#take my online management exam for me

[mathexamhelper-tutor]

[asidewalksymphony]

I've been looking at work from home job postings for 15 minutes and I'm already overwhelmed.

[luckykiwiii101]

Hello, I am writing to you as a 22-year-old girl who managed to enter the void on the night of May 17 and changed her whole life.

I started my void  challenge in December 2021. It was very difficult for me both physically and psychologically. Because I had an environment that was abusive and violent. And my conditions were very terrible. I had an exam that I couldn't win for 3 years, an alcoholic father who beat me, and a mother who never let up on it. I have lost a lot of things in my life in 3 years, but I have never given up on emptiness. If there are people who are still struggling with the gap, I hope my success story will be a motivation for you.

One morning when I woke up with failure again, I was feeling extremely unhappy and hopeless. But an incident at home during the day made me say, ‘That's enough, I'm going to fuck everything up tonight and wake up in a void.

When I wasn't feeling very sleepy- or even sleepy at all- I lay down on the bed. Because I'm afraid to fall asleep. In order of;

15 min Holotropic breathwork

20 min Silva method

10 min Alpha State meditation

After lying motionless for about 45 minutes, the brown noise started playing. It is very natural that there is a desire to move, to be overwhelmed,to give up in this part. Please continue for your dreams. When the brown noise was playing, I used a single affirmation. 

‘I'm simply deciding that I'm in a void.’

I can't remember how many times I repeated it. After a while, everything became quiet and I felt so peaceful for the first time in my life. I had a 30-page document and I said that everything in there would be manifested.

A day ago, when I had nothing, I now have a house on the Mediterranean coast, a black bmw ix car, a Harvard math degree, an online job where I earn 25 thousand dollars per month by working only 4 hours a day 4 days a week (Dollars are very valuable in the country where I live, and my salary is multiplied by about 30.), I have a beautiful face, body and skin. I also showed that I can ride horses professionally and draw pictures. I confirmed that the apple products, books, cosmetics and skin products in my wishlist are also in my house. I have also declared the person I will meet about 1 year from now and who will become the man of my dreams.

THIS IS AMAZING!!!! I’m so happy that you’re now living your dream life 💗

This is such a good example of showing people that they can truly do anything. Thank you for taking your time to share this 💗

[moonstruckme]

May I request a dr Remus scolding reader for ignoring a broken toe?

I know it’s nothing major (which is nice sometimes). I often break my toe and just ignore it until it hurts a lot.

I think Remus would give a good little speech about taking care of things he love (reader)

Thank you!

I'm sorry, often??? Uhh hope you're doing okay lovely, thanks for requesting <3

cw: broken toe, no description

doctor!Remus x fem!reader �� 730 words

“Don’t touch it,” you hiss.

Remus looks over from where he’s holding your foot in his lap with a sardonic expression. “I thought it didn’t hurt.”

“It doesn’t when you’re not touching it!” 

“Dove.” He wraps a hand around your ankle when you try to pull away, his touch one part soothing and two parts stern. “I’m going to have to touch it some, okay? Just breathe and let me know where it hurts.” 

You sit back against the couch cushions and try not to sulk. This is entrapment. Your know-it-all boyfriend hid the pain relievers just so you’d have to fess up to needing them when he caught you ransacking the bathroom, and now he’s making you submit to his know-it-all exam so you can have them. Entrapment and bribery. You should look into whether you can sue him for malpractice. 

“Ah!” You suck in a gasp. “There, it hurts there.” 

Remus stops touching your injured toe. “Sorry,” he says, rubbing the bottom of your foot consolingly. “I hate to tell you, but this isn’t a sprain. Sprains don’t hurt to the touch like this.” 

Oh, you’ll bet he hates to tell you. Told-you-so are Remus’ favorite words. 

“But it’s so much easier if it’s a sprain,” you whine. “It could still just be bruised. I read online that those feel almost indistinguishable from breaks.” 

“Oh, you read it online, did you?” Remus manages to get enough eye-roll into his voice that he doesn’t even need to follow through on the action. You must look even poutier than you intend, because he cracks, grinning at you indulgently. He beckons with a hand. “Give me your other foot.” 

You blink. Raise your eyebrows at him. “What do you want with it? I think you have enough of my feet there already.” 

“It’s for comparison, dove.” 

“Sure it is.” You lift your other foot onto his lap. “Pervert.” 

Remus’ tongue pokes into his cheek, suppressing a different sort of grin. He grasps your good foot and digs his thumb into the ticklish part cruelly, making you squeal and kick at him. “You’re the pervert,” he says placidly, pinning your foot until you settle down. “Look here, see?” 

You lean forward tentatively, the end of a giggle still fizzing in your chest. 

“The toe on this foot is a little curved, but that one’s definitely worse.” He tugs on your good toe as if to demonstrate. “They were probably the same before you broke it.” 

You sigh, resigned. “I don’t want it to be broken, though. Then it’s, like, a whole thing.” 

Remus makes a sorry face at you. He lifts your injured foot, kissing the side. “I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” 

“Well,” you say, eyeing him, “at least you can stop touching my feet now.” 

“This one, yes.” He unhands your good foot. “But this one, I think I need to keep an eye on.” 

You cross your arms, suspicious. Never mind that his lap is a very comfortable footrest. “And why’s that?” 

“Because I take care of the things that are important to me.” He cuts a look your way. “Some of us don’t seem to do the same.” 

“Ugh,” you laugh, ignoring the heat rushing to your cheeks, “you’re the worst, you know that?” 

“Yeah, dovey, I know.” He smiles down at his phone, keeping one hand wrapped securely around your ankle while the other thumbs something into the search bar. 

“What’re you doing?” 

“Making you an appointment for tomorrow morning. We have a podiatrist at my work, I’ll go with you.” 

You frown. “Do I really have to go to your office so someone else can tell me what you just did?” 

This time, Remus does roll his eyes. You poke him with your good foot to let him know you saw. “Yes, you do. They could help it heal faster, and I know you’ll listen better if they tell you to rest it than if I tell you.” 

“I listen to you.” 

“Oh, yeah?” He looks over at you interestedly. “I told you to rest it when you hurt it two days ago. How’s it feeling now?” 

You look away from his gaze. “Coddled,” you mutter. 

Remus chuckles. He leans sideways, bumping your nose with his until you oblige him with a kiss. “If that’s what it takes, sweetheart,” he says, “I’m happy to coddle you.”

[the-offside-rule]

Drivers while their s/o studies

Just a mini series I felt like doing. : )

Charles Leclerc

Charles smiled as he entered the room, holding a tray with snacks and coffee for Y/n who had been sitting at her desk since that morning. "Hello mom cœur, I thought you might need a little pick-me-up while you work." He said, placing the tray on the table. Y/n looked up from her laptop, a grateful smile forming. "Oh what would I do without you?" She said as she held his face and peppered soft kisses onto it as he emptied the tray onto the desk. "Cry, maybe." He joked.

Charles sat down beside her and began eating a protein bar before Y/n continued on typing. "How's it going anyway?" he asked, genuinely interested. "It's a bit overwhelming, but I'll manage. Your snacks will definitely help." She replied, taking a sip of the coffee. Charles chuckled. "I believe in you. I'll leave you to it for a bit, though. I'm going to meet Lorenzo and Arthur in the gym. You know how it is."

Y/n nodde. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll be here when you get back." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before heading out. "Take breaks, okay? Don't overwork yourself." He reminded her. "Of course, love. Have fun and give them my best!" As he left, Y/n couldn't help but smile. The small gestures made studying a lot more enjoyable, and she felt lucky to have Charles by her side.

Max Verstappen

Max woke up to an empty bed, the confusion evident on his face. Rubbing his eyes, he ventured into the living room, where he found Y/n engrossed in her laptop. Y/n spotted him from the corner of her eye and smiled at his sleepy face. "Morning, sleepyhead. Slept well?" She teased, looking up from her work. Max chuckled, and walked over to her. "Yeah, until I realized I was all alone." He placed a kiss atop of her head and peered over her shoulder. "What are you up to?"

"Got an assignment to finish, but you can keep me company." She suggested with a smile. Max raised an eyebrow. "Company? I was expecting a romantic morning, not a work session." Y/n laughed, "Well, I can't help it. University." He rolled his eyes. "I told you, you should have just gave in to being a stay-at-home girlfriend and now here we are with you leaving me I'm bed to work." Y/n chuckled at the light hearted joke. "Well if you loved me you would sit right here with me and keep me company, like a good temporary stay-at-home boyfriend?" Undeterred, Max decided to make the best of the situation. "Fine, but how about some breakfast first? I'll cook."

As Max prepared breakfast, they bantered back and forth, the kitchen filled with laughter. Sitting down on the sofa with their plates, Max linked his phone to the TV and began watching his race upcoming debrief that Red Bull had sent him. Y/n glanced at the screen every so often, finding it unbelievably distracting and whilst he had to watch it for work, why couldn't he just watch it on his phone?"Mind turning that off? I need to focus." Max pouted playfully. "Aw, come on. It's just background noise." She shook her head, "No, it's distracting. I need to concentrate."

A minor disagreement ensued, but Max, ever the compromiser, reached a resolution. "Fine, wear these," he said, handing her a pair of headphones. "You study, I watch my debrief." Y/n huffed, taking the headphones, "Deal. Just don't complain if I fail my exam because of this." Max grinned. "Deal, as long as you promise we actually so something romantic later on." Y/n grinned and connected her headphones to the laptop and began playing her music.

Lando Norris

Lando was deep into his online stream, enthusiastically commentating on his latest race in the virtual world. Meanwhile, Y/n diligently studied in the living room, trying to concentrate despite the growing noise. At first, it was fine because he only had Max on a voice call and then they started playing the F1 games and inviting drivers, and it all went to chaos.

The usual loudness was just about starting to sound normal until she heard a loud screeching from the streaming room. Y/n finally reached her limit. She threw her laptop to the side and stormed into the streaming room, wearing a bitter expression. Lando turned, smiling before the smile turned into a grim look. He...was...fucked. "Hi babe." He said quietly. "Lando, could you please keep it down a bit? I'm trying to study out here." She said calmly. She didn't want fans making up rumours about an argument.

Lando, still wearing his headset, looked guilty. "I will try, but Max is-" She cut him off. "Lando, you will be quiet. I cannot fail these exams. I just need you to be quiet. Understood?" He nodded. "I'm sorry, babe. I got carried away. I'll tone it down." The serious expression turned to a light hearted smile, before she looked to the computer, smiled and waved to greet the chat, before leaving.

Lando continued on playing, listening to the chaos on the call and not acting up. But the guilt lingered, and he suddenly had to leave the stream momentarily. "Hey, guys? I'll be right back. Just need to grab a drink, I'll be back in a sec. Promise." He announced to his fellow drivers and viewers before leaving the room. He rushed to the kitchen, returning to the living room with a peace offering of snacks and energy drinks for his girlfriend who sat on her bean bag with her study sheets sprawled across the coffee table. She looked up quickly before looking back to her work and continuing on typing. "I'm really sorry, Y/n. Here, I got you some goodies. Let me make it up to you." Lando said, kneeling down beside her and leaving a small plate of biscuits and sweets beside her. She looked between the plate and Lando, seeing the sincerity in his expression before she chuckled, accepting the snacks. "You're lucky you're cute when you're sorry. Just try to keep it down, okay?"

"Okay, I promise." He said, pecking her cheek and running back to the livestream with his can of Monster. Back in the streaming room, Lando continued his broadcast. He scrolled through the chat, noticing a comment from Y/n.

Thanks for the biccies, lovey <3 Good luck with your stream!

His fans erupted in supportive comments, finding the situation adorable. Lando couldn't help but smile, covering his face from how hard he was blushing. "You better leave me some 9f them biscuits, Y/n." Lando said into the camera. "Let's get back to the race, shall we?" The stream continued, with a more considerate Lando and a grateful Y/n watching from the sidelines.

Carlos Sainz Jr.

As the creatures and people of Madrid lay asleep in their beds, Y/n sat on her laptop working away beside her boyfriend who had just come back from a race weekend on the other side of the globe. Carlos stirred in his sleep, as the soft glow of Y/n's laptop pierced the darkness. "What are you doing?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Y/n glanced at him, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. "Sorry, babe. Got a deadline. Can't sleep." He sighed, and turned his back so he would be able to get even a glimpse of sleep. "Alright, just keep it down, please." He whispered. "Yes sir, Mr Sainz." She yawns, still typing.

In the morning, Carlos awoke to Y/n still typing away in their bed, exhaustion evident in her eyes. She got a lot of work done and had work in three hours. "Morning." He whispered, kissing her hand before sitting up. "Morning. Did you sleep alright?" Y/n asked. "Other than that one time you woke me, yes. Did you sleep at all?" Carlos asked. Y/n shook her head. "You should get some sleep before work. Finish this when you get home, yeah?" Y/n sighed in defeat. She wouldn't be able to go to work if she was this tired. Maybe a two hour sleep wouldn't hurt? " Carlos nodded, taking her laptop, placing it on the bedside table and tucking her into bed, . "You need to rest." He insisted. "I will wake you before work, mi amor." She reassured her, kissing her hair and letting her fall asleep.

When Y/n awoke, she looked out to see that the sun was awfully bright for 8am. Then she turned and saw Carlos walking into the room with a tray of coffee and toast. "What are you doing?" Y/n asked, sitting up. Carlos paused and looked at her. "Breakfast?" He replied in a question. Y/n looked at her phone, her eyes wide. "Oh my god! It's half past 11. I'm so fucking late!" She said. "No you aren't." Carlos replied, placing the tray on his locker. "I had work two hours ago!" She protested.

Carlos shook his head. "I called your boss, said you were sick." Y/n's eyes widened to what he had said. "Why'd you do that?" She asked. "Because you needed it." He replied, pulling the duvet over them and putting his arm around Y/n. "Carlos, I cant-" He cut her off. "Should we watch Berlín? It's meant to be really good." He said, flicking through the Netflix. "Babe. I'm serious. I need to go to work." She said. "And I have said before; you could quit work and I'll take care of you. You won't quit but I am still gonna take care of you. Now stay with me in bed and help me pick a series for us to watch."

She stopped complaining and lay in his arms. "Yeah. Berlín sounds good." She mumbled quietly. "Good, now here's some toast."

George Russell

George had brought Y/n to race weekends before, but this time, she found herself confined to the team's hospitality area, engrossed in her upcoming exams. She looked up to the TV evey so often to see how her boyfriend was doing before turning her attention back to her laptop. Like an angel sent, George decided to check in on her in between sessions, finding her buried in textbooks and notes.

"Hey, how's it going?" he asked, pressing a kiss onto her head and leaning on the table. Y/n looked up, tired but determined. "Just trying to survive this study session. Well done on topping the session by the way." George grinned. "It's only the second practise. I think we know what strategy we're going for in qualifying though." He chuckled. "Have you eaten?" Y/n thinks for a moment and shakes her head. "You do know, you need to eat too."

She sighed, burying her head in her hands from exhaustion. "I know, I just lost track of time. Can you grab me something?" George smiled. "Of course." He replied, leaving momentarily and heading to the barista bar. He returned moments later with a croissant and a latte, placing them in front of her. "Fuel for the brain." he said with a smile. Y/n looked up at him appreciatively, "You're my hero, Mr Russell. Thank you so much."

"No problem. I know how important these exams are for you." He replied, sitting beside her. As she sipped the latte and nibbled on the croissant, George and her began talking. "Anything I can help with? Maybe a quick break to clear your mind?" Y/n smiled. "You being here is already a huge help. But maybe a motivational speech wouldn't hurt."

"Im not doing motivational speeches." They both burst into laughter, lightening the mood in the cozy hospitality space. George wrapped his arm around Y/n, offering comfort and support. "You're the best distraction," she admitted, leaning into him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Lance Stroll

Lance sighed as he opened the door to his bedroom after his return from the gym to find Y/n looking a bit frustrated. He arched a brow as he sipped from his water bottle and decided to approach her, concern evident in his eyes. "What's wrong, babe?" He asked, sitting down beside her. She sighed. "I'm not sure, but I just can't study. Maybe it's just because of how different it is from studying in my office back home." Lance thought for a moment."How about you use my office? It's quiet, and you'll have all the space you need." He suggested. "Oh no, I couldn't." She replied. "No, seriously. I never use it anyway."

Y/n's face lit up with gratitude as Lance led her to his office. The room was filled with shelves displaying Lance's collection of racing helmets and trophies. The large floor-to-ceiling window revealed a breathtaking snowy landscape of their estate. "This is perfect." Y/n whispered, finding the desk facing the wonderous view. Lance smiled, happy to help her. "If you need me just call. I'm just gonna hit the shower." He said, pressing a kiss onto her cheek. "Thank you, babe." She grinned, setting her stuff down. "Anytime." He shot back before leaving and making his way to his bathroom to shower.

Y/n had gotten a lot done since she sat down. The view was a perfect distraction but not too distracting that she couldn't focus. If anything, it was there to just calm her down before getting right back to it. An hour passed, and Lance returned with snacks, finding Y/n engrossed in her studies. "Hey, how are you getting on?" He asked, peering through the door. "Doing good, Lancelot. I am doing good." She smiled, still jotting down some notes. He walked in with a tray of snacks. In between him showering and him walking around the kitchen, he decided Y/n needed to take a break and made up a snack tray to bring her.

"Need a study break?" he asked, handing her a twix. Y/n grinned, "Definitely. Thanks for this, Lance. This office is amazing." Lance chuckled, "Well, it's only fair you get a taste of my world too. Plus, I like having you happy." As they enjoyed their snacks, the conversation turned from how everyone in the house has an office to the trophies and helmets on the walls.

"You know-" Lance began, taking down his Balu trophy from back in 2017. "This one's from my first podium. I was so excited that day." Y/n smiled as she sipped her cola. "I can see why. You've got an impressive collection of trophies, Lancey." He looked at her warmly. "But none of them compare to having my trophy girlfriend. I worked my ass off to even get you on a date." Y/n laughed. "I'm serious! You kept saying no!"

"You should've taken the hint." Y/n replied. "Then who would be sat in this office?" Lance asked. "I don't know. One of those weird models that throw themselves at you, I guess." She joked. "Yeah, but I prefer you." Lance said. There grew a comfortable silence before Lamce stood up, collecting the wrappers off the snacks and putting them back onto the tray. "I guess it's time for you to get back to studying." Lance said. "Thank you for the company." Y/n smiled as Lamce leaned down to give her a kiss. "How about we watch a movie later and order takeout? Sound good?" Lance suggested. Y/n nodded. You really are a dream."

[alizayildiz]

Announcement: I don’t know who sent me a request bc it was anonymous but girl if you see this I misse posting too. But my exams are over and I’m back on posting regularly. I have to write a few requests on Wattpad and I’ll upload them on tumblr too!

This one is especially made for you!

Summary: Kenan’s thinks you can’t come to watch his important football game due to both of y’all’s schedules. However you manage to surprise him.

„Miss Yildiz, what a beautiful surprise that you showed up" Coach Montella spoke as he pulled me into a hug.

I don't know since when but it's gotten into a habit that everyone calls me by Kenan's last name. Not that I mind it, I quite enjoy it and to be honest Kenan does too.

Yildiz.

"Well, I try my best to support you guys" I speak as Coach Montella and I walk towards the VIP Lounge of the Allianz Stadium in Berlin.

After the Turkish National Team won 3:1 against Georgia they now play against Czechia. Normally they would play against Portugal but something came up with them and now it's Turkey vs. Czechia.

And normally I would be in New York City right now having a photos shoot for Victoria's Secret. A massive brand with a good name.

But I decided to reschedule the photo shoot. It costed me many nerves and phone calls to reschedule it but in the end I managed to do so.

I wanted to support Kenan through this entire European championship and that didn't work from the beginning on.

Because I missed the opening match against Georgia, he even scored a goal. So now I try my best to make up for it.

Kenan has always been my biggest supporter at everything you do in life. So it's only fair that I'm his biggest supporter too.

As Coach Montella talks me through the details of  today's match I can't get my mind of the fact that Kenan's ex girlfriend Karlotta will be here too.

I absolutely despise that girl not only for what she has done to Kenan but also for that she has done to me.

„So five minutes before the game ends security will walke up with you to the pitch, is that alright ?" Montella speaks looking at me for an answer.

„Absolutely, yes, thank you" I speak smiling at Kenan's coach before the man leaves.

As I walk around the VIP lounge I make myself comfortable, one hour until the game stars and two hours till the game ends.

My outfit was simple but yet elegant, knowing that Kenan prefers if I walk around more elegantly than slutty.

After plugging my phone into the charger I open my Spotify playlist, good thing that these VIP boxes are sound proof.

Not so sound proof when Kenan fucks me in here though...

Opening the refrigerator I pull out a redbull and wash myself some fruits like strawberries and cranberries.

After placing them nicely on a plate I walk to the couch and let myself fall on it.

Gosh, sitting feels good.

I grab my iPad from my handbag and start to work online.

~

As planned I got done with everything I had on my to do list for today.

As I stood up I looked down at the pitch, the Turkish National team singing their national anthem.

Kenan was the tallest player in the team, he was also starting in the first eleven lineup. After finishing singing they positioned them for team pictures.

In the first one Kenan had the post serious face ever, probably because he thinks I'm in New York and not here at his game.

The second picture turned out more motivated, still his smile dropped instantly as the cameras got away from his face.

The Czech people took their time with their national anthem as well as with taking pictures.

While Kenan positioned himself on the pitch the Czech players waved as fans.

Kenan made a quick prayer and so did Arda and Hakan.

All three of them praying for good luck on the match.

During their prayers the commentators of the match called up the line up from both teams. First Czechia then Turkey.

I looked at the big screen and let a a high pitched yell as I saw Kenan's name on it. The stadium loosing it too as soon as they saw him.

Kenan looked up to the VIP box where I was sitting every few minutes, before and during the match.

It's like he knows I'm here. I know that he possibly can't even see me from down there but my gut feeling tells me he does.

Kenan has this gift to spot me whenever I am, he just feels my presence.

As the referee whistled the first half of the game started. Clearly Turkey had more dominance.

In minute 25 Bariș Alper Yilmaz scored.

Two minutes later Kenan scored.

The stadium went loud fans jumped up and down yelling his name. Kenan held up both his hand and then placed on his heart. Dedicating his goal to the Turkish fans.

Clapping both of my hands together I smile down at the football field.

With that Kenan breaks Cristiano Ronaldo his record. What a great success he achieved for his career.

I pull out my phone making photos of the remarkable moment.

Then seven minutes after Kenan scored Arda scores.

3:0 it stands.

Turkish fans are going wild while Czech fans are watching their team loose.

Coach Montella jumps up exited and kisses each of the three guys on their heads, hugging each of them.

Fifteen more minutes pass and then the first half ends. 3:0 for Turkey.

~

"Miss Yildiz, it's time to head to the field" the security guard spoke as he pulled me out of my thoughts.

I sept half break arguing with Karlotta and how she should just leave me and Kenan alone because she and he are in the PAST.

But what if they aren't, and he just lies to me ?

I gather myself following the security guard.

4:0 for Turkey, Hakan scored a goal in the second half which is about to end in exactly five minutes.

As we passed trough different VIP boxes and different hallways I finally was on the pitch.

Behind the barrier but close enough.

And like always it didn't even took Kenan more than thirty seconds to spot me.

He was on the other end of the field and immediately came up running towards me.

The referee had whistled a minute ago so the match was over.

As the cameras focussed on Kenan running towards you fans and commentators applauded at the two of you.

Kenan was not wearing his jersey anymore he pulled it off himself as a form of celebration, so did the rest of the Turkish national team.

Jumping over the barrier he pulled you into his arms giving you thousands of kisses on your forehead.

"Kenan" I chuckled between laughs.

"Did you watch the whole match ?" He asks out of breath.

"Yes Baby, and I'm beyond proud of you" with that Kenan pulls you into a kiss.

I didn't care if he tastes like sweat or even smells like it I just wanted to feels his lips against mine.

The fans going crazy loud even congratulating Kenan on pulling such a beautiful girl like you.

Kenan he let go of you.

"I love you, that's the best surprise you could ever do for me" not even letting me time to respond he crashed his lips on mine again, depending the kiss.

One of his hands had a firm grip on my jaw while his other hand travelled down to my lower back.

Totally worth rescheduling my photoshoot.

Fans were busy taking photos of the two of you and so were you and Kenan.

He's the biggest golden retriever boyfriend ever so he absolutely adores posing for pictures with you.

As he gave you a kiss on your forehead you closed your eyes enjoying the moment.

What a luck that your camera went off in that exact minute. The most wholesome picture ever of the two of you just got made by your phone.

A jealous Karlotta standing in the crowd, eyeing the two of you.

[gideonisms]

griddlehark gynecologist exam

HELPP . I know who this is. I blame this one on you!!

Gideon tenses. Thighs spread out, pussy exposed to the world. She’d forgone the stupid robe. Who needs a flimsy little dress? Gideon Nav is a tough butch, not ashamed of anything her cunt has to offer. Why should she be? She’s handsome, she’s hot, she’s delicious—multiple beautiful women online have told her so.

Normally, this is the type of situation she’d thrive in. Except—

“Now this may be a bit cold,” the woman in front of her says. Again, this is normally the type of situation Gideon would live for. A hot goth girl all dressed up in scrubs, inspecting Gideon within an inch of her life? Sign Gideon up!

It’s just, as the woman’s deep dark eyes alight on Gideon’s pussy, she pulls out the speculum.

“You mentioned you’ve had sex within the past year,” Dr. Nonagesimus says briskly. “So I’m using the larger one. Is that all right?”

Gideon manages a grunt that sort of sounds like “Yes.” Truth be told, she’s finding the doctor’s lack of bedside manners vaguely…arousing? Gideon shudders. Oh no.

As Dr. Nonagesimus inserts the tip of the speculum slowly into Gideon’s cunt, Gideon realizes she’s in trouble. Sure, she was lying about the sex. Look, it’s been a long year. But tell that to her cunt—she’s practically dripping onto the table. Dr. Nonagesimus slides the speculum in with a serene immovable confidence that would normally have Gideon on her knees.

Her cunt clenches. Dr. Nonagesimus makes a humming sound, neither surprised nor horrified. Just vaguely disapproving.

“Well, everything looks normal so far.”

“Normal?” Gideon says, quickly losing her grip on reality as Dr. Nonagesimus slides one careful finger in to part Gideon even wider. Her touch is clinical, but the sudden warmth of her fingers even through the gloves, the extra fullness—Gideon whines.

Time seems to stop. For a moment, no one says anything. Dr. Nonagesimus continues to inspect her pussy. Then her eyes flicker up to Gideon’s, and she raises one perfect eyebrow. She slides another finger in.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Gideon pants, as she clenches again and almost comes right then and there.

Dr. Nonagesimus leans closer to get a better look. “Nothing to be sorry for,” she says. “You’re doing so well—Gideon, is it?”

Gideon nods, focusing all her attention on the clock in the corner of the room, which informs her it has been less than five minutes since this exam started. She’s never felt so debased in her life, and the woman in front of her hasn’t even done anything.

Dr. Nonagesimus breathes out. Gideon can feel it on her cunt. She begs the gods for mercy—and for once, they hear her request.

The fingers in her cunt slide out along with the speculum, leaving her horribly empty.

“Congratulations, Gideon,” Dr. Nonagesimus says. “You don’t have cervical cancer.”

With that, she abruptly turns around and takes off her gloves. She washes her hands, then starts entering information into a computer.

Gideon lies there, speechless.

“You have my card,” Dr. Nonagesimus continues. “Call me if you need any…additional help.”

“Call you?” Gideon asks. She’s not sure she heard right.

Dr. Nonagesimus looks her directly in the eyes. One corner of her black-painted mouth twitches. “Yes. If you have any concerns.”

Oh, Gideon is concerned, all right.

(and so am I! she didn’t even make you pee in a cup, Gideon!!)

[torialefay]

i somehow managed to get a virus with all the fun symptoms aka fever, congestion and horrible earache, all that right before an important exam. yay me! 🤧

i think one of the reasons why it feels extra bad is because living alone when you get sick, you have no one to help you out or just overall take care of you a bit and i'm so sad and overwhelmed over this rn </3

which made me think about my bias line aka 3racha and how would they be like when their s/o gets sick? (i could really use channie's caretaking mode rn but let's be honest if that was the case i wouldn't even let him do so because he would most likely get sick too lol)

that is no fun AT ALL. i live on my own too, and it can definitely be hard trying to manage it all yourself! i hope you start to feel better soon, anon :( <3

✨how 3racha takes care of you when you're sick: 💌📞☕️

christopher:

• probably can't take off of work (everything would fall apart), but he is texting you every 2 hours to check on you.

• before he leaves in the morning, he's making you a piping hot cup of honey lemon tea & leaving you vitamin C packets that he tells you to take

• promises he will spank you if you start feeling worse and don't let him know

• leaves you sweet little voice messages when he tries to call from the studio but you're napping

• leaves work as early as possible to get home to you. definitely stops to get soup on the way. grabs a weighted blanket too bc why not

• smiles at how cute you are when he comes home to you asleep with your face all squished

• lovingly teases you for looking like death and ruffles your hair

• even though you're sick, he'll still lay next to you and cuddle you up for a little while

changbin:

• depending on how bad you feel, he may try to stay home, or at least only work half a day.

• if he hassss to go to work, he's definitely coming back home during lunch to check on you

• calls his mom to ask what medicines he should get you

• he's got every snack you could ever imagine all lined up for you. anything and everything you could possibly want.

• still checks in on you while he's gone.

• if you tell him you're bored, he's telling you to do some online shopping and use his card. whatever you want to buy that will take your mind off of the sickness

• when he finally gets home, he comes in the room to see you all bundled up, looking grumpy

• he can't help but laugh at how cute he finds you, even if you're all grumpy.

• makes a point to tell you you look beautiful... he isn't getting in bed to cuddle tho lol his ass is sleeping on the couchhhh

• honestly probably bullies felix into making you cookies

hannie:

• loves you so much, but he is the ace of kpop and cannot get sick, so he is (lovingly) staying at least 10 feet away from you at all times.

• calls you his "poor little baby" regardless

• is genuinely worried about you all day when he's gone.

• tells all the members that you're sick and asks for advice on what to get you. he's just too neurotic when it comes to you.

• knows that you're independent and don't NEED him, but god does he want to help

• texts and asks what you want for lunch & when you tell him you don't feel well enough to eat, he just says "fuck it" and sends 3 different things. he figures SURELY it will at least tempt you.

• sends you a whole list of movies/shows to watch

• freaks out and doesnt know what to get at the pharmacy/drug store, so he ends up getting the most random assortment of medicines & vitamins

• when he gets home, he knocks sooooo gently on your door because he wants to stick his head in but doesn't want to wake you.

• moves a chair right next to your door so he can tell you all about his day... without coming into your room of agony

[strawberry-cowmilk]

voicemails

-> mc is back in the human world but didn't pick up the phone, so the brothers leave a voicemail

-> brothers x mc

mc's gender is not mentioned, not proof read also kind of trying out a new style hehe

content warnings: kind of angsty maybe, alcohol use, gambling mentions

-----

Lucifer

'good evening, mc. it is a fine evening here in the devildom, I hope it's the same case with you. I have just returned from a meeting with diavolo, we've had... quite the demonus. however I am by no means drunk. anyways I have actually been listening to the record you got for me, a thoughtful gift indeed. I just have a feeling that... it would sound lots better with you in the chair next to me. (he chuckles) well, there's no helping it. perhaps I have to bring you back to the devildom myself?'

'I was hoping to hear your voice, too bad you didn't pick up the phone. are you perhaps asleep, mc? in that case I shall leave you be. sleep well, mc.'

Mammon

'yo mc, why are you not picking up your phone? I just snuck away from home with mine to talk tp you, you know? ugh... that cocky lucifer and his stupid rules. like what do you mean we gotta take turns calling you? no way, I ain't waiting so long to talk to you! just cause he's the eldest he thinks he's all high and mighty!'

'okay anyways, on with the important stuff! so listen up I called because I scored HUGE at the casino today and you know how I won so much huh? I bet on your favorite number, y'know... cause I miss you and all... (he suddenly coughs) ah wait no what I just said ain't true! I bet on your favorite number cause... well... that was my battery percentage or something...'

'okay anyways mc, you better visit the devildom soon! bye bye! have a good day!'

Leviathan

'um hi what's up? how's the human world? did you get the games and anime I asked you to get yet? I totally can't wait to see what kind of stuff you got over there! oh and I can't wait to show you the newest releases here in the devildom! the latest season of 'I went to the fair a 6km distance from my house with my best friend and pet dog but the manager turned out to be my online gaming buddy' came last week and I binged it all!'

'um (pause) but look I kind of called to tell you... well... you gotta come here fast so we can share the stuff you know? ahh it's no good I can't say it! um well look, I miss you!' (he hangs up suddenly)

Satan

'hello mc, I see you're not picking up your phone. are you busy? listen to this voice message any time you'd like then. I hope the human world is treating you well, it's so different from the devildom after all. well at least you won't have to worry about anyone stealing your soul.'

'exam season at rad just ended, I'm satisfied with most of my scores. I am a little disappointed because of my spells and potions grade, a 83 isn't good enough to me. could it be I was distracted because I miss you? (he sighs) well, one more reason for you to hurry back here. everyone's been fighting over who gets to call you first and all that, it's pissing me off. but I get it, I love hearing your voice. well mc I guess this is it, goodbye for now.'

Asmodeus

'hi mc! finally it's my turn to talk to you, but what's up with not picking up hm? well as long as you promise to call me back later, I don't mind leaving a voicemail for you! did you do anything fun recently? I attended some parties but well, they were kind of boring. or was I just... not feeling it? whatever that doesn't matter, I just wanna see you again! how much longer are you going to stay in the human world? I miss you so so so much!'

'I hope you miss me too. do you miss me? when you call me back you have to answer that question, deal? and if yes you have to visit. there's so much I want to talk to you about, so much I wanna show you! like I made into a magazine, you just have to see it! call soon, okay? I love you.'

Beelzebub

hell's kitchen is having a sale. when you but a cheeseburger you get a second one free. of course I took advantage of the deal and got a lot of cheeseburgers. you should visit soon mc, I want to share my food with you. it tastes better like that.' (you can basically hear him smiling through the phone)

'anyways, everyone misses you. sometimes my brothers get really sad, it's kind of hard to watch sometimes. of course I really miss you too. I think about you every time before I fall asleep. it makes me have good dreams. also my team won another game last night, I wish you could have seen it. well, next time right? bye mc, I hope to talk to you soon.'

Belphegor

'hi mc. how are you doing? I hope you're good. listen I'm on the balcony right now and there's stars in the sky. ugh I hate to be that one cheesy guy in your average romance movie but... the stars look like you. I can see your face in them. nevermind just forget what I said that was really sappy.'

'anyways please call me back, I get that you're probably busy or napping right now but I want to hear your voice. I want to hear how you've been there in the human world, hopefully your weather is nice.'

'well I'm running out of stuff to say, bye mc. call me back.'

[publicaccessgirl]

Top 5 taboo fantasies you’ve imagined doing in front of an audience?

I don't have the sort of sense of shame that taboo requires, so I'm just gonna list my audience fantasies and you can judge them yourself

Being at a bar/pub and there's a stool for me with a dildo attached. Everyone at the venue knows and they all watch me slide myself slowly onto it. People who chat to me will bump into me and make me wobble so I have to clench down and get my balance. People will buy me drinks and hold them out of reach so I have to stand up to accept it, then sit back on the dildo. That sort of thing

Getting assaulted on the train and keeping quiet cos I'm embarassed, but some people do notice. Some look disgusted and judge me, others join in and grope me. I end up coming on my rapists dick in front of everyone, trying so hard to stay quiet. There's definitely anal in this fantasy

I want to have a hook up back at his place but I don't know he's streaming it online. So like, I'm not performing at all. But he's taking requests I don't know about and there's hundreds of strangers arranging how we fuck. He doesn't take no for an answer so he's not asking, he just suddenly starts spanking my ass while I ride him or he shoves my panties in my mouth or at some point he fucks my ass dry and like I'm not into all of it but he's barely paying attention and doesn't stop and I'm into enough that I don't question things and I never notice we're being filmed

Being in a semi professional setting, like a work Christmas party or a conference or something, and an ex is there. He's telling a group all sorts of shit I'm into, completely embarassing me and exposing my secret kinks. I leave the event to preserve my dignity and a few colleagues follow and group rape me in the car park. I'm the office free use slut for them, so long as they can keep it secret from management

I love medical inspection stuff that's not intended to be sexual, like, being strapped down for a pap smear when my doctors like "oh my students are here early, I'm just gonna invite them in to learn" and they all get a chance to try inserting the pap smear spreader thing and some a really rough and haven't done it before and I get so fucking turned on by it. They decide to learn about breast exams next and every one of them feels my breasts so roughly and I'm just a mess and trying not to be obvious about it

Tit pic for a top 5 ask xx

[the---hermit]

15|06|2024

Final day of studying for my English lit exam, I cannot wait for it to be over. I have reviewed things so much I honestly can't take it anymore. I also found out that we'll take the exam online and not in person, so yay for me because I won't have to commute and I'll get half day off after the exam. Then next week will be just me trying to work on my history lab paper as fast as I can, but I am trying not to think about it too much.

Today's productivity:

finished my last English lit review

finally managed to book an appointment to get my degree documentsTM after over a year (and I was so lucky I got it on the same day I have an exam so I will get everything done in one single day)

duolingo

🎵: this has been my go to study playlist in the past couple of weeks

[itsnathateasy]

Armin Week | Day 3 | SFW Prompts | Nerd Armin OR Exploring the Outside World

word count: 737 warnings: none author’s note: if my teammates found out i simped about asana online, they’d chop my head off, but it’s not my fault asana is such a useful and cool app, yk??

@armin-week-2024

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

nerd!armin carries his books around everywhere and i mean EVERYWHERE, you can never catch him not reading something, even when he’s out for coffee, he’s either reading, studying or taking notes on something

i feel that he prefers subjects that can spark moral or philosophical questions, not that he dislikes sciences or anything, but he finds subjects like latin and history more thought-inspiring (is that a word?) like you can read this very old piece of literature and talk about it, analyse for hours, compare it to how things are today on so many levels, these classes are giving him braingasms or something

nerd!armin keeps his glasses in his front shirt pocket. he used to hang them on the hook of his jeans or in his back pockets, but he kept either crashing or loosing them

he also pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose only using one finger

nerd!armin is the kind of guy to touch his forehead with his fingers and rub the area when he’s really concentrating or when he’s trying super hard to understand something

nerd!armin has the softest hands, i know he does! his hands are clean and tender, though his fingertips might display some paper cuts. when he pulls all nigthers in order to study, you'll simply know it because there's blue ink all over the side of his palm

he’s also the type of person to always have headphones on so his studying isn’t interrupted

whenever you come across nerd!armin he’s surrounded by various pieces of paper, how he manages to keep them all in organised stacks is truly a mystery

listen to me, nerd!armin is colour coding his notes, i know it in my bones

nerd!armin notices you but pays little attention, he just knows you’re a regular at the library and/or the study hall, but knows next to nothing about you

you approach him once and ask for his help, as you shared a couple of classes. in fact, this was only an excuse to talk to him, you really needed no help with the material. he took his headphones off, listened to you very carefully, asked a couple of clarifying questions, then brought out a fresh sheet of paper and started writing down a few keywords, as he explained to you what you already knew

“whoa thanks armin! that was so enlightening! fancy pairing up for the next assignment?” but your question was never heard, as armin had simply said “you’re welcome” and then popped his headphones right back on, the cue to leaving him alone

nerd!armin is definitely not mean or rude, but he enjoys his silence and has trouble working when interrupted, you know?

when you meet nerd!armin again after a few days, he waves hello and gives you an awkward smile before sitting right opposite to you on the library table. “mind if i sit with you?” he asked, to which you quickly responded with “not at all”, gave him an equally awkward smile and you both buried your heads in your books and notebooks

nerd!armin is so taken aback when, a few hours into your studying, you extend your hand towards him to give him a small chocolate. without removing his headphones, he pointed to his chest “for me?” and once you nodded, he ate it in a quick motion, because eating wasn’t allowed in the library

the next day, nerd!armin sits opposite of you in the library again and gives you a piece of chocolate as well. “it’s not like the one you gave me yesterday, but i hope you like it”

nerd!armin soon went as far as to exchange phone numbers with you, now you text a few times each day, mostly about the exact time you’d be at the library, how you did on this or that exam and whether you’d read that book he’d recommended

i think nerd!armin might ACTUALLY fall in love with you because you introduced him to asana and/or notion, these apps were second nature to you but armin mostly used his notes app or google sheets and the apps you showed him changed his life

a couple weeks later, nerd!armin texted you to “come over on saturday, let’s finish the politics assignment together?”

“sure but don’t try anything funny on me”

“now you know the objective of the mission “study date” WHO RU WORKING FOR???”

nerd!armin is probably more than meets eye

[spadesolace]

solace

pairings: idol! haerin x model! reader

warning/s: a few hints of hate comments, overworking, you might feel single bc i did while writing it, and just fluff... plus reader secretly watching haerin's fancams.

requested: yes, and i was planning on writing a haerin fic the other day, this anon knows my brain and idk how.

Haerin was tired.

Everything would have been fine if they were given a break but the amount of performances they had to do was too much for her. She loved performing, it was her passion. She knew the consequences of being an idol, the amount of cameras on her, the prying eyes, little to no personal space (sometimes), and the negative comments. she couldn’t wait for promotions to end and get her well deserved rest. During one of their lives, it was part of promotions to be active online and connect with fans, she knew that trolls would come once in a while and she didn’t mind it until it was hitting her insecurities. Haerin was tired and being attacked online, the girls took notice and wanted to help but she brushed it off. she needed you.

Haerin hasn’t seen you for a while, could she blame you? You had quite the schedule as a model, sometimes flying around the country and you were finishing your classes online. Luckily, she had a copy of your schedule, she knew you had the entire month to finish your classes as exams were coming. You were home and Haerin can’t wait to see you, hold you, and stay by your side. She wanted to be alone with you.

Once promotions for omg ended, Haerin could already feel her energy draining faster. She was expected to be at the dorms but she needed you, she wanted the comfort you brought. What did she do? She talked to her managers, asking to be dropped off at your place instead, they were open with your relationship. You were a good influence to Haerin and the girls, and they could see it whenever you would visit the dorms. Whenever the girls were tired and you were in town, only one call from you without any hesitation you’d take care of them. Haerin wanted to be selfish this time, just the two of you alone, no distractions, no Minji asking Haerin to leave the door open, no Hanni and Danielle asking you about your trip to Australia, and no Hyein asking for your hugs.

It was an easy yes from the managers, if anyone deserved a break it was all of the girls and they had a month. While everyone piled into the van, tired but happy, Haerin was tired and excited to see you. You were her home, and as sappy as it is, it was the truth. A simple gesture from you could make haerin happy, from holding her hand under the blanket as you watched movies at her dorm, cooking her favorite meals because you hate seeing her hungry and skipping meals, running to the dorms if her period came and she needed a pick me up, to always checking up on her everyday.

When the van had parked inside your apartment, the girls waved her goodbye as Haerin went down getting ready to see you.

“Tell y/n we said hi and make sure to bring her tomorrow in the dorms.” Haerin nodded at Hanni before closing the door only for Hyein to complain why they couldn’t stay at your place for the night.

Haerin ran to your place, luckily there weren’t many people using the elevator when she got in. punching your apartment’s door lock, which was your anniversary. She could faintly hear the music coming from the living room. You were letting the show play as your background, but Haerin took notice that you were now watching once the familiar tune of their new song played. As soon as Haerin could perfectly see you, smiling as you watched the recording of her dancing, she could feel her heart swell. It was her first time seeing you watch her perform and she never knew how much you enjoyed it.

To you, Haerin was your comfort. You may not see her on a daily basis physically, but you’ll take any chance you could get to call her or see a video of her. She was the medicine to keep you sane throughout the day; a fancam of hers? You'll watch it and notice the littlest of things she’d do. Would you admit that you watch her videos whenever you miss her and she can’t answer the phone? No, but there was no point hiding it now that Haerin was literally behind you as you cheered her on.

You feel a soft pair of arms around your neck, the familiar scent of grapefruit finally hits you. Haerin.

“Hello, sweetie.” Haerin only hummed as she finally rested on your back, her fatigue was nowhere to be found but her mind wasn't quiet. Her entire body might show her relaxing but her thoughts were buzzing.

“Tired?” She nodded, you held her hands in place, giving it a small peck when she wasn’t moving from her spot.

“Sit down, I'll prepare you a bath and we can order whatever you want for dinner.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Cuddles.”

You could only smile as you let go of Haerin so she could walk around the couch to sit next to you getting her well deserved cuddles. In your embrace, where Haerin could let everything go, she finally let her thoughts out, from how tired she was from practice to promoting for three weeks, getting hate online, and not seeing you. Pulling her closer to you, slowly laying down on the couch so you wouldn’t disturb her cuddle time, sometimes you think she’s more of a koala rather than a cat.

“Haerin-ah, don’t forget to rest even if schedules get hectic and those trolls better be ready when I find out who they are.”  Haerin laughed at your joke, a sign that she isn’t that much bothered by it anymore.

“I know the advice ‘don’t listen to them’ is easy to hear but a bit hard to do… You’re perfect and the fans know it, I know it, heck how did I even get such a perfect girlfriend?”

“Shut up… and thank you.”

You kissed her forehead, letting her rest on top of you. A few minutes later, you heard light snores coming from Haerin, she was indeed tired and holding you helped her calm down from the hectic schedules she had.

You were home for Haerin, and she was yours.

[renthony]

Hi! Could you talk about what it’s like being an independent media researcher and how you became one? Did you go to school for communications or media studies? How do you make money?

I’m about to graduate college and I really want to go into the media studies field but I haven’t really figured out what the best way for me to do that is. I have a lot of similar research interests as you (animation, censorship, media analysis, queer media) and I’m disabled so I’ve been worried about not having the energy for a traditional 9 to 5 sort of job, so I’d love to hear more about how you’re able to do the research you’re passionate about!

Honestly, I got here by accident, and I'm still figuring things out as I go. I don't make much money and right now I feel like my work is in a period of transition. I have plans, but some days it feels like I'm barely making baby steps.

I started writing when I was pretty young, and I read every single "how to write" guide I could get my hands on via the library or bookstore. I wrote constantly. Short stories, various false starts at baby's first novel, even newsletters for school activities and community clubs. I was most focused on fiction at first, but I learned a lot about nonfiction as well.

I got involved in online writing communities back when forums were still a big deal, and I joined Twitter back in 2009 when it was still new and there was a massive author and freelancer community. (Anyone else remember before retweets were a thing? We had to copy, paste, and manually type out "RT @[user]" like barbarians.) I learned an absolute fuckton about the craft and the industry by talking directly with other writers, literary agents, editors, and various other people in the field. From the time I was like 14, I was interacting with professional writers, sharing my work for feedback, and racking up rejection letters from magazines and literary agents (which was a badge of honor in the communities I was hanging out in, because it meant you were working hard and refusing to quit). When I was 17, my best friend even scraped together money from their shitty fast food job to pay for us to attend a major writing conference in Denver, where we participated in all kinds of classes and panels with industry professionals.

My mother was also writing at the time, and I got a lot of support from her. She had a blog that got a decent amount of interaction, because this was right around the rise of the Mommy Blogger and my mom wrote from the perspective of a socially-isolated tattooed punk mom who never planned to have kids (which was unusual in a landscape of perfect housewives with perfect photogenic babies with weirdly-spelled Mormon names they chose when they were kids). Eventually my mom started writing for a website owned by Yahoo, to supplement the household income while staying home to care for my little siblings. When I decided I wanted to take a whack at freelancing, she gave me a lot of advice on how to get started. I also had a writing class at school taught by a teacher who made it a class project to submit to magazines, so I basically got a head-start on freelance life. I wrote a lot of random articles for a website that's since gone defunct, and I submitted a lot of short stories to contests and magazines. Didn't really make a lot of money, but I learned a ton and got a lot of experience.

When I made it to college, I studied anthropology and French. I'd planned to study history, but switched my track after a single semester because anthropology suited me better. I took a lot of AP classes in high school and did well on all the standardized testing, so I managed to get a full academic scholarship and skip right past a few of my gen eds. Unfortunately for me, I had a lot of difficult life experiences during that time period, and I started to struggle in pretty much everything that wasn't directly related to my degree. I failed Latin so bad I didn't bother to go to the final exam, because even a perfect grade wouldn't have saved me. I fucked up my algebra grade beyond salvation. Those two classes alone tanked my GPA enough that I lost my academic scholarship, and I wound up dropping out entirely. Grades in my required courses were solid, but the scholarship requirements meant I had to do well across the board or lose my funding.

My mother still has debt from getting loans to pursue a master's degree, and I knew damn well I didn't want that kind of student debt piling up on me, so I opted for dropping out. Sometimes I regret it a little, but I honestly think it was the best option. I was having so much emotional upheaval on top of the academic stress that I needed time away to figure myself out. I graduated high school early, so I was like two years younger than everyone around me, and I didn't have many friends. I lived at home and came to campus just long enough to go to class, so I had nothing in common with my classmates who lived in dorms and participated in campus activities. I missed orientation because I registered late, the administration sent me to the transfer student registration day instead of the new student registration day, and I didn't get any "here's how you navigate university life" support. I didn't know I was supposed to have a one-on-one academic advisor for a year and a half, and when I finally met him, his only comment on the matter was, "wow, I wondered why you hadn't come to see me yet!" without any sort of inquiry into how a fuckup on that scale was allowed to happen in the first place. I wasn't set up for success by university administration, and I burnt out hard. I dropped out.

My wife encouraged me to do what was going to be best for me mentally instead of letting finances dictate my next step. She had a steady job, and even though we were still pretty broke, her support let me drop out of college and focus on recovery. A lot of people gave me shit because their perception was that I was dropping out of college to become "just a housewife," and they couldn't fathom why. From my perspective, I'd been given a lifeline.

I took care of our shitty little one-bedroom apartment. I read a lot of books and played a lot of Minecraft. When I felt up to it, I did some more freelancing. My wife was working unholy hours in a factory and we didn't get to spend much time together. I started doing tarot reading as a side hustle, and we started making vague plans to move somewhere better for us, but saving up was hard.

Things felt stagnant for a long time. I didn't write very much, I wasn't really doing anything related to my studies. I wrote when I had energy, and I kept scraping together extra cash doing tarot readings while my wife started working a new job in a lumber yard. Her support is the only reason I was able to recover and figure myself out, so big shout-out to my beloved working woman wifey. God, I love her.

Eventually we packed up and moved to a different state so we could be closer to my family. I got a job baking for a coffee shop. I wrote whenever I could. When I got laid off from the coffee shop, I realized there was no way in hell I could keep working a regular job without sacrificing my health, so I went back to writing full-time. (The Queen of Cups was written during this period.)

At some point I started getting back into anthropology and history research, just for fun. I didn't have money to finish my degree, but I had enough academic experience to know how to track down and evaluate good sources. I wasn't really trying to do anything for career purposes, I was just incredibly bored and wanted to study something again, so I got really, really into studying local history. Once I read everything I could about that, I jumped to another topic I was interested in, and then another. Media studies became my biggest focus as a natural outgrowth of my interests in speculative fiction, animation, and the history of the entertainment industry. I studied anthropology in school because I loved learning how and why humans do the things we do, and media studies always felt like an obvious facet of that. It's part of why I was always obsessed with cave paintings and paleolithic sculptures--people make art! It's what we do! It's what we've always done!

Anyway, I now live in a university town that has resources available to the public, and I have friends who work in various university libraries or as professors. I started making use of whatever I could get access to. I read a lot of nonfiction books from independent researchers pursuing their own passion projects, I got really into video essays on YouTube, and I had the epiphany that you don't actually have to finish college to study and write about things as long as you put in the quality research and source all your information. At some point I started calling it my "DIY academia," which my university-employed friends found utterly delightful.

Honestly, I credit my formal-academia friends with a lot. They've all been an incredible source of support and reassurance, and have helped me track down quite a few sources I was having trouble getting my hands on. Everyone do yourself a favor and make friends with someone who works in a university library.

I started a Patreon several years ago (in like 2017 I think?), primarily for my fiction writing, but there's plenty of other things that have shown up there over the years (art, cosplay, essays, etc.). As I started getting more into my DIY academia, folks started expressing interest in seeing me write about it. My tumblr posts about media generated a decent amount of attention, I'd managed to build up a platform, and it wasn't hard to say, "okay, screw it: I have freelance experience and I know how to write a paper, does anyone want to pay me for it?"

I haven't been submitting to existing publications like I used to, mostly because I don't have a decent portfolio assembled. My old freelance work in high school and college was for a platform that closed down a decade ago, and no matter how popular they get I can't bring myself to include tumblr posts alongside professional credits. My current plan is to build a portfolio on my website showing off the commissions I've been taking, and then start submitting to magazines and newspapers again between my other work. I'd love to eventually write for something like Polygon or IGN.

It's hard. I love research, I love writing, and I love sharing information with people, but having to DIY everything is really, really hard. I often feel like I'm just throwing nonsense into the void in the hope someone will like it and leave a tip in my Ko-Fi. I don't have formal academic credentials beyond "I was planning my senior thesis about the ethics of investigating ancient burial sites, but then I dropped out." I just have a neurodivergent brain, a handful of special interests, a wife who works the graveyard shift in a lab to pay our bills, and the ability to hyperfixate on research for absurd lengths of time.

The most common advice I used to get about freelancing is that you just have to keep throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. It's been years since then, but I think the advice still applies. Read a lot, learn a lot, and write about the things you're most interested in. Search around and look for magazines and newspapers and websites that accept unsolicited freelance submissions. Read the other articles they publish to see how your work stacks up. Submit, submit, submit. Rake in rejection letters and keep them as a reminder of how hard you're working. If you're up for it, start a Patreon to post the things you don't submit elsewhere. The worst thing that can happen is that people don't give you money, but maintaining it still helps you lay the groundwork for a portfolio and a reader base.

I deal with a lot of hellacious impostor syndrome. I worry a lot that I'm just a hack who doesn't actually know what they're talking about. Like I said, I got here totally by accident, but whatever I'm doing seems to be working for me. I'm broke, but my work is being read, and opportunities for more work show up when I least expect them. I'm not sure what's next for me, but I'm excited to figure it out. Money's tight, but I keep enduring despite the chaos. I throw things at the wall, I see what sticks, I clean up whatever flops and then try it again later. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It's hard, but so is everything else. I like it better than a lot of other things I could be doing.

[fallout4-reacts]

can you do companions react to a jokingly flirty sole who immediately gets flustered and starts panicking once they flirt back?

This one requires me to think outside the box because not all companions are going to return flirts in reality

But I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how they manage it

I've been searching online for a few concepts because I don't have many pick-up lines. As long as I do silly things, I might as well get it straight

Cait : "Sure, I feel well covered with a fighter as amazing as you to have my back, but sometimes I'd like you to take my forwards."

"I can beat anything you throw at me, but nothing beats like my heart when you're around."

Sole drops down their firearm and sinks their feet into it. Cait can't stop laughing as she helps her friend in getting up. And she has helped them in recovering their guns. And she has helped them in regaining their mental abilities.

"Eh, stop torturing yourself; if you turn a deeper red, you'll be mistaken for a tato. You have to be able to accept victory when you start a fight."

With one last lovely smile, she leaves to allows them to recompose.

Codsworth (not romanced) : Sorry! I can easily fall for the synth detective, but I couldn't fathom falling for Codsworth... Perhaps the round balled body? I get that his voice and manner of speech can be something (it is Stephen Russell, after all), but I can't. And then remark something like, "Yes, but put him in a synth body." Sorry, but it's all too far out of canon because it's been said numerous times that putting a robot's intelligence in a synth is nearly impossible, too much lack. There are fantastic authors who write romanced Codsworth fanfiction; I even stroll through an NFSW, but with a grind and... No way, I'm not going to do it. Anyway, I believe that if Sole tells Codsworth a pick-up line, it will burn his circuit.

Curie : "If kissing spreads germs, why not start an epidemic?"

Curie looks up from her computer to Sole, who is distractedly inspecting the labelled bottles on the clinic shelf.

"I'm afraid I'd rather keep our germs between us. I understand the advantages of an open relationship, but if I could obtain your undivided attention that way, I'd prefer to have it exclusively."

The antibiotic bottle Sole was holding falls to the ground as they tuck their heads into their shoulders, taking on a fascinating crimson tint. Curie is enthralled by what's happening and gets up from her seat to go closer.

"Don't tell me you're embarrassed, Sole. That's adorable. You know I could bite you!"

In a playful gesture, she lifts one hand to her friend's face and gives them a gentle pinch on the cheek.

"These colors look great on you, giving you a healthy hue."

At the height of panic, Sole finds themselves unable to say anything and tries, in vain, to hide their head a little more in their shoulders. Curie rises to her feet and kisses them on the cheek.

"If you're interested, I'd be happy to take a closer look at your germs. But tonight. Right now, I have real sick people I need to take care of."

Her partner seizes the chance to flee the exam room, mumbling a few words on the way out that Curie misunderstands so badly that they stutter, but that essentially like a: "See you later."

Danse : "You're cuter than a puppy, and I want to take you home!"

"Oh! You know that without you, every function will be devoid of love."

To say that Sole did not expect such an answer would be an understatement of the most extreme sort. They appear to be preoccupied by a dust that appears to have sunk into the butt of their weapon as the red grabs their cheeks, forehead, and neck, and Danse is taken aback by their reaction.

"It's strange that as long as you're in a joke line, you can accept your flirtation, but now that I've answered it, you don't seem to know what to do with yourself."

The remark just makes matters worse, and it is at this point when panic grips Danse. He turns almost as crimson as Sole and realizes that his armor will undoubtedly require some attention.

Deacon : "Do you believe in love at first sight or do I pass by you again?"

"Do you really believe I've been looking away from you since the day you left your vault?"

Sole starts strutting and playing with the screwdriver in their hand, their eyes lowering to the ground and never rising again. Deacon smiles as the subtle red grabs their cheeks.

"What is that? Don't say you're surprised. A smooth talker like you never thought they'd can be talk back?"

"It isn't... It's... uh... it's... a... well..."

Deacon laughs and softly strokes Sole's cheek, who continues to blush violently.

"Wow, if you ever get tired of Death Bunnie, I have another Bunnie concept that I think you'll enjoy."

Dogmeat : No. (heard the voice of Valentine saying this No, like a categoric No.)

Elder Maxson : "If my heart were to fly, your soul would be my airport."

"However, I have a real airport; do you want to land?"

To say that Sole was surprised is a minimalism. The report they were holding falls to the ground, and the paper sheets scatter to the four corners of the room, but they do nothing to gather them up. They're frozen in place, crimson like one of those antique flags Maxson saw on one of his trips. He chews his lower lip to keep from laughing. He found out that it was not in Sole's nature to say something so... bold. Is this knight the victim of a pay loss?

"You don't say anything anymore?"

Maxson find that the gorgeous tint that has developed over their cheeks makes them look even more attractive.

"I…"

It's as though they awoke suddenly, realising what they had done. They rush to their knees, gathering up the papers meticulously. Maxson leans over to pick one up and offers it to Sole, his gaze fixed on them. Sole blushes even more and attempts to speak, but all that comes out is a long string of nonsensical stutters.

"If you keep this up, Knight, you won't be leaving my office anytime soon."

This time it was too much for Sole, who has tears in their eyes. Maxson isn't having any fun at the time and moves closer to them, extending out a hand to lift their chin up.

"I would like you to answer this question honestly: do you have feelings for me?"

They broke forth, peering into the Elder's eyes: "Yes!" Then they appear to retract inside a shell that weakens in the face of their superior. A gentle smile spreads across the man's lips.

"Don't be ashamed. Coming out like you just did takes a lot of guts. I know for a fact that my position is intimidating. But I'm pleased that you dared to do it, however awkwardly. Maybe we could talk about it more tonight, in my chambers, over a pleasant drink?"

Sole, for their part, couldn't help but smile, almost relieved. They promptly nodded and rushed to leave the deck.

Hancock : "Every time I see you, I get so tired... Why? Because I can't find my way out when I gaze into your eyes."

"It could be because I don't build walls around my heart to keep it open for you, sis/bro."

Fortunately, Sole is securely seated at the bottom of Hancock's couch, otherwise the mayor of Goodneighbor is certain that they would have slipped through the cracks in the floor the way he decomposes. He can't stop laughing.

"Too much Jet combined with too much whisky can make things say, huh?"

Sole nods rapidly, lips pinched, and cheeks on fire. The ghoul finds the appearance strongly attractive, so he rises from his own couch and comes to sit next his partner.

"But tell me, was there any truth in all of this?"

Sole nods their head in agreement again, and then they quickly drop her in shame.

"Eh, a ghoul might be flattered to have caught the interest of someone like you. There is no shame here. It's all been shared!"

He holds his friend's hands in his own and encourages them to look him in the eyes.

"I will gladly guide you in finding your way if that path leads you to my side."

Sole finally appears to recompose, and a smile cracks their lips.

Gage : "You have repainted my life in colors I had never seen before!"

"Stop using drugs, and you'll realise I love you even more than before."

Sole comes to a halt in the middle of the track, panicked, then fiddles with the button of their pip-boy as if they didn't hear anything. But Porter is no fool; he knows exactly what his boss heard. The scarlet that has gripped their cheeks is, in any case, a screaming witness. He approaches them by smiling like a predator.

"So you're feeling funny this morning?"

"I can't deny that your presence in my life has made it more vibrant."

"Quit choice of words. Am I now a part of your life?"

"Well, you...are my lieutenant, and... hm... we get along pretty well..."

Nose glued to the screen, Sole still won't look up. In fact, they appear to sink their heads deeper into their shoulders, acting as if the information in front of them is too vital to ignore, but Porter believes they don't read anything at all and simply try to escape his stare. He softly grabs their chin in his palms and lifts their face to meet his.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me, boss?"

The raider never expected to feel so irreverent, a voice within him yells out that he has broken the rules, and he could blush and stutter about it. But it is stronger than him: Sole's embarrassment triggers his most primal impulses.

MacCready : "If I followed you home, would you keep me?"

"It's going to be a wild ride, but I'll be glad to have you along. We can even ride in a different drive."

MacCready winks at Sole, but for the first time, the latter appears embarrassed. All of this is amusing: the crimson covers their entire face, they try to stutter something, and in front of their failure, they droop their heads in shame, finding the button on their sleeve more interesting than the desert around them. MacCready's heart is filled with adoration. He comes to a halt and returns to his partner.

"What exactly are these manners? Hello, I'm Mac! Not the republic's president."

It doesn't appear to bring any comfort to the other, who still refuses to look him in the eyes.

"Were you kidding or were you serious? Because I’m not kidding at all. Not on that. I've stopped telling myself stories since then, you know. But I didn't dare to say too much since I know you're in mourning, and here I am, still in mourning for Lucy, but here. If you believe we could, you know, see if we can work together to move on."

Sole raises their eyes to meet his, trying to hide their shame at being caught at their game.

"I'd like to."

"That's all there is to it! Even more adorable. How can a man resist to such a face?"

He smiles sweetly and bends slightly, but he doesn't come all the way, leaving Sole with the option of digging deeper or retracting. Sole grows closer him by closing their eyes after what appears to be an excessive amount of heartbeat. The kiss is almost chaste, but Mac finds it even more delicious. He can't wait to get this journey over with.

Nick Valentine : "Do you consist of beryllium, gold, and titanium? You must be because you are BeAuTi-ful."

Nick is in fits of laughter. He'd never heard this one before, which isn't saying much. He knew Sole had a nerd side, but it's beyond imagination at this point. However, it is also quite touching. He smiles as he moves his chair towards his partner.

"The gold is you, because you are so precious to me."

Sole abruptly returns to their office without saying anything. Nick notices from behind that their ears have turned red, which amuses him even more. He stands up and turns his companion's chair towards him, noticing that their entire face has turned a crimson color.

"Flirty, but that's all there is to it?"

Sole raises an uneasy gaze at their companion, attempting to stutter an explanation, but the words remain lodged in their throat, turning them redder. Nick's lips grin slightly, and he kneels in front of the other to look them in the eyes.

"I feel flattered that this old cane can inspire such a statement, but now I understand that it was just a joke, isn't it?" he asks gently and reassuringly. To his amazement, Sole closes their eyes and shakes their head vigorously, appearing to have reached a new degree of crimson.

"You're not going to tell me you have strong feelings for me, are you?"

This time, Sole appears absolutely desperate, but after a good inspiration, they decide to declare: "I love you."

"Oh."

In his chest, the detective feels his metal core melt. He doesn't want to prolong the agony any longer, so he gently takes Sole's chin in his good hand.

"So do I."

Piper : "I'm no photographer, but I think I can picture us together." Sole says in a lighthearted tone, picking up an old camera off the Boston Buggle's floor.

"I can see us together so much that it's a vivid picture in my head at night when I fall asleep," the reporter replied.

Sole comes to a complete stop, unwilling to look Piper in the eyes. They become a bright red and even miss escaping the device, which bounces once or twice out of their hands before they can tighten their grip.

"Eh uh, ah... uh... you... you've seen? It's in pretty fantastic condition."

"Come on, Blue, don't tell me you didn't think I'd be interested after all this teasing and remarks?"

"A-a-are you interested? Will you b-b-by me?"

Piper approaches Sole, who steps back almost instinctively until they feel the room's wall in their back.

"No, by the reporter sitting there," Piper quips as she points to a skeleton. "Of course, you. Who wouldn't be drawn to you?"

"M-m-maybe it'd be better... it'd be better just..."

As Piper approaches Sole, she notices how panic grips them. It's almost amusing how they gaze around wildly, as if seeking for a loophole.

"You're not interested in me?" Piper mocks them with a pitiful false pout.

It's her partner's death. They appear to be in extreme agony this time, ultimately looking up at her and appearing to want to die.

"Of course, I'm drawn by you! I simply did not think... I couldn't think of a woman like you..."

"Then you should stop thinking."

Piper presses her palms against the wall on either side of Sole's head, getting even closer, up to a few centimeters from their lips. She would never kiss them without their consent, but Sole understands her intentions now, and the ball is in their court.

Preston : "Your name must be Nuka-Cola, because you're so-da-licious."

"My name is Preston; you know it, but you might not know that I can lose it when I see you."

Preston was having a great time until he realised how uncomfortable Sole is now. They're as red as a tato, attempting to stammer something but failing, and they don't seem to know where to go.

"Hey, easy! No man died. That was sweet of you, but if you think we're going too far, please accept my apologies."

Sole shakes their head and closes their eyes.

"No! I love you!"

The Minuteman shakes his head, noticing that his General is more uneasy than ever. There was no doubt that if anything might disrupt the scene, Sole would leap to his feet. Instead, they appear to be at the pinnacle of torment, wondering how they dared to speak.

"It's not a part of you that you've conditioned me to see, be embarrassed. I… but I’m flattered. As much as I've been slightly unhelpful, I have deep feelings for you, General, and if that's what you're feeling, I'd be the happiest man on earth to be able to move forward with this."

Sole bow their heads once more, still afraid to look the Minutemen in the eyes, but Preston does not want to stop there; now that the area has been taken, he intends to plant his flag over. As a result, he approaches cautiously, trying not to intrude on Sole's space while making his intentions plain. When Sole finally glances up at their Colonel, all they see is a man who is as head over heels in love as they are. Then they go closer, and they exchange a lovely kiss that could go down in history as one of the most beautiful of their century.

Strong (not romanced) : Did he basically have the ability to reply? I picture something along the lines of: "Puny human too drunk. Shame. Puny human must sleep, then seek milk of human kindness with Strong." Sorry, but it's out of reach for my limited imagination.

X6-88 : "We must be subatomic particles because I feel a strong force between us."

"The truth is, and I'm delighted with your statement. I find you appealing as well."

Sole's eyes widened to the point where X6 couldn't deny it was... amusing. He has travelled with Sole since a long time, and it's been months since the Institute was defeated, and he's learnt a whole new way to live, even if he stays X6 somehow. But if he has gained any assurance, it is that he has the right to live and live entirely, and he will not pass up an opportunity to continue forward with the person he admires the most in the world if they open a door. Is that, however, what Sole meant? As the thinking proceeds and he notices that Sole is turning red and uncomfortable, he begins to doubt himself.

"Have I gone too far in our relationship with this statement? I thought you were making advances, but I could have misconstrued your intentions."

"It's not... it's... I... you know hm..."

"No, I don’t know. Maybe I should go see Nick for a second view, because you don't appear to be any more certain than I am about what just happened."

"No!" Sole is well aware that when they are unable to provide sufficient information to X6, the Courser has developed the habit of consulting Nick. The last thing they needs is a snarky detective interfering. For months, they would be teased.

"No. The reality is, I must accept that... well, you are..."

Again, Sole appears to be at a loss for what to say or do with their ten fingers, which no longer amuses X6. He's looking for answers, and he wants them now. What has Deacon already stated about a case like this? When in doubt, proceed?

"Ma'am/Sir, may I?"

The Courser delicately strokes his boss's jaw lines with his palms, so lightly that it's difficult to tell if Sole feels it, but they do. They feel their heartbeat faster than ever in their chest, and they feel a surge of desire in them. They slowly close their eyes as they enjoy X6's kiss.

[beansterpie]

ES21 japanese volumes - part 1/??

part 2 >>

Sooooo I recently got my hands on the complete Eyeshield 21 manga series in Japanese and as someone who's only ever read the story through fan-translations on dodgy websites online, I wanted to go through and "live" blog about it, so to speak. I thought it would be interesting to see the changes between the languages and where the fan-translations likely fail with mistranslations. (No shade btw, I think fan-translations are great both as a hobby and the fact that they're doing their work for free, but it's also a reality that the vast majority of fan-translators are amateurs, many of whom don't fluently speak the language they're translating, so there's bound to be mistakes!) Also, I wanna know what they're originally saying because I’m nosey <3

I know the official English translation by VIS is allegedly pretty decent, bar the toning down of some things (like Hiruma's language lol) so if you've had the chance to read the official version, feel free to chime in on differences with the fan-translation that I'll be referencing, or potential differences between the Japanese version too!

And finally, while I am half Japanese and grew up there, tragically my language skills are imperfect. I speak it, but my vocabulary isn't very robust, so I do look up the definitions for a lot of words and kanji, as well as more nuanced connotations or references that may go over my head. Bilingual problems <3 But again, it's good practice for me and I think it'll be kind of fun!

Right off the bat, this page. What it’s saying is essentially, “You better come out and play (in the) American Football match!” But because Japanese syntax is different from English, it’s structured like “American Football Match you better play!!” The translator was confused by the final line, because in Japanese a way to say ‘participating in a match’ is by using 出る which means to ‘go out’— sort of like ‘go out (into) the match’. Maybe a better option would have been ‘get the fuck out and play!!” or just “you better fucking play!!”. It still keeps the overall sentence structure which sounds awkward in English, but at least it gets the meaning across.

(I’m not gonna get into every little mistranslation btw, because that would take forever, but I felt that was a good way to explain how frequently there are little mistakes like this.)

Putting the rest under a cut because I imagine this will get long

Look at our boy <3 So as you know, we start our story with Sena Kobayakawa timidly seeing if he passed his high school entrance exam into Deimon High School, with his childhood friend/older sister figure, Mamori Anezaki lending moral support.

In the third panel, what Sena says is actually “I feel like I’ve been praised for the first time in 10 years—” (maybe they changed it because that was too pathetic 😭) Then in the fourth panel, what Mamori says is more along the lines of “And to think you were a total mess in math and English… It’s all thanks to Mamori-sensei!”

Also I want to point out that Mamori is a little cheekier in the first few chapters. Like obviously still kind and nurturing in personality (her name is literally ‘to protect’), but she teases Sena and feels more like an older sister than like, an overprotective mom lol. Miss that for her 😔

Then along comes our kind senpai to accost our clueless protag...

There’s no mistranslation, but I just wanted to mention that the way Hiruma talks in Japanese is so funny? Like in panel 1, he’s speaking with a dramatic affect, he sounds like some sort of npc in a jrpg giving the protag a quest. And then in panel 2, his ‘of course!’ is this shortened, slang version of the word that sounds almost cute and very modern after the previous line. Hiruma uses a lot of slang in general, though I can’t say if any of it is like, common or used by teenagers (of the time, anyway) or if it’s just Hiruma-isms.

(Look at Kurita doing the sign of the cross in panel 3 😂)

I can’t believe Hiruma managed to physically emulate the experience of contracting some shady internet virus…..

Something that’s done with Hiruma’s dialogue a lot (it’s done w/ other characters too, but most often with Hiruma) is where there’ll be a word/term in kanji that means one thing and pronounced in a certain way, but then the furigana (so the phonetic pronounciation, basically) next to it says something different. Now, in some stories (like Berserk for my pals out there), this is used to create poignant, layered meanings in the text. In ES21 however, it’s mostly used for sports manga flavor. For example, in the above page in Hiruma’s spam fax message, he uses the word 作戦, which means tactics or strategy, and is pronounced: “sa - ku - se - nn” さ-く-せ-ん. But the furigana next to that word reads タクティクス which is quite literally just the English word ‘tactics’ spelled phonetically in Japanese lol (aka a loanword).

He does this A LOT, most frequently with sports terminology, where the kanji are pretty dense, technical terms, and the furigana a loanword version of the same meaning. (though now that I think about it, it might also be because while パワー (power) and スピード (speed) are frequently used and well known loanwords to the average Japanese person, タクティクス (tactics) might be more obscure, so the kanji is there to like, clarify the meaning? 🤔)

Also I love all the early 2000’s tech we see in the early chapters— flip phones and fax machines galore! Even within the later segments of the series, the flip phones start to magically get more advanced, but in my heart ES21 takes place in like, 2003. If they ever do a remake of the anime (which is unlikely to say the least) I’d want them to maintain the early 00’s vibes. It just wouldn’t be the same if everyone had smart phones.

Skipping ahead a few pages, I remember this bit never really made sense, but I got enough of the general gist that I kind of shrugged and moved along. But!! the translation is just making stuff up here?

So for context: it’s Sena’s first day at Deimon, and Mamori (who’s a grade above him) advises him to make proper friends this year, since he has a history of only ‘hanging out’ with shitty bullies who used him as an errand boy.

In the English translation, Sena seems to get a text from a mystery number, telling him to pay up for a bet we never saw happening. He goes to meet up with the texter, who we assume at this point is a previous aquaintence, since he had Sena's number? Maybe one of those bullies that Sena hung out with from middle school? They make Sena go and get them an unspecified thing, but because Sena ran there and back so quickly, they don't believe that Sena actually went, and is lying when he says they were sold out. They drag Sena to a small shed to beat him up, and in the last panel of the third page, Sena says that he's been their errand boy since kindergarden?

So for a number of years I was under the impression that the Ha-ha brothers knew Sena from before the series, even though that never seemed to come up in the rest of the story.

But in the original version, Sena is actually getting a text from Mamori-- which makes sense because it was established earlier that his cell phone is brand new and he only has Mamori's number in his contacts. Mamori's text says: "If someone tries to make you run their errands, tell them 'let's decide by rock-paper-scissors!'" Sena is understandably kind of embarrassed by this, and mutters to himself that he's not a kid anymore.

Then it cuts to Sena being picked on to be an errand boy lmao. Presumably this is because Sena just looks like an easy target to bullies, not because of any previous aquaintence rip. The blond bully tells Sena to go buy them bread (which might sound weird, but Japan has a lot of tasty snack breads that they sell everywhere). In panels 2+3 of the second page, Sena timidly tries to bring up the rock-paper-scissors thing, but is intimidated into giving up and just doing what he's told.

Again, they don't believe that Sena actually went all the way to the school store and back with how quick he was, so they decide to beat him up in the shed. As he's being dragged, Sena says, "It really was sold out! I've gotten used to being an errand boy since kindergarden, so I've just gotten fast--!"

So yeah, if there were any other people who've only read fan-translations and were confused by this bit, there you go.

oh you just know it smelled like ass in here.....

(I never noticed the shotgun propped against the desk on the right before lol, idk why I'm surprised, but Hiruma really just left his Actual Guns lying around huh?)

(2nd pic - Kurita: "New club applicants!!?")

There he is!! Our boy Kurita!! I do miss when he occassionally had like, more human features lol. As much as I love his big ol' smiley face, it does rub me the wrong way when the fat characters (because Komusubi falls into this too) are the only ones with anpanman faces.

(anpanman, for the uninitiated)

(Kurita: "To literally clash with the opponent in order to pursue a goal together with everyone-- that moment is exhilerating!")

Aw look at Sena feeling inspired! Honestly I really love how Kurita is Sena's first friend he makes in the series, and that vibe in the early chapters where it's just Sena, Kurita and Hiruma is so much fun <3

(P1: Kurita: "Way to go Sena!" Imaginary Coach: "It's thanks to you that we could participate in the Christmas Bowl!" Mamori: "You're so cool Sena!"

P2: Mamori: "You have to make the first move!" Sena: "U-um!"

P3: Sena: "Can I... be the team shumu*?" Kurita: "WHAAATT!? O-OF-OF COURSE!")

*Ok soooo I don't fully understand what a shumu is lol, or how you'd translate it to English. The word itself apparently means 'person in charge' so? The fan-translation just calls it the manager, but based on something Hiruma says later, I get the impression that the shumu and the manager are technically different roles? But when Mamori becomes the manager later, she takes on a lot of what are allegedly 'shumu tasks', along with Hiruma, so idk. If anyone's read the official VIS translation, feel free to chime in on how they did it, because I'd be curious to know!

That being said, adorable of Sena to think he could have handled that responsiblity at all 😂 our boy has many talents, but being smart and organized is not among them.

Ok fun feelings are over, it's time for pain.

(Sena looking at his contact list, having just added Kurita's number, then wham D: )

The three bullies from before were waiting to get revenge. The dialogue is a bit different in the original. Juumonji (the blond one) actually says: "That fatso a friend of yours, Sena? Tell me his contact info-- if you do that, we'll let you go." To which Sena timidly and reluctantly agrees. Then Kuroki (the dark haired one) says: "But do you think one bat will be enough? With that brute strength..." In the final panel, Juumonji says: "It's better with just one, since we're gonna call the police beforehand." Togano (with the glasses): "The police?"

Juumonji: "As long as we get him wrapped up in the fight, it'll be fine. We'll say we got these wounds from being assaulted by the fatso with the bat -- We'll get him disqualified from the American Football tournament." One of the others: "Ooohh, smart!"

I guess the overall sentiment isn't that different, but knowing that the initial demand was for Sena to hand over Kurita's contact info with the promise that they would spare him if he obeyed-- and that at first he agreed-- makes his change of heart feel even more significant.

(Sena: "IF YOU'RE GONNA HIT ME, THEN HIT ME!!! I'LL NEVER TELL YOU (Kurita's info)!!!")

Tell 'em Sena!! A part of me sort of wishes the story maintained this serious story beat instead of undercutting it with humor in the next panel (not shown here) but at the same time, ES21 is overall a more lighthearted, comedic story which I love it for, so I don't think I'd like it getting too angsty. I'll always have Berserk in my corner if I want some actual angst lol.

(1st pic: various sounds of surprise or pain, and in the last panel: "Oi, don't let him get away!"

2nd pic: Sena -- "No way!!!" Hiruma: "Hm? Oh it's that guy" )

Lol I do love the little details Murata included, like Kuroki taking a swing at Sena as he's biting Juumonji's hand but then totally missing in the fourth panel because Sena's so fast. Also I'm always on the lookout for the kinds of stuff Hiruma buys, snack wise. We know he loves sugarless gum, obv, and drinks coke based on that one time he bought some for himself, Kurita & Sena, but what else are in those bags? I want to know!!

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And lol apparently I'm only allowed 30 images per post rip, so I guess I'll end this here. I guess I can.... reblog and continue? Or I might just make another post for the next part 🤔 Besides this got way too long, so I'll have to be more brief in future posts lol.

I'm honestly not expecting more than like, five people to interact with this lol, but if anyone is interested in specific points of the story they want me to look at, please feel free to ask!