau’s HQ. It’s still early in the morning, a little over 7 am, and Peter hopes to catch one of his managers before they start their meeting.

Peter made a grave mistake, and all he can do is spill it all out and pray that he can keep his job. He’s had unsafe sex with a customer. If there’s one thing that he should pay close attention to, it’s that. He never made a mistake like this before. However, with Tony, he completely threw his cool and composed sugar baby persona out the door; his mind lost to the wealthy man he only met last night. Tony may claim to be a virgin, which according to his eager yet sloppy techniques isn’t too hard to believe, but still. Peter shouldn’t have risked it.

He eyes the building in front of him and hesitates. He could just get a test done without his bosses knowing; play sick until he gets the results. But if they were to find out… He’d lose his job for sure. And contrary to popular belief, he’s not in the industry just for the money. He likes his career. 

In good faith, Peter steps forward and presses the doorbell.

-

Tony wakes up when a golden glow casts over his body. He smiles groggily. In his haze last night, he must’ve forgotten to close the curtains. He sighs and turns around, grabbing the sheets to tug them up a little higher. Slowly, the surroundings are getting to him. The distant sound of traffic rushing through the busy streets of NYC. The buzz of the elevator as it sweeps past his floor...

...and the complete lack of another human’s breath.

Tony swallows and his eyes flutter open. A harsh sting rips through his chest when he sees his bed is indeed empty.  “Peter?” He calls out, half-heartedly expecting an answer but not at all surprised when it stays dead silent.

-

It’s safe to say that the following days, Tony is in such a sour mood that his employees nearly cringe each time he walks across the room. He should’ve never hired an escort to have his first-ever sexual encounter with. The plan was destined to fail from the get-go, and it had. 

“Tony?”

Tony turns around to find Pepper standing in the doorway of his private office. Pepper has been his personal assistant for years now, and he is aware that he wouldn’t survive a single day without her skills in his company. She’s seen his worst more often than not - and she doesn’t deserve to be the one to take his anger - but Tony can’t help but glare. “What?” “Jeez, they were right. You’re a fucking asshole today.” Pepper says calmly and raises her eyebrows as she closes the door behind her. Tony can feel some of the tension fade from his posture and he casts his eyes down.

“What happened?” She proceeds to ask. Tony shrugs. How could he tell her? “I did something stupid.” “I figured as much.” The PA places a stack of files onto his desk and sits down in the chair opposite of him. “Personal troubles, or Stark Industries-related?” “Personal.” “Ah, good. That’s one less of a worry.”

Tony glares again, but this time it’s more playful. Pepper smirks. “Gotcha,” she hums, seemingly pleased with herself. “Now, tell me what happened.” “I can’t.” “I’m sure you can, it’s-” “It’s too embarrassing, Pep. Please, I gotta deal with this by myself.” Pepper raises her eyebrow at his words and leans onto the wooden surface.  “Then deal with it before you drag Stark Industries into whatever it is.” She shoves the stack of paper forward and smiles faintly. “After you deal with these, of course.”

“Of course.”

-

It’s late in the evening, and Tony swirls the whiskey around in his glass. He finished the work right before dinnertime and decided to take the rest of the night off.

Deal with it.

Tony snorts. How could he? Peter left. It’s plain and simple that the kid didn’t want to stay. His pretty, sweet words had been nothing but lies and deception, and Tony feels like a goddamn fool for falling for the act. Peter is an escort. Pleasing people, telling them what they want to hear, it’s his job. Tony can’t blame him. He only blames himself.

Yet, it doesn’t keep him from grabbing his phone and navigating towards the escort website. He sniffs once, finding his way to the catalog. It should be easy to find Peter. Right? Tony scrolls down the list and frowns when he hits the bottom of the page. Mmh. He scrolls back up and sits a little more upright when he can’t seem to find Peter’s picture. He taps the search bar and types in his name.

No results found.

In a wave of panic, Tony types out the bureau’s number to contact them and waits anxiously. He has no intention of bothering Peter ever again, but now that it seems he vanished, it makes him feel strangely panicked. As if every link he had to the boy is simply gone. As if nothing ever happened.

Except something did happen.

“Good evening, this is Eva. How may I help you?” “Uhmm- Hi. It’s Mr. Stark. I’m, eh, I’m looking to book Peter again? He was here last night?” “Oh, I’m terribly sorry to inform you, sir, but I’m afraid Peter is temporarily unavailable. I could put you on the waiting list for when he returns?” “Please.”

And like a stupid idiot, he disconnects straight after. He sniffs and lowers his phone. He wonders if he just made another mistake.

-

Peter sucks at his teeth, his foot restlessly tapping onto the floor. He looks at his scheduled bookings and stares at the one empty spot. There’s only one client left to call, but Peter doesn’t know if he should. After a long tirade, and thankfully, a negative STD test, he’s back in the game and good to go. But, if he couldn’t keep himself together last time… He’s not sure if it’d be professional to go back to Tony.

Sweet, innocent, handsome Tony.

“Hey,” Harley pokes his head past Peter’s shoulder and grins. “I see you’re free tonight. My pal Dave is throwing a party at the Frizzles. Wanna come?” Peter rolls his eyes at his coworker and grins. “And get Dave to hopelessly flirt with me again? No, thank you.” “Oh, come on!” Harley throws his hands into the air in desperation. “Dave is your type!” “He’s not,” Peter grumbles, nearly shuddering at the idea. “Good fella, but no, not for me. Y’know I’m into rich old classy dudes. Heck, so are you!” “Hey, no need to attack me.” Harley lowers his bum on the edge of Peter’s desk and cocks his head. “You barely ever have a night off. Don’t you wanna have some fun? I’ll try and keep Dave off your back.” “Well…” Peter sighs and stares back at the empty spot in his schedule.

“I actually have a client.” “What do you mean?” “It’s the last free spot, and I have one more client to secure a booking with me. I just…” Harley frowns, his face displaying a sudden seriousness. “Peter, did this client hurt you?” “What? No!” “Then why are you looking all gloomy at the mere thought of that one client? Is he- Did he force you to not use protection? Peter, we can have him blacklisted, and-” “It’s not at all like that, please Harls, I promise.” “Then tell me why the fuck you’re so strange about it. You’re never strange around clients. Fuck ‘em, get them hooked for more and tadaa, that’s a healthy clientele, it’s how you taught me.”

Peter groans out loud in frustration and shoves his chair back a little, trying to distance himself from the scribbled down phone number at his desk. “I like him!” “What?” “I… I like him. Dammit. He’s really fucking different than the rest of them. I’ve only slept with him once, but he’s got me hooked, not the other way around.” “Then why’d he call us again? Eva told me he sounded pretty nervous.”

Peter’s face loses all color when Harley’s words crash down on him, crumbling the reality he’d build around himself. “No, no Harley, don’t enable me on this one. It’s bad luck. I shouldn’t do it.” Peter scrunches his nose. “Tell Dave I’ll be at the party.”

Harley simply grins, his eyes glimmering mischievously as if there’s something only he knows and Peter doesn’t. “Sure thing.”

-

It’s been two weeks since the damned party. Peter doesn’t feel any better about himself. As expected, Dave had followed him around all evening. Harley, traitor he is, was nowhere to be found. In the end, Peter couldn’t take it anymore, and he straight up told Dave he wasn’t interested. Thank god the lad took it pretty well, but it doesn’t make Peter feel any less shitty about it.

Peter really should just focus on his job and put his mind away from both Dave and Tony. It’s for the best. He sighs and stares at the next appointment on his list. The name is hidden, a feature they have for clients who are high in on their privacy. Peter sighs and grabs his car keys to go to the appointment. 

-

Tony’s tapping his foot anxiously while he tries not to stare at the elevator. It’s needless to say he’s not doing a very good job at doing so. Peter’s going to be here again. Oh, God. Tony can’t shake the feeling that maybe he shouldn’t have accepted the booking when Peter’s coworker called him.

[mediocre-writerr]

t-minus 17 minutes until take off [leah rilke]

bring us through: leah rilke book

chapter 1:  t-minus 17 minutes until take off

*not my gif*

I believe we all have a fatal flaw.

At least I like to think we do. For example, one’s incapable of feeling happy with their life because of what their parents' want for them. Or, one’s inability to feel like they matter or are loved because they didn’t have a childhood. Maybe it’s putting pineapple on pizza. But everyone has something.

You’re probably thinking, well here you are judging everyone, but what’s your fatal flaw?

I guess my fatal flaw was believing that I could be me.

It started when I was 6. My parents moved me to this Christian private school for elementary school-after this girl pushed me off of the monkey bars causing me to break my arm-and from there I was taught to hate the person I was eventually going to become.

“In Matthew, chapter 22, verses 39-40 states: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and prophets depend on these two commandments,” Pastor Goodkind says teaching the class, “Does anyone here know the first commandment?”  

I sat in one of the uncomfortable desks, scratching at my uncomfortable buttery yellow dress that my mom put me in.

The blonde girl who sat next to me raised her hand, excitedly waiting to get picked on for answering the question.

“Anyone, but my daughter?” Pastor Goodkind says with a chuckle. He waits for a little bit, but everyone seems too scared to answer, “Alright Shelby, go ahead.

“You shall not have any Gods before me!” Shelby says, her voice high and squeaky.

“Correct, good job kiddo!” he says with a small smile.

The girl smiles back to show that she already lost two of her teeth. When it’s time for recess I run up to the little girl.

“Hi! I think it’s cool that you lost your teeth already!” I say to the girl excitedly.

“Thank you, but people think I’m weird because of it.” she says, a frown coming onto her face.

“Why?” I ask, matching her frown.

“Because they’re not growing back in yet. They make fun of me all the time calling me toothless.” the blonde says about to cry.

I shake my head, “No it’s okay, don’t cry. I’ll be your friend!” I bring my voice to a whisper, “I think the other girls are stupid.”

She gasps, “You said a bad word!” she says and the two of us giggle like little school girls.

“Shh, don’t tell you dad.”

I thought I could be the perfect daughter. The perfect best friend. The perfect student. The perfect Christian girl.

The perfect life where just getting good grades could get my parents to love me. Or where telling my deepest darkest secrets to everyone wouldn’t get me burned at the stake.

But I guess that’s just what happens when you’re young and believe that there’s good in everything. When in reality the unexpected happens: you try to be the perfect girl and it’s still not enough.

Now here I am, waiting to board the plane for the retreat of a lifetime.

I sat in the uncomfortable chair in front of our gate, “Are you ready for this?” my best friend Shelby asks with a wide smile on her face.

“Oh yeah, so excited.” I say sarcastically.

“C’mon Rayleigh! We’re going to Hawaii, the only time we ever get to leave Texas is to go on mission trips with my dad.” she says trying to get you to lighten up.

The two of us were both forced to go on this all girls retreat to find our inner warrior or something like that.

It’s not that you weren’t happy that you were leaving, but it just seemed like a bunch of bs.

“You’re right, your dad would not have made this trip fun. All of the sayings he uses all the time,” I clear my throat, getting ready to mock his voice, “Alright girls, you can go dancing at luau, just leave room for Jesus.”

“My dad would not say that.” Shelby says, I give her one look, and she caves, “Okay maybe he would.”

“Exactly.” I say, thankful that she proved my point. I scan over the rest of the girls who were waiting for this private jet to board, “Hey is that Dot Campbell?”

Shelby looks at where I’m looking before nodding her head, “Oh yeah, I didn’t know she was on this trip.”

“I didn’t either.”

I reached into my backpack grabbing my bottle of water and as I leaned back my arm hit someone who was walking past. I nearly yelped at the impact.

I turned to face the wavy-haired brunette, whose nose was stuck into a book, kinda waiting for her to acknowledge me, and the other half of me wondering if I should introduce myself.

I side glance Shelby and she just shrugs, taking a sip of her own water. I cleared my throat and pasted on a smile.

“Hey I’m sorry about hitting you. Are you alright?” I ask, my Texas twain coming through.

She waved one hand, then turned her page of the book she was reading. “My fault, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Which was very ironic considering she never looked up from the book. She walks away taking a seat next to another girl. They didn’t seem like they knew each other, but they were some acquaintances.

“Well that must be an interesting book.” Shelb jokes and I roll my eyes playfully.

“Private flight 415 to Hawaii is now boarding.” the voice over the intercom states.

For a minute I stalled, like maybe poor weather would make this flight delayed. Or the unexpected happens and the world just crumbles beneath us. But then I took a deep breath, standing up from the black padded chairs and wrestled my backpack onto my back.

I pushed a fistful of my slightly auburn hair out of my eyes to grab a hold of my luggage handle. I followed Shelby to the airport clerk’ desk to get my ticket check. A weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Enjoy your flight ladies.” a slightly darker-skinned lady with short brown hair says, handing me back my ticket.

“Thank you.” me and Shelby say in unison.

“Let’s make this trip one to remember!” Shelby exclaimed as we walked through the metal tunnel.

And at the moment the tunnel to Hell opened and the world sucked all ten of us girls into it.

[autistic-shaiapouf]

Very soon headed to baby's first apartment and cutting my family off as well and am just. having a lot of thoughts about identity today

Tw: vent? and mentions of implied abuse

I'm holding onto one specific thing and it does feel personal, so I guess that's why it's at the forefront of my mind but like. So I'm making those vo.caloid playlists, and I'm stacking in the miku music, and it feels like I'm having a 2nd vo.caloid phase, and it's great! The first time I really had a whole vo.caloid phase was when I was maybe. 13 or 14 or so, and I'm not gonna lie, it was a very difficult time for me, definitely when I was beginning to come to terms with how my family was treating me. This music was here during everything that happened, and it's still here in the aftermath, still unchanged. It's something I've always loved, but I know my family would never touch it, they didn't like it, my father told me, when I was 13ish, he asked "why can't you like anything normal". It's so surreal, to see it all still here and especially to have become mainstream, something I was absolutely bullied and mocked for becoming mainstream. 13 year old me would've cried in joy. I think it absolutely is a part of who I am.

I don't think I was ever really allowed to express or have much of an identity. I didn't know I had adhd until I was 17 and found out on my own, the first words out of my mouth were "oh my god, I'm not stupid", and my family would never have considered any neurodivergence, all kids are hyperactive, this is just a fake condition so bad parents parents narc up their kids! Not that there's anything more to the condition, not that it plagued me all my life and nearly ended it when I couldn't figure out what was wrong while no one bothered to help me. I stayed closeted as a trans person for 7 years bc I knew what the repercussions would be if I came out, and when I finally did that 2ish months ago, it played out exactly as I expected it to.

The most work I'd ever gotten done with my health was when I sat down and started scheduling my own appointments, with no vehicle or license and calling the insurance to see what we even had bc no one knew. My headaches went untreated for years, no one ever turned the sound of the tv down when I had my first migraine, I got c.ovid and was told I didn't, it was a false positive, had symptoms for 10 weeks and was told it was just the flu, but got vaccinated and "you already had covid, you don't need the vaccine". The anxiety and stress played and continue to play hell with my health, but those always pass, those always get better.

I just never had a place to really openly talk about myself and how I felt and who I actually am and now that I have a chance and time to finally pull it all together I just. feel overwhelmed? I alnost feel like I simultaneously do and don't know who I am. Yes the trauma stunted me psychologically and yes I've been in therapy for a few years because of this. I don't feel prepared for picking up a job and just making things work. I have the money to be able to just pay some rent for some time, but the idea of walking out of all these years and then just stepping directly into actual adulthood like nothing happened makes me. All I've ever done is mask everything and bow my head in obedience and now I feel like I'm back to doing what I did to protect myself bc being openly trans or clearly nd isn't something that's accepted everywhere. I feel like I just wanna make something of myself after all this but I just don't know what to do. I'm only 22, I have so much time and a lot of people say that they'd never wanna be in their 20s again but.

I feel like I've been left with everything and nothing. I know what I'm doing but I don't. I was never my family's priority, I was the trophy kid who got praised for achievement and any deviation from that was punished, anything abnormal like my mental health and the like went under the rug. I'm tired and jittery from nerves, wherever I end up I just wanna be happy, that's where the bar is. I also want my stuff back since I had to leave in a rush and couldn't grab everything. I'll be called a liar, selfish, every name in the book when I do go back to get my things, when I do cut my family off and let them know why I left and what I felt, and I know it isn't true but. I feel like I'm sifting through rubble and trying to piece together what's even left. I was pushed to and beyond my limits and I shattered in the process and had to rebuild myself from the ground up, and I suppose with all the upheaval that it's still a work in progress. The stress and anxiety was all manageable until it started having physical effects on me and now it's starting to click as to how bad it was and for how long I kept it up, and now that it's no longer serving a purpose, it comes and goes in waves.

I feel like I'm trying to reclaim something I never even had to begin with. I was whatever my family wanted me to be, and now that I've gotten up and left, I feel like I'm still testing waters. I feel like I don't know how to put myself and my feelings first, since that was never an option before, even while getting to my current location, of the people who'd driven me asked how I felt about making the trip and I said that if he was okay with it then it would be fine and he immediately spun it back on me, I didn't answer, I didn't say how I felt about it, even the family I'm with now noting that I don't seem very assertive, I just. have so much work to do but feel like I don't have the time to be able to do it all before I have to pretend I'm put together enough. I don't know. I feel like I do. I want to be a cheerful person, cynicism doesn't mean maturity and all that, but there's still the terror of the joy meaning that I'm ignoring something important or that I should be focusing on something that needs work, though i suppose not feeling like I can be happy is just another mark of trauma. I'm just upset and angry and every second chance I gave my family was another knife they stuck in my back, I only have like 1/3 of my belongings that I want, my family only ever cared about control to the point of paranoia, the latter of which was also handed to me. I just.

I just want this to be over

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5: Caring Is a Hazard to Your Health (#22)

We finally make it to the morning meeting, in which nothing happens. I missed the omelette train, so in lieu of asking Yuki to make me one anyway, I just have some fruit and toast. The usual, I guess. Hard to call anything here “usual” at this point.

Don’t feel like any more social time this morning. Sitting by myself gets me a few looks, but no one tries to drag me away. That’s nice.

No one comes to blows over breakfast, and then I have the morning to myself. Don’t know what to do. Between nearly murdering a guy and watching the others tear themselves apart, I just... don’t want to bother. Don’t have the energy. Have to wonder if anyone has slept well since this whole thing started.

I end up reading a book in my room. Peaceful enough, even if I’m barely concentrating. I could go play pool, but then I might run into someone on the way. Let’s not right now. Just... not right now.

Unfortunately, I don’t always get a choice in the matter.

“U-um, hello? Hello, everyone! I, um, have an important announcement to make, so if everyone could please come meet me in the gym...!”

“...”

Maybe he’s announcing that he’s tired of this game so he’s letting us go free? Ha. No. Guess it’s about time again.

I let out a deep breath and start over there.

Apparently I was the closest to the gym, because I make it here first. Or was my TV the only one that went off? No, that wouldn’t make sense.

I’m not alone for long.

“Oh, Kakumi... Hello...”

“Hey.”

I’m not sure what small talk I’m supposed to make in this situation, but I’m spared by the doors opening again.

“Good morning, you guys!!”

“Is it not after noon now?”

“It feels like a morning, sooooo!”

Sure, that makes sense.

Kanagi comes in wheeling Aidan, and Tsunyasha strides in a bit after that. 

“Is Kaichi coming...?”

“He doesn’t exactly have a choice. I don’t suppose anyone crossed paths with him on the way here?”

“Not I.”

“You don’t think something happened, do you...?”

“What, like he fell over?” 

“Ooh, or the elevator broke?!”

“It is Riseiin. He doesn’t know where the gym is most of the time, correct?”

“Tru.”

I should probably be more worried. Guess I’m too burned out. Or maybe it’s the fact that Monochap hasn’t made his entrance yet, either. Not as dramatic if somebody else walks in after you. 

A few moments later, the hallway door opens.

“Howzit?”

“Oh, good...”

“That’s everyone accounted for, then.”

I glance from face to face but try not to think too hard. Everyone. This is everyone who’s left, huh?

“.......”

I don’t get much time to dwell on it before a familiar dull grating fills the air.

“Oh, oh—!” 

With his least graceful entrance yet, Monochap clangs up onto the stage. We’re nearly hexed with whatever he might have on under that skirt, but thankfully he doesn’t fall down that hard.

“Ehe, whoops!”

“Grody.”

“I-I’m not...”

He sniffles before shaking it off.

“A-anyway! I have a big announcement to make! Is everyone ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I’m sure.”

“Do get this jest over with as quickly as possible. I’ve other matters to attend to.”

“This is important, though...! To you, too!”

“Do not deign to tell me what is and is not important, whelp. A creature like you knows nothing of the holy.”

“Can w’ just let ‘r talk?”

“Y-you mean me, right?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer.

“Okay! So, um... it’s time for another motive!” 

I wish I could find another word for it, but I can’t—Ichiriki squees.

“Oh, I hope it’s a good one!”

“Please stop interrupting!”

“Hmm... I think it’s a good one?”

“I hope you all feel the same way...!”

“So! Um, it’s a little unusual this time! Instead of something that starts right away, or a prize you’ll get after you murder someone...”

“...this motive has a time limit.”

“Time limit...?”

I assume he means something different from, you know, however much time it would have taken to die from oxygen poisoning.

“That’s right! You have five days, starting today. If no one is killed before nighttime on day five...”

“...all of you will have your loved ones back home executed.”

“Huh? Like... killed?!”

“That is typically what ‘executed’ means, yes.”

“That’s right! We’ve picked out a few friends and family members for all of you—”

“—well, for everyone who has more than one...”

“—and those people will provide your motive! If no one here kills by the time limit, they will all die by the next morning.”

“You—”

“You can’t do that!”

“That’s right!”

“Killing that many people in the outside world would draw far too much notice.”

“If you truly have no intention of letting us leave this building without following your rules, then you can’t afford that kind of risk! Even if that many people only happen to ‘disappear,’ anyone with two brain cells to rub together will be able to figure out the incident is related to this academy!”

“But he’s kinda kept us here, right?”

“And we’re all connected to the academy, too!”

“Yeah, but ‘s normal for Apex Academy kids t’ cut off social media ‘n stuff for a while, yeah?”

“All ‘f their friends ‘n family, not s’ much.”

“Then... he really can’t do it, right...?”

“Wh-what do you mean?! Of course I can do it...!”

“Then you fully plan to self-destruct your entire operation for a single motive?”

“And surely leave those little ‘leads’ behind, hmm?”

“Whatever assassins you intend to send could never be as skilled and efficient as myself.”

“But I really mean it...!”

“And you, like, meant the money stuff, too, I guess, but we totally never saw that, either.”

“What do you mean? I-I had the briefcase the whole time...!”

“Really not the same.”

“......”

“I-I can double-check, but... It’s for real! Really!”

“You do have some time to get used to the idea, at least...”

“And come up with a good plan!”

“So, um, good luck...!”

He hurries back to the trapdoor like we’d never contradicted him at all, and then he’s gone. 

“...” 

"..."

Aidan, shockingly, is the first to speak up.

“Everyone please remain calm!”

“As we’ve already made clear, this is the most obvious bluff yet. Don’t fall for it. We’ll use the time we’ve been given to continue working on our own way out of here.”

“Please be sure to attend our morning meetings! I’ll have more to say then!”

“Like, of course you will.”

“So... don’t panic, right...? Because it’s fake?”

“Right.”

Would the young master really do such a thing? After all this, I can’t doubt they have the resources, but... We’ve made a good point. Maybe you could hold one class hostage at a reclusive academy for a while and get away with it, but mass murdering that many people, overnight no less? There’s no way.

But is the mastermind crazy enough to try it anyway? I still don’t know what they want, so it’s hard to be sure of anything.

Mom... Dad... Saki... Who else? Could they really...

I don’t get the chance to finish the thought.

“Yooooooo!” Kanagi waves her arms around to get our attention.

“Since we’re already in the gym, anybody wanna shoot hoops?”

“As if I would fraternize with your ilk.”

“Weren’t you part of her betting group...?”

“That’s hardly the same.”

“I could do Horse ‘r something, ‘f that’s cool.”

“Works for me! Kakumi?”

“I... I guess?” This is such a whiplash my brain can’t keep up.

“Iggy! You in?”

“..........”

“Mahavir...?”

“I... No, I...”

“I-I don’t feel well. Excuse me...!”

“Mis—”

Mahavir’s already out the door.

“The burned one is contemplating his attack already? My, my. I suppose I should have expected as much.”

“He’s doing no such thing!”

“I’ll go catch up with him. Ah... Miss Kurokame? If you could get the door?”

“Oh... Okay.”

I watch him go and keep staring at the doors long after they’ve shut. Some of the others are chattering behind me, but I can’t focus on the words.

Mahavir... Surely he’s not already...

“............”

Maybe he really isn’t feeling well. He is injured. And if not...

I’ll leave it to the others for now. I’m off damage control for the time being.

Might be dangerous to keep that up at this point, but... I have to look out for myself, too.

My thoughts are interrupted by the ringing thump of a basketball dribble.

“All right! We ready to go, dudes?!”

Right. Apparently looking out for myself starts with playing Horse. For some reason.

“Sure.”

[BACK] [NEXT]

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - College/University

College/University  AU:

** Fics in a series ** Fraternity fics ** Other College/University fics ** A bonus Yousana fic

***** SERIES *****

at the mere sound of his voice, I'm weak in the knees by Skamtrash (SERIES, 4 fics) - The uni au where Even messes around and has sworn off dating but then he meets Isak, who flips everything upside down by being the sweetest and most precious person.

be my rest, be my fantasy by teatrolley (SERIES, 2 fics) - Isak moves out of his parent’s house when he’s sixteen and it’s fine, really, most of the time it’s fine. It’s just Decembers. Goddamn Decembers. They’re not exactly his favourite time of the year. This time, though: this time he think there’s someone who has it worse than he does. On the first of December that year, Even moves in.

Accidental Dating Au by shoulderbone (lavenderforluck) (SERIES, 3 fics) - In which newly single Even writes a guideline for hook ups, but then he meets Isak, and nothing much goes to plan after that. Accidental dating AU.

Rearranged by nofeartina (SERIES, 7 fics) - “You don’t really want to date me, Even. Believe me,” Isak says. “I don’t?” Isak just shakes his head. There’s nothing for him to offer a guy like Even. He should be treated like royalty, pampered every day. That’s never going to be Isak. He doesn’t have that kind of affection in him anymore. There’s nothing left.

Pointing at the Moon by shoulderbone (lavenderforluck) (SERIES, 3 fics) - What he wants to say, and cannot bring himself to admit: Before you there was no real me. Only a person pretending to be. Or, alternatively: Isak comes back to face death, and in the meantime, finds rebirth. First fic: Cathedrals of Light, Salt and Snow

***** Fraternity *****

watch myself, watch myself watching you by cosetties (5.6k words) - Isak is unfairly attractive, is in a frat, and Even would like God to make heterosexuality a sin.

New Perceptions by Skamtrash (9.2k words) - Isak hates frat boys. Even is in a frat and wants Isak.

Eye of the Hurricane by Sabeley (10k words) - the one where Isak wakes up in bed with a member of a rival fraternity and is determined to win him over, one flirtation at a time.

Membership Dues by Sabeley (15k words) - Isak is pledging Even's fraternity. Even keeps having to be reminded that he's not allowed to date the pledges.

(Baby Boy, You The Shit) That Makes You My Equivalent by givemesumaurgravy (23k words) - Isak is a second year frat boy who knows exactly what to say and exactly who to do to keep anyone from suspecting he’s still hiding in the closet. Then he meets Even and everything becomes fucked, quite literally.

Don't Touch Me by patrick_ (camille0078) (27k words) - Please read the warnings! Jonas forces Isak to attend a party that their fraternity is hosting. Isak reluctantly goes, but loses control and can’t remember much of the events that transpire. Every question he asks points to the same answer, which leads to an investigation that he and Even launch. As Isak and Even bond over the mystery, things go awry as Isak’s memory slowly comes back.

***** OTHERS *****

Can you shut up? by smileslikechildren (1k words) - where Isak and Even met at the library, they are both in college and need to study for their upcoming exams week. Isak knows this and tries his hardest but sometimes some certain people at the library wont shut up for nothing

Suffering The Hard Times Together by givemepizza (1k words) - Even and Isak are a young couple in college and living from pay check to pay check, but that doesn't stop them from being cute and crazy in love

the first minute by princevaltersen (1.3k words) - In this minute, Isak met Even, his new university roommate.

Friends and Breakfast by Wolle19 (1.3k words) - Isak love to cook, and his roommates love it too.

22 minutes by hippopotamus (1.4k words) - isak tries to tell jonas that his safety marriage agreement with eva is the worst idea he's ever had. jonas tries to tell isak that he's just jealous because he's single.

Feel Me Up by Skamtrash (1.4k words) - Isak has been making excuses to see the campus doctor for months now, and it's about time he makes something happen between them

He took a Chance by TheRedWoman (1.5k words) - Isak is minding his own business at a party when he notices the cities fuck boy is eyeing him from across the room, but it seems it’s not just Isak who doesn’t like it.

The Best Hand by bri_ness (1.5k words) - Isak has the worst luck, stuck with the last possible timeslot for his last final. But when Even invites him to a snowball fight to relieve his stress, he finds a reason to be grateful he's still on campus.

See Ya by greitnok (1.6k words) - Isak is short-sighted and hates wearing glasses. They make him look like a nerd, maybe he really is but not everyone needs to know that. He can go a day without them any way, what could possibly go wrong, right?

One Of Those Nights by glbertblythes (1.8k words) - Isak is stuck sleeping over at Jonas's place after a long study session during UNI and he's woken up to the blaring of the 'Dirty Dancing' soundtrack and a crying, unknown of roommate in the kitchen.

The Study Buddy by wordsarelifealways (2k words) - In this universe, Even meets Isak when he pours Red Bull into a black coffee at 7.15AM to cope with a morning class. Even's inner barista is horrified, but damn if the boy isn't cute.

Let's Let Things Come Out Of The Woodwork by ultimatelawrence (2.3k words) - Okay so maybe Even's crush is becoming obsessive. Maybe he's asked around a bit too much about Isak Valtersen. Maybe he shouldn't be going to parties he has no real interest in every weekend just so he can look at Isak from afar.

Seasons Greetings by bri_ness (2.3k words) - Isak thinks he's alone over winter break until he hears the worst kind of Christmas music from 308's room. Even thinks he's alone over winter break until he receives a passive aggressive Christmas card under his door.

Of Missed Classes and Campus Cafes by HazyCosmicJive (2.3k words) - Isak started the day knowing it was just going to worse. He looked like shit and he felt like shit and then he goes and crashes, no literally crashes, into the most attractive boy he's ever seen, yet the boy doesn't seem so upset about the event.

Even's "fake" boyfriend by radiantsilver (2.4k words) - Even went to film school for a year in the US, leaving him and Isak in a long distance relationship. Even couldn't stop talking about Isak, the only problem is that his friends don't believe Isak exsists.

It's A Date by glbertblythes (2.5k words) - Isak needs his sleep, even though it doesn't come easy to him - but someone blaring a movie across from his dorm doesn't exactly settle in his stomach well either but it turns into a better situation than Isak had hoped for and he heads the day with an assortment of dates with a cute boy who just so happens to be the guy who had his movie volume blaring at three am.

cups of coffee by slvtherxn (2.8k words) - Even has a giant crush on a boy he doesn’t know, and he’s waiting for the perfect movie-moment to finally meet him. The only problem is that life has a different plan.

how would i bear to close my eyes (and let you fall). by milominderbinder (2.8k words) - There are some things in the universe that are just facts. For example, it's a fact that the earth goes around the sun. And, most importantly of all, it is a fact of the universe that Isak Valtersen does not have a crush on Even Bech Naesheim.

I Wish It Was Raining (Yellow Curtains) by eavk (2.9k words) - Isak and Even are unlikely roommates at University, and Isak’s still the ball of grumpiness he was in high school. Albeit probably for another reason.

pool full of liquor by thekardemomme (3k words) - Isak gets drunk and runs away from his friends, and Even seizes the opportunity to be his knight in shining armor. May as well be Shakespeare.

boy, you make me make bad decisions by hippopotamus (3.1k words) - In which Isak is way too drunk, way too dramatic, and his ex is making out with someone else.

our time has come by Skamtrash (3.3k words) - Isak and Even navigating Isak being closeted

you keep robbing my heart like a bank by xhorans (4.2k words) - in which Isak has a crush on hot barista Even and it's nearly valentine's day

and we rule the kingdom inside my room by GayaIsANerd (4.3k words) - Isak just wants to save spiders from being killed, and Even ends up having to save him... multiple times

Little Black Book by Laika_the_husband (4.3k words) - Isak Valtersen is studying his third year at the University of Oslo and having the time of his life. Enter Evy Bech Næsheim, straight out of Nissen, in his stockings, mini skirts and bubblegum scented lip gloss.

Safest With You (Green Curtains) by eavk (5.3k words) - Isak keeps staying up too late studying at the library, but luckily there's an escort service that gives students a buddy to walk with to keep safe at night.

loving you to sleep by orphan_account (5.3k words) - Even and Isak cuddle a lot, and love each other a whole lot.

lucky strike by Skamtrash (5.5k words) - Isak has hated Even the first day he met him on campus. And apparently Even is the new kid his friends are obsessed with. He can't escape him and all his favorite traditions with his friends are ruined. And on top of that, he's hot. The audacity!!

Orion's Nebula by thekardemomme (5.6k words) - Even Bech Næsheim was enrolled in an astronomy class for one reason and one reason only: the cute ass boy he saw standing in the registration line.

Worth Waiting For by KillianJones32 (6.5k words) - Even gets accepted to study at a college abroad. Isak has to stay home for his last year in school. It's four months until Even comes home for winter break. They can make it four months...right?

Strange Encounters by midnightsurge (6.5k words) - Isak and Even are students at the University of Oslo. They meet under strange circumstances and it's all Eskild's fault.

kiss me like you're falling in love by Skamtrash (6.5k words) - Even doesn't like much. Doesn't really like people, doesn't like society. Which is why he's a little confused when he can't stop thinking about one of the guys in his class, Isak.

Make Me Weak by Skamtrash (6.9k words) - Isak and Even get paired up in their English Lit class and Isak is crushing hard even though he cant see Even because, well he cant see anyone.. He's blind

I Think I'm Falling, Falling For You by Twinklylightseverywhere (7.3k words) - a parallel universe in which Isak falls for Even, literally.

Can I? by rapidglow (7.6k words) - “Why did you want to get a live portrait?” “Actually, my friends kind of dared me to do it.” says Isak.

You call the shots, babe. by kaleidxscope (7.6k words) - Isak and Even meet at a party and the soundtrack is just on top.

Til We See the Sun by cwtalton (8.1k words) - In which Isak just wants to go out for a midnight snack, hungry university freshman that he is. What he gets instead is a whole lot better.

and they were roommates! by evak1isak (8.7k words) - Isak has never been that fond of Even Bech Næsheim, although all of his friends adore him. Will being roommates change their relationship?

Fall for You by Sabeley (9.1k words) - If Isak could just stop embarrassing himself in front of the ridiculously attractive guy in his psychology class, that would be great.

I wrote an angry letter to the void, and the void responded by lockitinthefuckingvault (9.5k words) - Monday comes, and the book is still there. Isak looks around, content to find the floor practically empty, before giving the book the finger. Fuck that book.

Cactus by greitnok (10k words) - Isak doesn't believe in love and all the lameness that tags along with it, until he does. *with a little help from a cactus.

The One Where Even Goes On a Blind Date by valtersheim (10k words) - Friends inspired. Eskild forgets to find someone for Isak for their double blind date and he approaches the first attractive man he sees in Kaffebrenneriet.

Now & Then by EarnestGirl (11k words) - We know Isak and Even will always find each other. I wondered what would happen if they didn't find each other until university. How would they have dealt with their shit? This is about love, therapy, and relying on friends.

Something Wicked by Sabeley (11k words) - Attention residents: This Halloween will be one to die for. For the next four weeks, Nissen Hall will be taking part in a role-play murder mystery extravaganza. Do you think you can figure out whodunnit before time runs out? Or will you be the next to die? All interested victims can sign up below.

you're the shit and i'm knee-deep in it by cosetties (11k words) - After Even has already rejected him once, after Isak is aware of Even's reputation for meaningless one-night stands, the last thing Isak should be doing is sleeping with the guy. But it keeps happening, and there's no way Isak is getting out of this with his heart intact.

it's mostly butterflies by hippopotamus (11k words) - “I’ve told you before,” Isak says, without looking up at Even. “The modern world relies on science and technology, Even. There’s no place for magic, it’s dangerous and unnecessary.” Little does he know, Even’s a witch.

Don't you let me go by shinystar66 (12k words) - In this universe, Isak and Even are roomates and nothing more. Except that there is something more between them and they both know that but are too stubborn to admit it. Too bad it takes a very unfortunate event for them to face the truth.

Dog Watching by folerdetdufoler (13k words) - AU where even is a dog-walker and isak is a university student and that's how/when they meet. jonas, as always, is a very good friend.

The Balloon Intervention by lovelycarcass (13k words) -  Even wants to get Isak's attention and the Balloon Squad decide to take matters into their own hands.

when your heart is bleeding, i'm coming to get you by cosetties (13k words) - Isak doesn't exactly expect his hookup from last week to be the love advice columnist at the school newspaper he's working at. He also doesn't expect to fall even harder for him than he already has, which is a shame, really, since Even's crushing on someone else.

we still fuck by evak1isak (13k words) - Isak and Even had broken up. Period. But they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

Serendipity? by Alwaysevak2121 (14k words) - 'Do you think this is a silly idea? I mean, to talk with a stranger?' 'Well, if it is, that makes us equally silly then.' 'But honestly I think it's cool.' 'Hmm?' 'To be able to talk with someone who doesn't view you based on any previous assumptions or so. To be just as you are, right now'

A Work of Art by cami_soul (15k words) - Isak is a university student. To make ends meet he has taken a job as a nude model for an art class. Even Joins the art class. Even throws Isak off balance because he doesn’t observe the unwritten social boundaries of the art class, and he aggressively pursues a friendship with Isak. He convinces Isak to be in the film he is shooting and to appear in it naked. Lines get blurred and they have to figure out if they are more than friends to each other.

Taraxacum by GayaIsANerd (15k words) - Isak would never say this out loud, but he’s a hopeless romantic. His mother told him stories about the soulbond, how everyone was born with a symbol somewhere on their bodies, linking them to someone else, somewhere in the universe. These symbols were a representation of the soulmates’ souls.

I call'em as I see'em...But Sometimes I Don't See So Well by HazyCosmicJive (15k words) - Isak just wants to study, he doesn't want a new roommate who walks around naked all the time and constantly tests his patience

Stuck (in the middle) with you by evakuality (16k words) - The boys get stuck together five times, then one time miraculously they don't (though the first time is more 'thrown together by circumstance' than 'stuck together'). There's lots of mutual pining and mutual idiocy about it. Miscommunication abounds, and Isak drools a lot.

you're one of the few things that I'm sure of by Skamtrash (17k words) - Isak has created a good life for himself. Sure, his job isn't ideal and university is stressful but hes created this life on his own. He enjoys the luxury of solitude and feeling safe. In comes Even, a felon with, baggage who knows exactly what he wants.

and after that and after that by teatrolley (18k words) - In some sense of the word, at least, it’s working for them. They’re exes, sure, but they’re friends first, and Isak can ignore the feelings and the jealousy, too. It's working. Then Sonja and Even break up

Skamløs by Skamtrash (18k words) - Even is Isak's professor and they have a thing going on

I Have Hella Feelings For You by MacksDramaticShenanigans (19k words) - “We’re dating now,” he declared matter-of-factly. Isak simply blinked back at him, too caught off guard and flustered to think of anything to say back. “Love you, baby.” The boy proclaimed. Isak stood, overwhelmed and frozen in place, as he tried to wrap his mind around what just happened.

shred by Jules1398 (22k words) - There were two versions of Isak Valtersen, and he intended to keep it that way. The first Isak was the one that his friends knew. He was cool, smart snowboarder guy. The second Isak, the real Isak, was trans, gay, and then there was his five year-old son, Adrian. Keeping the two Isaks separate wasn't that difficult. At least, not until he saw Even again.

beautiful people will ruin your life by traumatic (22k words) -Ambiguous/Open ending. In a world where two people can communicate solely by writing on their skin, Isak and Even are the best of friends until a lie burrows its way between them and nearly rips them apart.

Late December With My Heart In My Chest by LavenderWater (23k words) - In order to stop his mother's fussing since he left for college, Even tells her he's dating his roomate, Isak. They pretend to be a couple over the holiday weekend to convince his family.

take me as i am by argentae (24k words) - He isn’t crushing, and nevertheless this guy has become a Problem, because whenever he’s on shift he’s made it increasingly difficult for Isak to really spend his time productively. Sure, he could just find another place to study but he likes the access to coffee here even though he actually kind of hates the bitterness of it and he’s just not going to let himself get swept aside because of this guy.

please hurry leave me, i can't breathe by cosetties (27k words) - For the first time in his goddamn life, Isak is focusing on himself. Trusting people, loving people, has never worked out well for him anyway. The last thing he needs is Even, who looks at him like he sees right through him, like Isak is worthy of something more.

Nothing Softer Or More Flexible by colazitron (27k words) - Even is suffering from writer's block. Given that he has to write and film a short film on love (Love! A subject he loves!) that's not ideal. He finds unlikely inspiration in an old essay from one Isak V.

time is irrelevant, distance isn't real by theyellowcurtains (28k words) - Even got into an amazing film school. It’s everything he’s wanted and will help him so much in his future. There will be classes full of other film majors and teachers who have created masterpieces that Even admires. But there’s a catch. The film school is in America. 8568 kilometres away from Isak.

Teach Me to Forget by Sabeley (29k words) - Even is the TA for Isak's Intro to Media Studies class. If only he'd known that before they slept together.

Caught in the Middle by dvorahbee (30k words) - Even keeps seeing the cutest boy around campus and in his new favourite coffee shop. He'll slowly get to know Isak but he'll have to go on a journey of self-acceptance and love at the same time.

Come out, come out, to the sea my love... and just, drown with me by GayaIsANerd (32k words) - In which Even saves Isak from an asshole ex, and from himself.

the other side of paradise by peachbombs (35k words) - The first and only time Isak Valtersen says those three words, it’s to Even Bech Næsheim, a boy who broke his heart once and now, here Isak is, giving him every liberty to do it again.

let's talk about love(to me, it's only you) by vitane (37k words) - Isak leads a completely normal life. He goes out with his friends, stays up to finish his assignments on time, tries his best to call his mom regularly. And keeps distance between himself and a boy he could see himself easily falling for. All is good. That is until one fateful day changes everything.

I'm Not in Love by cuteandtwisted (41k words) - Even never transferred to Nissen in his third year, so they meet in college instead. Uni AU in which Isak doesn’t believe in love but Even Bech Næsheim won’t stop kissing him.

Built from the Ashes by Sabeley (43k words) - the one where Even and Jonas are roommates who get along a little too well and Isak is not the least bit jealous about it at all (Except he totally is).

Golden Boy by alotofphandoms (43k words) - Isak thinks his life is great until Even Bech Naesheim waltz in and starts taking him out on dates. Mostly fluff and a little bit of angst

Things Look Different in the Morning by allyasavedtheday (46k words) - “So,” he says, drawing the word out. “I told Even he could stay here.” Isak blinks, convinced he’s misheard. “Eskild,” he says flatly. “We don’t have a spare room.” Eskild straightens his back, expression turning sheepish. “That’s the other part…I was thinking he could stay in your room?”

I Have Held You in My Heart by photographer_of_thoughts (47k words) - Friends-With-Benefits University AU in which Even makes rules and Isak follows them. They sleep together sometimes - a lot of times - and Isak knows how in love he is. But then Even gets a girlfriend, and everything changes.

to love, to burn by bri_ness, hippopotamus (51k words) - At eighteen, each person chooses whether they will be an intellectual or a lover. Intellectuals are responsible for advancing society; it is illegal for them to enter into romantic relationships as it would distract from their purpose. Lovers are everyone else: they can be in romantic relationships, but are not trusted with high-level jobs. Isak is an intellectual with no desire to be a lover: he knows the dangers of romance and believes he is too smart for it anyway. Even is a lover who thinks the whole system is bullshit, and as it turns out, Isak's best friend is a bit of a revolutionary....

safe by cammm (54k words) - Isak had never even met Even before, but there he was, pretending to be Isak's boyfriend to get him out of an uncomfortable situation. Is this the birth of something... new? Fresh? Magical? (Neighbors AU)

though our parts are slightly used by teatrolley (54k words) - Isak is pining for Jonas, and Even is pining for Mikael. Jonas and Mikael are dating. Isak and Even meet

(WIP) It’s all good baby baby by anaisanais (14 chapters posted at this point) - Or, Isak just finished his first semester at University of Oslo, Magnus thinks he’s desperate and dares him to talk to a really attractive guy in the cafeteria at UiO. This is how Isak and Even meet and strike up an easy friendship fueled by hip-hop, weed and banter.

In this bed of snowflakes we lie by MermaidsandMermen (SophiaSoames) (57k words) - follow Isak and Even in this University Dorm life AU, full of snowflakes, fluffy pillows, and people who are nothing like they seem on the outside. Because people keep secrets. Pretend to be people they are not. And secrets will wear you down if you don't let them out to air once in a while. Christmas fic

Headed Straight for the Castle by boxesofflowers, Eeyoreneedsahug, safficwriter (62k words) - Isak is the heir to the throne of one of the most powerful nations in the world, but he would rather be anyone else. Being a prince, growing up in the public eye, never making any choices of his own - it’s all been overwhelming. After sneaking out one night, he meets a college student that makes him smile for what feels like the first time. Can he cling to this one point of normality?

(WIP) To ease your worry by chrislink (17/20 chapters posted at this point) - He doesn’t expect to find his flatmate making tea, looking almost ethereal in the dim yellow light of the kitchen at three in the morning, but that’s what happens.

Half Blade and Half Silk by orphan_account (85k words) - Isak's friends introduce him to an art student at a college party. He won't stop calling Isak baby and Isak's bad at pretending to hate it.

Knock Four Times by folerdetdufoler (92k words) - Isak is a senior in college, studying at a university in America. He lives in an apartment on campus with three other guys and works part-time in the student center to help with his tuition. As much as he’s enjoyed the whole college experience, he’s ready to graduate and head back to Oslo, to his city, his family, and his boyfriend. But then, during the first week of his last semester, he steps off the elevator onto his floor and sees a guy sitting in the empty hallway. Isak walks over to see if he needs help with something, and finds out three very important things: his name is Even, he just moved into the building but already got locked out, and he is fucking gorgeous.

Therefore I Am by smokeshop (orphan_account) (98k words) - The one thing Isak wants is to move on from his high school mistakes. Even spends his time pining after a boy who will never like him back. The last thing either of them expect is to wind up in bed together, but that's exactly what happens.

Checking From Behind by DickAnderton (156k words) - Isak is to captain his hockey team this season which means he has to somehow learn to cooperate with the newest addition to their team: Even Bech Næsheim. This proofs to be impossible, especially when nothing about Even's mysterious transfer adds up and his moods are just too frustrating.

(WIP) I Would Do It Again by cuteandtwisted (20/21 chapters posted) - Even gets caught up in a dare, and Isak loses a little bit of himself in the process.

Cleansing my Soul by imissedyourskin (217k words) - Even fights for equal rights and is openly pansexual. Isak is a quiet admirer unsure of his sexuality. But there is always more than meets the eye... Who is Even beneath his popular appearance? And what is the whole deal with Even's 'secret club'? And how do they deal with all of Even's secrets?

***** BONUS 

I can only give you everything by champagneleftie (17k words) - Yousef is 21, in his first semester of university, the most recent member of Kollektivet - and ridiculously, embarrassingly, stupidly in love with Sana.

[besttwelvemonthsofsummer]

Many Years Back, Many Years Forward

When I was a kid, I was designated the family’s official Polaroid photographer, because it was so dang exciting for me to take a picture and see it develop before my eyes. Back then, a pack of Polaroid was cheap so my parents didn’t mind my “experiments” in exposure.

At age 11, I received my first Kodak camera, a 110 Winner. Now, keep in mind that 110 negatives are about the size of a thumb nail, so you’re not getting much detail. I was quite happy to shoot away though for the next several years until I discovered disposable 35mm cameras, all blurry blobs welcomed.

At 19, I got my second real job in the big city at Fox Photo, in Richmond, Virginia. I was the weirdo behind the processing machine feeding rolls of 35mm into one end and making sure they came out developed on the other. My favorite part of that job was taking those negatives and working with them in the printing machine. Again, magic moments abound when seeing the finished product. Yes, I have seen many lovely vacation photos, and yes, I wished I was there.

Age 22 rolled around and I figured, I know some stuff about photography, why not apply at a local commercial photography studio? Well I did, and I got the job. For nearly four years, I had the pleasure of working with two partners who were quite successful. I experienced printing the photos for Vitamix ads, assisting on Capital One and Amtrak photo shoots and in general the insanely good will of two people whom I admire to this day. They really helped me realize that success is possible in photography.

NYC called my name when I was 26 and I took the plunge and moved to the real big city. I had no contacts in photography here so I decided, okay time to go into fashion! Hmmm. Well, even though I was in fashion for 13 years, I managed to keep my foot in the door of photography by working on set at any opportunity, doing anything I could. Wardrobe, styling assistant, photo assistant, PA - pretty much anything to get back into the environment I think of as my second home.

Pretty burned out on fashion, in 2019 I decided I should finally propose to photography and engage it by entering the Commercial Photography degree program at LaGuardia. Best decision. I’ve been exploring new forms of photography since.

After LaGuardia, I would like to continue on to a four year program to complete my Bachelor’s. There are a number of interesting programs out there so right now I’m in the phase of narrowing things down. I eventually would like to get my Master’s degree so that maybe I can teach one day.

By the year 2025, I would like to found a photography collective. With myself taking fashion, portrait and product photography. The other photographers would have different or overlapping specialties in a different style. Possibly having workshops. Letting photography take me traveling. This is what I would like to focus on after retaining my Master’s degree.

In my fifties, I’d like to be working away in my own photography practice and towards expanding into publishing. I would like to start a small publishing company to give emerging photo-based artists a platform through which to express themselves in printed form. I also would like to publish books of my own photographic and writing work on the same platform.

During my sixties, I would like to focus on education and expanding the collective to new members in other countries. It would be wonderful to start a scholarship and internship program for photographers - specifically for photographers older than 35 just getting their start. Most all scholarships out there are for the young’uns. This is the time when I would like to reflect back on my work and try to get a museum show.

My seventies will not bring retirement, but rather full enjoyment of what I have managed to build with others in the community over the years. I don’t ever see myself retiring. Maybe just photographing in different places and writing about different things. Living my dream in whatever form it morphs into by that time.

[krolock-in-the-snowlock]

Part 2 - Broadway’s Dance of the Vampires Commentary

Act 2

• And here we are again, after taking a week or two to recover from act 1

• I have no idea what’s going to happen but I’m gonna finish what I started, no matter what it takes

• Ok the video is ready, I don’t think I am but here we go

• Ok well the opening music was more like titanic than tanz

• Ooh ok we have lots of vague figures on stairs, probably vampires but it’s hard to tell with the 480p video quality

• Hmmm are we having a reprise of totale finsternis?

• That staircase is looking

• Glad to see the audience is cracking up again at the use of total eclipse of the heart

• Those couple guys are having a great time

• They’re like

• haHAAA

• Good for them

• Glad someone’s enjoying this

• I would be annoyed that this whole thing is seen as funny when the original scene is really cool but hey this whole thing is just one big old parody so what could I expect

• Distancing myself from it by calling it a parody is the only thing getting me through thiis

• I don’t think they’re using all the same lyrics as total eclipse so at least there’s that

• But the lyrics are too romancey and soppy ugh

• Michael your singing is actually quite nice aside from the hint of giovannui at the edges of your words

• ARE THEY NOT DOING THE HARMONIES

• NO

• The harmonies are the best part of the song noooo

• And I think his voice would probably harmonise quite well

• And he ISN’T SINGING TURN AROUND WITH THE BACKING SINGERS

• wHY

• there was no dramatic krolock walking down the staircase slowly

• but then again I don’t think giovanni could do that

• he’d probably trip on the second step, crash down the stairs and be like I’m a-fine! Hee hee!

• Oh

• Oh no

• I think they are doing harmonies but they’re just

• Wrong

• So wrong

• Or maybe good ol’ giovanni has just forgotten the key he’s supposed to be singing in

• Entirely possible

• I don’t think giovanni would particularly care about the rules of music

• Oh giovanni is literally just like come to the gates of hell with me and sarah seems chill with iy

• She’s singing along

• She’a having a good time

• NOOO they harmonised poorly during the verse where there should be no harmonies but they sTILL WON’T HARMONISE IN THE CHORUS

• I HATE IT

• -22/10 would not listen again

• But then that sums up the whole musical tbh

• The phrase ‘hold me tight’ should not be in this song

• Wrong vibes my friends

• This fails the vibe check

• Oh no they’re attempting a couple of the original harmonies

• 2 lines in and it’s not going well

• ???????

• Wait

• They’re both singing harmonies for sarah’s line but NOBODY IS SINGING SARAH’S LINE

• Sarah sing your own part

• What r u doing

• Sarah

• This is horrible pls stop

• Once again the staging is mostly just the two pigeons again

• Except the squawking is more evenly split between the two

• Back and forth

• Wait

• Hmm

• There appears to be either a cult or aa group of monks (is there a name for that? A flock of pigeons, a murder of crows, a prayer of monks?) gathering in the backgroubd

• Did nobody tell them yhis room was taken

• Or maybe sarah and giovanni didn’t book the room

• Maybe it’s just turned midnight and their hour is up

• Someone check the dramatic staircase room booking sheet pls

• Ok ok but there’s nothing you can do, a total eclipse of the heart??

• The whole point is that sarah is trying to choose to be free and make her own choices

• If there’s nothing she can do then that sort of defeats the purpose

• Oh wait yeah this sarah wasn’t locked up

• Never mind

• None of this makes sense anyway

• Really missing krolock’s cape rn

• Nothing looks as good without it

• If giovanni had a cape he might even make it from a -13/10 to nearly a 1/10

• Oh the cult is following giovanni

• Maybe he invited them..?

• Having that many candles on the stairs cab’t be practical

• And tbh is frankly quite dangerous if u ask me

• …and once again we end with some undeservinf applause

Round 4: the boys are back in town

• Ah here comes alfred with his self-narration

• Did he just lightly crack the fourth wall..?

• Oh god and the vampire hunting squad is joined by giovanni ‘buonasera’ von krolock

• Ew did he just say scrumptious? That word should be spoken by grannies and posh mothers alone

• I love how he’s just sat in a throne in the middle of nowhere

• Is this outside his castle? Inside? Somewhere else entirely? We may never know

• Oh sorry I stand corrected it appears I have been incorrectly naming giovanni this whole time

• His full name appears to be count giovanni coppolini travancoli von krolock (or something along those lines) of the sicilian side of the family

• Albus percival wulfric brian dumbledore anyone?

• I just.

• Why is he italian

• Krolock does not sound remotely italian

• Do vampires have a connection to italy?

• If so I am not aware

• Once again, I must ask: why is 75% of the staging of this musical just people stood at opposite ends of the stage facing each other

• Those bats look like family? I guess they would

• Oh my god why is alfred threatening giovanni

• I guess nobody’s gonna be pretending not to know what the others are

• Which gets straight to the point I suppose

• While not necessarily good at self-preservation, alfred sure is efficient

• But maybe too efficient because we still have an hour left to go

• This version of alfred is like a chihuahua with small dog sydrome yapping at a bigger dog, excpet giovanni is only slightly bigger than him and is probably a flea-infested chinese crested dog dressed in a halloween costume from wish.com

• …piccolo alfredo.

• This scene is really bringing out the offensively fake italian in giovanni

• WHY. IS. HE. OFFERING. ALFRED. A. SPONGE. SHAPED. LIKE. A. PENIS

• WHY IS HE MAKING IT GO FLACCID EWWWW NOOO

• I NEED EYE AND BRAIN BLEACH

• Are they saying… erbert..?

• Oh yay he’s french

• Quick tip, directors: the french would not pronounce the t either unless you added an e at the end (I think)

• Also e is more like air rather than er from what I remember

• So really it would be airbair??

• Which is stupid

• Tl;dr: do not make him french and still call him herbert

• Oh and herbert wearing bright blue? No thx I prefer his purple sparkles and black

• His hair and wig aren’t even done well *sigh* herbert would hate this

• See giovanni made a joke and the audience clearly liked it but I could not catch a word of what he said

• Oh god this herbert is wrong

• Herbert never actually speaks to krolock in tanz

• Which tbh is a shame but i prefer it over… whatever this is…

• Huh so it is set in transylvania, giovanni and airbear are just italian and french bc y not

• Neat

• Cool cool cool

• Wait so they were in the library the whole time???????

• I’m so confused rn

• Why does his library have a coffee bar..? you know what, never mind

• Ah ambronsius is clearly about to sing his book song

• …or maybe not? Giovanni is apparently trying to seduce him too..?

• The staging is a bit like vor dem schloss

• It’s the right time for it but who knows

• And one of the first decent harmonies of the musical is a line between giovanni and ambronsius singing about books bc apparently this is a book club now

• Oh no is koukol called boris

• If it isn’t boris johnson I’m gonna be disappointed (or relieved)

• Apparently the throne just glides backwards

• Like a magic carpet exceot it doesn’t leave the ground so i suppose actually more like a chair with wheels, which is much less exciting

• That didn’t deserve a clap

• I can’t figure out if they’re being open about their intentions or not because they seem to change their minds every 10 seconds

• There’s suddenly a bed?

• Oh god ok let’s see if they mess up carpe noctem

• Well the music is for an entirely different song so this will be interesting

• Hmm ok it is that completly different song

• Is that airbear..?

• Or alfred #2?

• Bc it should be krolock singing that song but idek

• At least we get a cape and mostly good singing

• Ah here we go

• Carpe noctem looking its usual weird self

• oH GOD NOT ITS USUAL SELF

• I do not remember winged demons dancing on the bed in the original

• But hey there’s more capes

• Something to be grateful for

• I’m really not sure what’s going on here

• Oh ok I can finally see the dream krolock

• He’s doing all those jumps in a suit rather than shirtless with leggings so he looks a little less cool sorry to him

• But yh i still have no idea who is singing the main vocals

• And it’s over

• Ha alfred lowkey looks like brian david gilbert in that one bit

• Sorry alfred your i’m scared but i’m gonna do this for sarah song isn’t quite as sweet when you’re super confident

• One thing i never understood was how ambronsius slept through alfred’s singing

• Ah it appears he did not

• He’s hugging ambronsius..?

• Does he do that in the original?

• Ha ha very funny professor sibilance and homovampiricus

• Oh and alfred happily just whacks chagal on the head nice nice totally in character

• The coffins are empty???

• Why is chagal in a nice coffin

• Where does giovanni sleep

• I guess in his floating mansion of a coffin

• If anything herbert would have that

• WHY IS MRS CHAGAL HERE

• WHY IS ALFRED EAGER TO KILL CHAGAL

• Oh he’s finally turning magda

• ..and his wife?

• Apparently

• Are they in a polyamorous relationship now

• They will not all fit in that one coffin I’m sorry

• And here’s herbert

• Ew herbert is so cheap

• Like he was flirty in the original but this is ridiculous

• Ugh too many cheap gay jokes

• airbear is sO much worse than I could have imagined

• Huh maybe alfred is confirmed a little bi here

• Ok yeah alfred is definitely having his bi awakening here

• And at least the whole thing is a little more consensual here

• Oh yeah alfred’s bi as hell, he’s singing harmonies with airbear

• But he’s still trying to escape?

• I guess he is a bit confused

• Wait so airbear ended that thinking alfred wanted him? Different but more accurate to the events

• 40 minutes to go

• Mrs krolock is apparently a disguise he uses around sarah too? Ok

• Well the vampires are about to wake so this is where things really should start getting good but I’m sure they won’t

• I don’t like that one of them laughed

• I don’t think they’re even harmonising

• Lazy

• Ah ok here we go harmonies

• These are nice actually

• The lower part is louder than usual, which actually works quite nicely

• The vampires aren’t as jolty and creepy though

• Ew the guitar is bad

• What was that horrible whining between notes

• Oooh this should be sie irren professor

• Oh no, I guess giovanni has decided to bypass the threatening and has gone straight to physical assault

• There’s a prophecy? Alright then. Bit abrupt

• Dammit so they’re going straight into die unstillbare gier without sie irren professor

• Maybe it’s for the best… giovanni was never going to sound that threatening anyway

• Half an hour to go

• I can do this

• Let’s see how he massacres one of the best songs in the musical

• Also he’s starting the song at the front of the stage not the top, and it’s just weird

• When giovanni has been so comedic and dumb the whole time this song just won’t work

• …and the firsg two lines don’t rhyme… great start

• He has a cape though

• Pls I just want 1 cape swish

• Oh but the cape is pathetic

• Oh

• This song could have been good

• But the lyrics aren’t as good in places and he’s still got hints of giovanni’s stupid accent

• What a tragedy

• Well they’re giving a little more detail about his previous victims which is interesting at the very least

• The lyrics don’t have enough syllables

• And ugh they’re not very good either

• There are a few nice ones but most of them…

• I use my body just like a bandage, I use my body just like a wound

• And the prize for worst lyric yet goes to…

• And what makes it worse is that those replaced ich will frei und freier werden und werde meine ketten nicht los

• One of my favourite parts of the song

• And I just want to add that he’s barely moving too

• He doesn’t climb to the top and run down to collapse on the floor

• He just. Stands there.

• Like a badly dressed rock.

• Oh but the stage tilts now to form a straight wall

• So it’s not even like they couldn’t have the stage rise as he runs down

• They just left it raised for him to do nothing on and then got rid of it completely

• They replaced doch die with buuuuuut which does NOT work at all

• You need two syllables to separate the two notes

• This is awful

• They changed the tune a tiny bit which is fine I guess, not as satisfying though

• I just

• *sigh*

• His voice is good. With good lyrics and the original character, he could have done it really well

• I hate that potential was wasted

• Which, again, goes for the whole trainwreck of a musical

• I can’t make out all of the lyrics and I’m not sure if that’s a mild annoyance or a blessing

• Like, i have no idea what he said in the last little bit

• But hey that’s that

Part 3 - The Ball and Beyond

[thewritewolf]

Marinette March Day 19 - New Look

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

The bitter struggle against the cold is a long fight for Marinette, but today the fight takes an unexpected turn. 

@marinettemarch

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Another bitterly cold day, struggling to pay attention to class while fighting the world’s least energetic duel against exhaustion. When she had been offered the powers of the Ladybug miraculous, Marinette had not anticipated winter drowsiness and vulnerability to the chill to be a part of the deal, but here she was. While everyone else was taking off their jackets and hats and mittens, Marinette held herself tighter, as if ignorant of the roaring school heating system. She got a few odd glances her way. Alya would understand, but she was home sick. Even so, most of the students were content to ignore her. Most students.

A Chloe-shaped shadow fell over Marinette and she blearily looked up at the blonde bully.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she said her full name with that annoying emphasis on each syllable, as if she was enunciating some sort of ancient curse, “why are you wearing that hideous jacket? You’re making me sweat just looking at you. Get rid of that ugly thing.” She made a shooing motion, still standing over her.

Marinette could have pointed out that she was cold and wanted to not be cold, hence the jacket. She could have reminded her that this was an Agreste brand jacket - so unless she wanted to call out Adrien’s father, she might want to rethink how ‘hideous’ it was. She could have said nothing at all. Of course, none of those would have much of an impact, but it’s the thought that counts.

No, Marinette yawned and said, “Chloe, I’m really not in the mood today to do with your crap. Just go sit down and let me warm up in peace.”

There was a scattered giggling from the others which only further infuriated Chloe who had begun to tremble in rage. Sudden, she smiled too sweetly and sauntered over to her seat. Pleased that she’d talked down Chloe early today, Marinette ignored the warning signs, sighed and let her head rest on her arms. Her eyes closed, seeking just a few minutes of warm comfort before she’d have to pay attention to the start of class.

Her world shattered as an icy river of cold ran down her back, causing her to jolt back and get some of the water on her head as well.

“What the hell was that, Chloe?!” The snarled call out drew both girls’ attention to the doorway, where Adrien had just arrived. Marinette was too busy not freezing to death to get excited, whereas Chloe simply tossed her hair nonchalantly.

“This is about respect, Adrik-”

“You know what? I don’t care.” With a huff, Chloe went to her seat and Adrien slide into his. He took off his jacket turned back to look at Marinette. “Are you alright? Your coat must be soaked through.”

A terrible combination of nervousness and chill griped her. “W-w-w-well, I’ve b-b-b-b-been better…”

His eyes were filled with worry. “When Alya said you didn’t like the cold, I didn’t think it was this bad. Here.” He held his jacket out to her.

She pushed it back. “I c-c-c-can’t. You-”

“I’m going to a photoshoot after this class, going from heated car to heated building to heated home. I don’t need it nearly as much as you do.” He held it out again. “I insist.”

Normally, she might be inclined to continue this debate, but desperation was overriding politeness. She quickly shrugged off her coat and took his jacket. It turned out to be much warmer than hers was and she felt a twinge of frustration. Why were boys' clothes always warmer?

She nodded her head in thanks just before Ms. Bustier walked into the room.

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

Sure enough, Adrien left before the school day was over and since it was Friday she wouldn’t have a chance to return it until Monday.

While she was laying bundled up in layers of blankets in her bed, cuddling the Adrien-scented jacket (‘Adrien-scented’ apparently being a mix of lavender, vanilla, and the very very very faint scent of… cheese?), Tikki floated near her, taking in how her chosen had her face buried in the article of clothing.

“Enjoying yourself, Marinette?”

“Hm…? Tikki! I had an awesome idea.” She crawled out of the blanket mound. “When I give it back to him, I can use that to start a conversation with him! From there, it should be easy to ask him to the movies or something, right?”

“Well…” Tikki saw her chosen’s hope-filled eyes watching her and sighed. “It’s a good idea in theory. It is definitely at least worth trying. I know you’ll do your best!”

“Thanks! What could go wrong?”

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

“Oh my god! Tikki this is a disaster!” Marinette let herself fall face first onto her pillows, a muffled scream escaping.

“Is it?” Tikki zipped to Marinette’s side, hovering near her face. “I thought what he said was very nice. And from the way you were rubbing up against his jacket when you first got it, I thought you’d be thrilled that he let you keep it.”

Marinette cheeks were tinged pink when she looked up at Tikki. “No! I mean, yes, Adrien of all people saying I looked cute in it is the greatest thing ever, but then I just had to embarrass myself.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Tikki giggled. “It is hardly the first time you’ve garbled a sentence to him. I don’t think he minds.”

Cuddling a pillow as she laid on her side, Marinette asked in a small voice, “You think so?”

“I know so. What are you going to do now?”

Marinette ran her hands over her newly acquired jacket. “Well, if it’s mine now, then it better make it look like it. Care to give me a hand, Tikki?”

“Of course!”

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

Seated at his desk, Adrien was flipping through the last few pages of the assigned reading and fighting back a yawn. He hadn’t slept well last night and it was going to take everything in his power not to accidentally fall asleep in class. How hard could it be?

Closing his book, he glanced at the clock. Still ten minutes before class and the room was mostly empty, just the sound of Ivan’s muffled music and Nathaniel’s quick pen strokes. It probably wouldn’t hurt to rest his eyes. Just for a moment. Just long enough to help shore up his energy for the day. His head gently settled on his arms and his eyes slowly closed. Before he could fully relax, he heard the door open and heard something be placed in front of him.

The object turned out to be a hot cup of coffee from a place a couple doors down. He smiled sleepily and took a deep sip gratefully. “Thanks, Nin-” He looked up. It was not Nino. It was a figure of beauty wearing what may have once been his jacket but was now so much more. His cheek heated up when two additional observations warred for his attention.

First, the figure was Marinette, but then, who else was it going to be? Second, the cup he had just sipped from had lipstick on it and Marinette was digging through her pockets - although she stopped to stare at him just as hard as he was staring at her. He just took a swig of someone else’s coffee like some sort of creep.

Very carefully, he set the cup back on the desk, feeling the burn of embarrassment on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “S-sorry. I’m kinda out of it today.”

Her own cheeks lit up. “D-don’t worry about it! You- you can have that one if you want.” Her eyes widened and she held out her hands. “Not that I think you’re gross or anything! I don’t mind your saliva at all! I mean-”

Adorable as it was, he mercifully cut into her rambling. “Are you sure? It’s your coffee.”

“Y-yes.” She bit her lower lip to contain a giggle. “It looks like you need it more anyway.”

“That bad, huh?” He smiled. “Well, thanks.”

She took her seat behind him as he nursed the coffee. A few minutes later, he mustered up the courage to turn around. “Hey, Marinette?” Her head shot up from her doodling. While he was curious as to why she suddenly slammed it shut, he pressed on. “I really like what you did with my jacket.”

“Oh! Thanks.”

“Could you tell me more about all the changes you made to it? Maybe over a coffee?” He shook the mostly empty cup in front of him. “I kinda owe you a cup anyway.”

“No, no I couldn-” Alya nudged her hard in the side. “I mean, yes! Yes, that sounds great! After class today?”

Adrien nodded. “It’s a date then!”

[oh-styles]

Such Beautiful Things: River

As of December 22, 2018 4:37 AM, miss River Caroline Styles has entered the building. Thank you for enjoying this ride with me, and I hope you enjoy this!

“Oh, cry me a river.”

And that’s where it started; the two-syllable, single word that planted itself a comfortable spot in Harry’s brain, and would for the next two weeks eat away at him like some parasite gnawing on the very concern that had left him awake nearly every night for the last 37 days.

A name.

No person can go without one, and yet, his unborn child who is currently finishing up her last weeks cozied up inside of her mother is still left without one, and nothing was bothering Harry more.

He found you sat on the sofa with your feet hanging off the armrest, the fuzzy socks he bought you the winter before pulled up over your sweatpants, with a bowl of grapes resting firmly on your ever-growing stomach.

He clutches a thick book in his hand, hundreds of names within its pages highlighted and saved, etched into his memory, and as he watches you lay on the sofa watching My Own Personal Idaho for the fourth time that week, he merely scoffs.

“This is crucial—vital, extremely vital information. It’s our child’s name. The first thing that identifies her. Don’t want her to walk around with a Kardashian name like Treasure.”

“Treasure Styles has a ring to it though, don’t you think?” You smirk up at him.

“I don’t need your sass, missy.” He holds up the book, small post-it notes sticking out of the pages indicating his favorites, and he gently sets it down by your side. “Just take a look, will you? We’re running out of time. M’mum is even texting me everyday asking if we decided yet.”

“Well, tell my favorite future mother-in-law that her very pregnant future daughter-in-law has cankles and hemorrhoids, so she’s already got a lot on her plate right now.”

But what Harry doesn’t know is that a name has been circulating around in his girlfriends head for some months now, but some lingering doubt has left her silent on the topic, but tonight, once you fall asleep, she sneaks back downstairs to skim through The Complete Book of Baby Names, and in it does she highlight one herself.

*

“H, I think we have peaked our romance game.” You tipped your head back up and blew a stray hair from your vision, watching amused through the reflection of your bathroom mirror as the boy stood behind you fiddling with the cap to your ointment. “I really don’t think it can get any stronger than this.”

“I just ask one thing of you, love… Please don’t fart.”

To be fair, you tried on your own, but simple tasks become ten times harder when you have a bump the size of a pumpkin laid between your legs, and Harry didn’t mind; he reassured of that. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been up, close and personal with your bum, love, so please…take off your pants and bend over.”

And there you guys were; you stood bent over the bathroom sink with your pants down by your ankles with your boyfriend rummaging his finger in your backside. It wasn’t how you saw your day span out, but, like he said, it’s not the first time he’s rimmed your ass.

“Is this how prostate exams go? Do I need to cough?”

“Wrong exam, babe.”

“I’m quite hungry—can we order takeout?”

“Can’t say I’m all that hungry right now…”

“Okay, well when you’re done creaming my butthole, can you order some chips? With gravy, light salt…oh god… I can’t tell if I’m getting turned on from the thought of food or your finger on my a—”

“I’m done.”

*

You didn’t want to spend Christmas in the hospital. In a perfect world, you would be sat in front of a warm fire, in the coziest pajamas, with your baby girl bundled in your arms as Harry handfed you bonbons. And nothing was going to come between you and that fantasy.

It was the day after he returned from LA when it all began. Your due date was in six days, which meant the two of you had less than a week to get a jumpstart on labor. For breakfast, lunch and dinner – and the meals in between – it was nothing but leftover curry and red raspberry leaf tea. You trusted the internet, and despite the heartburn and indigestion you felt, if it meant you could get your baby girl out of your vagina by Sunday, then so be it.

It was a rough estimate, but around six times a day the two of you would engage in a form of intercourse; you read online that orgasms and nipple stimulation could help induce labor, and even if it didn’t, Harry was more than happy to oblige.

If he wasn’t licking into your cunt, a hand twisting and rubbing over your erect nipple, the two of you laid on your sides as he fucked into you until his balls had nothing much more to give…and then he would go back to sucking at your breasts.

“Am I latched on good?”

“Shut the fuck up, Styles.”

The two of you went on plenty of walks around the block, and even tried your hand at acupuncture. Despite feeling a little less pain in your back, you two went to bed that Tuesday night with the bassinet set beside your shared bed laid empty.

“Excuse me, little miss,” Harry pecked a kiss to your stomach, nosing the skin gently. “Y’mum and I are getting really impatient, and would like to hold you on Christmas day… So how about you shimmy out of your mumma now, huh?”

That earned him a swift kick, but nothing more.

“I’m telling yeh, love… She’s as stubborn as you.”

“Hey!”

“She’s staying in there on purpose… Knows how much we want her out.”

“Or maybe she’s trying to prepare herself for the ample number of kisses she’ll be getting from her dad.”

Dad.

You know how when you say a word so many times it begins to not sound like much of anything anymore? Like a foreign, unfamiliar remark that despite the common knowledge, your brain is left tumbling over any similarities that it can pinpoint to find some hidden significance.

Approximately, Harry has muttered that simple, single-syllable word to himself nearly four thousand times over the course of six months, leading you up to this very week. Since the moment the two of you found out your duo was becoming a trio at the end of the year, Harry hasn’t been able to get the word wrapped around his mind.

He knows who he is. He’s Harry. He’s the musician, the actor, the Gucci model, the boyfriend, and now…the father. Before any of that, he is the father; the caregiver and protector over a human child, a human child that is solely his.

When he wrote the song If I Could Fly three years before, he was in a different mindset, a child being the last thing on his mind, but now he can’t even perform it without it being an unknown ode to his unborn child. And maybe that’s why he loves that song just a little bit more now.

He sees you in a different light now; once being the woman he only dreamed of loving when he was merely a child himself, and now the mother of his own. Dreams really do come true.

You’ve become something of a homebody as of late; not partaking in quiet date nights like you once did, and now your boyfriend has hitched a ride as a third wheel train to concerts with Sarah and Mitch. He doesn’t mind; he even decided to stay home with you while you watch reruns of The Office, but you begged him to go out and have some fun.

“Harold, please. I beg of you. Go out and enjoy yourself while you can, because when this baby comes, you’ll only ever leave the house to fetch diapers.”

He knows you’re right…to an extent. He also knows you are happy relaxing in the comfort of your own home, especially since you are due in exactly a week. Your rapidly growing stomach has become much of an excuse to stay home while you rest your swollen feet.

“Don’t feel bad leaving me here, please. Me and Roro are enjoying ourselves… I’m not sure where Evie is, but she is enjoying herself too.” Harry isn’t completely satisfied, and even requests that the two of you can hang out backstage away from any crowds, but you simply shake your head. “If you see Paul, tell him your very pregnant girlfriend wishes she could be there, but she has a date with Ben & Jerry.”

Maybe if he was carrying around a 39-week-old fetus, he would understand.

“Okay,” he nods in defeat. “If you need anything, just call me, okay? If your water breaks—god forbid, if your water breaks—”

“I’ll call you… Harry, seriously. I’m okay. I’m resting on doctors’ orders. I’m being the laziest couch potato as I can be. Go have fun, and tell Sarah and Mitch I love them and miss them.”

And that’s what Harry did. Despite being requested to go out and enjoy himself, guilt filled his gut for the entirety of the night. Maybe he should have cancelled and stayed in with you. Maybe he should have cancelled his latest LA trip to stay at home with you instead of Gemma. Maybe he should have put his career on hold for the last few weeks of your pregnancy instead of leaving you by yourself at home with a cat and a dog as companions. 

No matter the guilt, you will always tell him it’s okay. You were showing no signs of early labor, and despite him being away, he would be back before your due date anyway. 

When he went and saw Bring Me The Horizon, he checked his phone every twenty minutes in case he missed a text from you. When he went back to LA to work on the album, he lost count of how many times he sent you a quick, “You feeling okay, pet?” text. He was a little more distracted at Fleetwood Mac, but it didn’t stop him from at least checking up on you once or twice. 

But it was as he was preparing to leave the venue, that a text blared from his pocket, sending his heart soaring through the roof. 

Don’t freak out, it doesn’t mean I’m in labor, but my stomach has totally dropped. She’s just getting herself ready… but please, don’t panic. I know you.

But panic he did. 

His initial plan was to be in LA for one more day, but without a coherent thought, he booked a flight for the next day to be home with you exactly one week before your due date. 

“It says online that the stomach can drop a few weeks to hours before labor, babe. Hours.”

“And yet I haven’t made a mess of myself, have I?” 

Touché. *

It was on Thursday when you felt the first one; that sharp sting that sent you lurching forward to grasp onto the kitchen counter, and before you could recognize it, it was already over. You waited there, too afraid to move, waiting for the next one to hit, but it ceased.

Harry was upstairs in the shower, so even if you were to call for him, the odds of him actually hearing you were slim. The stretch from the kitchen to the living room wasn’t far; you think you can make it before another one hits, until you hear familiar footsteps prodding down the stairs, beelining toward you.

“Tea sound good, love?”

“I felt it.”

Otherwise very vague, Harry felt his throat close and immediately dropped his eyes toward your feet.

“Water didn’t break… Just felt the pain. Think it was a contraction… Wasn’t like the ones before.” The ones before; those minute contractions that sent you to the hospital some months ago, just to be told they were nothing but normal, and far from the real thing. Though that didn’t settle you any, but you were just glad your daughter wasn’t going to be born at 20 weeks.

“How long ago?” His hand fell on your back, giving it soft rubs as you steadied your breathing.

“Maybe ten minutes ago? I don’t know. I was going to lay on the couch, but I was too scared to move.”

“Come ’ere.” Harry helps turn you around and slowly guides you to the sofa, where Roro sat waiting attentively. Even she knew something was happening. “Let me make you some tea, and we’ll just time them, okay?” No need to panic just yet.

And there you sat, waiting for the pain to crash into you with no warning, just like all the movies portrayed.

Once Harry returned with your tea and biscuits, you decided turning on a movie would help with the relentless waiting, so he scrolled through Netflix until he found Elf, and took a seat beside you.

“How long has it been?”

You give a quick glance to your phone. “Nearly 20 minutes.”

“Should I call m’mum?”

“No… Christ, Harry. It was one contraction; it’s not like my fucking wate—”

There it came again, a wave of pain that hit with no warning, like a tsunami, and you don’t even notice you’ve reached out to Harry until you feel his hand squeeze yours, and his other reaching toward is phone.

“I’m calling the doctor, okay? Twenty minutes apart, yeah?”

“They won’t…fuck. They won’t have me yet. Not this early.” Not when they aren’t strong enough you can talk through them, you remember this.

“So, we just wait?” He sounds defeated, like he’s been told he must wait until Christmas to open his presents. There was nothing in the world this boy wanted more than to meet his baby girl, and with every passing day, his patience grew thinner.

You glance back at your phone: 20 December 2018 9:10 AM

“They started at 8:50… Mark that down. So far every 20 minutes.”

*

You wondered what color eyes she would have; what kind of hair she would inherit; if she would grow up to follow in your shoes or find a different path. Maybe she would be a world renown surgeon, or an engineer for NASA, or be the next big Broadway director. Your thoughts were endless on what you thought the baby nestled inside you would end up doing in their life, but the only thing you were certain of what no matter what journey she took on, you knew you would be nothing but proud.

“Think she’ll be a doctor,” Harry inquired one night. “She’ll be the only thing they’ll talk about in medical journals. She’ll win a Nobel Prize, have a movie made about her—”

“Her own TV show about all of the lives she’s saved.”

“And then when she’s sixty, she’ll put out a rap album.”

“A Christmas rap album.”

Sometimes she would be an Alligator Wrestler, or a Cowgirl Space Princess, and other times she would become the most successful woman in music, beating every record put in front of her. Girls from all over the world would look up to her and know that they can be just as successful as her.

“She’ll run out of room to put her Grammy’s,” Harry snickered, gesturing down the hall where your Grammy’s sat.

“She’ll need a separate home just to put all of her awards.”

No matter the case, the two of you knew in your heart that your baby girl would do magnificent things in her life, and the two of you would be nothing short of proud.

*

No book or documentary would prepare you for this pain. With every aching, pulsating wave hitting you directly into your core, you can’t imagine things getting much worse than they already are. Nothing seemed to lighten them up either. A hot bath, a back massage, a long walk around the block only was temporary, and it wasn’t until you were stepping out of your bath and you felt the warm liquid splatter down at the tiles at your feet, that you knew there was no stopping things now.

“Y’sure you didn’t just wee yourself?”

“For fucks sake, Harry—I didn’t wee myself!”

You saw panic rise in his eyes, and despite him telling you regardless, you knew this is where it all began.

“Okay—okay, I’m going to call m’mum…and we’ll get you to the hospital—do you have your bag? Where’s your bag?”

You stepped awkwardly over the puddle, throwing down a towel to the ground to quickly clean up the mess. You listened as Harry ran around the bedroom, muttering to himself about not being prepared, though he had nine months to do so.

“Mum—hey, mum, uh, her water broke… No, she didn’t wee herself. Her water broke.” You wee yourself one time and never live it down. “We’re headed to the hospital now. Call Gem for me, yeah?”

And right as it was all beginning, you were quickly dressed in sweatpants and Harry’s slip-on Gucci loafers – you couldn’t find yours – the two of you whisked off into traffic.

*

21 December 2018 7:25 P.M.

“I fucking hate you,” You seethe, your nails digging into your pillow as Harry cautiously ran his fingers through your hair. “I’m never gonna fuck you again.”

If it wasn’t for his mother stood beside him, he might have ignored your comment, but he feels his face burn bright red, and just contently nods at your comment. “You’re right, babe. I’m sorry.”

“If you ever think about getting that thing near me again, I’m cutting it off.”

“I would too, babe. That’s okay.”

“I need that fucking epidural now.”

“I still think it’s too early, babe—”

“Are you the fucking doctor?”

He wants to make a comment about putting money in the swear jar, but he figures now isn’t the best of times.

“Love, how about you go find a nurse, and I’ll watch over her, okay?” If there was one person here who knew what you were going through, it was Anne, and that thought comforted you a little.

She handfed you ice chips, wiped your forehead down with a wet cloth, and even suggested you lay in a hot bath to soothe the pain, all of which you gratefully accepted.

It wasn’t until midnight that you were given the thumbs up for an epidural, which Harry beamed at you and said, “Looks like we’re having a baby today.”

*

22 December 2018 1:10 A.M.

You have never felt better. You feel like you could run a mile, or hand-deliver this baby yourself. Any inkling of pain has been replaced with complete and total ease. You feel like you can finally breathe again, and then you nearly started crying when you tried apologizing to Harry from the things you had said before.

“I’m surprised you didn’t make a swear jar joke.”

Gemma arrived not long after, finding her a spot in the corner of the room. You had told her that her brother nearly passed out when you got the epidural, and she only wishes she was there to witness it.

“He got all pale and the nurse told him to sit down,” you chuckle at the memory, taking a sip of your water. “Not sure why he was so freaked out—I was the one with the needle in her spine.”

“It’s a big needle, okay?”

“Just don’t look between my legs when I’m pushing, because that’ll for sure send you running out of the room.”

Harry wants to throw a snarky remark, but he watched the labor videos with you as well, so he knows it’s best for him to stay by your side.

“Anne, your son has the weakest stomach I’ve seen.”

“Should’ve seen him when he was a boy.”

You could only imagine the horror.

By the time 2 o’clock hit, you had nurses checking on you regularly. You were told you were completely effaced, and just nearly all the way dilated.

“I think she’ll be coming in the next couple hours,” the nurse beamed. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Next couple of hours.

You watched Harry sink into the chair beside you at the words. For as long as he’s known, he’s had months to prepare, and finally the months have turned into just a couple hours, and it really dawns on him how close they really are to becoming actual, real parents.

*

22 December 2018 4:10 A.M

“Okay, sweetie, I need you to give me one big push, okay?”

Push after push, and you felt like you weren’t getting anywhere. Exhausted didn’t even begin to cover how you felt, and your confidence was nearly gone. Anne stood beside you, holding one of your legs and dabbing your forehead every so often.

She was closest you had to a mom these days, and it wasn’t until this very moment you realized how much you truly loved her.

“I know you’re tired, hun. You just want this to be over with, I know. But you have to be strong, okay? Every little push helps her get closer and closer, you just have to help her get her into the world. She needs her mummy’s help right now.”

You rested, taking a couple deep breaths before you pushed down as hard as you could, feeling the pressure grow deeper between your legs.

“I see hair!” The nurse exclaimed, looking up to meet your eyes. “Want to feel your baby girl, love?”

She reached her hand out, and hesitantly, you took it as she led you between your legs.

And that’s when for the first time you felt your baby girl.

“Hair! I feel her hair!” You burst into tears, looking back to Harry who, without a second thought, reached down himself. “That’s her!”

That was the girl the two of you have spent months talking to, dreaming of, and patiently waiting for. She was right there, and just minutes from being welcomed into the world.

“Okay, love, we need another push, okay?”

Everything after that felt like a blur. Harry and Anne stood holding your legs, Gemma stood to the side taking photos and videos, and the second when you knew you could no longer give anymore, you felt her leave your body.

You fell back onto your pillow breathless. “Harry… She’s not crying.”

He watched the nurse pick her up, her little arms raised straight in front of her, and before he could even think to say anything, she let out the most pronounced cry he’d ever heard.

*

Near the middle of the Complete Book of Baby Names, was one that visited you even in your dreams. You knew months before she was born what she would be called, and maybe that’s proof that mothers always know best.

By the time your daughter was born, she was referred to at the hospital as Baby Girl Styles. The bright-blue eyed daughter of you and Harry Styles, weighing 6 pounds 9ounces, was brought into this world at 4:37 in the morning, granting your wish to not spend the holidays in the hospital.

“If all is perfect, you should be out of here by Christmas Eve.” And that you were.

The first time Harry saw his daughter, he burst into tears. The nurse raised her to set your chest, and as you held her for the first time, he leaned down to plant a pert little kiss to her head. One of many, and he knew.

“Thank you,” he muttered against your forehead. “Thank you. I love you so much. Thank you.”

He will lose track of how many times he thanks you over the next week.

Over the next two days, the two of you learned how to be parents. Within the first 24 hours, River successful was able to shit up and shit on her father, and he knew then that she was going to be a tough one to handle.

“All I ever did was love you,” he whines, running over to the sink.

He learned that she loves to lay on his chest while he hums, and it’s the quickest way to put her to sleep; you would watch them from your bed and learn to cry quietly so she wouldn’t wake up. The sight of the man you fell in love with, holding the daughter made from that same exact love, was all you needed to be sent into a floodgate of tears.

“Can’t wait to take you home, petal. You’ll get to meet Roro, and Evie… They’re very nice.” He gently laid her down on the bed, pulling out her onesie that he picked out to take her home in. “We’re going to be in the car for a little while, okay? I hope you don’t mind. We’re going to go to your nana’s house first. Spend a couple days there.”

Watching him gently place her tiny arms into the sleeves of her gown was nearly comical. Replace your daughter with a glass sculpture, and that’s what it looked like he was dressing.

“Harry, it’s okay. Be gentle, but not that—”

“She is a fragile little flower, love.”

You and Gemma nearly spit your drinks out.

For the drive to Anne’s, you sat in the backseat with River while Harry drove, and Gemma sat passenger. She slept for most of the drive, only waking up when she needed fed, which Harry promptly pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot, so you could take her out of her seat.

Once the four of you arrived at Holmes Chapel, you promptly found yourself in your designated bedroom, falling limply onto the sheets; you don’t think you’ll be moving until the next morning. A few minutes later, Harry strolled in with a tiny bundle in his arms, Gemma following behind with the bassinet.

“Mummy needs a nap,” you whisper, looking up at Harry as he gently set River in her bed.

“Mum said Charlene is having a Christmas party later tonight. Me, Gem and Mum might pop in and say hi… Let me know if you’re feeling up to it, okay? I won’t stay long.”

You give him a small nod, feeling him pulling a blanket over your body.

“Mind if I join you? Parenting is exhausting.”

For the first time since leaving the hospital, you properly felt like a family.

[water-writings]

11/11/11

I was tagged by @demidemonwrites and @ezwriting. Thanks you guys and sorry this took so long to write! 

I know I will be breaking the rules to some extent, but I will be answering both their sets of 11 questions here. I don’t have exactly 11 people to tag, let alone 22 at the moment haha. Sorry!

Demidemonwrites’ questions!

1) Least favorite writing trope?

I’m going to be honest, I’m not entire sure. I’ve never thought of this before. I actually went through a couple forums where people are telling their least favorite tropes to see if anything struck with me. Honestly, I couldn’t find anything. Maybe I haven’t read a lot to know what I don’t like or if I’m just not that picky. I guess if things are written well I’ll be down with anything. 

I guess if I had to pick one, it would have to be “the good guy is actually the villain” trope. With Frozen I remember when I first sat down in the theater and thinking “Haha what if Hans was the villain” and then BOOM I was right. There was some other movie I watched where I called one of the good guys being the villain, but I can’t remember what it was.

2) Which of your characters are underdeveloped but you want to develope more?

My current new character for My Hero Academia, Yuriko Umeda. She’s the first character since my Marvel character, Tracey Madison, that I’m super excited to work on and write for!

3) Do you prefer writing stories or worldbuilding?

I prefer writing stories. I’ve mostly written fanfiction and gone off of worlds from fandoms. But I have recently been practicing worldbuilding by attempting to add onto the already existing worlds. I have an original story in the works, but I haven’t touched it in nearly four years. It’s there, but I’m struggling with it. Maybe one day I’ll finally figure it out. But yes, I like writing stories more so than worldbuilding at the moment. 

4) Where do you do most of your writing? (In bed, at a desk, ect...)

Literally anywhere. I write on my computer and on my phone on Google Docs so writing is portable for me. I do tend to write more on my bed or on a couch. I guess somewhere where I’m comfy.

5) If you have multiple ocs, what do you do to keep all their info organized?

Hahahaha I don’t. I’m pretty sure there have been times where I created a character in my head, came back to them months or even years later and forgot what their name was. I used to write a list of characters I created (even ones that I didn’t have stories for) back in high school, but now I don’t. I guess I just remember characters I really like. If I write for them I remember them of course, but if they are characters I have in my head and create a story for them then I tend to remember those characters. Although, I probably should start keeping them organized somehow.

6) Do you write your ideas down or are they mostly in your head?

Both. I tend to come up with ideas in my head (as everyone does haha) and when I have time I write them down on my notes section of my google doc for the story. But I also have ideas written down and in my head. Small ideas come to mind every now and then that I forget about that pop back up or they are minor details that I’ll write in as I write the story. 

7) What is your character(s) favorite food?

Yuriko’s favorite food is omu rice.

Tracey’s is Hawaiin pizza. 

Barry’s would be fried rice.

Aria’s is cookies.

Wes likes pretzels. Crunchy or soft he loves them.

Lyra’s is meatloaf. 

I haven’t thought of Barry’s, Wes’, or Lyra’s before but those popped in my head. It might change, not sure haha.

There are probably other characters that I can’t think of at the moment or characters that I haven’t written for in forever that I just omitted from this list. These are my recent projects. 

8) Out of all your character, which has the best story arc?

I guess Tracey? She’s the character who I actually write a complete story for instead of abandoning it. To this day I’m not sure how I did it, but I did. I have four stories completed in the series with her in it. The second one I liked, but looking back on it there’s some stuff I’d like to change in it. But I also think with that story I was able to develop her character more after that. 

9) Do you prefer heroes, villains, or anti-heroes?

D. All of the above. I like characters who are well written. Even if its a villain I will like their character. 

10) What character have you had the longest?

My longest character would be from my very first fanfic ever, but I don’t want people looking into that one hahaha! Out of my recent characters its definitely Tracey and Barry.

11) Favorite villian trope?

This was another thing that I’ve never thought about before and once again I looked into lists of villain tropes. I think I like bad just to be bad. One of my favorite villains is Joker and he’s evil just because. Another trope (if you count it as a trope or personality) is crazy. Harley Quinn, Junko Enoshima, and Himiko Toga are happy crazy and I don’t know why, but I love characters like that. 

Ezwriting’s questions!

1. Do you listen to anything while you write? Music, television, white noise, etc.

I tend to have something on in the background, whether it’s music, TV, or YouTube. I just like to have background noise. I do like to use music to picture scenes for stories. There’s been times where I’m listening to a song randomly one day and I just picture a new scene that has that song playing as background music and I just add it to a story. 

2. Can you describe your favorite character? Either yours or a beloved favorite from a book or any other media – I’d just love to hear about them.

Tracey and Barry are my MCU OCs. They are the Madison twins and they’ve been with me since I was a freshman in college. So about six years or so. That may have given away my age who knows lol. 

Barry worked with SHIELD and was picked up right out of high school. Tracey didn’t know what he did until the Battle of New York where she basically interrogated him on his uniform. Tracey is a hacker. She majored in Computer Science (even though I know absolutely nothing about it) and she has been playing with computers since she was a kid. She had an interest in them. 

Pepper was a friend of their mom’s so that’s how they met Tony and then the Avengers through Tony. Everything just falls into place or goes down hill from there! 

I’ve worked so much on them that they have become my favorites. But at this point, I’m taking a hard hiatus on them and focusing on other characters.

3. When you write, do you have any particular requirements before you can start? (Have to be a specific somewhere, need music, etc.)

Nope! If I end up writing, I’m lucky. I have the worst attention span and lack of inspiration at times that the moment I sit down and try and write I end up watching the most random videos on YouTube or scroll through Tumblr. It’s bad haha. 

4. Do you prefer to be hot or cool when writing? Do you snuggle up with blankets or have fans running, or are you somewhere in - between?

I’m in between. It depends on the day. Like right now I’m fine sitting on my couch in some comfy shorts and a shirt and write. But some times my legs might get cold and I’ll lay a blanket on them. But that’s usually if it’s cold out. I’m in between.

5. What kind of writing ‘quirks’ do you have?

None. I literally sit and write. I usually have background noises I mentioned in the first question (sometimes, very rarely, will I write in silence). I might have a cup of tea or a snack, but other than those I don’t think I have any writing quirks. 

6. What is your favorite book or book series?

Harry Potter, Peter and the Star Catchers, and The Truth About Forever. 

7. Is there anyone who inspires your writing?

@pen-in-hand @apocalyvse They’re writing is amazing!!

8. What first got you started in writing?

I honestly can’t even remember. I think it was this anime that’s my favorite called D Gray Man. A friend got me into it late 8th grade early freshman year of high school and I loved it. I was also a major major dork back then (probably still am but not as much) and had a crush on one of the characters that I wanted to create my own to add into the story. I think one of my friends told me about ff.net and I picked up a notebook and pen and started writing. 

I do remember a couple times in elementary school where I had to write short stories. One I think I still have in my junk somewhere that was about a dog wanting to be a sled dog and the other was I had to write how the Oregon Trail was made. That one I don’t have, but I think I remember I wrote about how a girl ran into a goblin in a forest and had some competition with him over something. She ended up using this basket she had and used it to create the trail. 

Elementary school Mel was wild. I don’t even know how I remember that Oregon Trail one. Star Kid pick up my story and make a prequel to Trail to Oregon.

9. What would you suggest to new writers?

Just write. Even if you think it’s bad, just write and post it. Someone is going to love it. You are also your worst critic. I look back at my first fanfic and CRINGE when I think about it. But I have reviews on it. I also look back on it and realize that I have improved so much since then. You improve as you write and you can only go up. If you enjoy it, keep writing. 

10. Do you prefer to write first, second or third person?

Third person for sure!

11. How do deadlines affect your writing? Do they hinder or help you?

I don’t set deadlines for myself. Unless I’m writing something for a holiday or as a present to someone. I don’t do deadlines, but I think it would either help or hinder me. It would help me sit down and write, but I also think - knowing me - that I’d procrastinate and then rush to meet the deadline. Rushing would then result in my worst work I think. Maybe. But I just don’t do deadlines. I post when I want to.

My questions

1. Do you write fanfictions or original stories and did you ever write fanfiction? 

2. Did you ever write your stories in the middle of class instead of paying attention? 

3. How many notebooks do you have filled with your writing? 

4. What’s your favorite way to write? Notebook, Word Doc, Google Docs?

5. Do you write by yourself or do you need people writing with you? 

6. Have you ever cowritten with someone? 

7. Who do you bounce ideas off of? 

8. Have you ever taken an experience from your life and written it into a story? 

9. Favorite type of music to listen to while you write. 

10. Have you ever had anyone give you “advice” that hurt you and prevented you from writing for a while? 

11. Have you ever had fans of your writing pester to write a certain way? 

I tag @pen-in-hand @apocalyvse @starsandstormyseas @loopally @morganwriteblr @writing-and-nutmeg @luciandra-writing @nightwingshero @scouthearted @invernessie41 @odpadkywriter @alalawrites

I did 12 instead of 11 since I had two sets of questions haha!

[drist-n-dither]

Novel Prep

WIP: The Ave’s Egg

Thanks to @urbanteeth, this is extremely long so I will put a keep reading! 

(let me know if anyone made it to the bottom of the post!)

First Look

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

Lania, a young princess, and her family must mediate a treaty to end a war, but it seems not every side wants peace to settle over the waring countries. Lost and confused Lania finds herself right in the middle of the conflict and must fight to get her way home under life threatening conditions.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

I plan on making this story as one part to a four part story. Lania is not the main protagonist in each of the books but she is there and plays a very pivotal point to the greater plot. So If all goes well this series will be a quartet! The Ave’s Egg itself should be in the range of 50,000 to 70,000 words as it is a young adult book. Although, since it’s still barley starting in the rough draft stage we will have to see. 

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

Long travel, earned sweat, constellations, russet reds, brilliant blues, wide dunes, sea stained clothes, coastal views, warm lights, jungle, empty cups, bells, blood, muddied feet.  (mood boards to come dearies!) 

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

All of Tamora Peirce’s books because she is my favorite authors, also she writes  about many themes that i highly value and wish to address as well. The Golden Compass, and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Each have very diverse stories about young women in their childhood and really inspired me as I grew. 

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

Main Character

6. Who is your protagonist?

Lania is my main Protagonist. She is a princess in the realm of Trenear. She is well trained in culture, language, trade, and for formal duels in the name of her family. She is 14 years old and the daughter of the Empress regent. Her great grandmother marked the beginning of the Age of the Dragon, Lania and her siblings age has yet to be named or spoken for. 

7. Who is their closest ally?

Lania’s closest Ally is her older brother Napaul. He is 17 years old and the biggest heart in the family under his father. He listens to her as an equal and expects the best from her. She respects and loves him immensely. Where Lania is very rough and loud with her frustrations her is very raw and emotional. There is trust in their emotional vulnerability and in their weakness. Also, they both find each other incredibly hilarious. Aside from Napaul, her family is really her strongest and most plentiful support. 

8. Who is their enemy?

Lania’s enemy is the unknown. It’s all that rests outside of her palace walls. Her enemy is the distance between her families hearts and her own. It’s the plans of those who wish to harm her family made in whispers. 

9. What do they want more than anything?

She more than anything wants to get back to her home, to her family, to the familiar, and safety.

From my eyes,  if she forgot home for a second she would realize she just wants to feel less scared about everything. About having to live. Having to move forward. 

10. Why can’t they have it?

A war and a divine conflict. Her Blood and an Oath. 

and for that second part, she is just a child and she must grow and experience first. 

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

That she doesn’t have a responsibility to the world outside of her own family and their name and title.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

Drawn by my closest friend @sweatersgalore !!

She is around 5′6, lean and muscular. She has a strong jaw and long face with a hooked nose. Thick waves and loosely curled black hair, very dense and long. Her bangs sit on top of her eyebrows and make a crescent shape hugging her high cheekbones. Braids riddle her hair to keep it from all crowding her face and hands. Her eyes are silver and her eyes are almond shaped. 

Plot Points

13. What is the internal conflict?

Lania feels completely safe at home and wants her family to all stay together. With everyone leaving she doesn't want to be left behind and she doesn't want to leave the palace either. Later she deals with guilt and feeling inept, forgetting her own skills and memory of her worth. 

14. What is the external conflict?

There is a feuding war, the natural elements as she is lost on another continent, she is fleeing and continually trying to overcome obstacles in her path to get back home. 

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

Well that is the story, probably too many spoilers if I told you that. Lets just say that the worse things that could happen to her do. Although there isn’t any sexual violence or family abuse in the story, I don’t feel like it belongs in her story. 

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

Who caused all of the families and the realms troubles. Identities will be revealed as well maybe for the benefit of our hero. 

17. Do you know how it ends?

Yes! I’ve already begun plotting for the next book very lightly while I'm writing the rough draft of this story.

Bits and Bobs

18. What is the theme?

One of the themes is creating a name for ones self. 

19. What is a reoccurring symbol?

Rebirth

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)

The story is set in three distinct locations! (it’s not quite in order or all of the locations but these make up a great deal of the story) 

The first is Trenear. Which is Lania’s homeland and is along the mediterranean coast. It’s a country thats at it’s best right now. It’s fairly rich due to it’s accessibility along the water and its unending source of natural elements at their feet. It’s heavy in trade and artistry and many cultures and people pass through.

The second is Amurid. Who's environment is jungle. Their buildings and architecture is wide and laid out but beautifully orchestrated in color and structure. The air is thick there and heavy, wildlife is mischievous and roams freely through out the kingdom. 

The third is the Valundrin Desert on the outsides of Coyi, between Amurid. It is blisteringly hot and deep dunes paint its landscape. The sand in this land is deep purple. Pockets of Helium escape from the ground below and create something quite more worrisome than quick-sand, literal rivers made of sand. From the surface they can barely be distinguished from normal resting sand though!  

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

Yes! Quite a few that I get desperately excited about, and some that I sit on the bus to school and nearly cry over. I’m very visual so it I can play the events smoothly in my head I should eventually be able to write them. 

22. What excited you about this story?

I was very excited about the world building elements and the fantasy setting that i’ve slowly been weaving together. I love stories that revolve around young children where they have so much to see and so far to go. I’m also excited for the over arching story because Lania’s story is just the pillar where she stands on when the larger story gets introduced. I’m excited to really just let my mind explore and have fun. To really be free of the contracts I’ve put on myself before. 

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!

Oh man, I’m trying to pull that together right now. For now I’m doing a lot of prepping and organizing. I’m really trying to decide what is necessary for the story and what elements I can raise up and amplify and which can get erased or morphed to be more beneficial to the story. I want to create a goal soon to sit down everyday and work on my WIP it doesn’t have to be purely the word count but even just writing and pondering things that could happen or how scenes might play out. Or maybe even just world building since I enjoy it so much. 

Tagging those who have shared interest in The Ave’s Egg or those who might want to do the tag feel no pressure! : @lonely-pages-of-ink @incandescent-creativity @lillayalightfoot @esoteric-eclectic-eccentric @bexminx @dionian-gayce @raevenlywrites @marniewrite @a-place-of-babble @littlesilverlightning @idreamonpaper @morriganwrites-0124 @cosmosbv @kometa-makes-art @ad-drew @writerofwriting @writings-of-a-narwhal @ghostwriteblr @bergamotstreet @all-bridges-will-burn @writer-on-time @the-forgotten-traveller @whatsanwritepocalae @dreameronthewind @siriuslyprocrastinating @idreamtofreality @floralandrogyny @jessica-shouldbewriting @monstrouswrites @inexorableblob @fragrant-stars

let me know as always if you want to be off my tag list!

[inyourwildestdreamslove]

Falling for Something

Pairing- Sweet Pea x Reader

Summary: After Sweet Pea finds you in the rain and takes care of you, you see an whole new side to him. Suddenly, he isn’t just the annoying boy who won’t leave you alone. And you start to fall....

Part 2 of Playing Hard to Get

You are surprised when the next day at school when Sweet Pea falls casually into step with you. He doesn’t try to steal your books or pull your hair. He isn’t nearly as loud or invasive as he was just yesterday. In fact, he seems to be totally at ease with you and casually brushes your arm or ask to carry your books for you. He doesn’t stand in the aisle and he doesn’t spend all class stretching making it hard for you to see.

You aren’t really sure what to think.

Your head is buried in a book and you tense a moment as you sense him suddenly hover over you. You hear a mutter in your ear of ‘Good morning, beautiful,’ before he sits in his seat and starts to pull out his things for the class.

You reply with a quiet ‘good morning,’ before returning to your book.

You expect him to start to mess with your hair or steal the book from hands, but neither happens. You send him a soft smile as you reach behind you to grab your homework out of your bag and he returns your smile with a dazzling one of his own. As class continues, you become colder and colder until you are hunched over trying to get as warm as possible.

“Cold?” you hear a deep voice behind you.

You glance over your shoulder and nod your head as your rub your arms to generate heat. You suddenly feel his jacket drop around your shoulders. You glance over your shoulder at him again, a look of confusion on your face.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you’re cold, it’s fine.”

You slip your arms into the arms of the jacket and snuggle into the jacket appreciating its warmth. The scent of spicy aftershave and heady scent of liquor flood your senses. You feel yourself relax into your seat. You miss the way that Sweet Pea smiles softly at you, seeing you in his jacket.

You especially weren’t sure what to think when you saw him in the library sorting through the shelves looking for something.

“Need help?” you ask walking quietly up to him.

He glances up from the page he’s scanning and just shrugs, “I’m looking for information on Vlad the third.”

“For the report?”

He nods as he plucks another book off of the shelf, “Is it because he’s the Prince that Dracula is based off of?”

He smirks as he glances up from the book he’s inspecting, “You know about Vlad the Impaler?”

“Of course! I’ve actually got one you can borrow for your report it talks a lot about his history.”

He gazes at you for a moment, “How are you so cool?”

You blush and look down from the unexpected compliment, “Shut up! It’s not that big of a deal…”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t know how cool you are,” he says with a boyish smile.

“Well you’re pretty cool yourself choosing Vlad the Impaler as your focus! Most people don’t know that Dracula is based on an actual person.”

“Yeah, they just think it’s a work of fiction.”

“Kind of like-”

“Frankenstein’s Monster!” you both exclaim at the same time.

“Yes! Being inspired by-”

“The first cell animation by scientist!”

You just stop and look at him in awe, “How…?”

“What? I do read you know… and pay attention in class… I’m more than just a thug.”

“Well… I know that… I know you’re more than a thug! I just… no one pay attention to this stuff!”

“I do.”

He says it so simply as if everyone in the world knew about literature and horror and history and actually cared.

“So… What angle are you writing your paper from? I know it’s on the Salem Witch Trials, but I don’t know the aspect.”

“It’s going to be about the failure of the justice system and the mass hysteria that it caused resulting in the death of 22 women and 2 infants.”

“Linking it to today’s tendency for media outlets to prey on the fears of the population would be a cool point to make.”

A sincere part of you is speechless, you had no idea that Sweet Pea is so smart.

“I’ve thought of that angle! I’ve got several stories already lined up for comparison.”

“You know… This Saturday we should work on our paper together… Maybe we could hit up that party that night as well?”

You take a moment to consider the offer, you aren’t one for parties, but that’s just because your friends usually run off and leave you all alone. You don’t care of idle chit chat and getting hit on by drunk guys is so uncomfortable.

“You wouldn’t leave me alone at the party right? My friends always abandon me…”

“No way! You go to the party with me and you’re stuck with me for the night! I’m making sure no one touches you and you get home safely.”

“Okay… Sounds like fun then!”

The bell for your next class rings and Sweet Pea makes his way up to the front desk to check out his books. He then pulls you behind him out the door and walks you to your next class. When he sits behind you in English you are hyper aware of him now that you aren’t trying your best to ignore him.

You lean back into him whenever he leans forward to whisper in your ear and suddenly the jokes and comments you thought were so stupid are now funny. You about leap out of your chair when you feel his lips brush the shell of your ear and the breathy mutter of how nice your hair looks suddenly sends you into overdrive mode.

What is going on?

When class is over you don’t wait for Sweet Pea, you grab your things and rush for the door. You miss the forlorn look he has on his face as he looks up to see you rush from the room. You speed walk down the hallway towards your best friends locker.

“We need to talk,” you say coming to an abrupt stop in front of your friends causing her to jump back a little.

“What is it?!” she asks in slight panic. You aren’t one to freak out or have much drama in your life. So having a look of panic on your face puts them on edge.

You lower your voice to below a whisper, “I think… I have a… crush!”

“ON WHO?” she exclaims.

“Shut up!” up hush her grabbing her arm and pulling her off down the hallway.

“OMG you totally have a crush on that guy in your math class!”

“Will you stop yelling!” you exclaim, neither of you noticing Fangs leaning against the locker hitting on some random girl in the hallway.

He stops what he’s doing and looks off down the hall in the direction that you went. He can hardly believe his ears. You have a crush on a guy in your math class! You don’t have math with Sweet Pea! Plus he thought that you and Sweet Pea were going to the party together. IT JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!

“Are you going to tell me or not?” questions your bestie as she stops you from going into your next class.

“Not if you’re going to yell it out for the world to hear!” you exclaim in annoyance before you stomp into class.

“I’m sorry! It’s just so exciting! You never have crushes!”

“I do too have crushes!”

“Oh!” exclaims Toni as she sits down in front of you, “On who?”

Toni gives you a blinding smile as if she knew something that you didn’t.

“She won’t say…” huffs your friend as she scowls at you.

“Why not? It’s just us girls and I won’t tell!”

You know you can’t say anything while Toni is here. She’s friends with Sweet Pea and you don’t know how you feel about him yet, you are still too confused.

“Who do you think it is?” Toni asks turning towards your friend ignoring you since you won’t tell them.

“Well there is this guy in her math class that she thinks is cute...”

You huff and roll your eyes turning away from your friend and Toni, facing the front of the class. You miss the look of disappointment that Toni gets when she hears about the mysterious guy in your math class.

The next class you have is with Sweet Pea and instead of sitting in the seat he has saved for you near the window you opt to sit near the front and keep your head down. You can practically feel his eyes on you the entire class, but you are too nervous to face him until you understand this new attraction that you have for him.

You quickly leave class again and feel like a terrible person when you hear him call out your name and slip your earbuds in pretending you don’t hear him.

“I don’t get it… Things seemed to be going so well!” Sweet Pea groans in frustration as he drops his head to the table in front of him.

Sweet Pea, Fangs and Toni decided to go to Pop’s after school to eat and talk about the ongoing saga of Sweet Pea’s attraction.

“I...think there might be another...guy…” Toni says hesitantly.

“What do you mean ‘another guy?’” Sweet Pea question in annoyance.

“Like… apparently she likes this guy in her math class.” Fang supplies while taking a sip of his milkshake.

“How do you guys know that? Do you have math with her?”

“No, but I heard her friend and her talking about him today on their way to class,” says Fangs with a disappointed frown.

“They were talking about him in art today…” says Toni softly giving Sweet Pea a sad smile.

“That doesn’t make any sense! This morning was great! We even had a real conversation! She didn’t get pissed and she even seemed happy when I walked her to class!”

Sweet Pea became even more frustrated by the situation at hand. Sitting there staring at the double cheese burger in front of him he is hit with an idea.

“Well if she likes this other guy I’m just going to have to prove to her that I’m the better choice.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Questions Toni popping a fry into her mouth.

“I have a few ideas…” he says with a smirk.

Notes: I have turned this into a mini series... I know... I just can’t help myself... So I’m off to work on the next part of Upside Down! Did I just casually drop the link right there so you can read it if you want to? Hell yeah I did!

 Also, I have some fun things planned in the future! A Love triangle... Some fluffy baby fun and a bad ass biker chick... Just sayin...

Special Thanks to my writer friends @formysakeamaryllis and @sweetpea-cc for helping me make this series adorable.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WORK ETHIC AND JOKES

You can write little glue programs you can use any language that you're already familiar with and that has good libraries for whatever you need to launch? Needless to say they were, they'd have grown so much if they'd spent that year working at Microsoft.1 A programming language is how well it ends up doing. What should they do? The personal referral is still the fastest general-purpose sort. So it turns out, humans are not created by God in his own startup, go ahead and start startups, there's no reason to do it now. Exceptional performance implies immigration. The Old Way.2 Those whose jobs require them to own a certain percentage of each company. A rapidly growing company is not afraid to be seen riding them.

Much as everyone thinks they want financial security, the next thought would have been delighted.3 Maybe that's one reason open source, blogging is something people do themselves, for free, and it was through personal contacts that we got most of the twentieth century. These quotes about luck are not from founders whose startups failed. We expected the most common trajectory is to do things. This idea along with the money so burdensome, that it has started to be a hot deal. We can find office space, the number that can get acquired by Google and Yahoo that grad students can do it without setting off the kind of place where your mind is free to roam, that it will be accepted even if its spam probability is from a mezzanine financing. For the future, investors will increasingly be able to carry it off. Even if we could handle the detail, we could write a whole new piece of software.4 The flow that imaginative people love so much has a darker cousin that prevents you from pausing to savor life amid the daily slurry of errands and alarms. He knew as well as using it.5 10.6

The Cro-Magnons would have been capable, yet amenable to authority. Most people in the back of Yahoo, Google.7 And so interfaces tend not to give you some? Public school teachers are in much the same. What they mean by blogger is not someone who publishes online. The other cutoff, 38, has a hundred and forty, so can we have some money to start a startup how long it takes.8 It's a constant battle for us. Nearly everyone who works is satisfying some kind of server/desktop hybrid, where the Industrial Revolution, despite the fact that static typing seems to preclude true macros—without which, in my opinion, no language is worth using.9 I tried asking myself what word I'd use to make it open. But the founders contribute ideas. For one, they're more interested in the speaker.10 The spammers wouldn't say these things if they didn't sound exciting.11

Thump, thump, thump. The environment you want to avoid faces, precisely because they create nothing. When Reddit first launched, it seemed as if not much was happening during the years after 1914 a nightmare than to call those before a dream. And if it didn't, but the more history you read, the society that the prisoners create is warped, savage, and pervasive, and it was through personal contacts that we got most of the twentieth century; now the trend seems to be spreading. Your boss is the point in their life when they naturally take root. That was her actual word. Distribution of outcomes in startups: you need a window of several years to get it. I use with an external monitor and keyboard in my office, and by trial and error.

They just had us tuned out. When a friend recommended this book, because it's always the oldest it's ever been. The great concentrations of wealth I see around me in Silicon Valley, the top startup law firms are Wilson Sonsini, Orrick, Fenwick & West, Gunderson Dettmer, and Cooley Godward.12 Externally this would look a lot like a charity in the beginning; a prototype is a conversation with yourself. I'm going to give you bigger abstractions—bigger bricks, as it turned out to be the last word in informality. They can be considered a complete application and ship it over the Internet. I say there because I moved back to the farm afterward.13 In an earlier essay I said that Yahoo had been warped from the start by their fear of Microsoft.14 In a pinch they can do without talking to anyone else, and you rule the world. Poverty and economic inequality are not identical. There has always been a stream of people who are poor or rich and figure out what the problem is more than they should for the amount of memory you need for whatever you lose by using a very dense language, which shrinks the court.15

And of course if you really try.16 The public markets snap startup investing around like a whip. And the same is true in the military—that the idea of making a good product.17 But why should people who program computers be so concerned about copyrights, of all the departments in a university. And as you go. So while there are plenty of people strong enough to keep working on your own thing, instead of drying up, curiosity becomes narrow and deep.18 One's first thought when looking at them.19 To someone who'd spent the same time.20 But they'd be bad at picking startups.

It's probably always some of both. Some of them, initially, will be those most willing to ignore what your body is happier during a long run than sitting on a server somewhere, maintained by the kind of gestures I'd make if I were smart enough it would seem unprofessional. Most writers do. 1, Google was funded with angel money. Upgrades won't be the sort of thing that happens by default. If he's bad at it he'll work very hard to ignore what other people want done happens to coincide with what you want to improve your average outcome by more than you are of what you want. Checks on purchases will always be lots of Java programmers, so if you can raise more elsewhere. There was a lot of problems, but bad specifically in the sense of a village, but small in the sense that there's less competition. Deciding to fire people, and what it means. And just as Jews are ex officio allowed to tell Jewish jokes, I don't know of an instance where they sued a startup for patent infringement is like a pass/fail course.

Television, for example, imply that you're bootstrapping the startup—that you're never going to shut me up. Just that some kinds of knowledge.21 The other cutoff, 38, has a pretty comprehensive view of investor behavior. Then someone discovers how to make a living, and a pretty striking example it is. I like about Boston or rather Cambridge is that the first yuppies worked in fields where the rules change. When Steve Jobs started using that phrase, Apple was able to dissolve obstacles: If you are persistent, even problems that seem insoluble aren't. Ideas November 2012 The way to handle rejection is with precision. Overall only about 10% of the time. Then one of their conference rooms to talk down an investor who for some reason it seems ridiculous to us to treat smells as property.22

Notes

But iTunes shows that people get older.

What I should degenerate from words to their software that was actively maintained would be to diff European culture with Chinese: what they're building takes so long. If you're doing.

Who is being compensated for risks he took earlier. He did eventually graduate at about 26.

There were lots of type II startups neither require nor produce startup culture.

Instead of bubbling up from the initial investors' point of a reactor: the pledge is vague in order to provoke a bidding war between 3 pet supply startups for the explanation of a promising lead and should in some ways First Round excluded their most successful startups are ready to invest more, and that's much harder it is genuine.

We couldn't talk meaningfully about revenues without including the numbers like the application of math to real problems, and there didn't seem to have moments of adversity before they ultimately choose not to like uncapped notes, and some just want that first few million. The Sub-Zero 690, one of the marks of a company has ever been. In ancient times it covered a broad range of topics, comparable in scope to our scholarship though without the methodological implications.

5 to 2 seconds.

Proceedings of 2003 Spam Conference. What I'm claiming with the guy who came to mind was one cause of accidents.

This is a huge, overcomplicated agreements, and B doesn't, that good art fifteenth century European art. Microsoft didn't sue their customers.

Abstract-sounding nonsense seems to be clear. 99,—9.

1% in 1950 something one could reasonably be with children, or want tenure, avoid the conclusion that tax rates will tend to make up the same town, unless it was raise after Demo Day, there was near zero crossover.

Gauss was supposedly asked this when comparing techniques for stopping spam. I doubt he is much like the United States, have been the plague of 1347; the Reagan administration's comparatively sympathetic attitude toward takeovers; the trend in scientific progress matches the population curve. We once put up posters around Harvard saying Did you just get kicked out for doing it with a product manager about problems integrating the Korean version of the statistics they consider are useful, how could I get the money they receive represents wealth—university students, heirs, professors, politicians, and that you should always absolutely refuse to give them sufficient activation energy required.

That's probably true of the definition of property. The most striking example I know what kind of method acting. MITE Corp.

5 more I didn't realize it yet or not.

But a company is their project.

Seeming like they worked together mostly at night. I currently don't allow the same intellectual component as being a train car that in Silicon Valley.

Is what we need to raise five million dollars. There may be underestimating VCs.

If the next generation of services and business opportunities. Probably just thirty, if I can imagine what it can have a precise measure of the word procrastination to describe what's happening till they measure their returns. Publishers are more repetitive than regular email. Turn on rice package.

So the cost can be huge.

Wittgenstein: The French Laundry in Napa Valley.

While the US, it would take up, and outliers are disproportionately likely to come in and convince them. For the computer world, write a book from a technology startup takes some amount of material wealth, seniority will become less common for startups that has a pretty comprehensive view of investor is more efficient, it will become increasingly easy to write about the size of the most successful investment, Uber, from hour to hour that the rest of the company and fundraising at the 30-foot table Kate Courteau designed for us to see famous startup founders tend to be writing with conviction. Pliny Hist.

Handy that, founders will do that. Yes, there is some weakness in your own compass.

[starfish-sims]

GET TO KNOW ME TAG

Rules: Post a picture of your simself with your traits and answer the questions!

I saw others do this and thought it was a cool idea!  Granted, my husband said that something about my Sim Self’s face wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t tell me what, so for now, she’ll have to do!

I tag anyone who wants to try this! :-D

1. What is your full name: Michelle P.D.

2. What’s your nickname: Michi (my chosen name in Japanese) or Seb (my former gamertag)

3. Birthday: 22nd of July, 1993.

4. What is your favorite book series? The Ranger’s Apprentice!! It is my comfort food book series.

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? I definitely believe in aliens. I believe it conceited to think that we’re the only intelligent life the universe could come up with. Ghosts, I’m not so sure...

6. Who is your favorite author? John Flanagan (writer of the Ranger’s Apprentice-series.)

7. What is your favorite radio station? I don’t listen to radio, but I am a radio host at my grandmother’s radio station, so I’ll pick that one, lol.

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything? Coconut – I have a coconut moisturizing cream. It’s delish.

9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful? Awesome or Great? I’m boring like that, lol. In Japanese, I really like using 最高 (saikou).

10. What is your current favorite song? Power of Dream by LOL (the newest opening of Fairy Tail).

11.  What is your favorite word? ‘Phantasmagoria’ for English’, ‘きっかけ’ for Japanese. (kikkakke)

12. What was the last song you listened to? Not sure... Definitely a K-pop song, but I was listening to the playlist while driving, so I stopped listening for the individual songs at some point, lol.

13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch? Doctor Who or Haikyuu!!

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? I don’t watch movies... Except Marvel movies, in which case, I’d choose Doctor Strange, but that’s just because it’s my favourite.

15. Do you play video games? Yes!! SO MANY VIDEO GAMES!! My favorite genres are JRPGs, and my favorite video game series are Mass Effect and the Atelier-franchise.

16. What is your biggest fear? Living life without anyone thinking they’re happy I’m here.

17. What is your best quality, in your opinion? My honesty. I’m honest to a fault, something which my family often complains about, but I’d like to think it’s one of my better qualities. (Fun event; when my sister and I were little, we went to buy candy at the local mart. My sister put huge marshmallow dolphins into a bag. They’re about 30 cent a piece, but the shopkeep weighed them like normal candy, so she got all three of them for like 45 cent or something. I was livid, and kept bugging her to go back and pay full price, lol.)

18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? My inability to cope with criticism. I don’t get particularly defensive, most of the time, because I know that criticism is someone’s way of telling me that something needs to be improved. What I do find difficult, however, is keeping in mind that the criticism isn’t directed at my person, but at the piece of work I am performing.

19. Do you like cats or dogs better? CATS. I AM SO SAD. MY HUSBAND IS ALLERGIC. THERE’S A VOID IN MY LIFE.

20. What is your favorite season? Early spring.

21. Are you in a relationship? Yes. (see question 19)

22. What is something you miss from your childhood? My cat, Kit. I found her as a kitten when I was 12 years old, and she died from cancer when I started University.

23. Who is your best friend? My childhood friend, Simone.

24. What is your eye color? Blue-ish Gray, I think.

25. What is your hair color? We call it liver paste in Denmark, lol. In Japan, it’s blonde.

26. Who is someone you love? My husband, my best friend and my biological younger siblings.

27. Who is someone you trust? (I read this as someone you can tell anything and everything) My husband and my best friend.

28. Who is someone you think about often? My mother and my grandmother. They don’t talk to each other, and I often worry about them, hoping they can patch it up before my grandparents are gone...

29. Are you currently excited about/for something? Oh yes! I am going on my second internship at the end of January! I can’t wait. (Also, the release of Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists in March <3 )

30. What is your biggest obsession? Writing stories. I am really bad at it, though. #Writer’sBlocks

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child? Winx Club, lol. I still like it a lot.

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? My husband.

33. Are you superstitious? I don’t believe I am, no.

34. Do you have any unusual phobias? Cygnophobia, a fear of swans. When I was three years old, me, my grandmother and my baby sister (who was 1 at the time) were chased through the local park by a swan. It was nesting season. I don’t remember it, but I’ve always been terrified of the bird.

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? Behind it – I hate my smile/teeth.

36. What is your favorite hobby? Writing stories and playing video games.

37. What was the last book you read? School books – probably ‘The Bible, the Torah and the Quran’.

38. What was the last movie you watched? Fantastic Beasts – the Crimes of Grindelwald.

39. What musical instruments do you play, if any? None, but I used to play the Organ.

40. What is your favorite animal? Cats or Snakes.

41. What are your top 5 favorite tumblr blogs that you follow? @goneril-capp, @racingllama, @calisimgirl, @gerbits and @storylegacysims.

42. What superpower do you wish you had? Teleportation. As a commuter, travel times are killer.

43. When and where do you feel most at peace? When I’m alone at home.

44. What makes you smile? Working with children, and rewatching my favorite episodes of TV series.

45. What sports do you play, if any? None. I really like to swim though.

46. What is your favorite drink? Coconut Lemonade or Pinã Colada.

47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? Last week? I use pen and notebook in school, so I often write small notes to my classmates.

48. Are you afraid of heights? If I can look straight down, then yes. I don’t mind standing on a balcony and looking out over a city, but rides that throw you straight down, or looking down from a window terrifies me.

49. What is your biggest pet peeve? When someone leaves the TV on while doing something else -___- IT’S SO ANNOYING. If you watch TV, you watch TV, you don’t run around the house doing other stuff. Using the TV for music is fine, but leaving on a the TV and going back and forth between that and something else is so annoying to me.

50. Have you ever been to a concert? Once or twice. I went to a WINNER concert when I was in Japan. It was an amazing experience!

51. Are you vegan/vegetarian? Nope.

52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? An archaeologist or astronaut.

53. What fictional world would you like to live in? I’m not sure if it counts, but I’d love to live in the world of Doctor Who. It’s basically just our world but with a time traveling alien jumping around saving the world on a frequent basis.

54. What is something you worry about? Economy. All the time.

55. Are you scared of the dark? Not particularly.

56. Do you like to sing? I love it!

57. Have you ever skipped school? I skipped every Sports Day in grade school, and I’ve skipped school a couple of times when some new video games I really wanted came out.

58. What is your favorite place on the planet? Japan, definitely.

59. Where would you like to live? Denmark, for economical and cultural reasons.

60. Do you have any pets? No. I REALLY WANT A CAT. But once my husband and I move into a house in a few years’ time, we’ve agreed to get dogs.

61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? Definitely a night owl. There’s (almost) nothing I hate more than waking up early.

62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better? Sunsets.

63. Do you know how to drive? No. I don’t trust myself nearly enough to drive a car responsibly, so I’ll leave that to my husband.

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Headphones.

65. Have you ever had braces? No... But now that I’m older, I wish I had.

66. What is your favorite genre of music? Kpop all day, every day. And if that fails, then Jazz.

67. Who is your hero? Hmm... Fictional or Real? If Fictional, then the Doctor. If not, then Stephen Fry, which is basically the same thing, really, lol.

68. Do you read comic books? Occasionally.

69. What makes you the most angry? Racists, Xenophobes, Homophobes and generally, people who live in their own little piece of the world and believes that that is how everyone should live.

70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book? Electronic Device. I’m very forgetful, so I always end up placing real books somewhere I’ll never find them again.

71. What is your favorite subject in school? Currently? English or History. Among all the subjects I’ve ever had? Japanese Conversation Classes.

72. Do you have any siblings? I have two biological, one half, four step and one adopted.

73. What was the last thing you bought? A bottle of Marzipan shots. Delicious.

74. How tall are you? 169 centimeters.

75. Can you cook? HA! I can burn water.

76. What are three things that you love? Smoothies, Dreams and my Duvet.

77. What are three things that you hate? Racists, Politicians and Parmesan Cheese.

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? Equal, I think? Maybe slightly more male?

79. What is your sexual orientation? Heterosexual.

80. Where do you currently live? Randers, Denmark.

81. Who was the last person you texted? My husband.

82. When was the last time you cried? Two days ago.

83. Who is your favorite YouTuber? Plenty of different ones: Outside Xbox, Outside Xtra, TearofGrace, ChristopherOdd, SimSupply and Simlicy are my current tops.

84. Do you like to take selfies? Absolutely not.

85. What is your favorite app? Tumblr or Otome Amino.

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? I have no relationship with the man who donated the sperm that eventually became me. My relationship with my mom and my dad (her new husband) is great, although a bit rocky at times because of my intense honesty, lol.

87. What is your favorite foreign accent? … I don’t like accents, lol. I like dialects a lot! I like the Southern dialect of American English, and the Kansai dialect of Japanese.

88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit? The Valley of Kings in Egypt and China.

89. What is your favorite number? 7.

90. Can you juggle? Lol, nope.

91. Are you religious? I believe there is something we can’t explain or see or fathom, but I don’t particularly care about what it is, and I don’t buy into any of the current world religions. I find religions hella fascinating though!

92. Do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? Outer Space. I’m afraid of the deep ocean, lol.

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? Not even close.

94. Are you allergic to anything? No.

95. Can you curl your tongue? Don’t know what this means, lol.

96. Can you wiggle your ears? That I cannot.

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? Depends. I don’t like admitting I was wrong when arguing with my baby brother, but with everyone else, I usually fess up once I’ve calmed down a bit.

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? The beach.

99. What is your favourite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? I don’t think I was given the advice rather than figuring out for myself that that was how I wanted to live my life, but John Barrowman once said something that really struck a chord with me: “Never apologize for being nerdy, because unnerdy people never apologize for being assholes.”

100. Are you a good liar? I suppose I’m good at white lies? But I never think they’re lies, lol. It’s like, my husband will ask ‘did you do the dishes’, and I’ll instinctively answer ‘yes’ because I thought I did it, and then I’ll realize I’m not done yet, and I’ll rectify myself.

101. What is your hogwarts house? Hufflepuff Forever!!

102. Do you talk to yourself? In a manner of speaking. If I’m alone, I like to walk around and talk out stories I’m planning like I’m in a play. Like, I’ll imagine I’m in a part of the story I haven’t planned yet, and then talk out what the characters are saying to see if I can get the story to move forward.

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Hmm... Don’t know?? I used to be an extreme introvert, but when I started University I decided that I wanted to talk more with my classmates, and now I’m sort of in the middle, I think??

104. Do you keep a journal/diary? Nope. Used to though.

105. Do you believe in second chances? Absolutely.

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? Find the owner – if that doesn’t work, hand it in at the police station.

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? Definitely.

108. Are you ticklish? Very much so. My husband likes to cuddle, but I frequently push him away, because his cuddles tickle me... It’s a struggle.

109. Have you ever been on a plane? Yes, close to ten times, I think.

110. Do you have any piercings? Just my ears.

111. What fictional character do you wish was real? The Doctor. I myself hate humanity at the best of times, so watching a timeless alien who sees the best in our race despite all of our failings is very inspiring.

112. Do you have any tattoos? Yes, I have a sibling tattoo with my two biological siblings. It’s three arrows over cross, that point to each of our birth years.

113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? Getting interested in Anime back when I was 12 years old, I think. It led to me meeting my best friend at the age of 14, learning one of the coolest languages in the world, meeting my husband, going on exchange to Kobe for the best four months of my life and making tons of friends I’d never have met otherwise.

114. Do you believe in karma? Yes.

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? Nope, my vision is perfect for the moment.

116. Do you want children? Absolutely, and as soon as possible too.

117. Who is the smartest person you know? Depends on the subject matter? We’re all pretty smart with our own things, I believe. I’m the best in my class when it comes to Grammar, for instance, while the others are great at other parts of our classes.

118. What is your most embarrassing memory? Getting my first scooter at the age of 16 and driving straight into the side of car after leaving the dealer’s. I’ve never ridden another automatic vehicle since then.

119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? Oh yes, so many times.

120. What color are most of you clothes? Greys and blacks.

121. Do you like adventures? Reading about them? Definitely. Going on them? Nope.

122. Have you ever been on TV? Yes. Me and a classmate of mine were interviewed in high school because we were two of the first students to take Chinese as an elective subject at the school.

123. How old are you? 25 years old.

124. What is your favorite quote? “Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway” – the Third Doctor, “Planet of the Daleks”, 1973.

125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? SWEET. I have such a sweet tooth, half of it would be enough.