#just realized that it’s been 35 years and a couple of weeks since i graduated high-school

[i-do-not-fangirl-i-fanwoman]

.

[ejzah]

A/N: Yet another take on a theme I’ve done many times before. Takes place currently.

***

The Wrong Idea

“Hey, Carter,” Deeks called out, addressing the agent who’d been subbing for Fatima while she was on a two week vacation. He split a stack of files he held in half and tossed a pile on Carter’s borrowed desk. “We’re on cold case duty.”

“Delightful,” Carter said, curling his lip as he selected the top file.

Across the room, Kensi was calling her international contacts with the hope of cashing in on a couple of favors.

Deeks didn’t know much about 35 year old Carter Favore, but so far he’d proven himself to be a reliable agent. Plus, he had a dry sense of humor that played off Deeks’ nicely.

They worked quietly for a few minutes until Deeks realized Carter’s attention was focused on him rather than the paper in front of him. He didn’t attempt to hide his curiosity.

“Something on your mind?” Deeks asked mildly. Carter shrugged, completely unfazed at being called out.

“I heard you graduated from FLETC recently, is that true?”

“Yup. Got my shiny new investigator badge last year.”

“Aren’t you kind of old for that? I though the cutoff age was late 30s.” Carter said, raising a brow at Deeks. “No offense.” Sighing internally, Deeks concealed his irritation. By now he was truly sick of the questions that came with his “mature” age.

“Yeah, I am,” Deeks agreed, forcing a smile. “But I was kind of a special case since I was the team’s LAPD liaison for years. It was more of a formality than anything.”

“I see.” Nodding, Carter glanced down at his desk and then his eyes flicked back up. He used his chin to gesture across the room at Kensi, who was now arguing with someone in Portuguese. “How long have you and Blye worked together.”

“Pretty much since I got here.” Deeks smiled more genuinely this time. “She’s an amazing partner.”

“And smoking hot,” Carter added, eyes still on Kensi. “If any of the agents looked like her, I just might have hung around in Norfolk.”

Deeks bit back a smile, imagining Kensi’s expression if she heard Carter.

“She’s certainly one of a kind.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Leaning closer to Deeks in a way that he thought breached their level of familiarity, he dropped his voice to a low whisper. “So, what’s she into? Dancing, sports, clubs. Art?”

Feeling his mouth pop open slightly, Deeks was silent for a few seconds as he realized what Carter was asking him. Although they had explicitly revealed their relationship, Deeks thought it was fairly obvious they were together. Apparently he was wrong.

“Carter, I don’t think that’s a-”

“Hey, don’t be jealous, man,” he interrupted Deeks with a wry twist of his lips. “If you haven’t scored after this long, I don’t think it’s going to change now. Besides, you really think you’re her type?”

He slowly looked Deeks up and down once, his expression downright insulting. Any fondness Deeks felt evaporated immediately and its place, came dark amusement.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Deeks muttered as Kensi chose that moment to join them.

“Well, my contact didn’t have the information we need, but she’s supposed to get back to me later,” Kensi informed them. As she sat down, Carter gave Deeks a challenging look and leaned across her desk. Kensi acknowledged him with a raised eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“What would you say if I told you I have box tickets to Celine Dion’s next concert?”

“I’d say sounds like an amazing night,” Kensi commented, smiling at him. She obviously hadn’t picked up on his intentions yet and Deeks was struggling to hold back his laughter.

“Then it’s a date,” Carter said, shooting Deeks a smug grin. “And afterwards we can go to this amazing sushi bar downtown. They usually require reservations, but I can get us a table.”

“Wait, a second.” Kensi held up a hand, suddenly looking very confused and a little alarmed. “You’re joking, right?”

“Why would I joke about asking you out?”

“Because I’m married,” she explained. “I thought you knew.”

“You never mentioned it before,” Carter said, apparently not completing it before

“Well, we try to be discrete about it.” She automatically glanced at Deeks then and Carter followed her gaze, sudden realization crossing his face.

“You two are married.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement of disbelief.

“For two years,” Deeks offered helpfully. Kensi pressed her lips together, seeming to caught between amusement and mild horror.

“Why the hell didn’t you say anything before I made an idiot of myself?” he demanded. Deeks shrugged innocently, considering Carter idly.

“Well, for one, you didn’t ask. For another, it was way too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Glaring at him, Carter grabbed his stack of files, and stalked out of the bullpen. Deeks distinctly heard him muttering something about a transfer.

“You know, you could have given me a heads up,” Kensi said once he was out of hearing range.

“But it was so much more satisfying watching him make a fool of himself,” Deeks pointed out.

“True.” Kensi wandered over and sat on the edge of his Desk, sneaking a quick kiss. “Just for the record, I’d choose you over Celine Dion any day.”

[fiction-fun]

So cause Im in a Rangers mood, take this:

Fandom: Power Rangers in Space

Pairings: Andros/OC

Words: 3083

Warnings: N/A

Kaley sighed as she walked onto the bridge of the Astro Megaship. She looked around seeing that no one else was there.

“Deca, where are the others?” she asked voice soft and a bit distant

The computer took a few seconds to respond.

“Andros, Carlos and T.J. are in the gym. While Cassie and Ashley are in the holodeck. Would you like for me to get one of them for you?” the helpful A.I. asked.

Kaley settled into what normally was Andros’s chair and sighed gently.

“No, it’s alright. Thank you though.” She said her tone still distant.

Deca went silent at that and she didn’t know whether or not to be grateful for that. She sighed again and gently tapped her bracelet, causing it to pop open, where she removed a small silver disk from within. She gave it a sad look, before pressing it gently into the player and turning to the large screen. She watched silently as a few of the images passed over the screen. At one picture which looked like a party of some sort, she reached over and paused the slideshow, just staring at the picture that was still on the screen. It showed two small children, one a young girl with reddish brown hair, lightly tanned skin, two small cat like ears perched on top of her head, and a large grin on her face as she looked towards the other child. This one was a young boy, with dark brown almost black hair, the same ears as the little girl and a bit darker of a tan, he was turned smiling up at the girl. Kaley sighed sadly and reached up to brush the tears from her cheeks as she looked at the photo. She was so focused on it, she didn’t hear the automatic doors slide open with a gentle hiss.

“Oh, sorry, I’ll just…” Came the voice of her team leader and she stood and shook her head.

“No, it’s ok. I shouldn’t have taken over the main viewing screen, I’ll just…. grab my disk and go.” She said quickly as she moved to do that.

Before she could hit the eject button, Andros had reached her and gently grabbed her hand stopping her movements.

“It’s ok, you have full right to use the screen as much as I or any of the others do.” Andros said in an uncharacteristically soft tone of voice.

Kaley slowly blinked at that before nodding.

“Alright, thank you.” She said softly, not sure how else to respond.

Andros nodded and turned slightly to see the screen, still holding her hand gently. Kaley saw the movement and looked as well, reaching up again with her free hand to rub her eyes.

“Who are they?” Andros asked curiosity in his tone.

Kaley let a small smile slide across her lips.

“That’s Cara and Sam my little sister and brother.” Kaley said tone soft as she spoke.

Andros looked at her and saw the sadness in her eyes and the pain in her face.

“What happened to them?” He asked dreading the answer.

Kaley bit her lip gently, pinching it between her fangs.

“When I was on KO-35, Anamaria was attacked by the United Alliance of Evil, as far as I know, there were no survivors.” She said her voice soft and hitching a bit as she spoke.

Andros pulled her close by the hand he still held, knowing she needed the comfort, he wrapped his arms around her and let her rest against him for a few minutes.

“I’m so sorry.” He said voice barely above a whisper.

Kaley shook her head.

“It’s not your fault, you have no reason to apologies.” She said gently, her arms coming to wrap around him as well.

They stood like that for a while, before she slowly pulled back, looking at the screen.

“They were, 8 and 6 in that picture. Well in human years they were. In our ages they were 56 and 42. They where just babies.” She said softly.

Andros took time to look at the children on the screen, noticing the many similarities between both of them and Kaley. He turned when she tugged her hand from his gently and went to sit back down, looking at him, and pointing to his chair. He nodded and sat down. He reached over and pressed play. The pictures started rolling slowly across the screen, she’d occasionally stop the photo slide and tell him a bit about what or who was in the photo.

“I didn’t realize Anamaria had such a deep history.” Andros said softly after a few slides where she told him about the ruins and legends of her world.

Kaley smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, not a lot of people do, but Anamaria history is something we start learning at a young age. I remember I asked my parents why once, they looked at each other before looking at me, and then they just smiled a bit sadly and said, ‘you’ll understand when you get older.’ I think they knew if the Alliance got strong enough Anamaria would be one of the first attacked, since we didn’t have a true military, and no rangers. I think they taught all the children the history so young in case they were the only ones to survive an attack.” Kaley explained softly as she reached over and hit the play button.

They sat quietly through a few more pictures before Kaley burst out laughing and paused the slide again. Andros looked and saw a pair of kids smiling widely at the camera a little girl who was clearly Kaley, and a small boy with…something…on his head.

“Who’s that? And what is on his head?” Andros asked quirking an eyebrow.

Kaley smiled softly and shook her head.

“That was Joel, he was such a weird kid, but he was my best friend. And your guess is as good as mine as to what’s on his head. Although we had a serious case of red eye in this picture.” She said laughing a bit more.

Andros smiled softly at that and gave a small laugh as well. Kaley reached over and grabbed the little remote.

“The next few might drag, sorry.” She said with a small smile at him.

Andros shook his head.

“No, this is interesting, I’m learning a lot about you.” He said offering her a smile.

She nodded and leaned back a bit in her seat hitting play and letting a few more pictures of her and Joel slide through before she paused at a picture of another girl with brown hair.

“That’s my sister Kat. She was about….7 in that? Her biggest dream was to become a technical developer, and she could have done it. She was brilliant, they all were.” She said quietly.

Andros looked at the picture closer and saw a small robotic creature next to Kat in the photo.

“What’s the robot?” he asked.

Kaley looked up and her eyes seemed to brighten briefly.

“That’s Octo, Kats best friend, no one else really hung out with her. So, she made a friend, and he could do anything.” She said softly.

Andros nodded and Kaley let a few more photos slip over the screen. Some holding one or two of her siblings some holding all four of them. She paused on one picture that was just a little slanted in front of a small pale blue house, all four of them stood there with who Andros thought had to be their parents.

“That’s the house where I grew up, I heard mom and dad sold it a bit after I left, but I never knew for sure. But according to the last message from Kat, whoever owned it really made improvements. Fixed a lot of the broken roof and the fence too. We didn’t have a lot as kids, mom and dad both worked as hard as they could to support us, that’s part of the reason I went to KO-35, so one day I could repay them and help them. Even though we didn’t have a lot we never went without, always had meals and clothes, we were encouraged to follow our dreams, nothing could stand in our way and it took a bit for me to realize. We, the kids, didn’t go without, but mom and dad did.” Kaley said softly voice choked up a bit as she spoke.

Andros stayed silent but reached over and gave her hand a small squeeze. She offered him a small sad smile before she turned back to the screen and hit play, more pictures from the house popped in, some inside some outside, but Andros saw the state of disrepair the house was really in. When one picture popped onto the screen Kaley paused the slideshow again.

“The second floor had this, balcony thing. You would think that would make it easier for sneaking out right?” she asked him.

Andros nodded.

“It seems like it would.” He said in agreement.

She laughed a bit and shook her head.

“It probably would but the darn thing squeaked if you hit the wrong spot and you heard that squeak through the whole house, and if you were lucky you had about 10 seconds to either dive over the edge and into the bushes to hide or try your luck at getting back to your room without getting caught.” Kaley said softly looking at the shot of the balcony from the outside.

She shook her head as Andros looked at her with wide eyes.

“Did you get caught?” He asked curiosity evident.

Kaley smiled and nodded.

“Oh yeah, a couple different times, but when I explained why I was sneaking out mom and dad understood and just kind of let me go. See I had a friend who was in a bad situation and when it got really bad, I’d go and find her and help her out. Food, clothes bandages etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So, I never got in trouble.” Kaley explained.

Andros nodded and she hit play once more. Stopping at one picture showed four now grown teenagers standing in front of a brick building all four smiling brightly. Andros could pick Kaley out easily but the others he wasn’t sure on.

“On the end is Kat then Cara, me and then Sam. Kat and I had just graduated, maybe two weeks before but this was the day of the ceremony. Kat had been accepted to study at the leading lab on Anamaria and I was accepted into the Academy, as you know. It’s funny, we almost didn’t graduate.” Kaley said smiling gently at the picture.

Andros turned sharply at that to look at her.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

Kaley shrugged lightly and smiled as a small tear trailed down her cheek.

“Kat, Joel and I broke into the school a few times, our sealed records say twice, but it must have been…half a dozen or more times.” She said softly.

Andros was watching her, letting her collect herself. She took a deep breath.

“I got into a pretty bad spot for a while after…. after my dad’s accident, I just didn’t care about anything anymore. But I eventually got my head on straight.” Kaley continued before giving a sigh and looking at him.

“If I didn’t graduate, I never would have been able to go to KO-35, we never would have met, I wouldn’t be a ranger, hell I probably wouldn’t even be here. But at the time, I figured if It came to it, when life got better, I could just go back. They probably wouldn’t let me in but who knows. But my mom sat me down and had a talk with me, which helped me knock my head back into place and I stepped back into the right area, graduated and now here we are.” She said quietly.

Andros recognized that long lost look on her face, and reached over to pull her into another hug, she wrapped her arms around him and tucked her face into his neck, sitting there for a few minutes before sitting up and offering him a small smile, she pressed play and showed him a few places around town. An arcade, a store, a small field. Then a picture of her and a guy popped up.

“That’s Tyzon. He was my first boyfriend, not much to say on him, he just kind of existed in my life for a while, then as quickly as he blew in, he blew out, with a girl about 3 years younger than me.” Kaley said blandly.

Andros shot the photo a look, which Kaley noticed and smiled softly at reaching over she grabbed his hand softly.

“He was an idiot.” She said softly.

He nodded and flipped his hand, to hold hers and give it a squeeze. Kaley smiled softly and hit play letting the rest of the photos play out. She sighed as she stood and took the photo disk from the player, slipping it away into the bracelet she wore. Andros pulled her back and she stumbled and landed on his lap, and he just wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and curled into him a bit.

“I might miss the town and the people, but I love what I have now.” She said softly.

Andros offered her a small smile and nodded.

“Although I’m sure you’d rather have your family here.” Andros said softly.

Kaley nodded before looking him in the eyes.

“And I know you’d rather the same, but life doesn’t always give up wants, sometimes it gives us needs.” She said softly.

He smiled gently and leaned forward, her meeting him halfway as they shared a small kiss.

*Almost a decade later*

Andros held the door to S.P.D open as Kaley walked through, she turned and shot him a smile.

“Thanks, I just wish Keevon wasn’t so vague when he said we had to come here.” Kaley said with a sigh.

Andros laughed and shook his head.

“You know how Keevon is. Besides, he did at least tell us it was with their tech developer.” Andros said as the two stopped in front of the security desk.

Kaley sighed and rolled her eyes but smiled none the less. The two of them showed their badges and returned the salutes before turning on their boot heels and heading towards the elevators. Once inside Kaley turned to Andros again.

“I still don’t get it, their prison cell is in perfect orbit the suits work, why do they need us?” Kaley asked.

Andros shrugged and reached up to run a hand through his hair, the dim light of the elevator glinting on the silver band sitting on his ring finger.

“Who knows, maybe they need us to upgrade B-teams’ suits.” Andros suggested.

Kaley groaned and leaned back against the wall of the elevator.

“And that’s another thing! We made do just fine with one team, why do they have two?” she asked a bit of jealous frustration sliding into her tone.

Andros smiled at her and stepped over to her.

“Because their enemies are stronger.” He said quietly.

That seemed to appease Kaley and the two stood to attention as the elevator slowly stopped and the doors began to open. They nodded when one of the cadets stepped forward to lead them to the tech lab even though they knew where it was, since they helped build it. They reached the lab and the cadet entered first.

“Dr. Manx! Two Karoven officers are here to speak with you, Ma’am.” The cadet said saluting,

A brown-haired woman with a welding mask on lifted it and turned to the cadet.

“I may be 147 but there’s no need to call me ma’am, especially since that makes me barely 21. Hello, I’m Dr. Kat Manx and you are?” she asked walking over to them.

“I’m Andros and this is my wife and work partner Kaley.” Andros said stepping forward to shake her hand.

Kat nodded and the three began to speak for a few minutes.

“The place looks well kept.” Kaley mused softly.

Kat turned and nodded.

“I do my best to maintain it.” She said as she reached up and finally noticed the welding mask still on her head.

With a sigh she pulled the thing off her head, letting her own cat ears twitch free, Andros’s eyes went wide when he finally placed why she looked familiar.

“Kaley.” He called over to where she had her back to them.

“Yeah?” she asked not looking up.

Andros sighed.

“Look over here a second.” He said.

Kaley sighed and stood up straight reaching up to fluff out her hair as it was falling into her face, she turned to look at Andros and had to suppress a small gasp. Seeing a similar reaction in Dr. Manx. Andros sighed and smiled softly as he leaned back waiting for them to react. It was almost instantaneous the two dropped what they where holding and walked towards each other, before breaking into a run and before Andros could blink, they had each other wrapped in hugs, with heads buried in each other’s shoulders. After that the two spent time catching up. After a few hours they went to dinner and spent a few days relaxing with the three getting to know each other. As Andros and Kaley where boarding their ship, Kat stood at the end and smiled waving.

“Don’t be a stranger.” Kat called.

Kaley looked at Andros and nodded.

“Don’t worry! We won’t be! You make sure to visit as well!” Kaley called back.

With that they closed the ramp door and walked into the bridge, settling into their seats. Kaley turned and smiled at Andros.

“I may have to both, hit and hug Keevon for this.” She said with a small smile.

Andros laughed at that and nodded.

“If you hit him, I’m recording it so we can laugh at the memory.” He said.

Kaley smiled and leaned over kissing him.

“Thank you, for being amazing.” She said softly.

He smiled and kissed her back.

“You’re the amazing one. Now let’s go home.” He said smiling and laying in the course.

Kaley nodded and sat back.

“Yeah, we have to tell the rest of the family that it just got a little bigger.” Kaley said smiling softly.

Andros nodded, happy that she had found at least one of her siblings alive and well.

[jbbuckybarnes]

Professor Sugar - 3/7

Pairing: Student!Reader x Professor!Bucky Description: Like tons of other students you struggle with finances, but you can’t get any aid since your parents are filthy rich. The system doesn’t care that they broke off contact after you came out as bisexual. There is, however, someone else that cares. The prof of your class on PTSD and trauma. Professor Barnes. Warnings: Financial Instability, flirting with a teacher, feelings, mentions of PTSD and war, not beta read.

Professor Sugar Masterlist // Masterlist

After Office Hours

The week after you decided to visit him in his office hours to figure out where you lacked in your studies. The mission earning you a wiggling of brows from your roommate Samantha. „I think you struggle most with the medical part of these things. You‘re great at the psychological part and all the causes and symptoms. I just think your medical referencing could be a little better. Can‘t blame you, my course is for med students and psych students.“ He explained after reading through your study materials again and then your test. „Yay,“ You expressed monotone, „Wish I‘d get paid like that too, once I graduate.“ He smiled with a huff, „You remind me a lot of myself when I was in Junior year.“ „I hope that‘s a good thing, Bucky.“ You raised a brow with a playful smile. „A little bit of sass is always good.“ He chuckled and WOW...why was that so hot? There was a short silence when he put all your stuff back into a neat pile of papers. „So...how is the book?“ He asked interested with his attention fully on you. „Oh, it‘s really cool. I like it when I find out just how wrong stuff in movies is. The way they do shit and how much we don‘t know about is insane. They also did some horrible shit man. I‘m about 80% through.“ You smiled wide and he looked at you very content. „I‘m glad you like it. Would‘ve been shitty to spend $35 on something bad.“ He chuckled at you and almost looked cute. „Did that ever happen to you?“ You grinned and he nodded. „Have you ever seen psychology-based books? My god, half of them are absolute trash.“ He groaned and then laughed. „And what is the last good book you read?“ You dipped your head to the side. „Romance Novel. Forgot the name. The main character kinda has the same outlook on life that you have.“ He grinned. „What‘s that supposed to mean?“ You asked a little more playful again. „Been through shit, knows what she wants, works hard, asks for help, doesn‘t get played easily.“ He smirked at you and gosh were you attractive to him after this conversation. Where did that come from?

+Why was he suddenly so hot? You got a little flustered by the compliment. -He shouldn‘t, should not. +You would if you could. -Why did he now picture you leaned over his table naked? Shit! +You noticed him undressing you with his eyes. Why didn‘t it bother you? -The tension was so thick, cutting it with a knife would‘ve been easy.

„Why don‘t you start one of those study accounts. Heard there is money in that.“ He leaned back and changed the mood in the room. „My phone is from the last ice age and the good editing apps cost money.“ You shrugged. „Maybe just with your iPad notes for now?“ He shrugged and pointed at the pile of paper on the table. „Yeah...that might be an idea.“ You mumbled taking them and putting them back into your backpack.

-

You started studying for the course by rewriting notes in your Goodnotes app. Making them look nicer and organizing them in fun ways that made them easier to read and understand. You created that studying account like Bucky had suggested and started posting your notes on there, gaining a couple hundred followers in a short amount of time. He wasn‘t wrong, there was money in it as you found out with time. You realized your notes looked different to what most other study accounts posted but copied some of the stuff they were doing. Getting a hold of using an Instagram account in a business-manner wasn‘t as easy as you thought it would be. But at least it was fun and made you learn more and more so you could produce content. „Are you making new notes for Insta again?“ Sam peeked her head through your door. „Yup.“ You smiled over. „If you wanna borrow my phone for some nicer pictures you just need to ask.“ She grinned proudly. She had gotten a new phone from her parents at the end of the last semester. It was her whole pride in the midst of broke student life. „I‘ll keep it in mind. Are we watching Star Wars later?“ You looked back to your notes. „Baby Yoda doesn‘t like to wait.“ You both giggled as she closed the door.

-

After the next test about two weeks later you found an App Store card on your table with a little note. *Some people need to be self-made with a little help. -B* You smiled for a second before putting it away and listening to Bucky‘s presentation. PTSD in DID patients. After the lesson you went to him, realizing how weird it might look to others by now. You did it every time, but now that you had that little situation in his office, it became apparent that it could be interpreted wrong. „Bucky?“ „Yes?“ He smiled at you. „Can I ask you something a little more personal?“ You mumbled and had him nod back with attentive eyes. „Where do you take the money from to just give to me. It‘s not like professors make that much money.“ You asked straight forward. There was a short silence and a deep breath, „I was a prisoner of war with the army. That‘s why I started teaching about trauma. I just leave it out of my material since it‘s a depressing story. But that money I have is from the army paying me for the time I was a prisoner of war.“ His lips were a thin line. „God, I‘m sorry for asking.“ You were embarrassed. He grabbed your hand with both of his, „Don‘t be. Wouldn‘t be doing what I love otherwise.“ 

[madisonhentosh]

A Day In The Life Of An Endicott Student-Athlete

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a student athlete at Endicott College? I caught up with Catherine Miles, a member of the women’s ice hockey team, this past week to get a glimpse into her busy schedule.

Miles is a 20 year old Sophomore on the Beverly campus hailing from Northfield, Vermont, home also to Norwich University. Although the town of Northfield and its people are considered her family, Miles has found, and been welcomed into, a new family on the Endicott campus.

The Northfield Pharmacy is the only pharmacy in town. It is in the center of the downtown area which only consists of a handful of stores adding to the homey feel of Northfield.

With hopes of being a physicians assistant when she graduates, Miles is currently studying Exercise Science. A popular major among athletes, she finds herself in classes surrounded by other athletes from various sports teams.

Miles checks her class Canvas page prior to the start of class.

After waking up and preparing herself for the day, a typical Wednesday morning involves Miles walking from Stoneridge Hall all the way to the Arts Center, or better known as the VPAC. From 9:00-9:50a.m. she sits attentively in a class labeled philosophy and sport. As the clock strikes ten to the hour, the rose gold Mac laptop gets placed back in her backpack and she prepares to walk back to her dorm as her next class begins.

Being a college student during a pandemic means hybrid learning, and today, Miles’ 10 o'clock class, exercise physiology, happened to be occurring on Zoom. She did admit that, “keeping up with when, where, and what days you are actually in the classroom seems to be the hardest part of hybrid learning.”

Welcome to Zoom University! Miles completes her last two classes of the day in the comfort of her own room.

The academic day comes to an end with sport and exercise nutrition from 11:00-11:50a.m., also on Zoom. But, with the academic day coming to an end, the athletics part of the day is just beginning.

All teams on campus participate in strength and conditioning with Coach Dustin. The women’s hockey team mostly all lift on Monday and Wednesday mid morning to afternoon. Miles was placed in the 12:30pm lift group with a few other members of the team along with a couple members of the women’s lacrosse team.

The Endicott facilities are second to none. It is a rare occasion to see this gym empty of athletes and their hardworking, get-better, attitudes.

Due to the pandemic, regulations and precautions allow for 10 people in a lift group at a time, so team lifts are off the table. Team lifts were always a good way to build team chemistry and build a positive atmosphere as your teammates attempted max weights on exercises such as back squats, hang cleans, and bench presses. Miles stated that, “[a]s long as everyone does what they need to do in the weight room, time usually spent together at lift can be made up in other ways.”

As lift concludes, Miles now finally has the time to eat lunch. When asked about Callahan or the new market in the Wax, she responded with a smile, “I think the new options in the Wax could be one of the better things to happen on campus.”

The Callahan Dining Hall is usually the most popular choice for meals on campus. Other options include Einstein’s, the Lodge, and the new market located within the Wax Academic Center.

With the academics and lift now complete, Miles now has some two hours of down time as practice starts at 3:40p.m.

We happened to catch Miles on a good day, well good day to be a reporter, as the women’s ice hockey team happened to be having their team media day. As the team picked time slots to go and take pictures, Miles picked the 2:00 slot, and we can understand why with her busy day leading up to this point.

Photographer David Le, who runs all of the media days for the athletic teams, was at the Raymond J. Bourque Ice Arena on campus from 11:00-3:00p.m. snapping shots of the 35 members of the team. Miles got herself dolled up and headed over to the rink for both her headshot and on ice posed photos. She completes her temperature check and CoVerified check at the door and gets cleared to enter.

Miles awaits practice as media day concludes. The pre-game practice fuel of choice is a handful of Baked Lays chips with an Honest iced tea.

Now that the fun and games of media day had wrapped up, it was time for business as the team is preparing for their two upcoming games against Nichols College. “Practice is valued just as much as games this year because in reality, there is no guarantee our games will go as planned this weekend”, Miles added. COVID has made athletes everywhere value their sport even more than usual because one positive test can impact the whole, shortened season.

Quarantine took away the opportunity to step on the ice everyday. It took away the opportunity for fans to hear the ringing of the post, blades cutting into the ice, and the cheers of temmarts when a goal was scored. Miles added, “... having hockey taken away made me realize how big of a blessing hockey has been for me in my life. Each time I step on the ice now it’s a breath of fresh air, an escape from the outside chaos of the world.”

Ever since a young age playing for the Northfield Stars, Miles fell in love with the game of hockey unaware of how big of a role it would play in her later years.

Miles, a center, is a tenacious, hard-working player that might go unnoticed. Today’s practice at the Raymond J. Bourque Arena was defensive and neutral zone focused featuring a lot of regrouping and down low coverage. Being put in the center position of recent, Miles can be seen on the ice asking questions not only to the coach, but to upperclassmen who excel in the same position. Having played defense before and having experience, Miles understands the importance of staying low and supporting the puck on the breakout, which she is applauded for on many occasions by Coach McPhee.

As a freshman, Miles only logged minutes in 2 out of the 26 games played. But now, as a sophomore, she has 3 points in the past 3 games with a +4 rating, scoring her first goal in the Nichols series.

Miles (#28) looks to angle a Suffolk defender through transition.

“Every year is a tryout and an opportunity to prove yourself, and to others, that you deserve a spot on the lineup”, she explained. With 35 members on the team, practice is high-tempo and competitive as Coach McPhee looks to reward the hardest workers. Miles’ offseason efforts in the gym and on the ice, training with ELEV 802 in Vermont has seemed to pay off this year. There is always something to work on and when asked what that was, she quickly responded, “faceoffs, no doubt”, with a laugh.

5:10p.m.: Practice is wrapped up and Miles heads for the shower.

Following a shower, Miles, along with her teammates, head to the Callahan Dining Hall. On the menu tonight was a grilled chicken taco bowl, roasted vegetables, and of course, the Miles classic, a blue Powerade. “There’s just something about a blue Powerade from the Callahan. It’s almost like a Sprite from McDonald’s”, she discussed.

Surrounded by teammates, Miles finishes her meal at the Callahan before getting ready to head to work.

Although you may be expecting a typical end of the night with homework and Netflix in bed, our star of the show had other plans.

From 6:30-10:00p.m. Miles can be found working at the Post Center checking people into the gym, cleaning gym equipment, and monitoring open rec. Here she can work on homework, which she usually gets most of it done, watch Netflix, and today she even got the chance to watch her boyfriend play in his season opener soccer game for Elmira College.

7:05p.m.: Miles watches the Elmira men’s soccer game as she awaits the next gym cleaning.

At this point in the day, rest is much needed. Miles can go to bed knowing that she successfully made it through another day as a student-athlete on the Endicott campus.

As the clock strikes 11:00p.m., Miles finally hits the sheets and prepares to do the same thing the following day.

“I wouldn't want it any other way”, Miles concluded.

[lanaisnotwool]

406 Why You Need Masterminds - Interview Alex Pardo

http://moneyripples.com/2020/07/10/1597/

Chris Miles, the "Cash Flow Expert and Anti-Financial Advisor," is a leading authority on how to quickly free up and create cash flow for thousands of his clients, entrepreneurs, and others internationally! He’s an author, speaker, and radio host that has been featured in US News, CNN Money, Bankrate, Entrepreneur on Fire, and spoken to thousands getting them fast financial results.

Listen to our Podcast here:

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/moneyripples/2020/06/05/406--why-you-need-masterminds-interview-with-alex-pardo

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Chris Miles (00:00): Hello, my fellow Ripplers! This is Chris Miles. Your Cash Flow Expert and Anti-Financial Advisor. Hey guys! I'm going to welcome you out for another show this week. A show that's for you and about you. Those of you that work so freaking hard for your money, and you're ready for your money start working harder for you. Now! You want that freedom. That cash flow. That prosperity. Today! Not 30 or 40 years from now, but right now. So you work because you want to. Not because you have to. So you have that life that you love being with those that you love doing what you love. But it's not just about your own comfort and convenience, right? It's not just about having that life of your dreams, where you can just sit back and sip on some lemonade or whatever. But it's so much more than that guys, because as Ripplers, you guys actually want to create a ripple effect through people's lives. Not just your family, but through your community and across the world, because as you become free yourself, you can help others do the same too.

Chris Miles (00:58): And I'm excited to be a part of that ripple effect because you guys allow me to create the ripple effect through you. And guys, I appreciate it so much. I appreciate you guys being a part of this. Of this movement. You guys are becoming a part of something that's amazing, and it's allowing me to express it and get that bigger impact and reach that I've always wanted. So thank you for being a part of this, sharing it bingeing on these episodes and everything else you do.

Chris Miles (01:21): Quick reminder, check our website, MoneyRipples.Com There's great stuff on there as well. You can also reach out to me if you've got questions in addition to that. All right, guys. So today I want to bring on a special guest, a guy that I've come to really respect in one of my mastermind groups that he's in a part of a high level, real estate mastermind group, Collective Genius that we're together in. And Alex Pardo. He's the guy that's always impressed me, right? One, I mean, not just an amazing entrepreneur and a real estate professional himself and investor and a coach and everything else. Right? But he's also a family guy. He's like a real person, which as you guys know, I like to bring on genuine, authentic people. You know, not like the slick, you know, snake oil, salesmen of sorts. Like this guy is the real deal. By the way, he's also got another podcast you can check out called FLIPEMPIRE. It's awesome! And that's also his name of his company. He also has a parent company called Creative RE-Solutions. He's flipped well over 300 properties. So even after you graduated from college, but you know, almost 20 years ago, he decided to go work for GE at the time. He's like, you know what, even though I've become a CEO, I'm changing that direction.

Chris Miles (02:27): And so this is where he ended up starting going down that path. No more working 75 hours a week. Moved over towards doing real estate and have a life of freedom. And so guys, the main reason I brought him on today is because, you know, many of you will ask me, they say, Chris, you know, I hear you're part of these great groups, these masterminds, you know, how do I find people like that? Because right now, now more than ever, you need a support group. And so, Alex, love having you on the show, man. Thanks! Thanks for coming on.

Alex Pardo (02:55): Chris. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I'm excited to be on and to share some thoughts with Your audience. So thank you for having me.

Chris Miles (03:01): Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about the path, fill in the gaps for me a little bit, cause I know you're an adventurer. I mean, you've backpacked all over the world and done cool stuff. I mean, but tell us a little bit more about you.

Alex Pardo (03:11): Yeah. I'll try to keep it super brief cause you on a lot of it, but you know, sometime around college, first of all, ever since I was 11, 12 years old, I would buy and sell baseball cards. I would buy packs of cards and boxes and I would flip them. And at the time I didn't know, I was essentially wholesaling like, but I was learning some of the, just the fundamentals of buying low and selling high. And so I think I've always been wired with that in me. And something changed there on college. When I was in college, I, I think it was the prestige or maybe it was the ego, honestly, that I wanted to. I saw like the Jack Welch's of the world and all these big time CEOs. And I'm like, I want to be that guy. Until I got hired by general electric in their financial management program.

Alex Pardo (03:51): And I moved away from Miami for the first time. And I'll never forget, you know, three and a half months into that job. I was averaging about 70 to 80 hours a week. I didn't enjoy anything I was doing. And the defining moment for me, Chris was I would look at my boss. I would look at their boss and then I would keep going up the chain all the way up to the CFO of GE capital. And I looked at them and I said, I don't want to be that person. I don't want to be working around the clock. And I just didn't enjoy it at that decision. At that point, when I made a decision, I'm going to finish the two year program, but I'm going to start educating myself about real estate. I had read Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I had read a bunch of these books, but I had never taken action.

Alex Pardo (04:30): Right? So long story short, I finished that two year commitment. I went backpacking around Europe to "Find myself. Figuring out what I wanted to do." And I was in an internet cafe in Ibiza and a friend of mine sent me an email and he said, Hey, I'm going to this camp. Marketing for deals Boot-camp. It's 997 bucks. It does. It might not sound like a lot of money to a lot of people, but for me at the time I had funded my entire three months backpack, triple my credit card. I didn't really have much money and it was a fork in the road. Well, thank God. I decided to take him up on that offer. I spent a thousand bucks on my card, went to the event, pulled out a letter. They were teaching us how to market for pre-foreclosures. This was in late 2005 and I started handwriting envelopes and sending out mailers to Pre-Foreclosures. A couple of months later, I closed my first deal and almost made exactly what I was making as a salary at GE. So, I've been doing that ever since 2005.

Chris Miles (05:28): That's awesome! You know, I can know a lot of people here can relate cause there's lot of people here that work really, they do really work hard for their money, right? And some of them make great money. But it comes with a price, you know, and some people will actually even believe that you have to do that. Like somehow you just have to work those long hours to get that kind of money. And that's just not true. That's a whole paradigm shifts that everybody needs to have. Right?

Alex Pardo (05:50): That's right! A hundred percent. I mean, I think you hit the nail on the head. I see. It's really unfortunate when I see people sacrificing time with their family or whatever they value, whatever it's important in the pursuit of money. Because as cliche as it might sound, forget tomorrow, the next minute is not promised to us. And unfortunately, sometimes it takes a tragedy or it, sometimes it takes, it takes you hearing about someone passing away for it's reminding you, like you have to enjoy life. And that's not to say that, you know, you don't pay attention to the responsibilities and end generating income and bringing in the finances. That's important, but you can have both, you know, I learned years ago from a mentor that this is an end world. It's not an either/or. In other words, you can have both things. You just have to be very intentional and strategic about it.

Chris Miles (06:35): Yeah. That's that's, I love that! That whole abundance mindset and realize not either/or, but it's a, how would I have both. Right? How do I have my cake and eat it too. Right?

Alex Pardo (06:44): Right. It's possible.

Chris Miles (06:45): It's sure is. Yeah. Well, tell us, like in your journey, like what's been some of the biggest ways, what are some of the biggest factor for your success?

Alex Pardo (06:55): Great question, Chris. I wish I had a sexy answer for you. I wish it was a story with a chance encounter with some celebrity where I got an opportunity. It wasn't that at all. It was, I've, a couple of years into my journey. As an entrepreneur, I tried to do everything alone. I was a lone Wolf and I had some success, but I also had some pretty big failures and those failures kind of shaped me. And one of the things I realized is I don't have to reinvent the wheel. If I can find the right people, put them into my life and have the right inner circle. I can, essentially success leaves, clues, right? And then I have to follow their exact path because I'm on my own unique journey, but I don't have to make mistakes that these people have already been through.

Alex Pardo (07:35): So the two years, it took me losing $51,000, $52,000. In 2007. Right as the market was shifting, I lost just over 50 grand on a deal. And I vowed to that point. I said, I'm not going at this alone anymore. So I hired a coach at that time. And through that process, I got exposed to masterminds. And so for the last, I don't know, whatever, it's been 12 years, 13 years, I have been coached by a couple of people at the same time. I've invested in myself as you have. We were just talking how we're both a part of multiple mastermind groups. And I could not imagine, Chris, especially with everything going on with COVID-19, I couldn't imagine going at this alone or without having a network, a community, a mastermind. Where I could just pick up the phone and call someone like you, Chris, and Hey, this is my challenge. This is what I'm going through. Or I need your insight. I need your perspective. So that's completely changed my life, you know, not just coaching, but being a part of the right communities, being a part of the right groups, people that are gonna walk alongside you, people that are going to help you to think bigger and challenge you and hold you accountable. It's been a game changer for me.

Chris Miles (08:41): Yeah. I'd be curious to know. Cause I know a lot of people ask me this. They're like, well, how do you find a good group like that? Like how do you find the one that's the right group? Cause there's lots of groups out there. Right? And there's tons of posers out there. There's tons of people that are kind of charlatans. Right? And they tend, and some of them are some of the biggest marketing people out there. Right? And then you get in their groups, you're like, this group stinks, you know, it's like this, isn't like, this is all hype and no real content or no real like, you know, real muscle to it. You know? So for you, like, what's been your experience like how you found the right groups.

Alex Pardo (09:13): Yeah. Well, first of all, phenomenal question. And I think this can be really, really helpful for people that have gotten to the point where they've said, okay, I see the value in being in a mastermind. I see the value in plugging into the right community. Now I go online, how do I even start the process. And one of the things I always say is, you know, do some research. Find out. Look at the leader. Who's running the group? And chances are, you know, most masterminds. You're going to go through some sort of interview process. And in some cases that's kind of a marketing gimmick type thing, a sales thing. In other cases it's legit. Like they, you know, if the leader is vetting, who is being put in the group, that's the kind of group I think you want to be a part of, not just somebody that can stroke a check or send a wire or make a certain investment in themselves.

Alex Pardo (10:00): But you want the group to have some sort of qualifications. And that doesn't necessarily mean X amount of volume or X amount of dollars you make. That could be a part of it. But you want to connect with the leader. They're going to probably interview you. You want to interview them. Ask them about their core values. Ask them about why they started the group. What's their intention? What's their, why are they doing this? Is it a business? And if so, that's fantastic! Absolutely nothing wrong with that because masterminds can be very lucrative as you know, Chris, but I would want to be a part of a group where it's more than just a business for them, right? Where their hearts in it, where they have a heart for service and for giving. And so you want to find out what makes up the DNA on that group, right?

Alex Pardo (10:41): Is it a group of go givers? Is it a group of people or is it a group of just like, you know, ego, chest pounding people that it's all about, Hey, I'm bigger and better kind of thing because there's both groups out there. So find a group that resonates with you. I think the second thing you want to ask yourself is, what direction do you want to take your life in your business? Do you have a vision for your life and for your business? Because depending on what you want to accomplish and the direction you want to go could really dictate what type of group you get into. To your point, Chris, there's no shortage of masterminds out there. It feels like they're popping up left and right now. Now, the flip side is, don't do so much research and don't get into analysis paralysis that, you know, 12 months later, you still haven't joined the group. The right group is out there. I think you can figure out just by having a conversation or a couple of conversations with the leader. And maybe even get some referrals, find out, Chris, you know, who's in that group? Who can I connect with? And gain an unbiased opinion on that group.

Chris Miles (11:37): I think that's a great idea for sure. Essentially. Cause like, you know, I always took the, you know, as a coach right. And consulting people, I always took kind of more of the group model for a few years. And then I realized that people didn't really need a guru model. They needed a guide. Right? And obviously I still give, you know, help and advice and guidance and stuff. But I realized that one of the biggest shifts for me was after I started to look into mastermind groups myself. And start to see the value when I started to apply that element to my own clients. Cause I had them come out to my house, for example, you know, twice a year. And, and we just have this very intimate group. And a lot of the members of the group said, you know, they'll even say at the end, they'll say, you know, the biggest thing I got out of this, like, sorry, Chris, like your stuff is awesome.

Chris Miles (12:19): But I love talking to people that were at my level, like people that were dealing with the same thing I'm dealing with right now. Like I've learned so much from talking with other people, even just during the breaks or lunch or whatever. Like I have learned so much from that. And it blew my mind. Like my ego was kinda rocked for a little bit. I was like, wait a minute, like I'm supposed to be your mentor. And then I realized, no, this is good. This is awesome. Like it's such amazing, it was such an amazing perspective shift for me and seeing how it really benefits people.

Alex Pardo (12:49): Yeah. And I always tell, I think to that end, Chris, you know, when we interview people and when we, and we have a pretty small intimate group through a sense, but when we interview people, we tell them, look, you're going to get the X's and O's and the strategy, and you're going to get a lot of content. But that's not even where the real value is. That's extremely valuable. But it's the relationships. The relationship capital is priceless. The fact that you and I are in a group and now we're doing this and there's ways that you can collaborate with people and the friendships and the fact that I can pick up the phone and call anybody in our group. Chris is, to me, it's just, it's priceless. So while I get a lot of value at the actual masterminds, to your point, it's the side conversations at the bar at the restaurant or at the break, it's the connection.

Alex Pardo (13:36): I mean, again, everybody's heard, you know, your net worth is your net worth. And I've also heard, it's not, it, it's not what, you know, it's who, you know, I'll take it a step further. It's who knows you. And so to me, that's, if I was weighing it out, that's probably 70%, 75% of the value is the relationships. And yeah, I've learned a ton and I've implemented systems and marketing strategies. And I bought properties from people in our group. And so there's been a lot of business that has come out of it, but the relationships is really what it's all about for me.

Chris Miles (14:07): That's, amen to that man! So, you know, I'll tell you like, and like you said before too, you like even mentioned like, it's, you kind of went to the question, I was already gonna ask you already hit it. Right? Which was, how would somebody know it's the right route for them? Right? And that kind of leads me to your group. You have a group named Ascend, right? So Alex, tell us more about Ascend, you know, what it is and who would be the right fit for that kind of group.

Alex Pardo (14:29): Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much for the opportunity to kind of briefly share about it. And I don't want this to be sound like a sales pitch or anything. It's just, honestly, I've been doing real estate now for 15 years. This is what I'm most passionate about. I realized my calling is to pour into people's lives and to work with them. So, because I've been a part of a lot of different mastermind groups and I've had a lot of coaches, I never found the group that brought them both together. So when I got together with my partner, Steve Cavanaugh, last year, we said, how can we create an experience where we mastermind? And we also get the coaching component. So it's a hybrid mastermind and coaching group for entrepreneurs. We have two groups of 15. So it's very small and intimate. We were talking about this offline.

Alex Pardo (15:08): It's not a group where there's hundreds of people and you, you kind of get lost in the shuffle. And not to say that there's anything wrong with that. There's some really valuable groups. We're a part of one that's pretty big and it's awesome, but we want it to go on a little bit of a different direction. We want the right people in there and you know, and so yeah, we, you know, every four months we get together in South Florida and we mastermind in a small intimate setting. It's an experience. We have a lot of fun while we're doing it. And then there's monthly one on one coaching. And then we get together as a group on Zoom. And we mastermind on Zoom. And ever since COVID hit we've been doing that on a weekly basis. So the level of accountability, the level of just transparency that's in the group is amazing.

Chris Miles (15:46): That's awesome, man! And like you said, when you're talking about business owners or you're specifically saying those that are going in the business of real estate, right?

Alex Pardo (15:53): No, no, by the way, thank you. Because I didn't, I didn't clarify that. No! This group is for entrepreneurs. Now having said that because of the content I produced to the podcast, because I've been in real estate, I'd probably say 80%, 75%, 80% of our members are in real estate, but we do have some members that have different businesses. We didn't want it to just be a group about real estate. And I think the other thing that, that makes it unique, Chris, is that we don't just talk business, but we actually start with the life component. At the foundation of what we do is, what's the vision for your life? And then let's help you either tweak, modify and or create a business that supports that lifestyle. So at our mastermind retreat, sometimes we're talking about, you know, Hey, my business, I need to generate more revenue and we're talking about marketing. And then juxtapose that we, you know, we had a situation in our group where somebody is dealing with an addiction. And so we, we really dove into that. So it covers life and business because my belief is that they're connected and one impacts the other. It has a ripple effect. Pun intended on each other. So...

Chris Miles (16:57): That's right. Well, awesome! If people want to find out more information about that, how would they go about doing so?

Alex Pardo (17:03): Yeah, it's super simple. AscendYourSuccess.com AscendYourSuccess.com Short five, six minute video on there. And then it's just an application process. And it's really just a conversation to see, you know, if it's a fit, answer questions and us to find out more about you. So it's a pretty simple process.

Chris Miles (17:20): That's great. Yes. There we go. You'll check that out, man. We'll put that link in the show notes for you guys to, just to go look at or check it out, you know, apply if you want to apply. Obviously I can vouch for Alex. Alex is amazing, man. Like, he's both on and off camera, so to speak, right. You know, or off the mic. He's a great guy. So definitely check that out and also check out his podcast. You wanna get to know him more through there. Check out FLIPEMPIRE as well. So anyways, Alex, appreciate you being on today.

Alex Pardo (17:49): No! Again, I really thank you for having me on. Again, it's for me, it's friendship. I'm grateful for the relationship. I know we have a mutual friend in Armando. And so anything you ever need, brother, I am here for you and same applies to anybody listening to this. If I can answer any questions or if you just want to connect again, I love building relationships. And if I can add value in any way, you know, feel free to reach out Alex@FlipEmpire.com.

Chris Miles (18:14): Awesome! Appreciate it, Alex, man. Everybody else you've heard it like reach out to Alex, check out his stuff. It's good stuff there, but right now is the best time, more than ever to stay connected. If I would have learned anything from the last recession that I went through, I thought I had to suffer alone. And that was not the case guys. Like if, if I would have learned quickly that it was actually reaching out to people and associated with people and looking for help, I would have not have suffered through the recession as much as I had. So guys, I recommend you. Don't fall in that same trap that I did as well, that you learn from our mistakes and from our successes too. So everybody, I'll be making a wonderful prosperous week. We'll see you later.

[delphineh]

DELPHINE HOLLOWAY / “DELTA HERNÁNDEZ”; STATISTICS, BACKSTORY & SOME CONNECTIONS.

Rose here! I knoow, this is super late but I can’t begin to rant about how hectic the past few days have been. Anyway, I’m so excited to introduce you to my 3rd muse, a detective transferred into Red Ridge three months ago to infiltrate Valencia. They’re posing as a street rat & generic af bartender but are having their ears open for the opposite team.

trigger warnings: child abandonment, child neglect, domestic violence, alcoholism, ptsd.

STATISTICS:

TRAITS & BACKSTORY:

full, real name: delphine ann davidsen holloway.

undercover name: delta hernández ( hernández was their great grandmother’s maiden name, a family tree too old to track but one that allows them to hold their identity close. )

nickname: delphi, little elf, del, d, dee.

gender & pronouns: non-binary & they/she.

age: 35 30.

birthday: november 28th, 1985. ( though their fake id writes january 14th, 1990. )

sexual orientation: homosexual.

romantic orientation: homoromantic.

relationship status: single.

occupation: detective bartender in the kitten club.

affiliation: law enforcement valencia.

rank: undercover street rat.

delphine’s origins became known to them only because they were five years old when their mother ( a 20-year-old prostitute who’d gone homeless since having them ) left them outside of st. david’s orphanage. she’d been raising them all by herself until then. a crumpled letter was stuffed inside their bee-shaped bag, along with a couple changes of clothes and a picture of the two of them. “promise me you’ll keep this. promise me, delphi! read it when you’re eighteen. then you’ll understand, i swear you will!” 

positive personality traits: protective, clever, loyal, brave, hard-working, determined, perceptive, confrontational.

negative personality traits: obsessive, cunning, emotionally closed-off, irruptive, distrusting, blunt.

their clothes and their bag were stolen away as soon as they were assigned to a bed, and that letter was first read when they were 14 years old and in desperate need of crumbs that’d help them endure the abuse and fight tooth and nail for their adoptive sister — or encourage them to do something about it ( but more about that in a minute ). in that letter, their mother apologized for not knowing who their father was but told them to always be close to ‘her’ heritage ( as a toddler they were still going by the “she/her” pronouns exclusively, completely unaware there was a word to express the complexity of their identity and its understanding beyond one’s genitalia ). she told them that their grandma was mixed dominican, chinese and african, and their grandpa ashkenazi jewish with roots in central europe. she wrote down the tale about how she lost them both young and ended up in the streets, alone, having nothing but her heritage and childhood memories. “i worry, little elf.. i’m so sorry. your life would’ve been so difficult either way... i know leaving you will make it worse. but i promise you, i didn’t have another choice.” then, she explained that she owed money to the wrong people and that she’d end up dead because of it. “watch out for them, delphine. watch out for the valencia. don’t ever make a trade with them. don’t ever cross paths with them. now that you’re 18, leave if you can. i beg you.” if delphine had waited until 18 to read that letter, their life wouldn’t have changed like it did.

jumping back to the orphanage for a moment: it wasn’t pretty. in that particular institution, they weren’t treated like children, but like numbers. they were punished like them, too. if one child got in trouble, nobody ate. if one kid stayed up late, all of them were violently woken up in the middle of the night to do chores as punishment. if one kid threw up or tossed their food, the rest wouldn’t eat. their clothes never changed, their days never changed. all delphine had was themselves and kara, an orphan two years younger than them. an almost violent urge to protect each other surfaced, attaching them at the hip. they wouldn’t go anywhere without each other; they’d never let anyone else tear them apart.

delphine was eight years old when they were adopted in a new household with kara. for a little while, they thought their prayers had been answered. a couple of weeks with their new parents, however, were enough to shake them both back into reality: these people were somehow even worse than the child care takers in st. david’s. the only reason they adopted them was to get their hands on their adoptive grandmother’s will, since their adoptive father’s sibling didn’t have children either. while that matter was on the table, they pretended to be loving, caring and protective. behind closed doors, though.. the story was different. 

almost three years later, their adoptive grandmother dies and the couple inherits her house and her savings. that money is quickly spent in unnecessary luxury while delphine and kara were still left starved, dirty and uneducated. unfortunately the emotional and physical abuse worsened, if only by the certainty that nothing could take away from these awful people what they’d inherited and by the hard limits blurred due to the influence of alcohol ( their new wine celar became their adoptive father’s favorite hang-out spot ).

the breaking point came in 1999, 6 years after the two were adopted. delphi is 14 years old, locked inside their room with kara on their side, and their mother’s letter is barely hanging by a thread on the teen’s shaky hands. they pick up the phone and call the police to report domestic abuse.

somehow, returning to the orphanage seemed like the better option in comparison to staying there another minute. it never became easier: they’d spent six years where their health and education was neglected. most of the kids they used to know were adopted or left as soon as they became adults legally. delphine had a plan though: as soon as they turned 18 too, they’d grab kara and get out of there. ( maybe that other girl their age could join them, too. the one they couldn’t stop thinking about. ) they’d steal books from the library and then, when kara would be of age too, they’d work two jobs or three to finally get into the police academy. they’d make sure to protect the same way they wished to be protected and, eventually, they’d return in red ridge and lock behind bars those who tore them away from their mother. for the first time in their life, there’s a plan. a plan that revives the lost hope inside of them that everything would be alright.

two years later, delphine was adopted by a middle-aged couple, the holloways, who owed a small cottage at the borders of red ridge. delphi was 16 years old, and the oldest kid to ever be adopted in such an old age. on the outside it looked like a slim shot that hit the bullseye, but delphi had no good experiences to draw from and they didn’t want to leave their first love behind. at least escaping that new place with kara when the time came would be far easier than breaking out of the orphanage, right?

kara never joined; they weren’t supposed to. the couple had adopted delphine alone which meant that, legally, their ties to the orphanage are cut.

for all the years of suffering that they’d endured, for every trauma induced by a fist, a foul word or a disgusted look at their direction, scarring the very pits of their soul, losing kara was what broke them. they’d been taken away, they were forced to break their promise. delphine left them without their will and, in their book, it was all the holloway’s fault.

several months passed before their hatred and ptsd could “subdue” enough, just so that they could stop fearing for the curveball to drop and the couple to change; so they could see that the holloways were genuinelly good people: they gave them their own room, clean and tidy, new clothes just for them, and cooked tasty food for them every day. they had a garden in their cottage where they grew their own vegetables and showed delphi how to do it too. the holloways helped them research their heritage and encouraged them to sign into a public school to eventually graduate and live the experience, even though they’d be older than their classmates and catching up would be a very difficult task that required specific, careful treatment. 

eventually, with time, patience and care, delphine let their guard drop. school isn’t easy when your classmates are several years younger and annoying for the most part, but walking back home was something they looked forward to. they heard stories upon stories about their life and told them what they’d read about their heritage along with the very few things they remembered before their mom left them. the holloways didn’t understand why delphine found the term “girl” wrong and limiting, but they slowly accepted it. and, when hiding such a big part of themselves became too overwhelming, they came out and were faced with acceptance, respect and love. when they finally asked the couple why they’d picked them, their response was way more practical than they’d imagined: they didn’t realize they wanted kids until they were too old to have them naturally, and they didn’t have the physical strength anymore to raise a baby on their own either. what they wanted was some company and someone to take care of their humble property after they’d be gone, if they wanted. and they wanted to help a kid who didn’t get a proper chance before into becoming something, someone they’d be proud of.

it’s june of 2006 when 21-year-old delphine graduates high school. in october of the same year, they leave for denver, colorado, and start training in the police academy there. ( it’s their desire for some change of scenery, for seeing something outside of red ridge, for meeting people who couldn’t look at them with pity in their eyes because they didn’t know their story. it’s a plea to forget about the fact that they hid behind some bushes all night and day when kara’s birthday came, but they never saw them break out. it’s the fact that they burged in and demanded to see them, only to find out they’d escaped a year ago. )

life continued pretty normally until 2019: delphine has a tight grasp of who they are and what they want from life. they’re settled in denver, their continuous, almost restless hard work promotes them to a detective with an excellent arrest rate at the age of 34, and they’re engaged to the woman of their dreams; someone they met in law enforcement years ago. their goal of returning back on red ridge eventually isn’t forgotten, nor the hope that maybe their long lost sister could be there somewhere. but they need to talk about it, them and their fiancee.

their undercover story is simple: their name is delta hernández, age 30 ( as written on their fake id ). they were dropped at an orphanage in oregon as a newborn and have no idea who their parents are. they were quickly adopted by a shitty family and, when they discovered they were adopted, they escaped: an outlaw going rogue all around nevada by jumping on rvs and making friends with strangers. they settled on red ridge recently because they like how valencia seems to be toying with the cops. they work as a bartender because they’re a better listener than talker and because they never went to high school. favorite color, blue.

the talk happens. they want to return home, settle there, and do undercover work. their fiancee wants to stay in derver and start a family with them after marriage. a schism pulls them apart; they do want children eventually, too. but not yet. they can’t yet. they need to make sure something is done about the situation in red ridge before that. the engagement breaks, the relationship ends and, with nobody holding them back, delphi requests that transfer.

SOME CONNECTIONS:

unbreakable vow — taken by @roadklls​: kara and delphi were taken into the same foster home together when they were both very little. they went through hell together for a few years because it turned out that this family wanted to adopt them only to get their hands on their parents’ will. delphi called the police eventually so they were taken from them and placed back in the orphanage. they both thought that if they were to get adopted again, they’d be together. alas, delphi was adopted into a loving home alone and they never saw or heard from kara again.

ex fiancee — open: female or non-binary. they worked together in law enforcement and eventually got together. their relationship seemed perfect, with delphi experiencing the happiest years of their life. when she/they proposed, they agreed to marry them with their eyes closed. however, they eventually discussed that delphi wanted to return in red ridge and go undercover, while their partner wanted to stay in derver and start a family with them right away. they took their seperate ways and delphi was transferred in red ridge.

forbidden ties — 3/10 taken by @trialls​, @hopesiick​, @jacobsgraham​: for a cop, they don’t trust all of their co-workers completely. in their book, there are two types of cops: those who have the same driving force to do good and bring criminals to justice, and those who crave their authority to overpower people. once they’ve judged a character to belong in the first category, they feel like themselves with them than with anyone else. this is a group of co-workers who have their back and vice versa. if it weren’t for them being undercover, they could even be friends.

first love — open: female or non-binary. this is delphine’s first love. she/they are the same age as them and they met at st. david’s orphanage. the two started dating at 14 and got into a very intense, co-protective and passionate teenage relationship that was cut short when delphine was adopted at 16.

unforgotten — 0/2 taken: other kids from st. david’s orphanage who know delphi’s real story. it’d be glorious if one of them is involved with valencia in the present and essentially blows her cover at the right time.

[splendidlyimperfect]

Gray hasn’t seen Natsu in years - not since he moved away with his boyfriend Joel and Natsu stopped texting him. A chance run-in at a bar brings Natsu back into Gray’s life, but the encounter puts Gray in danger when Joel finds out. Natsu quickly realizes that Gray’s stuck in a cycle of violence, and wants to help him escape. But leaving isn’t that easy, and sometimes loving someone might not be enough. 

Chapter Summary:  Gray's excited to move away with Joel, but Natsu's not answering him and Erza thinks he's making a mistake.

Chapters (11/22):   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Gray Fullbuster/Original Male Character(s) Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rape Aftermath, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Natsu just wants to help, but Gray feels like he can’t leave, Non-Linear Narrative, Trans Character, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, ftlgbtpride2019, Coming Out, First Love, Angst with a Happy Ending, I promise

-----

it's as simple as can be  

iso·late | \ ˈī-sə-ˌlāt transitive verb :  to set apart from others

.

v may five years ago

.

Three weeks before the end of spring semester, Joel shows up at Gray’s place with a bouquet of flowers and an announcement.  

“I got a job back in Crocus,” he says as Gray searches the kitchen for a vase for the flowers. They’re soft, pink roses with petals that feel like silk under Gray’s fingertips. “At Ekhart and Wilson.”  

“Really?” Gray turns to Joel with raised eyebrows – that’s been Joel’s dream since he started college. “That’s awesome.” Joel grins at Gray, then pulls him into his arms and kisses Gray’s forehead.

“I start in July, after I graduate,” Joel says, wrapping his arms around Gray’s waist and looking at him seriously. “So you’ll have time to talk to your guidance counsellor about transferring credits.”  

“Transferring?” Gray asks, frowning. Joel rolls his eyes good-naturedly.  

“To the college in Crocus,” he says. “I already found us an apartment – it’s downtown, right near the campus and the office. You’re gonna love it.” He runs his fingers through Gray’s hair, giving him a fond look.  

“An apartment?” Gray says, starting to feel a bit off-kilter. “You mean – moving with you? To Crocus?”  

Continue reading on AO3

Joel gives him a hurt look. “You said you wanted to live together, remember?”  

“I do,” Gray says quickly, trying to regain his equilibrium. The words are starting to make sense, but it feels a bit like the floor is tipping out from beneath him. They’ve been talking about finding a place – as much as Gray loves Erza and Jellal, this is their home, not his. But… “I just thought you meant here.”  

Joel sighs, ruffling Gray’s hair. “There’s nowhere for me to work here, silly.” Gray nods – Elmsworth is a pretty small town. There’s not much here except the college, a few crappy diners, and the bowling alley.  

“I...” Gray hesitates, chewing his lip. Crocus is hours from here, and even further from his parents. He hasn’t seen them much lately, though – he’d tested the waters with his mom by talking about a hypothetical trans friend, and the response had been... chilly.  

“I’d have insurance at the new job,” Joel adds, giving Gray a significant look. Gray frowns at him, and Joel adds, “it would help could cover hormones, if you wanted them. Or surgery.”  

Gray freezes. He’s been talking more and more to Joel about transitioning, about finding a doctor who’d be willing to help him. He hasn’t mentioned it to anyone else. With everyone other than Joel, he’s still Ellie, even though he's tried over and over again to tell Natsu. It just never comes out right, and he ends up deleting the words before he can send them.

“Seriously?” he asks, and Joel gives him a wide smile, squeezing his hands. “You mean…”  

“We can have a new start,” Joel says. “Just you and me.”  

-----

[June 11]

Natsu [19:32]  i miss you, ells. i hope things are good for you.  

Gray [23:35]  Things are great. I’m moving to Crocus with Joel in a couple weeks.  

.

[June 13]

Natsu [02:59]  wow thats a big step! im happy for you  

.

[June 14]  

Gray [03:33]  I'm excited but a bit nervous. I told my mom today and she was happy because she loves Joel but sad because it’s so far away.  

Gray [03:34]  They ran into a problem with my credit transfer so I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to go back to school in the fall. I might have to work for a year, but Joel says there’s lots of jobs in Crocus so hopefully I can find something.  

Gray [04:22]  I’m sorry about the trip. I really wanted to see you .  

Gray [04:43]  I know you’re probably in bed but I can’t sleep, I've been sitting here staring at my phone for hours. I think it’s because I’m excited/nervous about the move.  

Gray [05:01]  Maybe we can meet halfway at Christmas break? I can’t believe we haven’t seen each other in a year. I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately. I know Erza’s worried about me moving with Joel and maybe you are too, I just want you guys to trust me. Please?  

Gray [06:54]  I miss you so much.  

-----

Gray finally falls asleep around seven, but he still wakes up before Joel does, just after eleven. As soon as he reads through his late-night messages to Natsu, he groans and quickly sends one more.  

.

Gray [11:17]  Sorry, sleep deprived me is sappy. I'll let you know when we get settled in Crocus and maybe we can Skype.  

.

Joel makes a soft sound in his sleep, rolling over and throwing an arm over Gray’s waist. Gray brushes Joel’s hair from his face, squeezing his eyes shut as a wave of guilt washes over him.  

He deletes all the texts, then throws his phone on the side table and wakes Joel up with a kiss.  

-----

Natsu doesn’t answer. A week goes by, and Gray texts him a couple more times, but it’s as if Natsu’s disappeared. Gray’s pretty sure he’s pissed because they’re moving right before Natsu was planning to come to town, but Natsu’s never stopped talking to him before.  

Gray’s tempted to ask Erza if she’s heard from Natsu, but once he tells her that he’s moving away with Joel, she turns into somebody that he doesn’t want to be around anymore.  

“Ellie, you’ve only known him for a few months,” she says as he’s putting his things into boxes. She’s leaning against his bedroom door, arms crossed over her chest, eyes serious. “It just seems…”  

“Erza,” Gray groans, rubbing his face and turning to look at her.  

“Don’t give me that look,” she says, scowling at him. “It’s just… you just started your degree, and you don’t know anybody in Crocus, and—”  

“Natsu didn’t know anyone at Danston either,” Gray argues.  

“That’s not—”  

“I’m not a little kid,” he continues, waving away whatever she’d been going to say. “I don’t understand why you guys can’t just be happy for me.”  

Erza sighs, pulling a strand of hair over her shoulder and coiling it around her finger. Gray turns back to his packing, wishing he could will Erza away with angry thoughts.  

“I think you’re making a mistake,” Erza says softly. “I feel like you sho—”  

“It’s a good thing I don’t need your permission then, isn’t it?” Gray snaps, shoving several pairs of old jeans into a duffel bag. He hears Erza’s sharp intake of breath and he refuses to look at her. He can’t deal with the disappointed expression that he knows is on her face.  

“Ellie, please,” Erza whispers, but Gray shakes his head.  

“I thought you’d be supportive,” he says quietly, swallowing hard to keep himself from crying. “You and Natsu, b-both of you...”  

He looks up when Erza crouches down beside him and wraps her arms around him. “It’s... I just feel like I’m being left behind,” she says. “Natsu, and you, and I’ve got Jellal, but...”  

Gray leans against her, reaching up and covering her hand with his own as he swallows down both guilt and frustration. “I’m sorry,” he says, but he’s not sure if that’s true.  

“Me too,” she says, kissing his head.  

They sit on the floor of his room for a long time, until his phone buzzes with a text from Joel, and Erza gets up silently and heads back to the kitchen. 

----- 

[June 21]

Gray [02:45] Please answer me

Gray: [02:45] I need you

Gray [02:47] I’m angry

Gray [02:48] I miss you

Gray [02:49] I love you

Gray [02:50] Don’t abandon me

Gray [04:43]  We’re leaving tomorrow. The address is 6 Willowdale Crescent, Apartment 503. 

-----  

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” Erza says, hugging Gray tightly and kissing his forehead. “Take care of yourself, okay?”  

“I will,” Gray says, leaning back and giving Erza what he hopes is a reassuring smile. “You worry too much.”  

“I worry just the right amount,” Erza replies, shaking her head and glancing over at where Joel is sitting in the front seat of his car. Everything in Gray’s life has been easily reduced to two cardboard boxes and a duffel bag that fits neatly in the trunk.  

“I’ll text you when we get there,” Gray says, and Erza nods, then gives him a serious look.  

“Ellie, I just wanna make sure you—”  

“Don’t.” Gray feels the fondness in his chest start to dissolve into irritation. “No more lectures. Please? This is what I want.”

Erza studies Gray’s face carefully. “Okay,” Erza says finally. “Just... be careful.”  

Gray nods, squeezing Erza’s hands one last time before letting go and heading over to the car.  

“You ready, babe?” Joel asks, leaning over and catching Gray’s lips in a kiss. Gray hums happily, kissing Joel back and then settling into his seat as Joel puts the car in reverse and pulls out of Erza and Jellal’s driveway.  

“Yeah,” Gray says, squeezing Joel’s hand and watching Elmsworth fly past them as they start the journey to Crocus. “Yeah, I am.”  

[dramioneasks]

FAQ FICS: Bromance Fics

This list contains fics that feature a friendship between Draco and another main male character in the series (Blaise, Theo, Harry etc.). We do have a separate list for Draco and Harry Friendship.

The Breaking of Draco Malfoy By: Akorah - T, 24 chapters - After the war, Draco Malfoy flees to France, expecting to find refuge from the Ministry. He didn't expect to have a roommate and he certainly didn't expect to come face-to-face with his disintegrating beliefs about the world beyond magic. Meanwhile, Hermione Granger returns to Hogwarts with one objective: break her parents' Memory Charm. Unfortunately, life tends to get in the way.

Consequences of War By: NJ Coffee Queen - T, 29 chapters - Draco is asked to do the unthinkable when the Golden Trio is brought to Malfoy Manor. Can he handle the consequences of his actions or will he flee like the coward everyone believes him to be?

Friendly Interference By: cleotheo - T, 5 chapters - When Draco refuses to ask Hermione out his best friend, Blaise Zabini steps in and vows to bring the pair together. Will Blaise be successful in getting the couple together or will he ruin any chance they have of happiness with his interference? Short five part story.

Starlight By: Trinkisme - M, 35 chapters - "Whatever causes night in our souls may leave stars." – Victor Hugo. Draco has a decision to make; Harry has a legacy to accept. Neither was what they'd ever envisioned for themselves. This is a story of brokenness and of love and discovering how family can be both the bough that breaks and the tie that binds. Dramione and platonic Drarry.

The Eagle's Nest By: HeartOfAspen - M, WIP - Hermione's eighth year at Hogwarts is already going to be difficult in the aftermath of the war, but it is further thrown into upheaval when Headmistress McGonagall orders a re-sorting of all students to promote inter-house unity. But when the Sorting Hat sends Hermione to Ravenclaw with Draco - and without Harry or Ron - how will she cope? [AU, Dramione] Prevalent alchemy. WIP

Veelantine Surprise By: UnseenLibrarian - M, 6 chapters - After sharing a New Year's Eve kiss with Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy begins a journey of self-discovery. Who knew a male Veela would suffer such trials and tribulations as he pursues his mate?

Mayhem before Christmas By: RunningQuill - M, 12 chapters - Christmas is not a season of peace for everyone. Certainly not for Hermione, who finds herself on the doorstep of her house on a cold winter night after she is kicked out by her own husband, a week away from Christmas! (COMPLETE)

Clean By: olivieblake - M, 31 chapters - Malfoy's handsome face was contoured into a condescending smirk. "No faith in that giant brain of yours, Granger?" She looked up at him defiantly. "Maybe I don't have faith in you!" she said, raising her voice. Malfoy only looked at her. "You'll find I'm very surprising." Dramione AU, Year 6 with a slow burn and a killer twist. Book I of "This World or Any Other" series. COMPLETE.

Necessary Evil - CourtingInsanity - M, WIP - Hermione Granger is a case worker for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Draco Malfoy has just been released from Azkaban nearly five years since the end of the Final Battle. Throw in a vindictive boss, an ailing mother and a common goal, and you've got a recipe for a slow burn Dramione.

The Year Neville Broke Bad - MotherofBulls - M, 7 chapters - SEQUEL to "BARMY" and "HIGH"! Neville Longbottom uses his skills in Herbology to reinvent himself as a bad ass. New year, new look--all around new Neville. In an unfortunate turn of events after accidentally witnessing an intimate moment between Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, Neville's new experiment turns on its face. Will he break bad or break down?

Broken Feathers - naarna - E, WIP - It's been eight years since Draco last spoke with Hermione, and now she has disappeared. Will he put everything into finding her?

Lily Potter's Biggest Secret By: StrongHermione - M, 47 chapters - Following a moment of passion, Lily Potter finds herself in a difficult position. She does her best to hide it. What happens when seventeen years later, her biggest secret comes to light? A story chronicling the formation of a family. Rated M for swearing and suggestive themes. AU, EWE?, Post War, Mild OOC, Spoilers. Pairings: HG/DM HP/GW SS/OC - COMPLETE

Matched By: longdistance - M, 21 chapters - The wizarding community has not quite bounced back in terms of numbers since the end of the war. Desperate times call for desperate measures and a Marriage Law is enacted by the Ministry. Hermione isn't even dating anyone, let alone ready to be someone's wife. Draco has a secret that he'd rather not share. Odd couples are made and they have a year to figure it all out.

Drinking Buddies by MrBenzedrine - M, 8 Chapters - Hermione and Draco find solace in each other as drinking buddies, but so much more develops. Rated M for graphic lemons. Post Hogwarts. Complete

A Secret Affair by LadyKenz347 - M, 4 chapters - Ron & Draco have become close friends after 5 years of working together at the Ministry. But how will he take it when Draco takes interest in Ron’s best friend and exgirlfriend?

Maybe When I Loved You by aerna - NC-17, one-shot -  Draco awakes to find a surprise, not to mention, dead visitor in his room

The Guard By: NJ Coffee Queen - T, 21 chapters - All Hermione could think about was Draco Malfoy. How could they ever work together? Would they kill one another before her mystery attacker could? Most importantly, though, she wondered - what was Harry thinking?

The Awakening by CherryWolf-chan - M, one-shot - Mini-Weasley, I do hope you have a bloody good reason as to why you just barged into The Manor at four in the flaming morning and started screeching for my daughter-in-law!

Hermione Granger, Matchmaker - dragoncastle - T, one-shot - Draco Malfoy is in love and Hermione is determined that he get his happily ever after.

Firebird By: dieofthatroar When a bloodied and broken Draco Malfoy is dumped on the doorstep of the Order, Hermione knows it will change the course of the war. "The evil isn't just in the power of the Dark Lord. It's in the mundane lives of those chasing the carrot dangling in front of them." Dramione warfic

The Muddy Princess By: Colubrina -  M, 22 chapters - Just another Pureblood!Hermione story. A hidden adoption revealed, a brother found, a new world to figure out: “What are you hoping for?” he asked as they stood ready to do the spell. “I don’t know,” Hermione admitted. “You?” His knuckles were white on his wand. “A sister,” he said, his voice very low, “I’m hoping for a sister.” Winner 2015 Energize WIP Awards.

Hypnotized - mister_otter - MA, 6 chapters - Curse breakers Draco Malfoy and Bill Weasley know that when archeologist Hermione Granger requires their help, they will get more adventure than they bargained for. Especially Draco…

Where We Go From Here By: LucindaRemyMalfoy - M, 24 chapters - Hermione Granger, 20 and divorced, no kids, and works at the Ministry of Magic. Draco Malfoy, 21 and entitled, biggest git you’ll ever meet, also known as ‘London’s Playboy’. What starts off as a forced arrangement turns into so much more when the two are forced to look at the lives they’ve been leading since graduation. A story about moving on and learning ‘where we go from here’

Memories of the Past By: mayawrites95 - T, 35 Chapters - After tragedy strikes, Hermione finds out a secret about her past, changing everything she knew as truth. Enter Draco Malfoy who is brought in by the Minister of Magic on a case as a crisis dangles over their heads. However little does she know that Draco holds his own secrets which could change her life in ways she never knew were possible.

A Quest of Paladins - Bambu - R, 17 chapters - After the disastrous events atop the Astronomy Tower, Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape flee wizarding Britain. After months on the run, they join forces with those of The Chosen One and his two friends. Will they be able to succeed in defeating Voldemort?

Christmas at Hogwarts By: cleotheo - M, 10 chapters - A ferocious storm forces Dumbledore to shut Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. However, in their haste to leave the Professors end up leaving a small handful of students behind. How will three Gryffindors and three Slytherins cope with spending Christmas at Hogwarts? Fun, festive story.

Start Again By: NJ Coffee Queen - T, 19 chapters, Words: 23,633 - Divorced, Hermione and Draco move on with their lives…together.

Accidental Proposal By: CJRed - M, 37 Chapters - Hermione finds out that she is really a Nott, and there are so many rules to being a Pureblood, too bad Draco Malfoy seems to have forgotten one of the most important rules of all! Hermione/Draco. Theo and Hermione are siblings. Ignores epilogue and off canon in some other places as well. Set in 8th year. Language, Fluff, and Lemons. Complete.

Blaise Zabini and the Difficulty of Existing By: starkidsftw - T, one-shot - Draco Malfoy was in love with Hermione Granger. He didn’t know it. She didn’t know it. But Blaise Zabini, boy did he ever know it. 7th Year Dramione AU from Blaise’s perspective.

The Mastery By: l.h. Zein - T, WIP - By the time you realize you know better, the world is burning around you. Do you decide you have to think for yourself, or is it easier to think rebelliously quietly and lie loudly if it means you save their lives? He hadn’t answered those questions. 7 yr postwar and Hermione is looking for a career change, and the only project she’s interested in studying is under Draco Malfoy.

Mistletoe Mischief By: cleotheo - T, one-shot - Blaise and Theo are on a Christmas mission, they’re going to unite the Head Students using enchanted mistletoe. However catching Draco and Hermione under the mistletoe proves harder to do than they first thought. Light hearted seasonal One Shot.

Femme Fatale By: cleotheo - M, 26 chapters - Draco Malfoy’s new position as an Auror for the British Ministry throws him head first into a hunt for a serial killer. Working with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, he sets out to catch the killer as well as entering into a romantic relationship with their other colleague, Hermione Granger. Murder mystery with a side helping of Dramione romance.

The Life He Should Know - NJ Coffee Queen - T, 21 chapters - After a Ministry experiment gone wrong, Draco Malfoy wakes up believing he’s 18 again. With six years of his life gone, will the missing pieces ever fill in?

Thanks to everyone who submitted fics!

[heaven-delight]

[INTERVIEW] TRANS: 2018/04 - Red Velvet Yeri CéCi Cover Star Interview

Warm Colors, Red Velvet Yeri

The facial expressions of Yeri, a 20-year-old who doesn’t want to push things back until tomorrow.

“You don’t turn 21 after being 20 years old. You turn into a person in your 20s.” This is a sentence from the introduction of Kim Yeon-Soo’s short novel, “20-Years-Old”1. You don’t have to give meaning to each passing year, but there are times that whiz past you even quicker if you don’t keep track of them.

It seems a bit too early for Red Velvet’s Yeriㅡwho just turned 20 years oldㅡto be associated with the word ‘youth.’ Yeri, whose freshness can be still found underneath her bubbliness, is a different person from last yearㅡwhen she posed for her high school graduation photosㅡand a different person from yesterday. She’s no different from any other 20-year-old, for she’s the kind of person who laughs out loud after saying “I only want to give love,” a person who seriously contemplates over what kind of birthday present she should give her motherㅡwhose birthday is coming up soonㅡand also a person who is embarrassed about her old taste for food. But she’s also a person whose unique color is destined to become even deeper as she feels the world around her richly, for she also continues to explore herself deeply. Through this article, CéCi recorded what the Yeri today is like, what the today of a person who would surely make any time of her life meaningful is like. Like how there’s one springtime that lasts in your memory even longer out of all the ones that come each year, we hope that Yeri’s 20-year-old life would be like that.

How was your trip? Did you just go with Saeron?

Yeah. I went to Bali with just Saeron. Because both of us wanted to use this trip completely for resting, as soon as the dates for my break came out, we thought a lot about where we should go. Bali was really hot, and although the two of us had to constantly put sunscreen on in order to not get sunburnt, we had fun resting. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget about this trip easily because eating good food and casually mingling with the other travelers helped me get rid of my stress and feel better.  

It looks like you’ve been to Gangneung too. Have you already decided where to go next?

Before heading to Bali, I watched “Youn’s Kitchen 2,” and I found Garachico so pretty that I actually looked up plane tickets. But it took 35 hours round trip, so I gave up. (Laughs) I have a weak stamina so being on a plane for 35 hours didn’t seem to fit the purpose of the trip which was ‘rest and recuperation.” But next time, I’m going to go to Spain or Italy for sure.

You turned 20 years old this year. But honestly, has that made you feel anything different?

Yeah, whenever I got questions about turning 20 years old, I always said that I don’t know what’s there to be so different, because it’s just time passing. But after thinking hard about how I could’ve changed recently, not when, I found out that one thing that I’ve changed is that I started to eat jokbal2. (Laughs) I’ve never eaten jokbal until last summer. I ate it for the first time last summer, while practicing for the concerts. I was starving and drenched in sweat, so I just took a bite of it but it was super delicious. After that, until the end of 2017, I always ate jokbal at least once a week.

You ate gamjatang3 often too. (Laughs) Two years ago, when Red Velvet had a group photoshoot, you said that you wanted to live healthy. How’s your health these days?

I want to stay healthy both physically and mentally, so I always try to look for something that I like to do. That’s why I often try to work on making songs in the studio when I’m not promoting, play games as hard as I can, and go outside a lot to take pictures.

You look like a person who has various interests and tries to actively search for new things to enjoy.

I am a person who’s always looking for new things to try. (Laughs) Actually, from when I was a trainee, I tried to label each emotion I felt and wondered what names they had. That became a habit, so recently, I’ve been thinking harder about that these days. Eventualy, I realized that I was looking for an emotion called “stability,” and that I wanted to be stable in many aspects, such as in my way of thought, and my actions. At the same time, I also felt very thankful at the fact that I was able to find the “stability” that I’d been looking for. 

It was your birthday a couple of days ago, wasn’t it? Did it feel different since you got to spend it with your fans?

This year, I really want to meet the fans, to the point that I started scheduling it enthusiastically from two months ago. Normally, it’s hard to talk to the fans face to face, up close and personally. So, through the birthday party, I wanted to talk a lot about the things that I couldn’t say before. Although it was a bit embarrassing, I also read a letter that I wrote out loud.

Even if it wasn’t your birthday, I think events like those would’ve filled your heart up.

A lot of people think that the fans would like these kinds of events more than me. But, after meeting fans, I don’t feel just happy. I feel calm and extremely energized. Because of that, I wanted to meet the fans even more, and it was actually a very pleasant time for me too. 

We have to talk about your friends, since you always manage to win the hearts of those around you. Are you the kind of person who approaches people that you want to be friends with first?

I often get asked about how I manage to have so many friends. But, I always haven’t been able to give a clear answer, because I always don’t know what to say. Because I’d been a trainee from a young age, I don’t have a lot of friends that are the same age as me. 

No matter how hard I think about it, I can’t say that I really do have a lot of friends. I think it only looks like that because all of my friends are famous celebrities. Most of the friends I have are people that I’ve known for a while, because once I get to make new friends, I tend to stick with them for a long time.

I don’t think there’s a special secret behind how I have so many friends. Rather, I think it’s important to not be biased when you meet someone for the first time. Honestly, I only want to give love to the people around me.

“Wanting to only give love.” I guess that’s the truth and the secret to having so many friends. 

Usually, I don’t reach out to other people first. But I try to show as much affection as I can to the people that I adore. I don’t get to meet them a lot because everybody is so busy. So, I try to contact them often and talk to them sincerely. Everybody each has their own troubles and sorrows, so I want to only give love to the people around me. I guess that could be the secret behind why the relationships I make last long. 

You also revealed songs that you created, and on top of that, you’re also into games recently. Do you have any other things that you like to do, Yeri?

There are three things that I promised to do this year: studying foreign languages, song and lyric writing, and honing my piano and guitar skills. I know achieving all three goals looks impossible, but still, I want to give it a shot. Also, I always liked writing the stories inside my head out into lyrics and making them into songs. 

I was surprised after listening to 1000, the song that you created, because it was better than I expected. How long did you work on that song?

Really? Thank you. It feels great to hear that. I have the habit of writing down whatever comes to my mindㅡeven if it’s only just a sentenceㅡon my phone’s memo app, so I have a bunch of stories. It didn’t take long for me to come up with the lyrics to 1000. I was up during dawn one night, and I found out that it was my 1000th day since debut. After that, I wrote the lyrics while thinking of the fans. I thought that if I’d create a song out of these lyrics, it would become a great present. It didn’t take long for me to write the lyrics and come up with a melody to go along with them, but I got a lot of help from my friends who did music while recording the song and mixing it. After thinking about when to release it, I decided to do it on my birthday. Whenever I have time to spare, I use it to work on songs. It’s so fun that I can’t break the habit.

Didn’t you also write the song and lyrics for Ragoon’s “Story?” You’re a real hard worker.

That’s just how my personality is. If there’s anything that might help what I do, I want to try it out. The reason why I mentioned that I want to get better at playing the guitar and the piano is because they can help me make songs better. I want to keep having fun making songs in the future too. 

Do you always work on making music whenever you have time to spare? How do you usually spend a normal day?

I have a regular pattern. First, I meet my close friends and eat something nice for dinner. It’s one of the small joys of life. Second, I go to the bookstore and spend my time there. Then, there are times when I just head straight to the studio. I usually spend my time like that. 

Do you still buy and read lots of books?

I have so many books. (Laughs) Even last night, when I saw the empty space on my bookshelf while I was organizing it, I was sure that that space was going to run out soon. I go to the bookstore often, but recently, I spent a whole day trying to get my hands on “Castella” by Park Mingyu. I’m going to read it soon since I managed to get a copy of it. Also, I was impressed deeply by the movie “Your Name,” so I’m thinking about reading the novel that it’s based on.

Four years have passed already after you’d debuted as a member of Red Velvet. What was the most fun thing you’ve experienced while performing?

I think it was easier for me to perform when I was 17, because everything was new to me and I didn’t know anything. But, one reason why I think I’m better off now compared to back then is that I got to know myself better. It’s because, in order to do better at work and music, I need to know myself well. 

Also, I’m not just saying this because my fans will be reading this, but the biggest difference between before and after debuting is that fans exist. Because I was young and I only went back and forth between my house and the practice room during my trainee years, I couldn’t help but feel lonely. I mean it when I always call my fans as friends. I feel reassured knowing that I’ll be able to spend time with them, just like now. That’s the best thing that’s happened to me after debuting. 

“I made good friends.” Doesn’t that sound really warm? I made my dream come true, and now on top of that, I made friends. Even if you’d achieved your dreams, if you don’t have friends or people that you like close by, it really means nothing. It is thanks to my fans that I’m able to have fun while being a part of Red Velvet.

CREDIT

Editor: Go Hyung-Gyoung

Photographer: Kim Hee-Joon

Makeup and Hairstylist: Go Woo-Ri and Soonie from the makeup salon, Soon-Soo

Stylist: Lee Ha-Jeong

1 Offical English title not yet released. The Korean title is “스무 살.” 2 Pigs’ feet.  3 Pork Back Bone Stew

[99lunar]

9/12/18

Hey

Long time since I’ve been on here.

I was looking at my email and I had a couple messages asking where I went but I figured I'd make a life update post...!

Did it by year and new’s at the end! :)

2016 

After some events and family issues I left Hale, moved out of Wisconsin and lived in Illinois for a while! It was a blast and I really enjoyed my time there. I did some personal searching and realized a lot about myself and things I did but I can’t look back, everything happens for a reason.

When I left hale, on my last day I met Sammie, who knew she would become my best friend of almost 3 years! She graduated when I was a junior so it was kinda like we graduated together but I honestly am so happy she’s in my life. This was a photo of us taken about 2 weeks ago, we live about 2 hours away from each other now, but we still get together several times a month <3

I still go to Chicago quite often to visit my group of friends, they actually came down here last weekend to throw me a surprise birthday party! 

My first friend I met there was Anneka and honestly I can't thank her enough for “adopting me” into her family. I met her at ACen in 2016 and we all have been together since. All the holidays and over 7 con’s now. 

2017

Senior year I moved to the country side of Wisconsin and graduated at a new school. It was scary as fuck but I kept an open mind. I kept to myself mostly and didn't really interact much with anyone so I don’t talk to anyone from there anymore lol. Funny thing was I got more education there verses my 3 years at Hale lol.

I graduated with a 4.0 compared to my 2.8 at Hale! 

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life so I didn’t continue on to college but there’s more of that to come further in the story.

After I graduated my friends flew me out to California for AX and at that con I met my Idol MARiA and saw her preform live! Here was my autograph from her c:

After that con I got sick for about 3 months where I was constantly in the hospital back and forth, fucking sucked. Never wanna relive that lol.

During that hospital time, my grandfather who I lived with got a spinal injury by falling down the stairs so I became a trained RNA and had to take care of him because he became paralyzed and he needed almost 24/ hour care. 

I was planning to go to WCTC but that had to get thrown out the window due to that situation :c

2018

January hit and I was just at a low lol, a lot of my friends were doing stuff with there life and I was just kinda at a hospital 24/7. I quit being a RNA and used my money to hire someone else to take care of him just because I wanted to start being social again etc. 

I started working at chili’s as a server which I half loved/half hated lol. It was nice being around people my age and I had a boyfriend for a small amount of time during that ,but he moved legit across the country after 2 months so it just didn't work out long distance. After working there about 3 months I got FIRED due to 2 customers, long story. 

Random but after I got fired some new’s dropped that my mom was sentenced to prison for 5 years, so that happened lol.

During my time trying to find a new job and started working out again and going back to dance lessons and I lost 35 pounds this year! I went from 210 down to 175 and I couldn't be happier. 

I started my new job at American Eagle of all places but It was a great gig! Loved my co workers and just everything about the job. Shitty pay but great discounts haha. 

At ACen, me and my friends were there on Thursday night and all were just hanging out. I got woken up by a call on the Friday morning at about 5 am to be informed that my grandfather passed away overnight. I felt so bad since I didn’t go see him that weekend since I was with friends in Chicago for the con but It couldn’t be helped. It was rough trying to deal with his loss and have fun the same time but that day I met Gorge.

The best thing about the con other then spending time with my friend’s was meeting this dork. We pretty much became best friends at first sight and hung out the whole con till like 4 am everyday haha. He lives in Florida so I don't get to see him sadly but we still talk every week and I swear It was like fate brought us together, especially for how similar our lives have been it was almost creepy lol.

So several months of working and shit we all decided to go to DC and go to OtaKon which was a blast! (minus the 4 fucking plane rides lol)

Me and Anneka finally cosplayed Ranko/Asuka and aah it was great! And I wore a crop top for the crossplay lol but it was so nice out, I loved it!

BIG NEWS

So now it’s September, and I just turned 19 and I recently quit my job at American Eagle. 

I am going to school abroad in Japan for 2 years for language and dance studies! I never believed I would be able to do this but all the support from friends and family I am finally living my dream. 

Wishing for the best!

I’ll most likely be deactivating or remaking soon but I figured I’d do one last (long) post.

Thank you to the people who messaged me ;; it meant a lot.

If anyone still want’s contact, dm me and I'll give you my other socials!

Don’t give up on your dreams.

-Caleb

[kpopfanfictrash]

The Distance [ V-Day ]

Author: kpopfanfictrash 

Pairing: You / Jinyoung

Rating: 18+ [ smut + angst + college!AU ]

Word Count: 2,845

Summary: A series of drabbles about Valentine’s day and semi-bad boy!Park Jinyoung.

Your phone is a square, silver screen in the center of your palm. There’ve been no new text messages for hours, but you kept looking anyways, re-reading the messages because the silence while you wait is unbearable.

Y/N: morning [9:02 AM]

Y/N: … are we going to talk about last night? [9:31 AM]

Jinyoung: what’s there to talk about? [9:35 AM]

Y/N: maybe… idk… how you hung up on me? [9:37 AM]

Jinyoung: you told me to! [9:38 AM]

Y/N: yeah, bc I couldn’t hear over the music [9:39 AM]

Jinyoung: babe, you know this is my job… [9:40 AM]

Y/N: I know. [9:40 AM]

Y/N: I just wish that, for once, I could say goodnight to my boyfriend like a normal person [9:41 AM]

Jinyoung: babe… [9:41 AM]

Y/N: I know, I know. It’s your job. [9:42 AM]

That didn’t make it any easier.

Shortly after graduation, you went off to college and Jinyoung – well, Jinyoung had a friend starting off as a DJ. He asked Jinyoung to design the logo for his set, then the merch for the show – one thing led to another, and Jinyoung now designs graphics for artists. Not just little ones but big ones, famous artists who gain him a lot of attention and notoriety. He travels cross-country for work, city-hopping every night while you attend class for your major. He has this amazing new job, and you know this is something he loves – but being his long-term girlfriend tends to be difficult because of it.

You suppose the word is applicable – long-term. You two have been dating for four years at this point; five, if you count the amorphous eight months when you were just hooking up. That’s a long time to be together, especially with most of that time being spent apart. Two and a half years since you came to college, two and half years of dealing with missed phone calls and text messages, rushed weekend visits which never seem to be enough.  

Years of Jinyoung calling from the road, speaking in muffled corners of clubs to tell you goodnight. It’s exhausting, and the past couple of months have been the worst yet. Jinyoung is always in demand, traveling both internationally and not – there are times you don’t even know where he is, much less when he’ll call. This was the case the other night, when Jinyoung called to wake you up nearly an hour after going to bed.

“Hullo?” you groaned, clearing your throat. The room around you was dark, quiet but for the sounds of the wind.

“Babe? It’s me.”

You opened one eye. “Jinyoung?” you asked, rolling over to check the clock. “It’s nearly 1:00 AM.”

“Ah, shit,” he mumbled, sounding further away. You heard laughter in the background, the sounds of something breaking – before a door was opened and shut and his voice became suddenly clearer. “That better?”

“Yeah,” you exhaled, falling flat on your back. “What’s up?”

“Well,” Jinyoung hesitated – he sounded nervous, you noticed. “It’s been a while since we spoke.”

You said nothing to this, chewed the inside of your lip because yes, it had been awhile – this was purposeful on your end because recently, you’d just stopped calling. You stopped being the initiator, stopping making the plans because you realized it was always you doing that. You were always the one trying, always the one asking and quite frankly, you were sick of it.

To be fair, you hadn’t told him all this – which would explain Jinyoung’s current state of confusion. Rather violently, you picked at your comforter – you weren’t angry when you first picked up the phone, but hearing his voice brought all these feelings rushing back. You hadn’t talked to him in a week and this was the first time he thought of to call. You texted, yes, but didn’t say much. Just sent each other videos and memes – things which made you think of the other without really conversing.

Jinyoung: lol Jaebum sent me this last night and I thought of you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glii-kazad8 [10:08 PM]

Jinyoung: why do cities put these ‘LOOK OUT, FALLING ICE’ signs on the sidewalk? What good could that POSSIBLY do, if ice were really falling? [4:12 PM]

Jinyoung: so. there’s this sea otter at the zoo and istg it’s your friend Youngjae [1:21 PM]

These texts are fine, and you responded to each of them – but the other day you were talking to your mom and she asked how Jinyoung was. Her question floored you, because you really didn’t know. You knew he was alive, knew he was working and knew that you missed him. That was about it, though – hence the current state of iciness.

Jinyoung was silent on the other end of the line. “It’s not my imagination, is it?”

Playing with your sheets, you managed a sigh. “No, it’s not your imagination.”

“O-kay,” Jinyoung began, and you imagined him running a hand through his hair. “So, what’s this all about? Don’t make me read your mind, Y/N… I have to go back in five.”

That tendril of anger formed into a ball, dropping straight into the pit of your stomach. “Why did you call, then?” you retorted, sitting up straight. “If you knew you didn’t have time to talk, why call me at all?”

Jinyoung made a small noise of frustration. “Would you rather I didn’t?” he asked, incredulous. “I’m sorry Y/N, for whatever I did. There were a few moments I had between sets, and I figured we could talk.”

“Well, you’ve got me here now,” you grumbled. “Is that all?”

“I just wanted to call you!”

“You don’t have time to,” you reminded, knowing this was petty. It was hard to refrain though, when you missed him so much and had no one to blame for it. No one to vent to, no one to yell at because it was all just so reasonable that Jinyoung was gone.

“Come on, Y/N. Don’t be like that,” he sighed, music growing loud in the background. “I don’t want to fight with you, I don’t have the time. I just wanted to… I don’t know, hear your voice.”

“You never have time,” you muttered, ignoring this last part. “And this is my voice. Sorry it’s not very happy, but I just woke up. I have a 7:30 class in the morning and this is the first  I’ve been able to sleep before 2:00 AM this week. And,” you blurted, “stop acting like you’re the only one who’s busy! Stop acting like your work is more important than mine, and like I should always rearrange my schedule for you.”

Jinyoung fell silent for a moment. When he didn’t respond immediately, you listened to the sounds of bass rattling the walls around him. “I don’t… think your work is less important than mine,” he clarified, sounding awkward. “I just think my schedule is… a bit more inflexible than yours, right now.”

“Oh, god,” you groaned, one arm over your face. “Are you kidding me? Just because you didn’t study in school, Jinyoung, doesn’t mean that I don’t. My classes are inflexible, just like your work. The amount of homework I have is inflexible, and if you even think –”

“Okay, okay,” Jinyoung interrupted, backtracking hastily. “I’m sorry, Y/N, really. I don’t think your classes are less important than my stuff, or – fuck,” he groaned, his name being yelled somewhere in the distance. “I really have to go. But –”

“Fine,” you huffed, closing your eyes – the skin of them was burning, tears ready to fall. “Just go, then.”

“I don’t want to,” he muttered, pained.

“I don’t care what you want,” you blurted, even though you did.

“Y/N…”

“Just go,” you inhaled, stopping. Suddenly sick, you were about to apologize – but then heard a click, loud in your ear. Stomach twisting, you pulled your phone back to look at the screen. Yes, the screen was now dark. He’d ended the call, hung up the phone and when you realized this, you turned your face into your pillow and cried.

Waking the next morning, the pain was worse. Jinyoung’s texts didn’t help – he said all the right things but they didn’t seem to matter, because the next day was Valentine’s Day and he hadn’t said a word. The next day was also your anniversary, but you weren’t sure he remembered this either. Jinyoung had the tendency to forget – he was meticulous, so overly concerned with detail he often forgot the big picture.

Big picture things like phone calls and anniversaries. Swallowing hard, you looked up from your phone before sliding this into your pocket. Walking forward, you struggled with the rest of the day. It was hard, really hard to ignore the aching feeling which came from missing him.

Jinyoung: hey [4:14 PM]

Y/N: hi [4:17 PM]

Jinyoung: I wanted to say that I’m sorry, Y/N [4:18 PM]

Y/N: mm. what for? [4:19 PM]

Jinyoung: for being so absent [4:20 PM]

Jinyoung: I know it’s my job, but sometimes I get so caught up in one thing I forget about everything else. I know we haven’t been talking as much and I know it’s my fault. I’m sorry, I promise I’ll do better. Just give me the chance, I swear [4:22 PM]

Y/N: babe [4:22 PM]

Jinyoung: you called me babe [4:23 PM]

Jinyoung: … does this mean I’m forgiven? 😇 [4:23 PM]

Y/N: babe, I don’t want you to feel guilty about loving your work [4:24 PM]

Jinyoung: I know this. I also know I love you, but don’t know if you realize how much [4:25 PM]

Y/N: oh? [4:25 PM]

Jinyoung: like, my job is cool and all but it’s driving me crazy. [4:26 PM]

Y/N: ha. How so? [4:26 PM]

Jinyoung: Well. I miss you, Y/N. I miss you so fucking much. I want this job, I know I have to do this, but just – everything would be better if you were here. [4:27 PM]

Jinyoung: you’re the first person I want to tell shit to. You’re the first sight I want to see in the morning and honestly, it’s a kick to my gut every time that you’re not. When I sleep, I stare at my phone and know you’re already sleeping and know I shouldn’t wake you, but fuck do I want to just to hear your voice [4:29 PM]

Jinyoung: Have I told you I save your voicemails [4:30 PM]

Jinyoung: I have a bunch of them saved and listen when I can’t fall asleep. I listen and it makes falling asleep easier, but not much [4:31 PM]

Jinyoung: I just… I’m sorry our schedules suck right now. Know I miss you and would drop everything in a heartbeat to see you, if I could [4:32 PM]

By this point, you’re just staring at the screen. Just watching his texts come in and trying to hide the sudden wave of emotion. Jinyoung doesn’t normally speak like this, is never so forthcoming with his feelings. You think you might cry – would’ve already, if you weren’t walking down the middle of the quad. Your last class ended ten minutes prior, meaning it’s finally the weekend and all you want is to get to your dorm and call Jinyoung in private.

Y/N: I love you too, babe [4:34 PM]

Y/N: I’m sorry. I know the past few months have been hard on us both. Thank you… for this. And btw, happy Anniversary : ) [4:35 PM]

Jinyoung: oh, fuck [4:35 PM]

Jinyoung: I knew I was forgetting something… [4:36 PM]

Rolling your eyes, you walk up the stairs to your dorm. Swiping your key at the door, you wander inside – still staring at your phone, at the sight of Jinyoung’s blinking ellipses.

“Guess my present better be good,” a voice announces to your side. “To make up for forgetting, huh?”

Startled, you whirl. Your mouth slowly drops, seeing Jinyoung standing there in the lobby. He’s leaning against your wall, dressed in that stupid leather jacket of his –  and the moment you see him, you’re running. When you reach his body, you crash into his chest and throw your arms about him.

“Y/N,” Jinyoung chuckles, arms wrapping firmly. “Did you miss me?”

Burying your face into his t-shirt, you shake your head. “No.”

Jinyoung laughs, pulling away to look at you. “No?” he teases, laughter cut short when you kiss him.

His breath hitches as his hands pull you tighter, lips parting with yours to urge a groan from his throat. When his hands find your hair, your hips press together – and you remember quite suddenly, you’re still in the lobby. “Come on,” you break away, grabbing his hand. “Not here. You’ll get me in trouble, if we fuck in the dorm.”

Jinyoung just grins, reaching for his bag while you tug him inside. His hair is mussed from your fingertips, lips still pink with cold as he follows you eagerly up the three flights of stairs. “What if I want to get in trouble,” he teases, grabbing your hips. “What if,” he exhales, dropping a kiss to your neck, “I want to be punished?”

Shivering, you unlock the door quickly, shoving this open to point at your bed. “Get over there, now.”

The first time you fuck is fast – a needy bruise of hips and mouths and limbs. Each groping for the other, fingers gripping tightly while you sink down on his length. There’s barely enough time to remove clothes, Jinyoung pulling your panties aside as he thrusts upwards. He moves hard, fast while fucking and it’s been so long, you’ve missed him so much that you come embarrassingly quickly.

Jinyoung has always been good like that, using his fingers to guide you along, adding just the right amount of pressure to push you over the edge. When you come, it’s blinding – you grab his hair only to choke on his name. Jinyoung comes following, hips gradual in their slowing.

The second time you fuck, it’s slower, lazier. Jinyoung lowers you down on the bed, kisses a soft, leisurely path down the slope of your chest. When he pushes his cock between your legs it’s slow – groaning, about how wet you are from before. He switches positions in the middle, lowering himself down on his back only to grab your hips and turn you around. You’re facing away from him now, legs straddling his waist as you sink slowly onto him.

Being in control is something you enjoy, as are the noises he makes watching your ass rise and full – until he growls impatiently, and flips you beneath him. “I want to see you come,” Jinyoung moans, kissing you as he pushes inside. His hands circle your wrists, stretching your arms overhead before kissing down your chest. He flicks your nipple with his tongue, hips rolling sensually while you arch up against him.

“Jinyoung,” you gasp, already tightening. “Please.”

“Please, what,” he whispers, lips merciless.

“Let me come,” you demand.

Jinyoung nods, hands traveling lower. He spreads your legs with his fingers – the sounds of him entering you slick and hard, while you grasp for control. “Jinyoung,” you whimper, biting down on his shoulder. “Please.”

“Fuck,” he hisses, hearing your desperation.

When you finally release, he comes as well and you shiver, forcing your eyes open to look at him. It’s been a while since you went on the pill, since you made it routine to be tested. Now that you have, that you know what his bare dick feels like, warm cum inside you – it’s impossible to return to before.

Jinyoung stays like that, buried inside you while brushing hair back from your face and whispering stupid things. “I missed you,” he sighs. “I love you. We should get chicken later, because Miami has the worst selection of Asian food anywhere in America.”

“Worse than Texas?”

“Much worse,” he groans when you smile. Gently, he removes himself from your body, grabbing for a tissue and cleaning only to fall back beside you. “I’m sorry. You know that, right?” he asks you, suddenly serious.

You nod, pulling him into you. “I know.”

“I just,” Jinyoung exhales, tracing a small circle on your hip. “What’s a couple of rough months, when I want you forever.”

You can only blink, staring back at him. Jinyoung never says things like that. He never discusses the future, never talks about what it could or might hold. This is the first he’s even implied that there is one, at least out loud.

“I,” you hesitate, still struggling to comprehend. “I guess, yeah.”

Jinyoung flushes, head ducking. “I don’t want to be corny,” he mumbles, into your skin. “I just fucking love you and want you to know.

Faintly, you smile – as your arms tighten around him. “I love you, too.”

And that’s the last (real) fight you have over distance.

[ V-Day Master List ]

© kpopfanfictrash, 2018. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[andrewdburton]

Three Months of Slacking

Unsuccessfully but Refreshingly trying to climb the local waterfall

“MMM, are you still alive?” – somebody on Twitter

Holy Shit! I just realized that the last time I wrote a blog post for you was on April 18th, and now it’s late July. That’s an entire quarter of a year that I have let this wonderful, golden field of interesting opportunities and people sit untended.

 How could Mr. Money Mustache, a reliable stalwart of bossy financial advice since 2011 and usually good for at least one post per month, have drifted so far from his original dedication? It’s a question that earnest fans have been asking, and that I have even started asking myself.

When you break out of any habit, it can be hard to get back into it: the psychological barriers start to stack up and the pressure rises and you find yourself waiting for more and more unattainably perfect conditions that, surprise surprise, never really come.

If it’s a workout habit that you have broken, you might tell yourself,

“Oh, I just need to get over this injury or this cold.. And then my Mom is visiting next week but after that I’ll be ready to get back to the gym.“

With my blog-writing hobby I make excuses like,

“Oh, now that it has been so long, I have to wait until I have something really interesting or worthwhile to say. And yeah okay, maybe I have a few articles like that in the drafts folder, but those ones take a lot of thinking and focus to write, so I’d better wait until I am feeling really smart and focused to crack into that subject.”

But in both cases, the correct solution is just to say,

“Fuck it. I am going to just do something towards my goal, no matter how tiny.”

To get back in shape, you just need to start with at least a few pushups, which you can do right now on the floor of your office or kitchen. To resurrect the MMM Blog, Mustache just has to type some shit into the computer, and heck, why not just an easy breezy article telling you about some of the interesting things I’ve been doing in lieu of blogging?

Some stories from a real life of early retirement, which may be more relevant than plain old financial analysis and reader case studies anyway. And once we’re all caught up in life, maybe it’ll be easier to keep in touch on a more regular basis henceforth.

So in fairly rapidfire format, here’s what I’ve been up to this spring and summer:

1) Renovating The Shit Out of Our New Two-House Compound

We found the previous shower had been leaking for years and creating the most interesting scene of decay. We tore out and rebuilt the whole area, and cut in a nice window for good measure.

You may recall that back in January, I teamed up with a friend to buy the house next door, with cash, at a below-market price. Once she moved in, we realized that it needed even more renovations than we originally planned. So I’ve had a joyful time tearing down walls, framing in new windows and doors, reworking the floorplan and changing the wall surfaces, as well as fixing the shoddy plumbing and electrical work that was found along the way.

On my own house right next door, I’ve been going just a bit wild with metalworking, making all sorts of fences and decks and even a “Juliet Balcony” which features a fireman pole allowing me to slide quickly down from my master bedroom to the ground where we have a shared hot tub between our properties – in case of Hot Tub Emergencies, of course.

Cutting a giant hole in the back of my house (in February!), adding a sliding door where there was previously only a silly little shitty window, then many fun, casual days of metalworking. The last pic is my side deck, which I built mostly out of wood but also features lots of metal and a fun little outdoor kitchen including coffee machine and induction cooktop!

2) Working on a Pretty Big Documentary Project

Hmmm.. something seems different about the HQ kitchen.

I have said for years that I would never do it, but somehow a very persuasive filmmaker who has made some documentaries that I really respect, roped me into helping out with a probably-pretty-big documentary.

I did a casting call in March and found a couple that I am now coaching and working with throughout 2021. The film company doesn’t want me to talk about it much until they are ready to announce it, but suffice it to say that it is taking a lot of my time and energy, which comes out of what would otherwise be my blog-writing time budget.

However, this is the good kind of hardship – forcing me to experience things I wouldn’t otherwise get to do, and the end result will be reaching a lot more people than I could by just writing on this website alone. My fingers are crossed that it will come out the way I hope!

3) Switching 120,000 Underserved MMM Email Subscribers over for Better Newsletters

Easier signups, and better eventual emails.

Since the beginning, I’ve mostly ignored the fact that I sorta have a list of email subscribers, with predictable lackluster results. People were able to subscribe and unsubscribe themselves automatically, and the only thing it got them was an automated mailing of any new blog articles on the day that I posted them. The emails were poorly formatted, people who had non-gmail addresses often had trouble subscribing, and many probably wondered why I couldn’t make it work better.

Thankfully, a mini-crisis happened that has forced me to do the work to solve this problem, at last: Google announced that they were shutting down the aging Feedburner email service, so all of the old-school bloggers like me who were still using it were forced to migrate to a more modern platform.

I did some research, and in the end I decided to go with a higher-end option called ConvertKit, which is one of the most popular email services. It can do a lot more cool stuff, and I have taken advantage of this to create an automated (and free of course) “MMM Boot Camp” email series that people can sign up for. 

It’s just a curated feed of some of my most useful articles (about 35 out of the 500), which automatically go out to people once per week until they have graduated, so you’d think it would be pretty easy for me to create this.

But as I read through my old stuff, of course I realized that much of it was crappy and outdated so I ended up partially rewriting every one of those 35 posts as I went through, which took some time. The good news is, the updated versions are here on the website as well, so the work should benefit anyone who happens to read them in the future.

4) Having lots of Fun Times (and Hard Times) In Real Life

Just another cool sunset/storm in my back yard, taken during the traditional Evening Walk.

I’ve had a series of wonderful visitors who came and stayed at my house, sometimes for a week or more. Friends and I have hosted some big events at the HQ Coworking space, which left me both energized and drained at the same time. Then I got Strep Throat in mid-July, which knocked me out for the count for a full week or more – even well after the antibiotics worked their magic, I have still been having some ups and downs with energy. 

And then of course there’s the heat – I am always more energetic in cool weather (The typical 50 degree sunny days of a Colorado winter are some of my favorite for outdoor work in t-shirt and jeans). So the summer season here is always a challenge for me, with an endless procession of cloudless 95 degree desert days making me resent the very Sun I normally worship so much. I’ve been taking refuge indoor more than I should, hiding in my air conditioned house and making excuses and accomplishing less because of it. At least this has led me to the keyboard today, to write this blog post.

5) “Cutting the Pipe” at HQ and Installing a Giant Fancy Heat Pump system.

I had fun working alongside my co-owner Mr. 1500 for this work. Everything was easy about this install … except rebuilding some of the filthy century-old ductwork we found once we took out the old furnace.

Since I first bought the building in 2017, the MMM-HQ coworking space has been limping along with a clunky decades-old gas furnace, a gas water heater that was about 20 years overdue to spring a leak, no central air conditioning at all, and very high utility bills due to the way our local gas company charges commercial customers.

When you combine these irritants and contrast them with the fact that we happen to have a glorious solar electric array on the rooftop that makes a surplus of power, you can see why I would be itching to tear out all the gas appliances, cancel the service account permanently, and install all-electric replacements that are more efficient and will also save an estimated shit-ton of money each year.

I’ll save the full details of this for my very next blog article, but as a spoiler: we found and successfully installed a unit that should be able to cool and heat our building year-round, is very DIY-friendly, and cost only about $4000 to buy. It should prove to be a great annual return on investment, and I am excited to start installing these things on all of my properties and those of any friends who are doing upgrades.

And with that, I’d say we are all caught up.

In the comments: what have YOU been up to these past 3 months? And what subjects do you think we should be covering here on MMM in the next three?

from Finance https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2021/07/25/three-months-of-slacking/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[insarations]

random questions just cause...hereeell we go

1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged? *chuckles* yup

2. You talked to an ex today, correct? yes

3. Have you taken someones virginity? ya

4. Is trust a big issue for you? no in fact I trust people way too much

5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently? don't really like anyone atm

6. What are you excited for? hmm idk really. I guess my week off of work in a few weeks

7. What happened tonight? not much, just chilling, rainy day

8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted? ehh..idk it's just not my thing. but I wouldn't call it "disgusting"..if that's fun for them then cool

9. Is confidence cute? for sure, just not tooo much..fine line there

10. What is the last beverage you had? water and an iced vanilla latte

11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust? hmm. not any really besides my dad

12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans? yes a couple

13. What are you gonna do Saturday night? I'm not sure yet. Probably go somewhere with a friend or see a movie

14. What are you going to spend money on next? probably either food or coffee

15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed? no

16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months? not significantly but I feel like I'm always changing in some way, even if it's gradual

17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything? not gonna put a name but one of my best friends

18. The last time you felt broken? that's hard to answer cause like i still do, i have for a while now but I mean it's not as bad as it was. about a year ago

19. Have you had sex today? sadly no lol

20. Are you starting to realize anything? a lot of things every second of every day. adulthood has a lot of fucking wake up calls

21. Are you in a good mood? not necessarily in a good mood but i'm not really in a bad mood either..it's just kinda like meh lol

22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks? hmm.... maybeee... depends

23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s? no. his is brown, mine are blue

24. What do you want right this second? not to have to go to work tomorrow XD and idk maybe a good ol makeout session and/or cuddles

25. What would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy? uhhh well like if i were in a relationship with them then wtf, no no lol not good. but like if it was someone i'm not together with then...cool, do whatever the hell you want

26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color? pretty much

27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh? noo.. like i mean they don't gotta be some sorta jokester/comedian or nothing but just..don't be so serious. laughing is the best

28. What was the last thing that made you laugh? probably one of my cats lol

29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now? always do

30. Does everyone deserve a second chance? for the most part. but idk...I don't think I could give someone who cheated another chance. that's just crossing a line of trust that like..I could forive but I wouldn't be able to be with them again. I just don't understand anyone who cheats

31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to? that would be my dad so no XD

32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do? hmm hard to answer. but I suppose she does

33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda? nooo I love soda. with that said though, since the beginning of the year i've cut back on it alottttt for my health. but i still drink it maybe once a week. i used to drink it literally every day multiple times a day.

34. Listening to? currently juice WRLD

35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore? sometimes at work but not often

36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is? yup

37. Do you believe in love at first sight? yes and no. i hate that question, it's old lets move on lol

38. Who did you last call? i cant remember, probably one of my parents. i dont talk on the phone much

39. Who was the last person you danced with? I dont dance really except in the car with my friends..our own version of dancing XD

40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed? cause she was my girlfriend. girlfriends do that lol

41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake? a few weeks ago i think

42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today? no..we don't hug often really lol we're just not that way but i do hug my mom every now and then

43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush? probably a million times

44. Do you tan in the nude? noooooooo. i burn so easy i'd probably turn into one giant tomato

45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss? never

46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night? nah :/ I miss that

47. Who was the last person to call you? a million car sales people cause i'm stupid and entered info on a website and now it's like the neverending fucking story of sales people calling me like heyyyy buy a jeep and its like yes mam id love to but i'm poor so how about not right now stop calling me thank you bye

48. Do you sing in the shower? heck ya. except not really lately cause i shower at the gym...they don't wanna hear that XD

49. Do you dance in the car? yasss

50. Ever used a bow and arrow? yes, I did archery at camp as a kid. fun times

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? 10th grade highschool photo. or if it counts, my aunt took my graduation photos..she perty professional

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? there definitely can be cheesy ones but those are usually the ones i love XD

53. Is Christmas stressful? these days yes -_- never as a kid. I miss those days

54. Ever eat a pierogi? I don't think I have actually

55. Favorite type of fruit pie? not a huge fruit pie person but I guess...apple or lemon. I really don't eat fruit pie though. If  it's gonna be pie then I prefer something like chocolate or peanut butter

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? so many different things, that's why i never settled on anything XD

57. Do you believe in ghosts? I think so..in a certain way.. like not in the way they show on tv and movies. just idk, i do believe in spirits. There's some stories in my family they are kinda hard not to believe or explain

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? allllll the time

59. Take a vitamin daily? nah, probably should ?

60. Wear slippers? not anymore, I used to alot

61. Wear a bath robe? same as above. I get way too hot for that now lol

62. What do you wear to bed? usually just shorts or boxers and a tank top or tshirt. sometimes sweatpants dependning  

63. First concert? reba mcentire lol

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? target. walmart for certain things. but target is just fun

65. Nike or Adidas? neither really but adidas if i have to pick

66. Cheetos Or Fritos? cheetos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? I like both, but peanuts

68. Favorite Taylor Swift song? back in the day, crazier. then it was blank space or shake it off...but recently, delicate. many different taylor eras XD

69. Ever take dance lessons? when I was in elementary school and 6th grade yes

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? umm hmm honestly no. whatever makes them happy :)

71. Can you curl your tongue? nah, i dont got nothing special like that XD

72. Ever won a spelling bee? nahh

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? yesss

74. What is your favorite book? several...looking for alaska by john greene, the pawn series by robin roseau, and look again by lisa scottoline

75. Do you study better with or without music? havent studied in so long O_o but probably with

76. Regularly burn incense? not regularly. I do from time to time but not as much anymore, my mom hates it lol

77. Ever been in love? yes

78. Who would you like to see in concert? so many... fleetwood mac or just stevie nicks, ben howard, maroon 5, pvris, ariana grande, lana del rey, the weeknd, pink, coldplay, imagine dragons lady gaga, andrew belle, adele, lorde, gwen stefani even though I already did lol...i could go on all day. bottom line, i need to see more concerts

79. What was the last concert you saw? Gwen Stefani a couple years ago

80. Hot tea or cold tea? cold

81. Tea or coffee? coffee

82. Favorite type of cookie? alllllll the cookies. lately m&m. but chocolate chip is always a winner

83. Can you swim well? yes

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? nahh

85. Are you patient? yes and no. depends on the setting and circumstance lol. I think I'm fairly patient compared to other people but sometimes at work..if the right people push my buttons then oohhh boyyy no

86. DJ or band, at a wedding? hmm.. neither honestly just put on the damn ipod playlist XD

87. Ever won a contest? a couple when I was little lol

88. Ever have plastic surgery? noo. no thank you

89. Which are better black or green olives? greeeeeen

90. Opinions on sex before marriage? go for it. I used to think alot differently when I was younger cause I'm a christian, grew up with traditional values. but *sighs*... things change lol sex is great, go for it but be safe people XD

91. Best room for a fireplace? ANY ROOM. omggg. they should have fireplaces in the bathroom. what a great idea you can just warm yourself while you sitting there haha genius

92. Do you want to get married? If I meet the right person but if I don't ever get married that's fine too lol it's not a priority for me really but if I do meet the right person then for sure

[junker-town]

Fumble Dimension #1: One year later.

Looking back at the first ever Fumble Dimension episode

It’s been over a year since Jon and I made the first ever Fumble Dimension episode, and want to tell you a little story about how working with Jon came to be. When I joined SB Nation, it was with the hope of eventually becoming a video personality ... or a do it all type person — writing, blogging or whatnot.

One and a half years on the social team pass and I start to realize something. I haven’t made a single serious style video since graduating from college. I needed to prove that I was serious about breaking into video, so in true Kofie fashion I made my own YouTube channel. About 18 months later, Ryan Nanni flies me up to New York to talk about my future with the company. I had a slideshow full of ideas that would suit my skills and weirdness. When I got to the meeting, Ryan said that Jon was getting his own wing and would like me to join up. I accepted on the spot, so we never went through my PowerPoint (ed note: we demand this Powerpoint be shown at our next group meeting).

When we were brainstorming names for what ultimately became Fumble Dimension, Jon suggested calling it “Nightmare,” after the Doom difficulty level. As we were working on the Death of Basketball video, however, Jon decided that we should change the name to indicate that the shows focus was weird first and challenging second. After a day of name vibing we settled on Fumble Dimension. It had been the first name Jon brought to the table and after brainstorming we realized we weren’t going to top it.

We chose a video remake of the “Death of Basketball” as our first episode for a couple of reasons. For one, we wanted to do an ode to those fans who were around during Jon’s NBA Y2K series. We didn’t know what Fumble Dimension was going to turn into. Hell, back then we didn’t even know what separates a Fumble Dimension from a “Let’s Play” on YouTube. We did know however, that the NBA Y2K would be a good starting baseline for what the series was and what it could become.

So what are we doing in this article? Well, in honor of one year since our debut episode we are going to take a look back. So let’s rewind.

Just kidding. No Rewinder this time. But we will be talking about certain points in the video and I’ll share some secrets about them. So let’s... begin? Yeah let’s begin.

1:01: I’m Jon Bois ... I’m not.

As a social media manager I would often see old videos get spammed with “THIS ISN’T JON” and “WHERE THE FUCK IS JON”. I knew that debuting with Jon on a 47-minute video would be putting myself under a big microscope. I wrote this goof to show that I’m fully aware that I’m not Jon — I’m Kofie, and you’re going to love me the more that you see me on film.

4:47 2k-35

When I saw Jon wrote this in the script I didn’t think it’d have a visual cue. When I first saw this I busted out laughing.

7:19 Eye injury

Every damn year, I had to press A like 80 times because everyone had an eye injury.

11:06 I didn’t think the rookies would retire already lmao

13:29 PER

We decided to make PER charts for every year that we could, and then failed to actually go over them for every video. Hell, we didn’t even put them in the directors commentary.

19:45 LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

As a Pistons fan, this was hilarious to me. In the Fumble Dimension we actually win back-to-back titles. I’ll probably never see that in my lifetime, and I’ve come to terms with it.

22:02 The players are fake

This photo is significant because we have been putting our 40 overall army into the game every season during this experiment. Seeing this player alarmed me because not only is he not a 40 overall, he’s not even a real basketball player. Our experiment was being invaded by frauds! It reminds me of the “Whose man is this” scene in the third Pirates of the Caribbean.

When I found out about the fake players that were taking roster spots from our 40 overall draft class, I was PISSED. I thought I would have to do the whole entire experiment over again. Which I was not happy about because it took me WEEKS to do the simulation. However, Fumble Dimension works best when things don’t go according to plan so we decided to keep that in.

25:05

Kevin Knox, 4-time All-Star. Huh.

30:59

STEPH CURRY REALLY DOESN’T AGE.

37:28

So it seems like NBA 2k has a generic highlights montage where they fit whatever players into the same animation montage no matter who is in the finals. The problem here is that that montage usually has someone dunking and there was no one in our league that could do that. That game doesn’t know that so that’s why the ball is so far away from the guy attempting the worst dunk of all time. It does its best, which is gloriously bad.

The one thing I do regret about Fumble Dimension 1 is not audio mixing it very well. I hadn’t had to deal with audio mixing on that level before, so I didn’t know until after the video went out that it was mixed poorly. I’m so sorry y’all.

Anyway, that’s all from me today. Now I’m going back to work on the next Fumble Dimension. It might be the funniest one yet or incredibly boring. I can’t tell yet.

[karrahkshatria]

Get Closer With Me

Hi guys! I was supposed to work on my articles today but I ended up procrastinating the whole day. Is there such thing as a productive procrastination? I guess, this must be a great example of such. 

Quarantine has made me think of some worthwhile activities, including this. The other day, I found myself looking through my cabinet and discovered a bunch of nostalgic things. It made me realize how simple life was way before. Indeed, life is a never ending cycle of going through changes. Sure, we can never turn back time but at least, we have these things that would help us reminisce our past moments. 

I also remembered a note I published on my Facebook wall way back 2011. I got to scan and copy its content here and figured I could compare my perspective 9 years ago to present time. 

So here it is! It’s a bit long but if you have time, just take time. Hahaha!

NAME: Karrah Kshatria B. Seronay

AGE: 27

BIRTHDATE: January 27, 1993

PRESENT  ADDRESS:  Butuan City

WHAT WAS YOUR:

2011

1. last beverage = too big.

2. last phone call = from my mother, dugay na to.

3. last text message = quote man to. gm actually.

4. last song you listened to = Papa Amerikano haha

5. last time you cried = feb 2011 burial sa akong lola.

2020

1. last beverage = water,still O_O

2. last phone call = from an unknown number. Food Panda. haha

3. last text message = BPI OTP O_O but if from a person, Innah – we text whatever we like to tell each other. hahaha

4. last song you listened to = haha how jeje was Papa Amerikano before? Last night, parents were in the mood to listen to old songs. From what I remember, it was Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

5. last time you cried = I think weeks ago, when I was watching a KDRAMA. Haha. If I remember it right, it was Ep 13 of I’m Not A Robot. Hands up, fellow Kdrama fans?!

HAVE YOU EVER:

2011

6. dated someone twice = no

7. been cheated on = no

8. kissed someone & regretted it = wala

9. lost someone special = idk

10. been depressed = YAH

11. been drunk and threw up = nope!

2020

6. dated  someone twice = no, not ever

7. been  cheated on = No. And I hope it will not happen.  

8. kissed  someone & regretted it = Nope, never had a first kiss…

9. lost  someone special = Yes! If lost is defined as walking away from your  life. Or if lost means death, still the same answer as my grandparents were  also special.

10. been  depressed = Yes. We all deal with hard times in our lives but what’s  most important is how we get up from those and the people who were there to  support us.

11. been  drunk and threw up = still, no coz I don’t drink. It’s a personal  and my doctor’s choice. So, I can always get away with it. haha! But I throw  up on a normal basis before when I was sick. O_O Is that valid? Haha!

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:

2011

12. Sky Blue

13. Purple

14. White

2020

12. Sky Blue

13. Pink- the  only thing that changed. Haha. Girly naka ghorl?!

14. White

LAST YEAR (2010/2019), HAVE YOU:

2011

15. Made  a new friend = YEAH!

16. Fallen  out of love = NO

17. Laughed  until you cried = YEAH YEAH

18. Met  someone who changed you =  maybe

19. Found  out who your true friends were = YE

20. Found  out someone was talking about you = I can't remember

21. Kissed  anyone on your FB friend's list = yeah! my family.

2020

15. Made  a new friend = Yes! Shoutout to my new friends! :)

16. Fallen  out of love = No

17. Laughed  until you cried = Yes, the last time was with my laughing buddy,  Alex! We understand each other’s humor because great minds think alike.  hahaha

18. Met  someone who changed you =  I think so. Some people change you,  without you noticing it. Because even the smallest things matter.

19. Found  out who your true friends were = I’ve always had my trust in my  friends. I don’t have a lot but the ones I have, I know they are all true.

20. Found  out someone was talking about you = No? Not curious though. I mean,  we all talk about certain people. But that does not necessarily have to be  anything negative.

21. Kissed  anyone on your FB friend's list = Still the same, family

GENERAL:

2011

22. How  many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life = 90%

24. Do  you have any pets = way uso

25. Do  you want to change your name = di ko, mahal bayad.

26. What  did you do for your last birthday =celebrated with friends and  family

27. What  time did you wake up today = 1pm

28. What  were you doing at midnight last night = nag internet

29. Name  something you CANNOT wait for = COLLEGE GRADUATION

30. Last  time you saw your Mother = minutes ago

31. What  is one thing you wish you could change about your life = none, I  <3 my life. char

32. What  are you listening to right now = sound sa TV ug sa electic fan nga  gatuyok

33. Have  you ever talked to a person named Tom? = wa, di ko kastorya niya kay  iring sya. nag joke ko. HAHAHA

34. What's  getting on your nerves right now = boredom

35. Most  visited webpage = facebook, twitter, yahoo and everything

37. Nicknames =  karrah, kar, yang, yang2, yangertz, karyang, yangerz, shat2, karyatot

38. Relationship  Status = SINGLE

39. Zodiac  sign = Aquarius

40. He  or She = She

41. Elementary =  Urios College Grade School

42. High  School = Agusan National High School

43. College =  XU

44. Hair  color = Black

45. Long  or short = medium

47. Do  you have a crush on someone? O_O

48. What  do you like about yourself? can't think of, daghan musulod sa akong  mind, haha feelurs!

49. Piercings =  none. bisag earrings wa

50. Tattoos =  wala, sauna nuon kanang pataban sa mga pagkaon na tag pisohon

51. Righty  or lefty = righty! I wish both :))

2020

22. How  many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life = 90%,  I think the same. I accept only the people I know. Artista ka ghorl?! haha

24. Do  you have any pets = Yes, we have pets now! A dog and a cat. Cookie  and Minggoy! And we love them both dearly in spite of their imperfections.  Hahaha Drama ka ghorl?!

25. Do  you want to change your name = Before, I don’t like my name. Now, I  have learned to appreciate its unique nature. Kshatria… At least, smaller probability  to be “HIT” in applying for NBI Clearance.

26. What  did you do for your last birthday =celebrated with friends and  family, same same. Anyhow, I still feel special and thankful that I reached  this age. Every day is a blessing, after all.

27. What  time did you wake up today = 12:30PM, 30 minutes earlier than  before. Not really a morning person. #quarantingz

28. What were you doing  at midnight last night = procrastinating. I was supposed to  do my task for my online job, but I took time to delay important things and  played Trivia 360. So ended up sleeping at 4:30 AM. O_O

29. Name  something you CANNOT wait for = Waah, it’s been 7 years since  college graduation! Time flies! Now, I cannot wait for this quarantine to be  over. But I’m taking my time to enjoy and be productive. I can’t wait to travel. I also can’t wait to figure out where I want  to be for the rest of my life. I can’t seem to dig deep inside what it is that I really want. So,might as well just live in the  moment and be amazed by what’s in store. 

30. Last  time you saw your Mother = She’s actually in front of me right at  this very moment.

31. What  is one thing you wish you could change about your life = None. We  are where we are now because of our past. As much as I struggle with  contentment, I still would choose to have this life at the end of the day. We  are here for a reason. We are here for a mission.

32. What  are you listening to right now = I am listening to my family’s random conversation. I also hear a car machine being turned on by our neighbor. My  mom is humming a Tiktok music. My younger sister is listening to old songs.  It’s quite fascinating that our ears can hear all of these sounds all at the  same time. 

33. Have  you ever talked to a person named Tom? = Hahaha! Sir Tom! Tomas! My  BPI officemate. The ever mighty and passionate employee, Tom!

34. What's  getting on your nerves right now = None. Positive vibes all the way!

35. Most  visited webpage = FB and IG. Sometimes, Twitter.

37. Nicknames =  karrah, kar, yang, yang2, yangertz

38. Relationship  Status = SINGLE

39. Zodiac  sign = Aquarius

40. He  or She = She

41. Elementary =  Urios College Grade School

42. High  School = Agusan National High School

43. College =  Xavier University

44. Hair  color = Black

45. Long  or short = So now I’m quite confused whether this is pertaining to my hair or my height? If hair, medium. After 1 year, it has finally grown.  Hahaha. If height, then I have long accepted I am short.

47. Do  you have a crush on someone?  I don’t admit my crush before. But  now, my crush is Jo In Sung. So, I guess I have a crush.

48. What  do you like about yourself? Modesty aside, I think I am an  understanding person? Patient? Kind? Hehe. Char lang.

49. Piercings =  Still none, no earrings also since a couple of years ago.

50. Tattoos =  None

51. Righty  or lefty = Righty!

FIRSTS :

2011 

52. First  surgery= wala

53. First  piercing = ears

54. First  best friend = hmmm.. *thinking*  *reminiscing* :)

55. First  sport you joined = pingpong kanang sa pe. hahaha

56. First  vacation = la nako ka remember

58. First  pair of trainers =  ha?

2020

52. First  surgery=  Way back 2016. My first and hopefully, only surgery. It’s termed as Small Bowel Resection wherein a  part of my intestines where a tumor has grown was cut and removed. It was a  life-changing moment and I could not be more thankful to God for giving me  another chance to live. Life is precious!

53. First  piercing = Ears. Yeeeeaaaars ago!

54. First  best friend = My sister! My ate! It has got something to do with our 1 year age gap. Too close. Haha!

55. First  sport you joined = Same same! Not yo’ sporty girl!

56. First  vacation = Still can’t remember.

58. First  pair of trainers =  I still don’t get this. *puzzled*

RIGHT NOW: 

2011

59. Eating =  nope

60. Drinking =  wala

61. I'm  about to = sweep the floor. 

63. Waiting  for = ♫ tonight wooooo ♫

2020

59. Eating =  Chocolate!

60. Drinking =  none

61. I'm  about to = Werk. Have to write articles. So, I’m currently  procrastinating by doing this. LOL 

63. Waiting  for = you. *oops* haha

YOUR FUTURE :

2011

64. Want  kids? = maybe

65. Get  Married? = I can't say basin diay mag madre ko :)

66. Career? =  businesswoman!

2020

64. Want  kids? = still a maybe

65. Get  Married? = I am open. It feels good to have someone you can be with  for the rest of your life. But we never really know what our future holds. 

66. Career? =  Now, this question has become so hard to answer. But, I have always dreamed of working in ADB or BSP. Taas ng pangarap, ghorl?!

WHICH IS BETTER :

2011

67. Lips  or eyes = eyes O_O

68. Hugs  or kisses = hugs.

69. Shorter  or taller = taller

70. Older  or Younger = same age? 

71. Romantic  or spontaneous = wa koy hanaw ani

72. Nice  stomach or nice arms = nice everything haha

73. Sensitive  or loud = ambot ui. bahala sya

74. Hook-up  or relationship = uhmm... relationship.

75. Trouble  maker or hesitant = trouble maker hahaha

2020

67. Lips  or eyes = eyes, still

68. Hugs  or kisses = hugs.

69. Shorter  or taller = taller

70. Older  or Younger = same age. Hasn’t changed.

71. Romantic  or spontaneous = Spontaneous!

72. Nice  stomach or nice arms = nice arms

73. Sensitive  or loud = Sensitive?

74. Hook-up  or relationship = relationship, definitely! I must have not known  what a hook-up means before.

75. Trouble  maker or hesitant = Now, I don’t get this question. hmmm

HAVE YOU EVER :

2011

76. Kissed  a stranger = nope!

77. Drank  hard liquor = nope, I'm a good girl

78. Lost  glasses/contacts =  nope, I have a good eyesight. haha

79. Sex  on first date = NO

80. Broke  someone's heart = wa nay uso sa ako

81. Had  your own heart broken = nop

82. Been  arrested = never

83. Turned  someone down = don't know

84. Cried  when someone died = syempre

85. Fallen  for a friend = no.

2020

76. Kissed  a stranger = nope!

77. Drank  hard liquor = I tried San Mig Light and Red Horse once…  Haha. Realized how distorted my thinking about alcohol was way before. It’s not that bad to drink, but you have to know your limits. Drink moderately. I mean, I even go with friends when they drink, although I usually take the listener/watcher role. It’s  fun to talk and laugh about anything under the moon!

78. Lost  glasses/contacts =  nope, I have a good eyesight. Haha. Still holds  true, now.

79. Sex  on first date = No

80. Broke  someone's heart = I think so?

81. Had  your own heart broken = Yes! Part of growing up!

82. Been  arrested = never

83. Turned  someone down = Yes?

84. Cried  when someone died = syempre

85. Fallen  for a friend = no.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

2011

86. Yourself =  sometimes

87. Miracles =  way-e-es!

88. Love  at first sight =  I don't think so

89. Heaven =  YEAAAH!

90. Santa  Claus = sauna.

91. Kiss  on the first date = nope

92. Angels =  yeah!

2020

86. Yourself =  We have to. Otherwise, we’ll get nowhere.

87. Miracles =  YES! Our lives are a miracle! I witnessed a great miracle when I faced my  first ever surgery. God was there. God is here.

88. Love  at first sight =  I think this has changed. I kind of believe this now, but not absolutely.

89. Heaven =  YEAAAH!

90. Santa  Claus = sauna.

91. Kiss  on the first date = depends? hahaha

92. Angels =  yeah

That’s it! The 18-year old me vs. the 27- year old me. Some have changed, some have also remained the same. We grow up. Our view about life changes. But one thing constant among these is the love of family and of God. 

If you’re still reading up to this point, I suggest you make one as well. It’s a great exercise to know yourself better. You realize things you have never actually thought of before. Enjoy answering! Stay safe!