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coffeeandcalligraphy · 1 year

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Hey, I'm going to uni this year but am stuck choosing Edinburgh (Literature) between Warwick (Creative Writing and Literature) but I don't know which one to pick. Edinburgh has a better lead on the world tables along with a fancy reputation in contrast to Warwick. Do I choose Edinburgh over something that has been burning for years (aka writing about stupid characters) or ya know...something more prestigious? It's really difficult because I don't trust the Creative Writing courses having the ability to give a good experience since they differ so widely and there really is no telling of how it goes.

And on top of that, a lot of my characters are HELLA QUEER and my conservative ass parents are going to be ashamed when they see me writing cute ass guys get along with each other. (Also what do your parents think about Lonan and Harrison in this context???)

So is it social security over passion?

I really am so lost, it's been months and my brain cannot think. I just think that if I have that degree, than it would give me the validation of being a decent writer. BUT like - I've always enjoyed essay writing? This is so bipolar😭

But the main question is, do you think your time in uni was worth the shot of just breathing author air and not giving a fuck about what other people think? (Sos if that sounds harsh, it's the artists attitude of being the wild cards of society).

(I'm in London btw, if you're wondering).

(Also, I LOVE YOUR WRITING LIKE PLEASE I WANT TO EAT IT!!!)

Hiii! Happy you're eating my writing HEHEHE! Okay lots to talk about here, but to answer your main question:

Do you think your time in uni was worth the shot of just breathing author air and not giving a fuck about what other people think?

Okay so, for me... My experience with my degree is complicated but I wouldn't necessarily say the experience was worth it in the ways I thought it would be. To be very fair, my education was VEYR interrupted by COVID (all of second year online, third year had a hybrid mix with some online classes and some on campus, fourth year is the only "normal" year I had besides first, which was interrupted toward the end by the pandemic--I started school in fall 2019). I want to say that because my experience is very much defined by that--I'm sure the culture of uni has changed since 2020, it just didn't change personally for me (i.e., I don't do social gatherings still, so I didn't invite friends over, go out with people, etc, just went to class then went home for 3rd and 4th year, which made socializing hard, more than usual LOL, for me--I'm sure folks who are doing those things had a different experience in my program).

Something you said is super intriguing to me: "I just think that if I have that degree, than it would give me the validation of being a decent writer."

If I can say something for relatively certain, a degree isn't going to give you the validation of whether you're a good writer or not (and I wouldn't recommend people go into a CW degree with that hope in mind--tbh, studying CW isn't "practical" and without a strong financial plan, etc, I would feel veryyyyy reckless/irresponsible on my platform to just go "ahhh yes! study creative writing!!")

If I can be honest, I was a good writer going into my program and I'm a better one coming out--but that isn't majorly because of the degree, to be upfront (I don't want people to think "ohhh rachel studied CW and she's such a good writer now, and she must be a good writer because she studied writing, and therefore I'm going to study writing to be a good writer"--I reaaaallllyyy want to be transparent with my audience about this because I know it's a privilege to study CW and I don't want to give people the wrong idea). I'm a better writer because it's been four years and I wrote 3.5 books in that time, ~20 short stories, ~20 poems, etc. Of course, some of that was for the degree but MOST was not (except for the poems). Hundreds of thousands of words.

How much you get out of a CW program depends on sooo many things like how the program actually functions (if you're not sure--I would ABSOLUTELY try to get that info from either an open house or some alumni if you can get in contact, I wouldn't go into a CW program at all without an idea of how the program runs--but that's just my advice!). Can also depend on your cohort for that year, whether there's a pandemic (looool), the profs, who's on sabbatical, who just got hired, etc, etc, etc. So I don't have concrete advice for whether you should study literature or CW, or if you feel you're in a position where you can choose passion over social security (that could be something to think about with an adult in your life!).

I also think it's important to know where YOU are in your writing journey. If I could go back in time and talk to seventeen year old Rachel, I'd probably advise her to go down a different path, to be honest. It's not that I found my degree completely hopeless, not at all, I met some AMAZING educators and writers who taught me SO MUCH (I worked with a writer I'd looked up to for years!!! like what!!! made some great writer buds, and would NOT be a poet without this degree), and I have great memories! But I also know myself now looking back, and I struggled in the early half of my degree to feel "settled" because I was in a different place than was typical for writing students.

I'm nervous to talk about this because I don't want it to seem egotistical, etc, but I'd developed a writing & editing process/style before I got to school, which isn't really typical for my program. I started writing and publishing extreeeemely young, and have been told by faculty that they don't really... see students like this in undergrad. When I entered my program, I was faarrrrr from a fantastic writer, and I was still "settling" into my style, but I'd found one (wrote a majority of Moth Work before my degree, for example).

My degree helped me with many things and I'm so grateful to have had a chance to study CW at the post-secondary level, but I also would've been fine without it (and I'm saying this NOT to dig at my program or school, not at allllll, but because I have an audience of young people who I *know* may be considering studying CW because I did it, and I want to be honest in saying that you can absolutely be a great writer without studying CW at all--and coming in a bit too defined might not make the experience the *most* useful, but that is just my experience ofc).

ALSO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to know: I had a four year scholarship that paid for all of my tuition that I earned by stressing SO HARD in high school (my high school GPA was literally 99% which is actually so concerning to me now because the amount of stress I was under??? But I did it because I knew I needed that scholarship to study CW--the min. for this particular one at the time was a 96%, and I was anxious about not making that, hence the average). That scholarship was 26k in total, spread out at $6500CAD/year (which was the price of my tuition).

I had to work extremely hard in first, second, and third year to keep a particular GPA which was I think about an 83% to keep it--to be fair, I was so anxious about losing it that I went wayyyy above that which made me :) so stressed :) but I did keep up that scholarship, so I'm graduating without debt for tuition. I'd also won an external scholarship and bursary that paid for about 30% of my first year housing, and the rest was covered by my parents who'd had savings for my education.

I didn't work a typical job during my undergrad (in third year I did some diversity/equity/inclusion volunteer work that paid at a min. wage part-time rate for about a year though), and was extreeeemely lucky to have my parents' financial support for housing and food.

It is *sooooo* important to have a plan about finances if you're going to study CW, because this isn't going to be a field where you can look for a *particular* job after you graduate (and I know even that's complicated in other fields too, not to generalize!).

I hope this was helpful! Also not to scare you!!!! But I get some high school students asking me this question and I just really want you to have all the info about what my experience was like, because I know this is an impractical degree (I'm leaving with sooo many practical skills that fall nicely into the industry I want to work in, but still, I'm aware that not everyone can do this--so I want to be honest!).

Also to answer the last bit about queer characters:

My parents don't know much about my writing, haha (my mom reads my published short fiction/poems & my dad reads whatever I send him from LinkTree, but they don't read my personal projects because I would PERISH--they are very aware of the characters though, but not specific things). They sometimes ask me if Lonan and Harrison are dating (but I ask myself that question too lol--they've known about them since maybe 2018, so it's been a while!). They're LGBTQ+ affirming & always have been!

Anyway, I hope this was useful! Message me if you'd like more details, but it's critical to me that people are also aware that the experience CAN be multi-faceted.

#asks #turning of rb's on this because ahhh so personal #BUT I don't want to be dishonest abt this because I knowww a lot of #teenagers follow me & I feel really responsible for being #honest about certain aspects of my undergrad experience!

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everdares · 8 months

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thank you so much for tagging me @waywardangel-wilds and @thegreatmelodrama 🥰

List 5 books that made you The Way You Are (got this idea from another old post). You don't have to explain why if it's cringe/too personal, but I'm curious about how old you were when you read it, if you're comfortable adding that!

1. the percy jackson series. it singlehandedly brought me to where i am in life. to WHO i am, really. i literally taught myself english just so i could read more fanfiction since it was almost nonexistent in my language 😭 and then tumblr came; friendships made and all of the experiences i've had, everything i've been through were all because one day at age 11 i decided to open a book to "look, i didn't want to be a half-blood."

2. a bolsa amarela (the yellow bag) by lygia bojunga nunes. tbh i haven't read it in so long i don't quite remember the details of the story, but whenever i think of a book that changed my perspective i think first of this one. it was the first book that resonated with me so deeply that when i think of it, the emotion i felt reading the very last page comes back to me all over again. which i can only describe as finding the last piece of the puzzle i've been trying to complete my entire life

3. the hunger games trilogy. first time i've ever read it was earlier this year, at age 22, but it quickly became my anchor to this world. i decided to finally give it a try during one of the worst moments of my life, and while i feel that the hard times are still not over yet, i can easily say the hunger games keeps me afloat when all i want to do is drown

4. the song of achilles by madeline miller. it was one of my first challenges to myself. it was the first book i read completely in english without having read the portuguese version first. at least once in every single paragraph, i had to stop and look a word up. i also made myself NOT look for the translation but instead the definition of the word in english. it was a lot more of a study than a read at the time, but it improved me sooo much. it made me more comfortable with myself and my words in english

5. poema de sete faces (seven-sided poem) by carlos drummond de andrade. it's not a book, it's a small poem, but i just HAD to include it here. it resonated with me in the middle of a literature class in high school lol i still remember leaving the class with tears in my eyes, but they were not sad tears. not quite happy either? it was just. the feeling of being understood. not alone in this life, as much as it feels like it

phew this was deep but i loved every second 😭💖 i tag my lovelies @thesmileykate @tobistark @loungemermaid @springmagpies @softchouli @millennium-queen @eroticeverlark @runwiththethieves @catastrxblues

#repostinggg because og didn't want reblogs!!!!#not og op 💀#too lazy to change the whole tag #but i still mean it i loved meeting every single one of yall #always so grateful to have you in my life #the loves of my life fr

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amazingmsme · 2 years

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Laughter as Sweet as a Poem

AN: My life may be falling apart rn but I’m in too deep to give up on tickletober now. It’s how I cope 🙃 Played Doki Doki Literature Club for a class so I thought I’d show these girls some love! They could really use it lol

Natsuki wasn't a fan of the whole "sharing our poems" thing, but she supposed it could be worse. It was only the second day of doing so, but she felt pretty proud of this one. Sayori bounded up to her, swapping the pages on each other's hand as they both read the poems.

"Wow, this is really good. Who knew you had this in you?" she teased. Sayori giggled, grinning from ear to ear.

"Aww, thanks! Yours is sooo good!" Sayori said, hugging it to her chest. The smaller girl beamed with pride, puffing out her chest.

"You bet it is! Took me less than 20 minutes too!" she bragged.

"Is this about how people are mean to you because you read mang-"

"Jeez Sayori, tell it to the world why don't ya!" she snapped, her body going completely stiff. Sayori winced at her harsh tone.

"Ehehe, sorry, I forgot you don't like people mentioning that," she apologized. Natsuki crossed her arms and looked down, blowing a lock of hair away from her eyes.

"It's fine since it's you. Just- watch who you say that around," she mumbled, continuing to advert her gaze.

"So... do you like spiders?" she asked as she handed her back the poem. Natsuki made a face of disgust and shook her head.

"No way! Spiders are not my thing!" Sayori giggled, taking a step closer.

"Well I didn't wanna freak you out, but there's a spider on you." She squealed and immediately started scanning her body, smacking herself to kill the offending bug.

"What? Where? Get it off, get it off!" she demanded, spinning in a circle in her haste to save herself.

"Hold still, it's riiiight here!" she exclaimed, pouncing on Natauki and lightly scribbling over her tummy. She shrieked, smacking Sayori's hands.

"Y-you lihihiar! Thehere was nohoho spider wahahas there?" she claimed, turning around to flee. She didn't get far because Sayori was able to wrap her in a tickle hug before she managed to escape.

I'm sorry Natsuki, this spider is just too fast for me to get!" she teased, fluttering her fingers up and down her sides. Bubbly giggles and shrieks flew from her mouth between thinly veiled threats.

The rest of the club members watched on in amusement, though Yuri was blushing profusely and kept looking away.

Sayori let her go, giggling nervously as Natsuki glared at her.

"What the heck? Why'd you do that for?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it! I saw the opportunity and I just took it. You have such a cute laugh Natsuki!"

Her cheeks glowed a bright red and she turned away. "I-I do not!"

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. She was just playing around," Monika intervened, feeling the need to diffuse the situation before it had the chance to escalate.

"Pft, whatever. You better not do that again!" she warned, hands on her hips.

"No promises!" Sayori chirped. Natsuki growled and turned on her heels, storming off to the classroom closet.

It hadn't been the worst thing ever, but she'd take that secret to her grave.

#tickletober #tickletober 2022 #natsuki #sayori #doki doki literature club #ddlc #doki doki literature club fic #ddlc fic #ddlc tickle fic #ticklish!natsuki #day 23: spidering

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dairy-farmer · 1 year

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Continuation of the vampire coven au (I’m ignoring the pregnancy part cus it’s not really my thing srry)

I think Tim would very quickly develop a sort of self-aware Stockholm syndrome in regards to Jason? I mean, I’ve always viewed Tim as a bit of stoic, where he just kind of resigns himself to situations and tries to be content within the realistic constraints they put him in.

And he has a pretty low bar! I mean, Jason pays more attention and is arguably nicer than his parents ever were, and the fuss about his blood is creepy but ultimately kind of flattering.

He def develops a sort of hero worship for Jason because he protects him from Dick and Bruce in his eyes. This is partially because Jason is more understanding of human customs and culture because he used to be human himself, which def makes him act more sympathetic.

I could see Tim very quickly becoming very very loyal to Jason. As somebody who didn’t really have a purpose in life before, he might dedicate himself to ‘serving’ Jason, viewing it as his purpose. Especially since that’s his only real choice, so he might as well do it on purpose.

Though Dick and Bruce might see Tim as a pet at best, I think Jason very quickly develops a sort of dependence on Tim. He knows he’s loved dearly by his family, of course, but as a turned instead of the rarer and more prestigious ‘born’ vampires, he’s isolated and faces discrimination in the upper class vampire society the Wayne’s are a part of. He’s terribly lonely.

In this way, Tim kind of becomes his everything. He’s his pet, his girlfriend, and most often, his best friend, depending on the situation. And Tim is always so understanding and loyal and soft...how could Jason not adore him?

Jason really wants somebody he can confide in and care for and protect, and Tim really fits that.

Jason doesn’t need much sleep as a vampire, really only a few hours a week, but of course Tim as different needs. It makes Jason’s chest all soft and fluttery inside to go into his room and see the rumpled covers and blankets on his usually perfectly-made, mostly untouched bed. It reminds him every time that he has Tim now, and he’s not alone anymore.

I think he spends as much time as possibly cuddling Tim while he sleeps— partially because he thinks sleeping Tim is soft and cuddly and warm and adorable, and also because he knows Tim is terrified of Bruce and Dick sneaking in while he sleeps and sucking him dry. He’s his guard dog, lol.

Speaking of that, Jason wants Tim by his side at all times, and the feeling is mutual. Of course, for Tim this is partially derived from fear of Dick and Bruce, but he likes Jason. In time, he kind of worships him.

Jason loves having a captive audience for his rants about literature. Bruce doesn’t really get it though he’s supportive and Dick can’t sit still long enough to read a poem. But Tim will happily curl up in his arms or on a cushion at his feet and listen to him read with commentary. When he gets more comfortable, he even asks questions sometimes!

The manor’s temp usually hovers around a cool 50 F, so Tim is absolutely shivering up a storm when he first arrives— after all, he’s naked!

Jason, demonstrating his keen understanding of human needs, realizes very quickly that Tim is freezing. He likes to dress Tim in Jason’s oversized casual clothes— partially because he doesn’t want Tim showing skin outside their bedroom because he’s paranoid of Bruce and Dick being tempted. But also because it’s completely adorable the way a hoodie will dwarf him.

Jason loves to turn Tim into a little ‘blanket burrito’ and then cuddle him lol.

And of course, He likes Tim in *other* ways. He’s somehow both really domestic and sweet and also kinky as hell? Like he has a bunch of cute collars with leases he likes to have Tim wear and sort of tug him around with, but beefy time he puts it on he’s like it’s not too tight right 🥺🥺

He likes when he leaves out cute sheer lingerie with a note for Tim and comes back to see Tim curled up in his bed in nothing but a translucent pink nightie. He def is a gentle dom who likes to do most of the work most of the time— he loves it when Tim just lays back and clings to him and makes those perfect noises.

He’ll be fucking Tim missionary so gentle and loving and be like who do you belong to? Me? Who’s your master? But it’s all said like 🥺🥺🥺

One of his fave positions tho is Tim on his stomach on soft pillows, with Jason just completely pressed against his back, covering him entirely. He’ll be so close he can’t even really thrust, just grinding softly against Tim’s cunt and mouthing at his sweet neck.

He’s into master/slave and worshiper/worshipee but like in a really soft way? Like he loves to have Tim sit in pretty jewelry and skimpy lingerie and nothing else at his feet and let him kiss and muzzle at his clothed crotch, tilt his head for pets, just be his adoring little pet.

Jason’s honestly kind of insecure so he likes when Tim body-worships and happily submits to him like that because it makes him feel loved and he’s super lonely lol.

Jason doesn’t actually feed from Tim’s neck— it’s too easy to accidentally take too much, and it’s also kind of an awkward angle. His favorite place to drink from is near Tim’s groin, because it’s hot blood close to the surface, and because he gets to sit between his Timmy’s legs and tease him. He’ll suck a little spot near his hip, getting closer and closer to his labia, relishing in how relaxed and pliant Tim is with complete trust.

He likes to alternate between feeding and eating Tim out— the way the blood tastes just before or after an orgasm is beyond words.

And he loves the intimacy of it. I think he likes to suck on Tim even when he’s not feeding because it sort of satisfies the urge a little? It’s a comfort action. I think he’s actually really into clit-warming Tim— him just laying lazily between Tim’s legs and sucking and Tim just squirming against him until he falls asleep in his pile of blankets and piles. It’s like meditating for Jason, just hours of soft sucking and the taste of Tim on his tongue.

Alfred is happy to have another human in the house, and relieved that Jason intends upon keeping him long-term because he misses cooking for someone besides himself. Besides, getting ur blood sucked makes you loose a lot of calories....better made some cookies or other treats to get his blood sugar back up afterwards.

Jason will suck his blood, bandage the area, and go down to Alfred to get sweets to bring back to Tim lol. They’re def trying to work together to fatten Tim up lol.

Jason has a kink for how Tim will sometimes get a little giggly and dizzy after feeding, the way he’ll speak a little more freely and be happy and stupid. It’s called ‘feeding-drunkenness’ and Jason just loves how adorable it is, esp since most of what Tim says is how much he loves Jason and how into him he is.

Tim is not nearly as worried about accidentally taking too much as Jason is, because by this point the Stockholm syndrome is SEVERE and he’s like well it would be an honor to die for my master 💕 and Jason is like NO bby no

Bruce kind of falls in love with Tim second-hand because he loves how obviously happy Tim makes Jason. He often feels frustrated and lost because he loves his son so much but isn’t really able to reach him in a lot of ways because of their differing backgrounds. He doesn’t really understand him or the angst and baggage he has from his human life and the implications of his transformation (ie his dad was his predator, and he only loved him once he became a vampire, etc etc etc)

Before Tim Jason was def some kind of depressed and Bruce is just forever glad that Tim changed that.

Dick thinks Tim is adorable and he wants a taste :( cmonnnnnnn Jason. Blood or pussy, he’s not picky. Hopefully both.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANON THIS IS AMAZING!!!!

just this line is so good in relation to tim's stockholm syndrom "Especially since that’s his only real choice, so he might as well do it on purpose."

tim really having nothing before jason and it making him more susceptible to this allure of having a purpose and someone wanting him!

but more than that!!! their relationship!!!! it's so soft and sweet 🥺🥺🥺🥺!!!!!!!!

the way jason treats tim so...softly...delicately because he was human once too and still remembers it...he dresses tim up and makes sure he's warm and comfortable 🥺

tim still being frightened of dick and bruce, bruce most especially. bruce was the one who found him and took him afterall.

but tim and jason!! the way they're so comfortably intimate with each other! the clit-warming!!!! jason only drinking tim's blood from near his cunt and testing out how tim tastes post orgasm!

bruce and jason's complex relationship and tim helping jason process the feelings he has about his and bruce's relationship-

and dick!! still begging for a taste! he'll take fucking tim or drinking from him!!! he's like this perfect blend of casual horny menace!

i loved this so much just the way tim and jason fit together so well!🥺🥺🥺

#anonymous #asks #answered asks

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run-down-that-dream · 4 months

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🎅

That version of Darlin' slaps ahrd!

exactly! I'm 99% certain everyone is sick of hearing about Carl, but it's fine! I wore my two best friends out of Tom Petty last year, but it's fine, it meant more Tom for me!

Roy is brilliant! Mystery Girl is such a good album. And that video, wow! I love him so much, I'm lowkey in love with his sideburns (sideburns are a selling point for me I stg), love the Mike cameo!

Lucky! My brain can barely count to ten (which isn't great as I'm a supervisor who has to count money at the end of each day in the shop I work in lmao), but fair enough!

Literature is fun! One of my modules allows me to write my own poems, which has been really fun. Although, one of my tutors scares me as he went on a very very passionate rant about gay sex and grass back to back, I'm not quite sure how he went from one to the other, but I guess that's lit for you!

Oooh cool! Being a photographer would be fun! I'd love to be an author/publisher. I know writing isn't really a qualification thing necessarily, but my brain is only wired to write fanfiction at this point

Random question of the day:

Besides English, do you speak any other languages? Or are there any languages you'd like to learn?

Santa

ooh yes!! more tom for you, I love that way of thinking

the mike cameo yeahhh 🥰 every time I see him I'm just like. that's my guyyyy 🥰 proud girlfriend over here 🙋‍♀️😂 but anyway yes you're so right actually, roy looks great with the sideburns.

what do you think of tom's sideburns from '85??

what you said about counting money reminds me of one of my friends lol we used to work at a shop together and that was one of the tasks at the end of the night. she always made me do it 'cause she was so worried about messing up. which worked out perfectly because she would mop instead and I personally hate mopping for some reason?? so we had a good system going on.

ok writing poems for school sounds amazing. I took a short story class, had the opportunity to write a short story, but I ended up having to drop. very disappointing. of course now I write fanfic so I guess that can count lol

I don't speak any other languages but I took french in high school. not that I remember much but I remember a little! I wouldn't mind relearning. and I'd love to learn italian too!! what about you??

#srs23

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bloomingbora · 1 year

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i really don't talk enough how i was aroace all these times, just didn't know there were words for it

example 1: when i was 12 i wrote an avengers fanfic with an aroace mc out of pure spite because all the stories on wattpad ended up with the girl married to [choose one male avenger]

example 2: "oh, i just really want to focus on school" i said, just like the year before and the year before and the–

example 3: yeah remember that one time u had to make up a love poem in a literature class? hahaha i did and my classmates were 100% sure i was crushing on some blue eyed guy even though i just made up some cheesy lines to get an extra credit... yeah

example 4: preteen me joking about that one communistic poster with the guy refusing a drink, saying "lol that's me about sexy times"

#aromantic #asexual #aroace #lgbtq #funny stories more like heck nah

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your-local-fools-treasury · 11 days

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For the non-american ask set...

All of them pls >:)

Suffer <3

hold on- I fell asleep

not gonna give too many explanations cuz that would take WAAAY too long

1. dripstone cave of Aggtelek

2. if by holidays the list meant like Christmas, then at home, if it meant summer break then I'm okay with whatever

3. nope, it did before 1920 but not anymore

4. Gulash soup

5. almost any/every older song, like "Petroleum lámpa"

6. I don't really like newer songs, they make me feel weird in a bad way

7. Megszentségteleníthetetlenkedéseitekért, (uhhhh ←stopped remembering words) lángos, cinege

8. not really, or at least never happened

9. haven't been to too many but Romania (more specifically Transylvania) is pretty cool and I guess I know about I a little more than other neighbouring countries

10. well that's though.. I don't swear soo uhh.. giving you a fun one that has no actual swear words hehe: Hogy a villamos szabja rád a rövidnadrágot!

11. uhhh... I don't have one... so I'll just.. got with basic answer of Sándor Petöfi

12. never seen any, the only time I encounter poems is in literature class

13. Name day, definitely name days. also pulling each others ears when it's their name day or their birthday (that one is only done in my family I think)

14. I think older cartoons were pretty good, don't think there's any new made here actually

15. the "lopásvédő törölköző" when on a beach is the main thing we can recognize each other in neighbouring countries lol

16. apparently people think we ride horses everywhere (???) which is just plain stupid and not true (multiple sources said this stereotype) — I do somewhat agree with us liking to drink. Like if someone is here as a guest for longer than an hour (and we rarely see the person) you can bet your life on someone asking them if they want some Pálinka

17. eh.. not really. I guess maybe like the very begging of it. Like how we got here and all

18. lol yeah. There's even a wikipedia article on the dialect. (szigetköz dialect)

19. I think it's fine, I mean... I may or may not had my room painted red, white and green for a while so I got no say in this... The emblem is near and I only hate the national anthem because I had to memorize the whole thing for class in middle school

20. I'm pretty sure either it's soccer or basketball

21. hmmm... túró rudi and Pálinka I guess

22. that our language is still alive somehow?? Like damn. I am ashamed of the fact that we're incredibly hateful and stubborn

23. Pálinka, next question

24. we hate on Belgium but that's a collective European thing. So I'd say uhh neighbouring countries..? + Russia perhaps..???

25. nah, in the end of the day I like it here

26. Fun fact! many times they shoot parts of movies here because it's way cheaper than others, yet architecturely it's still pretty nice I guess. It's always fun when parts of Budapest is in big movies lol

27. I don't have any

28. a near by city is literally dubbed as the "the city of rivers" so I guess. There's two major lakes but you can only go swim in lake Balaton (and lots of smaller lakes scattered all around). There are some mountains, but there are more plains than them. No favorite place

29. Not to my knowledge, no

30. from my moms mom side German, from her (my moms) dad's side Székely (no clue of the eng translation). And from my dads side, only guessing by our surname, we probably have ancestry from Slavic people (not sure if this is what the question was asking..

anyways, this took waaay too long and I'm not built for knowing stuff about this wretched place

(had to edit, forgot the 20th question)

#i am throwing rocks at you

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kaysdenofchaos · 2 years

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I still needa work on my webtoon before I can get some drawings out for Sneter (Snape x Peter) bUt-

Peter headcanons since he doesn’t get enough attention (understandably but y’all can do so much better than Peter just being the stupid dumb baby bastard traitor friend):

(Snaters and Snovers both welcome to comment- wont (likely) accept criticism but free range to agree/disagree/diss me lmao)

- Lower middle class Pureblood

- Parents are both second siblings and were put into an arranged marriage; neither were very wealthy or into blood politics (or him lmao); didn’t get along with anyone in his family

- Only child; was often picked on by other kids before Hogwarts for his meek nature (beginning of his insecurities)

- Eldest out of all the Marauders, though he doesn’t mind being considered the youngest; saw the three as brothers and true friends

- lmao pick me energy

- Struggles intellectually but is advanced socially; has a high understanding of social situations and could manipulate people as he pleases if not for his inferiority complex and lack of self-worth

- Short stature with a little bit of chub (fuck the film version making him look like a rat literally no one else looks like their animagus to that extent) (though I do think older canon him would get a hunchback)

- Secretly has/had a love for muggle literature; started hiding it when James and Sirius made fun of him for it and stopped reading it completely once canon him joins the Death Eaters; can recite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 10 and 18 by heart

- Writes poems <3

- Grows distant as James, Remus, and Lupin seem to get closer and grow in power whilst Peter himself seems to be at the same spot he started off on; starts getting paranoid and insecure over the three wondering what his stance really is with them, if he was someone they’d really save

(Going to Canon Compliant Peter headcanons/theories):

- Doubt festers until he’s lured into the Death Eaters; promises him power and a position far better than the “rich kids’ lackey” and accepts (point where the potential of being brave fully dissipates)

-Once the war started it quickly went from ‘an escape’ to ‘can’t escape’

- Kinda just falls off the deep end and gets fucked in the head

- Doesn’t realize how far he’s fallen until he’s stuck as a rat in the Weasley house

- gives him time to reflect at first but slowly takes away his sense of humanity; only thing that keeps him holding on are the Weasley brothers who remind him of James and co

- Both envies and pities Percy; empathizes with the distance set between Percy and his peers, envies his intellect and sense of self-worth

- On the other hand he despises Ron; as dumb and brash as he was and yet is still so deeply loved by his family and friends

- Does look and turn out more animalistic; stripped of his sense of societal power and morality, his main priorities simply being survival

- Doesn’t die during the war (really doesn’t deserve it); is found out shortly after the war and gets sent to Azkaban, where he once again lingers in captivity until he inevitably dies of disease with not a single person who cares for him, not from the living or the dead.

- (purely headcanon but) before he gets sent away he anonymously donates the last of his small but still sized inheritance to the Weasleys

- lol the end

Peter simp nation rise/j/hj

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octaviasdread · 3 years

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thanks sm for posting about the free poetry course! is there other affordable literature courses or similar you can rec? thanks bestie :) i love da but i’m dumb lol

I know you’re probs half-joking but I want to make something clear. No one in the dark academia community (or wider) is dumb.

Everyone I’ve interacted with has been curious, creative, and appreciative of others' work. Those are the important traits, not a grade, a completed reading list, or a privileged education.

I'm passionate about making academic resources more widely accessible so any academia related links I see are reblogged under the tag ‘accessible resource.’ I remember posting about the Louvre online art collection a while ago if that's something you'd be interested in <3

Other recs:

1. Future Learn: A website that allows you to sign up for short, part time online courses offered FREE by Universities. There are so many to choose from. I also love the ability to interact with others on the course while you study.

I've just made a profile for a poetry course and I've added lots of other courses to my Wishlist. Feel free to drop me an ask or message if you're joining lit/history courses and you want to find me!!

2. Open Learn: A catalogue of FREE short, part-time/study at your own pace courses in a range of subjects (mostly introductory level) provided by the Open University

3. BBC In Our Time Culture Podcast: FREE on BBC Sounds, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Hour long conversations between University professors on different subjects (authors, novels, poems, literary movements, etc). My University accept the podcast as a reliable academic source to cite in essays so you know it's high quality academia

4. The History Chicks Podcast: I listen FREE on Apple Podcasts but it's also available on amazon music and wondery. Each episode or two-part episode focuses on a famous woman from history (writers, queens, scientists, actors/singers, and even the women of the Wild West, etc). The hosts are engaging, funny, and excellent at giving their research reading lists

5. Academia.edu: Millions of Academic papers uploaded for open access. You can find papers usually hidden behind pay walls or University membership for FREE. You can also follow the profiles of academics to keep up with their research

6. YaleCourses Youtube Channel: Recorded Yale University lectures uploaded for FREE access. Playlists are sorted by classes. A quick look showed me:

- Modern Poetry with Langdon Hammers (25 vids)

- Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner with Wai Chee Dimock (25 vids)

- Cervantes' Don Quixote with Roberto González Echevarría (24 vids)

- Introduction to the Theory of Literature with Paul H.Fry (26 vids)

- Milton with John Rogers (24 vids)

- The American Novel Since 1945 with Amy Hungerford (26 vids)

#begging Tumblr to fix the tag search on blogs cus things I KNOW I tagged don't always show #I did test this specific tag search on my blog and its temperamental #especially on desktop so sorry #CO posts #answered asks #accessible resource #academia #research resources #free education #dark academia

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rein-ette · 3 years

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Hi!

I was inspired by your asks, so I wanted to hear from you! What do you think of Canada as a country? I had a bit of a Canadian phase long ago and I tried to consume as much literature and history as I could, but reading about a place and living in it are very different experiences, so is there anything you'd like to share about Canada, about the culture or the people? Do you like living there? What are some of your favorites things? How do you survive the winters?

And also, as a character, what do you think of Matt?

(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

Aaaaaaaaah okay okay *ahem*

If you’re not here for a Ted talk the exit is to your left, have a great day!

I do love Canada very much! I was born and pretty much grew up here, and as I’ve grown older I’ve become more and more grateful for everything that my country has provided for me! I remember my history teacher in high school said once that by being born into the middle class and as a Canadian, you’ve already won the lottery of life. That was not to disparage other countries, but to remind us of how remarkably privileged we are and how much we take for granted.

One of the first things you hear when you ask people what does it mean to Canadian is the word “multicultural.” I find this word realllyyyyyy cringeyyyy and not really reflective of reality, but I suppose it’s a good starting point for more in depth discussion. People often say Canada is a “cultural melting pot”, but the indigenous poet Marilyn Dumont pointed out in her poems that in some ways it’s more of a mosaic — there are many cultures, but they don’t always meld together. To say it’s a melting pot is ignoring the fact that racism and discrimination certainly have and do still exist here.

But I would argue that in some areas it is a “melting pot”, even if I kinda hate that word. I prefer to think of where I live as cultural delta — a place where many mighty tributaries meet as they thunder into the sea. (It is also literally a delta, funnily enough) Here, I grew up absorbing Canadian ideas, studying British history, reading American literature, learning French — but I also grew up listening to Kpop, watching Ghibli, eating rice. When I meet up with friends, we don’t grab a coffee, we grab milk tea. If you ask people here where they would like to visit or live, they will most likely say New York, London, Hong Kong, or Seoul — which tells you a bit about both how powerful and diverse the cultural influences here are.

Perhaps the thing most indicative of Canada’s “multiculturalism” and what I am most grateful for, however, is that I grew up here without fear. I didn’t even know the words “chink” or other words existed until I could access the internet. Recently, the beatings of Asian immigrants in the UK and US brought this home for me — how lucky I am to have such a privileged childhood. And I know this kind of privilege is hard won; in my research of WW2 I found that one of the amusement parks that I used to frequent as a child was built on land that once housed a Japanese internment camp. How fragile our lives are!

But enough about the serious stuff. I can’t really answer your question about how to survive winters in Canada lol, except to say that where I am in Canada it is absolutely necessary everyone own at least 3-4 umbrellas. That’s because this side of the Rockies in BC, the temperatures are pretty mild year round — the coldest it gets is usually 0, and the hottest around 25. But, by god, it rains. I did go to Ottawa in the winter though, where it was -13 one day, but honestly? Everything below 0 feels pretty much the same. Once it gets that cold, you can’t even tell anymore. I wore a skirt and tights that day, with a good, thick winter coat. And I survived :D

Besides not being heckled on the street for being Asian, my favourite things about Canada are probably the amazing diversity of good food and how tremendously beautiful the wilderness here is. And I say this as someone who loses her mind when a mosquito flies past (ie. I am not a nature person). You can kinda tell from these photos here, but the trees and water and whatnot here, are like, real. Maybe I just find that amazing because I lived in Tianjin, but it just feels like this is a city built among the trees and the sky and water that was always here, and not a city where humans have brought in nature for our amusement.

Okay, gotta move on to your other questions or I’ll go on forever. As a state I think Canada does a fairly good job of providing for its own people, but I wish we had a greater global influence. A lot of youth especially express the view that Canada is kinda...boring if your career doesn’t have to do with, like, sports, nature, or medicine, and I would tend to agree. We have great universities, but as someone who studies international relations I often wish Canada would like? Do more? On the global scale. The only thing we really have under our name is the UN peacekeeping, which PM Pearson started after the Suez Canal Crisis. I mean, I’ve heard that many people abroad identify Canada with peace and like ofc I’m not complaining about that, but I just wish our history was a little spicier, ya know? We did kick Americas ass that one time in 1812 and that was amazing. No regrets.

So that brings me to Matt. A lot of Canada’s existence has just been dominated by trying to carve a way between the US and the British while not being swallowed by either. Britain gave us the protection and strength and diversification of identity to not be annexed by the US, but at the same time it hobbled Canada’s relation with our only neighbour. One of the very first treaties Canada negotiated alone, if I’m recalling correctly, was a trade contract with the US over fishing (?) in BC and Alaska, where London was like no you can’t and Canada was like uh we gotta make money too, bro. So yes, while I do believe Mattie is just a very loyal person in general, he was also loyal to the empire because he needed to survive. A lot of Canadian identity was solidified around our prompt assistance of England and the sacrifices made in the two world wars, especially the campaigns in the Low Countries and Italy. Essentially, Canada has historically differentiated itself from the US through its loyalty.

Uuuuh just realized that has nothing to do with my opinion of Matt. Um. I like him? He’s real best friend/big brother material, and I do hc him as far more cunning and capable than canon portrays him to be. However, sometimes he’s just...too nice. He doesn’t have that edge that England has that makes me wanna slap him tf up and sob and call him my baby at the same time. Also, as oumaheroes mentioned here, that kind of selflessness can get pretty toxic. After all, by consistently not voicing or examining your own needs, you make it incredibly and unnecessarily frustrating for the people who care about you to help you, and that creates a relationship just as one sided as one where the person is extremely selfish. Actually, now that I think about it, my biggest gripe with Mattie as a character and Canada as a country is in that word: selfless. Without self. Perhaps because Canada is still so young, but it feels a little lost, a little like it doesn’t know quite know yet why it exists.

TLDR: If you’re under 18 or over 60, Canada is the place to be. If, however, you’re like me and wish you could touch a building that’s over 150 years old and maybe visit a square somebody’s been guillotined in, perhaps try someplace else. Personally Portugal’s golden visa is lookin especially tempting lately

#I’m not on my laptop and I don’t know how to add a cut on my phone #so I’m really sorry if this takes up ur dash #I will fix this as soon as I get home #it’s reining again #thanks for indulging me needcake #ask #also rip i was gonna give book recommendations but tbh does Canada even have literature #I mean we do we DO but #uh have you tried Margaret Atwood? lmfao #i mostly read American and European lit and I feel kinda bad about that #Canadian history is...kinda dry tho idk #maybe it’s cuz I learned it in school

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hetaestoniahq · 3 years

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Please elaborate on the teacher thing, I'm curious now

|| OK SO LIKE

I just got this new teacher alright? New teacher to give Estonian and literature classes. First off got a male teacher for the first time that isn't for a subject like PE or woodcraft wow -

And like, he has a whole resume of just all these known schools he's worked for (like the French school in Tallinn for example), he's a Tartu Uni graduate and even stated how he studied together with the poet we ended up later talking about in our class because her poems were in our literature books. ALSO he's a writer who has taken trips to places in Estonia to gather folktales and such and write books about it, he's even published some and has stated is currently working on more! He really seems to care about Estonian folklore and mythology from the looks of things.

The reason he left the previous big school he worked for was because he wanted to go somewhere smaller and more chill, and from this Facebook Estonian teacher group thing he saw the message about our school being in desperate need for an Estonian and literature teacher and our school is small and next to rich forest life so it's just a really nice place.

He is like, very active with his job in a sense, he often adds to the topic we're learning that the book may not mention and makes sure we are truly aware and educated. He doesn't want us to stress about grades and encourages being active in class which can be what can earn you grades - also from time to time he makes us all get up and stretch our legs a bit to make sure we stay healthy in the long run lol.

He doesn't entirely go by the book and chooses his own path on how to teach the subject, sometimes we watch a video on a website and then analyze, sometimes we make a quick poster presentation about something (although I don't like those very much, we've done like.. 3 at this point and I suck at making them look good by design HELP 😭)

Although it's probably because that's just the topics in class in general, he clearly is proud to be an Estonian and wants us to be proud too, wanting us to be informed about our identity, culture and what makes us unique haha.

Bro he made us learn Livonian for a good moment, use our brains to translate a text and then showed the video by ILoveLanguages! to have us make our own dialogue in Livonian with a partner, it was really fun and I actually ain't ever really bored in class. He is kind and encourages to not hesitate to answer even if you're wrong - because being wrong helps you learn from your mistake.

Also omg when did we ever last time sing in Estonian class - don't know but we did now! We listened to and sung Meil on elu keset metsa which we then analyzed the lyrics of. I already had known this song before haH.

The way he dresses is just - lmao, he dresses so formal like he is about to go meet the president or something - also his clothes is completely black and white + a blue bowtie omg he really just has the blue-black-white set huh 😭 dresses kinda like an old man despite not looking that old tbh (looks like he's in his 30's)

Also

When talking about the value of learning the language of the country you're going to possibly live in - he just casually stated how he learned Lithuanian in a few months when living there as an example how it's very possible to pick up languages.

I'm sorry what

Hold on hold on - you lived in Lithuania for a period of time? And you learned the language within a FEW MONTHS?

SIR- what other languages do you know omg?!?

That feels like such an Eduard moment, leave it for Eduard to learn a language that fast because he can.

Overall just the methods of teaching, the clear care and such for the job and the other things he's doing on the side - is just absolute Estonia energy. Probably the best teacher I've ever seen tbh

#content

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from-home · 4 years

Text

𑁍 MARK LEE┊ 𝒔𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔, 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 / one ˎˊ˗

𑁍 summary : the one where mark lee time travels back and forth throughout the past and future with his crush, (y/n) ˎˊ˗

𑁍 pairing : mark lee x older!reader (by like three years lmao) ˎˊ˗

𑁍 word count : 6.7k ˎˊ˗

𑁍 genre : fluff, comedy (i hope??), minimal angst, time travel!au ˎˊ˗

𑁍 warnings : swearing, unrequited love (i know that shit hurts omg), my humour is ass, mark gives me slight second hand embarrassment in this, bad writing??, i gave up like halfway through this lol, first time writing a fic like this pls have mercy, it’s almost 2:30 am i'm too tired to proof read fuck ˎˊ˗

𑁍 a/n : first chapter of my first ever fic on here hehe - idk when the next chapter might come tbh but hopefully i’ll continue this series for my own enjoyment! in the meantime, uni still kicks my ass >:(( but anyway, enjoy and i hope that at least someone will find joy with this! ˎˊ˗

[ 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 : 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟬 ]

when your pastor dad’s best friend was the biggest nerd in high school and became an eccentric scientist

O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are,

You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!

If he could write like that, maybe Mark wouldn't need to be here in this boring literature class of his. Don't get him wrong, he liked writing, and he liked the way he could express his emotions through a pen and paper. But for the twenty-one-year-old boy who could barely sit still in one place without his mind wandering off into four different dimensions, it was hard to be interested in whatever the professor was rambling on about. Maybe Professor Jung was telling the story of how she met Dylan Thomas' widow's sister's friend's cousin, and how much of an artistic impact it had on her. She had told the story a good three times in the past two months - Mark kept count.

Yeah, writing was fun and all, but literature class specifically was boring and dull to him. "Oh but Mark, why take this course then?" one might ask. But one should also know that it was a necessary course if Mark wanted to earn his oh-so-coveted diploma.

Curse him for majoring in creative writing. His dad always did wonder why writers even bother writing when the bible exists.

But maybe one day, an hour and a half of John Keats would produce him some ideas for a romantic poem that he could write and gift off to his love of seven years... and counting.

(Y/N), the shiniest of all pearls and the most beautiful of all Mona Lisa's, the older woman and her beauty often left Mark stunned and helplessly in love. He first met her when he was fourteen, when she had been introduced as his seventeen-year-old tutor. She was so pretty back then, and still was now. In fact, it was as if she didn't age at all!

Someone who resembled a goddess like (Y/N) deserved only the most romantic of all romantic poems, and Mark Lee made it a mission to be the one to write it for her. He was so helplessly in love with her that he was able to channel his feelings for her into five different written forms: poems, song lyrics, an 'A for effort?' drawing of her, letters, and anonymous blog posts about how "unrequited love hurts".

Sure, those blog posts were anonymous, but as good as Mark thought he was at hiding his feelings for her, everybody in town and their ancestors' spirits knew about the big crush Mark had on her. But no one bothered to tell (Y/N) about her not-so-secret admirer and nobody bothered to let Mark know that his mysterious crush wasn’t as well-kept to himself as he thought it was.

But it was cute. Not the part where Mark slowly died on the inside as each day passed without his feelings being returned (that was pretty sad, everybody acknowledged), but the part where the adoration in his eyes were so clear for (Y/N). Legend went that he held stars in his eyes whenever his gaze rested on the older woman - like, actual stars from the galaxy. Or so the first-hand accounts go.

Mark Lee was a talented and hardworking boy, that much was a shared sentiment by everybody in town. He excelled at all subjects, mowed the lawn twice just because he thought he missed a spot, gave it his all at church every Sunday by rapping and dancing in the name of Jesus Christ until he was reduced to sweat and threatening to rip his dress shirt off - he was a jack of all trades. There were even rumours that whenever it was time for a 'Make a Wish' patient to... make a wish in heaven, he would dress up as Spiderman and visit them in the hospital to make their final dreams come true. So maybe that's why it was so endearing, his one-sided love for his noona. If there was one person who could jump over that hurdle of "just friends" and out of the friend zone, it had to be Mark, the boy who's always gave it his all in everything ever since he moved here from Canada when he was twelve. It was one thing to have this crush that you desperately wanted to be returned, but it was another to have the whole town cheering for you - it said a lot about Mark's character.

Which is why! There was no other perfect test subject for Scientist Kim, the local eccentric scientist who was obsessed with creating his "next big invention". He also happened to be the best friend of the town's pastor (weird combination, everybody knows), courtesy of their high school days and a misunderstanding over a carton of milk. The town's pastor also oh-so-coincidentally happened to be Mark's father, who had lived in Korea for all his life until he moved to Canada so his wife could give birth to baby Mark. He ended up moving back to his hometown, however, thus creating a new relationship between his best friend and son.

Now Scientist Kim - who liked to go by "Cabbage" as a homage to his idol, Charles Babbage - didn’t really care about Mark's painful one-sided love, but he knew the boy could never say no to his father's best friend from high school, so there was no one better to try out his experiments and inventions than Mark. Like, there was literally no one else at all - the whole town swore Cabbage was out of his mind and were still waiting for the day the newspaper would come out with a headline that he's been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Everybody would be disappointed, but not surprised. But such an incident hadn’t happened yet, so for now, Cabbage was still freely working hard everyday to successfully complete and unveil the invention that would propel him to "the front page of every science magazine and a Nobel Prize in Physics".

And it just so happened to be today, October 30th 2020, when Mark received a phone call from his dad's best friend in the middle of class. He was glad he kept his phone on vibrate, but god, was it distracting. To answer or not to? Why now of all times? Right, he forgot that some people don't have anything else to do with their lives other than... creating things that usually end up on fire by the end of it. You know, now that he thought back on it, the last time Mark willingly participated in Cabbage's experiment which involved some tinfoil, antennas, and laser beam machining, it left Mark's right shoe on fire - thank God he had brought a fire extinguisher over to Cabbage’s house with him.

Just that memory alone convinced Mark to ignore the call, nearly forgetting about it once it had stopped ringing if not for the fact he received another call just seconds later. "What is this, an infatuation?" Mark grumbled to himself, before glancing up at the front to see if Professor Jung was distracted enough for him to take this call without her noticing. It didn't help that he sat three rows away from the front. But she still seemed to be rambling on about how much she loved Dylan Thomas' works, and that was a sign for him to accept the call. He kept his voice to a hushed whisper, however, "Hello-"

"Mark! You have to come over!" There was no way Professor Jung did not hear that screech that came from his phone. He glanced up nervously, noticing his classmate's startled gazes on him. But his eyes wandered over to the front, and judging by how Professor Jung was now going on about Dylan Thomas' "attractive appearance", it seemed he was in the safe for now.

"Cabbage, I'm in class, so could you keep it down?" Mark hissed quietly into the phone.

"Right, right, sorry!" While he was still loud even after lowering his voice down, it was more than quiet enough for Professor Jung not to notice, thankfully. "Mark, I've just completed my latest invention. But this isn't just any invention, it's the invention of both my - and everybody's dreams!"

Mark would be mildly curious if not for the fact that Cabbage said that about every invention of his, but he figured that his dad was going to urge him to go anyway, even if Mark didn’t want to. "But he's my best friend, Mark!" Jeez, because how could he possibly say no to the power of friendship?

"Mark? Boy? You still there?" Cabbage’s voice pulled Mark out of his thoughts, and the boy could do nothing but sigh. This was just going to be like every other time - he’d be introduced to some machine that supposedly did one thing, said machine would catch on fire the next minute, and it would all result in Mark going home an hour later.

"Fine, I'll be there. After class in like, half an hour." Mark reassured the scientist, and he swore, he could hear something catching on fire in the background.

"Great!" He then heard rushed footsteps and... a fire extinguisher? "See you then!" And the call ended.

He just couldn’t wait.

When visitors would come to the humble town of Uicheon (의천), located just thirty minutes away by car from the bustling capital city, Seoul, the first thing they would notice was how much the town gave off Suburban American vibes, like walking through a town where the main characters of some random Disney high school movie lived. All single detached houses, varying in style from Country French to Cape Cod with recent contemporary and modern upgrades to those houses by residents who wanted to "spice it up".

Uicheon was a town seen by others where most of the population was upper-middle class. There was nothing wrong with that at all, and actually, the residents of Uicheon were both happy and welcoming of anybody and anyone who stepped foot into town or even took an interest in moving, no matter of their social or economic status.

If anything, the residents of Uicheon - the ones who've lived in the town for longer than ten years at least - were often worried that those who did show interest of moving in inevitably get... scared off. By one particular daunting house.

It was a beautiful town. No seriously, Uicheon had been mentioned on multiple "Top 5 beautiful towns just outside of Seoul that you should visit!" lists published on the internet. And in the beautiful small town where all the houses provide comfort and beauty, surrounded by flowers on nearly every available patch of grass like something straight out of a magazine, there stood a modern house - the only completely modern house in the town - its exterior all... black. Even the big windows were tinted black, and it was obvious that the house stuck out like a sore thumb. Sometimes, the local kids told stories of how the house was abandoned, and was home to a ghost with a vengeful spirit inside who wanted to steal your teeth. The residents of Uicheon had gotten used to the house's presence already, but it didn’t stop the mutual sentiment of "...really?" amongst them.

And currently, Mark stood in front of its black front doors, ringing the black doorbell and covering his ears as trumpets echoed from inside the house, playing to the tune of the guitar solo of Gun N' Roses' 'Sweet Child O' Mine.' Only seconds later, did the door swing open, revealing a robot, half of Mark's height. "SCANNING FACE... HELLO M-A-R-K, MARK." It greeted, well, robotically.

"Hey, Edison," Mark greeted the robot nonchalantly, walking in and shutting the door behind him, "where's Cabbage?" He asked as he took off his shoes and placed it on the nearby shoe rack.

"LOCATING THE DOCTOR..." Edison's eyes turned yellow, colour blinking repeatedly until it turned into a green light and stayed like that. "DOCTOR LOCATED - HE IS IN HIS LABORATORY DOWNSTAIRS."

Because was it really surprising that the house belonged to a guy who invented things for a living and went by the name of a vegetable in a bizarre way to honour his idol?

"Got it, I'll go meet up with him then." Mark informed, heading down the hall until he reached the black spiral staircase that led both to the third floor and bottom floor. It was really nice up there on the third floor though; Mark had been there before and it even came with a movie room! Too bad Cabbage rarely used it because he "doesn't have time for action sequences". So Mark, being the loyal lab assistant/test subject he was, headed down instead to the bottom floor, where he was greeted by a hallway that was lined up with pictures of old men on the walls. "My inspirations!" Cabbage would say. Among them were the likes of Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison (who he named his robot after, clearly), Nikola Tesla... you got the drift.

Regardless, Mark never stayed in the hall longer than he needed to - he wasn’t sure if portraits of old men who were dead by now staring at him was exactly his kind of vibe.

At the very end of the hall, all that awaited him was a grey metallic door that had some vapour seeping through the narrow space at the bottom of it. "Shit, I didn't bring a fire extinguisher today..." Mark cursed, grabbing onto the straps of his backpacks and readjusting it on his shoulders. "It's okay, Mark. He hasn't killed you before, so he can't kill you today...?" He wasn’t sure what the logic behind that thought was but you couldn’t blame him for trying to... reassure himself for whatever was about to come beyond those doors. It was funny to him; he had been the lab rat of many of Cabbage's crazy experiments and inventions, yet he kept coming back and every time he did, the jitters were always there.

Maybe it wasn’t because he was scared of death. Because he wasn’t - his father always drilled the idea into his head that God would welcome him with open arms when the time came. At the very least, if Mark died - most likely because of one of these experiments and inventions - he'd be bringing Cabbage with him. But hey, that was beyond the point.

If not the fear of death, then what? Maybe, just maybe... one of these days, one of Cabbage's revolutionary inventions would actually be successful. That for all of the craziness that's going on inside the mad scientist's head, it would finally pay off.

If only he knew when.

Mark reached for the handle and twisted it, pulling the door open and nearly coughing when a whole cloud of mist and vapour rushed at him. "Jeez, Cabbage, what are you doing this time?" Mark coughed into his arm as he took a step into the laboratory. He actually couldn't see the scientist at first, waving his hand around in hopes that he'd be able to swat away the mist and vapour. The space around him eventually did clear, though, revealing...

Nothing?

Instead of the usual grand machine that looked like it was taped together, Mark was greeted with... a clear space. The scientist was over at his desk just up a set of stairs that led to a second floor within the big room. "Cabbage!" Mark called after him, waving his hands to get his attention.

Whatever the scientist was busy doing, it was important enough to leave Mark ignored for a good five seconds. It left him pouting, though the scientist eventually did glance over at the boy, his eyes widening behind his circular glasses. "Mark, boy, there you are!" Cabbage sprang out of his seat, quickly rushing down to the boy he had called over. He held some sort of watch in his hands, like it was the most precious thing in the world. Jeez, since when did Cabbage wear Rolex? "Took you long enough! I was bouncing in my seat waiting for you to come over! But in the meantime, I was able to complete another one after confirming my calculations for the twenty-seventh time..."

One thing that nobody wanted to do was sit through Cabbage's rambling, prompting Mark to speak up. "Whoa, calm down, Cabbage. What's going on? Where's your invention?"

"Oh Mark, you're looking at it." Cabbage held out the watch and Mark raised an eyebrow.

"That small thing?" Mark narrowed his eyes at the watch in the scientist's hand. "Are you sure? Last time I came in for one of your creations, it was twice my size and almost killed me." But knowing the kind of person Cabbage was, Mark wouldn't be too surprised if this little watch managed to wreck havoc as well. How ironic it would be, for something so small to cause so much chaos.

Cabbage shook his head, meeting Mark's gaze with oddly serious eyes. "Mark, the creation I hold in my hand can - and will - change the world. If left in the wrong hands, everything could collapse. Society will crumble, the universe will be left in a never-ending stream of terror, reality will no longer exist, the concept of time will-"

"Okay, okay," Mark was left, once again, trying to calm down the frantic scientist, "Cabbage, deep breaths. Tell me, what did you create?" It couldn't be that bad that it left the older man going on some admittedly fear-inducing rant.

"A time travel machine."

One Mississippi, two Mississippi...

"Alright, I'll see you next time then, Cabbage." And almost immediately, Mark turned on his heel, prepared to just dip out of there.

"Wait, no, Mark!" The scientist called after the boy, grabbing a hold of his sleeve, "Please, hear me out!"

"Time travel, Cabbage!" Mark whirled around, disbelief painted in his features. "Do you even hear yourself right now? That's impossible! This is impossible! Listen, I'm fine with being your test subject but even I have to put my foot down somewhere when things get a bit too crazy!"

Despite Mark's reasonable concerns, Cabbage really didn't feel like letting his lab assistant slip away from the tip of his fingers, especially now of all times. "Come on, Mark! Twenty-seven times! I checked my calculations twenty-seven times! Don't let my hard work go down the drain!"

"Then do it yourself! Time travel yourself!" Mark exclaimed.

"I can't! I need you to go so I can stay behind and collect all the data while making sure you don't get stuck in the future or something!" Cabbage explained.

Unfortunately, Mark's face still showed utter disbelief. "You know, this really doesn't help your case, Cabbage!"

"Fine! We'll do this the fair way then!" Cabbage shouted, holding his fist out.

"Are you serious? Rock, paper, scissors?!" Mark cried out, covering his eyes. If there was one thing he couldn't say no to, it was rock, paper, scissors. Why? Maybe because he boasts a seven-hundred-fifty-two win record, with a mere twenty-one losses in the game. As you could probably assume, Mark was the undisputed rock, paper, scissors king in Uicheon, and only two kinds of people would dare challenge him in the game when it came to bets. Those who were bold and those who were desperate.

"I mean it, Mark! If you win, you can walk right out that door and never look back. I won't force this onto you. But if I win..." If Cabbage won, "you have to at least give this experiment a thought."

"Wait, that's it?" Mark uncovered his eyes, surprise in his voice. But hey, it wasn't a bad deal at all - in fact, the opposite. If Mark won - which he was pretty much guaranteed to - he could leave. If he didn't, he could pretend he thought it over and just say no in the end. "Well shit, say no more, Cabbage." And out Mark's fist went. “On shoot?”

"On shoot." The scientist confirmed, the two men placing their fists behind their backs.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Rock for Mark, and... rock for Cabbage.

"You got lucky." Mark rolled his shoulders back. "But this is it." And back their fists went behind them.

"Rock, paper, scissors... shoot!!"

Scissors for Mark, and... rock for Cabbage.

"I won..." Cabbage glanced down at his fist, mouth left agape, "I-I won! Against you!"

Yikes, better make that record seven-hundred-fifty-two wins to twenty-two losses now.

"I-I..." Mark was still in disbelief, for a totally different reason now, however. "I... I lost?" Under such circumstances too... but seriously! Time travel was a bit too much! "H-Hey, that doesn't mean I'm going to be going through with this! Remember, you said if you won, you'd let me think about it!" Mark reminded.

"Yeah, but only because I didn't think I'd actually win!" Cabbage snorted, shaking his head as he tucked the watch safely in the pocket of his white lab coat. "But I am a man of my word, so I'll give you some time to think about it. How about until the end of the day?" He suggested.

"That's a bit too soon, don't you think?" Mark frowned, not really liking the idea of being forced into a decision so quickly.

"Sorry, is that loser talk?" God, that damn Cabbage always knew how to get under Mark's skin.

"Fine, by the end of the day. But don't be surprised if my answer doesn't change." Mark warned. "Now if that's it, I'll be going." Mark huffed, turning around and heading to the door once more. This time, the scientist let him go, but not without some parting words.

"See you soon, Mark."

(Y/N) doesn't know where her life went wrong.

Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration and a dramatic one as well, but it didn't change the fact that instead of living out in the city and pursuing her dream as a world renown film director, she was stuck in her small hometown, working full-time at a film-rental store.

What was even the point of this store anyway? Everything was online nowadays anyway - who did the owner think he was, trying to compete with Netflix?

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi..." (Y/N) mumbled to herself from behind the counter, staring dully at the analog clock hung just above the front doors. An analog clock - what year was this again?

"(Y/N)," the voice of the store's owner, Mr. Yoon, was a less than welcoming disruption to her daily "clock-watching" (as she termed it herself), but at least it was a good way to remind her that the day was almost over, "did the kids all go home already?"

(Y/N) nodded, reaching below into the counter for a piece of paper with names and times. "Yup, Jungwoo and Sungchan just finished their shifts half an hour ago." She pointed to their names on the paper, "Signed out here."

"Great. You're in charge of closing up for today then, I have business in the city." Mr. Yoon informed, proudly readjusting his grip on the handles of his briefcase.

"Godspeed, Mr. Yoon." (Y/N) nodded, watching as the man left with a nod. And as the doors closed behind him, the female found herself alone in the store. All alone... which actually wasn't even that uncommon.

(Y/N); twenty-four years old, graduated from a local college two years ago with a degree in Film Studies with hopes of eventually entering the field of film-making and directing. She had high hopes, especially when she graduated. "To the city and A-list I go!" She could remember cheering that day in her car, diploma in hand and graduation gown still on.

But somebody must have forgotten to tell her that the university you went to mattered - and just how competitive the job market was for... pretty much every job.

Now this wasn't to say the college she attended was bad or anything, it just wasn't... one of the SKY universities. And before she knew it, when it came time for job hunting, the positions were constantly being filled out by "better candidates" and after a certain amount of "we regret to inform you"s, (Y/N) decided to go back home.

Home, in the beautiful yet small town of Uicheon. All she wanted was to make it big, live in a nice condo in Seoul and shop at luxury brands. Yet now, she found herself wearing what was possibly a ten-year-old uniform from the back storage with a name tag that was always tilted at a forty-five degree angle no matter how many times she tried to fix it.

But don't get her wrong! She hadn't given up yet - she absolutely would not! Her films might not be playing in theatres or at the Busan International Film Festival, but she still enjoyed writing up ideas and getting some of her co-workers to act out some scenes for her while she filmed eagerly with her trusty camcorder.

The Sony HDR-CX675; this bad boy cost her a good two months of saving up but God, was it worth it. Jungwoo in a wig and Sungchan throwing pens like they were daggers had never looked so good in HD until (Y/N) had gotten her hands on that beloved camcorder of hers.

"Should I film the clock or something?" She sighed, eyes wandering back over to the analog clock. At least she only had an hour left before the store closed, and she usually spent most of that time cleaning up anyway.

And so that hour began, dreadfully long until with only ten minutes to spare, the front door had opened, prompting (Y/N) to rush back to the counter from the storage room, though not without grumbling to herself quietly about what asshole comes into a store ten minutes before they close.

But it wasn't just anybody who came in - it was Mark, the boy who always complimented her hair no matter how lazy she had been to brush it that day. Still, flattery always earned some brownie points in (Y/N)’s books. So she wasn't hesitant at all when she had greeted Mark. "Hey, it's nice to see you here! Renting a movie?" She asked, resting her arms on the counter top.

"Yeah, looking for some Christian-friendly Halloween movie. For the kids at church this Sunday, since Halloween is tomorrow." Mark chuckled shaking his head.

"Let me see what I can find," (Y/N) grinned as she slipped away from the counter and to one of the shelves, "I'll be honest though, you're probably better off showing the kids some cartoon from Netflix or something."

As if Mark was going to tell her that he insisted to his dad on renting a movie, for he wanted to see and talk to the girl of his dreams who currently had her back turned to him. "Well you know us, terrible with technology." Instead, that was all he could muster up.

"I'll bet." She snickered jokingly, turning back to him with a movie now in her hand, "Toy Story of Terror sound good to you?"

"Better than showing them Scream." Mark shrugged before heading back to the counter with her. "I'll pay with debit."

"Mhm," (Y/N) nodded, taking his card and swiping it for him through the machine, "you know the usual, watch within thirty days and return it after those thirty days." She reminded him with a yawn. God forbid Mr. Yoon ever see that.

"Busy day?" Mark offered a small sympathetic smile as he took his card back as well as the movie. "I kind of get it. Cabbage called me in for one of his inventions today."

"Today?" She asked, watching as the boy across from her nodded. "What was it this time?" Everybody in town felt bad for Mark since he was the one always testing out Cabbage's inventions, but at the same time, at least it wasn't them?

"Gosh, you wouldn't believe me if I said it." He shook his head with a heavy sigh. "A time travel machine - or like, a time travel watch, I guess."

"Time travel?" The gasp from the female was expected; anybody would be surprised. "I always knew Cabbage was ambitious but definitely not to the extent of time travel!"

"Yeah, needless to say, I said no. Or like, I told him I would think about it, you know?" Mark frowned. "I just can't believe... time travel of all things."

"I'll be honest," there was a smile spreading on (Y/N)’s face, to the slight surprise of Mark, "the idea of time travel sounds so cool though. I'd love to try it out." When Mark had brought up what had happened at Cabbage's house, he didn't think (Y/N) would actually be... interested in the scientist's invention. Definitely not when it was so absurd. But she looked so cute, the way she stood up straighter and her attentive eyes as he talked about it. Gosh, he wished he could tell her that it wasn't worth the time. But her interest was clear, that much he couldn't ignore.

"Then... why don't you try it in my place?" Mark suggested hesitantly. He didn't want (Y/N) and her pretty little self anywhere near those dangerous creations, for concern of her safety. But she really seemed to be interested in this, and this... it was the least he could do.

"Alone? No thanks." She giggled softly, to the relief of the boy who had suggested it in the first place. "Maybe if someone else was with me though. Like a time travel duo!" Hold up - someone else?

"This is your chance, Mark!" His inner voice practically screamed at him. Anything for (Y/N), right? "But it's so dangerous!" His other inner voice tried deterring him from going through with what he was about to suggest. But for (Y/N)! "Then," Mark felt his heartbeat quicken, excitement and hope visible in his eyes, "you wouldn't mind if we did it together, would you?"

If his friends Johnny and Donghyuck were here, they'd definitely be cheering and slapping him on the back. It felt like he was asking her out, something he always dreamed of doing but never really having the guts to do so. Rejection was a scary thought, but as he watched the wide smile that spread onto (Y/N)’s face, he knew he had something to look forward to, even if through... this.

"Of course! it'll be fun!" Score! "Too bad only one person can go though, I assume." She frowned.

And for a second, Mark's hopes had shattered once again. But then he remembered something back at Cabbage's house, and maybe, just maybe, it wasn't over yet. "Actually, I think Cabbage mentioned making two watches." After confirming his calculations twenty-seven times. "Why don't we go together?"

"Seriously? You wouldn't mind?" Oh, what Mark wouldn't given just to see that wide smile on (Y/N)’s face every single second of the day.

And with a smile of his own, he nodded. "Of course not, noona."

Love has always been a motivation for man, ever since the beginning of humans. And as time continued on and advanced, a variety of factors had been added to that list of motivation, such as money and power. But one constant above all was always going to be love - something that had always been interpersonal.

So that was why Cabbage wasn't too particularly surprised to see Mark come back to his house later in the evening, this time, with a female companion. And judging by the look of awe on her face, it didn't take much for the scientist to connect the dots. "Mark, you came back!" Cabbage smiled down at the boy from the second floor of his basement lab. "With a friend this time?"

"Right," Mark cleared his throat, gesturing to the scientist, "(Y/N), this is Cabbage as you already know, and Cabbage, this is (Y/N), my friend."

"Hi! It's great to be here! Like, really great." (Y/N) was still enamoured by the many... things going on in the lab, though Mark couldn't blame her.

"Anyway Mark, have you given my invention a thought?" Cabbage inquired, standing up from his seat by his computer and leaning against the railing. "I assume that's why you're here, after all."

Mark nodded. "I have." He confirmed, biting down on his lip. "And I'll do it."

"You will?" The scientist's eyes widened, grin spreading on his face. "That's great!"

"But," Mark began, gaze falling over onto (Y/N) for a short second before back onto the scientist, "with conditions."

"Conditions?" Cabbage raised an eyebrow, pleasantly intrigued.

"Conditions!" (Y/N) suddenly spoke up with a grin, earning a look from the two. "Sorry, it just felt kind of intense so I wanted to ease tensions a bit." She coughed, glancing back and forth between the two. "Please, continue." She urged.

"A-Anyway yes, conditions." Mark cleared his throat before turning to the scientist once more. "I want (Y/N) to come with me. You have two watches, don't you?"

"I do." Cabbage nodded, fishing his hand into the pocket of his lab coat and bringing out two identical watches. "So far, they're the only two I have so I need to make sure that your friend will be extra careful with this."

"She will." Mark reassured without any hesitation. "I know she will, because she's (Y/N)." A man who was claiming everybody's hearts left and right - except for (Y/N)’s though, unfortunately.

Cabbage looked as if he was pondering on the thought for a bit before eventually nodding and making his way down the stairs. "Well, if Mark is vouching for you, I guess it should be okay." Cabbage nodded before gesturing for the two to follow him to the back of the lab, where large screen rested on the wall and multiple smaller monitors on both it's sides, resting on a glass desk. Below it were multiple keyboards, a few touch pads here and there with clearly different functions. It was like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. "This is where I'll be monitoring and communicating with you two while you're in whatever time period you land in." He explained, gesturing to his set up.

"What about the watches?" (Y/N) asked.

"I'm just getting to that." Cabbage nodded, reaching for the two watches once again. "Gather around, you two." He motioned for them to come closer. "It looks like a regular analog watch at first, but if you tap the clock face," he did what he had just said, the other two watching in awe as a small digital hologram had appeared in the air, just above the clock face, "it has information such as your battery life on the right hand corner, the date and time you're in, the option to video call me, and the option to switch time periods." He pointed out each detail on the hologram. "Now the problem with the switching time periods is that once you arrive somewhere, you're stuck there for, at a minimum, twenty-four hours before the voltage and particle energies recharge and allow you to travel elsewhere."

"Wait, so you're staying we might be stuck in a different time for a whole day?" Mark asked, a bit of alarm evident in his voice.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find out the proper calculations to make the recharging process quicker but for the meantime... yes." The scientist sighed. "But hey, at least it's not twenty-five hours...?"

"Cabbage!" Mark groaned, running his hand down his face.

"I mean, twenty-four hours doesn't sound that bad." (Y/N) hummed. "I'd love to explore a different time period, really get to know what it was like!"

"See, at least someone's optimistic." Cabbage sent a not-so-subtle look over at Mark. "But anyway, I actually have a quest for you two."

"Ooh, a quest! I feel like I'm in a video game." (Y/N) giggled, and if it weren't for the fact that she was totally digging this right now, Mark would have just straight up left out of fear for his own safety.

"Exactly!" Cabbage nodded eagerly. "Since you two will be going to different time periods, I want you to bring back a memento of some sort from each time period."

"Anything specific?" Mark asked, wanting to make sure he was going into this with full details.

"Yes, for the purpose of analytic purposes due to their high amount of energy." Cabbage turned to the two, a suddenly serious look on his face. "A meaningful item to at least one person you encounter."

The two waited for him to say more, but nope, all he did was stare back at them. Mark ended up being the first to speak up. "Hm, I think you're missing the part where you, oh I don't know, tell us what you mean by ‘meaningful item’??"

"That will vary from person to person, Mark boy." Cabbage sighed, giving an empathetic pat on the boy's shoulder. "One person's 'meaningful item' might be a necklace that their mother gifted them, or maybe a letter from a lover for a soldier - everything in life is a variable anyway."

"Wait, then how do we know something is a meaningful item?" (Y/N) asked.

"That's where this last function of the watches come in," Cabbage turned his attention back to the watches, "this icon," he pointed to one of the icons on the hologram screen that resembled a heart, "will allow you to scan a person once you've talked to them. This only works one person at a time though, and it does drain a lot of energy from the watch battery. It'll allow you to see particles coming from objects, like sparkles. The more vivid, bigger and brighter the particles, chances are that's your person's meaningful item. So be careful with who you choose to use it on - once you scan that person, you'll have to find their meaningful item before you can use it again. Not to mention that the longer it takes for you to find the meaningful item, the more energy it drains." He warned.

"Talk about ominous, gosh." Mark sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"It'll be exciting though, Mark." (Y/N) glanced over at the boy beside her, a grin spreading on her face. "We're in this together, after all!"

"Noona..." A shade of red coated Mark's cheeks as he stared down at her, eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Ahem, and me too." Cabbage interrupted, "Just, I'll be back here handling everything."

"Yes, of course, because where would we be without you, Cabbage?" Mark sighed, feeling a bit salty over the scientist's interruption during his and (Y/N)’s "moment".

"Love you too, Mark." Cabbage blew a kiss his way before handing a watch to Mark and (Y/N) each. "Are you two ready?"

"Wait, we're doing this so soon?" Mark's eyes widened, staring down at the watch in his hands with a bit of fear.

"Better sooner than later." Cabbage shrugged, helping attach the watch onto Mark's wrist and then to (Y/N)’s. "You guys will be fine, don't worry. I'm here, after all!"

"So reassuring, Cabbage." Mark grumbled, about to protest over the quick timing and suddenness of all of this if not for the sudden feeling of warmth in one of his hands. He glanced down at said hand, eyes lingering on the smaller hand that had clasped his own. And as his eyes wandered up to the hand's owner, he swore she was going to be the death of him.

"It'll be okay, Mark." (Y/N) squeezed his hand softly with a reassuring smile. "We're in this together." She repeated.

"Right..." Mark trailed off before taking a deep breath and nodding. "Together." He then glanced over at the scientist. "We're ready, Cabbage."

With an excited smile, the older man nodded before turning to his set up and taking a seat down in the chair. The sounds of his quick tapping against the keyboard keys had Mark worrying with every passing second, but as (Y/N) held his hand, he figured this wouldn't be a terrible way to die. "Adios, you two!" Cabbage called out before hitting one last button. Click!

And as a bright and large flash of light illuminated within the lab, Mark knew it had begun, especially with the way his limbs practically burned and his consciousness struggling to stay intact.

The things he'd do for love, huh?

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