#or if it's just because turning on Crash Course Organic Chemistry while sleeping

[discoknack]

I just woke up from a dream where I was riding a bus and my analytical chemistry teacher was also on the bus, and we students were having lesson after lesson on botany and chemistry. I was so tired I was going to cry. I felt like we were going in circles and could barely understand a word.

I also lazily took photos of plants to post on iNaturalist. There were some pretty blue bell-shaped flowers. And a lot of the foliage around the area had pinnate leaflet arrangements. Even the flowers were arranged in rows. Can't remember what that's called.

[meggigoering]

📖September 23, 2023

🦈The stinky has just surpassed himself today. I'm telling you. Like any stupid criminal, he is driven by a very clear and simple motivation: he needs me to die faster than him. Since he is still at large and has not yet been detained for state maintenance, this moron inspired by impunity believes that it will last forever. That's why for the last three days my dogs and I have been suffocating from the smell of stinking and its chemical pouring. To be honest, sleeping in this is terribly unpleasant, because it strangles a cough and pus flows from the throat, eyes, nose and lungs. That's why I open the door so that somehow the stinky’s chemistry and stench pull out with his urine. Now the stinky began to close the door, and he doesn't let me ventilate to enjoy his chemical poison to the fullest. At night, I wake up from being strangled by a cough from the stench. But the most important indicator is the condition of my dogs. You can see everything from their paws and skin at once. In short, the stinky has now decided to kill me with his chemistry, or just crash, so now he doesn't let me ventilate, and makes me breathe death the stench of his rotten urine, his dog's excrement, and his killer chemistry. Today, while I was going on business, a stinky stole a trash can, and when I returned to the apartment, he began to complain to me about the fact that I allegedly stole a trash can. I usually see what's going on in the apartment while I'm away, and then I got distracted and looked at the cameras half-eyed, I just saw it all the time while I was gone, the stinky rubbed in the kitchen. Fuck him, the trash can is really theft of the century. Snead the trash can from the kitchen to accuse me of theft! I should have thought of it!

But then everything turned out to be even funnier - the trash can was discovered half an hour later when I threw the packaging from my dogs’ food, in the drawer under the sink where it always stood. Only now it lies on its side, and the garbage bag is taken out of it.

And in the afternoon the stinky arranged a whole comedy when he took out his stinky dog - he clasped with it from the street, and played a show as his money fell from his pockets, cried loudly with his squealing voice so that my dogs began to show interest in what was happening. His phone kind of broke yesterday. The day before yesterday, this moron came out into the corridor and shouted "call the dogs, call the dogs, call the dogs," while I and the dogs were sitting quietly sitting in the kitchen in our corner, until the stinky began to yell on one note, call the dogs, call the dogs, call the dogs. In the afternoon, the kitchen was flooded with some kind of fish shit. In short, this moron is now either trying to drag me into the conflict on any shit, or he's a real schizophrenic. I did not tell the story of Pirogovka, Samara Hospital, where the only trauma center is nearby. I'm not in the mood to write today, in short, the stinky didn't just beat me until the ovary broke. A closed abdominal injury is a very unpleasant bullshit, which is not noticeable externally, but it feels very well inside. In my body, in addition to the ovary, I also had a stomach, pancreas, intestines, and many other different organs. What I want to say is that a bruise of the kidneys, stomach and pancreas is not a ram sneezing to you. And in addition, since the poisoning of the mustard gas is very clearly visible from the tests, Pirogovka did not just draw up my documents on this incident with the stinky for several different names and surnames (of course, the wrong ones). In principle, I was not given a medical history on request, blood tests evaporated in an unknown direction, along with abdominal ultrasound and images. Can you imagine what kind of stinky and his girlfriend Tatiana Vladimirovna Shumilova's roof is? In 2021, her daughter Shumilova Valeria Sergeevna broke my head with a glass cup, a piece of cup flew away and cut the back of my unfortunate lovely Dalmatian Harry. Tatiana Vladimirovna Shumilova (this is a bitch that many of my acquaintances mistakenly knew as my mother) calling an ambulance and said that Anna Andreeva was visiting their home, who herself fell and hit her head against the wall.

So the falsification of the medical history after the assault of Sergei Mikhailovich Shumilov's and other members of the Orekhovskaya family of prostitutes Valeria Sergeevna Shumilova, Tatiana Vladimirovna Shumilova, and their friends like Asya Ramazanova and Sveta Fomina is the norm. They have such a method of work - to break my head, or to break my tooth, at worst to poison with something, and then to tell that no one beat anyone, and did not poison, did not break teeth. Is the blood flowing from the cut wound? So she herself fell, slipped probably, was drunk and had schizophrenia, and she has hallucination Actually, that's what they tell the police and others, including their neighbors. Scum, rare scum. They hit me all evening again. When will the disinfectants from the seven come to pick them up? It is unbearable to breathe this crap anymore and listen to how the Orekhov bastard asks not to slam the door to the bathroom filled with his chemistry. They're all fucked up.

It's like in that joke:

- Tell me how your wife died.

- She ate mushrooms and died.

- But why does she have marks on her head from forty blows with a heavy blunt object and 12 knife wounds?

She didn't want to eat mushrooms.

👩‍💻The illustration is here:

https://pin.it/4dqCr82

🦈🖤🎞Follow me:

#meggi #meggifromhouseofskjold #ceoboost #meggifromskjold #daughterofskjold #sisterofgoering #meggigoering #meggigöring #raevskayarepnina #annamariaserafimaraevskayarepnina #мэгги #мэггигёринг #раевскаярепнина #аннамариясерафимараевскаярепнина

[pinnithin-writes]

more of a feeling

Mission to Zyxx fic, mild spoilers for season 5 if you're not caught up. This started as rambling about our bodies sabotaging us and turned into a conversation about our bodies taking care of us. 2117 words.

It was simple, really. It all came down to chemistry.

C-53 knew how emotions worked, of course; he’d even go so far as to call himself a veteran by now. Every frame he’d inhabited was a different experience, but the emotions he felt in those frames were a reassuring constant. He knew the programming for joy. He could trace the source code for anger. His cube felt it all the same, and no matter how many diagnostics he had to run in an unfamiliar body, his thoughts, his feelings, and his personality grounded him through the flux.

Until, that is, the failed clone of a scientist shoved him in a meat suit without his consent.

Emotions were different when he was piloting flesh. They governed his body more than he was used to. They still generated from C-53’s cube, but now that cube was hooked up to nerves and synapses, blood and organs, and those living, breathing parts responded accordingly. He was a miracle of a machine, truly – a code given life – but he couldn’t wax poetic about something like that when his pores leaked and his muscles tired and his stomach twisted in knots.

It was hard enough dealing with a body that resisted his will at every turn. It was worse still that every fleeting feeling affected him on the molecular level. He didn’t know how organics got anything done like this. Frustration made his head pound and his guts churn. Despair burned his eyes and locked his throat. Even pleasant feelings – affection, mirth – stole his breath, made his pulse race. It was distracting at best and debilitating at worst. Surely there was a way to bypass these effects.

Unable to connect his consciousness to high speed internet, he had to go about this the old fashioned way, which made it a slow process indeed. Thankfully, the USS Synergy owned a vast library, which he took advantage of to scan every file they had on hermanns, discovering himself.

He did most of his research at night. He told himself this was because he was less likely to be interrupted, but in truth he was embarrassed at his own inefficiency. Even in the old loader frame, downloading the data would have taken all of ten seconds. And though he knew his crewmates wouldn’t humiliate him, he still didn’t want to be seen like this. Having to move his eyes across a screen, absorb and process the words they scanned, and then file that information away in his slippery maze of a brain, line after line after line after line after line.

The hours of learning made him feel childish. C-53 was tired.

But he was getting somewhere. When exhaustion pulled at his eyelids and his thoughts went fuzzy in the late, still hours on Bargie, he knew it was adenosine flooding his neural pathways and inhibiting his functionality. No code existed to override adenosine. Caffeine, however, could counteract it for a short time (with the unfortunate side effect of upsetting his stomach and tasting like tar).

C-53 pored over chemistry texts and neuroscience studies, learning what made hermanns - and thus, hermanoids - do what they did. There were no comparable texts on tellurians in this galaxy, but the science, from what he could remember, was quite similar. It was all chemicals, and those chemicals told his brain to tell his body how to act.

It was exceptionally overcomplicated. There was always some other influencing factor to his body, a sensory input or a thought or even his DNA - Jeremy’s genetic memory - that scrambled a system that could theoretically be very streamlined.

An example: he could eat something that tasted good (peanut butter and chocolate), triggering a flood of dopamine that caused him to feel happy. But Jeremy was allergic to tree nuts, so his immune system attacks him for a perceived threat that doesn’t exist, so forcefully that he could die from it. It was as fascinating as it was annoying. Who knew organics could have glitches? Too bad he hadn’t figured out how to debug anaphylactic shock.

He didn’t know what he hoped to accomplish by doing all this research. In a way, studying why his body actively sabotaged him was a comfort, but the more he learned, the more faults he discovered. Evolution was a temperamental thing. He much preferred the elegance of engineering.

At present, it was a dark hour on Bargie, docked and slumbering with her crew on the Synergy. Half awake in the conversation pit, amidst a tangle of textbooks and portable screens, C-53 sat alone under the red glow of the security lights. Sprawled as he was, C-53 didn’t immediately notice Pleck wandering into the room until he said his name.

Blurry lines of text sharpened as he startled, then relaxed. “Hm? Oh, hey Pleck,” he said.

“C-53, it’s like, three in the morning,” Pleck responded. Bare footsteps signaled his approach, and then he dropped onto the couch next to C-53, a glass of water in one hand and an orange fruit in the other. He reached over and set the glass precariously on the cushion between them. “Y’know, tellurians usually sleep around this time,” he pointed out helpfully. “What are you doing out here?”

The info tablet C-53 held was inches away from his face. “I’m learning about my pineal gland,” he announced dully.

A hormone regulator located near the brain stem. Releases melatonin and influences one’s circadian rhythm. Well, it wasn’t doing a very good job right now, was it?

“Cool, is that something like - do tellurians have that too or just, y’know,” Pleck drew his feet up to sit cross-legged, “whatever you are?”

C-53 couldn’t help but smirk mirthlessly at that. “It’s found in most vertebrates, so yes, I would imagine both you and whatever I am have one.” He set the tablet aside to look at Pleck, but the screen made him night blind, and he could only see the afterimage of a splotchy red rectangle in the darkness. “Why are you awake?”

“Oh, I woke up thirsty,” Pleck explained easily. He fiddled with the peel on his fruit as he spoke. “And then I thought, well, while I’m up I might as well grab a snack, and then I saw you sitting there so,” he shrugged, “here I am.”

It was a better explanation than what C-53 had. And it was a far better explanation than Pleck would have given several months ago, when the Allwheat was still worming into his brain and keeping him up at odd hours. C-53 was thankful those days were behind them. As the afterimage of the tablet faded and Pleck became a collection of grays and blues beside him, he quietly mourned the loss of his night vision. And his regular vision.

“You ever had one of these, C-53?” Pleck asked. He finally got his fingernails under the skin and began peeling. “The Themm grow these instead of oranges. They’re kind of sour?”

“I haven’t,” C-53 answered. He hadn’t eaten an orange before, for that matter, but he wasn’t too interested in expanding his food horizons. Most things had an unpleasant texture to him.

“Do you want some?” Pleck went on, adding pieces of rind to the small pile in his lap. He slanted C-53 a glance. “Oranges are the most shareable fruit.”

“No, thank you.”

Pleck shrugged again before separating a slice of not-orange and popping it in his mouth. As he chewed in silence, C-53 picked up the glass between them and placed it safely on the coffee table. Piles of nearby notes were scrawled in his own clumsy hand, amateur diagrams and chemical formulas with lots of arrows and exclamation marks littering the margins. Writing it down helped the nonstick pan of his brain gain some traction, he found, but the coffee table was starting to look like Nermut’s conspiracy wall after so many hours of research.

His neck ached. His head pounded out a protest.

He’d been pushing his brain and body to its limits and had what to show for it? A newfound disgust with himself? A frustration he only knew more intimately? C-53 frowned and used one of his papers as a coaster.

Beside him, Pleck happily ate his fruit, unbothered. Being organic was easy for him; he was a native to his body and didn’t know anything else. C-53 pitied and envied him in equal measure.

“You’re going to bed soon, right C-53?” Pleck asked after making his way through half the orange. He reached to retrieve his glass from the table, but condensation stuck a note about the amygdala to the bottom. “Oh,” he remarked.

C-53 peeled it off for him. “I don’t like sleeping,” he explained, crumpling the note and tossing it on the table. “So I’m reading.”

Pleck took a sip of water and frowned. “You gotta sleep sometime.”

“I know,” he answered shortly. He’d read dozens of articles about the side effects of sleeplessness. Fatigue, irritability, memory issues, hallucinations if you waited long enough. He knew he’d crash eventually, he just wasn’t especially motivated to avoid it. “It feels bad,” he went on. “Waking up is disorienting.”

There was a thoughtful crease between Pleck’s brows; C-53 could barely see it under the security lights. Pleck took a moment to set his glass back down on the table before turning the remainder of the fruit over in his hands. “Is it because you don’t feel safe?” he asked without looking up.

“I’m… sorry?”

“It’s just - y’know, when I was having trouble sleeping-”

“Pleck, I’m not a lunatic,” C-53 interrupted. “I know I’m perfectly safe on Bargie. I just don’t like sleeping. I don’t need you to teach me how to be tellurian, okay?” He gestured at the pathetic mess of research before him, scrawled in an obvious lunatic’s hand. “I’m figuring it out.”

Pleck fed himself a section of orange and didn’t answer right away. On C-53’s other side, the info tablet’s screen auto timed out and went dark. They were bathed in red completely now, one of them frustrated and exhausted, the other watchful and concerned. C-53 removed his glasses and rubbed at his stinging eyes.

“Sorry,” he said after a time. “I’m just…”

“Tired?” Pleck offered.

C-53’s sigh went through his whole body. “Yes.”

A stubborn, senseless part of him didn’t want to overcome this. He didn’t want to be an example of perseverance, some epic struggle conquered by learning to live well. He wanted to kick and bite and throw a fit over this new frame. It wasn’t fair.

“C-53,” Pleck broke quietly into his thoughts. “You don’t have to, y’know, have the answer to everything all the time. Sometimes you have to just… do what your body is telling you to do, even if you don’t want to.” He offered an orange slice in C-53’s direction. “It’s trying to take care of you.”

“You say that like this flesh suit has a soul,” C-53 grumbled, but he took the fruit anyway, staring glumly as it lay in his stupid, sweaty palm.

“Well, sure it does.” Pleck smiled and prodded his shoulder with an index finger. “It’s you.”

C-53 fell silent. It was strange, learning things from Pleck. He was used to the roles being reversed, and it shifted something uncomfortably inside him every time it happened. Dutifully, he put the orange in his mouth, felt the tart flavor burst on his tongue, and chewed past the slimy sensation until he was able to swallow it. He was unable to hide a shudder.

Pleck watched him with one hopeful eye. “Not your favorite?” he guessed.

“It’s the texture,” C-53 explained, grimacing. But he held his hand out for another slice in spite of it.

Pleck grinned. “We can find something you like to eat instead of this,” he said, scooping the orange peels out of his lap and leaving them on the coffee table for later cleanup. “It doesn’t have to all be bad. Come on,” he rose from his seat and offered C-53 his hand. “Let’s check the kitchen for something better and then, y’know, maybe try and get some sleep?”

The please was unspoken, but C-53 could see it on Pleck’s freckled face. He was trying to take care of him, just like his clunky, unfamiliar body was. C-53 didn’t like his body very much, and wasn’t sure he ever would, but he liked Pleck enough to go along with him for now. He didn’t know what kind of chemical governed trust. He didn’t even let himself ask.

C-53 took Pleck’s hand, tried not to flinch from the zing it sent up his arm, and followed him out of the pit.

[tamcitrus]

Love days.

pairing: Kuroo Tetsuro x fem. reader

genre: fluff, romantic

words: 1.7 k

warnings: none

tam’s notes: a little late but finally my HQC collab piece is here! It’s been a while since I wrote for the last time so maybe this isn’t my best work but I like it! I think it’s cheesy and cute. And I love Kuroo so much. I’d marry him without hesitation.

You can find all the “Say You Love Me” collab pieces here!

You and Kuroo were the most popular pair of teacher assistants in all Tokyo University. Every young man and woman studying chemistry knew about this pair of handsome and -also- youngs T.A. that had this big organic chemistry class. The whole point people choose this class sometimes was to see them.

“You have to do this here,” Kuroo said as he took the pencil from the girl’s hand “and this one comes here.”

The girl was looking more at Kuroo’s face than to the clear and simple explanation he was giving for the exercise.

“Do you think you can do the next one alone?” you said and she was startled.

“Yes! Thank you,” she smiled at Kuroo and left to his seat.

“Kids these days have no shame, I see,” you whisper to him.

“She really didn’t get it,” Tetsuro said while he checked his phone. “Do you have plans tonight?”

“Tonight? It’s tuesday,” you said as you got up to check on another student that needed help.

Kuroo followed you with his eyes all the way. Maybe this is the reason there’s so many rumours about us, he thought. Still, he never stopped looking at you.

“Yeah and it’s Valentine’s day,” he said when you were back by his side.

“Oh...” you answered.

Of course you knew what day it was.

“I’m going to Bokuto’s house, we’re having dinner there if you want to come,” he smiled.

“Awesome, I’ll be there,” you smiled.

💐 🌷 🌹 💐 🌷 🌹

“Are you still waiting for a confession?” Bokuto crashed by your side on the floor and offered you his drink.

“What do you mean?” you said and he looked at you with a straight face. “Am I that obvious?”

“Well no, but he’s my best friend and I pay attention here and there…” he laughed.

Bokuto was the only person in Kuroo’s friend group that you could talk to as if you knew him your whole life.

“Sometimes if you want things done you have to do it yourself,” he added.

“You sound like my dad.”

He laughed out loud and you saw Kuroo turn around to look at you so you smiled at him. He smiled back and kept playing some weird game with Kenma and Akaashi.

“You look like you want to punch Bokuto,” Akaashi commented. “Why don’t you just…?”

“I already told him,” Kenma interrupted. “He swears it’s not like that.”

“I’m talking from personal experience,” Keiji insisted. “Just go and say that you love her. It makes zero sense for you to be jealous of Bokuto.”

“She might not know he’s dating you…” he tried to excuse himself.

But Akaashi was right. Bokuto was not interested in you so why did he feel the need to go and interrupt whatever conversation you two were having?

Maybe it was the fact that you were so far his only friend in university. What would he do if he ruined that? If suddenly he lost the only person that understood him and he could talk to? From the first year until now that you two almost graduated, you were always there. When he decided to join the volleyball team you started going to every game even when you were not interested in volleyball. And he did the same, he was there with every new thing you wanted to try. Makeup artist? He would sit and let you practice with him. Writer? He read every single thing you tried. Sports? He would make you train with him so you didn’t get bored. And then you found dance, you liked it and you were really good at it, he could watch you dance for hours.

“Hey, I’ll get going,” you said as you tapped his shoulder. “Bokuto will go with me to the bus stop.”

“No, I’ll take you home, it’s faster in the car,” he said as he grabbed his keys. “I’ll be right back, guys.”

“I don’t want to interrupt your night…”

“It’s ok, y/n,” he smiled. “Let’s go.”

“Thanks for taking me home,” you said as you stood out of the car by the driver window. “You didn’t have to.”

“I just wanted to make sure you made it home safe,” he smiled. “See you in class tomorrow?”

“Yes. Get some sleep because if you fall asleep I won't lend you my notes,” you joked. You bent down while he was laughing and kissed his cheek. “Good night!”

He was frozen for a second until you closed the door of your building. He drove back slowly. He couldn’t stop thinking of that little gesture the whole night.

💐 🌷 🌹 💐 🌷 🌹

Kuroo: Hey I didn't see you in class today. you ok?

y/n: I think i caught some virus or some shit. not feeling well.

Kuroo: do you want me to take my notes to you?

y/n: i think i’ll be off the rest of the week, wanna come on saturday?

Kuroo: ok i’ll be there, if u need anything just text me

You took your cellphone to your chest after reading his message. Your face felt hot and you couldn’t tell if it was the fever attacking again or just Kuroo.

Sometimes if you want things done you have to do it yourself. You kept thinking about what Bokuto said. He also swore to you that Kuroo felt the same way you did but he was too stubborn to admit it.

Maybe this cold, virus or whatever had come at the right time. You needed a few days to think of what you felt and what you wanted to do. When you faced the fact that you couldn’t do a proper confession, you opted for leaving little bread crumbs and hoped that Kuroo found the way.

It started in a shy and simple way. On saturday when he went by to give you the notes for the week, you bought him chocolate. What’s better than chocolate to tell someone you have feelings for them?

“What's this for?” he smiled.

“Nothing special,” you lied. “Just wanted to thank you.”

“Thank you,” he repeated and giggled. “I could use some coffee to drink with this. We can share it.”

“Sure.”

💐 🌷 🌹 💐 🌷 🌹

Next week, it was flowers.

“Do you know something about the meaning of flowers?” you asked.

“Out of nowhere?” Tetsuro said. You nodded and he took a minute to answer. “My grandma used to make flower arrangements, so I might remember something.”

“That’s cool.”

Two days later you gifted him tulips.

“What’s this?”

“I bought some plants and flowers for my apartment but I got too much, so…” you lied.

“What's the meaning of tulips?”

“I don’t know,” you laughed. Another lie. “You said you knew.”

Declaration of love. That was the meaning. And you hoped he would ask someone for it if he really didn’t know.

💐 🌷 🌹 💐 🌷 🌹

Two weeks after the chocolate, it was dinner outside.

“Since we passed this class, why don’t we go out to celebrate? I’ll pay.”

“That sounds good,” he smiled at you. “I’m free tomorrow night.”

“Ok, I’ll choose a place and text you later,” you said as you walked to the only class you didn’t share. “See you tomorrow!”

“This is a nice place, y/n. Too nice I’d say,” Kuroo said as you waited for your food.

“We never go to too nice places,” you giggled. “It’s good for a change.”

“I’m not letting you pay for everything,” he said. He had his chin resting over his hand as he looked at you.

“Shush, I said I’ll pay. Next time you can invite me,” you offered.

“This looks like a date place,” he casually commented.

“Yes, it kinda does,” you agreed.

“You’re blushing,” he said with a smug smile.

“Shut up and eat.”

💐 🌷 🌹 💐 🌷 🌹

Three weeks after the chocolate situation it was also white day. You’d been giving hints for almost a month and decided today was the final day. It was cliche but you didn't care. And at this point you just wanted to know if you really had a chance or not.

“Hey, did something happen? You never call me,” you heard Kuroo’s voice on the other end of the line.

“No, sorry! Don’t worry. I just wanted to know if you can meet me at the cafe we always go to near uni?”

“Like… right now?”

“Yes?”

“I’m walking there,” he said and hung up.

You waited for him at a table far away from the others, on a quiet corner. There was a flower bouquet on the table and two coffees.

“I already ordered,” you said when he arrived.

“You’re starting to worry me. You’re acting weird. Is everything ok?” he didn’t understand what was happening.

“This is for you,” you said and smiled.

Kuroo received the bouquet in silence. And then the biggest smile appeared on his face.

“Roses… do you know what these mean?”

“Do you?” you asked back.

“Love.”

“Oh, so you finally get the message,” you took a sip of your iced coffee before you kept talking. “I’ve been doing these little things for a month and you never said anything so I was getting really worried, you know? My mind never stops working, you know that. And I really wanted to know what you think because if you don’t feel the same that’s fine and if you-”

“I love you,” he interrupted your nervous rambling.

You blinked and tried to process what he said.

“I love you, y/n,” he repeated.

“I’ve been waiting to hear that since valentine’s day,” you laughed. “I love you too.”

“This is why you’ve been giving me all those gifts?”

“I thought you would get it sooner!”

“I did… but I thought it was a misunderstanding…”

“Oh my god, we’re supposed to be smart!” you felt shy all of a sudden.

“Love is not logic so I think we’re still smart, honey,” Kuroo smiled.

“So, do you want to date me? Like… officially, let’s be a couple,” you giggled. This wasn’t the most usual love confession but it still worked.

“Of course I want,” he answered.

“Awesome,” you said.

He took a rose out of the bouquet and walked to your side. He bent down to leave the flower on your lap and you looked at him without moving. You saw him licking his lips and then he kissed you. You smiled in the kiss and caressed his cheek with your hand. He took a step back when he heard some girls giggling as they walked to a table near you.

“We should go to put this on water when we finish our coffee,” he said looking at the flowers.

“Yeah, of course. Let’s go wherever you want,” you smiled.

💐 🌷 🌹 💐 🌷 🌹 

[sandu-zidian]

Blabbing about this Musician!au I started last summer that has now also turned into a marching band!au because I got sad and nostalgic because despite how shitty it could be, marching band defined my high school life and social life and I couldn’t had asked for anything else.

I also don’t have every single prequel character (because this au is surrounding the prequel characters) in Star Wars smacked into here, and I gave up halfway through a couple of months ago in terms of brainstorming. Anyways, this is hella long so check everything out under the line if you’d like! don’t want to spam everyone with something that’s like, 4 pages long

Now, you might be asking. What instruments are these characters playing, or what are they doing in marching band? well, boy oh boy do I have some lore for you.

Anakin Skywalker: alright lets start of with the “Chosen One”. Now, I gotta say. He’s got some intense brass vibes, specifically high brass. But I don’t know. He didn’t really mesh well. And given his natural talent with the Force in canon, I thought that Anakin would be a sort of prodigy. And we all know the two instruments associated with that: the piano and violin. He’s more of a piano dude, so here we go! piano prodigy Anakin Skywalker. He also gives mad drumline vibes, and I can see him as either the lead snare, setting the tempo, or the main quad player. He’s brash, slightly obnoxious, but damn is he fucking good at what he does.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: I literally started this AU on the idea that Obi-Wan would play the cello. One of the defining quotes for him is that fucking “infinite sadness” quote. And we all know that cellos play some of the saddest pieces out there. (see: Elgar cello concerto) However, I can’t see him as a marching band dude. He doesn’t really give off color guard vibes (since that’s where most non-band people go to) so I have him as the resident student helper who everyone tolerates because he brings ice cream after band camp.

Ahsoka Tano: Ahsoka is a flute player. As a flute player, I have intimate knowledge on this. She’s like the chill flute player who’s competitive enough to keep her position as principal, but is also chill enough to not have a big ego that butts heads with everyone. She also gives mad color guard vibes. Also speaking about that from personal experience (am I lowkey projecting my own experiences on her? you didn’t hear that from me). She seems like the type to love swing flags and sabre, and is 100% captain by senior year.

I have Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka as siblings in this AU because I say so. Qui-Gon is around here somewhere as the resident hippie dad who lowkey smokes pot and will support his children while giving a big ‘fuck you’ to Dooku. 

Yoda’s also in here somewhere, and I love the idea that he’s an old Chinese/Asian man who refuses to speak english and will only do so with the most backwards grammar so his grandchild (Qui-Gon) and great-grandchildren (the trio) are forced to speak Mandarin/Cantonese to him (pick your poison). He just spends his days cutting up fruit and also might pull out his erhu if everyone asks nice enough. (I want to say he was a Peking Opera musician, but immigrated during Mao’s reign after he lost opportunities during the cultural revolution)

So, I know that it doesn’t make sense for a family to have 3 sets of twins and one triplet set, but fuck that I do what I want.

Cody Fett: okay so, Cody 100% plays the french horn. I don’t know, he just, he does. He’s got that air of sophistication because he can play the hardest brass instrument, but at the same time, he’s incredibly good at it and is matter-of-fact about it. He also would be the mello section leader (I was playing with the idea of drum major, but for now, leaving him as a section leader for now). He’s a bit uptight to be a low brass player, but cool enough to still be associated with the general brass group.

Rex Fett: I got Rex and Cody as the eldest Fett twins. Rex feels like a string player, so I have him on violin. I can see him be very hardworking and practicing diligently to the point where he easily sweeps through to concertmaster in high school and the local youth orchestra. He also gives of mad drum major vibes. I can see him copying music, handing out drill charts, and hauling the met around. Also, just think about Rex doing a fancy ass salute at competitions. Yes.

Next round of twins lets gooo

Jesse Fett: You could say Jesse has brass vibes. I see him as a reed person though. In concert band, he’s on clarinet. I used to think clarinets were as stuck up as us flutes but no they’re literally balls of chaotic energy ready to be unleashed. Just imagine Jesse blaming everything on his reed. I see him as the guy who switches to saxophone for marching band, though. He’s got the energy of the clarinet and the saxophone harnessed. Also, wouldn’t be surprised if he knows how to play the sousa.

Kix Fett: Y’know, when I originally made this AU, I had Kix as a musician as well. I’m gonna scratch that. He’s going to medical school, or at least, he’s planning to. He’s on the pre-med track and is dying in organic chemistry and wishes there weren’t so many pre-requisites. However, in high school, he definitely played the oboe. Of course Kix chose one of the hardest instruments to play. Also, just imagine him trying to make his own reeds. I don’t see him as a guy who’s in marching band. He’ll come to competitions and maybe football games if he’s bullied into it. Kix is the guy who’s classes are all AP and he’s dying inside.

Next round of twins yeet:

Fives Fett: shit, I forgot I gave them all real names. If I remember correctly, Fives is Frank. Anyways, trumpet vibes. Need I say more? He’s on the trumpet in marching band as well and he’s the dude who’s obsessed with DCI and always tries to play as high as he possibly can and absolutely demolishes his chops. I would say he’s section leader as well. He also hangs with the drumline at the back of the bus and always plays meme songs on blast and sends weird pictures to people’s phone via open airdrop.

Echo Fett: I think his birth name is Ethan??? I’m spitting thoughts not checking my old documents. Anyways. Echo feels like a string person. Specifically, low strings. So, he plays the bass. Upright bass. Whatever. You get what I mean. He sleeps in the case after school and hates hauling it everywhere. He was in marching band as a mello player (the easiest brass instrument to pick up for the activity so) but he was in a car crash that left him paralyzed from the hip down, and had to quit to recover. He never stopped playing, and found ways to adjust. (I do not know how exactly this would work, since I’m able bodied and also don’t play the bass, but I know he’d at least have a stool to sit on in order to lean his body on. let me know if you have other ideas i’d love to hear them!)

Finally, we got the triplets:

Dogma Fett: Dogma plays the bassoon. He’s a low reed kinda guy and between the bari sax, bass clarinet, and bassoon, he fits the last one the best. He and Kix moan over making reeds and he’s on the quieter side. He just vibes and plays all the low notes and has fun whenever he’s got some moving part. I see Dogma as someone who is only casually into marching band. He uses Jesse’s old student clarinet as his instrument and he’s always on time, knows his sets, and his technique is on point. He always finds himself roped into his brothers’ shenanigans though.

Tup Fett: Tup plays the harp. I like to think he met Shaak Ti (we’ll get to her in a bit) when he was young, and she was playing with an orchestra. He met her backstage and she offered to give him lessons. Tup’s not really a part of high school orchestra but sometimes he’ll be brought in. He’s more involved with solo work and the youth orchestra more than anything. Tup’s another on where I don’t think he’d be into marching band. Though I can see him being in winter guard as the dude who just shows up and is lowkey rip and therefore is a hunk on the rifle. His technique’s good but they’ve never been able to saddle him into fall guard.

Hardcase Fett: (i’ve given up on remembering the birth names so i’m just gonna not) Hardcase is 100% low brass vibes. He can’t be anything but a low brass. I see him as a tuba player. He’s chill, laid back, but also reliable for being the foundation of the band sound. He plays the sousaphone in marching band and always blasts either Seven Nation Army or some other popular show tune right after rehearsals. Hardcase also can play the bari sax and no one knows when he learned how to. 

OKAY we’re done with the Fett’s! Jango and Boba are in here somewhere but honestly I don’t have enough brainpower to come up with what their roles are. Jango’s gonna be a good dad though. Maybe he was a musician and that’s why most of his kids are going into music. Or maybe he’s just a supportive father. Boba’s the youngest though, that’s for sure. And he’s a little shit. Don’t know if he plays an instrument (probably) or what it might be.

Now lets get into some other characters! There’s a lot. And I wasn’t even halfway done with the characters I wanted to include. What the hell was I on last summer?

Padmé Amidala: Padmé is a flute player who quit after freshman year of high school and started taking music production and music theory classes. She loved it so much that she decided that composing was her jam. Now, she’s highly successful and often works with well known pianist, Anakin Skywalker, on piano concertos. Also, she may or may not be dating said pianists but you didn’t hear that from me.

Satine Kryze: twosetters don’t shit on me but Satine feels like she’d play the viola. She and Obi-Obi-Wan definitely dated in high school but after a year broke up on mutual terms and are just good friends now. A lot of people feel like she’d have been a better political science/international studies major than a music major but she’s good so no one complains (until she gets into a fighting match with someone and wins smugly)

Bo-Katan Kryze: shes Satine’s younger sister and is a mad athlete. She doesn’t play any instruments but she’s deeply active and is on scholarship for college, on the pre-med track with Kix. She’s very scary and most people are too intimidated by her to approach.

Plo Koon: I originally had him as an asian man, but I can see Native American as well. He plays the euphonium and he’s just a sweet man. He helps out a lot with private lessons at local high schools and is often brought in to help with low brass during marching band.

Wolffe Koon: Wolffe and Gregor (get to him in a bit) were both adopted by Plo when their parents died when they were very young. Plo was their godfather and he took them in like they were his own. They’re cousins to the Fett brothers (though don’t ask me how I have no idea). Wolffe is an engineer and works close to home.

Gregor Koon: Gregor is Wolffe’s younger brother and had a short stint of musical interest in middle school but quit after he entered high school. Gregor was in a serious car crash during college that left him amnesiac for a year before some of his memories returned. He now owns a restaurant and sticks close to home. Wolffe often comes around to check up on him because his brain injury still impacts his current life in small physical and emotional dips

Kit Fisto: Kit gives off mad trombone vibes and it’s mostly because he seems incredibly laid back. He’s one of those brass players who’s just a nice guy and while jokes around, never got pulled into jokes as a student.

Shaak Ti: like I said above, Shaak Ti is most definitely a harpist. She has that ethereal quality I think is common in harpists. She’s a tall Indian woman and she loves her job! She’s a private lesson teacher and instructor at the conservatory on top of her job in the orchestra since she’s not called in often to play. She loves all her students and gives good hugs.

Mace Windu: Mace is the director of the Jedi Symphony, the orchestra which almost everyone is involved with. He is a bass player and he likes his more classical pieces over contemporary music. He’s good friends with Yoda and sometimes the old troll has to wack some sense into Windu and have him take on newer pieces. Windu 100% gives off unhinged director vibes because mistakes and lazy musicians definitely don’t end after high school/college is over.

Quinlan Vos: this lil shithead definitely is the obnoxious, slightly arrogant, but kind of deserving of that, percussionist. He loves his snare drum and is also in the drumline. He’s the same age as Obi-Wan and the two are close friends. Quinlan is definitely slightly unhinged and is always at the back of the bus causing havoc after competitions. He’s the guy that I (OP) hate but also can’t help but respect cuz yeah he’s annoying but at least he’s good.

Aayla Secura: Aayla is Quinn’s half-sister, and plays the French horn. Again, like Cody, she’s got this air of professionalism that I associate with French horn players and like, we gotta represent the girls in brass somehow. She just fits it really nicely.

I feel like now is the time to list who’s still in conservatory and who isn’t: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Rex, Cody, Jesse, Quinlan, Padmé, and Satine are all recent graduates. Ahsoka, Aayla, Fives, Echo, Tup, Dogma, and Hardcase are still in conservatory (at varying years of course). Kix and Bo are entering med school/frantically applying and banging their heads cuz MCATs. Wolffe and Gregor are older and have been in the field for quite some time now. Plo, Kit, Shaak, and Mace are all faculty/seasoned professionals.

Somehow, I was gonna bring in The Skiratas (with proper research cuz I know very little about them), Dooku, Ventress, the Oppress siblings, rest of Domino Squad, Cut Lawquene, the other CCs, and more. I designated a page out of my sketchbook for this and my oh my the flow chart was hella confusing. How I thought I was gonna handle that in the summer before my first year of college, I have no idea. Maybe I’ll brainstorm more in the future but for now, this is all I have :]]]

Also excuse some of my slightly unhinged language I started writing this a few days ago while slightly unfocused and tired and stressed so my language is a product of that

[robinrunsfiction]

Style

Pairing: Frank Iero x Female Reader Rating: Teen Requested By: None Word Count: ~3,900 Author’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories inspired by songs by Taylor Swift, this one of course being Style from the album 1989. I had intended on holding on to the series until I had all of them done, but I’m struggling to write... anything lately so I’m posting the two that I do have done. Full honesty, this story is one I originally wrote about two years ago for a different fandom and then modified for this challenge. I hope you enjoy.

The vibrating of her phone on the nightstand next to her woke her from her light sleep. She rolled over, bleary eyed, and checked the screen.

From: Frank Iero Message: hey

"Oh for fucks sake" she muttered to herself. She glanced at the clock, just before midnight, no surprise there. 'What's up?' She texted back. She set her phone down and rolled back over, willing it to stay silent.

Until it vibrated again.

'So you are up…' he replied

'Because you woke me up' she replied.

'Anyway, wanna come over?'

'Where's your girl tonight?'

They had an arrangement. They would only contact each other if they knew the other wasn't seeing anyone and they'd hook up, no strings attached. It had been working out pretty well for a few years now. They were each occasionally with a significant other for a while, him more usually than her, but nothing long term, so they weren't ever out of their routine for too long.

'She's gone' he replied.

'At the very least you come to my place' she replied back.

'Already on my way'

(YN) dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom to check her reflection in the mirror before curling up on the couch and waiting for the doorbell to ring. About 20 minutes later, she had almost fallen back to sleep, when there was a knock. Trudging to the door, she opened to find that familiar face.

"Hey" she said, letting him in.

"Hey, glad you were up," he said with a smirk as he took off his coat and tossed it on the couch where she had just been sitting.

"I wasn't, remember?"

"But you are now," he said, taking a step toward her, putting his hands on her hips.

"Lucky you," she replied as she slipped from his grasp leading the way to her bedroom. Frank had hardly taken a step when she pulled off her tank top and flinging over her shoulder at him. 

It always amazed (YN) that no matter how long they may have been apart, they were always able to pick right up. She could remember exactly what to do to drive him wild, he remembered all the spots that she loved him to kiss and touch. 

When they both finished and were both lying back, catching their breath, he looked over at her and chuckled.

"What?" She asked with a laugh as well.

"I dunno" he muttered.

"So what happened with your girl?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"Nice pillow talk, (YN)."

"Oh come on, you know how I am" she said rolling over onto her elbow to look at him.

"Nosey?"

“I was gonna say kind of a bitch, but I suppose that’s true too,” she said with a shrug and he laughed.

"She said I wasn't giving her the attention she deserved, so she found someone who could."

"So she starts dating a touring musician,  someone who everyone knows is busy as hell, and bails when he's busy as hell? What a bitch."

"Eh, it was fun while it lasted."

(YN) rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

"What have you been up to?" He asked.

"Ya know, the usual" she said with a shrug.

"Been seeing anyone?"

"Why?"

"Making conversation."

"Nah. Been on a few dates, but nothing worth the effort." She said rolling on to her back again. He then rolled onto his side and looked at her.

"What?" She asked again, with a sideways glance.

"Admit it, you missed me."

"Ugh, you are the worst."

"You know you did."

"I missed... parts of you" with that same sly grin from before.

"Well, let's get reacquainted again."

~

The next morning (YN) woke up with the sun streaming in around the blinds. She was glad she had the day off because Frank had kept her up late. She looked over at where he slept beside her, back turned to her and she couldn't help but smile fondly at his tattooed back. She pulled herself out of bed and slipped into the shower.

Frank woke up and didn't find (YN) next to him, but soon realized he heard the shower running. Even when he was with his ex, he missed coming over to (YN)'s place, or when she would stop by his house unannounced. They were friends first and foremost, but the physical chemistry between them was undeniable. Their agreement had been working so well for so long that he didn't dare say what he had been feeling for a while now.

He heard the shower shut off and a minute later she came back into her room with her plush towel wrapped around herself.

"Oh you're up" she smiled. She thought maybe he would have slipped out by the time she got out of the shower.

"Yea I just woke up. You gotta work today?"

"No, today's my day off. You?"

"We got a meeting this afternoon."

"Sucks to suck" she said with a grin, pulling on underwear from her drawer.

He laughed lightly as he got up from the bed and got dressed. She glanced over at him while pulling on her shirt. It looked like there was something on his mind, but she didn't know if she should pry. "Wanna get brunch? Your treat?" She asked with a grin.

"Sure," he replied with a laugh.

They headed to a diner down the street and ordered their meals and caught up a bit more since it had been a while since they had been face to face.

"I have to go to this bachelorette party for my coworker tomorrow after working all day." (YN) said, rolling her eyes. She was a hair stylist and knew she had a busy Saturday booked. After being on her feet for hours, she knew she'd rather just crash in bed than go out.

"If you don't wanna go, don't go."

"No, I'm gonna go, I don't just bail, but I am gonna hate it the whole time. I'll just have to get a good night of sleep tonight." She said, narrowing her eyes at her friend across the table.

Frank shrugged and put his hands up defensively. "You coulda told me not to come over."

"Oh, you and I both know that wasn't gonna happen."

"Again, you missed me."

"Stop projecting your feelings on to me" she said hitting his arm from across the table and he laughed.

"Anyway, I gotta get home and shower, let's get outta here."

Frank paid for their meals, and they walked back down to her building.

“Good to see you again, (YN),” he said as he turned toward his car.

“Welcome back to the land of living Mr. Iero,” she replied as she let herself into her building.

~

The next morning (YN) woke up without any text messages interrupting her sleep. She got out of bed, showered and got ready for her day. She had a full schedule that included two of her more difficult clients in the afternoon.

Thankfully the day went quickly, but by the time her last client was done she had a splitting headache. She knew if she wanted to leave Jenny wouldn’t hold it against her, but Susie who organized the bachelorette party for Jenny would never let her forget it. As she cleaned up her station, she heard champagne bottles popping in the back room and decided she could at least go to dinner if it involved champagne.

After pre-gaming in the back of the salon, the group headed out to dinner and (YN) found her patience growing thinner, and the drinks she was consuming weren’t helping. There were multiple conversations happening, but she found herself sitting back, wishing she was anywhere else at that moment.

 “(YN), you’re single, what’s up with that? You’re so pretty and feisty, I can’t believe you can’t find a guy who can put up with that!” One of her coworkers asked. She opened her mouth to reply to the back handed compliment, when Susie jumped in.

“I heard she’s got a friend with benefits!”

“Well yes Susie, you’re right! Because I don’t see the point in being in a relationship. I can get laid without all the unnecessary bullshit that goes along with it! Win-win!” She said taking a smug sip of her drink, relishing in the dumbfounded looks and glares being shot at her from her coworkers who were celebrating the idea of long-term commitment and romantic love.

She finished her dinner and glanced at the time on her phone, it wasn’t very late, but waved down the waiter and paid her check. As she left, she gave Jenny a hug and whispered an apology into her ear for her bitchy comment earlier.

“Don’t worry, I understand” Jenny replied with a smile.

(YN)'s uber was outside when she exited the restaurant. She gave the driver the address and rested her head against the cool window.

If she was to be honest with herself, she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of a relationship, but she was really satisfied with where her life was, especially now that Frank was coming around again. He really was the best sex she had ever had, probably because they had been in each other’s lives for so long.

When she arrived at her destination, she breathed a sigh of relief that the lights in the living room were on and no other cars were around.

“I knew you’d turn up sooner or later, but I didn’t think it would be this soon” Frank said with a smirk when he opened the door.

“Are you gonna chastise me, or are you gonna invite me in?” She asked, rolling her eyes. He stood back and opened the door for her and she came in. The place looked the same as always, kind of cluttered with guitars and horror movie memorabilia all over the place.

“How was your party?”

“It was ok. I like my coworkers at work, much more than that, I’ll pass. They get real catty when they start drinking," she said flopping down on the couch. "I see you have a real exciting evening going on here.”

“Well it’s a good thing you came along to save me from it” he said sitting down next to her, putting his hand on her thigh.

“What can I say, it’s my super power,” she said, turning her body into his, putting her hand on his chest. He leaned in and they started making out. He ran his hand further up her thigh over her tight jeans, the other hand on her back pulling her closer to him. She ran her nails up the back of his neck, raking over his scalp sending goosebumps up and down his body.

He leaned back pulling her onto his lap, and she took the opportunity to pull her top off. He pulled her back down to kiss him, hand roaming over her back, easily undoing her bra and tossing it aside, as she ground her hips into his with an increasing urgency. He sat up and she pulled his shirt off and then raked her nails over his tattooed chest.

Moans and muttered curses filled the room until they both came. She fell forward onto his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She was surprised at first by the affection of the action, but didn’t care because it did feel nice to be held like that. They stayed like that for a few minutes before she pulled back.

“I guess I should get goin' then” she said reaching down to gather her clothes from the floor.

“Why?” He asked. “I mean, we haven’t hung out in a while, just stay.”

She considered the offer. He had a point, they used to hang out much more. And it wasn’t like she had anything to do that night.

“Ok sure, but I’m still putting on some of my clothes," she retorted.

“You want something to drink?” He asked, getting up after pulling his sweatpants back on and wandering into the kitchen.

“Yea, I’ll take a beer” she said following him into the kitchen in just her bra and panties.

“That’s a good look,” he said, handing her a beer.

“Thanks, I was thinking this bra wasn’t getting enough appreciation for the hard work it does.”

“Well I for one would like to salute it. It truly is doing God’s work.” He replied with a wink.

They went back to the couch and sat on opposite sides while he picked a movie on Netflix. As the movie played, they talked about the party she had been at and some new songs he was working on. As the evening wore on, (YN) could feel herself getting sleepier from her long day. She felt her head getting heavy as she slowly leaned toward Frank.

She woke up the next morning still on the couch, her head was on this chest and his arms were wrapped around her. She didn't move, not sure of how to react to the position she was in.

They had been friends for a long time before that one night when they were at a party and someone suggested Seven Minutes in Heaven. (YN) had been a little worried, but also quite exhilarated when she realized her partner was Frank. They had both been liquored up enough to throw caution to the wind the second the door to the closet shut behind them.

Their lips crashed together, hands in hair and all over each other. The seven minutes passed too quickly, so when the attention of the party was off them and their disheveled state, they snuck off to another room to finish what they had started.

At that point in their lives, (YN) had just gotten out of a shitty relationship and had no interest in getting into anything else serious anytime soon, and Frank was fine with just having fun. She and Frank’s chemistry led them to hooking up a few more times before they officially agreed to do the friends with benefits thing. Over time she warmed back up to the idea of being in a relationship, but she didn’t actively pursue anything because she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be with Frank. She always had felt jealous when he let her know he was seeing someone, but she was terrified of ruining things with him, so she never let on to how she felt.

Now as she woke up with his arms around her like that, it felt quite intimate, bordering on relationship-y behavior. Even if she did decide to risk it all with Frank, now wouldn't be the time as she'd just be a rebound, so in that moment she decided she just needed to back off for a minute and let things even out a little, and get back to normal.

"Hey," he murmured, waking up.

"Hey" she replied, pulling herself up from his arms.

"You want some coffee?" He asked sitting up and shuffling off to the kitchen.

"Yea sure" she said following behind him, sitting on a barstool at the counter as she watched him make the coffee.

"What are you doing today?" She asked. That voice in the back of her head nagged for even asking the question. They weren't a couple, they didn't just hang out every day they were free, why even bring up the topic?

"I'm gonna go down to record a few of those demos I was telling you about last night" he replied, pulling out a couple mugs. "But you wanna hang out later?"

"Nah" She replied, shaking her head. A concerned look crossed his face. He wondered what he had done as he handed her the mug.

"You got something better to do?"

"Frank, I'm gonna be straight with you, I'm not looking to be a rebound, you know that. That’s not what I signed up for.”

"I'm not trying to use you as a rebound! I just thought you’d want to hang out since it’s been a while. I don't want anything to change what’s going on with us," he lied. 

It wasn't completely a lie, he didn't want her to be a rebound, but he did want things to change between them, he wanted them to be more. He did want a relationship with (YN), that's why he never put effort into his other relationships, because they never were with her. But he didn't want to drive her away, so he kept being friends with benefits, so at least he could be with her in some way.

She considered what he was telling her, not completely believing him. "Mmk," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Can I at least give you a ride back to your place?”

“You're such a gentleman," she smirked. "But I’d appreciate it.”

~

Over the next few weeks, (YN) and Frank settled back into their usual routine for when they were both single. They would text regularly, stop by each other’s place to hook up at least once a week, and sometimes hang out if a group was getting together.

Once things had normalized between them, she started to stop worrying so much about whether Frank was using her as a rebound. She did notice though that he still was being more physically affectionate than he used to be, putting his arm casually around the back of her chair when they were sitting next to each other, holding her for a little longer after hooking up, she'd wake up sleeping against him. She realized that maybe she was keeping up the affection just as much as he was, but that didn't change the fact that she just didn't think they should be pursuing a relationship.

On a quiet Tuesday in the salon, Jenny and (YN) were the only two working and chatting about life between clients.

"(YN) , don't take this the wrong way, but I have to ask. Are you still just hooking up with your friend?" Jenny asked

"Yea, but it's good, it's fine! It's what we want to do, ya know? Like for a while I was worried that he was catching feelings, and sometimes I get jealous, but we're just having fun and we're good."

"Yea, but have you talked about it recently? Like you said it seemed like he was getting attached."

"We did talk about it, and he said he wasn't trying to rebound and I believe him, and things went back to normal."

"And what about your jealousy?"

"Damn Dr. Phil!" (YN) retorted. She was surprised at the intense line of questioning coming from her friend. She was even more surprised at the knowing smirk that was on Jenny's face. "What?!" She snapped.

"There's nothing wrong with being vulnerable! Let him crack that hard shell you have around you, I'm sure you have a soft, gooey center in there somewhere!"

"He's found my soft center plenty of times, he's very good at that actually." (YN) said with a wink, getting up to prepare her work station for her next client.

"(YN), ew! But just think about it. What honestly could be the worst that would happen?" Jenny called after her.

"I could lose him and everything we have," she muttered under her breath.

~

(YN) was crammed in a booth with Frank, Mikey, Gerard, Ray and a few others at the afterparty celebrating another sold out show. It had been a long night of partying, but (YN) was having a lot of fun since it had been a long time since she got to hang out with the whole band. She did notice that Frank had kept his arm around her shoulder for most of the night, but she decided to let it slide.

Eventually the group started to get pulled away into different conversations until (YN), Frank and Ray were the only ones left in the booth.

"Ray, that girl over at the bar has been tryna to eye fuck you for a while now. Are you gonna do something about it?" (YN) asked, as she drew their attention to the girl at the bar.

"I see that," he said, taking the last swig of his drink and sliding out of the booth. (YN) and Frank both laughed as he made his way over to her.

"What do you think his chances are?" She asked, taking a drink.

"Eh, probably pretty good, she does seem into him."

(YN) could feel Frank's eyes on her. "What?" She asked, turning to look at him. He reached up to her cheek and pulled her in to kiss him. She didn't protest as he deepened the kiss, but after a moment the voice in her head started screaming 'What are you doing? This isn't how you two act in public!'

"Frank, what are you doing?" She asked, pulling back.

"I don't know anymore, (YN). I... fuck..." he stammered.

She knew where this was going because she had felt it building for a while now. She grabbed her bag and slid out from the booth.

"(YN) , come on, don't leave like this." He said following her out of the bar into the cool night.

"Frank, what are you doing?" She said putting an emphasis on each individual word, as if saying it more clearly would somehow spark clarity in his mind. She looked up at him, his hazel puppy dog eyes filled with fear and frustration. After a long moment, he still hadn't replied so she turned leave when he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him.

"(YN), I love you, ok? I fucking care about you and I don't give two shits about what we've agreed we're supposed to be, or what we aren't supposed to say. You are the reason none of those other relationships worked out. You're the one I always come back to, over and over again."

"Fucking hell man!" She shouted as she put her hands over her face. Her head was spinning. This was everything she had known deep down all along, it was all she wanted to hear for so long. But now that it was happening, she was panicking.

Frank took her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face, but she pulled her wrists away from him with a jerk, taking a step back and drawing in a deep breath.

"Ok, fine! I'm out of excuses. I've always had feelings for you too. Every time you tell me you have some girl you're seeing it made me so mad, and at first I didn't want anything more with you or anyone, but now I do and now I know you do too, so let's fucking do this Frank. I'm in. I love you too, goddamn it."

"You're mad that you love me?" He asked, laughing.

"Shut up" she said, pushing on his arm. He laughed again and took her face in his hands and placed a kiss on her lips with every ounce of passion he had been holding back for all the years and she wrapped her arms around his neck. When they separated, he took her hand and they went back into the bar to find Ray back at the table alone.

Even though he was dejected from his strikeout, Ray couldn't have been happier to see his plan to play Seven Minutes in Heaven all those years ago had finally paid off.

[theresetriestoblog]

My Five Favorite Romantic K-Dramas (by a newbie)

I admit, I used to ~dislike~ Korean Dramas not just because it is too mainstream, but also each episode of every dramas run for at least an hour, and as someone who has a short attention span, I was totally not for it. I, too, did not expect that the Korean drama wave would affect me so much that I won't sleep until my question about an episode of the drama I was watching has been answered. As someone who has always been a fan of all things romance, these five k-dramas made me love the genre even more. *SPOILERS AHEAD* 

1. WHAT'S WRONG WITH SECRETARY KIM (2018)

Plot:

This tells the story of a *really* handsome but self centered and narcissistic bujangnim - Vice Chairman Lee Young Joon (Park Seo Joon) who fell in love with his nine-year secretary Kim Mi So (Park Min Young) while stopping her from resigning.

What I like about this Drama:  

- Its light ~aura~ (and Young Joon's Aura, of course). It is a feel good drama and is the best one to make your heart flutter. Young Joon is just super boyfriend material as he falls for Mi So everyday. I also like the fact that there are no antagonists and not much problems and obstacles were shown.

- THEIR CHEMISTRY. I honestly loved the chemistry between the two leads and I LOVED every scenes they have together, especially the ones in his office and in his house :P

- The supporting characters. Unlike other dramas who have an *official* second lead couples, this k drama also offers not one but two side couples who also started to find romance at the same time as the main leads. Secretary Yang's confession to Manager Bong is one of the most iconic confessions in k drama land, i must say.

- The office setting! This drama made me love workplace dramas because it also shows that you always start from the ground, especially in Miso's case.

- Its kilig factor. This drama loves to play with my heart as it keeps on pounding everytime Young Joon makes Mi So feel his love and vice versa. They portray a healthy, understanding and a lowkey relationship that is definitely relationship goals.

Favorite Scene/s:

- Young Joon's Proposal to Mi So. From the caramel bars to the song he prepared for her, I must say it is by far the best marriage proposal I have seen in a k drama. It is a heartfelt proposal that will make you fall in love as well!

- When Young Joon was drunk after drinking with Mi So's dad but managed to express how much he loves her. I cannot count how many times I rewatched this scene, you would also feel his sincerity even if he is drunk, but his drunkenness made him express how much she loves Mi So and that he is ready to spend the rest of his life with her.

- *Every Kissing Scenes* It was so sweet and gentle. How. Could. You. Not. Love. It. Especially their first kiss!!

- The first time Young Joon said I love you. It was when he was teasing Mi So about their *unfinished business*, he went from spicy to sweet when Mi So got annoyed with him for being such a ~bulldozer~ but he stopped by saying ~saranghaeyo~ instead.

- All of their scenes when they are already dating, actually. 

2. ENCOUNTER (2018 - 2019)

Plot:

A Hotel CEO and Divorcee, Cha Soo Hyun (Song Hye Kyo) spends a day with a free spirited and ambitious guy, Kim Jin Hyuk (Park Bo Gum) in a business trip in Cuba who turns out to be a newly hired employee in her hotel in Korea. Their fateful encounter turned out to be an encounter of a lifetime.

What I like about this drama:

- Its heart fluttering moments. This drama is also the best in making my heart flutter. My heart beats everytime Jin Hyuk stands up for Soo Hyun whenever the kontrabidas in her life try to bring her down and whenever he expresses how much he loves her.

- The modern ~fairytale~ theme. Rich Girl falls inlove with a Poor Guy. Typical, right? But the fact that they fought for each other even if they have a different status in life,  their love prevailed no matter how circumstances try to break them apart and they were willing to step to each other's world and leave everything behind is a magic we don't usually see in most fairytales.

- KIM. JIN. HYUK. The best boyfriend, ever. He has the most swoon worthy lines that you'd wish you'd hear from your siginificant other too (and make you want to have one). Not just that, he pursued Soo Hyun no matter what and gave no shit to the people who tell them they are from different worlds and must not be together, instead, he went on to take a step forward towards "the world she lives alone."

- The fact that Soo Hyun learned and eventually took control of her own life and stood firm on her own decisions when Kim Jun Hyuk came into his life just goes to show that she loves Jin Hyuk as much as he loves her. She also became stronger and learned to fight for what she wants!

- The Pilot Episode. It is undoubtedly my favorite pilot episode out of all the dramas Ive watched. It is a great introduction to the drama and it was just so magical, from the cinematography and emphasis on how important Cuba is on their love story.

- Park Bo Gum. He did great in portraying Kim Jin Hyuk, his acting is so convincing that you'd want him as your namjachinggu too. Not to mention that he makes what is  supposed to be a sad scene only to a tearjerking one because of his crying face.

Favorite Scene/s:

- When Soo Hyun fearlessly announced that he and Jin Hyuk are in a Pre-Relationship stage.

- All their scenes together in Cuba. Especially when Soo Hyun found the letter Jin Hyuk left for him in the coffee shop and when they came back to the place they first met.

- The scene when they both agreed to be in a pre-relationship stage after he saw Soo Hyun in the museum they've been going too.

- That scene where Jin Hyuk told Soo Hyun she cant live without her anymore because "that would be impossible." I shed tears everytime I re-watch this scene, it was just so sincere.

- When Jin Hyuk attended the Masquerade ball he organized, much to Soo Hyun's surprise. *It is where they had their first kiss*

- When they had a date in a park where Jin Hyuk gave Soo Hyun a couple ring.

3. WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY KIM BOK JOO (2016 - 2017)

Plot: Weightlifter Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung) cross paths with his childhood friend, Jung Jun Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk), who is a swimmer in the university she attends to. Together, they discover what it is to love and to be loved and to face victories and failures.   What I like about the drama: - The theme. I liked how it relied and revolved heavily on the sports theme and how important it was to their story. The fact that Jun Hyung does not always win in his competitions and Si Ho, who was once the best gymnast in their university but is not anymore is realistic, because we don't always win and succeed everytime, and its okay. - The lessons. The best thing this drama has taught me is its okay to take a break and even quit from the thing you were passionate about. There came a time when Bok Joo felt discouraged from everything that she had to take a break from weightlifting and started to do things she always wanted to do. - The Main leads. I could not have asked for a better casting. LSK fits Bok Joo perfectly and NJH is perfect for Jun Hyung. They have a pleasing and satisfying chemistry that you'd wish to see them work together (and date) again. - Its cute and light vibes. I am totally so into dramas with no antagonists and no stressful scenes. It is definitely what you need after watching a heavy drama. - Their love for each other. It was just so pure and healthy. Jun Hyung thought things over and made sure she is really in love with Bok Joo before confessing and waited till she felt the same way and same goes to Bok Joo who did not give false hopes to Jun Hyung and eventually realized that he makes her heart flutter too. They are relationship goals and make you want to find a boyfriend / girlfriend ASAP. - Their friendship. They were always there for each other, through thick and thin! Favorite Scene/s: - The protesting scene. When their coach got fired for using their department's fund for a student in need, Bok Joo felt the need for their voices to be heard, so they held a protest against the university's decision and also went on a hunger strike. Eventually, they were heard and got their coach back. - When they became official. It was one of the cutest becoming official scenes in kdramas i have watched, it was so real. - Their graduation. Especially when Jun Hyung was so sure of Bok Joo that he told her he will marry her when he makes it through the national team and wins a gold medal. - When Jun Hyung and Bok Joo talked things over in their dorm's lobby when she got Jealous of Si Ho, Jun Hyung had to calm her down and explain why he was like that. - When they went clubbing, specifically when they were on the dancefloor, their dance moves were SO hilarious. - All their scenes at the fish pond! - Actually, all of their scenes together. 

4. CRASH LANDING ON YOU (2019 - 2020)

Plot: A South Korean chaebol, Yoon Se Ri (Son Ye Jin) crash lands into the North Korean DMZ, specifically into the arms of soldier Captain Ri Jeong Hyeok (Hyun Bin) after a paragliding accident. What I like about the drama: - Their meet cute. You would tell that their *first* meeting was a fresh concept and was unique. - The way it portrayed destiny. Out of all the k dramas that wanted to show how destined the main couples are, this drama is definitely on the top. It surely made every viewers believe in destiny. They were so destined for each other that it made you want to crash land(i) on someone too. - The filming locations. As a newbie, what makes me like a K Drama are the filming spots. And CLOY, being the extra drama that it always has been, surely never fails. The locations were not just for a beautiful backdrop but it really played important roles in their love story, especially in Switzerland. But as a foodie, my favorite would have to be the chicken and beer shop in Seoul that Se Ri, Jeong Hyeok and the comrades frequent. Favorite Scene/s: - All of their *meetings* in Switzerland. (Yup, and THAT meeting too ❤️) - Jeong Hyeok and Se Ri's inuman session, especially when Jeong Hyeok said he wants to marry Se Ri in Seoul and have twins with her and that he wants to see her have gray hair. I mean, how can you not love that scene. 😩 - Okay, this one is heartbreaking, but i liked it because it is. When Se Ri said Saranghaeyo to Jeong Hyeok for the first time, but what supposed to be a sweet scene turned into a heartbreaking one when Jeong Hyeok heard a gun shot right after she said those words. - When Jeong Hyeok gave Se Ri couple rings on her birthday. - The moment they met again in South Korea. - All of their scenes together in Jeong Hyeok's parents house, especially when they found out they actually met each other before in Switzerland.

5. SUSPICIOUS PARTNER (2017)

Plot: A prosecutor trainee turned lawyer, Eun Bong Hee (Nam Ji Hyun) was arrested for the murder of his ex boyfriend but was acquitted by his former senior, prosecutor turned lawyer No Ji Wook (Ji Chang Wook) because of lack of evidence. They teamed up to solve more cases and to find answers as well as eventually finding love along the way. What I like about the drama: - The humor. I super loved this drama's comedic side. It is definitely not your typical romcom as it also focuses on the legal and crime aspect of the story. I remember how I laughed out loud everytime Ji Wook loses his chill during their chaotic meetings or whenever Bong Hee is being Bong Hee. - Their Chemistry. What makes a drama loveable, is of course, the main leads' chemistry, and theirs is God Tier. IRL, they have a 9 year age gap but you really wont notice it in the drama since they both balance out each other, Chang Wook has that childish side even if he is older, and Ji Hyun has that Mature aura that makes their chemistry overflow. JCW and NJH, pls date. - The Bromance. Even though the two male leads didnt have a mutual relationship from the start, it didnt stop them from having a funny and chaotic bromance. Ji Eun Hyuk (Choi Tae Joon) has always loved his BFF, Ji Wook, but his past mistake makes it hard for Ji Wook to be civil with him, but even though things were tough for Ji Wook, he never failed to care for Eun Hyuk and vice versa. Nevertheless, their bromantic chemistry topped my expectations.   - Its not so usual storyline. Like what I said, this is not your typical romcom. Actually, this drama is more of a legal crime drama than a romantic comedy one, they were so busy catching the culprit (s) that the drama had less time to focus on their love story. However, I still enjoyed its romantic aspect because they both prioritized their careers  (and again, catching the killer) before focusing on their love for each other. And I mean, Ji Chang Wook as your boyfriend? Who would not enjoy that? - JI CHANG WOOK. That's it. This is enough reason for me to like this drama. I mean, I think we can all agree that Ji Chang Wook in Suspicious Partner. Favorite Scenes: - Ji Wook's Proposal to Bong Hee. I love the fact that he swiftly just put the ring on it without asking her the question. He is THAT confident. (Only do it if you are Ji Chang Wook tho) - When Ji Wook found out the *truth* about his parents demise, he tightly hugged Bong Hee and told her to never break up and stay with him even if things would be hard for them and even if he says she should go away. - Their first day together as a couple!! Especially when Ji Wook just came out from the shower and Bong Hee told him that it is their day one. - When Bong Hee teased Ji Wook like something had happened to them when he came home drunk. - The moment they got back together! Ji Wook's line really got me especially when Bong Hee told him that she is scared that something might happen again to them and the people around them, but Ji Wook, being the risk taker of a boyfriend that he is, said that "Let it happen (the bad things) it does not matter to me. It's just that breaking up with you was scarier, to me, that was the scariest thing." - ALL of their "meetings" but are not actually meetings because of Mr. Byeon's funny and senseless antics.

[jjpmoans]

"Did someone spike your milk?" + Sehun x Jinyoung x OC

Theme : Siblings au

Word count : 903 words

A non-Valentine fic for Valentine's Day! For someone who doesn't have a boyfriend, I'm sure having Jinyoung and Sehun as brothers would surpass the lonely feels!

This is requested by my anon twins! Hope you see this and like it! Honestly I can never picture Sehun and Jinyoung as siblings because.....they are so different.

Happy Valentine's my followers and mutuals!

"Mom, I'm home!" I announce loudly, closing the door behind me. Sizzling sound comes from the kitchen, signalling that my mother is there, cooking for lunch. I sneak into the kitchen with my bag still on me, following the smell of delicious food ready to be served.

Just as I enter the dining area, the front door opens again, loud voices fill the space.

"Oh you're here--"

"Mom! We are home!" both of them shout in unison.

"Sehun," he sighs exaggeratedly. "Will you ever learn to put your shoes nicely?" he huffs, lifting Sehun's shoes to the rack. Meanwhile, Sehun is already halfway to the kitchen, meeting me in the middle.

"What for? I have you, Jinyoung." he reaches to ruffles my hair. "Hi shorty" he turns, waiting for Jinyoung to join him. "I know you love me."

Jinyoung rolls his eyes at his words, jabbing him with his elbow. "You are only a few seconds older. That doesn't mean you can bully me."

Sehun laughs, following him into the kitchen while his hand pulls me to trail behind him.

"I'm your brother. Accept it." Jinyoung is already at mom's side, gesturing Sehun to come faster. As Sehun stands on the opposite side, both of them plaster a kiss on mom's forehead.

"Thank you, boys." smile appears on her face as she excellently flip the omelette in the pan. The kiss tradition started after dad passed away. Knowing that mom is lonely and has no male affection to receive anymore, Jinyoung announced that Sehun (after being strangled by Jinyoung) and himself will be giving kisses for mom everytime they are going out, coming home and also before she sleeps.

As weird as it sounds, it feels really warm to see mom smiles everytime Jinyoung reaches over to plant a kiss on her cheeks or forehead and when Sehun looks like he's being forced but silently enjoying to pour mom more love.

"Have a good day today, mom?" Jinyoung asks while he walks over to the dining table, joining me.

"Hi pig. Do you want a kiss too?" He ruffles my hair, unlike Sehun, Jinyoung kind of grab a handful of my hair, destroying it in the process and circling them into a clump. Quickly mutters a 'no', I push his face away as Jinyoung laughs at my annoyed face.

It's hard to have a twin as brothers. First off, they are boys and they are annoying. Second, they quarrel everyday over the simplest thing and have completely different personalities. Thirdly they just team up when it comes to tease me. I blows my bangs as Sehun reaches to fix my destroyed hair; which becomes worse when he tries.

"Urgh! Sehun! You are giving no help!"

"Is it my fault that your hair tangle in a very weird way?" he pulls one strand of tangled hair, almost accidentally rips my scalp.

"Ow!!"

"Damn Jinyoung. How do you even do this?" Sehun gives up, I turn to Jinyoung, demanding him to fix my hair.

"What do I do with you," he sighs tiredly as if he's not the one putting them in tangles, proceeding to untangle them. I growl in response which he shrugs it off by squeezing my cheeks with his unoccupied hand.

Out of them two, Jinyoung is gentler and more patient while Sehun is harsher and impatient. But when it comes to me, they just switched personalities. Jinyoung is meaner to me than Sehun who is nicer and baby me more than Jinyoung.

"Okay, quit fighting." Mom comes to put down the dishes. Jinyoung stands to his feet and bring over a pot of soup and utensils for us. I told you, Jinyoung is basically a second mom in this house when he is nice.

Keyword, 'when'.

.

.

Sehun groans, flapping his long limbs. With a biology book in his hand, he crashes his body flat on the floor. Jinyoung and me look up from our homework, watching Sehun stamped to the floor like a lizard.

"Jinyoung. I'm bored. Entertain me." he requests.

Jinyoung who is still staring at him, replies "Hi bored. I'm Jinyoung." Sehun stares at him, unamused and disgusted. Jinyoung on the other hand starts chortling and proud of his own joke.

I snort at his reply, cannot contain my laughter after listening to one line of his monotonous joke.

"Oh my god Jinyoung. That is a very bad joke." I hiccup. "How on earth you are my brother?"

"I had been thinking the same about you, if you want to know." Jinyoung replies nonchalantly. I am about to whack him on the head when Sehun whines.

"No no stop." Sehun waves his hand, trying to get the attention to him. "Jinyoung, please." He begs. Even though Sehun is older, Jinyoung is always the mature one.

Hence, this situation happens where Sehun is the one to beg and Jinyoung is the one who controls him.

He pushes his chemistry book away and turns to Sehun. "Okay what do you want."

Sehun roams his eyes to the ceiling, searching for some interesting ideas. He is bored, yes he is. But to make Jinyoung agree to his plead is something uncommon. Therefore he need to keep Jinyoung interested in his idea so that he can at least stall Jinyoung for about 30 minutes before he lose interest.

"Hmm." But at this rate, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before Jinyoung turns away and does his homework again.

"Sehun."

"Hmm?"

"You are taking awfully long to answer. I'm giving you 10 more seconds or I'll decide it on my own." Jinyoung warns. A common trait that they share, Jinyoung and Sehun hate waiting.

"Aha!" Sehun jolts from his position, holding his arm high. Jinyoung on the other hand is surprised and jumps at his sudden shout.

"Fuck you scared me." Comes his swear.

Sehun turns to Jinyoung, eyes narrowing while his smile widens. "Give me fun facts."

"Huh?" He didn't mean fun facts like 'fun' facts right?

"What?" Jinyoung ask incredulously. "Sehun. Did someone spike your milk?" As ridiculous as it sounds, yes. Sehun drinks milk. Jinyoung drinks coffee. Weird isn't it when the eldest drinks milk while his twin prefers a black drink?

Sehun pouts when Jinyoung accuses, eyes drooping. When Jinyoung sees this, he immediately straightened up and crosses his leg.

He's ready to entertain Sehun.

Mind to tell you that Jinyoung's weakness is Sehun. You can ask him to choose anything vs Sehun, he is ready to drop everything for Sehun. It's twin or nothing.

"Okay okay. Stop pouting." He scoots closer to Sehun. "Okay fun fact."

Sehun immediately brightens up at his attention, his eyes lightens and his focus is solely on Jinyoung. Jinyoung on the other hand is searching his brain for fun facts. Because he read a lot, so he knows lots of facts but not all facts are considered fun.

"Okay so do you know--"

"No I don't," Jinyoung and Sehun whip their heads to me. Both of them narrows their eyes as I laugh at my own interruption. Somehow they look like babies who are ready to throw hands.

Jinyoung inhales and exhales slowly. "One more distraction.." he warns. "One teeny bit and I'll make sure your hairs are gone." Jinyoung loves my hair. He always feel the need to rip it off me and throw it anywhere.

I lift my pencil box and hold it like a gun. "You don't dare."

An eraser flies pass Jinyoung's ears and hits me on my forehead, making a loud and clear sound of a skull being knocked. Jinyoung's eyes widens. Head thrown back, I groan and immediately glare at the culprit.

There sit Sehun, grinning in triumph. His grins falters before he turns to Jinyoung immediately. "Fun facts?" He beams. A snort escapes from Jinyoung which he tries to stop but fail miserably.

"Let me give you one." My head steams in anger. I stand up and stride towards Sehun. "Every organ you have two of, you only need one of it to survive."

Sehun scream is already everywhere when I approaches him. Jinyoung on the other hand tries to stop me with his laughter bursting out loudly.

"So," Jinyoung catches me by my hand, straining me from going after Sehun. "Sehun." I grit my teeth. Jinyoung is already dying of laughter and attempting to hold me.

"I'm gonna rip at least one of your nostril." My own nostrils flares as I struggle in Jinyoung's hold. "Let go of me, Jinyoung!" Loud scream escapes Sehun when I lurch forward, he jumps for his dear life.

"Jinyoung!" Giving up, Jinyoung lets me go. He rolls on his back, clutching his stomach. In a blink of eye, I'm on my feet, running after Sehun's nose.

"Sehun!"

"Mom!!!!" Sehun runs out of our study room, straight to my mom's room.

His huge feet pound against the wood, creating loud echoes. "Come back here!" I shout, leaving a rolling Jinyoung in the room.

The whole house turns into a battlefield after our break out. Of course, our banter and fights won't fade until one of us lose our lungs from laughing, shouting or screaming too much.

After all, we only have each other. To fight, to love and to take care of.

[jumpboy-rembrandt]

hey do yall wanna hear an au idea i’ve had abt the seven birds as a superhero team? the plot is constantly changing, but here’s what i’ve got (warning it’s a lot and bullet points are used gratuitously):

an alien object falls to the earth, breaking apart as it falls. it scatters around a small city, and the pieces seem to hone in on the nearest living human once they near the ground.

(psst – this is the light of creation)

these seven (mostly) unrelated people slowly realize that they now have…unusual abilities

another alien entity follows, and its agents begin wreaking havoc around this city searching for the missing pieces of the light

(psst – this is the hunger)

individually, each person touched by the light ventures out to fight off these beings, especially since they themselves tend to be targeted.

these agents can get a vague sense of where the shards are, but not who exactly has them. thus, there is some degree of investigation done to find the individuals.

said agents can either be sentient or monster-like

the light-holders are all disguised as they fight – some for anonymity, some so that these agents have more trouble seeking them out, and some just because it seems like the right thing to do.

none of them knew each other before now, but they cross paths often enough that they realize they should probably group up.

most of them want to keep their identities secret, so they agree to do that while also making a few other decisions:

they should all have each others’ numbers. they won’t seek each other out, but it is important to keep in contact.

they should get better costumes (a plea from taako, who subsequently makes them)

they should have a theme

so they decide upon uniform colors and the title of “seven birds” because…idk, maybe they all like how poetic it sounds?

anyway, here’s a breakdown of each member:

magnus was struck by the light while sparring with carey behind their apartment complex. he was knocked over and carey kinda panicked?? but then he got up and said “did you do that?” and she responded “how would i hurl something at you from the sky, you’re fucking huge” and they moved past it

carey and magnus are roommates, so she’s the first one to notice when he starts accidentally breaking things and can knock her down more easily.

the weirdest part was when he was carving a little figurine and she jumped up behind him – to be fair, she thought he was drawing plans for something at the carpentry shop. they both saw the knife go directly towards his fingers and…bounce off. being magnus, he immediately tried to stab his hand and nothing happened. carey, being carey, poked the edge to see if it was dull and, ow, no, it wasn’t.

so, magnus has super strength and armor-like skin. a downside to this is that the changes weren’t entirely magic (think commitment), so he has to eat a lot more than usual and that’s. not insignificant.

the superhero name he chooses is eagle, which he called out immediately bc he wanted the best bird. his color theme is orange. his uniform doesn’t have sleeves, and it was a struggle for taako to even make him wear a shirt.

merle was hiking through the woods, and when he got hit he actually blacked out for a little bit. he woke up in a bed of flowers and, huh, that’s really convenient how it broke my fall

he works part time as an EMT and spends the rest working in a plant nursery. i. think you can guess how he notices what’s going on.

merle’s power is accelerating and manipulating organic growth, which means that he can both control plants and heal wounds. this does take a physical toll, as it is his energy being transferred. he also needs to eat a lot.

his superhero name is dove bc ~peace~ and stuff. his color theme is, naturally, green.

taako and lup were. uh. not getting in trouble. they were just having a misunderstanding. fortunately, said misunderstanding was not as fast as they were bc the misunderstanding was missing their shoes. they stumbled and fell as the light split at the last second and hit them both, but they quickly jumped back to their feet, turned a corner, and were home free.

both of them are studying masters level chemistry, so their discoveries are in public and require a bit of covering up. taako was trying to work out the chemical structure of a fairly simple crystal when it moved. he jumped, then tried it again, and found out that he could even separate out certain parts without needing a reactant.

lup gets bored waiting for a solution to boil and suddenly it explodes

taako’s power is manipulating chemical structures and lup’s is causing combustion or explosions. both require a knowledge of chemistry; taako has to understand the structure of what he’s moving or separating, and lup needs to know about boiling/ignition points and pressure changes etc. again; the energy comes from them. you get the point by now, i think.

taako is starling and purple, and lup is phoenix and red.

they both have pockets containing little beads of easy-to-change materials if they can’t find anything else to use

barry is a phd student, and was in the basement bio lab of the local university when the light phased through the ceiling and hit him. he stumbled backwards and fortunately didn’t hurt himself, bc he basically lives in there and no one would check on him for a while.

the next time he’s forced into a university function, he’s shrinking against a wall wishing he wasn’t there, and then he…isn’t. he falls over into the next room bc he just went through the wall.

i’ll be honest – barry basically has danny phantom powers. the tricky bit is that if he’s exhausted, instead of losing his powers, he can’t keep a physical form very well. finally, a reason for this man to get some sleep already.

his codename is nightingale and his color is blue. thank goodness he can make his clothes and glasses ghost with him, or else he’d be recognizable and useless.

davenport was relaxing with a short flight just outside of town. he notices some strange lights, then realizes one is coming towards him, then barely manages to keep the plane from crashing when it hits him in the head. he quickly lands and checks the plane for damage, but there’s no trace of it.

his mind is wandering during a pretty boring meeting one day when everyone suddenly stops. davenport tunes in and notices that, um, there’s a small boat appearing to float across the table. this completely snaps him out of his thoughts, and it disappears. it’s a good thing the old people on the board like to brush over unexplainable things, bc after a few moments, the meeting picks back up.

he works at a nerd museum. he mostly enjoys it, but also wants to save up enough to move to the coast.

his power is creating illusions and, depending on his energy, materializing them. the illusions barely cost anything, but the materialization is really draining.

his hero name is canary and his color theme is gold.

i wanted it to be albatross at first, but that sounded a little…eh? i liked canary better, esp since it’s yellow

+ instead of having half the symbolism of a curse, it symbolizes freedom!! i think that’s an important dav trait.

finally, lucretia was riding home on her bike and, unlike dav, did crash. strangely, she and her bike were totally unharmed.

lucretia works part-time as a secretary to save up for college, while also working at a bookstore bc she is a Nerd. she got lost in the Deep Shelves and, when a pile of books fell and set off a domino effect, she stretched out her hands to stop them – and they actually did stop.

lucretia can create force fields of any shape, and move them around. that may seem simple, but she can ride them like a hover board, trap people, and, if she’s strong enough, slice things.

her superhero name is bluejay and her color is teal.

other characters include:

julia, magnus’s coworker/boss’s daughter, and they’ve been in love since forever. when the light stuff started though, magnus figured he should slow down.

…yeah, she figures it out pretty soon. magnus is bad at keeping secrets.

carey, magnus’s roommate and constant alibi/excuse-maker/back-up

killian, who works security at the business lucretia secretaries at, and keeps bringing her out to social stuff bc the girl needs it. they also talk abt girls a lot bc they’re both Gay™ – lucretia especially enjoys teasing killian about carey with the “really great calves” from the gym.

killian accidentally said weird shit when first gushing about her and, of course, lucretia will never forget it

noelle was saved by the team from whatever the hell lucas ends up doing in this au. carey offers to share her room, esp since magnus is uh. working a little more irregularly these days and they could use the split rent.

noelle and carey also talk about girls, including killian who could “probably throw me across a room” from the gym.

angus was looking into all this nonsense and figured it was easiest to track down twins who seem to know a lot about chemistry. it wasn’t too hard. taako and lup were appalled that his parents Just Let Him Do That and so there’s a 50/50 chance that angus is in their spare room at any given time.

listen they got a two-bedroom apartment, but apparently they’re still too clingy to sleep alone. nerds.

ren is taako’s coworker and best friend. she knows Something is up, but isn’t entirely sure What. she also knows better than to try and find out. taako will tell her when he tells her.

honestly i low low lowkey dig the idea of noelle/ren but you didn’t hear that from me. if it happens to show up though. oh well.

avi makes frequent deliveries for the hammer and tongs, and is pretty tight with magnus. he’s even tighter with magnus’s dogs, which stay at the h&t bc his apartment is run by ruthless monsters.

johann is the town’s dramatic and overtalented musician, who is almost always in the background. i’m not sure what his deal is, but he sure is good at music.

hurley is a cop who keeps trying to figure out what is going on, but isn’t having much luck

artemis sterling is the very frustrated mayor

certain people are given powers by the hunger, a la hawk moth. these include gundren, magic brian, jenkins, sloane, the hammerheads, cpt cpt bane, lucas, etc.

the major manifestation of the hunger is john, but only merle manages to see him.

unlike miraculous, the hunger is dangerous to its hosts if they become disagreeable. the birds can save the people possessed, but it’s not easy.

there are Mysterious Third Parties that can grant additional powers

one is known as the raven queen. she grants kravitz the power to possess non-organic materials, as well as a scythe that can temporarily dislocate souls and do mild portal shit.

kravitz was a coroner trying to get a gig in the orchestra, but then he almost died and the raven queen resurrected him and he’s got a really strong sense of duty so he’s doing this now, he guesses. at least he still gets to have a normal life when he isn’t busy.

i like to think that after sloane rejects the hunger, the raven queen scoops her up and also grants the ability to possess non-organic objects. she was a good mechanic before, and is super good now. she gets hurley to give up on the whole investigation thing and join her and they live happily ever after, and also kick the occasional ass.

at first, RQ’s orders are to retrieve the light so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, but taako persuades kravitz that the birds are able to use it to defeat the hunger once and for all.

after that, the mission is just to keep as many people out of danger as possible.

istus and pan can also grant powers, but i’m not sure how they’d fit in yet

more random facts:

taako, lup, and barry are actually at the same university even though they never see each other. the mascot is a mongoose.

at some point the bio and chem departments are doing a joint conference thing. taako and lup are wandering around while spamming the birds’ group chat with really awful memes with magnus. meanwhile, barry is trying his best to ignore his constantly-vibrating phone as he talks to a professor about something actually important.

do they find each other in this truly ridiculous way? You Decide.

lucas is in the same department as barry, and even though he’s kind of a genius, he is also. how you say. a dick.

ren and taako work as chefs at the davy lamp. ren is almost definitely going to own it one day, and taako is proud of her.

lucretia and magnus meet via carey and killian, and quickly become close friends. because magnus is incapable of keeping a secret from anyone he knows, she finds out that he’s eagle and so they now know each other’s secret identities.

anyway that’s all i’ve got for now, thanks for coming to my ted talk

[kinsbin]

Don’t Knock It Till You’ve Tried It

Title: Don’t Knock It Till You’ve Tried It Word Count: 1248 Ship: Freddy/Simon [Canon/Self Insert]

Summary: A night of studying puts Simon in a tired enough stupor to be summoned into Freddy Krueger’s dreamscape. Lucky for him, Freddy seems to like him alive more than dead. He hates admitting that the feeling is mutual, but, the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Then again, is it really a problem? He can only try to find out. 

Author’s Note: Another writing commission! For @love-fromthevoid who asked for his selfship with Freddy Kreuger. I freaking love writing Freddy and everything about this was super fun to do ;v;. Ty for commissioning me Simon, I hope you like it!

Wednesday night on Elm Street was as quiet as the grave. Homes were catacombs housing the corpses of sleeping bodies while the plaques of numbered addresses hung decoratively on the sides were their tombstones. Numbers counted down and up along the street towards its end. Was the end of a street considered its death? Imagine the end of the world, the edge a sharp drop away to nothingness. Or perhaps it was more like a video game and the players would hit walls once they were not allowed to go further. Simon pondered all of these possibilities while pressing the end of his ballpoint pen against his teeth.

Homework had been endless. The coming of college midterms had propagated the style of college living mostly seen in romantic comedies: students hunched over paperwork trying desperately to memorize the scribbled words of their own writing. Ramen noodles shoveled past dried lips, pack after pack, only to be washed down with coffee brewed with energy drinks instead of water. There was no sleep at this time, only the desperation of acing the course that could determine your career for the semester.

Knowing this, Simon put his pen down and groaned over the work he had. Despite the drinks he had shoveled past his lips not hours ago, his entire body was sluggish and exhausted. No matter how many times he read the words on the paper before him, nothing was sinking in. The boy crossed his arms on the desk before him and rested his head in the divet that they created, staring down at his bare feet as they tapped along to the rhythm of his ticking wallside clock.

He sighed and shut his eyes, allowing the relief of darkness to overtake him for a few moments.

“Fancy meeting you here, mon petit fromage.”

Simon yanked his head upwards, turning it to the direction of the familiar baritone voice filling both the room and his mind at once. A set of impish eyes against burnt flesh squinted wryly at him, amused by the outburst and reaction he had managed to entice. There were no screams, however. Simon felt no fear as he stared at the man, just an incredulous disbelief.

“Freddy Krueger, did you just call me a piece of cheese?” There was borderline offence in the college student’s voice.

Freddy shrugged, waving his one gloved hand in the air to make a nonsensical pattern that seemed to go well with the gesture before offering a look of greater amusement. The lip splitting smile remained as he replied, “What? No good? I guess it was a little cheesy.”

Simon groaned, grabbing the nearest item (a pad of paper left for him to haphazardly doodle on along with taking notes) and chucked it at the demon. Freddy grunted with a grin as the item hit his torso harmlessly before flitting to the floor, which was now glowing a soft shade of candy red against the apparently nonexistent moonlight. “I have to study, asshole, now let me get up.”

It hadn’t been the first time Simon realized he was dreaming. All times he did, it was usually because of Freddy. Though their first run in had almost been their last, he had far more to fear than an amusing man wearing a colorful sweater. Bugs, life choices, and grades were far more terrifying. If dreaming was the only way to accept relief from the stresses of everyday life, and had to include Freddy in them as well on occasion, Simon would simply take what he could get.

Even if what he had to get was a demon who, for some reason, began to show a fondness for him the more they decided to spend time together. What was worse was...he felt that fondness too.

It was like a rash. It started out small. A simple itch that was easily ignored, but, as the nights went on and the adventures with Freddy in the realm of night continued, it bothered him more and more until it was nearly unbearable. It was like his skin was breaking out in hives of fondness, because that was the only kind of fondness you could have for Freddy Krueger. The annoying kind.

“Studying is for nerds,” Freddy cackled while reaching out to grab a hold of the other’s hand. Placing a kiss on it, the realm shifted again to one of Freddy’s own designs, “Sides, I bet you like me a lot more than studying.”

“I like chemistry more than bugs,” Simon retorted as he gazed around the new scenery lazily, “Doesn’t mean I’m going to chug a vat of acid or anything.”

“So you feel a spark of chemistry between us, eh?” Freddy tugged at the other’s hand, “I’m flattered. Does that mean you fancy a kiss, hm? Make some sparks fly?”

“Please.” Simon tried to hide the smile that was slowly attempting to make its way against his face. The newly concocted dreamscape was one of a pleasant park. The pathways that lead through the foliage of the trees and gravel pavement of the playgrounds seemed endless. Each item on the playground seemed to have an uncanny resemblance to Freddy if it had a face, and the tops of gazebos held the familiar striped pattern of his sweatshirt. “As if anyone would kiss those chapped lips of yours.”

Walking down one of the paved roads, Simon took his seat at the end of a particular pathway that lead to a swing set. The metal was cool under the thin material of his pajama pants, sending goosebumps up his legs as he pushed his feet into the sand underneath to move himself back and forth. Freddy all but flung himself into the swing next to the other man, gripping the metal chains with a vice as he swung himself to match pace.

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Freddy flashed a wink and an obnoxious wiggle of his tongue. Simon felt his cheeks redden as he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he rolled his eyes.

The gaze of annoyance was replaced with one of mischief in the manner of a millisecond, however. Bright eyes flickered over to Freddy, who could only stare back as his own look of teasing metamorphosed into confusion. “Okay.” Was all the student stated.

Before Freddy could ask just what the hell he was on about, Simon swung himself sideways, mashing his lips against Freddy’s in the most poorly organized disaster of a kiss he could possibly manage. It was more of him flinging his body weight against Freddy. Their foreheads smacked together, lips crashing in a warm but rough kiss as their knees collided and they were forced shoulder to shoulder to endure the brunt of the pendulum swing. A curse spewed itself between Freddy’s lips as he was assaulted, not even given a chance to return the action before Simon’s centripetal force returned him to his original position.

The grin on Simon’s lips was satisfied and the blush on his cheeks was warm as he watched Freddy’s lip begin to bleed.

“I’ve had better.” He declared before nonchalantly standing up and walking away, just a little too fast to not show his embarrassment.

“You little punk.” Freddy cackled before standing up to follow after him, excited what dreamscape adventures he could use to get under Simon’s skin.

There was no one better to befriend, after all, than a boy who wasn’t afraid of you.

[crimsonandclover-kataclysm]

Chapter 7- Fighting for air

Crimson and Clover- Read on Ao3 Chapter 7- Read on Ao3 March, 1985. Hawkins, Indiana

So maybe going to a bacteria-infested party in the dead of night during one of the coldest spells of the year wasn’t the best idea. Bedside table covered in old mugs of tea and soup, Diana was wrapped up in her comforter staring despondently at the trash bin, overflowing with used tissues. She was freezing, and it was her third day of misery.

On Saturday, she started feeling a little under the weather. Woke up a little later than usual, drudged around the house all day, had a couple of sniffles, and ignored the scratch in her throat. Sunday was a whole different ball game. Barely able to lift from her bed, she shuffled into her kitchen, where her mother was making coffee. “Dying,” she croaked, Sandra’s eyes darting up to see her daughter, pale and splotchy, with her entire comforter wrapped around her like a cape. After taking her temperature to see just under 100 degrees, they decided to hold off on the doctor’s visit.

Another mistake, it seemed, because on Monday, Diana woke up to a violent coughing fit, throbbing headache, and nasal passageways so blocked that she spent a good ten minutes lamenting about the days she used to be able to breathe normally and how she’d never take them for granted again. The women in the Dristan commercial had nothing on Diana Miller.

But even Dristan wasn’t helping. Her fever was up to 102, and Sandra had scheduled an appointment for 2:00 pm with Dr. Simmons after canceling all of her classes that day. Hazy thoughts and blurry vision compounded with having everything but the top of her head completely covered in warm fabric caused the time to go fast, and when Sandra pulled her out of bed, she groaned incessantly.

“This is why you are never allowed to get sick,” Sandra huffed, wrapping Diana’s neck in the longest scarf she could find and tugging a furry, brown bucket hat over her ears. “Because for such a great, mature kid, you turn into a big, whiny baby.”

Diana pouted beneath her scarf, a line appearing on her brow as her heavy-lidded eyes tried their best to narrow. When it didn’t work at all to guilt her mother, she relaxed and took the travel mug full of steaming hot chocolate gratefully from Sandra’s hands. Feeling a bit like Randy in A Christmas Story as she waddled down the steps in her largest, warmest coat. She laughed a donkey-like guffaw as she got stuck in the car door, causing Sandra to have to push her down into her seat. Forgoing the seatbelt because as Sandra put it, “If we crash, you’re not going anywhere anyway.”

Blank white walls and stark tile floors left the doctor’s office feeling cold and sterile, and it made Diana shiver. She hated hospitals more than almost anything, mainly out of fear. Being in a hospital rarely meant good news for Diana, like that time she broke her arm, having fallen off the small hill that housed the train tracks in the woods outside town. Or that time that Kenneth’s mother had a stroke when she was seven years old, and she had to watch her grandmother, not two days before lively and vibrant, revert to behavior patterns of a baby. This wasn’t a hospital, but it was the echo of one, and Diana wrapped her puffy arms around herself for warmth and comfort.

Based on Diana’s lowering spirits and heightening delirium from the fever, walking out with the flu was much better than the nine-days-to-live, crippling pneumonia scenario playing out in her head. It did mean she couldn’t return to school until at least twenty-four hours after her fever had broken, so when they got home, she made sure to drink a glass of water with her prescribed antibiotics while Sandra prepared another mug of tea for her. Setting down more chicken noodle soup and some saltines at the table.

Though she had basically no appetite, Diana picked and prodded at her soup with her spoon, taking small sips of the chicken broth and attempting to swallow some of the solid stuff to appease her mother, in spite of the burning in the back of her throat. Wanting only to return to the toasty confines of her bed and sleep.

She didn’t remember getting there, but the next thing she knew, her room was overtaken by darkness and the quiet still of night. Kicking out her feet a little to stretch her sore muscles, she felt something heavy at the foot of her bed. Sitting up to see what looked like the silhouette of a pile of books, she flipped on her lamp, scowling at the sheet of paper covered in Sandra’s lilting handwriting.

Monday

Calculus: Pg. 203 #21-32 (show your work)

French: Conjugations of the passé composé and imperfect forms of aimer, croire, and vouloir in complete sentences

History: Outline summary of —

At that point, Diana stopped reading, knowing that she had three more subjects to account for and that she was in no mental state to do homework. Throwing her head back on her pillow and grabbing another to cover her face, she squealed in voice-cracking frustration, cursing her mother for being responsible and helpful. Of course she’d have to do homework on top of feeling like she swallowed razor blades while submerged in green Jell-o.

Swiftly afterward, she fell back asleep.

Two full days. Two full goddamn days since Billy had seen Diana Miller. He thought he was dying. Okay, admittedly, that was a little dramatic. But he was at least waning. The weekend was fine- he noticed her light was off a lot more than normal- but he could handle Saturday. Sunday, he got a little antsy thinking he should at least hear from her. Knowing in the rational part of his brain that it was just a kiss with just another girl, and really, he should just write it off in his ledger of girls whose tongues had been down his throat.

The problem was that he wasn’t thinking with the rational part of his brain. No, his blood was too busy occupying one primary organ of his body, and he was going nuts. I mean, it was a good kiss, right? Replaying that night in his head over and over and over again. The soft skin of her leg in his hand. Her gentle, hesitant movements he assumed were out of innocence. A strong smell of her hairspray and his remnant cologne filtering through the heady scent of bodies colliding and sweat mixing.

She fucking kissed me back, didn’t she? Lips pressing to the underside of his jaw so delicately they may not have been there. Maybe he imagined all of it. Another wet dream about Diana Miller in the books. But it was real, and he knew it. He knew it because he was still missing his favorite band t-shirt, and because he learned the location of the police chief’s house, which was knowledge that may or may not be pertinent to Billy in future.

Kissing Diana Miller was perhaps the most real and grounded Billy had felt since moving to this shitty town. If he could harness that feeling, even just to have it again, he might not be such a raging piss pot all the time. And that had Billy most frustrated of all. Because if it weren’t for that girl just down the street, he might still be able to be angry at the world.

But he could still be angry with her. And he was, especially on Monday morning when she wasn’t in Chemistry. He stared pointedly at her seat the entirety of class, cursing her for not being there. Where the hell is she? He had to wonder if she was avoiding him. If somehow wires were crossed, no way was she into it, this was all just a grand fucking mistake. Most things with Billy were, after all.

Though on Tuesday, there was no sign of her either, and Billy actually found himself a little twisted with concern. Enough so that he hovered around her horrible, preppy, jock friends just to catch a hint of where she might be. She hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving. After three class changes of just lingering nearby, Tommy stupidly remarking on the girls’ figures by his side, he finally latched onto the words “flu” and “make-up work.”

Of course, the first time he goes out of his way to make out with a girl in this town, she ends up bedridden with a viral infection.

By Wednesday morning, Billy Hargrove was chomping at the bit to see Diana again. Absent from Chem yet another day, he shook off the feeling that he should just cut class to go see her. That is, until he noticed Steve fucking Harrington in the hallway with her friends. The tall one, Betty, he recalled, was handing over a workbook to Steve. “- and I’ve highlighted the page numbers of what she needs to do in here by the time she gets back-“

That asshole was taking her homework to her? Like hell is he seeing her before I am. Fifth period was encroaching, and Billy had had enough. Pulling a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and lighting it on his way out the door to his car.

Bright light trickled in from Diana’s curtains- something about the cold always made the Indiana sun seem brighter than usual. Her fever had broken not two hours ago after lots of medication, water, sleep, and a blanket lamination so high on her bed that she couldn’t see over the tops of her feet. Finally aware enough of her surroundings that she could begin on the mountain of homework piled up next to the blankets on her bed.

She was itching to get back to school. Long draughts of intense, trance-like sleeping with intermittent spurts of semi-awake coughing fits and forcing soup down into her stomach didn’t leave much time for thought about the world of the living. Now that she could focus on what waited on her, it was all she could do to not scramble out of the house. She wanted to run. She wanted to teach. She wanted to kiss Billy Hargrove again. It didn’t seem fair that she got those few moments with him just to be separated for nearly a full week. Why hasn’t he called or dropped by? Though, to be fair, she could have ponied up and called him just as well.

She missed the gym class too. Wondering how the new group of kids would take to her disappearing for three days at the beginning of the cycle. Especially after her outburst in the past week. But she really wanted to connect with them, and she was excited to get back to work. Though not in the form of the textbooks and notebooks that were currently taking up the majority of her bedspread.

Her mind was still thinking in French conjugations when she heard a knock. “Entrez!” she called without thinking, head shooting up to look at the very open door with the very empty frame. Knowing it definitely wasn’t the front door because it sounded so close, and who would be at her house in the middle of the school day? I can think of one person, her face lit up when the knock came again, and she scooted toward the window. Opening the curtains to see shaggy blonde curls and keen eyes.

As she lifted the window for him, Billy climbed through deftly, grumbling as his feet hit the ground, “Where the hell have you been?” Approaching her slowly, lower lip running between his teeth as his features softened from the sight of her. All red and puffy, hair a mess, sweatpants riding low on her waist and tank top inching up.

“You know, we have a front door,” she remarked, standing still as he got closer. The unmistakable smell of his cologne and smoke made her want to drown in him, her heart rate quickening.

He laughed and ran his tongue over the bottom of his teeth, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “But your mom-“

“Isn’t here. And apparently doesn’t care. She knows,” she smirked as his eyes widened. “It’s fine, Billy,” she lifted her hand to rest on his arm, pinching a fold of the denim between her thumb and forefinger as she stepped closer to him. Both their eyes set on the fabric rolling through her fingertips.

He finally raised his gaze to look at her, returning the soft smile barely painted on her face. “I, uh, I couldn’t wait,” he said, his voice dropping half an octave.

Inhaling in a sharp and uneven breath, her eyes dropped to his lips. “For what?”

Again, no introduction was necessary as his right hand grasped the back of her neck and his left slid around the band of exposed skin to her back, pulling her into him. They were kissing again, nearly a full week from the last time, yet it felt like no time had passed between them at all. He was more fervent, pressing his hips against hers as he kept his hand firm on the small of her back, fingers slipping under the fabric. As he did so, she became increasingly aware of the rough of denim against her skin, and even more what lay beneath.

Sighing against his lips, Diana skimmed her hand up his chest, all the way to rest it gently on his cheek. Breathing him in. Eyelashes fluttering, she became aware of herself, primarily the fact that she still couldn’t breathe steadily through her nose. She pushed him back an inch and broke away, brow furrowed. “I’m sick, you idiot.”

Blank eyes meeting hers, he lowered his face to kiss her again. “Billy!… Billy,” she pulled her lips from his, breathing out a laugh. “You don’t need to catch the flu.”

“What part of any of this makes you think I give a damn?” he responded, dubious to her protests. When she didn’t say anything, he resumed his work against her lips, pulling and nipping playfully. Turning her so that his back was to the bed, and falling flat against it. Groaning when his shoulder blade hit something rigid.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” she laughed again, clambering to move the textbooks further down the mattress. Her lithe frame crawled over his, hips settling on his stomach as she sunk down to meet him once more. Chin lifting, Billy drew his hands up her thighs to her sides, fingers wrapping around her to guide her body against his. She kept her hands firmly planted on either side of his head until she felt steady enough to place them on his cheeks. Lowering her head to map out the skin of his neck with her lips. His hands shifted, gracelessly clutching at her ass as he breathed in through her hair.

He was alight in her, and though far too removed to make real, conscious decisions, he was also content to let even this last much longer than it would have with literally anyone else in Hawkins. So, something like an hour went by, and they were still in a similar position (though he was now propped up on a pillow, her torso resting against his comfortably), kissing and laughing and exploring, when the doorbell rang.

Through clouded thoughts and swollen lips, she pushed herself off of him, looking through the floor and muttering an inarticulate, “Who…?”

“Harrington,” he conceded, irritation lacing his voice. “Bringing your homework.”

Hopping off of him, she raised her eyebrows suggestively. “Oh, how I love when a man tries to woo me with nice gifts.”

Billy glared at her.

Scrunching up her face and speaking at a higher pitch than normal to mock him, “Not funny, yet? No? Okay.”

Disgruntled and more than a little annoyed that the doorbell was ringing yet again, I mean would you keep your shit together, Harrington?, he slid off the bed, making his way toward the door. “You’re not going down there,” he said pointedly, staring down at her.

“Oh, how I love when a man tries to woo me by picking up my nice gifts,” she altered her previous statement with a smirk.

Cheeky as he felt, he reached down to give her ass a squeeze. “Better,” he acknowledged, smiling when she softly pressed her lips to his cheek. Her eyes followed him, and she bit her lip happily, falling back on the bed and giggling that he came to see her. That he was as tantalized by that night as she was. That he was there with her, just letting her kiss him and joke with him and get to know him.

As he made his way down the stairs and Harrington rang the doorbell for what seemed like the twentieth time, he smiled to himself, for once not wanting to punch King Steve in the teeth. He didn’t seem like so much of a king now.

When he opened the door, Steve’s jaw fell slack. “Hargrove? The hell are you doing here?”

A twinkle in his eye, he kept his face stoic. “Could ask you the same thing.”

“I have homework,” Steve raised the workbook in the air reluctantly, and Billy reached for it, clasping the binding quickly before Steve moved to place it behind his back, resulting in a quick but not so fun game of tug-of-war.

Billy won out, pulling the book against his stomach and leaning in toward Harrington. “I’ve got her. Stay away,” he warned, and Steve just grinned at him in disbelief.

Turning away and taking strides toward the BMW. “If that’s your attitude, my man, you don’t have her at all,” he called over his shoulder. Billy took a sharp breath, trying to calm the fire brewing within. Thinking about the beautiful girl waiting for him upstairs. She for sure wasn’t waiting for Steve.

When he got back to the room, he surveyed her sprawled across the bed (if you could call it that, since it was mostly books and blankets), eyes lingering on the widened band of skin between her sweatpants and tank top. Throwing her workbook to the other side of the duvet, he began slipping off his jacket, letting it drop to the floor before tugging at the hem of his shirt.

Gaping at him curiously, Diana lifted her head, “What? What are you doing?”

“Your job,” he spoke plainly, pulling the white t-shirt slowly over his chest. “Since you aren’t doing this, I’m doing it for you.”

Diana started laughing, sitting up and gesturing for him to join her. Dropping the hem of his shirt, he sauntered over, ready for her to take the lead. Smirking when she ran her fingers over the hem, his hands skimmed from her shoulders to her elbows. She placed a small kiss right above his navel, and he nearly came unhinged. Sensing her pulling the front of his shirt up, he moved to help her.

But Diana was too quick, raising the front hem and tucking it over and behind his head. She laughed maniacally as he jerked it down, a glare on his face, settling on the floor by the bed with his back to the frame.

“Look,” he started, reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette, “if this is all some joke, I’m leaving.” Harrington’s words getting to him. Maybe she didn’t want him after all. That’s why she was making light of everything, and he was just wasting his fucking time.

“I don’t-“ Diana paled at the shift in tone, reaching down to cover his hand holding the cig. “What? No, of course it’s not a joke.” Her hand lifted of its own accord, thumb running along the underside of his jaw until she could tug his chin gently so that he was looking up at her. “Hey,” she said softly, sidling off the bed until she was crouched next to him, nuzzling her head in the crook of his neck.

In a show of affirmation, he tilted his face into her hair, letting his cheek rest against her scalp. “Will you be at school tomorrow?” he wondered aloud.

Her head shook against his shoulder. “Lots of work. And my fever only broke a few hours ago.”

He grunted disapprovingly. “Well, I’ll swing by with your homework.”

“You’re leaving?” she looked up at him with glazed-over big, blue eyes and wondered if he’d stay were she to ask. He was contemplating the same thing.

He nodded. “Have to pick up Max.” A brief nod met him in response, and without thought, he leaned into her a final time, lips soft and languid. She took in a sharp breath through her nose, catching his bottom lip between her teeth and letting the tip of her tongue run against it. Pulling away with foreheads still pressed against one another.

As he got up and grabbed his jacket to head downstairs, she added, “Tell Max I said hello!” And though he wasn’t facing her and kept walking, in spite of himself, he smiled.

“Feel better, Miller.”

Six days of being stuck at home, and Diana had cabin fever, big time. Three short visits of Betty and Missy in addition to two long dalliances with one Billy Hargrove helped ease some of her apprehension though. Sandra didn’t know about the latter, but she couldn’t stop thinking of them.

Actually, that was a lie. Because Diana also had thirty pages of makeup reading assignments, a translation due in French, forty problems assigned in Calculus, and a history paper to do during her two (only counting the days she was semi-conscious) days off. The make-up lab for Chemistry had to wait until she was back in school. So really, she spent only about an hour or so a day musing over Billy, and the rest of her time devoted to finishing her work by the time she returned.

Sandra had been working like a dog to make up for the two days she missed of work. They were so close to being able to afford the down payment on the Jeep, and the last thing she wanted to do was fall behind. And with Diana missing her own jobs, they were already pushing it. They needed the new car, badly- the old Bronco not holding out as well as it used to, especially in the cold.

All that plus the fact that Diana was itching to get back outside and run had her fidgeting as she finished the last paragraph of her history paper. Knees shaking and tongue clicking as she came up with the last two lines to conclude the final thought, writing steadily though her mind was a mess.

Throwing herself back onto her pillow, she huffed a sigh of relief that her homework was finally finished. The room seemed darker, and she groaned when she turned her head to the window to see a sliver of navy sky through the curtains. Spread-eagled over the bed, Diana thought about laying with Billy only hours before. His body positioned similarly, with her propped up against and slightly over his, her leg inserted between his knees. Feeling adventurous, they’d disposed of his shirt early on, so that as they talked and kissed and laughed and his fingers combed through her hair, hers traced over the lines of his muscles.

All she could think about were ultramarine eyes, sun-kissed skin, a hot mouth, and strong hands. She wasn’t sure what made her feel more feverish- the bout of influenza or the way he left her. Slowly burning her up from the inside, taking his time with her. He could kiss her and leave her in a hot and flushed frenzy, and really that’s all he had done so far. Not yet pushing any further, though Diana couldn’t say why. He was so quiet when they were together, and it was difficult to tell what swirled around in that pretty head of his. Maybe he knew it wouldn’t do any good. That she wasn’t that type of girl. Di didn’t even know what type of girl she was, but she did know there were times when she wanted to be totally consumed by the fire spread by his mouth and hands.

She knew Billy Hargrove wasn’t one to take it slow, so it was probably time to kick it up a notch. Jumping up out of her bed and skipping to her closet, she opened the door to reveal the Zeppelin shirt hung with care in the middle of the rack. Fabric ran soft beneath her fingers, and lifting it to her face, she inhaled the scent of him. She couldn’t quite place it because behind the smoke and the musk and smell of boy, there was almost something floral. Maybe detergent? She couldn’t care less when it left her reeling, reminded of her days in California.

He’d made a comment about the “lost” shirt when he came over, and she blushed, placing light kisses over his shoulder so that he’d drop the subject. But he still smiled like he knew a private joke, and so she’d kissed his lips too, just for good measure.

Eyeing the black fabric pensively, she grabbed her nicest pair of jeans and paired them together. Most of her closet was leisure wear, and she didn’t tend to wear a lot of cardigans or jackets, so when she spotted a slip of ivory tucked in the back of the closet, she pulled it out warily. Not having seen it in years, she felt the stiff material with barely any touch, treating it like it could bite her. Sometimes she felt like the memories still did, memories of a happy, whole family that no longer existed. Wrapping the blazer around the hanger holding Billy’s t-shirt and hoping that the good feelings Billy brought would somehow melt into the cold ivory of Kenneth’s old sport jacket. Diana Miller fell asleep accomplished and anticipating the morning.

When she got dressed after she woke, she eyed herself in the mirror, proud of her work. She’d even gone to the effort to do heavier makeup, eyes traced in a smudged black. Brushing out her curls and pulling all of her hair to one side. Eat your heart out, Billy Hargrove.

As per usual, Tommy and Jeff were standing around Billy while he leaned against the lockers, griping about something pointless and uninteresting. All Billy had to do was nod semi-apathetically to appease them, even with his eyes laser focused on the entrance to the school. He found it hard to not think about Diana, not just because he was inexplicably frustrated and completely unsatisfied, but because he didn’t feel like such an asshole when he was with her. She was fun and smart and interesting, and being around her didn’t make him lose IQ points. But she was also elusive enough to be cool, and being the newly-crowned King made it really important that he only dated cool. Being Billy Hargrove made it really important that he only dated cool. Not that he was dating Diana. Hell, he didn’t know what was going on.

Especially not when she walked through the door. The neckline of his t-shirt hung lower on her, the fabric draped loosely over her chest. She’d tucked it into her jeans (and Tommy wasn’t wrong about the way she filled out her Calvins) and thrown a blazer on over it, and Billy was ignited. Here she was, strutting down the hall in her little boots, wearing his fucking shirt. And no one knew it but them. He could have erupted right there in the middle of the fucking hallway.

She did that thing again, where she approached and made it look like she was going to stop when really having no intention to, but he was learning to read her. Watching her expectantly and reaching out to hook his forefinger around her belt loop as she passed. He yanked her hard into him, and the hand that wasn’t holding her books splayed out against the locker with a resonant thud.

Laughing as she fell into him, he watched her bite her lip and wished frantically that he could bite it too. Both Tommy and Jeff were observing them with wide eyes, but Billy didn’t give a damn. Let ‘em watch. His breath hot against her ear, he whispered slowly, “What the hell do you think you’re doing-” making a point to slide his eyes down to her chest and back up to meet her acute gaze, “-in that?”

“Making my grand entrance,” she giggled. “Ta-da, it’s been a week, but I’m back! You know?”

Shaking his head as a slight smile played on his lips, “You haven’t heard the end of this.” He released her belt loop, discreetly dragging his hand down her hip on the inside of her blazer before dropping it to his side.

A coy smirk on her face told him she knew exactly what she would hear later, and it made his fucking knees buckle to see her pull away from him looking like that. The amount of times Diana resembled a wet dream in real life caused Billy the impurest of thoughts in the most inappropriate places. Surrounded by his friends in the middle of a starkly lit hallway was up there in the category of places-Billy-should-not-think-of-Diana-Miller-taking-his-shirt-off. Yet there he was, eyes following her as she turned back with a quick wave of her fingers and a look that promised he’d be seeing her soon.

The exposed side of her neck was visible to him all through Chemistry, and he was having trouble focusing. Smooth and reactive, touching her skin felt like running his hand over still water. Like if he pressed too hard, it would shift out of his way, and no matter how many times he pulled away, she was still there. It was fucking addictive, and just as he wouldn’t give up smoking, there was no way in hell he was about to give up Diana Miller. Not without a good reason.

So he scratched at the surface, taking what he could and relishing in what he received. And maybe one day, he’d get a little more. Of course, he was absolutely planning on getting what he could after school that day. It had been too long since he’d seen her in action, and he had every intention of watching her in the gym, running around and sweating in his shirt. Gross pre-teen boys were a small price to pay to see her.

Ill suited to being stealthy, Di was shooting glances to Billy out of her periphery. Attempting to seem uninterested, she gazed out of the window to her left, sneaking peeks of Billy, who was unabashedly staring at her. Her stomach tightened when he shifted forward, tired of the game, and she finally turned her head fully to meet his eyes. Tommy scoffed between the two of them, and Billy chewed on his tongue as he waited for Kaminsky to turn around so that he could smack the back of Tommy’s head.

Diana turned front with a smile plastered over her face.

As she expected, the new class was a little alarmed by her absence. When Harry walked into the gym and saw Diana, he stopped short and called out, “We thought you died!”

“Don’t be dramatic, Williams,” Coach Hart responded blandly from her desk, barely sparing a glance to curly-haired boy.

Will Byers walked up to Diana, looking at her curiously with his immense chocolate eyes. “It has been a while,” he observed. “Glad you’re okay though.” She smiled at him, and as he walked away she thought about the kindness that ran through the Byers family. Joyce was a doll, a nervous wreck, but a doll nonetheless. And even Jonathan, though not the most social creature (of course, neither was Di), had always seemed good-hearted and gracious. Then there was Will, poor Will. A sickly looking boy who didn’t seem to know his place in the world. Diana always felt a little bit of a kindred spirit in people like that- she could tell she would take to Will like she did to Dustin.

Where Will was, Jane Hopper was never far, always looming protectively around the boy. Sure, it wasn’t a secret that Joyce and Jim had grown closer since Bob Newby’s death, but this seemed more important than siblings, more necessary. Jane was also always giving Diana a strange look, like she was something foreign. Or familiar? She couldn’t tell.

Hart got up to take attendance, and soon they were all playing basketball. Running around, Diana felt her body temperature rise quickly in the gym, opting to remove her blazer and roll up the sleeves of her t-shirt. Billy’s t-shirt, she grinned as she reminded herself.

While she was helping Jason and Heather with their free throws, she felt the weight of his presence in the room before she saw him. Turning her head to confirm her suspicion that Billy Hargrove had come to watch her again. This time, it wouldn’t annoy her- this time, she wanted to show off for him. Taking unnecessary turns at the free throw line just to make it so he’d see. Actually, she was on top form for the duration of class, saying all the right things to the kids, modeling correct technique, and feeling on top of the world. Maybe Billy Hargrove could be her cheerleader. Maybe he was her good luck charm.

In all honesty, he couldn’t have cared less if she was playing like shit or teaching the worst technique on the planet. His focus unwavering from her ass in those jeans. Diana looked sexy as hell either way, and he knew she would when he set out to watch her. Her hair pulled back so that the expanse of her neck was on show. Cheeks tinged with pink, bringing out the sharp blue of her eyes. His shirt wrapped around her and tucked into her just-tight-enough jeans. He felt unashamed in watching her so purposefully.

That is until a small frame walked directly into his line of sight and remained, blocking his view of Diana. Looking upward to see a familiar mop of curls and searching eyes. “Billy?” Jane asked plainly.

He relaxed back into the bleachers, arms spreading out over the seats. “Hey, weird girl,” a smile playing on his lips.

“Why are you here?” She wasn’t being rude, and Billy laughed at her blunt approach.

“Here to see a friend,” he bowed his head toward Diana, and Jane turned to look.

Nodding and facing him once more, she stated, “You guys are friends.” Thinking back to how she caught him outside of Diana’s house in the early hours of the morning.

“Something like that.”

The conversation was cut short by the shrill pitch of the whistle and kids running to put their basketballs in the canvas hamper next to the coach’s desk. Jane smiled at Billy before joining her classmates as they headed toward the locker rooms to change. Diana didn’t immediately veer to meet him. She was propped up against the desk, talking to the coach. He looked around the gym absentmindedly, confused when Diana and the coach were no longer in sight. The hamper was gone, so it wasn’t hard to deduce where she was.

Peering around the corner of the equipment closet to see Diana reaching for the air pressure gauge on the top shelf of the nearest rack, Billy ambled in, settling directly behind her back and spanning over her to get the gauge. Laying it on a more convenient shelf as he breathed into her ear, “Where’s Coach?”

Sucking in a sharp breath at the shockwaves his breath sent over her rattled nerves, she turned her head so that her lips brushed against his, not engaging him yet. “With your sister.” Eyelashes fluttering. “At the high school gym.” Nudging her nose gently against his. “For soccer practice.”

He couldn’t take it anymore knowing they were at no risk of interruption, his hands running over her sides until planting on her hips and spinning her around to face him. A gasp escaped her as he pinned her to the rack, causing the metal frame to give a violent shudder. His hands catching her arms and pushing them up over her head as he continued grazing her lips and cheeks with his mouth.

Annoyed at his stalling, Diana moved to catch his lips in hers, but he pulled away, the corner of his mouth quirking upward at her impatience. He dropped his head so that he could place light kisses around the neckline of his shirt, and her head fell back against the shelf with a sigh. Biting at the fabric, he stretched it away from her skin, waiting until her eyes captured his to let go. “This,” he released her arms to grip at the shirt, “was torture, and I hope you understand that.”

The weight of her arms fell on his shoulders, hooking around his neck as she pulled him into her. “Then my job here is done,” pressing her lips against his roughly. She didn’t hesitate to open her mouth to him, his tongue instinctively reacting. She could have melted into the way he was kissing her, warm and all-consuming.

Billy needed to be closer to her, grasping at her thighs until she jumped and hitched her legs around his waist. Clumsily and blindly walking toward any solid surface for more stability, causing Di to release a small “oof” against his lips as her back hit cinderblock. Without realizing what she was doing, she ground her hips against his, hard, and Billy groaned, sinking his teeth into her lower lip in payback. She laughed, her arms rewinding around his chest to pull his torso closer as she moved to kiss him again. They were obnoxious and raucous, slamming into equipment and always changing positions as they indulged in one another. Breathing and drinking each other in.

In his arms, Diana felt like she was fucking invincible. Her skin alight wherever he touched her (which to be fair, was anywhere he saw skin). He trailed his lips up her arms, all over her neck and face. He nipped at her ears playfully. He kissed her eyelids delicately. He was absolutely everywhere, and somehow Diana needed him even more. It was maddening and exhilarating and she didn’t know how to calm the fire within her. Especially when he bucked his hips into hers. The more he did that, the more rushing waves sounded in her ears, the more her vision flashed white. She thought she would know her limits- she was beginning to understand that she didn’t know if she had any at all.

Minutes on minutes passed, and they were still as rooted in one another as they had been. All until the alarm on Billy’s watch beeped and he tore away suddenly. “I have to go,” he whispered, kissing her nose in remorse. Silently wishing they could stoke the flames caused by their melding bodies for at least another moment longer.

She frowned, skimming her fingers through his curls and thinking about the little piece of paper she had stuffed away in her pocket as a safety measure. In case she couldn’t get out the words the way she wanted to. Retrieving it into the palm of her hand, she wrapped her arms around him once more. He breathed heavily against her, addicted to the way their bodies felt pressed together. Almost not feeling when she slipped her hand flat into his back pocket. “Read it later,” she breathed, placing one more kiss to his red, aggravated lips.

He nodded, extricating himself reluctantly. Unable to rip his eyes from the sight of her disheveled and swollen and unequivocally sexy, he walked backwards until he was back in the gym and she was out of sight. Grumbling his way out of the building and to his car, he unfolded the scrap of paper she had tucked into his jeans.

In clean, loopy handwriting, she had written something familiar:

I’m tired of waiting to die. Let’s go out.

Grinning at the reference, he kept reading.

Pick me up at noon on Monday. Plan something nice.

He didn’t know what she thought they’d be able to do at noon on the first day of their Spring Break, and he didn’t know why she thought she could get away with that sort of audacity. But most of all, he didn’t know why he was trying to convince himself he’d do anything but exactly what she asked him to.

[lalupsay-blog]

🌸How to Succeed in School🌸 The first thing I should tell you is that you can do it! As long as you put in the work, your grade is guaranteed to go up. I believe in you :) 1) Don't be discouraged. Everybody fails once. Take it from a person who has had a 4.0 GPA their whole life, because I've had my share of failed quizzes. If you've been working hard and you still get a bad grade, that should be your motivation to work harder. You might not see an improvement right away, but that's no reason to stop. Keep working, and it's impossible NOT to get better! 2) Avoid distractions. When you're studying or doing homework, turn off your phone. I'm serious. If you're an iOS user, hold down the power button and actually turn off your phone. If you need to look something up, use a computer. This might seem extreme, but it's really important that you are undistracted while you are doing work. Turning off your phone and putting it in a place where you won't see it (out of sight, out of mind) will help you get focused and remember information better. 3) Get better sleep. Notice how I said better, and not more. (Well, more sleep is better, but...) If you go to bed stressed, you wake up stressed. Before bed, try to meditate a little (there are a lot of useful apps for this. I recommend Headspace) or just take a few deep breaths and forget about anything that might make you anxious. Try to avoid sleeping with your phone nearby, because that will tempt you and make it harder to get to sleep. Anything you can do to develop a bed-time routine (for example, I always read before going to bed) will help also. If you're one of those people who sleep at 2 AM every day and it's hard for you to go to bed earlier, try to take small steps, like going to bed 5 minutes earlier every day. Finally, to maintain the proper circadian rhythm, DON'T sleep in on the weekends (at least not extremely). Doing this messes up your sleep cycle and will actually make you more tired on the weekdays. I know this is super hard (especially for teenagers) but if you can wake up on the weekends at around the same time (give or take an hour or so) that you do on the weekdays, you will see better results. 4) Take time every day. Choose a class. It could be your hardest class, or the one that has a quiz coming up. EVERY DAY, take around 10 minutes or more to review what happened in that class. Pretend you're the teacher, and teach yourself. This will guarantee the information is stuck in your head. If it's a math class, or one that involves solving something, make sure to do a couple of practice problems. 5) Take advantage of online resources. Khan Academy is a GREAT website to review certain areas (mostly math) On the weekends, if you have some spare time, go on Khan Academy and just do a couple of problems or watch some videos. There are also a lot of videos on YouTube that help with a variety of subjects. Crash Course covers so many things, including Chemistry, AP U.S. History, and more. Again, in your spare time, try to look them up and watch a couple of videos, even if it's only review. 6) Always ask questions. If you don't understand something, ALWAYS ask someone about it. Don't worry about what they think, the most important person is you. The best person to ask is your teacher, but if you feel really uncomfortable doing that, your friend or your parent might be a good second option. Whatever you do, make sure you understand the concept you have a question about before you move on in the class. 7) General tips: Do your homework. Pay attention in class. Study. (obviously) Come prepared. Be organized. Participate in class (this is a great way to get easy points). Avoid being absent. Form a study group, if you think it will help you learn better. That's it! I hope this was helpful! If you have a personal trick that helps you study or get better grades, make sure to comment it so other people can see!

[countdownstudyblr]

Study Tips - Part 1/?

This is a (non-comprehensive) list of study tips and attitudes that have helped me get through my first year of uni. 

Note-taking:

Think about using a personalized shorthand

This is entirely up to how your brain works and picks out patterns, but I find reading over notes to be much smoother if it flows in my own words, and if there isn’t too much written down to clutter the space.

I use things like “w” instead of the word “with”. I use “=“ when I want to say that something is defined as whatever follows, and I use “≠” to mean that the two terms being separated are exactly opposite in meaning. If two terms mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably, I use a “/”.

Some of the things I do are specific to subjects:

In math, “cont” means continuous and “diff” means differentiable. I only denote “if and only if” statements with iff, never with the double-headed arrow. I only ever write “aa” for amino acids in biology. I will never write “sodium” (or other elements) fully, and will use Na+/K+/H+/P/Ca2+, or H20, O2, CO2, H2SO4, H30+ (with reference to compounds). 

I also always use a delta symbol to represent the word “change” or “difference”.

Examples:

“xyz can be labelled w a fluorescent dye...”

“... separation/unzipping of the helix.”

“xyz causes Δ in pH.” 

Humour

I used to be pretty particular about the way my notes looked, and I know that marginalia is not always something people want to have. I’m also garbage at doodling. 

I would suggest trying this out even if the above apply to you (even if it is on a sticky note or somewhere else!). I found that this was incredibly helpful for me: if anything funny was said in lecture (the prof made a joke, there was some kind of funny interaction...), I wrote it down. 

In the margins of a lot of my notes, I now have memorable events alongside coursework. Though this doesn’t necessarily help me study or retain information, it makes the review process a bit more dynamic. I really value, now, my opportunity to slip into the amusement of a moment past, and it keeps me feeling refreshed enough to continue studying. 

Examples: 

In my biology class this semester, on the first day, in response to something the professor said, my neighbour turned to me and I wrote down what she said. “I love engulfing large particles.” Hilarious, and definitely comes to mind whenever I think about phagocytosis.

“Ladies and gentlemen... you’ll have to deal with his [a classmate’s] puns for the next four years!” Groans, mumbling, and then, “Not if you fail him, Professor!”

“Why would we [the professors] ever use l’Hôpital’s rule when we can just do it in our heads in two seconds with Taylor expansions? Ha!” (which is followed in my notes by: “him @ us fools/plebs.”)

Studying:

Task-based breaks, not time-based ones

I like to break up my time by task. I always read and hear tips that one should study for 1.5 hours and then take a fifteen minute break, then come back, rinse, repeat... My two cents: that doesn’t work for me. Not only am I notoriously bad at respecting the “fifteen minute break” limit, but approaching the 1.5 hour mark, I start to fidget and lose my focus. 

Though it certainly isn’t productive or healthy to close yourself up in a room/library/class for hours on end, I find that having a task as your goal is much more rewarding than a time based one. If I tell myself I will eat once I finish all the math problems I have assigned, there is no way for me to creatively manipulate that goal. 

That said, I think “productive” breaks are important. Regardless of how you set up your break time, it’s no good if all you do is flip open a new tab on your computer and watch youtube every hour and a half. Walks are good, the gym is good, a healthy snack is good, and the occasional episode of a short and funny show is good. 

Ultimately, finishing a task is a great mental reward, and as long as you make sure to chunk responsibilities in manageable bites, you won’t find yourself working longer than is healthy, but you also won’t feel like time is working against you.

Study during daylight hours (in exam time, especially)

Wake up early and study. Try not to stay up late. Ultimately, you won’t get more hours of studying done just because you stay up late (then you sleep in, etc). Unless your productivity goes way up (which doesn’t make much sense, because one gets tired out after a whole day of existing!) at night, sleep when it’s dark and work when it’s daytime. Prioritizing sleep is so important.

Daylight stimulates so many things in the body - so don’t shut yourself up somewhere dark. Get out at least once, open the window, think about sunlight. Give yourself a change of pace from all the pages of notes you’re going through.

Your exam won’t happen at 4 in the morning. Make sure you’re going to be functional whenever it is, which won’t happen if you pull five all-nighters before the exam.

Also, don’t live off of coffee. I love it as much as the next person, and up my intake as stressful periods come and go... but it affects the quality of sleep and can sometimes work against you by making you fidgety. Tea is good as a ~caffeinated drink! 

Other resources:

Read&Write

This is a chrome extension that reads your text out to you. There are probably a million other ways to have this happen, but I like this one. I find it hard to focus when I have to read my notes back, an essay I’ve written, or other dense readings. If someone is reading it out to me, it is easier to listen along and harder to get distracted.

Similarly, when doing long readings of well-known books (philosophy readings), I’ve found it very effective to search up the audiobook (maybe speed it up to 1.5 speed if on youtube!) and read my copy while someone is also reading to me. It helps me process the words on a few different levels - the reader’s intonation makes understanding easier for me, it makes it impossible to skim and miss important sections, and it gives me a chance to take some notes without stopping reading. 

Rely on others constructively

Working with other people is good, but nothing replaces devoting time to something yourself. Your own ideas, while often positively impacted by discussion with others, can get lost if you only think the way someone else is thinking. 

Shared notes are messy and don’t follow linearly. Everyone has different styles for note-taking. If you miss a class and get someone else’s note, rewrite it! After passing through your head, it will be more accessible to you. If you don’t, it’s as good as having it in a different language!

That said, if you have a final coming up with a million essay prompts or something, it can help to divide up tasks and make the preparation easier on you. My philosophy notes for the final are the result of collaboration. However, I intend to copy them to a private document, check them, verify quotes and concepts against my notes from the year, and finally modify all the notes I received. I cannot memorize what someone else wrote for me.

Also, don’t blindly send all your hard-earned notes to someone who does not deserve them, who won’t return the favour, or who is asking at the very last minute. Sharing a day’s worth of notes or helping with a specific question is always good. Writing notes with others in mind can motivate you to take more complete notes and follow everything in lecture! However, the choice someone makes to skip every class all year... is their own problem. Issues of academic dishonesty and plagiarism are not lightly dealt with at any level, so consider what’s at risk and at what possible personal cost before saying yes to every request.

Look for textbooks online (as late as possible)

If you want to avoid selling your soul for a $200 textbook and you don’t mind reading from a computer screen, always look for pdf versions of your textbooks. The catch: some professors suck and they make the most recent version of a textbook the required text. Some of them like to make money by releasing updates to their own books just days before the semester starts. Some have a million “recommended” resources that are... actually mandatory. Some will make you buy four solution manuals along with the textbook (none of which you want or will use). Some will make you buy a book you will never open. 

Don’t play yourself by forgetting to buy necessary software for online quizzes or animations, but really look online for whatever else remains. You might be surprised about what’s out there. 

All of this is old news. What I’m saying is: don’t get desperate if you can’t find your textbook online before classes start. If you know you can buy it from the school bookstore anytime, and you can afford to go a few lessons without a book (or maybe you can borrow a classmate’s!), wait. Someone will upload that pdf you need, but maybe it will take a few days. 

I found two HUGE textbooks of mine online (bio and organic chemistry), though neither was available as a pdf at the beginning of term. My reason to have them both in paper copy and electronic copy is that I avoid lugging them around on my long commute. I also plan to sell the hard copies after the year is done, but keep the digital ones for possible reference. 

So many resources are available - try them all out at least once

Inside the classroom setting, take advantage of review sessions and question periods to seek clarification. 

If you want, make some friends in class - at least so that you have someone to fall back on if you’re ill, can’t come to class, or if your computer crashes and you lose everything. If you have questions after a practical, a problem set, an essay, or a test, there is always someone there who can help you work through it. 

Outside the classroom... you have infinite resources. Free ones, too! Youtube channels like crash-course have helped me with getting a full understanding of historical periods and gaining a foundation for classwork. Professor Dave Explains’ channel has been invaluable for me in organic chemistry. I’ve listened through many a lecture by Dr. Sadler to gain new perspectives on some of my philosophy readings. I’ve also looked online for suggestions about approaches to different math problems and physics questions, because sometimes a comment in some random forum can inspire you to get to the answer!

Also, check out past exams and tests! Even if you can’t do them all or don’t have an answer key, they help you feel more prepared for the structure of an assessment. Along those lines, check out model answers or assignments if they are provided or offered. Before the assignment is due, this will help you make sure you are including everything you need. After the assignment is due, this will help you improve your answers and see where you went wrong.

Thanks for reading, I hope to be back soon with more tips! 

[paranoiakrp]

         CITIZEN FILE RETRIEVED: JUNG SEOJOON ...

STATS

name / jung seojoon d.o.b. / 03.03.95 age / 24 pronouns / he/him job / assistant for the wildlife division, town hall societies / monstrous › luck groups / town hall

WHATS YOUR WEIRD?

sometimes, when the town hall organizes fairs, they do raffles to raise money for some town project. 

seojoon no longer participates in this.

he has a collection of small prizes he has won over the years. a robot toy, a bicycle he is too big to use anymore, a set of pots, two ugly as sin vases, an old cuckoo watch. every year he would stare at the prizes with big eyes and wait and every year he would be the one awarded with whatever small thing they were giving away. some people were suspicious of foul play, so he stopped participating.

once, when he was a teenager, seojoon won three different teddy bears for his girlfriend on a game during a carnival and by the time he tried the fourth booth he was denied. he was ruining the game.

at age seven seojoon really wanted a fancy chemistry set he saw on tv for christmas, but his mother didn’t have enough money to buy it. on a walk back home seojoon found a wallet on the ground. no documents, no identification, nothing but money. money enough to buy his gift.

at age ten he became, as many children with dotting mothers do, addicted to a particular brand of chocolate. it was popular with the kids, but somehow, every time seojoon walked into the mart with his coins to buy a bar, there was always one left on the shelves, as if waiting for him.

at age sixteen he wears a necklace that belonged to his mother; a golden leaf on a golden chain. protection, his grandmother says. seojoon laughs. he wears it because it’s cool, it’s what he tells everyone, he wears it because it was hers, it’s the real reason. some kid thinks it would be funny to try to take it from his neck. he tries it when seojoon is in class, but seojoon always moves his neck away from the boy’s grasp. he tries again when seojoon is at a party, but he slips and falls when trying to reach it. no matter what seojoon always slips away when anyone tries to hurt him.

these are only the small things. little occurrences that could happen to anyone.

the older he gets the bigger they get, too. a door slamming right after he moved his hand, tree trunks that fall as soon as he walks past a trail missing him for a few seconds, a car that stops working in the middle of the road when seojoon is crossing it, going through flu season as healthy as ever, his boss giving him a free afternoon when he should be working.

seojoon tries gambling just once. it’s late, he is twenty three and fresh back in town, a few beers in as he sits at the back of the bar, watching a group of men play poker. he learned to play it in the army, so he asks to join. they see a drunk kid, thirty or forty years younger, and decide that he should be an easy one to trick. he wins the first round, they say they let him, to make him bet more. he wins the second and they say it’s beginner’s luck. he wins the third and the fourth and fifth and by the time one of the men, a retired police officer, has to give seojoon his watch they are angry.

they take him out of the bar, decide to teach him a lesson for what they can only describe as cheating. they try to hold him but his skin feels slippery, they try to punch him and keep missing, they try to kick him and trip on their own legs. they give up because this is junae and strange things happen in this town, a lucky kid can’t even be classified as freaky. when seojoon wakes up the next morning he looks finds the watch by his bed and throws up.

he doesn’t need games or a rabbit’s paw or anything of such, luck seems to follow him like his shadow. no, it’s not something that he carries, it is something that carries him, that envelopes seojoon in a coat of protection, something that comes from within him, that remains dormant most of the time, but always wakes up when seojoon needs it.

he still doesn’t know if this is good or bad. all seojoon knows is that he is lucky.

WHATS YOUR STORY?

I: THE WOMAN

jung hyunmi was a determined woman and as many determined women before she had the misfortune of being born in a sleepy town of name junae. the bright young woman always felt her life should be more than working at the mart and bagging groceries until she died, and she didn’t wait for her destiny to find her, of course not, she went away after it at the ripe age of nineteen.

but this is not hyunmi’s story.

perhaps that is a funny, sweet story of a woman who was determined but got unlucky, or maybe it was the adventure of a foreign trying the american dream, but that is only for the people who lived it to know. this is the story of a boy.

II: THE BOY

jung seojoon was born six months after his mother returned to junae. spring was just beginning and the lakes were still frozen when he came to this world, but to his mother and her parents he couldn’t come at a better moment. hyunmi didn’t plan to have a son, but she loved him from the very first moment and her parents, although at first disappointed at their daughter and her mistake, were good people who wouldn’t turn their backs on her when she most needed them.

for the adults junae may be a prison, a place some would like to escape from or a place many have grown used to, but for a kid junae was an endless adventure. with a retired park ranger for a grandfather seojoon grew up in the forest as much as in the town. he learned the ins and outs of the trails and how to find his way back into junae if he got lost there – but that never happened, his grandfather was always a good guide and smart enough to only take the boy with him to least dangerous areas and only during the day, for the forest is no place for a boy during the night.

then there was grandmother, kim youngsook, junae’s saju reader.

she was the one who chose seojoon’s name (seo means auspicious, joon means handsome), who predicted how his life would go – something she hasn’t shared with him until this date. “don’t worry boy, your fate will find you,” she always said, mysterious as always. like her daughter she was a determined woman, with an iron will and a soft smile every time seojoon was in her arms.

“but will it be a good one?” seojoon asked her every time.

“it will be lucky.” she answered.

III: THE LUCK

as all other junae citizens seojoon grew up aware of the stories and legends behind the city. grandfather warned him far too many times about the forest and the claw marks on his right leg were more than enough to convince seojoon that something hid there. he too heard about the ghost stories and heard laughs coming from empty places before. it was something one gets used to in junae, something that becomes nothing more than the background of one’s life. for seojoon, an awkward boy who had to deal with the uncertainty and angst of his teen years, the legends and ghost stories were nothing but a way to try to impress girls and to be who had the guts to sleep in the forest or spend two hours inside the abandoned amusement park.

until he got lucky.

he didn’t pay it mind at first. a teacher forgetting to ask for their papers when seojoon didn’t finish his or canceling a scheduled test when he didn’t study. finding money on the ground was a common occurrence for him, more than the average person, and once or twice, in moments of need, seojoon found a couple of bills. he never tripped and if he bumped into something seojoon would never drop anything. he avoided crashing his bike into the trees in the forest more than once, and when walking there he was able to avoid falling into slopes more times than he could count.

deep down seojoon always knew that whatever was happening to him wasn’t normal and often he would lay awake at night and ask himself if perhaps his grandmother had magical powers and gave him the luck. or maybe, and that was a scary thought, maybe it was the city. maybe he was turning into a part of its stories as much as the ghost children in the park.

it was luck that saved him, but that took his mother.

seojoon was fifteen when they planned the ten days trip to jeju island, just him and his mother. they had barely left the region when the truck hit their car. a blind spot on the tortuous road of the mountain region, the police would say later. a very dangerous area that had taken many lives before and would take again. except seojoon, the boy who was taken from the car with nothing but a few scratches and a broken hand. his mother, however, wasn’t so lucky.

seojoon would trade all the luck in the world to have her back, would curse himself with a lifetime of misfortune if she could live but as grandmother had told him over and over, life doesn’t work this way.

after his mother’s funeral seojoon ran into the forest, nothing but his grandfather’s screams ( and his grandmother’s “leave him be” ) to follow him. from this moment on his memories are confused by the grief and hurt, but he remembers following the hiking trails at first, going deeper and deeper into the forest as the night fell, not tripping once.

when seojoon woke up it was morning and he was in a clearing. after blinking away the sleep he looked to his side and saw it there, as if waiting just for him: a four leaf clover.

from that moment on seojoon knew there was no escaping his fate, for much like the marks on his grandfather’s leg, junae had set its claws on him.

IV: THE INTERLUDE

there was a short period of time when seojoon wasn’t lucky: the nearly two years he spent away from junae and at the army. on his first day of basic training seojoon tripped and fell twice, and after this his gun didn’t seem to work well and his shift was the worst possible. for nearly two years seojoon was a normal person with a normal luck.

until he got a call from home.

his grandfather was a healthy man for his age but it didn’t stop him from having a heart attack and dying while he ate his breakfast. that can happen, it was what the doctor said. for a second time in his life seojoon buried a loved one.

this time, older and wiser, seojoon didn’t run into the forest. instead, when the funeral was over, he walked with his grandmother back home and cooked dinner. life goes on, it was something he learned after his mother passed.

life goes on, but it changes.

before seojoon had plans that although vague included staying in seoul, starting a new life there. a friend offered him a job as a waiter on his father’s restaurant and with it seojoon would be able to prepare himself to go to university, study biology as he always dreamed of.

but that was before and after saying goodnight to grandmother on the night of his grandfather’s funeral seojoon knew he couldn’t go back to seoul, he couldn’t leave her alone. sure, she was known in the city and the community liked her, but it was not right to leave an old woman alone.

and just like that junae claimed him again.

V: THE MAN

his grandmother doesn’t only do saju, she reads tarot and palms too, if she is feeling like it. she does it for everyone but seojoon. when he was a boy seojoon used to cry over it, as any other person he too wanted to know his fate, what sorts of predictions would his grandmother tell him.

now, as he watches yet another person leave her shop with tears in their eyes seojoon is thankful that isn’t him.

he is lucky again, luckier than he has ever been. maybe it’s his age, or the certainty that he isn’t leaving the town so soon, but seojoon finds money on the ground almost every day, dodges small accidents like it’s his job and excels like no other at his actual job.

working for the town hall is not what seojoon had in mind for his future, but it’s a good job and he is good at what he does. they needed someone who knows the forest and who could aid the environment sector with field work coordinated with the park rangers. it can only be described as luck that just as seojoon decides to stay in town an old employee retires and they look for someone new.

maybe one day seojoon will be able to go to college like he wanted, to leave as he wanted, but for now his life isn’t bad and his fate seems to be a lucky one, or as lucky as one can be in such a town. as the future starts to look foggy and his sense of purpose seojoon can still count on his luck; in junae he will always find money on the ground, will always win a raffle at the mart and make a couple of bucks on a scratch. he might not know what he is doing what his life now, but at least he has good fortune.

and life goes on, it always does.