#roosevelt middle school

[collegible]

Get ready for the SBAC! Collegible offers the only SBAC prep course in San Francisco! 7th graders planning to apply to Lowell must submit their SBAC scores as criteria for admission to San Francisco's magnet public high school. 7th graders from public schools will take the SBAC in the Spring of 2024. Collegible offers SBAC prep courses that start on the following dates: April Evening Course 2024 Starts Wednesday March 27, 2024, 4pm-6pm (5 weeks) Register at https://sbacapril2024.eventbee.com

Each course will have the following format: Session 1 - Intro to the SBAC, Mathematics + homework Session 2 - SBAC ELA Strategies  + homework Session 3 - SBAC Reading Comprehension Strategies  (Take Home Test) Session 4 - SBAC Mathematics + homework Session 5 -Test Review

5 Sessions, 2hours each: 10 hours total

Lessons will cover the SBAC Math and ELA

Take home practice tests that reflect the official SBAC

Lessons binders will be mailed upon registration

Takes place in Collegible's Virtual Classroom

Small, personalized class size (<10 students)

Info@collegible.com 415-320-7424 COLLEGIBLE offers the only Lowell Entrance Exam Prep Course in San Francisco. COLLEGIBLE will provide lessons in fundamental Math, English & Language Arts (ELA), and test preparation strategies.  All San Francisco public school 7th graders will take the SBAC in April to determine their eligibility for admissions to Lowell High School.  

[bingwriterxo]

midnight guest

pairing: jenna ortega x reader

summary: in which it's late and an unexpected visitor drops by

warnings: none

word count: 1000+

author's note: posted this one to my wattpad a while ago, but it's one of my favorites. i won't be able to post until saturday night at the earliest, so i wanted to give you guys something before i dipped.

hs au!

Your back was aching, your eyes were burning, and your throat was unbearably dry, but you couldn't pull yourself away from where you hovered over your history textbook. Finals season was quickly approaching, and your grades were far from acceptable, so you had been pulling all-nighter after all-nighter to try cramming in whatever information may have been necessary to pass each class. Tonight's sleeping period was replaced with reading about the two World Wars and the Cold War. Needless to say, you were bored and tired and--

There was a small clink that came from your window. You heard the noise but ignored it, brushing it off as some type of animal, and continued to learn about Franklin D. Roosevelt. A few moments passed without any other interruptions, and then the sound came again, and again, and again, and the repetition pulled your focus away from your textbook. You glanced toward the window, and, upon seeing nothing, returned back to reading.

However, you only got one, maybe two, words in before the clink came again, and you groaned, standing from your desk chair and walking toward the window. The street outside was bare--which didn't surprise you, considering the fact that it was nearing two in the morning--and you made to turn, but then the noise came again. 

"What the hell?" you grumbled. You pressed your face against the window, trying to find whatever could have been making that noise, when, just barely, you noticed a head of hair on the grass beneath. "Huh?" You slid your window open and peeked out of it, to which you were met with a beaming smile from none other than Jenna, the girl that you had officially-unofficially been talking to. 

"You finally answered!" She chuckled. "I've been out here for, like, ten minutes, dude! What have you been doing?" She seemed completely unfazed about the fact that she was standing on your side lawn in the middle of the night when the two of you had school the next morning, and she furrowed her eyebrows when you opened your mouth to answer but no words came out. "Can I come up?"

"I--" The brunette lived halfway across town, and you couldn't see her bike anywhere in sight, which meant she had walked all the way to your house. You couldn't just deny her request and send her back home, not at this hour, not when she must have something important to say. "Sure," you said with a sigh, already regretting the decision as you watched the girl clamber up the fire safety ladder that your parents had installed on the side of the house--this interruption was going to set your studying back. 

Soon enough, Jenna was standing in your room, brushing herself off, and you stood a few steps away, your arms crossed over your stomach as though you were hugging yourself. She offered you a sparkling grin, the bridge of her nose crinkling, and then sat on your bed, her back pressed against the headboard, and patted the space beside her as if to say come sit. You obliged. 

After a few moments of silence, you asked the most reasonable question you could think of. "So, uh, what're you doing here?" In your peripheral vision, you could see her turn to you, a smirk playing at her lips as she tilted her head. You focused your attention on her as you awaited her response. 

"You weren't answering your phone," she shrugged, as if that was reason enough for her to trek a mile and a half in the dead of night. 

You nodded. "I've been studying..." At the mention of your previous work, a yawn broke from your lips, and you raised your hand to cover your mouth. "What, were you worried?" you teased.

The two of you had found yourselves in the depths of a 'are-we-friends-or-something-more' situation (you both knew you liked each other, and that you didn't want to date anyone else, but neither of you had the courage to admit your feelings and get something started). You liked to lightheartedly tease the girl whenever possible in an attempt to force her into making a move. So far, your efforts had proved fruitless.

"No," she lied, though her small smile gave her away, and you laughed softly. "But..." She hesitated. "I did miss you." Your laughter stopped instantly at the girl's confession, and you simply stared at her, unsure of what to say: this was the most either of you had ever delved into your feelings. 

"You missed me? Are you going soft on me, Ortega?" you asked, ignoring the blush that rose to your cheeks, the one that you knew she noticed and just chose not to comment on. 

She nodded, nearly imperceptibly--the movement so slight that you wouldn't have noticed if you weren't really looking--before breathing out, "Yeah, I think so."

The admission filled your chest with warmth, and you smiled, a genuine smile that made your eyes squint and your teeth gleam. "Really?"

She gulped, chuckled, and you watched as her eyes flitted toward your lips. Slowly, cautiously, she leaned in, constantly glancing back up at you to make sure that her actions were okay. 

You met her halfway, lips pressing against her soft ones, and you sighed at the feeling, the one that you had been chasing, had been waiting on for months. She pulled away, keeping her forehead pressed against your own. 

"Is this okay?" she whispered, as though raising her voice any louder would have burst the bubble that the two of you had created around yourselves.

Rather than a verbal answer, you brought your hand to her cheek and drew her back in, catching her bottom lip between your own two. You felt her exhale through her nose at the contact, a quick, sharp motion of surprise, and you smiled into the kiss. 

You pulled away this time, far enough so that you could look at the girl, and watched as she suddenly became bashful, her normally tough exterior dissolving before your very eyes. She brought her shoulders up to hide herself in, and her lips had turned down in a shy smile, and you giggled. 

"You're cute," you said through your joy, and the girl shrank in on herself even more, her own cheeks turning a bright red. 

"Shut up..."--she paused, cleared her throat, looked at you--"...you're cute, too."

[generalkenobee]

hello! do you have anymore ted logan headcanons you'd be up for sharing? or possibly evil robot ted? im currently experiencing ted logan brainrot because I recently watched the first 2 films for the first time and I have the PHATTEST crush on ted lol it's embarrassing

AHHHH YESYESYES I DO THANK YOU YESYESYESYES I LITERALLY HAVE SOOOO MANY TED LOGAN IDEAS YOU DONT EVEN KNOW

Warnings: contains both SFW and NSFW

🎸cutie patootie! Ted

- oh my gosh he loves you

- he'll do anything you ask.. anything!

- once in history looked at Bill and said "dude I'm totally a president!" After learning about teddy Roosevelt

-smells you...like a lot

-gives the best hugs ever like actually

-youre the first to get your license in the relationship so you drive him to school every morning while he plays music

-lets you paint his nails and put makeup on him

-always holding hands

-definition of a gentle giant

-his hands are about twice the size of yours

-likes to be the little spoon

-Ted Theodore Logan can not cook.

-please play with his hair

-the first time you complained about your period his dead ass response was "what's that?" 💀

-his dad doesn't really like you but he doesn't really like anyone so it's ok

-him sneaking in your room in the middle of the night while everyone is asleep>>>

NSFW

-sub/ gentle dom

-you'll never forget the noise he said when he first slid in it was like "wait wait wait oh my- I augh.. please no.. it's too much please i-" and it was only half his length-

-sososososoo pussy whipped

-lazy sex

-gently jerky him while he sits on his bed and tells you about his day

-PERV!

-literally taking peaks down your blouse all the time

-lovesss to suck on your boobs while you run your fingers through his hair, holding him close to you

-wont tell anyone what you do together because it's such an intimate moment

-other than Bill...

-bursts into the room while holding your hand pulling you along " BILL BILL BILL GUESS WHAT WE JUST DID!!"

-doesn't realize how horny you get when you see him play

-hes also clueless so..this is how that plays out

"Ted you're so good at guitar.." you said biting your lip looking him up and down "your fingers just move so fast baby" your sweet boyfriend looked up at you from his instrument smiling "thanks babe!" After he said that he quickly looked back down working on his music. You say there looking him in the eye rubbing your thighs together while literally telling him how much you loved his fingers and he just looked away

-hes a massive pervert but he's clueless at the same time yk?

-does not know how to please you the first time so just be patient and tell him what you like

-first time he ate you out was like a dog trying to get peanut butter out of one of those toys..

-I feel like he would excel at fingering you..I mean have you seen the guys hands? And he plays guitar?

-sneaking in just to finger you>>

-lord please moan his name while he's rutting up into you..

IF YOU WANNA HEAR ABOUT MORE OF EVIL! TED LET ME KNOW I KINDA JUST DID CUTIE! TED FOR THISSS🩷

[fatehbaz]

The state intervenes in children’s use of the city, criminalising children’s uses of the streets [...]. Much of this age-segregation emerged in the so-called Progressive Era (1890-1918) in northern cities of the United States, particularly Chicago. Informed by turn-of-the-century science [...], [t]hese child-savers sought to transform delinquent urban children into upright citizens. In doing so, reformers changed the shape of America’s cities. [...] Only a handful of dedicated playgrounds existed in urban America in the 1890s. [...] Contrasting images of working-class, immigrant youth left unsupervised on the streets with children of their own class, who led increasingly sheltered lives, middle-class urbanites feared for the future of the country. The burgeoning reform class, led by Chicagoans such as Jane Addams, feared so-called “swarms” of children on the streets [...].

---

A new theory of child-development known as recapitulation theory had recently emerged. Proponents of this theory, such as G. Stanley Hall, argued that children passed through (or recapitulated) all the stages of the evolution of the race before they achieved adulthood. [...] Advocates [...] idealised almost all of white boys’ misbehaviour as recapitulation of the race’s past [...]. Although recapitulation theory had room for the sons of European immigrants, [...] children of colour remained outside the narrative of idealised misbehaviour. [...] [W]hite Americans [...] sought to repress the misbehaviour or so-called childhood savagery of children of colour rather than encourage it. Thus, just as white children were encouraged to embrace their inner savage and hold mock powwows and “to play Indian”, Progressive reformers confined Native American children to “civilizing” boarding schools [...].

Growing concerns over masculinity at the turn of the twentieth century limited reforms that could be seen as “molly-coddling”. To completely crush the misbehaving instinct, many middle-class Americans believed, would be just as dangerous [...]. Drawing on recapitulation theory, reformers believed the key to anti-delinquency among [...] European [...] children was providing these children with supervised, orderly places where the misbehaving instinct could safely play out. Central to reformers’ attempts to save but not tame [...] children meant the development of the world’s first municipal playground system in Chicago [...]. By 1915, the city of Chicago ran sixty-six recreation centres [...]. President Teddy Roosevelt heralded it as “one of the most notable civic achievements of any American city.” From Chicago, the idea spread around the country. By 1921, almost 200 cities employed a total of over eleven thousand men and women as year-round playground workers. [...]

---

But the state, too, struggled to control urban childhood. [..] [T]ruant officers [...] struggled with huge caseloads in the early twentieth century. [...] On the streets, escapees evaded police, probation and truant officers [...]. A study of reform schools in and near Chicago in the early twentieth century found two-fifths of detainees left in what was euphemistically called ‘informal departure’ [...]. Escape caused such an issue for reformatories that it was considered among the most serious offences and, as such, carried the heaviest punishments including beatings, being hung by the wrists, being shackled, wearing heavy iron studded shoes, being placed in a tub of ice water, and being caged.

Even as Progressive ideals ostensibly moved prisons and other reform institutions further from the punishment of the body to the treatment of the individual’s soul, in practice, reformatory officials often resorted to physical punishments for the treatment of runaways. [...] [T]he new juvenile institutions of the early twentieth-century differed so wildly in practice from their conception in theory. [...]

---

By the 1930s, however, the concept of the dangerous but ultimately salvageable swarm which had shaped Progressive Era responses to the problems of children and the city was gradually replaced by the far more pessimistic idea of individual deviant personalities. Faith in the ability to transform children through transforming the city collapsed. [...] Juvenile Courts also faced increasing pessimism. In 1936, leading child-saver Grace Abbott asked rhetorically whether the Juvenile Court of Chicago had proved a success or a failure and concluded pessimistically [...].

Delinquency experts increasingly turned to psychiatry to explain and treat criminal behaviour; the psychiatrist supplanted the playground as the key to anti-delinquency.

---

As reformers advocated individualised treatment of delinquent personalities, on the streets, changing priorities of policing increasingly and aggressively targeted children of colour. In addition, suburbanisation was changing the demographics of the inner city. Increasingly, white families were choosing to move out to the suburbs [...]. As inner-city youth became more and more synonymous with minority youth, the urban child seemed increasingly outside the realm of “saving” and middle-class white Americans responded to black youth’s corner culture with intense policing and urban flight, not playgrounds and child-saving. The pessimistic view [...] laid the foundation for the increasingly racialised and violent attempts to control poor urban children in the later twentieth century. [...]

---

Most importantly, Progressive reformers criminalised and delegitimised much of children’s traditional use of the streets, ensuring that age became a crucial component of urban discipline. [...] When encounters with real children transformed institutions and regulations in unexpected ways, the result was increasingly coercive methods and policing.

---

All text above by: Oenone Kubie. “Child’s Play: How Progressive Era Science Shaped America’s Playgrounds.” Oxford Urbanists. 15 September 2019. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[film-in-my-soul]

when he's feeling generous (he's gonna give me a taste) | 7,717 | haridwar

Summary: Amelia seems like the type of little sister who would inadvertently make Bradley insta famous without his knowledge

Until the World Ends | 8,009 | greenstuff

Summary: Nothing in Bradley Bradshaw’s thirty years of life on Earth prepared him to leave it. He knows he’s staring at the receding ball of land and sea with mouth agape and he probably looks like an idiot, but he can’t quite get over the fact they’re in space. To his left, Jake Seresin competently pilots their spaceship (no matter how many times Seresin corrects him, Bradley isn’t buying it; they’re in space, it’s a spaceship). To his right blackness and stars stretch out far beyond the limits of his human sight and if he turns just a bit he can watch the planet growing incrementally smaller. If they don’t succeed, the planet below them will be destroyed in under two weeks. No pressure

flames look beautiful (if you forget what they can do) | 8,359 | Ravens_Words

Summary: Bradley Bradshaw returns to consciousness with a gasp, hand going to his side, where a searing pain makes itself known. "-ster, hey," Jake snaps, holds his face in both hands and forces him to look his way, "breathe." Bradley does as he's told, as painful as it is, and his vision clears somewhat. Jake's crouched beside him, concern etched on his face, and what happened comes back to him in flashes. The mission going sideways at every possible turn, seeing Jake's plane get shot down in the sky, the less than smooth emergency landing in the woods that followed.

no sanctuary (when my eyes close) | 8,757 | attolians / @maroonmorons

Summary: “You coming tonight?” “Of course,” Jake’s mouth says before he can catch up. “Wouldn’t miss it.” “Sounds good.” Rooster smiles after another second, “I’m gonna shower but I’ll see you later.” “Yup.” Rooster takes a few steps closer to the showers before meeting Jake’s eyes in the mirror again. “And, uh, thanks for the help up there.” Jake nods. He can’t answer with the ghost filling the other side of the mirror.

cinnamon and sugar | 9,434 | bottledyarn

Summary: Jake was slumped in the doorway, propped up against the wall beside the door. He was a strange, pale, near-gray against the dark backdrop of his apartment, and he looked—well… “You look like shit," Bradley said. Bradley draws the short straw and has to take care of Jake when he's sick with a stomach flu. Jake doesn't want to be taken care of.

You Moved Me, Honey | 9,517 | 1001lifetimes

Summary: For Bradley, it starts with the accident. Somehow, he lands the plan, his muscle memory taking over as his mind crashes with Hangman to the ground. The rest of their classmates are standing on the tarmac, a few because they’re worried and most because they’re looking for a show. Bradley doesn’t have time for either.

Please see below for more recommendations!

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no one quite like you (you push all my buttons down) | 10,465 | glowpink / @nightspires

Summary: Bradley’s first day of law school is a wash out in more ways than one. First, he gets soaked on the way to class. Then, he's late. And finally (quite literally) runs into his ex-something in the middle of the law building.

I Can See Our Future | 10,926 | Nikkyrow

Summary: The ability to know what others were going to do before even they did made Jake "Hangman" Seresin a really good pilot. Made him an unbridled asshole too. He follows the rules, don’t tell the future, don’t change the future, don’t let people know you see the future…until he doesn’t. As the mission grows closer and who won't come home becomes clearer to the psychic, Hangman learns to navigate the line between natural and paranormal with varying success.

i know exactly who you could be | 11,302 | haridwar

Summary: Bradley works in the Roosevelt's medical centre and gets a front row seat for the joyful experience that is The Mission

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Summary: 5 Times Rooster and Hangman help each other through nightmares +1 time they help somebody else.

like shooting stars | 12,737 | bottledyarn

Summary: “Well," the gate agent said. "Only uniformed military members and their spouses can board priority, but—” “That works out,” Bradshaw said, his voice tinny and distant in Jake's ringing ears. “Because this is my fiancé.” If Jake hadn’t been able to choke down a piece of toast this morning, he thought he might be light-headed enough to just pass out right then and there.

hey pretty baby (with the flight suit on) | 16,317 | nqther

Summary: It feels as monumental as saving Bradley’s fucking life, makes his stomach swoop in a way it only does in the air—and when he’s kissing Bradley freakin’ Bradshaw in an empty TOPGUN classroom, apparently.

no stressing, just obsessing (with sealing the deal) | 16,556 | Resacon1990 / @sassyresacon1990

Summary: “Too much love drives a man insane!” “Tell me about it,” Jake mutters under his breath, and Penny raises an eyebrow where she’s wiping the bar in front of him. Or, five times Jake tries to tell Bradley he's in love with him, and the one time he actually does.

the man had killed the thing he loved (and so he had to die) | 22,981 | himbo_wars

Summary: Jacob Seresin was born and raised weak. Delivered prematurely, he was small and fragile; a pitiable baby who always needed to be watched over. His conception was welcomed, his birth, undesirable.

Flock Together | 140,119 | LadyLanera / @ladylanera

Summary: They made it home. Settled into becoming a family with Amelia and Penny. Rooster finally had that chance of his happily ever after he dreamed of. Only he was pretty certain that Jake "Hangman" Seresin wasn't into him regardless of what everyone claimed otherwise. No one was that big of a dick to someone they liked...right?

Master Reclist · Personal Masterlist · Blog Nav.

[candywife333]

Endlessly

A short one shot from my blurb bucket list. 

Tears dripped down my face in torrents as I realized what I had to do. I had to leave this man. He didn't love or respect me. He never even wanted to be a friend. This marriage had shown me how much more I didn't belong in his life. I know he thought he was above me. I could tell by how he treated me throughout the entire duration of our sad little marriage.

Our parents were family friends. His parents were business tycoons who wanted to marry their son Park Jimin off to me, a hopeless nobody according to Jimin’s assessment of me throughout our schooling years. He had treated me like dust beneath his shoe when we were both in the same middle school and high school. We ran in the same circles as my parents owned a fancy bakery in the nice part of town. My parents had grown up with his parents and though we were never anywhere as rich as them, my parents provided me a comfortable upbringing. Jimin’s parents were extremely kind people who never acted arrogant, even though they owned a chain of extremely lucrative hotels. 

At the age of 16 Jimin had a Mercedes Benz, Rolex watch, a separate outhouse next to his parent’s estate, and the attention of any girl he wanted. 

At the same age, I had my cat, Sugarplum, my teddy bear, Roosevelt, my parents and our bakery. That was enough to tell you how different we were from one another. For some ridiculous reason, his parents thought that I would be the best girl to marry him to. I remember that day when I was paralyzed by shock when I came back from school one day to find them all in my living room. His mother, Mrs. Park had cracked open a warm smile as she saw me standing in from of the door as I awkwardly greeted them. 

My mom came from the kitchen exclaiming in a voice filled with hidden glee, “ Oh, Y/N. Baby, you are back from school. How was your day? Got any articles published for the school newspaper?” I quietly responded, “Yeah mom, getting ready to finalize some edits.” As I walked into the living room gingerly, thinking it was only Ms. Park and my mom, Jimin came in with my dad and his dad from our back yard. Mr. Park chimed in joyously, “ Y/n , You have grown so much. What a beautiful girl you have become.” Jimin coughed silently, laughing under his breath as I grimly realized that he didn’t share the same sentiment as his dad. 

I couldn’t see what Mr. Park meant either since I had just worn jeans and a long sleeve top to school. But I had not been brought up lacking manners, so I replied, “Thank you Mr. Park. Very kind of you to say so. How have you been doing? Would you like me to get you and Ms. Park some tea and cake?” The brightly smiling older man chuckled in a pleased fashion, “Why don’t you do that sweetheart. We have some good news for you when you come back.” 

I walked into the kitchen puzzled at what he was referring to. I came back with the refreshments and set then down on the table as my mom said, “Why don’t we let Y/N first finish college and then we can plan the wedding?” I almost fell off the couch. I felt like I had been slapped by a fish. What the freaking hell did she mean marriage!?? Were they trying to sell me off like a week old salmon in a fish market? And to who? 

I exclaimed in a rather nervous tone, “Mother, what are you talking about? What is going on here?” Mrs. Park started in a placating tone, “Sweet heart we were just talking about when Jimin and you would be married.” I almost choked as I screamed in terror, “EXCUSE ME?!” Mr. Park smiled as he continued, “Darling don’t frighten Y/N. Sweetheart don’t worry. We will wait till you and Jimin finish your under grad degrees and then we will plan the engagement and get you two hitched. It won’t be immediate. You will have time to get to know him.” Jimin sat there in silence with a neutral mask on his face as my face contorted in terror, making me retreat upstairs in utter shock. 

I could hear my dad say, “What do you say Jimin? Ready to take on your dad’s company?” I could hear as Jimin replied in a resolute manner , “Of course uncle. Once I get my business degree and finish my MBA, I will be able to take care of Y/N properly.” 

Contrary to what everyone thought, Jimin proceeded to treat me like an invisible being throughout the duration of our college years as well. We had ended up at our hometown college which happened to rank pretty highly across the country. Though I didn’t agree with this supposed marriage which both our parents had come up with, I thought we would at least get to know each other as friends. And then maybe eventually as a couple if we suited each other.

Jimin and I had run in different circles all throughout high school and middle school. The same trend continued in college. He hung out with other extremely handsome and privileged guys who would also eventually take over their family businesses as heirs. Just as he did in high School, he had a loyal fan following of beautiful well bred girls whose sole existence in college was to trap rich man in marriage. Anytime I would come across him, I would greet him. 

He would walk past me as though he never heard me. The girls he would hang with would always be teeming around him in a protective pentagon. He sure was satanic. His behavior and the way he acted above all others in school  had not changed. To top all this behavior all off with a cherry, he was known around campus for having a new girl every month. His dipshit friend Jungkook,  had coined the term, “new flavor of the month”, to describe his excessively promiscuous and nonchalant behavior. 

To my utter dismay, this man who I had known to never be husband material, continued to exemplify that he was the farthest thing from husband material the world had ever seen. He was as similar to husband material, as polyester was to silk. I had had some faith in the fact that he may change his behavior initially. As we almost ended our college years, I could tell that he wouldn’t change and he would carry this dismal behavior into a marriage that I never even wanted.

I told my mother numerous times as college ended, “ Please mom. Why do I have to marry him? He has the pick of the lot, so many attractive rich girls. Why me? Can’t he just marry one of those.” I started sobbing in frustration as I bit out in desperation , “He doesn't even greet me mom. He doesn't acknowledge my existence. He hates me. I don’t want to marry someone who hates me. You know me mom. I can’t survive with someone who hates my guts, someone who disrespects me. I am the closest thing to a fiancé he has and he doesn't even want to be friends. Why do you and father insist on ruining my life this way?”

To my shock my mother  started crying as well as she morosely said, “ I am so sorry my baby. I didn't know that he was treating you this way. His parents and I always thought he was a well mannered child so we had betrothed you to him when you were barely 10. His dad has a really bad heart condition. And since his dad and mom were your godparents, they wanted you to marry him because you are such a good girl. His father may pass soon, and he wanted see his son wedded to you before he passed.” 

“His parents really think you are the best person for Jimin. You are solid, trustworthy, loyal, beautiful, loving and a hard worker. Nobody in their circles, no matter how rich or vain they may be, amount to you in worth.” Your mother continued in a serious tone, “But sweetheart, if he is treating you like trash, I will tell his parents that this won’t work. They can find someone else for his ungrateful ass.” 

You laughed for the first time in a long time as your mother started cussing out Jimin for being a turd. But knowing yourself you knew what decision you would take. Your godparents had been there for you since you were born. They had taken care of you and your parents when your parents were initially setting up the bakery. 

You decided it then and there. You would marry Jimin and be with him for a few years. When it would get unbearably hard, when you would feel like dying, you would leave him. Inevitably the marriage would die, it was just a matter of time. And, you would be giving your godfather the gift of a wedding for his son. 

I laughed bitterly as my sob fest ceased. It had been 5 long years since  your marriage to Jimin at the age of 21. His father had been elated to see him married off to you. They treated me better than their own daughter this entire time. It almost made up for how badly Jimin had treated me. But that's the thing, almost was never enough. Every person had their limits. And I had hit mine. 

I started packing away whatever clothes you could fit into the suitcases. It had been enough. His cold behavior towards me, the disrespect of having random women over at the house, the disregard towards me as a partner. The tipping point had been when I was about to visit him at his office and heard moaning coming from inside the room. 

In these five years of being married to him I had developed a prowess as a writer and published so many books that had became a best seller. Under your clandestine alias, Strawberry, I had now accumulated a personal net worth of 50 million dollars USD. This progress had deemed me financially independent. I had never touched Jimin’s money since the beginning of the relationship. Whenever we went to galas with him for the purpose of PR for his company, he had provided me money to buy clothes and accessories. 

I had always been a chubby girl who wore glasses and nondescript clothing. But Jimin and most of the world didn't know that I had a personal sense of fashion and beauty sequestered in my closet ready to unleash to the world once I divorced this ungrateful shit. The plan to leave had been in the works since the day of the wedding. Five years of building, brooding, working hard, and patience had earned me the right to a divorce. Even when I married him, he never tried to get to know me. 

I had tried to be his friend, taking care of him when his dad was sick in the hospital on multiple occasions. There were days Jimin didn't even get out of bed because of the sheer misery of his father’s condition. I had supported him that time, sleeping with him when he was lonely and crying in bed in the middle of the night. We had separate bedrooms, but he had come crying to my bed at midnight one night , sobbing profusely as he crumbled into my arms. “I--I-I can’t do this y/N, I can’t see him die with my own eyes. I love my dad, I can’t imagine life without him.” 

He wretched and sobbed for what seemed like eternity as he lay in my bed, snuggled in my arms as he tried catching his breath. I had stroked him on the head, patting him on his back, rocking him to bed as though he were a baby. At the time he had settled against me exhausted with his arms encompassing my waist. His face had burrowed into my chest as he fell asleep, tired from his crying fit. This incident had repeated itself so many times during the course of our marriage. The worst part was when he would act like a completely different person every morning after his crying tirades. He would seek solace in my arms in the nights and become like a cold, impenetrable version of himself the very next day. I was his emotional support animal, and he was the man I could never call my own.   

Reminiscing all those times made silent tears trail down my face as I faced the whiplash of memories. I had tried making him breakfast, packing his lunches, and had tried my hardest to at least be his friend if I could not be his partner. He would let me do all this for him, without appreciation or gratitude. He would eat my food and treat me like a stranger. Treat me like I had never existed. He never remembered my birthday, never concerned himself with my needs. 

When I had tried to kiss him on his lips, trying to making the first move one time, he had spelled out in no uncertain terms, “ You are only my wife in name. Don’t try to make this relationship anything else than what it should be, a PR relationship. And how could you think I would ever be attracted to you? Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror? Learn to take care of yourself. How could you continue to look like a slob your whole life? You’ve seen who I dated in school since we were kids. Did any of them ever look like you?” 

He walked away like nothing had happened, as I crumbled to the ground crying, injured by the one person I had tried so hard to get close to. That night had led me to understand that he was way above my league, at least according to his standards. If this was a PR relationship, then why did he cry to me at night? Why did he come to me wounded,  expecting me to complete him and in the same breath stab me in the heart for caring? 

I had to leave. I had to leave. I had to.

JIMIN’S POV

As most marriages go, they are usually banal affairs. Unexciting and monotonous. Duties and responsibilities littered my brain as I came home early. As I looked for the wife I would never in a million years have thought would be mine,  I stumbled upon some photos in her room. Nudes of a full figured girl dominated the frame of the polaroid photos scattered around the floor. I choked in utter shock at the slip of a stocking and a flash of her bosom. 

I picked up the photos, shocked at how beautiful they looked. This was my wife? The quiet girl who even in our school days simply seemed like the kind girl next door? She wore these stockings underneath her everyday clothes? My pants felt uncomfortably tight as I ventured further into her room. 

 Why were clothes littered all over her room? She was usually extremely organized. She ran our house as tight as a captain would run their ship. Everything was always cleaned and in its place. As I ventured further into her room, I saw piles of lingerie of shapes and sizes I never imagined on her bed. Where was she ? And what was she doing with all these clothes? If it wasn't for me, then who was she entertaining? Rage filled my gut as I couldn't imagine her betraying me with another man. 

On the bed, I saw official documents. One word caught my eye, filling me with dread, my panic continued to rise as a I clutched papers to my face with latent fury. It read,  “DIVORCE SETTLEMENT DOCUMENTS”.  I yelled in a full blown nervousness, “ Y/N where are you? What are you doing? What are these papers?!? Y/N?!” 

In the utter chaos wreaking havoc upon my mind,  I opened the door to her bathroom, and I almost fainted. Y/N was decorated in a red lace thong with a blood red bra and stockings to match. Her voluptuous stomach gripped the strings of the thong as her thick ass swallowed up the thong string. Stretch marks climbed in spirals along her hips as her bra struggled to house her breasts. Her thick thighs were encased in transparent red thigh high stockings. 

I couldn’t even hear her screaming as I continued to stare at her body in undisguised, mind numbing lust and adoration. I had never seen my wife naked. I had never even touched her or any other woman for the entire duration of our marriage. I may be a bastard, but I was loyal to my wife. And my dick that had been dead from the antidepressants and grief at my father’s condition, came to life. 

Y/N yelled in frustration, waving her hands in front of me to get out of the room. I marched up to her as the cloud of  lust magnified within me. She cowered away from me, placing hands to cover her breasts and pussy. I took hold of her arms easily, wrenching them to the side as I studied her beautiful body up close. If I had known this was how my wife looked like, I would have never made it to work on time every morning. 

What startled me was the sniffling though. I panicked as I looked up to see her crying profusely with the most abject grief in her eyes. I had hurt her somehow. She was usually the most neutral, cold faced girl I had ever come across in my life. Her facial expressions never showed emotion except for the times when I would hurt her, when I was so weighed down by the grief of my father that I would lash out at her.  Little did she know how elated I was to marry her the day of our wedding. 

Growing up an only child without many real friends made me a very unexpressive person, but when I loved someone, I loved them deeply. And my wife was clearly hurt so badly. I had hurt her so badly, that she was considering divorce. As it all clicked into place, I wrapped my arms around her and rocked her in my arms, soothing her, “Tell me what is going on baby? What is happening? What did I do to hurt you? Why are you trying to leave me?”

She tried batting away my arms that settled around her hips and backside. But I wouldn’t let her go. I had messed up so badly and once I saw those papers, my mind whirled with terror. I couldn’t survive without this woman. She was my life source, my rock, and she couldn’t leave me. She shouted out in a cracked voice, “ You don’t love me! YOU DON’T CARE FOR ME. GET AWAY FROM ME!! YOU CAN GO MARRY SOME SKINNY CHIC WHO YOU HAVE BEEN FUCKING IN THE OFFICE DAY AND NIGHT! NOW LET ME GO, YOU TURD!!

I grabbed on to her tighter, confused at her accusations, “Baby what are you talking about? I haven't touched any girl in the five years we have been married.”

She wheezed in disbelief, “Liar, why are you always doing this to me? You are as cold as a stone, you freeze me out when you feel like it. And I heard the moaning coming from your office, and all the women you have been parading around my house, cheating on me with. Well I am done, I have been done for a long time. I am clearly unattractive and ugly and not in shape. I want to leave, I want a divorce. I do not want even a penny from you, but I have to leave. You are not healthy for me. This is not a healthy marriage.” 

All of her words hit my like trucks as I begged with her, “Sweetheart, I never meant to make you believe that I have been disloyal. All those women at our house were my business partner’s sisters and family. That’s why they would greet you when they came in to the house.  They run a family led corporation , and all of them had come here for business meetings.” As she became quiet, I continued, “ The day you came to see me at the office must have been when my PA twisted her ankle. The physical therapist and I were both in the room with her. She was moaning in pain because it was a completely avulsed tendon. I am so sorry I made you believe otherwise, that you are not the only woman in my life.” 

“I know how horribly I conducted my self in school .  You always saw me around girls and so you thought that behavior of sleeping around would continue into our marriage. I would never do that to you. You are the only one who truly cares about me. And I was a shallow piece of shit for making you fell unattractive. The day I put you down for your appearance, was the worst day of my life. Dad was getting his prosthetic heart valve replacement surgery and I was so stressed. Mom was crying and I didn’t know what to do, that I lashed out at you when you had nothing to do with it.”

As her crying ceased, she tried to get out of my embrace, but I wouldn’t let her. “Baby, please give me a chance to make it right. I know I have treated you dismally, less than human. But I love you, I have loved you since the day we got married. I just never knew how to show it to you. You have always been so independent, self sufficient, never relying on me for anything. I almost thought you never needed me. And the grief made me an even worse person than I thought I was capable of being.” 

Y/N took a huge gulp of air as she exclaimed, “I don’t believe that you are attracted to me or that you love me. You have treated me horribly for years, and I never even felt like we were married. I felt like a roommate who you just used for emotional support. Then you would freeze me out and insult me when I tried to help you. Anyways, you like skinny girls who don’ t look like me, why don’t you just go and find one. I will divorce you and you will never hear from me again. And I will find someone who loves me, who thinks that kissing me and showing affection to me is not a chore.” 

I started panicking. I was ridiculously attracted to her from the beginning, but the depression medication had literally made me a sexless creature for the past five years. But now she thought that I was not attracted to her, when in fact it was the medication which I had recently been tapered off of by my doctor. What if I couldn't convince her that it was all the medication? She would leave me, and I would crumble into tiny pieces, because I couldn't live without her. 

I explained in a frantic voice, “Baby, it was the medication. I was on antidepressant medication for so long and it killed my sex drive so badly. I couldn’t even have sex if I wanted to, it killed my erection. How can I show you that you are a goddess to me? I don’t even deserve to be next to you. I loved you since we were in 7th grade. But I got so nervous around you that I couldn't even speak when you greeted me. Whenever you would talk to me, I literally felt like dying of nerves. I wanted to talk to you so much when we were going through school, but my anxiety crippled me.  I never wanted to make you feel undesirable.” 

As she looked at me in indecision, I swooped down to kiss her passionately against her lips, opening up her mouth to receive my tongue. I gripped her exposed butt and squeezed, “Please let me prove to you that you are all I will ever need.” I nuzzled my face against her neck, biting and pecking against it as my hands massaged up her hips, trying to find the string to her thong that I could unravel. Her eyes twinkled with what looked like hope as she whispered, “You can try.”

------Please let me know if I should release the rest of the smut for this one shot. 

[study-with-aura]

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

I was not sure if this was going to get posted tonight or not. The internet has been acting funny, and I think it's a DNS problem since the speed is nearing 100 Gbps, and it was any website loading that was timing out. I changed the DNS, and that seems to have helped. I wonder what is causing it to act up.

Today was good, long but good. I had trouble sleeping last night. Insomnia periods are not fun, so I hope I am not slipping into one again. Every now and then I will wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep for another hour, which is not good because normally I would get 8.5 hours of sleep without that. With that, that sleep time drops to about 6 hours! That is not healthy!

Saying of such, I am going to get ready for bed now. Pray that I can sleep well!

P.S. If you look at my biology section below, you will see a link to a YT video on the video I had to watch for Bio today. It is informational but quite disturbing at the same time. You have to watch it to the end. If you are looking for something that will make you go "what just happened?", I recommend watching it. If you know anything about that particular organism, you will understand it, but it is still questionable.

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Properties of Triangles Review + honors review

Lit and Comp II - Reviewed Units 22-24 vocabulary + read a biography about Theodore Roosevelt + read more on Theodore Roosevelt + read the beginning of Theodore Roosevelt's First Annual Address + took a quiz on Much Ado About Nothing (100%) + completed a page of timed writing on a play topic

Spanish 2 - Presented my clothing "design" presentation to my dad + reviewed preterit, imperfect, present, and future verb tenses

Bible I - Read Matthew 5

World History - Wrote a short essay on how the interference of the Soviet Union and the United States impacted Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam

Biology with Lab - Watched a very weird video lecturing on protists + looked at a protist image gallery + finished up my experiment + finished typing up my formal lab report

Foundations - Read the definition of truthfulness + completed next quiz on Read Theory + finished writing my speech (last day for writing/speech presentation on Friday)

Piano - Practiced for two hours in one hour split sessions

Khan Academy - Watched World History Unit 6: Lesson 11 (parts 6-7) + completed High School Geometry daily mastery challenge

CLEP - None today

Streaming - Watched Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War episode 7

Duolingo - Studied for approximately 30 minutes (Spanish, French, Chinese) + completed daily quests

Reading - Read pages 161-196 of Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Chores - None today

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (1 Corinthians 10)

Ballet

Variations

Journal/Mindfulness

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

The news that Palestinian Authority summer camps are training children to use weapons and glorify terrorists is a troubling reminder that some regimes view children as little more than tools to be exploited.

Hundreds of thousands of children have been used as soldiers in various international conflicts in recent decades, according to human rights groups.

The Ugandan rebel group known as the “Lord’s Resistance Army” has made the abduction and enslavement of children “its main method of recruitment,” experts say.

In Bolivia, an estimated 40% of the army consists of teenagers who were forcibly conscripted.

The participation of Palestinian Arab children in terrorism against Israelis has become so commonplace that it has attracted the attention of Palestinian advocates in the United States. They’ve persuaded a handful of members of Congress to introduce legislation to restrict U.S. aid to Israel if the Israeli military detains minors who engage in violence.

A Nazi Version of Cinderella

Dictators in previous generations likewise prioritized training children to hate and kill. Adolf Hitler, for example, viewed Germany’s schools as a breeding ground for raising an entire generation of Nazis.

Following Hitler’s rise to power, German school curricula were radically revised to reflect Nazi ideas, and traditional text books were replaced with Nazi versions. Biology texts now advocated the theory of “Aryan” racial superiority. Atlases focused on the alleged danger to Germany posed by surrounding nations and the supposed theft from Germany of various territories. History books presented justifications for renewed German militarism. The Nazis even concocted their own version of Cinderella, with the prince choosing a racially pure young heroine and rebuffing her racially alien stepmother.

At a press conference in September 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed concern that the German government seemed to be preparing young people for war with Germany’s neighbors. He related a story he heard from an American tourist in Germany, about an eight year-old German boy who in his bedtime prayers each night would say, “Dear God, please permit it that I shall die with a French bullet in my heart.”

Unfortunately, that did not change FDR’s policy of maintaining friendly diplomatic and trade relations with Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Disney Exposes the Nazis

During World War Two, Disney created a series of short cartoon films to support the American war effort and expose the nature of Nazism. They were shown in movie theaters, prior to the main feature. One especially striking nine-minute film was called “Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi.”

The storyline follows a German child, Hans, as the Nazi school system turns him into a worshipper of Hitler. When Hans’s teacher shows the pupils a fox capturing and eating a rabbit, Hans makes the innocent mistake of expressing sympathy for “the poor rabbit.” As punishment, he has to put on a dunce camp and sit in a corner, while another student gives the “correct” answer: “The world belongs to the strong…The rabbit is a coward and deserves to die.”

Finally surrendering to peer pressure, Hans agrees that the rabbit was “a weakling” who got what it deserved. The teacher then provides the moral of the story: the German people are “an unconquerable super race” who will “destroy all weak and cowardly nations.”

The Disney narrator describes how Hans’s upbringing then proceeds with endless “marching and ‘Heil’-ing, ‘Heil’-ing and marching.” The little boy becomes almost a robot, blindly heeding the Nazi Party’s orders to “trample on the rights of others.” The narrator concludes: “For now his education is complete–his education for death.”

Nazi-educated German children filled the ranks of the Hitler Youth movement. Its members took part in numerous atrocities, from forcing Vienna’s Jews to scrub the streets with toothbrushes in 1938, to the mass shooting of Jews swimming from sinking boats in the German harbor of Lubeck, just before Germany’s surrender in 1945.

In addition, many of those who graduated from Hitler Youth joined the Gestapo and participated in the mass murder of European Jewry. While other branches of the Nazi apparatus collapsed or surrendered in the waning days of World War II, Hitler Youth remained fanatically loyal to their Fuhrer to the very end, which is why they are often mentioned in accounts of atrocities that were perpetrated in the spring of 1945.

Menachem Weinryb, an Auschwitz survivor who was forced to take part in a death march from Poland to Germany, later recalled how when the prisoners reached the Belsen area on April 13, 1945, the German guards went to a nearby town “and returned with a lot of young people from the Hitler Youth [and local policemen]…They chased us all into a large barn…we were five to six thousand people…[They] poured out petrol and set the barn on fire. Several thousand people were burned alive.”

[collinhasregrets]

Here's Adaline Goldfinch! 39-year-old heiress to the Goldfinch Tea fortune and long-time (now former) sweetheart to Ashton Roosevelt.

The two have been arranged for marriage since their teenage years, while Adaline is genuinely happy and loves Ashton, Ashton himself is emotionally absent and always busy.

The two even have two matching pet doves to symbolize their love. (More info after the break, warning for angst and murder)

She's a suspect in the murder of Royal Creek resident Charles Benedict in "Public Disservice" (case 7). It was known she drank Earl Grey, ate beignets, and played darts.

She appeared again as a suspect in the murder of Mayor Andrew Helms in "A New Height" (case 10). It was known that she was allergic to cats and used shoe polish.

She appeared once more in the murder of elementary school principal Bianca Aprils in "Too Good for this World" (case 17). It was known she used a fountain pen.

In the middle of Jackpot Row, Ashton grew tired and finally broke up with Adaline but didn't bother saying why so it made Adaline blame herself and started going on a downward spiral of self-loathing and fear since she grew up with her family saying her only goal and purpose should be to be the wife of Ashton or else she would be disowned and disgraced.

Before she became the killer of butler Jean in "On a Silver Platter" (case 44). Where it was known she was left-handed, owned birds, and ate buttered lobsters.

And she was sentenced to 50 years in prison with psychological counseling.

How she appeared in "On a Silver Platter"

How she appeared in "Public Disservice", "A New Height", and "Too Good for this World"

[miss-andromeda]

Standing Alone In A Crowded Room

Universe: TMNT 2012

Turtle of Choice: Donatello

Prompt: Character A is found by Character B crying themselves to sleep.

Song Inspirations: The Story Of Us (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift, What If It Doesn’t End Well by chloe moriondo

This is non-canon, though if it were, it would take place in season 2, so Andi and Donnie are in a relationship.

----------

A gentle knock at the lab door didn’t stop Donnie from welding together the pieces of scrap metal as he merely called out a “what is it?” That earned him a snicker (which immediately made him put down the blowtorch) and a “wow, way to greet your girlfriend, Don.”

That made him look up at the girl in the doorway, making him subconsciously smile. “Hey, you, how was school?” He asked, standing up and going to kiss her as a greeting. 

Once he pulled away, Andi smiled up at him as she put her backpack down and put her rosy pink cardigan on top of it. “Pretty good, though I have something to ask.” She told him, making Donnie nod and lead her over to the lab desk so she could sit next to him. 

After they were both sitting down (and Donnie was giving her his full attention,) she took a breath and smiled softly at him. “So, uh…Roosevelt’s hosting a dance this Saturday at 7 pm, and I figured, since, you know, we’re dating, that…maybe you could, um…go with me? You can use that watch again and be my date.”

Donnie was immediately about to nod and smile, but then he remembered the day and gave her an apologetic look. “Hon, you know I absolutely would in a heartbeat, but I can’t. We have patrol in the evening, and then I need to finish working on this new upgrade of the shuriken stars we always use. I’m thinking of seeing if I can add a type of oxidizer, kind of like a smoke bomb and a throwing star rolled into one.” He explained, but sighed at the sad look on her face. He hated seeing her like that. “You know I would absolutely go if I could, but it’s super important that I have them done by then.”

“I know.” Andi mumbled, standing up to grab her backpack so she could start her calculus homework. “I was just…looking forward to going with you.” She admitted, making Donnie lean in and give her an apologetic kiss on the cheek. 

“I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

----------

The next day found Andi walking alone to lunch - April had decided to stay after biology for extra credit and knowing Casey, he was being chastised by Mrs. Biers, his and April’s trig teacher, for being on the fringes of failing…again. 

Ah, she’d deal with him when the time came. 

She spared a glance at her purple binder (she had decided to bring some work while she waited for her friends…well, friend and Casey) and smiled to herself at the little picture she’d taken of Donnie, where he was in the middle of reading a book to her on the rare time they decided to have some downtime. 

Even when she was a little upset with him, she could never stay mad at him for too long.

“Hey, Andi! Can I talk to you?” 

She was stopped from walking as she caught a glimpse of shaggy, light brown hair running toward her. He looked…vaguely familiar, his name was…Josh, right?

“Hi.” His smile reminded her of Donnie, maybe it was because of the slight dorkiness of it or the fact that just like him, he had a gap as well. 

“Uh, hi, um…why did you want to talk to me?” She asked, slightly confused.

“Oh, right! I wanted to ask you something! About the dance this Saturday! Um, do you have a date?”

Andi’s heart dropped at that. “I, um…thought I did.” When Josh gave her a sympathetic look, she shook her head. “Long story. So what, do you want to go with me or something?”

At the question, Josh’s hazel eyes lit up and a smile graced his face. “Yeah, I do! You seem like a nice girl, and I wanna get to know you a little better! And what better way to do that than to take you to a dance?”

Andi hesitated at that. It sounded and felt wrong to agree…but at the same time, she wasn’t going with Donnie anytime soon. 

But she needed to make one thing clear. “If we go, we go as friends. I have a boyfriend, and the last thing I want him to think is that you and I are going as a couple.” She then looked directly in his eyes. “And if you try anything, you’re a dead man, you hear me?”

Seemingly unphased by her bluntness, Josh gave her a confident smile. “Got it! Yeah, we’ll just go as friends, no romantic motives here!”

Andi stared at him for a moment at the odd choice of wording, but finally nodded and gave in, writing down her number and address on a piece of scrap paper, then handing it to him. “Pick me up at my apartment at 6:30, okay?”

Josh gave her another smile as he pocketed the paper. “Yeah, sounds like a plan!”

“Cool, okay, um…well, I’ve got to get to lunch, my friends are probably waiting for me. Bye.” Andi gave him a slightly awkward wave as she walked away, immediately staring at the picture again. It somehow felt gross and weird again…but at the same time, there was only so much she could do in a situation with this. She already told him that they were strictly going as friends, so if he made any moves on her, that was on him. She could just hold her gun to him and that would get him off her back, and then she could just leave and tell Donnie what happened.

And speaking of Donnie…how was she going to explain it to him? She wasn’t necessarily cheating, but still…it just felt weird.

She let out a little sigh at the thought. This was going to be interesting to spell out…

----------

Standing in front of the lab door never felt more intimidating. But she had to be honest with him, the worst thing he could do was get frustrated with her…

But that was the thing. She hated when he was frustrated with her, especially because of something she did. 

A deep, quiet sigh left her lips one more time as she bit the bullet and knocked on the door. Once again, another “what is it?” was heard from the other side, making her smile weakly. “Can I come in?”

She could practically hear his lips quirk into a smile as he replied, “Yeah, of course, hon!” She held her breath as she pushed the door open, meeting his bright eyes with her guilty, green ones. “Hey.”

Immediately, Donnie’s eyes shifted from joyous to concerned - and so did his tone. “Are you okay? You look pensive.” 

Andi’s automatic response was to say she was fine, but she knew if she did, Donnie would tell her she was hiding something - and that would make things even worse. She shook her head and walked over to the lab desk, sitting next to him. “I, um…need to tell you something.”

His gaze then became more concerned as he placed a hand on her back comfortingly. “Of course, what’s going on?”

That little touch made her want to cry. 

“I, um…” She sighed and bit the bullet again, looking down at the table. “There was this kid earlier today, he, um…came up to me, and asked if I had a date to the dance this Saturday. I, uh…I said no.” At that, she could feel his touch leave her back, making her want to start crying again. “And then he asked if I wanted to go with him, and I said yes, but I made it clear that we were going as friends only.”

When she looked back up, Donnie was looking away from her - his eyes stormy and misty from unshed tears. “But…you still said yes?”

“Yes, but we’re only going as-”

“I don’t care what you’re going as!” His tone turned angry as his head snapped over to look at her. “You’re gonna be some other guy’s girlfriend for the night?”

Stunned, Andi shook her head. “It’s not like that! I explicitly told him that he’d better not try anything with me, and that I have a boyfriend!”

“That’s right, you have a boyfriend. But I guess you forgot about that when you agreed to be that guy’s date! What, just because I told you I couldn’t do something with you this one time, that means you have the right to be some other guy’s girlfriend for the night?!”

Now Andi was starting to get irritated as she angrily stood up. “What part of ‘we’re going as friends’ do you not understand, you idiot?! I only agreed because I knew he was going to bother me about it, and I made sure he knows that it’s only platonic! It doesn’t mean anything!”

Donnie stood up next to her, his eyes blazing with anger. And out of anger, he said the one thing that he knew would hurt her:

“Sure doesn’t seem like it.”

Immediately, her face dropped and tears filled her eyes, but her face got red with anger. “Are you actually accusing me of not loving you anymore?” She told him, her voice quiet but filled with rage.

While Donnie’s heart split at seeing her cry (especially because of him,) he was still more hurt and angry than remorseful in the moment. “If you really did love me, Andromeda, you never would’ve accepted that guy’s offer to take you out.”

She scoffed and shook her head, tears now freely falling. “You know what? Forget you, Donatello. I’m going with him. I bet he’d be more fun than you would ever be.”

More hurt and anger controlled what he said - even if he knew that he would never mean what he said in a million years. “You know what, he probably is. If anything happens, don’t bother letting me know. Clearly your new boyfriend has you taken care of.”

Andi only scoffed, grabbed her bag and stormed out of the lair.

----------

And before either of them knew it, Saturday evening was here. 

They hadn’t talked since the fight - no calls, no video chat, no texts, nothing. Both of them were practically waiting for the other to just give in and reach out - and when that wouldn’t be the case, they would both do their best to try and go on with their day, their hearts breaking as they did so. 

As expected, Donnie had filled the void with experimenting - but it felt a bit more empty without seeing Andi alongside him. Her witty humor, sarcastic remarks, bright laugh…she added a new layer that Donnie had gotten comfortably used to when he was working. 

Without her, it felt like a piece of his scientific mind was missing. 

But then he glanced at the time and, seeing it was 6:30 pm, he rolled his eyes and went back to his work. Andi’s date would likely be picking her up soon…just the thought filled him with jealousy again. Someone else, touching his beautiful girlfriend…

He shook the thought out of his mind before he got even more distracted. She made her decision, and now he was making his. 

And even if he knew that he was being petty, he didn’t necessarily care at the moment. 

It was the principle that mattered…even if it was a pretty stupid principle.

----------

Meanwhile, Andi had just finished getting herself ready (the makeup took her longer than expected) and had just walked into the living room, her 2-inch heels clacking softly against the wooden floor. She looked nice - even if internally, she felt conflicted to the fourth degree. 

She still felt guilty about accepting Josh’s invitation, but at the same time…Donnie had said he wasn’t going with her. And why was she about to stop herself from enjoying her night when someone else (and seemingly, a perfectly normal someone else) offered to be her date - even if they were just going as friends?

It was the principle that mattered. 

And besides, there was something oddly cathartic about going to a party (or in this case, a school dance) after getting in a fight with him. Obviously, she wasn’t going to do anything she would really regret (and risk losing him for good,) but the idea of seeing her friends (or rather, friend and Casey - again) dressed up, dancing to the most popular songs and getting to know someone in Josh…didn’t seem like a bad idea. 

Maybe after the night was over, Donnie would wisen up and send an apology. 

Taking a breath in the mirror, Andi did a final one-over at herself. Her dress was cute; a pink hem dress with a high a-line - even if seeing his necklace made her heart crack. Her hair was teased and in a high ponytail, and a matching pink ribbon was tied into a bow to secure it. And her makeup…it took time, but she pulled it off. Much like what April normally did for her, a neutral look was the way to go for her. Foundation, concealer, pink lip gloss - but what was different (and what she was surprised that she pulled off) was the winged eyeliner and mascara that made her green eyes pop.

It made her look even better than she thought she would. 

She checked her phone (and after rolling her eyes at no contact from Donnie,) she saw the time - 6:40 pm. While she was a bit miffed that he was late, she could excuse it. He was probably running late and was on his way now. 

Still, it would’ve been nice to have a heads up. 

Deciding not to check her phone again, she grabbed her copy of War and Peace and continued reading; maybe by the time she finished a chapter, she would get some type of heads up from Josh, or better yet, he would be knocking on her door. 

“In the count’s room, which was full of tobacco smoke, they talked of the war that had been announced in a manifesto, and about the recruiting. None of them had yet seen the manifesto, but they all knew it had appeared.”

----------

“Gone? That’s all right!” said he; and looking angrily at the unconscious little princess, he shook his head reprovingly and slammed the door.”

10 chapters later, and still no Josh. 

Angrily closing her book, Andi grabbed her phone - for two reasons this time. The time (which was now 7:45 pm), and to demand some answers. 

She saw the missed messages from April, stemming from ‘Aren’t you on your way?’ to ‘Want me and Casey to come get you?’ to ‘Andi seriously, let me know what’s going on’.

She only responded with, ‘I’m calling him now. Don’t think I’m gonna come, because if I see him, I’ll beat his face in.’

She then used the number Josh had used to text her days before and called, her face red with anger. She was just about to start demanding where he was when he answered with a “hello?”, but then stopped when he heard another voice next to him. 

A girl’s voice. 

“Uh, did you forget we were supposed to go together? What happened to that?” She told him, her tone inches away from boiling over into full-blown anger.

“Oh, yeah, uh…look, Andi…I wasn’t really serious when I asked that. Uh, can I explain?”

Andi rolled her eyes and scoffed at the wording. ”Yeah, I’d like an explanation.”

“So look, I only asked you if you’d go with me ‘cause…well, then I could tell everyone I got another girl to be my date. And it spread to Becca, you know her, and…well, she told me yesterday that she wanted to get back with me, and she missed me, and I ended up askin’ her. I didn’t really know how to tell you, so I just…didn’t.”

At the explanation (and the half-baked way he said it,) Andi had to hold back from calling him as many expletives as she could think up. “So I was just a-”

Before she could say ‘rebound,’ Josh hung up on her, leaving her stunned for a second. 

And then she started to cry.

Throwing her phone aside, she grabbed a pillow to stuff her face into it (she was so relieved it could be washed), sniffling and whimpering pathetically. It wasn’t that she was angry because she had feelings for him - honestly, she couldn’t care less about him. 

It was two different reasons: she hated feeling used (and for such a dumb reason as being a rebound,) and that this was the reason she and Donnie had gotten into that fight. 

Donnie…just remembering him made Andi’s head shoot up, her pillow now stained with mascara. 

Now it was being used to catch more mascara-laden tears as she grabbed her phone again and went to the messages app. She was tempted to text April first and explain what was going on, but she stopped herself. 

Right now, she needed her turtle. 

So instead of going to April’s contact name, she went to Donnie’s and typed in a message for him:

‘Hey…look, I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but hear me out. I’m so sorry for what happened, it was really selfish of me to accept his offer to the dance. I was too focused on having a good time that I didn’t even think about you. Makes sense why you would think that way, it does look a little bad when your girlfriend is going as someone else’s date, friend or not. 

The other reason I’m sending this is because…I’m home. That boy ended up being a real jerk, and he flat-out told me he was just using me - and then ended up standing me up. I understand if you don’t want to, but if you could come over…it would really help. 

And if it helps…I love you.’

She sniffled as she sent the message, then immediately put her phone down and curled up on the couch, closing her eyes.

It wasn’t like she expected a response.

----------

Donnie read the message three times over just to ensure that he wasn’t hallucinating. 

All of his frustration and anger towards her faded away as he read it over - she apologized (which he was appreciative of,) but then it came back as he kept going. 

But not to her, to that simpleton who thought it was okay to stand her up. 

He was about to send back a reply, but went against it - deciding it was smarter to do what she asked and run to her. 

Hopefully she was still in a mood to see him.

----------

By the time he made it, his heart split at the sight.

Andi was still in her dress, but her makeup was smudged and messy and her ribbon had been discarded on the table. Her heels had been tossed to the side - right by the door, And she looked to be…quietly snoring.

And if he looked closely, he could see faded mascara lines on her cheeks and on her pillow. 

If he didn’t feel like scum before, he absolutely did now.

Quietly opening the window, he crept inside and walked over to her, gently shaking her shoulder. When she jumped awake, he gave her an apologetic look. “Hi.”

“Don…?”

“It’s me, enchantress.”

The room was quiet as Donnie stepped in front of her, then kneeled down to face her and grab her hands. “I got your message.”

“You did?”

He only nodded. “I am so sorry for what happened. I was being jealous for no reason and I wasn’t bothering to listen and hear you out. I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt…believe me, I know you would never do anything to hurt me in a million years. It was just…the idea of you being with someone else, even if it was only platonic…it hurt. But instead of telling you that, and having a normal conversation about it, I just…” He sighed as he squeezed her hands, his gaze averting to the floor. “I let my emotions get the better of me.”

“It’s okay, I forgive you.” She whispered, letting go of one of his hands to tilt his head back up to look her in the eyes. “You mean everything to me, professor, and I don’t want one stupid fight to end us. Especially when we can both make sure that it doesn’t get to this point. I need to be more considerate about your feelings, and not just act on my own volition, and you need to remember to trust me. I understand where you’re coming from, but I mean it when I say I never want to be the source of your pain. You’re the center of my solar system, and the last thing I want is to lose the sun that all my planets revolve around.”

Donnie gave her a weak smile as he grabbed the hand resting under his chin, then pulled her in to rest their foreheads together. “I love you. More than anything.” He whispered, making her tearfully smile back. 

“I love you too.”

He leaned in to kiss her, the now sticky lip gloss being as apparent as ever. But in the moment, he didn’t mind it. Normally, he wouldn’t love the feeling lingering on his lips after he pulled away from her - but after what they had gone through in the past few days, he welcomed it with open arms.

Anything that told him that Andi forgave him and that they were going to be okay.

After what felt like forever, he finally pulled away and gave her another little smile. “Do you want me to stay over? You can change into some pajamas and we’ll just hang out for the night.” 

For the first time that night, she smiled back. “I’d like that.” She replied, then gasped to herself when he helped her off the couch. “I’ll be in my room in a little bit.” She said, then took a breath as she went to grab some pajamas, and then went to the bathroom.

----------

And after an exceedingly long amount of time (the makeup had taken much longer to remove than she intended - and she wanted to take a shower to ensure that any residue was washed away,) Andi was finally finished. 

Wearing a white lace cami and pink shorts, and with her hair in a bun, she walked out of the bathroom and hung the dress up, looking at it pensively. “Shame I never got to wear it out, it’s a pretty one.” She commented, then walked over to Donnie, who was now sitting on the side of her bed. Giving him a little smile, she got under the covers and gestured for him to follow - and the pink tint on his cheeks made her giggle under her breath. “I’m not gonna bite, Don.”

“I-I know, it’s just…I’m never gonna get used to doing stuff like this.” He only replied, making her roll her eyes fondly. 

“Just come here and cuddle me, dummy.”

That finally made Donnie crack a smile and cave, getting under her bubblegum covers and pulling her into his arms. 

As if by magic, Andi let out a yawn as she snuggled closer. “I’m glad you came over…” She mumbled under her breath, closing her eyes. She hadn’t realized how tired she had become until now - and Donnie’s warmth and overall presence was absolutely not helping.

She subconsciously smiled when he kissed her on the forehead. “Go to sleep, hon, we’ll talk in the morning.” He softly told her, then bit back a laugh as she lightly nodded - falling asleep almost immediately. 

When he heard her softly snoring, he glanced over at the dress and smiled the same way she had before. If what had happened tonight…well, hadn’t happened, she would’ve looked beautiful in it. 

While he could breathe at the idea that they were able to talk about what happened, that didn’t mean that he was happy that such a nice outfit was basically wasted on a night like this - and he was doubly bothered that they couldn’t go to that dance together.

So that got him thinking.

She deserved to have a great night, wearing a beautiful outfit, and having her boyfriend right by her side. She especially deserved it after he was such a jerk to her the entire week…seriously, getting that jealous over some kid that would never have a chance with her in a million years - especially after that same kid turned out to be a dirtbag too?

Yeah, she definitely deserved him making it up to her. 

And that’s when ideas started to form…maybe a nice dinner in the lab? Or on her rooftop? And he could give her that dance that she likely wanted if they went tonight.

And it’d be even better because it would be just them. No brothers, no stupid kid to stand her up…just the two of them. 

He glanced at her sleeping face and managed a little smile, kissing her on the forehead again. 

That was definitely something to talk about in the morning.

----------

STS Takeover: September Edition! Hope y'all enjoy 🩷🩷

@thelaundrybitch @leosgirl82 @post-apocalyptic-daydream @tinkabelle19 @eveandtheturtles @happymoonangel @kikithedreamerwriter @android-cap-007 @raphsmuneca

[melancholysway]

Serendipity (2007!Raphael x Fem Reader) 1

CHAPTER I: GENESIS

Chapter key:

--- = a flashback is happening or ending

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ or ====

= perspective change

~ = small time skip

Ah, Physics.

        The best part of class, which is the last part of the class, to be exact. Sure, the break in between classes was a close second, and we were able to walk freely around Roosevelt University, which was a perfect photo op in your opinion; being in the heart of Manhattan in New York City. Your desk, closest to the window and air vent, a win-win situation made a good view for both the instructor and events happening outside. You could glance outside and watch athletes run the track, or you could glance to the middle and watch the empty football field be chalked for the foul lines, the crease for lacrosse, or the goal line for soccer. You could also watch the large jumbo Tron present the weather, time, and school mascot (which was a Tiger) all at once that was rimmed with the red and white colors of the school. If you were bored enough, looking to the right would show the boundary dividing campus and the city life. You could watch people call taxis, run frantically to their jobs to clock in on time, and, if you were lucky, watch a crime get busted by the police. The opportunities to get distracted in Physics were infinite. Quite possibly, your seat placement was the leading cause of your grade being in the low 90s and not the highs like it is for every other class, except Calculus, which was in the mid-80s.

         To you, physics was a breeze. To most, it was hell, and whoever created the course and made it a required class should jump in the Atlantic Ocean. However, when it came to the exams and pop quizzes, you maybe once or twice glanced at your desk neighbor and good friend Teddy, only to "compare" answers. 

        You listened absentmindedly to the best Physics professor to exist in your opinion, Mrs. Scott. You felt bad for students who were less fortunate and did not have Scott, and had Mr. White or Mr. Lesser- Lord knows those two can't teach if their life depended on it. If only Scott taught Calculus, then you'd be set for life.   

        "Now the million dollar question...." Mrs. Scott erased the lesson learned today on the whiteboard- she was old school, and technology wasn't exactly her best friend, so the Smart Board Screen was forever a blank black abyss that reflected the students in the front row desks like a mirror. You finally gave your full attention to the words being written on the board, and for a moment glanced at the clock.

        'In T minus 4 minutes, I'll be free!' you cheered, feeling a sudden wave of energy to answer the last question of the day, and of the week before the next one on Monday. You looked down at your Physics textbook, and your sky blue spiral notebook knowing what was to come. Usually, before the class ended on Fridays, Mrs. Scott would write a question pertaining to the week's lesson that you had to answer, and whoever could explain it in full detail got extra credit. This was a perfect opportunity to change that low 90 into possibly a mid 90.

        "Why do boomerangs come back?" 

        Score! An easy question if you paid close attention during the partner lab on Wednesday. You structured your answer in your head and raised your hand in anticipation and restlessness.

        "And no Google!" Numerous groans and sighs filled the room, as many kids put their phones and laptops away, already quitting. 

        Mrs. Scott looked around the room, only for her eyes to land on yours.

        "(Name)?" Considering nobody else knew why a boomerang came back, your pride was soaring.

        "Boomerangs work on the same principles of aerodynamics as any other flying object; the key to how a boomerang works is the airfoil. An airfoil is flat on one side but curved on the other with one edge thicker than the other - this subjects the boomerang to lift, keeping it in the air. The lift is generated because the air flowing up over the curve of the wing has further to travel than the air flowing past the flat side. The air moving over the curve travels faster to reach the other side of the wing, creating lift. A boomerang has two airfoils, each facing in a different direction. This makes the aerodynamic forces acting on a thrown boomerang uneven. The section of the boomerang moving in the same direction as the direction of forwarding motion moves faster than the section moving in the opposite direction. Just like tank tracks moving at different speeds, this causes the boomerang to turn in the air and return to the thrower." Once you finished, the hour and 30 minutes of physics were complete, and the day was done. In just a matter of seconds, all students were out the door.

"Nerd alert." Teddy snickered as he got up from his seat. You noticed he possessed his signature wine red football jersey that had the colleges “Roosevelt” logo on the upper chest area, with the bone white “#54” on the front, back and sleeve, his last name owning the same pure white color on the back. Whenever Teddy or any player wore their jersey, it meant there was a game tonight.

Teddy Wilds. While almost all jocks were assholes, Teddy was an exception. Shaggy chocolate brown hair, army green eyes, pale skin and a structured face, he was every girl's teenage dream. Except yours. The first time you both met was last semester in chemistry, and the trend of having Teddy in your science classes continued into the next one. When he isn't being harassed by girls in physics, he's talking to you or placing bids on Ebay for the newest piece of tech or even a signed football.

"Oh whatever!" you replied, lightly pushing him away as he placed his hand on the back of his neck.

"Home or away tonight?" You asked out of curiosity, it wasn't like you were going to go, but it was nice to know; and hey, maybe you'd change your mind. 

"Home at 7, though, it'd feel more like home if you came." Teddy replied flirtatiously. His voice was a bit deep, but it still reminded you of someone going through puberty even though Teddy was already 20, as he still had little voice cracks here and there.

Teddy was a total weirdo, but he never failed to make you laugh at least once a day.

"Where'd you find that one on the internet?" You ask while putting your bag on your desk, firstly putting the heavy textbook in, then the other items. Once done, you slung your backpack on your back. It is a bit miraculous how you have no back problems due to all the weight you put on your back.

"Like I would reveal," The brown haired boy scoffed. "But you should come, s'not like you have assignments due today." 

 “I'll ask Jade if she wants to go. See ya 'round, Teddy. If I’m a no-show, text me how it went." You saluted as you finally walked out the lab room, hearing a “Gotcha!” From Teddy. 

Now, you are ready to start your weekend. In all honesty, you didn't really participate or show "school spirit" per say; hell, you didn't even know the Boys Basketball Team won sections last weekend against another rival college until yesterday. 

Once you went from the fourth floor to the school entrance, you immediately felt the chilly November winds hit your face. You were more than lucky you decided to throw on some sweats than your blue skinny jeans, as they warm your legs up a bit. Your eyes scanned the scene in front of you: the many conversations occurring, the laughs of some and the arguments among others, groups of friends leaving together in one direction, and others in the opposite. Some cars fly out of the parking lot in a rush to get home, and other students get on the bus to take them home. Finally, off of campus grounds, you sighed in relief. The weekend officially started, and you had nothing but time to waste. Now on the streets of New York City, you put your earbuds in to block out the noise and fish your phone out of your pocket to pick a song.

~

You passed through Central Park, then past the many shops and stores after leaving, knowing the exact way to your tiny apartment. You strolled and glanced at the many people who passed you by, only seeing their faces for less than a second, only to never see them again. It seems every hour is rush hour in NYC, but at 3pm in particular, it seemed the most crowded and busy, which always delayed traffic and a longer time to get home for you.

You thought to yourself as you continued to walk home if you should go to the game or not, and texted your friend Jade to hear her thoughts on it.

3:20: (Name) 

Wanna go to the FB game today? I'm indifferent tbh :(

3:22: Jade

Hmm, idk 0-0, I'm not doing anything, but seeing our school lose(when do we not, we're only good at lacrosse- and basketball) is gonna hurt the small school spirit I have left :(

3:22: Jade

What do you say about coming over later? You can’t say no to a sleepover! *O* let's rage gurl! 

3:23: (Name) 

I'll bring the fun stuff :) and we’re pretty decent at football when we wanna be.

3:24: Jade

That sounds highly illegal. 

You’re not wrong, but exactly! ‘When we wanna be’ tisk. tisk.

Bring Stella!

3:26: (Name)

You know what I mean, dummy. And you know Stella won’t leave her bed if I didn’t bribe her with food.

3:27: (Name)

Coming by around 7! (don't forget like last time -_-) 

3:27: Jade

It was one time! 

Well, you were definitely getting an earful of Teddy next class on Monday, but hey, you can't compare a college event to best friend bonding. You then thought of what to put in your overnight bag later, and made a note to bring a few movies and CD's to play at Jade's place.

Jade Santos. Lacrosse player, and a true artist. One of your closest friends. 

When your parents found a Uni that only accepted a few, and you were lucky enough to get accepted. You were craving city life, and a different atmosphere. The only thing that came with this move was there was no way your parents were quitting their jobs to work in the city, so with the help of your weekend and summer job and your parents, they're able to pay rent for your tiny apartment that you were happy enough to call your own. Jade was the third person you befriended after she asked you to take a photo of her on your camera for her to keep- and any photo opportunity you were there for the taking. Not long after, she returned the favor by painting you a beautiful landscape on a canvas that screamed 'Bob Ross.' Once you got to know her, you loved being around her. Ever since, you've been conjoined to the hip, and good friends.

Sleepovers with Jade were definitely nights to remember; as they consisted of snacks, pizza, dancing like idiots on her bed to whatever song that played on the radio or CD, talking about the latest gossip going around campus, new music, and taking photos on one of your disposable cameras that you developed in the nearby Walgreens the next morning. After doing so, it was Y/n and Jade Sleepover Tradition that you would go to James’ Diner- which was the one you waited tables at for a job- a few blocks away to eat breakfast together. 

After half an hour of walking home from class, you finally made it into your apartment complex. It was a bit more secluded, yet it was still a bit dangerous. A notorious gang called the Purple Dragons resided in your area sometimes- (they often moved around)- and caused nothing but mischief, only to be stopped by the police or- if they're having an unlucky day- the Nightwatcher.

The first time you heard of the infamous Nightwatcher was on the news, then he- it was newly known as a male rather than a female--shown up in newspapers. For the most part, it seems most of the crime activity stopped by him happens around your area, quite possibly because of the Purple Dragons, and even some good for nothing criminals. You didn't think much of it, though you did a bit of research here and there, only to realize nothing but conspiracies and old news articles came up in the search results.

Taking your ear buds out from your ears, the music stopped, and the city's sounds were your new tunes. Before you walked into the entrance to your apartment building, you felt someone push by you harshly- nearly knocking you over.

"Watch it." A gruff voice said angrily. Turning around, you saw a pale slim guy with a black short sleeved sweater that showed his slightly muscular arms. He looked a bit sketchy, but your typical New York jerk at a glance.

You flipped him off and replied with a simple "Screw you, don't be rude, dude!" the man looked down at you, his tattooed face and gloomy burnt umber eyes staring you down in anger. With the hoodie shielding his identity from you, you had no idea what his face looked like. Rolling your eyes, you walked up the steps to the apartment building entrance and slammed the door shut, watching him fume with anger and hear his muffled voice as he banged on the door, yelling how ‘he’d remember this’ and 'he'll see you soon,’ until stomping off to a nearby alleyway, never to be seen again like most of the people in New York. You figured he was all talk and no action.

If only you would've seen the tattoo on the back of his neck, it possibly could've saved you from being in any type of danger tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once you got to the 8th floor and unlocked your apartment door, you let out yet another sigh of relief -in pure bliss- as you were finally home, and you could relax for a few before you were off to Jades. You locked the door and made way to your bedroom, sensing your cat following behind you. 

"I see you Stella, even though I'm not looking at you, I still see you." You stated not turning your head- and got nothing back, but you could still feel her eyes not leaving your body as you slumped your bag on the bed and she hopped on it in suite- curling up into a small ball of shedding fur. You grabbed your camera from your bag and placed it on the corner shelf with your other ones.

You quickly took a shower- sad that you couldn’t take a long, relaxing steamy one like you usually do- and put on a pair of black leggings, black and white Vans, a plain T-shirt- which would be your pajamas for the night. You brushed out your hair, taking out all the knots as you went- and soon deciding to leave your hair out since you didn’t feel like fighting with it to get a hairstyle you desired. After, you opened your closet and took your overnight bag out and placed it on your bed, careful not to startle the Balinese. You went into the bathroom and took your comb and brush, the travel bottle of shampoo, conditioner and unopened box of bar soap to place inside your bag. Then, you looked around your room for any other things you should take until your eyes laid on your Polaroid.

---

Call Y/n obsessed, but that vintage polaroid was her favorite. 

She had gotten it as a “Good luck out there gift” from both her parents the day she finally moved in- without her knowledge, her mom placed it on her new bed, as it blended in with the rest of the clutter she had yet to unpack. Later on in the day, she received a text from her dad to “take pretty photos of NYC” knowing she loved to go sightseeing. New York City was the best place to do it! Aside from going to Roosevelt, it was also her reasoning for picking the beautiful state to finish high school. So, that she did. She took photos of whatever she could, even if it was a pigeon on a park bench- she took it. Then, Y/n had gotten more vintage cameras from a nearby Goodwill at a great price, starting her camera collection. This white Poloroid with a rainbow stripe running down the middle however, would always be her favorite.

---

After a little reminiscing about the camera your parents gave you, you also put it in your bag to take. You went back into your closet and took your work attire out for tomorrow to also put in it. You retreated back to the living room and turned on the television. It was Channel 5, the news, and you took a seat on the couch in front of the TV.

"NIGHTWATCHER STRIKES AGAIN. NYC CRIME RATE DECLINING FAST. IS PLAYING VIGILANTE OKAY?" You read the headline at the bottom, and then watched as an amateur camera-man got a shaky and blurry shot of the Nightwatcher. It was difficult to see, but you could still make out his figure atop the roof of an apartment building at night if you squint hard enough. You thought in your head about the headline. Is a vigilante really okay? I mean, going topside and busting criminals faster than the police can is not a bad thing, but most New Yorkers would say to leave the crime to the NYPD. But, the crime rate has gone down a bit from where it was last after the Nightwatcher showed up. So...maybe it's not so bad to have him around. You couldn’t imagine doing a better job than the authorities and NOT receiving any type of reward- specifically money- for the hard work you put in for keeping the city safe, and this dude did it for free. FREE.

After tuning in to the latest news story, it was now 6:11. You turned off the TV and headed toward the kitchen to feed Stella dinner and put cold water in her bowl to drink, hearing a loud THUMP when she jumped off the bed and light footsteps scurrying to the kitchen to eat the second you opened a can of cat food. After, you patted her head and left her alone with a goodbye and pleaded. 

“See you tomorrow night, please don’t break anything.” You stated, only to have Stella completely immersed in her meal, and not paying any attention to you- it wasn’t like Stella could understand you, anyway. 

With that, you grabbed the spare key to your apartment and opened your door, locking it behind you. Knowing Stella would need to be fed in the morning, you walked down the hall to the all-too familiar sunset yellow apartment door: 8-H. You knocked on the door, knowing the doorbell wasn't working. 

 After a few moments and some shuffling coming from the inside, an all too familiar male voice finally answered- 

"Um, one second!" You heard two hushed voices on the other side of the door, one being a voice that wasn't April's and you haven't heard before, and you were now a bit curious. About a minute or so later, you saw the lock of the door turn and open, revealing one out of the two who resided in 8-H. A jet black haired, hair gel free Casey Jones. 

"Y-Y/n! What's up kid?" A stuttering Casey asked, it was as if he was almost nervous. He placed his hand on the door frame and the other on the door, making it impossible to see the inside of his apartment's living space.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that, we're literally 2 years apart." You both shared a laugh. 

"But I'm not in College anymore--thanks to Google and April, I graduated" You rolled your eyes at the smiling idiot in response. You remembered the time you were in their apartment the same week you met them 2 years back, chatting it up with the couple and soon getting into the topic of school for the very first time. 

---

“I just...I feel like everyday it just gets worse.” April handed Y/n a cup of hot green tea with just the right amount of honey. Casey paused the movie he was watching- ‘Miracle’ was it?

“College is the worst aside from the parties. Not a day went by when I had a shitty day come to think of it. I’m surprised I balanced college and hockey without wanting to drop out and become a rapper.” Casey replied laughing to himself, April took a seat on the couch next to Y/n, taking a sip of her own cup of tea.

“As dramatic as he makes it, he’s right. I knew a friend who did a sport every season- tennis in the fall, swimming in the winter, and softball in the spring. She had a 3.8 GPA, even. Once Junior year came around, she couldn’t handle academics and athletics together and her grades started to decline. So, she didn’t swim or play softball that year. I didn’t do a sport, but I still struggled. I can’t imagine how stressed others were. School is meant to kick your ass, but you have to kick it harder.” April placed a comforting hand on Y/n’s shoulder, as she smiled in response.

“But, when you really need help, you should ask for it. I remember Sophomore year, the exact day I met Casey- who came to me begging for help in Geometry, and wouldn’t stop bothering me about it, until I agreed minutes later.” The red-haired girl stared at the ceiling, basking in its plainness, remembering her own school experience and how quick it all went by.

“I can’t believe you remember that! Then Y/n, I asked her to come watch my game, then homecoming, then I asked her out on a date, and then prom and then-” ''Slow down, Jones!” “Am I rambling again?” April laughed at her boyfriend, seeing how excited he was to talk about their history together.

“I know we just met on Monday but...I feel like I’ve known you for longer. You’d make a good therapist.” Y/n complimented.

---

"Is April around?" 

You hoped she was. Lord knows Casey can't take care of himself, let alone a simple task of checking up on a cat and feeding it. He most likely would oversleep and forget. 

"She's not, actually. She left for South America two days ago on a big business trip or something for some artifacts." Casey replied. Great. 

Casey Jones and April O' Neil. You were close with both of them, as they were the first two whom you met, and greeted you when you moved in down the hall from them. When you got to know them well, you would often visit and drop by sometimes just to talk. A bit more with Casey since he was around more than April. You ranted about class, and he ranted about work and trying to be perfect for April. You thought they were relationship goals, they were so in love and happy and you were happy for them. It made you want to be in a relationship and experience the same feelings. They were both extremely humble and fun young adults to be around. You liked to spend time shopping with April or spilling the latest gossip on anyone on campus (even though she finished college, gossip always keeps it interesting) and you liked to talk about how much you disliked a lot of people in your classes with Casey, or watch a football, lacrosse or hockey game with him since he loved the company, (especially hockey, since it reminds him of his ‘school days.’) 

"Wow, that's far. But, I'm actually not gonna be home until tomorrow evening, I’m spending the night with Jade, then I have to work from 8am to 5pm and I won’t have time to stop by here-I sort of need someone to feed Stella and see how she's doing in the morning, and April is always happy to see her…" You looked down at the floor, playing with the white earbuds in your hands. You did notice Casey tapping his foot at a fast pace, almost impatiently.

"That she is. I'd be more than happy to feed her for ya, Y/n. Responsible Jones at your service!" You looked up and saw Casey shooting you a toothy grin that made you snort. Who knew responsibility was in his vocabulary?

"Aren't you allergic? I can ask Mel downstairs, but I trust you and April more…" Casey shook his head, "That's what Zyrtec and Claritin are for, duh!" He exclaimed. 

"If you insist, Jones. I usually feed her around 7 to 8:30 in the morning,” You took a breath before you continued onto the rules part of feeding Stella. “Make sure to give her COLD water, not room temperature, she'll look at you like you're crazy- and yes, she’s silently judging you- and won’t drink it. It HAS to be filtered water, or she won't drink it. You can put one ice cube in her bowl, not two, or she won't drink it. Her food is under the kitchen cabinet--give her half the canned food and put the other half in a small container on the top cabinet and I'll feed her that one in the evening. Thanks!" Casey looked absolutely lost. 

"Picky cat- and I thought I was bad" He finally said in shock. Yep, Stella was one peculiar cat.

 "You are!" A voice beyond the door shouted. Well, it was definitely a male, who possessed a gruff and deep even, but not too deep voice. One thing’s for sure, it definitely wasn’t April.

'Oh' you thought. You didn't know Casey had company over. Hell, you didn't even know Casey had FRIENDS other than you. Then again, he and April were somewhat secretive when it came to their social lives. Casey whipped his head back at the source of the voice, raising his slender middle finger. He looked back at you and saw the look of curiosity in your eyes.

"Did I uh...interrupt something? You seem off right now." You stepped a bit closer to Casey, and he stepped back, clearing his throat. 

"Nah! Not at all! I just...didn't expect you this late ya know?" He laughed awkwardly.

You checked your phone, "It's 6 in the night, you're far from late." you sighed adjusting the strap from your duffle bag.

"6:20 actually." Jones stated matter-of-factly looking at the analog clock against the wall.

"Alright smart-ass, 6:20. So, here's the spare key, do NOT lose it. There WILL be consequences if you do." You handed the silver key paired with your lucky sea turtle Keychain over to your friend--who twirled it around his index finger. 

“And if I do?” The “all-natural” haired male challenged.

“I’ll get rid of all your Zyrtec and Claritan and swipe it for laxatives. Don’t play me.” Casey gasped, wincing at the thought.

“Evil!” 

“Well,” You started, “Don’t lose it.”

Casey saluted you. "Yes sir! I mean…ma'am." To which you rolled your eyes slowly in response. 

"Thank you, seriously. I'll text you in the morning to remind you even." You suddenly heard the same voice clear their throat in the background, and Casey gripped the door knob.

"Welp, I gotta go! See you…tomorrow I mean, Y/n- have a safe walk-BYE!" Casey stumbled over his words, getting quieter and muffled after every second due to the door closing more after each pause.

“Bye, let’s talk-…” With that, the door closed, and you were face to face with the deep yellow door after it cut you off.

“...later.” You finished your sentence to the door.

"That was…odd." You say to yourself. There was definitely something going on, but you had no time to do some FBI secret agent super sleuthing. However, this encounter was nothing new you’ve seen. Casey or April taking longer to answer the door, shuffling and other voices behind the door becoming silent once he opened it. The times you actually entered the house, you felt as if they were hiding something during your short stay. You never saw anyone else in the house except for April and Casey- but you had enough knowledge that they knew other people. You never asked them directly, but the time would come eventually. You put your earbuds back in your ears and chose a new song to listen to, walking towards the elevator and out the building entrance door once you reached the 1st floor, beginning your walk to Jade’s.

    What Y/n didn’t know, however, was that the person who she was curious about would come face to face with her soon enough.

NEXT CHAPTER: HERE

[collegible]

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[downbadfortomcruise]

Now it's time for me to ask. I'm interested if you have a favorite quote from a movie/famous figure/singer/.etc.

I have two:

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller 

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." - Theodore Roosevelt

I have several actually, some serious, some i just like

“Yo, Adrian!” -Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in Rocky film series

“Nobody owes nobody nothing! You owe yourself.” - Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa

”…You got uncle Sam’s ass asking, to join the army or what you’ll do for that Navy, you just a baby, getting recruited at eighteen…” -Eminem in “Square Dance”

“In another life, I’d be a fighter pilot.”- My middle school engineering teacher, listening to me profess my love for top gun, also one of my favorite teachers ever.

“With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.” - Ayrton Senna

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.” -Charlie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

[ursine-sister]

Trying to rank all the US First Ladies by how likely I’d win in a fight with them.

Can fight

- Malania (I’m not googling how to spell it) trump, could def fight. She has a strong aura of a girl that has been getting her ass beat since middle school. You know she has been dragged out a bathroom stall by her hair by another woman before.

- Nancy Reagan, my hatred towards her alone would demolish her.

- Jackie Kennedy, her bones are weak. Nothing personal I just know I could size her up.

Don’t want to fight

- Michelle Obama, her arms. She ripped.

- Elenor Roosevelt, she gives me Cookie Monster pajama pants vibes. Can’t take her.

- Ida McKinley, she has a fuckin jaw. I’m not saying I can’t fight her but it’s gonna be hard.

[robotonthemoon]

Beginning of Learning

I've been meaning to write this for a while. As I have previously mentioned here, I am told that market socialism would be a pretty good fit for me. Learning has been a journey that has taken me from some pretty deeply modern republican and libertarian views. I just wanted to share a bit of that journey. I'll put a break here because this will be long.

I am going to be completely honest here: the rise of Trump and his cult of personality has been a major force in driving me away from the party. I cannot stand the man and have never voted for him, even when he was unopposed in the 2020 primary. I just can't fathom how people can hitch their wagon to a guy who has been bankrupt that many times and couldn't sell alcohol, red meat, and gambling to Americans; as though he were some kind of business genius.

But this isn't about him. My journey started before his rise. And it didn't come from leftists telling me "hey, you should believe XYZ" even if I have since learned a lot from left leaning folks. No, my education really started from examining historical figures from the republican party.

"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."

Sounds like something a modern union organiser would say, doesn't it? And yet that was President Abraham Lincoln in his First Annual Address (December 3rd, 1861). Now Abe does go on to state that capital is deserving of its own protections, but he started with and emphasised the greater value and importance of labour.

"It is better for the Government to help a poor man to make a living for his family than to help a rich man make more profit for his company."

And this is from President Theodore Roosevelt (brace for it because I will be mentioning him again). These sentiments really helped push me away from notions of corporate superiority. I fully endorse labour rights and unions now, and can certainly understand where the argument for workers owning the means of production would come from.

Not much of a segue here, but I wanted to mention that if it weren't for health problems (and to a degree concerns about being outed as queer back in the late 90s and early 2000s) I would have considered military service. Probably the Coast Guard. I have a lot of respect for the good work the coasties do, especially the rescue services. Repelling out of a helicopter in the middle of a storm to pull someone out of the ocean is just... heroic.

That said, while I think we need to take better care of our service people, my attitude toward the role of capitalism in respects to the military were very much changed when I read President Dwight Eisenhower's Chance for Peace speech (April 16th, 1953).

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter with a half-million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. . . . This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

This famous section in particular really struck me. He warns us about the military industrial complex. How our priority cannot be military might at the cost of the citizenry. Then I considered this in light of the Bush/Cheney administration findings (at the time, the current value may be different) that the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, aka foodstamps) created something like $1.63 in economic stimulus for every dollar spent. A 63% gain on investment is excellent, in addition to helping people! Frankly, I feel like that means we'd do well to just eliminate means testing and give benefits to anyone who asks for it. Reduces bureaucratic overhead and waste while providing more economic benefits. Win win. And on the argument of taxes being put to this purpose:

"Taxes are what we pay for civilized society" Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (supreme court justice, republican)

My father is a bit of a hippie. He raised me with a lot of talk about saving the environment. Some of that sank in, but I must admit to having periods in my life where I thought along the lines of "screw it, just pave everything". Not anymore. I am strongly in support of environmental protections and restrictions on industry to protect nature. Here's where Teddy Roosevelt comes back in.

“We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation.”

Now, Teddy was saying this is the very early 1900s, more than a century ago. I wish we had listened more aptly.

“Defenders of the short-sighted men who in their greed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our country of half its charm by their reckless extermination of all useful and beautiful wild things sometimes seek to champion them by saying the ‘the game belongs to the people.’ So it does; and not merely to the people now alive, but to the unborn people. The ‘greatest good for the greatest number’ applies to the number within the womb of time, compared to which those now alive form but an insignificant fraction. Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations. The movement for the conservation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method.”

How could I not be moved by this? There are many other quotes by Roosevelt that I could share on the subject of conservation, and I encourage people to look into them, but I will refrain from posting them here because I've already gone on at length.

"This country will not permanently be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in."

One more good Teddy Roosevelt quote to end this with. I hope I have succeeded at least a bit in explaining what started me on the road I'm on now. I'm still learning, and I'm sure I have a ways to go still. I will state, because this is the internet and I know the arguments that could come from this, that I am not claiming these men were perfect. In fact I am quite certain they did plenty of terrible things. I acknowledge that. But that doesn't mean I can't also respect the good they did.

I still consider myself something of a conservative, but my understanding of what that means has changed greatly. Perhaps I am completely mistaken, and I am far more a leftist than I recognise. I believe in slow but steady economic growth and long term outlooks. In building a solid economic base by prioritising workers. In caring for people, rather than judging and discarding those who cannot work. In protecting the environment (the EPA was even started by Nixon) rather than ruining it for next quarter's financial gain.

Not the modern neoliberalism, anti-regulation, profit first thinking that pervades the current right wing. I wonder if Ike is spinning in his grave to see the sort of fascy candidates the party puts forth nowadays, given he commanded forces against their ilk in WW2.

If you have read this far, I thank you for your patience. I know this may draw some people's ire. If you are on the right and feel the need to shout at me, I ask that you learn and consider more of our past. And if you are on the left, I ask you to remember that an imperfect ally is not the same as an enemy.

Have a wonderful day, genuinely. Thank you for your time.

[beaujolais-oh-fuck]

Summary of this long-ass post: If u wanna join my Freerice Group, the joining code is: 2ZJPCWMH and anyone & everyone is welcome to join!

This is probably incredibly sick and f*cked-up of me and like a very vile part of my ED-brain, but one way I try to assuage the intense guilt I feel from restricting/fasting (seemingly) by choice, while there are devastating & unspeakably horrific hunger & starvation crises occurring throughout the world, is by spending my free time doing those "click-to-help" donation site thingies to fund aid and food donations to starving populations (the two I use most are Arab.org in their Click-To-Help section https://arab.org/click-to-help/palestine/ and The Hunger Site (although I have read some very sus things about them on reddit??? I only really resort to this one bc my middle school health teacher had us do this one every day for a week, so I implicitly trusted her judgment for years bc she was known for having 6 prior mar!juana possessions on her record).

Anyways, the other thing I do daily is I play the Freerice game (you can find it on the World Food Programme Website). It's a free trivia game where as you play, you generate donations (the site was previously were funded purely by ads, but recently they were able to acquire several large sponsors to cover the donations instead, since they said it's more consistent and reliable that way) for the World Food Programme, which uses the money to organize and distribute food aid all over the world-- but especially to populations suffering from emergency-level food insecurity and starvation rates (such as in Palestine, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, etc-- there's a list on the WFP website of the areas that are under the "Emergencies" section).

p.s. The "grain of rice" in the game don't represent actual real grains of rice, they're just a conceptual representation to help you visualize the worth of your donations adding up.

anyways. So what my mentally ill brain does is: for every "bowl of rice" (a certain donation amount) I do on Freerice, my ED-ass thinks, "Oh good, for every 'bowl' I 'fill' it's literally keeping me distracted from binge-eating and INSTEAD, all the food I COULD have been eating in that time I was playing-- I can use that distraction from eating to generate legit food donations for real starving people who actually WANT to eat and desperately NEED the nutrition. As far as coping-mechanisms go, this one isn't so bad!"

That's how my brain-fogged, guilt-ridden mind works. I'm so ashamed of choosing to deny myself food, when I know for a fact that there's stuff going on in the world like the Israeli government using forced-starvation as a tool to commit genocide against Palestinians by creating and maintaining a man-made famine. So i try to mentally justify my ED behavior by imagining that the time i spend not-eating while playing Freerice is a way of somehow magically transferring my ~potential food ingestion~ to another person somewhere else who ACTUALLY needs it.

ANYWAYS, my point to all this rambling is that I wanted to offer my Freerice Group Code to anyone on EDblr (or just anyone in general) who might want to join my Group and collectively track the donations we generate together :')

My Freerice Group name is "Rat Terrier Devotees" (bc I have a Teddy Roosevelt Terrier lol) and the Group Code is: 2ZJPCWMH Please feel free to join (regardless if you're EDblr or not, obvi)!